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Fitness usually tops New Year’s resolutions, and this year is no exception. Entering a gym for the first time can be completely intimidating, regardless of gender identity. However, gyms can exacerbate feelings of dysphoria or generally feel unsafe for gender-nonconforming individuals.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his nomination of Judge Melissa DuBose to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, where she would be the first person of color and the first LGBTQ judge.

The U.S. has removed Uganda from the list of nations eligible to benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) because of their enactment of the “Anti-Homosexuality Act.”

It’s a new year and I for one am tired of all those doom sayers out there. If you continue spiraling down with your negative views, you’re just giving in. What you need to do is fight back. This includes every front, from elections to legislation. Instead of groaning, start organizing, take a look at our history, and recognize our greatest strengths. It’s time to unite as a community and for Democrats — which makes up an overwhelming percentage of the LGBTQ+ community — to start voicing strong support for our candidates.

Every January, we get the opportunity to start fresh, wipe the slate clean: a tabula rasa of new beginnings opens before us, full of hope and promise. That was before Donald Trump. Any hope that Trump would exit like other presidents who failed to win a second term — Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush most recently — and move into the private sector and do different work were sundered forever on Jan. 6, 2021 with the violent insurrection at the Capitol.

Atlanta’s queer community is reeling at the news of Dr. Jesse Peel’s passing on December 28, 2023, at the age of 83.

War, continued anti-LGBTQ crackdowns and the decriminalization of consensual same-sex sexual relations are among the issues that made headlines around the world over the past year. Here are the top international stories of 2023.

2023 has been a hugely impactful year for the LGBTQ community nationwide. Drag performers, the trans community, youth, and health care were attacked with a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills — but there were still some small wins for the community throughout the year. Join us as we reminisce on the highs and lows of 2023.

As another year passes, members of Atlanta’s queer community remain resilient by fighting our oppressors and celebrating our wins. In 2023, innocent members of our community have faced police brutality, the murder of our trans siblings, and the political persecution of nonbinary people and queer children. We witnessed the closing of an iconic venue, cheered as the City of Atlanta donated to trans organizations, decried the same city officials for supporting Cop City, and found healing through the power of activism and drag.

The holidays were different when I was younger. Lacking the Internet, one would eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Sears catalog to your front door just around August or September. This particular catalog, known as the “Wish Book,” would hold in its many pages a treasure trove of toys your family could buy for the holidays.

Black men loving Black men is the revolutionary act. – Marlon Riggs 

The history of gay cruising is a multi-faceted journey that reflects the complex relationship between LGBTQ individuals and societal attitudes toward their expressions of love and desire. From clandestine encounters in the shadows to the emergence of designated spaces, the evolution of gay cruising provides a lens through which we can explore the struggle for acceptance, identity, and the pursuit of love in the face of societal norms.

A gay staffer for U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate, his office told the Washington Blade in a statement on Saturday morning, which followed reports that he had filmed amateur pornography in the workplace.

Fifty years ago today, the American Psychiatric Association dropped “homosexuality” from its list of mental disorders. The historic event was lauded as a key advancement for the cause of LGBTQ+ equality.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider a case challenging access to the most commonly used method of abortion in the United States, a medication called mifepristone.

At first glance, the exterior of Buckhead Art & Company—a brick-and-mortar gallery located in one of Atlanta’s most upscale neighborhoods—appears to be more of the same—a posh offering for wealthy clientele that most residents 30 minutes south of I-85 would deem inaccessible. Yet, once inside, that perceived narrative is immediately disrupted. The space, its owner—Karimah McFarlane—along with 30 portraits of people living with HIV and allies in “Stories of Triumph,” a photo exhibition by photographer Sean Black currently showing in observance of World AIDS Day on December 1, are ingredients in an artistic gumbo that is Black, Southern, accessible, and deeply committed to fostering community.

There’s a truism we in the LGBTQ community experience at the visceral level: “Elections have consequences.” If you’ve been paying attention to what’s going on in Florida, Texas, and Cobb County, school boards have agendas. In 2023, the trend is for these local elected officials to use their actual and perceived power to beat up on our community. As a former school board member twice endorsed by the Victory Fund as well as by Georgia Equality and as a person who has dedicated his life to public education, I urge you to give Alfred “Shivy” Brooks your vote in the December 5 runoff for a seat on the Atlanta Public Schools Board.

“I dare myself to dream of us moving from survival to potential, from merely getting by to a positive getting over.”

Myah Ross Monroe’s House of Love 

A. Boys! Boys! Boys! Volume 3

The life of gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin is explored in the new film, “Rustin,” starring out actor Colman Domingo in the title role. It’s a project a long time in the making.

This holiday season, you don’t want to overlook your furry friends! Make sure Fido and Fluffy also have a gift under the tree this year.

In a surprise move, a 6-to-3 majority of the U.S. Supreme Court did something good for LGBTQ people: it rejected Florida’s request for a stay against a lower court decision –a stay that would have enabled the state to enforce its new law banning drag shows under certain circumstances.

Rapper, model and reality star Benji Fetch will release his first full-length album, “’Butchqueen 2: The Misinterpretation of Benji Fetch,” on November 17. Benji, 28, is an up-and-coming performer from Marietta who hopes to deconstruct harmful stereotypes about queer Black men.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Service Employees International Union General Counsel Nicole Berner to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

A. Le Creuset London Mug Set

“The Prom” 

The world runs on finding the next good meal. For many people nowadays, that meal comes shipped straight to their door. Over 31 percent of Americans use third-party meal delivery services – companies like Home Chef and Hello Fresh lead a market focused on convenience and efficiency. But what people gain from having their foods pre-prepared they lose in the joys of acquiring it: someone asking them how their day was shopping at the grocery store, or even the knowledge of what’s going into the plate they’re sticking in the oven.

A. Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey 

It is difficult to visit any news outlet right now and not see coverage of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. As you may have noticed, we have yet to publish anything on the situation. This has been intentional, though not because of a lack of care.