The Advocate July/August 2022

A PHOTO BOOTH set with faux lockers, backpacks, queer stickers, and various high school-themed accouterments stood in the center of the event space at Los Angeles’s NeueHouse. Bars lined with boxes of Gummi Bears, Dots, Red Vines, and popcorn (sweet or salty — you choose) framed the room. On the screen, just minutes before the premiere of Hulu’s hilarious and adorable queer rom-com Crush, was a still from the movie featuring its queer stars Auli’i Cravalho and Rowan Blanchard. The room brimmed with joyful young LGBTQ+ people whose gender and sexual identities appeared to fill the spectrum. They were in glam makeup, killer boots or heels, and sartorial excellence — the expansive choices of suits alone made me wish I were a young queer person again. The fabulously gay evening featuring…

As of press time, basketball star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days. After months of silence, supporters have now begun making more noise to get the lesbian player free. Griner, center for the Phoenix Mercury, was taken into custody in February at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow after a search of her luggage allegedly revealed she had vape cartridges containing hashish oil. Possession of hashish oil is illegal in Russia. If she is convicted of possession, she could be sentenced to up to 10 years in a Russian prison. She has not gone to trial yet, and her pretrial detention goes into July. She was in Russia to play for one of that nation’s basketball teams, UMMC Ekaterinburg. It’s not uncommon for…

In a study released this spring by the Trevor Project, the LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and mental health organization found an upward trend in suicidal ideation among queer youth, many of whom are trans and people of color. “The Trevor Project’s research demonstrates that suicidal thoughts have trended upward among LGBTQ young people over the last three years, making our lifesaving work all the more important. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and relentless political attacks during this time period cannot be understated,” Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of the Trevor Project, said in a statement. The findings are part of the group’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, which included responses from almost 34,000 LGBTQ+ Americans between the ages of 13 and 24. The group said 45 percent…

CALVIN UNIVERSITY IN Grand Rapids, Mich., is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, which does not approve of same-sex relationships. But popular professor Joseph Kuilema believed that officiating a civil wedding ceremony for two women fell under the definition of “private citizenship activity” that he was free to engage in despite the stances of the university and the denomination. Now, though, it’s costing him his job. “I think Calvin’s making a big mistake,” says Nicole Sweda, who married Annica Steen in the ceremony Kuilema conducted last October. He’s a “fantastic professor” and is respected by students and colleagues, she says. Kuilema is a member of the Christian Reformed faith, but his congregation differs with the denomination on same-sex unions, and it affirms these marriages. Leaders of his congregation supported his decision to…

Transgender man Ray Muscat, 26, was shot to death May 8 at his home in Oakland County, Mich., becoming at least the 13th trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming American to have died by violence in 2022. Police said he was shot by his girlfriend, trans woman Ruby Taverner, 22, who subsequently died by suicide, according to police reports. Her body was discovered May 9 near the apartment complex where she and Muscat lived. Her brother Bishop Taverner, 25, was also fatally shot in the apartment May 8, and authorities believe Ruby Taverner was responsible for his death as well. “An unspeakable tragedy took place on the day Raymond ‘Ray’ Muscat lost his life at the hands of someone he cared for…. He should still be alive today to share his unmatched creativity and…

Karine Jean-Pierre has accomplished much in her 47 years — working in presidential campaigns, offering political commentary on national TV, writing an acclaimed memoir, and generally being a tireless activist for progressive causes. In May, she added White House press secretary to that résumé, succeeding Jen Psaki in that role. In her first press briefing in her new post, she noted the groundbreaking nature of her appointment. “I am obviously acutely aware that my presence at this podium represents a few firsts,” said Jean-Pierre, who was previously principal deputy White House press secretary. “I am a Black gay immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position. I would not be here today if it were not for generations of barrier-breaking people before me. I stand on…