05/05/25

Hi there,

👀 The Trump administration has backed down after a federal court intervened in its attempt to cut off funding for Maine’s school meal programs — punishment for the state’s refusal to discriminate against transgender kids by barring trans girls from participating in girls’ sports. It comes after Trump called out the state's governor, Janet Mills, at an event. Mills responded by telling him the state would see him in court, and she was true to her word.

🚔 Lady Gaga's Saturday concert in Brazil made history — in spite of a planned bomb attack and "satanic ritual." The record-breaking show at Copacabana Beach was the target of a failed ambush that Rio de Janeiro police said was aimed at the LGBTQ+ community.

🚨 Remember Project 2025? Well, the Trump administration is following through with the far-right plan. Trump claimed on the campaign trail that he had "nothing to do" with Project 2025 — but now that he's in office, here are the parts of 2025 that have been realized.

Onward and upward,

Alex Cooper

Editor-in-chief, The Advocate

P.S. Support The Advocate's journalism. Find out how to contribute here.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills beats Donald Trump, gets school meal funds restored while defending trans kids

Win McNamee/Getty Images; Joshua Sukoff/Shutterstock

Sarah McBride and Wes Moore lead call for resistance

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Organizers confirm pulling WorldPride events from ‘inhospitable’ Kennedy Center — not canceled by it

Anton_Ivanov/Shutterstock; Judy Davis/Hoachlander Davis Photography for The Strathmore

Lady Gaga's Brazil concert faced a bomb plot targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Here's everything we know

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation

Pittsburgh police raid LGBTQ+ bar during drag show featuring Amanda Lepore

©2025 Google Maps Data; lev radin/Shutterstock

The sneaky way one Utah teacher showed support for LGBTQ+ students despite bigoted laws

Maria Castellanos/Shutterstock

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes anti-trans bills, and tells lawmakers to 'focus on real issues that matter'

REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty Images

'The Last Of Us' director Kate Herron brings queer love to a 'harrowing world'

Courtesy HBO

Trump’s tariff on foreign films is his revenge on Hollywood, a Red Scare redux, and an autocratic power move

footage still via NBC News; Bettmann Contributor/Getty Images

Trump’s tariff on foreign films is his revenge on Hollywood, a Red Scare redux, and an autocratic power move

footage still via NBC News; Bettmann Contributor/Getty Images

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