05/22/25

Hey y'all,

🌈 Today is Harvey Milk Day! Groundbreaking gay politician Harvey Milk would have turned 95 today. He was assassinated 47 years ago, but he continues to inspire activists in the present day — including his nephew, Stuart Milk. “He was my touchstone to my own authenticity,” says Stuart, who was 17 when his uncle died and came out as gay shortly afterward. “It’s a day when people can celebrate what he dreamed of, what we’ve come to, and remind us that we still have more work to do.”

⛰️ Transgender, queer, and allied activists unfurled earlier this week a 55-by-35-foot Trans Pride flag on El Capitan, a vertical rock formation in California’s Yosemite National Park. The flag display is part of a project called Trans Is Natural, and the flag is the largest one ever hung on El Capitan, one of the world’s most popular wall-climbing sites. The display is “a celebration of trans belonging in nature, in community, and everywhere,” organizers said.

🎉 WorldPride kicked off this weekend in D.C. with Trans Pride — a series of celebrations and events focusing on trans lives, visibility, and joy. Equalpride's photo editor Nikki Aye and I were there. Check out photos from the weekend below. ⬇️

Onward and upward,

Alex Cooper

Editor-in-chief, The Advocate

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

Harvey Milk Day is a day for both activism and celebration, says nephew Stuart Milk

Bettmann Contributor/Getty Images; Courtesy Harvey Milk Foundation

Ditching DEI hurt Target's sales in first quarter

Tada Images via Shutterstock

Target ending DEI proves when you follow Trump, on anything, you always lose in the end

melissamn/Shutterstock

Activists hang Trans Pride flag in California's Yosemite National Park to protest erasure efforts

Jayce Kolinski/yosemite trans project (with permission)

Corporate sponsors like Pepsi, Nissan, Mastercard, and more pull back from NYC Pride

Kirkam/Shutterstock

New York man pleads guilty to threatening lesbian Michigan AG Dana Nessel

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Florida district alleges teacher who used student's nickname was grooming them to 'become gay'

Hananeko_Studio via Shutterstock

When George Wendt’s Norm taught us gay stereotypes are the real joke in one of Cheers’ most seminal episodes

NBCUniversal

Philadelphia drag group offers fabulous reward for return of stolen 'Beardmobile'

footage still via facebook @beardedladiescabaret

44 photos of pure transgender joy and visibility at Trans Pride D.C. 2025

Nikki Aye for The Advocate

Tim Walz: Democrats mustn't abandon transgender people

Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Lesbian teen brutally beaten at Illinois McDonald's in potential hate crime

footage still via CBS Chicago

Virginia Republican candidate for governor addresses grads at extremely anti-LGBTQ+ schools

Courtesy Winsome Sears campaign

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