Advocate NL 7/1/26

Hello folks and Happy Wednesday! Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez back in your inbox here.

Today is also the first day of July, but we're still catching up with Alysse Dalessandro's travels on the Mother Road. If you'll recall, Alysse set out in June to uncover Route 66's queer history. In her latest dispatch, she gets a nice surprise from the state of New Mexico: "Unlike many places I’d visited along Route 66, here you don’t have to dig through museums or archives to find its LGBTQ+ history."

Arizona also has some LGBTQ+ history to offer.

While Alysse continues her journey, Christopher Wiggins tells us of an Army combat veteran hoping to make their own history in a bid to become Maryland’s first transgender legislator.

Thanks folks, we'll be back tomorrow!

Dispatches from Route 66: Finding queer hope in New Mexico and Arizona

Alysse Dalessandro or The Advocate

Ken Paxton spotted jetting to Iceland with alleged mistress after campaigning on ‘Christian values’

Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

Village People's Victor Willis dies at 74, Trump pays tribute to himself

Bonnie Britain/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Army combat veteran advances in bid to become Maryland’s first transgender legislator

Alleria 4 House Delegate

Opinion: Brett Kavanaugh says trans kids should not be ostracized. His sports ruling does exactly that

Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty images

Supreme Court trans sports ruling sparks red state crackdown and blue state resistance

Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Mermaids are here and queer—just ask Chè Monique

XGnG Photography