Check out The Advocate's newsletter for 01/25/24

Happy Thursday!

⁉️ What's in a name? Quite a lot actually. It's why the It Gets Better Project — the organization that began after that Dan Savage and Terry Miller video went viral in 2010 — is dropping "project" from its name. But given what we've seen across the country in 2023 and into 2024, does it still get better?

💫 “The phrase ‘it gets better’ might sound simplistic, especially when LGBTQ+ youth in states like Florida face daunting realities,” Ross von Metzke, senior director of communications of It Gets Better, told The Advocate. “Our goal is to empower these young people to navigate life’s challenges with better tools and community support.” 💫

📖 Haven't read our latest cover story yet? You should get on that then. In our 💕 love 💕 issue, we spoke with the George Takei and his husband Brad about their 38 years together. The adorable photos alone are worth taking a peek at.

And it looks like Gen Z is hecka gay. 🌈 In fact, according to a recent survey, Gen Z folks are more likely to identify as LGBTQ+ than as Republican. I'm fine with that. But Gen Z also has notoriously rejected labels of all forms. Read more about the survey here. 🐘

In other news:

• Madonna took a moment to recognize two nurses who worked in AIDS wards at the height of the crisis. The pop icon has been a queer icon for decades and this is why.
• A Maryland man was sentenced to 48 years in prison for murdering Taya Ashton, a trans woman.
• Ariana DeBose has a new film out and spoke with us about making it.
• It's National Gun Violence Survivors Awareness Week. We spoke with some folks who advocate for better gun laws and about the tragedies that led them to their activism.
• An out lawmaker in Florida is backing a ban on social media for kids younger than 16. LGBTQ+ advocates say the ban would prevent kids from accessing needed information and resources.

Alex Cooper

It Gets Better Project changes name amid challenging landscape for LGBTQ+ youth (exclusive)

via It Gets Better Project

Living long & prospering: George Takei's inspiring love story

Luke Fontana

Less GOP and more LGBT — Gen Z is more likely to be queer than Republican, survey reveals

Shutterstock

Out Florida lawmaker defends bill banning kids from social media

Michele Rayner for Florida

I.S.S.’s Ariana DeBose and Gabriela Cowperthwaite on nationalism and normalizing queer ID

Bleecker Street

Madonna pays tribute to two heroes of the AIDS crisis during NYC show

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation

Gun violence ‘is always going to sit with me:’ Grief, trauma, and the rising threat of firearms in America

Images Courtesy: Sara Grossman, Vincent Perez

Maryland man sentenced to 48 years for murder of transgender woman Taya Ashton

via HRC; via PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY POLICE