Daily newsletter 12/8/25

🏒 The gay hockey romance Heated Rivalry has been a massive hit, and the show has fans taking a closer look at the NHL -- the only major North American men's sports league with no current or former out gay players. Mey Rude explores whether that might change soon.

Speaking of professional sports, the World Cup is coming to the U.S. this summer, and this week we learned that the Seattle-based game designated locally as the "Pride Match" will feature two countries where being gay is illegal.

In politics news, Texas's first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress has a challenger for re-election, and The Advocate's Trudy Ring interviews Derek Kitchen, the out gay man from Utah running for the U.S. House. Plus, Marjorie Taylor Greene has a lot to say about Donald Trump in her first interview since announcing her plans to resign from Congress.

And, in case you missed it over the weekend: The Trump administration has deadnamed transgender former Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine on her official portrait, in a "small act of pettiness and bigotry."

Thanks for reading,

Kayla Gagnet (filling in for Christine Linnell, who returns tomorrow)

The Advocate

World Cup LGBTQ+ Pride Match will feature two countries where being gay is illegal

Kai L Connell/Shuttershock.com

There are no out NHL players. Could 'Heated Rivalry' change that?

esfera/shutterstock

LGBTQ+ digital creators urge Democrats to authentically ‘say the things others are too scared to say’

Christopher Wiggins for The Advocate

Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump was 'extremely angry' over vote to release Epstein files

Shutterstock

Colin Allred targets first LGBTQ+ congresswoman from Texas for House seat as Jasmine Crockett runs for Senate

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images ;Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The next out member of Congress may be a gay man from Utah

Courtesy Derek Kitchen

Another University of Oklahoma instructor suspended in biblical psychology paper grading controversy

Kirby Lee/Getty Images

HHS replaces name on transgender admiral’s official portrait with deadname in act of ‘pettiness and bigotry’

Rachel Levine Elected to National Academy of MedicinePhoto provided

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World Cup LGBTQ+ Pride Match will feature two countries where being gay is illegal

There are no out NHL players. Could 'Heated Rivalry' change that?

LGBTQ+ digital creators urge Democrats to authentically ‘say the things others are too scared to say’

Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump was 'extremely angry' over vote to release Epstein files

Colin Allred targets first LGBTQ+ congresswoman from Texas for House seat as Jasmine Crockett runs for Senate

The next out member of Congress may be a gay man from Utah

Another University of Oklahoma instructor suspended in biblical psychology paper grading controversy

HHS replaces name on transgender admiral’s official portrait with deadname in act of ‘pettiness and bigotry’

Subscribe to The Advocate / Out Magazine for the holidays!

The Latest

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“They are textbook asylum cases,” attorney Rebekah Wolf told The Advocate. “People from a country where who they are is criminalized and punishable by torture or death — that is literally the definition of an asylum seeker.”

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