PRIDE

Akron Pride – a first!

The streets of Akron filled with color, laughter and smiles as members of the LGBTQ community and allies celebrated the city’s first Pride parade and festival Saturday at Hardesty Park. Isaac Baez, a chair member of the Pride march, said he believes that Pride is not only a celebration, but a justice and equality movement, as well.

HEALTH

Bridging the gap for LGBT youth health services.

North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams held a press conference at Time Out Youth in Charlotte on Aug. 23 to announce her introduction of the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act (YASHS) to the U.S. House of Representatives. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by a team of co-sponsors including Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and seven others.

PRIDE

32 years of Ottawa Pride.

This year’s annual Pride parade in Ottawa on Sunday makes history with two high-profile guests, while another guest may ruffle a few feathers for some in the city’s LGBT community. After a week of events to celebrate diversity in the city, the 32nd edition of Capital Pride comes to a close with the marquee event: the Pride parade, and this year is expected to be the biggest one yet.

HEROES

New program in Hartford supports LGBT children.

By the time she was 13, Robin McHaelen knew she was a lesbian, but she didn’t come out until she was in her early 30s. In the meantime she attempted suicide more than once, used drugs heavily through high school and college and felt continually depressed.

HEROES

Pakistani transgender community fights inaccurate data.

The transgender community has rejected the count of transgender population revealed in the latest census carried out earlier this year by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistic (PBS) , and called the data inaccurate and misleading. As per the provisional summary of the results of the 6th Population and Housing Census released by the PBS, the country’s transgender population stands at 10,418 — 0.005% of the total population of over 207 million.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Will and Grace’s return brings much needed LGBT visibility to TV.

US television is set to welcome back two flag-bearers of LGBTQ representation as NBC returns to a series that made history for the network in 1998: Will & Grace. The cast of Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally have reunited to bring back a series that didn’t just devote one episode or designate a minor character as LGBTQ, but featured two gay main characters (McCormack, who plays Will, and Hayes, as his flamboyant friend Jack).

POLICIES

Judge supports transgender students in Boyertown area.

As a lawsuit continues to play out in court, transgender students in the Boyertown Area School District are still allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity after a ruling from a federal judge in Easton, Pennsylvania Friday.