{"id":47402,"date":"2025-11-21T15:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/47402\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T15:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:29:12","slug":"national-nyc-prides-new-leader-nadine-smith-stepping-down-new-u-s-rep-fbi-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/47402\/","title":{"rendered":"NATIONAL NYC Pride’s new leader, Nadine Smith stepping down, new U.S. rep, FBI lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

NYC Pride, which produces the main New York City Pride March, hired Im Lynde as its new executive director, Gay City News<\/a> noted. Lynde will be the first Asian-American individual to lead NYC Pride, the organization said. NYC Pride is facing several challenges. <\/p>\n

\"\"Im Lynde. LinkedIn photo<\/p>\n

For example, it was forced to scale back events last year after experiencing a major decline in corporate sponsorship revenue amid widespread attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of President Donald Trump\u2019s re-election. The organization was facing a $750,000 budget shortfall in the weeks leading up to NYC Pride\u2019s most recent march.<\/p>\n

After 28 years leading Equality Florida, co-founder\/Executive Director Nadine Smith is stepping down to become president and CEO of Color of Change, the nation\u2019s largest online racial-justice organization, in January 2026, a press release announced. Equality Florida\u2019s board of directors has named co-founder\/Deputy Director Stratton Pollitzer as the incoming CEO and executive director. Smith said, \u201cI step into this next chapter carrying Florida with me. I will remain rooted in this state, and my commitment to Equality Florida is forever. We\u2019ve told the country for years that Florida is the front line, and you don\u2019t abandon the front line in a fight. I\u2019ll continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with this team and this movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newly sworn-in U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, has sworn to protect LGBTQ+ rights, per The Advocate<\/a>. Grijalva\u2014the first Latina and first Chicana to represent Arizona in Congress\u2014won a special election in September following the March death of her father, longtime U.S. Rep. Ra\u00fal Grijalva. What should have been a swift transition became a 50-day standoff after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to schedule the customary swearing-in. On the floor, the new congresswoman said she believes in \u201cstanding up for LGBTQ+ rights because that\u2019s what the American people expect us to do\u2014fight for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gay former FBI intelligence specialist David M. Maltinsky\u2014who spent more than 16 years inside the bureau\u2014is suing FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pa<\/a>m Bondi<\/a>, the FBI and the Department of Justice, saying he was unlawfully fired for displaying a Progress Pride flag, The Advocate<\/a> reported. Maltinsky alleges the termination was unconstitutional and politically motivated, contending that Patel targeted him for protected expression and for being \u201ca proud gay man.\u201d Out in National Security CEO Luke Schleusener previously condemned the firing, calling it \u201ca clear act of bias and a warning to public servants and allies who believe they should be free to show support for LGBTQIA+ Americans at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

LGBTQ+ New York City Councilman Erik Bottcher has joined a crowded field to compete for U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler\u2019s House seat, The New York Daily News<\/a> noted. Nadler, 78, announced his retirement in September; his Manhattan district, which spans from 14th St. to the top of Central Park, includes the Upper East and Upper West sides. Bottcher said his background\u2014including growing up in the closet in a small town in the Adirondacks and being targeted even in Manhattan by right-wing agitators\u2014makes him ideal to stand up to the president. Also in the race are Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy Jr.; Micah Lasher, a state assemblyman; and Nadler prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Alex Bores.<\/p>\n

Approximately 120 pro-Israel LGBTQ+ community members convened in Los Angeles for the inaugural Pride for Israel conference, organized by international advocacy organization StandWithUs as well as other Israeli and Jewish groups, The Times of Israel<\/a> noted. Speakers at the Nov. 9 conference included former hostage Emily Damari, who was released from Hamas captivity as part of a January 2025 Gaza ceasefire. In a joint statement, organizers said Israel has \u201clong stood out as a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people in the Middle East,\u201d and accused the broader queer community of having, since the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, sided with \u201c\u2018Queers for Palestine,\u2019 a cause rooted in ideologies that criminalize, oppress and routinely murder LGBTQ+ people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"New Michigan Board of Education health education standards guidelines for public schools. Image from the Michigan Dept. of Education<\/p>\n

The Michigan Board of Education approved new sex-education standards for public schools, updating them for the first time in almost two decades, WSBT<\/a> reported. The revised guidelines\u2014which include language regarding sexual orientation and gender identity\u2014have garnered mixed reactions across the state, although the new rules allow parents the option to remove their children from sex education lessons if they choose. The new guidelines (which can be read here<\/a>) let school districts decide what is included in their health curricula.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Studies are showing that Missouri\u2019s anti-queer laws have already pushed LGBTQ+ Missourians to move\u2014taking their tax dollars, and even businesses, elsewhere, per The Missouri Independent<\/a>. Analysis by the Movement Advancement Project estimates that around $362 million to $879 million in household income has left the state\u2014and that number is expected to increase. A study by the National Center for Transgender Equality released in 2024 found that 47% of transgender people have thought about moving to a different state because of discriminatory state laws, and 5% had completed a move for that reason.<\/p>\n

Queer New York City Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 (D) filed paperwork to run for Congress in New York\u2019s Eighth Congressional District\u2014which is currently represented by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), LGBTQ Nation<\/a> noted. \u201cThe Democratic Party\u2019s leadership is not only failing to effectively fight back against Donald Trump, they have also failed to deliver a vision that we can all believe in,\u201d Oss\u00e9 said in a statement to Axios. However, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), who is also part of the progressive wing of the party like Oss\u00e9, said she doesn\u2019t think \u201ca primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now\u201d\u2014and, reportedly, NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani agrees with her.<\/p>\n

The LGBT National Hotline has publicized the free website www.LGBTPridePath.org<\/a>, which is designed to help the LGBTQ+ community make informed decisions regarding the potential need to relocate, based on LGBTQ+ laws and protections that are individually important to them, or to compare two locations side by side, per a release. The statement also said, \u201cThis program has been highly researched and will be updated regularly to ensure accurate and up-to-date information. Additionally, privacy is our priority. We do not collect, store or share personally identifiable information.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"STORIES-The AIDS Monument. Photo courtesy of the City of West Hollywood<\/p>\n

Herb Ritts: Allies & Icons\u2014a new exhibition honoring the works of the late famed gay photographer Herb Ritts\u2014has opened in West Hollywood at ONE Gallery, WeHo Times<\/a> noted. Timed to coincide with the public unveiling of STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood Park, the exhibition features a collection of Ritts\u2019 black-and-white portraits of cultural icons who used their platforms to combat stigma and raise awareness during the height of the epidemic; among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Magic Johnson, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner and Keith Haring. The installation can be viewed through Dec. 21.<\/p>\n

And on a related note, STORIES: The AIDS Monument was unveiled on Nov. 16 in a grand opening ceremony at the SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, a press release announced. The event featured remarks from Irwin M. Rappaport, chair of The Foundation for the AIDS Monument Board of Directors, and some of the others (guests and speakers) at the event included actress Alexandra Billings, West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers, former West Hollywood Mayor John D\u2019Amico, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, actor Daniel Franzese, activist Phill Wilson and the Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Texas A&M University System has barred professors from discussing \u201crace or gender ideology\u201d in classrooms, The Advocate<\/a> noted. The Texas A&M Board of Regents approved new guidelines for its 12 universities that mandate \u201cno academic course within the System may teach race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity, unless the course and its materials are approved in advance by a university president.\u201d The University of Texas System\u2014the largest public university system in the state\u2014also has started auditing all of its courses in October for content related to transgender people and identity.<\/p>\n

Mpox continues to circulate at elevated levels in New York City, with 63 cases reported in October, surpassing September\u2019s yearly high of 61, per Gay City News<\/a>. From Jan. 1, 2024 through Jan. 9, 2025, 420 people tested positive for mpox in the city; through the first week of November this year, the city has seen 348 cases this year. Amanda Cary\u2014the clinical director of sexual health at Callen-Lorde, which provides healthcare to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers\u2014told the outlet that a common thread among many people who are contracting mpox is that they tend to have multiple sexual partners.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

MSNBC has officially become MS NOW, and The Weekend\u2014co-hosted by Jackie Alemany, Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels\u2014was the network\u2019s first program to air under its new banner, The Advocate<\/a> noted. The Weekend made history in May when it became the first major network news show with two gay co-hosts (Capehart and Daniels). Incidentally, MS NOW stands for \u201cMy Source for News, Opinion, and the World,\u201d spotlighting the network\u2019s promise to meld rigorous reporting, thoughtful commentary and global perspective.<\/p>\n

Legal authorities in Florida reportedly lied about details of a fatal car chase that killed five people and injured 13 outside of a Ybor City gay bar, per LGBTQ Nation<\/a>. Critics now say actions by the Tampa Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol may have needlessly endangered the crash\u2019s victims. Retired police instructor Tom Gleason said there was no need for authorities to conduct a high-speed chase since a police air unit was already tracking the suspect\u2019s car. The suspect, 22-year-old Silas Sampson, has been jailed and charged with eight felonies, including four for vehicular homicide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Less Fear, More Fierce: Queer End-of-Life Planning. Flyer courtesy of La Vida Pride LGBTQ+ eCommunity<\/p>\n

Stonewall Village NYC and La Vida Pride LGBTQ+ eCommunity announced a partnership to educate and empower LGBTQ+ people with the initiative Less Fear, More Fierce: Queer End-of-Life Planning<\/a>, per a press release. Less Fear (co-facilitated by end-of-life doula Hannah Yore and hospice chaplain Sarah Miller) is a six-part online discussion series exploring mortality, caregiving and legacy through a queer and trans-affirming lens; the series begins Jan. 14, 2026, and continues monthly through June 10, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

President Trump has pulled his support for his longtime ally, U.S.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), per Axios<\/a>. Over issues such as healthcare and the release of the Epstein files, Trump accused her of veering \u201ctoo far to the left\u201d and said he\u2019d back a primary challenger \u201cif the right person runs.\u201d Greene recently posted, \u201cIt\u2019s astonishing really how hard he\u2019s fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level.\u201d<\/p>\n

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