The Big Queer Food Fest, celebrating local LGBTQ+ chefs and their businesses, made its Boston debut this past Sunday at High Street Place, and with some 400 attendees, it was a sell-out hit. Hosted by Boston’s own celebrity chef Tiffani Faison, the event was part of the BQFF On the Road series, with pop-up foodie fests taking place in cities across the US. Reports Mass.Live.com: “We are overwhelmed by the attendance and support that we’ve gotten for coming here to Boston,” BQFF David Lewis cofounder said during the Sunday night event. “We founded this festival a year and a half ago ..read more

News from the Pine Tree State Fecteau runs again Former State Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau announced he’s running again to represent the people of Biddeford in the state’s house of Representatives. First elected in 2014, he’d maxed out his term limit, stepping down in 2022.  In 2020, he became both the youngest (at 28) and first openly gay state Speaker in the United States. He was also the youngest openly gay state rep in the country when first elected.  “When unexpected opportunities arise, you can jump in or run the other way,” he announced on X. “Rep. Erin Sheehan has served ..read more

Articles from the Constitution State Russell speaks out Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell, himself an openly gay man, penned a February 28 op/ed in the Hartford Courant calling out recent proposed state legislation targeting transgender children: “It’s the responsibility of government to represent everybody. That might sound obvious—it’s one of first things we learn about American democracy—but even those elected to positions of power often fall short of this most fundamental obligation. The democracy that serves as the beating heart of this country is its strongest when it’s being sha ..read more

Headlines from the Granite State A happy victory Littleton voters in mid-March elected pro-LGBTQ+ Kerri Harrington to replace Carrie Gendreau on their town’s select board, effectively ending the controversy Gendreau stirred up last summer when she threatened to ban all public displays of art in her effort to keep North Country Pride from displaying a mural during Pride month.  In a stroke of poetic justice, Harrington is also cochair of North Country Pride.  The brouhaha over the murals brought about a rise in homophobic behavior among some residents that even led to the resignation ..read more

This Just in from the Ocean State Healthcare Provider Shield Act In March, the RI Senate Judiciary held a hearing regarding the Healthcare Provider Shield Act, which would create a legal protection for professionals seeking access to reproductive health care services provided in Rhode Island for their transgender patients.  In recent years, there has been a rash of bans blocking access to the medical care for transgender young people. This legislation is supported by a host of pediatric professional organizations and is considered “established best-practice medical care” and “legal standa ..read more

Green Mountain State Update Mulvaney-Stanak wins One exciting result from Super Tuesday was the election of Vermont State Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who Burlington voters chose to become their city’s first woman and first openly LGBT mayor. “This is a historic day because we finally have a woman mayor,” Mulvaney-Stanak told a cheering crowd at her election night gathering. “I am pretty darn sure that I’m the first out queer mayor in the state of Vermont.” Rep. and now Mayor-Elect Mulvaney-Stanak represents parts of Burlington in the State House. She is currently serving in her second term and ..read more

At a recent Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce roundtable, the Bay State’s Economic Development Secretary, Yvonne Hao, touted Governor Healey’s Administration’s efforts to expand access to business financing and grants for all, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. Reports MassLive.com: Hao met with about 60 chamber members and other business people at the chamber’s regional office in the Keystone Mills. Hao, who lives part time in Williamstown, started her day meeting with tech entrepreneurs in Pittsfield and later toured Northampton’s downtown to celebrate the imminent reopening of ..read more

You’ve heard of a Turkey Trot. Well, think of this as a “Gay Sashay.” Your runway? A 5K route around Boston Common, where you’ll prance alongside folks representing every letter in the colorful spectrum of queer identities. After all, the purpose of the Road of Rainbows, which is produced by Boston Theater Company, is to celebrate LGBTQ community in a very visible way. The inclusive race is open to all genders and abilities, plus its pay-what-you-can approach to registration means anyone can take part in the fun. Any funds left over, meanwhile, support the company’s annual Queer Voices Festiva ..read more

LGBT corporate professionals from Greater Boston and beyond will gather once again at the Boston Marriott Copley Place Ballroom from 6 to 9 p.m. for Boston Spirit’s 15th annual evening of networking, socializing and business conversation. This promises to be a special night and one you do not want to miss! Our keynote speaker? Chasten Buttigieg, husband of former mayor, presidential candidate, and current US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who has become a popular figure in his own right. The teacher’s wit, intimate social media musings, and polished speeches have prompted glowing ..read more

It’s billed as an evening with the incisive MSNBC host, but this exciting event produced by the Provincetown Bookshop is actually a meeting of two brilliant minds. For starters, of course, there’s Maddow, who will read from and discuss her latest book, “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism,” a fascinating look at how activists and journalists exposed a clandestine campaign by America’s far right to promote sympathy with authoritarianism during World War II. Maddow will be joined, though, by Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of “Angels in America,” for a conversation abo ..read more