As we gear up for a major election year, the buzz around cannabis legalization is getting louder. Policymakers are starting to see the need for comprehensive reform, while advocates and small business owners in the industry are cautiously optimistic about the future. But let’s not kid ourselves, this system was designed to keep certain communities out, and it’s crucial that we continue to address these deep-rooted inequities as we blaze the trail forward. A step towards legalization that doesn’t prioritize equity and dismantle the barriers that have held back marginalized groups would be a maj ..read more

The new LGBTQ venue Crush held a party for friends, family and close supporters on Tuesday. For more information on future events at Crush, go to their Instagram page @crushbardc. (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key) The post PHOTOS: Crush appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News ..read more

(Editor’s note: Tickets are still available for the National Cannabis Festival, with prices starting at $55 for one-day general admission on Friday through $190 for a two-day pass with early-entry access. The Washington Blade, one of the event’s sponsors, will host a LGBTQIA+ Lounge and moderate a panel discussion on Saturday with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.) With two full days of events and programs along with performances by Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, and Thundercat, the 2024 National Cannabis Festival will be bigger than ever this year. Leading up to the festivities on Friday and Saturd ..read more

When conservative legislators endeavor to restrict the rights of transgender youth, such as by blocking access to gender-affirming healthcare, they betray their commitment to freedom from government intervention into the private lives of American families, combat veteran Eric Childs explains in a new ad by the Gender Research Advisory Council and Education. The South Carolina father opens the ad by sharing how he is working to secure a future in which his trans child can enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the same principles for which he served his country “in defense of freed ..read more

The U.S. has granted asylum to a Guatemalan LGBTQ activist who fled his country in 2019. Estuardo Cifuentes and his partner ran a digital marketing and advertising business in Guatemala City.  He previously told the Washington Blade that gang members extorted from them. Cifuentes said they closed their business after they attacked them. Cifuentes told the Blade that Guatemalan police officers attacked him in front of their home when he tried to kiss his partner. Cifuentes said the officers tried to kidnap him and one of them shot at him. He told the Blade that authorities placed ..read more

One year after returning to the WNBA after her release from a Russian gulag and declaring, “I’m never playing overseas again,” Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner and her wife announced they have something even bigger coming up this summer.  Cherelle, 31, and Brittney, 33, are expecting their first child in July. The couple shared the news with their 715,000 followers on Instagram.  “Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being,” the caption read, with the hashtag, #BabyGrinerComingSoon and #July2024. View this post on Instagram A post ..read more

BY LORI KERSEY | The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down West Virginia’s ban on transgender athletes, finding the law violates trans students’ rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the constitution and Title IX, a federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on sex in education programs. The case, B.P.J. vs. the West Virginia Board of Education, was filed in May 2021 on behalf of Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 13-year-old trans middle school student and track athlete who would be barred from participating if the ban is upheld. Pepper-Jackson is represented by th ..read more

Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists at 16 Black and LGBTQ+ serving news publications across the country. During the year-long fellowship, the group will receive the training and resources needed to tell stories within marginalized communities through media and technology and celebrate the work being done by Black and LGBTQ+ leaders in their communities. “Through Project UP, we ..read more

The world’s largest democratic exercise will begin in India on April 19 as citizens begin to cast their votes in the country’s election. This year’s election is different because national level political parties for the first time are promising to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples as part of their election platforms.  The Indian National Congress, one of India’s oldest political parties, promised after wide consultation that it would introduce a bill that would recognize civil unions between couples who are part of the LGBTQ community. The party, which has governed Indi ..read more

Twenty-two LGBTQ activists in Uganda have appealed this month’s ruling that upheld the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act. The Constitutional Court on April 3 refused to “nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act in its totality.” President Yoweri Museveni last May signed the law, which contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.” The U.S. subsequently imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials and removed the country from a program that allows sub-Saharan African countries to trade duty-free with the U.S. The World Bank Group also announced the suspension of ne ..read more