Santa Claus visits Life is Work Photo by Vern Hester Maria'h Foster and friend Photo by Vern Hester On Dec. 22, Life is Work held its "Meals for Christmas" Community Celebration in partnership with Toys for Tots, Rush Affirm and Chicago's Home of Chicken and Waffles. From Life Is Work is a trans-led organization that educates, empowers, and organizes TLGBQ+ people from diverse backgrounds to secure safety, wellness, and justice for all. 

Massachusetts has removed state rules requiring that foster parents support queer youth in their care after lawsuits from families and threats from the Trump administration, The Advocate reported. In so doing, the state Department of Children and Families replaced the policies with a general statement about parents supporting children's "individual identity and needs." The change happened in the wake of two lawsuits from families who lost or were denied their foster care licenses after refusing to sign an agreement to not discriminate against LGBTQ+ youth and to not attempt to change their gender identity or sexual orientation.   

Queer SNL cast member Bowen Yang exited the show in the middle of his eighth season there, Variety reported. His last turn as a cast member was the Dec. 20 episode that was hosted by his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest. His exit follows the major exodus that came ahead of season 51, which premiered Oct. 4; Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim and John Higgins departed the series.

Three months after the West African nation of Burkina Faso enacted a law against same-sex relations, its government sentenced the first man for violating that law and sentenced him to two years in prison, per Erasing 76 Crimes. According to publicly available information from the Burkina Faso Ministry of Justice, an individual identified as K.M. was sentenced to two years in prison, a fine of 2,000,000 CFA francs…

Richard Earl Rivera, 79, of Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood—a retired interior designer, much-loved doorman and proud Vietnam War Veteran—passed away gently, surrounded by the love of family, on Dec. 19. Born in Chicago, Richard graduated from Lane Technical High School and entered the U.S. Navy from 1965-69 in the legal office of the U.S.S. Forestall aircraft carrier. In 1967, Richard was injured in an onboard explosion, requiring reconstructive dentistry.

Kat Abughazaleh, a journalist and researcher who has spent the past several years reporting on far-right extremism, is running for Congress in Illinois’ Ninth District—one of two openly LGBTQ+ candidates seeking to succeed retiring U.S. Rep Jan Schakowsky. The crowded Democratic primary also includes State Sen. Mike Simmons (7th District), who is the other queer candidate in the race…

Demi Palecek is one of three openly queer candidates running for Illinois House in the 13th District, joining Sunjay Kumar and Ridge Knapp in one of the most LGBTQ+-represented legislative races in the state. Palecek, who identifies as queer, grew up in southern Illinois in a low-income, working-class household shaped by immigration, mental health challenges and labor instability. Her mother immigrated from Mexico and struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while her father, a Vietnam War veteran, dealt with PTSD, alcoholism and cancer after losing his job—and union protections—as a supervisor.

When Ron DeRosa turned 40, what should have been a pleasant milestone arrived trailing a host of problems instead. “I had my first child," DeRosa recalled. "I remember holding my son, looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘I don’t know who this guy is any more.’ And I thought I was depressed. I went to my primary-care doctor and we discussed options—and was scary for me.

Coming of age as a trans woman on Chicago’s West Side, Zahara Bassett used to spend hours traveling across the city just to access basic services. “It was two trains and a bus,” Bassett said, describing the trip she regularly made from the West Side to the North Side to find LGBTQ-affirming services. “That’s a lot when you’re already trying to survive.”

This month, President Trump chose to opt out of acknowledging World AIDS Day. It’s the first time the U.S. has not participated since the World Health Organization created this day in 1988 to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS and to commemorate the lives that have been lost to the deadly virus. From executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices on college campuses to the U.S.

On Dec. 17, the U.S. House passed a bill that would make providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender minors illegal, The Advocate reported. This marks the first time Congress approved a national ban on such treatment. The measure—introduced by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and titled the Protect Children’s Innocence Act—now goes to the Senate, where it is unlikely to pass.

Poor Ruth Claus. As Hell in a Handbag’s Christmas 2025 offering The Real Housewives of the North Pole opens, her year-long sobriety gets put to the test. Santa and other North Pole VIPs—Frosty the Snowman and Jack Frost among them—are in jail for racketeering, so Ruth (Honey West) is at the end of her financial and emotional ropes, stuck in what she calls a peppermint hell.

In Texas, the Arlington City Council voted five to four to suspend protections for its LGBTQ+ residents that are enshrined in the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance, per The Dallas Morning News. Arlington, Texas. Photo by Caleb Oquendo for Pexels Deputy Mayor Pro TemRaul Gonzalez and council members Mauricio Galante, Rebecca Boxall, Long Pham and Bowie Hogg voted against reinstatement of the protections while Arlington Mayor Jim Ross sided with Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Odom-Wesley and council members Nikkie Hunter and Andrew Piel in backing the protections.

Jason Collins, the first out gay player in NBA history, told ESPN that he has stage 4 glioblastoma—an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to Gay City News. Collins’ news came just months after his family and the NBA said he had a brain tumor. Collins, appeared to be thriving earlier this year when he stood on the court at the Barclays Center for Nets’ Pride Night, flew around the country to facilitate queer youth inclusion clinics and married his longtime partner, Brunson Green.

A retired Slovakian archbishop spoke out against a proposed change to the nation’s civil code that would automatically end the marriages of people who legally change their gender, per New Ways Ministry. Archbishop Emeritus of Trnava Róbert Bezák commented on the proposal, saying, “We do not live in a religious country. Those in parliament should know this and separate it from themselves.” According to…

Joan Jett Blakk, the drag icon who made history in 1992 as the first drag queen to run for U.S. president, is the focus of a new limited-edition fundraiser supporting her long-term care following a major stroke. The fundraiser is being organized by Legends of Drag and Willie Norris Workshop and centers on Blakk’s deep ties to Chicago, where she ran her satirical presidential campaign as a Queer Nation candidate.

The Choose U World AIDS Day panel brought together three longtime advocates living with HIV to talk about care, stigma, and what living with HIV over the long-term means to them. The conversation featured Jahlove Serrano, Joyce Belton, and Andrew Nichols, who have each lived with HIV for more than 20 years. News is Out hosted the event in partnership with Gilead Sciences.

Nick Patricca Recent ICE and Border Patrol raids in the Chicago area—raids that swept up U.S. citizens and people with valid legal residence alongside the undocumented—have reopened old and unsettling questions about citizenship and belonging in the United States. In these operations, federal agents plainly relied on racial profiling: people of color were stopped and questioned, compelled to produce “identity” papers in ways that white residents were not.

As the holidays and winter set in, many Chicagoans experience heightened stress, grief and loneliness—pressures that can be especially intense for LGBTQ+ people navigating family rejection, isolation or seasonal depression. Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) officials say those feelings are common this time of year, and they want residents to know that no-cost help is available across the city.

Out and proud performer Anthony Rapp is celebrating his new life in Chicago with Home for the Holidays this season. This December, he presents an intimate show for fans inside the Lookingglass Theatre Company space right on the Magnificent Mile. Accompanied by Rick Bertone and supported by various local talent, Rapp has curated a variety of tracks to warm any Scrooge’s heart.

—Toy story: That Harper Kid (THK)—led by pro basketball player Linnae Harper—will hold its 4th Annual Toy Giveaway on Friday, Dec. 20,12–4 p.m., at the Shine Bright Community Center, 8560 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Last year, the annual toy giveaway served more than 850 children and 400 parents during the holiday season. Among other things, this year’s event will feature complimentary family photos; free toys for kids up to 13 years old; and hot cocoa and holiday treats.

Gov. JB Pritzker. Official photograph CHICAGO – During these times of unrelenting attacks by the federal administration against the lives of LGBTQ+ people, advocates celebrated Governor JB Pritzker’s approval on Friday of critical legislation that will ensure the state’s laws see and respect every family, including LGBTQ+ families and families formed through assisted reproduction and surrogacy. Sponsored by Senate President Don Harmon and State Rep.

Sabrina Haake On Nov. 26, in a quiet northern suburb of Hong Kong, an aggressive fire broke out in the middle of the day. The fire was unusual in its intensity and duration, consuming seven of eight high rise towers in a residential complex. Despite the quick response of well-equipped fire trucks, the blaze spread quickly and burned for more than 

The University of Oklahoma placed a trans graduate instructor on administrative leave after a student received a zero on a psychology assignment while describing transgender people as “demonic” and asserted that gender roles are “Biblically ordained,” The Advocate noted. The University of Oklahoma. Photo by An Vuong for Pexels The controversy began when junior Samantha Fulnecky submitted a 650-word paper for a course on how social expectations shape gender.

NOTE: This week’s column mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.orgfor 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Nicole Kidman (in The Northman). Photo by Aiden Monaghan / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC Marla Mindelle (Titaníque…