Ep. 283: First Trans Tony Winner, Madonna's World Cup Show + Cubs Pride Night | LGBTQ News - June 15, 2026

Ep. 289: House of Dragon Premieres, Castro Surveillance & Capital Pride Concert | June 21 2026

SHOW NOTES Story 1 — Capital Pride Concert The 2026 Capital Pride Concert takes place today, Sunday June 21, on Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., noon to 10 p.m. Free admission with ticketed pit and VIP upgrades. Headliner Maren Morris (bisexual, Grammy-winning) joined by Leikeli47, Lisa Lisa, DJ Harrison, and Drag Race Season 18 winner Myki Meeks. Source: Capital Pride Alliance / Metro Weekly / Washington Blade. Story 2 — Chicago Pride Fest The 25th annual Chicago Pride Fest ran June 20–21 in Northalsted along Halsted Street. Headliners included Durand Bernarr and G Flip. The Chicago Pride Parade follows June 28 with the theme "Free to Be Proud," led by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. Source: PRIDEChicago / Choose Chicago. Story 3 — House of the Dragon Season 3 House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres tonight, Sunday June 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max. Nonbinary British actor Emma D'Arcy returns as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. D'Arcy spoke ahead of the premiere about the importance of nonbinary visibility and their commitment to speaking up for the trans community. The season runs 8 episodes through August 9. Red carpet world premiere was held in London on June 8, 2026. Sources: Jefferson City News-Tribune (June 18, 2026) / Autostraddle / Fandom. Story 4 — Castro Facial Recognition At least three bars in San Francisco's Castro district installed Patronscan Guard+ devices (Servall Data Systems, Alberta, Canada), which collect names, addresses, gender, and biometric data. Privacy advocates and LGBTQ Nation reported on the story June 19, 2026. Digital rights concerns focus on data retention, sharing, and risks to LGBTQ+ individuals. Sources: SFist / LGBTQ Nation / PinkNews / The Advocate. Story 5 — Ontario Pride Flag Burning York Regional Police identified Sepehr Abadar and Mahan Mohammad Radmard, both 18, as suspects in the June 8 theft and burning of a Pride flag at a secondary school in Markham, Ontario. Both charged with mischief in connection with a hate crime investigation. Source: LGBTQ Nation (June 19, 2026). Story 6 — Trans Healthcare in Federal Prisons On June 18, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit briefly issued an order allowing the Trump administration to implement its policy stripping gender-affirming care from transgender people in federal prisons. The same day, the U.S. District Court for D.C. issued a new preliminary injunction blocking the policy. Source: National LGBTQ+ Bar Association Trump EO Tracker / KFF.   Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro 0:45 — Capital Pride Concert: Maren Morris, Myki Meeks & more in D.C. 2:30 — Chicago Pride Fest Day 2: 25th Anniversary in Northalsted 4:00 — House of the Dragon Season 3: Emma D'Arcy Leads Tonight 5:45 — Castro Gay Bars Install Facial Recognition — Queer Privacy Under Fire 7:30 — Canadian Teens Charged in Pride Flag Hate Crime 8:45 — Trans Healthcare in Federal Prisons: Court Whiplash 10:00 — Outro + Headlines Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 288: FTC Sues WPATH + Trans Pride LA, Bronx Pride & NYC Grand Marshals | Pride Day 20

Story 1 — FTC Sues WPATH The Federal Trade Commission, along with Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, filed a federal lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health on June 17, 2026. LGBTQ Nation and The Advocate both covered the story, including community response from Lambda Legal and The Trevor Project. Filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Story 2 — Trans Pride LA Trans Pride LA 2026 takes place Saturday, June 20, at the Anita May Rosenstein Campus and The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood. Organized by the LA LGBT Center's Trans* Lounge. Hosted by Lo Colby. Free, all-ages event. Source: The Fight Magazine, LA LGBT Center. Story 3 — Da Bronx Pride Festival Da Bronx Pride Festival runs June 20, noon to 6 PM, on Westchester Avenue between Brook and Bergen Avenues in the South Bronx. Organized by Destination Tomorrow. Source: NYCHA Journal, Bronx Times, ClickBid event listing. Story 4 — NYC Pride Grand Marshals Bowen Yang and Bernie Wagenblast announced as 2026 NYC Pride March grand marshals. March steps off June 28, noon, from 26th St and Fifth Ave. Source: Gothamist, NYC Pride official. Story 5 — Stonewall Columbus Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival runs June 19–20 in Columbus, Ohio, expecting 700,000+ attendees. Source: AARP Pride Events guide, NYCHA Journal. Story 6 — Broadway Bares Broadway Bares returns Sunday, June 21, at the Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center. Over 200 Broadway dancers, Tony-winning creator Jerry Mitchell. All proceeds support HIV/AIDS services. Source: NYC Tourism Pride Guide. Story 7 — WABC Pride Special "Pride 2026: For All of Us" airs Saturday, June 20 at 7 PM on WABC-TV Channel 7 and the ABC7 app. Features T Lounge, NY Ramblers, Lesbian Herstory Archives, LGBTQ West Village walking tour. Source: ABC7 New York. Story 8 — NYC Pride Drag Brunch "It's Giving Brunch" NYC Pride drag brunch fundraiser, Saturday June 20, 11 AM and 2 PM sessions, Stella 34 Trattoria, 6th floor Macy's Herald Square, NYC. Source: NYC Pride Events Calendar. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 287: Idaho Bathroom Ban Blocked + Juneteenth Pride + Columbus & SF Open | June 19

Episode Notes: * Juneteenth + Pride: June 19th, 1865 marked the announcement of emancipation in Texas. Capital Pride DC's 2026 Pride week has included a panel on the Black LGBTQ History Preservation Report featuring D.C. Council Member Zachary Parker. The Windy City Times and Washington Informer both published Juneteenth/Pride intersectionality features this week. * Idaho HB 752 blocked: On June 16, 2026, U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford issued a preliminary injunction blocking major portions of Idaho's House Bill 752, a bathroom ban that would have criminalized trans people for using public restrooms aligned with their gender identity. The case was brought by the ACLU, ACLU of Idaho, and Lambda Legal on behalf of six transgender Idaho residents. The law was set to take effect July 1, 2026. * Stonewall Columbus Pride: The festival opens tonight, June 19, from 4–10 p.m. at Goodale Park, Columbus, Ohio. The 2026 theme is "Until We're All Free." Executive Director Densil Porteous and Community Programs Coordinator Jaki Braxton have been leading outreach and programming. LuSter Singleton is the 2026 Patron of Pride. The Pride March takes place Saturday, June 20 at 10:30 a.m. Full details at stonewallcolumbus.org. * Fresh Meat Festival: The 25th Anniversary Fresh Meat Festival of trans and queer performance opens tonight, June 19, at 8 p.m. at Z Space (450 Florida Street, San Francisco). Tickets are on a sliding scale. Runs through June 21. The festival is produced by Fresh Meat Productions, founded and directed by Sean Dorsey. Full lineup and tickets at freshmeatproductions.org. * Capital Pride DC: The 2026 theme is "Exist. Resist. Have the Audacity!" Capital Pride events this week included Silver Pride on June 12 and a Black LGBTQ History Preservation Report panel. The Capital Pride Concert is June 21, free, featuring Maren Morris. Full schedule at capitalpride.org. * WorldPride NYC countdown: The NYC Pride March falls on June 28, 2026 — the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. WorldPride events are centered in New York City this year. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 286: MLB Pride Backlash, Ranger Fired Over Trans Flag, Florida Scraps Arch | June 18

* MLB & Pride: The Texas Rangers remain the only one of 30 MLB teams never to hold a Pride Night, hosting Faith and Family Night on June 18 instead. Separately, Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker wrote Genesis 9:12–16 on Pride Night caps; reliever Sam Hentges declined the cap. MLB warned the players of possible future penalties, and Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred alleging discrimination against Christian players. * Yosemite ranger: Dr. SJ Joslin, the nonbinary ranger behind the 55-foot trans Pride flag hung from El Capitan, had their wrongful-termination lawsuit dismissed but vowed to continue fighting. * Florida Rainbow Arch: A Florida city was forced to scrap a planned Rainbow Arch under Gov. Ron DeSantis's anti-DEI law — the installation had been intended to replace rainbow crosswalks previously removed. * Hate crime: A gay couple in a small town survived a brutal beating; one victim, who identifies as conservative, said he thought he would die. * Wrestling lawsuit: A high school wrestler filed a sexual assault suit after discovering an opponent was transgender; wrestling experts reviewing the footage say it shows no assault. * Good news: The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art presents "Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art" (through Aug. 23), with a free curator-and-artist panel on June 18 from 5–6 p.m. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 285: UFC Scandal, VA Cuts LGBTQ+ Vets, Niger Criminalizes Being Gay | June 17

On today's episode: UFC fighter Josh Hokit shocks the nation with a transphobic attack on Michelle Obama during a post-fight interview at the White House — and the administration stays silent. An arrest is made in the murder of Marlow Trottie, a Black trans woman killed in Louisiana during Pride Month. The VA moves to eliminate LGBTQ+-specific health care for veterans. Five men are arrested in Malaysia for using Grindr to rob and assault gay men. England's queer soccer fan group boycotts the 2026 World Cup. Niger criminalizes homosexuality. And the San Francisco LGBTQ+ Film Festival opens today. New episodes every weekday. Subscribe and never miss a story. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman https://www.listenupgirl.com/ Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/ Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.