Ep. 260: DOJ Trans Records Blocked + PEPFAR Crumbling + NYC Pride Marshals | May 20

Ep. 280: LGBTQ+ News: Idaho Bathroom Bill DNA Tests, Pete Buttigieg & Pride Month

SHOW NOTES Story 1: Idaho DNA Bathroom Bill Idaho's House Bill 752, signed by Governor Brad Little, makes it a crime for transgender people to use public restrooms that match their gender identity, with first offenses punishable as a misdemeanor and repeat offenses as a felony. A federal court hearing on a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and Lambda Legal on behalf of six transgender Idahoans revealed that the state's Solicitor General suggested DNA testing — potentially without consent — as an enforcement mechanism. The federal judge is considering whether to temporarily block the law before it takes effect July 1st. Sources: LGBTQ Nation, Idaho Capital Sun, PinkNews, ACLU of Idaho. Story 2: Pete Buttigieg 2028 Out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is scheduled as the keynote speaker at the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice dinner on July 12th — a high-profile event that has historically served as a launching pad for presidential candidates. Buttigieg has declined to run for Senate or governor in Michigan, keeping his path to a 2028 presidential bid open. Sources: LGBTQ Nation, Des Moines Register, The Advocate. Story 3: Cleveland Clinic DOJ Detransition Settlement The Cleveland Clinic reached a settlement with the Department of Justice, committing $2 million to detransition services and paying just over $300,000 to resolve billing allegations. The settlement makes Cleveland Clinic the second major health system to cut such a deal after Texas Children's Hospital. Trans advocates including TransOhio called it performative and said there is no increased clinical need for detransition services. Sources: Signal Cleveland/Buckeye Flame, LGBTQ Nation, The Hill. Story 4: Queer Businesses & Minneapolis ICE Raids Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement operation that ran through Minnesota from December 2025 through February 2026, cost the city of Minneapolis an estimated $700 million and resulted in three deaths, including two U.S. citizens. Queer-owned businesses and activists became central to resistance and mutual aid networks throughout the operation. Sources: LGBTQ Nation, Truthout, Sahan Journal. Story 5: Jake Lang Arrested Jake Lang, a Florida Republican U.S. Senate candidate and pardoned January 6th rioter, was arrested in Dallas on a $1 million bond for making terroristic threats. Lang allegedly stated that if the jury in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial did not return a guilty verdict, he "would take care of it himself." Sources: LGBTQ Nation, The New Republic. Story 6: Black Pride Colorado / Denver Black Pride Colorado's annual celebration runs through this weekend in Denver, featuring ballroom events, drag performances, house music, and a cookout with trans activist and TV personality T.S. Madison. Organizers say the celebration is more important than ever, with over 500 anti-queer bills currently active across the country. Sources: CBS Colorado. 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. 279: LGBTQ+ News: McBride vs. Mace, Trans Healthcare Attacks & Pride Under Fire | June 11, 2026

Thursday, June 11, 2026 — Day 11 of Pride Month Today's stories: * Sarah McBride celebrates as Nancy Mace loses South Carolina gubernatorial primary (LGBTQ Nation) * Second major hospital opens detransition clinic under DOJ pressure (LGBTQ Nation) * New state law bars doctors from asking children about gender (LGBTQ Nation) * Republican governors rebrand June as "Nuclear Family Month"; Rep. Andy Ogles declares "Homosexuality has no place in America" (NBC News / LGBTQ Nation) * Gallup poll: LGBTQ+ support drops to new low; Republican support for same-sex marriage falls from 55% to 37% in four years (Gallup / NPR) * Rural Pride activists turn vandalized torn flag into two flags — a symbol of resilience (LGBTQ Nation) Listen Up Girl publishes daily. Subscribe, share, and leave a review. 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. 278: World Cup's Egypt-Iran "Pride Match" + Budapest Marches Again | Listen Up Girl June 10, 2026

📝 SHOW NOTES Story 1 — World Cup "Pride Match" between Egypt and Iran Seattle organizers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup designated a June 26 match at Lumen Field as an LGBTQ+ "Pride Match," with plans made before the draw. Following the draw and fixture allocation, the June 26 Group G game was confirmed as Egypt vs. Iran — two countries that criminalize homosexuality (Iran carries the death penalty; Egypt uses morality laws to suppress LGBTQ+ people). Source: AOL/sports wire coverage of the 2026 World Cup Pride Match. Story 2 — Budapest Pride authorized Hungarian police announced (May 29) they would not ban Budapest Pride, scheduled for June 27 — reversing Orbán-era restrictions. The shift follows the April 2026 election that brought Péter Magyar's pro-European Tisza party to power. In 2025, an estimated 100,000–200,000 people defied the ban. The EU has begun releasing ~€16 billion in funds previously withheld over Hungary's rights record; EU Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib welcomed the decision. Sources: Agence Europe; Washington Blade via Watermark Out News. Story 3 — Boston "Trans Period Pride" A "Trans Period Pride" event is scheduled for June 17 at a Boston Public Library branch, intended to discuss transgender and nonbinary experiences with menstruation; organizers plan a catered meal and free period products. The Boston Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement was allocated nearly $1 million for FY2026. The event drew conservative media coverage and backlash. Source: Newsweek; Daily Mail (cited). Story 4 — Gamechangers: The Ashlyn Harris Story The Roku Original documentary premiered Monday, June 8, 2026. Harris is a two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and former USWNT goalkeeper; the film traces her life and career through interviews with Harris, her family, and former coaches, and covers her post-retirement LGBTQ+ and women's-sports advocacy. Sources: Out.com; GO Magazine "LGBTQ+ shows June 2026." Story 5 — Revry's I'm Dead Revry, an LGBTQ+ streaming platform, is debuting I'm Dead, a 12-episode, half-hour weekly original comedy series featuring performers including Salina EsTitties, Percy Rustomji, Kaycee Conlee, Lady Bushra, Marval A. Rex, and Pressure K. Source: GO Magazine. Want me to save this as a downloadable file, pull a standalone keyword string, or draft Instagram/TikTok promo copy for the episode? 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. 277: June 9: The Gay Vote, Vivian Wilson's Exit & Portland's Witches

It's Day 9 of Pride, and host Zach Randles-Friedman digs into the sharper stories: a Northwestern study showing voters still penalize candidates who "look or sound gay," a GOP candidate doubling down on an "Anti-Pride Month" platform, a new poll on what Americans actually prioritize, Vivian Wilson walking off a red carpet over Elon Musk, Cara Delevingne claiming "proud lesbian," Russell T. Davies questioning his life's work on gay visibility, and Portland's queer spiritual community providing mutual aid to trans newcomers. Episode Notes: Your daily LGBTQ+ news podcast — new stories every day, never a repeat. Subscribe and follow for fresh coverage all Pride Month long. 🌐 listenupgirl.com 🎧 Spotify · Apple Podcasts · Amazon Music · iHeartRadio 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. 276: June 8: WeHo Drops Its Grand Marshal & São Paulo Goes Big

Segment 1 — WeHo Pride Grand Marshal: West Hollywood and WeHo Pride producer JJLA named Kathy Hilton as 2026 Grand Marshal Icon, then reversed course after community backlash over her political ties; Indigenous Pride LA withdrew from the June 7 parade. The city, organizers, and Hilton jointly announced no Grand Marshal Icon would be named. Former NFL cheerleaders Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies served as Trailblazer Icons. Segment 2 — São Paulo Pride: The Parada do Orgulho LGBT+ de São Paulo held its 30th edition on Sunday, June 7, along Avenida Paulista, drawing an estimated 3–5 million people under the 2026 theme "The street calls." It remains the world's largest Pride event by attendance. Segment 3 — John Doyle Pride flag claim: Far-right broadcaster John Doyle posted a video on June 2 claiming the Progress Pride flag mocks Christianity and represents "every identity incapable of producing white children." The black and brown stripes were added to honor LGBTQ+ people of color and racial justice; the claims are false. Segment 4 — Hormone therapy study: Researchers at Southern Oregon University and Rutgers analyzed about 1,101 respondents to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey and found hormone therapy initiation tied to a 20% relative decrease in the likelihood of running away from home, with the strongest effect among 14–15 year-olds. Segment 5 — ILGA Rainbow Map: ILGA-Europe's 18th annual Rainbow Map ranked 49 countries; Spain took the #1 spot for the first time (about 89%), ending Malta's decade at the top. ILGA cited Spain's depathologization of trans healthcare, new protections, and an independent equality authority. Reported anti-LGBTQ+ assaults in Spain have risen. Segment 6 — Seattle Queer/Pride: Seattle's Queer/Pride Festival announced its 2026 lineup, headlined by Keke Palmer, JT, and Honey Dijon, taking place June 26–28 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood with around 35 main-stage performances. Segment 7 — Key West Pride: Key West Pride is marking its 50th (golden) anniversary in 2026, with festivities including a kickoff gathering at Island House.   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.