Ep. 313: White House Backs Off Trans Care Ban, Kansas Bathroom Nightmare & Rowling's Upskirt Photo | Listen Up Girl

Ep. 314: Elliot Page Silences Haters, NH Bathroom Bill Vetoed Again & Gay Bar Shooting | Listen Up Girl

Listen Up Girl — your daily LGBTQ+ news podcast, hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman. Today on Listen Up Girl: Trans actor Elliot Page is receiving some of the strongest reviews of his career for his role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — and months of right-wing backlash have been thoroughly embarrassed by the film's reception. New Hampshire Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte has vetoed a trans bathroom bill for the fourth time, telling lawmakers that sending the same bill repeatedly won't change her answer. A gunman opened fire outside gay bar Shakey's in Asheville, North Carolina — staff locked down the venue and kept every single person inside safe. Out lesbian Congresswoman Becca Balint called out the administration for what she described as "weird, intense, homoerotic feelings towards men while also being incredibly homophobic." A trans person was killed and another injured in a shooting in Pakistan. And an educator has been awarded $265,000 after his school district fired him for being gay. Six stories. All new. All yours. 🎙️ New episodes every day 📍 Find us wherever you listen to podcasts 📲 Instagram: @TheRealZachRE 🌐 listenupgirl.com 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. 313: White House Backs Off Trans Care Ban, Kansas Bathroom Nightmare & Rowling's Upskirt Photo | Listen Up Girl

Listen Up Girl — your daily LGBTQ+ news podcast, hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman. Today on Listen Up Girl: The administration has quietly shelved a rule that would have stripped Medicare and Medicaid funding from any hospital providing gender-affirming care to trans youth. A trans janitor at the University of Kansas has been formally threatened with fines and potential arrest after being reported for using the women's restroom under Kansas's aggressive new bathroom law. Indonesia's president has classified LGBTQ+ culture as a national security threat, and attacks on queer university students are escalating. A Phoenix gay leather bar beat a U-Haul heir in an eight-hour liquor board battle and won its license. Germany's gay parliamentary leader Jens Spahn resigned after fathering a child through a surrogate despite years of publicly opposing the practice. J.K. Rowling posted an upskirt photo of a trans woman who declined to debate her. And Madonna headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show at MetLife Stadium. Seven stories. All new. All things you need to know. 🎙️ New episodes every day 📍 Find us wherever you listen to podcasts 📲 Instagram: @TheRealZachRE 🌐 listenupgirl.com 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. 312: Trump Kills LGBTQ Foster Protections, Hegseth's Hormone Hypocrisy & More

It's July 17, 2026, and Listen Up Girl has six stories you need to hear. The orange convicted felon officially erased the Biden-era rule protecting LGBTQ+ youth in foster care — with no replacement plan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is now offering hormone replacement therapy to male soldiers while trans service members remain banned from the military. The Heritage Foundation, fresh off the Supreme Court's anti-trans sports ruling, is now going after Title IX and women's sports protections entirely. The Rubi Girls — a Texas drag activist group that raised over $3 million for charity — fought the administration's attempt to block their historical marker and won. Mexico's first openly gay mayor, Benjamín Medrano Quezada, was assassinated outside a Guadalajara ice cream shop. And gay progressive Jordan Wood is back in the Maine Senate race after the Graham Platner campaign collapsed. Listen Up Girl is a daily LGBTQ+ news podcast hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman. New episodes every weekday. Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and follow @TheRealZachRE on Instagram. 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. 311: Trans Healthcare Win, Rapinoe Speaks Out & A Love Story That Will Break You | Listen Up Girl

Today's episode covers six stories you need to know: the orange convicted felon backs off a national ban on transgender healthcare — a real win for advocates and medical associations; Megan Rapinoe sounds the alarm on trans sports bans, saying the damage to all girls is a feature, not a flaw, of these laws — and reveals she lost a brand deal after an AI flagged her allyship; a library board moves over 100 books with zero formal review after guidance from an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group; JK Rowling pushes anti-trans groups to sue Amnesty International even after they retracted the report she's upset about; two brothers are finally facing murder charges forty years after killing a gay man — thanks to their younger brother who turned them in; and we close with the story of a gay couple who spent their lives giving 180,000 backpacks to houseless people — and died within days of each other. Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman | zachre, LLC Follow on Instagram: @TheRealZachRE Subscribe, rate, and share to help grow the show. Episode Notes: * Trump administration withdraws national transgender healthcare ban * Megan Rapinoe on trans sports bans and being dropped by a brand for her advocacy * Library board restricts 100+ LGBTQ+ books after consulting with anti-LGBTQ+ hate group * JK Rowling urges anti-trans organizations to pursue legal action against Amnesty International * Brothers charged in 1980s anti-gay murder after younger sibling comes forward * Gay couple remembered for donating 180,000 backpacks to houseless individuals dies days apart 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. 310: Gay Mayor Shot Dead in Mexico, NH Outs Trans Kids & Groomer Lie Costs $1 Million

YouTube Show Notes / Description: Listen Up Girl | July 15, 2026 Today on Listen Up Girl: Mexico's first openly gay mayor, Benjamín Medrano Quezada, is shot and killed outside a Guadalajara ice cream shop. New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte signs a law forcing teachers to out trans students to their parents — overriding a state Supreme Court privacy ruling. A gay Virginia teacher and LGBTQ-ally parent win over $1 million in defamation suits after a conservative PAC falsely called them a "child abduction ring." Trans people are flooding Seattle at 20 times the pre-election rate, stretching nonprofits past their limits. Outdoor brand Patagonia takes climate-activist drag queen Pattie Gonia to federal court in a trademark fight that's turning into a PR crisis. And Virginia launches a campaign to enshrine marriage equality in its state constitution before the Supreme Court can touch it. Episode Notes: * Benjamín Medrano Quezada, 59, Mexico's first openly gay mayor, was shot multiple times on July 7 in Guadalajara. No suspects or motive confirmed. * NH Senate Bill 430 requires teachers to disclose students' gender identity to parents on request, even if the student fears for their safety at home. * Fairfax County juries awarded teacher Robert Rigby Jr. $350K and parent Vanessa Hall $750K against the Virginia Project PAC over defamatory "groomer" posts. * Since the 2024 election, nonprofit Traction has resettled 1,500 trans people in Seattle — 20x pre-election numbers. Seattle LGBTQ Commission has requested a civil state of emergency. * Patagonia is suing drag activist Pattie Gonia (Wyn Wiley) for trademark infringement over a 2022 agreement dispute. Pattie Gonia is fighting back and has requested a jury trial. * Virginia advocates launched a campaign to add marriage equality to the state constitution. With two legislative approvals needed, a 2027 voter referendum is possible. Follow Zach on Instagram: @TheRealZachRE | Subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. 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.