Ep. 311: Trans Healthcare Win, Rapinoe Speaks Out & A Love Story That Will Break You | Listen Up Girl

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.

Ep. 309: Lindsey Graham Dead, Non-Binary People's Day & Gay App Scandal | LGBTQ News July 14

On today's episode of Listen Up Girl: U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has died at 71 — and the LGBTQ+ community is taking a clear-eyed look at his decades-long record of opposing our rights. Plus, today is International Non-Binary People's Day and Non-Binary Awareness Week — we celebrate our non-binary family and dig into the fight for legal recognition. Then, a new gay dating app called Goose is under fire after a Wired investigation found it used AI-generated fake men on Instagram to recruit users. And a sobering check-in on the state of anti-trans legislation in 2026 — 804 bills across 43 states. Social Copy (Instagram/Facebook): Today on #ListenUpGirl: Senator Lindsey Graham is dead — and we're not pretending his record was anything other than damaging to our community. Plus, it's International Non-Binary People's Day 🖤🤍💜💛 and a new gay app called Goose is in hot water after using AI-generated fake men to recruit users. All of that + the latest on 804 anti-trans bills moving through state legislatures. New episode now wherever you listen. 🎙️ #LGBTQNews #NonBinaryPeoplesDay #NonBinaryAwarenessWeek #LindseyGraham #GooseApp #QueerNews 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. 308: Gay GOP Candidate Called Pedophile By Own Party | Trans Inmates Forced to Detransition

On today's Listen Up Girl — Monday, July 14th, 2026 — six stories you need to know: An openly gay MAGA Republican in Wyoming is suing members of his own party after they called him a "pedophile" on social media and ran whisper campaigns accusing him of sexual misconduct with children. The story reveals just how deeply the anti-gay "groomer" smear has embedded itself in Republican politics — even when the target is a conservative ally. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed a law forcing transgender inmates to stop all gender-affirming medical treatment with no taper, no plan, and no grandfather clause. Doctors are calling it medical malpractice. Legal challenges are expected under the Eighth Amendment. Senegal has amended its constitution to explicitly ban same-sex marriage, as part of what the government describes as a campaign to eradicate gay people. Activists on the ground say queer Senegalese people have gone underground out of fear. In Canada, Alberta's October independence referendum is raising serious alarm for LGBTQ+ residents, as the separatist movement is dominated by far-right voices with documented anti-LGBTQ records. JD Vance told a Biden joke to a crowd of soldiers. No one laughed. And a straight allied couple who built the biggest Pride display on their block got a surprise visit from a pro-LGBTQ+ governor — and has become an unexpected symbol of allyship in action. Follow on 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.