The Goodnewspaper The 2024 Pride Edition

HELLO HELLO! I am a cisgender, straight-passing, white bisexual woman. This affords me a myriad of privileges in the world — especially within the LGBTQ+ community. Most specifically, I have an identity that grants me the beautiful gift of being so connected to the glow of other LGBTQ+ people — while still largely avoiding so much of the vitriol our community receives. I am afforded the distinct pride of being part of this community, so I have the distinct responsibility to protect its members fiercely. Fortunately for me, part of my job includes telling accurate, compelling stories about the LGBTQ+ community so the whole world can better understand — and ultimately, celebrate — our full spectrum of humanity. This is my third Pride Edition at Good Good Good. One of…

Last summer, GLAAD released findings from their annual Accelerating Acceptance study. In full, the nationwide survey highlighted pain points, lingering stereotypes, and daily prejudices LGBTQ+ people face, but the biggest takeaways were undoubtedly positive. “The most important finding of our 2023 study is that support for LGBTQ equal rights is at an all-time high: 84% of survey respondents support equal rights for the LGBTQ community,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD. GLAAD's Spirit Day Index, released last October, also surveyed Americans based on their support for LGBTQ+ youth. The majority of survey respondents believed celebrities, sports leagues, and businesses could have a positive impact on LGBTQ+ youth, but over half agreed that “everyday people” are the most influential impact group on young people who identify as queer.…

Discord is a free communications app that allows users to chat over voice, video, and text. Largely used by gamers, the platform currently boasts 150 million monthly users worldwide across all spectrums of age, race, gender, and background. And in late 2023, Discord updated their Hateful Conduct Policy to better protect transgender users. In addition to banning blatant sexist, racist, and homophobic behavior, Discord now also forbids repeatedly “using slurs to degrade and demean individuals or groups” and specifically calls out the action of “intentionally deadnaming or misgendering a transgender person.” For nuance, the new policy does give room for exception when it comes to “instances of reclaimed language, satire, educational or documentary purposes.” Along with TikTok, Discord is one of the major social platforms that has effectively taken a…

GOOD Harassment and bullying run rampant online, but you can do your part in reporting content and blocking the accounts in question. Block and move on. Most of the time, it's not worth engaging with trolls. BETTER If you see someone experiencing a mental health crisis, most platforms provide an anonymous submission form to flag their account. In turn, the app's automated systems will reach out to the user and offer help. BEST If you fear that someone is being doxxed or cyberbullied online and they are isolated, you can reach out to them directly and offer support. In a sea of hate, one kind message can be a beacon of light. WHAT'S THIS? THIS IS THE GOOD BAR. We believe in celebrating good and then joining in to make…

A recent study, published by the American Sociological Association in December of 2023, found that aunts are crucial to the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth — particularly BIPOC youth. The paper is part of a larger two-year longitudinal study documenting the impact of supportive family members who aren't parents. Researchers interviewed 83 LGBTQ+ youth in South Texas and the Inland Empire of California. They all reported ambivalence or low support from their parents regarding their identity, and over 80% of those interviewed were Latino, Hispanic, Black, Asian, or Indigenous. Additionally, nearly 70% were trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming. A majority of respondents identified their aunts — or someone who played an aunt-like role but who they were not biologically related to — as a source of emotional support and housing stability. (According…

Situated on Staten Island with stunning views of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, the Alice Austen House is a historic landmark that celebrates the life of a trailblazing queer photographer from the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. Its latest project is also pretty picture-perfect: The Queer Ecologies Garden. In partnership with the New York Restoration Project and students from the Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, the park and its gardens were filled with flora that “challenge the notion of heteronormativity.” Many of the plants that call the garden home are nonbinary or sex-changing species, such as ferns and flowers that self-pollinate or have both reproductive organs. The garden also features historically significant species such as violets and pansies. Additionally, gender and sexuality alliance groups from area schools…