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USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
'Don't know how we should behave': Is the US South LGBTQ friendly?
'Don't know how we should behave': Is the US South LGBTQ friendly? Show Caption Hide Caption Organizers say political pressure is motivation to continue celebrating Pride Organizers say political pressure is motivation to continue organizing and celebrating Pride, although some corporate support dwindles. LGBTQ+ travelers are taking extra precautions, especially in the South, due to a perceived increase in hostility. Resources like IGLTA, Everywhere is Queer, and LGBTQ+ friendly travel advisors can help travelers find inclusive spaces and plan safer trips. Despite challenges, experts and travelers emphasize the diversity of the South and encourage researching destinations and engaging with local communities. When Madeline Gregg and her wife, Bryn, drive to Florida for vacation, they consider more than just road safety. In certain parts of the South, the 33-year-old certified sex educator said, it feels less risky for her to get out and pump gas while her wife, who is transgender, stays in the car. 'We don't even have to talk about it anymore,' she told USA TODAY. 'It's just assumed.' The couple has also learned which businesses have family or gender-neutral bathrooms conveniently located along the route from their home in Louisville, Kentucky, including in states with restrictive bathroom laws. Even in the Melbourne, Florida, area – where they typically visit three to five times a year and Bryn's family has a beach house – they are cautious about showing public displays of affection. 'We want to enjoy where we are, and if we draw more attention to us, we probably won't enjoy it as much,' she said. As a native Kentuckian, Gregg is accustomed to those kinds of precautions. However, she is among a number of people who have found traveling in the American South more fraught as the federal government targets the LGBTQ+ community. Even within the region, though, LGBTQ+ visitors' experiences can vary widely. Here's what to know when considering a trip to the South. 'I don't know how we should behave' While the South is varied and diverse, the region tends to be less LGBTQ+ friendly than some other parts of the country. Six of the lowest-ranked states on Out Leadership's 2025 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, which gauges the impacts of government policies and attitudes towards the community, were in the Southeast. Gregg said there were previously some areas where the pair felt they had to be more aware during their Florida road trips, but after the 2024 presidential election, it was 'vastly, vastly different.' 'People were more inclined to say things,' she said. 'A lot more stares.' She remembers a passerby even made a disparaging remark about gender identity while they were walking their dog in Florida. The couple has only been to Melbourne in the last six months. The Greggs are not the only ones. Omie, who makes travel content with his fiancé, Davey, under the moniker Traveling Boyfriends, similarly feels a 'level of paranoia' when visiting the region more now than ever before. The 34-year-old said the couple visits the South at least once a year for work or to see friends and family. They asked to be identified by only their professional names due to privacy and safety concerns. They spend much of their time abroad, but are based in Chicago when they're in the U.S. 'Driving from Atlanta to Charleston, you go through places that you're just like, 'I don't know how we should behave,'' he said. 'Like, you have to almost act as friends. You have to look over your shoulder in some ways.' Davey echoed that. The 37-year-old, who is originally from England, said visiting New York comparatively 'feels very, very open, very accepting.' 'It doesn't feel to me like that mentality changes depending on whatever the political sway of the country is at that moment,' he said. 'The South is just not as familiar and feels more uncomfortable. It may be (that) part of that, if I'm being honest, is a bit of ignorance, because I don't know it as well … but also because ... there are stories almost every day of some level of more integrated hate around these parts of the U.S.' Tips for traveling in the South Even so, there are plenty of inclusive spaces to be found. 'The South is incredibly diverse and very nuanced,' said Andy Knowles, a travel advisor with Fora Travel based in North Carolina. He said travelers have to make their own risk assessments before visiting a destination, and recommended doing 'as much research as you feel comfortable doing' on the front end. Getting to know the legislation on the books is a good idea. 'You can't dictate the entire state's sentiment based on their laws, but I think that that is a pretty good starting point,' Knowles said. A queer-friendly travel advisor can help walk clients through the planning process, too. John Tanzella, president and CEO of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) suggested connecting 'with local LGBTQ+ groups or trusted travel networks, and choose accommodations and services known for their inclusivity and care. This way, you can focus on enjoying your trip and feeling truly supported.' Travelers can find a database of accommodations on IGLTA's website. Knowles also noted that Expedia has an 'LGBTQ welcoming' search filter. Gregg recommended reaching out to tourism boards or following them on social media. 'The whole reason that they're there is because they want people to come, so they want you to feel as safe as possible in their city,' she said. She and her wife have also used the Everywhere is Queer app to find welcoming businesses. Once there, they have asked for their recommendations, as well. LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in the South Knowles said there are some 'really magical destinations for LGBTQ, travelers' in the region, including popular cities like Key West, Miami and Atlanta. 'New Orleans is, generally speaking, very diverse, very LGBTQ friendly, even in a state that's typically not,' Knowles added. He also recommended Savannah, Georgia, which has a thriving arts scene and more of a gay presence than some other Southern cities. Omie and Davey enjoyed a May trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. Tanzella also highlighted places like Tampa and Dallas, which 'have built warm, welcoming communities with year-round events and genuine allyship.' He advised travelers to look for 'signs of genuine commitment' from destinations, such as those that support LGBTQ+ events and community organizations and have clear anti-discrimination policies. 'Truly inclusive destinations don't just talk the talk during Pride Month, they show up year-round,' he said in an email. Still, during an April trip to San Francisco, Gregg was struck by the affectionate public displays of couples and the widespread use of rainbow flags. In contrast, she and her wife took down their pride flag back home in Louisville because passersby yelled slurs when the couple sat on the porch. 'It's extremely normal for us, but until you experience traveling to other places, you don't really realize how in the closet and how quiet you have to be in public in the South,' she said. She emphasized, however, it's important not to generalize, and attitudes and experiences can vary widely – even by neighborhood. 'I will say that the South has its stereotypes,' added Knowles, who was born and raised in California and moved to Asheville about three-and-a-half years ago. 'And I would just say, do not write off an entire region of the country based on some of the headlines that we see.' Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@
Politico
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
How Rand Paul got sidelined by fellow Republicans
As chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Rand Paul technically has jurisdiction over a central plank of President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' But the Kentucky Republican's desire to aggressively cut the administration's request for border security spending has sidelined him in negotiations. In an interview this week, Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham said that he has taken over as the lead negotiator in talks with bicameral leadership and the White House over how to deploy tens of billions of dollars to strengthen border security and reduce the flow of migrant encounters at the southern border into the United States. Graham, a South Carolina Republican who released his own border security funding plan shortly after Paul introduced his, said he offered himself up to the Trump administration as the point person on the border security provisions of the megabill. 'Senator Paul usually votes 'no' and blames everybody else for not being pure enough,' said Graham, who has a long history of clashing with Paul over federal spending and foreign policy. 'As chairman, you … don't have that luxury sometimes. You have to do things as chairman you wouldn't have to do as a rank-and-file member.' 'Senator Paul's reducing the amount [for border security] didn't withstand scrutiny,' Graham added. 'The analysis was shallow.' At the same time, the office of Senate GOP Conference Vice-Chair James Lankford of Oklahoma — also the chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs — is planning to work directly with Senate leadership staff on the government affairs provisions, said a Senate Republican aide granted anonymity to describe internal party dynamics. Paul has made clear repeatedly he isn't planning to vote for the party-line tax and spending bill anyway, giving leadership few reasons to try and play nice. Yet the decision by senior Senate Republicans to undermine a committee chair in such a way marks a dramatic departure from standard Senate procedure. It also reflects the extent to which Paul has become an ideological island, despite him holding a committee gavel thanks to the chamber's rules around seniority. And in another break with precedent, few of Paul's own members on the Homeland Security panel, if any, appeared supportive of the chair's approach or willing to back him up against leadership's attempts to undermine him. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said it was concerning that Paul would draft his own proposal 'without any consultation of the committee.' Hawley added he had 'never seen that happen before.' Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who sits on both the Homeland and Budget panels who described Paul as 'well-meaning' and 'principled,' said if Paul's goal was to change people's minds, the Kentuckian would have been better off working with fellow members of his conference. 'If your objective is just to have a point of view, that's one thing you can do; but if your objective is to rally support, then you have a different path,' Moreno said. Paul has even lost an ally in Sen. Ron Johnson, another steadfast fiscal hawk who leadership hopes will ultimately support the megabill. Johnson said last week he will support the administration's border security funding request after hearing directly from Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser and architect of the president's immigration platform. Graham said he and Senate Majority Leader John Thune requested that Miller brief Senate Republicans on the administration's border security needs to 'contest the analysis of Senator Paul.' Paul did not attend the briefing, nor has he spoken to Graham about their differences, according to Graham. In a statement, Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, had no direct comment on Paul's exclusion from the process. 'The administration is profoundly grateful for Senator Graham and the Budget Committee's excellent work on the Homeland Security Text,' said Jackson, adding that it would aid Trump's actions to crack down on illegal border crossings by 'funding at least one million removals, adding new ICE and border personnel, expanding detention capacity, and giving bonuses to hardworking Border Patrol and ICE agents.' The framework put forward by Graham, which Senate GOP leadership is expected to draw from in the final package they hope to vote on next week, would mirror the House-passed funding levels by allocating about $46.5 billion for the border wall and surrounding infrastructure and $5 billion for Customs and Border Protection facilities and checkpoints. In contrast, Paul's proposal would allocate just $6.5 billion in border wall and related infrastructure funding, with only $2.5 billion for CBP facilities and checkpoints. When asked about concerns he was operating without consulting his fellow Republicans on the panel, Paul emphasized that no committee is holding a markup on their contributions for the megabill. 'There were no committee votes on what the product would be,' Paul said. 'All of the drafts were done by the chairman of each committee.' Paul also said he thought some of the provisions of his proposal unrelated to border security would end up in the final bill, and that he was involved in talks with the parliamentarian about what provisions would be germane under the strict rules governing the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process Republicans want to use to pass the megabill. A Paul spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about whether he still expected to have a say in negotiations with the parliamentarian. Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First medical cannabis safety compliance facility breaks ground in KY
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Team Kentucky announced it broke ground on the first medical cannabis safety compliance facility in the state. Officials say State38 LLC, with a roughly $1 million investment, will employ around a dozen Kentuckians. The new safety compliance facility will be one of seven in the state dedicated to ensuring the safety and quality of medical cannabis products. Owensboro Health commits $200K to community projects 'Team Kentucky is dedicated to ensuring every Kentuckian with a qualifying condition has safe access to quality medical cannabis,' said Gov. Andy Beshear. 'I'm excited to see this new industry take root here in Graves County, because I believe health care is a basic human right.' Officials say on April 17, 2024, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 829 into law, which moved up the timeline for medical cannabis licensing in Kentucky by six months. The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis began accepting applications from prospective businesses on July 1, 2024. Officials with Gov. Beshear's office say last month, Team Kentucky broke ground on the first medical cannabis business in the state, Centaurus Farms KY LLC, a Tier II cultivator in Wayne County. A ribbon-cutting was also held for a Tier III cultivator facility in Clark County managed by Cresco Labs. Two arrested after Hopkins County chase 'I'm proud to see the progress that's been made so far, and I look forward to the day when we say that all our safety compliance facilities, cultivators and dispensaries are open for business,' added Gov. Beshear. Gov. Beshear says on March 31, 2023, Gov. Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 into law, legalizing medical cannabis for Kentuckians beginning January 1, 2025. To date, more than 15,000 Kentuckians have received a written certification, and over 10,000 have successfully applied for and received a medical cannabis card. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
25-05-2025
- New York Post
2nd crypto bigwig in SoHo torture case to surrender, sources say
A Swiss crypto millionaire sought for questioning in the gruesome torture of an Italian trader in SoHo will surrender to the NYPD this week, sources said Sunday — as a priest sprinkled holy water on the property. The Euro exec became a person of interest in the case after the arrest of Kentucky crypto king John Woeltz on Friday for allegedly holding wealthy trader Michael Vanlentino Teofrasto Carturan inside a Prince Street apartment and torturing him for his Bitcoin password, authorities said. Woeltz and his assistant, 24-year-old Beatrice Folchi, were charged in the case, but Folchi was later released when Manhattan prosecutors declined to file charges pending further investigation. 5 John Woeltz is charged with kidnapping and torturing a wealthy Italian crypto trader inside a SoHo apartment. David Burns The second sought exec's lawyers are now arranging for his own surrender, law-enforcement sources told The Post. The man is co-founder of a Swiss trading firm. Meanwhile, a priest at the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, a Catholic church across the street from the alleged SoHo torture pad, came out Sunday to pour holy water on the steps of the property. 'Given what's been happening in there, the things they're saying happened in there, I thought it was a good idea,' the priest told The Post. The torture case rattled others in the quiet Lower Manhattan neighborhood, too. 'I still can't believe it,' said a neighbor who asked to be identified only as Samba. 'It doesn't make any sense that you could keep somebody hostage for a week and torture them in this neighborhood. 5 The victim was allegedly held for more than a week in this SoHo apartment and brutally tortured. Paul Martinka 5 Italian beauty Beatrice Folchi, Woeltz's assistant, was charged with kidnapping but later released by prosecutors. Khristina Narizhnaya/NY Post 'It's a very quiet street. At night especially it's very quite around here,' the local said. 'You would think that you would hear something. You would think that the people from the church here would have heard something.' Police said Carturan, who is reportedly a trader from Turin worth $30 million, was lured to the apartment and brutalized for his password. He was allegedly tied to a chair, tazed with his feet in a bucket of water, pistol-whipped and had had his legs and arms cut with a chainsaw during the weeks-long ordeal. Sources said he was also urinated on and dangled from the top of a staircase in the home. The battered captive was finally able to escape Friday when his captors were distracted. Woeltz was arraigned Saturday on kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault and criminal possession of a weapon charges and ordered held without bail. 5 Woeltz was arraigned on kidnapping, assault and imprisonment charges and ordered held without bail Saturday. Michael Nagle 5 Folchi told The Post she was 'not arrested' and would only speak through a lawyer. Khristina Narizhnaya/NY Post Sources said the wealthy Kentuckian owns a private jet and a chopper, as well a 150-acre farm in the Bluegrass State valued at more than $860,000, all part of his lucrative crypto empire. Folchi was charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment before she was cut loose. She told The Post on Saturday that she was 'not arrested' and would only speak through a lawyer. Sources said Carturan was being treated at Bellevue Hospital.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
One House Republican opposed Trump on key votes for years and survived. Can Thomas Massie do it again?
President Donald Trump often seems like the sun around which other Republicans orbit, setting their direction and movements — and, every so often, slingshotting one out of his solar system when they displease him. But one GOP lawmaker has consistently found his own political gravity, surviving clash after clash against the party's standard bearer: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Massie was one of the few Republicans staunchly opposed to the Republican Party's sweeping bill to enact key pieces of Trump's agenda this year, such as extending the 2017 tax cuts and boosting spending for immigration enforcement. And he has not shied away from voicing his criticism what Trump has dubbed his 'one big beautiful bill,' which, in Massie's words, amounts to a 'ticking debt bomb,' represents 'Biden-level spending and increased deficits,' and contains a concession he said would 'primarily benefit limousine liberals in blue states.' Trump, never shy with words, has blasted Massie as a 'grandstander' who 'should be voted out of office' — criticism Massie has pointed to in fundraising appeals for his own campaign. It's not a new dynamic for the Kentuckian, one of the rare Republicans who has found himself at odds with Trump on multiple occasions but has lived to tell the tale. The question is whether he can do it again in 2026, and whether the tension evaporates as it has before or if Trump actually takes the step of backing a primary challenger this time. 'That's a step up,' Massie said Tuesday, speaking about Trump's threats. 'In 2020, he wanted me thrown out of the GOP, so losing a seat wouldn't be as bad as being thrown out, would it?' 'I think that's hyperbole on his part. I'm not worried about it,' Massie continued. Massie, a staunch libertarian who came to Washington as the tea party took over the House Republican conference in the early 2010s, has indeed found himself crosswise with Trump over the years. He blasted early attempts by Republicans to repeal Obamacare in 2017. He sided with Democrats in an attempt to overturn Trump's emergency declaration on the southern border in 2019. And his opposition to the 2020 Covid relief package during the early days of the pandemic led to Trump labeling him a 'third rate Grandstander' on social media and encouraging a primary challenge against him. Massie has long observed that he and Trump aren't coming from the same ideological roots. In 2017, he told the Washington Examiner that Trump's election had caused him to re-evaluate his assumptions about what motivated Republican voters during and after the tea party era. 'After some soul searching I realized when they voted for Rand [Paul] and Ron [Paul] and me in these primaries, they weren't voting for libertarian ideas — they were voting for the craziest son of a bitch in the race,' Massie said. 'And Donald Trump won best in class, as we had up until he came along.' Massie revisited the quote in a brief interview with NBC News last year on the sidelines of a presidential campaign event for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa. Massie was one of the few members of Congress to endorse a Trump challenger in the 2024 primaries, and he withheld his endorsement of Trump in the general election until the race's final days. 'I used to think I wanted Congress to have more crazy candidates,' Massie said last year. 'And I have decided that is not the case. And I do think there's a backlash. People are looking for somebody that's just a solid conservative. I think we're tired of crazy, and the voters are too.' 'In the race for crazy, I used to be able to lead the lap sometimes,' Massie added with a smile. 'Now I can't even stay on the lead lap.' Despite the high-profile dissents and social media confrontations, while Trump previously mused about finding a primary opponent to topple Massie, no serious one has materialized. Massie cruised to victory in his primary months after Trump's 2020 threat, and he even won Trump's endorsement ahead of his 2022 primary. To hear Massie describe it, he's weathered it fine. Other Republicans have lost primaries or decided to retire, sometimes amid tanking poll numbers, in the face of Trump's wrath. Not him. 'I've got the Trump antibodies,' Massie told Fox News in 2024 when asked if he'd face political retribution for not endorsing Trump's primary bid. He added, 'Trump came at me and I won my re-election, so I'm not worried about it.' He currently faces only one Republican challenger, Nicole Lee Ethington, a nurse who has criticized Massie on social media for his 'no' vote on the recent legislation. But it remains to be seen how hard Trump or his allies might try to go after Massie in next year's GOP primary. The Kentucky Republican eclipsed 75% of the vote in each of his last three primaries. Still, Massie's libertarian politics mean he's regularly found himself in the minority among congressional Republicans, particularly on the issues of spending, America's military involvement abroad and the government's use of surveillance at home. Once again, he's found himself in a familiar place in Trump's Republican Party. This article was originally published on
