Latest news with #LGBTQ+
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Non-binary footy player becomes first AFLW star to undergo gender-affirming top surgery
Hawthorn AFLW star Tilly Lucas-Rodd has become the first current player in the league to undergo gender-affirming top surgery. The 29-year-old, who came out as non-binary two years ago, revealed they underwent the procedure during the AFLW off-season, describing the experience not as a dramatic transformation, but more like finally aligning their outward appearance with the person they've always seen in the mirror. 'People often ask me, 'How do I feel now that I've had it?' Lucas-Rodd told ABC Sport. 'A lot of people who've had the operation have really big emotions and really big elation. But for me, it was like, 'This is how I've always looked when I saw myself.' 'This is what I've always thought and always seen internally.' The operation, which involves the removal of breast tissue in what is essentially a double mastectomy, also included nipple grafts - something some people opt out of, but which Lucas-Rodd chose to include as part of the procedure. Before surgery, life on and off the field was often a physical and mental struggle. Lucas-Rodd, a former Hawks captain and 2024 All Australian, regularly taped their chest or wore an extremely tight binder - even during games - to flatten their chest and reduce dysphoria. The compression would often restrict breathing, cause back pain, and make movement difficult, but it felt like the lesser of two evils when compared to feeling exposed while playing professional sport on a national stage. 'In the past, I used to wear a guernsey that was at least two sizes too big,' they said. 'Last year, I wore a size medium or large when I was previously an extra small. I had huge discomfort around my chest, huge dysphoria. It didn't match up with what I felt internally I should look like.' That mismatch is now gone. Lucas-Rodd says the joy they feel training and preparing for the new season - set to begin in August - is hard to describe. For the first time in their career, they're stepping out onto the track without a binder, without a sports bra, just wearing their guernsey and feeling completely at ease in their skin. 'I've already felt that during training - being able to just be free, to not wear a sports bra, not wear a binder, just put my jumper on,' they said. 'Going out onto the track in our training guernseys or singlets, I just feel so, so happy and so just like me.' Lucas-Rodd is now the first current AFLW player to undergo top surgery, following in the footsteps of former players El Chaston and Tori Groves-Little, who both had the procedure after being delisted. Two years ago, Lucas-Rodd became the third AFLW player to come out publicly as non-binary - after Groves-Little and Carlton's Darcy Vescio. They told fans in a video shared by Hawthorn: 'I don't really identify strongly as my assigned gender at birth, which is female… I don't feel like I fit into that label, and at the same time I don't feel like I'm a male either. So for me, the label 'non-binary' feels most comfortable.' Since coming out, Lucas-Rodd has continued exploring how they identify, including engaging with aspects of the transmasculine experience. 'Obviously I'm non-binary, but there's transmasc,' they said. 'It's something I'm still exploring and I think that's awesome. That's the thing about your sexuality and gender - it's constantly evolving and ever changing.' In preparing for the surgery, Lucas-Rodd drew strength and support from other players who had walked a similar path. They messaged El Chaston often in the lead-up, asking questions about recovery and the process. But at first, they weren't sure if they'd go public with their decision. 'I was messaging a friend a few weeks ago, and at first I wasn't going to come out publicly,' they said. 'They were just curious and asked, 'Why wouldn't you?' It really made me reflect. What am I scared of? Then I thought, 'They've done it. They were accepted. Why can't I?' While their close friends at Hawthorn were aware of the surgery ahead of time - including teammate Jenna Richardson, who was with them in hospital - the rest of the playing group found out at preseason camp, when Lucas-Rodd decided it was time to tell the full team. 'I knew we'd be doing water-based activities, and in footy, there's a lot of recovery and you're often in bathing suits together,' they said. 'Now the greatest thing is, I don't have to wear anything on top. So I knew going into camp that I'd kind of have to tell the team.' They sent a message to the group and were met with nothing but support. 'I saw them the next day at footy, and there were a few questions and lots of interest… but everyone just met me with such love and acceptance.' Going public with their story, however, brings new challenges - especially as it moves outside the safer spaces of AFLW circles and into the broader AFL community, which can be less welcoming. 'It's nerve-racking,' Lucas-Rodd admitted. 'Whenever I've spoken out on queer issues - whether it be Pride Round or when I came out as non-binary - the comments that were hard to read weren't from the AFLW community. 'They were from the AFL community and the broader Australian public. There was some horrendous stuff online. 'So I've spoken to my family and friends about that - that the broader AFL community will now have comment. It's not just going to be in my safe space of AFLW fans.' Still, they say the decision to speak out is bigger than them. 'When you're doing it for something that's bigger than yourself, you kind of take that and you accept that that's going to happen. 'And I've got really supportive people in my close circle that will shower me with love, and put their arms around me.' Lucas-Rodd says one of their biggest motivations for sharing their experience is to help others who might be going through something similar but lack the support or confidence to speak up. 'For people that might not be able to have these conversations, might not be able to start this process of gender affirming care because they can't talk to people in their own lives, I hope this shows them that they're not alone,' they said. 'It's also to show gender-diverse and trans people that there is a place for them in sport.' They know there will be backlash, but that won't stop them. 'Coming out publicly with top surgery, people will say and do what they want, but I'm trying to show people that no matter what gender you are, no matter how you express that, you belong in sport and you belong at a professional and elite level,' they said. Lucas-Rodd said the dominant feeling post-surgery is one of joy - unfiltered and overwhelming joy. 'If I see myself, especially shirtless, I'm like, 'This rocks,' they laughed. 'Being on the other side now, it's a huge relief. You build it up in your head, and there's nervousness and anxiety - and that's real. But now that I'm here? Yeah, it's amazing.' On the field, Lucas-Rodd was a force for Hawthorn in 2024, delivering a standout season after shifting from midfield to defence. They played every game, averaged more than 20 disposals per match, and finished top five in the league for total kicks. They reached their 75th AFLW game milestone during Hawthorn's first ever finals campaign and capped it all off with a place in the All Australian team.
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Oregon House hosts live drag performance to open session in honor of Pride Month
A new session for the Oregon House of Representatives began after a performance by two Black drag queens on Wednesday. In honor of Pride Month, Democratic Rep. Travis Nelson, the first openly LGBTQ+ African American Oregon legislator, invited Isaiah Esquire and Aqua Flora to perform for the session's opening ceremony. The two drag queens lip-synched to Aretha Franklin's "A Deeper Love" and Beyoncé's "I Was Here" while wearing bright gold outfits and dancing across the room. The performance lasted nearly five minutes and ended with a standing ovation from many House members. Nelson gave remarks about the performers, who both came from Portland, shortly after they finished. "I'd like to take a moment to extend deep gratitude and recognition to the incredible drag performers who joined us this morning," Nelson said. "Aqua Flora and Isaiah Esquire joining us on the House floor today in addition to all of the LGBTQ+ folks in the building. Your presence, artistry and courage are a powerful reminder of the joy, resilience and cultural impact of drag in Oregon and beyond. Thank you for sharing your light with us this morning. It's an honor to have you here." The performance was also meant to honor a new House resolution, also pushed by Nelson, that "recognizes and honors the history of Black drag in Oregon." "That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly, recognize and honor Oregon's rich history of Black drag, and we congratulate all those whose spirited contributions have made Oregon's Black drag community one of the most vibrant and vital in the nation," the resolution read. The resolution was the first piece of legislation taken up by the House that morning. It passed on a 34-9 vote. In a comment to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the Oregon House Democrats maintained that the performance was approved by all the proper offices and that the performers were there on a volunteer basis. The spokesperson added that there has been a fair split between Republican House members and Democratic House members inviting guests to perform for the opening ceremony. In a statement to Fox News Digital, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan condemned the performance as an "ostentatious display" of "social activism." "Yesterday's ill-advised performance broke our chamber protocols and standards for opening ceremonies in the Oregon House of Representatives. Turning the House Floor into a smokey bar is beneath the dignity of this body. Opening ceremonies are not the time or place for ostentatious displays of political symbols and social activism," Drazan said. Oregon's House legislature often invites performers to their opening ceremony. Nelson provided a comment to Fox News Digital defending his decision to invite the drag queens as a matter of free speech. "Opening ceremonies are a normal and active part of the Oregon State Legislature," Nelson said. "Each Legislator has the right to invite guests for opening ceremonies as long as the date is available. Inviting guests is not only an established tradition here in Oregon, but also a matter of free speech and civic participation allowing the public to be part of our chamber process." He added, "That right belongs to every member of this body, and by extension, to the guests they bring. As long as guests and members follow the guidelines from the Chief Clerk's office, their presence is not just permitted it's fully protected by both the Oregon State Constitution and the Constitution of the United States of America." Chief Clerk of the House Tim Sekarak, whose office is responsible for approving opening ceremonies, also told Fox News Digital that musical performances have been a common occurrence at opening ceremonies. "Opening ceremonies have long been a cherished tradition and are a way to celebrate the many cultures, faiths and beliefs that are represented in the legislature," Sekarak said. Sekarak also sent guidelines that added that the opening ceremony was "not meant for proselytizing or persuasion" and cannot be used "to advocate your political views or policy interests."
CBS News
18 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Chicago Pride Fest 2025 taking over Northalsted this weekend amid heat wave
Chicago Pride Fest 2025 will take over the streets of Northalsted this weekend. The festival runs from June 21 to June 22, on Halsted Street between Addison and Grace streets. The event is free to attend, but a $20 donation is suggested to support festival organizers, equipment, and performers. Performances will be on three stages throughout the weekend. On Saturday, catch Jesse McCartney on the North Stage at 2 p.m., followed by the Pride Fest Drag Show. Deborah Cox will headline on the North Stage on Sunday at 2 p.m., followed by a performance by Aluna at 7:15 p.m. Confidence Man, Hayla, Chrissy Chlapecka, and The Aces are also among the performers on this year's lineup. A full Chicago Pride Fest lineup can be found here. Pride Fest will dedicate a Teen Pride Space near the Waveland + Broadway entrance for LGBTQ+ teens and allies ages 12-18. Dangerous heat this weekend in Chicago Festival goers will want to prepare for the extreme heat this weekend. Highs will be in the mid-90s on Saturday, with a heat index over 100 degrees. By Sunday, highs are expected to reach near 97 degrees with sunny skies. It is easy to become overheated and dehydrated in high temperatures, so it is essential to make sure you are drinking enough water. Heat exhaustion and heatstroke will be the main risks. Heat exhaustion develops after several days of exposure to heat and inadequate or unbalanced fluid replacement. Heatstroke is a serious illness that happens when the body begins to lose its ability to regulate its own temperature and functions. Heat exhaustion symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, thirst, heavy sweating, high body temperature and decreased urine output. If you or someone you know is experiencing heat exhaustion move into a cool indoor space or shade immediately, give them liquids to drink, remove unnecessary clothing including shoes and socks, used cold water or a cold compress to cool the person down on their head, face and neck, and frequently sip cold water. The CDC also encourages calling 911 or taking the person to an urgent care clinic or the emergency room for treatment. contributed to this report.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mayor will ‘come up with plan C' if police try to impose ban on Budapest Pride
The mayor of Budapest has vowed to go ahead with the city's Pride march next weekend, declaring he will 'come up with a plan C' even if the police try to impose a government-backed ban. Hungarian police said on Thursday they were banning the country's main Pride march from taking place in the capital, citing recent legislation passed by Viktor Orbán's government that prohibits the promotion of same-sex relationships to under-18s. 'The police, acting within their authority over public assemblies, prohibit the holding of the assembly at the aforementioned location and time,' the police said. But Gergely Karácsony, the liberal mayor, said the gathering would go ahead regardless, saying the police decision had 'no value' because the march did not require official authorisation as it was a municipal event organised by the city council. 'Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march on 28 June as a city event. Period,' he wrote on Facebook. The mayor, who was re-elected to the position last summer, is among the harshest critics of the rightwing government's politics. He has hung an LGBTQ+ and a Ukrainian flag on the administration building in central Budapest, in defiance of Orbán's Fidesz party's rhetoric. In an interview with the Guardian this week, before the police statement, Karácsony said he was determined the event would go ahead. 'There is currently no law that could ban [a municipal event],' he said. 'Obviously, anything can happen in Hungary. But we will come up with a Plan C.' Dozens of MEPs have said they will attend a Pride event in the city in defiance of the government, as well as politicians including the Spanish culture minister, Ernest Urtasun; Ireland's former taoiseach, Leo Varadkar; and the mayors of Amsterdam and Brussels. Karácsony, who won a seat in the Hungarian parliament as a member of a new green party in 2010, the same year Orbán came to power, said he also expected the police to help guarantee the safety of the event. 'I believe that everyone can attend safely on 28 June,' he said. Since Orbán returned to power, Hungary has passed a series of laws which have been criticised at home and across the EU for curtailing the rights of the country's sexual and gender minorities in the name of 'child protection'. The bill passed in March by the Fidesz-majority parliament was only the latest but perhaps starkest example, seen by many as a direct attack on Budapest Pride, which has been held in the city for nearly three decades. Karácsony, who was elected mayor of the capital in 2019 and was re-elected in 2024 by just a few hundred votes, insists his drive to ensure the march lives on is not about currying favour with voters. 'A good politician has a strong moral compass,' he said. 'But I know that most Budapest residents agree with me.' At a time when the Hungarian LGBTQ+ community feels increasingly embattled, Karácsony has openly supported LGBTQ+ rights. He was among the speakers at Budapest Pride in 2021, after the government passed a law banning the 'display or promotion of homosexuality' to under-18s. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The mayor's support of liberal views has earned him the ire of the increasingly authoritarian populist government, which has portrayed him variously as an agent for a previous socialist prime minister, for the US billionaire George Soros, the Biden administration and the EU. Karácsony was one of the strongest candidates to stand against Orbán in the last general election in 2022. In the end, the six-party joint opposition chose another city mayor, Péter Márki-Zay, to run for PM. Fidesz retained a two-thirds majority in parliament, and Orbán was elected for a fourth consecutive term. Karácsony told the Guardian he would not run in the 2026 general election, where Orbán is expected to face his strongest opponent to date, Péter Magyar. Magyar, a conservative politician, has not endorsed Pride, but spoken up for the right of people to assemble. 'We use power to encourage or support those who need it,' said Karácsony, a sociologist by trade. Quite what will happen on 28 June is unclear. Orbán's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, told a briefing on Wednesday that no matter what the mayor said, a Pride gathering would fall under the legislation that governs the right to assemble. In their statement police said any appeal against the ban must be lodged with the Hungarian supreme court within three days. The march, they said, 'by its very nature cannot be held without the representation' of people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and that under-18s could be present along the route. 'If it cannot be stated with absolute certainty that the display is not taking place in the presence of persons under 18 years of age, the assembly would be in breach of the ban,' the police said.
New York Times
19 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Supreme Court Fails to See Transgender Teens
Imagine you are a transgender teenager. Don't ask me how you know that you are transgender: That question is no more appropriate or relevant than asking people how they know that they are gay or Jewish or Black. Maybe you've always known. Maybe a classmate or a stranger said something that alerted you to it. Maybe you know the way teenagers often know things: As the world came into focus, this thing about yourself became clear as could be. In any case, you know. Like many teenagers, you spend an inordinate amount of time in front of the mirror. You regularly become obsessed with what you perceive as imperfections or, less often, advantages in your appearance. You adopt and abandon hairstyles, items of clothing and affectations. You will shed much of what you are experimenting with now, but some elements will stick. They will form the core of the person you are in the world. Speaking of the world: Moving through it is awkward, because you are a teenager. Being trans can make it more awkward still. Like when you are in a public place — including your school — and you need to use the bathroom. If you want to consider transitioning medically, you have to discuss the most intimate details of your life with doctors and involve your parents. I am asking you to imagine what it's like to be a transgender teenager because that is exactly what the majority of the Supreme Court justices refused to do when they ruled in United States v. Skrmetti on Wednesday, upholding a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors. The plaintiffs in the case are three trans teenagers from Tennessee, their parents and a doctor, but there is scarcely a reference to them in the majority or concurring opinions. It's often the case that 'courts enact discrimination through abstraction,' Chase Strangio, a director of the American Civil Liberties Union's L.G.B.T.Q. and H.I.V. Rights Project, who argued the case before the Supreme Court, told me. In Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 case that upheld the legality of racial segregation; in Korematsu v. United States, which in 1944 affirmed the internment of Japanese Americans; in Bowers v. Hardwick, the 1986 case that upheld Georgia's sodomy laws; and in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which three years ago took away the constitutional guarantee of abortion rights, the Supreme Court seemed blind to the existence of the people who would suffer most from the consequences of its decisions. In Skrmetti, the plaintiffs and the Biden administration said that the Tennessee law should be held to a higher level of scrutiny because it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. If a state law creates conditions for treating people differently on the basis of sex, the state must prove that the law serves an important purpose that justifies such discrimination. If the differential treatment is based on race, the level of scrutiny is even higher. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
