Today on Listen Up Girl: a Missouri Republican is charged with plotting to plant cocaine on his own primary opponent, a hate group celebrates a canceled hockey Pride night, Northern Ireland's Pride organizations bar their own government from official participation, one mom's 19-year fight to make school forms inclusive, Miss Continental crowns a new queen in its 45th year, and the wild true story of how a couple tricked 1970s New York City into marrying them. Your daily dose of LGBTQ+ news, every weekday.

On today's episode of Listen Up Girl, Missouri Republican state House candidate Thomas Ross was charged with conspiring to plant cocaine and prescription pills on his primary opponent after his own campaign manager reported the scheme to police and wore a wire. An anti-LGBTQ+ hate group publicly celebrated the cancellation of a hockey team's Pride night as a "win for biological truth." In Northern Ireland, nine Pride organizations reaffirmed that political parties from the Northern Ireland Executive are barred from official participation in this year's Pride festivals, citing the Executive's failure to protect trans rights. In family news, a mom's 19-year campaign to get her children's school to replace "mom and dad" with inclusive language on registration forms finally succeeded in 2017. In entertainment, Gadfrie Arbulu was crowned the winner of Miss Continental 2026, the drag pageant system's landmark 45th anniversary edition, held in Chicago over Labor Day weekend. And we close with the story of Jason Stenson and Hakim "Kimah" Nelson, a couple who tricked 1970s New York City into legally marrying them decades before same-sex marriage was recognized anywhere in the country.

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

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Today on Listen Up Girl: Congresswoman Sarah McBride calls for Pete Hegseth's impeachment, Elliot Page opens up about Hollywood's silence since "The Odyssey," the first drag queen on U.S. "Big Brother" talks life after eviction, a new Arlington bar honors gay rights pioneer Lilli Vincenz, Black Trans Men of Ohio's retreat sets an applicant record, and the wild true story of Merrymount, America's first queer colony. Your daily dose of LGBTQ+ news, every weekday.

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Listen Up Girl: passengers restrain a man mid-flight after a racist, anti-gay outburst, a Wisconsin campus assault case heading to trial, the Dallas Stars dropping Pride Night and the fan backlash, a major trans rights win in Bulgaria, a San Francisco library preserving LGBTQ+ children's book history, and Ecuador's new adoption law shutting out LGBTQ+ families. Your daily dose of LGBTQ+ news, every weekday.

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode: Texas state Rep. Venton Jones marries the man he proposed to on the House floor. A trans South Asian immigrant nonprofit in San Francisco rallies community support to stay open. Connecticut lawmakers threaten subpoenas after a children's hospital quietly ends gender-affirming care under DOJ pressure. A Wyoming judge rules a transgender bartender must stand trial after drawing a gun in self-defense. A thousand people prepare to lobby the UK Parliament against new trans restrictions. And in Kansas, a group of transgender men are exposing the absurdity of the state's bathroom law — by following it exactly. New episodes every day. Find us at 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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Listen Up Girl: the administration asks the Supreme Court to allow the immediate firing of 29 transgender troops ahead of trial, six transgender Idahoans sue over a bathroom law with penalties up to life in prison, a South Carolina family is driven out of state after years of harassment, New York lawmakers push to repeal a 1985 ban on gay bathhouses, an infamous anti-LGBTQ+ bar in Idaho might become a gay bar, and San Francisco is named the best city in the world for LGBTQ+ life. New episodes every day. Find us at 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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Three stories today. Twenty-two states sue the federal government over a new rule stripping Medicare and Medicaid funding from gender-affirming care for minors, set to take effect October 13th. An Idaho minister is found guilty of trespassing after refusing to leave the governor's office during a protest against the state's bathroom ban. And Bolivia records its first same-sex civil marriage after a nearly four-year legal fight.

Listen Up Girl is your daily LGBTQ+ news podcast — keeping you informed, connected, and in the fight.

🎙️ New episodes every weekday 📍 Find us wherever you listen to podcasts

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Listen Up Girl: Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey wins his primary by nearly 30 points after making trans rights the centerpiece of his campaign against a challenger who'd questioned defending trans kids. A new EEOC settlement gives thousands of Christian-affiliated employers a permanent shield from gender-identity discrimination claims. A teenager stands trial in the UK for the murder of a gay man in a suspected homophobic attack. Out soccer star Esther González faces backlash for signing with a Saudi club. Mary Austin breaks decades of silence about her life with Freddie Mercury. And King of Drag returns for season two on September 20th.

Listen Up Girl is your daily LGBTQ+ news podcast — keeping you informed, connected, and in the fight.

🎙️ New episodes every weekday

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Listen Up Girl, Zach Randles-Friedman covers the administration's return to the Supreme Court seeking to reinstate its ban on transgender military service, after a federal appeals court ruled the policy likely unconstitutional — a ban that remains in effect for now regardless of the outcome. The episode then turns to Massachusetts, where hospital systems including Fenway Health, Bay State Health, Outer Cape Health Services, and Greater Lawrence Family Health Care have quietly scaled back or ended gender-affirming care for trans youth despite state law explicitly protecting it, driven by fear of losing federal funding — a case study, advocates say, in how political pressure can succeed without a single law changing. Zach also covers recent comments in which the administration signaled its opposition to trans rights is a permanent strategy rather than a temporary policy position. The episode turns somber with the story of a targeted shooting outside Venture In, a longtime Tucson gay bar, that left two community members dead in what police are investigating as a hate crime. On a more hopeful note, Poland has begun recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the EU, even after its constitutional tribunal ruled against doing so — a workaround advocates say opens a crack in the country's marriage equality wall. The episode closes with a celebration: Atlanta's Black Pride weekend, one of the largest Black LGBTQ+ gatherings in the country, kicking off its Labor Day weekend festivities.

Trans military ban goes back to the Supreme Court The administration has asked the Supreme Court to take up its transgender military service ban for a second time, after a federal appeals court ruled in June that the policy is likely unconstitutional. The ban remains in effect for now while litigation continues; trans Americans make up less than 1% of active duty personnel.

Massachusetts hospitals quietly end trans care under political pressure Despite state law protecting gender-affirming care for trans youth, several Massachusetts hospital systems have scaled back or ended that care over fear of losing federal funding. Advocacy group Project Trans Futures has documented months-long wait times and dead-end referrals, and is pushing the state attorney general to investigate.

"The war on trans people will never end" Speaking to Fox News over the weekend, the administration signaled that its opposition to trans rights — including in sports — is a permanent strategy heading into the midterms and beyond, not a temporary policy.

Two killed in targeted shooting outside Tucson gay bar A gunman opened fire outside Venture In, a longtime Tucson gay bar, killing two men before turning the gun on himself. Police found a note listing addresses of LGBTQ+-associated businesses and are investigating the attack as a hate crime. Both victims were bar regulars.

Poland recognizes same-sex marriages despite court ruling Poland's government has begun legally recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other EU countries, even after the country's constitutional tribunal ruled against it — a workaround advocates argue is valid given the tribunal's disputed legitimacy. Marriage equality within Poland itself is still not law.

Atlanta Black Pride kicks off Labor Day weekend One of the largest Black LGBTQ+ gatherings in the country begins its Labor Day weekend celebrations, building toward the free, all-ages Pure Heat Community Festival in Piedmont Park.

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's LGBTQ+ news: California lawmakers race today's deadline to get a slate of LGBTQ+ bills — including a fix for injectable PrEP coverage — to Governor Newsom's desk, former NBA player Matt Ryan inserts himself into the WNBA's manufactured trans athlete debate, Georgia Southern University pays $250,000 to settle a lawsuit from a worker fired after pushing for free chest binders for transmasculine students, Moms for Liberty and the Thomas More Society team up to target school anti-outing policies, gay Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader Jackson O'Brien's viral call to his mom, and comedian Amber Ruffin gets "en-gay-ged" to partner Kelsi Cleary-Hammarstedt in a delightfully chaotic double proposal.

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's LGBTQ+ news: far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos gets detained by ICE despite years of cheering the agency on, Houston opens its first emergency shelter built for unhoused LGBTQ+ teens, a GOP-led group refuses to correct a misleading voter guide misusing pediatricians' name to sell an anti-trans sports ban, actress Missi Pyle has an unplanned coming-out moment on a Netflix podcast, we look back at the quietly erased love story of sports legend Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and Hunter Biden gets oddly specific about his own sexuality in a new interview.

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!!!

GayBFF: the app where making LGBTQ+ friends is finally as easy as swiping — no dating pressure, just your people.

https://gaybff.app/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gaybff-make-real-friends/id6795699619

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.