In today's episode of Listen Up Girl, Zach Randles-Friedman covers six stories shaping LGBTQ+ life this week. First, reporting on closed-door separation hearings for transgender service members who refuse to voluntarily leave the military, with attorneys describing the process as predetermined and dehumanizing — the latest fallout from a policy the Supreme Court has allowed to proceed even as legal challenges continue. Next, a new JAMA Pediatrics study undercuts a common argument against gender-affirming care, finding that puberty blockers cause only modest, largely reversible effects on bone density in trans minors. The episode then turns to a widely mocked comment from the administration about women's basketball and puberty blockers, followed by news that Brittney and Cherelle Griner have filed for divorce after eight years of marriage. On a more hopeful note, Xavier Becerra's California gubernatorial campaign is spotlighted for its explicit LGBTQ+ platform, including protections for trans youth and expanded PrEP access. The show closes with a "quote of the week" segment on Fox host Laura Ingraham's much-mocked comments about authoritarianism and scarcity.

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Today on Listen Up Girl: Arkansas can now criminally charge librarians over "harmful materials," a GLAD Law attorney breaks down what the Supreme Court actually said about trans athletes and Title IX, a Michigan salon gets ordered into anti-discrimination training, James Dale — who lost his own discrimination case at the Supreme Court in 2000 — forces the Pentagon to reveal its Scouting America agreement, a congressional candidate gets caught saying the quiet part out loud twice in one interview, and WorldPride Amsterdam gives us the "Kissing Couple" float we didn't know we needed.

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Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

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Today's episode covers six major LGBTQ+ stories:

A federal judge signed a permanent order blocking Michigan from enforcing its conversion therapy ban against counselors who say their treatment is talk-only, after Catholic Charities affiliates sued the state. The ruling follows the Supreme Court's March decision in Chiles v. Salazar and puts more than 20 other states with similar bans on notice.

Massachusetts Senate candidate Seth Moulton has apologized for comments he made in November 2024 about not wanting his daughters to compete against a "male or formerly male athlete." LGBTQ+ advocates asked him for an apology back then and didn't get one — he's offering it now, with a Senate campaign underway.

A neo-Nazi group, NSC-131, has formally admitted in court to violating New Hampshire's civil rights law after surrounding a cafe hosting a drag queen story hour in 2023 and shouting slurs at families. The group's leader must pay a $10,000 penalty, complete 250 hours of community service, and the group has ceased operating in the state.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a "Trans Kids Belong" t-shirt during a nationally televised game against Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who has publicly opposed trans athletes in women's sports. The Lynx won the game 108-100.

Disgraced former congressman George Santos now owes $35,000 stemming from an online gambling scandal — his lawyer says it isn't an admission of wrongdoing.

And trans singer and Stonewall veteran Christy Henderson Jenkins shares, for the first time, the full love story of her "chosen parents" — Stonewall icon Stormé DeLarverie and her longtime partner Diana, whose relationship began at a Harlem nightclub in 1943.

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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!!! 

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Today on Listen Up Girl: a new political candidate's transphobic ad campaign is getting a surprisingly cold reception from her own party, a tangled scandal involving a closeted threat between two Republican lawmakers, a heartbreaking story about a school being held accountable after a bullied teen's death, a hidden piece of trans history from a secret Catskills refuge decades before Stonewall, a viral TikTok about lesbian hosting culture that has the internet delighted, and a genuinely joyful engagement to send you off with a smile.

Content note: Today's episode discusses teen suicide and bullying. If you or someone you love is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text. The Trevor Project also offers LGBTQ youth-specific support at 1-866-488-7386.

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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!!! 

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On today's episode of Listen Up Girl, we're breaking down six stories shaping LGBTQ+ life and politics right now — starting with the fallout from Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton's disastrous meeting with LGBTQ+ advocates after she called transgender girls "boys." We cover Scouting America eliminating its inclusion spaces for gay youth, women, and scouts of color under pressure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and a new report from the Center for American Progress that's reshaping how Democrats talk about trans athletics.

We're also covering a West Virginia food bank whose freezers sit empty after its pastor refused donations tied to LGBTQ+-supportive organizations, new UK guidance restricting trans people from single-sex spaces that takes effect this week, and we close with something to celebrate: "Noah's Arc: The Movie" just earned the franchise's first-ever Emmy nomination.

Listen Up Girl is your daily LGBTQ+ news podcast — keeping you informed, engaged, and connected to the stories that matter most to our community.

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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!!! 

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with a restroom encounter, South Dakota moves to become the 11th state blocking trans ID updates, a UCLA study confirms trans Californians are searched and arrested at far higher rates, UK right-wingers manufacture outrage over an LGBTQ+ parent breastfeeding support group, Russian LGBTQ+ journalists describe being forced into exile with 24 hours' notice, and an anti-LGBTQ+ Ohio congressman faces disturbing new abuse allegations.

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Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

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Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/

Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!! 

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Today on Listen Up Girl: An anti-trans activist in Australia loses her appeal and owes $95,000 in damages after lying about a trans athlete injuring cis women. Conservatives melt down over a University of Minnesota paper doll designed to teach kids about gender. We fact-check the "Six-Gender Jimmy" attacks on Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Reporter Kaitlan Collins claps back at the orange convicted felon in five words. A former PepsiCo employee sues, alleging two years of anti-gay harassment the company failed to stop. The right melts down over a "trans" Care Bear. And we close with The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, back with more queer joy.

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Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

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Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/

Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!! 

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Today on Listen Up Girl: House Democrats — joined by four Republicans — defeat Lauren Boebert's attempt to write the trans military ban into law. Pete Buttigieg and his family are put through a 24-hour nightmare over a child abuse claim that didn't hold up. Nancy Mace brings drag queen photos to a House hearing as political theater. A hate crime shooter gets seven years. The federal government threatens a school district for supporting a trans-inclusive family. Pennsylvania ends a discriminatory HIV criminalization law. And we close with something fun: Six Flags Magic Mountain's Pride night.

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Show Notes:

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!!! 

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Listen Up Girl — Tuesday, July 28, 2026

A dinosaur book gets called "sexual grooming." A federal judge asks the Pentagon a question it really doesn't want to answer on the record. New research from overseas guts one of the right's favorite talking points. And a trans icon turns an insult from the White House into one of the most powerful things she's ever said.

In this episode:

🦕 A Missouri library gets threatened over a rainbow dinosaur book

⚖️ A judge questions Pete Hegseth's testosterone double standard

🔬 New Dutch medical review says gender-affirming care for trans youth is "morally urgent"

💍 A failed gubernatorial candidate launches a tour against your marriage

🎙️ A bodycam recorded five hours the police never meant to share

📚 An Ohio teacher built the resource nobody else would

💬 Dylan Mulvaney's response to the White House

🔗 Follow the show: @TheRealZachRE

New episodes daily. Subscribe, rate, and share if this show keeps you informed.

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 for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode: a vehicle attack tore through Berlin's Pride celebration, killing one person and injuring dozens, with German authorities calling it a suspected terror attack. Plus — a Seattle congressional candidate gets caught hiding her LGBTQ+ support on the record, Americans overwhelmingly reject the FCC's push for LGBTQ+ TV warning labels, France confirms a former anti-marriage-equality politician as its new rights watchdog, a Phoenix leather bar beats back a billionaire neighbor's objections, D.C. finally holds its postponed LGBTQ+ Legacy Awards, and Cynthia Nixon signs on to officiate the world's biggest lesbian wedding ceremony.

Chapters:

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Follow: @TheRealZachRE

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 for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.