Happy birthday Chuck Renslow, LGBTQ+ community now 12% of population, Texas anti-drag law struck down.
Daily Inspiration: Let my intentions be honest, respectful, humble, and loving.
- Let me see how my own life lessons can bring balance.
- Allow me to overcome temptation to be negative, disrespectful, or arrogant.
- Let me see today with a sacred eye.
- Let me see beauty in all things.
Check In:
- Disaster in Nepal and loved ones struggling with health underscoring delicacy of life.
- Pent up anger out there in the world, our community. Let that shit go.
- Weight struggles, working to adjust diet and habits.
News: Passing of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry
- Dolly Parton passes away, leaving a legacy of joy and kindness.
- Tim Curry passes away, an icon to many in the community for his work.
Social: LGBTQ+ Adults Now 12% of Population
- Based on the latest U.S. Census data, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation recently release updated population estimates showing that a record-high 12% of U.S. adults – roughly 25.6 million people – identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender diverse.
- Electoral battleground states such as Arizona (13.34%), Georgia (11.46%) Michigan (10.95%), New Hampshire (11.88%), North Carolina (10.56%), Ohio (11.29%), Pennsylvania (11.14%), and Texas (12.54%)
- There are 40 states with an LGBTQ+ population of greater than 10%
- Bisexual+ people are the largest group at over 7% of all U.S. adults.
- More than half of all LGBTQ+ adults (53.8%) are between 18 and 34 – a signal of sustained, long-term growth in political and economic power as this generation ages into peak spending and voting years.
- The analysis is drawn from more than 2.4 million responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey collected between 2021 and 2024.
- The Household Pulse Survey is one of the last major federal data sources to include a gender identity measure before the current administration removed sexual orientation and gender identity questions.
- Since then the current administration has stripped sexual orientation and gender identity questions from hundreds of data sets to erase the LGBTQ+ community from the statistics that shape public policy, community resource development, corporate strategy, and campaign outreach.
- These findings show that LGBTQ+ people are a substantial and growing segment of the population and we now have critical mass in almost every state in the nation. We’re not a niche constituency, and no campaign, brand, or employer can afford to treat us like one.
- Full Information: https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/record-breaking-lgbtq-adults-now-12-of-population-greater-than-10-in-40-of-50-states
News: Federal Court strikes down Texas Anti-Drag Law
A federal judge in Texas struck down a 2023 state law Tuesday that sought to restrict drag shows, ruling it was unconstitutional while citing #DollyParton.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner said the measure, known as Texas Senate Bill 12, improperly restricted speech, violating the First Amendment of the Constitution. The ruling prevents state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate, from enforcing the law and denies his motion for a new trial.
Hittner also had advice for “those who find such activities as described in this case offensive,” saying “The solution is relatively simple…just don’t go.”
Leather Event News: Mid-Atlantic Leather announces they are moving to new hotel in 2028
- MAL 2027 will be the last event at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill – January 15-18, 2027
- MAL 2028 will be at the Washington Hilton
- Info: https://www.leatherweekend.org/
Catch Of The Week: Happy Birthday Chuck Renslow
- August 26, 1929 – June 29, 2017
- Known for pioneering homoerotic male photography and establishing many landmarks and landmark staples of our modern day gay and leather culture.
- Co-founding the Gold Coast bar and Man’s Country bathhouses
- Founded original Chicago Eagle bar
- Published magazines Triumph, Rawhide, and Mars.
- Force behind what became International Mr. Leather.
- Co-founding with Tony DeBlase of the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago.
- The museum was founded in response to the AIDS crisis, during which the leather and fetish communities’ history and belongings were frequently lost or intentionally suppressed and discarded. The museum continues to accept and preserve this today.
- Website: https://leatherarchives.org/
Smoker of fine tires, eater of natural foods, connoisseur of aromatic leathers, pusher of limits.