Troy Masters was a cheerleader. When my name was called as the Los Angeles Press Club’s Print Journalist of the Year for 2020, Troy leapt out of his seat with a whoop and an almost jazz-hand enthusiasm, thrilled that the mainstream audience attending the Southern California Journalism Awards gala that October night in 2021 recognized the value of the LGBTQ community’s Los Angeles Blade. 

That joy has been extinguished. On Wednesday, Dec. 11, after frantic unanswered calls from his sister Tammy late Monday and Tuesday, Troy’s longtime friend and former partner Arturo Jiminez did a wellness check at Troy’s L.A. apartment and found him dead, with his beloved dog Cody quietly alive by his side. The L.A. Coroner determined Troy Masters died by suicide. No note was recovered. He was 63.

Considered smart, charming, committed to LGBTQ people and the LGBTQ press, Troy’s inexplicable suicide shook everyone, even those with whom he sometimes clashed. 

Troy’s sister and mother – to whom he was absolutely devoted – are devastated. “We are still trying to navigate our lives without our precious brother/son. I want the world to know that Troy was loved and we always tried to let him know that,” says younger sister Tammy Masters.

Tammy was 16 when she discovered Troy was gay and outed him to their mother. A “busy-body sister,” Tammy picked up the phone at their Tennessee home and heard Troy talking with his college boyfriend. She confronted him and he begged her not to tell. 

 “Of course, I ran and told Mom,” Tammy says, chuckling during the phone call. “But she – like all mothers – knew it. She knew it from an early age but loved him unconditionally; 1979 was a time [in the Deep South] when this just was not spoken of.  But that didn’t stop Mom from being in his corner.”

Mom even marched with Troy in his first Gay Pride Parade in New York City. “Mom said to him, ‘Oh, my! All these handsome men and not one of them has given me a second look! They are too busy checking each other out!” Tammy says, bursting into laughter. “Troy and my mother had that kind of understanding that she would always be there and always have his back!

“As for me,” she continues, “I have lost the brother that I used to fight for in any given situation. And I will continue to honor his cause and lifetime commitment to the rights and freedom for the LGBTQ community!”

Tammy adds: “The outpouring of love has been comforting at this difficult time and we thank all of you!”

No one yet knows why Troy took his life. We may never know. But Troy and I often shared our deeply disturbing bouts with drowning depression. Waves would inexplicitly come upon us, triggered by sadness or an image or a thought we’d let get mangled in our unresolved, inescapable past trauma. 

We survived because we shared our pain without judgment or shame. We may have argued – but in this, we trusted each other. We set everything else aside and respectfully, actively listened to the words and the pain within the words. 

Listening, Indian philosopher Krishnamurti once said, is an act of love. And we practiced listening. We sought stories that led to laughter. That was the rope ladder out of the dark rabbit hole with its bottomless pit of bullying and endless suffering. Rung by rung, we’d talk and laugh and gripe about our beloved dogs.

I shared my 12 Step mantra when I got clean and sober: I will not drink, use or kill myself one minute at a time. A suicide survivor, I sought help and I urged him to seek help, too, since I was only a loving friend – and sometimes that’s not enough. 

(If you need help, please reach out to talk with someone: call or text 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They also have services in Spanish and for the deaf.)

In 2015, Troy wrote a personal essay for Gay City News about his idyllic childhood in the 1960s with his sister in Nashville, where his stepfather was a prominent musician. The people he met “taught me a lot about having a mission in life.” 

During summers, they went to Dothan, Ala., to hang out with his stepfather’s mother, Granny Alabama. But Troy learned about “adult conversation — often filled with derogatory expletives about Blacks and Jews” and felt “my safety there was fragile.”  

It was a harsh revelation. “‘Troy is a queer,’ I overheard my stepfather say with energetic disgust to another family member,” Troy wrote. “Even at 13, I understood that my feelings for other boys were supposed to be secret. Now I knew terror. What my stepfather said humiliated me, sending an icy panic through my body that changed my demeanor and ruined my confidence. For the first time in my life, I felt depression and I became painfully shy. Alabama became a place, not of love, not of shelter, not of the magic of family, but of fear.”

At the public pool, “kids would scream, ‘faggot,’ ‘queer,’ ‘chicken,’ ‘homo,’ as they tried to dunk my head under the water. At one point, a big crowd joined in –– including kids I had known all my life –– and I was terrified they were trying to drown me.

“My depression became dangerous and I remember thinking of ways to hurt myself,” Troy wrote.  

But Troy Masters — who left home at 17 and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville — focused on creating a life that prioritized being of service to his own intersectional LGBTQ people. He also practiced compassion and last August, Troy reached out to his dying stepfather. A 45-minute Facetime farewell turned into a lovefest of forgiveness and reconciliation. 

Troy discovered his advocacy chops as an ad representative at the daring gay and lesbian activist publication Outweek from 1989 to 1991. 

“We had no idea that hiring him would change someone’s life, its trajectory and create a lifelong commitment” to the LGBTQ press, says Outweek’s co-founder and former editor-in-chief Gabriel Rotello, now a TV producer. “He was great – always a pleasure to work with. He had very little drama – and there was a lot of drama at Outweek. It was a tumultuous time and I tended to hire people because of their activism,” including Michelangelo Signorile, Masha Gessen, and Sarah Pettit.  

Rotello speculates that because Troy “knew what he was doing” in a difficult profession, he was determined to launch his own publication when Outweek folded. “I’ve always been very happy it happened that way for Troy,” Rotello says. “It was a cool thing.” 

Troy and friends launched NYQ, renamed QW, funded by record producer and ACT UP supporter Bill Chafin. QW (QueerWeek) was the first glossy gay and lesbian magazine published in New York City featuring news, culture, and events. It lasted for 18 months until Chafin died of AIDS in 1992 at age 35. 

The horrific Second Wave of AIDS was peaking in 1992 but New Yorkers had no gay news source to provide reliable information at the epicenter of the epidemic.    

“When my business partner died of AIDS and I had to close shop, I was left hopeless and severely depressed while the epidemic raged around me. I was barely functioning,” Troy told VoyageLA in 2018. “But one day, a friend in Moscow, Masha Gessen, urged me to get off my back and get busy; New York’s LGBT community was suffering an urgent health care crisis, fighting for basic legal rights and against an increase in violence. That, she said, was not nothing and I needed to get back in the game.”

It took Troy about two years to launch the bi-weekly newspaper LGNY (Lesbian and Gay New York) out of his East Village apartment. The newspaper ran from 1994 to 2002 when it was re-launched as Gay City News with Paul Schindler as co-founder and Troy’s editor-in-chief for 20 years. 

“We were always in total agreement that the work we were doing was important and that any story we delved into had to be done right,” Schindler wrote in Gay City News. 

Though the two “sometimes famously crossed swords,” Troy’s sudden death has special meaning for Schindler. “I will always remember Troy’s sweetness and gentleness. Five days before his death, he texted me birthday wishes with the tag, ‘I hope you get a meaningful spanking today.’ That devilishness stays with me.” 

Troy had “very high EI (Emotional Intelligence), Schindler says in a phone call. “He had so much insight into me. It was something he had about a lot of people – what kind of person they were; what they were really saying.”

Troy was also very mischievous. Schindler recounts a time when the two met a very important person in the newspaper business and Troy said something provocative. “I held my breath,” Schindler says. “But it worked. It was an icebreaker. He had the ability to connect quickly.”  

The journalistic standard at LGNY and Gay City News was not a question of “objectivity” but fairness. “We’re pro-gay,” Schindler says, quoting Andy Humm. “Our reporting is clear advocacy yet I think we were viewed in New York as an honest broker.” 

Schindler thinks Troy’s move to Los Angeles to jump-start his entrepreneurial spirit and reconnect with Arturo, who was already in L.A., was risky. “He was over 50,” Schindler says. “I was surprised and disappointed to lose a colleague – but he was always surprising.”

“In many ways, crossing the continent and starting a print newspaper venture in this digitally obsessed era was a high-wire, counter-intuitive decision,” Troy told VoyageLA. “But I have been relentlessly determined and absolutely confident that my decades of experience make me uniquely positioned to do this.”

Troy launched The Pride L.A. as part of the Mirror Media Group, which publishes the Santa Monica Mirror and other Westside community papers. But on June 12, 2016, the day of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., Troy said he found MAGA paraphernalia in a partner’s office. He immediately plotted his exit. On March 10, 2017, Troy and the “internationally respected” Washington Blade announced the launch of the Los Angeles Blade. 

In a March 23, 2017 commentary promising a commitment to journalistic excellence, Troy wrote: “We are living in a paradigm shifting moment in real time. You can feel it.  Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Sometimes it’s toxic. Sometimes it’s perplexing, even terrifying. On the other hand, sometimes it’s just downright exhilarating. This moment is a profound opportunity to reexamine our roots and jumpstart our passion for full equality.”

Troy tried hard to keep that commitment, including writing a personal essay to illustrate that LGBTQ people are part of the #MeToo movement. In “Ending a Long Silence,” Troy wrote about being raped at 14 or 15 by an Amtrak employee on “The Floridian” traveling from Dothan, Ala., to Nashville. 

“What I thought was innocent and flirtatious affection quickly turned sexual and into a full-fledged rape,” Troy wrote. “I panicked as he undressed me, unable to yell out and frozen by fear. I was falling into a deepening shame that was almost like a dissociation, something I found myself doing in moments of childhood stress from that moment on. Occasionally, even now.”

From the personal to the political, Troy Masters tried to inform and inspire LGBTQ people.   

Richard Zaldivar, founder and executive director of The Wall Las Memorias Project, enjoyed seeing Troy at President Biden’s Pride party at the White House.  

“Just recently he invited us to participate with the LA Blade and other partners to support the LGBTQ forum on Asylum Seekers and Immigrants. He cared about underserved community. He explored LGBTQ who were ignored and forgotten. He wanted to end HIV; help support people living with HIV but most of all, he fought for justice,” Zaldivar says. “I am saddened by his loss. His voice will never be forgotten. We will remember him as an unsung hero. May he rest in peace in the hands of God.” 

Troy often featured Bamby Salcedo, founder, president/CEO of TransLatina Coalition, and scores of other trans folks. In 2018, Bamby and Maria Roman graced the cover of the Transgender Rock the Vote edition. 

“It pains me to know that my dear, beautiful and amazing friend Troy is no longer with us … He always gave me and many people light,” Salcedo says. “I know that we are living in dark times right now and we need to understand that our ancestors and transcestors are the one who are going to walk us through these dark times… See you on the other side, my dear and beautiful sibling in the struggle, Troy Masters.”

“Troy was immensely committed to covering stories from the LGBTQ community. Following his move to Los Angeles from New York, he became dedicated to featuring news from the City of West Hollywood in the Los Angeles Blade and we worked with him for many years,” says Joshua Schare, director of Communications for the City of West Hollywood, who knew Troy for 30 years, starting in 1994 as a college intern at OUT Magazine. 

“Like so many of us at the City of West Hollywood and in the region’s LGBTQ community, I will miss him and his day-to-day impact on our community.”

“Troy Masters was a visionary, mentor, and advocate; however, the title I most associated with him was friend,” says West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson. “Troy was always a sense of light and working to bring awareness to issues and causes larger than himself. He was an advocate for so many and for me personally, not having him in the world makes it a little less bright. Rest in Power, Troy. We will continue to cause good trouble on your behalf.”

Erickson adjourned the WeHo City Council meeting on Monday in his memory. 

Masters launched the Los Angeles Blade with his partners from the Washington Blade, Lynne Brown, Kevin Naff, and Brian Pitts, in 2017. 

“Troy’s reputation in New York was well known and respected and we were so excited to start this new venture with him,” says Naff. “His passion and dedication to queer LA will be missed by so many. We will carry on the important work of the Los Angeles Blade — it’s part of his legacy and what he would want.”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein, who collaborated with Troy on many projects, says he was “a champion of many things that are near and dear to our heart,” including “being in the forefront of alerting the community to the dangers of Mpox.”  

“All of who he was creates a void that we all must try to fill,” Weinstein says. “His death by suicide reminds us that despite the many gains we have made, we’re not all right a lot of the time. The wounds that LGBT people have experienced throughout our lives are yet to be healed even as we face the political storm clouds ahead that will place even greater burdens on our psyches.”

May the memory and legacy of Troy Masters be a blessing. 

Veteran LGBTQ journalist Karen Ocamb served as the news editor and reporter for the Los Angeles Blade.

The U.S. v Skrmetti case has been on the Supreme Court’s radar since November 2023, when a writ of certiorari petition was filed on behalf of Jonathan Thomas Skrmetti and 2 other families. 

On Dec 4, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the lawsuit that states the Tennessee ban on gender-affirming healthcare for youth is unconstitutional and violates the Fourteenth Amendment. 

The question presented was whether Tennessee Senate Bill 1, which prohibits all medical treatments or courses of action intended to treat gender dysphoria or affirm gender transitions for youth, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits sex-based discrimination.

The far-reaching impacts of U.S. v Skrmetti are being felt even prior to the decision of the case. The Washington Post recently reported that following the results of the presidential election, LGBTQ+ Americans began stockpiling gender-affirming medications and making plans to move out of states that have not taken the necessary steps to provide sanctuary. This is reminiscent of reports earlier this year pointing toward a trend of women and non-male people stockpiling on abortion medication following the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022. 

Samantha and Brian Williams’ daughter, the trans teen at the center of this case, spoke about her perspective in a published case brief by the American Civil Liberties Union. 

“I don’t even want to think about having to go back to the dark place I was in before I was able to come out and access the care that my doctors have prescribed for me,” she said. “I want this law to be struck down so that I can continue to receive the care I need, in conversation with my parents and my doctors, and have the freedom to live my life and do the things I enjoy.” 

Understanding the case 

Tennessee SB 1 is codified under section 68-33-103, states that a healthcare provider should not perform or offer to perform medical procedures with the purpose of treating discomfort or distress relating to gender dysphoria, except when it is explicitly necessary to treat defects, physical injury or diseases. 

Under this code, it is also explicitly stated that “gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, gender incongruence, or any mental condition, disorder, disability or abnormality,” do not count as a “disease.” That section of the code summarized above, specifically states that the only exceptions to the ban on trans healthcare are to treat defects, injuries or diseases. Meaning that the language here intentionally points toward closing a loophole that would allow patients to get treatment if being transgender was considered a disease. 

If the Supreme Court sides with Tennessee, this could set the path for states to deny gender-affirming care to youth on the state level, affecting progress in many states like Colorado, Michigan, Maine and Rhode Island. 

In August, the Human Rights Campaign listed Tennessee along with a dozen other states, stating they are all in current litigation proceedings challenging similar bans targeting trans youth. HRC published a map to track the legislation in a total of 26 states that have current bans on gender-affirming care in the U.S.

This case also marks the first time the Supreme Court has directly considered how the Equal Protection Clause in the fourteenth amendment applies to trans, gender nonconforming and intersex youth. 

What’s to be determined

The Supreme Court will directly consider how the Equal Protection Clause would apply to gender-affirming care for youth. 

The standard of that review is to be determined, which is how the case will be addressed, based on a level of scrutiny. There are 3 levels of scrutiny that determine how a law will be evaluated: strict scrutiny, intermediate scrutiny and rational basis review.  

With strict scrutiny at the highest level, the first transgender lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court, Chase Strangio, argued that this case should be treated with skepticism, or the highest level of scrutiny, due to the law discriminating based on sex. Meaning, this law should be heavily questioned as to whether or not it violates the Constitution. 

The Tennessee Att. General argued that the law does not make a sex classification and also argued that states have the power to regulate this issue without bringing in the skepticism of the Supreme Court. 

This case will determine the precedent for future cases regarding human rights, freedoms and protections under The U.S. Constitution regarding healthcare. 

The other part of the case to be determined, would be whether Tennessee could justify the ban. 

At last Wednesday’s hearing, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Samuel Alito spoke in depth about the allegations raised by the state. They also discussed the level of effectiveness, against the levels of risk of gender affirming care. The sources that the Justices referenced have been determined by experts to be unreliable, biased, misleading and inaccurate. They argued that the state has a right to make a decision based on those sources, regardless of their credibility. 

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prologar’s oral argument on behalf of the petitioner stated that this case is about access to medications that have already been safely prescribed and safely used for decades to treat a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to, gender dysphoria. 

“But SB1 singles out and bans one particular use. In Tennessee, these medications can’t be prescribed to allow a minor to identify with or live as a gender inconsistent with the minor’s sex,” argued Solicitor General Porlogar. 

Lambda Legal’s Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project Director, Sasha Buchert commented on the case. 

“Since 2021, 26 states have banned hormone therapies for transgender youth. These are all similar cases introduced by conservative state legislatures targeting trans youth and their families pushed by conservative and far-right groups using copy-cat legislation and peddling misinformation and conspiracy theories,” she explained in a Lambda Legal FAQ. 

The California Perspective

Though it is believed that there won’t be a decision from the court until sometime in June 2025, local organizations and community leaders have begun to discuss how the future will shape up once SCOTUS makes a ruling. 

Planned Parenthood in California, issued a statement following the oral arguments case.

“The Planned Parenthood affiliates in California know this playbook all too well and no matter what lies ahead, we are ready to fight to protect the right of transgender people, including youth, to access the care they need and deserve. While some states may be emboldened by the Supreme Court’s eventual decision in this case to criminalize critical health care services once again, California will continue to be a safe haven for transgender people and their health, safety, privacy, and well-being,” said Jodi Hicks CEO and president at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.

Bamby Salcedo, president and CEO of the Trans Latin@ Coalition has built her entire career and legacy on championing transgender rights and believes that if the Supreme Court decides to uphold Tennessee’s right to enforce this law, California will also eventually see itself challenged as a safe haven for trans youth, as well as adults.  

“When we launched our policy agenda, we were going to focus the following legislative session in California, on a bill to reform Cal Aid and after the election, we had to rethink that because we know the state gets its funding from the federal government for [programs like] Medical and Medicare.”

Following last Wednesday’s hearing of oral arguments, Attorney General Rob Bonta reinforced California’s commitment toward protecting trans youth and their access to healthcare.  

“Following oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti in the Supreme Court, my office reaffirms our unwavering commitment to protecting the health and rights of transgender individuals to access medically necessary care,” said Attorney General Bonta.

 “Laws such as Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1 are dangerous and discriminatory by denying transgender youth the critical, lifesaving care they need. Amid a growing wave of legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, it is more important than ever to stand against these harmful measures. I urge the Supreme Court to protect the rights of transgender youth and ensure they are not denied the care they need to live full and authentic lives.”

In September, General Bonta led a multi-state coalition which included 20 attorney generals to challenge Florida’s law and administrative rule that severely limits access to gender-affirming care. He initially filed the amicus brief in May of last year, stressing California’s efforts and state responsibility in protecting transgender healthcare rights. In the brief, he also stressed the consequences of not receiving appropriate care.

Organizations like TransLatin@ Coalition, Bienestar Human Services and Equality California are amping up their voices and rolling up their sleeves to provide sanctuary, protections and resources to the LGBTQ+ and TGI communities.

The University of California, Los Angeles William’s Institute created an amicus brief which was submitted by Federal Policy Director Elana Redfield and Selendy Gay, a law firm based in New York, on behalf of Senior Scholar of Public Policy Jody Herman and Legal Director Christy Mallory. Herman and Mallory provided the court with appropriate and credible research to help the Justices understand the population affected by gender-affirming care bans and the impacts of the final ruling.

Regardless of what the outcome is, the decision will set a new standard for how transgender care, rights and issues will be viewed under the Constitution.

Troy Masters, publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, died unexpectedly on Wednesday Dec. 11, according to a family member. He was 63. The cause of death was not immediately released.

Masters is a well-respected and award-winning journalist and publisher with decades of experience, mostly in LGBTQ media. He founded Gay City News in New York City in 2002 and relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. In 2017, he became the founding publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, a sister publication of the Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ newspaper.

His family released a statement to the Blade on Thursday. 

“We are shocked and devastated by the loss of Troy,” the statement says. “He was a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community and leaves a tremendous legacy of fighting for social justice and equality. We ask for your prayers and for privacy as we mourn this unthinkable loss. We will announce details of a celebration of life in the near future.”

The Blade management team released the following statement on Thursday:

“All of us at the Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade are heartbroken by the loss of our colleague. Troy Masters is a pioneer who championed LGBTQ rights as well as best-in-class journalism for our community. We will miss his passion and his tireless dedication to the Los Angeles queer community.

“We would like to thank the readers, advertisers, and supporters of the Los Angeles Blade, which will continue under the leadership of our local editor Gisselle Palomera, the entire Blade family in D.C. and L.A., and eventually under a new publisher.”

Troy Masters was born April 13, 1961 and is survived by his mother Josie Kirkland and his sister Tammy Masters, along with many friends and colleagues across the country. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.

December is AIDS/HIV awareness month and this year West Hollywood is honoring the lives lost, by breaking ground on a project in West Hollywood Park that has been in the works since 2012. 

Members of Hollywood’s City Council joined representatives from the Foundation of AIDS Monument to announce the commencement of the construction of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which will memorialize 32 million lives lost. This monument, created by artist Daniel Tobin,  will represent the rich history of Los Angeles where many of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS lived out their final days in support of their community.

Tobin is a co-founder and creative director of Urban Art Projects, which creates public art programs that humanize cities by embedding creativity into local communities. 

The motto for the monument is posted on the website announcing the project. 

“The AIDS Monument:

REMEMBERS those we lost, those who survived, the protests and vigils, the caregivers.

CELEBRATES those who step up when others step away.

EDUCATES future generations through lessons learned.”

The monument will feature a plaza with a donor wall, vertical bronze ‘traces’ with narrative text, integrated lighting resembling a candlelight vigil, and a podium facing North San Vicente Blvd.

World AIDS Day, which just passed, is on December 1st since the World Health Organization declared it an international day for global health in 1988 to honor the lives lost to HIV/AIDS. 

The Foundation for the AIDS monument aims to chronicle the epidemic to be preserved for younger generations to learn the history and memorialize the voices that arose during this time. 

The HIV/AIDS epidemic particularly affected people in Hollywood during the onset of the epidemic in the 1980s. The epidemic caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the city. The city then became one of the first government entities to provide social service grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations. 

In 1985, the city sponsored one of the first awareness campaigns in the country, nationally and globally becoming a model city for the response to the epidemic. 

Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the theme for World AIDS Day, ‘Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress.’

The city of West Hollywood continues to strive to become a HIV Zero city with its current implementation of HIV Zero Initiative. The initiative embraces a vision to “Get to Zero” on many fronts: zero new infections, zero progression of HIV to AIDS, zero discrimination and zero stigma.

Along with the initiative and the new AIDS monument, the city also provides ongoing support and programming through events for World AIDS Day and the annual AIDS Memorial Walk in partnership with the Alliance for Housing and Healing. 

For more information, please visit www.weho.org/services/human-services/hiv-aids-resources.

The Trans Latin@ Coalition raised a record-breaking amount of money at their quinceañera, celebrating fifteen years of helping the Trans, Latin American communities of West Hollywood and Los Angeles. The event took place at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, starting with a VIP reception and red carpet, followed by a fashion show featuring 14 designers. The 15th anniversary successfully highlighted the intersection of cultura, fashion and activism with a mariachi and fashion lines full of vibrant Latin American colors, patterns and embroidery. 

The quinceanera’s fashion show is called GARRAS, which stands for Groundbreaking Activism Redirecting and Reforming All Systems. GARRAS is more than just a fashion show, it is also a movement to transform the Trans, Gender nonconforming and Intersex community–as well as their allies–into high-fashion icons. 

GARRAS raises funds for the Trans Latin@ Coalition and uses these events to give TGI people a platform to showcase their talents, leadership and activism. The quinceañera-themed fashion show 

Bamby Salcedo, CEO of Trans Latin@ Coalition spoke during the event to address not only the need for continued funding, but also to point out how much more unity the TGI and Latin American communities must demonstrate in light of the incoming Trump administration. 

“I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting our work, for believing in our work and for participating in the change we are all working to create,” said Salcedo to the audience. “We’re here to raise funds to continue to do the work that needs to happen, especially because of what just happened [with the election]. And you know what? [The government] is trying to scare us and diminish who we are, and I say to all those mother f*ckers ‘F*ck you!”

The fashion show and reception brought in celebrity guests, models, influencers and many other queer Los Angeles socialites. Zaya Wade, Gia Gunn from Ru Paul’s Drag Race: Season 6, Mayhem Miller from Ru Paul’s Drag Race: Season 10, Heidi N Closet from Ru Paul’s Drag Race: Season 12 and many influencers and personalities. 

The TGI designers who showcased their latest creations were: Leandrag, Enrique Montes, Semi Creations, Natalia Acosta, Royal Rubbish, ArmaniDae, Nuwa1997, Bad Burro, Life on Mars, HIM NYC, 10 eleven, Rag to Fab, Christiana Gallardo and Jesse Alvarado.

This story is published in partnership with the Queer News Network, a collaboration among 11 LGBTQ+ newsrooms to cover down ballot elections across 10 states. Read more about them here.

Across California, Donald Trump’s decisive victory was seen as a cause for concern among organizers within the LGBTQ+ community. 

Trump’s campaign and the conservatives who aligned with him ran a vehemently anti-LGBTQ+ election, often depicting trans people as dangers to society and uplifted local candidates who elevated LGBTQ+ scapegoating as a reason for poor educational outcomes or moral depravity.

In the outskirts of Southern California, for example, far-right evangelicals have taken over school boards and passed anti-trans “parental rights” policies. Despite grassroots efforts to flip these boards, many of these districts failed to oust the Trump-aligned conservatives this election.   . 

“This election result hits home because it reaffirms the uphill battle our community has been facing — where simply living authentically and with dignity is under constant threat,” said Queen Chela Demuir, president and CEO of Unique Woman’s Coalition, an organization centered on uplifting the Black trans communities. “Our community is painfully aware of the danger this administration poses.” 

Demuir continued by saying that the Trump campaign ‘has shown a willingness to erode protections, make health care even less accessible, and strip away our rights.’ 

“My heart dropped to the floor,” said Bamby Salcedo, CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. “I just wanted to get out of my place and run and scream.” 

Salcedo says she’s worried about how Trump’s administration is going to further target trans communities, which have been used as “political pawns” by conservatives. 

“That has been the rhetoric of the conservative movement — diminish, devalue and potentially erase our existence,” Salcedo said. “This election made some people see the reality of our state.”

“This is not new to us as a community and as a people,” Salcedo continued. “Conservatives have been trying to erase our existence since the invasion of the colonizers.” 

Organizers at Queer News Network said the election results have only renewed their focus on pushing back harder against LGBTQ+ scapegoating— which is almost guaranteed to increase under a Trump administration.

Yuan Wang, the executive director of Lavender Phoenix, a queer Asian and Pacific Islander grassroots organization based in San Francisco, suggested not to focus on anxiety. 

Wang said she takes comfort in knowing that eventually even Trump’s supporters will see that his rhetoric isn’t the solution to their problems.

“Dehumanizing trans people isn’t going to make people safer,” said Wang. “Demonizing migrants isn’t going to make our economy stronger.”

Though, she said, “I feel afraid for the most vulnerable members of our community.” 

Wang said this election is particularly heartbreaking for people who sit at intersecting identities such as queer immigrants, those who have been previously incarcerated, currently undocumented, or who have been impacted by the war in Gaza. Wang suggested that many of them have felt both targeted by Republicans and abandoned by the Democratic party.

Several progressive propositions also failed to pass. Though voters said yes to affirming same-sex marriage in the constitution, they also shot down more progressive propositions that aimed to fix soaring housing prices, outlawing prison-based slavery and a higher minimum wage — an issue that impact queer people, who experience higher rates of poverty and homelessness compared to their straight counterparts. 

These leaders also said that California is not immune to enacting conservative agendas, despite often being dubbed a “safe state.” 

“That perspective is dangerous because it breeds complacency,” Demuir said. “No one is completely safe as long as discriminatory policies are on the books.”

Ysabel Jurado, the Highland Park resident and tenants rights’ attorney, is now Councilmember of Council District 14 after a battle for the hot seat against incumbent Kevin De León. 

“Today, I am humbled to officially declare victory in the race for Los Angeles City Council District 14. This win is not mine—it belongs to our community,” said Jurado shortly after the win was announced. 

Jurado makes history as the first Filipino American to serve on the Council and has expanded LGBTQ+ and women’s representation too. 

In her celebratory statement after Thursday’s win, she stated that De León used Trump-like tactics and she is glad the city did not play into it. 

“Trumpism has no place in CD-14– and we proved that by resoundingly rejecting the divisive tactics deployed by our opponent–tactics adopted directly from the Trump playbook,” said Jurado. “Like Trump, our opponent thumbed his nose at the law—from his racist gerrymandering scandal that likely violated the Voting Rights Act– to the current open investigation into his campaign for money laundering.”

Jurado is the new hope for a city that has been marred by racial and phobic remarks by those previously and still in positions of power. 

Other news outlets are reporting that this marks another fallen Latino leader after the leaked L.A. City Council audio recording went viral in 2021 and led to the resignation of Los Angeles City Council president Nury Martínez. 

De León’s goal during his term was to retain and expand Latin American political power. 

With De León out, that leaves Latin Americans taking up only four out of the Council’s 15 seats, in a city that has a majority Latin American population.  The city’s biggest Mexican American communities like Boyle Heights and El Sereno will not have a Latin American leader for the first time in nearly 40 years. 

During De León’s campaign, he urged voters that if Jurado were to be elected, it would come at the expense of Latin American voices. 

Last month, Eastside voters received a text message from De León’s campaign saying: ‘Forty years of Latino political power is under threat.’

Jurado secured her victory after placing first in the March primary, with support from Latin American politicians like Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, L.A. Unified School District trustee Rocio Rivas, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who replaced incumbent Gil Cedillo after he was also caught on audio making racist and defamatory remarks. 

“These are heavy times, but Ysabel Jurado’s win is an incredible cause for hope,” said Hernandez in a congratulatory post on Instagram. “She has proven again and again that our city has not just the capacity to dream of a better future for ourselves, but that we demand it.”

De León tapped into the pathos of Eastside residents during his campaign, resorting to political tactics that attacked Jurado directly, rather than tackling the key issues at hand.

“Like Trump, he relied upon fear mongering, red-baiting, misogyny, and racial dog-whistling in an effort to divide us. But unlike Trump, his tactics failed.” 

In a landmark development for electoral accessibility, Los Angeles County has opened the doors to the nation’s first general election Vote Center located within a transgender establishment. The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center officially launched its voting facilities today, inviting the local trans community and all registered voters in Los Angeles County to participate in the democratic process.

The Vote Center at CONOTEC will operate for early voting from Nov. 2 – Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters in Los Angeles County can cast their ballot at CONOTEC, regardless of their residential address. This initiative not only creates a safe and affirming space for marginalized voters but also aims to foster broader community engagement.

During the grand opening, Los Angles County Registrar Dean Logan and West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson, celebrated this significant moment. 

Logan said, “The county and everyone in my office know that we need to make voting as accessible and welcoming as possible in every corner of the county. The CONOTEC leadership has done a great job preparing this Vote Center, and we thank them for opening their space to their community and all of the LA County residents who chose to vote here.”

Queen Victoria Ortega (at podium), president of FLUX International, addressed the need for more action.

“We are tired of everyone discussing our safety while doing nothing about it. Now, we are taking matters into our own hands,” Ortega said. “We, the trans community, have created a safe space for the most marginalized to vote, and when you do that, you create a safe place for all. We are honored and duty-bound to be the first presidential election Vote Center in America at a transgender establishment.”

Queen Chela Demuir, executive director of the Unique Women’s Coalition, emphasized the historical legacy of trans rights activists.

“In the spirit of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, we honor our transcestors and carry their legacy forward,” she said. “This voting center stands as a safe and welcoming space for our trans siblings, while also embracing all allies and residents of Los Angeles County. It’s a space where everyone’s voice matters, uplifting and empowering our community.”

Bamby Salcedo, founder and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. (Photo by Troy Masters)

Bamby Salcedo, founder and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition, expressed her support for the initiative, stating, “My sisters at CONOTEC have done a great service to our community by securing this Vote Center. We all look forward to casting our vote in our community and appreciate the support as we work towards equality for all.”

Michael Weinstein, president and CEO of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the world’s largest and most influential AIDS Service organization, pointed out that around the world voting is a perilous adventure for LGB and particularly trans people. “AIDS Healthcare Foundation is in 47 countries around the world and in so many of those countries, the right to vote does not exist,” he said. “It turns my stomach to see on TV political ads targeting the trans community.” hightlighting the need for safe voting spaces like the CONOTEC.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised CONOTEC’s efforts to empower LGBTQ+ voters. “With our vote, each of us has the chance to write the next chapter of this nation’s story. And the nation’s story is incomplete without each one of us. When we show up, equality wins,” Robinson remarked, emphasizing the importance of collective civic participation.

During a sermon delivered earlier this month, far-right evangelical church leader Jack Hibbs told his Calvary Chapel Chino Hills congregation to show up at a Chino Valley Unified School board meeting the following night. He promised it would be a ‘freak show’ full of ‘reprobates’ and ‘degenerates.

Chino Valley Unified in San Bernardino County, whose four board member majority were endorsed by Hibbs, was the first school district in California to institute a “parental notification” policy, which would have required teachers to inform parents if a student changed their pronouns or asked to use a bathroom that did not align with the sex on their birth certificate. 

Board President Sonja Shaw, a member of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills who has praised Hibbs at school board meetings, introduced the policy, and several other school districts followed suit after Chino Valley Unified.

In August 2023, the California attorney general sued the Chino Valley Unified school district, and won a temporary restraining order in September 2023 from a San Bernardino Superior Court judge. Then last month, the same judge ordered a permanent injunction on that policy, calling it discriminatory and harmful to students. Gov. Gavin Newsom then signed a bill that outlawed what critics called “forced outing” policies. 

That didn’t deter Hibbs or the Chino Valley Unified school board. At its Oct. 17 meeting, members passed another controversial policy titled ‘No Deception.’ 

It was an attempt to work around Newsom’s signature by using vague language that omitted student’s gender or sexuality.  Teachers had to be ‘at all times truthful and honest and not misrepresent, either directly or by omission’ when communicating with parents, according to the policy.

That night, Hibbs’ followers packed the school board meeting. 

Many of the speakers referenced their Christian faith and described LGBTQ+ students as ‘sinners’ and the teachers who supported them as ‘groomers,’ with one woman proclaiming ‘we’ve got demons in our schools.’

A number of students pushed back against the proposed policy, begging the school board to focus on actual issues — like their broken air-conditioning and spotty WiFi — instead of culture war politics. 

“It feels like the people who are supposed to support our education system are failing us,” one student said.

Despite pushback from students, teachers, parents and community members, the Chino Valley Board of Education voted 4-1 to pass the policy. 

Shaw did not respond to emails seeking comment on this story.

A Growing Trend in Suburbia 

What happened in Chino Valley Unified is just one example of how Christian nationalists, like Hibbs, encourage their followers to target school boards and support far-right candidates and policies across the U.S. 

Jorge Reyes Salinas, spokesperson for the civil rights organization Equality California, said  that conservatives see these local school boards as their opportunity to ‘increase leverage and representation in government because they know they can’t do that statewide.’ 

That’s especially true in California, where Democrats hold both houses in the state legislature. 

The tactics have been particularly successful in Southern California counties like San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside and Imperial — ‘purple’ regions that mostly have an even split between Democrats and Republicans, but also have pockets of deep red.

Church leaders like Hibbs are able to ‘capitalize on the fact that people don’t really pay attention to what’s going on city council and school boards,’ in these outskirt areas, said Kristi Hirst, a former Chino educator and co-founder of Our Schools USA, an organization fighting back against this evangelical agenda. 

Hibbs did not respond to emails for comment on this story. 

Other churches in the Southern California region that also try to influence school board elections include Kevin O’Connor’s  Ark Church in Redlands and 412 Church in Temecula. Tim Thompson runs both 412 and the Inland Empire Family PAC, which endorses far-right extremist candidates like Candy Olson. According to the organization Safe Redland Schools, Olson has attacked critical race theory and spread conspiracy theories about LGBTQ+ people. 

Targeting school elections  to pass anti-LGBTQ+ policies that claim to be for the protection of children has been part of the religious right’s political playbook for decades.

 The Los Angeles Times published a 1993 article titled School boards become the religious right’s new pulpit, featuring an interview with preacher Robert Simonds, who advised Christian politicians how to run for local office.

“Once you have a majority on a school board, you control the money, you control the books,” said Simonds.

In the past few years, Hirst said  these pastors initially rallied their base around opposing mask mandates and vaccinations during COVID-19. When those issues died down, the pastors pivoted to demonizing transgender youth. 

“This idea of gender ideology being a ‘problem’ is not an organic complaint,”said Hirst. “Somebody at the top decided we’re going to tell you that you should be afraid of this, and then the messaging went down.” 

How Churches Pull the Strings 

Hibbs has openly endorsed political candidates for years. 

Sometimes it’s through his own personal social media posts, like a voter guide he recently posted on Instagram to his more than 395,000 followers. Other times, it’s through organizations like Real Impact and Comeback California, a touring political rally he organizes to encourage churches to get involved in elections. 

In February, Hibbs was accused of breaking the law by endorsing from the pulpit.

Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote a letter to the IRS expressing their concern for tax exemption for these churches. The letter states: ‘Some churches, like Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, have chosen to make a mockery of their 501(c)(3) status by reaping all of the benefits of tax exemption, while knowingly violating the statute by openly endorsing political candidates running for public office.’

According to the IRS website, the law prohibits churches from “participating in, or intervening in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”

But that hasn’t stopped pastors like Hibbs from endorsing candidates during every general election. His actions have had a sizable impact on local school policies and education. 

For example, Hibbs has endorsed all four members of the Chino Valley Unified board members  who voted in favor of the ‘No Deception’ policy. He has repeatedly endorsed longtime board member James Na, telling his followers on Facebook that ‘God will hold us accountable for our vote.’

In 2010, Na successfully spearheaded a campaign to get Chino Valley to teach the Bible as a history course for seniors.

Hibbs also endorsed Andrew Cruz, who has said that same-sex marriage is wrong. In 2018, Cruz likened school boards that follow non-discrimination policies to being like Hitler’s followers.

“It wasn’t Hitler that was bad,” Cruz said. “It was the people who followed the laws and the agenda.”

In 2022, Hibbs also encouraged his followers to vote for Jonathan Monroe and current board president Shaw. Shaw has spoken on stage during the Comeback California tour and appeared on the campaign trail alongside Donald Trump.

Hibbs also supports John Cervantes, a newcomer running for the board who opposes same-sex marriage and transgender athletes playing on teams that align with their gender. 

His other endorsements include Joseph Komrosky for Temecula’s school board, even though he’d already been recalled by voters in June. 

Beyond endorsing candidates, Hibbs has even taken credit for popularizing the parental notification movement. Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli first introduced the idea in 2023, but the legislation died without a hearing. 

In an interview with far-right media, Hibbs boasted that he then brought that bill’s language to the  Chino Valley Unified school board. 

“What we did is that we read his bill and we took the verbiage from that bill and then introduced it to our unified school district school board and they voted and adopted the verbiage,” said Hibbs.

Hibbs added that their plan is to make sure this goes all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where they’re hoping that the conservative judges will make this anti-trans policy the law of the land. 

In the end, LGBTQ+ youth are the most harmed, advocates said.

Hirst and Salinas argued that parents are unknowingly organizing against trans students under the belief they are protecting children, and urged adults to question where the rhetoric is coming from. 

“It’s been happening across the country,” Salinas said. “It’s the same tactics, using fear-mongering, using the unknown, using a disguise of children being in danger as a tool.”

This story is published in partnership with the Queer News Network, a collaboration among 11 LGBTQ+ newsrooms to cover down ballot elections across 10 states. Read more about us here. 

This story was published with Q Voice News. 

Forest green faux fur, rhinestones, a fabric-lined ceiling, planted faux flowers and green plastic grass adorn the inside of an anthropomorphized car named Mollie who spends her days riding off into the sunset on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood and beyond. 

The driver of this 2008 Ford Escape, Caspian Larkins, 24 and a Cancer sign, moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and through a series of humbling restaurant jobs and other side hustles, ended up driving for Uber. Though working for Uber was not on Larkins’ bingo card for 2021, they wanted to find a way to make the experience not only fun for themself, but also for the people who roll on Mollie. 

Larkins, who identifies as nonbinary and queer, grew up being one with nature in the wilderness of Oregon and when you step inside Mollie, it feels like a little magical, mystical slice of Oregonian forest–of course if it were reimagined on four wheels and zooming through traffic in Los Angeles. 

Forest green faux fur and a pink ruffle with a layer of tiny fabric roses, line the doors. Stickers on the sunroof and windows reflect rainbow hues across the white leather seats and passengers. (Photo credit Gisselle Palomera)

Going viral overnight doesn’t happen to just anyone, but this iconic duo now have thousands of followers on social media and have big plans for the future. 

ShaVonne Boggs, a content creator who hailed an Uber ride from Larkins, posted an Instagram reel of the ride and featured Larkins in all their fairy-core glory, driving through L.A traffic, with the viral Gwen Stefani ‘Just a Girl,’ audio clip playing over. 

“I went to bed that night with a couple hundred followers on my account and I woke up the next day and I had gained like 3,000 followers,” said Larkins. 

Larkins has a unique sense of style that incorporates nature, fashion and sustainability, often foraging for materials from the side of the road to add to the car and accepting donated fabrics from people who reach out to them through social media. 

“I’m a forager. What can I say?,” said Larkins and then jokingly added that Jeff Bezos also personally delivers some of the items they use to decorate Mollie. 

“I come across stuff on the street sometimes that I’ll pick up, put in my car and repurpose.” 

Larkins says that Mollie is a little bit dinged up and bruised up from the outside, but that it’s the inside that truly matters. 

There is a third character in this story that resides on the inside of the car at all times. 

Jack Aranda is the name of the guardian angel of this fairytale ride. It is a miniature rubber ducky that was given to Larkins by a spiritual witch that opted for an Uber drive, over a broom one night. 

“It was midnight, by Venice Beach and you know it was good vibes, but yea she gets in and we’re talking and she’s like ‘I’m going to give you this duck,’ and gives me this little tiny purple good luck duck,” said Larkins. “So I kept the good luck duck and I put him on my dashboard.”

Larkins says that ever since this encounter, the luck in their car changed. 

“Red lights will always turn green for me, and sometimes someone will run a red light and miss [hitting] me and I just think it’s divine intervention because of Jack.” 

Larkins poses in front of their car Mollie on a road in West Hollywood, CA. (Photo Credit Gisselle Palomera)

Larkins says that the decorated interior and its elements serves not only as a conversation starter, but also as a filter from unwanted conversations and painfully boring small talk. 

“I think that since I’ve decorated my car, it’s like my filter,” said Larkins. “The people who get in and are like, ‘Oh my god,’ those are my people and those are the ones that I’m there for. And the ones that get in and are silent, I just let them sit there and soak in the rainbows.” 

They say that there have been more good interactions, than bad ones and more people who ‘get it,’ than those who don’t. 

Anthropomorphizing cars is nothing new to pop culture. In fact, cars have almost always had names and it is almost a part of engrained American culture to assign personalities to them based on their cosmetic characteristics. 

The earliest examples on TV go as far back as the 1940s and some of the most memorable examples are Christine, the possessed, killer Camaro from Stephen King’s imaginative mind. 

Or Herbie, the 1963 Volkswagen Racing Beetle from the early cartoon TV show Herbie, the Love Bug.

In everyday routine, people spend so much time and energy on and around inanimate objects, that they sort of become meaningful elements who accompany us on our journeys from here to there–and back. 

“What I’m doing now with her is switching out different designs with the seasons,” said Larkins. 

Larkins drives around Los Angeles and West Hollywood, picking up and dropping off people from all walks of life. (Photo Credit Gisselle Palomera)

“So right now we have our spring/summer look and a lot of the things in there are removable, velcroed and stapled.” 

They say that right now they are exploring a very niche area of automotive interior design that they feel has not been explored within vehicles recently. 

“It’s just hard for other people to conceptualize it and what I often describe to people, comes off as very tacky and just kind of nasty– not demure, not cute.” 

Larkins feel they are really just now setting the stage for what’s possible, as far as interior customizations. 

“I want to start creating this world in which design plays a bigger role in what a car could be and the experience of just being transported,” said Larkins candidly. “I want to invite people into my little delusional fantasies.” 

Larkins believes that even in the present and near future of self-driving vehicles, they would like to collaborate with these major self-driving car companies and take part in designing and customizing the vehicles so that it can be a pleasurable and fun experience for riders who might feel anxiety about self-driving technology. 

The inside of Mollie is adorned from top to bottom and from left to right. (Photo Credit Gisselle Palomera)

Modifying and customizing cars has been a part of the North American experience since the early 1930s. Now, attention is shifting toward the addition of technologies like Augmented Reality, to enhance the experience of driving and getting from point A to point B, and also using that technology to navigate the vehicle without a driver. 

There are now endless possibilities when it comes to custom car culture and Larkins feels this is their place to explore and forage for the looks that people want and can’t even imagine. 

“I want to step away from driving for the platforms and I would love to design with them,” said Larkins. “There is a group of people that are in support of this future technology and there is this other group of people that are kind of scared of it because it feels very cold and very uninviting and very new, so I would like to be the one to sort of bridge that gap for those people and make it less scary.” 

The vision that Larkins has, is that they would like to reimagine the possibilities of custom interiors with interchangeable parts and additions that one could only think of as synonymous to Barbie and her endlessly fun assortment of interchangeable outfit components. 

Larkins sees a long future ahead, where they have the opportunity to collaborate with airlines, rideshare companies and any other sponsors who are willing to make their visions come to reality. Until then, they will continue to weave up and down the asphalt arteries of WeHo and beyond, rolling on Mollie and working on their fairytale ending.