Happy Transgender Awareness Week! (The Balance Sheet: November 16, 2023)

Democrat Danica Roem beat Republican Bill Woolf, a former detective who resigned in 2017 in the middle of an internal affairs investigation, per the Washington Post. Woolf's campaign also focused on banning transgender athletes from competing in sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Roem's victory is crucial to securing Democratic influence within a majority-Republican Senate, especially during a time when anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is on the rise.

Virginia is the only state in the South that has passed nondiscrimination laws for LGBTQ+ people, according to The 19th. Virginia is the only low-risk haven in the South with relatively affordable cost of living. Roem's victory will secure Virginia's position as a safe haven, at least for the duration of her two-year term.

Read the full story at Queerency

On November 9, JKN Global Group, the Thai multinational conglomerate that owns the Miss Universe Organization, filed for bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy might be seen as a sign of failure, but Jakrajutatip succeeded in creating a safe space for transgender representation in Miss Universe.

Ángela Ponce from Madrid, Spain became the first transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe in 2018.

This year's pageant, which will take place in El Salvador on November 18, will have two transgender contestants: Miss Portugal, Marina Machete and Miss Netherlands, Rikkie Kollé.

Read more at Queerency

Next week, our wallets and willpower are tested by the hyperconsumerism of Black Friday weekend.

While many shoppers might focus on scouring the internet to find the best deals, especially from big box stores like Target or Amazon, some will opt for a values-based approach, where a company’s ethics and values influence purchasing decisions more than the price of its products.

We talked to Ada Vargas, aka the Queer Money Coach, about how a values-based approach can help you stick to your financial goals.

Read the full story at Queerency

56-year-old Wynne Nowland, CEO of insurance company Bradley & Parker, came out as transgender via email after being promoted into the position.

Read the full article at LGBTQ Nation.

Coming Out Happy Camp is a three day wellness + networking retreat empowering LGBTQ+ professionals to form deep connections and to thrive together.

The Coming Out Happy team has graciously offered a $100 discount to the Queerency community! All you have to do to receive the discount is type "Queerency" in the “How did you hear about us?” section.

Plus, Coming Out Happy Camp is offering a scholarship for BIPOC queer folks!

Learn more about the retreat and the scholarship at this link

A viral video of fashion model Erica L. Carrington walking the “runway” at a funeral has garnered millions of views over the past 48 hours. But the backstory behind the funerary sashay is touching.

Despite raised eyebrows from some on social media, there’s a touching backstory to Carrington’s funerary sashay: she was honoring her friend, Newark, NJ fashion designer and community leader Vernest C. Moore.

Vernest C. Moore was a fashion designer and producer of Newark Fashion Forward Tour, a city-wide fashion event featuring residents from across the five wards of Newark, NJ.

Read the full story by Queerency.

There's a shortage of funding for LGBTQ nonprofit organizations.

A report by the IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy shows that LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations received less than 1% of all charitable donations nationwide, roughly $560 million, in 2019.

Within this already small percentage, less than 1% of total LGBTQ+ funding was allocated to business and professional networks. The lack of support for queer business and professional development is concerning, considering the additional economic challenges individuals in these communities experience.

Read the full story at Queerency.

In April, Walt Disney filed a lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis for introducing a law in Florida to ban gender and sexuality studies from public schools.

In a report by the Associated Press, Disney wields an alleged $40 billion economic impact on the state of Florida. Disney accounted for 263,000 jobs in Florida besides the number of employees in Walt Disney World, which is 3 times that amount.

Governor Ron DeSantis is known for introducing extreme gender-affirming healthcare bans for adults and minors (SB 254), an anti-trans bathroom bill (HB 1251), and many more anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the state of Florida.

Read more at The Associated Press

The Trevor Project, the largest LGBTQ youth suicide prevention nonprofit in the US, announced its departure from X, formerly known as Twitter, because of "increasing hate & vitriol on the platform targeting the LGBTQ community."

In a statement released on November 9, The Trevor Project encouraged community members to follow them on other social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and their own social networking site TrevorSpace.org.

Read the full story at Queerency

In June, the City of Murfreesboro, TN passed an ordinance banning “indecent behavior,” and the law specifically mentions a section of the city code that defines homosexuality as “indecency.” Murfreesboro––the 6th largest city in Tennessee with a population of over 150K people––has weaponized the law to ban LGBTQ-themed books from the public library and to attempt to prevent a local Pride Festival from taking place.

Watch our overview of the ordinance on the Queerency Instagram page.

Read more about the law at Erin in the Morning and The New Republic

Join thousands of businesses and supporters in a 7-day celebration of queer-owned small businesses! From November 27-December 3, we'll be hosting virtual events to help queer-owned small businesses thrive, build, and learn from each other.

Add your business to the #BuyProud Business Database and stay tuned as we reveal the event and speaker lineup for LGBTQ+ Business Week.

Visit www.lgbtqbusinessweek.com and follow us at @lgbtqbusinessweek

Point of Pride will grant awards to transgender and nonbinary people seeking funding for gender-affirming surgery. Submit your application by November 30 and attend their last info session on Sunday, November 12.

More details are available at pointofpride.org.

Hosted by Rocio Sanchez, Transition of Style is a new podcast that offers direct insights from LGBTQ+ models, designers, business owners, and style icons who are making waves in the fashion industry now.


Celebrate Season 1 at a Launch Party on Wednesday, December 6 from 6-8 pm at Henrietta Hudson, NYC

Learn more and RSVP here