The LGBTQ+ Traveler's Guide to Vlorë, Albania's Riviera Gateway
Where the Albanian Riviera begins, Vlorë offers beaches, history, and a laid-back coastal pace. Here's an honest, researched look at what LGBTQ+ visitors should know before they go.
Spain Is Europe's Best on Paper. Valencia Is Where That Promise Gets Tested.
Spain just claimed the top spot on Europe's Rainbow Map for the first time. But in Valencia, a regional rollback of trans protections is now before the Constitutional Court — a reminder that national wins and local realities don't always match.
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WorldPride Amsterdam Opens Tomorrow — Here's the Full Two Weeks
After months of countdowns, WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 finally kicks off Saturday. From the Vondelpark opening to the Canal Parade to a human-rights conference, here's how the next fortnight unfolds.
What WorldPride in Amsterdam Means From Where We Sit in the Balkans
As Amsterdam hosts the global Pride movement this fortnight, the view from Tirana is a reminder that the distance between a canal parade and a still-banned march is measured in more than kilometers.
The House Just Refused to Write Trump's Trans Military Ban Into Law
By a 212-217 vote, the U.S. House rejected an amendment that would have codified the ban on transgender troops — with four Republicans crossing the aisle to kill it.
The Serious Heart of WorldPride: Amsterdam Unveils Its Human Rights Conference
Between the canal parties, WorldPride Amsterdam has released the program for its three-day Human Rights Conference — with activists from Venezuela, Pakistan, and beyond taking the stage.
Living in Tirana, Watching Albania's LGBTQ+ Rights Move With Its EU Bid
From our base in Tirana, here's an honest mid-2026 read on where Albania's LGBTQ+ rights actually stand — the real progress, the missing pieces, and how EU accession keeps nudging both.
News
All news →The House Just Refused to Write Trump's Trans Military Ban Into Law
By a 212-217 vote, the U.S. House rejected an amendment that would have codified the ban on transgender troops — with four Republicans crossing the aisle to kill it.
Living in Tirana, Watching Albania's LGBTQ+ Rights Move With Its EU Bid
From our base in Tirana, here's an honest mid-2026 read on where Albania's LGBTQ+ rights actually stand — the real progress, the missing pieces, and how EU accession keeps nudging both.
Serbia's LGBTQ+ Community Wants a State Apology for Those Prosecuted Before 1994
Thirty-two years after Serbia decriminalized gay sex, activists are asking the state to formally apologize to the men prosecuted under the old law — and to back the apology with concrete reforms.
Travel
All travel →The LGBTQ+ Traveler's Guide to Vlorë, Albania's Riviera Gateway
Where the Albanian Riviera begins, Vlorë offers beaches, history, and a laid-back coastal pace. Here's an honest, researched look at what LGBTQ+ visitors should know before they go.
WorldPride Amsterdam Opens Tomorrow — Here's the Full Two Weeks
After months of countdowns, WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 finally kicks off Saturday. From the Vondelpark opening to the Canal Parade to a human-rights conference, here's how the next fortnight unfolds.
The Serious Heart of WorldPride: Amsterdam Unveils Its Human Rights Conference
Between the canal parties, WorldPride Amsterdam has released the program for its three-day Human Rights Conference — with activists from Venezuela, Pakistan, and beyond taking the stage.
Culture
All culture →
The New Women's Pro Baseball League Debuts This Summer — and It's Wonderfully Queer
For the first time in 52 years, women are playing professional baseball in the US. Nearly a third of the inaugural roster is openly LGBTQ+, and that's not a footnote — it's the culture of the sport.
LGBTQ+ Characters in Hollywood Films Hit a Three-Year Low — and There Wasn't a Single Trans Character
GLAAD's newly rebranded 'Where We Are in Film' study finds queer representation in major studio releases falling for the third straight year, dropping to 20.4% of films. The trans erasure is total.
'Heartstopper Forever' Lands July 17 — and With It, the End of a Quietly Radical Love Story
Netflix wraps its gentle queer teen phenomenon with a feature-length finale this Friday, arriving days after Alice Oseman published the sixth and final graphic novel. Here's why the low-drama ending is the point.