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This week: UNGA shenanigans, Türk’s warning, Turkey’s crackdown widens, Hungary unwinds Orbán, Fiji’s HIV emergency, NYU Langone and UPMC fold, Grindr vs. MISTR at CGI
This update is provided by Fabrice Houdart, consider supporting his important work.
UN High-Level Week is in full swing in NYC, and in the corridors of the UN and CGI, anxiety over the crackdowns against LGBTQ+ activists in Turkey and Senegal is palpable (still pales in comparison to Prince Harry’s anxiety regarding AI). On Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk offered a blunt diagnosis to a room noticeably fuller than last year’s, chaired by Mexico’s openly gay Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Roberto Velasco Álvarez (see below). Türk told the LGBTI Core Group that we are facing a “comprehensive onslaught,” with 90% of LGBTIQ+ organizations worldwide having lost funding since January 2025—and Washington no longer in the room. Turkey remains the case study: more than a hundred arrests, a courthouse protest broken up, and organized-crime charges now tested against activists. In Senegal, credible sources talk about more than 400 arrests.
Global News
United Nations: Türk Warns of a “Comprehensive Onslaught”
Speaking at the UN LGBTI Core Group’s high-level event on Monday, UN rights chief Volker Türk said the persecution of LGBTIQ+ people is “escalating at an alarming rate,” with bigotry used as a political wedge to erase marginalized communities. He cited Turkey’s raids and Senegal’s harsher criminalization this year, and noted that 90% of LGBTIQ+ and intersex groups have lost funding since the US aid freeze (see here). The US withdrew from the Core Group in 2025; the Netherlands (€50 million) and the UK (£21 million through 2029) announced new money to fill part of the gap. See in the Los Angeles Blade.
Turkey: Crackdown Widens
At least 112 people were arrested between September 12 and 14 under the “My Family Is Safe” operation, and 82 remain in detention. Raids hit seven LGBT groups and two HIV organizations across five provinces, and 14 Kaos GL officials were arrested, some on obscenity charges based partly on photos of men kissing. Prosecutors are also pursuing “criminal organization” charges, and courts have blocked dozens of activist accounts and websites. When more than 100 people protested outside Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse on September 15, police detained them. See Human Rights Watch.
Hungary: Magyar Dismantles Orbán’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
On September 14, Péter Magyar’s government sent Parliament a bill stripping the 2021 “child protection” law’s restrictions on “portraying” homosexuality from Hungary’s media, advertising and education codes, in line with an April CJEU ruling. Two days earlier, Magyar had promised to end the ministerial veto that effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting. “It should not be the minister… but rather professionals” who decide, he said. The constitutional definition of family and the Pride-ban provisions remain in place, and Magyar still stops short of endorsing marriage equality. See the take from the Hungarian Conservative:
A separate question is how far Tisza allows that necessary reform—and compliance with EU law—to expand towards the maximalist LGBT agenda promoted by activists and NGOs
Fiji: Government Declares a National HIV Emergency
Fiji now estimates that one in 60 adults lives with HIV, up from one in 167 five years ago. Diagnoses reached 2,016 in 2025, and 59 babies were born with the virus. More than 42% of cases with a known route are linked to injecting drug use, a problem made worse by a shortage of sterile needles during police crackdowns. The emergency declaration brings free testing, wider PrEP access, needle-exchange programs and a five-minister cabinet taskforce, though officials say bringing the epidemic under control could take “upwards of five years.“ Details in ABC News Australia.
Australia: 100 Organizations Against “Biological Sex” Rewrite
Unions, women’s organizations, disability advocates and LGBTIQ+ groups including ACOSS, ACON and Equality Australia signed an open letter urging MPs to reject any redefinition of “sex” in the Sex Discrimination Act. The letter follows the Senate’s 32–22 defeat of Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash’s second attempt to revive her bill. “Changing the meaning of ‘sex’ in the SDA doesn’t solve a problem – it creates one,” said Equality Australia’s Anna Brown. From QNews.
France: LFI Deputy Proposes a “PACS for Friendship”
In a new book, Pour une politique de l’amitié (La Découverte), LFI deputy Clémence Guetté proposes a “social partnership” modeled on the PACS but requiring neither cohabitation nor a couple. It would include paid leave to care for a sick friend and shared material obligations. The proposal would give legal standing to chosen family, an idea queer communities have practiced for decades, and Guetté presents it as a pragmatic answer to rising isolation among young people. See in Têtu.
US News
NYU Langone and UPMC Sign DOJ Deals
On September 21, NYU Langone agreed to pay $8.5 million and UPMC $950,000 to settle Justice Department investigations, and both will stop providing puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery to patients under 18. Both hospitals settled even though their patients had already won court fights blocking DOJ subpoenas for their medical records. They join Mount Sinai, Texas Children’s, Cleveland Clinic and Connecticut Children’s on a growing list of institutions that have folded under the department’s “child gender-transition industry” probe. Details in NY1.
GOP Nominee Ejected From Forum After Misgendering Sarah McBride
Joseph Arminio, who won the Republican primary last week to face Rep. Sarah McBride in November, was removed from a September 18 candidate forum in Talleyville, Delaware, after twice calling her “gentleman” despite a final warning from the moderator. Republican Senate candidate Michael Katz publicly apologized and called on Arminio to withdraw. McBride, who ran unopposed in her own primary, is favored to win a second term. According to The Daily Caller.
The Blade Keeps the White House Press Pool Running
After Trump stripped CNN, MS Now and Politico of credentials, every TV network in the pool, Fox News included, refused Monday’s pool duty in solidarity. The Washington Blade’s Joe Reberkenny kept filing print pool reports all day, sharing duties with The Daily Caller. See in The Advocate.
Surrogacy Case Does Not Go Forward
The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a bitter surrogacy dispute after an Alaska surrogate refused to terminate a pregnancy when the fetus was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. The biological parents, who had requested an abortion under the terms of their surrogacy agreement, were ultimately granted custody after the baby was born and underwent heart surgery. With the surrogate represented by the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, the case is another warning sign that surrogacy will soon be at the center of the culture war. See in the NYTimes.
Queering the Boardroom
PRISM Steps Into Its Next Chapter
The Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors has officially become PRISM this week. The new name reflects how much the organization has grown since we launched it—not just in size, but in ambition. Its purpose remains unchanged: strengthening corporate governance by expanding access to board service for highly qualified LGBTQ+ leaders and demonstrating the value different perspectives bring to the boardroom. Take a look at the new website—and, if you’re in New York, join the annual Summit on October 26.
A Busy Week for LGBTQ+ Business Leaders
Eric Dube announced that he will step down as president and CEO of Travere Therapeutics after eight years, transitioning to an executive adviser role in December before leaving the company in February. In a remarkably personal note, Dube—twice a survivor of rare cancer—said ongoing health challenges and a desire to spend more time with family drove the decision. Elsewhere, Allyn Shaw joined the board of the Technology Association of Georgia and Colleen Taylor joined the Board at Bastion (see here).
Equalpride Ends Investors’ Unchecked Board Appointments
After Jay Katari’s resignation last week, CEO Mark Berryhill disclosed that Equalpride’s lead investor group had held the contractual right to appoint two directors without management approval, which is how Katari joined the board. The investors have now handed Berryhill authority over future board appointments. See in PinkNews.
The Gay Business
Grindr Pitches AI and Healthcare as Its Next Growth Engines
At Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia conference, CEO George Arison said 80–85% of Grindr’s code is now AI-generated. He cited 1.5 million paying users, up from about 800,000 in 2022, and said an AI-powered “EDGE” tier is due around the turn of the year. He also predicted that healthcare, including performance medication, STI prevention, and clinical care, could grow to be as large as the dating business within five years. Arison took that health pitch to the Clinton Global Initiative today (see below). Read more in Investing.com.
MISTR Is Suddenly Everywhere — Including Grindr’s Turf
If you spent any time around CGI this week, it was hard to miss MISTR. CEO Tristan Schukraft was on the mainstage, and the company capped the week with a CGI event with Chelsea Clinton announcing a new Commitment to Action around HIV prevention, treatment and sexual health. What’s interesting is how increasingly MISTR and Grindr—whose CEO George Arison was also on the CGI mainstage today with Chelsea Clinton—seem to be circling the same economic opportunities. Grindr has been expanding beyond dating into health and other services for gay men, while MISTR has grown from a telehealth platform offering PrEP and HIV care into an increasingly visible gay consumer brand. I was struck that Arison started his remarks with the surprising following statement:
I am married to a guy, with two children and everybody seems to think that’s ok
“The Right to Dance”: Queer Nightlife’s Decline
A Gay Times and Time Out report found that 82% of respondents feel their sense of community has been damaged by venue closures. Only 7% feel well represented by the queer spaces near them, 60% say government support is insufficient, and half blame gentrification. Almost all (99%) say a predominantly LGBTQ+ crowd matters when choosing where to go out, suggesting demand remains even as venues disappear. Details in Gay Times.
Semi-Cultural Desk
Troye Sivan Goes Medieval, and Very Horny, in “Party”
Directed by Gordon von Steiner in an English castle, the video for Sivan’s Madonna-sampling new single features armored knights, big swords, plenty of gay foreplay, implied rimming and a split-second glimpse of Troye’s behind, with Sir Ian McKellen narrating the opening. Sivan calls partying “quite sacred” for queer people, since nightlife is often “the first place a queer person finds themselves in a room where they’re not the minority.” The single previews his album She’s the Best, out October 9. From QNews.
Adèle Exarchopoulos Returns to Queer Cinema in Garance
Out in French theaters September 23, the film casts Exarchopoulos as an actress struggling with alcoholism who falls for a woman played by Sara Giraudeau. It is the third time she has played a woman who loves women, after La Vie d’Adèle and Les Cinq Diables. “I will always be on the side of love,” she says. See Têtu.
Heated Rivalry Season 2 Adds Six to the Cast
Crave has confirmed six new cast members for the second season of the gay hockey drama, along with a notable departure from the books. The season arrives in April 2027. See in Gay Times.
Patrick O’Connell Publishes Main, Middle & Gay
The three-Michelin-star chef behind the Inn at Little Washington, who has fed everyone from Jerry Falwell to Queen Elizabeth, traces nearly 50 years of building a gay-run culinary landmark in rural Virginia. Details in Washington Blade.
Drag Race France’s Fourth Season Faces a Community Reckoning
The French franchise, hosted by Nicky Doll, is fielding a wave of criticism from the community that made it a hit, and Têtu asks whether the show is simply being asked to carry too much. Read more in Têtu.
“AI Is Making the World Straighter”
James Ball investigates how generative AI flattens queer identity. One example: a major tech company’s chatbot was still pointing users toward ex-gay ministries as recently as April 2025, a finding first documented by GLAAD. According to Gay Times.
Coming and Going
Rob Jetten at the Stonewall Inn Last Night
After the closing session at CGI, I rushed to the Stonewall Inn where the Victory Fund was bringing together the professional and political gays last night to meet with Netherlands PM Rob Jetten who had just landed for UNGA. Congrats to Evan Low and Krishna Omkar for this very symbolic visit. See in the Blade.
Randy Scobey: When Your Life Becomes Proof of a Proposition
One of the more revealing things I read this week came from Randy Scobey, a former leader of Exodus International, in response to an essay by Michael Airhart on what he calls the “spiritual narcissism” within today’s conversion-therapy movement. Airhart’s argument is that leaders in groups promoting change from “unwanted same-sex attraction” can become trapped by their own testimonies: once their personal stories are treated as proof that the theology works, doubt, failure, or continuing attraction threaten not just the individual but the entire system. Scobey, writing from experience, says he “helped build and maintain the display case,” and describes how “once your life becomes proof of a proposition, telling the whole truth begins to feel like threatening everything.”
Marianne Duddy-Burke to Retire From DignityUSA
Duddy-Burke has been involved with the LGBTQ+ Catholic organization for more than 40 years and has served as executive director since 2007. She will step down once a successor is found. Board president Meli Barber credited her with shaping “a generation of LGBTQIA+ Catholics.” Reports Los Angeles Blade.
Sophie Lee, Black Trans Woman, Shot and Killed in Baltimore
Lee, a Baltimore School for the Arts alum active in the city’s ballroom scene, was shot in the Barclay neighborhood early on September 11. Police have made no arrests and identified no motive. Baltimore Safe Haven held a vigil, and her death is at least the 28th reported killing of a trans person in the US this year. From Metro Weekly.
Rick Stuckey Takes the Helm at NLGJA
The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists named Stuckey national board president and added new directors including Dana Piccoli and Dennis Valera. The leadership change comes as LGBTQ+ newsrooms deal with layoffs, ownership turmoil and a hostile White House. See in NLGJA.
David Mixner’s Legacy, ReMIXed
The first teaser for “reMIXNER,” a documentary short celebrating the life and legacy of LGBTQ+ activist David Mixner, is out.
The Gay Agenda
September 26: HRC National Dinner, Washington, D.C.
The black-tie fundraiser at the Washington Hilton will honor Marcia Gay Harden with the Ally for Equality Award, while André De Shields and ballroom legend Junior LaBeija receive Legendary Visibility Awards. Details at Human Rights Campaign.
September 25–27: LGBTQ+ Catholic History Pilgrimage, New York
Poor Fr. James Martin. Traditionalist Catholics followed his speaking tour this month with “reparation” rosary rallies outside Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago and at Loyola University Chicago, and conservative Catholic media is now turning its attention to his next stop. This weekend his Outreach ministry leads LGBTQ+ Catholics and allies on a pilgrimage to the AIDS Memorial Park, the Stonewall National Monument, and three Manhattan parishes with active LGBTQ+ ministries, following last year’s Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome. According to LifeSiteNews.
October 1: Who Leads the LGBTQ+ Movement Next?
On October 1, Raben is bringing together young LGBTQ+ advocates in Washington for a conversation about the next generation of movement leadership. Register here.
October 12–15: Out & Equal Workplace Summit, Seattle
The largest annual gathering on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion comes at a moment when corporate participation in equality benchmarks has sharply retreated. See Out & Equal.
October 15: Spirit Day
GLAAD’s annual anti-bullying day, when brands, landmarks and public figures go purple in support of LGBTQ+ youth. See GLAAD.
October 29-30: Koppa’s Annual Forum
On October 29–30, KOPPA — the LGBTI+ Economic Power Lab I co-founded — will host the second Global Inclusive Finance Forum at the Deutsche Bank Center in New York. This year, we are organizing the Forum around a simple but ambitious question: what would it take to build LGBTQ+ economies? Enquire here.
That’s it for this week. I am a bit late but I blame UNGA. I’ll confess UN Week exhausts me less for the diplomacy than for the logistics: motorcades, closed avenues, and endless trips up and down the West Side Highway, on my motorcycle with the certainty of parking tickets. But I keep coming back because, for a few days, the people I love and admire from every corner of our movement are in the same city, and there is no better place to take the pulse of global LGBTQ+ leadership. It’s the same room where Volker Türk named the backlash out loud and where so many of us are quietly working out what comes next. It’s good but I’ll be glad when the weekend comes. À la semaine prochaine.
