In the early morning hours of November 8th, a 22yr old driver engaged in a high-speed chase with Tampa, Florida police, careened into a Ybor City LGBTQ bar and nightclub, killing 4 and injuring at least 13. TPD reports Silas Sampson of Dade City was racing with another vehicle around 12:40AM through Tampa, FL streets, heading towards the interstate that runs north to south through the city. One of the vehicles got on the interstate and was pursued by Florida Highway Patrol who attempted an unsuccessful stop and PIT maneuver. (A Precision Immobilization Technique, PIT, maneuver is a law enforcement tactic to stop a fleeing vehicle by using the patrol car to deliberately and intentionally tap the rear quarter panel of the suspect's vehicle. This contact causes the suspect's car to lose traction, spin out, and stop, bringing the pursuit to a halt. The maneuver requires extensive training and is considered risky due to the potential for severe injury or death). The suspect then headed towards Ybor City, and turned onto 7th Avenue, a highly populated entertainment district lined with countless bars and restaurants. TPA reported stopping chase with the vehicle at that time.

The car crashed into Bradley’s on 7th, a long-standing LGBTQ bar that had been a staple in the community, open for nearly 15yrs, hitting a crowd of party-goers in front of the bar. Three victims died at the scene, another was pronounced dead at the hospital and 10+ were injured. Two of the victims remain in critical condition.

Maybe the most notable win was Zohran Mamdani, who was convincingly elected as the next Mayor of New York City over defamed ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYC royalty from a dynasty of NYC royalty. Cuomo had been on the receiving end of sexual assault accusations but even that rarely matters amongst the white, wealthy and powerful. NYC is the nation’s deepest melting pot but also deeply segregated with very little access to wealth amongst most of its residents. Mamdani, a millennial, Muslim, Ugandan immigrant was everything Trump and a post-9/11 NYC rejected. He self describes as a Democratic Socialist, was outspoken in his support of the working class of the city, immigrants, Muslims, and Trans folks. He chased the youth vote showing up at clubs, concerts, working social media and getting out in the streets to meet the people. He made commercials in the languages (literally and figuratively) of his constituents airing ads in spanish, different Arabic languages and featuring the stories of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Instead of trying to make himself “look more American” he made his campaign sound like what America actually looks like. He appealed to the young, immigrant, Black and working class that they say don’t and won’t vote. And then they did. He appealed to the wealthy that actually are willing to give more to do more for those that have less. The Robin Hood of Queens, living in a rent-stabilized apartment while teaching at Columbia- got over 1 MILLION VOTES and over 2 million New Yorkers showed up to make sure their voices were heard which is unheard of in an off year election. The most since 1969- nearly 60 years ago. On Wednesday, congratulations, celebrations and tearful gratitude poured in all over social media from all over the country. From middle-America to the middle of Florida, Mamdani’s win was a flash of light in what have felt like very very dark days in this country.

(Orlando, FL) America has this weird and pervasive narrative that people from significantly disadvantaged backgrounds must somehow pull themselves up by the bootstraps and with drive and determination alone, fight their way into a life of economic stability and “success”. The concept of the “American Dream” is patently false and criminally misleading. The majority of people we consider the most successful came from old money or started with points of privilege or legacy that created an uneven playing field that they benefitted from. They very well may have worked hard, but it wasn’t just tenacity that got them where they are. The true way that most of us find our footing is from depending on each other and when one of us makes it through a door or to a table, we reach back and bring our people with us. In the village, in community, there is no room for gate-keeping- only collaboration and sharing what we know.

In mid-August, Equality Florida hosted the 2nd Annual Voices for Change Convening in Orlando, FL led by Angelique Godwin, their Director of Transgender Equality. The foundation of the Voices for Change Convening brought key Trans leaders from throughout the state together to impart “a deep understanding of strategies and tools necessary to overcome the persistent challenges faced by the Transgender community. These strategies and tools must be developed by the community itself…. creating a space to cultivate innovative and impactful solutions to combat the anti-Trans violence and rhetoric” both the state and the country are currently facing. The convening builds off of pillars that were established the year prior and through careful work and collaboration throughout the year: Community Education, Resource and Information Sharing, Healthcare, Funding and Housing. Angelique and her team were expanding and cultivating the village.

Orlando, FL - On June 30th, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) issued a memo to municipalities, banning street art containing social, political, or ideological messages on roads, shoulders, intersections, and sidewalks. They cited safety concerns for the aggressive stance and went on to threaten withholding state funding from cities that didn’t immediately comply. The directive targets public art like Pride crosswalks that appear throughout the state and the "Black History Matters" street mural found outside of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museumin St. Petersburg, FL.

Since, several cities including West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach and Tallahassee, have started willingly removing the art while the cities of Delray Beach, Miami Beach, Key West and St. Petersburg, FL seem poised to fight back. In a subsequent letter from the State, several of those cities were told to remove the Art by a deadline of Sept 3rd and if they did not, FDOT would come in without further communication to remove the artwork “by any appropriate method”, the expense of which would be charged back to the municipality.

In stunning news, the City of Orlando woke today to learn that the State of Florida had come in overnight on Wednesday under the cloak of darkness and removed the rainbow cross walk that stretched across Orange Ave, the street that sits directly in front of Pulse Nightclub where 49 innocent victims lost their lives in a mass shooting on June 12, 2016. The city of Orlando, it’s Mayor, several elected officials and countless community members condemned the act and began immediately filling the then blank crosswalk spaces in with color chalk.

We have written this headline or some version of it before. Trans lives are headline news in 2025. The Executive Orders, in Sports, in Schools, in Medicine and in passports. You can scarcely turn on the news or TikTok or go to the supermarket without debates raging about Trans lives. But Transmisia wasn’t born in January of 2025, nor did it ride in on a MAGA caravan, Trans folks have been being mistreated, neglected and murdered in this country for as long as they have existed- forever. As these debates and stances perched high upon moral high grounds rage on, Trans people, specially Black Trans people continue to die.

On the Blaque/OUT website the TRAII system lists, records and remembers each and every known murder of a Trans, Non-Binary or Gender Non-Conforming person since 2018. The pictures are haunting, the stories are heartbreaking and the stats are infuriating. The list continues to grow. Say the names and read the stories of the folks we’ve lost in just May, June and July of this year alone. Because if we don’t- who will?

0:05: Sam Nordquist

1:05 Trans Passport Ban Reversal

2:34 Tennessee Gender-Affirming Care SCOTUS decision

According to a proposed budget document obtained by the Washington Post, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to eliminate the national LGBTQ youth 988 crisis lifeline at the end of September.

Join Javannah Davis and Blaque/OUT Magazine as she witnessed the opening of the Ts Madison Starter House in Atlanta, GA on March 31st.

Make sure you pour into BlaqueOUTMagTV on Youtube and the next issue of Blaque/OUT Magazine in May for a tour of the house and the full interviews with some of the amazing people who worked to open the Starter House, were present to see the ribbon cut and even the Ts herself! Congratulations Madi!

For more information about the Ts Madison Starter House, visit: https://naesminc.org/ts-madison-starter-house/

Since Day 1 of the Trump Administration, the Trans community has been hit over and over again with vicious Executive Orders that challenge everything from their right to serve in the military, to ability to receive life-saving care, to questioning their very existence. While organizations and Attorney Generals from across the nation bring the legality and constitutionality of these actions to Federal Justices for intervention, the consequences of the hateful rhetoric spewing from our highest offices is parroted by the masses and puts the lives of every single Trans community member in more and more danger every day. This week alone, the murders of both Tahiry Broom and Sam Nordquist hit the news and an already hurting community.

In 2022, Blaque/OUT Magazine told you the story of 20 year old Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a missing University of Mississippi student. He was a popular LGBTQ student pursuing his Masters degree at the University. He was well-known, out and popular. On July 8, 2022, he disappeared. His social media posts stopped, his bank transactions stopped and his family hadn’t heard from him. Lee’s mother reported him missing, a search ensued but Jay Lee was never heard from again. Over the weekend we learned that Jay Lee may have finally been found.

A young, white nursing student is murdered on a trail in Athens, GA near the University of Georgia campus and there is an international media frenzy. An undocumented immigrant is arrested, tried and convicted. Months later, Santonio Coleman was murdered on a trail in Athens, GA near the University of Georgia campus and there is no press, no arrest and no justice for Santonio.