Hints & Allegations
Wednesday, July 15 — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday at 71 from a ruptured aorta. Graham spent his entire political career introducing or voting in favor of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation while widely rumored to be gay himself. Trans author Jesse James Rose claimed in a viral social media post on Sunday that Graham hired her for sex work – and she isn’t the first to make those allegations.
More headlines:
🕯️ Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ advocates are mourning the loss of Larry Pellegrini, who made history as one of the first openly gay lobbyists at the Georgia State Capitol.
🚌 A conservative group filed a federal civil rights complaint against City Schools of Decatur, claiming the district violated Title IX and Title VI through its equity policies, including allowing trans students to participate in sports and use bathrooms based on their gender identity.
⚕️ The Trump administration walked back its aggressive attempt to end gender-affirming care for youth by withholding Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals offering the services.
🛳️ A gay-themed cruise ship from Virgin Voyages was blocked from entering ports in Turkey and Egypt due to “moral values.”
🎞️ The Advocate spoke with lesbian activist Abby Drue about the night she was detained at the infamous 1969 police raid of an Atlanta screening of Andy Warhol’s “Lonesome Cowboys” – an incident that became another flashpoint in the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
💜 Happy Nonbinary Awareness Week!
Here’s to the glass half-full…
Collin
P.S. Georgia Voice is getting ready for Atlanta Pride with a special edition in October and the release of our 2026-27 edition of the Destination Gay Atlanta Guide. If you’re interested in advertising, send us an email.
Trans Joy partners with Infinite Realities for new monthly event
🏳️⚧️ Trans Joy, a grassroots organization providing free intergenerational spaces for trans, gender-expansive, and allied people, is partnering with Infinite Realities in Tucker for new monthly drop-in hours.
The organization’s drop-in at Infinite Realities is one of the two monthly events it hosts, along with a Happy Hour at Felix’s. Trans Joy launched the drop-in hours in February, partnering with the Afghan American Alliance at the Clarkston Community Center, but had to pivot after the organization lost funding and had to downsize.
Adam Kaylor (pictured), the co-founder of Trans Joy, approached Infinite Realities owner Chris Brennaman about moving the drop-in hours to the comic book store. The first of the new drop-in events was hosted on July 2 and was a “huge success,” Kaylor said, with around 25 attendees.
➡ Read Katie Burkholder’s full story here.
Dinosaur Summer. It’s here.
SPONSORED BY THE FERNBANK MUSEUM
🦖 The world’s most famous predator is back—and science is rewriting its story.
At Fernbank’s T. rex: The Ultimate Predator, discover how new research is changing what we know about the “tyrant lizard king,” from feathered ancestors to lightning-fast growth spurts. Explore life-sized models, hands-on interactives, and come face-to-jaws with a full-scale adult T. rex during Dinosaur Summer, now through Sept. 7.
➞ See the king of dinosaurs up close at Fernbank this summer.
New trans-centered home repair nonprofit launches in Atlanta
⚒️ Atlanta has a new trans-centered home repair nonprofit organization called T4T Repairs (Trans for the Trades) that focuses entirely on construction.
T4T offers carpentry, construction, repairs, maintenance, design, renovation, and painting. Co-founders Nicky and Sam (pictured) have a collective two decades of construction experience.
“We wanted to create T4T to center skill, accountability, community, and respect for both the workers and the clients and have a safe and encouraging space for trans people and gender non-conforming people to work and feel more honored than tolerated, let alone hated.”
➡ Find out more about T4T here.
Out on Film announces 2026 theme, first selections
📽️ Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ film festival, has announced the theme for its 2026 event as well as the first two films – “Test” and “Dreamers” – that will be screening.
The theme of the 39th annual festival, which runs Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, is “The World We’re Making.”
Directed by Sam McConnell, “Test” stars Brock Yurich as an amateur bodybuilder in rural Ohio grappling with his dysfunctional family and his own emerging sexuality. “Dreamers’ comes from writer/director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor and follows a Nigerian immigrant in the U.K. who is detained and placed in an asylum removal center.
➡ Get more festival details here.
World Cup Best Bets
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is rapidly drawing to a close, with the last semifinal match in Atlanta today, July 15, as England faces Argentina at 3 p.m., and the final on Sunday, July 19, in New Jersey. Here are some places to watch:
⚽ Woofs Sports Bar in Atlanta is hosting watch parties today and for the final, but be sure to arrive early to grab a table.
🎉 Pride House is hosting an activation at the Decatur WatchFest on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Decatur Square.
🌈 Pride House and All Stripes are hosting a watch party for the final on Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. at Lore Atlanta.
⚽ FIFA World Cup Finals Watch Party featuring Ludacris; Sun., July 19 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m at Piedmont Park. (Free, but RSVP required).
🏟️ Check out Rough Draft’s guide to watch parties and events happening around the city at this link.
➡ Find many more events and activities in our IG stories @thegeorgiavoice.
