Signs of life

Three out of five known LGBTQ candidates running for election as delegates from D.C. to the Democratic National Convention won their races at an April 20 Democratic Party caucus election held at D.C.’s Walter Washington Convention Center.

Queer Music News is a smattering of what’s going on in music by LGBTQ artists and the artists we love.

Donald Trump is winning over a significant portion of voters in the LGBTQ+ community, a report from Data for Progress has discovered this month.The progressive polling firm analyzed the responses of nearly 900 LGBTQ+ adults and found 22 percent had a favorable view of the former president.While more supported President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, the respondents were split on whether the Biden administration is doing better or worse than they expected.Just under half (45 percent) said Biden has done better, while 47 percent said he is doing worse than anticipated. And 70 percent of LGBTQ+ adults who identify as Democrats want the party to do more to protect transgender and queer Americans from anti-LGBTQ+ laws.Still, 57 percent of those surveyed indicated they had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, and 51 percent said the same about Biden.But if Trump can bring in the support of even a quarter of the group that traditionally has gone to the Democratic candidate, there could be implications for election results.The higher support for Trump might come down to the policy issues LGBTQ+ Americans are prioritizing this election cycle.

A bill is being discussed in the Iraqi parliament that would introduce the death penalty or life in prison for same-sex relations, Reuters reported this week. Western diplomats have warned Iraqi lawmakers that if passed the law could have serious consequences for Iraq’s political and economic ties. According

is “the L-word” anyway? Is it love? Or Lesbians? Maybe… Lasagna?For today, at least, the L-word of the day is Leo Sheng.Best known as the lovable Micah Lee on The L Word: Generation Q, Sheng is a self-proclaimed “community builder-turned-actor” who approaches all of his work with an activist’s spirit and always keeps us inspired.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Born in Hunan, China, Sheng was adopted and raised in southeastern Michigan by two social worker moms, and even went to college to follow in their footsteps before destiny called: he was cast in his first professional acting role, the indie drama Adam.Since then, he has continued his career in the arts—which has included a role in The Matrix Resurrections and a part in the excellent trans media representation doc Disclosure—while sticking close to his roots as a community builder, especially as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.Sheng is also proof positive for why representation is so important: As he’s previously shared, it was the transmaculine character Max on the original L Word that empowered him to come out as trans—a moment that would came full circle when he was cast on Showtime’s Generation Q sequel series over a decade later.A year removed from Generation Q‘s emotional series finale, we reached out to Sheng and invited him to be the latest guest of our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It.