OUT in Wichita

Second Trump Administration Will Put Trans Youth At Further Risk President-elect Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 23, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key) When Andrew Joseph White, a 26-year-old transgender author, released his third novel, “Compound Fractures,” a young adult thriller, last fall, it became an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller. This book is a story about an autistic trans* boy who was dragged into a...

Kansas GOP Leaders Unite to Smother Statehouse News. Here’s What William Allen White Would Think. Legendary Emporia Gazette editor William Allen White stands watch in the Kansas Statehouse through this one-ton limestone statue. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) Of the four white limestone statues of notable Kansans that stand in the Statehouse rotunda, half are journalists. One is Topeka publisher and politician Arthur Capper. The other is legendary Emporia newspaperman William Allen White....

Amid Fear, Trans Students and Families Plan for Trump's Second Term Written by: Wellington Soares for Chalkbeat January 10, 2025 Photo: Tamir Kalifa // Getty Image On the Saturday after the election, Cheryl Suydam headed to an impromptu meeting for parents of trans kids. The gathering was called by the local chapter of PFLAG, an advocacy group that supports LGBTQ+ people and their families, to discuss their feelings after American voters elected a president who ran on an openly anti-trans...

A Mother's Love, A Son's Journey: The Birth of Stand with Trans Roz and Hunter Keith. Photo: Andrew Potter In 2013, being a transgender teenager often meant navigating a world of isolation, fear and closed doors. According to the Williams Institute, an estimated 300,000 youth ages 13-17 identify as transgender in the United States, yet a decade ago, medical care was scarce, support groups were rare and many families struggled alone in the darkness. When Hunter Keith came out as transgender at...

Preparing for Trump The LGBTQ community is bracing itself for the next four years DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff [email protected] Leslie McMurray is preparing for the incoming Trump administration with trepidation. In addition to new laws targeting the LGBTQ community introduced in legislatures across the country, she expects to see discriminatory legislation come out of Congress. And, economically, McMurray said she expects the stock market to do poorly under Trump. So she has sold...

Resolve to Resist 10 ways to fight Trump’s attacks in the New Year By SEBASTIAN FORTINO, The Washington Blade As LGBTQ Americans prepare for the arrival of the Trump administration and its promised attacks on our community, consider making some New Year’s resolutions to assist in resisting. Here are 10 ways to fight back in 2025. #10 Join your local equality group. Each state has its own equality group. Some are more robust than others. Some need more help than others. For example, if you...

Biden's Final Actions as President Leave Some Trans People Feeling Unsupported President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on Thursday. Chris Kleponis / AFP - Getty Images. President Joe Biden began his term in the White House with a broad promise to protect transgender Americans against Republican policies that painted them as a threat to children and sought to push them out of public life. “Your president has your back,” Biden assured trans people in his first State of the Union address...

Finding LGBTQ+ Joy in Challenging Times, 5 reasons to cheer. By DANA PICCOLI Dana Piccoli is an award winning writer, critic and the managing director of News is Out, a queer media collaborative. Dana was named one of The Advocate Magazine’s 2019 Champions of Pride. She was also one of Curve Magazine’s 2017 Pridelist for her work in LGBTQ media. Dana is an inaugural recipient of the Curve Award for Excellence in Lesbian Coverage. Photo credit Max Kegfire / Shutterstock It’s important not to...

A Haven for Wichita's Furry Companions Lifeline Animal Placement and Protection (LAPP) stands as a beacon of compassion for animals in Wichita, Kansas. With its steadfast no-kill policy and unwavering dedication to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals, LAPP offers a second chance at life for pets who might otherwise face a grim future. Its story and mission make for a compelling and heartwarming feature that deserves recognition. Founded with the mission of giving unwanted and...