Rochester, NY, lost two queer bars in a single year. But the community isn't done gathering. New piece on what's closing, what's opening, and what it means to hold space when the world keeps trying to take it.
polishwithadelina.com/community/lg...
The AMA did not reverse its stance on gender-affirming care. The policy never changed. Alex Sheldon of GLMA told The Advocate that the reported shift was "a grave exaggeration." Full story at the link.
polishwithadelina.com/top-story/am...
Georgia said not today. Thousands of people across 60+ counties organized, showed up, and blocked every single anti-LGBTQ+ bill in the 2026 session. This is what community defense looks like. 🖤
What is the one thing that keeps you going?
For me, the answer has always been history. Specifically, a story my grandfather told me about a boy born into slavery on a Caribbean island who died a crowned ruler of Haiti. That story has shaped mine in ways I'm still uncovering.
Here’s your Queer Joy Roundup as we head into the weekend!
Lo Colby is taking the aloha spirit to Thailand; trans joy continued to be celebrated; and POLISH with Marie-Adélina’s site is now live! Come see it at polishwithadelina.com.
Until next week, stay POLISHed, loves.
xx,
Marie-Adélina
Dr. Butch Ware is built, 50, and running for governor of California. The Green Party candidate wants to take fitness back from the far right — one rep at a time. Learn more at polishwithadelina.com.
President Trump has officially fired his Attorney General — confirmed Thursday by Fox News, CNN, and others — ending her 14-month run atop the Justice Department. Deputy AG Todd Blanche steps in as acting AG while Trump eyes EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin as a permanent replacement.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court struck down conversion therapy protections on Trans Day of Visibility.
Today at noon, the community rallies at Stonewall. Because we don't just grieve — we organize.
Some things belong together. @thetranslaureate.bsky.social is coming home to POLISH.
Moving the Laureate under our umbrella means Bernadine Casseus's recognition and legacy will be held by a platform built in that same spirit: independent, trans-led, and unapologetically here.
For POLISH's first Trans Day of Visibility, I sat down with Co-Executive Director Breonna McCree of the Transgender District, the world's first legally recognized transgender district, to talk community, legacy, and what visibility really means right now.
open.substack.com/pub/polishwi...
"If no one else is going to celebrate them, we will celebrate each other."
This TDOV, we're honoring Jahnell Butler on what chosen family, ballroom legacy, and trans joy really look like.
polishwithadelina.substack.com/p/jahnell-bu...
@angelicaross is making history! The Emmy-nominated actor, advocate & tech entrepreneur is now Deputy Campaign Manager for Dr. Butch Ware's California gubernatorial campaign, potentially becoming the first highest-ranking openly Black trans woman in a major U.S. gubernatorial campaign. 👏🏾
Your weekly queer joy roundup is here!
Three stories. Three wins. Swipe through for the full roundup, and share it with someone who needs to see it today.
Until next week, stay POLISHed, loves. 🖤
xx,
Marie-Adélina
Janelle Monáe never asked permission to expand.
Pleasure without apology. Visibility without dilution. Autonomy without compromise.
Black queer women are asked to be legible before they’re allowed to be celebrated. Monáe chose celebration first.
That, too, is history.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray was a drag performer, a community activist, a relative, a friend, a shoulder to cry on.
Shyyell was murdered on March 13th in Petersburg, VA. No arrests have been made.
If you have any information, contact the Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
Fort Worth just held its first-ever Queer & Trans Liberation March this weekend. Utica held theirs too. Communities across the country showed up this weekend a week before Trans Day of Visibility (March 31) in a tense anti-trans climate.
SOURCE: Fort Worth Report; WRVO 89.9 Public Media
In a time of increasing uncertainty, joy is found in chosen kitchens. Doors are opening–fast or creaking–despite the odds. Things are being built to outlast a lifetime.
Your trans siblings are out here, becoming, and I am so happy you are here doing the damn thing despite the odds.
xx,
M-A
EJ Johnson named the desire without apology. The community responded with cruelty. Desire is not a political platform. It does not owe anyone coherence.
New piece on POLISH. Read on Substack 🔗
polishwithadelina.substack.com/p/ej-johnson
Tracey Africa Norman didn’t reappear. She was always foundational. Support Black Queer & Trans Stories—link in bio.
Everyone else was surprised by Kansas. Merrique Jenson was ready.
New interview with the Midwest trans activist on SB244, the myth of fleeing, and who actually keeps the lights on.
Read it. Share it. And if you can, support the journalism that makes it possible.
Hudson Webber worked at Chili's for less than 30 days before management decided their "lifestyle values" weren't a fit. Webber is now suing under federal and Illinois law. Trans workers deserve better than this.
Audacity is apparently on the menu.
Source: The Advocate
Amandla Stenberg has grown up in public, and refused to shrink while doing it.
Actor. Singer. Cultural voice.
Openly queer and nonbinary in an industry that prefers neat narratives and quiet politics, Stenberg speaks candidly about race, queerness, and creative autonomy.
$60K gone. 600+ donors disconnected. Black trans programming: paused.
Flipcause's bankruptcy collapse is hitting orgs like The Okra Project hardest. POLISH has the exclusive.
Donate: theokraproject.com | Full story: polishwithadelina.substack.com/p/the-brief-...
Altesse Aurum spent 12 years in the Air Force as a mechanic, combat vet, and trans woman in uniform. Then, the transgender ban ended her career. Now she's Miss Georgia and competing at Miss International Queen USA.
polishwithadelina.substack.com/p/the-us-mil...
They stream us, search us, and fantasize about us in public, only to demonize and legislate our right to exist in public. Beyoncé really told no lies when she said “they hate me, because they want me.”
Read my full POLISHed Perspective on Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/polishwi...
The Queer Joy Roundup is here!
A gay activist is putting cameras on Stonewall. North Carolina Democratic voters booted four anti-trans candidates in Tuesday’s primaries. And the @glaad.bsky.social Media Awards showed out in LA.
Until next week, stay polished, loves.
Thank you for reading, sharing, and showing up. Your readership isn’t just support — it’s proof that our stories matter.
We’re just getting started.
xx,
Marie-Adélina
Executive Editor, POLISH Media
We’re building something different. A home for Black and Brown queer and trans stories told with the depth, care, and authority they deserve. Not as an afterthought. Not for diversity optics. As the whole point.
