Ep. 292: LGBTQ+ Americans Fleeing the US, GWAR vs Secret Service | June 24, 2026

📋 SHOW NOTES Segment 1 — LGBTQ+ Americans Fleeing the U.S. Rainbow Railroad's annual report, Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution, released on World Refugee Day (June 20, 2026), documents 20,215 relocation requests from queer and trans people in 2025 — a 51% increase from 2024 and the highest total since the organization's founding in 2006. Simultaneously, U.S. refugee resettlement has dropped sharply, with over 99% of the 6,668 refugees accepted between October 2025 and May 2026 being white South Africans. Transgender woman Terry-Kay Walker from Jamaica was approved for U.S. resettlement before the administration's executive order left her stranded in Colombia; Rainbow Railroad ultimately helped her relocate to Canada.   Segment 2 — GWAR Investigated by Secret Service GWAR performed a mock execution of the current U.S. president at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C. in June 2026. Video went viral in conservative circles. In an interview with Rocking With Jam Man, vocalist Mike "Blöthar the Berserker" Bishop confirmed: "Let's just say that GWAR is on some lists." The band has performed similar theatrical executions of Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton, Queen Elizabeth, and Elon Musk with no government response. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has stated the performance is clearly First Amendment-protected speech. Bishop also noted that Live Nation has been "susceptible to pressure from the government" in the wake of the investigation.   Segment 3 — Morgan Armstrong $10K Settlement Morgan Armstrong, a senior at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School in Cleveland, Tennessee, was banned from graduation and threatened with diploma withholding after coming out as gay on social media in 2025. She filed suit with Nashville civil rights attorney Daniel Horwitz, who noted she had never posted anything about the school. On June 22, 2026, a court approved a settlement: the school pays Armstrong $10,000, her suspension is officially rescinded, she retains her diploma, and the school is barred from making disparaging remarks about her to any college or university.   Segment 4 — Delaware Parentage Bill SB 250 Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed SB 250 into law, updating the state's Uniform Parentage Act to close legal gaps for children born through IVF, surrogacy, and donor conception — paths to parenthood commonly used by LGBTQ+ families. Prior to the law, some children had no clear legal path to a recognized parental relationship, creating complications around custody, health insurance, inheritance, and medical decision-making. The law allows intended parents to establish parentage through voluntary acknowledgments and updates surrogacy agreement requirements. Jordan Wilson, executive director of COLAGE, said: "Delaware has set an example for states across the country."   Segment 5 — Nancy Mace's TRANS MICE Act Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) posted on X on June 18, 2026, claiming taxpayers were funding experiments to make mice transgender, and announced her TRANS MICE Act to prohibit federal funds from supporting research "aimed at altering an animal's biological sex." X's community notes immediately debunked the claim, clarifying the research in question involves transgenic mice used to study the effects of sex hormones on disease — standard biomedical science. Mace doubled down. The original "transgender mice" claim traces to the current president's March 2025 congressional address.   Segment 6 — Mary Trump Mary Trump, the current president's openly gay niece and frequent critic, publicly mocked him this week over his claim that vandals were responsible for problems with the National Mall Reflecting Pool renovation. Her one-word response: "Pathetic." She added: "How anybody can say this with a straight face is beyond my comprehension." Segment 7 — NYC Pride Week / T Lounge WABC-TV aired its annual Pride special, Pride 2026: For All of Us, on June 22, 2026, hosted by Sam Champion, Lauren Glassberg, and Kemberly Richardson. The special included a profile on T Lounge — the only bar in New York City owned and operated by trans women — described as "particularly relevant considering today's political climate and growing anti-trans rights movement." The NYC Pride March takes place June 28, 2026, with grand marshals Dominique Jackson, Peppermint, Bowen Yang, Gays Against Guns, and Bernie Wagenblast. Theme: "For All of Us."     Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedmanhttps://www.listenupgirl.com/Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.