Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: a gay Vatican, Poland’s last LGBTQ+-free Zone, George Santos’ tears, WB-IMF meetings takeaways, dissensions in the community, Ring The Bell, and much more…
Bonjour from Detroit, where I attended an inspiring Association’s dinner last night instead of watching Trump’s 100-day address in Warren. While the administration is encountering headwinds—and many LGBTQ+ people are breathing a temporary sigh of relief—make no mistake, we will be back on the menu. Time is not on our side. Our community is vulnerable in this emerging world order, where raw power eclipses ancestral values. And in the mythology of long-termism and the so-called “new Rome” I discuss this week, LGBTQ+ people are not well-positioned—unless we act. I will attend two meetings with “sages” in the next two weeks, hoping new strategies and solutions will surface. We have powerful assets: boundless creativity, relentless resilience, and a history of turning adversity into strength.
This week: a gay Vatican, Poland’s last LGBTQ+-free Zone, George Santos’ tears, WB-IMF meetings takeaways, dissensions in the community, Ring The Bell, and much more…
Global News
Vatican: Most Cardinals Are Gay, Says Catholic Academic
Last week, we discussed how Frédéric Martel’s book exposed how heterosexuality is the exception when you climb the hierarchy in the Church. Rome is the theater for a fight between conservative and progressive gays. This week, Belgian canon law professor Rik Torfs stirred international debate by claiming that "probably the majority" of Roman Catholic cardinals are gay. Speaking on Belgian television after Pope Francis’s death, Torfs highlighted the Church’s paradox: condemning homosexuality publicly while being quietly populated by gay men at its highest levels. The comments revive attention to Francis’s complex record, oscillating between unprecedented pastoral care toward LGBTQ+ people and the use of shocking homophobic slurs behind closed doors. Read more via Apple News.
Poland: The Last of “LGBTQ+Free Zones”
In a quietly historic move, the county of Łańcut has become the last Polish local authority to repeal its anti-LGBT+ “charter of family rights,” ending a troubling era in which over 100 regions adopted discriminatory measures cloaked in conservative family rhetoric. As reported by Notes from Poland, the decision was primarily driven by financial realities—Łańcut’s only medical center risked losing €175,600 in EU funds due to the resolution. Activists behind the “Atlas of Hate” project welcomed the repeal, calling it a long-overdue step toward restoring dignity and rights for LGBTQ+ people across Poland. The rollback of these local policies underscores the impact of international pressure and persistent grassroots advocacy.
France: The Issue of Crime on Grindr
After falling victim to a violent, homophobic trap organized via Grindr, Heddy, a 26-year-old activist with SOS Homophobie, is fighting to ensure dating platforms collaborate better with justice systems. On February 7 in Nice, Heddy was brutally assaulted during what he thought was a simple date; he suffered open head wounds and trauma. Despite filing a police report, identifying the attackers has been slow, a delay he attributes to the platforms’ reluctance to share user data. “The suspects' IP address is personal data for the platforms." Heddy continues to push for better protections and a safer experience for LGBTQ+ individuals online. Read more about his fight on Franceinfo.
World Bank: Sonne Le Glas
The Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF occurred in Washington. On that occasion, Scott Bessent’s creepy message about "mission creeps" of the World Bank and the IMF sounds like an indictment of the institution’s much-needed and overdue work on LGBTQ+ poverty (see his full remarks here). Gender equality and clean energy might survive given how entrenched this work is in Development Institutions, but LGBTQ+ issues will be in danger as internal resistance will feel bolstered by this kind of comments. The irony of a man who benefited from the sacrifices of gay men pulling the plug on this work is not lost on us. And yet, it is good news for the development order that the U.S. will stay in the Bretton Woods institutions (and surrealistic, it was even a question).
US News
Trump Administration Moves to Gut LGBTQ+ Youth Crisis Lifeline
This week there were many reactions to the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate the LGBTQ+ specialized services within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a move that mental health experts warn could cost lives. Since its launch in 2022, the LGBTQ+ subnetwork has handled over 1.2 million crisis contacts. Now, under the guise of budget cuts, this crucial service may vanish by October, sparking outrage from advocates and providers who say the move weaponizes bureaucracy against already at-risk queer and trans teens. See in USAToday.
Supreme Court Hears Case That Could End Free PrEP Coverage
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in Kennedy v. Braidwood, a case with significant implications for preventive care in the U.S., including free access to PrEP for HIV prevention. The challenge, brought by Christian-affiliated businesses, claims the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force was unconstitutionally appointed. Surprisingly, most justices appeared inclined to uphold the Task Force’s authority, suggesting the HHS Secretary constitutionally oversees its members. However, if the Court rules otherwise, insurers could soon be free to stop covering preventive services like PrEP and contraception. A decision is expected in late June.
A Virginia Photo Scandal
John Reid, a conservative talk radio host and the first openly gay major-party nominee for statewide office in Virginia, is running unopposed for lieutenant governor—but his historic candidacy is now overshadowed by scandal and party infighting. Reid is resisting pressure to drop out after Republican operatives unearthed sexually explicit images allegedly tied to a Tumblr account bearing a handle similar to his private Instagram. While Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reportedly demanded Reid’s withdrawal, the candidate fired back in a video, denying the posts are his and decrying the controversy as a homophobic smear campaign. Reid, who calls himself a “Reagan conservative and a gay man of faith,” accused both far-right and progressive factions of targeting him, either for being gay or for being a gay conservative. Read more on John’s plight here.
The Dangerous Logic of Long-Termism
In Society (April 2025), philosopher Émile P. Torres discusses the rise of “long-termism,” a theory popular among Silicon Valley elites, prioritizing future generations' survival over addressing current inequalities. According to Torres, this ideology legitimizes the idea that the fate of today’s marginalized populations can be secondary — or even irrelevant — if it serves the supposed greater good of humanity’s future. That’s not good for our community. Torres warns that long-termism absolves billionaires of their moral obligations toward the poor, offering them the comforting belief that they are better people for focusing on colonizing Mars rather than reducing poverty on Earth. This dystopian logic threatens to reshape our political and social priorities under the illusion of utopian heroism.
Rome Without the Rainbows
On the same topic of delusion, David Doucet in Le Point (April 24), explains how the American MAGA right mythologizes imperial Rome to narrate America’s supposed decline and justify a political project centered on authority, purity, and tradition. The article shows how Rome’s complex history — rife with diversity, fluid identities, and political chaos — is flattened into a sterile fantasy of strength and order, conveniently ignoring the queer realities of Roman society. Read the full article here (Le Point).
Quote of the Week
I know this section does not exist, but this paragraph from David Brooks’“Everything We Once Believed,” in The Atlantic’s May issue, echoed with me, so I thought I’d share it here:
Of course, the left made it easy for them. The left really did purge conservatives from universities and other cultural power centers. The left really did valorize a “meritocratic” caste system that privileged the children of the affluent and screwed the working class. The left really did pontificate to their unenlightened moral inferiors on everything from gender to the environment. The left really did create a stifling orthodoxy that stamped out dissent. If you tell half the country that their voices don’t matter, then the voiceless are going to fight over the table.
The Gay Business
Pride 2025 and the Brands: Is it that bad?
The media loves the narrative of a corporate exodus from Pride, but the picture is more nuanced. Indeed, several major brands—Anheuser-Busch, Comcast, Diageo, Nissan, Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Target—are scaling back their Pride sponsorships in 2025, citing economic headwinds and a politically charged climate that has chilled DEI initiatives. This pullback is hitting organizations like San Francisco Pride, Seattle Pride, and Twin Cities Pride hard, with six-figure deficits prompting event cutbacks and tough decisions on accepting sponsorships. Twin Cities Pride, for instance, severed ties with Target over its weakened DEI stance, underlining a renewed insistence that Pride must remain rooted in community, not convenience. A Gravity Research survey claims that nearly 40% of Fortune 1000 companies plan to reduce Pride participation this year, a trend exacerbated by right-wing pressure and the Trump administration’s anti-DEI posture. In the Wall Street Journal comments, I shared my concerns that we will witness the real disengagement next year. Read more on CNBC and Forbes.
Meta: Anti-Trans Videos Aren't Hate Speech
In a ruling this week, Meta’s Oversight Board decided that two widely circulated videos disparaging trans women did not violate the platform’s hate-speech policies. Despite internal warnings about the cases’ sensitivity and growing criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, the Board determined that questioning a trans person’s gender identity did not constitute harassment under Meta’s revised rules. This move follows Meta’s broader shift toward "restoring free expression," often interpreted as reflecting Zuckerberg’s changing identity. Read more via the Washington Post.
What this 'Don't Call Me Queer' Article Reveals
An op-ed by the LGB Alliance Business Forum in HR Magazine rails against the term “queer” and questions the legitimacy of LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts, claiming most LGB people feel alienated. While I don’t endorse its framing, the article reflects the growing fragmentation within our community. When over 90% of survey respondents say they don’t feel represented by “LGBTQ+” ( even though I am a bit suspicious of their survey methodology), it's a wake-up call: we urgently need a shared economic and political project that can unify us.
Pride Season Reimagined
EGLCC, the European LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, is scaling up its game this Pride season. Launching Pride Season 2025 Powered by EGLCC, they connect LGBTQ+-owned businesses directly with real corporate Pride procurement needs. If you are an LGBT+ entrepreneur or a corporate sourcing manager, get in touch with EGLCC at www.eglcc.eu.
Semi-cultural desk
Gaybies
I felt seen in this SNL skit on gay parents.
Kennedy Center: WorldPride Evicted
Just months before the global LGBTQ+ community descends on Washington, D.C. for WorldPride, the Kennedy Center has decided to purge the gay from its calendar—scrapping a week of queer programming. The culprit? A MAGA-fueled makeover courtesy of Donald Trump, who, after installing himself as chair of the cultural institution in February, declared “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS” and appointed Richard Grenell, unaware of the inherent contradiction. LGBTQ+ artists, including the Gay Men’s Chorus and the International Pride Orchestra, were abruptly disinvited, but don’t worry—the glitter has merely migrated. Events are being relocated to venues like the Music Center at Strathmore and the WorldPride Welcome Center downtown. As reported by The Hill, Pride organizers are not worried.
Freud’s Complicated Legacy on Homosexuality
For Freud’s upcoming 169th birthday, Dr. Jack Drescher revisits the founder of psychoanalysis’ complex views on homosexuality. While Freud resisted classifying homosexuality as a mental illness — a progressive stance for his era — he still considered it a “developmental arrest.” His opposition to Magnus Hirschfeld’s “third sex” theory further muddied his legacy. As Drescher reminds us, Freud was neither a staunch ally nor an outright opponent of early gay rights. Read the full thoughtful analysis here: Freud’s Thinking on Homosexuality.
Coming and Going
George Santos’ Collapse: From Swagger to Sobs
George Santos, who can be credited for eroding the last remnants of parliamentary decorum, broke down sobbing as he was sentenced to 87 months in prison for identity theft and wire fraud, a sharp contrast to the defiant bravado that is his trademark. His tears and plea for forgiveness felt jarringly out of character for a man who once flaunted his lies with the shamelessness of a reality TV villain. The Republican Party remains an aberration in the West for not having a single openly elected official in Congress. Read more here.
The victory by Mr. Santos, a young Brazilian American and the first openly gay Republican to be newly elected to Congress, seemed to signal a shift in the party’s politics.
Pride Grand Marshalls
NYC Pride has announced its 2025 grand marshals, including Karine Jean-Pierre, my friend Marti Gould Cummings, and DJ Lina, spotlighting leaders in politics, nightlife, and activism. The march, themed "Rise Up: Pride in Protest," will take place on Sunday, June 29. Like every year, I plan to be marching with my children.
DC LGBTQ Center Opens
I regularly frequent the Center in NYC, so I loved reading in the Blade about the new 6,671-square-foot DC LGBTQ Center has opened its doors in the Shaw neighborhood, offering everything from mental health care and STI testing to job readiness programs and quiet space for reflection.
The Gay Agenda
May 14-23: Ring the Bell for LGBTQ+ Equality
From May 14 to 23, stock exchanges around the world will "ring the bell" for LGBTIQ+ equality, marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia with bold, visible support. Events kick off with Toronto on Tuesday, May 13 (yes, they’re early!), Wednesday, May 14 with the London Stock Exchange (opening bell) and Australia’s ASX (closing bell), followed by Paris, Amsterdam and many other Euronext exchanges on Monday, May 19 with both the opening and closing bells, and wrapping up in Frankfurt on Friday, May 23. Other events include Cambodia, Namibia and CBOE Chicago. Part of a global initiative led by the UN, SSE, UN Global Compact, and Koppa, the campaign brings together businesses, civil society, and exchanges to spotlight LGBTIQ+ inclusion—and yes, the markets are very into Pride this season.
October 9-10: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Finance Conference
I need your help in identifying sponsors for Koppa’s Global LGBTQ+ Inclusive Finance Conference, which will take place October 9-10, 2025, in NYC at Mastercard’s Tech Hub. I truly believe, the movement must find alternative ways to boost prosperity for our community but getting corporations to support our effort has proven a bit difficult in this context. Theevent will bring together financial leaders, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to advance LGBTQ+ economic inclusion globally. If you have any ideas reach out to Amar or I.
Well that’s it for this week. It’s a bit short because I am terrible at writing in airports in the early morning haze. I better get used to it though because I am pretty much on the road until Mid-june. I will be back in Paris next week and write to you from there. In the meantime, please reach out if you have any feedback or thoughts.