In comic media, queer gender identity has always been a topic of controversy. The Comics Code Authority (CCA), a code created by the Comics Magazine Association of America, was strictly voluntary and allowed comic publishers to regulate the content being produced by their companies. However, most mainstream companies including Marvel Comics and DC Comics adhered to the code and its strict criteria. From its adoption in 1954 to 1989, when comic creators began finding ways around the code, the CCA’s criteria included the censorship of LGBTQ themes in comic books. It wouldn’t be until 2011 that the code was completely abandoned.

Even with the abandonment of the code and queer themes becoming more normalized in modern comic book media, there is still a lack of acceptance. Transgender characters, especially if comic fans feel their identity strays from the source material, are facing the brunt of the disapproval.

Elliot Page is an actor known for films like Juno, Hard Candy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and most recently, the Netflix television series The Umbrella Academy. Page, who came out as transgender in 2020, had been portraying strictly straight female characters for the entirety of his career up until The Umbrella Academy reached its third season. The show follows a group of seven superpowered siblings raised by billionaire Reginald Hargreeves and prepared to save the world from the day they’re born under mysterious circumstances in 1989 as they work to solve the mystery of his death in 2019.

In the second episode of the season, Viktor Hargreeves, formerly known as Vanya, came out as transgender to his brothers in a brief moment that is never brought up again. Despite the show not having a large focus on Viktor’s gender identity, some fans struggled to accept the decision to have the character transition midway through the series when they were so used to Vanya, a character who did not have her own transition in the comics. 

“It sort of tracks my own transition,” Page said at a panel showcasing his work in X-Men: Days of Future Past during New York Comic Con (NYCC)  2025. “The fact that Steve Blackman was so open to making that a part of Viktor’s story, I was just really grateful for the whole thing.” 

The character’s transition was not Page’s idea for the series moving forward. He would have continued to portray Vanya Hargreeves, but Blackman, as creator and showrunner, made the decision entirely to incorporate Page’s own life despite some fans’ accusations that he was pushing his transition onto the character. However, for Page, having a character he can now relate to makes his journey as an actor that much better for him.

“Being more comfortable in yourself makes these sorts of projects more enjoyable just waking up every day and going to work,” Page said.

Voice actor JP Karliak is another victim of criticism for his work in the comic media industry. Since the release of X-Men ‘97, created by Beau DeMayo in 2024, Karliak has taken over the mantle as X-Men character Morph from the character’s previous voice actor, Ron Rubin. His debut as the character also came with a change in Morph’s gender identity. Previously identifying as male in the original 1990s series, the character now identifies as nonbinary. 

The change was even less welcome than Viktor Hargreeves with fans of the original series outraged and even posting videos discussing Marvel’s “stupid decision” and describing it as “nonbinary Morph propaganda”. One content creator, Vara Dark describes the new series, X-Men ‘97 as a “social justice nightmare”.

“DeMayo specifically changed the pronouns for Morph to they/them in his presentation and expressed that Morph is taking on a new persona for their changing look and of course this is ridiculous for so many reasons,” Dark said. “This is a legitimate change that is going to infuriate so many people.”

Criticisms aside, Karliak, who was also present at NYCC at the Unknown Comics table for the series’ voice actors, showed no worry about how people would take his portrayal of the character. 

“I’m a believer that all press is good press and you know, these people that are screaming about Morph’s gender identity are not really X-men fans because if they were, they would understand that X-men has always been about uplifting the underrepresented and oppressed and has been a metaphor for so many civil rights movements,” he said. 

Karliak is the founder of Queer Vox, an organization that provides opportunities, training, and support for LGBTQ voice actors. For him, the controversy and politics only give him and LGBTQ voices a larger platform.

Both Karliak and Page don’t let controversy stop them from their work. If anything, they use it to grow stronger as actors. 

 “If anything, I feel like knowing the negativity that’s coming at Morph is a reminder that there is so much negativity that is coming at individual people in this world and in anything my performance of Morph is for them,” Karliak said. “It’s for the people who are receiving this negativity and hatred and are feeling like outcasts in their town or in their family and just being a positive source of light for those people. That’s really what drives me.”

CUNY offers many services to its students, but many may be unaware of its LGBTQI+ Council. The Council offered an introduction to its work at a CUNY-wide “Virtual Welcome” on Sept. 17, showcasing its resources. 

The Council’s members are staff and faculty who meet monthly to discuss ways of supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer students across the campuses. Members deal with issues surrounding outreach, gender and name changes, mental health and wellness, and CUNY LGBTQI+ Centers. 

Members represent all of the 26 CUNY campuses and hold a variety of positions, including professors, program directors, counselors, and administrators. Brooklyn College’s representatives are Kelly Spivey, the director of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, and counselor and adjunct lecturer Andy Hale. 

“Our mission is to ensure the visibility and inclusion of the entire spectrum of LGBTQI+ students, faculty, and staff. We aim to be a collaborative resource to create connection and community, identify and troubleshoot gaps, and increase representation, awareness, and equity,” Christina Chala, the University Student Engagement Programs Manager at the CUNY Central Office,” told those attending the meeting. 

One resource that served as the focal point of the event was the CUNY LGBTQI+ Hub. Along with accessing the Council representatives at each school, the hub allows students to see policies and resources that the Council has compiled for students. Chala shared the fact that students can change their name on CUNYFirst and have that reflected on their accounts. 

“New in the Spring, April 2025, we enhanced the portal for preferred names, so when a student submits a preferred name through the CUNYFirst portal, their legal first name should automatically be hidden in CUNY-wide systems,” said Chala. 

One of the most asked questions in the Zoom chat was how students can be involved in the work that the Council does. Through the hub, students can find the LGBTQ+ Center on their campus and reach out to their Council representative for ways to get involved. 

Another avenue for student involvement is by participating in the CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference. The conference brings together all students from all CUNY campuses to one host school and asks, “What does leadership for social change look like? What does an inclusive CUNY look like?” Students can help plan the event by joining the Council’s student subcommittee, the Queer Student Alliance (QSAS). 

Based on comments in the Zoom chat, the event left attendees hopeful for what’s to come at CUNY, as several LGBTQ Centers promoted their upcoming events. Council members encouraged students to attend events at the other CUNY campuses and build a community that spans beyond their home campus. 

As early results of the 2024 presidential election rolled in on Tuesday, Nov. 5, a calm but anxious crowd gathered once again at Good Judy’s, a popular queer bar in Brooklyn, NY. The gay gasps and “yasss queen” calls that marked the ebullient watch party for the Harris-Trump presidential debate two months earlier now turned into an atmosphere of whispered anticipation, nervous energy and reassurance, where patrons held their breath, clinging to each other and the hope of a brighter future.

This time around, the crowd knew it would be a long, dragged-out night filled with waves of emotion and uncertainty. The bar brought in reinforcements to help relax the tension in the room by having two drag queens host the watch party.

“Scream if you voted,” said Roque, a local drag queen who was one of the hosts for the night. “Scream if you’re gonna leave the country if Trump wins.”

Drag queens are not known for being politically correct. They tend to bring humor to tough situations, while still acknowledging the seriousness of what is happening. Roque, who frequently hosts drag shows at Good Judy’s, lip synced to the National Anthem performed by the singer, Fergie, at the NBA All-Star game in 2018. Fergie’s performance became a memorable moment due to her unique rendition of the song.

“Is this bitch for real?” said Roque, who described her reaction when she first saw Fergie’s performance. “I knew I had to perform this song tonight because what we are seeing right now has me question if America is for real right now.”

Roque’s drag performance was held in the back of the bar away from the televisions that were broadcasting MSNBC’s coverage of the results. Nearly half of the crowd moved to the back to give themselves a break from increasingly grim updates.

There were times when the pace of local election results slowed down. MSNBC had a countdown clock on the bottom right corner of the screen to let the viewers know when each state’s polling station would officially close. People at the bar started to verbally count down the number of seconds as if they were watching the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop.

The televised election returns and the music playing at the bar would change volume levels throughout the evening, but closed captioning was on the screen for people who might have a hearing disability. At one point, Zi, 24, who uses they/them pronouns, jumped out of their seat at the bar, pointing at the TV, and started to scream over the music, catching many people’s attention.

“Did any of you just see that?” asked Zi. “F-ing bombs? What the —–?”

MSNBC reported that there were faked bomb threats being made at polling stations in each swing state, allegedly coming from Russia.

“If Trump wins then this is rigged,” said Zi. “We are talking about fake bomb threats from Russia. This can’t be f-ing happening.”

Accusations of a rigged 2020 presidential election, proven not to be true, were started by Donald Trump, after he lost to President Joe Biden.

As polling stations across America officially closed and results continued to roll in, emotions ran high at the bar. People started to tear up, leaning on each other’s shoulders, holding hands, and gently rubbing each other’s backs in comfort.

John, 53, was among the patrons. He had attended the debate watch party at Good Judy’s in September and warned then that the country should “be ready for hell” if younger voters believed that not voting for Harris was a good idea, due to their views on how the Biden-Harris Administration was handling the fight between Israel and Gaza.

“Remember when I said get ready for hell? Well, it’s time to get ready,” said John. “We’ll have to fight against the chaos Trump is about to bring us, whether he likes it or not.”

While there was not yet an official announcement declaring Trump the victor, people at the watch party appeared to believe that it was soon to happen, as some began to cry while leaving the bar. Other individuals left hopeful for the future of the country and began to focus on the 2026 midterm elections.

“It will be ok,” said Roy, 39. “Guess what? We get to vote again in two years for the midterms.”

Before the night was over, the Republican Party would have the majority of seats in the Senate. Republicans flipped Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia, giving them at least a 52-seat majority.

“This is temporary, we have to hold on,” said Roy, referring to the fear people expressed throughout the night of Trumps election win. “There’s no other choice.”

Concerned that LGBTQ+ foster youth are at a higher risk for mistreatment in the foster care system, City Councilmembers heard testimony on September 24 regarding the effectiveness of current  policies and practices of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to protect foster children. 

“They’re overtly discriminated against through misnaming and misgendering, not being able to  express their gender the way that is natural to who they are,” charged Erin Beth Harrist, Director of  the Legal Aid Society’s LGBTIQ+ Unit, who testified at the committee hearing. “What does it say  about the system, that they [fostered teens] feel safer being homeless or being marginally housed  than they do in their placements.”

The Council’s Women’s and Gender Equity Committee and its Children and Youth Committee held  the joint hearing at City Hall, introducing several pieces of legislation that would amend the  administrative codes covering the reporting of mistreatment of queer foster teens. 

The hearing was prompted by an “alarming” conversation between City Council member Althea  Stevens, who chairs the Women’s and Gender Equity Committee, and a young girl in foster care  during last year’s Foster Care Shadow Day, which Stevens hosted. 

“She came in with a list of legislation and was very adamant about her treatment in foster care,”  said Stevens. “That was alarming to me. A lot of the mistreatment was because she identified as  LGBTQIA youth. So that sparked my interest in the sense of, well, what is really happening in these  homes.” 

ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser defended the agency in his testimony, saying, “ACS is  committed to providing high quality services and improving outcomes for LGBTQAI+ youth in foster  care.” He noted, “We have been taking important steps to continuously strengthen our efforts to do  this.” 

Dannhauser said that ACS provided pamphlets with information detailing the rights that teens in  foster care have, along with contact information of places to turn to. 

“We are constantly trying to reinforce the message that there are [resources] available, that we are  available, that we are listening,” said Dannhauser. “Young people are our best recruiters of other  young people, to get them to the table to understand that there are supports here.” 

Stevens inquired about specific details on the training foster parents receive to ensure that they’re  providing affirming homes for LGBTQ+ youth. 

“Every foster parent is trained in our foundational training, and it’s repeated twice a year. The foster  care agencies are typically delivering that training,” said Dannhauser, who added that they also  work with Planned Parenthood to update training practices. 

Steven Gordon, Director of LGBTQAI Equity Strategies with ACS, provided details of the training  process. “In that training the parents learn how to talk to their foster children no matter what the  age about their sexual orientation, gender identity. They learn to talk about body parts, to talk about  gender pronouns, to engage young people about their interests in a gender-neutral way,” said  Gordon. 

Dannhauser followed up by listing resources that teens have to report about any issue they’re  facing. “There are a lot of folks who are checking in with young people to see how they’re feeling  about their current placement,” he said, “just to make sure that if all those fail there’s another  backup plan.” 

In 2018, ACS and foster care provider agencies, including Youth in Progress and Planned  Parenthood, conducted a “Foster Care Youth Experience Survey Report” in accordance with a law  that passed in 2016. That legislation required ACS to provide youth in foster care, aged 13 and older,  an annual survey regarding their experiences in foster care. The purpose of the survey is to better  understand the experiences of youth while in foster care, according to ACS.

This year’s survey showed that 60 percent of eligible youth completed the survey, which ACS  described as an “excellent response rate.” The past annual surveys only received a 30 – to 40- percent response rate, according to Youth Experience Survey data analysis.

Controversy over non-binary pronouns has become a point of disagreement between writers and editors in journalism, reflecting the conflict between traditional reporting norms and the drive for greater inclusivity.

The controversy was one of the many topics discussed at a recent journalism conference.

The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists held its “2024 National Convention” in Hollywood, California, September 4 to the 8, to bring together individuals in the journalism and communication fields, to network and hold panel discussions on LGBTQ+ issues that are happening around the country.

Members of the LGBT+ community expressed their irritation over news editors curbing the use of non-binary gender pronouns in articles, seeing it as a disregard of their identities. The Associated Press Stylebook 55th edition states that “they, them, their is acceptable in limited cases as gender neutral pronouns, when alternative wording is overly awkward and clumsy,” it goes on to say “However, rewording is usually possible and always is preferable.” Guidelines like this led to frustration, as the community argues that recommending rewording undermines the validity of non-binary existence.

 “I’ve had editors in the past who probably, at the very least, will want to have a bigger discussion about it [using nonbinary gender pronouns], because they’re not familiar.” Said Steph Solis, a reporter for Axios Boston, who attended the event. They use they/them/their pronouns. “Maybe they’ve never heard of pronouns other than he, she maybe not even using they. And some of them I know would outright say that’s going to be confusing the readers, like, why would you confuse the readers and not see the opportunity to educate people here?”

They say that this “argument” was used in the past by editors when writers pitched stories about the transgender community.

“It’s the same arguments that are used not to highlight trans people in the first place…decades ago,” Solis went on to say, “Unfortunately, it’s of the same vein.”

In May 2022, the New York Time published an article “How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country.” Non-binary author, Maia Kobabe who goes by gender neutral pronouns (ey, em, eir) was interviewed about eir memoir “Gender Queer,” being the “most banned book,” in America. Throughout the article, Kobabe pronouns were not used when referring to em.

Nick Wolny, a managing editor for CNET, said he was “pissed off” by the NYT including a graph explaining Kobabe’s decision on using gender neutral pronouns but neglecting to use them.

“I mean, you’ve taken the time, and you created the graph to put that point in this, you know, historical context, and then not used what you just educated the audience on to help them apply what they just learned in the rest of the story. That really pissed me off, sorry.”

The NYT website indicates that the article was updated in June 2023, yet, Kobabe’s gender neutral pronouns were not added into the article when referring to eir.

 Solis mentioned an article written about WNBA player Layshia Clarendon, published by Popsugar in June 2024. The article used the pronouns “he, she, they,” which Clarendon goes by interchangeably, throughout the article.  

 “It begins referring to Clarendon using the pronouns ‘they,’ then it says, ‘in her little time off,’ and ‘he couldn’t stop thinking about his chest.’” Solis said, when quoting the article.

 They believe this article has a great way to show its “affirming” when discussing a person’s gender/non gender identity.

 “This was a great example of a creative way to be affirming when covering someone whose identity the public might know little about,” they went on to say. “Sometimes we can think a little bit outside the box to just use that opportunity,”

On April 24, organizers of the “We Protect Us” movement gathered participants at the Mayday Center in Bushwick to prepare for an upcoming grassroots feminism event on May 4. Participants ranged from current CUNY members to public supporters. 

The event on May 4, happening at the CUNY Graduate Center, is a rally meant to bring attention to sexual abuse and the victims of the past and present. The “We Protect Us” movement was created by CUNY members and alumni looking to stand against sexual harassment.

“Often, when a victim speaks out against abuse, they are ignored while their abuser is protected from allegations and discipline. We stand up for those that universities won’t, so ‘We Protect Us’ is our way of taking a stand for those who have been silenced,” said Kelsey Chatlosh, a CUNY professor and co-organizer of the event.

During the event on April 24, participants were taught a chant inspired by the Chilean feminism group, LASTESIS, called “A Rapist in Your Path.” The chant is meant to be a rallying cry that calls out the oppressive systems and patriarchy responsible for allowing sexual abuse against women, non-binary, and trans people.

“This chant was a pillar of the ‘Me Too’ movement from 2019, and it’s become a global feminism war cry, it’s a powerful chant that makes it so that everyone that hears it is forced to think about these heavy topics and the reality that there are institutions that hurt us,” said Aqua Ruis, DJ and co-organizer of the event. 

According to RAINN, “most college-age victims do not report sexual violence on campus. This is especially the case for college-age women. Only about 20% of female college students report sexual assaults to authorities.”

This is the reality that many sexual assault victims face, even when they do report their abuse to authorities there are little to no repercussions for their abusers. In most cases, institutions such as colleges fail to report rape statistics.

According to RAINN, “By law, U.S. colleges and universities must file annual reports that include statistics for sexually based crimes — but not all do. The American Association of University Women’s (AAUW) 2016 analysis of the Clery Act found that 89% of 11,000 colleges failed to disclose rape statistics.”

Movements such as the “Me Too” movement and “We Protect Us” serve as efforts to make these attempts by institutions to cover up sexual assault cases, come to light. 

“No one was doing anything to help these people get the justice that they deserve, so we decided to be the platform that could help them,” said Chatlosh. 

CUNY members and alumni hope that these efforts are heard by those that have the power to make a change.

“I love what they [We Protect Us] stand for, it’s great to see a group that helps people like me and my CUNY community,” said Brianna Carrion, an alumna of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The brittle wind carried the voices of more than two dozen young transgender protestors and allies present in Union Square on March 9. 

Alex Carroll and Raven Benjamin were two of the organizers present at the protest that kept busy by interacting with fellow attendees. Both are high school students concerned about the rights for the LGBTQ+ community. 

Carroll and Benjamin organized this event by reaching out to their followers and allies on Instagram, @nycyouth4transrights.

At Union Square, about two dozen young protestors prepared to march to Washington Square Park for additional visibility. 

“I think it’s important personally because there are a lot of anti-trans bills currently being put out. I think there were about 430 this year alone in the U.S. Not all of them pass, but there are still a lot,” said Carrol. “I think we need to put a stop to that, and there have been a lot of trans people dying, such as Brianna Ghey.” 

Brianna Ghey was an English trans teen that was found with a fatal stab wound in a park on Feb.11, according to BBC reports. Two teens have been charged with the murder of Ghey with a trial in July. 

Her presence was with the protestors as they included her name on signs they carried in their march. 

“I have really been noticing a pattern of people being hated for who they are,” said Benjamin. “As somebody who’s not someone that’s not in charge, you know I’m 17; there’s not much I can do, but I can make sure my voice is heard, and I can make sure that people who have the same experience as me know they are not alone.”

They shuffled around the crowd that was slowly gathering at Union Square. They talked with many of the people present and prepared to march to Washington Square park. Most of those present were high school students participating in a school walkout. 

However, one person present tried to keep the young people from marching for their rights. The group had received threats over their social media pages. Participants were instructed to be on the lookout as this person could be dangerous to the young students present.  

“I want to thank everyone for coming here today. For crawling out of school. For walking out. For not going to work. Thank you for coming here to support this. I stand here today to tell you that we love you, we care about you, and we want you to be okay,” Carroll said into a megaphone, attempting to speak over the loud city.

After their speech, Carroll and Benjamin started gathering the crowd to start the march. They had several chants as they approached the second half of their protest. They chanted about the rights of Trans people, Black people, and women in the city. 

When they reached Washington Square park, many participants were allowed to share their experiences in the safe space the crowd provided. 

From the small victories participants wanted to share, to some expressing the fear they have as young Trans people in the United States, they cheered each other during speeches and made sure all who shared felt safe and heard. 

Jordan Westbrooke was also present at the protest. One of the elder people present at the protest, she wanted to impart wisdom on the next generation.  

“I wanted to show them how to properly do a protest,” said Westbrooke. Throughout the entire event Westbrooke gave advice to the young activist to keep everyone safe. 

Westbrooke said that she was excited for the new generation and what they had to say. “New voices are needed. It’s refreshing to see them all participate in a movement they believe in.”

A coalition of LGBT+, immigrant justice, and reproductive justice groups gathered at City Hall Park to protest on Feb. 24, Mayor Eric Adams’ decision to appoint three pastors who were accused of being “anti-gay” to top positions within the administration.

“Mayor Adams, you will not get away with it. It feels like (the LGBT community) is being policed and targeted,” said National Social Justice Advocate Shéár Avory in response to Mayor Adams.

The three appointees: Eric Salgado, Gilford Monrose, and Fernando Cabrera had said some comments in the past that was deemed offensive and discriminatory towards the LGBT+ community. In 2013, Salgado called abortion and homosexuality a “mortal sin”. Adams appointed him to be assistant commissioner of outreach at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

In 2014, Cabrera praised Uganda’s ban on same-sex marriage and abortion and claimed that Christians should “take their rightful place” in government to promote their religious views, according to the New York Times. He and Monrose were chosen to work at the newly created Office of Faith-Based and Community partnerships.

About 80 people huddled around a circle in the freezing 35-degree Fahrenheit weather to voice their outrage. Executive Director of New York Pride, Elisa Crespo, shared some concerns about the queer youth within the city.   

“I can’t help but to think about the queer youth who call this city their home, who

tonight may have watched the news and feel a little less a part of the fabric of our city because of these appointments,” said the executive director. “It’s our young people who end up bearing the burden of these anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice appointments.”

Advocates like the National Organizer for Housing Works, Jason Rosenberg, feels like the concerns of the NYC queer citizens are being ignored. The 30-year-old posed a question to the crowd.

“When queer lives are under attack, what do we do?” he asked.

“We stand up and fight back!” the crowd shouted.

A huge standout from the crowd was a gay Trump supporter, holding a pride flag with the words “Gays For Trump.” John McGuigan, a man in his 50’s shared his thoughts about the Mayor.

“It’s time that we all come together in unity. It isn’t right what the mayor is doing,” he said. “A leopard never changes its spots,” he said when asked if he thinks these appointees viewed have changed from their early 2010s comments.

The mayor previously made a statement in response to the community’s pleas that suggested he will likely stay with his picks. He argued that the pastors have evolved and felt like he picked the best people for the job.