Your auntie is back and she brought the roundup. 💋 New Jersey’s shield law is moving, Disco for the Dolls is tonight featuring the legendary Kevin Aviance, and a portion of tickets benefits our Bernadine Casseus Transgender Laureate Program.

I haven't outgrown my friends. I've outgrown performing around them. My latest POLISH essay is about grief, growth, and learning to stop showing up to rooms that were never quite yours. www.polishwithadelina.com/p/outgrowing...

Meta banned Jonny Montanez from Threads, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram in a single sweep. Days later, his cousin died of ALS. He sat back down with me. On the ban, the loss, his sexuality, and why he stopped pretending content was a side hustle. www.polishwithadelina.com/p/johnny-mon...

My mother didn’t always know how to hold who I was becoming. This Mother’s Day, I wrote about the rupture, the repair, and the afternoon at the nail salon when I realized — we made it. www.polishwithadelina.com/p/may-2026

The second Queer Food Conference, May 1–3, in Montréal brings together scholars, activists, chefs, farmers, and journalists to talk food sovereignty, community building, and queer food culture — from potlucks to land movements to LGBTQ+ cookbooks. More information at queerfoodconference.com

"My body is not a sin. It's not a joke. It's not a threat." On May 17, trans model Rain Batingana will be cast as a life-size chocolate Jesus — and the world will watch her melt. She offered her body willingly. She has something to say about why. polishwithadelina.com/culture/choc...

I've been thinking about what it means to ask the world to care about a Black trans woman's pain — and what it means when your own community decides your assault is teatime instead. New column on POLISH with Marie-Adélina. polishwithadelina.com/the-editors-...

Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner ended in chaos after an apparent shooting. Our community’s first instinct? Brace for trans identity to become the story. Again. polishwithadelina.com/crime/white-...

HRC just launched “Let’s Get Free” — a $15 million midterm program targeting eight House seats and six Senate races. 92% of LGBTQ+ voters say they’re definitely showing up in November.

A federal appeals court lifted the injunction protecting incarcerated trans women from transfer to men's prisons. One of the 17 plaintiffs died before the ruling came down. Attorneys are heading back to district court. The fight continues — and so does the harm.

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.

Two weeks. That’s it. Two weeks and you all have already shown us that this was necessary. POLISH exists because when mainstream queer media amplifies stories, uplifts voices, and sets the cultural agenda — we already know who’s centered. And it’s rarely us.

Women’s History Month often asks us to look backward. At POLISH, we’re looking at the present. This month, we’re honoring Black queer women who are shaping history in real time — not as symbols, but as architects of culture, politics, and power. First: Brittney Griner

A judge granted @tsmadison.bsky.social and Dominique Morgan 12-month protective orders against Naquan Palmer — the 'DL Whisperer' — in a virtual court appearance Wednesday. open.substack.com/pub/polishwi...

Cynthia Erivo & Lena Waithe are producing 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' on Broadway — ballroom culture, center stage, for real this time. Previews March 18. Opening night April 7.

@hopegiselle.bsky.social on why the media only wants one kind of trans story — and what she built instead. New interview with POLISH! open.substack.com/pub/polishwi...

In a 6-3 ruling, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court has decided to rule against California's law on protecting trans youths. The emergency appeal blocks a state policy that allowed schools to protect trans and non-binary students' identities from parents.

Cardi B wants to see the receipts. Literally. TMZ reports the legendary rapper wants content creator Tasha K to appear in person for examination of her finances. The news comes after Tasha filed for bankruptcy in Florida.

23-year-old Paul Alan Thompson of Los Angeles faces multiple charges after allegedly coordinating a series of harassment, intimidation, and violence against a transgender business owner, according to KTLA.

In my latest for POLISHed Perspective, I write about @tsmadison, the ‘DL Whisperer,’ and stochastic terrorism — and why Black trans women are too often forced to absorb the risk. Read exclusively on Substack. Link in bio.

This is what queer and trans joy looks like. From @angelicaross.com returning to politics to Dominique Jackson strutting the catwalk at London Fashion Week, we are celebrating some positive moments this week. The Queer Joy Roundup is live. Enjoy, and stay polished, loves! xx, Marie-Adélina

Polished Ones, secure the tinfoil tiaras because the truth is still clocking in. ‘The X-Files’ is getting a reboot at Hulu, with Ryan Coogler landing a pilot order. New agents. New mysteries. Same delicious paranoia. Same eerie energy. Are we ready to believe again? #entertainment

Virgo behavior only. ♍️ Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, and Beyoncé proving that precision + preparation = a cultural legacy. 20 years later, ‘Dreamgirls’ still shines because perfection takes practice…and these girls did the werk. 🎤✨ 🎥: POLISH for @out.com; Paramount Pictures. #lgbtq

Page Six reports that Mary Cosby's son, Robert Cosby Jr., has died at 23. On 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' viewers saw moments of Cosby Jr.'s alleged struggles with substance use, recovery, and relapse. His death comes months after his divorce from Alexiana Smokoff.

Rep. Al Green was escorted out of Trump's State of the Union after holding a sign that read, "BLACK PEOPLE AREN'T APES" as the president entered the chamber.