Hello there,

We want to take time to remember the life of Nex Benedict, an LGBTQ+ student in Oklahoma who died after an altercation with several older students in a bathroom at their high school. The 16-year-old is being remembered as a kind, intelligent teenager who loved their cat. Authorities are investigating what happened while advocates across the country have called out the rising anti-trans rhetoric growing in the U.S. over the last few years.

May Nex's memory be a blessing. 🌈

✨ Marcia Gay Harden continues to be a treasure. The Oscar-winning actor has been a noted LGBTQ+ ally for years, and she recently discussed how her children continue to inspire her advocacy for marginalized people. “I was already learning a lot about the gay community, but at the time, we spoke more about gay community rather than queer community,” Harden said. “And I think now the kids talk a lot about the queer community, and it’s much more expansive. It’s much more gender nonconforming. It’s much more embracing, actually. … I’m learning on a daily basis about that from all of the kids.” ✨

🏛️ Who remembers the Colin Farrell film Alexander? Anyone? No? Just me? Well, Netflix has a new series on the legendary military leader Alexander the Great that is hecka queer — which is historically accurate. But don't tell that to some conservatives. My colleague Trudy Ring breaks down what historians know about the queerness of Alexander the Great. 🏛️

Check out these stories and others below. I'll see you here again on Thursday.

Onward and upward,

Alex Cooper