Today's episode of Listen Up Girl leads with breaking news: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 today that Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause do not prevent states from banning transgender girls and women from school sports teams. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion in the combined West Virginia and Idaho cases, concluding that Title IX permits states to separate teams by biological sex. The ruling directly upholds bans in those two states but is expected to extend to roughly 25 others with similar laws, while liberal justices dissented sharply on the constitutional question.

The episode then shifts to the HRC Foundation's Pride in the Marketplace 2026 report, showing LGBTQ+ consumers — representing $1.4 trillion in spending power — actively rewarding inclusive brands and pulling back from ones seen as retreating. Zach covers two history-making congressional campaigns: Florida's Shevrin Jones, seeking to become the state's first openly gay member of Congress, and San Francisco's Scott Wiener, who advanced to a runoff to succeed Nancy Pelosi and vowed to "go to the mat" for trans rights. The episode also covers a same-day federal hearing on class-action certification in the lawsuit challenging the transgender military ban, an international update on Dutch PM Rob Jetten's upcoming wedding, and the release of the Heartstopper Forever trailer ahead of its July 17 premiere.

Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

https://www.listenupgirl.com/

Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/

Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!

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In this episode:

Illinois Governor Signs Three Trans Rights Bills — Then Marches in Pride
On June 29th, Governor JB Pritzker signed three pieces of trans rights legislation before joining the Chicago Pride Parade that afternoon. HB 5095 strengthens the process for trans people to update the gender marker on their state IDs to male, female, or X. HB 5492 mandates that insurance companies cover up to a six-month supply of prescribed hormone therapy and necessary self-administration supplies — both laws take effect January 1, 2027. A third bill, HB 4834, updates Illinois' Prescription Monitoring Program to remove testosterone from the monitored list and bar the future addition of estrogen, mifepristone, and misoprostol. Illinois continues to lead on trans rights even as other states move in the opposite direction.

Marriage Equality at 11 — And Still Standing
The 11th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges just passed on June 26th, and this year it carries extra weight: the Supreme Court was directly asked to overturn Obergefell and declined. The Human Rights Campaign called it a reaffirmation that every family deserves equal protection under law. But a new Gallup poll adds sobering context — national support for same-sex marriage has dropped from 71% to around 65%, with Republican support falling from 55% to 37% in just four years. Support for trans rights among Republicans has dropped from 22% to 5% over five years. Obergefell stands. The fight doesn't stop.

Robin Byrd Gets Her Flowers
Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story premieres tonight on Prime Video. From 1977 to 1998, bisexual icon Robin Byrd hosted a sex-positive, anything-goes call-in show on New York City public access television — bringing on adult film stars, exotic dancers, and people of all genders and sexualities at a time when queer visibility was radical, especially during the AIDS crisis. The documentary dropping on the last day of Pride Month 2026 is a fitting tribute to a woman who was building queer community on cable access long before anyone called it activism.

Thank you for 30 days of Listen Up Girl. Subscribe, rate, review, and share — and follow the show on social media to stay connected all year long.

🏳️‍🌈 Listen Up Girl is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio.

Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

https://www.listenupgirl.com/

Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/

Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!

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It's the second-to-last episode of our full Pride Month run on Listen Up Girl, and we are going in. On today's show: the NYC Pride March drew over one million people under the theme "For All of Us" with Grand Marshals including Dominique Jackson, Peppermint, and Bowen Yang. Then we break down the sobering reality of 529 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in 2026 alone, the Supreme Court's conversion therapy ruling in Chiles v. Salazar that put protections for queer youth at risk in more than 20 states, and the patchwork of wildly unequal state-by-state rights that define what it means to be LGBTQ+ in America right now. We close with a look at where public support stands — and why that fight is far from over. Tomorrow is June 30th — the last day of Pride Month. Subscribe, rate, review, and share!

Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

https://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.

Listen Up Girl | Day 28 of Pride Month
Sunday, June 28, 2026

Episode Summary

It's the last day of Pride Month — and the biggest one. On Day 28, we cover the 57th NYC Pride March stepping off today on the exact anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, Hayley Kiyoko's bold Pride Month declaration, Florida cities creatively defying Ron DeSantis' rainbow crosswalk ban, a new photo exhibit honoring queer veterans, the premiere of Adventure Time: Side Quests on Hulu, and sobering new Gallup data showing LGBTQ support sliding among Republicans — and why that makes today's march more important than ever.

Episode Notes

SEGMENT 1: The 57th NYC Pride March
The NYC Pride March steps off today at noon from 26th Street and Fifth Avenue, passing through Greenwich Village and ending near the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street — the site of the 1969 uprising that launched the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. This year's theme is "For All of Us," drawn from a quote by Stonewall veteran and activist Marsha P. Johnson. Grand Marshals include Dominique Jackson, Peppermint, Bernie Wagenblast, Bowen Yang, and Gays Against Guns. The march is free and open to the public. WABC-7 broadcasts live starting at noon. More at nycpride.org.

SEGMENT 2: Hayley Kiyoko
Singer and LGBTQ+ icon Hayley Kiyoko gave a Pride Month interview this weekend celebrating her identity and her fanbase. She described her community as a space of "hopeful queer sapphic love" and said she is proud to be a lesbian "openly, boldly, and unapologetically." More at LGBTQ Nation.

SEGMENT 3: Florida Cities Defy DeSantis
After Governor Ron DeSantis moved to eliminate rainbow crosswalks and Pride-themed street art across Florida, cities pushed back creatively. St. Petersburg painted its City Hall steps as a giant Progress Pride flag and projected a 60-mile rainbow laser across the night sky. Fort Lauderdale installed a "Circle of Love" rainbow display near the beach at Sebastian Street Plaza. Miami Beach also joined the resistance. Source: Instinct Magazine / LGBTQ Nation.

SEGMENT 4: Queer Veterans Photo Exhibit
A new photo exhibit celebrating the lives and service of LGBTQ+ veterans opened this week, with subjects describing the experience as healing and validating. One veteran said it was the first time he had spoken publicly about both his military service and his identity as a gay man. More at LGBTQ Nation.

SEGMENT 5: Adventure Time: Side Quests
Adventure Time: Side Quests premieres today on Hulu. The series expands the world of the beloved animated franchise, which has long been celebrated for its queer representation, including the canon relationship between Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum. Premieres June 28, 2026. Available on Hulu.

SEGMENT 6: Gallup LGBTQ Support Data
A Gallup survey conducted May 1–17, 2026 finds that 65% of U.S. adults support legal same-sex marriage, down from a peak of 71% in 2022–2023. Support among Republicans has dropped from 55% to 37% in four years. Moral acceptance of transgender identity among Republicans has fallen from 22% to 5% over five years. Full data available at news.gallup.com.

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Listen Up Girl is a daily LGBTQ+ news podcast hosted by Zach. New episodes drop every day throughout Pride Month and beyond.

Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

https://www.listenupgirl.com/

Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/therealzachre/

Podcast music: https://dillonderosa.com/ Thank you Dillion!!!

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Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: Day 27 of Pride Month
1:15 – Federal Judge Blocks DOJ From Trans Kids' Medical Records
4:00 – Paris Pride Canceled Due to Heatwave
5:30 – San Francisco Pride Kicks Off – "Resistance in Action"
7:00 – NYC Dyke March Tonight + Pride Run in Central Park
8:30 – Senate Candidate Graham Platner Pledges to Protect Trans Kids
9:45 – Twin Cities Pride Opens in Minneapolis
10:45 – Quick Headlines + Outro

Episode: Day 27 of Pride Month | Saturday, June 27, 2026

Stories Covered:

1. Federal Judge Blocks DOJ From Seizing Trans Youth Medical Records — U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla (Southern District of New York) issued a temporary restraining order on June 24 blocking the DOJ from subpoenaing medical records of transgender minors from NYU Langone and Mount Sinai. The administration had used a grand jury subpoena from Fort Worth, Texas to try to obtain records of all patients treated for gender dysphoria under age 18 going back to January 2020. Failla called the action "the most egregious official conduct" and found it likely violated Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. Case brought by ACLU, NYCLU, and Lambda Legal. Sources: CNN, The Hill, Lambda Legal, ACLU
2. Paris Pride 2026 Canceled Due to Heatwave — The annual Paris Pride March, organized by Inter-LGBT and scheduled for June 27, has been canceled due to an extreme heatwave. A September 2026 rescheduling is being considered. Party and community events in the city continue. Source: Paris Je T'aime / Inter-LGBT
3. San Francisco Pride Day One: "Resistance in Action" — The 56th Annual SF Pride Celebration opened Saturday at Civic Center, with a free two-day festival running through Sunday. A Trans Ally Rally marched from Embarcadero Plaza to Civic Center. The SF Dyke March steps off tonight from Dolores Park. Source: KQED, SF Pride
4. NYC Dyke March Tonight + Front Runners Pride Run — The 45th annual Front Runners NYC LGBTQ+ Pride Run drew 8,000+ participants in Central Park Saturday morning, benefiting Lambda Legal. The NYC Dyke March kicks off at Bryant Park at 5 PM. Tomorrow: NYC Pride March, noon on June 28, broadcast on WABC. Sources: ABC7 NY, NBC New York, NYRR
5. Graham Platner Pledges to Protect Trans Kids at Pride — Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner appeared at a Pride event on June 25, directly pledging to protect trans kids and calling politicians who won't "cowards" and "bigots." Source: LGBTQ Nation
6. Twin Cities Pride Opens in Minneapolis — The free Twin Cities Pride festival opens today and runs through Sunday at Loring Park in Minneapolis, one of the largest Midwest LGBTQ+ celebrations. Source: AARP, Pride Belongs
7. Quick Headlines — ICE budget tripled via Trump's budget package; WorldPride Amsterdam August 1–9, Canal Parade August 1. Sources: Bay Area Reporter, Pride Belongs

Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

https://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.

Segment 1 — FCC Trans Content Warning Labels
Source: LGBTQ Nation, Washington Blade, The Advocate, TV Tech (June 22–23, 2026). 68 House Democrats sent a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr opposing content warning proposals for transgender/nonbinary TV content. Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano led the letter. FCC comment deadline was June 22, 2026.

Segment 2 — Rachel Maddow / Trump Legal Losses
Source: LGBTQ Nation (June 23, 2026). Maddow celebrated on MS NOW after a Republican-appointed federal judge threw out six DOJ grand jury subpoenas targeting MN Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and AG Keith Ellison.

Segment 3 — NH Gov. Kelly Ayotte Anti-Trans Veto
Source: LGBTQ Nation (June 23, 2026). Gov. Ayotte vetoed S.B. 552 for the third time; the bill would have removed gender identity protections from NH's 2018 anti-discrimination law.

Segment 4 — SF Trans March & SF Pride 2026
Source: KQED, SF Pride official site (sfpride.org), June 24–25, 2026. 56th Annual SF Pride Celebration runs June 27–28 at Civic Center; Trans March is tonight at Dolores Park. Theme: "Resistance in Action."

Segment 5 — Dayna Kathan Comes Out as Lesbian
Source: Out.com, People (June 7, 2026). Kathan posted on Instagram on June 7 with a "GAY" camisole and the caption celebrating "late in life lesbians."

Segment 6 — NYC Pride March Countdown
Source: NYC Pride, AARP Pride Month Events Guide, ABC7 NY (June 2026). NYC Pride March on June 28, noon; theme "For All of Us"; grand marshals include Dominique Jackson, Peppermint, Bowen Yang, Gays Against Guns, and Bernie Wagenblast.

Hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman

https://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.