World
Even the most authoritarian governments can’t fully erase us
LGBTQ people can find representation in podcasts, anime, books
There were two events that happened simultaneously that deeply changed my perspective on mass culture.
The first was the Russian government’s raid on one of the country’s largest publishing houses that printed LGBTQ-themed books, among many others. Not only were the books destroyed, but at least 10 workers were detained as part of a criminal investigation into their alleged “involvement in the activities of an extremist organization,” including “participation” in and “organizing” such activities in their official capacity. In reality, their “crime” was printing books with LGBTQ characters—something that has become semi-prohibited in Russia today.
The second event was much smaller and far more personal. That same day, I was listening to a Russian true crime podcast about Jeffrey Dahmer. What struck me was the unusually nuanced understanding—at least for Russian media—of how homophobia shaped Dahmer’s life. The podcast acknowledged how unsafe it was to be gay when Dahmer was growing up, and how his inability to form stable relationships in the 1980s contributed to his warped, tragic path. They made it clear: this wasn’t an excuse, but an explanation rooted in systemic issues. Even more surprising, another podcast episode I listened to included hosts apologizing for using outdated or offensive terms for gay people when discussing both victims and perpetrators. One host even commented on how LGBTQ victims are often treated as less important and how perpetrators targeting them often escape justice. Both podcasts were made just by two enthusiasts that work for donations but have dozens of thousands of fans. They sometimes hold conversations that would be censored on official TV—and are now impossible in traditionally published literature.
Why is this important? In a country where LGBTQ discourse is banned, and where accusations of “extremism” are increasingly used against queer people, there are no Pride events. LGBTQ-related conversations are absent from academia. Books with queer characters are censored or destroyed.
But something else exists—something less controlled: grassroots internet content. Educational or entertainment-based, these podcasts and YouTube videos can spark serious discussions, challenge state narratives, and even become a form of quiet protest. This is not what the government is targeting. They’re focused on censoring an official translation of political thriller like “Conclave” to erase the word “homosexual,” or banning a novel about a gay boy at summer camp. Meanwhile, everyday creators in small studios—who don’t even focus on LGBTQ issues—still find ways to talk about homophobia and its impact. Nobody is monitoring True Crime podcasts. Or anime forums. Or fan-fiction websites.
At the end of Pride month, many LGBT people in the West express frustration with how commercial and shallow Pride has become.
“Pride is supposed to be a protest, but here we can’t talk about anything serious. It’s just one big, overwhelming show—and it’s not always inclusive,” one of my friends told me.
That’s why these quiet discussions around LGBTQ topics may be more important than we think.
Another friend of mine, who has lived in the UK for 10 years, had no idea that the UK had anti-LGBT legislation in its recent history. He didn’t understand why queerness needed to be celebrated—he saw it as “propaganda.” Until I explained the history to him.
That’s why history programs—whether about Alan Turing or Jeffrey Dahmer—provide context that is often missing. Of course, we must be careful not to sensationalize. And we have to acknowledge that most of these podcasts and documentaries are based on Western — primarily American, often using Netflix content as a main source of information — even if they are re-told by local podcasters and authors. That makes it even more important for filmmakers and streaming platforms to understand the weight of their influence. Stories with queer characters aren’t just consumed in the U.S.—they’re retold, translated, and reinterpreted in places like Russia, Iran, or Malaysia. There, interest in WWII, true crime, or celebrity gossip might be the only culturally “safe” way to talk about LGBTQ lives. And that’s a huge responsibility—one that I doubt platforms like Netflix are fully aware of.
But it’s not just about Western media.
People looking for escapism still find meaning in anime lore or yaoi fan-fiction. I was never into anime fandoms, but as a late millennial, I understand the importance of LGBTQ representation in those spaces. Yaoi, at its core, is a genre about gay relationships.
A friend of mine, a trans woman from Donetsk, Ukraine, told me that when she was growing up, yaoi fan-fiction was her only window into non-hypermasculine sexuality. She learned a queer model of relationships from it, and later it helped her accept herself as bi and trans. Yes, Yaoi stories often fetishize gay people and perpetuate stereotypes—but what other options did she have? What else was available to young queer people trying to understand themselves in places where LGBTQ conversations are taboo?
As I prepare to attend my local Pride this week, I’m thinking about how many different ways there are to celebrate Pride—beyond just marching in the street. For some, it’s about reclaiming their identity in private. Finding representation in a podcast, an anime forum, or a book they secretly downloaded. Pride can be deeply personal. It can be a year-long process of unlearning shame and discovering self-worth—not just a month-long party.
And that gives me hope. Because in the internet age, even the most authoritarian governments can’t fully erase us.
Colombia
Colombians protest against Trump after he threatened country’s president
Tens of thousands protested the US president in Bogotá
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Tens of thousands of people on Wednesday gathered in the Colombian capital to protest against President Donald Trump after he threatened Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The protesters who gathered in Plaza Bolívar in Bogotá held signs that read, among other things, “Yankees go home” and “Petro is not alone.” Petro is among those who spoke.
The Bogotá protest took place four days after American forces seized now former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their home in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, during an overnight operation.
The Venezuelan National Assembly on Sunday swore in Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, as the country’s acting president. Maduro and Flores on Monday pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges in New York.
Trump on Sunday suggested the U.S. will target Petro, a former Bogotá mayor and senator who was once a member of the M-19 guerrilla movement that disbanded in the 1990s. Claudia López, a former senator who would become the country’s first female and first lesbian president if she wins Colombia’s presidential election that will take place later this year, is among those who criticized Trump’s comments.
The Bogotá protest is among hundreds against Trump that took place across Colombia on Wednesday.
Petro on Wednesday night said he and Trump spoke on the phone. Trump in a Truth Social post confirmed he and his Colombian counterpart had spoken.
“It was a great honor to speak with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” wrote Trump. “I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future. Arrangements are being made between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign minister of Colombia. The meeting will take place in the White House in Washington, D.C.”
Colombia
Gay Venezuelan man who fled to Colombia uncertain about homeland’s future
Heberth Aguirre left Maracaibo in 2018
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A gay Venezuelan man who has lived in Colombia since 2018 says he feels uncertain about his homeland’s future after the U.S. seized now former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“On one hand I can feel happy, but on the other hand I feel very concerned,” Heberth Aguirre told the Washington Blade on Tuesday during an interview at a shopping mall in Bogotá, the Colombian capital.
Aguirre, 35, is from Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second-largest city that is the heart of the country’s oil industry.
He developed cultural and art initiatives for the Zulia State government.
“Little by little, I suddenly became involved in politics because, in a way, you had to be involved,” recalled Aguirre. “It was necessary to be involved because the regime often said so.”
“I basically felt like I was working for the citizens, but with this deeply ingrained rule we had to be on their side, on the side of the Maduro and (former President Hugo) Chávez regime,” he added.
Maduro in 2013 became Venezuela’s president after Chávez died.
“There are things I don’t support about the regime,” Aguirre told the Blade. “There are other things that were nice in theory, but it turned out that they didn’t work when we put them into practice.”
Aguirre noted the Maduro government implemented “a lot of laws.” He also said he and other LGBTQ Venezuelans didn’t “have any kind of guarantee for our lives in general.”
“That also exposed you in a way,” said Aguirre. “You felt somewhat protected by working with them (the government), but it wasn’t entirely true.”
Aguirre, 35, studied graphic design at the University of Zulia in Maracaibo. He said he eventually withdrew after soldiers, members of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard, and police officers opened fire on students.
“That happened many times, to the point where I said I couldn’t keep risking my life,” Aguirre told the Blade. “It hurt me to see what was happening, and it hurt me to have lost my place at the university.”
Venezuela’s economic crisis and increased insecurity prompted Aguirre to leave the country in 2018. He entered Colombia at the Simón Bolívar Bridge near the city of Cúcuta in the country’s Norte de Santander Province.
“If you thought differently, they (the Venezuelan government) would come after you or make you disappear, and nobody would do anything about it,” said Aguirre in response to the Blade’s question about why he left Venezuela.
The Simón Bolívar Bridge on the Colombia-Venezuela border on May 14, 2019. (Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
Aguirre spoke with the Blade three days after American forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their home in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, during an overnight operation.
The Venezuelan National Assembly on Sunday swore in Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, as the country’s acting president. Maduro and Flores on Monday pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges in New York.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday in a Truth Social post said Venezuela’s interim authorities “will be turning over between 30 and 50 million barrels of high quality, sanctioned oil, to the United States of America.”
“This oil will be sold at its market price, and that money will be controlled by me, as president of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States,” wrote Trump.
Trump on Sunday suggested the U.S. will target Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a former Bogotá mayor and senator who was once a member of the M-19 guerrilla movement that disbanded in the 1990s.
Petro has urged Colombians to take to the streets on Wednesday and “defend national sovereignty.” Claudia López, a former senator who would become the country’s first female and first lesbian president if she wins Colombia’s presidential election that will take place later this year, is among those who criticized Trump’s comments.
“Let’s be clear: Trump doesn’t care about the humanitarian aspect,” said Aguirre when the Blade asked him about Trump. “We can’t portray him as Venezuela’s savior.”
Meanwhile, Aguirre said his relatives in Maracaibo remain afraid of what will happen in the wake of Maduro’s ouster.
“My family is honestly keeping quiet,” he said. “They don’t post anything online. They don’t go out to participate in marches or celebrations.”
“Imagine them being at the epicenter, in the eye of the hurricane,” added Aguirre. “They are right in the middle of all the problems, so it’s perfectly understandable that they don’t want to say anything.”
‘I never in my life thought I would have to emigrate’
Aguirre has built a new life in Bogotá.
He founded Mesa Distrital LGBTIQ+ de Jóvenes y Estudiantes, a group that works with migrants from Venezuela and other countries and internally placed Colombians, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aguirre told the Blade he launched the group “with the need to contribute to the general population, not just in Colombia.”
Aguirre met his husband, an American from California, at a Bogotá church in December 2020 during a Christmas event that SDA Kinship Colombia, an LGBTQ group, organized. A Utah judge virtually officiated their wedding on July 12, 2024.
“I love Colombia, I love Bogotá,” said Aguirre. “I love everything I’ve experienced because I feel it has helped me grow.”
He once again stressed he does not know what a post-Maduro Venezuela will look like.
“As a Venezuelan, I experienced the wonders of that country,” said Aguirre. “I never in my life thought I would have to emigrate.”
The Colombian government’s Permiso por Protección Temporal program allows Aguirre and other Venezuelans who have sought refuge in Colombia to live in the country for up to 10 years. Aguirre reiterated his love for Colombia, but he told the Blade that he would like to return to Venezuela and help rebuild the country.
“I wish this would be over in five years, that we could return to our country, that we could go back and even return with more skills acquired abroad,” Aguirre told the Blade. “Many of us received training. Many of us studied a lot. We connected with organizations that formed networks, which enriched us as individuals and as professionals.”
“Returning would be wonderful,” he added. “What we’ve built abroad will almost certainly serve to enrich the country.”
Colombia
Claudia López criticizes Trump over threats against Colombian president
Presidential candidate would become country’s first lesbian head of government
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Colombian presidential candidate Claudia López has criticized President Donald Trump after he suggested the U.S. will target Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
“Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.
Trump made the comments a day after American forces carried out an overnight operation and seized now former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and wife, Cilia Flores, at their home in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.
Maduro and Flores on Monday pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges in New York.
Petro is a former Bogotá mayor and senator who was once a member of the M-19 guerrilla movement that disbanded in the 1990s. He has urged Colombians to take to the streets and “defend national sovereignty.”
“Colombians are the ones who decide who governs Colombia,” said López on her X account. “President Gustavo Petro won free elections and has a constitutional mandate.”
López did not mention Trump by name in her comment.
The first-round of Colombia’s presidential election will take place on May 31. The country’s 1991 constitution prevents Petro from seeking re-election.
López in 2019 became the first woman and first lesbian elected mayor of Bogotá, the Colombian capital and the country’s largest city. She took office on Jan. 1, 2020, less than a month after she married her wife, Colombian Sen. Angélica Lozano.
“This year we will decide at the polls what direction (the country) is heading and what leadership will advance Colombia,” said López in her X post. “Supporting soft dictatorships and attacking democracies is an absurd and unacceptable political action by the United States towards Colombia, Venezuela, and Latin America.”
Quién gobierna en Colombia lo decidimos los colombianos.
El presidente @petrogustavo ganó unas elecciones libres y tiene un mandato constitucional. Este año decidiremos en las urnas qué rumbo y a cargo de qué liderazgo avanza Colombia.
Sostener dictablandas y atacar democracias… https://t.co/K61G2QUcck— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) January 5, 2026
López would be Colombia’s first female president if she wins the election. López would also become the third openly lesbian woman elected head of government — Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was Iceland’s prime minister from 2009-2013 and Ana Brnabić was Serbia’s prime minister from 2017-2024.
The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute in 2024 honored López at its annual International LGBTQ Leaders Conference in D.C. The Washington Blade interviewed her during the gathering.
Just say no to the felon in the White House
‘Hedda’ brings queer visibility to Golden Globes
Colombians protest against Trump after he threatened country’s president
Kennedy Center renaming triggers backlash
New interim D.C. police chief played lead role in security for WorldPride
The year in photos
Safer Ways to Pay for Online Performances and Queer Events
Two pioneering gay journalists to speak at Thursday event
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Blade travels to Colombia after U.S. forces seize Maduro in Venezuela
-
Photos5 days agoThe year in photos
-
Sponsored4 days ago
Safer Ways to Pay for Online Performances and Queer Events
-
District of Columbia3 days ago
Two pioneering gay journalists to speak at Thursday event
-
a&e features3 days ago
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
