This past Friday, the Salem City Council unanimously passed a resolution to make the City of Salem a sanctuary city for transgender and nonbinary individuals. In its proclamation, the council notes this status in necessary because “the federal government’s continued actions have encouraged discrimination towards transgender persons by state and local governments, schools, hospitals, businesses, other public and private institutions.”
“The City Council of the City of Salem hereby reiterates its commitment to uphold transgender rights and equal protections for transgender community members under the Constitutions, Laws, Ordinances and Regulations of the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Salem and declares itself a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender and gender non-conforming people,” states the proclamation in part.
The proclamation goes on to affirm:
“that the City of Salem recognizes the importance of gender-affirming healthcare as a matter of health, privacy, and equality, and to ensure that those rights are upheld for all residents and visitors within the City of Salem.
“that the City of Salem will ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students regardless of gender identity or expression in the Salem Public Schools, including the protection of teachers and other city employees who help to foster such an environment,” and
“that the City of Salem shall endeavor to work with the Salem Human Rights Coalition; to further identify equity shortcomings for the city’s transgender and gender non-conforming community within municipal government, operations, and practices, to ensure the full protection of said community’s residents and visitors.”
On this episode we are joined by the amazing Erin Morrison.
What happens when real estate meets resistance, advocacy, and identity?
In this candid conversation, LGBTQ+ real estate professionals Erin Morrison, Bob McCranie, Kimber Fox, and Leslie Wilson sit down to discuss the evolving challenges of being openly queer in an industry—and a country—facing political pushback.
🏳️🌈 Topics covered include: How anti-LGBTQ+ legislation affects clients and agents
The role of advocacy in real estate Why “just doing business” isn’t neutral anymore
Personal stories from the frontlines of inclusion in housing
📍 Whether you’re an agent, ally, or advocate, this video unpacks the real stakes of LGBTQ+ visibility in today’s market.
While Mother Russia continues to spend its time pounding Ukraine and its own minorities into submission, other former Soviet Socialist Republics out there are moving in the opposite direction. The high court of the predominantly Catholic Baltic state Lithuania ruled last month that the country’s ban on same sex civil unions is unconstitutional. Public sentiment is also in line with this ruling, with 50% of the country agreeing civil unions should exist.
Lithuania still faces its challenges, but also struck down their version of “Don’t Say Gay” laws in January. It also has decided requiring a sex change is no longer a viable option for transgender individuals who simply want to change their name.
If you’d like to see more of the positive side of traveling to Lithuania, check out this YouTube video from the Queer Kingdom channel.
The City Council of Spokane, Washington, has passed an ordinance enhancing protections for LGBTQ+ people, with a focus on protecting trans folks.
Council members voted 5-2 to implement the ordinance, which updates the city’s human rights code to define gender-affirming care and ensure equal protections for LGBTQ+ people.
A press release explained that both Spokane Municipal Code and state law already provide protections for LGBTQ+ people, but the ordinance adds language to “acknowledge the inherent risks faced by the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Spokane, particularly due to federal policies and interjurisdictional legal processes from states that do not recognize LGBTQIA2S+ rights or are working to deny such individuals access to essential medical care, including gender-affirming care.”
The policy “prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.”
The ordinance also adds a definition of gender-affirming care to the human rights code’s glossary of terms and adds a section requiring city-provided healthcare to cover it. It also requires the Spokane Police Department to keep an LGBTQ+ liaison officer on staff.
“LGBTQIA2S+ people deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions and deserve to feel safe in our community,” Council Member Zack Zappone said in a statement. “That freedom and safety are under threat across the country. This ordinance ensures the City continues to protect LGBTQIA2S+ people and that they know that in Spokane, we all belong.”
“I want to thank all the powerful and heartfelt testimony in support of this ordinance that is about supporting safety, freedom, and dignity,” added Council Member Paul Dillon. “Spokane is a city where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated, and this ordinance shows our commitment to our city motto that in Spokane, we all belong, especially in a time of targeting and discrimination…”
Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart voted against the ordinance, with Bingle attempting to add five amendments, including measures to ban trans people from using the bathrooms and playing on sports teams that align with their genders and to ban those under 18 from receiving gender-affirming care through city insurance. None of the amendments passed.
During the city council meeting, Bingle defended his position, claiming he doesn’t want anyone in the city to be discriminated against, including those “who have sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical objections to this.”
“It’s a live and let live situation that I’m totally cool with,” he said. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Dozens of people showed up at the meeting to advocate for passing the ordinance.
One mother of an adult trans son said she fled to Spokane from Idaho with her son and his wife after her son experienced horrific mistreatment by doctors in Idaho.
In Spokane, she said, they found support, dignity, and a “welcoming spirit.” But she said hostility has been growing in the city in the wake of the federal government’s anti-trans policies. “We are feeling the fear and stress we thought we left behind,” she said.
The ordinance, she said, “is not just about symbolism; it’s about real protections, real care, real safety for people who are just trying to live their lives.”
House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday reintroduced the Equality Act, a landmark civil rights bill that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes.
The measure, which would amend a federal law that already outlaws discrimination based on race, religion, sex and national origin, faces an uphill battle in a Congress controlled by Republicans, who have long opposed it over concerns it would trample religious freedom rights.
President Trump opposed the Equality Act during his first term, citing “poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.” While exploring a presidential run as a Reform Party candidate back in 2000, Trump said he liked the idea of extending anti-discrimination protections in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to gay people.
A White House spokesperson did not say whether Trump would support the bill this time, though it appears unlikely. Since taking office in January, Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting transgender Americans, including one that proclaims the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female.
“Right now, the fear in our community is deep, and it is palpable,” Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the Equality Act’s primary sponsor in the House, said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon outside the Capitol.
“The waves of attacks on LGBTQI+ Americans have swept from state legislatures into the chambers of Congress and the White House. We’re facing the most anti-LGBTQI+ presidential administration in recent history, and for that reason, we demand that our existence be not just recognized but protected; we demand not just the right to survive but to thrive,” said Takano, who recently took over as chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which advocates for LGBTQ rights in Congress.
Most Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, though that support has dipped slightly in recent years. A survey published last month by the Public Religion Research Institute, which has been tracking Americans’ support for LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections since 2015, found that 75 percent of adults support policies shielding LGBTQ Americans from discriminatory practices in housing, employment and public accommodation, down from its peak of 80 percent in 2022.
At the same time, Americans have grown more supportive of policies restricting transgender rights, a recent Pew Research Center survey found, including ones that require athletes to compete on sports teams that match their birth sex and prevent doctors from administering gender-affirming care to minors. In the same survey, 56 percent of adults expressed support for policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.
“The bill that we’re here to talk about could not be more straightforward or commonsense,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, said Tuesday. “The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. This is a tenant of our nation’s founding.”
In the absence of federal law, nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people vary by state, 27 of which lack explicit protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, according to Freedom for All Americans, which advocates for equal rights and protections.
“If you are gay, lesbian or transgender — and let that sink in — it’s a patchwork of rights and protections depending on who you are and who you love,” Baldwin said Tuesday. “Will you be protected from being discriminated against by a bad landlord when you try to rent a house? Depends on where you live. Will you be protected from being discriminated against when you are trying to get a mortgage or a new credit card? Again, it depends upon where you live.”
Democrats on Tuesday said they plan to have transparent one-on-one conversations with their Republican colleagues to garner bipartisan support for the bill, touting the strategy’s success in passing the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. In that case, more than 50 Republicans in the House and Senate voted with Democrats to enshrine same-sex and interracial marriage rights in federal law.
Over the past decade, I’ve lived and worked all over the world — from bustling cities to sleepy beach towns. Being a digital nomad sounds glamorous (and it is sometimes), but it also means you have to keep moving as places change.
And lately, I’ve noticed a big shift: many digital nomads are quietly leaving some of the old hotspots behind. Places that used to be thriving hubs are now feeling… well, a little stale, crowded, or overpriced.
So why is this happening — and where are the new hotspots everyone’s talking about? Let’s dive in.
Why digital nomads are leaving the old favorites
When I first started traveling, certain cities were on every digital nomad’s bucket list. Think Bali, Chiang Mai, Lisbon, Medellín. These places had it all: cheap cost of living, great internet, good weather, and a ready-made community of like-minded people.
But over time, a few things have changed:
1. Rising costs
Let’s be real: many of the original “cheap” places aren’t so cheap anymore. Take Bali, for example. Ten years ago, you could rent a decent villa for $400 a month. Now? It’s not unusual to pay $1,000 or more — and that’s before you even factor in co-working spaces, eating out, or transportation.
Lisbon, once a haven for budget-conscious remote workers, has become one of Europe’s most expensive cities relative to local wages. Prices skyrocketed after a flood of digital nomads and foreign investors entered the market.
When your income stays the same but your cost of living doubles, it’s only natural to start looking elsewhere.
2. Overcrowding and “Instagram fatigue”
When a place becomes the destination for digital nomads, it quickly loses its charm. Cafes get packed. Internet speeds slow down. Traffic becomes a nightmare.
And honestly? A lot of these places start to feel like Instagram theme parks — more about capturing the perfect latte art shot than actually living well. Many long-term nomads are craving authenticity again. They want real experiences, not just curated content for social media.
3. Visa headaches
Governments are catching on to the digital nomad trend — but not always in a friendly way. Some places have tightened visa restrictions or introduced new taxes aimed at foreigners. Others are rolling out digital nomad visas, but with strict income requirements that don’t fit everyone.
It’s making the decision of where to settle even more complicated.
So, where are digital nomads going instead?
Luckily, there are still amazing spots around the world where you can live well, work efficiently, and avoid the chaos. Here are a few places seeing a lot more love lately:
1. Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico has been quietly becoming a new favorite — especially for nomads from North America.
Mexico City offers an incredible lifestyle:
Affordable rent (outside the fancy expat neighborhoods)
Fast internet
Amazing food
A vibrant, creative energy that’s hard to match anywhere else
You get big-city conveniences without the big-city price tag (at least for now).
Bonus: Mexico offers a six-month tourist visa to most nationalities, so you have more breathing room to settle in without visa stress.
2. Tbilisi, Georgia
If you want somewhere totally different but still affordable, Georgia should be on your radar.
Tbilisi has a growing digital nomad scene thanks to:
Low living costs
Fast, cheap mobile data and internet
A warm, welcoming culture
One-year visa-free stays for many nationalities
The city is a fascinating blend of old and new, with medieval streets alongside modern co-working spaces. Plus, the food and wine are incredible.
3. Da Nang, Vietnam
Southeast Asia isn’t dead — it’s just moving to new places.
Da Nang, Vietnam, is picking up steam as a quieter, more livable alternative to Bali or Chiang Mai. You get:
Affordable beachside living
A growing café and remote work culture
Good internet
A relaxed vibe without the Bali-style crowds
And Vietnam offers relatively easy long-term visa options compared to neighboring countries, although things change often, so it’s worth checking before you go.
4. Madeira, Portugal
Lisbon is getting crowded, but Portugal has a hidden gem: Madeira. This island is now actively marketing itself to remote workers, even creating a dedicated “Digital Nomad Village” in Ponta do Sol.
Madeira offers:
Mild weather year-round
Gorgeous natural scenery
Strong internet
A calmer pace of life than mainland cities
If you want Europe without the chaos, Madeira is definitely worth a look.
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina’s economy has had its challenges, but for digital nomads earning in dollars or euros, Buenos Aires is incredibly affordable right now.
You can enjoy:
World-class steak and wine
Stylish apartments for a fraction of the price you’d pay elsewhere
A rich cultural scene (tango, theaters, live music)
A very cosmopolitan vibe
The downside? Inflation and political instability. But if you’re adaptable, it’s a fantastic place to spend a few months.
Final thoughts
As someone who’s been a digital nomad for over 10 years, I can tell you: the dream isn’t dying — it’s just evolving. It’s less about finding the next Bali or Chiang Mai, and more about finding a place that suits your lifestyle now. Maybe you want a bit more authenticity. Maybe you want better value. Maybe you just want somewhere quieter to actually get some work done.
The best thing about being a digital nomad today? You have more options than ever. And sometimes, the places you haven’t heard hyped up yet are the ones where you’ll find your best adventures.
Here’s to finding your next great base — and making it your own.
Allentown City Council passed a resolution at its Wednesday night meeting to protect and grant refuge to the LGBTQ+ community in Allentown by proclaiming the city a “safe and welcoming haven.”
Resolution “R48” was initially discussed at City Council’s Human Resources, Administration, and Appointments committee meeting on April 9, where it received a favorable vote to move forward to the full council.
The resolution responds to a “record number of discriminatory anti-trans legislative bills and executive orders being proposed and enacted throughout the country,” according to council documents.
“As attacks against transgender and gender non-binary adults and youth across the United States continue, it is the responsibility of Allentown to ensure transgender and non-binary people, particularly youth, continue to be protected and welcomed,” the resolution states.
It emphasizes the importance of treating all individuals with fairness, respect, dignity, and full human rights, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
Not a single seat was empty at the council’s Wednesday night meeting in anticipation of the resolution’s passage, which had full council sponsorship.
Multiple public commenters — including members of the LGBTQ+ community, psychologists specializing in transgender affirming care and state representatives — spoke in support of the resolution before council’s vote.
Amelia, a transgender woman, shared her personal experience receiving gender-affirming care in the city of Allentown and what she described as its life-changing impact.
“Access to this treatment quite literally made my life as one worth living,” Amelia said. “It was the antidote for my dysphoria or gender misalignment that had plagued me since puberty.”
Christine Hartigan, a licensed psychologist in Allentown specializing in transgender affirming care, also voiced her support for the resolution.
“We have a lot of research backing up what we do, and we know that limiting access to this care is incredibly detrimental to individuals, especially transgender individuals,” Hartigan said.
“They can lead to increased rates of anxiety, depression, substance use, and as several people have already mentioned, even suicide,” she continued. “So this is lifesaving care, and we know it works.”
State Rep. Josh Siegel, a Democrat representing Lehigh County, commended council’s efforts and emphasized the need for state-level protections.
“I’ve introduced legislation at the state level to create a shield law around gender and affirming care in Pennsylvania and protect our prosecutors,” Siegel said. “Those bills will never see the light of day because our Republican Senate won’t move them.”
“It is more important than ever now that our local bodies, our counties and our cities speak with one voice to push back on this hateful narrative that the reason for people’s hardship in life is that trans kids wants to belong and play sports with their friends,” he continued.
Mayor Matt Tuerk, also present at the meeting, acknowledged the thousands of transgender people in Allentown and outlined policy changes underway.
“Estimates across the country are that anywhere between 1 and 2% of the population identifies as transgender, which would make the number here in Allentown in the thousands,” Tuerk said. “There are thousands of people that you and I represent who are looking for safety, and that’s our fundamental duty as city leaders.”
“We looked at the five bullet points that you put out there as policy that you’ve started to craft now at the city of Allentown that would prohibit criminal prosecution or administration penalty against individuals who are seeking gender affirming health care” he continued.
City Council unanimously voted to pass the resolution.
“We might not be able to change the world, but maybe we can change Allentown,” said Councilmember Ce-Ce Gerlach.
Ten years after the far-right Law and Justice Party was elected to power in Poland, and two years after their defeat in national elections, a last vestige of the party’s state-sanctioned anti-LGBTQ+ policies has finally been eliminated.
On Thursday, a council in the southeastern Polish town of Łańcut officially abolished the country’s last remaining ‘LGBT-free’ resolution.
The resolution, introduced by the previous government, was one among about 100 that declared local regions “LGBT-free” or banning “LGBT ideology,” barring the “promotion” of homosexuality and other minority sexual identities, especially in schools.
The declarations drew criticism from human rights groups as well as the European Union, which withheld funding from Poland on the grounds the resolutions were discriminatory and breached the multi-national bloc’s fundamental values.
The move resulted in the freezing of billions of Euros worth of funding to Poland.
In 2022, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the effect of the resolutions was a “violation of the dignity, honor, good name and closely related private life of a specific group of residents,” and deemed them unconstitutional.
The court held that Poland has a duty to protect all its citizens, including members of minority groups. In the aftermath, all of the local resolutions were repealed, leaving Łańcut the final holdout in the country.
“Councilors have been taught a lesson not to succumb to propaganda that appeals to their emotions,” said Jakub Gawron, an activist who ran the so-called Atlas of Hate, an interactive online map illustrating the regions with the “LGBT-free” declarations.
European leaders punished Poland for its anti-LGBTQ+ zones
In 2021, the European Commission warned five Polish regions that “declaring LGBTIQ-free/unwelcome territories, workplace or services constitutes an action that is against the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.” Municipalities with those discriminatory policies were notified that they wouldn’t receive funding for infrastructure, environmental initiatives, and other EU-sponsored projects.
Later in 2021, the EU Parliament formally condemned Poland for trying to create “LGBT-free” zones, with lawmakers comparing the policies to “Jew-free” zones that existed in the years before and during World War II.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a State of the Union address the same year that “LGBT-free zones” are “humanity-free zones.”
“They have no place in our Union,” von der Leyen told European lawmakers. “I will not rest when it comes to building a union of equality. A Union where you can be who you are and love who you want – without fear of recrimination or discrimination.”
“Let me be clear: LGBTQ+ rights are human rights — and ‘LGBT-free zones’ have no place in the European Union or anywhere in the world,” Biden posted to Twitter.
The repeal in Poland comes amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation arising in the fellow EU member nation of Hungary, as well as Vladimir Putin’s continued crackdown on LGBTQ+ identity in Russia with his implementation of successively broader anti-“gay propaganda” laws.
Already an outsider, Ugandan refugee Constance fears a plan to integrate hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers into Kenyan society will instead further alienate him and other LGBTQ refugees at a time of rising hostility.
The Shirika Plan, launched by President William Ruto last month, will transform two of the world’s largest refugee camps into open cities and allow the country’s more than 800,000 refugees to finally get jobs, health care and other services.
Under Shirika, which means “coming together” in Swahili, the nearly half-million refugees at the Kakuma camp in the north and the Dadaab camp near the Somali border can choose to leave the settlements to live alongside other Kenyans.
“The idea of integration is good, because it will guarantee refugees a free life and all rights, like any other Kenyan,” said Constance, who runs a safe house for Ugandan LGBTQ refugees. He did not give his last name for safety reasons.
But Constance said groups representing LGBTQ people have not been invited to public forums held in major cities to debate the plan, which was first floated in 2023.
“Unlike other refugees, we have serious concerns about security, health and housing that should be incorporated … But how will we voice these issues when we are not part of the process?” he said.
Kenya’s refugee commissioner John Burugu said all those affected by the Shirika Plan had been invited to comment.
“We have not locked any one or group out of the process,” Burugu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.
“You don’t have to physically attend the public participation forums. We have people, groups and organizations who submitted written memoranda, and we captured their views.”
But organizations defending the rights of LGBTQ refugees fear this vulnerable group is being ignored.
Chance for inclusion
The multi-year Shirika Plan has been lauded by the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR as an opportunity to improve the lives of refugees and create economic opportunities for Kenya.
A Canadian couple planning a destination wedding in gay mecca Puerto Vallarta says they’ve been discriminated against by the beachside hotel where they’d hoped to tie the knot.
Jeremy Alexander and Ryan Sheepwash shared their experience in now-viral videos on Instagram and TikTok.
“Soooo disappointed that my fiancée and I got discriminated against for our wedding plans in Puerto Vallarta by #Sheraton!! Worst of all, they’ve probably done this to countless other same-sex couples.”
The pair had been planning their wedding for months, including a trip to PV to check out prospective venues. They say a tour of the Sheraton Buganvilias Resort won them over, with hospitable staff and a price within their range.
But the couple’s experience with the hotel’s wedding planner deteriorated over a succession of efforts to lock the wedding in. When a quote finally arrived after three months, Alexander and Sheepwash were provided with an outrageous estimate of the bill.
The invoice said 25 deluxe, all-inclusive ocean view rooms would set guests back $970 each; the hotel demanded a $36,000 deposit for half of the rooms.
“It’s not reasonable,” Alexander said. “No one can afford that.”
It was also much more than the hotel had initially quoted the couple. The Sheraton also said they couldn’t accommodate the couple until March of 2027.
Alexander and Sheepwash got engaged in Puerto Vallarta in February 2024.
Shocked at the estimate, the couple decided to ask a straight friend to “request a quote just to see apples to apples what it looks like.”
That inquiry for a hypothetical wedding, planned for the same dates Alexander and Sheepwash wanted, came with a different outcome: a “deluxe package” for 50 people was $8,500, or $254 per person per night, and required a deposit of just $1,700 — on the same dates Alexander and Sheepwash had requested.
“We just feel defeated,” said Sheepwash in the TikTok video. “It’s not fair because we love each other and we really want to get married, and we want to make it special and we want to make it perfect.”
“We felt we’d be indirectly complicit to the system if we’re aware of it and we’re not combating it,” Alexander told NBC News. “That was the major driving factor in us wanting to put the story out there.”
The hotel is a “third-party franchisee” of the Marriott corporation and declined to comment.
Marriott International said in a statement that the company has reached out to the couple “to learn more about their experience and are working with the property to offer a solution.”
“The Sheraton Buganvilias has been active in the LGBTQ community in Puerto Vallarta for years, not only hosting LGBTQ+ weddings and groups but also supporting Pride events in Puerto Vallarta,” the spokesperson said. “Marriott remains steadfast in our commitment to ensure guests are treated with respect and understanding.”
“It’s very clear there’s an issue all the way to the top at this particular Sheraton of homophobia,” Alexander said. Marriott “would need to make some seriously impactful change before I’d be entertaining what they have to say there. They are part of a lot of queer travel alliances, and the actions have to line up with reality, and right now it doesn’t.”
Alexander and Sheepwash aren’t the first to experience the hotel’s discriminatory treatment. “Just Google it,” Alexander advises on Insta.
In 2019, Josh Rimer, a television host and Mr. Gay Canada 2019, and his then-fiancé were turned away from the hotel after choosing it to host their own wedding.
And while researching the hotel, Sheepwash uncovered a TikTok video posted by Daniel Galecio, a wedding planner in Puerto Vallarta, who said the same Sheraton staff member who provided the couple’s inflated estimate told him the resort is currently unable to host same-sex weddings.
“That hotel has a history of years of discrimination, and all the city knows — all the gays know,” Galecio said.
Marriage equality became legal nationally in Mexico in 2022.
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