This month's edition of LGBTQ+ Art will focus on YA novelist Adam Silvera, and the novels he has written that have attracted LGBTQ+ readers and supporters from all around the world. He has authored seven books, including two that he co-wrote with Becky Albertalli, and one that will be released in October. Silvera, whose works tend to be focused on homosexual relationships, illustrates various dynamics and accounts of gay couples passing through various phases of life in a variety of genres.

More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera's first book, was released in 2015. It centers on a character named Aaron, who asks himself about his difficulties in accepting happiness, yet believes that doing so shouldn't be difficult. Aaron feels that the Leteo Institute's announcement that they were seeking participants for a memory-altering technique may benefit him, but he is also understandably dubious. We follow him as he learns more about his upbringing, sexuality, and journey to achieve the happiness he so desperately wants.

Silvera's second novel, History Is All You Left Me, was released in 2017. Griffin is the one we follow as we learn early on in the narrative that Theo, his first love, died in a drowning incident. He has a hard time grieving, and his OCD gets worse. Griffin takes us back to their wonderful and romantic times together, as well as the day they had to call it quits due to college. He becomes acquainted with Jackson, Theo's last lover, as he works through his loss. As they continue to discuss their experiences with Theo as a method of supporting one another, Griffin becomes wary when Jackson begins acting strangely. We follow them both as they experience the anguish and healing of losing someone they have loved.

They Both Die at the End is the title of Silvera's third novel. Mateo and Rufus were informed by the Death-Cast that they would be dying today at the beginning of the book. They are strangers who connect on their End Day thanks to the universe and the Last Friend app. Since they will be gone in a day, we watch as they go through their final major experience together. This book's prequel, titled The First to Die at the End, will be released in October 2022.

Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera worked together to produce the fantastic What If It's Us duology. As Arthur and Ben wander through the world, we follow them. They started seeing each other after their chance encounter at the post office and tried to make their relationship work with the aid of Craigslist. We question their relationship as we see them move around one another. The book's sequel, Here's To Us, carries on their narrative as well.

With Silvera's introduction to fantasy, he published the Infinity Cycle series, with two books published to date. It portrays the strain that a magical battle causes on two brothers' relationship as they find themselves at the center of it.

If you want to read any of Adam Silvera's works, I strongly advise having some tissues nearby since it is assured that you will weep uncontrollably. His novels have made a significant contribution to the LGBTQ+ character portrayals and narratives that many youngsters and even adults have long hoped for. The hardships that these homosexual couples experience in public, with their own families, and in their other human interactions are shown in these stories, even though they seem to make us cry more often than grin. May these works of art perhaps fill the voids you perceive or, in the case of Silvera's creations, perhaps reveal the source of your melancholy. That's it for this edition of LGBTQ+ Art and we hope to see you in the next one!

Welcome back to another edition of LGBTQ+ news, where we report on recent issues revolving around the LGBTQ+ community.

To start things off, we head over to Australia, more specifically to its rugby scene. There, seven players of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - a team competing in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) - have withdrawn from a match in the NRL as they refused to wear their club's inclusion jersey. The jersey has rainbow stripes and a rainbow collar in places that are usually left white in order to support LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports and rugby in particular. The players were supposed to wear this jersey for a single upcoming match against the Sydney Roosters, but seven of them argued that wearing the Pride jersey conflicts with their cultural and religious beliefs. The Sea Eagles' coach Des Hasler said, "the players will not play on Thursday and that [the team management] accept their decision."

While the seven players in question have decided not to participate in the match, the rest of the team is set to play the match while wearing the inclusion jerseys as intended. Hasler mentioned that the club did not consult the players in advance about the decision to have them wear the jersey, which he apologized for. "We wish to apologize to the LGBTQ community who embrace the rainbow colors, who use these colors for pride and advocacy and human rights issues," he said.

Peter V'landis, chairman for the Australian Rugby League Commission, said that he understands the decision made by the seven players based on religious and cultural differences, but that he wants to "[push] for inclusion and acceptance in the sport." As of now, the NRL does not have a designated Pride round, but V'landis mentioned that it could be a consideration for future seasons to come. It should be noted that out of all the teams in the NRL, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles were the only team that round planning to wear a pride jersey.

Our next issue this month was quite a surprising piece of news to learn about. The gay son of the republican lawmaker, Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, had confirmed that he married his same-sex partner. This is surprising as just three days prior to their wedding, Thompson had joined the majority of his GOP colleagues in voting against a House bill that would codify federal protections for same-sex marriage. His press secretary, Maddison Stone, called the Respect for Marriage Act "nothing more than an election-year messaging stunt for Democrats in Congress who have failed to address historic inflation and out-of-control prices at gas pumps and grocery stores." Just a week before the nuptials, Thompson himself was one of 157 House Republicans to vote against the bill, but thankfully, 47 of his GOP colleagues joined Democrats to pass the bipartisan measure, so that the Respect for Marriage Act is now being considered by the Senate.

The Senate's vote is yet to happen, but the Democrats would need at least ten of their GOP counterparts to join them in voting yes on the bill in order for the legislation to be sent to the desk of President Joe Biden. As of the moment of writing this article, five Republicans have confirmed a yes vote on the bill, including Rob Portman of Ohio, who declared his support for same-sex marriage in 2013 after his son came out as gay.

Finally, it is time for a more positive piece of news. Disney has now replaced the title of "fairy godmother" with the gender-neutral term "apprentice" at dress-up boutiques at its U.S. theme parks in an effort to be inclusive, according to the parks' websites. This means that cast members at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney parks are no longer called "Fairy Godmothers in Training," but instead they are now called "Fairy Godmother's Apprentices." A reason for this recent change is to give the possibility for cast members who might not identify as female to still be part of the process to dress up and style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character. This new change is just one of several attempts by Disney to make its parks more inclusive, both for their cast members as well as for visitors of the parks.

This is it for this month's news. We hope we can share more (hopefully positive news) with you in the future.