#BeFierceTakeControl Both on and off the football field, the New York Sharks are beacons of female empowerment and physical strength. These fierce women prioritize their health so they can stay at the top of their game. Because football players are dependent on their body's performance during game time, they need to listen to what it's telling them all the time. Too often, women push through seemingly minor health problems, but ignoring signs that your body isn't tip-top can lead to bigger issues later. Fatigu... read more

LeAnn Rimes’ “You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs” turns 20 this year. 20 Albums 20 Years Later remembers and explores the music that touched us back then and still resonates today. Join A Plus as we take another listen to albums released in 1997 and celebrate their contributions not only to the charts but to our lives.LeAnn Rimes was just bursting onto the scene in 1997, still riding high on the release of her debut album Blue, which — along with the album's title track, a Bill Mack original — was released the year prior. That's when she did something nobody... read more

The famous astronaut isn't just talking the talk, he's walking the walk. If you ask Buzz Aldrin about space exploration, there is nothing more important than taking humans to Mars.Aldrin, who was the second person to ever walk on the moon, has not lost his love for space travel over the years. Now, he's got high hopes for what the next generation of astronauts can do. Aldrin says humans need to explore, to push the boundaries, and that Mars is the next logical destination after the moon. "People ask me all the time why we should go to Mars. Because it's there!"... read more

"Show and stand behind who we are." While the fashion world has been hugely impacted by LGBTQ people throughout its history, it is still not a perfectly inclusive space for all. There is much room for improvement. To find out some of the challenges models who identify as LGBTQ may face in this industry, as well as the ways the fashion world is changing for the better, we spoke to four models —Jesse Leung, Elizabeth Pinzon, Francky L'Official, and Robbie Briskie — from MSA Models. Their insights into this worl... read more

During 'Drag Queen Story Hour' kids and drag queens read, sing, dance and learn it's OK to be different. On a rainy Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn, about a dozen families are gathered in the meeting room of the Cortelyou branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Most parents are seated in plastic chairs around the perimeter; while the kids are cross-legged on a nylon mat on the floor printed with numbers and letters of the alphabet. There's the occasional greeting and bit of small talk until, a little after 2:30 p.m., the star of the show arrives.Ms. B is dressed in a gold jumpsuit with a pattern rem... read more

"It’s not always easy being honest, but I can tell you it’s much easier and more enjoyable being yourself and not living a lie." Trigger warning: This post discusses suicide.Most LGBTQ folks use other people as "beards" — someone used as a cover-up to hide someone's homosexuality — but Ryan O'Callaghan used an entire sport. The 33-year-old former NFL player came out as gay in an OutSports interview yesterday, opening up about how he'd hidden behind the game, how he'd concocted an elaborate plan to take his own life, and how he'd like to inspire others to know that they can be their true selves. O'Callaghan — who pla... read more

Most Americans think their voice doesn't matter, but they're wrong. A Grain of Saul is a weekly column that digs into some of the biggest issues we face as a nation and as an international community in search of reliable data, realistic solutions, and — most importantly — hope. I continue to hear a powerful and damaging myth spreading amongst my friends: people believe their voice doesn't matter.Whether it's a lack of trust in Congress, President Donald Trump, and the media, or a cynical view that corporations and big money control everything, most people... read more

"I’m trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life ... Life is about experiencing new things, and maybe it's time to do that." Each month, our Family Run series profiles amazing families who work together in some capacity. From starting businesses, inventing products, collaborating artistically, and beyond, these family members are making positive contributions to the world together, and strengthening their family bonds in the process. This month, in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, we're doing something a little different in order to highlight the important story of Stephen Habberstad — a man invol... read more

“This work needs to keep continuing." It took a trip abroad and an awareness of her own surroundings to push Mia Nakano to start an oral series project for LGBTQ Asian Americans.A decade ago, Nakano was taking photos of LGBTQ Nepalese people in Nepal. Her work then inspired her to think about what was happening with the community back in the United States. As a queer Japanese-American, she said she felt alone and didn't have a strong community surrounding her in San Francisco, so she wanted to learn how other people find communitie... read more

“You gotta enter in somebody’s world in order to lead them out." The unbreakable bond between mother and child was deeply evident in the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me, which hits theaters nationally on Friday.Through drug addiction, prison, and conflict resonating from life growing up in the 'hood, Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur, were the beating heart each other needed when they fell into darkness. Whether it was the rapper holding his mother up or vice versa, their unconditional love for one another never faltered."Ain't a woman alive that could t... read more

Through a partnership with Child Rescue Coalition, Lively is promoting new technology to fight crime. The Child Rescue Coalition has partnered with law enforcement and activists around the world to stop children from being sexually exploited. Now, they've got Blake Lively in their corner, too.The actress and mother of two is speaking up on behalf of the organization as they move forward on a quest to end child pornography. Lively met Carly Yoost, the CEO and Founder of Child Rescue Coalition, during an event where Yoost was named the 2016 L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth National Honoree."We a... read more

“It takes a special person to be a caregiver. They give up a lot, and they need to be reminded to take some time and space for themselves.” While lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth culture continues to gain momentum in the spotlight, one group too often falls under the radar — aging LGBT people and LGBT caregivers. But advocacy for this community is more important now than ever. After all, there's an estimated 1.5 million LGBT people 65 and over in the U.S., and this number is expected to double by 2030. Additionally, 9 percent of caregivers self-identify as LGBT, according to a 2015 report. This gro... read more

"Those leaders who are partly responsible for the displacement of Syrians, maybe they will feel what it is to be vulnerable." Abdalla Al Omari, a Syrian painter, filmmaker, and performance artist, is painting world leaders as refugees in an effort to humanize the ongoing refugee crisis in his home country while also casting powerful leaders in a vulnerable light.The Vulnerability Series, which is currently on display at Ayyam Gallery Dubai until July 6, 2017, includes paintings of world leaders such as President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is shown looking tir... read more

"Orlando changed forever for the better." Josean Garcia didn't think he could go back to work.The Orlando native, who had recently lost his mother to cancer, was inside Pulse Nightclub during the tragic shooting last year that killed 49 people and injured dozens more. He lost two of his best friends in the attack, Mercedez Marisol Flores and Amanda Alvear, that June 12. As reported by The Washington Post, Alvear, whose Snapchat video of the shooting was seen 3 million times on Facebook, was planning to move to Tampa Bay... read more

"Sometimes you get to the most amazing places by overcoming adversity." With a head full of rainbow curls, Kian Tortorello-Allen might not look like your typical 16-year-old, and that's because he isn't. For starters, he knows exactly what he wants to do when he "grows up" — and is already doing it. "I want to work in music... I really want to study music education in college because I would love to be in that field and community," Tortorello-Allen told A Plus. For him, music is intertwined with activism — something he does every day as part of GLSEN's nationa... read more

“Mubarik’s story is one of the greatest stories of human achievement I’ve ever heard." The first time Mubarik saw a car, he thought the vehicle was a wild animal. He was 8 or 9 years old at the time and growing up in a nomadic community in Somaliland, so it's understandable that Mubarik would mistook one for the other. But what's stunning about Mubarik's story is that he just graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Now, he works on programming autonomous vehicles."Mubarik's story is one of th... read more

Through Glitter + Fire, churches made a visual statement in support of the LGBTQ community. As churches around the world celebrated the Christian holy day of Pentecost last Sunday, at a handful of parishes across the U.S., the service had a little more sparkle than normal. Through an initiative called Glitter + Fire, congregations wishing to make a queer-positive statement were encouraged to add glitter to their celebration as a visual representation of the LGBTQ-affirming nature of their congregation.The Bible verses associated with Pentecost, which is commonly seen as the day that C... read more

The renewed "sanctuary movement" is pushing back against strict immigration laws. All across the country, faith leaders are pushing back against United States immigration policy in favor of a higher law — that of their god. The idea that man-made laws aren't necessarily moral is the foundation of what's known as the sanctuary movement, a movement by people of faith to give shelter and sanctuary to immigrants at risk of deportation. And in an era where some draconian immigration laws will be enforced more regularly, the sanctuary movement is once again gaining steam acro... read more

It reached its Kickstarter goal in just 12 hours. Even standing six inches tall, an action figure version of Elizabeth Warren is nothing short of powerful. With a "righteous fist to fight for the middle class," an "optimistic smile to give us hope," and a "power blazer to topple the patriarchy" — among other aspects — the folks over at FCTRY are giving us someone to look up to and supporting a great cause at the same time.Having been inspired by the moment Warren was silenced by fellow senator, Mitch McConnell, on the Senate floor — with the i... read more