Every day the Good Good Good team collects the best good news in the world and shares it with our community. Here are the highlights for this week!
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The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —
Gay and bisexual men in England are donating blood in record numbers
Thanks to a change in eligibility criteria in England, Scotland, and Wales that was introduced in 2021, more gay and bisexual men are now donating blood than ever before.
In the 1980s, queer men were banned entirely from donating blood, and while the outright ban was lifted, strict rules around sexual activity were still in place. The updated, more inclusive rules allow many more people who’d previously been excluded “to take the opportunity to help save lives.”
A new survey of male blood donors found that 7.5% self-identified as as gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, bicurious, or sexually fluid, a huge rise from 2014, which showed just 1.4% identified as such.
Why is this good news? Blood donation is life-saving, and nobody who can safely give blood should be restricted from doing so. The previous rules around gay men donating blood were outdated and unnecessarily restrictive — and this progress proves that changing those rules has led to a new pool of life-saving donors.
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An overlooked aspect of gender-affirming care, voice lessons help empower trans people
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Same-sex marriage support has grown across all religious affiliations in the last ten years
New data from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that support for same-sex marriage is higher today (65%) than it was in 2015 (53%).
Specifically, support for same-sex marriage is up among all major religious affiliations, including those who identify as White Christian, Christian of color, Non-Christian, and Unaffiliated. The most marked improvement is among White Christians, jumping from 45% to 59% in the last decade.
Additionally, most Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people (72%), with Democrats (90%) being the most supportive, followed by independents (76%) and Republicans (56%).
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The LEGO Foundation pledged $97 million to fund childhood education in conflict zones
Amid rising global conflicts, from Gaza and Ukraine to Iran and South Sudan, an increasing number of children are not only suffering immensely, but they’re also missing out on their education.
The LEGO Foundation just announced a commitment of $97 million to fund the International Rescue Committee’s educational, play-based programs for children in conflict zones.
It’s part of a five-year partnership that will reach 5 million children in East Africa and the Middle East, and remain flexible to bring the IRC’s programming wherever it’s most needed, designed to evolve in real-time alongside conflicts.
Why is this good news? Every child, no matter where they live, deserves to play, learn, and grow in safety — conflicts steal that from children. This much-needed funding will help give them a piece of their childhood back.
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No, everyone is not trans all of a sudden: Debunking 5 harmful myths about LGBTQ+ people in 2026
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The majority of Americans regularly see kindness in their communities
A new Gallup poll surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults and found that most Americans believe kindness is common in everyday life.
Six in ten say they often or very often see people treating others with kindness or respect, while nearly two-thirds report personally experiencing multiple acts of kindness in the previous week.
The survey also found that most Americans are comfortable extending kindness to strangers, with 52% saying they would be very comfortable initiating a kind act, and 38% saying they would be somewhat comfortable. Overall, on a scale from “very kind” to “not kind at all,” three-quarters of Americans described their peers as kind.
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Europe’s largest 3D-printed affordable apartment complex was completed in France in just 34 days
With 12 total affordable housing units, Europe’s — and potentially the world’s — largest 3D-printed apartment building is now complete in France. The building is three floors and was completed in just 34 days.
The developer behind the project printed it next to a similar building that used traditional building techniques, but took three months longer to complete.
The team behind it is already planning another, larger project that will include 40 apartments.
Why is this good news? Traditional construction is expensive and time-consuming. As the housing crisis reaches all corners of the world, 3D-printed solutions reduce the time required to construct more housing supply, and do so at a lower cost.
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You may also like: Tour the eco house of the future: Affordable, 3D-printed, and fully recyclable
‘Bathroom bills’ ignore the existence of intersex people. This activist refuses to be erased
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The majority of Americans trust vaccine scientists
In 2025, Harvard University researchers found that trust in vaccine scientists had declined significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, new data shows that public trust in vaccine scientists has increased across the board. A national survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that a majority of Americans value vaccine scientists as equally credible, self-correcting, unbiased, and beneficial as scientists overall.
Of 1,650 U.S. adults surveyed, 69% of people said they trusted vaccine scientists to act in their best interests, a similar statistic to the amount who trust medical scientists (72%) and scientists in general (70%).
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A new report shows homelessness decreased in California and all across the U.S. last year
Despite the Trump administration’s claims that current policies to address and decrease homelessness aren’t working and need an overhaul, the number of people experiencing homelessness actually decreased nationwide in 2025.
It was the first decrease in homelessness since 2016, with an overall 3.3% drop in homelessness overall in the U.S., and states like California, Illinois, Florida, and New York also saw significant declines.
While the administration attributed the decline to immigration and housing policy shifts, experts quickly pointed out that this progress was due to policies still in place from the Biden administration.
What’s the nuance? The report is based on a single point-in-time count that can be flawed in depicting real-life data around homelessness. Experts acknowledged the progress, saying it reflected “targeted housing and service resources that were available in 2024 to rehouse people,” but a lot of those resources are now at risk.
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This man went viral online after he calmly let a bee sting him and ‘unwind’ its stinger: ‘I had no idea they could survive this’
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An Irish student won a prestigious award for her biodegradable plastic
Arya Satheesh, an 18-year-old student from Ireland, recently worked with researchers at University College Dublin and Atlantic Technological University Letterkenny to develop a new type of biodegradable plastic.
The invention, called “EcoPurge,” doesn’t just replace existing plastics — it also removes existing microplastics from the environment. And it just earned her a winning spot in The Earth Prize 2026.
By winning the global science competition, Satheesh was granted $12,500 of prize funding, which will go towards creating real-world products like packaging and compost bags. She hopes it becomes “a scalable solution that makes a real difference.”
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A California city became the first in the US where voters passed a permanent ban on data centers
Residents of Monterey Park, California just made history, passing the country’s first permanent ban on data centers via a ballot initiative. While the official results won’t be certified until July 10, initial results have an overwhelming 86% of residents voting in favor of the ban.
While city councils have passed moratoriums, this ban is particularly significant since it’s the first to be passed via ballot measure.
The vote comes after a fight to stop a massive data center near a residential neighborhood. The measure had support from all five city council members, but now officially puts future decision-making in the hands of residents.
Why is this good news? Across the country, there has been widespread public backlash to data centers over legitimate concerns around rising power rates, noise levels, water use and contamination, and more. This vote sets a new precedent that others could follow, ensuring the people impacted by data centers have the power.
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7 things you absolutely need to know going into sea turtle nesting season
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Homelessness in Denver decreased for the first time in 9 years
In January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted its annual “Point-In-Time Count,” which tracks the number of people experiencing homelessness across the nation.
The results of that report were just released, with Denver officials finding that homelessness had significantly dropped in their city for the first time in nine years.
From 2025 to 2026, overall homelessness in Denver dropped by 12.5%. Of 6,411 people experiencing homelessness in the city this past January, 92% were in shelters, and 8% were unsheltered. The latter was a 64% decrease from 2023, showing that the number of people “rough sleeping” on the streets has dramatically decreased.
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More good news of the week —
Boston turned a former school into an affordable housing complex for LGBTQ+ seniors. In addition to a rainbow-striped gymnasium floor, The Pryde shows its pride with exhibitions curated with the Boston LGBTQ Museum of Art, History, and Culture, and so much more.
A “queer garden” in New York City is filled with non-binary and sex-changing plants. The “Queer Ecologies Garden” also features historically significant species such as violets and pansies, which both have symbology in LGBTQ+ history and culture.
After a lesbian couple in Florida was ordered to remove a rainbow fence on their property, they sued the city. A lawsuit by the ACLU of Florida argues that the city “selectively enforced” its ordinances against an LGBTQ+ couple.
A district court judge in Kansas granted an injunction that will allow trans residents to access gender-affirming care. The judge acted on behalf of two transgender teenagers, halting a state law which seeks to ban health care for trans youth.
An annual festival in India allows transgender women to celebrate without fear. This year’s festival took place against the background of an amendment to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019, passed in March, which scrapped the right to self-identify gender and introduced medical scrutiny into the legal recognition process.
Despite pushback from churches, a couple in Botswana is leading the charge to legalize same-sex marriage. If they succeed, Botswana would become the second African country to legalise same-sex marriage, after South Africa, which did so in 2006.
For the first time in its 50-year history, Italy’s Catholic Scouts will allow LGBTQ+ scouts to take leadership positions. The Italian Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts was founded in 1974, and is Italy’s largest scouting and guiding association, as well as its largest general youth group.
Harry Styles is giving fans free “Together, Together” tour tickets in exchange for volunteering in the community. A service called Earnt trialed the offer for Styles’ coveted “One Night Only” show in Manchester this past March, too.
To protect the planet and marine life, a captain started using the world’s first emission-free whale watching boat. A sightseeing trip on a diesel boat can emit roughly the same carbon emissions as a single person driving 186 miles in a standard passenger vehicle.
Grammy winner Brandi Carlile raised money for the national parks during a three-day concert in Washington. $1 from every ticket sold at the “Echoes Through the Canyon” at The Gorge Amphitheatre went directly to the National Park Foundation.
A newscaster in Mexico is making LGBTQ+ history by delivering the news in drag. Despite facing death threats, Guillermo Barraza hosts “La Verdrag,” a news program “where minorities turn into a majority.”
Scientists believe they found a way to repair nerve damage in multiple sclerosis. Two experimental drug molecules promoted myelin repair in MS disease models, pointing toward a possible future route for treating nerve damage rather than only suppressing inflammation.
Prince William opened a new mental health center to help men in crisis. “We need to talk more about suicide, talk more about preventing it and talk about getting it [help] to young men and women earlier, so we don’t have to have these centres in the very long run.”
Phoebe Bridgers announced a surprise show at Madison Square Garden, and tickets are just $1 and support immigration justice. Ticket sales support the Community Justice Exchange’s Immigration Bond Freedom Fund, which works to release people from detention centers while their cases are heard.
African countries are increasingly trading coal-powered projects for renewable energy alternatives. Of the 322 energy projects announced across Africa in 2025, 86% were renewable.
Florida scientists are saving frosted flatwoods salamanders, or “frosties,” by rescuing their eggs. One bog-trekking researcher called it a “scavenger hunt” like no other.
Oregon just saw its first California condor more than 120 years after they disappeared from the state. The condor flew into Oregon last month, becoming the first free-flying condor documented since 1904 and signaling progress for the endangered species.
A new method makes ocean water drinkable — and turns the leftover salts into a source for lithium batteries. Scientists at the University of Rochester developed the desalination process using solar-thermal technology.
For the first time, an endangered sea turtle was discovered nesting in Florida. According to researchers, olive ridley sea turtles are typically found in the southern Atlantic, in Brazil, Trinidad, Suriname, and Gabon.
An innovative backpack is protecting farmworkers from extreme heat, and it only costs $20. Created by a nurse and professor, the idea behind the backpack was borrowed from the military and is now being tested in North Carolina’s scorching fields.
Thanks to police reform, a New Jersey city experienced its first “homicide-free summer” in 50 years. Community and activist groups, as well as local media, played a major role in better policing by the Camden County Police Department.
In Australia, two Aboriginal divers faced jail time for harvesting sea urchins — now they’re leading a new coastal restoration project. The Walbunja divers are part of a $1.48 million initiative that supports Aboriginal practices.
The UK’s clean energy industry has led to more than a million jobs, higher wages, and nearly half a trillion pounds worth of investments. Analytics experts said the new data is further proof that clean energy leads to economic growth.
Northern Ireland launched a 100-year plan to save its ancient Celtic rainforest. The first batch of saplings was planted in February and March, with more to come.
A groundbreaking genomic test could spare breast cancer patients from going through chemotherapy. Scientists developed a genomic test that can spot who needs chemotherapy and who doesn’t, enabling doctors to determine which patients can safely skip it and paving the way for a new era of personalised medicine.
Canadian oyster farmers saved a harbor seal pup and transferred her safely to a local aquarium. When a sea otter at the same aquarium struggled to eat, the oyster farmers followed up their rescue with a cooler full of clams and crab.
A new wildlife overpass connects two of Australia’s national parks, helping save a beloved endangered species. The retrofitted bridge includes features for a wide range of species, from rope crossings for gliding marsupials to vegetated pathways for ground-dwelling animals.
Britain had a record year for solar in 2025, with 269,000 installations across homes and businesses. As more homeowners embrace renewable energy, solar installations climbed by 37%.
One of the world’s largest deep-sea coral reefs was just discovered off the coast of Argentina. The 1,000-meter-deep reef boasts a rich ecosystem and is home to dozens of new deep-sea species.
Scientists discovered a record 1,121 species across 13 expeditions in less-explored regions of the ocean. It’s part of a global initiative to accelerate the discovery of marine life and represents a 54% increase from the number discovered in the previous year.
An inventor created a built-in solution to make washing machines stop microplastics. Adam Root developed a filter to trap microfibers both at home and on an industrial scale.
