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Openly gay experimental artist/filmmaker Kenneth Anger dies at 96
Experimental filmmaker and artist Kenneth Anger has died at age 96. According to Variety, his gallery—Sprueth Magers, operated by Monika Spruth and Philomene Magers—confirmed the news on their website, writing ...
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SHOWBIZ Cynthia Erivo, 'Next Level' winner, 'All Out,' Madonna, Omar Ayuso
LGBTQ+ actor Cynthia Erivo will star in a film adaptation of the theater sensation Prime Facie, Variety noted. Oscar nominee Erivo will take on the role originated on the West End (and, currently, on Broadway) by ...
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WORLD Spain, South Korea festival, Eurovision, marriage items, Sri Lanka
Spain became the latest country to join a U.S. initiative that seeks to promote LGBTQI+ rights around the world, The Washington Blade reported. "Promoting and protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ...
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Chicago Filmmakers to present Reeling Pride Month Film Showcase
--From a press release
Chicago Filmmakers is thrilled to announce the Reeling Pride Month Film Showcase, a special program celebrating Pride Month this June. Presented by MUBI, this showcase is a prelude to the highly anticipated Reeling: The 41st Chicago ...
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Filmmaker Laura Moss brings 'birth/rebirth' to life
Non-binary filmmaker Laura Moss, who uses they/them pronouns, likes to tackle projects that break away from societal norms. Moss' first feature, titled birth/rebirth, and tells the story of a single mother and a morgue technician bound ...
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Doug Plaut serves up The Sixth Reel
Performer Doug Plaut's career highlights the queer side of life. From the breakout role of gender-fluid Terry in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to the upcoming third installment playing Rex in Hurricane Bianca: All Roots of Evil, ...
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Trace Lysette: Film festival hit 'Monica' brings a story of trans resilience to the screen
Trans performer Trace Lysette grew up in Dayton, Ohio before moving to New York City to pursue a new life. Her television debut on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2013 made her one of the first trans people to ...
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WORLD Turkish president, former congressman dies, Polish case, Uganda, sports
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again attacked the country's LGBTQ+ community in a bid to rally his conservative voters before the May 14 election, france24.com noted. Polls showed Erdogan—whose campaign is dealing with an economic crisis ...
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SHOWBIZ Nathan Lane, Marvel, 'Guardians,' Deborah Cox, Provincetown film fest
Wanda Sykes' 'I'm an Entertainer' trailer below
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics named Nathan Lane its Timeless Star for 2022-23, per a press release. "Nathan Lane is an icon of stage and screen, a master of both drama and comedy, and ...
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SHOWBIZ Barry Manilow, 'The Kardashians,' gay Marine drama, Tonys, 'Unleashed'
The Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman production Harmony will make its Broadway bow in the 2023-24 season, beginning performances Oct. 18 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, with opening night on Nov. 13, according to Playbill. The musical—featuring music ...
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WORLD Student freed, Dutch rally, Kenyan bill, Kumbia Queers, 'Thrones' actor
After being detained for two weeks over accusations of violating President Vladimir Putin's so-called "LGBT propaganda" law, queer Chinese student/social-media figure Haoyang Xu was freed from Russian prison, GCN reported. ...
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LGBTQ+ movie 'The Conformist' to open at Music Box on May 13
Kino Lorber will present a new 4K restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1970 LGBTQ+ masterpiece The Conformist—and it will open Saturday, May 13, at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., for one weekend only. The ...
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Chaz Bono talks about bringing the chills in horror movie 'Bury the Bride'
"I've seen this movie before. It ends bad." The above line is uttered by one of the characters in the Tubi original movie Bury the Bride. However—even though the film features some horror-movie constants like young, ...
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SHOWBIZ Lily Tomlin, Daniel Craig, Lizzo, 'Noah's Arc,' Maurice Jamal, 'Heartstopper'
Video below
The Peabody Awards announced that Lily Tomlin and Issa Rae will receive honorary awards at the June 11 ceremony, to be held in Los Angeles for the first time in Peabody's 83-year history, per the Hollywood ...
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GALECA to also honor achievements in theater
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced it is expanding its mission to honor Broadway and off-Broadway productions, across various inaugural categories, beginning with the current 2022-23 theater season. ...
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Singer/actor/LGBTQ+ ally Harry Belafonte dies at 96
Actor/singer/civil-rights icon Harry Belafonte died at age 96 of congestive heart failure, according to Yahoo! Among the most honored performers of his era, Belafonte won two Grammy Awards (and the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in ...
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WORLD Hungarian bill, Biden's visit, HIV study, trans athlete ousted, Prince Harry
Video below
Hungarian legislators passed a bill that enables citizens to report anonymously on same-sex couples who raise children to authorities, Bloomberg reported. Hungary's constitution protects the institution of marriage as a formation "between one man and ...
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SHOWBIZ Janelle Monae, 'SNL,' EDM pioneer, Culture Club, Kim Petras, Wilson Cruz
Videos below
Janelle Monae has re-entered the musical realm with the release of her single, "Float," featuring horns by Seun Kuti + Egypt 80, a press release announced. The song was first heard late last year as the ...
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Good golly, Miss Cortes honors Little Richard in a big way
The new documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything held a big one-night-only premiere at Gene Siskel Film Center on April 13, the first 2023 film screened for the Doc10 Film Festival, Chicago's only all-documentary festival. Known ...
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WORLD Hungarian law, French official, anti-Uganda protest, Rahm Emanuel
Germany and France are joining the EU Commission's infringement proceedings against Hungary over its anti-LGBTQ+ law, according to NBC News. The European Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU in mid-2022 over ...
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SHOWBIZ Big Freedia, Hannah Gadsby, Billy Porter, Matthew Camp, 'League' ending
Video below
Netflix released a music video with rapper and "Queen of Bounce Music" Big Freedia remixing Netflix's Strong Black Lead series "Hey, Queen" in time for the release of Netflix and Shondaland's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, ...
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SHOWBIZ Trans musicians, NHL, 'Queen Charlotte,' Jinkx Monsoon, Anderson Cooper
The Face published an article about five trans musicians who should be on people's playlists. British queer nightlife legend Mya Mehmi said that those musicians include New York's Ms Boogie, London-based Harve, Arca, Ms. Carrie Stacks ...
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Pride Film Fest announces streaming features, shorts, in-person screenings for April, May
--From a press release
CHICAGO — Pride Film Fest has announced its slate of LGBT-themed feature, mid-length and short films through early June. In making the announcement, Pride Film Fest Director David G. Zak said, "This spring, Pride Film Fest ...
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GLAAD Media Awards held; Christina Aguilera, Bad Bunny, 'Bros' among honorees
On March 30 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, GLAAD announced recipients for 15 of this year's 33 categories for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, per a press release. Christina Aguilera ...
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WORLD Grindr in Egypt, police report, queer tango, Human Rights Watch, Gay Games
Dating app Grindr is warning its users in Egypt that police are allegedly using fake accounts to entrap those seeking dates on the platform, after a spike in recent arrests of LGBTQ+ people, MSN noted via ...
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SHOWBIZ Coming-out film, James Baldwin, Madonna, 'White Lotus,' women's soccer
Director/co-writer Shariff Nasr's intimate coming-out drama El Houb will be out on Digital and DVD on April 4 via Dark Star Pictures (and in L.A. theaters on April 7), per a press release. The film's decorated ...
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Being BeBe documents life of first RuPaul's Drag Race winner
On the evening of March 9, the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University presented a screening of Emily Branham's documentary Being BeBe, the story of Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa, a.k.a. Benet, the first winner of ...
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WORLD Venezuela code, Oxfam, Bosnia items, 'Brokeback,' Pope Francis
Venezuela's Supreme Court annulled a controversial part of the military justice code that had criminalized same-sex relations within the armed forces, the outlet Punch noted. The court annulled the provision, which had provided for a penalty ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Joy Ride,' Cynthia Erivo, David Bowie, March Madness, Kevin Bacon
Video below
The first trailer for the upcoming comedy Joy Ride has been released, Out noted. The movie stars Ashley Park, queer Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once), bisexual comedian Sherry Cola (Good Trouble) and ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Black Adam,' Cyndi Lauper, Sondheim, Oscars, OutFest
Cultured Magazine recently profiled Quintessa Swindell—who became the first out, non-binary actor to play a lead superhero in the DC universe when they portrayed Cyclone in the 2022 movie Black Adam. Swindell grew up in Virginia ...
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SHOWBIZ Little Richard, Indigo Girls, Rodriguez's honor, dance film, Pedro Pascal
Video below
Produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment for CNN Films and HBO Max, in association with Rolling Stone Films, director Lisa Cortes' Sundance opening-night documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything will debut in theaters and on VOD ...
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Billy Masters: Raunchier Uncoupled on the rebound with Showtime
"I never liked when she did this in concerts either. I don't like when females are overly sexualized in art. It degrades and objectivy's [sic] women in a way that's not healthy." —TJ Jackson on reports ...
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SHOWBIZ Wanda Sykes, Jonas Brothers, 'Queen of Versailles,' 'Bloodshed'
Adam Lambert video below
Award-winning comedian Wanda Sykes' new comedy special, I'm An Entertainer, will premiere globally on Netflix on May 23, a press release announced. The special, directed by Linda Mendoza, was filmed in early February 2023 at Philadelphia's ...
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Queerties honor LGBTQ+ creatives at Feb. 28 event
The 11th Annual Queerties Awards—which recognizes LGBTQ+ creators, tastemakers, storytellers and newsmakers—took place Feb. 28 at Eden Sunset in Los Angeles. Hosted by drag comedian Bianca Del Rio, the ceremony ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Bob's Burgers,' P!nk, sports items, Billy Porter, Ben Platt
Animated sitcom Bob's Burgers marked another major milestone with its 250th episode. Gay actor/comedian/musician John Roberts (who voices Linda Belcher) talked with Queerty and said that one of the most important lessons he's learned from ...
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'Everything' sweeps The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics 14th Dorian Film Awards
--From a press release
GALECA,The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, has named A24's fantastical and affecting family relationship drama Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022's Film of the Year—and then some—in its 14th Dorian ...
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At 'FIRST(ISH)' Sight: Producer Ashley Flowers speaks on 'honest' representation
Ashley Flowers—a producer, co-creator and actor in the short film First(ish) Date, now in pre-production—wears many creative hats. She also has an extensive resume working with stage and film props as well; Flowers has been working ...
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SHOWBIZ Black queer films, Janet Jackson, Paramore, WNBA, GALECA contest
Queerty ran a piece on 10 films that celebrate Black queer love. Some of them include The Skinny (with Jussie Smollett), Dee Rees' movie Pariah, the Oscar-winning Moonlight, the Marlon Riggs classic Tongues Untied, Brother to ...
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Goran Stolevski grows up fast with Of an Age
Openly gay filmmaker Goran Stolevski is a triple threat: He handled directing, writing and editing chores for his new project, Of an Age, which Focus Features is now distributing. The film is already taking home trophies ...
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SHOWBIZ Isaac Mizrahi, Viola Davis, Laura Jane Grace, Elton John, GLAAD
On Sherri Shepherd's talk show, entertainer/fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi said he'd love for out actor Dan Levy to portray him in a potential biopic based on Mizrahi's memoir, I.M., The Wrap noted. "Dan Levy, OK," Mizrahi ...
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SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, Alan Cumming, Andre Leon Talley, AIDS drama
Openly gay stand-up comic and recent Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael is set to star in a comedy documentary series for HBO, according to Entertainment Weekly. The yet-untitled series will center on Carmichael's personal life, following ...
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SHOWBIZ Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, tennis items, Oscars, Queerties
Famed children's entertainers The Wiggles sent parents into a frenzy when they posted a photo with out rapper Lil Nas X to their Instagram account and wrote, "New collab in the wind?," according to LGBTQ Nation. ...
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Director Lukas Dhont's Oscar-nominated drama gets 'Close' to audiences everywhere
Belgian director Lukas Dhont's new French-language film Close—a nominee for Best International Feature Film for the 95th Annual Academy Awards—tells the touching story of two 13-year-old best friends, Leo (Eden ...
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Billy Masters: George Santos gets to be a real drag, and all the dish you need
"If you're an enemy of drag, you're an enemy of mine." —George Lopez criticizes Ron DeSantis' "War on Drag Queens." There are some stories I try to stay away from, and that includes George Santos—if I ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Planet Sex,' Critics Choice Awards, Madonna, Theo James
The show Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne will debut on Hulu on Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day), Out noted. Planet Sex is a six-episode docuseries following the model/actress. "On this immersive journey, she puts her mind and ...
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Controversial conversion therapy doc has its Chicago premiere
Chronicle Cinema presented the celebrated and controversial documentary film Conversion in its Chicago premiere on Jan. 12. The nearly sold-out premiere, which took place at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, also featured a red-carpet experience and ...
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SHOWBIZ Indigo Girls, LGBTQ+ films, GALECA nods, Jeremy Pope
Indigo Girls will perform at an opening-night celebration for the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 19 in Park City, Utah, Variety reported. The Grammy-winning lesbian folk-rock duo are debuting their new documentary, It's Only Life After All, ...
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Black LGBTQ+ film festival among Chicago NEA grant recipients
The Black Alphabet Film Festival—the world's oldest Black LGBTQ+-focused event of its kind—was part of the first round of grant recipients from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), receiving $20,000. In a press release, Black ...
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SHOWBIZ Diversity report, Dave Bautista, Leslie Jordan, greatest singers
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's latest "Inclusion in the Director's Chair" report analyzes the gender and race/ethnicity of the directors behind last year's 100 highest-grossing movies in the country, while the San Diego State Center ...
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SHOWBIZ Best in theater, TV, film and music; Obama's favorites; 'Glass Onion'
Deadline's Broadway critic revealed his picks for the best of 2022. Leopoldstadt topped his list, but other productions included Kimberly Akimbo, Some Like It Hot, Into the Woods, Hangmen, Ain't No Mo', A Strange Loop, Topdog/Underdog, ...
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Billy Masters: All the retrospective you'll need to show 2022 the door
"He doesn't like gay people. Doesn't want them in Russia. And then he's got the wonderful basketball player and he won't let her out. Make up your mind! He's always acting so butch and strutting around. You know what that ...
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SHOWBIZ Janelle Monae, Harvey Guillen, Whitney Houston, 'Drag Race,' Greg Berlanti
Janelle Monae has teased a new album, joking that they now has a "clone" for music who has been hard at work in the studio, NME noted. Monae—whose leading part as Helen Brand in the new Glass Onion: ...
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WORLD Scottish pro-trans law, Ukrainian bill, trans activist, Olympics
On Dec. 22, Scotland's parliament approved disputed reforms that make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender, including removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and lowering the minimum age ...
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SHOWBIZ Best and worst films, Broadway, Adam Lambert, 'Proud Family,' women's hockey
IndieWire revealed its list of the best LGBTQ+ films and TV series of 2022. Just some of the selections included Benediction, Bros, Do Revenge, Fire Island, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Inspection, Los Espookys, P-Valley, ...
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SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, 'Heartstopper,' Lena Waithe, Gyllenhaal, Cher
Out comedian Jerrod Carmichael will host the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Deadline reported. After a yearlong hiatus, the three-hour telecast will air on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on NBC and ...
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WORLD Mexican report, Kristen Stewart, Elton John, Netanyahu
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) launched the sixth annual HRC Equidad MX: Programa Global de Equidad Laboral—a survey evaluating LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion within major Mexican businesses and multinationals, a press ...
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'Art and Pep' documents the accomplishments by and love between Chicago activists
While giving a speech at a party early in the new documentary Art and Pep, activist and Sidetrack co-owner Arthur Johnston says, "The only ones we gay people can rely on is each other." Art and ...
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Filmmaker reworks locally-produced holiday film Scrooge & Marley for upcoming stage reading
It's been 10 years since Chicago writer/musician/perfomer Richard Knight, Jr. co-directed and co-wrote the LGBTQ+ holiday film Scrooge & Marley. "One of the most memorable nights of my life was the premiere at the Music Box, ...
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Actor Colby Minifie portrays an unfamiliar 'Homebody' in new film
Actor Colby Minifie inhabits a whole new 'Homebody' in new film By Matt Simonette The new film Homebody, featuring actor Colby Minifie (The Boys, Jessica Jones) and helmed by gay director Joseph Sackett, initially seems to ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Bros,' awards, Bjork, video-game love story, 'White Lotus'
The gay rom-com film Bros started streaming on Peacock on Dec. 2, Out noted. Written by Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller (and directed by the latter), Bros was produced by Judd Apatow and starred Eichner along with an all-LGBTQ+ ...
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Billy Porter receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
On Dec. 1, award-winning actor/director/singer/playwright Billy Porter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "I'm just so blessed and so grateful to be here," he said, according to KTLA. "James Baldwin said, 'It's an ...
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SHOWBIZ Elton John, Leslie Jordan, Joel Kim Booster, Janelle Monae
Elton John gave Los Angeles concluded a three-show run on Nov. 20 back inside Dodger Stadium, taking a final bow as part of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The concert ...
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SHOWBIZ Grammy nominees, Gabrielle Union, Trevor Noah, Brendan Fraser
Out Magazine compiled a list of some of the 2023 LGBTQA+ Grammy nominees. Among those on the list were Brandi Carlile (who earned another seven Grammy nominations this year, raising her career total to 25), Lady ...
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Hong Kong lesbian romance premieres at local film festival
Hong Kong Lesbian Romance Premieres At Film Festival by Vernon Hester �As part of the semi-annual Asian Pop-Up Cinema Film Festival, which ran from September 10 through November 6, The First Girl I Loved had its ...
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SHOWBIZ Queer channel, gay actor dies, Jeopardy!, Luke and Chris Evans
Fuse Media—a Latino-owned, multiplatform entertainment company—announced that in partnership with OUTtv, it is expanding its suite of DEI FAST channels with the launch of the channel OUTtv Proud, per a press release. Set for a 2023 ...
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Actress Rebel Wilson gets engaged, announces birth of first child [UPDATE]
Actress Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) is engaged to girlfriend Ramona Agruma after dating for seven months, according to Page Six. ...
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SHOWBIZ Nathan Lane, gala, Beyonce, Kevin Aviance, Henry Cavill, Shania
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Nathan Lane is returning to Broadway this winter to star in the debut run of Pictures of Home, per The Hollywood Reporter. Based on the photo memoir by Larry Sultan of the same name and adapted ...
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WORLD World Cup, Ukraine president, purge survivors, Eddie Izzard
Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Qatar's ambassador to the UK, said LGBTQ+ couples visiting the country for the World Cup can "hold hands" but should be mindful of "public displays of affection," according to PinkNews. He told ...
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Sheryl Lee Ralph producing HIV/AIDS documentary
Recent Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph has signed on to produce Unexpected, a documentary short about women of color living with HIV in the South, Variety reported. Directed by Zeberiah Newman, the film will chronicle Masonia ...
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The Chicago International Film Fest's OutLook Series: Bigger, better, bolder in 2022
The Chicago International Film Festival has presented moving pictures from around the world to the public for 58 years after being founded in 1964 by openly gay graphic artist Michael Kutza. During Oct. 12=23, cinephiles were ...
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'Will & Grace' actor Leslie Jordan dies in car accident
Leslie Jordan—the openly gay actor who rose to fame on Will & Grace as the frenemy of Megan Mullally's Karen Walker and was immediately recognizable by his Southern accent—died in a single-car crash in Hollywood on ...
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SHOWBIZ 'P-Valley,' Dan Levy, trans/non-binary panel, Christina Aguilera, Spirit Day
Video below
Starz has renewed the show P-Valley (the network's most-watched series) for a third season, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The renewal for the series from creator/showrunner Katori Hall arrives more than two months after the sophomore season ...
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Chicago History Museum to host 'Supreme Models' screening Nov. 4
The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum will host the official Midwest screening of Supreme Models and an exclusive in-person celebration on Friday, Nov. 4, 5:30-9:30 p.m. at The Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark ...
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Spacey sobs on stand during trial, blames publicist for apology to Rapp
Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey became visibly distraught in a New York City courtroom on Oct. 17, breaking down as he blamed his publicist for convincing him to publicly apologize to Anthony Rapp in 2017 after ...
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WORLD Brittney Griner, Montenegro Pride, Nobel Prize winners, Brazilian film
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(NOTE: This week's news contains some graphic details. Please be advised.) Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said that lesbian WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who are being ...
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