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Groundbreaking U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein passes away at 90
Dianne Feinstein—the oldest member of the U.S. Senate and the longest-serving senator from California—has passed away at age 90. Feinstein had planned to retire at the end of her 2024 term, according to CNBC. Shecast her ...
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GLAAD: GOP primary debate includes question on anti-LGBTQ+ violence, candidates duck
--From a press release
GLAAD: "Instead of addressing the critical issue of the safety and rights of all Americans, GOP primary candidates ignored the rise in violence and hateful rhetoric aimed at the LGBTQ community and our allies. Several chose ...
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SHOWBIZ Outfest, Halo, 'Sex Education,' trans singer, 'Doctor Who'
Outfest announced that it will honor Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine with the James Schamus Ally Award and trans actress Trace Lysette with the Trailblazer Award at the 2023 Legacy Awards presented by Genesis Motor America, per ...
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NATIONAL Bisexual politicians, DADT, NBJC awards, crimes, Buttigieg
For Bi Visibility Day (Sept. 23), The Advocate ran a piece titled "35 Bisexual Politicians You Should Know." Just a few on the list include trans Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Nevada Assemblymember Cecelia Gonzalez, U.S. ...
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Texas anti-drag law declared unconstitutional
On Sept. 26, U.S. District Judge David Hittner struck down a Texas law that pro-LGBTQ+ advocates feared would ban drag shows in the state and jail performers, NBC News reported. Senate Bill 12, which Republican Gov. ...
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LGBTQ+ player wins WNBA's MVP Award
Breanna Stewart won her second WNBA MVP award after a career-best scoring season in her first season with the New York Liberty, Yahoo! Sports reported. The WNBA posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Stewie averaged 23.0 PPG, ...
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Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes some LGBTQ+ measures and approves others
For California's LGBTQ+ community, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has made things interesting over the last few days. Late last week, Newsom vetoed three progressive measures—including an unexpected rejection of a ...
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Lambda, TLDEF urge 4th Circuit to uphold rulings protecting gender-affirming care in NC, WV
--From a press release
(RICHMOND, VA - Thursday, Sept 21) — Today, a full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit heard arguments in two cases involving equal access to health care for transgender people. State ...
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NATIONAL Sarah McBride, TIME100 lists, Kentucky clerk, suspects arrested
A poll showed that Delaware Democrat Sarah McBridewho is bidding to become the nation's first openly transgender member of Congressleads her primary opponents by a wide margin, The Hill reported. In a survey of likely Democratic ...
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SHOWBIZ John Waters, Madonna, Miriam Margoyles, Angelica Ross, 'Cassandro'
Openly gay film director John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Serial Mom, Cry-Baby) received his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, The Hollywood Reporter noted. (Actors Ricki Lake and Mink Stole as well as photographer Greg Gorman were ...
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Billy Masters: The world is full of amicable separations
"The people had to meet a couple of criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level." Jann Wenner (co-founder ...
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Jann Wenner comments on women and Black musicians, later apologizes
Openly gay Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner apologized for telling The New York Times that, for his book The Masters, he chose interviews with white male musicians who he called the "philosophers of rock" because ...
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SHOWBIZ Kim Petras, LGBTQ+ movies, TIFF, canceled shows, yachts
Video below
Ahead of her Feed the Beast world tour, Grammy-winning international trans pop singer/songwriter Kim Petras has shared reimagined, symphonic, seven-piece string-ensemble performances of fan favorites from her debut album Feed ...
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NATIONAL Lesbian politician, Nancy Pelosi, bomb threat, politician dies, Lyft
Kathy Kozachenkothe first out politician elected to public office in the countrywill be honored with a statue on the 50th anniversary of her historic election, per The Advocate. The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, will honor ...
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MAP reports on obstacles trans people face with healthcare, legal recognition
--From a press release
Today the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) released Banning Medical Care and Legal Recognition for Transgender People, the fifth in MAP's report series, Under Fire: The War on LGBTQ People in America. The report details how the ...
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Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to resume abortions after ruling
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) announced that it will resume abortion-care services Monday, Sept. 18, after a judge ruled in July that an old state law that appeared to ban the procedure does not apply to ...
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Olivia Hill becomes first trans person elected in Tennessee
Olivia Hill is the first openly transgender person ever elected to Nashville's Metro Council, per The Tennessean. And according to LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Hill, 57, is the first transgender woman elected in Tennessee. Hill secured one ...
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Newsom ends California's travel ban against anti-LGBTQ+ states
On Sept. 13, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he signed SB 447 by Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), which ends the state's restriction on taxpayer-funded travel by state agencies and departments ...
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In D.C., Black LGBTQ+ lawmakers protest Nigerian wedding arrests
On Sept. 12, Black LGBTQ+ lawmakersled by Maryland state Del. Gabriel Acevero and D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker, and alongside the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) and other advocacy groupsprotested outside ...
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SAG-AFTRA and WGA join GLAAD in releasing Studio 11th Responsibility Index
--From a press release
HollywoodSept. 14, 2023 — GLAAD released its annual Studio Responsibility Index in a joint press event in Hollywood alongside the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio ...
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Univ. of Alabama condemns fans' racist, anti-gay slurs
The University of Alabama condemned its fans' behavior after they were heard shouting racist and homophobic slurs at three Texas Longhorn players during the football teams' Sept. 9 clash, ABC News reported. In a video that ...
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LGBTQ+ media welcome Press Forward nat'l media funds for local news innovation, survival
--From a press release
[CHICAGO] – Members of News Is Out, a collaborative of six legacy LGBTQ+ media organizations, have expressed support and excitement about the newly announced national Press Forward effort to support local media in the United States. ...
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Billy Masters: Russell Tovey and the new Superman both go to the dogs
"I just can't believe I will be 80 at some point, sooner than I wish. And I will still be wearing my jeans. And I will still be wearing long hair. And I will still be doing the same stuff I've ...
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Chicago Red Stars midfielder selected to Canada Women's National Team
--From a press release
CHICAGOChicago Red Stars midfielder Bianca St-Georges has been called up to join the Canadian Women's National Team (CANWNT) for its upcoming CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying matches in Kingston, Jamaica and Toronto ...
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Dykes to Watch Out For Audible series returns listeners to the '80s
By Ro White
From 1983-2008, Alison Bechdel's comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For captured the drama and hilarity of lesbian life. Now it's been adapted into an Audible Original series that draws parallels between the queer past and ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Sex Education' star, Rotten Tomatoes, Jessica Lange, Queer/Art
Video below
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa officially came out during an interview with Elle UK, according to Out. "I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it ...
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NATIONAL Historic political win, Columbus situation, trans coach, Gold + Williams
Fabian Nelson won a Democratic primary runoff in Mississippi's 66th state House districtand he's now the state's first openly gay legislator, The Guardian noted. (Republicans are not running a candidate for the general election sched ...
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NLGJA: Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists names Hall of Fame honorees
--From a press release
Washington, D.C. — Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced that co-publishers Susan Horowitz and Jan Stevenson, publisher Franco Stevens, and journalist James B. Stewart are the 2023 inductees ...
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Openly gay football player Carl Nassib retiring at 30
On Sept. 6, openly gay free agent defensive end Carl Nassib announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons, Sports Illustrated reported. Nassibwho played for the Cleveland Browns, the Las Vegas Raiders and twice for ...
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Billy Masters: Billy unlocks the DaVinci Code
"Mmmkay! And I'm 110lbs and a virgin! I'm not a scale or a doctor but I have spent some time beneath 215 lb. men and Tiny was not one of them." —Stormy Daniels' Tweet about the alleged weight of the former president. ...
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Matthew Shepard film to be shown ahead of 25th anniversary of his death
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death, a new two-hour documentary has been announced to honor the posthumous impact made by the gay college student who died after being abducted, beaten and left for ...
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Judge halts Texas' ban on drag performances
U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas David Hittner has stopped the state's ban on drag performanceswhich was scheduled to go into place on Sept. 1enforcing a temporary injunction, media outlets reported. A coalition ...
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Rapinoe's last international match to take place in Chicago on Sept. 24
Lesbian soccer icon and two-time Women's World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe will play her last professional match against South Africa on Sunday, Sept. 24, in Chicago, U.S. Soccer announced. The match (scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT) ...
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New women's pro hockey league to launch in 2024
The new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) has been officially unveiled, according to ESPN. There will be six inaugural franchises and a 24-game regular season that begins in January. The PWHL will feature three teams in ...
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SHOWBIZ Military drama, Janelle Monae, Conan Gray, Dylan Mulvaney, Whoopi
The LGBTQ+ military drama Eismayer (from Dark Star Pictures and Golden Girls Film) will be out in theaters on Oct. 6, and on DVD and Digital on Oct. 10, per a press release. The plot is ...
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NATIONAL Sorority suit, trans woman's win, school policy, activist honored
U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson dismissed a civil lawsuit against Kappa Kappa Gamma and Artemis Langfordthe first openly trans woman to join a sorority at the University of Wyoming, according to Oil City News. Johnson ...
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Bisexual ex-'Bachelorette' contestant: Hacker posted false death report
Josh Seiter, a former contestant on ABC's "The Bachelorette," posted a video on Aug. 29 saying reports of his death were due to someone hacking his Instagram account, according to NBC News and TMZ, among others. ...
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Gilbert Baker Foundation reacts to death of shop owner who flew the rainbow flag
--From a press release
In response to the murder of Laura Ann Carleton over flying the Rainbow flag in her shop in California, the Gilbert Baker Foundation released the statement below. Facebook refused to post the statement as it did not "...meet their standards." ...
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Billy Masters: The fine line between sonnets and restraining orders
"It exploded in my mouth. I wasn't expecting that." Nya on the "And Just Like That..." season finale, after she "ate the black one." Oh, that Michael Patrick Kingso clever. People these days are very quick ...
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New guidelines increase HIV antiretroviral options
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is expanding its recommendation for HIV antiretrovirals because more options are available on the market, according to MedScape. The guidance, published Aug. 22 in JAMA, updates the group's prev ...
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March on Washington remembered, Kierra Johnson of the National LGBTQ Task Force among speakers
--From a press release
The 60th anniversary of the March on Washington was observed on Aug. 26, 2023. Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force was among those who spoke. ...
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Musician Carlos Santana deletes apology after anti-trans rant
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana took down an apology he posted on his Facebook page after a viral video emerged showing him saying transgender people should stay "in the closet" while performing ...
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NATIONAL James Baldwin Awards, archdioceses, school items, 'RuPublicans'
On Aug. 21, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) hosted the 3rd Annual James Baldwin Legacy Awards to honor the contributions of Black men and masculine elders within the Black LGBTQ+/same gender loving (SGL) movement and ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Bros,' Lady Gaga, Zaya Wade, Idina Menzel, actor dies
According to an annual report by USC's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, 80% of all transgender characters in the 100 top-grossing movies of 2022 were in one movie—Bros, Out reported. The study revealed that in the top 100 ...
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Sha'Carri Richardson wins gold at world track-and-field championships
LGBTQ+ sprinter Sha'Carri Richardsonwho has dominated the 100-meter race this yearwon gold at the world championships on Aug. 21 in Budapest, Hungary. Richardson ran the distance in 10.65 seconds, besting ...
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Court allows anti-trans youth healthcare ban in Alabama
On Aug. 21, a three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court judge's temporary injunction against Alabama's law banning gender-affirming care for people under 19, The Hill reported. The development ...
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Billy Masters: Does Nick Jonas owe Billy a thank you?
"I went to an English boarding school, dear. Trust me—you're in good hands." —The Prince's response to his inexperienced Yank in Red, White & Royal Blue. Picture it—your beloved Billy, lauded, admired, some might even say ...
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Federal Judge issues injunction restoring health care for Georgia transgender children
--From a press release
ATLANTAA federal judge issued a preliminary injunction late Sunday halting a provision in Georgia Senate Bill 140 ("SB 140," the "Health Care Ban," or the "Ban") from taking effect while a lawsuit filed by four Georgia ...
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Calif. store owner killed over Pride flag display
In California, Cedar Glen business owner Laura Ann Carleton was shot and killed after a dispute over the Pride flag she'd displayed outside her shop, The Advocate reported. Authorities received a report that someone had been ...
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World premiere of Lil Nas X documentary announced
Lil Nas X (aka Montero Hill) and TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival) have announced the world premiere of the out gay Grammy-winning rapper/singer/songwriter's documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live ...
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'A League of Their Own' cancelled; second season not filming
Prime Video is not moving forward with the previously ordered second and final season of comedy-drama A League of Their Own, which is about a WWII-era women's professional baseball team, according to Deadline. The show's fate ...
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SHOWBIZ Variety event, Saucy Santana, Liberace, 'Kokomo City,' Robin Roberts
Videos below
Variety held its 2023 Power of Young Hollywood event honoring actress Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria; The White Lotus), out actor Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things) and LGBTQ+ musician Steve Lacy, per a press release. A few of the ...
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NATIONAL Lawsuit, trans activist passes, murder suspect, panic defense, Baylor Univ.
A federal district court in Tucson granted the plaintiffs' request to certify a class action in a case challenging Arizona's requirement that transgender people must have surgery to change the gender marker on their birth certificates, ...
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N.C. legislators override governor's veto of three anti-trans youth bills
On the evening of Aug. 16, the North Carolina legislature's Republican supermajority overrode vetoes from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper regarding several billsincluding three that target transgender youth, CNN reported. The ...
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Billy Masters: Billy marks his 'orchid' (28th) anniversary
"I am disappointed, but keeping with my mission of supporting the LGBTQ+ family, any potential or future money made from this sale will be donated to LGBTQ+ organizations." —Jodie Sweetin's response when she found out her ...
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LGBTQ+ ally Dwyane Wade inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame
Legendary NBA player Dwyane Wade (who played with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls) was officially inducted into the 2023 class of the Hall of Fame. Wade and Dirk Nowitzki were among those ...
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NATIONAL Medical news, Fauci's successor, O'Shae Sibley, Grindr, trans death
The American Academy of Pediatrics again expressed its support for gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors, The Advocate reported. In an unanimous vote, the group's board of ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Scream,' 'Paris Is Burning,' Shea Coulee, Noah Schnapp, Broadway
Gay film director Christopher Landon—who's helmed Happy Death Day and Freaky—will take the reins of the next Scream movie, Out noted. While Landon usually also writes the projects he directs, it is not known if he ...
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Openly gay AMA president Ehrenfeld tackles pressing physician challenges
Milwaukee-based anesthesiologist Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, this past June became the first openly gay individual to take on the role of president of the American Medical Association (AMA). "While I didn't run as an LGBTQ candidate, I ...
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New HRC data: LGBTQ+ youth still lack critical support and acceptance
From a press release: WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in partnership with the ...
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Abortion-rights supporters score victory in Ohio
On Aug. 8, abortion-rights advocates won a crucial victory in Ohio, as voters defeated a measure that would have made the push to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution more difficult. The proposal known as ...
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Matthew Lopez salutes the Red, White, & Royal Blue
The new movie Red, White, & Royal Blue shines with a rainbow of colors thanks to the queer-focused storyline and diverse team involved in bringing non-binary author Casey McQuiston's first New York Times best-selling novel to ...
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40% of Florida parents surveyed want to leave the state because of the Don't Say Gay law
--From a press release
New research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and Clark University finds 40% of Florida parents surveyed said they would like to move out of Florida—20% very much so and 19% somewhat—because of ...
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Wayne Brady comes out as pansexual
Actor/singer/game-show host Wayne Brady has opened up about his sexuality, according to a Deadline item that cited People Magazine. "I am pansexual," Brady told People. "Bisexualwith an open mind." The entertainer said he had been researching ...
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MOVIES 'Red, White & Royal Blue' to debut Aug. 11 on Prime Video
The LGBTQ+ movie Red, White & Royal Bluebased on the New York Times best-seller by Casey McQuistonwill premiere globally Friday, Aug. 11, exclusively on Prime Video. The plot is as follows: Alex Claremont-Diaz (played by Taylor ...
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Billy Masters: Ricky Martin takes it slow
"You guys were talking earlier about the news cycle and getting sick of it, and it's so hard to hear about it. I hope that 'Taste the Nation' is an anecdote to that." - Padma Lakshmi probably means to say "antidote" ...
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Sami White rules as king on Worst Cooks
Sami White is taking a whisk by competing on season 26 of Food Network's Worst Cooks in America and hopefully, it all pays off. She goes out of the frying pan and into the fire while navigating the new theme of ...
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Gay opera star, husband plead guilty to sexual assault
David Danielsone of the opera world's most well-known countertenorsand husband Scott Walters pled guilty in a Houston district court to drugging and raping a young vocalist, grad student Samuel Schultz, in 2010, NPR reported. Schultz was ...
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Teen suspect arrested in killing of gay dancer
The New York Police Department arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley, who was attacked last weekend at a Brooklyn gas station. According to The Advocate, Sibley, a professional dancer, had been ...
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Suspect arrested in the murder of O'Shae Sibley, GLAAD comments
--From a press release
(New York, NY - August 4, 2023) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to news that the 17-year-old suspect in the stabbing death of 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley has been arrested in New ...
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NATIONAL Drag news, HIV-bias lawsuit, Disney, Brittney Griner, gay dancer
Swastika flag-toting neo-Nazis, some of them armed, were at a Wisconsin LGBTQ+ Pride celebration that included a drag show, The Advocate reported. Members of the neo-Nazi extremist group Blood Tribe joined other right-wing hate groups, like ...
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SHOWBIZ Tyler Perry, marriages and splits, Beyonce, strikes, Sinead tribute
Videos below
Tyler Perry has offered $100,000 to anyone with information that leads to a conviction in the murder of 24-year-old Black queer musician Josiah "Jonty" Robinson, according to Out. An autopsy concluded that the cause of Robinson's ...
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Florida to now allow AP psychology to be taught after anti-LGBTQ+ flap
UPDATE: The Florida Department of Education said over the weekend of Aug. 5 that it will now allow the full curriculum for an advanced placement (AP) psychology class to be taught to high school students, The Advocate reported. ...
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Okla. anti-trans order narrows gender definitions
In yet another attack on transgender people, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has directed state agencies to use narrow definitions of "female" and "male," according to NBC News. Stitt signed the executive order surrounded by women from ...
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USAID releases first-ever LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development Policy
--From a press release. Video below
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has released the agency's first-ever LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development Policy. The Policy guides USAID's commitment to advancing LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development and the human rights ...
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