In yet another blow to civil rights during the Trump era, members of the Supreme Court are now declaring that gay marriage is an attack on “religious liberty” and is “hurting people’s lives”. The anti-gay opinions came from justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. after the court declined to hear the case of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis (who was famously jailed for refusing to do her job after gay marriage was legalized.) While the two supported not hearing Davis’ case, they followed up by stating, “Davis may have been one of the first victims of this court’s cavalier…
Author: Keith Langston
The alt-right hate group “The Proud Boys” have been fueled by Trump’s hateful words, especially after his call to “stand by” at the first presidential debate. However, Star Trek actor and social media guru George Takei had a brilliant idea for Twitter, posting this: “What if gay guys took pictures of themselves making out with each other or doing very gay things, then tagged themselves with #ProudBoys. I bet it would mess them up real bad. #ReclaimingMyShine” From there, the LGBTQ community took to Twitter and went wild posting everything from photos of their weddings, to their spouses, hilarious…
Martin Jenkins used to play professional football for the Seattle Seahawks. After that, he entered into a career of politics and law, serving as a prosecutor and judge. He now serves under California Governor Gavin Newsom as the Judicial Appointments Secretary, and he’s just been nominated to the California Supreme Court, making him the first gay black man to ever be nominated. According to CNN, at a press conference, Jenkins stated, “I am truly humbled and honored to be asked by the Governor to continue serving the people of California on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, I will serve with…
In a new video called If Donald Got Fired internet celebrity Randy Rainbow held a debate for Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with the help of his special guest, Patti LuPone. As the debate breaks down into chaos, Rainbow and LuPone break out into song, condemning Trump’s legacy as president and wishing America could go back to the way it used to be. The video mocks Trump’s inability to hold a debate, his horrible tweeting, his campaign’s rampant spread of fake news, and more. Ultimately, the video asks viewers, haven’t you had enough of this administration? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AoY6RRfMZM&feature=emb_logo The video, which…
Actor, singer, and queer legend, Alan Cumming is launching a new series of online cabaret shows starting October 14th on the streaming platform, Stellar. His online cabaret venue Club Cumming will be hosting a cavalcade of talented performers, like Sharon Needles, Judy Gold, Catherine Cohen, and more. Performance highlights include: Cabernet Cabaret, with Cat Cohen – a night of comedy and music. Bette, Bathhouse, and Beyond – A hilarious reproduction of Bette Midler’s notorious 1971 concert at the gay Continental Baths on New York City’s Upper West Side. Mask It or Casket – A special Halloween variety show by RuPaul’s…
The Trevor Project has long been known as a group that’s dedicated to helping LGBTQ youth and young adults. To help raise awareness of acceptance and diversity during September’s Suicide Prevention Month, the organization has created fun outfits in their signature orange color, accented by the rainbow flag design for Animal Crossing players. According to Mashable, The Trevor Project’s lead designer, Jonathan Silberman, stated, “Our research has found that LGBTQ young people who have a space where they feel affirmed in their identity are significantly less likely to attempt suicide. All of these factors contributed to our decision to design…
Ryan Murphy revealed that the cast of his upcoming Netflix film, The Prom, had reunited during the COVID pandemic to finish shooting the movie. He also said that it’s slated for release at Christmastime. The movie is based on the 2016 musical of the same name and follows a group of fading Broadway stars who decide to revamp their careers through an ill-planned publicity stunt. The group decides to head to a small town prom where drama is brewing over a female student who wants to take her girlfriend to prom. The Prom opened in Atlanta before heading to Broadway…
You’ve probably heard that The Dixie Chicks have recently changed their name to The Chicks. The band has decided to distance themselves from a word that’s heavily associated with the Confederate South. The change has enraged some conservatives, but this isn’t the band’s first brush with controversy. Back during the Bush era, the band famously received extreme backlash from Americans (including death threats) because of their comments about the sad direction America was moving in. While many thought that incident was going to be the death of the band, The Chicks came back swinging with their manifesto album Taking the…
A new rule from the Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking to allow federally-funded homeless shelters to decide a person’s sex based on a “good faith belief.” The rule states that employees of homeless shelters are not allowed to turn someone away for being transgender, but are allowed to decide whether they go in a men’s or women’s shelter. Making the measure even crueler, is the process by which how an employee can decide. The rule says that someone’s sex can be determined by their physical characteristics, such as height, the presence of facial hair, or having an…
A new campaign called Well Beings is aiming to help the mental health crisis amongst America’s youth. To launch the project, the organization assembled celebrities and mental health professionals to hold a virtual town hall to address the issue of youth mental health. The event was hosted by numerous celebrities including Billy Porter, Alanis Morissette, Bill Pullman, Jewel, Kid Cudi, and Demi Moore, among many others. One of the main topics was mental health among LGBTQ youth. Trans actor Ian Alexander, star of Netflix’s The OA, spoke about his experience growing up. He said that when he tried to speak…
The new documentary Julia Scotti – Funny That Way explores the life of comedian Julia Scotti, who shot to fame on the talent show America’s Got Talent. Julia, born Rick Scotti, always had a love for stand-up comedy, and despite a good career on the comedy club circuit, Scotti felt something was missing: that he wasn’t who he truly was supposed to be. In his late 40’s, Rick realized he needed to be his true self. After transitioning, Julia not only blossomed into a happier, healthier person, but she rebooted her career as a stand-up comediene. Little did she know…
This year, Provincetown’s famous Carnival celebration is going online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that now, everyone can watch the show for free from anywhere! On Saturday, August 22nd, at 5 pm, one of America’s most famous Pride events will begin a new chapter by streaming online for free. This year’s carnival is titled FOREVER PROVINCETOWN and will celebrate the past 42 years of the famed PTown event, while also looking towards the future and what’s next for the queer community. The event will include a virtual tea dance, performances by world-renowned talents like Courtney…
On Friday, August 7th, the 11th District Court in Florida handed down their 2-1 decision in-favor of a transgender student, stating that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes protections against discrimination based on gender identity. Back in 2018, then-high school student, Drew Adams, won a landmark case against the St. John’s County school board, stating that transgender students should be allowed to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. At the time, it was a monumental victory for civil rights. However, in 2019, the school board appealed the case. During the trials, Adams had help from Lambda…
The first issue of the new zine 86 Logic has just been released and aims at helping local restaurants, cafes, and bars struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. 86 Logic gets its name from the restaurant phrase “86”, meaning, to run out of something. The publication is created by artists who work in, or got their start in the service industry. It’s filled with short stories, poems, essays, photos, and even comics, all celebrating (and hilariously commiserating) with anyone who has ever been a dishwasher, waiter, or busboy, waiting for their big break. Contributors to the magazine are men and women…
The South China Morning Post has reported that the organization that puts on Shanghai’s long-running pride celebration has declared that they were immediately halting any future events, without giving any explanation. The announcement was made on the popular Chinese social media app, WeChat. Shanghai Pride formed back in 2009, and was initially a small gathering, but has since grown into one of the largest pride celebrations in all of Asia. They even managed to hold in-person events this summer, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. While China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 and removed it from the list of mental illnesses in 2001,…
The village of Cap d’Agde in the South of France, the world’s largest naturist colony, has been connected to almost 150 cases of COVID-19, with many more probable cases on the way. During an investigation into a cluster of coronvirus cases, medical professionals realized they all stemmed back to the nudist village. CNN reports that during a test of 490 people, 95 came back positive. That’s 1 in 5 people testing positive. There’s still 310 tests awaiting results, so the number of positive cases is estimated to increase. The village has year-round residents, and visitors can stay in hotels, campgrounds,…
Hey, Chicagoans and visitors to the Second City! Are you looking for a great way to get outside, get some exercise, experience the beauty of your city. and help others? Take part in Chicago’s AIDS Run and Walk! In order to promote social distancing, the event will be taking place in various parts of the city throughout the week beginning September 28th. Event locations include Hyde Park, The Loop, and Lakeview, among others. There are numerous ways to take part – You can walk, run a 5k or 10k, support a participating team, or even simply by sharing the news…
OREO has just launched a new campaign in support of the LGBTQ community during LGBTQ History Month. According to Delish, OREO and PFLAG partnered up to create a campaign that would inspire parents to feel proud of their LGBTQ children and loved ones. To launch the campaign, OREO released a new short film, called Proud Parent. Without revealing too much, the film explores the relationship between a daughter and her father. You can watch it below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpfLklSG2dQ On top of the new film, OREO has also created a limited-edition collection of rainbow cookies. However, these cookies will not be sold…