The Alabama Senate has introduced a new bill that would severely hurt trans youth within the state. Senate Bill 10 will make it illegal for trans youth (those under 19) to transition. Doctors won’t be able to provide gender-affirming care, and if they do, they’ll be deemed criminals. The bill is intended to make providing trans care to those under 19 a Class C felony, which could put doctors in prison for up to 10 years, or slap them with a $15,000 fine. Making the bill even crueler (and quite unusual) is that it will now force teachers to notify…
Author: Keith Langston
Over the weekend, at the New York installation of DragCon, RuPaul had a very special announcement to make at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday morning: Drag Race is becoming a live spectacle and will be housed within the historic and flamboyant Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show will feature a rotating cast of some of Drag Race’s biggest Queens, including, Aquaria, Kim Chi, Kameron Michaels, Asia O’Hara, and more. The performances begin January 2020, and pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow, September 10th at Drag Race Live, and a traditional pre-sale begins on Ticketmaster the following day, September,…
The temporary field hospital being built in Central Park to help people affected by the Coronavrus in New York City is going to be staffed by volunteers of Samaritan’s Purse, a religious organization whose President and CEO is evangelical fanatic Franklin Graham. Graham has, to date: Thought the world was coming to an end in 2011. Claimed Obama was a Muslim and part of the Muslin Brotherhood. Thinks God helped Trump get elected. Is in favor of gay conversion therapy. Opposed gay marriage. Called Pete Buttigieg a sinner. Praised Putin’s anti-gay positions. And now, Graham’s organization, Samaritan’s Purse, will be…
In yet another blow to the LGBTQ community from the Trump administration, according to the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, and more, the US State Department will not allow US Embassies around the world to fly the pride flag during June. Multiple embassies requested permission, to which the State Department responded that flags could not be flown “on public-facing flagpoles,” according to the NYT article, but could still be flown in other places, such as inside… Sadly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Trump administration has been avidly hateful of the LGBTQ community. Our current…
Shudder, the premiere streaming service for horror and suspense is now streaming the documentary Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, which delves into the now-infamous 1985 movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, which has been called “the gayest horror movie of all time.” The controversy over the film is wide and varied. The movie was written with tons of homoerotic undertones and some very blatant LGBTQ moments (like a visit to a gay bar). However, screenwriter David Chaskin denies deliberately doing so. Secondly, the film’s star, gay actor Mark Patton, was stepping into the role of being…
The popular ABC show What Would You Do? returns with a special episode guest-starring Olympic skater Adam Rippon. The show centers around putting real people in extreme scenarios to see what they do. Do they stand up to bigotry? Do they defend the oppressed? Or do they just stand there and watch? Or partake in the harassment? In the episode with Adam Rippon, a coach is put to the test when a young athlete comes out to her as LGBTQ. The show seeks to find out how she’ll respond, and also aims to help educate the viewer about why inclusivity…
Going along with the global trend of reverting to conservatism, Indonesia, the world’s largest muslim nation, will most likely vote to amend its penal code this month. The revisions to the law will consider acts such as adultly, extramarital sex, abortion, and contraception as “social evils.” Even scarier, the law would forbid “obscene public acts” and the definition of such acts has been left intentionally vague to include whatever prosecutors would like it to. This will be especially hurtful to the LGBTQ community, whom already face extreme segregation and oppression within Indonesia. Since gay couples can’t marry, all homosexual sex…
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced today that Twitter will be banning all political ads, globally. In true twitter form, the announcement came via tweet. In it, Dorsey stated: https://twitter.com/jack/status/1189634360472829952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1189634360472829952&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F10%2F30%2Ftechnology%2Ftwitter-political-ads-ban.html For anyone out there wondering why this is, here is a great example. Political ads can come in various forms. Political ads can be harmless, such as this ad by Elizabeth Warren: But political ads can also be extremely divisive, offensive, hurtful, and untrue. Here’s an advertisement that has recently popped up on a popular movie website. Many say that allowing ads like this to be spread around the country, simply…
December 1st marks World AIDS Day this year. The event was created in 1988 to raise awareness for the AIDS pandemic around the world. This is the event’s 31st year. So, how will people around the planet be commemorating the day? Here’s a list of some of the events taking place to help raise awareness of AIDS/HIV and to encourage HIV testing, treatment, and prevention. By Keith Langston MAUI, HAWAII On December 1st, the Maui AIDS Foundation will gather at the VFW hall to to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and…
Sherry Vine is a drag legend who was been in the industry for decades. She’s one of the reigning queens from the pre-Drag Race era and knows the industry inside and out. She’s now used her knowledge and talent to assemble a cast of drag superstars for an epic variety show like no other. The Sherry Vine Variety Show harkens back to retro variety shows from the 70s, and on May 25th, Vine will be joined by an all-star cast, including Alaska Thunderfuck, Bob the Drag Queen, Bianca Del Rio, Jackie Beat, Peppermint, Tamie Brown, and more. The broadcast is…
According to AlterNet, The Trevor Project, a resource and crisis service for LGBTQ youth, has seen a 150% increase in crisis calls coming in from Texas. All throughout the state, school districts have started discriminating against the LGBTQ community and people of color, and a modern-day witch hunt has begun to “purify” schools, libraries, and even the internet of any content that offers support to the LGBTQ community and people of color. Most notable has been the rampant rise in “banned books” within the last two years, in which school districts, cities, and counties are being driven to demand that…
There are some amazing travel opportunities out there that will give you an epic vacation, while also giving back to the community. If you want to help make a difference in someone’s life this holiday season, check out these wonderful hotels and resorts that are taking charitable donations to a whole new level. ANDAZ HOTELS AND RESORTS Andaz hotels and resorts, by Hyatt, are some of the coolest, freshest, trendiest hotels around the world. They offer upscale luxury with a contemporary sleekness. Making the chain even better is that three of their resorts, The Andaz West Hollywood, Scottsdale, and…
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…
The angry moms over at One Million Moms (the alt-right hate group that’s anti-LGBTQ and promotes 1950s gender roles) are enraged once again, this time, at Sephora. The beauty product company has released a new holiday ad titled “Holiday Gifting 2021: It’s the Beauty You Give” which features various people giving and receiving gifts from the store. One vignette features a gay couple who (gasp!) kiss at the end of the commercial. Naturally, this offended the one million moms, who curiously only have 4,119 followers on Twitter (not exactly a million, but again, this is a group who believes that…
Out & Equal, a nonprofit that specializes in fostering equality and diversity in the workplace, has just announced that JPMorgan Chase has made a $1 million dollar investment in the organization. According to Out & Equal’s CEO, Erin Uritus, the bulk of the funding will go towards the organization’s program to help more trans people enter the workforce. The money will help foster trans equality programs, career development initiatives, and even go towards building toolkits, resources, and training packages for employers. This isn’t JPMorgan Chase’s only donation to LGBTQ nonprofits. Uritus stated, “I’m very thankful that JPMorgan Chase has stepped…
The typical rom-com formula will get turned upside down on September 30th when the new movie Bros hits theaters. The movie stars (and was written by) gay comedian Billy Eichner, who many will already know from his hit reality series Billy on the Street. He teamed up with comedic powerhouses Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) to serve as producer and director. In the film, Billy plays Bobby Lieber, a “typical” gay New Yorker who finds himself falling in love with a masculine, “straight-acting” guy named Aaron. The two initially judge each other based on…
Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, had her senate confirmation hearing today to be ushered in as America’s newest assistant secretary of health when she was berated with uneducated, false, anti-trans comments by Rand Paul. According to the Daily Beast, Paul asked Levine, “American culture is normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones. Dr. Levine, you have supported both allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty as well as surgical destruction of a minor’s genitalia…Do you believe minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?”…
Italy is a very welcoming and friendly country, and even better, they’ve just launched a new website, QueerVadis, which helps English-speaking travelers and ex-pats learn more about the dynamic and historic nation and its welcoming spaces for queer visitors and locals. QuuerVadis offers feature articles, travel ideas, and even news about current events and notable LGBTQ Italian residents. it’s not only a great way for queer travelers to discover the best and most accepting places in Italy, but it’s also an excellent way for them to feel more comfortable before visiting. Articles like Venice’s LGBTQ+ History and Picture-Perfect Italian Beaches…