Idaho Governor Brad Little signed two anti-transgender bills into law yesterday, despite the global pandemic. The first, House Bill 500, bans transgender women from playing on girls and women’s sports teams at public schools and colleges. The law deems that to qualify as a woman you’d have to be examined for “reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously 19 produced testosterone levels.” The Idaho Attorney General, however, cautioned forcing genetic testing on athletes likely violates the constitution. The second, House Bill 509, bans people from changing their gender on Idaho birth certificates. Back in 2018, Idaho tried passing a similar…
Author: Keith Langston
This Black History Month, the National AIDS Memorial will be holding a virtual viewing of the AIDS Quilt to honor Black lives lost to AIDS. The exhibition is set to coincide with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7th. From now until March 31st, the free-to-the-public online exhibition will be available at AIDSMemorial.org. Pieces of the quilt will be on display that highlights Black stories. Swatches from the quilt that will be on display include: • Panels made as part of the Call My Name program, one of which honors Wandra, made by her hairdresser, who kept Wandra’s secret…
In a somewhat surprising move, the Senate has unanimously voted to designate the Pulse Nightclub as a National Memorial. The move comes just days before the 5th anniversary of the horrific shooting that left 49 people dead and led to a standoff with the police. It was the deadliest mass shooting in American history until the Las Vegas shooting just a year later. What’s really surprising is that every horrifically anti-LGBTQ Senator voted to commemorate the Pulse Nightclub, which is perplexing considering that these same senators are currently propagating fear and hatred against the LGBTQ community and are trying to…
As almost everyone has heard by now, Dave Chappelle recently released a new stand-up special on Netflix called The Closer. During his routine, Chappelle blasted the LGBTQ community numerous times. Throughout the special, he made comments such as: ~ Claiming he was on “team TERF” (meaning feminists who reject that trans women are women). ~ He said “gender is a fact” and that trans women have fake vaginas. He went on a diatribe about how trans women’s vaginas are “Beyond Pussy” and “Impossible Pussy,” mocking their bodies by comparing them to brands of meat alternatives. ~ He went on to…
Sports Illustrated features their first transgender model for their famous swimsuit issue. Throughout the magazine’s history (it premiered back in 1964), their swimwear photoshoots have taken place all over the globe, from Cozumel to Australia, and even Bora Bora in Franch Polynesia. But this issue marks a new milestone for the magazine. Model Valentina Sampaio has become Sports Illustrated’s first transgender model, breaking barriers for women and the LGBTQ community, as well as ushering in a new era for the magazine—one that promotes the beauty of diversity. Sampaio was photographed by famed fashion photographer Josie Clough on Scrub Island, in…
As all LGBTQ people likely know, there are strict laws that prevent the community from donating blood, especially for men who have sex with men. The FDA’s policy used to be that gay men couldn’t donate at all, but has since been switched to allow a man to donate blood as long as he’s been celibate for three months – which greatly reduces the number of eligible donors. To challenge this, artist Jordan Eagles is launching his installation Our Blood Can Save at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Brooklyn, New York. The installation is on…
In 2020, two men, Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, released a giant photo book titled LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love. The book was a collection of historical photographs that Nini and Treadwell had acquired over the years. All of them depicted men who seemed to be in love. Some held each other in a loving embrace, some looked longingly into the other’s eyes, and in one very special photo, two men are even seen holding a sign that reads, “Not Married But Willing To Be”. Nini and Treadwell call their unique photo collection an “accident”, meaning they…
The tango, Argentina’s national dance, is seeing a resurgence in an unlikely place…the LGBTQ community. Historically, the tango is an extremely heteronormative and male-controlled dance. Traditionally, a woman could only dance the tango with a man, and the man must be the one who approaches the woman, and the man must be the lead in the dance. In the 90’s, however, a new underground movement formed within Buenos Aires, Queer Tango. Groups of LGBT people, and even tango lovers who simply didn’t want to follow the strict rules, secretly came together to dance and have fun, without the pressure of…
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…
Anita Bryant, one of the most despicable anti-gay bigots in history, was shocked and dismayed recently to discover her own granddaughter is a lesbian. One of Bryant’s biggest public campaigns was to help get gay teachers fired from schools by accusing them of being pedophiles. According to LGBTQ Nation, Bryant stated, “Homosexuals cannot reproduce, so they must recruit.” Eventually, another famous bigot, Jerry Falwell Sr., came to help Bryant in her crusade against the gay community. It should also be noted that Falwell was convinced that the second coming would happen in his lifetime and also believed that the antichrist…
Revry, the 24/7 queer network, has just launched their new show Versus, hosted by comedy sensation Deven Green (who many will recognize as Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian). In each episode, two contestants face off in a series of bizarre challenges, from having to remember their own tweets from years ago, to having to answer bonkers questions like, “which animal breeds faster, bunnies or goats?” It’s also a quick program, with each episode running only around 5-7 minutes in length, making it the perfect way to pass the time in the subway, while cooking, or while on a quick…
Florida’s recently-passed “Don’t Say Gay” bill isn’t going as smoothly as Republicans had hoped. The party was hoping to pass blatantly bigoted legislation under the guise of “protecting children”, thinking it would stoke massive support from the ever-grown alt-right base. However, Americans, Hollywood, and even Disney have taken a massive stand in defense of LGBTQ people in an act of defiance the Republican party has never seen before. Now, conservatives and conservative news outlets are forced to dig themselves deeper and deeper into a hole in order to find “logical” reasons to justify supporting a bill that is widely hated…
On Friday, December 18th, Switzerland passed a bill in favor of allowing same-sex marriage, an initiative that’s been seven long years in the making. Registered partnerships have been legal in the country since 2007, but now the Swiss House and Senate have passed a bill in favor of allowing same-sex marriage as well. Along with allowing marriage, the bill also made it legal for transgender people to legally change their names. Activists are saying this is a huge milestone for LGBTQ rights and is one step closer to making the entire continent of Europe a welcoming place for diversity and…
Drag legend Bianca Del Rio is teaming up with Peaches Christ to produce a drag retelling of the classic psycho-biddy What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Peaches Christ has long been a fan of horror and has been hosting horror movie nights for over twenty years. On December 19th and 20th, she will team up with Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio to bring the classic tale to a new generation. Not only will the two pay homage to the historic film, but they will also play with the notorious feud between the movie’s two stars, Bette Davis and Joan…
Social media superstar and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Trixie Mattel, is going into the hotelier business by opening up her own cheeky property in the gay mecca of Palm Springs, California. The hotel is named Trixie Motel (a play on her own name) and is set to open later this year. Mattel reportedly purchased the property for around $2.4 million (not including renovation costs). During the renovation process of the motel, Trixie Mattel struck a deal with Discovery+ to create an 8-episode reality series that chronicles the property’s redesign. Joining Trixie for the journey will be a…
As everyone knows, the coronavirus is disrupting numerous high profile events, including many of the year’s largest LGBTQ prides and social gatherings. Below is a status update for some of the major events scheduled for the spring and summer of 2020. If your event has been cancelled or postponed, please let us know and we will share it with our readers. APRIL Pride of the Americas The event has been rescheduled for sometime in the fall, and the organizers have said that all tickets purchased for April will be honored in the fall. However, if you’re unable to attend,…
Key West has long been hailed as one of America’s most beautiful locations, as well as one of this country’s most gay-friendly cities. So it should come as no surprise that Key West holds one of the best pride festivals of the year! This year, Key West Pride is being held from June 5-9 and includes special guests such as the legendary and hilarious Bruce Vilanch, and recording artists Debby Holiday. With beautiful palm trees, the hot Florida summer, and then even hotter Pride patrons, this is a festival not to be missed. The official kick-off is Wednesday, June 5th.…
Due to the hundreds of cancellations of pride celebrations around the world, a new online pride event will be taking place on June 27, 2020, called Global Pride. The event will live-stream performances, speeches, and keynote addresses from famous figures around the planet. The massive event is being put on by pride groups from every continent, including InterPride and the European Pride Organisers Association. They will be spearheading the campaign and getting organizers from all over the globe to help make the event a reality. In a statement, J. Andrew Baker, Co-President of InterPride, said, “We need community and connection…
Queer legend and dance hall staple, k.d. lang, has just released a remix of her 1995 hit song “If I Were You”. The single was released in anticipation of her upcoming album, Makeover, which will feature tons of remastered and remixed hits from k.d. lang’s song library. Included in the album will be songs originally released between 1992-2000, including, “Sexuality,” “Miss Chatelaine,” “Theme from the Valley of the Dolls,” “Summerfling,” “Lifted By Love”, and more. Makeover will release on May 28th in preparation for Pride month and pre-orders are now available. The album’s cover is a never-before-seen image taken of…
The state of Florida is currently doing everything it can to censor free speech and stop kids from learning the truth about America’s history and their fellow Americans. A wave of bills has begun flooding the Florida legislature that seeks to ban discussions of race, gender, and sexuality in schools. The “reasoning” behind this is that Republicans claim children’s feelings are being hurt and that parents deserve “parental rights” over their children and don’t want their kids being “indoctrinated”. The fact that many politicians consider learning about LGBTQ rights and racism as “indoctrination” says a lot about where America is…
The Family Research Council, an anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ organization, which was deemed a hate group in 2010 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is notoriously vitriol and dangerous. Throughout the last decade, the group has helped give a platform to anti-LGBTQ politicians like Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum, advocates for conversion therapy, mocked teen suicide, called trans people “peeping Toms” and rapists, and lobbied to allow businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Now, they’re at it again. The group just released a lengthy diatribe about how awful the world is, and how it has strayed from the bible. The…
Peanut butter lovers, especially those in Canada where Kraft is the dominant peanut butter brand, know Kraft’s two teddy bear peanut butter mascots, Crunchy and Smoothie. And to celebrate Transgender Awareness Week, the brand has launched a special edition kids book that helps families and children learn about the importance of pronoun usage. Transgender Awareness Week is currently underway, running from November 13th-19th, and leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is on November 20th. According to GLAAD, Transgender Awareness Week is “a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by…
On the final day of Pride Month, the White House released a statement that the State Department will be changing its passport guidelines. The State Department will be working on a new set of parameters that will make it easier for trans people to change their gender on their passports. According to an article from CNN, People applying for passports will now have the option of selecting their preferred gender and if they’re changing their gender from a previous passport, medical confirmation will no longer be required to issue the change. Furthermore, the State Department is also looking into adding…
Republicans are continuing their attack on LGBTQ rights and are continuing to demonize the community in order to win votes without having to tackle America’s real, pressing issues. The newest target in Republicans’ scapegoating scheme is television. It’s been revealed that five Republican senators have signed a letter asking for shows to be given a special content warning if they feature LGBTQ characters. According to LGBTQ Nation, the five senators are Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Steve Daines (R-MT). The publication quotes the group’s letter, which says, “In recent years, concerning topics…
The parliament of Hungary has passed legislation that effectively bans LGBTQ content in that country. The measure, which passed by a vote of 157-1, makes it illegal for LGBTQ issues to be taught in school, for media to portray LGBTQ people, and it even bans advertisements that have LGBTQ themes. According to Hungary’s extremist, far-right ruling party, the measure is aimed at preventing pedophilia, which doesn’t make any sense because LGBTQ people are not pedophiles. So how exactly does banning LGBTQ content from minors stop pedophilia? This is beyond any rational reasoning, but sadly in Hungary reasoning means nothing. Similar…
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…
With everyone stuck at home, streaming movies and TV shows have become the national pastime. Over the last five years, more and more streaming services have entered the market, offering everything from Oscar-winning classics to anime. Some streaming platforms have even included LGBTQ+ collections to their online libraries, giving everyone access to queer cinema, a genre they may not have known otherwise. Below are five awesome streaming services that have LGBTQ+ collections. NETFLIX Netflix was one of the first streaming platforms to include an LGBTQ section. But then again, Netflix was also one of the first streaming services, period.…
The 2022 Golden Globes have proven to be groundbreaking for the trans community. MJ Rodriguez, who has shot to fame playing Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista on FX’s hit series POSE, has just won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama, marking the first time in history a trans performer has taken home a Golden Globe in the award’s 78-year history. POSE recently concluded over the summer after a successful run of 26 episodes that spanned three seasons. First airing in 2018, POSE was a groundbreaking representation of the Ball scene which was made famous by the documentary, Paris is Burning.…
Soft drink juggernaut, Coca-Cola, released a new ad campaign in Hungary titled ‘Equal Love’. The ads feature both same-sex and heterosexual couples. Naturally, the conservatives of Hungary are furious, and according to AdAge, they stated that Coca-Cola “promotes same-sex love over heterosexuality.” A Hungarian anti-abortion organization even jumped in, starting an online petition to remove the ads. Luckily, Coke isn’t backing down. The company has decided to stand by their ads, stating,“Our belief is that everyone has a right to love and that the feeling of love is the same for all.” This whole debacle began with Coca-Cola releasing the…
We’ve all heard the story of those pivotal events that took place at a New York City gay bar in the summer of 1969. What you might not know is the surprising events that took place after the notorious Stonewall Riots. As you can imagine, shortly after the riots the Stonewall was closed. A mafia-owned bar that was home to an uprising against cops wasn’t bound to last long. Flash forward fifty years to the present day. I’m standing in Christopher Park with three members from the National Parks Conservation Association. It’s pouring rain and I’m completely soaked because I…