Part burlesque, part musical, and part spectacle, with a pinch of Hedwig and the Angry Inch thrown in. If you’re asking what this is, it’s LatinXoxo, the new one-man show by performer Migguel Anggelo. The show premiered earlier this year at Joe’s Pub and went on to be featured in the Afterglow Festival. Now, due to popular demand, Anggelo will reprise his show for three nights only at Joe’s Pub. Preview night is October 15 and then the show will run November 6-7. The show is inspired by Anggelo’s Venezuelan background. Machismo culture is prevalent in Latin countries, so growing…
Author: Keith Langston
Tim James, a Republican candidate for Alabama’s governor, has launched a new ad that directly harms LGBTQ youth. The subject of the ad is the Magic City Acceptance Academy, a public charter school outside of Birmingham that bills itself as an “LGBTQ affirming learning environment” and is known to be the only LGBTQ-focused learning academy in the entire Southeast. In his ad, James claims the school is perverse and is using taxpayer money to indoctrinate children. It’s been reported by AL.com that James has since doubled down on his claims, calling the school “perverse”. Sadly, according to CBS Birmingham, the…
Canada’s women’s soccer team will be heading for the final match against Sweden on Friday, August 6th. Not only was this a monumental win because Canada beat the US team (which was favored to win) but also because one of the teammates on Canada’s team is trans. Quinn, who plays midfielder for the Canadian team, came out last year and began using they/them pronouns. Because Canada is moving on to the final game, it means the team is assured at least a Silver medal, and if they win, they’ll be awarded the coveted Gold medal. This means that regardless of…
One of the most anticipated films of the holiday season is West Side Story. The Disney-backed, Spielberg-directed powerhouse is already getting massive Oscar buzz. However, in the Arab world, the movie has caused intense backlash and has since been banned in numerous countries. The nations of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait have all banned the new adaptation of West Side Story from screening due to its portrayal of a transgender character. The character in question is Anybodys. In the original film, Anybodys was a tomboy who often hung around the Jets. In more recent years, as…
Skeleton is a sport many have seen, but few probably know its name. It’s the sport where athletes glide down bobsledding tracks on nothing but small toboggans, having to use their bodies to steer the sled and race down the track as fast as possible. During a race, the sleds can exceed 80mph. Now, openly gay athlete, Andrew Blaser, has been added to Team USA’s skeleton team for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, becoming the first openly LGBTQ athlete to ever be on the team. When speaking to OutSports, Blaser said, “Making this team is honestly just crazy…I…
On Friday, July 30th, New Zealand’s ruling party introduced a bill that would make conversion therapy (the process of trying to change one’s sexual orientation because it’s believed to be “wrong”) illegal. The nation is going a step further and is even aiming to make the practice punishable by up to five years in prison. According to The Washington Post, Kris Faafoi, New Zealand’s justice minister, stated, “Conversion practices have no place in modern New Zealand. They are based on the false belief that any person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is broken and in need of fixing.”…
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,…
Musician. Actress. Businesswoman. Theme park owner. Gay icon. Dolly Parton is many things, and she’s incredible at pretty much every endeavor she embarks on. Now, TidalWave Comics has decided to feature her in their Female Force collection. The Female Force comic series tells the stories of real women who have changed the world. Whether it be in entertainment, politics, or activism, the women featured in this series have all left their mark on the world. Previous editions of Female Force have centered around Kamala Harris, Betty White, Michelle Obama, and more. In Female Force: Dolly Parton (which is set to…
Lewis Freese is the first gender-fluid person to become a finalist for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Sports Illustrated has long been a prominent force in the modeling industry. After all, they gave birth to the careers of Heidi Kulm, Brooklyn Decker, Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen, and more. Last year, the publication made headlines after including its first trans model, Valentine Sampaio, in their swim issue, and this year is marking another first for the sports magazine. Each year, Sports Illustrated holds an open search for anyone who wants to be considered for the issue. Freese is among 15 finalists who might…
Jim Obergefell is best known for being the title name on the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges. The Supreme Court ended up ruling by a vote of 5 – 4 that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and that all fifty states, Washington DC, and even the insular areas (like Guam and the US Virgin Islands) were required to perform same-sex marriage, thus legalizing it nationally. Now, Obergefell has headed back to his hometown of Sandusky, Ohio, and is running as a Democrat for the State Legislature to represent Ohio’s 89th District. Sandusky is a lakeside town that’s best…
NYC Pride announced today that tickets are on sale for the opening ceremony of this summer’s epic WordPride. The opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, from 7-10 P.M. NYC Pride says the ceremony will be formatted as a benefit concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Proceeds from the ticket sales to this historic concert event will support the Ali Forney Center, Immigration Equality, and SAGE. The event is set to be a star-studded who’s-who of New York. EGOT-winning actress, Whoopi Goldberg, is primed to host the event. Goldberg stated, “I’ve been a longtime advocate of the…
Recently, I sat down with the “Beyoncé of Comedy”, international air hostess and ambassador for Air Italy, Pam Ann. As someone who tours the world, Pam Ann has seen it all. I figured, what better person to give me the inside scoop to some of the world’s greatest places than someone who’s been almost everywhere? Here’s what Pam had to say. By Keith Langston Keith: So, tell me, what is your favorite place in the whole world? Pam: Well, ultimately, my favorite place is coming home to Miami, where I now live. I’m probably a bit biased, but I…
Five years ago today, LGBTQ history was made when same-sex marriage became the law of the land in the United States of America. The results of the Obergefell v. Hodges case was a giant step forward for gay equality. Before 2015, same-sex marriage in America was a messy hodgepodge of different rules. Some states allowed marriage, some only allowed civil unions, and some banned both. It was a blatant display of the lack of respect given to LGBTQ people in America. Seven years ago today, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which allowed states to…
New alarming information has been released by the Web Integrity Project revealing that the Trump administration is altering and deleting information about LGBTQ people. According to Fast Company, the organization discovered shocking and horrific slashes in the amount of information being released by the Trump administration in regards to LGBT people throughout numerous government agencies. Examples included in the investigation is the switching of “LGBT” to “LGB” on the CDC website, The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity deleted information about rights for LGBT and HIV positive people, and there’s been a 40% decrease in the use of the…
It’s been reported that a woman has been cured of HIV. She is only the third person ever to be fully cured of the virus, and the first woman. According to The New York Times, the woman was cured after receiving “a new transplant method involving umbilical cord blood.” She received the treatment to help with the cancer she was battling, but the blood came from a donor “with the mutation that blocks H.I.V.’s entry into cells”. As these transplanted cells multiplied and replaced her others over time, it ended up curing her of the virus. The way she was…
The Catholic Diocese of Marquette, Michigan has instituted new rules that ban LGBTQ people from taking part in church sacraments like baptism and communion. According to the National Catholic Reporter, the new policy “asks pastors to deny baptism, Communion, and confirmation to gay, transgender, and nonbinary Catholics unless they have “repented.” The new rules, released with the title, An Instruction on Some Aspects of the Pastoral Care of Persons with Same‐Sex Attraction and Gender Dysphoria, states that the church must “lead them step‐by‐step closer to Jesus Christ in a manner that is consistent with the Church’s teaching.” According to NBC…
I was lucky enough to snag a seat on Virgin Atlantic’s Pride Flight, which flew from London Heathrow into New York City to herald in the start of WorldPride. The flight was, put simply, completely insane. I’m talking conga lines through the aisles, Britney blasting on the speakers, and the plane being completely depleted of its alcohol supply. It was a flight that will surely go down in history. Here are 8 things that made it epic! THE FUN BEGAN AT THE AIRPORT The festivities began the second you walked up to the doors of Heathrow’s T3. A giant…
Columbus has the largest Pride celebration in Ohio, often attracting around 500,000 attendees. This year, Columbus Pride will be taking place from June 17-18. For any locals or visitors looking to make the most of their Pride weekend, the newly-opened AC Hotel has the perfect package. Located in the Arena District, the hotel puts visitors directly in the heart of the action, surrounded by the bars and clubs of downtown Columbus. Plus, their Pride Parlor Package offers guests some truly unique and awesome enhancements to their celebration. The package includes a two-night stay from June 17-19, as well as tons…
On Monday, July 22, gay rights activist and politician, Taiga Ishikawa, was elected to Japan’s National Parliament. Ishikawa won a seat for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. The current ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is avidly anti-LGBTQ+, and Ishikawa is determined to challenge them with his new position. His party is trying to introduce a bill for protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, as well as a marriage equality bill. According to Japanese news outlet Asahi Shimbun, after his victory, Ishikawa stated, “I would like to do my best to enact both pieces of legislation…I want…
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…
It’s a historic moment for Bangladesh. In the town of Trilochanpur, Nazrul Islam Ritu was just elected mayor. Ritu is a trans woman and is now the nation’s first transgender mayor in history. Making the event even more powerful is that Ritu won in a landslide victory, gaining 9,569 votes, compared to her opponent’s 4,517 votes. Even more historic is that the town of 40,000 people is majority Muslim. During her campaign, Ritu ran on a social issues platform that vowed to rid the community of corruption and drug abuse. Bangladesh as a whole is also heavily Muslim, and trans people…
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…
During Obama’s administration, the section 1557 provision was instituted, which provided protection to the LGBTQ community and women from discrimination in healthcare.The provision stated that services couldn’t be denied to patients, nor could they be intimidated by a medical professional, based on their gender or sexual orientation. The rule was put into place due to America’s history of discrimination against the LGBTQ community in the medical field. Today, Politico reports that the health department is finalizing its “rewrite” of the provision, which many advocates and healthcare professionals say will surely roll back anti-discrimination policies. Spearheading the campaign is Roger Severino,…
We’ve previously reported on the rise of “LGBT FREE” areas of Poland, where citizens, politicians, and the Catholic Church, have deemed queerness to be a threat to society. Sadly, according to the BBC, about 1/3 of the nation now declares itself to be LGBT free, which means that LGBTQ people aren’t welcomed there, and things like education and outreach will not be tolerated. The backbone of this movement is complicated, but comes down to three main things: 1.) Xenophobia – Many in Poland believe that “LGBT ideology” comes from “The West”, and is a scourge against Poland. This is blatant…
Florida’s state senate has passed the “Stop WOKE Act”, a bill that would ban schools and companies from discussing topics regarding race, “ethnic heritage”, and sex/gender. Republicans claim that this is done in order to prevent people (white people) from feeling distressed and “blamed” for things like slavery and Jim Crow laws. According to NBC Tampa Bay, the bill would count discrimination as something that “espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such individual to believe any of the following concepts”: Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin are morally superior to members of another An individual, by virtue…
On the state level, 2021 has been a devastating year for the LGBTQ community, with numerous bigoted laws being passed around the nation, many of which specifically target the trans community. However, on the city level, progress has actually been made. In fact, according to the Equality Index, a yearly survey conducted by the Human Rights Campaign and The Equality Federation, a record-breaking 110 cities achieved the index’s top score of 100. Cities earning the top marks include Cleveland, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Hoboken, New Jersey; Lexington, Kentucky, and more. The Equality Index looks at municipality-level laws, policies, public services,…
As everyone has likely heard over the last few weeks, the Walt Disney Company has come under fire for a multitude of reasons regarding their response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Here’s a brief timeline of events: ~ Florida’s House and Senate passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and it went to DeSantis’ desk. ~ Activists noticed that Disney remained silent through the bill’s passing, and it was later revealed that Disney was even funding the Republican politicians who were pushing the bill forward. ~ Disney came out and claimed that they were “working behind the scenes” to enact…
Brigham Young University is a large college in Utah that’s run by the Mormon church (LDS). It’s long been known how homophobic Mormonism is, but many are probably unaware that BYU actually bans and prohibits LGBTQ relationships, effectively forcing queer students to live in fear and secrecy. Even worse is that this is blatantly enforced and isn’t a secret. Students can be punished if they’re caught holding hands or kissing another student of the same sex, and in an NBC News article, the school shamelessly stated, “BYU is within its rights to enforce the church’s policies against same-sex relationships.” A…
After the passing of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, New York City has come out swinging with a new ad campaign that will see billboards go up around Florida throughout the months of April and May. In a press conference, New York City’s newly-elected mayor, Eric Adams, stated, “I am the mayor of New York City, but I have a message for Florida’s LGBTQ+ community — come to a city where you can say and be whoever you want. Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is the latest shameful, extremist culture war targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Today, we say to the…
Earlier this year, it was announced that Hulu is rebooting the horror cult classic, Hellraiser. Originally released in 1987, the movie was written and directed by LGBTQ filmmaker, Clive Barker, who adapted it from his novella, The Hellbound Heart. The story tells the tale of the Cenobites, a group of multidimensional beings who blend together pleasure and pain, usually leading to disastrous consequences to whomever they encounter. The story is inherently queer, as it was inspired by Barker’s youth spent as a male hustler, and also his visits to BDSM bars, where he saw both pleasure and pain being interwoven…