13 riveting TV shows with amazing lesbian characters

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was fairly slow in introducing LGBTQ+ characters —though seeing as even the most chaste representations of queer love get the films banned in some countries, you can see why they would be reticent.Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness actually breaks the record for the most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer characters in an MCU property with three. However, seeing as two of them do not talk, and one never mentions their sexuality out loud, clearly there is still some work to be done when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation.The MCU is of course fairly sexless in general, but any mentions of queer sexualities have tended to be very brief, the better to allow Disney to easily cut out these scenes in more homophobic markets.

This was before Section 28, which would have been pointless anyway - there was no need to ban ‘promotion of homosexuality to children’ because literally nobody promoted it, or at least nobody round my way.  There were no role models.  No lesbians in public life.  No mention of lesbians in school, in books, on TV.   Not a single lesbian in the family, and certainly no talking about lesbians in the family.  Nothing.  The knowledge that lesbians even existed sneaked up on me slowly in middle school, made up of a patchwork of stereotypes – pitiable spinsters, tomboys, predatory dykes.   Although I didn’t come out until my mid 20s, people were calling me a ‘f***ing lezzer’ on the playground at 11.  So I grew up fighting, mostly with words, sometimes with fists, because I instinctively knew the word ‘lesbian’ was so dangerous you couldn’t let it get attached to you.     Things have changed since then, of course. When I was younger, Lesbian Visibility Week – a whole week that celebrates my community – would have been unthinkable.   And there is a way of telling this story that can make it feel and sound like everything has improved.   Section 28 has come and gone: right now in schools across the UK children are being taught about LGBTQ+ lives, families and relationships.  There are lesbians in books, in TV, in music – in popular culture, the media and politics. We have rights our lesbian elders never had.

The first Downton Abbey film gave us Thomas Barrow, played by Rob James-Collier, a gay butler whose sexuality was explored throughout the film by way of a short-lived romance with the king’s royal dresser. However, in Downton Abbey: A New Era, currently playing in theatres, Thomas Barrow’s story gets more of a spotlight and his experiences as a gay man are presented under a warmer more optimistic light, with bright hope for his future. For LGBTQI fans of both the show and western television, the introduction of this storyline back in 2010 was a milestone moment. Thomas Barrow is an openly gay character played by an openly gay actor; while in this moment in time this alone may not be much to celebrate, in 2010 this was relatively rare in Hollywood, considering shows like Will & Grace were the height of mainstream gay representation, with straight actors playing the lead roles. At this time streaming services which have now majorly streamlined production and allowed more marginalised stories to be told, were also not yet around. Thomas Barrow.

Jeopardy!, but now it has come to an end.Roach, a lesbian and one of several stellar out contestants the show has had recently, saw her winning streak end in the episode that aired Friday. She lost by a single dollar to challenger Danielle Maurer.Maurer, a digital marketing manager from Peachtree Corners, Ga., finished in first place with $15,600 while Roach, a tutor from Toronto, came in second with $15,599.Roach was in the lead with $19,200 heading into Final Jeopardy!, wagered $3,601, and did not respond correctly, while Maurer, who had $11,400 going into the round, wagered $4,200 and did provide the correct response.The category was USA, and the clue was “These two mayors gave their names to a facility built on the site of an old racetrack owned by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler.” The correct response was “Who are William Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson?” Both were mayors of Atlanta, and the facility is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.But Roach’s run on Jeopardy! was a great one.

the Trevor Project earlier this week, the LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and mental health organization found that there has been an upward trend in suicidal thoughts among queer youth, many of whom are trans youth and queer youth of color.“The Trevor Project’s research demonstrates that suicidal thoughts have trended upward among LGBTQ young people over the last three years, making our life-saving work all the more important. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and relentless political attacks during this time period cannot be understated,” said Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, in a press release.The findings are part of the group’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, which included responses from almost 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth across the country between the ages of 13 and 24.

Just Like Us, people across the UK have postponed coming out due to ‘harmful’ stereotypes, with 68% of lesbians delaying coming out due to stereotypes about being ‘man-hating’, ‘unattractive’ and even ‘anti-trans’.But why is it so hard for lesbians to come out as lesbians? What exactly is wrong with the L word? Why was I so scared of it, and why nearly 10 years after I finally used the word to proudly describe myself, are so many people still scared to use it?Over the last few months, I’ve been an assistant producer on the Channel 4 documentary ‘Where Have All The Lesbians Gone?’ where we tried to answer these questions.

Jack Harlow is calling out the music industry for its attitude towards Lil Nas X.

sent a letter Wednesday to the TV Parental Guidelines Advisory Board asking it to update its rating system in light of “disturbing content” in children’s shows.“In recent years, concerning topics of a sexual nature have become aggressively politicized and promoted in children’s programming, including irreversible and harmful experimental treatments for mental disorders like gender dysphoria,” the letter says. It disregards the fact that treatments given to transgender youth are not experimental, irreversible, or harmful.“Recently, a video emerged showing a prominent executive at children’s entertainment giant Disney saying she supports having ‘many, many, many LGBTQIA+ characters in our stories,’” the letter continues.

A group of Republican senators is calling for a TV ratings system to warn parents about LGBTQ content in children’s programs. Their statement singles out Disney repeatedly.

We will not sugarcoat this: the leak this week of a Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a ruling that would eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, is extremely alarming. 

In the latest installment of the Right’s culture war, Sen. Roger Marshall is demanding changes to television ratings to warn parents about LGBTQ representation in shows.The current guidelines note if a program includes sexual situations, as well as violence and coarse language.

A new view of New York City from The Summit at One Vanderbilt. (Photo by Heather Cassell)

CDC, one in four LGBTQ+ teens attempted suicide in the first half of 2021.Whether your child is queer, straight, cis or trans, all moms should be outraged at anyone, especially elected leaders, who stoop so low as to use children as cudgels for their own political gain.As these anti-LGBTQ+ politicians seek to normalize legislation that targets our kids' rights and safety, we cannot leave it up to the moms of queer and trans youth alone to fight back. Whether you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community or not, all moms have a stake in keeping childhood off-limits from nefarious politicking.

Bridgerton star Golda Rosheuvel has revealed that she was urged to stay in the closet by a lesbian director at the beginning of her career, who felt her being openly gay would cause irreparable damage.The Dune star said that she was told in no uncertain terms that it would ‘ruin your career as an actor’.The actress, who plays Queen Charlotte in the hit Netflix series, said the advice, given to her as it was by a fellow member of the LGBTQ community, ‘blew my mind’.‘We were talking about being out and proud and representation and whether I should say I was gay in interviews,” she recalled.‘It was an absolute no: “You absolutely shouldn’t do that. It could or it would ruin your career as an actor.”’The 52-year-old was baffled by the advice.Speaking to the Just For Variety podcast, she added: ‘I would rather lose a job than not be true to who I am.

LGBTQ civil liberties may indeed be threatened by abortion cases now before the conservative-heavy U.S. Supreme Court. Those cases include Dobbs v.

The White House announced Thursday that Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to be assistant to the president and White House press secretary, becoming both the first Black and lesbian person in that position.Jean-Pierre will replace current press secretary Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House May 13."I am proud to announce that Karine Jean-Pierre will serve as the next White House press secretary, President Joe Biden said in the statement released May 5."Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people," Biden stated. "Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this administration."Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room.

Rick Earl Stokes, famously "the other gay candidate" who ran against Harvey Milk for San Francisco supervisor in 1977, died May 3. He was 87.Mr. Stokes died in San Francisco after a brief battle with congestive heart failure, according to an obituary prepared by Curtis Jensen, director of marketing and graphics for Steamworks, the gay bathhouse location in Berkeley of which Mr.

Related: How strongly does President Biden support LGBTQ rights? We asked the man who knows best.During the 2020 presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre served as Kamala Harris’s chief of staff, making her the first Black person to serve as chief of staff to a vice-presidential candidate and one of the highest-ranking LGBTQ people in the Biden/Harris campaign.She currently serves as Deputy Press Secretary under Jen Psaki. Jean-Pierre will replace Psaki, who had announced she would vacate the role after a year in the role for a job with MSNBC.

What If?—it also features a stunning cast of fresh talent, from William Gao’s heartbreakingly earnest portrayal of straight, lonely teen Tao Xu to Corinna Brown’s take on out-teen lesbian Tara Jones. But at the center of it all are Joe Locke and Kit Connor as the will they-won’t they (they will) couple Charlie and Nick. When Charlie, fresh off of a romantic disappointment with a Rugby player, starts falling for Nick, he’s convinced that his love interest is straight.

The Supreme Court of South Korea has tossed out the military court conviction of two gay soldiers for having consensual sex outside of military facilities.The court's panel of 13 justices ruled April 21 the military's case stretched the country's military sodomy law and sent the case back to the High Court for Armed Forces.Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said the justices concluded that the widely criticized 1962 Military Criminal Act's Article 92-6 law should not be applied to consensual sex between male service members outside of military facilities during off-duty hours, reported the Associated Press.The law prohibits members of the military from engaging in same-sex conduct in the country's predominantly male military and carries a two-year prison sentence.Homosexuality is decriminalized in South Korea for civilians.The case wasn't the first time the high court had received complaints about the law.

Just Like Us found 68% of those surveyed feared they would be perceived as ‘man-hating’, ‘over-sexualised’ or ‘anti-trans’.Around 30% feared being viewed as ‘cringey or awkward’ while 25% worried they would be viewed as ‘wrong’.Some responders worried they would be seen as ‘taboo’, ‘masculine or butch’ or ‘unattractive’.And over-sexualisation of lesbians was found to be the biggest barrier for young lesbians age 18 to 24 (36%).Overall, one in 20 lesbians delayed coming out because they could be seen as ‘anti-trans’. This reason was cited by many in the 25-34 age category.One respondent, Niamh, explained coming out to both schoolmates and family was ’embarrassing’ at the time.She added: ‘At school it was already a rumour, and I knew people would gossip about it, and they did.

Warning: Potential TV/movie spoilers ahead! 

New York City felt like it was almost its bustling self again as I walked through the streets enjoying the warm spring weather during a recent trip.The city, like many others, is forever changed after more than two years of the COVID pandemic, but in true New York fashion, the Big Apple is coming back. It was my second trip within six months after about a two and a half year break.New Yorkers rolled up their sleeves (more than 80% are vaccinated), masked up, and have done pretty much everything they can to get their groove back. However, COVID subvariants continue to emerge in the ongoing pandemic.

A survey just released by The Trevor Project, a national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth, revealed that little has changed since its previous study in 2021. Trans and queer youth are struggling with mental health issues and, in many cases, not finding the health services or support they need.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorRoyalty took the stand on Saturday night to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality.Golda Rosheuvel, the openly gay actor who plays the illustrious Queen Charlotte on “Bridgerton,” was presented the Equality Award at this year’s Human Rights Campaign gala in New York.“Being authentic and true to who I am has been something that I’ve championed in my own life, so to be able to get up there tonight and speak my journey is really important,” Rosheuvel told Variety before accepting her award. “That one person who’s struggling might hear it and be confident enough to step [up] in their own life.”The “Bridgerton” star later went on to tell the crowd, “nobody should have to choose between being publicly out and being a successful actor.” Rosheuvel recently opened up to Marc Malkin on the “Just for Variety” podcast about how a lesbian director once advised her to stay in the closet.

Behavior Interactive’s Dead By Daylight announced its first-ever LGBTQ+ playable character.

The Only Way is Essex star Gemma Collins blew away fans with her latest Instagram snap.The memeable star has been keeping fans in the loop about her fitness journey on her social media pages, and she showed off the results of her hard work with her latest image.Gemma, 41, looked incredible as she made the most of the Bank Holiday sunshine with a dip in her hot tub at her palatial £1.35m Essex home. Posing with her hand on her hip as she stood in the tub, The GC wowed as she rocked semi-sheer green lingerie, which showed off her gym-honed curves.Looking tanned and toned, Gemma wowed as she gave a sultry look into the distance in the skimpy bodysuit.She styled her blonde locks into larger-than-life Marilyn Monroe curls, which sat delicately atop her shoulders.Gemma captioned the snap: "Sorry if I can't come to the phone right now, I'm chilling in my brand new hot tub."The reality TV star then shared that she was rocking a swimsuit from her own Gemma Collins Collection Swimwear, as she remarked "self confidence is the best outfit".Gemma's fans came out in full force as they showered praise on the stunning photo.One social networker gushed: "Omg you look stunning Queen.

The popular LGBTQ+ inclusive series Batwoman has been cancelled by the CW.

GEMMA Collins showcased her remarkable weight loss today as the sun came out in Essex. The Towie millionaire, 41, stripped off to a bright green swimsuit and plunged into the hot tub she's had installed in her garden.

Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, the powerhouse team behind the critically acclaimed Mubi film Shiva Baby are making a lesbian movie together! That’s right! Seligman and Sennott will merge their talents together on a new outing into the world of high school sex comedies. Rachel Sennott and Emma Seligman will work together again in 'Bottoms' […]

The Lesbian Avengers were a direct action activist group similar to ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). The group was originally formed in New York in 1992 by six long-standing women activists, some of whom were members of ACT-UP and also ILGO (the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organisation). Their primary aim was to increase lesbian […]

During Lesbian Visibility Week, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund honor the lives and experiences of transgender and non-binary lesbians. We affirm that trans women are women and that trans and non-binary lesbians are a valued part of the LGBTQ community.

Ron DeSantis has defended his call to eliminate the Walt Disney Company's self-governing privileges, even after a poll showed that most U.S. voters do not support governments punishing companies over political issues.After the company spoke out against the new Florida law that prohibits discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools for kids aged 5 to 9, DeSantis signed a bill to strip Disney of its self-governing status as punishment.

President Biden has nominated Ana Reyes, an attorney at the D.C-based law firm Williams & Connolly LLP, for a seat on federal court in D.C., making her the first Hispanic woman and the first out lesbian who would ever serve on the court, the White House announced Wednesday.

Coming out came with roadblocks for Golda Rosheuvel.

The post Young lesbians reflect on the moments that helped them shed shame appeared first on GAY TIMES.

TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editornash@dallasvoice.com It’s been a tough couple of years, especially for folks in the entertainment industry

Kristen Stewart

"It was getting to a point where when I met people from the trans community, and I introduced myself as a lesbian, they were looking at me suspiciously, thinking that I might be one of the transphobic brigade, and I began to realize that cis-lesbians in particular were getting stigmatized as being maybe transphobic when absolutely the majority is not."So, I wanted to showcase that although there are points that I agree with that lesbians need more visibility, it doesn't mean that we are somehow transphobic. And that's the message that we're really getting out through Lesbian Visibility. You know, the joy of celebrating with the whole community is wonderful.""What I would ideally like to see is a global organization where we are all kind of one love and working together.

actress Golda Rosheuvel was instructed to adopt antiquated ways of navigating her personal life in Hollywood with some early-career advice from a surprising source. As the Bridgerton star revealed in a recent interview on the “Just for Variety” podcast, she was always interested in being upfront about who she is. But the director on one of her first professional sets told her that would essentially be career suicide.

Carl Paladino, a Republican candidate for governor of New York in 2010. The bloviator bigot said in not so many words that homosexuality was not how God created, that children would be more successful if they were straight and that being gay was a “dysfunction.” He was also caught sending racist emails.Paladino failed to mention that like my former boss, he had a child out of wedlock.

news release. Altogether, he has announced 95 federal judicial nominees since becoming president.The nominee immigrated from Uruguay and grew up in Louisville, Ky., according to The Hill. The outlet notes that Reyes concentrates on cross-border litigation and international arbitration.

A first look at Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" on Wednesday confirmed a same-sex kiss had been restored following recent controversy. The kiss occurred in the first 30 minutes of the movie, which was shown to an audience Wednesday at CinemaCon, according to USAToday.

Jewish Voice for Peace, Weisberger is there with one of her famous signs. On the LGBTQ&A podcast this week, she says, "I was a political lesbian for many years. I just loved being around lesbians...one of my earlier demonstrations was here in New York City and we did a die-in along with other people lying on the ground.

It’s A Sin.The 1980s-set series, by gay writer Russell T. Davies, looked at the arrival of the AIDS epidemic in the UK.

Girls Can Kiss Now (available now).“I think pop culture is politics. It’s the things that we are talking about, consuming, and elevating that are a reflection of what the current groupthink is,” Gutowitz says, adding that she’s grappled with how much value to put into events in the zeitgeist.

Warning: Scroll cautiously, major spoilers ahead!After the whole artificial insemination debacle which we don't condone, Petra's water breaks at a book signing event. At the hospital, she realizes that she cannot have painkillers because of her low platelet count. Anyway, Petra — being the queen she is — pushes through with Jane as her birthing partner."I’m guessing Jane rejected you, in some way, so now you’re here.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorWhen openly gay “Bridgerton” star Golda Rosheuvel —who plays the wigtastic gossip-loving Queen Charlotte on the Netflix series — was starting her acting career, she was told by a lesbian director that she should stay in the closet.“We were talking about being out and proud and representation and whether I should say I was gay in interviews,” Rosheuvel tells me on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “And it was an absolute no: ‘You absolutely shouldn’t do that. It could or it would ruin your career as an actor.’ I would rather lose a job than not be true to who I am.