Bette Midler Clarifies ‘Exclusionary’ Comments After Being Accused of Transphobia: ‘It Wasn’t About That’

Wisconsin school district are now forbidden from using their pronouns in their email signatures, displaying Pride flags in their classrooms, or wearing rainbow attire, due to a perceived discomfort those may cause others.According to Superintendent Stephen Plum, expressing identity is political, uncomfortable, and thus prohibited at Kettle Moraine School District, Milwaukee's ABC affiliate WISN reports.“The expectation is that teachers and administration will not have political flags or religious messaging in their classroom or on their person. This expectation includes Pride flags,” Plum said at a school board meeting last week, according to the outlet.

Some of the most popular queens from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will perform live at National Harbor outside D.C. on Aug. 6 as part of the official “WERQ THE WORLD”tour. 

Lea Michele is preparing to dazzle broadway audiences as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl next month after Beanie Feldstein left the role, but she already has Twitter pretty entertained by a gem of a podcast clip that’s been making the rounds.Michele has been posting to social media from the rehearsal studio, and it’s all smiles:But as we noted earlier in the month, from Glee to Spring Awakening to The Mayor to Scream Queens, the actress has seemingly made enemies in nearly every production she’s ever been a part of.Perhaps that’s why a clip of Michele’s appearance on Jamie Lee Curtis’ podcast, Good Friend with Jamie Lee Curtis, is simultaneously getting so much well-deserved attention.In the brief clip, Curtis asks Michele if Spring Awakening was nominated for any Tony Awards.Related: Jamie Lee Curtis posts powerful birthday message for trans daughter“We won eight Tony Awards,” Michele boasts, to which Cutis responds, “But you didn’t, Lea.”That’s Michele’s Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff cackling at the end of the audio, for the record.Author and podcast host Danny Pellegrino shared the “chic” drag along with the comment: “JLC was savage for this.”JLC was savage for this.

Below are our picks for some of the most fun and creative things to do this week in the DMV that are of special interest to the LGBTQ community.

The number of kidnappings linked to popular gay hookup site Grindr are surging in South Africa.

Would like some tea and happiness? #reflectionmode #rememberinggoodtimes #bhxprojectA post shared by Pradhyuman Maloo (@pradhyum.m) on This week, reality star Pradhyuman Maloo came out as straight after nearly the entire internet mistook him for gay.The 30-year-old designer is one of several contestants currently looking for love on the dating show Indian Matchmaking, which premiered on Netflix earlier this month.But after rejecting 150 women, fans began to wonder if maybe the reason Maloo couldn’t find a partner had more to do with him than the women he was being paired up with.Am I the only one who realizes Pradhyumans is gay??#IndianMatchmaking— Sarah Masters (@SarahMathers34) July 16, 2020pradhyuman is giving me strong gay vibes… Sima needs to bring in the boys! Spice this up #indianmatchmaking— Mer (@Meribeauty) July 18, 2020I'm guilty of this as well… Thinking #indianmatchmaking pradhyuman is in the closet and is gay. However that would be stereotyping.

A post shared by JOHNNY SIBILLY (@johnnysibilly)Johnny Sibilly has told followers he would happily have sex with himself if it were possible to do so.On TikTok, the Queer As Folk actor posted a video of himself reacting to several contestants in a male beauty pageant. They came from different countries and most met with Sibilly’s lusty approval.One viewer then pointed out the obvious: The contestants all bear a passing resemblance to Sibilly himself.“Looks like you’re watching yourself, and the more you like the more they look like you,” they said.The observation throws up interesting ideas about male beauty: Do many gay men cultivate their looks to match their own ideas of beauty? Or is finding yourself attractive an example of self-acceptance?Related: Johnny Sibilly is telling the untold stories of proud queer men of colorSibilly took the comment and responded to it on a later TikTok video.“Interesting.

Doctor Who fans—excuse us, Whovians—know to expect the unexpected when it comes to the adventures of their beloved Time Lord. The long-running BBC series regularly fiddles with its own formula, and will be doing so in a big way in 2023 when it introduces Sex Education‘s Ncuti Gatwa as its new Doctor.As per usual, not much is known about this upcoming “regeneration,” except that Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, It’s A Sin) will be returning as the showrunner for the first time in over a decade, with Heartstopper breakout Yasmin Finney as the Doctor’s companion, and Neil Patrick Harris in a mysterious villain role.But it’s the latter who has given us perhaps our most intriguing hint at what’s to come: In addition to being played by a Black actor for the first time, this time around, the Doctor will be—spoilers!—gay.  A post shared by Ncuti Gatwa (@ncutigatwa)While guesting on the Just For Variety podcast in support of Uncoupled, Harris spilled some tea about Gatwa’s Doctor that had yet to be confirmed:“I got to meet and interact with him a bit and he’s glorious,” Harris said of Gatwa.

proposed prisoner swap to free WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia, Donald Trump has derided her as a “potentially spoiled person” who entered Russia “loaded up with drugs.”Trump made the comments Friday on a radio talk show, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, regarding the Biden administration’s offer to trade Russian arms dealer Victor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan, a former marine convicted on espionage charges in Russia — charges he says are false. The U.S.

ABOVE: And speaking of Fire Island, see below ...

Olivia Julianna (via Twitter)

Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who is going to be queer. Gatwa was confirmed to be the next Doctor earlier this year.The Uncoupled actor wrapped up filming the upcoming season of the beloved and iconic British science fiction series Doctor Who, and in a recent interview with Variety said, “I got to meet and interact with him a bit and he’s glorious,” referring to Gatwa.

Twee ex-scholieren van de Gomarus Scholengemeenschap hebben samen met advocaat Jan-Hein van Dijk een artikel 12-klacht ingediend tegen de beslissing van het Openbaar Ministerie (OM) om deze school niet te vervolgen.

Biddenden, it's not immediately clear just how beautiful it is. A small but perfectly formed village in the heart of the Kent countryside, it really is one of those places you could quite easily blink and miss if you're not paying attention. Nestled in the picturesque Ashford countryside, it has all the elements of the traditional English village with its stretch of pretty Flemish cottages lining the high street, a village green, church, pub, café and a small selection of restaurants.

The post This is the rumoured cast for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 appeared first on GAY TIMES.

By Lisa Keen

Donald Trump, now under scrutiny for his actions inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, made clear over the weekend he’s unhappy with the deal the Biden administration has proposed to secure the release of Brittney Griner, saying the basketball player is “potentially spoiled” and was “loaded up on drugs” when she went to Russia.

studies indicate that desires to "detransition" are rare. The American Medical Association has said that trans and nonbinary gender identities are "normal variations of human identity and expression, and that forgoing gender-affirming care can have tragic health consequences, both mental and physical." Pediatricians and public health professionals have also voiced unease with legislation and policies targeting gender-affirming care, which they say could contribute to mental health concerns for trans kids and high suicide rates among trans youth.But Florida officials beg to differ. “These endorsements have permeated both the general public and health care community and created a false impression that chemical and surgical intervention is not only clinically proven, but the standard of care for treatment of gender dysphoria in Florida,” the state's new rules note.Critics immediately attacked the decision as anti-LGBTQ+.“It’s Sunday morning and the State of FL DOH has released their disgusting proposed transphobic rule that would BAN access to gender affirming care for those under the age of 18 & create restrictions for adults too,” tweeted Florida Rep.

told the Guardian upon the release of the campaign. “All bodies are valid and we have the right to enjoy life as we are, without guilt or shame.

Gay-for-Trumper Brandon Straka must be feeling awfully lonely these days.The gays don’t like him for obvious reasons. And now the Trumpers don’t either after court documents that were accidentally released to the media last week revealed the extent in which he cooperated with the FBI in its investigation into the deadly January 6 insurrection.Oops!Related: Gay Trumper Brandon Straka sentenced for role in Jan. 6 insurrectionQuick backstory: In January, 45-year-old Straka, who founded the #WalkAway movement in 2018 to encourage people to ditch the Dems and support Donald Trump instead, agreed to a plea deal and was sentenced to three months of home detention plus three years of probation and a $5,000 fine for his involvement in Capitol Riots.At the time of his sentencing, prosecutors said he had been “cooperative” and “helpful” with investigators, though they didn’t offer any further details.Related: Gay Trump insurrectionist complains he can’t get a date. Go figure.Last week, court documents were mistakenly emailed to reporters and they show just how “helpful” Straka was.

Happy Spider-Man Day!August 1 is here. The day marks Spidey’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15, cover-dated August 1, 1962.From Tom Holland to Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield to Neil Patrick Harris, Spider-Man’s web has been uptown to downtown to toon town and back.Happy Spider-Man day to them ??#spidermanday pic.twitter.com/9OaoyaOhm4— I’m not the werewolf (@PadaleckixSofer) August 1, 2022Spider-Man has had a choke-hold on queer fans for decades.

Drag Race’s fifth season, capping off a hilarious and herstorical run, we had one question for RuPaul: “Do we have time for one more?”Nearly 10 years later, Mama Ru finally gave us what we wanted: another marvelous season of Jinkx on our television screens!Yes, in many ways, All Stars 7 has been a fever dream. In reuniting eight of the franchise’s past winning queens—and then switching up the format by not eliminating anyone until the very end—the show has delivered week after week of top-tier drag.Through it all, the “internationally tolerated drag queen superstar” we know as Jinkx has slayed the competition like water off a duck’s back.

After three years of repeated attempts to get her digital national identity card, Rubina – a woman from the Pakistani city of Karachi – decided to take her battle to court, winning a landmark victory.

best auto manufacturers like Chevrolet is creating a new level of visibility in the industry.In addition to providing loaner cars for road rally events, Chevrolet has also made a concerted effort to include queer voices in its roll-out of new vehicles, inviting Thiewes to Las Vegas for Corvette “driving school.”“I do think there is a distinct difference between inviting media who happened to be gay and inviting media who are visible and representative of and for the community,” Thiewes told Queerty.Chevy has also partnered with LGBTQ Nation to create Authentic Voices of Pride, a program that spotlights intimate conversations, in-depth editorials, and firsthand stories from people within the community. Authentic Voices of Pride began in 2021 and focuses on topics such as inclusion in sports, families, drag as activism, justice reform, young people experiencing homelessness and emerging leaders.Queerty chatted with Thiewes about his interest in cars, the growth of Out Motorsports, and his favorite moment from the recent Hot Girl Summer Road Rally.When did you first begin to take interest in the automotive industry and motorsports?My mom will tell you that I would ride around in the back seat of her car at age two and read off badges on trunk lids.

Football fans old and new have been left awe-stuck by England's newly-crowned European champions. Manchester erupted with joy as the Lionesses defeated Germany 2-1 on Sunday (July 31) while the whole country burst with pride.

Coffee, tea or he? (Image via video still)

Major social media companies are not doing enough to protect LGBTQ+ users from abuse and harassment on their platforms, an analysis by U.S. rights group GLAAD has found.

Elon Musk, music artist Grimes, has split up with transgender activist and WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning after just four months together.Singer Grimes, 34, and Chelsea Manning, 34, were revealed as an item just four short months ago but reports indicate that the pair have now split.The couple had started dating after Grimes split from the father of her two children, Musk, 54, for the second time.READ MORE: World's 'most inhumane' jail where 'prisoners eat bodies of dead lags to survive'But sources now claim that the Wikileaks whistleblower and Delete Forever singer have split up despite reports that they had been getting "pretty serious" after Grimes had split with the SpaceX CEO.Grimes and Manning had reportedly been living together in Austin, Texas, where the singer is raising her two young children with Musk.Despite the move to Texas for Manning, the WikiLeaks whistleblower had kept hold of her Brooklyn-based apartment.It is unclear how the couple had met or when they began dating, but sources have claimed that the pair have ended their relationship with one another after "breaking up for a while".

outlawed abortion minutes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — asked Bridges why she was using the phrase “people with a capacity for pregnancy” instead of saying “women” when talking about the effects of abortion restrictions. “Would that be women?” he asked Bridges, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.“Many cis women have the capacity for pregnancy; many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy,” she replied.

What Is a Woman? that has been making the social media rounds. Walsh recently tweeted in disgust at singer Macy Gray for walking back the harmful comments about trans women in a recent interview with Piers Morgan. After initially suggesting that trans women aren’t women in her in that interview, Gray has since said that trans women are who they are.“I think it takes a lot of courage to be yourself, to go out in the world and be honest about who you are.

A transgender man in Ohio says he was using the women’s restroom in a Preble County campground—which he was advised to do because he was assigned female at birth—when a group of men savagely beat him and was later arrested.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has continued the debate surrounding recent comments by singer Macy Gray regarding trans women, slamming men who she said are "policing" women's speech.Last week, Gray made controversial comments regarding the definition of a woman, something which Rowling has also been accused of in the past.

In a blow to LGBTQ+ equality, the British Triathlon has banned transgender athletes from competing in its women’s competitions.

Editor's Note: BuzzFeed does not support discriminatory or hateful speech in any form. We stand by the LGBTQ+ community. If you, like us, feel impassioned about trans rights, learn more or donate here.

Macy Gray is changing her tune on transgender women.

In a tweet published on July 6, actress Lynda Carter voiced her support for Trans women, speaking out against recent comments made by stars like Bette Midler and Macy Gray who have been pushing anti-Trans rhetoric and Trans-exclusionary ideas. A passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ people’s rights and abortion rights, the star of the original 1970s […]

UPDATE 7/6 11:18 A.M. ET

Bette Midler has responded to the backlash she received for posting a controversial tweet claiming that women are being erased.

Mae Martin has shared a compassionate message on Instagram in response to Bette Midler’s recent controversial tweets.

tweeted, “WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us ‘women’ anymore; they call us ‘birthing people’ or ‘menstruators’, and even “people with vaginas”! Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!”That tweet prompted tens of thousands of replies. Many said Midler was falling for anti-trans arguments about the erasure of women. Others highlighted the importance of using language that’s more inclusive of trans and non-binary people.Related: Bette Midler criticizes trans-friendly terms such as “birthing people”Yesterday, reacting to the furor, Midler tried to put her comments in a greater context.

when she suggested women are being stripped of their name and are instead being called "menstruators" and "birthing people." Trans supporters called out Midler for her comments while thousands of others supported her stance.She has once again weighed into the debate and attempted to quell the furor by stating in a new tweet that her original tweet was a stance on a recent New York Times article. Not everyone was satisfied with Midler's explanation, though, as some in the comments section suggested she was missing the point.PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! My tweet about women was a response to this fascinating and well written piece in the NYT on July 3rd.

Macy Gray has responded to being labelled transphobic due to quotes from a new interview, saying her words were “grossly misunderstood”.In a new interview on Piers Morgan’s TV show Uncensored, the singer was asked what she believed a woman was, during a debate about trans athletes.“I’d say a human being with boobs,” she responded. You have to start there.

Gray, who also has a substantial LGBTQ+ following, made trans-exclusionary comments Monday on Piers Morgan Uncensored, which airs on Fox’s subscription channel Fox Nation.She claimed to support trans rights, as did the often-transphobic host. But when he brought up the issue of trans women competing with cisgender women in sports, Gray said, “I will say this, and everyone’s gonna hate me, but as a woman, just because you go change your parts doesn’t make you a woman, sorry. … I know that for a fact.” Morgan had also opposed including trans women in women’s sports, saying they were “born to obvious physical superior bodies.” Actually, although a few trans women have achieved elite status in women’s athletics, such as swimmer Lia Thomas, they do not dominate women’s sports by any means.“Being a little girl is a whole epic book, you know?” Gray added.

tweeted, “WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us “women” anymore; they call us “birthing people” or “menstruators”, and even “people with vaginas”! Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!”It’s not clear what prompted the tweet. However, on Sunday the New York Times published an opinion piece that touched on the same subject.

Eliot Page has shared his glee with his new passport photo after sharing the image with his six million Instagram followers (3 July).

sequel Hocus Pocus 2, got thousands of people talking within hours of sending her tweet. The original post by the 76-year-old performer started off in all caps."WOMEN OF THE WORLD!" She wrote to her 2.1 million followers on Monday afternoon, "We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don't call us 'women' anymore; they call us 'birthing people' or 'menstruators,' and even 'people with vaginas.'"Midler continued: "Don't let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!"The comments sparked mass debate in the comments section and across Twitter with tens of thousands of people commenting on and retweeting other comments.WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us “women” anymore; they call us “birthing people” or “menstruators”, and even “people with vaginas”! Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!"Midler goes full Rowling," wrote journalist Jon Levine, comparing Midler to the author of the Harry Potter books J.K.

Bette Midler fans are calling on the Hocus Pocus star to not “buy into the rhetoric” that women’s rights are at odds with trans equality.

Author, professor and YouTube personality Jordan Peterson has been temporarily suspended from Twitter after he deadnamed and misgendered Elliot Page. In a post published on June 22, Peterson used the queer actor’s former name and referenced Page’s top surgery, saying it had been carried out by “a criminal physician”. The tweet was written in response […]