Democrats Nominate 3 Out Black LGBTQ Candidates for Texas House

Buckingham Palace have buried the findings of a report into alleged bullying by Meghan Markle from when she was a serving royal, an insider has claimed.A source said last night (Wednesday, June 29): "People suspected it would be buried, and now it seems that it has."The Daily Mail reported that it is understood that even those who took part in the inquiry haven’t been told what the outcome is.READ MORE: Queen made audience 'gasp' as she went off-script to speak different languageSome former staff described themselves as damaged by the experience of working for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.Meghan, 40, had claimed that the allegations were a calculated smear and in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she and Harry accused the institution of monarchy of racism.Speaking on The Princes And The Press documentary on BBC, Meghan's lawyer Jenny Afia also denied the claims.Several people who still work for the palace allegedly feared it would be damaging to their careers to give evidence in the inquiry, the Express reported.There were claims that Meghan’s alleged "belittling" behaviour while a working member of the Royal Family drove two female personal assistants out of the household and "undermined the confidence" of a third.When the bullying investigation was launched in March 2021, before Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah, the palace said any changes in policies or procedures recommended following the review would be shared in the Sovereign Grant report which is published annually and documents royal accounts for the year.But at a briefing on the annual report yesterday, a senior palace source, citing the confidentiality of those who took part in the independent investigation by a law firm, said there would be no public

London Pride is officially back this weekend, and we can’t wait.After three years away amid the Covid pandemic, the annual LGBTQ+ celebration will return with a bang on Saturday.It all kicks off with a huge parade through the centre – accompanied by singing, comedy and poetry performances, drag brunches, film showings, and much more.More than 1.5 million LGBTQ+ travellers are expected to flock to the capital for the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in the UKWhile some regulars will be gearing up to return, other people will be preparing to attend their first-ever Pride.With this in mind, Pride in London has released some essential tips for first-timers.Everyone is welcomeQueer or not, you shouldn’t be worried that you don’t fit in at Pride; put that thought out of your head right away, says Haven Thorn, spokesperson for Pride in London.He said: ‘Pride is for everyone, and is a chance for you to celebrate not just your gender and sexuality, but always as yourself – and you’re perfect! ‘With that said, Pride attracts people from all walks of life, including sexualities and gender, so it’s crucial to keep an open-mind and be respectful when meeting new people or seeing new things.‘Pride is a judgement free-zone, spanning five decades of queer history, and kindness, acceptance, and mutual respect are of the utmost importance.’Remember what it’s all aboutPride is a great day for everyone involved – but it’s about much more than just having fun.‘While an aspect of Pride is about having loads of fun and coming together as a community, Pride also has a rich history behind it, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City and the first-ever protest here in the UK’, Haven says.He adds: ‘With a multitude of

London’s official Pride march is this Saturday.But London is a big city and there is so much more than marching set to take place. The march route map above will help you plot where you can catch the action from 12pm until 6pm.And with that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about where to go and what to do when you celebrate this weekend.

Ryan Weyandt

Ken Paxton

Stedfast Baptist Pator Jonathan Shelley

saraa4a00f7b8f—disabledpunks4reprorights—kaiguy—brandim4f4855a85"He revealed that he drove 60 miles to get to the festival and was going to drive 60 miles back, which I thought was really funny, especially with these astronomical gas prices." —katnisseverdeen12345—wynnebo—lucemckenzie—padawanryan"My way of coming out was turning down an 'ally' sticker that was offered to me. I kept telling people who asked, 'Oops, it must have fallen off.'" —area51official—lielo317—mkatherinekelly—miab4e8eaccc7—aditson"If you are in a place, where it's still dangerous to be yourself, remember that baby steps are still steps forward — so just keep walking." —Anonymous, 36, Ukraine"My husband and I have had many lovely days together since, but this still stands out as the most wholesome fun we have had."  —Anonymous, 32, United Kingdom "Oh, how times have changed!" —Anonymous, 30, Québec"Honestly, the love and joy I feel at every Pride event now is heartwarming.

Earlier this year we learned about the #RamRanchResistance, a counterprotest campaign in Canada using a very gay, very explicit, song about gay cowboys to troll anti-vaxers.The song was “Ram Ranch” by Grant MacDonald, and while it did make us laugh, it’s admittedly a bit hard to listen to.No disrespect to MacDonald, but we’d probably leave it off our gay country playlist. That got us thinking…what would go on that list?Related: Get ready for Pedro Almodóvar’s answer to ‘Brokeback Mountain’, a gay Western with a smokin’ castWe’ll start with the latest from the mysterious cowpoke himself, Orville Peck.

Peoria’s ABC affiliate reports:“I got into this race because to me, being the meteorologist on TV was about protecting my community. It was about being a trusted communicator who could be relied on to tell the truth. It was more than just telling you to put on an extra layer or to grab the umbrella, it was when to take your kids to the basement for a tornado, when to prepare for flash flooding, and when to take extra caution on icy roads.

Views expressed in The Advocate’s opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, Equal Pride.Sunday’s Pride events in New York City ended abruptly in chaos after fireworks were mistaken for gunshots, causing mass panic throughout the West Village. It suffices to say that Americans are anxious these days. And with good reason.This is especially the case for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks as the rate of hate crimes continues to rise in the U.S.

Beloved by the queer community,  Kim Cattrall has joined the inclusive cast of Peacock’s Queer as Folk reboot, playing a “martini-soaked, high-society Southern debutante “who has roots in a poverty-stricken trailer park. The Sex and the City actress plays the adoptive mother of queer characters Brodie (Devin Way) and Julian (Ryan O’Connell) in Queer as Folk. The character was written specifically with Cattrall in mind. Canadian writer and director Stephen Dunn said that he wanted Cattrall to play Brenda before he knew what And Just Like That… (sequel to Sex and the City) was, praising her for her acting skills and immediate engagement in taking this role on. One of Cattrall’s on-screen sons, O’Connell added that viewers should get ready because the “last four episodes of the show are insane” where her storyline takes a “really fun turn.” Cattrall took part in her first non-binary love scene in the Queer as Folk reboot and used an intimacy coach to help during the filming of these scenes. Dunn applauded her ability to be open throughout the dialogue on LGBT+ issues and relationships, stating that she was “so dialled into the character’s learning curve around queerness”. “She’s been such an ally, she really understands the queer community in this way, and she understood how her character strangely fit into this queer family.

It’s Pride Month and some of the best LGBTQ+ folks with pride and passion are also unapologetically geeky. From gaming to fashion to superheroes, there is a comic book for almost any geeky and fabulous passion.

Jason Caceres — king of wardrobe changes (GIF via GIPHY)

These protesters may be pro-life, but they’re probably not living for this dragging they’re getting.Both pro- and anti-choice demonstrations have been happening across the country since the SCOTUS ruling on repealing Roe v. Wade came down late last week.People opposing the ruling got to blow off a little steam on Twitter this week by dragging folks holding these disingenuous “We will adopt your baby” signs.The amount of vaguely creepy-looking white couples holding up signs that say “Don’t abort.

Amazon moved to restrict items and search results related to L.G.B.T.Q. people and issues on its website in the United Arab Emirates on Monday after receiving pressure from the government there, according to company documents viewed by The New York Times. The Emirati government gave Amazon until Friday to comply under threat of penalties, the documents show.

British distance swimmer Dan Jervis revealed that he is gay. The Olympian made the announcement shortly after competing at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.“I was adjusting to everything else, just trying to fit in – until I thought: ‘Just be you,’” Jervis told the BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast.When he made his Olympic debut last year in Tokyo, the Welsh swimmer placed fifth.In part, he said, he was inspired by Jake Daniels’s recent coming out.

The Apprentice star expressed her “relief” despite backlash faced by the international federation, which has been accused of “transphobia”.Karren claimed she agreed with “lots of women” who were “confused” about the situation, which affects athletes including Lia Thomas, whose 500-yard freestyle victory in Atlanta was highly controversial.She said: “I’m sure I am not the only person out there who is relieved the swimming body FINA has banned transgender swimmers such as Lia Thomas, from competing in elite women’s races.”Karren added: “Before anyone reaches for their phone to troll me, I think I share the view of lots of women who are also not transphobic, but who are confused about where they should stand on this issue.”Writing in a column for The Sun, Karren went on to stress that she was not being “transphobic” and that accusing her of being so “is no more than bullying.”She penned: “It is so blatantly unfair that anyone who has gone through male puberty should compete on the same platform as someone born biologically female.“To point that out is not being transphobic, and to suggest otherwise is no more than bullying.

downside of doing outdoor venues: no door to hit them on the way out

Out and proud. Bachelor Nation‘s Elizabeth Corrigan came out as bisexual while celebrating Pride in New York City.

Empress of the Imperial Council of San Francisco, giving her the kind of royal title she deserves.

File photo from a Cathedral of Hope meals program last summer. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)

Roe v. Wade might just be the tip of the iceberg of this hellhole…

"After this 1 hour course, you'll understand who are part of the LGBT+ community and what it means to be Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, or one of the many other groups of people that fall within this community.You will also be able to have good, respectful conversation on the topic of LGBT+ as you'll know exactly what all terms mean, which ones to use when, and which words not to use.You will be learning from someone that is actually a part of the LGBT+ community herself :)"I didn't reveal their grade to them though, since I wanted them to learn from the course, not from my red pen marking up their quiz. I did correctly guess though that we would get half the questions right (you can see my predicted score in blue pen).Y'all...they're trying. Their own answers are in blue marker.

Fire Island creator and leading man Joel Kim Booster has been reminiscing about a different kind of starring role lately.In a new interview with Page Six, the actor reveals that when it comes to threesomes, featuring new players is way harder than a day-player guest spot.“It was a lot more fun being the guest star in a threesome than it was logistically planning it as a couple,” he explains. “It’s a logistical nightmare.

Chris Pratt is setting the record straight. Unfortunately, he’s still got the record wrong.The 43-year-old actor has long been a symbol for Christianity in Hollywood.

A gay Connecticut Supreme Court Justice has called Clarence Thomas’ recent statements advocating for the reversal of federally-recognized same-sex marriage rights “hypocritical” due to the justice’s failure to not call for the repeal of a similar ruling allowing interracial marriage.Andrew McDonald, a senior associate justice for Connecticut’s high court, blasted Thomas for suggesting — in a concurring opinion as part of a recent abortion-rights case —  that the nation’s highest court should re-examine all cases dealing with “substantive due process” rights, referring to rights that have been conferred or recognized by courts, but are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.Among the “substantive due process” cases that Thomas said should be reconsidered by the court include the court’s 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut ruling, which allowed married couples to buy and use contraception without government interference, the 2003 Lawrence v.

Senior Chief Interior Communications Electrician Shantay Beane from Dallas speaks during a Pride Month celebration on the mess decks aboard amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli on June 27. Tripoli is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Sypert)

Winner of Drag Race UK Lawrence Chaney will appear on Celebrity Gogglebox this week and fans are buzzing about the news.

He claims the strained relationship began after BET became very upset following the performance stunt.The Australian actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter is a promising young talent. He speaks to a younger generation of queer Black youth seeking representation. He's appeared on the CW as Kid Flash; the heartthrob from the feel-good LGBTQ rom-com Love, Simon; and most recently, the lead in My Fake Boyfriend. Queer youth must see talent in positive roles, and Lonsdale is only getting started.

Variety, "A friend brought her to my hotel room, and I tell you, in two minutes, I fell in love with her. She had on hot pants, stretchy boots that went up to her knee, and a little backpack. I don’t know what it was, but I was in love."Their wedding was a simple ceremony at a friend's house. Tomlin told People, "It was sweet.

House of Blues in Dallas winds up Pride Month Thursday, June 30, with “The Best People of Comedy Show,” hosted by Frankie Benzant (“the Viola Davis of comedy”) and featuring a lineup of top LGBTQ and ally comedians including Manny Benzant, Bridget Tooley, Kinsey Ford, Josh Edwards, Jeff Jones, G Baby and headliner Alex Berrios.

Carlile has dropped the uplifting video for “You and Me on the Rock.” The song is off her 2021 album In These Silent Days.“I build my house up on this rock, baby / Every day with you /  There’s nothin’ in that town I need / After everything we’ve been through,” Carlile sings in the bright and inspirational tune.“Me out in my garden and you out on your walk /  Is all the distance this old girl can take / Without listenin’ to you talk / I don’t need their money, baby / Just you and me on the rock.”The animated video features Carlile playing and singing the song while her rock-solid home rises in the background.  The song and video also call out to eschewing fame and material objects for the sturdiness of the love of her family.While not explicitly political, the video about the beauty of her life with her wife and kids drops amid political unrest around the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v.

As lots of U.S. residents have been celebrating Pride this month, many in the medical community have highlighted the devastating disparities in health outcomes for L.G.B.T.Q. adults — disproportionate cases of monkeypox in men who have sex with men, high reported rates of alcohol abuse, obstacles to accessing screening and treatments for cancer.

LGBTQ activists “shielded” children attending a Pride Month Family Story Time event from far-right elements yelling homophobic and transphobic slurs by placing themselves in between the anti-LGBTQ protesters and families attending the event.On June 26. the Roy and Helen Hall Library in McKinney, Texas, was hosting the event which promised to include reading from “Pride-positive” books, singing familiar songs, and social time where children would be able to play with toys and color.

Related: Conservatives viciously mocked for banning Big Bird, Bert & Ernie from their conferenceAnd this isn’t the first time Cruz has put on his boxing gloves to spar with a children’s puppet. Last year, he opted to take on Big Bird and handily lost that time as well.Cruz’s ire was piqued by a video produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, in partnership with the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law goes into effect July 1, and fears about the law’s vague language appear to be fully justified.Signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, HB 1557 known officially as the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill bans the discussion of LGBTQ topics mainly at the primary grade level.

Even after half a dozen attacks on the rainbow flag, one Michigan neighborhood is showing that our community won’t back down to violence.Video out of Lansing, Michigan early Tuesday morning shows a man dousing a Pride flag in gasoline before lighting it on fire — and judging from the flash, nearly taking himself with it.The Pride flag display has been set up alongside the American flag around the sign between Lansing proper and the Eastside Lansing neighborhoods since Pride month began.Related: Arsonist sets Pride flag ablaze and burns down multiple homes in the processThis isn’t the first time this Pride display has been targeted. This month alone, it’s reported that Pride flags around the sign have been vandalized or stolen at least five times.In one such incident, a man actually sawed through a steel lock just to steal one of the flags.Ryan Kost, a board member of Lansing’s Eastside Neighborhood Organization, said the community won’t be giving up any time soon.“I think there’s a lot of disappointment that is going around,” he said.

Self-proclaimed “free-speech radicalist”, gay MAGA troll, and anti-abortion activist Christian Walker has been absolutely giddy since Roe v. Wade was overturned last week.The former competitive cheerleader, who believes Black people are “more racist” than white people and objects to being called “gay”, preferring to be called “a conservative who likes men”, could hardly contain his excitement on Twitter:THE SUPREME COURT HAS OVERTURNED ROE V WADE.

Wilson Chapman editorSpoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven’t watched “Bleep,” the sixth episode of “Queer as Folk,” now streaming on Peacock.The first two shows that bared the name “Queer as Folk” presented a fairly narrow view of what “queer” is. While Russell T.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. She and Colbert were discussing recent Supreme Court rulings striking down the Roe v.

Views expressed in The Advocate’s opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, Equal Pride.After spending most of my career working to ensure reproductive justice, I feel heartbroken. Heartbroken for the millions of people across the United States who have lost access to abortion. Heartbroken for the millions more who will lose reproductive care as well as gender-affirming care as reproductive facilities close.

Skipper and Ping, two male penguins at the Berlin Zoo, tried their hand at parenting. A pair of gay African penguins in the Netherlands stole an egg laid by a female penguin in the same exhibit space and attempted to raise it as their own.

London will return to the capital this weekend with more than 1.5m people expected to attend the event which is taking place again after a two-year hiatus.Saturday’s parade will pay homage to the UK’s first Pride March, which was organised by members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and took place on July 1 1972. The parade, which will kick-off at Hyde Park Corner at midday promises a focus on ‘visibility, unity, and equality for LGBTQ+ people’.More than 30,000 people and nearly 600 community groups will march in the parade with far more expected to line the streets and attend events.In light of the anniversary and ongoing fight for equality, Pride in London has released a short film, tracing the history of the UK movement, its successes and continuing challenges.Called ’50 Seconds of All Our Pride’ the film is a ‘powerful manifesto’ that celebrates the community’s ‘diversity, inclusivity, resilience, and strength’.Created exclusively by people from the LGBTQ+ community, the short film aims to convey the diversity of the community’s experience.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoAt its heart, Pride is a protest and as well as being a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community Pride in London is also using this year’s event to call for action.The volunteer-run organisation is urging the UK government to ban conversion therapy for all LGBTQ+ people, reform the Gender Recognition Act, provide equal protection for LGBTQ+ communities against hate crime and end its hostile environment towards migrants.The organisation is also pushing for a national AIDS memorial to be established that acknowledges the impact of HIV and AIDs on the LGBTQ+ community.

Bostock v. Clayton County, which affirmed the EEOC’s longstanding position that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity violates federal civil rights law.

Glasgow Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney will appear on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside fellow star Tia Kofi this week. The local winner of season two of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Lawrence will be joined by fellow alumni Tia Kofi on the popular Channel 4 programme on Friday. The star posted the announcement to their social media, informing fans of the exciting news.

Texas Supreme Court Building

Jolanda Jones, left, and Venton Jones

From left: Jolanda Jones, Christian Manuel-Hayes, and Venton JonesThanks to victories in primary runoffs Tuesday, Texas is poised to have its first Black gay male state legislators — and one Black lesbian, who won a special election just weeks ago to fill a vacancy, is likely to be elected to a full term.Before Jolanda Jones’s victory in the special election, Texas had never had a Black member of the LGBTQ+ community in the state legislature. She won the special election May 7 in the Houston-area Texas House District 147 to succeed Rep.