Fla. Lawmaker Accused of Sexually Harassing Man Won’t Seek Reelection

The bubbly gay teen was bullied at school and in his community (Photos: supplied)

ORLANDO, Fla. — Last Friday evening, about 6,000 people — almost all of them gay men — poured into a Walt Disney World water park near Orlando, Fla. Each had spent $100 or more on tickets for a private, adults-only Pride bacchanal called Riptide.

The House January 6 committee held its first prime-time hearing yesterday evening to share the findings of its year-long investigation.The broadcast included shocking, previously unseen footage of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as clips from closed-door depositions of members of Donald Trump‘s inner circle.Among the videos was footage of former first daughter Ivanka Trump testifying that she “accepted” then-Attorney General Bill Barr’s statement that the DOJ didn’t find any evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, despite Trump’s repeated claims to the contrary.“I respect Attorney General Barr so I accepted what he was saying,” Ivanka said under filter oath when she spoke virtually with the committee for nearly eight hours back in April.Rep.

This is fun, though the continued success of Paris Hilton should serve as a reminder that cancel culture does not exist.

law, dubbed “The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” requires Louisiana K-12 schools, as well as universities, to designate all sports teams as for males or females, as determined by a person’s assigned sex at birth. Its passage into law makes Louisiana the 18th state to explicitly pass such restrictions into law, although Georgia effectively has a ban in place, having handed off responsibility to the Georgia High School Association, which implemented a restoration of its own.Under the Louisiana bill, coeducational, or mixed, teams will be open to both males and females, as long as a school does not disband a female-designated team for the purpose of creating a coed team, which the new law says would place cisgender females at an athletic disadvantage.

Netflix has announced Stand Out: The Documentary, which will explore the history of LGBTQ stand-up comedy.

Few icons command the kind of solemn respect in the queer community like Judy Garland. Her life and artistic legacy remain one of the great Hollywood stories–one so complex and varied, hardly any performers have dared try to retell it.Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is well aware that walking a mile in Judy’s red slippers is a bold move, but that didn’t stop him from recreating her iconic 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall in all its glory back in 2006.The show — Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall — was a hit (well, minus one famous critic whose opinions are hard to ignore), and inspired a live album of the same name and similar concerts across the globe.In honor of what would have been Judy’s 100th birthday on June 10, Wainwright is revisiting the Carnegie Hall concert through a series of performances at City Winery in both New York City (through June 10) and Chicago (June 16-17).

Pride month is here and it’s time to celebrate! And what better way to do it than listening to some of our favorite queer artists.

Netflix has announced Stand Out: The Documentary, which will explore the history of LGBTQ stand-up comedy.

In a revealing piece written for The Metro, ex-Love Island contestant Sharon Gaffka opened up on her time in the villa and coming out as bisexual on the show last year.

Wow! Other states are more LGBTQ business-friendly than Texas. Quelle surprise.

25 anti-trans bills have been rolled out so far, many of them attacking the rights of trans kids—she finds herself in the important position of having to educate everyone around her.Last October, Netflix—the company Jaclyn Moore was employed with while working on four delightful seasons of “Dear White People”—released Dave Chappelle’s hour-long comedy special “The Closer,” a monologue that never strayed far from its central themes of transphobia and transmisogyny.“After the Chappelle special, I can’t do this anymore. I won’t work for @netflix again as long as they keep promoting and profiting from dangerous transphobic content,” Moore wrote on Instagram the day Chappelle’s special dropped.  A post shared by Jaclyn Moore (@jaclynpmoore)It was the clapback heard ’round the world: or at least, around Hollywood.

The Stew Peters Show. “There is no such thing as trans kids, there are only abusive parents who are pushing that evil, evil sexual orientation onto their child’s mind.”Related: Christian pastor calls for every gay person to be lined up & “shot in the back of the head”“I want to make sure that those parents have been held accountable,” he continued.

If you are looking for a new way to stay active this month we have an amazing challenge for you to partake in. Irish Life’s Step It To Stonewall Challenge is back this year and is hosted on MyLife, a health and wellbeing app. Participants will virtually travel throughout the LGBTQ+ capitals of the world, […]

Texas labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center delivered a sermon calling for the government execution of LGBTQ+ folks, and it’s not the first time he’s made such disturbing calls for violence.In his sermon entitled, Why We Won’t Shut Up, Dillon Awes of the Stedfast Baptist Church in Hurst said gay men were predatory pedophiles who have either committed sex crimes against a child or just haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet, leading him to the conclusion that “We need to put these people to death through the proper channels of the government.”Awes claimed the Bible’s solution to what he called the “sodomite deception” is queer people “should be lined up against the wall and shot in the back of the head.”“What does God say is the answer, is the solution for the homosexual in 2022, here in the New Testament, here in the book of Romans? That they are worthy of death,” Awes said. “Every single homosexual in our country should be charged with a crime, the abomination of homosexuality that they have, they should be convicted in a lawful trial, they should be sentenced to death, they should be lined up against a wall and shot in the back of the head.” Awes and the Stedfast Baptist Church are in the midst of an anti-Pride month where he visits various local churches and organizations celebrating Pride, and filming himself calling these churches blasphemous and tools of satan. Last month, another preacher at the church, Jonathan Shelley, made the news for his call to commit violence against LGBTQ+ people.

Instagram today after fans inundated her inbox asking about her fiancé Gorka Marquez, 31.The professional dancer was forced to pull out of the Strictly Presents tour after struggling with a "painful" injury.In view of her 1.8 million followers, the Hollyoaks actress clarified that her partner was “good” but felt “gutted” not to be able to dance with his dance partner Maisie Smith.In last night’s video, Gorka could be heard sighing as he used a special belt to help him recover from his injury.Gemma, who was recording the both of them, turned to him and said: “I just want to say, right? Gorka, I know you’re in a lot of pain, yeah? He was in a lot of pain the other day.“But women are going to nod when I say this: it’s a really good job, it's us who have babies and not you guys.“You wouldn’t cope, you wouldn’t cope having a child.”Gorka simply responded: “I agree.”In a new update shared by the actress earlier today, Gemma said she had since been inundated with messages from concerned fans asking about Gorka.Recording herself in her garden, Gemma said: “When I put up that video of Gorka last night I got lots of messages saying, ‘Oh, is he alright? He looks a bit sad’.“No, he’s good. He wasn’t great the other day.

The post Harriet Rose: ‘My goal is to talk about queerness in every scenario possible’ appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Representatives from various Irish LGBTQ+ organisations are set to meet with gardaí to discuss the rising level of homophobic violence in the country. The move comes following an array of attacks having been reported nationwide in recent months, igniting fear and concern in the queer community. Outhouse CEO Oisín O’Reilly is among the community group […]

On Thursday, June 9, three top Irish athletes were on board to help launch Aviva Ireland’s #LaceUpWithPride campaign. The annual initiative in honour of Pride month encourages sportspeople to wear rainbow laces on their boots or runners to demonstrate support for the LGBTQ+ community while also raising funds for youth charity BeLonG To. Exeter-bound bisexual […]

The long-rumored winners’ season of Rupaul’s Drag Race All-Stars is finally gracing our screens. This season features the return of some of Drag Race’s most beloved alumni, and few moreso than Jinkx Monsoon, whose underdog storyline, “water off a duck’s back” optimism, and impeccable impression of Grey Gardens’ Little Edie charmed viewers on season five of the show.Now here she is competing again some nine years later, and if her newest Snatch Game performance is anything to go off of, she’s only grown in charm and wit.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticWatching the trailer for “First Kill,” it was tempting to assume that Netflix’s new teen show got lost on its way to The CW. After watching the actual episodes, however, it’s necessary to apologize to The CW for the insult to a genre it’s done well for years, and which “First Kill” spends an inordinate amount of energy trying to duplicate without much success.Based on the short story by V.E. Schwab, who also wrote the first episode and produces the series, “First Kill” dutifully sets up its YA supernatural show bingo board.

I remember arranging a picnic at the park with a date and got in trouble for cycling there. Needless to say the date didn’t go well, I got ignored.

@shaktischild gained attention on social media as the user recalled the horrific aftermath of a past douching experience while visiting Cancun, Mexico.“Douched in Cancun… I bled for days,” @shaktishcild wrote. “I had to wait until I landed back in NYC to go to the hospital and they pulled a tapeworm out of me. Horrific experience.” Over the years, it’s become pretty common advice for travelers to avoid drinking tap water during international trips.

Terry Garner and Keith Dowler festooned their Corsicana home, Love Story Mansion, with Pride flags to celebrate Pride Month.

County Judge Clay Jenkins and three of four commissioners at Dallas County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, June 7, with members of the LGBTQ community declaring June Pride Month in Dallas County. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)

More than 1 million people are expected to participate in México City’s Pride parade on June 25. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Photos by Leo Cusimano,David Taffet and Chad Mantooth CLICK HERE TO VIEW PARADE PHOTOS The post Dallas Pride 2022 appear

A post shared by Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) Australian singer Darren Hayes, formerly of Savage Garden, has been recalling some of his previous romantic liaisons. It turns out that he dated two people previously in Madonna‘s inner circle, including one of her brothers, Christopher Ciccone.Christopher, who is gay, used to be very close to his big sister.

About 1.6 million people in the United States are transgender, and 43 percent of them are young adults or teenagers, according to a new report providing the most recent national estimates of this population. The analysis, relying on government health surveys conducted from 2017 to 2020, estimated that 1.4 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds and 1.3 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds were transgender, compared with about 0.5 percent of all adults. Those figures revealed a significant rise among younger people: The estimate of transgender people 13 to 25 nearly doubled since the researchers’ previous report, published in 2017, though the reports used different methods.

Visibility is essential.

JailBird (Image via Instagram)

Husbands DR Hanson and Jamison Sacks reopened Common Ground Games in its new, larger space in April. (Rich Lopez/Dallas Voice)

Fire Island is streaming now on Hulu

We all know and love Rebel Wilson for her lead roles in the hit films Pitch Perfect and Senior Year, but we are so excited to learn about her announcement of joining the Queer family! The 42-year-old revealed her girlfriend, Ramona Agruma, in an adorable Instagram post yesterday. “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but […]

Pride season is already in full swing, and to add to the buzz, Dublin Pride organisers have unveiled the parade route and theme for 2022. Following two years of restricted celebrations, the event on June 25 will be back with a bang, and guess what? You’re all invited. Kicking off at midday, marchers will assemble […]

GREGG SHAPIRO | Q-MusicGreggShapiro@aol.com Aside from ABBA, can you think of another Swedish quartet with two female (Anni-Frid and Agnetha) and two

Meet White Tail, one of the smartest dogs you will ever meet. White Tail is a mature dog at 7 years of age, but he still has a lot of energy in the tank. He is an Australian cattle dog mix who weighs in at 48 pounds and has dappled white fur with a black head and black spots. White Tail came to the SPCA of Texas from a hoarding case in Hunt County. He was very fearful when he got here but has made Olympic-level strides since then. In fact, White Tail is now the only dog at the SPCA of Texas who is considered staff — and has his own name badge to prove it. He has excelled at not only coming out of his shell but helping the behavior staff calm the nerves of new fearful dogs coming into the program. He is absolutely adored by the staff but deserves to find his own forever home, too. He is housed at the Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center and requires an appointment.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLos Angeles-based Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Colombia-based Spanish director Ruth Caudeli’s Tribeca title “Petit Mal” from Italian sales company The Open Reel. “Petit Mal,” in which Caudeli also stars, is centered around three young women, Martina, Laia, and Anto, who are in a passionate, playful three-way relationship — the dynamic of which is reshaped when one is called away for a long-term project.The pic, which premieres in Tribeca’s Viewpoints section, is loosely based on the director’s personal life experiences.“Petit Mal” is Caudeli’s third feature segueing from her exploration of somewhat similar themes in “Eva + Candela” (2017), in which a female filmmaker falls in love with her leading lady, and “Second Star on the Right” (2019), about a 30-something bisexual woman who refuses to grow up. During Cannes, the Rome-based Open Reel, which is headed by Cosimo Santoro, also sold rights to “Petit Mal” for Germany and all German-speaking territories to Cinemien.de/Pro-Fun Media; and for Benelux to Cinemien.nl.

It has become obvious over the last, oh, six years or so that Texas Republicans have become masters of misdirection. Let’s look at the Texas GOP track record, shall we: In 2016, when he got called out for accepting a $35,000 donation from Donald Trump AFTER dropping a fraud investigation into

Have an event coming up? Email your information to Managing Editor Tammye Nash at nash@dallasvoice.com or Senior Staff Writer David Taffet at taffet@dallasvoice.com by Wednesday at 5 p.m. for that week’s issue.

Instagram.In a very sweet post, the actress said she had found "her Disney princess" and officially came out as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community.Following the post, many have been wondering who Ramona Agruma is, as well as how long the pair have been an item.You can see the post below:A post shared by instagramAgruma is a jewelry and fashion designer, she founded the sustainable and luxury fashion brand Lemon Ve Limon. She also created the jewelry brand DeLys.

Steph McGovern is one of the UK’s leading television presenters, jumping from BBC Breakfast to launching her own daytime TV show, Steph’s Packed Lunch – and, impressively, in a pandemic.Metro.co.uk’s Entertainment Guest Editor John Whaite is a staple on the programme, joining his close mate Steph to interview guests and introduce viewers to simple and delicious recipes.Just this year, Steph’s Packed Lunch was nominated for a TV Bafta Award, National Television Award, RTS Award, a Tric Award, and continues to go from strength-to-strength.Here, John speaks to Steph about the important of LGBTQ+ friendships as Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride.There’s something powerful in just having an LGBTQ+ person at the centre of a daytime TV show and actually we often have LGBTQ+ stories and guests on. How important is it to you to have a broad representation of everyone on your programme?When I had a vision in my head of what I wanted the show to be, it was about a place where everyone is equal, like whether you’re a superstar celeb, or you’re somebody who’s sat in the studio watching the show – your opinion, your background, your voice is just as important as anyone else’s.I think we can all learn from each other.

London on the 1st July 1972. This year’s Pride in London parade is on Saturday 2nd July.This wasn’t an instant national movement, however, as Scotland had to wait until 1995 for its first pride march, in Edinburgh.

RuPaul dropped another bombshell on this week’s episode of Drag Race All Stars 7.

Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness for the community this Pride Month.MORE: Find all of Metro.co.uk's Pride coverage right hereAnd we’ve got some great names on board to help us, too. From a list of famous guest editors taking over the site for a week that includes Rob Rinder, Nicola Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart-Simpson, John Whaite, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranj, we’ll also have the likes Sir Ian McKellen and Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi offering their insights. During Pride Month, which runs from 1 - 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also be supporting Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community during times of conflict.

Manchester United think Liverpool have made a mistake with Darwin Nunez transferSchoolboy, 14, stabbed to death and mother badly injured in 'ferocious' knife attackPrince Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre now faces sex abuse allegationAs for her relationship with Rhona, however, Mary will hope that her daughter will come round to the shock.But, at the same time, this is not all about Rhona so it may take some time for Mary to accept what she has done too. With everything that Mary has been through in the past, telling Rhona about her sexuality was no easy task.

Raheem Sterling ready to join Chelsea in £60million transfer on one conditionPutin 'needed urgent medical help after video call with military chiefs'Neighbours shuts down forever as last scene is filmed after 37 yearsCasualty’s Arin Smethurst shares a piece on how their non-binary identity is reflected in the show and Emmerdale’s producer Kate Brooks discusses the show’s new storyline in which the older demographic is represented when a character over 70 comes out as gay to their daughter.Alongside these stories and others, we have also sought opinions and first person accounts from fans, experts and columnists to make this a day in which everyone can find something.Joshua Halm discusses the importance of representation in soaps and how LGBTQ+ characters can never be tokens, while Maisie Spackman tells us how a Coronation Street episode prompted her to come out as gay to her family.And doesn’t that reflect Pride in its purest form? A notion that everyone has a place there which is right for them and, in celebration, the community comes together to try and ensure every single one of us feels validated and supported wherever we find ourselves?There is much progress still to be made and many voices which still fear they won’t be heard; I hope that the growing openness of discussion, a snippet of which you will find here today, will help close that gap and inspire not just those celebrating this month, but those who will one day be able to celebrate in the future.This year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness

The Florida lawmaker leading state House Democrats into the midterms now faces allegations of groping and sexually harassing a man who previously worked at Florida A&M University.The former FAMU athletic official, Michael Johnson Jr., filed complaints in February with the Florida Commission on Human Relations alleging Florida Rep. Ramon Alexander sent explicit photos and videos of himself, The Tallahassee Democrat reports.Johnson was fired from the university in January. Alexander represents Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city and home to FAMU.According to Johnson, Alexander threatened his job over the treatment of Alexander’s brother-in-law, track coach Skye Dawson.