‘Heartstopper’ Is a TV Love Story With the Soul of a Comic

likely weren’t told anything about LGBT+ relationships.Section 28 forbade ‘the promotion of homosexuality’ in schools, meaning generations of young people weren’t told about the ins and outs of their own sexual health.And even after the statute was repealed, not all students have had access to the diverse and inclusive sex education they need.In my school years, I put a condom on a model penis and got a brief glimpse of a dental dam, but not much by way of explanation on what they were. The most prevalent STIs were listed, but not who’s most at risk or how they’re transmitted.These gaps in guidance that prioritise penetration can leave women who have sex with women in the dark.

Dwyane Wade is opening up about raising a transgender child daughter.

Abbott Elementary.

Entertainment Weekly: "Joel and I felt very committed to casting queer actors for this. We know that the depth of talent exists within this community, and I think it’s really unfortunate that much of Hollywood still has this idea that you can’t do this — like, that there are straight actors who might play these roles better.

—Anonymous"You are allowed to take your time. Take the time to you need to figure stuff out. Take the time to become comfortable with your identity.

Dwyane Wade always has his daughter’s back — but he also got real about his fears as the parent of a transgender child.

J. Kim Murphy Kristen Stewart has opened the gates for her paranormal reality series, calling on ghost hunters and mediums to audition for the upcoming production.“I am scarily excited to announce that I’m teaming up with Scout, the producers of ‘Queer Eye,’ ‘Legendary’ and ‘The Hype,’ on the most gayest, most funnest, most titillating queer ghost-hunting show ever,” a sunglasses-sporting Stewart says in a video shared by her hairsylist and friend CJ Romero on Instagram Monday afternoon.

If you spend any time among the cryptocurrency community you’ll come across the mantra “HODL”. Originally a typo for “hold” on a Bitcoin forum, it has become all-purpose advice to anyone looking at the day’s price fluctuations and thinking of selling their assets.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously June 7 to support the designation of an intersection in the Transgender District as a historic landmark.The intersection of Turk and Taylor streets is the former site of Compton's Cafeteria where, in August 1966, a groundbreaking riot by transgender people tired of being harassed by police took place, three years before the Stonewall riots in New York City.Introduced by former District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, who has since resigned after he was sworn in as a state assemblymember May 3, the effort was inherited by District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston after the Turk and Taylor streets intersection moved into District 5 as a result of redistricting. Preston's office then contacted the Transgender District's leadership to find out which issues were on their agenda, said Preston legislative aide Kyle Smeallie in May.

Sasha Urban editorWith L.A. Pride around the corner and Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” in full swing, the planets are aligned for a blowout weekend as the yearly event makes its debut in Hollywood, after more than 50 years of taking place in West Hollywood.Case in point: On June 10 and 11, a slew of all-star drag queens will appear in “Drag: The Musical Live!” at the Bourbon Room Hollywood for three performances. “All Stars” Season 2 winner Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, “All Stars” Season 4 winner Monét X Change, “Drag Race” Season 12 competitor Jackie Cox, New York City-based queen Lagoona Bloo, “Fire Island” star Nick Adams and more are set to appear.Additionally, “All Stars” Season 3 winner and musician Trixie Mattel will be in the DJ booth the evening of June 11 for her L.A.

We love watching Wilson Cruz cruise around the outer limits of the galaxy on Star Trek Discovery.Going where no gay has gone before, Cruz, along with his fellow RENT alum Anthony Rapp, portray the first openly queer couple in the Star Trek mythos.Related: Wilson Cruz beams down to dish new Star Trek seasonBut promoting peace throughout the cosmos takes agility, so we’re glad to see Cruz’s yoga game is as strong as his acting game.“Blissed out after my last yoga class before heading back to outer space (or as it is commonly referred to, TORONTO),” he captioned a recent photo that screams core strength.  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)Here’s some more of Cruz looking totally adorable on Instagram:  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)  A post shared by Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73)

Is a decade of destructive progressive ideology finally coming to an end? Even if San Franciscans choose not to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin on Tuesday, the fact that some of America’s most reliably liberal voters put one of America’s most leftward D.A.s at serious risk of losing his job is a sign of hope. Liberal patience for what Mayor London Breed of San Francisco calls “all the bullshit that has destroyed our city” — aggressive shoplifting, rampant car burglaries, open-air drug use, filthy homeless encampments, sidewalks turned into toilets — is finally running thin. Progressive overreach has its price.

opened Astral Sound Studios Inc. in 1971, the first major recording studio in the country owned and operated by a Black woman, which she came to rename “Gaiee Records.” Jones told The Advocate, “I named the label Gaiee because I wanted to give gay people a label they can call home.”Charles “Valentino” Harris was scouted for the recording during a stint in a Long Island revival of Hair, and proved to be just the gay for the job.

Demi Lovato announced today their upcoming HOLY FVCK fall tour, named after their upcoming eighth studio album set to drop Aug. 19. The Live Nation 32-date tour begins Aug. 30 in Brazil and will close right here in their home state. Lovato will bring their tour to 713 Music Hall in Houston on Nov. 3 and then play the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on Nov. 6 to wrap up the tour. DEAD SARA will open on those Texas dates.

An array of Drag Race UK stars are headed to ITV in a brand new one-off drag special.

Drag the Kids to Pride Drag Show" on Saturday afternoon, billed as a "family friendly pride experience." A description on Eventbrite said that five spots were available for children to dance on stage with drag performers.The event triggered a raucous demonstration from protestors who yelled that members of the LGBTQ community were "grooming" children, as captured in a video shared by Twitter user @EFJBGC with 1.2 million views.An ugly protest today. A mob of self described “Christian Fascists” tried to force their way into a gay establishment in the gayborhood of Dallas holding a family event while chanting “Groomers” pic.twitter.com/2F9NE4rs0P"Groomers, groomers," the protestors chanted repeatedly in the clip."You guys are disgusting," shouted a man with a loudspeaker.

The DVtv crew prepares

The Advocate. “We have had crumbs, and we have had subtext. And we’ve had queerbaiting.

Singer and reality TV star Ray J called on straight men to support the LGBTQ+ community in a new statement. 

LGBTQI+ Stroke Victims & Partners’ Research Seeks Transgender Patients As Well, To Interview For the Study; Part II of Kokay’s Project Coming Out on Pride MonthBy: Chris Gilmore/TRT Reporter—A Ph. D.

Is there anything in Hollywood more powerful than Brad Pitt’s buns?They’ve already given us so much to be grateful for and now, it turns out, we can also thank them for helping dreamy Fire Island‘s James Scully realize he was gay.As one of the many, many crush-worthy stars in the queer rom-com, Scully plays Charlie, a human Golden Retriever, and the object of Howie’s (Bowen Yang) affection, whose sweet demeanor and willingness to laugh at everything make him easy to fall for.In a charming new interview with Thrillist, Scully reminds us that, in the not too distant past, movies like Fire Island were practically unheard of, with positive depictions of queer people in mainstream media few and far between.“There wasn’t a lot of explicitly queer stuff,” he shares, “so I do feel like I was just grabbing little breadcrumbs from movies and shows when I could.”  A post shared by James N Scully (@scullynjames)Surely that’s a sentiment many of us born in the ’90s and earlier can relate to. And, speaking of relatability, Scully goes on to reveal that he found it pretty impossible to deny his queerness any longer after first seeing Brad Pitt’s behind in the 2004 historical epic, Troy.

According to five pitchers for the Tampa Bay Rays, there’s no rainbows in baseball!Pride night at Tropicana Field was apparently just too much for five of the pitchers on the Rays’ roster, who all felt the need to abandon the team’s special one-night-only rainbow logo jerseys for their regular outfits.Players Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson all refused to wear the uniforms required by their jobs for the night.Today, we wear our #Pride on our sleeves pic.twitter.com/bcOLJNhx6Y— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 4, 2022Despite treating this innocuous rainbow badge like the Mark of the Beast, the players wanted to make it clear that they “welcome and love” the queer community.Jason Adam stated, “We love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.”Adam went on to say, “It’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle to abstain from that behavior.”He is, of course, referring to [heretofore undiscovered scripture quoting Jesus as specifically condemning queerness].This situation has social media delving once again into the conversation of using religion to justify blatant homophobia, and many are just plain tired of it.5 Tampa Bay Rays players removed the rainbow patch placed on their uniforms for Pride Month because of their religious beliefs. It can’t be because they are Christian because Jesus loved everybody.

Related: Pastor preaches that all gay men are “reptilians” & should be put to death“We are called to be led by men,” he said, getting applause, according to WRAL. “God sent women out… when they had to do their thing, but when it was time to face down Goliath, [He] sent David.”“Not Davita, David,” he said.

announced on Facebook that he had met with the Apex Festival Commission concerning feedback he’d received about the story hour and that the commission had decided to cancel that part of the fest. Other activities will go on as planned, including some drag performances, area TV station WNCN reports.He did not offer details about the feedback, but Apex Town Council member Audra Killingsworth included more information in a comment on the post.“We have had many emails sent to us at Council complaining about the drag story hour event,” she wrote.

announced on Facebook that he had met with the Apex Festival Commission concerning feedback he’d received about the story hour and that the commission had decided to cancel that part of the fest. Other activities will go on as planned, including some drag performances, area TV station WNCN reports.He did not offer details about the feedback, but Apex Town Council member Audra Killingsworth included more information in a comment on the post.“We have had many emails sent to us at Council complaining about the drag story hour event,” she wrote.

Fire Island. The film, which is inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, follows a group of gay Asian friends who gather for what could be their last annual week of love and laughter together on the titular isle.

VOICE OF THE FISH: A Lyric Essay, by Lars Horn In the depths of the ocean, creatures make their own light. There’s the angler fish, which draws prey to its massive teeth with a dangling, glowing bulb.

Billy Eichner has called out Hollywood’s hypocritical and homophobic nature in a new interview. 

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe 14th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will live in the herstory books as a big step forward for trans representation.The show began with just two trans queens, Kerri Colby and Kornbread, but as the season progressed, they were joined by three others who spoke their truths, Bosco, Jasmine Kennedie and Willow Pill. It became the most trans-inclusive season to date.Further cementing the season in herstory, Willow Pill was crowned America’s Drag Race Superstar, and she became the first out transgender winner of the main “Drag Race” franchise.Speaking with Variety last month at RuPaul’s DragCon, Colby called the season “trans-tastic.” She stressed this wasn’t just a trend for the season, but that it was a place for her to speak her truth. Colby said, “I was very nervous to approach my truth for so long.

Facebook battle in a viral TikTok last week."If you guys want to see the biggest group of disgruntled veterans or disgruntled people in general, you need to go to the Parris Island Marine Corps page during Pride Month," said the amused TikToker in her video with 492,000 views.Daily Dose of Disgruntled #pridemonth #foryourpride #militarytok #lgbtqmilitary #pridemonth2022 #pride2022 #dontaskdonttell#greenscreenRowan referred to the Facebook page for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot of Parris Island, South Carolina. The page shared an image of a combat helmet adorned with six rainbow-colored bullets on June 1.Together with the graphic, a caption said, "During the month of June, the Marine Corps takes #Pride in recognizing and honoring the contributions of our LGBTQ service members.

History in the making! Billy Eichner is breaking new ground with the upcoming romantic comedy Bros.

Hannah Einbinder gets candid about her career as a bisexual comedian and discusses her “Hacks” character Ava during the latest episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast.

The Boys‘ third season, we’re thinking we should be more careful about what we wish for.Amazon Prime Video’s bawdy comic book adaptation is known for its wicked sense of humor, never passing up the opportunity to exploit its character’s super powers for body horror and other shocking explosions of blood and guts. But The Boys may have outdone itself in its third season premiere, introducing us to a man with the ability to shrink himself, and then taking that to sexual and violent extremes.This isn’t your grandparents’ Ant-Man.Spoilers ahead for The Boys’ season 3 episode “Payback”…Early in the episode, we’re introduced to Brett Geddes’ Termite—the aforementioned “Supe”—first seen at the height of a doll, miming sex with a Barbie for the enjoyment of the guests at his drug-fueled party.

Making history! Justine Lindsay is the NFL’s newest star — and the season hasn’t even started yet.

A League of Their Own from queer creator and star Abbi Jacobson finally has a date for its premiere on Amazon Prime and an electric teaser trailer to go with it.Borrowing its premise and name from the beloved Penny Marshall film that starred Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell, and Madonna as baseball players in the all-women’s league that sprouted up while men were away in World War II, the very queer series goes where viewers wish the movie could have gone. The show, created by Broad City’s Jacobson and Will Graham, features several queer characters, including a Black transgender character who shows up partway into the series.

Gaydio and BBC Radio Manchester's Jsky has been selected to carry the baton as part of The Queen’s Baton Relay. The radio presenter will represent the UK in the north west leg next month as part of the epic journey which began in October last year with the Queen placing her message to the Commonwealth into the baton.

One Last Stop while we’re at it. Her sophomore venture delves into sci-fi territory when main character August moves to New York City, as cynical 23-year-old bisexuals are wont to do.

Don’t Say Gay” bill, the long-standing debate over the role of sex education in schools has reached a fever pitch. Thankfully, the documentary A Sexplanation—from filmmaker, journalist, and former Queerty columnist Alex Liu—could not have come at a better time.Years in the making, Liu initially set out to craft a film he envisioned as “the sexiest episode of Nova,” one that dives into the nature of American sex education: Where is it happening, how is it happening, and—if it is indeed happening—how come so many of us grow up with such fear and shame around sex?Along the way, he realized just how universal his own experience (or lack thereof) with sex ed was.

Whether you watched the show chronologically when it first aired in the early 2000s or unapologetically recorded episodes on your parent’s TiVo as a closeted teenager like me, Showtime’s Queer as Folk was a major milestone in LGBTQ entertainment.Upon discovering the show eight years after the final episode aired, I had never seen anything like it. Throughout its five seasons, the narratives and storylines promoted safe sex, displayed the harms of drug use, highlighted plotlines of gay bashing, and brought to the forefront the importance of same-sex marriage.And for a hypersexual 15-year-old like me, it also had some of the hottest gay sex scenes on premium cable.With Peacock releasing its reboot later this week, I decided to rewatch the original American series’ entire first season, which highly captivated my 15-year-old imagination, and dissect those memorable moments at age 25.

Warning: Fox News’ Pride messaging may cause you to question the very fabric of existence, because nothing this blatantly hypocritical could exist within the laws of physics.Of course, if anyone could do it, it’s the network that promoted anti-vax conspiracy theories while requiring its employees to be fully vaccinated.Media Matters recently shared a clip of Fox News celebrating “America Together: LGBTQ+ Pride Month,” followed by recent examples of its hosts attacking the LGBTQ community.Related: Tucker Carlson’s new documentary about “testicle tanning” is gay AF“Celebrate Pride Month with Fox News,” a voice says. “Meet important voices of the LGBTQ+ community and go inside their incredible contributions.”Then the video cuts to Fox personalities attacking queer people, from general “groomer” hysteria to repeatedly misgendering transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.Watch:Fox News' actual promo for Pride Month vs.

Terrence Davies says it was “hard to write” his Siegfried Sassoon biopic, Benediction, because “there was so much material”.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentNaomi Kawase, Japan’s best-known female film director, has been accused of bullying her company staff and assaulting a member of her film crew.In late April, Bunshun Online, the website of a leading weekly tabloid, published an interview with a former male staffer of Kawase’s production company Kumie. He stated that Kawase had punched him in the face in the company office in October of 2015.

A new (casual) choir has been set up in Dublin for all the LGBTQ+ folks who enjoy singing but don’t particularly like the formality of a typical choir. If you recognise yourself in this description, then Dublin LGBT+ Casual Choir is definitely for you. With no audition required to join, the members of the Dublin […]

The UK recently opened the doors of its first-ever LGBTQ+ museum, Queer Britain. With loads of history and stories about members of the LGBTQ+ community, the GCN team could not recommend it more! The museum currently has a temporary opening display, ‘Welcome to Queer Britain,’ which shares incredible history from the museum’s collection. It is […]

Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney has called out transphobic comments after strangers made ignorant, unsolicited remarks towards her at a restaurant.Netflix fans have taken the actress to their hearts over recent weeks after her portrayal of Elle Argent in the new coming-of-age series.Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) who start off as form buddies in an all-boys grammar school, but quickly fall for one another and embark on a secret relationship.The series has been highly praised for its revolutionary LGBTQ+ storytelling, with countless fans even feeling inspired to come out to their own families as a result of the show’s hopeful queer representation.Elle plays one of Charlie’s best friends in the series, based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman.She is trans and, at the start of the eight episodes, we see she’s moved from Truham Grammar School to Higgs School for Girls.âAre you a boy or a girlâ Today some women shouted this in front of all of her peers while I was about to leave a restaurantâ¦Erm Idk what do I look like to you? pic.twitter.com/A7BkkzDj7XActress Yasmin has spoken openly about the importance of trans representation on-screen, expressing her disbelief at the streaming giant wanting to cast a Black trans girl to play the 17-year-old student in the first place.However, like much of the trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming communities, Yasmin has experienced transphobic comments while simply going about her life.Taking to Twitter to share a recent incident, she posted a stunning mirror selfie in which she wears a black cut-out dress, with her hair styled in a sleek bob and make-up looking extra glam.She wrote alongside the pic that a woman shouted

Heartstopper, then look no further.The show, based on the web comic by Alice Oseman, became one of the best queer shows ever through its authentic and wonderful representation of LGBTQ+ teens and has left many people hungry for more (myself included).From other comics to TV shows, films, and novels, this list has a bit of everything for everyone.For those looking for more gay graphic novel excellence, look no further than Check, Please! Cut from the same cloth, this Tumblr comic from Ngozi Ukazumade waves during its release, and its success lead to two physical novels that you can usually find right alongside Heartstopper.Check, Please! is the story of Eric Bittle, a gay skater who ends up getting on a college hockey team and falling for the captain.

Heartstopper launched just five days ago, following Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, two school boys who fall in love, overcoming their shame, fear, and bullies, proudly coming to terms with their own sexualities and becoming able to hold hands in the school corridors like all their other classmates fortunate enough to find their first teenage romance.Already its impact on LGBTQ+ audiences has been extraordinary.Just hours after its release, one teenager said they’d used the moment Nick came out as bisexual to his mother (played by Olivia Colman) to come out to their own family.Others said the scene, which sees Nick’s proud mother reach out her hand and tell her shaking son that she loves him, was the inspiration they needed to follow Nick’s lead.And whoever you are, there will be something life-changing to take from Heartstopper.I know that I’ll likely be joined by most LGBTQ+ people old enough to remember queuing up to buy Baby One More Time in thinking; ‘If only I’d had Heartstopper when I was 15.’Adapted from the series of graphic novels by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper is a story that embraces queerness like no other; it’s hope that all of us will be loved, with a clear message that we shouldn’t have to wait until we’ve flown the nest and found wherever we feel safe until we find the person who will love us back.But it’s not just the story I wish I’d had growing up, it’s the story of a reality which, like so many others, was never going to be available to me as a queer kid who felt unable to come out. Before Nick, Charlie has a secret fling with a closeted bully who – despite lusting over Charlie – denies he’s queer.

Heartstopper star Kit Connor has expertly shut down speculation surrounding his sexuality. The actor, 18, has become a household name over the past week after Heartstopper rocketed up the Netflix chart and became the series everyone wanted to binge-watch. Heartstopper sees Kit star opposite Joe Locke, also 18, in what has been hailed a revolutionary and life-changing coming-of-age show for the LGBTQ+ community.