Jenny Block • 08-05-22

The independent U.N. expert on LGBTQ and intersex issues has expressed concern over efforts to curtail the rights of LGBTQ and intersex people in states across the U.S.

which has been called the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The statement on its website begins by saying that the school district respects a diversity of views and lifestyle choices, but that it must comply with recent legislation.

Police officials in Massachusetts continue investigating a bomb threat at Boston Children's Hospital since Tuesday. For weeks, right-wing troll Chaya Raichik, who runs the transphobic Libs of TikTok Twitter account, has aimed her followers at the hospital, falsely claiming that inside, doctors are mutilating children under the guise of gender-affirming care.  Somebody made a threatening phone call to the hospital at 8 p.m., but no bombs were found, according to the Boston Police Department, Boston's NBC affiliate WBTS reports.Before 10 p.m., local Boston NBC reporter Oscar Margáin tweeted a video from the scene showing a significant police response at the hospital.

An educator in Kansas who sued her school district for suspending her for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns reached a settlement on Wednesday with the school district. The teacher will receive $95,000 in damages due to the lawsuit.After being counseled and suspended for three days by Geary County Schools last year, Pamela Ricard sued the district for reprimanding her over calling a student assigned female at birth by their legal and enrolled last names, NBC News reports.According to the lawsuit, a school counselor at Fort Riley Middle School informed Ricard that the student preferred an alternate first name and that a classmate recommended he/him pronouns.However, to avoid using the student’s preferred first name, Ricard began addressing the student as “miss,” using the student’s last name.

(CNN) – Summer air travel has been trying, to put it mildly. Hellacious, many travelers would say.About 55,000 flights have been canceled in the US since the Friday before Memorial Day, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware, and nearly a quarter of US flights have been delayed this summer.A “huge problem with staffing shortages” has plagued air travel this season and all of 2022 so far, said Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and a spokesperson for FlightAware.Bangs is inclined to give the airlines the benefit of the doubt in their efforts to ramp up pre-pandemic flight schedules with 2022 staffing challenges.“I think they truly thought they would have enough employees return, and hire enough new ones, to meet the demand, but as we’ve all seen, they did not,” Bangs said.Weather and air traffic controller staffing issues have added to the summer disruptions.But some industry experts are cautiously optimistic about air travel this Labor Day holiday weekend, with predictions for a smoother fall travel season.According to travel app Hopper, 12.6 million passengers are scheduled to fly from US airports over the holiday weekend.

Attention Harley Quinn fans! The HBO Max hit series has been renewed for a fourth season.

seemingly transphobic Instagram-video caption from August 23 is continuing to amass critics and fans, but one thing that's gotten lost in the conversation is an interrogation of the statement itself.Aldean captioned the video in question, which showed a before-and-after makeup transformation, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life." Her husband, country star Jason Aldean, responded in the comments, "Lmao!! Im [sic] glad they didn't too, cause you and I wouldn't have worked out."Aldean's post seemed to tacitly mock the parents of children who are trans or gender-questioning.

I grew up in a church, and that’s the way churches were. They instilled in you that (homosexuality) wasn’t the way you should be.

When the calendar turns to September, there is a bit of a melancholy feeling for baseball fans. It's the last month of the regular season, which means the 162-game schedule that started in April in winding down, No matter how old you get, if you love the game of baseball, the approach of fall can make you feel like a jilted lover.My earliest memory as a child is the tap on the head I received from Pittsburgh Pirates great Roberto Clemente when I was around 5 years old. I can still feel his hand on my head.And my earliest recollection of crying is when he died tragically on December 31, 1972.

A straight-identifying man in his 20s says he’s only ever slept with women, but lately he’s been chatting with dudes on Grindr and he’s not sure why, so he’s seeking advice from Julia Naftulin over at Insider.“I’ve only had sex with women,” the man writes, “but I haven’t been with any women in a while because I’m a pretty picky dude.”So he recently did what any straight-identifying man who hasn’t gotten laid in a while does… He downloaded Grindr.“I’ve been going on Grindr and talking to other men with no intention of ever meeting them. I just like flirting with the people on there.”Mostly.But there was this one time when he decided to meet up with a guy and, well, we’ll let him explained what happened:I decided to meet up with one of the men.

on the set of as she heads into her coveted role as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl. In a new New York Times interview, chaulks up complaints about her behavior on Glee as a simple matter of “perfectionism” gone awry. “I have an edge to me,” she said, per , regarding co-star claims that Michele created a hostile work environment.

“Loving Highsmith,” a constrained documentary by the filmmaker Eva Vitija, tries to make the case that author Patricia Highsmith was prodigious in both writing and romance. When Highsmith died in 1995 at the age of 74, she left behind several lifetimes-worth of words, according to her biographer: 22 novels, including the best-sellers “Strangers on a Train,” “The Talented Mr.

In Utah last year, the parents of two girls who’d placed second and third during a state-level sporting event got suspicious about the girl who’d handily won first place: Had she always been a girl? At the time, Utah had not yet passed a law banning transgender athletes from participating in school sports under their gender identity. Still, officials received complaints from parents about athletes who didn’t “look feminine enough,” David Spatafore, the legislative representative of the Utah High School Activities Association, recently testified.

Rochelle Garza

The Boston Police Department is investigating a bomb threat called in on Tuesday night, Aug. 30, to Boston Children’s Hospital, which has been targeted in recent weeks by right-wingers angry that the hospital provides gender-affirming health care to transgender youth.

Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on Lea Michele’s parade because she’s just under a week away from her debut as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl.And Twitter has been abuzz this morning as The New York Times has published an interview with the star, one which touches everything from the show’s casting drama (Michele is stepping in for Beanie Feldstein, who made a highly scrutinized departure from the show earlier this summer) to the ongoing rumors and jokes that Michele doesn’t know how to read. So, yeah, it’s a doozy.Of course, Fanny Brice is a role that’s been on Michele’s vision board for a while now, though she admits, “I will never be as good as Barbra Streisand.”Related: ‘Who are you now?’ ‘Funny Girl’ and a Broadway revival’s identity crisisOn Glee, her character Rachel Berry—a role Ryan Murphy wrote specifically for Michele, which feels pretty obvious—eventually nabbed the part in the fictional revival of the musical, closing a circle from season one, when Berry performed “Don’t Rain On My Parade” at Sectionals.Murphy even had the rights to to a Funny Girl revival for a period of time, and wanted Michele for the part.

Via Mr. Man:

When “Better Call Saul” aired its finale last month, it was the end of an era. The critically lauded prequel series to “Breaking Bad” had amassed a loyal following by offering fans a chance to return for a deeper dive into the morally ambiguous universe Vince Gilligan had created around teacher-turned-meth-kingpin Walter White (Bryan Cranston) nearly 15 years ago.

Reportar sin Miedo es el socio mediático del Washington Blade en Honduras. Esta nota salió en su sitio web el 24 de agosto.

Lea Michele, who begins performances as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s Funny Girl revival next week, says she believes much of the recent online vitriol and trolling against her is sexist, and specifically dismisses the bizarre rumor that she can’t read or write as “sad.”

Monsters may be a dime a dozen in the annals of video game history, but Mother Monster is a different story entirely. And if you’re keen to believe the evidence, it looks like Fortnite will soon be rolling out the rainbow carpet for Lady Gaga.The rumor of a virtual Lady Gaga concert in the massively popular game actually started over a year ago, during game maker Epic’s legal drama with Apple.

Interested In, which returns for a second—bigger, bolder, gayer—season later this month.From creator/star Michael Witkes, Interested In welcomes us back into the funny, sexy, and frequently messy world of college student Parker. If the first season saw Parker coming out and coming to terms with his sexuality, the second aims to dig deeper as he explores how to present his most authentic self and embraces his femininity.Of course, there will be plenty of hook-ups and hang-ups along the way, but thankfully Parker doesn’t have to handle it all alone.

LONDON — When the playwright Charlie Josephine watched the first performance of their play “I, Joan” at Shakespeare’s Globe last week, they sat in the theater, wracked with nerves. The play, based on the story of Joan of Arc, is Josephine’s first on a major London stage. But that was not the only reason that the playwright, who identifies as transgender, queer and nonbinary, and uses the pronoun they, was anxious.

Bad Bunny fans have come out in defence of the Latin rapper over claims of “queerbaiting”.

Trump documentarian Alex Holder, the twice-subpoenaed director of the “Unprecedented” doc that premiered on Discovery+ in July, appeared on The Bulwark Podcast this week to share more about his personal observations of the former first family.Speaking to host Tim Miller, Holder explained how Don Jr. and Ivanka’s top concern is to protect their family’s brand and hang onto their status as American political royalty no matter what the cost, even if it means allegedly plotting an insurrection.Related: Documentary filmmaker reveals how Trump’s kids reacted to election loss and what a bunch of brats“They absolutely are obsessed with the power and the influence that you have when you’re in the White House,” Holder said, adding that maintaining their father’s political relevance is their #1 priority.“They just care about doing whatever they can to ensure that their father remains in power,” he explained.

During a press conference on August 30, UN expert Victor Madrigal-Borloz said he was “extremely concerned” about the recent efforts of many US states to weaken LGBTQ+ right. Madrigal-Borloz then urged the federal government to take more effective measures to prevent the decline of American queer citizens’ rights. Appointed in 2017, Victor Madrigal-Borloz is the […]

Hollywood has-been/Donald Trump loyalist Kevin Sorbo managed to briefly trend on Twitter this morning after posting another dumb tweet, this time attacking the entire state of California for some unknown reason.Related: Former actor Scott Baio’s attempt to own libs with photo of rearranged mugs in craft store backfires“California is a joke,” the 63-year-old Bernie the Dolphin star griped without providing any additional context that might help illuminate why he feels this way. We could try to speculate but, honestly, what’s the point?California is a joke.— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) August 31, 2022Sorbo, who has over 1 million Twitter followers, is no stranger to saying incredibly stupid things online.

so much streaming content out there.As is Queerty tradition, we’ve put together a guide to the best of the queer and queer-adjacent series, films, and more coming to streaming this month to help you stay on top of it all. Whether you use Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, or Hulu (or some combo of the four), we have your can’t-miss recommendations for each—and beyond.

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)Elton was good friends with Diana but they had a falling out a few months before her death. Writing in his 2019 autobiography, Me: Elton John, the singer explained that it was related to a book Gianna Versace published in early 1997, called Rock & Royalty.Related: 18 amazing, random and salacious details from Elton John’s new memoirIt featured photographs of major music stars dressed in Versace. The Elton John AIDS Foundation would benefit from some of the proceeds.

The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld a decision from a Catholic school over their decision to fire a teacher because of his same-sex marriage.

Zack Sharf Lea Michele sat down with The New York Times ahead of her opening night on Broadway playing Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” and confronted accusations of bullying made over the years by her former “Glee” cast members. Samantha Marie Ware came forward in 2020 to accuse Michele of making “traumatic microaggressions” against her on the set of the Fox musical comedy. Ware said Michele threatened to get her fired, among other forms of bullying. “Glee” star Heather Morris supported Ware, writing on Twitter that Michele “should be called out” given “the disrespect” with which she treated others “for as long as she did.” Michele told The Times that the allegations of bullying against her prompted an “intense time of reflection” about her conduct at work. The actor traced a line from her set behavior to her early days as a child star on Broadway, where perfectionism was drilled into her.

Clare history will be made on September 23, 2022, when the Banner County will host its first-ever Pride festival. After a false start last year, when a Pride festival organised by Quare Clare had to be cancelled due to uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, this year’s festivities promise to be even more epic. Commencing on Culture […]

With just ten days to go before Dublin Fringe Festival 2022 previews, we’re featuring some of the amazing queer highlights to look forward to. BEYOND SURVIVAL SCHOOL BUS All aboard for Léann Herlihy’s show. Departing from Bull Alley this 90-minute coach trip will lead you through a journey of queer, ecological and abolitionist coalitions which […]

Saying it was declaring war on “sodomite groomers,” a group of internet trolls recently launched a coordinated attack against The Trevor Project.Dubbed “Operation Gomorrah” by its organizers, members of the 4chan /pol/ message board impersonated suicidal youth and inundated the 24/7 hotline and online chat provided by the support group to LGBTQ+ youth at risk of death by suicide. The attack resulted in increased wait time for legitimately at-risk youth.“The act of attacking a crisis services line intended to prevent suicide among young people is egregious,” The Trevor Project said in an emailed statement to The Advocate.

According to a recent ruling by an Indiana court, discrimination based on sexual orientation is permissible and, in fact, is alive and well in the state. A Catholic school teacher at Cathedral High School was fired in 2019 by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis over his marriage to his husband.

AIDS Outreach Center today (Thursday, Sept. 1) announced plans for its first-ever Red Ribbon Gala in recognition of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 at The Ashton Depot in Fort Worth. The formal event will include a sit-down dinner, an “in memorium” remembrance, a silent auction and live music by Manhattan Band.

The North Texas Food Bank announced the launch of the Annual Spread the Hope Peanut Butter Drive today (Thursday, Sept. 1) as part of Hunger Action Month. The food drive runs throughout September to collect 500,000 pounds of peanut butter, both physically and online through a monetary donation, to help feed North Texans facing hunger.

GEMMA Collins, 41, has sparked rumours she’s upgrading her engagement ring after being seen on holiday shopping for a HUGE diamond. The Towie star slammed rumours she was engaged to Rami earlier this year and admitted while he bought her a “beautiful” engagement ring years ago, she’s a “free spirit” who “won’t marry until she’s 50.” But she’d previously confirmed that she was engaged to Rami, 48, after being spotted wearing an engagement ring.

Saint Kitts and Nevis (Photo: Nesnad at English Wikipedia)

On August 29, the top court for nine Caribbean nations overturned a colonial-era ban on same-sex relationships in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The law criminalising same-sex sexual intercourse was a legacy of British colonial rule over the country. The case started when Jamal Jeffers, a gay man helped by the nonprofit St Kitts and Nevis […]

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will host a virtual roundtable this afternoon when he will meet with LGBTQ+ high school students from across the country to learn how they feel about returning to school in the wake of widespread attacks on LGBTQ+ identity in classrooms.Young LGBTQ+ people have been the target of a coordinated right-wing attack for months to erase them and relegate them back into the closet.Today's meeting comes as Republican governors and legislatures have focused on banning subjects of conversation and books related to LGBTQ+ people and issues from schools and libraries around the country. Others have gone so far as to make gender-affirming medical health care access impossible with policies with which major medical associations disagree."The Second Gentleman felt compelled to hold a meeting with students following the passage of legislation in states that impacts the LGBTQ community, including the Don't Say Gay bill in Florida," a White House official tells The Advocate. The call will include trans and cis-gender youth from Florida, Washington, D.C., Connecticut, and California. Among these students are outspoken advocates of LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion, including some of those who led efforts against the Florida's "don't say gay" bill.The White House says the Second Gentleman is committed to ensuring students feel safe in schools.One of the young participants, Daniel, reacted to questions from The Advocate with excitement."I think it's important for young people to speak with political leaders, so they know exactly what we need and want from them at this time," Daniel, 17, said.

A children’s hospital in Washington, D.C., has become the most recent victim of an online movement to vilify medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care to trans youth. Children’s National Hospital has been under fire from far-right extremists after the far-right Twitter account Libs of TikTok posted an audio recording that features a staff member appearing to say that the hospital provides hysterectomies to minors, according to the Associated Press.Since the Libs of TikTok posted the recording, the hospital has faced "a large volume of hostile and threatening phone calls and emails,” a hospital spokesperson told the news wire. The exposed host of the account, real estate broker and transphobe Chaya Raichik, posed as a mother seeking care for her 16-year-old transgender son.After asking her son’s age, a supposed staff member informs Raichik her son is “in the clear” for a hysterectomy.

The first still from Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies starring Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge has been released.

The general electorate leans moderate to moderate-right. Polling shows “When it comes to polarization, most people in American politics blame the voters. But much of the political science data suggests most voters are actually moderates.” It is the politicians who try to polarize them. Voters tend to not want radical change. Democrats do better when they understand that. It is a major reason Joe Biden won the presidency. 

The latest weekly release of monkeypox case numbers by the D.C. Department of Health shows there were a total cumulative number of 431 monkeypox cases in the District as of Wednesday, Aug. 31, an increase of 26 cases since 405 cases reported one week earlier.

Comedian Judy Gold is slated to headline CAMP Rehoboth’s annual Labor Day celebration, SunFestival, on Sept. 3, kicking off a weekend of festivities and fun. Gold’s comedy portfolio boasts two Emmy awards and several stand-up specials on platforms including HBO and Comedy Central.

Few things are more upsetting than the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling.

Is Brittany Aldean serious right now?