LGBTQ

Florida governor Ron DeSantis addresses the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty) Governor Ron DeSantis has claimed trans issues are being “injected” into classrooms while seemingly showing support for Florida’s reviled “Don’t Say Gay” bill. House Bill 1557 (HB 1557), dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, would ban schools

Utah governor Spencer Cox vows to veto a bill that would ban trans students from competing on sports teams matching their gender identity. (YouTube/Gov Spencer J Cox) Governor Spencer Cox has promised to veto a trans sports ban that was passed through in the last hours of the Utah legislative session.  State lawmakers debated and

Dozens of demonstrators stood outside Walt Disney World. (Instagram/@savelgbt) Disney, known for its magical storytelling, has once again done the impossible: support LGBT+ rights while also donating to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Indeed, the Walt Disney Company issued a statement sidestepping the bill altogether that instead broadly in support of queer rights Friday (4

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves to the crowd as he marches in the Pride Parade in Toronto, 2017. (Getty/ AFP/ GEOFF ROBINS) A judge has ruled that two women who called the president of a Canadian medical imaging centre’s slur-filled tweets “homophobic and transphobic” was a “fair comment” One of the top judges in Ontario,

Around 500 students joined the protest against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. (Twitter/ Jack_Petocz) The student organiser of school walk-outs across Florida in protest against the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill has been suspended for distributing Pride flags. Despite condemnation across the US and internationally, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, also known as House Bill

Ian McKellen, 83, said his father would have loved him for who he was. (BBC) Sir Ian McKellen has said he regrets never coming out as gay to his dad before his death, insisting he would not have had any “moral judgement”. McKellen sat down with journalist Amol Rajan for a BBC interview on Thursday

Iowa governor Kim Reynolds. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Iowa has become the 11th American state to sign a cruel and pointless ban on trans girls and women from competing in sports at state schools, colleges and universities. In the latest example of the at least 160 anti-LGBT+ proposals being rammed into statehouse dockets, governor Kim Reynolds

Texas Governor Greg Abbott. (Getty/ Montinique Monroe) The Texas department of health and human services has removed suicide prevention resources for LGBT+ youth from its website. NBC News reported that on 1 February, the department’s suicide prevention page listed four organisations “for people who are at risk of suicide” – The Suicide Prevention Lifeline, The

Indiana governor Eric Holcomb seen before the Notre Dame and Purdue game on 18 September 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Getty/Michael Hickey) Indiana lawmakers have sent a “regressive” bill banning trans girls from playing on sports teams matching their gender identity to the governor’s desk. On Tuesday (1 March), the state’s Senate passed Republican-backed House

Andy Cohen blasts Greg Abbott as a ‘bully’ on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. (Screen capture via Twitter/Bravo) Television personality Andy Cohen delivered an emotional rebuke of Texas governor Greg Abbott for demanding state agencies to treat healthcare for trans youth as “child abuse”. To the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host,

Janey Jacké. (BBC) This week on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World, it was semi-finals week. And the tension was nail-biting. RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton were joined by special celebrity guest judge and Little Mix star, Jade Thirlwall. For this week’s maxi challenge, the queens were set the task to write, record

Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a campaign rally. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Top activists have sued Texas governor Greg Abbott in an effort to stop state officials from cruelly investigating the parents and guardians of trans youth for “child abuse”. On Tuesday (1 March), the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Republican incumbent

David Martinez. (Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation) A Florida man has been arrested for threatening to cut the “gay” out of his own brother with a kitchen knife. Police in Miami-Dade in southeast Florida were called to the home of 35-year-old David Martinez last Thursday evening (24 February) amid a “violent dispute” between the brothers. The

70 per cent of trans people have experienced transphobia from their primary care provider. (Getty/ FG Trade) The NHS is making it more difficult for GPs and other doctors to care for trans patients, a new report says. While it is well-known that trans folk can spend many years on waiting lists to access gender-affirmative

Magomed Tushayev, one of the leaders behind the horrific “gay purge” in Chechnya, has been killed in Ukraine. Tushayev was a top advisor and military commander for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and helped oversee a brutal so-called “purge” of LGBT+ people in the region since at least 2017. He was reportedly killed while heading up the 141

Erotica author Chuck Tingle buys transphobic Texas governor’s website (governorabbott.com/Chuck Tingle) Erotica author Chuck Tingle, known for his work involving gay dinosaurs, unicorns, and Bigfoot, has bought a Texas governor’s website after he came under fire for comparing trans healthcare to “child abuse”. Tingle, who has written iconic erotica including My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay

Oti Mabuse is touring the UK with her solo show ‘I Am Here’. (Mike Marsland/WireImage) Strictly Come Dancing’s Oti Mabuse has announced her first ever headline UK tour. The dancer will take her new stage show I Am Here to venues across the country in 2022. Fans can get their hands on tickets for Oti

Jussie Smollett was found guilty by a jury of staging a hate crime against himself. (Getty/ Scott Olson) Jussie Smollett, convicted last year of staging a hate crime against himself, is requesting a new trial. The former Empire actor said he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019, claiming that two men shouted homophobic,

Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. (Facebook/ Wolfson College) A group of four students were victims of a suspected homophobic attack in Cambridge, which left one hospitalised. The four young people, students at the University of Cambridge’s Wolfson College, were attacked in the early hours of Wednesday (23 February), according to university newspaper Varsity. The attack

Hillary Clinton said that those supporting Putin were “naive” if they saw him as a “strong leader”. (MSNBC) Hillary Clinton has said that Vladimir Putin appeals to Republicans as a “leader” because he’s “anti-gay, anti-freedom”. Putin launched a brutal invasion of Ukraine on Thursday (24 February), which has resulted in Ukrainians desperately fleeing the destruction and

A close up of a Wetherspoons pub sign. (Getty/ Nathan Stirk) A Wetherspoons chef accused his co-workers of homophobic bullying, but an employment tribunal judge has ruled against him. The chef was employed at the Wetherspoons Dairyman pub in Brentwood, Essex, and in August 2019 he complained that he was being bullied by co-workers for

The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service shut down ignorant homophobes on TikTok. (TikTok/ southyorkshirefire) The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service has responded to ignorant homophobia with a viral TikTok: “Fires don’t discriminate, neither do we.” Earlier this month, the service posted social media content to celebrate LGBT+ History Month, but a short time later

Actor Brandon Black is making history by playing the first gay character in Tyler Perry’s popular Madea film franchise. After 11 films starring his on-screen comedic drag persona Mable “Madea” Simmons, Tyler Perry has arrived on Netflix with his latest instalment, A Madea Homecoming. Among the newcomers to the cast is Brandon Black, who plays Madea’s

Demonstrators take part in a rally outside Downing Street in London on 25 February 2022 to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty) OutRight Action International has launched a fundraiser to support Ukraine’s LGBT+ community as Russian forces move across the country. Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” in

Naomie Skinner. (Human Rights Campaign) A Black trans woman who was shot and left for dead has become the latest victim in 2022’s “epidemic of violence” in the US. Naomie Skinner, a 25-year-old woman who lived near Detroit, Michigan, was found dead in a hallway at an apartment complex in Highland Park. Police were called

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty brand has finally launched in the UK. (Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic) Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty has finally launched in the UK and Ireland. The beauty brand from the star has is now exclusively available to shop at Space NK. Fans can get their hands on products from the brand both in-store and online

Candace Parker and her wife, Anya Petrakova. (Instagram) WNBA star Candace Parker and her wife Anya Petrakova have announced the birth of their baby Airr, who they’ve lovingly nicknamed Goose. The overjoyed couple shared the happy news with fans on Instagram. They posted heartwarming family snaps featuring their new arrival as well as Parker’s 12-year-old

People carry the Rainbow Flag as they participate in the Miami Beach Pride Parade along Ocean Drive on 19 September 2021 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Getty/Joe Raedle) Florida Republicans have advanced the reviled “Don’t Say Gay” bill, bringing the controversial legislation a step closer to passing into law.  The state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed

Da Brat and Jesseca “Judy” Dupart. (Getty) Da Brat and Jesseca “Judy” Dupart are officially married, weeks after the couple revealed they are welcoming their first child. The 47-year-old rapper and her partner, who is the CEO and co-owner of Kaleidoscope Hair Products, got hitched in Georgia on Tuesday (22 February) in a fairytale wedding,

Sunday and Martina in Venice. (Sunday Russell) A queer couple endured an alleged homophobic attack by a thug they say screamed abuse at them before becoming violent and following them home. Sunday Russell and Martina Bressanutti’s ordeal began when they met a friend for a drink in Venice, Italy, where Martina lives and Sunday visits