15 LGBTQ+ People Tell Us About The First Time They Felt Represented

Billy Eichner has said he 'could have easily' cast Chris Evans as his love interest in his gay rom com - but decided not to on a matter of principle.The 44-year-old comedian previously trumpeted the movie ahead of its release for having an all-queer cast even for the straight roles.Since then however the movie has bombed at the box office, with one line of thinking blaming its lack of A-list movie stars.'We could have easily thrown Chris Evans into the Luke McFarland role,' Billy said at a New Yorker Festival panel, per Deadline. 'But we didn’t because for us it was important to give a number of openly LGBT actors a chance to star in a movie even though they weren’t movie stars.' All-queer cast: Billy Eichner (left) has said he 'could have easily' cast Chris Evans (right) as his love interest in his gay rom com - but decided not to on a matter of principleBilly was on the panel with Harvey Fierstein, the acclaimed actor and Torch Song Trilogy playwright who also appears in Bros.They candidly acknowledged the movie's underwhelming performance at the box office, where its opening weekend was 40% below expectations.

Argentine tennis player Nadia Podoroska has come out as queer in a heartfelt social media post. 

Liverpool has been announced as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. 

A group of more than 200 activists gathered outside of Luther Jackson Middle School in Vienna on Thursday to object to the new “model policies” for transgender students proposed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration.

The 2022 Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival was held at Court Square in Harrisonburg, Va. on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Attention, hopeless romantics! HBO Max has announced a brand new Harley Quinn Valentine’s Day special.

Partick Thistle boss Ian McCall has apologised to Scott Lambie after admitting his comments about the referee “verged on bullying”. McCall hit out after his side’s 1-0 defeat at Inverness on Friday night but vowed to say sorry to the ref’s face after he acknowledged his comments were out of order.

Basketball star Dwyane Wade has opened up about his decision to limit the comments on his daughter’s Instagram.

The Notebook’s pre-Broadway run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. It is a musing on why a story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back a decade later only to eventually lose her again to dementia also resonates with queer audiences.On its face, The Notebook — the first of countless Nicholas Sparks’ bestsellers, adapted into a 2004 movie that launched both Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams into stardom — is cishet in every way.

Vintage Playbill from the 1972 opening (Image via Playbill)

My Life as a Goddess: A Memoir through (Un)Popular Culture discusses hard topics such as fat-phobia and homophobia with smart, unapologetic humor. He brings that same energy to Bros, where he plays Henry, the fun-loving friend to Billy Eichner’s character Bobby.Guy has been working in Hollywood for over two decades. He has a lot to say about both film culture and the gay scene.

Basketball star Dwyane Wade has opened up about his decision to limit the comments on his daughter’s Instagram.

Reddit users are having a devil of a time with artwork that artificial intelligence created with the phrase “gay rights” as a prompt.The result shows a demonic face with horn-like protrusions and glowing yellow eyes. So yes, it looks like a depiction of Satan.

YouTuber Charlie McDonnell has come out as trans in a new social media post.

De 25-jarige Ahmed Abu Markhiya werd met een scherp voorwerp gedood en onthoofd. Een video van de moord werd geenuuml;pload op sociale media, vermoedelijk door de dader, en leidde tot massaal afgrijzen.

broke his 20-year hiatus, Charlie Puth discussed his constant horniness, and Lena Dunham declared herself a gay icon.

With the recent release of Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2 and the resurrection of the Sanderson Sisters, the witches are out to play! We felt inspired by the mystically crisp October air this Halloween season to compile this list of must-see witch movies this month. However, a full moon in Aries approaches this month, bringing high illuminations of intensity and healing.

To the Editor: Re “Breast Removal Surgery on Rise for Trans Teens” (front page, Sept. 26): As three out of five Americans say they don’t know a trans person, your reporting contributes much-needed understanding of trans youth and the barriers they face in receiving gender-affirming medical care. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association and the Endocrine Society all assert that health care for trans kids, done in the right way at the right time, is safe.

We all can use a cathartic ugly-cry sometimes, and if you’re feeling that need, you could open the floodgates with a viewing of the movies and TV shows below. On the r/askgaybros forum, Reddit users said these titles — some LGBTQ-related, some not — broke their hearts.Of course, we have to preface this sob-fest with a couple of notes of caution: One, spoilers abound. And two, some of those movies and TV shows are so sad that the gay bros who nominated them won’t rewatch them again.“The end of Brokeback Mountain, where you see that Ennis still has Jack’s shirt, hanging on the same hanger with one of his.”“Yeah, this scene floors me.

"I’m sitting with my family watching Ellie Simmonds take to the Strictly dance floor in a beautiful gold dress.The Paralympian smiles from ear to ear as she performs her incredible cha-cha – and I’m grinning right back at her. As the audience applauds Ellie, I feel like it’s one of the best moments of my entire life. My excitement has been building up to this moment since August, when it was announced she’d be taking part.

Originaria de Batuco, Chile, Alejandra González, 54, sobresalió por ser la primera mujer trans elegida para un cargo público, no solo en su país, sino en América Latina. La concejala fue encontrada el 5 de octubre en su domicilio sin vida, a consecuencia de una falla cardiaca.

Related: Jonathan Bennett speaks out on this unhealthy thing so many gay men doHe attended the Shin Imaging Center in Los Angeles and shared a video on his social media on Wednesday.The 41-year-old wore pink. Not only is pink the color of the ribbons to highlight breast cancer but—as the famous lines from Mean Girls states—on Wednesdays we wear pink.“October is #breastcancerawarenessmonth and I’m showing you what getting a mammogram looks like for me,” Bennett wrote.

(Image via Venfield8)

Disney Channel star Bella Thorne has had many scandals and had quite a few discussions when it comes to sex. Since shooting to fame on Disney Channel alongside Zendaya in Shake It Up, Bella has well and truly shed her child star image and moved on to much more adult areas.

supports HTML5 videoDame Kelly Holmes has spoken out how scared she was to come out as gay after previously having her room ransacked while serving in the army, saying she carried a ‘fear of going to jail’ with her even years afterwards.At the age of 18, Dame Kelly – who recently joined Loose Women as a new panelist – enlisted in the British Army.Serving from 1988 to 1997, the two-time Olympic gold medal winner recalled how her room was ‘ransacked’ and she was ‘interrogated’ over the possibility of being gay, as prior to 2000, the armed forces had a ban in place against homosexuality, before the archaic law was changed.Speaking on Monday’s Loose Women, the 52-year-old – who came out as gay in June this year – explained that the fear she had of going to jail continued to impact her when she continued keeping her true identity hidden from the public.‘I was scared witless. When I came out in June this year publicly, I had to resolve these issues that had been in my life,’ she said.‘I was scared that if I ever came out and admitted being gay while I served, that I could still go to jail.

a factor? Yes, in certain parts of the country, I think it was a factor,” he said.In its opening weekend, “Bros” made just $4.8 million, despite a 3,500 screen wide release; most of that money came from New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. On Sunday Oct.

A New Yorker Festival panel with actor and comedian Billy Eichner and playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, who both appear in Bros, turned into an onstage post-mortem about the gay rom-com’s disappointing opening.

Financial Times “you can’t win ‘em all” when asked about earlier this year being disowned by his teenage transgender daughter. He blamed “neo-Marxists” for their estrangement.In the interview that ran Friday, he said that the American left is responsible for “full-on communism” that leads to the “general sentiment that if you’re rich, you’re evil.” He said, “[The relationship with my daughter] may change, but I have very good relationships with all the others.

Darren Hayes is opening up about homophobia that he faced in the music industry.

Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers will be on assignment in Brazil through Oct. 11.

Twitter Friday after a trailer for the new season of his talk show was posted showing a glimpse of an interview with Republican Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.In the six-minute video posted by The Problem with Jon Stewart, Rutledge is grilled by Stewart over her state's ban on gender-affirming care, which the talk show host argues "overrides" the guidelines laid out by health care professionals.Early in the clip, Rutledge claims that the state law was based on several doctors who testified before the Arkansas legislature who claimed "98 percent of young people" have gender dysphoria, and that "they are able to move past that" once they "have the help that they need.""Wow," Stewart says in response to Rutledge's data point. "That's an incredibly made-up figure.""That doesn't comport with any of the studies or documentation that exist from these medical organizations," Stewart continued.Jon interviewed Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas Attorney General, about why her state banned gender-affirming care for minors - ignoring the guidelines of major medical organizations and taking the decision out of parents’ hands.

Queerty reader, put your records on; it’s finally the weekend.This week has kinda been music to our ears: Johnny Manuel dropped a killer R&B video, Saucy Santana and Trina dropped the voting song to end all voting songs, and Charlie Puth dropped something other than his pants (though we may still get a bit of that for the album roll-out, fingers crossed).In honor of Queer History Month, we’re gonna be taking a look back to each week in queer music all month long! This week was a great spread, from an unintentional trans anthem in ’08 to a fruity little number back in ’55.From a queen who slays to Janet’s love for the gays, here’s your weekly bop rewind:With an legendary scat catchphrase that Rolling Stone once called “the most inspired rock lyric ever recorded,” Little Richard made his mark on rock & roll history. Sixty-seven years later and those slamming keys still make you wanna shake something.

Jennifer C. Pizer has been named permanent chief legal officer of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization working for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV.

Registration for the 11th Gay Games is now open for those who wish to join the rainbow Olympics. The games will take place next year from 3rd November to 11th November.The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) were thrilled to announce that the games will be co-hosted by Hong Kong and Guadalajara, along with being the first Gay Games in both Asia and Latin America.FGG has urged those who wish to participate to sign up quickly as due to the current world circumstances, they are “working to a much tighter timeframe.”“Ensuring that everyone whoever they are, whatever their background, sexual orientation or gender identity, have the right to take part in their chosen identity being the most inclusive games, with personal best, participation and above all inclusion, at its heart,” the statement read.  A post shared by Federation of Gay Games (@gaygames)Gay Games Guadalajara’s Monica Sanchez said that after recent world issues, it was time “to meet again, to hug each other and with pride celebrate our freedom.”“The appointment is in Guadalajara, at the XI Gay Games 2023.

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.

CHRIS AZZOPARDI | Contributing Writerqsyndicate@pridesource.com No matter what Republicans tell you, there’s never a bad time

Y Tu Mamá También that culminates in a kiss dissolving the limits of possibility, the queer longing for connection that permeates A Home at the End of the World, and the barbed revolutionary romp of The Dreamers, all of which somehow slipped past my parents’ radar. Suffice it to say, I had a thing for messy bisexuals.

Once upon a time, TV premieres were the province of fall, and there was something exciting about seeing all the new titles unveiled. In the streaming era, of course, new shows debut all year long – but we think there’s still a special excitement surrounding the ones that come out at this time of year. Call us old-fashioned.

My So-Called Life and Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery has opened up about his struggles of being a gay man many times.

In the 1960s, a legend was on the rise in Los Angeles. An exotic dancer, singer, comedian, drag performer, and Black trans woman by the name of Sir Lady Java was a star of the L.A.

Izzy Dieker, who spoke out and instigated reforms after she punished at school for saying she’s a lesbian; the Pendleton Heights Gay-Straight Alliance, which won sued their school – and won – when they were forced to keep a low profile; school board chair Kelsey Waits, who did what she needed to do to protect her trans daughter who was outed and harassed; the PFLAG v. Abbott plaintiffs, who stopped the state from investigating the supportive parents of trans kids as child abusers; and Charlee Corra, a teacher and one of the heirs to the Disney fortune who came out to speak out against the Don’t Say Gay law.These five nominees defended LGBTQ kids’ rights and made the future a better place.

During a radio interview, the Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, confirmed that free gender-affirming surgery is part of their LGBTQ+ rights reform. To date, the government has legalised marriage equality, criminalised conversion therapy, added non-binary as a gender option on official documents and more. On One Radio, Abela discussed the promise of free gender-affirming […]

Manori Ravindran International Editor The director of “The People’s Joker,” a queer coming-of-age movie set in the Batman universe, has pulled the movie from the Toronto International Film Festival over alleged “rights issues.” Helmed by Los Angeles-based director Vera Drew, the mixed-media movie follows an aspiring clown (played by Drew) struggling with her gender identity while dreaming of being cast in a TV sketch show among a cast of Jokers and Harlequins. An official synopsis from TIFF reads: “With comedy criminalized in Gotham City, the show is the only government-sanctioned space for funny people, but only those who will toe the party line. Disillusioned by a botched audition, Vera partners with a birdlike slacker to found their own alternative comedy troupe, attracting not only a rogues’ gallery of would-be comics, but also the ire of a fascistic caped crusader.”

Transgender people born in Montana will no longer be able to change the sex listed on their birth certificate to accurately reflect their identity under a new state rule that is among the most restrictive in the country, according to transgender rights groups. Under the rule, which took effect on Saturday, transgender people may change the sex listed on their birth certificate only if it was recorded incorrectly as a result of a clerical error or if the person’s sex was “misidentified” on the original certificate and they can prove it through DNA or other scientific testing.

Maybelle Blair, the 95-year-old baseball player who was an inspiration for A League of Their Own who came out this year; Solomon Bates, the second minor league baseball player to come out and was signed by the Sioux City Explorers; Lia Thomas, who came out and stood up to her Republican lawmaker dad; Megan Rapinoe, who educates her followers about wildlife and whose emu stole the show; his followers on TikTok and Instagram about life as a trans dad and promoted protests against anti-trans laws; and Justine Lindsay, who uses her large platform on to show what it’s like to be Black, queer, and Muslim.The nominees for LGBTQ Nation’s Sports Hero of the Year 2022 confirm that what counts, win or lose, is how you play the game. Vote now for LGBTQ Nation’s 2022 Sports Hero. Maybelle BlairIn June, Maybelle Blair, who inspired the character played by Madonna in Penny Marshall’s 1992 comedy A League of Their Own, came out as gay.The occasion was the premiere of a new Amazon series based on the film.

Malta’s prime minister confirms that the country will have free gender affirming surgery for trans people, under reformed laws.

LGBTQ Nation’s 2022 Political Hero are Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, who became the first out transgender four-star admiral and spoke out for trans health care access; Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who scored a major win for LGBTQ protections in her state and stood up to Don’t Say Gay; California state Rep. Scott Wiener, who helped martial several pieces of pro-LGBTQ legislation through the legislature; Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who went full gay dad and stood up for the rights of the kids of LGBTQ people to speak about their families in schools; and Urbandale, Iowa School Board member Daniel Gutmann, who stood up to a candidate backed by the anti-LGBTQ organization Moms for Liberty and won.These five LGBTQ people were elected or appointed to serve, and did so with distinction.

After nearly 30 years of working in Hollywood, Gabrielle Union is used to facing slings and arrows. Still, when she opens up Twitter and sees people attacking her trans daughter, Zaya Wade, it hits differently.