A Q&A with NCLR’s Federal Policy Director in a Post-Roe America

Paris – A court in Iran has sentenced to death two gay rights activists on charges of promoting homosexuality, campaigners said Monday, urging pressure from the international community to stop the implementation of the verdicts.The two women, Zahra Sedighi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Chubdar, 24, were sentenced to death by the court in the northwestern town of Urmia, the Hengaw Kurdish rights organization said.This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.

Web Weaver, the new gay Spider-Man, will make their highly anticipated debut in October and Marvel Comics has released more details on how the newest member of the Marvel Universe gets their powers, as well as visuals of their fabulous crime-fighting costume.The character will make their debut in Edge of Spider-Verse #5, the concluding instalment of the five-part series.In the comic, created by out writer Steve Foxe, and artist Kei Zama, Web-Weaver is introduced as a “not-so-mild mannered fashion designer at Van Dyne [who] gets spider-powers and shows us a very different kind of Spider-Slayer.” “Web-Weaver is *not* Peter Parker–he’s a brand-new hero in the classic Spider-hero archetype,” tweeted Foxe on Friday. “And I promise you don’t need a degree in fashion to follow his exploits.

Below are our picks for some of the most fun and creative things to do this week in the DMV (and Rehoboth Beach) that are of special interest to the LGBTQ community.

(CNN) — A court filing from 16 current and former employees of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, along with the Texas State Employees Union, says the agency is "on the brink of collapse"following the state's decision to investigate the gender-affirming care of minors as potential child abuse.The brief cites a "string of departures" within the agency since the directive was put in place in February, arguing remaining workers will be spread dangerously thin.The amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) brief was filed with the state's Third District Court of Appeals, which is considering whether the policy, prompted by an opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton and ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott, was implemented legally.

Brendan Fraser may be known for his leading roles in The Mummy and George of the Jungle, but he is now earning some Oscar chatter for his new film The Whale where he plays a 600-pound gay man who has entered a severe bought of depression following the death of his partner.The film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, debuted at the Venice Film Festival. It’s adapted from a play by Samuel D.

Cryptocurrencies use an eye-watering amount of energy. Ethereum, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, uses an estimated 78 terawatt hours of electricity each year, comparable to the power consumption of Chile.

The post Liz Truss: Where does the next Prime Minister stand on LGBTQ+ issues? appeared first on GAY TIMES.

The English Rugby Football Union (RFU) is facing a legal challenge to its recently imposed ban on Trans women competing in contact rugby.  It was revealed on Saturday that a pre-action protocol letter was issued to the RFU by Trans woman Julie Curtiss.  The report in the Telegraph claims that London-based law firm Russell Cooke […]

.«I said yes to doing [the show] because for me, you know, I have had a very peculiar journey,» Victoria tells ET over video call. «When I say peculiar, you know, I never knew that it was possible to ever work in fashion — I didn't even know that was a thing — and I have worked really, really hard to get to where I am at and it's been a really long journey along the way.»«My family was like, 'You can't go to New York, it's too dangerous,'» she recalls.

Will & Grace between Karen Walker (played by Megan Mullally) and Beverley Leslie (Leslie Jordan). The two characters loathed one another and weren’t afraid to show it.Behind the scenes, gay actor Jordan and Mullally are friends.

The Katie Phang Show. She has long been a fierce critic of her uncle, documenting family secrets in her book about him, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residency in Florida was raided by the FBI in early August.

Queer storylines are becoming increasingly common in video games, but it’s still rare for games to be capital-G Gay. So if the prospect of an explicitly gay title makes you want to reach for the nearest joystick, check out this new offering from Melbourne-based Up Multimedia.The Beat: A Glam Noir Game is an investigative thriller where players take on the role of a closeted gay cop who is investigating a murder in a city’s gay scene.While tracking down clues over seven days and nights, you’ll explore places like a gay bar and a cruising area rendered with an impressive eye for detail.Related: The 10 best queer games available on the Nintendo Switch“The gay bar is this strange other world in which the main character steps,” says game developer Luke Miller. “He’s drawn to it but doesn’t fully understand why.

Hi Jake,I recently decided to fulfill what I thought was my ultimate fantasy: hiring two male escorts at once. Something about having two attentive, hot guys working together to fulfill my every need is such a turn-on. So, I ended up jumping on a massageM4M site and finding these guys visiting from Miami who work together as a team, and we met at a hotel room. Here’s the thing, it was an “experience” and all, but for some reason, after it was over, I was left feeling kind of sad. Granted, it didn’t exactly go as planned. They were both doing drugs and constantly in the bathroom for various things, and then wanted to do things sexually that were just too out there for me. Still, I really thought the whole thing was going to be my ideal sexcapade. Why do I feel like not only wasn’t it that fulfilling, but I’m left feeling empty? Escorted into a funkDear Escorted into a funk,Good for you for attempting to live out your dreams.

On August 27, a 25 year-old Trans man was assaulted and beaten while he was participating in a Pride event in the city of Münster, Germany. Days later, on Friday, September 2, he passed away in the hospital. More than 10,000 people gathered in Münster for the Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride celebrations, organised in […]

Drag Race UK and Queerpiphany superstar Tayce revealed she and her friends were discriminated against by hotel staff in Birmingham.

Turing says her body “shut down” on the latest episode of Drag Race Philippines.

Saturday, September 3 saw two peaceful Pride parades take place in Poland with a collective 5,000 attendees, despite the country’s significant anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and history of counter-protestors disrupting Pride events. The people of Katowice celebrated their sixth annual Pride event, this year in collaboration and solidarity with the Ukrainian city of Odesa, with an impressive […]

The post This is Love by Calvin Klein: Yelita Ali explores queer female strength in powerful love letter appeared first on GAY TIMES.

On paper, Horse-Play sounds like a lot of fun. It focuses on the lives of Tim (David Ames) and Tom (Jake Maskall) who have been together for a decade. Their sex life has become somewhat stale and they decide they’d like to spice things up a bit. Enter Karl (Matt Lapinkas), a male escort the couple have found online; the trio role-play a superhero sexual fantasy until a series of mishaps results in them finding themselves locked in the villain’s lair overnight. The tagline of the show is “they’re about to have the ride of their lives…” so we were expecting something exciting, dangerous, a little risqué perhaps.

Even though many of the titles passed the district's book challenge process, a school district in north Texas pulled dozens of books from its library shelves one day before the school year began. In response, concerned parents and educators are bringing attention to the conservative playbook implemented in Texas, which includes a cell phone company's mission to take over school boards.Keller Independent School District principals were asked last minute to remove challenged books from classrooms and libraries on Tuesday. Among the 42 books removed are the Bible, a graphic adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe. Books were to be removed by Tuesday night before classes began on Wednesday. The district's curriculum director, Jennifer Price, sent an email that said in part, "Please collect these books and store them in a location.

Wolf and Dog (Lobo e Cão) is the first feature film by Portuguese director Claudia Varejão. The movie follows a group of queer teenagers growing up in the uber-religious town of San Miguel in the Azores who yearn for more than the small-town ideals and the mundane lifestyle of their parents. Written by Varejão and Leda Cartum, the central characters try to build a community of their own. Still, the adults want the kids to remain stagnant, become farmers, fishermen, or mothers, and force them to enjoy that lifestyle. The movie has challenging moments to get through because they slow the pacing, making it a more tedious viewing experience, but the script works hard to subvert some harmful tropes.

Oh, Henry! (Image via video still)

Meghan Markle, 41, was reportedly left "shocked" when Mariah Carey claimed she gave the world "diva moments" at times during an interview on the former's podcast, Archetypes. After the comment caused a stir, the singer later clarified she meant it in an empowering way.Discussing the podcast interview on Good Morning Britain today, Susanna Reid told guest Dame Joan Collins that Meghan had "taken exception to being called a diva by Mariah Carey".The actress replied stating that she believes being called a diva was "rather nice now and then".Joan responded: "Oh really? I think it's rather nice to be called a diva, now and again.

Fire Island star Joel Kim Booster has reacted to comments Billy Eichner made last week about LGBTQ content on streaming platforms.Eichner is currently promoting his movie, Bros. The studio-backed gay rom-com will hit theater screens later this month.

The Whale, at the Venice Film Festival yesterday.The movie, in which Fraser plays an obese, 600lb, gay man seeking to reconnect with his daughter, went down well with its audience. In fact, they gave it a six-minute standing ovation at the Sala Grande.Related: Brendan Fraser to play a 600lb, gay recluse in new movie, The WhaleFraser and director Darren Aronofsky were in attendance for the screening and took the stage.

He's so Devane! (Image via NBC)

Star Trek and American Horror Story star Zachary Quinto will make his West End debut in the critically acclaimed Best of Enemies.

As reported by the Kurdish human rights organisation Hengaw on September 4, LGBTQ+ activists Zahra Sediqi Hamedani and Elham Chubdar have been sentenced to death in Iran. The charges against them include “spreading corruption on Earth” through the promotion of homosexuality as well as “promoting Christianity”. The two activists for LGBTQ+ rights were given the […]

The post Why A League of Their Own is the most important show on TV right now appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Fire Island’s Joel Kim Booster issued a lengthy Twitter statement where he addressed remarks made by Billy Eichner.

Secondary school teacher, Enoch Burke, has been arrested and escorted by Gardaí to the High Court in Dublin today, 5 September. His arrest was ordered by Judge Miriam O’Regan last Friday when Mr Burke failed to attend court following an alleged breach of an injunction against him. The injunction was granted to the board of […]

An anti-suicide crisis hotline for young LGBTQI members in the United States, the Trevor Project, was hit by a malicious trolling campaign recently.Trigger Warning: This story discusses suicide and contains slurs against the LGBTQ+ community, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The trolls, a term used to describe those who post inflammatory, aggressive, insincere, and extreme topics on social media, were users from the far-right website 4chan.A spokesperson for the Trevor Project, Kevin Wong had told Buzzfeed News that its helpline was flooded with fake cries for help and other trolling, which led to an increase in wait time for those in genuine need of help.“They inundated our crisis services — the crisis services that are meant for LGBTQ young people to connect with a trained counsellor so that they can talk through some of the stuff and get support through some of the things that they’re finding challenging,” Wong said.“It’s appalling — that’s the word I would use — that anyone would want to stop someone from finding services to prevent them from attempting suicide.”Dubbed Operation Gomorrah, a reference to the bombing of Hamburg during World War II, the coordinated attack originated on a 4chan message board where users were directed to use the Trevor Project’s digital chat or text support and “make up some bullshit.”“Fuck up the queue so sodomites and fags commit suicide due to being unable to receive assistance,” one message on the board read.Senior Researcher from Media Matters, Alex Kaplan had taken screenshots of the 4chan forum where trolls discussed

Hold Me Closer, Britney Spears and Elton John’s duet, is officially a smash.

German authorities have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection to a fatal attack at a Pride event.

London, with music by Sir Elton John, less than a year after the Oscar-winning film about the televangelist was released.Tammy Faye A New Musical will premiere at the Almeida Theatre in October for a limited run until December 3.Musical legend Sir Elton, who has previously seen great success on stage through his composing for The Lion King and Billy Elliot the musical, is once more lending his talents to a new project.Clearly fitting it around his upcoming collaboration with Britney Spears, Sir Elton worked with Scissors Sisters star Jake Shears, on lyrics, and writer James Graham, who has penned the book.Playwright Graham’s last show for the Almeida, Ink in 2017, transferred to the West End and then on to Broadway, and covered his take on Rupert Murdoch’s purchasing of The Sun newspaper in 1969.It was nominated for – and won – multiple Olivier and Tony Awards, with Graham also the brains behind popular new BBC crime thriller Sherwood.Katie Brayben will be stepping into the shoes of Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Messner, the colourful televangelist whose empathy for those living with HIV and Aids in the 1980s made her a gay icon.Perhaps Messner’s defining moment was her television interview with Steve Pieters in 1985, an openly gay pastor living with HIV.Chastain won this year’s best actress Oscar for her performance as the PTL (Praise The Lord) Club founder, on her third nomination following back-to-back nominations in 2012 and 2013 for The Help and Zero Dark Thirty.Girls and Broadway star Andrew Rannells is taking on the role of her first husband Jim Bakker, played by Andrew Garfield in the 2021 movie, whose behaviour brought about the downfall of the couple’s Christian media empire – which also included popular theme

Children’s storytime sessions led by drag queens are growing in popularity in countries from the United States to Japan – while fierce opposition campaigns are also gathering pace.

Trace Lysette has made history as the first trans actress to headline a competition film at the Venice Film Festival.

Amid the continuous noise about cryptocurrencies, it’s often hard to pick out what really matters. However this month, if all goes to plan, the energy-hungry digital sector will undergo its biggest shake-up in years.

Maren Morris’ “lunatic” t-shirt line has raised over $100,000 for trans organisations in light of her feud with Brittany Aldean and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Chileans on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected a new constitution that would have enshrined LGBTQ rights in an unprecedented way.

Scream star Heather Matarazzo has slammed the franchise’s producers over their pay dispute with Neve Campbell. 

Celebrity Lingo viewers all had the same complaint as they tuned into the first episode of the star-studded spin-off, hosted by RuPaul. The prime-time celebrity version of the show is fronted by the Drag Race legend, rather than Adil Ray, who hosts the popular daytime original. And long-time fans of the format were not happy that their regular presenter had been replaced by the Hollywood superstar.

Poland’s LGBTQ+ community celebrated Pride with peaceful marches after years of opposition.

Cher has opened up about those Dua Lipa comparisons in one epic tweet.  

Joel Kim Booster is speaking out.

New York’s Yeshiva University is trying to bypass a state court ruling that orders the university to recognize a gay pride group on campus.One of the country’s oldest Jewish Orthodox schools in the nation, the New York-situated Yeshiva petitioned the Supreme Court to allow them to block the YU Pride Alliance from being granted official recognition at the university. In an “emergency petition” sent to the court on August 29, Yeshiva cites that it is a “deeply religious university,” and as such, believes it should be allowed to deny the group on the basis of religious beliefs.On June 14, the New York State Supreme Court had ruled that Yeshiva was not actually a “religious institution” under New York law, indicating that the university had to comply with New York City Human Rights Laws banning all discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender.

Guy Lodge Film Critic “L’Immensità” is director Emanuele Crialese’s first feature film in 11 years, and only his fifth in a quarter-century: The gifted Italian, best known to international audiences for his splendid, richly felt Ellis Island immigrant saga “Golden Door,” has never been one for unconsidered or impersonal projects. At first glance, then, one might wonder what drew him out of hibernation for a film that, with its trim runtime and small-scale domestic narrative, belies a title that translates as “immensity.” This 1970s-set story of a 12-year-old navigating his gender identity while his mother battles mental health demons is too palpably pained and heartfelt to be called slight, but it’s sensitive and peculiar in ways that feel fragile — occasionally splintered and swamped by an elaborate setpiece, or the outsize star magnetism of arguably its secondary lead, one Penélope Cruz. 

A “palenqueras,” preparing the fruit for our group in San Pedro Claver Square in Cartagena. Photo by Heather Cassell