AIDS Healthcare Foundation Takes Over Former Burger King for $2.9 Million

On the 15th vote, Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California has finally been elected speaker of the House.McCarthy won a majority of votes cast shortly after midnight as Friday segued into Saturday.

Maura Healey is now officially the first out lesbian governor in the U.S.Healey, a Democrat, was sworn in Thursday as governor of Massachusetts. She is also the first woman to be governor of the state, and she and Healey and Lt. Gov.

A Missouri Democrat announced Friday in a captivating campaign ad that he would run to take Republican Sen. Josh Hawley's U.S. Senate seat away from him in 2024. Lucas Kunce hits Hawley for his record of running away from danger, selling Missouri for parts, and being super creepy about bedroom issues and masculinity.The nearly two-and-a-half-minute-long video has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on Twitter and has gained tens of thousands of likes.

Charli XCX loves you!

Strathaven Academy is to receive a £5,000 cash injection for a progressive diversity and racial equality project.

Dolly Parton made a surprise appearance to pay tribute to her friend Leslie Jordan on Thursday night’s episode of Call Me Kat.Jordan, 67, died in October in a car accident in Los Angeles. Authorities said he may have had a health episode that caused him to lose control of the car, which crashed into a building. The gay actor was beloved for his many TV and movie roles and for the Instagram videos he posted during the pandemic.The Thursday episode of Call Me Kat also gave “a happy ending,” in the words of star Mayim Bialik, to Jordan’s character Phil, a baker at the show’s cat-themed café.

When I worked on the Hill, I gave tours of the Capitol building to visiting constituents. I was a press secretary, so it was a little out of my realm of responsibilities, but I grabbed the opportunity every time I could.I never took for granted that a boy from Pittsburgh worked in Congress and had the opportunity to pass through that grand structure each day. I knew the building like the back of my hand, and though that was 30 years ago, I still remember every nook and cranny.The Washington Post reported this week, sadly, that the official tours of the Capitol do not include any reference to the insurrection of January 6, 2021.

ABC television series The Parent Test returns tonight. The unscripted series looks at different perspectives of parenting through 12 families that are followed.Hosted by Ali Wentworth and Adolph Brown, the families share their experiences in parenting as camera crews film the highs and lows of being a parent.

Instead of keeping a low profile after admitting to lying about significant portions of his biography, New York Republican Congressman-elect George Santos has put himself front-and-center in photos from the floor of the House of Representatives, including one in which he appears to flash a white power symbol.On Thursday evening, the incoming lawmaker gestured as he stood to cast a vote for Kevin McCarthy in the tenth round of votes for Speaker of the House.Waiting to be called, the incoming lawmaker stood in the aisle of the House chamber listening for his name to be called for the tenth time.“Santos,” the clerk called out.With his right hand raised and his left hand across his midsection, he made a sideways “OK” gesture by making his index finger and thumb meet. Rep.-elect George Santos making what appears to be a white power gesture while voting on the floor of the House of Representatives.“McCarthy,” Santos said, revealing the gesture briefly as he waved his other hand before turning around, walking away, and moving both hands back down to his sides.C-Span video of the incident shows that Santos had pre-positioned his hand along his body in an unusual way to create the gesture.Far-right extremists, mainly white supremacists, have coopted the gesture to symbolize a “W” and “P” for white power, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The Southern Poverty Law Center also categorizes the gesture as a white power gesture but explains that on the right, the gesture is often used to troll liberals.Because the gesture is similar to the innocuous “OK” symbol, context matters, the hate-group monitoring group says.When groups like the Proud Boys and Patriot Front conduct their activities, they have been photographed flashing

Arizona’s new governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs, has issued an executive order aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ state employees and contractors from job discrimination.Hobbs signed the order shortly after being sworn in Monday. Arizona is one of nearly 30 states without an LGBTQ-inclusive antidiscrimination law.Hobbs’s order directs the Arizona Department of Administration to establish policies to be used by all state agencies to assure there is no discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, in addition to race, sex, religion, pregnancy, disability, veteran status, and other factors.

A central Texas LGBTQ+ bar's owner abruptly fired all employees on New Year's Day and shuttered the business, leaving a community devastated and without a safe space for LGBTQ+ people.Staff and management of the Stonewall Warehouse in San Marcos, a college town between San Antonio and Austin, were told by owner Jamie Frailicks on Sunday that they no longer had a place to work, former manager Lena Jacobs tells The Advocate.After arriving 30 minutes early to meet the owner without a care in the world, she says the two exchanged initial pleasantries and light-hearted banter before heading upstairs when Frailicks's demeanor changed."He told me that this was about to be a hard meeting and that he was shutting the bar down," Jacobs, who had been managing the Stonewall Warehouse for five years, says. "It just blindsided me out of nowhere."She continues, "I sat there, and he talked to me for ten minutes.

After weeks of climbing the chart, RAYE has secured her first UK No.1 single on the Official Singles Chart.

German pop star Kim Petras, who broke a record with collaborator Sam Smith to become the first trans and non-binary artists, respectively, to hit number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, will headline Sydney’s WorldPride’s closing concert.Sydney WorldPride runs from February 17 to March 5, and will feature an official opening ceremony, a human rights conference, and a First Nations Gathering. The seven-hour Rainbow Republic closing concert, which will be hosted by G Flip and out Australian actor Keiynan Lonsdale, will pass the WorldPride baton to the next host city for 2025 — Washington, D.C.“I’m so excited to be back in Sydney this year,” Petras says in a video posted on her own Twitter account. “So exicted to be back in Sydney.

Registration for the Dallas Pride Music Festival, Teen Pride, Family Pride Zone and the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade will open at 8 a.m. on Jan. 15.

It’s official: a second season of the beloved supernatural series is on its way to Netflix!

A Florida college student is under arrest after he allegedly used the popular instant messaging and social media platform Discord to threaten a mass shooting at Florida State University.Sean Michael Albert, 19, of Winter Park, and a student at Full Sail University was arrested on Tuesday and charged with making an interstate communication to threaten to injure another person. The criminal complaint alleges that on December 16 of last year Albert posted a picture to a Discord server showing an AK-47 with the following text:“600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306.

Living authentically!

More than 1.5 million people identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, according to England and Wales’ first-ever sexuality and gender census.

A man who worked for Herschel Walker’s failed Senate campaign has accused Republican political activist Matt Schlapp of making “sustained and unwanted and unsolicited” sexual contact with him, the Daily Beast reports.The alleged incident happened after the staffer said he was driving Schlapp back from a bar in Atlanta on October 19.Schlapp is the chair of the American Conservative Union as well as a leader in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He’s married to conservative political consultant Mercedes Schlapp.While CPAC has been criticized for hosting anti-LGBTQ+ speakers, Schlapp has welcomed LGBTQ+ conservatives to attend.The staffer told the Beast that Schlapp “groped” him against his will after Schlapp had bought him drinks at two bars.The staffer told the Beast that he wanted his identity concealed as he started a new political job.

Patti LuPone accepts the award for best featured actress in a musical for “Company” at the 75th annual Tony Awards last June. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

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.

While appearing on Fox News Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shut down a Fox News host's line of questioning and highlighted the host's hypocrisy when it comes to same-sex couples.During Special Report with Bret Baier, for what Fox News billed as an exclusive interview, Buttigieg criticized the host for asking a question that implied he had misused a government jet to take his husband, Chasten, on a trip to Europe in April."You also brought your husband Chasten on a military aircraft to attend a sporting event in the Netherlands," Baier began as Buttigieg interjected, "That's quite a spin to put on it!"Baier continued, "No. No.

CASEY WILLIAMS | Auto reviewerAutoCasey@AOL.com For some of you, the idea of a five-door Ford Mustang galloping with el

The fight at the Texas State Capitol continues

State Reps. Jessica Gonzalez, in the black jacket, and Julie Johnson, in the red jacket, are two members of the LGBTQ Caucus from DFW who will be fighting anti-LGBTQ bills in the 2023 Texas Legislature

Jessica Chastain has said shared she would be interested in playing Celia St. James in Netflix’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie.

GREGG SHAPIRO | Contributing WriterGreggShapiro@aol.com It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’ve only read two of prol

Sam Smith has unveiled details of their 27-date tour in support of their upcoming fourth studio album, Gloria.

Meet Nessie, a female domestic shorthair mix who is almost 3 years old and weighs in at a light 6 pounds. She has a coat of gray, tan and white fur and big eyes. Nessie is a bit on the shy side, so she will be looking for a family who can provide her with a calm and serene home as she acclimates to a new environment. It would be ideal for Nessie to go to a home where there is already a friendly cat ready to show her the ropes. Nessie loves treats and likes to play with toys. She gets a bit nervous around small humans, so she would prefer a home where all the people were at least 15 years old.

LEO CUSIMANO | Courtesy of News Is Outnewsisout.com

Happy New Year, Dallas Voice readers! I am super excited to start a new year with all of you, and I want to welcome to my first Woof column of 2023. I am hoping that the symbolism of a new year brings us new and amazing memories.

STRANGER Things star Noah Schnapp has come out as gay in a candid video on TikTok. The 18-year-old - who plays closeted gay teenager Will Byers on the Netflix series - said he was "scared and in the closet" for years.

Stranger Things star Noah joked that he shares more similarities with his closeted gay onscreen character, Will Byers, than anyone had first thought.His eyes shining with tears, the emotional star took to TikTok to film an emotional and intimate video while lying on his bed at home.The actor captioned his clip: "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know'!"Relieved-looking Noah combined the statement with footage of himself mouthing a woman's words saying: "You know it never was that serious, it was never that serious, quite frankly we will never be that serious!"He then quipped: "I guess I'm more similar to Will Byers than I thought!"The multiple award-winning supernatural drama series - which also features the likes of Winona Ryder - tells the story of mind control, psychokinesis and a secret scientific research lab using human subjects.Alongside the sci-fi subject matter, there's a more conventional storyline within the show too - Will's romantic feelings towards his best friend Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).However, Will's feelings are not reciprocated by Mike, who is in love with telepathic teen Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown).Following the season four storyline, Noah has made it clear that the character is "100% gay"."Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1," he revealed to Variety magazine."It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends?"Now that he's gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing."He added: "Now it's 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike.

Content warning: This story may include topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable.

Noah Schnapp, best known for his role as Will Byers on Stranger Things, has come out as gay.

David Martindale says the players can decide amongst themselves who’s taking the next penalty as they search for spot-kick success.

The post Scene • 01-06-23 appeared first on Dallas Voice.

The lives of six prominent gay men will be put on display in MTV's new reality series The Real Friends of WeHo.MTV released the first trailer on Thursday, revealing the six main cast members - MTV's The Real Friends of WeHo trailer follows the lives of beloved gay icons Brad Goreski, Todrick Hall, Curtis Hamilton, Dorión Renaud, Jaymes Vaughan - who married Jonathan Bennett in March - and Joey Zauzig in West Hollywood.The cable network also announced the show will debut Friday, January 20 at 9PM ET/PT following RuPaul's Drag Race.  Trailer: The lives of six prominent gay men will be put on display in MTV's new reality series The Real Friends of WeHo Cast: MTV released the first trailer on Thursday, revealing the six main cast members - MTV's The Real Friends of WeHo trailer follows the lives of beloved gay icons Brad Goreski, Todrick Hall, Curtis Hamilton, Dorión Renaud, Jaymes Vaughan - who married Jonathan Bennett in March - and Joey Zauzig in West Hollywood Debut: The cable network also announced the show will debut Friday, January 20 at 9PM ET/PT following RuPaul's Drag RaceThe trailer begins with Goreski telling the camera that West Hollywood is, 'the epicenter of the gay world.'A narrator says the show will take fans, 'into the real lives of six fierce West Hollywood friends.' The trailer also showcases a number of different scenes with Goreski, a well-known celebrity stylist, who adds, 'It's hard being a public person and being a good example.' Epicenter: The trailer begins with Goreski telling the camera that West Hollywood is, 'the epicenter of the gay world' Positive: The trailer also showcases a number of different scenes with Goreski, a well-known celebrity stylist, who adds, 'It's hard being a public person

I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions. They feel like a set up for failure to me. They tend to be far too ambitious and are most commonly made in far too high a number. Instead, I prefer to c

(CNN) — Twitter's former head of trust and safety has fled his home due to an escalation in threats resulting from Elon Musk's campaign of criticism against him, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday.Yoel Roth, who resigned from the social media company in November, has in recent weeks faced a storm of attacks and threats of violence following the release of the so-called "Twitter Files" — internal Twitter communications that new owner Musk has released through journalists including Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss.Roth's position involved him working on sensitive issues including the suspension of then-President Donald Trump's account in 2021. On Monday, Weiss posted a series of screenshots purported to show internal Twitter documents where Roth and others discussed whether to ban Trump's account, with some employees questioning if the former president's tweets violated the platform's policies.While Musk had initially been publicly supportive of Roth, that soon changed after he left the company.Roth has since been the subject of criticism and threats following the release of the Twitter Files.

Elon Musk famously claimed that his acquisition of Twitter wouldn't result in the app becoming a free-for-all "hellscape," but the billionaire's personal attacks on a former Twitter employee call that assertion into question. Musk participated in a weekend smear campaign targeting Twitter's former trust and safety head. In a remarkably homophobic and baseless way, Musk accused Yoel Roth, who resigned from Twitter recently after surviving Musk's firings, of sexualizing children. Musk clipped a section of Roth's doctoral dissertation in a screenshot and tweeted it along with the comment, "Looks like Yoel is arguing in favor of children being able to access adult Internet services in his PhD thesis." Roth, who is gay, wrote his University of Pennsylvania dissertation titled Gay Data about the hookup app Grindr.In the Musk-tweeted snippet, Roth draws a conclusion over content moderation and suggests companies that run social media applications like Grindr should aim to make their platforms safe for all, with the understanding that queer youth under 18 access these programs as well.

Former professional baseball player, T.J. House came out as gay in a recent post to social media.

On Saturday morning, CNN host Michael Smerconish put the head of a rightwing group hostile to the rights of the LGBTQ community on the spot as she whined that she and her colleagues were refused service at a Virginia restaurant over their views — while at the same defending the rights of Christian businesspeople refusing to work with same-sex couples.

Walmart continues to evolve in how it treats marginalized employees and customers — the nation's largest retailer recently announced a partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation to expand awareness on HIV treatment and prevention options.Last year, Walmart released their first three Specialty Pharmacies of the Community (SPOCs), which feature “HIV-trained pharmacists, enhanced care coordination, healthy lifestyle recommendations and emotional support services from our Community Health Workers,” according to the company. To double down on these efforts, the company is also launching four new HIV-focused SPOCs that will feature pharmacy professionals and staff trained with the guidance of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

In the wake of the Colorado Springs hate crime mass shooting last month at an gay nightclub’s drag show event that left five people dead, the anti-LGBTQ slur “groomer” and other anti-LGBTQ hate speech posts on Twitter skyrocketed, “peaking at 885% over their highest level before the shooting,” NBC News reports.

To commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1, GLAAD released their 2022 State of HIV Stigma Study, which included some encouraging findings. This four-page study, which has been tracking HIV stigma annually since 2020, focused on Americans’ attitudes and knowledge of HIV.Findings from the study showed around 87 percent of adults agree there is still stigma around HIV.

The number of same-sex couple households documented by the U.S. Census Bureau exceeded 1 million for the first time in 2021, according to Census data released in late November.The figure came to 1.2 million, including 710,000 households where same-sex couples were married and 500,000 where the couples were unmarried.

(CNN) – An honorary member of Buckingham Palace has resigned and apologized after a Black charity founder said she was questioned about whether she was really British at a royal reception on Tuesday.The guest, Ngozi Fulani, is the CEO of Sistah Space, an organization that provides specialist services to women of African and Caribbean heritage affected by abuse.Fulani was attending a royal function on domestic abuse organized by the Queen Consort on Tuesday evening when she said a member of staff began a line of questioning that the palace called “unacceptable and deeply regrettable.”Fulani said that the person persistently asked about her heritage and would not accept that she was a British national.Sistah Space shared a rough transcript of the conversation on Twitter on Wednesday. Fulani said that, after identifying herself as British-born, the person asked her “where do you really come from;” “where do your people come from;” and “when did you first come here?”When Fulani answered she was from the London neighborhood of Hackney, the household member insisted: “No, what part of Africa are YOU from?” as quoted on the Sistah Space Twitter account.