Colorado Shooting Hero Advises When You Come Out, Come Out Swinging

Traitors' John McManus has insisted “I’m no bully”, after facing a backlash over his clash with co-star Aaron Evans on the show.

Spice Girls star Melanie C has pulled out of her upcoming New Year’s Eve performance in Poland. 

Congressman-elect George Santos, who is out, confirmed that he had deceived voters by fabricating parts of his professional and academic history.In interviews with conservative-owned media outlets, The New York Post and WABC-AM radio, Santos, 34, admitted to some of the lies uncovered in a New York Times investigation.And while he did admit to those misrepresentations, he told the Post that still plans to take office.“I am not a criminal,” he told the paper.The Times investigation alleged that Santos lied about going to Baruch College before going on to work at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. The college and those companies said they couldn’t find any record of Santos’s graduation or employment.He told the Post that he “never worked directly” with those two companies, but that he work with them through a company called Link Bridge.Santos also said he never graduated from Baruch or any college.“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,” he said.

Gay American footballer Collin Martin has shared his thoughts on why the Premier League has no openly queer players. 

Drag Race star Mistress Isabelle Brooks has shut down fatphobic “fans” with a powerful statement on social media.

“Of course, I found a kind of permanent love - that’s very ungracious, but I got married nearly eight years ago and that’s changed things.“Especially talking about that child early on who knew he was gay and saw ahead of him only a life of exile and shame.”Stephen admitted: “The prospect that I could ever actually be married and live happily and for it to be no big deal to anybody[…].That’s made a big difference.”Back in 2016, Stephen credited Elliot with saving his life after falling madly in love and tying the knot the year before.Stephen has been open about his battle with depression and attempted to commit suicide in 2012. But the national treasure gushed over his husband, who he credited for helping him get to "a great place”."My husband has saved my life," Stephen told The Sun. "I think just the happiness and security and calm of being with him. I am in a great place right now." He added: "Rates of suicide and self harm are terrifying through Britain.

Spoilers ahead for episode five of Willow

BBC has finally released the first sneak peek at Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney in the upcoming Doctor Who specials. 

Gay icon Cher may or may not be engaged.On Christmas morning, Cher posted an image of a large diamond ring on Twitter. “There r no words, Alexander, A.E.,” she wrote.

Dear Plus Reader,Sheryl Lee Ralph has made a career of being a trailblazer, so breaking boundaries is nothing new for the Emmy winning legend of stage and screen — which is why we’re so very excited to have her grace the cover of our annual African American issue. In addition to paving the way for women of color in the entertainment industry (she directs and produces too), Ralph was one of the first high-profile celebrities to use her platform to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS.

Amy Grant, the Queen of Christian pop who crossed over to the mainstream with several hit songs, recently announced she is hosting the same-sex marriage of her niece.The Grammy winner, 2022 Kennedy Center Honor recipient, and the first Christian artist to have an album go platinum described her progressive views to The Washington Post: “Jesus, you just narrowed it down to two things: love God and love each other. I mean, hey, that’s pretty simple.” Grant also detailed her reaction when her niece first came out: What a gift to our whole family to just widen the experience of our whole family.Grant, in 2013, told Pride Source, “I know that the religious community has not been very welcoming [to LGBTQ+ people], but I just want to stress that the journey of faith brings us into community, but it's really about one relationship. The journey of faith is just being willing and open to have a relationship with God.

(CNN) -- After thousands of customers in Pierce County, Washington, were affected Sunday when burglars vandalized three energy substations, power was then knocked out for even more homes after a suspect or suspects gained access to a fourth substation, vandalizing the equipment and causing a fire, according to an update from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.The damaged equipment cut power to around 14,000 customers, police said, weeks after an attack in North Carolina left thousands in the dark for days amid federal warnings of extremist threats to electricity infrastructure.The Christmas Day vandalism near Tacoma marked more such incidents in the state, where two November attacks on Puget Sound Energy substations were investigated by the FBI.

(CNN) -- "My whole life: 'She ain't Black enough. She ain't White enough.' Well, how about she's not obedient enough? How 'bout she ain't fearful enough?"That's Whitney Houston, played by Naomi Ackie, in Kasi Lemmons' moving and elegant new biopic, "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody." She's responding to criticisms that she's out of touch with Black audiences -- that she's merely an ingénue whose image and sound have been carefully constructed by White music executives to do just one thing: people-please.The scene is one of many in the movie neatly capturing the pressures the real-life Houston navigated as she walked a professional tightrope, trying to maintain her identity and integrity while meeting the demands of the record moguls who wanted her to tamp down her Blackness, behave "respectably" and quash even suggestions of queerness.

GEMMA Collins looked stunning in a sparkly low-cut mini dress as she celebrated Christmas with her loved ones. The Essex star, 41, slipped into a gold sequin frock as she posed alongside fiancé Rami Hawash, who sported a Santa costume and white beard. The former Towie star put her famous curves on display in the glitzy figure-hugging ensemble.

Imagine a world where a parent, upon seeing their young child moving in and out of the gender binary, becomes excited and proud, and when a dad comes home to see little Alejandro wearing his mom’s dress, immediately rings his own parents to tell them the great news, or when Mariposa asks to work construction with her dad, mom beams with pride at her beading circle. Historically, that was the way Two-Spirit children were honored by many tribes.

Sajid Ikram, 49, is an IT entrepreneur living in Canada. This is an edited version of his story, as told to CNA Insider.

The creators of Netflix’s Wednesday have opened up about a potential Wednesday and Enid romance in future seasons.

Less than a week after two people were arrested for trespassing at the apartment building of gay New York City Council member Erik Bottcher, police have now identified a third suspect who is wanted for assault. Bottcher represents the city’s District 3, including Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Square, Flatiron, Times Square, the Theater District, and the Garment District. When The Advocate spoke to City Council Member Bottcher last Monday, he said that two people were arrested for entering his apartment building unlawfully and that a third suspect was being investigated for assaulting a nearby neighbor of Bottcher.The neighbor was on his way home to his building down the block when he encountered the multiple hate groups stationed outside Bottcher’s building in Chelsea, Bottcher said. Now, police have identified David Nieves as the accused assailant. Authorities allege Nieves struck his victim in the face, cutting the victim.

Spoilers ahead for the grand finale of Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs the World.  

Egypt with its ancient pharaohs, unsolved mysteries and treasures has always been a hot topic for slots. Therefore, the GameArt company decided to create a game about the most famous woman in Egypt. This is how Cleopatra Slot was born, which attracts many users with its detailed design and good winnings. Also in the game there are a lot of bonuses that can significantly increase the budget for entering the game. Let's talk about how to get winnings in the game Cleopatra slots no download and what the gambler should pay attention to.

Spoilers ahead for the grand finale of Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs the World. 

Sniffies, a popular map-based meetup app for gay, bisexual, and curious men, announced its latest campaign, Sniffies Unwrapped, will reveal the ways users explored and experimented on the platform in 2022.The year-end campaign will launch on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, featuring categories like Horniest City, Most Popular Type of Group, and Most Popular Cruising Location.A branded infographic with shareable award badges will allow users to post where they fit. An animated video will also enable users to dig into the data and learn, for example, where they might be able to find who hosts the most groups over the course of a year.“Sniffies users made this year our best yet,” said Chief Marketing Officer and Creative Director Eli Martin in a press release.

Lesbian WNBA champion Brittney Griner posted a holiday message to supporters this week, urging them to write to Paul Whelan, an American who is still detained in Russia.“Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months. You took time to show me you cared and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered,” Griner wrote on Instagram. “Your letters helped me to not lose hope during a time where I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined.

Services have been planned for some of those killed in the Club Q shooting.The November 19 attack at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub took the lives of five people. More than 20 were injured. A suspect has been arrested and awaits trial.Colorado Public Radio has reported on the funeral and memorial plans known so far:There will be both public and private services for Raymond Green Vance.

The owner of Club Q, an LGBTQ+ nightclub that suffered a mass shooting in late November, has spoken out his plans for the venue’s future.

Thomas James

Club Q in Colorado Springs, the site of a deadly mass shooting November 19, will reopen at some point, its co-owner says.“We will be rebuilding in some sense or form,” Nic Grzecka told NPR. “This community has expressed wholeheartedly their need for the space that we’ve provided for 20 years.”Five people were killed and more than 20 injured in the shooting at the LGBTQ+ nightclub.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado honored the victims and the heroes of the Club Q shooting in a speech on the Senate floor before the vote on the Respect for Marriage Act Tuesday.Bennet, a Democrat who was reelected this year, offered information about the five people killed the night of November 19 — Derrick Rump, Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Green Vance — and showed their pictures.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden called the owners of Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., where last week a gunman killed five people and injured more than a dozen more.The two offered their condolences to owners Nic Grzecka and Matthew Haynes, according to the White House.The Bidens also voiced support for the LGBTQ+ community.“They reiterated their support for the community as well as their commitment to fighting back against hate and gun violence,” the White House said on Friday. “They also thanked Nic and Matthew for the incredible contributions they have made and will continue to make to Colorado Springs.”Grzecka and Haynes have said the attack on Club Q, which was a queer safe space in a conservative community, was a hate crime.

Tyler Johnston, right, comforts his friend Joshua Thurman at a makeshift memorial near Club Q, Sunday, Nov. 20. Thurman was inside the nightclub when a gunman walked in and opened fire the night before. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP)