Exclusive interview: Dublin Pride addresses RTÉ partnership termination

(Image by Mel Holt)

LGBTQ+ book club.If your life is more ‘early nights in bed reading’ than ‘early mornings staggering home’, then there’s a wealth of book discussion groups – operating in-person and online – for those wanting to meet like-minded queer folk.One example is Queer Reads London, run by university friends Hannah and Alex off the back of a lockdown idea.“At university we liked going out to Heaven and the other queer clubs in London but you obviously don’t make any long-term friends from that,” says Hannah. “In lockdown we both decided to read the same book at the same time and then call each other to talk about it.

Pride flags are an excellent form of self-expression for people of all sexualities and gender identities, and each banner has its own unique history and meaning. The WLW or lesbian flag is one of the most recognizable icons currently in circulation with its orange, pink, and white stripes.

Malta, the top five is rounded out by Denmark, Belgium, Norway and Luxembourg.Denmark was the first nation in the world to provide legal recognition for same-sex partnerships in 1989, while Scandinavian neighbour Norway brought in some of the world’s earliest anti-discrimination laws in 1981. Both nations are known for their cosmopolitan city breaks and beautiful scenery which can be enjoyed in any season provided you pack the right garments.Meanwhile central European small nations Belgium and Luxembourg are known for their progressive policies and favourable public attitudes to equality.

LGBTIQ+ Norwegians gathered for a “spontaneous” Oslo Pride march following Saturday’s deadly shooting (Photos: Anna Riksaasen)

Celine Dion has a legion of fans around the world and had a sweet surprise for them over the weekend.MORE: Céline Dion celebrates amazing milestone after new tour updateWith the end of Pride Month coming near and countless parades happening over the next few days, the award-winning star sent a rare personal message on social media, revealing her newly-updated Pride playlist.She wrote: "Dance the weekend away with Celine's newly updated Pride playlist! Be loud, be proud and don't forget that love is love..."VIDEO: Celine Dion's health battle explained Fans were quick to comment on the post, with one writing: "Thank you my queen," while another wrote: "This is super." A third added: "Love is love."MORE: Celine Dion looks so different in rare family photoMORE: Celine Dion shares heartbreaking message after sad deathThe singer has been keeping a relatively low profile of late as she concentrates on getting back to full health.Recently, she updated her fans on her recovery with a message from her home, revealing that she was being forced to postpone the dates of her Europe tour once again as a result of her health issues.A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)Celine Dion shared a heartfelt message about Pride MonthShe said: "Hi everyone. Well, here we are again.

Lil' Kim put on an extraordinarily busty display Saturday night during the first day of the Pride Island event, held on Governors Island in New York Harbor.The 47-year-old rap star hit the stage in a clinging tiger print bodysuit that was sheer enough to reveal that she was bra-less.In keeping with the Pride theme of the festivities, she rocked a long, flowing hairdo that featured rainbow highlights. Busty bombshell:Lil' Kim hit the stage Saturday night during the first day of the Pride Island event, held on Governors Island in New York HarborShe pulled a latticed black leather corset over the ensemble and added a belt, emphasizing the classic hourglass effect.

Emeli Sande shared that she had fallen in love with a woman, Rebel Wilson introduced her girlfriend. Then, just last week, Dame Kelly Holmes felt she could be open about her sexuality. I am over the moon to say that she will be making her first appearance at the British LGBT Awards, taking place tonight. We should celebrate these women coming out; not only because everyone should have the right to live their life openly with the people they love, but because of what it means to the rest of the community, too. Visibility and seeing people like us represented is directly linked to our experiences in every aspect of life, our recent LGBT+ under 25s survey suggests.Having positive female role models is a great step forward and can only improve that journey for others. But, at the same time, we have to ask, would they have come out sooner if there was better representation in the first place?Our recent nationwide study of LGBT+ youth found that a higher proportion of men stated that it was easy to come out at work (86%) compared to women (60%).

Metro.co.uk: ‘I’ve been working very closely with the LGBTQ+ community and our show at Proud Cabaret was very inclusive, and I made a lot of friends there. ‘We kept talking about how nice it would be to just do something to celebrate the fact that finally we can go out and party have a good time and, this year, for Pride especially, it means so much more to people because all the restrictions are gone.‘I’ve been very lucky since all my Big Breakfast days that I’ve had a very big LGBTQ following, and it’s been lovely and supportive. ‘Even through my recent breakup, I’ve had a lot of amazing people reach out to me, and I suppose it’s a sort of thank you for the love and support from my side as well.’She added; ‘It’s a really uplifting, fun song that will stand the test of time as well. I think it stuck in my head because I spent a lot of the 90s in most of the gay clubs.

Former Hollyoaks star Gerard McCarthy has come out as non-binary in a social media post.

—Anonymous—Anonymous"And, just her as a person in general made me feel more confident in myself. I was able to come out online and talk about being bi for the first time. I love her so much and will always be grateful for her."—kielilougheedj—Anonymous—hopesnider"My mother was confused about how anyone could be just queer.

Luke Baines has come out in an inspiring message during Pride Month.

Kesha is all smiles as she arrives for her headlining performance at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day 2022, which was held outside New York City’s Stonewall Inn on Friday (June 24).

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. The occasional edible helps to nudge me out of my urban cocoon.A Target recently opened on my block. Though I initially scoured at the monstrosity that undermined the locally-owned bodegas, I quickly succumbed to mid-day Pringles runs, bulk packs of toilet paper, and the occasional random kitchen utensil.I should confess that I have a habit of shopping under the influence.

Two people were killed and eight others hospitalized with injuries in a shooting near the London Pub in Oslo, Norway’s gay district early this morning (Saturday, June 25), prompting organizers to cancel the city’s annual Pride parade that had been scheduled for later today.

Happy Pride Month!!!!! from gay And Reddit users awarded full participation points to whoever was behind this creative repurposing.“He’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit,” one commenter wrote.“There was an attempt,” said another.A third added, “They did their best, and I can appreciate that.”And another user made the valid point that “gays have to be flexible.”Related: A pride guide to lesser-known LGBTQ+ pride flagsThe same photo was posted in the r/CasualUK subreddit three years ago, and commenters showed their appreciation then, too, giving the pic more than 72,000 upvotes.“Honestly, I think this is quite clever,” one person said.“The T in LGBT stands for Twister,” a second person joked.“I wonder how many people discovered they were gay through Twister?” a third pondered.

Owner: AabriteePronouns: She/herIf you're on the lookout for hand-embroidered jewellery, look no further than AaRa Jewellery. The owner, Aabritee, translates her love for pets into adorable and customised pet portrait pendants.  Owner: Anjali RajPronouns: She/herAnjali is a self-taught artist from Bangalore who loves to illustrate people, animals, and inanimate objects.

Michael Henry has made it the subject of his latest video, simply entitled ‘No Kink at Pride.’In it, Henry and a friend try to persuade a younger pal why kink has a place at Pride.Henry mentions having his leather harness oiled in preparation for the festivities, prompting a disapproving “eww” from Gen Z chum, Julian.Julian says he doesn’t think kink should be allowed at Pride: “Just because I’m at a Pride event doesn’t mean I’m consenting to see your naked, hairy ass flapping out of your leather pup costume.”He goes on to state, “Pride should be for everyone: kids, teens, allies, my nana. Live out your horny fetish fantasies in private.”“Kink was at Pride since the start,” counters another friend, Cal.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are decked in colour today for the Pride marches that are taking place today in each city.

London, that figure was 2.7%, while in parts of the country, such as the east of England, this dipped as low as 1.2%.More often than not, rural-born members of the LGBTQ+ community ‘escape’ to the bright lights of their nearest city.Drag Queen Scaredy Kat, who appeared on the first UK series of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, previously described the drag scene in her home county of Wiltshire as ‘a joke in itself’.The county is historically associated with the military on the vast Salisbury Plain, and its bountiful agricultural industry.But Oberon Christmas, who lives in the market town of Devizes, has swapped wellies for high heels.The rural drag queen is determined to make a name for himself in the countryside town he loves.He performs locally under the drag personal Gabriella Christmas.‘There’s always been some sort of backlash to the way I dress or act’, he told Metro.co.uk.He routinely faced abuse in school but learned to shrug off and ignore hateful comments.Oberon could have moved to the likes of London or Bristol after finishing his education, and become part of the wider drag community there.But he chose to stay in Devizes.He often goes on nights out in drag, and says attitudes have been getting far more accepting the more he does so.During the pandemic, Oberon started a small LGBTQ+ support group in a bid to reach out to anyone scared of coming out.‘We started in the park, it was just me in a dress in a field,’ he said.‘Now we have a dedicated group with thousands supporting us online.’The group have had to make do with smaller venues than most, meeting in a pub in the town initially.Now, there’s plans for drag race bingo in the town hall and hopes that Devizes could even host its first ever Pride march.Oberon said:

There’s a common misconception that pride flags only represent an individual’s sexual preferences. However, anyone who doesn’t fall into the “traditional” definitions of femininity or masculinity can find a pride flag that represents them perfectly.

Oslo Pride has been cancelled following a deadly shooting near a gay bar that Norwegian police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack.

Two people were killed in the horror attack on patrons of the London Pub on the eve of Oslo Pride (Photo: www.travelgay.com)

Pride was the target, so that's frightening."One witness said a man arrived with a bag, took out a gun and started to shoot: "Then I saw windows breaking and understood that I had to take cover."BREAKING:Norway investigates a possible terror attack after a man started shooting in front of the city’s largest gay pub “London Pub” last night.2 dead, 14 wounded.Today’s Oslo Gay Pride parade has been cancelled.The suspect is a refugee from Iran pic.twitter.com/grjttJI0vlA suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was detained minutes after embarking on the shooting spree, according to police who said they believed he acted alone.Two weapons, including a fully automatic gun, were reportedly retrieved from the crime scene."There is reason to think that this may be a hate crime," police said."We are investigating whether the Pride was a target in itself or whether there are other motives."They added that the attack was also being investigated as a possible act of terrorism.Norwegian police, who are not normally armed, will now carry guns until further notice as a precaution.Norway's PST intelligence service added that it was investigating whether there could be further attacks. Meanwhile, the organisers of Oslo Pride cancelled Saturday's parade, citing police advice.

OSLO — Hours after a shooting early Saturday in Norway’s capital that killed two people and seriously wounded at least 10, the police said they were treating it as a terrorist attack. The shooting happened near a popular gay club in downtown Oslo, hours before the city was scheduled to hold its annual Pride parade. Theevent’s organizers later said they had canceled the parade and other events connected to a 10-day Pride festival at the suggestion of the police.

For L.G.B.T.Q. people in New York City, the last Friday in June is usually a joyful day. The streets come alive with the telltale signs of a celebratory weekend: music, dancing, kissing, the occasional trail of glitter confetti.

Lady Gaga, Tom Daley and the first all-male ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ couple were among the winners of this year’s ‘British LGBT Awards’. Vogue director Edward Enninful, 50, and singer Alicia Keys, 41, also took home gongs at the London event on Friday. (24.

It appears as though Kesha is debuting a new look.While performing at New York City's historic Stonewall on Friday the pop star showed off a dramatically curvier derriere.The 35-year-old musician flashed her backside in a thong on stage, as she performed in an eye-popping leather and mesh ensemble that boasted cutouts throughout. Then and now: Kesha debuted a noticeably larger bum as she performed in cutout chaps (left) Vibes: The artist donned a racy ensemble as she performed at the eventKesha's new look will no doubt set tongues wagging, as the sighting comes amid a growing trend of celebrities getting what is known as a 'Brazilian Butt Lift,' also known as a 'BBL'.While there's no suggestion the TiK ToK hitmaker has undergone any such procedure, there is no question that her form has dramatically changed shape as she could now rival a Kardashian with her curvaceous behind.

Madonna is going all out this Pride month! The iconic singer who is ready to direct her own biopic starring Julia Garner, gave everything and more during her recent Pride performance in New York City, with special guests and a passionate kiss.The 63-year-old singer took some adorable backstage photos with her 16-year-old son David Banda ahead of the performance, as she prepared to take the stage in an all-black look, high boots, fishnets, silver jewelry and black lace gloves.Not Santana performing with Madonna! pic.twitter.com/E7d6XhbK6vMadonna performed some of her greatest hit songs, including Hung Up,Vogue, Holiday, Material Girl and Ray of Light, bringing 28-year-old rapper Saucy Santana to the stage for a special performance of ‘Material Girl.’The singer also brought 26-year-old rapper Tokischa for a surprise set and an unexpected and passionate kiss between the pair, making the crowd go wild as the two singers gave an intense performance.Tokischa y Madonna en el terminal 5 pic.twitter.com/OdYZVB2IxFMadonna recently recreated her 2003 MTV Video Music Awards iconic kiss with Britney Spears during her star-studded wedding with Sam Asghari.The wedding was filled with pop culture moments, as Britney also danced to her own song ‘Toxic’ with Madonna and Selena.

overturn Roe v. Wade, meaning any state can now ban abortion.With such distressing news sweeping the nation, Pride Today correspondent Stephen Walker took the streets of Provincetown, Mass., to get reactions.“It just felt like a physical blow to my body,” one person said.

With the first in-person Pride celebration since 2019 finally here, San Francisco Police Department officials are calling on the public to keep their eyes open for any suspicious behavior as they enjoy the festivities. Speaking at a press conference at Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro June 24, SFPD Police Chief William Scott urged the public to be on the alert."If you see something suspicious, please don't sit on that information," he said.

Madonna's latest comeback was a minor miracle. (All images by Matthew Rettenmund, unless noted)

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Any music photographer working in London throughout the ’80s was gifted with the magnetic stage presence of Freddie Mercury, whose flamboyant expressions and energetic movements were practically made for the camera.

Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale handles the ball June 17 against the Phoenix Mercury. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Gloria Allen, a transgender activist whose experiences running a charm school in Chicago for at-risk transgender youth inspired an acclaimed documentary film, “Mama Gloria” and play, “Charm,” died on June 13 at her home in Chicago. She was 76. The cause was respiratory failure, said Luchina Fisher, a close friend and the director of the documentary.

supports HTML5 videoA colourful collection of stamps have been unveiled by the Royal Mail to mark Pride Month.The set will be issued exactly 50 years since the UK’s first Pride rally on July 1, 1972.They celebrate ‘the story of Pride over time’ over the course of eight stamps.Each one is inspired the history-making rally in 1972, which was organised by the Gay Liberation Front.People marched from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park, inspired by the first Pride events in New York.They chanted slogans such as ‘Gay is fun! Gay is proud! Gay is beautiful!’One of the stamps in the Royal Mail’s new set depicts a banner reading ‘love always wins’.David Gold, the company’s director of external affairs and policy, said: ‘The vibrant, colourful Pride events that take place in towns and cities across the UK today trace their origins to a small number of people who marched through central London half a century ago to raise awareness of discrimination and inequality.‘There have been huge changes in laws and social attitudes, but Pride events continue to play a key role in raising awareness of discrimination, as well as celebrating diversity and individualism.’The stamps, specially commissioned by Royal Mail, were illustrated by award-winning artist Sofie Birkin, whose illustrations have featured in campaigns for brands such as Nike and Apple.The designers of the stamps, NB Studio, have, in collaboration with animation studio, Animade, created a film using the illustrations featured in the stamp issue.‘It was a real honour to be asked to design this iconic series for The Royal Mail, as they represent such an important part of British LGBTQ+ history,’ said Alan Dye, owner of NB Studio.He added: ‘It was an absolute joy to work with Sofie

San Francisco's last remaining gay sex club is reopening its doors in time for Pride weekend. In doing so, it is reviving a historic location in the Tenderloin once home to a bathhouse that catered to men who have sex with men.Eros SF, the sex club for queer and trans men, will welcome patrons for a sneak peak from 6 p.m.

San Francisco Police have apprehended a suspect in the shooting death of a 27-year-old man onboard a Muni subway car earlier this week as the medical examiner's office identified the victim.On June 23, the day following the shooting, San Francisco Police Department officers and investigators took into custody Javon Green, a 26-year-old resident of Pittsburg in Contra Costa County. With the assistance of Pittsburg police, Green was taken into custody and transported to San Francisco, where he was booked on charges of homicide, carrying a concealed firearm, and using a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to a June 24 news release from the SFPD.Green is currently being held without bond, according to information from the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.The San Francisco Medical Examiner's office has identified the victim in the shooting as Nesta Bowen, a musician and former employee of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.Bowen was one of two people Green allegedly shot June 22 inside a train between Muni's Forest Hill and Castro stations.

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is giving away eleven lucky GCN readers the chance to win tickets to go see The Cher Show, coming to Dublin from July 19 to July 30! The fabulous production will chronicle the legendary pop sensation’s rise to fame, from the unsure, awkward teenage “Baby” to the self-assured and career-defining “Lady” […]

After the success that was last year’s open call for Irish queer artists to submit their artwork as a way to celebrate queer love and identity and fight against homophobia, Dónal Talbot, the photographer behind the ‘Pride posters Project’, decided to launch the second edition of this project during Pride month 2022. This year, he […]

It's Pride Month, with people coming together to celebrate in all kinds of different ways across the country.

Mayors LGBTQ Task Force chair Omar Narvaez, who was just elected deputy mayor pro tem, presented the Dallas City Pride Awards on Wednesday

Madonna famously kiss both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the opening of the VMAs in 2003 and now the pop icon is back at it again.Kicking off NYC Pride, the 63-year-old shared a passionate kiss with rapper Tokischa during her racy performance.On Thursday evening, the singing sensation crawled around on stage stage and was also seen simulating a sex act throughout the set.READ MORE: Madonna wishes herself 'Happy Father's Day' as she reveals sweet snaps of her kidsMadonna's Sandbox show, which was held at Terminal 5, saw the singer wear a lace basque and black sequin shorts accompanied with fishnet tights with heeled biker boots.Over the risqué outfit, the 63-year-old wore a cropped safety-style jacket and accessorised with silver chains.With her blonde locks in a centre parting, the star writhed around on stage before a quick outfit change.The second outfit saw her in a plunging leather bustier which revealed a pink lace bra at the cleavage.Over the daring fit, Madonna had a matching yellow Adidas set featuring shorts and a cropped jacket.She was also joined on stage by 26-year-old rapper Tokischa while she performed her song Hung Up which resulted in the pair getting steamy on stage.Sharing an intense kiss at the end, Madonna playfully slapped the rapper on the bum as she walked off stage.Madonna has previously teased a collaboration with Tokischa who has described her own voice to Billboard as very "rock-influenced".She said: "That's the type of music I most like. My style is explicit.

Royal Mail has unveiled a new set of Pride-themed stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of the first march in the UK.

Over the last few years, there has been a boom in local Pride events, which celebrate the vibrancy of LGBTQ+ people around the country.

Keep up to date with all the big stories from across Greater Manchester in the daily Mancunian Way newsletter. You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.

  Pride month is finally here, and to inspire everyone to celebrate as much as possible, we set up a list of five LGBTQ+ venues in Dublin for you and your friends to enjoy a night out. Whether you prefer to party until sunrise or a more low-profile atmosphere, we are sure you will find […]

Jonathan Shelley