French MPs approve law banning so-called gay conversion therapy

Liz Truss said the government “has no interest” in banning transgender people from using spaces that align with their gender identity.

Russia allegedly has a list of “journalist, activists and gay rights advocates” to punish in the event it invades Ukraine, the US claimed.

Lee Williams

An amendment added to the Florida “Don’t Say Gay Bill” will require schools to out LGBT students to their parents. The amendment to Florida House Bill 1557, filed by the Bill’s co-sponsor Representative Joe Harding (R) last Friday, would require schools to out sexually and gender diverse students to their parents within 6 weeks of discovery. The original bill still required disclosure but had an exemption if the disclosure could lead to “abuse, neglect or abandonment.” This exemption was removed in the current amendment. Florida Agriculture Commissioner and Candidate for Governor, Nikki Fried (D), tweeted, “This backwards cruelty must stop. Speak out against targeted hate legislation and support those leading the charge to protect civil rights like [Equality Florida] before it’s too late!”This backwards cruelty must stop.

A new amendment to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill would require schools to inform parents of their child’s sexual orientation within six weeks of learning the student isn’t heterosexual, NBC affiliate WFLA reported on Monday.

Governor Gavin Newsom slammed Florida’s far-reaching and dangerous “Don’t Say Gay” bill, urging Sunshine state lawmakers to stop pushing the legislation which he called “nothing short of a state-sponsored intimidation of LGBTQ children.”Newsom, who has a long history of standing up for LGBTQ people and same-sex marriage, rightly noted that the Florida legislation “will put kids – who are already navigating stress – in physical and psychological danger.”Indeed, the bill’s sponsor in the House is pushing a dangerous amendment to his own bill. Currently, the bill says schools must tell parents if their children exhibit mental or physical changes, which would include coming out as or even talking about possibly being LGBTQ.

ABOVE: A night in Christopher Atkins.

Last week we learned about the #RamRanchResistance, a counterprotest campaign in Canada using a very gay, very explicit, song about gay cowboys to troll anti-vaxers.The song is “Ram Ranch” by Grant MacDonald, and while it did make us laugh, it’s admittedly a bit hard to listen to.No disrespect to MacDonald, but we’d probably leave it off our gay country playlist. That got us thinking…what would go on that list?We’ll start with the latest from the mysterious cowpoke himself, Orville Peck.

looking into adoption, the pair learned that many siblings get split up, with families often only wanting to adopt younger children.With this in mind, they prepared themselves to adopt two or three siblings, but their fate was sealed when they saw the photograph of their soon-to-be children.They fell in love with the six smiling faces who had been in the foster care system for almost five years. The Anderson-McLeans matched with their kids in June 2018 and in less than a year, the adoption was official.“I think they felt at home pretty early on,” said Rob.

The sponsor of Florida’s highly controversial and dangerous “Don’t Say Gay” bill is doubling down on the “outing” provision of his legislation, which is expected to get a vote by the full House Tuesday.

The post ‘Conversion therapy’: A guide to its harmful history appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Kuwait’s constitutional court has struck down an anti-trans law under the belief it imposed on the “personal freedom” of trans individuals.

During his first year in office, former president Donald Trump banned most transgender Americans from joining the US military. Shortly after taking office, his predecessor Joe Biden reversed the policy, prohibiting discrimination against transgender troops.

Donald Trump, from stage during a political rally, has gone viral.Eric was speaking at the ReAwaken America Tour in Canton, Ohio, on Friday. Other speakers included broadcaster Alex Jones, Lt.

The showrunner for Hannibal opened up about the surprising queer love story between the show’s main characters.

ABOVE: Everyone's in Puerto Vallarta or Tulum or Hawaii. Instagram says so.

with a $2K per month bottled water habit, then catch up on the latest from Gay TikTok:Eliad Cohen and Shangela found heaven.Bruno Mars whipped his hair.Jake changed his voice.Dua Lipa embraced the meme.Kevin spent the morning stretching.Sasha Velour judged a fan.Simon Malvaez beautified San Francisco.The Fab 5 lip synced for their lives.Carter and Alex expanded their family.♬ Send Me on My Way – Vibe StreetAnd Apple dropped new LGBTQ+ emojis.♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Ricky Gervais is ready to shock when he goes back on tour.He has written new material on taboo subjects, including near-the-knuckle jokes about dwarfs, the disabled, Muslims and gay people.Other gags tackle controversial topics such as rape, the migrant crisis and climate change.And he will poke fun at big names including Game Of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage and the late Stephen Hawking.The comic wants to take risks because it is one of the few things that gives him a thrill now he’s in his 60s.He said: “It gives me an adrenaline rush. I think, ‘Can I say that?’.

Nasty Gal released a survey that ranked the top-rated drag brunch venues in the US. After some deliberation, we came up with our top ten.Did your city’s favorite drag brunch make our list?  A post shared by Pariah Sinclair (@pariah_sinclair) In a statement to GayCities, owners Leigh Philipkosky & Ellie Skinner said they were flattered to be featured so highly: “What makes of Love & Regret so special is that we are committed to our community and making it an enjoyable place for all to live. We are committed to inclusivity.

Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.What actors can boast a career as long and varied as that of Paul Winfield? The classy method actor flourished in a career that spanned forty years, and that saw him perform in such varied fare as the films Cliffhanger, Huckleberry Finn, and The Terminator, and in TV series including Julia, The Simpsons and as the title role in the Martin Luther King, Jr. miniseries King.

As the number of LGBTQ-identifying people continues to grow year after year in the real world, and that trend is also increasingly showing up on TV screens, with a record number of queer characters appearing during primetime.Media watchdog group GLAAD just released its 17th annual Where We Are on TV report, which tracks the diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks as well as the number of LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on primetime scripted cable programming and original scripted series on all major streaming services.Related: Elliot Page is about to spill some major Hollywood teaThis year’s data comes from shows that premiered or are expected to return between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022. It found nearly 12 percent of series regular characters on scripted broadcast primetime programming are queer, representing an increase of 2.8 percent over the previous year, and marking a record high.Additionally, GLAAD reports there are 49 LGBTQ recurring characters on the platform, for a total of 141 LGBTQ characters on broadcast television.In another first since the group began tracking the data, lesbian characters are more represented than gay characters.Lesbian characters increased six percentage points from the previous season to rise to a total of 40 percent of LGBTQ characters, compared to 35 percent for gay characters, which is down five percentage points.Bisexual characters make up 19 percent of regular and recurring broadcast LGBTQ characters, up one percentage point after two years of decreases.Trans people are represented with 42 regular and recurring characters across all three platforms: broadcast, cable and streaming, up from 29 last year.

New York Daily News. Salgado has made numerous anti-LGBTQ comments in the past sparking concerns of authority in his new role.Salgado says his views have changed over the years and vowed to support all immigrants in the community."I am proud to serve in this administration under the leadership of Mayor Adams and share his long-held values of tolerance and inclusion," Salgado said in a written statement put out by the mayor's press office.

Hoping to draw attention to the death of a gay man nearly two years ago, the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance is planning a vigil in front of San Francisco City Hall next weekend. Meanwhile, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told the Bay Area Reporter that he would personally like to meet with the man's parents, who have called on authorities to reopen their investigation.

Philadelphia.“I would not be standing here if it weren’t for two very important men in my life,” he began, saying later, “Mr. Rawley Farnsworth, who was my high school drama teacher.” He then cited a classmate and added, “Because they are two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with, to fall under their inspiration at such a young age.”Hanks had called Farnsworth, who he hadn’t spoken to in 20 years, before the Oscars and asked his permission to mention the fact he was gay, and Farnsworth agreed.Hanks’s revelation about his drama teacher spawned a movie, In & Out, in which closeted drama teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is outed by his former student Cameron Drake, played by Matt Dillon, during Drake's Oscar acceptance speech.And NBC’s drama Rise was inspired by the true story of closeted high school drama teacher Lou Volpe and based on a nonfiction book about him, Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town and the Magic of Theater.

The national teacher shortage has not spared San Francisco, which is seeing extreme difficulty filling teaching positions. "Hard to fill" subject areas, including math, face greater challenges still.

lawsuit on Tuesday for parents of two Wentzville school district students to prevent the removal of books about LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and other marginalized groups.It comes after the school district removed eight books from the students’ school’s library. Those included The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Paperback by Alison Bechdel; All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M.

pic.twitter.com/3k2VqzEYvm— K Hole Ocasio-Cortez from Bushwick, PhD (@smartbitch_69) February 15, 2022Here’s what folks are saying:“I just hate the taste of tap water” he’s still drinking tap water it’s just tap water from Norway pic.twitter.com/DM4G4PQgsC— Wild Geerters (@steinkobbe) February 16, 2022buy a damn brita— (@Skarlet_Starlet) February 17, 2022*guy who regularly has dozens of gallons of individual serving water bottles hand-delivered to his house voice*I’m trying to be more eco-friendly— Chris (@Tinznasty) February 15, 2022You know, I think the “carbon neutral” water bottles might be a bit offset by the energy costs of FOUR FUCKING REFRIGERATORS— Surplus Cornbread (@SurplusCornbre1) February 16, 2022Would love to make this guy take a blind taste test for water— Havana Burger (@AJamesHidell) February 16, 2022It’s giving- pic.twitter.com/uZl4lEKjLt— Chucho E. Quintero (@Chucho_Q) February 16, 2022Has anyone tried giving him tap water in the voss bottle to see if he can taste the difference? Like have we done the science here— silently housed replica (@bringurownbaby) February 16, 2022Everyone who gets water pumped into their kitchens.

A San Francisco judge has sided with the city in a lawsuit alleging that the San Francisco Police Department illegally spied on protesters in Union Square.

Israel and New Zealand are the latest countries to take significant steps toward banning conversion therapy for minors and adults.

Melania Trump lashed out at reporters today, accusing them of try to “cancel” her and destroy the “hopes and dreams of children” after it was revealed she’s been promoting a “charity” event for a charity that doesn’t actually exist.Earlier this month, the ex-FLOTUS announced she will be hosting a “high tea” in Naples, Florida in April. The event is being billed as a “benefit” for “Fostering the Future, a Be Best initiative,” which claims to award computer science scholarships to children aging out of the foster care system.

DAVID-ELIJAH NAHMOD | Contributing WriterTwitter: @DavidElijah At a mere 52 minutes long, Lester Alfonso’s new documentary Circus Boy is short and s

Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill has continued to make its way through state legislature, bringing it even closer to reality.

In this month’s GAY TIMES issue, we’re putting the climate conversation front and centre.

New Delhi – Critically-acclaimed Indian filmmaker Onir wanted to direct a movie inspired by a gay army major who resigned and came out in a blaze of publicity — but despite the country’s democratic status the military stopped it from being made.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government has been repeatedly accused of ramping up censorship in a systematic attack on dissent — including clampdowns on human rights activists, journalists and NGOs — since coming to power eight years ago. In 2020 it issued an order advising filmmakers to seek prior clearance for any military-themed script, a decision described by free speech campaigners as both Orwellian and unconstitutional in the world’s largest democracy.Onir, who uses only one name, is gay himself and was among the first major Bollywood figures to openly acknowledge his sexuality.He is known for his movies about the lives of socially marginalized groups, and his creative eye was caught by the case of Major J.

website.The annual Progress Pride Flag Raising Ceremony to mark the start of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival will take place at 6pm Friday March 18.The flag will be raised at Sydney Town Hall.Other events for the Sydney Mardi Gras include Laugh Out Proud.Laugh Out Proud is a comedy event on February 25 showcasing rising stars in the Australian queer comedy scene.As COVID-19 restrictions ease across NSW just in time for Mardi Gras, many pubs and nightclubs will be hosting events.Singing and dancing will be back on the cards.Other events include the Mardi Gras Film Festival exhibiting more than 110 films, all "unabashedly and proudly queer".It is currently underway until March 3.Lifesavers with Pride have teamed up with Surf Life Saving Clubs along the east coast of Australia to bring the spirit of Mardi Gras to the country's iconic beaches on Sunday February 27.Lifesavers with Pride have marched in the Mardi Gras parade for over a decade.Surf clubs up and down the coast are dressing up and decorating in rainbow to celebrate Mardi Gras.Beach patrollers, nippers and swimming clubs are adding colour to their equipment and fluro zinc to their sun protection.Clubs hosting Rainbow Beaches celebrations include Bronte, Tamarama, Coogee, Bondi, Dee Why, Bigola, Avalon and Queenscliff, Byron Bay, Brunswick and Yamba.Rainbow Beaches first started in 2021 to celebrate diversity and including among Surf Live Savers.Ivan Power from Lifesavers with Pride said: "Surf Life Saving has evolved to become far more diverse and inclusive since it was formed over 100 years ago to make our beaches safer.""The more diverse, inclusive and welcoming we are as a community, the stronger and more effective our movement can be."

A Pennsylvania couple adopted six brothers and sisters who spent 1,640 days in foster care.

Big changes are afoot at San Francisco Pride with the sudden departure of its executive director, less than five months before the nonprofit plans to return to pre-COVID life with its annual in-person parade and festival.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was bursting with pride after his players produced a remarkable 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in their own backyard.

Popular Information reviewed campaign contributions from 2020 onward to the bill’s sponsors in the Florida House and Senate, the senators who voted for the bill in committee, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not officially committed to signing it into law but has indicated support for it.

Former Fox News host Lou Dobbs has offered his two cents on the future of Republican Party leadership, and the response has been less than enthusiastic.Dobbs, who was canceled by Fox 24 hours after he and the network were named in a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit filed by voting technology company Smartmatic, said that if the GOP retakes the House majority this year, only the “brightest” conservatives like Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz should be considered for speaker.The Trump loyalist also attacked current Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as a “RINO” (Republican in name only) who should should not be considered for speaker.Lou Dobbs says there is no way Kevin McCarthy should be Speaker if the GOP retakes the majority, and that only the “brightest” conservatives should be considered like Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz. pic.twitter.com/yKuLLtkid0— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 17, 2022Related: Jim Jordan is having a craptastic birthdayNot only did everyone seem to agree this is the worst idea ever, but commenters also shared their feelings about Dobbs:Not only is Lou Dobbs the stupidest man on all of TV, he reminds me of Quato.

Park City Gay Ski WeekPark City, UtahFebruary 23–27 (utahgayskiweek.com)   Telluride Gay Ski WeekTelluride, ColoradoFebruary 26–March 5 (telluridegayski.com)   Gay Ski Week HakubaHakuba, JapanMarch 4–13 (gayskiweekhakuba.com)   Mammoth Gay Ski WeekMammoth Lakes, CaliforniaMarch 16–20 (mammothgayskiweek.com)   European Snow Pride: TignesTignes, FranceMarch 12–19 (europeansnowpride.com) European Gay Ski Week: Les ArcsLes Arcs, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, FranceMarch 19–26 (europeangayskiweek.com) SWING Gay Ski WeekLenzerheide, SwitzerlandMarch 19–26 (gayski.ch)   Jasper Pride & Ski FestivalJasper, CanadaApril 1–10 (jasperpride.ca)   Queenstown Winter PrideQueenstown, New ZealandAugust 26–September 4 (winterpride.co.nz)   Gay Ski Week AustraliaFalls Creek, AustraliaSeptember 2–11 (pointsofdifference.com) Initially titled Swerving on the Slopes, this article originally ran in the Winter 2022 issue of Out Traveler, which is available on newsstands now.

Good Morning America.Initially, the couple thought they would adopt two or three children; however when they found six siblings on a foster care website — Carlos, Guadalupe, Maria, Selena, Nasa, and Max — Steve and Rob knew in their hearts they could provide the children, who’d been in the foster care for nearly half a decade and had been subjected to abuse prior to that, a better life.“We instantly fell in love,” recalled Steve.“I’d say our kids have brought a great kind of crazy to our lives. It’s heartwarming and so exciting to see how they connect with us,” added Rob.The couple was paired with the children in June 2018, and the kids moved into their home the following month.

LGBTQ+ portrayals include (from left) Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson on Dickinson and Vincent Rodriguez III and Mark Indelicato as Henry and Jorge on With Love.It’s a good year for LGBTQ+ representation on TV — indeed, a record one, according to GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on TV report.The report, released Thursday morning, found that 11.9 percent of series regular characters scheduled to appear on broadcast scripted prime-time TV this season are LGBTQ+ — an increase of 2.8 percentage points from last year and a record-high percentage in the history of the report, now in its 17th edition.“The growing state of LGBTQ representation on television is a signal that Hollywood is truly starting to recognize the power of telling LGBTQ stories that audiences around the world connect with,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a press release. “At a time when anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence continues to increase, it is cultural institutions like television that take on the crucial role of changing hearts and minds through diverse and inclusive storytelling.

Harry Hamlin has opened up about starring in the groundbreaking gay romance Making Love, and how the film almost destroyed his career.Hamlin spoke to People as part of the 40th anniversary of the film, which debuted in 1982. It followed a Los Angeles writer, Bart (Hamlin), who falls for a closeted man named Zack (Michael Ontkean), who is married to a powerful TV executive named Claire (Kate Jackson).The film hailed from romance master Arthur Hiller (Love Story), and gay writers Barry Sandler and A.

As of Thursday, February 17, conversion therapy is illegal in the Australian state of Victoria. Parliament passed the law reform in 2021 after conducting research with survivors, but the new legislation officially comes into play today. Victoria’s attorney-general, Jaclyn Symes, called the conversion therapy “total quackery,” and added that “these laws send the clear message […]

LGBTQ+ portrayals include (from left) Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson on Dickinson and Vincent Rodriguez III and Mark Indelicato as Henry and Jorge on With Love.It’s a good year for LGBTQ+ representation on TV — indeed, a record one, according to GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on TV report.The report, released Thursday morning, found that 11.9 percent of series regular characters scheduled to appear on broadcast scripted prime-time TV this season are LGBTQ+ — an increase of 2.8 percentage points from last year and a record-high percentage in the history of the report, now in its 17th edition.“The growing state of LGBTQ representation on television is a signal that Hollywood is truly starting to recognize the power of telling LGBTQ stories that audiences around the world connect with,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a press release. “At a time when anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence continues to increase, it is cultural institutions like television that take on the crucial role of changing hearts and minds through diverse and inclusive storytelling.

A gay man was the victim of an alleged hate crime after a night out at Heaven nightclub in Charing Cross, London.

Dollface. But the show’s second season also features a thoughtful queer love story for Shay Mitchell’s Stella, who was conceived of as queer from the start.In season 2, which kicked off last week, fun party girl Stella, who’s grappling with whether or not she wants the career in finance that she seemed destined for, makes her way into a bar run by out actor Lilly Singh’s Liv.