Halfway through our date I found out she was 15 years older than me

A new podcast series, ‘I Am Not Your Refugee’ looks at refugee-led projects in Ireland, Turkey, Greece and Jordan. Journalist and producer Bairbre Flood tells us about how she met and spoke to Mehdi and Nihal, two members of the LGBTQ+ community in Yalova, a city just outside Istanbul, and to Mahmoud Hassino, who presents […]

After a recent episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, when one of the show’s two confirmed queer characters (Laenor Velaryon’s lover, Joffrey) was brutally murdered, we wrote that the death fit into the tired “Bury Your Gays” trope. Many fans of the show disagreed.

When the world ends, aficionados will still be watching their favorite Judy Garland movies.

A NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced three young men to prison for the aggravated kidnapping of 56-year-old Canberra-based real estate agent Peter Keeley, whose body was found in the bushlands on the NSW South Coast in February 2020. Trigger Warning: This story discusses violent death of a gay man, 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.Keeley, an auctioneer and past president of West Belconnen Junior Rugby League Football Club, was lured by one of the boys via the gay dating app Grindr.

Joan Collins has said she hopes the King will “do as well as his mother” after he ascended the throne following the Queen’s death. The veteran actress, 89, has won a string of accolades throughout her career including a Golden Globe, and was made a dame for her services to charity in 2015. She was among the famous faces attending the British Film Institute (BFI) Luminous fundraising gala on Thursday evening, which celebrates British filmmakers and raises funds to support up-and-coming talent through an auction selling “money-can’t-buy” experiences.

There was a time when allowing gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to serve openly in the U.S. military was one of the most controversial issues in the nation. But a recently unearthed Pentagon report shows how unfounded any fears about open service by LGB people were.The report, “Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: A Historical Perspective From the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” was released in 2021 but wasn’t publicized; now the Palm Center, a San Francisco-based think tank on LGBTQ+ issues in the military, has informed the public about it.

UN representatives have called for Iran to cancel its planned execution of two women LGBTQ+ rights activists.

Rising bi comedy star Rachel Sennott has proved herself as an actress with range in projects like Shiva Baby and Bodies Bodies Bodies. Last night, she proved herself quite a provocative storyteller as well.She was introduced on Late Night with Seth Meyers with her now-viral “podcast” scene from the A24 horror flick, Bodies Bodies Bodies.It is kind of the perfect introduction:gonna tell my kids this was the last supper pic.twitter.com/js9HpwTnlC— david (@IaureIheII) September 23, 2022Somehow, the tension-filled scene was the least chaotic bit of her segment.Related: ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ stars talk chaotic queer energySennott had the art department print out some of her tweets from years prior as evidence of her long-game plan to tell this explicit story on Meyers’ show.

American Horry Story fans rejoice! Ryan Murphy has finally revealed the title and premiere date for the upcoming 11th season. 

Gay adult film performer and OnlyFans content creator Lawrence Morningstar has died; he was 31 years old.The sad news was shared Wednesday night by his friend Damien Cruz, a go-go dancer and fellow adult performer.Cruz posted to Twitter: “It gives me the utmost sadness to have to tell you all, my soulmate, my brother, and my best friend @xxx_morningstar has passed away this morning.”“Such a light and an amazing human being. Imma miss you buddy,” he added.It gives me the utmost sadness to have to tell you all, my soulmate, my brother, and my best friend @xxx_morningstar has passed away this morning ? Such a light and an amazing human being.

Several thousand people have taken part in an anti-LGBT demonstration in Istanbul.They called for LGBT associations to be closed down and displayed signs that read: "protect your family and your generation", "Say no to society without gender", and "Father + mother + baby = family".A speaker for the event, Kursat Mican, also claimed organisers received 150,000 signatures on a petition calling for a ban on what they called LGBT "propaganda” in social media, sports, arts and Netflix.An advert for the anti-LGBT march was also shown on television after gaining the approval of the country’s broadcasting council, which deemed it a "public interest".The country’s largest anti-LGBT demonstration was criticised by human rights organisations.ILGA Europe, an organisation fighting for LGBT equality in Europe and Central Asia, tweeted: "the Turkish state needs to uphold its constitutional obligation to protect all its citizens against hate and violence".Meanwhile, Turkey's Amnesty International office said public service announcements advertising the march violated Turkey’s non-discrimination principles.

Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin star in CBS' new drama, which follows razor-sharp attorney Margaret Wright, who hires her talented but aimless son, Todd, as her law firm's in-house investigator. ET was first on the Vancouver set in August, where Harden and Astin previewed their series, which premieres Thursday.«Dynamic duo, that’s us,» Astin told ET's Lauren Zima on the set in August while they were filming episode 3. «I love working with Marcia. I love sparring with Marcia in the scenes.

Netflix has taken off an LGBTQ tag for its miniseries Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story amid flak for the classification.The series initially hit the streaming service with the tags 'LGBTQ,' 'ominous,' 'psychological,' 'horror,' 'vintage crime,' and 'dark' upon its debut September 21, with many viewers taking to social media to criticize the streaming service for the inclusion of the LGBTQ classification.One user wrote, 'Hey hi @netflix I IMPLORE you please reconsider having Dahmer with the LGBTQ tag, especially as one of its tags right when you open the app.' The latest: Netflix has taken off an LGBTQ tag for its miniseries Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story amid flak for the classification. Evan Peters is seen in the titular role in the seriesAnother said, 'netflix added the Jeffrey Dahmer series to the LGBTQ+ tag.

R&B singer Usher was still a teenager when he posed for the cover of his 1997 album My Way.Not only did the album sell over seven million copies and launch him to fame, the cover photo for the single “Nice & Slow” also became an instant icon.To mark the 25th anniversary of the album, the now 43-year-old singer recreated the photo.Whatever he’s been doing to stay in shape — it’s working:Who can tell me what I was doin at 7 o'clock on the dot 25 years ago? Makin this classic…#UsherMyWay pic.twitter.com/IBpTy5NfCG— Usher Raymond IV (@Usher) September 22, 2022One commenter summed it up nicely:You just get better with time

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After years of declarations about the death of the romantic comedy, Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s recent commercial hit “The Lost City” proved there’s still a place on the big screen for meet-cute stories. Now, comedian and actor Billy Eichner is taking a stab at the feel-good genre with “Bros,” an R-rated romantic comedy that opens in 3,300 North American theaters on Friday. The movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming to generate $8 million to $10 million in its opening weekend. It’s not a huge number, but the film carries a modest $22 million production budget. “Bros” is debuting in theaters alongside Paramount’s R-rated chiller “Smile,” which is projected to cast a toothy glow over the domestic box office charts with $16 million to $20 million. That’s a stellar result given that it only cost the studio $17 million to make.

ABOVE: Some fur for you.

Emmerdale star Michelle Hardwick has been forced to tightened up security at her Yorkshire home after being a victim to homophobic death threats.The 46-year-old, who plays vet Vanessa Woodfield in the long-running ITV soap, had to involve police recently due to concerns for the safety of her family. Michelle took to her Instagram account on Monday to thank a security company for increasing protection around their countryside home. "Anyone local to the Leeds/Wakefield area who needs any security solutions then look no further than @msc.security.solutions," she said.

For the first time I actually think Donald Trump and his family may get what they deserve. They have been screwing the country for so long it seemed no one could get to them. Donald Trump is like a mafia don, with his family, and others like Rudy Giuliani, being his soldiers. Like many mafia don’s we have seen, while not going down for the deaths he caused, he will likely go down for his financial shenanigans.

Sam Smith has opened up about becoming confident enough to let their “freakiness out” and how this channelled itself into the making of Unholy.

Sam Smith has opened up about becoming confident enough to let their “freakiness out” and how this channelled itself into the making of Unholy.

Emmerdale star Michelle Hardwick has called in extra security at her countryside mansion following a string of homophobic death threats.Michelle, who plays Vanessa Woodfield in the ITV soap, opened up about the horrific abuse earlier this year that took aim at her sexuality and left her fearing for her safety. The star admitted she had to call in police to ensure her and her wife, Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks and their two-year-old son, Edward, felt safe, in their own home.

Miss Putin! We’re on to you.”Related: Leslie Jordan and Megan Mullally reunite for a Will & Grace moment  A post shared by Leslie Jordan (@thelesliejordan)During Putin’s time in power, Russia introduced an anti-gay propaganda law that prohibits the promotion of anything deemed non-traditional (i.e. LGBTQ) to minors.

Tayce performed Memory from the musical Cats in honour of Cherry Valentine at the end of the final show of her Assassination Tour.

Spanish drama Élite is back for a sixth season, with a teaser trailer confirming the upcoming release date and fate of the characters.

Travel is in full swing again and with summer beach season winding down it got me thinking about what’s next. So I put together a list of the best destinations  for LGBT travel and which places are perfect for LGBT holidays. There are a lot of countries where, sadly, it’s illegal to be LGBT and some places where it carries the death penalty, but that needn’t put you off LGBT holidays.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic On its surface, “So Help Me Todd” is fairly straightforward. Based on creator Scott Prendergast’s own experiences, the new dramedy tells the story of high-powered lawyer Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) and her private investigator son (Skylar Astin) forging an unlikely partnership. Each episode follows a different case before the odd couple team inevitably catch the culprit and teach each other a valuable lesson. So far, so fitting for a CBS procedural. And yet there’s something deeply uncanny about “So Help Me Todd,” which pairs an aggressive perkiness with moments of drama that feel more forced than moving. Todd and Joan spend the first few episodes sniping at each other in between finding clues. Once Todd proves that he’s a good enough private investigator to overcome his spotty past, he joins Joan’s office, where he locks horns with an uptight coworker Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) and ex-girlfriend Susan (Inga Schlingmann), neither of whom get much to do outside giving Todd other people to talk to besides his mother. At home, Todd’s sister Allison (Madeline Wise) occasionally gives the show a much needed dose of dry skepticism, though she also is only here to support her brother and mother’s leading stories.

Emily is facing the decision of her life.

READ NEXT: Joan Collins breaks down and says she 'couldn't stop crying' following Queen's deathSpeaking to Saga Magazine, the glamorous star said: "I remember going through puberty at 14 and hating the way my body was changing."I hated everything that was happening," she continued candidly.The beautiful actress then revealed: "So I rebelled and wore boys' clothes. I wore corduroys and scraped my hair back.

The Central Library branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system is visible in New York City on July 7, 2022. | Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo By Madina Touré 09/24/2022 05:00 AM EDT Link CopiedNEW YORK — The front line of America’s culture war now runs straight through the nation’s school libraries — with conservatives in dozens of states outlawing books and instruction and the left working to shield targeted authors.Far from the trenches in states like Florida and Texas, organizations indeep-blue New York are stepping into the fray by directly lending 25,000 books to non-residents since spring, including thousands of students living under the bans.

hate speech is unacceptable no matter for whom it is used.“We can’t normalize homosexuality or see it as normal as we have values, but the government has to protect and deliver the basic human rights of every human being, every citizen,” Yanık said, adding that every group has the right to protest.Noting that most of her professional life has been based on human rights as she is a lawyer, Yanık said, “We find hate speech wrong no matter who it is against.”“Remember the trans people who were thrown to the side of the road with their stomachs ripped? Such things should not happen,” Yanık said.

that’s so gay? more like that’s so SLAY (of hilary duff) #Pride2022

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor RuPaul and the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” judges raised more than $250,000 for Extraordinary Families on Thursday night at an event in Hancock Park. Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, Carson Kressley and Jeffrey Bower Chapman co-hosted the celebration for the adoption and foster agency that works with LGBTQ+ parents and kids. World of Wonder co-founder, Drag Race producer and co-host for the night Fenton Bailey announced $250,00 and counting had been donated. Extraordinary Families CEO Barnaby Murff thanked Bailey, who is also on the organization’s board and has two adopted children with his filmmaker husband Billy Luther.

Dame Joan Collins has revealed that she wanted to be a boy when she started going through puberty at the age of 14. The star first made a splash in Hollywood in glamorous roles in the 1950s in films like Land of the Pharaohs, The Opposite Sex and Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys!. However, she has now shared that she ‘hated’ all the changes she saw in her body as a young teenager and so opted to ‘rebel’ and wear boys’ clothes instead.

RuPaul and Michelle Visage have written heartfelt tributes to Drag Race UK star Cherry Valentine, who passed away aged 28.

(CNN) -- George Ward, a star of the British version of RuPaul's Drag Race, has died at the age of 28, according to a statement issued by his family.Ward, who shot to fame on the BBC's RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. under the stage name Cherry Valentine, died on September 18, his family said.In a statement released by his agent, the family said: "It is with the most heart wrenching and deepest sadness to inform you that our George — Cherry Valentine — has tragically passed away."This will come as a profound shock to most people & we understand there is no easy way for this to be announced."As his family, we are still processing his death and our lives will never be the same."The statement continued: "We understand how much he is loved and how many lives he has inspired and touched. All we ask is for your patience and your prayers in this time.

Drag Race stars and viewers have been paying their respects to George Ward, also known as Cherry Valentine, after it was announced that they had died.

George Ward, known by most as Drag Race UK star Cherry Valentine, has died at the age of 28, his family has announced.

Hilary Duff just re-created her anti-gay bullying PSA on TikTok and it instantly transported us back to the 2000s. In the video, shared to Duff's page, Pentatonix singer, Scott Hoying's page, Hoying and his fiancé, Mark Manio, play the part of the two teens trying on tops in a clothing store, while Duff, plays herself, of course.«Do you like this top?» Hoying asks Manio as he adjusts what looks like a tube top over the tank top he's wearing.

Marcia Gay Harden said her Tony-winning role as Veronica in “God of Carnage” helped shape the character she plays in the new CBS dramedy “So Help Me Todd.”“‘So Help Me Todd’ is blending the drama with the comedy, and that’s right up my alley,” Harden, 63, told The Post. “It’s truly what I prefer to do.

The cast of ‘Founders, Keepers’ by Echo Theatre. (Courtesy photo)

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The late great songwriter Allee Willis was celebrated Wednesday night with a fashion show and party benefiting the Willis Wonderland Foundation. Willis, whose credits included the Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There for You,” better known as the “Friends” theme song, Earth Wind and Fire’s “September” (yesterday was the 21st) and a gaggle of disco-era hits, started the foundation to support the arts in underserved communities. She passed away from a cardiac event in 2019 at age 72. “She was a visual artist, performer, collector, party thrower extraordinaire with a whole amusement park full of kitsch-tastic colorful fashions,” Willis’ partner and the foundation’s CEO Prudence Fenton said. “Everything she did was all about making people happy. She lived to inspire others to express their own inner and outer creativity in every way. Creating art and music makes life worth living.”

Danny Beard: Yes, if they're fit.Starlet: Um, isn't that breaking girl code?Le Fil: Well what's the gap we're talking about here. If it's like ten years then it's okay.Black Peppa: I don't know, if you're my friend, what am I taking your ex for? I'm too loyal for that, that's a bit dutty.Cheddar Gorgeous: I think the real question is is that a normal thing to do, or an abnormal thing to do? I didn't know we were going to get into an issue of morality today! I'm just happy to be wherever I am with whoever I am.Dakota Schiffer: No. Am I a freak? Absolutely not.Danny Beard: Yeah, major red flag.

England football captain Harry Kane will make a stand against discrimination by wearing an armband for the OneLove campaign during matches.

It’s only natural to lose your senses when a hot guy is around. After all, science tells us the blood flow to the brain gets diverted elsewhere… right? (Don’t fact-check that.) But some gay guys have surprised themselves with their lecherous behavior, and they’re sharing their stories on Reddit.The confessionals kicked off after one user asked, “What is the skeeziest thing you have done, that you felt was out of character for yourself, to get a good look at a hot guy?”The original poster coughed up his own story: “I once followed a really hot dude walking his dog because I knew he would have to bend over to pick up his dog’s business at some point.

Kim Saira, a queer Filipina immigrant, has made it her mission to raise awareness of mental health issues and how helpful therapy can be.“I would suppress so much of my emotions because I didn’t know how to communicate them effectively to other people, and I was lost because I didn’t feel like I was American enough, so that’s when I knew that I needed to go to therapy,” Saira says in a video for The Advocate’s Love, Me seriesSaira grew up in a Catholic household where, whenever she was feeling emotionally troubled, she was encouraged to pray. “Maybe this helps others, but it definitely didn’t help me, and I knew I needed professional help,” she wrote recently on Instagram, where she uses her presence to address mental health issues and anything that relates to the Asian American-Pacific Islander community.Because of the stigma around mental health in her home, Saira didn’t get support from her family and waited until she was 20 to seek professional treatment.

Warning: this story contains spoilers for episode five of House of the Dragon.Just one week after House of the Dragon fans celebrated Westeros' first black — and gay — dragon rider, they are now calling the show out and accusing it of homophobic tropes.In the most recent episode of the HBO series, viewers were introduced officially to Laenor Velaryon's (Theo Nate) male partner, Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod) and witnessed the deep love the pair had for each other.But by the end of the episode, Joffrey would be dead in one of the show's most gruesome murder scenes yet.The premise of the most recent episode saw King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) arrange a politically strategic marriage between his daughter and heir, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Laenor.Both youngsters are not so interested in marriage to each other because Laenor's heart is with Joffrey and Rhaenyra has her own paramour, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).The pair come to an agreement that they will marry and have an open relationship where they keep their current lovers.Criston, who also serves as Rhaenyra's protector, seethes at the prospect of her marrying someone else and tries to encourage her to run away with him, but becomes enraged when she does not agree.Later, at the welcoming dinner for Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding festival, Joffrey works out that Criston is the princess' lover.He approaches him with a proposal, saying they could work together to protect their loved ones during their marriage and that way ensure they would always be near them.But a clearly upset Criston lashes out at Laenor and viciously attacks him in the middle of the reception beating his face to a bloody pulp.It was this scene that lead to outrage amongst the show's

In a little-noticed development, a federal judge on Sept. 2 sentenced Kenneth P. Gaughan, a gay former assistant superintendent and contracting liaison for the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, to six years and six months in prison on charges that he fraudulently obtained more than $2.1 million in funds for personal use from two federal COVID relief programs.

Despite heavy downpours mixed with light rain showers, more than 10,000 anti-LGBTQ protestors gathered in this ancient city and principal seaport of Turkey on Sunday, protesting what organizers said was to protect their children from the “LGBTQ terrorist propaganda agenda.”