LGBTQ+ Equality 'Not Within Reach' in U.S., Says U.N. Official

Listen and subscribe to Modern LoveApple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher “Telling the truth, as devastating and painful as it was, also meant we could heal.” They were standing in a Walmart parking lot when William’s wife turned to him and asked, “Are you gay?” Those three words catalyzed the end of their marriage, and the end of a 22-year partnership filled with many joys and rituals, including the haircuts William’s wife gave him. But those words were also an opportunity for growth — and a chance for William to heal.

(CNN) — Eligible individuals who did not receive the monkeypox vaccine were around 14 times likelier to become infected with the virus than those who were vaccinated, according to federal government data described to CNN by multiple US health officials.That figure reflects the first wave of authoritative data collected by the Biden administration on the efficacy of the monkeypox vaccine that is currently being administered across the United States. The data marks an important milestone in the administration's fight against monkeypox, particularly given the unprecedented nature of this year's outbreak.

In a new Insider/Morning Consult survey, Congress is perceived as being out of touch with many issues facing Americans today. In most survey respondents' opinions, legislators lack knowledge about higher education affordability, climate change, health care, social security benefits, economics, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Global healthcare company Merck recently announced that they will begin a Phase 3 clinical study on the use of the drug islatravir for the treatment of people infected with HIV-1.The new studies will evaluate a combination of doravirine 100 mg and a lower dose of islatravir, designed for use as a daily pill. One study will focus on previously untreated patients with HIV-1.

Victor I. Cazares declares over cups of Prosecco in the dressing room of New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW).

Texas embarrassment Ted Cruz is surely no stranger to people vocally hating his ideas. What he may not be as used to is getting booed to his face in his native state.While explaining his latest piece of short-sighted legislation this week, that’s exactly what the junior senator received.The dissent came while he spoke at the Texas Tribune Festival about Uvalde and school shootings, a subject he’s been grilled over since the Uvalde massacre back in May.

TIME has released their annual 100 list with some of the biggest LGBTQ+ names across a number of sectors having been named.

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

(CNN) – Virgin Atlantic has said it is scrapping gendered uniform options in an effort to champion the individuality of its employees.The British airline announced in a press release on Wednesday that cabin crew, pilots, and ground staff can select which uniform they feel most comfortable in – “no matter their gender, gender identity, or gender expression.” Optional pronoun badges will also become available for crew and passengers.The red and burgundy staff uniforms, created by British designer Vivienne Westwood, will no longer be categorized under “male” and “female,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, said in the press release that the company believes it’s important to encourage people to “embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work.”Jarvinen added: “It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns.”Michelle Visage, a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, who showcased the uniform alongside staff, welcomed the move.“As the mother of a non-binary child, and as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, these efforts by Virgin Atlantic to further inclusivity for its people are extremely important and personal to me,” she said in the press release. “People feel empowered when they are wearing what best represents them, and this gender identity policy allows people to embrace who they are and bring their full selves to work.”Virgin Atlantic said the changes are part of a wider series of initiatives under its “Be Yourself” agenda.The long-haul carrier has also changed its ticketing system.

All Man: The International Male Story.Founded in the mid-’70s by entrepreneur Gene Burkard, International Male has been credited with forever changing the world of men’s fashion and the public perception of masculinity. Once sold with the tagline “Freedom for the man,” the magazine celebrated male beauty and emboldened its perusers to take comfort in looking fabulous.And you know what? It worked! International Man became a bona fide hit.

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.

Billy Eichner‘s Bros is, first and foremost, a big, raunchy, hilarious gay rom-com. But it’s also got a lot on its mind, including—oh, you know—the entire history of queerness and the hundreds of thousands of people who paved the way so that a movie like this could exist.Some of Bros‘ funniest scenes find Eichner’s Bobby Lieber contending with this massive legacy as he and a panel of board members quibble over the exhibits for the grand opening of the (unfortunately fictional) LGBTQIA+ Museum in New York City.

Donald Trump isn’t exactly known for behaving tactfully in public, but the more the world learns of his off-camera behavior, the creepier he gets.According to a new book, the former president regularly wore his homophobia and transphobia like badges of honor among his staffers, sometimes leaving them stunned.Related: Donald Trump’s big plan to stall the DOJ comes back to slap him hard across the faceNew York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming book, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America details how Trump’s preoccupation with appearing to be masculine fueled his alarming behavior.Haberman describes one meeting early in Trump’s administration with vice president Mike Pence and campaign aide Jason Miller, whom Trump said definitely “likes the ladies.”“You know how sometimes someone turns out to be gay later and you knew?” Trump said, according to the book.

ABOVE: Some fur for you.

Data compiled by the Civil Liberties Union shows that 2022 has been a record-breaking year for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in America. Since the start of 2022, several hundred anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed throughout the United States, with the vast majority of them impacting Transgender rights. By March 10, NBC News reported that nearly 240 bills […]

A post shared by Tom Daley (@tomdaley) Diver Tom Daley is on vacation in Greece. A photo he posted yesterday probably prompted all who saw it to zoom in on one particular detail: Just what is that wording across his bulge?We mean, that is the only reason you zoomed in, right?Unsurprisingly, the lettering reveals the brand of swimwear. The speedo-style briefs come from KVRT STVFF.

Thousands of students across Virginia walked out Tuesday to protest the state's Republican governor Glenn Youngkin's proposed rollback of transgender rights, part of new policies his administration plans to implement at the Virginia Department of Education.Pride Liberation Project, a student-led organization, coordinated the walkouts with students at nearly 100 schools across the state. Rivka Vizcardo-Lichter, the lead organizer, tells The Advocate she's thrilled with the results.“We estimate 12,000+ students walked out yesterday in opposition of the proposed guidelines, showing Virginia students’ capacity to stand up for what matters to them,” Vizcardo-Lichter says.As mandated by a 2020 law, the VDOE published model policies on how to treat transgender students in public schools in 2021 under the administration of the previous Democratic governor, Gov.

In a statement published online today, September 28, Polish education minister Przemysław Czarnek formally apologised for homophobic remarks he made in 2020. The minister concluded his apology saying that he still stands “by his views”. Przemysław Czarnek became education minister in Poland in early October 2020. He is well-known for his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights […]

Herschel Walker made a big deal a couple of months ago about upping sticks from California and relocating to Florida.Related: Herschel Walker’s son uses Pride Month to remind everyone… he’s not gayThe rightwing influencer repeatedly took to social media to celebrate moving from a blue to a red state and praised Governor Ron DeSantis for introducing his notorious ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.Just last week Walker posted about how nice it was not to be walking the streets of Los Angeles.Moved to Florida from California not even two months ago, and dang… it feels nice to not have to worry about stepping in human poop on the street when I go for a walk.— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) September 23, 2022Last month he hung out with DeSantis and sang his praises.I moved across the country because of this man. Thank you Governor DeSantis for making sure kids are protected at schools. Thank you Governor DeSantis for protecting businesses and people’s jobs.

“Ladies Tea: Fall Edition,” a fundraising event, will be hosted on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. at Hank’s Oyster Bar Dupont Circle. 

The Congressional Black Caucus will host a screening of “Why Is We Americans” on Friday, Sept. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at Planet Word.

The race for the U.S. Senate seat in Nevada — which may decide control of that chamber of Congress in the upcoming election — is coming down to the wire as polls shows a tight race between Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) and the Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. If Republicans get their way, it will have everything to do with Cortez Masto’s defending her state’s ban on same-sex marriage as Nevada attorney general — and nothing at all to do with the long record against LGBTQ rights of her Republican opponent.

Semaj Billingslea, a 33-year-old Black transgender man, was shot to death September 21 just outside a motel in Jacksonville, Fla.Police found Billingslea at the Baymont Inn and Suites in the early evening, Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents reports. He had been shot multiple times but was still alive. He was taken to a hospital, where he died of his wounds.

A former prison guard in North Carolina faces up to 14 years in jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a transgender woman inmate in his custody last year.In a plea bargain agreement, Kyle Garrett Harris pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of felony sex by a custodian for his actions in the June 21, 2021, attack at the Mecklenburg County jail, according to a report in the News&Observer. He was given sentences of 20 to 84 months for each charge, with the sentences to be served consecutively.The sexual assault survivor went public last year with her story.“There was no way possible I could just sit there and allow somebody to get away with something like that,” the woman, who identified herself as Heaven, told the local ABC affiliate WSOC-TV.Following her arrest on federal identity charges last year, Heaven was taken to Mecklenburg County jail where Harris was employed as a guard.

As they always say, “after every storm, there is a rainbow” and it seems that the pandemic was a moment of inspiration for several queer artists. Across different music genres, there are new tracks out there from proud LGBTQ+ artists, that you should definitely know. From pop, folk, electronic, and synth-wave there is a lot […]

Éiru, a brand new music series featuring female and non-binary artists, launches at the Playground this Monday, October 3. For the first four Mondays in October, the Playground, a unique space for musical artists and creatives to connect and collaborate, will be transformed into a tranquil evening venue, with beanbags and blankets galore. Each evening […]

Real Housewife, Heather Gay jokes she's «beaten down.»«By life and by these b***hes!» the  OG cracks to ET over video call. «No, am I different? I just feel like I'm still the same sad sack I've always been, but now I just am richer and more famous.

A post shared by Anthony Bowens (@bowens_official)“I’m going to take a moment to share something I don’t really talk about much in front of the camera. And some of you know and some of you may not know, but I never thought I’d be able to have a moment like this.“I never thought that I would be able to live my dream because there was a time when I was very confused. And I didn’t know how to accept myself.

Indie-pop band Celestial Skies have announced the date their debut album, Songs For Blue Romantics will be released.

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.

Donald Trump often asked oddly personal questions about staffers’ sexuality and made homophobic remarks about those he perceived might be gay, according to a new book.

(Editor’s Note: One in four people in America has a disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Queer and disabled people have long been a vital part of the LGBTQ community. Take two of the many queer history icons who were disabled:  Michelangelo is believed to have been autistic. Marsha P. Johnson, who played a heroic role in the Stonewall Uprising, had physical and psychiatric disabilities. Today, Deaf/Blind fantasy writer Elsa Sjunneson, actor and bilateral amputee Eric Graise — Marvin in the “Queer as Folk” reboot — and Kathy Martinez, a blind, Latinx lesbian, who was Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy for the Obama administration, are only a few of the numerous queer and disabled people in the LGBTQ community. Yet, the stories of this vital segment of the queer community have rarely been told. In its monthly, year-long series, “Queer, Crip and Here,” the Blade will tell some of these long un-heard stories.)

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.

Harry Kane will join forces with nine other European captains by wearing a OneLove armband at the World Cup in Qatar.Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, which will host the World Cup from November 20.Kane will be joined in wearing the OneLove armband by Wales captain Gareth Bale, and with the captains of France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland.The move comes as part of a season-long OneLove campaign against LGBTQ+ discrimination in football and wider society.Here is what you need to know about OneLove campaign at the Qatar World Cup.The European captains are wearing the OneLove armband to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ discrimination in Qatar, where same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised.Qatari authorities have not given a specific guarantee that LGBTQ+ fans travelling to the country for the tournament will be safe.The Qatar Supreme Committee, the body in charge of organising the World Cup, said: ‘Everyone will be welcome to Qatar in 2022, regardless of their race, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.‘We are a relatively conservative society – for example, public displays of affection are not a part of our culture.‘We believe in mutual respect and so whilst everyone is welcome, what we expect in return is for everyone to respect our culture and traditions.’Speaking about the decision to wear the OneLove armband, Kane said: ‘I am honoured to join my fellow national team captains in supporting the important OneLove campaign.‘As captains we may all be competing against each other on the pitch, but we stand together against all forms of discrimination.‘This is even more relevant

The final two cities in the race to host Eurovision 2023 have been shortlisted. Next year’s song contest is confirmed to take place in the UK, with Glasgow and Liverpool being the last locations standing in the rigorous selection process. Although Ukraine was supposed to host next year’s competition after the country soared to victory […]

There’s a magical feeling to the mountainous desert landscapes, endless blue skies, and remarkable quality of the light in Scottsdale and Phoenix — something that has brought travelers back here for decades. The area boasts a plethora of high-end resorts and spas, and my husband and I decided to try out three popular ones during our recent trip to Arizona.Old is new againI’ve loved the Arizona Biltmore for years, and the iconic property with Frank Lloyd Wright vibes recently re-opened after a massive $70 million renovation that took more than a year.

Emmy-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby will produce and host a live stand-up special for Netflix titled Body of Work.

Virgin Atlantic have updated their gender identity policy to allow crew, pilots and ground team the choice of what uniform they wear.

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.

Every now and again you come across a hotel located in a prime city location – one that makes you never want to leave; The Madrid EDITION is that hotel.

London, was recognised as the founder of Proud Voices, a network of LGBT choirs in the UK and Ireland.He told Metro.co.uk: ‘It was such a privilege and an honour to be present.‘I didn’t think I would be as moved as I was, as I didn’t have any relationship with the Queen at all other than her being there throughout my life as the only Queen I ever knew, but it was very emotional. ‘I only ever saw her on television so being invited to the funeral was a very great honour.‘I’ve been walking around Green Park the last couple of days and I have seen how deep people’s emotional connection to the Queen is and I just feel there are so many people who would have loved to have been here.

three months after their engagement.The former Jeopardy! champ, 43, made the announcement on her social-media accounts on Tuesday night as she said that she and Davis "couldn't wait" to tie the knot, though they will be having a traditional ceremony in 2023.Sharing photos of herself and Davis wearing simple white dresses and floral headpieces at their ceremony in Oakland, California, Schneider wrote on Instagram: "Genevieve and I are delighted to announce that on Monday, May 9, we were married in a small private ceremony at the Alameda County Recorder."We will be having a traditional wedding & reception next summer," Schneider added, "but our lives have been much too busy this year to get very far in planning it, and we couldn't wait that long to proclaim our love and commitment to each other. Thank you, everyone for your support!"Amid the flood of congratulatory comments was a message from the official Jeopardy! account, which simply read: "Love it!"Former software engineering manager Schneider, who shared the same message on Facebook, posted a slightly different caption on Twitter as she mentioned the start of her Jeopardy! journey."A year ago today, I was in LA, waiting to fulfill a dream," she said.

When Tony and Doug (names changed for privacy), a gay couple, who had lived interstate and overseas, moved to a small rural town in Southern Tasmania, they were looking forward to life away from the fast pace they were used to. What they did not bargain was for a year-long campaign of harassment and homophobic abuse directed at them by their next-door neighbour. A court in Tasmania recently held the woman guilty of anti-gay abuse and sentenced her to six weeks in prison.

ABOVE: All hail the unfairly maligned Bond.

The independent U.N. expert on LGBTQ and intersex issues has expressed concern over efforts to curtail the rights of LGBTQ and intersex people in states across the U.S.

The general electorate leans moderate to moderate-right. Polling shows “When it comes to polarization, most people in American politics blame the voters. But much of the political science data suggests most voters are actually moderates.” It is the politicians who try to polarize them. Voters tend to not want radical change. Democrats do better when they understand that. It is a major reason Joe Biden won the presidency. 

Stephen Goepfert, special assistant and personal aide to President Joe Biden, is slated to join the Department of Transportation where he will be working on the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a spokesperson with the agency told the Washington Blade Tuesday.