Pandemic romance

Judge Amy Clark Meachum

Like a lot of visitors to the GLBT Historical Society Museum, Colm Kelleher, Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, said he was most impressed with one exhibit in particular, the bloodstained jacket worn by the late gay leader and San Francisco supervisor, Harvey Milk, when he was fatally shot in his City Hall office in 1978.It's a powerful exhibit, to be sure, and probably one that leaves a lasting impression on a lot of elected officials and others who see it.The museum was just one of several visits the mayor would be paying to various sites around San Francisco, including a stop at City Hall where he joined Mayor London Breed at a reception where they raised the Irish flag ahead of St. Patrick's Day.

Texas District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum Friday evening declared unconstitutional Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order manding state agencies investigate anyone involved in or facilitating medically-necessary gender-affirming care, including parents, for “child abuse” and criminally charged if possible.

directive that claimed letting kids access gender-affirming care is child abuse.It comes days after a Texas court denied the state’s appeal of a restraining order temporarily blocking the investigation of one set of parents who’ve allowed their transgender daughter to access gender-affirming care.Texas Civil District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum last week granted the restraining order, which stopped this investigation, and after Friday's hearing to consider blocking Abbott’s directive statewide, she decided to do so.She ruled that Abbott's order was not adopted properly and violated the Texas constitution. He had ordered the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate all parents who allow their kids to receive such care.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s possibly unconstitutional executive order requiring state agencies to investigate anyone, including parents, involved in or facilitating the delivery of medically-necessary gender-affirming care to transgender youth and teens has just been blocked, temporarily, by a Texas judge.

Gov. Greg Abbott, with his wife Cecilia, left, at a primary election night event, on March 1 in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Eric Gay/Associated Press)

Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek announced Disney will be pausing all political donations in the state of Florida following a week of significant criticism of the company's initial silence on the Florida Legislature's "Don't Say Gay" bill.The company's lack of response to the bill, which would ban discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in some public school classrooms, sparked an intense backlash against Disney, internally and externally, prompting Chapek to shift to a public stance, calling for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to oppose the bill.DeSantis then called out the entertainment titan for its ties to China, accusing the company for criticizing "parents' rights" but continuing to work in China despite knowledge of the human rights issues in Xinjiang regarding Uyghur Muslims.After statements of apology to Disney's LGBTQ employees, Chapek released an internal memo on Friday further stating that the company would be pausing all political donations in Florida, affecting many of the politicians who had previously received money from the company.Several Disney donations were made to key co-sponsors of the bill, and in total, the company gave $253,850 to senators who voted to pass the "Don't Say Gay" bill.Donations made only for the 2022 general election go back to January 1, 2021, and records reviewed by Newsweek showed that Disney donated at least $33,000 for state Senate races and more than $98,000 in state House contests.Other primary GOP figures who have received donations from Disney included DeSantis, who received $50,000 from Disney Worldwide Services Inc., according to the Florida Division of Elections.Ashley Moody, Florida's attorney general, was given $25,000 from Disney during the 2022 general

Mayor London Breed on Friday swore in three women as the newest commissioners on the San Francisco Board of Education, replacing the members who were ousted in last month's historic recall.None of the women is LGBTQ, but all are parents of students attending public schools in the district. Ann Hsu, Lainie Motamedi, and Lisa Weissman-Ward each pledged to work hard with the four other board members to have the San Francisco Unified School District "turn a page," as Hsu said during her remarks.Breed made the announcement and swore in the new commissioners on the football field of Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, which Breed attended when it was known as Galileo High School.

The Hollywood Reporter. “Speaking to you, reading your messages, and meeting with you have helped me better understand how painful our silence was. It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights.

ABOVE: Boz flashbacks.

Bob Chapek is speaking out again.

criticized for not immediately and publicly condemning the legislation. The company has also donated at least $250,000 to Florida Republican senators who voted to pass the bill."I truly believe we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community.

Russian invasion and bombardment.The images of the mass destruction of Ukrainian cities caused by Russian artillery and the heartbreaking scenes of Ukrainian citizens fleeing their war-torn country are also causing flashbacks to the devastation and refugee crisis of World War II.Watching families get slaughtered, seeing little children desperate and fearful, and witnessing the invalid and elderly cross treacherous, makeshift bridges in order to escape have all been gut-wrenching scenes.In interviews of Ukrainians as they cross the border into neighboring safe havens, there is genuine hate for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has destroyed thousands of lives in his delusional attempt to restore the old Soviet Union.However, to a person, not only in Ukraine or the countries where refugees have fled, there is a stoic admiration for Zelenskyy. He is revered not only by Ukrainians but the world over, giving us all a lesson in leadership.He has shown humanity the importance of fighting for freedom.

Reality TV star, failed California gubernatorial candidate, and perennial attention seeker Caitlyn Jenner has announced her next big venture. The 72-year-old former Olympic Gold Medalist will step into the boxing ring as host for a Celebrity Boxing and Bitcoin Rodney event.“I am so excited, but on the other hand, I’m always excited,” Jenner told Page Six.

Despite Russia’s deadly unprovoked attacks on Ukraine, the bromance between ex-president Donald Trump and murderous dictator Vladimir Putin appears to be firmly intact.During a 30-minute interview with Sean Hannity yesterday, Trump was given multiple opportunities to walk back all the praise he’s showered Putin with over the years, but he chose not to.Related: Donald Trump’s flailing Truth Social appears to have reached code red status“I think you also recognize he’s evil, do you not?” Hannity asked after bringing up how Trump called Putin “smart” for invading Ukraine.“Well, I was referring to the fact that he said this is an independent nation, talking about Ukraine, and I said that this was before there was any attack,” the ex-president replied.Trump says he only called Putin smart before he invaded, says Putin has changed but he wouldn’t have changed if he was still President, and takes credit for Russian tanks being destroyed pic.twitter.com/QTi1kRGq5T— Acyn (@Acyn) March 11, 2022Later, Hannity asked, “When you got criticized for saying that Vladimir Putin is smart, we’ve had many conversations, and you’ve often quoted to me Sun Tzu, ‘The Art of War’. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

The Walt Disney Company has a big problem. It wants to be loved by everybody: Massachusetts liberals and Mississippi conservatives, Muslims in Saudi Arabia and atheists in China. It therefore prefers to minimize the number of times it takes stands on hot-button social issues.

Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, IKEA, Microsoft and Ben & Jerry's, have signed a letter that also appeared as an advertisement in The Dallas Morning News to criticize and call for an end to the "anti-LGBTQ+ efforts" of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.Late last month and earlier this month, Abbott told the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to begin investigating parents of transgender children who receive some sex-change procedures for child abuse, which has led to widespread criticism as several investigations have been opened by the department.This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.

Allen Schindler as Schindler’s mother Dorothy Hajdys, now Clausen, of Chicago, address a demonstration at the Pentagon protesting the ban on gays in the military, Monday, April 26, 1993, Washington, D.C., flanked by Allen Pemberton, holding up a photo of her son, and Jim Jennings. (Ron Edmonds/Associated Press)

HOUSTON — Child abuse investigators in Texas have been told to prioritize cases involving the parents of transgender children and to investigate them without exception, after the state’s governor ordered certain medical care to be treated as abuse, an investigations supervisor said during a court hearing on Friday. The supervisor, Randa Mulanax of the Department of Family and Protective Services, testified that the agency was not given the freedom to determine that a given report involving a transgender child was likely not in fact a case of child abuse — so-called “priority none” status — and that investigators were not able to close the cases. “I’ve been told about that directly,” said Ms.

Pictured: newlyweds Jaime Nazar (left) and Javier SilvaJavier Silva and Jaime Nazar have become the first same-sex couple to marry legally in Chile.The men wed Thursday in a civil ceremony in a Santiago suburb as the nation’s marriage equality law, approved last year, went into effect.“Being the first couple to get married in Chile for us is an honor, something to be proud of,” Silva said after the ceremony, according to Reuters. “We did it! It’s something we didn’t think could happen.”The two have been together for seven years and have two children.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterAfter weeks of internal strife and external controversy surrounding the Walt Disney Company’s lack of public response to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida, CEO Bob Chapek announced in a company email on Friday that Disney will pause all political donations in the state during a restructuring of its political giving framework.Chapek also apologized directly to the company’s LGBTQ employees for his widely criticized messaging on the issue.“It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights,” Chapek wrote.

Rusty Mae Moore, a transgender educator and activist who housed hundreds of transgender people in the 1990s and 2000s in her Brooklyn home, a de facto shelter that became known as Transy House, died on Feb. 23 at her home in Pine Hill, N.Y., in the Catskills. She was 80.

De Amerikaanse acteur Jussie Smollett is veroordeeld tot 150 dagen celstraf en een geldboete van 120.000 dollar voor het doen van een valse aangifte van een racistische en homofobe aanval. Dat heeft een rechter in Chicago bepaald, nadat een jury de acteur in december al schuldig had bevonden.

Netflix show’s new costume designer, teased: “There can never be too much boob in Bridgerton... we always want more boob!”Fans of the Regency-set series got hot under the collar last year as Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) romanced the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page).The red-hot action involved plenty of alfresco trysts, a romp up a ladder and even an orgy.

This lavish seaside mansion in Carmel, California that has some deep Hollywood history has gone up for sale.The photogenic home, which is situated on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, has been listed for almost $30million.It was heavily featured in the 1992 smash hit movie Basic Instinct where Sharon Stone's devious author Catherine Tramell hung out with her lesbian lover (played by Leilani Sarelle) and her hot-headed cop beau (played by Michael Douglas).And it was also one of the locations for the critically acclaimed HBO series Big Little Lies with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. Ready to buy:This lavish seaside mansion in Carmel, California that has some deep Hollywood history is so impressive it deserves its own SAG card.

MICHAEL LAVERS  |  Washington BladeCourtesy of National LGBT Media Association

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano

Jussie Smollett

The New York Times reports.The head belonged to a body found wrapped in a garbage bag in a shopping cart last week. A man walking past the cart discovered a torso after reaching into the bag, first feeling a roll of toilet paper and then the body, according to WNBC.Marcelin has been indicted on second-degree murder charges connected to the death of 68-year-old Susan Leyden. She’s also accused of dismembering Leyden and concealing the body parts.She’s spent over five decades in prison for murder and manslaughter.

Fans of gay romance and lovers who always seem to fall for the bad boy, take note: the trailer for the new queer romance Great Freedom has arrived.Great Freedom follows the story of Hans (Franz Rogowski), a gay man living in postwar Germany. Though the allies liberated the country, that freedom didn’t extend to LGBTQ people, as gay sex remains prohibited by law.

The mayor of Austin, Texas, Steve Adler,  has come out to defend Trans youth and their families amid the disturbing legal battle between the State of Texas and the Biden administration.  Adler announced Wednesday, March 9, as ‘Transgender Youth and Family Safety Day’ claiming “Austin should be considered a safe place – a sanctuary – […]

More than 60 major businesses, including household names in technology and retail, have signed onto a new advertising campaign in Texas protesting a move by the state’s governor to label as “child abuse” medical treatments that are widely considered to be the standard of care for transgender teenagers. In digital ads and a full-page advertisement in Friday’s Dallas Morning News, the businesses assailed a Feb. 22 directive by Gov.

Remember when Fox was its own studio and Searchlight Pictures was this premier boutique studio that produced some of the best films of the year, often receiving tons of awards on an annual basis. This is the studio that released films like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “Birdman.” But after the purchase of Fox by Disney, Searchlight isn’t quite what it used to be.

Queen of accountability Kellyanne Conway, who coined the absurd term “alternative facts,” has lashed out at President Biden’s administration for having, of all things, “a fact problem.”To recap, the former Donald Trump advisor was widely criticized shortly after Trump took office in 2017, after telling Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s irrefutable lies weren’t falsehoods so much as “alternative facts.”“Don’t be so overly dramatic about it, Chuck,” Conway said. “They’re saying it’s a falsehood and our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts to that.”Related: Kellyanne Conway announces new memoir and everyone on Twitter had the same response“Wait a minute,” Todd responded.

Dune, all eyes have fallen on the casting roster as director Denis Villeneuve seeks actors for three key new characters.Dune 2 will cover the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, following the rise of Paul Atrides (Timothée Chalamet) and his concubine Chani (Zendaya) as they conquer the planet Arakis. Of course, they also must avenge the death of Paul’s father at the hands of the villainous Baron Harkonen (Stellan Skarsgard).The Hollywood Reporter now claims that Villeneuve and the production have entered final talks with actor Austin Butler, who stars in the Elvis biopic later this year, to play the villain Feyd-Rautha, nephew of Baron Harkonen.Related: The Oscar nominations are in and Lady Gaga fans are having a collective meltdownThe novel describes Feyd as something of an opposite to Paul: tall, muscular, and violent, he’s known as an unmatched warrior in hand-to-hand combat.

Gemma Collins posted a video on Friday of herself proudly cartwheeling across a beach as she made the most of the sunshine.The 41 year old was seen at the beginning of the clip posted to Instagram with her back turned to the camera sporting a black swimsuit as she prepared to take off on her cartwheel. Her blonds hair was styled in a loose, wavy ponytail and she was also seen wearing sunglasses — which surprisingly managed to stay on as the TOWIE star performed the acrobatic act in front of surrounding beachgoers. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.

I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, filmmaker Patricia Rozema’s well-loved debut feature, is about to reach new ears and eyes.The quirky comedy-drama, which first won audiences over in 1987, is getting a new theatrical release, beginning today in New York City, continuing March 18 in Los Angeles, then expanding to 10 other cities in the U.S. and Canada. It was digitally restored in 2017 for Canada’s 150th anniversary as a nation.“I feel ecstatic,” writer-director Rozema says about the re-release.

Blu Hydrangea has shared the names of five legendary queens she wants to see compete on the next international version of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months probation after being found guilty of staging a hate crime against himself.

Laura Ingraham leaned extra hard into homophobia during a segment about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill on her show this week. Now, her gay brother is speaking out.On Wednesday night’s episode of The Ingraham Angle, the Fox News propagandist dug into opponents of the bill, which bans curricula concerning LGBTQ issues in Florida classrooms, accusing them of wanting to “sexually brainwash” other people’s children.Related: Laura Ingraham defends Dave Chappelle’s transphobia, even though he called her a “c*nt”“When did our public schools, any schools, become what are essentially grooming centers for gender identity radicals?” she said above a chyron written in all-caps that read: “LIBERALS ARE SEXUALLY GROOMING ELEMENTARY STUDENTS”.Ingraham added, “As a mom, I think it’s appalling, it’s frightening, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable.”But she wasn’t finished yet.

Hacks will return for a second season this summer.

Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a directive stating that supportive parents of transgender children should be investigated for child abuse. The letter goes on to impose reporting requirements on medical providers, educators and "the general public."In particular, the order targets parents who follow the prevailing standard of care for the treatment of gender dysphoria that has been adopted by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association, among others.

Mark Feehily has won The Global Recognition Award for Diversity for his work to change Irish surrogacy laws and promote equality. The ceremony was held in the Grand Connaught Rooms in London and was also hosted by broadcaster and former loose women panellist, June Sarpong. The singer has been a well-known advocate for LGBTQ+ rights […]

It’s March already, can you believe time passed so fast? If you’re struggling to keep up and you’re not careful, you might miss the new fabulous music these Irish LGBTQ+ artists are producing right now. Since we can’t let that happen, we’ve made sure you have all your queer music recommendations in this convenient and […]

PinkNews, found via YouGov only 24% of UK adults are opposed to teenagers accessing online content about trans lives, and only a minority of parents (28%) are concerned about this.Mari said: ‘Pure Trans Joy is important because it provides representation and inspiration.‘As the number of transgender individuals rises each year, the lack of representation is still present.‘For many trans youth and young adults to see other trans individuals in a state of mind where happiness was made a centre front for someone else doesn’t bring envy – it brings joy, inspiration, and motivation.‘Most people believe that transitioning is hard. Which at times, it can be, but not everyone’s journey has to be depressing, sad, or confusing.’Ryder added part of his struggle was because he had ‘never been exposed to LGBT+ people in a positive light while growing up’.Couple who fell in love on TikTok marry two weeks after meeting in personMan gives birth to son after surprise pregnancySome people are finding a way to blame the trans community for the war in UkraineJK Rowling slammed for criticising Labour MP over definition of woman‘Now, I hope that my being “out and proud” may just be something that someone scrolling through social media sees and gets to have that moment of “oh, hey, trans people exist in real life and don’t just live the constant drama (and trauma) that’s on tv”,’ he added.He hopes the show will help others with struggles around coming out, and offered other trans people the advice to ‘take your time’.

Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced gay actor Jussie Smollett to 30 months of probation and 150 days in jail for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he staged. Linn also ordered Smollett to pay $120,106 restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.The former "Empire" star's request for new trial was denied ahead of sentencing.Smollett, 39, who had made the March 10 appearance in Linn's courtroom shortly after 1 p.m.

Comedian Michael Henry is back on YouTube this week asking the tough questions about nude photo etiquette. Specifically, what’s up with guys who ask to swap photos and then don’t hold up to their end of the bargain?On one side of the argument, Henry’s co-star Preston Sadleir asks, “Why should someone have to send you their nudes if they don’t want to? It’s his body, he’s allowed to change his mind.

administration’s guidance supporting transgender and nonbinary youth’s access to gender-affirming care, according to a news release from the state’s Attorney General’s Office.On March 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the guidance as a direct response to Texas Gov.