Seanad debates reproductive health bill that would give paid leave rights to LGBTQ+ families

TikTok users may have noticed the AS or Adult Swim trend on the popular social media platform. Many creative videos have this hashtag, featuring the old late-night program’s iconic “bumps”. However, if you’ve never watched Adult Swim or heard of it, you may be scratching your head trying to figure out what it means.

If you are wondering which side is the gay piercing left or right, then, to make a long story short, getting pierced in your right ear meant you were gay. But there is so much more to this “gay piercing” than just which side is the gay side and which one is the side for straight men.There is a rich history of jewelry being used to show off wealth, nobility, or status. In the 20th century, it was used to show off sexual preference.

Via MrMan:

Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.We love Hugh Hefner. We miss Hugh Hefner. We still rejoice at the recent revelation that the love of Hefner’s life was purportedly another man, with whom he had an affair spanning four decades.

gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced there has been a rise in cases of Shigella sonnei, which is highly infectious, Wales Online reports.

I write this letter to acknowledge a situation at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary that has caused a great deal of anger and frustration in our community.It has been alleged that a piece of student artwork was compared to Nazi symbolism. We have investigated the situation and are working to address the issues with all parties involved.

NMG presented a check for $250,000 to HRC leadership at the 2021 Black Tie Dinner in Dallas last November.

A major San Francisco-based foundation that has supported marriage equality, LGBTQ faith-based work, and legal organizations for more than two decades has announced that it will end its grants to queer nonprofits in 2023, likely leaving many of them scrambling to replace the revenue.

Mississippi Free Press this week. She asked Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee why the money had not arrived.“He explained his opposition to what he called ‘homosexual materials’ in the library, that it went against his Christian beliefs, and that he would not release the money as the long as the materials were there,” Johnson told the paper.“I explained that we are a public library and we serve the entire community.

pic.twitter.com/jOEcFnuQKc— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 28, 2022The Associated Press reports that the 70-year-old Republican addressed Midler by name in concluding his speech, waving his English bulldog’s butt, “Babydog,” for the cameras to see.“Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there: Kiss her heinie,” he quipped. Babydog, for her part, looked really confused as to why her owner was showing her ass to the world.Related: Everyone needs to hear Bette Midler’s moving Kennedy Center honors speechThis isn’t the first time Justice has shown himself as a disconnected moron.

Newsweek. "It sends a terrible message to our youth that if they are LGBTQ, it's not OK."The bill, which Smith and other opponents have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, would prohibit school districts from "encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students."Smith said the bill is particularly troubling in a state where there have been tragic hate crimes committed against those in the LGBTQ community, including the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando.The mass shooting, in which 49 people were killed and another 53 wounded 53, was the deadliest incident in the history of violence against LGBTQ people in the U.S.

COVID-19 disinformation, another legendenary the singer has followed suit.Barry Manilow, who has sold more than 85 million records and is considered one of the world’s best-selling artists, has also joined Young in requesting Spotify pull all his music, as well. Journalist Amy Siskind took to Twitter to share the news.Barry Manilow joining Neil Young and pulling his music from Spotify.

raising the alarm about Shigella, a gut infection that can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, rectal cramps, bloody stool, dehydration, and fever.Specifically, the UKHSA has “detected a rise in cases of extremely antibiotic-resistant Shigella sonnei infections, mainly in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).”Between Sept. 1, 2021.

For such a small island, Ireland has always punched above its weight when it comes to great music and it’s super exciting to see Irish LGBTQ+ artists stepping up to take the gauntlet. We’ve selected a small highlight of what the year has in store from some well-known faces to some fab new up and […]

(Image via Revry.tv)

The gay serial killer dubbed the Black Doodler or just the Doodler continues to make news — 48 years after his first suspected kill.

Fox News is the most-watch cable “news” channel in America, and Tucker Carlson hosts the network’s most-watched show. Those are facts, and disturbing ones for the majority of Americans who do not watch the far right-wing extremist channel or its top personality.Take, for instance, Carlson’s attack on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Thursday night, a 12-minute long homophobic, hate-filled rant with a focus on attacking the very core of Democratic and progressive ideals: the belief that everyone is equal and everyone deserves a chance at the American dream, and government is a means to help achieve those goals, goals literally written in the Declaration of Independence.“Tucker Carlson brutally mocked Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg as an unqualified ‘kid’ who ‘breastfeeds, and has no business running the agency,” Mediaite reports.Not the first time Carlson has attacked Buttigieg – and by extension, every LGBTQ person – for having children, being a responsible and loving parent who took time off from work, time off that is granted under federal law, to care for his newborn twins with his husband.To Carlson, Buttigieg was chosen by the President of the United States only because he is gay, as part of some Democratic master plan to diminish or eradicate straight white men.“Today the Transportation Department which is now run by Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, finally told us,” Carlson told his right-wing viewers, “effective immediately we learned this country will undergo a quote, paradigm shift in the way we think about infrastructure.

(WASHINGTON, DC – January 27, 2021) –The following can be attributed to Kierra Johnson, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force: Contact: Cathy Renna, Communications Director, National LGBTQ Task Force, 917-757-6123, crenna@thetaskforce.org The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives.

A leading LGBTQ+ investment company has launched its first collection of the community’s top global entrepreneurs.

LGBT Police Liaison Megan Thomas

Have an event coming up? Email your information to Managing Editor Tammye Nash at nash@dallasvoice.com or Senior Staff Writer David Taffet at taffet@dallasvoice.com by Wednesday at 5 p.m. for that week’s issue.

Related: Prince Andrew is about to get dragged through the mud in U.S. court and Twitter is totally here for itPrince Andrew vehemently denies the claims of assault and rape.

For the first time, all LGBTQ+ sports clubs in Ireland are included in a single document. After creating the leaflet, Sporting Pride is now working with Sports Ireland on distributing it to the National Governing Bodies (NGBs), Local Sport Partnerships (LSPs) and third-level colleges. Sporting Ireland has worked closely with Sport Ireland, 60+ National Governing […]

Omar Narvaez

Photo by Ed Salvato

Preschooler Heather is no stranger to opposition. Lesléa Newman’s 1989 Heather Has Two Mommies, the first picture book to depict happily coupled same-sex parents and their child, has faced opprobrium from conservatives since shortly after it was published. Now, it is one of a record number of other books for children and teens, largely about people with marginalized identities, that are under attack across the country. In 1992, Heather and Michael Willhoite’s Daddy’s Roommate (19

Richard A. Billingsley, former chief nursing officer at Mena Regional Health System, died Jan. 16, 2022, at his home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was 67.

Marta Balaga Coming back to Rotterdam Film Festival where he presented his short “A Bright Summer Day” only two years ago, Chinese director Lei Lei is ready to expand his audience, he tells Variety. Combining audio narration with animation and archive footage, in “Silver Bird and Rainbow Fish” – sold internationally by Asian Shadows and previously known as “Ningdu” – he creates a personal collage about his family’s – and China’s – turbulent past, with clay puppet heads obscuring faces in faded photographs.“I have been using old photographs in my previous films too, but this time, I didn’t want them to convey too much information.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Marilyn Mitchell, a member of the popular early 2000s San Francisco Bay Area all-trans female rock band Lipstick Conspiracy, shared new music and life stories on this week's Out in the Bay — Queer Radio & Podcast and hinted that her former group may get back together. Her new 12-song album, "Lives Aligned," was inspired by politics and personal life.

Hadestown, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals and featuring gay actor Levi Kreiss, closes with two performances — a matinee at 1:30 p.m. and the final show at 7:30 p.m. — Sunday, Jan. 30, at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. Tickets start at $35 and are available online at DallasSummerMusicals.org. Visit DallasVoice.com to read Dallas Voice Staff Writer Rich Lopez’s interview with Kreiss. (Photo by T. Charles Erickson)

Netflix was left out of an annual index of corporation’s inclusive policies and practices for LGBTQ+ workers, as the HRC Foundation cited how the company handled the release of the Dave Chappelle special The Closer.

Republicans have voted for a bill that would discipline teachers who withhold information about students—including the disclosure of LGBTQ youth.The legislation, House Bill 2161, would revoke certifications of teachers that don't tell parents everything about a student's health. The bill specifically bars withholding information that is "relevant to the physical, emotional or mental health of the parent's child," specifically mentioning the "purported gender identity," of the student or a student's request to transition if the identity "is incongruous with the student's biological sex."The bill would also allow parents to sue school districts if they discover information about the child was not reported.Rep.

Authorities in the Mexican state of Chihuahua have arrested two people in connection with the killing of a lesbian couple in the city of Juarez. The swift action comes as the state launched a new law enforcement unit specializing in crimes against women.

Janet Jackson has a new Lifetime and A&E documentary premiering this later week. The four-hour presentation chronicles the singer’s life, family, music, of course, the infamous 2004 Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake that completely derailed her career.Everyone remembers #nipplegate.

Via MrMan:

West Side Story continue to promote the film and push for awards nominations, three of the movie’s stars have weighed in on the sexual assault allegations made against their co-star, Ansel Elgort.Related: Ansel Elgort’s pic deleted for violating nudity rule, but the internet remembers foreverThe accusations first arose in June 2020, after filming was complete, when a woman identified as “Gabby” on social media accused the actor of having a sexual relationship with her when she was 17 and he was 20.Gabby recalled an uncomfortable sexual encounter with Elgort, in which she claimed she lost her virginity. She also alleged that he asked her for nude photos and to have a threesome.Elgort denied the allegations on social media, saying the pair had a “brief, legal and entirely consensual.” He also admitted that he “did not handle the breakup well” and eventually ghosted the teenager.Both posts from Gabby and Elgort have since been deleted.This week, Rita Moreno, Rachel Zegler, and Ariana DeBose participated in a story on Latina women in Hollywood for The Hollywood Reporter.

RIDGELAND, Miss. -- The director of a Mississippi library system says a mayor is withholding $110,000 from his city’s library because LGBTQ books are on the shelves.Tonja Johnson, executive director of the Madison County Library System, told news outlets that Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee received citizen complaints about a handful of books that depicted members of the LGBTQ community.“Funding for this year was being withheld until we removed what he called ‘homosexual material’ from the library,” Johnson told WAPT-TV.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been granted a restraining order against a Virginia woman who has allegedly been stalking him for over a year, sending him hundreds of disturbing emails and claiming he’s the father of her twins.The behavior reportedly escalated to emails containing photos of loaded pistols and trespassing on Cook’s property.

ABOVE: Pit slip.

ABOVE: Far out! (Follow here.)

Ireland’s first and only LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA team, Na Gaeil Aeracha (or The Rainbow Gaels)  has started its recruitment drive for the 2022 season. Players of all levels are welcome to join, and can expect a fun and diverse environment to rekindle or discover their love of our national sport. The club was founded in […]

In the wake of the NCAA changing its policies regarding transgender athletes and state legislatures advancing new legislation against trans inclusion in school sports, LGBTQ advocates continue the fight to ensure athletes can compete consistent with their gender identity, although they may be losing the battle.

controversial host appeared to endorse Peterson’s theory when he suggested that acceptance of the trans community is a sign of “civilizations collapsing” during the Jan. 25 episode of Spotify’s “The Joe Rogan Experience.”Critics are now, once again, calling out the podcast host for having “peddled harmful anti-trans rhetoric.”Rogan, 54, implored the controversial, pundit and author to share his thoughts on what made an individual trans.Peterson, 59, described it as a condition of a “sociological contagion,” comparing it to “the satanic ritual abuse accusations that emerged in daycares in the 1980s.”The former psychology professor at University of Toronto also used his time on Rogan’s popular platform to oppose Canadian federal Bill C-16, which amended the country’s human rights protections to also cover trans and non-binary citizens.

This week when you pick up your copy of the newest issue of Dallas Voice, be sure and keep an eye out for the new OUT North Texas visitors guide for 2022. This issue contains all the info needed for those visiting here and for those relocating to the area. And if you live here already, there’s good stuff inside for you, as well. We hope you grab a copy and tell us what you think.

England’s decision to classify a soccer chant as anti-gay shows a game in transition, LGBTQ+ fans say, as authorities confront homophobia and racism in the home of modern football.

American Airlines and Apple are among the companies that have earned a perfect score throughout the history of the index. American image by Gagliardi Photography/Shutterstock; Apple by Achinthamb/Shutterstock.The number of companies earning a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index continues to increase, with a record 842 employers doing so in the index’s 2022 edition, released Thursday.The index, in its 20th year, rates companies on their policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace.

In a friend-of-the-court brief, GLAD urged the Conn. Supreme Court to affirm the state’s nondiscrimination laws, including for LGBTQ peopleHARTFORD—Recently, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued its ruling in Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities v.

One of the UK’s largest human rights bodies called on the Scottish government to pause plans to simplify the gender recognition process.