The internet explodes in laughter as M&Ms announces new “inclusive” characters

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.

Disney Plus Shares First Teaser of 'The Proud Family' Revival Keke Palmer Joins 'The Proud Family' Revival 'Louder and Prouder' EJ Johnson Opens Up About Exploring Gender Identity and Making Reality TV That Matters  

Related: Prince Andrew’s legal drama just took a major turnThis means the civil case brought against him will be dismissed. In legal documents, the Prince’s team stated he will, “make a substantial donation to Ms.

Gemma Collins broke down in tears as she discussed the tragic suicide of a family friend she thought of as a “little brother.” During a moving moment in her Channel 4 documentary, Gemma Collins: Self-Harm and Me, the 41 year old met went to visit a centre called Harmless, which provides support for people who self-harm or might be at risk of it in Nottingham. While there, the former The Only Way is Essex star Gemma met with the founder Caroline Harrow, as the pair had a heartfelt conversation about self-harm, including Gemma’s own 20-year battle.

A post shared by Team GB (@teamgb)Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy made his first Winter Olympics appearance for Great Britain today, and after a shaky start, managed to just scrape into the qualifiers for the final.Kenworthy, 30, was competing in the men’s freeski halfpipe in Beijing. All competitors had two runs at the course.

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

Today (27 January) marks the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance, an occasion to commemorate the victims — especially European Jews, the main targets of Nazi oppression — who were persecuted and murdered during the Third Reich.First designated by the United Nations in November 2005, the day, just like the term "Holocaust" itself, has gradually come to subsume other victims under its umbrella, including Roma and Sinti communities, LGBT+ individuals and people with disabilities.For the tens of thousands of gay people deported and murdered by the Nazis, the road to justice was winding and rocky, as they continued to face legal challenges after the Second World War and would only be properly acknowledged as Holocaust victims in the 1980s, 90s and — in the eyes of the German government — the 2000s.As such, after decades of suppression and forced silence, are the Holocaust’s gay victims finally receiving the recognition and commemorations across Europe that they deserve?Upon their ascension to power, the Nazis ruthlessly persecuted gay people throughout Germany and occupied territories.Male same-sex intercourse had been prohibited in Germany since 1871 under Paragraph 175 — a Prussian-era statute of the national legal code — but it was considered to be only a misdemeanour, with the law being rarely enforced.Indeed, Germany had represented something of a fertile ground for the development of new ideas surrounding sexuality and gender identity, being the country where the terms “heterosexual” and “homosexual” first cropped up and received recognition within academic circles.In the 1920s and the 1930s, Mangus Hirschfeld’s sexology institute in Berlin -- Institut für Sexualwissenschaft -- pioneered research on sexual

On Wednesday, February 17, the highest court in the EU dismissed a law challenge brought by Poland and Hungary, which leaves the nations vulnerable to funding freezes. The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) is upholding the so-called conditionality mechanism, which makes receiving EU funding dependent on whether or not the recipient is […]

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.

THE PHOTOGRAPH FRAMES what appears to be a female figure, naked and glossed with oil, against a backdrop of pale rose brown, just a shade darker than the model’s skin. Long, dark hair cascades over the breasts and, where the viewer might expect the genitalia to be, the model grips the great rack of a caribou, the skull cupped like a codpiece and the antlers jutting out, beams spread nearly four feet wide and reaching in height from mid-thigh to the tip of the model’s nose, with 15 points on each side.

MPs in the French parliament have unanimously approved a new law banning so-called gay conversion therapy.The new law will introduce prison sentences and fines for any citizen who attempts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBT+ people.The draft bill was supported by MPs on Tuesday, with 142 voting in favour and 0 against. The law had already been supported by France's Assembly in October and was also passed by senators in December.Those found guilty of so-called gay conversion therapy could face two years imprisonment and a €30,000 fine.

Research cluster EROSS (Expressions Research Orientations: Sexuality Studies) at Dublin City University have announced an upcoming online conference, Queer Maghreb Matters, which will run for two days, March 4 and 5. The event will bring together researchers, academics, artists and activists to discuss queer theories and how relevant they can be in a conservative and […]

A petition demanding reform to the Gender Recognition Act has triggered a debate on self-identification in the House of Commons.

Singer-songwriter Dove Cameron has shared a full-length version of her TikTok hit Boyfriend after LGBTQ+ fans turned it into a viral trend.

The post Exclusive: Drag Race’s Maddy Morphosis talks Untucked drama and “unexpected” Snatch Game appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Channel 4 viewers said they had a 'new found respect' for Gemma Collins as she opened up in a 'brave' documentary.

SNP /Green Government would simplify the process for someone to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC). A person would no longer have to produce a medical diagnosis of dysphoria and the time period for living in an acquired gender would be shortened.Supporters believe reform is long overdue, but critics believe the changes pose a threat to women’s sex based rights.

A gay police officer in San Francisco will receive a $225,000 settlement after alleging harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Earlier this week we caught the European premier of queer play Steve, written by Mark Gerrard and directed by Andrew Keates, which debuted off-Broadway in 2015 and earned itself a Critic’s Choice from the New York Times. Towards the end of the evening, our protagonist, the titular Steve (David Ames) started to ponder philosophically whether just enough is ever actually really quite enough. We came away from the 7 Dials Playhouse wondering the same – there’s plenty in the show that we enjoyed, but did it give us everything we wanted?

The post Shouldn’t every LGBTQ+ person should feel safe and proud? appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Caitlyn Jenner has faced backlash from charity Mermaids after suggesting transgender swimmer Lia Thomas should not be competing against cisgender women and should have more ‘integrity’.University of Pennsylvania swimmer Thomas, 22, won both the 100 and 200-metre races against Harvard University this month. Former Olympian Jenner, who came out as a transgender woman in 2015, has come under fire for her views on other transgender athletes, and has now called for the ‘rules to be changed’.Verity, Trans Inclusion in Sports Youth Worker at Mermaids, a charity supporting young trans people, hit back at her comments, telling Metro.co.uk: ‘Caitlyn Jenner has, again, used her platform of privilege against the trans community… In fact, Lia has won some races and set records, but she has also had her times beaten by much younger athletes and cis female swimmers.’Verity added: ‘Trans people are allowed to be good at sport, just because you’re trans does not make you superhuman. You must train, have the right coaches, nutrition, training programmes, facilities, funding and most of all, skill within the sport.

a new poll released by Gallup. That’s 1.5 percentage points higher than last year and double the percentage Gallup reported in 2012. The pollster asked Americans if they identified as straight or heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender as part of demographic information it collects on all of its U.S. telephone surveys, Gallup said in a news release Thursday. The respondent also had the opportunity to say another sexuality or gender identity than the categories provided by Gallup.More than 12,000 adults participated in the surveys conducted last year.Besides the 7.1 percent identifying as LGBTQ+, 86 percent said they identified as straight while 6.6 percent didn’t offer an answer.Gallup found that one in five Gen Z adults identified as LGBTQ+ with older generations identifying less so.

The ABC has announced a “diverse and talented family of presenters” to host this year’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, live from the Sydney Cricket Grounds. “What better excuse for us all to get together and have a big ol’ party!?” Macdonald said. “I’m thrilled and honoured to be hosting the Mardi Gras for the ABC.

ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron and speedskater Ireen Wust. Wust also picked up a bronze, as did ice hockey player Ronja Savolainen

 her fiancé, Rami Hawash. In one particularly difficult moment though, Gemma sat her mother Jean down in an attempt to talk about why she didn’t come to her aid, despite hurting herself in front of her parents at 13. ‘I obviously needed some sort of help or support at that time,’ the television personality admitted.

Gemma Collins fans praised the "brave" star for opening up in her "powerful" Channel 4 documentary Gemma Collins: Self-Harm and Me on Wednesday night.The powerful show charted Gemma's, 41, 20-year battle with self-harm and shared a side to the The Only Way Is Essex star that the public are yet to see. During the hard-hitting documentary, Gemma opened up about her fears that the urge to self-harm might return and make her an "unfit mother".

GEMMA Collins has told of the sickening abuse she suffered at the hands of trolls after bravely revealing her secret self-harming past. The reality TV star's documentary on her childhood trauma aired tonight - and Gemma read out the vicious trolling she got for speaking out. "So attention-seeking.

GEMMA Collins broke down in tears tonight over fears she'll self-harm again if she has a baby. The reality TV star became emotional when she spoke of her desire to have children in the Channel 4 documentary, Gemma Collins: Self-Harm & Me.

Gemma Collins confronted her mum Joan in her new documentary Gemma Collins: Self-Harm and Me on Wednesday night as she asked why she didn't address her self-harming when she was younger. The powerful show charted Gemma's, 41, 20-year battle with self-harm and shared a side to the The Only Way Is Essex star that the public are yet to see. During the hard-hitting documentary, Gemma had a heartfelt and honest conversation with her mum as she asked: "But what's more important, life being busy or your daughter hurting herself?" Earlier in the documentary, Gemma and her mum had a heartfelt chat while looking through old photographs from when Gemma was young.

CAIRO — Kuwait’s constitutional court overturned a law on Wednesday that authorities had used to prosecute transgender people, saying the statute violated Kuwaitis’ right to personal freedom. Activists hailed the decision as a landmark for transgender rights in the Middle East.

Related: School board member’s child got a scary death threat over trans student policy“I have a fucking right to be in this country, do you?” Schulze shouts.“Are you telling me to go back home?” the student yells back.Schulze also screamed a sexist slur at the student, as another student yelled back, “You’re literally arguing with children.”After being identified, Schulze received the fine for violating the Access to Services Covid-19 Vaccination Act, which prohibits the disruption of access to roads within 20 meters of K-12 schools, hospitals, and COVID-19 clinics.Schulze was part of a larger group of protestors violating these terms, according to Radio-Canada.The group was there to support 10 students who had planned a walkout to protest mask mandates. The adult protestors stayed put even after an officer informed them they were violating the law.Both police and school officials are being criticized for not stopping the protestors.

Gemma Collins sweetly recalled the first moment she met her fiancé Rami Hawash during her powerful documentary Gemma Collins: Self-Harm and Me on Wednesday night. The powerful show charted Gemma's, 41, 20-year battle with self-harm and shared a side to the The Only Way Is Essex star that the public are yet to see. During the hard-hitting documentary, Gemma, who recently told new! magazine that she's "desperate" to have a baby with fiancé Rami, revealed that they first met at a pub in Chigwell, Essex.

Cool Katt (GIF via GIPHY)

A gay RAAF veteran was surveilled and grilled over his sexual history and visits to gay bars, before being hounded out of the air force. Trigger Warning: This story discussed homophobia in the Defence Force and suicidal ideation, 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.According to the Daily Mail, Liversidge was shown photos of himself outside a gay bar in Prahran and was asked about the type of people who frequented the establishment. Liversidge said it was his “Oh! sh*t moment.”“They then had a series of dates and times that they had known that I’d gone to gay bars.

June 2, 1965 — January 15, 2022Friends will gather at 440 Castro on Saturday, February 26, from noon to 3 p.m. to remember and celebrate our dear friend, brother in song, and beautiful soul.Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.

It was a sunny day in the Bay Area on Sunday, June 12, 2016 when news broke that there was a terrible mass shooting inside Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Within hours, spontaneous vigils were held in San Francisco, Oakland, and numerous other cities to mourn the loss of 49 mostly gay Latino lives and the 53 others who were injured.

The National AIDS Memorial Grove has announced special online programming to honor Black History Month.

Following the resounding recall of three members of the San Francisco Board of Education, Mayor London Breed gets to select their replacements. The seats aren't expected to be officially vacated until sometime in late March, 10 days after the Board of Supervisors certifies and approves the election results.While each of the new commissioners will need to seek election this November for full four-year terms, the mayor has a unique opportunity to further diversify the school board for the rest of this year.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 was certainly not what anyone wanted — especially for LGBTQ seniors and the agencies serving them, beleaguered after two years of constant adjustment to the pandemic's challenges.A year ago, when the Bay Area Reporter published a series of articles on various issues of import to LGBTQ seniors — including the loneliness that comes with social distancing, getting needed services to the vulnerable, and housing, the nation was optimistic that the roll-out of vaccines would bring a return to living like it's 2019. Now, policymakers are playing catch-up as new variants emerge the world over that are more likely to cause breakthrough infections.The more laissez-faire approach that the federal government is taking to the pandemic in the post-vaccine world — as well as the record number of cases caused by Omicron that started in late November and continues disrupting the workforce nationwide — is leaving local nonprofits and agencies to figure out for themselves how to respond and stay as safe as possible.

If everything felt a little more open, freer, on February 16, that might very well have been because California has loosened its COVID-inspired indoor mask mandate and eight of the nine Bay Area counties have followed suit. Of course, people have been here before.

If you're transitioning into your true gender identity, legally changing your name marks an important milestone in becoming your authentic self. It's a time for celebration and it's also a time for paperwork. Following a legal name change, it might seem obvious to update your identification, bank, and mailing information. It might not be obvious that you should also contact the three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to let them know of this change.

Since winning election in 2018 as San Mateo County superintendent of schools, Nancy Magee has yet to meet a counterpart in another county who is also LGBTQ. Magee, the second consecutive lesbian to serve in the countywide elected position, is the only superintendent of schools listed on a map of out elected leaders in California maintained by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.That could change this year.

Gemma Collins broke down in tears in her new documentary Gemma Collins: Self-Harm and Me on Thursday night as she opened up about her fears that her self-harm could return. The powerful show charted Gemma's, 41, 20-year battle with self-harm and shared a side to the The Only Way Is Essex star that the public are yet to see.

Gemma Collins clashed with her mum Joan over the TOWIE star's battles with self-harm as a teen.The 41-year-old reality star has spoken out for the first time about her struggles with self-harm in a new Channel 4 documentary, called Self Harm and Me.The documentary aired on Wednesday night (February 16), and it sees TV star Gemma try to find out why she used to self-harm for two decades.In the moving documentary, Gemma reveals that she started cutting herself as a teen and first self-harmed in front of her parents at just thirteen years old.In tense scenes, Gemma had a tough conversation with her mum Joan about her self-harming issues.Joan said her and Gemma's dad Alan dismissed the subject at first as they thought their daughters simply: "copying someone from the television".Gemma looked shocked by her mum's comment and told her it was a "silly thing to say".She told her mum: "I needed some help and support at the time,", adding: "Yours and dad's approach was to 'let’s never mention it'."Joan replied: "Life was busy, with everything going on."Gemma fired back: "Yeah but what’s more important, life being busy or your daughter cutting themselves?"Joan responded: "You seemed ok. The problem is with you it wouldn’t have been from home life."You had everything and was happy.

If it feels like Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been running for governor in Arkansas forever, it’s because she has. Sanders first announced her candidacy in January 2021, one year and 10 months before the election was scheduled to take place. But looking at her campaign website, you might think she’s already got the job, even though the election is still several months away.Related: Sarah Huckabee Sanders went on “The View” this morning and OMG you guysWhen most candidates run for public office, they indicate that they are, indeed, running for public office.

Gemma Collins breaks down in tears over her close friend's suicide after bravely opening up about her own history of self-harm.The 41-year-old reality star has struggled with hurting herself for two decades and has opened up about her past for the first time in a candid Channel 4 documentary which aired on Wednesday (February 16) evening.Over the course of the film, Gemma chatted with her therapist, Mandy Saligari, mum Joan, best friend Vicky and her fiancé Rami.She also met with people who have similar experiences of self-harm and learns about some of the support available.During her visit to Harmless, a centre for self-harm prevention in Nottingham, Gemma got emotional about her close friend's tragic death.The former Celebrity Big Brother star asked co-founder and CEO of the charity Harmless, Caroline Harrow: "Why is it more girls that self-harm then boys?"Caroline replied: "Yeah more girls show up then boys but more men kill themselves."A visibly emotional Gemma added: "A very close family friend of mine, he was like a little brother to me, he committed suicide," before breaking down into tears.Rhys Alan Smith, the ex boyfriend of TOWIE's Harry Derbidge, died in 2021 after taking his own life.He was close friends with several cast members in particular Gemma and her ex James Argent.Gemma also revealed in the documentary that she struggled with her meteoric rise to fame.She was a car saleswoman when she first appeared on The Only Way Is Essex back in 2011.It didn't take long before Gemma became one of the show's most iconic stars.Speaking about the impact of that for the first time, Gemma told fiancé Rami Hawash what triggered her to self-harm.She explained: "It was never about you, it was never about any of that."It

Senate passed a bill that inches the measure closer toward becoming law.Under the bill, called the Save Women's Sports Act, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control would be directed to ban those identified as males on their birth certificates from engaging in girls' team sports.

Coronation Street, said she did not feel she could come out as gay during her time on the show.The star revealed she felt she wasn’t allowed to be her authentic self for two decades in a candid interview on Loose Women. Amanda, 86, starred in Coronation Street from 1981 to 1982, and again from 1988 to 2001. Throughout that time, the actress refused to confirm her sexuality in public and did not reveal her lesbian identity until after her time on the soap had come to an end. Amanda appeared on Loose Women today with her wife Hilary Bonner and was asked by the panel what it was like having to keep her sexuality hidden for so long. “There was no camo of any kind at that time,” Amanda explained. “There were various people in charge of the show, so they called the tune.