Victory Fund Notes Increase in Out LGBTQ Congressional Candidates in 2022

Beloved actor Bette Midler has sparked backlash after publishing a seemingly anti-Trans tweet. Queer and ally fans have been left disappointed by the Hocus Pocus star who criticised inclusive language in a post published on Monday, July 4. “WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and […]

Pride programmes celebrating the LGBT community saw the story of April Ashley told, detailing how she became one of the UK's most prominent transgender equality campaigners.The Extraordinary Life of April Ashley took viewers back to her gritty upbringing in Liverpool's slums, through to starring in films, modelling for British Vogue and her controversial divorce court battle.Ashley, who died last year at the age of 86, became one of the first people in Britain known to have gone through gender reassignment surgery, in what proved to be a painful procedure abroad, after she was outed in the press.The documentary, which aired at 10pm on Monday July 4, was designed to “take the audience inside the intimate reality of the transgender experience” and explored how Ashley “paved the way for future generations of transgender people”, according to Channel 4.April Ashley was a transgender model, dancer, restaurant owner and equalities campaigner who was involved in the landmark divorce trial Corbett v Corbett.Born George Jamieson in Liverpool, Ashley suffered from calcium deficiency during her childhood and required weekly injections at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in the city’s West Derby area.Her obituary in The Telegraph suggests she knew at 15 she wanted to become a woman but signed-up with the Merchant Navy a year later, only to be given an dishonourable discharge after an alleged suicide attempt.At the age of 25, after embarking on a career in Paris as a part of a drag cabaret act, Ashley went to Morocco where she had gender reassignment surgery.She returned to Britain and became a successful fashion model, appearing in British Vogue for which she was photographed by David Bailey.Ashley also won a small role in the '60s

LOVE Island has been hit by almost 800 Ofcom complaints in just one month from furious fans complaining about the show's content. Viewers have flooded the broadcasting watchdog with their worries following claims of bullying, as well as their concerns over the age-gap between some Islanders embarking on romances.

Terrence Higgins Trust has launched an archive of sexual health promotion materials from the last 40 years at the Bishopsgate Institute in London.

Piers Morgan, 57, on his chat show last night that she does not believe transgender women should be allowed to compete against "biological women" in sport.The singer exclaimed that just because you "change your parts" that "doesn't make you a woman". Her interview sparked a lot of response, leaving Piers and author J.K.

sequel Hocus Pocus 2, got thousands of people talking within hours of sending her tweet. The original post by the 76-year-old performer started off in all caps."WOMEN OF THE WORLD!" She wrote to her 2.1 million followers on Monday afternoon, "We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don't call us 'women' anymore; they call us 'birthing people' or 'menstruators,' and even 'people with vaginas.'"Midler continued: "Don't let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!"The comments sparked mass debate in the comments section and across Twitter with tens of thousands of people commenting on and retweeting other comments.WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us “women” anymore; they call us “birthing people” or “menstruators”, and even “people with vaginas”! Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!"Midler goes full Rowling," wrote journalist Jon Levine, comparing Midler to the author of the Harry Potter books J.K.

Amy Lamé, London’s first Night Czar, spoke out about the importance of LGBTQ+ acceptance at an exclusive Founders’ Circle event hosted by LGBTQ+ youth charity Just Like Us.

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The post Angel Flores ‘never imagined’ she would be a role model for LGBTQ+ people in sport appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Bette Midler fans are calling on the Hocus Pocus star to not “buy into the rhetoric” that women’s rights are at odds with trans equality.

London was home to the largest Pride in British history over the weekend, with more than 1.5 million people reported to have been in attendance.

Adele made sure to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pride in style, as she draped herself in a rainbow flag for her second epic performance at BST Hyde Park.The singer shared her love for the LGBT community during the spectacular gig, donning the Progress Pride Flag as she belted out her song When We Were Young.Adele, 34, could also be seen waving the flag, with plenty of supporters in the crowd waving their rainbow flags right back at her, just hours after London’s Pride Parade.She told the audience: ‘Happy Pride. I wore my hair out today to try and be a bit draggy.’The star has long been a supporter of the LGBT community, previously performing for free at Pride in 2011, and describing the community as her ‘soulmates’ during an emotional speech following the shooting in Pulse nightclub, Florida, in 2016.Of course, she also got ordained to marry her close friend Alan Carr to his husband Paul Drayton in 2018.Happy Pride from @Adele ð³ï¸âð pic.twitter.com/h8Ylz8t1QnAdele lit up London’s Hyde Park on Friday and Saturday with her epic performances, which were her first headline gigs in the UK since 2017.It was a glorious homecoming for the singer, who released her album 30 earlier this year.Stars including Tom Cruise, Ant and Dec, and James Corden were out in force to support the star, but she likely only had eyes for one person in the crowd – her nine-year-old son Angelo, who was also there supporting her.

Darren Hayes opened up about his struggles with coming to terms with his sexuality in an HuffPost op-ed on Friday.The 50-year-old Savage Garden singer wrote about his mental health struggles admitting that he was on 'the brink of suicide.'He elaborated on his words in the op-ed during an interview with People. Mental health struggles: Darren Hayes opened up about his struggles with coming to terms with his sexuality in an HuffPost op-ed on Friday (pictured 2011)'I would say my new album honestly saved my life,' the musician said.

Lady Gaga was a gay anthem.Reports from as early as the 17th century record the existence of bars and clubs that catered to openly gay people in several European locations, including London and Cannes. Meanwhile, in America, the New Orleans Cafe Lafitte in Exile gay bar, situated in the city’s French Quarter is said to date back to 1933 and claims to be the oldest operating LGBTQ+ venue in the country.

appearing on the reality TV show Queer Eye, she said she was “built like a fridge” and struggled with presenting herself as a proud young trans woman.While the show’s Fab 5 crew gave Flores a stunning makeover, the challenges facing trans kids will take more than just community support, Flores says, especially as more states pass laws to ban LGBTQ content from classrooms and keep trans students off of the sports field.In order to support queer youth, we have to shift towards compassion and listening to what young people need in their personal journeys.“We ask the wrong questions,” Flores said. “We spend our childhoods being asked what we will do, what path we’ll take.

Gloria Allen, a transgender activist whose experiences running a charm school in Chicago for at-risk transgender youth inspired an acclaimed documentary film, “Mama Gloria” and play, “Charm,” died on June 13 at her home in Chicago. She was 76. The cause was respiratory failure, said Luchina Fisher, a close friend and the director of the documentary.

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.

Roswell Grey

Danica Roem’s memoir is an activist tale with heart, while Dot & Ralfie proves old age ain’t for sissies

A second bill relating to transgender issues now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature. It would add California to the list of states that annually proclaim November 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance.Assembly Bill 1741, introduced by gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell), chair of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, would require the governor to officially recognize the date each year as a day of special remembrance in the Golden State. The event, started in 1998 by Bay Area Reporter Transmissions columnist Gwenn Smith, commemorates those transgender people lost to violence in a given year.One of the first states in the country to make the day an official yearly observance was Virginia.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNext week, Disney+ will release its second annual variety special for Pride month — featuring a parade of talent celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community “through song and storytelling.”But “Say It With Pride: Disney+ Celebrates Pride 365” won’t be available on Disney+ itself. Rather, the special will premiere June 30 at 8 p.m.

Ben Croll Heading into his first edition at the helm of the Neuchatel Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF), artistic director Pierre-Yves Walder looked to land his white whale, setting his sights on a retrospective idea he’d dreamed up many years before.

It's been three years since San Francisco last celebrated Pride with its usual extravagance — COVID, like any unwanted guest, saw to that — but now, the fête is back this weekend under the theme "Love Will Keep Us Together" and people, hundreds of thousands of them, are ready to party. In person.

The National Audubon Society has partnered with drag artist Pattie Gonia to invite the LGBTQIA community outdoors this Pride Month and to ensure that they have a safe and welcoming experience while there. As part of the collaboration the society has released the first two of four videos celebrating Pride in the outdoors.From hiking in platform boots to ice skating in a famous dress made from recovered pieces of discarded trash, Gonia is the creation of avid hiker and backpacker Wyn Wiley, who said the character was born spontaneously on a hike several years ago, according to a news release.

The world governing body for competitive swimming, FINA, has banned most trans female athletes from participating in elite levels of competition. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the organization announced June 19 that it would institute the new policy the following day, June 20.

If you see something, say something. That appeal to the public gained traction after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, today, remains relevant as the LGBTQ community prepares to celebrate the first in-person San Francisco Pride events since 2019. The reason, of course, is the uptick in some strange and frightening events over the past several weeks, both locally and across the country.

It's Pride 2022, and we are back in the streets to celebrate in-person again! Afterward, many of us will continue the party at bars with family and friends. In San Francisco and Oakland, however, should you head to the bar patio for fresh air, you could find something else in your lungs: secondhand smoke and vape.Unlike over 50 other cities in the Bay Area, San Francisco and Oakland allow smoking and vaping tobacco on bar patios. Using cannabis in any way on a bar patio is prohibited under state law, but you may still smell a special something on many a bar patio.

Outfest has announced the complete lineup for its 40th-anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which will take place from July 14-24 at multiple locations throughout Los Angeles.

LGBTQ+ rights groups are concerned that gay, bisexual, and transgender refugees could face persecution if they are sent to Rwanda under Britain’s policy to deport some asylum seekers to the East African nation.

After a monthslong delay, a bill that decriminalizes loitering for adults with the intent to engage in sex work is being sent this week to Governor Gavin Newsom to sign into law. Such criminal codes have been referred to as "walking while trans" laws due to police using them to arrest transgender women who engage in prostitution in order to make a living.Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) told the Bay Area Reporter that he would make a motion Monday, June 20, to enroll Senate Bill 357, which he authored, and send it to Newsom's desk for his signature.

A transgender, nonbinary House candidate and a lesbian state Senate candidate have both survived their California primary races and are advancing to the fall general election. The Democratic duo had been trailing in third place in their respective Los Angeles County contests following the initial vote counts from the June 7 election.But after days of additional ballots being tabulated, the pair leapfrogged into second place last week.

announced the rule on Sunday alongside plans to create an "open" category for events for transgender women who want to compete. The policy allows transgender women who transitioned before the age of 12 years old to compete in women's races.FINA defended the decision, noting "some individuals and groups may be uncomfortable with the use of medical and scientific terminology related to sex and sex-linked traits [but] some use of sensitive terminology is needed to be precise about the sex characteristics that justify separate competition categories."Transgender athletes competing in women's swimming races became a hotly debated topic this spring, as Lia Thomas, a University of Pennsylvania swimmer, became the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I title in any event.Her win sparked a high-profile debate about whether or not transgender women have an unfair advantage over cisgender women in sports, with critics saying Thomas would not have seen the same level of success while competing on the men's team even as the transgender community argues that forcing trans women to swim in men's races would be invalidating.FINA's rule change, which went into effect on Monday, was met with mixed remarks.

LGBTQ+ rights advocates and allies have been so inundated with threats during Pride Month that they have been forced to cancel events and involve local law enforcement authorities after a group of white nationalists were arrested outside a Pride event in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.

On Saturday, June 11, “Jeopardy!” champ Amy Schneider threw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game in celebration of Pride Day.

RuPaul has slammed Republican lawmakers for attempting to ban kids from drag shows.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 17, 2022 CONTACT: Cathy Renna, Communications Director, National LGBTQ Task Force, 917-757-6123 NATIONAL LGBTQ TASK FORCE STATEMENT ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S PRIDE MONTH EXECUTIVE ORDER Washington, DC……Yesterday, along with LGBTQI+ families, advocates, elected officials, and leaders, the National LGBTQ Task Force attended the White House LGBTQ Pride Month event hosted by President and Dr. Biden.

Amidst attempts around the country to ban LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books, the sheer number of new titles being published gives me hope. Here are some of my favorite new ones about Pride and the early LGBTQ rights movement, perfect for this month but worth reading all year ’round. For the very youngestWe Are the Rainbow!

In the United States the call for meaningful gun violence prevention is louder than ever. People are tired of mass shootings every day; they want their kids to go to school and then come home alive. And Republicans are responding to the deadly gun violence epidemic just as you’d expect them to: by demanding to see the genitals of transgender kids. Ohio House Republicans have passed a bill that allows just about anybody to demand a “genital check” of any kid playing girls’ s

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.

There are 140 million poor and working-class people in the United States – with 22% of LGBTQ people living in poverty. As an organization that fights for LGBTQ people and families, economic justice is a vital aspect of our movement. It is because of that that we are answering the call from the National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action Network for the LGBTQ community to show up for the Poor People’s Campaign’s Moral March on June 18th.  As we take to Washington, joining side by side with those affected by the inequalities present in this nation, we’re reminded that despite the progress made in our

President Zelenskyy is keen to emphasise the liberality of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, many LGBTQ+ Ukrainians are concerned about the potential impacts the invasion will have on their burgeoning civil rights.“Of course, this worries us,” says Yura Dvizhon, creative director of UKRAINEPRIDE, a queer patriotic movement which nurtures Ukrainian cultural identity at home and abroad.“Russia comes to our land and wants to take it away, establish its own rules and take away the freedom that exists in Ukraine.“People in Kherson, Mariupol or hundreds of other places occupied by Russia suffer.“Of course, there are LGBTQ+ people in these cities and they need a lot of help, because being different in Russia is one of the worst and hardest things that a person can handle.”A post shared by YURA DVIZHON (@dvizhon)Dvizhon is one of a number of participants who are partaking in ‘LGBTQ+Me. Embracing Our Differences,’ a collaborative project between UKRAINEPRIDE and BetterMe, a global behavioural-health care company which is headquartered in Kyiv.Research shows that depression, discrimination by family members, trouble sleeping, and feelings of hopelessness are all higher in the queer community.

according to Swedish newspaper Queer.de.The effigy sparked a backlash, with one resident filing a criminal complaint against the town. Master of ceremonies Christian Weiss has insisted this was not an attack on any one person, but rather a statement against ‘rampant narcissistic hypersensitivity and the pathological lack of humor’.

President Joe Biden today (Wednesday, June 15) issued an executive order pledging to “combat unlawful discrimination and eliminate disparities that harm LGBTQI+ individuals and their families, defend their rights and safety, and pursue a comprehensive approach to delivering the full promise of equality for LGBTQI+ individuals.”

Spurred on by a Twitter account known for its provocative nature, @libsoftiktok, a cadre of alleged Proud Boys members stormed into the San Lorenzo library in the East Bay June 11. Their target was a "Drag Queen Story Hour" event hosted by local drag artist Panda Dulce.About 10 or so of the group marched in, calling the host and others homophobic and transphobic slurs.

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is lashing out against the "indoctrination" of children attending drag shows, arguing that it "needs to be illegal."Greene maintained that a legal remedy was required to stop children from "stuffing" money into "a drag queen bra" while sharing a video purporting to show the practice at an all-ages drag show by the conservative Libs of TikTok social media account to Twitter on Tuesday. Greene is one of many conservatives to have recently railed against events like "Drag Queen Story Hour," while also saying that the LGBTQ community is attempting to "indoctrinate" or "groom" children."This needs to be illegal," Greene tweeted while sharing the video on Tuesday.

Fox News for promoting LGBTQ Pride month.The network, which has built a reputation for its conservative perspective, launched a Pride month promotional video earlier in June inviting viewers to "celebrate Pride month with Fox News," "meet important voices of the LGBTQ+ community" and "go inside their incredible contributions."They also aired a Pride month special segment featuring a transgender teenager named Ryland whose parents allowed him to transition when he was 5 years old. In the special, his mother, Hillary Whittington, said she allowed her son to transition because she would "rather have a living son than a dead daughter."The pro-Pride content, however, has left the network at odds with some of its conservative allies.

South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District called for the arrest and execution of those who advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and the protection of trans children.During an appearance on The Stew Peters Show, Pastor Mark Burns was asked by host Jane Ruby to commit to voting for transphobic laws that target LGBTQ+ children and their parents and ending what she called “this war on children.” Burns went much further than committing to voting for legislation.“Not only will I vote to make sure that those parents be held for child abuse because there’s no such thing as trans kids, only abusive parents, period,” Burns responded adding that trans-supportive parents are unnaturally influencing their children’s development.“I want to make sure that those parents are being held accountable,” Burns continued. “We should start putting some of those parents in jail for abusing their child’s minds, and especially in the school system.