Yes, NY Times, A Gay Cruise Company Can Keep Guests Safe Amid a Pandemic

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.

New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, is considering former City Council member Fernando Cabrera for a “faith-based” position in his administration, reports the Daily News. It’s a move that’s drawing condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates because of Cabrera’s history of anti-LGBTQ+ views.In a video recorded while Cabrera was visiting Uganda in 2014 — shortly after the country passed legislation making homosexuality illegal and punishable by life in prison — the pastor expressed his support for the law and made it clear he felt the country was on the right path, unlike his own.

Dallas County aims to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 through a multi-pronged campaign that promotes HIV prevention, testing, treatment and substance abuse recovery, according to a press release from the county this week. New diagnoses of HIV continue, and one in eight people unknowingly live with HIV, the press release notes, adding that “knowing your HIV status and taking steps to prevent further transmission will go a long way towards ending HIV in Dallas.” The Dallas County Ending the HIV Epidemic Campaign focuses on information and resources that provide hope for eliminating the HIV epidemic, with information available at EndHIVDallasCounty.org.

advancing LGBTQ+ equality across the country and worldwide. He promised to overturn Trump’s cruel anti-immigrant policies, close for-profit immigrant detention centers, and pass permanent relief for immigrants. But with Biden’s second presidential year underway, his administration left several unfulfilled commitments to LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities alike.

The ongoing polarized reception to HBO Max’s Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That has taken another strange and unexpected turn. A new report suggests that while HBO Max is keen for another season, the creative minds behind the show may not be sold on the idea.TVLine reports that head writer Michael Patrick King and star Sarah Jessica Parker have not yet agreed to another season of the show, and that no plans for a Season 2 can begin until they do.“It’s honestly Michael and Sarah Jessica[‘s] decision,” HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys told the outlet.

Sweet Magnolias. I immediately assumed it was a sequel to the classic film Steel Magnolias, so I clicked on it and started to watch. I quickly learned that Shelby, Ouiser, and Truvy were not making a comeback and that this show had its own set of adorable characters.If you haven’t seen it, the show is what some might say a “lite read” — but in a good way. It doesn’t require you to think too hard or follow plots that twist and turn and cause confusion.

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which spans more than 1,000 acres, has its roots with the early environmentalists who wanted to grow trees in sand dunes. The park separates San Francisco’s Richmond and Sunset Districts, starting near Haight-Ashbury’s iconic Hippy Hill and ending at The Great Highway across from Ocean Beach— that’s one mighty big stretch of greenery!In fact, Golden Gate Park is the largest urban park in the US.

Anyone needing a bit more gayness in their daytime soaps, take heed: Will and Sonny, the beloved Days of Our Lives gay power couple, will return to the long-running show on February 21.Will and Sonny, played by Chandler Massey and Freddie Smith, made history as the first gay male couple to get married on a daytime soap opera way back in 2014. Of course, as characters on a soap, they had their fair share of relationship woes.

New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, is considering former city council member Fernando Cabrera for a “faith-based” position in his administration, reports The Daily News. It’s a move that’s drawing condemnation from LGBTQ+ advocates because of Cabera’s history of anti-LGBTQ+ views.In a video recorded while Cabrera was visiting Uganda in 2014 — during which the country passed legislation making homosexuality illegal, punishable by life in prison, and eligible for the death penalty — the pastor expressed his support for the law and made it clear he felt the country was on the right path, unlike his own.“The United States of America has put pressure; It has told Uganda, ‘We are not going to fund you anymore unless you allow gay marriage,’ and they have stood in their place.

WXIA reports. But Friday, administrators asked that the “Gay Is OK” artwork be removed, saying a parent had complained about it.

If you or someone you know are feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273-8255. If you are an LGBTQ+ youth and need help, you can reach out to the Trevor Project at (866) 488-7386 or text 678678 to talk to someone 24/7.The city of Hyattsville, Md., announced on Wednesday that the city's mayor, Kevin Ward, had died by suicide. Ward, 44, was gay. He took office in 2020 after serving as the president of the Hyattsville City Council.“Mayor Ward was a valued and trusted leader and a fierce advocate for all the people of Hyattsville.

ABOVE: All the singlet laddies.

Former school teacher Chasten Buttigieg is slamming Florida legislation dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would ban discussion of LGBTQ issues in public schools under the guise of “parental rights,” saying it will “kill kids.”

The Hill.Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, called out Florida Gov.

Brian Kelly, fought back and counter-sued American, claiming consumers have the right to input and manage their own personal mileage and reward points. How did we get here?Last year TPG launched the new The Points Guy app, a free app to help consumers manage earned points and miles in one spot by linking together different frequent flyer and credit card points accounts. TPG writes that the app “demystifies the complexities of award travel by helping users learn about points, miles and loyalty programs; maximize their earning potential; and discover how to efficiently use those earned points and miles to see the world.”Up until now, The Points Guy app pulled data directly from member’s frequent flyer accounts.

OutSports.“With a standing-room-only crowd and other wrestlers surrounding the ring, the building erupted when Mack reversed Shelley’s Border City Stretch submission into a rollup to stun the 20-year veteran and take his place in the pro wrestling record books,” the website wrote.  Mack’s win comes after a six-month quest to get an IWTV Independent Wrestling World title match after winning the Scenic City Invitational tournament last year.After the match, the wrestler spoke about what the win means to the sport.

The Advocate has reached out to Atlantis Events who has not yet responded to our request for confirmation or comment.Last week, Atlantis Events set sail with a reported 4,700 travelers on the Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. The trip was in part to celebrate the company's 30th anniversary.

Arkansas introduced a bill today that would require the Bureau of Prisons to house inmates according to their assigned sex at birth and not their gender identity.Cotton’s bill — titled “Preventing Violence Against Female Inmates Act” — would prevent prisons from designating a separate housing option for inmates based on their gender identity.In a transphobic press release, Cotton said “a prison would be free to set up specific housing units for transgender inmates based on security, medical, or programming needs,” however, they could not be housed with cisgender women or men. According to the LGBTQ+ news site Xtra, the legislation was introduced in response to a leaked Department of Justice (DOJ) report about a proposed executive order from President Joe Biden that would require prisons to assign housing in alignment with an inmate’s gender identity. “My bill will stop the president’s ill-conceived plan and keep men and women separated in federal prison,” Cotton said. Gabriel Arkles, senior counsel at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund’s (TLDEF), told Xtra that Cotton’s bill is “scapegoating transgender women” and endangers them further.“Anyone concerned with violence against women should be worried about the staggering rate of sexual violence against transgender women in men’s prisons,” Arkles said.President Biden's administration had attempted to bring back policies from the Obama administration that had allowed inmates to be housed according to their gender identity.

The Matrix co-director Lilly Wachowski have joined forces with dozens of trans activists on an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit against Arkansas’ cruel, anti-trans health care ban. House Bill 1570, which is the first of its kind in the nation, specifically targets health care for trans children. It prohibits medical professionals from offering gender-affirming health care, including hormone blockers and treatments.

The Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis and it has reignited the discussion of giving among gay and bisexual men. 

As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to surge onboard cruise ships, forcing several cruise lines to cancel and postpone voyages, Atlantis Events, a gay and lesbian tour operator, is preparing to launch one of its biggest events on Sunday: a 4,700-person Caribbean cruise marking the company’s 30th anniversary. Even as the pandemic is raging around the world and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a stark warning telling Americans to avoid travel on cruise ships, regardless of their vaccination status, Atlantis insists that its vaccination mandate, testing requirements and health protocols are enough to provide a safe environment for guests throughout the voyage.

ABOVE: The above made me laugh. Ariana is so astoundingly talented.

ABOVE: Part 2 of my test — can you I.D. all 40 of these stars, age 80+, strictly from their pictures?

Last week the Red Cross issued its first-ever warning of a blood shortage so dire it is calling it a “national crisis.” In response 22 top Democratic Senators signed a letter urging the FDA to once and for all end the ban on men who have sex with men donating blood.

Knight Insight to be highlighted in its Senior Spotlight series. The paper sent the 17-year-old several questions to answer, including one that asked about the biggest challenge he’s had to overcome.In a viral TikTok video, which has been seen more than 65,000 times, Johnson said he had responded: “The biggest challenge I faced was growing up gay and coming out.

The Sydney Morning Herald.The admission allowed the way for the judge to convict White of Johnson’s murder.It brings an end to the decades-long fight for justice by Johnson’s brother, Scott Johnson.“It’s over, finally,” Steve Johnson, a tech entrepreneur, told The New York Times. “This 33-year odyssey has come to a conclusion.”Scott Johnson was a doctoral student at the Australian National University in Canberra. He’d moved to the country to be with his partner and had even applied for permanent residency before he was killed on December 8, 1988.