| |
Mary Griffith, Champion of LGBTQ rights, has passed away
LOS ANGELES—Mary Griffith, iconic crusader for LGBTQ equality, passed away after a lengthy illness on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at her home in Walnut Creek, CA. She was 85. She is survived by her husband, Robert; ...
|
| |
Buttigieg's historic campaign finishes second in N.H.
LGBT leaders in New Hampshire were widely divided on who to support in the Feb. 11 Democratic presidential primary, but the LGBT community could celebrate another history-making performance by openly gay presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg, ...
|
| |
Decades after San Francisco closed gay bathhouses, new law makes way for return
SAN FRANCISCO — District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation Tuesday at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors requiring the San Francisco Department of Public Health to remove current regulations requiring the monitoring of patrons' sexual ...
|
| |
Lambda: Brasher's confirmation to 11th Circuit threatens civil rights for LGBTs
( Washington D.C., February 11, 2020 ) — Today, after the U.S. Senate, confirmed Andrew Brasher for a lifetime position to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit along party lines, Sasha Buchert, Senior ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Sean Hayes, Rihanna, Cher, Billy Porter, Laura Dern
Sean Hayes, Carrie Aizley, Margo Martindale, Jim Rash, Matthew Broderick and Allison Janney are part of the cast of the film Lazy Susan, which is coming to theaters April 3, a press release noted. According to ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Backlash in Tennessee, judge dies, voucher program, hate-crimes bill
More than 140 businesses signed a letter announcing their opposition to Tennessee's recent slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, which has been dubbed the "slate of hate" by activist groups, NBC News noted. The collective, known as the ...
|
| |
Starbucks pro-trans ad airs, but employees criticize company
Starbucks UK released an ad showing a young trans man getting to use his chosen name while getting a coffee—but the ad has been criticized as well, BuzzFeed reported. While many have lauded the ad, transgender ...
|
| |
'Parasite,' Zellweger, Elton among Oscar winners
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences distributed the 2020 Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 9. The South Korean thriller Parasite was surely the most notable winner for the evening, winning ...
|
| |
Joe Walsh ends GOP challenge against Trump
Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh ( R-Illinois ) ended his primary campaign against President Trump for the Republican Party's 2020 presidential nomination, The Hill reported. Walsh received just 1 percent of the vote in the Iowa ...
|
| |
Bloomberg under fire for anti-trans comments; campaign responds [UPDATE]
Days after unveiling a five-part, multi-pronged LGBT platform, Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is being criticized for anti-trans comments he made in 2016. That year, he referred to transgender women ...
|
| |
Virginia passes laws that protect LGBTQs
On Feb. 6, Virginia legislators passed comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation ( the Virginia Values Act ) that activists said makes the state the first in the South to have such protections for LGBTQ people, ABC News reported. ...
|
| |
TELEVISION Freeform airs LGBTQ, Chicago-filmed film 'The Thing About Harry'
Director/actor Peter Paige, best known for playing Emmett Honeycutt on the U.S. version of Queer as Folk, admitted to Windy City Times that he has long been "a giant rom-com fan." "Back in the '90s and ...
|
| |
BOOKS Ross Mathews drops names, opens hearts in celebrity tell-all
Until recently, the dishy and endearing celebrity stories featured in Name Drop were tales Ross Mathews—a Chelsea Lately alum and current RuPaul's Drag Race judge—only divulged over happy hour. Name Drop—dedicated to "everyone who never got ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Fatal shooting, LGBTQ political news, Bayard Rustin, travel ban
In response to the ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Ja'Quarius Taylor, from New Orleans, as a possible hate crime, National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director David Johns and Executive Director of the Lawyers' ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'The L Word,' Bradley Cooper, 'Porndemic,' Tim Gunn
Lady Gaga's mother, Cynthia Germanotta, recently shared her side of the bullying and subsequent depression that her daughter experienced in middle school, iHeart.com noted. "In middle school, because she was unique, she started experiencing a lot ...
|
| |
Billy Masters
"I better hear no lip-syncing tomorrow."—Lady Gaga, from the stage of her Miami show on All Super Bowls Eve. She added, "I love you, J. Lo. I love you Shakira." I think she may love them ...
|
| |
MOMBIAN Parenting on 'The L Word: Generation Q'
The L Word: Generation Q, the sequel to the groundbreaking queer television drama The L Word, just ended its first season on Showtime. There is much to praise about the new show, including more varied representation ...
|
| |
Lambda Legal mourns passing of Judge Deborah Batts
( New York, February 4, 2020 ) — Federal District Judge Deborah A Batts, the first openly lesbian federal judge when she was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ...
|
| |
Conference on AIDS changes name to Conference on HIV
Feb. 3, 2020 - NMAC announced today that the name of the United States Conference on AIDS will be changed to the United States Conference on HIV ( USCH ). The conference will be held in ...
|
| |
Judge rules for same-sex partners in Social Security case
On Jan. 31, federal magistrate judge recommended striking down as unconstitutional the U.S. Social Security Administration's ( SSA's ) denial of survivor's benefits to surviving same-sex partners who were barred from marrying due to discriminatory state ...
|
| |
Illinois's LGBTQ Laws Rated in Human Rights Campaign's Annual State Equality Index
WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Foundation and the Equality Federation Institute released their 5th annual State Equality Index ( SEI ), a comprehensive report detailing statewide laws and policies that affect ...
|
| |
SAG-AFTRA issues new intimacy guidelines
On Jan. 29, SAG-AFTRA ( Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ) announced a major milestone in its ongoing work to promote the on-set safety and dignity of its members. SAG-AFTRA's new "Standards ...
|
| |
PFAW Joins Call for Pardon of Civil Rights Icon Bayard Rustin
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Following the announcement by California State Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Shirley Weber of their letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, calling on Newsom to posthumously pardon civil rights icon Bayard Rustin for his 1953 ...
|
| |
Bloomberg debuts LGBT platform
Presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced specifics for his campaign's five-part, multi-pronged LGBT platform the afternoon of Jan. 28. Bloomberg, a relative latecomer to the crowded field seeking to capture the ...
|
| |
'The Color Purple' in theaters Feb. 23
In honor of the film's 35th anniversary, The Color Purple returns to movie theaters nationwide during Black History Month—its first nationwide release in more than three decades. Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros. are ...
|
| |
VIEWS Warren's America would center our voices
Days before I marched in my first Pride Parade in 2015, I waited anxiously for the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision that guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marry. I still recall the profound image ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Political candidates, Larry Kramer, Virginia laws, drag-queen news
LGBTQ Victory Fund—the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office—endorsed Ross LaJeunesse for the U.S. Senate, a press release noted. LaJeunesse would be the first openly LGBTQ man and just the third ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Judith Light, RuPaul, queer docufiction film, Lil Nas X, Mika
GLAAD will honor award-winning actress, producer and activist Judith Light with the Excellence in Media Award at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, a press release noted. The organization also announced that Lilly ...
|
| |
Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee signs anti-gay adoption bill
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a controversial bill that would let adoption agencies deny service to same-sex couples, among others, based on religious stances. The law takes effect immediately. Several corporations and groups—including Amazon, Nike and ...
|
| |
Billy Masters
"OK, people, time to recalibrate our gaydar. Batwoman is a lesbian? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but talk to me, Gotham—what ever happened to politics staying out of our superheroes?"—Not only did Batwoman just ...
|
| |
Lambda Legal releases report on judicial nominees
Lambda Legal released the third edition of its annual report of judicial nominees, showing how the Trump-Pence administration, with the help of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has filled the federal judiciary with what the organization ...
|
| |
Federal court ruling benefits same-sex couples
A federal appeals panel of Republican appointees ruled Jan. 17 that the state of Indiana must treat same-sex married couples the same as male-female married couples when determining who to list on a child's birth certificate. ...
|
| |
BOOK REVIEW Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy
By Hallie Lieberman, $26.95; Pegasus Books; 359 pages Double-A. It has many uses, that little word-dash-letter. It's good for future baseball players. Good for a pre-teen girl. Great, if you're a student trying to bring ...
|
| |
GLSEN slams religious exemptions that Trump proposes
GLSEN—which works to create safe and inclusive schools for LGBTQ students—denounced religious exemptions to federally funded programs across nine federal agencies recently proposed by the Trump Administration. In a press release, the national organization said these ...
|
| |
LGBTQ military non-profit names veteran Jennifer Dane Interim ED
WASHINGTON — Today, the Modern Military Association of America ( MMAA ) — the nation's largest non-profit organization working to advance fairness and equality for the LGBTQ military and veteran community — announced that the board ...
|
| |
Study says 6% of sexual minority adults in the US identify as queer
The first study to examine queer identity in a U.S. nationally representative sample An estimated 6% of sexual minority adults in the U.S. identify as queer, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Presidential candidates, HIV news, Seattle LGBTQ bars, Tom of Finland
Presidential candidate Tom Steyer was baffled by his own comments he previously made on protecting the health of LGBTQ asylum seekers when asked to flesh out his plan during a New York Times interview, The Washington ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Bi comedian, 'Ugly Betty,' Aaron Hernandez, women's sports news
NBC crowned comedians Franqi French and Rene Vaca as the winners of its 16th annual StandUp NBC competition, the network's annual nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds, a press release noted. French ( who happens ...
|
| |
Actors honor their own at 2019 SAG Awards
The acclaimed South Korean thriller Parasite won the Screen Actors Guild's ( SAG ) Award for outstanding performance by a motion picture cast the evening of Jan. 19, the first time that peer honor has been ...
|
| |
First woman coach in MLB history hired
On Jan. 16, Alyssa Nakken became the first female coach in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) history when she was named an assistant under new San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler, media outlets reported. Nakken ...
|
| |
Children Born Abroad to Married U.S. Same-Sex Parents Are U.S. Citizens
( New York, NY — January 17, 2020 ) Lambda Legal, Immigration Equality and pro bono counsel Morgan Lewis this week urged federal district courts in Georgia and Maryland to compel the U.S. State Department to ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Taylor Swift, GLAAD, music festivals, CW renewals, Jake Gyllenhaal
GLAAD will honor global superstar Taylor Swift and award-winning director, producer, writer and advocate Janet Mock at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 16, a press ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Scammer jailed, fertility study, queer billboard, panic-defense bill
After scamming gay men for over half a decade, Tyler Buchanan, 28, now faces up to 10 years in prison, Queerty noted. Buchanan pled guilty to using Craigslist and other websites to place ads offering gay ...
|
| |
SAGE stands with affiliate in Puerto Rico
Aid to LGBT elders vital during this crucial time [New York, NY] SAGE Puerto Rico, a SAGE affiliate since 2018, is rushing to the aid of LGBT elders who are severely suffering after a series of ...
|
| |
Oscar nominations out, with favorites and surprises
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its 2019 Oscar nominations Jan. 13. As widely expected by commentators, films with multiple nominations included critics' favorites such as The Irishman, 1917 and Marriage Story. Joker, ...
|
| |
'Michael Hutchence' soon out on digital, DVD and Blu-ray
The new documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence, about the late INXS frontman, comes to digital and on demand platforms on Jan. 21, and to Blu-ray and DVD on March 31. Mystify: Michael Hutchence arrived in movie theaters ...
|
| |
LGBTQ critics name film, TV honorees
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics—composed of 260 mainly U.S. journalists covering film and television—named its final-round choices for 2019's finest movies, performances and more across a host of mainstream and LGBTQ-focused categories. South Korean ...
|
| |
Federal court upholds injunction preventing discharge of HIV+ airmen
( Richmond, VA, January 10, 2020 ) — Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling inRoe & Voe v. Esper that halted efforts by the Trump administration to ...
|
| |
National roundup 2019, highlights and lowlights
In the last Windy City Times print issue, the publication covered 10 of the most important LGBTQ events that happened nationally in 2019. However, media outlets reported a lot more that occurred, from the sublime to ...
|
| |
Billy Masters
"This is 20/20."—Cheri Oteri rang in the new year as Barbara Walters alongside a stoic Andy Cohen and a giggling Anderson Cooper on CNN. I'm a lot like Tina Turner. Now, the obvious question to ask ...
|
| |
Screen queens, best and worst TV of 2019
The television entertainment landscape continued to evolve and grow in 2019, with Disney+ and Apple TV+ both making their debuts. Hopefully, the lists below will give TV watchers a way to separate the good, the bad ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Best LGBTQ films, Eddie Murphy, Obama's songs, DJ retires
Advocate released its list of the 30 best LGBTQ films of the 2010s. Some on the list include Appropriate Behavior, Moonlight, The Kids Are All Right, Spa Life, The Handmaiden, Colette, Tangerine, Weekend, Booksmart, Rafiki, Beats ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Anti-LGBTQ crimes, Richard Grenell, two-spirit marriage, Adam Rippon
A transgender man driving a taxi in McAlester, Oklahoma, was fatally shot early New Year's Day, Advocate.com reported. Dustin Parker, 25, leaves a wife, Regina, and four children, was a founding member of the McAlester chapter ...
|
| |
Boston IVF announces Landmark Transgender Male Fertility Research Study
WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Boston IVF, a worldwide leader in fertility care and a pioneer in LGBTQ+ family building, today announced the results of its landmark transgender fertility clinical study — which shows ...
|
| |
Parasite,' 'Peanut Butter' and pachyderms, best and worst movies of 2019
In the cinematic world, 2019 will be forever remembered for its sheer variety. For once, movies did not squeeze into a neat little box or get stuck in a rut as in years past. Bong Joon ...
|
| |
WINTER THEATER PREVIEW Classics and revivals abound this season
One advantage to 2019's abbreviated lead-up to the holidays is the number of shows that decided not to close when the mirror-ball dropped, but instead extended into 2020. People can still catch Black Ensemble's The Other ...
|
| |
Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John among Golden Globe honorees
The 77th Annual Golden Globes were distributed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Jan. 5. Contributions from members of the LGBT community in the entertainment industry—as well as ...
|
| |
UMC may split over same-sex marriage, inclusion
A schism is expected within the United Methodist Church ( UMC ) over same-sex marriage and LGBTQ inclusion, media outlets reported. UMC leaders signed a proposal that outlines the separation, and this could be approved at ...
|
| |
Julian Castro ends presidential campaign
On Jan. 2, Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro officially ended his campaign. Low polling and fundraising totals contributed to the development. "It's with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for ...
|
| |
Olympian, LGBTQ+ icon Adam Rippon to campaign for Elizabeth Warren
Charlestown, MA — On Sunday, Jan. 5, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon will campaign for Elizabeth Warren in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rippon will kick off Nevada for Warren's latest field office opening event and host a ...
|
| |
Out magazine deputy editor Nico Lang leaves
Nico Lang, the deputy editor of Out magazine, has left his position, effective Dec. 31. This development followed Zach Stafford and Phillip Picardi, the respective editors-in-chief of The Advocate and Out—two LGBTQ brands owned by Pride ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Judi Dench, HIV+ musical comedy, Black LGBTQ musicians, Ryan Reynolds
Dame Judi Dench ( perhaps jokingly ) had a different take on Old Deuteronomy, her character in the panned movie Cats, Out.com noted. The role is traditionally played by a male actor, but Dench was tapped ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Lily Tomlin, St. Louis, activist slashed, LGBTQ political candidates
Iconic LGBTQ comedian Lily Tomlin joined with several other comedy legends for a PSA in support of aging pets, The Washington Blade noted. In the video that The Grey Muzzle Organization produced, Tomlin is featured alongside ...
|
| |
U.S. Rep. John Lewis has cancer diagnosis
U.S. Rep. John Lewis ( D-Georgia ), a noted civil-rights leader, has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Lewis, 79, plans to continue serving the 5th Congressional District during his treatment, according to WSB-TV. In ...
|
| |
PASSAGES Broadway giant Jerry Herman dies
Legendary Tony-winning Broadway songwriter Jerry Herman—who was behind the iconic musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame and La Cage aux Folles—passed away at 88 from pulmonary complications, media outlets reported. Herman told NPR that seeing Irving Berlin's Annie ...
|
| |
Man behind memorial crosses retires
Greg Zanis—the Aurora man who has built more than 27,000 white crosses to commemorate victims of gun violence—has decided to retire, ABC 7 Chicago reported. Zanis started making those crosses in 1996— the same year his ...
|
| |
Alla Kovgan dances with Cunningham
Filmmaker Alla Kovgan has created a new 3D documentary depicting the works of modern dance pioneer Merce Cunningham. Moscow born Kovgan has built a career in Europe and the US with dance films over the years. ...
|
| |
Season's readings: Books to choose
So, it's a wrap. Everything's under paper and under the tree. You're done with all your shopping, except for one person. Or two. Maybe four. So what do you get for that hard-to-buy-for person who never ...
|
| |
THE AMAZON TRAIL All I want for the holidays is a left earbud
Not really. My greatest wishes would be for world peace, a year of pain-free good health for all my family, friends, and neighbors, and a brand-new president and Senate majority leader. It would, however, be nice ...
|
| |
BOOK REVIEW Toil & Trouble
By Augusten Burroughs $27.99; St. Martin's Press; 320 pages Halloween is over this year, but not for you. Your decorations are still up because the season is young. There's plenty of time left for skeletons, monsters, ...
|
| |
NATIONAL Trans deaths, Stonewall Housing, sex-workers act, RuPaul
On Dec. 7, 18-year-old Nikki Kuhnhausen was found dead after a six-month search that ended in a grassy field in her hometown of Vancouver, Washington—making her the 27th transgender homicide victim in 2019, NewNowNext.com noted. There ...
|
| |
SHOWBIZ Billy Porter, Olivia Wilde, Tessa Thompson, 'Ragtime,' Dan Levy
Stars of stage and screen have come together to celebrate Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning star for Billy Porter's lip-sync video for his chart-topping dance single, "Love Yourself," a press release noted. The video features Porter's ...
|
| |
10 Questions with Vic featuring Kit Williamson
It has been a long journey and years of perseverance for Kit Williamson to reach the pinnacle of success in Hollywood. He writes, produces and stars in Netflix's hit show 'EastSiders', nominated for 8 Emmy Awards ...
|
| |
LGBT neuropsychologist mom pens book about life with very young kids
Dr. Bethany Cook is a 42-year-old licensed clinical psychologist ( and member of the LGBT community ) with a specialty in neuropsychological assessment. She's also a music therapist, a trainer of therapy dogs and is an ...
|
| |
Looking back at 2019: National LGBTQ headlines
One might argue that 2019 was a pretty good year for LGBT people. An openly gay man rose to the top tier of a large field of Democratic presidential candidates. A second openly LGBTQ person was ...
|
