Guides to Pride can be a complicated endeavour these days, as the annual celebration of LGBTQ+ identity now regularly involves the very forces — corporations, cops — it once stood against. And don’t even get us started on our mixed feelings about celebrating queer stories from Hollywood networks and studios that too often waver when their courtship of LGBTQ+ audiences becomes politically inconvenient.

And yet. At a moment when LGBTQ+ people and their civil rights are under fire from conservative groups and right-wing politicians, it’s important to be reminded of our vibrant presence in every nook and cranny of society, real and fictional, past and present. So we’ve pulled together a list of eight new TV series — or returning TV series with new seasons — to catch up with this Pride Month.

After all, the old saying never really gets old: We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.

“Book of Queer”

The most appropriate way to kick off Pride Month is with a celebration of LGBTQ+ history, honouring the heroes who likely never imagined there would be a month-long explosion of rainbow merchandise and corporate statements.

With the help of queer historians and experts, “The Book of Queer” aims to shed light on historical figures whose contributions have been overlooked, or their queer identities erased, by mainstream society. Narrated by queer icons and featuring an entirely LGBTQ+ ensemble cast, the five-episode series will include stories about Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bayard Rustin, Josephine Baker, Harvey Milk, Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson and more.

As conservative lawmakers across the US attempt to ban educators from even acknowledging the existence of queer and trans people in classrooms, this series, infusing facts with comedy and musical fun, is a vital reminder that LGBTQ+ people have existed throughout history.

How to watch: Premiered on Discovery+

“Dead End: Paranormal Park”

Fans of queer cartoons should make sure to clear their schedules for the arrival of “Dead End: Paranormal Park.” The animated horror-comedy, based on creator Hamish Steele’s graphic novel series “DeadEndia,” follows trans teen Barney (voiced by Zach Barack) who gets a job at the local haunted theme park where an encounter with a demon gives his dog Pugsley (Alex Brightman) the ability to talk.

The coming-of-age story will see Barney, along with his pal Norma (Kody Kavitha), encounter zombies, ghosts and other supernatural beings while also navigating family, identity and even crushes.

The current political climate is especially hostile toward queer and trans youth, so an LGBTQ+-inclusive kids and family series in which a young trans protagonist (voiced by a trans actor) finds a space and friends that let him embrace his true self and laugh along the way cannot premiere soon enough.

How to watch: Premieres June 16 on Netflix in the US

“First Kill”

If you’re dying for a dose of delicious supernatural queer teen angst, look no further than “First Kill.” Based on a short story by V.E. Schwab, the series puts a young lesbian twist on the classic forbidden romance between a vampire and a slayer.

Teenage vampire Juliette Fairmont (Sarah Catherine Hook) has hit vamp adolescence and is finally expected to kill and feed on actual humans. Although she has been pushing back against this rite of passage for as long as possible, Jules can’t help but be drawn to her crush, Calliope Burns (Imani Lewis). Cal, a recent transfer student, has a secret of her own: She’s the youngest daughter of a family of monster hunters.

Cal is eager to prove that she can take down a demon by herself, but she quickly discovers that killing Juliette is as impossible as denying her feelings for her. The series should appeal to anyone who thought “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or “Twilight” would have been better if it were gay.

How to watch: Premieres June 10 on Netflix

“GentlemanJack”

Based on the experiences of a landowning Yorkshire woman of the 19th century, “Gentleman Jack” stars Suranne Jones as Anne Lister, often called “the first modern lesbian” for the intimate relationships with women she recorded in her queer-coded diaries.

Along with my beloved “Dickinson” (Apple TV+), the series — which just concluded its second season — offers a richly detailed portrait of the ways that queer people managed to live, and love, long before there were modern terms for our sexuality or gender identity. Plus, Anne’s sheer, decisive capable-ness as a business-minded lesbian in a patriarchal society might be the “Move. I’m gay” meme of Georgian England.

How to watch: Seasons 1-2 streaming on HBO Max

“Motherland: Fort Salem”

The ambitious “Motherland: Fort Salem” is set in an alternate US where witches ended the persecution of the Salem witch trials by agreeing to be conscripted into the military. The series follows Raelle Collar (Taylor Hickson), Tally Craven (Jessica Sutton) and Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams), a trio of witches who initially clash but grow close as they train as a combat unit.

The “just enough” world building and unique rules of magic open the doors to questions the show doesn’t always answer, but the appeal of the series really stems from the characters and their relationships. The central romance of the show is between Raelle and a fellow student named Scylla (Amalia Holm) whose secrets bring drama to their relationship. “Motherland: Fort Salem” is a good guilty pleasure. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

How to watch: Season 3 premieres June 21 on Freeform; Seasons 1-2 on Hulu

“Queer as Folk”

The men, the sex and the city are hotter than Hades in Peacock’s multicultural, New Orleans-set remake of the pioneering soap, this time without the same over-reliance on white, cis men to propel the narrative. (Whether you see its depiction of a mass murder reminiscent of the Pulse nightclub shooting as a strained device or an apt reflection of current affairs and LGBTQ history is another matter.)

Still, carving out new terrain by moving Babylon to Frenchmen Street, and queer Southerners — especially queer people of color — to the foreground, this “Queer as Folk” conjures its share of carnal pleasures. As Brodie’s (Devin Way) move home upends the lives of his ex (Johnny Sibilly) and a talented young drag artist (Fin Argus), you can have your bourbon ginger and drink it too. As for the rest, painfully earnest and more than a little pained do not read, in this particular political moment, as terribly far off the mark.

How to watch: Premieres June 9 on Peacock

“This Is Going to Hurt”

In the annals of the medium’s brilliant, dissolute medical professionals (Gregory House, Jackie Peyton), few have had quite so harrowing a job as Adam (Ben Whishaw), the blood-splotched National Health Service OB-GYN of “This Is Going to Hurt.”

The audacious black comedy, based on the memoir by Adam Kay, finds its workaholic protagonist at the center of a bureaucratic, medical and personal maelstrom, each indignity matched by a wry comment to the viewer (or to his boyfriend at home), and, ultimately, by Adam’s own desperation.

Anchored by what may be Whishaw’s finest screen performance, equal parts bruising and bruised, the series turns a very recognizable queer life into the the kind of television straight people typically get to carry: Adam is the gay antihero we deserve.

How to watch: Premiered Thursday on AMC+

“Umbrella Academy”

“Brothers & Sisters” with an adoptive set of mutant siblings, or perhaps a crime-of-the-century adventure from the perspective of time-traveling superheroes, “Umbrella Academy,” at its best, is an indescribable alchemy of family, history and damaged adult children: In other words, a perfect metaphor for growing up queer in America. (I kid.) (Sort of.) Better yet, the long-awaited third season features Elliot Page’s character coming out as transgender.

How to watch: Season 3 premieres June 22 on Netflix; Seasons 1-2 also on Netflix

Barry Manilow’s ex-wife Susan Deixler is “glad that he’s found love” with his husband Garry Kief.

The ‘Copacabana’ crooner and Susan were high school sweethearts and they married in 1964. However, the union quickly unravelled and they split just a year after they tied the knot, with Susan having the marriage annulled in 1966.

They have remained friends over the years, and Barry went on to wed for a second time in 2014 – exchanging vows with his longtime partner Garry.

Susan has now told America’s Closer magazine she is thrilled her ex found the love of his life, saying: “What happened between us, our relationship is ancient history.

“I wish him well. I’m happy for him. I’m glad he’s found love and happiness.”

Barry struck up a romance with Garry in 1978 but they kept their relationship a secret for years and quietly tied the knot in 2014 in a private ceremony at their home in Palm Springs after same-sex unions were legalised in California.

However, they waited another three years before going public with their love.

After coming out publicly in 2017, Barry admitted he kept his personal life private for so many years because he was worried about disappointing his fans.

The ‘Mandy’ hitmaker explained: “I’m so private. I always have been. I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything.”

On the positive reaction the news, he added: “When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy.

“The reaction was so beautiful – strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ I’m just so grateful for it.”

By Maria Caspani

(Reuters) – North Carolina lawmakers advanced legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for some public school students, a move decried by opponents as harmful to LGBTQ youth.

The “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” a broad piece of legislation that opponents say mirrors Florida’s so-called “Don’t say gay bill,” cleared the state’s Republican-led Senate and will head to the House of Representatives, which also has a Republican majority.

It could reach the desk of Governor Roy Cooper as soon as this week. Cooper, a Democrat, has spoken against the bill and is all but certain to veto it.

Advocates and civil rights groups have tracked hundreds of bills this year across state legislatures directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including many that target transgender youth specifically.

Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill was signed into law in March. In April, the governor of Alabama signed a bill prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grades, and similar measures are being considered in Louisiana and Ohio.

The North Carolina measure would prohibit mention of sexual orientation or gender identity in curricula for students from kindergarten through third grade. Schools would also have to notify parents if a student requests to be addressed by a different name or pronoun.

Supporters of the Republican-sponsored measure say it would allow greater involvement of parents in their children’s education and well-being.

Those opposing the legislation warned it could result in youth being outed to their families. If enacted, critics said, it will put an unnecessary burden on teachers and create a more hostile school environment for LGBTQ children who already face marginalization and are at greater risk of suicide.

“We’re disappointed but not surprised. And we will continue to fight for the rights of LGBTQ youth,” the ACLU North Carolina chapter said on Twitter.

Shortly after senators cast their votes, opponents of the measure in the gallery erupted in chants of “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going anywhere.”

(Reporting by Maria Caspani, Editing by Aurora Ellis)

Cyclists wearing frames shaped like cars are taking to the streets of London to demonstrate that vehicles are “hogging” roads.

Micromobility firm Dott is carrying out the stunt in Hammersmith, west London, this week.

It estimated that reducing the number of cars used in the capital by 20,000 – equivalent to less than 1% – would free up 55 miles (88km) of roads and create enough space for 80,000 bikes.

Dott has been one of three operators involved in a trial of rental e-scooters in London since June 2021.

It began offering rental e-bikes in the city in March.

Dott co-founder and chief executive Henri Moissinac said: “Our latest project highlights the absurdity of single drivers hogging the capital’s roads, when other forms of transport are openly available and so much better for both the individual and the community.

“It’s time we reimagined how we travel across our cities, which is why we’re here to unlock London with clean rides for everyone.”

Simu Liu has been waxing his body for the new ‘Barbie’ movie.

The 33-year-old actor appears alongside Margot Robbie in the much-anticipated new film, and Simu admits that getting his body waxed has been a “painful” experience.

He shared: “Waxing has been an education to say the least. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I have such a newfound admiration for the incredibly brave women who go through this on a monthly basis.”

The ‘Barbie’ movie has become a source of much speculation over recent months, and Simu likes that so little is still known about the project and how it’s been approached.

He told The Independent: “Honestly, the discourse online is giving me life. With every casting announcement or bit of news, they’re like: ‘What is this?’ And that’s perfect – the less you know about it the better.”

Meanwhile, Simu previously revealed he was happy to accept any roles at the start of his career.

The ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ star initially pursued a career in accountancy, before he followed his real ambitions in the movie business.

He said: “I felt like I was making up for lost time. My perception was that everybody was further ahead than me, so if I stood any chance, I had to catch up.”

Simu also discovered that opportunities were limited for actors with an Asian background.

He noted that Hollywood wasn’t “having those political conversations” at the time.

He said: “In the beginning, if I was a stunt guy who got beaten up by one of the white male characters, I was over the moon.

“Survival mode. Figure out a way to get on sets, figure out a way to work, that was it.”

Howie Mandel has learned to “agree to disagree” with the ‘America’s Got Talent’ judges.

The 66-year-old comedian sits on the show’s judging panel alongside Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell, and although they don’t always agree with each other, Howie still loves filming the programme.

He shared: “What’s great is, I think we disagree but we agree to disagree. We respect the disagreement.

“We don’t have the same taste and that’s what we love about everybody there. That’s what I love about Heidi, Sofia, and Simon.”

Howie has particularly enjoyed working with Simon once again, after the outspoken star broke his back when he fell off his electric bike in 2020.

Speaking to ‘Entertainment Tonight’, Howie – who joined the show in 2010 – quipped: “Simon, I’m just glad to have him, [because] he keeps falling off his bike.”

Meanwhile, Howie recently revealed he went “insane” when he had to quarantine after contracting COVID-19.

The ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge – who has previously spoken openly about his struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety – admitted the “mental pain” of being isolated away from his loved ones was far worse than the physical symptoms of the virus.

He shared: “I got locked away for 10 days. I’m vaxxed, and I’m boosted, so my symptoms weren’t terrible. But … the mental pain of me being locked in a room for 10 days, not going near anybody … I went insane.

“I still feel like I’m recovering from that, the insanity. And I’m not joking. I got incredibly depressed, incredibly neurotic.

“My only panacea to my physical health and my mental health is distracting myself. You can’t distract yourself for 10 days alone in a room.”

Washington (AFP) – Swimmer Lia Thomas, the first transgender athlete to win a top-tier US university title, insisted Tuesday that trans athletes don’t transition to gain an edge in sports and voiced ambitions to compete in the Olympics.

“It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through,” Thomas said on the ABC program “Good Morning America.”

Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle at the US collegiate championships in March.

She competes for the University of Pennsylvania, and was on the men’s team for three years before switching to the women’s squad this season.

Controversy has shrouded Thomas throughout the year, with critics and some fellow swimmers saying she should not have been allowed to compete and has an unfair physiological advantage.

Others say she should be allowed to compete freely as a woman.

In the ABC interview she said, “Trans people don’t transition for athletics.”

“We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions,” said Thomas.

“Trans women are not a threat to women’s sports,” she added.

US Olympic swimming trials for the Summer Games of 2024 in Paris begin in June in Indianapolis, Indiana.

After a weightlifter in the Tokyo games last year became the first trans athlete to compete in the Olympics, transgender issues have roiled the world of sports.

In November the International Olympic Committee essentially left it up to each sport, saying there was no scientific consensus on the role of testosterone on performance in sports.

The controversy has political overtones, too, in the United States.

Several states run by conservatives have recently barred trans girls from competing in school sports.

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he planned to meet with lawmakers in Congress about guns after the Texas elementary school shooting last week in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.

“There’s an awful lot of suffering,” Biden said during a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the Oval Office.

Biden, who visited with families of the shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday, said he thought he had been to more mass shooting aftermaths than any other U.S. president.

“Much of it is preventable, and the devastation … is amazing,” he said. “I will meet with the Congress on guns. I promise you,” he said to reporters as he exited the room.

Ardern expressed condolences for victims of the shootings in Texas and a May 14 racist shooting in Buffalo that killed 10 people.

“It’s been devastating to see the impact on those communities,” she said. Ardern said she would be glad to share anything about New Zealand’s experience dealing with guns if it could be valuable. Biden called what the country was doing with technology companies “important.”

After a 2019 massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which a lone gunman killed 51 Muslims, Ardern delivered a ban on semiautomatic firearms and other gun curbs, a stark contrast to the United States, where lawmakers and activists have struggled to address gun violence despite numerous mass shootings.

In the United States, U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly failed to tighten gun laws after similar massacres over the past decade.

Biden’s fellow Democrats are open to new gun restrictions while Republicans have an expansive vision of gun rights.

U.S. lawmakers from both parties are working on potential legislative action, despite previous attempts having failed. The White House said on Tuesday that Biden did not support a ban on all handguns and reiterated that it is studying potential executive actions on gun violence protection.

The White House is urging Congress to act on the issue and Biden has, for the moment, sought to give lawmakers space to find compromises that could pass.

“We’re going to let that process go,” spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has repeatedly said in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting last week that gun regulations are not the solution.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason;Additional reporting by David BrunnstromWriting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Alistair Bell and Aurora Ellis)

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) – Two Black Minneapolis residents on Tuesday filed federal civil rights lawsuits against Derek Chauvin, the white former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, alleging he had dealt with them similarly in the past.

John Pope Jr and Zoya Code claimed racism and civil rights violations in the lawsuits, lawyers representing them told reporters. The lawsuits stem from incidents that go back to 2017.

Floyd, a Black man suspected of passing a counterfeit bill, was killed in May 2020 when Chauvin knelt on his neck as three other officers watched. The incident triggered a wave of protests over racial injustice across the world.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22-1/2 years in prison last year after his conviction on murder charges. He pleaded guilty in federal court to charges he violated Floyd’s civil rights.

Pope was 14 years old in 2017 when officers were called to his home for a reported domestic disturbance. Chauvin was one of the officers who responded, and he entered Pope’s bedroom, where Pope was on his cell phone and lying face down on the floor, the lawyers said on Tuesday.

“Chauvin rushed Pope and struck him multiple times on the head with a large flashlight” and “pinned Pope to the floor with his knee, the same tactic he used on George Floyd,” they said.

In the case of Code, attorneys alleged Chauvin also used excessive force, adding he slammed her head on the ground and put his knee on the back of her neck.

Chauvin’s attorneys were not immediately available for comment.

Criminal charges against both Pope and Code were eventually dropped. Joining their lawyers in Tuesday’s press briefing, the plaintiffs said they were left traumatized after Chauvin’s actions. Their lawsuits also name the city of Minneapolis as a defendant.

“The incidents involving John Pope and Zoya Code are disturbing. We intend to move forward in negotiations with the Plaintiffs on these two matters and hope we can reach a reasonable settlement,” the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office said.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Matthew Lewis)

Washington (AFP) – The US Supreme Court on Tuesday put back on hold a controversial Texas law barring social media platforms from “censoring” posts based on viewpoints.

The law threatens to essentially make it a crime for social media platforms to curb hate speech or bigoted tirades, or even point out when posts are demonstrably false.

Political conservatives have accused Facebook, Twitter and other social media giants of stifling their voices, providing no evidence to support the claims.

Social media platforms have consistently defended themselves against such accusations, saying content moderation decisions are based on factors such as risk of real-world harm.

Former US president Donald Trump was booted from Facebook and Twitter after a group of his supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to prevent his rightly elected successor Joe Biden from taking office.

People died during the attack, and there were concerns Trump would use social media to incite further violence.

The Texas law bars social media platforms with more than 50 million users from banning people based on their political viewpoints.

NetChoice trade association, whose members include Amazon, Facebook and Google, challenged the law and convinced a federal court in Texas to stop it from being enforced until it was resolved whether it runs afoul of the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

An appeals court later sided with Texas, saying the state could go ahead with the law, prompting the matter being taken to the Supreme Court.

The top court in the United States on Tuesday backed the original decision to put Texas law HB 20 on hold while the question of whether it should be tossed out completely is resolved.

“Texas’s HB 20 is a constitutional trainwreck — or, as the district court put it, an example of ‘burning the house to roast the pig,'” NetChoice counsel Chris Marchese said in a release.

“Despite Texas’s best efforts to run roughshod over the First Amendment, it came up short in the Supreme Court.”

NetChoice welcomed the decision, which sends the case back to a district court in Texas to hear arguments regarding the law’s constitutionality.

In its original decision about the stay, the district court said social media platforms have a right to moderate content disseminated on their platforms, and that a provision against putting warning labels on misinformation even risked violating the free speech rights of internet firms.

“Texas’s law violates the First Amendment because it compels social media companies to publish speech they don’t want to publish, and because it prevents them from responding to speech they disagree with,” said attorney Scott Wilkens at Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute.

“In addition, the theory of the First Amendment that Texas is advancing in this case would give government broad power to censor and distort public discourse.”