RadioRob

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung and Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declared for the first time that the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense, handing a landmark victory to gun rights advocates in a nation deeply divided over how to address firearms violence. The 6-3 ruling, with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and liberal justices in dissent, struck down New York state’s limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home. The court found that the law, enacted in 1913, violated a person’s right to “keep and bear arms” under the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment. The ruling, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, declared that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.” Thomas added: “We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need.” The New York restriction is unconstitutional because it “prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms,” Thomas added. Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in dissent that the court had expanded gun rights without wrestling with the “nature or severity” of firearms violence in a country where there are more guns per person than any other nation. “I fear that the court’s interpretation ignores these significant dangers and leaves states without the ability to address them,” Breyer wrote. The justices overturned a lower court ruling throwing out a challenge to the law by two gun owners and the New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association, an influential gun rights group closely aligned with Republicans. The decision represents the court’s most important statement on gun rights in more than a decade. The court in 2008 recognized for the first time an individual’s right to keep guns at home for self-defense in a case from the District of Columbia, and in 2010 applied that right to the states. Gun rights, held dear by many Americans and promised by the country’s 18th century founders, are a contentious issue in a nation with high levels of firearms violence including numerous mass shootings. President Joe Biden’s administration backed New York in the case. The United States has experienced hundreds of deaths from dozens of mass shootings in recent years. Just in recent weeks, 19 children and two teachers were killed on May 24 at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and 10 people were slain on May 14 at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. The new ruling underscored how the 6-3 conservative majority on the court is sympathetic to an expansive reading of Second Amendment rights. ‘ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING’ New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called the ruling “absolutely shocking” and said she was “sorry this dark day has come.” Under the New York law’s “proper cause” requirement, applicants seeking an unrestricted concealed carry permits must convince a state firearms licensing officer of an actual, rather than speculative, need for self-defense. Officials could also grant licenses restricted to certain activities, such as hunting or target practice. The ruling could lead to many more people securing the licenses to carry concealed handguns in the state, undermine similar restrictions in other states and imperil other types of state and local firearms restrictions nationwide by requiring judges to scrutinize them with a more skeptical eye under the Constitution. The ruling said that New York’s concealed firearm regime is at odds with the text and history of the Second Amendment and how gun rights were protected throughout U.S. history. Firearms safety groups and gun control activists feared that a sweeping ruling against New York could undermine gun measures such as “red flag” laws targeting the firearms of people deemed dangerous by the courts, expanded criminal background checks for gun buyers or restrictions on selling untraceable “ghost” guns assembled from components purchased online. They also feared that such ruling could jeopardize bans on guns in sensitive places such as airports, courthouses, hospitals and schools. The ruling will affect at least six states including New York, as well as the District of Columbia, that empower officials to decide whether people can carry concealed handguns in public even if they pass criteria such as criminal background checks. Three other states, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island, also give officials some discretion, according to the ruling. The ruling acknowledged that states can prohibit guns in “sensitive places” and that such prohibitions can likely go beyond what was historically considered a sensitive place, such as courthouses and legislative buildings. Thomas wrote that courts “can use analogies to those historical regulations” of sensitive places. But Breyer asked: “So where does that leave the many locations in a modern city with no obvious 18th- or 19th-century analogue? What about subways, nightclubs, movie theaters, and sports stadiums? The court does not say.” Biden has advocated for new gun restrictions and has called firearms violence a “national embarrassment.” The U.S. Senate is poised on Thursday for a vote to advance a bipartisan gun control bill that supporters hope will help curb mass shootings in what could become the first new federal gun law in decades. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a concurring opinion said states can still impose requirements on people seeking licenses to carry firearms including fingerprinting, background checks, mental health checks and firearms training classes. In another concurring opinion, conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the court has said “nothing about who may lawfully possess a firearm or the requirements that must be met to buy a gun. Nor does it decide anything about the kinds of weapons that people may possess.” Alito disputed that gun regulations like the one in New York would deter mass shootings, mentioning the recent Buffalo massacre. “The New York law at issue in this case obviously did not stop that perpetrator,” Alito wrote. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by The Mercury News SAN JOSE, Calif. — Vowing that “we aren’t going anywhere,” the performer King Art Babe forged ahead Tuesday evening with the Alameda County Library’s first Drag Queen Story Hour event since a group of apparent Proud Boys members disrupted another reading earlier this month in San Lorenzo, Calif. No disruptions were reported Tuesday as the performer — bedazzled in heels, rainbow stockings, a frilly blue dress and a unicorn tiara — held a group of preschoolers and kindergarteners in rapt attention, flipping through several books about Pride parades and dressing in drag. Often, she stopped to rem… Read More View the full article

Published by NJ.com Monkeypox has been a hot topic of conversation, especially since the first probable case of monkeypox was discovered this week in New Jersey. It was discovered that monkeypox has been spread through sexual intercourse in almost all recent cases throughout the globe. This begs the question: Is monkeypox a sexually transmitted disease (STD)? Here’s what you need to know. What is monkeypox? When was it first discovered? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers first discovered monkeypox in 1958 when a “pox-like” outbreak appeared on monkeys being kept for res… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Margaret Cho used to feel “invisible” as a bisexual woman. The 53-year-old comedienne – who was previously married to Al Ridenour but split from him in 2015 – explained that the “biggest discrimination” she had faced as a bisexual woman of Asian descent was that of “invisibility” and claimed there had been a “lack of representation” for her in the media. She said: “The biggest discrimination that I felt is really invisibility. The lack of representation and lack of leading by example, lack of seeing who’s out there that I can relate to in terms of being Asian American and a queer woman. There are so many things that society has not offered until now.” However, the ‘Fire Island’ star also went on to explain that Pride Month – which takes place across the month of June and encourages the world to support the gay community – needs to be more than an annual event in order to “protect” future generations of children. She told E! News: “It’s not really just about one month of a year or one parade. I think that more than ever we have to celebrate ourselves and look to protecting our rights⁠—whether that’s protecting trans kids, trans legislation or increasing our own visibility throughout the media. It’s really about making sure we maintain and advance our own rights and abilities to continue to exist and to thrive. “You have a safe place to come out to. There is a world that is meant to be discovered and you’re not alone in your journey. So many people can help you and are very sincere in our effort to assist.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Sylvester is getting a closer look. The late disco great is the subject of a “Sound Barrier,” a new documentary podcast that launched Wednesday on Spotify. Hosted by Dr. Jason King, a journalist, musician and New York University professor, the series will chronicle the musical career and impact of the genre-defying, gender-bending and influential icon. The vocal powerhouse behind timeless disco classics such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” “Dance (Disco Heat)” and “Do You Wanna Funk,” Sylvester was a trailblazer in Black music and LGBTQ+ culture. Long before “Rupaul’s Drag Race… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning Jussie Smollett stood by his story regarding the homophobic and racist attack he allegedly encountered in January 2019, defending his innocence and sharing how he coped during his brief stint behind bars. The embattled Empire star, 40, stopped by SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morningto give a post-jail interview and detailed how he gained clarity as well as renewed his spirit. SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning “God. And my family,” Smollett said about what he focused on while locked up. “I fasted for six-and-a-half days.” The actor said his lawyer lied about his reason behind the fast, confirming that “I wasn’t fasting for lent, I was fasting because that’s what we do in my family.” “I have never in my life, at least in my adult life, been as clear of mind as I was for those six and a half days,” he shared. “There was a part where they told me that I was getting out. Lord knows I wanted to get out.” Although he was sentenced to 150 days following his conviction on five felony counts of faking his own hate crime and falsely reporting the attack to police, Smollett was granted the opportunity to post a bail of $150,000 and leave jail six days in. As Radar previously reported, he spent four days in the psych ward over concerns about his mental state. He later spent two days in the jail’s general population. His team claimed the conditions inside the Chicago jail were “unacceptable” prior to his release. SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning During his interview, Smollett didn’t address what will happen if his appeal fails, and he has to go back to jail and complete the remainder of his sentence. Smollett said he is fully aware that a lot of people still believe the alleged attack was a hoax, adding, “I absolutely understand why people felt betrayed. And I put that in my song Thank You God.” “If I had done something like this, it would mean that I stuck my fist in the pain of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years,” he doubled down. “It would mean that I stuck my fist in the fears of the LGBTQ community, all over the world. I’m not that mother f—–, never have been.” SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning Smollett said he’s in good spirits these days and is avoiding negative energy. Plus, he’s also in therapy. “I’m going where the love is,” he added. “Why should we subject ourselves to unnecessary pain or salaciousness or whatever. That’s why I come home to family.” View the full article

Published by PopCrush Two Alaska Airlines employees recently took their love to new heights with a surprise dual engagement on the company’s “Pride in the Sky” flight. According to Alaska Airlines, Veronica Rojas, a flight attendant for the airline, proposed to her newly hired Alaska pilot girlfriend Alejandra Moncayo over the PA system (in English and Spanish) while on one knee. Their love story started, at 35,000 feet, after they initially met while on a flight traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2020. When the women noticed that the Alaska Airline’s “Fly with Pride” flight just happened to be retaking… Read More View the full article

Published by PsyPost New research provides evidence that sexual identity changes tend to be associated with increased psychological distress among young women. But the findings, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, indicate that this association primarily impacts women who move towards more same-sex orientations. “There is a perception in our society that sexual orientation, and thus a person’s sexual identity (e.g., bisexual, lesbian, straight), sits inside them from the day they were born and does not change across their lives,” said study author Alice Campbell, a postdoctoral research fellow … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, detained in Russia for months, was not able to speak to her wife as scheduled due to a logistical error compounded by Russia’s restrictions on the U.S. embassy’s operations in Moscow, the State Department said on Tuesday. “We deeply regret that Brittney Griner was unable to speak to her wife over the weekend because of a logistical error,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, adding that the call has been rescheduled. The Associated Press on Tuesday reported that Griner tried to call her wife nearly a dozen times through the American embassy in Russia on their fourth anniversary on Saturday but they never connected as the phone line at the embassy was not staffed, according to Cherelle Griner. “It was a logistical issue that was compounded in part by the fact that our embassy in Moscow is under significant restrictions in terms of its staffing,” Price told reporters. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) seven-time All-Star was detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 when a search of her luggage allegedly revealed multiple cannabis oil vape cartridges. She could face up to 10 years in prison. Last week her pre-trial detention was extended to July 2. Russia and the U.S. were locked in a dispute over the size and functioning of their respective diplomatic missions long before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he calls his “special military operation” against Ukraine on Feb. 24. In October 2021, a senior State Department official briefing reporters said the Department was getting to the point of being able to maintain only a “caretaker presence” in Russia. At the time, the staff at the embassy in Moscow — the last operational U.S. mission in the country after consulates in Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg were shuttered – had shrunk to 120 from about 1,200 in early 2017. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Ken Ferris) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Shrivathsa Sridhar BENGALURU (Reuters) – Transgender cyclist Veronica Ivy questioned the move by swimming’s governing body FINA to restrict the participation of trans athletes in elite women’s competitions, telling Reuters that there had not been enough research to guide such decisions. Ivy also criticised FINA’s plans to explore an “open” category as part of its policy that was passed following a vote at its extraordinary general congress on Sunday, saying such a move does not show respect to trans athletes. FINA’s decision, the strictest by any Olympic sports body, came after members heard a report from a transgender task force comprising medical, legal and sports figures. The new eligibility policy for FINA competitions states that male-to-female transgender athletes are eligible to compete only if “they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later.” Canadian Ivy, who in 2018 became the first transgender UCI masters world track cycling champion by winning in the women’s 35-44 years category, described FINA’s policy as “unscientific”. “There hasn’t been a single peer-reviewed study on trans women competitive swimmers to show that there’s any competitive advantage for transitioning post puberty,” Ivy said. “So to single out puberty as the break-off point isn’t based on any evidence, it’s not based on them seeing an advantage for trans women, they have only looked at cisgender male athletes compared to cisgender female athletes. “That’s not how this works. When you’re trying to single out trans women, you need to study trans women athletes… FINA has not done that.” With the world championships currently taking place in Budapest, FINA was not immediately available for comment. But FINA’s contention that trans women athletes retain some physical advantages despite testosterone suppression after going through male puberty has been backed by a study from Joanna Harper, a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University. That paper concluded “strength may be well preserved” in trans women during the first three years of hormone therapy. ‘MEANINGFUL COMPETITION’ “It’s reasonable to put restrictions on trans women in international level sports competitions,” Harper said, adding she was disappointed but not surprised by FINA’s policy. “Restricting participation to only those trans women who have never experienced male puberty is not necessary to ensure meaningful competition for all women. “In terms of the open category, I’m sceptical, but I’ll reserve judgment until I see the finished product. Will there be Olympic medals in swimming in the open category? Will swimmers in that category be able to earn a living as professionals?” The debate surrounding trans women athletes has intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle this year. Rugby league also banned transgender players from women’s international competition on Tuesday. Soccer’s global body FIFA is in a consultation process over transgender participation while World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe has praised FINA for its stance. The International Cycling Union has also tightened its rules on transgender participation. Ivy said that FINA’s decision was likely because of Thomas, who has not won a world title or participated in the Olympics. “In the United States trans people are under attack… People trying to outlaw treatments and access to healthcare and sport… politicians calling for us to be murdered,” she said. “That’s the context in which we see something like this.” Harper said it was important for sports bodies to continue collecting data. “I’d suggest that whatever decisions they make today, they review them regularly and hopefully, as more and better data is published, they make better policies,” Harper said. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mega A date fit for a Disney Princess! On Tuesday, June 21, actress Rebel Wilson took to Instagram to share a sweet snap of her and partner during a romantic date. “Circled the block and eventually got a great parking spot ,” the actress captioned a photo of her near a red car, later following up with another image of her girlfriend, Romana Agruma, and a friend. The sweet pictures come weeks after the star came out instagram, sharing a cute selfie of her and her partner. Of course, people loved seeing the Pitch Perfect alum out and about. One person wrote, “Ciao ,” while another added, “ANGELS!” A third person added, “So happy for you love!” Earlier this month, the blonde babe revealed that she was off the market. “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess #loveislove,” she wrote at the time. Naturally, fans and celebrities couldn’t help but gush over her romance. One person wrote, “So happy for you!!!!! ,” while another added, “YESSSSS!!!!! .” A third person gushed, “Love you #loveislove.” mega REBEL WILSON FLAUNTS INCREDIBLE WEIGHT LOSS TRANSFORMATION IN BATHING SUIT ON SUN-DRENCHED FIJI BEACH: PHOTOS The Australia native, who previously dated Jacob Busch, didn’t disclose that she was dating a woman until recently. However, she told People a few months prior that there was someone new in her life. mega “We spoke on the phone for weeks before meeting. And that was a really good way to get to know each other,” she said. “It was a bit old-school in that sense — very romantic.” “I think going through the process of finding more self-worth, I think that what you want in a partner is elevated and so it’s great to have someone who feels like an equal partner and be in a healthy relationship,” she continued. “There were times — I’m not saying with all my exes, they’re great — but there were some times that I was probably putting up with that I shouldn’t have. So it feels different to be in a really healthy relationship.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) – A Delaware judge on Tuesday rejected a motion by the parent of Fox News Network to dismiss Dominion Voting Systems Inc’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit over the network’s 2020 presidential election coverage. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis, who last December said Dominion could sue Fox News Network, said the voting machine company can also sue Fox Corp on a theory it was directly liable for statements on the network. Fox Corp did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement, Dominion said: “We are pleased to see this process moving forward to hold Fox accountable.” Dominion accused Fox of trying to avoid viewer defections to conservative rivals Newsmax and One America News by amplifying false theories that the company rigged the 2020 election so Republican Donald Trump would lose to Democrat Joe Biden. Some theories were floated by Trump surrogates like the lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and included claims that votes were changed through algorithms created in Venezuela to rig elections for that country’s late president Hugo Chavez. In court papers, Dominion claimed that Fox Corp, through Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch directly participated in, approved and controlled the network’s election coverage and its aftermath. Without ruling on the merits, Davis said the allegations permitted “reasonable” inferences that Fox Corp acted with malice and proximately caused Dominion’s alleged damages. “Dominion has adequately pleaded actual malice with respect to Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch,” the judge wrote. Davis dismissed a related defamation claim against another Fox entity, Fox Broadcasting, for posting the challenged statements on fox.com, citing a lack of evidence that anyone there was “subjectively aware of anything.” Smartmatic, another voting machine company, is also seeking billions of dollars in damages from Fox and various Trump allies it has accused of defamation. The case is US Dominion Inc et al v Fox Corp, Delaware Superior Court, No. N21C-11-082. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Elliot Page says transitioning has “improved his life drastically”. The ‘Umbrella Academy’ actor – who came out as trans in December 2020 – urged people who have been negative about his transition to simply look at the positive impact its had on his own happiness. Appearing on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’, he said: “I think it’s made me better in so many facets. As a person, as a friend, and in relationships… “It’s improved my life drastically, and I hope that people who do have an issue with me could try and hear that and embrace that on some level.” While the 35-year-old star is “grateful” for the support he’s received from his loved ones, negative feedback online can be “overwhelming”. He added: “What I want to focus on right now, and has been so extraordinary, is the degree of joy that I feel, the degree of presence that I feel. “I feel a way that I really never thought possible for a long, long time. That’s really what I’m focusing on and embracing the most.” “Of course, some moments can be overwhelming.[And] I feel like it’s so unfortunate because we’re all on the same team here, you know? “Whether you’re trans, non-binary, cis, we all have these expectations and these limits and constraints… To me it would be so special for us to all be able to connect and talk about how similar we all are.” Meanwhile, Elliot noted how collaborative the upcoming third season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ was, as he played a big role in his character Vanya Hargreeves – now Viktor – also transitioning on screen. He said: “When we first talked about it, [creator Steve Blackman] seemed really excited about incorporating it into the show.” They also worked with trans author and journalist Thomas Page McGee, and Elliot noted how he “came on board and helped out”. He gushed: “I feel proud of it and I’m excited for people to see it.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Reuters) -A California jury in a civil case ruled on Tuesday that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted a woman at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was a teenager and ordered the comedian to pay her $500,000 in damages for emotional distress from the incident. Judy Huth had testified that the comedian invited her and a friend to the mansion when she was 16, and he was 37, and forced her to perform a sex act. The verdict came nearly a year after Cosby was freed from prison when Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out his sexual assault conviction in a different criminal case there. Huth’s lawsuit was the first civil case against Cosby to come to trial. Huth, now 64, said she was “elated” by the ruling in the case, which she filed in 2014 after media reports detailed accusations against Cosby by multiple women. Those reports helped stir up memories of her encounter with Cosby, Huth said, and triggered four years of anxiety and other symptoms. “It’s been so many years, so many tears,” Huth told reporters outside California Superior Court in Santa Monica. “It’s been a long time coming.” Huth told the jury that Cosby had invited her and the friend to the mansion a few days after they met the then-famous actor and comedian at a public park. After she emerged from a bathroom, Cosby took her hand and used it to masturbate his penis, she said. Cosby, who did not appear in person at the trial, denied Huth’s allegation. His defense team will appeal the verdict, Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said. “Mr. Cosby continues to maintain his innocence and will vigorously fight these false accusations, so that he can get back to bringing the pursuit of happiness, joy and laughter to the world,” Wyatt said in a statement. Cosby, 84, is best known for his role as the lovable husband and father in the 1980s television comedy series “The Cosby Show,” earning him the nickname “America’s Dad.” But his family-friendly reputation was shattered after more than 50 women accused him of sexual assaults over nearly five decades. Huth brought the case under a California law that allows people who claim they were abused as children to file civil cases years later as adults. Three other women who have accused Cosby of abuse attended the trial and told reporters they felt vindicated by the verdict. Lili Bernard, who has a civil lawsuit pending against Cosby in New Jersey, said the ruling was “important for every sexual assault survivor who has not received justice.” “We will never give up,” she said. The jury did not rule entirely in Huth’s favor. By a 9-3 vote, they said she had not provided “clear and convincing evidence” that Cosby had acted with “malice, oppression or fraud.” If jurors had voted yes on that question, they could have provided additional punitive damages to Huth. In video of a deposition shown to jurors, Cosby said he did not remember Huth. But he said the incident could not have happened because he would not have pursued sexual contact at that time with someone who was under age 18. Cosby attorney Jennifer Bonjean challenged Huth’s account throughout the trial, including her revised timeline. When the lawsuit was filed in December 2014, Huth said the incident occurred in 1974, when she was 15. She told jurors she recently concluded that she had been mistaken about the year and now believes it happened in 1975. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Writing by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Richard Chang and Richard Pullin) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ryan Reynolds is launching a nonprofit to help people from underrepresented communities get started in creative careers. The ‘Deadpool’ actor hopes The Creative Ladder can help “talent of all backgrounds” has the chance to flourish, while the organisation will offer programmes and services to boost career options in advertising, marketing, design and commercial production, as well as providing leadership training, mentorship and more. Ryan said in a statement: “We started talking about The Creative Ladder right after we launched the Group Effort Initiative, so I am so thrilled the day is finally here. “I love making ads and want to help make sure talent of all backgrounds have the access and information they need to succeed. “Ads are just another form of storytelling and a more representative workforce will only make this industry stronger and enable it to tell better stories.” The 45-year-old star’s project will officially launch later this year alongside a leadership conference and the six-month Leadership Academy, which will virtually teach management skills. Professional services network Deloitte has signed on as a founding donor with a $500,000 donation. The company’s US executive chair Janet Foutty added: “As a founding donor of The Creative Ladder, Deloitte is thrilled to support their mission to strengthen the pipeline of racially and ethnically diverse professionals seeking careers in the creative field, and create more leadership pathways for the next generation of creative professionals. “Underrepresented communities haven’t had the same networking and career development opportunities as most creatives. “Creating a more diverse pool of talent is a critical step in creating an equitable future across multiple creative segments.” Meanwhile, Ryan – who has daughters James, seven, Inze, five, and Betty, two, with his wife Blake Lively – has admitted “brutal” parenting mistakes have been an education. Speaking in Cannes, he said: “I used to tell my kids, ‘Don’t waste your mistakes’. “When you’re making mistakes it’s easy to sort of be absorbed by shame and sort of this idea that you’ve done something wrong, but you also have to look at it critically and use it as a stepping stone to learning something profound.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Gillian Anderson would “like to kill somebody” in her next on-screen role. The 53-year-old actress – who starred as former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Crown’ – has grown tied of playing “serious women” and she’s now looking for something completely different. Speaking about her acting ambitions, Gillian admitted: “There is so much to do. I haven’t killed anybody. Oh, no, maybe I killed somebody once? I’d like to kill somebody. “I keep playing very, very, serious women who seem to have it all together and I’d like to be a basket case, because I am a basket case! It would be good to do that.” Gillian stars as therapist Jean Milburn in the hit Netflix series ‘Sex Education’, and she thinks “prudish” Brits play a part in the show’s success. The actress – who is best known for playing FBI agent Dana Scully in ‘The X-Files’ – told The Sun newspaper: “I think that is what partly makes it so funny. “What I have heard from fans of all ages is that they have felt seen and heard and it seems to pretty much cover the cross section of humanity.” Meanwhile, Gillian previously revealed she’d banned her kids from watching ‘Sex Education’. The actress – who has Piper, 27, with Clyde Klotz, as well as Felix, 13, and Oscar, 15, with Mark Griffiths – explained that she had initially banned her kids from watching the steamy show. She shared: “I am living happily in the denial that my children do not watch the show – I hope they haven’t. When it first came out, I told them they weren’t allowed to. “But I have no control over what they do at their friends’ houses. I have no control over what their friends show them.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Prince William believes discrimination remains “an all too familiar experience” for black men and women in Britain. The 40-year-old prince made the comment during a speech at Waterloo train station in London, where William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, unveiled a new monument to celebrate the dreams and courage of the Windrush generation. He said: “Discrimination remains an all too familiar experience for black men and women in Britain in 2022.” The statue has been designed by the Jamaican artist and sculptor Basil Watson, and was unveiled by the royal couple as part of a series of engagements to mark Windrush Day (22.06.22) in the UK. The monument features a depiction of a man, woman and child stood on top of their suitcases after arriving in the country. Prince William spoke out against the Windrush Scandal – which involved the wrongful deportation of members of the Windrush generation – and he also conceded that real equality remains some way off. He said: “Only a matter of years ago, tens of thousands of that generation were profoundly wronged by the Windrush Scandal. That rightly reverberates throughout the Caribbean community here in the UK as well as many in the Caribbean nations. “Therefore, alongside celebrating the diverse fabric of our families, our communities and our society as a whole – something the Windrush Generation has contributed so much to – it is also important to acknowledge the ways in which the future they sought and deserved has yet to come to pass.” Windrush Day was introduced in 2018 in the hope of encouraging communities across the UK to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation, who migrated to the country after World War Two. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also met young people from the the British-Caribbean community at Elevate, a non-profit organisation in London that brings together creativity and culture. Elevate hopes to provide young people with the opportunities they need in order to forge successful careers within the creative industries. View the full article

Published by InsideHook By Kirk Miller Earlier this month a number of Tampa Bay Rays players ripped off rainbow-colored logos on their hats during a game that was also a celebration of “Pride Night.” The players later cited religious beliefs as the reason behind their decision. Unfortunately, it sounds like more than five players in Major League Baseball might also not be so accepting, at least according to New York Mets outfielder Mark Canha. “I would like to sit here and say, ‘Oh we should have a discussion,’” Canha told SNY. “’The more we talk about it, the more we have open discussions about it, the faster that w… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Rohith Nair and Aadi Nair (Reuters) -The International Hockey Federation (IHF) and World Triathlon have joined a raft of governing bodies reviewing their policy on the involvement of transgender athletes in women’s sport following last weekend’s ruling by swimming’s top body FINA. On Sunday, FINA voted to ban anyone who has been through male puberty from elite women’s competitions and to create a working group to establish an “open” category for transgender swimmers in some events as part of its new policy. “We are conducting a review of our transgender policy and this is a current work in progress in consultation with the IOC (International Olympic Committee),” a spokesperson for the IHF told Reuters on Wednesday. World Triathlon are working on their own guidelines which will be released after the approval of the Executive Board in November, following a review by the medical committee, women’s committee and equality, diversity & inclusion commission. “Once approved, it will be implemented at international level (World Triathlon) and also distributed to all National Federations for their implementation at a local level,” a World Triathlon spokesperson said. “We have also reached out to the transgender community to receive their feedback and inputs. “We really hope that new guidelines will provide a fair and inclusive competition for all athletes, including transgender, cisgender and non-binary athletes.” The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is also preparing a transgender policy which will be presented at its full board meeting in November. “Currently we are following the IOC’s guidelines regarding sports where physical strength is a factor,” an ICF spokesperson said. World Athletics, soccer’s governing body FIFA and World Netball are reviewing their transgender inclusion policies after FINA’s verdict, the strictest by any Olympic sports body. Rugby league banned transgender players from women’s international competition until further notice on Tuesday, while the International Cycling Union (UCI) last week tightened its eligibility rules. LGBT rights group Athlete Ally said FINA’s new eligibility criteria was “discriminatory” and “harmful”, while transgender cyclist Veronica Ivy described the policy as “unscientific”. Advocates for transgender inclusion argue that not enough studies have yet been done on the impact of transition on physical performance, and that elite athletes are often physical outliers in any case. The IOC said in November that no athlete should be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage, while leaving it up to sports federations to decide where the balance between inclusion and fairness lay. “When push comes to shove, if it’s a judgement between inclusion and fairness, we will always fall down on the side of fairness — that for me is non-negotiable,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in announcing his organisation’s review. World Rugby instituted a ban on transgender players competing at the elite level of the women’s game last year, citing safety concerns. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said on Wednesday they were undertaking a consultation over their transgender eligibility policy in the grassroots of the game and were aiming to be as inclusive as possible. (Reporting by Rohith Nair and Aadi Nair, Writing by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Radnedge) View the full article

Published by DPA Matt Rogers, Zane Phillips and Tomas Matos in the queer rom-com hit “Fire Island”, which launched for Disney+ subscribers in June. Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios/dpa Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang remember that first trip, years ago, to the beachy New York LGBTQ resort that would inspire the Hulu rom-com, “Fire Island.” Before playing BFFs Noah (Booster) and Howie (Yang) in the film, who find unexpected romances while vacationing at the Long Island party destination, the real-life friends were on a similar getaway, staying 12 deep in a three-bedroom house, “really making it work despite our comedians’ salaries,” said Yang. “There is a magical energy, an ephemeral thing about it,” Yang said from New York City ahead of the film’s early June release. “You get on the ferry and it’s like a portal into another dimension.” Connected by wooden boardwalks and accessible only by water, idyllic Fire Island offer a place of unique liberation, and one not just free of cars. “I’ve never felt closer to my friends than when we’re on Fire Island together experiencing the freedom that comes with not being around straight people,” said actor-writer Booster, videochatting from Los Angeles about the acclaimed Searchlight Pictures film, which has a breakout ensemble. “Not having to navigate a heterosexual society for that one single week is so freeing, it really does unlock a lot inside of you.” There were downsides. On that first visit, Yang was still a few years away from his “Saturday Night Live” stardom and Booster, who came up through Chicago’s underground comedy scene, had yet to land his own TV breakthroughs on “Sunnyside,” “Shrill” and “Big Mouth.” Rereading Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” he started noticing parallels between the classic and the interactions he and his friends had among the scene’s predominantly white, wealthy party set. “When a premium is put on sex and aesthetics, it can be really toxic,” he said. “The things that make it difficult to navigate the world as a person of colour or a person who doesn’t maybe have the ‘ideal’ body type or who might not be rich, suddenly all of those problems, like the good stuff, get outsized and blown up and become unavoidable if you don’t go with the right support system.” Booster channeled it all — the magic, the romance, the sex and social hierarchies, dance parties and Britney Spears karaoke — into “Fire Island,” a fresh spin on Austen’s 19th-century novel. The first major studio rom-com to center gay Asian American leads, it’s also the only movie to earn a special exception to the Bechdel Test following a critique earlier this month by writer Hanna Rosin, who slammed the film’s female representation in a since-deleted viral tweet. “Okay, I just added a corollary: Two men talking to each other about the female protagonist of an Alice Munro story in a screenplay structured on a Jane Austen novel = pass,” tweeted Alison Bechdel herself, putting the matter swiftly to rest. Even before the brouhaha, Booster admitted he was too online, reading comments both good and otherwise and bracing for all sorts of reactions. “It’s a really personal story, and it’s hard not to want to protect it and jump in every comment section,” he said. He was still processing that a studio let him not just make a movie starring queer Asian leads, but dive more deeply into complex issues that affected them. “Those layers are missing from the modern rom-com,” he said. “We love the high jinks and we love knowing that they’re going to get together, but how are they going to get together? I was interested in sitting in the quiet moments of these relationships and exploring the things that are keeping these people apart that aren’t necessarily plot devices, but existential ways of feeling about yourself within a community.” Informed by his friendship with Yang and the oeuvre of Nora Ephron, Booster plays happily broke and single Noah, who vows to stay celibate on his Fire Island holiday until he can help hopeless romantic Howie (Yang, as the Jane to his Lizzie Bennet) hook up with the man of his dreams. But their lives are drifting apart too, placing more at stake than just summer loving. “I have had to convince Bowen not to leave vacations early,” said Booster. “I’m sure he’d hate me revealing that! Bowen’s called me out on my s— plenty of times too. It is just the way good friends operate.” When Howie falls for Charlie (James Scully), the cute doctor comes as a package deal with the disdainful Cooper (Nick Adams) and aloof Will (Conrad Ricamora), who strikes an instant love-hate sizzle with Noah. Meanwhile, the Wickham-esque Dex (Zane Phillips) adds to the dramatic entanglements threatening to ruin what could be Howie and Noah’s last getaway with their closest friends. For Ricamora, who played Oliver on “How to Get Away with Murder,” and starred in “Soft Power” and “Little Shop of Horrors” off-Broadway, the chance to portray what director Andrew Ahn describes as “our Asian Mr. Darcy” was an unexpected gift. Although written to be played by an actor of color, the character was not explicitly Asian until Ricamora walked in for a chemistry read and left Booster flustered. When he first got the call, he assumed it was a mistake. “‘They can’t be sending this to another Asian American. They don’t allow this many of us to be in things,'” thought Ricamora, who had never been to Fire Island before the film. “Growing up, I was constantly watching people like me in TV and film being emasculated and being the butt of the joke. To get to be part of reversing that trend feels really great.” Originally written on spec as a half an hour comedy series and filmed partly on location in the Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove, known as America’s first gay and lesbian town, “Fire Island” boasts an all-queer ensemble and the kinds of romantic lead roles that Booster and Yang never imagined they’d get to play. “People ask me: Did you ever expect to be on ‘SNL?’ And no, it never dawned on me,” said Yang, who not only flexes dramatic and romantic chops but performs an iconic karaoke rendition of Spears’ shy girl anthem “Sometimes.” “Joel really gave me a gift. It’s surreal. I never thought I would chemistry test with a love interest, these things that you just don’t consider and don’t expect for yourself.” Both assumed that in Hollywood’s limited, tokenizing fashion they would never get to act in the same project together, let alone star. But in the lead up to finding a home for “Fire Island” (then called “Trip”), Booster starred in his own Comedy Central stand-up special, released his 2018 debut stand-up album, “Model Minority,” and honed his act around deeply personal observations on race, sex and identity. He found power as a storyteller in his experience as a gay man and Korean adoptee raised in a white conservative Christian family in the Midwest. “For the first half of my life, I wasn’t allowed to talk about what I was feeling, what I was experiencing,” he said. “So as soon as I had the opportunity, as soon as anyone was willing to listen, I just exploded … When I was starting out there was a real hunger for authenticity. And for me, finding that authenticity was just as freeing.” In the spring of 2020, Quibi gave Booster’s series a greenlight. By December, the upstart micro platform had shuttered. When Searchlight and Hulu revived the project as a feature film in 2021, Booster redeveloped it, knowing that he wanted to find a director to whom he wouldn’t have to explain what being gay and Asian felt like. “And that was Andrew,” said Booster, also an executive producer on the film. Ahn had two acclaimed films under his belt with his 2016 debut, “Spa Night,” and 2019 drama “Driveways,” and he had interviewed for the project when it was at Quibi but didn’t get the gig. (“Jeffrey Katzenberg didn’t think I was funny enough!” he jokes.) By the time it came back around a year into the pandemic, a big part of his life had shifted when he moved out of the Echo Park house he shared with his closest friends. “I was sheltering in place, super depressed, and I saw this story in a really different light,” said Ahn. “This was a film about queer Asian American friendship and joy.” Pitching producers and studio executives, he shared photos from the raucous themed parties that he and his housemates would throw. “We had a blacklight party we called ‘Asian Glow,'” said Ahn, laughing. “We have a lot of fun being silly and stupid, not having to worry about, like, representation. I went into the pitch with that attitude.” That spirit went into casting Noah and Howie’s close-knit family of friends. “It was important to us to find people that meshed and gelled,” said Booster. They cast Rogers, who co-hosts the popular “Las Culturistas” podcast with Yang, as Luke, the impetuous Lydia of the group; Tomás Matos as effervescent Keegan, their Kitty; and Torian Miller as Max, the practical Mary of the bunch. “We lucked out so well. Tomás and Matt were a dream team. Torian is incredible and has such a huge task, being a little curmudgeonly but still funny. Everybody showed up.” After a veteran male actor dropped out, prompting a gender swap, Margaret Cho stepped in to play worldly lesbian den mother Erin. “I can draw a straight line from ‘All-American Girl’ to this movie because I don’t know that I ever had a conception for what was possible for me in this industry before I saw her and that family on television,” Booster said of Cho’s groundbreaking 1994 sitcom. “I think every gay person on set took her aside and had a moment like, ‘I hope you know you’ve changed my life.'” The actor, comedian and podcaster had offered her support of the film even before taking on the matriarchal role. Lounging poolside on days off, swapping clothes with her co-stars, “it was like being with a bunch of your sisters on vacation,” she said. Moreover, the film’s Austenesque themes struck a chord. “When you’re gay, you feel like you can’t possibly be discriminatory towards anybody else because you’re oppressed, but in reality that’s not the case,” said Cho. “The most intense experiences of racism, classism, sexism and homophobia happen within the community yet we don’t ever talk about it, because that would negate the idea of pride.” She especially related to the cautionary lessons Erin tries to give Noah about alienating the people he loves. “It was something that I totally understand because lesbians love to hold a grudge,” said Cho. “There are fights that I’ve had with women that have been going on since the ’80s. But that’s how it is to be gay. You’re gay with the same gays all day, every day, forever, if you’re lucky enough to live that long.” In the waning days of summer, production moved from New York City to shoot amid local landmarks as Ahn, cinematographer Felipe Vara de Rey and their cast and crew captured Fire Island’s textures and iconography, racing against time and tricky logistics. (One crucial rain scene even left Booster and Ricamora near-hypothermic.) But in the evenings, Ahn remembers, he could hear his actors cackling over “Real Housewives” through the vents in their shared bed-and-breakfast. “The island brings people together,” he said. “I don’t think we would have that authenticity of friendship and intimacy if we weren’t on a tiny island, shooting during the day and going to the Canteen at night to get chicken fingers and drinks.” The big summer continues for Booster, who stars in the Maya Rudolph comedy series “Loot” for Apple and just released his new Netflix special, “Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual.” Meanwhile, Rogers appears in Showtime’s “I Love That For You” opposite Vanessa Bayer and Yang will be seen this fall in the Billy Eichner-led Universal rom-com “Bros.” Before writing “Fire Island,” Booster had never been called in to audition for a romantic lead role. He’s still processing that audiences and the industry can now see him in that light. “I spent 34 years not considering myself a romantic leading man type because of my race or how effeminate I may or may not be, or my sexuality, or how attractive I am or aren’t. So it’s wild to be in this moment.” And he’s already evolving creatively, examining his own identity-forward comedy and the unexpected burden of representation in the Netflix special “Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual.” “Years ago in college, all I wanted to do was write for ‘The Wire,'” he said. “Hopefully I won’t have to write the next one, but we’ll see. I’m willing to do it if I have to.” Bowen Yang, Tomas Matos, Matt Rogers, Torian Miller, Joel Kim Booster and Margaret Cho in the queer rom-com hit “Fire Island”, which launched for Disney+ subscribers in June. Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios/dpa Conrad Ricamora and Joel Kim Booster in the queer rom-com hit “Fire Island”, which launched for Disney+ subscribers in June. Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios/dpa View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sharon Kimathi LONDON (Reuters) – American pop star Beyonce Knowles-Carter has surprised fans with an early release of her single ‘Break My Soul’ from upcoming album ‘Renaissance’, setting social media ablaze with song lyrics that some say tap into rising worker anger at conditions. “I’m gonna find new drive / damn, they work me so damn hard / Work by nine, then off past five /And they work my nerves, that’s why I cannot sleep at night,” sings the artist, adding “I just quit my job.” Some commentators said the words channeled the post-pandemic “Great Resignation” in which businesses are struggling to find enough employees. “Beyoncé saw that it was the summer of late-millennial burnout, the labor movement, ‘90s revival, and queer pride and was like, ‘Yeah, I can make a song about that’,” wrote Patu Patel, editor-in-chief of music magazine Pitchfork on social media platform Twitter. Knowles-Carter has not commented on the meaning of the lyrics. The single was co-written by her husband Sean Carter (Jay-Z) and samples singer Robin S’s 1990s dance classic ‘Show Me Love’ as well as featuring gay American rapper Big Freedia’s song ‘Explode’. The song debuted on Tidal, the streaming service co-owned by Jay-Z, and dropped at midnight EST (5am GMT) on June 21 on other major music streaming services, with an accompanying lyric video published on YouTube. Knowles-Carter, 40, released ‘Be Alive’, her Oscar-nominated contribution to the soundtrack of the movie ‘King Richard’, in November 2021. She also launched the soundtrack album ‘The Lion King: The Gift’, with the songs appearing in both the ‘Black is King’ and ‘Lion King’ movies in July 2019. However, Renaissance (Act 1) is the artists’ first solo studio album since Lemonade was released in April 2016. The record will include 16 tracks and is set to launch on July 29. She is the most nominated woman and the most awarded singer in Grammy Award history, winning a total of 28 awards and 79 nominations for her music, including her work in music group Destiny’s Child and ‘The Carters,’ an album co-released with her husband. She is also the eighth-most awarded artist at the Billboard Music Awards. (Reporting by Sharon Kimathi; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel) View the full article

Published by The Philadelphia Inquirer PHILADELPHIA — On June 25, a memorial procession will make its way through the streets of Philadelphia’s Washington Square West. There will be funeral urns carried aloft, shrouds, ceremonial robes, and music. But this will be no ordinary funeral march. In those urns will be the paper ashes of the names of people who died without a procession, some decades ago, too many unmourned and alone. They are among the thousands of Philadelphia area residents lost to AIDS. “I think there’s a hunger in our communities today to say we have so much loss,” said Chris Bartlett, executive director of the Will… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby In the diaspora, unheld conversations about sexuality are tangled up with other forms of unutterable discourse about identity. I’m one of those diasporic Arabs who enjoys a special kind of privilege from the benefits of these overlapping silences, something that produces, as it does with all privileged people, a miasma of guilt and self-doubt, a nauseating, tedious, third-culture self-analysis that is in danger of resulting in heavy-handed poetry about pomegranate seeds. The particularly grotesque identity twist is found where straight passing meets white passing. As a pale and unaccented Pale… Read More View the full article