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Published by BANG Showbiz English Dolly Parton has been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 76-year-old country legend has received the nod alongside fellow stars Eminem, Lionel Richie and Duran Duran and are all first-time nominees for potential induction into the Ohio museum. John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a statement: “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations, but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.” For ‘Slim Shady’ hitmaker Eminem, the nomination comes in his first year of eligibility, whereby an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Completing the list of first-time nominees for the 2022 inductions are Beck, Carly Simon and A Tribe Called Quest. Other nominees – who have been considered for induction before – include ‘Babooshka’ songstress Kate Bush and 1960s singer Dionne Warwick, as well as synth pop duo Eurythmics, heavy metal band Judas Priest, late instrumentalist Fela Kuti, and ‘Killing in the Name’ rockers Rage Against the Machine. The chosen inductees will be announced in May and honoured at a ceremony set to take place later in 2022 and fans can cast their vote on the Rock Hall’s official website. Since its inception in 1986, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame foundation has chosen a total of 351 music legends to be inducted into the Rock Hall, including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, ABBA and The Beatles. View the full article

Published by DPA A man fishes on the banks of the Limoeiro River. Around 360 square kilometres of rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon were lost to deforestation in January alone. Dieh Sacramento/dpa Around 360 square kilometres of rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon were lost to deforestation in January alone. This is the highest amount recorded for January since 2015, the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) said Wednesday, citing provisional figures. Inpe uses satellite imagery for its analysis, using a rapid survey to examine the changes to the forest in real time. The Inpe figures are therefore able to indicate how the official deforestation rate might develop in relation to a given year. The annual rate is for the period from August to July. At the COP26 UN climate conference, the Brazilian government announced it would end illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest by 2028. Experts fear the latest data could indicate an increased risk of another devastating year for the Amazon. Between August 2020 and July 2021, some 13,235 square kilometres were deforested in the region, according to Inpe. This marks a 22 per cent increase on the previous year, and the largest area of deforestation since 2008. 2019 was the first year in office for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The right-wing leader was criticized over the devastating fires in the Amazon. Environmentalists accuse him of accepting the fires as a way to open up new land for agriculture. Brazil has also weakened its environmental and monitoring authorities. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sarah Jessica Parker and Mario Cantone returned to the ‘And Just Like That…’ set the day after Willie Garson passed away. The actor – who played Sarah Jessica’s character Carrie Bradshaw’s best friend Stanford Blatch in ‘Sex and the City’ – died from pancreatic cancer in September, at the age of 57, and only filmed three episodes of the revival series. Mario, 62, who played his lover Anthony, has revealed it was “the hardest day” filming a comedy scene while grieving for their beloved co-star, but heaped praise on Sarah Jessica, 56, for taking care of him “like a mother”. Speaking to ‘Entertainment Tonight’, he said: “I came in the day after he passed away, and that was real hard. That was the day we did the plastic surgery scene with Jonathan Groff [Dr. Paul David], who was magnificent and he is just wonderful. I just adore him. So that was a hard day. “That was the hardest day, and Sarah really took care of me like a mother. She just took me out of the room because it was hard.” Mario was referring to the episode after Anthony was dumped by Stanford – who abruptly left for Tokyo to manage a TikTok star – and needed someone to come with him for their “his and his” plastic surgery consultation. He continued: “But yeah, she’s the No1, and she just kind of takes care of you. “We just kind of all huddled together and loved each other and moved on, and we had to keep going and do this thing.” Mario says if Willie were still alive, the pair’s on-screen relationship would have gotten “very turbulent”. He said: “I think you were going to see a relationship that was very turbulent. “It’s turbulent arguments, but I think it was supposed to be – I don’t really know exactly – but it was supposed to be me dealing with his craziness, and having to calm him, and talk him out of things, and mend things. “But it’s a very turbulent relationship, very argumentative. “But yet, we can’t live without each other. That was what that was supposed to be.” Showrunner Michael Patrick King previously revealed a “midlife crisis” was on the cards for Stanford before he passed. Mario hailed his late co-star as “hilarious” and admitted he will be sorely missed. He added: “He’s just truly a raconteur, his storytelling is brilliant, he’s hilarious. “But I’m usually the one that’s like, you know, doing my thing, being crazy on set. And I can sit back and just watch him go off. He’s hilarious and he lived in LA, we didn’t see each other a lot, but we would do Zoom readings and we would always be texting each other and talking c**p about things and situations. So yeah, but he’s really missed.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong reportedly walked off stage in protest when Rudy Giuliani was unmasked on ‘The Masked Singer’. The two judges were unimpressed when Donald Trump’s lawyer was revealed as one of the disguised singers on the upcoming Season 7 of the Fox series, and made no hesitation in letting their feelings known. According to Deadline – who didn’t reveal what costume the 77-year-old former Mayor of New York wore or what he sang – Ken and Robin immediately left the stage when Rudy was unmasked, but fellow judges Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger stayed and chatted with the ousted contestant. The pair eventually returned to resume filming, though it is unclear how long they were off stage. A spokesperson for the show – which is due to return to TV next month – had no comment. Giuliani has been involved in a number of controversies in recent years, and in 2021, federal agents raided his home and office during an investigation into his work in Ukraine. His lawyer said afterwards: “Mr. Giuliani respects the law, and he can demonstrate that his conduct as a lawyer and a citizen was absolutely legal and ethical.” He was suspended from practicing law in New York last June after an appellate court said he made “demonstrably false and misleading statements” about Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. Rudy also made an infamous appearance in Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ but later denied any inappropriate behaviour and insisted a clip in which he appeared to put his hand down his pants while leaning back onto a bed near Maria Bakalova was a “complete fabrication”. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Crosby, Stills and Nash have backed Neil Young and demanded their music is removed from Spotify. The disbanded group – known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with the ‘Heart of Gold’ hitmaker was in the lineup – have backed their former bandmate in protest over Joe Rogan’s podcast allegedly spreading coronavirus and vaccine misinformation. In a joint statement on David Crosby’s social media, the trio – including Stephen Stills and Graham Nash – said: “We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast. “While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. “Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don’t want our music – or the music we made together – to be on the same platform.” They have joined waves of artists threatening to boycott the streaming service over the controversy. The broadcaster has responded to the backlash in a video as he insisted he “most certainly didn’t want” artists to boycott Spotify because of him. He said: “Now, because of this controversy … Neil Young has removed his music from the platform of Spotify and Joni Mitchell and apparently some other people want to as well. “I’m very sorry that they feel that way. I most certainly don’t want that. I’m a Neil Young fan, I’ve always been a Neil Young fan.” Following the criticism, Spotify updated platform rules, including adding a content advisory to podcast episodes discussing the virus, and Joe backed their move, as well as offering his own pledge to offer more “balanced” opinions. He promised: “My pledge to you is that I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so that we can maybe find a better point of view. “I don’t want to just show the contrary opinion to what the narrative is. I want to show all kinds of opinions so that we can all figure what’s going on… “I do all the scheduling myself, and I don’t always get it right. These podcasts are very strange because they’re just conversations, and oftentimes I have no idea what I’m going to talk about until I sit down to talk to people, and that’s why some of my ideas are not that prepared or fleshed out because I’m literally having them in real time. But I do my best.” But the broadcaster took issue with the accusations of “misinformation” Defending his “highly credentialed, very intelligent, very accomplished” guests, he said: “They have an opinion that is different from the mainstream narrative. I wanted to hear what their opinion is.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Victoria’s Secret has cast Emira D’Spain as their first Black transgender model. The iconic lingerie brand has hired the 25-year-old TikTok star to showcase its Valentine’s Day lingerie collection. Emira reminisced about how she had “dreamed” of working with the company on snap of her wearing items from the collection on her Instagram on which she posts under the name Xoxoemira. She wrote: “Honored to be the first black trans girl working with @victoriassecret “As a kid I only DREAMED of being a part of Victoria’s Secret.” Emira thanked fellow transgender model Valentina Sampaio who “paved the way” after becoming the brand’s first transgender model after she posed for their Victoria’s Secret PINK line and Emira called it an “honour” to land her VS contract during Black History Month. She continued: “It’s such an honour to continue that legacy on the first day of Black History Month. Go watch my TikTok to see and stay tuned for more to come.” Emria also shared her dream of “empowering” the transgender community and how “grateful’ she was to work with the brand. She said in a statement: “I want to empower young trans women and men around the world to show them that the beauty and fashion industries are changing, especially if you are a POC. I am so grateful to work with Victoria’s Secret and hope this paves the way for those after me.” The global retailer recently came under fire after facing a number of serious allegations – including design plagiarism, company executives fostering a culture of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation – prompting them to focus on reshaping their image. This remake included establishing the VS Collective – a movement that incorporated Megan Rapinoe, Eileen Gu, Paloma Elsesser and Priyanka Chopra Jonas – scrapping their annual fashion show and the brand’s use of ‘Angels’, such as Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Elsa Hosk, and many others. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brian Cox was blown away by how “stunningly beautiful” his ‘Troy’ co-star Brad Pitt was. The 75-year-old actor portrayed invading king Agamemnon opposite the Hollywood hunk as the titular hero in the 2004 movie and he admitted he was “agog” at the visual spectacle of his co-star in his his skimpy armour. Speaking in a video interview with Vanity Fair, Brian said: “Brad walked on and my jaw was down because he was so stunningly beautiful. I mean I’m straight, you know, but I just thought, ‘Wow! My God, this guy is stunning. What chance does one have on the screen with this beautiful, beautiful man?’ “ “You know I remember one point you know, just kind of being agog at, you know, at Brad, because you know, he’d never been in costumes like that.” The ‘Succession’ actor – who has Alan, 51, and Margaret, 44, with first wife Caroline Burt and Orson, 19, and Torin, 17, with spouse Nicole Ansari – joked some of the other cast members were more accustomed to the costumes. He quipped: “If we’d done the classical theatre, we’re always without pants, you know?” The veteran star admitted Agamemnon was “the only part [he had] ever pursued” and continued to do so even when he was aware the role had already been offered to Sir Ben Kingsley. He added: “I’ve never pursued anything. I’ve always allowed it to fall out the way it fell out. But I knew the part was available and I knew that I was dead right for the role of Agamemnon. “I volunteered to fly myself to London to meet [director] Wolfgang Petersen. I think it’d been offered, the part had been offered to Ben Kingsley. And I had this meeting and it went incredibly well. I got the role.'” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Neil Patrick Harris doubts whether he would be able to reprise the role of Barney Stinson in ‘How I Met Your Father’. The 48-year-old actor played the character in the comedy ‘How I Met Your Mother’ between 2005 and 2014 but thinks that the return of his alter ego in the spin-off would be difficult because of his brash, womanising personality. Speaking to ‘How I Met Your Father’ star Hilary Duff in the latest edition of his newsletter ‘Wondercade’, Neil said: “As for coming on your show (insert joke here), I worry. “Barney’s antics, his overt delusions of grandeur, would likely get everyone in trouble. So, unless he’s changed his ways or joined a nunnery (insert an insert joke here), not sure if it’s in anyone’s best interest.” Hilary agreed with Neil’s sentiments about Barney and joked that he would likely be in prison in 2022 – although she did suggest that Francia Raisa’s character in ‘How I Met Your Father’ was inspired by the character. The 34-year-old star said: “I’m not sure how you feel about this, but I’m pretty sure Barney would… be in jail in 2022. “Since we’re living in the world of females coming into power, I’m assuming that’s why they made (Barney-esque character Valentina) a woman!” Meanwhile, Hilary recently confessed that she was reluctant to take on the role of Sophie in the comedy spin-off. She explained: “I got a call from my manager saying that there was this project they wanted me to chat about. Then I heard the title and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? What?!’ “The original show is so, so beloved and was just so spot-on perfect, that I’m like, ‘Ohh, I don’t wanna do reboot.’ I was a little bit nervous about the sitcom of it all because I’ve never done multi-cam, but I read the script and it was just everything you want a comedy to be.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South Africa’s Afrigen Biologics has used the publicly available sequence of Moderna Inc’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to make its own version of the shot, which could be tested in humans before the end of this year, Afrigen’s top executive said on Thursday. The vaccine candidate would be the first to be made based on a widely used vaccine without the assistance and approval of the developer. It is also the first mRNA vaccine designed, developed and produced at lab scale on the African continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) last year picked a consortium including Afrigen for a pilot project to give poor and middle-income countries the know-how to make COVID vaccines, after market leaders of the mRNA COVID vaccine, Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna, declined a WHO request to share their technology and expertise. The WHO and consortium partners hope their technology transfer hub will help overcome inequalities between rich nations and poorer countries in getting access to vaccines. Some 99% of Africa’s vaccines against all diseases are imported and the negligible remainder manufactured locally. During the pandemic, wealthy countries have hoovered up most of the world’s supplies of vaccines. Biovac, a partly state-owned South African vaccine producer, will be the first recipient of the technology from the hub. Afrigen has also agreed to help train companies in Argentina and Brazil. In September, the WHO’s hub in Cape Town decided to go it alone after failing to bring on board Pfizer and Moderna, both of which have argued they need to oversee any technology transfer due to the complexity of the manufacturing process. Moderna had no immediate comment on Afrigen’s announcement on Thursday. Moderna’s vaccine was chosen by the WHO due to an abundance of public information and the company’s pledge not to enforce patents during the pandemic. It’s not clear what will happen after the pandemic ends and whether the company will try to enforce them again. ‘CUTTING-EDGE PRODUCTS’ “If this project shows that Africa can take cutting edge technology and produce cutting-edge products, this will banish this idea that Africa can’t do it and change the global mindset … this can be a game-changer,” Charles Gore, executive director at MPP, told Reuters at Afrigen’s facility, a converted warehouse. Under pressure to make drugs in lower-income countries, Moderna and BioNTech have announced plans to build mRNA vaccine factories in Africa, but production is still a long way off. “We haven’t copied Moderna, we’ve developed our own processes because Moderna didn’t give us any technology,” Petro Terblanche, managing director at Afrigen, told Reuters. “We started with the Moderna sequence because that gives, in our view, the best starting material. But this is not Moderna’s vaccine, it is the Afrigen mRNA hub vaccine,” Terblanche said. She later took a delegation of EU diplomats on a tour of the state-of-the-art facility where scientists were seen making mRNA in sterile white-walled rooms. She said it had managed to make, in collaboration with Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand, its first micro-litre laboratory scale batches of COVID mRNA vaccines at the Cape Town facility. EASIER STORAGE Terblanche said Afrigen was also working on a next generation mRNA vaccine that didn’t need freezing temperatures for storage, required for the Pfizer and Moderna doses, and which would be better suited to Africa, which is often dealing with high temperatures and poor health facilities and infrastructure. “We will only make our clinical trial batch probably in six months from now, (meaning) … fit for humans. And the target is November 2022,” Terblanche added. Online training for other companies to make the shot started with manufacturers in Brazil and Argentina last year. Afrigen expects to get more on board within the next month. (Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Tim Cocks, Josephine Mason, Mark Potter and Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Duncan James felt “petrified” about coming out. The 43-year-old singer shot to fame in the boy band Blue and he’s recalled being “frightened to come out” at the time. Duncan – who came out as bisexual in 2009, before confirming he was gay in 2017 – said: “I think being in such a public boy band, with majority of fans being female, it was really hard for me to actually have the courage to come out because I was scared on so many different levels on so many different things. And to be honest, I didn’t quite understand too much about my own sexuality at that time, I was just really confused. “So I was kind of just like all over the place and what with the height of the fame and everything, it was just one of those things where I kind of buried it inside me and I didn’t want to accept it and want to think about it.” Duncan was in a “secret relationship with a guy” when he turned 30. And at that moment, he thought it was a “matter of time” before his sexuality was revealed to the public. The ‘All Rise’ hitmaker eventually decided to “take the bull by the horns” and reveal the news himself. He told the ‘Ry-Union’ podcast: “I didn’t know what was going to happen. And I was petrified. But to be fair, it was the best thing I ever did. “And I think when you’re living with one of those secrets inside you, and you’re frightened to come out, I think everything is magnified on a great big level. And I was really, really, really scared that everything was gonna … my world was gonna come crashing down. “But actually, in hindsight, it was never as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it wasn’t a big deal. And when I came out, it was obviously like, a huge weight had been lifted.” Listen to ‘Ry-Union’, brought to you by Sky Bingo, on all podcast platforms. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jonathan Van Ness can be “really hard” on himself. The ‘Queer Eye’ star admitted practising “self-love” is a “conscious decision” he has to make every day and thinks curiosity is “the key” to personal acceptance, though it isn’t something he always manages. He said: “I don’t think it was a lightbulb moment, I think it’s just constantly like a journey. “I think, especially with self-acceptance, self-love, it’s a conscious decision you’ve got to make every day. “And I don’t always feel [it]. There [are] times when I get really hard on myself. There’s times where I don’t always feel that [love]. “But I think we can come back to that relationship with ourself with compassion and a little bit of acceptance and some curiosity. “I mean, really, being curious helps so much with us because when we’re not accepting of ourselves it’s like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ Curiosity is such an important part.” The ‘Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness’ host thinks people should embrace the fact they don’t have all the answers to life’s problems in order to grow and learn. He added to ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “It’s OK to not know it all… We don’t know it all. I’m just I’m out here, I’m learning I’m exploring and I want everyone to take from ‘Getting Curious’ that spirit of curiosity, and that it’s OK to go explore and not have all the answers.” In ‘Getting Curious’, the 34-year-old star interviews experts on a range of topics including cooking, insects, sports and architecture and he had a great time broadening his knowledge. He said: “I love curiosity, I love getting to learn about things and [the show] is really you kind of watching me learn about things in real time. “The other fun thing about curiosity is it’s always changing, it’s always fluid, so there’s like endless ways that we could go learn about stuff.” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – The former president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States, filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing the organization of racial discrimination in his firing last year, the Washington Post reported. Alphonso David was fired on Sept. 6 after a report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James said he had advised former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on how to handle sexual harassment allegations, the organization’s board said at the time. In the complaint, David accused the organization of fostering a “racist, biased culture.” He also said that he was told that he was initially paid less because he was Black and that an organization board member told him to stop mentioning race in public comments, the Post reported. At the time of his firing, David said the Human Rights Campaign board had “unjustly” terminated him, and said it should expect a legal challenge. Reuters was not immediately able to reach the organization for comment. (Reporting by Brendan O’Brien; Editing by Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by AFP Joe Rogan says he does not intend to promote misinformation but admits he was not prepared for the Washington (AFP) – US podcast star Joe Rogan, who has been called out by music legends Neil Young and Joni Mitchell for spreading Covid-19 disinformation on the huge Spotify streaming service, is as popular as he is provocative. At 54, the former taekwondo champion has millions of fans, who appreciate his outspokenness, his iconoclastic ideas, and the variety of his guests. But he also has many detractors, starting with luminaries Young and Mitchell, who removed their music from Spotify in protest at its hosting of Rogan’s podcast. He has spread disinformation about the coronavirus and other topics on the air. Both musicians said the false claims, and Spotify’s failure to do anything about them, was the reason for their decision. R&B singer India Arie followed suit, citing what she said were Rogan’s “problematic” comments on race. For his accusers, he is particularly dangerous because his show “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has been broadcast exclusively on Spotify since 2020 under a deal worth an estimated $100 million, attracts a staggering 11 million listeners per episode on average. Often with a glass of whiskey in hand, he chats casually for two to three hours with a guest on topics as varied as flying saucers, psychedelic drugs, red meat and fitness, slipping in an expletive here and there. ‘Megaphone of right-wing lies’ – Rogan, with a tongue as sharp as his arms are tattooed, was already famous when he began the program in 2009. A comedian and martial arts commentator known for tight T-shirts and what critics have branded his “toxic masculinity,” in the 1990s he was a TV actor on sitcoms including NBC’s “NewsRadio.” Later he hosted the popular reality show “Fear Factor.” When he launched the podcast, his ratings quickly took off. People from all walks of life asked to come on. In 12 years, he has hosted nearly 1,000 guests — 88 percent of them male, according to the fan site JRELibrary. They include Tesla boss Elon Musk, who smoked a joint on his set, whistleblower Edward Snowden and film director Oliver Stone. But Rogan has also given voice to climate sceptics, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and, since the start of the pandemic, figures in the anti-vaccine movement, earning him the label of “a veritable megaphone of right-wing lies” by progressive website Media Matters for America. Posing as a critic of political correctness, he has attacked the left for demonising conservatives and flirted with unfounded theories held dear by former president Donald Trump’s supporters — notably about the presence of undercover FBI agents among the US Capitol attackers on January 6 2021. Like the former Republican president, he hates “losers.” “I grew up around a lot of losers and one of them was my dad,” a former police officer who was violent and who left his family, Rogan said in an interview in 2016. “There was a lot of desire to not be like that guy and not be like all of these people around me who had no hope and no future.” ‘Differing opinions’ vs misinformation – Yet he defends himself against accusations of being an ideologue or of voting exclusively on the right. An atheist who supports gay marriage, the decriminalization of soft drugs, and the preservation of gun rights, he calls himself a libertarian and said he even considered supporting self-described socialist Senator Bernie Sanders in the last Democratic primary. As for his guests, “I’m interested in having interesting conversations with people that have differing opinions. I’m not interested in only talking to people that have one perspective,” he said in a video posted on Instagram after Young’s criticism that seemingly conflated misinformation with opinions. “I’m not trying to promote misinformation,” he continued. “I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives.” He said he agreed with Spotify’s announcement in response to Young and Mitchell that Covid podcasts would include links to factual and scientifically sourced information. In a perhaps telling comment for someone who was already famous before launching his podcast, he admitted he had not been ready for the “strange” responsibility of having “this many viewers and listeners.” “It’s nothing that I prepared for, and it’s nothing that I ever anticipated.” View the full article

Published by AFP Authorities have determined that US actor Michael K. Williams, who was found dead in his New York apartment, died of an accidental drug overdose New York (AFP) – New York prosecutors said Wednesday they had charged four men in relation to the drug overdose death of “The Wire” actor Michael K. Williams. Williams, who starred as Omar Little in the widely acclaimed television series, died of an accidental drug overdose in September. The 54-year-old, who played the iconic Baltimore stick-up man in the groundbreaking show, was found dead in his apartment in New York. The men have been charged with conspiracy to distribute the fentanyl-laced heroin that killed Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a statement. The prosecutor named the men as Irvin Cartagena, Hector Robles, Luis Cruz and Carlos Macci. Cartagena allegedly sold the deadly dose, said attorney Damian Williams. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life if convicted. The Emmy-nominated actor died from “acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine,” New York’s chief medical examiner ruled. Williams had been hailed for his role in “The Wire,” in which he played a gay armed robber who specialized in holding up drug dealers. He was also well-known for the role of Albert ‘Chalky’ White on the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” The actor had spoken openly of his past struggles with drug addiction and had told US media that he had spent much of his earnings from “The Wire” on narcotics. View the full article

Published by AFP Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 22, 2022 New York (AFP) – A transgender American swimmer’s controversial career hung in the balance Wednesday after USA Swimming announced new rules, including testosterone limits, that could impact her ability to race competitively. Lia Thomas has dominated US collegiate women’s swimming as a student athlete at the University of Pennsylvania where, just a few years ago, she competed on the men’s team. Now, amid an uproar fueled by those who say Thomas has an unfair advantage, USA Swimming unveiled guidelines that do not mention the 22-year-old by name but will impact her future in the sport — although exactly how remains unclear. The policy said that because swimming is “an important vehicle for positive physical and mental health,” it remains committed to “greater inclusivity” at the non-elite levels of the sport. But critics said the new policy from the governing body for competitive swimming in the United States might achieve just the opposite. USA Swimming said it had created a new set of guidelines for transgender athlete participation in elite competition that “relies on science and medical evidence-based methods to provide a level-playing field for elite cisgender women, and to mitigate the advantages associated with male puberty and physiology.” It said that a three-member panel comprised of medical experts and a veteran athlete was being established to implement the new policy and to rule on specific cases. A key criterion that the panel will look for is that “from a medical perspective, the prior physical development of the athlete as a male, as mitigated by any medical intervention, does not give the athlete a competitive advantage over the athlete’s cisgender female competitors.” In addition, a swimmer is ineligible “unless the athlete demonstrates that the concentration of testosterone in the athlete’s serum has been less than 5 nmol/L (as measured by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) continuously for a period of at least 36 months before the date of application.” Doctors measure testosterone in nanomoles per liter (nmol/L). According to New York’s Mount Sinai hospital, the healthy range of testosterone in a woman is 0.5 to 2.4 nmol/L. Thomas followed National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, undergoing a year-long testosterone suppression treatment. But some organizations, such as the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, have deemed these rules insufficient, especially in cases where an athlete has begun her transition after puberty. Athlete Ally, an activist organization that combats homophobia and transphobia in sport, swiftly responded that the new USA Swimming policy appears to be targeting Thomas. “These sweeping new restrictions appear to be a direct retaliation against Lia Thomas, a talented, hard-working athlete who has followed all guidelines, is supported by her team, and trains diligently,” said Anne Lieberman, the group’s director of policy and programs. ‘Full support’ The NCAA, which governs US college sports, said in January it would enforce rules set forth by USA Swimming, which has the authority to bar swimmers from competitions. A swim meet for the Ivy League — a grouping of top private northeastern US universities — is scheduled for February, and the NCAA National Championships are in March. “Penn Athletics has been informed of the new USA Swimming transgender participation policy,” the university’s sports department said in a statement. “We continue to work with the NCAA regarding Lia Thomas’ participation in the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship.” Thomas said she began her transition in May 2019 with hormone replacement therapy — a combination of estrogen and testosterone suppressants. In early December at a meet in Ohio, she notched the best times of the year at the university level in the 200m and 500m freestyle. Her performances have renewed a long-running debate about the fairness of a transgender woman competing against those who were born biologically female. Members of the Penn swimming team and diving team issued a statement supporting their transgender teammate. “We want to express our full support for Lia in her transition,” they said in the statement released late Tuesday, apparently after one teammate spoke out about Thomas. “We value her as a person, teammate, and friend. The sentiments put forward by an anonymous member of our team are not representative of the feelings, values, and opinions of the entire Penn team, composed of 39 women with diverse backgrounds.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Francis Kokoroko KUMASI, Ghana (Reuters) – In a dimly-lit room with racks of women’s clothing, Ghanaian artist and LGBT+ activist Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi flipped through photo self-portraits illustrating her transition to womanhood. Transitioning is not illegal in Ghana, but it will become so if a new law is passed, intended to tighten already strict anti-LGBT+ regulations which render same-sex relations illegal. Homophobia is pervasive in the West African country and trans people are generally considered to be gay. Fiatsi first exhibited the photographs, dubbed “Rituals of Becoming”, in 2017. Supportive audiences flocked to see the show in Ghanaian galleries. Her work reflects how LGBT+ people in Ghana have navigated legal and social constraints to carve out a space to express their identities. But Fiatsi fears that even that limited space could now be closing with the new bill, which if it passes would see her risk prosecution every time she puts on a dress. “To say I’m afraid is an understatement, but I am what I am,” said Fiatsi, who runs an artist residence in Kumasi, Ghana’s second city. “It feels like waiting to be slaughtered,” she said. Ghana is one of more than 30 African countries that outlaw same-sex relations. Guilty verdicts carry up to three-year prison sentences. A group of lawmakers from Ghana’s opposition introduced what they called a “Family Values Bill” in November, which would impose jail terms of up to 10 years for advocacy of LGBT+ causes and between three and five years for those who “hold out” as lesbian, gay, non-binary, transgender and transsexual, or who undergo or perform surgical procedures for gender reassignment. The bill, which has broad backing among lawmakers but has yet to be voted on, also includes a provision that would force some to undergo conversion therapy. Amnesty International said this could violate Ghana’s anti-torture laws. No politician has come out publicly against it. President Nana Akufo-Addo urged civil debate and tolerance when the bill was introduced but did not take a stance on its content. Opponents say its passage would be a major setback for a country whose reputation as a friendly and stable democracy attracts tourists and investors. Its backers say LGBT+ activities threaten the concept of family which is central to the structure of all Ghana’s ethnic groups. No voting date has been set. “I call it the ‘Anti-Human’ bill,” said Fiatsi, who is a former Christian pastor. “It takes away from our family values of being a tolerant country, and being hospitable and loving.” “WE ARE ALL THE SAME” There have been no national opinion polls on the bill. Advocates say LGBT+ people are often subject to physical abuse and blackmail in Ghana, and those who come out or are outed are frequently ostracised by friends and family. “There are some of my siblings and cousins who, for over five years, we never spoke, even though I love and miss them so much,” said Fiatsi. “Most of them think I’m just a demon.” So do many of her former colleagues. Christian leaders have been among the most outspoken champions of the bill. When public hearings began in November, Abraham Ofori-Kuragu, a spokesperson for the influential Pentecostal-Charismatic council, said he had never seen a law “so bold in its presentation of the Ghanaian agenda.” More than 70% of Ghana’s 30 million people are Christian, and billboards with the faces of popular preachers adorn most street corners in the capital Accra. Some faith leaders condemn advocacy for LGBT+ rights as a Western imposition. No longer welcome at the churches where she used to preach, Fiatsi channels her evangelism into art and activism. Her studio compound, where she hosts LGBT-friendly artist residency programmes, is filled with sculptures carved from tree trunks or shaped from old electronics. Murals and affirmations like “We Are All The Same” line the walls. She has a global network of allies but she insists she will stay in Ghana out of solidarity with those unable to leave. Even as the perils of life as a trans woman rise, Fiatsi takes comfort in small acts of humanity. Shortly after the bill was introduced, she travelled for a funeral to her family’s village, her first time back in 20 years. She stood nervously in her dress and heels. Some people exchanged pleasantries, while others darted their eyes and quietly sniggered. Before too long, the awkwardness gave way to familial warmth. A relative patted her back. Another asked how life was going. When someone made a snide comment, Fiatsi playfully stuck her tongue out before continuing her conversation. “There are many more of us that will be born, even far after I’m gone,” she said. “What I do today is not for me, or even for those living today. It’s for the future generation.” (Reporting by Francis Kokoroko; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Aaron Ross, Alexandra Hudson) View the full article

NYC Gay PrideSurvivor’s Benefits Expansion The Biden administration is doling out survivor benefits payments to partners of same-sex couples who experienced discrimination under previous unconstitutional bans on same-sex marriage. According to Slate, the Social Security Administration is making sizeable payments to surviving individuals that were prevented from marrying their same-sex partner, thus excluding them from receiving survivor benefits after their partner passed away. Trying to identify individuals who would have been married if laws were different poses another unique challenge to this process. The SSA built out a list of qualifiers that it believes point to a couple’s desire to be married as evaluation criteria. Included in that list are if a couple lived together, raised a child together, held a commitment ceremony or produce evidence of joint bank accounts or mortgages – all similar criteria to how the SSA handles common-law marriages when determining benefits. “Even photos and love letters,” Loewy said. “There are ways to demonstrate that you were in a committed relationship.” Survivor Benefits: Previously on Towleroad Survivor Benefits Payments For Same-Sex Partners Are Being Paid Under Biden, But Many Don’t Even Know They Qualify Brian Bell February 2, 2022 Read More Jim Obergefell, Plaintiff In The Supreme Court Case That Won National Marriage Equality, is Running For Ohio State House Brian Bell January 19, 2022 Read More Canada Conversion Therapy Ban Goes Into Effect; European Court Declines Gay Marriage Cake Case; New Study on Blood Donations By Gay Men Underway: NEWS Brian Bell January 10, 2022 Read More Rep. Liz Cheney: ‘I Was Wrong’ To Oppose Marriage Equality in 2013; Regrets Causing Family Rift; Still Voted Against Equality Act Brian Bell September 27, 2021 Read More Gay Marriage, LGBTQ Rights Appear To Be Texas Abortion Ban Architect’s Next Target Brian Bell September 24, 2021 Read More Colorado’s Polis weds longtime partner in first same-sex marriage of U.S. governor Towleroad September 17, 2021 Read More Photo courtesy of Elvert Barnes/Creative Commons View the full article