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Afghan Refugees fleeing the countryThe safety of Afghanistan Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans people was immediately in serious question with the rapid return of Taliban control of Afghanistan. International LGBT organizations report their contacts in Afghanistan have gone dark or have become unreachable, and many organizations around the world are calling for governments and international bodies to provide for their protection and to offer asylum. Taliban Have Been and Remain Mortal Threat to All Gay Afghanistan Residents President Joe Biden’s announcement of complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 sparked fears that the nation’s democratic government would fall back into the hands of the Taliban, unseated by the U.S. and its allies when the war began 20 years ago. Those fears came true with unexpected speed in recent days, and though the initial words from the Taliban is that they will respect the rights of women, this is not how it has gone in the regional cities they have taken over on the way. Most commentators expect the militant organization will reinstate Sharia Law, an expectation behind the many Afghanis trying to leave the country as soon as possible by any route available. Under the now-deposed government of President Ashraf Ghani LGBTQ Afghans enjoyed more, but still severely limited protections. The threat to LGBTQ lives under the Taliban has been made clear. The surprise would be if they was any change. Gul Rahim, who claims to be a Taliban judge, detailed last month that LGBTQ Afghans will be executed under Taliban rule. “There are only two penalties for gays: Either stoning or he has to stand behind a wall that falls on him. The wall must be 2.5 to 3 meters high,” Rahim told German newspaper Bild. “There are only two penalties for gays: Either stoning or he has to stand behind a wall that falls on him. The wall must be 2.5 to 3 meters high,” Judge Gul Rahim told German newspaper Bild last monthWe have found no reports specifically about LGBTQ plans or attempts to get out of the county and how they have fared, in general leaving is now a chaotic and dangerous proposition for almost all Afghans. Images of Afghans surrounding American planes on the tarmac of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have given way to the stream of individual stories from those who get out anywhere, all of which end saying most of those in danger remain in Afghanistan without a clear path to getting out. On the first day of flights out, some died trying to get on flights, including some who reported clinged to aircrafts as they lifted off the ground. Taliban forces have begun blocking citizens from accessing the airport, breaking a promise made to the Biden administration. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman stated Wednesday that U.S. military forces in Kabul and Qatar were “engaging directly with the Taliban to make clear that we expect them to allow all American citizens, all third-country nationals and all Afghans who wish to leave, to do so safely and without harassment.” At the moment, Sherman could only confirm that the Taliban wasn’t impeding Americans from leaving, though she couldn’t confirm that the status of every American currently in Afghanistan was known. President Biden has rushed thousands more soldiers and government employees to help protect and defend the Kabul airport, saying their capacity to process American Partners will double by early next week and flights will ramp up to hourly all day and night. Taking responsibility, Biden acknowledged “the buck” stops with him, the president said he and the military shared the same surprise as everyone else at the speed with which the Taliban took the country, highlighting that even after 20 years of training, a trillion-dollar investment, and extraordinary supply of American arms (now in Taliban hands) the Afghani military still would not defend itself even minimally. While surprised by the speed and expressing concern about the current chaos, the Biden position is that there was going to be chaos no matter what, placing blame on Trump “negotiations” that led to the release of top Taliban leadership who were then in Pakistan prisons. One of those Trump-released leaders arrived to take lead in the Taliban government Thursday. With plenty of blame to go around and decades of books and writing. to assign it, most worked to focus on getting Americans, allies and local partners through the impossible and dangerous process of getting out of the country. The Washington Blade reported Sunday that transgender U.S. State Department contractor Josie Thomas was among a collection of people trapped in a diplomatic support facility near the Kabul airport. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul stated that it could no longer “ensure safe passage” to the airport. Refugee Crisis Looms Those who are able to get out face a real possibility of ending up stateless with. the small numbers of refugees most nations are stepping up to accept. While Canada has promised to grant 20,000 displaced Afghans asylum and Biden pledged to expand refuge access to Afghans that worked with U.S. organizations in Afghanistan and others “who otherwise are at great risk”, other nations have been more cagey about housing Afghan refugees. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and other top European officials announced a strategy to keep Afghan refugees in “transit countries” such as Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. Iran and Pakistan, countries with large Afghan refugee populations, and all without real protections for LGBTQ people. Advocacy groups called on European nations to offer asylum to refugees from Afghanistan gay populations.. “As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, members of the LGBTIQ community are among those at greatest risk of suffering under Taliban rule. The international community must act quickly and decisively to aid all those fleeing persecution,” said the Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration. In the UK, Stonewall UK urged the government to allow Afghan refugees as well. “LGBTQ+ Afghans have endured routine discrimination, abuse & persecution, including by the state. With the Taliban in power we expect this situation to deteriorate further, including the potential for a return to active enforcement of the laws that prohibit same-sex relationships,” read a statement from the organization. “The U.K. government must step up now to put in place a rapid response humanitarian evacuation program and help resettle Afghan people, as well as take action to protect those who have already sought asylum here in the U.K.,” said Stonewall UK CEO Nancy Kelley. “This is a time for showing leadership in upholding the UN Refugee Convention, and helping LGBTQ+ Afghan refugees to survive, resettle and thrive.” Going Dark Speaking to the Washington Blade, Charbel Maydaa, founder of Lebanese advocacy organization MOSIAC, said she has lost contact with many in the nation since the Taliban’s resurgence. “We don’t know what’s happening. They’re not online or they are really afraid to talk on Facebook,” Maydaa said. Maydaa stated that LGBTQ advocacy group ILGA Asia, of which Maydaa serves as alternate co-chair, is working to establish shelters for LGBTQ Afghans that are still in the country as they wait for a chance to leave the country. The organization is also pleading with governments internationally to “literally rescue them.” “LGBT+ Afghans really don’t have any options. They can either await a slow death or a quick one. Whatever little joy they had will evaporate knowing that the Taliban can take their life at any moment,” gay Afghan author and activist Nemat Sadat told PinkNews. “As bad as life was for LGBT under the regimes of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani, there is no telling how severe it can get under the Taliban … It’s not hyperbolic to say that the Taliban will do what Nazis did to homosexuals: weed them out and exterminated them from Afghan society.” Afghanistan Gay: Previously on Towleroad LGBTQ Orgs Alarmed Their Afghanistan Gay Contacts Have Gone Dark; Call On Nations, World to Prioritize LGBTQ Safety As Likely Taliban Target Brian Bell August 19, 2021 Read More Taliban return to power as president and diplomats flee Kabul Towleroad August 15, 2021 Read More Trump Says He Never Brought Up Russian Bounties for Scalps of U.S. Troops in Calls with Putin: WATCH Andy Towle July 29, 2020 Read More Large Financial Transfers Back Up Reports About Russian Bounties for Scalps of U.S. Troops Andy Towle July 1, 2020 Read More Trump Knew Russia Was Paying Taliban Bounties for the Scalps of American Troops in March 2019, a Year Earlier Than Previously Thought Andy Towle June 30, 2020 Read More ‘He Can’t Spin This Out’ — Trump Knew About Russian Bounties on U.S. Troops as Early as January: WATCH Andy Towle June 29, 2020 Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Patti LaBelle’s greatest achievement in life is her son. The 77-year-old soul legend and her ex-husband, Temptations singer Otis Williams, had one child together, Zuri Kye Edwards, and she admits regardless all of all her hits and music success having him was the best thing she’s ever done. In an interview with America’s Closer magazine, she said: “The memory of having my son was amazing. I was the oldest lady in the maternity ward! the girls were teenagers and I was 29. I said, ‘Lord, will I ever walk again?’ It was a scary moment, giving birth, but such a wonderful outcome.” Zuri now works as Patti’s manager and she admits he can be difficult to work for, but despite their fights she knows that he always has her best interested at heart because they are family. The ‘Lady Marmalade’ hitmaker said: “Sometimes he hurts me because he’s so honest and we fight – but that’s healthy. “At the end of the day, I realise he gives me the best advice ever. He is so honest, and he is never going to lead me wrong because he is my baby.” Although she is approaching her 80th birthday, Patti has no intention of retiring because she still loves performing and making music. She said: “Why would people lie and say they want to retire? Never would I want to retire!” And the ‘You Are My Friend’ singer still has an interest in modern pop, and is a big fan of Billie Eilish and Pink, although Jennifer Hudson is her favourite artist. When asked which singers she likes now, she answered: “Jennifer Hudson. She is doing it now with the Aretha [Franklin] movie. I love Pink. Billie Eilish.” View the full article

Published by AFP Mat Wooller, director of the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility, kneels among mammoth tusks at the University of Alaska Museum of the North Washington (AFP) – Walking the equivalent of twice around the world during a life lasting 28 years, one wooly mammoth whose steps have been traced by researchers has proven the huge beast was a long-distance wanderer. The findings, published Thursday in the prestigious journal Science, could shed light on theories about why the mammoth, whose teeth were bigger than the human fist, became extinct. “In all popular culture — for example if you watch (the cartoon) ‘Ice Age’ — there are always mammoths who move around a lot,” said Clement Bataille, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa and one of the lead authors of the study. But there is no clear reason why mammoths should have trekked great distances “because it is such an enormous animal that moving around uses a lot of energy,” he told AFP. The researchers were amazed by the results: the mammoth they studied probably walked around 70,000 kilometers (43,500 miles), and did not stay just on the plains of Alaska as they expected. “We see that it traveled throughout Alaska, so an immense territory,” said Bataille. “It was really a surprise.” Readings on a tusk For their study, the researchers selected the tusks of a male woolly mammoth who lived at the end of the last ice age. The animal — named “Kik” after a local river — lived relatively close to the time of the extinction of the species, around 13,000 years ago. One of the two tusks was cut in half to take readings of strontium isotope ratios. Strontium is a chemical element similar to limestone and is present in soil. It is transmitted to vegetation and, when eaten, is deposited in bones, teeth… or tusks. The tusks grow throughout a mammal’s life, with the tip reflecting the first years of life, and the base representing the final years. Isotope ratios are different depending on geology, and Bataille developed an isotopic map of the region. By comparing it with the data from the tusks, it was possible to track when and where the mammoth had been. At the time, glaciers covered all of the Brooks Range of mountains in the north and the Alaska Range in the south, with the plain of the Yukon River in the center. The animal returned regularly to some areas, where it could stay for several years. But his movements also changed greatly depending on his age, before he eventually died of hunger. During the first two years of his life, researchers were even able to observe signs of breastfeeding. “What was really surprising was that after the teenage years, the isotopic variations start to be much more important,” said Bataille. The mammoth has “three or four times in its life, made an immense journey of 500, 600 even 700 kilometers, in a few months.” Scientists say the male may have been solitary, and moving from herd to herd to reproduce. Or he could have been facing a drought or a harsh winter, forcing him to seek a new area where food was more plentiful. Lessons for today? Whether for genetic diversity, or due to scarce resources, it is “clear that this species needed an extremely large area” to live,” said Bataille. But, at the time of the transition from the ice age to the interglacial period — when they were extinct — “the area shrank because more forests grew” and “humans put quite a lot of pressure on southern Alaska, where mammoths probably moved much less.” Understanding factors that led to the disappearance of mammoths may help protect other threatened megafauna species, such as caribou or elephants. With today’s climate changing, and humans often restricting big species to parks and reserves, Bataille said, “do we want our children 1,000 years from now to view elephants the same way we view mammoths today?” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States spent more than $8 billion over 15 years on efforts to deprive the Taliban of their profits from Afghanistan’s opium and heroin trade, from poppy eradication to airstrikes and raids on suspected labs. That strategy failed. As the United States wraps up its longest war, Afghanistan remains the world’s biggest illicit opiate supplier and looks certain to remain so as the Taliban is on the brink of taking power in Kabul, said current and former U.S. and U.N. officials and experts. Widespread destruction during the war, millions uprooted from their homes, foreign aid cuts, and losses of local spending by departed U.S.-led foreign troops are fueling an economic and humanitarian crisis that is likely to leave many destitute Afghans dependent on the narcotics trade for survival. That dependence threatens to bring more instability as the Taliban, other armed groups, ethnic warlords, and corrupt public officials vie for drug profits and power. Some U.N. and U.S. officials worry Afghanistan’s slide into chaos is creating conditions for even higher illicit opiate production, a potential boon to the Taliban. “The Taliban have counted on the Afghan opium trade as one of their main sources of income,” Cesar Gudes, the head of the Kabul office of the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), told Reuters. “More production brings drugs with a cheaper and more attractive price, and therefore a wider accessibility.” With the insurgents entering Kabul on Sunday, “these are the best moments in which these illicit groups tend to position themselves” to expand their business, Gudes said. The Taliban banned poppy growing in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash and later mostly changed their stance, according to experts. Despite the threats posed by Afghanistan’s illicit drug business, experts noted, the United States and other nations rarely mention in public the need to address the trade – estimated by the UNODC at more than 80% of global opium and heroin supplies. “We’ve stood by on the sidelines and, unfortunately, allowed the Taliban to become probably the largest funded non-designated terrorist organization on the globe,” said a U.S. official with knowledge of Afghanistan’s drug trade. “The U.S. and international partners have continued to pull out and not addressed poppy cultivation,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “What you’re going to find is that it has exploded.” Asked for comment, a State Department official said the United States would continue to support the Afghan people, “including our ongoing counternarcotics efforts,” but declined to say how aid would continue should U.S. assistance stop if the Taliban seize power. POPPY CULTIVATION SOARS Afghan farmers weigh myriad factors in deciding how much poppy to plant. These range from annual precipitation and the price of wheat, the main alternative crop to poppy, to world opium and heroin prices. Yet even during droughts and wheat shortages, when wheat prices rocket, Afghan farmers have grown poppy and extracted opium gum that is refined into morphine and heroin. In recent years, many have installed Chinese-made solar panels to power deep water wells. Three of the last four years have seen some of Afghanistan’s highest levels of opium production, according to the UNODC. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, poppy cultivation soared 37% last year, it reported in May. Illicit narcotics are “the country’s largest industry except for war,” said Barnett Rubin, a former State Department adviser on Afghanistan. The estimated all-time high for opium production was set in 2017 at 9,900 tons worth some $1.4 billion in sales by farmers or roughly 7% of Afghanistan’s GDP, the UNODC reported. When the value of drugs for export and local consumption are taken into account, along with imported precursor chemicals, the UNODC estimated the country’s overall illicit opiate economy that year at as much as $6.6 billion. The Taliban and public officials have long been involved in the narcotics trade, experts said, although some dispute the extent of the insurgents’ role and profits. The United Nations and Washington contend the Taliban are involved in all facets, from poppy planting, opium extraction, and trafficking to exacting “taxes” from cultivators and drug labs to charging smugglers fees for shipments bound for Africa, Europe, Canada, Russia, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia. Some of those shipments are hurled across the heavily patrolled border to traffickers in Iran with rudimentary catapults, reported David Mansfield, a leading researcher into Afghanistan’s illicit drug trade. U.N. officials reported that the Taliban likely earned more than $400 million between 2018 and 2019 from the drug trade. A May 2021 U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan (SIGAR) report quoted a U.S. official as estimating they derive up to 60% of their annual revenue from illicit narcotics. Some experts dispute that data. Mansfield says his field studies show the most the Taliban can earn from illicit opiates is about $40 million annually, predominantly from levies on opium production, heroin labs and drug shipments. The insurgents, he said, make more money exacting fees on legal imports and exports at roadside checkpoints. Washington spent an estimated $8.6 billion between 2002 and 2017 to throttle Afghanistan’s drug trade in order to deny the Taliban funds, according to a 2018 SIGAR report. Apart from poppy eradication, the United States and allies backed interdiction raids and alternative crop programs, airstrikes on suspected heroin labs and other measures. Those efforts “didn’t really have much success,” retired U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, who commanded U.S. Central Command from 2016-2019, told Reuters. Instead, experts said, they stoked anger against the government in Kabul and its foreign backers – and sympathy for the Taliban – among farmers and laborers who depend on opium production to feed their families. The Taliban learned that lesson from their ban on poppy growing in 2000, said Brookings Institution scholar Vanda Felbab-Brown. Despite a steep decline in production, the ban ignited “a huge political storm against the Taliban and it was one reason why there were such dramatic defections after the U.S. invasion,” she said. Therefore, experts said, it is unlikely the Taliban will prohibit poppy cultivation should they gain power. “A future government,” said Mansfield, “will need to tread carefully to avoid alienating its rural constituency and provoking resistance and violent rebellion.” (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Arshad Mohammed, Mary Milliken and Daniel Wallis) Taliban Poppy on Towleroad ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ Season 6 “Game within a Game” Puts the Spotlight on Silky [RECAP] August 20, 2021 Read More LGBTQ Orgs Alarmed Their Afghanistan Gay Contacts Have Gone Dark; Call On Nations, World to Prioritize LGBTQ Safety As Likely Taliban Target August 19, 2021 Read More Patti LaBelle’s proudest achievement is her son August 19, 2021 Read More In the footsteps of a woolly mammoth, 17,000 years ago August 19, 2021 Read More Profits and Taliban poppy: Afghanistan’s illegal drug trade a boon for Taliban August 19, 2021 Read More Sinéad O’Connor’s open letter to Prince Harry August 19, 2021 Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sinéad O’Connor has written an open letter to Prince Harry. The 54-year-old singer was moved by Harry’s recent Apple TV documentary on mental health, ‘The Me You Can’t See’, with Oprah Winfrey and believes his late mother, Princess Diana, would be very proud of him. Writing in Ireland’s Sunday Independent newspaper, Sinéad said: “As someone who has trauma-related mental health struggles, I wanted to let you know how bowled over I am by your Apple TV series. You’re slammin’ it, to use a musical term. You just keep shining on through.” Sinéad revealed that she identifies with Harry’s grief over the death of his mother Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997 when he was just 12, as she lost her own mother in similar circumstances when she was 18. She explained: “I’m writing this because you and I have something in common Harry. I also lost my mother in a car crash… I do know something of the grief you’ve been brave enough to share in the public arena. It’s a shock that takes years to come out of, when someone dies so violently and suddenly. It’s a lifetime’s recovery. “I really identified with you when you shared the rage and anger you felt at the time of your mother’s passing. I was the same. I’m sure we all were, any of us who ever lost someone in that sudden way. Transcending that grief as you’ve done by sharing it, cuts through a lot of garbage. And a lot of us appreciate what you’re doing.” And Sinéad went on to tell Harry, 36, that his mother would be very proud of him. She wrote: “When so many of us see the work you’re doing for people who experience mental health struggles, we see you stomping on stigma. And we’re all delighted for you. Most importantly, we know how proud your mama is of the incredible young man you are.” Sinead O’Connor on Towleroad Sinéad O’Connor’s open letter to Prince Harry August 19, 2021 Read More Police surround man with possible explosives near U.S. Capitol August 19, 2021 Read More Possible HIV Treatment OK’d To expand Phase 1 Human Trials After Stopping HIV in Lab; August 18, 2021 Read More Britney Spears Topless Photos Are Being Posted By the Singer Herself. She Says It’s Strong, Not Sleazy and Reveals Rationale August 18, 2021 Read More Buttigieg Baby On Board: Pete and Chasten ‘Overjoyed….Have Wanted to Grow Our Family’; Announce First Child August 17, 2021 Read More Andy Cohen Dates: Now, An Endgame “Are You Going To Be a Good Stepfather?’; Curious How His Exes Would Score Him… August 17, 2021 Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julio-Cesar Chavez and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Law enforcement officials surrounded a man with possible explosives sitting in a vehicle near the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, as nearby buildings were evacuated and emergency vehicles rushed to the scene about a mile from the White House. “This is an active bomb threat investigation,” the U.S. Capitol Police said on Twitter. The man was in a vehicle outside the Library of Congress, across the street from the Capitol, a U.S. law enforcement source said. The law enforcement source said the presence of explosives had not been confirmed. But people in Congress were notified that the vehicle’s occupant had said that he possessed a bomb and that authorities were crafting their responses with that threat in mind, an official told Reuters. Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including the U.S. Supreme Court. People in the Madison office building were told to bar themselves in their offices. A nearby subway station was closed. Police blocked off roads surrounding the Capitol complex as fire and rescue trucks headed to the area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was sending a bomb technician to support police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also responded. The ordinarily crowded Capitol Hill area was relatively deserted, with the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate out of session. “The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress,” the Capitol Police wrote on Twitter. “Please stay away from this area.” (Reporting by Lisa Lambert, Lawrence Hurley, Sarah N. Lynch, Mark Hosenball and Julio-Cesar ChavezWriting by David Morgan Editing by Andy Sullivan, Chizu Nomiyama and Sonya Hepinstall) View the full article

Marche de FiertesAs multiple HIV vaccines begin human trials, a Maryland biotech company’s work on an HIV treatment moves forward as well with the FDA OK to expand human trials beyond one patient. Rockville, MD’s American Gene Technologies (AGT) announced earlier this month that it received unanimous approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board to continue human trials of its HIV/AIDS treatment, AGT103-T. The news comes as AGT revealed that the first patient to receive the AGT103-T treatment encoutered “no adverse side effects.” AGT is now free to add more participants as it continues to test the efficacy and safety of the company’s treatment in protecting human bodies from HIV infection. Trials have shown the therapy to be successful in stopping HIV infection in human cells in laboratory settings. According to the Washington Blade, AGT CEO Jeff Galvin stated that six more patients are scheduled to be added to the trials over the next weeks and months. “If this works, they will be permanently immune from HIV,” Galvin said during a July 29 presentation at AGT headquarters. “Just think what this can do with the epidemic. We all have something to be excited about … keep your fingers crossed. Let’s all keep hoping and praying.” According to the company, AGT103-T treats HIV/AIDS by inducing “durable viral suppression” to HIV through “delivering therapeutic genes to the recipient’s immune cells” that will help cells “survive attack by HIV and durably suppress the virus at undetectable levels.” If the treatment works as intended, it will usher in a new era of HIV/AIDS treatment that doesn’t require the use of lifelong antiretroviral drugs. “Since the late 1980s, antiretroviral drugs have prevented AIDS, HIV transmission, and mortality in persons living with HIV and, in some cases, have been used prophylactically to prevent new infections,” AGT said in a statement. “However, no approved treatments can cure HIV. AGT is committed to addressing this unmet medical need.” The news comes as mRNA biotech research firm and Covid-19 vaccine developer Moderna prepares human trials of its mRNA HIV Vaccine. The University of Oxford is also enveloped in testing a separate HIV vaccine, HIVconsvX, in multiple European and African nations. HIV Cure: Previously on Towleroad Possible HIV Treatment OK’d To expand Phase 1 Human Trials After Stopping HIV in Lab; Brian Bell August 18, 2021 Read More Moderna HIV Vaccine Phase 1 Human Trials to Start as Early as Next Week. Hope to Build on mRNA Learnings Brian Bell August 13, 2021 Read More Covid Booster Shots Likely Offered Soon To People With Compromised Immune Systems — Fauci ; Priority Include People With HIV Towleroad August 5, 2021 Read More AIDS Groups Release Open Letter to DaBaby; Denver Cancels Festival He Was to Headline; IHeartRadio, Austin City Limits Also Drop; WednesDababy Update Brian Bell August 4, 2021 Read More Grounded by Festivals, DaBaby Apologizes; Blames Victims For Not Just Taking His Abuse While He Explained How Much Harder It is Being DaBaby Brian Bell August 2, 2021 Read More DaBaby Homophobia Week Spirals : Madonna, Questlove, Lovato Call Out Rapper. U.K. Festival Removes Him From Lineup Brian Bell July 30, 2021 Read More Photo courtesy of TarValanion/Creative Commons View the full article

Britney Spears topless photos have been coming fast and furiously lately and from a kind of surprising source, the singer herself. Joking that they are NOT her response to the ‘FREE BRITNEY’ campaign she reveals what’s going on and why she’s opting in to going topless Britney Spears topless photos Published by BANG Showbiz English Britney Spears has fired back at critics of her topless photos and revealed she’s feeling more body confident. The 39-year-old star – who joked food is the cause of her bigger bust rather than a “boob job” or being pregnant – has opened up on the number of racy pictures she’s been sharing on social media lately. She wrote on Instagram: “No guys … I didn’t get a boob job in just a week … nor am I pregnant … I have boobs in these pics cause I devoured food!!!! “Before I show you more pics of my body … I want you to understand my thoughts on exposing my skin !!!! In my opinion it’s quite twisted the immediate response of when any woman is hot and they want to shed a layer … no … I’m not talking in a strip club or a performance … just on a practical scale of being in your car and realizing you’re wearing a stupid long sleeve shirt in the summer !!!! “The immediate reaction to any woman who does this after shedding a layer is DAMN I FEEL BETTER … therefore you think you look better !!! (sic)” In a lengthy post – which was shared alongside a number of new topless snaps – Britney admitted in the past she had moments on stage where she felt she “didn’t look so great” and finds it “embarrassing as f***”. She continued: “I mean I don’t want anybody to see the big dimple on my ass but I feel like performing made me too self conscious about my body and that’s not attractive ….. “Anyways I bet you’re wondering why I’d expose my body NOW … well it’s because I was born into this world naked and I honestly feel like the weight of the would has been on my shoulders and it’s made me view myself that way !!!! “I wanted to see myself in a lighter way … naked … like the way I was born and to me looking back at my pictures when I shoot it’s insane the psychology in seeing myself in my purest form gives evidence that pain … hurt … tears … and heavy burdens aren’t who I am. I am a woman …. a beautiful … sensitive woman who needs to look at myself in my purest form !!! (sic)” Meanwhile, the ‘Toxic’ hitmaker – whose father Jamie will step down as her conservator after a legal battle – admitted she couldn’t help but laugh when people responded to her revealing pictures with jokes about the “Free Britney” movement. She added: “No … I’m not going to do topless pics f or the rest of my life cause that would get boring but it sure as hell helps when you need to be enlightened!!!! “And I will admit the FREE BRITNEY comments after I took my shirt off were actually really f****** funny !!! (sic)” Britney Spears Topless Photos on Towleroad Britney Spears Topless Photos Are Being Posted By the Singer Herself. She Says It’s Strong, Not Sleazy and Reveals Rationale August 18, 2021 Read More Buttigieg Baby On Board: Pete and Chasten ‘Overjoyed….Have Wanted to Grow Our Family’; Announce First Child August 17, 2021 Read More Andy Cohen Dates: Now, An Endgame “Are You Going To Be a Good Stepfather?’; Curious How His Exes Would Score Him… August 17, 2021 Read More ‘The Owl House’ Star Mae Whitman Comes Out as Pansexual, Celebrates Her ‘Bi-Furious’ Identity August 17, 2021 Read More ‘We need food’: heavy rains lash Haiti quake survivors August 17, 2021 Read More ‘It’s just a preference’: How Some Gay Men Justify Sorting, Selecting on Grindr by Race. New Research August 17, 2021 Read More View the full article

Chasten and Pete ButtigiegButtigieg Baby On Board At least one American can now call Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg “daddy” after he and his husband, Chasten, announced the arrival of their first child. The news came from Buttigieg’s personal Twitter account on Tuesday, with both he and Chasten celebrating the news online. “For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family,” Buttigieg said. “We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents! The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can’t wait to share more soon.” According to CNN, the Buttigiegs had been trying to adopt a child for more than a month. The family addition marks another landmark for LGBTQ representation within the halls of the U.S. government. Buttigieg became the first out gay cabinet secretary when he took over the Department of Transportation earlier this year. Buttigieg Baby: Previously on Towleroad Buttigieg Baby On Board: Pete and Chasten ‘Overjoyed….Have Wanted to Grow Our Family’; Announce First Child Brian Bell August 17, 2021 Read More Trump Administration Calls on Supreme Court to Allow Adoption Agencies to Turn Away Gay Couples John Wright June 4, 2020 Read More Tennessee Governor Signs Anti-LGBTQ Adoption Bill, 1st to Become Law in 2020 John Wright January 24, 2020 Read More Tennessee Passes Bill Allowing Adoption Agencies to Deny Gay Couples; Governor Says He’ll Sign It Andy Towle January 15, 2020 Read More Mike Pence Tells Cheering Crowd He ‘Couldn’t Be More Proud’ of New Rule Allowing Adoption Agencies to Reject Gay Couples: WATCH Andy Towle November 14, 2019 Read More Georgia Senate Panel Approves Bill Allowing Adoption Agencies to Deny Gay Couples Michael Fitzgerald February 21, 2018 Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Andy Cohen looks for “good stepfather” qualities in anyone he dates. The 53-year-old radio and television host became a father to two-year-old son Benjamin Allen in 2019, and has said being a dad has completely changed the way he views dating, as he now wants to make sure his future partner has the right qualities to be a stepfather to his son. He explained: “Now there’s an endgame. Are you going to be a good stepfather? It’s changed everything.” And when the ‘Watch What Happens Live’ host does find his special someone, he wants them to be “independent” and have their own interests. He added: “I like very independent people who have their own things going with their own lives, who are very strong in their belief systems. That’s very attractive to me.” Andy is currently the host of Peacock’s new series ‘Ex-Rated’, in which contestants face candid feedback from their former partners. And while the TV star is still on the hunt for “the one”, he would be curious to know what his exes would score him in the different relationship categories. He told People magazine: “You get to hear straight from contestants’ exes, and they use the information to make themselves better at dating – and in bed. I love how sex-positive the show is. You can’t turn away! “I’m dying for my exes to fill out the survey to see how I scored! The show makes you want to put yourself in other people’s positions and say, ‘What would people say about me?’ It’s really made me wonder how I would be rated in certain categories.” Meanwhile, Andy previously revealed having a son has encouraged him to travel the world, as he wants to take his tot “everywhere”. He said: “I’m excited to take him to theme parks and to take him to London when that is meaningful for him. I’m kind of excited to take him everywhere, frankly. I’m building a house on Long Island, [and] I’m excited to live there with him. “I used to not lean into tourist things, but I think with a child, you do it with glee … What happens is, you’re too cool until you’re not. Everybody winds up there.” Andy Cohen Dates previously on Towleroad Andy Cohen Dates: Now, An Endgame “Are You Going To Be a Good Stepfather?’; Curious How His Exes Would Score Him… August 17, 2021 Read More ‘The Owl House’ Star Mae Whitman Comes Out as Pansexual, Celebrates Her ‘Bi-Furious’ Identity August 17, 2021 Read More ‘We need food’: heavy rains lash Haiti quake survivors August 17, 2021 Read More ‘It’s just a preference’: How Some Gay Men Justify Sorting, Selecting on Grindr by Race. New Research August 17, 2021 Read More Lily Cole, Model and Actor in ‘Dr. Who’, ‘Star Wars’, Married to Kwame Ferreira, Says She is Definitely Queer August 16, 2021 Read More Court Rules Hobby Lobby Violated Law in Denying ‘Unquestionably Female’ Trans Employee Use of Women’s Bathroom August 16, 2021 Read More View the full article

Mae WhitmanMae Whitman Wishes She’d Had Queer Characters Growing Up Actress Mae Whitman, known for her roles in ‘Good Girls’, ‘Parenthood’, ‘Arrested Development’ and more has spoken about her pansexual identity openly for the first time. “The DUFF” star made the announcement in a series of social media posts in which she gushed about being part of the voice cast of the very LGBTQ Disney animated series “The Owl House.” “Just taking a moment to say I am so proud to be even a small part of a show like ‘The Owl House,'” Whitman tweeted Monday. “Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up. Queer representation is so so so important :,) keep it up world!” Whitman voices the young witch Amity Blight on the show, who is part of one the very few LGBTQ relationships in the history of Disney animation with the show’s main character, Luz Noceda, voiced by Sarah Nicole-Robles. The show also introduced Disney’s first out non-binary character in Raine Whispers, voiced by non-binary actor Avi Roque. ‘I Appreciate Everything And Everyone’ Beyond coming out, Whitman also took the opportunity to explain why she defines herself as pansexual. “I know [people] might be unfamiliar with what pansexual means; for me, it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders,” Whitman continued. “This is the word that fits me best and I’m proud and happy to be part of the Bi+ community.” She complimented her coming out post with a series of images depicting Amity and Luz and a picture of herself claiming to be “bi-furious” on Instagram. Whitman’s acting career has spanned more than 25 years across television, film, voice acting for animation and video games. She most recently starred in the recently canceled NBC dramedy series “Good Girls” and is fondly remembered for her role on “Parenthood.” Whitman previously hinted at her rainbow status in a 2014 interview with Glamour. When asked about her romantic life, Whitman said, “I just like people.” “I think girls are attractive, I think boys are attractive, I think old people are attractive, I think young people are—I appreciate everything and everyone,” she added. Mae Whitman: Previously on Towleroad Billy Eichner ‘s ‘Big, Gay Divorce Comedy’ ‘Ex-Husbands’ Headed To Amazon; ‘It’s the Gay ‘War Of The Roses’ You’ve Been Waiting For!’ Brian Bell August 4, 2021 Read More Hollywood Skin Doc–and Home Flipper–Alex Khadavi Threatens to Kill Gay Couple In Homophobic Screed Caught on A Lobby Cam; Acquired by TMZ: WATCH Brian Bell July 22, 2021 Read More A ‘Pose’ Is Not Enough. Hollywood Writers Guild’s LGBTQ Group Calls Out Discrimination On and Off Screen In Open Letter Brian Bell June 14, 2021 Read More Kevin Spacey News: Judge Ruled Accuser Had To Go Public For Sexual Assault Case To Proceed. He Refused; Case Likely to be Dismissed. Towleroad May 15, 2021 Read More Reese Reveals Secret Hollywood Power Play Led By Shonda Rhimes; Tells Where Elle Woods Would Be Today; And Contrasts her image to Britney’s Towleroad April 29, 2021 Read More Finally? A Gay Holiday RomCom? R-rated Mrs. Doubtfire? Gun Control? Respect for Aretha? DC Statehood? Japan Marriage Equality? Spring? with Puppies: HOTLINKS Michael Goff March 23, 2021 Read More Photo courtesy of YouTube/Genevieve/Creative Commons View the full article

Published by Reuters By Laura Gottesdiener and Ricardo Arduengo LES CAYES, Haiti (Reuters) -Heavy rains overnight lashed thousands of people left homeless by a weekend earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 1,400, causing flooding and complicating relief efforts, even as the storm moved past the Caribbean country on Tuesday. The quake brought down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a temblor 11 years ago that killed over 200,000 people. By Tuesday morning, only a light rain was falling over Les Cayes, the southern coastal city that bore the brunt of the 7.2 magnitude quake after Tropical Storm Grace had unleashed torrential rains and floods in at least one region. At a tent city in Les Cayes containing many children and babies, over a hundred people scrambled to repair makeshift coverings made of wooden poles and tarps that were destroyed by Grace overnight. Some took cover under plastic sheets. Mathieu Jameson, deputy head of the committee formed by the tent city residents, said hundreds of people there were in urgent need of food shelter and medical care. “We don’t have a doctor. We don’t have food. Every morning more people are arriving. We have no bathroom, no place to sleep. We need food, we need more umbrellas,” said Jameson, adding the tent city was still waiting for government aid. Haiti’s latest natural disaster comes just over a month after Haiti was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7. Several major hospitals were severely damaged, hampering humanitarian efforts, as were the focal points of many shattered communities, such as churches and schools. “We have around 34 children hospitalized now, but we still need more help from pediatricians. SOS,” Marie Cherry, a doctor at the Les Cayes general hospital, said via text message. Doctors worked in makeshift tents outside of hospitals to save the lives of hundreds of injured, including young children and the elderly. Haitian authorities said on Monday that 1,419 deaths had been confirmed, with some 6,900 people injured. As hopes faded of finding significant numbers of survivors in the wreckage, the storm impeded rescuers in Les Cayes, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince. By early morning, Grace, which had been forecast to dump up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain on some areas, was moving into Jamaica, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Rescue workers were digging alongside residents through the rubble on Monday evening in a bid to reach bodies, though few voiced hope of finding anyone alive. A smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air. “We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere,” said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter from northern Haiti. Emergency workers pulled a bloodstained pillow from the rubble, followed by the corpse of a 3-year-old boy who appeared to have died in his sleep during the earthquake. Shortly after, as the rain intensified, the workers left. RISING TOLL With about 37,312 houses destroyed by the quake, according to Haitian authorities, and many of those still unexcavated, the death toll is expected to rise. Vital Jaenkendy, who watched as a bulldozer shifted rubble from his collapsed apartment building, said eight residents had died and four were missing. Jaenkendy and others have been sleeping under a tarpaulin on a dirt road nearby, and were hunkering down for the rains. “When the storm comes, we’ll take shelter in car ports of the houses nearby, just until it passes, and then we’ll return to our place in the road,” he said. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was sworn in less then a month ago after Moise’s assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake. Though billions of dollars in aid money poured into Haiti after that quake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, many Haitians say they saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods. “The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season,” Henry told reporters, adding that the government would not repeat “the same things” done in 2010. (Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener and Ricardo Arduengo in Les Cayes, Haiti;Additional reporting by Herbert Villarraga and Robenson Sanon in Les Cayes; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Clarence Fernandez and Giles Elgood) View the full article

Grindr by Race Grindr allows for anonymity in a way that other dating apps do not. Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty ImagesOn gay dating apps like Grindr, many users have profiles that contain phrases like “I don’t date Black men,” or that claim they are “not attracted to Latinos.” Other times they’ll list races acceptable to them: “White/Asian/Latino only.” This language is so pervasive on the app that websites such as Douchebags of Grindr and hashtags like #grindrwhileblack can be used to find countless examples of the abusive language that men use against people of color. Since 2015 I’ve been studying LGBTQ culture and gay life, and much of that time has been spent trying to untangle and understand the tensions and prejudices within gay culture. “This isn’t e-harmony, this is Grindr, get over it or block me.” One user on Grindr put emphasis on the appWhile social scientists have explored racism on online dating apps, most of this work has centered on highlighting the problem, a topic I’ve also written about. I’m seeking to move beyond simply describing the problem and to better understand why some gay men behave this way. From 2015 to 2019 I interviewed gay men from the Midwest and West Coast regions of the United States. Part of that fieldwork was focused on understanding the role Grindr plays in LGBTQ life. A slice of that project – which is currently under review with a top peer-reviewed social science journal – explores the way gay men rationalize their sexual racism and discrimination on Grindr. ‘It’s just a preference’ The gay men I connected with tended to make one of two justifications. The most common was to simply describe their behaviors as “preferences.” One participant I interviewed, when asked about why he stated his racial preferences, said, “I don’t know. I just don’t like Latinos or Black guys.” A Grindr profile used in the study specifies interest in certain races. Christopher T. Conner, CC BYThat user went on to explain that he had even purchased a paid version of the app that allowed him to filter out Latinos and Black men. His image of his ideal partner was so fixed that he would rather – as he put it – “be celibate” than be with a Black or Latino man. (During the 2020 #BLM protests in response to the murder of George Floyd, Grindr eliminated the ethnicity filter.) Sociologists have long been interested in the concept of preferences, whether they’re favorite foods or people we’re attracted to. Preferences may appear natural or inherent, but they’re actually shaped by larger structural forces – the media we consume, the people we know and the experiences we have. In my study, many of the respondents seemed to have never really thought twice about the source of their preferences. When confronted, they simply became defensive. “It was not my intent to cause distress,” another user explained. “My preference may offend others … [however,] I derive no satisfaction from being mean to others, unlike those who have problems with my preference.” The other way that I observed some gay men justifying their discrimination was by framing it in a way that put the emphasis back on the app. These users would say things like, “This isn’t e-harmony, this is Grindr, get over it or block me.” Since Grindr has a reputation as a hookup app, bluntness should be expected, according to users like this one – even when it veers into racism. Responses like these reinforce the idea of Grindr as a space where social niceties don’t matter and carnal desire reigns. Prejudices bubble to the surface While social media apps have dramatically altered the landscape of gay culture, the benefits from these technological tools can sometimes be difficult to see. Some scholars point to how these apps enable those living in rural areas to connect with one another, or how it gives those living in cities alternatives to LGBTQ spaces that are increasingly gentrified. In practice, however, these technologies often only reproduce, if not heighten, the same problems and issues facing the LGBTQ community. As scholars such as Theo Green have unpacked elsewehere, people of color who identify as queer experience a great deal of marginalization. This is true even for people of color who occupy some degree of celebrity within the LGBTQ world. Perhaps Grindr has become particularly fertile ground for cruelty because it allows anonymity in a way that other dating apps do not. Scruff, another gay dating app, requires users to reveal more of who they are. However, on Grindr people are allowed to be anonymous and faceless, reduced to images of their torsos or, in some cases, no images at all. The emerging sociology of the internet has found that, time and again, anonymity in online life brings out the worst human behaviors. Only when people are known do they become accountable for their actions, a finding that echoes Plato’s story of the Ring of Gyges, in which the philosopher wonders if a man who became invisible would then go on to commit heinous acts. At the very least, the benefits from these apps aren’t experienced universally. Grindr seems to recognize as much; in 2018, the app launched its “#KindrGrindr” campaign. But it’s difficult to know if the apps are the cause of such toxic environments, or if they’re a symptom of something that has always existed. [You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.] Christopher T. Conner, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Grindr by race on Towleroad Grindr by race ‘We need food’: heavy rains lash Haiti quake survivors August 17, 2021 Read More ‘It’s just a preference’: How Some Gay Men Justify Sorting, Selecting on Grindr by Race. New Research August 17, 2021 Read More Lily Cole, Model and Actor in ‘Dr. Who’, ‘Star Wars’, Married to Kwame Ferreira, Says She is Definitely Queer August 16, 2021 Read More Court Rules Hobby Lobby Violated Law in Denying ‘Unquestionably Female’ Trans Employee Use of Women’s Bathroom August 16, 2021 Read More Stella McCartney Says Rock-and-Roll Parents Shared Clothes; Made Genderless (‘Unisex’) Fashion Real For Her August 16, 2021 Read More Taliban return to power as president and diplomats flee Kabul August 15, 2021 Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lily Cole has come out as queer. The 33-year-old model – who has five-year-old daughter Wylde with her entrepreneur husband Kwame Ferreira – spoke out about her sexuality in her new book ‘Who Cares Wins: How to Protect the Planet You Love’. Lily wrote: “Just as we do not choose the circumstances and ancestral patterns we are born into, none of us choose the cultural norms and laws we inherit. “Had my mixed-race daughter been born in a different country, she would have been a crime. “If I were living in another country today, my queerness would be a crime.” And Lily – who tied the knot with Ferreira in 2012 – went on to explain that she felt the need to “acknowledge” that she is not straight. Speaking about the word queer, she told The Sunday Times Style magazine: “I like that world because of its openness, because I think all those boundaries are quite rigid. “I have lots of friends who identify as bisexual, lesbian or whatever, who also identify as queer. I’ve always been quite private about my private life, consciously, and I want to continue to be, so I don’t feel the need to be explicit. At the same time I feel the need to acknowledge that I am not straight.” Lily was previously linked to Jude Law, David Gandy Bryan Ferry and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey before she fell for Ferreira. Lily Cole Actor on Towleroad Lily Cole, Model and Actor in ‘Dr. Who’, ‘Star Wars’, Married to Kwame Ferreira, Says She is Definitely Queer August 16, 2021 Read More Court Rules Hobby Lobby Violated Law in Denying ‘Unquestionably Female’ Trans Employee Use of Women’s Bathroom August 16, 2021 Read More Stella McCartney Says Rock-and-Roll Parents Shared Clothes; Made Genderless (‘Unisex’) Fashion Real For Her August 16, 2021 Read More Taliban return to power as president and diplomats flee Kabul August 15, 2021 Read More Thousands march in Bucharest Gay Pride Parade; Shadow of Planned Legislation That Will Chip At Rights Gained in 2001 August 15, 2021 Read More Cardi B and Lizzo Rumors All True. A Late Summer Bop Fantasia And 10 More Recently Dropped Trailers and Tunes: Watch Now August 14, 2021 Read More View the full article

Hobby LobbyA landmark ruling out of Illinois Friday finally put to bed attempts by national retailer Hobby Lobby to discriminate against an employee’s rights based on their gender identity, ending an 11-year fight that spawned from the simple act of using the bathroom. The Illinois Second District Appellate Court ruled in favor of transgender Hobby Lobby employee Meggan Sommerville, stating that Hobby Lobby violated the state’s anti-bias law by denying her from using the women’s restroom at her workplace. The ruling stated Sommerville is “unquestionably female” and should be permitted to use the bathroom that correlates to her gender identity. “They stuck to the law,” Sommerville, who has worked at Hobby Lobby for 23 years, told Forbes after the ruling came down. “This is a precedent setting case in Illinois, because the Human Rights Act has never been tested in this way in Illinois, and actually in the country.” Sommerville’s framing of the decision isn’t hyperbolic. Friday’s ruling marks the first instance of protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity that last year’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision guaranteed to federal employees extending to employees of private companies. “The court basically says this was not just transgender discrimination, it was sex discrimination, which is what federal courts have found,” said Jacob Meister, Sommerville’s attorney. “What this court said is, as a matter of Illinois law, Meggan’s sex is female. She not only has a female gender identity, but as a matter of Illinois law, her sex is female.” Sommerville stated that her treatment by Hobby Lobby, a company with a long history of proliferating anti-LGBTQ sentiments, impacted her health through her limiting fluid intake at work and heightened her fears of assault and/or mocking from men. “This decision will have national implications and start the process of courts around the country addressing the issue of bathroom access,” Meister told Bloomberg. Hobby Lobby justified its treatment of Sommerville by stating the company installed a “unisex bathroom” in Sommerville’s store and would allow Sommerville to use the women’s bathroom if she produced a birth certificate showing her to be female or proved that she underwent gender-affirming surgery. They also threw in the common adage that denying Sommerville access to the women’s restroom was meant to protect women. The court rejected Hobby Lobby’s arguments unanimously, saying that their practices had no support under the Illinois Human Rights Act. “Hobby Lobby’s argument that female status is somehow immutable is belied not only by the Act, but also by its own conduct,” read the filing. It further stated that Hobby Lobby’s “protecting women” argument “lacks support in either the record or logic.” “There is simply no evidence that Sommerville’s use of the women’s bathroom would pose a safety risk to other women,” the ruling read. “The presence of a transgender person in a bathroom poses no greater inherent risk to privacy or safety than that posed by anyone else who uses the bathroom” Sommerville’s previous $220,000 judgment for emotional distress and attorneys’ fees was upheld. Hobby Lobby hasn’t commented publicly on the ruling, but an appeal is likely to come with some form of religious freedom wrapped into its defense of its actions. The company was victorious in securing the same protections based on religious beliefs reserved for churches and individuals for for-profit corporations with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in 2014. According to Forbes, both Sommerville and Meister are committed to fight the company all the way to the Supreme Court, where Bostock v. Clayton County was decided. Hobby Lobby: Previously on Towleroad Court Rules Hobby Lobby Violated Law in Denying ‘Unquestionably Female’ Trans Employee Use of Women’s Bathroom Brian Bell August 16, 2021 Read More Canada Transgender Pastor Sues Former Church For Being Fired After Coming Out During Pride Month Sermon Brian Bell August 12, 2021 Read More Elliot Page Awarded for Prejudice-busting Work and Life On And Off Screen; Sheds Light on Dark Prejudices; Shares Unseen Prides and Joys Brian Bell August 11, 2021 Read More FOLLOWING UP: DaBaby Apology Gone From Instagram; First Trans Model for Vogue; Sr. Executives Leave Activision Blizzard: Brian Bell August 10, 2021 Read More Tennessee Trans Bathroom Bill Alleged to Violate Title IX. Human Rights Campaign Sues on behalf of the the affected children. Brian Bell August 4, 2021 Read More LGBTQ Olympics: Raven Sunders Challenges All; First Ever Trans Woman, Non Binary Athletes Compete. LGBTQ Medal Count Hits 20 Brian Bell August 3, 2021 Read More Photo courtesy of JJBers/Creative Commons View the full article

Stella McCartney also releases first Mylo collection with lab-made mushroom leather Published by BANG Showbiz English Stella McCartney’s parents introduced “genderless” fashion to her. The 49-year-old designer can recall her parents, Beatles icon Sir Paul McCartney and late photographer Linda McCartney, sharing their clothes when she was growing up and that idea of having sexless clothes never left and has always inspired her creations. In an interview with OK! magazine, she said: “Mum and dad would share a wardrobe. So I saw this kind of genderless relationship between clothing. I think I was just really drawn to that. “My earliest memories are of sitting in my mum and dad’s wardrobe and looking at all their clothes. I would watch films too, and I just knew that I wanted to do something that was creative. And, you know, I had parents that were in entertainment, so I would watch them work with costumes. But then we grew up on a farm, so it would be very contrasting worlds. “One minute it was bareback on a horse and the next minute it was thigh-high boots and rock ‘n’ roll! So I got this incredible insight into costumes and wardrobes.” Stella – who has just released her first-ever range made from Mylo, laboratory grown mushroom leather – says another major inspiration behind her designs is the psychology of clothes, how certain garments can make you “feel good” whereas other items can make you “feel bad”. She said: “As I got older, I knew fashion was my choice of career. I went to be an intern in Paris and I was just sold. But the thing that also made me really want to pursue it wasn’t the glamour. It was the psychological side to it, that what you wear is a reflection of who you are and how you feel. “Some things can make you feel good and other things can make you feel bad. I found that really fascinating.” Stella McCartney Genderless Fashion Stella McCartney Says Rock-and-Roll Parents Shared Clothes; Made Genderless (‘Unisex’) Fashion Real For Her August 16, 2021 Read More Taliban return to power as president and diplomats flee Kabul August 15, 2021 Read More Thousands march in Bucharest Gay Pride Parade; Shadow of Planned Legislation That Will Chip At Rights Gained in 2001 August 15, 2021 Read More Cardi B and Lizzo Rumors All True. A Late Summer Bop Fantasia And 10 More Recently Dropped Trailers and Tunes: Watch Now August 14, 2021 Read More Moderna HIV Vaccine Phase 1 Human Trials to Start as Early as Next Week. Hope to Build on mRNA Learnings August 13, 2021 Read More Cook at Applebee’s Complaint When Told to Ignore A Toxic Mix of Workplace Slurs and Confederate Paraphernalia Spurs Federal Lawsuit August 13, 2021 Read More View the full article