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The Fête de la Fédération at Champ de Mars on July 14, 1790. Woodcut by Helman, from a picture by C. Monet, Painter of the King. Bibliothèque nationale de France French people travelling to or living in English-speaking countries are sometimes surprised when asked about their plans for “Bastille Day”: they refer to the day as Quatorze Juillet (14 July). France’s National Day is not really about the storming of the Bastille, and the day’s English language name conveys a misleading image. But it gives us an interesting glimpse into how the English-speaking world imagines France’s revolutionary past. The most common misconceptions about the French National Day are that it is a celebration of the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14 1789, and commemorates the official beginning of the French Revolution. It is, in fact, a far more complex story. Jean-Pierre Houël (1735–1813), The Storming of the Bastille, 1789. Bibliothèque nationale de France While English speakers refer to Bastille Day, in France the day is intimately related to a different historical event: the Fête de la Fédération (Festival of the Federation), a mass gathering held on July 14 1790. In 1789, the people of Paris attacked the Bastille: a political prison, a symbol of the monarchy and an armoury. The citizens aimed to seize weapons, ammunition and powder to fight the royal troops stationed in the vicinity of Paris. 1790’s Fête de la Fédération was designed to inaugurate a new era which abolished absolutism and gave birth to a French constitutional monarchy. Tens of thousands of people from all provinces converged on the Champ-de-Mars in Paris to attend a military parade led by Lafayette, a mass celebrated by Talleyrand, and a collective oath-taking culminating in short but rousing speeches from King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. Oath of La Fayaette at the Fête de la Fédération, 14 July 1790, painter unknown, c1790-1791. musée de la Révolution française It was not an annual event: simply a day to herald in a period of national unity. Less than three years later, the king and queen’s heads would meet the guillotine’s blade and the constitutional monarchy was replaced with the French First Republic. An ever-moving date France has had many days of national celebration, each reflecting the politics of its time. Napoleon I (Emperor from 1804 to 1814) declared citizens should celebrate August 15: the date of his name day and of the Assumption of Mary. The imperial decree that proclaimed August 15 (Napoleon’s name day) as National Day. Bibliothèque nationale de France Under the Restoration (1814-1830), the regime celebrated its kings on their name days: Louis XVIII (1814-1824) on August 25 and Charles X (1824-1830) on May 24. The July Monarchy (1830-1848) under Louis-Philippe I celebrated its birth in the heat of the “Three Glorious Days” of July 27 to 29 1830. The Second Republic (1848-1852) adopted May 4, the first meeting of the National Constituent Assembly in 1848. Another new political regime celebrated itself once again. Under the Second Empire (1852-1870), Napoleon III returned France’s national day to August 15: his name day. In a little less than a century, France changed its national day half a dozen times. New symbols for a new era The disastrous and humiliating defeat France suffered against Prussia in 1871 led to the fall of Napoleon III and the advent of the French Third Republic, which needed its own new symbols. For almost 15 years, there was fierce conflict between partisans of a monarchy and those in favour of a republican regime. The memory of the French Revolution became one of their main battlegrounds, and the choice of a national day an object of dispute. Read more: Friday essay: what is it about Versailles? Some advocated for July 15, the name day of the last Bourbon pretender, Henri, Count of Chambord, in the hopes of an imminent restoration. Left-wing radicals pushed for January 21, the anniversary of Louis XVI’s beheading in 1793. Others wanted to celebrate the Tennis Court Oath, which signalled France’s rupture with feudalism on June 20 1789. In the spring of 1880, politician Benjamin Raspail submitted a motion to declare July 14 the national day: a date shared between the Fête de la Fédération — a symbol of unity for the right — and the left-oriented image of the storming of the Bastille. Bastille Day military parade photographed at Longchamp in 1880. Collection of Jean Davray Thanks to the ambiguity of the date, the motion was passed into law — without specifying which Quatorze Juillet was to be commemorated. Raspail’s motion received the parliament’s approval based on the connection to the Fête, but the question of meaning was left open. Bastille Day Today Quatorze Juillet inextricably embodies the curious and divisive legacy the French Revolution carries for the French. Beneath the veneer of celebrations, the question of the intrinsic nature of the Revolution and whether its goals — Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité — have been achieved is often relegated to the background. It isn’t a day for reflection or politics. It is a day of leisurely family activities and celebrations, adorned with a lavish military parade displaying French power on the Champs-Elysées. In the evening, fireworks and popular dances known as Bal des pompiers (the Firemen’s Ball) take place throughout the country. It is a time for fraternal celebrations, very much the ambition of the original Fête de la Fédération. References to the storming of the Bastille are invisible or near-invisible. The Revolution is seldom mentioned in the presidential interview. Symbols of the 1789 Revolution are still the subject of contradictory interpretations and public controversy, as the recent Yellow Vests movement has shown. It is precisely this carefully maintained ambiguity in Quatorze Juillet which has enabled its endurance as France’s National Day: it can mean many things to many people. The French can project their own understanding of what is being celebrated. They can choose between the storming of the Bastille and the people; the Fête de la Fédération and national unity; and everything in between. Or they can simply enjoy a day off and admire the fireworks with their friends and family, oblivious to the complex story behind July 14. Romain Fathi, Senior Lecturer, History, Flinders University and Claire Rioult, PhD candidate in Early Modern History, Monash University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. But if You Were Young and Downtown In New York City Around 1990 Bastille Day is Florent … [This post contains video, click to play] bastille day – Curated tweets by michael_goff Bastille Day Previously on Towleroad Billy Porter Pose: Found Growth Playing Pray There’s ‘a whole generation of us who haven’t really been able to process what happened.’ July 14, 2021 Read More Sexy Photos of Provincetown’s Gay Bear Week 10+ Years Ago, Inspire With Message: “Be Kinder … Make Sanctuary … Feel at Ease,” Says Artist Paul Specht July 13, 2021 Read More Trump Hitler Connections. Report that Trump told Chief of Staff that Hitler ‘did a lot of good things,’ Is One Of Too Many. July 13, 2021 Read More Emma Corrin, played Diana in ‘The Crown’, Chooses Gender Neutral Pronouns; Posts Stunning ‘intimate…new…cool’ Images in Chest Binder July 13, 2021 Read More Notorious Founders Of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Group Exodus Never Did ‘Pray Away’ the Gay; Come Out Again, Slam Similar Programs in Netflix Doc July 13, 2021 Read More Space Pride: Richard Branson Honors Pulse Victims with Pride Flag on First Commercial Space Flight July 12, 2021 Read More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billy Porter’s role in ‘Pose’ helped him “heal” from his “trauma and grief”. The 51-year-old actor – who revealed earlier this year he was diagnosed as HIV+ 14 years ago – could see similarities between the journey of his character, Pray Tell, and his own life, and the FX series has also helped his friends realise they still had issues to “process”. He told E! News: “What I understood from day one was that I could use Pose and the character of Pray Tell in proxy for my own healing and my own journey with trauma and grief as it relates to that time period. “One of the things that has stuck out for me about the whole thing is a lot of my older friends were calling and saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that I had anything left to process.'” The final season was set in the mid 90s and saw Pray Tell offered a spot on an HIV drug trial and Billy recalled how once the medication was developed that made the illness easier to manage, “everybody moved on, as if it never happened”, leaving a “whole generation” with struggles they still need to work through. He explained: “So there’s a whole generation of us who haven’t really been able to process what happened to us in relation to healing trauma. “And that’s been the biggest part of this particularly in the last season, is how I’ve been able to use it as an agent of healing. And I hope that as an example we can be that for others.” The Emmy award-winning star hailed appearing on the show, which came to an end last month, as his “greatest, greatest honour” and he thinks it’s had a significant cultural impact. He said: “The whole process for me, from start to finish, has really been about stepping into what visibility means and how art has the power to change the hearts and minds of people from the inside out. “It’s like my goal has always been my art as activism, my art as healing. It has been very healing to me and to be able to share that energy through this work with the world has just been my greatest, greatest honour.” Billy Porter Pose previously on Towleroad Sexy Photos of Provincetown’s Gay Bear Week 10+ Years Ago, Inspire With Message: “Be Kinder … Make Sanctuary … Feel at Ease,” Says Artist Paul Specht July 13, 2021 Read More Trump Hitler Connections. Report that Trump told Chief of Staff that Hitler ‘did a lot of good things,’ Is One Of Too Many. July 13, 2021 Read More Emma Corrin, played Diana in ‘The Crown’, Chooses Gender Neutral Pronouns; Posts Stunning ‘intimate…new…cool’ Images in Chest Binder July 13, 2021 Read More Notorious Founders Of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Group Exodus Never Did ‘Pray Away’ the Gay; Come Out Again, Slam Similar Programs in Netflix Doc July 13, 2021 Read More Space Pride: Richard Branson Honors Pulse Victims with Pride Flag on First Commercial Space Flight July 12, 2021 Read More ‘Everyone, meet John,’ Dillon Passage Intros New Boyfriend, Says He’ll Support His Ex, Joe Exotic and Will Welcome Him Home After Jail July 12, 2021 Read More Load More View the full article

Far from the first Trump Hitler Connection . During her divorce, Ivana noted that Trump kept books of Hitler’s speeches in the bedroom and read them before bed in a 1990 Vanity Fair profile. Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and New Yorker spoke of Donald Trump pouring wine down the back of a reporter who noted a book of Hitler’s speeches in his office. In 2016 it was reported that not one, but two new compilations of Hitler’s speeches had astonishingly, images of Trump on the covers. And, of course there are many comparisons of Trumps political trajectory and strategies to those of Adolf Hitler. Like the preponderance of Russians floating around the campaign, it’s hard to imagine a benign intention for a man fascinated with absolute power and little else. Towleroad Editor. Published by AFP Former US president Donald Trump reportedly told his chief of staff that ‘Hitler did a lot of good things,’ according to an upcoming book Washington (AFP) – Donald Trump, during a visit to Europe while US president, told his chief of staff that “Hitler did a lot of good things,” The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing an upcoming book. Trump’s then chief of staff John Kelly was reportedly “stunned” by the remark. The exchange is recounted in the upcoming book, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election,” by Michael Bender of The Wall Street Journal, the British newspaper said. The Guardian said it had obtained a copy of the book ahead of its publication next week. Trump reportedly made the comment while Kelly was giving the president an impromptu history lesson during a 2018 visit to Europe to mark the end of World War I. According to the book, Kelly had “reminded the president which countries were on which side during the conflict” and “connected the dots from the first world war to the second world war and all of Hitler’s atrocities.” “Well, Hitler did a lot of good things,” Trump reportedly said. Kelly reportedly “told the president that he was wrong, but Trump was undeterred,” emphasizing German economic recovery under Hitler during the 1930s. “Kelly pushed back again,” the Guardian quoted Bender as writing, “and argued that the German people would have been better off poor than subjected to the Nazi genocide.” Kelly told Trump that even if his claim about the German economy under the Nazis were true, “you cannot ever say anything supportive of Adolf Hitler. You just can’t.” The Guardian said Bender has interviewed Trump since he lost the November 2020 election and the former president has denied making the remark about Hitler. Kelly, a former Marine Corps general who left the White House in early 2019, has made a number of critical comments about Trump following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of the former president. Trump Hitler previously on Towleroad Notorious Founders Of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Group Exodus Never Did ‘Pray Away’ the Gay; Come Out Again, Slam Similar Programs in Netflix Doc July 13, 2021 Read More Space Pride: Richard Branson Honors Pulse Victims with Pride Flag on First Commercial Space Flight July 12, 2021 Read More ‘Everyone, meet John,’ Dillon Passage Intros New Boyfriend, Says He’ll Support His Ex, Joe Exotic and Will Welcome Him Home After Jail July 12, 2021 Read More Eddie Izzard Pronouns: Is An ‘Honor’ when ‘She’/’Her’ Used; But Warns Coming Out is Followed By “10 year rite of passage, Arthurian knights… to rejig your life” July 12, 2021 Read More Olympics vs. COVID Finals Down To Wire: Postponed a Year; Fans Banned Last Week, Tokyo State Of Emergency Today; Athletes Cancel July 12, 2021 Read More Hungary Gay and LGBTQ Activists Protest Latest Anti-LGBTQ Law with 30-Foot Rainbow Heart July 10, 2021 Read More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Emma Corrin wants to be gender neutral. The 25-year-old star – who is best known for portraying Princess Diana in ‘The Crown’ – has revealed that she wears a chest binder made by a transgender-owned company and that she now uses the pronouns she/they. Alongside a set of black and white images of Emma wearing boxing wrap – a fabric binding used by boxers – she wrote on Instagram: “some time before I bought my first binder, messing around with @sirdavidsimon, we used boxing wrap, thanks for capturing this with me, very intimate, very new, very cool. It’s all a journey right. Lots of twists and turns and change and that’s ok! Embrace it (sic)” Chest binding is often used by people who wish to give the appearance of a flatter chest. However, Emma didn’t explain why she personally chooses to wear it. Emma uses binders from gc2b, which is billed as the “very first gender-affirming apparel company that is trans-owned and operated”. Emma’s post prompted a series of supportive messages from some of her showbiz pals, including singer Paloma Faith. She wrote on the photo-sharing platform: “Beautiful pictures xx (sic)” Artist Arlo Parks described the photos as “angelic” and the official Netflix account responded with a series of heart emojis. Meanwhile, Emma previously suggested that her new-found fame has been made more manageable because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions. Speaking about her rise to stardom since appearing in ‘The Crown’, she explained: “When the show was coming out, we weren’t able to be together as a cast to celebrate it. “We were so proud of it, but haven’t seen each other since [before] the first lockdown. It has been so strange – and sad. But perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise. A friend said to me that at least it has meant that the focus has been on the work, not on events in, say, LA – and that’s what it’s all about for me. “It has also made the whole explosion more manageable. I’ve had time to come to terms with it, I suppose.” Emma Corrin previously on Towleroad Trump Hitler Connections. Report that Trump told Chief of Staff that Hitler ‘did a lot of good things,’ Is One Of Too Many. Read More Notorious Founders Of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Group Exodus Never Did ‘Pray Away’ the Gay; Come Out Again, Slam Similar Programs in Netflix Doc Read More Space Pride: Richard Branson Honors Pulse Victims with Pride Flag on First Commercial Space Flight Read More ‘Everyone, meet John,’ Dillon Passage Intros New Boyfriend, Says He’ll Support His Ex, Joe Exotic and Will Welcome Him Home After Jail Read More Eddie Izzard Pronouns: Is An ‘Honor’ when ‘She’/’Her’ Used; But Warns Coming Out is Followed By “10 year rite of passage, Arthurian knights… to rejig your life” Read More Olympics vs. COVID Finals Down To Wire: Postponed a Year; Fans Banned Last Week, Tokyo State Of Emergency Today; Athletes Cancel Read More Load More View the full article

“Pray Away”The rise and continued struggle against LGBTQ conversion therapy gets a close examination in the new Netflix documentary “Pray Away,” slated for release in August. The film chronicles the history of Exodus International, an organization founded in the 1970s by a group of gay Christians searching for a way to combat their same-sex attractions through their religious faith. The Florida-based organization was one of the first to promote conversion therapy, popularizing the phrase “pray the gay away” as a mantra, before the devastating psychological effects of conversion therapy were known or widely discussed. “Pray Away” features interviews with multiple former Exodus members who publicly lauded how conversion therapy helped them become “ex-gay” only to come out as LGBTQ years later and decry the practice they helped popularize. A new trailer released Tuesday features many of these figures as well as current-day promoters of conversion therapy and people seeking to divest themselves of their LGBTQ identities despite modern knowledge of conversion therapy’s repercussions. 20 states and scores more individual cities have bans on conversion therapy for minors in place and nearly every major health organization, including the World Health Organization and American Psychological Association, have discredited conversion therapy as a practice. The film is the latest Netflix offering from producer Ryan Murphy. The “Pose” creator co-produced “Pray Away” alongside Blumhouse Television’s Jason Blum, whom he previously collaborated with on the lesbian love-filled Netflix documentary “A Secret Love” and the HBO adaptation of Larry Kramer’s HIV/AIDS epidemic play “The Normal Heart.” The project also marks the feature-length directorial debut of accomplished short-form documentary filmmaker Kristine Stolakis. For Stolakis, the story of “Pray Away” holds a personal connection. Her uncle underwent conversion therapy after coming out as trans as a child. “He spent his lifetime believing that being straight and cisgender was the only way to be psychologically healthy and spiritually accepted,” Stolakis said in an interview with Women and Hollywood. “It wasn’t until I discovered leaders of the movement, people who claimed that they had themselves changed from gay to straight who were teaching others to do the same, that I understood the depth of his hope and his resulting trauma when he, of course, was unable to change himself.” “When you believe you are doing the right thing, and when you are taught that the only way to be accepted in your family, community and society at large is to be straight and cisgender, there is a lot of motivation to believe change is possible,” Stolakis continued. The film debuted at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival after being delayed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Pray Away’ debuts on Netflix on August 3. Conversion Therapy: Previously on Towleroad Notorious Founders Of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Group Exodus Never Did ‘Pray Away’ the Gay; Come Out Again, Slam Similar Programs in Netflix Doc Brian Bell July 13, 2021 Read More LGBTQ Conversion Practices Cause More Severe Trauma and PTSD Than We Thought …Study Also Find Faith Helps With Recovery Timothy W. Jones; Jennifer Power; and Tiffany Jones The Conversation April 8, 2021 Read More Trump Appoints Anti-Gay Conversion Therapy Practitioner and Christian Extremist Marcus Bachmann (Husband of Michelle) to Advisory Panel Andy Towle December 24, 2020 Read More TikTok to Remove Content Promoting Harmful Gay Conversion Therapy as Part of Broader Crackdown on Hate Speech Andy Towle October 21, 2020 Read More Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Signs Ban on Harmful Gay ‘Conversion Therapy’ Andy Towle October 3, 2020 Read More UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Says UK Will Ban Gay Conversion Therapy ‘It Has No Place in Civilized Society’ — WATCH Andy Towle July 20, 2020 Read More Image courtesy of Netflix View the full article

The Bear Bros in This Sexy Portfolio From A Decade Ago Are Inspiring Many Kicking Bearweek into High Gear Inspire your Bear Week that’s Just Starting With The Stunning Photographs Of Sexy Gay Bears From a Decade Ago Will Get You On the Right Track As Your Bear Week Takes Off Hot Bear Summer Starts Now. ‘Love your shirt.’ ‘You look great.’ A Stunning Portfolio of Sexy Gay Bears in their Natural habitat (Ptown) Will Inpire Just As Bear Week Takes off. The Message? Just Be kinder (Do it rather than signal it.) That Kindness creates the ds, inclusive, Sanctuary by just being nicer ( These Stunning Photographs of Sexy Gay Bears Gathering 10 Years Ago Will Inspire Your Best Bear Week. Artist Paul Specht Recalls the Sanctuary, particularly for the bigger guys he goes with every year. If The Bear Bros Have a Message for 2021 It’s To Just Be Kinder Get On the Right Track for Your Bear Week. Stunning Portfolio of Sexy Bears from A Decade bit more quiet Sanctuary. went every year with bigger guys and they always felt so at ease and no judgement. Be Kinder Love your shirt. p 10 More Years of Bears And Where Their Natural Habits At. Paul’s first journey to Provincetown was in the summer of 1981. He distinctly remembers traveling down Commercial St with his family in their beige station wagon. “I recall peering out the window and having my mother telling me not to stare. I was not yet a teenager but there was a feeling with the people on the streets that told me I was home.” incetown Week of the Bears. From the jarring Saturday turnover after July 4th when one set of Circuit Guy priorities is shipped out and the Bear Behaviors in priorities, projected positions, passions, and partnershipsand that paths are crossed with Circuit Week (Some years there’s a buffer week) Eric on Commercial St July 2007 Mike at Tea Dance at the Boatslip July 12 2009 David and Jesse July 2010 Paul Specht grew up on the North Shore area of Massachusetts , just outside of Boston. He developed his love of photography from his father who gave him his first 110 camera. In 1987 he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst to pursue a BFA in print making before graduating from Boston’s New England School of Photography where he studied portraiture. Paul’s first journey to Provincetown was in the summer of 1981. He distinctly remembers traveling down Commercial St with his family in their beige station wagon. “I recall peering out the window and having my mother telling me not to stare. I was not yet a teenager but there was a feeling with the people on the streets that told me I was home.” Paul currently resides in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts with his husband Eric. Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/paulspechtphotography/ Current Project The Self Portrait Series Book available on Blurb https://www.blurb.com/books/10671709-self-portrait-stories Next –> View the full article

The “Billionaire Space Race” brought a bit of space Pride to the party Saturday thanks to Virgin Galactic owner Sir Richard Branson. The 70-year-old billionaire completed the first commercial space flight on Saturday, and, though he didn’t bring a camera along, he have a Pride flag onboard in honor of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Richard Branson: Previously on Towleroad Richard Branson Condemns Anti-Gay Persecution in Africa, is Meeting with Nigerian Leaders Andy Towle January 16, 2014 Read More Richard Branson Boycotting Uganda Over Anti-Gay Law, Urges Others to Do the Same Andy Towle December 24, 2013 Read More Virgin Galactic’s Commercial Spaceship Completes Second Successful Test Flight: VIDEO Christian Walters September 8, 2013 Read More Photo courtesy of Aleksandr Andreiko/Creative Commons View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dillon Passage has revealed he’s in a new a relationship. Joe Exotic’s estranged husband – who announced earlier this year he was splitting from the ‘Tiger King’ star after four years of marriage – has revealed he’s found a new boyfriend, John. Sharing some pictures of them together, he wrote on Instagram: “Everyone, meet John. “I’ve planned on keeping my relationship private for personal reasons but lately I’ve been having a hard time dealing with things happening in my life and John has been my rock and helping me get through it all. “In short, this is an appreciation post for this special special man. Thank you for being you.” Dillon, 22, married Joe just nine months before the latter was arrested and eventually jailed for 22 years after being convicted of plotting a murder-for-hire against Big Cat Rescue rival Carole Baskin as well as other charges. And in March, he took to Instagram to confirm the pair had split, as he explained the decision to end their romance was in part influenced by the unwanted attention Dillon has received since Joe’s life and arrest were made the subject of a Netflix documentary. In a lengthy statement, Dillon wrote: “In November of 2017 I met Joe who was there for me during a difficult time in my life. “After just 9 short months he was arrested and, for the last two and a half years, we have been apart. I’ve always stood by his side and will continue to always love and support him.” He admitted the decision wasn’t an easy one to make. He continued: “To answer the main question the public wants to know, yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce. This wasn’t an easy decision to make but Joe and I both understand that this situation isn’t fair to either of us. “It’s something that neither of us were expecting but we are going to take it day by day. We are on good terms still and I hope it can stay that way. “I will continue to have Joe in my life and do my best to support him while he undergoes further legal battles to better his situation. A month later, Joe insisted the pair were trying to make their romance work, but 58-year-old former zoo operator admitted he’d understand if Dillon walked away. He said: “You know, if he needs to move on I have to respect that, I can’t expect him to just hang on forever. “He has told me time and time again … if I make it out of here alive, I still have a home to come to. “So, he said he is not going anywhere, all right? That is all I can say because that is all I know.” Dillon Passage previously on Towleroad Exotic Joe Exotic To Launch Cannabis Line from Prison, though ‘body is tired’, Lost Weight, ‘mouth sores out of control’ from Prostate Cancer June 15, 2021 Read More Exotic, Dillon Talk, Slow Split; Emilio Estevez Has COVID Brain Fog; Plus Links: Lindsay L Loves NFTs; Lindsey G. Dragged for Gun Brag; March 28, 2021 Read More Tiger King’s Carole Baskin Comes Out as Bisexual: WATCH October 20, 2020 Read More Steve Bannon, Vladimir Putin, Kamala Harris, Sarah Palin, Netflix, Randy Rainbow, Dr. Fauci, California Fires, ‘Tiger King’ Zoo, Billy Porter, Leslie Jordan, Billie Eilish, Katy Perry: HOT LINKS August 20, 2020 Read More Carole Baskin Awarded Control of Joe Exotic’s Former Zoo June 2, 2020 Read More Tiger King’s Joe Exotic to Formally Seek Presidential Pardon from Donald Trump May 5, 2020 Read More YouTubers Trick Tiger King’s Carole Baskin into Fake ‘Tonight Show’ Interview: WATCH May 4, 2020 Read More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Eddie Izzard has advised people who want to come out that “life will get better”. Although the 59-year-old transgender comedian warned those who want to reveal their sexual or gender identity that there is a “10 year rite of passage” and it will not be all “plain sailing” after coming out, she insisted that she is happier than she has ever been since revealing her true self. Speaking to Natasha Devon on LBC Radio, Eddie said: “I think it’s easier than it’s ever been to come out, LGTBQ+, it’s probably easier than it’s ever been to come out but there might be an idea that boom, your life is made, you’re going to have relationships, you’re going to have a job, that a whole bunch of stuff comes with it. “It doesn’t in fact. Once you come out there’s a 10 year rite of passage, Arthurian knights, where you have to learn to rejig your life with your being out. That’s a bit of a saga. “I’m sort of battle-hardened now. I’m sorry if people are having a tough time. Do come out but know there’s still a ten year acclimatization fight after that that is there and you have to account for that. Don’t think it’s all going to be plain sailing after that because it isn’t.” Eddie confirmed in 2019 that her preferred pronouns are she / her and called it a “great honour” when people use those to refer to her. She explained: “If you can stay that course, your life will be so much better. It’s such a great honour when someone refers to me as she or her. It’s such a great honour. “Every time someone says it I go woah, what a hit, it’s just very positive.” Eddie Izzard Pronouns previously on Towleroad Olympics vs. COVID Finals Down To Wire: Postponed a Year; Fans Banned Last Week, Tokyo State Of Emergency Today; Athletes Cancel July 12, 2021 Read More Hungary Gay and LGBTQ Activists Protest Latest Anti-LGBTQ Law with 30-Foot Rainbow Heart July 10, 2021 Read More QAnon, Alex Jones Threats Force San Francisco Gay Chorus Office to Close; Insist Clever Song About Coming to ‘Teach Your Kids Not to Hate’ As Proof of Pedophilia July 9, 2021 Read More ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ Halftime Headliners Meet Their Janifest Destiny July 9, 2021 Read More The Lil Nas X Gay Coronation Covers NY Times Magazine; Crowned With ‘Elaborately braided Black Boy Joy’; Welcome Generation Z July 9, 2021 Read More Homophobic Chant Nets Mexico Soccer Fans Ban From World Cup Qualifiers; LGBTQ Fans Sue Soldier Field Over Chants July 8, 2021 Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters Olympics vs. COVID TOKYO (Reuters) -Olympic host city Tokyo entered a new state of emergency on Monday, less than two weeks before the Games begin amid worries about whether the measures can stem a rise in COVID-19 cases. Organisers last week announced that spectators would be banned from nearly all venues. Spectators from abroad were already banned months ago, and officials are now asking residents to watch the Games on TV to keep the movement of people, which could spread contagion, to a minimum. Opinion polls have consistently shown the Japanese public is concerned about going ahead with the Games during the pandemic. Prime Mininster Yoshihide Suga’s handling of the pandemic – including an initially slow vaccination rollout – has eroded his support. The issue is especially sensitive ahead of a national election and a ruling party leadership race due later this year. “We would ask people to support athletes from home,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said on a Sunday TV programme. The Games, postponed from last year because of the pandemic, run from July 23 to August 8, while the state of emergency – the capital’s fourth – lasts until August 22, shortly before the Paralympics begin. The government and organisers had long seen the Games as a chance to display Japan’s recovery from a devastating 2011 earthquake and nuclear crisis. On Saturday, the governor of Fukushima prefecture, site of the nuclear disaster, said spectators would also be banned from softball and baseball games there, reversing an earlier decision. RISING TOKYO INFECTIONS World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic said on Sunday he was “50-50” about competing at the Tokyo Olympics following the organisers’ decision to ban fans from attending and limits on the number of people he can take to the Games. Some of the sport’s biggest names, including Rafa Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios, Serena Williams and Simona Halep have already said that they will skip the Games. Japan has recorded more than 815,440 COVID-19 cases and nearly 15,000 deaths. Recent rises in Tokyo have been particularly worrisome amid a vaccination rollout that got off to a slow start and has faced supply glitches after speeding up. Only about 28% of the population has received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Tokyo recorded 502 new cases on Sunday, the 23rd straight day of week-on-week gains, and experts worry that the public has grown weary of restrictions, mostly voluntary, on activities. The coronavirus curbs include asking restaurants to close early and to stop serving alcohol in exchange for a government subsidy, measures that have hit the eateries hard and caused many to complain of unfairness as the Games are set to go ahead. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is also in charge of the pandemic response, sparked outrage when he suggested late on Thursday he would ask banks to put pressure on eateries that do not comply with the stricter measures. In an about-face, the government’s top spokesperson Kato said on Friday it had decided banks would not be asked to press restaurants and bars that do not follow the government request to stop serving alcohol under the emergency restrictions. On Monday, “Anyone but LDP or Komeito” was trending on Twitter, a reference to voting for political parties other than Suga’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party or its junior coalition partner, the Komeito, in the coming parliamentary election. “I’m not a restaurateur, but this administration that couldn’t come up with effective anti-coronavirus steps despite having a year to get ready for the Olympics… is no good,” said one angry Twitter user. (Reporting by Linda Sieg; Editing by Michael Perry and Gareth Jones) Olympics vs. Covid previously on Towleroad View the full article