RadioRob

Published by BANG Showbiz English Alyson Stoner was “fired from a children's show” after coming out. The 29-year-old star made multiple appearances in Disney Channel in the mid-to-late 2000s in hits such as ‘Camp Rock' and ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody' but was allegedly dismissed from a job in later years after publicly coming out as queer over “safety concerns” for children. Speaking on' I'm Literally Screaming with Spencewuah', Alyson said: “There were other pressures and considerations for me to be public. I felt like ‘OK, I wanna do this.' But I spoke to my managers about it, who happened to be Christians, and so I was… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Deborah Mary Sophia (Reuters) -More than 150 Starbucks stores and 3,500 workers will be on strike next week across the United States, the union representing the coffee chain's baristas said on Friday, after it claimed the company had banned Pride Month decorations at its cafes. Starbucks Workers United union said earlier this month the company took down Pride Month decorations and flags at several stores, while some workers took to social media to report the same. Starbucks on Friday denied the claims as “false information”. It said last week there had been “no change to any policy on this … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax and Steve Gorman (Reuters) -Relatives and colleagues mourned on Friday five people who died when their submersible imploded in the North Atlantic during a deep dive to the Titanic wreck, triggering questions about safety rules for such adventures into the ocean depths. Debris from the Titan submersible, missing since Sunday, was detected on Thursday by a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship as part of an international rescue effort. Remains of the submersible, which lost contact with a surface ship about 1 hour and 45 minutes into a 2-hour descent, were discovered … Read More View the full article

Published by DPA At a unique gathering in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on Friday, Pope Francis called upon some of the world’s foremost artists to help voice the pain of the world’s poor. “Some experience very harsh forms of deprivation in life. That is why they need you the most,” the 86-year-old pontiff told around 200 guests from more than 30 countries as they stood beneath the frescoes of Michelangelo. Having no voice to make themselves heard, the poor also need art and beauty, Francis added at the event marking the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Vatican Museums’ collection of modern and … Read More View the full article

Dennis Schleicher: A Survivor of Anti-Gay Hate Crime Dennis Schleicher's life changed forever after a horrific attack at East Hartford High School in 1989 where he was targeted by 15 fellow students because of his suspected sexual identity. The attack left him severely injured, and he was not given proper medical attention. Instead, he was charged with assault and risk of injury to a minor, and the attackers were not held accountable. Schleicher was expelled and later homeschooled, but his resilience led him to graduate early, eventually testifying in support of a Hate Crime bill that would protect future victims. Courage and Resilience: Dennis Schleicher's Journey Now, 33 years later, Schleicher is sharing his story again, hoping to inspire and empower current victims of bullying, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. He is dismayed by the rise in hate crimes and bullying cases, and he hopes to be a voice for those who are struggling to find theirs. Schleicher urges victims to speak out about their experiences, to keep telling people until someone listens, and to use their pain to turn into power. Despite the challenges he faced, Schleicher has become a published author, a former Procter & Gamble VP, and a self-proclaimed influencer, proving that resilience and courage can lead to success. In response to Schleicher's story, a spokesperson for East Hartford Public Schools issued a statement acknowledging the diversity of their students and staff but also highlighting the efforts they are making to cultivate more inclusive and welcoming learning environments. The school board policy explicitly prohibits bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Schleicher's message to victims of bullying is clear: “Don't be silent about it. Bring it to your school officials. If they don't listen, bring it to your parents, bring it to your aunts, your uncles. Keep telling people about that situation until somebody listens.” With advocates like Schleicher, it is hopeful that future generations will not have to suffer in silence and will be able to live their lives with pride and acceptance. View the full article

Active, Sporty, Fighting To Stay LGBTQ-Welcoming Welcome to Miami, a city that effortlessly blends adrenaline-pumping activities with LGBTQ-friendly vibes. From fitness-focused accommodations to lively hotspots, Miami is a paradise for the active LGBTQ traveler. So, grab your workout gear and prepare for a journey that marries fitness, fun, and Florida's renowned sunshine. Score Big: Sporty Sightseeing LUMMUS PARK AND SOUTH BEACH: This is the place to be for beach volleyball enthusiasts. With outdoor exercise at every turn and some of the best bodies in Miami, it's a sightseeing spot that doubles as a workout venue. MIAMI SPORTS TEAMS: Miami is home to world-class teams in most sports. Whether you're a fan of basketball, baseball, football, or soccer, there's always a game to catch in the city. Get Moving: Active Events BEACH YOGA: For a unique workout experience, try the Warrior Flow at 12th Street Beach. This full moon strength and yoga class is held next to the PRIDE lifeguard station, adding a touch of LGBTQ pride to your workout. Instagram WODAPALOOZA: This four-day fitness event in Bayfront Park is centered on a CrossFit competition and functional fitness. It's a great way to meet fellow fitness enthusiasts and challenge yourself. ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL: After a day of sports, why not unwind with some music? This annual music fest in March features elite DJs and off-the-charts production. Outdoor Escapades PADDLEBOARDS, KAYAKS & E-SURFBOARDS: Miami Beach Paddleboard offers a variety of watersports options. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginner, it's a fun way to stay active and enjoy the beautiful Miami waters. EVERGLADES: For the more adventurous type, the Everglades offer airboat tours, alligator sightings, and off-trail hiking known as slogging. It's a unique way to experience Florida's wildlife up close. SOUTH POINTE PARK: This park at the end of the island is the perfect fitness-friendly getaway. With outdoor fitness equipment, a walking trail, and a waterfront park, it's a great place to get a workout while enjoying the beautiful Miami scenery. Last week: Wake Up In Miami: Creative Stays, Hot Spots And Arts Events for LGBTA Culture Lovers — This week, Sporty Miami. More to come. Sponsored by Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Fit for a King: Athletic Accommodations Photo courtesty Axel Beach, Miami AXELBEACH MIAMI: This gem, originating from Barcelona, is a fitness lover's dream come true. Situated in the heart of South Beach and Miami's Art Deco District, it's a stone's throw away from the beach. With a 24-hour gym and steam room, you can maintain your fitness regimen round the clock. Plus, with an array of bars and dining options, you can replenish your energy without leaving the hotel. This adults-only hotel welcomes everyone but is designed with the LGBTQ community in mind. LOEWS MIAMI BEACH: This hotel is an oasis for the sporty traveler. With its gym, you can keep up with your fitness routine. The adults-only cabana rentals offer a perfect spot for post-workout relaxation. Plus, with salon and spa services, you can indulge in some well-deserved pampering after a day of exploring Miami Beach. And let's not forget our four-legged friends – this hotel is pet-friendly! After Dark: Active Nightlife SKY BAR: Fancy combining your morning jog with a bit of nightlife? Sky Bar, located in AxelBeach Miami hotel, is the perfect place to relax after a day of activities. With its relatively early closing time (midnight), you can enjoy a night out without compromising your morning workout. BAR GAYTHERING: This popular spot at Hotel Gaythering is a hub of entertainment. With events like Karaoke Mondays, Trivia Wednesdays, and Bingo Thursdays, there's always something to keep you entertained. Plus, with a happy hour EVERY day from 5 to 8, it's the perfect place to mingle and unwind. Nourish Your Body: Healthy Eats ABBALE TELAVIVIAN KITCHEN: This sunny spot brings a taste of Tel Aviv to Miami. With a menu full of mezze, falafel, and more, it's the perfect place to fuel up after a day of activities. Plus, with a James Beard-nominated, Forbes 30 under 30 star chef at the helm, you're in for a culinary delight. CARBONE: For those who love Italian cuisine, Carbone is a must-visit. This South Beach outpost of New York Italian perfection is the ideal place for a decadent carb-loading session. Sporty Spree: Sports Shopping TIERRA SANTA HEALING HOUSE: After a day of activities, why not treat yourself to some holistic wellness? Tierra Santa offers South American-based treatments right on the oceanfront at Faena Hotel Miami Beach. (VALMONT FOR) THE SPA AT THE SETAI: If your muscles are yearning for some TLC after a day of sports, The Spa at The Setai has got you covered. With signature massages, facials, and a state-of-the-art fitness center boasting serene tropical views, you can indulge in a rejuvenating experience like no other. LULULEMON LINCOLN ROAD: Forgot to pack your gym gear? No problem! Lululemon on Lincoln Road offers upscale sportswear for any activity. Plus, it's located on a pedestrian mall that's perfect for a post-shopping stroll. So, lace up your sneakers and get ready for an active, sporty, and fun-filled visit to Miami. Whether you're into beach volleyball, yoga, orjust want to enjoy the vibrant nightlife, Miami has something for every LGBTQ traveler. Don't forget to share your experiences and tag us in your Miami adventures! Sponsored by Visit Miami View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Wednesday struck down a Florida rule and a statute that banned state Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare, marking the second defeat in two weeks for anti-transgender legislation in the state. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle declared the state's practices invalid, saying they violated the constitutional right to equal protection under the 14th amendment in addition to violating the federal Medicaid statue and the Affordable Care Act's prohibition of sex discrimination. The injunction was expected after Hinkle on June 6 partially blocked Fl… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com Admittedly, I did not care for Kevin Smith‘s 1997 romantic comedy-drama film, Chasing Amy, when I first saw it. While there are elements of the film that I believe are worthy of praise such as the performances, particularly from Joey Lauren Adams, and several smartly-written monologues, overall it is, in my opinion, a very dated, flawed film that does not hold up today. I did not get a lot out of Chasing Amy when I first saw it, and I have rarely, if ever, thought about it since seeing it. That being said, I completely understand why this film would mean a lot to someone else. I can see how so… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Loreen has “never” felt more “accepted” than in the LGBTQ+ community. The singer-songwriter, 39, made the declaration as she was named a pride icon at the ‘Attitude Pride Awards 2023' on Thursday (22.06.23) at The Langham Hotel, London, in front of guests including the event's host Spice Girl Emma Bunton, 47, as well as guests including Steps singer Ian ‘H' Watkins, 45, campaigner Peter Tatchell, 71, and former professional footballer-turned-presenter Alex Scott, 38. Loreen – real name Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui – was at the awards, sponsored by Magnum, after her victory at this year's Eurovis… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Ayenat Mersie and Mukelwa Hlatshwayo NAIROBI (Reuters) -Mohamed Ali doesn't believe gay Africans exist. He says homosexuality is a Western invention imposed on the continent. Openly gay Africans are liars seeking visas to the West or money from rights groups, he adds. Ali is a member of Kenya's parliament. He is desperate to follow neighbour Uganda by unleashing a sweeping legislative crackdown on LGBTQ people. Even if he happened to be sick in intensive care, he would ask to be dragged to parliament to approve it. “I will ask them to take me to vote for that, to kick them out, kick LGBT pe… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet Among MAGA politicians and right-wing media pundits, the most overused term of 2023 is clearly “woke.” Gov. Ron DeSantis brags that Florida, under his watch, is the state “where woke goes to die.” And MAGA Republicans typically use the term to attack anything they dislike, be it abortion, gay rights, environmentalism, drag queens, Obamacare, contraception or feminism. The term “woke capitalism” is heard a lot in right-wing media, typically used to slam companies that reject MAGA ideology in any way. Pleiades Strategy has released an in-depth report citing 165 examples of Republican lawmakers i… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax and Steve Gorman (Reuters) -The desperate search for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic entered a critical juncture on Thursday when air was expected to run out for the five people aboard, but officials vowed to continue scouring the remote North Atlantic. A remotely operated vehicle deployed from a Canadian vessel to the ocean floor discovered a “debris field” near the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday morning on Twitter, adding that experts were “evaluating the information.” Another robot from a French research ship was also sent diving toward the s… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story During an interview on SiriusXM's The Briefing with Steve Scully, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he thinks Russia acted in “good faith” with its invasion of Ukraine – and blamed the U.S. for the war. Kennedy, who is running as a Democrat for president, said that the solution to the conflict is “baby steps” towards negotiation. When the show's host, Steve Scully, pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected calls for negotiation unless Russia can keep the territory it has claimed, Kennedy claimed that “Putin has repeatedly said yes.” “In fact, he negotiated — two times he agr… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story Attorneys representing E. Jean Carroll delivered a swift smackdown to former President Donald Trump as he demanded a new trial after she successfully sued him for defamation and sexual abuse. As reported by Law and Crime News' Adam Klasfeld, Carroll's legal team delivered a scathing court filing in which it ridiculed Trump for wanting a do-over of a trial where he was ordered to pay its client $5 million. “Trump's motion is nothing more than his latest effort to obfuscate the import of the jury's verdict by engaging in his own particular Trump-branded form of magical thinking,” argued attorney… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby An Israeli lawmaker notorious for making inflammatory comments has said the country's LGBTQ+ community are more dangerous to Israel than the Islamic State (IS) terror group. Yitzhak Pindrus, a member of the Knesset from the United Torah Judaism political alliance – part of Israel's current far-right government – told Israeli television's Channel 12 earlier this week that the LGBTQ+ community is “the most dangerous thing for the State of Israel – more than IS, more than Hezbollah, more than Hamas”. “If it were up to me, I would prevent not just the pride march but also the whole movement,” Pind… Read More View the full article

Published by Fadeaway World By Orlando Silva The 2023 NBA Finals finished, but the Miami Heat keep making noise around the league, or at least one of their players. A member of the Floridian team was recently ‘exposed' for inviting an OnlyFans model to a three-way with another lady. However, the most curious part of the story is that the other lady was actually a transwoman. According to Hayley Murders, she was invited by a Heat player to have intimacy and when she first met him, the unknown player asked if she was willing to have a threesome with another woman. View the original article to see embedded media. Murders ag… Read More View the full article

Published by Cambridge Independent Award-winning comedian and author Rosie Wilby has helped thousands of listeners through heartbreak in her podcast The Breakup Monologues after suffering the indignity of being dumped by her girlfriend over email, writes Alex Spencer. And she now believes that a painful break-up could be a positive experience as so often it helps people discover new things about themselves or completely change their lives. Rosie, who is now happily married, wanted to help those coming after her through the trenches. Her own experience of being unceremoniously dumped happened more than 10 years ago, but it left … Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet British singer Elton John warned the United States is experiencing a “growing swell of anger and homophobia” as states like Florida see a rise in legislation that curtails LGBTQ+ rights, the New York Times reports. “There's violence, [discriminatory] laws enacted in Florida, which are disgraceful,” John said in an interview published by Radio Times. “There's a law now that, if you visit a doctor in Florida, they can refuse to treat you if you're gay, which I find just unbelievable. We seem to be going backwards. And that spreads. It's like a virus that the LGBTQ+ movement is suffering.” “I don… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com YouTube took down a video of an interview that featured Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who made claims that there are chemicals in our water that are turning children transgender. YouTube stated that they took down the video of the Jordon Peterson podcast because it violated their terms of service about vaccine misinformation. Kennedy and Peterson tweeted about their interview being taken down. They also shared the video so that viewers can watch it on Twitter. Kennedy is currently a presidential candidate in the Democratic primary. He has spoken about his views on vaccinations many times in differe… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A Christian-owned wellness center is exempt from the federal law prohibiting employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The unanimous three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Braidwood Management, which runs an alternative health center in Texas, cannot be sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its policy that employees who engage in homosexual or gender non-conforming conduct will be fired. Circuit Judge Jerry Sm… Read More View the full article

Published by The Detroit News DETROIT — As politicians battle over gay rights in statehouses across the country, it's difficult to know exactly how many people even identify as LGBTQ — and experts say the missing data could be crucial. That's because the decennial U.S. census — the gold standard of who exactly makes up the U.S. population — does not ask about sexual orientation or gender identity beyond a strict male/female binary. There are estimates. Experts at nonprofits estimated in 2020 that there are more than 13 million LGBTQ people nationwide, but estimates can vary wildly based on methodology and likely undercount… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) Rihanna has joined a chorus of calls for global financial reform to help communities on the frontlines of climate change. The Barbadian superstar tweeted US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and World Bank chief Ajay Banga yesterday, asking them to “make bold commitments to finance and debt reforms.” As her popular tweet pointed out, Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty has done plenty to address climate change herself through her Clara Lionel Foundation. For over a decade, it has funded climate resilience and climate justice initiatives in the Caribbean and US. “Will you join Mia Mottley [Barbados' Prime Mini… Read More View the full article

Published by The Street By Daniel Kline The former Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) — the special district Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dismantled in his battle with Disney World — handled a lot of mundane government tasks. Yes, the district's management made decisions on allowing new construction, but it also handled all the basic services that any government has to take care of. Yes, Disney controlled the land Disney World sits on, but it also had to handle things like power, roads, police, and firefighters. Now, with DeSantis dissolving the RCID and replacing it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight… Read More View the full article

Published by Global Voices Image by Cecilie Johnsen. Free to use under Unsplash License. After a six-year pause, this year's Trans Pride march took place on June 18 in Istanbul and was met with heavy police presence, intervention, and violence. Shortly after the group read out their statement and began to disperse, police used force and started detaining people. According to reports, at least eight people were detained on June 18. Trans Pride march in Istanbul, Turkey, 18 June 2023. The Turkish Government banned the Istanbul Trans Pride March as in previous years. #pride #Pride2023 #turkey @EPA_Images pic.twitter.com/Wq… Read More View the full article

Published by NJ.com Editor's note: This post has been updated with comment from the Office of the Attorney General and the Division on Civil Rights. The Middletown School Board on Tuesday night adopted a controversial parent notification policy that sources said would require schools to notify parents if a gender nonconforming student wants to be addressed by an alternative name or pronoun, inquires about participating on a different sports team or wants to use a different restroom. The amendment was to Middletown's policy 5756, which requires districts to accept a student's asserted gender identity without the c… Read More View the full article