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Published by The Detroit News Greta Van Fleet’s Josh Kiszka came out in an Instagram post on Tuesday, saying he’s been in “loving, same-sex relationship” with his partner for eight years. “It’s imperative that I speak my truth for not only myself, but in hopes to change hearts, minds and laws in Tennessee and beyond,” the band’s frontman said in his post. The throwback Michigan rockers now reside in Tennessee, which in the last year has signed several pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into law, “bills that threaten the freedom of love,” Kiszka wrote. Among those bills are curriculum censorship laws, bathroom bans and a ban… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet The authors of a beloved children's book about gay penguin parents, And Tango Makes Three, are suing a Florida school board as well as members of the Florida Board of Education. One of the arguments is that the book, based on a true story, is implied to be obscene by the fact that it's banned. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, the two authors of And Tango Makes Three, along with six children who wish to read the book and their parents. It challenges Florida's Parental Rights in Education Law, also known as the “Don't Say Gay” law. The law bans education on … Read More View the full article

Published by The Street By Daniel Kline Ron DeSantis has made his top political target the largest single-site employer in the state where he serves as governor. Florida's top elected official has decided to use Walt Disney as the proxy for his so-called War on Woke, when he easily could have picked Starbucks (SBUX) – Get Free Report — which has more than 800 locations in Florida — Target and countless other companies. That's either a bold choice designed to show that DeSantis's values trump his desire to appease big businesses that benefit his state; or it shows that he does not like when a company challenges him… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story The conservative group Moms for Liberty was founded as a “parental rights” group that focuses on protecting students from content that deals in race or gender and electing conservative candidates to school boards. But according to Vice News, the group is forging ties with extremist groups such as the Proud Boys. The connection follows a pattern of conservative MAGA-aligned groups being infiltrated by more extreme right-wing movements, Vice reported. “There's an ongoing campaign by these neo-Nazi groups to radicalize some of these more benign patriot MAGA groups—and it's working because I've se… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Debbie Harry has insisted “most women” would have “died” to have David Bowie flash his penis at them. The Blondie frontwoman memorably revealed in her 2019 autobiography ‘Face It' that offering cocaine to Iggy Pop and the late ‘Ziggy Stardust' hitmaker – who died of cancer in 2016 – during a tour in 1977, her pal had thanked her by taking out his “notoriously” large member. She wrote at the time: “David's size was notorious, of course, and he loved to pull it out with both men and women. It was so adorable, funny and sexy.” And at the suggestion some people may have not wanted to see it, she l… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Paris (AFP) – As he prepared the biggest fashion show of the year in Paris on Tuesday, musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams told AFP he was conscious of the traumatic history behind black culture’s ascent. “We wish that our culture and our people didn’t have to suffer so hard in order to get us here,” said Williams, who was set to make his debut as menswear director for Louis Vuitton later that day. “It’s not lost on me that a lot of people died, a lot of people lost their lives and suffered… to get us to these positions.” The singer-producer is the second successive black American t… Read More View the full article

[This post contains video, click to play] Published by New York Daily News At 77, Dolly Parton is singing her heart out and her face off on two new songs from her forthcoming debut rock album. On Friday, the country music superstar gave fans another sneak peek at the star-studded album, releasing collaborations with Judas Priest's Rob Halford and Heart's Ann Wilson. Both tracks will be featured on “Rockstar,” due out Nov. 17. Following last month's debut of the album's first single, “World on Fire,” comes a remake of Heart's 1975 classic “Magic Man,” featuring original group member Wilson. Parton added new elements to the song to transform it into a tribute to Carl T… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) – London's Victoria and Albert Museum draws inspiration from some of the world's best-known performers for its summer exhibition, celebrating their talent, creativity and influence. Titled “DIVA”, the exhibition features some 60 costumes and 250 items from screen sirens and stage stars from the 19th century to today, many displayed for the first time. Highlights include a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1959 film “Some Like it Hot”, Maria Callas' costumes from her first and last performances at The Royal Opera House and Franco Zeffirelli's “Tosca” in 1964,… Read More View the full article

Published by The Moscow Times Russian authorities have charged a popular movie portal owned by the country's largest tech company Yandex with distributing so-called “LGBT propaganda,” independent media reported Tuesday. Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court registered an administrative case against Kinopoisk, a film database and streaming service with more than 150 million monthly visitors, according to the news website Mediazona. The plaintiff is listed as Russia's state media watchdog Roskomnadzor, which enforces the LGBT propaganda ban. It was not immediately clear which content was ruled to be in violation of Russian … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English George Michael blamed the break-up of Wham! on him wanting to come out of the closet. The ‘Last Christmas' singer, who died aged 53 on Christmas Day 2016, realised he was gay or at the very least bisexual aged 19, but said he was left feeling “trapped” when he didn't publicly come out while his band with Andrew Ridgeley, 60, became one of the world's biggest acts. George says in an unaired interview in the upcoming Netflix documentary ‘Wham!': “In reality, the turning point of Wham! was nothing to do with Wham! “The turning point of Wham! was me as I suddenly thought, ‘Oh my God, I'm a massive… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com The Tempe, Arizona Police Department is investigating the burning of an LGBTQ Pride flag last week. The flag hung with the U.S. and Arizona flags before it was taken down and burned. The Pride flag has since been replaced. Tempe Mayor Corey Woods issued a statement, ensuring members of the LGBTQ community that “threatening, bullying and intimidating” members of the community will not be tolerated. “We will continue our efforts to make our city stronger, even more welcoming, and even more inclusive,” he said. “We support our LGBTQ+ community. We stand with them.” In February, a bomb threat … Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) The Estonian parliament has voted to legalise same-sex marriage. The move comes just two months after the country's new liberal coalition government took office, and nine years after the country introduced same-sex civil unions. In April, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas promised to legislate for same-sex marriage “as fast as possible”. “I'm proud of my country. We're building a society where everyone's rights are respected and people can love freely,” she said on Tuesday. Attitudes to same-sex marriage in the country have changed dramatically since 2012, according to the Estonian Human Rights Centr… Read More View the full article

Published by Kaiser Health News Hal Dempsey wanted to “escape Missouri.” Arlo Dennis is “fleeing Florida.” The Tillison family “can't stay in Texas.” They are part of a new migration of Americans who are uprooting their lives in response to a raft of legislation across the country restricting health care for transgender people. Missouri, Florida, and Texas are among at least 20 states that have limited components of gender-affirming health care for trans youth. Those three states are also among the states that prevent Medicaid — the public health insurance for people with low incomes — from paying for key aspects of such car… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Morocco's Islamist party has called for a ban on the award-winning Moroccan movie “The Blue Caftan” from screening in national cinemas over its alleged “promotion of homosexuality” and “violating” the country's religious morals. “The General Secretariat denounces allowing a film that promotes homosexuality to be screened in Moroccan cinemas, in a grave violation of the religious, national, and moral values of the Moroccan Muslim people,” the Islamist party of Justice and Development Party (PJD) added in a press release on Friday. Directed by Maryam Touzani, “The Blue Caftan” depicts the story … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Crispian Balmer and Francesca Piscioneri ROME (Reuters) – A state prosecutor in northern Italy has demanded the cancellation of 33 birth certificates of children born to lesbian couples dating back to 2017, saying the name of the non-biological mother should be removed. The move by the prosecutor of Padua, which came to light late on Monday, highlighted the legal morass facing gay families in Italy. It came months after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government ordered city councils to stop registering same-sex parents' children. Italy legalised same-sex civil unions in 2016 under a centre… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) As Finland’s new coalition government is sworn into office on Tuesday, incoming Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is facing a public relations headache over the Speaker of Parliament and the Minister for Economic Affairs, both positions filled by the far-right Finns Party. In Finland, it’s no secret that Jussi Halla-aho, a previous leader of the Finns Party, a former MEP and now in a senior role as Speaker of the House, has a decades-long track record of racist comments, and deeply troubling writings. The blog posts, written years before he was in the public eye, contain disturbing insights into the… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Roman Catholic bishops should discuss how the Church can be more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people and the divorced, and reflect on how to give women more decision-making power and allowing them to be ordained deacons, a Vatican document released on Tuesday said. The 50-page working document for a global synod of the bishops also proposes discussion on allowing married men to become priests in remote areas – a possibility that Pope Francis put on hold following talks in a similar meeting in 2019. It even appears to suggest that the Church should be understa… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Customs officers found almost 90 reptiles in the luggage of a passenger at Vienna airport. The 85 geckos, two snakes and two scorpions had a total retail value of €47,000 ($51,400), the Ministry of Finance reported on Tuesday. The 50-year-old had flown from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to Vienna. When he wanted to use the exit for travellers without goods to declare, he was checked. To their shock, the officials found an initially unmanageable amount of reptiles in three transport boxes, the ministry added. The animals, none which were considered protected species, were handed over to Sch… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Madonna has forced her new 29-year-old boy toy boxer, Josh Popper, to sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing him from spilling any bedroom secrets, RadarOnline.com has learned. Sources say the 64-year-old singer decided to not move forward with the romance until Josh agreed to her terms. “The number one rule of dating Madonna is you don’t talk about Madonna,” said a source. “No one is more controlling of her image than she is.” The insider said, “Everyone who works on her upcoming tour had to sign an NDA before they could even audition — and the same applies to boyfriends. Before they even… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Beyonce’s bidet is for sale on eBay. The ‘Formation’ singer and her husband Jay-Z rented a mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, back in 2015, and when their year-long lease was up and they moved out, the owner sold the property and the people who bought it wanted to carry out a complete renovation. According to TMZ, the new owners passed on a number of fixtures and fittings to Eric’s Architectural Salvage LA in 2017, and the company has now put a number of items from the abode, including the bidet – which has an asking price of $2,400 – exterior lights, window frame a h… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Activists in Istanbul turned out to march against the discrimination of trans people despite officials banning the city’s Trans Pride Parade on Sunday over fears it posed a threat to family values. However police were nevertheless able to prevent parade participants from demonstrating at the city’s central Taksim Square with large-scale roadblocks. Metro connections that could have shuttled protesters to Taksim Square were also interrupted. According to activist association Kaos GL, police mounted “attacks” on demonstration participants. The governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, had already announc… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Don Lemon has declared he is “still a journalist”. The ousted CNN host, 57, who was fired from the network in April following a 17-year stint at the network as part of an apparent shake-up of its image as a liberal station, made the statement as he presented the 7th annual Native Son Awards at the IAC building in New York. Don, who came out as gay in his 2011 memoir ‘Transparent’, told the crowd of black gay and queer men on Friday (16.06.23): “I may not be on CNN, but I’m still a journalist.” He then addressed legislative bills targeting the LGBTQ community, hitting out: “In 2023, there have … Read More View the full article

Published by Benzinga By Lola Sasturain via El Planteo. There are many children’s and juvenile products that have been even more successful and anchored abroad than in their countries of origin. “The Simpsons,” “Alf…” and “The Pink Panther” can be added to the list. Ignoring talking adaptations of the ’80s and ’90s that do it little justice, the original “The Pink Panther” cartoon, with silent episodes of around 6 minutes, is a creation of Fritz Freleng, cartoonist and animator. See also: Blood, Drugs And Tarantino: A Thrilling Journey Through Iconic Cinematic Masterpieces The first appearance of the main charact… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story A new campaign ad released on Monday suggests Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared war on a new enemy. The 2024 presidential candidate slammed California, portraying it as a decaying state suffering under the progressive policies of its governor Gavin Newsom. “The debate is already over,” read a tweet accompanying the video. “California’s liberal governance is a disaster. Ron DeSantis’ conservative policies have Florida thriving, and would do so for the nation.” The ad comes as speculation mounts over Newsom’s possible entry into the 2024 race as questions continue to swirl over President Jo… Read More View the full article