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Published by New York Daily News Actor Elliot Page feels “joy” thanks to gender-affirming care — and just in time for summer. “Dysphoria used to be especially rife in the summer,” the 36-year-old transgender actor wrote on Instagram, along with a shirtless photo that proudly displayed scars from his chest masculinization surgery. Prior to undergoing his treatment, Page said he spent his summers wearing layers and being “oh so sweaty — constantly looking down, readjusting my oversized T.” Now, “it feels so f—ing good soaking in the sun.” “I never thought I could experience this, the joy I feel in my body,” Page added. “I am so… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Actress Charlize Theron threatened that she would “f— up” any anti-drag critic, RadarOnlne.com has learned. She issued the fiery warning at the “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” telethon event. Prerecorded messages and live performances from celebrities and members of the drag community were put on display as the event aimed to drum up awareness for legislation that attacked the art of drag, performers, and consumers. mega As the mother of a transgender child, Theron didn’t hold back when she was given the spotlight to address the anti-drag legislation and critics. Theron put the energy being poured into the anti-drag laws into perspective by calling out other severe issues plaguing communities in the country. The actress said that children faced a greater danger from gun violence than drag queens. mega ‘Scrawny’ Charlize Theron Wasting Away From Strict Diet & Torturous Exercise Regimen Charlize Theron Demanded Protection On Set Of ‘Mad Max Fury Road,’ Didn’t ‘Feel Safe’ Around Tom Hardy Kylie Jenner Responds After Charlize Theron Pokes Fun at Her Makeup Skills “We love you, queens!” Theron told the crowd. “We’re in your corner, and we’ve got you. And I will f— anybody up who is, like, trying to f— with anything with you guys.” After Theron joked about going after those who targeted drag queens, the Mad Max star shifted her speech to a more somber tone as she addressed bigger issues. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. mega “In all seriousness, there are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, right, and we all know what I’m talking about right now,” Theron continued. “If you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only makes you love more. It makes you a better person,” Theron said. In the tense moment, Theron tried to add a bit of laughter by joking about her inability to do a popular drag performance move. “F—, if I could do a death drop right now I would, but I would probably like, break my hip,” the actress teased. mega The outspoken ally ended her speech by asking attendees and viewers to “support all the great organizations that are out there helping all of this nonsense going away like it should, all of these incredibly stupid policies.” Theron’s message came four years after she revealed that her child was transgender. “Yes, I thought she was a boy, too,” the actress told the Daily Mail in 2019. “Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said, ‘I am not a boy!” “So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive,” the proud mother added. View the full article

Published by Raw Story Although Florida’s legislature has typically acted as a rubber stamp for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of his nominees for the board of trustees at the New College of Florida was a bridge too far. Florida Politics reports that the Florida State Senate this week declined to confirm Eddie Speir to the board of trustees at the college after some members raised questions about his stated determination to preach the teachings of Jesus to students. During his confirmation hearings, this stance earned skepticism from State Sen. Tina Polsky, who is Jewish. “There are several, quite a few, other relig… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the global outbreak of monkeypox which initially baffled experts when the smallpox-related disease spread to more than 100 countries last year, is no longer an international emergency, after a dramatic drop in cases in recent months. Last July, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox, also known as mpox, to be an “extraordinary” situation that qualified as a global crisis. In doing so, he overruled WHO’s expert committee, which didn’t recommend the emergency designation. Tedros said the novel way mpox was infecti… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP In February, Beyonce made history by becoming the most successful artist in the history of the Grammys Stockholm (AFP) – Ecstatic Beyonce fans sang and danced in feverish excitement in Stockholm Wednesday as the superstar kicked off her first solo tour in seven years with a futuristic spectacle featuring a lunar rover, an airborne horse and wall-to-wall rhinestones. Hours before the doors opened hundreds of people were thronging outside the stadium, including some who had travelled halfway around the world to catch the show, anxious to see the global music icon — one of the world’s best-selling artists. Once the concert was about to begin, the tens of thousands of fans in the 60,000-capacity Friends Arena — filled to the brim — erupted in cheers as their “queen” emerged on stage. “Just want to say: Y’all make me so happy,” Beyonce said as the concert began. “I see familiar faces, people that flew from very, very far to come see the first show tonight,” she told the audience at the outset of the three-hour space and science fiction themed show. The show features Beyonce performing atop a lunar vehicle, playing the role of a news anchor while dressed as a queen bee, and suspended above the crowd as she sits on a model horse completely covered in sparkling rhinestones. “This was another level. Amazing, I can’t wait for the rest of the tour,” Abdul Ibraimoh, a 33-year-old artist manager from London, told AFP after the show. “There was a lot of anticipation for what she was going to do, and yes I’m speechless, it was just incredible,” Shane Barkey, a 31-year-old radio host from Ireland, said. Beyonce, who has a record 32 Grammy awards; is in the top 10 biggest grossing female artists. She is also a fashion icon, with designers queueing up for her attention. Many of the fans in Stockholm sported cowboy hats and rhinestones, mimicking the look of the performer’s outfit in the ads announcing the 57-stop European and North American tour. Julie Vargas, who flew in from Houston, Texas — Beyonce’s hometown — confessed to having a “shrine” dedicated to the star at home. “I don’t want any spoilers, I wanted to be the first to see it and take the news back to H-town baby!” the 38-year-old surgical technologist told AFP as she waited in line in the early afternoon. ‘The queen’ The “Renaissance World Tour”, announced in February after being teased last autumn, is the star’s first solo tour since 2016. Tickets sold out so quickly for the opening show that tour organisers added a second concert at the same venue for Thursday. From there, she goes to Brussels this weekend. The tour, which continues until September, is expected to earn the international artist nearly $2.1 billion, according to business magazine Forbes. She is already a multi-millionaire. “We love Beyonce, she’s the queen, that’s why we are here of course,” 36-year-old artist Kasher Bloom from Riga told AFP. “Beyonce is the queen! Our mother, everything! I would do anything for her,” Jarra Jatta, a 21-year-old fan from Helsingborg in southern Sweden. In February, Beyonce made history by becoming the most successful artist in the history of the Grammys, surpassing the late classical conductor Georg Solti’s long-standing record of 31 lifetime trophies. But despite winning another four Grammys, fans were disappointed that she missed out on the award for album of the year for her seventh studio album, the house-tinged “Renaissance”. The 16-song 2022 album was an instant hit and earned wide praise for its deep ambition. Decades at the top Born Beyonce Giselle Knowles, the now-41-year-old has been in the upper echelons of pop music since her teenage years. She initially rose to fame as part of Destiny’s Child — whose smash hits included “Survivor” and “Say My Name” — before embarking on a wildly successful solo career. From setting the standard for the overnight album drop to delivering her earth-shattering “Homecoming” show at Coachella in 2018, Beyonce has long bucked the industry’s conventional wisdom. She is simultaneously one of music’s most private and most watched stars. Her paradigm-shifting 2016 album “Lemonade,” which emphasised Black womanhood against the backdrop of America’s heritage of slavery and culture of oppression, remains one of the most venerated musical projects in recent memory. Then she dropped the critically acclaimed song “Black Parade” in June 2020, amid nationwide protests ignited by the murder of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer. View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Todrick Hall has been slapped with a brand-new lawsuit accusing him of refusing to pay for furniture that was delivered to him in 2021, RadarOnline.com has learned. According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, a company called Showroom Interiors has filed a lawsuit against Rodrick for breach of contract. mega In the complaint, the company said Todrick entered into a written ‘Furniture Purchase’ agreement on May 20, 2021. Showroom Interiors said it provided furniture, artwork, accessories, and other home goods as requested by Todrick for a home in Sherman Oaks, California. Showroom Interiors said Todrick agreed to pay $196,748 in exchange for the furniture. The company said it delivered the furniture. mega ‘Big Brother’ Star Xavier Prather’s XXX Penis Pictures Leaked, Milwaukee Attorney Exposed! Todrick Hall Refused To Do Interviews After Losing ‘Big Brother,’ Threw A ‘Tantrum’ ‘Big Brother’ Star Mike Malin Accused Of Fraud By TV Producer In Bombshell Lawsuit However, it said Todrick breached the deal by failing to make the payment due on October 21, 2021. It said he once again breached the deal by missing the payment due in November. Eventually, Todrick paid $70k on the debt but Showroom said he still owes $126k on the bill. Todrick has yet to respond to the lawsuit. mega Back in March 2022, Todrick was sued by the landlord for his rental home in Sherman Oaks. The lawsuit accused Todrick of owing $60k in back rent. The suit said the ex-Celebrity Big Brother contestant had agreed to pay $30k per month in rent but was 60 days behind at the time the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit shocked fans who believed Todrick had purchased the home in question. The dancer posted a YouTube video where he made it appear he bought the pad. “I have been wanting to buy a home for a very very long time, and this is a dream come true,” he said. Todrick did not respond to the lawsuit. In September, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered Todrick to pay $102k to his ex-landlord. mega Todrick was last seen in the MTV series The Real Friends of WeHo. Todrick tried to defend the show from a boycott from the LGBTQ+ community. He said, The fact that our community is boycotting the show is a shame.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News West Virginia University basketball coach Bob Huggins will not be fired despite using a homophobic slur during a radio interview but will take a $1 million cut to his salary. Huggins, 69, called Xavier basketball fans “Catholic f–s” on the radio Monday while speaking with Cincinnati, Ohio station 700 WLW. Rather than letting him go, West Virginia hit Huggins with a “significant suspension” and a $1 million pay cut, ESPN reported Wednesday. He’ll also have to undergo sensitivity training. Before taking the West Virginia job in 2007, Huggins coached at the University of Cincinnati for 16 years…. Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet A newly released poll taken by The Washington Post and KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation) supports the GOP’s recent aggressive attempts to pass anti-trans legislation across the country, Media Matters for America reports. Per MMFA, the poll does not contain particularly new information, as it was conducted in November 2022, “six months ago and well before this year’s legislative onslaught of over 450 bills targeting LGBTQ people.” Furthermore, the publication adds the survey serves as “political jet fuel for Republicans in state legislatures and Congress who are pushing measures restricti… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA (L-R) Raphael Gross, President of the German Historical Museum Foundation, Baerbel Bas, President of the German Bundestag and Fritz Backhaus, Director of Collections of the German Historical Museum Foundation stand during the handover of the first rainbow flag hoisted on the Reichstag building at the German Historical Museum. Annette Riedl/dpa About a year ago, a rainbow flag was hoisted at the German parliament for the first time, and now the flag is to be brought to a museum. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas presented the flag to the German Historical Museum in Berlin on Wednesday. “The first-ever raising of the rainbow flag on the German parliament building was an important moment for German history,” said museum director Raphael Gross. The flag with its colourful stripes was hoisted on a tower of the Reichstag building in July for Berlin’s Pride festival. Bas announced that the German Bundestag would continue to set an example in the fight against discrimination against queer people and for tolerance and respect. The term “queer” includes, for example, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. According to the statement, the Reichstag building will again fly the rainbow flag – both on May 17 for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia and on July 22 for the next Berlin Pride celebration. View the full article

Published by The Street By Daniel Kline Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger does not want to play Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ game or abide by his narrative. The Mouse House boss isn’t looking for a fight, but he’s also not walking away from one. Iger has made it very clear that his company was never looking to take on the governor, even when it objected to legislation that many of its employees found deplorable. DeSantis, however, has used Walt Disney’s (DIS) – Get Free Report public opposition to his so-called “don’t say gay” legislation, an objection raised by Iger’s predecessor Bob Chapek, as a way to make the company a foil… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega The bonds of the Kennedy family are being tested by President John F. Kennedy‘s lesbian granddaughter, Rose Schlossberg, who’s decided to have a baby with her spouse, RadarOnline.com has learned. Rose, 34, is Caroline Kennedy’s daughter — and a Jackie O look-alike — who caused a rift in Camelot last year when she wed female restauranteur Rory McAuliffe, 32, in California. Mega Now, sources say Rose is shaking things up again by deciding to undergo in vitro fertilization. “Rose and Rory are on the lookout for the perfect guy to serve as sperm donor,” revealed an insider. While 65-year-old Caroline, currently U.S. ambassador to Australia, is said to be thrilled to become a grandmother for the second time, others in the family are less than enthusiastic, said spies. Mega “Many of them are torn because they are devout Catholics,” noted the insider. “In fact, several of the relatives, including family matriarch Ethel Kennedy, refused to attend Rose’s wedding. “Now, there are even more family conflicts about bringing a baby into a same-sex marriage,” shared the source. Robert Kennedy Jr. Blames CIA for JFK Assassination CIA Files On JFK Assassination & Lee Harvey Oswald To Be Released In Spite Of Government’s Efforts To Conceal Them David Duchovny Reveals He ‘Got To Know’ JFK Jr. After Rooming With Him During 1975 School Field Trip: ‘We Were Pretty Good Friends’ But Rose and Rory are still excited about adding another member to the famous family. “Their hope is to have a baby boy, which the couple would name John after both Rose’s late uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., and grandfather,” claimed the insider. “Still, some of her stuffier relatives remain uncomfortable with her family dynamic.” Mega JFK’s granddaughter lives a notoriously private life with her wife after she shunned the family’s glamour, wealth, and privilege to stay out of the spotlight. Despite hailing from one of the most famous families in history, Rose has opted for a low profile — unlike her siblings, Jack Schlossberg, 30, and Tatiana Schlossberg, 33. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. Mega But it wasn’t always like that. Rose has dabbled in a movie career as an actress and writer but has gone missing in action in recent years while she focuses on her life with her wife and growing their own family. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News For her very first entry into rock ‘n’ roll music, Dolly Parton pulled out all the stops, thumbing through her rhinestone-studded Rolodex for collaborators. The 77-year-old country music icon, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, announced the lineup for her upcoming album, “Rockstar.” Boasting a whopping 30-tracks, the opus is set to be released Nov. 17. The album will feature superstar collaborations on new versions of popular songs — many with the artists who originally made them hits. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunite for Parton’s take on their 1970 Beatles cl… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – A petit basset griffon Vendeen named Buddy Holly won best of show on Tuesday in the 147th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, beating out more than 3,000 dogs from 210 breeds and varieties to claim the most prestigious such U.S. prize. A six-year-old male from Palm Springs, California, Buddy Holly became the first of his breed to win. The dogs were bred to track hares in the Vendee department of western France. “I never thought PBGV would do this, Janice Hayes, the dog’s co-owner and handler, said after the show. “Buddy Holly is the epitome of the dog show.” Each breed produces a winner, representing the best of what artificial selection can create from the descendants of wolves. Breed winners are separated into seven groups to determine the best of show finalists: hound, toy, non-sporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier. Buddy Holly won the hound group. The prize for reserve best in show, or runner-up, went to the winner of the toy group, a Pekingese named Rummie, from breeder and owner David Fitzpatrick. Judges examine the dogs up close, placing their hands on the animal, then watch the handlers lead them around the floor, grading them on breed standards for appearance, temperament, size, coat and other characteristics. The show, which dates to 1877 and has become a mainstay annual television event, was held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the New York City borough of Queens, site of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Traditionally held at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan, the show was moved upstate to a smaller arena on the expansive grounds of Lyndhurst Mansion during the previous two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) – Teresa Xu did not anticipate that five years after she was denied an egg-freezing treatment at a Beijing hospital for being unmarried, her subsequent lawsuit would be at the centre of a debate over reproductive rights in China. Xu, 35, first lodged the claim against the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital in 2019, in a landmark case of a Chinese woman fighting for her reproductive rights. Under current guidelines, single women are barred from freezing their eggs, with assisted reproductive technologies only available to married women with fertility issues. But historically low birth rates have forced policymakers into a rethink, and there are signs that the winds are starting to turn in Xu’s favour. After China reported its first population drop in six decades amid record low birth and marriage rates, government political advisers proposed in March that single and unmarried women should have access to egg freezing and IVF treatment. In recent months, some provinces have extended childbirth benefits for unmarried women, and in the southwestern province of Sichuan province single women are increasingly undergoing IVF treatments in private clinics. “The time, geographical and social conditions are right – all that’s lacking is a favourable policy opening,” said Xu during an interview at a cafe near the Beijing court where the final hearing in her years-long legal battle took place on Tuesday. The verdict has not yet been announced. “The technology is not difficult, market demand is strong, and there is an enormous cost difference between going abroad to freeze your eggs and doing it domestically,” she said, adding that overseas costs are five to ten times more than the 20,000 to 30,000 yuan ($2,886 to $4,330) fee charged by Chinese private clinics. SOCIAL STIGMA Like many Chinese women, Xu spent her twenties and early thirties focused on career development, but was constantly reminded of women’s fertility decline with age. “I felt strongly torn because I don’t have the confidence to invest my energies into raising a child when I haven’t become the best version of myself,” she said. Despite being warned by her lawyers of a slim chance of success, Xu filed a lawsuit after being denied the treatment in November 2018. She says she is motivated by a desire to change deeply negative images of single mothers often found in Chinese film, television and literature that reflect long-held patriarchal beliefs about heteronormative family structures. Childbirth out of wedlock is relatively rare in China, partly due to pervasive social stigma and cases of local authorities punishing women through fines or denying the child legal registration to access social benefits such as schooling and healthcare. “Either they are victims or they are stigmatised in moral terms, for example they irresponsibly slept around while young and paid the consequences, and suffered all kinds of bullying and their child had psychological issues,” she said. “I think society should stop this stigma and recognise the diverse circumstances of single women, as well as their courage and independence.” Facing demographic headwinds, China further loosened family planning regulations in 2021, allowing married couples to have up to three children after decades of enforcing the controversial single-child policy which ended in 2015. But same-sex couples remain barred from marriage and adoption, and surrogacy is illegal. Despite receiving some online abuse in recent days, Xu insists on the right of single women to have more childbirth options without having to rely on finding a husband. “I hope that all single women can achieve bodily autonomy and reproductive autonomy, and that everyone is allowed to have the space for making independent choices,” she said. (Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dolly Parton is “so excited” to be putting out her long-promised rock album. The country star, 77, vowed to make a rocky record after she was last year inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has now released a statement and full track listing for the release, due out 17 November. She said: “I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album ‘Rockstar’. “I am very honoured and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure. “I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together!” Dolly’s announcement came with a 30-song track list, which showed artists including Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr had joined her on the album for a cover of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’. Brandi Carlile and Pink will join the singer for a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, while Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow will be her guests on a song most popularised by Linda Ronstadt, ‘You’re no Good’. Other collaborators on the album include Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Lizzo and Sasha Flute.Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Simon Le Bon, John Fogerty, Melissa Etheridge, Michael McDonald, Richie Sambora, Ronnie McDowell, the Jordanaires and Kid Rock. One contributor has died since recording a part for the album, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, who sat in on the final track, ‘Free Bird’. The first single from the album, ‘World on Fire’ will be released on Thursday (11.05.23) night, following Parton’s live premiere of the tune at the end of the Academy of Country Music Awards, which she is co-hosting with Garth Brooks. Nine of the 30 songs on ‘Rockstar’ are originals, and the other 21 are covers of familiar material. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sia has secretly married her boyfriend Dan Bernard. The singer, 47, and her partner reportedly got hitched in a candlelit ceremony in Portofino, Italy, with only four guests to witness the nuptials, held under a gazebo decorated with flowers. It was captured in photos printed by The Sun and comes after Sia had kept her relationship with Dan quiet aside from sharing one picture of him on Instagram in October. The images showed her walking down the aisle at Villa Olivetta, a luxury residence owned by designers Dolce and Gabbana – and the same house where Kourtney Kardashian, 44, and rocker Travis Barker, 47, exchanged their vows in May 2022. Sia’s turbulent love life has included her marriage to filmmaker Erik Anders Lang, 42, from 2014 to 2016. She was also left devastated in 1997 when her boyfriend Dan Pontifex was killed in a car crash weeks after she moved to London to be with him. The singer – born Sia Kate Isobelle Furler – told the Sunday Times newspaper in 2007 about her grief, saying: “I was pretty f***** up after Dan died. I couldn’t really feel anything. “We were all devastated, so we got s***-faced on drugs and Special Brew. “Unfortunately, that bender lasted six years for me.” Sia also dated female singer J D Samson, 44, from 2008 to 2011, and is now a grandmother, after she adopted two teenagers in 2019 – one of whom welcomed twins the following year. She has admitted to being bisexual, telling the gay and lesbian site SameSame: “I’ve always dated boys and girls and anything in between. I don’t care what gender you are, it’s about people. I have always been, well, flexible is the word I would use.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story The Louisiana House on Tuesday advanced its own “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a measure that would ban teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity statewide in K-12 public schools, The Times-Picayune reports. HB466 passed 67-28 in a mostly party-line vote. The Times-Picayune’s Chris Granger reports that the measure “would ban school employees and presenters from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom ‘in a manner that deviates from state content standards or curricula’ or during extracurricular activities.” The bill would also ban school employees from dis… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP The windows of Milan's Pirelli tower are illuminated to commemorate World AIDS Day in December 2017 Paris (AFP) – Forty years after the discovery of HIV, AFP looks at how far we have come in fighting a deadly virus that was once shrouded in fear and shame but is now treated as a manageable chronic condition. 1981: First alert In June 1981, US epidemiologists report five cases of a rare form of pneumonia in gay men in California. It is the first alert about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), still unknown and unnamed. Doctors then identify “opportunistic infections” among intravenous drug users and in haemophiliacs and Haitian residents in the United States. The term AIDS appears for the first time in 1982. The disease is wrongly presented as a “homosexual disorder”. 1983: Identifying HIV In January 1983, researchers in France, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Jean-Claude Chermann, working under Luc Montagnier, identify the virus that “might be” responsible for AIDS. Their discovery is published on May 20 in the journal Science. The following year, US specialist Robert Gallo is said to have found the “probable” cause of AIDS, the retrovirus HTLV-III. The two viruses turn out to be the same, and in May 1986 it becomes officially known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. 1987: Anti-retroviral treatment In March 1987, the first anti-retroviral treatment known as AZT is authorised in the US. It is expensive and has severe side effects. The United States and France agree that Gallo and Montagnier should get joint credit for discovering HIV. But the 2008 Nobel prize goes to Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier. Early 1990s: Fallen stars In July 1985, US actor Rock Hudson announces he has AIDS. His death three months later is the first high-profile AIDS death. A host of other stars succumb to the disease, including legendary pianist Liberace (February 1987), British singer and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (November 1991), and the Russian dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev (January 1993). In 1994, AIDS becomes the leading cause of death among Americans aged between 25 and 44. 1995-96: New approach Two new classes of drugs signal the start of combinations of different anti-retroviral therapies. Called tri-therapies, they provide the first effective treatment for HIV. 1996 is the first year in which the number of AIDS deaths declines in the United States. While US numbers decline, they rocket in Africa, where AIDS is the biggest killer by 1999. 2001: Generic medicine In 2000, UNAIDS and five major drug companies sign a deal to distribute affordable treatments in poorer countries. A year later, the World Trade Organization changes intellectual property rules to allow developing countries to make generic versions of patent-protected HIV treatments. In 2004, the country with the world’s highest HIV caseload, South Africa, ends years of AIDS denialism and makes anti-retroviral treatments available through the public health system. 2010: First cure Timothy Ray Brown, an American man who had been living with HIV for over a decade, is cured of the virus after undergoing cancer treatment. Brown underwent two bone marrow transplants containing a mutation of a gene that blocks HIV from attacking host cells. 2012: Preventive pill In July 2012, the first-ever daily pill to help prevent HIV infection is approved by US regulators. Truvada is a pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, taken by high-risk people who are HIV-negative in order to prevent them from being infected. 2017: Treatment spreads For the first time, more than half of all people living with HIV are receiving anti-retroviral treatment. The proportion rises to three-quarters: 28.7 million people are being treated out of 38.4 million who are infected, according to UNAIDS in 2021. 2020-2021: Covid setback The Covid-19 pandemic disrupts access to health systems, testing and treatment, slowing progress in the fight against AIDS, which in 40 years has killed 40.1 million people. In 2021, 650,000 AIDS deaths and 1.5 million new infections are recorded. UNAIDS hopes to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News “Gay Lives” by Robert Aldrich; Thames & Hudson (304 pages, $29.95) ——— Gay Pride events are always about celebration. But expect next month’s activities to have a note of brave defiance, too. That’s because, after years of legal victories, LGBQT+ people face severe challenges and increased attacks. New laws are pushing them, and their stories, out of libraries, out of classrooms, and even out of public performances. As “Gay Lives” by Robert Aldrich proves, we’ve seen this sort of erasure tried before. It didn’t work. Aldrich, a veteran historian, profiles more than 80 LGBTQ people from antiqui… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters NEW YORK (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Representative George Santos, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume, was charged with fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds, the Justice Department said in a statement on Wednesday. He was expected to appear later in the day at a federal court in New York. Santos’ attorney and his congressional office did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters late Tuesday, after CNN first reported the news about the charges. An Associated Press reporter who reached him by phone Tuesday quoted Santos as saying: “This is news to me. You’re the first to call me about this.” Shortly after the election of the 34-year-old Santos in November, in a district largely comprising a wealthy area of New York’s Long Island, the New York Times and other media outlets revealed that Santos had fabricated almost every aspect of his personal and professional history. Among other claims, Santos said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College, despite neither institution’s having any record of his attending. He claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which also was untrue. He said falsely that he was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War Two. Santos, who identifies as gay, also failed to disclose that he was married to a woman for several years ending in 2019. He has since admitted to fabricating large parts of his resume. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Adler) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump sexually abused magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by branding her a liar, jurors decided on Tuesday, dealing the former U.S. president a legal setback as he campaigns to retake office in 2024. The nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court awarded about $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The jury deliberated for just under three hours. It rejected Trump’s denial that he assaulted Carroll and ruled in her favor. To find him liable, the jury of six men and three women was required to reach a unanimous verdict. Carroll, 79, testified during the civil trial that Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996, then harmed her reputation by writing in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform that her claims were a “complete con job,” “a hoax” and “a lie.” President from 2017 to 2021, Trump is the front-runner in opinion polls for the Republican presidential nomination and has shown an uncanny ability to weather controversies that might sink other politicians. It seems unlikely in America’s polarized political climate that the civil verdict will have an impact on Trump’s core supporters, who view his legal woes as part of a concerted effort by opponents to undermine him. “The folks that are anti-Trump are going to remain that way, the core pro-Trump voters are not going to change, and the ambivalent ones I just don’t think are going to be moved by this type of thing,” said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania. Any negative impact is likely to be small and limited to suburban women and moderate Republicans, he said. Jurors were tasked with deciding whether Trump raped, sexually abused or forcibly touched Carroll, any one of which would satisfy her claim of battery. They were separately asked if Trump defamed Carroll. Because this was a civil case, Trump faces no criminal consequences. Carroll was seeking unspecified monetary damages. Trump’s legal team opted not to present a defense, gambling that jurors would find that Carroll had failed to make a persuasive case. Trump had said Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and a registered Democrat, made up the allegations to try to increase sales of her 2019 memoir and to hurt him politically. Because the case was in civil court, Carroll was required to establish her rape claim by “a preponderance of the evidence” – meaning more likely than not – rather than the higher standard used in criminal cases of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” Carroll had to show “clear and convincing evidence” to prove her defamation claim. The trial featured testimony from two women who said Trump sexually assaulted them decades ago. Former People magazine reporter Natasha Stoynoff told jurors that Trump cornered her at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2005 and forcibly kissed her for a “few minutes” until a butler interrupted the alleged assault. Another woman, Jessica Leeds, testified that Trump kissed her, groped her and put his hand up her skirt on a flight in 1979. Jurors also heard excerpts from a 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump says women let him “grab ’em by the pussy.” “Historically, that’s true, with stars … if you look over the last million years,” Trump said in an October 2022 video deposition played in court. He has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told jurors during closing arguments on Monday that the 2005 video was proof that Trump had assaulted Carroll and other women. The federal trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is not related to Carroll’s lawyer, began on April 25. Citing the uniqueness of a civil case against a former president, the judge decided that the names, addresses and places of employment of the jurors would be kept secret. Carroll testified that she bumped into Trump at Bergdorf’s while he was shopping for a gift for another woman. Carroll said she agreed to help Trump pick out a gift and the two looked at lingerie before he coaxed her into a dressing room, slammed her head into a wall and raped her. Carroll testified she could not remember the precise date or year the alleged rape occurred. Carroll faced questions from Trump’s legal team attacking the plausibility of her account including why she had never reported the matter to police or screamed during the alleged incident. Two of Carroll’s friends said that she told them about the alleged rape at the time but swore them to secrecy because she feared that Trump would use his fame and wealth to retaliate against her if she came forward. Carroll told jurors she decided to break her silence in 2017 after rape allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted scores of women to come forward with accounts of sexual violence by powerful men. She went public with her account while Trump was still president. She said Trump’s public denials wrecked her career and instigated a campaign of vicious online harassment by his supporters including various threatening messages and social media posts. While Trump did not testify at the trial, a video clip from the October 2022 deposition showed him mistaking Carroll for one of his former wives in a black-and-white photo among several people at an event. “It’s Marla,” Trump said in the deposition, referring to his second wife Marla Maples. Previously Trump had said he could not have raped Carroll because she was not “his type.” Trump has cited the Carroll trial in campaign fundraising emails as evidence of what he portrays as a Democratic plot to damage him politically. His poll numbers improved after he was charged in New York in March with falsifying business records over a hush money payment to a porn star before his victory in the 2016 presidential election. That indictment, filed in New York state court, made him the first U.S. president past or present to be criminally charged. Trump has pleaded not guilty and said the charges are politically motivated. (Reporting by Jack Queen and Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Nathan Layne; Editing by Will Dunham, Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega; Fox News Tucker Carlson is reportedly growing increasingly “antsy” to return to Fox News and has launched a “coordinated pressure campaign” from some of his biggest supporters to help make it happen, RadarOnline.com has learned. In the latest development to come two weeks after Carlson was abruptly axed from the Rupert Murdoch-owned conservative news network, the 53-year-old former host is reportedly set to “hit Fox News hard” in an effort to get back on the air. Also surprising are reports that Carlson has called on his “rogues gallery of surrogates” – such as former NFL star Brett Favre, former Fox News colleague Megyn Kelly, and MAGA House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – to help him reach his demands. That is the revelation shared by Daily Beast on Monday after Carlson’s purported “pressure campaign” was launched with a tweet from Favre calling for a boycott of Fox News until Carlson is reinstated. “I’m with Tucker,” Favre wrote on Monday afternoon. “Time to boycott Fox until they come to their senses and let the man speak.” Kelly, House Rep. Greene, and GOP Senator J.D. Vance have also called for a boycott of Fox News following Carlson’s firing in April and, according to Daily Beast, more Carlson supporters are expected to speak out in his defense in the coming days. ‘It’s Funny’: Tucker Carlson Jokes About Being Fired in First Appearance Since Fox News Departure Don Jr. Claims He Was ‘Warned’ by Fox Insiders to ‘Expect Retaliation’ From Network for Criticizing Tucker Carlson’s Firing Tucker Carlson ‘Preparing for War’ Against Fox News, Demands Release From January 2025 Contract “This is like putting some smelling salts under Fox’s nose,” one insider familiar with Carlson’s “coordinated pressure campaign” told the outlet. Meanwhile, Lachlan Murdoch is scheduled to report Fox Corp’s quarterly earnings on Tuesday morning and network analysts are reportedly anxious to inquire “what a post-Carlson Fox will look like.” As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the network’s prime-time ratings have plummeted since Carlson’s departure on April 24 with millions of viewers leaving Fox News alongside the former Tucker Carlson Tonight host. Fox News Tonight – the program that replaced Tucker Carlson Tonight at 8 PM – garnered 1.5 million fewer viewers than Carlson after it was confirmed he was out at Fox News. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. Carlson’s “coordinated pressure campaign” also came just hours after one of the former host’s closest friends revealed Carlson is “preparing for war” against Fox News in the wake of his firing. “We’re going from peacetime to Defcon 1,” Carlson’s friend told Axios over the weekend. “His team is preparing for war.” “He wants his freedom,” the source added, while another Carlson insider claimed the former Fox News host “knows where a lot of bodies are buried.” View the full article