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Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen COOKEVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – Last April, when drag could still be performed in Tennessee without noticeable complaint, the curtains parted at Tennessee Tech University’s Backdoor Playhouse to reveal Joshua Lancaster wearing a black cowl, white face paint, black lipstick and white contact lenses. He was excited for the debut of his new drag persona, Witchcrafted. But the four-minute video of Lancaster lip-syncing and sashaying across the stage, recorded by his boyfriend, would sit on his Facebook page largely unseen for months until it was found by Landon Starbuck, a conservative activist. The video appalled Starbuck. On Sept. 7, she posted an edited version of the video on Twitter, focusing on a few moments when children approach to tip Witchcrafted with dollar bills as he lip-syncs to Hozier’s 2013 hit “Take Me to Church.” Mid-performance, the audience cheers as Witchcrafted throws off his cowl to reveal a floor-length lacy skirt and a corset over a long-sleeved lacy top. Starbuck, who lives outside Nashville, had been complaining about drag acts performing with children present for years, and now she had a vivid example from Tennessee. She said the performance was inappropriate for children and mocked her Christian faith, and urged people to complain to the university. Now, a Tennessee law restricting drag in front of minors is due to come into force on April 1. Lancaster has become one of the faces of a sweeping effort by Republican lawmakers across the country to introduce hundreds of laws regulating the conduct of gay and transgender people, ranging from what can be taught in classrooms to bathroom use and medical care. “It spiraled out of control and everybody started doing crazy stuff,” Lancaster said. “We are being forced back into the closet. We are being told we have to go back into the shadows.” Lancaster’s performance was disapprovingly discussed by state senators in Nashville after Tennessee became one of 16 states where Republicans have proposed laws restricting drag since last summer. In January, Lancaster, who has done drag for more than a decade, for the first time encountered armed neo-Nazis, Proud Boys and other far-right groups protesting outside one of his events. The Tennessee legislature passed the bill earlier this year banning “adult cabaret performances,” including at least some drag acts, in public or in front of minors, with prison sentences for violations. Its impacts are already being felt. Several planned drag events were canceled over the winter after protests, and many venues felt forced to make previously family-friendly drag shows into adults-only events. Drag performers and venue owners say they are worried about their livelihoods and their rights of free expression. Some transgender Tennesseans fear being arrested under the law’s vague language, which lumps together “male or female impersonators,” a term not defined in the law, in the same X-rated category as strippers and exotic dancers. “It’s not about getting the law to stick,” said Joslynn Fish, a trans woman who hosts 18+ drag shows at South Press Coffee, her business in Knoxville. “It’s about creating fear.” After Starbuck posted the video, the next monthly drag show at Tennessee Tech was canceled by the university president, Phil Oldham, who released a statement saying he was “disturbed and dismayed” by Witchcrafted’s performance. The video was broadcast by Tucker Carlson on Fox News and by other conservative news outlets. Lancaster, who lives in a one-story house with a cluttered porch in the farmlands outside Cookeville, a small city dominated by the Tennessee Tech campus, began receiving threatening messages. He peeled off the large Witchcrafted decal he had stuck on his car. The cowl he wore in the video he put out with the trash. He says he would not dream of mocking Christianity in his act, not least because it would earn a slap from his mother, a devout Christian who has sewed costumes for his drag. What particularly pains him, he said in an interview, is that the kids pictured with him in the video are the children of drag performers and were there with their parents. He resents the accusation he would harm them. “The little girl that’s tipping me is my honorary niece,” Lancaster said. “She’s my best friend’s kid. I’ve known her since she was born.” VENUES FEEL THE HEAT Starbuck was a recording artist in Los Angeles until a few years ago when she moved with her former movie video director husband and three children to Franklin, a wealthy Nashville suburb, seeking more conservative-minded neighbors. Last year she founded Freedom Forever, a non-profit organization that campaigns against the sexual abuse of children and gender-affirming medical treatment for minors, such as puberty blockers and surgery. Her husband, Robby Starbuck, hosts a conservative podcast and last year unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for a Tennessee congressional seat. A few weeks after the Starbucks circulated the Witchcrafted video, the couple released a legislative agenda they called the Child Protection & Restoration Act, which called for the banning of drag shows and gender-affirming medical care for minors. “We started noticing an alarming trend of these sexually explicit all-age family-friendly drag shows popping up,” Landon Starbuck said. “They want to expose children to other identities that are not heteronormative.” By November, Senator Jack Johnson, a Republican, had introduced the bills restricting gender-affirming treatment and drag that the Starbucks had sought, in the latter case citing the videos he had seen. Landon Starbuck testified at hearings, where senators asked her about the Witchcrafted video and other videos she had since posted. Both bills were finally passed by the legislature on the same day in February. The Starbucks say they are speaking to Republicans in half a dozen other states about passing similar laws, and they continue to seek videos of children at drag shows. “That’s what woke these legislators up to the problem,” Robby Starbuck said. Much of the debate in Tennessee has been over whether drag is inherently a sexually explicit artform. The Starbucks say there is no such thing as family-friendly drag; drag performers cite Bugs Bunny, Shakespeare’s cross-dressing comedies and the Robin Williams film “Mrs. Doubtfire” among counterexamples. “Drag is not inherently sexual,” said Story VanNess, a drag queen and the trans program director at Knox Pride. “It can be a lot of things, but the vast majority of drag, if anything, is comedic.” She noted there was reams of video from her group’s annual Pride festival in downtown Knoxville over the years with both drag performers and children in attendance, yet no clips had gone viral “because responsible producers put on a responsible show.” Outside of public Pride events, most Tennessee drag performers largely work in clubs and bars that admit only those over 18. Even with an adult audience, performers are bound by state laws barring strip shows and other sexually explicit entertainment in venues with a liquor license, so Tennessee drag shows tend to be relatively chaste. DJs remind the audience that only hand-to-hand tipping is allowed. Tennessee queens know to wear multiple pairs of stockings, lest they be accused of showing too much skin. In the more conservative areas outside Tennessee’s major cities, some LGBT-friendly venues are under threat. Drag shows have been held for years at Temptation, a low-slung building on a back road outside Cookeville that Lancaster and other regulars say is the only gay bar in the 150 miles between Knoxville and Nashville. Wendy Williams, a drag performer who owns the bar, watched as Temptation’s Facebook page filled up with abusive comments over the winter as conservatives ramped up their campaign. “First it was trans people in the bathroom, now it’s drag queens,” she said. “It’s just trying to find something that will rile up their base because there’s elections coming up.” She said the new law helped seal a difficult decision: she put the bar up for sale in February. She expects it most likely will become a church. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by Paul Thomasch and Claudia Parsons) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Gram Slattery and Nathan Layne WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump warned of potential “death & destruction” if he faces criminal charges, hours after New York prosecutors probing his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels said they would not be intimidated. The early Friday post on Trump’s Truth Social media site was the latest in a string of verbal attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg since last Saturday when Trump wrongly predicted he would be arrested three days later. Trump falsely claims his defeat in 2020 was the result of fraud – a claim that inspired his followers to launch a deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying the election of Democratic President Joe Biden, who bested the Republican Trump by more than 7 million votes. “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?” wrote Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Bragg’s office, in a letter to Republican committee chairmen in Congress on Thursday, challenged their standing to investigate his office and said Trump had “created a false expectation that he would be arrested” in his Saturday post. The letter called the chairmen’s request for communications, documents and testimony an “unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.” Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress and director whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she received the money in exchange for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied ever having an affair with Daniels, and has called the payment a “simple private transaction.” He has said he did not commit a crime and has called the investigation politically motivated. The Manhattan grand jury probing Trump is not due to reconvene until next week. In other cases, Georgia prosecutors are looking into Trump’s attempts to overturn his election defeat there, and a federal special counsel is investigating both his attempts to overturn his loss and the removal of classified documents from the White House after Trump left office. On Saturday, Trump will hold a campaign rally in Waco, Texas, 30 years after a raid on the Branch Davidians religious sect there by federal agents resulted in 86 deaths, including four law-enforcement officers. The event has become a symbol of government overreach for some and is a seminal moment for some right-wing extremist groups. In an e-mail, a Trump campaign spokesperson said Waco was chosen because it is situated between several major population centers and has the infrastructure needed to host a large event. (Reporting by Gram Slattery and Nathan Layne; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by AlterNet Countless GOP lawmakers over the years have professed ignorance over Donald Trump’s tweets as reporters ask them to respond, often claiming they hadn’t read them, but House Republican Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan took that performance to a whole new level Friday afternoon. NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur asked the Ohio Republican congressman to weigh in on Trump’s social media post threatening “potential death & destruction” if he gets indicted. “Jordan said he hasn’t seen Trump’s post,” Kapur said via Twitter. “When I showed [it] to him on my phone, he said he can’t r… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet Minnesota passed legislation Friday that would make the state as a place of refuge for transgender people, Valley News Live reports. Per the Minnesota Reformer, the bill “would block other states’ laws that are meant to ban or reduce access to gender-affirming care.” Democratic State Rep. Leigh Finke — and Minnesota’s first transgender elected official, said, “To all those families across the United States that are afraid and wondering where they can go for help — Minnesota is saying we see you, we love you and you belong here.” READ MORE: Minnesota enshrines abortion as a ‘fundamental right’ … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Hay (Reuters) – Kentucky’s Democratic governor on Friday vetoed a Republican bill to ban transgender youths from gender-affirming healthcare and restrict public toilets they use, bucking a national Republican-led movement. Governor Andy Beshear, running in November for a second-term in Republican-leaning Kentucky, said the bill would increase youth suicides and permit excessive government interference in personal healthcare decisions. Supporters of the bill said they were trying to protect children from undergoing gender-affirming treatments they would regret later in life. The Kentucky bill would let teachers refuse to refer to transgender students by their chosen pronouns, outlaw gender reassignment surgery for minors, stop use of puberty blockers and prohibit gender-affirming hospital services. The bill easily passed Kentucky’s Republican-led legislature and lawmakers may vote next week to override Beshear’s veto. The bill is part of nationwide attacks on the LGBTQ community by conservative politicians with measures including banning discussion of gender identity in schools, clamping down on drag shows and blocking transgender participation in sports. Over the past week Iowa and Georgia passed bills banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and preventing trans students from using school toilets corresponding with their gender identities. In Kentucky, Beshear said in a statement that the bill would turn teachers into “investigators” prying into students’ lives. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said it would challenge the legislation in court if it became law. (Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Donna Bryson; Editing by Sandra Maler) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Jennifer Aniston just got cooler! On Wednesday, March 22, the actress went on Live with Kelly and Ryan and spilled about the frequent hangouts she had at Cher’s house decades ago. “Well I went to high school with Chaz [Bono] and amongst our group of, our gaggle, we would always go to her house because it was nice. It was Cher!” Aniston revealed on the talk show, referencing the son of Sonny Bono and Cher. Before the Friends alum blew up, she attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City, an institution famous for educating some of the most iconic names in entertainment. mega The Marley & Me star then shared a hilarious story about after-school snack time at Cher’s abode. “She seems to think I ate it all… She would always go, ‘Yeah, you ate me out of house and home,'” Aniston said, adding, “I was like, ‘How was I the only one partaking in the cold cuts!'” Jennifer Aniston Stuns While Leaving ‘Good Morning America’ After Admitting Adam Sandler Berates Her For The Men She Dates: Photos Jennifer Aniston Glows In Bejeweled Gold Gown At ‘Murder Mystery 2’ Premiere In Paris: Photos Jennifer Aniston Admits Pal Adam Sandler Always Critiques The Men She Dates: ‘What Are You Doing?’ Aniston also described the property as having “beautiful windows” before recalling a few other details. “It was just wild and wonderful cause we didn’t really know Cher,” the 54-year-old mentioned. “We were little kids in high school, though I guess you understand a little bit at that point. It was just fun to be able to hang out with Cher.” mega Her legendary high school gatherings were not the only thing the beauty reminisced about this week, as on Tuesday, March 21, she appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon where she discussed her long-time friendship with Adam Sandler. “[We’ve been friends for] over 30 years,” the Emmy nominee said to Fallon. “We met at Jerry’s Deli on Ventura Boulevard when we were 20 and 22.” Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! The comedian asked the movie star if her long-time pal ever gives her advice, to which she scoffed, “No!” “If I get anything from him it’s, ‘What are you doing?!’ — usually based on someone I’m dating,” she quipped. “I very much love to take care of him. He’s so concerned about taking care of everyone else, which he really does. But he doesn’t take care of himself,” the TV icon explained. “I’m sorry to call you out on national television, Adam — but you have to know this. We have fun together.” View the full article

Published by AFP Russian political activists and members of the punk rock group Pussy Riot perform during a concert at the Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art on May 30, 2022 New York (AFP) – The Russian music and performance collective Pussy Riot will receive this year’s Woody Guthrie prize honoring art for social change, award organizers announced Thursday. Past recipients of the prize named for the US folk revolutionary Guthrie include Bruce Springsteen, Chuck D, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and John Mellencamp. “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” said collective creator Nadya Tolokonnikova, in a statement sent to AFP by the artist’s publicist. “Usually, when Pussy Riot gets added to lists, it’s not always a good thing, but we are honored to be on this one,” she continued. “We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.” Tolokonnikova along with Maria “Masha” Alyokhina will accept the prize on behalf of the group on May 6, organizers said, during a three-day weekend celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Following the ceremony Pussy Riot is slated to perform. “As artists who, like Woody Guthrie, have the courage of their convictions, there are no contemporary artists more worthy of this recognition than Pussy Riot,” said Cady Shaw, director of the Woody Guthrie Center, in a statement. “They have paid a very personal price for speaking their minds on the most serious issues of our time, yet they continue to fight for justice and freedom.” Pussy Riot has gained international fame for its politically charged performances that see members don balaclavas and skewer everything from the Russian church to persecution of the country’s gay community. Tolokonnikova, 33, is one of three members of Pussy Riot who were sentenced to two years in prison after they sang a “Punk Prayer” denouncing the Russian Orthodox Church’s close ties with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s central Church of Christ the Saviour in February 2012. In late 2021 Russia labeled members including Tolokonnikova “foreign agents” as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. The feminist collective last year went on a European tour in support of Ukraine, warning against “totalitarianism” under Putin. “Oh and a quick reminder to Vladimir Putin and anyone who supports his Z regime … All you fascists are bound to lose,” Tolokonnikova wrote in her Guthrie Prize statement. Among American folk music’s most towering figures, Guthrie penned iconic anti-fascist songs including the socialist-leaning “This Land Is Your Land.” He had major influence on the work of stars including Springsteen, Baez and Seeger as well as Johnny Cash, Jerry Garcia and, of course, Bob Dylan. View the full article

Published by AlterNet The Biden administration may cancel the $950 million in annual assistance the U.S. provides to Uganda if President Yoweri Museveni signs into law its latest “Kill the Gays” bill, which calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and between ten and 20 years in prison for other LGBTQ “acts.” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Wednesday made clear if Uganda further criminalizes homosexuality and the LGBTQ community there could be “repercussions that we would have to take.” “That would be really unfortunate because so much of the econom… Read More View the full article

Published by Front Page Detectives Front Page Detectives has reported at length on the death of Stephen Smith near the Alex Murdaugh home in South Carolina. Smith was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County in 2015. Local authorities declared he was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Smith’s mother said he was walking after running out of gas. The 19-year-old nursing student was found 2.7 miles from his car. But authorities on Hilton Head Island admitted at the time that Smith’s death could have been “a homicide, could be voluntary, involuntarily, or something like that.” In June 2021, the South Carolina Law Enforc… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lori Ewing MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -World Athletics has banned transgender women from competing in elite female competitions and tightened testosterone restrictions for other athletes, the governing body said on Thursday. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said that the decision to exclude transgender women who had gone through male puberty was based “on the overarching need to protect the female category”. The tighter measures around one of the most contentious and divisive issues in sport follow a similar move by World Aquatics in 2022. World Athletics’ council also voted to cut the maximum amount of plasma testosterone for athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) in half, to 2.5 nanomoles per litre from five. DSD athletes will also have to reduce their testosterone levels below the new limit for a minimum of 24 months across all events to compete, double the previous time. The governing body had previously floated the option of transgender athletes being allowed to compete in the female category if they, too, maintained testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per litre for 24 months. Yet it said on Thursday that it became apparent there was little support within the sport for that proposal. “We’re not saying no forever,” Coe told a news conference. Coe announced the formation of a working group, which will be chaired by a transgender athlete, to further study the issue of trans inclusion. “The working group will look at any prevailing or changing or furthering of our understanding in that space,” Coe said. “We don’t know enough, we now need to know more, and that is the journey that we’re on. But we weren’t prepared to risk the female category on that basis.” The tighter testosterone rules will impact DSD athletes such as two-times Olympic 800 metre champion Caster Semenya, Christine Mboma, the 2020 Olympic silver medallist in the 200m, and Francine Niyonsaba, who finished runner-up to Semenya in the 800 at the 2016 Olympics. WA regulations around DSD previously required women competing in events between 400 metres and a mile to maintain testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre. The governing body on Thursday introduced interim provisions for athletes already competing outside the restricted events, who will be required to suppress their testosterone level to 2.5 nanomoles per litre for six months. This would prevent several women from competing at the World Athletics Championships in August. Since being barred from the 800m, Burundi’s Niyonsaba turned her attention to the 5,000, winning the Diamond League Final in 2021. She was disqualified in her heat of the 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics for a lane violation, while Semenya failed to qualify for the Games. Namibia’s Mboma, prevented from running the 400m, switched to the 200m, winning silver in Tokyo. DSD athletes have male testes but do not produce enough of the hormone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that is necessary for the formation of male external genitalia. Coe said the decisions were made in consultation with numerous stakeholders including 40 member federations, coaches, athletes, plus a range of community groups including trans groups, United Nations experts and the International Olympic Committee. Swimming’s world governing body World Aquatics voted last June to bar transgender women from elite competition if they had experienced any part of male puberty. A scientific panel had found that even after reducing their testosterone levels through medication, transgender women still had a significant advantage. That vote passed with 71% of the national federations in favour. (Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Toby Davis) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Who needs a formal dinner party, anyway? Poland locals couldn’t believe their eyes when none other than Prince William sat down for a meal at Warsaw’s Buetero Bistro, an eatery dubbed as a LBGTQ-friendly spot. The father-of-three made the impromptu stop on the night of Wednesday, March 22, where a fellow guest snapped a photo to show the royal, clad in a white button-down shirt, speaking to a waitress. mega An insider told a publication that William ordered the pulled pork sandwich with french fries, which rang in at just $10. “The team from Kensington Palace booked a local restaurant near where they were working and the prince decided to join them,” the source spilled of the gatheirng. “He asked them what they were doing and then asked to come along.” mega Shocking Fights: Prince William & Kate Middleton ‘Throw Things At Each Other’ During ‘Terrible’ Arguments, Claims Author Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Skipping King Charles’ Coronation Would Show ‘The Rift Will Never Heal’ Between Them & The Royal Family Kate Middleton All Smiles At Charity Appearance As She & Prince William Fight About Prince George’s Role In Coronation: Photos “It was a great night by all accounts,” added the insider. “The team really appreciated him asking to join them.” Needless to say, the owner of the restaurant — which bills itself as “an inclusive space where everyone can feel good” — was over the moon to have such a famous face at his establishment. Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! “We had absolutely no idea they were coming. We had a table booked for 12 people under the name of Daisy. It was supposed to be a Daisy birthday party,” Paweł Zasim told the outlet. “But then a bodyguard appeared and said that this wasn’t going to be a Daisy birthday party and then Prince William walked in.” The restauranteur noted the group “spent three hours” at the eatery, and at the end of their night, “they said they had a good time.” mega Zasim also humbly boasted about his food, revealing William “ate everything so I think he liked it.” William was in town to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and spoke to Ukrainian refugees. “The Prince of Wales took the opportunity to thank the President and the Polish people who have done so much to support the people of Ukraine who’ve fled here,” a royal spokesman said. “They discussed the importance of the need for ongoing support to Ukraine and its people.” Daily Mail reported on William’s dinner. View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune A measure that would allow multiple occupancy public restrooms to be labeled gender-neutral was passed by the Illinois House on Thursday with the bare minimum of votes. The bill, which now moves to the Senate, would amend the Equitable Restroom Act of 2019, which required all single-occupancy public restrooms to be available to all genders. The amendment would only allow restrooms with two or more toilets to be available to all. “The bill does not require gender-neutral bathrooms,” Rep. Katie Stuart, an Edwardsville Democrat who was the first sponsor of the bill, said. “Builders would choose w… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English JoJo Siwa faced a “negative” reaction from her former employers when she came out as gay. The 19-year-old dancer-and-actress didn’t identify the company before name but claimed they were upset by her decision to publicly reveal she was attracted to other women because they were concerned about how her young fanbase would respond. In a TikTok video, JoJo danced and lip synced to Meghan Trainor’s song ‘Mother’ as she shared her story in text captions. She wrote: “Story time: January 2021, I come out to the world. The company I work for told me they needed to have a meeting w/ me ASAP. “During this meeting, the PRESIDENT of the company negatively asked me ‘what are you gonna tell your young demographic’. “I took a second to process what I was just asked, and then… I replied… ‘THE TRUTH’. “I’ve never seen a man roll his eyes so far in the back of his head. It was silent so I started talking again… I said ‘I’m not gonna hide who I am and who I love to anyone, ESPECIALLY to the next generation.’ He didn’t like that very much.” And JoJo is thankful she stayed true to herself because she knows she has proven herself to be a good role model. She added: “However, since I came, out SO many adults say to me ‘I wish I had someone like you when I was younger.’ Which reminds me every time that I did the right thing and to never let ANYONE change who you are.” In 2022, JoJo explained that her “gay awakening” started with Demi Lovato’s 2015 hit ‘Cool for the Summer’ – when she was 12. The former ‘Dance Moms’ star discovered she was a lesbian when she heard the song about same-sex experimentation. She said on TikTok: “I really, really liked it and listened to it all the time. “I did not know what it meant back then but now that I’m much older and I understand, I know what it means.” View the full article

Published by Tribune News Service My husband and I were sitting in the stands of my daughter’s gymnastics competition a few years ago when a couple of moms behind us started talking about a recent Disney trip gone awry. One of the moms accidentally booked their family trip the same weekend as Gay Days, an annual Disneyland/Disney World event that welcomes LGBTQ+ visitors to the theme parks. Disney doesn’t officially endorse the event, but the resort has a long history of supporting it, setting up photo ops around the park for couples, adding rainbow merch to their shops and rainbow desserts to their menus. This was not a happy… Read More View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel With a book tour, looming presidential campaign and near-daily media events, Ron DeSantis normally craves attention the way ticks crave blood. But lately, he’s been getting so much of it, he’s about to pop. Conservative pundits and media outlets that have previously showered DeSantis with adulation have taken a decidedly different turn recently as DeSantis strayed from the culture wars that made him famous and he tried to weigh in on more serious issues like foreign policy. It has not gone well. A former speechwriter for George W. Bush described DeSantis’ approach to governing as “Tough on dra… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Utah has become the first US state to limit under 18s social media access. Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, added his signature to two attempts to protect teenagers and children in the state by giving parents complete access to their kids’ social media accounts, posts, and direct messages amid growing concern about social media usage on children’s mental health and development. In addition, parents and guardians give must give clear consent for their charges to open social media profiles on apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. He said: “We’re no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth. “As leaders, and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our young people.” Commons Sense Media, a children’s safety campaign group called it “huge victory for kids and families in Utah”. Their CEO, Jim Steyer continued: “It adds momentum for other states to hold social media companies accountable to ensure kids across the country are protected online. Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Louisiana – all Republican states – are considering passing measures like these, which have been condemned by a variety of peppel. Ari Z Cohn, a lawyer specialising in free speech, said it threatened “significant” issues against the principle of freedom of speech and expressed concern for kids in “abusive” homes. He continued to BBC News: “There are so many children who might be in abusive households, who might be LGBT, who could be cut-off from social media entirely.” In response to the Beehive State’s efforts to clamp down on the negative sides of social media, the parent company of Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook, Meta boasted about their already-existing methods to keep children safe from online harm. A spokesperson for the Mark Zuckerberg-founded company said: “We’ve developed more than 30 tools to support teens and families, including tools that let parents and teens work together to limit the amount of time teens spend on Instagram, and age verification technology that helps teens have age-appropriate experiences.” View the full article

Published by Al-Araby LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr has warned that Egyptian police may be using fake accounts to lure and detain users, according to reports. The world’s leading gay dating application said they were “alerted that Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi and trans people on digital platforms” in a series of safety posts sent to users in Egypt by the hour since Monday, Pink News reported. This comes after a spike in arrests of LGBTQ+ people last weekend in Egypt. “They are using fake accounts and have also taken over accounts from real community members who have already been arrested and had… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega; @IAMJEFFTHOMAS/INSTAGRAM Peter Thiel will be talking to investigators in connection to the suspected suicide of model Jeff Thomas — who the GOP billionaire had an alleged romantic relationship with, RadarOnline.com has learned. In a sudden development to come two weeks after Thomas, 35, was found dead from an apparent suicide outside his Miami, Florida apartment on March 8, the Miami Police Department will be talking to Thiel in connection to their investigation into Thomas’ passing. Mega According to the Intercept, Thiel and Thomas first met sometime in 2015 or 2016 at Coachella. Shortly thereafter, they began a relationship that ultimately ended just a few months before the 35-year-old model and influencer is believed to have taken his own life. @IAMJEFFTHOMAS/INSTAGRAM “I don’t think it’s very satisfying, to be honest, to be kept,” Thomas told the Intercept shortly after ending his relationship with Thiel in the fall of 2022. “I saw the spark in me fade away, and it was toxic, and it was unhealthy, and I’ve had multiple talks with myself this year, about getting out of it, and I’ve actually discussed to him about it, like, I can’t do this anymore.” “You know, my mental health is at risk,” Thomas added during the interview. Mike Pence Attacks Donald Trump’s Faith, Accuses Ex-President Of Being A Fake Christian Protestors Arrested At Charlie Kirk’s UC Davis Event, Police Officer Injured New Secret Audio Tape: Trump Tries To Pressure Another GOP Official Over 2020 Election But despite the pair’s nearly seven-year-long relationship, Thomas explained before his death that he regularly challenged Thiel regarding the GOP billionaire’s political stance. Thiel is currently an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, and the 55-year-old has regularly come under fire for not only donating to Trump’s campaigns but also to the campaigns of anti-LGBTQ+ candidates. Mega “I was wondering why he was being affiliated with someone like Trump, and investing in him if he’s gay,” Thomas recounted asking Thiel when the pair first met roughly seven years ago. As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Thomas was found dead outside his luxury 57-story Miami apartment building earlier this month. @IAMJEFFTHOMAS/INSTAGRAM Thomas’ passing came just a few months after he ended his relationship with Thiel, and the model’s passing is currently being investigated as a potential suicide. While investigators suspect the 35-year-old model took his own life, Thomas’ family and agent have spoken out to deny the suicide reports. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. “The information being published is false and defamatory,” Meghan Rae, Thomas’ cousin, said last week. Rae also said that “this was not a suicide” and the investigators’ claim that Thomas took his own life is “a complete disregard to his character and who he was.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story Uganda has passed one of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, and U.S. evangelical groups had their hands all over it. The East African nation has long pursued criminalizing homosexuality, and a draft version calls for the death penalty for “serial offenders” and other cases involving gay sex, and American religious organizations have invested millions of dollars to deepen homophobic views commonly held in the region, reported the Washington Post. “In 2020, London-based OpenDemocracy found that more than 20 American religious organizations advocating against LGBTQ rights, safe aborti… Read More View the full article

Gay Key West Uncovered visits the bar at Hugh’s View, part of The Studios of Key West. Last episode, we covered Key West’s favorite food and restaurants, but this week we’re looking to feed the soul. Turning off your work email for vacation doesn’t mean you need to turn off your brain. Key West offers a rich selection of art and performance to enlighten and entertain. We’ll meet the whipsmart stand-ups at Comedy Key West, learn how Tennesee Williams put Key West on the cultural map and visit some of the island’s historic art galleries, including Gallery on Greene, Gingerbread Square Gallery, Harrison Gallery and Shade Ceramics and Shutter Photography. Join us as we end with a stop atop The Studios of Key West for a Glow Hour sunset celebration on the swanky rooftop terrace, Hugh’s View. Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Stitcher and more. Gay Key West Uncovered is a six-part miniseries hosted by writer, comedian and professional homosexual Bobby Hankinson. Join us as we explore why Key West offers a wild, wonderful, unapologetically queer travel experience like no other. Learn about the island’s unique history, nightlife, restaurants, artists and more straight from the people who make it so special. Well … maybe not too straight. Gay Key West Uncovered is produced by Towleroad.com and sponsored by Key West. Learn more about gay Key West and book your trip today. View the full article

Published by Raw Story GiveSendGo, the right-wing website that bills itself as the “#1 FreeChristian Fundraising Site,” is hosting a funding project by neo-Nazi activist Christopher Polhaus to create an all-white community in Maine, reported VICE News on Thursday. The website, which has previously come under fire for letting the extremist group the Proud Boys raise millions on their platform, was notified Polhaus is trying to finance and recruit for a white nationalist scheme, but he remains up as of press time, reported Ben Makuch. “Pohlhaus served in the Marines for four years in the 2000s and gained prominence am… Read More View the full article