LGBTQ

A close up of a Wetherspoons pub sign. (Getty/ Nathan Stirk) A Wetherspoons chef accused his co-workers of homophobic bullying, but an employment tribunal judge has ruled against him. The chef was employed at the Wetherspoons Dairyman pub in Brentwood, Essex, and in August 2019 he complained that he was being bullied by co-workers for

The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service shut down ignorant homophobes on TikTok. (TikTok/ southyorkshirefire) The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service has responded to ignorant homophobia with a viral TikTok: “Fires don’t discriminate, neither do we.” Earlier this month, the service posted social media content to celebrate LGBT+ History Month, but a short time later

Actor Brandon Black is making history by playing the first gay character in Tyler Perry’s popular Madea film franchise. After 11 films starring his on-screen comedic drag persona Mable “Madea” Simmons, Tyler Perry has arrived on Netflix with his latest instalment, A Madea Homecoming. Among the newcomers to the cast is Brandon Black, who plays Madea’s

Dear Evan Hansen actor Jessica Phillips comes out as queer at 50 (Bruce Glikas/Getty Images) Dear Evan Hansen actor Jessica Phillips has opened up about her sexuality at the age of 50, explaining that lockdown helped her “expand my identity”. In an interview with People, Phillips explained that when the pandemic halted Broadway shows – including Dear

Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider just keeps winning as she announces her engagement weeks after her historic run on the hit game show. Schneider won the hearts of viewers during her incredible 40-game run which saw her land the record for the second-longest streak in the program’s history. However, there was only heart that she cared

Yasmin Benoit. (Provided) We talk a lot about sexual orientation, but we don’t talk nearly enough about romantic orientation – that’s something Yasmin Benoit is trying to change.  Yasmin is an asexual and aromantic activist who is working tirelessly to make sure the world knows that not everybody experiences romantic attraction in the same way.

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty brand has finally launched in the UK. (Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic) Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty has finally launched in the UK and Ireland. The beauty brand from the star has is now exclusively available to shop at Space NK. Fans can get their hands on products from the brand both in-store and online

Keturah Herron won a landslide vote. (Facebook/KeturahHerronForKYHouse) Kentucky has elected the first-ever openly LGBT+ members to its house of representatives – Keturah Herron. At a special election on 22 February, Herron – who is Black, queer and genderqueer – was elected to the District 42 seat in a landslide vote, beating her Republican opponent, Judy

Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pending judicial nominations on 28 April 2021. (Getty/Kevin Lamarque-Pool) President Joe Biden has nominated judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, who would be the first Black woman to sit on the bench. Jackson, 51, has been nominated to

District attorneys in Texas have hit back against the state governor’s “un-American” statement equating gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, to “child abuse”. Five district attorneys spoke out after Texas governor Greg Abbott ordered state officials to investigate any reports of trans children receiving gender-affirming care, with a view to prosecute. Abbott echoed the view of

Manizha Dalerovna Sangin ‘Manizha’ of Russia during the 65th Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty) Eurovision organisers have backtracked on their decision to allow Russia to compete in the contest this year following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. There was widespread backlash on Thursday (24 February) when Eurovision bosses said Russia would still be allowed

Demonstrators take part in a rally outside Downing Street in London on 25 February 2022 to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty) OutRight Action International has launched a fundraiser to support Ukraine’s LGBT+ community as Russian forces move across the country. Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” in

Naomie Skinner. (Human Rights Campaign) A Black trans woman who was shot and left for dead has become the latest victim in 2022’s “epidemic of violence” in the US. Naomie Skinner, a 25-year-old woman who lived near Detroit, Michigan, was found dead in a hallway at an apartment complex in Highland Park. Police were called

Drag Race season 14 star Maddy Morphosis responds to controversial casting backlash. (YouTube/WOWPresents) The cast of Drag Race season 14 have defended the show’s first straight, cis male contestant, Maddy Morphosis. News that the Arkansas queen would be competing in season 14 sparked fierce debate about people from outside the queer community entering drag spaces.

Harvey Parker. (Met Police) Police have confirmed that a body recovered from the River Thames this week is missing student Harvey Parker. Having been missing for three weeks, this week the Met Police were contacted by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) about the discovery of a body in the River Thames, which was later recovered

Adele, Dua Lipa, Katy Perry and Elton John are among the music tickets you can buy for 2022. If you’ve got the January blues and want to book something to look forward to in 2022, then why not buy some music tickets for amazing US tours? Nothing beats a live gig and there’s plenty of

Intersex Justice activists protest non-consensual surgeries on intersex people. (Twitter/ IntersexJustice) A California bill aiming to outlaw forced and unnecessary genital surgeries on intersex children has been pulled. California state senator Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, has been working for  three years to try to ban the “corrective surgeries”. His bill, SB225, would have

Harvey Parker. (Met Police) Police searching for Harvey Parker, who was last seen outside London’s Heaven nightclub on 17 December, have discovered a body in the River Thames. While the body has not formally been identified as the 20-year-old student, their family have issued a statement addressing the discovery. They said: “We are so very

Amarey Lej (L) and Duval Princess. (Facebook/TransGiot) A Black trans woman was shot dead on New Year’s Day, while a second was found dead in suspicious circumstances a day later. Amariey Lej (spelled Amarey in some reports), a 20-year-old dancer and youth artist apprentice, was found with a fatal gunshot wound by police in Wilkinsburg,

Donald Trump at a meeting with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, in the Oval Office on 13 May, 2019. (Getty/ Mark Wilson) Former US president Donald Trump has “endorsed” Viktor Orbán as he campaigns to remain in power in Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections. In a statement, Trump said: “Viktor Orbán of Hungary truly loves his country and

Kate Winslet played Mary Anning in Ammonite. (Natural History Museum Picture Library and YouTube/ BFI) Fossil hunter Mary Anning, portrayed by Kate Winslet in the film Ammonite, will finally be honoured with a statue in her hometown of Lyme Regis. Until recently, Anning, born in 1799, was almost forgotten by history despite being a pioneering

Same-sex couples in Israel will no longer have to go abroad to access surrogacy. (Pexels/ Karolina Grabowska) Israel will allow surrogacy for same-sex couples, single men and trans people from next week after a decade-long legal battle. Health minister Nitzan Horowitz announced on Tuesday (4 January) that new rules making surrogacy accessible to all families

Stock photo of pupils in a classroom. (Pexels) A leading group of girls’ schools has updated its admissions policy to exclude trans girls from being admitted as students. The almost-blanket ban on trans girls has been implemented because, the group says, to let trans girls become pupils would jeopardise the schools’ status as single-sex. However,

A protester holds a trans pride flag and a placard that reads “Protect Trans Kids” placard during the trans rights demonstration. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty) An Arizona lawmaker is ringing in the new year by introducing two new bills targeting trans youth in the state. Republican senator Wendy Rogers proposed Senate Bill 1045 (SB

Olivia Rodrigo and Elton John are among the big tours for 2022. It’s officially a new year, which means it’s time to grab some music tickets and get your gig calendar filled up for 2022. There are plenty of tours already announced including Olivia Rodrigo’s first ever UK dates, Elton John’s farewell tour and the

Kumi Yokoyama #17 of the Washington Spirit warms up during a game against the Houston Dash on 31 October 2021 in Washington, DC. (Getty/Brad Smith/ISI Photos) Trans footballer Kumi Yokoyama has called out Japan for “lagging behind the rest of the world” on awareness of LGBT+ issues and rights. Yokoyama came out publicly as a

Betty White in 2011. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty) Betty White was “happy” at the end of her life – and she knew how much she was adored by her legion of fans, her longtime agent and close friend has said. There was an outpouring of grief on Friday (31 December) when news broke that White had

President Joe Biden, Dolly Parton, George Takei and other LGBT+ celebs and allies have seen their looks dramatically evolve over the years. (Instagram/@potus/Getty/Michael Ochs Archives/YouTube/IGN) It can be sometimes easy to forget that fan-favourite elders haven’t always looked the same. But, much like a fine wine, they really have only gotten better with age. From queen

A “besotón”, or kiss-a-thon, has been staged at the Six Flags Mexico theme park after a queer couple visiting said they were victims of “homophobia”. A friend of the couple went viral on Twitter after he described how his friends were reprimanded for kissing at the theme park on Wednesday (29 December). He wrote: “The