LGBTQ
Ariana Grande Pledges $1.5 Million to Fight “Disgraceful Bills” Targeting Trans Community
Ariana Grande is pledging to match up to $1.5 million to fight back against a rising wave of anti-trans legislation. The pop superstar made the announcement on Thursday, March 31st, which was also International Transgender Day of Visibility. In an Instagram post, Grande wrote, “right now there are hundreds of disgraceful bills pending in state legislature that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights.” Grande continued, “the impact of fightings these anti-trans bills and policies is felt all year by trans people, their families, and loved ones. please join me in donating to this fundraiser which will provide critical funds to organizations advocating for the rights of trans youth in states currently targeted by anti-trans policies.” She added, “I will be matching all funds raised up...
Disney Condemns Florida Governor’s Signing of “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
The Walt Disney Coompany has condemned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing into law the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. House Bill 1557 — officially titled the “Parental Rights in Education” bill — prevents schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in younger grades, and requires schools to notify parents in most cases when children receive mental, emotional, or physical health services. “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” a Disney spokesperson said today, March 28th, following the signing. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working...
Pixar’s Lightyear Restores Same-Sex Kiss After Staff Revolt over Support of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
Disney continues to do damage control following reports that the company donated to every sponsor of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. After Pixar staff publicly accused the House of Mouse of censoring gay affection in their films last week, Variety has learned that a previously-cut same-sex kiss has been restored to Lightyear. Lightyear is a Pixar origin tale starring Chris Evans as the astronaut upon which the Buzz Lightyear action figure in Toy Story is based. Uzo Aduba co-stars as the character Hawthorne, an astronaut in a relationship with another woman. While the movie reportedly always treated her romantic partnership as serious, a kiss between the characters had been cut. Now, it’s back in the film. It’s the latest attempt by Disney to win back LGBT...
Disney Pledges $5 Million to LGBTQ Rights Following “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Controversy
The Walt Disney Company is pledging $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ+ organizations in light of Florida’s discriminatory “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Additionally, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced plans to meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the company’s concerns with the bill, Variety reports. The Parental Rights in Education bill, more commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prevents Florida educators from discussing issues of gender and sexuality in the classroom and allows parents to sue schools and teachers who do so. The bill has been passed by Florida’s House of Representatives and Senate, and DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. Disney’s donation comes after the company came under fire for not speaking out against the bill; the Orlando S...
Ariana Grande and More Celebs Slam Passage of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
On Tuesday (March 8), the controversial Parents Rights in Education bill was passed in the Florida Senate, leading Ariana Grande and other famous faces to speak out against it. Better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the potential law would restrict teachers from speaking about LGBTQ+ history, people, and other topics in school classrooms across the state and give parents the right to sue educators and administrators who did so. A proposed amendment to the bill would also require school counselors and teachers to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents at home if they come out or confide in a trusted adult at school. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Really disgusting,” Ari wrote in her Instagram Stories beneath a post by Equality Florida sharing the news. Meanwhile, George Takei ...
J.K. Rowling Thinks Reducing Paperwork for Trans People Will Somehow Lead to More Assaults
Occasional author and constant bigot J.K. Rowling has been tweeting for days about how Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which merely reduces the red tape around obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate, will somehow lead to more sexual assaults. A Gender Recognition Certificate “means a trans person is legally recognized in their acquired gender and can obtain a new birth certificate showing that gender.” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon helped introduce the reform bill to Scotland’s parliament last week. It takes what is currently a horrifyingly invasive process — requiring applicants to receive a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, provide “medical reports and evidence,” plod through a two-year wait, and be over 18 — and changes the process to be merely arduous. If the bill pas...
Kate McKinnon Takes Aim at Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill on Saturday Night Live: Watch
Kate McKinnon stopped by Weekend Update during last night’s Saturday Night Live to speak about Florida’s discriminatory “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Watch the segment below. Appearing out of costume, the SNL vet first had nothing but nice things to say about the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, which passed through its final state Senate committee this week. “I heard about this law, and I think it’s amazing,” McKinnon told a baffled Colin Jost. She went on to explain: “You know, when I was in middle school in the ’90s, I was kind of, like tortured by the constant use of the word ‘gay.’ Like, you know, ‘That’s so gay’ or ‘Ew, you’re gay.’ It made me feel horrible, and to hear that Ron DeSantis has taken a stand and said, ‘No! You cannot say gay in school anymore,’ I’m just like, I’m so jazzed. And in Florida of ...
Sean Penn: “Cowardly Genes” Have Made Men “Feminized”
Sean Penn seems to never stop talking, and if you accidentally find yourself agreeing with one thing he said, you need only wait for the next dollop of unasked-for wisdom to drop like a turd from his mouth. In a new interview with The Independent, Penn decided to launch an unprovoked attack on the trans community, bizarrely claiming that “cowardly genes” have left modern men “feminized.” Penn was promoting his latest flick, Flag Day, alongside his co-star and real-life daughter, Dylan. “I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminized,” he said. “I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them. There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt...
New LGBTQ+ Monthly Party, NSFW, Brings Underground Rave Culture to Dublin
Dublin’s new monthly techno offering Not Safe For Work (NSFW), promises music and dance with no inhibitions. NSFW will host club nights dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community and allies in what they call “a queer safe space” where attendees can take in the sounds of progressive house and techno music. In the spirit of NSFW, the party additionally encourages attendees to, “Dust off those harnesses and chains, iron those mesh tops (or no top preferably) and polish those dancing boots.” NSFW plans to enforce a no-phone policy on the dancefloor, keeping attendees fully engaged and in the moment, and empowering them to dance with full freedom of expression. Recommended Articles According to GCN, Co-hosts Sean Fitzpatrick and Lee Bracken aim to bring the spirit...
U.K.’s First Queer Music and Camping Festival, Flesh, to Launch In Spring 2022
The U.K.’s first LGBTQ+ music and camping festival is scheduled for liftoff in 2022. Taking place at the secluded Springfield Farm outside of London, Flesh Festival is an open and inclusive event which will welcome individuals and allies of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends. In alignment with their audience, Flesh’s organizers are additionally taking a proactive stand in ensuring performances spotlight artistic talent from historically underrepresented groups. Representatives told Resident Advisor that they were frustrated with seeing the same artists dotting the festival circuit and sought to “make a radical statement” to switch things up. Consistent with their vision, Flesh’s organizers have shared that the entirety of th...
Patton Oswalt Defends Performance with Dave Chappelle, Says They “Disagree About Transgender Rights”
Patton Oswalt ended 2021 with a surprise performance alongside his longtime friend Dave Chappelle, and he began 2022 by justifying that decision. In an Instagram post on Sunday, January 2nd, Oswalt defended his friendship with Chappelle, apologized for not considering “the hurt this would cause,” and said he and his old pal, “100% disagree about transgender rights & representation.” Oswalt closed out the year with a performance at McCaw Hall in Seattle, while Chappelle did the same at the nearby Climate Pledge Arena. As Oswalt wrote in a January 1st post, he “Finished me set at @mccawhall and got a text from @davechappelle. Come over to the arena he’s performing in next door and do a guest set. Why not? I waved good-bye to this hell-year with a genius I started comedy with 34 years ago...
5 of the Best Songs In 2021 By Transgender and Queer Artists
One positive element that the pandemic has provided the music industry has been the emergence and support of queer and transgender artists. The industry has predominantly been operated by men and there has been a serious inequality in pay, but now we’re seeing more LGBTQIA+ people and women being promoted and making executive decisions at major music companies. Among the artists that turned the industry on its head and skyrocketed their careers this year are Kim Petras, Shawnee Kish, and Quinn Christopherson. As we close out 2021, these artists and songs continue to shape-shift music and lead us into the next era of sound. Kim Petras – “Coconuts” Like a number of trends and songs in 2021, Kim Petras’ “Coconuts” took off on TikTok after sh...
