LGBTQ

DC Comics says they're getting unprecedented orders for Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, the issue where Jon Kent comes out as bisexual. (DC Comics) A Superman colourist has sensationally quit over changes to the new bisexual Man of Steel’s motto. DC Comics announced earlier this month that Jonathan Kent will be a different kind of Superman to his famous father. He combats climate change disasters, protests against the deportation of refugees and is going to be in a relationship with a man. But Gabe Eltaeb, a colourist who helps produce...

The president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has urged for “tolerance” as parliament considers a backbitingly anti-LGBT+ law. The “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021” has fuelled fear among queer Ghanaians, wary of how a country that already sees their existence as a crime wants to make things even worse. If passed, it would introduce a raft of policies punishing everything from sex toys and anal intercourse to trans healthcare and LGBT+ allyship. It’s a bill that activists say has the shadowy signature of America’s...

KJ Apa. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Riverdale hunk KJ Apa has shared his dreams of joining RuPaul’s Drag Race as his “feminine” alter-ego Fifi. The 24-year-old New Zealand actor opened up about his love of the iconic VH1 show in a recent interview with NME. With more than 3.2 million followers, Apa’s @FifiIsQueen TikTok account sees the musician and his abs frenetically dance and lip-sync. Sometimes shirtless, mind you. So far, the account is mainly of Apa presenting in a typically masculine way. But Apa has said that he’s ready to take...

In Ghana, four reportedly gay men are thrashed. (Twitter) Four men were brutally beaten with sticks and banished for being gay in Tamale, Ghana, capturing the rising tensions – and fears – over an anti-LGBT+ bill. The men, according to graphic video footage seen by activists, were violently battered by a Choggu community leader as a crowd gathered to watch on Tuesday (19 October). According to Pulse, a Ghanian news outlet, a gay couple in the town attacked his ex-partner with a machete. The pair were later interrogated, where the local...

Ts Madison was a guest judge on season 13 of Drag Race. (WOW) Ts Madison has revealed that RuPaul pushed hard to get her on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The trans icon made her debut as a guest judge in season 13 of the long-running show, appearing in two episodes. In a new interview with the LGBTQ&A podcast, Ts Madison revealed how RuPaul fought for her spot on the panel. She said: “RuPaul was like: ‘I want her on my show, I want her in this space, I don’t care whatever pushback...

Drag Race UK's Charity Kase. (BBC( This week on Drag Race UK, the gloves came off. The queens were tasked with creating a “hilarious” TV ad and, to put it lightly, RuPaul was less than impressed with the results. After Ru asked the queens to say who they think should be eliminated, the tensions that had been bubbling beneath the surface erupted in the workroom. Bizarrely, the lip-sync turned out to be a rerun of last week’s showdown, with Charity Kase and Scarlett Harlet battling it out for a place...

A police officer next to a banner reading 'All cops are bastards period!' at a Black Trans Lives Matter march in London, 2020. (Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) AL, who is trans, non-binary and genderqueer, has been assaulted twice on public transport in the last 18 months – but they didn’t report either incident to the police. “The first time, I was on a bus in east London,” they say. “It was quite crowded, and the woman who was sitting by one of the last two free seats had...

South Korea's military will appeal a court ruling that struck down its decision to discharge the country's first trans soldier Byun Hee-soo, who died this year. (YouTube/South China Morning Post) South Korea’s military will appeal a landmark court ruling that struck down its decision to discharge the country’s first known trans soldier, who died earlier this year. Earlier this month, the Daejeon District Court said the army’s decision to forcefully discharge staff sergeant Byun Hee-soo – also reported in news outlets as Byun Hui-su – was “undoubtedly illegal and should...

Lynda Carter stars as the titular superhero in the television series 'Wonder Woman', circa 1975. (Getty/Silver Screen Collection) Wonder Woman’s Lynda Carter is truly the hero that the LGBT+ community deserves after she came out swinging for the trans community on social media. Carter played Diana Prince – aka Wonder Woman – in the original 1970s TV show about the iconic DC superhero. She recently shut down transphobes on Twitter by declaring anyone could be “Wonder Women”, including trans women. “Trans women are Wonder Women,” Carter said. “End of story.”...

Canadian poet Margaret Atwood. (Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images) Acclaimed author Margaret Atwood ignited outrage by sharing an article titled: “Why can’t we say ‘woman’ anymore?” The opinion piece, penned by Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno, explores the the ongoing conversation around gender-neutral terminology. DiManno, 65, argued in the piece (which is behind a paywall) that the word woman is “in danger of becoming a dirty word”. The Handmaid’s Tale author, who has been vocal and unequivocal in her support for trans rights, urged followers “Read her piece. She’s not a TERF.” Many disagreed, however.Laura...

Dr Rachel Levine is the nation's first transgender four-star officer when she was sworn in as an admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps on 19 October 2021. (Twitter/@HHS_ASH) Trailblazing Biden appointee Dr Rachel Levine has become the first openly trans four-star officer across any of the nation’s eight uniformed services. Levine, the US assistant secretary of health, was sworn in Tuesday (19 October) as an admiral in the US Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. Admiral is the highest-ranking official of the 6,000 person service entrusted with...

Chloe experienced homelessness as a teenager. (PinkNews) Aged 17, Chloë Florence was in denial about the fact that she was homeless. Thankfully now settled in long-term housing, Chloë’s story reflects the ways in which young LGBT+ people experiencing homelessness face double discrimination – but also how there are services out there, such as HSBC UK’s No Fixed Address Service, trying to make a difference. At first, “it was safer to just try and stay busy”, Chloë tells PinkNews. “In the evening I would try and find something to do, maybe a...

Royal Poetical Starz. (Facebook) In yet another frightening attack, an “ambitious, mesmerising” Black woman was brutally slain in Florida, making her the 40th trans person murdered in the US this year. Royal Poetical Starz, 26, was fatally shot in Miami Gardens, a city in the north-central Miami-Dade County, on the afternoon of 2 October. According to local law enforcement, the shooting took place between Northwest 18th Avenue and 183rd Street at approximately 12:51pm. The shooter sped off in a getaway vehicle, police added whole both misgendering and deadnaming the victim, only...

Supporters of Manchester City cheer as Bernardo Silva of Manchester City celebrates scoring the opening goal. (Alex Livesey/Getty) Two boys were arrested on suspicion of making homophobic comments during the Manchester City v Burnley football game on Saturday (16 October). As well as the two teenagers, a third man in his 20s was apprehended by police at Etihad Stadium during the Premier League match. Greater Manchester Police said this arrest was a ‘separate incident’, on suspicion of a breach of the peace and police assault. No further details were given...