LGBTQ

Tammy Baldwin (L) spoke to Marco Rubio (R) after hearing him say voting on same-sex marriage protections was a "stupid waste of time". (Getty/Anna Moneymaker/Anna Rose Layden-Pool) Out senator Tammy Baldwin confronted Marco Rubio in an elevator after he said voting on a bill to protect same-sex marriage was a “stupid waste of time”.  Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, commented within hearing distance of Baldwin – the first openly gay politician elected to the US Senate. The Senate will consider a bill to codify same-sex marriage as it could be...

The UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills, Illinois has been vandalised and had faeces left at the door over a planned family-friendly drag event. (YouTube/CBS Chicago) An Illinois bakery will host a family-friendly drag show despite being threatened, vandalised and sent a ​​bag of faeces over the planned event. UpRising Bakery and Cafe owner Corrina Sac told the Chicago Tribune that she planned a child-friendly drag event complete with costumes, dancing, food and a celestial theme. She described quickly getting backlash against the show because it would be open...

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. (Getty/ Ian Forsyth) Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has slammed the Conservative party for “playing to culture war issues”, and has called for a general election. The race for leadership of the Conservative party, and to become Britain’s next prime minister, was whittled down to two candidates this week – Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Both Truss and Sunak have made targeting trans rights part of their campaign platforms, and Burnham hit out at their use of “culture war issues” to win votes. Discussing the Tory leadership...

Whoopi Goldberg was not happy with what Jim Jordan had to say on the Respect for Marriage Act (Image: Getty) Whoopi Goldberg took no prisoners in a response to congressman Jim Jordan’s argument against a same-sex marriage bill. During Wednesday’s (20 July) instalment of daytime talk show The View, Whoopi Goldberg addressed remarks by Republican Jim Jordan on a new bill which aims to protect same-sex and interracial marriage. The Respect for Marriage Act, which has passed in the House and now awaits a Senate, aims to protect marriage equality...

Drag Merch has officially launched in Australia and is home to Trixie Mattel, Katya, Bob The Drag Queen and Jinkx Monsoon merch. Drag Merch has launched in Australia and it’s home to official merch from your favourite Drag Race queens. Fans can get their hands on official t-shirts, pins, prints and more of the likes of Trixie Mattel, Katya, Bob The Drag Queen and Jinkx Monsoon. It’s all in one place for the first time and you can shop the collections at dragmerch.com.au. This article contains affiliate links, PinkNews may...

Timothy Farage's deleted tweet next to his portrait. (image: Twitter/University photo) University professor Timothy Farage is under investigation after calling for a “cure for homosexuality”. Farage, a computer science professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), sparked outrage after he suggested ‘curing’ gay men in light of the monkeypox outbreak. He made the outrageous suggestion in a tweet on Friday (15 July), asking: “Can we at least try to find a cure for homosexuality, especially among men?”  His tweet included a link to a Daily Mail article on a...

Jeopardy champ and atheist activist Hemant Mehta (left) and hate preacher Aaron Thompson (right). (Twitter and Youtube) Atheist activist and Jeopardy! champ Hemant Mehta was described as a “closet f*g” by a Christian hate preacher, all because he is an LGBTQ+ ally. Mehta, who won $13,999 as a contestant on Jeopardy! in 2020 and founded the Friendly Atheist blog on Patheos, dedicates much of his social media content to tracking and exposing anti-LGBTQ+ Christian fundamentalists. But Pastor Aaron Thompson of Sure Foundation Baptist Church in Vancouver, Washington, who has called...

The sport has been praised for its diversity. (Credit: LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images) Quidditch (yes, it’s a real sport) has officially changed its name to quadball, in an effort to distance itself from JK Rowling. The sport was inspired by the wizarding game of the same name in Rowling’s Harry Potter books. But in an effort to distance itself from the author, on Wednesday (20 July), the International Quidditch Association (IQA) made the announcement it would be adopting the name quadball. It comes after US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch...

A school counsellor at a Hwa Chong Institution school in Singapore made a presentation containing bigoted claims about the LGBTQ+ community. (Reddit/DAvengingAngels) A Singaporean school counsellor was suspended from giving lessons after alleging gay people have “intestinal worms” and other discriminatory claims during a presentation. The presentation by a Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) staffer drew backlash after slides that contained bigoted and unsubstantiated remarks against the LGBTQ+ community was uploaded online. The worker – who has not been named, but is understood to be a male school counsellor – delivered...

Microscope image of the monkeypox virus. (Getty/ Gado/ Smith Collection) Confirmed monkeypox cases have surged to more than 2,000 in England, officials have said, but isolation guidance for close contacts is being scrapped. As of Monday (18 July), there are now 2,137 confirmed monkeypox cases in the UK, with  2,050 detected in England. On the same day as the latest figures were released, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that it had updated guidance for close contacts of confirmed cases. Until this week, category two and three close contacts were advised to...

Tom Tugendhat has become the latest leadership hopeful to be voted out. (Jonathan Hordle / ITV via Getty Images) Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt have continued their lead in the Conservative Party leadership contest as Tom Tugendhat is knocked out of the race to replace prime minister Boris Johnson. After the third round of voting among Tory MPs on Monday (18 July), only four candidates now remain in a contest that has been defined by hopefuls trying to outdo the other’s anti-trans remarks and policies. Former chancellor Sunak, trade minister...

Fallon Fox, a venerable mixed martial arts fighter, has accused the British press of having a 'transphobia' problem. (Rob Kim/Getty Images) Fallon Fox has condemned the “transphobic” British press after the BBC apologised for platforming her on a discussion about anti-trans sports bans. Fox, an American retired mixed martial artist, appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in June to discuss the world governing body of swimming effectively banning trans women from the highest levels of women’s international competition. But Fair Play for Women, an anti-trans sports pressure group, took...

France's minister for territorial cohesion Caroline Cayeux. (AFP via Getty/ SAMEER AL-DOUMY) More than 100 public figures in France have called for the resignation of minister Caroline Cayeux after she reaffirmed her anti-LGBTQ+ views. Cayeux, who was appointed minister for territorial cohesion less than two weeks ago on 4 July when France formed its new government, was asked in an interview whether she stood by her opposition to same-sex marriage and adoption. In 2013, she described same-sex couples as “against nature” as France prepared to vote on legalising marriage equality. Asked...

Charles Barkley declared his love for the LGBTQ+ community. (Twitter) A clip has gone viral of former NBA star Charles Barkley, in which he expresses his love for queer folk and tells homophobes: “F**k you!” In the video, which has spread like wildfire across social media, Barkley can be seen on stage at a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, giving a frank message to bigots. He yells into a microphone: “I want to say this: If you’re gay and transgender, I love you! Hey and if anybody give you s**t, you...