LGBTQ

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez. (Facebook/McKee-Rodriguez campaign) Jalen McKee-Rodriguez became on Saturday (5 June) the first openly gay Black man to hold elected office in Texas – and he beat the incumbent in a landslide. Following a tense runoff, McKee-Rodriguez was elected by San Antonio voters to join the city council. In doing so, he triumphantly ousted Jada Andrews-Sullivan in the second district. With all votes counted, he netted a thumping 63 per cent of the votes compared to just 37 per cent for Andrews-Sullivan. The councillor-elect in fact worked under Andrew-Sullivan as a...

Alexandra Shipp attends the premiere of 20th Century Fox's Dark Phoenix. (Rich Fury/Getty Images) X-Men star Alexandra Shipp came out as a member of the LGBT+ community Wednesday (3 June) to celebrate Pride Month. To her some 360,000 Instagram followers, Shipp, 29, explained how she had long kept her sexuality a secret until last year. But now the actor, who portrayed the weather-controlling mutant Storm as well as Abby Suso in Love, Simon, is encouraging everyone who can – no matter their age – to live their “incredible” truths. “I didn’t...

Flags are seen hanging from the balcony outside of Pennsylvania lieutenant governor John Fetterman's office as pro-Trump demonstrators rally below, Supporters of President Donald Trump urged legislators to decertify the election. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) It took only a few hours for an LGBT+ Pride flag hung from the Pennsylvania Capitol to celebrate Pride Month to be ripped down by a Republican bill. John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, tricked out the balcony of his state Capitol office with the rainbow flag on Tuesday (1 June). A...

Dating sims have been around since the very early days of video gaming. Around 1992, to be precise, when the adult-themed game Dōkyūsei was released in Japan. The plot of Dōkyūsei involved walking around a town and trying to chat up various girls the (male) protagonist happens to meet. The aim of the game was to, well, have sex with them, basically. And that’s the format that dating sims have followed ever since. However, over the years that basic template has given rise to a whole host of absolutely bizarre...

The Rainbow Shop from Kate Spade New York features apparel and accessories. (Kate Spade New York) Kate Spade New York has released its chic and colourful collection to celebrate Pride month. Featuring rainbow apparel and accessories, the range from Kate Spade New York stands for “optimism and joy”. The collection is now available from the brand’s The Rainbow Shop via katespade.co.uk or katespade.com. This article contains affiliate links, PinkNews may earn revenue if you click through and purchase products through the links. The Kate Spade New York collection features a...

Scott Gill and John Barrowman. (Dave Benett/Getty) John Barrowman’s husband has hit out at “vicious trolls” after the Torchwood star was accused inappropriate behaviour with co-workers. Scott Gill addressed the controversy surrounding his actor husband on Instagram where he admitted that the previous three weeks had been “challenging” for them both. In the post, Gill said John Barrowman had been “hounded in the press and viciously attacked by trolls” after he was accused of exposing himself on the set of Doctor Who. Gill continued: “But mostly it’s been amazing how many wonderful...

Laverne Cox speaks onstage during the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, 2021. (Getty for ESSENCE/ Randy Shropshire) Laverne Cox has revealed she was in debt and close to quitting acting for good before landing her historic Orange Is the New Black role. Speaking on a panel for the Paley Center for Media on LGBT+  achievements in television, Cox described her life before she was cast as trans inmate Sophia Bursest in Orange Is the New Black. She said: “I was in rent arrears on my apartment, I had rolled back rent...

Lady Gaga's Chromatica cover. (Lady Gaga) Lady Gaga has rained on all of our Pride parades by casually announcing that she’s postponing The Chromatica Ball again… until 2022. The news was sent to devastated fans in an email from Ticketmaster to ticket holders, which contained a “special message from Lady Gaga” that read, “While some parts of the world are moving quickly to open up, others are not yet ready. So until we can confirm all global dates, we have to postpone The Chromatica Ball shows to the summer of...

Lawrence Robb as Mackenzie Boyd in Emmerdale. (ITV) Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb has admitted the writers haven’t decided what his character’s sexuality is just yet as fans accuse the soap of queerbaiting. Robb plays Mackenzie Boyd on the long-running ITV soap opera. Recently, Mackenzie has been flirting with Aaron, leading fans to wonder if they’re going to hit it off. However, Robb put fan speculation to bed in an interview with Inside Soap, revealing that a firm decision has not yet been made on his character’s future. “It’s interesting, as Sam...

Taylor Swift. (Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic) Taylor Swift has paid tribute to the “courageous activists, advocates and allies” who have fought tirelessly for LGBT+ rights in a touching Pride Month message. The “Willow” singer shared her empowering message on Tuesday (1 June), the first day of Pride Month. Writing on Twitter, Taylor Swift said: “I want to take a moment to thank the courageous activists, advocates and allies for their dedication to fighting against discrimination and hatred. “And as always, today I’m sending my respect and love to those bravely living out...

Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the anti-trans sports bill into law. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty) Florida has officially banned trans girls from playing competitive sports on the correct team in a devastating blow to the state’s LGBT+ community. Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed SB1028 – dubbed “The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” – into law on Tuesday (1 June), the first day of Pride Month. “I can tell you this, in Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports and boys are going to play boys’ sports,” DeSantis said...

Billy Porter opened up about his HIV diagnosis. (YouTube) Billy Porter has declared he’s a “free man” after he told the world he’s been living with HIV for 14 years. The Pose star was first diagnosed with HIV in June 2007 but he chose to keep his status a secret from the public and from his mother due to pervasive stigma. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday (28 May), Billy Porter opened up about the incredible moment he “released that shame” and told the world that he is...

Owen Bondono spoke out against a trans athlete ban making its way through the Michigan Senate. (Twitter) Trailblazing transgender teacher Owen Bondono has expertly explained why degrading trans sports bans are harmful. A bill is currently making its way through the Michigan legislature that would require high school athletes to play on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth. Similar bills are making their way through state legislatures across the US despite staunch opposition from the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Bondono, who...

Jeffrey Sanker poses at Jeffrey Sanker's White Party on 25 April 2015 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage) Jeffrey Sanker, the founder of White Party Entertainment Inc, died on Friday (28 May) after a long battle with liver cancer. The Los Angeles Blade reported Sanker, 65, passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. The news outlet reported that members of Sanker’s family were in attendance. Sanker organised some of the largest gay circuit parties in the US as part of his work with White Party Entertainment....