LGBTQ

LGBT+ people of Singapore form the words 'Repeal 377A' at the Pink Dot Rally on June 29, 2019. (Ore Huiying/Getty) Three Singaporean campaigners launched an appeal Monday (25 January) against the decision to uphold a law banning sex between men. Singapore’s gay sex ban dates to 1938, when the city-state was under British colonial rule. It is one of dozens of countries to have retained colonial-era anti-gay laws after independence. But activists say the legislation jars with Singapore’s increasingly modern and vibrant culture. M Ravi, a lawyer representing one of...

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. (Warner Bros) “Early-stage exploratory meetings” are reportedly underway for a Harry Potter live-action TV series, and to say LGBT+ fans have had it is an understatement. Unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter that HBO Max executives “have engaged in multiple conversations with potential writers exploring various ideas that would bring the beloved property to television”. The sources reportedly said that “ideas have been discussed as part of the early-stage exploratory meetings”. Despite HBO Max and Warner Bros’ insisted that “no Harry Potter series in...

Keir Starmer was famously branded a 'wet wipe' last year, partly for failing to address transphobia in the Labour party. (Getty/Robert Perry) A new group dedicated to promoting trans equality within the Labour Party has launched, saying there is “much work to be done”. Labour was heavily criticised for failing to address transphobia within the party in 2020, a year that saw Labour politicians quit rather than support trans equality, lose staff due to their “overtly transphobic” views, and align themselves with transphobic hate groups. And as a result, trans...

Yetide Badaki plays the goddess Bilquis in American Gods (Paul Butterfield/FilmMagic/Getty) American Gods actor Yetide Badaki has revealed how her role on the show helped her feel comfortable enough to come out as bisexual. The Nigerian-born American stars in the Neil Gaiman fantasy series as Bilquis, the legendary Queen of Sheba and ancient goddess of love. Interviewed by Digital Spy ahead of the third series, Badaki spoke of how the “empowering” role helped her find the freedom to be open about her own sexuality. “I feel like this show is always...

Alice Hoagland fought to keep the legacy of her son, Mark Bingham, alive. (Jemal Countess/Getty) Alice Hoagland, the mother of gay 9/11 hero Mark Bingham and inclusive rugby champion, has died aged 71 after a long battle with Addison’s disease. Hoagland died on 22 December at her home in Los Gatos, California, AP News reported. She was remembered by International Gay Rugby as “its biggest supporter and the surrogate mother for many rugby players who found a way forward through their involvement with rugby through their involvement with rugby and the...

A lesbian mother published a poignant open letter in Between the Lines this week urging president Joe Biden to support LGBT+ families during his administration. Writing to Biden ahead of his historic inauguration Wednesday (20 January), Dana Rudolph, founder and publisher of Mombian, painted a troubling picture of an America where four years of Trump have gutted protections won under the previous Obama administration, of which Biden was a part. She began by explaining her young son’s fears for their family. “My son was just a few months too young to...

A lesbian who fled Zimbabwe after facing threats from her family has had her asylum application denied. (Envato Elements) A lesbian who was forced to flee Zimbabwe after facing death threats from her own family has been denied refugee status in Ireland. In April 2019, an International Protection Officer (IPO) recommended that the woman – who has not been named – be denied asylum, arguing that her claim lacked credibility. The woman said she forced into two separate marriages as a child in Zimbabwe at the ages of nine and...

Russell T Davies thinks Olly Alexander would make a "marvellous" Time Lord (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has backed It’s A Sin star Olly Alexander to be the next Time Lord in the TARDIS. With Jodie Whittaker rumoured to be stepping away from the show in the coming months, the door is open for the first openly queer actor to play the next Doctor. Davies insisted he “knew nothing” about when or if Whittaker will be leaving the show, but in the event that...

Drag Race UK's Cherry Valentine. (BBC) Drag Race UK star Cherry Valentine spoke to PinkNews about her untimely elimination from the competition. Drag Race UK continued this week with episode two, packed with more emotional werk room chats, backstage frissons and anthropomorphised drag rats than you can shake a pair of tucking panties at. The queens took part in the first ever UK Rusical which pushed a couple of the queens out of their comfort zones – including Cherry Valentine, who was sadly given the boot after an unforgettable lip-sync...

Franklin Graham speaks at the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2020 (Drew Angerer/Getty) Thousands of Christians have signed a petition calling for the resignation of anti-LGBT+ hate preacher Franklin Graham over his unshaken “idolatry” of Donald Trump. Launched by the Christian group Faithful America and backed by over 22,000 people, the petition condemns Graham for endorsing Trump’s election fraud lies and continuing to support him in the wake of the deadly Capitol riots. It urges Graham to step down as head of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic...

JoJo Siwa performs at Honda Center on 13 August, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Getty/ Michael Tullberg) JoJo Siwa visited the LGBT+ TikTok collective Pride House LA, and her collaboration with queer TikTokers is lighting up the internet. Siwa joined LGBT+ TikTokers Mollee Gray, Jeka Jane, Garrett Clayton and Kent Boyd at the queer TikTok house, and performed a dance to Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun”. The five of them danced together in front of a giant rainbow striped present, in a video that has already been viewed almost five million times. Fans...

The White House lit with the Pride flag. (Getty Images/Molly Riley) For the first time in history, the White House website is asking visitors for their pronouns and offering gender-neutral options to choose from. President Joe Biden wasted absolutely no time in making his pro-trans stance clear, with the website updated mere hours after his inauguration. The simple yet monumentally meaningful detail was noticed by the LGBT+ advocacy group GLAAD, which happily shared an image of the White House contact page on Twitter. The @WhiteHouse website contact form now asks...

The much-anticipated inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris will place on 20 January 2021 in Washington DC. Biden is set to give a speech (otherwise known as an inaugural address) at the event, which will be much smaller than previous inaugurations due to the ongoing pandemic. In a fairly historic snub, outgoing president Donald Trump won’t be attending the inauguration, he’s already left the city. However, it’s unlikely he’ll be missed as Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and an inspirational trans LA choir are among the stellar...

Public toilets have become a focal point for gender-critical feminism (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty) A butch lesbian has reflected on the many times she’s been confronted and harassed in public toilets as anti-trans hostility spills over in the UK. Eloise Stonborough, 32, is a cis woman who presents as butch – and she estimates she is challenged roughly every one in three times she uses a women’s public toilet. Worryingly, these incidents have been increasing steadily over the past two years as the issue of transgender people in toilets becomes a touchpoint...