thegavoice.com - 880 Showbiz News and Updates

It took more than three weeks and many attempts, but the Republican Party finally elected a new Speaker of the House, Louisiana representative Mike Johnson. The three-term former attorney for far-right causes has the least political and executive experience of any Speaker in a century. But he checked all the far-right boxes for the increasingly more extremist GOP while also being a “nice” guy, so elected he was.

Breast cancer accounts for 12.5% of all new annual cancer cases worldwide, making it the most common cancer in the world.

Earlier this month marked the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard. On October 6, 1998, Shepard was beaten, tortured and left to die, bound to a fence in a remote Wyoming field, not far from the small town of Laramie. He was found and taken to a hospital where he died from his wounds six days later.

The former Florida state lawmaker who authored the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law will go to prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 funds.

In the last couple of years, studies have shown that the state of mental health for LGBTQ youth is tumultuous. The Human Rights Campaign earlier in 2023 declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ Americans, and the rights and mere existence of queer and trans youth have been the basis of many legislative and educational discussions of late.

Out On Film, presented by GILEAD, has announced the filmmaker awards for the recently concluded 36th edition of the Atlanta-based LGBTQIA+ film festival. Olivier Peyon’s LIE WITH ME, based on the 2017 novel by Philippe Besson novel,  was a two-time winner, taking the audience award for Best Narrative Feature and tying for the jury award for Best Narrative Feature alongside Zeno Graton’s THE LOST BOYS.  Graton tied for the jury prize for Best Director along Babatunde Apolowo, whose ALL THE COLOURS OF THE WORLD ARE BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE took home the award for Best International Film.

Blessing same-sex unions within the Catholic Church may be a possibility, says Pope Francis. In yet another missive addressing LGBTQ+ inclusion, Pope Francis told cardinals who have questioned the pope’s affirmation of the LGBTQ+ community in the Catholic Church that he thinks this can happen. Pope Francis has made reaching out to LGBTQ+ people a hallmark of his papacy.

House Republicans on Wednesday pushed through a proposal by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from using federally appropriated funds for materials supporting the agency’s LGBTQ employees.

We live in an era where news is frequently driven by agendas and opinions, often overshadowing the importance of facts. In this climate, media organizations wield considerable influence in shaping public perceptions and attitudes. In an age marked by a global movement towards inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance, these organizations have the potential to either propel society forward or, regrettably, turn back the clock on this progress, leaving marginalized groups to live their lives in literal danger.

This article is paid, branded content. 

It’s National Suicide Prevention Week — an annual week-long campaign to inform and engage health professionals and the general public about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide. One of the biggest risks of suicide is being LGBTQ. If someone is also a member of another marginalized group — a person of color, disabled — it can put them at even greater risk.

During the 1960s most LGBTQ nightlife in San Francisco was centered in the northern neighborhoods of the city. Gay bars could be found along Polk Street, in the Tenderloin, and the South of Market neighborhood.

The Atlanta Pride Committee (APC) has announced the entertainment lineup for this year’s Pride festival on October 14 and 15.

Half the staff at Atlanta Magazine have resigned after publisher Sean McGinnis complained about using correct pronouns in coverage, according to the Washington Post.

Canada

Fabian Nelson, a Black and openly gay Democratic candidate, looks to become the first out LGBTQ lawmaker ever to serve in the Mississippi legislature.

Thousands of activists and spectators attended the 60th Anniversary March on Washington on Saturday, Aug. 26. Advocates and leaders from labor unions, faith communities, political groups, and community organizations traveled to the Lincoln Memorial at the historic site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech to call for a continuation in the fight for racial justice and equality.

The Atlanta Pride Committee has announced this year’s Grand Marshals for the Atlanta Pride Festival and Parade on October 14 to 15, 2023, in Piedmont Park. A beloved part of every Atlanta Pride, the Grand Marshals were selected from more than 50 nominations submitted by the community. With the theme of this year’s Atlanta Pride Festival, Show Up & Show Out, APC invites the entire community to show up for each other and to show out with acts of joy and justice for LGBTQ people in Atlanta and across the South.

Among the non-economic issues discussed by the eight candidates who appeared on stage Wednesday night for the first Republican Party 2024 presidential primary debate, abortion loomed larger than other topics including LGBTQ rights.

“I really love your writing!” someone yelled at me as I walked back to my car after a Queer Nation protest in the early ’90s.

San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s deputies responding to a shooting call in the unincorporated Lake Arrowhead area on Friday at around 5 p.m. discovered the owner of a clothing boutique suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the store.

As the leading advocate for older adults in Georgia, AARP is committed to promoting inclusivity and acceptance across all communities. In this spirit, we wholeheartedly support Atlanta Black Gay Pride weekend and emphasize the importance of accepting and supporting the LGBTQ community at every age.

Queer Bait 

Three years ago, out writer/director Emma Seligman released her critically adored comedy, “Shiva Baby.” It had to screen largely virtually because most theaters were closed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it nonetheless caused a stir.

YouTube has a strange ability to showcase fare that rebuilds queer reality in previously unknown ways. Hence, we can delve into the life of Glenn Burke, an extraordinary man who came up Black and working class in Oakland, California, developing enviable shoulders, thighs, personality, and athletic prowess that bowled over Major League Baseball (MLB) prospectors, not to mention everyone around him.

With his new project, “Passages,” out director Ira Sachs wanted to make a film of pleasure and intimacy.

The North Carolina General Assembly overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes of three anti-transgender bills in a late session Wednesday.

The devastation of the wildfires that impacted the island of Maui is most evident in the city of Lahaina. The death toll has pushed past 90 people and is expected to rise in the coming weeks as recovery efforts continue.

The American Red Cross announced a historic change in the organization’s policies regarding blood donations by gay and bisexual men. Under this new donor screening process, all donors answer the same eligibility questions regardless of gender or sexual orientation and will be assessed for blood donation based on individual risk factors, not on sexual orientation.

On July 25, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a town hall on Fox News with Sean Hannity. If it seems odd that a Democratic candidate for president was speaking to the Trump-invested Fox News audience, it was. Hannity asked Kennedy, “You’re talking to the American people tonight. Why should they vote for you?”