starobserver.com.au - 1 323 Showbiz News and Updates

A Sydney man appears to have stumbled upon one of the gay beats in the city and to put it mildly, he instantly turned into a ‘beat Karen’.Recently, a local Sydney community page was the site of furious moral outrage, panic, and rage by a man who claimed he had witnessed…  horror of horrors – “depraved vile acts” between men in a toilet in south east Sydney. The online post sparked some hilarious responses, even as many incredulously appeared shocked about the existence of a gay beat in Sydney. Kensington Park Sportsfields, popularly called the Kensington Oval, is known for its “first class cricket pitch, a site for rugby union matches, and a grandstand that provides optimum spectator facilities including public toilets, player’s facilities and a kiosk on match days.”Kensington Oval Google Street Image“TRIGGER WARNING,” the man announced as he posted a message to the private community page called “Botany, Mascot and Surrounds”. “Hi locals, I just wanted to warn people to be wary of Kensington Oval, especially the toilet blocks. This afternoon we took our dog for a walk in the oval and I had to use the bathroom,” said the man, setting an elaborate context for the reader, about the reason he decided to visit the toilets at Kensington Oval. “Upon entering the toilet I witnessed 2x men committing obscene vile depraved vile acts (toilet door open) and possibly more men in the next cubicle,” the man claimed.

Registration for the 11th Gay Games is now open for those who wish to join the rainbow Olympics. The games will take place next year from 3rd November to 11th November.The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) were thrilled to announce that the games will be co-hosted by Hong Kong and Guadalajara, along with being the first Gay Games in both Asia and Latin America.FGG has urged those who wish to participate to sign up quickly as due to the current world circumstances, they are “working to a much tighter timeframe.”“Ensuring that everyone whoever they are, whatever their background, sexual orientation or gender identity, have the right to take part in their chosen identity being the most inclusive games, with personal best, participation and above all inclusion, at its heart,” the statement read.  A post shared by Federation of Gay Games (@gaygames)Gay Games Guadalajara’s Monica Sanchez said that after recent world issues, it was time “to meet again, to hug each other and with pride celebrate our freedom.”“The appointment is in Guadalajara, at the XI Gay Games 2023.

Down Under Has A New Drag SuperStar. Kiwi Queen Spankie Jackzon, who spent her formative years and honed her Drag skills in some of Melbourne’s best bars, was crowned the winner of season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under in September 2022. “I think it’s kind of starting to sink in,” Spankie tells Star Observer in a zoom interview from her home in New Zealand, “It’s insane.

A fortnight after he scuffled with a security guard and was thrown out of The Clock Hotel in Surfer’s Paradise for being intoxicated, Byron Baes star  Jade Kevin Foster, who bills himself as ‘Australia’s biggest male influencer’ pleaded guilty to the charge of public nuisance. At a court hearing at the Southport Magistrates Court, Jade was spared a conviction, reported the Gold Coast Bulletin. Magistrate Michelle Dooley imposed a fine of $1400.

Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue will be performing at the opening concert of Sydney WorldPride 2023.She will be headlining the Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert on February 24, 2023, hosted by Australian Idol Casey Donovan and drag performer Courtney Act.In a message announcing the performance, Minogue wrote, “For the first time ever, WorldPride is coming to the Southern Hemisphere. YES! I’m so excited to announce that I will be performing at the opening concert in Sydney on 24 February, 2023 at The Domain.

Down Under Has A New Drag SuperStar. Kiwi Queen Spankie Jackzon, who spent her formative years and honed her Drag skills in some of Melbourne’s best bars, was crowned the winner of season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under in September 2022. “I think it’s kind of starting to sink in,” Spankie tells Star Observer in a zoom interview from her home in New Zealand, “It’s insane.

Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue will be performing at the opening concert of Sydney WorldPride 2023.She will be headlining the Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert on February 24, 2023, hosted by Australian Idol Casey Donovan and drag performer Courtney Act.In a message announcing the performance, Minogue wrote, “For the first time ever, WorldPride is coming to the Southern Hemisphere. YES! I’m so excited to announce that I will be performing at the opening concert in Sydney on 24 February, 2023 at The Domain.

Victoria’s latest ‘Big’ landmark is coming to Daylesford. The Big Rainbow in Daylesford will be Australia’s first ‘Big’ landmark dedicated to the LGBTQI community. Australian towns are home to a number of iconic ‘Big Things’, including the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, Big Merino in Goulburn, Big Pineapple in Woombye, Big Potato in Robertson and the Big Ned Kelly at the Glenrowan Tourist Centre.The Big Rainbow Project was unveiled by Tinder in March 2022, and the company said they will donate $100,000 to support regional LGBTQI organisations across Australia.Over 16,000 votes were cast from across Australia to decide the location of the Big Rainbow.

The Hallmark Channel has just announced the next 40 Christmas movies they will be releasing this holiday season. One of these movies, The Holiday Sitter, will make Hallmark history by being the first holiday rom com to centre around a gay couple. The Hallmark channel is known for their cheesy Christmas movies they release every year during their annual Countdown to Christmas event where they release 31 movies in the leadup to Christmas.

An elected official in the Philippines has been charged with the murder of 38-year-old trans school teacher, Estee Saway.The four other suspects were captured on security video and quickly arrested.  Trigger Warning: This story discusses transphobic violence, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.According to Abra TV News, Wilson was identified as the mastermind behind the murder by one of the suspects arrested. Saway, a high school teacher from Suyo National High School, was shot multiple times on September 28, outside a local carwash.

Essendon is facing backlash from some fans over the appointment of Andrew Thorburn, the chairman of a conservative Christian church that preaches homosexuality is wrong and that abortion is “legal murder”, as the club’s new CEO. Trigger Warning: This story discusses homophobic comments, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Essendon President Dave Barham announced the appointment and described Thorburn as “a man of great integrity and exceptional vision.”On its website, the City on a Hill church claims that “practicing homosexuality is a sin, but same-sex attraction is not a sin”. In a 2013 article, the church says “God has designed sex to be enjoyed within marriage between one man and one woman” and adds “a Christian who is same–sex attracted should not identify with being gay”. The Church is much more strident in its views against abortion rights, equating it to Nazi “concentration camps”.A 2013 sermon about abortion says: “Whereas today we look back at sadness and disgust over concentration camps, future generations will look back with sadness at the legal murder of hundreds of thousands human beings every day through medicine and in the name of freedom.” A 2022 sermon reaffirms the church’s opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape. I've made the difficult decision to resign my Essendon FC membership, and those of my children, due to the Essendon board's decision to appoint the chair of a homophobic and anti-health care church to the position of CEO.

Lawrence Morningstar, an OnlyFans model and gay adult film star has passed away at the age of 31. Morningstar, a resident of Hollywood, passed away on September 28, while in Wailea Maui Hawaii.In a post to , Morningstar’s friend and college Damien Cruz wrote, “It gives me the utmost sadness to have to tell you all, my soulmate, my brother, and my best friend @xxx_morningstar has passed away this morning.It gives me the utmost sadness to have to tell you all, my soulmate, my brother, and my best friend @xxx_morningstar has passed away this morning

Bros, touted as the first mainstream Hollywood studio-backed gay rom-com, has opened to a less than enthusiastic response at the US Box office.Variety reported that Bros debuted at number four and had grossed $4.8 million in its opening weekend – half the collections projected by the studio. Universal had expected a $8 to $10 million opening for the Judd Apatow-produced film directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane.Before the movie was released, homophobes had review bombed the movie with low ratings.

Nikki Blonsky has announced on social media of her engagement to her partner Hailey Jo Jenson. Blonsky was thrilled to share the news, saying that the “greatest blessing in life is real love.”Best known for her role as Tracy Turnbald in the popular 2007 film adaptation of the hit musical, Hairspray, Blonsky announced her engagement on Instagram.

Gay pro- wrestler Anthony Bowens sent a strong, heartfelt message through tears after winning his first major All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) championship.Bowens made history, along with his teammate and the other half of the tag team The Acclaimed, Max Caster as the pair snatched the AEW tag-team championship. The pair defeated the duo Swerve in Our Glory – Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee in the dynamite match at the AEW Grand Slam.With this win, Bowens has become the first openly gay competitor to win gold in the AEW and spoke about the importance of the win and what it means to him.“Some of you know, some of you may not know, but I never thought I’d be able to have a moment like this.”“I never thought I would be able to live my dreams because there was a time where I was very confused, and I didn’t know how to accept myself, but I fought through that bullsh*t.

A 21-year-old fan of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer from Lafayette, Louisiana has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a gay man with the intention of murdering and dismembering him, as part of a scheme to abduct and murder Grindr users. Trigger Warning: This story discusses a hate crime, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.On June 20, 2020, Chance Seneca used Grindr to lure 19-year-old Holden White.

A NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced three young men to prison for the aggravated kidnapping of 56-year-old Canberra-based real estate agent Peter Keeley, whose body was found in the bushlands on the NSW South Coast in February 2020. Trigger Warning: This story discusses violent death of a gay man, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Keeley, an auctioneer and past president of West Belconnen Junior Rugby League Football Club, was lured by one of the boys via the gay dating app Grindr.

Northern Beaches and Randwick Councils are installing rainbows to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Mardi Gras, this year.Randwick Council voted unanimously to update the 47-metre Coogee Rainbow, at the steps of Coogee’s lower promenade, to include five additional Progress Pride Flag colours, creating a more inclusive rainbow.Coogee Rainbow. Image: SuppliedDesigned in 2018 by graphic designer Daniel Quasar, the Progress Pride Flag incorporates a brown and black stripe to represent people of colour and the white, pink and blue stripe of the trans flag, to create a more inclusive representation of the LGBTQI+ community. Randwick Council Mayor Dylan Parker proclaimed that, “Randwick Council is proud to partner with Sydney World Pride as part of the 45 Rainbows initiative.

The Australian Bureau Of Statistics has said that it will evaluate how information on sex was collected for the 2021 Census and make recommendations to the government before the 2026 Census. This follows an admission that its analysis of data revealed that the addition of the non-binary option for the sex question in the 2021 Census had failed to yield any meaningful data. National LGBTQI advocacy group Equality Australia said that the analysis released by the ABS “proves that changes are needed in order for LGBTIQ+ people to be properly counted in the Census.”The ABS has guidelines about how to ask questions for collecting information about sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation. The Standard recommends four separate questions – sex recorded at birth, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation. Despite calls from LGBTQI advocacy groups to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, the then Scott Morrison government determined that these questions would not be included in the 2021 Census. Scott Morrison“The topics in the Census are determined by Government and the Parliament.

Victoria has not seen a new Monkeypox infection in the past few weeks. While it is too early to celebrate, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton thanked gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men for the turnaround. Sutton’s comments came even as Australia’s health minister Mark Butler said that the growth of monkeypox infection in the country appear to be stabilising. “It does appear that new infection numbers are stabilising significantly in the area of monkeypox.

In Louisiana, a school district is being accused of indoctrination after students were brought to an anti-trans church service under the guise of college and career preparation.On September 20, over 2,100 students from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System were told they were going to a “College and Career Fair.”The permission slip included the address, however, it failed to mention the address belonged to Living Faith Christian Center.According to Alexis Budyach, a student at Baton Rouge Magnet High, “majority of students chose to attend this field trip on the promise of free food and the opportunity to skip class, however the majority of students were not only disappointed by this event, but traumatized as well. I attended this college fair as someone who plans on applying to colleges soon, so I was disappointed once I saw what the event actually was.”Woodlawn High teacher Brittney Byrant, who attended as a chaperone with her transgender child, posted about the event.“Boys were instructed to go outside while the girls were left in the church for ‘girl talk’.