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

US Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, has said that the Supreme Court was wrong to legalise same-sex marriage. During the podcast, Cruz said, “Obergefell, like Roe v Wade, ignored two centuries of our nation’s history.“Marriage was always an issue that was left to the states. We saw states before Obergefell —some states were moving to allow gay marriage, other states were moving to allow civil partnerships.

In an interview with Variety magazine on Thursday, actor Noah Schnapp confirmed that his Stranger Things character Will Byers is gay.In a past interview, Schnapp described public opinion as wanting to label his character’s sexuality and that there wasn’t a need to rush to such conclusions. “I find that people do reach to put a label on him and just want to know, so badly, like, ‘Oh, and this is it.’ He’s just confused and growing up and that’s what it is to be a kid,” Schnapp explained. Following the release of season 4 volume 2, Schnapp confirmed Will’s sexuality, explaining that he wanted to prevent any spoilers from coming out until things became clearer in the newer episodes. Schnapp told Variety, “Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing.

Blake Appelqvist, one of the stars of the musical Bonnie & Clyde, currently playing at the revered Hayes Theatre, had a flying chat with Star Observer. We quickly got down to business when Appelqvist replied to a question asked about any possible differences in how they, as a non-binary actor, approach the role of a storied, married, heterosexual man from America’s past compared to other roles they’ve tackled, such as Oaken in Frozen or an Angel in Kinky Boots.“So it is a little bit of a freedom to be non-binary and playing a role that is not necessarily specified as whether or not he’s non-binary or if he’s binary presenting but I think it’s good and I feel like there should be more non-binary and gender non-conforming people playing cis-presenting roles.

“What the heck is a rimjob?” asks Shiela Broflofski in the outrageous 1999 South Park Movie. Cartman’s mum, with her lilting cadence, answers sweetly, “Why, that’s where you put your legs behind your head and have someone lick your ass!” and there’s really not a more succinct answer to be found!And once you let go of the perfectly natural concerns about cleanliness and what-ifs and really relax into the experience – it’s like the best massage you’ll ever get, except getting licked in such a confidential spot is enough to make even your eyeballs relax.And once you’ve been on the receiving end of such a generous act, you start to wonder what it’s like to sit down at that particular pic-a-nic basket.

Comedian Josh Thomas’s cavoodle and Please Like Me co-star, John passed away on Monday, July 11, at the age of 16.   A post shared by Josh Thomas (@joshthomas87)In a second post, Thomas wrote, “ I’m sad today but it’s a nice sadness – I just loved this dog so much. He’s so handsome – don’t you think he aged like George Clooney? Bilby has been pretty glum but we’re working through it with freeze dried liver.”Bilby, a groodle, was adopted by Thomas during the COVID 19 quarantine, in April 2020.   A post shared by Josh Thomas (@joshthomas87)Thomas’s followers posted their condolences.Adam Faison, Thomas’s co-star on Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, wrote, “goodbye john bubba we love you so much ❤️.”Australian singer/actor Brendan Maclean wrote, “Ah, so sorry Josh.

Award-winning out gay Australian country music singer Michael Waugh has revealed that he hid his sexuality for years after being subjected to homophobia as a young person. Waugh, won the Golden Guitar award presented by the Country Music Association of Australia in April, for his latest album The Cast, which was released last year. Waugh told the Daily Telegraph that he was bullied and bashed in school for the way he looked and walked. “For me, it was the way that I walked and the way that I talked and that I could not hide who I was,” Waugh said, adding, “I hated my body for betraying me because it literally put me in positions of danger; there were places in the school that I couldn’t go to without fear of being beaten up.

Neil Patrick Harris will star in the Netflix series Uncoupled, an upcoming eight-episode series from co-creators Darren Star (Sex and the City, Emily in Paris) and Jeffrey Richman (Modern Family). In the show, Harris plays Michael Lawson, a successful New York City real estate agent who needs to learn how to navigate the single life after his partner of 17 years (played by Tuc Watkins) decides to move out and abruptly dumps him. The series will also star Brooks Ashmanskas, Tisha Campbell, Emerson Brooks and Marcia Gay Harden. The synopsis reads: “Michael Lawson (Neil Patrick Harris) seems to have it all figured out.

From growing up with his ‘foot in two camps’ – queer and Indigenous, to being the voice of the LGBTQI community in Victoria, Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities Todd Fernando tells Star Observer it’s been an exciting journey. Todd Fernando, Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities, is the first out queer, Indigenous person to be appointed a commissioner in Australia. For this descendant of Kalarie people from the Wiradjuri nation, growing up with his “foot in two camps” was not an easy task. “Being a young Wiradjuri person, we were fighting for the recognition of our culture. I had to put my queerness on the back burner and, and really not allow it to overshadow what we were trying to do within the Wiradjuri space,” Fernando told Star Observer. You can read more here: https://t.co/q70htML9Kv— Victorian LGBTIQ+ Commissioner (@VicLGBTIQ) June 14, 2022It was not until his early 20s that Fernando found a way to reconcile his two identities.

Actor Dan Benson now has an OnlyFans.Benson, 34,  is best known for his roles as Zeke on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place and voicing Ethan on Rick and Morty.As his bio says, “Now I’m all grown up.”On his OnlyFans Benson writes, “If you wanted to see me naked – your wish has been granted.”Benson thanks Gay for gaining him the newfound attention and promises to use it for good. In a tweet he wrote, “I’ll be using this newfound resurgence to fight for and support the LGBTQ+ communities that deserve so much better from this country. Drop a link to your favorite organizations below.”I’ll be using this new found resurgence to fight for and support the LGBTQ communities that deserve so much better from this country.

NSW Health has confirmed 11 cases of monkeypox in the state and urged the community, especially men who have sex with men, to look out for symptoms. Of the 11 cases, nine persons are likely to have acquired the infection overseas and while two were infected in Australia. NSW Health said that this could point to local transmission. US Gay Man Shares His Monkeypox Diagnosis In Viral TikTok Video“People need to be aware of the symptoms of monkeypox, which can include fever, headache, body aches and a rash or lesions on the genital area,” Dr McAnulty said in a statement.‘So far, in the cases we have seen in NSW, monkeypox is not presenting the way some people expect, such as an extensive rash or lesions all over the body.

Former AFL coach Dani Laidley has revealed that she battled years of “fear, shame and embarassment”, but now was “absolutely at peace” after coming out and being a role model for the transgender community. Laidely opened up about her struggles with gender dysphoria for most of her life during her chat on radio in the Triple M commentary box last month. “You live in fear and shame and embarrassment for years and then to come out like it did, it’s been really tough on my family, but now, to a person, it’s been great. They accept me for who I am, the person I am now, and hopefully there’s a lot of life to live,” said Laidley. The former North Melbourne player and coach explained her diagnosis to listeners.

Conversion practices survivors and Amnetsy International have called on the governments of Western Australia and South Australia to ban harmful and unscientific conversion practices. They have pointed to Victoria’s “ground-breaking legislation” as an example of how states can “address conversion ideology and practices in a fair and equitable way.” “10% of LGBTQA+ Australians are at risk of conversion practices. For decades, conversion practices have been responsible for causing irreparable harm to LGBTQA+ people,” said Amnesty International on its campaign page. Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan had last year promised the LGBTQI community that if reelected his government would enact a law to ban conversion practices. Amnesty International Australia, SOGICE Survivors and Ending Conversion Practices WA said they have requested a meeting with the WA Premier, Health Minister, and Attorney General, to discuss the issue. The WA government proposed to ban so-called conversion therapy by introducing legislation for a national code of conduct for unregulated health workers last year.

A judge in Puerto Rico has issued superstar Ricky Martin with a restraining order.Valencia said that under the order, Martin is prohibited from contacting the person that filed it. A judge will then decide whether the order should be lifted.According to Puerto Rico newspaper El Vocero, the order states that Martin and the filer dated for seven months and broke up two months ago. Yet Martin has not accepted the breakup and has been seen near the filer’s house on multiple occasions. In a tweet on July 4, Martin denied the allegations.He wrote, “The protection order entered against me is based on completely false allegations, so I will respond through the judicial process with the facts and the dignity that characterize me.“Because it is an ongoing legal matter, I cannot make detailed statements at this time.

Since PrEP, the miracle pre-exposure prophylaxis, became readily available in Australia, initially as part of a medical trail in NSW called EPIC-NSW and then on the PBS, gays everywhere have rejoiced at the reacquaintance of being able to feel the kind of intimate skin-on-skin closeness that humans are supposed to be able to enjoy, you know, without that thin membrane of rubber, a barrier that has been cursed for the intimacy it robs!These historically low rates persisted after PrEP moved to the PBS in 2018 and with an estimated 50,000 people initiating PrEP, it’s made a real dent in Australia’s HIV diagnoses up to 2022, with a 37% reduction in new HIV notifications since 2016, though the impact of COVID-19 and the fact that people were getting less HIV testing has also contributed to that decline.But besides all of the technical details, the coming of PrEP just takes some anxiety out of being a sexually active gay man and the awkward mumbling and fumbling condoms induced. The amount of times I’ve screamed out “thank you PrEP!” mid-gravy stroke, far outnumber the times I’ve screamed out a man’s name so that’s a pretty good indication of just how great PrEP is!For informational purposes only.

The Voice Australia winner Alfie Arcuri has revealed he was left with shattered spinal discs and has had a months-long injury battle that saw him undergo multiple surgeries. The Australian singer won the fifth season of The Voice in 2016 and travelled to Europe to perform in Sochi’s ‘New Wave’ festival in Russia last year. Upon realising he was unable to return back to Sydney during the height of the pandemic, with the second wave of Covid coming down back home, he moved into a loft in Italy. Arcuri fell down a flight of stairs and shattered his spinal discs while he was in Italy and spent three months with severe sciatica before being able to return to Australia to undergo surgery. “I fell for two metres and landed on my feet.

In Qatar, homosexuality is illegal and carries punishments of up to three years in prison and a fine and the possibility of the death penalty for Muslims under sharia law (though there are no known instances of the death penalty being enforced in the past).Cavallo states that this issue “does concern me.” He muses on the possibility of representing Australia at the World Cup and though it would be an honour, “at the same time, the laws clash,” and could put him at risk.“I want to do something really good in my career. I’ve always dreamed of playing for my country at the World Cup, but do I want my life to be in danger?”After his announcement in October, the midfielder received 700,000 messages within the first 30 minutes, including some from football icons.“When I was younger, I woke up to watch them play early in the morning, so it’s nice to see these straight athletes reaching out and saying, ‘Hey Josh, it’s OK’,” Cavallo said.Cavallo has spoken about Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance and its penalties in the past.

Beloved by the queer community,  Kim Cattrall has joined the inclusive cast of Peacock’s Queer as Folk reboot, playing a “martini-soaked, high-society Southern debutante “who has roots in a poverty-stricken trailer park. The Sex and the City actress plays the adoptive mother of queer characters Brodie (Devin Way) and Julian (Ryan O’Connell) in Queer as Folk. The character was written specifically with Cattrall in mind. Canadian writer and director Stephen Dunn said that he wanted Cattrall to play Brenda before he knew what And Just Like That… (sequel to Sex and the City) was, praising her for her acting skills and immediate engagement in taking this role on. One of Cattrall’s on-screen sons, O’Connell added that viewers should get ready because the “last four episodes of the show are insane” where her storyline takes a “really fun turn.” Cattrall took part in her first non-binary love scene in the Queer as Folk reboot and used an intimacy coach to help during the filming of these scenes. Dunn applauded her ability to be open throughout the dialogue on LGBT+ issues and relationships, stating that she was “so dialled into the character’s learning curve around queerness”. “She’s been such an ally, she really understands the queer community in this way, and she understood how her character strangely fit into this queer family.

The Tasmanian Catholic Church’s attempts to pit medical and health care professionals against a report about harmful conversion practices has been dubbed a “misinformation campaign”. The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) has called out the “incorrect” statements made about its report in the Catholic Standard, the official print publication of the Catholic Church in Tasmania. Earlier this month, a TLRI report had recommended law reforms to deal with unscientific and harmful conversion practices to change a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity.

Australian RuPaul’s Drag Race star, TV personality, and singer Courtney Act has filmed a new TV pilot for Network 10 called Courtney’s Closet.The show is a fusion of interview and drag makeover show. The first episode features actor Luke McGregor (Rosehaven).“Courtney’s Closet is the place where well-known Australians arrive as themselves and depart as their ultimate drag fantasy.”Act went on to write, “I’ll draw out cracking yarns, good conversation & the true essence of each guest before revealing their new look. “This isn’t about laughing at a bloke trying to walk in heels, it’s about using the power of transformation to access a new side to some of our favourite people.”I’ll draw out cracking yarns, good conversation & the true essence of each guest before revealing their new look.

Fire Island star Joel Kim Booster has recently discovered some nude pics of himself had been leaked online, but the actor and writer behind the hit film isn’t bothered at all. In fact, he’s actually surprisingly happy because of where the pictures ultimately appeared.“Yeah, I can see some of you reaching for your phone right now.

Margaret Cho described feeling invisible as a bisexual woman because of the lack of representation and absence of leading figures in the media to whom she could relate as an Asian American and a  queer woman. Cho guest narrates the first episode of The Book of Queer, a five-part series that reflects on queer figures of the past, and their impact today and is a rousing celebration of queer joy. When asked what Pride Month meant to her, Cho asserted that it wasn’t about a singular parade or a short time taken out of the year to celebrate queerness. “I think that more than ever we have to celebrate ourselves and look to protecting our rights- whether that’s protecting trans kids, trans legislation or increasing our own visibility throughout the media,” she said. She declared it was vital for queer people to continue to be made visible and that through avenues like media and representation, LGBTQI -identifying individuals would be able to “maintain and advance our own rights and abilities to continue to exist and to thrive.” “My parents owned a gay bookstore in San Francisco, and I grew up in gay culture but the Korean society that we’re from doesn’t acknowledge queer culture. In fact, they still have gay pride parades in Korea but people are often not allowed to take photographs because they don’t want to have a witness to being there.

The Queer Eye cast touched down in New Orleans earlier this week and have started filming season 7 of the popular lifestyle and fashion makeover show. The “Fab Five” team consists of Antoni Porowski, Karamo, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France and Bobby Berk. Each member has a specialty in a particular field, including fashion, culture, lifestyle and interior design and are hoping to engage in conversations with men and women and offer advice to help them restore their lives. A sneak peek of what the show was shared on social media on Wednesday.“The Fab 5 just arrived in The Big Easy and are already dripping in Mardi Gras beads.

The jury in the trial of an out gay Queensland man, accused of raping his female friend, has been disbanded after it failed to arrive at a majority verdict. Trigger Warning: This story discusses a sexual assault, 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.Judge Catherine Muir of the Brisbane District Court discharged the jury and scheduled the matter for July 14, 2022, when the court will decide on a retrial in the case. The jury, comprised of seven men and five women, and deliberated for around 10 hours on whether 28-year-old Dominic Hansson was guilty of raping his female friend in her inner city Brisbane apartment on December 7, 2019 .

Victorian father of four, Shaun Williams, 53, kept his sexuality a secret for almost 25 years.  “I had to decide between coming out, losing my family and my amazing wife or ending it all to get away from the pain I knew I was going to cause everyone.” In an interview with Daily Mail, Williams said, “I suppressed it, I decided it would be something I would die with. I grew up in the 80s when there was a lot of gay-bashing, and the grim reaper with the AIDS ads made it, so I was too frightened to come out.”Eventually, not being himself started to affect his mental health. “I was struggling with depression and anxiety, I wasn’t being honest with myself,” he said.“My oldest daughter came out at 16, and two of my other children have come out as queer since.

Around 24 cases and six deaths have been reported in Florida, in what the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described as the “worst outbreaks of meningococcal disease among gay and bisexual men in U.S. history”. The CDC and the Florida Department of Health are investigating the outbreak –  half of the cases are among hispanic men.