Bisexual Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

After my parents divorced, my mother moved into housing commission on the other side of Parramatta Park. I harboured a lot of shame growing up within the lower socio-economic parts of the Parramatta LGA.

When I first proposed to chat with Lingsi Lu and Leanor Barz from the Street Roller Hockey Chix for this month’s column, I thought, “these chix are going to be sooo out of my league”’ I mean, they marched in Mardi Gras dressed as bin chickens – the club’s mascot! But I think, instead, I might have stumbled upon the most delightful (non-organised) sporting league there is. Like so many of our LGBTQI+ sporting clubs, the Chix got their start when a group of friends decided to meld their teenage hobbies – roller-blading and ice hockey. Believe it or not, their’s is a non-contact game, and score blow-outs are ‘against the rules’. Delightful, right? There are no designated surface requirements and no referees, and two milk crates cut in two suffice as goals, which is pretty great considering the competition for fields and courts here in Sydney.

For more than 10 years, Emeli Sandé has been charming audiences all around the world with her signature blend of pop, R&B, and adult contemporary sounds, but nowhere is she more popular than in her home country of the U.K.The singer, songwriter, producer, and piano player typically spaces out her releases to let the art breathe, and now she’s preparing to return with what will surely be another excellent body of work.Ahead of the release of her new album Let’s Say for Instance (coming May 6), read on to learn five things you should know about Ms. Sandé.1. She’s Been A Star In The U.K. For A DecadeSandé charted her first top 10 hit in the U.K.

Star Observer’s series on kink and following on from our piece on Agoraphobia,  AKA Public Nookie, we present for your reading pleasure a cheeky piece about fisting.On the face of it, the idea of someone putting their hand in your hiney wouldn’t leave most people sitting pretty, but dig a bit deeper. You’ll find that actually, fisting and the pleasure people derive from it is the most natural thing in the world – especially once you understand that the anus has one of the densest concentration of nerve endings in the human body!(Actually, fisting is a bit of a misnomer.

The Mayor of New York City has launched an ad campaign denouncing the passage of Florida’s “shameful” “Don’t Say Gay Bill”, while calling on LGBTQI Floridians to come and live in New York City.Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” officially named the Parental Rights in Education Bill, will restrict the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity. It states, “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade three or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”Parents would be able to sue if a school if school is suspected of violating the law.LGBTQ+ activist Daniel Dromm said, “These ads will reaffirm New York City’s commitment to creating an inclusive school environment, in sharp contrast to the discriminatory policies of Governor DeSantis.”The campaign will run on social media and on digital billboards across Florida for eight weeks, from April 4 until May 29.© Star Observer 2022 | For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, be sure to visit

By Dr Christopher Pepin-NeffA new study from the University of Sydney will look at the impact of COVID on LGBTQI community life in NSW, including Oxford Street. The research project is being coordinated by the Sydney Policy Lab and will look at the implications of COVID-forced closings as well as new venues that opened during the height of the pandemic.Gay sex clubs like Sydney Sauna are a good example of social capital, where social trust is shared, and this may create a network of friends who go to the same doctor, gain access to PrEP, and seek sexual health information as a result.

A teacher in Birmingham UK, who had his penis lacerated in domestic violence incident, is speaking out about domestic violence in the gay community. The 32-year-old victim had to get the wound glued after his boyfriend, Luke Lal, repeatedly pulled at his penis following an argument about dinner. The victim was also punched in the head multiple times. “He suggested: ‘Let’s get pakoras’.

Newtown’s Bedford Square is set to become Pride Square.The Inner West Council in NSW is seeking to permanently rename the public square outside Newtown Town Hall in time for WorldPride 2023.Inner West Councillor Mat Howard put forward the amendment which passed unanimously.Howard believes that Bedford Square is an ideal location as it is centrally located just adjacent to Newtown Station and is “right in the middle of businesses that are LGBTQ and/or LGBTQ friendly.”Howard continued, “I know when I first moved to Sydney, Newtown was the first place I came to looking for connection and support. I hope future generations of young LGBTQ+ people will do the same, see Pride Square at the heart of the suburb, and know that this is a community where they can be safe, be valued, and thrive.”Pride Square and the recently announced Rainbow Crossing would join the Rainbow Crossing in Summer Hill.It passed unanimously at the March 8 Council Meeting.  The Newtown Rainbow Crossing and Pride Square would be the fulfilment of a campaign aspiration by Howard.Prior to the 2021 Inner West Council Elections, he told Star Observer,  “I’m committed to delivering an Inner West Pride Centre, creating a rainbow crossing in Newtown, and making sure Council marks IDAHOBIT, Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Day of Remembrance.

An LGBTQ “conversion” app, created by the Malaysian Government, has been removed from Google Play after it was found to violate Google Play guidelines.According to the Independent, the app falsely claims to help the LGBTQ community “return to the right path.”The app also included a 146-page e-book about the “true experience of a gay man who migrated during Ramadan to abandon homosexual behaviour.”In a statement to the Guardian, Google said, “Whenever an app is flagged to us, we investigate against our Play store policies and if violations are found we take appropriate action to maintain a trusted experience for all.”According to Human Rights Watch, “successive governments in Malaysia have employed anti-LGBT rhetoric as a political tool, calling on LGBT people to ‘change’ their gender identity or sexual orientation to ‘return to the right path’ or risk retribution.”This is not the first LGBTQ conversion app removed by Google Play.

At the time, Professor Dobson was sitting on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and was also named 2009’s Australian of the Year for his commitment to improving the lives of Indigenous people and galvanising reconciliation between Australia’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents.Gafa identifies as a queer, Aboriginal man and is actively striving to fight for safe and accessible spaces for everybody in the queer community.Having come out at the age of 17 and moving from coastal NSW to Canberra for university, the queer community in Canberra has shaped “a lot of who I am as a person.”When it comes to labels and informing his identity, Gafa recalls that he originally came out as bisexual before feeling pressure to “choose either side.” While comfortable and happy with identifying as either bisexual or pansexual, he notes the seriousness of bierasure and discrimination against bisexual people within the queer community.Gafa proudly comes from a union family. His mother and sister are educators, and his uncles are union members in the steel and transport industries.

The Guatemalan Congress voted to ban same-sex marriages on Tuesday, March 8.The Conservative-dominated congress passed the “Life and Family Protection Law” by 101 to eight votes. The law also sentences women to a minimum of five years in prison for seeking an abortion and bans the teaching of sexual diversity in schools which it defines as “promoting in children and teenagers policies or programs that tend to lead to diversion from their sexual identities at birth.”The law goes on to state that teaching “anything other than heterosexuality is normal” is prohibited. Congressman Walter Felix, left-wing opponent of the law, said, “The human rights of significant parts of the population are being violated.” In order to be passed into law, it must be signed by Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.Lucrecia Hernández, a lawmaker opposed to the law, stated that the “law stigmatizes people, discriminates and foments intolerance and hate speech and crimes.” She has urged Giammattei to veto it. Conservative Giammattei is expected to approve the law.© Star Observer 2022 | For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, be sure to visit

The Florida Senate has passed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” on Tuesday, March 8.In a 22-17 vote, the Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill. It will now go on to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it. If a school district is suspected of violating this law, parents would be able to sue.During the debate, Democrat Shevrin Jones, Florida’s first openly gay senator, tearfully said to his colleagues, “To those who think you can legislate gay people away, I’m sorry.

Yesterday, LGBTQI communities and their friends celebrated the 44th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in a supernova of glitter, glitz, and glam.Performers included singer-songwriter Darren Hayes, Vanessa Amorosi, The Wiggles, and Timothy Springs.Darren Hayes, former member of bestselling Australian pop duo Savage Garden, performed The Animal Song, Affirmation, and Do You Remember, and the crowd was ecstatic.Matt Akersten, Pride and Diversity Officer for Sydney WorldPride 2023, tweeted, “What a night! How’s how the 2022 [Sydney Mardi Gras] Parade ended, a dazzling show with [Darren Hayes]”What a night! How’s how the 2022 @sydneymardigras Parade ended, a dazzling show with @darrenhayes!

March 5,  Sydney Cricket Ground at 6pmIn his first live performance in Australia for a decade, singer-songwriter Darren Hayes returns home to head up a superstar line-up for the 2022 Mardi Gras Parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 5 March 2022. Fresh off the back of the release of his new track ‘Let’s Try Being In Love’, Hayes’ Mardi Gras performance will mark his 20th year as a solo recording artist, as well the 25th anniversary of Savage Garden’s acclaimed debut, self-titled album.The Parade will also feature a special performance from Australian music legend Vanessa Amorosi, presented by Principal Partner, American Express.

Florida’s House of Representatives passed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill on Thursday.The bill, officially titled Parental Rights in Education bill, passed 69 – 47. It“prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity”  and allows parents to take the school district to court if they believe a school has violated the law. It now heads to the Florida State Senate and then to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.Rep.

An amendment added to the Florida “Don’t Say Gay Bill” will require schools to out LGBT students to their parents. The amendment to Florida House Bill 1557, filed by the Bill’s co-sponsor Representative Joe Harding (R) last Friday, would require schools to out sexually and gender diverse students to their parents within 6 weeks of discovery. The original bill still required disclosure but had an exemption if the disclosure could lead to “abuse, neglect or abandonment.” This exemption was removed in the current amendment. Florida Agriculture Commissioner and Candidate for Governor, Nikki Fried (D), tweeted, “This backwards cruelty must stop. Speak out against targeted hate legislation and support those leading the charge to protect civil rights like [Equality Florida] before it’s too late!”This backwards cruelty must stop.

Fair Day returned to Sydney’s Victoria Park on Sunday to kick off the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2022 season, after being cancelled last year due to COVID 19. The free all-day event featured performances, the popular Doggywood Pageant, specialty bars, and over 200 stalls from community, business, sports, political, government, religious and health groups.According to organisers, an estimated 35,000 people attended, making this one of the largest Fair Days on record. For the first time this year, the event featured a First Nations Circle, which included Aboriginal community and business tents. After missing out on connecting with family last year, the heat posed no barrier to all the hugging, strutting, and dancing.Image: Jeffrey Feng “After having a year off in 2021, you could really feel that the community had missed Fair Day,” Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger said.

Schafter, who has served on the boards of Midsumma and Star Observer and is a board director at Twenty10, was named one of Australia’s Outstanding 50 LGBTQI+ Leaders in Deloitte’s Out50 report. Schafter also MCed on the main stage at Fair Day.As Content Lead for ABCQueer, Schafter is responsible for curating queer youth content across various platforms.

Let’s go outsideSo sang George, and so say we.There’s lots happening at the moment with Mardi Gras and stuff. Here’s a short mixed list of ideas.Feb 20, 10am – 9pm, Victoria Park, City Rd, CamperdownOf course, it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think “queer outdoors”. This long-running Mardi Gras event is a highlight of the festival, second only to the parade.

The ABC has announced a “diverse and talented family of presenters” to host this year’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, live from the Sydney Cricket Grounds. “What better excuse for us all to get together and have a big ol’ party!?” Macdonald said. “I’m thrilled and honoured to be hosting the Mardi Gras for the ABC.

New Zealand has voted to protect LGBTQ youth from so-called “conversion therapy.”In an almost unanimous vote, the New Zealand Parliament voted 112 to eight in favour of banning the controversial  practice. So-called “conversion therapy” is the discredited and dangerous practice that is intended to change, often by force, a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. The New Zealand Herald reported that it is now an offence to “perform conversion practices on a child or young person aged under 18, or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. Such offences would be subject to up to three years’ imprisonment, and up to five years where it has caused serious harm, irrespective of age.”Leader of End Conversion Therapy NZ Shaneel Lal tweeted, “The ban on conversion therapy is a win for humanity, not just the queer community.

Out French ice dancer, Guillaume Cizeron, won a gold medal Monday at the Beijing Winter Olympics.Cizeron skated with his longtime skating partner, Gabriella Papadakis.

By Gene Lim“Is it alright with you that I’m Asian?” The message popped up on my white friend’s Grindr notifications. It broke his heart to think of the experiences that would make someone second-guess themselves on such a fundamental level. I just shrugged.

The Melbourne Pride Street party is the final Midsumma Festival event for the year that will take place on Smith and Gertrude Streets in Fitzroy on Sunday, February 13. The Victorian Government-led initiative will commemorate the 40th anniversary of homosexuality being decriminalised in Victoria with arts and cultural festivities in the City of Yarra. Martin Foley, Minister for Equality said, “Melbourne Pride celebrates our LGBTIQ+ communities, with a series of activities across the state including in our regional communities over the entire summer.” The CEO of Midsumma, Karen Bryant said, “we are thrilled to see such creativity already underway across the state, ensuring regional voices and stories are shared alongside, what will be, a street party to remember on 13 Feb; making Melbourne Pride a commemoration of the road to pride for our communities, and the journeys still being undertaken.” Electric FieldsDuring the one-day festival, there will be live performances, music, circus, keynote speakers, activities, community stalls and interactive demonstrations. Two live music stages will be set up on Gertrude and Smith Streets for performances from musicians and artists.Australian neo-soul pop duo Electric Fields will headline the free event. The line-up will also include Yorta Yorta woman, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Vetta Borne, newcomers KYVA, multi-award-winning cabaret company YUMMY, art experience creators All the Queens Men, multi-disciplinary artist and musician Kira Puru, the drag duo Jawbreakers, and cabaret performer Reuben Kaye.  Some local businesses in the area will have shopfront activations and host performances in venues.Star Observer spoke to the