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A recently posted TikTok has gone viral showing a woman inside a Miami Starbucks accusing a lesbian of raping children.“Is lesbianism ok?” the woman asks.

Midsumma may be over but Melbourne’s queer events are here to keep the Pride going! This week, Queer Melbourne delivers photography, theatre and fashion. Skip the queues and book online to catch the Mind, Mythos, Muse retrospective of iconic designer Alexander McQueen at the NGV. Featuring 60 garments and accessories from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and nearly 50 pieces from the NGV’s own collection, this exhibition weaves fashion with inspiration, including work by Robert Mapplethorpe, M.

Pushed to explain his stance ahead of the elections, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has said he will support a ban on “harmful” gay conversion practices in the state. Days after he claimed that the legislation was a “matter for the cabinet”, Premier Perrottet said that if re-elected, his government would provide “in-principle” support to a ban on practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Independent Sydney MP Alex GreenwichOut gay Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich had last week announced that a law to outlaw gay conversion practices would be part of his omnibus Equality Bill. NSW Labor leader Chris Minns declared the party’s support for the legislation.Greenwich had said that his support for a future minority government would depend on them supporting the law in Parliament. “I’m grateful for the Premier’s support to end LGBT conversion practices in NSW.

The Drag Kings are set to break a world record when they march in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) Parade on February 25.In a conversation with Star Observer, drag king Big Rod, one of the float organisers, explained, “The float is called Drag Kings Unite, and it’s really about that push for representation for drag kings and showing how diverse and huge our community is.”The Drag Kings Unite float will feature a crown made of strip lighting and a DJ on an elevated platform. The parade participants will be dressed in royal colours, symbolising the drag king community’s strength and desire for more representation in the LGBTQIA+ community.Talking about the misconceptions drag kings face, Big Rod said, “I think a lot of people think drag kings don’t exist or that we aren’t as good as [drag queens]. “I would say that it’s time to stop comparing us to drag queens and respect us as our own genre, our own art form, that is just as wonderful and diverse as drag queens, and it’s time for us to share that space a bit more.”Drag king Sexy Galexy believes that drag kings do not get the same recognition as drag queens because “we live in a man’s world.”“We’ve had our mouths taped shut and pushed back to the back rooms, small rooms, offstage.

Dear LGBTIQA+ visitors to World Pride 2023,Welcome to Australia from every corner of the globe for what is sure to be an enjoyable World Pride 2023.But I want you to know something about Sydney few of you will hear from World Pride organisers and spruikers: you are travelling to Australia’s most homophobic and transphobic city for an event that perpetuates the dangerous myth Sydney is Australia’s queer paradise.In the 2017 national survey on marriage equality, the lowest Yes vote was recorded in the city’s suburbs. The national vote was 61.6% but some voting divisions in Sydney returned less than half that. This low level of support for LGBTIQA+ equality reflects in Australia’s worst queer laws at a state level.The state of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, has Australia’s least effective laws against LGBTIQA+ discrimination.

A suspect wanted in the stabbing death at a California gay bar, has been arrested.On September 9, Christopher Finley, 28, and Jacob Touchstone went out for a date night and nightcap at Mineshaft bar in Long Beach.An altercation happened between the couple and an unnamed man with a taser and, soon after, an altercation with Smalls, resulting in the couple being stabbed. Finely would pass away eight hours later at the hospital.Smalls is being charged with one count of murder, one count of attempted murder.In a statement, police said there is “no evidence this is a hate or bias-motivated incident.”The couple’s GoFund Me page reveals that the couple has been together since 2016.“From then on, there was never a Jake without a Chris,” the page states. “They had ups and they had downs and they even tried the whole time apart thing, without ever really leaving each others’ lives.

The Bookshop Darlinghurst, Australia’s oldest LGBTQI bookstore, turns 40 this month.In recent years, The Bookshop has weathered the impacts of COVID, economic and political uncertainty and inclement weather, and for a while its future was precarious.

By Karl JohnsonHistory has taught us how to effectively respond to an infectious disease outbreak – but we must work together and act fast.  For many of us, this feels familiar.  We are watching the exponential growth of an infectious outbreak overseas while having more mild impacts here at home, yet that might likely change. Much like the early days of the COVID-19 and HIV pandemics, our local situation lags behind what we see in places like the United States and Europe.

Australian Special Forces veteran, founder of the Australian Values Party, and OnlyFans model Heston Russell has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man at a private party in January 2022.Russell, 36, received a summons to Downing Centre Local Court in May, after a five-month police investigation.In a statement at the time, Russell explained that “the allegations are completely unfounded, which I have no doubt the police will discover in due course.”Police state that on January 2 Russell attended a private pool party in Potts Point, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.According to witnesses that talked with the Sydney Morning Herald, Russell allegedly made “unwanted advances” toward a man at the party.Russell allegedly threatened to throw the man of the balcony at which point the man told Russell to leave his boyfriend and him alone. At this point, according to Sydney Morning Herald, Russell struck the man in the face and was then escorted out of the party by security. At the time, Russell told the Sydney Morning Herald, “That’s an outrageous lie. I didn’t hit anyone.

A teacher from a UK primary school has been fired and prohibited from teaching indefinitely after posting photos of himself in underwear online and trying to sell sexual services.St Columb Minor Academy teacher Thomas Heayel, 31, was found guilty by a Teaching Regulation Agency disciplinary hearing on June 24, 2022.According to the Teaching Regulation Agency, the accusations against Heayel state that between February and July 2020 “he posted or allowed to be displayed one or more inappropriate images of himself on the internet.”Image: CornwallLiveHeayel admitted to, both, posting inappropriate images and offering to sell sexual services. He also agreed that his conduct was unprofessional.According to the official report, the panel explained their decision, writing, “Whilst the panel had regard to the fact that there was no evidence presented that any pupils had seen or accessed the images online, the panel did consider that as a teacher Mr Heayel was likely to be viewed as a role model by pupils.“The panel noted that whilst the website where Mr Heayel posted the images was restricted, the images could also be accessed via a generic internet search and one image contained Mr Heayel’s name. “Consequently the images were in the public domain enabling any member of the public, or pupil, to have sight of them.The ruling means that Heayel is indefinitely no longer eligible to teach at “any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.”Heayel started teaching in September 2019 and he was dismissed on July 23, 2021, after his online photos were reported on July 7.From July 5 2024, or two years after ban was imposed, Heayel is eligible to apply to have the teaching ban removed.

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.

A 27-year-old out gay man in Queensland has been accused of raping his female friend. The accused, identified as Dominic Edmund Hansson, has pleaded not guilty and is facing trial before a District Court in Brisbane, reported The Courier Mail. Trigger Warning: This story has details of 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.According to the police, Hansson has been charged with allegedly sexually assaulting his female friend, after turning up at her inner city Brisbane apartment in 2019.

After a long and challenging casting process, it appears that Madonna has finally chosen the actor who will portray her in an upcoming biopic.The casting for the long-gestating film has been making news since the project was first announced, and now, according to reports in Variety, the role of the Material Girl will go to Julia Garner.Fans of the singer praised the selection of Garner with one user saying, Maybe it’s too soon to say (we DO need to see the film still) but I’m struggling to think of examples of casting as perfect as Julia Garner as Madonna – & it goes far beyond the physical similarities. A performer as powerful as Garner will embody this role to the FULLEST extent,” while another fan tweeted “Julia Garner as Madonna is the smartest decision ever.”  A post shared by Julia Garner (@juliagarnerofficial)Garner, who has won two Emmy awards for her role as Ruth Langmore in Ozark, beat out fellow finalists including Florence Pugh, of who Madonna told the Associated Press in 2021, “She’s definitely up there on the list, if she’ll have me.” Alexa Demie (Euphoria), Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown), Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), and Odessa Young (Mothering Sunday) as well as singers Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira rounded out the remaining Madonna candidates.  A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)Madonna, who is directing the film, put the contenders for the role through what has been described as a “grueling” casting process, including a “Madonna boot camp,” which focused on singing and dancing.The Hollywood Reporter said all the finalists were put though long days (reportedly as long as 11 hours) of choreography training, after which Madonna herself would direct the candidates in more choreography.

Australian-born British gay activist Peter Tatchell revealed that he had refused an invitation from the organisers of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations to join the event as a ‘national treasure’.Tatchell, in a piece in The Guardian, cited his opposition to the monarchy, the royals’ history of “war, colonialism and slavery” as well as the Queen’s refusal to acknowledge her LGBTQI “subjects” as the reason for refusing the honour. Tatchell said that he was surprised to receive a letter from the organisers inviting him to join the pageant outside the Buckingham Palace on June 5 on the final day of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations “as one of a select group of ‘National Treasures … celebrated, respected and admired people’.”The activist, who is a supporter of the campaign group Republic, said he turned down the invitation for a number of reasons. “While I doubt that the Queen is a raging homophobe, she doesn’t appear to be gay friendly.

Four years after a Catholic man was hounded out of the San Diego Church for being gay, he met Pope Francis last month and spoke at a conference at the Vatican. Aaron Bianco,  a professor of theology at the University of San Diego and a pastoral associate at St. John the Evangelist Church in the Diocese of San Diego, received death threats from right-wing Catholic organisations and had “no fags” spray painted on a wall in his office at the parish.

American rapper Isaiah Rashad has come out as “sexually fluid” in an interview – his first since a sex tape featuring him and two other men was leaked. “I’d say I’m sexually fluid,” Rashad (31) told Joe Budden. “I’m still learning about it myself.

Being handed a trophy for outstanding achievement in business, social service, or the arts is undoubtedly special, but when the award comes from your own community in recognition of your contribution, that’s another level again. The Honour Awards is one such accolade, recognising individuals in the NSW LGBTQ community who have distinguished themselves as leaders, providers, ambassadors, advocates, or inspirational heroes. Organised by ACON, the Honour Awards have been held annually since 2007, with the exceptions of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

The Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) has agreed to stop sending plainclothes officers to the Port Authority Bus Terminal men’s restrooms in order to arrest gay, bisexual, and gender nonconforming people and falsely accuse them of public lewdness and exposure. The PAPD has also agreed to pay a total of $40,000 in damages to the two men who were part of a federal lawsuit over their arrests. As part of the agreement before a federal court, PAPD said they will also include LGBTQI sensitivity training for all new recruits. “This settlement represents an important victory for our clients, Cornell Holden and Miguel Mejia, who bravely fought to end the Port Authority Police Department’s discriminatory and, frankly, downright creepy practice of surveilling men the officers believed to be gay while using public urinals and falsely arresting them for public lewdness,” Molly Griffard, Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society, said in a statement. Kicking off #PrideMonth with a victory in our lawsuit challenging bias-based false public lewdness arrests.

Margot Heuman, the first lesbian Jewish holocaust survivor to testify about her experience in the concentration camps, died on May 11 at age 94. Born in 1928 Germany, Heuman grew up in Bielefeld and was the eldest of two daughters. In 1943, her family were arrested and deported to Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia.

A public launch is being held this Saturday, June 4, 2022, for the Bondi memorial dedicated to victims and survivors of the spate of homophobic and transphobic violence that occurred from the 1970s to 1990s in Sydney and New South Wales.Located in Marks Park in Tamarama, the memorial titled ‘Rise’ was installed through a collaboration with LGBTQ health organisation ACON, Urban Art Projects (UAP) Design Studio and Waverley Council.The memorial is being launched to the community in a commemorative event at Marks Park. In attendance at the event will be representatives from organisations involved, as well as political figures and special guests. Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said in a statement to Star Observerthat the memorial is “dedicated to the recognition of the recent history of gay and transphobic hate crimes that occurred in Bondi and along the east coast of Australia.”Designed by John Nicholson and UAP, the memorial’s composition is embedded with meaning, as the layers mirror the nearby cliffs but appear instead to be moving towards the horizon. “Each of its six sculpted stone layers represents one of the six bands in the pride flag” Masselos said. “The Bondi Memorial in the public domain provides an opportunity for healing by making space for recognition and confrontation of the past, giving light to changing attitudes, and inviting ongoing reflection.”Some of the victims of gay hate crimes in Sydney.The location of the monument is recognised as a place where a significant number of hate crimes occurred throughout the 1970s to 1990s.

It’s official. The reviews are in and ABBA’s new concert experience, ABBA Voyage is a certified hit!The ABBA Voyage concert, which officially opened on at the purpose build ABBA Voyage Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, May 27, has received rapturous reviews from fans and critics.Kylie Minogue attended the premiere and said on Instagram, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! What.

San Francisco Pride organisers have been told by the city’s Democratic Mayor London Breed that she will boycott the annual Pride parade, if police officers are not allowed to march  in uniform. Police presence in pride marches have been a contentious issue across the world, including in Australia. In 2020, in the wake of protests over the murder of George Floyd, SF Pride organisers had banned the police from marching in the parade in uniform.

Out gay ‘Bridgerton‘ star Jonathan Bailey is no stranger to attention. Bailey starting his career as a child star, but it was his role as the brooding, hunky Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix series Bridgerton that won him international heartthrob status. Jonathan Bailey in ‘Bridgerton’.In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Bailey shared some pretty intimate details about the second season of Bridgerton and the shooting of a particular scene that has since launched a thousand memes. The said scene had the Viscount, steamy and sweaty, in a bathtub pining and brooding over the “object of all my desires” Kate Sharma played by Simone Ashley. While his fans of all genders have swooned over the dreamy-eyed Viscount in a bathtub, Bailey said filming the scene left him “traumatised” and “confused”. Bailey told the Los Angeles Times that “there was actually a camera in the water between my legs looking back at me”Jonathan Bailey in ‘Bridgerton’.The shooting took place around the time that COVID-19 restrictions were being relaxed and you could meet people outside.

English indie rock band xx’s songwriter, bassist, and vocalist Oliver Sim has revealed that he has been living with HIV since he was a teenager. Sim (32), disclosed that he was living with HIV in his newly released song ‘Hideous‘. His first solo album Hideous Bastard is scheduled to be released on September 9. “I imagine that might paint a picture of a dark, “woe is me” sounding album, but in recent years I’ve become a firm believer that the best antidote to these feelings can be bringing them to the surface and shedding some light on them,” said Sim.

A 35-year-old doctor, who has become the first Qatari to come out publicly as gay, has sought asylum in the United States. Nas Mohamed, who is currently living and working as a physician in San Francisco, said he no longer wished to remain “anonymous”. Mohamed said that it was not safe for him to return to Qatar and live his life as an out gay man. Qatar’s human rights record and its treatment of LGBTQI people have come under the spotlight after the country was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Robbie McEwen, former Australian cyclist-turned commentator and a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification, has apologised after using a homophobic slur on live television. The incident occurred last week during the broadcast of stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia on Eurosport and GCN+. Trigger Warning: This story discusses the use of a homophobic slur, 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.Cycling is a sport for all & everyone should feel welcome.

Based on a true story, Firebird is a meticulously researched and produced film about two young men on a military base in Soviet-occupied Estonia in the late 1970s.Sergey (Tom Prior) is a private just weeks away from discharge; Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii) is an officer and pilot, newly assigned to the base. Their attraction is almost immediate, unfolding with a tender intimacy which is beautifully, painfully naïve to the realities of their society – both military and civilian.Tom Prior and Oleg Zagorodnii in ‘Firebird’Firebird feels like a film for the ages, but also of the times.

A day before the elections all three major national parties have promised the LGBTQI community equality and freedom from discrimination – but not to the same degree. National LGBTQI advocacy organisation Equality Australia on Friday released its scorecard for Labor, Liberal and Greens, ahead of the federal elections on Saturday May 21. “Every person in Australia deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and to work, study and access services without fear of discrimination,” said Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia. Image: Equality AustraliaOne of the major issues this year for the community was Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Religious Discrimination Bill. The Bill was indefinitely shelved after Labor, Independents and five Liberal MPs voted for amendments to protect gay and trans students. Morrison has promised to bring back the unamended Religious Discrimination Bill if his government is re-elected.

The first in his family to graduate from university, Professor Jioji Ravulo is also the first person of Pasifika heritage to become a professor at an Australian university and currently holds the position of Chair of Social Work and Policy Studies in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work at The University of Sydney. Professor Ravulo is committed to creating inclusionary spaces for diversity in all shapes and forms. He sees queerness as an opportunity to be proud of himself whilst also being an ally to other areas of diversity.

Days after Blackpool FC striker Jake Daniels came out as gay, past historical homophobic tweets of his teammate Marvin Ekpiteta have resurfaced. Ekpiteta, 26, deleted the tweets and apologised to Daniels, who indicated that he has forgiven his teammate. On Monday, 17-year-old Daniels became the first openly gay footballer, since Justin Fashanu in 1990, to come out while still playing. Ekpiteta deleted the tweets and offered his apology.

In a historic first, a majority of local councils in Victoria raised the rainbow flag on Tuesday to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Discrimination Against Intersex People and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).According to the Victorian Pride Lobby, a record 68 of the 79 local councils in Victoria flew the rainbow flag “from town halls, libraries, and even courthouses”. During the October 2020 council elections, around 270 candidates had signed the Lobby’s Rainbow Pledge and made a commitment to support the issues of the LGBTQI+ community.“We’re proud to again be flying the rainbow pride flag today to mark IDAHOBIT day,” said Wellington Shire Council CEO David Morcom in a post on . “We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer with our people and the community at the heart of what we do. Organisations who don’t promote and celebrate diversity in all forms are missing out.

Out LGBTQI Australian actors Murray Bartlett, Hugh Sheridan and Troye Sivan have been nominated for the 2022 Logie Awards. The nominations for Australian TV’s biggest awards were announced on Sunday and LGBTQI excellence was featured in some of the prominent award categories. The awards ceremony will be held on June 19, 2022.  A post shared by Hugh Sheridan (@hugh_sheridan)Sheridan was nominated for a Silver Logie in the Most Outstanding Supporting Actor category. “Why did no one tell me?!! THANK YOU BEYOND.

Fox Sports reporter Megan Barnard, who was dramatically outed by a former colleague, has spoken out about the incident and how it impacted her life in a revealing new interview.Speaking with Stellar, Barnard, 37, said,“No one should ever be forced to come out before they’re ready, it can be dangerous.”Barnard was relating her personal experience of being outed by her former colleague, AFL journalist Tom Morris, who made disparaging remarks about Bernard’s sexuality in an audio clip posted to a WhatsApp group chat. The leaked audio was made public in March, and outed Barnard, who prior to the leak was not public with being gay.Barnard, who has been a sports presenter for Fox Sports since 2013, told Stellar, “People have messaged to share their stories, struggles and fears of coming out — and of being outed.”“I have tried to respond to everyone that has contacted me. If this resonates with just one person and makes them realise it’s OK to be gay, that it’s not something to hide or run from then sitting down for this article has been worth it,” Barnard said.“I knew I was gay from the age of 12… It was such a painful time during my teens, feeling what I was feeling and desperately wanting those thoughts to go away and to be like everyone else,” Barnard said.“I tried to fight it for years because we had all been taught that being gay ‘wasn’t normal. It was just so overwhelming, it was the elephant in the room.

American psychotherapist Dr Joe Kort, coined the term to describe gay men who don’t enjoy anal sex and don’t feel comfortable defining themselves as a top or bottom!Grindr has announced that it was going beyond ‘top’, ‘bottom’ and ‘versatile’ and adding a new option – giving its users the option to identify as a ‘Side’.#grindr @grindr is adding “side” to its positions. I created a this term in 2013.

‘America First’ leader, extreme right-wing, white nationalist, and anti-LGBTQI podcaster Nick Fuentes has a reason for being an involuntary celibate heterosexual. Fuentes, who considers himself the “straightest guy” recently said that any kind of sexual activity was “gay”.The Anti-Defamation League, describes Fuentes as a “white supremacist”. According to ADL, “Fuentes and his America First adherents vocally support the closure of the U.S.

The last few seasons on Netflix’s real estate and lifestyle show Selling Sunset have been a wild ride and none more so than for one of the show’s stars, actor and real estate agent Chrishell Stause. Fans of the show saw Chrishell getting her heart broken repeatedly. In season three, viewers’ hearts went out  to Chrishell, after her then husband actor Justin Hartley reportedly sprung a divorce on her. The latest season 5 followed the heady romance between Chrishell and Oppenheim Group’s boss Jason Oppenheim, and their eventual break up.   A post shared by G FLIP (@gflip)Chrishell said she met G Flip met after she was cast in the singer’s new video Get Me Outta Here that will debut on May 12.