Newcastle Pride Festival cancelled due to COVID-19
The organisers of the Newcastle Pride Festival have announced they have cancelled this year’s event due to COVID-19 fears, after months of preparation. Newcastle Pride President Lee-Anne McDougall said the committee had put in 7 months of planning for the 2020 Newcastle Pride Festival. However, with the “heaviest of hearts” she said the 2020 festival …
Author Jacqueline Wilson comes out after penning queer love story
British best-selling children’s author Jacqueline Wilson has come out publicly as she celebrates her latest book, an LGBTIQ teen love story. The 74-year-old author, perhaps best known for her Tracey Beaker series of children’s books, opened up to The Guardian about her “very happy” relationship with her partner of 18 years. Jacqueline explained she met …
Jewish radio station sorry for rabbi’s homophobic coronavirus rant
Melbourne Jewish radio station J-Air has apologised for broadcasting a rabbi’s claims the COVID-19 pandemic is a “designer drug” used by God to remove “immoral” gay people from the earth. Rabbi Mendel Kessin made the claim during an episode of the Israeli radio personality Tamar Yonah’s syndicated radio program, broadcast on J-Air on March 30. …
‘Call Me By Your Name’ director says stars will return for sequel
Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino seems pretty confident the cast will reunite for a sequel to the Oscar-winning gay romance. Guadagnino’s 2017 coming-of-age movie starred Timothée Chalamet as Elio and Armie Hammer as Oliver. The pair fall in love in northern Italy during the early 1980s. Now the director has told Italian …
Allowing gay blood donation would save lives during COVID-19 crisis
Australian LGBTIQ advocates want the federal government to ease restrictions on gay blood donation to boost our supply of safe blood during the coronavirus pandemic. The United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week eased restrictions on gay male donors. It reduced the period male donors who have sex with men must abstain from …
Pauline Hanson’s social distancing protest is pretty baffling
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has announced she is going to “go and lie down in my paddock” today to clap back at COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. The Queensland senator went on Sky News on Wednesday night to slam “bloody over the top” restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. She …
Montaigne confirmed for Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Montaigne has confirmed she is Australia’s entrant for Eurovision Song Contest 2021, after missing out on taking part in this year’s cancelled contest. Singer songwriter Montaigne has confirmed she’ll keep her spot as Australia’s next representative and will compete in Eurovision in 2021. Montaigne earned her place in the competition after she won Eurovision Australia …
Magda Szubanski’s new children’s book is semi-autobiographical
Magda Szubanski has shared one of the ways she’s passing the time in isolation – writing her new series of children’s books. The Aussie comedian recently released the first in the series called Timmy the Ticked-Off Pony. “It’s called Timmy the Ticked-Off Pony and the Poo of Excitement – who hasn’t done one of those?” …
US Governor signs anti-trans bills hours before Trans Day of Visibility
Idaho’s Republican Governor Brad Little has been slammed after approving two anti-transgender bills just a day before the Transgender Day of Visibility this week. The state’s House Bill 500 bans transgender girls from playing on school sports teams corresponding with their gender identity. And Idaho’s House Bill 509 blocks transgender people from updating their birth …
Advice and support for trans people on new TransHub
An extensive new online resource, called TransHub, has launched to support transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people and allies in New South Wales. NSW LGBTIQ health organisation ACON unveiled the new online resource on Tuesday to mark the International Trans Day of Visibility (March 31). TransHub offers trans people valuable information about social, medical and …