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Out lesbian US basketball player Brittney Griner was convicted by a Russian court on charges of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday. US President Joe Biden denounced the verdict and sentence as “unacceptable” and called on Russia to release the athlete immediately so that she could be with her “her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates”. President Biden added that he would work to bring both Griner and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia under an espionage charge, home.  Brittney Griner with wife Cherelle.

A Tasmania-based lesbian woman and supporter of the anti-trans group LGB Alliance, is raising funds to take her battle to ban trans women and men from her drag shows, to the High Court. Trigger Warning: This story discusses comments against the transgender community, 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.Jessica Hoyle has raised over $3,300, since she launched her campaign on a fundraising platform last month. Last year, Hoyle failed in her bid to get an exemption from the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to hold her “female-only event” and now plans to take her fight to the High Court.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has been criticised for “affirming the validity” of a 1998 declaration which states that gay sex is a sin. 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.The leader of the global Anglican church has sought to placate conservative bishops across the world in a once-a-decade Lambeth conference.

The London Metropolitan Police have warned their officers not to take part in a gay nightclub’s stripping competition, even if off duty. The officers will face disciplinary action if they participate. The competition hosts are past RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens, including All-Stars 7 queen Yvie Oddly, Season 14 queen Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Season 13 queen Gottmik, and Drag Race UK queen The Vivienne.

American R&B sensation Kehlani is set to appear on the third season of The L Word: Generation Q. The sequel series takes place 10 years after the original finale of The L Word and follows characters played by Jennifer Beals, Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey alongside a group of friends who experience life, love, and navigate through the queer scene in Los Angeles. The queer singer announced the news on Instagram last week, revealing that they would be featured in the coming season.   A post shared by Kehlani (@kehlani)Many fans flocked to social media to share their excitement about the casting.  A social media user posted, “Kehlani being on the L word is all I needed to get thru today.

A Houston, US-based Gay porn star is winning praise for going public about his battle with monkeypox infection on social media. Silver Steele shared his monkeypox diagnosis with his around 39,000 fans on , providing regular updates about his symptoms, retweeting health alerts and asking people to protect themselves and get vaccinated. Many fans thanked him for encouraging them to get the jab. Last week, the World Health Organisation declared that the monkeypox outbreak was a “public health emergency of international concern”.

City Builders Church, which has in the past been accused of reportedly encouraging its members to take part in a now-closed gay conversion therapy program run by Living Waters. The church and Heath denied endorsing so-called gay conversion therapy.Shaping up to be a Coalition Party Room that has even less in common with the Victorian community than the current one.Curious strategy.#springst https://t.co/470AOohaq2— Jaala Pulford MP (@JaalaPulford) July 31, 2022The choice of some Liberal candidates has led to concerns both within and outside the party.

The plans to light up the colonnades of Melbourne’s iconic landmark Shrine Of Remembrance in rainbow lights on Sunday evening to honour LGBTQI veterans was scrapped. In the end the hate and threats directed at the Shrine staff forced the management to cancel the plans. “Over several days, our staff have received and been subject to sustained abuse and, in some cases, threats,” Shrine CEO Dean Lee told Star Observer in a statement.

British diver Tom Daley delivered a powerful statement on the eve of the Commonwealth Games night, advocating for LGBTQI+ rights while protesting against the 35 countries under the Commonwealth where being part of the queer community is currently illegal. The Olympic champion played a key role in the ceremony, as the first athlete to carry the Queen’s Baton and was met with other athletes and activists who waved Pride Progress flags, raising awareness of the member states under the Commonwealth which criminalise same-sex relations. Pride House Birmingham (PHB) co-founder Lou Englefield spoke to ABC sport stating that there are currently “more countries in the Commonwealth that criminalise homosexuality than don’t.” Though Daley had decided not to compete at Birmingham 2022, he has been a strong advocate for LGBTQI+ rights in the past, drawing attention to the persecution of queer individuals after winning his 10 metres synchro event at the Gold Coast in 2018. These laws are a legacy of colonialism. This opening ceremony for us is about showing LGBTQ+ visibility to the billion people watching.” The opening of Pride House Birmingham has been projected to have the biggest presence to date by a Pride House at a Commonwealth Games. Pride Houses are venues dedicated to diversity, culture and LGBTQI+ inclusion at major sporting events where visitors are encouraged to enjoy performances, talks and activities in addition to opportunities to view live sports.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season one finalist, Art Simone, says she is more than happy to let the Season 2 cast have their day in the Drag Race spotlight. And, she has some advice about dealing with internet trolls who will inevitably come for them. “I’m ready and willing to hand over the reins.

In a historic first, Melbourne’s iconic landmark, the Shrine of Remembrance will be bathed in rainbow colours on Sunday August 1, 2022, to honour LGBTQI veterans. Not surprisingly, the decision has run into the usual homophobic and transphobic opposition.Shrine CEO, Dean Lee told Star Observer that plans to light up the Shrine in rainbow colours to mark the opening of a new exhibition, ‘Defending with Pride: Stories of LGBTQ+ Service’, would go ahead. “Enough.  The Victorian Shrine of Remembrance being used to promote divisive political ideologies.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under gathered together for a swanky soiree to celebrate the world premiere. The blue carpet was the hottest spot in town, and the Star Observer had a prime seat to speak with many of the Queens for the first time since the cast was announced July 6.But it was not just the season 2 queens making waves on the blue carpet. The other celebrities in attendance included Spiderman: Far From Home and Crazy Rich Asians actor Remy Hii, music sensation DJ Tigerlily, supermodels Samantha Harris and Simone Holtznagel, popstar Jack Vidgen, singer and The Voice Australia winner Alfie Arcuri, NOVA FM’s Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small, comedian and radio host Lucinda ‘Froomes’ Price, and trailblazer and former AFL star Dani Laidley.RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2 queen Hannah Conda (centre).

Britney Spears has reportedly returned to the studio after six years and joined forces with Sir Elton John to duet one of his most beloved classics, Tiny Dancer. The pop star teamed up with the English composer last week, meeting at a Beverly Hills recording studio to record the track. Tiny Dancer first appeared on Elton John’s 1971 Album Madman Across The Water. An anonymous source told Page Six that this project was “Elton’s idea, and Britney is a huge fan.

Magda Szubanski had a message for the seven Manly players who decided to boycott the team’s gay Pride jersey citing their cultural and religious beliefs – look to the lesson of tolerance that their religion teaches them. Szubanski helpfully shared Bible verses “that might help the Manly players get their heads around it”.Here are some Bible quotes that might help the Manly players get their heads around it https://t.co/0ScLoERwDZ pic.twitter.com/1Ty6LVB36g— Magda Szubanski AO (@MagdaSzubanski) July 26, 2022In a series of tweets, Kath & Kim star Szubanski asked if the players believed in a tolerant society.  “Thought experiment: imagine if Manly players were asked to wear stripes to let religious players & fans know they are welcome,” said the actor, adding, “Then imagine an atheist player refuses to wear the stripes because their “belief” (based on fact) is that millions have been killed in the name of religion.”“Religious tolerance doesn’t mean you condone or believe in the other’s religion.  It means that you accept the right of difference to exist. That you support a world where people are not excluded or persecuted because of their religion.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended monkeypox vaccines for key risk groups, including gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men who are at high risk of exposure.ATAGI also updated its earlier guideline and in addition to the ACAM2000 vaccine, it has recommended the use of JYNNEOS (MVA-BN) vaccines for monkeypox.Following the update to the vaccination guidelines, Australia’s chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly on Thursday declared monkeypox as a “Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance”. As of July 28, 2022, around 20,311 monkeypox cases have been reported in 71 countries, outside of Central and West Africa where the disease is endemic. This includes 44 monkeypox cases in Australia, a majority among returned international travellers. LGBTQI leaders and organisations in Australia had urged the government to approve and secure supplies of the monkeypox vaccine and offer it to gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and other at risk individuals.Professor Kelly said that monkeypox was “far less harmful than COVID-19” and “far less transmissible”.

Ian Roberts, the first out gay rugby league player, has addressed the Manly pride jersey boycott. Roberts, a former Manly Sea Eagles himself publicly came out in 1995 while playing for Manly.Seven Manly Players To Boycott NRL Match Over Gay Pride JerseyRoberts told Fox Sports that the controversy “breaks my heart.” “And to try to explain what a Pride Round means, particularly for the LGBTQIA+ community, what it means to us individually.”Roberts said that Pride Rounds are about being welcoming, inclusive, and making people feel valid and seen.“It isn’t a thing of exclusivity. It’s just about welcoming and saying to the LGBTQIA+ community, you’re part of the greater community and you’re welcome here.”Stressing why a Pride Round is so vital and the potential consequences of this player backlash, Roberts said, “I’ve lost friends to suicide and I’ve seen the consequences of what homophobia, transphobia, and all the phobias can do to people.”He continued, “There are kids out in the suburbs, out in the regions, who may not have heard many stories lately.

After winning praise for Almost Australian, actor Miriam Margolyes is back on TV screens with her new docuseries Australia Unmasked on ABC. The first episode sees Margolyes taking part in her first ever Pride parade in Hobart, with renowned Tasmanian LGBTQI activist Rodney Croome. “It was a privilege to have Miriam Margolyes highlight how Tasmania has gone from worst to best on LGBTIQA+ human rights,” Croome tweeted after the episode was broadcast.In her journey of unmasking Australia’s cultural crumbs, Margolyes arrives in Tasmania in the first episode. Not only does she get a chance to communicate with and unpack intricacies in the lives of Aboriginal Australian, but she also stumbles upon Croome in Ulverstone – a town of 15000 people at the mouth of Leven River.

A Sydney parent has claimed that the police were called on him after he raised concerns about gender and sexuality lessons being taught by a before and after school centre that his five-year-old attended. The Daily Telegraph reported that the parent was told by Roseville Kids Club, the primary provision of care for students from Roseville Primary School, that the lessons were to raise a more ‘inclusive’ generation of students.Asked to remain unnamed, the parent said that he was “shocked” to see the giant size Pride flag in the classroom that was the “biggest flag in the room, far bigger than the Australian flag.” “When I went in there was an entire wall describing different sexualities giving definitions of things like ‘pansexual’ and ‘lesbian’. My child is five, I don’t understand what possible justification there is for exposing them to sexual identities like this.”Photos taken of the centre’s wall included colourful Pride flags and definitions of different sexualities and gender identities including ‘gender fluid’, ‘asexual’, and ‘nonbinary’. CEO of the Network of Community Activities Pauline O’Kane who represents out of school hour care facilities defended the centre. “It’s about raising children with inclusive attitudes,” she said, stating that children in the 5-to-12-year age group have asked questions about gender fluidity and identity in the past. “Do you shut the conversation off, or do you educate and inform in a positive way so they feel like they can ask questions,” she asked. “I don’t think we should curtail childrens’ inquisitiveness, and I am sure this centre did this in a positive way,” she said. © Star Observer 2022 | For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news

Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) and Camila Mendes (Riverdale) will star in Netflix’s latest dark comedy Do Revenge. The film sees high school students seeking revenge with more bubbling underneath the surface. Creator Jennifer Kaytin Robinson told ELLE earlier this month that the film is a “backward-engineered” revenge story.

It’s the stuff sexy daydreams and night-time fantasies are made of; who hasn’t seen a dubiously acted porno with three willing participants getting their freak on? But as anyone who has stumbled through one can attest, it rarely works out like you’ve seen in the movies! The very first time you do it, you feel like you’ve hit the jackpot! It’s gonna be so hot! And then you’re there in the room and the vibe is weird, you’re with two other single fellas which just makes it harder to tee up the energy because, like, why doesn’t that one look anything like his obviously ancient profile pic and why is that one over there eating the potpourri!?Or the other commonly fantasised about experience – being the guest star in another couple’s boudoir. It’s a veritable minefield of mistakes to manoeuvre. Don’t look at that one too closely, the husband might get jealous.

More than four months since Russia first invaded Ukraine, over 9.6 million refugees have since left Ukraine, and an estimated 8 million people had been displaced within the country by May 3.Trans women and trans men have faced difficulties while trying to leave Ukraine, with a shortage of medical services and supplies including necessary hormone therapy drugs and HIV medication. Trans women have also been turned back at the border due to personal identification documents failing to match their gender or physical examinations by border officials who have declared them to be men. When Russia first moved troops towards the border, The Kyiv City Council posted a map that indicated the nearest shelters that people could find in the event of bombings or assault.

Surry Hills Police Area Command in Sydney has confirmed that missing Sydneysider Michael Laali, 37, has passed away.On Friday, July 22 police located Laali’s body inside a unit on College Street, Sydney.On Thursday, New South Wales Police appealed to the public for assistance in locating Laali, who had been missing from Darlinghurst.According to the police, Laali was last seen leaving an address on Taylor Street, Darlinghurst around 8.30 am on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. “Serious concerns are held for Michael’s well-being.

July 20, 2022This came after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to protect gay marriage rights on Tuesday.Many trolled her for her delay in speaking up about the cause.

Do you think Marco is wearing too many clothes in his escort advertisement?On 10 May 2022, a raft of outdated sex work specific advertising criminal laws were repealed in Victoria, in a major win for sex workers’ rights and freedom of expression. The relaxation of advertising laws is the first set of sex industry law changes following the passage of the Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2022 in February.Previously, sex work was licensed in Victoria; an outdated model of regulation which left the majority of gay male sex workers criminalised and fearing the police.

How To Build A Sex Room has a lot of merit on paper.Netflix’s new show looks like a fabulous opportunity to showcase a whole range of different types of human relationships on television. And they do, including heterosexual couples, a gay couple in a long distance relationship, two women living out of a van, a couple exploring non-binary sexuality and even a sex room for a polyamorous family of seven!@melanieruthrose https://t.co/bdHR4ZLHa4 pic.twitter.com/KLXAc2HWNu— melanieruthrose (@melanieruthrose) July 21, 2022  One of the first questions that a viewer would think of is whether a sex room conversion consultant service actually exist or has some hapless creative chained up in the basement of Netflix, finally scraping the bottom of the ideas barrel, thought of this idea up out of sheer desperation for new content?It turns out the host of this show, interior designer Melanie Rose, does actually, at least according to her website, provide this consultation as a service to interested parties and has been for at least the last ten years. “In the last decade I have specialized in creating sacred spaces, fantasy rooms (sometimes called sex rooms), giving my clients an exclusive experience.”I wrote about "How to Build a Sex Room," the Netflix show about, well, it's kind of obvious from the title, isn't it? Anyway, if you're looking for how to kink out your space….

Out Australian swimming star Ian Thorpe is set to be the first guest on the newest season of channel Seven’s reboot of This Is Your Life.Looking into untold stories, it will be a celebration and “special tribute to our greatest ever male olympian, from humble childhood to Olympic glory.”Celebrity guests include three-time Olympian Cathy Freeman, former Prime Minister John Howard, Olympic gold medallist Michael Klim, Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett, Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband, former professional surfer Layne Beachley, sports commentator Bruce McAvaney, dual Olympian Geoff Huegill and media personalities Merrick and Rosso.They also tease “one rival he never thought he’d see again.”According to Seven, “The iconic big red book is now in the hands of host Melissa Doyle who surprises Thorpie during a motivational speech he is presenting at Sydney Olympic Park, the site of some of his greatest triumphs.”“We hear how Ian was invited to Kate and William’s royal wedding and about his special friendship with one of the world’s most famous designers, Giorgio Armani.“Jimmy Barnes will take to the This is Your Life stage for a special performance and speaks about how he and Thorpie struck up an unlikely friendship.”The channel Seven show is back on July 24 at 7pm. Talking about the reboot, Angus Ross, Seven’s director of network programming said, “This Is Your Life was an iconic and incredibly successful show for many years.

It’s finally happening! The Kath & Kim cast are set to return to the screens for a 20th anniversary special of the show. The reboot is set to feature favourites including alter egos from Brighton – Prue and Trude, Sharon Strzelecki, Kath’s husband Kel and Kim’s husband Brett.  This news is a welcome one for fans of the Aussie comedy, who have long waited for the duo to make a comeback after they first made their debut on the ABC in 2002. The sitcom series made its debut on the ABC on 16 May 2002 and by its second season in 2003 had become the highest-rating comedy series on Australian television. The titular characters first emerged on sketch show Big Girl’s Blouse on Channel Seven in 1994 before creators Riley and Turner were commissioned by ABC for the now-iconic show, Kath & Kim. Kylie Minogue (right) guest starred as Kim’s daughter Epponnee-Raelene Kathleen Darlene Charlene Craig in Kath & Kim.Kath & Kim won three TV Week Logies and four AFI Awards before a movie spin-off, Kath And Kimderella, was produced and the concept was franchised to NBC to produce an American version.Since July 2019, Kath & Kim has been streaming on Netflix where all four seasons, the 2005 television movie Da Kath & Kim Code and the 2012 feature Kath & Kimderella are available to watch. When asked about whether she knew if there were possibilities for a show revival on the red carpet of this year’s Logie Awards, Kath and Kim’s Magda Szubanski (who plays Sharon) said, “If I did, I couldn’t possibly tell you.

Adam Graham, the first out gay mayor of a small town in Oklahoma, US, has resigned after becoming the target of threats and attacks. Graham, was elected around five years ago as council member and then the Mayor of The Village in Oklahoma and was the town’s youngest and first out gay elected official. In his letter to the City Manager Bruce Stone, Graham said that he had been recently the target of threats. For almost five years, I've proudly served The Village as Councilmember and Mayor.

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.

A 48-year-old man, accused of leading the terrorist group ‘Shura’, allegedly plotted to carry out attacks on Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and other places, a NSW court heard this week. Sydneysider resident Hamdi Alqudsi is facing trial after being charged with heading a terrorist organisation, which was preparing to carry out terror attacks. In their opening statement before the jury, the prosecution detailed the evidence against Alqudsi, who has claimed he is “innocent”. According to the prosecution, Alqudsi formed Shura in 2013 and recruited people in Australia to travel to Syria to fight against the commonwealth. When the Australian Federal Police and NSW police foiled the plan, the group veered to planning domestic terror attacks.Crown prosecutor Patricia McDonald SC told the jury that there were plans to attack a naval base in Sydney, the Israeli embassy, courthouses and the Mardi Gras, reported News.com.au.  The prosecution said that the attack on Mardi Gras was suggested by the terror group’s contact in Syria, Mohammad Ali Baryalei in September 2014.

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.

Miss Candee, one of Melbourne’s iconic drag queens, who was known as the “Matriarch of Melbourne Drag and a Living Legend”, died on Saturday morning, aged 68. Miss Candee aka Ron Walker was admitted to the ICU last month and underwent two life-threatening surgeries following  an unknown infection in her lower back and spine. A GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to help Miss Candee with her medical and other expenses had raised around $30,000 in a matter of days.“It’s with great sadness that we let you know that Miss Candee (Ron Walker) passed away just after 1.30am this morning.

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.