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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.

Move, I’m Gay launched their show in February 2020 with no firm expectations of how long they might last.The Portland-based duo simply dove in, with Franny dishing on the latest entertainment dirt, Brenda taking the lead discussing LGBTQ+ history and politics, and both serving up stories about their own experiences as single gay men about town.“We started very casually,” Scott says, “then started to create a structure, and it’s just become a weekly part of our lives.” And two eventful years since they began, Move, I’m Gay is set to cast its 100th episode, an achievement worth celebrating in the increasingly crowded landscape of talk and entertainment podcasts.“We made it all the way to one hundred when we thought we were going to do three,” says Ortega, acknowledging that their key to pushing through this pandemic and finding their audience has been consistency. “I think we’ve taken three breaks in this entire time.

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.

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.

THE CLUB AT STUDIO KIn the fall of 2019, the Kennedy Center was bustling with excitement and potential stemming from the venue’s significantly expanded range of cultural programming with its REACH expansion. It all came to a sudden, screeching halt in March due to the pandemic.

flammkuchen, a super-thin tarte flambée with crème fraîche and different types of toppings. And he plans for Licht to host events soon, when “I have a full staff complement in order to do them.”For now, Licht is still getting acquainted with the community.

Hundreds of people rallied in the rain at Sydney’s Town Hall against the Religious Discrimination Bill on Saturday afternoon.Organised by the Community Action for Rainbow Rights (CARR), speakers included NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, Sydney Girls High year 10 student Sumaya, and CARR’s co-convenor April Holcombe.Sumaya, who identified as a queer Muslim, rallied the crowd with a passionate call to action, saying, “the Bill means that queer people across all areas of public life must live in fear. At the very best, we hide who we are. At the very worst, we lose everything.”Holcombe spoke of the continuing threat of the Bill, which was indefinitely shelved by the government on Thursday. “It might have been shelved this week, but it is not dead.

To stream or download “Love & Give,” visit www.dirtybird.fanlink.to/lovegive.For more on Mz Worthy, visit https://linktr.ee/mzworthy. Follow @iamworthy on Instagram, and ​​@w_o_r_t_h_y on Twitter.

Death on the Nile (★★☆☆☆) miscalculates from the start, marching into a mystery Christie herself showed no interest in exploring: the origins of Hercule Poirot’s trademark mustache.Director and star Kenneth Branagh, helming his second Christie adaptation following the 2017 hit Murder on the Orient Express, digs into a black-and-white, WWI-set prologue that firmly establishes Belgian sleuth Poirot as the film’s romantic hero.Christie’s sturdy plots and colorful characters certainly invite inventive reinterpretation, but it feels misguided making this or any Poirot story more about the man solving the mystery, than about the mystery that Poirot must solve.The sprightlier 1978 version of Death on the Nile, directed by John Guillermin and scripted by Sleuth playwright Anthony Shaffer, struck a more satisfying balance between the famous detective and the cast of suspects all harboring motives for murder.That whodunnit boasted a lineup of eccentric legends — Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, David Niven, and, of course, Peter Ustinov as Poirot — inhabiting Dame Agatha’s larger-than-life characters while swooning about in Anthony Powell’s Oscar-winning ’30s-era costumes.The result was gloriously camp, as much as it was wickedly intriguing.

Dear Mapel (★★★★☆) also profoundly honors the lost art of letter-writing. That distinctly direct and intimate mode of expressing what’s most deeply felt, and saying what often can’t be spoken, serves as Psalm’s chosen means of addressing the father he barely knew.Via letters to Mapel, the award-winning performer and playwright vividly evokes his own coming-of-age enriched by art and music, while examining the main thing, or person, that went missing.For this world premiere production, director and production designer Natsu Onoda Power engulfs Mosaic’s Sprenger Theatre stage in a sweeping deluge of paper missives.

In its final act as it permanently sunsets, the BHT Foundation has gifted more than $522,000 to 19 community organizations in an emotional, often tearful final grant reception held virtually over Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m.More than half of the disbursement has been earmarked for two organizations: The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community and AIDS Action Baltimore.

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

published in the July 2021 World Journal of Men’s Health claimed to be “the first to demonstrate the presence of the COVID-19 virus in the penis long after the initial infection in humans,” suggesting that widespread cell damage from COVID-19 “can contribute to resultant erectile dysfunction.”Of course, that study wasn’t the last to demonstrate such a correlation. A few months later, a University of Florida Health study published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation found that “men with COVID-19 are more than three times more likely to be diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, than those who are not sickened by the coronavirus.” According to the study’s lead author, Dr.

The secret to replicating the unique, addictive taste of McDonald’s fries at home is to use both salt and sugar.“So, the first key is that you have to use fine sea salt,” says Chef Kristen Kish. “You hear a lot of chefs saying, ‘Kosher salt.

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Annual General Meeting was held Saturday, January 29. None of the original motions were debated, in a vote marked by technical delays.At the beginning of the AGM, a procedural motion was raised by 78ers Diane Minnis and Ken Davis, co-chairs of the group First Mardi Gras, that “motions 1-5 not be heard.” This motion was passed with 67% of the vote.As soon as the results were announced, Kyle Olsen and Troy Murphy, proposers of motions 1-5, called a second procedural motion requesting that “motions 6-14 not be heard.”This second procedural motion passed with 52% of the vote.

France24, the National Assembly approved the new law with a unanimous vote of 142-0.Anyone who uses so-called ‘conversion therapy’ practices to change a person’s sexual orientation or sexual or gender identity will face two-year imprisonment or be fined 30,000 euros.The BBC reported the French Senate had already overwhelmingly backed the law. It was there that it was passed by “305 votes to 28.” The conservative Republicans were the only MPs to oppose it.The new law will allow campaigners, including campaigning groups, to file civil suits on behalf of victims potentially.

THE WASHINGTON BALLET: SWAN LAKEJulie Kent and Victor Barbee have been preparing for years to unveil a new production of Swan Lake. The married duo at the helm of the Washington Ballet — Kent as artistic director and Barbee as associate artistic director — had long planned for the quintessential classical ballet to follow, as Kent has put it, as “the logical next step in building the repertoire for the company,” following Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and other kindred 19th-century romantic ballets in prior seasons.“Victor and I will curate and tailor the production to our company — drawing on our years of experience, the detailed [choreographic] notations, and various research — to present a wonderful marriage of dramatic theatricality and technical proficiency,” to quote Kent.Now, a full two years after its intended debut, postponed because of the pandemic, the company is ready to share the tragic love story set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s powerful score and featuring the iconic choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov — enhanced with additional staging and some refined movement by Kent and Barbee.The company’s dancers, including Adelaide Clauss as Princess Odette and Gian Carlo Perez as Prince Sigfried, will be aided by exquisite costumes and scenic design by Peter Cazalet and accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Charles Barker to conjure senses of magic, intrigue, melancholy, and suspense — all in service to the Washington Ballet’s triumphant return to the Kennedy Center and specifically the Eisenhower Theater.Performances begin Wednesday, Feb.

refused to let gay couple, Lachlan Mantell and Luke Whitehouse view or buy their house because of their sexual orientation.Whitehouse, 34, an education business owner, and Mantell, 37, a TV producer, have been together for the past eight years. They were keen on buying the £650,000 property.Whitehouse and Mantell (originally from Adelaide) requested to view the house.The homeowners, Luke Main, 33, a construction worker, and his wife, Dr Joanna Brunker, 34, a medical physicist at Cambridge University, asked the couple their “position” and “circumstances.”They then sent a message via the selling website Purplebricks to the couple before they could arrange to view the house.They wrote: “Dear Lachlan and Luke, thank you for sharing your circumstances with us.”We’re sorry if we seem intrusive, but we just want to make clear that we would be unwilling for two men in partnership to view or buy our house, as it is contrary to the gracious teaching in God’s Word, the Holy Bible, e.g.

By Kyle Olsen and Troy MurphyThis Saturday, the members of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will vote on a number of motions relating to the behaviour of activist group Pride In Protest. You can view Motions 1-5 here. We have designed these to hold Pride In Protest accountable for the damage their behaviour has caused Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, its staff, board, volunteers and Parade participants.For the past week, the Star Observer has published articles in relation to these motions.

open letter that Victoria Police should not attend the Midsumma Pride March next month in Melbourne’s St Kilda.The open letter, which was published online on Tuesday, has attracted signatures from over 100 activists, academics, writers and performers.  A post shared by Joshua Badge (@joshua_badge)According to Pedestrian.TV, Victoria Police “confirmed in December it would attend” the February 6 event.Badge and Gafa wrote, “while some people can safely interact with police, their presence makes many more people in our communities unsafe.”This comes after a recent finding from the Victorian Pride Lobby revealed that four in five LGBTQI people do not trust Victoria Police.Badge told Pedestrian.TV that Pride March needs to be one where “all LGBTQIA+ people feel safe and are able to attend and participate.”They said Victoria Police “have ignored issues on this concern,” and they hope the open letter “encourages them to listen to community.”Gafa also told the news outlet Victoria Police is an “organisation in need of some good press” and “participating at Pride is a way of making the organisation seem progressive and LGBTQ-friendly when it isn’t in practice.”Badge and Gafa also highlighted in the letter that “police violence are everyday experiences for many people.”They reassure everyone is “welcome” but are calling for the “decentring of police.”“We want to see Pride exist in solidarity with communities worldwide and follow the example of Auckland, Brisbane, NYC, and Toronto Pride,” they wrote.“Pride March should be led by and for LGBTIQA+ communities.

Midsumma Festival always sell out first and this year there is a choice of four queer pool parties. Community Darling, Frock Hudson hosts Thorne Harbour Health’s Queer Pool Party at the Prahran Aquatic Centre on 30 January.

By Evan Van ZijlMardi Gras has always been a broad tent as it contains all the different sections of our community. We have never been in agreement.One of the biggest donors to One Nation in the country is a gay man, as are some of the most ardent socialists, and in Mardi Gras, this distinction rises to the top.

ABC reported the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is allowing people who have had COVID-19 to donate blood a week after recovering from it.Queer men expressed their annoyance and anger on as the Red Cross has not eased the restrictions on blood donations in Australia for men who have same-sex sexual relations.One person responded to the ABC article via with the tweet, “Maybe if the Red Cross weren’t discriminatory against Gay, Trans and Non-Binary people, there would be more people who could donate?”Maybe if the Red Cross weren't discrimatory against Gay, Trans and Non Binary people, there would be more people who could donate?— Lady_Caster (@Noir_Duck) January 18, 2022Another person tweeted, “I was born with a toxic blood condition and cannot donate. My blood type is LGBTIQA-positive….”I was born with a toxic blood condition and cannot donate.

THE GOLDEN PALACE ON HULUEvery queer person of a certain age has at least one friend obsessed with The Golden Girls, to the point they can recite dialogue from any number of episodes verbatim. Bet they can’t do the same when it comes to The Golden Palace.

15 resolutions proposed for the imminent Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) Annual General Meeting (AGM) must be very concerned at the sharpness of internal conflicts in our movement and the calls from both “sides” to suppress debate, exclude many LGBTQI+ groups from the Parade and to expel individuals from SGLMG itself.We 78ers call on all members of SGLMG to embrace the importance of inclusiveness, open discussion and democracy in SGLMG. That the situation has reached this nadir only underlines the need for the SGLMG Board to focus on mediation, conciliation and conflict resolution and to stop right now the “let’s destroy them completely” option now afoot.This is the best way for members to call a halt to this unconstructive conflict and to tell the two “sides” to change direction.

A post shared by Adam Rippon (@adaripp)He told People magazine, “we always wanted to do something simple and just the two of us.”Rippon and Kajaala, or as he usually refers to by his initials “JP”, married in Encino, California, which Rippon describes as “the happiest place on earth.”According to People magazine, not even Rippon’s publicist knew he was about to get married.“I think everybody knew that we were going to do it and I think nobody knew if we were going to give them a heads up or not. And I guess we didn’t even know if we were giving ourselves a heads up,” he said.

 The Trans Pride Concert will be held on February 12, 2022 in the heart of Melbourne at Fed Square, and the Trans Pride March is scheduled to be held in November 2022 to coincide with Trans Awareness week. “The trans community has long been marginalised and we still face countless oppressions and stigmatisation from the broader community,” Rebeckah Loveday told the Star Observer. “To showcase who we are in a public space, will allow our community to come together and celebrate who we are but also show the broader community, we are more than just the labels that are placed upon us,” said Loveday. The organisers reckon it’s one of the first march and concert of its kind in Australia, organised by the trans community to showcase trans excellence and talent on stage. The concert is being planned as a three-hour extravaganza, showcasing performers from the trans and gender diverse community in Victoria. Racerager, Kindred Surprise, Sei Vainalei Chen Pao, Jade Starr, The Trans Showgirls and Stone Motherless Cold have been confirmed as talent for the event. “There will be a smoking ceremony and welcome to country.

Fisting) and it’s thrilling to report that the experience has broadened my horizons and hopefully might help broaden yours too!I was lucky enough to have a contact with whom to speak of such things. BJ has been running classes on kink and fetish in Melbourne since 2005. He took time out from his busy schedule to answer a few of my pressing questions and his generous answers were a fascinating insight into a fascinating world.When asked about the difference between kink and fetish, BJ says, “I think over the years this has become very blurry and people can be a little divided on it.

On the night of her stand-up debut, nearly a decade ago, Paris Sashay had a case of the nerves.“We get to the club, and there’s about 60 people and a comedian on stage,” she recalls. “He’s not having a good set, because people are not laughing and were talking. Now I’m really scared.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATERThe acclaimed modern dance company, founded more than 60 years ago, has been an integral part of programming at the Kennedy Center from the very start, performing at the arts complex’s formal opening ceremony in 1971. This year, the company returns to celebrate the center’s 50th anniversary with a week-long run of performances in the Opera House.Per tradition, every performance ends with Revelations, the signature masterpiece Ailey created in tribute to his African-American heritage, drawing inspiration from childhood memories of growing up in the Black church in Texas as well as from the writings of James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.

Night Call (★★★★☆) is the third album to be released under the name Years & Years, now Alexander’s solo project following the departure of Emre Türkmen and Mikey Goldsworthy from the group. As much as Alexander’s personality shone on Years & Years’ first two albums, going solo has allowed him to showcase the beautifully twisted contents of his mind like never before.The album starts on a strong foot with “Consequences,” a funky, synthy opener that is unmistakably a Years & Years track.

Flee (}}}) aptly illustrates his point, tracing the refugee journey of gay Afghan scholar Amin Nawabi.Amin, friends with Rasmussen since the two met as classmates in the ’90s, had long kept hidden the full, harrowing true story of how he escaped from war-torn Kabul across Europe to Denmark. As Rasmussen explains in voiceover, he had always been curious about how this Afghan teenager simply one day appeared at their small-town Danish high school.

Midsumma Festival this year with her first original show in four years.

ticket to a wild Saturday all night party that follows with queen of the night Bathsheba and her two guest drag artists presiding. Pride of our Footscray Community Bar – 1/86-88 Hopkins St, Footscray on 29 January at 8pm Star Observer’s Midsumma fg (Festival Guide)© Star Observer 2022 | For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, be sure to visit

By Blade MandersImagine this; life is pretty good, you’re working an amazing job, caring for some of the most incredible and vulnerable people and then one day, on the drive home from what can only be described as a pretty unremarkable night shift, you hear a story on the news about a virus.Like you do with most things you see or hear on the radio, news or , you think nothing of it.Only, news of this virus spreads fast and hot, with numbers increasing daily; it isn’t long before this virus makes world headline news “Coronavirus has now been classed as a global pandemic.”That is when everything changed. Over the past two years, I have been tested.COVID-19 destroyed my goal of becoming a nurse in Scotland at one of the largest tertiary hospitals in Europe; it made me question my integrity.