U.S. Supreme Court rules that a web designer can refuse work for same-sex weddings

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled that the constitutional right to free speech allows certain businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, a decision that the dissenting liberal justices called a "license to discriminate."

The justices ruled 6-3 along ideological lines in favor of Denver-area web designer Lorie Smith, who cited her Christian beliefs in challenging a Colorado anti-discrimination law. The justices overturned a lower court's ruling that had rejected Smith's bid for an exemption from a Colorado law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors.

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the ruling that Colorado's law would force Smith to create speech that she does not believe, in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. "Were the rule otherwise, the better the artist, the finer the writer, the more unique his talent, the more easily his voice could be conscripted to disseminate the government's preferred messages. That would not respect the First Amendment; more nearly, it would spell its demise", Gorsuch wrote.

The court's three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: "Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class." And she added: "By issuing this new license to discriminate in a case brought by a company that seeks to deny same-sex couples the full and equal enjoyment of its services, the immediate, symbolic effect of the decision is to mark gays and lesbians for second-class status".

President Joe Biden criticized the ruling: "In America, no person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love. More broadly, today's decision weakens long-standing laws that protect all Americans against discrimination in public accommodations - including people of color, people with disabilities, people of faith and women".

For years, the justices have side-stepped the difficult issue presented by business owners who don't want to comply with public accommodation laws for same-sex weddings. Florists, photographers, and a baker all went to court arguing that they should not have to use their artistry for same-sex weddings. But the court either declined to review lower court rulings or, in the case of the baker who refused to make a custom wedding cake for a same-sex couple, the court punted.

Now, however, the new conservative supermajority (appointed by Trump) reached out in an unusually aggressive manner, agreeing to decide a case in which nobody had yet filed a claim of discrimination.

Read the decision here.

The party is over thanks to Trump

ElDorado, a new documentary about the Berlin's nightspot in Nazi Germany

ElDorado, a nightspot that gives the new Netflix documentary its name, was an LGBTQ haven during Germany’s Weimar Republic, popular among Berlin’s trans population. It was also, as the film’s subtitle puts: Everything the Nazis Hate. 

The doc is a broader story about being gay in Nazi Germany. It’s a tale of wild nights, forbidden relationships, and, eventually, horrible consequences, a decadent scene leading to a nightmare conclusion. 

The film makes its greatest impact through the individual stories weaved throughout the bigger picture, the internal conflicts, the passions shared, the lives destroyed. Some of the main characters are well-known, like Gottfried von Cramm the No. 1 ranked player in the world in 1937, and Magnus Hirschfeld a groundbreaking sexologist, both gay and Jewish and therefore a prime target of Nazi.

ElDorado is one of those documentaries that gives texture and context, faces and voices, to a well-chronicled period and set of circumstances. It does so with style, sensitivity, and a respect for the history it examines. 

Here we experience the decadence that thrived before the fall, at a hideaway for those whose differences would soon mark them for prison, exile or, in many cases, death (it is estimated that between 5,000 and 15,000 gay people died in the concentration camps).

Watch the trailer below:

Belgium closer to criminalise conversion therapies

Belgium’s parliamentary Justice Committee approved a bill to criminalise conversion therapies for LGBTQ people and give out prison sentences and fines for people who use conversion practices.

Suggesting, inciting or advertising conversion therapy will also become punishable.

A judge could also impose a professional ban of up to five years if the crime was committed in a professional context.

The proposal includes an eight-day to a two-year prison sentence and a fine of €208 to €2,400 for people who use conversion practices. 

The bill still needs to be approved by the rest of the Federal Parliament to enter into force.

Apart from being immoral and ineffective, conversion therapies can involve dangerous practices such as electric shocks, beatings or “corrective rape”, which can be harmful to the physical and mental health of the victims, on top of being stigmatising and discriminatory.

A lot of countries already banned conversion therapy, but it has to be banned around the world!!!

In color, which countries banned conversion therapies

A Pride to remember

Pride is a 2014 British historical comedy-drama film written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus. Based on a true story, it depicts a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the British miners' strike in 1984, at the outset of what would become the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign.

Upon watching the news about the miners' strike, gay activist Mark Ashton realises that the police have stopped harassing the gay community because their attention is elsewhere. He spontaneously arranges a bucket collection for the miners during the Gay Pride Parade in London. Encouraged by the success, he founds Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM). Among its first members are 20-year-old closeted student Joe Cooper and an older gay couple Gethin and Jonathan, whose bookshop (called Gay's the Word) they use as headquarters.

At first, LGSM faces opposition from the mining community who do not wish to associate with them, as well as within the gay community who feel that the miners have mistreated them in the past. But almost by accident a mini-bus full of gays find themselves in the Welsh village of Onllwyn in the Dulais valley and through their sincere fund raising and Jonathan's nifty disco moves persuade most of the community that they are on the same side. Many grateful miners acknowledge LGSM's role in their release, relations begin to thaw and the two communities quickly become close. 

In March 1985, the miners are defeated and the strike is over and return to work. Surpriseling, at the Pride march the following year a vast contingent of miners show up to repay their comrades with their show of support.

Happy Pride Month!!!

Thousands celebrate Pride in Istanbul despite march was banned by authorities

Thousands of people have lined the streets to celebrate Istanbul Pride, despite the march being banned by authorities again. Demonstrators gathered in the Turkish city to promote rights for gay and transgender people, before the police dispersed the crowd.

Thousands of rainbow-donned activists take to the streets, as many marched with flags. Istanbul Pride organisers said the city's governor's office banned the march from central Taksim district as well as a square designated for demonstrations west of the city.

Amnesty International urged Turkish authorities to lift the "arbitrary ban" on the pride march. It said authorities rejected all suggested locations in the city by deeming the LGBTQ community "societally objectionable".

No step backward Türkiye!!!

Democrats reintroduce the Equality Act

Democrats in both chambers of U.S. Congress reintroduced the Equality Act, legislation the party has sought to pass for more than a decade that would extend federal nondiscrimination protections to include LGBTQ Americans.

The lawmakers announced the move in a press conference convened by U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) who, respectively, reintroduced the Equality Act in the House along with its companion bill in the Senate.

The legislators and LGBTQ advocacy group leaders delivered remarks stressing the importance of passing the Equality Act, noting its unanimous support from Democrats in both chambers.

Comments from Democratic leaders also focused on the fraught political environment with respect to LGBTQ rights and the ways in which the Equality Act represents a continuation of some of the most important work the Congress has undertaken to protect Americans from discrimination.

Several members who spoke, including House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, invoked the memory of their late colleague, congressman and iconic civil rights activist John Lewis, who, in a manner consistent with the principles to which he dedicated his life and career, was an early and ardent champion of the Equality Act.

“As extreme MAGA state legislators across the country continue their assault on LGBTQ Americans, especially the trans community, the fight against bigotry and discrimination remains urgent as ever,” Pelosi warned.

Under the leadership of former Congressman David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the legislation was passed in the lower chamber in 2019 and 2021 but ultimately failed to move through the Senate.

A majority supports gay marriage in India

More than half of India’s population are in favour of same-sex marriage, according to a new study carried out by the Pew Research Center.

Approximately 53 per cent said they either ‘somewhat favour’ or ‘strongly favour’ same-sex marriage.

Support was higher among those who selected ‘strongly favour’ compared with those who chose ‘somewhat support’ at a rate of 28 per cent to 25 per cent, respectively.

The legalisation of same-sex marriage is currently a contentious issue in India, with the country’s Supreme Court looking into whether or not to bring about marriage equality.

Gay sex was decriminalised in 2018, bringing an end to a historic law introduced during Britain’s colonial rule.

It's time India!!!

Estonia legalizes same-sex marriage

 

Estonia's parliament approved a law to legalise same-sex marriage, making it the first Baltic state to do so. The law will come into effect from 2024.

Two adults will be able to marry “regardless of their gender,” after the parliament approved amendments to the country’s Family Law Act.

The bill received 55 votes in the 101-seat parliament, from the coalition of liberal and social democratic parties which Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has assembled following her strong win in the 2023 election. 

“Everyone should have the right to marry the person they love and want to commit to,” Kallas said. “With this decision, we are finally stepping among other Nordic countries as well as all the rest of the democratic countries in the world where marriage equality has been granted".

Same-sex marriage is legal in much of western Europe but not in Baltic countries which were once under communist rule and members of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact alliance.

Latvia and Lithuania, the other two Baltic countries which were previously annexed by the Soviet Union, have same-sex partnership bills stuck in their parliaments.

Congratulations Estonia!!!

Happy Father’s Day!

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, celebrated Father’s Day this year with adorable messages to their children and to each other.

The two are dads to twins Penelope and Gus, which makes Pete the first out cabinet member who is a parent. Chasten took to Medium to write a post to the twins about becoming their father and about meeting them for the first time.

“You are so, so wanted and loved and celebrated. I will always do my best to make sure you know that,” Chasten wrote. “I love being your Dada. I am so lucky to be your Dada. And I love getting to be your Dada with Papa at my side.”

In a tweet, Pete not only gave a shout-out to his other half but also wrote about his own dad:  “Thinking today about all I learned from my father and how much I miss him, about the kind of dad I try to be for our son and daughter every day, and about how lucky I am to be parenting alongside the amazing dad that is Chasten.

Happy Father's Day!

A pact between conservatives and far-right parties is growing in Spain

 

With about a month to go before Spaniards cast ballots in national elections, it increasingly looks likely that Spain's mainstream conservatives, now in the opposition, are prepared to govern with the far-right Vox party.

Not long ago it seemed unthinkable that Vox, given its extreme views on gays, immigrants, women's rights and the European Union, could enter into national government. But with the far-right party's popularity growing, Spain's center-right Popular Party may be forced to align with it following elections.

Polls show the Popular Party winning the elections with about 34% of the vote, but they look destined to need the support of Vox to obtain an absolute majority with which to govern. Surveys show Vox picking up about 14% of the vote.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's center-left Socialists are projected to come in second with about 26% of the vote; but surveys suggest a left-wing coalition headed by the Socialists appears unlikely to gain enough support to stay in power.

But since the Popular Party and Vox emerged victorious in local elections in May, the two parties have forged alliances in various municipal governments and in a second regional chamber. President Sánchez warned that the normalization of Vox was a dangerous development.

The rise of Vox is part of a wider trend across the European Union of far-right parties expounding nationalist, traditionalist, anti-immigrant, anti-EU, anti-LGBTQ and anti-environmental views. Its members also express admiration for former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.

Spain may stop Vox at the polls.

The largest European Gay Pride is in Madrid

Estonia may become the first of the Baltic states to legalise same-sex marriage

 

Lauri Hussar, the President of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament), has spoken about his intentions to support a change in the law ahead of an upcoming vote. He said a change could be expected in as soon as two or three weeks. 

When asked if Estonia be the first of the Baltic states to allow same-sex marriage, he said: “I hope so, because we have the Liberal government, we have the liberal Reform Party, we have the social democrats, and I am myself from the party Estonia 200.

“We are the only party which has same-sex marriage in our programme. So, therefore, I think we’re going to do it. It is not an issue like it has been six or seven years ago, the mood has changed.”

Hussar referenced a recent statistic from public opinion polls that showed more than 50 percent of Estonians are supporting same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, fellow Baltic state Lithuania is currently considering a law change to allow for same-sex civil unions, but currently not marriage. 

It's time Estonia!!

Tallin Pride is the biggest LGBTQ event in Estonia

Spanish soccer legend Joaquin supports former teammates in response to homophobic slurs

The legend of Spanish soccer league and former player of Real Betis and Valencia, Joaquin Sanchez, came up with a unique way of supporting former teammates Borja Iglesias and Aitor Ruibal.

The pair were abused online with homophobic slurs for the bags that they had with them while attending a wedding of staff member at Betis.

After this, Ruibal released a series of tweets: “After the frustrated attempts by a noisy minority to ridicule my colleague Borja Iglesias and me, in reference to our clothing as well as its supposed link to our sexual orientation, I just want to underline:

• The importance of maintaining respect for any person, regardless of their sexual orientation or of any kind.
• The need, once and for all, to normalise and live together, rejecting and moving away from any type of phobia, to make it possible to live normally in our society.
• Condemn homophobia, which evidently continues to exist to a greater or lesser extent, and fight for its eradication.
• Those who at this point continue to show behaviours of this type urgently need help. The problem is with them because of their intolerance and their complexes.”

Iglesias then took to social media himself, congratulating Ruibal for his commentary.

Several days later, Joaquin went one step further to supporting them, wearing not only a large handbag, but a dress too. He captioned the photo, posted on his Instagram: "I’m waiting for you in Ibiza. You’re starting a trend."

Bravo Joaquin!!!

The wedding's photo

4 million people pack the streets for ‘world’s largest Pride’ in São Paulo

4 million people participated in São Paulo’s annual Pride parade that took place in the Brazilian city. The  Parade is one of the largest Pride Parades in the world.

Every year, São Paulo Gay Pride comprises an incredible pride parade which travels down the Avenida Paulista. On top of the Pride Parade, there are a range of LGBTQ-related activities and events which take place during São Paulo Gay Pride. 

In fact, while the official schedule runs for five days, things start happening in the city three weeks before the final weekend. Expect everything from concerts, dance performances, fairs, street markets and queer-related debates and plays. 

Same-sex marriage is legal in Brazil since 2013, but the country does not provide LGBTQ discrimination protections, and attitudes towards LGBTQ people are still negative in many areas. 

Leftist Brazil's president Lula Da Silva defeated the far-right Bolsonaro in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election that took place in October 2022. One of his first decisions has been to re-establish the National Council of LGBTQ rights, a body of advisors charged with proposing policies and supporting campaigns aimed towards support for the LGBTQ community in Brazil.

Happy Pride!!!

Romania and Ukraine condemned by European Court for not recognizing gay marriage

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have issued rulings in recent weeks finding that Romania and Ukraine violated the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to provide any form of legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples. 

In both cases, same-sex couples living in these countries attempted to marry but their attempts were rejected by local officials, leading to unsatisfactory efforts to get local courts to rule against the governments. 

The governments invoked public opposition to marriage equality and argued that same-sex couples could enter into contracts that would deal with some of the issues they were raising. Both governments asserted that the issue of civil unions for same-sex partners was being studied and had reached various stages of serious consideration, but in neither country was affirmative legislative action imminent. 

The governments argued that under the concept of “margin of appreciation” recognized under European Convention case law, they should not be compelled to provide marriages or civil unions for same-sex couples affording the same rights enjoyed by married different-sex couples.

The ECHR ruled two articles of the European Convention are brought into play by these cases, Articles 8 and 14.

Article 8: "Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

Article 14: "The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in the Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth, or other status.”

The European Court concludes that Articles 8 and 14, either individually or considered in conjunction with each other, require states that are parties to the convention to open up the right to marry to same-sex couples. 

ILGA-Europe recently produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe. The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

It's time Romania and Ukraine!!!

Is Ukraine really changing on LGBTQ rights?

Rock Hudson documentary's trailer debuts

Legendary gay leading man Rock Hudson is the subject of a new documentary from HBO, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed, and it releases on HBO June 28.

The documentary tells the story of Hudson as a man who lived a double life; while his public persona was meticulously curated by his handlers, controlled by the studio system, and falsely anchored by a lavender marriage, Hudson had to keep his homosexuality behind closed doors due to anti-gay sentiments at the time, and because the revelation of which would’ve shattered his career.

Though his friends and colleagues in the film industry knew he was gay, Hudson kept his sexual identity a secret throughout his life. He was one of the premiere leading men in Hollywood in the '50s and '60s.

Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness. His passing rocked the world and helped bring the HIV/AIDS crisis into the public eye.

Now, HBO has debuted an emotional trailer for the film, which puts a spotlight on the star's life in the Hollywood closet, as well as his tragic death from AIDS-related complications in 1985. Check the trailer below:

Archbishop of Canterbury urges Ugandan church to reject new anti-gay law

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed his “grief and dismay” at a Ugandan law banning homosexuality in a letter urging Church officials in the country to reject it.

Lead bishop Justin Welby wrote to Ugandan Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba publicly condemning Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act. “I make this public statement with sorrow, and with continuing prayers for reconciliation between our churches and across the Anglican Communion,” he wrote.

“I am deeply aware of the history of colonial rule in Uganda, so heroically resisted by its people. But this is not about imposing Western values on our Ugandan Anglican sisters and brothers. It is about reminding them of the commitments we have made as Anglicans to treat every person with the care and respect they deserve as children of God,” Welby added.

The new law prohibites Ugandan citizens from advocating or promoting LGBTQ rights on top of already stringent laws against consensual same-sex intimacy. It also introduces a clause on “aggravated homosexuality”, defined as having sex with a minor or while HIV positive, which carries the death sentence.

200,000 march in Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride Parade

200,000 people from around the world gathered in Tel Aviv to march in the largest pride parade in the Middle East. The crowds have grown so big over the years that this time around the organizers moved the event from the seaside promenade to a larger venue. 

The Pride Parade in Tel Aviv is a holiday for the LGBTQ community, which symbolizes the uniqueness and openness of the city and brings Israel much respect around the globe.

The Tel Aviv Pride parade is not just a celebration, but an important declaration of support and an opportunity to promote equal rights for all. We will continue to support and celebrate our local LGBTQ culture and act as a welcoming destination for the International gay community.

Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor said: “Tel Aviv, which has already been acknowledged as the world's "most gay-friendly city and as a beacon for liberty, pluralism and tolerance is proud to be home to a large and diverse LGBTQ population".

Recently, thousands of people marched in Jerusalem Pride parade too, amid tight security, drew bigger crowds than usual in a show of force against Israel’s new far-right government.

Israel is a rare bastion of tolerance for the LGBTQ community in the conservative Middle East, where homosexuality is widely considered taboo and is outlawed in some places.

Happy Pride!!!

State of emergency over anti-LGBTQ laws declared by Human Rights Campaign

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the U.S., “following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year.”

America’s largest LGBTQ organization, which has never before made such an announcement in its 40+-year history, also featured findings from its new report, LGBTQ Americans Under Attack, which “details more than 75 anti-LGBTQ bills that have been signed into law this year alone, more than doubling last year’s number, which was previously the worst year on record.”

In a press release, HRC explained: “The sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ measures has spawned a dizzying patchwork of discriminatory state laws that have created increasingly hostile and dangerous environments for LGBTQ people, prompting HRC today to also issue a national warning and downloadable guidebook for the LGBTQ community. “

“The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived, they are real, tangible and dangerous. In many cases they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states, and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk.”

More than 450 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced across Republican states in the U.S., but Biden’s Administration spoken out against the “hateful and dangerous” attacks on LGBTQ. In this respect, President Joe Biden criticised lawmakers trying to ban gender-affirming healthcare and called their actions “immoral”.

Check state of LGBTQ rights in U.S. here.

Almost 10% adults identifies as LGBTQ says a global survey

Nearly 1 in 10 adults across 30 countries identify as LGBTQ, according to a new global survey. Globally, LGBTQ visibility has increased since 2021, when the last global survey was conducted.

Ipsos, a market-research company, surveyed 22,514 participants in 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia in February and March 2023, and found that 3% identified as lesbian or gay, 4% as bisexual, 0.9% as pansexual or omnisexual, and 0.9% as asexual. 

Survey respondents in Generation Z (born after 1997) were two times as likely as millennials (born in 1981 to 1996) to identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual or asexual, and four times as likely as those in Generation X (1965 to 1980) or baby boomers (1948 to 1964).

When survey results were broken down by geography, respondents in Spain were the most likely (6%) to identify as gay or lesbian, while those in Brazil and the Netherlands were the most likely to identify as bisexual (both 7%). By contrast, respondents in Japan were the least likely to identify as gay or lesbian (less than 1%) or as bisexual (1%).

More than half of all respondents (56%) said gay marriage should be legal. In the countries surveyed where same-sex marriage is already legal, support for it ranged to 80%.

And more than three quarters (76%) of those surveyed said transgender people should be protected from discrimination in employment, housing and businesses such as restaurants and stores.

Check the survey's results here.

Brazil and Spain have the highest percentage of self-identified LGBTQ people

U.S. Federal judge rules Tennessee’s anti-drag law unconstitutional

A U.S. federal judge ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or in places where children could view them is unconstitutional, finding that it violates freedom of speech protections.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker said in his ruling that the law, which Gov. Bill Lee (Republican) signed in March, is both “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad.” 

The law says an “adult cabaret performance” is unlawful if it happens on public property or in a location where the performance “could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.” It defines such a performance as one that is harmful to minors and includes topless dancers, “exotic” dancers, strippers and male or female impersonators. 

Parker had issued a preliminary injunction at the end of March to block the law from taking effect. He agreed with Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based theater group that produces drag performances, comedy sketches and plays, that the state’s Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) could apply “just about anywhere.”

Friends of George’s argued that the law would violate its free speech and put its members at risk of felony charges over the shows that it has held for years. The group argued that the law is overly broad because it applies to minors of all ages and anywhere that a minor could be. 

Parker agreed with the argument, ruling that the AEA was passed “for the impermissible purpose of chilling constitutionally-protected speech.” 

He ruled that the state has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, but the law is not the least restrictive nor most narrowly tailored way that it could accomplish this without violating free speech. 

According to a new poll, most adults said they oppose laws restricting drag shows or performances as Republicans in several states push to block the shows from being seen by children. 

Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer stars Fellow Travelers series

Fellow Travelers is a series created by American writer Ron Nyswaner, based on the novel by Thomas Mallon. It is an epic love story and political thriller, chronicling the volatile romance of two very different men who meet in McCarthy-era Washington. 

Matt Bomer plays handsome, charismatic Hawkins Fuller, who maintains a financially rewarding, behind-the scenes career in politics. He avoids emotional entanglements until he meets Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey), a young man brimming with idealism and religious faith. 

They begin a romance just as Joseph McCarthy & Roy Cohn declare war on "subversives & sexual deviants," initiating one of the darkest periods in 20th-century American history. 

Over the course of four decades, we follow our five main characters: Hawk, Tim, Marcus (Jelani Alladin), Lucy (Allison Williams), Frankie (Noah J. Ricketts), as they cross paths through the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, the drug-fueled disco hedonism of the 1970s, and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, while facing many obstacles in the world…

There will be eight episodes total, but no release date is set yet, but they're dropping this teaser to kick off Pride Month:

Thousands march in Jerusalem Pride parade despite new far-right government

Thousands of people marched in Jerusalem Pride parade, an annual event that took place for the first time under Israel’s new far-right government, which is stacked with openly homophobic members.

The march in the conservative city is always tense and tightly secured by police, and has been wracked by violence in the past. But this year, Israel finds itself deeply riven over a contentious government plan to overhaul the judiciary. The plan has torn open longstanding societal divisions between those who want to preserve Israel’s liberal values and those who seek to shift it toward more religious conservatism.

Jerusalem’s march is typically more subdued than the one in gay-friendly Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands of revelers pour into the streets for a massive, multicolored party. But Jerusalem’s parade, amid tight security, drew bigger crowds than usual in a show of force against the government and its plan to reshape the legal system.

“There isn’t one struggle in Israel for democracy, and another one for LGBTQ+ rights,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a speech to the crowd. “It’s the same struggle, against the same enemies, in the name of the same values.”

Israel is generally tolerant toward the LGBTQ community, a rarity in the conservative Middle East, where homosexuality is widely considered taboo and is outlawed in some places. Members of the LGBTQ community serve openly in Israel’s military and parliament, and many popular artists and entertainers are openly gay.

Tel Aviv Pride Parade is one of the largest in the world