Fellow Travelers, a decades-long gay story with American historical events

Showtime’s adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel Fellow Travelers is an epic voyage across LGBTQ U.S. history spanning four decades, from the 1950s to 1980s. 

Considered one of the darkest periods to exist as a queer person in the U.S., the story traces the LGBTQ rights movement from McCarthy-era persecution of homosexuals through to the assassination of Harvey Milk and the AIDS epidemic.

However, the beating heart of this eight-episode political thriller is the tension-filled forbidden love between Catholic college graduate Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey) and State Department political upstart Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer).

They are joined by a standout ensemble cast, including Black political journalist Marcus Hooks (Jelani Alladin), his lover and dazzling drag queen Frankie Hines (Noah Ricketts), sharp-minded lesbian secretary Mary Johnson (Noah Heufer) and Hawkins’ wife Lucy Smith (Allison Williams).

Hiding and staying hidden may be the most present theme, but every thread remains intentional and essential. Through each decade we witness, this is a story about the complications of guilt and love and how each manifests differently for different people. The love between Tim and Hawk is never confused or abandoned for another plotline but woven into the show's other themes expertly. 

This is one of the best miniseries of the year!

Watch the trailer below:

Democrat Rep. introduces bills to create a National Museum of American LGBTQ History and Culture

A Democrat politician has introduced two bills to the U.S. Congress aimed at beginning the process of creating a national museum dedicated to queer history and culture. 

The two bills were introduced by openly gay Wisconsin Democrat Mark Pocan, who has campaigned for LGBTQ rights for a number of years and is also the chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. 

In order to create the National Museum of American LGBTQ History and Culture, the two bills would establish a commission to study the potential of creating the museum and  then establish it within the Smithsonian Institution.

The commission would undertake an 18 month study to examine the viability of establishing the museum, whereby they would be required to develop a fundraising plan, look at the availability and cost of acquiring collections and submit a plan of action to Congress to establish and construct the museum. 

After the commission completes its work and issues its recommendations, Congress would then consider the second bill which would formally create the museum.

The initiative has garnered support from all eight LGBTQ co-chairs of the Equality Caucus, including Representatives Mark Takano of California, Sharice Davids of Kansas, Robert Garcia of California, Becca Balint of Vermont, Ritchie Torres of New York, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, Angie Craig of Minnesota, and Eric Sorensen of Illinois, who joined Pocan in introducing the legislation.

A pro-Trump and anti-LGBTQ rights is the new Speaker of the U.S. House

Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House of Representatives, is one of the most conservative lawmakers in Congress, and his positions on LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, and democracy have drawn significant attention since he was officially elected by his colleagues.

Johnson’s voting record includes opposing the Respect for Marriage Act and the Equality Act, and introducing a federal version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill in Louisiana, but his history of opposing LGBTQ rights extends far beyond his time on Capitol Hill.

“Homosexuals do not meet the criteria for a suspect class under the equal protection clause because they are neither disadvantaged nor identified on the basis of immutable characteristics, as all are capable of changing their abnormal lifestyles,” Johnson wrote in The Times, a local newspaper in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Johnson also likened marriage equality to marrying pets, and he argued “polygamists, polyamorists, pedophiles, and others will be next in line to claim equal protection.”

Johnson’s political extremism has been evident in other areas. Aiding Donald Trump in his quest to overturn the 2020 election, Johnson led an amicus brief to toss votes in four swing states that had backed Joe Biden.

In electing Mike Johnson as Speaker, House Republicans have empowered a figure with far-right ideology, anti-democratic principles, and LGBTQ hate.

Read the GLAAD statement on the election of Mike Johnson here.

A Trumper is the 3rd in line after President Biden and VP Harris

National Hockey League reverses pride tape ban

The National Hockey League (NHL) confirmed in a short statement on its website that it has reversed a decision earlier this month to prohibit its players from placing tape on their hockey sticks representing social causes, including rainbow-colored Pride Tape in support of the LGBTQ community.

The reversal by the NHL came after a groundswell of opposition surfaced opposing the ban from a wide range of LGBTQ supportive sports organizations as well as from some NHL team hockey players. 

“After consultation with the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, Players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season,” the NHL said in its statement.

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America, comprising 25 teams in the United States and 7 teams in Canada. 

#PrideTape

Gay people arrested in Nigeria again, until when?

More than 70 young people were arrested by security forces on charges of organising a gay wedding in Nigeria, where such unions are criminalised and violence against the LGBTQ community is widespread.

"We apprehended 76 suspected homosexuals at a birthday party organised by one of them who was due to marry his fiancé at the event," said a spokesman for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, a paramilitary organisation under the government.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in Nigeria under a 2014 law, and punishable by 14 years in prison.

Intimidation of the LGBTQ community is rife in Nigeria, and in recent years the security forces have carried out numerous raids on parties where they believe weddings are taking place. 

Gombe State, where the arrests took place is also one of the northern states with a Muslim majority where Islamic Sharia law is applied alongside the federal and state judicial systems. Under Sharia law, homosexual relations are punishable by death.

Enough is enough!!!

Out footballer Jake Daniels awarded by Attitude

Jake Daniels, 18, is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League One club Blackpool.

In May 2022 Jake came out, becoming the UK's only male professional footballer to be publicly out at the time since Justin Fashanu.

He cited fellow footballer Josh Cavallo and diver Tom Daley as helping him come out. His decision to come out was praised by FA president Prince William, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and England captain Harry Kane.

Jake made his announcement the same month that he made his professional debut for his League One club. He told, “For a long time I’ve thought I would have to hide my truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer.”

Jake said coming out is the best thing he’s ever done. “When I did it, it was the best thing that happened to me. My life, everything just fell into place perfectly for me. It has just been amazing.”

“That’s my life. I can’t change that. And I’m a footballer, so I’m going to play football. I’m going to be gay; no one’s going to stop me from doing that,” he added.

He also declared that the love and support of his boyfriend is one of the reasons why his life is so amazing. Despite their age gap (his partner is 46), he affirms he’s definitely found his soulmate and he couldn’t be more happy.

Now, he has been received the Gamechanger award by Attitude.

Congratulations Jake!!!

End the silence on women's drama and LGBTQ people in Afghanistan

Rainbow Afghanistan, a grassroots organisation that campaigns for LGBTQ rights in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, has hit out at the UN and other human rights organisations for ignoring their community in a furious open letter.

The group said it is aware of LGBTQ people who have been tortured and killed since the militant group seized power in 2021. Some have fled to surrounding countries in a desperate bid to get to safety, while others have lost their lives due to suicide.

“We believe that the world has remained silent in front of this widespread and systematic crime against humanity in Afghanistan,” Rainbow Afghanistan’s open letter reads.

“In these two years, we have documented a small part of the terrible crimes that the Taliban have committed agains the LGBTQ community in Afghanistan. Our documentary reports indicate that at least 10 members of the Afghan Rainbow community are currently in the custody of the Taliban".

The group has pleaded with the United Nations and other human rights organisations, alongside western governments, to break their silence and to support the country’s embattled LGBTQ community.

“We want to end the silence of the international community regarding these tragedies as soon as possible. We want justice for the LGBTQ community of Afghanistan to be raised and realised".

Under sharia, conviction of same-sex sexual conduct is punishable by death, flogging or imprisonment. Individual Taliban members made public statements reiterating that their interpretation of sharia includes the death penalty for homosexuality.

Read the whole open letter here and sign here to save and voice the LGBTQ community of Afghanistan.

The fight for marriage equality continues in India despite Suprem Court ruling

 

The Indian Supreme Court unanimously rejected to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriage and left it to Parliament to change the law for such a union. The refusal came as a disappointment to LGBTQ activists. 

However, the Suprem Court hasn’t come up with anything substantial, beyond recognising that people of any gender have the right to live together as consenting adults, which was already there in the 2018 Navtej verdict.  

Now, the Indian government has been asked to form a committee to examine some of the rights that could be accorded to queer couples such as medical decision-making of a partner, inheritance, adoption, etc.

Despite all the shortcomings, the verdict is a glimmer of hope in the struggle for equal rights as it stipulates concrete measures to be implemented by various authorities to safeguard the rights of sexual minorities. 

Though the battle has been lost the fight towards equality would continue in India.

The fight for equal rights continues in India

Voters in Poland say enough to anti-LGBTQ policies of conservative Kaczyński's government

The majority of voters in Poland’s general election supported opposition parties that promised to reverse democratic backsliding and repair the nation’s relationship with allies, including the European Union and Ukraine, near-complete results showed.

The result was a disappointment for the ruling Law and Justice party and its leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who have governed Poland for eight years with a conservative, nationalist and sometimes anti-EU agenda.

Law and Justice has made hostility to gays a central focus of its campaign, depicting LGBTQ rights as a dangerous foreign idea that undermines traditional values.

The official ballot count suggested that voters had grown tired of the ruling party after eight years of divisive policies that led to frequent street protests, bitter divisions within families and billions in funding held up by the EU over rule of law violations and anti-LGBTQ policies.

Though it remains Poland’s biggest party, Law and Justice lost its majority in parliament, putting a centrist opposition led by former EU president Donald Tusk in a strong position to take over power.

New times in Poland.

Centrist Donald Tusk celebrates potential win in Poland

A new guide for trans and non-binary inclusion at work

The Chartered Insitute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an association of human resource professionals, have published a new guidance on how businesses can promote trans and non-binary inclusion in the workplace.

The guide provides professionals, employers, and people managers with the information needed to take an informed and proactive approach to supporting transgender and non-binary people at work, as part of a broader diversity, equity and inclusion policy.

The guide covers the key areas of the entire lifecycle of an employee from recruitment through to progression, as well as suggestions to build a more inclusive workplace culture.

The guide also suggests how HR teams and business leaders can support employees who are transitioning. They highlight long waiting times for gender-affirming care and the bullying, harassment and hostility, which is most likely to occur at the point of transition but can happen at any time.

Download the guide here

Photo project shows gay couples throughout history

Neal Treadwell and Hugh Nini searched for the oldest possible photos of men in same-sex relationships from around the world and throughout history in their book Loving.

The book portrays the history of romantic love between men in hundreds of moving and tender vernacular photographs taken between the years 1850 and 1950. 

This visual narrative of astonishing sensitivity brings to light an until-now-unpublished collection of hundreds of snapshots, portraits, and group photos taken in the most varied of contexts, both private and public.

Taken when male partnerships were often illegal, the photos here were found at flea markets, in shoe boxes, family archives, old suitcases, and later online and at auctions. 

The collection includes photos from all over the world: Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Japan, Greece, Latvia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Serbia. 

The subjects were identified as couples by that unmistakable look in the eyes of two people in love, impossible to manufacture or hide. 

Loving, published in five languages —Engish, French, German, Italian, and Spanish—, has been ranked #1 in six categories at Amazon including Photography History, Lifestyle Photography, Wedding Photography, LGBTQ Demographic Studies, and more. 

You can get the book here.

Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell

Major LGBTQ+ rights groups endorse President Biden for re-election

A coalition of leading LGBTQ+ rights groups, made up of Human Rights Campaign PAC, the National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund (NCTE), and the Equality PAC, has announced their endorsement of President Joe Biden.

The endorsement come after the administration’s historic and era-defining support for LGBTQ+ equality as crucial now more than ever.

President Biden's leadership is crucial now more than ever as LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency, experiencing unprecedented attacks from extremist politicians and their right wing allies in states across the country, who are working tirelessly to erase us.

Since taking office, President Biden has surpassed the efforts of all preceding administrations in his dedication to advancing the protections and rights of the transgender community. 

Without question, the Biden Administration has been the strongest advocate for the needs of LGBTQ+ Americans of any presidential administration in American history.

Thank you Mr. President!!!

Eismayer, a true gay story in the Austrian army

Eismayer, directed by David Wagner and based on true events, is a penetrating character study of an army man who has long hidden his homosexuality from his colleagues and family.

Charles Eismayer (Gerhard Liebmann) is a Sergeant Major who oversees the Fourth Guard company of the Austrian Armed Forces. 

Eismayer has a reputation for being ultra-demanding of his recruits, and he dehumanizes them as he readies them for service. 

But seeing him interact with his wife, Christina (Julia Koschitz), he is no less rigid, and disappoints her when she wants to book a vacation. 

He only seems to be kind to his young son, Dominik (Lion Tatzber), whom he indulges.

His desires are awakened when he trains Mario Falak (Luka Dimic), a handsome recruit who does not fear this legendary drillmaster.

Eismayer, premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, is an inspiring film that illustrates the power of the love these two men come to share.

Watch the trailer before:

Thank you Lewis!

 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton with a rainbow helmet in Qatar

Thank you!!!

Dozens of thousands marched one more year for LGBTQ rights in Montevideo

Uruguay has been a pioneer in the region in terms of the implementation of laws that protect the rights of LGBTQ people. 

They include the Comprehensive Law for Trans Persons; the Law on the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy; the Law Against Racism, Xenophobia and all forms of Discrimination, and the Law on Gender-Based Violence. Uruguay’s marriage equality law took effect in 2013.

Uruguay’s activists continue to emphasize the importance of continuing to fight for the effective implementation of policies that will improve LGBTQ people’s lives.

Various marches took place across the country, 30 years after Uruguay’s first queer rights demonstration. The march in Montevideo, the country’s capital, is an emblematic event to celebrate diversity and demand equal rights.

Known as the "Marcha por la Diversidad" in Spanish, the march brought together again dozens of thousands of people on the streets of Montevideo, this year under the proclamation “Basta de impunidad y saqueo de derechos” (Enough of impunity and looting of rights).

#MarchaDiversidadUY

Elite Season 7 release date: October 20th

Elite is a Spanish teen drama television series created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona for Netflix. 

Elite has been a critical and commercial success for Netflix. It has been renewed for a seventh season, which is scheduled to be released on October 20th.

The series is set in the fictional "Las Encinas", an elite private school in Spain, and follows the lives of the students, who come from different social and economic backgrounds. 

Elite has been praised for its diverse cast and its portrayal of complex social issues, such as classism, homophobia, and sexual assault.

The following cast members are confirmed to return for Season 7:

• Itzan Escamilla as Samuel García Domínguez
• Arón Piper as Ander Muñoz
• Mina El Hammani as Nadia
• Miguel Bernardeau as Guzman
• Omar Ayuso as Omar Shanaa
• Georgina Amorós as Cayetana Grajera
• Carla Díaz as Ariadna “Ari” Blanco Commerford

And it will feature some new additions to the cast lineup, including Brazilian singer Anitta.

Watch the teaser trailer below:

We will miss Manu Rios!

Pope Francis is not giving up on same-sex marriage

Pope Francis has said he is open to the possibility that the Catholic Church would allow blessings for same-sex unions. 

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a letter that Francis wrote to five cardinals who urged him to reaffirm church teaching on homosexuality ahead of Synod on Synodality, a meeting during which LGBTQ Catholics, women in the church and other issues will be discussed.  

He wrote “such same-sex blessings could be studied if they didn’t confuse the blessing with sacramental marriage.”

Pope Francis reiterated that homosexuality is not a crime and he publicly endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples, but Catholic church teachings on homosexuality and gender identity have not changed under Francis’ papacy.

We'll see how it ends...

There are LGBTQ Catholics, face it!

Mutt: the trans day-in-the-life drama that made history at Sundance

In the critically acclaimed film Mutt, a young transgender man comes face-to-face with a collection of characters from his past, during one relentless day in New York. 

In filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s debut feature, Feña, played by Lío Mehiel, encounters his ex-boyfriend, younger sister and estranged father all for the first time since his transition, and all while navigating the streets, subways and daily challenges of life in the bustling city. 

Amid the chaos, and intimate moments, he’s forced to confront whether it’s other people’s prejudices or his own that are keeping him at a distance.

Mehiel, who uses they/them pronouns, said that as a trans actor, they often play characters whose gender identity is their primary motivation. So the role of Feña, Lungulov-Klotz’s semi-autobiographical protagonist, was refreshingly different. 

As Mehiel pointed out, their character’s motivations are simultaneously much less and much more complicated than his gender identity, revolving around a central narrative conflict: a misguided mission to pick up his estranged father, who’s flying in from Chile, at the airport in less than 24 hours.

Mutt draws on the director’s lived experience as a trans man and as the child of immigrants from Chile and Serbia. But it also felt very true to the experiences of its star, who channels their cultural background and trans identity into their art.

The movie world premiered at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Acting Award for Lio Mehiel. It went on to have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

Watch the trailer below: