Trace Lysette’s new feature film, three of the Elite Eight women’s coaches are gay, why queer cartoons are more important than ever, and more!

The post Pop Culture Fix: Looks Like Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn Will Be Bisexual appeared first on Autostraddle.

I don’t like to think about the endings, which is probably why I’m always haunted, always clinging to things that return even when I should pretend I do not see them.

The post Thank You, Ex: For (1) Set of Ghost Hands appeared first on Autostraddle.

With 48 per cent of voting SNP members backing Kate Forbes for the leadership, the party has clear divisions to heal.

Humza Yousaf was elected SNP leader on Monday (27 March) with 26,032 votes (52.1 per cent) of votes once second preferences had been allocated. It was a close victory over Forbes, who received 23,890 votes (47.9 per cent). 

Yousaf’s election is being celebrated by LGBTQ+ Scots and those who supported Nicola Sturgeon’s progressive agenda – Forbes was criticised throughout the race for her socially conservative views on same-sex marriage, abortion and sex before marriage.

Ellie Gomersall, NUS Scotland president, said on Twitter: “Let it always be remembered that 48 per cent of the SNP’s voting membership just voted for candidates who would’ve happily thrown the rights of queer people right under the bus. 

“That tells you everything you need to know about the Scottish National Party.”

Erin Lux, co-convenor of the SNP’s LGBTQ+ group Out for Independence spoke in a personal capacity to PinkNews on the close election result. 

Lux noted elections are “always difficult and a little bit bruising” but is confident the SNP is not as divided as it may seem.

She said: “Obviously we’ve got lots of work to do. Forty-eight per cent voted for candidates who were not going to be very good for LGBT rights or for women, so there’s work to do. 

“But we’ve carried the day and we’re looking forward to working with Humza.”

SNP MP John Nicolson, who represents Ochil and South Perthshire, told PinkNews it is “simplistic” to look at the figures and think 48 per cent of people were “voting against trans rights”.

The veteran MP said people could have voted for Forbes for a variety of different reasons, many of which may not have been related to LGBTQ+ issues at all.

“Party members support progressive legislation, and the social conservatives departed and went off with Alex Salmond.

“The party itself is proud of its liberal, progressive identity. As I say, I think it would be a mistake to think that the 48 per cent who voted for Forbes were voting just simply on one issue.

“I really don’t think they were.”

Kate Forbes was criticised for saying she would have voted against same-sex marriage had she been an MSP in 2014.

She later apologised for any offence.

She also faced backlash for saying that having sex outside of marriage is “wrong” according to her faith, while many were nervous about her record on abortion.

In 2018, Forbes, an evangelical Christian, spoke at a religious event where she delivered a “prayer for the nation”.

“May our politicians recognise that the way we treat the most vulnerable – whether the unborn or the terminally ill – is a measure of true progress,” she said.

Forbes was among the SNP members to oppose reforms to the Gender Recognition Act.

While on the campaign trail, Yousaf told PinkNews he would “cement” LGBTQ+ rights as part of an independent Scotland’s constitution, saying he would not just “defend” such rights but “advance” them. 

In the first round of voting, Yousaf received 24,336 votes (48.2 per cent) while Forbes had 20,559 (40.7 per cent) and Regan got 5,559 (11.1 per cent).

As the SNP election uses the Alternative Vote (AV) style of voting, the new SNP leader needed to achieve more than 50 per cent of the first preference votes to win outright. Where this does not happen in the first round, second preference votes are taken into account to determine the winner. 

The post Close SNP leadership result shows party has ‘work to do’ on LGBTQ+ and women’s rights appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Earlier this month, the 23rd season of NBC’s hit singing competition series The Voice launched with a slew of talented new contestants vying for $100K and a record deal with Universal Music.

Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson returned as coaches, with Chance the Rapper and former One Direction member Niall Horan taking their first turn sitting in the show’s infamous big red chairs.

Among the contestants causing a buzz this season is 31-year-old singer EJ Michels from Draper, Utah.

Michels stunned with his rendition of Adele’s “Easy on Me” and soon had both Chance and Blake both wanting him to join their teams. After choosing to become part of Team Blake, Michels shared his journey of coming out as a gay man on the show.

In an emotional segment, Michels disclosed his “inner turmoil” while struggling with his sexuality as a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Watch his coming out segment on The Voice below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

The church opposes same-sex marriage and requires gay followers to abstain from dating and sex.

It wasn’t until after he came back from one of his missions and divorced the wife he had married in the church that he was able to begin to fully accept who he was.

“…This thing I was so afraid of is actually the thing that makes me unique and beautiful. This thing that I’ve been taught my entire life to run away from — by accepting it, I’m actually doing the opposite,” he elaborated in a new interview with the Salt Lake Tribune. “I’m stepping into my life of beauty as opposed to into darkness and destruction.”

Since leaving the church, Michels has found love with his boyfriend Michael and feels completely at peace with himself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

“I hate painting anything in a bad light, and I don’t want to do that,” Michels said. “But I also need to tell my story and just say — it was hard growing up because of what I was taught within my family and my religion. I definitely had to eventually step away from all that.”

While many of his family members are still in the church, Michels said they watched the segment on The Voice and “took it with open arms and positivity.”

Since the segment aired he’s also received positive feedback from viewers who have gone through similar experiences and are grateful he shared his story on national television.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

“It brought me to tears,” Michels told the outlet. “Just finding that level of connection with other people who’ve been through something similar is a really impactful thing for me.”

While his journey on The Voice continues this week, Michels is set to perform during the NBA halftime show at the Utah Jazz’s Equality in Action night on March 27th, where David Archuleta will sing the National Anthem.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

“Florida is where woke goes to die,” according to the Sunshine State’s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, who has based much of his expected 2024 presidential campaign on being “anti-woke.” But a new poll from Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal is devastating to many of the policies being promoted and enacted by Governor DeSantis in his “free state of Florida,” calling into question how he and other Republicans who embrace his ideas will fare on the national stage. “Patriotism, religious faith, having children and other priorities that helped define the national character for generations are…

Read More

Earlier this month, the 23rd season of NBC’s hit singing competition series The Voice launched with a slew of talented new contestants vying for $100K and a record deal with Universal Music.

Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson returned as coaches, with Chance the Rapper and former One Direction member Niall Horan taking their first turn sitting in the show’s infamous big red chairs.

Among the contestants causing a buzz this season is 31-year-old singer EJ Michels from Draper, Utah.

Michels stunned with his rendition of Adele’s “Easy on Me” and soon had both Chance and Blake both wanting him to join their teams. After choosing to become part of Team Blake, Michels shared his journey of coming out as a gay man on the show.

In an emotional segment, Michels disclosed his “inner turmoil” while struggling with his sexuality as a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Watch his coming out segment on The Voice below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

The church opposes same-sex marriage and requires gay followers to abstain from dating and sex.

It wasn’t until after he came back from one of his missions and divorced the wife he had married in the church that he was able to begin to fully accept who he was.

“…This thing I was so afraid of is actually the thing that makes me unique and beautiful. This thing that I’ve been taught my entire life to run away from — by accepting it, I’m actually doing the opposite,” he elaborated in a new interview with the Salt Lake Tribune. “I’m stepping into my life of beauty as opposed to into darkness and destruction.”

Since leaving the church, Michels has found love with his boyfriend Michael and feels completely at peace with himself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

“I hate painting anything in a bad light, and I don’t want to do that,” Michels said. “But I also need to tell my story and just say — it was hard growing up because of what I was taught within my family and my religion. I definitely had to eventually step away from all that.”

While many of his family members are still in the church, Michels said they watched the segment on The Voice and “took it with open arms and positivity.”

Since the segment aired he’s also received positive feedback from viewers who have gone through similar experiences and are grateful he shared his story on national television.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

“It brought me to tears,” Michels told the outlet. “Just finding that level of connection with other people who’ve been through something similar is a really impactful thing for me.”

While his journey on The Voice continues this week, Michels is set to perform during the NBA halftime show at the Utah Jazz’s Equality in Action night on March 27th, where David Archuleta will sing the National Anthem.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EJ Michels (@ejmichelsmusic)

Kit Connor has sent the internet into a frenzy after gym photos of the Heartstopper star were shared online, with fans calling for the 19-year-old actor to be cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Hulkling.

Fans were left agog after shirtless pictures of the rising star, who plays bisexual student Nick Nelson on the hit Netflix series Heartstopper, were shared to Instagram by fitness trainer Nathaniel Massiah on Sunday (26 March).

Connor’s bulked-up frame was revealed alongside the release of a 25-minute video on Massiah’s YouTube channel entitled ‘Training Movie Star KIT CONNOR For His Next Film’.

The workout footage sees Connor reveal that he decided to hit the gym soon after landing the role of Heartstopper‘s teen rugby player Nick, who first appeared in Alice Oseman’s original graphic novel series.

“The reason I got into the gym was kind of deep to be honest”, Connor tells Massiah, who has more than 168,000 subscribers on YouTube. “When I got cast in Heartstopper, it’s based on a comic book and the character that I’m based on is like, 6’2″, very big, and I was like, shorter than I am now and skinnier.

“When it got announced, there were some people on the internet going like “He’s a bit too skinny to play him.”

Connors adds: “I saw that and was like “Sh*t”.”

With most fans accustomed to seeing Connor in a rather more wholesome light on Heartstopper, social media users wasted no time unleashing a tidal wave of thirsty comments and reactions on Twitter.

“kit is so hot its taking me a lot to have some decorum”, comment one user, while another added: “In hunky bi men we trust!!”

One internet wordsmith write: “Omfg I’m actually going feral and slobbering he looks SO HOT”.

Connor’s unexpected gym photos also saw Heartstopper fans renew calls for Marvel bosses to cast the actor in the MCU – specifically as Hulkling, who appears in the comics as a member of the Young Avengers.

Calls for Connor to play the role have been developing online ever since it was reported that his Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke, who plays his onscreen boyfriend Charlie Spring, would be joining the MCU in Wandavision spin-off Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

Rumours have abounded that Locke is set to take on the role of Billy Kaplan aka Wiccan, one of the sons of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).

Given that Wiccan has famously been in one of Marvel Comics’ most high-profile same-sex relationships with – you guessed it, Hulkling – it’s easy to see why fans are praying for a Heartstopper/MCU cross-over of epic proportions.

“Not beating the Hulkling allegations”, wrote one user on Twitter in response to Connor’s gym photos.

“Now paint him green and give him wings”, said another, referencing Hulkling’s signature look.

One thing’s for sure, Connor’s presence in the MCU would, along with Locke, add some much-needed LGBTQ+ representation in the blockbuster superhero franchise.

Connor himself came out publicly as bisexual in October 2022 following speculation he was dating A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow star Maia Reficco and accusations of ‘queer-baiting’, with the star stating on Twitter that he had been ‘forced’ to share his sexuality with the world.

Connor had previously refused to label his sexuality, and tried to put a halt to anyone publicly debating his orientation with a tweet in May 2022, saying that people on social media “know my sexuality better than I do”.

Heartstopper author Alice Oseman recently expressed her dismay and fury at the circumstances surrounding Connor’s coming out.

“It made me so angry,” the writer told Attitude. “I care about this cast so deeply. I feel like a parent figure. What people were saying to him was so anti-Heartstopper.”

Connor himself has criticised the “shockingly low amount of representation” for male bisexual characters on screen.

“It is shocking because a huge amount of the LGBTQIA+ community is made up of bisexual people, he said while speaking as part of a Critic’s Choice Award panel alongside fellow Heartstopper star Joe Locke.

“It’s a huge community but we really don’t get much representation.”

The post Kit Connor shirtless gym photos renew calls to cast Heartstopper star as Marvel’s Hulkling appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.