Featuring non traditional models, a powerfully clear message of diversity inclusion. BY SEAN GALUSZKA History was made last month when queer designer Nik Kacy brought the first ever LGBTQ+-focused, Equality Fashion Week to Los Angeles. Kicking off with a Rooftop Runway Show (Carmen Carrera hosted) at the trendy and beautifully, newly renovated Montrose Hotel, cutting edge…
LOS ANGELES 10,000 Participate In AIDS Walk LA The 34th annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles attracted approximately 10,000 participants last month in Downtown Los Angeles. The walk to end AIDS by raising money for AIDS research, is a 6.2-mile fundraising that began and ended at L.A. City Hall in Grand Park. Various celebrities attended the…
Matthew Shepard Laid to Rest In DC Matthew Shepard was finally laid to rest last month at the Washington National Cathedral—20 years after being killed by two men because he was gay. “It’s so important that we now have a home for Matt,” his father, Dennis Shepard, said at the start of the service. “A…
We went two steps forward and then got beamed into the mirror universe. For those of you who are not Star Trek fans, that’s not a great place to be. BUCKING THE TREND You know dear Readers, I’ve been writing columns like this for over twenty years, and over that time, life has improved a…
Although I originally thought Kavanaugh might be better than many others on Trump’s prospective justice list, I came to despise the man with his simpering smile and smug assumption that he belongs on the High Court by birthright.” SAY WHAT? Before we start, I was sifting through headlines in search of grist for our LGBT…
58-year-old Kevin Bickerstaff, who reportedly encouraged classmates to beat up a 12-year-old trans girl so she would leave the school, has been suspended from his job as a pilot for Frontier Airlines pending an investigation into his conduct. RUSTY ARTIFACTS OF ANOTHER AGE Good morning FIGHT readers. I write from the open road, the Great…
Todd Gloria Support For Trans Foster Kids Groundbreaking state bill approved ensuring hormone access for transgender youth in foster care. BY VICTOR MELAMED California lawmakers have passed a historic bill ensuring that trans youth in foster care can access proper medical care, reports Gay Star News. The bill, AB-2119, introduced by gay Assemblymember Todd Gloria, mandates…
We will shortly switch to a 5-4 antigay majority which will likely send us back to square two or three just as we were about to win the long war for LGBT civil rights. Where’s the bartender?” MAKE IT A DOUBLE I confess I did not expect Anthony Kennedy to resign out of the blue…
CA ATTORNEY GENERAL XAVIER BECERRA TRAVEL BAN California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has announced that as a result of “discriminatory legislation” that became Oklahoma law last month, the western state will prohibit travel to its midwestern counterpart. A 2017 California law requires that its attorney general keeps a list of states subject to a state travel…
Winston Godwin (L) and Greg DeRoche (R), a Bermudian-Canadian couple, challenged the Bermuda Supreme Court and won the right to marry on the island in May 2017, before the new legislation repealed same-sex marriage. Bermuda’s Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage last month in the British island territory again—overturning a ban that was signed into law…
GOVERNOR LARRY HOGAN “CONVERSION THERAPY” BANNED Maryland has joined the list of states banning harmful “conversion therapy” meant to turn gay people straight. The programs greatly increase chances of suicide and are completely ineffective. Governor Larry Hogan signed the legislation last month, along with another bill that will expand housing and support services to youth…
JUSTICE ANTHONY KENNEDY Surely Justice Kennedy won’t fail us now, will he? Or will our champion decide that he’s done enough to help same-sex couples and it’s time for the pendulum to swing back a bit towards the far right religious conservatives?” WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS Hello dear FIGHT readers. Doesn’t it seem as if…
Former West Hollywood city council member, Los Angeles County Assessor, Jeffrey Prang is running for re-election. BY MARK ARIEL Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang, former West Hollywood council member, currently running for re-election, is no stranger to politics. A gay man, originally from Warren, Michigan, Prang says that “public service has appealed to me…
(Photo: Danny Cruz) New laws, on local, state and federal levels, are driving more sex workers into the streets, putting their lives at risk. BY LARRY BUHL On April 17, a new California bill meant to expand the definition of “pandering,” which means solicitation and recruitment for prostitution, was tabled in the Senate Public Safety…
Zelim Bakaev Never Again (Again) Over a year later—and still no justice for gay and bisexual men murdered in Chechnya. BY MATT BEARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALLOUT.ORG One year ago last month, news broke of a wave of terrifying, state-sponsored violence in Chechnya against men perceived to be gay or bisexual. In scenes that would not…
The late Queen’s mother … reportedly [had] a penchant for drink and a lot of gay men on her personal staff. “Will one of you young queens get this old queen a martini?” she is rumored to have shouted down the hall one evening.” Register This! I was following a story out of Turin, Italy,…
Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur Pushing Forward Legislators and advocates meet at Equality California’s Fair Share for Equality event. BY VICTOR MELAMED Equality California held its fourth annual Fair Share for Equality event last month at the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood. The program, with close to 400 attendees, included TED-style presentations from LGBTQ community…
