He only published one book – and it was hardly noticed. Now his portraits of drag queens, poets and artists are seen as vital documents of a vanished world. As they go on show, the photographer’s favourite subjects recall his genius ‘He made me wear white,” says Fran Lebowitz, down the phone from New York. The writer is talking about the day her close friend, the photographer Peter Hujar, shot her for Portraits in Life and Death, the only book he ever made. “Peter was very specific. It was in my apartment which was the size of, I don’t know, a book. And the light was a big thing – as it was wi ..read more

When Victoria Villegas learned how her cousin had fled the Dominican Republic, and was gay like her, she was moved to chart his life There have been experimental, freestyling essay films and memoiristic documentaries around for years, going back to Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil or Agnès Varda’s The Gleaners and I. But just lately it feels like the sprawling poetic-realist subgenre is flourishing, especially in the sunny uplands of film festivals. Like an extension of the creative-writing exhortation to “write about what you know” young documentary-makers are increasingly shooting movies about not ..read more

In 1999, the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho was attacked in a campaign of violence by a self-confessed racist and homophobe. It completely changed the course of my life On Saturday 17 April 1999, a bomb exploded in Brixton market in south London, injuring 48 people, including a 23-month-old child. Newspapers showed an X-ray of the toddler’s head with a nail embedded in the skull. Immediately, people knew that someone wanted to kill in an area that had a large Black community. This was the first of three nailbombs that were planted in the capital targeting minorities. The following weekend, a secon ..read more

More than 40 locations across the US reported the backlash after rightwing account stokes anti-trans rhetoric about its rules More than 40 Planet Fitness locations across the country have received bomb threats after a conservative movement against the gym’s trans-inclusive locker room policy went viral online. In the weeks since the backlash against the gym chain started in March, at least 43 locations in Connecticut, Florida, Alabama and other states have received bomb threats, according to progressive media watchdog group Media Matters ..read more

Paediatrician who led review of gender identity services says any new law must not create problems for professionals Kemi Badenoch, the women and equalities minister, was warned about the risks of a planned ban on conversion practices by the doctor who reviewed gender identity services for under-18s. Leading paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass said she had been “really clear” with the cabinet minister that any plans for a change in the law would have to avoid creating problems for professionals ..read more

Katie Wood, a transgender algebra teacher, has long gone by ‘Ms Wood’ but the law required students to say ‘Teacher Wood’ Florida cannot prohibit a 10th-grade math teacher from asking her students to call her by her preferred pronouns, a federal judge has ruled. The decision from Mark Walker, the US district judge, is a blow to an anti-LGBTQ law championed by Ron DeSantis, the state’s governor, which prohibits discussion of sexuality in public schools. A 2023 expansion of the measure, widely known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, prohibits teachers and students from using pronouns that align with t ..read more

Joewackle J Kusi was finishing his film Nyame Mma when an anti-LGBTQ+ bill was passed, bringing the threat of prosecution for those ‘promoting’ queer stories A rare Ghanian film featuring a queer main character could not have been released at a worse time for its director and cast. Joewackle J Kusi was making finishing touches to his short film, Nyame Mma (Children of God), and arranging screenings in the capital, Accra, when a piece of legislation passed through Ghana’s parliament, targeting LGBTQ+ content. According to the bill approved in late February, those involved in the “wilful promoti ..read more

Booker-winning author says course ‘shouldn’t be seen as dispensable’ as university seeks to cut 130 academic jobs The Booker prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo has criticised the “amputation” of Black British literature and queer history courses at Goldsmiths University in London, as part of a cost-cutting programme in which 130 academic jobs are to go. Evaristo, along with former students and writers, issued a plea to Goldsmiths to reconsider the removal of “pioneering” postgraduate courses after plans were announced to cut the jobs in 11 departments ..read more

It’s long been unclear where the line was on homophobia. Things are changing – but the sport was miles behind to begin with In the early 2000s a young AFL player was doing one of his regular radio slots when he and his co-hosts decided to play a game of word association. Lion – roar. London – doubledecker. And so on. “Gay,” one of the hosts offered. There was a long pause. “Die,” the player said. If a footballer or broadcaster said that now you’d like to think they’d be run out of town. But back then it barely raised an eyebrow. It was certainly no impediment to career progression. Such rippin ..read more

Security agency tells Senate inquiry that violent hate groups are still inspired by Christchurch shooting Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Asio says violent rightwing extremists are still being inspired by the Christchurch mosque shooting massacre carried out by an Australian man in 2019, warning of an uptick in activity from hate groups “who want to trigger a so called ‘race war’”. And the home affairs department has told a parliamentary inquiry into rightwing extremism that it is seeing increasi ..read more