Lawmakers in the Alabama House of Representatives have approved a bill to expand the state’s current “Don’t Say Gay” law prohibiting instruction or classroom discussion about LGBTQ topics in public schools. Alabama House passes bill expanding ban on school discussion of LGBTQ topics https://t.co/b2DxzsgPXq — James F. McGrath (@ReligionProf) April 24, 2024 From AL.com: HB130 by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would expand the ban that now applies from kindergarten through fifth grade to apply through 8th grade. The ban was first passed in 2022 and was similar to a law passed in Florida tha ..read more

Some news items you might have missed: • Queerty: Out actor/singer Luke Evans (above) tells Mens Health España he’s happy with his “middle-aged” physique, plus he chimes in on those James Bond rumors. • The Daily Beast: Amid a rising tide of drag bans and anti-LGBTQ legislation, the queens of the HBO docuseries “We’re Here” (now in its 4th season) risked their safety and traveled to Tennessee and Oklahoma to provide a lifeline to local queer communities. For @beastobsessed, I had the pleasure of talking to the new We're Here hosts about what to expect this season https://t.co/xSH8vV2BAZ — Em ..read more

The High Court of Dominica, an island nation in the eastern part of the Caribbean, has struck down colonial-era laws criminalizing same-sex relations. Dominica High Court overturns ban on same-sex relations https://t.co/DjtYQiDa9p — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 23, 2024 Via AP News: It’s the latest nation to repeal such laws in the socially conservative region, joining Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda. Monday’s ruling comes nearly five years after a man whose identity was withheld for his safety challenged Dominica’s laws in 2019, saying they ..read more

Some news stories you might have missed: • The Advocate: Donald Trump’s legal team apparently tried (and failed) to subpoena Stormy Daniels during her appearance at a popular Brooklyn gay bar. • OUT: Comedian, writer, and actor Joel Kim Booster was recently heckled by an audience member giving him a thumbs-down during a set at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Or was he….? The fact that I have to deal with this shit, at the Kennedy Center of all places… this is not community…… https://t.co/gexszFXaAn — Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) April 21, 2024 • Pink News: A gay athlete who share ..read more

Out recording artist Chris Housman’s new music video, “Guilty As Sin,” serves up a scintillating country boy romance. Housman’s sexy, fluid vocals and the guitar-driven, touch-of-blues soundscape create an intoxicating blend of sonic serotonin as the lyrics reveal his aching, authentic heart. I gave it my best But this halo don’t fit If I had to spend forever in heaven without you might as well be in hell My verdict is in Cause baby if loving you is wrong Then I’m guilty as sin The music video, featuring Housman with hunky Gabe LaDuke, conjures up a close-to-perfect date night for two country ..read more

Newly unsealed documents in Donald Trump’s classified documents case shows an associate of the Donald told the FBI they had advised the former president to return the docs to the National Archives almost a year before agents searched and found the files at Mar-a-Lago. And yet, he did not… An associate told the FBI they urged Trump to return docs to the National Archives nearly a year before the search on Mar-a-Lago, per newly unsealed documents that reveal the code name for the investigation was "Plasmic Echo" https://t.co/aRvXMLORFb — Axios (@axios) April 23, 2024 From Axios: The summary o ..read more

Some news stories you might have missed: • JoeMyGod: Nearly 700 Grindr users have joined a lawsuit in the UK accusing the gay dating app of sharing highly sensitive information, including HIV status, with third parties without their consent. • OUT: Just to give you an idea of what being on RPDR can do for you, some of the queens on the just-ended Season 16 saw their Instagram following shoot up over 2,000%. • Queerty: Out gymnast Sam Phillips is ending his incredible career at Nebraska as an All-American. But more importantly, the star gymnast is a standard-bearer for LGBTQ+ inclusion, wearin ..read more

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has a veto pen and she’s not afraid to use it. Among 13 bills Hobbs vetoed last week was a Republican bill that would have allowed discrimination against transgender people. Gov. Hobbs vetoed a slew of Republican bills, including ones that would have green lighted discrimination against transgender people and would have given public school teachers the OK to post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms. Via @Caitlin_Sievers https://t.co/zu6QEQzxBR — Arizona Mirror || bsky @azmirror.com (@ArizonaMirror) April 17, 2024 From the Arizona Mirror: Republicans responded w ..read more

Congratulations to the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class, which includes Cher, Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest. The inductees were announced during American Idol on Sunday night by Ryan Seacrest and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Lionel Richie. The incoming 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class includes superstar acts such as Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton and Kool & the Gang. https://t.co/LCj8HLp50w — The Hollywood Reporte ..read more

Some news items I thought are worth your time: • Queerty: Gays share the “dumbest” reasons they’ve ever dumped someone or been dumped for. • LGBTQ Nation: A former student describes the brutal culture of anti-LGBTQ+ bullying at Nex Benedict’s high school. • Gay Times: The showrunner for the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton says queer love stories will be featured in future seasons. • US Weekly: Forty years later, Kevin Bacon returned to the high school where he shot his iconic 1984 hit film Footloose. Hours before prom night at Payson High School in Utah, actor Kevin Bacon returned to the ..read more