All Things LGBTQ: News 8/11/2026

[music] >> Hi, I'm Keith Goslant. >> I'm Linda Quigley. >> I'm Anne Charles. Welcome to all things LGBTQ. It is August 11th, primary election day in Vermont. Um >> Elections matter. >> Elections are very important. >> Um we'd like to clarify that we're taping in Montpelier, Vermont, which we recognize is unseated indigenous land. Now, let's turn over to Keith. >> And and I need to make a statement first that after I do the events, I'm going to be sort of sneaking out of the camera to go deal with family issues. But on our next show, I'll be looking at queers Democratic primaries, who's made it through to the general election, and those races we need to be watching. But first, trivia question. And when I was going through Out in the Mountains for August of previous years, I came across the story that this is more of a commentary than a trivia question. And it was August 1998 and there had just been a day-long statewide queer summit held at Goddard. 25 organizations looking at where are we? What's steady? What do we need? How do we move forward? And looking at the things that were cited, and keep in mind this was 28 years ago. We have viewers who are older than that, but they were lack of social activities for youth and elders. The need to create permanent queer spaces. Greater social outlets. A stronger, more visible public identity. And there was a suggestion about holding internet training for organizations. And that the statewide organization at the time, the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights should be create a more formal structure and do quarterly summits. We need to preserve and create an archive for Vermont queer history. Any of those sound kind of familiar? So, looking at events, Rainbow Umbrella, Women's Discussion Group still on hiatus until September. >> Yeah. >> Book Discussion Group, you were going to go back and talk about Belonging to the Air and Vamos. >> Vamos is next up. >> All right. LGBTQ story hour is still on hiatus as well? >> Yep, till October. >> Oh, October? >> September, October, we'll see. >> Okay, so there is no confirmed date. That was going to be my question. Okay. And you teased us at the last show Away With Words? >> Yes. >> When? >> When is that airing? >> Wednesday, tomorrow. >> Tomorrow? August 12th? >> Yep. >> Podcast? Okay, so but then >> Well, they'll put it on later, but I'm doing the interview with them tomorrow. >> You're taping it tomorrow? >> I'm taping it tomorrow. >> Do they do it live and then air it as a podcast later as well, so we can go online and see it? >> Yeah, so what they do is they tape on Wednesday. This is what I understand. They tape [clears throat] and then you go on Saturday morning when they're on at 8:00. >> Okay, Saturday Saturday >> And then after that you can get it on PBS if you uh NPR. >> But that may not be the only mischief you're up to. I understand that there may be an opportunity >> Mhm. >> for lesbian adoptees, poets, artists both national and international adoptees. You you'd like to hear their stories. >> I would. So, please. LGBTQ adoptees, if you're out there, I'm trying to put an anthology together with um Is it uh Meok >> Meok Song. >> A visual artist. >> A visual artist. And uh we're we're trying to get an anthology together. So, if you have anything, please send it. >> First person narratives, um >> poetry, >> art, >> visual art. >> Well, I was going to say saying that she was a visual artist would explain two-dimensional original artwork and we'll make sure that the contact information goes up. Just a reminder the pride center the trans support group continues to meet second Tuesday of the month at outright fourth Tuesday of the month. Zoom virtual. Now. Thursday August 20th serving fried chicken and fabulousness what a name get ready for a night that's equal part comfort food and glamour. The chicken got me. Well, it says three squares Cafe in Vergennes. >> Oh well. >> So we got some fried chicken you'd like some good fried chicken. >> I do but I don't know. >> And if >> But we'll see. >> Any guess of who might be hosting this? >> No idea in Vergennes. >> Who hosts everything? >> Emoji. >> Bingo. >> [laughter] >> So so whether you're a long time drag fan or just looking for a unique night out before school starts back. Yeah ain't going to school grab your friends bring your appetite and prepare to be thoroughly entertained. >> All right. >> Tipping is encouraged and it's a first come first serve basis. >> Okay. >> So. Now on Sunday August 23rd my bad a personal history of the queer 90s and beyond this is at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro. >> Hugh Ryan's book his memoir. >> Yes. Yes, I have the memoir and you know I want to read it and invite him on the show. >> Cuz you've interviewed him before. >> I have interviewed him wrote the women's house of detention. So where is this? He's going to be in Vermont. >> At the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro the North Barn at Retreat Farm. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Advance at 7:00 p.m. Um a powerful, hilarious, personal history that tells the true story of the queer '90s. And it it looks like it's an in-person event. We should try to go. When Where again? >> Brattleboro. >> What time? >> 7:00 at night. >> And what And what date? >> Sunday, August 23rd. I'll just hand this I'll just >> this to you before I leave. >> I'll write it down. >> Okay. Now, this one, Friday, August 28th. Slow Fox Fall Clothing Release Party. Now, Slow Poke, which is a second-hand buy, sell, trade clothing store run by two lesbians at 124 North Main Street in Barre, VT. >> Ooh. >> are doing an event. Fox Market is going to be there for drinks. We love second-hand clothes and we want to pay you for yours. First, check out what we are currently buying. You can find that information on their website. This is Friday, the 28th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. >> Wow. >> You're getting some competition for story hour. >> I know. >> Ba- Barre's becoming the place to be. >> Yeah. >> And finally, on Saturday, August 29th, at Einstein's Tap House >> on Church Street in Burlington, >> Sasha Pervez's Pop Divas. Get ready for a night of glitter, glamour, and all your favorite pop anthems from iconic legends to today's chart toppers. Th- It's going to be our drag performers such as Sassa, Serriahchi as Zero Lawson, >> [snorts] >> Red Rum as Beyonce, Marjorie Mayhem as Tov all Oh, Marjorie Mayhem as Ariana Grande, Lucy Goosey as Miley Cyrus. >> All right. >> And with that, I will give that to you. >> Okay, good. >> Have a rest of the wonderful show. >> And be Good luck with everything. >> I will see you in 2 weeks. >> Good luck with everything, hon. >> Thank you. >> Hi. Um I have a couple of upbeat stories to start with. Isn't that nice? >> And then it goes downhill, but okay. Frankie A. Rodriguez and Joe Serafini, the actors who met on Disney's mockumentary TV drama High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, announced on Instagram that their on-screen romance has led to real-life engagement. Their three-post photo post for Saturday shows the couple in an urban park, Rodriguez playing playfully riding piggyback on Serafini. Serafini. Each of them beaming with joy and holding up their left hands to show their engagement rings. Rodriguez's caption says simply engaged with a diamond ring, heart, and a pair of toasting champagne glasses emojis. So, here is a picture of them. >> That's great. >> That was a good news story. Young adults, you'll like this. Young adults at the LGBTQ summer Oasis of SAS got quite a surprise Friday when Dylan Mulvaney unexpectedly showed up at the organization's annual strawberry social fundraiser in Provincetown. Dylan Mulvaney, huh? >> Yeah, Dylan. >> Uh it started when Salem, a summer of SAS participant who works at the Provincetown theater, learned that transgender actress and influencer was in town and planned to attend a nearby show that night. Salem had an idea. Why not invite her to the strawberry social? And she came and a fun evening was had by all. >> How great. >> You know, and they didn't contact her uh I don't think they contacted her um >> agent? >> No, uh physically. I they put up signs all over Provincetown saying um you know Dylan, come to our show. >> [laughter] >> And so uh apparently um they saw the signs and came. >> That's great. >> So, that was a great story. And here's another upbeat story. And you know, I've been saying I want to see this, but I don't have Paramount Plus we don't have Paramount Plus. Lioness is [clears throat] finally giving Cruz and Josie fans the moment they've been waiting for. When Cruz Leisha De Oliveira walks into her place and screams, "Honey, I'm home." It confirms [clears throat] that their relationship with Josie Genesis Rodriguez has progressed since the end of last season. The sexy scene includes Josie welcoming her partner home wearing only a ribbon before they make their way into the bathtub to bring viewers into their relationship. >> Oh. >> So. Remember I keep saying, I want to see that. I want to see that. >> [laughter] >> I might have to get Paramount Plus. Maybe a 30-day trial or something. And Democrats Shevrin Jones, Elijah Manley and Kendrick Meek, and Republican Keith Gross all have the chance to make history. Uh Democratic Eli Elijah Manley, a gay, black, and Jewish Gen- Gen-Z'er, faces two veteran US representatives in a high-profile Democratic primary. I think it's Shevrin Jones, Florida's first out gay state senator, and Kendrick Meek Jr., and out politicians whose father and grandfather both resent represented South Florida in Congress face each other in a heated Democratic primary. Self-described mega Republican Keith Gross has been the top fundraiser and has led some polls in a large GOP field in the conservative Florida panhandle. So. >> [snorts] >> Lawmakers seek to end New York's 40-year bathroom prohibition. Um Senator Eric Botcher says HIV prevention has transformed since AIDS. And we need to bring back um >> This is about the baths. >> Yes, about bathhouses. >> Bathhouses rather than bathroom. >> Yeah, bathhouses. Sorry. Did I say bathroom? I'm sorry. Bathhouses, anyway. It's been being since the 1980s and they want to bring it back with modern with modern health regulations. An unprecedented settlement agreement has been reached in a case brought by attorney Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that requires Texas Children's Hospital in Houston to pay $10 million to the state and create a de-transition clinic. Uh This settlement comes following an investigation initiated by the Attorney General's office in 2023, according to the report by the Texas Tribune. That same year, Governor Greg Abbott signed a Senate Bill 14 into law, which prohibits trans-identifying minors from receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy. Although the agreement was reached in May, it was announced by Paxton's office on Friday that the historic settlement has now been fully executed. Under the agreement, the hospital must pay $10 million to the state for allegedly billing Texas Medicaid to fund illegal gender transition inter- interventions and using false diagnosis codes. It also forced Children's Texas Children's to fire and revoke the medical privileges of five physicians who provided such care. So far, the names of the terminated physicians have not been released. It's horrible. Conservatives had have identified their latest target for transphobic vitriol amid their ongoing attacks on transgender participation in women's sports. Beloved Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu's teenage sibling uh is trans. The anti-trans news site Reduxx identified and allegedly outed Liu's It's l i u, Liu. >> Liu, probably. >> Yeah, Liu's um older sister who we will not name here as transgender in an article titled Olympic figure skater's brother quietly racking up wins in girls' sports. So, it's awful. >> Awfully. >> And I'll do one more and then we can move to you. Joanna Wylie just moved one step closer to becoming Michigan's first out transgender lawmaker. Wylie on Tuesday won the Democratic primary in Michigan State House District 2 taking 56% [clears throat] of the vote to Frank Liberati's 34% and Gary Slack's 9%. She will now face Republican nominee Ronald Kokinda in the November general election. So, get out and vote there, Michigandians. >> I think it's Michiganders. >> Michigandians. >> Uh let me start with the Gaza statement. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 73,386 Palestinians have been killed and 174,250 wounded since the conflict began on October 7th, 2023. Independent experts in the UN consider these reported figures a potential undercount as thousands more remain missing or buried under the rubble. Women and children comprise roughly half of the recorded deaths. Broader analysis from public health groups and studies like those from Brown University indicate that conditions like disease, malnutrition, and collapsed medical infrastructure have driven up indirect fatalities significantly beyond official direct counts. This is reprehensible. This is genocide. This is funded by the US. It's our US tax dollars at work. It's unacceptable. We need to speak out whenever we can and whatever platform we have. Um, now let's go to world headlines. Uh, my first story involves World Pride. Um, and let me show you >> And where was World Pride held? >> in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Funny that you should ask. Um, I'd like to show you a picture now of balloons of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump leaning in for a kiss during Amsterdam World Pride this last weekend. Um, World Pride 2026 was was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, running from July 25th to August 8th. This marked the first time Amsterdam hosted the international event coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country. The weekend's events also featured a memorial of the recent Berlin Pride attack as well as a surprise musical performance. Um, inflatable balloon effigies of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin kissed last Saturday um during World Pride 2026, Canal Pride, the um the balloons entitled The Kissing Couple showed Trump wearing a blouse and skirt and Putin wearing overalls. Both had pursed lips and held tulips behind their back. People on the boat held signs including ones that read, "Nobody kisses better than me, believe me. Kiss for peace. Grab me by the with a cat image. Come on, kiss and tell." And kiss the person next to you. So, this is on the canal. "We did not want to provoke to provoke, but to pause power for a moment and highlight something human." The organizers of the kissing couple said of their balloons. The balloon display was one of 80 boats in the canal parade seen by hundreds of thousands of World Pride attendees. Other boats showcased the local lesbian, leather, and cannabis communities, organizations promoting international transgender pride, as well as various companies and health groups. The Netherlands out gay Prime Minister Rob Jetten also made history this weekend as the first Prime Minister in the country's history to appear on one of the parade's boats. The World Pride event also included a memorial honoring the victims of the Berlin Pride attack which happened on the evening of Saturday, July 25th. Uh where a driver, as you know, plowed into a crowd of pedestrians and attacked individuals near the Brandenburg Gate in Tiergarten Park during the city's Christopher Street Pride celebrations killing one woman and injuring 29 other people. The suspect in the attack died in a police shooting the following day. I told you all about this last time. Mourners who met at the LGBTQ plus Homomonument, and I've been there in the heart of Amsterdam, wore dark colors and pink, and listened to speeches by the city's first and current female mayor, Femke Halsema, a local drag icon, Jennifer Hopelezz, uh the head of COC Amsterdam, the city's pro-LGBTQ+ organization, and other local figures. The Homomonument, which commemorates queer victims of the Nazis during World War II, is often used for public queer gatherings, protests, and parties. Mourners at the memorial observed a moment of silence and laid flowers. It's very sad. It also makes us very angry, especially because people were relaxing in the park before the attack after the whole parade. It was like a moment to calm down and enjoy being proud, a participant said. This person was in Berlin when it happened at that parade. His partner said, "After it happened, I just felt shockingly scary. Why? Why? How? Now? Here, in a place that is supposed to be one of the LGBTQ+ welcoming places around the world, where we are supposed to be a safe space, and we are attacked there, and not only one person, but the community, and that felt very intimidating." "Of course, we will look one more time over our shoulders just to be sure," he said, "but it will but it will in the end still not be It will not in the end be still not that we stop going out. We have to show up. That's how we change things, not um not by not showing up." A lot of double negatives there. >> Pop star Madonna also performed around to around 6,000 people in the city's live arena in the early hours of Sunday morning. So, World Pride in Amsterdam. >> Oh. >> Now, I'd like to go to Australia and tell you an interesting story involving the arts. I'd like to show you a picture of the um front of an LGBTQ plus theater troops theater that has been shut down. The troop is fighting back after it was kicked out of the venue for hateful blasphemy. >> Oh. >> It was called the Divine Playhouse and you can see that on the on the um building. An LGBTQ theater troop in Sydney, Australia is fighting a landlord who terminated the lease to their venue, which was a former church as you can see, over the group's of allegedly offensive religious-themed work. The artists are speaking out, holding a counter protest, and raising legal funds to fight the termination. The landlord, who's part of the redevelop property group, terminated the lease under a New South Wales law which empowers landlords to shut down what they call offensive trade. However, the law from 1842 was originally intended for use against industrial um nuisances such as foul smells and waste. The artists told um reporters, and has never been tested in court against alleged moral offensiveness. The Divine Pay Playhouse received a $100,000 grant from the New South Wales Arts Council to create an LGBTQ plus performance space in the venue of the 150-year-old church that hasn't been used as a place of worship since the 1930s. However, and here we go. >> How justice that would be. >> And here comes Catholicism. >> Oh, sure. >> rears its ugly head. However, local Catholic groups began protesting the troops' work when photos revealed the venue's opening night performance included one actor dressed as [snorts] a pig offering McDonald's french fries as holy communion, performers dressed as nuns waving sex toys, and drag queens reenacting the birth of Christ. >> Sounds like fun to me. >> The landlord issued an order telling the troop to stop engaging in offensive trade saying the show insulted and mocked the sincerely held religious beliefs of millions of Christian Australians. And warning that the group I'm warning the group about possible termination. Catholic groups also protested the troop calling their performance a form of hateful blasphemy. It's over. Our lease terminated, our artists canceled, our venue being cleared out, Divine Playhouse founder founder Kat Dopper said. And let's look at a picture of Kat Dopper. >> No, they mad that they can't take a joke. >> And Dooley meant her group was given just 3 days to move out of all of its materials from the space. We believe this termination was unlawful and unjust. I am devastated. I'm angry for us, for our artists, for the city, and the people. To protest the lease's termination, the Divine Playhouse united supporters for a singing protest at Hyde Park on Saturday, July 25th. Supporters of the group have also signed a petition with 11 17,000 current signatories and are seeking developers, land owners, and private venue owners to help find a new venue. A fundraiser raised over $36,000 for the group's legal fund and another benefit show is being organized to help pay for performers who will no longer profit from the group's scheduled performances now that the group has been ejected. >> On the other hand, what did they think would happen? >> And well, yeah, I don't know. I think I vote for freedom of speech in the arts. >> Me, too. >> If a landlord's personal beliefs can shut down an arts venue, no stage in this country is safe. Who decides what is what art is acceptable? Right now, the answer is whoever owns the building, Copper said. That's why we're fighting this, not just for Divine Playhouse, but for you, they continued. For every artist, every show, every venue, every community, every collective, every expression of unfamiliar or uncomfortable ideas, that could be next. New South Wales Greens member of Parliament, Kate Ferman, said Divine Playhouse should be celebrated as the kind of venue that Sydney desperately needs more of. She called on the state minister for music um and the nighttime economy to public publicly defend Divine Playhouse, its organizers, staff, artists, and patrons in the face of threats from religious extremists and the landlord caving to their demand. >> All right, good luck to them. >> Yeah. $36,000 isn't really that much. >> That'd pay 1 month's rent down here, even in Mobile, yeah. >> All right, bad news now. Uh, let's go to Europe. Uh, well, no, I'm sorry, Asia. Um, teens plotted to kill LGBTQ+ students in a violent knife rampage. Their friends ratted them out. >> Mhm. This is in Singapore. Three separate teens who were apparently unrelated. Um two young men uh recent arrests in Singapore implicate two young men, one just 14 years old, in planned attacks to kill LGBTQ+ students as signs of allegiance to the ISIS Islamic extremist terrorist organization. >> A 19-year-old named Tan Jun Gee was one of the three teenagers detained by Singapore's Internal Security Department, ISD, between April and June. Two other teens, age [clears throat] 14 and 15, were not publicly named because they're minors. While the three cases are unrelated, each of the young men reportedly shares a self-taught online knowledge of Islamic jihad mass shootings, homemade explosive devices, and an acquired hatred of Kaffir, which means non-Muslims. Among them, at least two of the teens counted LGBTQ+ people as Kaffir. The ISD said it covered plots by all three to carry out attacks. It uncovered plots by all three to attack um LGBTQ people in Singapore. Tan and then there's a count of how they became involved with Islamic uh terrorist organizations. Um >> Mhm. >> Shia Muslims who are who serve secular governments and LGBTQ people were considered to be part of the disbeliever group that these three young men targeted. Um Tan targeted, quote, "deviant Muslim groups" in failed cyber attacks in 2025 before devising a plot to kill Singapore Air Force cadets and LGBTQ students in a college he had previously attended. He viewed their behavior as not conforming to Islam's teaching. Um he took an elite pledge of allegiance to ISIS. Um even Muslim acquaintances who introduced him to the faith and didn't serve his radical views became potential target targets and then they turned them in. The younger teenager now 14 was also radicalized online by a mixture of sometimes conflicting extremist ideologies starting at the age of 12. His radicalization began with playing first-person shooter games on the online gaming platform Roblox. Uh he began to identify with real-life mass shooters who claimed to uh with real-life mass shooters who claimed to be bullied at school as he was. His hard drives were packed with thousands of hours of violent content including mass shootings and executions by Mexican drug cartels and ISIS. Um he saw himself as having fairer skin than his peers. He came to support white supremacy. He learned about the Pulse nightclub and became obsessed with Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who uh perpetuated perpetrated the 2015 shooting at the Black South Carolina church. He identified with Roof for being bullied and like Tan, the other guy, came to believe that Islam justified killing LGBTQ people. Uh in the weeks before the and then the third person >> How awful, 14 years old. >> I know it. Um the boy uh the third person saw the attack in the form of jihad and intended to pledge allegiance to ISIS during his attack and thereafter kill himself or die a martyr. In the weeks before the planned attack, classmates and teachers at his school noticed signs of radicalization and they third alerted the authorities. He was arrested in May. Okay, so that's the second youth. The third youth, 15, was arrested in March after pledging allegiance to ISIS on social media and planning an attack in Singapore modeled on the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. >> Wow. >> Now, let's I'm >> Let me just grab a couple of my stories and then you can have the rest. >> Sure. >> All right. Well, I talked [clears throat] about this a little last week, but I'm just going to talk about a little bit about I have a picture of Ann Northrop. >> Oh, yes. >> um now she has officially left. Um and of course we all know how fabulous she is. She worked there for 30 years. >> At Gay USA. >> Mhm. >> Our mentor show. >> And has been one of the most fearless, consistent, and trusted voices in LGBTQ+ journalism. Long before LGBTQ stories received regular attention from mainstream media, Ann was covering the issues that mattered most to our community. She put it on stories others overlooked, challenged powerful institutions, and ensured LGBTQ voices were heard. Through some of the most significant moments in LGBTQ history, from the AIDS crisis to marriage equality and beyond, Ann remained a steady, reliable presence. Her reporting viewers held leaders accountable, and documented both the victories and setbacks that shaped the movement. And here's a picture of Anne. And I wanted to let people know that if um they wanted to see um Anne Northrup give her goodbye speech, she's standing on the bar >> at Julius's um and and giving her farewell speech, you can find that on YouTube. Um so there you go. If you want to see that, that's where to go. Now we have the despicable Max Miller >> [laughter] >> has hit back at his former father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno, and threatened to expose a deeply impersonal, embarrassing matter as the as their feud turns ugly. Miller, the Republican representative from Ohio, is facing calls to resign from his own party over domestic abuse allegations. After his ex-father-in-law, Bernie Moreno, a GOP senator, said that he said on his appearance on CNL and telling Jake Tapper that he had information that was ready to share about the former father-in-law. He [snorts] insinuates that his father-in-law is gay. What did I don't know what that has to do with anything or what whether he's a child abuser or he's trying to get his father-in-law to shut up apparently, but >> Well, he's a domestic It seems like he's a domestic >> terrorist. >> abuser. >> Definitely. And you know, everybody says he is and I don't know why he's still there, but there he is. >> Well, I'll he's taking Donald Trump as his model. >> Yeah. >> He said, you know, oh, Trump was accused of all that stuff and he still got elected. What a country. >> It's scary. It's like you don't even recognize it anymore. And here's another despicable story. A West Virginia food bank shows a bear after Did you see that? >> Yes. >> after refusing supplies from organizations that are allegedly part of the gay rights movement because they support LGBTQ people. To let you know, the reason why we're in this because I've done some research. And I talked to the proper people, said Pastor Alvin Christian in a since-deleted Facebook live video. Are you all tied in or partners with LGBTQ T whatever? And they said, "Yes." And I said, "I've done some more research and found out that they are part of the gay rights movement." So, the food bank is empty. People and they know they serve like quite a quite a few people at that church. And now the whole food bank is empty because he refuses to take anything from anybody that has to do with LGBTQ. So, you know, here we are, our new reality. >> And well, um I'm counting Russia as Asia. And they have some bad stories from Russia. >> Uh-huh. >> I'd like to show you what else is new. I'd like to show you a picture of Daniil Neonov. He's a candidate who was arrested and sentenced to 10 days for wearing a rainbow T-shirt. Um He was sentenced to 10 days in prison. He wore the shirt in a video posted to social media. Um He was running for municipal deputy in Moscow, um but then was arrested on July 16th, and um the story was reported by Parony, a news outlet that I wanted to tell you more about in the next story. But um the messaging platform uh he put it on a very popular messaging platform in that's popular in India and Russia. Uh he identifies as a femboy. He posted a video of himself wearing a red headband with ears and a cat mask, as well as a black t-shirt with the word love written on it in seven rainbow colors. He was arrested um and he denied the charges uh in his trial, pointing out that the rainbow on his shirt had seven colors, where the pride flag only has six. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest, which is a maximum possible sentence. He's also banned from running for public office. So >> How long Do we ever know what happened? Do we ever hear what happened? Remember that lesbian who was in Morocco? >> no, no. >> I wonder wonder what's happened to her. >> I hesitate to think. >> I know. >> Uh okay, so then the journalists of the organization that reported this story themselves um became the subject of a story because they were forced into exile. So, let me show you a picture of some of them. Uh right before you now is the people um I didn't get their first names. Svaganov, Pasemsky, Rasputin, and Muzhin, and they'll appear in the story. Um you know Putin passed when um he invaded Ukraine, he cracked down and did all these, you know, passed all these uh anti-LGBTQ edicts and calling LGBT groups extremist organizations. So, um he number he identified these journalists from the um outlet Parney as foreign agents, said they were promoting LGBTQ propaganda um and forced them into exile. Uh the online news and culture site Parney um They all had to leave. I'd like to show you a picture now of Evgeny Pisemsky, who's the founder of the media project. It started in 20 uh 2008 as a resource for LGBTQ and bisexual men and has grown to cover discrimination, human rights abuses, and migration issues during the authoritarian President Putin's crusade to erase LGBTQ identity in Russia. Um I had just 24 hours to get out after criminal charges were opened against me. I bought a ticket, flew to the UK and applied for political asylum, Polinsky, the site's founder, whom you just saw a picture of, said. The extremist designation did not come as a surprise, he said. And while he never wanted to leave like this, he worried more for the site's readers and his colleagues continued to publish from abroad. And this is the act of courage. They're continuing They published the last story I reported on from abroad. If someone in Russia shares our post or article, writes to us, and sends their story, they're not taking a potential risk. The state is trying to make the very connection between us and our audience dangerous, but they're publishing anyway. >> I know, it's amazing. >> Like Parni, Pink News, and LGBTQ Nation uh are on a blacklist known as the single register of blocked Russian sites maintained by the Federal Service of Information Technology. Two other sites from LGBTQ Nation's publisher, Q Digital, are also on the list of banned publications. The gay queer site Queer Queer Queer Tea and the travel site Gay Cities are also on this list. >> It's amazing. >> Parni journalist Ilya Tomega, and let's look at a picture of her, said the extremist designation was a numbing paradox. She felt certain a certain sense of relief after the lawsuit. She said, "I don't think I'm capable of feeling much about it personally now. I can only register the facts almost as if it's happening to someone else." Um now, Damir Musin, who's was who appears in the group picture I sha- showed at the beginning, said, "My immigration has been hell." A He was a peer counselor at Parni. His forced exile took him to Georgia, Montenegro, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Armenia, and Spain, where he found lodging in shelters. His low point when he was when he became robbed in Spain, so he had no ident- identification, no money. Um "By branding us as extremists, the state is trying to erase LGBTQ people from public life," the founder said. "It wants people to once again sit alone um with its anxiety somewhere in Russia and think maybe there's something wrong with me. So, our mission has become even clearer. Parni isn't just a website, it's a connection for a community." >> Mhm. >> So, that's inspiring. >> Now, let's look at a clip. Uh let's go to Europe. Uh there's a Belgian film that came out in 2025 that we have to find in theaters. So, keep your eyes peeled for it. Uh, it's called Julie. >> Does it go in like special events, festivals? >> sure. >> Yeah, okay. >> Not streaming yet here. Fleur and Julian fall madly in love and decide to get married in all countries where they as two women are allowed to do so. After only four marriages, their journey comes to a painful and unexpected halt. So, sad, but take a look at a clip from Julie. >> What's it called again? >> Julian. >> Julian, okay. >> [music] [music] >> I pledge you my love and respect. With all that I am, I honor you. >> [music] [music] >> Now, going along with some bad news, a teen mob allegedly beat a gay man to death in a park in a potential hate crime in Bulgaria. This occurred in Plovdiv, which is the second largest city in Bulgaria. Um The body was found um by a group of um people who were at this park called Youth Hill. Um and investigators looked at security footage and there were all these teenagers in the area. Um a restaurant's camera showed a mixed-gender group of 10 to 15 young people gathering in the area before the attack occurred. The video shows the group leaving the main park and going to a wooded area where the victim was found. Uh he did not walk along the main alley, but took a less frequented path, which lead is leading people to conclude that the anti-LGBTQ attackers may have um contacted him on a gay dating app and arranged a meeting. Uh being gay is illegal is legal in Bulgaria, but marriage equality is banned by the constitution. Bulgaria is ranked as one of the least LGBTQ+ friendly nations in Europe. Uh due to the parts in parts of the country's law banning LGBTQ+ propaganda which was passed in 2024 on Russia's model. One more bad violent story, a trans man's skull was fractured and two more were hospitalized in a terrifying attack after Dublin's Pride. Um >> Dublin? >> Pardon me? >> Dublin? [clears throat] >> Five queer people in total were allegedly attacked at St. Stephen's Green on Saturday, the 25th of June after the city's pride event. Three were hospitalized including a 19-year-old trans man who was reportedly left with fractured call skull and abnormalities in the brain. Um a garda garda the gardia the uh police force the garda spokesman said in a statement to Dublin Live. Garda attended at the scene of a public order incident at St. St. Stephen's Green shortly after 7:00 p.m. on 25 June. No arrests were made at the scene. Inquiries into the matter are ongoing including a number of allegations of assault of assault arising from the incident. It is the latest anti-LGBTQ attack in Ireland coming 2 months after two gay men were found murdered in their own homes in April, just a kilometer apart from each other. Um Yousef Palani has been charged with murdering both men and assaulting another. Police believe that the subject was planning further attacks on LGBTQ people in the north of Ireland. >> Yay! >> With the crime sending shockwaves of fear through the community. Now, I have I'd like to end with a very with a positive story. >> Yay! [screaming] >> Let me show you a picture now of Bev Bev Craig. Belfast-born LGBTQ+ politician Bev Craig elected mayor of Greater Manchester. >> Nice. >> Openly lesbian Belfast-born Labour politician Bev Craig has been elected as mayor of Greater Manchester succeeding Andy Burnham, who's now the Prime Minister. Following his move to Westminster to become the UK Prime Minister. Craig secured the position defeating Reform's AK Shahin Asty. She finished with almost double the votes. I The by-election was triggered after Burnham stood down as mayor following his election as MP for Makerfield in June. Then he became Prime Minister on July 20th, ending his long tenure leading Greater Manchester. Craig entered as Labour's candidate after serving as deputy mayor for economy, business, and inclusive growth at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Before that, she made history as Manchester's first woman and first openly gay leader of Manchester City Council, a role she has held since 2021. Her election marks a milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in British politics. Throughout her political career, Beth Craig has spoken openly about the importance of ensuring Greater Manchester is a welcoming and safe place for LGBTQ+ communities, particularly following a number of suspected hate attacks across the region. >> Yeah, really. >> Speaking after her victory, Craig pledged to put residents at the center of every decision she makes as mayor. She said, "I set myself as a a simple task that every single decision I take as your mayor of Greater Manchester will pass the test of making your life better." >> Especially given, you know, the environment that sometimes is in Britain. >> [snorts] >> Craig now takes charge as one of England's most powerful mayoral positions, overseeing transport, policing, housing, economic development, and regional growth. For many LGBTQ+ people across Manchester, her election also represents continued visible representation at the highest levels of local government, with Craig having consistently championed equality and inclusion throughout her time in public office. >> Now, what was that song? Manchester, Manchester, England. >> Manchester, England. >> the England? Was that the Rolling Stones or the Beatles? >> I think it was neither. >> No? >> No. >> Who was it? >> Another British band. Well, I'll have to tell you next time. >> You could look it up now. No. Um Manchester, England. What was the song about though? Was it about Manchester or >> Yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, um Manchester, Manchester, England. I think it was the Rolling Stones. Let's just see what it is. >> Okay, but >> I think it's the Rolling Stones. Definitely not Barry Manilow. It had to be a British band. Well, the Rolling Stones, I guess. Well, yeah. All right. Well, um No, well, it says here. It's from Hair. Oh, yeah, it's from Hair. That's right. >> Sung by the Hair Ensemble. >> Ah. >> Manchester, England, England. Across the Atlantic. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. >> I'm a genius, genius. >> Genius, yeah, Hair. All right. Thank you, Anne. >> I believe in God, believe in Claude. That's me, that's me. >> All right. >> Should we apologize for our >> No. For your frog voice, no. >> Claude Hooper Bukowski finds that it's groovy to hide in a movie, pretends he's Fellini and Antonioni. And he also he continues Roman also his countryman Roman Polanski. A world into one, one Claude Hooper Bukowski. >> Well, good for Manchester, Manchester, England. And on that note, please remember to always resist. >> sist. >> [music]