Jawhar Edwards. (Screen capture via ABC 7 New York) A gay man was brutally beaten with a metal pipe and robbed of his walker while bystanders ignored him in Brooklyn, New York. More than a month since the attack in his hometown of Coney Island, Jawhar Edwards still has a swollen eye after his eye
New York
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga perform on stage during MTV Unplugged (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ViacomCBS) Lady Gaga said she will “cry about tonight forever” as Tony Bennett’s last concert before his retirement has aired. The duo, who have been playing music together for a decade, performed two concerts in New York in August, the
Two men assaulted shoppers after saying ‘anti-gay’ remarks. (New York Police Department CrimeStoppers) Two men were slashed with a glass bottle and stabbed with a screwdriver in an apparent homophobic hate crime. The New York City Police Department has launched an appeal after the victims, aged 36 and 28, were attacked by two individuals who
It’s fascinating to watch local governments—New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans—rush to enact Covid vaccine requirements for entry to the publicly accessible spaces of private business, including, yes, movie theaters. I’m not equipped to judge the ultimate propriety or efficacy of such mandates. Frankly, the complexities posed by breakthrough, uncertain vaccine longevity, variants,
Donnie Lee Barrigar, 37, has been found not guilty of criminal tampering after he took down an LGBT+ Pride flag in front of a city hall building in Watertown, New York in June 2020. (WWNY) A man who took down an LGBT+ Pride flag in front of a city hall building in New York has been
EXCLUSIVE: With all the glee emanating out of NYC this past weekend that Covid capacity restrictions were lifted, from restaurants to SNL‘s Studio 8H audiences, movie theaters are still slammed with a big asterisk. Heading into the Memorial Day frame when Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella are expected to revive summer
The Unitarian Universalist Church in Utica, upstate New York, spoke out after its banners were repeatedly vandalised (UUUC) A church has vowed to stand up for equality after its Pride and Black Lives Matter flags were ripped down. The Unitarian Universalist Church in Utica, upstate New York, spoke out after its banners were repeatedly vandalised
Jabari Brisport believes “queer rights are a multiethnic, multiracial battle”.(jabariforstatesenate/ Instagram) Jabari Brisport, hailed as “the next AOC”, has become the first ever Black LGBT+ person elected to the New York state legislature. A gay, Democratic socialist, public school teacher and third-generation Caribbean-American, Jabari Brisport has become the New York state senator representing Brooklyn’s 25th
New York state on Monday published its reopening guidelines for movie theaters, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has allowed to open (except in New York City and a handful of counties) on Friday for the first time since March. The guidelines don’t hold many surprises for operators that have already set up stringent CinemaSafe protocols developed
Finally, exhibition gets a break in the Empire State. During a press conference on Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced movie theaters outside of New York City can reopen at 25 percent capacity or up to 50 people per screen on October 23rd. We also hear they can sell concessions. This is in effect
The risk of patrons gathering as they come in and out of shows is one reason why New York State is reluctant to open theaters, or even publish guidelines ticking off measures that would lead to a reopening as it’s done with other industries, according to a state official. Exhibition players have been confused at
Samson Tequir. (Facebook) In the latest flare-up amid the Black Lives Matter protests continuing to seize major US cities, a Black trans man was left with his jaw and eye socket shattered after two men brutally beat him up. Samson Tequir, 30, who helps organise demonstrations in Rochester, New York, was assailed last Friday afternoon
Startling footage showed Dustin Gold hurl racist slurs in New York City. (Screen captures via Twitter) A white gay porn star who launched a vile, racist rant at a sanitation worker has been dropped by his studio following bubbling backlash, it was announced on Twitter Tuesday (July 21). Justin O’Brian, whose on-screen name is Dustin
Giancarlo Albanese, who attended a circuit party at Fire Island Pines, New York. (Screen captures via Instagram) An attendee of a July 4 Fire Island, US, party that saw beaches swell with hundreds of toned torsos, rarely wearing face coverings or abiding by social distancing rules, has spoken out amid stinging criticism. Giancarlo Albanese, a
Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco’s death sparked outcry for typifying the failures of the criminal justice system for trans women of colour. (Facebook/Polanco family attorney) A total of 17 corrections officers are to be disciplined for their conduct regarding Layleen Polanco, a trans woman of colour who died in solitary confinement in Rikers Island jail. Layleen Xtravaganza
Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco’s death spared outcry for typifying the failures of the criminal justice system for trans women of colour. (Facebook/Polanco family attorney) Officers swung open the iron doors of the cell of Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco and called her name. They believed the Latinx trans woman was simply asleep while in solitary confinement. She was
Alyssa Kayhil and Anhlinh Trinh were reunited after three months apart (Screenshot: New York Post) When the coronavirus pandemic kept a nurse apart from her girlfriend for three months, she enlisted the help of her neighbours to make their reunion unforgettable. Alyssa Kayhill is a musician who’s been working on the front lines as a
The playwright and AIDS activist Larry Kramer had died (Photo by Melanie Burford For The Washington Post via Getty Images.) Legendary AIDS activist and playwright Larry Kramer has died, aged 84. The former activist, who founded both Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP during the AIDS crisis, passed away from pneumonia on Wednesday. Known
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) A gay state senator has spoken out after he was rejected from giving blood, despite meeting the new official guidelines for doing so. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in February that it would “immediately” relax rules imposed during the AIDS
Broadway theaters aren’t expected to reopen up in New York City for quite a long time, Deadline sources saying not before 2021. And according to New York State governor’s recent reopening phase plan, indoor cinemas are in the same final phase 4 classification as Broadway theaters, entertainment venues, museums and arts and recreation businesses. Yikes.
The pioneering trans activist Lorena Borjas sadly passed away at the age of 60 (Facebook/Samy Nemir Olivares) The pioneering transgender activist Lorena Borjas has tragically passed away from coronavirus early on Monday morning. Borjas, 60, was known as the mother of the trans Latinx community in Queens. As a survivor of human trafficking, she dedicated
Trans people, especially trans women, experience rocketing levels of violence and hate crime. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) A trans woman with a “beautiful heart” was fatally stabbed in the neck in Harlem Park, New York, early Saturday morning during a spat over a wig she allegedly stole. In the light of the morning after, a crescent-shaped
Amid dire shortages of surgical masks – vital for frontline medics – designer Christian Siriano has vowed to manufacture them for New York state. (John Lamparski/Getty Images/Screen capture via Instagram) In today’s edition of celebrity activism that does a lot more good than singing “Imagine” for no ungodly reason, designer Christian Siriano has vowed to
One brave 14-year-old has helped secure gender recognition reform in New York state. On Tuesday, it was announced New York will will no longer require medical evidence for gender recognition, and will recognise the legal gender of young transgender people for the first time. The decision comes after Lambda Legal sued the state on behalf