Speaking to People, the out gay actor and Hollywood heartthrob revealed that he considers his boyfriend Tomas, who he has been with since 2021, to be his “best friend”.

“We’re a great team in life. He’s my best friend. He’s the calm, deep waters, and I am the rushing, bubbly water. And between the two of us, we can solve anything,” Evans shared with the publication.

He explained that the pair work well “together as a team”, particularly on their clothing and lifestyle brand BDXY, which sells men’s underwear, swimwear and wardrobe essentials.

“Having a business together just is an extension of our life together. We work really well together. He blows my mind. He’s so impressive in everything he does, in the business — and in life,” Evans added

The star – who has appeared in several queer films, including Good Grief with Dan Levy and Our Son with Billy Porter – previously explained that it’s his relationship with Fran Tomas that keeps him “grounded”.

“I think what’s kept me [grounded]… is my friends and family. They’re very important to me. And my partner, he keeps me grounded and keeps me calm in this strange world that I live in,” he shared with Out Magazine.

“He’s a great human being. He’s kind, calm. He’s happy. He’s positive. He’s a hard worker. He literally makes me a better person. And he has to put up with my s**t, which I can’t imagine what that would be like.”

Who is Fran Tomas and what does he do for a living?

Fran Tomas is a construction project manager from Spain. According to LinkedIn, he began his career as an interior designer before becoming an architect and project coordinator.

He’s also a fitness fan and regularly posts on Instagram about his time in the gym.

In 2025, Luke Evans and his boyfriend Fran Tomas turned up the heat by showing off some of their fashion brand’s swimwear range. Pictured in nothing but swimming trunks (and an accompanying wet T-shirt), the pair clearly went straight from the pool to the photoshoot, given their wet hair and Luke’s soaked through BDXY t-shirt.

In 2024, Luke Evans released his memoir, Boy From the Valleys: My unexpected journey, in which he details his life growing up as a gay Jehovah’s Witness in Wales.

He explains in the book that he experienced severe bullying at school, both because of his religion at the time, and because of what his peers assumed his sexuality was.

“I was bullied for being gay before I even understood what it meant,” he wrote in the memoir.

 “The worst nickname was Jovey bender because it combined two aspects of my identity that could never be reconciled – homosexuality is not accepted in the religion.

“It’s a terribly dark place to be as a child, knowing you’re somehow ‘wrong’, but with no idea why that is or how you can fix it,” he continued.

“I hated school. Children can be horribly intolerant, evil little b**tards some of them. Anything slightly different about you and you’re a target – and I was different in almost every way possible.”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Everything we know about Luke Evans’ long-time boyfriend Fran Tomas appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

The festival’s seventh edition will run from 1 May to 6 June, and the programme includes features, shorts, fiction, documentary, UK premieres, restorations and two rare 35mm print screenings.

The five-week celebration explores East and Southeast Asia’s evolving queer landscape. Ahead of the festival, Yi Wang, Queer East Festival and Programme Director, shared: “To look back is a crucial step in understanding how to move forward.

“While sometimes overlooked, these films hold the collective memory of our communities, and by bringing them to the big screen again, we want to create a space for dialogues between our queer past and today’s audiences.”

Here are some great Queer East events you don’t want to miss:

The Outsiders

Queer East’s opening night event is a screening of The Outsiders, a Taiwanese queer classic. The screening will be a 4k restoration of the film, in line with the 40th anniversary of the Yu Kan-Ping film. Set in the gay cruising ground of Taipei New Park, The Outsiders follows a young man finding refuge with a group of fellow queer outcasts.

Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia

Lesbian cinema pioneer Ulrike Ottinger’s 1989 Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia is having a rare screening that you don’t want to miss. The film chronicles four women who are travelling solo when they are kidnapped by a Mongolian princess and her mounted army.

The screening will be preceded by an introduction from the event’s curator, Russian-Korean film worker Misha Zakharov, and a discussion with the London-based Buryat artist Margarita Galandina on the Mongolian Indigenous rituals and culture presented in the film.

Cactus Pears

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Cactus Pears is a gem. Rohan Kanawade’s film is a touching queer romance set in the rural countryside of western India. Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) is in a 10-day mourning period for his father when he meets a local farmer. Their bond quickly deepens, and their quiet connection blossoms. However, when Anand is called back to the city, he must decide on what life he wants to live. 

A Good Child

Ong Kuo Sin’s A Good Child will have its UK premiere at Queer East. The camp comedy from Singapore follows a drag queen reluctantly returning home to look after their mother with dementia. Balancing playful humour and tender family dynamics, A Good Child is helmed by rising Singaporean star Richie Koh.

Between Goodbyes 

Between Goodbyes is another film set to have its UK premiere at Queer East. Jota Mun’s documentary that explores queer adoption and Korea’s overseas adoption programme. The film follows Mieke, a queer Korean adoptee who was raised in the Netherlands, and her birth mother, who lives in South Korea. Jota Mun, a Korean adoptee themself, offers a window into the lives of those trying to reconcile with their painful pasts.

Molly

As well as feature films, there are plenty of short films that are worth watching: one such film is Molly. The film’s logline reads: “A chance meeting at a launderette draws two men into an intense emotional intimacy. As closeness blurs into desire, their relationship forces them to confront what love demands before it fractures everything they have built.” Molly offers a portrayal of asexuality, which remains rare in cinema. 

Pixelated Lesbian Mixtape: Azian Nurudin’s Wicked Times

Made between 1986 and 1999, Pixelated Lesbian Mixtape: Azian Nurudin’s Wicked Times is an excavation from the queer cinema archives. The collection features nine films of unabashed, defiant queer passion centred on Malaysian-American artist Azian Nurudin.

The event’s description details: “This retrospective is a rare opportunity to spotlight, re-contextualise, and experience an almost-forgotten voice from a monumental moment in queer history. The screening will be followed by an online Q&A with Azian.”

BodyHacking

The contemporary film strand ‘BodyHacking’ will see five short films explore the malleable and imaginative nature of queer bodies. From animation to documentary to experimental modes of storytelling, these films raise questions about ethics, politics, hormones and sharing wombs.

The film strand includes: Immature, How to Get Your Man Pregnant, Part 1. Camera and Toe, In Petri Dish We Sing and Womb Mates.

Find out more and purchase tickets for the 2026 Queer East festival here. 

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The Selective Service System (SSS), the government agency responsible for maintaining draft records, has changed the rules: previously, eligible men were required to register themselves within 30 days of turning 18. Now, eligible men will be registered automatically instead.

The news led to spikes in Google searches for the term “can trans women be drafted”, as concerns about the Iran war and military conscription continue to rise in the US.

The answer to that question is…. yes, in theory. Despite the Trump administration’s well documented animosity towards transgender people serving in the military, trans women are eligible for military service.

As reported by Ladbible, those considered eligible for military service include:

• Most men with disabilities (even if they might later be found unfit for military service)
• US citizens aged 18–25, including dual citizens
• Male immigrants aged 18–25 living in the US
• US citizens living abroad in the same age group
• People assigned male at birth, including transgender women

However, trans men assigned female at birth are not expected to register.

Eligibility for military service doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be drafted into a war, however. The draft process works much like a lottery, with eligible people assigned a number, which would then be randomly selected. If your number comes up, you’d be expected to then report for military service. This conscription process was last used during the Vietnam War.

This seems at odds with the ban on trans people signing up to serve in the US military if they have ever had a “history of gender dysphoria”, which secretary of defence and anti-woke stalwart Pete Hegseth implemented last year, whilst a Pentagon memo filed in court declared trans service members will be “identified” and separated from the US military unless they receive an exemption.

Exemptions will allegedly only be granted if evidence can be “provided there is a compelling government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports war-fighting capabilities” and they “demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability in the service member’s gender without clinically significant distress”.

So, how would any of this work in practice? Can trans women actually be drafted? Well, it is possible that if the ban on trans people serving in the military is in place during any future draft, trans women would likely be classified as 4F (not qualified for service), and either be dismissed or denied entry during the evaluation process.

In short, the current rules create a paradox, where trans women are technically required to register for military service, but are ineligible to serve under the current policy.

The post Can trans women be drafted? Everything you need to know about the new US army rules appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

The enemies-to-lovers ice hockey show was a massive hit, thrusting Williams and his co-stars – Connor Storrie, François Arnaud and Robbie GK – into the spotlight. There has been a lot of talk about what the actors’ next project will be.

While we wait for season two of the show, Williams has shared details about one of his new projects, which is being released very soon.

Williams will be one of the stars in 26-year-old Icelandic singer and songwriter Laufey’s next music video. It seems he’ll be dropping the sweetness of Shane Hollander for an intense “madman” vibe.

Out on Monday (13 April), the video for “The Madwoman” will see Williams alongside a number of other celebs. He’ll be joined by Olympian Alysa Liu, Katseye’s Megan Skiendiel and Forbidden Fruits’ Lola Tung.

In a series of Instagram posts, Laufey introduced the music video stars with polaroid photographs.

On Friday (10 April), the singer posted two polaroids of Williams to Instagram. The first image is a black-and-white image of Williams in a suit. Additionally, the second is a faded sepia of him alongside Laufey beside a pool.

‘Introducing our madman for the madwoman music video… ‘

“Introducing our madman for the madwoman music video… get slapped,” she wrote. Her caption was accompanied by two fish emojis.

Further teasing the music video, Laufey posted a very short clip on Thursday (9 April). In the video, Williams screams: “I’m in love with your sister.”

Williams and Laufey seem to be in a face-off during a fancy poolside meal, with a butler standing by silently.

The clip then cuts to Laufey holding a sign that just says: “Hot.”  The TikTok’s on-screen text reads: “When there’s literally nothing he can do or say to push you away.”

“The Madwoman” is from Laufey’s third studio album, A Matter of Time. Also, the deluxe version of the album, A Matter of Time: The Final Hour, dropped today.

Heated Rivalry season two is on the horizon for Williams, but he also has a handful of other projects. He’s starring in the Crave mystery thriller, Yaga. The show is set to reimagine the Slavic folklore if Baby Yaga, frequently depicted as a female witch.

Additionally, he’s also starring in The Altruists, a Netflix drama series about the cryptocurrency exchange company FTX.

The post Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams is a ‘madman’ in this new music video appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Ralph Fiennes has said he thinks the “ship has sailed” on him returning as Lord Voldemort, and suggested queer icon Tilda Swinton would be “amazing” and “fantastic” in the role for HBO Max’s controversial Harry Potter TV adaptation.

Speaking on BBC’s The Claudia Winkleman Show, the 63-year-old reflected on being asked in the past about reprising the part He said: “I remember being asked the question, would I reprise the part? This was some years ago. And I said, ‘yes, I’d love to.’”

Fiennes added: “But then, nothing’s happened. I think that ship has sailed. But I tell you, Tilda Swinton was mentioned somewhere as being a contender, and I think she would be amazing. She would be fantastic.”

Swinton and Cillian Murphy are reportedly among those rumoured to be in the mix to take on the villain in the new series. However Murphy previously categorically denied he was taking over the role.

Of course, given Swinton’s status as a queer icon, it likely wouldn’t go down well with fans.

HBO’s Harry Potter reboot

Fiennes played Harry Potter’s nemesis in five films from 2005 to 2011. The first season of the TV version is set to arrive this Christmas on HBO Max, adapted from Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.

JK Rowling, who wrote the books, is an executive producer on the show, which has caused controversy among some people.

Many stars of the reboot have been asked about the decision to take their role, considering Rowling’s controversial and vocal views on trans people.

Tilda Swinton as a queer icon

Tilda Swinton has long been considered a queer icon, due to their androgynous style.

However in 2021, Swinton said that she was queer. She told British Vogue: “I’m very clear that queer is actually, for me anyway, to do with sensibility.

“I always felt I was queer – I was just looking for my queer circus, and I found it. And having found it, it’s my world.

She also discussed gender back in 2009, when she played a man and a woman in the film Orlando, saying: “My idea of identity is that I’m not sure it really exists.

“I’ve examined this idea laterally since Orlando and other pieces of work that I’ve made, when I’ve played with the idea of transformative gender… That whole idea of transformation is at the heart of what I’m interested in as a performer and not least through the idea of gender. It’s a very personal matter.

“I can categorically say that as Orlando does in the film: Yes, I’m probably a woman.”

She added: “I don’t know if I could ever really say that I was a girl – I was kind of a boy for a long time. I don’t know, who knows? It changes.”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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In Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, the character, played by Vaughan Murrae, marks a meaningful step forward for LGBTQ+ representation, seamlessly woven into the show’s chaotic, comedic world rather than treated as a central plot point.

Creator Linwood Boomer and executive producer Tracy Katsky told Deadline in a 9 April interview that the decision was deeply personal, reflecting their own family, where three of their four children are queer.

“Three out of four of our kids are queer, and without making it a thing and without making an issue, I think it’s really nice to have a character that, that’s just a facet of their personality as opposed to the entire story,” Katsky said.

The update comes more than 20 years after the original series ended, showing how both the characters and cultural conversations have evolved.

Alongside Kelly’s introduction, the revival also includes other LGBTQ+ representation – such as Stevie Kenarban, Malcolm’s best friend in the original series, played by Craig Lamar Traylor, being gay and having his own family.

Who is Vaughan Murrae?

Vaughan Murrae, who is playing a non-binary character in the show, is non-binary in real life, and uses they/them pronouns, as per their Instagram page.

They have also appeared in TV series The Way Home as Casey Goodwin, The Solutioneers as Kat and films I Like Movies and Before I Change My Mind.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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Big Mistakes, a co-creation between Levy and Bottoms’ Rachel Sennott, is a crime-comedy sitcom. The show follows dysfunctional siblings Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (The Four Seasons’ Taylor Ortega).

The show kicks off when the New Jersey family becomes unexpectedly entangled with their town’s underground gangs. The two siblings find themselves pulled deeper into the criminal underworld.

Before long, there’s blackmail, kidnapping and car chases. However, all the while, Levy’s pastor character is hiding a secret boyfriend he hasn’t told his family about, just to add an extra smattering of gay drama.

The eight-episode show also stars FX’s Adults star Jack Innanen, Lady Birds’s Laurie Metcalf, Doom of Love’s Boran Kuzum and Knock at the Cabin’s Abby Quinn. Elizabeth Perkins, Jacob Gutierrez, Joe Barbara, Josh Fadem, and Mark Ivanir also star.

Big Mistakes is the first series from Levy and his production company’s (Not a Real Production Company) deal with Netflix. The eight-episode show is Levy’s second original scripted series, the first being Schitt’s Creek. Levy made his directorial debut with Good Grief in 2023.

What do the reviews of Big Mistakes say?

Currently, Big Mistakes holds a strong score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show is scored 94% by the critics’ Tomatometer and a 80% Popcornmeter score from the general public.

The Guardian‘s review gives the show three stars, outlining that the cast is great, but the premise doesn’t hold up.

“The domestic cringe comedy at its heart means Big Mistakes is far from a major error, but it isn’t quite a triumph either,” the review reads. 

The AV Club gave the show a B+ rating. Their review outlines: “Though the pacing can drag at times, Big Mistakes finds its groove in the back half of the season.

“And the series proves that, if done right, a certain kind of dark comedy can make you feel just as good as the feel-good variety.”

“Levy himself delivers a much more understated performance as Nicky than his ostentatious David Rose,” Collider‘s review notes.

“Much of how Nicky’s sexuality is handled in this series feels so grounded in how it feels as a queer person to have a deep well of patience with the people you love.

“From hiding his relationship from his congregation, to telling his father he can’t say “a gay,” and then later keeping another closeted person’s secret at the very real risk of his own life, Nicky’s queerness is incredibly nuanced.”

Big Mistakes is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post This is what critics are saying about Dan Levy’s new sitcom Big Mistakes appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show on 8 April, Etheridge was reminded of the moment between herself and her eldest son, Beckett, while talking about her autobiographical song ‘Tomboy’.

“When he was about 11, he came to me, he goes, ‘Mom, I’m sorry, but I think I’m straight.’ I tried to tell him it was a phase, but, you know,” Etheridge joked to laughter from the audience.

READ MORE: Lesbian rock icon Melissa Etheridge says record label boss told her to hide ‘gay thing’

Etheridge made headlines when she came out as a lesbian in 1993 at the Triangle Ball, a queer-themed celebration of President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration.

The singer is a mother of four but lost her son Beckett, whom she had with director Julie Cypher, in 2020 when he was just 21 years old.

Etheridge wrote the song ‘Call You’, which is featured on her 2026 album Rise, as a way of processing her grief around his death and finding a new outlook on life.

Speaking more on ‘Tomboy’ on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Etheridge explained what inspired her to write it. “It’s funny how you never think that children’s toys are so male- and female-oriented, but it’s not so much anymore.”

She continued: “I wanted to take that term ‘tomboy’ back, because I didn’t know if it was derogatory when I was a kid and I wasn’t sure. So I’m like, I’m going to say no, this is power.”

Host Kelly Clarkson also shared a story surrounding her own son, 10-year-old Remy, who was concerned that somebody told him he couldn’t paint his nails. “And I was like, ‘You can do whatever you want,’” Clarkson said.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The 21-year-old trans model and social media personality has very publicly disavowed her billionaire father. Vivian is Elon Musk’s eldest daughter, she came out as trans in 2020. Wilson no longer uses Musk as her surname, instead prefering to use her mother’s maiden name.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Wilson shared that her youth was partly shaped by the extreme, and alienating, wealth she was born into. 

“It was a very strange experience, very isolating,” Wilson said. “The upper class have their own private schools, social circles, and whatever.

“I remember being very young and seeing homelessness and feeling sick to my stomach.

“People would get on me for being like a dramatic little child. But no, I was right to be a dramatic little s*** about that.”

Wilson goes on to note that she recognises wealth creates an illusion, a “level of detachment from reality itself.”

She’s also asked whether she thinks wealth warped people around her. Wilson responds: “Absolutely yes. I have seen that s*** firsthand.

‘Life is more bearable when you don’t take anything seriously’

“It will change you, and the desire for power corrupts people from within. It is cartoonish.

“Achieving that and wanting more is a never-ending cycle of greed and gluttony, where nothing is enough and you kind of go insane. It turns you into someone different. Which is honestly one of my biggest fears.”

Later in the interview, Wilson credits queer culture and Discord servers for her comedic tone that so many adore.

“Life is more bearable when you don’t take anything seriously,” she explains. “The world is a circus; just become a clown. That makes no sense. Whatever.”

She has kept much of her personal life private, despite her frequent online posts. 

“I’m pretty introverted and chronically online. I don’t think people would guess that,” she notes.

Speaking about her life offline, Wilson says she’s usually “playing video games, sketching, doomscrolling. I like languages, so maybe watching something in French.”

She also shared a rare insight into her romantic life. “I’m not on any dating apps. I made sure to delete that when I got famous. Y’all are never catching me slipping,” Wilson laughs.

“I don’t want romance; it’s scary. I would like to grow more before getting into another relationship.”

The post Vivian Wilson fires shots at estranged father Elon Musk again while talking about her childhood appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Writing shortly after the alleged incident, the actor said: “My heart is with all the unpaid TSA agents at our airports.” She added that she had been looking forward to a scheduled appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show that ultimately “wasn’t in the cards”.

The post came after reports claimed Lyonne was removed from a Delta flight while travelling from Los Angeles to New York City on Tuesday night (7 April), following her attendance at the LA premiere of Euphoria.

Page Six reported an eyewitness viewed her making a scene onboard the plane, and claimed she ignored requests to close her laptop and fasten her seatbelt for takeoff – ultimately leading to her being escorted off the plane.

According to the publication, the captain of the plane said: “We have a passenger who for whatever reason … wouldn’t follow some basic commands … We had a passenger who didn’t seem up to the task tonight so that’s why they were asked to be booked on another flight — I do apologise for the inconvenience, but we will get you to New York as quickly and as safely as possible.”

The incident has not been independently confirmed, and neither the airline nor Lyonne’s representatives have publicly commented on the situation.

Despite the reported disruption, Lyonne appeared unfazed publicly, attending the New York premiere of Lorne the following day.

Natasha Lyonne in Euphoria

It was announced last October that Natasha Lyonne was among the list of new stars joining Euphoria for its third season.

It’s not yet been revealed who she will be playing, or what role she’ll have in the third season’s storyline.

Also joining her, as reported by Variety, are Trisha Paytas, Danielle Deadwyler, Eli Roth, Bella Podaras, Bill Bodner, Cailyn Rice, Colleen Camp, Gideon Adlon, Hemky Madera, Homer Gere, Jack Topalian, Jessica Blair Herman, Kwame Patterson, Madison Thompson, Matthew Willig, Rebecca Pidgeon and Sam Trammell.

They joined previously announced newcomers Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Toby Wallace, Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Kadeem Hardison, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hébert, Anna Van Patten and Asante Blackk.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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Love on the Spectrum fan favourites Abbey Romeo and David Isaacman have reportedly split after nearly five years together, with claims they could not agree on when to get married.

An insider claimed to the US Sun: “They couldn’t come to an agreement on when to get married. She was ready years ago, he still needed time.” A separate source close to Isaacman, 31, reportedly confirmed the relationship had ended and that “he is doing very well”. The couple are both autistic, with Love on the Spectrum following people with autism on their quest for romance.

The claims come shortly after the fourth season of the Netflix series dropped last week on 1 April. In the latest season, Romeo, 27, was shown discussing marriage and saying: “Neither one of us are ready to get married.” She also described the pair as “already married in our hearts”.

Romeo added: “I don’t want to be a divorced lady like my mom, so that’s why I don’t want to rush it, take my time to get married.”

Abbey and David’s relationship

Romeo and Isaacman’s relationship has been a major storyline for viewers, beginning with their first date, which was filmed for the show, in July 2021 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

By the second season, released in May 2022, Romeo was shown discussing the idea of marriage. In a joint BuzzFeed interview, Romeo said she hoped they would get married at Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve.

In a March We Need to Talk podcast episode with her mother, Romeo spoke warmly about Isaacman, saying: “He says things that make me feel good,” adding: “He covers my ears when there’s a certain noise I don’t like.” She also said the couple enjoyed visiting places including the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, as well as Universal Studios and Disneyland.

Love on the Spectrum is a dating docu-reality format that follows autistic people navigating relationships, and has built a large, emotionally invested fanbase. Romeo has become a breakout cast member on the US edition, known for her upbeat, candid on-camera style and musical moments featured on the series.

Love on the Spectrum and queer visibility

A small number of participants on Love on the Spectrum have identified as queer.

Perhaps most notably was Pari, from season three, who describes herself as “unapologetically autistic and queer”. A big fan of trains (and train puns!), she eventually met Tina and the two hit it off.

Their story wasn’t explored further in this year’s season four, however they did make an appearance at Madison and Tyler’s engagement party at the end.

And if their Instagram pages are anything to go by, they’re still going strong now!

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The Darts Regulation Authority (DRA), which governs the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), has banned trans women from competing in its women’s events with immediate effect.

This follows the World Darts Federation (WDF) banning trans women from women’s competitions in 2025.

‘I respected the sport every game and every single day’

Posting on Instagram, Van Leuven shared: “I just got an email. Apparently, I just got retired. Not by choice, but because I am no longer allowed to compete.

“I have worked so damn hard for years just to get here. I showed up and I competed.”

She continued: “I respected the sport every game and every single day. Now, with just one decision, I am being told I no longer belong.

“This isn’t just about me; it is another huge hit for the trans community.”

Since 2022, the 29-year-old player from the Netherlands has won six titles. She made her debut at the 2022 PDC Women’s Series, reaching the quarter-finals.

In 2023, she became the first trans woman to play in a televised PDC tournament. In the first round of the Women’s World Matchplay, she lost to Beau Greaves.

2024 was a milestone year for Leuven. She made history as the first trans woman to qualify for the World Championship. She lost 3–1 in sets to Kevin Doets.

Leuven’s breakthrough was not without obstacles. Deta Hedman forfeited a quarter-final match against Leuven in 2024 and then another match in 2025. Reports stated Hedman “withdrew after learning of her opponent.”

‘This isn’t just about me; it is another huge hit for the trans community’

In 2025, Van Leuven was targeted by protestors during a tournament. As Leuven walked out, protesters unfurled a banner reading: “He’s a man”.

Speaking about the event, Leuven thanked fans for their “support, messages and love”. 

She went on to say: “Was it the performance I dreamed of? Not even close. I couldn’t quite find my rhythm on stage. But considering how these past few weeks have gone, just being up there was already a win in itself.”

Leuven has also faced waves of online abuse. She details that she “didn’t want to leave the house” because of it.

She went on to note that the comments: “still haunt me to this day. It has impacted me massively“, adding that the abuse has resulted in her having panic attacks and her depression worsening. 

However, a number of her fellow players have had her back throughout her career. 

For example, darts world champion Luke Humphries and Northern Irish darts star Neil Duff have both voiced support for Leuven.

Speaking about playing Leuven, Humphries said: “She has been doing great, playing well, so I wish her all the best.”

Duff described her as a “lovely person” and said he hopes those with anti-trans views would “rethink” their stance.

The post Darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven forced to retire by trans ban: ‘I have worked so damn hard’ appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Various social media sites began “reporting” that Canada has now officially updated the LGBTQ+ acronym to MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+, which isn’t the case.

The person who used the acronym was Leah Gazan, 53, a Canadian member of parliament, and she did so while discussing $7billion in budget cuts to two federal Indigenous departments.

She used MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ as a catch-all term to refer to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual.

“When the Budget was released, I was shocked to find out that Prime Minister Carney is cutting $7billion between Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations,” she told parliament. ‘They provided $0 to deal with the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+. This is abhorrent. This is callous.’

‘This is callous because the very liberal government that has stripped organizations of life-sustaining funding has now committed $13billion on military spending,’ she added.

Among those who reacted was billionaire misanthropist Elon Musk, who wrote, “Canada is cooked,” and, in another post said: “I guess there are still some letters left in the alphabet.”

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) is a widely-used term in the US and Canada, and describes the ongoing epidemic of violence against indigenous women in those countries.

According to surveys and reports, the homicide rate for indigenous women in Canada was almost six times higher than that for other women from 2001 to 2015. In Canada, MMIWG has been described as a national crisis, and activists claim that “thousands of cases” of missing and murdered indigenous women over the last 50 years were not properly investigated due to police bias. In the US, Native American women are reportedly more than twice as likely to experience violence as any other demographic.

Two-Spirit, which Gazan was also mocked for incorporating into the acronym, is an umbrella term used by some North American Indigenous people to describe those who fulfill a traditional third-gender or other gender-variant role in their communities, and is seperate and distinct from other trans and non-binary identities.

The acronym Gazan used was, simply, inclusive of all marginalised people. Unfortunately, according to the right-wing press, it seems that showing empathy to severely discriminated-against communities who are overwhelmingly more likely to be victims of violence is, apparently, “hyperwoke” and worthy of ridicule.

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The free-to-play title Pokémon Champions launched on Wednesday for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Players quickly spotted an easily missed detail in the tutorial: the opposing Gallade was displayed as female, despite Gallade being a Pokémon that can only be male under the series’ usual mechanics.

The moment spread across social media the same day, with fans celebrating the “female Gallade” and sharing posts and fan art. One popular refrain was: “FEMALE GALLADE IS REAL,” as the reaction gathered pace online.

READ MORE: Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen: The ultimate queer-coded team for your playthrough

In a Pokémon Company bug statement (Japanese) issued on Thursday, representatives said they knew of at least six bugs, including “an error of some genders of Pokémon in the tutorial and in released teams.” They added that the bugs will be fixed in an update patch coming soon.

Why can’t Gallade be female?

Gallade’s gender rules are unusually strict in the mainline games. It is tied to a specific evolution method: it evolves from a male Kirlia when exposed to a Dawn Stone, while either a male or female Kirlie will naturally evolve to camp queen Gardevoir at level 30.

That is why the tutorial’s “female” Gallade stood out so sharply to long-time players.

Players can export their teams to Pokémon Home, but it is reportedly not clear what would happen if a Pokémon with usually impossible gender data was sent to other games.

Why fans latched on to ‘female Gallade’

Pokémon is one of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, spanning games, anime, films, trading cards and merchandise.

Its games have used binary gender markers for many species and mechanics since Generation II’s Gold and Silver, which can become a point of debate among players.

Online Pokémon fandom is also highly active on social platforms, where meme culture and fan art shape how moments are discussed, including queer readings of the series such as the receipts that prove Ditto is an LGBTQ+ icon.

The wider series has also included at least one explicitly trans character in Japanese dialogue. In Pokémon X/Y, Beauty Nova says she “was a Karate King just half a year ago,” adding: “[T]he power of medical science is awesome, wouldn’t you say?!”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The transgender model, who is Elon Musk’s estranged daughter, appears alongside Saturn Risin9, Mel 4Ever, VHEX and Katalina in a fun scene.

In it, the group, affectionately referred to as Dollseye on Katseye’s Instagram, stand around a car before it’s revealed that Daniela is stuffed into the trunk.

Daniela then joins the other members of Katseye as the song continues, before the Dollseye girls hand a sword to Sophia.

Speaking of her cameo, Wilson told Teen Vogue it was “the role of a lifetime”.

She went on: “We stuffed Daniele in the trunk of a car, gave her Tru Fru, yelled pronouns at the camera, served on said car, and then gave Sophia a sword, all while cinched to the stars and back in the freezing cold.”

Wilson and her co-stars all look incredible in pastel outfits, and honestly we hope they form their own girl group.

She added: “We simply looked too hot for hypothermia.”

Earworm “Pinky Up” was released on 9 April, ahead of its live debut at Coachella. Member Manon is not in the music video, due to her current hiatus – however fans are hoping she will return soon.

Katseye and the LGBTQ+ community

Katseye have been a fave of the girls and gays since their debut.

Member Lara came out as queer in March 2025, while Megan told fans she was bisexual during a live web chat with Lara in June the same year.

Aside from that, they’ve been vocal allies of the trans community, even before featuring Vivian Wilson and the rest of Dollseye.

In their song “Mean Girls”, they sing: “God bless the T girls and all the in-between girls.”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The Human Rights Campaign looked at the 2025 Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey (ALCS), and found that among those who identified as asexual, 50.9% reported there was less acceptance, while 63.7% found there was less visibility. In comparison, those figures were 29.7% and 51.1% for LGBTQ+ adults overall, respectively.

Of those surveyed, 4.7% recorded asexual as part of their sexual orientation or identity. Of those, 16.9% identified only as asexual, while 83.1% also included one or more other identities, such as aromantic, demisexual or panromantic. Meanwhile, 58% also said they were transgender or gender-expansive.

Of the people who recorded themself as asexual only, 71.7% felt there was worse acceptance, whereas 46.1% of people who said they were asexual and one or more other identities felt the same.

Those who are asexual and one or more other identity felt they were less open (60.9%) compared to those who just identified as asexual (48%).

Similarly, they said they felt less visible (66.7%) to those who identified only as asexual (57.5%).

‘Asexual people are retreating backward again’

Asexual activist Yasmin Benoit, who partnered with the Human Rights Campaign on the analysis, said: “The asexual community has long been regarded as one of the least visible groups within the wider LGBTQIA+ community. While we have begun to see improvements over the past few years, we are still one of the communities least likely to come out, to be represented, to have legislative recognition, or to receive support from LGBTQ+ groups and organisations, all while facing many of the same issues as the rest of the LGBTQ+ community.

“In an increasingly hostile environment, and with lower levels of community support, asexual people who were gradually approaching the point of feeling safe enough to be open are retreating backward again or deeming it necessary to stay in the background. The significant overlap between the trans community and the ace community means that the impact of these rollbacks is felt even more.”

Diversity among asexual people

The study found that 58% of those who identified as asexual also recorded they were transgender or gender-expansive.

The data from those respondents showed a much more negative outcome than those who are cisgender.

The asexual and trans or gender-expansive respondents felt less visible than they were a year ago (71.4%) compared to the 45.9% of cis respondents.

It suggests that the decline in visibility of asexual people is affected by the difficult experiences trans and gender-expansive people are having to live through right now.

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Timothy James Truett, 37, has been charged with “hate intimidation” following the April 1 shooting outside Pulse Ultra Club, marking the first time the city’s ordinance has been applied since it was introduced in 2024.

While no one was injured, bullets shattered a vehicle belonging to the club owner and struck part of the building, raising alarm within the local LGBTQ+ community.

The “hate intimidation” charge is a local legal enhancement designed to penalise crimes motivated by bias against protected characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed the motive behind the shooting, and court documents do not specify why the charge was applied in this case, as reported by WIS News 10.

Club owner Ken Phillips said he remains uncertain whether the incident was targeted, but stressed that the attack has heightened fears about safety: “Either way, it still gives me great concern.”

South Carolina is one of only two states in the US without a comprehensive statewide hate crime law, meaning local ordinances like Myrtle Beach’s play a key role in addressing bias-related incidents.

If convicted, the hate intimidation charge carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 30 days in jail.

Truett faces more serious penalties from additional charges tied to the shooting, such as possession of a weapon during a violent crime, discharging firearms into a dwelling, and damaging property.

Truett is currently being held in J. Reuben Long Detention Center on a $312,174 bond.

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The post Man accused of LGBTQ+ club shooting faces never-before-used historic charge appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

The 31-year-old shared a series of photos on Instagram, in which he could be seen reclining on a lounger with his sculpted abs the focal point. He shielded his eyes from the sun with his arms, with his tattoo of the Olympic rings visible on one of his bulging biceps.

Not that many people were looking away from his body, but he wore a pair of striped trunks for his day of relaxation by the pool.

READ MORE: Tom Daley shares huge plans to make knitting ‘more accessible’ for everyone

Another shot saw Daley by the pool again, this time showing all of him. His sun lounger was partly submerged in the crystal clear water of the pool, and the television personality looked incredibly relaxed.

A third shot put fans in a worm’s-eye view, looking up at Daley from his belly button as he looked down into the camera.

There’s no doubt his 3.8million followers were loving the view.

“The boy’s in the gym!” one person said, as another simply added: “Stun,” and someone else wrote: “Mexico looks good on you.”

Another social media user said: “So damn hot!” While someone else said: “Tom. Ugh, I can’t take it!”

Meanwhile, someone else commented: “Olympian. Husband. Father. And still the face and body of a god!”

Tom’s turn on TV

Tom Daley’s trip to Mexico comes after it was confirmed that his Channel 4 show Game of Wool will be back for a second season.

Auditions are set to start very soon, with Daley, who hosts the show, telling his followers to get involved.

“We will be hosting auditions in London, Manchester and Glasgow, so if you want to be in that yarn barn for season two now is the time to apply,” he said.

The first season of Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Knitter aired late last year, with Holger being crowned the winner after weeks of incredibly tough solo and group challenges.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The 41-year-old, who has a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son, spoke on Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show about the problem young boys and men are facing right now.

The so-called manosphere is an area on the internet that promotes extreme views on masculinity, as well as misogynistic attitudes. Louis Theroux recently looked at it in his documentary, speaking to the likes of Harrison Sullivan, better known as HSTIKKYTOKKY.

James slammed the ideology, saying: “It’s a lot about deep seated insecurity, ultimately. Men who feel they need to be performative or misogynistic, it’s about them not feeling good enough essentially, but it’s hidden with meaningless bravado.

“And then on top of that is what we’ve reached at the moment, this cataclysmic capitalism where you have everyone now rewarded by wealth. Capitalism is the dominant force and you are celebrated, no matter what you are, if you’re stinking rich and driving around in flash cars.”

He went on to say: “That has been epitomised with Trumpism and everything that goes with that… It’s terrifying having a son because people get lured into this idea very easily.”

The Brit actor continued: “You don’t have to be, as people like to say ‘hyperwoke’, but it’s about a base level of empathy and some semblance of morality and I think now that isn’t cool, is it?

“It’s not cool to talk about those things, it’s cool to be like, ‘F*** you! I earn loads of cash, bring it on mother f*****.’

“But at the end of the day there is a deep emptiness within that, as we all know, and eventually all those people will find that out, if they haven’t already. The bottom of the bell curve is waiting for all those people, because that happens to everyone, but particularly people that throw themselves into empty commercialism and toxicity in that way.”

Body image and masculinity

Theo James also discussed the link between body image issues and toxic masculinity, noting women “have dealt with it for thousands of years and continue to do so”.

He went on: “With men there’s this toxic masculinity thing about forming identity through your body and you have to be bigger and more muscular. 

“There’s obviously this epidemic with steroids and performance enhancing things, with younger and younger kids. And it’s not just movies and TV, but it is part of that… A lot of toxic masculinity comes down to unclear identity, they feel untethered, reduced.

“I think the misogyny comes from lots of successful strong women around them, they don’t know how to deal with that. They’re confused by who they are or who they should be, so the easiest thing to do is to latch onto something and money, going to the gym a lot and telling people to go f**** themselves – that’s easy.

“That’s an easy win, but the ramifications of what it does to a generation of men is the trickier part.”

Listen and watch Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show on Spotify.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Theo James slams toxic manosphere: ‘It’s scary to have a son’ appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Cameryn Lovett, who worked as a special education paraprofessional at Mulberry Creek Elementary School in Harris County, told ABC affiliate WTVM that she had brought up being gay in an attempt to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.

She reportedly shared her orientation when the fourth-grade student spoke “badly about gay people” while waiting to be picked up after school.

“He was talking badly about gay people,” Lovett told WTVM on 8 April. “He was saying he didn’t know any gay people because they are bad and stuff like that, so I was like you do know a gay person. He let me know he wasn’t very happy to hear that.”

Lovett explained that she told the student she was gay as a way of turning the comments into a “teaching moment”. However, she alleged that the school administrators believed that the topic of conversation was inappropriate and gave her an ultimatum.

‘I feel like I was duped a little bit’

“The woman from HR told me it will look better for your next job and for job applications if you resign,” Lovett said.

“So, I agreed. I said I would resign and then in leaving I find out that prevents me from taking any kind of action. I can’t get unemployment, or anything like that. I feel like I was duped a little bit.”

Attorney Borquaye Thomas of The Teachers Lawyer LLC shared with WTVM that resigning was not the best move on Lovett’s part, as it meant that she forfeited a hearing which could lead to difficulties finding another job in the future.

Lovett shared that she thinks the situation is “unfair”, and believes that a straight person would not have faced an investigation for the same conversation.

“I’m not the only gay person that works in the Harris County school district; there are kids growing up in that school district that are gay,” she said. “I’m someone that a lot of kids looked up to. All I tell them is speak up for yourself and be true to yourself but now, they don’t know if they can trust the school.”

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The post Georgia teacher says she was pushed to resign after coming out to student appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

The clash began when McBride condemned recent rhetoric from Donald Trump, who made renewed threats toward Iran amid ongoing tensions in a Truth Social post to his account on Tuesday (7 April), framing them as a potential negotiating tactic.

“A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote.

This statement isn’t the only aggressive language Trump has directed at Iran amid ongoing conflict.

On Easter (5 April), Trump took to Truth Social, writing: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F*****’ Strait, you crazy b*******, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘just bluster’ or ‘leverage.’ The president doesn’t get to threaten genocide as a negotiating tactic,” McBride wrote on X on 8 April, pushing back on language she described as dangerous.

Mace – who has previously described herself as a “proud transphobe” – responded by targeting McBride directly, writing: “You don’t get to call yourself a woman but you still do it,” in a comment.

McBride fired back, highlighting what she saw as a deflection at play: “According to this person in my replies, trans people exist so Donald Trump gets to genocide a country.”

The exchange quickly drew attention online, with many pointing to how discussions about international policy were derailed by Mace’s attack on McBride’s identity.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Sarah McBride slams ‘proud transphobe’ Nancy Mace for deflecting Trump’s Iran threats appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Men around the world are obsessed with the size of their manhood, if it’s big enough, or even how to make it bigger.

The average length is around 3.4 inches flaccid, and 5.5 inches erect. But a 2015 study from the British Journal of Urology International found that just 55% of men were satisfied with their sausage.

But it may be something men who have sex with other men think more about.

Does size really matter?

Over on the Reddit sub r/askgaybros, someone posed the question: “Does size matter for gays?”

The responses were very varied, with some sharing their personal experiences and why they have the preference they do. Meanwhile, some made it clear there were other conditions on what made someone attractive for a roll in the hay.

One person said: “I’d like to say it didn’t, but I’d be lying. A larger penis gets my attention. That said, it is really a package deal for me. Also important are personality, a cute face and a nice physique.”

Someone else said: “It helps but not if the person is an even bigger d***.”

One response said: “Depends on the gay.”

Another comment read: “Yes, and anyone who says it doesn’t matter is probably lying to reassure the other person.”

One Reddit user said: “No it doesn’t, depends on how the person looks and personality.”

Another said: “I prefer smaller guys. I’m a bottom and I just find the smaller ones easier to handle.”

While one, who said they were an escort, said length wasn’t a big deal at all. “What really matters is the girth of the meat, rather than the length,” they wrote. “An average length with extra thickness will make you scream.”

So there you have it. By the sounds of it, this debate will outlive both the chicken and the egg.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Gay men asked if size really matters – and the responses are eye-opening appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Lawmakers passed SB 2322 on Monday (6 April), a bill that would require all driver’s licenses to reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth, regardless of legal gender changes. It follows similar bills in Kansas, after trans residents’ licenses were invalidated in March.

The legislation now awaits the signature of Gov. Tate Reeves, who is expected to sign it. If signed, the law will take effect on 1 July.

What is SB 2322?

SB 2322 would prevent transgender residents from updating their gender markers and invalidate court orders recognising gender changes for the purpose of issuing licenses.

While it wouldn’t immediately revoke existing IDs, like Kansas’ recently passed B 244 did, anyone renewing their license after the passage of this law would be forced to carry identification that doesn’t match their identity.

This shift could lead to forced outing and increased risk in everyday situations for trans people, like traffic stops, voting, or entering venues, as reported by Erin In The Morning on Substack.

Critics, including the ACLU of Mississippi, warn the bill could disproportionately impact both transgender people and immigrant communities, as SB 2322 also includes provisions affecting out-of-state licenses and requires cooperation with ICE in certain cases, tying together multiple areas of concern into a single policy.

The bill is part of a broader national trend of restrictions on transgender identification documents. If signed into law, Mississippi would join a growing number of states limiting or banning gender marker updates on driver’s licenses.

Similarly, Rod Hickman, who serves in the Mississippi State Senate, has slammed the move as “degrading”.

Writing for Mississippi Today, Hickman said: “There has been no showing that allowing individuals to have identification that reflects who they are creates any safety risk. This provision does not prevent fraud. It does not assist law enforcement in any meaningful way. It does not make a single Mississippian safer.

“More than that, it is degrading. It places people in situations where simply presenting identification can expose them to scrutiny, embarrassment or worse. When a person presents as one sex and his or her identification reflects another, it immediately calls the identity into question in settings where no such question should exist whether that is at a traffic stop, at a workplace, in a place of business or in any routine encounter that requires identification.”

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The post Mississippi is latest state to advance trans driver’s licenses bill appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Canadian actor Williams, whose mother is Korean, plays main character Shane Hollander. His character is also canonically of Asian descent, as his mother is Japanese.

The Crave show was an overnight smash hit, thrusting Williams and his co-stars – Connor Storrie, François Arnaud and Robbie GK – into a very intense spotlight.

And while the majority of fans have nothing but love for the show and cast, some formed more toxic, parasocial relationships with the stars that see them fight among themselves and hurl abuse at some of the actors for a variety of reasons.

Williams has been a target of some of the horrific trolling due to him being half-Korean, while his Russian-Trinidadian co-star Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who plays Ilya’s friend Svetlana, has also faced abuse.

Speaking about the intense attention, show creator Tierney told Deadline: “We didn’t expect any of this attention or reaction from a public that might not exist at all.

“We’ve learned a lot [since the show aired], and there’s a lot to think about moving forward in terms of the fandom and all that comes with it, negative and positive.”

He went on: “We have a non-white lead. I think that’s f****** important. We can learn a few lessons out of that: you don’t need to be making an Asian show to have an Asian lead. Hudson’s a f****** star, man.”

Heated Rivalry cast members speak out

Sadly, it isn’t just racism the Heated Rivalry cast has been subjected to.

Arnaud, who plays star hockey player Scott Hunter, is the only out queer member of the cast. Strangely, his bisexuality has seen him on the receiving end of trolling from fans who are apparently huge fans of a show which is all about queer love (and features bisexual character Ilya Rozanov!).

In March, Arnaud and Williams released matching statements on Instagram, condemning the vile comments.

It read: “Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind.

“None of us need your hateful ‘love’.

“We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side.

“If you can’t accept that [get the f*** outta here].”

The post was also shared by Kip star Robbie GK, who added a crown emoji.

Actress Kharlamova also shared the statement, adding: “Please don’t make a show that’s about love be hateful online.”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Jacob Tierney slams racist backlash to Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Perez Hilton has told followers he can “finally walk again” after a 21-day hospitalisation for severe sepsis and a subsequent emergency admission for a deep vein thrombosis that required surgery, sharing a new Instagram video update showing him moving with a walking frame.

The 48-year-old posted the clip on Tuesday (8 April), writing: “I can finally walk again!!” In the video, Hilton slowly walks towards the camera using a walker and appears to become emotional towards the end.

In his caption, Hilton described the past few weeks as a frightening sequence of health issues. “After my 21 day hospitalisation with severe sepsis, just a few days ago I had to be admitted again with a deep vein thrombosis on my right leg,” he wrote.

Hilton said the clot was extensive, adding: “On Friday, my cardiovascular surgeon removed the most MASSIVE, fully occluded blood clot – it went from my groin to just below my calf.” He said he was encouraged to get moving soon after the procedure, writing: “So I walked, and it was the most excruciating pain of my life.”

Perez Hilton’s health issues

Hilton has linked his earlier sepsis diagnosis to taking flu medication without eating. “Because I have been taking all of this medication without food for a week, I developed an ulcer then a perforation and then Sepsis. People die of Sepsis,” he said in an earlier update.

Last week, Hilton posted from a hospital bed describing leg soreness and pain before an ultrasound revealed a deep vein thrombosis. In another post about the surgery, he said: “The thrombectomy surgery this morning was quick and painless. I was asleep for it all. And I feel so much better already!”

Hilton said he was discharged on Saturday after the thrombectomy and had to cancel his planned Easter Sunday because he was “hurting that badly”.

In his latest caption, Hilton also wrote that his pain was still pronounced, but “manageable,” as he continues his recovery.

Perez Hilton’s controversies

Hilton rose to prominence in the mid-2000s as a celebrity gossip blogger and media personality, later expanding into wider entertainment commentary and reality TV.

He became known for a provocative style of coverage that drew major traffic and significant backlash, later prompting public apologies and a rebrand towards less aggressive commentary, recently giving an apology after finding God. He is openly gay and has spoken publicly about fatherhood and his personal life in the media.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Perez Hilton says he can ‘finally walk again’ after horror hospital emergency appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Portillo, 72, is best known now for his BBC shows, which see him explore Britain and Europe by train. But he was previously an MP and Conservative Party member in the 1990s.

In 1999, when attitudes towards gay people weren’t great (three were killed and 70 injured at the bombing of London’s Admiral Duncan, and the age of consent for gay men was still not equal for straight people), Portillo was subjected to rumours about his sexuality.

The then-politician, who married his wife Carolyn Claire Eadie in 1982 and voted against making the age of consent for gay couples the same as for straight couples in 1994 before U-turning in 2000, opened up to The Times about his private life.

He said: “I will say what I want to say. I had some homosexual experiences as a young person.”

Portillo continued: “I am now happily married. That is behind me now.

“I want to make it perfectly clear that all the time I have been in public life, there has been nothing of this sort whatsoever.

“When the interviewer asked me if I had ever had any experiences at university, I said yes.”

He had studied history at Cambridge University before he entered public life.

Lifting the lid on why he was speaking about it, he said: “I was keen to put to rest the rumours that had been circulating about me, and I cannot really believe that what happened a generation ago could be big news.

“I do not think it was a particularly big burden, and I do not have any regrets. The truth is a good thing.”

Michael Portillo and the age of consent

In 1994, Michael Portillo voted against making the age of consent for gay men equal to straight couples.

The age of consent in England and Wales was 21, as per the Sexual Offences Act 1967. It was 16 for straight couples.

Edwina Currie led the charge of making it equal, however her proposal was defeated. Instead, it was lowered to 18.

Portillo later U-turned in 2000, voting to make the age of consent 16 – equal for both gay and straight couples.

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The post BBC star Michael Portillo put gay rumour to bed after ‘homosexual experiences’ appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Just some of the (poor) excuses friends of mine have given me when I’ve told them they really should be watching The Real Housewives.

Yes, the Real Housewives kicked off in Orange County a whole two decades ago. Its 20th season is set to come later this year.

Since 2006, 11 other franchises have launched under TV network Bravo, including the currently rested or cancelled DC, Miami, Dallas and Dubai.

Series in New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Potomac and Salt Lake City are all still in production, too.

In total, 112 seasons of The Real Housewives have aired. So, yes, okay, maybe it would take my friends years to catch up.

That’s why I’ve told them to give The Real Housewives of Rhode Island a go.

Why The Real Housewives of Rhode Island?

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is the latest location of the reality television formula – and it only started this month.

Based in the smallest US state by area, Rhode Island, the show is already gearing up to be one of the best Real Housewives currently airing.

The cast is made up of Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehma Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson and Jo-Ellen Tiberi.

We’re just a few episodes in, but these ladies have got me HOOKED already.

It’s clear the relationships between the women are real and span years, whereas some of the shows feel slightly more artificial.

And with real friendships, comes real drama.

Polyamory, family ties and running someone over

Just two episodes in, and so much has happened that I feel the need to rewatch to let everything sink in.

Swanson got accused of “polygamy”, before confirming that no, she is not married to multiple men. But she had been dating two.

One of her men also had another girlfriend, spending half of his year in Florida while still providing for Swanson’s lavish life in Rhode Island.

Carmody casually mentioned that she’d ran someone over with her car.

Pontarelli was fending off accusations that her husband had a mistress, even when photographic receipts were thrown her way.

And McGraw revealed she’s actually related to her husband – and not just by marriage.

So if you’ve been dying to give The Real Housewives a go but have been too intimidated to start, the Rhode Island ladies are the perfect way to test the waters.

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island airs Sundays on Bravo in the US, and streams Mondays on Hayu in the UK.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Never watched the Real Housewives? The Rhode Island ladies are the perfect first taste appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Speaking in a 7 April interview on the Talk Of The Townsends podcast, King revealed that when casting a fictional version of The Traitors for his series The Comeback, Trixie was their dream pick.

And while she’s repeatedly said no to the real show, her answer to the scripted version was an immediate yes – largely thanks to her love for the show’s iconic lead character, Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow).

“I love Trixie Mattel. I mean, I’m a big fan of Drag Race, but I think Trixie is kind of a unique brand. And, we were thinking, ‘Who would be on The Traitors? And, you know, they always pick a drag queen. And, I thought, ‘Well, if we have a choice, let’s ask Trixie.’ And Trixie told me that she had said no to The Traitors four times in real life. And then, when we asked her to do The Traitors on The Comeback, she said, ‘Of course,’ she loves Valerie. And she was so excited,” King revealed.

In fact, Trixie was so committed to the cameo that King revealed she cancelled plans to go on vacation for her birthday just to film the scene.

According to King, she was thrilled at the chance to sit across from Valerie and take part in The Traitors “her way.”

Drag queens on The Traitors

The American version of The Traitors has featured a number of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars.

Season nine icon Pepperment was in the second season as a faithful, and became the first to be banished.

Bob the Drag Queen, who won season eight of Drag Race, joined the cast of The Traitors for season three as a Traitor, and was banished in the fourth episode.

Then in the fourth season, which aired earlier this year, All Stars 4 winner Monét X Change played as a faithful, but was murdered in episode five.

Up north on The Traitors Canada, a number of Canada’s Drag Race favourites have taken part – Miss Fiercalicious on season one, Melinda Verga in season two, and Kitten Kaboodle in season three.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The hugely popular show debuted last year, leaving fans around the world obsessed (which is an understatement) with Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).

It was confirmed not long after that a second season would be coming, though fans still have a long time to wait as it’s not expected until April 2027.

Until then, fans have been grasping at any bit of news they could get, including an apparent casting call leak that confirmed some new characters were coming.

Of course, those characters were well known by fans of the source book series, Game Changers.

Shane and Ilya’s story is taken from the second book in the series, also called Heated Rivalry. Their story is continued in book six, The Long Game, and will be the focus of the upcoming seventh book, Unrivaled.

But for fans expecting to see all of their favourite moments from The Long Game in season two of the show, Tierney had something to say.

He told Deadline: “Who said I’m doing it all? There’s a lot of material.”

Given that the first season was a very loyal adaptation of the book, and Tierney has made it clear he’s a big fan of the source material and wants to take it seriously, it’s unlikely he’d just get rid of big plot points.

So could that mean The Long Game will be split across multiple seasons of the show? We don’t know yet, but we hope so. Anything for more Heated Rivalry!

Game Changers book series

Rachel Reid is the best-selling author behind the Game Changers series.

Each of the books is a gay, hockey romance story, focusing on a player and a love interest. In the case of Heated Rivalry, the focal characters are two rival hockey players.

The first book, Game Changer, follows star player Scott Hunter and his relationship with smoothie shop worker Kip Grady.

Book three, Tough Guy, sees gentle giant player Ryan Price reconnect with an old friend, musician Fabian Salah, before romantic feelings surgace.

In Common Goal, book four, newly divorced bisexual player Eric Bennett falls hard for bartender Kyle Swift. Scott and Kip’s storyline is also continued as a secondary plot.

Book five, Role Model, sees closeted player Troy Barrett dealing with a breakup before getting involved with his team’s social media manager Harris Drover.

Shane and Ilya’s storyline is continued in The Long Game, with it following how they navigate being a couple while also keeping it secret.

When will Unrivaled by Rachel Reid be released?

The seventh book in the series, Unrivaled, will also follow Shane and Ilya’s relationship.

It was announced in January 2026, with an initial release date of 29 September, 2026.

However, in February, author Rachel Reid announced that the release date was being pushed back. She explained that the success of the television show, and worsening symptoms of Parkinson’s, were making it difficult for her to write the book.

It is now scheduled to be released on 1 June 2027.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Heated Rivalry boss Jacob Tierney teases good and bad news for season 2 appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

The Valley: Persian Style star Reza Farahan claims in his newly published memoir, Memoirs of a Gay Shah: My Story of Family, Fame, and Becoming a King, that he had a years-long “friends-with-benefits” fling with The Biggest Loser host Bob Harper that later evolved into a “threesome” after Harper married a man called Scott.

The book was published this Tuesday. Farahan, 52, writes that the dynamic began after they met while working at the same gym, before he later started taking Bob Harper’s classes and the pair grew close.

“Bob and I carried on like that for a good while. It was very much a friends-with-benefits situation, though,” Farahan writes, as per Daily Mail.

Farahan says he wanted something more serious, but felt Harper did not. “I wanted more, but I always got the feeling he wasn’t interested in any kind of serious relationship with anybody, so I didn’t really push the matter,” he writes.

‘Threesome’ claim after Harper’s marriage

Farahan says things changed after Harper married Scott. Farahan writes that he became close with both men, and that the relationship became a “threesome”, with Harper “bouncing back and forth” between them.

“Bob and I still ended up falling totally in love. For a while, Bob was bouncing back and forth between Scott and me,” Farahan writes.

He adds that the story ends painfully. “The end of this story is a bit bittersweet. Poor Scott, who I honestly harboured no ill will toward even though I was chasing his husband, ended up passing away. And even though Bob and I didn’t last forever, we remain friends to this day,” Farahan writes.

Farahan, who works in real estate, also claims their lives remain intertwined professionally: “I actually sold Bob’s house for him a few months ago.”

Who is Reza Farahan?

Farahan is an Iranian-American reality TV personality best known for Bravo’s Shahs of Sunset and more recently The Valley: Persian Style.

Publicly gay, he has long been a prominent LGBTQ+ figure within Bravo reality TV culture, known for outspoken, often polarising feuds and candid discussions of relationships and friendship dynamics. He has also worked in real estate, which has formed part of his on-screen professional identity.

Farahan began dating TV editor Adam Neely in 2010, and the pair married in Palm Springs in 2015.

Harper has reportedly referenced a past “tawdry little thing” with Farahan on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, while stressing their friendship, saying: “I love Reza, though, I love him!”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post Reality star claims he had secret love triangle with Biggest Loser host before tragedy struck appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.