Author: Randy Slovacek

Some news items for you as start the week:

• The Hollywood Reporter: Equalpride — parent company of LGBTQ media outlets like OUT, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Advocate Originals — has laid off numerous staffers amid cancellations of major advertising campaigns.

• Channel5YouTube: Actor Shia LaBeouf talks about his Mardi Gras arrest and what it had to do with gay people: “Big gay people are scary to me.” What I’m curious about is — after working around queer people in the entertainment industry for years, Shia says gays touching his legs triggered him into a rampage…?

• The Advocate: Scouting America has pushed back on claims by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the organization would limit membership based solely on sex assigned at birth, insisting that transgender youth remain welcome in its programs.

• What To Watch: The excellent documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, all about the life and career of legendary designer Bob Mackie, is now available on HBO Max. I highly recommend.

• Democracy Docket: Virginia voters will head to the polls starting Friday to weigh in on a plan to redraw the state’s congressional map in response to GOP gerrymanders in other states after a court ruled that election preparations can move forward.

• New York Times: The State Department is urging Americans to depart immediately from 14 Middle East countries — including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, LebanonQatar and the United Arab Emirates — because of “serious safety risks.”

• Queerty: Out recording artist Nieri dropped his new album Architecture and with it the video to the dance single “Sober,” which plays in reverse, tracing a wild night backward from the morning after to the beginning.