LGBTQ news and entertainment
Some news stories I thought worth your time:
• New Music: Congrats to DJ Bill Bennett on hitting #1 on the iTunes Dance Charts with his new album, “DILF Act 1.” According to sources, Bill is the first out DJ to land the number one spot in the history of the chart.
The handsome artist offered this emotional thank you to his fans via YouTube. You can find my podcast interview with Bill here . Continue reading “DJ Bill Bennett Hits #1 With New Album + More News”
Some news items for you as we head into the weekend:
• Instinct Magazine: It’s 2025, where Josh Cavallo (above) is still one of the few out gay footballers in the world and a head coach in Brazil used the word “fag” in a recent press event. Continue reading “So Few Out Footballers + ‘Heated Rivalry’ In GQ + More”
Some news items I thought worth your time:
• What To Watch: The first season of “BOOTS” arrives on Netflix today following the story of a young, closeted Marine Corp recruit. Continue reading “Netflix Series ‘BOOTS’ Arrives + RFK Jr. Links Autism To Circumcision + More News”
Some news items you might have missed: • OUT: With the 2025 Tony Award nominations announced, here’s a list of LGBTQ nominees to root for including “Best Actor” nominees Jonathan Groff and Cole Escola, and “Best Costume Design” nominee Paul Tazewell. • Erin In The Morning: The Trump administration released its pseudoscientific report pushing anti-transgender conversion therapy and junk science. Erin fact-checks the many falsehoods. Continue reading “LGBTQ Tony Award Nominees To Root For + More News”
Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Luke Macfarlane (above), the star of Hallmark Plus’s new home remodeling show Home Is Where the Heart Is, shares how his religious faith helps him during these scary times for LGBTQ Americans. • LGBTQ Nation: Former cable news anchor Don Lemon says he was sexually harassed by multiple colleagues (men and women) during his time at CNN. Continue reading “Luke Macfarlane’s New Hallmark Plus Show + Don Lemon + More News”
I originally shared this incredibly touching viral video in 2018. The clip was shared by Luis Vazquez, who took his young son (who is on the autism spectrum) to see his favorite band, Coldplay. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: Young Boy Overcome By Emotion Seeing His Favorite Band”
I highly encourage you to pause and take five minutes to enjoy the immensely moving short film Freebird. Continue reading “My Favorite Thing Today: The Award-Winning Short Film ‘Freebird’”
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| Jack Higgins approaches the stage to accept his diploma |
When Jack Higgins took to the stage to accept his high school diploma, he put his fingers in his ears expecting to hear cheers and applause.
Instead, he heard silence.
CNN reports that Jack has a severe form of autism and is sensitive to noise. After eight years in his high school’s program for students with cognitive, learning or behavior challenges, he was ready to graduate on June 20.
His parents wanted him to participate in the ceremony, but they were concerned that he would be overwhelmed sitting for hours in a large auditorium surrounded by hundreds of people.
Principal Lou Riolo, principal of Carmel High in Putnam County, New York, had an idea: ask everyone to sit in silence as Jack approached and accepted his diploma.
But could high schoolers, caught up in the excitement of graduating, be trusted to stay silent?
Accompanied by his two brothers and school aide Rob Ancona, Jack approached the stage with his fingers in his ears, having practiced for weeks to handle the loud noises.
Instead, he received a spontaneous, silent standing ovation.
“The students were amazing,” Riolo told CNN. “They are a class act and superseded expectations. For example them rising to their feet after Jack received his diploma was them. It was not preplanned and no one told them to act like that that.”
“I have been lucky and blessed to see some really remarkable things in my 31 year career but this so far has to be the most incredible,” added the principal.
“But as much as the students rose to the occasion so did Jack,” gushed Riolo. “Since Jack is very limited verbally, how overwhelming was it for him with a large crowd and expectation that it would be loud?”
“It was so brave of him to take that walk which must have seemed like forever and he did it with grace, class and strength.”
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| Students giving Jack a silent standing ovation after receiving his diploma |
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| Lavender (image via Twitter/rufusgifford) |
Former U.S. Ambassador and Congressional candidate Rufus Gifford shared this performance by a young woman named Lavender at his local Pride event in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Lavender performs “Part of Your World” from the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid.
From Gifford’s social media:
A young woman comes on stage in Fitchburg. Introduces herself as Lavender.
She tells us that she’s blind and autistic and wants to sing a song in honor of LGBT pride month.
And then she blows us all away and brings us to tears…
Wait… you are not prepared.
A young woman comes on stage today in Fitchburg. Introduces herself as Lavender. Tells us that she blind and autistic and wants to sing a song in honor of LGBT Pride.She sings one of my favorite songs and brings us tears. pic.twitter.com/cYWJNxJDNY
— Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) June 23, 2019
We’ve seen special moments at Pride events across the country – marriage proposals at Pride events, straight ‘country boy’ allies in Oklahoma show up for us, and more.
What I love about this video, and the story behind it, is how Pride events, large and small, can remind us of our better selves; that we celebrate the fabulousness of how different we all are and that diversity makes us better people.
Lavender not only delivers a powerful performance, but a powerful Pride message with the lyrics of “Part of Your World.”
Lavender has been singing in her local church group for years, thanks to her dads, Wil Darcangelo and Jamie Cormier.
Darcangelo founded a youth music group called the Tribe Music Mentorship Project that offers kids and young people, many from challenging backgrounds, opportunities to create music, books, art and more.
What I do know is even if Lavender weren’t blind, or autistic, she would be just as awesome for wanting to share her considerable gifts with the LGBTQ crowd.
With so much coming at us from many directions these days, let’s celebrate Lavender and the message she sends.
I’m honored she’s ‘part of our world.’
From CBS’s Sunday Morning: “The Wow Concert”
It was an unusual outburst for a classical music concert: an audience member shouted out “Wow!” at the very end of Mozart’s “Masonic Funeral Music,” performed by the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. The group’s president and CEO, David Snead, was determined to find out who had broken audience protocol in such a forthright way. The answer to his query proved very surprising, as Steve Hartman discovered.
Wait for it…
(h/t theOUTfront)