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a moment.The multi-talented performer first gained recognition on Broadway, and following her success on stage, Rapp transitioned to television and starred in the HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls.Amazingly, her artistic range doesn’t stop there, as she is also a gifted musician. Rapp has recently been working on her music career, and her newest release Dedicated to You has already won the hearts of the LGBTQ community.For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing Renee Rapp’s work, here are five things to know about her.1. She Has Always Been A Theater KidRapp got her start in musical theater in high school, when she portrayed Sandra in the musical adaptation of Big Fish.She was so great in the show, she won what’s called a Blumey Award, which honors young theatrical talent in the Charlotte area.She then went on to be nominated for a Jimmy Award, known as the most prestigious honor for high school-aged talents in theater.

Instagram user’s racy photos, some of which showed the young man, Franklyn McClure, in various states of undress.“Not only have Tennessee Republicans now become the laughingstock of the nation, the bottom line is this: Randy McNally is a predator,” Warner said in a statement.Noting that McNally first began commenting on the young man’s Instagram photos three years ago, Warner accused the lieutenant governor of “sexually grooming his victim when he was a 17-year-old minor” by “relentlessly” commenting on his social media posts, sending him private messages, and calling him.McNally’s comments were first reported by the left-wing news site Tennessee Holler, which reported that McNally, using his official account, commented on a photo of McClure in underwear. “Finn, you can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine!” McNally wrote, using McClure’s nickname.

Pacific Overtures (★★★★☆) sounds doubly refreshing to ears eager to venture somewhere less familiar in Sondheim-land.The score, with music and lyrics by Sondheim, also simply sounds lovely filling the openness of director Ethan Heard’s in-the-round staging, grazing the graceful, watercolor-hued screens set designer Chika Shimizu has wrapped around the Max Theatre. Alexander Tom conducts a nine-piece orchestra — complete with a booming taiko war drum — that breathes vitality into those plunking, repeated quarter notes that so sing of Sondheim.Heard’s talented cast sings with passion, too, caressing the stories inside the songs to find touching notes of humor, pathos, pride, and prejudice.

Lady Gaga’s illustrious career has been punctuated by a series of standout Oscar performances throughout the years, with each one further cementing her status as one of the most versatile and dynamic performers of her generation.Coincidentally, she has also been nominated for four Oscars — one for each of her three Best Original Song contenders and once as a tribute performer.With another high-profile performance under her belt as of last week, it’s worth taking a closer look at each of these showings and assessing how they stack up against one another.Here are Gaga’s four Academy Award performances, ranked from “worst” to best.4. Hold My HandGaga’s stripped-down performance of “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick was one of the most anticipated moments of the 2023 Oscars.Although the tune was nominated for Best Original Song, her performance was not confirmed until the day of the ceremony, as the team behind the Oscars had initially said she would not be performing.Gaga graced the red carpet in full makeup and a stunning black gown but changed into a more casual outfit of a black t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees for her performance.Before singing, Gaga spoke to the crowd, sharing a message of hope and encouragement.“We need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes,” she said.

Detroit Free Press.“I am so proud to be here, and I’m excited to put our state on the right side of history,” added Whitmer, who advocated for such a law when she served in the legislature from 2006 to 2015. Moss noted that equality advocates have spent the better part of five decades advocating for an expansion of civil rights protections, only to see those efforts stymied in Lansing.This was, in part, due to reticence by Republicans — who controlled the legislature for 40 years prior to November — to embrace the cause of LGBTQ equality, for fear of offending religious and socially conservative voters.“The baton has been passed generation to generation,” Moss said. “This moment is so long overdue, and too many suffered on the journey to get here.

Into the Woods is a pleasure to behold. The way in which Milky White responds — with resounding sadness at being taken to market by Jack (of Beanstalk fame), or with sheer exuberance, giddily shaking its head side to side and literally smiling during the ensemble’s reprisal of the title song, is the kind of thing that makes theater undeniably magical.The simplicity of the arrangement, with Kanagawa in full, unconcealed view, literally at one with the object, only solidifies the strength of the illusion.“This was my first puppet,” says Kanagawa, whose credits typically veer toward the more traditional side of musical theater (Jesus Christ Superstar, Falsettos), thanks to a silvery tenor that possesses a sturdy, to-the-rafters belt when needed.“Milky White is such a unique puppet that I was able to go in without any preconceived notions of how a puppet was supposed to be operated,” he continues.

WorldPride 2025, a global Pride event that typically draws millions of revelers and tourists.Presenting such a large-scale celebration also underscores the need for Washington to rapidly increase its number of public venues — including LGBTQ nightclubs and bars — over the next two years to be able to meet the demand for spaces for parties or other events.This year’s Pride celebration will feature the annual Pride Parade, which will follow the same route as last year, starting in Logan Circle and traveling to the West End via Rhode Island and Massachusetts Avenues NW, on Saturday, June 10.The annual Pride Festival and Concert will be held in its normal spot, along Pennsylvania Avenue NW, between 7th to 3rd Streets NW, facing the U.S. Capitol dome, on Sunday, June 11.Additionally, a Pride Block Party will be held on June 10 along 17th Street NW, in the historic Dupont Circle neighborhood. “We are thrilled to introduce our theme for Capital Pride 2023 as we gear up to welcome the world to D.C.

RuPaul’s Drag Race that tours throughout the country.Although the show required people under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult in order to attend, the DeSantis administration has sought to use its influence — including its control over the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees business licensing — to crack down on any aspect of “woke” or LGBTQ culture, including drag shows.Opposition to drag shows is largely based on the premise that they are harmful to children, because they expose youth to demonstrations of gender nonconformity or sexually-tinged content, which may inspire children to emulate that behavior in their personal lives.In an administrative complaint, the DBPR accused the Hyatt Regency Miami of several violations of law, citing a heretofore rarely-enforced prohibition on “lascivious exhibition” in front of people younger than 16.According to the department, “A Drag Queen Christmas” featured performers “wearing sexually suggesting (sic) clothing and prosthetic female genitalia,” as well as simulating masturbation.The DBPR had previously balked at the way that “A Drag Queen Christmas” was marketed as an “all ages” event when tickets were being sold, and warned the Hyatt to prohibit minors from attending the show, or risk various penalties, including the loss of their liquor license, according to the right-wing outlet Florida Voice.Organizers subsequently updated their advertising with a warning that the show contained “adult content” and was recommended only for those over 18 years of age.Because some parents are believed to have allowed their children under the age of 18 to attend the show, the DBPR is following through on its threat to revoke the hotel’s liquor license.

Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax, brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo admitted they were the ones who attacked Smollett, and they’re not holding back any details.Back in 2019, Smollett paid the Osundairo siblings $3,500 to stage the attack on the streets of Chicago.After he went to the hospital and the story broke via social media, the actor claimed that a pair of MAGA hat-wearing white supremacists were responsible.The story quickly gained media attention, and the public was outraged at the apparent hate crime.However, during the investigation and subsequent trial, it was revealed that Smollett had concocted the whole thing as a bid for attention and sympathy.In their interview, the brothers revealed that Smollett wanted to be seen as someone inspiration to both black and gay people.“He wanted to be the poster boy for activism,” they said. “He wanted to be the hero.” They also stated that they took up Smollett’s offer to beat him up because they thought he would eventually help their career.The brothers revealed that they felt betrayed by Smollett after the fraud was revealed, and they called him “insane.”They also said that when they were caught, Smollett threw them under the bus and denied everything.“That’s when I knew that this dude was like a supervillain,” one of the brothers said.

not gay.” He later clarified by stating, “There are a couple of guys…I could date, life partner-wise.”He was referring to the men who pop up on Instagram, as the platform serves him images and accounts it believes he might be interested in based on past views and likes. He mentioned that the ones that really get him going are the “woodchopping” ones.

joked about President Joe Biden, several Republicans expected to run for president in 2024, and even made blistering comments about his former boss, former President Donald Trump.Pence then trained his sights on his fellow Hoosier, quipping that if Biden doesn’t run for re-election, there’s “Pete Buttigieg, who’s an old friend of mine.”Buttigieg, who previously served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, when Pence was governor of the state, has previously attacked Pence’s alleged homophobia and his support for a since-amended “religious freedom” law that critics said, in its original version, would have allowed blatant discrimination against LGBTQ people.“When Pete’s two children were born,” Pence continued, “he took two months’ maternity leave, where upon thousands of travelers were stranded in airports, the air traffic system shut down, airplanes nearly collided in midair.“I mean, Pete Buttigieg is the only person in human history to have a child and all the rest of us get postpartum depression.”Buttigieg took two months of paternity leave shortly after adopting twins with his husband, Chasten, in September 2021, prompting right-wing pundits to criticize him for doing so.The White House did not take kindly to the joke, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre taking aim at Pence in a statement.“The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so because he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punchline,” Jean-Pierre said.

Awakening is a driving, primal, and rhythmic work for 12 dancers set to a score by composer John Mackey. Double Octet by Doug Varone takes audiences on a kinesthetic journey of sweeping and swirling motion [and features 17 Mason dance students].“Manuel Vignoulle’s Black and White is a very personal duet inspired by the differences two individuals bring to a relationship, including gender, culture, background, and energy.

#Oscars. pic.twitter.com/4w4MNCO89X— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 13, 2023This isn’t the first time Gaga has gone out of her way to help someone who needed it at an award show.At the Grammys last year, she was spotted getting down on the floor to assist SZA with her dress as she made her way onstage to accept her Grammy.SZA, who was using crutches, was grateful for Gaga’s help, as she was having a tough time managing it all.

Pride Plates Act of 2023, introduced by Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large) would instruct the DMV to create LGBTQ-themed license plates that people could purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs typically provides programming, grants, and other resources to the local LGBTQ community. Under the legislation, a fund would be created to stockpile money obtained through, donations, or specialty license plate fees from the District, and any money appropriated in the fund but not spent in a particular year will be continue to be available in subsequent months and years. The District already makes several specialty plates supporting various causes, such as plates supporting the cleanup and protection of the Anacostia River watershed, D.C.’s military veteran community, and even local sports team, according to WTOP. According to White’s office, the District’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a hearing, and the Committee on Government Operations held a mark-up on a nearly identical bill last year.Once the bill passes, the DMV would be tasked with designing the template for the plates, although White is hopeful that the agency will consult with local LGBTQ advocates, including the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, to ensure the plates are inclusive and up-to-date.White hopes that D.C.

meeting up with a 16-year-old on the Growlr dating app.According to a memo from the Broward County State Attorney’s Office explaining its decision, the teen’s parents wanted to pursue charges against Parson but did not want to subject their son to be questioned on the stand and were reticent to allow prosecutors to speak with him to help determine the facts of the case.Assistant State Attorney Danielle Lennox, of the office’s sexual battery and child abuse unit, wrote in the memo that a victim advocate from the office had begun reaching out to the family after the charges against Parson were filed.In a May 2022 phone conference with the victim’s parents, Lennox explained what the process of pursuing prosecution would entail, but they were reticent to have their son speak with her.Lennox agreed to give them time to think and scheduled a follow-up meeting with the parents to arrange an in-person interview with the teen, but was unable to reach the family.

KRIV that he and some friends were attending an LGBTQ-themed event featuring drag performances on the night in question.Houston-Pickett claims he and his friends were told they’d have to wait before leaving the club.While in that holding pattern, he grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the bar and jokingly said he needed a drink for the wait. He then put the bottle down and never took a drink from it.A short while later, however, a large, well-built man who appeared to be working security at the bar approached him.“I saw an African American male…really buff with long hair coming at me with two other guys,” Houston-Pickett told KRIV.

Everything Everywhere All at Once swept the 2023 Oscars, snagging seven of the 11 trophies it was nominated for – and it could only win 10 total, as two actresses were up against one another, so it’s a pretty great result for one of the most-talked-about films of the year.Much of the attention last night and today is focused on the history made and the speeches given from actors and The Daniels, but Gay Twitter (and beyond) also found time to fall head over heels in love with Paul Rogers, the man who took home the Best Editing Oscar for his work on the sci-fi giant.Rogers was the favorite to win for his excellent work on the movie, and it was only after he got on stage that countless viewers took to social media to share their shock at his good looks, as well as some pretty thirsty comments.While Rogers now has an amazing editing career ahead of him – he did win an Oscar for his second-ever film – he may also soon embrace his status as a new Hollywood heartthrob.me seeing everything everywhere editor paul rogers for the first time #Oscars pic.twitter.com/gz3GWqTRdX— Emmy Griffiths (@emmyfg) March 13, 2023Paul Rogers if you’re reading this I am free Thursday night & if you would like to hang out & Thursday night is when I am free to hang out so just to let you know I am free to hang out Thursday night so if you want to hang out on Thursday night I am free to hang out

Everything Everywhere All at Once dominating pretty much every category.Here’s a look at the history made at the 2023 Academy Awards.Michelle YeohMichelle Yeoh made history at the Oscars by becoming the first Asian woman to win Best Actress. Her outstanding performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once earned her the coveted award in one of the most competitive categories.Overwhelmed with emotion, Yeoh tearfully dedicated her win to “all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight,” calling it a “beacon of hope and possibilities.” She added, “This is proof that if you dream big, dreams do come true.”Yeoh is also only the second woman of color to win the Best Actress Oscar, after Halle Berry in 2002 for Monster’s Ball.Everything Everywhere All at OnceEverything Everywhere All at Once made history in several ways with all of its wins, ending the night as the champion in many ways.

Best ActorActor Brendan Fraser has made a triumphant return to the big screen, winning his first-ever Oscar in a coup few could have predicted just a few years back.Fraser received the Best Actor award for his role as Charlie, a reclusive English professor who weighs over 600 pounds and is struggling to reconnect with his daughter in the movie The Whale. The character is also dealing with the death of his partner, which caused him to gain weight and become isolated from his family, who rejected him after coming out.The Whale is based on the play of the same name by openly gay writer Samuel D.

James Galway Plays Liebermann).All told, Liebermann is one of only five classical composers to ever win a GLAMA, since the short-lived awards program became a relic of its late-1990s time period, folding after the 1999 ceremony.Interestingly, 1998 was also the year Liebermann earned his first and thus far only Grammy nomination, in recognition of his second piano concerto. (It’s hard for anyone to win in a category also featuring contemporary classical juggernaut John Adams, who scooped up his second of five career Grammys that year.)On Saturday, March 18, the New York-based composer, who is also an acclaimed pianist, will be the guest of honor at a concert by the National Chamber Ensemble.

Who Killed Robert Wone? (★★★★☆).It’s not that this well-assembled true crime chronicle, directed by Jared P. Scott, fumbles its presentation of the facts revisiting Wone’s brutal stabbing death inside a Logan Circle rowhouse.What’s disturbing is the mere fact that the case remains unsolved, despite the presence inside the house that night of three men — Joe Price, Victor Zaborsky, and Dylan Ward — who most certainly know more about the circumstances of Wone’s murder than they have ever revealed to the authorities, or to Robert’s grieving widow, Katherine.As a Metro Police Department detective puts it in the film, you’ve got four people in the house, one person dead, and three others all saying, “It’s not me.” Then again, more than one person interviewed here blames the MPD for botching the case, blinded by anti-gay bias, because the rowhouse’s three residents, Joe, Victor, and Dylan, all were successful fixtures of D.C.’s LGBTQ community who happened to be involved in a polyamorous relationship.All three, to varying degrees, knew and were trusted by Robert Wone, whom everyone interviewed insists was straight and not curious.Glenn Kirschner, then chief of homicide in the U.S.