Arts & Entertainment
Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper sign letter to fight Texas ‘bathroom bill’
Other celebs on board include Laverne Cox, Tegan and Sara
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
140 celebrities have joined together to sign a letter opposing a Texas “bathroom bill” that discriminates against transgender people and other anti-LGBT legislation.
Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, Laverne Cox, Whoopi Goldberg, Britney Spears, George Takei, Ariana Grande, St. Vincent, Lance Bass, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tegan and Sara, Cakes Da Killa and Betty Who are the among the famous names signed to the letter addressed to “Texas Leaders.”
The letter was posted on a website titled, “The Creative Community Against Anti-LGBT Legislation in Texas.”
In addition to the “bathroom bill,” the letter mentions other Texas legislation being considered would force teachers to out LGBT students to their parents, remove nondiscrimination protections in cities, “undermine marriage equality” and “legalize discrimination on campus and in public life.”
“It is up to you whether these bills will become law and we are watching,” the letter reads. “It is up to us to commit to doing everything within our power to make sure all of our fans, crews and fellow artists feel safe and welcome wherever we go.”
Read the complete letter here.
Baltimore
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
Pope of Trash dishes on Trump, plane etiquette, last meal, and more
By WESLEY CASE | At 80 years old, John Waters is still the ideal dinner guest — incisively sharp, quick-witted and funny as hell.
The chic Baltimore native proved it again and again in a recent Zoom interview, calling from his summer home in Provincetown, Mass.
The occasion was the Blu-ray releases of two of his movies — the 1977 dark comedy “Desperate Living” and his enduring 1988 musical “Hairspray” — on June 23 by the Criterion Collection, which publishes restorations of films it deems culturally important. The Criterion stamp of approval has become the gold standard among cinephiles.
“It’s like getting an award,” said Waters, who wrote and directed both films.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
The 2026 Lost River Pride Festival was held on the scenic grounds of the Lost River Farmers Market in Lost City, W.Va. on Saturday, June 13. Headliner Tom Goss performed at the festival and gave a second performance at the nearby Guesthouse Lost River.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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