a&e features
Husband’s tragic death leaves D.C. man to raise 4 young children alone
Pair became first gay couple in U.S. to father two sets of twins via surrogacy
D.C. resident John O’Mahony says he and his husband and life partner of 25 years Yaroslav Koporulin remained hopeful in January of 2019 when Koporulin was diagnosed with lung cancer on the same day their twin sons were born, making them the first known gay couple in the U.S. to have two sets of twins through surrogacy.
The couple’s two daughters, Violet and Claire, were born in May 2016, a little less than three years before the birth of their twin sons, Evan and Damian.
John says he’s thankful that Yaroslav, a native of Russia and an acclaimed artist and graphic designer who became a U.S. citizen in 2016, had a chance to help raise the four kids and place his loving personality on them up until just four weeks ago, when Yaroslav died on Oct. 24 of complications associated with lung cancer at the age of 48.
Yaroslav’s sudden passing has created both an emotional and financial struggle for John, according to a close friend of the couple who posted a GoFundMe page inviting friends and supporters in the community to provide some help.
“Your kindness and generosity will help John to deal with the funeral and a lot of other expenses coming his way during this unbearable time of loss and grieving for his beloved husband of almost 25 years,” said Olga Deviatkova, the friend who posted the GoFundMe page. “Please donate to John, Violet, Claire, Evan and Damian.”
On Friday, Oct. 23, John, who’s 52, says his mother took Yaroslav to Georgetown University Hospital’s emergency room with a fever and difficulty breathing. John says he arrived at the hospital about an hour later, and doctors soon informed him and his mother that Yaroslav appeared to have pneumonia.
He had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment for small cell lung cancer, which is a form of lung cancer known to spread to other parts of the body, for over a year, according to John. The harsh chemo treatment had weakened his immune system, making him susceptible to infection.
Later that night, after John returned home thinking the pneumonia would be successfully treated and Yaroslav would come home in a few days, John says he received a call from one of the doctors at the hospital saying Yaroslav had developed a sepsis blood infection in addition to the pneumonia.
“So they called me saying they think he might pass,” John recalls being told. “I’m like, what?”
To make matters worse, John says he was informed that he could not come back that night to visit Yaroslav at the hospital’s intensive care unit where his husband was being treated due to strict COVID-19 restrictions even though Yaroslav had tested negative for COVID through two separate tests. He said he was told he would have to wait until later the next day to be able to come in for a visit.
“I had to wait until 3 p.m. the next day to see him,” John says. “He went in on Friday, Oct. 23 at about 7 p.m. They called me at 7 a.m. on Saturday to say he had passed,” John says. “So that was the hardest part. There was kind of no closure with somebody that I’ve been with for 25 years or more.”
John told the Blade in an interview on Nov. 9 that talking about his life with Yaroslav and the many things they did together as well as being with his kids helps to ease his struggle in coping with the loss of his husband.
“Just say that I loved him very much and I’m going to miss him more than anything,” he says. “I wish he would have been around longer. But the only way my life is bearable is because I have the kids with me and part of them are him,” John says. “So I feel as though he is kind of here too.”
John explains that he and Yaroslav retained the services of two fertility agencies to arrange for them to become the biological fathers of two sets of twins through in vitro fertilization. The process involved obtaining separate eggs from a female donor and fertilizing one of them from John’s sperm and the other from Yaroslav’s sperm through a laboratory in vitro fertilization process.
The fertilized eggs, which became separate embryos, were then implanted into a female surrogate who was compensated for becoming pregnant and delivering the babies. According to John, although the implantation of an embryo into a surrogate often does not “take,” it did take in both cases for them resulting in the birth of their two sets of twins.
Columbia Fertility Associates was especially helpful and supportive of their effort to bear their kids through surrogacy, John told the Blade. “They’ve been so good to us and so good to the gay community,” he said.
A couple that ‘clicked’ together
John says he and Yaroslav met in 1995 in D.C. at the Dupont Circle gay bar The Fireplace, where John was working as a bartender. Yaroslav, a resident of Moscow, was visiting the U.S. in an artists’ exchange program for just a few weeks and was in D.C. and set to visit Philadelphia and New York before returning to Moscow.
John, who has a bachelor’s degree in international relations, says he was wearing a Russian sailor’s hat while serving drinks at The Fireplace when Yaroslav approached him and asked why he was wearing that hat.
“And I said it’s kind of a cool hat. It’s a Russian navy hat. And he said well I’m from Russia,” John recalls. “And we just started talking. I was just getting off work and we just clicked and kept in contact for the next year,” John says.
During that year John says he traveled to Moscow to visit Yaroslav a few times and Yaroslav came back to D.C. to see John a couple of times. About a year after the two met and had become a couple separated by an ocean and a continent John says he decided to “drop everything” in D.C. and move to Russia to live with Yaroslav in Yaroslav’s Moscow apartment in late 1996.
A short time after his move to Moscow John says he applied for and quickly got a job at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. John says that under the tenure of then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the atmosphere for gay people at least in Moscow was generally open and supportive. He says he and Yaroslav walked holding hands through the streets of Moscow without a problem.
On one of his visits to Moscow he thinks was in 1995 prior to moving there he and Yaroslav exchanged vows that the two considered to be equivalent to a marriage in Pushkinskaya Square, a park-like plaza in downtown Moscow, John told the Blade.
“We used strands of grass to make two rings and put them on each other’s fingers,” he said. “We kept them in a drawer for a long time. It was cool. They looked like rings.”
After living together in Moscow for four years the couple decided to come back to D.C., where they moved into the Logan Circle area house owned by John, which he leased to tenants during his time in Moscow. A short time later, the two bought a five-bedroom house near 17th and U streets, N.W. that they turned into the U Street Bed and Breakfast.
“We lived in the basement apartment and used the upper floors for the bed and breakfast,” John says, which the couple operated for the next 14 years. They sold the business at the time they decided they wanted to start their family and have kids, noting that the long hours it took to operate the B&B would not be conducive to raising children.
John says it was not until 2013 that he and Yaroslav got legally married in D.C. Although D.C. legalized gay marriage in 2010, five years before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, John says lawyers representing Yaroslav’s ongoing effort to obtain a green card and permanent U.S. residency advised him not to enter into a same-sex marriage.
The anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress in the 1990s and signed by President Bill Clinton prohibited the federal government from extending any benefits or policies in support of same-sex marriages. That prohibition prevented Yaroslav from obtaining U.S. residency through a same-sex marriage in the same way a heterosexual marriage automatically resulted in residency status for foreigners that marry a U.S. citizen.
The lawyers said getting married might also jeopardize his efforts to obtain a green card and prevent him from staying in the U.S. without a renewed visa, John said.
All that changed in 2013 when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in U.S. v. Windsor, which upheld a lower court ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional.
John says that opened the way for him and Yaroslav to get married in D.C. under the same-sex marriage law that had been approved by the D.C. Council and signed by then-Mayor Adrian Fenty in 2009 and which took effect in March 2010.
The 2013 Windsor Supreme Court ruling also cleared the way for Yaroslav to obtain his long-awaited green card and a short time later his full U.S. citizenship.
John says that after the two gave up their bed and breakfast business, Yaroslav stepped up his longstanding line of work as an artist, with showings of his artwork in galleries across the city. He also began work as an adjunct professor teaching art at American University, which he continued until illness related to his lung cancer forced him to step back.
His citizenship status came too late for Yaroslav to vote in the 2016 presidential election but he was able to do so this year, John says.
“He was so happy he got to vote in his first presidential election and he voted for Biden,” according to John. “He didn’t like Trump too much.”
Added John, “He voted on Wednesday, three days before he died. And we mailed in his ballot.”
With Yaroslav’s passing, a child care center called CentroNia in Columbia Heights where John and Yaroslav had enrolled their four kids has become immensely helpful in the kids’ support and educational development, John says. The center’s policy of providing a financial subsidy for parents who cannot afford the full tuition for enrolling their children has also been helpful.
When asked how the kids are dealing with the loss of one of their fathers, who they called Papa — they call John Dad — John says the loss has been mostly something they don’t fully understand or grasp due to their young age.
“Thank God they’re not 7 or 8 or 9 when maybe it sticks in you more,” he says. “But they’re only 4 and a half and almost 2. So the twin boys, the young ones, they don’t even know,” John says. “They just started to say papa. But the girls, they said papa probably 200,000 times. They just say papa died. So they get it but not really,” he says.
“But I just tell it like it is,” John says. “And I say papa has died and you know that he had lung cancer and he had a booboo in his lungs. And papa is not with us anymore but he’s thinking about you and he’ll always love you.”
The GoFundMe site in support of John O’Mahony and his family can be accessed here.
A site displaying Yaroslav Koporulin’s artwork, some of which may be for sale with the proceeds used to support his family, can be accessed here.
a&e features
Boomer Banks brings beats to MAL Weekend
From porn to the DJ booth, ’I’m the happiest I’ve ever been’
If you enjoy gay adult films, there is a high likelihood you have seen or at least heard of Boomer Banks. His tattoos, muscles, masculine presence, and thick mustache have made him one of the most recognizable — and awarded — Latinx gay adult performers in the industry. This weekend, Banks heads to the nation’s capital to partake in Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend.
As D.C. polishes its leather gay apparel for the annual MAL weekend, Banks, alongside a slew of other gay adult performers and leather lovers, is getting ready to make adult content, meet fans, buy some new leather goods, and perform in the name of sexual expression.
This year will be different for Banks compared to his past MAL weekends, though. He will still be go-go dancing as he has in years past, but this year he has a new hat on — headlining DJ. The Blade sat down with the 44-year-old performer to discuss his sex work career, the changing industry, and his passion for DJing.
On Friday night, Banks is one of three headlining DJs for the main dance event of the night, UNCUT XL. He explained that his love for music has always been there, but since the death of his best friend, with whom he connected on a shared love of music, his sets mean more than ever to him now.
“I loved music for my whole life,” Banks told the Blade when asked about how he got started in music. “My proximity to legendary New York DJs has always been there. I lost my best friend and brother over two years ago, and it just caused a lot of changes [for me]. We both loved music so much … I was talking to one of my DJ friends [about this connection to music], and they were talking to me, and all of a sudden I’m at their studio, playing around with the controller and all that, and it just happened. Here we are, two years later, and now I’m headlining at MAL with some legendary DJs that I have been a fan of since I was young.”
Banks went on to explain that this connection and newfound passion for DJing is what has made his career shift from studio porn to a solo career easier. He also said the continued support from his house music fans has made him want to work even harder on creating memorable sets.
And create memorable sets he has. Banks has headlined events all across the country over the past two years — from Provincetown to Rehoboth Beach and even headlining Folsom, which is the biggest leather event of the year. He explained that he has one overwhelming emotion —gratitude.
“I’m really grateful that Zach [Renovatés] and everybody at Kinetic and Bunker have really taken a liking to my storytelling through music, because that’s what it is for me,” Banks said. “I like taking people on a journey. It’s usually my journey. But I read the crowd, I read energy, and I’m always smiling, and that’s the only place that I do smile. I feel like people often categorize me as intimidating, and a lot of times that’s what I got in the porn industry. But with DJing, the people are always like, ‘You’re so happy up there. You’re smiling all the time.’ And, yeah, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s exciting. I love doing it, and I’m grateful and very humbled that people are seeing that this isn’t just a gimmick.”
He went on to explain that this happiness wasn’t always at the base of his work —especially when he was involved with the studio porn system with CockyBoys and Raging Stallion. Various factors, including race, he shared with the Blade, were why it was less than enjoyable at times. But it provided a platform in which he was able to grow and gave him an opportunity to help newcomers in the industry.
“When I got into porn, other brown men were not nice to me; other people of color [were not nice to me]. I thought that it would have been different. So when I was established, I made sure not to do that. I have a few little Banks boys that I nurtured into the industry, and, not to claim them, but it’s just so that they had someone to talk to because I didn’t have that.”
Despite some structural problems within the industry, Banks felt he was able to get what he needed from the career, including a paycheck and a platform.
“Porn did work out for me,” he said. “I was very fucking successful, and I was not white. I did the work, but I just couldn’t keep doing it any more. It wasn’t good for my mental health, and so I knew how to bow out. Who knows? It [studio porn days] might happen again. I don’t know, but I know for today, I love music. It’s my heart. I’m grateful for the platform that sex work gave me because it’s given me a heads up with the music.”
That music has kept him going. More specifically, New York house-style music has kept him going. Banks’s ability to take in the music he loves has made him a stronger DJ, he said.
“’I’m a New York house DJ,” he said. “That’s the style that I bring. The craziest it gets is like tech house and maybe some early 2000s mid-2000s circuit music. It’s what I grew up with and what I love and what I like to put out there. I’m really grateful that I was not only showing up to these gigs, but I was absorbing the art that is music in a way that it seeped into my pores and my soul, that now I can share how I feel about music, and that’s exciting.”
He touched on how although many people can be fans of DJ music, it takes more to become a successful DJ.
“The thing about music is you can’t fake music tastes. You can learn all the knobs and the technical parts of DJing, but if you’re not playing good music, and if the room isn’t vibing, it doesn’t matter.”
When asked about the current political climate—seeing as the host hotel for MAL weekend is a mere half mile from the Capitol building—Banks reflected on the importance of weekends like this for the LGBTQ community, which is increasingly facing the backlash of conservative politicians.
“We are in uncertain times,” he said. “These are the weekends where we’re able to be who we are. And it’s unfortunate that we have to still have these events to express ourselves. Because a lot of these guys, they wait their whole year for this weekend to be able to express themselves. With what’s going on with the world, they’re basically being told that these are the only places they can. I know that in New York we live in a bubble. I know in D.C., we live in a bubble. But I want to show people that are coming from the middle of nowhere that they can have a good time, and even if it is for this weekend, they can rely on us. I want our community to know that I am here for them.”
You can find Boomer Banks headlining Friday’s main dance event UNCUT XL from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. at REPUBLIQ Hall (2122 24th Pl NE) and go-go dancing during Saturday’s PERVERT XXL party at A.I. Warehouse (530 Penn St., N.E.) from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. as well as on X @Boomer_Banks and on Instagram @baconlvr.
For more information about MAL events visit leatherweekend.com or kineticpresents.com.
Half a mile from the Capitol building on New Jersey Avenue, the Hyatt Regency Washington is getting ready for one of the city’s biggest, gayest, and kinkiest weekends of the year — the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend.
The weekend, which has a long and fabled history that spans two different hosting Motorcycle Clubs (MC), multiple host cities, thousands of LGBTQ people dressed head to toe in leather, and as the Centaur MC website explains, all began with an hour of cocktails and a cock ring.
In 1976, members of the Links MC gathered in a room at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel to mingle and discuss shared interests (including leather and various sexual proclivities), when one of the party’s guests accidentally dropped his cock ring on the bathroom floor. The loud clang of a cock ring against the tile floor made everyone in attendance laugh. At the next party the Links MC hosted, another member intentionally dropped his cock ring on the floor too, calling back to the prior party’s fun and a tradition was established.
The event grew in popularity among LGBTQ leather lovers, moving to various East Coast cities before finding a permanent home with the Centaur MC in Washington in 1984. Since then, the city has hosted the Leather Cocktail party each year and has expanded to include an exhibitor hall, where leather makers and other kink product creators showcase their wares, the prestigious Mr. MAL Contest, and multiple high energy (and clothing optional) dance parties.
MCs comprised exclusively of queer members have been documented since at least the mid-1950s, with the Satyrs Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles being one of the earliest known examples. During the McCarthy era, when LGBTQ individuals were subjected to brutal discrimination due to unfounded fears that being queer was synonymous with being un-American or even suggested Communist leanings, the groups provided an essential refuge. While such fears were baseless, the formation of these clubs offered a vital safe space for queer people to express themselves in an environment where their identities were not just stigmatized but often criminalized. These MCs became much more than places for sexual expression — they were havens of protection and solidarity, offering a sense of community that would have been nearly impossible to find in the hostile, post-WWII social climate.
This year’s MAL is set to be the biggest year yet with four days of kinky queer fun. It all begins on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Washington (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.) with the Full Package/Three Day Pass Pick-Up from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Here guests who have purchased a Full Weekend Package can collect their wristbands.
On Thursday from 9 p.m.-3 a.m., the MAL kick-off Kinetic BOOTCAMP dance party will whip you into shape as international DJs Alex Lo and Dan Slater start off the weekend right. The venue has not been named yet, but Kinetic Events, which oversees this year’s official MAL dance parties have said the space will soon be announced and will “be complete with play zone designed for maximum seduction.”
After beginning MAL weekend on the dance floor, Friday is full of events to keep the kinky vibes going. From 3-10 p.m., guests who have not picked up their Full Package Pass on Thursday can continue to collect them in Capital Room A on the lobby level (located behind the north tower elevators) of the Hyatt Regency Washington. If you haven’t purchased a pass, no worries, both day and weekend passes for MAL hotel events are available for purchase online or at the hotel’s entrance from 3-10 p.m.
The passes vary in price depending on what day(s) you attend. The 3-day pass is $45 plus processing fees and provides access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall for the entire weekend, as well as the Mr. MAL Contest on Sunday. The Single Day Pass is $20 plus processing fees and allows access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall on either Friday or Saturday. The Sunday Day Pass is $30 plus processing fees and includes access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall on Sunday, along with entry to the Mr. MAL Contest. To purchase your pass online visit at sickening.events/e/mal-weekend-2025/tickets or at the hotel’s entrance.
To get in an elevator up to a hotel room a staff member will check for a hotel room wristband. Non-registered guests can only access host hotel rooms if they are escorted by a registered guest with a valid wristband. Registered guests are permitted to escort only one non-registered guest at a time. Non-registered guests with a wristband who are already in the hotel before 10 p.m. may remain until midnight. However, non-registered guests without a wristband will not be admitted after registration closes.
The Exhibit Hall is located on the ballroom level below the lobby. This year is slated to have 29 exhibitors selling leather and kink goods that range from harnesses to jockstraps and everything in between. The Exhibit Hall will be open on Friday from 4-10 p.m., on Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Back by popular demand, DC Health is partnering with Nasty Pig to provide preventative health services including MPox vaccines, Doxy PEP, HIV Testing, Narcan kits, and Fentanyl test strips. Their booth with these services will be available on Friday from 3-10 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Capital Room B (located behind the north tower elevators next to Room A).
Also on Friday, the Centaur MC is holding its Welcome Reception from 6-8 p.m. on the ballroom floor. After the Centaur’s Welcome Reception, there will be an International Mister Rubber (IMR) Social from 8-11 p.m. in Congressional Room A.
Friday night’s dance party KINETIC UNCUT XL will be at REPUBLIQ Hall (2122 24th Place, N.E.) and has been billed as “largest and most debaucherous MAL event yet” with a “labyrinth of play zones” and two dance floors. DJ and adult film creator James Anthony kicks off the night and then allows for you to choose where to dance — either in room 1 with DJ Alex Ramos playing tribal beats or room 2 with DJ and adult creator Boomer Banks playing a tech house set. The dance party goes from 10-4 a.m. so make sure those boots are shined and ready to move.
On Saturday MAL will host its annual Puppy Mosh in Regency Ballroom C from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. During the Mosh, pups and their handlers can enjoy a playful puppy playdate while immersing themselves in pup culture. There are strict rules surrounding the Puppy Mosh. The Mosh Monitor has final say and has the right to eject anyone from the Puppy Park for violating the rules. For the full set of Puppy Mosh rules visit leatherweekend.com/puppy-park-rules/.
Immediately following the Puppy Mosh the Super Hero Meet-Up will be held in Capital Room A from 1:30- 3 p.m., where cosplayers and comic book enthusiasts can gather for an erotic meetup celebrating a rendezvous of capes, curves, and vibrant spandex.
From 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, the Onyx Fashion Show will take place in Congressional Rooms A & B for people of color to highlight Black brilliance in leather.
The Leather Cocktail Party that started it all will be held 7-10 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. Only those with the Full Package Pass can attend and are encouraged to show off their leather and kink fantasy.
The Leather Cocktail Party isn’t the only cocktail party happening on Saturday; from 9-11 p.m., the MAL Cocktail Party will be in Congressional Room B for other MAL attendees to mingle and get a drink.
The last event of Saturday is the KINETIC and Matinée Group’s PERVERT XXL dance party. Beginning at 10 p.m., this will mark the first time that a dance party on MAL Weekend’s Saturday night is an official MAL event. The dance is at A.I. Warehouse in Northeast (address TBA) and has a slew of talent for the celebration. Gigi Goode from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will “whip the crowd into submission” as DJs from around the world, including Erik Vilar (Brazil), Eliad Cohen (Israel), and Paulo (Los Angeles) play non-stop beats all night long (or at least until 4 a.m. when the party ends). In addition to drag royalty and internationally acclaimed DJs, the dance is held in a multi-level warehouse in Northeast D.C. complete with immersive lights, lasers, and play zones.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., the Mr. MAL Contest will be held in the Regency Ballroom. This highly sought after title gives one man the power to become the Mid-Atlantic Leather man of the year. The sash and title come with some requirements though: 1. You must be male, 2. You must be a resident of North America, 3. Must be at least 21 years of age, and 4. You must self-identify as gay. Additionally, if you enter, you must be prepared to represent the title as a contestant in the International Mr. Leather (IML) Contest in Chicago on Memorial Day Weekend 2025. Currently the list of applicants has hit its limit but if you are interested and can meet the criteria you can email [email protected] to be put on a standby list.
From 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Sunday, MAL will hold its Game Night in Capital Rooms A & B.
Last, but certainly not least, the final event and dance party of the weekend is the KINETIC LUST party, the perfectly sensual and sexy way to end MAL 2025. The party goes from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. as Grammy-nominated Abel and DJ Sam Blacky will end your weekend right with “dark, sexy beats and pulse-pounding rhythms” as erotic porn star performances and exclusive play zones are explored.
Each day of MAL a Recovery Meeting will be held in the Yosemite Room (located on the conference level/ second floor) from 10-11 p.m. with an additional session on Saturday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. to provide a safe space for anyone who is struggling with addiction or for anyone who needs to take a sober step away from the weekend’s events.
All weekend there will also be a Bootblack station where MAL attendees can get any leather goods cleaned and polished. The money donated to the Bootblacks for their work helps raise money for a local charity (that changes each year) and to cover the Mr. MAL travel fund. Don’t forget to tip.
Even though the weekend is called the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, leather is not required. There are some rules regarding outfits though. All expressions of kink are encouraged. Attendees in years past have worn everything from leather to rubber, to furries and even regular street clothes. Just make sure that they abide by the hotel’s dress code rules — in publicly accessible spaces (lobby, hallways, ballrooms, exhibit halls), nudity is not allowed. Men may walk around the hotel shirtless, in a jock, or in chaps with a jock. Women are not permitted to be shirtless or have their nipples exposed. If you are dining, your buttocks must be covered, and at least a vest must be worn.
Please note that all events are 21+ and require an ID check, including every day of events at the Hyatt Regency host hotel. Please make sure you bring your photo ID. Also note that all MAL “Full Weekend Package” pass holders have access to the LUST Sunday Closing Party.
For any additional information on official MAL weekend events and policies, please visit leatherweekend.com or kineticpresents.com.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2024
Menendez brothers, Chappell Roan, ‘Wicked,’ and more
Reflecting on a year in queer entertainment is never one dimensional. You get stories of joy, hate, and everything in between.
And 2024 was no different. For every Chappell Roan, you get a J.K. Rowling. But looking back on this year is vital in recognizing what progress was made in LGBTQ spaces, and which areas need more attention to make a better 2025.
Though there are no 10 stories that are truly “the most important,” here are some events that represented the good, the bad, and the gloriously gay this year.
#10: Joaquin Phoenix abruptly exits gay film: “Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix reportedly exited a gay romance film days before production was set to begin, stirring up a controversial storm in Hollywood.
Sets were built and distribution deals were already made, which left many owed compensation.
Described as a detective love story featuring two men in the 1930s, the film was allegedly made to receive an NC-17 rating and to feature authentic and graphic sex scenes.
#9: Adele snaps back at homophobic fan:What better way to kick off Pride month this year than Adele publicly humiliating a fan who shouted a homophobic comment?
The singer was performing her Las Vegas residency show when an audience member shouted, “Pride sucks.” Her response was appropriately filled with profanities.
“Did you come to my fucking show to say Pride sucks? Are you fucking stupid?” Adele said. “Don’t be so fucking ridiculous. If you have nothing nice to say, shut up, alright?”
A video of the interaction went viral online, and fans rallied on social media to show their support of the singer.
#8: Oprah receives GLAAD recognition: Oprah Winfrey received the GLAAD Lifetime Achievement Award in March. It was a culmination of her strong history of support for the LGBTQ community.
Winfrey used her platform on her self-titled show to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ bias and hold open discussions to challenge stereotypes and promote acceptance.
“Winfrey’s unique blend of empathy, wisdom, and storytelling resonated with audiences, making her one of the most beloved and influential figures in media history,” Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters wrote.
winner after 25 seasons.
Asher HaVon, who performed on team Reba McEntire, became a staple on the show for his hypnotic and rich tone. From Selma, Ala., HaVon also represents the fight for equality.
When former President Barack Obama visited Selma in 2015, HaVon sang for him and 200,000 other people at the historic Selma Bridge crossing.
“For the rest of us, in the LGBTQ community, in the dance clubs, and in the hearts of ones needing a new diva to love, Asher has arrived,” Los Angeles Blade reporter Rob Watson wrote in May.
#6: Out and proud: Many notable celebrities came out this year, including country singer Maren Morris, track star Trey Cunningham, actor Julia Fox and former “Saturday Night Live” star Sasheer Zamata. From sports stars to country idols, these icons are paving the way for LGBTQ visibility in underrepresented entertainment spaces.
#5: Defying box office charts: Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” is ‘Popular’ with audiences, to say the least.
Roughly one week into its box office run, it became the biggest-grossing movie based on a Broadway musical in North America. It beat previous smashes like “Grease” and “Mamma Mia!” Beyond providing audiences with a faithful yet unique adaptation of the popular book and play, it also gave us numerous viral interviews between its two leading ladies, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as well as a plethora of fan cams gushing over out actor Jonathan Bailey.
Your move, “Wicked: Part Two.”
#4: Emmys and Grammys and Tonys, oh my!: It was a historic year for queer representation at the biggest nights in entertainment. Jodie Foster collected her first Emmy for her role in “True Detective: Night Country,” while Jonathan Groff accepted his first Tony for his role in “Merrily We Roll Along.”
The Grammys were huge for women and queer artists, recognizing performers like Billie Eilish, SZA, Miley Cyrus, and Victoria Monet. It was a much different story than in 2018, when Grammy organizers responded to a lack of female recognition by telling women to “step up.”
#3: Misinformation fuels hate at Olympics: Olympic boxer Imane Khelif was the center of right-wing rage during this summer’s Paris games after many prominent celebrities and personalities said she is transgender. Khelif has differences of sex development (DSD), which is a group of rare conditions that causes one’s sex development to differ from most others. Women with DSD can have both an X and Y chromosome, which is typically only found in men, but it doesn’t make one transgender or intersex.
The facts didn’t matter to public figures like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, who were mentioned in a cyber harassment lawsuit after spreading misinformation online about Khelif’s identity. Rowling labeled Khelif a “male” on X, while others called for Khelif to be banned from competing. This outcry over false claims about her identity overshadowed her gold medal win.
#2: The rise, not fall, of a Midwest princess: It was a stellar year for women and queer performers, headlined by Chappell Roan’s rapid ascension to fame. The singer drew global recognition with notable hits like “HOT TO GO!” and “Good Luck, Babe!”.
More importantly, as a member of the community herself, fame never got in the way of her pro-LGBTQ messaging. She dedicated her Best New Artist VMA win to the “queer youth in the Midwest.” Roan, who’s from Missouri, also used her platform to support the art of drag. She enlisted local drag queens to open her shows this year, and gained instant approval when paraphrasing Sasha Colby’s famous saying: “I’m your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.”
#1 Ryan Murphy strikes controversial gold again: The ethical implications of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” were hotly debated when it debuted on Netflix in September.
Some loved the show’s aesthetic and its gripping portrayal of the two brothers who killed their parents in 1989. Others criticized it for its flimsy factual representation and glorification of murder through its two overly attractive leads. Whatever your opinion, there’s no denying the show’s impact, which sparked a national debate over releasing the brothers from prison early. With LA electing a new district attorney in November, the push for an early release remains in the headlines and a strong possibility.
Regardless of your opinion of the show, there’s no denying the cultural impact it sparked. Out creator Ryan Murphy isn’t new to producing shows that divide people while generating ratings. The first installment of the “Monster” anthology, centered on Jeffrey Dahmer, was a huge hit despite facing intense scrutiny for similar creative decisions.
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Congress4 days agoMarjorie Taylor Greene calls Sarah McBride a ‘groomer’ and ‘child predator’ for reading to kids
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District of Columbia3 days agoD.C. police demoted gay captain for taking parental leave: Lawsuit
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Politics3 days agoBiden to leave office revered as most pro-LGBTQ president in history
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Uganda3 days agoUgandan minister: Western human rights sanctions forced country to join BRICS