BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ Axes First Trans Actor To Play a Trans Character on a UK Soap: VIDEO

BBC’s Eastenders has axed Riley Carter Millington, the first ever transgender actor to play a transgender character in a continuing role on a UK soap.

Last October, it was announced that Millington would play the role of Stacey Slater’s long-lost half brother Kyle.

Millington was one of nine cast members let go by the show’s producer Sean O’Connor.

Riley Carter-Millington becomes the NINTH star to leave the soap! @MrRileyCarter1 #EastEnders t.co/Vk3SXNc9Qx

— EastEnders Spy (@EastEnders_Spy) September 14, 2016

Speaking with Metro.co.uk, Millington said:

“When I landed a six-month contract at EastEnders it was a dream come true.

“For that to be extended to a year was something I never expected.

“However, as the time comes for Kyle to depart Walford I am looking forward to taking on new roles and who knows, Kyle may find his way back to Walford one day.”

While it’s not yet known how Kyle will leave the show, it’s expected that bisexual character Steven Beale will be somehow involved.

Though leaving EastEnders, Millington has just landed a role in stage production Safe, which will explore the issue of homeless and at rick LGBT youth in the UK.

“EastEnders” star Riley Carter Millington to head the cast of SAFE: SAFE, a powerful new verbatim theatre pie… t.co/GyUaMgIdMb

— LondonTheatre1 (@LondonTheatre1) September 19, 2016

Watch Kyle reveal his identity to Stacey below.

(Image via Twitter)

The post BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ Axes First Trans Actor To Play a Trans Character on a UK Soap: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

BBC’s ‘Eastenders’ Axes First Trans Actor To Play a Trans Character on a UK Soap: VIDEO

Jared Leto to Star in and Produce New Biopic About Andy Warhol

Jared Leto is set to star in and produce an adaptation of pop artist and provocateur Andy Wahol’s life titled simply, Warhol.

The Guardian reports: 

The screenplay comes from Boardwalk Empire creator Terrence Winter, whose credits also include The Wolf of Wall Street and 50 Cent drama Get Rich or Die Tryin’. He will use Victor Bockris’s 1989 book Warhol: The Biography as inspiration, with Leto acquiring rights.

Warhol shot to fame in the 1960s with his unique take on American consumerism and quickly became a fixture in the New York club scene. He was also openly gay at a time when homosexuality wasn’t readily accepted. Amid his success, he suffered from hypochondria and was the victim of an attempted murder in 1968.

There is no word currently as to whether Leto considered casting a gay male actor in the titular role or whether his involvement as producer was predicated upon him starring in the film.

Leto recently remarked that he doesn’t think gay male actors in Hollywood get the same opportunities that straight ones do: “Not for a single second. I don’t know if that’s offensive or not, but that’s my thought right now. It shouldn’t be that way…I think that this is still a very conservative business.”

Leto won an Academy Award for playing a transgender woman in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. Despite the accolades he received for his performance, many criticized Leto for taking the role in the first place, saying that it should have gone to a trans actor.

Recently, Matt Bomer came under heavy public scrutiny once it was announced that he would play a transgender woman in the upcoming film Anything, from executive producer Mark Ruffalo. Many activists in the trans community said casting cisgender men to play transgender women leads to harmful stereotypes about transgender women and also leads to increased violence against transgender women.

[Top photos via Wikimedia Commons, Instagram]

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Jared Leto to Star in and Produce New Biopic About Andy Warhol

Photo of Skittles Tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. to Demonize Refugees Was Taken by a Refugee

This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016

Skittles began trending on social media last night after Donald Trump Jr. compared the colorful candy to Syrian refugees.

Trump Jr. tweeted a photo of a bowl of Skittles with a caption that read, “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.”

He added: “This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first.”

RELATED: Skittles Corrects Donald Trump Jr After Deplorable Tweet: ‘Skittles are Candy. Refugees are People.’

Now, the BBC reports that the photo used by the Trump campaign in the meme was taken by a refugee from Cyprus and used without permission:

David Kittos, 48, from Guildford, UK, woke up to find an image he had posted to Flickr in January 2010 had become embroiled in a political controversy.

“This was not done with my permission, I don’t support his politics and I would never take his money to use it,” Mr Kittos told the BBC. “In 1974, when I was six-years old, I was a refugee from the Turkish occupation of Cyprus so I would never approve the use of this image against refugees.”

Oh, the irony.

As we reported earlier the reaction to Trump Jr.s tweet was swift, and brutal:

Thousands of Syrian children just like Omran have been killed in the war. They aren’t Skittles. They’re children. Just like yours. #Skittles pic.twitter.com/3x7TW8hDOV

— N (@_narbie) September 20, 2016

Denise Young, VP of Corporate Affairs at Wrigley Americas, the owner of Skittles, reacted to the controversy.

Said the company: “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy. We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing.”

A rep for @Skittles gives me their response to @DonaldJTrumpJr pic.twitter.com/OmkJQkIqug

— Seth Abramovitch (@SethAbramovitch) September 20, 2016

The post Photo of Skittles Tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. to Demonize Refugees Was Taken by a Refugee appeared first on Towleroad.

Photo of Skittles Tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. to Demonize Refugees Was Taken by a Refugee

Out of the Shadows: DADT’s Repeal Five Years Later

Today marks the 5 year anniversary of the full implementation of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Repeal of the law closed a dark and discriminatory chapter of American history that required gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers to be dishonest about who they are in order to serve the country they love.

17 years prior to the ban’s end, highly capable gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers were fired for being honest about their sexual orientation. DADT was not only a detriment to national security that harmed military readiness, recruitment, and morale — it was discrimination written into law that is inconsistent with the values of equality and freedom.

Between 2009 and 2011, American artist, Jeff Sheng photographed about 80 LGBT servicemembers in the US military who could not show their faces due to DADT. His photographic work is a powerful statement of the pain inflicted on servicemembers and military families because of this archaic policy. His photographs on this topic have been featured in the New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, the Advocate, and ABC World News Tonight, among others.

In 2014, Jeff began revisiting many of these servicemembers to follow up about their experiences since DADT’s repeal, and to photograph them now with their faces showing. On today’s anniversary we’ve worked with Jeff on a sneak peak of his work in our Instagram series, “Out of the Shadows: DADT’s Repeal 5 Years Later.”

“While the work is still in progress, I wanted to share some of these images now on the 5-year anniversary of the repeal of DADT, to visually show the kind of progress we have made as a society. It’s unimaginable now to think that just over 5 years ago, these brave service members were not allowed to show who they are, but today can be recognized fully and celebrated as the heroes that they truly are.” – Jeff Sheng

DADT’s repeal five years ago marked a new chapter in American history. It meant that gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans eager to serve, but unwilling to compromise who they are as individuals, could now do so without having to live dishonestly.

Thanks to the repeal of DADT, and the recent end to outdated policies that prevented transgender people from serving, the LGBTQ community is finally able to openly and proudly serve our nation. As we celebrate five years of a wrong made right, our we must recommit to the fight for the expansion of rights and protections for LGBTQ people everywhere.

www.hrc.org/blog/out-of-the-shadows-dadts-repeal-5-years-later?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Out vocalist Billy Gilman stuns judges in 'The Voice' blind audition

www.glaad.org/blog/out-vocalist-billy-gilman-stuns-judges-voice-blind-audition

Meek Mill Uses Gay Slurs While Sampling Beat by Lesbian Rapper

Dropping homophobic slurs in rap songs is not a good look in 2016.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/9/20/meek-mill-uses-gay-slurs-while-sampling-beat-lesbian-rapper

Brad And Angelina Honor Gay Right To Divorce With One Of Their Own

Brangelina is no more.

Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, TMZ reports. The documents were filed Monday, citing irreconcilable differences. She is reportedly asking for physical custody of their six children – Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8 – with Pitt getting joint legal custody.

Related: Angelina Jolie Thrilled To Be Drag Inspiration, “I’m With Them”

TMZ claims sources told them the split was over the way Pitt was parenting the children, as well as substance abuse issues (weed and possibly alcohol) and an anger issue. She is not asking for spousal support.

“Angelina Jolie Pitt has filed for dissolution of the marriage,” Jolie’s rep said in a statement. “This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”

Pitt and Jolie have been together since 2004 and married in August 2014. They had said they would not marry until gay people were offered the same right. They eventually did tie the knot before full marriage equality was granted, in June 2015, for which they received some criticism.

Related: 53 Blowhard Republicans Intervene In Gay Couple’s Divorce

Now that gay people have the right to marry, they also have the right to divorce. While early reports claimed gay marriages were ending in fewer divorces, that was soon revealed to be an error of how the math was done and that gay marriages were ending in divorce just as often.

Maybe this is just Jolie and Pitt honoring gay divorce with a divorce of their own?

www.queerty.com/brad-angelina-honor-gay-right-divorce-one-20160920?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Internet Obsessed With Kevin Spacey’s Studly Emmys Companion. But Who Is He?

Despite the fedora, the Internet has been working overtime to unearth any bits of biography they can find about Kevin Spacey’s mysterious Emmys companion; he of the studly visage and cheekbones you could slice Provolone on. Who was this man, and why was he wearing so many goddamn bracelets? Speculation abounded.

Was he part of some creepy crop-centric cult? 

when you’re sitting next to kevin spacey but ur also a child of the corn #Emmys pic.twitter.com/1sy6AEYQml

— Carina Hsieh (@carinahsieh) September 19, 2016

Where were his stylists, and why didn’t Spacey intervene?

But
Kevin Spacey’s date is wearing a hat indoors! What’s next white shoes?! @adambvary #Emmys pic.twitter.com/tbJsc0Ji9H

— Scott Wooledge ? (@Clarknt67) September 19, 2016

Where was his mysterious date while Spacey wrapped his lips around this Emmy sandwich?

We are all @KevinSpacey. #whoshungry ? #Emmys pic.twitter.com/wjy5pueJNt

— InStyle (@InStyle) September 19, 2016

Related: Did Andy Cohen Officially Out Kevin Spacey? And Does It Even Matter?

As speculation reached fever pitch, Buzzfeed rose to the occasion and delivered the goods: That behatted man of intrigue is a certain 43-year-old Evan Lowenstein; a talent manager who was formerly half of Evan and Jaron, a duosome that consisted of two identical twins who are most notable for smoldering their way through an unavoidable, way heteronormative 2000 single called “Crazy For This Girl.”

Remember this old chestnut? 

These days, he’s Kevin Spacey’s talent manager, which unquestionably explains his Emmys appearance.

Case closed.

But we still have some questions about the hat.

www.queerty.com/internet-obsessed-kevin-spaceys-studly-emmys-companion-20160920?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Donald Trump Used $250,000+ Donated to The Trump Foundation to Settle Personal Lawsuits

Over the years, Donald Trump has repeatedly used his charity, The Trump Foundation, to pay for legal settlements that stemmed from cases brought against his for-profit businesses.

The Washington Post reports: 

Those cases, which together used $258,000 from Trump’s charity, were among four newly documented expenditures in which Trump may have violated laws against “self-dealing” — which prohibit nonprofit leaders from using charity money to benefit themselves or their businesses.

In one case, from 2007, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club faced $120,000 in unpaid fines from the town of Palm Beach, Fla., resulting from a dispute over the size of a flagpole.

In a settlement, Palm Beach agreed to waive those fines — if Trump’s club made a $100,000 donation to a specific charity for veterans. Instead, Trump sent a check from the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a charity funded almost entirely by other people’s money, according to tax records.

As for the repercussions that Trump could face,

“If the Internal Revenue Service were to find that Trump violated self-dealing rules, the agency could require him to pay penalty taxes or to reimburse the foundation for all the money it spent on his behalf. Trump is also facing scrutiny from the office of the New York attorney general, which is examining whether the foundation broke state charity laws.”

While Trump began as the primary donor of his foundation, he has not donated to the charity since 2009.

[Top photo via The Washington Post]

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Donald Trump Used $250,000+ Donated to The Trump Foundation to Settle Personal Lawsuits