Wrong Bathroom
What would you risk to feel like you belong? For many young people, fitting in often means making uncomfortable compromises – but how far would you go to be accepted? In the short Wrong Bathroom, director Ragini Bhasin confronts this question head-on, following a nervous transgender student as they step into the male restroom for the first time. What begins as an anxious attempt to navigate a new space quickly evolves into a powerful exploration of identity, perception, and the unspoken dynamics that play out behind closed doors. Read on…
The rising stars of Boys Love
It’s hard to imagine now, but this time last year, none of us knew who Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were. Dark times indeed. And that got us thinking: There’s a whole world of Connor’s and Hudson’s out there, especially with the rise of BL (Boy Love) content in recent years.
It’s no wonder that the BL industry is thriving. These stories provide positive, life-affirming representation for Asian queer experiences which are still all-too-lacking in the mainstream. Plus they’re horny as hell, filled with gorgeous stars who could give Storrie and Williams a run for their money.
Countries like China, Thailand and South Korea are pumping out more BL shows than ever (and coincidentally, there’s a whole lot of “pumping” in these shows, too). As such, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to new and rising stars to thirst for who should be on your radar.
What follows is just a small selection of hotties to get you started and introduce you to the wider world of BL (assuming you’re not already as obsessed as we are). If your faves haven’t been included this time around, it doesn’t mean they’re not worth mentioning. It’s just that we have a deadline and the BL shows still waiting on our watchlist aren’t going to watch themselves.
U.S. Supreme Court rules in favour of conversion ‘therapy’ torture
The Supreme Court issued its ruling in Chiles v. Salazar this week, the conversion therapy ban case. In the 8-1 decision, the Court found that therapists’ speech is subject to First Amendment protections and that laws that curtail that speech have to be examined with strict scrutiny.
The majority, in an opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, sent the case back to lower courts to reexamine it in light of this ruling, and now the bar for the conversion therapy ban to be found constitutional is much higher. This decision will likely lead to conversion therapy bans in 27 states being overturned.
LGBTQ+ advocates denounced the ruling. “The Supreme Court’s decision to treat the dangerous practice of conversion therapy as constitutionally protected speech is a tragic step backward for our country that will put young lives at risk,” said Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black in a statement.
“These efforts, no matter what proponents call them, no matter what any court says, are still proven to cause lasting psychological harm. LGBTQ+ youth subjected to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers. That’s why protections have been enacted in more than 20 states, and are supported by every major medical and mental health association in the country. To LGBTQ+ young people everywhere, please know this: Regardless of today’s decision, or any other headlines you read, you belong. You are worthy, you are loved, and there is nothing wrong with being who you are.”
