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John Russell

Journalist · 36 articles indexed on LGBTQ News

John Russell is a bylined journalist whose reporting appears on LGBTQ News. We aggregate John Russell's work from trusted local sources with full attribution, linking back to the original publisher. To learn more about how we select and review stories, see our editorial standards.

Affiliated with: LGBTQ Nation

Recent articles

Kristi Noem reportedly divorcing crossdressing husband following humiliating "bimbo" scandal

Former Trump Administration Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is reportedly divorcing her husband, Bryon Noem, following tabloid reports of his alleged crossdressing and “bim

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 13, 2026 · rights

Hollywood stopped making films with trans characters as LGBTQ+ representation declines

LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream films continued a three-year decline last year, according to GLAAD’s latest “Where We Are in Film” study. The study also showed particularly troubling results when

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 10, 2026 · rights

Gay cruise blocked from entering Egypt days after being banned from Turkey

A gay cruise that was previously blocked from entering Turkey has now been banned from Egypt. Early on Thursday, just hours before it was scheduled to dock in Alexandria, passengers aboard the Scarlet

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 9, 2026 · rights

Queer journalist Lyra McKee was shot to death while covering a riot. 3 suspects were just acquitted.

A judge in Northern Ireland found three men not guilty of murdering queer journalist and author Lyra McKee. The 29-year-old McKee was struck by a bullet while covering an April 2019 riot in Derry. Whi

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 8, 2026 · rights

Fired EEOC commissioner drops lawsuit after SCOTUS expands Trump's power over federal agencies

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last week handing broad authority to fire heads of independent agencies to the president, former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) member Jocel

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 7, 2026 · rights

"Furious" Patti LuPone speaks out after Turkey blocks gay cruise from docking due to "moral values"

Authorities in Turkey blocked a gay cruise from docking in the country this past Thursday, claiming that it would violate the region's "moral values." This sparked the ire of Tony-winning Broadway leg

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 6, 2026 · rights

Remember when the Kansas gov. vetoed an anti-trans bill banning people from visiting their family?

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoed an anti-trans bathroom bill Friday, after Republicans passed it using a procedure that allowed them to bring the legislation up for a vote without a public hearing.

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 3, 2026 · rights

Who is Elliot Page really playing in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’?

With less than two weeks until director Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Odyssey hits theaters, one of the biggest questions around the film remains: Who is Elliot Page really

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 3, 2026 · rights

Texas AG Ken Paxton calls for "restrictions" on IVF fertility treatments

Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton says there should be “restrictions” around in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the U.S., apparently walking back his previously stated suppo

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 2, 2026 · rights

Remember when JD Vance said trans people pose a “terrorist threat” as the FBI plans to target them?

Vice President JD Vance suggested this week that transgender people in the U.S. pose a “domestic terrorist threat,” despite a wide body of evidence to the contrary. On Wednesday, Vance appeared on Fox

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 1, 2026 · rights

Man who threatened Pride Month shooting arrested for possession of child sex abuse pics & videos

Agents with the FBI’s field office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, have arrested a man on charges related to multiple threats of committing anti-LGBTQ+ mass violence and possession of child sexual abuse mat

LGBTQ Nation · Jul 1, 2026 · rights

Police detain 50 people during banned Istanbul Pride event

Police in Istanbul detained at least 50 people during an LGBTQ+ Pride event in Turkey’s largest city over the weekend. Authorities had banned the event, with police increasing security and erecting ba

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 30, 2026 · rights

Gay Jewish lawmaker & congressional candidate chased out of Trans March over position on Gaza

California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) says he was “verbally and physically” harassed while trying to attend San Francisco’s annual Trans March by a group of people he claims misrepresented his stance

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 29, 2026 · rights

City Council approves legalizing bathhouses in move advocates say is critical to public health

Minneapolis has set the stage for legal bathhouses and adult sex venues to operate in the city for the first time since the 1980s. On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council approved a pair of measures

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 26, 2026 · rights

“Temper tantrum": Trump won't sign landmark housing bill until Congress passes anti-trans voting law

President Donald Trump has refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill until Congress passes the SAVE America Act – legislation critics say would likely disenfranchise many transgender Americans. Earlie

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 25, 2026 · rights

Remember when JK Rowling urged a boycott of a store for having trans employees?

Anti-trans crusader J.K. Rowling is calling for a boycott of iconic British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) following an outcry over a transgender employee who was just doing her job. On Monday, August

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 24, 2026 · rights

Scottish judge rules trans women must be held in men's prisons

Transgender women incarcerated in Scottish prisons must be housed in men’s facilities, following a judge’s ruling last week. Judge Lady Ross’s June 19 opinion came in response to a challenge brought b

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 24, 2026 · rights

Dems slam FCC for considering content warnings on shows with trans characters: “We reject the idea"

As the Federal Communications Commission considers whether to introduce warning labels for LGBTQ+ TV content, Democratic Members of Congress are speaking out against those efforts. On Monday, Congress

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 23, 2026 · rights

The original Pride flag is leaving San Francisco to visit Europe for the first time

A piece of LGBTQ+ history is making its first trip outside the U.S. this summer, when a fragment of the original eight-striped rainbow Pride flag goes on display in Cork, Ireland. Earlier this year, S

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 22, 2026 · rights

The sapphic subtext of ‘Sister Act’: One nun was "attracted" to Whoopi Goldberg's character

If you caught a frisson of sapphic chemistry in Sister Act, there’s a good reason, according to Wendy Makkena. This week, the You Might Know Her From podcast reposted an archive clip from their 2021 i

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 19, 2026 · health

"A travesty": Cop reinstated after being fired for using anti-gay slur on the job

A New Jersey cop who was fired for using an anti-gay slur on the job returned to work earlier this month, following a two-year legal battle. Roselle, New Jersey, police chief Stacey Williams was fired

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 18, 2026 · rights

Ian McKellan shares hilarious way he channeled anger at Trump into his role as an Avengers villain

Ian McKellen channeled his fury at Trump into archvillain role in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Iconic out actor Ian McKellen says he shouted “Mar-a-Lago” to get into his character’s destructive headspace whil

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 17, 2026 · rights

High school wrestler files lawsuit for sexual assault after finding out opponent was transgender

A cisgender Washington state high school wrestler is suing state officials, her school district, and others, claiming that a transgender opponent sexually assaulted her during a match. Last week, anti

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 16, 2026 · rights

50,000 celebrate Seoul Pride fest as 15,000 anti-LGBTQ+ activists counterprotested

Seoul saw dueling LGBTQ+-focused events over the weekend, with tens of thousands showing up for the South Korean capital city’s annual Pride festival while anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators gathered for a cou

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 15, 2026 · rights

Bud Light sponsors Trump’s UFC cage fight 3 years after MAGA boycotted over trans influencer video

Bud Light has gone from sponsoring Pride events in major U.S. cities to sponsoring the Trump administration’s UFC cage match on the White House lawn. Three years after a one-off Instagram video partne

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 12, 2026 · rights

British miners & LGBTQ+ activists have a strong & enduring alliance. Here's how it all began.

A new musical currently playing at London’s National Theatre recounts the extraordinary story of an unlikely alliance between the U.K.’s South Wales coal mining communities and LGBTQ+ activists, a rel

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 11, 2026 · rights

MAGA PAC drops millions on anti-trans AI ad showing James Talarico in a dress

A far-right political action committee has released an anti-trans AI-generated attack ad depicting Texas Democratic Senate candidate and state Rep. James Talarico in a dress. The ad shows an AI-genera

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 10, 2026 · safety

Laverne Cox explains why she dated & left a MAGA cop

Laverne Cox is opening up about her former relationship with a Trump-supporting New York City police officer. The actress and trans rights advocate joined the hosts of The View on Monday to discuss he

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 9, 2026 · rights

Bowen Yang says he felt like "the seasoning" and "never felt central" to SNL

Out Saturday Night Live alum Bowen Yang says he “never felt central” to the show, saying that he "never played the dad or the straight man teacher. I was always there as the seasoning.” The actor, com

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 9, 2026 · culture

Remember when Idaho Republicans voted no on overturning same-sex marriage?

The Idaho House of Representatives passed a measure this week asking the Supreme Court to overturn its landmark 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the U.S. But the legislation lost thre

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 6, 2026 · rights

"C’mon, gays. Happy Pride!" Madonna kicked off Pride Month with free Times Square concert

Madonna kicked off Pride Month in New York City on Thursday evening with a free pop-up concert in Times Square. Part of her ongoing collaboration with gay hook-up app Grindr, the 15-minute show saw th

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 5, 2026 · rights

Cops accuse Seattle Police Department of refusing to promote them because they're gay

Two gay police officers are suing the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for allegedly denying them promotions because of their sexuality. Detective Anna Fishel and Lieutenant Douglas Raguso claim the de

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 4, 2026 · rights

Christian man sues employer for forcing him to see a Pride flag on his way into work

A conservative Christian man is suing Los Angeles County and the L.A. Department of Public Works for making him come to work during Pride Month. Department of Public Works employee Eric Batman claims

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 3, 2026 · rights

Gay right-winger humiliated as he can't name a single thing in America Trump has improved

Gay conservative influencer Dave Rubin failed to cite a single way in which President Donald Trump has improved the lives of average Americans since taking office during a recent debate with progressi

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 2, 2026 · rights

Dem gubernatorial candidate defends trans track star targeted by Donald Trump

Ahead of this weekend’s California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Track & Field Championships, California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer (D) made it clear that he was rooting for a high sc

LGBTQ Nation · Jun 1, 2026 · rights

Gay candidate calls out "homophobic" AI-generated pics in flyers

West Hollywood councilmember John Erickson and several LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations are condemning recent attack ads targeting his campaign for a California state Senate seat. In a joint statement, E

LGBTQ Nation · May 29, 2026 · rights

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