Schools in England must inform parents if their child is questioning their gender in the ‘vast majority’ of cases, the government has said.
Legally-binding guidance brought by the Department for Education (DfE) on Thursday (12 February) says it is “vital” that schools and colleges inform parents or guardians if students present signs of gender dysphoria.
It further instructs staff not to encourage students to “socially transition” and to take a “very careful approach” in using a transgender pupil’s name or pronouns.
Primary schools have been specifically instructed only to affirm a trans child’s gender identity ”very rarely”.
First drafted in 2023 under the conservative government, the guidance originally said primary-aged children “should not have different pronouns to their sex-based pronouns used about then”.
The newly updated draft carves out minor exceptions, but urges staff to exercise caution when affirming trans pupils.
Equality Minister and educations secretary, Bridget Phillipson. (Getty)
Education secretary, Bridget Philipson claimed the guidance was “following the evidence”, saying that children’s safety is “not negotiable”. She did not clarify how affirming gender questioning pupils would impact their safety.
“This is about pragmatic support for teachers, reassurance for parents, and above all, the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.”
Dr Hilary Cass, the author of the widely-controversial review into trans youth healthcare, backed the updated guidance, saying it “reflects the recommendations of my review”.
She further claimed that evidence on the “impact of social transition” remains limited, arguing that schools had a duty to “protect children”.
Campaigners heavily criticised the guidance’s provisions, arguing that its usage of anti-trans dogwhistles, such as the phrase “gender identity ideology” in its foreword, were indicative of its intention.
Activist Sophie Molly condemned its focus on preventing trans pupils from using single-sex spaces consistent with their gender identity, branding it “abuse.”
According to statistics from Crisis, at least 25 per cent of trans people have experienced homelessness at some point, with 77 per cent of young people saying “family rejection, abuse, or being asked to leave home” was the main cause.
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Corporate brands in the UK are seemingly bowing to the Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), leaving Pride organisations struggling to survive.
Earlier this week, National Student Pride – the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ student event – announced its 2026 festival will be its last in its current form, due to the number of corporations which are slashing their DEI budgets.
This year’s National Student Pride takes place over the weekend of 13 – 14 February, and includes an UpSkill Careers Afternoon on Friday (13 February) at London School of Economics and Political Science, an inclusive careers event at the University of Westminster on Saturday (13 February), as well as panels, celebrity meet-and-greets, drag performances and clubbing events in Soho.
When organisers announced the annual event would be ending after 21 years they said the decision was taken due to a “sustained” fall in corporate funding, with National Student Pride’s income down by around two-thirds compared to two years ago.
Speaking exclusively to PinkNews about the stark situation, Tom Guy – an original founder and a current trustee of National Student Pride – outlined the organisation had 24 event sponsors and 53 stalls for its career fair in 2024 but by 2026 this was down to just eight sponsors and 20 stalls.
Guy explained this nosedive in support from the corporate sector has left the volunteer-led organisation unable to support itself, with organisers not convinced that they would even be able to cover the salary of their singular paid member of staff.
National Student Pride 2026 will its final due to DEI cuts (National Student Pride)
It is important to note, in 2024 National Student Pride introduced an ethical sponsorship policy after facing boycotts from both Queers for Palestine and Fossil Free Pride, campaigning groups that oppose sponsorship of Pride events by firms which have links to Israeli arms companies and the fossil fuel industry.
Both activist groups publicly supported each other’s campaigns, with Queers for Palestine stating at the time that “colonialism and the climate crisis are inextricable”, and as a result numerous performers dropped out of the event in support of the campaigns.
This new policy meant National Student Pride would no longer accept sponsorship from oil and gas and arms companies, alongside the banks that fund them.
However, as well as these internal changes at National Student Pride, external developments were also shaping the funding ecosystem – namely the Trump administration.
Since returning to the White House for his second term in January 2025, Donald Trump has made good on his election promises to gut DEI policies and programmes across the US government, military and wider society.
No sooner was Trump back in the Oval Office than he signed several executive orders culling anything vaguely related to DEI.
The first order, signed on his first day back in office on 20 January, was entitled ‘Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programmes and Preferencing’ and alleged Joe Biden’s administration “forced illegal and immoral discrimination programmes… into virtually all aspects of the federal government”.
The order also labelled DEI programmes and policies an “immense public waste and shameful discrimination”.
This order alleged such actions “not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system”.
National Student Pride launched back in 2005 (National Student Pride)
In response to this order, law firm Clifford Chance highlighted in April 2025 that American embassies had been issuing letters to US federal government contractors ordering them to comply with the Trump administration’s DEI ban – despite the fact these firms are not based in the US.
A third order, signed towards the end of January 2025, focused specifically on the military. Entitled ‘Restoring America’s Fighting Force’, the order claimed DEI policies are the same thing as sex and racial discrimination.
“These actions undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness,” it stated.
These orders, alongside fervent campaigning by anti-woke MAGA activist Robby Starbuck, have seen several big name US businesses – including Walmart, Target, Ford, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s – immediately drop their DEI policies, programmes and targets.
This rollback on DEI comes amid the US government’s wider ‘war on woke’ and mission to crackdown on federal spending by culling projects deemed unnecessary.
Projects and programmes cut by the newly-created and highly controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the second Trump administration have included USAID, the world’s largest provider of food aid, being shut down, staff in DEI and environmental roles being fired across various government departments and funding for HIV research and prevention being revoked.
These political decisions in the US have crept across the pond and are having a chilling effect in the UK across the third sector, with Heather Paterson – the head of partnerships and development for LGBT+ Consortium – saying, amid rollbacks on DEI spending, it is an “incredibly tough environment” for LGBTQ+ charities to operate.
Paterson added LGBT+ Consortium works with funders who have reported being subjected to “increasing negative feedback when donating to LGBTQ+ causes in recent years”.
This has left firms who donated to LGBTQ+ projects in the past feeling more cautious about doing so in the future.
The careers fair at National Student Pride has long been an important resource for LGBTQ+ students (National Student Pride)
“We’ve lost sponsors that we’ve had for years that either have just not replied to our messages this year or can’t do it anymore with budget cuts,” Guy said.
“Everyone is struggling,” he added of the impact on the wider Pride sector. “It’s across the board.”
The biggest impact, Guy explained, will be for the students who will no longer have access to the community and connection of National Student Pride and the inclusive range of events it runs, particularly its careers fair.
“The space is probably needed more now, than its ever has been,” he said.
“Our Pride event is split into several factors, the careers fair, which is big, especially as graduates are struggling to enter the job market. We know from students we talk to that that is a valuable asset, but also our main stage centres around conversation and debate.
“One of our panels this year is Trans 2030, [looking at] future trans policy and over the next five years and those conversations are so relevant, especially to young people struggling with their own gender identity.
“We’re often the first Pride event that students attend, we’ve been told so many times over the years how much people get out of attending student pride”.
This is echoed by the students themselves.
One student, Artemis, said given the “current hardship of the job market for graduates” as well as the “increasing discrimination of LGBTQ+ voices in professional spaces”, National Student Pride “is needed more than ever”.
“With its free access to the largest collection of inclusive career stalls, NSP has helped me and other students learn more about their future prospects,” the student said.
Guy added: “When companies step back from DEI, it’s community spaces like National Student Pride, and the young people who rely on them that pay the price.
“We encourage companies to keep investing in DEI spaces, it makes companies better and makes the world more inclusive for us all to thrive together.”
A dancer who was seen grinding on another male dancer during Bad Bunny’s history-making Super Bowl performance has hit out at the “absolutely ridiculous” homophobic backlash to the brief moment.
During Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Half Time show on Sunday (8 February), which broke records to become the most-watched Half Time show in history, dancers Dan Santiago and Igor Faria were spotted grinding on each other.
The fleeting moment came while Bad Bunny performed his 2025 song “EoO” atop a white pick-up truck, with Santiago and Faria seen hanging out of the truck’s doors, pressing up against one another.
For queer viewers, the second-long scene became the subject of viral memes and fawning GIFs on social media. For Republican lawmakers, it became a perfect pawn in the anti-LGBTQ+ culture wars.
Speaking to Them, Santiago – who is straight, as is Faria – said that it was “really sad” that the moment was getting so much attention, considering the cultural significance of Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language performance as a whole.
“I find it really sad because the performance is also bigger than that one moment, although it is really important. I think the fact that they’re hyper-fixating on that moment says more about them than it does about the performance,” he said, adding that “men will do anything to protect masculinity at all costs”.
In a Facebook post on 9 February, Tennessee Republican and US House of Representatives member Andy Ogles slammed Bad Bunny’s performance for “depicting gay pornography on prime time” TV.
“Last night’s halftime show was a disgrace, and it mocked American families. Depicting gay pornography on prime time has no place in our culture,” he wrote.
He referred to the performance as “pure smut” and claimed that “children were forced to endure explicit displays of gay sexual acts, women gyrating provocatively, and Bad Bunny shamelessly grabbing his crotch while dry-humping the air”.
The Republican, who opposes same-sex marriage, said that the performance had “openly glorified sodomy and countless other unspeakable depravities”. He later confirmed that he had sent a letter to Alabama Republican US Rep. Brett Guthrie, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to request a formal congressional inquiry into the NFL and NBCUniversal over the performance.
Andy Ogles has criticised Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Santiago said that the backlash to the performance was “absolutely ridiculous” and that he was proud to be part of a queer moment on such a huge platform.
“I do hold it with a lot of pride because a lot of my friends are queer and I take being an ally seriously,” he said.
“There’s a lot of homophobia in the world. So being an ally feels really important right now with the hate that is just spewing in the world.”
He went on to urge that while the moment itself is “not that deep,” he believes that “queerness deserves to be seen and heard and normalised”.
“It’s important for the world to see that masculinity doesn’t need to be toxic, and it doesn’t need to look a certain way.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
In its move to take down the pride flag the administration had cited January guidance that limits the type of flags that can be displayed at sites managed by the National Park Service (NPS).
However, on Thursday (12 February), as promised by Manhattan Borough president Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Manhattan State Senator Erik Bottcher, the flag was re-raised.
The ceremony, which saw crowds flood the area surrounding Christopher Park, didn’t follow its original plan, as the flag was only able to be attached to a flagpole next to the one where the original pride flag was located, meaning it was only flying at half-mast.
Those in attendance weren’t happy to settle for the compromise, and activists Jay W Walker and Josh Tjaden took it in into their own hands to reinstall the pride flag onto its original flagpole, enabling the flag to fly proudly alongside, if not a little higher than, the American flag.
Human rights activist Jay Walker was among the activists who raised the flag. (Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images)
Walker told Gay City News: “Our elected officials, though I love them, brought in their own flagpole and planted it in the ground in front of it, and their plastic pole was lower than that flagpole, so it resulted in our Rainbow Flag being lower than [the American Flag] and not on the actual flagpole.
“The least we could do is to put our flag higher on this cord than the American Flag.”
The pride flag was initially installed in 2022 under then-president Joe Biden.
Angelica Christina, the director of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, told Gay City News: “I feel so empowered to say my community showed up en masse.
“To have our space invaded like this is criminal. And, of course, the person that is directing these sycophants to invade our home is a 34-time convicted felon himself. What today means is resilience and tapping into our LGBTQIA+ history.”
She added that the community will keep fighting for themselves and future generations.
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The High Court has said transgender women are lawfully permitted to use women’s facilities, save for at work, in a decision on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC’s) interim code of practice.
A judgment handed down on Friday (13 February) ruled that service providers do not need to exclude trans people from using the correct facilities, including toilets and changing rooms, despite the EHRC’s claims.
High Court justice Swift ruled that the equality watchdog’s interpretation of the law is inaccurate but that single-sex spaces in workspaces must remain trans-exclusionary.
He said that its interim update, published in the wake of the Supreme Court’s judgment on FWS v Scottish Ministers, did not “exclude or prohibit” service providers from allowing trans women to use women’s facilities.
The Supreme Court’s ruling has ‘significant errors’, a legal expert has argued. (Getty)
However, he stipulated that employers must restrict any single-sex spaces within a workspace ‘biological sex’ arguing that requiring trans people to use third spaces will ‘rarely’ be unlawful discrimination.
The EHRC’s interim guidance recommended service providers ban trans people from using services consistent with their lived gender and, in some cases, from spaces based on ‘biological sex’. It was scrapped in October.
Updates to its code of practice for service providers were handed to equalities minister Bridget Philipson following a heavily-criticised consultation, which gave members of the public just six weeks to provide feedback on proposed changes. If approved, the code, which has yet to be made public, would become legally-binding.
Legal experts criticised the equalities organisation after a spokesperson confirmed it had used AI to analyse the 50,000+ responses to the consultation.
High Court ruling risks outing trans people
Under the Court’s interpretation of the interim update, it could be lawful for service providers to exclude trans people from accessing spaces in line with their lived gender. However, they must prove that the exclusion meets certain conditions under the 2010 Equality Act.
Good Law Project, which brought the case against the EHRC’s code of practice last year, said elements of the judgment risk forcibly “outing” trans people at their place of work in order to use the correct facilities. It plans to appeal.
Trans rights lead Jess O’Thomson said the legal campaign organisation was “deeply concerned” about several aspects within the ruling, but celebrated the conclusion that the law had been “dangerously misrepresented”.
“Contrary to what has been widely claimed by politicians and the media, it can be entirely lawful for service providers to let trans women use the women’s toilets,” they said. “[The equalities minister] must now reject the draft code – which is wrong about the law.”
Good Law Project director Jolyon Maugham. (Getty)
Director Jo Maugham said the “distressing judgment” brushed off evidence on the impact of being outed at work as “workplace gossip”.
“They remind me of how the pain of women was once dismissed as hysteria,” he said. “I urge the judiciary to listen harder to what trans people say about what their lives have become.”
Research published by Stonewall last year suggests that almost 40 per cent of LGBTQ+ employees in the UK still feel the need to hide their identity at work, while a third have heard discriminatory comments made at work.
Single-sex service law now ‘incoherent’, campaigners argue
Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, a UK-based non-profit, penned an open letter signed by over 650 UK businesses concerned that any form of a trans bathroom ban would be “unworkable” and pose legal and financial risks.
A spokesperson for the non-profit said this ruling only served to further complicate the already “incoherent” legal situation for trans people, employers, and service providers by failing to specify what counts as a workspace.
“What bathroom a trans person can use in a pub may now depend on whether they are there as an employee or for a drink,” they said. “We are pleased the court has confirmed that the Equality Act does not function as a bathroom ban, but outdated workplace regulations have failed to keep up with modern times and last year’s Supreme Court judgment has made them entirely unworkable.
“The High Court has clarified that trans people should not be forced to use facilities in line with their birth sex, but it is hard to see how treating us as a ‘third sex’ at work aligns with the privacy protections in the Gender Recognition Act or the Human Rights Act. We must be allowed to transition and move on with our lives with privacy, not be outed every day at work.”
In a statement handed to PinkNews, EHRC chair Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said she welcomed the court’s conclusion that the interim update was “lawful”.
“As Britain’s equality regulator, we uphold and enforce the Equality Act. This is the second time the way we have done our duty in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling has been tested in the courts. Both times our actions have been found to be lawful,” she said. “It’s our job to champion everyone’s rights under the Equality Act, including those with the protected characteristics of sex, sexual orientation and gender reassignment. A shared and correct understanding of the law is essential to that endeavour.
“We note that the claimants may seek permission to appeal. We will consider any further legal proceedings carefully, in line with our statutory duties.”
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If you’ve somehow managed to miss the hysteria, Heated Rivalry follows two rival hockey players as they navigate their booming sporting careers, and their blossoming romance, all while trying to keep it secret.
The touching moments, and the much naughtier ones, have cemented the show as a fan-favourite, and it’s been confirmed that season two is on the way.
Until then, though, Williams has been keeping fans well and truly fed. So, as he celebrates his 25th birthday, we’re taking a look at all the reasons we fell in love with him.
Hudson’s portrayal of autism in Shane
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry. (Bell Media)
Not long after the release of Heated Rivalry, fans began questioning whether Shane might be autistic.
The author of the novel series, Rachel Reid, later confirmed in a Reddit Ask Me Anything that “yeah, he’s probably autistic”.
Fans appreciated the way Williams played the character, with the actor explaining his dad is on the spectrum so he wanted to play the role with sensitivity.
He told the Hollywood Reporter: “I love my dad to death, and I’ve always felt very connected to him. He has a sensitivity to him that is very boyish.
“I think when I read the script, I took a huge page out of living my life with him.
“Rachel has said [Shane] is autistic, so I think I knew how it should look. I empathised with him a lot, immediately.”
His boundaries
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. (Harold Feng/Getty Images)
One of the reasons fans immediately clicked with Heated Rivalry was the partnership between Williams and his co-star Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya Rozanov.
The duo clearly have a strong bond off-camera (and let’s not even get started on how well they connect on-camera) and fans have eaten up every joint appearance or interview.
However, with the instant fame has come the parasocial relationships fans have thrust on the actors. Some social media users have taken it upon themselves to analyse every thing the duo do, with so-called “fan wars” breaking out among those who favour one or the other.
But Williams has made it clear that, while he loves Storrie, they don’t want to be joined at the hip.
He told Wonderland: “As much as we love each other, our friendship doesn’t need to be public. Jacob [Tierney] has that quote: ‘Shane and Ilya are for the public. Connor and Hudson are for themselves.’ And that’s how we feel.
“People want to see us front row together all the time, but we actively avoid that, because it starts to feel like branding. If you’re always seen together, you become attached at the hip.
“I FaceTime him whenever I’m free. But if we’re offered the same fashion shows, we’re like, ‘Which one are you going to? Okay, I’ll go to a different one.’ We’re stubborn, selfish artists who want to be our own people. We’re like, ‘I love you. I don’t want to do everything with you.’”
And you know what? Good for them!
Style icon
Hudson Williams walks the runway at the Dsquared2 fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week (Daniele Venturelli/WireImage)
It wasn’t just fans hungry for more of Hudson Williams. He’s also been a big draw for the top dogs in fashion.
He walked for Dsquared2, wearing a stylish outfit that mixed streetwear with a more elevated look.
Since then, fans have noticed he’s been wearing outfits that have also been seen on catwalks.
We love a fashionable king.
He’s a strong ally
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie and Shane and Ilya. (Sabrina Lantos/HBO)
While he portrays a gay character, Hudson has kept his own private life just that. And we can’t blame him.
However his decision to keep his personal life private from fans hasn’t stopped him standing up alongside the LGBTQ+ community.
Since becoming an international star, Williams has taken a number of opportunities to share his love for the community. When asked if he had a message at the Golden Globes, he quickly said: “Love y’all, uh!”
He and Storrie also surprised fans at a West Hollywood gay bar to thank everyone for the support and interest in the show.
Just look at him
Hudson Williams. (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Gold House)
We know we’re being superficial, and it’s not all about looks, but one thing everyone can agree on is: Hudson Williams is hot stuff.
There’s plenty of bare skin on show in Heated Rivalry, but whenever he gets his hockey kit off for photo shoots Instagram turns almost feral.
“Sometimes you just have to say ‘damn’ and scroll,” one said. Another wrote: “Respectfully zooming.”
A third commented: “He’s so hot it hurts me.”
It’s safe to say the magazine was a hit with fans, with a pre-order selling out in a matter of minutes. A second re-stock is also out of stock, though the same issue without Hudson is still available to pre-order, so fans can still get the majority of the photoshoot to do with what they wish…
Happy birthday, Hudson!
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
Widely loved LGBTQ+ animation The Owl House is set to return later this year – and fans are absolutely overjoyed.
The show follows Luz Noceda, a magic obsessed a 14-year-old Dominican-American human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to the demon realm, known as the Boiling Isles. There she befriends – and becomes an apprentice to – a rebellious witch named Eda Cawthorne and starts studying at Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, despite not having magical abilities.
The series aired on Disney Channel between 2020 and 2023 and was widely praised during its run for its writing, world-building and LGBTQ+ representation.
Luz is canonically bisexual in the show and begins dating her enemy-turned-friend Amity Blight, which quickly became a very popular ship with fans and is known by the portmanteau of ‘Lumaity’.
The Owl House also put trans representation front and centre with the character of Raine Whispers, a non-binary character.
The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, wrote on social media back in 2020 that it had always been her intention to include “queer kids in the main cast”.
Despite its popularity with youngsters and adults alike, the show was cancelled and its third season was significantly shorter than its first two.
Since the series ended, fans have hoped for a return to the world of the Boiling Isles and on Thursday (12 February) that dream became a reality.
“We’ve been looking forward to sharing this news for a long time,” Terrace wrote in an announcement post. “We’re making a graphic novel!”
“We’re so excited to tell a brand new story,” she added.
“In an all-new adventure set in the world of Disney’s The Owl House, Luz, Eda, King, and the gang return in The Long-Lived King, an original graphic novel cowritten by series creator Dana Terrace,” the graphic novel’s synopsis reads.
“Set after the events of the series finale, dive deeper into the Boiling Isles than ever before.
“King has never fully considered what it means to be a Titan—until now. Burdened by the knowledge that he will outlive his beloved Owl House family, he’s still determined to enjoy every moment he can with them. Even if that means using one of the Collector’s devices to wipe away his sad memories.
“But when King accidentally erases Luz’s memories, he must enlist the Collector and Eda to help him recover Luz’s memories and confront their deepest fears along the way. Packed with humor, action, and stunning black-and-white illustrations in a fresh, manga-inspired style, this graphic novel welcomes readers back to The Owl House with an unforgettable adventure.”
Fans were quick to share their excitement, describing the news as “amazing” and the updated character designs as “so cute”.
“YESSS this is the best news I’ve heard in a while!” one fan wrote.
“OH MY GODDDDDD AHHHH,” a second eloquently put it.
“Oh my god this is the most exciting thing in my life also the premise sounds so angsty I am SO excited to read this,” another commented.
The Long-Lived King: An Original The Owl House Graphic Novel will release on 29 September, 2026.
More lesbians are getting guns in response to MAGA violence.
The Hunting Wives, starring Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman, follows a group of gun-toting, MAGA coded women in a fictional Texas town who also happen to be pretty sexually liberal.
Last month was marked by a major tragedy: Renee Nicole Good – a 37-year-old mother, wife and US citizen – was shot and killed in Minnesota by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, sparking conflicting narratives between local and federal lawmakers, protests and condemnation.
The queer mother’s death followed a man in St. Cloud Minnesota allegedly pointing a rifle at his lesbian neighbours and telling them to get out. As per Queerty, the incident occurred shortly after president Trump’s re-election in 2024.
Cauterucci, who is a lesbian, shared: “Some queer friends are learning to handle firearms, purchasing new weapons, or researching rifles for defense. Together, we talk through worst-case scenarios that would have seemed fantastical just months ago, imagining ourselves into a million futures that seem possible and unthinkable in equal measure.”
In 2024, following Trump’s reelection, The Guardian reported that women within the LGBTQ+ community had responded by buying guns, while a report by NPR in November 2025, based on 30 interviews, reported that more “liberals, people of colour and LGBTQ Americans say they’re buying guns out of fear”.
However, increased gun ownership within the LGBTQ+ community is being used to demonise it further, with ICE victim Alex Pretti’s gun ownership being used by the administration as an excuse for his death. Pretti’s death sparked conversation about the second amendment and right to carry concealed firearms
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
But for those who do make their relationships public, fans can’t get enough.
So while we mourn the loss of some relationships, like Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli, let’s celebrate some other LGBTQ+ celebrity romances still going strong.
Reneé Rapp and Towa Bird
Reneé Rapp (R) and Towa Bird have been together publicly since March 2024. (Olivia Wong/Getty)
Since, the pair have regularly appeared in each other’s social media posts and even songs!
On Rapp’s album Bite Me, Bird features heavily. Rapp gets risqué about Bird on “Shy” and gets feisty about Bird’s ex on “Why Is She Still Here?”. Rapp’s never held back, but she is not afraid of being loud about adoring her girlfriend!
Bradley Riches and Scott Johnston
Bradley Riches is engaged and we absolutely love to see it. (Instagram/@brad_riches)
Heartstopper and Emmerdale star Bradley Riches got engaged to theatre director Scott Johnston during a romantic getaway to Italy.
Riches, who plays James McEwan in the hit Netflix show, shared a series of photos of the pair hugging and kissing while standing in a heart shape made of rose petals, overlooking the Italian coastline. “Erm…yes,” Riches wrote, alongside a heart emoji.
Riches has spent much of his career speaking openly about his experience with autism and bringing neurodivergent representation to the TV screens.
Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer
Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer got engaged in 2021. (Getty)
The pair first met on a film set in 2013, but didn’t reconnect until a friend’s birthday years later. Just a few weeks into their romantic relationship, Stewart told her now-wife she loved her.
In 2024, Meyer co-founded Nevermind Pictures alongside Stewart and producer Maggie McLean – a production company that prioritises queer stories and underrepresented voices.
Jess Glynne and Alex Scott
Alex Scott and Jess Glynne radiated love at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2024. (Matt McNulty/Getty)
“Hold My Hand” hitmaker Jess Glynne and sports commentator and former professional footballer Alex Scott make a star-studded LGBTQ+ couple.
The “Tea and Toast” singer first met her wife in 2013 through mutual friends. When Spraggan got sober in 2019, the pair grew closer.
Spraggan has shared: “Emilia and I were those friends who said: ‘If we’re not married by the time we’re 40, we’ll get married to each other,’ and somehow, this deep friendship opened up into attraction.”
The pair got engaged in 2024, with Booster proposing to Sudsina on a boat in South Korea. They tied the knot in December last year.
The pair have been dating for years and both their careers have excelled in recent years. Sudsina is a game producer at Riot Games, while Booster wrote and starred in Fire Island.
Musical theatre’s LGBTQ+ power couple Ben Platt and Noah Galvin got engaged in 2022 and married over the Labor Day weekend in 2024.
While Platt originated the titular role in Dear Evan Hansen, Galvin follows Platt as the second person in the role. The pair first met in 2015, surrounding the title role.
Since the musical, the pair starred together in the hilarious 2023 mockumentary Theater Camp.
Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor
Sarah Paulson (L) and her partner Holland Taylor (R) on Taylor’s 81st birthday. (Bruce Glikas/Getty)
The couple are challenged the “U-Haul lesbian” trope! Taylor has also been open about parts of their relationship. She shared that they’re unlikely to get married, saying: “It doesn’t seem to mean to us what it means to a lot of people.”
The pair met at an industry event and said it was love at first sight. They got engaged in 2015 and married in 2017.
The couple share two sons, whom they welcomed via surrogacy: Robbie and Phoenix.
Jodie Foster and Alexandra Hedison
Alexandra Hedison (L) and Jodie Foster (R). (Mike Coppola/Getty)
Gay icon Jodie Foster and actor and photographer Alexandra Hedison got married in 2014.
At Foster’s LA handprint ceremony – which also marked the couple’s 10th anniversary – she gave an emotional tribute to her wife.
From 1993 to 2008, Foster was in a relationship with producer Cydney Bernard. Foster and Bernard welcomed their first child, Charles “Charlie” Bernard Foster, in 1998. Their second child, Christopher “Kit” Bernard, arrived in 2001.
Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner
Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner first met in 1971. (Kevin Mazur/Getty)
Grace and Frankie actor Lily Tomlin is married to her writer and collaborator, Jane Wagner
Married in 2013, the pair have now been together for an incredible 54 years. They first met in 1971 and have collaborated on a number of projects.
The couple have always stood up for LGBTQ+ issues. For instance, Tomlin took a stand against right-wing Florida Governor DeSantis on anti-trans legislation.
Karan Soni and Roshan Sethi
Director Roshan Sethi and Karan Soni collaborated on A Nice Indian Boy. (Tristan Fewings/Getty)
The married couple have been together for a number of years now and A Nice Indian Boy wasn’t their first project together. They previously collaborated on romantic comedy 7 Days.
Soni has been a co-writer and/or cast member in all of Sethi’s films to date.
Beanie Feldstein and Bonnie-Chance Roberts
Beanie Feldstein has shared the sweet story behind her intimate summer camp-themed wedding to Bonnie-Chance Roberts. (Getty)
Booksmart’s Beanie Feldstein and producer Bonnie-Chance Roberts are another creative LGBTQ+ couple who make movies.
They first met in London in 2018, when Roberts cast Feldstein as the lead in Caitlin Moran’s How To Build A Girl.
The two film lovers tied the knot in 2023. Their wedding was a summer camp-themed ceremony: guests were given the “true camp experience” with “bandana tablecloths, s’mores for dessert, pennant banners and friendship bracelets”.
Colman Domingo and Raúl Domingo
Rustin star Colman Domingo and his husband, film producer Raúl Domingo. (Getty/Jesse Grant)
A year-old clip from The Graham Norton Show sees Domingo explain he saw his now-husband at a Walgreens store. They walked past each other, but three days later Domingo found a post on Craigslist’s ‘Missed Connections.’
“On page two… as I’m reading, I see: ‘Saw you outside Walgreens, Berkeley’,” the actor remembers. A few days later they met and the rest is iconic gay history.
Nosferatu star Lily-Rose Depp and Danielle Balbuena, a rapper and singer known professionally as 070 Shake, are together. This is the first relationship that Rose Depp has publicly acknowledged.
They became Instagram official in May 2023, after they had been together for about four months.
The actress also starred in the music video for 070 Shake’s single “Winter Baby / New Jersey Blues.” Promoting the music video, Shake called Depp her “muse”.
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