Things That Make My Heart Smile

The Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, has had his criminal charges dropped in relation to organising the 2025 Budapest Pride march. Hungarian authorities charged him over organising the event, after a direct order from Viktor Orbán’s government banned public gatherings involving the LGBTQ+ community, stating that those who violated the order would face criminal prosecution. While at the Pride march, Karácsony made a speech in which he said, “Neither freedom nor love can be banned in Budapest.”

New Doctor Who star Pearl Mackie will play the sci-fi series’ first openly gay companion, the actress has revealed.

“Yeah, Bill’s gay. It shouldn’t be a big deal in the 21st Century. It’s about time isn’t it?” Mackie, who will play Bill Potts in the new series, told the BBC.

“That representation is important, especially on a mainstream show.”

Doctor Who has previously featured gay or bisexual characters like John Barrowman’s Captain Jack Harkness, Neve McIntosh’s Vastra and Alex Kingston’s River Song, but Bill’s sexuality will mark the first time the series’ main companion has been depicted as gay.

According to the BBC Bill’s sexuality will be referenced early on in her first episode, in the character’s “second line of dialogue”.

“It’s important to say people are gay, people are black – there are also aliens in the world as well so watch out for them,” Mackie continued.

“I remember watching TV as a young mixed race girl not seeing many people who looked like me, so I think being able to visually recognise yourself on screen is important.”

At the 1985 Labour party meet, the motion to support LGBT rights as a party was passed due to a block vote from mining unions.

the humanity of the AIDS crisis: the ward by gideon mendel

A Yosemite National Park ranger was fired after hanging a pride flag from El Capitan while some park visitors could face prosecution under protest restrictions that have been tightened under President Donald Trump.

Shannon “SJ” Joslin, a ranger and biologist who studies bats, said they hung a 66-foot wide transgender pride flag on the famous climbing wall that looms over the California park’s main thoroughfare for about two hours on May 20, 2025 before taking it down voluntarily. A termination letter they received in August 2025 accused Joslin of “failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct” in their capacity as a biologist and cited the May incident.

Interviewer: Pattie Gonia artist, environmentalist and drag queen, using her platform for good and making the outdoors welcoming for everyone!