It takes months of love and care to make an empty building come alive, but only three days to tear it all down.
This week, the gothic signage and queer absurdist art commissioned for Divine Playhouse had to be removed and placed into storage, as volunteers whitewashed a vibrant mural that had been painted on its walls.
After sitting empty for a year, Sydneyβs St John the Evangelist church β which was deconsecrated in the 1930s β had been resurrected as an LGBTQ+ inclusive arts space, opening on 8 July with a year-long permit.
For just three days, Divine Playhouse existed as intended, hosting an opening night party, a queer comedy night and a disco.
But a day after religious groups gathered outside to protest its opening and called on the New South Wales government to withdraw its $100,000 arts grant, the venueβs landlord ordered the promoters, Heaps Gay Events, to cease βengaging in offensive tradeβ or risk eviction before terminating their lease a few days later.
Heaps Gay had until 5pm on Friday to vacate, which gave them three days to clear a space that had been months in the making. Their lawyers, meanwhile, are exploring whether they can sue for damages and make a sex discrimination claim.
βItβs not just about Divine any more, itβs about censorship,β the promoter and founder of Heaps Gay, Kat Dopper, told Guardian Australia.
βIf we were to walk away, these groups will just get stronger and more powerful and louder.
Hey everyone, Iβm #newhere. Hi, Yet another new pod. My earlier one was giving me performance issues - I'm not sure why. I'll be here for a few months, at least...
Recent reportsΒ haveΒ raised alarmΒ about the use of PatronScan, an ID-checking and face-scanning system, at multiple LGBTQ+ bars in San Franciscoβs Castro neighborhood. Much of the attβ¦
In 2024, her estate donated the house to the local nonprofit Literary Arts, which is in the process of converting it into the Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency. locusmag.com/2026/08/ursula-k-β¦
Ursula K. Le Guinβs longtime residence at 3321 NW Thurman St. in Portland, Oregon has been added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its βsignificance to Ameriβ¦
A German court has acquitted a woman convicted of comparing Israelβs actions in Gaza with those of Nazi Germany, ruling that her posts constituted protected political expression.
This cartoon is by me and the amazing Mike Lawrence. TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON Panel 1 The year is 2024. A WOMAN and a MAN sit at a table in a coffee shop, looking at their phones. WOMAN: The Supreme Cβ¦
π¬ 3Β Β π 110Β Β β€οΈ 239Β Β·Β Total number of criminal convictions or disbarments among all of Ronald Reaganβs, George H. W. Bushβs, Bill Clintonβs, George W. Bushβs, Barack Obamaβs, and Joe Bidenβs lawyersβ¦
Hershey's Canada has recalled some products in its Creamy Milk Chocolate Kisses line following a report of a person suffering an allergic nut reaction after eating the candy.
Russian banks run out of money to cover budget deficit
#Russian #banks currently have no free rouble liquidity to buy federal loan bonds, which #Russia's Ministry of Finance uses to cover the budget #deficit.
Banks' #money is urgently needed by the budget, which ended the first half of the year with a deficit of RUB 5.7 trillion (US$72 billion) and faced overspending on the #war in #Ukraine.
Today, banks only have funds to lend to clients β that is their core business. Federal loan bonds can be bought when you have free liquidity and are confident in it, especially if there is no significant premium. Today, the situation is the opposite
This cartoon is by me and Becky Hawkins . Transcript of Cartoon Panel 1 A fat woman is shopping in a clothing store, flipping through dresses on a rack and looking annoyed. A thin woman beside her,β¦
Now 100 years old, the legendary comedy director has lampooned and skewered racists, and his work holds up better than most βpolitically incorrectβ humor.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON This cartoon has six panels. Each panel shows a powerful leader early in a war. Panel 1 A smiling King George III sits at a fancy writing desk, feather quill in hand. CAPTION:β¦
Voters in a Black and brown majority county are finding their completed ballots back in their own mailboxes, sealed and uncounted, four days before the Kansas primary.
Mark Wollschlager
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