As part of efforts to recognize individuals for their defining contributions to the university, Grand Valley State University is hosting a “Lavender Graduation” online to recognize LGBTQIA+ students’ and acknowledge their achievements throughout their college career. GVSU will be having a variety of different graduation ceremonies for 2021 graduates; not to segregate, but to recognize students in a unique way.
“This is not a splitting up of graduations, this is more of an extra option for LGBTQIA+ students to celebrate with their community at GVSU,” said Krista Stites, Graduate Assistant in the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center. “Students still attend their college’s graduation celebrations as well.”
This year’s celebration will include a weeklong virtual recognition from April 19 to April 23 with various acknowledgments and highlights of the graduates. Guests can join the celebration through the LGBTQ+ social media accounts and on their webpage.
The Lavender Graduation began in 1995 at the University of Michigan to honor the accomplishments of LGBT and allied graduates. Ronni Sanlo, the director of the resource center at that time, believed LGBT students needed their own graduation ceremony like that of other racial and ethnic minorities on campus. Since 1995, campuses across the country have hosted their own Lavender Graduations to honor the accomplishments of LGBT graduates.
“Students are officially recognized by the institution for their leadership, success and achievements,” Stites said.
The color lavender is important to LGBT history and culture as it is a combination of pink and black: the colors of triangles gay men and lesbians, respectively, were required to wear as prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. During the 1950s in the United States, when paranoia over the increasingly visible gay community led to the mass dismissal of anyone suspected to be gay from federal employment, “lavender lads” were often used as a euphemism for those being removed from government service. When feminist leader Betty Friedan tried to distance the movement from “mannish, man-hating” lesbians in 1969, she referred to them as the “lavender menace.” Since then, the LGBT rights movement reclaimed these symbols of hatred to create a color symbolizing pride and community.
“In prior years, our celebration was an in-person event with speakers, music, and celebrating presentations of our graduates,” Stites said. “This year we will not be meeting in person due to COVID. The celebrations virtually will be asynchronous and highlighted on our social media pages.”
An outstanding LGBTQIA+ Graduate Award will be given out during the ceremony. This award is given to an exceptional student graduating this semester of 2021. They can be an undergraduate or graduate who self-identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. The student recognized will be one who has excelled in leadership and academically during their time at GVSU.
Candidates must be graduating from GVSU in 2021 and have to show impressive participation in extracurricular activities in the GVSU community and/or Grand Rapids community. Lastly, candidates must demonstrate exceptional ability to balance both academic responsibility and extracurriculars.
Both the university and GVSU President Philomena Mantella are very excited to recognize and celebrate all the graduates of the 2021 school year.
“I am looking forward to celebrating our LGBTQIA+ graduating students and giving them the recognition they deserve,” Stites said.
Colton Underwood, a former lead on The Bachelor, came out as gay in a very public way last week. As the news spread, so did reports that Netflix is working with Underwood on a reality show that follows his life as an openly gay man. “I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life,” Underwood told Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts in interview last Wednesday.
Some people face considerable obstacles on their path to coming out, and Underwood shared his own. “I’ve ran from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time,” he told Roberts.
The response to Underwood’s revelation has been largely supportive, with many — including Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy, who is openly gay, and alumni and producers of the long-running reality dating show — applauding the 29-year-old Underwood for his honesty and sending messages of pride and solidarity.
“I am so proud of you for finally being able to share and live your truth,” tweeted Tayshia Adams, who competed on his season of the series and went on to star in her own season of The Bachelorette, another show in ABC’s reality dating franchise.
. @colton I am so proud of you for finally being able to share and live your truth. Sending you love and support! 🤍✨
“Coming out” can be a terrifying, uncomfortable, and traumatizing experience because we still live in a world where we are made to fear the consequences of living freely. Let that sink in. So happy for @colton Underwood. His courage will undoubtably save lives today. ♥️ https://t.co/gAaYldPD9a
But Underwood’s alleged past treatment of Cassie Randolph, the woman he chose on his Bachelor season, has complicated the reactions. After the pair’s breakup in 2020, Randolph, 25, was granted a restraining order against her former boyfriend. She said he’d placed a tracking device on her car, sent her harassing texts and showed up uninvited to her LA apartment and her parent’s home. According to TMZ, she later dismissed the restraining order and asked that the police investigation be dropped.
Following Underwood’s GMA revelation, Variety reported that Netflix is planning a reality show that looks at Underwood’s life as an openly gay man, and a Change.org petition is circulating urging Netflix to cancel those plans. The petition has more than 23,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.Online petitions have no actual power, but they do serve as a barometer of public opinion.
“Regardless of his sexuality, Colton should not be given a platform as a result of his abusive, manipulative and dangerous behavior,” the writer of the petition says.
Wrote one of the petition’s signers, “I’m a survivor of stalking, and it repulses me to see someone like this given a platform as though he’s done nothing wrong. I will absolutely cancel my Netflix subscription if you go through with this.”
My thoughts on this Colton Underwood Netflix deal..abusers don’t deserve the spotlight. Period. Women aren’t just tertiary characters in a male’s story arch in becoming their true self. He deserves respect for his sexuality but he does not deserve respect for his abusive behavior
Netflix didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and a representative for Underwood said the reality star had no comment.
Here’s more on Colton Underwood and the complex reactions to his coming out and the possibility of him getting his own show.
Who’s Colton Underwood?
Colton Underwood was born in Indianapolis and raised in Illinois, where he played college football at Illinois State University. The Bachelor hyped him as a pro football player, but if you never heard of him, there’s a reason. Underwood was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers in 2014 but waived before the season began. He briefly played for the practice squads of the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders but never appeared in a real NFL game.
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Underwood first appeared as a contestant on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette in 2018. He was eventually eliminated but showed up again in the franchise’s spinoff show, Bachelor in Paradise. By now he’d become a favorite of some fans, and the show’s producers cast him in the title role of The Bachelor for the show’s 2019 season, heavily hyping him as “the virgin Bachelor.” Underwood chose California speech pathologist Cassie Randolph, but didn’t propose marriage to her in the finale.
Police involvement post show
Underwood and Randolph dated for a year before their May 2020 breakup. She filed for the restraining order that fall, before dismissing it and asking that the police investigation be dropped.
“The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie’s concerns,” Underwood told TMZ at the time. “I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith.”
Coming out and Cassie
Underwood told Good Morning America that Randolph didn’t know he was gay. He also said he’d like to apologize to his former girlfriend, and while he didn’t address the restraining order directly, admitted, “I made mistakes at the end of that relationship.” Following the interview, many on Reddit expressed support for Randolph and shared their own stories of being harassed by ex-partners.
Some also expressed offense at Underwood suggesting any link between past harassing behavior and confusion over his sexuality.
“As a gay man,” wrote one Reddit user, “I find this whole thing abhorrent. I spent my fair share of time in the closet, and coming to terms with my sexuality. It’s still something I’m working on, being out and proud.
“For his behavior to be excused because he was gay is wrong. It paints this picture that somehow closeted gay men are what, unstable but cured by coming out? That his actions were excusable because he was gay? I’m confused by the narrative. I’m insulted by it.”
If the reality show happens, a source told Variety it’ll focus on Underwood’s dating life, and on discovering his sexuality as a gay man. Us magazine reported that Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy was spotted filming with Underwood. Kenworthy came out as gay in 2015.
Underwood’s coming-out may even ripple back to the show that made him famous. Unnamed Bachelor sources told TMZ that Underwood’s coming out has sparked internal discussion among show producers about possibly casting a gay season of the show.
Harry Styles and Sam Smith have been shortlisted at the British LGBT Awards (Picture: Getty)
Harry Styles and Sam Smith are among the stars nominated in the upcoming British LGBT Awards.
The event will shine a light on those who ‘stood shoulder to shoulder’ with the community in the last year.
The annual awards, voted for by the public, celebrate figures from across the business, charity, arts and celebrity sectors who have worked to advance the rights of LGBT people.
Former One Direction singer Harry, 27, who in recent years has embraced an androgynous fashion style and been vocal in his support of the LGBT community, is tapped in the MTV music artist category.
He features alongside Dancing with a Stranger warbler Sam, 28, American singer Lil Nas X, Lizzo, and The 1975.
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The celebrity ally nominees include RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage, Spice Girl Melanie C, activist and actress Jane Fonda, and Jodie Comer who plays bisexual assassin Villanelle in TV series Killing Eve.
Michelle Visage is nominated in the celebrity ally category (Picture: Getty Images Europe)
Juno star Elliot Page, who came out as transgender last year, is nominated in the celebrity category alongside Fleabag star Andrew Scott, model Cara Delevingne, Queer Eye star Tan France and pop star Demi Lovato.
Channel 4’s acclaimed drama It’s A Sin, which explores the HIV/Aids crisis in 1980s London and is created and written by Queer As Folk’s Russell T Davies, has been shortlisted for the media moment prize.
Also in the running is Nicola Adams and Katya Jones becoming the first same-sex couple on Strictly Come Dancing, and RuPaul’s Drag Race featuring its first transgender queen in the US, Gottmik.
For the first time, the awards will draw attention to the absence of openly gay footballers in the Premier League through a new prize.
The football ally award highlights personalities who are working to address the taboo in the sport, and nominees include Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.
Sarah Garrett, British LGBT Awards founder, said: ‘These awards shine a light on those who have stood shoulder to shoulder with the LGBT+ community, during what has been an extremely challenging 12 months.
‘The nominees, which include an exciting mix of famous LGBT+ faces, allies and organisations have all demonstrated a commitment to advancing LGBT+ rights.
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‘The awards on August 27, which will take place after lockdown restrictions are eased, will be a huge celebration that’s needed more than ever.’
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us at celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
On March 28, Tennessee became the third U.S. state to pass a ban on biological males being admitted to women’s sports, following the Biden administration’s clear 180-degree pivot from his predecessor on the issue. With the enactment of Executive Order 13988 on Jan. 20, and the stated intent of Congressional Democrats to bring the Equality Act before the legislature, conservative states are signaling their fundamental disagreement with the main premise of the EO.
As my colleague Dylan Thomas wrote in this space earlier this year, lawmakers in conservative states have advanced the argument that, whatever you think of transgender identity issues, “this new order comes at the expense of women’s opportunities on the courts and fields of women’s sports.”
In his Tweet summarizing his support for the bill, Gov. Lee said that: “I signed the bill to preserve women’s athletics and ensure fair competition. This legislation responds to damaging federal policies that stand in opposition to the years of progress made under Title IX and I commend members of the General Assembly for their bipartisan work.”
Photo Credit / US News and World Report
But I would argue that there is more to the issue than, for example, conservatives posturing as “the real feminists” and “protectors of women’s sports.” Fundamentally, the fight over transgender issues has to do with the rapid shift in acceptable discourse around topics of gender and sexuality in the U.S., the political power of the people who benefit, and the political isolation of the people who dissent.
If American politics in the last 20 years has demonstrated anything, it’s that, on social issues, the Left always gets what they want even before they signal they want it. Conservative commentator and writer Rod Dreher described the phenomenon as “The Law of Merited Impossibility.” In a 2013 article, he explains the LMI as:
“…an epistemological construct governing the paradoxical way overclass opinion makers frame the discourse about the clash between religious liberty and gay civil rights. It is best summed up by the phrase, ‘It’s a complete absurdity to believe that Christians will suffer a single thing from the expansion of gay rights, and boy, do they deserve what they’re going to get.’”
To give a classic example, after the landmark Hodges v. Obergefell decision, which established a constitutional right to gay marriage, progressives on issues of sexuality argued that the new precedent would be an unambiguous benefit for society and that people with sincerely held religious beliefs wouldn’t suffer for them.
Almost immediately, however, this was exposed as a lie. The highly-controversial Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, decided in mid-2018, was the culmination of a long crusade by Colorado civil rights bureaucrats against a Christian baker who did not want to be coerced into making wedding cakes for gay couples. The Supreme Court dismissed Colorado’s case, while still leaving open the question of what to do, exactly, where religious and LGBT civil liberties conflict. Instead, they dropped the case based on the Civil Rights Commission’s clear animus against the baker’s religious beliefs, analogizing him in court arguments as akin to those who defend slavery and the Holocaust. Then, after the case was dropped, the baker found himself at the center of another predatory lawsuit which goes to trial March 29 of this year. The new plaintiff, a lawyer from Denver, asked the defendant to bake a cake commemorating their gender transition, and when he denied, took him to court seeking damages and fines.
Which is to say, a man has endured nearly ten years of frivolous litigation (he was served on the first case in 2012) from both state and non-state parties because, in effect, those parties think it is important to make sure that no one can dissent from either gay marriage or transgenderism and have gainful employment in a public-facing business.
Why is this the case?
Since Obergefell, an argument could be made since Roe v. Wade, Americans have learned that no progressive social cause can fail in the court system (and by extension the law) if it cloaks itself in the mantle of civil rights. If a progressive social cause can drape itself in the trappings of Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr., it will eventually win. That is because Americans today understand, by and large, that discriminating against people based on race or sex is morally repugnant. If a social cause can make itself analogous to race, opposition to it takes on the same character as racism. And who wants to be a racist? Precisely no one.
Are gender identity and sexual orientation analogous to race and sex? That’s precisely the issue under contention. One side of the debate says they are, and says that any attempt to “discriminate” against such persons is tantamount to Jim Crow.
But here again, the devil’s in the details. Oftentimes when people are asked, “Should trans people have the same rights as everyone else?” Most people say: “Yes.” What they have in mind is that, should a trans person need to go to the doctor for a broken leg, they will not be turned away. But that’s not really what new anti-discrimination laws are suggesting. They are instead asking that hospitals perform, for example, mastectomies for persons seeking to transition from female to male if they would provide those services for, say, a woman with breast cancer. And if the doctor thinks, maybe on the basis of the Hippocratic Oath, that amputating perfectly healthy breasts is a type of harm? In the eyes of the law, that doctor is no different than one who would refuse to treat a patient because of their race.
To some people, this understanding of the whole situation is wrongheaded. Those people are a sizeable minority, if not the majority, of the country. That assessment is doubly strong if a person has deeply held religious beliefs that hold, for example, that changing sex is a metaphysical impossibility. And it is stronger still when you add in the component that gender dysphoria in toddlers is now a thing and that children are being prescribed cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers at alarmingly young ages. In other words, the complete and total redefinition of humanity itself.
Some people are fine with that, but recent cultural and legal pushes on the transgender rights front basically amount to the powers that be failing to recognize that there is principled, reasoned disagreement on these issues. Or worse still, they recognize the dissent but label it illegitimate, verboten; I believe the current turn of phrase is “transphobic.”
That leaves the dissenters from this new concept of humanity, like us backward, hillbilly Tennesseans, at a strange junction. Now the courageous thing to do would be to stand up, express the beliefs of your constituents which (let’s be real) are not kosher by East Coast standards, take the flak from the people that will give it to you, stand your ground.
Instead, conservatives in red states have taken a (not uncommon) tack of giving token resistance and lying about why you’re doing it. A courageous conservative would say: “Although we want transgender people to have equal rights and be protected from malicious discrimination, we also won’t compel anyone to be a party to a person’s desire to live as a member of the opposite sex. Because, as conservatives, we believe that people cannot change their sex.”
It’s not a popular opinion with the people that matter, but it’s their opinion. If you sat down for a beer with any number of the Tennessee representatives that voted for the transgender sports ban (and made it clear you weren’t a journalist), they would probably tell you some variation on the above.
And yet, the public-facing resistance thus far has been a ban on biological males in women’s sports which, although is certainly an issue, we might think is not the heart of the issue. And this was manifestly not done because red-state governments really have bleeding hearts over girls that lose their sports games to biological males, it was done to send a message to Washington that they’re not happy with the federal regime’s stepping on their toes. At the end of the day, however, if you can’t even be honest about your beliefs, should you bother to keep them?
That’s why, going forward, we need to drop the paper masks and have a true face-to-face conversation on these issues. A necessary stepping stone to that is dealing with conservatives’ dishonesty about their own motives.
IT’S hard to square the SNP’s manifesto claim that they have been “leading Europe on LGBTI equality” when the past five years under their watch would be better characterised as a deeply difficult and at times traumatic period for Scotland’s transgender community – particularly when much of that hardship has come as a direct result of the party’s inaction on tackling transphobia within its own ranks.
While Scotland did top the Europe Rainbow Index in 2015, the intervening years have seen our nation slip down the league table to find itself resting behind Malta and Belgium. What victories for LGBT liberation there have been over the past parliamentary term, while important, have often been closer to symbolic displays of progress than any meaningful root reform.
When Scotland’s ranking first began to slip in 2017, the party pointed to the fact that certain equalities laws remained reserved at Westminster as a reason that progress had stalled. Yet it was Malta’s progressive transgender recognition laws that had pushed the country ahead of Scotland on the index; an area the Scottish Government absolutely has the means to legislate within, and which it has repeatedly delayed acting on.
The story of Gender Recognition Act (GRA) reform in Scotland under the SNP has been a tale of delay, discarded public consultation, misinformation and regrettably weak leadership.
Long before the global pandemic pushed plans into the long grass, the party had already walked back on legal recognition of non-binary identities, lowering the age at which someone could have their gender legally recognised, and fully eliminating the two-year waiting period before someone could apply for a gender recognition certificate.
The SNP have committed in their manifesto to working with a range of groups to work out which course the legislation will take next, but considering these walkbacks occurred despite a public consultation showing a majority of Scottish respondents backed each of these key legislative updates, you can understand why there would be scepticism over what direction it will proceed in.
Which isn’t to say that the upcoming proposals will not be a return to form for a party that once prided itself on the role it played in pushing forward progressive legislation. However, as it stands, the LGBT community is being asked to take the Brexit Gamble and vote on a blind promise that reform will happen with no real information on what it will look like.
While the First Minister is saying all the right things when it comes to improving the lives of transgender and non-binary people, that means nothing without action. As the old suffragette motto goes, “deeds, not words” will be the mark of meaningful change.
Despite her public intervention following a spate of resignations over the lack of seriousness with which complaints of transphobia were taken, it would be difficult for me to point to anything that signifies a real cultural change within – and that’s something that has only become more obvious in part due to defections to the Alba Party.
The storm surrounding comments that were reportedly made at the Alba Party’s women’s conference, regarding LGBT organisations attempting to lower the age of consent, allegedly came from someone who had been sitting until very recently on the SNP’s policy development committee.
Margaret Lynch was widely reported to have made the claim during the conference, and while the party initially defended its candidate as backlash grew, several days later it denied outright that it had ever been said – a claim that could be verified if they released a video of Lynch’s speech at the meeting.
However, while Lynch’s statements are contested, what is entirely verifiable is that Neale Hanvey, an MP who defected from the SNP to join Alex Salmond’s party, shared on his Twitter account a blog post alleging that the SNP have channelled public funding to voluntary groups that advocate lowering the age of consent to 10. The claim was later thoroughly debunked by The Ferret.
Many who repeated it online were perfectly at home within the SNP for years, festering like a gangrenous limb.
In many ways, the Alba Party have cleaned house for the SNP, potentially giving it a fresh start. Equally though, it has also allowed the party to wash its hands of many radicalised activists without ever truly having to come to terms with why such an element was able to flourish under the banner of the Scottish National Party for so long.
I RECOGNISE the difficult work that the LGBT and youth groups within the SNP have done to steer the party toward progress on these issues, not to mention the outspoken parliamentarians who have taken their colleagues to task.
I know how difficult this period has been from having spoken with many of those who were so scunnered by the party that resignation was their only course of action, not to mention of course how hard it has been on the trans community itself.
But to rebuild trust with the LGBT community we need a lot more than platitudes. The manifesto was an opportunity to make a bold statement of intent, and it’s frustrating that it has, in my opinion, missed the mark.
Even in terms of banning conversion therapy, the SNP has opted to wait for Westminster before making any moves of its own in contrast to the manifesto promises of both the Scottish Greens and the Liberal Democrats who want to act now.
The SNP are right that Westminster still holds enough power to get in the way of some equalities legislation though – but what would be the point of taking that power if we aren’t going to use it? I do think there is hope for the SNP yet, but they have a long way to go to rebuild the bridges they have burned over the past five years.
Chloé Zhao’s Oscar frontrunner “Nomadland” won best film and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was named best LGBTQ Film at the Dorian Awards (GALECA: The Society Of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics) during a virtual ceremony.
“Nomadland” was also named most visually striking film, and Zhao took home the award for best director.
The three-hour Dorians Film Toast was broadcast on LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry. Karel served as the ceremony’s host.
The late Chadwick Boseman continued with his posthumous honors, winning best actor for his role as Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Co-star Colman Domingo accepted on his behalf, saying: “[He was] such an incredible human, scholar, humanitarian and a really wonderful actor. Creating complex roles about the African American experience, and about people who are marginalized in society and trying to stand up and have a strong voice, fighting for representation—that is Chadwick Boseman’s legacy.”
Carey Mulligan won best actress. During her Zoom speech, Mulligan said, “I’m just so happy that [“Promising Young Woman”] has resonated, and I’m so grateful to [Emerald Fennell] for inviting me along for the ride,” said Mulligan. Fennell, meanwhile, graciously spoke of her admiration for GALECA’s members. She noted the award which pays homage to Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Mulligan said, “This might be the coolest prize I’ve ever seen.”
Zhao said her Dorian for directing “Nomadland” is “deeply meaningful” because “Oscar Wilde is one of my greatest heroes,” and because the film speaks to so many segments of society facing tough times. “Nomadland is about a woman who goes on a journey of grief and healing and ultimately of self-discovery and self-acceptance,” Zhao said.
Iconic performer Dolly Parton was the recipient of the Wilde Artist Award, meant for “a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment.” Parton was recognized for her contribution to film, music and entertainment, but it was her humanitarian work that stood out to GALECA members.
Parton made headlines when she was integral to helping Americans get vaccinated. In a statement, she said, “Thank you to all the members of the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics for this lovely Wilde Artist award. I’m not sure I’m as edgy as past winners (in the Wilde Artist category) like Todd Haynes, Kate McKinnon, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jordan Peele — but I am honored and humbled. I appreciate all of you entertainment journalists who are so passionate and are working so hard. Keep up the good work!”
Trans filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval (“Lingua Franca”) was presented with the society’s inaugural, board-picked Trailblazer Award “for creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity” by GALECA board member and Variety‘s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay.
Also appearing in segments were “Ma Rainey’s” director and Broadway legend George C. Wolfe, “Welcome to Chechnya” director David France, “Nomadland” producer Peter Spears and author Jessica Bruder, Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart (trumpeting fall’s opening of A.M.P.A.S.®’s Academy Museum of Motion Pictures), and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who offered a special message to GALECA members as well as LGBTQs and allies in the entertainment community.
The Dorians Film Toast 2021 is currently available on-demand on Revry including The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Comcast Xfinity X1, Cox, Distro TV, Plex, Galaxy TV, Local Now, VIZIO, Zapping TV, STIRR, TiVo and LGBTQ+ virtual reality channel on RAD available on PlayStation devices.
The show was also co-written and executive produced by Karel, and co-produced by Brandon Riley Miller (“Life in Segments,” “High”) and John Griffiths for GALECA.
Find the complete list of Dorian Film Award winners below.
The world’s first trans billionaire, Jennifer Pritzker has warned she will likely move her private family trust out of Nashville if Tennessee Republican lawmakers continue their ongoing attacks on the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals and communities through the enactment of discriminatory laws.
Transgender businesswoman Pritzker, is a retired U.S Army lieutenant colonel, and is on the Forbes Billionaires list, with a personal net worth of $2 billion.
Pritzker’s family started the Hyatt Hotels Group, and her warning is no empty threat. At a video news conference hosted by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Pritzker said that “As a transgender woman, these unnecessary and hurtful laws are personal to me,”
“As a businesswoman, my larger concern is the impact they will have on Tennessee’s reputation and, ultimately, economic well-being, as businesses and tourists turn elsewhere. No state benefits from the perception that it is an intolerant and unwelcome place for people of different backgrounds, and it alarms me gravely to see this state vying for the title of least inclusive in the nation.”
15 Anti-LGBT Laws Face Corporate Backlash
Of the 15 bills that have been put forward one in particular – which bans transgender youth from competing in public, middle and high school sports based on whether their gender identity matches their gender at birth, was already been signed into law by Republican Governor Bill Lee.
Last year, Lee was also responsible for signing off on a bill which allowed faith-based adoption agencies to reject same-sex couples seeking to adopt.
Described by LGBTQI advocates as a “slate of hate” the bills also include two anti-transgender “bathroom” bills and efforts to drastically restrict hormone and other treatments for anyone under age 18.
However, Pritzker is not alone. Nissan North America, Amazon, Dell, Pilot, Mars PetCare and Warner Music Group are among many other businesses that have been public in their objection and disgust at these archaic bills.
Recently, Nashville LGBTQ Chamber Executive Director Joe Woolley said, “They call themselves pro-business Republicans, but they’re the ones who are passing this legislation and harming the state.”
#PressRelease: 184 Tennessee Businesses Sign Letter Opposing Anti-LGBTQ Bills
“Tennessee is the state with the most anti-LGBTQ bills filed this year. We are the state that’s had the most anti-LGBT bills filed since 2017, and we’re also the state that has the most to lose.”
Conservative Tennessee
Weighing in on the situation, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, stated he “greatly appreciates these businesses for exercising their First Amendment voices with us. Sometimes we will have disagreements on policy, and sometimes we will agree. I look forward to continuing to move Tennessee in a conservative direction, which has allowed businesses to grow and prosper in our state.”
Pritzker, stated she is a long time conservative and warned that “Gov. Lee and a majority of the State legislators are creating an environment that will force me to consider moving my family’s business out of Tennessee.
“And because many families have at least one relative identifying as LGBTQ, I suspect other families will also consider moving out of Tennessee — and, when evaluating it for purposes of domiciling a private trust company, will not choose this state for the same reasons.”
A trans non-binary model and writer has called on Instagram to ban an anti-LGBT ‘emoji’ after the social media platform ruled that it does not go against its Community Guidelines.
Radam Ridwan, who has more than 33,000 followers on the app, first received messages containing the graphic in December 2019, when it appeared in their comments and direct messages.
While Ridwan states that the comments were found not to be against the app’s rules, comments they “made in return joking about these bullies/trolls” were.
Although not technically an emoji, the image is created by combining the ‘prohibited’ character with the rainbow pride flag emoji – a ‘hack’ in the Unicode coding system.
A description on Emojipedia’s entry for the pride flag reads: “[The graphic] can be created using a combining character to show a black and white glyph like [prohibited] on top of the rainbow flag. This is possible with any emoji on supported platforms.”
The icon first surfaced online in February 2019, when it went viral and sparked outrage among Twitter users.
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In an Instagram post detailing their campaign, Ridwan writes: “These [community] guidelines are protecting bullies and bigots, leaving LGBTQIA+ people to face this abuse without the tools to stop it.
“A $100 billion tech company *must* be tech-savvy enough to automatically remove the symbol and ban users seen utilising it to abuse us.”
Speaking to Indy100, Ridwan added that they have been trying to get the attention of Instagram to make a statement on the icon and why it is not against the platform’s guidelines.
“Even if it is not possible to prevent users from making this symbol … Instagram has a responsibility to overhaul their Community Guidelines to protect LGBTQIA+ creators,” Ridwan said.
#BanTheHateEmoji involves several demands for Instagram, including filtering out the ‘hate emoji’ from comments, better diversity and inclusion training for comment and account moderators, and making “continued abuse towards LGBTQIA+ accounts more clearly stated” as being against the app’s rules.
Since launching the campaign, Ridwan says they have received increased levels of abuse on the platform.
“I am now receiving vitriolic comments and messages including death threats and videos of the rainbow flag being burned and replaced with a Nazi swastika every day.
“When I block these accounts, new accounts are being created to attack me. These people have found my email address and are sending similar hate-filled emails as well,” they said.
It isn’t the first time Ridwan has encountered issues on the platform either. In December, the creator was banned from Instagram following an “influx of reports” from users leaving the hate emoji on their posts.
Their account was later reinstated, but only after a campaign to have it unsuspended was launched on their behalf.
The launch of #BanTheHateEmoji came just days before Facebook’s Oversight Board announced that it would allow appeals from users around content left up on Facebook or Instagram.
Previously, the board – an independent panel which reviews content decisions made by the social media company – could only pass judgement on material removed from the platform, not content which remained after a user reported it.
“After you have exhausted Facebook’s appeals process, you will receive an Oversight Board reference ID in your support inbox and can appeal the decision to the Board. You can appeal decisions on posts and statuses, as well as photos, videos, comments and shares,” a news article from the board reads.
When asked about whether the enforcement could extend to accounts, a spokesperson for the oversight board said: “The board has broad ability to deliver recommendations that we believe will improve Facebook’s approach to content moderation. This could include recommendations on account enforcement in particular scenarios.
“Account suspensions are also something the board expects to look at in the future.”
In a statement, a Facebook company spokesperson told Indy100: “We want everyone to feel safe and welcome on Instagram, and we don’t allow content that attacks people because of who they are – whether it’s their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“This isn’t an emoji that we offer at Instagram, and when we become aware that it’s being used to attack people, we’ll remove it.”
The company continued to say that the icon is not something Facebook or Instagram controls, but that it is investigating multiple comments on Ridwan’s account at the moment which have used the anti-LGBT icon.
The Spurs rested DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, Jakob Poeltl for the game, and suddenly Rudy Gay found himself the lone elder statesman at the kids’ table. The grizzled veteran came through with 19 points to lead all players, and rookie Devin Vassell took advantage of the open minutes to score a career high 18 points. Drew Eubanks, inserted into the starting lineup, simply did not miss going 6 for 6 and scoring 13 points with 13 rebounds for a double-double. For the night, six Spurs scored in double figures in their most complete game of the season.
Devin Vassell made the most of his opportunity, and it certainly gave Spurs fans a teaser of his future. Vassell was dialed in from downtown hitting 4 three pointers and playing hard in 20+ minutes. Here, the rookie showed off some of his in-between game by nailing the turnaround jumper:
Lonnie Walker IV showed off range and grace under fire with this deep buzzer beater in the 2nd quarter:
Here, Derrick White lobbed a perfect pass to Drew Eubanks for the slam:
Drew Eubanks usually scores around the basket, but he did show off some range hitting a 10 footer and a 19 footer. Regardless, the big man displayed his usual energy on both ends and did not stray far from his comfort zone of throwing down, down low:
Rudy Gay emphatically rejected this shot after stalking his man the entire play:
Vassell’s dunk capped off a night where he and the Spurs had all the parts moving smoothly. The ball movement and finish by Vassell punctuated an unexpected upset:
If Saturday night’s 9 PM CDT was understandably past your bedtime, here are the full game highlights:
Next up, the Spurs head to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Pacers on Monday, April 19, 2021.
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Say so long to Streets Denver, the rock replacement of Streets of London that closed at the end of May. Say hello to Tight End, the gay sports bar that took over the space at 1501 East Colfax Avenue and opened on April 12.
“We’re really just focusing on the sports thing that’s been a missing niche in our community, and we’re ready to fill that,” co-owner Steven Alix says. “All the other major cities have gay sports bars. This one doesn’t, so it’s time.”
Tight End might be the best name ever for a bar in Denver. Great concept, great name.
Wonders Josh:
What, was “Wide Receiver” a little too much?
Says Sher:
Congratulations, when so many are having to close down….Good name, too!
Adds Ken:
That’s actually pretty cool. Will miss Streets, but come on. Super cool.
Responds Scott:
Although I applaud this bar, losing a punk bar is a sad, sad day.
Notes Bothe
I love that we have a gay jock bar a few blocks from a gay cowboy bar. Colfax rules.
And Gordon asks:
Exactly what’s the difference between a gay sports bar and a regular sports bar? Both will be 90 percent dudes.
Have an answer for Gordon? And what do you think of the name Tight End? Is there a bar with a better name in Denver? (And never mind the Texas-based Tight Ends sports chain that’s decidedly not geared to gay sports lovers, judging from all the bikini-clad women in its advertising.) What’s the worst bar name in town?
Post a comment or send a note to editorial@westword.com.
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For Olsen’s 34th birthday birthday on Jan. 22, Thibodeaux shared a series of pics of Olsen driving. Then on Valentine’s Day, Thibodeaux posted a sweet couple’s shot of Olsen planting a kiss on Thibodeaux’s head. The writer captioned in, “Happy valens !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
More recently, Thibodeaux posted a smiling picture of Olsen with the caption, “Baby baby baby.”
Following Olsen’s post, supportive messages from famous faces poured in on Instagram.
“Broad City” star Abbi Jacobson commented with the heart and fire emojis, while musicians Arlo Parks, Blake Mills and Erin Rae each posted a number of heart emojis.
You can see what you can see about Demna Gvasalia’s pre-fall collection. You can tune into today’s simultaneously-posted “Feel Good” Balenciaga video and not see any fashion at all—just a stock compilation of running horses, kittens, children, and ahh-inducing landscapes. Enjoy!
But the most radical content in this Sunday morning’s Balenciaga brand-blitz is invisible. “When I started this collection,” Gvasalia said, “I said only show me sustainable fabrics. I don’t want to look at anything else.” So everything here, beginning with the pink hoodie, emblazoned varsity-style with the words GAY Pride and swathed with a matching stole, to the black drama of the puffed-sleeve gown-like silhouette at the end, is made from recycled and otherwise certifiably okay materials. Almost wholly, that is, except for outstanding issues such as the the use of glue to stick sneakers together.
That’s big from a brand as powerful and as influential as Balenciaga, one of the major fashion actors of the universe which calls on suppliers who do significant volumes business with them—and which is centered by Gvasalia on selling to the millennial–to–Gen Z fashion public worldwide. “As creative directors, [asking for this] causes a chain reaction, and we have to use it,” he said over the phone from Paris. He added that even luxury fabric suppliers who’ve been hesitant about investing in research and development of more sustainable materials are now seeing it “as a bit of an obligation.”
Well, they would, wouldn’t they, when that means the difference between competing in business and not? Taking action on absolving shoppers’ anxieties about the damaging consequences of how their clothes are made ought to be the norm. Gvasalia promises that what’s gone into this collection isn’t a one-off gesture—because who isn’t suspicious of the greenwashing promo tricks of fashion these days? He started asking for better, more sustainable alternatives a while back, he attests, and began putting some of them into the collection in September. “And I must say, the situation has changed drastically in three years.”
Now to the clothes: a photoshopped look book, posed against a wish-we-were-there travelogue of the famous backdrops of the world. Design-wise, there are just as many familiar Balenciaga-universe destinations here: the oversize hoodies, sweatshirts, tailoring; tweaked takes on signature floral-print dresses; recycled leather and denim things; magnified utility-worker jackets. A lot of the garments, Gvasalia said, are constructed as joined-together all-in-one pieces “trompe l’oeil, so what you see isn’t what you get. A lot of dresses which are actually coats.” Convenience-wear for fashion-lovers to parade in outdoors during these tedious times when social occasion-wear might be banned, perhaps.
Passengers wearing protective masks check in at the Delta Air Lines ticket counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. U.S. airlines are bringing back more pilots as they prepare for an expected travel rebound. Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
COVER STORY: Up, up and away: Travel industry prepares for post-pandemic surge | Watch Video With CDC restrictions loosening and more people being vaccinated by the day, the travel bug is busting out all over. Correspondent Tracy Smith looks at the recent increase in air travel and hotel bookings, and talks with tourism experts about one response to a year spent in lockdown: “revenge travel.”
For more info:
PHOTOGRAPHY: Travel photographers on capturing images close to home (Video) During the pandemic, photographers who are used to working in exotic locations have been focusing on more local subject matter, opening up new avenues of creativity. Correspondent Rita Braver talks with Ami Vitale, whose work frequently appears in National Geographic magazine, and lifestyle photographer Gray Malin, about how the lockdown forced them both to reach a new understanding of their work – and their purpose.
For more info:
European travel expert Rick Steves talks with CBS News’ Conor Knighton about remaining close to home this past year. CBS News
TRAVEL: European travel guide Rick Steves, stuck at home | Watch Video For four decades Rick Steves has introduced many to the pleasures of international travel, through his popular PBS series, specials and guidebooks. During the pandemic, correspondent Conor Knighton learns, the man who has canvassed Europe’s best- and least-known tourist sites has learned the simple pleasures gained in an unfamiliar destination: his own kitchen.
For more info:
MUSIC: Building Easter Island’s first music school | Watch Video Mahani Teave, who grew up on Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island), was introduced to the piano as a child when the first such instrument arrived on the island. She’s studied classical piano in Chile, Cleveland and Berlin, and since returning to Rapa Nui she built the island’s first music school. Correspondent Kelefa Sanneh talked with Teave about preserving native traditions and fostering music education on a tiny spot in the Pacific.
For more info:
A view of the International Space Station from the SpaceX Cargo Dragon supply ship during its final approach to the lab complex. SpaceX/NASA
SPACE: Life aboard the International Space Station | Watch Video One of the most out-of-this-world travel destinations is the International Space Station, orbiting 250 miles above the Earth, where scientific studies include the effects of long-term exposure to weightlessness. Correspondent David Pogue talks with astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover, currently in orbit aboard the ISS, and with Peggy Whitson, who set a record for the most time spent in space by an American – 665 days.
For more info:
A thousand years ago lemons were brought to Italy’s Amalfi region, where they became a key component of the local cuisine. CBS News
POSTCARD FROM ITALY: A sweet life: Growing lemons on the Amalfi Coast | Watch Video For centuries, lemons have been grown on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, where they thrived on the mountainous terrain and became a key ingredient in the culinary landscape. Correspondent Seth Doane visits the Aceto family, which has been farming lemons for seven generations, and learns about the challenges and rewards of growing the sensorially-delightful fruit.
MUSIC: Brothers Osborne on their long journey, of music and identity | Watch Video The country music duo Brothers Osborne began their musical education early, but their success in Nashville wasn’t assured until they joined together, with the hit single “Rum” in 2014, followed by their album, “Pawn Shop.” “CBS This Morning” co-host Anthony Mason talked with John Osborne about how he overcame a crippling anxiety that caused the brothers to cancel shows; and TJ Osborne, who recently came out as gay, about that news’ effects on their fan base.
[Brothers Osborne are nominees in the Duo of the Year and Album of the Year categories for the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards, which will air on Sunday, April 18 (8:00 p.m. ET live/PT delayed) on CBS and Paramount+.]
To watch the Brothers Osborne perform “I’m Not for Everyone” (from their album “Skeletons”), click on the video player below:
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell with former President George W. Bush. Adam Verdugo/CBS News
NEWSMAKERS: George W. Bush on painting a new vision of immigrants | Watch Video The former president’s latest passion is celebrating the contributions of America’s immigrants on canvas (as seen in the new book “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants”) with the hope, he tells “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, that a more respectful attitude to those who come to our country will help lead to reform of the immigration system. Mr. Bush also talks about partisanship and adding his voice to current political debates.
For more info:
Carey Mulligan stars in writer-director Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman.” The revenge thriller is nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. Focus Features
MOVIES: The revenge thriller “Promising Young Woman”: An elegant, gut-punch of a film | Watch Video The awards-season success of Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” a revenge thriller in which a woman methodically wreaks vengeance after her best friend is sexually assaulted, has spurred conversations about sexism in Hollywood and female empowerment on screen. Correspondent Holly Williams talks with Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan about the film’s message and its fearless, complicated heroine.
To watch a trailer for “Promising Young Woman” click on the video player below:
NATURE: Lovebirds in Tanzania (Extended Video) “Sunday Morning” takes us to the far-away shores of Lake Eyasi in northern Tanzania, home to the aptly-named Fischer’s Lovebirds. Videographer: Lee McEachern.
The Emmy Award-winning “CBS Sunday Morning” is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.
“Sunday Morning” also streams on CBSN beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET and again at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Full episodes of “Sunday Morning” are now available to watch on demand on CBSNews.com, CBS.com and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox.
A hairstylist who specializes in rainbow colors wanted to add the colorful hues to another canvas at the disapproval of some of his neighbors — his home.
Mykey O’Halloran purchased a beach home in Australia’s Phillips Island after saving up enough money, the Washington Post reported. When it was time to add the finishing touches to the beige home, rainbow colors were the idea that stuck.
The cheeky idea got some pushback from neighbors.
In a March 16 Facebook post, O’Halloran, who is gay, said he heard someone banging at his door. Five men approached him about his plan to paint his house rainbow.
O’Halloran posted he heard the men shout homophobic slurs and heard one man say he would kill O’Halloran if he continued with his idea.
A police report was filed and a 23-year-old man was later charged with unlawful assault and making threats to kill, according to the Star Observer.
With no plans to stop his painting project, O’Halloran’s now-viral social media post garnered volunteers to help him.
“I am a good person in society, and I bring joy with rainbows, and no opinionated homophobic that’s opposed to the decision of how I want to live my life is going to take that away from me. This house will be rainbow, and it will be rainbow with pride,” O’Halloran said in the post.
With an army of 100 volunteers, O’Halloran’s home siding, deck and fence were painted on April 18. The group included police officers, home renovators and children, according to the Washington Post.
It took seven hours to paint the stripes of orange, pink, purple, blue, green and yellow. Dulux, Australia’s largest paint supplier, donated the project, according to Out Traveler.
“The positive response filled my heart with love and made me feel supported and not alone,” O’Halloran told the Washington Post. “People were dropping by to shake my hand, say hello and welcome me to the neighborhood.”
Hundreds also raised around $7,750 through a fundraiser O’Halloran organized to benefit the Phillip Island Community and Learning Centre, a non-profit group providing recreational, educational and welfare services to reflect the needs of all age groups.
With colorful hair to match, O’Halloran told the Washington Post he “couldn’t contain his delight when the last bright coat of paint had dried.”
“My message now is don’t let anyone else dull your sparkle, and always stay true to yourself.”
Apr 16, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White (4) in the second half at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Rudy Gay scored 19 points, and rookie Devin Vassell poured in a career-high 18 off the bench as the short-handed San Antonio Spurs swamped the Phoenix Suns 111-85 on Saturday in the Valley of the Sun to emphatically snap a two-game losing streak.
The Spurs played without starters DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl and key reserve Patty Mills, all held out for rest in the second game of a home-road back-to-back. But the players San Antonio employed dominated the Suns, leading by 19 points at the half and by as many as 31 in the fourth quarter while rolling to the win.
Keldon Johnson added 17 points for San Antonio, with Dejounte Murray scoring 14, Drew Eubanks hitting for 13 points and taking a game-high 13 rebounds, and Derrick White tallying 12 for the Spurs.
Jevon Carter led Phoenix with 17 points while Devin Booker added 15 despite not playing in the fourth quarter because of the lopsided deficit. Cameron Payne hit for 12 for the Suns, who had a four-game winning streak stopped and were held to a season-low in points.
The Spurs took it to Phoenix early on, leading 28-19 at the end of the first quarter and by 23 points after a layup by Eubanks with 2:18 to play in the second period. The Suns forged a 6-0 run to cut into the lead before San Antonio settled for a 64-45 advantage at the break.
Murray led the Spurs in the first half with 10 points while Booker’s 13 points before halftime kept Phoenix within reach. San Antonio outshot the Suns 54.3 percent to 45.5 percent over the first two quarters and were 8 of 16 from beyond the arc while Phoenix was just 1 for 10.
The Suns could make up no ground in the third quarter and needed an 8-0 run to end the period to stay within 19 points, at 87-68, heading into the final quarter — and then things got really ugly.
It was the first missed game of the season for Poeltl; every San Antonio player has now missed at least one game this year.
