Home Blog Page 407

Tallying the Lost Years for L.G.B.T. Seniors – The New Yorker

News Editor
-
0
Tallying the Lost Years for L.G.B.T. Seniors – The New Yorker

To see Pearl in all her glory, you have to make an appointment at the Watermark, a new “luxury senior community” in Brooklyn Heights. You enter a lobby with a grand piano, get a thermal scan, then emerge onto a mezzanine. You scan a QR code on the wall and download an augmented-reality app. Pearl’s photo hangs to the right: drawn-on eyebrows, hand over mouth, delighted eyes. If you hold up your phone, the portrait comes to life on the app, and you can watch Pearl tell the story of how she became herself. If this level of technology eludes you—maybe, like Pearl, you’re seventy—you can use a pair of headphones connected to an iPad.

There are some three million L.G.B.T. seniors in the United States; twelve of them are represented in “Not Another Second,” the residence’s inaugural exhibition. Many carry the burdens of less accepting times, before Stonewall or gay marriage or “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Their numbers are diminished from AIDS, and thirty-four per cent of them fear having to go back into the closet when seeking senior housing. Watermark, a national chain, is trying to change that, by pursuing a platinum accreditation from SAGE, an organization that serves L.G.B.T. elders. (SAGE avoids the “Q,” for “queer,” because it still sounds pejorative to many of its members.)

For “Not Another Second,” the subjects were photographed by Karsten Thormaehlen. “They gave me the superstar treatment,” Pearl said, recalling her shoot, at a warehouse in Greenpoint. “There was a full buffet. There was a makeup artist. They said, ‘What music would get you in the mood to relax?’ ” (Whitney Houston.) Her last name is Bennett, but it took many years to become Pearl. She grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida; her father was a landscaper, and her mother cleaned houses. Her brothers were jocks, but she was more interested in Easy-Bake Ovens. She moved to Brooklyn in 1970 and got into the underground disco scene, living as a gay man. Some nights, she and her friends would hit the clubs on Christopher Street in drag. “I would wake up the next morning, still in that dress,” she recalled. “I wouldn’t want to take it off.”

She started performing on Fire Island as Mother Pearl—a church-lady drag character, modelled on her mother. But something was off. “My life felt hollow, like I was going through the motions,” she said. “I felt more like I was in drag as Ken.” Just before she turned fifty, in 1999, she had an odd experience on Fire Island. “I said to one of the performers, ‘Something is wrong. For some reason, Pearl’s not letting me take off this dress.’ ” She took the train back to town as Pearl and never wore men’s clothing again. After a year, she began hormone therapy: “I would wake up and I would touch my breasts and say, ‘Ah, that wasn’t just a dream!’ ” In “Not Another Second,” the participants each tabulate their “years lost,” before they began living as their authentic selves. Pearl’s number is fifty.

Ray Cunningham, eighty-three, and Richard Prescott, seventy-nine, were photographed together. Both served in the Navy in the fifties. One of Cunningham’s duties was to file paperwork for “undesirable” discharges, including homosexuals. “I realized that I could be in their boat—excuse the pun,” he said. “It hurt, to the point where I went into the Navy with the idea of having a career and retiring in thirty-five years or whatever, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t live under those circumstances of always looking over my shoulder.” He left the Navy and moved to San Francisco. He and Prescott were both middle-aged and driving buses when they met, in 1991. “We enjoyed camping. We enjoyed model trains,” Prescott said. They married in 2008, in Palm Springs. Years lost: a combined hundred and fifteen.

Lujira Cooper, seventy-three, was born in Queens. At twenty, she started working as a telephone operator at the Y.M.C.A. on Thirty-fourth Street, known as a gay haven, and dated a female co-worker. When Stonewall happened, she shrugged. “I remember saying, ‘Oh, they’ve actually decided to do something about how we’re treated,’ ” she recalled. “I’m sorry that I didn’t pay more attention, but at the same time I don’t like crowds, particularly.” A few years ago, she was homeless for ten months. “My biggest challenge became not blaming other people for anything,” she said. She got a place on the Upper West Side, earned three degrees in four years, and is working on her second detective novel. “I don’t think I ever came out, because I don’t think I was ever in the closet,” she said. Years lost: zero. ♦

25 Years Later, ‘The Birdcage’ Is Hollywood’s Most Monumental Gay Movie – HuffPost

Kim Martel
-
0
25 Years Later, ‘The Birdcage’ Is Hollywood’s Most Monumental Gay Movie – HuffPost

The most famous moment from “The Birdcage” is probably the one where Robin Williams gives a bored young hunk a 15-second tutorial in the history of American dance. It’s one of the late actor’s signature scenes. In an uproarious gush of energy, Williams goes from coolheaded nightclub owner supervising a Sondheim number to erudite showman. He demonstrates Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, Michael Kidd and “Madonna, Madonna, Madonna” with the zeal of a gay man who knows a thing or five about art. 

While reading a new biography about the director, Mike Nichols, I was amazed to learn the whole thing was concocted on the fly during the shoot. Equally telling is the fact that Williams, then one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, had asked to play the more restrained of the two leads. His hyper-theatrical screen partner would spend the final 35 minutes of the film in drag, and Williams didn’t want to retread what he’d recently done in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” So Nichols offered that role to Nathan Lane, a Broadway luminary. It was for the best. Unlike Williams, Lane is gay and could easily grasp the complexities of this particular code-switching. 

That’s what “The Birdcage” is about, after all ― gender performance, a topic far less commonly discussed when the movie debuted 25 years ago, on March 8, 1996. Adapted by Elaine May from the 1973 French play “La Cage aux Folles,” it became Hollywood’s first blockbuster to revolve around open, well-adjusted LGBTQ protagonists. Nichols’ film remained No. 1 at the box office for four consecutive weeks, earning $124 million and ranking as the year’s seventh-highest-grossing release. Even with Williams’ name on the marquee, no one expected such success, partly because queer visibility was still a struggle. Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell hadn’t come out yet, and needle-moving television like “Will & Grace,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “The L Word” hadn’t premiered. 

Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in "The Birdcage."



Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in “The Birdcage.”

Today, “The Birdcage” holds a knotty place in the queer canon. Its plot, however witty, is dated. A happy couple going back into the closet to impress a bigoted politician (Gene Hackman) whose daughter Barbara (Calista Flockhart) is engaged to their unlikable son Val (Dan Futterman) doesn’t pass 2021’s progressivism test. Some activists, like the writer Bruce Bawer, who called the movie “cruel and heterosexist,” didn’t even think it passed 1996’s test. But it’s more thoughtful than Bawer gave it credit for. (GLAAD agreed, praising the film’s “depth and humanity.” Larry Kramer liked it, too.) Last year’s holiday comedy “Happiest Season,” which employed a similar concept, suggests that code-switching is still a reality, no matter how far LGBTQ equality has come.

The sharp observations in “The Birdcage” are classic Nichols and May, longtime collaborators who refused to over-emphasize themes the way lesser storytellers might have. Take, for example, Hackman’s Kevin Keeley, a Pat Buchanan type who co-founded an archetypal right-wing group called the Coalition for Moral Order. The heartbreak of Armand (Williams) reluctantly agreeing to strip his home decor, send Albert (Lane) away and play straight during Keeley’s visit is accentuated by what a ridiculous person Keeley is. Facing a very ’90s sex scandal, he behaves like a child: irascible, self-centered and addicted to candy. 

Even though there’s humor in the scheme to fool Keeley, which also involves 20-year-old Val’s estranged birth mother (Christine Baranski) returning to the fold, the movie never exactly roots for it. Nor does it villainize anyone involved, instead trusting that the audience is intelligent enough to stay loyal to Armand and Albert. 

Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest and Calista Flockhart in "The Birdcage."



Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest and Calista Flockhart in “The Birdcage.”

“Yes, I wear foundation,” Armand tells Val. “Yes, I live with a man. Yes, I’m a middle-aged fag. But I know who I am, Val. It took me 20 years to get here, and I’m not gonna let some idiot senator destroy that.” When he eventually relents, it’s because he loves his son and knows how relatively unprecedented Val’s life has been. Most Americans didn’t know any openly gay people at the time, much less understand what it was like to have gay relatives in the era of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” 

When Val’s mother gets stuck in traffic and Albert decides to fill the role himself, “The Birdcage” borrows one of the oldest, most reliable comedy tropes: mistaken identity. Seeing Albert arrive at dinner in a Barbara Bush-style wig surprises us as much as it does Armand and Val. One might deem it Shakespearean. But the farce extends beyond cross-dressing. Lane is caricaturing the sort of prim conservative whose vote Keeley would have courted. Keeley is so enamored with her that he’s convinced she’s a scorned housewife disgraced by a pretentious husband, not realizing he is describing his own marriage. “Aristotle Onassis was just like this,” he hisses to his wife (Dianne Wiest, a stealth MVP), referring to Armand.

Keeley’s cluelessness gives Albert the upper hand. Ranting about school prayer and gay military service, he doesn’t clock that Albert is mocking him to his face. Invoking Alexander the Great’s rumored sexuality, Albert exclaims, “Talk about gays in the military!”

The dinner-party ruse lets “The Birdcage” smuggle in some pretty effective ideas about the queer experience. Armand struggling to teach Albert to “pass” for butch is a gleeful indictment of the idea itself; it makes the grunting mannerisms of heterosexual men look absurd. For any gay man who has deepened his voice or thrust his hands into his pockets so they wouldn’t give him away, those absurdities are all too familiar. Plus, Lane is a brilliant comedian capable of embedding both social commentary and interpersonal conflict in his broad physicality.

Nathan Lane in "The Birdcage."



Nathan Lane in “The Birdcage.”

In the end, the tables are flipped on Keeley, rendering Albert the hero. Keeley has to wear drag and slip out of the nightclub in secret to avoid tabloid photographers feasting on his scandal. Lo and behold, while bobbing his glittery shoulders to “We Are Family,” he finds himself smiling. Losing yourself to decadence, the movie confirms, is not some abhorrence. When Val and Barbara wed during the closing credits, Armand and Albert come as they are: proud, affectionate, prosperous and incredibly gay.

If “The Birdcage” were made today, its refusal to let Albert be as peacockish as he pleases wouldn’t sit well. Ditto the hilarious Hank Azaria playing a swishy Guatemalan houseboy. But even if its ideas weren’t all radical, its cultural footprint was. Queerness had thrived in indie filmmaking thanks to directors like Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant and Cheryl Dunye, but rarely had it made such a dent in mainstream multiplexes — and almost never with a happy conclusion. The following year, “In & Out,” starring Kevin Kline, would be a modest box-office hit. Three years later, “Will & Grace” won the Emmys’ top comedy prize. Shortly thereafter, “Queer as Folk,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “Transamerica” helped the country grasp more of the nuances of queer life. Along the way, marriage equality and anti-discrimination initiatives started to become realities.

It’s hard to say with certainty that one thing wouldn’t exist without something else preceding it, but “The Birdcage” marked a turning point in Hollywood. Armand and Albert showed what’s possible when queer narratives don’t center trauma or disease, and the actors who portrayed them did so with a convincing interiority that pushed past stereotypes. They’re still worth our jazz hands.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article indicated that Robin Williams alone improvised the Madonna scene, as implied in the biography “Mike Nichols: A Life.” Vincent Paterson, who directed Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour and is credited as the “Birdcage” choreographer, contacted HuffPost to say that it was he who designed the sequence at Williams’ request.

RELATED…

A new Caribbean attraction: A planetarium on Statia – Travel Weekly

News Editor
-
0
A new Caribbean attraction: A planetarium on Statia – Travel Weekly

There’s big news on the tiny eight-square-mile volcanic island of St. Eustatius — known as Statia — in the northeastern Caribbean.

The island is now home to the first planetarium in the Caribbean, which opened last month near the soon-to-open Oasis Golden Rock Resort on the southeast coast.

The project was spearheaded by Jaap Vreeling, a retired astronomy professor from the University of Amsterdam who long dreamed of being able to bring a planetarium to Statia.

“I’m not a native Statian, but my wife and I worked here from 1986 to 1991 in secondary education projects,” Vreeling said. “We just retired, and we have a house on Statia and plan to  live here permanently.”

Together with local friend Ishmael Berkel, the two launched the planetarium initiative.

“In many countries of the world, light pollution makes it impossible to enjoy the night sky. Statia had no such limitation, but there was no way to explain the Milky Way, stars, planets, the moon and how ancestors used these to navigate from place to place,” Vreeling said.

A 2010 report from Gay Nagle Myers looked at what attracts visitors to two tiny Caribbean islands. 

Continue Reading

The two men also recognized the benefits that access to a planetarium would mean not only to the schoolchildren of Statia but also to island as a whole. (Statia has a population of approximately 3,100.)

“We also envision that tourists visiting our island will be able to add this attraction to their vacation experience on Statia,” Vreeling said.

Plans fell into place, funding was obtained and Statia’s planetarium officially opened on Feb. 23 with a small group of invited guests in attendance. A group of schoolkids was among the first to visit.

“It’s now open by appointment and will be available year-round with precautions taken during the hurricane season,” Vreeling said.

There’s no admission fee for now and if an entry fee is ultimately charged, “the price will be very reasonable,” according to Vreeling.

A Year Without Our Work Friends – The New York Times

News Editor
-
0

My office at home is pretty well equipped. I have a desktop computer and a printer and whiteboards I installed with the ambitious idea that I would use them to map out projects. There are shelves holding various editions of my books, some of which I can’t read because I don’t speak Hebrew or Farsi or Turkish or Polish. There are shelves with reference books and galleys and other books related to various projects. I have a home studio for recording “Hear to Slay,” the podcast I host with Tressie McMillan Cottom.

Most days are spent staring at people in little squares on my computer monitor because now that everyone is at home, people have found all kinds of excuses to have meetings. I have ring lights for events and television appearances because there isn’t much going to studios anymore. Also, vanity. Once in a while, a hard case of audiovisual equipment is shipped to my house with a laminated instruction card providing the necessary direction for using the equipment. Once in a while a camera crew comes to the house wearing their protective gear. They stand six feet away and I peer into a video monitor, talking to a producer somewhere else.

Almost every day I marvel at how the world has adapted to the pandemic. I thought I was done doing public events, but at some point during the summer of 2020, events moved online and now I am back to doing several events a week, sometimes in places that would not otherwise be able to bring me to their school or town. I enjoy live events, but doing them virtually is not the same. When I walk out onstage and see a thousand people cheering, the energy is absolutely electric and unexpected. It’s surreal because I’m just a writer. It’s magical because I know that we will have an experience that can’t be replicated.

And I miss the signing line, where I could spend a few minutes with readers, hearing about their lives, seeing that my work mattered maybe a little. Now, I make myself presentable from the waist up, and sit at my desk in basketball shorts, and when the event is over, that’s that.

Most of my friends with more traditional jobs are working from home, too. They’ve created office spaces in their houses. They hang out with their pets, their children, their partners. They get their work done, just as well as they did before. And a surprising number of these friends don’t seem to want to return to the office. For those without school age children, there is time to handle the business of running a home while handling the business of doing a job. They can bake and run errands and garden between work tasks. There is no dressing up in work drag. Bras and pants with buttons and ties and high heels and a full face of makeup have been abandoned. There is no more commuting — all that time in a car, clenching the steering wheel, inching along. There is no more trying to get work done while being interrupted every 10 minutes or listening to a co-worker yammering endlessly.

But a lot has been lost, too. For all the faults of the workplace, there is a certain camaraderie that comes with life in an office. A good meeting can be energizing in a way that is hard to replicate over Zoom. We can’t head over to our favorite work friend’s office for some coffee and gossip when we need a break. It’s all Slack chats and emails and phone calls and then, whatever happens at home after work, without any distance. The work-life balance has imploded for better and worse. In many of the Work Friend letters I receive, I can see how that implosion has changed how people feel about their work.

There is a lot of unfulfillment — people who are bored in their jobs or who simply hate what they do or they hate the people they work with but cannot see a way out. A lot of women deal with condescending bosses, pay disparities and a lack of accommodations for motherhood. A lot of men are trying to figure out how to navigate the workplace as cultural norms change. People from all walks of life want to know how they can make their companies more inclusive and how to address institutional racism, or they resent these efforts because they feel wrongly implicated.

Everything we know about ‘Bros,’ the first gay rom-com by a major studio – Today.com

Kim Martel
-
0
Everything we know about ‘Bros,’ the first gay rom-com by a major studio – Today.com

“Bros,” a boundary-breaking rom-com centering the love story of two gay men, will hit theaters next August, according to the studio behind the film, Universal Pictures.

Here’s everything we know about “Bros”

The film will star Billy Eichner, of “Billy on the Street” fame, who is also co-writing and executive producing. The release of “Bros” will make Eichner, 42, the first openly gay man to write and star in a major motion picture.

“I honestly can’t believe it… move over, Julia Roberts,” Eichner wrote on Twitter Friday, “there’s a new rom-com QUEEN in town!”

Eichner recently told Variety how much representation matters to him, and it was when watching “Love, Simon,” a film about a gay kid in high school who falls in love, that, “Straight people go to the movies and literally see themselves all the time… it was so unusual to have a connection to what was happening on-screen instead of being a step or two removed. ‘Love, Simon’ really got to me.”

Eichner also wrote on Twitter Friday that his manager told him to be “less gay” back in 2006, when an agent was coming to his show, and that the making of his new film “only took 100 years! Thanks, Hollywood!”

Billy Eichner in 2019.Bravo

“Bros,” will be produced by Judd Apatow, who was also behind the film “The Big Sick,” which starred Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan and was credited with breaking all the rules of traditional romantic comedies. The genre has continued to expand its definition of what love stories look like, and over the 2020 holiday season Hulu released “The Happiest Season,” one of the first holiday films to feature a lesbian romance.

Eichner has been vocal about the homophobia he has experienced in Hollywood, saying the film industry hasn’t come far enough, which makes writing and starring in “Bros” bittersweet.

“I’m honored that it’s me, but it should have been someone else 30 or 40 years ago,” he told Variety. “I hear people talking about diversity and inclusion, but I often see gay people left out of those conversations. The comedy community, which has always been such a straight man’s game, has not been kind to openly gay men, and I still see so much homophobia when it comes to casting.”

July 23, 201904:09

Though details on the film have been a well-kept secret, Universal Pictures, the studio behind the film, said in a statement to TODAY the film is “a smart, swoon-y and heartfelt comedy about finding sex, love and romance amidst the madness.”

It has not yet been announced who will star as Eichner’s love interest. Universal Pictures has been quiet on the casting, and only said the film is “the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably stumbling towards love. Maybe. They’re both very busy.” Who with this “very busy” person be? We’ll have to stay tuned.

“We stan our new rom-com queen,” the studio said in a tweet Friday.

“Bros” is set to be released on Friday, August 12, 2022.

Universal Pictures is part of our parent company, NBCUniversal.

July 25, 201901:23

Sens. Collins, Manchin vote to defund schools allowing trans kids in sports – Washington Blade

Kim Martel
-
0
Sens. Collins, Manchin vote to defund schools allowing trans kids in sports – Washington Blade

Despite having President Biden in the White House and Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress, efforts to update federal civil rights laws to strengthen the prohibition on discrimination against LGBTQ people by passing the Equality Act are all but dead as opponents of the measure have contorted it beyond recognition.

Political willpower is lacking to find a compromise that would be acceptable to enough Republican senators to end a filibuster on the bill — a tall order in any event — nor is there the willpower to force a vote on the Equality Act as opponents stoke fears about transgender kids in sports and not even unanimity in the Democratic caucus in favor of the bill is present, stakeholders who spoke to the Blade on condition of anonymity said.

In fact, there are no imminent plans to hold a vote on the legislation even though Pride month is days away, which would be an opportune time for Congress to demonstrate solidarity with the LGBTQ community by holding a vote on the legislation.

If the Equality Act were to come up for a Senate vote in the next month, it would not have the support to pass. Continued assurances that bipartisan talks are continuing on the legislation have yielded no evidence of additional support, let alone the 10 Republicans needed to end a filibuster.

“I haven’t really heard an update either way, which is usually not good,” one Democratic insider said. “My understanding is that our side was entrenched in a no-compromise mindset and with [Sen. Joe] Manchin saying he didn’t like the bill, it doomed it this Congress. And the bullying of hundreds of trans athletes derailed our message and our arguments of why it was broadly needed.”

The only thing keeping the final nail from being hammered into the Equality Act’s coffin is the unwillingness of its supporters to admit defeat. Other stakeholders who spoke to the Blade continued to assert bipartisan talks are ongoing, strongly pushing back on any conclusion the legislation is dead.

Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said the Equality Act is “alive and well,” citing widespread public support he said includes “the majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents and a growing number of communities across the country engaging and mobilizing every day in support of the legislation.”

“They understand the urgent need to pass this bill and stand up for LGBTQ people across our country,” David added. “As we engage with elected officials, we have confidence that Congress will listen to the voices of their constituents and continue fighting for the Equality Act through the lengthy legislative process.  We will also continue our unprecedented campaign to grow the already-high public support for a popular bill that will save lives and make our country fairer and more equal for all. We will not stop until the Equality Act is passed.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), chief sponsor of the Equality Act in the Senate, also signaled through a spokesperson work continues on the legislation, refusing to give up on expectations the legislation would soon become law.

“Sen. Merkley and his staff are in active discussions with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to try to get this done,” McLennan said. “We definitely see it as a key priority that we expect to become law.”

A spokesperson Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who had promised to force a vote on the Equality Act in the Senate on the day the U.S. House approved it earlier this year, pointed to a March 25 “Dear Colleague” letter in which he identified the Equality Act as one of several bills he’d bring up for a vote.

Despite any assurances, the hold up on the bill is apparent. Although the U.S. House approved the legislation earlier this year, the Senate Judiciary Committee hasn’t even reported out the bill yet to the floor in the aftermath of the first-ever Senate hearing on the bill in March. A Senate Judiciary Committee Democratic aide, however, disputed that inaction as evidence the Equality Act is dead in its tracks: “Bipartisan efforts on a path forward are ongoing.”

Democrats are quick to blame Republicans for inaction on the Equality Act, but with Manchin withholding his support for the legislation they can’t even count on the entirety of their caucus to vote “yes” if it came to the floor. Progressives continue to advocate an end to the filibuster to advance legislation Biden has promised as part of his agenda, but even if they were to overcome headwinds and dismantle the institution needing 60 votes to advance legislation, the Equality Act would likely not have majority support to win approval in the Senate with a 50-50 party split.

The office of Manchin, who has previously said he couldn’t support the Equality Act over concerns about public schools having to implement the transgender protections applying to sports and bathrooms, hasn’t responded to multiple requests this year from the Blade on the legislation and didn’t respond to a request to comment for this article.

Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who declined to co-sponsor the Equality Act this year after having signed onto the legislation in the previous Congress, insisted through a spokesperson talks are still happening across the aisle despite the appearances the legislation is dead.

“There continues to be bipartisan support for passing a law that protects the civil rights of Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Annie Clark, a Collins spokesperson. “The Equality Act was a starting point for negotiations, and in its current form, it cannot pass. That’s why there are ongoing discussions among senators and stakeholders about a path forward.”

Let’s face it: Anti-LGBTQ forces have railroaded the debate by making the Equality Act about an end to women’s sports by allowing transgender athletes and danger to women in sex-segregated places like bathrooms and prisons. That doesn’t even get into resolving the issue on drawing the line between civil rights for LGBTQ people and religious freedom, which continues to be litigated in the courts as the U.S. Supreme Court is expected any day now to issue a ruling in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia to determine if foster care agencies can reject same-sex couples over religious objections.

For transgender Americans, who continue to report discrimination and violence at high rates, the absence of the Equality Act may be most keenly felt.

Mara Keisling, outgoing executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, disputed any notion the Equality Act is dead and insisted the legislation is “very much alive.”

“We remain optimistic despite misinformation from the opposition,” Keisling said. “NCTE and our movement partners are still working fruitfully on the Equality Act with senators. In fact, we are gaining momentum with all the field organizing we’re doing, like phone banking constituents to call their senators. Legislating takes time. Nothing ever gets through Congress quickly. We expect to see a vote during this Congress, and we are hopeful we can win.”

But one Democratic source said calls to members of Congress against the Equality Act, apparently coordinated by groups like the Heritage Foundation, have has outnumbered calls in favor of it by a substantial margin, with a particular emphasis on Manchin.

No stories are present in the media about same-sex couples being kicked out of a restaurant for holding hands or transgender people for using the restroom consistent with their gender identity, which would be perfectly legal in 25 states thanks to the patchwork of civil rights laws throughout the United States and inadequate protections under federal law.

Tyler Deaton, senior adviser for the American Unity Fund, which has bolstered the Republican-led Fairness for All Act as an alternative to the Equality Act, said he continues to believe the votes are present for a compromise form of the bill.

“I know for a fact there is a supermajority level of support in the Senate for a version of the Equality Act that is fully protective of both LGBTQ civil rights and religious freedom,” Deaton said. “There is interest on both sides of the aisle in getting something done this Congress.”

Deaton, however, didn’t respond to a follow-up inquiry on what evidence exists of agreeing on this compromise.

Biden has already missed the goal he campaigned on in the 2020 election to sign the Equality Act into law within his first 100 days in office. Although Biden renewed his call to pass the legislation in his speech to Congress last month, as things stand now that appears to be a goal he won’t realize for the remainder of this Congress.

Nor has the Biden administration made the Equality Act an issue for top officials within the administration as it pushes for an infrastructure package as a top priority. One Democratic insider said Louisa Terrell, legislative affairs director for the White House, delegated work on the Equality Act to a deputy as opposed to handling it herself.

To be sure, Biden has demonstrated support for the LGBTQ community through executive action at an unprecedented rate, signing an executive order on day one ordering federal agencies to implement the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year in Bostock v. Clayton County to the fullest extent possible and dismantling former President Trump’s transgender military ban. Biden also made historic LGBTQ appointments with the confirmation of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rachel Levine as assistant secretary of health.

A White House spokesperson insisted Biden’s team across the board remains committed to the Equality Act, pointing to his remarks to Congress.

“President Biden has urged Congress to get the Equality Act to his desk so he can sign it into law and provide long overdue civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ Americans, and he remains committed to seeing this legislation passed as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said. “The White House and its entire legislative team remains in ongoing and close coordination with organizations, leaders, members of Congress, including the Equality Caucus, and staff to ensure we are working across the aisle to push the Equality Act forward.”

But at least in the near-term, that progress will fall short of fulfilling the promise of updating federal civil rights law with the Equality Act, which will mean LGBTQ people won’t be able to rely on those protections when faced with discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Billy Eichner To Star In Gay Rom-Com ‘Bros’ – Instinct Magazine

Kim Martel
-
0
Billy Eichner To Star In Gay Rom-Com ‘Bros’ – Instinct Magazine
Billy Eichner took over hosting duties on ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ for two days (Photo Credit: screenshot of video from Jimmy Kimmel Live Official YouTube channel)

We’re getting another gay rom-com backed by a major film studio.

In 2018, Love, Simon was celebrated as the first gay rom-com produced by a major studio. The film went on to have a spin-off series through streaming. But now, it might have a spiritual successor in Bros.

As The Wrap reports, Universal Pictures is producing Bros, which comes from the mind of gay comedian and actor Billy Eichner. So far, nothing is known about the film other than the fact that it is a gay romantic comedy. Though, the film’s vague description reads as follows:

“Universal Pictures proudly presents the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably stumbling towards love. Maybe. They’re both very busy.”

In addition, Eichner worked as the co-writer, star, and executive producer. Joining him is director Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall). In addition, Judd Apatow, Stroller, and Joshua Church all acted as producers.

To celebrate the news, Eichner wrote on Twitter, “In shocking news, BROS will be the first rom-com about gay men ever produced by a major studio and, apparently, I’m the first openly gay man to ever write and star in their own studio film. Only took 100 years! THANKS HOLLYWOOD!!!”

Keep in mind, Eichner forgot 20th Century Fox’s Love, Simon, but no harm done.

“Also, f*ck my manager in 2006 who told me to be less gay because a big agent was coming to my show. F**KKKKKKK YOUUUUUUU!!! Ok I’ll shut up now,” he added.

This is exciting news for Billy Eichner, Eichner fans, and fans of LGBTQ content. But, we still have some time to wait, as Bros will release in theaters on August 12, 2022.

Source: The Wrap,

TikTok user perfectly shuts down transphobic ‘super straight’ trend – PinkNews

Kim Martel
-
0
TikTok user perfectly shuts down transphobic ‘super straight’ trend – PinkNews

In a new transphobic TikTok trends, users are claiming that refusing to date trans people is an “orientation”. (TikTok/ kyleroyce)

One TikTok user has perfectly shut down a new transphobic trend of people “identifying as super straight”, claiming refusing to date trans people is an “orientation”.

The trend appears to have started with TikTok user @kyleroyce, who recently created a video in which he said: “Yo, guys, I made a new sexuality now, actually, it’s called super straight.

“Since straight people, or straight men like myself, I get called transphobic because I wouldn’t date a trans woman.”

The TikToker said he wouldn’t date a trans woman because “that’s not a real woman to me, like, I want a real woman”.

“Now, I’m super straight,” he added. “I only date the opposite gender, woman, that are born woman. So you can’t say I’m transphobic now because that’s just my sexuality.”

Although it seems highly unlikely that any trans woman has ever wanted to date @kyleroyce, the hateful trend began to spread to other social media platforms.

The original video has been removed, and the TikTok user claims he has been banned from posting on the platform, but his video is being shared by others also claiming to “identify as super straight”.

One TikTok user perfectly explained why “identifying as super straight” makes zero sense.

Other social media users have been forced to step in to explain why the trend is viciously transphobic and makes absolutely no sense, with one TikToker crafting the perfect response.

User @procrasclass posted a video responding to a commenter who claimed to be “super straight”.

He said: “Super straight means you think that men who date trans women are less straight, meaning that trans women are men, and therefore not real women. Which is not only transphobic, but scientifically inaccurate.”

The TikTok user said it was “really funny” that transphobes were claiming to be “super straight”, adding: “You like women, but you’re excluding an entire group of women.

“If a plumber only works on shower drains and refuses to work on sinks, we don’t call him a ‘super plumber’.

“If anything, you’re ‘semi-straight’ or ‘straight impaired’.”

Queering Hogwarts: How LGBTQ+ TikTok creators are reclaiming Harry Potter online – Gay Times Magazine

Kim Martel
-
0
Queering Hogwarts: How LGBTQ+ TikTok creators are reclaiming Harry Potter online – Gay Times Magazine

One day Marthe Woertman, 21, opened her app and saw DracoTok everywhere. At first, she was amused but the Dutch creator admits she “didn’t really get the hype around Draco” until she realised she could add her own twist with other characters. “I like the content and the way people created videos with actual parts of the movie and edited themselves in them. I thought that was really cool so I was like let me try that.”

Known for her glimpses into the fashion world and, now, odd character reenactments, the TikTok star reveals why she got involved in Harry Potter content. “There’s zero queer representation in the movies so that queer creators were like we’re gonna make it ourselves then, and that’s what I found fun,” she explains. “I feel like most of the age groups on TikTok have read or seen Harry Potter and when I was younger, I was a super big fan of it too.”

Marthe adds: “I always thought it was weird that there wasn’t that much LGBTQ+ representation, so I definitely think it’s a good thing that people are reclaiming it right now and putting themselves into it. After all, Harry Potter is a comfort series for such a lot of people. I made videos where I dressed up as a character and I made lesbian scenes with other Harry Potter characters. I made one with Luna Lovegood which I thought was funny, because, obviously, you don’t see that sort of thing in any of the movies, so I was like I’m gonna make it myself!”

Although DracoTok and Harry Potter TikTok videos can’t replace representation in the films or books, Marthe is convinced the social media retellings can be just as significant. “As a kid, growing up, I really missed gay representation in films. It always made me feel like I wasn’t accepted, so even in making these short videos and, even though mine are more joking, I really hope that it has a good effect on people. I hope it helps normalise queer representation a little bit,” she says. The 21-year-old even thinks the trend could come back around: “I think Harry Potter might actually stick around for a bit on TikTok. Haven’t people written fanfictions for the longest time – so isn’t this the same thing? It just feels like people are making fanfiction but in Tiktok videos, and people will always want to see that or want to create that.”

Fish Oil Helped My Stiff, Sore Neck Feel Better, So I Asked an Expert If There’s a Link – POPSUGAR

Kim Martel
-
0
Fish Oil Helped My Stiff, Sore Neck Feel Better, So I Asked an Expert If There’s a Link – POPSUGAR

My neck had gotten so stiff a few months ago that I was grimacing in pain just from tipping my head to one side or twisting around. All the neck stretches and foam-rolling in the world wasn’t making a lasting difference. I mentioned this to my doctor a few months ago, and she gave me an unexpected recommendation: taking a fish oil supplement every day, she said, would help with the soreness. I rummaged around in my medicine cabinet, found some fish oil pills gathering dust, and started taking them with dinner every night.

And it actually worked! My neck loosened up, and a few months since starting that regimen, I barely feel any kind of tightness. I get to twist and turn and roll my neck around to my heart’s content.

I was shocked it was that effective, actually, because medications typically don’t do anything for my muscle pain. Ibuprofen, Advil, even a prescription anti-inflammatory I took for a foot injury last year — nothing made a difference until I tried fish oil. So what was happening here? Can fish oil actually soothe soreness, and how? I talked to Trisha VanDusseldorp, PhD, CSCS, assistant professor of exercise science at Kennesaw State University, to find out.

Does Fish Oil Help With Muscle Soreness?

Fish oil “absolutely” helps with muscle soreness, Dr. VanDusseldorp told POPSUGAR. That’s because it reduces inflammation, which is what causes the pain of sore muscles: your muscle cells are inflamed and pressing down on your pain receptors, she explained. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil actually reduces that inflammation and the feeling of pain and soreness that comes with it.

How Much Fish Oil Should I Take For Sore Muscles?

Take between two and four gram of fish oil every day for max effectiveness, Dr. VanDusseldorp said. She led a study last year to find the most effective dosage, and says that’s “the ultimate dose” for most of us. Elite athletes might see a slight boost from taking six grams, but there’s “no major, significant differences” between six and the lower dosages.

You can expect to see a difference in the long-term, Dr. VanDusseldorp added. In other words, taking fish oil for a week before a marathon, for example, won’t be effective at preventing soreness. “You have to load the body with it,” she explained. You’ll start to see the benefits after six weeks of supplementation. She said you can take fish oil in capsule form or liquid, or (if you don’t or can’t eat fish products), an algae-based form is available and “just as effective.”

Should Everyone Take Fish Oil Supplements?

If you don’t eat two to four servings of fish a week, Dr. VanDusseldorp highly recommended taking fish oil supplements, “not only for muscle soreness, but for other health benefits as well,” such as easing joint pain, improving heart health, and increasing good cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, can even help lower levels of depression.

If soothing soreness is what you’re after though, also note that it doesn’t have to be the intense, exercise-related soreness you get after a tough workout; fish oil can also help with soreness related to, say, sitting too long, sleeping weird, or you know, randomly getting neck pain. “It can reduce whole-body inflammation,” Dr. VanDusseldorp said, citing research that showed fish oil is just as effective as NSAIDs like ibuprofen and Advil for reducing chronic back pain.

So if soreness is an issue for you, no matter where it is on your body or how long you’ve been dealing with it, check in with your doctor and give fish oil a try. If you’re not getting fish in your diet, “There’s no argument against taking it,” Dr. VanDusseldorp said.

Some LGBTQ People Are Saying ‘No Thanks’ to the Covid Vaccine – The New York Times

Kim Martel
-
0
Some LGBTQ People Are Saying ‘No Thanks’ to the Covid Vaccine – The New York Times

So far about 54 million people in the United States have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and of those nearly 28 million have been fully vaccinated. At Callen-Lorde and other medical centers that treat many L.G.B.T.Q. patients, health care workers say they have seen a higher demand for the vaccine among white patients compared to patients of color.

L.G.B.T. people of color were twice as likely as white non-L.G.B.T. people to test positive for Covid-19, according to a Williams Institute study published in February. Even though Black people are more at risk for contracting the disease, concerns about the vaccine are especially prevalent among this population, experts say. In a study published this month in the journal Vaccines, 1,350 men and transgender women who predominantly identified as gay or bisexual reported how likely they would be to get a Covid‐19 vaccine. The Black participants expressed significantly more vaccine hesitancy than their white peers, the study found.

Health care workers are encountering the same resistance in their patients. “Some people just literally said, ‘Well, no — Trump was involved in getting this vaccine going so I’m not going to get the vaccine,’” said Jill Crank, a nurse practitioner at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians in Baltimore.

Studies show that hesitancy about the Covid vaccine occurs across all demographic groups, including those in the medical profession. About three in 10 health care workers are hesitant about getting the vaccine, according to a survey published in December by K.F.F. (previously the Kaiser Family Foundation) compared to about a quarter of the general population.

Dezjorn Gauthier, 29, a Black transgender man who lives about 20 minutes from Milwaukee, said that although he is currently eligible to get the vaccine, he doesn’t want it.

“Right now it’s a no-go,” said Mr. Gauthier, a model and business owner who has Covid-19 antibodies because he contracted the coronavirus last year. The vaccine’s development moved “so rapidly and so quickly, it just has me a little bit hesitant,” he said, adding that he’s also unsure about the vaccine’s ingredients. “There’s a fear in the community.”

For members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, and especially people of color, the hesitancy stems, in part, from pre-existing mistrust in the medical establishment, the experts said.

Liam’s List March 5 Best-of-British Edition: Guide To Fitness, Food, Fun, While Social Distancing – CBS San Francisco

Kim Martel
-
0
Liam’s List March 5 Best-of-British Edition: Guide To Fitness, Food, Fun, While Social Distancing – CBS San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — KCBS reporter Liam Mayclem will be providing KPIX 5 users with a weekly tip list on how best to survive the current coronavirus outbreak. In honor of Royals Week on KPIX 5, here’s his Best of British in the Bay Area list.

BEST PINT:
PIG & WHISTLE, San Francisco
Nice selection of British ales and ciders and my fave Boddingtons. The pastries & pies are worth visiting for. The dartboard reminds me of pubs back home but it’s the warm hospitality by British bartenders that make the Pig & Whistle a right Royal treat.
facebook.com/Pig-and-Whistle-SF-118708431487082/

READ MORE: Bogus 911 Call Sends Officers Swarming Quiet Pleasant Hill Neighborhood

BEST GRUB:
COMMONWEALTH, Oakland
The Shepherd’s Pie is worth the trek to the East Bay but lots of other offerings like pot pies and sausage rolls also satisfy that longing for home.
commonwealthoakland.com

BEST FISH & CHIPS:
CODMOTHER, San Francisco
They are simply the best fish and chips this side of Westminster. The thrice-fried jumbo chips served with fresh cod in a naughty, crunchy, crispy beer batter hit the spot every time. The sounds of seagulls around the wharf echo the natural seaside soundtrack from home (UK).
codmother.com

BEST TEA:
LOVEY’S Pacifica
LOVEJOY’S, San Francisco
LOVEJOYS tearoom in San Francsico & sister shoppe in Pacific are as authentic a tea house can be. From dainty sandwiches to scones with jam and clotted cream PLUS a fine selection of British brews and cakes – LOVEJOYS IS the real deal. Get your fill, of a right proper British High Tea – you’ll be royally glad you did. Book ahead as tea times often sell out.
lovejoystearoom.com

BEST BRIT SHOP:
ROXIE MARKET, San Francisco
Every time I visit I am transported back to the old country and become an excited 10-year-old kid all over again.
There are many shops around the Bay selling British eats and treats but the selection here is unrivaled. From Mars bars to Toblerone chocolate, marmite to specialty jams, this spot has it all. If you love your Brit tea you will not be disappointed by the brew offerings here.
roxiemarket.com

BEST BRITISH PODCAST
HIGHCLERE CASTLE’S LADY CARNARVON
The Lady of the house at Highclere (Downtown Abbey) has a brilliant weekly podcast. She interviews the characters behind the castle and does virtual gin tastings and cocktail hours too. Much fun and available for download via the Highclere site.
ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/

BEST BRIT TV SHOW
GRAHAM NORTON, BBC AMERICA
Britain’s number 1 chat show host Graham Norton is actually Irish but he rules on TV in the UK and has quite the following here in the USA.
bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006xnzc

READ MORE: Face Mask Flouter Spits at San Jose Service Workers

BEST BRITISH TV HOST
JAMES CORDON, CBS
For six years British born Cordon has brought comedy & conversation & lots of music to late night TV on CBS. His segment Carpool Karaoke has invited the biggest of stars from Beyoncé to Paul McCartney for a sing along. The segments, downloaded more than a billion times have catapulted Cordon to internet mega-stardom. He’s also #1 in the “late late” night time slot.
cbs.com/shows/late-late-show/

BEST OVERALL PUB
CAMERONS, Half Moon Bay
This BRIT pub along Highway 1 wins my vote as the best overall Brit pub in the Bay. Along with a nice selection of British brews, there are many offerings like cottage pie & pasties & fish & chips. But the little Brit shop with tasty treats from home make this a mist stop for me anytime I am on the coast. The owner Cameron is Mr.Half Moon Bay and the resident honorary Brit.
cameronspub.net

BEST BRIT SPORTS BAR
KEZAR PUB, San Francisco
The Offical SF bar for Liverpool fans. The vibe is good, the pints perfect and Tv screens for viewing are aplenty.
facebook.com/KezarSF/

MUST SEE TV: OPRAH ROYAL SPECIAL
SUNDAY 8pm CBS
Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, featuring Oprah Winfrey as she sits down with Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for an intimate conversation for an exclusive primetime special to air Sunday, March 7th at 8:00 PM, ET/PT, only on CBS. Preview here.
youtu.be/y7LJrh5UTr4

That’s a Royal wrap in this all-British edition of Liam’s List.

Email me ideas: liamsf@aol.com

MORE NEWS: Researchers Use New Tools to Measure Underwater Sound Pollution in S.F. Bay

Follow me on socials @liammayclem

Brevard School guidelines on trans bathrooms and sports spur social media outrage – Florida Today

News Editor
-
0
Brevard School guidelines on trans bathrooms and sports spur social media outrage – Florida Today

A Brevard Public School District internal document listing accommodations for LGBT students, including allowing transgender children to use the bathrooms and play on sports teams consistent with their gender identities, began making the rounds on social media this week, prompting outrage from parents and public officials.

The guidance takes stances on several hot-button issues related to LGBT children that have appeared in court cases and legislation.

Students may dress as the gender with which they identify; should be referred to by their preferred names and pronouns, can access locker rooms and restrooms consistent with their gender identities “or be provided appropriate accommodations” and can participate in school clubs and activities, including interscholastic athletics, as the genders with which they identify, according to the document.

All students have the right to bring same-gender dates to school events, form and participate in LGBT-related organizations and decide when and with whom information about their sexual orientation and gender identities can be shared, according to the guidelines.

The document was shared Monday with school leaders as a reference guide to district practices, BPS spokesperson Russell Bruhn said.  Bruhn added that the practices have been in place for some time and are based on legislation and case law.

“Over the years it became apparent that at the school level, a hard document (for) principals and other school leaders on how to address situations to help all of our students be accommodated was needed,” Bruhn said.

More:Brevard School Board passes LGBT non-discrimination policy

The guidance keeps BPS in compliance with state and federal law and does not favor LGBT students over their peers, Bruhn said. He said the school district would not force a child to share a locker room or bathroom with a trans student.

“Our goal is to give every child an excellent education, and that’s every child,” Bruhn said. “So we make accommodations for them. Most of the accommodations are for trans children, but if (their peers) have a concern about somebody coming into a classroom, a bathroom, a locker room, their concerns are taken just as seriously as concerns of somebody who identifies as a gender they weren’t born as.”

But the guidance was ill-received by some conservative parents and public figures, who posted about it on Facebook. 

“I share your outrage over new ‘guidance’ from local education bureaucrats that would allow a student to claim a gender other than biologic fact without a parent’s permission, and which would allow boys access to girl’s locker rooms without notification of either the female students nor their parents,” State Rep. Randy Fine said in a Mar. 3 Facebook post. “This is absolutely unacceptable.

“I hate to break it to the local politicians and bureaucrats, but parents are in charge — not them. I assure you that during the legislative session, and as a member of House Education leadership, we will be working to resolve this insanity.”

By Friday, the post had gathered nearly 500 comments, most of them in agreement with Fine.

Fine told FLORIDA TODAY that he intends to support legislation in the Florida House that would limit trans girls’ participation in girls’ sports.

“This also increases my desire to expand school choice so parents are not forced to subject their children to these radical education bureaucrats,” Fine said.

Tina Descovich, a former school board member and founder of conservative group Moms for Liberty, also posted critically of the guidance on Facebook. She connected it to a 2016 school board meeting in which the board voted to add “gender identity” to the district’s nondiscrimination policy. At the time, she said, the public was assured that changing the policy would not result in changes like those listed in the document.

More:Harry T. and Harriet V. Moore honored by School Board resolution that creates new curriculum in Brevard

“Parents that spoke (myself included) were told this policy adjustment had nothing to do with restrooms, locker rooms etc. and the change would not impact anything other than helping LGBTQ students feel like they had more protection from being bullied,” Descovich wrote.

Brevard School Board Chair Misty Belford, who voted in favor of the non-discrimination policy in 2016, said the vote had little to do with the practices outlined in the document.

“We had lots of discussion at the time because people were calling it the bathroom policy, and we were like, ‘Look, this has nothing to do with bathrooms,’” Belford said. “But then in 2020 a case came down in (federal court) that said we must allow students to use the bathroom with which they identify.”

Belford was referring to a case in Florida’s 11th district court in which a high schooler who had transitioned from female to male was told to use the female or gender neutral restrooms or face discipline. In August, a judge ruled that school discriminated against the student.

Belford said the BPS guidance would likely be a topic of discussion at Tuesday’s school board meeting to clarify the policy.

Regardless of parents’ concerns, decisions about how trans students can dress, use the bathroom and participate in sports are often not in the hands of the School Board, and the school district is bound to state laws, policies and legal precedent, Belford said.

“When we’re elected, we take an oath to uphold the laws and the Constitution of the State of Florida and the United States of America,” Belford said. “A lot of that is really outside of our ability to make changes. It’s what’s happening in the court system and at the federal level and the state level. … Our community and even our representatives are unaware of that.”

Bailey Gallion is the education reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallion at 321-242-3786 or bgallion@floridatoday.com.

TikTok Superstar Emma Horn Chats To Us On Being Unapologetically Gay And Making TikToks With Your Mum – Girlfriend

Kim Martel
-
0
TikTok Superstar Emma Horn Chats To Us On Being Unapologetically Gay And Making TikToks With Your Mum – Girlfriend

WATCH: Emma Horn dancing with her girlfriend, Bernie Van Tiel

Over on TikTok, Em makes comedic skits about everyday just LGBTQIA+ things—from when people assume she’s str-🤢-straight-🤮 to how lesbians flirt on the street; dances and lip-syncs to PSAs about labels, coming out, and pronouns; and don’t even get us started on those so-cute-I-could-literally-combust-into-flames videos with her girlfriend and hip hop artist, Bernie Van Tiel. Catch us calling up the morgue because we are dead.

Simply put, it’s the way she’s unapologetically queer and giving a voice to young queer girls, reminding us during all of our darkest moments that there’s a happier colourful road at the end of the tunnel. Never mind the moment she asked her mum who she’d rather date: Ruby Rose or Kristen Stewart? 

So, it’s no surprise that the Sydney-based queen is one of TikTok’s Mardi Gras ambassadors—alongside MUA Meissa Mason and G-Flip. To celebrate, Girlfriend chatted to the viral internet celebrity about how TikTok celebrates being queer unlike any other platform, what Mardi Gras means to her, her loving relationship with her girlfriend and what it’s like making TikToks with your mum.

The theme at this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is “Rise.” What do you use your platform to rise for?

“Rise is an amazing word. I think for me, my platform is all about embracing you for YOU no matter who you are, what age you are or what your sexuality is. Embracing your colour and letting the world see it!”

Maybe it’s just my FYP, but I’ve found that the TikTok community is more welcoming and openly queer. And, looking at your own TikToks, they’re charmingly and unashamedly queer. What is it about TikTok do you think has let people be so confessional and given queer people a voice? 

“You are so right! The rainbow TikTok community is very very accepting and beautifully loud (we love it!).”

“The amazing thing about TikTok is that it allows people to find their community so easily, there are a lot of minority groups that have really risen up and are shining through the app and I honestly believe that it is because they have finally been given the opportunity to be celebrated for being themselves! TikTok is one of the most diverse platforms out there and I’m really proud to be an ambassador.”

WATCH: Emma Horn’s mum plays “who would you rather date” with Ruby Rose and Kristen Stewart.

I still think about that “Who Would You Rather” TikTok you did with your mum and how she rated Ruby Rose over Kirsten Stewart. Has making these TikToks helped explore your own queer identity?

“Hahaha I love that you watched that—my mum is such a trooper and she’s really so hilarious. Oh 100% it has, I don’t believe that we ever truly “find” our identity, I think it’s more so a journey and we grow each day from our experiences.”

“So in making these lgbtq+ TikToks, I’ve come to learn a lot more about how I want to express myself in regards to my queerness and even gender. It’s okay to be fluid and confident! To anyone who is reading this, don’t put yourself in a box—you can be whatever you like and it’s okay if that changes every day!”

What’s your relationship like with your mum? She seems like a great loving ally.

“I am extremely lucky to have the mum that I do. She has always supported me from the moment I came out in 2017, to the moment I am co hosting a TikTok LIVE with Courtney Act (Mum is a huge drag queen fan!) for Mardi Gras!”

“But what I love about my mumma is that she not only supports my journey, she also asks questions! She understands that learning about people and the LGBTQIA+ community is so important to being a great ally, and I’m grateful that she has that heart and mindset because it brings us closer.”

“I live in another state from her so we have a lot of three hour long phone calls but when we do see each other our relationship is probably one you would see in a comedy movie of some sort (we are both huge weirdos and I love it!). Love you Mum x”

 What does Mardi Gras mean to you?

“Mardi Gras means no apologising! We live in a society that doesn’t always celebrate our identity and Mardi Gras is a time that we get to take over, throw away any judgement and fill the streets with love! It gives me the strength to keep going for the rest of the year.”

WATCH: Emma Horn dances to a song she made about labels within the LGBTQIA+ community

What does it mean for you to be a TikTok ambassador for Mardi Gras?

“Honestly, any platform I’m given that allows me to inspire others to express their real selves – I am here for it! I create content for my community and the fact that TikTok is helping so many of us creators do that is wonderful. It’s also so exciting, so stay tuned to see me dancing around while the magical G Flip performs at the Mardi parade! Woohoo!”

What advice do you have for people who might be celebrating Mardi Gras for the first time?

“Nothing is too much honey! Seriously—go big and try a daring look that you’ve never tried before but have always wanted to! It’s a time for expression and self exploration—you’ll never be judged here. Oh and prepare for glitter all over your clothes for months later!”

What advice do you have for people who live in rural towns or places where there isn’t a local event for Mardi Gras?

“Oh I truly wish we could bring the parade to every state and every town because I want all of you to experience it! However—don’t worry, I wasn’t exposed to Mardi Gras growing up and I was raised in rural communities too. So it’s never too late! In the meantime—throw your own party in your bedroom if you have to, chuck on some glitter and your favourite gay anthems and you can even watch it on TV too! Mardi Gras is really just a celebration of yourself, so YOU are all you need to feel the magic.”

WATCH: Emma Horn and her girlfriend, Bernie Van Tiel

We’re absolutely in love with you and your girlfriend—or should we say cutest couple award winners— and I think it’s really important that young queer people see and hear about IRL queer love stories. Can you tell us about your relationship and how you met?

“I definitely agree—we need to see more authentic queer representations in film and TV. My girlfriend Bernie and I are both actors as well, so we feel strongly that queer actors should be given the platform now to play the queer roles! It’s time! But, yes, our relationship haha. She really is so great and I feel blessed to have met her so early on in my coming out journey.”

“We actually met through mutual friends and she pulled me on the dance floor one night and truly, the rest was history. It didn’t happen fast per say, but I think we knew early on that we were meant to be.” 

“But don’t get me wrong, yes we make cute TikToks and singing videos BUT we are extreme weirdos and have a lot of silly fun together, that’s the best part of being in a relationship with her. I’m one proud girlfriend.”

GOP seizes on women’s sports as unlikely wedge issue – POLITICO

News Editor
-
0
GOP seizes on women’s sports as unlikely wedge issue – POLITICO

“This issue will help [the] GOP win midterms,” said Stephen Miller, the former Trump White House aide who helped advise the former president on his CPAC speech.

Some Republicans say touting the issue will unite two key elements of a winning electoral coalition: the party’s socially conservative base, which mostly rejects the expansion of gay and transgender rights, and more moderate voters in the suburbs, who are less reliable GOP supporters but may revolt against what they see as Democratic overreach.

“It’s a cross-cutting issue,” Miller added. “Biden’s activist staff are clearly making him embrace policies that alienate non-ideological voters.”

But Republicans’ claim as defenders of women’s sports is a tenuous one, at best. For the duration of Trump’s presidency, he was largely at odds with women athletes at the collegiate and professional levels, with most championship teams refusing to visit the White House in protest of his policies and personal treatment of women. And just last month, former appointed Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), who introduced a bill last September to prohibit transgender women from competing in gender-segregated sports, sold her stake in Atlanta’s WNBA franchise after the players on the team openly campaigned for the Democrat who defeated her, now-Sen. Raphael Warnock, in a special election in January.

“If Republicans are thoughtfully talking about this — by being supportive of transgender Americans while identifying an equity issue — it could be attractive to more moderate suburban voters. But if it’s introduced cruelly or as a way to ‘shame the libs,’ this isn’t going to be helpful,” said veteran GOP strategist Rob Stutzman.

Several prominent Republican officials and potential 2024 hopefuls have already begun testing messages around women’s sports. Some claim transgender women enjoy performance advantages over their cisgender teammates and competitors, and could thus cause the latter group to lose out on scholarships and collegiate opportunities. Currently, the National Collegiate Athletic Association requires transgender women to undergo 12 months of treatment to suppress testosterone before they are permitted to compete with other women.

Others claim trans-inclusive sports policies are an infringement on women’s rights or a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that paved the way for women’s equality in sports and education.

“Across the sporting world, the game is being rigged against women and in favor of biological men,” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is widely expected to launch a 2024 presidential bid, wrote in a National Review op-ed last month.

Haley accused Biden of “paving the way for a federal mandate that all schools receiving federal funding let biological men play on women’s sports teams” after he signed an executive order to curtail discrimination against LGBTQ people in healthcare, housing and schools at the beginning of his term. “The order was framed as a matter of transgender rights. But really, it was an attack on women’s rights.”

The issue has been percolating at the state level since early 2020, when several Republican-led states began pushing for bills to limit or ban the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. But the recent attention is part of a sharper focus on cultural issues that conservatives believe could resonate with the swing-state suburbanites whose support the GOP hemorrhaged last fall.

“This is the wedge issue that will bring suburban women back to the polls and increase their support for Republicans, and Republicans would be foolish not to lean into it,” said Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, a socially conservative group that has been privately urging Republicans to take on the subject since last year.

“I hear from mothers all the time who are getting up at the crack of dawn to take their daughters to swim practice or attending all-weekend track meets, and they do not want biological men competing on their daughters’ teams. They know that it would be detrimental to their daughters’ abilities to achieve scholarships and recognition,” Nance added.

Much of the GOP rhetoric surrounding women’s sports can be traced to Biden’s efforts on LGTBQ issues during his first weeks as president and the recent House passage of the Equality Act, which would expand anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans. In addition to taking executive action, Biden recently directed his administration to withdraw government support for a lawsuit against the state of Connecticut that seeks to block transgender athletes from competing in girls’ high school sports.

Proponents of the House bill and Biden’s actions dismissed conservative efforts to use women’s sports as a cudgel against Democrats as cruel and unlikely to yield the results Republicans desire in next year’s midterm elections.

“If Republicans want to earn the votes of suburban women, the issue that’s going to do it for them is being effective on issues that folks are having to confront at the dinner table. This is not that issue,” said Kate Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel at the Human Rights Campaign.

Oakley also cited the Connecticut court case as a reason to reject GOP “fear-mongering” around women’s sports, noting that Selina Soule, the lead plaintiff in the case, is now a track athlete at the College of Charleston. Oakley also pointed to recent instances in which Republican state legislators who have backed bills to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports have struggled to identify cases in their own states where an issue arose over a transgender athlete.

“This is an issue that’s completely manufactured,” Oakley said. “There are certainly folks who have daughters who are truly college-bound — and then there are parents who, let’s be honest, think that their daughters are. The time has passed for these arguments, and they’re going to fall apart really quickly.”

But conservative operatives who are hoping that Republicans will maintain a focus on women’s sports in the coming months claimed that they are simply adopting an approach first used by their political opponents.

“This is what Democrats do so well that Republicans don’t,” said Terry Schilling, executive director of the American Principles Project, a group that launched anti-transgender ads about women’s sports during the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial race and 2020 general election. “They bring up the statistic of violence against transgender people — and you look at the numbers, and it’s, like, 40 people.” (An HRC report published last November identified at least 37 instances in which transgender or gender non-confirming people were killed in 2020).

One potential roadblock for Republicans who have latched onto women’s sports as a new wedge issue — from Haley and Trump to Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley — is that a growing number of GOP voters support nondiscrimination laws and protections for LGBTQ Americans. For example, a poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute last year found that 61 percent of Republicans supported nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans, up 5 percentage points from the year prior.

Republicans aren’t unanimously behind the strategy. Two sources familiar with the matter said Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel was part of a coalition of Trump advisers who encouraged the former president not to wade into transgender issues during his reelection campaign. And in response to a POLITICO inquiry over whether the RNC has any plans for messaging around women’s sports, spokesperson Mandi Merritt offered no indication that the committee would join Republican lawmakers and governors in their criticism of trans-inclusive sports policies.

“Republicans are proud to have doubled our LGBT support over the last four years, and we will continue to grow our big tent by supporting measures that promote fairness and effectively balance protections for LGBT Americans and those with deeply held religious beliefs,” Merritt said in an emailed statement.

Meanwhile, Stutzman warned that current figures who are talking about transgender issues — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who hung a sign outside her Capitol Hill office last week that read, “There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. Trust the science!” — have failed to introduce “a nuanced perspective” and run the risk of making the GOP appear generally transphobic.

“Every once in a while there’s an issue that has people frustrated even outside of the culture wars, and I think there is probably political grounds to be gained in the suburbs if Republicans across the spectrum can approach this correctly,” he said.

The topic already appears to be gaining attention among GOP candidates who are looking to make inroads with suburban voters while also burnishing their conservative credentials. In a fundraising email sent to her supporters this week, Ohio Senate candidate Jane Timken, a staunch Trump supporter and former state GOP chair, accused Democrats of pursuing “a mission to create a completely UNFAIR playing field for young girls and women.”

1...406407408...466Page 407 of 466
© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv