Hey, #WCW!
Do you feel very Shane today? Outfits of “The L Word” might just be the perfect accessory to your leather two-piece. OK, I am biased because I started this account, but it needed to happen. And it is directly inspired by my friend Chelsea Fairless who does an INCREDIBLE, INSPIRING Insta account called Every Outfit On “Sex and the City” that you need to follow immediately (if you don’t already). So should you be interested in snarky commentary on early-to-mid-2000s ideas of L.A. lesbian fashions, join me in this dance down memory lane/so much screencapping.
The Village Voice is having their first ever Pride Awards honoring “local and global heroes in the LGBTQ movement.” Alan Cumming will host the awards ceremony, which will take place June 21 along with a VIP event at NYC’s Capitale. Honorees and performers for the evening have yet to be announced, but we’ll keep you posted.
The cast of “3 Generations” (Susan Sarandon, Elle Fanning and Naomi Watts) share why their trans-themed film “poses a question and gets people conversing and having a dialogue.” I haven’t seen it yet, but I do know many trans friends of mine aren’t so thrilled about the casting of Fanning in a trans role, and also how writer/director Gaby Dellal misgendered the trans teen, Ray, in an interview where she defended her casting choice: “The part is a girl and she is a girl who is presenting in a very ineffectual way as a boy. She’s not pretending to have a deeper voice. She’s just a girl who is being herself and is chasing the opportunity to start hormone treatment. So to actually use a trans boy was not an option because this isn’t what my story is about.” So perhaps we move on from these coming out narratives sooner-than-later so that trans actors can be cast in trans roles where the story is not just about their asking everyone in the world to accept their transitions. Anyway, if the film does, as Ms. Sarandon said, get people in a dialogue about something like that, then perhaps it will be successful.
If anyone is a true lezbro, it’s W. Kamau Bell. In an excerpt from his new memoir, “The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell:T ales of a 6′ 4″, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian,” Bell writes about how racist show biz truly is. In his essay “Awkward Thoughts about White Guys,” he shares how the only person in his life who seemed to truly not care about the money she could make off of his success was “my East Bay lesbian friend-collaborator Martha.” “[She] just had a ‘Let me know if you need me’ vibe,” Bell writes. “I suddenly really appreciated that. And later, I would run to my ‘in case of emergency’ lesbian activist in a glass case and break the glass.” Every straight dude needs one!
Queer prof Karen Tongson teaches at USC and also records a podcast called Pop Rocket where she hosts a panel of Los Angeles “luminaries” to weigh in on hot topics from pop culture. One recent episode touched on lesbianism on TV.
Pansexual, agender rapper Angel Haze has finally released a new video for her track “Resurrection.” They spoke with Billboard about how their identity, which is worth sharing:
“Oh my god, that s–t is crazy because it still exists in my day-to day life — knowing what Christians or the world may perceive as wrong, is a part of me. I fight myself sometimes on whether or not I just want to be straight, or just be f–king gay so that I can get it all over with. It’s a push and a pull, definitely.
When I was young because I didn’t understand what was going on. I didn’t understand that I could be attracted to men and women at the same time. I went through a lot of s–t. It really takes a toll on you. I have a lot of fans who are lesbian and gay, or even just queer in general. Everybody needs to have patience with themselves. At the end of the day, all of our opinions are informed by the pressures of other people.
My opinion of myself for such a long time was like, ‘You’re disgusting and you’re wrong and it’s immoral.’ Then I was like, ‘What the f–k? Love is not wrong, in any way, shape, or form.’ I believe that God loves us all. Every sin is equal in his eyes — no man is f–king greater, no man is less than any other one. So I don’t judge people and I don’t judge myself by that anymore. It still is really f–king liberating.”
So if Donald Trump feels like signing an executive order that allows widespread discrimination against LGBTQs of any age, the ACLU, Lambda Legal and other pro-equality orgs are ready to fight. Because Anna should still be alive.
Meanwhile, companies extending the same kind of rights and policies to LGBTQ workers as straight, cis ones are doing the right thing. (Duh.) If your employer does not seem to agree, feel free to anonymously email him/her this Newsweek piece, or at least this excerpt: “When companies fail to protect their LGBT employees against discrimination in the workplace, the consequences can be serious. Imagine what it would be like to go to work every day and hide who you are. Imagine not being able to put family photos on your desk, changing pronouns when you talk about your weekend, or living with the constant fear that you can’t go about your daily life like other people.” Not hard to imagine for some of you, I bet.
A queer Muslim sex worker shares her story, and you can listen to the (free!) podcast version on iTunes, audioBoom or RSS.
Geoffrey R. Stone‘s new book “Sex and the Constitution” has a lot to say on LGBTQ life in America, especially as it relates to the community’s fears of publishing queer periodicals, being identified as homosexual and arrested for it, and how AIDS furthered a much-needed conversation on sexual liberation. Essentially, the world is a much freer and more inclusive place because of our ancestors and the fights they fought to create the progress that we have today, and that we should continue to expand upon in the future. We can’t ever forget that.
This music video is creepy and clearly not made by any actual lesbians. Says the male director: “This music video is completely different from the existing ones produced by us. Watchers will receive something new and different. I hope this strange same-sex love story will be liked and appreciated by the watchers. Being Lesbian or Gay is quite natural and society should accept it. They should not be discriminated.” STRANGE INDEED.
Sarah Paulson just bought a house (from Emma Roberts) and there was a secret pool underneath the ground in the backyard. I thought you should know.
OK, have a great Hump Day!
What Do You Think?