LeAnn Rimes Receives the HRC Ally For Equality Award
On March 25, 2017, HRC honored internationally acclaimed music icon Leann Rimes with the organization’s Ally for Equality Award at the HRC Nashville Equality Dinner.
Daily Archives: March 27, 2017
‘Sexiest’ Man Alive’, An Epic ‘Feud’, Ab Fab’ and More TV This Week
‘Sexiest’ Man Alive’, An Epic ‘Feud’, Ab Fab’ and More TV This Week
Check out our weekly guide to TV this week, and make sure you’re catching the big premieres, crucial episodes and the stuff you won’t admit you watch when no one’s looking.
If you’re as man-crazy as we are, you’ll want to relive the hunks of decades past with People Icons Tuesday at 10 p.m. Eastern on ABC. The season finale focuses on the hotties that have snatched the title of Sexiest Man Alive on the magazine’s cover.
The weird and wild X-Men spinoff Legion wraps its strange first season Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern on FX. Here’s hoping Aubrey Plaza returns for next season, because she’s the best part of this series starring Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens.
Hello, hello, hello! Valerie Cherish herself Lisa Kudrow makes a guest spot on the next episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. This Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern we’ll (hopefully) get to learn the identity of the mystery queen and more bewigged bedlam from the competition. Miss the first episode? Catch up with our recap.
We’re going to assume you already saw Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie in theaters (at least once), but if you’re looking to rewatch at home with a cocktail in hand, catch the HBO premiere Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Fans of Feud: Bette and Joan should be strap in for a real doozy Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern on FX. The series will tackle one of the most memorable moments in their epic rivalry, and you will not want to miss it. Want to relive the season so far? Catch up with our recaps.
What are you watching this week on TV?
The post ‘Sexiest’ Man Alive’, An Epic ‘Feud’, Ab Fab’ and More TV This Week appeared first on Towleroad.
‘Sexiest’ Man Alive’, An Epic ‘Feud’, Ab Fab’ and More TV This Week
The New Numbers on What N.C. Is Losing
The New Numbers on What N.C. Is Losing
The state has already lost billions of dollars in business that went elsewhere.
www.advocate.com/politics/2017/3/27/new-numbers-what-nc-losing
Andrew Rannells on Elijah’s game-changing episode of ‘Girls’
Andrew Rannells on Elijah’s game-changing episode of ‘Girls’
If New York was the fifth rich white lady on Sex and the City, Elijah is the fifth girl on Girls. Introduced in the show’s first season as Hannah’s college ex who had only recently come out as gay, the character, played by Tony nominee Andrew Rannells, quickly became a fixture. In a show that has been characterized by its “unlikeable” characters, Rannells has played Elijah as a viper-tongued, unflinchingly bitchy gay guy whose self-involvement has been rivaled only by Allison Williams’s Marnie—who he fully slapped in one episode! And yet, Elijah never came off as a one dimensional caricature; he was less a stereotype than a very specific type of gay guy that you might actually meet at a gay bar and, unlike the mopey homos on Looking, actually want to hang out with.
The most recent episode of Girls’ sixth and final season devoted more time to Elijah than ever before, following the seemingly feckless man-child from his day job at Henri Bendel to an audition for a musical adaptation of White Men Can’t Jump opening on Broadway. It’s an episode that propels the character into whatever comes next for him once the final credits roll on Girls. On the Monday after “Bonce” premiered on HBO, Rannells called Queerty to discuss his character’s moment in the spotlight, what kind of gay uncle he would be, and why Elijah can’t have a spin-off.
So by 10:30 last night, there were already like two posts about you and your character on Vulture. Did you expect the episode to create such a stir?
It’s very nice that it did. No, I didn’t. I didn’t expect it, but I’m happy that people enjoyed it. I have to say, when we filmed it over the summer—it’s always sort of hard to tell what reactions are gonna be, because I think we filmed that episode in late July, like the first part of August. So, so much time has passed that it’s not like I forgot about it, but all of a sudden seeing it, it’s like, Oh, god! People are actually going to watch that! You sort of forget.
When you are filming, how much of a sense do you get of what the episode is going to ultimately be like?
It’s tricky, because, you know, as an actor you only have control over so much, and then your performance gets put in the hands of the director and the editor. At this point, six seasons in, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what things might look like based on our different directors. Last night’s episode was directed by Richard Shepherd who’s also one of our producers and I’ve worked with him quite a bit on Girls. So I felt like I sort of know Richard’s style and I sort of know what he goes for. You can kind of get a sense, even while you’re doing it, of what takes might be used. But last night was also sort of a departure—my storyline anyway—from what Girls normally is, and there were a lot of moving parts to the episode. New characters, people we haven’t seen before. Obviously musical elements and dance elements, things that we generally don’t do on Girls. So that was a little bit of a mystery. It was exciting to see it all come together.
In a way this episode felt similar to “Panic in Central Park” the Season 5 episode that focused solely on Marnie. Was this kind of Elijah’s swan song?
He’s still around for the rest of the season, but yes, this is definitely his big moment, and I was very grateful to Lena for sort of giving him this real estate in this final season. I’ve always felt like I’ve gotten to be a very developed character and not just a sidekick, but it’s nice to be give a chance to do a few more tricks and have a little more screen time.
What did this episode mean for the character?
I think particularly in this final season, with Elijah finding out about Hannah’s pregnancy and having that be such a huge wake-up call to basically get his shit together, I think he’s in real denial about where he is in his life and his age and where he should be in the progression of his life. I think he had to very quickly figure out what he’s going to do with himself. He can’t just be kicking around working side jobs and day-drinking for the rest of his life. So this was a big wake-up call for him. It was an important episode for him just to start to figure out what his goals are and what he actually wants to do with himself.
He definitely had a very strong reaction to hearing that Hannah is pregnant. What kind of gay uncle do you think he’d ultimately be?
I think he’d eventually be a great gay uncle. Maybe not so good with a baby.
Like you said, he’s finally getting his shit together at the ripe old age of 28. What was life as an actor like for you when you were 28?
I was a little bit further along, but I think that was around the time that I really had to make a decision, if I was really gonna go all-in for this career. I had done one Broadway show. I had done Hairspray for like a year and a half, which was a great experience, but it didn’t quite move the needle as far as I thought it was going to professionally. I realized that I needed to get very serious and really devote myself to this career if I really wanted to make a go of it. So it was around that time that I applied myself in a much different way.
Corey Stoll’s character Dill showed up again, and he mentions that he thinks he’s broken because his father abandoned him to followed the Maharishi or whatever. Why do you think Elijah is broken?
I don’t think he’s broken. It’s just that there are so many ways to get distracted in the city.
When we first meet him in Season 1, he’s just coming out, which honestly always felt like kind of a false note for this guy. Did you and Lena or Jenni Konner ever discuss why he stayed closeted for so long?
Not really. The way I always thought of it was that he was out to everybody in his life except Hannah. Which I guess isn’t that rare in that kind of college relationship.
I think gay guys have a very complicated relationship with representations of themselves in media. Do you have a sense of how other gay guys have responded to Elijah?
I never really felt any pressure to represent gay men in this role. When I was in The New Normal, that was a show about a gay couple in the surrogacy process. It was dealing with things that were very topical and it was Justin Bartha and I kind of as the focus, so I did feel a little more of that pressure on that show.
People tend to conflate some of the female characters on the show with the actresses playing them, particularly Lena Dunham. Have you experienced anything similar playing Elijah?
We’re lucky that people don’t tend to do that with the guys on the show. People don’t think that Alex [Karpovsky] is Ray. No one thinks that Ebon [Moss-Bachrach] is Desi.
This is the first character that you’ve really lived with for a number of years.
Yeah, it is, and, you know, it’s similar to what I did in theater, where I played characters for years. But you’re playing the same moments every night. With TV, there are always different situations to explore how a character would react. How would Elijah interact with a stranger? What is Elijah like in an audition?
So, what’s it like leaving him behind after playing him for six seasons?
I feel like I’ve just kind of put him in a box on a shelf. There’s always the chance to take him out again someday.
More than one person has suggested Elijah should get his own spin-off. Would you be up for it?
I’d certainly be up for it. I don’t think HBO would be up for it.
House Intel Chair Devin Nunes Admits to Reviewing Surveillance Docs at White House Before Briefing Trump
House Intel Chair Devin Nunes Admits to Reviewing Surveillance Docs at White House Before Briefing Trump
This morning reports emerged that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the House Intelligence Committee Chair, reviewed classified documents at the White House the day before he unilaterally relayed that information to Donald Trump and later made a breathless announcement to the press that the intel contained information that Trump and his advisors may have been captured in incidental surveillance of other targets.
On Monday afternoon, Nunes admitted that he did review the documents at the White House, the Washington Post reports:
Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) went to the White House last week “in order to have proximity to a secure location where he could view the information provided by the source,” Nunes’s spokesman, Jack Langer, said in a statement. Langer said that Nunes also met an unidentified source on the White House grounds.
Langer said that because the information had not been provided to Congress, Nunes could not have used secure facilities at the Capitol to review it. He added that “the White House grounds was the best location to safeguard the proper chain of custody and classification of these documents.”
Nunes has still not relayed the specifics of the documents he reviewed to the other members of the House Intel Committee and canceled a meeting that was scheduled to be held today.
Senator Chuck Schumer on Monday called for House Speaker Paul Ryan to replace Nunes as the head of the committee.
Said Schumer: “Without further ado, Speaker Ryan should replace Chairman Nunes. If Speaker Ryan wants the House to have a credible investigation, he needs to replace Chairman Nunes.”
.@SenSchumer: “If @SpeakerRyan wants the House to have a credible investigation he needs to replace Chairman Nunes.” pic.twitter.com/UL4ihema83
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 27, 2017
The post House Intel Chair Devin Nunes Admits to Reviewing Surveillance Docs at White House Before Briefing Trump appeared first on Towleroad.
The Crucial Role Young Advocates Are Playing in Raising Transgender Visibility
The Crucial Role Young Advocates Are Playing in Raising Transgender Visibility
This Friday, LGBTQ and allied communities around the globe will mark International Transgender Day of Visibility. This year poses new challenges for the rights of transgender people as President Trump and states across the country are aiming to roll back their rights. It’s critical — now more than ever — that we recognize the advocates and allies who are working tirelessly to bring trans issues to the forefront.
Ahead of the annual event, HRC wanted to highlight a growing group of visible trans and gender fluid youth advocates, as well as their families, who are helping change the hearts and minds of millions. Several on our list have already helped spark a national conversation around what it means to be transgender.
Last year, at just nine years old, Avery Jackson made history by becoming the first transgender person to appear on the cover of National Geographic, spurring conversations around gender identity in living rooms across the country. Throughout her journey, Avery has been supported by her mom Debi Jackson, a fierce advocate in her own right who made waves when a video of her speech advocating for her daughter before a mother’s association meeting went viral in 2014.
As more trans youth continue to live authentic lives, it’s more important than ever for their families to become vocal advocates as well. Parents like JR — who is also a member of HRC’s Trans Equality Council — became a staunch public ally for his daughter Ellie after she came out as transgender at four years old.
Trans youth need allies not only at home but in all areas of life, including school. HRC understands how crucial it is for trans students to have a safe and inclusive learning environment, which is why we initiated our Welcoming Schools program, so that transgender and gender-expansive youth know they’re supported in and outside of the classroom.
These types of programs are critical to LGBTQ young people as many lack crucial support from their families, and instead are rejected, leaving them at greater risk for homelessness, substance abuse, depression, and suicide. Up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ.
Thanks in large part to social media, the culture has begun to shift regarding issues of gender. Social platforms like Facebook and Tinder have dozens of options for users’ gender, a reality featured in the latest issue of TIME on the diversity of gender identities. Moreover, young people remain far more open minded to gender fluidity, with 20 percent of millennials compared to seven percent of baby boomers who say they are something other than cisgender, according to TIME.
Those changing attitudes have helped other notable trans youth like Gavin Grimm and Jazz Jennings to embrace their truest selves in the most public way possible.
Jennings, 16, has captivated viewers by documenting her life on TLC’s GLAAD Award winning docu-series, I Am Jazz and appearing in TIME’s 25 Most Influential Teens — twice. She is also an author of a self-title memoir, Being Jazz, and co-founded the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, which helps assists trans youth.
Just a high school senior, Grimm’s fight to be respected and protected at school, including by using the restroom that corresponds with his gender identity, has catapulted his story across the national headlines. Grimm’s case was slated for the Supreme Court before it was sent back to the Fourth Circuit for further review — it would’ve been the first time the nation’s highest court heard a case regarding transgender rights.
Even though the decision to vacate Grimm’s case to a lower court is a disappointing setback, his story has already resonated with millions about what’s at stake for transgender rights.
To learn more about the resources available to transgender children and families, please visit, our coming out guide; Schools in Transition, a best practices guide for supporting transgender youth at school; or additional resources at hrc.org/trans-youth.
Iowa Lawmaker: 'Anything You Say About a Gay Is a Gay Slur'
Iowa Lawmaker: 'Anything You Say About a Gay Is a Gay Slur'
We’re just too sensitive, according to state Rep. Ralph Watts, recently accused of using the derogatory term “red rider” to describe a gay man.
www.advocate.com/politicians/2017/3/27/iowa-lawmaker-anything-you-say-about-gay-gay-slur
Instagram is about to start blurring out sexy selfies
Instagram is about to start blurring out sexy selfies
New Instagram rules may be putting a damper on the proliferation of shirtless selfies on your feed.
Related: PHOTOS: The hottest guys of Super Bowl 51 steaming up Instagram
Soon, the site will start classifying even slightly suggestive photos as “sensitive content,” blurring selected images and videos on your feed in much the same way Twitter does.
Related: PHOTOS: The cutest bromosexual couples on Instagram
According to a post on Instagram’s blog:
Soon you may notice a screen over sensitive photos and videos when you scroll through your feed or visit a profile. While these posts don’t violate our guidelines, someone in the community has reported them and our review team has confirmed they are sensitive. This change means you are less likely to have surprising or unwanted experiences in the app. If you’d like to see a post that is covered with a screen, simply tap to reveal the photo or video.
Right now, it remains unclear whether users will be able to opt out having some content blurred, and what exactly will and won’t be considered “sensitive content” in the first place.
Related: This Week In Leaks: Steve Grand Shows The World His Giant, Oozing Caulk Gun
Troubling questions abound.
Will Instagram’s prude new rules turn Steve Grand’s account into one big blur?
It actually snowed all last night. So here is a #TBT to better times, like last week, when I was in Australia and it was sunny and warm! #speedoboy
A post shared by Steve Grand (@stevegrandmusic) on
Will 90% of Joe Jonas’ photographs be deemed “too sensitive” for the masses?
?? put me in coach ?? @avaknightboxing ? @dennisleupold
A post shared by J O E J O N A S (@joejonas) on
Will this footage of Pietro Boselli frolicking around with chickens be considered too risqué?
Will these draconian new rules singlehandedly destroy Alex Bowen’s career?
A post shared by A L E X B O W E N (@ab_bowen) on
What do you think of the new rules? Will they make Instagram totally lame, or is it no big deal? Sound off in the comments below.
Harry Styles, Jared Kushner, The Handmaid’s Tail, Tetiaro, Chuck Grassley, Stormzy, Cyclone Debbie, Ludi Lin: HOT LINKS
Harry Styles, Jared Kushner, The Handmaid’s Tail, Tetiaro, Chuck Grassley, Stormzy, Cyclone Debbie, Ludi Lin: HOT LINKS
INNOVATION OFFICE. Jared Kushner to lead new White House department. “The White House Office of American Innovation, to be led by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, will operate as its own nimble power center within the West Wing and will report directly to Trump. Viewed internally as a SWAT team of strategic consultants, the office will be staffed by former business executives and is designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington, float above the daily political grind and create a lasting legacy for a president still searching for signature achievements.”
CYCLONE DEBBIE. Australia’s Queensland state faces down massive hurricane: “Thousands of Australians fled their homes on Monday as a powerful cyclone bore down on coastal towns in Queensland, where authorities urged 30,000 people to evacuate low-lying areas most at risk from tidal surges and winds of up to 185 miles per hour.”
QUESTIONS. Senator Chuck Grassley wants to know who funded dossier on Trump: “The chairman of the Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Fusion GPS—a firm that reportedly hired former British spy Christopher Steele to investigate the then-GOP candidate—asking for details on Steele, his clients, and whether they shared the document with the FBI. ”
TETIARO. Obama to travel to South Pacific island to write memoir.
SEATTLE. Plant failure dumps millions of gallons of raw sewage into Puget Sound. “The county-run facility has been hobbling along at about half-capacity since the Feb. 9 electrical failure resulted in catastrophic flooding that damaged an underground network of pumps, motors, electric panels and other gear.”
MACK BEGGS. New policy allows transgender teen to wrestle boys but not in high school events: “The governing body for amateur wrestling adopted the policy at its executive committee meeting on March 14.”
ANCHORAGE. Three gay candidates running for the Anchorage Assembly, and one is a Trump supporter.
MANCHESTER. Man arrested in connection with hit and run in gay village released on bail: “The victim was hit by a car, carried 50ft then driven over during the horrific collision on Sunday morning.The man, thought to be aged in his mid 20s, was scooped onto the bonnet as the driver continued onto Bloom Street.”
HARRY STYLES. The next One Direction bandmate to go solo.
HQ advert for Harry’s debut single, out April 7th. pic.twitter.com/f7R1PF1pcf
— best harry pics (@thestylespics) March 25, 2017
COVER OF THE DAY. Stormzy covers Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed”.
SECOND COVER OF THE DAY. Craig David covers Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself”.
When @CraigDavid covers @justinbieber ? pic.twitter.com/MsqedXEy89
— The O2 (@TheO2) March 26, 2017
TRAILER OF THE DAY. The Handmaid’s Tale.
MONDAY MUSCLE. Power Ranger Ludi Lin.
The post Harry Styles, Jared Kushner, The Handmaid’s Tail, Tetiaro, Chuck Grassley, Stormzy, Cyclone Debbie, Ludi Lin: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad.
Don't miss these LGBTQ-inclusive panels at WonderCon 2017
Don't miss these LGBTQ-inclusive panels at WonderCon 2017
WonderCon 2017 is just around the corner, and the schedule for the event is live now. WonderCon is a convention that brings fans of film, television, and comic books together. Guests will have access to exclusive workshops, screenings, discussions, Q&As, and panels featuring various celebrities and creators. This year’s convention will be taking place March 31st-April 2nd at the Anaheim Convention Center. For tickets and more information, click here.
The program for this year’s convention includes many panels that will feature LGBTQ creators, cast, and inclusive media. Check out the panels below (descriptions taken from the official programming guide):
Friday March 31st
The Growing Popularity of Latin Superheroes: Marvel, DC, and Beyond
From Jaime Reyes as DC’s Blue Beetle, to Fanbase Press’s Quince, the story of a girl named Lupe who discovers her abilities on her quinceañera, to Marvel’s groundbreaking new solo series Miss America (America Chavez), Latin American superheroes are making their way to the forefront. Jessica Tseang (founder of The Comic Book Girl and Little Geek Girls) leads a lively discussion with Eric Lopez (voice actor for Young Justice‘s Blue Beetle), Dani Fernandez (host for Geek & Sundry, Nerdist), Juan Manuel-Rocha (host for Comics on Comics),Sebastian Kadlecik (writer of Quince),Alex Quintas (storyboard artist for BoJack Horseman), and other special guests regarding the new age of Latin superheroes in our ever-changing culture.
Friday March 31, 2017 1:00pm – 2:00 pm
Room 221
BOOM! Studios: Discover Yours
Discover your new favorite comic book series in a panel designed for everyone, from new fans to long-time readers to anyone who loves comics. BOOM!’s top editors and creators explore the diverse imprints of BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia, with exclusive previews, news, and the information you need to discover your next obsession.
Friday March 31, 2017 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Room 211
Comic Arts Conference #2: Comics and Fandom
Johnathan Flowers (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) uses the concept of feminist killjoys to explain how the treatment of fans who criticize the representation of diverse bodies in comics is one of the primary ways that comics fail in their attempts to diversify. Law professor and IP specialist Marc H. Greenberg (Golden Gate University School of Law) provides guidance for fans wishing to navigate the confusing thicket of legal issues that surround the creation of fan fiction and art.
Friday March 31, 2017 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Room 210
Prison Break
Breaking out is only the beginning! Join Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, Robert Knepper, and executive producers Paul Scheuring, Vaun Wilmott, and Michael Horowitz for a true fan event as they debut the first episode of 2017’s most highly anticipated series. A moderated panel will follow the screening.
Friday March 31, 2017 2:15pm – 3:30pm
Room 300AB
CBLDF: Comics Change the World – The History of Activism in Comics
From the medium’s earliest days, activists have taken to the comics form to communicate their messages to the world. CBLDF deputy director Alex Cox brings you on an image-filled march through more than a century of comics activism, revealing the history of how comics can change the world!
Friday March 31, 2017 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Room 208
Comics Arts Conference #3: Parallel Worlds Pedagogy: Fans, Academics, Creators and Educators in Conversation
Susan Kirtley (Portland State University), Antero Garcia (Colorado State University), Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools), David F. Walker (Power Man and Iron Fist), Shannon Wheeler (The New Yorker), Johnny Parker II (Neat-O Comics), and Rosie O. Knight present a roundtable conversation on the ways in which our various relationships to comics inform our thinking on the medium, and how we might work together to develop better comics, better comics criticism, and better comics education. Panelists will examine their own fandom while assessing how representations of agencies, identities, and actions in comics shape how readers define their world. Inversely, participants will explore how much the voices and experiences of readers can reciprocally influence comics.
Friday March 31, 2017 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Room 210
Spotlight on Marguerite Sauvage
Award-winning artist Marguerite Sauvage weaves vivid imagery in DC’s Bombshells, Faith (Valiant), Thor (Marvel), Scarlet Witch (Marvel), Adventure Time (BOOM! Studios), and more titles along with numerous stunning variant covers. Join Nina Taylor Kester (Cartoon Art Museum) in conversation with Sauvage to learn about her path from law and communications graduate to internationally acclaimed illustrator and cartoonist. Plus, learn about her upcoming work in Femme Magnifique, an anthology of stories about women who crack ceilings, take names, and change the game.
Friday March 31, 2017 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Room 209
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Two Decades with Feeling: A 20th Anniversary Celebration
Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (The Fifty-Year Mission), authors of the upcoming oral history Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Slayers & Vampires, re-open the Hellmouth and look back at the secret history of the slayer who saved the world a lot, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for its 20th anniversary as well as what the future might hold for Slayage in the 21st century. Also, a look back at the underappreciated genius of Angel and the Buffy’s that never were.
Friday March 31, 2017 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Room 300DE
Riverdale Special Video Presentation and Q&A
Unlock the mystery of Riverdale and leave your innocence behind. Join stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Ashleigh Murray, Luke Perry, Mädchen Amick, and Marisol Nichols, along with executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Sarah Schechter, and Jon Goldwater as they dive into the secrets that continue to loom over what may look like a quiet, sleepy town. While new details of Jason Blossomâ
Friday March 31, 2017 4:45pm – 5:45pm
Arena
Psychology of Cult TV Shows: Episode 4
Are you a fan of Supernatural, Westworld, Game of Thrones, or Sherlock? Do you love Daredevil, The Walking Dead, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage? If so, come join a team of psychologists and TV writers as they discuss the psychology behind these shows. Psychologists Janina Scarlet (Superhero Therapy, Star Wars Psychology),Dr. Travis Langley (Doctor Who Psychology, Star Trek Psychology), Travis Adams (Department of Veterans Affairs), and TV writers Adam Glass (Supernatural, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders),Jose Molina (Agent Carter, Firefly), Christine Boylan (Castle, Once Upon a Time), and host Jenna Busch (Legion of Leia,Star Wars Psychology) geek out and discuss your favorite TV shows.Dr. Billy San Juan (Doctor Who Psychology, The Walking Dead Psychology) moderates.
Friday March 31, 2017 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Room 207
Saturday April 1st
Queer Comics at the Crossroads
In the past several years, LGBTQAIU individuals have made great strides in representation in comics. The next frontier for queer creators is tackling characters whose experiences straddle not only a queer identity but the other identities that make people who they are-racial, religious, gender, and more. What are the unique challenges facing writers and artists who wish to examine intersectionality of identities? How do a character’s additional identities complement or complicate their lives and loves? Join Prism Comics and moderator Tara Madison Avery (Gooch, Alphabet, Stacked Deck Press, Prism Comics) and panelists Vi Cao (David Doesn’t Get It), P. Kristen Enos (Active Voice,Web of Lives), Viktor T. Kerney (StrangeLore), Sonya Saturday (Load World Comics), William O. Tyler (Ratboy), and Josh Trujillo (Love Machines, Death Saves) for a lively discussion of intersectionality in comics.
Saturday April 1, 2017 11:00am – 12:00pm
Room 211
IDW Entertainment: Wynonna Earp
The breakout hit of 2016 returns to WonderCon Anaheim! Join the cast and crew of the show that Variety named one of 2016’s best new shows as they reveal what’s in store for season 2!
Saturday April 1, 2017 11:30am – 12:30pm
Room 208
Midnight, Texas Series Premiere
Universal Television presents NBC’s new supernatural thriller Midnight, Texas. Welcome to a place where being normal is strange and only outsiders fit in. Based on the bestselling book series by Charlaine Harris (author of the novels that inspired True Blood), comes a journey into a remote Texas town where nothing is what it seems. Home to a vampire, a witch, an angel, and a hitwoman, Midnight is a mysterious safehaven for those who are different-a perfect place for anyone looking to hide from the outside world. That is, until the arrival of a powerful psychic and the murder of one of their own. As the town members fight off outside pressures from ever-suspicious cops, deadly biker gangs, and their own dangerous pasts, they band together and form an unlikely but strong family. Join your fellow “Midnighters” for an exclusive premiere of the pilot episode and a Q&A session with cast members François Arnaud (The Borgias), Dylan Bruce (Orphan Black), Parisa Fitz-Henley (Luke Cage), Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries), Jason Lewis (Sex and the City), and Sarah Ramos (Parenthood) and executive producers Monica Owusu-Breen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and David Janollari (Six Feet Under).
Saturday April 1, 2017 11:45am – 1:00pm
Room 300AB
Comics Arts conference #6: President B****: Gender and the Superhero Narrative
Just in time for the heated and hated 2016 presidential election, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro’s Bitch Planet released its 9th issue, appropriately emblazoned with “VOTE” and “President Bitch.” In this panel, Tara Prescott (University of California, Los Angeles), David Hall (Old Dominion University), Philip Smith (College of the Bahamas), and Maite Urcaregui (University of California, Santa Barbara), contributors to the upcoming collection Gender and the Superhero Narrative, will examine the role of gender in the superhero narrative, starting a discussion for the audience to delve into the larger issues of comics in a post-Trump America and beyond.
Saturday April 1, 2017 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Room 210
Syfy’s The Magicians
How about a trip to Fillory (and Further)? Jason Ralph (Quentin Coldwater), Stella Maeve (Julia Wicker), and executive producers Sera Gamble and John McNamara present an inside look at The Magicians, Syfy’s hit show based on Lev Grossman’s bestselling novels. With only three episodes remaining this season, you might want to bring a batch of truth serum to uncover some secrets!
Saturday April 1, 2017 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Room 300AB
Comic Arts Conference #7: Queering Comics
Andrew Barton (Texas State University) discusses how Vision offers a unique insight into the position of The Other through the story of the Avenger android’s attempt to fit into a small community in his own ideal America. Karma Waltonen (University of California Davis) explores Kill Shakespeare‘s representation of the intersections of female villainy with sex, gender, and sexuality. Michael Lee Gonzales (Texas State University) explores how the transition from animation to comics of KaBOOM! Studios’ Steven Universe allow for the exploration of queer spatiality/temporality and pleasure not possible in the animated version.
Saturday April 1, 2017 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Room 210
CBLDF: State of Censorship 2017
Get a global look at comics censorship from CBLDF. See how the new political climate is affecting free speech in the U.S., with increased scrutiny at the border and an abundance of local challenges to comics addressing diversity and equality. Explore how cartoonists are being prosecuted, threatened, and intimidated by authorities around the globe for making art. Learn how you can participate with CBLDF in making a difference and standing up for free expression.
Saturday April 1, 2017 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Room 209
End Bullying: Be a Superhero IRL
Been bullied? Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Legends of Tomorrow) invites you to turn kryptonite into your own personal strength with Pop Culture Hero Coalition’s powerful panel, back by popular demand! Featuring activists Anne Wheaton, Dr. Janina Scarlet (author, Superhero Therapy), Dr. Andrea Letamendi (Under the Mask Online, The Arkham Sessions), Matt Langdon (Hero Round Table), a rep from Amnesty International, and welcoming back NOH8 Founders Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley. Moderated by Chase Masterson (Star Trek, Doctor Who: Big Finish). Topics include geek, cyber, sexist, and LGBTQ bullying; racism; misogyny-and heroism IRL.
Saturday April 1, 2017 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Room 207
Riverdale Exclusive Screening of Brand New Episode
A WonderCon Anaheim exclusive!
Saturday April 1, 2017 3:15pm – 4:15pm
Arena
Queer, Comics, and Social Justice
Are comics mightier than the sword? Can comics be calls for action, or catalysts for resistance, revolution, and change in a divided society? Now more than ever, comic artists and writers are claiming their diverse identities, writing their own histories, and using the artform to build empathy and understanding. Join Prism Comics, moderator Elizabeth Beier (Bisexual Trials and Errors), and a diverse panel of LGBTQ comics creators as they explore comics as a source of power and change. Panelists include Marc Andreyko (Love Is Love), Tara Madison Avery (Gooch, Alphabet, publisher Stacked Deck Press), Ajuan Mance (1,001 Black Men), and Sonya Saturday (2016 Republican Presidential Candidates Coloring Book). Prism Comics will announce the recipient of the 2017 Prism Comics Queer Press Grant at the end of this panel.
Saturday April 1, 2017 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Room 207
The Most Dangerous Women at WonderCon Anaheim: More than Just Cookies
The doting girlfriend. The damsel in distress. The evil seductress. The tough girl who dies. Why are so many female characters such cookie-cutter archetypes? Why do so many fictional women lack the depth and variety of character of their male counterparts? How can fans and writers work together to create richer stories with more well-rounded characters, female and otherwise? Here to discuss the many archetypes of women in fiction are a group of women dangerous in their own right: moderator Katrina Hill (Action Movie Freak, 100 Greatest Graphic Novels), Jennifer Stuller (Ink-Stained Amazons, GeekGirlCon), Stephanie Thorpe (CryptTV, The Ladies & The Gents), America Young (Geek & Sundry), Jessica Tseang (Little Geek Girls, Comic Book Historian), Alex Langley (The Geek Handbook, Kill the Freshman), and Tamara Brooke (Comic Book Resources, Seat 42F).
Saturday April 1, 2017 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Avalon Room, Anaheim Hilton
IndieWire’s Fan Favorites Showrunners
Moderated by IndieWire executive editor Michael Schneider, an all-star panel of showrunners behind some of the coolest TV out there will swap stories and insights about the behind-the-scenes inner workings of your favorite shows. Panelists include Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Jessica Goldberg (The Path), Jonah Ray (Mystery Science Theater 3000, Hidden America with Jonah Ray), Sera Gamble (The Magicians), Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman), and Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).
Saturday April 1, 2017 4:15pm – 5:15pm
Room 300AB
U.S. Premiere Screening of Doctor Who Spin-Off Class
End your day with BBCA and Nerdist for the exclusive U.S. premiere screening of Doctor Who spinoff, Class. From award-winning writer and Class creator Patrick Ness (novel and film A Monster Calls, novel Chaos Walking) and executive produced by the team behind Doctor Who, Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin, Class is set in London’s Coal Hill School, where four students who have hidden secrets and desires navigate a life of friends, parents, schoolwork, sex, sorrow-and possibly the end of existence. Coal Hill School has been a part of the Doctor Who universe since the very beginning, but that has come at a price. Time traveling over the years has caused the very walls of space and time to become thin. There’s something pressing in on the other side, something waiting for its chance to kill everyone and everything, to bring us all into Shadow. Class is a BBC America co-production and premieres Saturday, April 15, 10/9c following the season premiere of Doctor Whoat 9/8c.
Saturday April 1, 2017 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Room 300DE
Sunday April 2
Rainbow Magic: LGBTQ Disney Fandom
Disney is popular around the world. And Disney characters, films, comics, media, and theme parks are especially popular in the LGBTQ community. Young or old, LGBTQ folk identify with the stories, characters, the fantasy, and the imagination. Since you are next door to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” join Prism Comics and Disney fans as they explore why the queer community loves all things Disney. Panelists include Dusty Sage (founder and CEO of MiceChat.com), Justin Garrett (former Disney cast member), Renee Jeskee (Disney Music Group), Worthie Paul Meacham (expert on Disney Parks and Disneyana), Eddie Shapiro (producer, Gay Days Anaheim), and David Woodman (animator, Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin). Moderated by Chris Riley (Geek Play Media).
Sunday April 2, 2017 10:00am – 11:00am
Room 211
World Premiere of DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games
Get in on all the pomp and circumstance of the world premiere of DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games, the second full-length feature film spotlighting this worldwide franchise sensation. The film finds the young superheroes—Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Bumblebee, and Katana—squaring off against Korugar Academy in the Intergalactic Games. However, trouble is in the air as Lena Luthor takes advantage of the gathering of the Supers to enact her villainous plan. It’s up to the DC Super Hero Girls to fight the forces of evil and protect their school. With Wonder Woman’s strength, Supergirl’s speed, Batgirl’s strategic knowledge, Poison Ivy’s ability to make things grow, Harley Quinn’s energy, Bumblebee’s ability to shrink, and Katana’s fearless personality … anything is possible. After the screening, stick around for an action-packed panel featuring the voices of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Katana—respectively Grey Griffin (Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery), Anais Fairweather (DC Super Hero Girls), Teala Dunn (Are We There Yet?, Enchanted), and Stephanie Sheh (Naruto: Shippuden)—alongside producer Jennifer Coyle (Bob’s Burgers), director Cecilia Aranovich (DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year), and screenwriter/author Shea Fontana (Doc McStuffins, The 7D). Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital HD (6/13/17) and DVD (6/27/17).
Sunday April 2, 2017 10:00am – 12:00pm
Room 300AB
CBLDF: She Changed Comics
Meet the women who changed free expression in comics! From the turn of the 20th century to today, women have overcome censorship and more to make comics, inspiring today’s landscape of increasingly diverse and empowering comics storytelling. Hope Larson (Batgirl, Chiggers, Compass South), Cecil Castellucci (Shade, the Changing Girl; Odd Duck;The Plain Janes), CBLDF editorial director Betsy Gomez (She Changed Comics), and others discuss the women who changed the format.
Sunday April 2, 2017 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Room 211
DC Comics Drawing Daddy’s Little Monster with Chad Hardin
Chad Hardin (artist, Harley Quinn, Zatanna, Warlord) demonstrates, step by step, how to draw DC Comics’ favorite bad girl. Get some tips and tricks for working in the comics industry as an artist, and get the scoop on some behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the creative team of Harley Quinn.
Sunday April 2, 2017 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Room 209
Lucifer Special Video Presentation and Q&A
If you thought all hell broke loose when Lucifer arrived in the City of Angels, just imagine how things will heat up in his absence. Indulge your deepest desires and be among the first to see what’s in store for Chloe Decker and the Devil himself after his mysterious departure in the midseason finale. Get a sizzling sneak peek at the second half of season 2, followed by a Q&A with series stars Tom Ellis, Lauren German, DB Woodside, and executive producers Joe Henderson (White Collar) and Ildy Modrovich (CSI: Miami). From Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television and based on characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo from DC Entertainment, Lucifer returns with all-new episodes in May airing Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.
Sunday April 2, 2017 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Arena
Gotham Special Video Presentation and Q&A
As Gotham City descends into anarchy, join the hit show as it returns to WonderCon Anaheim to give fans the scoop on all the shocking moments in store for the remainder of Season 3. With Penguin out of the picture, and a power grab taking place, who will become the new leader of the Gotham underworld? How will Nygma’s embrace of his Riddler persona alter the balance of power, and will any of it matter when the Court of Owls reveals its plans for the city? All will be judged! Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars and executive producers. From Warner Bros. Television, Gotham returns Monday, April 24, with all-new episodes on Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.
Sunday April 2, 2017 1:45pm – 2:45pm
Arena
Drawing Action
WonderCon Anaheim special guests Hope Larson (Batgirl), Andy Park (Tomb Raider), and Marguerite Sauvage (DC Bombshells) illustrate how to get in on the action as they explain how they give their characters dynamic movements on the page. Moderator Jessica Tseang (comic book historian) leads this talented group of creators as they share their insider knowledge and draw characters that leap off the page and into our imagination.
Sunday April 2, 2017 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Room 211
WonderCon 2017 will be taking place the weekend of March 31st-April 2nd at the Anaheim Convention Center. For tickets and more information about the con click here.
March 27, 2017
Issues:
Tags:
www.glaad.org/blog/dont-miss-these-lgbtq-inclusive-panels-wondercon-2017