You’re in Trump’s America Now, Attacker Tells Gay Men
Two gay men were attacked in Key West by a drunk man who used gay slurs and told them, “You live in Trump country now.”
www.advocate.com/politics/2017/2/27/youre-trumps-america-now-attacker-tells-gay-men
Brie Larson's Protest of Casey Affleck's Win Was an Act of Solidarity with Survivors
Despite a pair of nasty sexual harassment suits that should have brought Casey Affleck down, he picked up an Oscar — but Brie Larson stood in silent protest.
WATCH: Donald Trump loves saying “Donald Trump”
Super Deluxe traffics in the absurd, often cutting and recutting videos until they become mutant versions of their original forms and meanings.
Lately, however, their political coverage needs little finesse.
Take, for instance, this supercut of Donald Trump speaking in the third person.
“Is Donald Trump an intellectual?” he ponders in one clip, only to realize that, “Trust me, I’m like, a smart person.”
Watch below:
‘When We Rise’ Is This Week’s Must-See TV
Let’s be clear: When We Rise, the four-part miniseries premiering tonight on ABC, should be required viewing. Tracing the LGBT movement from post-Stonewall through marriage equality, the sprawling series manages to depict decades of struggles throughout its eight-hour runtime.
Mostly written by Dustin Lance Black (Milk), When We Rise is an ambitious piece of television. Addressing Harvey Milk, the AIDS crisis, marriage equality and more is a tall order, even across the duration of four feature-length films. Considering the breadth of material, When We Rise manages to pack in a slew of milestones that build toward a more comprehensive (if not completely successful) portrait of the LGBT rights movement.
When We Rise wisely grounds all the historical context in three core characters. The first is activist Cleve Jones, portrayed in the early installments by Austin P. McKenzie. Arriving from Arizona to escape his conservative father (David Hyde Pierce), Jones’ story is the crux of the narrative. (The series is informed by Jones’ memoir of the same name.)
Unlike Hollywood’s last stab at queer history, When We Rise seems a bit more conscious of intersectionality, splitting its time between the interweaving stories of Cleve Jones, Ken Jones (a Vietnam vet turned activist who fights back against homophobia, racism, HIV-stigma and addiction) and women’s rights leader Roma Guy (brought to the screen in a memorable TV debut from Fun Home’s Emily Skeggs).
Trans activist Cecilia Chung is also a prominent figure, played here by Ivory Aquino. It certainly doesn’t mean every experience is reflected, but the series doesn’t shy away from the kinds of tough questions and challenges facing any diverse movement, whether that be acknowledging the pervasive racism in the gay community, the homophobia in the women’s rights movement or lesbian separatists wary of gay men’s involvement.
The second half of the series ages the characters significantly, requiring older actors Guy Pearce (Cleve Jones), Michael K. Williams (Ken Jones) and Mary-Louise Parker (Roma Guy) to step in. It’s a jarring transition at first. Then again, When We Rise doesn’t exactly deal in subtlety. Often, the breakneck pace reduces some important touchstones — Matthew Shepard’s murder, Obergefell v. Hodges, for example — to footnotes. No wonder there’s little time to smooth out the characters’ individual journeys.
And yet, despite its blunt delivery, the film doesn’t fail to deliver some emotional wallops. At a time when LGBT people are still facing enormous adversity and mounting institutionalized discrimination from the radical right-wing, When We Rise’s message feels particularly urgent. As many of us are feeling a renewed sense of inspiration, learning from these bold early organizers puts the power of passion into perspective.
When We Rise begins tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on ABC. It continues Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The post ‘When We Rise’ Is This Week’s Must-See TV appeared first on Towleroad.
GLAAD moves from Melbourne to Sydney, focused on the intersection of media and the LGBTIQ movement
GLAAD’s work with the Australian LGBTIQ community continues, moving from Melbourne to Sydney.
The time in Melbourne concluded with a panel event hosted by The Channel, a giving circle that is focused on funding projects that benefit the LGBTIQ community. After hearing a provocation by Fury, a writer, a feminist and an agitator, Ross joined Sally Goldner of the Bisexual Alliance Victoria and Transgender Victoria, and Adolfo Aranjuez, the Editor of Metro, Australia’s oldest film and media periodical, in a wide-ranging conversation about the diverse needs within the broader LGBTIQ community, media representation, identities and labels, and the need for LGBTIQ-created art. The panel was moderated by Jacob Thomas a 27-year-old, genderqueer person who, in 2016, was one of only two Australians to receive the Queen’s Young Leaders Award.
Here we go! @adolfo_ae @inlayterms @salgoldsaidso @jacobthomasaust pic.twitter.com/RKBVGN9N3A
— The Channel (@TheChannel_GC) February 24, 2017
We don’t need to be good, we can be flawed but we must be portrayed fairly in the media – @glaad @inlayterms on #LGBTQIA+ #ChannelPanelMelb
— Cat Fay (@cat_fay) February 24, 2017
Ross Murray @inlayterms @glaad Diverse children need to see themselves reflected in the media #ChannelPanelMelb pic.twitter.com/iuYew5KOou
— Jo Hirst (@thegenderfairy1) February 24, 2017
.@inlayterms talks about the @glaad Trump Accountability Project #ChannelPanelMelb pic.twitter.com/zvZcQlsr0E
— Cat Fay (@cat_fay) February 24, 2017
@inlayterms @glaad Ross Murray brought props! #channelpanelmelb pic.twitter.com/g9ReR64HBA
— The Channel (@TheChannel_GC) February 24, 2017
GLAAD then moved on to Sydney to speak with producers, filmmakers, and representatives from the media industry.
Ray attended the Mardi Gras Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and introduced the film Shelter. Shelter earned the GLAAD Media Award in 2009, tying with Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom. Ray commented that the film withstands the test of time, and viewing it 8 years later brings up issues that are relevant to the LGBTIQ community today.
Meanwhile, Ross met with Anthony Venn-Brown, a prominent advocate for LGBTIQ people of faith. A former preacher at several large evangelical and Pentecostal churches in Australia, including the Hillsong church in Sydney, Anthony has been campaigning against so-called “reparative therapy.” His book, A Life of Unlearning, is now in its third edition.
GLAAD also presented to the LGBTIQ health-related organizations, QLife, the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations, and the National LGBTI Health Alliance. We heard about the life-saving work each organization is doing, providing direct services to the LGBTIQ population, as well as advocating for decreased stigma for HIV and mental health issues. GLAAD then presented its work, talking about how we collaborate with other organizations, and providing messaging best practices so the media will report on challenges and triumphs of LGBTIQ heath.
After an industry meeting with the Screen Producers Association, GLAAD spent an evening with queer women media content creators. Included in the informal reception were the creators of the web series “Starting From Now” and the film “All About E,” which is available on Netflix. The conversation focused on the underrepresentation of women and LGBTIQ people in Australian Media.
GLAAD’s tour of Australia is through the Global Voices and Entertainment programs, focusing on providing support and best practices for LGBTIQ people and organizations across the globe. GLAAD will continue with more public events and industry forums to discuss our monitoring and reporting, as well as hear what’s next for the Australian LGBTIQ media landscape.
www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-moves-melbourne-sydney-focused-intersection-media-and-lgbtiq-movement
Billy Porter Receives the HRC Visibility Award
Broadway powerhouse Billy Porter was honored with HRC’s Visibility Award at the 2016 HRC Philadelphia Gala this past weekend. He talked about growing up feeling invisible, and how rights and protections must be fought for by every generation.
Queer and Christian: Introducing Rev Kev
This out pastor has an inspirational message about reconciling sexuality and spirituality.
www.advocate.com/religion/2017/2/27/queer-and-christian-introducing-rev-kev
LGBTQ rights miniseries “When We Rise” premieres on ABC
When We Rise, the long-awaited TV miniseries about the battle for LGBTQ rights, will finally premiere tonight.
Expectations and excitement are high for the series, marking a reunion for writer Dustin Lance Black and director Gus Van Sant, who last collaborated on Milk.
Related: Dustin Lance Black says ‘When We Rise’ under attack from alt-right but even Trump will like it
Van Sant directs tonight’s two-hour episode.
The adaption of Cleve Jones’s memoir stars Guy Pearce (as a younger version of Jones), and Mary Louise Parker as women’s rights activist Roma Guy. Also rounding out the cast: Rachel Griffiths, who plays Guy’s wife, Whoopi Goldberg as Pat Norman (the first openly gay employee of the San Francisco Health Department), and Rosie O’Donnell as Del Martin (co-founder of the first lesbian organization in the country).
Related: ABC bumps LGBTQ rights miniseries “When We Rise” to cover more Trump
Of the project, Black says:
It’s been the honor of my life to research and craft these stories of family, diversity and equality over the past three years. To have collaborators of this caliber sign on to help bring these stories to life is a tremendous vote of confidence, and I hope a testament to the relevancy and necessity of our continued march toward justice for all.
Check out the preview below:
Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Send Two Private Citizens on Trip Around the Moon
Elon Musk said SpaceX plans to send two private citizens around the moon next year:
We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission. Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration. We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results…
…Once operational Crew Dragon missions are underway for NASA, SpaceX will launch the private mission on a journey to circumnavigate the moon and return to Earth. Lift-off will be from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral – the same launch pad used by the Apollo program for its lunar missions. This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years and they will travel faster and further into the Solar System than any before them.
Designed from the beginning to carry humans, the Dragon spacecraft already has a long flight heritage. These missions will build upon that heritage, extending it to deep space mission operations, an important milestone as we work towards our ultimate goal of transporting humans to Mars.
Would you take a SpaceX trip around the moon if you had the cash?
The post Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Send Two Private Citizens on Trip Around the Moon appeared first on Towleroad.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Send Two Private Citizens on Trip Around the Moon
