Pixar releases adorable, gay-themed short movie ahead of Pride month

Pixar today released a queer-themed short animation on streaming service Disney+. Entitled Out, it’s part of Pixar’s SparkShorts series.

In the super-sweet, nine-minute movie, a man, Greg, frets about how to inform his parents he has a boyfriend. In a trailer released yesterday to social media, he’s seen looking a framed photo of him and his partner, named Manuel.

“Just look them in the eye and say ‘Mom, Dad, I’m…’” he says to himself, by way of a pep talk. Just then, the doorbell rings: Mom and dad have arrived, and Greg realizes he’s still holding the photo of himself and Manuel, which he – and his dog – tries to hide.

The latest heartwarming tale from @Pixar’s #SparkShorts. Start streaming Out tomorrow on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/gRvBEdK1Iw

— Disney+ (@disneyplus) May 21, 2020

Greg’s parents have turned up to help him move into his new apartment, leading to a couple of incidents where he has to frantically hide some items that reveal his sexuality – including a calendar of hunky men!

The movie claims it’s ‘Based on a true story’, but given some of the more …erm, fantastical elements of the plot, we’re not entirely sure how true that is! However, without giving away further spoilers, it’s an adorable little animation that’s genuinely rather moving.

Out was written and directed by Steven Clay Hunter.

The trailers have prompted many comments on Disney+’s social media channels, with many applauding the streamer for featuring some LGBTQ representation.

Predictably, some are less happy. “Kids don’t need to see these sinful things,” said one commentator on Instagram. Expect pressure group One Million Moms to call for a boycott imminently!

 

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The latest heartwarming tale from @Pixar’s #SparkShorts. Start streaming Out tomorrow on #DisneyPlus.

A post shared by Disney+ (@disneyplus) on May 21, 2020 at 7:16am PDT

The SparkShorts series launched last year. They’re typically nine-minute films, created over a six-month time period with a limited budget. They allow new animators and creators to create “experimental storytelling” for the animation giant.

There have already been around half a dozen SparkShorts, with the first couple airing on Pixar’s YouTube channel, before switching to Disney+. Pixar is a subsidiary of Disney.

Related: Your first, flirty look at ‘Love, Victor’, the new ‘Love, Simon’ spin-off

The streamer launched last November and announced earlier this month it had already picked up 54million subscribers worldwide – an impressive figure after just six months. Netflix, which began streaming in 2007, has 183million worldwide.

Earlier this year, Disney+ faced some criticism after it was revealed it was placing its Love, Simon TV sequel, entitled Love, Victor, on its sister streaming service, Hulu.

Although being initially commissioned by Disney, industry insiders believe Disney executives felt the series, which features teens exploring their sexuality, marital issues and alcohol use, was more suited to Hulu. Some LGBTQ commentators took exception to Love, Victor being deemed not family-friendly enough for Disney+.

Love, Victor is set to debut on Hulu on June 19, 2020. Out is on Disney+ now.

Related: ‘Love, Simon’ sequel set to debut on TV in June for Pride Month

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Virginia Democrat in Campaign Ad: ‘I Was Drugged and Raped by a Superior’ in the Marines (WATCH)

Claire Russo (pictured), a Democratic congressional candidate in Virginia, has released a first-of-its-kind campaign ad in which she recounts being sexually assaulted.

“It was 2004. I was attending the Marine Corps ball when I was rugged and raped by a superior,” Russo says in the ad. “The military told me they wouldn’t prosecute, but I was determined to find justice. So I took my case to civilian court, and my attacker went to jail, and I refused to let him stop me from serving my country in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m Claire Russo, and I have always run toward the fight. Now, I’m running for Congress to take on the fights that matter most to you.”

The New York Times reports: Her television ad is the first to feature a candidate’s personal recollection of rape, according to political strategists and organizations that track political ads. Set to air on broadcast and cable networks starting this week, the spot is expected to make up a major portion of her advertising, according to her campaign. … As she leans into her history as a survivor of sexual violence, Ms. Russo is aligning herself with a powerful element of the Democratic Party’s identity in the #MeToo era: that it is the party for women, by women. Over the last three years, many Democrats expressed a zero-tolerance stand on sexual misconduct. Though occasionally divisive within the party, that position has allowed Democrats to draw a clear contrast with President Trump. Frustration over Mr. Trump’s history of misogynistic remarks and allegations of sexual violence, as well as the treatment of Christine Blasey Ford during Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings in 2018, helped Democrats win control of the House in the midterm elections — largely on the support of suburban women.

Russo, a combat veteran, is running in a crowded Democratic primary in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. As we reported last week, the state GOP is poised to oust incumbent Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman after he officiated a gay wedding last year, and replace him with an anti-LGBT nominee.

More from Roll Call: A handful of other women running for Congress have talked about their personal experience with sexual assault in recent campaigns. Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican who is one of the 10 most vulnerable senators on the ballot this year, mentions her own military sexual assault in a video she released when she launched her campaign in February. Usha Reddi, a Democratic mayor running for an open Senate seat in Kansas, talked to CQ Roll Call about her decision to prosecute her father for raping her as a child. He pleaded guilty shortly before she launched her campaign. Criticism of how the military deals with sexual assault is not new. CQ Roll Call reported last week that despite promising to do so, the Pentagon had not implemented recommendations made in 2011 by the Government Accountability Office to establish a Defense Department-wide system to monitor how military leaders were combating harassment and assault. On May 15, the chairwoman and ranking Republican on the House subcommittee overseeing Pentagon personnel matters called for “immediate action” on the recommendations.

The post Virginia Democrat in Campaign Ad: ‘I Was Drugged and Raped by a Superior’ in the Marines (WATCH) appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Virginia Democrat in Campaign Ad: ‘I Was Drugged and Raped by a Superior’ in the Marines (WATCH)

A Gay Director Helps ‘Homecoming’ Season 2 Find Its Queer Lens

Kyle Patrick Alvarez discusses taking the reins of the Amazon thriller series, which is now headlined by queer star Janelle Monáe.

www.advocate.com/television/2020/5/22/gay-director-helps-homecoming-season-2-find-its-queer-lens

Texas Mayor Defends Ban on Women Leading Prayers at City Meetings: ‘Why Can’t I Have My Choice, Too?’ (WATCH)

A Texas mayor is defending an email he sent this week saying only men should lead prayers before city meetings.

Eric Hogue has served as mayor of Wylie, a suburb of Dallas, for the last 12 years. He is also the pastor of Cottonwood Church of Christ, as well as a professional magician who once moonlighted as “Clinky the Clown.”

Last week, Wylie Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Forrester sent Hogue an email asking whether a Christian group, Youth With a Mission, could lead a prayer at the next city council meeting.

Hogue responded Sunday by saying he thought it was a good idea, as long as “those leading the public prayer [are] young men.” He went on to cite two Bible verses about women remaining silent in church, saying he takes them literally.

“So I have always requested that a man lead the invocation,” Hogue wrote. “I understand not everyone agrees with me, but I can’t go against my conscience. But I would love to have the group come and visit with them and then let a couple of guys lead a prayer.”

Hogue’s email was later posted to a Facebook page focused on Wylie politics, sparking outrage. But Hogue doubled down on his statements in interviews with local TV stations.

“I believe a lady can be president of the United States,” Hogue told WFAA-TV. “I believe a lady can be CEO of a company, the superintendent of a school district. But I believe, and this is me, when it comes to [picking] somebody to lead the invocation at a city council meeting, because of those two sets of verses, I’m going to choose a male.”

Noting that said he has been married 33 years, Hogue added, “My wife would not stick around if I was anti, you know, like that. I mean, we are equal partners in everything.”

“What I will say is a woman can do absolutely anything and everything but if we’re in a public setting, in a religious setting, the bibles teaches that she’s not to say a public prayer or to lead the singing or to deliver the sermon,” Hogue told KXAS-TV, claiming the controversy is politically motivated because people are upset that Wylie’s the election had to be pushed back from May to November because of the COVID-19 crisis. Hogue is not seeking re-election.

“I think the main thing is the budget cycle is coming up and they would like to have the new council in place. I totally get that but we are living through a pandemic,” Hogue said.

A group called Women Organizing Women Democrats plans a protest outside Wylie city hall next week.

“Wylie Mayor Eric Hogue has a long history of ultra-conservative, ultra-Christian, and ultra-anti-women behavior,” the group wrote. “In his latest missive, he proves that he’s still as misguided and offensive as ever. We’re not letting this ‘public official’ get away with it any more.”

Watch the reports below.

The post Texas Mayor Defends Ban on Women Leading Prayers at City Meetings: ‘Why Can’t I Have My Choice, Too?’ (WATCH) appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Texas Mayor Defends Ban on Women Leading Prayers at City Meetings: ‘Why Can’t I Have My Choice, Too?’ (WATCH)

Rachel Maddow is Still The Smartest Lesbian on TV

The MSNBC is also one of The Advocate’s Women of the Year. 

www.advocate.com/exclusives/2020/5/22/rachel-maddow-still-smartest-lesbian-tv

To Carry on My Uncle Harvey Milk’s Legacy, We Must Elect Joe Biden

The fight for equality has yet to be fully won, but Biden will bring us closer to the finish line. 

www.advocate.com/election/2020/5/22/carry-my-uncle-harvey-milks-legacy-we-must-elect-joe-biden

SCOTUS, Incl. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, OK Trans Prisoner’s Surgery

The court denied Idaho’s request to stop the surgery, although two of the most conservative justices would have granted it.

www.advocate.com/transgender/2020/5/21/scotus-incl-gorsuch-and-kavanaugh-ok-trans-prisoners-surgery

Michigan’s Lesbian AG Excoriates Trump for Removing Mask at Ford Plant

Donald Trump sent “the worst possible message” by appearing on camera with no mask, Attorney General Dana Nessel says.

www.advocate.com/politics/2020/5/21/michigans-lesbian-ag-excoriates-trump-removing-mask-ford-plant

With lights out on Broadway, these black artists are facing their biggest role yet—a pandemic
But what happens when a global pandemic hits and for the first time in Broadway history, theaters are forced to go dark for an extended period?

www.queerty.com/lights-broadway-black-artists-facing-biggest-role-yet-pandemic-20200521?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29