GLAAD

In the wake of violence across Dallas, Baton Rouge, and Falcon Heights, MN, GLAAD today issued the following statement:

“The crushing loss of five Dallas police officers, as well as the injury of at least seven others and two civilians, during a peaceful protest has left us reeling with profound heartache and anger,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “This brutal attack compounds the devastation we also feel for the horrific and unjust killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, black men whose lives were stolen from them by vicious force. All this, as our LGBTQ brothers, sisters, and siblings in Orlando – people of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds – continue to mourn the unspeakable loss of 49 innocent souls, most of whom were Latinx, also taken by gun violence. When will it end? How many more lives have to be lost or broken before the senseless violence is stopped? As we stand in solidarity with the people and law enforcement community of Dallas, as well as the countless black and brown people across this nation demanding an end to the plague of discrimination, we remain resolved in GLAAD’s work to advance acceptance and put an end to hate in all its forms once and for all.”

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Following a groundbreaking Kickstarter campaign, country music artist, author, and LGBT advocate Chely Wright announced that she will be releasing an album for the first time in more than five years.

I Am the Rain, set to be released September 9, will be Chely Wright’s first album released since 2010,  after taking a step out of the country music spotlight for the past five years. According to Rolling Stone, I Am the Rain is a follow-up to her last album, Lifted off the Ground, which was released in conjunction with her memoir, Like Me, and revealed Wright’s struggles before coming out as a lesbian in the country music industry.

Wright has a successful history in the country music industry, making a name for herself early in her career, including a Top New Female Vocalist honor in 1995 following her 1994 debut album and more than 15 singles on the country music charts. In 2010, Wright made history and solidified her icon status by becoming one of the first artists in the country music community to come out as lesbian. Since then, she has become an advocate for the LGBT community.

The new album was recorded last September with Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry at Sunset Sound Studio in Los Angeles. Guest appearances on the album include Emmylou Harris, Milk Carton Kids, and Rodney Crowell. Wright’s latest effort is the most-funded Kickstarter project in the country music community to date. A headlining tour is in the works and set to be revealed in the coming months.

Taste of Country shared a statement from Wright in a press release regarding I Am the Rain:

“I believe I’ve given birth to a beautiful new baby and I would like people who see my baby to think it’s beautiful too. That’s how much this new music means to me. I am so very lucky it all came true.”

The I Am the Rain track listing is as follows:

1. “Inside”
2. “Where Will You Be”
3. “At the Heart of Me”
4. “You Are the River”
5. “Holy War
6. “What About Your Heart”
7. “Pain”
8. “Tomorrow Is a Long Time”
9. “Blood and Bones and Skin”
10. “Mexico”
11. “Next to Me”
12. “Halona”
13. “See Me Home” ​

Wright has worked closely with GLAAD in the past, including appearing alongside 12-year old LGBT advocate Marcel Neergaard at the 2014 GLAAD Media Awards in New York.The two recieved a standing ovation after discussing the importance of anti-bullying legislation, specifically in the U.S. South.

Photo Credit: HBO

Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.

1) John Cho, who plays Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek films, has told press that his character will be revealed to be gay in this month’s upcoming Star Trek Beyond. The film will show Sulu with his male partner and their child, with Cho saying, “I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thing out it[…].” Fans eager to see the film can purchase tickets for an advanced screening, as part of a Star Trek marathon, next Wednesday, July 20, at select theaters.

2) The trailer has been released for Clea DuVall’s directorial debut film The Intervention, set to premiere in theaters August 26. The comedy reunites DuVall with But I’m a Cheerleader co-star Natasha Lyonne and follows the women as they team up with two other couples to stage an intervention for their married friends. Check out the trailer below and be sure to listen for hints of the film’s score, entirely composed by out musician Sara Quin.

3) Outfest, the Los Angeles LGBT film festival, kicked off this week and will showcase notable and fresh LGBT-inclusive films. Highlights include a screening of HBO’s Looking: The Movie ahead of its July 23 premiere date and the closing gala screening of Other People about a gay comedy writer who leaves New York to care for his sick mother in Sacramento. GLAAD has partnered with Outfest for screenings of the documentaries The Trans List and Raising Zoey. Check out the full schedule at Outfest.

4) Hulu original drama series East Los High has released a trailer for its upcoming fourth season which premieres on the service next Friday. The show centers on Latinx teens attending East Los High School in Los Angeles and the challenges and joys they face. The previous season explored the relationship between school newspaper editor Jocelyn, her new love interest Daysi, and the lingering feelings between Jocelyn and her ex/best friend Camila.

5) In other TV news, Vanessa Lachey has been cast in TV Land’s reboot of the 1996 film, First Wives Club. Lachey will play Sasha, a highly-motivated and successful chef, who finds herself questioning marriage to her girlfriend after reuniting with old friends. Out actor Zachary Quinto will star in and produce Biopunk, a new drama series that follows the lives of guerilla bio-hacker scientists determined to globalize DNA.  GLAAD Media Award-nominated series Please Like Me, an Australian comedy series starring out comedian Josh Thomas, has been renewed for a fourth season to premiere on Pivot this November. Funny or Die’s Billy on the Streets will now be available on Hulu with the first four seasons being available to stream starting July 10. The Australian web drama Starting from Now, which follows four lesbians on their search for happiness, will hold the international premiere of its fifth and final season next Tuesday July 12 at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The season premiere is available now on REVRY, the world’s first LGBTQ streaming service, and YouTube.

6) A series of new content has dropped on the music world. Out artist Mary Lambert released her new single, “Hang out With You,” today on both iTunes and Google Play, as well as premiering the track’s video. Keke Palmer released the secret album Waited to Exhale, which was recorded several years ago, on SoundCloud this past week, and Courtney Barnett dropped a music video for her single “Elevator Operator” off her 2015 Grammy-nominated debut album.   

7) Out artist Adam Lambert shared the music video for his single “Welcome to the Show,” the first video Lambert has self-produced. “‘Welcome To The Show’ is an anthem about facing exactly who you are and OWNING it. It’s intended as a mantra to inspire strength and PRIDE,” Lambert said of the track in an extended essay.

8) Years & Years, led by out frontman Olly Alexander, dropped the video for the single “Worship” from last year’s Communion. Alexander recently gave a speech from the stage at Glastonbury Festival that quickly went viral asking fans to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community after the recent tragedy in Orlando.

9) British group Clean Bandit, which includes out violinist Neil Amin-Smith, dropped a new video for their track Tears. The track is likely the first single off the band’s upcoming second album.

10) The team behind the award-winning drama film, The David Dance, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fund the costs of a US theatrical release. The film tells a story of doubt and self-acceptance as it follows a gay radio host and his journey to becoming a father figure. Check out the trailer below and click here for more information.