LGBTQ news and entertainment
The Idaho Attorney General has issued an opinion declaring an “Everyone is Welcome Here” sign that sparked a nationwide conversation in March can no longer be displayed in public schools. Continue reading “Idaho: Attorney General Bans ‘Everyone Is Welcome Here’ Signs”
(stock photo of elementary school students via Depositphotos)
Dance band Ten City shares its first new music in 25 years with their new single, “Be Free.” Byron Stingily (lead singer & songwriter) and electronic music producer Marshall Jefferson bop along to the disco beat as the track finds its groove with a funky bass guitar and dance-tastic horns. “’Be Free’ encompasses the spirit of Dance and House Music! Many times people focus on our differences but ‘Be Free’ speaks to how we are more alike than different,” says Stingily about the song. “It is a song about respecting and appreciating our differences!” 
L-R Marshall Jefferson and Byron Stingily
The Academy Awards has announced new criteria regarding diversity and inclusion for films that wish to be considered in the Best Picture category In an attempt to address “underrepresented groups,” producers will need to hire more LGBTQ+ people, women, folks of color, and those with disabilities. Per the new guidelines, films that want to be considered for Best Picture will have to submit a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form showing they have met at least two of the four standards laid out by the Academy. The four standards are as follows (via Queerty):
Standard A: The movie must have a lead or “significant” supporting actor from an “underrepresented racial or ethnic group,” or 30% of the more minor roles must come from under-represented groups (women, certain racial or ethnic groups, LGBTQ, disabled). Alternatively, the main storyline may be focussed on under-represented groups.
Standard B: At least two of the creative heads among the crew – director, casting director, costumer designer, etc – are from underrepresented groups (again, women, racial or ethnic groups, LGBTQ or disabled). Alternatively, at least six of the crew are from under-represented racial groups, or 30% of the crew come from under-represented groups.
Standard C: “The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships”, from the underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ and certain ethnic groups, as well as offering training opportunities and skills development for individuals from these groups.
Standard D: The final standard concerns the marketing and distribution departments of movies, saying, “The studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from” the aforementioned groups (women, certain ethnic groups, LGBTQ and/or disabled).
It all sounds good, but in truth, a film can easily meet standards C and D by having, for example, women on the publicity team, or queer staffers/assistants on the costume crew. Currently, the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
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Harry’s shaving company just released a new ad that causally includes a transgender man in the spot with narration that tells them, “You can shave to feel like you.”
The one-minute spot by the men’s grooming brand, titled ‘Shave, or Don’t,’ makes it clear Harry’s has your back whether you shave or not.
The narration reads:
“Back in the day, men couldn’t always shave. Back in another day, men had to shave. Somewhere in between is a very nice thing: a choice. Now you can shave just a little. You can shave a lot. You can shave to stand out. You can shave to blend in. You can shave when you have a second. You can shave to save a few seconds. You can shave to feel like you. You can shave to feel like another you. You can shave because you’re finally, finally home. Or you can shave – maybe later.”
You’ll notice the “You can shave to feel like you” line falls on the shot of a trans man about to shave.
The comments on the YouTube page are overwhelmingly positive:
“Thank you for including a trans man in your commercial Harry’s will be switching over to support your business.”
“I got chills when I saw the trans guy thanks, highly doubt the company will see this but I recommend added woman because girls shave too.”
“Why did I get teary? Classic me Hahaha… *sobs* Thanks for including the LGBT community.”
Last year, the shaving giant announced their Shave with Pride campaign celebrating Pride Month.
“Harry’s has a proud history of working with organizations that help challenge out-dated stereotypes and who aim to shift attitudes and behaviors that devalue marginalized groups,” said Harry’s co-founder Jeff Raider.
“Our support for Pride is a natural extension of that. As a company, we embrace individuality and celebrate diversity, so we’re extremely proud to be an LGBTQ+ ally.”
The men’s grooming brand also produced an acclaimed three-minute short film on the meaning of ‘masculinity’ featuring a young boy explaining how to be a man to an alien.