The CROWN With a SHADOW, a mixed-media short animated film by gay Tribeca Film Festival award-winner JB Ghuman, Jr., made its world premiere at the Outfest Film Festival this weekend starring a constellation of queer and trans actors including Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), Oscar winner Tatum O’Neal, and nonbinary performer iRAWniQ, as well as icon Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls). Continue reading “Out Films: ‘The Crown With A Shadow’ Starring Paul Reubens”
• The Hill: Andrew Napolitano (above) is out as a legal analyst at Fox News as he faces allegations of sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed against the network. Napolitano allegedly “sexually harassed numerous young male employees during his tenure at Fox News,” according the lawsuit. Continue reading “News Round-Up: August 2, 2021”
• Back2Stonewall: Tony Perkins (above), of the certified hate group Family Research Council, told followers in an email one ‘silver lining’ of the pandemic is children won’t learn ‘explicit LGBT curriculum.’ Continue reading “News Round-Up: July 29, 2021”
• Instinct Magazine: RuPaul’s Drag Race is returning to Las Vegas, bringing six sexy Pit Crew members with it. And for the most part, it’ll be a totally new cast of sexy men (above). Check them out at the link.
The sultry single serves up a tropical beat and shimmering synths as Colombie’s sensual voice draws us further into his poolside dreamworld.
• Washington Blade: Louisiana lawmakers failed to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ (D) veto last month of a bill that would have barred trans girls and women from participating on athletic teams or in sporting events designated for girls or women at elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools.
• Family Equality: This short two-minute video, released in advance of Parents Day on Sunday, offers a lighthearted but thorough explanation of the discrimination, bias, and disproportionate financial outlays same-sex couples can face on their journey to parenthood.
• Outsports: The Olympics always drive huge LGBTQ viewership. Here are 8 events at the Tokyo Olympics likely to be popular with LGBTQ viewers.
• Deadline: Billy Porter’s directorial debut for Orion Pictures – What If? – will star Black transgender actress Eva Reign in the upcoming high school rom-com.
• WCVB: Massachusetts health officials now say 256 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been linked to a Fourth of July holiday cluster in Provincetown. Many of those who tested positive had been vaccinated, but the good news is…(see next item)
• The Hill: Two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are 88 percent effective against the delta variant, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
• OUT: Just ahead of the release of his latest single “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X took to social media to post an emotional letter he wrote to his young, 20-year-old self, and his words of love and affirmation really hit home to anyone who has ever felt stuck in their lives.
• Edge Media: Federal judges have temporarily blocked an Arkansas law banning gender confirming treatments for transgender youth and a West Virginia ban on trans athletes in women’s sports, two major victories for LGBTQ advocates against a wave of restrictions approved by Republican legislators.
• Washington Blade: The U.S. Senate has confirmed two Biden nominees — one lesbian, another transgender — for high-profile positions at the Defense Department by unanimous consent. Gina Ortiz Jones, a lesbian former Air Force pilot, was confirmed as under secretary of the Air Force, and Shawn Skelly, a transgender 20-year U.S. Navy veteran, was confirmed as assistant secretary of defense for readiness.
• HuffPost: Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) on Thursday tried to shame Democrats for not saying whether they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 ― except every Democratic lawmaker is vaccinated and has confirmed as much, unlike a huge portion of Republicans who either aren’t vaccinated or won’t say.
• Instinct Magazine: The Department of Labor and the Department of Treasury have released new guidance that mandates almost all insurance companies within the U.S. must make PrEP, the HIV prevention pill otherwise known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, free with no cost-sharing.
• The Advocate: A federal judge in West Virginia issued an injunction Wednesday against the state’s law barring transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams for their gender identity. “At this point, I have been provided with scant evidence that this law addresses any problem at all, let alone an important problem,” the judge wrote.
• YouTube: Texas real estate agent Kelci Cashman and her children were removed from a plane in Orlando heading to Dallas when she went on a homophobic rant and refused to wear her mask. The crowd cheered when she finally left the plane.
• Reuters: Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban stepped up a culture war with the European Union today by announcing a referendum on legislation that bans the use of materials seen as promoting homosexuality and gender change at schools.
• PBS: COVID-19 cases tripled in the U.S. over two weeks amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation that is straining hospitals, exhausting doctors and pushing clergy into the fray. The seven-day rolling average for daily new COVID-19 cases rose over the past two weeks to more than 37,000 on Tuesday, up from less than 13,700 on July 6.
• NPR: A couple whose gender reveal ceremony sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter last year were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Monday. The charges included one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, along with other felony and misdemeanor counts related to the fire.
A couple whose gender reveal party sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter were charged with involuntary manslaughter. The blaze injured 13, forced hundreds of evacuations and blackened nearly 36 square miles of land.https://t.co/ZmFVg5R69n
• NPR: Far-right pundit Ben Shapiro (above) is apparently mad that NPR did a deep dive into how he and his website, The Daily Wire, have found success in stoking outrage and political division via conservative clickbait. His site often generates more Facebook engagement on its articles than The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News combined. But, but, but “cancel culture…”
• The Advocate: Authorities have charged three adults for their part in shaving a 12-year-old boy’s head to read “gay” then posting a video of the verbal and physical assault on social media.
Authorities have charged three adults for their part in shaving a 12-year-old boy’s head to read “gay,” and then posting a video to social media. https://t.co/RkSL4D1fzg
• The Hill: A new OH Predictive Insights poll shows 62% of Arizona Republicans believe the ongoing partisan election audit will eventually find Donald Trump won the state’s 11 Electoral College votes instead of President Biden. No evidence has emerged to suggest widespread voter fraud. Biden won the state by more than 10,000 votes in 2020.
• Justice Dept: Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the leader of the white supremacist group Proud Boys, pleaded guilty today to charges in two cases, including one involving the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner stolen from a downtown Washington church. Each offense carries a maximum sentence of 180 days’ imprisonment and/or a $1,000 fine.
“Police said four Washington, D.C., churches were vandalized the night of Dec. 12 as the Proud Boys and other groups marched through downtown” https://t.co/mq8ff6Xr0K
• New York Times: Wall Street saw its biggest daily decline in months today in a broad sell-off reflecting a range of concerns about economic growth and the potential for rising Covid-19 infections leading to the return of restrictions on travel and tourism.
• Axios: With historically low inventory of preowned vehicles, the value of used cars is continuing to climb – even for vehicles with more than 100,000 miles. Car-shopping website Edmunds.com reports the average selling price for a used car with between 100,000 and 110,000 miles on it was $16,489 in June, up from $12,626 a year ago.
• Instagram: Model Layna Bloom becomes the first transgender model to cover the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Kataluna Enriquez, Miss Nevada USA 2021 (image via Instagram)
Filipino-American model Kataluna Enriquez made history this past weekend becoming the first transgender woman to snatch the crown of Miss Nevada USA 2021.
The win qualifies Enriquez to compete in the Miss USA pageant in November where she will be the first trans contestant to walk the runway at the long-running competition.
The 27-year-old took to Instagram to share a photos and fashions from the event. Wearing a dazzling rainbow-colored gown of her own design for the coronation festivities, she wrote: “In honor of pride month and all of those who don’t get a chance to spread their colors.”
Enriquez competed as Miss Silver State against 21 contestants in three categories of competition: interview, swimsuit/activewear, and evening gown. Contestants are scored on character, poise, confidence, and personality, according to the rules of the pageant.
Following her win, she expressed her thanks via Instagram to all that supported her. “Huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one,” Enriquez wrote. “My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win. We just made history. Happy pride.”
Originally from San Leandro, California, Kataluna Enriquez is currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada. After graduating from high school in 2011, she enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Las Vegas, where she took a deep dive into her love of fashion design.
In 2016, she launched her own fashion brand, Kataluna Kouture. That same year, she represented California in the Transnation Queen USA pageant ultimately winning the title in Los Angeles.
Speaking to Fox5 News in Las Vegas, Enriquez shared that the road to the crown has not been that of beauty queens before her. In another pageant outside Nevada, when the organizers found out she was trans, everything changed.
“I was asked to provide documents that were invasive in my opinion physically asking me to get a letter from my doctor,” Enriquez said.
Enriquez was required to meet with a doctor who had to examine her and certify that she was female before being allowed to compete. No other contestants were required to submit to a physical examination. Also, at the same pageant, every contestant was assigned a roommate – expect her.
Should she win the crown, Enriquez would be the second trans woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant after Spain’s Angela Ponce participated in 2018.
• Marvel Studios: Check out the newly-released teaser trailer for The Eternals, the much-anticipated project for the Marvel Cinematic Universe which will, among other things, feature Marvel’s first openly gay super-hero. Brian Tyree Henry will play “Phastos” who is not only gay, but married with children. In theaters November 5.
• Texas Tribune: Texas lawmakers have approved a bill that will allow citizens to carry handguns without a license, background check, or training. A recent poll, however, shows a large majority (59%) don’t believe handguns should be allowed in public without a permit.
• Instinct Magazine: Lady Gaga’s iconic album Born This Way is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. To commemorate and recognize its cultural impact, the City of West Hollywood officially declared May 23 as “Born This Way Day.”
• Rasmussen Reports: The daily tracking poll from Rasmussen shows President Biden with 54% approval rating (43% disapproval rating). The firm is known for being a right-leaning outfit. Rasmussen regularly showed “the former guy’s” approval rating much higher than other polling firms.
• Instagram: Actor Elliot Page shared this photo today (impressive abs!) with the caption, “Trans bb’s first swim trunks #transjoy #transisbeautiful”
