Men’s saunas may make a comeback in San Francisco Some news items you might have missed: • Gay Star News: San Francisco may finally see gay bathhouses return thanks to the city relaxing rules it brought in at the height of the AIDS crisis. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the city’s governing council, voted unanimously on Tuesday to remove the restrictions on saunas in hopes that the businesses will now ‘reopen as part of the city’s COVID-19 economic recovery’. • Meidas Touch: A Democratic super PAC is launching an anti-President Trump ad that uses former President Reagan’s comments in a 1980 presidential debate when he was challenging then-President Carter. The ad is set to air exclusively on Fox News over the course of the next week and features Reagan’s famous debate moment when he asked the country if it was “better off” than it was four years ago.
• Queerty: Actresses Indya Moore and Angelica Ross, of FX’s Pose, have criticized the Emmy Nominations, just one day after their announcement. The two transgender actresses attacked the Television Academy for ignoring the trans performers on the show, and lashed out at the show’s network, FX, for a lack of promotion. • KIT212: Kenneth helps us all over Hump Day with his latest installment of ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ (below). • Boy Culture: When the man who wrote Encyclopedia Madonnica 20: Madonna from A to Z, literally THE BOOK on Madonna, calls the international superstar out over COID-19 batshittery, you know it’s serious. • The Gaily Grind: Four plainclothes NYC police officers were caught on video jumping out of an unmarked grey Kia minivan in broad daylight, snatching an 18-year-old transgender protester off the street, wrestling her to the ground, and throwing her into the vehicle before speeding away from the intersection.
NYC is taking after Portland – a trans femme protestor was pulled into an unmarked van at the Abolition Park protest – this was at 2nd Ave and 25th Street pic.twitter.com/1PDhSYuK9h
(screen capture from Frame of Mind)Guest post by director/photographer Braden Summers When it comes to commercial media and the imagery we consume, representation matters so much more than most people realize. The more we see of one subject matter, the more normalized it becomes for us. In a dramatic example, imagine Barack Obama saying any of the obscene things that come out of our current President’s mouth – it would be shocking! But we have become used to Trump’s racist language, offensive comments, and self-serving ideology – it no longer shocks us. With regard to commercial media, advertisers have an immense amount of power to feed the public ideas that become normalized. It is possible to use this concept for good, as opposed to growing numb to hateful perspectives. The more we see images of gay romance reflected in the commercial landscape, the quicker the public’s acceptance of LGBTQ romance grows. As we see Laverne Cox grace our screens in “Orange Is The New Black” and on the cover of magazines, the more we as the public come to accept her – opening up the idea (for some people anyway) that transgender people deserve our love and respect.
It is important for people who belong to a majority to see the faces and humanity of those in a minority – representation begets empathy, which begets acceptance. Of course, this is likely an oversimplification, but the root of the idea holds true. As an artist, I have witnessed the power of this concept and am always working to harness that power for the greater good. It is my job, as an ally, to create work that not only benefits my own rights but the rights of those that I respect and love. I approach sensitive subject matter by viewing them through a beauty lens – ultimately creating political imagery that is meant to challenge my audience to expand their scope of acceptance. I inspire people to look, not look away, because it is beautiful. As adults, I find that we are less open to new ideas or concepts than we were in our youth. Discussions around trans acceptance were not as common five years ago, 10 years ago, 30 years ago, as they are today. If you are in your adulthood and have never met a transgender man or woman, it may be difficult to understand how or why they live such a different life than your own. Their existence could make you uncomfortable and it may be easiest for your emotional state to avoid confronting the question as to why it is they make you uncomfortable or how your discomfort, in turn, makes them feel.
My work, and in particular the film Frame of Mind, is meant to draw you in with its rich sound, fashion, gorgeous characters, and elegant setting and, as a result of the interactions, challenge you to face a potentially uncomfortable question: ‘Am I transphobic?’ I created Frame of Mind to be a film that showcases the humanity of our transgender brothers and sisters. This film is shot in a four-minute, single-take, single-perspective, as one trans actress navigates the emotional and physical responses to her existence from fellow passengers in an elevator. The goal is for the viewer of the film to associate with one or more of the characters and reflect for themselves how they might act in that same scenario. Do you identify with those strangers that act kindly to the protagonist? Do you identify with those that are indifferent? Or do you recognize yourself in the actions of the characters that are more negative towards the trans woman? How does associating with one of the characters make you feel? One of the reasons that I wanted to create the film Frame Of Mind was a direct result of witnessing my own transformation. In my late teens, early twenties I came out as a gay man. I participated in parades, I danced in bars, I was proud to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community; and yet, I don’t think I fully embraced gender non-conforming members of this community until my late twenties.
Seeing Laverne Cox was a big catalyst for eye-opening transformation for me, as well as photographing some incredible transgender men and women like Aydian Dowling and Geena Rocero. The more people from this demographic I met and saw on TV, the more I realized that perhaps I previously had not truly accepted them as part of the same group – despite being lumped together in the same acronym. I made a conscious effort to learn more about trans lives and empathize with the fact that they are who they are; I cannot change my sexuality in the same way that transgender men and women cannot accept that the physical gender they were born with does not match their identity. Who am I to pass judgment? I want to use my work to help others realize that acceptance is a learned trait, by addressing bigotry through color, fashion, and beauty. I hope that I am able to reach a wider audience and ultimately, affect greater change.
Braden Summers is a director and photographer, whose work alerts the viewer to the beauty in people and their environment. The undertones of his portraits are appreciative of diversity and acceptance, ideas that are fundamentally supportive of a more positive lifestyle. His work has been featured in Marie Claire UK, on the sites of French Elle, French Glamour, Advocate and The Huffington Post. Marriott International worked with Summers on their latest campaign #LoveTravels, depicting love and family in the LGBT community and beyond. For more information, visit: www.bradensummers.com
Legacy Recordings and digital studio Cut.com have partnered to release Love In Transition, an inspirational video celebrating the beauty of transgender love set to Elvis Presley’s timeless romantic classic “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Love In Transition, released in celebration of Pride Month, shares the stories of six couples who describe falling in love while a trans partner discovers and embraces their true self. Through each couple’s honesty, warmth, and humor, the video showcases how each couples’ love transforms, deepening as they learn more about each other’s truth and resilience. For its appropriately moving soundtrack, Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” was selected to underscore the simple beauty and endurance of love. First released in 1961 and featured in Elvis’ blockbuster film Blue Hawaii, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” spent four weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. charts and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Platinum award in 1992 for certified sales of more than 1 million units. Check out the uplifting video below and click here to explore more of Elvis’s iconic music catalog.
L-R Dyllon Burnside, Billy Porter (screen capture) As Pride Month 2020 has begun amid ongoing concerns for dealing with the COVID-19 health threat, this certainly would be a good time to serve up a new season of the critically-acclaimed FX series Pose. But alas, while the first two seasons of the diverse, queer-themed series premiered in time for Pride, this year we are without our fix of ballroom fierceness as production was shut down early in the coronavirus pandemic. Series star Indya Moore, who plays aspiring model ‘Angel Evangelista,’ recently told Variety, “When production paused, I wasn’t shocked — I knew it would happen — but it was a bittersweet moment for me.” “On the one hand, if anyone had gotten sick, it surely would have spread fast,” they added. “On the other hand, most folks working on a production are living paycheck to paycheck. So I was worried about how they are going to survive.” Co-creator Steven Canals shared with the venerable Hollywood outlet that the show will definitely return – it was renewed for Season 3 after just one episode of the second season had aired – but how the storytelling is handled may shift.
“Things like kissing — we will likely forgo those moments,” said Canals. “The place on our show where the biggest impact will be felt will be the ball scenes,” he added referring to the massive number of background actors featured in the dance sequences. “Those scenes have 125 to 150 background actors,” explained Canals. “That’s tricky because that’s such an important and critical part of our show and the narrative. We’re just, only now, having conversations of ‘Is there a world where we forgo these things?’”
Canals shares that the entire season hadn’t been fully scripted yet when the production shut down. “I haven’t had anybody reach out asking for those scripts,” said Canals. “It’s all been about family and really caring for each other’s well-being.” But Canals does guarantee there will be another season of Pose, and one that will put the powerful LGBTQ politics of the series “upfront and center,” where they always have been. “So in terms of the narrative of Season 3 and the way we’re moving forward, I think it will inherently address what’s happening currently with COVID-19,” adds the openly queer screenwriter. “All of that was already baked into the DNA of the show.” It’s hard to imagine the series without the now-iconic ballroom scenes depicting so much LGBTQ tribal pride. Or groundbreaking love scenes between Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter’s ‘Pray Tell’ and Dyllon Burnside’s ‘Ricky Evangelista.’ But trust and believe, the creative powers that brought us the most diverse LGBTQ cast of actors and writers will find a way. Season 1 of Pose is currently available on Netflix with Season 2 joining the lineup on the streaming platform on June 11.
A man asks sex advice columnist if isolation could make him gay (stock image) Some news items you might have missed: • Chicago Tribune: A 32-year-old man wrote to sex advice columnist Anna Pulley to ask if being isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic could be responsible for developing a sexual attraction to men. • KSTP: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for the police officer involved in the incident that led to the death of George Floyd to be arrested. Floyd was pronounced dead Monday night after he was taken into custody by police in south Minneapolis. A video that was circulated online shows an officer holding his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for several minutes. • The Lincoln Project: As the COVID-19 death toll crossed the 100,000 mark in the U.S. today, the conservative anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project released a new campaign ad criticizing the Donald’s handling of the coronavirus health threat. The spot features Trump announcing on February 26 that “You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.” As his words echo, a shot of seven body bags slowly pulls back to reveal thousands.
• Out: NBA great Dwyane Wade and his daughter Zaya were celebrating this weekend by posting pics on social media of their matching bright red-dyed hair. It was yet another way the Hall of Fame parent is supporting and empowering his teenage trans child. • Hollywood Reporter: California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed a lawsuit against the executive producers of the CBS series Criminal Minds, Disney and the network itself. The filing alleges multiple instances of sexual touching by Gregory St. Johns, a director of photography on the show. According to the lawsuit, over a dozen male employees were fired at the request of St. Johns when they complained or didn’t respond to his behavior which included butt slaps and pinches. • EXTRA: Pose star Billy Porter shares that quarantining with his husband Adam Smith has been “a very deepening time for our relationship.” Along with expressing the importance of self-care, Porter added, “I am mentally solid, I have been going through some trauma therapy that’s really intense.”
L-R Benjamin Scheuer, Samantha Williams In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, singer-songwriter Benjamin Scheuer releases his new song, “I Am Samantha.” The touching track recounts the real-life journey of Samantha Williams – a transgender woman who Scheuer first met and befriended at a coffee shop in New York City. As Scheuer learned about Samantha’s story – and she, in turn, learned about his career as a singer/songwriter – she reflected on the fact she’d never heard a song about someone named Samantha. He promised her to change that, filling notebooks with details of her life and her journey to transition, and ultimately writing what is now “I Am Samantha.”“I Am Samantha” is the story of one trans woman. It is also the story of what it means to love and be loved. With uncommon empathy, Scheuer unpacks not just Samantha’s journey, but the human journey we all take to find identity, acceptance, and love. Today’s release comes accompanied by a powerful music video directed by T Cooper (director of the award-winning documentary Man Made) and starring a cast of 27 trans actors (believed to be the largest trans cast assembled to date). The visual was also helmed by an all-female, LGBTQ, and/or person of color crew.
The song is being released today, March 31st on International Transgender Day of Visibility in partnership with a host of incredible organizations including the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), GLAAD, Trans Lifeline, and The Ally Coalition. Of their partnership on the project, TLDEF Program Manager AC Dumlao shares: “‘I Am Samantha’ is more than a song and a music video, it is a message that trans communities are resilient and multifaceted, and our stories are meant to be seen and heard. At TLDEF’s Name Change Project, where we connect low-income trans folks with legal representation in the name change process, we work with hundreds of trans folks every year, who like Samantha, are looking to live in their truth with their chosen name. TLDEF is excited to collaborate with Canvasback Music for the release of ‘I Am Samantha.’” Benjamin Scheuer’s journey to this debut is not your standard singer/songwriter story. Well known throughout the theatre world on both sides of the Atlantic for his one-man show THE LION (2014), (which delivered a clutch of awards including a Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Solo Performance,” an off-West End Award for “Best New Musical,” and an ASCAP “Cole Porter Award for Songwriting”). Below you can check out the behind-the-scenes action from the making of the music video for “I Am Samantha.”
Samantha Williams penned this short essay to explain who Benjamin Scheuer is to her, how the song and video came to be, and what it means to be called by your name:
He’s a customer at the West Village coffee shop where I work, a fellow artist (I’m a writer; he’s a musician) who attended a reading of one of my screenplays and gave truly helpful notes, a tall guy with a boyish face and steampunk style, with cherry-dyed hair, elaborate boots and epaulets, and yet announcing his presence most resoundingly with his seemingly ever-present smile and earnest, enthusiastic greetings.
Benjamin Scheuer (pronounced SHOY-er) is a storyteller with a guitar, sharing through song his own very personal trials and triumphs as well as those of others. I already knew this when in his presence I complained to a coworker, as we listened to the Foo Fighters song “Sean” (also my fellow barista’s name), that there were no popular songs about “Samantha,” the name I had taken as my own about a year before (though I’m still not sure this oversight of songwriters throughout contemporary music history is actually true).
“I Am Samantha” was conceived in that moment of everyday food-service-industry banter, both songwriter and subject knowing this wouldn’t be just another lighthearted serenade or would-be rock hit in which the name was chosen simply because it rhymed with something or had the right number of syllables.
This was highlighted for Benjamin when I told him the origin of “Samantha,” that it had been the only name my parents could agree on prior to my birth, not yet knowing what was between my legs—which would ultimately lead to a name I went by for decades before all but erasing it from identifying documents (Ohio being one of four states that don’t allow changes to one’s birth certificate).
Benjamin and those involved in every aspect of the recording, producing and upcoming release of “I Am Samantha” have each endeavored to understand and do right by the story of my transition from [dead name] to the fully realized, confident person I am today.
Each of them I’ve had the pleasure of meeting is just as evidently excited as I am to share this song, this story of struggle and self-discovery, with the world—so that it might do what art uniquely can, which is to increase empathy by revealing the world through someone else’s eyes, while also, I can attest, making some of us feel just a little less lonely.
Benjamin Scheuer and Samantha Williams in Los Angeles (photo: Noa Griffel)
Tom Hanks (image via Flickr/Duetsche Bank) Some news items you might have missed: • Australia: Academy Award winner Tom Hanks announced he and his wife, Rita Wilson, have been diagnosed with coronavirus while shooting a movie in Australia.
• Washington Post: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared coronavirus a pandemic, reflecting alarm that countries aren’t working quickly and aggressively enough to fight the disease it causes, covid-19. • NY Times: Donald Trump told the U.S. tonight he would be suspending all travel from Europe for the next 30 days starting Friday. The restrictions will not apply to Britain.
Breaking News: President Trump announced he was suspending travel from Europe for 30 days in the fight to contain the coronavirus, starting on Friday https://t.co/rZCBYoMmr3
• Instinct: Riley Knoxx, known to be the most prolific Beyonce impersonator in the game today, became the first openly transgender woman to perform at an NBA halftime show. She performed a three-song medley of Beyonce’s classic hits and was joined by the Washington Wizards dancers at the Washington Wizards annual Pride Night. • Associated Press: Authorities in Italy have announced that all stores except pharmacies and food outlets will close in response to the country’s coronavirus outbreak. So far, 827 people have died from Covid-19 inside Italy, whereas 12,462 have been infected with the virus in the country. • The Advocate: Netflix has renewed the Emmy Award-winning ‘make better’ reality show Queer Eye for a sixth season scheduled to be filmed in and around Austin, Texas. While season 6 does not yet have a release date, season 5, based in Philadelphia, will debut this summer on Netflix.
Grab a Texas-sized box of tissues y’all because the Fab 5 just arrived in the Lone Star State to film Queer Eye Season 6! 🤠🌵(oh and P.S. Queer Eye Season 5 is coming real soon✨) pic.twitter.com/ROH1eCXzPZ
• Manchester Evening News: David Bailey, 18, and Ashley Roberts, 19, have both been sentenced to 32 months in a young offender institution after attacking a gay couple for holding hands. During the incident, the victims were punched and kicked while being told they would “burn in hell.” Bailey blamed his behavior on being drunk. • Out Music: Nonbinary singer/songwriter Claud teams up with buddy Del Water Gap for the collaborative single, “My Body.” The track has a chill, easy feel that fall’s comfortably on the ear. The duo calls the loping, retro-styled pop bop “a light-hearted jaunt and a funny take on our friendship.” With DIY graphics and moments of singing into hairbrushes in the music video, you get that the two aren’t really singing about “my body.” #wink
Benson Churgai (screen capture) As the latest class of police recruits gathered at the Police Academy in Philadelphia to pose for their class photo last week, newly-minted police officer Benson Churgai shared a personal secret with his fellow graduates. Addressing his classmates from a prepared speech, Churgai began, “I want to be honest with everyone here. In April 2016, I made a decision that was best for me. I came out as a transgender male.” “I struggled for a long time with who I was,” he continued. “I knew that if I continued to live my life as [a] female, it was not going to work out.” Over the next few minutes, the 24-year-old explained he’d “rather have a discussion with everybody” in an effort to “help prevent feelings of betrayal.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Churgai’s class responded with a rousing standing ovation. In coming out to his fellow graduates, he becomes the first transgender recruit to graduate from the Philadelphia Police Academy. Churgai notably graduated as the salutatorian of his class. Before Churgai’s announcement, only a few commanders involved in recruitment and training were aware he was transgender. “I wanted to go through the academy like every other recruit,” Churgai told local ABC News affiliate WPVI. “I didn’t want people to know I was transgender because I didn’t want to be treated differently. I wanted to be held to the same standards as everybody else.” “Sometimes it seems that your hopes and dreams are not possible when you come out as transgender, but it is possible,” added Churgai. “It is possible to be who you want to be and do the career you want to have, it’s possible. Just because your trans it doesn’t mean you can’t.” Philadelphia Police Inspector Verdell Johnson, who supervises the recruits, told the Inquirer Churgai was selected solely “on his ability to pass a rigorous background test and physical training.” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told the Inquirer among his department’s top priorities is to “ensure that our ranks are diverse, inclusive, and reflective of the communities we serve.” “I was proud of him,” said fellow classmate Jarrett Ross. “We need more of this in our department. We need people from all different walks of life, people who can relate to different things.” Churgai says it has been his dream to be a police officer his whole life because “you get to people on the best and what could be one of the worst days of their lives.”
Former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (image via campaign) Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg issued an apology today after video clips of Bloomberg making transphobic remarks had come to light. One of the clips showed Bloomberg referring to transgender people as “he, she, or it” and “some guy in a dress” who could enter girls’ locker rooms at a forum at the Bermuda Business Development Agency in March of 2019. Another video showed the former mayor speaking at Oxford in 2016 describing transgender people as “some man wearing a dress.” The remarks were in reference to why he believed people in the Midwest would not push for greater rights for transgender individuals. Today, Bloomberg said in a statement (via The Advocate):
“Today, I spoke with leaders from the transgender community and have heard from elected officials like Mayor London Breed, and I understand that my words had caused hurt,” he said. (Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, is a cisgender woman but has a large trans constituency.)
“It was a poor attempt to describe how some who oppose transgender equality think about this issue — and those words do not reflect my unwavering support for equality for transgender Americans,” he continued. “I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the members of the transgender community.
“Given the ongoing violence that the trans community faces, including the recent killing of Alexa Ruiz in Puerto Rico, we need a president who will set the moral compass to ensure safety, respect and dignity for all trans people. As mayor, I signed a sweeping transgender civil rights bill and, as president, will promote policies that advance equality for transgender Americans who have been attacked by the Trump administration over the past three years.”
Since entering the race for the Democratic nomination for president, Bloomberg has yet to appear on a ballot in a Democratic primary or caucus. He will also not be on the ballot in the South Carolina primary Saturday, Bloomberg has focused his efforts and considerable cash on ballots next week on Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states and one territory, along with Democrats living abroad, will vote in local primaries and caucuses. He currently is ranking third nationally in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
A new ad captures the quiet triumph of a transgender teen hearing his name being called as he picks up his coffee at Starbucks. The spot, part of the “What’s your name?” campaign for Starbucks, will air in the U.K. and online. Partnering with the U.K. trans youth organization Mermaids, the coffee giant will also sell limited-edition mermaid cookies to raise up to £100,000 ($130,000) for the group. The ad follows James as people throughout his day dead name him. On his school ID card, by family members, even at his doctor’s office. But when he orders his coffee at a Starbucks, he’s asked his name. “It’s James,” we hear the teen reply. A moment later, the employee calls out the name “James,” and the brief smile says it all. From Starbucks UK: At Starbucks, writing your name on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. It’s a small gesture, but it’s symbolic of what we believe in: Recognition and acceptance, whoever you are, or want to be. We welcome everyone. We’re proud to support Mermaids, a charity supporting young transgender and gender diverse people and their families. If you need to speak to someone, you can find their helpline here: http://mermaidsuk.org.uk Several folks expressed their support for the ad spot on Twitter along with some of their own stories:
As someone who is trans, I can not express how much this means to me. It may seem like a small thing, but to a trans person it means everything. Thank you Starbucks.
• Boy Culture: When the man who wrote Encyclopedia Madonnica 20: Madonna from A to Z, literally THE BOOK on Madonna, calls the international superstar out over COID-19 batshittery, you know it’s serious. • The Gaily Grind: Four plainclothes NYC police officers were caught on video jumping out of an unmarked grey Kia minivan in broad daylight, snatching an 18-year-old transgender protester off the street, wrestling her to the ground, and throwing her into the vehicle before speeding away from the intersection. 
For its appropriately moving soundtrack, Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” was selected to underscore the simple beauty and endurance of love. First released in 1961 and featured in Elvis’ blockbuster film Blue Hawaii, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” spent four weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. charts and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Platinum award in 1992 for certified sales of more than 1 million units. Check out the uplifting video below and 
“I wanted to go through the academy like every other recruit,” Churgai told l
