L-R Angel B. Curiel, MJ Rodriguez, Steven Canals, Janet Mock (photo: Imagen Awards)
The groundbreaking series POSE was honored in two categories at the 2019 Imagen Awards which recognizes positive portrayals of Latinx people in the media.
MJ Rodriguez, who plays “Blanca” on the acclaimed FX series, made history as the first transgender woman to take home the trophy for “Best Actress -Television.”
After thanking her mother and the creative team for POSE (Ryan Murphy, Steven Canals, Janet Mock), Rodriguez spoke to the historic moment.
“It’s so crazy to be standing up here because you’d never think in a million years you’d get an award like this being a woman like me,” Rodriguez told the crowd assembled in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel ballroom.
“Obviously, this is not just for me,” she continued. “This is for the little kids like me, and I’m just trying to speak as much as I can for my community as possible, and that goes for my Latino community.”
Watch Rodriguez accept the award in the Instagram post below.
A post shared by Daniel Segura (@dan_sing_dan) on Aug 11, 2019 at 9:35am PDT
POSE also took home the award for “Best Primetime Drama,” tying with Magnum P.I.
Angel Bismarck Curiel, who plays ‘Lil Papi’ on the groundbreaking series was nominated in the “Best Supporting Actor – Television” category as well.
The POSE team now looks to the 2019 Emmy Awards where the show has received six nominations including “Best Drama” and “Leading Actor in a Drama Series” for Billy Porter’s searing performance as ‘Pray Tell.’
The 2019 Emmy Awards will air September 22 on Fox.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled in favor of transgender student Gavin Grimm, reaffirming that both the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protect transgender students from discrimination.
In 2014, the Gloucester County School Board in Virginia voted 6-1 in favor of a discriminatory bathroom policy that would force transgender students to use a single-stall restroom. Grimm had previously been allowed to use the boy’s restroom.
In 2015, Grimm sued the Gloucester County, Virginia school board.
Initially, Grimm won his case but there were multiple appeals by the school board.
In 2017, the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, but the justices refused to hear the case. Instead, they vacated Grimm’s courtroom victory and sent it back to the lower courts.
Today, U.S. District Court Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ordered the school board to settle with Grimm, who has since graduated.
Grimm issued this statement:
“I feel an incredible sense of relief. After fighting this policy since I was 15 years old, I finally have a court decision saying that what the Gloucester County School Board did to me was wrong and it was against the law. I was determined not to give up because I didn’t want any other student to have to suffer the same experience that I had to go through.”
Today’s ruling also requires the school district to update Grimm’s transcripts to reflect his gender.
The Human Rights Campaign responded as well.
“Every student should feel safe at school, regardless of gender identity. Transgender students are covered by Title IX and the United States Constitution and are entitled to the same rights and protections as every other student,” said Cathryn Oakley, State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel.
“With the Trump-Pence administration’s barrage of attacks on LGBTQ people in this country, including against students, we are pleased that yet another federal court decision has reaffirmed legal rights and dignity of transgender people,” continued Oakley. “Congratulations to Gavin Grimm and the American Civil Liberties Union on this milestone victory.”
Many federal courts, including the court today, have affirmed that Title IX and other federal nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination against transgender people, including with respect to restroom access.
After issuing an apology for comments about parents raising transgender children, TV host Mario Lopez missed the latest taping of his entertainment gabfest, Extra. Lopez, who has been a presenter at GLAAD media events in the past, caught heat for suggesting that it was “dangerous” for parents to be supportive of a child’s transition during an interview on the conservative Candace Owens podcast. After media outlets picked up on the comments, he released an apology saying, “The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were.” Deadline reports “No explanation was given for Lopez’s absence from today’s show, although Extra hosts Renee Bargh and Tanika Ray addressed the controversy by interviewing GLAAD director Anthony Ramos and Dr Johanna Olson Kennedy, an expert on trans youth development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.” Additionally, producers for Extra issued this statement: “While we have enjoyed a long relationship with Mario Lopez, who we know to be a caring person, the opinions he expressed in this interview do not reflect those of Extra. “We wholeheartedly embrace our friends from the LGBTQ community and believe they need support and love. For more support on these issues you can go to GLAAD.org.”
Much of LGBTQ media has put EXTRA host Mario Lopez on blast for saying it’s “dangerous” for parents to support their transgender children on the Candace Owens radio show.
Lopez appeared on the show in June, but the comments are only just now getting attention.
During the chat, Owens – whose politics run waaay to the right and is a big Trump supporter – began the chat about trans kids by saying, “A lot of weird trends come out of Hollywood and one of the weirder ones, for me, is this new trend where celebrities are coming out — and I know Charlize Theron did this a few weeks ago — is saying that their child is picking their gender. And this is strange to me.”
Notice how she frames the transgender issue as a ‘weird trend’ out of Hollywood…
“I’m trying to undertstand it myself. And please don’t lump me into that whole (group). I’m kind of blown away, too,” Lopez chimed in. “I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids obviously and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong.”
Ok, so far, so good…
“But at the same time, if you’re 3-years-old and you’re saying you’re feeling a certain way or you think you’re a boy or a girl or whatever the case may be, I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make this determination,” continued Lopez.
“It’s sort of alarming,” he added. “I just think about the repercussions later on.”
Ok, not so good…
Here’s the appearance by Lopez on the radio show. The clip should be cued up to the chat on trans kids.
Lopez also seemed confused about the difference between gender and sexuality saying, “When you’re a kid you don’t know anything about sexuality yet. You’re just a kid.”
To be clear, sexuality has nothing to do with feeling you’re male or female. That’s gender identity.
That said, I’m not for calling for pitchforks and such regarding Lopez’s trans statement. Reading the whole quote, he makes a point to say ‘lead with love’ and not tell parents how to raise kids. So, he gets credit for that.
I will say, as someone who writes in the LGBTQ space every day, I don’t know anyone trotting their 3-year-old into surgery. That’s pretty much a big ole exaggeration.
Later in the chat, Lopez criticized the “politically correct” nature of Hollywood, and also expressed concern about the me too movement, saying hashtags like #BelieveWomen are “dangerous” because they could be lying.
“God forbid you have a son out there and a girl may have felt a certain way about a situation—dismissed, hurt, whatever, and is feeling vengeful and just decides to tell a certain story that’s not even exactly true, come back and hurt that individual,” he said.
Following the social media buzz, Lopez issued a statement via his press rep.
“The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were,” said Lopez.
“I have been and always will be an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself. Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful,” he added.
One would think Lopez would be a bit more informed on trans issues seeing that he has been a presenter at the 2011 and 2012 GLAAD Media Awards and was named grand marshal of the Miami Beach Gay Pride parade in 2015.
GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement that Lopez “clearly needs a primer on trans issues.”
“Medical and psychological experts, and parents of children who are transgender have long discredited the ideas that Mario Lopez shared last month,” Ellis said. “The real ‘dangerous action’ is when someone with a public platform uses bad science to speak against a marginalized and vulnerable group of children.”
GLAAD also reached out to the producers of EXTRA who confirmed they did not share Lopez’s view stated on the radio show. The producers added they will address the topic in tonight’s show.
Medical and psychological experts, and parents of children who are transgender, have long discredited the ideas that @MarioLopezExtra shared. The real dangerous action is when someone with a public platform uses bad science to speak against a vulnerable group of children. https://t.co/kz2pEMWTBm— GLAAD (@glaad) July 31, 2019
We spoke with Extra and it is clear that the showrunners do not support or share his view. They will address this issue on the show tonight. Lopez clearly needs a primer on trans issues. We reached out to his team to see if and how he will correct the record.— GLAAD (@glaad) July 31, 2019
In August 2017, out musician Wrabel released his powerful music video for “The Village” as a sign of solidarity with the transgender community in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s ‘out of nowhere’ decision to ban trans military service members.
Beginning with this quote, “In nature, a flock will attack any bird that is more colorful than the others because being different is seen as a threat,” the video follows a young transgender man’s journey into self-acceptance.
Wrabel sent this message to the LGBTQ community via social media over the weekend:
“To anyone that feels like an outsider, the problem isn’t you, it’s the village. I don’t know how else to raise my voice than in a song. And so, I wrote a song for you. #transrightsarehumanrights #thevillage”
The mournful tune focuses on issues of isolation that arise with the exploration of one’s sexuality and identity.
The lyrics urge the listener to remember there is nothing wrong with them. The issue is with those who treat them differently.
Watch below.
At the time of the video’s release, Wrabel tweeted:
TRANS PEOPLE ARE JUST THAT . PEOPLE . HUMAN BEINGS . please i beg you do not let his hatred sink into your heads and hearts .
A transgender woman alleges a Chicago Police sargeant forced her to perform oral sex on him to avoid being arrested.
On March 5, the woman arrived at Rush University Medical Center and told the staff she had been sexually assaulted, reports the Chicago Tribune.
According to the unnamed woman, she was in an area on Fifth Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood known for prostitution. She admitted she was with a man who she referred to as her boyfriend.
A Chicago police car pulled up and asked her what she was doing in the area. The woman says she explained she was “going home.”
According to her statement via police report, he allegedly told her that if she didn’t want to go to jail she would have to perform oral sex on him saying, “Because that’s what you do.”
She says she was ordered to get in the front seat of his car, and the sargeant drove off leaving her male companion there.
He allegedly stopped in an alley, exposed himself and ordered her to perform the sex act in the vehicle. At some point, the woman says she was able to preserve DNA evidence.
During the alleged sex act, the 39-year-old woman says the officer told her, “I can make you one of my regulars.”
At the hospital, she gave staffers the DNA evidence that she said would prove her story.
But she left the hospital before filing a police report saying she was fearful of “retaliation” by police officers.
Eventually, police detectives were able to discern the woman’s identity but found contacting her to be difficult. At the same time, detectives searched through surveillance video in the area she said the assault took place.
Weeks later, detectives became aware the woman was in police custody for a shoplifting charge and were able to interview her.
The Tribune reports that the Chicago Police Department “stripped the officer of his police powers on April 6 based on the findings of an internal investigation.
A week later, the sergeant was allowed to officially retire from CPD without being charged in connection with the alleged assault.
Police say they are still awaiting the results of DNA testing.
According to the Tribune, this isn’t the officer’s first brush with internal police charges.
In 1997, he was investigated after it was discovered he threatened to plant drugs on a suspect unless they handed over a gun. While Internal Affairs recommended he be fired, he was eventually given a 30-day suspension.
• When the hot tub gets ‘that much hotter’ thanks to InstaHunk Guoyang510 (above).
• Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, key figures in the gay rights movement, will be honored with a permanent monument in Greenwich Village near the Stonewall Inn.
• A 38-year-old gay man wrote to Slate’s “Dear Prudence” advice column asking whether he’s morally obliged to tell a female co-worker that he found her 18-year-old son appearing on an adult cam site.
• For the first time in decades, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform has scheduled a hearing to discuss legislation to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state. Republicans have routinely opposed statehood due to the vast majority of registered Democrats that reside there.
• A new animated children’s series from Hulu, The Bravest Knight, features two gay dads, (voiced by TR Knight and Wilson Cruz) Sir Cedric and Prince Andrew, who share the adventures of Cedric’s journey to knighthood with their daughter and aspiring knight, Nia.
RuPaul, Christine Baranski, Wanda Sykes, Donna Murphy and A.J. McLean (of the Backstreet Boys) also appear in the series which debuts June 21.
In a win for transgender students, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to reviewDoe v. Boyertown School District which leaves in place a policy of allowing trans students to use the bathroom facilities that align with their gender identity.
The policy has been in effect since 2016. The school district also provides private restrooms with lockers for any student, trans or otherwise, who may feel uncomfortable with the arrangement.
In March 2017, a group of students using the pseudonym ‘Joel Doe’ sued the Boyertown Area School District for allowing male trans students to use their preferred bathrooms. Doe argued the policy was a violation of their privacy.
The ACLU and the ACLU of Pennsylvania represented a transgender student, Aidan DeStefano, and the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a coalition of LGBTQ youth leaders and organizations which includes the Boyertown Gay-Straight Alliance.
In 2017, The Today Show profiled DeStefano who had begun to transition in 2015.
The plaintiffs were represented by the virulently anti-LGBTQ law organization Alliance Defending Freedom, which has taken up similar cases across the country.
Having lost their original court case, the plaintiffs took their fight to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals last year, where they lost again.
In fact, the three judge panel announced its unanimous decision just 15 minutes after hearing arguments. According to The Morning Call, decisions from the 3rd Circuit usually take weeks or months to be handed down.
Today’s announcement by SCOTUS means the ruling from the 3rd Circuit stands.
To date, multiple courts have ruled that transgender students have the right under Title IX and the 14th Amendment to sue the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
In a statement released after today’s decision, Michael Levin, counsel for the school district, said, “The Boyertown Area School District provides private bathrooms and locker rooms to all students who do not feel comfortable sharing such (spaces) with others, transgender or cisgender.”
“The school district’s approach to offer separate and private bathrooms, locker rooms and private spaces to students who desire greater privacy is the common-sense approach that the Plaintiffs claim that they want,” added Levin.
Gillette’s latest ad spot features a dad coaching his transgender son on his first shave as part of its #MyBestSelf campaign.
Titled,“First Shave,” the spot features Samson Bonkeabantu Brown, a young trans man, shaving his face for the first time as his father offers tips and encouragement.
The ad’s tagline reads, “Whenever, wherever, however it happens—your first shave is special.”
“Growing up I was always trying to figure out what kind of man I wanted to become, and I’m still trying to figure out what kind of man that I want to become,” says Brown.
“I went into my transition just wanting to be happy,” he adds. “I’m glad I am at the point where I’m able to shave… I’m at the point in my manhood where I’m actually happy.”
“Don’t be scared,” Brown’s father tells him as he handles the razor. “Shaving is about being confident.”
“I shot this ad for Gillette and wanted to include my father, who has been one of my greatest supporters throughout my transition, encouraging me to be confident and live authentically as my best self,” Brown shared on Gillette’s Facebook page.
“I am confident that this ad will encourage many of my trans siblings and fill them with the knowledge that our existence in this world can be filled with the love and support we deserve.”
