Tag: transgender

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News Round-Up: March 5, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• Man Crush Monday – Fitness model Quin Bruce (above) has pretty much mastered the “far-away wistful gaze.” #woof

• According to a national tracking survey, support for LGBTQ people across the country has fallen for the first time in four years.

• Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and Harvard University have found transgender people are increasingly opting for gender confirmation surgery. From 2000 to 2014, researchers found such surgeries have increased fourfold.

• Chilean film A Fantastic Woman made history last night at the Oscars as the first film with a main transgender storyline and starring an out transgender actress to win at the Academy Awards taking home the statue for Best Foreign Film.

• Donald Trump’s self-determined deadline on a legislative fix for “Dreamers” came and went today. The courts stopped the government from deporting “dreamers” but, what now?

• The always ethereal Lana Del Rey covers “You Must Love Me” from the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.

Sir Andrew penned the song specifically for the film and went on to win the Oscar for “Best Original Song.” I’ve always felt the new tune helped Madonna take home the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance as “Eva Perón.”

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News Round-Up: February 22, 2018

Joe Manganiello (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Talk about #ThrowbackThursday – how about 18-year-old Joe Manganiello’s first professional headshot (above)? #Woof #Handsome

• The acclaimed revival of Angels In America starring Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield begins performances at Broadway’s Neil Simon Theater tomorrow night. This groundbreaking LGBT-centric play is a “must-see.” Use code “World” to get a discount and see this deeply moving theatrical experience.

• Broadway luminaries Norm Lewis and Brandon Victor Dixon will join John Legend and Sara Bareilles for the upcoming TV presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar on Easter Sunday.

• Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir will share hosting duties with NBC sportscaster Terry Gannon for NBC’s coverage of the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics on Sunday.

• The Kansas Republican Party has endorsed a resolution that opposes any recognition of the transgender community, while still claiming to respect the “dignity” of LGBT people.

• Platinum selling recording artist BØRNS recently released the new video for “I Don’t Want You Back” from his latest album Blue Madonna.

I recently shared his collaboration with Lana Del Rey, “God Save Our Young Blood” here. I like the moody, atmospheric quality he brings to his sonic landscape.

Listen below and let me know what you think.

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Rose McGowan’s Bookstore Meltdown After Being Called Out By Transgender Woman

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan, who has been central to the #MeToo movement for coming out about her experiences with Harvey Weinstein, recently made an appearance at a New York City Barnes & Noble promoting her book, Brave.

The book addresses the women’s issues she’s been a part of for several years, and along the way congratulates herself for being, well, “brave.”

But the bookstore appearance took a left turn when a transgender woman stood up asking McGowen to address comments she made on RuPaul’s podcast, What’s the Tee? with Michelle Visage.

The woman began:

I have a suggestion. Talk about what you said on RuPaul. Trans women are dying and you said that we, as trans women, are not like regular women. We get raped more often. We go through domestic violence more often. There was a trans woman killed here a few blocks [away]. I have been followed home —.

From there the situation went from zero to 60 in one second. McGowen flipped out cursing at the trans woman, yelling, “What have you done for women?”

“Don’t label me, sister. Don’t put your labels on me. Don’t you fucking do that. Do not put your labels on me. I don’t come from your planet. Leave me alone. I do not subscribe to your rules. I do not subscribe to your language. You will not put labels on me or anybody. Step the fuck back. What I do for the fucking world and you should be fucking grateful. Shut the fuck up. Get off my back. What have you done? I know what I’ve done, God damn it.”

And it kind of went downhill from there.

McGowan has now cancelled her book tour and attacked her own team for not protecting her.

You can watch the exchange below. There are four clips in the post, but 2 and 3 seem to repeat. I’d heard about the incident but you have to see it to believe it.

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News Round-Up: January 29, 2018

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• One last shot from the Atlantis Cruise I was on last week. This from Preston Brock previewing his costume for the “Call of the Wild” dance party. #BullsArePrettyWild

 • A transgender soldier will be the guest of Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA) at Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

• Josh Weed, a gay Mormon who in 2012 told the world he was happily married to a woman, has announced his opposite-sex marriage has ended in divorce saying that a platonic marriage is no substitute for true intimacy and romantic love. The couple also issued an apology to the LGBT community:

We’re sorry to any gay Mormon who even had a moment’s pause as they tried to make the breathtakingly difficult decision that I am now making—to love myself fully for exactly what God made me—because of our post. We’re sorry for any degree that our existence, and the publicity of our supposedly successful marriage made you feel “less than” as you made your own terribly difficult choices. And we’re sorry if our story made it easier for people in your life to reject you and your difficult path as being wrong. If this is you, we want you to know: you were right. You did the correct, brave thing. You are ahead of me in the sense that you have progressed through things I have yet to progress through. You listened to your gut and to God and did a brave, brave thing. Now I’m following your example.

• House Republicans have voted to release a Republican penned “memo” meant to discredit the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller even though the Justice Department recommending examing the document first.

• NBC News reports that Donald Trump angrily called now-fired Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe when he saw dismissed FBI Director James Comey taking a federal plane home to Washington from Los Angeles after being sacked. During the call, Trump allegedly asked McCabe how his wife felt being a “loser” after falling short in her for state office in Virginia. #WhatEverHappenedToClass?

• Check out this moving coming-out story by BBC correspondent and grassroots footballer from the UK, Richie Anderson, to his teammates:

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News Round-Up: November 25, 2017

Nyle DiMarco (via Instagram)

Some news items you may have missed:

• ICYMI, Dancing with the Stars/America’s Next Top Model champ Nyle DiMarco served up quite the Thanksgiving meal, but I’m not sure which meat Instagram fans were checking out…

• Four Democratic U.S. senators have introduced the LGBT Elder Americans Act, which seeks to expand services for LGBT seniors. The legislation would designate LGBT seniors as a vulnerable population as well as establish the National Resource on LGBT Aging.

• Authorities estimate that a record 10,000 shiny, happy LGBTs and allies marched in this year’s Hong Kong Pride parade.

• Transgender healthcare facts: 31% of transgender Americans lack access to regular healthcare. 22% of transgender American avoid doctors out of fear of discrimination.

• This Reddit user tells the world he hooked up with a “10,” and since he sees himself as a “6” he couldn’t handle it. I remember experiencing this myself once. Read his story here.

• A new docu-series coming to HBO, 15: A Quinceañera Story, follows five Latina girls from different backgrounds as they celebrate their 15th birthdays. The first segment chronicles the story of Zoey, a transgender girl, who lives in Los Angeles and dedicates her Quinceañera to her trans-godmothers, who never got to have one of their own.

Premieres December 19 on HBO. Watch the trailer below.

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2017 Transgender Day Of Remembrance #TDOR17

The year 2017 is already the deadliest year on record for transgender people with at least 25 trans homicides reported so far.

Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1999 thanks to as a way to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman murdered inside her Boston apartment in 1998.

A vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Observed every November 20, the day is meant to honor the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Click here for a list of those trans people we’ve lost to violence this year.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued this statement in observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance:

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, the United States honors the memory of the many transgender individuals who have lost their lives to acts of violence.

Transgender individuals and their advocates, along with lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex persons, are facing increasing physical attacks and arbitrary arrests in many parts of the world. Often these attacks are perpetrated by government officials, undermining the rule of law.

Transgender persons should not be subjected to violence or discrimination, and the human rights they share with all persons should be respected.

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, the United States remains committed to advancing the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons. These principles are inherent in our own Constitution and drive the diplomacy of the United States.

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Out Music: Kim Petras “I Don’t Want It At All”

Check out the music video for out trans popster Kim Petras’ debut single, “I Don’t Want It At All,” a pop-y “shop-til-you-drop” anthem that features a special guest appearance by Paris Hilton.

Via press release:

Since her childhood in Cologne, Germany, Kim has been in love with pop music. It was a window into the bigger world outside of her little town. Kim notably began transitioning with female hormone therapy following her twelfth birthday before making worldwide headlines as the youngest person to receive gender reassignment surgery at the age of 16. Her experiences and bravery are subtly present in her music and her undeniable debut single perfectly showcases her imaginative artistry and unique brand of escapism.

“Pop was always my biggest obsession,” Kim affirms. “I spend so much time looking for new music online. As a kid, music videos were my escape from the little town I was living in, because nothing happened there. I want to provide that kind of escapism. It’s unapologetically pop.”

Great to see the release was noticed by big mainstream sites Ew.com and Idolator.

Watch the video below.

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New Ryan Murphy Series Will Feature Largest Trans Cast Ever In Scripted TV History


 Pose, the new series for FX from TV wonder-genius Ryan Murphy, will continue his practice of breaking down barriers and celebrating diversity by featuring the largest cast of transgender actors in a scripted series ever.

Via Deadline:

The five transgender actors were cast after a six-month nationwide search led by casting director Alexa Fogel. They are MJ Rodriguez (pictured, above), Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, and Angelica Ross. All will be playing transgender characters. Also, cast in the series are Ryan Jamaal Swain, Billy Porter and Dyllon Burnside.

Set in the 1980s, Pose looks at the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene and the ball culture world.

More from Reuters:

Michael Roberson and Twiggy Pucci Garcon are serving as consultants to the series on ball culture, an LGBTQ subculture rooted in 19080s nightclubs. Hector Xtravaganza, Skylar King, and Sol Williams will also serve as consultants.

Trans activist director Silas Howard will serve as a co-exec producer on the show, which will work with Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative to bring in trans directors for mentorship opportunities.

Leiomy Maldonado and Danielle Polanco will choreograph ball scenes for the show.

“We are thrilled that POSE pushes the narrative forward by centering on the unique and under-told experiences of trans women and gay people of color,” says Canals.

The pilot of Pose will be shot in New York City in November.

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Texas Speaker Of The House, Who Stood Up Against Anti-Transgender Legislation, Will Not Run For Re-Election In 2018

Joe Straus, the Republican Speaker of the House in Texas, has announced he will not seek re-election in 2018.

“I believe that in a representative democracy, those who serve in public office should do so for a time, not for a lifetime. And so I want you to know that my family and I have decided that I will not run for re-election next year. My time as a state representative and as speaker will end at the conclusion of my current term,” he announced via Facebook to his constituents.

You may recall that during last year’s legislative session, and the recent special session called by the governor, Straus beat back pressure from prominent politicians including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to bring a controversial anti-transgender “bathroom bill” to the floor of the state House for a vote.

Referencing the high suicide rates among the transgender community thanks to social judgments, the moderate Republican said at the time, “Tell the lieutenant governor I don’t want the suicide of a single Texan on my hands.”

Expect celebrations in the far-right realms of the Republican party as Straus has long been considered a target of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council and other hate groups.

Look for much jockeying in the Texas GOP  universe for the position of Speaker of the House in the coming months.

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Podcast: HIV Undetectable=Untransmittable; Will & Grace Returns; Eli Lieb’s “Kissing Your Tattoos;” And Cher On Broadway

On this week’s podcast:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that when an HIV+ person’s viral load is undetectable there’s zero chance of transmission to an uninfected person

• The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says transgender military members who meet physical and mental requirements should be able to serve in the U.S. military

• Azerbaijan is now rounding up and torturing gay men

• A new musical based on the life and music of Cher is heading to Broadway

• Will & Grace triumphantly returns to network TV after 11 years

• Eli Lieb’s latest single, “Kissing Your Tattoos”

All that and more on this episode of The Randy Report podcast.

Listen below. Catch up on LGBT headlines in only a few minutes, and if you like – hit the Share button for your social media 🙂