Happy Friday! Some news stories for you as we head into the weekend.
• Gayety: Bowen Yang will be leaving the cast of Saturday Night Live, marking the end of a groundbreaking run for one of the show’s most influential and visible queer cast members. Yang’s final appearance as a cast member will air this Saturday featuring his WICKED costar Ariana Grande as the host, and Cher as musical guest.
• Variety: Hulu has announced its gay-centered sitcom “Mid-Century Modern” starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham, and the late Linda Lavin, will not return for a second season. While not groundbreaking, I liked the series, sometimes playfully referred to as a gay “Golden Girls.” It was comfortable and easy to watch. #DarnIt
• CBNC: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (a prominent vaccine skeptic) has announced he is removing all 17 sitting members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee and replacing them with new members.
A new 22-minute short film – “I Went to the Smallest Pride in America” – highlights the Pride celebration of LGBTQ people in Morgantown, West Virginia. Social media personality Chris Stanley, 24, traveled to Morgantown (population 30,000) to interview queer residents and record one of the country’s smaller Pride parades. Continue reading “Short Film: “I Went To The Smallest Pride In America””
Sudi ‘Rick’ Karatas (screen capture) • New Music: “Through The Storm,” written and sung by Sudi ‘Rick’ Karatas, is a musical tribute to whoever or however we find strength to make it through personal challenges. The uplifting lyrics and Rick’s clear, earnest vocals make for a welcome respite from the chaos of the times. I covered Rick’s 2018 book release, Rainbow Relatives, here. Continue reading “New Music ‘Through The Storm’ + More News”
(photo: Eddy Billard/Unsplash) GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has announced the findings of its inaugural Social Media Safety Index (SMSI), a 50-page report on LGBTQ user safety across five major social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. The overall takeaway is that all five platforms are “categorically unsafe” for LGBTQ people. From Axios:
GLAAD had planned to give each of the sites a grade as part of its inaugural social media index, but opted not to give individual grades this year after determining all the leading sites would receive a failing grade.
“They are categorically unsafe, across the board,” GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. The findings follow a several month effort by GLAAD and a team of outside experts who looked at each of the sites, their policies and track record of enforcing those policies.
Ellis said that all of the sites hold themselves out as LGBTQ-friendly and nonetheless allow for LGBTQ people to be harassed on a daily basis as well as allowing harmful misinformation to spread unchecked.
Each of the social media platforms defended their efforts to protect LGBTQ people. Facebook/Instagram CMO Alex Schultz declared their deep belief in “the representation of and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community that GLAAD champions.” “Finding the right balance between giving voice and taking action on harmful content is hard,” added Schultz. “This is why we partner with experts, non-profits and other stakeholders – like GLAAD – to try to get it right.” YouTube issued a statement noting its ‘significant progress’ in removing “hateful and harassing content against the LGBTQ+ community that violates our policies, prominently surface content in search results and recommendations from authoritative sources and limit the spread of extreme content by our recommendations.” Twitter says it welcomes GLAAD’s initiative and the chance to “better understand the experiences and needs of the LGBTQ+ communities on our service.” And TikTok promised it is “committed to supporting and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices on and off the platform and we care deeply about fostering a welcoming and supportive experience for everyone.”
Tyler Oakley, one of the most well-known YouTube stars in the world, has shared with his millions of fans that he is taking a break from producing weekly videos for his channel. “I am just going to cut right to the chase,” Oakley said in a vlog post. “I have been making videos and uploading them every single Tuesday at noon for years and years and years. If you have been watching since I have been in college, I was 18 when I started, and I’m now 31.”
“I’ve never really taken a break and it’s now time for me to take a break,” Oakley added. “I’m going to be focusing on some other stuff that I’m really excited about, and I’m really ready to develop out and make into some fun new little things. I haven’t felt a fun, new little thing in a long long time.” Over the 13 years Oakley has been on the video platform he’s amassed over 7 million subscribers who have faithfully shown up for the young LGBTQ advocate as he shared various aspects of his life. In the video (titled ‘See Ya Later’), Oakley says he’ll definitely be back, but doesn’t name a specific date.
Colton Haynes shares in a new YouTube video that he’s finally a daddy! Ok, not that kind of ‘daddy,’ and it’s complicated… It seems the time had finally come for Colton to bring a cat into his life: “Hey y’all…meet my son…Timothee Chalameow!” But our hero may have had unrealistic expectations about cuddling and playing with Timothee right off the bat. Cut to Colton trying to coax his new buddy out from under the furniture. “This is my life now, folks – trying to win the affection of a cat,” muses Colton as Timothee stares from the relative safety under the couch. “I’m so excited! I was born to be a cat dad.” “Come here,…come cuddle with me,” pleads Colton to an aloof Timothee. “I just want your love and affection.” L-R Colton Haynes, Timothee Chalameow Colton swears to the camera that Timothee cuddles with him, but the new cat of the house doesn’t seem as drawn to the camera as his cat dad. Is it possible Colton had a dog in mind and got confused? And then, there’s the inevitable ‘incident.’ “Man, this whole fairy tale of getting a cat…Whoo! Not all it’s cracked up to be,” Colton shares. Apparently, there was a knock at the door, a deliveryman and a freak out involved, although Colton does see a silver lining of sorts. Showing off his new scar, Colton shares that Timothee did attack him, but in a ‘super chic way.’ “It looks like a sexy vampire bite, so now I have that.” I don’t want to give away the whole story, but all in all, it’s a pretty cute diversion from the outside world. Hit the play button below to see if/how/when Colton and Timothee ever find common ground.
Here’s a feel-good moment for your Monday afternoon. These talented twins in Sicily have gone viral with their amazing rendition of Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ during a quarantine lockdown in Italy. Mirko and Valerio, shared the performance on YouTube, along with the caption (translated): “We thought we’d spend a bit of time with you all, from north to south. For us, music is a source of relief, and we hope you guys can use it too.” “‘Viva la Vida’ by Coldplay seemed like the perfect song for this Sunday, full of sunshine and hope.” Watch the viral violin twins’ performance below.
