Daily Archives: August 22, 2015
Adam and Bran
One Direction's Liam Payne Blasts Fans Who Claim He's Homophobic
One Direction's Liam Payne Blasts Fans Who Claim He's Homophobic
The boy band star took to Twitter to clarify statements he made on stage during a recent performance where he inferred women can’t have girlfriends.
Jase Peeples
Caitlyn Jenner Halloween Costume to be Sold at Retail Chain
Caitlyn Jenner Halloween Costume to be Sold at Retail Chain
Spirit Halloween confirmed the company will be selling Cait costumes at their pop-up stores around the country this season.
Jase Peeples
www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/08/22/caitlyn-jenner-halloween-costume-be-sold-retailer
This man is printing 1000 posters so his mom can marry her girlfriend
This man is printing 1000 posters so his mom can marry her girlfriend
An Australian activist is printing 1000 individual posters and a selection of t-shirts to distribute around the country in support of equal marriage – in case his mom wants to marry her girlfriend.
Jake Holmes, together with artist and film-maker Peter Drew, is screen-printing lyrics from the popular 80s cricket anthem ‘C’mon Aussie c’mon’ in rainbow colors, and sending the prints around the country.
‘I designed this poster because Marriage Equality hits pretty close to home for me,’ Jake explained.
‘My Mum came out when I was 13 and I believe my Mums should have the choice to get married.’
Jake has a strong relationship with his mom, and is good friends with his mom’s partner; now he wants to make sure the pair have the option of formalising their relationship like straight couples he knows.
‘It’s just frustrating and a little bit upsetting that these people that I really, really care about, in the eyes of the law, aren’t regarded as equal,’ he said, speaking to ABC Adelaide.
‘I’m not sure that my mum and her partner would get married, but it is more that they do not have that right.’
To spread the word, the pair are sharing their prints with community groups including Australian Marriage Equality, as well as any businesses willing to display them.
Anyone who donates A$2 to cover postage will be sent a free poster in the mail, provided they display it publicly and proudly.
Donating the larger amount of A$40 gets the donor a unisex C’mon Aussie c’mon t-shirt, with any extra profits going towards AustralianMarriageEquality.org.
‘When it comes to marriage equality, Australia has fallen behind,’ Peter said, ‘but it’s not too late for us to get back in the game.’
Jake added: ‘It’s kind of nice to take something … this real ocker, almost naff 80s Australia and twisting it to and subverting [it] to this issue at the moment.’
Watch the full campaign video below:
The post This man is printing 1000 posters so his mom can marry her girlfriend appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/this-man-is-printing-1000-posters-so-his-mom-can-marry-her-girlfriend/
Gay Iconography: Tina Turner Is Simply The Best
Gay Iconography: Tina Turner Is Simply The Best
When it comes to icons, the gay community loves to see resilience. The annals of icons are full of artists and performers that persevered through hardships, carved their own path and inspired legions of fans to stand up for themselves. And there’s no one tougher than Tina Turner.
Born Anna Mae Bullock, the Nutbush native rose to prominence in the 1960s alongside her husband, Ike Turner. Anna Mae took the name Tina Turner and would go on to enjoy a career spanning more than half a decade, earning Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the title of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll. Not only is she beloved for her powerful voice and high-energy performances, but the story of her overcoming an abusive relationship with Ike has cemented her status as a woman of immeasurable strength.
In her autobiography, I, Tina, Turner describes the bloody fight in 1976 that preceded her escaping Ike and fleeing their hotel. In addition to the power it took to leave her abusive husband and controlling musical mentor, she famously only asked to keep her stage name in the divorce.
Beyond the inspirational story, Turner’s catalog and style has inspired legions of gay fans young and old (and plenty of drag queens). She also has the distinction of performing at the opening ceremonies of the first ever Gay Games in San Francisco in 1982.
Even though now she’s enjoying her retirement with her new husband in Switzerland, Turner’s tunes are timeless. Check out some of our favorite Turner clips and tracks below.
One of Ike and Tina Turner’s earliest classics was the Phil Spector production, “River Deep, Mountain High.” Spector considered the propulsive single his best work and had paid the over-bearing Ike $20,000 to stay out of the way so he could perfect his “wall of sound” for the recording. Although the single wasn’t successful in the United States, it was a hit in Europe, peaking at No. 3 in the United Kingdom.
Tina Turner wrote “Nutbush City Limits” in homage of her hometown. The track would be the last hit single co-produced by Ike and Tina. In the amazing clip above, Tina performs “Nutbush” on The Cher Show, followed by a duet of “Shame Shame Shame” with Cher and then a a medley of Beatles songs with Cher and “The First Lady Of Radio” Kate Smith.
Following her split from Ike in 1976, Tina played cabaret shows in Vegas and small venues. It wasn’t until the 1983 release of her cover of “Let’s Stay Together” (originally by Al Green) that she would have another hit record, her first to crack charts in the U.S. as a solo artist. The success of “Let’s Stay Together” incited Capitol records to demand an album quickly. Tina recorded the album Private Dancer in two months, spawning singles including “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Private Dancer” (above) and “Better Be Good To Me.”
In 1986, Turner released her autobiography I, Tina. The book detailed her upbringing in Nutbush, as well as her troubled relationship with Ike. The book inspired the 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It, starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, who both received Academy Award nominations for their work.
What’s Love Got To Do With It isn’t Tina’s only foray into film. She had a role in the movie musical Tommy and a cameo in 1993’s Last Action Hero. One of her most beloved (and deliciously fabulous) parts was as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Her song “We Don’t Need Another Hero” appeared on the soundtrack and peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard chart.
What’s your favorite Tina Turner track?
The post Gay Iconography: Tina Turner Is Simply The Best appeared first on Towleroad.
Bobby Hankinson
New York pol fighting against men being shirtless in public
New York pol fighting against men being shirtless in public
Ruben Diaz, Sr wants New York City to be safe from the scourge of topless women. And men. This summer local media has been obsessing over a few women strolling Times Square sans top.
They have joined the other Broadway tycoons, those dress up in comic book costumes and annoy tourists for photos (cash also). My personal favorite is fat Spiderman.
From all accounts it’s legal to walk around in public with no top, but breasts with no cover has caused Mayor Bill de Blasio to come up with a task force to come up with a solutions to bare nipples and costumed characters milling about.
This is where Diaz comes in. According to 4 New York,a local news station, the Democratic state senator plans to introduce legislation banning public toplessness, except on the beach, for everyone. Men will be included because the minister is all about equality.
It should come as no surprise that Diaz is anti-LGBTI. He’s opposed to marriage equality and doesn’t mind throwing out rhetoric that makes even a few of his supporters roll their eyes.
No shirtless men in NYC? That might cause a second Stonewall.
The post New York pol fighting against men being shirtless in public appeared first on Gay Star News.
James Withers
www.gaystarnews.com/article/new-york-pol-fighting-against-men-being-shirtless-in-public/
Lily Tomlin’s 10 Greatest Movie Roles, Ranked
Lily Tomlin’s 10 Greatest Movie Roles, Ranked
Lily Tomlin stars in “Grandma” from Sony Pictures Classics
Lily Tomlin, a true showbiz legend and one of our own, has a new movie out this weekend. It’s quite a career-capper as she’s rarely been asked to carry an entire movie by herself. In fact, it hasn’t happened since The Incredible Shrinking Woman in the Seventies! All of her other leading roles were co-leads with other big stars to banter, romance, or battle with.
This time she’s in the drivers seat, quite literally, as the title character of Grandma. She plays a sharp-tongued lesbian poet who goes on a road trip of sorts with her granddaughter who is accidentally pregnant and in need of an abortion. It was one of the highlights of Sundance back in January and now it’s in theaters. You don’t have to take my word alone that Lily is super in it. Hot on the heels of her Emmy nomination for the Netflix series Grace & Frankie she’s winning Oscar buzz and very kind reviews — I was surprised and delighted to be quoted on the poster! — even from critics who don’t totally love her star vehicle movie. So why not shill some more for the movie? Go see it. It’s not every day that a senior citizen actress gets a leading role. In fact, if her name isn’t Streep or she isn’t a British “Dame” it just doesn’t happen period.
Since I’ve previously reviewed Grandma let’s talk about Lily Tomlin’s film career in general. Many of her most celebrated career moments happened on TV or on the stage (The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe) and in her truth her career in the movies has been spotty. But that’s no reason not to celebrate the highlights!
LILY TOMLIN’S 10 BEST FILM ROLES, ranked…
with Tom Waits in “Short Cuts”
10 “Doreen” in Short Cuts (1993) The celebrated auteur Robert Altman made ensemble films so teeming with character actors and big stars in small roles that it’s easy to forget who appeared in which picture, but Lily has been in three of them, all of which make this list. In the California set short-story driven Short Cuts she plays a lonely waitress who is shacked up with an alcoholic Tom Waits. She doesn’t realize that she’s set off a tragedy nearby with what she thinks is a minor car accident.
09 “Rhonda Johnson” in A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
Meryl and Lily made for a comfy sister act in this folksy comedy based on the radio show. Their voices sound great together, don’t you think? This was Robert Altman’s last film before his death.
08 “Edwina Cutwater” in All Of Me (1984)
Though this comedy mostly confines Lily to her bed or in mirrors as a dying millionaire whose soul accidentally ends up in Steve Martin’s body, it’s a gem. Basically Steve Martin gets to play both his own part and Lily playing his part, through his body language. Just go with it. But Lily & Steve are delightful together whether they’re sharing a body or a goofy dance.
Rose and Rose in “Big Business”
07 “Rose / Rose” in Big Business (1988)
Will I be shunned for placing this so low? This identical twins switched at birth comedy duet with Bette Midler is beloved but Bette gets all the best stuff — don’t deny it! Still, Lily has fun with her dual roles as a fussy clumsy businesswoman and her aggressive confrontational country sister.
06 “Mary Schlichting” in Flirting with Disaster (1996)
The first of her two collaborations with Oscar favorite David O. Russell (of The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle fame) is a very funny comedy about an uptight man (Ben Stiller) in search of his birth parents (Alan Alda & Lily Tomlin). When he finds them, he discovers that they’re drug-selling paranoid hippies. Chaos ensues. Lily & Alan are a lot of fun but Josh Brolin and Richard Jenkins steal the show as gay lovers and FBI agents.
05 “Margo Sterling” in The Late Show (1977)
This little seen but critically acclaimed noir homage about a private detective (Art Carney) and his would be partner (Lily) was Oscar nominated for Best Screenplay. Lily even received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Actress but no Oscar love. You can see the trailer here if you’re curious. If you’ve never heard of it, you are not alone — the film wasn’t available on VHS or DVD for many years which accounts for how forgotten it is.
The existential detectives of I ♥ Huckabees
04. “Vivian” in I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
Writer/director David O. Russell has become quite an Oscar player in the past few years but 11 years ago, a lot of people still didn’t know what to make of his lively and eccentric brand of filmmaking, which one of my closest friends describes perfectly as “put a lot of actors with disparate acting styles in a can and shake it!”. This bizarre but brilliant film about a sad sack (Jason Schwartzman) who turns to two “existential detectives” (Lily & Dustin Hoffman) for advice, was, by all accounts a miserable working experience on set. A viral video even went around the net years ago (before being removed) featuring Lily & Russell in a expletive filled screaming argument. David O, Russell thinks it’s his worst movie but he’s very very wrong. It’s one of a kind and Lily is magic with both her slapstick sneaking-around bits and her seriously confusing confrontational riddles.
03 “Violet Newstead” in Nine to Five (1980)
This now classic comedy blockbuster (second only to The Empire Strikes Back at the box office that year!) derives much of its girlpower pleasure from the well balanced trifecta of megawatt charisma from Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton who was making her film debut! Everyone elevates this thing but Lily’s take-no-prisoners attitude (not literally – she actually takes a prisoner) and intimidating competence as the office’s unofficial manager drives much of the zany plot. And of all the stars, she’s got the best of the silly dream sequences as a perversely sadistic Snow White.
If you haven’t seen it recently, you should. It holds up and it’s quite a weird time capsule of work place drudgery prior to computers!
with David Carradine in “Nashville”
02 “Linnea Reese” in Nashville (1975)
Robert Altman’s Best Picture nominated masterpiece Nashville has its hilarious moments but they don’t come from Lily so she must have been quite a relevation at the time. She was known solely for her comic gifts in the broad context of TV shows like Laugh-In, when she played against type for her Oscar-nominated movie debut. She’s confidently soulful as a gospel singer with a deaf son who is cheating on her husband. She nails the film’s best scene with a less-is-more minimalism as she listens to her lover (David Carradine) sing his ballad “I’m Easy” (which was nominated for Best Original Song). If you haven’t seen Nashville, drop everything, and absorb its cacophonous mosaic of the music scene during a local political election in the tumultous seventies. It’s a masterpiece.
01 “Elle Reid” in Grandma (2015)
Grandma may be a slight (if highly enjoyable) movie in comparison to Nashville, but 40 years after her Oscar nominated debut, at 75 years of age, what a surprising gift to see this living legend handed such a strong headline role. And one written just for her, no less. Lily, a proud member of the LGBT community who has been with her wife Jane Wagner since the early 70s, has usually played it straight on screen, but this time the role is a bit closer to home. She’s amazing and hilarious as a smart, bitter, eccentric lesbian feminist with no filter and intimacy issues (she’s just dumped her girlfriend played by Judy Greer as the film begins) who is still mourning the loss of her life partner years earlier when her granddaughter comes to her in desperate need of advice and money. Here’s hoping Lily’s best role since Nashville provides her with a bookend Oscar nomination, 40 long years later.
GRANDMA is playing in select cities so go see it! Support our LGBT entertainers, especially the great ones!
What’s your favorite Lily Tomlin role?
Nathaniel Rogers would live in the movie theater but for the lack of wifi, blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.
The post Lily Tomlin’s 10 Greatest Movie Roles, Ranked appeared first on Towleroad.
Nathaniel Rogers
www.towleroad.com/2015/08/lily-tomlins-10-greatest-movie-roles-ranked/
Twelve School Resources for your Transgender Binder of Awesomeness
Twelve School Resources for your Transgender Binder of Awesomeness
The Twinadoes started fifth grade yesterday! It was with a 60/40 blend of trepidation and joy that I dropped them off at the door of another new school. While homeschooling was easier than I expected, I was pretty excited to have the house to myself for the first time in 6 months. The kids were both really pumped to spend the day making friends, having recess, checking out a new school, and oh yeah, maybe learning some stuff.
As it has been in every school, the Little Miss was the first transgender student they’d interacted with. My husband and I met with the principal almost two weeks prior to the start of school to share our story and meet with someone who would become an important part of our lives. We shared our journey and some of the concerns we had for the upcoming year. Our principal is a wonderful person and I’m really relieved to be with yet another understanding educator who is eager to learn and create a safe space for all children.
Unfortunately, for the first time in her school history our daughter will have to use the unisex bathroom. The school system has a policy in place that dictates that all transgender kids will use a unisex bathroom instead of the bathroom of their affirmed gender. My heart sank when I was given this information, though it was paired with the statement that we would work together to get the right people the information they needed to make positive changes for this population of children.
At home that night, I watched as our daughter’s little shoulders, so high with expectation, slumped in shock when she heard that she wouldn’t be able to use the girl’s bathroom. For her, being forced to use the unisex bathroom indicated that the school didn’t believe her. It told her that the school thought she wasn’t really a girl as she would be denied the very basic right to use the bathroom with all the rest of the girls. By telling her to use a unisex bathroom, it set her up for questions from her peers, it put focus on an area of her body that already caused her distress, highlighted her difference from her peers, and set up the school as her largest source of stress instead of a safe haven for learning.
For a child who has always identified as female, this was both confusing and embarrassing. We explained how her hero, Jazz Jennings, went through similar struggles and helped pave the way for our daughter to use the girl’s bathroom at her previous school in Florida. Though it will be hard, she now has the opportunity to help create change in her current school system.
I want to be positive and see the tremendous potential that our daughter has to help create change here in our town. It was with mixed feelings that I gave her the positive spin of, “Go, be a trailblazer, young one.”
But, my heart hurts that the responsibility falls on her shoulders. It would have been wonderful to show up to a school system that was ready for a child like ours. I will say this, the hearts of the teachers in our school seem to be ready for our daughter and I’ve been told that the teachers are eager to learn. It would be the expectation I guess, for the next line in the story to say, “And the rest is just paperwork.”
But, it isn’t that simple. I foolishly thought that we’d be able to share our story, everyone would see how silly it is to keep our daughter (and kids like her) out of the bathroom of their affirmed gender, that I might have to point out the Department of Justice’s opinion on the matter, and that would be the end of it. But, no. There will be meetings, and education, and calling in reinforcements to help with the education, and making ourselves available to answer questions, and these things take time.
If you don’t already know this about me, I’m impatient on a good day. It’s not uncommon for my family to see me fuming at my computer as I wait for the little round spinning rainbow image to do what I’ve asked the computer to do. I’m even more impatient when it involves a process change (ask my family about the stress of my doctoral capstone project). When the issue causes my daughter to feel shame and makes her feel different, then the slow process of change is likely going to drive me insane.
I know that other families are going through this process too. So, I’m going to share the links to everything I had printed up in the Purple Transgender Binder of Awesomeness which I gave to the administration of our school district. I’ve also updated the resources page at Non-Conforming Mom to include these. And, because I write when I’m agitated, frustrated, happy, and bored, I’m sure I’ll be giving updates along the way.
Without further adieu, the contents of the Purple Transgender Binder of Awesomeness:
Department of Justice Statements
Resolution Agreement between the Arcadia School District, the US DOE, and the US DOJ
Tooley vs Van Buren Public Schools Statement
Statements from the American Psychological Association
Fact Sheet: Gender Diversity and Transgender Identity in Adolescents
Fact Sheet: Gender Diversity and Transgender Identity in Children
Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (I just gave a copy of the Executive Summary)
Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 schools (Every school needs this, every parent needs to read it. If you are a parent, print this out and physically hand it to your child’s principal).
Washington DC School District June 2015 Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Policy Guidance
Welcoming Schools Information
Welcoming Schools Main Page
Research Basis for Safe and Welcoming Schools
Gender and Children: A Place to Begin
Gender Expansive Children: Books to Help Adults Understand
Be Prepared for Questions and Put-Downs about Gender
An Overview of Laws and Policies that Support Safe and Welcoming Schools
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WNBA’s Griner won’t pay after marriage is annulled
WNBA’s Griner won’t pay after marriage is annulled
WNBA star Brittney Griner has no spousal support once her marriage ends. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge blocked Glory Johnson’s request for $20,000 (€18,000) a month.
Johnson, who plays for the Tulsa Shock, is having twins. She asked the judge for financial support from her former spouse because she cannot play this season. She also requested attorney fees and for Griner to make car payments.
‘We are very pleased that the judge has ruled, after evaluating the credibility of the testimony, that a 28 day marriage does not entitle Glory Johnson to Brittney Griner’s money for purposes of alimony, Mercedes car payments or attorney’s fees,’ Griner’s attorney, David Michael Cantor, said in a statement according to the Associated Press.
The courtship, and brief marriage, of the two WNBA stars has been rocky and turbulent. They were married in early May, three weeks after both were arrested on domestic violence charges.
Approximately 28 days after the wedding, Griner filed for the annulment. The day before, Johnson announced she was pregnant.
Griner, center for the Phoenix Mercury, was suspended for seven games at the start of the league’s season. She also must undergo 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling as part of her plea deal.
Johnson was also suspended for seven games; that punishment will be served next year.
The post WNBA’s Griner won’t pay after marriage is annulled appeared first on Gay Star News.
James Withers
www.gaystarnews.com/article/wnbas-griner-wont-pay-after-marriage-is-annulled/
