bye bye albino_2
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The Resistance Reclaims Its Time at the HRC Los Angeles Dinner
The HRC Los Angeles Dinner brought together more than 1,000 of HRC’s most active members and supporters in California to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality. On March 10, the greater Los Angeles area re-committed itself to the fight for equality with a night of incredible guests at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California) delivered a fiery speech just hours after Donald Trump launched a fusillade of disgusting attacks during a Saturday campaign rally, proving why she is a fierce leader of the resistance.
Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women in American politics today. She has gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color, and the poor. Elected in November 2016 to her fourteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 76 percent of the vote in the 43rd Congressional District of California, Congresswoman Waters represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles.
“We are counting on all of you to show up during the 2018 midterms and vote for people who will restore this democracy and uphold everything that we have fought for to advance #LGBTQ equality,” Waters said.
2017 HRC Visibility Award recipient Gus Kenworthy passed the torch to fellow out gay Olympian Adam Rippon, honored by HRC for his trailblazing visibility at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Adam Rippon made history as the first openly gay U.S. American male figure skater to compete in the Olympic games. Rippon publicly sparred with Mike Pence in the press and on social media, bringing a new focus on Pence’s long anti-LGBTQ record. Rippon publicly voiced his concern over Pence leading the diverse U.S. delegation to the Olympics.
“To all the young kids out there: You are smarter than you think. You hold more strength than you may ever know. You are powerful,” Rippon said.
Other special guests at the event included Teri Polo and Sherri Saum from ABC Family’s “The Fosters,” Josh Duhamel from “Love, Simon” and many more. HRC-backed U.S. Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona also spoke and Grammy Award-winning rock band Portugal. The Man performed.
Collateral damage
Karsten Fatur posted a photo:
Instagram: @karstenfatur
How GLAAD Is Training Google AI to Be Less Homophobic
GLAAD announced it will partner with Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to improve how artifical inteligence deals with LGBT content.
www.advocate.com/technology/2018/3/14/how-glaad-training-google-ai-be-less-homophobic
We’re an average family, but I know our support of the LGBTQ community counts
My name is Johnie , my beautiful wife is Melissa , and together we have four wonderful boys . Also, together, we have a gay man as one of our best friends , a son who is gay , and many LGBTQ who we call family . Our NOH 8 picture gives testament to our efforts to create a better world for our family and friends . We want a world where we can all be ourselves without discrimination
www.noh8campaign.com/article/were-an-average-family-but-i-know-our-support-of-the-lgbtq-community-counts
Yep, I’m HIV-Positive And Happy
Now that I’m closer to achieving everything I wanted in life, is my story as an HIV-positive man irrelevant?
www.advocate.com/current-issue/2018/3/14/yep-im-hiv-positive-and-happy
WATCH: The Queerties 2018 in Los Angeles was lit
See the highlights here.
GLAAD chats with Ellie Desautels from NBC’s ‘Rise’ about trans representation on TV
We’re excited to bring you this interview with Ellie Desautels, who plays Michael on the new NBC drama Rise. Michael is a transgender high school student who joins the theater department’s production of Spring Awakening. When the series starts, Michael is already socially transitioned at school, using his new name and he/him pronouns. The role Michael plays in the musical within the series is a male part. Rise is created by Jason Katims who brought us Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, along with Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller, and Flody Suarez. Check it out on Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET / 8:00pm CT on NBC, or wherever you catch NBC’s streaming content.
When you first read the Rise script, what drew you to play Michael?
Well, while I found the script for the pilot amazing, my desire to play Michael didn’t derive from the script. The plot was interesting and gripping, and of course the character description for Michael resonated with me deeply, but what ultimately made me want to play Michael was knowing that the creators were auditioning transgender actors and wanted to ensure that Michael’s story was portrayed authentically. It was so exciting to think that I could be actively involved in improving trans representation on TV, considering it is my other passion. That I could act and improve trans representation at the same time? It certainly felt like the job for me.
You and the character you play are both part of the trans community. Michael is a trans boy while you identify as non-binary. How did you approach playing Michael?
I identify as non-binary and I also strongly identify as trans-masculine, which to me means that I have a strong connection to my masculinity. My trans experience had a big influence in the development of Michael. I was also inspired by trans teens I had the pleasure of speaking with through Facebook. But I can only ever know my own experience. I can’t replicate someone else’s. I feel that Michael and I coexist in the same trans experience, but we use different terms to label it. Plus, Michael is more than his gender identity, and our high school experiences are pretty similar! I was once a teenager doing high school drama, and I was a teenager who loved to sing. So a lot of Michael came from who I am as a person and from my teenage human experience. But he’s much more practical than I am. That part of him is inspired by my fiancé.
What was the audition process like?
It all happened at Telsey & Co. Have to give them a shoutout for their gender neutral bathrooms! The first audition was easy with one person and a camera. I prepared a bit of a song to sing and I had to prepare a monologue they provided. The next day I was told I would have a callback the following week. I was told the producers and the director would be in the room, and I purposely decided not to look any of them up so I could treat it like all my other auditions and not create unnecessary pressure for myself. It was my first ever professional callback.
So I walked in to a room full of the bright faces of artistic people. I felt comfortable and I just performed a different song for them, the same monologue, and they all looked moved. It was a great callback. I almost got on a train home when my manager called me saying they wanted to hear me sing again. I was shocked, but I went back and sang for them again and they looked just as moved. I thanked them and went home. I’m still not sure why they wanted to hear me a second time.
The next day was agony! That morning, my managers said something like “They loved you. Nothing’s official, but it’s looking good. Just have to wait to hear,” and all day it was like that. “It looks good!” Me texting them every hour “Any word??” Just getting responses like “Nothing yet!” and “It’s looking really good!” All day until 9:30 at night, just as I was starting rehearsal as music director with my college a cappella group. My manager, Mel, called and they said “Guess what?” and I silently went into a hallway and I think I said something like “No f*cking way” and Mel told me I got the part and I must have said “Are you serious?” or something because my a cappella group heard and started screaming. So I went outside and Mel congratulated me and I just started crying. I called my mom and we sobbed and then I called my fiancé and continued crying. I went back to rehearsal and it took like ten minutes to stop crying. It was an unbelievable experience.
This is your first broadcast network show, which is exciting. And on a show created by Jason Katims who executive produced Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. What was it like working with Jason Katims and the cast?
It was quite a life-changing experience to act in scenes with or alongside such well-known actors as Josh Radnor, Rosie Perez, and Auli’i Cravalho, but it became normal very quickly. Not only was I working with the cast, I formed relationships and great friendships with many of them and everyone casually accepted the fact that I’m trans.
Working with Jason Katims was a dream. From the very beginning, Jason valued my thoughts and input on Michael’s story and how to best represent him. After the pilot, just as he was beginning to write the rest of season one, Jason reached out to me and we had a long phone discussion. He wanted to learn about my life as a trans person, wanted to know the nuances of my identity, what I experience daily, and also my thoughts about Michael and where I thought his story could go. After that I reached out to him a few more times whenever I thought of more important things to tell him and he always made time for me. He was consistently open to learning more and always wanted to listen to me. He valued me and my thoughts and always assured me it was because he wanted to tell Michael’s story the right way. He gained my complete trust. I have always felt safe with Jason and I knew Michael was safe in his hands, too.
TV and films roles are typically gendered. How do you choose which roles you want to pursue? What’s your experience been with casting directors and at auditions?
Right now I go for whatever roles I’m comfortable with. Roles I feel comfortable playing and those I find interesting. At the moment, I feel most comfortable going out for the few non-binary roles that are offered and trans-masculine roles. But that could change in the future. I don’t ever want to limit myself in my craft, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone helps me grow as an actor. But sometimes I need to allow myself comfort in order to flourish as a human.
So far I’ve only had good experiences with auditions and casting directors, but I’ve heard other stories from trans women and trans-feminine people about their not-so-good experiences. Many of them were weren’t considered for transgender roles because they “don’t look trans enough.” That idea, that trans characters need to look a certain way, rules out many trans artists. It also devalues us as people by saying trans people must “look trans.” Some transgender people are recognizably trans – others aren’t. We need roles written for everyone – and casting directors should then know how to cast those roles accordingly.
In the premiere episode of Rise, the drama teacher asks your character which name he wants to use. What was it like to play that scene?
That scene was huge for me for a few reasons. The first being that it was my first ever professional scene, the second that it was with Josh Radnor (and at that point I was still star-struck), and the third being that it was a major moment for my character. Looking back on it, I realize that scene was the start of my career and it was also the beginning of making a difference in the lives of transgender youth. It’s a very empowering scene and I hope it gives trans kids confidence in themselves. When we were done shooting that scene, Rosie Perez came to me to tell me that my work was beautiful. I don’t think she knows how much that meant to me.
As part of the trans community, what do you hope viewers take away from your character and storyline on Rise?
You’ll see as the season continues that what Jason, the writers, and I did with Michael was depict a transgender teen whose life is more than being transgender. Michael’s story isn’t about him figuring out he’s trans or his transition. When the show starts, his parents know and he’s already attending school as Michael. Part of Michael’s story is about the obstacles that real trans youth face, but Jason and the writers also put Michael in situations that any teen can relate to. So, I hope that Michael and his storyline can be a reminder to the viewers that we as trans people are not defined by our gender identities and our lives don’t revolve around being trans 24/7. We are human and experience life in all its complexities, just like everyone else.
What type of representation of non-binary characters would you like to see in future films and TV shows? And would you like to play a non-binary character in the future?
The future is vast and full of potential for amazing, accurate, positive representation of non-binary folk. I’m grateful that I have this platform to speak out as a non-binary person who was assigned female at birth. But I want to see just as much time – or more – given to non-binary people who are assigned male at birth. They experience so much more transphobia and negative reactions in this world. Show me a non-binary parent, a non-binary teacher, non-binary superheroes and couples, and show me a non-binary person running their own business. Show me eccentric non-binary folk and modest non-binary folk. Non-binary people of color. Non-binary people with curves. I want to see it all! All these kinds of non-binary people, and more, exist in the world. Who wouldn’t want to tell all of their interesting stories? And of course I want to play a non-binary character. I want to play many in the future! But I need people to start creating more, and I need networks to hire non-binary writers to create them.
Photo Credits: NBC/Virginia Sherwood
www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-chats-ellie-desautels-nbcs-rise-about-trans-representation-tv
Our conversation with Emma Gray, author of “A Girl’s Guide to Joining the Resistance”
It goes without saying that the 2016 election stirred the pot — politically, socially, and mentally. The night Trump was elected, in fact, prompted Huffington Post senior reporter Emma Gray to embark on writing A Girl’s Guide to Joining the Resistance: A Feminist Handbook on Fighting for Good. Released last month, this handbook includes tips on how to get (and stay) politically active, background information on key issues, and interviews with activists and politicians such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, actress and activist Ashley Judd, actress and activist Marlo Thomas, and Women’s March Co-Chair Carmen Perez.
At OkCupid, we’re always improving our product to be focused on the female experience, and we do that by talking to lots of interesting, smart, creative women. So we were super excited to chat with Gray about her book, and how joining the resistance, or at the very least listening to a voice other than your own, can make for a better atmosphere — not just in politics, but in dating, too. We caught up with Gray after she’d just done a live version of her podcast Here to Make Friends (a Bachelor recap show) at SXSW.
OkCupid: You mention in your book that the 2016 election inspired you to write it. How did it prompt you to write the book, and were there any other factors in your decision?
I cover the intersection of gender and politics for HuffPost, so I covered the 2016 presidential election and election night — and I thought I’d be writing a story about our nation’s first woman President.
Instead I wrote a very different story. I ended up being outside the Javits center [in New York City] and interviewed a lot of very angry and grief-stricken people; and then I went on to cover the 2016 Women’s March and saw what happens when you take that anger and grief and turn it into action.
That inspired me to write that book, and I wanted to approach covering this renewed resistance from a journalistic perspective — which meant going out and chatting with women’s leaders about what it means to be involved in the resistance, and what it meant particularly for young women.
OkCupid: Did your plans for the book shift as you researched and interviewed?
There was a new chapter on the importance of storytelling, and that wasn’t something I had in the original outline: as I started interviewing women, the more storytelling came up, and the more relevant it felt. And this was all before #metoo — now we’re really seeing how important storytelling is in creating social change.
In that specific chapter on storytelling, you discussed how writing an article for HuffPost about women and anxiety opened the doors for dialogue. How can sharing our own stories of struggle help us find deeper connections?
Storytelling is a form of intimacy. If you’re trying to build true intimacy, it needs to involve personal storytelling; it’s how you get ot know someone, whether it’s romantic or platonic or professional. Any relationship that’s going to be authentic needs storytelling.
When it comes to hetereosexual dating, there’s an element of understanding that you need to build. For me personally, as a woman dating straight men in this moment, there are a lot of conversations that are prompted given the fact that we’re in this #metoo moment. I think storytelling is the best way to bridge the gap between those experiences, whether it’s between a white person and a person of color or someone who’s dating someone with a different gender identity. You need to stop and hear their stories and understand that your stories are not going to be the same as theirs.
OkCupid: The #metoo movement has certainly changed the social landscape, particularly in dating and relationships. What advice do you have for daters when it comes to dating in the age of #metoo?
It sounds simple, but view the people you’re trying to date as human beings. Rather than saying “I need to pick up this women at a bar,” just think, “I want to approach this person and see if we get along, and see if we’re into each other.”
Most men are socialized to believe that they need to be the aggressors or in control of relationships, and I think that harms women and harms men, because it puts pressure on them both. But if we widen our views of what it means to be a woman or man or any gender identity, it helps everyone.
OkCupid: Another touching story from the book was about how trans activist Sarah McBride fell in love with trans activist Andy Cray, and how they connected over their shared passion for LGBTQI rights. How can sharing our political beliefs and passions bring us closer?
It depends who you are and what place these causes hold in your personal life, but I do think being involved in a community of some sort — whether that’s your relationship or your friends — that’s invested in creating change can be fantastic.
Also, engagement in political and social issues can be fun! If you’re a couple, you can designate your partner as a buddy to remind you to call congress one to two times a week. You can gather a group of friends to canvas for a local candidate who you support. And I personally have found some of the best romantic connections in my life have of course been built on attraction and all of the things we picture when we think of love and romance and sex, yet they’ve involved an intellectual component that includes debates and talking about current issues and what’s in the news. To me, it’s important to have a partner who cares about the world around them, and a partner who wants to engage in conversations as an equal.
OkCupid: A lot of activists, scholars and politicians in your book defined what intersectionality means to them. How can we practice intersectionality in our relationships?
Intersectionality is primarily a lens for groups that are advocating on behalf of a group. I think the way that that would apply to dating is just in the very basic sense of working against our tendencies to universalize our own experiences and identities.
When you’re walking into a romantic or sexual experience with someone, they might have different experiences and interpret interactions differently. So stressing openness and conversation is key. Keeping openness and listening in mind rather than projecting your needs and world views onto that other person can be really beneficial.
OkCupid: What do you hope people will walk away with after reading?
I would hope that anyone who reads the book will walk away with a renewed energy, regardless of politics, and understand that their experiences matter, and that a healthy political system is one that all citizens engage with — and that sitting on the sidelines is not an option. The personal has always been political, and the political will always be personal.
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Our conversation with Emma Gray, author of “A Girl’s Guide to Joining the Resistance” was originally published in The OkCupid Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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