Measure to allow adoption agencies to ban gay & lesbian parents dies in the House
The measure would have punished states that ban discrimination against LGBTQ parents.

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Trans Representation Comes at a Price in ‘The Nap’ on Broadway: REVIEW

Two hours and change is time enough for a substantial snooze. Who couldn’t use one right about now? But if you’d rather spend as much time inside the Friedman Theatre, playwright Richard Bean’s The Nap quite bravely insists that its title relates to another beloved pastime. That would be the fuzzy surface of a snooker table (billiards’ British cousin), like the one that sits center stage for much of this head-scratching comedy, which opened on Broadway tonight.

The biggest question hanging over the Manhattan Theatre Club production is, what are we doing here? It’s doubtful the Venn diagram of those who follow professional snooker on the telly and patrons who pony up for a Broadway show has substantial overlap. Maybe snooker will be made into a metaphor for the state of Britain, or mankind and his innermost battles. Maybe the latest from the playwright who made James Corden into a star with One Man, Two Guvnors will be such a laugh riot that we’ll forgive its not adding up to much. Alas, no.

If you’re reading this review, it’s likely the inclusion of Alexandra Billings among the cast that peaked your interest. Would it surprise you to learn that her character follows in a long and worn out tradition of queer villains? Or that her character’s trans identity is the butt of numerous tired jokes and punchlines involving mixed-up pronouns and gendered expectations?

I’ll admit, it came as a surprise to me that before her entrance, a reference to her “operation” includes a joke that compares her bygone penis to “a dead German hanging out the window.” And that, as her character was a gangster before transitioning, they wonder whether she poses the same threat given that “she’s a woman now.” And that her character is so absurdly called… Waxy Bush. (The surname derives from her owning beauty parlors that offer bikini waxes; for no similarly discernable reason, the only South Asian character’s name is Mohammad Butt.)

Under Daniel Sullivan’s direction, the play sputters to take off as a farce and lacks the tautness or suspense of a madcap caper. (You may even spot the rub halfway through.) At the outset, Waxy asks our honorable leading man and boffo snooker player (Ben Schnetzer) to throw a game in the world championships so she can win a bet and earn back the cash she’s already invested in his success. A team of investigators is sniffing around trying to bust her; his parents are knocking around too, because the tournament’s on his home turf of Sheffield. Games are played, money is talked, jokes land but more often fall flat.

The good news is, Billings is the best part of the show, making the most of her character’s cheap if often funny recurring gags. One of them is her one wooden arm (don’t ask). The other is Waxy’s tendency to use the wrong word with conviction (e.g. “Whether she slept with him or not is irreverent!”). That her role has been cast with a trans actress should feel like a win; given Bean’s bottom-barrel humor here, it’s clear that using a man in drag would suit the play’s tone just fine. But Billings deserves better, and so do we.

Recent theatre features…
Dangerous Nostalgia Gets a Glow Up in ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’ on Broadway: REVIEW
New Musical ‘Be More Chill’ Is Like an Incel’s Answer to ‘Mean Girls’: REVIEW
New Go-Go’s Musical ‘Head Over Heels’ Is a Goddamn Queer Delight: REVIEW
Get in, Losers: The ‘Mean Girls’ Musical Is Fun as Hell: REVIEW

Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar
(photos: joan marcus)

The post Trans Representation Comes at a Price in ‘The Nap’ on Broadway: REVIEW appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Trans Representation Comes at a Price in ‘The Nap’ on Broadway: REVIEW

Ellen DeGeneres, Occidental College, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Assange, Barbra Streisand, Seal and Octopus, William Douglas: HOT LINKS

BETO VS TED. Cruz dodges on 2020 run: ‘In an interview with The Texas Tribune this month, the El Paso Democrat hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz committed to serving out the full six-year term in the Senate if elected, pushing down buzz that he might make a run at the White House in 2020. Cruz did not quite say the same.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG. Event draws 70 heads of state + others: “Spotted: Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, private equity titans Stephen Schwarzman and Larry Fink, Jeb Bush, Cindy McCain, Steve Case, Steve Rattner, Andrew Ross Sorkin and more.”

MUELLER PROTECTION BILL. Democrats prepare to force vote: “House Democrats are preparing to force a vote Thursday on a plan to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe from interference or unilateral removal by President Donald Trump.”

CHINA. Guangxi province unveils skyscraper shaped like giant ribbed dick that shoots fireworks.

WIKILEAKS. Julian Assange to step down as editor. ‘He will be replaced by former spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks said Wednesday via its Twitter profile. The Associated Press reported today that Ecuadorean officials are now working with Britain to find a “legal solution” to evict Assange from the London base.’

DECLARING ELECTIONS ILLEGITIMATE. Trump continues to set the stage.  “Regrettably, we found that China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election. Coming up in November. Against my administration. They do not want me, or us, to win, because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade. And we are winning on trade. We are winning on every level. We do not want them to meddle or interfere in our upcoming election.”

A STAR IS BORN. Barbra Streisand reacts to the new remake.

WILLIAM DOUGLAS. QAnon nut arrested for threatening YouTube massacre: ‘William Douglas, 35, was charged with cyberstalking and making threats after he was cuffed last Thursday by the FBI. The feds traced a series of death threats he made via social media back to his rural Oregon home, according to a criminal complaint. The threats came from a series of social media profiles where he ranted about fringe-right conspiracy theories and claimed YouTube was censoring him. In a still-live tweet from August, Douglas promoted a video promoting Nasim Aghdam, a YouTuber who opened fire on the company’s headquarters in April over the belief that her videos weren’t getting enough views.’

NEW ZEALAND. First two cases of men cleared of unjust historical convictions for gay sex have been announced. Judge: “I am delighted that the first two applicants have had their records cleared. Those men can now move on with their lives, knowing the state has acknowledged they should never have been convicted, and now they legally never were.”

OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE. Gay former athletic director sues school for discrimination, retaliation: ‘The plaintiff claims Occidental did nothing when postings on the school website concerning Hoffman called her a “dyke” and a “witch.” Veitch, after hearing Hoffman’s complaints about sexist and homophobic harassment after the Widolff firing, told the plaintiff, “C’mon, Jaime, let’s not Monday-morning quarterback,” the suit says.’

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE DAY. Seal slaps kayaker with octopus: ‘The seal was not intentionally trying to slap Mulinder in Constantine’s view. The man was likely just in the way. Instead, the seal was probably trying to rip the octopus’ tentacle off with the force of the throw, she said in an email. “I have seen seals doing this before, it’s not an unusual sight but normally there isn’t a person in the way,” she wrote. “Often we see (seals) swallowing the tentacle at the surface like a large strand of spaghetti.”‘

TRAILER OF THE DAY. Boys.

LOST TRAILER OF THE DAY. Ellen DeGeneres in A Star is Born.

THIRSTY THURSDAY. Ace Cee.

The post Ellen DeGeneres, Occidental College, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Assange, Barbra Streisand, Seal and Octopus, William Douglas: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Ellen DeGeneres, Occidental College, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Assange, Barbra Streisand, Seal and Octopus, William Douglas: HOT LINKS

The Urgent Need to Support Bisexual, Queer, Pansexual and Fluid Youth

Studies show that as many as half of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer population identify as bisexual — making the bisexual community the largest single group in the LGBTQ community.

Yet bisexual, queer, pansexual and fluid young people all too often report heartbreaking levels of stress, anxiety and rejection in their homes and communities, well beyond that of their gay and lesbian peers.

HRC and the University of Connecticut’s groundbreaking 2018 LGBTQ Youth Report found alarming trends among its bisexual, queer, pansexual and fluid-identified respondents, ranging in age from 13 to 17:

• Bisexual, pansexual, queer and fluid youth are nearly two times less likely to be out to their doctors and healthcare providers than lesbian and gay young people;
• 81 percent of bisexual respondents said they “usually” felt down or depressed over the past week compared to 71 percent of lesbian and gay youth;
• More than three-fourths of bisexual, queer, pansexual and fluid-identified youth said they “usually” felt feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness over the past week;
• Nearly half of bisexual young people reported they are not out to any of their teachers, compared to 32 percent of lesbian and gay respondents.

These alarming trends continue into adulthood.

According to the Bisexual Resource Center (BRC), approximately 40 percent of bisexual people have considered or attempted suicide, compared to just over a quarter of gay men and lesbians. HRC’s Health Disparities Among Bisexual People found that “when compared to heterosexual adults, bisexual adults reported double the rate of depression and higher rates of binge drinking.”

The prevalence of biphobia in LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ spaces alike contributes to these shocking numbers. BRC defines biphobia as “mislabeling bi+ people as lesbian, gay or straight, even when they come out as bi+.” Biphobia seeks to undermine the legitimacy of bisexual identities and comes in many forms: jokes, stereotypes, non-inclusive language and even abuse. The fear of being dismissed as “too gay” or “too straight” often makes it hard to be open.

Statistics like these are even higher for the bisexual people who are also transgender, people of color and/or people with disabilities, who experience biphobia at the intersections of transphobia, racism and ableism.

Research consistently points to an urgent need for parents, educators, allies and the broader LGBTQ community to support and care for these youth. It is up to each of us to educate ourselves and open the doors for bi, queer, pan and fluid young people to be able to embrace their true and authentic selves.

For more information, check out HRC.org/Bisexual.

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Welcoming Schools Celebrates LGBTQ Stories During Banned Books Week

Post submitted by Kimmie Fink, Welcoming Schools Consultant

As we mark Banned Books Week, HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools recognizes that some of the most repressed voices in literature are often those of LGBTQ people. We join librarians, teachers, publishers and authors in promoting the inclusion of diverse perspectives in books.

Banned Books Week was established in 1982 as a response to intensifying efforts to restrict the types of books available in schools and libraries across the country. Held every September, this event brings together community members and advocates who understand the dangers of censorship and the importance of free and open access to information.

Four of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2017, compiled annually by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, feature LGBTQ characters.

Welcoming Schools is proud to recommend all four as books that support LGBTQ and gender inclusive schools:

“Drama” by Raina Telgemeier

This Stonewall Honor Award-winning graphic novel explores the on- and off-stage drama of a middle school play. It’s a coming-of-age story that examines boyfriend-girlfriend and boyfriend-boyfriend relationships among young people.

“George” by Alex Gino

This Lambda Literary Award-winner follows George, who has always known that she is a girl, on her quest to play Charlotte in the school production of Charlotte’s Web. She and her best friend Kelly hatch a plan to get George the role and show everyone once and for all who she really is.

“And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

An ALA Notable Children’s Book, this delightful picture book celebrates family diversity through the re-telling of a true story of s two male penguins at the New York’s Central Park Zoo who hatch and raise a chick together.

“I Am Jazz” by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings:

This autobiographical picture book is the real-life story of Jazz Jennings, a transgender girl who always felt she had “a girl’s brain in a boy’s body.” Jennings has since become an advocate and spokesperson for transgender youth everywhere. Welcoming Schools hosts an annual “I Am Jazz” School and Community Reading event across the U.S. in recognition of the first “I Am Jazz” reading in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. In 2015 when a school in the Mount Horeb area cancelled a reading of the children’s book after the notoriously anti-LGBTQ group Liberty Counsel threatened the school with legal action, parents, children and school staff came together and filled the Mount Horeb Public Library with nearly 600 people who gathered to show their support for transgender inclusion.

These books, and others like them, provide validation for students who have LGBTQ families, who identify as LGBTQ and who have emerging LGBTQ identities. It’s important that everyone have access to books that reflect diversity because they provide important windows into the lives of those whose experiences and identities are different from our own. This type of exposure lays the foundation for safe, respectful school climates where everyone feels included.

If you’d like to be part of combating efforts to silence stories, download Welcoming Schools’ lists of recommended books and buy one for your home, classroom or school library. Stay tuned to Welcoming Schools for more information about how to sign up to host an “I Am Jazz” Community Reading in your area on Feb. 28, 2019. You can also show your support on social media.

The right of students to read books providing diverse perspectives, is critical and worthy of the strongest of defenses.

HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is the nation’s premier professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to:

• Welcome Diverse Families;
• Create LGBTQ and Gender Inclusive Schools;
• Prevent Bias-Based Bullying;
• Support Transgender and Non-Binary Students.

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