Shakina Nayfack Wants to Change How We Talk About Confirmation Surgery

Shakina Nayfack is a writer, producer, and actress in the Transparent musical finale. 

www.advocate.com/transgender/2019/9/04/shakina-nayfack-wants-change-how-we-talk-about-confirmation-surgery

Here’s another reason to love ‘Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance:’ Gay puppets

Move over Bert & Ernie: there are new gay puppets on the block.

No, not literally on Sesame Street, though in a fitting twist they come from the same workshop. Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance debuted to rave reviews this weekend, introducing viewers to a more detailed look at the mythic world of Jim Henson’s original 1982 film, The Dark Crystal. The new show is set thousands of years before the 1982 movie, though it features many of the same characters and species. The new incarnation confirms that same-sex couples are part of the natural order in the magical world of Thra.

Related: What to Watch: Husbands conquering Hollywood, gay girl woes and a ‘Crystal’ adventure

One of the main characters in the new series is Deet, a cave-dwelling gelfling (think tiny elves) girl who lives with her two dads. The show doesn’t make too big a deal out of her parentage; rather, it appears incidental to her character…kind of like a child might refer to her gay dads in real life.

Other same-sex couples appear on the show as well, including the gelfling princess Tavara and her girlfriend Ornica. Another same-sex couple, the Mystic known as the Wanderer and the Skeksis known as the Heretic, live together in sin of sorts, having betrayed their clans to be together. In a sense, their relationship echoes that of real-world same-sex couples, having been cast out for their love of one another.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance also makes metaphorical statements about gender, environmentalism, addiction, socioeconomic class and science run amok. Produced entirely with puppets and minimal computer effects, the show plays like Game of Thrones on acid: dark, thoughtful, visceral and unlike anything else on TV.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance streams exclusively on Netflix.

www.queerty.com/heres-another-reason-love-dark-crystal-age-resistance-gay-puppets-20190904?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

‘Younger,’ ‘Elite,’ a New Camp Classic and More TV This Week

Check out our weekly guide to TV this week, and make sure you’re catching the big premieres, crucial episodes and the stuff you won’t admit you watch when no one’s looking.

You’d be forgiven for thinking each city’s edition of The Real Housewives are indistinguishable, but I’m here to remind you The Real Housewives of Dallas stars an actual self-described “carny,” so … Season premiere Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern on Bravo.

TV Land’s series Younger brings its sixth season to a close Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern. Starring Broadway favorite Sutton Foster, the series had its fair share of queer storylines and co-stars out actor Nico Tortorella.

Take your sexy teen drama with a side of telenovela Friday with new episodes of the Spanish-language series Elite on Netflix. The show features multiple queer characters, including our favorite pair, Omar and Ander.

Mindy Kaling plays an upstart writer on a late-night talk show hosted by Emma Thompson in Late Night, coming to Amazon Friday. The film tackles big issues like feminism and representation with still plenty of humor and heart.

It’s still early for the TV season to be in full swing, so treat yourself Saturday to a screening of A Simple Favor, premiering on Epix at 8 p.m. Eastern. It’s an utterly batsh*t “thriller” starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, and, trust me, it’s a contemporary camp classic in the making.

What are you watching this week on TV?

The post ‘Younger,’ ‘Elite,’ a New Camp Classic and More TV This Week appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

‘Younger,’ ‘Elite,’ a New Camp Classic and More TV This Week

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: September 4, 2019

MORNING MUST READ FROM THE GUARDIAN ON TRUMP-PENCE’S ESCALATING ATTACKS ON LGBTQ PEOPLE: “The Trump administration has attacked LGBT rights in healthcare, employment, housing, education, commerce, the military, prisons and sports. These efforts, it turns out, were just the beginning,” writes Guardian’s Sam Levin (@SamTLevin). In the coming months, the Supreme Court will hear three cases on anti-LGBTQ employee discrimination, which several federal courts have previously held violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Trump-Pence administration, however, has asked the Supreme Court to reverse course and strip LGBTQ people of their right to be free from discrimination under federal nondiscrimination law. More from The Guardian.

WHAT THE WHAT? WEDNESDAY — LUNCH ≠ ACCEPTANCE: The latest talking point from the White House makes the absurd suggestion that by having lunch with a same-sex couple, Mike Pence is somehow relieved of his long, ugly history of anti-LGBTQ animus. In fact, if lunchmates make the man — remember that just last month, Pence met with three different anti-LGBTQ extremists in five days. More from Business Insider, Metro Weekly and HuffPost.

• From WaPo’s Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott): “So [Deputy White House press secretary Judd] Deere is either showing how low the bar is for this administration to clear in signaling it’s not hostile to the LGBT community, or he’s throwing supporters who want it a shallow rationale to argue that their standard-bearers aren’t anti-gay.” More from The Washington Post.
• For more on Pence’s LGBTQ record, check out our report detailing how he’s made attacks on LGBTQ people a centerpiece of his political career.

TRANS WOMAN TO BE MOVED TO WOMEN’S FACILITY AFTER BEING SUBJECTED TO ABUSE BY INMATES, OFFICERS AND OTHER STAFF: The plaintiff, referred to as Sonia Doe in court documents, is represented by the ACLU of New Jersey. More from NBC.

• And in Idaho, a trans inmate is fighting for live-saving health care while incarcerated: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that failure to provide her transition-related care violates the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishments.” More from The Washington Post.

JUDGES SAY NORTH CAROLINA’S PARTISAN STATE LEGISLATIVE MAPS ARE UNLAWFUL : More from The Hill.

BREAKING: In a significant win for fair districts and representative democracy, a three judge panel struck down North Carolina’s gerrymandered state legislative districts and ordered a new map be drawn for the 2020 election. t.co/BGojl7WlgN

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) September 3, 2019

MTV’s “ARE YOU THE ONE” GIVES HISTORIC REPRESENTATION TO BI+ COMMUNITY, EXPLORES NEEDS AND STRUGGLES OF COMMUNITY: More from Variety.

IN MASSACHUSETTS, EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR INNOVATIVE WAYS TO WELCOME LGBTQ EMPLOYEES: More from The Boston Globe.

ACTOR MALIK YOBA OPENS UP ABOUT DATING TRANS WOMEN, AND THE NEED TO NORMALIZE AND SUPPORT LOVE OF TRANS PEOPLE: “Trans people deserve love and respect as do those who love them!” the actor wrote in a social media post. More from Vibe.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

THE PHILIPPINES’ HIGHEST COURT REJECTS CASE THAT SOUGHT TO LEGALIZE MARRIAGE EQUALITY — BUT URGES CONGRESS TO ADDRESS: In rejecting the case on technical grounds, the court noted the “constitution does not define, or restrict, marriage on the basis of… sexual orientation, or gender identity,” and that marriage equality “should be addressed to Congress.” More from France 24.

DOCUMENTS REVEAL UK HOME OFFICE HAS REFUSED THOUSANDS OF LGBTQ ASYLUM CLAIMS: At least 3,100 of the claims came from people living in countries that criminalize consensual same-sex relationships. More from The Guardian.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

NewNowNext interviews Sam Harris (@SamHarris), who recalls remaining closeted while appearing on “Star Search” in the 1980s; Dallas Voice sits down with HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid); HRC offers five suggestions to help educators create welcoming schools
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-september-4-2019?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Kevin Hart Gaslighting Lil Nas X During Interview Draws Backlash

Exchange ironically occurred on HBO’s “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”

www.advocate.com/news/2019/9/04/kevin-hart-gaslighting-lil-nas-x-during-interview-draws-backlash

AussieBum ‘likes’ Trump’s tweets calling refugees ‘illegals’ and Puerto Rico ‘corrupt’ then recants

AussieBum— the Australian-based underwear and swimwear brand known for popping up in gay adult videos and supporting marriage equality down under — has a Twitter account that’s mostly just images of dudes wearing their apparel.

But an eagle-eyed Twitter user found that this weekend the brand liked seven August 28 tweets from President Donald Trump falsely terming Latin American refugees “illegals,” The Washington Post “fake news” and Puerto Rico “one of the most corrupt places on Earth” (second only to Russia and the U.S., right Donald?).

When Queerty reached out to AussieBum for comment, asking why their official account liked these incendiary and somewhat racist tweets, the brand didn’t respond, but merely un-liked the tweets sometime later and eventually issued an apology claiming their account had been “compromised.”

Naturally, it reflects poorly when a brand targeting gay men supports a president whose rhetoric inspires violence against people of color and whose administration has done more to roll back LGBTQ rights than any other in modern history.

One Twitter user made a video showing the brand’s “liking” of Trump’s tweets:

Hey all. @aussieBum seems to support fascism. There’s better underwear out there anyway. pic.twitter.com/g8VktxCp4F

— The Great British Blake Off (@blake_nikolasx) September 1, 2019

There are several possibilities to explain why AussieBum liked Trump’s tweets:

#1. They were hacked: I mean… maybe?

#2. Social media illiteracy: Some tech-unsavvy Trump-loving employee in charge of AussieBum’s Twitter account mistakenly thought they were “liking” Trump’s tweets from their personal account which shows bad judgment and poor taste.

#3. The company loves Trump and his policies: But not enough to withstand people drawing attention to it. This too seems unlikely, but hey… stranger things have happened. Perhaps there’s a plan to start marketing to gay Republicans and become the official underwear of Straight Pride?

Hours later, the company responded to upset Twitter users with the following message:

Hi there- sorry for this! We found out that our account was compromised for a short period of time and someone thought it was funny to like Donald Trump. We have now corrected this and secured our account. Cheers, aussieBum Team

It’s unclear if “compromised” means “hacked,” but it’s odd to think that someone would hack them just to like Trump’s tweets. Perhaps a rival underwear brand sought to ruin their credibility in a bit of underwhelming corporate espionage.

So cutthroat, the dangerous world of men’s undies.

www.queerty.com/aussiebum-likes-trumps-tweets-calling-refugees-illegals-puerto-rico-corrupt-20190904?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Drew Brees Appears in Video for Hateful Anti-LGBTQ Group ‘Focus on the Family’ — WATCH

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees appears in a new video for anti-LGBTQ group Focus on the Family.

According to HRC, Focus on the Family opposes same-sex marriage and adoption by gay couples. They support gay conversion therapy and believe transgender people are “mentally ill” and “suffer from a devastating condition.” The group also accused anti-bullying groups in schools of promoting homosexuality. Focus on the Family has said the legislation prohibiting anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination must be stopped and believes business owners have the right to discriminate against gay people based on religious beliefs.

In the video, Brees promotes “Bring Your Bible to School Day” on October 3.

Big Easy Magazine reports that Brees has been involved with the group since at least 2010: “Interestingly, the video Brees filmed for Focus on the Family was hidden from the group’s Facebook timeline shortly after it was published. However, it remains available on smaller church pages who have shared it, as well as on the group’s YouTube channel. This might lead fans to believe that perhaps Brees wasn’t aware of who he was supporting. However, research shows that this is a long term partnership.”

The post Drew Brees Appears in Video for Hateful Anti-LGBTQ Group ‘Focus on the Family’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Drew Brees Appears in Video for Hateful Anti-LGBTQ Group ‘Focus on the Family’ — WATCH