Matthew Perry Rejected ‘Friends’ Episode in Which Chandler Snuck into a Gay Bar

Writers of the decade-long hit sitcom Friends tried out a storyline which had Matthew Perry’s character sneaking into a gay bar — because he liked the tuna melts it served.

Writer Saul Austerlitz writes about what happened in his book, Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show that Defined a Television Era, the Independent reports.

Wrote Austerlitz: “Perry said no, and the story was shelved.”

The Independent notes that the show has often been criticized for its homophobic and sexist jokes and storylines.

Actress Kathleen Turner,  who played Chandler Bing’s trans parent on the show, told Gay Times in 2018 that she thought the show hadn’t aged well for LGBTQ people.

Said Turner: “How they approached with me with it, was ‘would you like to be the first woman playing a man playing a woman?’ I said yes, because there weren’t many drag/trans people on television at the time.”

Gay Times added: ‘During Friends’ run, the character was never actually acknowledged as trans, and was referred to as either gay or a drag queen. She was often mocked by the other characters – especially for her drag show, which was titled Viva Las Gaygas. “Yeah, people thought Charles was just dressing up,” Kathleen added.’

But the evidence is also there in plenty of other places. Here’s a lengthy clip of some of it by video editor Tijana Mamula :

The post Matthew Perry Rejected ‘Friends’ Episode in Which Chandler Snuck into a Gay Bar appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Matthew Perry Rejected ‘Friends’ Episode in Which Chandler Snuck into a Gay Bar

HRC Celebrates LGBTQ History Month

This LGBTQ History Month, HRC is proud to honor the trailblazers who helped pave the way for LGBTQ rights and visibility in the ongoing fight for equality over the past five decades. 

As HRC marked World Pride in New York City in June, we remembered that the first Pride was a riot a little more than 50 years ago. On June 28, 1969, the uprising at The Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York City, was a pivotal marker in the beginning of the LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S. After experiencing police brutality simply for congregating, LGBTQ patrons decided to take a stand and fight back against the brutal intimidation they regularly faced.

Stonewall was the most visible incidence of police brutality against the community, but it was part of a pattern of law enforcement targeting LGBTQ people without cause. Three years earlier and 3,000 miles away, police in San Francisco were arresting drag queens, transgender women and other LGBTQ people at Gene Compton’s Cafeteria. 

These trailblazers took a stand and made our resistance visible and concrete. 

Our movement stands on the shoulders of these early heroes, and their bravery and visibility is inspiring leaders of today, including South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride. Buttigieg is is the first openly gay candidate to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. If elected, McBride, who is running for state senate in Delaware, will become the first openly LGBTQ candidate elected to the state legislature in Delaware and the first openly transgender state senator in the U.S. They join others who are ushering in a new era of representation.

Openly LGBTQ leaders and our allies are also helping us achieve tremendous victories. This year, the U.S. House passed the Equality Act, which would provide explicit federal non-protections for LGBTQ people nationwide. While this is a major milestone for equality, we will take our fight to the U.S. Senate and work to ensure that we elect a pro-equality president in 2020 who would sign the bill into law. 

In the political and sports world, LGBTQ people are racking up wins and bringing visibility. The U.S. women’s soccer team won the World Cup, bringing pride to an international platform. LGBTQ players including Megan Rapinoe, Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger and more are open, proud and outspoken about equality. 

And while openly LGBTQ athletes are winning on the world stage, trailblazing actors, entertainers and programs are changing hearts and minds for our community. 

This includes the groundbreaking series “Pose”, which showcases LGBTQ visibility and sheds light on important issues impacting the LGBTQ community such as the epidemic of violence against Black transgender women. The show serves as a somber reminder that in 2019 alone, 18 transgender people — primarily transgender women of color — have been murdered. 

Awareness and visibility continue to expand as HRC Visibility Award honoree actor, producer and writer Ryan O’Connell brings intersectional identities to the screen with his hit Netflix show “Special.” As a gay man with cerebral palsy, O’Connell has been an outspoken advocate for both the LGBTQ community and people living with disabilities. His show is based on his 2015 memoir, “I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves,” where he writes about navigating his identities. 

We need trailblazers and visibility more than ever. Despite the strides we’ve made, the Trump-Pence administration continues to implement hateful policies that hurt LGBTQ parents and kids, transgender military service members and more. The administration refuses to condemn anti-LGBTQ regimes and atrocities in Bangladesh, Chechnya, Egypt, Tanzania and elsewhere. Nationally and internationally, the administration continues failing LGBTQ people. 

As we celebrate LGBTQ History Month, we acknowledge that we have a long way to go to achieve full equality. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and we must honor them with action. It starts by centering the stories of our past as we deepen our connection to each other and our commitment to continuing to move equality forward.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-celebrates-lgbtq-history-month-2019?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Universal Basic Income Is the Heart of This Queer Candidate’s Platform

James Felton Keith, New York’s first black queer congressional candidate, believes we all deserve a raise.

www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/10/01/universal-basic-income-heart-queer-candidates-platform

Star Wars officially has its first gay couple

Animated series Star Wars Resistance returns to the Disney Channel for its second and final season this Sunday (October, 6th). Ahead of the first episode, its creators have confirmed something fans already suspected from the first season: Recurring characters Flix and Orka are a gay couple.

Executive producers Athena Portillo, Justin Ridge, and Brandon Auman guested on the Coffee with Kenobi podcast, where Ridge confirmed the fan speculation.

“I think it’s safe to say they’re an item, absolutely. They’re absolutely a gay couple and we’re proud of that. We love Flix and Orka,” he said.

Orka and Flix are voiced by actors Bobby Moynihan and Jim Rash respectively.

Related: Oscar Isaac’s latest take on his ‘Star Wars’ character has gay fans going into hyperspace

Auman singled the men out for praise, describing them as “wonderful”, and having “the same chemistry” as the characters they play.

Moynihan also featured on the podcast and was happy to expand on his character’s love life. He joined the show, which made its debut last October, 18 months ago.

“I have had a sentence prepared for a year and a half. If someone would finally ask me, I would say, ‘All I can say is that when Flix says I love you, Orka says I know.’ They’re the cutest.”

This is a reference to a line Han Solo (Harrison Ford) says to Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in 1980 movie, The Empire Strikes Back.

To see a clip of the pair, check out the video below. In the 12th episode of the first season, the couple took time out to visit Flix’s mother. They appear at the 1.30-minute mark. The characters operate the Office of Acquisitions in the aircraft refuelling station, the Colossus.

Star Wars Resistance is produced by LucasFilm, which is now owned by Disney. The series is focussed on Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot recruited by the Resistance shortly before and during the events of the franchise’s most recent sequel trilogy.

Fans have previously speculated about the sexuality of characters in Star Wars, with some queer viewers wishing the bromance between Finn (John Boyega) and Po (Oscar Isaac) in the recent movie trilogy bloomed into something more. However, Boyega has previously indicated that’s highly unlikely.

Related: Marvel casting director promises LGBTQ characters in future films

For now, we’ll have to make do with animated characters Orka and Flix – a small but significant step by Disney. The entertainment giant also owns Marvel Studios, which revealed in the summer that Tess Thompson’s Valkyrie will be its first LGBTQ superhero when she appears in the fourth Thor movie, due 2021.

www.queerty.com/star-wars-officially-first-gay-couple-20191001?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29