NEON partners with Queer Quarantine to present “Alone Together,” highlighting the perspectives of LGBTQ people of color during the COVID-19 pandemic
Queer Quarantine
NEON has partnered with Queer Quarantine to release its new project “Alone Together,” which highlights how LGBTQ people of color are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Alone Together” aims to express solidarity and document the times, ultimately recognizing that maintaining a sense of community and connectivity is necessary now more than ever. COVID-19 can make LGBTQ people feel lonely, scared and paranoid, but sharing our stories is the best way to counter that.
Check out the full video, and more about the project on GLAAD’s Instagram, below:
In the “Alone Together” project, several LGBTQ people of color share their answers to questions about being in quarantine, ranging from “What has been a positive/beneficial habit that you’ve picked up since the quarantine?” to “What has this made you grateful for that maybe you’ve overlooked prior to this quarantine?” The goal of the project is to remind the LGBTQ community that our beauty has always been the product of resilience, and this moment should show us who we are and who we’ve always been – creators that will survive together.
Created in 2019 by Myles E. Johnson, Queer Quarantine is a creative agency that creates content to empower and engage Black and of color Gen Z and Millennial LGBTQIA+ people.
Launched in February, NEON is an ongoing digital content series that aims to increase the visibility of Black LGBTQ people. NEON leverages the power of storytelling and GLAAD’s platform to create multi-dimensional, accurate portraits of the Black LGBTQ experience.
Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday endorsed his former vice president Joe Biden for president in 2020.
Said Obama in a 12-minute message that addressed coronavirus and Bernie Sanders: “Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend.”
Of Bernie, Obama said: “Bernie’s an American original, a man who has devoted his life to giving voice to working people’s hopes, dreams and frustrations. He and I haven’t always agreed on everything, but we’ve always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society.”
I’m proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let’s go: t.co/maHVGRozkX
HRC CELEBRATES PRO-EQUALITY WINS IN WISCONSIN ELECTION:
Congratulations to Judge Jill Karofsky on her victory for Wisconsin State Supreme Court: “Last week, Republicans on both the state and national level put their own politics ahead of the health and safety of Wisconsinites in an effort to win a seat on the state Supreme Court. Yet, despite those historically loathsome efforts, Judge Karofsky rose above,” said HRC President Alphonso David(@AlphonsoDavid). “These results show that the Trump campaign’s unprecedented $10 million effort to limit access to voting can, and will again, be overcome.” More from HRC.
Congratulations to Mayor Tom Barrett on his reelection and to Assemblywoman JoCasta Zamarripa on her historic win in her race for Milwaukee Alderwoman: “The city reelected a strongly pro-equality mayor in Tom Barrett and elected its first LGBTQ member of the Common Council,”said David. “Throughout his tenure, Mayor Barrett has prioritized inclusiveness and equality, and Assemblywoman Zamarripa has been one of Wisconsin’s fiercest advocates for LGBTQ people and communities of color in the state legislature.” More from HRC.
TODAY AT 2 PM E.T. — HRC AND ARIANNA’S CENTER TO HOST GLOBAL LATINX TRANSGENDER LEADERS FOR A CHAT ON THE IMPACT COVID-19 IS HAVING ON TRANS COMMUNITIES: More from HRC.
If you are interested in listening in on this powerful conversation or to speak more with the panelists or HRC’s team, feel free to reach out to Elliott Kozuch at [email protected].
HRC REMEMBERS BLAKE BROCKWAY, AN AMAZING LEADER AND ADVOCATE FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY: More from HRC.
We are devastated by the passing of former Board of Governor for HRC Nashville & South Florida Blake Brockway.
A longtime member of the HRC family, Blake advanced equality one smile and laugh at a time. Our thoughts are with his friends & family at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/Puc6lE0DfR
TUESDAY TWEET — ON WNYC, HRC PRESIDENT ALPHONSO DAVID ON FDA DECISION TO RELAX BLOOD DONATIONS FOR MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN AMID COVID-19: More from Lydia McMullen-Laird (@lydiamcmlaird) at WYNC.
I spoke with @WNYC’s @TheTakeaway about the FDA’s new blood donation restrictions and what more needs to be done to update a policy that remains based on bias rather than science. Listen here: t.co/4677DrDZaH
VOICE OF AMERICA’S MAXIM MOKSALKOV HIGHLIGHTS HOW COVID-19 DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY: “The reality is that 1 out of 5 LGBTQ people currently live in poverty, and the COVID-19 affects so many different industries but it’s going to disproportionately impact the LGBTQ community,” HRC President Alphonso David tells VOA. Watch more at VOA.
HRC recently published a research brief outlining the particular health and economic risks faced by the LGBTQ community during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Read the full brief here, and find a full list of all of HRC’s efforts and COVID-19 resources at this link.
HERE ARE SOME WAYS SCHOOL COUNSELORS CAN SUPPORT LGBTQ YOUTH:HRC Youth Ambassador Ace Auker explains that counselors can save a “LGBTQ person’s life, or they can make it significantly more dangerous. A supportive, open-minded, and protective counselor can allow a closeted LGBTQ person the space to be themselves and to feel safe at school.” More from HRC.
IN THE STATES
FLORIDA POLICE CHIEF ON LEAVE AFTER ALLEGEDLY SAYING DEPUTY DIED FROM COVID-19 BECAUSE HE WAS GAY: More from Christina Zhao (@christinaxzhao) at Newsweek.
GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!
LGBTQ ICON AND POSE STAR BILLY PORTER (@theebillyporter) CREATES SPECIAL SPOTIFY PLAYLIST TO “RAISE YOU UP” DURING THE COVID-19 QUARANTINE: More from Brandon Voss (@BrandonVoss) at NewNowNext.
WATCH: Roommates in lockdown recreate night at their favorite gay club
“Can I see your ID?” (Photo: @_andrewslinn | Twitter)
The Easter weekend is a big one in the UK, bookended by public holidays on Good Friday and Easter Monday. It’s also traditionally a big date on the gay clubbing calendar, with lots of special parties.
Of course, thanks to COVID-19, that wasn’t possible this year. The whole of the UK continues to be under a lockdown. This is set to continue until at least early May.
Faced with yet another weekend confined indoors, five roommates living in Islington, North London, decided to lift their spirits by recreating a night out at one of their favorite LGBTQ haunts, the London superclub, G-A-Y.
Footage of the recreation has now gone viral on Twitter, thanks largely to its spot-on accuracy: From the guy handing out promo flyers on the street, the bouncer demanding to see ID at the door and checking whether you’re inebriated, to the restroom attendant with his array of colognes.
My housemates and I decided if we can’t have a Saturday night out at G-A-Y we’d have a Saturday night in at G-A-Y… ?? @JeremyJosephpic.twitter.com/cadAYGrH2z
The original tweet was posted by Twitter user @_andrewslinn.
He told Queerty that he and his four roommates are “coping fairly well,” with the UK’s stay-at-home order. To pass the time, they’re, “spending lots of time socializing, playing games, having dinner together and doing silly things like in the video. We all have our bad days but we’re all supporting each other like a little family.
(L-R) Roommates Guillaume, Ashleigh, Andrew, Stuart, Alex (Photo: Supplied)
“The video was just intended as a bit of fun,” Andrew continued. “We had decided to have a ‘club night in’ to cheer ourselves up and I just had a vision of making a parody of what people might usually experience on a night out.
“I’m very glad that it’s had such a positive reception and has cheered people up during these tough times.”
Although coping with the lockdown, and appreciating its necessity, Andrew says he is concerned about the impact it is having on the commercial gay scene, the longer it continues.
“London’s LGBT nightlife scene was already struggling before the lockdown, with soaring rents and the closure of a lot of venues. I worry that many more could now be forced to close. I know that club owners including the owner of G-A-Y have been put into extremely difficult situations, trying to protect staff but still faced with large tax bills and rental costs.
“I hope Government measures are able to keep these businesses afloat for now but it is important to start thinking about how London’s nightlife can be protected and sustained once we’re out the other side of this.”
At the time of writing, the UK has had just over 88,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11,300 deaths.
