#AM_Equality: April 21, 2020

NEW YORK CITY CANCELS IN-PERSON PRIDE EVENTS: Said HRC President Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid): “In many places around the country, Pride parades and festivals offer LGBTQ people a chance to gather with their community and feel free to fully express themselves. For this reason, it is disappointing — but ultimately, appropriate — to see many of these events canceled. As we see our way through the COVID-19 crisis, we cannot be too careful. We know that LGBTQ people are at a greater risk of both the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, so we as a community must do all we can to stay safe and healthy.” More from LGBTQ Nation, them and CBS New York.

TUESDAY TWEET — HOW TO SUPPORT BLACK LGBTQ YOUTH DURING COVID-19: With students home from school during this pandemic, vulnerable youth, especially those who live at the intersection of Black and LGBTQ identities, may be at disproportionate risk of mental health struggles or abuse. More from The Root.

For black students who identify as or are even just perceived to be LGBTQ+, being stuck at home can mean being unable to escape spaces that are harmful mentally, physically, and spiritually: t.co/anj0clOh92 pic.twitter.com/tr7ApjPAad

— The Root (@TheRoot) April 20, 2020

HRC HONORS HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY: HRC honors the 6 million Jews murdered and millions of others victimized — including members of the LGBTQ community — by the Nazi regime.

• #WeRemember Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, whose legacy of fighting to end bigotry and hate around the world endures. 

A DECADE AFTER “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” LGBTQ VETERANS REFLECT ON PROGRESS AND NEEDS OF COMMUNITY: Despite gains that allow LGB service members to serve openly, trans and non-binary servicemembers are still barred. More from USA Today.

THIS WEEK IS LESBIAN VISIBILITY WEEK: Join the internet in celebrating lesbian identities and the power and resilience of this community all week, culminating in Lesbian Visibility Day on Sunday. More from Advocate.

GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!

BOWEN YANG TO STAR IN LGBTQ ROMCOM TV SHOW: The SNL star (@bowenyang) will appear alongside Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) in the new show, “Trip,” appearing on Quibi. More from Deadline.

OLYMPIAN GUS KENWORTHY (@guskenworthy) DONATING PROCEEDS OF CAMEO TO HEALTH CARE WORKERS: More from NewNowNext.

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

TRANS AND NON-BINARY LEADERS FROM LATIN AMERICA DISCUSS COVID-19: More from HRC and hear from the leaders (in Spanish) in the video discussion below.

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CALLS ATTENTION TO NEED TO PROTECT LGBTQ PEOPLE DURING COVID-19: More from the UN OHCHR here.

States need to ensure that #LGBTI people do not face discrimination or fear retribution for seeking healthcare amid the COVID-19 crisis – UN Human Rights Chief @mbachelet. See our Guidance on #COVID19 & LGBTI rights: t.co/SAXVQLvfLk @free_equal #StandUp4HumanRights pic.twitter.com/MJ7ihWLwoW

— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) April 17, 2020

HEAD OF BRITISH INTELLIGENCE APOLOGIZES FOR PAST TREATMENT OF LGBTQ STAFF: Gay and bisexual people were barred from serving in British intelligence services until 1991. More from Pink News.

ONE-THIRD OF BRITISH MOMS IN SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS HARASSED BY OTHER PARENTS, STUDY FINDS: The study’s release correlates with Lesbian Visibility Week. More from Pink News.

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-april-21-2020?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

GLAAD Board Chair Pamela Stewart and President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis named to the Visible Lesbian 100 List for Lesbian Visibility Week

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-board-chair-pamela-stewart-and-president-and-ceo-sarah-kate-ellis-named-visible-lesbian

Actor J. August Richards comes out as gay

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by J. August Richards (@jaugustrichards) on Mar 24, 2020 at 12:09pm PDT

Actor J. August Richards, 46, has revealed that he is gay via an Instagram live video. Richards starred in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel, and more recently played the role of Mike Peterson in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

He is currently appearing in the new NBC show, Council of Dads. He plays Dr. Oliver Prost, who is married to another man. The couple have a daughter.

In an interview with co-star Sarah Wayne Callies, Richards talks about the reasons why he decided to discuss his sexuality, explaining he thought it important to come out to his fellow cast members before taking on the role.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

“I knew that I could not portray this gay man honestly without letting you all know that I am a gay man myself.”

A post shared by J. August Richards (@jaugustrichards) on Apr 20, 2020 at 9:18am PDT

Callies says Richard’s current role is a first for network TV: A married, professional, black gay couple raising a child. She asks him if he felt any pressure or responsibility over his portrayal.

Related: Professional basketball star Sebastián Vega comes out as gay

Richards replies that he did, but that’s one of the reasons he got into acting.

“If I think about why I even got involved in this industry, it was really to combat oppression.

“I knew how I was affected by the people of color I saw on television, or that I didn’t see on television, so this being a married, gay man, with a family… on television I don’t take anything I do lightly, and you have an opportunity to put an image into millions of homes. And I wanted that image to be honest and I wanted to be correct.

“So honestly, it required me to show up fully in a way that I don’t always when I’m working.

“I knew that I could not portray this gay man honestly without letting you all know that I am a gay man myself. I’ve never done that with the people that I’ve worked with.

“So that responsibility carried me to do that because I knew how important it is to other people out there like me, who would need to see that role model, so I took that responsibility very seriously.”

Callies posted a comment beneath the video saying: “Sharing this moment with you was one of the most meaningful things in my life. Love you, friend.”

Many others also posted messages of support.

“I’ve been a fan of yours for literally 20 years,” said one follower. “You’ll always be Gunn [from Angel] to me because that’s who I grew up with and I still revisit the show every single year. You are an inspiration. Gunn fought for the downtrodden, the people that couldn’t fight for themselves, and I truly believe what you’ve done here is provided a voice for those who don’t have one.”

Related: Rapper Da Brat comes out in an emotional video & introduces her girlfriend to fans 

J. August Richards was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in the Maryland suburb of Bladensburg. Besides his leading role in Angel (from 2000-2004) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013-2018), he has appeared in numerous other TV shows, including Conviction, Raising the Bar, Grey’s Anatomy, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, and Kevin (Probably) Saves the World.

In an Instagram message posted last month, Richards revealed that before landing his current role, he almost quit his career.

“The day I auditioned for #CouncilOfDads was the day I almost quit acting. I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it but as I mounted the stairs to enter Building 9128 on the Universal lot, I was struck with panic — the kind of debilitating panic that means only one thing: you’re gonna blow it!

“As I entered the building, I began plotting my escape: ‘I’ll sell my house and teach. I love teaching and my mother was a teacher so I’ll do that!’ Because after 25 years, you would think it’d get easier and I just couldn’t imagine doing this to myself any longer.

“I got up to the waiting room and fortunately there were a few people in front of me so I began talking myself down… ‘OK. This script is about one thing — LOVE. And all you have to do is love the person you’re reading with. And if you can just do that, it won’t matter what comes out of your mouth… They will feel it’.”

He ended by saying, “With everything going on in the world right now, if I didn’t believe that the message of the show had tremendous relevance and value to us all right now, I would just keep quiet and let the chips fall where they may. But the thing that calmed my anxiety and fear and got me through that first audition, is what I hope you feel when you watch the show tonight… LOVE!”

www.queerty.com/actor-j-august-richards-comes-gay-20200421?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Chris Cuomo Emerges from Basement After Being Cleared from Coronavirus Quarantine: WATCH

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo documented the moment he’s been “dreaming of, literally, for weeks.” Last night he was able to emerge from his basement and rejoin his family after being quarantined with COVID-19.

Said Cuomo: “This is the dream, just to be back up here doing normal things.”

Cuomo spoke to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about how the experience has “spooked” the family and acknowledged that there would be a trauma process and recovery they would have to go through. They also discussed the stigma and depression that comes with being infected, and the reassessment of one’s life that comes along with it.

The post Chris Cuomo Emerges from Basement After Being Cleared from Coronavirus Quarantine: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Chris Cuomo Emerges from Basement After Being Cleared from Coronavirus Quarantine: WATCH

Saying Goodbye for a Second Time: “Will & Grace”

We were first introduced to the characters of Will, Grace, Jack and Karen in the fall of 1998 when television looked a lot different than it does today. Based around the friendship of Will (Erin McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace (Debra Messing), a straight interior designer, the sitcom quickly became a weeknight staple for millions across the country. While people fondly remember the show for its over the top characters and witty quips, “Will & Grace” truly broke barriers by featuring LGBTQ people and issues front and center.

Throughout the show, we witness both Will and Jack (Sean Hayes) navigate life’s ups and downs – jobs, love life, friendships – all while being unapologetically queer in their own right. America had been introduced to LGBTQ characters in the past, but never in a way that made them three-dimensional people we can actually relate to. The closest television had come to such a portrayal was Ellen DeGeneres’ coming out episode on “Ellen” in 1997 that resulted in the series’ abrupt cancellation. “Will & Grace” opted to not just make queerness a side joke or one-lined character, but instead a central focus of the entire show. In the characters of Will, Jack and many others that appeared across our screens, viewers began to break down assumptions about LGBTQ people and change the narrative around queer lives.

There is no doubt that ”Will & Grace” was integral in the fight for #LGBTQ equality. pic.twitter.com/fCAoqWbbp4

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) September 30, 2017

Fans welcomed “Will & Grace” back onto their television screens in 2016 via a reunion style special focused around turning out the vote in the elections. Flash forward to a year later when the revival kicked off and started tackling LGBTQ issues in the modern day. The characters we loved had grown up right alongside us, traversing the Trump administration and fighting once again for queer representation. This iteration of “Will & Grace” made sure to adapt to current times and tackle the issues people held near and dear. Through its second installment, the show both appealed to age-old fans while also garnering a new audience of queer, milliennial/Generation Z viewers who grew to see the show as an evolution of its former self.

As the LGBTQ community and mainstream media’s portrayal of it have evolved over time, so has the show’s own way of shining a light on queer issues and characters. At its heart, “Will & Grace” has been — and will continue to be — a show proven to change the hearts and minds of people nationwide.

Say goodbye to one of television’s favorite quartets during the series finale on April 23. Join in on the fun using HRC’s virtual watch party downloads here.

www.hrc.org/blog/saying-goodbye-for-a-second-time-will-grace?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Ross Mathews Spills The Beans on Hollywood, Drag Race, and Omarosa

One of Tinsel Town’s most sought-after hosts speaks candidly about his 20-year career: the highs, the lows, and everything in between. 

www.advocate.com/people/2020/4/20/drag-race-hollywood-ross-mathews-gay-advocate