How Mister Rogers Saved François Clemmons’s Life

François Clemmons opens up about his abusive childhood, Stonewall, and staying in the closet for Fred Rogers. 

www.advocate.com/television/2020/5/05/how-mister-rogers-saved-francois-clemmonss-life

Daily Dose: Life’s a drag for Julie Andrews

Welcome to Queerty’s latest entry in our series, Queerantined: Daily Dose. Every weekday as long as the COVID-19 pandemic has us under quarantine, we’ll release a suggested bit of gloriously queer entertainment designed to keep you from getting stir crazy in the house. Each weekend, we will also suggest a binge-able title to keep you extra engaged.

The Bent: Victor/Victoria

Aspiring singers have it rough. Just ask Victoria (Julie Andrews), an out of work soprano so impoverished, she carries cockroaches to restaurants in hopes of getting free meals. Lucky for her, her path crosses with that of Todd (Robert Preston), an out-of-work gay cabaret performer. With both their employment options limited, the pair join forces to pass Victoria off as a drag queen, which means she must begin living as a man named Victor. All bodes well until Victoria becomes infatuated with King Marchand (James Garner), a handsome gangster, who can’t quite understand his attraction to the handsome Victor.

Victor/Victoria occupies the tail-end of the second phase of Hollywood’s musical infatuation; almost two decades would pass before movies like Dancer in the Dark and Moulin Rouge! would reinvigorate the genre. Lucky for us, then, the movie is terrific. Andrews, Preston and Leslie Ann Warren (as King’s floozy girlfriend) each scored Oscar nominations for their hilarious performances, and the story benefits from the kinetic direction of Blake Edwards, Andrews’ husband, the comic genius behind the Pink Panther movies. With rousing musical numbers by Henry Mancini and an ahead-of-its-time gay romance between two masculine men, Victor/Victoria doesn’t get enough credit as a jewel of queer cinema or a musical. Given our own silly mindset as month two of COVID lockdown begins, we need a few good laughs. Look no further than this whimsical screwball musical for a dose of joy.

Streams on Amazon, iTunes, YouTube & VUDU.

www.queerty.com/daily-dose-lifes-drag-julie-andrews-20200505?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Cinco De Mayo, Sanjay Gupta, Nicolas Cage, Virtual Obama Commencement, Billy Porter, Extreme Heat Zones: HOT LINKS

SANJAY GUPTA. Chris Christie’s World War II analogy with respect to the coronavirus is not right: “World War II, you know, I don’t know if it is a great metaphor here. Sacrifice is important, we’re all sacrificing in some ways. But am I going to sacrifice on behalf of people I don’t even know by going out and doing risky things? That’s the difference here — this is a contagious virus

NEW YORK POST. Trump pleased as punch with his coronavirus response: “I think they’re starting to feel good now. The country’s opening again. We saved millions of lives, I think. We did the right thing and now we’re bringing the country back. And I think there’s a great optimism. I don’t know if you see it, but I think there’s a great optimism now.”

HOPE. Scientists have identified a coronavirus antibody that can prevent the virus from infecting cells. “Monoclonal antibodies are a type of protein created in a lab which can bind to a specific substance in the body. These types of antibodies mimic how the immune system responds to a threat, and are used to treat some forms of cancer.”

NOT FRAN DRESCHER. Anderson Cooper is not only borrowing baby clothes from Andy Cohen, but also a nanny.

MET GALA CHALLENGE. Who nailed Billy Porter’s challenge to recreate your favorite red carpet look from a past #MetGala at home?

TIGER KING. Nicolas Cage is set to play Joe Exotic in upcoming scripted series.

GRADUATION DAY. Barack and Michelle Obama will address all 2020 high school grads in a virtual commencement ceremony broadcast on YouTube and networks. “Barack and Michelle Obama each will deliver commencement speeches – as well as a joint heartfelt message – to this year’s high school and college seniors who are missing graduation celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Michelle Obama’s Higher Reach Initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.”

EXTREME HEAT ZONES. Millions could live in them within decades: “Currently fewer than 25 million people live in the world’s hottest areas, which are mostly in the Sahara region in Africa with mean annual temperatures above about 84 degrees Fahrenheit, or 29 Celsius. But the researchers said that by 2070 such extreme heat could encompass a much larger part of Africa, as well as parts of India, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and Australia.”

TRAILER OF THE DAY. I’ll Be Gone In The Dark.

TEASER OF THE DAY. Space Force.

TOGETHER TUESDAY. Oliver & Jose Carlos

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Today’s “balcony workout session” – relax in the sun . . . . #relax #keepcalm #stayathome #besafe #balcony #musclebear

A post shared by Oliver & Jose Carlos (@tbear041273) on Mar 26, 2020 at 9:23am PDT

The post Cinco De Mayo, Sanjay Gupta, Nicolas Cage, Virtual Obama Commencement, Billy Porter, Extreme Heat Zones: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Cinco De Mayo, Sanjay Gupta, Nicolas Cage, Virtual Obama Commencement, Billy Porter, Extreme Heat Zones: HOT LINKS

HRC and Trans Can Work Launch ‘Who’s Hiring’ Web Series For Trans Job-seekers

HRC alongside Trans Can Work, will begin to host a series of webcasts to highlight current employment opportunities and provide information on how to apply for those roles — across all industries, roles and experience levels. In addition, this new initiative will provide job preparation resources such as on-demand sessions for resume prep and building interviewing skills. Those interested in registering for the upcoming webcast on May 6 can do so here.

“Transgender and non-binary people, particularly those of color, already experience higher unemployment and underemployment rates than their cisgender peers. With national unemployment soaring amidst the COVID-19 health crisis, the transgender and non-binary community stands to be further marginalized and cut off from economic security and opportunity,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “As HRC continues to call on elected officials to protect LGBTQ people from these disparities through legislation, we will continue to do all that we can to ensure our community has access to the resources to help weather this storm.”

“We are incredibly proud to be working with our partners at the Human Rights Campaign to meet this moment head on. While the challenges before us are considerable, together we are committed to providing transgender and non-binary communities with guidance and support to help navigate the changing economic landscape,” said Allison VanKuiken, Executive Managing Director for Trans Can Work.

New data released by HRC and PSB Research outlines the economic impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ community, showing that LGBTQ people are more likely to have experienced a cut in work hours, are more likely to feel their personal finances are in worse shape due to the pandemic and are more likely to be taking steps to actively prepare for the virus. In addition, data from the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey shows that transgender and non-binary Americans have long faced discrimination and economic hardship.

• 30% of LGBTQ respondents have had their work hours reduced, compared to 22% of the general population
• 20% of LGBTQ people say their personal finances are “much worse off” than they were a year ago, compared to only 11% of the general population
• LGBTQ people are twice as likely as the general population to think their finances will be much worse off a year from now, 10% to 5%
• 42% of LGBTQ people have adjusted their household budgets, compared to 30% of the general population.
• 27% of transgender or non-binary Americans who held or applied for a job reported being fired, denied a promotion or not hired for a job they applied for because they were trans or non-binary.
• 16% of transgender or non-binary people said they lost a job because they were trans or non-binary.

In response to the economic hardships facing the LGBTQ community, HRC is sharing resources to help people get through the pandemic. The new data builds on HRC’s previously released report, “The Lives and Livelihoods of Many in the LGBTQ Community are at Risk Amidst COVID-19 Crisis,” published in March. That report showed that LGBTQ people face both greater health and economic risks from the virus. They are less likely to have health coverage, are more likely to smoke and have asthma and have a variety of chronic illnesses. They are also more likely to work jobs in highly affected industries, often with more exposure and/or higher economic sensitivity to the COVID-19 crisis.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-and-trans-can-work-launch-whos-hiring-web-series-for-trans-job-seekers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Gambier Becomes First Ohio Town to Pass LGBTQ Protections by Zoom

The law mirrors the Ohio Fairness Act, which bans discrimnation in work, housing, and public accomodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. 

www.advocate.com/politics/2020/5/05/gambier-becomes-first-ohio-town-pass-lgbtq-protections-zoom

Flight attendant demands more paid time off then sues airline after pilot calls him “hot” on Grindr

A former British Airways flight attendant who claimed he was the victim of workplace discrimination after chatting with a pilot on Grindr has just lost his court case.

In his lawsuit, Bartek Wytryszczewski alleged that he was outed by the pilot (identified as “Mr. X”) and then discriminated against by managers because of his sexuality and Polish nationality.

During the tribunal, held this month in Watford, Hertfordshire, Wytryszczewski told the court he was contacted by Mr. X on the app while the men were on a four-day work trip together between December 31, 2017 and January 3, 2018. In their chat, Mr. X called him “hot,” which Wytryszczewski felt was inappropriate.

Related: People furious over fake news story about two pilots caught having gay sex in cockpit mid-flight

He also alleged that, on that same work trip, he was standing on an escalator with Mr. X and another crew member when Mr. X said he “was not going to go to the gym but he was going to have sex instead,” which Wytryszczewski also found to be inappropriate.

However, Wytryszczewski’s manager, Joanne Hale, told the court the full Grindr chat between the men reveals a different story.

Screenshots of the conversation were shared with the court and show Wytryszczewski sending Mr. X several late night messages, including “grinning emojis” and a note saying they would “speak tomorrow x.”

Hale also said that “a lot of relationships” happen between airline employees and that Wytryszczewski didn’t bring up the issue with her until several days later, after he and Mr. X got into a workplace dispute, resulting in Mr. X “telling him off.”

“Bartek does not respond well to managers who do not agree with everything he is saying,” Hale testified. “He will manipulate situations to reflect the outcome of his choice.”

Related: Delta employee suspended over mid-flight bathroom hookup with Austin Wolf caught on tape

Things escalated from there, finally coming to a head in March 2018 when Wytryszczewski sent Hale a string of emails threatening to quit if he wasn’t given more paid time off. He also copied British Airways CEO Álex Cruz on the emails.

Eventually, area manager, Ann Pilgrim, had to step in and tell him to quit bombarding Hale and Cruz with emails, saying it bordered on harassment.

“I believe the manner and way in which you are approaching this situation is now completely inappropriate,” Pilgrim wrote in an email that was shared with the court.

Wytryszczewski quit his job shortly after that.

After hearing both sides of the story and reviewing the Grindr chats and emails, the judges on the tribunal ruled in favor of the airline.

“We concluded that at no time did the claimant say or indicate in any way to Mr. X that Mr. X’s attentions were unwanted before Mr. X gave the claimant the instant feedback,” Judge Oliver Hyams said.

He continued, “Mr. X’s attentions towards the claimant did not have the purpose of either violating the claimant’s dignity or creating for him an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.”

Related: Pilot uses Grindr to hit on passenger mid-flight, says he hopes to give him an enjoyable ride

www.queerty.com/flight-attendant-demands-paid-time-off-sues-airline-pilot-calls-hot-grindr-20200505?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Black Gay Men Win Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry (‘The Tradition’) and Drama (‘A Strange Loop’)

The Pulitzer Prizes in arts and letters were handed out on Monday and two notable winners (for the audience of this site, particularly) were poet Jericho Brown, who won for his book The Tradition, and playwright Michael R. Jackson, who won for his musical A Strange Loop. Jackson is the first black writer to win the prize for musical theatre.

Copper Canyon Press’s description of The Tradition: “Beauty abounds in Jericho Brown’s Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection, despite and inside of the evil that pollutes the everyday. A National Book Award finalist, The Tradition questions why and how we’ve become accustomed to terror: in the bedroom, the classroom, the workplace, and the movie theater. From mass shootings to rape to the murder of unarmed people by police, Brown interrupts complacency by locating each emergency in the garden of the body, where living things grow and wither—or survive. In the urgency born of real danger, Brown’s work is at its most innovative. His invention of the duplex—a combination of the sonnet, the ghazal, and the blues—is an all-out exhibition of formal skill, and his lyrics move through elegy and memory with a breathless cadence. Jericho Brown is a poet of eros: here he wields this power as never before, touching the very heart of our cultural crisis.”

Said Brown to the site Divedapper in 2016: [Poetry] allows me to deal with being an artist of many backgrounds and to hold great complexity in my very being. … For me, it becomes a way to think and re-think about tradition. I have the opportunity to carve something new in a tradition—in several traditions—that is a very long and very old tradition. And that seems to be our job. How do we move forward within the tradition as individuals? And that’s exactly what I’m after. I’m not after a rejection of being a Black gay poet. I’m after understanding what being a Black gay poet might allow me. I’m not the only, or the first, Black gay poet, so what does being a Southern-gay-Black-poet allow me? What can that bring forth in my work? That’s what I’m really interested in seeing. I’m interested in looking at the larger—supposedly larger tradition and all of the traditions within that supposedly larger tradition. I’m going to change that because I hate the word so much because obviously I am one hundred percent an American poet. I am a part of the larger tradition. I am an English-speaking poet.”

Wrote Playbill: “A Strange Loop made its world premiere last year at Off-Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons in a co-production with Page 73. The musical, inspired by Jackson’s own experiences, follows a young artist at war with a host of demons—not least of which are the punishing thoughts in his own head—in an attempt to capture and understand his own strange loop. Directed by Stephen Brackett with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, A Strange Loop played an acclaimed, extended run at Playwrights May 24–July 7, 2019. In addition to the Pulitzer, the musical was named the Best Musical of the 2019–2020 season by the New York Drama Critics Circle and was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical (winning two Lucille Lortel Awards for actors Larry Owens and John-Andrew Morrison). The production also recently earned six Drama Desk Award nominations.”

Towleroad’s theatre critic Naveen Kumar called A Strange Loop one of his top 10 plays and musicals of 2019: “Michael R. Jackson’s semi-autobiographical meta musical about a playwright struggling to write a ‘big, Black, and queer-ass American Broadway show’ is as layered with pleasures as provocations. Larry Owens gave an exuberant, full-body performance as an artist trying to claim space for his vision while sorting out what’s going on in his head. Raw, revelatory and filled with personal and political insights set to irresistible song, A Strange Loop is everything its protagonist is trying to write and more.”

Check out some clips from A Strange Loop.

Congrats to both Brown and Jackson!

The post Black Gay Men Win Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry (‘The Tradition’) and Drama (‘A Strange Loop’) appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Black Gay Men Win Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry (‘The Tradition’) and Drama (‘A Strange Loop’)