Photo Credit: Sense8/Netflix

Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.  This weekend is no exception, so we begin with a holiday special.

1)  The Wachowskis’ and J. Michael Straczynski’s Sense8 will return with a second season on May 5. Until then, you can feed your craving with the show’s two-hour Christmas Special out on Netflix today. The series follows eight people around the world who discover they are mentally linked and have the ability to share thoughts, emotions, and actions. The Christmas Special will start where the first season left off and will further explore the bond between these characters. Co-creator Lilly Wachowski came out as transgender this year, following her sister, Lana. Sense8 was recognized as Outstanding Drama Series at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.

2)  Showtime’s Billions will make history this coming year with Asia Kate Dillon acting as one of the first gender non-conforming characters on mainstream TV.  Dillon, who is non-binary gender identifying, can also be seen on Orange is the New Black and Master of None, and will play Taylor, an intern at Axe Capital. Dillon’s storyline will reportedly not be centered around coming out, but will be integral to the plot.  The second season of Billions premieres on Feb. 19.  Quoted within a recent Huffington Post interview, Dillon stated that:

“As someone who is non-binary gender identifying, I feel a particular responsibility to portray members of my community on stage and on screen, not only as fully fleshed-out characters who are integral to the plot, but as characters whose gender identity is just one of many parts that make up the whole person.  I also feel I have a responsibility to portray members of my community as accepted, loved and valued.” 

3)  TEAM, a magazine for gay Filipino men, has launched a new web series, Hanging Out. It follows David after a failed one-night-stand, who then finds himself entangled with other young, gay millennials in Manila. The show not only breaks ground as the first Filipino web series to focus on gay characters, but attends to the need for Filipino queer stories in a country where the LGBTQ community still fights for equality. (GLAAD’s Global Voices initiative aims to build LGBTQ acceptance across the globe by sharing stories of LGBTQ people and their families around the world and helping LGBTQ advocates build capacity for change in their own cities and countries.)  Watch the first episode, Best Hookup Ever below.

4)  Tegan and Sara, pop idols and long-time advocates for the LGBT community, have launched the Tegan and Sara Foundation, a new organization that will “fight for economic justice, health and representation for LGBTQ girls and women.” While touring with their album Love You to Death this fall, they also spent time listening to fans, activists, and lawmakers that inspired them to “dismantle the systems of inequity that prevent LGBTQ girls and women from reaching their full potential.” They modeled their foundation on other organizations, such as GLAAD, the LA LGBT Center, and the Audre Lorde Project. Twin sisters born in Canada, Tegan and Sara have sold over 1 million albums, and have received 7 Gold certifications, 1 Double Platinum certification, 3 Juno Awards, 2 Polaris Prize nominations, and a Grammy nomination. 

5)  On February 11, the Oscar, Emmy, and Golden-Globe winning star Meryl Streep will be honored with the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award. This comes after years of Streep playing LGBTQ characters, acting in film roles that have become iconic to the culture, and openly speaking out for equality. HRC president Chad Griffin stated, “Meryl Streep embodies the very nature of what it means to be an ally to our community.” Streep will also be presented the Cecil B. deMille Award at the 2017 Golden Globes on Sunday January 8, 2017.

6)  On Tuesday, Overwatch’s latest comic, “Reflections” went up on the game’s website. In the holiday-themed comic, the hero Tracer’s girlfriend Emily is introduced. The two appear to be living together and attend another character’s holiday dinner together. Blizzard Entertainment has hinted that there are queer characters in the game, and Emily and Tracer are the first to be confirmed. See a trailer for the game below.