Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

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!

1) The Athena Film Festival, which celebrates the stories of powerful women, has announced the lineup for their 2018 Festival. GLAAD is proud to partner with the festival, as it features the voices of women who are often unheard, including LGBTQ women. The lineup includes GLAAD Media Award-nominee Chavela, and Sighted Eyes/Feeling Hearts, documentaries on Chavela Vargas and Lorraine Hansberry respectively, both renowned artists of the 20^th century who are queer women of color. Other LGBTQ-inclusive films in the festival include feature Lady Bird and short Prudence. The Athena Film Festival takes place February 22^nd– 25^th at Barnard College in New York City. For a special discounted ticket, visit their website and enter code 18AFF15PS at checkout for 15% off.

2) A new trailer has been released for coming-of-age teen romance comedy Love, Simon. The movie tells the story of the titular Simon, a closeted high school senior who starts an email correspondence with another closeted gay student at his school. Directed by out producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti, Love, Simon is a love story about finding yourself. The official soundtrack, which includes a new song by out singer Troye Sivan, has also been revealed and is available for pre-order here. Check out the trailer below and be sure to see the movie when it is released in theaters on March 16^th!

3) The official trailer and release date have been announced for Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye. The show introduces a new fab five:  Karamo Brown (culture), Jonathan Van Ness (grooming), Tan France (fashion), Antoni Porowski (food and wine), and Bobby Berk (design), and follows them to the U.S. South as they make over the lives of straight men. “The original show was fighting for tolerance. Ours is fighting for acceptance,” says France in the trailer, and the new series will be a place for conversations on LGBTQ acceptance, the Black Lives Matter movement, and more. Queer Eye premieres on Netflix February 7^th.

4) Emmy and Golden Globe-winner, and GLAAD Media Award-nominee The Handmaid’s Tale has released a trailer for the show’s second season. This season of the Hulu drama will be expanded to 13 episodes and continue to explore the horrors of the dystopian Gilead. Season two includes the return of lesbian characters Moira (out actress Samira Wiley) and Emily (Alexis Bledel) from the first season, and also introduces Sylvia (out actress and writer Clea DuVall) as Emily’s wife. The Handmaid’s Tale will return on April 25^th, and be sure to watch the trailer below!

5) The first trailer has been released for Paramount Network’s reboot of the cult ‘80s film Heathers. The new series places the story in a modern high school setting, and has many significant differences from the original movie. One of changes is that Heather Duke (played by out gay actor Brendan Scannell) is genderqueer, and Heather McNamara (Jasmine Mathews) is a lesbian. Heathers will premiere on Paramount Network on March 7^th, and the trailer is available to watch below.

6) A trailer has been released for the comedic docuseries The Mortified Guide, which will premiere at Sundance before heading to Amazon and Netflix in February. The series features adults who read from their childhood diaries and share feelings and insecurities from their youth. This includes a woman who reads a journal entry where her younger self ponders her attraction to “countless women.” Check out the trailer here.

7) Freeform has announced the season two premiere date for GLAAD Media Award-nominee The Bold Type. The show, which follows three young women who work at the fictional magazine Scarlet, will premiere on June 12^th. The network also announced the cast members Nikohl Boosheri who plays lesbian artist Adena, and Stephen Conrad Moore, who portrays Scarlet’s out fashion director, have been promoted to series regulars. Additionally, Freeform’s grown-ish has been renewed for a second season. The black-ish spinoff is currently midway through its first season, and features out bisexual student Nomi, in its core ensemble.  

8) Earlier this week, out rapper Young M.A. released a freestyle over the song “I Get the Bag.” The track was released with an accompanying video, which already has over one million views. The song has yet to be released on streaming or for purchase, but her EP Herstory is available wherever music is sold, and the music video for “I Get the Bag Freestyle” is below! 

9) Out singer Troye Sivan has released another single off his forthcoming sophomore album, which will be out this spring. The newest song, “The Good Side,” is a sweet love song from the Australian singer, and the album cover for the single features his boyfriend Jacob Bixenman. “The Good Side” is available to stream here, and don’t miss Sivan as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this Saturday!

10) The 10^th annual Shorty Awards, honoring the best in social media, announced their nominees on Tuesday. There is a plethora of LGBTQ nominees, including a category for Best LGBTQ+ Account, which is stacked with nominees including Raymond Braun and Trace Lysette. Other LGBTQ highlights include Best in Comedy nominations for Billy Eichner, Lena Waithe, and Margaret Cho; Dan Savage and Deray McKesson in Best in Activism; and Gigi Gorgeous, Hannah Hart, and Tyler Oakley in Creator of the Decade. Check out the full list of nominations here, winners will be announced April 15^th!

11) The short film Burning my Tongue is currently raising funds for production. The short is a look into dating through the eyes of a gender non-conforming lesbian who is trying to figure out if a waitress is flirting with her or not. The creators are making a push to hire LGBTQ actors for the roles and to tell a comedic and nuanced story about dating as a queer person in the modern world. To find out more info about how to help this film get made, click here!