Photo Credit: Getty Images for GLAAD

1) Premiering today in select theaters in New York City is The Miseducation of Cameron Post, a film following the titular Cameron, a queer teenage girl who’s sent to conversion therapy in Montana by her conservative family. Cameron meets other queer characters in the conversion camp, including Jane portrayed by out actress Sasha Lane. They become her chosen family and together they face the horrors of attempted conversion therapy. The film opens wider in more markets on August 10. Click here for showtimes and tickets.

GLAAD is teaming up with Born Perfect for a 16-week campaign about conversion therapy awareness, and on August 9th, we want you to join us in shining a light on all the ways we are taught to think the wrong thing, often about our own selves, our personal value and how we fit in this world. Your story has the power to heal and empower others and maybe even course correct someone’s own miseducation happening now.

Here’s how to help and join the campaign:

• Record yourself
• Talk directly into your phone’s camera – selfie mode is best.
• Start with the words “The Miseducation of [YOUR NAME]” and talk about a time when you were taught to believe something damaging about yourself or the world around you.
• Tell us when and how you realized the truth. When did you learn that it was the world that needed to change? That in fact, we are all #BornPerfect?
• Finish your video by saying the words “We are all Born Perfect!”
• Please upload to your socials as close to 12pmET/3pmPT on August 9th as possible. Share your story on Instagram, Twitter (and any other social platforms you like!) and be sure to use the hashtags #BornPerfect and #TheMiseducationOfCameronPost.

2) A trailer was released on Friday for another hit from Sundance this past year, Lizzie. A retelling of the infamous Lizzie Borden story, the film stars Chloe Sevigny as Lizzie and out actress Kristin Stewart as her housemaid and love interest, Bridget. The film follows their love affair as they fight back against their abusive household. The film opens in limited theaters on September 14. 

3) Premiering today on Amazon Instant Video is the comedic documentary from out creator Quentin Lee, Gay Hollywood Dad. The film sheds light on his own life surviving Hollywood while being a single gay parent to his infant son, Casper. Watch the trailer below. In more movie news, out actress Brianna Hildebrand has been cast in the indie film, Runt. The film follows the adventures of a high school boy and lone wolf, Cal, who pines after the beautiful Gabriella (Hildebrand). However, his life soon changes after he meets another peer, Cecily.

4) Out actress and writer Lena Waithe is producing a dark new HBO comedy from out host of The Read, Kid Fury. The series highlights the struggles of a 20-year-old gay black man in New York City who must learn how to be an adult while battling depression. Waithe will also be producing another newly-announced project, as Amazon ordered two seasons for her horror series, Them. Set in 1953, a Black family moves from North Carolina to a predominantly white neighborhood in Los Angeles, where they must overcome discrimination and other haunting threats.

5) A premiere date has been set for Netflix’s series adaptation of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which is created by out showrunners Greg Berlanti and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The series follows the iconic titular young witch, Sabrina, and features an ensemble cast that includes her pansexual English cousin, Ambrose Spellman. The darker adaptation of Sabrina will be released October 26, just in time for Halloween.

6) Trans actress Trace Lysette has been confirmed to guest star on the second season of Midnight, Texas as a highly-attractive high-end dark witch named Celeste. Fellow trans actress Laverne Cox has been cast alongside out actress Sara Gilbert in the upcoming YouTube series, Weird City. The anthology series centers around a fictional city in the near future, providing commentary on present-day issues through comedic and sci-fi elements.

7) More casting news includes the addition of out actress Roberta Colindrez to Vida as a season two series regular. Colindrez will play a new bartender in the Starz show about two sisters who return home and discover a shocking secret about their mother. American Horror Story has cast Pose’s out actor Billy Porter in their upcoming season although details of his character are being kept top secret. Additionally, out actor Ian Gelder is set to star in the new BBC One fantasy series, His Dark Materials, as a scholarly librarian. In other TV news, Fear the Walking Dead will continue with a fifth season. The spinoff of the hit Walking Dead series features bisexual character Victor Strand.

8) Out singer King Princess released a mesmerizing new video for her song “Holy” off her EP Make My Bed. Watch the video below. In more music news, Culture Club, led by iconic out singer Boy George has released their first single in nearly two decades off their upcoming album Life, titled “Let Somebody Love You.” Click here to listen to the track and here to get more information about seeing Culture Club on tour.

9) Former our Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears released a self-made lyric video for his new song “Sad Song Backwards” off his upcoming self-titled album, which is being released on August 10. The video is composed of several shots of Sharpied lyrics on white paper accompanied by drawings that enhance the message of the break-up song. In other music news, queer artist Arthur Moon has come out with a new video for her single “Wait a Minute”, which has a vintage feel and features LGBTQ marches for equality. Watch the video below.

10) LGBTQ healthcare organization Howard Brown Health have released a new song and video for HIV and AIDS prevention. Inspired by Salt-N-Pepa’s 1991 hit “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Let’s Talk About PrEP” features trans rapper KC Ortiz and out artist Big Dipper as they raise awareness for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the medication which has been proven to prevent HIV and AIDS and has become prevalent in the queer community. Watch the video below and click here for more information on PrEP.

11) The NBCUniversal Short Film Festival has announced the semi-finalists for their 13^th annual awards, which recognizes diverse film content from people of color, the queer community, and women. There are two LGBTQ finalists, Masks by Mahaliyah Ayla O and Rani by Hammad Rizvi. Masks, which won the AT&T Audience Award for Best Short Film at Frameline’s San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, tells the story of a closeted queer girl who has risked being outed to her family on the same night a gunman targets a gay club. Watch the trailer below. Rani highlights the life of an outcast transgender woman on the streets of Pakistan who takes care of an abandoned child. Click here to watch the trailer and here for the full list of semi-finalists.

12) Queer creator Mike Harlow is seeking funding for his one hour LGBTQ dramedy Cigarettes and Valentines. The show follows a gay former punk-rocker, Adrian, who is struggling to find love in the digital age until his decision to try online dating takes him on crazy adventures. Click here to support the project and watch a video with more information below.

 

A post shared by Mike Harlow (@sleepyharlow) on Aug 1, 2018 at 12:11am PDT