Talk about pronoun usage is hot in society right now. As we continually discover new things about gender and sexuality, pronoun usage has shot to the front of the national conversation. Many people, however, are asking: What exactly is a pronoun? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a pronoun is “a word that is used instead of a noun or a noun phrase” – an example is saying “She said” instead of “Rebecca said”. The folks over at TheFreeDictionary.com have revealed that there actually 100 pronouns, some of which are obvious, like “he” and “they,” and some that might not be…
Author: Keith Langston
The winners of the 2020 Pulitzer Prizes include two queer men of color. The first is Michael R. Jackson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his off-broadway play, A Strange Loop, which centers around a gay black man, Usher, trying to navigate life in New York City. By day, Usher works as an usher for the Broadway production of The Lion King. By night, he dreams of being a writer and creating his own plays. The show focuses on politics, religion, race, and sexuality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4hWaHg6b98 Upon its release at Playwrights Horizon in Midtown, New York, the show received…
A new children’s book, Pepito Has a Doll will be released on January 20th. The book focuses on the life of young Pepito, whose only friend in the world is his doll Lola. However, fearing that others will make fun of him, Pepito has to hide his doll from the world. But one day, a new boy arrives at school, and a friendship emerges! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N41UZ5eJ7uM&feature=emb_logo The story is a powerful teaching tool for parents and children, showing that everyone is different and unique, and that it’s a wonderful thing. The book is also bilingual, being written in both Spanish and…
On the final day of Pride Month, the White House released a statement that the State Department will be changing its passport guidelines. The State Department will be working on a new set of parameters that will make it easier for trans people to change their gender on their passports. According to an article from CNN, People applying for passports will now have the option of selecting their preferred gender and if they’re changing their gender from a previous passport, medical confirmation will no longer be required to issue the change. Furthermore, the State Department is also looking into adding…
The LGBTQ History Project, a New England-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the voices of past queer icons, has just launched a new calendar that’s sure to make the perfect holiday gift to any LGBTQ person or ally on your list this year. The calendar is loaded with historical photos taken throughout the years, and each page offers fascinating information into queer history. For example, did you know that on October 13, 1982, Jerry Falwell and Virginia Apuzzo debated gay rights on national television during a segment on The Phil Donahue Show? Or how about that it was July…
Legacy fashion brand, Gap, has launched a new limited collection to help celebrate Pride. The collection, titled GAP x PRIDE features colorful and uplifting images and was designed by Gap’s own LGBTQ employees. Better yet, to help the LGBTQ community, Gap has committed to donating $50,000 to GLAAD, an LGBTQ nonprofit dedicated to making media more inclusive, safe, and welcoming. Check out some of the artists and and their designs below: Artist: Star Casimir, Senior Manager, Product Engineering, Athleta “I am excited to design for Pride because working for Gap Inc, it’s the first time I haven’t had to hide who…
What does flight insurance cover? In general, it covers canceling a flight due to things like illness, a death in the family, job loss, severe weather problems, an extreme accident that makes you unable to fly, and so on…but in general, we’re talking about illness. That’s the most common reason you’d need to cancel a flight. Let me explain what happened to me: Back in early May, I booked a flight home for June. By the time June rolled along, it would be around 4 months since I was sick last, so I purchased flight insurance just in case, because…
CMT and openly gay country musician, Ty Herndon, have teamed up once again to produce another Concert for Love & Acceptance. The show, which will air on CMT’s social media channels at 8 p.m. ET on June 30th, is a celebration of two worlds that have seemingly been at odds in the past…country music and LGBTQ equality. However, in recent years, more and more country artists have come out as LGBTQ, including Ty Herndon, Brooke Eden, and T.J. Osborne of the Brothers Osborne, just to name a few. This has led the country music scene to become more inclusive, granted,…
In yet another blow to civil rights during the Trump era, members of the Supreme Court are now declaring that gay marriage is an attack on “religious liberty” and is “hurting people’s lives”. The anti-gay opinions came from justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. after the court declined to hear the case of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis (who was famously jailed for refusing to do her job after gay marriage was legalized.) While the two supported not hearing Davis’ case, they followed up by stating, “Davis may have been one of the first victims of this court’s cavalier…
Singer, actress, and activist, Cyndi Lauper, has announced that not even COVID can stop her annual holiday event, Home for the Holidays. The event, which will be online this year, will be filled with music, comedy, and uplifting stories of holiday cheer. This will be the show’s 10th year, and per tradition, it will be hosted by Lauper herself. Proceeds from the show go towards Lauper’s nonprofit, True Colors United, which helps homeless LGBTQ+ youth. This year’s show will feature big-name celebrities sharing their talents to help inspire and bring holiday joy to everyone. Special guests include: ADAM LAMBERT, AMANDA…
The school board of Loudoun County in Virginia passed new rules in a 7-2 vote that will protect LGBTQ students, largely those who are trans and nonbinary. The measure has been hotly debated by the community, with many claiming it infringes on their religious rights (because apparently, Jesus wants people to disenfranchise trans students?) However, the ruling is a very important milestone in the fight for equality because it didn’t take place in a major city. Loudoun county is made up of a collection of small towns over an hour outside of Washington DC. So this wasn’t like Los Angeles…
Shudder, the premiere streaming service for horror and suspense is now streaming the documentary Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, which delves into the now-infamous 1985 movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, which has been called “the gayest horror movie of all time.” The controversy over the film is wide and varied. The movie was written with tons of homoerotic undertones and some very blatant LGBTQ moments (like a visit to a gay bar). However, screenwriter David Chaskin denies deliberately doing so. Secondly, the film’s star, gay actor Mark Patton, was stepping into the role of being…
The documentary film A Secret Love tells the story about professional female baseball player Terry Donahue and her wife Emma Marie Henschel. The two had to keep their love a secret for decades due to homophobia from both their family and the public. In fact, despite being together for almost 70 years, the couple didn’t actually get married until 2015, when it was finally legal to do so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghv3-lpFOcc Donahue played for the Illinois-based women’s baseball teams the Redwings and the Admiral Music Maids back in the 40s. Though Donahue played almost every position in the game, she was most commonly…
With everyone stuck at home, streaming movies and TV shows have become the national pastime. Over the last five years, more and more streaming services have entered the market, offering everything from Oscar-winning classics to anime. Some streaming platforms have even included LGBTQ+ collections to their online libraries, giving everyone access to queer cinema, a genre they may not have known otherwise. Below are five awesome streaming services that have LGBTQ+ collections. NETFLIX Netflix was one of the first streaming platforms to include an LGBTQ section. But then again, Netflix was also one of the first streaming services, period.…
According to the HRC, 2021 has now become the deadliest year on record for trans and non-binary people with 45 murders.The past two years have been hard on the LGBTQ community, especially for trans individuals and queer people of color. The pandemic created unique challenges for the LGBTQ community, often resulting in higher numbers of unemployment and poverty. In 2021, the new wave of anti-trans bills across the nation has incited a rash of hatred and fear of the trans community, leading to increased violence against them. In a statement, the HRC stated “This year, the transgender community has faced…
The parliament of Hungary has passed legislation that effectively bans LGBTQ content in that country. The measure, which passed by a vote of 157-1, makes it illegal for LGBTQ issues to be taught in school, for media to portray LGBTQ people, and it even bans advertisements that have LGBTQ themes. According to Hungary’s extremist, far-right ruling party, the measure is aimed at preventing pedophilia, which doesn’t make any sense because LGBTQ people are not pedophiles. So how exactly does banning LGBTQ content from minors stop pedophilia? This is beyond any rational reasoning, but sadly in Hungary reasoning means nothing. Similar…
Equaldex is a user-generated “knowledge base,” as founder Dan Leveille put it during our interview. Leveille works for a marketing company by day, and his education background is in web development, but he has a passion for LGBTQ rights and wants to use his skills to help the cause, thus, Equaldex was born. When he founded the website, he had a tall order to fill. He wanted to create an easy-to-use website that informed readers of LGBTQ rights in every country across the globe. As time went on, the website generated traction and has been featured in publications like AirBnb…
Last week was an awful one for Disney. First, they refused to take a stand against Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. Then, Disney’s CEO came out and self-congratulated himself for all the hard work he had put into civil rights…but claimed it was all “behind-the-scenes” so the general public just didn’t know it. He then said that Disney’s best weapon in fighting bigotry is the “inspiring content it creates”…However, Pixar then came out with a statement revealing that they have been trying to add LGBTQ characters into films, but Disney has been actively censoring all of Pixar’s films for years,…
Last year, the Los Angeles LGBT Center (often referred to as simply “The Center”) raised $1.3 million for queer charities thanks to their Love in Action telethon. To ensure that grassroots nonprofits are able to continue enacting change, the center is putting on another telethon this summer. On Saturday, August 14th from 7-9 pm PT, the Love in Action telethon returns. The center is partnering with the TV station KTLA 5 to broadcast the event, and KTLA 5 news anchor, Cher Calvin, will be joining actress Jane Lynch as host for the evening. The event will have a star-studded ensemble…
OREO has just launched a new campaign in support of the LGBTQ community during LGBTQ History Month. According to Delish, OREO and PFLAG partnered up to create a campaign that would inspire parents to feel proud of their LGBTQ children and loved ones. To launch the campaign, OREO released a new short film, called Proud Parent. Without revealing too much, the film explores the relationship between a daughter and her father. You can watch it below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpfLklSG2dQ On top of the new film, OREO has also created a limited-edition collection of rainbow cookies. However, these cookies will not be sold…
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were two of the world’s first leading LGBTQ pioneers. The two women founded the first lesbian rights group, The Daughters of Bilitis, back in the 50s, and went on to run the lesbian newsletter The Ladder. After Phyllis Lyon’s death earlier this year, their historic San Fransisco home went up for sale. It was then that District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced a resolution to designate the former home a local historic landmark. LGBTQ activists from the country have stood up and demanded that their home be preserved (it sits on a very prime plot…
Norway’s postal service is celebrating 50 years since the nation decriminalized same-sex relationships with a new ad featuring Santa Claus. The ad, titled “When Harry Met Santa” (a play on When Harry Met Sally) starts off with Harry, a man who catches a glimpse of Santa one year. It’s clearly love at first sight, and year after year, Harry eagerly awaits the arrival of Santa every Christmas Eve. The ad finishes with Santa finally being able to spend a night with Harry, thanks to Posten (the postal service) taking care of delivering presents. The video finishes with a long kiss…
For the first time in Olympic history, three transgender athletes are competing. They are among a total of 160 LGBTQ athletes competing this year, the largest group of LGBTQ athletes in Olympic history. The three trans athletes are Chelsea Wolfe from the USA, competing in BMX Freestyle biking; Quinn from Canada, competing in women’s soccer; and Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand, competing in women’s weightlifting. Laurel Hubbard has caused the biggest controversy, as many conservatives claim that she has an innate, unfair advantage against other women because she was biologically male at birth. CNN lays out the two sides to…
Queer legend and dance hall staple, k.d. lang, has just released a remix of her 1995 hit song “If I Were You”. The single was released in anticipation of her upcoming album, Makeover, which will feature tons of remastered and remixed hits from k.d. lang’s song library. Included in the album will be songs originally released between 1992-2000, including, “Sexuality,” “Miss Chatelaine,” “Theme from the Valley of the Dolls,” “Summerfling,” “Lifted By Love”, and more. Makeover will release on May 28th in preparation for Pride month and pre-orders are now available. The album’s cover is a never-before-seen image taken of…
The current season of Jeopardy! has become known as the season of “Super Champions” since four contestants have already gone on to have impressive winning streaks. But it’s also become the season of LGBTQ Jeopardy! champions. First off was Amy Schnieder, who became the highest-earning female contestant in Jeopardy! history. Now, a new champion has entered the race to potentially become the top winner this season: a 23-year-old from Canada named Mattea Roach. Mattea is openly a lesbian and even says so on her Twitter profile. So far she’s won 14 games and has amassed $320,081 in winnings. Jeopardy! contestant…
On Sunday night, Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the presidential race. After winning the Iowa Primary, and coming in a close second in New Hampshire, Buttigieg’s numbers quickly dropped when primaries in more diverse states took place. In Nevada, he picked up only 14.3% of the vote, and in South Carolina, he only picked up 8.2% of the vote. His lacking numbers are believed to be the cause of his dropping out, as well as a campaign that was understaffed. With Super Tuesday around the corner, it was becoming more and more apparent to Buttigieg and his campaign that there…
Aruba, one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in the Caribbean, is taking extra steps to provide a sense of security for anyone looking to get married or have a honeymoon on their beautiful Island. With Aruba’s new Happily Ever After Guarantee, anyone who books a destination wedding or honeymoon for 2021, can postpone and reschedule for any coronavirus-related reason for up to a year. The program has a very liberal policy on what counts, as long as it is related to COVID-19. Whether that means a sick family member or a future outbreak that shuts down travel. As long…
Paris City Hall has announced a plan to officially declare Paris as an “LGBTQ+ Zone of Freedom”. The proposal is set to be presented at the next Paris Council, which will be held in early June. The move honors the declaration voted by the EU earlier this year and is intended to serve as a stark contrast from Poland’s “LGBT Free Zones” which have been created to silence gay people and purge out any LGBTQ residents by making them afraid to live in their hometowns. According to RFI, the move isn’t purely symbolic. Paris will actively work to help make…
In yet another blow to the LGBTQ community from the Trump administration, according to the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, and more, the US State Department will not allow US Embassies around the world to fly the pride flag during June. Multiple embassies requested permission, to which the State Department responded that flags could not be flown “on public-facing flagpoles,” according to the NYT article, but could still be flown in other places, such as inside… Sadly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Trump administration has been avidly hateful of the LGBTQ community. Our current…
For Pride this year, queer-owned cookie delivery company Wunderkeks is teaming up with the LOVELOUD Foundation, the LGBTQ nonprofit founded by gay ally and Imagine Dragons frontman, Dan Reynolds. During the month of June, Wunderkeks hopes to raise $30,000 for LOVELOUD’s circle of charities, which include Encircle, The Trevor Project, and the Tegan and Sara Foundation, among others, through cookie sales. To make this happen, the two have partnered together to launch the Wunderkeks x LOVELOUD Pride cookie box. This fabulously festive box comes adorned with all the confetti, sparkles, and shine that Pride month deserves. Inside are some of the…