The Queer Current: LGBTQ+ Film and Television For Your Radar and Niecy Nash's Surprise Gay Wedding
It’s been a busy month for LGBTQ+ news! Here’s the latest on our radar.
First Official Trailer Release For Francis Lee’s Ammonite
The long awaited Ammonite trailer released at the end of August, giving us our first look at the upcoming lesbian film starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan. There may be no electricity in this period drama, but sparks are definitely flying in this trailer. Ammonite may be just the thing to fill the void in our hearts after Portrait Of A Lady On Fire’s release.
Niecy Nash and Jessica Bett’s Surprise Wedding
Niecy Nash shocked and invigorated us all with her surprise coming out moment and queer wedding to singer Jessica Betts. Since then, she’s released a flurry of adorable photos and a wedding video on her instagram account, so we can all swoon over their perfect big day. Betts also sang at the wedding of Niecy Nash’s character, Desna Simms, on an episode of CLAWS. Just when you thought this announcement couldn’t get any better, Nash announced their surprise marriage by hashtagging #plottwist on her story. Thanks to these two from adding some spice to our quarantine lives.
The Glorias, Starring Janelle Monae, Releases First Trailer
From hosting the Oscars, cutting records, and snatching up roles on television and film, Archandroid Janelle Monae has been hard at work these past few years. With Amazon Prime’s Homecoming airing earlier this year and the horror/thriller Antebellum releasing in September, Janelle has been taking over the big and small screens. Her next role in the Gloria Steinem biopic, The Glorias, will be as Dorothy Pitman Hughes, feminist, activist, and co-founder of Ms. Magazine. The trailer for The Glorias has just been released, and from the looks of it, it’s just what we need to keep us fired up this election. Maybe it’s exactly Mrs. America (starring lesbian idol Sarah Paulson) repackaged, but we’ll be watching either way.
The WNBA Is Heating Up
Courtney Vandersloot set a new record for assists in a single game on a pass to her wife, Allie Quigley, in a Chicago Sky win against the Indiana Fever. Vandersloot distributed a jaw-dropping 18 assists, smashing the previous record of 14 set in 2002. Vandersloot’s wife, Quigley, also set a record of her own, becoming the all-time leading scorer for the Sky with over 3,000 points in the WNBA. Move over Diana and Penny, you’ve got some competition for the WNBA lesbian power couple trophy.
The World To Come Releases At Venice Film Festival
The World To Come, a frontier romance film about 19th century farmers’ wives who form a close conspiracy, premiered at Venice Film Festival. The downside is that it stars Casey Affleck as a supporting actor. The upside is that it’s another story about women throwing over their men and whisking each other away in an escapist romance. The film is currently seeking US distribution, but lesbians, ever the swift source, have already taken to twitter to share first look photos.
Another Gender Reveal Party Sets The World Ablaze
As if the Trumpists and heterosexuals haven’t already ruined it all, a gender reveal party in San Bernardino County, California sparked a wildfire that has burned for 8,500 acres. Attempts to contain the fire, which was started by a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device,” have ranged from over 600 firefighting personnel with 60 engines, six aircrafts, and six helicopters. This is not the first natural disaster that has been caused by a gender reveal party; gender reveal parties have a confirmed death count of four people because no, the straights are not okay. The deadly events have gotten so out of hand that even blogger Jenna Karvunidis, the woman credited with popularizing gender reveals, now publicly condemns them. "Stop having these stupid parties. For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid's penis. No one cares but you," she wrote on her Facebook page.
Netflix’s New Show Away Gives Viewers An LGBTQ Storyline
A new space drama, Away, dropped on Netflix last week. Hilary Swank, (who starred in the iconic film Boys Don’t Cry) plays a former Navy pilot who commands the first manned mission to Mars. Each episode hones in on the backstory of a crew member, one of whom is Lu Wang, a queer Chinese astronaut/chemist played by Vivian Wu.
Pete Buttigieg Joins Joe Biden’s Transition Team
Our guy Joe Biden is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, and that now includes Pete Buttigeg, who has just joined his transition team. Let’s transition from former Vice-President Biden to President Elect Biden. By the way, are you registered to vote?
Texas Assistant District Attorney Fired For Trash Tweeting
In recent disturbing Republicans on twitter news, Texas assistant district attorney Nick Moutos has been fired for being himself: a racist, xenophobic, homophobic, fear-mongering bigot. His violent, unhinged anti-lgbtq, anti-muslim and pro-Qanon tweets are actually terrifying, ranging from calling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a #WhoreOfBabylon to upholding discredited theories about LGBTQ folks from the American Psychiatric Association in decades past. Moutos ran for the U.S. House seat from Texas’s 35th District and lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2020. Always good to see a divisive asshole stripped of their status, but you can be sure we’ll celebrate even louder when history forgets this guy altogether.
Annie Clark Releases An Audible Original
In one of the greatest gifts to come out of 2020, Annie Clark released “St. Vincent Words + Music,” an Audible Original that details the personal experiences and inspiration behind nine of her most popular songs. Delving into tracks off of her first record Marry Me all the way to her most recent release, Masseduction, the Audible original finally gives us a chance to get intimate with the powerhouse legend behind the music.
In other very queer Annie Clark news, keep your eye out for the release of The Nowhere Inn, Clark and Carrie Brownstein’s psychological thriller mockumentary that premiered at Sundance in January, but has since been delayed for release due to COVID-19. Here’s hoping we get an update on further U.S. distribution soon.
First Look Images From Clea Duvall’s Happiest Season
It’s about time the queers had a holiday rom com all their own! First look images from Clea Duvall’s Happiest Season have arrived. Duvall, who co-starred alongside Natasha Lyonne in another seminal queer film from 1999, But I’m a Cheerleader, steps into a new genre after her well received debut, The Intervention. Between Clea Duvall, Kristen Stewart and Dan Levy, the film is certain to delight audiences, especially the queer ones!
Star Trek: Discovery Casts Its First Transgender and Non-Binary Roles
In a first for the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Discovery is adding transgender and non-binary characters to its season 3 cast. The production team worked closely with GLAAD to create the characters of Gray (played by Ian Alexander) and Adira (played by Blu Del Barrio). Alexander is known for being the first trans Asian American actor on TV for his work on The OA. As for Barrio, Star Trek: Discovery will be their debut after a background in theater and short films.
Co-showrunner and executive producer Michelle Paradise said in a statement, ‘Star Trek’ has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach.”
Cher Headlines LGBTQ+ Fundraiser For Biden Campaign
Following the national conventions, singer/goddess/queer icon Cher hosted a virtual LGBTQ+ fundraiser that raised nearly $2 million for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Out politicians like Representative David Cicilline and Senator Tammy Baldwin joined, and former presidential nominee Pete Buttigieg spoon fed us our punch line by asking attendees, “Do you believe in life after Trump?”
Chaz Bono Speaks Out Against J.K. Rowling’s Transphobic Tweets
Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling has been tweeting transphobic tirades for months on end. It’s tiring, deeply troublesome, and endlessly harmful. Chaz Bono, Cher’s transgender son, spoke out about J.K.’s transphobia in an interview for a UK podcast, A Gay and a Nongay, stating: “For me personally, it’s been really difficult, because I happen to be a Harry Potter fanatic. I’ve got a tattoo on my leg of three of the houses. When the person who writes your favorite series of books about oppressed people decides to start oppressing you, it’s very strange. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s hard to wrap your head around. On a personal note, it just sucked. Politically, it’s dangerous because I don’t think people realize that she’s just regurgitating the same things that people are saying about us, that have been debunked for 30 years. It’s just wrapped up in a new package with a zillion Twitter followers.”
Since J.K. Rowling’s transphobic tweet frenzy, Harry Potter stars have publicly denounced her views, publishing staff have refused to work on her new book, authors have switched from J.K.’s literary agent, fan sites have stopped including her coverage, and her book sales have gone down. Most recently, J.K. Rowling has returned a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights award because the group’s President criticized her views on transgender issues.
The National LGBTQ Chamber Of Commerce Endorses Joe Biden For President
In only its second presidential endorsement in 20 years of history, the National LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce endorses Joe Biden for President. In a released statement, NGLCC cofounder and president Justin Nelson shared, “The NGLCC is proud to endorse a champion for inclusion. We need to elect a president with a commitment to LGBTQ equality, ending racism and racial violence, promoting small businesses and entrepreneurship, and ensuring a safe and equitable society for every American. Joe Biden is that candidate.”
Reggie Greer, the Biden campaign's LGBTQ+ vote director, wrote in a statement following the endorsement. "LGBTQ+ businesses add $1.7 trillion to the economy each year, making LGBTQ+ business owners central to Vice President Biden's plans to build a stronger, more equitable economy, promote entrepreneurship, tackle structural racism, fight systemic injustice, and end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people once and for all."
