Pride Matters

Like I was going to finish out a Pride Month without posting about Tegan & Sara. I believe that’s in one of the Lesbian Commandements, right? The Original Lesbian Twin Syndrome trendsetters released the new song “F*****g Up What Matters” earlier this spring. If you want to get right to the music, fast forward to 1:45. Otherwise enjoy the sisters musing about how to shoot their new music video in an original way. And, in case they need a tip for what to do for the next video, bring Erin Daniels in to just dance with them on stage and become LEGENDS. I mean, they’re already legends. But, it never hurts to gild the gay lily. Happy last day of Pride, kittens.

See You In Hell

I had not heard about Rina Sawayama until the queer internet gods somehow surfaced her on one of my feeds. But now all I want to do is follow her straight into “This Hell.” The Japanese-British singer has made what can only be called a definitive Pride bop. What? We still have two days left to dance it out. The artist, who identifies as pansexual, has made the queer line dancing wedding ceremony party of our dreams. As we witness the old-school return of 90s-style homophobia (why, oh why couldn’t we have left that out of our current 90s fashion revival?), songs that tweak the ridiculousness of these conservative bigots just hit different. Based on the hatemongers standards, we queers already know Hell is the place to be. Eternal damnation looks fun. Plus, all the best people will be there.

Flip It and Reverse It

So I guess we’re gonna dance it out these last few days of Pride, which is fine by me. I don’t care, like even a little, about most reality television. But following the latest trend among celesbians of introducing the previously considered straight woman you are now dating via your new music video previously seen from Lesbian Jesus herself Hayley Kiyoko, Australian queer nonbinary singer G Flip had a public coming out for her new girlfriend with her video for “Get Me Outta Here.” G Flip is dating Chrishell Stause of “Selling Sunset” which I have never watched but whatever. But I will watch them make out in a 7-Eleven because I am shallow like that. Also G Flip wears a ton of tank tops and it’s Tuesday. So, you know, I have my reasons.

Music Monday: Lesbian Pride Edition

It’s been almost 30 years since Melissa Etheridge told a screaming room at the Triangle Ball for Bill Clinton’s first inauguration that “I’m very proud to have been a lesbian all my life.” But, rewatching the moment (and seeing k.d. lang’s immediate joy) makes it feel like it was yesterday. Back in 1993, yeah, that mattered. Goodness, did it matter. So let’s close out these Pride Month Music Mondays with Melissa and k.d. Happy last Monday of Pride, kittens.

p.s. Honestly, the coming out moment deserves a rewatch too. Thanks, ladies, we’ll always be grateful for your honesty and openness. We will not go back into the closet, ever.

My Weekend (Pride) Crush

Obviously, these ladies get the honor of being the last My Weekend Crush of Pride Month. Obviously. As much as we like to gripe about this show, we still watch. We watch because no matter its shortcomings, “The L Word” is important to queer women. Never perfect, but always important. And, indeed, its overall quality has gotten better. If you watched the new reboot of “Queer As Folk,” Ruthie sums it up kinda perfectly as “actually better than I thought.” I know I’ve griped about how while the new show is more competent it’s also less fun. We also have more, and more diverse choices now so the pressure and impact of being The One L Show is no longer there. But, you never forget your first. So I’m excited as the show begins filling its third season. Call me a hopeless optimist. But they say the third time’s the charm, so maybe the new season will merge the fun of the old show with the quality of the new show. But, who am I kidding, I’d watch these three ladies read the phone book. Happy last weekend of Pride, all.

West-What In The-World

The multiverse is out, the simulation is in. Look, I have no idea what’s happening in the fourth season trailer for “Westworld” either. Honestly, I often have no idea what’s happening on the show while I’m actually watching it either. But I guess the reason I keep coming back (apart from the fact that this new season will feature three out queer actresses — Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thompson and Ariana DeBose), is its big swing ambition. Sure, sometimes you can’t shake the nagging feeling this show is nothing more than a series of unrelentingly extravagant setpieces in search of a coherent storyline. I appreciate the scope of this series, if its actual plots can leave you scratching your head. I also appreciate having Evan, Tessa, Ariana and Thandiwe Newton on my TV set on the regular. What I can kind of discern from the trailer is that a Not Dolores But Looks Like Dolores character is slowly realizing the world is perhaps not what it seems. Also, there are a lot of creepy flies. Honestly, if we’re all just living in a simulation, could we maybe not have as many obnoxious hatemongers and crypto-fascist billionaires around? Who made these programming decisions. I would like to speak to the manager.

Queer Island

So, while I no longer feel it’s my lesbionic duty to watch every queer piece of media ever produced anymore, I do still feel bound to support the fellas and our trans/nonbinary friends when it comes to entertainment. So I’ve dutifully watched both Hulu’s “Fire Island” and Peacock’s rebooted “Queer As Folk” which have come out this month in time for Pride. I mean it when I say there should be more LGBTQ+ media of all types, and I want to support that with my eyeballs when I can. (Same goes for “Bros” when it eventually comes out this fall — but come on, girl, waiting until September instead of Pride? Hm.)

Truly, I recommend them both. While they both have flaws (don’t we all), both are interesting and work hard to show us the lives of queer people who haven’t necessarily always been centered in queer media before. Asian gay men and women (well, woman, bless you Margaret Cho), POC queer men, trans women, nonbinary people of color, disabled queer people.

“Fire Island” is a well-crafted rom-com loosely based on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. The story pulls the curtain back a little on what the circuit party life is like for anyone who isn’t your typical white, ripped shirtless gay boy. And it embraces the power of our chosen families, which queers everywhere can certainly relate to. Bown Yang is particularly good, and Joel Kim Booster should already be a star.

The new “Queer As Folk” reboot brings needed diversity to the series. But, admittedly, the first few episodes are a tad rocky — heavy on the sex, drugs and trauma instead of the humanity. Choosing to follow the fallout of a Pulse-style shooting at a gay club is a big swing, and it works sometimes and doesn’t others. The series gels more toward the end of its eight-episode run when the characters’ messiness becomes less about making a show of their messiness and more about the organic messiness of being alive in this world. Jesse James Keitel is very good as Ruthie, who feels real and complicated and could be Dominique Provost-Chalkley’s sister in another universe.

Plus, both “Fire Island” and “Queer As Folk” have made a point of hiring LGBTQ+ people in front of and behind the cameras. And in my book, that’s a win any way you look at it. The more we get to tell our own stories our own ways, the better.

TV Review: Fire Kill

How you feel about “First Kill” is probably an expectations game. If you were expecting some pioneering, genre-defying, soul-cleansing work of art, well…no. But if you were expecting a campy show about sapphic star-crossed lovers that hasn’t fully embraced its camp potential yet and that you don’t have to turn your brain on too much to watch with, then bingo-bongo is this show for you.

“First Kill” isn’t a great show. But it is occasionally a fun show. And it has hot women smooching which, honestly, can absolve many a show’s sins. We watched it over a weekend and while I haven’t thought too much about it since, I’m happy we gave it a binge.

The series is about as subtle as a pair of vampire fangs. It lays its scene in fair Savannah — not Verona — but the Romeo & Juliet overtones are, well, very overtoney. Like, the young vampire heroine is called Juliette. JULIETTE, GET IT. Her star-crossed Romeo is Calliope, Cal for short and masc representation reasons. Juliette is from a long-line of vampire legacies. Cal is from a long line of vampire slayer legacies. You get the deal.

Honestly, the acting is pretty meh. The matriarchs of both the vampire and vampire hunter clans — Aubin Wise and Elizabeth Mitchell, respectively — are the best actors on the set by a mile of wooden stakes. Everyone else, well, I’m always happy when actors get work.

Sarah Catherine Hook as Juliette and Imani Lewis as Cal are likable actors, but the chemistry between them when they aren’t smooching is, uh, underwhelming. But when they are smooching? Again, I fully embrace my shallowness sometimes.

The plotting could also use work. An extravagant amount of time is used setting up the show’s lore, which could have been better used showing and not telling us how this vamp/vamp hunter world works. And its action is, well, let’s just say Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s fight sequences will look like they’re filmed in fast-forward compared to these.

Yes, I realize I’ve listed a lot of negative things in a row yet still somehow think people should watch this show. But that’s the thing about art. I enjoy all of it — the highbrow, the low-brow and even sometimes the middling. Not everything has to be “Mad Men” or “Breaking Bad” or “The Sopranos” or whatever else male-dominated world critics convince us is Very Important and Thus Good.

Some things can be kinda dumb and kinda fun and, again, hot women kiss and there are also vampires.

Music Monday: Making Fletch Happen

We’re keeping it queer for Music Mondays this month. And right now no one is queerer (at least on my TikTok feed) than Fletcher. The singer has an unmistakably young and queer female fanbase. And she is definitely not shy about appealing to them either. A good percentage of my For You Page is young women screaming at Fletcher concerts while the singer straddles her bassist. I mean, I’m not mad at it. So, you know, enjoy. Happy Monday, kittens.

My Weekend (Wonder) Crush

I know every lesbian of a certain age has a crush on Lynda Carter. That Wonder Woman costume sure made an impression on my young-impressionable mind, and many others. Ahem. So, of course, I was thrilled by her appearance at the end of the latest “Wonder Woman” movie (even if the rest of the movie was basically a dud). But, as we grow older, the hero worship of our youth can become a disappointing reality. But not so of Lynda.

Our Wonder Woman remains a wonder and has, for years and years, been an outspoken supporter of queer and progressive causes. And this Pride Month she has been on a wonderful Twitter spree spreading love for LGBTQ+ people, causes and heroes. She’s also dashing the bigoted dreams of homophobes by confirming that Wonder Woman herself is a bi icon, extoling the virtues of drag brunch and generally being a Super Ally to believe in.

You're right. She's a superhero for bisexuals! https://t.co/G2m7guvmYc https://t.co/MLssq1yYiK

— Lynda Carter ☮️ (@RealLyndaCarter) June 1, 2022

I didn't write Wonder Woman, but if you want to argue that she is somehow not a queer or trans icon, then you're not paying attention.

Every time someone comes up to me and says that WW helped them while they were closeted, it reminds me how special the role is.

— Lynda Carter ☮️ (@RealLyndaCarter) June 1, 2022

Have you ever been to drag brunch? They have bread and wine, loving community, and men in fabulous dresses. Sounds a little like church to me! https://t.co/9y7fJxQITP

— Lynda Carter ☮️ (@RealLyndaCarter) June 9, 2022

Love seeing all the love from LGBTQ+ fans today! Now here's one I call the "ready to fight your homophobic relatives" pose. Just kidding. (Or am I?) Haha! 😘 pic.twitter.com/5voHHdZViA

— Lynda Carter ☮️ (@RealLyndaCarter) June 1, 2022

Like, I know Twitter crushes are so like 2012, but Lynda Carter is a forever crush. I mean, she’s 70 and I still want her to (lovingly and with respect) step on my neck — especially if she’s wearing the Wonder Boots. So. You know, there’s also that. We all deserve superheroes we can believe in. Thanks, woman, you’re a true wonder. Happy weekend, all.

Hey, It's Still Che Diaz

Look, just because it’s Pride doesn’t mean we have to love everything gay, OK? So I’ll just come out and say it. Che Diaz is annoying. Che Diaz is written to be annoying. Che Diaz’s annoyingness has nothing to do with their gender identity. Whew, see, that wasn’t hard.

This month Variety did a big cover story on Che Diaz/Sara Ramirez and more than anything I find it perplexing. The lede calls Che “the most visible (and often most ridiculed) queer character on TV.” And then goes on to say how this nonbinary character played by a nonbinary actor has become a “Rorschach test for viewers.”

Make no mistake, we are in an incredibly perilous time for trans, nonbinary, genderqueer and otherwise “other” presenting human beings. The rights of trans people to play school sports, use public bathrooms and generally just exist is getting legislated away with each passing day so Republicans can get more votes. Make no mistake, the political climate is terrifying for queer and nonbinary people. You need need only look at the 31 white supremicist domestic terrorists arrested in Idaho over the weekend to know that Pride events and queer existence are being targeted.

But, none of that changes the fact that Che Diaz is annoying. Am I glad Che exists? Of course, I think more queer, trans and genderfluid representation is great basically always. The more the merrier. But let’s also admit that Che falls into the grand tradition of annoying and polarizing characters à la Rachel Berry and Jenny Schecter. (To not be misogynistic about it, also there are your Pete Campbells, Ross Gellars, Will Schuesters, et al. because the world has no shortage of annoying dudes, unfortunately.)

While I understand the showrunners may be a little confused at the general reaction to Che (I mean, I wasn’t expecting the memes), they really shouldn’t be. They made them this way. They set this character up to be disliked by making them the reason Miranda cheats on Steve (who, let’s admit it, was probably the most likable of SATC’s straight dudes) and making their “comedy concerts” universally unfunny.

Like, I get it, in theory who wouldn’t immediately fall for Sara Ramirez? Sara Ramirez is amazing. Period. But the way they wrote Che in no way reflects how amazing Sara is. And it also does not reflect how the other characters react to Che. They’ve written them as kind of a woke fuckboi hipster, yet all the other characters react as if they are instead meeting an extraterrestrial charisma supernova.

Again, make no mistake, writing one of the highest profile nonbinary characters to join an already high-profile series as annoying is a choice. Setting up a pioneering character like Che to be widely disliked is also a disservice.

The point of representation is always more than just visibility. It’s to make what people consider “other” (and therefore to them something scary or weird or bad) more human. And, yes, that also means making queer characters annoying and/or bad and/or frightening. But — and again this is a big Sir Mix-A-Lot-worthy BUT — we have to get to the point where LGBTQ+ people are seen as human before we revel in any kind of caricatures of our community.

The Variety article also makes reference to people maybe being turned off my Miranda and Che’s big kitchen sex scene because it wasn’t your sterotypical hot girl-on-girl action. I think it’s more likely people were turned off because it was juxtaposed with Carrie LITERALLY PEEING THE BED. No kink shame, but that’s just not my thing. Also, come on, the whole reason Miranda was there in the first place was to help Carrie recover from hip surgery and instead she gets fucked in her kitchen. That’s just bad friendship form, people.

Yes, I understand there are small-minded people who think watching two very attractive and talented people like Sara Ramirez and Cynthia Nixon get it on is gross because they don’t fall into the stereotypical gender norms. I also know there are people who recoil at Che Diaz's mere presence. Those bigots that would rather none of us exists. But thinking small-minded bigots should fuck off forever and that Che Diaz is annoying are not mutually exclusive mindsets.

Also, it’s a choice to make Sara Ramirez dress like this for a photoshoot to go with an article about being taken seriously as a pioneering nonbinary character on a high-profile show. A real, big choice.

Apparently we’ll be getting “more of Che rather than less of Che,” in the second season of “And Just Like That…” which I hope will be a good thing. More Che more more chances for Che to be fleshed out into a fully realized person. Bottom line, I’m glad Che Diaz exists and think we should get more nonbinary (and lesbian and gay and bisexual and trans) characters on television. I’m also certain Che Diaz is annoying because Che Diaz was written that way.

Hack It Up

Since it’s Pride and we’re gay and we want to celebrate by watching gay stuff, here’s another suggestion. Have you checked out the second season of HBO Max’s “Hacks?” I mean, I’m assuming you already watched the first season because, come on, JEAN FREAKING SMART. The second season continues the show’s excellence, while leaning into its vulnerability and heart. Also, it’s a lot more gay.

That is to say out bi actor Hannah Einbinder’s out bi character Ava gets to smooch and flirt with ladies. And there are just more queer ladies, period. Did I mention there’s an episode set on a lesbian cruise with a cameo from Margaret Cho? Honestly, for parts of that episode you’ll think you’ve died and gone to lesbian heaven. The look on Ava’s face sure thought so too.

And, while some may say the show doesn’t have the hard, ugly edges needed to be great (though, come on, it is in no way bad), I think that’s bullshit. Things don’t need to hurt to be good. Indeed, one of the things I enjoy most about Hacks is its undercurrent of sweetness. Ava in particular in the new season is less of a jerk and more of a young person trying to find herself. We also aren’t given nearly enough shows about female mentorship and generational friendships that aren’t familial. (I mean, really, try to think of like two more shows with that kind of dynamic. I’m waiting.)

Truly, anything that gives us maximum Jean Smart and much more general gaiety is well worth the watch. Also, somebody give Ming-Na Wen her own show immediately because she was smoking this season. Smoking.

5eva Always

Hey, wanna watch something fun with an all-female starring cast and significant queer character development that ALSO makes you laugh at and feel nostalgic for the 90s? Oh, and it’s absurdly funny with one of the highest jokes-per-minute ratios of any comedy on TV right now? Well you should wanna watch, because the second season of “Girls5Eva” is as delightful as the first, and somehow both crazier and more grounded. Plus it gives us more of Paula Pell’s lesbian character Gloria, and her TV/real-life wife. Also, believe it or not, the season also features a key plot point involving a fight sequence with the Property Brothers. The second season focuses on the formerly famous fivesome, now attempting a comeback foursome recording their first new album on their terms. Anyway, the short 8-episode season ended last week and you can now stream the whole thing if you want to laugh and see women doing zany things and, unexpectedly, be moved (“Leave a Message If You Love Me?” Sob.) while letting you momentarily forget that America is basically a raging, unrepentant garbage fire right now. I mean, what more do you want from your TV than that? That’s what I thought. Now the only question is whether you get Peacock or not.

Music Monday: Gay Fast Walking Edition

Did Anne Lister invent Gay Fast Walking? Possibly. Probably. Pretty much you betcha, at least in my head. So, how has everyone been enjoying the second season? I’ve been saving up basically all episodes to watch in a row, because every time one ends I feel sad there isn’t another one to watch. * taps head * See, it can’t end if you take your time and procrastinate watching it. Well, enjoy the season finale tonight. Also, in the grand tradition of Pride Month Music Mondays, please also enjoy the perfectly chosen “Into the Wild” by queer artist and Friend of the Blog LP. Happy Monday, kittens.

My Weekend Crush

* Looks at scoreboard * Well, that’s another one for our team. Congratulations to Rebel Wilson, who has found her Lady Knight in shining armor (and made it Instagram official this week). The comic actress introduced the world to her new girlfriend with the post, “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess. #loveislove”

Aw, well good for them. Her new princess, Ramona Agruma, founded a fashion line and and already has matching eyebrows with Rebel so let the queer twinning commence. I know Rebel’s had a bit of a rough go in the press in the last few years. And her recent weight loss prompted those backhanded kinds of fat-shaming headlines about how “unrecognizable” and great she looks now and so on. But I liked Rebel before and I like her now and I want for her what I want for everyone — to be happy, healthy and stone-cold gay. Happy weekend, all.

Play Ball

If you heard loud, unrelenting cheering earlier this week it was just all the lesbians (and friends of lesbians) rejoicing at the first teaser trailer for Amazon Prime’s new “A League of Their Own” series. The new streaming show won’t premiere until August (whines internally), but given the intense female-to-female eye contact and sports badassery, my body is ready now.

The series stars “Broad City” alum Abbi Jacobson, “The Good Place” alum D'Arcy “Not a Girl, Not a Robot” Carden, “Vida” alum and out queer artist Roberta Colindrez, “Killjoys” alum Kelly McCormack, and relative newcomers Chanté Adams, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Priscilla Delgado as the new Rockford Peaches. They’s also hired “Parks & Rec” alum and mustache aficionado Nick Offerman as their manager. Set in 1943, the show will cover the formation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

But while it shares a name and general premise with the movie, the series follows a different group of characters and promises to be more inclusive of both women of color and queer women. Like, we all peeped the intense look D’Arcy gave I think Abbi when she slid into home, right? Right. I’m very excited to watch this, though also bracing for the inevitable era-authentic racism and sexism (who are we kidding, those have no era unfortunately, they’re just ever present).

So, thoughts? Get read for some dirt in the skirts, kittens. Play ball (in like two months…)

True Jodie

Well here’s some good news for gay women who love crime shows (me, I am talking specifically about me). Jodie Foster, yes two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster, is going to star in the new season of the HBO crime series “True Detective.” Now, truth be told, I’ve avoided “True Detective” because of the testosterone-filled air of Very Important Man Stuff the show has given off since its inception. Men doing serious things seriously and all that.

But perhaps buoyed by the success of “”Mare of Easttown,” finally the anthological crime series is letting women do Very Important Woman Stuff instead. Jodie will star as Detective Liz Danvers and be paired with as as-yet unannounced fellow actress as Detective Evangeline Navarro. Yes, we’re getting two ladies doing Very Important Woman Stuff. My body is read. Let’s get our Cagney & Lacey, Rizzoli & Isles, Scott & Bailey back on with this one, ladies.

Jodie will also executive produce the fourth season, which is truly what all actresses should be doing because producing is power (and money and all that other good stuff). The new season also will have a new creative team behind it led by Mexican filmmaker/screenwriter Issa Lopez. The new season’s storyline is described as:

“When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the six men that operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.”

Clearly, I’m already 100% here for this new season and look extremely forward to Jodie et al to do Very Important Woman Stuff on my small screen. I feel like Jodie might be gunning for an EGOT here, a la Kate Winslet. This is the kind of female-against-female competition I encourage. The kind that makes amazing television for us to watch.

Tank Top Elliot

Look, obviously men are not the main focus of Surrenders. But it’s Tuesday and he looks great in a tank top so we’ll make an exception for Elliot Page. The actor has a cover story in this month’s Esquire talking about his new “gender euphoria,” which honestly — how great is that term? We should all feel euphoric about our genders, and euphoric about other people getting to feel euphoric about their genders too. It’s hard enough living in our bodies when we feel our given genders actually match how we feel inside about our actual genders. Imagine how much harder it must be if they do not.

Which makes the massive hate and downright villainy cast on the transgender/genderqueer community even more perplexing. How are possibly the most vulnerable among us, particularly for trans/genderqueer people of color, somehow the greatest evil/problem facing American schools, bathrooms and public spaces? Clearly, they’re not. They’re just human beings trying to live their lives in peace, like everyone. But this one political party (it’s Republicans) has decided that stoking fear and pitting humans against other humans is the best way to get votes, make money and stay in power. So, there’s that. This party also, by the way, wants to mandate inspection of children’s genitals to ensure no one child is trying the transition. And they (it’s Republicans) keep calling us groomers.

Nothing is new about this kind of hatred except the speed and ease at which it is disseminated now thanks to social media and, again, this one political party (again, it’s Republicans) making trans people the latest wedge issue to get them votes.

Anyway, all of this is just a long way of saying I am very happy for Elliot and the joy he feels with how he and the world see him now. And I’m also impressed by the hot dirtbag aesthetic he is cultivating here. Tattoos and tank tops and so many abs, oh my.

Music Monday: Hayley’s Pride

Obviously, I had to kick off the first Monday of Pride Month with Lesbian Jesus herself. Hayley Kiyoko’s video for her new song “For The Girls'' came out (see what I did there) late last month. It’s a gay girl parody of “The Bachelor/Bachelorette” and what the kids today would call a super fun bop. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of watching the franchise (as I have) you know, it’s pretty spot on, from costumed contestants to instant drama and endless jealousy. I also appreciate all the entirely unsubtle lesbian archetypes. The skater girl. The beanie girl. The U-Haul girl. The plant girl. I mean, might as well ring in the month with a flavor for everyone. The video also serves as a coming out (again, I did it again) for Hayley and her girlfriend, former Bachelor contestant Becca Tilley, who swoops in at the end. Again, you know if you’ve watched the franchise (we don’t anymore, finally, thank goodness) that the switcheroo of someone having a secret boyfriend/girlfriend while going on the show is also very on theme. So, congrats, ladies. And thanks for reminding me why we don’t watch anymore (I swear, it wasn’t my jam in the first place but love makes you do the wacky.) Happy Monday, kittens.

My Weekend Pride

Well, it’s Pride Month again. As we watch corporation after corporation turn their logos rainbow, please never forget that they aren’t really our friends. Yes, it’s good when corporations express support for LGBTQ+ rights. Yes, it’s good when corporations feature LGBTQ+ people in their marketing. Yes, it’s good when corporations donate to LGBTQ+ causes. But, for the most part, they’re only doing so because they believe it will help them make more money. Money, not equality, is their end goal. So if they think publicly seeming to support equality will make them money, they will do it.

But also never forget that many of these very same companies will then turn around and donate to GOP politicians who vote against LGBTQ+ rights. These same corporations will donate to politicians who support anti-trans and anti-gay laws. These same corporations will donate to politicians who call LGBTQ+ people groomers and vilify us to stay in power. They do that, too, because they know supporting them will also make them more money. Again, the goal is money — not equality.

We can’t let these corporations have their big gay cake and eat it too. So your AT&Ts, your Walmarts, your Wells Fargos, your CVSes and many, many more. They’re all too happy to slap a rainbow on themselves each June, but then give money to the very Republican lawmakers trying to take away our rights and ban trans people from existing. Fuck that.

I know it’s hard to avoid all ethical dilemmas while navigating our interconnected, megacorporation landscape. I use and have used several of the 25 companies on the Very Naughty List. At times it’s almost unavoidable if you participate at all in our modern economy (because, again, corporations at their core aren’t progressive entities, they’re money-making entities). Still we certainly don’t have to celebrate these companies for their rainbow activism while they fund the very people making our lives harder, sadder and less safe. That’s going to be a no from me, folks. Hard pass.

Corporate pride should only be recognized for companies that put in the work. Companies that speak out against hateful laws targeting gay and trans people. And companies that, at a bare minimum, don’t give money to hatemongers.

Never forget that Pride started as a riot. We fought against the police, the unjust system, the criminalization of our very lives. So today’s vanilla-fication of the event and corporate takeover of parades could be seen as a sign of progress. But as far as we think we’ve come, we can always go backwards. Indeed, Republicans and the religious right are actively trying to drag us back into the closet. But we’ll never go back.

So go ahead, companies, and turn everything rainbow. But you’d better truly mean it. We’re here, we’re queer, and we see you, corporate America. We see you. Happy weekend, all.

Gender Fuck Thursday: Suit Up, Ladies

Sandra Oh in a suit and tie. That’s it. That’s the post.

Fine, the other women on The Hollywood Reporter’s Emmy roundtable cover story look good in their suits, too. And, don’t worry, I see Sandra holding Christina Ricci’s hand. I see it.

Happy (Honeymoon) Pride

I don’t know if there’s any way to watch this commercial for Bulgari without thinking it’s actually an extended honeymoon video for Anne Hathaway and Zendaya. Like, I didn’t even realize they were engaged. Mazel, ladies, mazel! But, seriously, what are we supposed to think with all the dancing for each other, sitting knowingly on the bed together and touching heads while holding one another on a luxurious veranda overlooking the Eternal City. It’s like the most posh “Carol” sequel ever. I mean, I guess that’s one way to kick off Pride Month. Happy Pride, kittens.