Somewhere Wonderful

Since I’m trying (emphasis on trying) to have a more positive outlook heading into 2025, I thought I’d mention one more thing I’m thankful for in 2024. “Somebody Somewhere,” which ended its third and final season earlier this month, is easily one of my favorite shows of the year. In fact it’s easily one of my favorite shows of the past several years. Possibly, and this is a big statement, of all time. But, definitively, it’s the best, most lovely TV show I watched this past year. Period.

This small, unassuming series about a middle-aged woman and her gay best friend living in their small Kansas hometown feels like the warmest, tenderest of hugs. But it’s not just an exercise in sugary feel-good weepiness. All of its tears – and believe me I cried buckets during the finale – are earned through real connection with these imperfect but still trying characters. You will recognize the elemental bonds between Sam and Joel. You will feel the complicated prickliness surrounding Sam and her sister, Tricia. You will welcome the embrace of this group of oddball outsiders who form a family. Bridget Everett & Co. poured so much love into these people’s lives and allows them to take up space in a world that so often ignores (or even worse) the so-called weirdos. And lest you think it is all just schmaltzy rainbows shit, this show is funny. So. Fucking. Funny.

I’ve always called “Somebody Somewhere” a little show with a big heart. This transplanted Midwestern gal feels seen, and anyone with a found family will feel at home. That we got three whole seasons is a gift in itself. And it’s one I will cherish, and rewatch, forever. Happy end of 2024, kittens.

Music Monday: Ingrid Lang Syne

On this penultimate day of 2024, I hope you have plans soon to gather with good friends and raise a glass, and your voices, together. Sure, it’s easier when you have the singing caliber of friends that Ingrid Michaelson has. But the rest of us can muddle through with maximum enthusiasm instead. Happy Monday, kittens.

My Weekend (Christmas) Crush

Please, like I wasn’t going to post the original this week just to bookend the holiday experience. The melancholy majesty of Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” remains unmatched. She may have sung it 80 years ago in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” but her voice continues to ring through the ages. I hope your heart has been light this week, and well beyond. Happy weekend, all.

Let’s Jingle

Just because Christmas is over, doesn’t mean the holiday spirit is done as well. So as we enter into the strange twilight week between Christmas and New Year’s when no one knows what day it is or how many cookies they’ve eaten, may we all rejoice in the weirdness that was the 1988 Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special featuring kd lang singing “Jingle Bell Rock” in a denim western dress. This is the chaotic queer joy I hope to bring to every holiday occasion. Make the yuletide gay, indeed.

Christmas Brandi

Yes, I know. You already heard ”Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” this week. And I posted it from Billie Eilish (yes, her again) for Christmas last year. But, you see, it’s pretty much my favorite holiday song – in no small part because it was originally sung by Judy Garland and includes the line “make the yuletide gay.” So I will take every single version I can take, particularly when it’s sung by queer music icons like Brandi, Billie, Chappell, et al. And, well, it’s Christmas. So, please, whatever you celebrate today I hope your day is merry, bright and more than just a little gay. Merry Christmas, kittens.

Santa Weirdo

Anyone having holiday anxiety and similarly convinced that they ever actually met The Big Guy they’d also make it weird? Though, as a single gay woman, I think if a strange man in a red suit carrying a sack showed up in my living room in the middle of the night I would probably freak out and do a lot more than make it weird. So I commend fellow gaymos Kate McKinnon and Billie Eilish on keeping it just weird with Santa. Happy Christmas Eve, ya weirdos.

Music Monday: Christmas Chappell

I think one of the better storylines of 2024 has been the meteoric rise of Chappell Roan. Yes, there have been a few bumps along the way, but somehow they’ve mostly just made her that much more relatable. From relatively niche indie newcomer to bona fide mainstream superstar, she appears to be the very definition of overnight – well in this case over year (first post last March, MARCH!) — success. But, of course, there is no such thing.

Yes, sometimes amazing people seemingly get noticed by everyone all at once. But Chappell has been working, grinding, performing for years – and usually far less glamorous locales than international music festivals in front of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans. That she found her audience, even with such an unabashedly gay agenda and aesthetic, is a testament to her talents. It is also a testament to personal growth, because here she is is six years ago playing in the KOLR10 and Fox49 studios in Springfield, Missouri. Six years later, and she has six Grammy nominations. Happy Monday, kittens.

My Weekend (Carol) Crush

Dearest, it is time. “Forget” your gloves. Eat creamed spinach and poached eggs. Drink so many dry martinis with olives. And invite that cute shop girl round, sometime. Happy Carol Day Weekend, all.

Lesbian Deeds

I remember Liz Feldman when she had a rainbow light saber and did vlogs for that former website that should not be mentioned. Now she’s back with a new TV show starring Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano as well as a couple of queer actresses featured in sapphic storylines. The dark comedy features Lisa and Ray as a couple selling their beautiful home while trying to hide a secret from its potential buyers. They include “A League of Their Own”’s Abbi Jacobson and Poppy Liu as a lesbian couple trying to have a baby and Linda Cardellini as a woman having a secret relationship with Shane herself, Kate Moennig. I don’t know anything else about their stories yet – and haven’t had a chance to watch (it started streaming on Netflix last week). But I’m happy to see Abbi and Kate in meaty queer roles. And any alum from the old AE days doing well? Well, it warms the cockles of my little gay heart.

Another Harley Ride

Admittedly, I am behind on my viewing. The fourth season of “Harley Quinn” debuted in 2023 and for some reason I just haven’t caught up. I know, I KNOW. But with the holidays and a little down time coming up, I think I’m perfectly primed for some sapphicly inclined mayhem. Plus, Harley and Poison Ivy are great role models for that whole “Become Ungovernable” thing I’m going to be trying out in 2025. Here’s to the bestest, most titillatingest, most excitingest queer female couple on television. What? She carries a bat everywhere, like I wasn’t going to call them that?

A Wicked (in a good way) Couple

While we’re swooning over “Wicked,” let us not forget that its star is an out queer woman who is dating another out queer woman who are both absurdly accomplished. I don’t know why it took me two years and a damn People magazine article to clue into the fact that Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe are a couple. Like, how did I not know that? At first I thought it was maybe because they’d been lowkey and not gone out in public much. But then I did a quick image search and, uh, they’ve been everywhere together. EVERYWHERE.

How everywhere? Well this year alone they’ve been to…

…the US Open in September

and the Olympics in August (with many famous friends, peep Anna Wintour in the front there, yo),

and the Tonys in June (with another Elphaba),

and The Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala in May (with a woman whose name should be kept out of your mouth, especially if you are Chris Rock),

and the Met Gala in May,

and the “Shirley” premiere in May (with "Shirley" herself),

And the Oscars Vanity Fair party in March (I call this Florence & the Queer Machine).

The thing is, they’ve been officially dating since 2022. Yet somehow I was oblivious to this fact despite them stepping out time and time and time again that very same year.

Like at the SAG Awards dancing February 2022 (with dancing queen Jessica Chastain).

Or the Oscars in March 2022.

Or the GLAAD Awards in April 2022.

Or the Grammys also in April 2022.

Or the BET Awards in June 2022.

Or the Tonys also in June 2022 (with photobomb by Bernadette Peters).

Or the Glamour Awards in November 2022 (though I'm still sad about Poussey).

Yeah, I don’t know how I missed it either. And attending more than one fancy dress event in one month together over multiple months? I hang my head in shame. Though, I will say the most relatable thing about their relationship so far is their (relative) hibernation in 2023. I could find only three images of them out and about. Sophomore year of a relationship nesting, I see you.

From 2023:

Dancing with Dwayne Wade at his Fall of Fame party in August.

Snuggling at the “Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along” opening in October.

And hanging with Rustin himself in December.

Anyway, I hope my now exhaustive chronicling (bordering on stalkerish, sorry about that but these were all public events) of this most excellent lesbian power couple suffices as a mea culpa. And, lest we forget, there should be much more to come with “Wicked Part 2” hitting theaters next year. Go forth, and be gloriously gay and tremendously talented together on every red carpet you can find, Cynthia and Lena. Or should we call them Cythna?… Lethia? …Waitiro? … Evithe? Yeah, those are all terrible. Just congrats to the happy couple.

p.s. This one is from when, as they’ve said themselves, they first met at the Met Gala in 2018. Rainbow capes plus rainbow eyebrow rhinestones? It was written in the Celesbian Stars, I tell ya.

Music Monday: Wicked Edition

Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way first – yes, I loved it. Yes, I also loved the musical. Yes, it really was hard not to sing along. Yes, the cast was all excellent and the set pieces extravagant. Yes, I can’t wait (checks watch) a whole damn year for Part 2. Yes, you should catch it if you have a chance. Yes, of course I believe Elphaba and Glinda are not-so secretly in love. Duh. Happy Monday, kittens.

Mental Health Minx: Anne & Diana

Anne Shirley and Diana Barry were in love. Period. What did you think bosom friend means, people?

Mental Health Minx: Auliʻi Cravalho

Well, it’s Thursday. And Auliʻi Cravalho is wearing a leather vest. So, this all seems appropriate. Also appropriate, this new class of young queer stars – your Auliʻis, your Renees, your Chappells, your Bellas, your Billies, et al, who are refreshingly, uncompromisingly open about their sexuality. So, yeah, America – the No. 1 movie in America (Moana 2) is led by an out queer young woman. And the No. 2 movie is, too (more on Wicked soon).

Mental Health Minx: Cate & Rooney

This is my favorite red carpet picture from the “Carol” press tour. The light, the dark, the dramatic sweep of it all. Ten days until Dec. 21, after all. Ladies, prepare you Gloved Lunches.

A Year

It’s been, quite frankly, a bit of a shit year. The tail end of 2024 has especially been working overtime. My favorite aunt, my mother’s only sister, passed away after a sudden and short illness last weekend. Very sudden and very short. So I will be taking a few extra mental health days. I should be back to posting regularly next week. Tell the people you love that you love them, kittens. Tell them today.

Music Monday: Squeeze a Fruit

Last Weekend’s Crush got me thinking about our shared history as queer people. And as long as there have been LGBTQ+ rights activists, there have been allies as well. So please enjoy this 1977 anti-Anita Bryant diddy “Squeeze a Fruit for Anita” by Anni O’Brien and Rosey Carter. I haven’t been able to dig up that much on the singers, but Carter was, I believe, June Carter Cash’s daughter. Squeeze a Fruit for Anita was also a popular protest slogan of the time. Here we are 47 years ago, fighting these same stupid battles against the same bigoted so-called Christians. Time to write some new songs, queers and allies. I mean, while we’re also loading up on pies. Happy Squeeze a Fruit for Anita or Pie a Bigot in the Face Monday, kittens.

My Weekend (Protest) Crush

I wanted to send you into your weekend with a little reminder that direct action has always been a part of resistance and protest. So please, please, please enjoy with all your little gay heart as famed anti-gay bigot Anita Bryant getting pied in the face. Yes, you are allowed to laugh. Making fun of absurd hatred by pointing out its absurdness works. While the pie-ing is the main attraction, please take note her matter-of-fact discussion of homosexuals “flaunting it” and “deviant lifestyles” and denying they’re trying to “do away with the homosexuals.” Gosh, does any of that sound familiar? Much to my surprise, she’s apparently still alive. And I bet she loves the GOP’s anti-trans messaging these days. Same old playbook. I guess we need a lot more pies in the years to come. Happy weekend, all.

Serious Funny Business

Fortune inspired me to find more joy. And comedians, well, if they’re doing it right they’re professional joymakers. So if you’re decompressing from your family and ready to laugh, here is a little taste of Wanda Sykes. I’ve watched all of Wanda’s Netflix specials. And it is high time I rewatch them. As an out Black lesbian comic, her career is a testament to perseverance, talent and just being yourself. Truly, she should have been as big, or bigger, than Ellen. But, you know, she’s doing pretty well as is – despite the election results. I can’t wait for her next special. Given her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, she’ll have plenty of material. Sometimes we laugh to keep from crying.

ExMas Eve Viewing

When I say there are only a few lesbian holiday rom-coms this year, I mean besides Tello’s “The Holiday Club” I only found one other. “Last ExMas” is an indie film funded largely through, I think, a Patreon. Per its official description:

Maggie & Julianne, ex-girlfriends whose bitter breakup led them down different paths until they unexpectedly rekindle the spark during a visit to their hometown for the holidays. Are they meant to be or is it just the magic of the season? Maggie and Julianne will have to navigate their feelings, the gossiping town, and ghosts of exes past to find out!

From the trailer, they packed in all the exes and enemies to lover vibes you could ever want. The film is written by Adrianna DiLonardo, who also wrote the 2016 indie straight-lesbian besties comedy “Almost Adults.” And as proof of the It’s a Small Lesbian World Entertainment Carousel, “Almost Adults" lead Elise Bauman was one of the stars of my favorite lesbian holiday rom-coms, “Under the Christmas Tree.” So, you know, we’ve got some lesbian pedigree going. “Last ExMas” is available to stream now, so you know what to do.

Lesbian Christmas Returns

It’s beginning to look a lot like lesbian Christmas! Tello Films, that steadfast deliverer of sapphic content, is back with another holiday film. Honestly, it may be THE holiday film, given it's called “The Holiday Club.” Per the official description:

Sam hates the holidays. Bailey loves them. On a lonely Valentine’s Day, the two women in small-town Ohio meet incidentally, bonding over pastry and an instant attraction. With every passing holiday, they spend more time together … But romance proves elusive.

A slow-burn holiday rom-com after a meet cute PLUS pastries? Sold. And, from the trailer, the two leads have good chemistry. And, you know, there are baked goods. Looks like this Tello offering may be one of the few sapphic holiday films we’ll be getting this year. After offerings in 2023 from Hallmark (“Friends & Family Christmas”) and Lifetime in 2021 (“Under the Christmas Tree,” which honestly is underrated), the major networks don’t seem to be making things as merry or gay this year. But, at least indie producers like Tello are still out there. So if you are hankering for some sapphic holiday romance, head over to their site.

Music Monday: Moved by Mavis

How can you not be moved by Mavis Staples singing “We Shall Not Be Moved?” In this moment, solidarity is our greatest power. Over the next four years we must come together to support our communities and other marginalized communities. LGBTQIA+ people, Black people, other people of color, disabled people, undocumented people, migrant people, poor people and all those others on the margins will need to support each other. We will not relent in our fight for our civil and human rights. We will not be moved from our shared humanity. Happy solidarity Monday, kittens.