GGALGG: Emmys Edition

I had such a busy first-week back I haven’t even had a chance to discuss the Emmys! And lots of people I like won! Did I mention I watched “Widow’s Bay” on the plane? Because I did, and I can assuredly tell you it is both funny and scary because I both laughed out loud and jump scared mid-flight. Anyway, where was I? The Television Academy and its golden statuette that looks shockingly like Megan Stalter. Since we still can, I’ll be mainly highlighting the WLW attendees. You know, the queer ladies and gay girlies and them/them hotties and such. We’re here, we’re queer, we’re GGALGGs.

Hannah Einbinder

I can’t tell if Hannah and her frequent red carpet companion Ellie Neilson are a mixed GGALGG/SGALGG couple, or a full-on GGALGG couple in this shot.

Now I really can’t tell.

Kristen Kish

I want the cameraperson to move just a little to the left, a little more, a little more…

Emma D'Arcy

I haven’t watched “House of the Dragon,” but they’re so handsome sometimes I think – well. And then I remember they wear a long wig in it and I’m like nevermind.

Cynthia Nixon

The older I get the more I appreciate a flowing, amorphous, not-body fitting gown on, really, anyone. Like, I hope it also has pockets, honey.

Niecy Nash

Niecy and her wife Jessica Betts are always a favorite on the carpet. Hey, stop it, head out of the gutter. They look too glamorous for carpet jokes.

Megan Stalter

Whereas if you want to make a trophy wife joke about Meg and her girlfriend Maddie Allen, I will allow it.

Louisa Jacobson

I liked Louisa’s after-party suit (purple) better than her award show suit (black). But, truly, I’m just so tickled one of Meryl’s girls is a hot masc/one of us.

Ayo Edebiri

Admit it, if Ayo, Zendaya and Quinta Brunson turned to look at you like this and asked if you wanted to be their unicorn you would find yourself a sparkly fake horn so fast.

But then you’d be sad because you realize they weren’t talking to you. They were talking to Denée Benton, Cynthia Nixon, Louisa Jacobson and Carrie Coon across the room.

Bonus SGALGG:

Look, I know Rhea Seehorn just playing a lesbian and and Carrie Coon is just sporting a lesbian haircut. But we gotta throw the straight ladies something, they willingly date men. That’s how you know sexuality isn’t really a choice. Poor dears.

Vacation Vixen: Kristen Kish

SOMEBODY GIVE KRISTEN KISH A QUEER DATING SHOW TO HOST, IMMEDIATELY IF NOT SOONER. Thank you, that is all. Oh, and happy weekend.

Gender Fuck Thursday: Eat This Edition

Remember how I said I’ve added “America’s Culinary Cup” to my cooking competition carousel because, well, Padma? I feel blessed by the food TV gods these days because I get Padma in outfits like, well, see above on “America’s Culinary Cup.” And then I get Kristen Kish in outfits like these, also see above, on “Top Chef.” It’s almost too delicious. Almost. Consider me greedy, I’m hungry for both. Ahem.

Vacation Vixen: Kristen Kish

I got back into watching “Top Chef” last season when Kristen Kish took over as host (no shade to Padma, you know I love me some Padma – I just got burned out on the series for a bit). I’m very much enjoying this new season and it’s Canadian locale – even if it feels bittersweet because, zomg do Canadians not like us now. And for good reason (we, the other 75 millions, are really, really sorry about all this). I will say there is one thing Kristen has on Padma – sharp suits and well-tailored traditional menswear. What? It’s Thursday after all.

The Gay Emmys

So how gay were the Emmys? The Oscars better step it up this year, because the Rainbow Mafia looked good, won good at this year’s TV awards fest. I won’t bore you with all the straight winners, etc. etc. (Like, how did I not know that Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup were married? The Straights, I swear.) Anyway, here are the most notably queer shit at this year’s award show.

Jodie Fucking Foster

Really and truly I cannot get enough of this wildly happy, wildly successful, wildly gay era of Jodie’s life and career. Everytime I see her all glammed up with with Alexandra Hedison I think, see, big gay dreams can come true. I hope Jodie signs up for some kind of prestige limited TV series every few years (her, Kate Winslet and Gillian Anderson can rotate seasons) to keep her and Alex on the awards part circuit for our personal enjoyment? What? We can’t get a little residual happiness off her big gay glow these days?

Hacks & Hannah Einbinder

Yes, I know, it’s inappropriate to secretly be an Avorah shipper. But, I mean, deep down we’d all at least like to see what would have happened if Ava hadn’t woken up from that dream when she did, right?

Niecy Nash-Betts & wife Jessica Betts

Honestly, does Niecy not not have the most handsome arm candy always at these things? I swear. It’s almost unfair.

Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor

Whereas these two always look like the royal court for the May-December Queer Prom.

Nava Mau & Jessica Gunning

The “Baby Reindeer” LGBTQ+ cast broke ground both with Nava’s nomination and Jessica’s win. Which means I probably should watch “Baby Reindeer” after all, shouldn’t I?

Jane Lynch & Sue Sylvester

I only wish Jane and Ilona Maher interacted onstage instead of Coach Beard, for obvious reasons.

Meredith Baxter & Other TV Moms

Lest we forget, the mom from “Family Ties” came out like 15 years ago. So, my grade-school crush on Michael J. Fox remains vindicated.

Ayo Edebiri & Reba

When you come out as queer, you need to stand next to random queer icons for photos. And, like, I think Reba qualifies, but I may need to consult the rule book since I never followed contemporary country close enough to know for sure about her.

Kristen Kish

Like all that AND she can cook. Again, unfair.

Lily Gladstone & Greta Lee

Like, yeah I know Greta is married to a fella and whatnot. But like you’d hold Lily’s hand too, and you know it.

Jodie & Kali Reis

I amend my previous statement, where I want Jodie to put up every other season or so in a prestige limited series. I want Jodie to put up every other season or so in a prestige limited series that features out LGBTQ+ cast and other marginalized voices. Because, you want more pictures like this too, right? Right.

Tank Top Tuesday

You know what always lifts my spirits? Hot women in tank tops, duh. And if all those women happen to be very, very queer? Even better. Now, I tend to have a liberal interpretation of…well, most everything – but especially what constitutes a tank top. So please enjoy my interpretation of some very hot, talented folks going sleeveless however they damn please. As it should be.

Ani DiFranco

This might be a muscle shirt. Still counts.

Tessa Thompson

This might be attached to the bottoms and definitely has a hole cut out of the side. Still counts.

Kristen Kish

This is a vest. You already know vests still count.

Towa Bird

So, it only tracks that leather vests clearly count.

Renee Rapp

Like I wasn’t gonna post Renee after posting Towa. Also, sports bras have counted since the beginning.

Kehlani

Whatever this is, yes. Count it.

Tank Top Tuesday: Top Chef Edition

So I started watching “Top Chef” again after, well, years. I wanted to see how Kristen Kish did replacing Padma Lakshmi. Which is to say I wanted to see Kristen Kish. And so far I think her and her vests are doing just fine as the new host. I mean, no one can replace Padma Lakshmi because Padma Lakshmi. That said I am enjoying how Kristen shows up every week in her signature vest-in-lieu-of-a-top look. And when she isn’t wearing a vest, she’s wearing something sleeveless. And if she isn’t wearing something sleeveless, she’s wearing a blazer. So, truly, we are all winner here.

I’ve also been a little thrilled with how lesbian the special guest judges have been so far this season. Clea DuVall and Dominique Crenn (a.k.a. Maria Bello’s fiancée)? Thank you, whatever queer lady foodie producer is making these booking choices. Thank you. So, thoughts on this season so far? I mean, it is a Tuesday and the rules do consider vests to be acceptable variations on a tank top. Oh, and clearly I’m rooting for queer cheftestant Rasika, not that she needs my help. But, you know, Go Team Rainbow Chefs! And vests!

Top Lesbian Chef

By now you’ve probably heard that “Top Chef” has filled the enormous Padma Lakshmi-shaped hole on the series with none other than former “Top Chef” champ Kristen Kish. Obviously this is great news, not just because Kristen is a famous queer chef, but also because for once a beloved TV competition franchise has made the absolute correct call when replacing a departed beloved iconic original host.

Admittedly, I had stopped watching TC right before Kristen’s season because of its until-then egregious record on winning female contestants. That it took 10 seasons to get two female Top Chef champions, well, it irked me then and irks me still.

Anyway, after the latest news I decided to watch Kristen’s season for the first time and thanks to my Peacock subscription that I always forget I have, I was able to binge over the weekend and catch up to 11 years ago. Damn, I forgot how addictive this show can be. I also forgot how irritating it continues to be to see mediocre male chefs get chance after chance when talented female chefs always seemed to be sent packing after their first mistakes. Whoops, I was going to stop grumbling about that. Where was I?

The other thing that I didn’t realize is that Kristen wasn’t out at the time her season aired. In fact, the show made an explicit point of pointing out (I mean, hey even repeated it again in the finale!) that Kristen and her “roommate” and fellow cheftestant Stephanie Cmar were NOT lesbianing together despite their best friend status and matching tattoos and living in the same building thing. Granted, it is up to every single individual person when to come out. It must be done on their own time and in their own way. She came out two years later in an instagram post celebrating the one-year anniversary with her girlfriend.

Kristen has said in interviews that she had always known she was gay, and not being out during her season of TC wasn’t about fear of her family or friends’ reactions, but just her own “insecurities” at the time. Also, it’s a reminder that 11 years ago is in terms of LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance is a long ass time ago. Her season aired three years before marriage equality was the law of the land (well, at least for now – we all know they’re gunning for Obergefell) and she still came out the year before the historic SCOTUS case.

The other thing I didn’t realize about Kristen is that she is an international adoptee, like me. That makes us both “white Asian,” as she coined during her season. Anyway, I think we should be friends. We’re both adopted, she’s a great cook and I greatly like to eat. Also, I would totally wear that unhinged-looking mosquito net head bag that she took to the rainforest on her new Disney+ show. See, so much in common!

Right, back to my rambling point. While I’m of course a Padma LUVR 4LYFE, I think I just might start back up watching “Top Chef” with Kristen on board. She is a talented chef, a charismatic host (“Restaurants at the End of the World” was an engaging showcase of her TV bona fides), completely not terrible to look at (ahem), and continues to bring welcome diversity of all kinds back to the series. I also can’t wait to hear her tell chefs to “Pack your knives and go!”

Where In the World?

So I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting and WAITING for Nat Geo and/or Disney+ to drop a “Restaurants at the End of the World” trailer for Kristen Kish’s new food travel show. It involves everything I like in my television: exotic locales, lots of food and lesbians. But the show freaking premiered exactly a week ago, and all I can find is this bootleg trailer. I don’t know, studios, but maybe have you considered promoting your content? Especially if it features queer female leads, which are an endangered species in today’s entertainment landscape? Just a suggestion. Anyway, this is me telling you a show featuring a very talented (and, uh, hot) lesbian chef of color going to restaurants all over the globe is currently airing, so maybe go watch it if you can find it. Again, just a suggestion.

Gender Fuck Thursday: Iron Chef Lesbians Edition

If you’ve been around Surrenders for a while you’ll know that food shows are one of my weaknesses. And of course one of the O.G. food shows is “Iron Chef.” Now, the series is back on Netflix of all places and, lemme tell ya, it’s bigger and gayer than ever before. Bigger because they’ve made an enormous new kitchen stadium. And gayer because they’ve added not one but two out queer female chefs: new co-host Kristen Kish and new Iron Chef Dominique Crenn.

You probably know Kristen from winning Season 10 of “Top Chef.” And you probably know Dominique from her three-starred Michelin restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and her engagement to actress Maria Bello. Anyway, the new season is an extravagant delight. I’ve particularly enjoyed how they’ve increased the number of both female competitors and female sous chef overall. (Yes, I miss the show’s O.G. lesbian Iron Chef, Cat Cora, but all the Iron Chefs are new now).

I also love how incredibly Fisher-Price quality to the show’s top prize, the so-called Golden Knife which looks like some PA spray painted about 30 minutes before the show started. Anyway, if you like cooking shows and incredibly talented queer female chefs, yeah, you should watch. And, if none of that entices you, please know that Kristen wears an incredible assortment of suits through the show’s eight-episode season. Yeah, tuck in, you’re coming to dinner.