Pride Is a (Laugh) Riot

Remember when I said it’s important to celebrate our histories? Like yesterday? Well, here’s a chance to celebrate the funniest part of our LGBTQ+ history, our comics. Netflix’s new documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” bills itself as the first feature-length documentary to showcase queer stand-up history. We can all remember the out comics who were brave (and crazy – to quote Melissa) enough to make their sexual orientation part of the joke, instead of the butt of their jokes from the start of their careers. And we can also honor the comics who hit it big, and then came out later at the risk of steep personal costs. Whatever path they took to being authentically themselves, they made comedy out of what for so many could just be tragedy. Today’s comics stand on the shoulders of those who came before, who blazed trails that needed to be blazed. To be fully ourselves we need to be part of every corner of our culture because – I got news for you, you sorry sad homophobes, we’re already there. So here’s to the very funny folks who helped to make the world laugh with us, instead of at us. Pride started as a riot, and can continue as a laugh riot.

My Big Gay Emmys

I don’t know much. But I know this. The Emmys should have stopped the show mid-stream and made Hannah Gadsby the host. Or Kate McKinnon. Or Tiffany Haddish. Or basically any woman who was not the dudebro Weekend Update dudes. But at least the awards ended on time, which is something. And despite the lackluster dude hosts, there were still some genuinely good moments. Heck, even straight people had a nice moment with that Emmy proposal.

So here are the queerest Emmy moments and Emmy attendees most pertinent to your gay lady interests.

Kate McKinnon was tragically underused in that whole “We Solved it” song. But at least she looked great with her stand-in date Betty White.



Hannah Gadsby should have hosted. Hannah Gadsby should have hosted. Hannah Gadsby should have hosted. Hannah Gadsby should have hosted. Hannah Gadsby should have hosted. Did I mention Hannah Gadsby should have hosted?



Samira Wiley is sunshine in a sparkly dress.



Evan Rachel Wood’s commitment to suit-based fashion on the red carpet is extremely commendable.



Props to Lily Tomlin for getting in a little Gina Rodriguez snuggle.



Carrie Brownstein doing queer women proud by coming in a dress with pockets.



My greatest hope – besides flipping the House and Senate and impeaching Trump/Pence – is that Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer make Abbi and Ilana endgame on “Broad City.”



Tatiana Maslany sees Carrie’s dress with pockets and raises everyone a sensible pants and top paying homage to lesbian favorite “The Gynmast.”



Tiffany Haddish’s big top dress is almost the best Pride outfit ever.



Please, you thought I would post about the Emmys and not include a photo of My Fake TV/Movie Wife Tina Fey?



Sandra Oh, who was viciously robbed of the best actress in a drama Emmy, brought her parents as her dates and her mother wore a traditional Korean hanbok dress which *heart eyes emojis forever*.



Some gratuitous Regina King arm porn for your viewing enjoyment.



Also for your viewing enjoyment, Angela Bassett. It should be noted that Angela turned 60 last month which HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?



All hail the Queen and Queen of Lesbian Couples. Long may they reign.



p.s. Don’t worry, kittens. SGALGG is coming tomorrow. Oh yeah, it’s coming.

Tank Top Tuesday

Remember two Tuesdays ago when I showed you the gay-cred (gay+sacred, I’m still trying to make it happen like fetch) image of K-Stew at a Hooters pre-coming out? Well, here’s another one to add to the pantheon. Lily Tomlin (gay) on a motorcycle (gay) shot by Annie Leibovitz (gay) in a tank top (GAY). You are welcome, universe.

SGALGG: Emmys Edition

To be honest, at this year’s Emmys there were so many Gay Gals Acting Like Gay Gals at the Emmys we hardly need a Straight Gals Acting Like Gay Gals. Plus we’ve got Straight Gals Acting Like Gay Gals With Gay Gals. Hell, at this point it’s just one big gay jumbles and I’m here for all of it. Though, if any of this smorgasbord of sexuality is causing any lingering confusion, please allow me to clear things up.

SGALGG: Mackenzie Davis & Gugu Mbatha-Raw

San Junipero forever (like, literally, forever).

GGALGG: Lena Waithe & Alana Mayo

Thanking your girlfriend in your Emmy speech is like 1 million Girlfriend Points, no?

SGALGGWGG: Sarah Paulson & Thandie Newton

No one tell Holland.

GGALGG: Samira Wiley & Lauren Morelli

Happily married photogenic couple is happily married and photogenic.

SGALGGWGG: Samira Wiley & Oprah

No one tell Gayle.

SGALGG: Anna Chlumsky & Ellie Kemper

My Girl is Unbreakable. Sorry, they can’t all be winners.

GGALGG: Evan Rachel Wood

I lied. Evan Rachel Wood and her vests can always be a winner.

SGALGG: Zoe Kravitz & Tessa Thompson

Unfortunately, rainbow dresses don’t actually make you gay – yet.

GGALGG: Kate McKinnon

Gay Lady World Domination Tour starts here.

SGALGGWGG: Kate McKinnon & Nicole Kidman

I see Kate’s already attracting tour groupies.

SGALGG: Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern & Zoe Kravitz

I may or may not have cropped Shailene Woodley out because she had the gall to brag about not owning or watching television on the red carpet of a television award show where she was nominated for acting on a television show to a reporter broadcasting it on a television show. Also I’m pretty sure she voted for Jill Stein.

SGALGGWGG: Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton & Jane Fonda

Legends only.

Magic Lesbians Bus

The lesbians are in your children’s TV, making everything more magical. I was a little too old (cough, a lot too old, cough) to have watched “The Magic School Bus.” I was more of a “3-2-1 Contact” girl, myself. But I’m all for educational television voiced by lesbians. And now that they are rebooting it on Netflix there are not one, but two lesbian voices. Lily Tomlin, who voiced the original Ms. Fizzles and will return now as Prof. Fizzles, and Kate McKinnon, who will play Fiona Felicity Frizzle her sister. As an added coolness bonus, the new theme for “The Magic School Bus Rides Again” is sung by none other than Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. The original theme for the old series was sung by none other than Little Richard. Damn, now I feel like I missed out. Well, at least I get another shot. Hey, it’s educational.

My Weekend Crush

For all this luxuriating of anticipatory praise on “Carol” and “Freeheld” (which, truth be told, both look freaking amazing), there’s one more lesbian film flying in this year. Actually, it’s actually out now, if you’re in a market lucky enough to have it. It’s “Grandma,” starring Lily Tomlin as the titular grandmother in question on a quest to help her teenage granddaughter raise the money for an abortion. Now, you can’t tell it from the trailer (which, you know, grumble grumble), but Tomlin’s character is a lesbian – and a smart-ass, take-no-bullshit lesbian at that. Ah, my favorite kind. The movie also has a host of fantastic actors in supporting roles – from Marcia Gay Harden to Laverne Cox and Judy Greer. And it is getting great reviews. Plus, did I mention Lily Tomlin plays a smart-ass, take-no-bullshit lesbian? Yep, sold. Happy weekend, all.

Women of a Certain...

Look, I’m naturally going to be interested any show with two female leads. I’m naturally going to be interested in a show with Lily Tomlin as one of those female leads. And, you know, Jane Fonda is no slouch either. So when I heard about the new Netflix series “Grace & Frankie” I was thrilled. Like, seriously, how fun. And then there was the LGBT aspect with the husbands of Grace (that’s Jane) and Frankie (that’s Lily) coming out as gay and in love with each other (they’re played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, respectively).

And the trailer looks fun, too. Like a Nora Ephron turned into a full-length series. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch Lily and Jane rib each other. The only way it could be better is if these two ladies fell in love, too. Late-in-life coming outs for everyone!



While normally I would be a little cranky about a show as unabashedly about rich white folks as “Grace & Frankie” seems to be, I think given the other unprecedented nature of this series I can cut it some slack. I really can’t think of another TV show centered around septuagenarian women. Can you? Women of a certain age so very rarely get the spotlight. “The Golden Girls” was about a group of women in their 60s (in fact Estelle Getty’s Sophia was actually a year younger than her “daughter” Bea Arthur). “Hot in Cleveland” is mostly about women in their 50s and 60s – and Betty White, bless her heart. So a show about two broads in their 70s, yeah, that makes me pretty happy.

This is the beauty of choice. Subscription streaming services like Netflix and Hulu – and the expansion of cable offerings – have helped broadened the field. We can have shows about women of all ages and colors in prison, a trans parent and her adult children, a doomsday cult survivor and her new actor, dancer, homosexual roommate. I could go on. And that makes me very, very happy.

SGALGG: The Call in Gay Edition

Cough, sniffle, queer. Oh, I'm sorry. Don't mind me. I'm feeling a little, um, gay today. In fact, I'm feeling so terribly gay, I might have to call in gay tomorrow. You know, just in case this whole gay thing doesn't clear up in time. Tomorrow, Dec. 10, has been deemed the Day Without A Gay. Besides rhyming, the movement is another protest of Proposition 8 and all its ilk. But this time instead of marching down the middle of the street with fantastic signs and booming chants, we are all encouraged to call in sick to work and donate our time to a worthy cause Wednesday. [Hat tip, Meenoo and Lopey!]

I can see this conversation with bosses around the country already: “Hello, look, I'm sorry I've got to call in gay today...Yeah, I'm running a high gayver so I'm definitely too gay to work right now...Oh, don't worry. Gay is not contagious ...OK, sometimes Jennifer Beals has been known to cause mass outbreaks of the gay, but otherwise, it's completely nontransferable. I promise...Fine, Tina Fey can make you a little gay, too...And Rachel Maddow...And...fine, so it's a little contagious. See, this is why I need to stay home. I'm totally gay. Later!”

Even if you can't take the day off work, you can still be a part of the nation boycott by not buying anything, spending money or supporting the economy in any way. And Henry Paulson thought he had problems before. As we learned last week, every time a gay finds love at the parade there's money to be made. In essence, we're telling the country that if they like that gay dollar, they'd better – in the immortal words of Beyonce – put a ring on it.

And, of course, you don't have to be GLBT to participate. You can keep your straight dollar in your pocket, too. In fact, from the looks of things everyone wants to get in on this calling in gay business. I mean, look at all the Straight Gals Acting Like Gay Gals just so they, too, can call in gay. Heck, we've even got Gay Gals Acting Like Gay Gals With Straight Gals, or GGALGGWSG for slightly shorter (I love acronyms that sound like gargling rocks). And with that, please enjoy SGALGG: The Call In Gay Edition.

Felicity Huffman & Marcia CrossCalling in gay takes practice, lots and lots of practice.

Emily Deschanel & Rose McGowanThe classic “Oh, honey, I left a little lipstick on you” move.

Tilda Swinton & Kate Del Castillo The look that results afterward in the classic “Oh honey, I left a little lipstick on you” move.

Iman & Nicole KidmanI can't tell if Iman wants to kiss Nicole or lick her forehead to make sure it's not made of plastic.

Kate Bosworth & Helena ChristensenI has a snuggle bunny.

Angelina Jolie & Jacqueline BissettI'd forget about Brad in a hurry, too, if I saw Jacqueline.

Lily Tomlin & Meryl StreepLily graciously helps Meryl with her gay method acting.

Cate Blanchett & Juliette LewisWell, I hope that Juliette at least asked first.

I Hate Huckabees

Wow, well that seals it for me. I’m never going to see another David O. Russell movie again. What an amazing dickhead. Not only does the director explode on Lily Tomlin with a misogynistic temper tantrum on the set of “I Heart Huckabees,” he also throws, kicks and slams everything within arms reach. Real professional, dude. So is screaming, “YOU’RE A FUCKING GROWN UP! ACT LIKE A GROWN UP!” and “I NEVER FUCKING YELLED AT YOU!” Way to prove your point. You totally seem like a non-yelling grown up now. Of course, sadly, none of his behavior is unprecedented. He famously almost got into fisticuffs with George Clooney on the set of “Three Kings” over the director’s treatment of the cast. What an ass. Though through the whole ugly tirade, you’ve got to love Lily’s smart-ass retorts. Especially her last one after he yells at her that he isn’t yelling: “You set the yelling standard for the whole set.” You tell him, Edith Ann.

p.s. This clip is filled with the f-, b- and c-bombs, so grab your headphones if you are at work and suppress your gag reflex.
p.p.s Several of the versions were pulled from YouTube yesterday, so if the embed gets yanked, I’ll post a transcript later.