Stolen flag, not stolen pride
We'll keep putting another rainbow up!
Today on Twitter I called out gay conservatives who defend anti-LGBTQ discrimination, and I noticed something really interesting in the inevitable trolling that followed: sexism. Yes, there was a lot of homophobia and transphobia (including some “Drop the T” nonsense), as well as the usual conservative self-victimizing claims about the supposed need to respect people’s right to hold odious and harmful beliefs. But there was also an undercurrent of masculinity policing — judging gay men who flaunt their sexuality and such.
It was a great reminder that sexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are all branches of the same patriarchal tree. Twitter’s a pretty terrible place, but it sometimes serves up some interesting sociological insights. Sometimes.
Anyways, onto today’s LGBTQ news:
Louisiana congressman campaigns on transphobia
Congressman Ralph Abraham (R) wants to be Louisiana’s next governor, and an important part of his campaign is making sure you know that he’s anti-trans (among other things). In a new ad, he quips, “And as a doctor, I can assure you there are only two genders.”
If you’re curious, he was a vet, then practiced family medicine. It doesn’t seem he has any credentials in any of the social or mental health sciences.
How conservative media gangs up on drag queens reading
If you’re like me, you’re probably tired of hearing about objections to Drag Queen Story Hour. But because it’s currently one of the biggest sources of conservative outrage and anti-LGBTQ stigma, it’s helpful to understand why.
Over at Media Matters, Brianna January tracks how national conservative outlets helped elevate an upstart group in Washington state called 500 Mom Strong. Despite its name, the group only has 71 members on Facebook, but now anti-LGBTQ activists from across the country like The Activist Mommy are joining in its efforts to boycott Drag Queen Story Hour events. Check out January’s timeline to see how the group’s profile surged so quickly.
Circle K discrimination suit
A trans woman in Illinois has filed a lawsuit arguing that Circle K, the chain of convenience stores, discriminated against her for her gender identity. Coworkers reportedly used transphobic slurs, called her a “man in a dress,” and peppered in some racism with the n-word. She also alleges that her manager also asked her invasive questions and sometimes misgendered her. When she complained, she says the company did nothing, but she claims there was retaliation, including a denied promotion and over-scrutiny of her work. Such discrimination is illegal under Illinois state law.
Anti-gay locker room attack caught on camera
A gay teen Alexandria, Indiana was attacked this week in the school locker room — and it was caught on camera. In the footage, you can see one student punching him while two others hold him down. The students have regularly teased him before for being openly gay, he explained. Click through to the WTHR news story to see the violent video evidence.
U.S. group circulates anti-LGBTQ hate in Britain
The British city of Birmingham has played host to a fiery debate over whether schools should teach about the existence of LGBTQ people. In the latest round of conflict, homes around the city were sent an anti-LGBTQ pamphlet from a radical Catholic group in the United States.
You may not have heard of “Tradition, Family, Property” (TFP), but if you’ve ever witnessed an anti-LGBTQ protest, you may have noticed them at the front of the march wearing red capes and carrying massive red banners.
TFP’s pamphlets distributed in Birmingham claim to be a tool against “gender theory,” which they describe as “the delirious ideology claiming everyone can fancy themselves as man, woman, neither, or both at the same.”
Pride flag stolen six times
The city of Galway, Ireland raised a Pride flag earlier this month for its Pride festival, but the flag has since been stolen six different times, including four times within a single week. Owen Hanley, Galway’s first openly gay city councilor, is calling for hate crime legislation so that such targeted attacks can be more seriously addressed.
Kenya considers intersex inclusion
Kenya is considering a bill that would ensure intersex people can be legally recognized according to their gender, however they choose to be recognized. If an intersex person chooses to have a gender-affirming surgery, they’ll easily be able to update their gender on legal documents, but they’ll also have an option to identify as intersex instead of just male or female.
Brazil’s president cut queer media
You may have seen Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in the news today for the authoritarian excuses he gave for the Amazonian wildfires, but he also this week cut funding for LGBTQ screenplays. The government has a fund to support filmmaking, but because some of it goes to films about LGBTQ themes, Bolsonaro cut the entire $17 million. Supporting such films, he said, is “throwing money away.”
Russian hate in e-gaming
The world of e-gaming — competitive video gaming — is seeing a growing increase in hateful rhetoric coming from Russia and the other countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Just this week, one of the top-ranked players of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, came off a one-week Twitch suspension for using homophobic language. He has nearly a million followers on the gaming platform and is sponsored by numerous companies.
According to e-sports journalist Rod Breslau, the problem may be getting worse:
Karamo Brown defends Sean Spicer
The new cast of Dancing With The Stars was announced today, and it includes Sean Spicer (Trump’s former top liar) and Karamo Brown (from Queer Eye). There was a lot of outcry that ABC would give a platform to someone like Spicer, who enabled and still defends Trump’s actions, but Brown came to his defense, calling Spicer “a good guy, a really sweet guy.”
People then turned on Brown for helping to normalize and humanize Spicer, but he didn’t care — even blocking some LGBTQ activists over it. Later this afternoon, Brown insisted he simply wants to bring a message of “love, equity, & inclusion to the dance floor.”
The L Word returns!
I’ll be honest, I never watched the original The L Word. I also can’t say for sure that I’ll personally be too invested in this reboot. But yay queer women visibility! Here’s the new trailer:
Until next time, stay platinum!
(Pride flag photo: Flickr/William Murphy.)