lgbtq
-
#BlackGirlMagic: A Black Woman’s Set to Make History Today By Being Elected Mayor of Chicago
No matter which way the wind blows in Chicago today, voters will make history by electing a black woman mayor. Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, and Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board, face off at the polls in a runoff after being the top two finishers in a contest of 14 contenders…
-
How I Got My Black Card
I stand before you today a black woman with a shocking secret: I wasn’t born black. I know what you’re thinking (#NoDolezal). And I assure you that on a frigid winter day in the early Reagan era, my parents did indeed bring home a peanut butter-colored baby. But the Council of Negrotude (AKA my extended…
-
They Good! Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Be Honored With GLAAD's Vanguard Award
Everything is love, and love wins. The 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards is coming up, and the LGBTQ-centered organization has announced the recipients of one of their biggest honors. Beyoncé and Jay-Z will be honored with the Vanguard Award, which is awarded to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting and supporting the…
-
University Dean Resigns Over Chick-fil-A Campus Ban
Cynthia Newman, dean of the College of Business Administration at Rider University in New Jersey, has decided to leave her post over the stupidest of allegedly delicious reasons. Citing her values as a “very committed Christian,” Newman is resigning as dean because of the school’s refusal to allow Chick-fil-A on campus. “As some of you already…
-
Exclusive: ACLU Threatens Legal Action if North Carolina Doesn't Transfer Trans Inmate to Women's Prison
Despite numerous requests to be transferred, North Carolina continues to hold Kanautica Zayre-Brown, a trans woman, behind bars at a men’s correctional facility, a choice that imperils Zayre-Brown’s safety daily, she and her advocates say. On Monday night, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter (pdf) to North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety, demanding…
-
Billy Porter Wore a Gown and You Will Deal With It
The day of the 2019 Oscars, thousands of men—who I’m presuming live in their parents’ basements and holla from the passenger side of their best friend’s ride—had their already-fragile masculinity shattered when Billy Porter entered the Academy Awards resembling the black Cinderella and bibbidi-bobbidi-booed all over the red carpet. Porter, who has made it known…
-
On Surviving the Potential Damage Done by Jussie Smollett
I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to be wrong for the many survivors whose voices will likely not be taken seriously as a result of Jussie Smollett coming forward with his testimony. I wanted to be wrong for the gay child who was molested and afraid to speak out, hoping this story would give…
-
Jussie Smollett Is 'Pissed Off' at 'the Attackers and the Attacks'
For the first time since his reported homophobic and racist attack in January, Jussie Smollett is formally speaking out in a televised interview. Smollett recounted the incident to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America Thursday morning, a night which started when his creative director (who is also “like [his] uncle”) Frank Gaston picked him up…
-
To Be Black And Beautiful And Queer at an HBCU… And After Graduation
“Nobody will love you the way an HBCU will love you,” my grandmother insisted as I was drowning in college applications during my senior year at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Before that, I had only been thinking of applying to conservatories—acting programs deemed the best by reviewers and the like. To quell my…
-
The Trump Administration Might Actually Help Curb HIV Transmission (Or Not)
If you were planning to play the lottery or bet on the Knicks, you might want to get to it. There’s a decent chance the Trump administration may on the verge of doing something entirely right. Days after Trump’s proclamation of a new initiative that would “eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within…