Pop Culture Fix: At The Tender Age of 20, JoJo Siwa Has Already Learned The Perils of U-Hauling
JoJo Siwa Says She “Moved In” With Two Girlfriends, Is Gonna Keep Relationships Private From Now On
Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
JoJo Siwa has a new podcast, JoJo Siwa Now, because it is important for every queer person to have a podcast. In her most recent episode with Tyler Cameron (her castmate on Fox reality TV program Special Forces), she discussed living with two of her Partners during her teenage years, which she described as “a lot.” The topic arose when Cameron told JoJo that she’s just 20 and should be out there dating a lot, to which JoJo assserted, “I’m a lesbian though!” explaining that lesbian relationships are more “over-emotional” and that lesbian couples move in together very quickly.
When asked how U-Hauling went for her, Siwa noted, “I love it when it’s in the honeymoon phase, but then all of a sudden I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m 17 and married,’ you know what I mean? It feels wrong, and it feels like she wasn’t living my life, and I wasn’t living my life. We were only trying to live together. You’re so young, and you have so much to do.”
It is fascinating to watch a young queer person make so many young queer person mistakes on such a giant stage.
She also spoke to Cameron, who apparently was on The Bachelor, about the perils of public relationships, affirming that going forward she wants to be more private. One of the cited reasons for this increased interest in private was because she felt she had been “used,” which was probably a reference to Avery Cyrus, and you know, I really wish she’d stop accusing Avery of using her because in my personal subjective opinion, she didn’t. Avery had real feelings and got her heart broken! Anyhow!
You know, in my day, if a 17-year-old was living with her girlfriend it was because her own parents had kicked her out of her own house for being gay, but now we are in a brand new era where it also happens if a 17-year-old is a massively wealthy YouTube star who lives in a bedroom made of candy.
On a related note:
When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that JoJo Siwa carried you. pic.twitter.com/gtuDypouVp
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) November 8, 2023
Other Queer Pop Culture Stories For Your Day:
+ Nike has submitted the 2023 season of the National Women’s Soccer League for the Golden Globes’ “Best Television Series, Drama” Paper reports:
The submission will likely come as a surprise to more seasoned TV critics and viewers alike, as the NWSL season being up for “Best Television Series, Drama” might certainly shake things up. Speak to fans of the NWSL, however, and you’d probably hear a different story. Only 11 years into its existence, the league has swiftly gained both popularity and international renown for its stable of established stars, like San Diego Wave’s Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma, or Gotham FC’s Midge Purce and Lynn Williams.
+ Jade McLeod says debuting Jagged Little Pill’s non-binary Jo was tough, but vital: “I felt like it was just me — like someone had taken me as a person and wrote a story about it, which had never happened to me before.”
+ Apple TV+’s “The Buccaneers” Ruins Edith Wharton and Fails History: “A trans girl lesbian in an Edith Wharton adaptation is like something out of my wildest dreams. Too bad this show is such a mediocre nightmare.”
+ Sue Bird is in the market for a shirt that will capture her divided loyalties: Sue Bird seeks split Megan Rapinoe-Ali Krieger jersey for NWSL final
+ The Mean Girls trailer is here:
+ Hulu’s “Black Cake” Delivers a Beautifully Complex Story of Family, Identity, and Secrets: “As Black women, isn’t that what we want to be afforded? A chance to be messy and vulnerable instead of tidy and unbreakable?”
+ When is a not queer film queer?– “At a time when we’re still fighting for more inclusive representation, it may be controversial to point out the ways in which great art flourishes when it’s disallowed. But, while we await more accomplished queer cinema, it’s interesting to consider how the best new work might owe a debt to the golden age of censorship, and the fun – and pain – of sneaking around.”
+ Tommy Dorfman Wears ‘Madonna-esque’ Party Dress, Shares What Outfits Make Her Feel ‘Powerful’
+ A Satirical treat from The Onion: Area Lesbian Unaware Friend Posting About Kristen Stewart For Her Benefit
Pop Culture Fix: This “Mean Girls” Cast Reunion Short Film Is Brought To You By Wal-Mart
Lindsay Lohan and the Mean Girls Cast Reunite For Wal-Mart Black Friday Advertisement
Get in b*tches we are going shopping at Wal-Mart! Today, Lindsay Lohan and her castmates got a little bit of gold in their stocking as Lohan tweeted out a new short film advertisement produced by noted indie production studio “Wal-Mart,” who are apparently looking to advertise the fact that they are rolling out Black Friday deals on a day (November 8th) that is not, in fact, Black Friday. Watch out A24!
Get in, besties. We’re going shopping. #BlackFridayDeals go live next week. #BlackFriday #Sponsored pic.twitter.com/13MsXM3f4l
— Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) November 1, 2023
This short sees the girls back at North Shore High School in various capacities — like Lindsay Lohan is a guidance counselor and Gretchen Weiner is a stage Mom. It’s sort of like the Saved by the Bell reboot except much shorter. The advertisement features appearances by Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Rajiv Surendra and Daniel Franzese. Unfortunately, Lizzy Caplan is nowhere to be found and obviously Rachel McAdams is a notable absence.
People Magazine got the ultimate exclusive on how the cast felt about getting paid a lot of money by Wal-Mart to be in a commercial, and believe it or not, the feelings were positive all-around:
Lindsay Lohan: “It was so nice being back together after all these years. It was great catching up with everyone.”
Lacey Chabert: “It was wonderful to spend the day with Amanda and Lindsay and it was so much fun getting to reminisce and be together again.”
Daniel Franzese: “It was great working with old friends again for this new Walmart commercial. Being reunited around this campaign feels really special. What better time to get together than right before the holidays.”
Honestly though — truly genius marketing, I hope the millennial who pitched this concept wins an award, and I hope everybody who works in every Wal-Mart everywhere gets a raise this holiday season!
Other Pop Culture stories for your day:
+ The Radical Queer Horniness Of ‘While The Men Are Away’: “Almost every episode features scenes of Frankie and Gwen enjoying lesbian sex — something relatively radical for an Australian series. The camera doesn’t shy away. No door closes for the viewer to be pulled swiftly away and we never cut to another scene right as things get going.”
+ Meet drag star Taylor Sheesh, the Philippines’ answer to Swiftie mania
+ Trans writer and model Geena Rocero is Glamour’s woman of the year
+ Drag queen Christian musical artist Flamy Grant Sang ‘Cock’ on Their Album and The Grammys Bounced Them Out of Their Category
+ Chrishell Stause Says 3 Selling Sunset Cast Members Accused Her of Being ‘Mean’ to Get Storylines
+ We Are Not Necessarily Happy’: Doom Patrol Showrunner Gets Candid on Series Ending Decision
+ 100+ LGBTQ+ Celebrities Who Ate & Left No Crumbs This Halloween
Pop Culture Fix: Kristen Stewart Will Not Be Planning a Wedding Thank You Very Much
Guy Fieri Will Most Likely Not Be Officiating Kristen Stewart’s Wedding
Kristen Stewart appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” last week, wherein she clarified that Guy Fieri will not be officiating her wedding but possibly will be there in spirit. (Like her new show about spirits!)
Apparently she’d thought he might be a good candidate for the job because they have similar hair, he seems like a nice guy, and he officiates a lot of queer weddings. (Apparently he once paid tribute to his late gay sister by marrying more than 100 couples at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.) Stewart says she’s bad at planning so it’s unlikely they’ll actually get an officiant but maybe they’ll call Guy after the wedding and tell him he was there in spirit. As for when exactly she will officially tie the knot with Dylan Meyer, she doesn’t know and expects they will simply “surprise themselves.” I think this means that they will be getting married impulsively at a date and time of their choosing or else it will all be a big secret.
It was Stewart’s first appearance on Watch What Happens Live, and other interesting tidbits shared were that she got high for the first time when she was 14 or 15, her first celebrity crush was Harrison Ford, her first kiss was onscreen with Jamie Bell in Jumper and she’s currently watching My So-Called Life, which makes me very happy.
+ Bella Ramsey is getting praised for her performance in BBC Prison Drama “Prime,” and also took to Instagram to clarify something about their pronouns:
“I don’t mind which pronouns you use for me. I never wanted it to be a big deal… they/them feels the most truthful…. But comfort wise, I’m good with any. I have no dysphoria surrounding pronouns. Call me she, call me they, call me he, call be however you see me. You cannot go wrong! It’s impossible to misgender me. :)”
+ 5 stars you might not realise are proudly aromantic or asexual
+ JoJo Siwa Launches New Podcast on iHeartMedia (Exclusive): “I am so excited for my fans to get to know me like never before. I’ve authentically shared my life online for over a decade and this podcast will dive even deeper into who I am and what makes me, me.”
Pop Culture Fix: Gen Z Queers Want To See More Gay Besties Navigating Mental Illness in Action-Packed Dystopias Onscreen
Report Shows LGBTQIA+ Teens Want More Dystopias, Queers, Action Scenes and Stories About Mental/Health Illness in TV & Film
The 2023 Teens & Screens report was released yesterday and is causing a bit of buzz for its conclusions about what Gen Z would like to see on television, such as “more platonic relationships” and more content that addresses social issues and “hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds.” Most interesting has been the reaction to what they don’t want to see — 47.5% of those surveyed said sex isn’t needed for the plot of most shows. However, it bears immediate mentioning that this survey was conducted with a pool of 1,500 humans from the ages of 10 to 24. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess (or hope, maybe?) that ten-year-olds aren’t clamoring for more sex scenes. Also, 10-13 year olds are Gen Alpha, not Gen Z. But I agree with all of these children and young adults that we need more platonic relationships on television, and that stories about friendship are just as compelling as romantic stories, and yet are so often de-prioritized.
A somewhat troubling fact lurks on page 12 of the survey, however, in which participants were asked to rank 21 provided options for “what they want to watch.” LGBTQIA+ survey respondents’ top five was:
- Nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ Identities
- Mental health/illness
- People with lives like my own
- Dystopian and/or apocalyptic
- Action and/or fight scenes (may include guns and violence.)
The entire group of adolescents surveyed (of whom 63.7% identified as straight) ranked “Nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ Identities” at #19. The only reason it’s not #21 is because there were two ties. (“Systemic Injustice” tied with “Sports” at #14, and “Dystopian and/or Apocalyptic” and “Mental Health/Illness” are tied at #9.)
The Top 5 for the all adolescents 10-24:
- Hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds
- People with lives like my own
- Action and/or fight scenes (may include guns and violence.)
- Superheroes
- Friendships and social groups (popular, unpopular, etc.)
The survey’s top-line takeaway is that Gen Z is “tired of stereotypical, heteronormative storytelling that valorizes romantic and/or sexual relationships – especially ones that are toxic – and are looking for more representations of friendship, which is a core aspect of adolescence and social well-being.” While it’s definitely concerning to see toxic relationships on television framed as aspirational, I think doing away with them altogether would hurt a lot of great storytelling.
In general, respondents felt that “romance in media is overused” and 39% want to see more aromantic and/or asexual characters on screen. I agree wholeheartedly! You can currently count the number of asexual/aromantic regular characters currently on television on one hand, and we simply need way more of them.
Other pop culture stories:
+ Last year, former Full House star Candace Cameron Bure hopped from working at the Hallmark Channel to becoming the Chief Content Officer for the Great American Family Channel, where she announced she intended to keep a gay-free slate of Christmas movies. In a new interview with Variety, GAF CEO Bill Abbott was asked repeatedly about this stance, eventually acknowledging that Bure’s comments should not be read as “speaking on behalf of Great American Media.” However, he didn’t indicate a desire to create more queer-inclusive programming, saying instead that they are “just looking to celebrate great stories” and “don’t have an agenda either way.”
+ Mattel has a new line of Barbie Signature dolls based on Ted Lasso, and is launching the collection with figures for Ted Lasso, Rebecca, and our bisexual queen Keeley.
+ Great news, homophobia has been fixed: The NHL is walking back its ban on Pride Tape.
+ The strange queer powers of ‘The Craft’: “How a coven of magical teen misfits sparked my ’90s coming out story”
+ Rapper Tea Fannie speaks up for trans kids with smooth rhymes: “My path is through my voice.”
+ Our Lady J on “Transparent,” “Pose,” and Returning To Live Performance
Pop Culture Fix: Queer Dark Comedy Series “I Hate People, People Hate Me” Is Coming For You
Queer Canadian Comedy “I Hate People, People Hate Me” Is Coming in November
I Hate People, People Hate Me, is a new Canadian six-episode dark comedy debuting this November on streaming service CBC Gem about two outliers in the Toronto queer community doing their best to navigate it. Inspired by creator Bobbi Summers’ diary and films like Ghost World, Good Burger and Welcome to the Dollhouse; the program stars Lily Kazimiera as Tabitha and Bobbi Summers as Jovi — “two people perpetually disturbed by the world around them that have bonded over a mutual hatred of their peers and society at large, alongside suicidal feelings and drug abuse.”
“As much as this is a show about our grievances with the world, it’s also about self-examination and the fact that my hands aren’t squeaky clean either. I’ve contributed to problems, and I’ve been someone worth hating,” Summers told The Hollywood Reporter. “[And] people do hate my co-star and I, not because they’ve met us or because we’re not cool and chill. They just hate us to hate us, because we belong to certain groups.”
Director Blake Mewson has declared, “I don’t know if we’ve had anything come out of Canada since Porky’s that will be this disgusting at times.”
The series debuted at Tribeca Film Festival this summer.
Other pop culture stories relevant to your interests:
+ Part One of the Real Housewives of New York Season 14 reunion has arrived in our lives and with it, lots of feelings about Jenna Lyons wearing jeans, lots of apologies, Erin admitting she was being a bitch about Jenna’s skin condition and so much more! Jenna also talks about her relationship with legendary lesbian photographer Cass Bird and we learn that Jenna has “the best nipples.”
+ Crossroads director Tamra Davis on the sex scene she and Britney Spears had to fight for: the film is getting a re-release in conjunction with the impending release of Britney Spears’ memoir.
+ Hilarie Burton defends Sophia Bush against ‘laughable’ Erin Foster cheating claims: In the wake of the revelation that Bush is dating Ashlyn Harris, Erin Foster claimed on her podcast that One Tree Hill actor Chad Michael Murray cheated on her with Sophia Bush in the early 2000s.
+ Did you see this bonus clip from Red White and Royal Blue yet?
+ NBA Referee Che Flores on Becoming the First Out Trans and Nonbinary Ref in American Pro Sports
=Victoria Monet Spent the Weekend Singing a R&B Love Letter About Strap-Ons, How Bout You?
+ Kristen Stewart’s “Living for the Dead” Has Hot Paranormal Investigators and Big Gay Feelings
+ Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer” Will Forever Be the Anthem to My Own Queer Journey
+ The Queer Palestinian Character Changing TV: Spanish actor Omar Ayuso talks about his queer Palestinian character from “Netflix’s rich-kid telenovela Elite”
+ NewFest Online offers fresh looks at queer culture from the inside
Pop Culture Fix: So, Jada Pinkett Smith Had a Few Sexual Experiences With Women
Jada Pinkett Smith Addresses “Gay Rumors” In Memoir “Worthy”
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
One thing we can all agree on as a society is that we’ve all heard quite a bit about the contents of Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir Worthy over the past week or so. Yet I am here to tell you even more, specifically on the topic of, “Is Jada Pinkett Smith bisexual?” Smith has long been the subject of gay rumors and addresses said rumors in Worthy, revealing that she did experiment with women, although it ultimately was not for her.
“There have always been rumors that I’m gay — that I like women,” she writes, pontificating that possibly these rumors swirled because she hung out in LGBTQ+ clubs where she was known for “getting up and doing lip-syncs.” Unfortunately, the lifestyle was not for her:
The truth is that during those early years of exploration in Hollywood I had a few sexual experiences with women, only to realize that when it comes to sex, I love men. Still, I cherish the beauty of women inside and out. And I have never stopped being infatuated and in awe of women of all ages, sizes and colors.
Later in the book, Jada nods briefly to rumors about her and Will’s marriage, like that they were swingers or that they were “both gay and playing each other’s beards.” Unfortunately she also denies those rumors!
In possibly related news, Gene Deal (Diddy’s former bodyguard) shared a story on The Art of Dialogue about a birthday party for Ben Affleck at the Four Seasons where he suspected that Will Smith and Jada were trying to pick up Jennifer Lopez.
Other pop culture stories for your day:
+ MGM+’s psychological thriller Beacon 23, based on the book by Hugh Howey, tells the story of Aster (Lena Headey) and Halan (Stephan James), who find their fates entangled when they end up trapped together at the end of the known universe. Furthermore:
Aster mysteriously finds her way to a lonely beacon keeper, on his lighthouse in the darkest recesses of space. A tense battle of wills unfolds as James’ keeper begins to question whether Aster is friend or foe as her ability to disguise her agenda and motives could make her a formidable opponent.
Lena Hedley has a lot of tattoos and wears a muscle tee throughout this trailer and does eventually end up, for a brief moment, kissing a woman and then topping her in outer space?
Originally picked up by AMC and Spectrum Originals, Hedley is producing the show that eventually found its home at MGM+. Beacon 23 will premiere on November 12th.
+ If you’ve not yet heard, I have big news for you: Ashlyn Harris is reportedly dating Sophia Bush.
+ Listen to Ariana DeBose singing “This Wish” from the upcoming Disney film “Wish.”
+ The trailer for the adaptation of Otessa Moshfegh’s homoerotic thriller, “Eileen,”starring Anne Hathaway, is here:
+ Heartstopper star Bel Priestley and Sex Education star Olive Gray are starring in a new queer music video from Henry Moodie.
+ Archie and Jughead didn’t hook up in the Riverdale finale because:
“…while every other carnal combination within the foursome had been explored to some extent on the show before, but “we hadn’t even really laid even the barest seed of there being a romance between Archie and Jughead. Not even a whisper of that… We hadn’t really explored or even hinted at that, where we had with all the other couplings.” The writers definitely considered it, he adds, but “it was just like, ‘Is this a cheat if we do this?’”
+ Samantha Ronson has “fallen in love with cooking” after quitting cigarettes and alcohol
Pop Culture Fix: Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe Are in the Ali Krieger Fan Club
Ali Krieger Fan Club Part of a Big Sports Weekend for The Lesbians
HARRISON, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 15: Ali Krieger #11 of NJ/NY Gotham FC reacts during her tribute after her final home season National Women’s Soccer League game against the Kansas City Current at Red Bull Arena on October 15, 2023 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Ira L. Black – Corbis/Getty Images)
Megan Rapinoe arrived in an “Ali Krieger Fan Club” t-shirt to her Decision Day game to support Gotham FC player Ali Krieger‘s final NWSL regular-season match, which was followed by a tribute to Krieger from her team and the fans. (News broke last week that Krieger and Ashlyn Harris were getting a divorce, which was not great timing for Ali!) Krieger’s 30-yard recovery prevented Kansas City from taking the lead in their game and ensured the Gotham FC a spot in the NWSL playoffs, so she’s not done yet.
Meanwhile, Sue Bird donned her “Ali Krieger Fan Club” t-shirt courtside at the WNBA finals match in Brooklyn.
All the cool kids are Ali Krieger fans. 😎
Get yours NOW: https://t.co/kI1FTQ3j6s pic.twitter.com/Zx3SH3xfzJ
— Gotham FC (@GothamFC) October 15, 2023
You can expect a full rundown of the WNBA championships from Autostraddle’s WNBA reporting team when they conclude, but in the meantime, let’s just briefly note that Sunday’s WNBA championship game between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty was an incredible match-up! It could’ve been the season’s final game had the Aces pulled off a win. But the Liberty dominated, with 27 points scored by Jonquel Jones and 20 by Breanna Stewart. In more devastating news, there are no updates on Chelsea Gray’s injury and we are stressed, and also really upset that cameras continued rolling on Grey as she attempted walking down a hallway while wincing in pain.
Attendance at the game in the Barclay’s Center turned up the highest gate receipt ever for a WNBA game. (In a clarifying tweet, the original purveyor of that news noted, “gate receipts refer to the revenue earner from tickets sold. SO there *have* been a couple of larger crowds, but there have never been more dollars spent on the gate than we see in Brooklyn this afternoon.”) Aubrey Plaza and Robin Roberts were amongst the famous queers in attendance.
You can vote now for the WNBA’s Most Stylish Player.
Other Pop Culture Links:
+ Rachel Maddow Won’t Abandon You: “Every Time a President Gets Arrested, I Promise I’ll Be There”: “Producing the same kind of material for the same shaped box at the same time every day had me worried that my brain was getting squished into that box, too. I was not thinking in expansive ways because I didn’t have expansive deadlines.”
+ Greg Araki, in conversation with Richard Linklater: “There’s fun and there’s joy and there’s exhilaration the same way of going to a punk rock or new wave show. It’s a fun time as opposed to something like Euphoria, which is the sex and the drugs and the nihilism and all that, but it’s miserable. There’s no joy.”
+ Brandi Carlile is Out Magazine’s Out100 Cover Star.
+ Queer Relationships Make for the Best Reality Dating Shows: obviously! (and here’s a list of queer dating shows that prove it)
+ Chappell Roan doesn’t care if she’s going to hell: “How a drag persona helped a 25-year-old singer-songwriter with a strict Christian upbringing transform herself into a queer pop powerhouse.”
+ Joan Baez Talks Meeting Her Girlfriend Kimmie in This New I Am A Noise Clip
+ Gen V boss ‘excited to explore’ Jordan and Marie’s fan-favourite queer romance
+ Russell T Davies is ‘absolutely sticking’ to his opinion on gay actors as gay characters
Pop Culture Fix: Ousted Lesbian Exec Refused Marvel’s Gay-Erasing “Quantumania” Edits, New Book Reveals
Marvel Studios Demanded Gay-Friendly Signs Erased From Quantumania, Lesbian Exec Victoria Alonso said No
(Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
The comprehensive book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, by Joanna Robinson, Dave Fonzales and Gavin Edwards, debuted today, and it contains some interesting behind-the-scenes information around censorship of LGBTQ+ content for some conservative international markets, and about the tenure of Victoria Alonso, once the highest ranked Latina lesbian executive in Hollywood, who was suddenly terminated this past March.
Alonso originally joined the studio in 2006, dating back to before the first Iron Man film, as chief of visual effects and postproduction. In 2021, she was promoted to President, Physical and Postproduction, VFX and Animation Production. Her March 2023 dismissal was seen as surprisingly abrupt and contentious — at a time when Marvel’s VFX workers were beginning to speak out about mistreatment and overwork. In April, the story got more complicated when it was revealed that there was a settlement over Alonso’s termination, and rumors swirled that she’d been let go for doing PR for Argentina, 1985 — a passion project film produced by Alonso that was in the middle of an Oscars run for Best International Feature Film.
At the time, in response to those rumors, Alonso’s lawyer Patricia Glaser released the following statement: “The idea that Victoria was fired over a handful of press interviews relating to a personal passion project about human rights and democracy that was nominated for an Oscar and which she got Disney’s blessing to work on is absolutely ridiculous. Victoria, a gay Latina who had the courage to criticize Disney, was silenced. Then she was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible.”
In MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, the authors describe some of the cuts made by Marvel to de-gay its films for the Chinese market, including “cutting a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it relationship in Wakanda Forever and excising the queer-friendly signs and flags in the background of the San Francisco scenes of Quantumania,” which required some digital tweaks by the VFX department:
…but it frustrated Victoria Alonso, a queer woman, so much that she refused to make the edits. So did everyone on her team. D’Esposito then went around her and outsourced the job to a VFX contractor. This was a crack in the unified front of Marvel’s leadership team, one of many that would lead to a messy and public fracture.
This came after, also according to the book, “Alonso had broken one of [Marvel head Kevin] Feige’s cardinal rules: don’t speak out publicly against the company” for joining public pressure encouraging Disney to speak out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2022. According to the authors’ sources, after the “Don’t Say Gay” outcry, Fiege reportedly cautioned Alonso to “‘keep her head down’ and ‘do the work.'”
It’s long been assumed by fans that Marvel has made cuts to gay storylines and relationships in part to make their films more palatable in conservative markets, though Alonso’s work in relationship to those cuts and projects has not been discussed before now. MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios is available wherever you get your books.
Feature image of Victoria Alonso by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Other queer pop culture news for your day:
+ According to showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Riverdale‘s final season originally had a more ambitious plan, thwarted by budget concerns: “Originally, when we pitched the season, one of the ideas that we pitched was that the first 13 episodes would be in the ’50s, and then starting around Episode 14 or so, we would start moving in time. So Episode 14 would be set in the ’60s, Episode 15 would be set in the ’70s, and then the ’80s, the ’90s… kind of working through to the present day.”
+ There’s a new trailer for the hotly anticipated Color Purple musical film, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Fantasia Barrino. Carmen just wants to know if it will finally be gay:
+ Reclaiming ‘Buffy’: How Amber Benson’s ‘Slayers’ Reintroduces Spike, Tara and Anya — and Finally Gets ‘Justice for Cordelia’: Variety talks to the cast of the new Audible production.
+ LOVE IS A LIE? Soccer Stars Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger Are Indeed Divorcing, Thus Deeply Saddening the Lesbian Community
+ Orphan Black Echoes!!
See you tomorrow. #OrphanBlackEchoes pic.twitter.com/VmpaltD6LT
— Orphan Black: Echoes (@OrphanBlack) October 11, 2023
+ Ranking the Greatest Scream Queens in Film History (we did a “ranked by lesbianism” ranking last year, obviously the gay one is better because it’s gay)
+ Going Behind the Scenes With LGBTQ+ Filmmakers Uncovering Queer Stories in New Hope, Pennsylvania
+ Hot: Polaroids from the big queer festival Muna called ‘Lesbopalooza’
Pop Culture Fix: NHL Bans Pride Tape From Its Sticks, Creates Its Own Ice Cold “Don’t Say Gay” Policy
NHL Doubles Down Against LGBT Pride
MONTREAL, CANADA – APRIL 6: Joel Armia #40 of the Montreal Canadiens tapes his stick before Pride Night warm-up for the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images)
Last season, seven National Hockey League players opted out of pregame warmups on Pride or Hockey is For Everyone Nights because they didn’t want to wear Pride jerseys, saying it would violate their religious beliefs. This incident was followed by the National Hockey League clarifying for the upcoming season that players and teams will no longer be asked to wear rainbow-colored Pride jerseys, as these jerseys were determined to be a “distraction” from the special interest nights.
Now, in a crushing blow to rainbows, Outsports is reporting that the league has banned Pride Tape (rainbow tape that NHL players used on their warm-up sticks to signify support for the gays) for all warm-ups, games and practices. The Pride Tape was initially part of the Hockey for Everyone initiative, which some have considered “largely performative,” but regardless, Pride Tape was seen as a small yet important way for players to express solidarity. (In June 2021, the NHL celebrated that their adoption of Pride Tape as a practice was “spreading to other sports.” They apparently feel differently now.)
The NHL is in the spotlight currently following a “series of memos” released on Thursday clarifying their position on Special Initiatives (in response to teams asking if these new policies would also apply to practices like wearing poppies on their jackets for Remembrance Day), which included statements like:
“Players shall not be put in the position of having to demonstrate (or where they may be appearing to demonstrate) personal support for any Special Initiatives. A factor that may be considered in this regard includes, for example, whether a Player (or Players) is required to be in close proximity to any groups or individuals visibly or otherwise clearly associated with such Special Initiative(s).”
According to a source who spoke to ESPN, “the only off-ice restriction facing teams is that they can’t force players to participate in events regarding the specialty causes, because some players might fear retribution or embarrassment if they decide to not take part.”
Apparently, the NHL has done Pride Nights (and will continue to) and has a partnership with the “You Can Play project” that Outsports says gives them “decade of mostly good will to reflect on.” But things have changed and as per Outsports: “This is, as far as Outsports is aware, the most stifling, anti-LGBTQ policy any pro sports league in North America has ever issued.”
Outsports also noted that the NHL was the only sports league not to tweet anything nice about LGBTQ+ people during Pride Month or change its avatar to a rainbow (the NFL also declined to do so). The NHL is also the only professional sports league in North America to never have a single player or coach come out. There is, however, one out player who is currently a Nashville Predators prospect.
Other pop culture stories:
+ There were a lot of nipples on display at Paris Fashion Week.
+ An Alabama library added Read Me a Story, Stella to a list of books requiring further scrutiny due to the author’s last name being “Gay.” It was not a gay book though, so!
+ Big Brother UK, once a massively popular sensation, is returning to air with a focus on throwing people together who might never encounter one another in their everyday lives. Already, contestant Hallie has come out to her housemates as transgender.
+ Estonian coming-of-age title “Vera and the Pleasure of Others” has released its first trailer. Set to have its world premiere a the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, the film “follows 17-year-old Vera (played by Luciana Grasso), who divides her days between volleyball, school and a secret hobby: she rents out an empty apartment to teenagers looking for a place to have sex.” It’s a very pansexual trailer but I’m not sure what to make of it!
+ The New Yorker on how “Reservation Dogs” redefines the coming-of age story.
+ Nearly 35k fans turned out to celebrate Megan Rapinoe’s last home game with the OL Reign.
+ A really beautiful story with dreamy photographs: The pride of Houston: Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour was a safe space for fans, a homecoming and a coronation
+ Some Halloween help for you: 42 Queer Horror Movies and Shows To Stream This Month
+ How “Dicks: The Musical” created Megan Thee Stallion’s alpha anthem
+ Angelina Jolie embodies opera singer Maria Callas in first look at Pablo Larraín’s ‘Maria’
Pop Culture Fix: Josie Totah Is Kissing a Girl in the Rain in Edith Wharton Inspired “Buccaneers” Trailer
Apple TV’s “The Buccaneers” Debuts a Delightfully Homoerotic Trailer
Apple TV debuted its trailer and key art for new Edith Wharton inspired period drama “The Buccaneers” today, and my friends, girls do kiss in this trailer! Firstly, here’s what “The Buccaneers” is about:
“Girls with money, men with power. New money, old secrets. A group of fun-loving young American girls explode into the tightly corseted London season of the 1870s, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash as the land of the stiff upper lip is infiltrated by a refreshing disregard for centuries of tradition. Sent to secure husbands and titles, the buccaneers’ hearts are set on much more than that, and saying “I do” is just the beginning.”
And now, here’s the trailer for “The Buccaneers”:
“The Buccaneers” was created by British actor/comic/writer Katherine Jakeways, features an all-female creative team, and was inspired by Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel of the same name.
The cast includes, first and foremost, beloved trans actress Josie Totah, who plays Mabel Elmsworth. The rest of “The Buccaneers” cast is pretty impressive also: Christina Hendricks, Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why), Kristine Frøseth (The Society, Birds of Paradise), Aubri Ibrag (Dive Club), Imogen Waterhouse (Braid, The Outpost), Mia Threapleton (I Am Ruth). And the soundtrack is pretty queer-friendly too, with artists like Bikini Kill, Angel Olsen and Brandi Carlile.
The two women engaged in Sapphic kissing in the trailer are, much to our collective delight, Josie Totah and Mia Threapleton. Mia Threapleton plays Honoria Marable. Also, by the way, she is Kate Winslet’s daughter.
Gird your loins and dust off your corsets, the series premieres on November 8th.
Other Pop Culture Stories Today:
+ Boygenius’ Big, Emotional, Gay-as-Hell Night Out at Madison Square Garden: “Boygenius turned New York’s Madison Square Garden into the world’s largest bisexual convention”
+ Cheyenne Ewulu wants to see more Black queer women in nerd spaces
+ Brian Jordan Alvarez Isn’t Taking ‘Sitting’ Success Lying Down: Caleb Gallo discusses the runaway success of his TJ Mack character and how it feels for his comedy to gain attention outside of the queer community.
+ Rebel Wilson Says She Reveals ‘Deepest Secrets’ in Upcoming Memoir Rebel Rising: the actress will be covering topics including “her fertility issues, weight gain and loss, sexuality, overcoming shyness, rejection and more.” Harper Collins bought the book in a nine-way auction.
+ Los Angeles’s women’s soccer team, Angel City FC, is making a shit-ton of money. They’re also embracing their lesbian fans with both arms and their whole chests, just as a note to anybody who does not see us as a valuable market.
+ The WNBA is adding an expansion team to the Bay Area.
+ Da Brat and Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart looked great at the 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
+ A new exhibition in Paris explores how Tove Jansson imagined a kind world that reflected her values as a lesbian artist and ardent pacifist.
+ Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (So Far): Vida, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin are amongst the honored shows on Hollywood Reporter‘s list.
+ How Many Sapphic Scandals Will Be in the New Season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?: big day for our resident Bravo Dyke because Kyle Richards had a lesbian affair and Denise Richards is returning for Season 13. In other Real Housewives news, Jenna Lyons and the New York Housewives hit up Henrietta Hudson.
Pop Culture Fix: Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett Marry in “The Royal Wedding of Lesbian TikTok”
Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett’s Lesbian Wedding
This past weekend, an apparently quite famous 26-year-old lesbian couple, Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett, tied the knot at their sun-dappled, tree-sparked and generally resplendent wedding venue in Roswell, Georgia. TikTok user @jcubedhax referred to this widely acclaimed event as “the royal wedding of lesbian TikTok,” a sentiment that has been echoed in social media comments across the web as well as ideas like “this is my Roman Empire.” Said wedding also garnered a People Magazine exclusive. The wedding peaked when the entire wedding party participated in a Taylor Swift singalong, as the lord intended.
Who are Lunden Stallings and Olivia Bennett? If you, like me, hadn’t heard of them until last night, here’s the story: they are social media stars and conventionally attractive white lesbians from the South who are beloved by the straights as well as the gays. Lunden and Olivia met in the summer of 2020 when Olivia, seeking a golden retriever, reached out to Lunden to ask where she’d procured her own Golden Retriever. When Lunden’s job transferred her to Atlanta, where Olivia lived, they met up for the first time, talked all night long over their mutual favorite soda pop (Doctor Pepper) and allegedly have spent every day since together! They then both planned to surprise propose to each other on the same day.
On TikTok, Lunden and Olivia share Outfits of the Day, beauty routines and Days in the Life, interspersed with wedding planning content (they did it themselves with the help of their mother) and sponcon for brands like Taco Bell and Sephora. They live in a very fancy house and their faces are radiant, like two women in their mid-twenties who did not spend the early 2000s inside a tanning bed but in fact were born in the late 90s and already have responsible skincare routines.
“It’s so much bigger than us, and if, just by us showing our life and being in love with each other we can share that with other people, and make people feel an ounce more comfortable about themselves, or change the way they think about people because of us, that means more than any sort of brand deal,” Lunden told People. “And I think that by showing two feminine women in a relationship in the south, I think that it breaks a barrier.”
Lunden & Olivia’s ceremony included 150 friends and family members, as the couple prioritized having everybody they loved present at the ceremony. Lunden wore a Safiyaa dress, Sarah Flint shoes, an Ann-Marie Faulkner birdcage veil and a long veil borrowed from her sister. Olivia wore a strapless Monique Lhuillier gown and Stuart Weitzman kitten heels.
Editor’s Note (10/04/23): After the publishing of this piece, it was brought to our attention that past tweets from Lunden Stallings have resurfaced, including a variety of tweets in which Stallings uses anti-Black language.
Other queer pop culture news for your day:
+ I thought this piece about gay men finding Heartstopper painful was gonna be more like how Trixie and Katya found Heartstopper painful but it’s actually not that kind of article at all: Heartstopper makes some gay men very sad for their younger selves. (also, Season Three is now offficially in production!)
+ ‘Home Economics’ Co-Creator “Hopeful” For New Network Home After Series’ ABC Cancellation
+ Beyoncé Announces Renaissance World Tour Concert Film: Watch the Trailer!
+ After having to work really hard to track down a way to watch the UK’s Naked Attraction in order to write this post about queer-inclusive reality television dating shows, I was pleased last week to see that the UK dating show was added to the Max catalog. This week, the Naked Attraction boss spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the casting process and the public reception of their program.
+ Queer actors Chrishell Stause and Diora Baird are playing expecting Mommis in a new Lifetime Thriller
+ Here is your guide to everything new, gay and streaming On Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Max, Disney+ and Paramount+
+ An essay for you: Alice Wu’s “Saving Face” Told a Queer Asian Story When It Was Far From the Mainstream
+ A new Kew Gardens show in London “celebrates the astonishing diversity of plants – and looks at how they have inspired LGBTQ+ groups”
Pop Culture Fix: boygenius Is Getting You a New Gay EP for Halloween
I don’t know about you but I am still riding high from last night’s WNBA games! So high I hardly slept! But I made you a Pop Culture Fix anyway, because I love you!
+ Well, Happy Halloween! boygenius’ new EP, The Rest, is coming at you on October 13th. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus are releasing a four-song companion to The Record. The Rest will be released on 10″ vinyl in both black and a transparent yellow, and also on CD.
‘the rest’ EP out Fri, Oct 13th. available to pre-order on limited edition yellow 10” vinyl, CD, as well as pre-save now: https://t.co/4p5kD94xI8
Tracklist
Side A
1. Black Hole
2. ****** ** *******
Side B
3. *******
4. *****Cover photo by Matt Grub pic.twitter.com/WtP5hxqVEK
— boygenius (@xboygeniusx) September 26, 2023
+ How Todd Haynes’ May December channeled Mary Kay Letourneau and classic female melodramas.
+ In case you missed it, new from Hulu: “From the creators of Queer Eye, five fabulous, queer ghost hunters roam the country, helping the living by healing the dead. Our gay Ghost Hunties explore infamous haunted locations while pushing past boundaries with both the living and the deceased.” GHOST HUNTIES.
+ The Hollywood writers’ strike is over! The writers fuckin’ won — and big time!
+ From Jemele Hill over at The Athletic: The glorious exuberance of Sha’Carri Richardson’s hair.
+ You know, this isn’t gay, but I simply could not resist the headline: Katy Perry joins Peppa Pig, battles octogenarian.
+ The Last of Us season two writing will resume as soon as WGA strike officially ends (which is now!).
+ Golden Globes adds two categories for Best Blockbuster and Best Stand-Up.
+ Angelina Jolie covers Vogue this month. Her profile talks a lot about how much healing she’s had to do since her marriage to / divorce from Brad Pitt. She says she hasn’t been herself in ten years. :(
Pop Culture Fix: Megan Rapinoe Says Goodbye to USWNT With Sue Bird by Her Side
Feature image photo by Daniel Bartel/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
I got some apple cider donuts at the farmer’s market this weekend! I wish I could share them with you! But here’s a Pop Culture Fix, which is not quite but almost as good? (No it’s not, but still! I made it for you!)
+ Megan Rapinoe played her last game for the USWNT yesterday and was honored with cheers and hugs and trophies and tears and a smooch from her wifey Sue Bird. Fans cheered her in person and at home. Over at OutSports: Megan Rapinoe takes pride in having pushed LGBTQ rights as she makes USWNT farewell. And at The Athletic: Megan Rapinoe from those who know her: “She makes the tough times easier for everybody.” Thank you for everything, Megan Rapinoe! See you and Sue at the WNBA Finals!
+ WGA & AMPTP reach tentative agreement to end writers strike! Related: LeVar Burton, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Mark Hamill, and many more celebrate strike-ending deal!
+ An update on last week’s story: Angelica Ross has receipts.
+ The story behind Friends’ banned lesbian wedding episode, almost 28 years on.
+ Heartstopper’s repeated clarification of Nick’s bisexuality is more important than it seems.
+ Lil Nas X, Saucy Santana, Ice Spice: LGBTQ rappers are queering hip-hop like never before.
+ The sexiest queer horror movies of all time.
+ Mean Girls musical movie now will premiere in theaters, not Paramount+.
+ Shonda Rhimes and Lena Waithe will be honored at a Human Rights Campaign national dinner.
+ Troye Sivan, 070 Shake, Chappell Roan, and more land on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week.
Pop Culture Fix: Ali Liebert and Humberly Gonzalez to Fall in Queer Love at Christmas on Hallmark
Feature image photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images // Shutterstock
Ho ho ho, it’s already holigay news time! Right here in your mid-week Pop Culture Fix!
+ Well, Hallmark has released its Countdown to Christmas preview and I am thrilled to announce that we’ve got another queer holigay movie on the way! This time it’s starring Ali Liebert and Humberly Gonzalez, and it’s FAKE DATING!
Daniella (Gonzalez) has recently moved to New York to pursue an art career and decides to stay in town to share the holidays with her circle of artist friends, instead of going home to see her sweet, if overbearing parents. Amelia (Liebert) is a talented entertainment lawyer trying to stay focused on her work after a broken engagement. When Daniella and Amelia are set up by their parents, they agree to pretend that they are dating, to appease them for the holidays. However, as they spend time in eachother’s worlds, they soon build a connection that is deeper than either of them could have hoped for.
+ Entertainment Weekly’s got a full-on fall TV preview — or, well, whatever “full-on” means when the Hollywood strikes are still going on because studios are being THE WORST.
+ Dungeons & Kittens mixes felines and fellowship.
+ Starfield’s pronoun-removal mod has been banned by NexusMods.
+ Vanity Fair’s “25 Perfect TV Episodes From the Last 25 Years” features a few queer faves!
+ Angelica Ross alleges “mind games,” transphobia from Emma Roberts on the American Horror Story set.
+ Related: Every American Horror Story season, ranked from best to worst.
+ The 20 best vampire movies ever made, from The Lost Boys to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
+ The Morning Show’s costume designer talks about how Bradly went from practical to powerful.
Pop Culture Fix: Amber Benson Creates a New Spike-Centric Buffy Story for Audible
Here’s your Monday Pop Culture Fix, my friends! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are!
+ Buffy cast set to reunite on Audible for a new Spike-centric tale set 20 years after the finale. The story was written by Amber Benson, directed by Amber Benson, and will also star Amber Benson!
+ Suranne Jones’ Vigil has sold to Peacock for a second season.
+ Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween has announced its spooky October line-up.
+ Lorraine Hansberry’s queer archive.
+ Exploring sexual politics in Park Chan-wook film The Handmaiden.
+ Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week includes new music from Demi Lovato, K.Flay, Vagabon, and more.
+ Horror film director Mariama Diallo on her latest project The Other Black Girl. (Nic’s got a full review coming at you Thursday!)
+ Julia Fox designs fashion competition series for NBCUniversal from Queer Eye producer.
+ Sophie Dupuis wasn’t ready to call herself queer — but making her film Solo changed everything.
+ TIME100 Next List is full of queer and nonbinary icons.
+ See the full line-up of films for this year’s NewFest in NYC.
+ 7 horror movies that aren’t too scary for wimpy queers. (It’s me, hi, I’m the wimpy queer, it’s me.)
+ Barbie is officially more financially powerful than The Avengers.
Pop Culture Fix: We’re Finally Getting the Queer WNBA TV Show of Our Wildest Dreams
I had to get up at 5am to let a man named Bob into my basement. Send coffee! I’ll trade you one (1) Pop Culture Fix.
+ Natalie and I mentioned this in our weekly WNBA chat, but I can’t stop talking about it! Carly Usdin is bringing us the WNBA TV series of our most bananas imaginings: The Syd and TP Show. “Written by Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, The Syd + TP Show sees the World Champions and bench warming besties Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance determined to become the faces of the WNBA, despite the fact no one asked them to. This buddy comedy series follows Syd and TP on their quest to become the most famous basketball players on earth through a mix of stunts, interviews, hijinks and a complete lack of shame.” I seriously cannot wait!
+ In more WNBA reporting: The Nation’s got a feature on Chamique Holdsclaw, depression, and fame.
+ Disney and Spectrum finally got their shit together. Kinda. They reached a new deal to bring back ESPN and ABC, but these are Disney channels no longer carried by Charter-Spectrum as result of new distribution deal: Baby TV, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Mundo.
+ Céline Sciamma’s ten favorite films. Turns out she’s a “massive” fan of animated movies, and me too, and I guess that also makes ME a creative genius!
+ Related: 5 Black-owned animation studios.
+ Can I interest you in a Sex Education trailer?
https://youtu.be/WldgrH9SvbE?si=wYuLuBhJIjvSKPD3
+ How about a Fall of the House of Usher trailer?
+ How Good Omens queers the Bible.
+ The MTV VMAs went down last night. Taylor Swift took home a wheelbarrow full of Moon Mans, and we had queer winners in Ice Spice, Blackpink. Doja Cat, and Dove Cameron. Here’s a full list of winners.
+ Meet the LGBTQ+ contestants on MTV’s The Challenge season 39.
+ Elliot Page says gender-neutral acting categories at award shows “seems like a good idea.”
Pop Culture Fix: Robin Roberts and Amber Laign’s Wedding Was Just So Beautiful
It’s a good Monday morning to remember love is not a lie! And here’s your Pop Culture Fix!
+ Robin Roberts and her longtime partner Amber Laign got married this weekend in their backyard and it was just so beautiful, y’all! Their dog, Lil Man Lukas, even wore a tux. There’s loads of pics and video’s on Robin’s IG and also this video from ABC, where you can see Lukas wandering around in his bow tie during the ceremony begging for treats. Congratulations, you two love gorgeous queer babes! I hope your next decades are even more happy than the first few!
+ Everything Now, starring the amazing Sophie Wilde, premieres October 5.
+ AHS: Delicate has a premiere date and IndieWire has some exclusive photos. (Yes, Kim Kardashian did cross the picket line to finish filming.)
+ Thor: Love and Thunder show the romance we wanted but didn’t get for Valkyrie.
+ Charlotte Higgins on The Archers: the first lesbian kiss in Ambridge.
+ Top Boy season five sees Jasmine Jobson return as fan-favourite lesbian character Jaq.
+ This lesbian conductor drama is worlds away from Tár.
+ Why everyone’s debating the (queer??) meaning of Olivia Rodrigo’s news song, Lacy.
Pop Culture Fix: Anne Lister Lesbian Lore Is Still Going Strong
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could feel the way you feel riiiight after your first cup of coffee, all day long? Well, here’s the next best thing: Your mid-week Pop Culture Fix!
+ Author Emma Donoghue on her Anne Lister romance, Learned by Heart. “More than 30 years after reading Helena Whitbread’s collection of Lister’s decoded entries, I Know my Own Heart: The Diaries of Anne Lister, Donoghue has brought the rarely told story of Lister’s first love, Eliza Raine, to life in a tenderly written schoolgirl romance, Learned By Heart.” BRB buying this RIGHT NOW.
+ 125 days in, the Hollywood picket lines are still packed with queer solidarity.
+ Ode to My So-Called Life’s Jordan Catalano, unlikely lesbian icon.
+ Greta Garbo, the “furious lesbian,” and a Ccassic Hollywood love triangle.
+ Shudder’s Bad Things is the latest entry in the lesbian horror genre.
+ GLTA gets the Tennis Channel treatment on U.S. Open Pride day.
+ Ha! I knew it! Starfield’s Sam Coe actor says he played him as bisexual!
+ Miley Cyrus recalls how Beyoncé and Rihanna treated her like a little sister in 2008.
+ Stephanie Beatriz is giving you queer crumbs, and then some.
+ Everything we know about Heartstopper season three so far.
+ Send off summer with Them’s queer playlist.
+ Hear Molly Kate Britton out: The Devil Wears Prada is a queer Jewish masterpiece.
+ Ashnikko’s Weedkiller brings listeners into a queer dystopian world.
+ How Queer Eye’s Fab Five could make Emmy history with Best Reality Host win.
Pop Culture Fix: Miley Cyrus Says Her Taylor Swift Era Should’ve Pinged Your Bisexual Radar
Feature image photo by John Shearer/WireImage
I hope you have this Labor Day completely off for resting and fun times! And I hope you enjoy this Monday Pop Culture Fix!
+ Miley Cyrus says viral photo with Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato made it clear she’s bisexual. “If you guys didn’t know I was bisexual from this damn picture, I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” she said in her TikTok series celebrating her new single “Used To Be Young.” I never doubted for a second, Miley! Everyone I know who watched Hannah Montana is bi now!
+ Marshawn Lynch joined the Bottoms cast for his lesbian sister.
+ Lesbian sex educator was NYC’s real life Carrie Bradshaw.
+ The NYT interviewed Melissa Etheridge this week; she says her first artistic love was poetry.
+ Lady Gaga dedicates Born This Way to trans people on the opening night of her Vegas residency.
+ Disney blocks ABC and ESPN from Charter Spectrum viewers. (BOOOOO!!!!)
+ All The Things She Said: queer anthem or problematic queerbait?
+ Alice Cooper loses cosmetics deal after remarks about trans people. (GOOD.)
+ Red, White, & Royal Blue sparks debate over how Hollywood depicts queer sex in film.
+ Reneé Rapp says she was body-shamed on Mean Girls on Broadway, told ‘vile f—ing things’.
+ Hulu has cancelled How I Met Your Father after two seasons.
+ The Last Of Us writers are “raring” to unleash more mushroom-based horrors upon the world.
Pop Culture Fix: First Look Pics of Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in Lesbian Swimmer Biopic Nyad
Happy Full Moon in Pisces! I think it’s also still Mercury in Gatorade, so be safe out there! Here’s your mid-week Pop Culture Fix.
+ Annette Bening and Jodie Foster shine in pics from the forthcoming biopic, Nyad, about lesbian endurance swimmer Diana Nyad. The film is based on Nyad’s memoir, Find a Way, about her life as a sports journalist, openly gay athlete, and the first woman to complete some of the most impressive endurance swims on earth, like swimming around the entire island of Manhattan and swimming from the Bahamas to Florida. Her most famous swim, and probably what a lot of this film covers, is her journey from Cuba to Florida while she was in her 60s. So many sharks! Jodie Foster plays Nyad’s friend and swimming coach, Bonnie Stoll. (Update: It’s been brought to my attention that Diana Nyad has said some really disappointing things about trans women athletes. I’ll make sure whoever reviews this film is aware and can offer it the critique it deserves.)
+ Sarah Jessica Parker adopted that cat named Shoe from this season of And Just Like That!
+ The Great Cancellation: why megabucks TV shows are vanishing without a trace.
+ The strange, hidden history of Harley Quinn.
+ Whoopi adresses the “lesbian vibes” Raven-Symoné senses in her.
+ The Archers’ stars on being a part of radio drama’s first lesbian couple.
+ Making the violent, funny and very queer Bottoms.
+ Teenage Miley Cyrus sounds like she really needed a break.
+ Fall TV can’t stop looking backward.
+ Why I’ve changed my mind about queer Love Island.
+ Tayla Parx knows your favorite artists’ secrets: “Self-acceptance is at the core of her fluid approach to her artistry (she has written more than one bisexual anthem) and her life (she has been playing with gender in her wardrobe for years).”