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Also.Also.Also: Keke Palmer Would Absolutely NOT Explore the Deep Sea (Relatable!)

feature image of Keke Palmer by Taylor Hill / Contributor via Getty Images

Happy 7-Elesbian Day, as we call it in my household! You should enjoy a nice frozen beverage today!

Queer as in F*ck You

Keke Palmer Is the Internet’s Sweetheart. I couldn’t agree more! Keke Palmer today, Keke Palmer tomorrow, Keke Palmer always. She’s the latest cover girl for The Cut, and she had a chance to talk about her headspace a bit following Darius Daulton Jackson’s condescending words about a recent outfit she wore (WHICH WAS A GREAT OUTFIT, BTW, BUT ALSO OF COURSE IT WAS — KEKE IS ONE OF THE BEST STYLED CELEBS IN THE GAME RN AND AMERICA’S #1 HOT MOM): “I’ll be honest, I think before I even had the baby, I was really actually quite self-conscious,” she tells The Cut. “After having my baby, I’ve gotten so much more powerful. We’re going to lean into this new body, and I think that is the whole aura of what’s happening with me in this big boss era as I come into my 30s, and I have my baby boy, and I’m just continuing to spread my wings as a young woman.”

The interview includes some rapidfire questions at the end, leading to this no-notes exchange:

Would you ever explore the deep sea?
No.

And just like that, she continues to be a relatable icon.

Trans Woman, Bookstore, Teacher Sue Over Montana Law Banning Drag Reading Events.

Barriers to Transgender Health Care Lead Some To Embrace a Do-It-Yourself Approach.

Queer Photography Doesn’t Just Have to Be White, Hunky Gays. This headline is a little silly to moi, but I do love the photos contained within. Also, I’m using this as an excuse to plug another Vice photo essay that’s a little too old (by just a couple weeks) to be Also.Also.Also fodder, but it’s soooooo good: Photographing Chicago’s Black Gay Culture in the 80s.

Over 25,000 People Marched for Trans Rights This Weekend in London.

Saw This, Thought of You

Yu and Me Books Is Asking for Support After a Fire. This bookstore is Manhattan’s first Asian-American woman-owned bookstore, and they suffered a devastating fire. Even though they’ve raised over their goal amount, all funds support their efforts to not only reopen but continue to pay their staff while closed. Every $ counts, and we must protect independent bookstores!

The Bidet’s Revival. I mean, I almost put this in the previous section, because bidets are queer culture, no?

Political Snacks

How the Supreme Court’s Idea of Religious Freedom Could Resegregate the Country.

Okay, after the bleakness of the above read, this made me LOL: Republicans Want to Cancel Barbie for Being Communist.

Ron DeSantis, American Psycho.

One More Thing

I am genuinely thrilled, on this 7/11, to soon be marrying someone who has made 7-11 an indelible part of their personal brand:

Also.Also.Also: Lilli Vincenz, a Powerful Voice in Early Queer Media in the 1960s, Has Died

feature image photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty Images

I’m drinking an iced french vanilla coffee and would love to know what beverage you spent your morning with.

Queer as in F*ck You

In sad news: Trailblazing Lesbian Activist Lilli Vincenz Has Died at 85. Vincenz made many contributions to queer history, activism, and archival work, including her documentaries, which can be watched on The Library of Congress’ website. She was also a very early voice in queer media. In 1966, she was the editor of a monthly newsletter called the Homosexual Citizen. In 1969, she helped co-found the newsletter’s spinoff newspaper the Gay Blade, which then became the Washington Blade, which still exists as the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ newspaper. In 1966, she was the first person to appear on the cover of the lesbian magazine The Ladder with her face showing:

A view of some of Lilli Vincenz memorabilia featuring her as an early gay and lesbian activist in Arlington, VA on June 5, 2013. Vincenz was an early LGBT activist in the 60's and 70's and has donated much of her activism memorabilia to the Library of Congress. Shown is some of her personal memorabilia which includes a photo of her with Phil Donahue and pictures of her and others rallying for equal rights for homosexuals.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty Images

More history! This Is What It Looked Like to Party in Fire Island in 1999.

Resumes Including ‘They/Them’ Pronouns Are More Likely To Be Overlooked, New Report Finds.

Welcome to the Era of the Trans It-Girl. There are some serious limitations to ~influencer visibility~ that you won’t find discussed in this mostly fluffy piece, but it’s cute and I did indeed smash that follow button for some of the girlies on this list!

Ballroom Culture, Pioneered by Black, Queer Crowds in the 60s, Thrives at Bushwick Nightclub.

Barbie Is an LGBTQ+ Party, Attest Out’s Cover Stars. LGBTQ+ Barbie stars Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, and Scott Evans are on the cover of the latest issue of Out Magazine to promote the Barbie universe’s gay touches. Barbie is absolutely all up in the Discourse on all 75 social media platforms that have sprung up in recent weeks. I’m, of course, partial to the piece written by my fiancé in 2019:

In other gay toy news: USWNT’s Megan Rapinoe Gets Ultimate Honor: A LEGO Figurine.

Creating Safe Spaces: On Writing Queer Romance.

Saw This, Thought of You

Authors are suing AI for stealing their work. Don’t let the robots steal from artists and creatives! Bestselling Authors Mona Awad and Paul Tremblay Sue OpenAI Over Copyright Infringement.

Ugh, while on the topic of AI, I’m a tennis gay, and I hate this development: Wimbledon’s AI Announcer Was Inevitable.

Political Snacks

Moms for Liberty Came to Philly. Philly Came for Them. Read more about Moms for Liberty and why we should be organizing against them in Autostraddle’s Pride package.

One More Thing

I just really like this sentiment:

Also.Also.Also: Meet the Lesbian Who Smuggled Suitcases of Dildos in the 80s (GAY RIGHTS!!!)

I hope this link roundup can provide a bit of queer counter-programming to the dominant narratives of this “holiday.” I hope you also get to be in the sun today though, because you deserve! Wear sunscreen!

Queer as in F*ck You

Queer liberation can look like a lot of things, and sometimes one of those things is a lesbian sex toy underground black market. That’s right, in Inside a Secret Lesbian Sex Toy Smuggling Ring, Vice takes a look at Thrilling Bits, the 1980s mail-order sex toy company started by Lisa Power and her then-girlfriend that smuggled dildos, other sex toys, and banned queer erotica between the US and the UK. At the time, the openly available sex toys on the market in the UK apparently sucked, and Power stepped up to fill the gap, making sure to deliberately piss off anti-S&M crusaders of the time with a decidedly sex positive mindset regarding lesbian politics. Power reflects on the work done by Thrilling Bits at the time, as well as some of the missteps. It’s a frank and honest interview/feature about a hyperspecific queer movement from history. Dig in!

Read and watch a gorgeous, urgent poem on trans liberation by Raquel Willis: What Is Trans Liberation?

For Queer Starbucks Workers, Pride Month Is Strike Month. For further relevant reading, the Autostraddle Pride package this year included a quick primer on queer history and the labor movement.

What Does It Mean to Be Queer? I love a photoessay, and the scroll on this is gorgeous!

Michael Imperioli ‘Forbids Bigots and Homophobes’ from Watching His Work. I got a chuckle from this over the weekend. Mostly, I’m just so happy Stef Rubino was RIGHT about Michael Imperioli.

Minnie Bruce Pratt passed away over the weekend, and Autostraddle’s Stef Rubino is working on a reflection on her life and legacy that we’ll publish next week. For now, here’s a brief tribute from Sarah Schulman:

Saw This, Thought of You

Sue Johanson, Beloved Canadian Sex Educator, Dead at 93.

Political Snacks

While the subject matter is bleak, this headline deserves awards: The Supreme Court Has Killed Affirmative Action. Mediocre Whites Can Rest Easier. But while you’re here, read Carmen Phillips on the ruling if you haven’t already.

The Supreme Court Doesn’t Care That the Gay Wedding Website Case Is Based on Fiction. Alrighty then.

U.S. Judges Block Bans on Transgender Youth Healthcare in Kentucky, Tennessee.

‘Vote, Run, Win and Lead’: Counting Black Women’s Seats at the Table.

Has Ron DeSantis Eaten Pizza Before? Sorry, I had to share this one for the headline alone because LMAO.

One More Thing

Local Organizations Uplift the Community As Harmful LGBTQ Legislation Goes Into Effect. I’m putting this down here as a bonus link, because it’s a hyperlocal story, which is not typical fodder for Also.Also.Also. But if there’s one thing I’m committed to, it’s highlighting the good and important work folks are doing in Florida in the face of violent legislation. Of course, you should be paying attention to the bad shit happening down here, but it’s just as important (and ultimately more useful!) to pay attention to anything that pushes back, even when it’s in small ways.

Also.Also.Also: Liv Hewson Says Top Surgery Is the Best Thing They’ve Ever Done for Themselves

feature image photo 1 by Araya Doheny / Stringer via Getty Images; photo 2 by MICHAEL TRAN / Contributor via Getty Images; photo 3 by Leon Bennett / Stringer via Getty Images

There’s only one more day left of Pride month 😭 although, I do personally think we can still claim Pride through July 3, because that marks the last day of the Stonewall Riots, so rage on my friends.

Queer as in F*ck You

In a really great Teen Vogue profile and interview with Liv Hewson — Who’s Afraid of Liv Hewson? — the Yellowjackets star opens up about their nonbinary identity, top surgery, and the bullshit of TERF talking points about trans bodies. It’s so rare in mainstream media to read an interview like this, in which both the subject and the journalist are nonbinary and can speak with equal candor about their lived experiences. When asked if they have experienced gender euphoria post-top surgery, Hewson replies emphatically in the affirmative. They say they actually had the clinic’s website open on their laptop for five years, long wanting the surgery and fearful they’d never be able to actually do it. Now, post-surgery, here’s what they have to say:

I stand differently, I walk differently, I carry myself differently. It feels different in my body than it ever has. I have just never been happier. I’ve never been more centered. I’ve never felt more stable and present and alive. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It’s taught me a lot.

The recovery process taught me about rest, accepting help, and caring for my body as something connected to me rather than separate from me, that I’m in opposition to: This is mine and I want to take care of it. I feel good in it and good about it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Teen Vogue (@teenvogue)

The Secret Queer History of Flowers. This supports my deeply held belief that the act of arranging flowers is gay.

These Trans Latinas Are Making Beauty Pageant History.

Life Is Drag. THEE Alexander Chee on the vast and powerful impact of drag on art? Yes, pls!

I could not agree more: Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” Is the Gay Nonsense Bop We Needed This Pride

What To Read When You Want To Reimagine Family. I’ve been thinking a lot about queer reimaginings of family after watching all of The Lake a couple weekends ago, and this book list on the topic is fantastic!

What It Is Like To Teach in the Cross Hairs of Ron DeSantis. First of all, I’m going to say you should read Stef Rubino on this topic, because they are on the ground here in Florida as a queer educator. Second of all, I am gonna go ahead and warn you right now that me taking over this column in place of Carmen probably means a slight increase in Florida-specific coverage, as I live in Orlando, but I strongly believe that the entire country should be paying attention to Florida and similar states at the forefront of the culture wars.

On that note: The War on LGBTQ People Being Waged in Rural America.

Saw This, Thought of You

I’ve Been in Monogamous and Non-Monogamous Relationships. Both Have Their Own Complications.

How To Escape ‘The Worst Possible Timeline’.

Writers Strike 2023, Explained: What Happens Now?.

Political Snacks

The Christian Right Is Making Up Wedding Websites to Attack LGBTQ People.

Democrats Introduce Federal Conversion Therapy Ban.

Also.Also.Also: 54 Years After Stonewall, Miss Major Reminds the World She’s “Still F*cking Here”

feature image photo by Greg Doherty / Contributor via Getty Images

Hi! It’s me, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya. I am, you’ll note, not Carmen Phillips, the Editor in Chief of Autostraddle and the person who usually writes the Also.Also.Also link roundups these days. I’m taking over this column as an intentional way to allow Carmen to write more of the things she likes to write, including topics from beauty to fashion to baking/cooking to Black pop culture. I’m personally very excited about this shift in her workflow! Because my days are structured a little differently than Carmen’s, it also means that this link roundup is now going to be a morning missive. Here we go!

Queer as in F*ck You

‘Get off Our Backs and Let Us Live’: Miss Major Is Still Fighting for Trans Rights After 50 Years of Resistance. The one and only Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, who survived being knocked unconscious at the Stonewall Riots 54 years ago has a message: “I’m still fucking here.” So begins this in-depth profile of an iconic trans elder, activist, author, and organizer whose resistance work has defined the past half a century of LGBTQ+ liberation. Tomorrow marks the 54th anniversary of the start of the Stonewall Riots, so spend some time with this profile, which delves into her latest project for the revolution: a sanctuary for trans and gender-nonconforming folks on the same property where she currently lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. The refuge is, fittingly, dubbed Tilifi, which stands for Telling It Like It Fuckin’ Is. Now that’s a praxis I can enthusiastically endorse!

Stories like this quite literally always make me cry: Coming Out Late — and Finding a New Life in Midlife.

NY Designates State a ‘Safe Haven’ for Trans Youth, Families and Health Providers.

McDonald’s Grimace Is Apparently a Queer Icon Now. And as someone who very recently accidentally called him “garf” instead of his government name, I have to say: who?

I, too, would like to know: How Did Pride Get So Damn Expensive?

Diana Goetsch on How Elena Ferrante and Milan Kundera Helped Her Write a Memoir. Read about the books that informed this trans memoir, which we also reviewed!

Saw This, Thought of You

The Nation’s latest special issue is on body politics, and there are some gems in it, including:

Political Snacks

In the Attacks on Trans Rights, We’re Seeing the Rise of a New Confederacy.

Guess Who’s Targeted in Ron DeSantis’s First Major Policy Address? While he was sure to pick from an array of marginalized folks and communities, he set his beady little weasel eyes on undocumented immigrants this time around.

Also.Also.Also: Queen Latifah Becomes the First Woman Rapper To Be Given Kennedy Center Honors

Feature image of Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols by Mike Marsland/WireImage

This link roundup is being brought to by a repeat of Grey’s Anatomy (the softball episode), a handful of peanut M&Ms, and a can of ginger ale.

Queer as in F*ck You

Kennedy Center Honorees Include Divas of Hip-Hop, Pop and Opera. OK! So! I was excited just to find out that Queen was being honored, but then I found out she’s the first woman rapper to ever be honored??? Eight-year-old Carmen who taught herself the lyrics to “U.N.I.T.Y” from the backseat of her mom’s turquoise blue Ford Focus in the 90s is so justified right now!!! Way to go, kid. You knew what was up. (Also great news for little Carmen, she’s going to grow up to be gay and watch Queen Latifah walk red carpets with Eboni Nichols 🥲🥺)

Are you even serious right now?? The NHL Bans Pride Jerseys Even for Warmup, Pride Nights To Continue

24 Women Share Their First-Time Lesbian Experiences. From Glamour UK, “We asked women who identify as straight, gay, bi, and queer about their first encounters with another woman.”

Lizzo Donates $50,000 to Black & Trans Nonprofit Marsha P. Johnson Institute

Kim Petras Announces Feed the Beast World Tour (And related, from Refinery29, I Want To Take Confidence Lessons From Kim Petras)

I appreciate what’s being asked here: How Can Queer Influencers Share Their Joy Online While Still Protecting Their Peace?

Vanderbilt Turns Over Transgender Patient Records To State in Attorney General Probe

Judge Strikes Down Florida’s Ban on Medicaid Funding for Transgender Treatment

This is not surprising, but nonetheless very hard to read. Mass Shootings, Firebombings, and Death Threats: The Anti-LGBTQ Hate Spike Revealed. “A joint report from GLADD and ADL puts hard numbers behind the rise in hate against America’s queer communities.”

This, too. A New Poll Finds Fewer American Adults Support Same-Sex Relationships. “The dip comes mostly thanks to Republicans.”

Honestly, this entire package from The Cut is pretty great:

Saw This, Thought of You

I love it! Eater and Disability Visibility Present: Low and Slow. “A series on the joys and pleasures of eating, cooking, and sustenance.”

How To Harness The Power Of This Year’s Summer Solstice

For everyone who’s been following that viral missing submarine story online this week, I’m really sorry it’s come to this ending: 5 Aboard Submersible Were Likely Lost in ‘Catastrophic Implosion’

Political Snacks

This very specific to my overlap of nerd interests, but I adored it regardless: The 100 Most Significant Political Films of All Time and tied to that, What Is a “Political Film,” Anyway?

And One More Thing

Hot off the press from the writers’ strike, it appears that Corporate Greed Killed Jenny!

https://twitter.com/bishilarious/status/1672020087451312129?s=46

Also.Also.Also: For Lena Waithe, Queen Latifah’s Cleo Was a “Queer Awakening” (Get in Line)

Hey! How are you today? I’m having one of those days where everything seems to be taking me like three times longer than it should. I’m not really sure why, but nonetheless here we are! If you’re having one of those days like me, I hope you get a popsicle at the end of this.

Queer as in F*ck You

Queen Latifah as Cleo in Set It Off, blowing smoke out of her mouth while dancing with her girlfriend

There have been times when the headline of this column has been something like Kristen Stewart names Neve Campbell as her gay root… and listen, I’m happy for her! But this? This is for me.

Lena Waithe, on Queen Latifah’s Cleo in the Black lesbian classic Set It Off  — “I recognized her, if you get my drift… I was wearing T-shirts and jeans and cornrows. If I’m not a little young lesbian in training, I don’t know what it is. Seeing her, there was something that normalized me.”

This comes to you from the Vulture podcast Into It hosted by Sam Sanders, which dedicates its most recent episode to Pride and “The Movies That Caused Our Queer Awakening” which is 100% exactly the kind of easy listening I look for when I’m cutting up bell peppers to make stir fry for dinner. I highly recommend it to you for these same reasons!

(If you’re curious, Alex Newell lists To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar as one of their core movies, which I’m taking to prove that Black queer people continue to have exceptional taste across the board. If you want to read more about my own lifelong love of Queen Latifah’s Cleo as my gay root, can I recommend the following: “Set It Off” Is a Queer Tribute to Black Women’s Friendship and There’s Something About a Stud With Dimples)

Yesterday was Juneteenth and while this article was actually written last year, let’s be honest it’s a forever mood: My Pride Is Black, My Juneteenth Is Queer by Preston Mitchum for Learning for Justice.

LGBTQ+ Americans Have Stronger Support Than Ever — And Fiercer Backlash. “Since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, Republican state legislators and their allies have pushed an increasing number of measures to restrict the rights of gay and transgender Americans.” Tell us something we don’t know.

A Federal Judge Strikes Down Arkansas Ban on Gender-Affirming Care For Transgender Minors

Estonia Becomes First Central European Country To Allow Same-Sex Marriage

Flags Vandalized at Stonewall National Monument 3 Times During Pride Month

Suspect in Mass Shooting at Colorado Gay Nightclub Is Expected To Take a Plea Deal

Saw This, Thought of You

😅 German Tabloid Bild To Replace Range of Editorial Jobs With AI (Also.Also.Also, Apple Is an AI Company Now)

The TV Writer Seeking Hot Sex While on Strike. Hahhahaaa, well! I promised you updates from the writers’ strike!

This was burning through my group chats yesterday. It’s not a surprise that known abuser Russell Simmons is… exactly who his accusers said he was. But my heart goes out to Kimora Lee and her daughters, especially Aoki. This is such a burden to have to bear. Kimora Lee Simmons Tells Russell Simmons ‘Enough Is Enough’

If you haven’t seen the documentary about Russell Simmons, On the Record, you can find it on Max and it’s really worth your time.

Political Snacks

LET’S FUCKING GO, MITTEN STATE!! 🧤🧤🧤 Why Gretchen Whitmer Has What It Takes for a White House Run

Republicans Aren’t Even Hiding Their War on Young People. “A new GOP budget scheme would force the next generation to work longer and guarantee them an unlivable planet.”

What Running on a Jobs Guarantee Could Mean for Democrats. “Candidates hoping to win in 2024 should look to A. Philip Randolph, who knew an economy stuffed with good jobs would gain a political advantage.” (Black history nerd alert! But I’m a huge fan of A. Philip Randolph and am loving the idea of any political strategy built on his work.)

Also.Also.Also: Queer Target Employees on Just How Scary Pride Month Got

Feature photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

I’m having beer and guacamole for dinner tonight and I cannot wait.

Queer as in F*ck You

‘Things Got Really Scary Really Fast During Pride Month.’ There are three, longform first person testimonies here from queer Target employees about the threats and harassment they’ve faced over the last month and I really hope you read it in full. There’s been a lot of conversations about Target removing their Pride displays, and I think there’s just a lot of nuance here that sometimes we aren’t able to get at in the length of a tweet, you know? On all sides! Which is difficult, I know. But listening to the people most effected at the intersections feels like a really good place to start.

Johns Hopkins Pulls ‘Lesbian’ Definition After Uproar Over Use of ‘Non-Men’ Instead of ‘Women.’ “The university’s online glossary of LGBTQ terms and identities defined the word ‘lesbian’ as a ‘non-man attracted to non-men’ before it was taken down.”

Documents Show How Conservative Doctors Influenced Abortion, Trans Rights. “The American College of Pediatricians gained outsize political influence in recent years, promoting views rejected by the medical establishment as scientific fact.”

113 Vintage Pride Photos That’ll Make You Laugh, Then Cry and 20 Pictures of What Pride Looked Like 30 Years Ago. These are pure joy, and if you love them can I also recommend a similar list that I published about a year ago? 54 Portraits of Lesbians in the ‘80s

Queer-Owned Beauty Brands To Shop During Pride Month

How To Find A Queer Wedding Outfit That Doesn’t Feel Like Straight-Girl Cosplay (There’s some cute stoppable content in here. Though, I’m not sure how I feel about this title? But I’d love to know other people’s thoughts! I think I can’t decide if “straight girl cosplay” sounds too much like femme erasure? Hmmmmm…)

Saw This, Thought of You

“According to a Gallup survey, about 34 percent of Americans now believe that abortion should be legal at any point. In 2019, Gallup found that statistic was 25 percent of Americans. The increase is led by women respondents.” Near Record Numbers of Women Believe Abortion Should Be Legal Under Any Circumstances

For those of you who celebrate Father’s Day, 13 Father’s Day Subscription Gifts That Are Anything But Lazy (Don’t say I never gave you anything)

Extremely relatable content! All the TV I Watched When I Was Chronically Depressed

How Black Women Writers Got It Done. “Claudia Tate’s 1983 collection of interviews is an important look into the trials writers like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou faced on their way to mainstream acceptance.”

Political Snacks

Google Made Millions From Ads for Fake Abortion Clinics

It’ll Take More Than an Indictment to Make Donald Trump Face Justice

Also.Also.Also: “If You a Bad B*tch, You Just a Bad B*tch!” Happy Pride From Megan Thee Stallion

I’m going to be honest with everyone, I’ve been fighting off a cold since Saturday and it’s awful, summer colds suck, and I hope if nothing else that you’re out there fairing a little better than I am at the moment! 💗

Today’s link round up is going to be a little to the point, so I can wrap up for the day and make myself a pot of tea/pass out for the night.

Queer as in F*ck You

“‘It don’t motherfucking matter what nobody else think about you. If you a bad bitch, you just a bad bitch,’ [Meg] said.’You don’t need a title, you don’t need a label.'” Megan Thee Stallion Made a Great Point About Trans Self-Love on Stage at LA Pride. I have a lot of feelings about Megan Thee Stallion hosting a Pride event (including feelings about the amount of outlets who’ve labeled her as an “ally” despite the fact that she’s been open about her queerness for years at this point). But there’s something so beautiful about seeing her in front of a Pride flag, you know? Yes, I’m being extremely corny, I know. But my overwhelming sensation is just… joy? Meg brought out her Middle School classmate, whom Meg defended when he was bullied for being gay when they were both kids. She also told trans fans in the audience to be themselves because a hottie is always motherfucking hottie and that’s the kind of energy I’m taking into the rest of my June.

And speaking of Meg’s LA Pride performance, this?? I mean just!! JUST!!!

Absolutely adored this one: The Fight for Queer Nightlife in an Era of Political Violence

OL Reign’s Jess Fishlock, Tziarra King Use Visibility as Couple to ‘Stand up’ for LGBTQ+ Community

Why Conservatives Are Losing Their Minds Over Biden’s Pride Flag — and Ignoring Pro-DeSantis Neo-Nazis. “Some on the political right see only authoritarian goals in the power of the state.”

Pride Flags Vandalized at Stonewall National Monument

OK LETS HAVE SOME GOOD F*CKING NEWS OKAYYY!??? From Autostraddle writer Stef Rubino (and yes I already got on in pink! Don’t miss your opportunity before they’re gone!)

https://twitter.com/ancillarytext/status/1668339854755917824?s=12&t=in3InjCgVj79vPhykElsFQ

No seriously, these shirts are so cute and this graphic is dope and I love supporting TransSocial. Here’s where you can pre-order yours.

Saw This, Thought of You

Sing it! The Truth Is, Many Americans Just Don’t Want Black People to Get Ahead

“How typical, how American, to focus our collective klieg lights on the infectious, feel-good parts of Tina Turner’s story while turning away from the dark circumstances that haunted her.” Yes I know it’s been three weeks since Tina Turner’s passing, but this writing by Soraya McDonald on not only Ms. Tina, but the ways we’ve grieved her as a country, is exquisite and you should absolutely read it: America Loved Tina Turner. But It Wasn’t Good to Her.

I appreciated this writer’s strike update! How Are Black Women Writers Surviving The WGA Strike? Together by Alanna Bennett for Refinery29.

Political Snacks

Not gonna lie — this one kinda messed with me a bit: The Pandemic’s Gun Surge Offers a Frightening Glimpse of the Future

Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Documents Case, up to the minute updates.

And One More Thing

Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of the Pulse shooting.

Stanley Almodovar III
Amanda L. Alvear
Oscar A. Aracena Montero
Rodolfo Ayala Ayala
Alejandro Barrios Martinez
Martin Benitez Torres
Antonio Davon Brown
Darryl Roman Burt Il
Jonathan A. Camuy Vega
Angel L. Candelario-Padro
Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández
Tuan Chavez Martinez
Luis Daniel Conde
Cory James Connell
Tevin Eugene Crosby
Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez
Deonka Deidra Drayton
Mercedez Marisol Flores
Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz
Juan Ramon Guerrero
Paul Terrell Henry
Frank Hernandez
Miguel Angel Honorato
Javier Jorge Reyes
Jason Benjamin Josaphat
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla
Christopher Andrew Leinonen
Brenda Marquez McCoo
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez
Akyra Monet Murray
Kimberly Jean Morris
Jean Carlos Nieves Rodríguez
Luis Omar Ocasio Capo
Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera
Joel Rayon Paniagua
Enrique L. Rios Jr.

You are with us today. Tomorrow. And always. 🕯

Also.Also.Also: Happy “Age of Pleasure”-Eve, Janelle Monáe Said Titties Out All Summer

Feature images of Janelle Monaé at their Age of Pleasure album listening party by Johnny Nunez/WireImage

I’m bringing you this link round up from a road trip back home after spending the last few days with a lot of people that I love, and who love me. It’s been written on a computer and two different cell phones, depending on what’s been available to me. I’ve been singing Broadway albums for the last five hours and just switched to 90s R&B. My belly is full and satiated with a variety of delicious fried food and sweets. It’s chaos, but also somehow peace? Wishing you the same.

Queer as in F*ck You

Happy Age of Pleasure-Eve to you!! And to me!! Janelle Monáe hosted a variety of pre-album drop listening parties this week and none of them were near me 😭. But they released a track list that includes the likes of Grace Jones (omg) and a track named “Water Slide” — in case you wondered if their vibe is still to just go 100 at all times, the answer to that is yes.

Speaking of which, Janelle also released their infamous Pleasure t-shirt for purchase on their website, you know the one:

Janelle Monae stepping out of the pool in a wet t shirt that says “pleasure

So don’t forget to buy that. And DO NOT FORGET your Janelle Monaé concert tickets for the Age of Pleasure tour, which are on sale now. Special thanks to my bestie, who got ours on pre-sale last week before I even had a chance to ask. And that’s on being chosen family.

OK, my fandroid tendencies out of the way (less than TWELVE HOURS TO GO EEEK). Let’s see what else.

Never has there ever been a better use of this section’s titular F*CK YOU: Pat Robertson, Televangelist Who Blamed Gay People for 9/11 and Hurricanes, Dies. “The conspiratorial hatemonger who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network helped usher Christian-conservatism into the mainstream”

Pride Organizers Scramble to Keep Up With Drag Laws in Florida, Montana and Tennessee. “Some Pride groups are moving drag shows indoors, enforcing new dress codes or scrapping celebrations altogether.”

Outrage as Anti-LGBTQ Protest at California School Board Turns Violent. “Footage from a local television station showed crowds of people shoving, kicking and throwing punches outside a school district building in Glendale, California.” The school was voting to recognize Pride month.

Pride Flag Burned Outside a City Hall in Arizona

(I’m not saying it’s related, buuuuuuuut maybe did you happen to notice that Autostraddle’s Pride theme this year is “Rage Party”?)

There are a lot more serious things to talk about as it relates to Elliot Page’s new memoir Pageboy, and we’ll have a full review from Stef Rubino next week. But until then, let me quickly put on my vapid fluff gossip hat and rundown:

Chase Strangio Is Defending Us on All Fronts. From the author, Katelyn Burns: “What I wanted to know the most is how does he endure this awful political moment as a prominent trans person doing critical work for our community.” I immediately clicked.

Griner Feels Love From Texas, Baylor in Trip Back. “Brittney Griner said it felt great being back in her home state Wednesday night and noted how she was “really, really, really, really, really happy” to see the Baylor women’s team, for whom she starred from 2009 to 2013, in attendance” To quote Natalie: 🥺🥺🥺

Saw This, Thought of You

An Angel in Hell. This reflection on Charisma Carpenter’s Cordelia from Buffy and Angel by Mo Ryan for Roxane Gay’s Audacity newsletter was the finest piece of pop culture criticism I read this week. Give yourself the same treat.

Where and How the Zoot Suit Riots Swept Across L.A.

My Latine Culture Taught Me to Be Selfless. Polyamory Ensures I’m Self-Full

Political Snacks

Here’s How to Prepare to Start Paying Back Your Student Loans When the Pandemic Payment Freeze Ends

Bail Fund alert! Police violence against Cop City protestors in Atlanta continue, and you can help make sure the movement keeps movementing: Atlanta Solidarity Fund

And One More Thing

Also.Also.Also: “I Don’t Even Know What I Was Doing Over There With Them Straights,” Happy Pride Niecy Nash 💕

Feature image of Niecy Nash by by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Happy Pride! 💕 However gay you were planning to be… be gayer.

Queer as in F*ck You

“I don’t even know what I was doing over there with them straights. It wasn’t no fun over there. I’m having the time of my life over here.” — Niecy Nash, a Pride legend

Niecy Nash on Queerness, Marriage and Joy: ‘I’m Having the Time of My Life.’ In my humble opinion, there is no better way to start off June than with a reminder from Niecy Nash Betts to chase your happiness, no matter what anyone else has to say: “If anybody gleans anything from me – even if you don’t like me, even if you think I’m a terrible person and I’m making terrible choices – what I do hope you can latch onto is that I run toward the freedom to do so. And whatever it is you believe in and whatever it is you feel like is right for you, run towards it with reckless abandon.”

How to Stop Neo-Nazis From Crashing Pride Month. “The far right is mobilizing against LGBTQ events. But activists are getting ready as well.”

Global Survey Finds 9% Of Adults Identify as LGBTQ

LGBTQ Flag Burned at California Elementary School Before Pride Event

Hari Nef Gave Her ‘Barbie’ Character a Ridiculously Gay Back Story. “In an interview with Vogue, Nef said she believes that, rather than a little girl, her Barbie, who is canonically a doctor, is owned by ‘a doll collector’ who is a ‘gay man in his 50s who lives in a rent-controlled apartment in the West Village.'”

Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union Celebrate Daughter Zaya’s 16th Birthday. HBD, niece!

Saw This, Thought of You

How to Style a White Tank Top. Listen, sometimes you need basics.

Does The Little Mermaid Pass the Black Princess Test? Obsessed. With. This.

Speaking Spanglish Isn’t An Abomination – It’s A Tool Of Survival

Political Snacks

Here Are the Three “Liberal” Senators Who Helped Republicans Block Biden’s Student Loan Relief. (The list includes Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, so I’d take “liberal” with a grain of salt here, but I’m deeply invested in getting student loan relief, so here we are with an update in regards to that!)

Speaking of which, Joe Biden Won the Debt Ceiling Negotiation but Lost the War and The Debt Ceiling Compromise Is a Missed Opportunity to Raise Taxes on the Wealthy

Uganda Enacts Harsh Anti-LGBTQ Law. “Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, as in more than 30 other African countries, but the new law goes further.” It now includes the death penalty, and I genuinely don’t want to hear any person who is not African’s opinion on that, but I am sending so much love and prayers to the citizens of Uganda.

Also.Also.Also: Forever May Tina Turner Reign

A black and white photo of a young Tina Turner screaming.

Photo by Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

I’ve been playing Miss Tina nonstop today.

Wherever you are and however this finds you — sending you all so much love, 💜.

Saw This, Thought of You

“Tina Turner knew her voice had no limitations. It was a tool of liberation and vibration. A tool to connect with the divine. And Turner used her voice to get free.”

That comes to you from: Tina Turner Brought Rock & Roll Back Home To Black Women by Taylor Crumpton for Refinery29, which has been my favorite obituary to read since Tina Turner’s passing. I haven’t found the words yet for the profound sadness I have felt about the rocket to the sun that was Tina Turner leaving this earth, but whew does Taylor come close.

42 Moments When Tina Turner Defined Fashion

Tina Turner: Rock ‘n Roll’s Greatest Showman Was Always a Woman

We, Tina. This is from the Black queer podcast Still Processing from 2021, during the debut of Tina Turner’s HBO documentary Tina (which you should all watch). They rereleased it yesterday.

Queer as in F*ck You

In the Barbie movie, Kate McKinnon offers Margot Robbie's Barbie a choice between a high heel and a Birkenstock.

Ok technically — technically!! — this isn’t gay. But I want you to look me straight in the eye and tell me that Kate McKinnon offering Margot Robbie’s Barbie the red pill/blue pill choice between her Barbie Heels (symbolizing Barbieland) and BIRKENSTOCKS (symbolizing, reality) and tell me that shit isn’t gay. This movie is about to be my Tár and I’m so sorry for everyone that’s going to have to put up with me this summer. New Barbie Trailer just dropped.

With Help From Brandi Carlile and Shane McAnally, Queer Pioneer Brandy Clark Looks Beyond Nashville

Target Removes Some Pride Month Products After Facing Threats. “Target will pull some of its LGBTQ+ merchandise from its Pride Month collection after facing backlash that threatened the safety of its workers, the company said.”

“Trans kids are kids—and they deserve to be able to dress up and dance. And a few of them came to Washington, D.C. Monday to do that, and make a statement in the process.” Trans Prom Is the Reminder This Country Needs (my god, how I love this.)

My Years Behind the Curtain. “Starting a modeling career in America meant hiding I was trans.” — Geena Rocero for The Cut.

Kane C. Andrade’s Empowering Portraits of Trans Men

Google Searches Questioning Sexuality and Gender up 1,300% Since 2004, Analysis Shows. We love to see it!

A poster explaining the upcoming panel for "Telling Our Stories: A Panel on Queer Visibility and Authorship" with panelists Cameron Esposito, Chris Colfer, and Alexandra Billings. Hosted by Sa'iyda Shabazz.

And this is amazing news from our very own Sa’iyda Shabazz — she will be moderating a virtual panel for Pride on queer visibility and authorship. Panelists are star-studded, including Chris Colfer, Cameron Esposito, and Alexandra Billings and the whole shebang is being hosted by Pride and Less Prejudice, which sends queer and trans-inclusive books to classrooms from pre-K to 3rd grade. This is just great all around and you can register here.

Political Snacks

GOP Lawmaker Complains That Biden Isn’t Picking Enough Straight, White Male Judges

Ron DeSantis, A Strongman Who Isn’t Dumb. “For all its errors, DeSantis’s plan to out-Trump Trump can still work.” The prospect of Ron DeSantis becoming president terrifies me, I don’t care how bungled the start of his campaign has been.

One Final Thing

George Floyd & The Enduring Disregard For Black Humanity

Also.Also.Also: Elliot Page’s First Time Seeing His Memoir Is a Bright Light in a Dark World

Feature image of Elliot Page unboxing his new memoir Pageboy via Page on Instagram.

Whew!! It’s been a long day! I’m so glad to be ending it with you.

Queer as in F*ck You

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A post shared by @elliotpage

This is extremely cute! Elliot Page Cannot Hide His Joy While Unboxing New Memoir Pageboy. Pageboy comes out June 6th and I don’t know if there has ever been a better reason to buy it then watching Elliot Page nervously smile and then tear up at the camera right now. Sometimes it really is the small things in the world.

I know I have a sort of weird job where I collect the worst stories on the internet and put them here for you to read, but seriously this is important don’t look away — Texas Legislature Bans Transgender Medical Care for Children

And speaking of don’t look away, DeSantis Signs ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Expansion and Gender-Affirming Care Ban. “The new Florida measures will expand what critics call the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law through eighth grade and restrict transition-related care for minors.”

ENERGY!!! Penguin Random House and Florida Parents Sue School District Over Book Bans, “The publishing house, five of its authors, parents and an advocacy group allege that removing the books discussing race and LGBTQ people violates the First Amendment.”

Hate thissss — Dodgers Side With Religious Right, Kick Drag Group Out of Pride Night, but on the other hand at least there is also: San Francisco to Name First-In-Nation Drag Laureate

Saw This, Thought of You

TV Isn’t About to Get Worse. It Already Is. “The problems that Hollywood’s writers are protesting can be seen on our screens.”

And speaking of the writers strike! This quote is from Black queer television writer Kyra Jones:

Here’s the whole report, Black WGA Strikers Say They’ve Helped Streamers Boost Diversity — And Wound up Worse Off

The Rise of Sex Negative Feminism Among Young Black Women (this is a well done piece! but the rise of “sex negative feminism” itself, especially among young Black women, has left me feeling very 😞)

“Across US island territories, women are forming connections with one another and working to ensure that their communities can be resilient in the face of climate change and future pandemics.” Meet the Women Working to Grow Local Food Systems on U.S. Island Territories

Your Guide to Taurus Season. “It’s the best time of the year to be lazy and sexy!” OK, you have my attention.

Political Snacks

“A train full of people who would rather look away, in a city whose leaders already did, saw Neely’s plea for help as an attack — and Daniel Penny’s deadly chokehold as necessary to preserve the comfort they see as their birthright.” The Cost of White Discomfort by the always brilliant Brittany Packnett Cunningham for The Cut.

Also.Also.Also: Lily-Rose Depp Confirms Relationship With 070 Shake in “4-Month Anniversary” Instagram Post, That’s Gay

Today, thanks to my work colleagues here at Team Autostraddle (specifically Laneia and Kayla, if you like following along at home) I discovered an alcoholic beverage called “Ranch Water” and I will not know peace until I have tasted it for myself.

Queer as in F*ck You

Lily-Rose Depp and 070 Shake are dating. In these photos, Depp is sitting down and smiling with her hands up in the air, and 070 Shake is performing at a concert.

Lily-Rose Depp Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images, O70 Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

Lily-Rose Depp Confirms Relationship with Rapper 070 Shake. Lily-Rose publicly launched their relationship by making out with 070 Shake on Instagram and writing “4 MONTHS W MY CRUSH” over it.

I primarily know 070 Shake as Kehlani’s ex, but I did enjoy their last album. I could not tell you a single thing about Lily-Rose Depp other than I covered her at the 2021 Met Gala, so based on what I wrote back then… it’s possible she enjoys the color pink and hugs?? Basically what I am saying is that I know nothing about these two attractive 20somethings as a couple, but I do know that being gay in your 20s can be a lot of fun if you let it, especially for celebrities in that messy tabloid way. I sincerely wish them all the best. Because sure why not?

Speaking of which! This leads us to a genuinely funny piece by Emma Specter for Vogue — I Want What They Have: Lily-Rose Depp and 070 Shake. It includes great lines such as this: “Newsflash to all the other once-closeted queers out there who didn’t get to openly lust after the prom queen in high school: Approaching your relationship like a teenager is fun! It’s fun to hit the four-month mark and memorialize it on Instagram! It’s fun to refer to your partner as your ‘crush’! It’s fun to make out publicly like nobody is watching, even when the whole world is!” Correct.

Over 40% Of Italy’s LGBTQ Workers Say Careers Have Been Hit by Discrimination

Beijing LGBT Center Shuttered as Crackdown Grows in China

And now I present a series of links that, upon reading them in quick succession, all I could do is think WTF!?! What have we allowed to happen!!!

Wanna bet all of the above is also linked to this? Threats Against the LGBTQIA+ Community Intensifying, from the Department of Homeland Security.

I just learned about this new podcast Sounds Gay, which explores how queer people have impacted, and been impacted by in return, music culture. There’s an upcoming episode interrogating the (often, white) idea of “safe spaces” as it relates to New York’s lesbian battle rap scene and I cannot wait for it to dro[. You can listen to the trailer/subscribe — I don’t often personally recommend podcasts, so you know that I mean it!

Saw This, Thought of You

Sunday was Mother’s Day, but I wasn’t reminded of this link in time for the last week’s news roundup — even though giving to the Black Mamas Bail Out is something I do every year. And yes, if you give to the bail fund now, it’s true you wouldn’t have “bailed out a Black mom in time for Mother’s Day” but you still would be bailing out a Black mom who needs help navigating this country’s corrupt ass prison industrial complex, and that’s a gift that will mean something to her and her family 365 days a year. So please make an offering if you’re able.

This is exceptional and it’s your must read of the day: How The Media Made A Villain Out Of Jordan Neely

On Not Feeling “American Enough”: The Mental Impact of Cross-Cultural Adoption, it’s going to leave people with a lot of feelings, I suspect.

How Climate Change Has Shaped Life on Earth for Millennia

I don’t understand how more people aren’t worried about Chatbots and generative AI. When even the people who stand to make billions are saying “these robots could use some regulation”… I dunno, I just think we should listen? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says He Wants Regulation for ChatGPT

Can You Spot A Toxic Boss In The Recruitment Process?

Political Snacks

The Clarence Thomas Ethics Scandal for Dummies. “Let’s go back to middle-school civics class.” I found this very helpful!

Also.Also.Also: Hear Me Out, What if Stardew Valley but Also With a Serial Killer Whodunit?

Janelle Monáe has still fully broken my brain, so we’re going to do tonight’s news roundup quick and dirty.

An ice cream sundae falls into the mouth of a dancer in Janelle Monáe's new music video.

Saw This, Thought of You

This Cozy Farm Sim Is ‘Akin to Stardew Valley’ Except You Never Know Which of the Locals Is Secretly a Serial Killer. Grave Seasons is currently in development by indie studio Perfect Garbage and listen — I have never played Stardew a day in my life, I don’t even really go here, so I fully respect if you take my excitement here with a grain of salt. However. HOWEVERRR. The headline of this article alone made me rethink all of my “video games are not for me” life choices. I mean who wouldn’t want to play this!?!? Stardew Valley + meets the plot of Bodies Bodies Bodies! Did you hear me? Starwdew Valley, but playing Assassin!!!!! WHO WOULDNT WANT THAT!

I just loved this so, so much (it’s also an outstanding scrolling experience). Why Are There So Many Asian American Women Named Connie?

Immigration Cost Me My Inner Child

I have legit have not stopped thinking about this in two days. MLK’s Famous Criticism of Malcolm X Was a ‘Fraud,’ Author Finds

Latine Teen Shows Keep Getting Canceled & It’s Hurting Young People. Thanks, I hate it!

I clicked this with one hand while the other covered my eyes because I spent an ungodly amount of money on Beyoncé tickets and I will not have it spoiled. That’s true service journalism: A Guide to Watching the ‘Renaissance’ Tour From Your Couch

Queer as in F*ck You

F.D.A. Ends Ban on Blood Donations From Gay and Bisexual Men

Elliot Page Recalls Past Feelings of Dysphoria and ‘Joy’ He Now Feels in His Body. Get ready for Elliot’s memoir Pageboy, it comes out next month!

Transgender Youths Sue Over Montana Gender-Affirming Care Ban. Definitely makes me want to also bring this back: Lawmaker Zooey Zephyr Proposes to Girlfriend at Queer Prom, Calls It “A Love That Feels Like Home” 🥲

Political Snacks

George Santos Surrenders to Federal Law Enforcement to Face Fraud, Money Laundering and Additional Charges

Daniel Penny Is Reportedly Expected to Be Charged in Jordan Neely’s Killing and Surrender as Early as Friday

Also.Also.Also: The MILF Aesthetic Is Deservedly Getting a Museum Treatment for Its Queer Icon Status

Should I reheat this leftover pizza for dinner? You tell me.

Queer as in F*ck You

Feels right to me: Thnk1994’s MILF Museum Exalts the MILF Aesthetic to Queer Icon Status. “The archetype of the MILF is obviously so coded as female, but I feel like it also transcends into a queer icon. Because it’s such a heightened sort of performance of gender in a way.”

That quote is from Molly Wurwand and this had to be the most interesting, unexpected feature I read today. Full of surprises and thoughtfulness, I couldn’t look away. Come for an academic-level historical study of the MILF aesthetic and Los Angeles, stay for the art.

Speaking of which, this made me so happy! Da Brat and Her Baby-to-Be Perform at Lovers & Friends Music Festival, “Da Brat played her set at Lovers & Friends Festival on Saturday with her baby bump on full display — nearly three months after announcing her pregnancy with wife Jesseca ‘Judy’ Harris-Dupart”

Andrea Long Chu Wins Pulitzer Prize for Criticism

Cycling’s Governing Body Defends Trans Cyclist Righteous Victory in Women’s Race. “Cycling governing body UCI has defended its transgender policy after Austin Killips won a women’s tournament on Sunday.”

Indiana High School Students Will Mount Independent Production of Marian After Anti-LGBTQ Motivated Cancellation, “The school was slated to perform the Adam Szymkowicz-penned play until parent outrage over gay and non-binary characters forced a cancellation.”

TikTok Tracked Users Who Watched LGBTQ+ Videos, New Report Finds. “Former employees raised concerns about how the data might be used.”

As A Black Trans Girl, My Natural Hair Journey Led To A Rebirth. Loved this.

Saw This, Thought of You

Why I’m Making Ethical Porn For Black Women. LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!

Political Snacks

“The right’s habit of creating repetitive litanies of its many enemies—Black people, queer people, trans people, and more—points to an opportunity: namely, a constituency that could actually be as broad as these reactionaries imagine and fearmonger over.” Republicans’ Anti-Trans Assault Has an Achilles Heel

And just making sure you didn’t miss this! Trump Found Liable for Sexual Abuse of E. Jean Carroll, Ordered to Pay $5M

Also.Also.Also: Jordan Neely Deserved So Much More Than What We Gave Him

Feature photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

I.. I don’t even have the words today. But I hope everyone is taking care of themselves out there.

Political Snacks

I want to start off by saying that this news isn’t actually “political” because it is not political to say that people should not be able to murder another human being, in broad daylight, on film, and still be walking around like it didn’t happen. And it’s not political to say that Black people — especially when they are poor, unhoused, and in need of mental health care — are systematically let down by the supposed “social net” that’s their right to have. That they are also often criminalized in their own death as opposed to their actual, literal murder. None of those things are political statements.

But I do want to wish love and peace Jordan Neely, who deserved so much more than what we gave him. I want to wish that same love and peace to everyone who knew Jordan, who is mourning him. And to all of us Black people who are trying to survive this day-by-day.

Subway Rider Choked Homeless Man to Death, Medical Examiner Rules. “Jordan Neely died after a man held him in a chokehold. On Wednesday, the medical examiner’s office said the cause of death was compression of the neck, and ruled it a homicide.”

‘I Was Always in Awe Seeing Him Dance.’ “Jordan Neely, as remembered by his Michael Jackson ‘fanmily.'”

Making People Uncomfortable Can Now Get You Killed by Roxane Gay for the NYT.

Jordan Neely Just Needed Some Help. “You only get the one life. I keep thinking about that.” This one is my must read.

Queer as in F*ck You

How Gen Z Changed Its Views On Gender

How Your Favorite Queer Creators Use Fashion and Beauty to Tell the World Who They Are. “From Orville Peck to Sugar and Spice, these trailblazers are modeling—for the LGBTQ community and beyond—what it means to be wholly, authentically, genuinely yourself. And also hot as hell.”

Let’s check in on Florida:

And now we will check in on Montana and Rep. Zooey Zephyr:

I love this news, personally! Chicago Is About To Have The Gayest City Council In The Country

Piece by Piece: How I Found a Wedding-Guest Outfit to Reflect My Gender (also loved this)

Saw This, Thought of You

“Cop City is the Atlanta ruling class’ chosen solution to a set of interrelated crises produced by decades of organized abandonment in the city.” This is the Atlanta Way: A Primer on Cop City (I’ve been really wanting to get a piece on the queer activists behind the Cop city protests on our site, but until I make that dream a reality this excellent primer from Scalawag will do)

Wholesome content! Meet the Painter Behind the Iconic Covers for ‘the Baby-Sitters Club’

We already started our coverage of the WGA Writers Strike this week, but here’s more from Brittani Nichols, who you might know as Autostraddle alum and friend-of-the-website, and also as a writer on Abbott Elementary, but you may not know is also a WGA Captain!! Great person to learn from imo: Abbott Elementary’s Brittani Nichols Decries “Gig Economy” in Streaming Era (we also included this in yesterday’s Pop Culture Fix, which is how you know we think it’s important!

Twitter Really Is Worse Than Ever. “Under Elon Musk, hate speech has surged and propaganda accounts have thrived.”

Jonah Peretti Has Regrets About BuzzFeed News. “The site’s founder and C.E.O. valued fun and experimentation on the Internet, but never found a way to make ‘free journalism purpose-built for social media’ profitable.”

Also.Also.Also: Brittney Griner’s First Press Conference Will Leave You in Laughter, Tears, All the Emotions Really

Photo of Brittney Griner, in her first press conference since returning to the United States, by Christian Petersen/Getty Image

I went outside for a long walk today in the sun and it was magic. Sometimes it really is just the little things, you know? (I got a pineapple, mango smoothie. I’m sure that also helped.

Queer as in F*ck You

Today, with a matter of days before WNBA training camp starts for the new season, Brittney Griner gave her first press conference since returning home after being wrongfully detained in Russa for 294 days. If you’re anything like me, you perhaps teared up the minute she hit the mic and smiled. But I hope you powered through, because this entire press conference is absolutely worth watching. It’s about 30 minutes long and I promise will be the best thing you saw today.

Watching Brittney’s composure, her humor, her genuine gratitude and thoughtfulness? It’s so much. Quite nearly too much. I’m probably going to be holding my breath for her continued safety this entire WNBA season, but I’m so glad she is home and after watching this I am so confident that she is healthy, whole, and ready for anything that she will face. Kudos to her support team in every way.

There have been a few quotes from the press conference circling online, most notably that BG announced she would not return to play oversees ever again (unless it was to represent the United States on the Olympic team, a detail that caused a second round of tears from me); that she survived in Russia by grinding it out day by day and “just keep going and moving forward” — all skills she learned during hard basketball practices; and she also spoke out in support of trans athletes facing anti-trans bans nationwide (“everyone deserves the right to play”). If you’re a sports gay specifically, you will laugh when she calls her longtime teammate and friend, Diana Taurasi, a fossil. If you are me, you will swoon when she talks about her wife, Cherelle.

Speaking of which, this is not the point at all, but if you follow BG or Cherelle Griner on Instagram, then you know that they’ve been HIGH KEY cute and casual this week with each other — including, at one point, Cherelle making fun of BG for waking her up so early (7:30!!) and BG responding with “”I have to deal with your cold feet you deal with this 😂” — I am so happy for their happiness, that they have some semblance of their life back together. It’s really hard for me not to get emotional. Anyway! On to other news!

Dwyane Wade discussed in a recent interview that one of the reasons he decided to leave Florida after retiring from the Miami Heat was to protect Zaya: Dwyane Wade Says He Left Florida Because He Feels His Family “Would Not Be Accepted” There

Arrest Made in Killing of Koko Da Doll in Atlanta. We talked about this in Tuesday’s link roundup, but as a reminder, Koko was a trans woman featured in this year’s Sundance Award-Winning documentary “Kokomo City.”

I’ve been sick over this. Montana Republicans Vote To Censure The State’s Only Transgender Woman Membe

This won’t be by any means a “new” revelation, but something that I think about a lot is that anti-trans bathroom bills are about legislating trans people out of public lives entirely — again that is not a new thought to have, trans leaders have been saying it for years. But I am repeating it now because… if you legally cannot access bathrooms in a dorm, you cannot go to college. “North Dakota’s governor signed a bill that limits transgender and gender-nonconforming people’s access to bathrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms in several state facilities, including dorms controlled by the state board of higher education.” North Dakota Limits Bathroom Use for Transgender People

In slightly better news, Judge Puts Missouri Rule Limiting Gender-Affirming Care on Hold. “The rule, which was set to take effect today, places requirements on minors and adults before they could receive treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormones.”

And U.S. Sues Tennessee Over Ban on Care for Transgender Youths. “The Justice Department said the law violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause by discriminating on the basis of both sex and transgender status.”

Saw This, Thought of You

I am sorry the internet is like this. How to Prepare and Eat The Little Mermaid Cast.

Women’s Basketball Is Raking in More Cash Than Ever, But the Players Aren’t. “WNBA base salaries as a share of revenue have shrunk, despite the league’s rapid growth.”

I’m seeing this movie this weekend, come hell or high water, and I cannot wait! ‘Are You There God, Its Me Margaret’ Was Banned From Libraries. Now She’s Headed to the Movies.

I believe this! Yep, Sobriety Is Good for Your Skin

Political Snacks

If you’re not someone who closely follows every Senate vote (and that is completely relatable), Sen. Dianne Feinstein has not returned to the Senate votes since getting sick in late February with the shingles virus, and to date has missed 77.6% of the votes in the 2023-24 Congress, the most of any other senator (if you were curious, she was the 2nd most absent member of the 2021-2022 Senate as well). This has held up judicial nominees, cabinet nominees, and the ability to pass legislation.

Ok that background information is necessary because what I want to talk about is this: Is It Sexist to Want Dianne Feinstein to Retire? — which I’m also going to pair with Yes, We’d Still Say Dianne Feinstein Should Resign If She Were a Man and my favorite piece about Sen. Feinstein, from Rebecca Traister last year: The Institutionalist (be warned that last one is a long read, but so worth it!)

Also.Also.Also: “I Never Felt Straight Enough; I Never Felt Gay Enough” Says Keke Palmer, That’s Relatable

Feature Image of Keke Palmer by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

Happy Lesbian Visibility Week to all my lesbians out there, I don’t know a better group of people. ❤️🧡🤍💜💗

Queer as in F*ck You

“I’ve always been my own person, and sexuality and identity, for me, it’s always been confusion. I never felt straight enough; I never felt gay enough; I never felt woman enough; I never felt man enough. I always felt like I was a little bit of everything.”

Usually one of my favorite things about getting to write about Keke Palmer in a link round up is when people leave comments going “omg I didn’t know Keke Palmer was queer!” — which is going to feel ironic right at this moment. Because last weekend, while being honored at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala, the famous funny girl got deeply serious while talking about judgements and assumptions people have made about her sexuality and gender.

I think quite possibly every single bisexual person I’ve known — especially (though not only!) those with cis male partners, like Palmer — has expressed something similar to me in my lifetime. Hell, I think almost all of us have felt the pang, the echo of “still not queer enough, still not enough.”  Keke Palmer Says Sexuality and Identity Have “Always Been Confusion” For Her: “I Always Felt Like I Was a Little Bit of Everything”

Two Artists on the Sacred Sisterhood of Trans Women. “Tourmaline and Xoài Phạm talk about time travel, the importance of pleasure and how the young can mentor, too.” Yes as in Autostraddle former Trans Subject Editor Xoài Phạm!!!

Bud Light Marketing Exec Behind Dylan Mulvaney Campaign Takes ‘Leave of Absence.’ Well, that sucks.

These are your instructions. Read this excerpt from Tre’vell Anderson’s new book We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film and then pre-order a copy of Tre’vell Anderson’s new book We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film. In that order! Trans Resilience Shining Through a Glass Darkly

This broke my heart. Sending the family of Rasheeda Williams so, so much love. Trans Woman Featured In Hit Sundance Documentary ‘Kokomo City’ Shot And Killed In Atlanta

Saw This, Thought of You

Gun Violence Is Actually Worse in Red States. It’s Not Even Close.

Sorry, Sluts: It’s Still a Crime for Unmarried Couples to Live Together in Michigan. I share a lot of happy news about my home state! We were due a little roasting, for a balance.

I’m including this for no other reason than it made me laugh over the weekend, and I have not stopped laughing since: A Thread of Which Yellowjackets Are the Best to Get High With and Why

Political Snacks

“Biden is using executive power to allow hundreds of thousands into the U.S. on humanitarian parole programs. It could become the largest expansion of legal immigration in decades, and many employers are ecstatic.” Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration

Also, in case you missed it. He’s officially running again: Biden Announces 2024 Reelection Bid

And One More Thing

I don’t know how else to say this but ugh… for Lesbian Visibility Week, they invited Jennifer Beals to the White House??

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (2nd R) embraces actress Leisha Hailey (R) as the creator of the show "The L Word", Ilene Chaiken, (C) delivers remarks during the daily briefing at the White House with other members of the show's cast April 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. The cast of the show appeared at the briefing to mark Lesbian Visibility Week. Also pictured (L-R) are actresses Jennifer Beals, and Katherine Moennig.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Karine Jean-Pierre Hosts The L Word Cast & Creator at White House Press Briefing. Jean-Pierre, the first lesbian press secretary, hosted Ilene Chaiken, Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig, and Leisha Hailey at Tuesday’s briefing. Make of that what you will. You can watch the whole thing here.

Also.Also.Also: If You’re Not High Yet, You Should Read These Links

Thursday!!! Now how did that happen?

Saw This, Thought of You

🌱 🌱💨
Happy 420!

Long COVID Is Being Erased—Again, I read this because Heather recommended it and I couldn’t feel better about that decision. You should read it, too.

As someone who wears a lot of nail polish and also has had a lot of nail polish inside of me (we’re all grown here), I think about this a lot: How Worried Should I Be About Toxins in Nail Polish?

That part. Abbott Elementary Lets Black Kids Be Kids.

I’ve been really sitting with this, it’s hard to fully wrap my head around but The Internet of the 2010s Ended Today. “BuzzFeed News was more than a website: It defined an era.”

Queer as in F*ck You

Here’s the First Look at Jinkx Monsoon’s Character on Doctor Who

Florida Board of Education Approves ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Expansion. “The change would ban lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-12.”

Speaking of which, DeSantis-Appointed Disney Board Outlines Aggressive Changes

I know a lot of people on Twitter are bemoaning (and/or clowning) the removal of Blue checkmarks today, but let’s not take our eye off of the ball: Twitter Quietly Changes Its Hateful Conduct Policy to Remove Standing Protections for Its Transgender Users

Political Snacks

The Supreme Court (Temporarily) Blocks Abortion-Pill Restrictions

And also, The New Pro-life Movement Has a Plan to End Abortion. Same story. Just another Thursday.

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