I’m sorry today’s link roundup is arriving a little late! I got caught up making Bernie memes. You understand.
Queer as in F*ck You
This is such an excellent (just truly.. excellent!) piece about young trans men in sports by Britni de la Cretaz, whom you’ll remember from when they wrote our WNBA column last fall. What About the Trans Athletes Who Compete — And Win — in Boys Sports?
Today we found that Autostraddle is up for “Best Media Outlet” in the Lesflicks Film Awards! If you’re so inclined to vote for us, you can do so right now! (ALSO: You should check out LesFlicks, which is a Video OnDemand platform with a serious database and dedication to lesbian, bisexual, and wlw films and shorts!)
And Javicia Leslie (I’m sorry y’all, we still have a lot of Batwoman fever around these parts!) will be on A Little Late With Lilly Singh. To quote Heather Hogan, “look at these bisexuals!”
Tonight on @latewithlilly!!! @nbc @Lilly @CWBatwoman pic.twitter.com/b7warCoGuC
— Javicia Leslie (@JaviciaLeslie) January 22, 2021
Saw This, Thought of You
Instacart is firing every currently employeed employee who voted to unionize last year, as part of a large round of layoffs.
Amanda Gorman had been struggling to write that poem that shook so many people yesterday at the Inauguration. Then came the assault on the Capitol, and then she had so much to say.
How Can I Afford the Therapy I Need? You shouldn’t have to choose between your mental health and your financial future.
Helen Keller Conspiracy Theories Are Awash With Ableism
Political Snacks
Trump’s “1776 Report” Would Be Funny if It Weren’t So Dangerous. The right’s fervid belief in American historical innocence won’t disappear with the new administration. (I’ll use this and any opportunity to plug Nikole Hannah Jones‘ brilliant 1619 Project, which changed so much about how I think about writing, journalism, telling Black stories, everything.)
And OK… I recognize — I really do! — that this is a pretty saccharine note to end on, but if you can’t be ridiculously corny exactly one (1) day after the Inauguration and watching a white supremacist dictator leave the White House, I’m not sure when else you can. So here is over 35 Broadway performers performing a mash up of “Seasons of Love” from Rent and “Let the Sun Shine” from Hair.
Please notice in the group — which includes some of the OG casts of Rent and Hamilton, Chita Rivera, BD Wong, and Ali Stroker — is Peppermint, whom I’m pretty sure just became the first Black trans performer to perform at the Inauguration of a President.
Miley’s comments were really cissexist & banal. Wish the roundup would have given us a headsup about that.
I agree! As soon as it was brought to my attention on social media, I took the article out of the link roundup, and deleted and scrubbed everything. I sincerely apologize for hurt caused by sharing it without reading closer.
We have an internal sharing system for the links that end up in our roundups, but the ultimate vetting lands on me. I should have read closer. Sometimes things do slip through, but I will try my hardest not to do this one again. Again, my apologies.
Much appreciated, Carmen! Thank you for your response
Thank you.
Carmen, how did you know that i like my saccharine digital and i like it hot? Chandra Wilson, great gumballs!!!
Amanda Gorman’s poem was the only part of the inauguration I watched. She managed to say everything that needed to be said, in a way that touched everyone’s hearts, all around the world.
Everything a politician says, no matter how progressive it sounds, is tainted with equivocation for the sake of votes. But the clear, ringing truth that lies under all of our discord – that is what gifted poets can bring us. If there is a better current example of why we NEED the magic of poetry and other arts, I cannot think of it.
i was nodding my head reading your comment. worth it to note that politicians in the u.s. do equivocate for votes, but once they are elected i think it’s more so for cash. money has largely removed regular people from government here, and then the lack of standards for news media means they can outright lie and their target constituency won’t know it.
i have a hard time seeing people gathering these days, so i also skipped watching. but my mom said Ms. Gorman’s piece was amazing so i looked it up, and was totally unprepared.
also, Chandra, you mentioned your mom this week, i hope she’s doing well. sending best thoughts.
Oh yes, for sure. It’s the same here in Canada, though on a smaller scale, but still it sometimes feels inevitable that even the most left-leaning parties will start to drift further right as they gain more votes and then more attention from corporate donors and lobbyists.
My mom is doing ok, thank you so much for asking. They’re still not really sure what’s wrong with her (some kind of heart condition) but she’s home again and taking medication that seems to be helping.
Loved that Britni de la Cretaz article on trans athletes in boys’ sports!
if you’re like me and have listened to one million hours of cast recordings and retained zero actors’ names, never fear! the youtube video description lists the performers with the first line they sing.
also also also (get it) chandra wilson should probably have a long illustrious broadway career when (if?) grey’s anatomy ends