Ellen!
+ This Friday, Ellen will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “The Puppy Episode” on her daytime talk show, Ellen. Laura Dern and Oprah Winfrey, as well as Ellen cast members Joely Fisher, Clea Lewis and David Anthony Higgins, will appear to discuss the groundbreaking coming out episode that changed the world and temporarily ruined Ellen’s life. Personally I’m stoked about Clea Lewis and Joely Fisher ’cause I was a huge Ellen fan and I’m a sucker for cast reunions.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Today is the day the The Handmaid’s Tale debuts on Hulu! I wrote an essay about it on Monday that I hope you read or plan to read after watching the show, and Dorothy Snarker’s review of the first three episodes is up on Autostraddle now. Here are some other things you can read about it:
- ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe
- Making dystopia diverse: How Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ updates the classic
- On The Handmaid’s Tale, Bernie Sanders, And Feminism
- We Live in the Reproductive Dystopia of “The Handmaid’s Tale“
- Samira Wiley on ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ and Margaret Atwood’s NSFW Instagram comments
- Must-See LGBTQ TV: Don’t miss the premieres of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘Dear White People”
Furthermore:
+ Ellen Page Examines What Trump Means For The LGBTQ Community | The Huffington Post — On April 30th, Vice will debut a special episode of Gaycation, “GAYCATION: UNITED WE STAND,” that takes a look at what President Donald Trump’s administration means for the LGBTQ community.
+ Kristen Stewart, who is probably the most commercially successful publicly out gay actress of all time, has managed to get away with being SO queer in every role she plays, even the straight ones!
You can’t make a film starring Kristen Stewart without acknowledging her ur-hero presence as the current Queen of Queer. That is not to say that Stewart exemplifies what queerness is or must be for all time, or even for a single generation, but that you can’t look at a single movie or TV show she works in without acknowledging the frisson, nay, the geyser, of queerness she brings to the screen. It’s in the jawline, the twitch, the allergy to smiling for heteropatriarchy. That’s so even when the storyline doesn’t have Kristen Stewart kissing a girl.
+ I haven’t been watching Feud, partially ’cause I’m annoyed he didn’t choose to feature any of the numerous lesbian and bisexual female scandals that fascinate and intrigue me to unhealthy degrees. I remain irked by this situation, but good news for gay men: Ryan Murphy Says the Third ‘Feud’ Will Be Gay. Who Should It Involve?
+ TV’s ‘Orange Is the New Black’ honors slain character: “To see an African-American woman on the wall in Detroit, blown up huge, with the words ‘Stand Up’ — it’s just so empowering and that’s what I wanted everyone to feel when they see the mural.”
+ This is about a gay male show, but the idea of gay respectability politics is interesting to consider for our own community, too: We Get It Already: You’re All Much Better Gays Than the Guys on that Fire Island Reality Show
+ 9 Badass Female LGBTQ Characters on Current Superhero TV Shows
+ Here’s a roundtable with The Pretty Little Liars Cast about stuff and all that.
+ Paul Verhoeven directing movie about lesbian nun, Blessed Virgin
+ Susan Sarandon Debates Gender Identity & Sexuality in Exclusive ‘3 Generations’ Clip (“3 Generations” was previously known as “About Ray“) (warning: Out Magazine has a lot of auto-play videos on his home page! Aren’t you glad we don’t? You should join A+!)
+ Hey, you should go see Julie Goldman do a benefit for the Los Angeles LGBT Center:
That was such an effortless plug, kudos
I didn’t watch Feud for the same reason and I was also a huge Ellen-the-sitcom fan. Are we the same person?
My Ellen-coming-out story:
I saw The Puppy Episode at some point, but I don’t think I saw it when it originally aired. But what I do remember is the Time magazine cover that went along with it, with a photo of Ellen and the headline, “Yep, I’m Gay”. Thirteen-year-old me had gone over to my best friend’s house and I picked up their mail on my way in. Right on top was a freshly delivered subscription copy of that issue. I saw it panicked, and acted totally totally normal as I handed the mail over to my friend’s mom and then moved as far away as possible. You know, just a normal reaction to a magazine cover. That has nothing to do with you. Nothing whatsoever.
Ellen’s Puppy episode is 20 years old, A League of Their Own is having its 25th anniversary, Romy and Michele are also at 20 years…seriously I cannot be that old to remember when these things 1st came out.
I fundamentally feel like I shouldn’t be old enough for The Puppy Episode to be turning TWENTY!!
( I mean, if I pause and do the math, I know that I am indeed old enough and this is indeed happening. But still! Time, man! It messes with you!)
Oh wow, I just realized that one of the Poussey murals is relatively close to me.
So excited to stop by and “pay my respects”, if you will.
Listening to Ellen talking about how much of a big deal it was to come out 20 years ago gave 27 year old baby gay me a reality check.
But every time I’m at a protest or a demonstration (like yesterday I went to one for Lesbian Visibility Day) I think about all those who came before me and fought and faced adversity so that I can be out. And I will continue to fight for equality for all those who come after me.
However unlike Ellen, I do say “I’m gay” literally all the time hahaha!
Laura Dern is sunshine personified.
I really, really, REALLY shouldn’t be surprised about Bernie Sanders throwing women at large under the bus, as he’s tossed people of color and LGBTQ people there already….but man, I find it depressing.
Yup, this