“Strange World” Features Disney’s Millionth First Gay Character – www.autostraddle.com
I hope today is the last day you have to work this week, but if it’s not, I hope you take this nose boop from my cat Socks and carry it in your heart for good luck anyway. Here’s your last Pop Culture Fix before the holigay movies arrive!
+ Disney’s new animated film, Strange World, hits theaters today. There’s a gay teen in the movie, Ethan Clade, played by gay comedian Jaboukie Young-White. Everyone’s calling it Disney’s FIRST GAY CHARACTER, which is weird because Disney’s first gay characters were those moms on Good Luck, Charlie back in 2014. And then of course there’s The Owl House, where basically everyone’s gay. LeFou was gay in the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake in 2017. Who else? Valkyrie. Loki. America Chavez’s moms. Hawthorne and her wife in Lightyear; their little peck on the lips caused multiple entire countries to meltdown. Those lesbians in Finding Dory. Lena Waithe as an alien cyclops cop in Onward. Anyway, it would be so cool if Disney actually wrote real stories for their first queer feature film characters going forward. Fingers crossed Ethan Clyde’s gayness is actually noticeable to everyone who watches the movie, and not just us gays digging around on the ground for crumbs like some feral possums.
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+ Who is this being profiled in the New York Times? Oh, that’s right: It’s Brittani Nichols.
+ Did you hear the excellent news that Amy Schneider won Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions???’
+ Elton John called JoJo Siwa after she came out: “I was like: ‘Who the heck is calling me from the UK?’ So I answer it, cause you know at the same time I’m a teenager. [And John said] ‘Hello JoJo, darling. This is Elton.’ And I was like: ‘Mom, get the camera out. It’s Elton John.’”
+ PayPal is blocking payments for Queer Cinema for Palestine Film Festival.
+ “When I talk about all of the things that I’ve gone through as a trans person, and as a queer person, and as an underground D.J., to be able to occupy these spaces with these artists, it’s still mind-blowing for me.” Honey Dijon steps up from dance music’s underground.
+ This documentary explores the untold stories of trans healthcare.
+ Everything Everywhere All at Once leads the Independent Spirit Awards nominations. Lots of Tár too, of course. A little Aubrey Plaza. You know, the general indie darlings.
+ The Rookie: Feds is a smashing ratings success, for one reason: Niecy Nash, baby.
+ I love this People write-up about Queen Latifah’s speech at The Grio Awards this weekend. “I didn’t know I was a girl, initially, I had to be told that. That had to be explained to me…. ‘Cause I was running around with my T-shirt off like the boys … I wanted to play the sports and all these things had to be explained to me because I was free… and so my whole life would feel like I’ve been trying to maintain my freedom to be me.”
+ RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon joins Chicago on Broadway.
+ T’Nia Miller and showrunner Lisa Joy talk about queer rep on The Peripheral.
+ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is spawning a new generation of Black girl nerds.
+ Criminal Minds: Evolution breathes new life into a franchise.
+ I’d love to hear your own personal opinion about Harper’s Bazar’s list of best lesbian movies on Netflix.
+ How The L Word: Generation Q remade its queer community hub.
