🏳️‍⚧️ TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ⚧

Today, the Human Rights Campaign honors International Transgender Day of Visibility. Held annually on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility is a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the determination it takes to live openly and authentically. Advocates also lift up the violence and discrimination that many transgender and non-binary people, especially trans women of color and Black trans women, still face.

In the face of seemingly relentless attacks, transgender and non-binary people are more visible than ever before. We are proud to recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility and the determination it takes for transgender and non-binary people to be living openly and authentically today. Transgender people are our friends and family, our neighbors and our colleagues — and, like all of us, simply want to live their lives every day as who they are. However, even as we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility, we must recognize and remember that there are many trans and non-binary people in this country, and across the globe, who are not able to safely live their lives as their full selves, as well as those who face discrimination and violence for living openly. Today and every day, we will fight for a world where all transgender and non-binary people are able to lives their lives as their full selves, free from discrimination.”

Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President

In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the LGBTQ Task Force are co-hosting a panel, “Fierce, Fabulous and Fighting for Our Lives: A Conversation with Transgender and Non-Binary Young People.” The panel, which features Josie Totah, Kate Sosin, Schuyler Bailar, Nico Craig, Ve’ondre Mitchell and Lala Shanks, will discuss the experiences of trans and non-binary young people, how they’re reacting to the news cycle and attacks on the trans community in statehouses across the country, and how to reach out to trans young people to come together as a community. Learn more here.

Earlier this week, on Monday and Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign held our first-ever Trans Justice & Advocacy Summit, as a part of HRC’s Trans Justice Initiative. The Summit brought together advocates from across the country to learn from and connect with each other, as well as other local and national stakeholders committed to advancing justice. The Summit’s goal was to build ties between HRC, the community and local stakeholders who, together, can make a meaningful difference in the lives of transgender and non-binary people.

We’re proud to celebrate the visibility and determination of transgender and non-binary people today on International Transgender Day of Visibility. Earlier this week, the Human Rights Campaign hosted our first-ever Trans Justice and Advocacy Summit, to bring together advocates from across the country who are doing the work on the ground to support the trans and non-binary community. The powerful conversations from that convening make it clear that the future is bright for our community. We will continue working to achieve equity for all transgender and non-binary people.”

Tori Cooper, HRC Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative

Even as we celebrate the visibility and resilience of transgender and non-binary people, we are also seeing numerous bills targeting LGBTQ people, especially transgender people, in statehouses across the country. There are so far 192 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures across the country. Of those, 93 directly target transgender people, a record number for a single session since the Human Rights Campaign has been tracking legislation. In addition, anti-transgender bills have been sent to governors in four states.

These bills are not addressing any real problem, and they’re not being requested by constituents. Rather, this effort is being driven by national far-right organizations attempting to score political points by sowing fear and hate. What they fail to understand is that opposing equality is highly unpopular -- even among Trump voters -- and states that pass legislation that attacks our community will face severe economic, legal and reputational harm. In many cases, these legislative pushes are being prioritized above COVID-19 response and relief. This push comes as equality measures gain not only popular support but legislative momentum on the federal level, with the Biden Administration championing equality in early Executive Actions and Congress considering the Equality Act within the first 100 days of the new Administration.

Additionally, we face an epidemic of violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people, especially transgender women of color and Black trans women. HRC recorded 44 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people in 2020, more than in any year since we began tracking this violence in 2013. So far in 2021, HRC has recorded at least 12 deaths of transgender and non-binary people. In the pursuit of greater accuracy and respect, HRC offers guidelines for journalists and others who report on transgender and non-binary people. HRC, Media Matters and the Trans Journalists Association have also partnered on an FAQ for reporters writing about anti-trans violence.

In order to combat stigma against transgender and non-binary people and work toward the goal of cultivating acceptance, rejecting hate and ending stigma for everyone in the trans and gender non-conforming community, HRC has collaborated with WarnerMedia on a PSA campaign to lift up their voices and stories. Learn more and watch the PSAs here.

For more information about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender.

SOURCE: HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN 

MARCH 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ WHAT I LEARNT...🤞🏽🧘🏽‍♂️👣

🤨 WHERE YOU NEED TO BE RIGHT NOW...👣

You’re not needy. You’re human. You’re allowed to mess up. But don’t hold on to guilt and embarrassment for too long. It’ll be okay.

You’re allowed to feel off and take as many breaks as you need to. Your biggest responsibility is taking care of yourself.⠀You’re allowed to not have your life figured out. You’re allowed to be ‘behind’ because where you are is fine. Where you are is where you need to be right now.⠀ 

Work doesn’t define you. Grades don’t define you. Medication doesn’t define you. Anxiety doesn’t define you. The past doesn’t define you. Relationships don’t define you. Words don’t define you. Looks don’t define you. ⠀

How you love defines you. How you use your gifts to help others defines you. Your gifts are part of your purpose. Even if you say you don’t know what your purpose is, you have purpose. Start with your heart. Start with how you love naturally. Start with how you’re able to help others. You know more about yourself than you think you know.

This planet needs love more than anything. Love looks like being kind. Love looks like trusting. Love looks like helping people where you can. Love looks like patience. Love looks like getting up in the morning and doing the best you can. Love looks like you.

Everything is coming together. I know from deep experience that even when nothing makes sense you must keep going. You must stay open. You must experience pain. You must try not to be hard on yourself. You must keep going because your purpose here is so important. ⠀

You are safe. You are not a burden. You are loved beyond knowledge. Trust your process.

LIL NAS X SPENT THE WEEKEND DUNKING ON CONSERVATIVES — IT WAS GREAT!

Before he was topping charts, Lil Nas X was a part of stan twitter. He ran a Twitter account called Nas Maraj and was a massive fan of Nicki Minaj, defending her at all costs. If you have ever seen stan Twitter, you know this means he's a master at social media, particularly in trolling. We've watched him utilize these skills over the past year or so on Twitter, getting headline after headline while doing so. And now, having just released "Montero (Call Me by Your Name,)" where he essentially spits in the face of all conservatives hold dear, he's back at it again with the back at it again. And we can't stop laughing.

If you haven't been paying attention, in "Montero," Nas X combines Greek mythology and Biblical references to essentially tell the story of queer self-empowerment in this world. He traces an arc of being judged and condemned by society for his sexuality, eventually being killed and sent to hell. But on his way there he reclaims his sexuality and harnesses his sexual energy in order to seduce Satan and take over Hell. And given that Satan and Hell have been long upheld as the Big Bads by conservatives, and have been used as a warning stick to beat children into submission, this understandably caused issues.

"Y'all love saying we going to hell but get upset when I actually go there," he tweeted, summarizing the project on Friday. Friday he also announced an action-figure, Stripper Nas X, was "coming soon," as was a pair of Nas X sneakers that were featured in the video. But later that day, the conservatives began their tweeting and Nas X was there prepared. 

Robby Starbuck, a Republican candidate for Congress from Tennessee called "Montero" evil and Matthew Betley said that it was "an attempt to destroy our society."

"There is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop," Nas X replied. "Me sliding down a CGI pole isn't what's destroying society." Betley has since deleted his post.

"The system is targeting kids," Mint Chip Music tweeted, posting a video of Nas X performing "Old Town Road" for children. "Lil Nas X's fanbase is mostly children. They did the same thing with Miley Cyrus after Hannah Montana." To be clear, Cyrus grew up and made a decision to change her aesthetic and output as a result which is something ... people generally do.

"There was no system involved," Nas X responded. "I made the decision to create the music video. I am an adult. I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. That is your job." The 21-year-old made a few points.

There was a lot of criticism of the sneakers he previewed in the video. They boast an inverted crucifix, pentagram, and a "drop of human blood." For them, Nas X teamed up with the New York-based art collective MSCHF who used Nike Air Max 97s as the base. Nike had nothing to do with them and has released a statement saying they do not endorse the styles.  There are 666 pairs, priced at $1,018 apiece referencing the bible verse Luke 10:18 that says "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

As backlash began to mount, Lil Nas X uploaded a video to his YouTube titled "Lil Nas X apologizes for Satan shoe." But after a few seconds of "apology", the clip cuts to footage from the music video of Nas X's lap dance. We are talking about a master troll here. 

Governor Kristi Noem, who currently is holding the top office in a state that has some of the highest death rates from the ongoing global pandemic, tweeted about the shoes.

"Our kids are being told that this kind of product is, not only okay, it's 'exclusive.'" she wrote. To be clear: that there are only 666 styles does make it relatively exclusive given how massive runs can be. "But do you know what's more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul."

Nas X didn't hesitate in responding.

"You're a whole governor and you on here tweeting about some damn shoes," he wrote. "Do your job!" Noem decided to respond.

"What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" the South Dakota politician wrote, quoting Matthew 16:26 from the bible.

"Shoot a child in your mouth while I'm ridin'," Nas X responded, quoting his own song. 

All 666 pairs of the sneakers sold out within a minute of release on Monday.

Many of these critics have pointed to the popularity of "Old Town Road" with children as to why it was wrong that he now do something more adult. To be clear, as Nas X points out, the song included some extremely adult content. In addition, over the past few months, the performer's content as been increasingly adult. He talked about bottoming in "Holiday" while kissing himself in a promotional image, he asked "where the dick at" in another clip of a song, and then in the lead in to "Montero" he recreated some Michelangelo nudes. 

If you don't want your children listening to Lil Nas X ... maybe just tell them to not?

SOURCE: OUT DOT COM

💭 REMEMBER THE DAYS YOU COULDN'T WAIT TO RIP EACH OTHER'S CLOTHES OFF 🤤

What happened to those days?

At the beginning of a relationship, passionate love is high, everything is new and stimulating. You’re learning interesting and exciting information about your partner every day, which fuels the passion. At this stage of the relationship, you idealized your partner and saw them through “rose-colored glasses.” But, as time went by, you took the rose-colored glasses off and began to notice their imperfections and trust me, everyone has flaws.

I can tell you that you’re not alone in asking, “What happened to the days when we couldn’t wait to rip our clothes off?” Once novelty and mystery wear off and the everyday activities settle in, the excitement and sexual desire are bound to fade. While time and getting to know your partner is comforting and increases companionate love (the love of support, intimacy, and friendship), this can also lead you to think that you’re headed toward a sexless, boring, or incredibly dull love life.

So, do you think one should worry about a relationship once settled into a groove? 

👑 RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: 🎤 SEASON 13, EPISODE 12 – “NICE QUEENS ROAST” 💄

OK, would that headline have been better if Tina were still around? Sure. But still! It’s fitting given how this week’s RuPaul’s Drag Race roast challenge went down in flames.

There are those that struggled with jokes and stage presence, but one queen drew such ire from the judges, they turned on her mid-set and became openly hostile. It was an iconic moment that will no doubt be etched in the annals (with two Ns, pervs) of herstory, and it was deeply, deeply satisfying to watch.

We get “Montero” and THIS all in the same day?! I’m feeling gayer already.

Let’s dish on all that went down on last night’s Nice Girls Roast.

Coming off last week’s popping soda challenge, Utica is a mixed bag of emotions. She tells the other queens she doesn’t think she deserved to outlast Tina, but it comes off extremely insincere. She follows up with celebrating her lip sync and then fishing for compliments on her performance from her competitors. I’m with Kandy; I didn’t think her lip sync was all that, and, in my opinion, Tina outperformed her.

RuPaul gives the gals this week’s mini-challenge, which is another fun one. This time, two queens work together to shoot a makeup tutorial but one gal’s the beauty and the other is the … arms? (It’s similar to the classic season six beach-themed mini-challenge.)

All three pairs are fun, but they each take a different tact. Symone, with Olivia as her arms, tries too hard to force the character that’s worked for her thus far, but it seems too pre-written, rather than making comedy out of the set-up. Gottmik and Utica create some natural physical comedy pairing Utica’s long limbs with Mik’s small frame. They choose to let Utica’s arms drive, while Gottmik reacts. The funnier approach is what Rosé and Kandy land on, with Rosé narrating what Kandy should be attempting, and then Kandy trying her best without being able to see. It’s a slight distinction, but it creates a lot more unexpected comedy.

Ru agrees and awards the mini win to Kandy and Rosé. It’s an important one to win, because it comes with the power to set the performance order for tonight’s Nice Girls Roast. We’re bringing back three former Miss Congenialities — Nina West, Heidi N. Closet and Valentina — to absorb the abuse.

At first, their lineup choices seem sort of insane. For starters, they choose to have Kandy open and Rosé close the show. Those are two of the most difficult positions, but their reasoning is pretty sound. For Kandy, she’s concerned about other queens (accidentally) stealing her material. For Rosé, this is going to be a slamdunk, so it’s helpful to be the freshest in the judges’ minds. They’re considering the quality of the overall show, so they spread out the strongest performers and slot Gottmik in the middle. It may strike you as odd, but after seeing the show, it makes perfect sense.

Right from rehearsal, it’s clear Kandy is in her comfort zone. Guest judge Loni Love joins Michelle to give the gals some feedback, and Kandy is off to a strong start. She opens the show with ease and confidence and some real strong jokes. I wouldn’t say she has the most cerebral jokes, but everything is delivered confidently and the judges are enrapt in sustained laughter. My favorite joke is when she tells RuPaul she told her to act her age, and she died. It’s a bit of a played out punchline, but damn does Kandy sell it like it’s fresh and proudly served.

You’d think she greased the crowd good for Symone, but, oh no. This season’s frontrunner has finally hit a true stumble. She’s slayed the runway, nailed acting challenges and just last week delivered a standout commercial. But we’ve also seen her struggle in the Rusical. A little blip here or there is one thing, and it’s possible to bounce back from an off week. However, Symone finds herself flailing here, in rehearsal and on stage. She rejects Loni and Michelle’s advice to shorten her setups, and she mostly bombs her time at the mic. You can hear her holding back tears. It’s a nightmare. Not that it’s the worst (ohhh, just you wait), but it feels like an actual nightmare. Like realizing you’re on stage and don’t know what you’re doing. It’s hard to watch.

But not nearly as hard as what comes next. Oh, boy. Ok. So. In rehearsal, Utica fires off all these … fat jokes. Just, fat jokes. Now, before everyone starts invoking Joan Rivers and Lenny Bruce, or whatever, I understand a roast is supposed to be based around insults. But the reason why it’s a ROAST and not a FIGHT, is that you take time to lovingly craft a little turn of phrase or something unexpected. That’s what helps ease the sting. It’s not that her jokes are too mean; it’s that they’re too BAD! Too underdeveloped, too easy, too smugly recited. She loses the audience almost immediately and then just gets worse. I have seen many comedians bombing (sometimes the one bombing is me!) and the worst thing you can do is turn on the audience. People are already not having a good time, don’t provoke them! Of course, what happens? The audience turns on Utica. OK, but technically there is no audience, so the JUDGES turn on Utica … WHILE SHE IS STILL PERFORMING.

It is a sight! She tries to come for Loni’s comedy career, and, oof, what happens next is pure poetry. Keep in mind the room has been deadly silent this whole time, and Loni just starts laughing and really takes a moment to let it soak in. Then she tells her: “You’re the one bombing.” The entire cast, crew, COVID nurses, Dr. Fauci, Leslie Jordan, Lil Nas X and queer people everywhere erupt in truly the most uproarious laughter of the evening. Then, Utica tries desperately to get things back on track by asking RuPaul to standup as part of the setup to her next joke. Instead, Ru won’t give her an inch. No, instead, she gives her two middle fingers and blurred gesture that I can only assume was her acting out the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc. so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. It’s a moment that is already living on in memes.

It’s honestly not that tough of an act to follow, since literally anything would be better than Utica’s performance. This week’s edit wants us to believe Gottmik is going to have a hard time, but instead she slays. There are nerves to overcome, but the material is super solid. There’s a great joke about being a fan of all of RuPaul’s hit song, and then another knockout about Ross watching porn so he can c*m when the pizza arrives. It’s a little rough around the edges, there are moments where you can tell Mik is nervous, but there is a lot to like in her set.

Next up, Olivia. Anyone could’ve seen the polite queen coming into the roast at a disadvantage, but she attempts to spin a weakness into a strength. The idea is to amp up the niceness to make the insults stick. Instead, it comes off childlike and cloying, and the zingers themselves are hit or miss. I do like when she tells RuPaul she is so old she signed the Declaration of Independence “as Parent-slash-Guardian.”

And finally, Rosé. A consummate professional, of course Rosé is the only queen to do her set without notes, and she just appears like a headliner. No one came close to her polish or confidence. Every joke is great, the rhythm is perfect, it’s a joy to watch. The only thing that hurts it is that Loni and Michelle feel like she was BETTER in rehearsal. That sounds like it shouldn’t be a problem, but they’re referring to an energy level or a intangible kind of “in the pocket” quality that’s really splitting hairs.

It’s a little surprising to see Kandy take the win solo when Rosé was as strong or stronger, both with her comedy and certainly with her outfit, which is a white, lacey, Sheila E. fantasy that I just love. Still, Kandy is overdue for a win, and her performance is certainly worthy of a win.

Unsurprisingly, it comes down to Olivia, Symone and Utica in the bottom three, though clearly it’s Utica that’s got to go. The judges spare Olivia and send Symone and Utica to lip sync to Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry” (though, again, c’mon, we all know how this ends). Utica does that Utica thing, which is, you know, fine, I guess, again. (Not like it matters.) Symone stuns with an artful, compulsively watchable sync that is so much better than it needs to be, because there is no way Utica is not going home.

Symone shantays, DUH, sending Utica home. I would be SHOCKED if she doesn’t return for Rudemption on a future All Stars season.

Wow! What an ep! What a MOMENT! What a top five! Where do we stand? Check out our rankings below, and leave yours in the comments!

1.      After weeks of a seemingly impenetrable top spot, Gottmik finally soars into the lead. I have been singing the praises of Mik’s fashions, which are without exception incredible, but the performance chops have really come out. What a performer! The Russian Bots, the Snatch Game and now the Roast; Gottmik is so much more than a pretty face.

2.      Don’t count Symone out, though. Yes, it was rough this week, but everyone’s gonna be talking about Utica, and Symone can wipe the bad taste out of everyone’s mouth with a killer performance next week. We know what she’s capable of, so it’s not a stretch to imagine a sublime moment surging Symone straight back to the top. She’s her own worst enemy in these challenges, because we know how brilliant she is in the werkroom, in interview, in so many other challenges. She’s got to stay out of her head.

3.      Another super strong showing for Rosé this week, both in her lewk and in her jokes. The more Rosé relaxes, the easier it is to appreciate her. She was giving too much Big Jan Energy in the early half of this competition, trying too hard. With less competition for camera time, Rosé has been able to relax and let her exceptional talent shine. I’m still more EXCITED by Symone and Gottmik, personally, and I think Ru and co. likely agree.

4.      While the top three are a sure bet, the fourth and fifth positions seem totally up for grabs. I’m going to lean toward Kandy, who has been building momentum lately (while Olivia is slipping). Kandy looked beautiful with her cinched waist, but the look was still basic. Folks may poo-poo her performance in the roast, because it was just more klassic Kandy, but it was deployed well and with intention. She earned this win tonight, and I’d like to see her in the Top 4.

5.      Olivia can absolutely pull out an amazing performance next week and land in the top four, but it’s looking less and less likely. We’re starting to see the inexperience that the gals alluded to early in the start to the season. It’s not that her work is sloppy or amateurish; she just need a surer sense of self to put all the talent to good use. A lot of folks will say it should’ve been Liv and Utica in the bottom two (again, not like it matters), but I think, objectively, Olivia’s performance was better than Symone’s tonight.

6.      Well, you can’t say Utica won’t be remembered, that’s for sure. Is this our “We were rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!” moment? I can’t recall ever seeing the judges turn on a girl like that. I mean, they torpedoed her set while she was still performing. Usually they humor the queens and play along with the setups just to see what the punchline would be. Not here. Ru didn’t even want to hear it. As an audience, it was so cathartic. We were suffering through Symone and then really going through it with Utica. Thank you, Loni and Ru for saving us! I don’t know, Utica, maybe it’s time to focus in on all the wonderful, artistic, twisted, spooky, sunshiny, weirdo stuff and leave comedy out of it..

How would you rank the queens?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD

WATCH LIL NAS X GIVE SATAN A LAP DANCE IN ‘CALL ME BY YOUR NAME’ VIDEO

Lil Nas X has been pregnant for some time, and after about nine months he's giving birth. Welcome to the world of Montero.

For quite a bit now, Lil Nas X has been teasing his new track. Originally titled "Call Me By Your Name," he played a clip for fans while riding in his car on Twitter. Since, he's been teasing us every chance he can get, dropping a longer snippet under the new name "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" in a Super Bowl ad, releasing promo imagery, and more. Now, the star has released the full track along with a music video. 

According to a release, "Montero" is Nas X's most revealing musical offering to date, produced by Take a DayTrip, Omer Fedi, and Roy Enzo. It tells the story of who Montero has become — Montero is Nas X's legal name.

"Dear 14 year old Montero," he wrote in a note to himself on Instagram posted alongside the new project. "I wrote a song with our name in it. It's about a guy I met last summer. I know we promised to never come out publicly, I know we promised to never be 'that' type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist."

The video itself was imagined by the young performer with heavy nods to Greek mythology as well as biblical references, opening in the Garden of Eden. Here, we find Nas as Adam and then also as the snake. He tempts himself, with the snake pushing Adam to the ground and licking his body. 

In another scene, Nas is about to be executed in the Coliseum, again surrounding with versions of himself both in stone version and with wigs piled high. When he is finally executed, after a slight rise, seemingly to heaven, he finds himself falling, then spinning down a stripper pole that leads to hell. There, he seduces the devil with a lap dance, if we are putting it simply. According to a release he "harnesses his sexuality," to strip the devil "of his power as an evil force — and dismantling the throne of judgment and punishment that has kept many of us from embracing our true selves out of fear."

The video comes as Nas X has undoubtedly gone through a similar trajectory. Even though he's only been in the spotlight for a short while, fans have been able to watch him go from avoiding his sexuality to harnessing and leaning into it — rapping lines like "I might bottom on the low but I top shit," — even as others attempt to judge and chastise him for it. 

"You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say I'm pushing an agenda," he continued in his letter to his teenaged self on Instagram. "But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people's lives and stop dictating who they should be. Sending you love from the future."

In the project, a tree appears quite early on and the text on it translates to "after the division the two parts of man, each desiring his other half." The tree is a tree of life and the quote is a nod to Plato's symposium.

On the floor of hell the text reads "They condemn what they do not understand."

SOURCE: OUT DOT COM