Actress and activist, Shakina, made television history on NBC’s Connecting as the first trans person to play a series regular on a network comedy. She had a memorable role in Amazon's GLAAD Award-winning Transparent Musicale Finale, which she helped write and produce, as well as playing the scene-stealing trans truther Lola on Hulu’s Difficult People.... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Kimberly Peirce revisits her Oscar-winning Boys Don’t Cry for TCM’s Reframed series “I’ve been protective of Brandon’s story since the moment I heard it”
Some movies are so forgettable that a few years later we might even struggle to recall whether we've seen them or not, while others make such a lasting impression with one viewing that they become seared into our very beings. For me, Kimberly Peirce's late 1990s indie Boys Don't Cry is one of the latter.... Continue Reading →
GLAAD Awards Exclusive Interview: Michael R. Jackson on writing A Strange Loop “I felt misunderstood, unseen & unheard”
A Strange Loop became the most Tony Award-nominated production of the season today, receiving 11 nominations including Best Musical. On Friday night the show's Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, composer and lyricist, Michael R. Jackson, gave a powerful and moving performance of Memory Song from the musical on stage at the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Ahead... Continue Reading →
Out and About! Archiving LGBTQ+ history at London’s Bishopsgate Institute
From now until Monday, March 21st, London's Bishopsgate Institute takes over The Curve at Barbican Centre, with Out and About!, an archive installation of objects, ephemera, and media highlighting 40 moments and stories in London’s LGBTQ+ history. Bishopsgate Institute has been collecting the lived experiences of everyday people for over a century, and their unique... Continue Reading →
Sundance 2022 Film Review: Framing Agnes ★★★★
Chase Joynt's follow up to his exceptional No Ordinary Man (co-directed with Aisling Chin-Yee) about the life of jazz musician Billy Tipton, is the equally thrillingly and similarly genre-defying feature Framing Ages—expanding upon his own 2019 short—which just had its world premiere in the NEXT lineup at Sundance. It's a fitting section of the festival... Continue Reading →
Outfest’s 5th annual Trans & Non-binary summit sets a hopeful & determined tone for the future “we can create power together”
On the last full day of programming at Outfest LA 2021 on Saturday August 21st, the world's largest LGBTQ+ film festival centered trans, non-binary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming storytellers with its fifth annual Trans and Non-Binary Summit with a rich and exciting lineup of events at the Directors Guild of America. The event opened with Kieran... Continue Reading →
Recognized / Recognizability: LGBTQ+ Photo Archives & History – ONE Archives Foundation virtual panel April 7th
ONE Archives Foundation presents an online panel discussion on LGBTQ+ photography, history, and archives, Recognized / Recognizability: LGBTQ Photo Archives and History, moderated by Kaucyila Brooke. Taking place on April 7th at 5pm PT, the virtual panel will bring together Neal Baer, Zackary Drucker, Texas Isaiah, Kang Seung Lee, and Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell.... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Ryan Cassata on his new single I Met Jesus at the Gay Pride Parade “Jesus would have welcomed all at his table. That includes his trans & queer siblings”
Award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, writer, LGBTQ+ activist, and motivational speaker, Ryan Cassata began his musical career aged just 13 and has since released seven critically-acclaimed albums. His video for Daughter, a powerful and moving song about his transition and his transformed relationship with his father, has racked up over 1.4 million views on YouTube, and over... Continue Reading →
BFI Flare 2021 Film Review: No Ordinary Man ★★★★
Directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt take us on a thought-provoking and emotionally potent journey as they track the life and legacy of trans masculine icon American jazz musician Billy Tipton, who enjoyed a successful career in the 1940s and 50s. When he died in 1989 his story was co-opted and sensationalised by the media,... Continue Reading →
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2021 Review: No Ordinary Man ★★★★
The life of transmasculine musician Billy Tipton gives directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt the perfect opening to explore the history of transmasculinity in culture in the excellent feature documentary, No Ordinary Man. Billy Tipton’s life is remarkable. Born in 1914, Tipton’s music career began as a radio band leader in 1936 establishing himself over... Continue Reading →