The Gayjoy Digest #1

Welcome to our very first edition of The Gayjoy Digest!

Are you an informed gay (or ally)? The data shows that if you read this well, you will be. We're here to give you the weekly roundup on all things queer culture, news, events, and community. We know you have 17 other things you need to be doing right now - so we promise to keep things tight. Let's get started with the most important coverage you'll read today.

Chappelle-Gate

Here's the sitch: Earlier this month, Netflix released Dave Chapelle’s newest standup special The Closer, which contained some pretty transphobic rhetoric. One Netflix employee was suspended after voicing criticism of the special, another employee (who happens to be black and trans) was fired after organizing a trans walkout. Following this controversy, Netflix co-Ceo Ted Sarandos made some truly moronic comments, stating that at Netflix they believe “content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” This is particularly idiotic because as a matter of a fact, Netflix itself distributed a documentary called Disclosure that convincingly argues that representation in movies and tv does translate to real-world harm. Amidst all this, the Netflix Twitter/Ig account Most, which is meant to represent the “queer voice” of Netflix, neglected to tweet while this was happening, breaking their silence with a thread beginning with “sorry we haven’t been posting, this week fucking sucks,” and ending with “ok you can go back to yelling at us now.” Last Wednesday the trans walkout did indeed occur, and Most seriously/sardonically tweeted “brb walking out.” Certainly, there’s a lot to unpack here, but at the very least this whole debacle illustrates the false promise of corporate (in)authenticity, and that, if you were not already aware, corporations will not be our salvation. For more reading on the Chappelle special, we recommend like this opinion piece Roxane Gay penned for the NYT.

Making History

Are we – dare we say it – living in historic times? Scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Ruby, who came out as trans last year, graced a historic cover of People magazine last week. The cover story details Ruby’s journey coming out as well as Jamie’s effort to learn more and better support her daughter. The mainstream nature of People magazine means this story will certainly reach a lot of households across America, and, as Ruby and Jamie tell it, that is exactly the point. In other historic news, lesbian astronaut Sally Ride will become the first LGBTQ person on U.S. currency, Dr. Rachel Levine became the first trans woman U.S. Admiral (in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps), and DC has introduced the first trans Amazon warrior in a new Wonder Woman comic. We love to see it.

Who's Dating Who?

While it was previously rumored that Kehlani was hooking up with SZA, it now seems like Kehlani might be dating musician 070 Shake, according to at least one Instagram sleuth. In other news, Abbi Jacobson and Jodi Balfour, a South African actress you may know from Bomb Girls or For All Mankind, have officially confirmed they are an item by posting equally cute one-year anniversary posts on Instagram. Congrats to both (presumably) happy couples!

To Binge or Not to Binge

Need something gay on your TV screen? Amazon Prime has released the trailer for their new lesbian reality series Tampa Baes, which premieres November 5th and is the first lesbian reality show since The Real L Word. It looks extremely unhinged and has already been criticized for lack of diversity, so we will obviously be watching closely. Colman Domingo (who is hot and has a husband, if you didn’t know), will play gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in an upcoming Netflix biopic, the first production for the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground. (It will also co-star THEE Audra McDonald). It’s also been confirmed that a queer black woman, played by Jasmin Savoy-Brown, will be featured in the new Scream movie, which premieres in January. Though there were sapphics in the MTV Scream series, this is the first time a queer character has been featured in the films. Was Fear Street the beginning of more queers in horror? Will she be a final girl, or a buried gay? We’ll see!

Well, that's all for today gay. We'll see you right back here next Wednesday am. NYC, here's where we'll be in between.

Queer Events on Tap

Oct 27: The Inaugural Fran Con @ Blinky's Bar Oct 28: Gayjoy Dykey Hallows @ Farewell (Sold Out * but if you've read this far we're saving a few tix for readers - email us a pic of you sharing our newsletter with your friends or following!); Alternatively, check out Bodyhack @ Nowadays (8pm-11pm)Oct 29: Letzb x House of She @ Rosewood TheaterOct 30: Daves Lesbian Bar (2pm-8pm) to raise funds for Astoria Food Pantry, Hot Rabbit @ The Brooklyn Monarch (10pm-6am) Oct 31: NYC Brujas Halloween Skate Event @ Riverside Park (11am-2pm)Nov 7: Fruit Basket Comedy @ Sid Golds Request Room (8pm doors)

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Exs & Ohs,Team Gayjoy