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April 19th: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch!


#QueerQuote: ”When the World Becomes a Massive Mess with Nobody at the Helm, it’s Time for Artists to Make Their Mark.” – Joni Mitchell

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1970, photograph via YouTube

When I was in cancer treatment, a new and generous friend made a gift of Mitchell’s newly released, fascinatingly curated 4 CD box-set Love Has Many Faces (2014). Sitting up in bed, not feeling well at all, each listening was a fresh experience and a feeling of comfort, like meeting with an old friend. While making my way through the four discs, songs that I had heard many times but hadn’t really responded to, suddenly brought on a surprising significance. Mitchell’s folk music beginnings and her use of traditional instruments, plus her clear, high singing voice, had once made me think of her songs as pure or naïve. But all alone, listening closely, I heard them as more cynical, offering an unflinching examination of the difficulties of relationships while retaining a sort of sincerity and even a bit of optimism.

Mitchell’s roots might have been in Folk and Rock but she evolved into Jazz and Pop too, ever inventive and inclusive. I saw her live only once, at Los Angeles’ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in support of the now classic Court And Spark album in 1974. The tickets were a thoughtful gift from a new friend, Eric Douglas, son of Kirk Douglas (Eric died of a drug overdose in 2004). Our perfect seats, fifth row center, gave me a clear view of Mitchell, alone on stage but for a baby grand piano and her guitar, using her non-standard, guitar tuning. She has written songs in some 50 different ”tunings”, which she refers to as ”Joni’s weird chords”.

Mitchell’s music has been ever-present in my life for more than four decades. Like the greatest art, her music evolved and changed, just as I have evolved and changed. She is not a stereotypical Gay Icon, but Mitchell gives LGBTQ people, and all outsiders, the emotional sincerity of her songs, with scintillating storytelling and fragile poetry. She is deserving of all the tributes offered to her as a truly great songwriter and singer.

 

 

 

 

Penthouse Gets Intimate with Stormy Daniels “The Most Wanted Woman in America” (Check Out the Instantly Iconic Cover!)

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Porn star and one-woman Trump-destroying machine Stormy Daniels appears on the cover of the latest issue of Penthouse, spilling out of an American flagged looking fabulous.

Page Six broke the story earlier this month that she would be appearing in the magazine, and giving an interview as well.

‘She answers a lot of questions about Trump that Anderson Cooper didn’t ask,’ a source told the New York Post. With a publicist adding, ‘It’s a great feature. She looks amazing.’

No word on how much she was for the feature.

Interestingly, she once again sports that mysterious key pendant, the same one she wore in court last week and later on The View. What could it mean?

AOL speculates:

The key charm could be hinting at her intention to unlock secrets related to the Trump allegations. Or maybe it’s a reference to keep details under lock and key. As it happens, her Twitter account — once used to fire back responses to trolls — is now protected, and features a logo of a lock.

LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP! (Then throw away the key!)

(featured image: MediaPunch)

To Do, LA: See Drag Legend Coco Peru in Her New Show “The Taming of the Tension,” April 28-29

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The one-and-only Miss Coco Peru returns to the Denberg Theater for a special, two-night-only encore performance of her hit show, The Taming of the Tension. Come join Coco for a night of stories, songs, and a dose of good old BS, and your tension will melt away!

Tickets for the Saturday, April 28th, show are already sold out, but there are still seats for Sunday the 29th! Get your tickets here. 

LOCATION

Renberg Theatre
1125 North McCadden Place
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Trans Performer Justin Vivian Bond on Being “Triggered” By an “Ignorant & Curious” Woman’s Questions at a Hair Salon

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Performer and activist Justin Vivian Bond posted this on her Facebook and Gay Star News also reprinted it. It’s honest and funny and sad that Viv had to go there, but honestly I can imagine my sweet mother asking the same questions…

“So this morning I was at the hair salon when this lady who is probably in her 70s and seems very nice mentions that we’ve been here on the same day several times now and asks me my name.

I tell her it’s Viv, then my hairdresser who insists on calling me Justin for some reason, even though I always pay him in cash in an envelope that says, “Viv” walks up and calls me Justin.

After he walks away she looks confused, leans in and asks if she can ask me a question. I hesitate ever so slightly because I know it’s going to require patience on my part because, no matter what I say, I know that eventually I’ll feel bad if I get snarky.

Okay,’ I say.

Well, I know you’re a man and he just called you Justin but you told me your name is Viv.

Yes, he insists on calling me Justin but I go by Viv. My name is Justin Vivian Bond.

Well I’ve seen you in here several times now and I’m just wondering if this is how you usually dress in your daily life or if it’s some kind of performance.’

Before answering I take a breath,

Actually I’m not a man, I’m transgender and this is just how I dress.

(I’m wearing black silk pants and a matching black silk top with white suede adidas sneakers, btw)

But you have a man’s voice,’ she says.

I take estrogen but that doesn’t effect my voice so this is the way I sound. It’s my natural voice,’ I tell her truthfully.

And you’re so tall.’

Unfortunately, estrogen doesn’t make you shrink either. Once you’re grown you can’t ungrow.

I’m being very patient now because I can tell she’s not being mean but is just sincerely ignorant and curious.

Does this make it difficult for you at work?

I explain that more and more people are transitioning and so it’s getting easier but that yes a lot of people do experience discrimination in the workplace.

I tell her that I’m an artist so I’m fortunate that I don’t usually have to deal with that as I make my living doing whatever I want and I don’t have to answer to an employer.

Then I explain that times are different now than even when I was a kid.

I tell her that when I was growing up they used to describe transsexuals as women trapped in a man’s body to make it easier for people to understand but that now it’s different, that generations who are younger than me find it much easier to understand that there are all kinds of ways of being and of expressing your gender identity and that it no longer needs to be either/or.

She’s nodding as if she understands.

So bringing it back to my deep voice and my height, I tell her that I’m not a man but I’m realistic and that I don’t have the desire or energy to put the pressure on myself to pass as, or convince anybody that I’m a woman -and that I’m fine with that.

I tell her that I feel fine just the way I am so I don’t usually bother correcting other people’s misconceptions because I find it tiresome. People see what they see and you can’t control that.

She seems genuinely grateful and thanks me. She tells me she doesn’t want to take up any more of my time but she really appreciates me answering her questions. Later, before she leaves she thanks me again and tells me I’m a ‘fine person.

She opened a can of worms

On the train afterwards as I’m heading downtown I feel tired and sad and old. Exhausted. I know I’ve done something nice but I kind of resent it. I am, as they say triggered.

This evening I co-hosted a benefit for Positive Exposure, an organization dedicated to celebrating all differences – ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, learning style, age, religion, and culture.

As I walk in, my left hip is killing me, I’m in heels and I’m feeling a bit nihilistic. There are a lot of people in wheelchairs but there’s no seating provided for anyone else.

I turn to my date with my opening gambit,

Who do I have blow to get a wheelchair around here?

Sometimes it feels good to be terrible too.

Now I’m lying in bed not able to sleep. It was a great event and I met some wonderful people who also know what it’s like to be constantly stared at and questioned. I know I’m not alone and that I’m not the only person who struggles with these things.

But I keep going back to that lady. She opened a can of worms. I’m thinking about how nice I was. I’m thinking how I’ve struggled since my father died to have positive memories of him even though the last time I saw him alive he threw me out of the house because I’m trans. He did so many wonderful things for me in my life but they don’t change the fact this his final act was so cruel.

I’m thinking of the boyfriend who said to me,

You’re just a fag on E.

I’m amazed by all that I’ve risen above in my life, by what hasn’t beaten me down entirely, but right now I’m tired and I can’t sleep.

I’ve been looking at a picture of myself my sister posted the other day of me when I was four years old dressed up as Prince Charming. (left)

I remember that costume so vividly. I was very disappointed by it. My Aunt Joyce made it. It was an adorable costume. There were gold sequins and a red paper heart. I should have liked it but I didn’t. It’s very clear from my expression in the photo that I was unhappy.

Of course I wanted to be Cinderella, not Prince Charming, and they knew it. I wanted a ball gown and glass slippers so this costume was a compromise.

At that age I was obsessed with a television production of ‘Cinderella’ starring Lesley Ann Warren. In it she sang,

In my own little corner in my own little chair I can be whatever I want to be.

I loved that song. I sang it over and over while dancing on my tippy toes, or spinning in circles in the swimming pool at the YMCA pretending that the water swirling around my legs was my gown. Only when I was alone in my fantasy world could I be myself.

I guess that’s why I now live alone in a big fancy house with three cats. It’s only when I’m alone that I can be whatever I want to be.

As well-known as I’ve become, and no matter how much has been written about me over the years, it still feels like I can really only be myself when no one’s looking.”

You can see Justin Vivian Bond at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St in NYC. Boys in the Trees: Justin Vivian Bond sings All the Young Dudes – at May 12 at 9pm. The Return of Down on Creation – On Top of the World with The Carpenters runs Sunday May 6-Friday May 18 at 9pm. Find out more here.

#FirstLook: The Visuals for Arianna Grande’s “No Tears Left To Cry” Are INCREDIBLE! Watch

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Arianna Grande‘s brand new single No Tears Left To Cry is just out this minute as well as the video by Grammy Award®-winning director Dave Meyers, on VEVO.

It’s the first single from her upcoming album…. and what else do you need to say? She has more talent in her little pinky than well, most anyone working today or yesterday.

Watch & listen.

No Tears Left To Cry (Official Video) by Ariana Grande on VEVO.

Chuckles & Awes HIYEEE! EDITION

Watch the Shelarious Trailer for ‘Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate’

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Bianca’s back with an all-new adventure starring Rachel Dratch, Brian “Katya” McCook, D.J. “Shangela” Pierce, Doug Plaut, Molly Ryman, Dot-Marie Jones, Darienne Lake, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Kristen Johnston, Cheyenne Jackson, Heather McDonald, Janeane Garofalo and Wanda Sykes.

After winning over the staff and students of Milford High School, chemistry teacher Richard Martinez aka Bianca Del Rio (Roy Haylock) sent her nemesis Vice Principal Deborah “Debbie” Ward (Rachel Dratch) to jail in a flawlessly executed plan. When Debbie is released from jail, she conjures up a scheme to do away with Bianca Del Rio once and for all, by luring her on a dangerous journey to Russia to accept a teaching award and cash prize. Filled with laughs, celebrity cameos and America’s drag superstars, ‘Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate’ is packed with surprises and unlikely partnerships that spark friendship and acceptance.

The Hurricane Bianca sequel will be available digitally May 18. Screenings with Bianca Del Rio in-person will be held in San Francisco (5/14) and New York (5/15).


GAG!! RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9’s ‘Category Is’ Is Now Available on iTunes

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C-A-T-E-G-O-B*tch you know the rest!

We know what your playlist has been missing and we’re here to deliver it for you. It’s the remixed version of RuPaul‘s hit Category Is from season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race!

It’s now available on iTunes for you to purchase! Seriously! Go get it right now! The song, which features Shea Couleé, Sasha Velour, Peppermint, and Trinity Taylor, is a serious bop and will have you singing along all day.

Plus, if you’re feeling nostalgic (in the US), you can always go watch the episode to re-live the glory that was the performance from this episode. If you’re not in the US, you might be able to watch the show on WOW Presents Plus! Get more info on if you can watch RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9 on WOW Presents Plus right here!

Now you can jam with some of your favorite queens while driving on the freeway, in the shower and of course anytime you need to LIP SYNC FOR YOUR LIFEEEE!

Tune in to RuPaul’s Drag Race on VH1 at 8/7c every Thursday night and then available in most countries around the world immediately after broadcast on WOW Presents Plus!

The RNC Is Sending “Lyin Lion” – a Furry Mascot – to Follow James Comey Around on His Book Tour

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In an effort to disgrace former FBI Director James Comey on his cross-country book tour, the Republican National Committee is sending a man dressed as a lion – a lyin’ lion, if you will – to follow and discredit him wherever he goes. Points for creativity, I suppose, but really guys? Enough with discrediting EVERYTHING you don’t you like.

via The Hill:

The mascot plan is the latest in an effort by the Republican Party to discredit the former FBI director, who embarked this week on a media blitz following the release of his memoir, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.”

In tandem with the furry stalker, the RNC has ALSO launched a website, LyinComey.com, which “seeks to portray the former FBI director as a dishonest political operative seeking to undermine Trump’s presidency.”

All of which reminds me…

…. our seminal 1997 documentary Plushies & Furries is now available for streaming worldwide on WOW Presents Plus! You should watch it today!

Avicii Dead at 28

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DJ and producer Tim Bergling, a.k.a. Avicii, died this afternoon in Oman, according to a statement from his rep. He was 28.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” the statement reads. “He was found dead in Muscat, Oman, this morning, April 20th.  The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time. No further statements will be given.”

Variety is reporting that he had suffered from health problems for several years, including acute pancreatitis due in part to excessive drinking. He had his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014 and had retitred from performing live in 2016 due to those aforementioned health problems.

He posted the following statement on his website last year:

“WE ALL REACH A POINT IN OUR LIVES AND CAREERS WHERE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS THE MOST TO US.
For me it’s creating music. That is what I live for, what I feel I was born to do.

Last year I quit performing live, and many of you thought that was it. But the end of live never meant the end of Avicii or my music. Instead, I went back to the place where it all made sense – the studio.

The next stage will be all about my love of making music to you guys. It is the beginning of something new.

Hope you´ll enjoy it as much as I do.”

(Photos: MediaPunch)

Check Out John Polly’s Favorite Moments From This Week’s Episode of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ on ‘Extra Lap Recap’

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John Polly is back again with his recap of the shadiest and funniest moments of this week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. There is some Shania Twain appreciation, some cry baby moments and some show stopping denim! Get ready for a hoe down and check out the Extra Lap Recap of RuPaul’s Drag Race with John Polly!

Be sure to tune in to RuPaul’s Drag Race every Thursday at 8/7c on VH1 and catch John Polly’s Extra Lap Recap on YouTube!

#Flashback2000: Donald Trump Accosts Rudy Guilani in Drag. Watch

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It happened a LONG time ago, but trust, I lived in NYC and I remember. It happened.

Former New York City Mayor and current hire as attorney representing the POTUS, Rudy Giuliani was once accosted in drag by none other than, Donald Trump.

Yes, Giuliani has just joined the president’s legal team to assist with the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But Rudy knows Donald, the New York real estate developer, from WAY back.

Trump had no problem being a “pussy grabber” way back then for a media roast of then Mayor Rudy. 18 years ago in 2000, Trump tells Giuliani, trying to motorboat Rudy’s big boobies,

You know, you’re really beautiful…

To which Rudette replies,

Donald, I thought you were a gentleman.

Oh, honey, you were SO wrong…

Watch.

via GIPHY

#BornThisDay: Our Favorite Old Queen, Elizabeth II

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Photo via YouTube

April 21, 1926Queen Elizabeth II:

”It’s all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you’re properly trained.”

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She ascended to the throne in February 1952, after her father died of lung cancer.

She was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. It is my understanding that that her family doesn’t have a last name. But, in 1952 Elizabeth decreed that she and her descendants will continue to use the surname Windsor, first adopted by the Royal Family during WW I. What they lack in a proper last name, the family makes up for in money. Her estimated personal wealth is at least $12 billion (U.S. dollars). The Royal Collection, which includes thousands of historic works of art and the Crown Jewels, is not owned by the Queen personally but is held in trust, as are her official residences: Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and the Duchy of Lancaster. Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle are personally owned by the Queen. The British Crown Estate, with holdings of in the billions, is held in trust and cannot be sold or owned by Elizabeth or family in a personal capacity. The Queen has her own cash machine in the basement of Buckingham Palace (for realz).

She is named after her mother Queen Elizabeth (know as the Queen Mum); her paternal great-great-grandmother was Queen Victoria.

Her official title after March 26, 1953 became Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, which made for an interesting monogram on her towels.

She is the sixth female to ascend to the British throne. In September 2015, she surpassed the record set by Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, seven months.

She was christened on May 29, 1926, the first royal child to be christened in the chapel at Buckingham Palace. She wore a gown made of lace worn by Queen Elizabeth I in 1553.

In December 1936, Elizabeth became heir presumptive when her father became King George VI, after the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII. In May 1937, she attended the coronation of her parents, the first female heir presumptive to see her parents crowned.

The princesses in 1933 via YouTube

In 1939, when WW II broke out. Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret were moved to Royal Lodge at Windsor Castle. It was during this time that Elizabeth met Prince Philip of Greece. As young girls, the princesses were British Girl Scouts, receiving the same training as other scouting girls. During the war, her father made Elizabeth an honorary colonel in the 500 Grenadier Guards, a regiment of the Royal Army.

In July 1947, her parents announced Elizabeth’s engagement to Prince Philip, and they married in November. After becoming a British citizen and renouncing his Greek title, Philip became His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Elizabeth became the Duchess of Edinburgh.

In February 1952, King George VI died of lung cancer and Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Her coronation was delayed until June 1953. For details see season one of Netflix’s The Crown.

At a luncheon commemorating her 40th anniversary on the throne, the Queen declares 1992 as an “Annus Horribilis”, a term I never want my primary physician to utter. Poor Elizabeth, it was a terrible year, marked by the separation of her son Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah, the Duchess of York; the divorce of her daughter Princess Anne and Mark Phillips; and increasing problems in the marriage of her son Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. Plus, there was a fire at Windsor Castle! Then it got worse; Prime Minister John Major announced that the Queen would need to begin paying taxes on her personal income.

To make end meet, she opened Buckingham Palace to the public for the first time, with the money raised from the tours to help pay for the restoration of Windsor Castle.

After a lot of media coverage of the affairs of the Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, the Elizabeth urges them to divorce in 1995. Two years later, she had to address the world via live television to express grief over the death of Princess Diana.

The Queen celebrated her Golden Anniversary in 2002.

Via YouTube

In April 2009, Elizabeth met beautiful, stylish American First Lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace and the two gals were photographed with their arms around one another. The press noted how toned both women’s arms were, and this caused a big stir because touching a queen is a no-no.

On the Queen’s 85th birthday in 2011, the palace released the Queen’s official consent to the wedding of her grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton. By law, the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, the monarch must consent to royal marriages.

Yesterday, April 20, 2018, her oldest child, Prince Charles ,was confirmed as the next head of the Commonwealth, following Elizabeth’s reign. The issue dominated the week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where 53 leaders met behind closed doors at Windsor Castle to discuss the issue.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

“It is fitting he will one day continue the work of him mother, her Majesty the Queen.”

The Queen announced:

”It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations that one day the Prince of Wales will carry on the important work started by my father in 1949.”

In summer 2017, Elizabeth’s speech at the opening of Parliament focused on the logistics and processes of the Brexit, but she also included her fierce support for the UK’s LGBTQ citizens:

“My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability, or sexual orientation,” she said, before continuing on to talk about other noteworthy initiatives such as prioritizing mental healthcare, fighting climate change and terrorism, and supporting victims of domestic violence and abuse.”

This was the first time LGBTQ Rights were mentioned during a speech by the Queen since 2003, when she vowed to increase “equality and social justice by bringing forward legislation on the registration of civil partnerships between same sex couples.”

LGBTQ rights have come a long way in Britain during the Queen’s 65-year reign. Private homosexual acts between men were not decriminalized until 1967. The same law was not changed in Scotland until 1980, and in Northern Ireland until 1982.

Last year, the Queen’s cousin Ivor Mountbatten came out as the first openly gay member of the British Royal Family, and Prince William made history by appearing on the cover of a gay publication.

April 21 may be her real birthday, however, when she became Queen in 1952 following her father’s death, she also began celebrating her “official birthday”. Celebrating an official birthday as monarch is a practice that started in 1748 when King George II decided that he wanted a better chance of nice weather on his birthday than his actual November birth date afforded. He solved this problem by combining his birthday celebration with an annual parade that took place each summer. Since then, the second Saturday of June has become the date of the British monarch’s official birthday.

Love is in the air this year on her birthday. Andrew and Sarah, the Duke and Duchess of York have been dating again and rumors have swirled that they will remarry. On May 19, American Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will wed at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Traditionally, royal couples get married at Westminster Abbey.

Harry and Grams via YouTube

The non-traditional choice of venue is not a full break from royal protocol, Harry’s father, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker Bowles had a ceremony at Windsor Castle after their civil marriage in 2005.

Many British citizens are disappointed Prince Harry and Markle will marry on a Saturday. Traditionally, a royal wedding falls during the work week (William and Kate were married on a Friday), and the common people are granted a holiday. St. George’s Chapel only seats 800 people and does not accommodate the 2,000 guests traditionally invited to attend the royal weddings held at Westminster Abbey. Prince Harry and Markle sent invitations for 1200 honored guests to join in the pre- and post-ceremony procession and party. Those that will have an actual seat in the pews include: Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, David and Victoria Beckham, Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place at noon London time, 7am EST/4am PST, meaning American queens will need to awaken especially early to watch.

How do you think Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her real birthday? I bet she will sneak a bit of cake under the table for the corgies.

April 21st: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch!


#QueerQuote: “Once a Regime is No Longer Able to Frighten People Then That Regime is in Big Trouble.” – Gene Sharp

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Photo via YouTube

Gene Sharp (1928-2018) drew on the lives and words of Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi, for his groundbreaking book, From Dictatorship to Democracy (1994), a guide for nonviolent resistance movements of the last three decades. Sharp’s work has been a source of education and inspiration for the brave individuals initiating nonviolent revolutions and resistance movements across the world.

His books, including the three-volume The Politics Of Nonviolent Action (1973), have been translated into dozens of languages. Sharp advised using specific actions such as sit-ins, hunger strikes, protest disrobing, disruption and mockery of authoritarian leaders for anti-government resistance movements, yet he felt that conflict was often preordained and necessary. He wrote that peaceful protest is best, not for any moral reason, but because violence provokes autocrats to crack down. Sharp:

”If you fight with violence, you are fighting with your enemy’s best weapon, and you may be a brave but dead hero.”

Sharp was the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study of nonviolent action, and a professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Sharp left this world in February 2018 at his home in Boston.

 

#Controversy: Robbie Turner’s “Fatal” UBER Accident Sounds Terrible… But Did It Actually Happen?

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Robbie Turner posted some horrifying news on her social media last Sunday. She said that she had been in a car crash and her Uber driver did not survive it. Many sources repeated the news, including The Wow Report. But now, according to Seattle Gay Scene there seems to be

“a lack of corroborating evidence (no confirmation from 911 Logs, Seattle Police Department or any mainstream media outlets like local television stations who usually cover major car accidents with fatalities)…

They decided to reach out to the Seattle Police Department who said,

I am not aware of anything like that occurring, nor are any of my colleagues aware of this accident.

They also contacted UBER to see if there was a record of a driver being killed,

A representative from UBER has responded back to us to state that they have no information consistent with what is being reported about the alleged death of an UBER driver.

And Queer/Bar in Seattle announced that Robbie will be on hiatus. Owner Joey Burgess released a statement,

Robbie Turner will be taking a personal leave from his role as Queer/Bar’s Entertainment Director and weekly drag show host. We sincerely hope that this time will be used well to focus on his health and wellness. We will continue to ensure he has access to adequate resources to help him succeed.

The company learned of this supposed incident last weekend from Robbie’s social media post. In full support of our friend and manager, we reached out to evaluate Robbie’s condition and offer any help with his physical and mental recovery. We also reached out in an attempt to support the driver’s family in their difficult time. And then we discovered some inconsistencies with the story.

Queer/Bar is grateful for the opportunity to bring this amazing talent and LGBTQIA+ role icons to our Seattle family. We support Robbie’s art and wish them a speedy recovery so that he can continue to create and express himself to the world.“

That’s all we know right now. Stay tuned for more info…

(Photo, Ruben Natal-San Miguel; via Seattle Gay Scene)

#SCTV: Catherine O’Hara Still SLAYS as Lola Heatherton. Watch

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You know Catherine O’Hara from Christopher Guest‘s mockumentaries like Waiting For and For Your Consideration, and her latest tour de force Schitt’s Creek. But she got her start in the 80s on SCTV.

She can sing dance and imitate any showbiz stereotype, but her greatest creation might just be Lola Heatherton, a mash-up of real-life 70s sexy kittens Joey Heatherton and Lola Falana. This promo for her Holiday special Love Spirit is the apex of Lola and The Juul Haalmeyer Dancers! (Look for Martin Short in the chorus.)

Wait until I shake your tree boys – I’ll break those Christmas balls!

Watch.

Linda Simpson Remembers a Really Wild Bush! “RIP, Barbara. Thanks for the Coke!”

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Wowlebrity, drag legend and snarky bitch for the ages, Linda Simpson knows absolutely EVERYONE. Case in point, this post of hers on Facebook yesterday remembering a Barbara Bush the world rarely saw. I’ll let her spill the tea…

Watch.

(Top photo, YouTube)

Trixie Mattel on Her New Album, “One Stone”, Her 40-City Comedy Tour (Oh, & Btw, How’s Katya?)

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Well, she won RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3, her new album One Stone is at the top of the iTunes charts, Moving Parts is her 40-city tour that just started in Fort Lauderdale and The Trixie & Katya Show on Viceland is still going strong. Out magazine’s Hilton Dresden asked Trixie Mattel, what’s next…?

Do you think you have a larger goal than that in your music career—in terms of collaborators, the styles you want to try out?

Longterm, I’d like to go live in the woods and go write music for other artists I like. I’m a singer and a guitar player, but I think I’m a really good songwriter, and I really like Miley Cyrus, and I’d love to write songs for her. I love her voice. She’s such a good storyteller.

This new album is called One Stone, it’s very… It’s like, late-60’s folk revival. My last album, Two Birds… I broke it into two halves, that go together like puzzle pieces. Volume one, volume two.

The first one was kind of like a late-50’s country radio sound. The music was all very South-y and it was breakup music. A lot more Western sounding. This one I sort of imagined as a part one and part two.

Two Birds was written in a time when I had been broken up with and I was very displaced by it. I felt like my relationship was this glue I had in my life, I didn’t really know what I was doing in Drag Race, I didn’t really know what I was going to do, this relationship was kinda like the glue, you know what I mean?

So when it didn’t work out, it was like this chasm that I fell into. It was very upsetting, probably irrationally upsetting. I mean, I’m crazy. When this guy broke up with me I spent the summer —I spent three months sending him a postcard a day. That’s 90 handwritten fucking letters. I’m a crazy person.

…my career was getting so heavy and so….much… that I broke up with this [other] guy. After the fact, I was like, “That was a huge mistake. I screwed up this relationship because I was overwhelmed with my work.” That’s some romantic comedy shit.

…we’re together now. But last summer I got the green light for The Trixie & Katya Show on Viceland, and that same week I got All Stars. And that was a lot for me. My knee jerk reaction was,

‘I’ve got to make room in my life for this career.’

In Moving Parts there’s this section where I talk about how white I am, and there are all these jokes about being white, and then I punctuate it with an acoustic, Dave Matthews Band cover of RuPaul’s Cover Girl. I’m always looking for new ways to tie a bow on things. Sarah Silverman sort of did that, too.

When you make people laugh, you really get their trust. And when people have been laughing at my jokes, they’re a lot more willing to go on that journey with me in a somber moment.

How’s Katya doing? Will there be another season with her?

Well, I’m not allowed to say. But I just saw her, and she has a beard. So obviously we’re not filming today. One of my favorite things about Katya is her mind is this dark hallway. With an unexplained parade of Death Stars. That’s not something I ever want to go away. My favorite drag queens are Katya and Tammie Brown. I like my drag queens with a little insanity. But people really like the Viceland show, and the viewership has been very strong. So hurray season 1.

My dream would be to kick off season 2 with Katya talking about mental illness. Let’s crack it open and get an insider perspective. We’ve always wanted to talk about suicide. We like to discuss topics that are maybe not OK to discuss. But I think that’s helpful. Mental health or anxiety or addiction or divorce. We like to get right in there in the nooks and crannies of life. We’re not like,

‘Which microwave popcorn can help you lose weight?’

That doesn’t interest us.

Do you have a favorite look from all of Drag Race?

Believe it or not, Phi Phi O’Hara. Future of drag. That blue thing with the giant gun. Come on. Raja’s Native American runway. Roxxxy Andrews’ candy on the runway, hippie look. Special mention: anything but Shangela’s Cornacia wig.

You can read the entire interview here. Two Birds and One Stone are on iTunes and you can find out about Moving Parts tickets here.

(Photo, Youtube still; via Out)

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