Arts & Entertainment
Music loses a beloved queer icon as Ari Gold passes from cancer at 47
NEW YORK – Ari Gold, the groundbreaking gay singer/songwriter and DJ who became a fixture of the New York dance music scene in the 2000s, came to the end of a long battle with cancer on Sunday when he passed away of leukemia. He was 47.
News of his death broke publicly when Ru Paul Charles, a longtime friend who Gold described as “the closest thing I’ve known to a mentor,” posted a tribute to the music artist on his Twitter account, saying “Until we meet again, dear friend. @SirAriGold Love always, Ru.”
Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in the Bronx, Gold’s musical gifts were discovered early when he sang at his brother Steven’s bar mitzvah at the age of 5. The performance opened the door for a professional career as a child singer and actor, in which he contributed vocals for children’s records, television shows such as “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” and “Jem,” and over 400 commercial jingles. He also sang back-up vocals for Diana Ross.
It was after his graduation from NYU that his adult career began in earnest. He became popular performing his original music – which included explicitly gay love songs – in New York clubs like Joe’s Pub, Barracuda, Avalon, CBGB’s and many others, eventually drawing from this material to record a self-titled debut album in 2001. It won him an award for Outstanding Debut Recording at the 2002 Outmusic Awards and brought him to the attention of songwriter Desmond Child, resulting in a collaboration that yielded the single “I’m All About You,” which reached the top 10 on the UK charts for dance music and the top 20 for pop.
Gold went on to release a total of seven albums of original compositions and remixes, including 2004’s “Space Under the Sun” (which featured “Wave of You,” the video for which was the first by an out LGBTQ+ artist to world-premiere on Logo) and 2007’s “Transport Systems,” which gave him his first debut on the Billboard top 10. The latter recording included the song “Where the Music Takes You,” which won him the Grand Prize at the 13th Annual USA Songwriting Competition.
Through all his output, he was known for unabashedly embracing a proud queer sensibility and a message of sex positivity – a combination that has led many to call label him an LGBTQ “trailblazer,” and perhaps reached its pinnacle with his infectious (and controversial) 2015 single, “Sex Like a Pornstar,” which was released with an age-restricted video.
In his later career, Gold released some of his albums under the names Sir Ari Gold and GoldNation.
His musical talents led to many collaborations, both as a performer and as a songwriter, with stars including Boy George, Kevin Aviance, Sasha Allen, Adam Joseph, and Dave Koz. He became a staple performing at Pride Festivals, and his music was featured in several films. He also modeled for magazines like W and VIBE; he was chosen as one of “The 9 Hottest Men in NYC” by H/X magazine and one of the hottest men in the world by DNA magazine.
In 2007, he took on a supporting role in Ru Paul’s film “Starrbooty,” playing the character of Tyrone Cohen.
Gold’s battle with cancer began in 2013 when he was diagnosed with myelodsplastic syndrome (MDS), a blood cancer which can be cured with a bone marrow transplant. During treatment, he started a podcast called “A Kiki From the Cancer Ward” in order to continue being creative. He recorded seven episodes, with guests including Charles and Aviance, Drag Race finalist Peppermint, and trans actress and icon Laverne Cox.
After receiving a transplant, Gold was declared “cancer free” in 2019, but in the days before his death it was revealed in an Instagram post by his elder brother Elon that he was once again battling leukemia at MSK Sloan in New York.
After news of his death broke, social media flooded with tributes and remembrances from many of Gold’s famous friends.
Cox tweeted: “I’m so utterly devastated that you’ve moved on today. But I know you’ll be watching over me as you always have. I’m so grateful to have known you. I’m better because you have been a part of my life. My brother! I love you so much! Rest in Power!!”
Actor, director and musician John Cameron Mitchell, perhaps best known as the creator of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” posted on Instagram: “What a light and a pioneer in pop. He was out long before it was fashionable and took so many artistic risks. Loved him. What a sweetheart. Wishing his friends and family peace of heart and mind. Rest In Peace dear Ari.” Gold’s music was prominently featured in Mitchell’s film “Shortbus.”
Also on Instagram, Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter paid tribute to Gold, with whom he had a long and enduring friendship, with a moving post: “Wow, I can’t believe I’m typing these words…. R.I.P. Ari Gold, you were truly a trailblazer in so many ways. You lived freely, unapologetically and proudly. I promise to continue pushing forward in your memory. I’ll make sure the world continues to see and respect our community as you always knew they should.”
On Facebook, Legendary Deee-Lite manager and music producer Bill Coleman wrote: “I’ll always remember Ari as a talented, unapologetic, committed, forthright, fierce, supportive, stylish, Wonder Woman-lovin’, body positive, proud and sexy life force to be reckoned with. He was on a mission. Our paths crossed many times over the decades – both business and personal. I appreciated Ari’s strident voice and his willingness to speak up for others. He was one of ours. Rest in power, love. You left the world changed.”
Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters recalls: “In the early 90s I interviewed Ari for Gay City News and he and I had a long conversation about him as a high school bon vivant which led me to give him a nickname which he loved and embraced for many years, ‘Madonna of the yeshiva.’
“It was so much fun in his apartment sitting on his bed for some reason and my mind kept wandering,” said Masters. “He was the last person I said farewell to in 2015 when I left NYC and moved to LA. He spotted me on 9th Avenue, shouting my name and I somehow heard him. I crossed the street and we had an emotional embrace. I’m so glad he was in my life.”
In tribute to her cousin, Meryl Sherwood shared a few favorite videos with the Blade. You can watch those below, as well as videos for some of Gold’s most beloved songs.
Theater
LA’s home for queer performing arts, Highways celebrates 35 years
From the AIDS crisis to today’s trans moral panic, Highways has stood at the vanguard of daring queer expression
By Rob Salerno | SANTA MONICA, Calif. – For 35 years, Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica has been home to some of America’s most daring and experimental queer performing arts works.
Formed during the peak of the AIDS crisis, Highways was established as a venue where queer work, often ignored, ridiculed, or censored by mainstream arts institutions, could thrive. Given a safe space to experiment and present work that challenged social, political, and cultural norms, generations of queer artists came up through highways and have gone on to become some of the most important names in performing arts.
For Highways’ executive director Leo Garcia, that commitment to producing works that challenge the mainstream has been key to the institution’s long-term success.
“What excites me is our interest in the constant development of new works by artists who work with political, social, psychological, and personal narratives, and the hard work that we bring to make certain that the doors are open to provide access to the artists who are developing these new works and who bring their communities to our space,” Garcia says.
Highways was founded in 1989, amid intersecting crises in the LGBTQ community and the artistic communities in Los Angeles.
“The AIDS pandemic had really surfaced, and… most of the performance places closed and much of the city’s infrastructure had collapsed back then, and that had to do with real estate crunches and bureaucratic red tape and people being able to afford space so work,” Garcia says.
“There was just this recognition that we were in a crucial time politically, and at a sort of a cultural intersection where the performance art that we were creating was suited to the social-psychological-cultural climate.”
Despite the progress the LGBTQ community has made since Highways’ early days, Garcia says the organization is still presenting deeply political works that uplift the community and challenge the status quo.
As an example, he cites trans choreographer Sean Dorsey, whose dance company will headline Highways’ 35th Anniversary Party June 7-8, with a new performance called The Lost Art of Dreaming.
“The reason we’ve brought on Sean Dorsey is I feel that it’s the trans community that is really under attack in this country, and we’re just going to celebrate the beauty of a trans choreographer and their beautiful new work,” he says. “We’re also going to be honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who have been a part of Highways for at least two decades.”
Artistic Director Patrick Kennelly says part of Highways’ success is that it’s constantly seeking out new generations of artists who keep the work fresh.
“So, there’s these different cycles, and it’s interesting now being older to see this fresher group dealing with the similar kinds of stuff that I was when I was starting out in this field 20 years ago,” he says.
Garcia became involved with Highways in 1992, just a few years after it was founded by writer Linda Frye Burnham and performance artist Tim Miller. Garcia says he had just moved to Santa Monica from New York and was just wandering around his new neighborhood when he came upon the theatre.
“There was no one at the door, and I walked in and peeked in the curtain. There were like seven people in the audience, and Annie Sprinkle was doing her show. She was inserting something into her vagina and you could go in and look inside of it. That’s the kind of work they were doing here,” Garcia recalls.
He says he started seeing shows and getting involved with the theatre, until eventually he was asked to come on board as the fiscal manager. He eventually took over as artistic director in 2003, leading the company until he handing artistic duties over to current director Patrick Kennelly.
Kennelly, who’s in his twentieth year working with Highways, first got involved as an intern while studying at CalArts. By that time, Highways had already developed a reputation for discovering and fostering important new artists.
“It was around the same time that there was a big article in the LA Times about the 15th anniversary, and there were names involved that I was familiar with from what I had been studying,” Kennelly says.
Garcia and Kennelly estimate that they’ve helped foster hundreds of artists and shows during their time at Highways – regularly hosting a new show every week, fifty weeks per year.
Over the years, Highways has also expanded its programming to include works by and for other minority and marginalized communities, while still foregrounding work by and for the LGBTQ community.
Among the many artists who’ve come through Highways are Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors, Pulitzer Prize nominee Kristina Wong, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Luis Alfaro, and international performance artist Ron Athey. Some artists and collectives from Highways’ earliest days are still presenting works at the venue to this day, including Guillermo Gomez-Pena and the Los Angeles Poverty Department.
“What’s been exciting to me is to discover and or present early works by artists who grow into huge big entities, whether it’s touring the world with their work or getting them huge mainstream platforming,” Garcia says.
As for the future, Garcia and Kennelley say that they see Highways continuing to advance its reputation for experimenting with bold new art forms and developing important, unheard voices.
“I hope that the space can survive another 35 years and continue to support these emerging artists who are experimenting and discovering their process and maybe don’t have the accessibility at that point in their careers for larger shows,” Kennelley says.
“We want to continue to work with the communities that we’re serving and it needs to be a place of alliances and collaborations for all these different cultures and genders and disciplines,” Garcia says.
Highways’ 35th Birthday! will take place June 7-8 at 8:30pm at Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St, Santa Monica, CA, 90404. Tickets: highwaysperformance.org
Events
Southern California’s LGBTQ+ 2024 Pride events
Welcome to a celebration of Pride 2024 in Southern California. Here’s a calendar of events from around the region
Venice Pride’s Gaywatch
May 31
Baja Venice 311 Washington Blvd, Venice
venicepride.org
Venice Pride Block Party presented by Aids Healthcare Foundation
May 31
99 Windward Ave
LA’s beloved grassroots LGBTQ+ Pride celebration returns with a *FREE* party in the street!
Venice Pride Block Party
4th annual San Gabriel Valley Pride March and Festival
June 1
Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley & Eastside (BGCWSGV), City of Monterey Park, and Alhambra Teachers Association are teaming up on the 4th annual San Gabriel Valley Pride March and Festival this Saturday, June 1. Hundreds of community members, including those of the LGBTQ+ group, will gather during this event to advocate for inclusivity and kindness during Pride month. The one-mile Pride march begins at Mark Keppel High School and will conclude at Barnes Memorial Park, where there will be food trucks, live music performances, art, and community resources. The festival will be hosted by Lisa Foxx from IHeart Radio and will highlight Club youth with inspiring LGBTQ+ stories, including teen member Mia Guttierez.
WHEN: Saturday, June 1 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
*Pride festival begins at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Barnes Memorial Park |350 S Mc Pherrin Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754
*Noting that this march will begin at Mark Keppel High School and conclude at Barnes Memorial Park, where the concert and festival will occur.
Los Angeles Angels Pride Night
June 1
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Join fans in the Gate 5 Courtyard for pre-game Pride festivities. Purchase a Pride Night ticket package and receive discounted pricing along with a Pride Night-themed Angles hat. Proceeds from each ticket purchase will benefit OC Pride.
angels.com/pride
AIDS/LifeCycle 2024 Ride
June 2-8
The Cow Palace
AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully-supported, seven-day bike ride
from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It’s a life-changing 545-mile ride-not a race-through some of California’s most beautiful countryside.
aidslifecycle.org
WeHo Pride Weekend
May 31- June 2
WeHo Pride 2024 kicks-off on Harvey Milk Day, May 22, with a special event.
wehopride.com
Friday Night @ Outloud
May 31
WeHo Pride presents this free-to-attend concert in West Hollywood Park featuring headliners to be announced soon!
wehopride.com
Glendale Pride in the Park
June 1, 1pm-5pm
Adams Square Mini Park
The Glendale Pride in the Park celebration and queer family picnic is back. Glendale invites everyone in the community to join and work with love, in healing, and in creating safe space for our kids to thrive.
glendaleout.org
Yappy Pride Party Returns to Just Food for Dogs West Hollywood
June 1, 2024, from 2 pm – 5 pm
The Yappy Pride Party is returning to the Just Food for Dogs West Hollywood kitchen, located at 7870 Santa Monica Boulevard, Saturday June 1, 2024, from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. during WeHo Pride weekend. Dogs and their pet companions are welcome to attend the event at their parking lot on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue
Guests will celebrate the kickoff of Pride Month with some food and refreshments. Past events have offered wraps, freshly made burgers, hot dogs, and there were plenty of dog treats for pets to munch on. This year enjoy a photo session with fur family photos (available from 3-5pm) with the purchase of toy and treat bundle. There will also be a K-9 couture contest.
Relentlessly Advocating for Pet Health
Being Completely Transparent
Basing Decisions on Scientific Evidence
Driving Change in Our Category
Honoring Pet Life Through Support of Rescue Efforts
You can find them at retail kitchens, inside veterinary clinics and hospitals, at Pet Food Express stores in California, Petco locations nationwide, and on Chewy.com.
To learn more, please visit; https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/
Women’s Freedom Festival and Dyke March
Women’s Freedom Festival
June 1, 12pm – 6pm
WeHo Pride Street Fair Community Stage at La Peer Dr.
Co-sponsored and produced by the L-Project, the festival will feature emerging LGBTQ and BIPOC women, non-binary musicians, comedians, poets, and activists.
wehopride.com
Dyke March
June 1, 6pm-10pm
WeHo Pride Street Fair Community Stage at La Peer Dr.
Featuring a motorcycle-led march, this annual rally will begin immediately following the Women’s Freedom Festival along Santa Monica Boulevard.
wehopride.com
WeHo Pride weekend is almost upon us. It all begins this Friday, May 31, 2024 to Sunday, June 2, 2024, with the return of the Women’s Freedom Festival and Dyke March on Saturday. Women are taking over Boystown for WeHo Pride! Women’s Freedom Festival and the Dyke March returns for its 3rd year at West Hollywood Pride on Saturday, June 1, 2024 beginning at 12 noon!
This event is FREE. It is produced by The L-Project Los Angeles and co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood.
Located at the Celebration Stage on west end of Santa Monica Blvd at LaPeer Avenue, the event will be hosted by Jackie Steele with sounds by DJ Boom Boom & DJ Sterling Victorian.
This year’s lineup of 2SLGBTQ+BIPOC artists will include live performances by: Nekeith – Madline Grace Jones – Shiah Luna – Gattison – Cheri Moon – Theia – Mariah Counts and the KingQueen Band. Poetry by Yazmin Monet Watkins + Sasha MaRi – Suri Chan and West Hollywood’s Poet Laurette, Jen Cheng.
Guest speakers will include: Queen Hollins, Chanel Lumiere, Amy Stretten (Chickhominy)
Dyke March performance by THEIA & MEDUSA, THE GANSTA GODDESS
Biker staging for the Dyke March will begin at 5pm with an opening performance by Medusa at 5:30 p.m. The Dyke March Rally at 6 p.m. and the March will begin 6:30 p.m.
Bikers! If interested in joining Pride Riders for the Dyke March, please contact: Katrina Vinson at: [email protected]
Reserve your tickets for a chance to win free promos and other giveaways by clicking on the link here: (Link)
The Women’s Freedom Festival lineup and schedule (*subject to change) is as follows:
ACT ONE – 12:30 PM – 3 PM
Host: Jackie Steele
Sounds by: DJ Boom Boom @mz_djboomboom
Opening Ceremony
Tongva Nation Land Blessing
Queen Hollins
Jen Cheng @jencvoice
Chanel Lumiere @chanelblaclumiere
Nekeith @officialnekeith
Madeline Grace Jones @aesthetic_thespian
Suri Chan @suri___chan
Shiah Luna @shiahluna
Cheri Moon @cherimoon
Gattison @justgattison
ACT TWO – 3 PM – 5 PM
DJ Sterling
Theia @theiaofficialxo
Mariah Counts @mcshmammer
KingQueen Band @kingqueen.band
ACT THREE – DYKE MARCH 530 PM – 630 PM
Yazmin Monet Watkins + Sasha MaRi @yazminmonetwatkins
Medusa @legendmedusa
Trans Choir
Pride Rider Rally @pride_riders_la
The L-Project is an historically lesbian non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded in 2015 by Elisabeth Sandberg, in West Hollywood, California. Their mission is to promote and support emerging LGBTQI BI+POC women and non-binary creatives through the arts and technology.
Outloud @ WeHo Pride
June 1-2
An award-winning, ticketed concert highlighting LGBTQ artistry, this star-studded, high-energy line-up celebrates and advocates for queer voices in music, kicking off Pride Season!
wehopride.com
WeHo Pride Street Fair
June 1-2
The street fair is free and will include community group booths, exhibitors, sponsor activations, a stage with live performances, and other entertainment elements.
wehopride.com
WeHo Pride Parade
June 2
A colorful and entertaining event for the whole family, the parade will feature contingents such as floats, bands, drill teams, dance teams, entertainment entries, marchers and special guests.
wehopride.com
LA Pride in the Park
June 8, 1pm-11pm
Los Angeles State Historic Park
1245 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles
LA Pride in the Park is a highly anticipated music event. This year’s headliner is Latin superstar Ricky Martin. Joining him on the massive 80-foot stage will be MUNA, Tokischa and Jojo Siwa, among others. It’s also an LGBTQ+ community event organized by CSW, LA’s original 501(c)3 Pride nonprofit, established in 1970. Guests will enjoy over 20 acres of activities, glow-ups, giveaways, and more from LGBTQIA+ partners, exhibitors, and vendors.
lapride.org
As the first openly gay Latin artist to take center stage at the highly-anticipated Pride event of the year, this marks Martin’s first-ever headliner Pride performance.
LA Pride in the Park will return to the Los Angeles State Historic Park on Saturday, June 8. Across 20 acres and with a capacity for 25,000, LA Pride in the Park is one of the most sought-after and largest Official Pride concerts in the country. Additionally, the official theme for this year’s Pride season is “Power in Pride,” which celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community’s ability to live authentically.
General Admission and VIP Passes are now available to purchase at lapride.org.
“I am thrilled to be headlining LA Pride in the Park because it’s an incredible opportunity to celebrate love, diversity, and equality,” said Martin. “LA Pride is a testament to the power of community, the power of visibility, and the power of standing up for our rights. Being part of this vibrant community fills me with pride and purpose.”
54th ANNUAL LA PRIDE PARADE
JUNE 9, 2024: STEP OFF at 11AM
The best Parade viewing spots are along the middle of Hollywood Blvd, or on Highland, opposite the ABC7 broadcast area. Step-off is at 11AM sharp, so get there early to get a good spot.
If you can’t be with there in person, be sure to watch the parade live on ABC7, LA Pride’s Official Television & Streaming Partner.
PARADE BLOCK PARTY
June 9, 2024
ADJACENT TO PARADE ROUTE HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
We’re keeping the celebration going on Sunday by throwing the ultimate free Block Party adjacent to the Parade, open from mid-day and going into the evening. With a performance stage, large vendor village, food & bevs, pop-up bars, and more, it’s the place to be to after the Parade. Last year, 35,000 people enjoyed this free Parade “after-party,” don’t miss it!
The Block Party vendor booth application deadline has now passed. Stay tuned to learn more about the cool things we have in store!
LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium
Friday, June 14 – 7:10pm PT
Dodger Stadium
Our World Series-winning Dodgers take on the Kansas City Royals with LA Pride pre-game festivities featuring DJ party, and Pride merch for special ticket holders!
Buy tickets here: (Link)
Catalina Island Gears Up for an Unforgettable Pride Celebration
June 15, 2024
Catalina Pride, sponsored by US Bank, will kick off at noon with the ceremonial Pride Walk, starting from Wrigley Stage and continuing along the scenic waterfront to the famous Catalina Island Casino. Participants are encouraged to don their brightest rainbow attire as they join in this joyous march showcasing support for the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the historic Catalina Island Casino will be lit in vibrant rainbow colors to showcase Catalina’s love and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Wrigley Stage will be the heart of the celebration, featuring an exciting lineup of live entertainment. Highlights include:
- Pulp Vixen – This all-female cover band, known for their high-energy performances, will headline the event.
- DJ Asha – Returning for her third year, DJ Asha will keep the crowd dancing with her dynamic mixes.
- KingQueen – The rock-pop band is back by popular demand.
- Mermaid – Featuring Candace Quarrels and Brittany Campbell, this duo blends rock, pop, and R&B.
- Danielle Lande – Singer-songwriter and founder of QUEERSOUND.
- Patrick St. James – Irish-born, Manchester-based queer pop singer-songwriter.
- DJ Jae Fusz – Former background dancer for Britney Spears, bringing his DJ skills to the stage.
- Tonii and Miya King – Performing as both solo artists and their duo group Sunday.
- Sister Ray – Known for their eclectic style and original songs.
- DJ Hovani – Las Vegas-based DJ known for his infectious sets.
- In addition to the main stage performances, an after-party will be held at the Chi Chi Club from 10 PM to close, featuring sets by DJ Hovani and DJ Fusz.
“We are delighted to welcome everyone to Catalina Island for this special celebration of love and diversity,” said Jim Luttjohann, CEO of Love Catalina. “Pride is not just an event; it’s a testament to our community’s commitment to inclusion and acceptance. Catalina is a wonderful destination for LGBTQ+ visitors year-round, offering a welcoming atmosphere, stunning scenery, and a variety of activities for all to enjoy. We look forward to a fantastic day of celebration, music, and unity.”
Pride is Universal at Universal Studios Hollywood
June 15, 2024 10pm – 2am
LA Pride’s iconic after-hours party is back at Universal Studios Hollywood, with a limited discounted GA ticket price of $139! Enjoy the magic of when the park closes to the public at 10pm and you get to stay until 2am for the Pride-only after-hours experience with multiple DJ’s, dance areas, cash bars, 14 Universal characters, and enhanced lighting throughout the park! Plus the retail stores, select restaurants, rides, and attractions remain open just for us!
BUY PRIDE IS UNIVERSAL TICKETS
City of Santa Monica celebrates Pride
The month-long SaMo Pride celebration returns this June with interactive activities and experiences that honor and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and promote inclusivity and acceptance in Santa Monica. SaMo Pride is a citywide partnership between Santa Monica Place, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.) and Santa Monica Pier, in collaboration with the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism.
Fierce Fables: Drag Queen Pride Family-Edition
June 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At Santa Monica Pier, the community is invited to participate in the Merry-Go-Round Building. Hosted in partnership with The Crow Comedy Club, this event welcomes all family members to enjoy a drag queen and king storytelling corner, face painting and show-stopping dance numbers by Pickle Drag Queen, Pandora Boxx and Johnny Gentleman.
Pride on the Promenade
June 22, from 2 to 8 p.m.
This lively block party transforms Third Street Promenade into a colorful celebration featuring musical performances curated by OUTLOUD, giveaways, games and a retail pop-up marketplace showcasing local LGBTQ+ businesses, creating an inclusive space for all ages to come together and celebrate diversity. Plus, local service providers and community groups will be present along the Promenade, offering support and resources for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sounds of Santa Monica: Pride Edition
June 22, from noon to 6 p.m.
Families will groove to the beats of live musical entertainment by LGBTQ+ performers in Center Plaza under Lanterns of Love, an overhead colorful lantern installation. Vibrant overhead lights will also span from Third Street Promenade to Santa Monica Place, illuminating the festive atmosphere. Also on Saturday, the Santa Monica Place Kid Zone offers kid-friendly Pride programming and activities, creating an educational and entertaining space for children to play and learn about inclusivity and acceptance. For more information about Sounds of Santa Monica: Pride Edition, visit santamonicaplace.com.
The City of Santa Monica is dedicated to increasing visibility and understanding of the broad spectrum of gender identities and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community. The City celebrates Pride with the month-long lighting of City Hall in rainbow colors and a series of educational, uplifting events during the month of June. Community events include the City’s Pride Proclamation on May 28; an AIDS LifeCycle Finish Line Festival on June 8; Rainbow Family Storytime at the Santa Monica Public Library on June 11; Family Pride Drag Queen Storytime with Pickle on June 14; Pride sunset swim at the Annenberg Community Beach House on June 21; and much more.
Hermosa Beach Pride
Friday, June 14 to Sunday June 16, 2024
Location: Hermosa Beach
About the Event: Girls, gays, theys, allies, ALL are welcome to join us for our 4th Annual Hermosa Beach PRIDE, June 14-16! For more information, please visit Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau’s website.
This Pride month, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath is supporting a wide range of Pride events throughout Los Angeles County’s Third Supervisorial District in solidarity, support, and love of our LGBTQ+ community.
“This Pride, we’re committed to making sure that our LGBTQ+ community, in all of its beautiful diversity, is welcomed, supported, and celebrated throughout Los Angeles County,” said Chair Horvath. “As we honor the progress we’ve made and continue to push for equality, we must stand strong, use our voices, and make sure that our LGBTQ+ community always feels empowered. The Third District and LA County will be loud and proud in our support for all our LGBTQ+ family, during Pride month and year-round.”
The media and community are invited to join Chair Horvath for the following Pride Month events throughout the Third District.
Venice Pride | May 31st, 5 – 11 p.m. | 99 Windward Ave. | venicepride.org
West Hollywood Pride | June 1st - June 2nd | Santa Monica Blvd. | wehopride.com
Chair Horvath will attend the West Hollywood Pride Parade, which takes place on June 2nd at 12:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Pride | June 8th - June 9th | Hollywood Blvd. | lapride.org
Chair Horvath will attend the Los Angeles Pride Parade, which takes place on June 9th at 11 a.m.
Santa Monica Pride | June 22nd, 2 – 8 p.m. | Third Street Promenade | smpride.com
San Fernando Outdoor Pride Market | June 22nd, 6-10 p.m. | San Fernando Rd. | sfoutdoormarket.com
San Fernando Valley Pride | June 29th, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Van Nuys | sfvpride.org
March at noon at Van Nuys Blvd. and Gault St.
Important Pride Notes!
WeHo Pride Weekend Street and Facility Closures
WeHo Pride Weekend will Take Place from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2 in and Around West Hollywood Park and the City’s Rainbow District
The City of West Hollywood reminds the community and the region about WeHo Pride-related street and facility closures. Drivers and Metro riders can anticipate increased traffic and commute times; please plan to use alternate routes.
Street Closures will take place, as follows:
- N. San Vicente Boulevard closed from Melrose Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- Santa Monica Blvd (Eastbound) closed from N. La Cienega Boulevard to N. Doheny Drive from Friday, May 31, at 12 p.m. (noon) through Monday, June 3, at 7 a.m.
- N. Robertson Boulevard closed from Santa Monica Boulevard to Melrose Avenue from Friday, May 31, at 12 p.m. (noon) through Monday, June 3 at 7 a.m.
- Santa Monica Boulevard (Westbound) closed from N. La Cienega Boulevard to N. Doheny Drive from Saturday, June 1, at 6 a.m. through Monday, June 3, at 7 a.m.
- N. San Vicente Boulevard closed from Santa Monica Boulevard to Cynthia Street from Saturday, June 1, at 6 a.m. through Monday, June 3, at 7 a.m.
- Santa Monica Boulevard closed from N. Fairfax Avenue to N. Doheny Drive (including side streets one block north and one block south of Santa Monica Boulevard) from Sunday, June 2 at 5 a.m. through Sunday, June 2, at 5 p.m. for the WeHo Pride Parade. Santa Monica Boulevard from N. La Cienega Boulevard to N. Doheny Drive will remain closed though Monday, June 3 at 7 a.m.
Facility Closures will be, as follows:
- West Hollywood Park from Monday, May 27 through Wednesday, June 5 (West Hollywood Park will reopen Thursday, June 6).
- Small Dog Park at West Hollywood Park from Monday, May 27 through Wednesday, June 5 (Small Dog Park will reopen Thursday, June 6).
- Large Dog Park at West Hollywood Park from Wednesday, May 29 through Tuesday, June 4 (Large Dog Park will reopen Wednesday, June 5).
- Five-Story Parking Structure at West Hollywood Park from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- West Hollywood Library Garage at West Hollywood Park from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- Aquatic and Recreation Center Garage at West Hollywood Park from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
- Plummer Park South Lot from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 12 p.m.
- Robertson Lot from Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. through Monday, June 3, at 10 a.m.
The City of West Hollywood will activate its annual Pride Ride free shuttle service during #WeHoPride Weekend. The City’s free transit services, The PickUp and Cityline, will offer combined Pride Ride services that will operate over the weekend.
Pride Ride vehicles (both PickUp and Cityline vehicles marked with route/destination) will travel through West Hollywood from N. La Brea Avenue to N. Kings Road along Santa Monica Boulevard. Select Pride Ride vehicles (marked with route/destination) will also run to the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station as follows:
- Friday, May 31, 2024 – West Hollywood route will run from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. From 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. service will run to-and-from the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station.
- Saturday, June 1, 2024 – West Hollywood route will run from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. service will run to-and-from the Hollywood & Highland Metro Station.
- Sunday, June 2, 2024 – West Hollywood route will run from 11 a.m. to midnight. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. service will run to-and-from Hollywood & Highland Metro Station to N. Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard due to WeHo Pride Parade street closures. Following the Pride Parade, once streets have reopened, Pride Ride will run along Santa Monica Boulevard between N. La Brea Avenue and N. La Cienega Boulevard until midnight.
WeHo Pride Weekend (May 31 to June 2) will include a free WeHo Pride Street Fair representing a diverse array of LGBTQ community groups as part of visibility, expression, and celebration; the Women’s Freedom Festival; the annual Dyke March; free Friday Night at OUTLOUD; OUTLOUD at WeHo Pride music festival; the WeHo Pride Parade, and a wide range of community group programming throughout Pride month. The WeHo Pride Arts Festival (June 14 – June 16) will take place at various locations throughout West Hollywood.
Additional information about #WeHoPride is posted at www.wehopride.com and @wehopride on Instagram and Facebook.
#RIDEWITHPRIDE
Avoid the hassle that is parking in LA, and be good to the environment, by using one of LA Metro’s convenient train or bus lines. Wherever you live, LA Pride is accessible by public transportation.
LA Metro is the proud Official Transit Partner of LA Pride. Look for future announcements about Pride TAP cards, new LA Pride wrapped buses and trains for 2024, station takeovers, parties, and more!
PBS SoCal Celebrates Pride Month With Disco, George Takei and More
Select content slated to air during Pride Month is listed as follows (*schedule subject to change):
L.A.: A QUEER HISTORY – Sat., June 1 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus and Thurs., June 20 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal
The 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York has been widely regarded as the beginning of the Gay Civil Rights Movement, but the true heart of the movement, and what we know as “Gay Culture” was born in Los Angeles. This film sheds light on historical figures who are largely unacknowledged, creating a newfound dialogue about LGBTQ history but also a better understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
AMERICAN MASTERS: Ballerina Boys – Sat., June 1 at 11:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The story of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a company of men who dance on pointe as ballerinas.
DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION “Rock the Boat” – Tues., June 4 at 8:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Tues., June 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal as well as Sat., June 8 at 5:30 p.m. and Wed, June 19 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The opening episode of the series looks at the roots of disco – how it emerged from a basic desire for inclusion, visibility, and freedom among persecuted Black, gay and minority ethnic communities of New York City. It tells the remarkable story of how a global phenomenon began in the loft apartments and basement bars of New York City, where a new generation of DJs and musicians, like David Mancuso, Nicky Siano, Francis Grasso and Earl Young (The Trammps), pioneered a distinct sound and a new way of spinning records.
DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” – Tues., June 4 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Tues., June 25 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal as well as Sat., June 8 at 6:30 p.m. and Wed, June 26 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
Set against the backdrop of Black power and sexual liberation, the second episode takes viewers to the high watermark of disco in the mid ’70s. It was the birth of the “disco diva” from Gloria Gaynor and Candi Staton to Donna Summer and Thelma Houston. However, mainstream success by The Bee Gees’ soundtrack album “Saturday Night Fever,” The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and Studio 54 took disco further and further from its roots of inclusivity and freedom, as straight, white men started to embrace and repackage the sound.
DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION “Stayin’ Alive” – Tues., June 4 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Tues., July 2 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal as well as Sat., June 8 at 8 p.m. and Wed, July 3 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The final episode documents the wellspring of resentment from white, straight, male-dominated, rock-loving middle Americans, as they targeted disco for its hedonism, femininity and queerness. A vocal “Disco Sucks” movement began to gain momentum, culminating in the “Disco Demolition Derby” at Comiskey Park Stadium in Chicago, where organizers destroyed thousands of disco records in front of a baying audience of baseball fans. In addition, the hedonism and sexual liberation embodied by disco found itself stopped in its tracks by the AIDS crisis. Pushed out of the mainstream, the pioneers of disco retreated and regrouped.
DEAR IKE: LOST LETTERS TO A TEEN IDOL – Sat., June 8 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
The story of a teenager’s all-consuming childhood quest to contact his boyhood idol, Ike Eisenmann, and ask him to star in an animated science-fiction epic that he was forever developing in an overstuffed three-ring binder.
UNIDAD: GAY & LESBIAN LATINOS UNIDOS – Sat., June 15 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos was founded in 1981, only a few years before HIV/AIDS began to ravage LGBTQ communities. GLLU was the Los Angeles area’s first major Queer Latin@ organization, and the film chronicles events at a pivotal time in the history of LGBTQ equality, women’s rights and civil rights movements that shaped the destinies of GLLU’s communities.
TO BE TAKEI – Wed., June 19 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus and Thurs., June 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
This award-winning documentary features Star Trek legend, marriage equality advocate and spokesperson for racial justice; superstar George Takei.
ARTBOUND: LGBTQ Nightlife – Wed., June 19 at 9 p.m. and Sun., June 23 at 4 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
In this episode of ARTBOUND, see how a roving LGBTQ night club event in Los Angeles called “Mustache Mondays” became a creative incubator for today’s leading edge contemporary artists. This film examines the history of these spaces and how they shaped the Queer cultural fabric unique to Southern California.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Stonewall Uprising” – Thurs., June 20 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat., June 22 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days.
LOST LA: Coded Geographies – Sat., June 22 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
This episode of LOST LA explores two underground guidebooks, The Negro Travelers’ Green Book and The Address Book, that reveal the hidden geographies many Angelenos had to navigate, exposing Los Angeles as a place of coded segregation and resistance.
OUTRAGE OF DANNY SOTOMAYOR: American Stories – Sun., June 23 at 5 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
Danny Sotomayor was a man on a mission to address injustice. The fiery, openly gay AIDS activist, political cartoonist and organizer took to the streets of Chicago, using civil disobedience to wage war on city officials who marginalized the LGBTQ+ community and turned a blind eye to the AIDS crisis – all while fighting a losing battle with the disease himself.
CLIVE DAVIS: The Soundtrack of Our Lives – Sat., June 29 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
A look at the life and work of record executive and producer Clive Davis, whose five-decade career has launched many superstars, including Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith.
JUSTLY WED: Scenes from the Marriage Equality Movement – Sun., June 30 at 5 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
An exploration of the experience and legacy of the 2004 gay marriages in San Francisco.
Events
Venice Pride kicks off Pride Month & honors LA Blade publisher
The Los Angeles Blade’s Founder & Publisher Troy Masters to be honored with the Bill Rosendahl Pioneer of the Year Award
LOS ANGELES – The Venice Pride Block Party returns with a renewed focus on inclusivity and community spirit. The iconic Venice sign will shine in rainbow colors for the 8th annual celebration this Friday, May 31, from 5 to 11 p.m.
Presented by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, this year’s event will again feature a free street party with DJ Victor Rodriguez, community booths, food vendors, a vibrant queer market, and more. The event is open to all ages and no registration is required, making it a welcoming celebration of LGBTQ+ pride and community unity.
With over 30 queer marketplace participants and exhibitors, the Venice Pride Block Party will offer a diverse range of products and services that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and creativity. Attendees can explore unique items from vendors like BabyGay and Prismatic Gifts, as well as services from Pride Point Volleyball and Yoga Nest Venice. Community exhibitors include the Venice Heritage Museum, LAArtsOnline.com, and more.
This vibrant marketplace provides a platform for local queer entrepreneurs and organizations to showcase their talents and connect with the community.
“Amidst a climate where LGBTQ+ voices are increasingly silenced, Venice Pride remains committed to celebrating inclusion, individuality, and diversity,” said Grant Turck, Executive Director of Venice Pride. “This year, we are especially proud to honor Los Angeles Blade Publisher Troy Masters with the Bill Rosendahl Pioneer of the Year Award. Troy’s tireless advocacy and groundbreaking work in LGBTQ+ media have provided a powerful platform for our community, ensuring our voices are heard even in challenging times. His dedication to truth, visibility, and social justice embodies the spirit of Bill Rosendahl and inspires us all to continue the fight for equality.”
The Bill Rosendahl Pioneer of the Year Award honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, reflecting the spirit of Bill Rosendahl’s dedication to social justice, inclusivity, and equality. Bill Rosendahl, a beloved Los Angeles City Council member and lifelong advocate for human rights, left an enduring legacy through his tireless work for LGBTQ+ rights and his commitment to making a difference.
Past recipients of this prestigious award include Trans Youth Advocate Shéár Avory, known for their groundbreaking efforts in supporting transgender youth, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group celebrated for their charitable work and advocacy within the LGBTQ+ community. This award continues to honor those who embody the values and activism that Rosendahl championed throughout his life.
Following the block party the community is invited to dance the night away at Gaywatch presented by L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath at Baja Cantina (311 Washington Blvd) from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Tickets ($20-25) can be purchased online at gaywatch.party/tix, with all proceeds benefiting Venice Pride.
Venice Pride
Venice Pride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through the acceptance of diversity. The mission of the organization is to celebrate the unity of Los Angeles’ coastal LGBTQ+ community, its friends and supporters through public art projects, events and ongoing outreach that inspires, commemorates and supports diversity with the unique and eclectic spirit that embodies the Venice neighborhood.
Sports
Kenya seeks ban on intersex lowering hormone levels to compete
“The measures shall not require a person to alter biological hormonal composition as a condition to participate in any sporting activity”
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s state-funded human rights body does not want intersex athletes in the country to lower their hormone levels as a requirement to compete in any sport.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights in a proposal to the National Assembly notes it will ensure non-discrimination and fairness for intersex people in sports.
The proposal in the Intersex Persons Bill, 2024, is among numerous amendments to existing laws that seek to grant intersex people equal rights after the government in 2019 officially recognized them as a third sex.
According to the bill that would amend Kenya’s Sports Act of 2013, this will require the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry’s Cabinet secretary and the National Council for Intersex Persons, which the measure would create, to develop measures that ensure fairness for sporting intersex people when enacted.
“The measures shall not require a person to alter their biological hormonal composition as a condition to participating in any sporting activity or program,” reads the bill.
Although the measures would apply nationally, they would contradict the World Athletics Council’s 2018 regulations that similarly bar female transgender athletes from participating in international competitions, such as the Olympic Games. Intersex Kenyan athletes have to abide by these rules at the global level.
The World Athletics through the regulations noted trans women who naturally have higher levels of testosterone compared to ordinary women have to undergo medication or surgery to lower their testosterone levels as a condition before competing in races of between 400 meters and a mile. Kenya’s National Olympic Committee supports these rules.
Some top female trans athletes barred from competing in the Olympic events from the World Athletics regulations due to their high natural testosterone levels include Margaret Wambui of Kenya, Caster Semenya of South Africa, Aminatou Seyni of Niger and and Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi.
The trans athletes opposed the World Athletics regulations with Semenya challenging them in court, but lost the case, even though the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2019 criticized the rules. UNHCR cautioned sports bodies not to “force, coerce or otherwise pressure women and girl athletes into undergoing unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedures.”
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Deputy Director Veronica Mwangi, who spoke with the Washington Blade about the bill’s controversial proposal, said Kenya, which is the only African country to recognize intersex people as a third sex, has started the conversation with a “bigger picture” for the international sporting bodies to create an alternative competition for them to exploit their talents without reducing their hormonal levels or interfering with their biological characteristics as the condition before competing.
“As KNCHR, we are very clear that we cannot afford to continue discriminating and marginalizing persons who are born as intersex, but rather we can promote conversations of inclusivity where the Semenya of South Africa, an equivalent of Semenya in Uganda and an equivalent in the U.S. or Kenya can have a special sporting event like the Paralympics for persons living with disabilities,” Mwangi said.
She also questioned the fairness of World Athletics and other international sporting bodies in demanding “the Semenyas or talented intersex persons” to undergo hormonal therapy which then affects the athletes’ well-being after interfering with their biological anatomy.
“These governing sporting bodies should not come back to us that it is the intersex persons to carry the blame,” Mwangi said. “It is not the responsibility of the intersex (person) but they are duty-bearers and should think of mechanisms to grow their talents and not find an easy way out of demanding to change who they are.”
Mwangi disclosed the proposal is driven by KNCHR’s special task force report that found most intersex school children are talented and perform well in sports.
Kenya’s Intersex Persons Implementation Coordination Committee is already identifying talented intersex people, including those in schools, to support their growth in sports. Kenya’s 2019 Census found there are 1,524 intersex people in the country.
Other amendments to the Intersex Persons Bill include an employment provision that would cap an intersex person’s monthly income tax at 25 percent of wages, compared to other Kenyans whose maximum taxable income stands at 35 percent, depending on one’s monthly total earnings.
“Capping the income tax or wages for intersex persons at 25 percent is a tax consideration in the form of an affirmative action to uplift them in economic development and it is similar to that of persons living with disability who are tax exempted as marginalized groups,” Mwangi said.
The bill further seeks to amend the Health Act for any parent with an intersex child born at home to report the birth at the nearest government administration office or risk a fine of not more than $1,000 or a six-month prison term, or both, after being found guilty of concealing an intersex child’s identity.
The proposed law, moreover, seeks to create the National Council for Intersex Persons, whose mandates would include the creation of initiatives and programs to prevent discrimination against intersex people, creating a database for all intersex people and accrediting the group for employment purposes.
Celebrity News
Actor Richard Dreyfuss mocks trans people in misogynistic rant
Dreyfuss ranted about subjects reported to include trans people, Barbra Streisand, the MeToo movement and women in general
BEVERLY, Mass. – Patrons at The Cabot theater in the suburban Boston township of Beverly were all set to celebrate the 49th anniversary viewing of the classic 1975 Steven Spielberg horror film ‘Jaws,’ along with a question and answer with one of the film’s stars actor Richard Dreyfuss, when from the minute Dreyfuss appeared on stage, the event derailed.
Dreyfuss walked onto the stage wearing a blue floral pattern house dress, pausing to turn away from the audience and shake his hips suggestively, actions that were caught on multiple mobile phone video footage posted online. Then two stage hands appeared and tore the dress off the actor who then took his seat opposite the event’s moderator.
According to Variety and the Boston Globe’s reporting, Dreyfuss ranted about subjects reported to include trans people, Barbra Streisand, the MeToo movement and women in general. As attendee Diane Wolfe described it to the Boston Globe, “[Dreyfuss] said that the parents of trans youth, allowing them to transition, was bad parenting and that someday those kids might change their minds.”
A number of members of the audience took offense and left the venue. On The Cabot Theater’s Facebook page one attendee wrote: “This was disgusting. How could the Cabot not have vetted his act better. Apparently (I found out too late), he has a reputation for spewing this kind of racist, homophobic, misogynistic bullcrap.”
The Cabot has since limited commenting on its page.
The Cabot’s executive director J. Casey Soward on Sunday apologized in a statement that read:
“We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views. We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons,” Soward said. “We are in active dialogue with our patrons about their experience and are committed to learning from this event how to better enact our mission of entertaining, educating and inspiring our community.”
WBSM News Talk Sports Radio 1420AM in New Bedford–Fall River reported that The Cabot also sent an email, that the station had been forwarded, to those who purchased tickets apologizing.
“Dear Cabot Patrons,
I am writing to address an important matter concerning last night’s event with Richard Dreyfuss at The Cabot.
We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’s comments during the event were not in line with the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold at The Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many of our community members, and for that, we sincerely apologize.
At The Cabot, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect our beliefs, and we do not endorse them in any way.
We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for any discomfort it caused.
We are taking immediate steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. This includes more rigorous vetting of our event participants and more proactive communication strategies to keep our audience informed.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of The Cabot.
We value your feedback and are dedicated to learning from this experience to better serve our community.”
The actor has a lengthy record of anti-trans remarks and bigotry. He has directed transphobic rants about trans youth affirming their gender and has taken aim at the Academy of Motion Pictures & Sciences calling out the Academy’s diversity efforts in a 2023 PBS’ Firing Line broadcast saying that the Academy’s focus on diversity “makes me vomit.”
“We’re so fragile that we can’t have our feelings hurt,” he also said. “We don’t know how to stand up and bop the bully in the face.”
Deadline reported that Dreyfuss apparently made similar comments at a Friday night Jaws screening at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “I live in Mass, but the Cabot showing was all booked so I saw him in NH on May 24,” a Facebook commenter wrote. “He made anti-gay remarks that night too.”
The actor has not responded to requests by multiple media outlets for comment.
Movies
Queer ‘TV Glow’ a surreal horror gem
Challenging and surprising us in a way that feels thrillingly audacious
In an age when so much of our consciousness is fixated on screens, it’s no surprise that the year’s most effectively soul-shaking horror film so far should be about precisely that.
It’s certainly not the first movie to take on the topic. Using television and computer screens to evoke creepy chills was a “thing” even before David Cronenberg used “Videodrome” to blur the lines between the physical world and the electronically conveyed imitation of it we often substitute for the “real thing.” In “I Saw the TV Glow,” however, the focus is not so much about the natural fears that arise from our reliance on technology to help us navigate our lives – the dangers of artificial intelligence or the violation of privacy to manipulate us or make us vulnerable – as it is about something much more primal. Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s second feature might center on our fears around pop culture obsessions and the dangerously delusional fantasies they inspire, but its real agenda lies in a somewhat less obvious direction.
Tapping into shared millennial memories about the kid-friendly fan-culture fodder our televisions fed us in the 1990s, Shoenbrun’s movie revolves around Owen (Justice Smith), whose early teen years take place within that era. Reserved, anxious, and out-of-step with the conventional expectations embraced by his parents (Danielle Deadwyler and Limp Bizket frontman Fred Durst), seventh-grade Owen (Ian Foreman) finds himself drawn to lesbian ninth-grader Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) when he spots her reading a book about a TV show called “The Pink Opaque.” His fascination, partly fueled by the “forbidden” nature of a series that airs past his strictly enforced bedtime, leads the two into a secretive friendship, in which they bond over the quirky fantasy it presents – in which two teen girls with a psychic connection battle monsters together despite living on opposite sides of the world – and come to experience it as an escape from reality, which reflects and helps to alleviate their own respective unaddressed personal traumas.
Fast forward to roughly a decade later, when Owen, now working in a go-nowhere job at the local movie multiplex, reunites with his former friend – surprisingly, considering that she had disappeared around the same time that their favorite TV obsession was canceled abruptly, with a never-to-be-resolved cliffhanger left as a final discordant note. She tells him a disturbing tale of being trapped inside “the world of the show” after memories of “The Pink Opaque” began to blend with reality in her mind, suggesting that their own identities are somehow tied to its two heroines and that its outlandish mythology is somehow more “real” than the lives they remember living themselves – and triggering a similar process in Owen after their encounter leaves him questioning his own memories of the series and its influence over his fate.
Anyone who has seen Schoenbrun’s debut feature – “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” (2021), which, like “I Saw the TV Glow,” premiered to acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, putting the nonbinary filmmaker in the upper bracket of rising talents to watch – will know that their unique narrative approach has a way of keeping the viewer off balance, and that’s something that works brilliantly to give the newer feature its disconcerting impact. Though it incorporates elements of the “body horror” subgenre to elicit some squirmy moments, it’s more unsettling than outright scary, achieving its creepiness by undermining our perceptions and reminding us of the unreliability of memory – in essence, by removing the illusion of certainty from our experience of reality, calling everything we assume about it into question. We aren’t the first to note the similarities between the filmmaker’s approach and that of David Lynch, whose disorienting nonlinear style would have obvious parallels to theirs even if it wasn’t peppered with visual callbacks to some of the latter director’s iconic work; far from being mere imitation, however, it’s the use of a shared visual language to take us on a surreal and sometimes nighmarish journey, which operates under the malleable rules of dream logic as it shape-shifts its way through a narrative that feels as much like free-association as it does a story.
What makes it particularly effective is that it captures the kind of cultish fandom those of latter generations feel around the precious TV memories of their youth – frequently around the kind of loopy, outlandish sci-fi fantasy shows like the one at its center – and the reasons why such pop culture fodder have such appeal for anyone who, like its two protagonists, feels like an outsider in a world that seems to have no place for them. We’ve all felt like that at some time or another, no matter which generation we are from, so we can relate – just as we can relate to the experience of revisiting a show we loved from our youth and finding it different than we remembered, something this movie deploys brilliantly to hook us into its premise and spark our own paranoid fantasies about mind control over the broadcast waves, supernatural or otherwise.
But while Shoenbrun’s film succeeds masterfully at triggering all those “hidden message” fantasies that emerge in our pop culture – the hubbub over “backward masking” on rock albums comes to mind, or the uproar over the demonic influence of role playing games like “Dungeons and Dragons” – it delivers a much more existential level of fear almost through its stylistic approach alone. By challenging not only our memories of the past but our perception of the here-and-now, “I Saw the TV Glow” pulls the rug out from under our belief in a concrete reality. Further, by following its saga through several stages of life – it follows Owen over a course of 30 years – it drives home the inevitable connection between aging, loss of control over our own minds, and ultimately, death itself as the fate which awaits us all.
Yes, that sounds pretty grim, and melancholy to boot – but after all, why shouldn’t a horror film embrace those qualities? And like the best horror films, this one finds a transcendent beauty in the twisted darkness it shows us, even if it offers us little – beyond the escapist fantasies we cling to from our youth, that is – to comfort us as we face the grim uncertainties of our own lives.
How it accomplishes that is something we’ll leave you to discover for yourself, but we would be remiss not to note the movie’s deeply queer/trans subtext – both its lead characters are ostracized for non-conformity in their sexual or gender orientations, though most of that is conveyed “between the lines” rather than explicitly explored – which brings a tangible and resonant layer of metaphor to the proceedings.
Admittedly, “TV Glow” might not be the kind of horror film for all fans of the genre – its nonlinear style and surrealistic resistance to concrete interpretation are sure to alienate those looking for a more easily-digestible experience. Nevertheless, it’s a rare genre film that steps outside its expected boundaries to challenge and surprise us in a way that feels thrillingly audacious – and that’s more than enough for us to jump on board.
Books
Architecture junkies will love new book on funeral homes
‘Preserved’ explores how death industry evolved after WWII
‘Preserved: A Cultural History of the Funeral Home in America’
By Dean G. Lampros
c.2024, Johns Hopkins University Press
$34.95/374 pages
Three bedrooms upstairs. That’s a minimum.
You need a big kitchen, a large back room would be a bonus, you want lots of bathrooms, and if you can get a corner lot, that’d be great. The thing you need most is a gigantic all-purpose room or maybe a ballroom because you’re planning on a lot of people. As you’ll see in the new book “Preserved” by Dean G. Lampros, not all living rooms are for the living.
Not too long ago, shortly after he took a class on historic preservation, Dean Lampros’ husband dragged him on a weekend away to explore a small town in Massachusetts. There, Lampros studied the town’s architecture and it “saddened” him to see Victorian mansions surrounded by commercial buildings. And then he had an epiphany: there was once a time when those old mansions housed funeral homes. Early twentieth-century owners of residential funeral homes were, in a way, he says, preservationists.
Prior to roughly World War II, most funerals were held at home or, if there was a need, at a funeral home, the majority of which were located in a downtown area. That changed in 1923 when a Massachusetts funeral home owner bought a large mansion in a residential area and made a “series of interior renovations” to the building. Within a few years, his idea of putting a funeral home inside a former home had spread across the country and thousands of “stately old mansions in aging residential neighborhoods” soon held death-industry businesses.
This, says, Lampros, often didn’t go over well with the neighbors, and that resulted in thousands of people upset and lawsuits filed. Some towns then passed ordinances to prohibit such a thing from happening to their citizens.
Still, funeral home owners persevered. Moving out of town helped “elevate” the trade, and it allowed Black funeral home operators to get a toehold in formerly white neighborhoods. And by having a nice – and nice-sized – facility, the operators were finally able to wrest the end-of-life process away from individuals and home-funerals.
Here’s a promise: “Preserved” is not gruesome or gore-for-the-sake-of-gore. It’s not going to keep you up all night or give you nightmares. Nope, while it might be a little stiff, it’s more of a look at architecture and history than anything else.
From California to New England, author Dean G. Lampros takes readers on a cruise through time and culture to show how “enterprising” business owners revolutionized a category and reached new customers for a once-in-a-deathtime event. Readers who’ve never considered this hidden-in-plain-sight, surprising subject – or, for that matter, the preservation or re-reclamation of those beautiful old homes – are in for a treat here. Despite that the book can lean toward the academic, a good explanatory timeline and information gleaned from historical archives and museums offer a liveliness that you’ll enjoy.
This book will delight fans of little-know history, and architecture junkies will drool over its many photographs. “Preserved” is the book you want because there are other ways to make a house a “home.”
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
Sports
NFL kicker Harrison Butker doubles down on his extremist remarks
‘Unapologetic’ Catholic he said then compared himself to saints and martyrs, claims to be victim of hate in new speech
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In his first public comments since delivering a controversial commencement address, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker doubled-down on his extremist right-wing remarks that were widely criticized for misogyny, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and disrespect toward the president of the United States.
Referencing the theme of Friday night’s fundraising gala in support of Regina Caeli Academy — “Courage Under Fire” — Butker vowed that the “shocking level of hate” he had received will not deter him from being “unapologetic” about his Roman Catholic faith.
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” Butker said, as first reported by the anti-LGBTQ+ right wing outlet, the Daily Wire. “Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe.”
BREAKING: In first public remarks since his commencement speech sparked a liberal meltdown, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker makes very clear he’s not backing down from his faith. @buttkicker7 pic.twitter.com/q3Vh0KpvTg
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 25, 2024
As the Los Angeles Blade reported, the three-time Super Bowl champion’s address to a private, Catholic-run liberal arts college in Kansas on May 11 has sparked outrage from women, advocates and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, football fans and even Catholic nuns. A petition on Change.org demanding the Chiefs fire Butker has more than 226,000 signatures as of press time.
But Butker has also found support from prominent Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelcie, who each defended his right to his opinions while distancing themselves from his words. Butker noted that support from teammates Friday night: “As the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion,” Butker said.
The NFL player said that in the face of adversity, he put his trust in “the Lord’s Providence and… the Holy Ghost,” to applause from the crowd. He compared the backlash he’s experienced in the past two weeks to the trials of medieval martyrs and ancient saints who faced lions, saying: “In reality, any courage I’ve shown will lead to some small suffering, and it will lead to some people maybe never liking me, but that could be God’s will.”
Butker’s number 7 jersey is reportedly the most popular men’s clothing item on NFL.com. Even though he drew criticism for suggesting female-identified graduates consider being a “homemaker” over pursuing a career, women’s jerseys are sold out.
“It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker,” Butker said during the commencement speech he delivered at Benedictine College, as the Blade reported. His other remarks compared LGBTQ+ Pride month events to biblical “deadly sins,” denounced “dangerous gender ideologies” and the “diabolical lies told to women,” and spoke out against abortion, in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, as well as President Joe Biden.
Butker, 28, criticized Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and questioned his devotion to Roman Catholicism, calling him “delusional.” Speaking directly to the men in the audience, the athlete advised them to “be unapologetic in your masculinity,” and to “fight against the cultural emasculation of men.”
“In my seven years in the NFL, I’ve become familiar with positive and negative comments,” Butker said in Nashville Friday. “But the majority of them revolve around my performance on the field. But, as to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I’ve become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made, and one I do not regret at all.”
The event also featured speeches by Daily Wire hosts Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles, and was sponsored by Bentkey, The Daily Wire’s kids entertainment streaming service, according to the Daily Wire.
Sports
Trans high school athlete booed at Oregon state track meet
She’s been targeted by some of the biggest names in transphobic circles as well as the usual band of anti-trans trolls across social media
EUGENE, Ore. — Aayden Gallagher is a girl. She’s also a sophomore at Portland’s McDaniel High School and happens to be transgender. For that, the 10th grader was booed by grown adults Saturday, because she was the fastest runner to cross a finish line in one event at a state championship track meet. Those boos can be heard in videos that have since gone viral.
Ever since, she’s been targeted by some of the biggest names in transphobic circles as well as the usual band of anti-trans trolls across social media.
Gallagher was one of eight girls competing in the Oregon School Activities Association Class 6A 200-meter final at her state’s championship meet at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. She won that race by two-tenths of a second, finishing at 23.82 seconds, with Roosevelt High School sophomore Aster Jones closely behind at 24.02.
Last month, it was Jones who finished first and Gallagher second, at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic. But coming in second doesn’t generate outrage, even when Gallagher won the silver in the 400 on Saturday.
The crowd is heard booing again in videos posted online showing Gallagher receiving her gold medal.
Those videos were shared with venom by anti-trans athlete activist and failed former college swimmer Riley Gaines. As the Los Angeles Blade has reported, Gaines is a paid shill for the anti-inclusion organization, Independent Women’s Forum and now heads The Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, an anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing training center for conservative youth in Arlington, Va.
Look at the girls on the podium applauding when 2nd place (the rightful winner) is announced.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 19, 2024
Then watch them when the boys name is announced.
Stop saying girls are okay with this because they aren't. This is heartbreaking and deeply regressive. https://t.co/VmjeTtwgIk pic.twitter.com/5o36MbMICD
The booing clips were also spread by Chaya Raichik, the social media menace behind the account “Libs of TikTok.” The Southern Poverty Law Center designates Raichik as a propagandist who “mobilizes right-wing extremist groups in violent attacks against” against LGBTQ+ people and institutions.
More footage of the Oregon State Championship Women’s 200m where a male won first place.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 20, 2024
Listen as the crowd erupts in loud BOOs as they announce the male as the winner and roaring cheers for Aster Jones, the REAL 1st place WINNER .
People are sick of this nonsense! pic.twitter.com/LyflDc00eQ
Amplifying Gaines and other mudslinging haters are reporters from every corner of the media, including People magazine and the Christian Post, which went so far as to misgender Gallagher and, for no apparent reason, deadname out transgender NCAA champion swimmer Lia Thomas.
Instagram is rife with social media posts from around the world denouncing Gallagher for “destroying women’s sports” by barely winning one race.
(Screenshot/YouTube)
The bottom line, however, is that Gallagher competed according to the rules. She did not cheat; Oregon’s policy, as dictated in the OSAA Handbook, clearly states that students can compete on the athletic team that aligns with their self-declared gender identity, without the need for medical intervention. The policy “allows students to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students.” It does not require that trans student-athletes undergo transition-related medical treatment prior to competing.
That policy matches Connecticut’s Interscholastic Athletic Conference guidelines on transgender participation, which are the target of an ongoing federal lawsuit brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom, representing cisgender student-athletes.
Of course, Gallagher did get her flowers, too, not just thorns. Genderqueer nonbinary pansexual biologist, Dr. Juniper Simonis saluted her for being “a strong, fast student-athlete.”
Did you know Aayden Gallagher won some big sportsing events in Oregon this weekend?
— Junie B Jones (@JuniperLSimonis) May 20, 2024
What a strong, fast student athlete!!
Congrats Aayden !!! https://t.co/SPwgYAMKyx
Best of all, Oregonian sports columnist Bill Oram called out the “bad-faith internet cretins who are exploiting her identity for a belt-notch in the culture wars,” while conceding in an op-ed, “I get it if parents are mad,” and “I do not know what the answer is.”
“But what I do know, and I’m confident saying here, is that judgment cannot be handed down by a mob of people who are limited to the binary device of cheers and boos… The presence of a trans athlete led to additional security during the medal presentation. Law enforcement wasn’t there to protect the rest of the competitors from the trans athlete. No, it was there to protect the athlete from adults who were so spun up by her existence and her athletic excellence that they might resort to violence.
“Nobody deserves that. Certainly not a child.”
Regarding the transgender athlete who won an Oregon state track title: I don't have the answer. But I do know that the bad-faith internet cretins who are exploiting her identity for a belt-notch in the culture wars don't either.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 21, 2024
New @Oregonian column: https://t.co/AaNrGwAdmL
Sports
Riley Gaines is fundraising to ‘defend the truth’ by spreading lies
The fifth-place swimmer-turned-activist hosts a weekly podcast for the right wing, anti-LGBTQ+ sports website Outkick
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two years after Riley Gaines swam at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, slower than four other cisgender women and no faster than a transgender woman, the former University of Kentucky graduate is making bank off her ignominious fifth-place finish.
Gaines already hosts a weekly podcast for the right wing, anti-LGBTQ+ sports website Outkick and is a paid shill for the anti-inclusion organization, Independent Women’s Forum. Now, the 24-year-old is heading up The Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, an organization described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “right-wing… home to a number of prominent politicians and activists on the American right.” It was founded by Morton C. Blackwell in 1979 and is based in Arlington, Va.
As The Nation reported in 2022, Blackwell was the youth director for Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign. In its 45-years of existence, his nonprofit institute has been “funneling right-wing students from campus groups into the conservative machine,” with alumni that includes former Vice President Mike Pence, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist and ‘conservative provocateur’ Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe. The institute claims that Blackwell has likely “trained more political activists than any other conservative”—more than 200,000—with over 1,700 conservative clubs and newspapers on campuses nationwide.
And now, Riley Gaines is the institute’s new poster child.
“Join my team and help protect women, free speech, and common sense,” says the website promoting Gaines’ new platform. “My team of Ambassadors and I are building a movement of students, athletes, and concerned citizens who are fed up with the attack on our freedoms and rights — and who dare to defy the dangerous gender ideology that’s spreading rampant and unchecked throughout society.”
“Through the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, Riley will create powerful leaders to combat radical leftist ideology in their schools, their communities, and nationwide,” says on a page soliciting contact information to “get exclusive updates from Riley.”
A page offering a way to request Gaines’ “help” makes this bold statement: “Riley is building an army of patriotic women, men, students, athletes, parents — and patriots who stand up for the truth — to combat radical transgender ideology before it takes over America.”
Gaines, who has made frequent appearances on right-wing propaganda programs on cable television and traveled the country touring campuses to promote both transphobia and her book, Swimming Against the Current, has recently ditched the rant that made her famous. That’s the one she’s trotted out ever since tying with transgender national champion swimmer Lia Thomas in March 2022: Gaines has repeated ad infinitum how upsetting it was to leave Atlanta without a trophy.
The truth is, NCAA officials had only one fifth place trophy, so they handed Gaines the sixth place trophy to hold for photographs, and promised to send hers by mail. To be clear, there was no sixth place finisher; USC’s Laticia Transom finished seventh. And as Swimming World magazine reported in 2022, “Thomas is listed ahead of Gaines on the official results page, which indicates that Thomas touched ahead of Gaines by less than one hundredth” of a second.
“Ok that’s fine, she worked hard, just like I worked hard, there’s no question there,” Gaines told the conservative outlet Daily Wire in 2022, when she was first interviewed about this. “But can I ask why she gets the fifth-place trophy before I do? Especially last night, she just won the national title.”
While Gaines has endlessly repeated her outrage about the trophy in speaking engagements and on television, she has apparently decided to not repeat something she said about Thomas in her interview with the right-wing outlet:
“I am in full support of her and full support of her transition and her swimming career and everything like that,” insisted Gaines, “because there’s no doubt that she works hard too, but she’s just abiding by the rules that the NCAA put in place, and that’s the issue.”
Now, two years later, Gaines deadnames Thomas and misgenders him, calling him a man who “stole top spots from me and my fellow female athletes.”
That’s an excerpt from an email the institute sent to conservatives on May 14, which opens with Gaines’ latest plea for cash based on apparent lies and misstatements.
“It was the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had,” the email begins. “I had just given a speech when agitators stormed the room.” She’s regaling readers with her account of what happened during her Turning Point USA-sponsored appearance at San Francisco State University in April 2023.
“A man — wearing a woman’s dress — punched me twice. Then I spent three hours barricaded in a classroom while leftist college students just outside the door yelled the most obscene things at me, including, “f*cking transphobic b*tch!” All because I said things like… men are men — and men are not women… there are only two sexes… men have no business being in women’s locker rooms and playing in women’s sports.”
Gaines shared video of this on social media that shows, well, a not very warm welcome at SFSU, but no evidence of her claims of being assaulted and held captive.
The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU…I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man. This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 7, 2023
Still only further assures me I'm doing something right. When they want you silent, speak louder. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/uJW3x9RERf
Turns out, the university police didn’t see anything, either, and closed the case. “UPD conducted an investigation and after interviewing involved parties and reviewing available video footage found that claims of crimes committed were unfounded,” wrote UPD in an email, as reported by a student newspaper, the Golden Gate Express.
Given that she lacks any evidence to support her pitch for funding, Gaines shifts her plea to appeal to “conservative principles:”
“I write to you because I know you’re rational. And more than that, you’re an American who believes in conservative principles.
“You love our country.
“And you understand that conservative principles have guided America — a country that has done the most good of any country,. anywhere.
“But leftists today not only challenge those basic truths, they want to blow up the very foundations of our country and construct something completely different.
“They’re radically changing the answer to the question “What is a woman?” to the point that if you say a man cannot be a woman, you will pay for it dearly.
“This issue is at the very core of what it means to be an American. If you and I do not have the right to free speech — and the ability to speak basic, commonsense truths – – then we have lost our country.”
So, that’s what Gaines is doing two years after finishing fifth. Canadian Taylor Ruck won that competition as a student from Stanford in 2022, and this summer, the four-time Olympic medalist is headed to Paris with Team Canada. Immediately after competing in Atlanta, neither Thomas nor Gaines talked to the reporters covering the championship. But Ruck did.
As the Los Angeles Blade reported, I asked Ruck her thoughts on Thomas. She said she heard “the chatter” about her, but was focused only on her own performance and apparently didn’t consider it unfair for Thomas to compete. “Competition is competition,” said Ruck, who added that she relished the challenge Thomas represented. “I was excited to race against someone who swims so fast.”
Isabel Ivey finished second in 2022, representing the University of California Berkeley. This past March, she was part of the University of Florida’s championship team in the 800 Freestyle Relay, the school’s first national title since 2010, as Swimming World Magazine reported.
Kelly Pash of the University of Texas came in third ahead of Gaines and Thomas in 2022, and finished second in this year’s 200 fly championship final at the NCAA Championships in March, according to Big12sports.com
And the fourth best swimmer that day in March 2022 was Stanford’s Lillie Nordmann, . She’s now the captain of the swim team, a junior, and an activist. Not against transgender inclusion, but for sustainability.
“I’ve always been very passionate about the environment and trying to reduce my carbon footprint,” Nordmann told the Stanford Daily school newspaper last month. “I also wanted to foster a community where student athletes could collaborate.”
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