Miscellaneous
‘One Night Only’
Well, one night and a matinee anyway — Holliday sings with the Gay Men’s Chorus this weekend
Jennifer Holliday performs with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington this weekend. (Photo courtesy of GMCW)
Jennifer Holliday is a gracious and easy-going interview. During a lengthy chat, she handles all the softballs with class and is happy to indulge a few could-be-prickly ones too — her weight fluctuations, career stalls, being religious yet gay friendly.
Only one topic elicits exasperation — Florence Ballard, the Supremes founding member who was ousted from the group at its peak and died a decade later broke and on welfare.
The topic of whether the “Dreamgirls” story is or is not a dramatization of the Supremes story is, of course, one of the dicier discussions in all of pop culture. The similiarities are so profound, even describing it as a theatrical roman a clef seems tame. As if its crafters knew exactly how far they could go without getting sued.
But while some connected to the Broadway production and 2006 film version have been eager to draw comparisons, Holliday, whose character Effie has long been associated with Ballard, will have none of it.
Holliday cuts off a question about whether she ever met Ballard’s three daughters to make a few things perfectly clear.
“This is not the Florence Ballard story,” she says. “I was heartbroken when Jennifer (Hudson, Effie in the film) got the SAG and later the Golden Globe and mentioned her. I was thinking, ‘Honey, Florence Ballard had nothing to do with this.’ I didn’t know the Supremes or anybody, I didn’t know Florence Ballard, her story wasn’t the one in ‘Dreamgirls.’ Even Florence herself, I mean, she had a nice voice, and I’m not trying to brag, but any sort of comparison between her voice and the kind of voice I have or Jennifer (Hudson) has, there would not be any kind of comparison. If anything my personal story, because I could have easily ended up like that, could have easily been more like hers than Effie’s.”
Feeling, perhaps, that she came on a bit strong, Holliday backpedals slightly.
“I’m not trying to cut you off on that, but it’s just something they made up, especially with the movie,” she says. “It’s something that would sound better for them as a story.”
Holliday, who performs two shows this weekend with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington for its 30th anniversary and will replace previously announced Kelly Rowland as the Capital Pride headliner, says she wouldn’t have advised Hudson to mention Ballard in her acceptance speeches. She didn’t when she won the Oscar.
“She probably was not very well schooled and very well rehearsed at that time about what things to say,” Holliday says. “If you go back and look at the countless number of interviews, you see a lot of things were said. It is confusing. It confused me at times too. And I can’t really say what she knew or didn’t know because I wasn’t privy to any of that, but whatever information she had was wrong.”
Fellow founding Supreme member Mary Wilson, who said she loved “Dreamgirls” and even called her memoir “Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme,” is another prickly subject for Holliday, though now that the Supremes/”Dreamgirls” ice is broken, she doesn’t seem to mind.
“Oh yes, we all met Mary backstage,” Holliday says, remembering her nearly four-year, early-1980s run with the show. “She was saying how did we know it was her story and that Lorrell was her and all that kind of stuff. I kind of took it with a grain of salt. I’m not gonna call Mary a liar, I’m just saying we all have our own truth and our own perspectives and you see she went on to call her book ‘Dreamgirls.’”
Holliday remembers playing Vegas later at the same time Wilson was in town. She said it only added to the confusion.
“She had a sign up that she was the original Dreamgirl. I was going to be at the Flamingo, and I was thinking, ‘OK, you’re a Supreme, I’m the original Dreamgirl.’ It was like everybody was confused about their own history.”
It was much less an issue with Miss Ross, Holliday says. Holliday knew her because they shared a manager — Motown’s legendary Suzanne DePasse. Ross never saw the stage “Dreamgirls” and told David Letterman she watched the film version “with her attorneys.”
“She refused to come (see the stage production),” Holliday says. “That was fine because it really wasn’t her story. I think the movie made her more upset because they took more liberties with it. I felt she kind of had a right to kind of put a muzzle on them and threaten to sue because they did go a little too far, I felt.”
Holliday is excited about her appearance this weekend. The concert was a year in the making. She’ll perform her “Dreamgirls” standards and the Chorus will back her on two covers — “Lean On Me” and “I Believe I Can Fly.” The concert will open with a one-act musical that explores themes of family. It was commissioned especially for this show. Holliday will sign her latest album after the concerts.
Jeff Buhrman, artistic director, says Holliday has been great to work with.
“Everyone in the Chorus is extremely excited that we get the opportunity to share the stage with someone who is such an inspirational singer,” he says. “She sings from her heart and her gut and you can feel every emotion. It’s raw. She’s got this amazing ability to connect with the lyrics so we’re all thrilled.”
Holliday, a Tony and Grammy winner, echoes sentiments the late Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner also shared — the gays were there when nobody else was.
“I really feel there would be no Jennifer Holliday or definitely no ‘Dreamgirls’ without the gay community,” she says. “The music business is so up or down, if you don’t have a hit, you’re nobody. This community has loved me unconditionally no matter what. I filed for bankruptcy, I didn’t have a hit record for many years, I was off the radio and off the radar in a lot of eyes, but not with the gay community. I was able to work and keep my dignity and this community welcomed me unconditionally.”
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
30th Anniversary Concert
‘And I Am Telling You’
Saturday at 8 p.m.
Sunday at 3 p.m.
Lisner Auditorim at George Washington University
Tickets — $25-$35
Miscellaneous
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
Miscellaneous
LA-based TransLatin@ Coalition leads in time of attacks
Members of Congress ‘calling us a radical organization’
As ICE raids intensify across Southern California and anti-immigrant sentiment resurfaces in Orange County, transgender and immigrant communities are once again being targeted. These crackdowns go beyond enforcement — they’re designed to instill fear. At the same time, a coordinated right-wing smear campaign is attempting to discredit the very organizations working to keep these communities safe.
Last month, the TransLatin@ Coalition, a cornerstone in the fight for trans, queer, and immigrant rights in Los Angeles, was publicly named by members of Congress. But this was no recognition. It was a calculated attack.
“They’re calling us a radical organization,” said Bamby Salcedo, president and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. “They’re spreading lies, saying we’re using government funding to abolish ICE and the police and to provide abortion access. We do believe in those things, but the funding we receive is used to serve our people.”
Now, that funding is being stripped away.
In the face of state violence, political backlash, and economic sabotage, TLC is responding the way it always has: by organizing, celebrating, and building a better world. Because when our communities are under attack, we show up — stronger, louder, and more united than ever.
Salcedo, herself a proud trans Latina immigrant, has spent decades fighting for those living at the margins. “I always say I am an intersection walking,” she said with a smile. “Our organization is made up of the people most impacted — and we are the ones leading the work.”
In Los Angeles County, roughly one-third of residents are immigrants, the majority of whom are Latino. Unsurprisingly, trans Latinas represent the largest segment within the local trans community.
Yet even within immigrant justice spaces, trans people are often sidelined.
“It’s a very hetero-centric space,” Salcedo said. “Most of the time, they don’t even consider the lives and experiences of trans and queer immigrants.”
The TransLatin@ Coalition is actively changing that. As a key member of a broad alliance of more than 100 immigrant-serving organizations across Los Angeles, including CHIRLA and the Filipino Workers Center, the TransLatin@ Coalition helped secure over $160 million in American Rescue Plan funds for immigrant housing, internet access, and legal services.
They also co-created the groundbreaking TGIE (Transgender, Gender-Nonconforming, Intersex Empowerment) initiative, which allocates $7 million in Los Angeles County’s annual budget to support trans-led service providers.
“We don’t just want symbolic policies,” said Salcedo. “We fight for resources. We analyze the budget. We make it real.”
Despite these victories, the TransLatin@ Coalition is now confronting devastating federal cuts.
“Our work has been defunded,” Salcedo said bluntly. “Multiple programs are gone. And we’re not alone — trans-led organizations across the country, especially in the South, are facing the same.”
She pointed to a broader backlash against anything associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). “The private sector is pulling back. Philanthropy is scared. Even the same corporations that fund us during Pride are investing in our opposition the rest of the year. It’s hypocrisy.”
Rather than retreat, the TransLatin@ Coalition is calling for bold, collective action.
“Now’s the time for people to step up,” said Salcedo. “We have the strategy. We’re doing the work. But we need resources — and we need real solidarity, not just statements.”
To respond to the crisis and raise urgently needed funds, the TransLatin@ Coalition is organizing its Walk for Humanity on Saturday, Aug. 24. The event will begin at 9 a.m. in Silver Lake and march to Sunset and Western, featuring live performances, a resource fair, and a unified call for justice.
And yes — it will be joyful.
“This is a call for all people to stand in solidarity with one another,” said Salcedo. “We want to bring together 1,000 people, each raising $1,000. It’s going to be a beautiful day of community and resistance.”
In a surprise announcement, Salcedo also revealed she will debut her first single — a cumbia track inspired by the movement. “It’s about movement in both senses: our political movement, and moving our bodies,” she laughed. “We can’t let them take away our joy. Joy is how we survive.”
When asked what more local leaders can do, Salcedo didn’t hesitate. “Elected officials are public servants. That means serving all people,” she said. “We may be a small population, but we are deeply impacted — and we contribute so much to this city.”
She pointed to data from LA’s most recent homelessness count, which identified over 2,000 trans and gender-expansive people experiencing homelessness. That number exists thanks in large part to years of advocacy demanding the city count and name trans lives. “We have the data now. There’s no excuse not to invest in our people.”
She also uplifted allies like Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and newly appointed City Council member Isabel Urado, the first openly LGBTQ person to hold her seat. “They’ve seen our work and are fighting to invest in it,” Salcedo said. “We’re hopeful we’ll see another $10 million in city funding. But we need the community behind us.”
At the end of our conversation, I asked Salcedo what she would say to undocumented, queer, and trans Angelenos who are feeling afraid right now.
Her answer was clear, powerful, and full of love:
“You are a divine creation. You deserve to exist in this world. Walk your path with dignity, love, and respect — for yourself and for others. You belong. You are part of me. You are part of us.”
If standing with trans immigrants, resisting federal rollbacks, and dancing in the streets sounds like your kind of solidarity, join the TransLatin@ Coalition on Aug. 24. Because when we show up together, we protect each other. And when we dance together — we win.
Watch the full interview with Salcedo:
Miscellaneous
LGBTQ cruise ship rescues 11 migrants between Cuba and Mexico
Rescue took place in Yucatán Channel on Wednesday
A cruise ship chartered by an LGBTQ travel company on Wednesday rescued 11 Cubans from a boat that was adrift between their country and Mexico.
Vacaya in a press release said the Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, which had left from New Orleans, discovered the migrants’ boat in the Yucatán Channel, a strait between Mexico and Cuba that connects the Gulf of Mexico (the Trump-Vance administration now refers to the body of water as the Gulf of America) and the Caribbean Sea.
A video that Vacaya provided shows the migrants’ boat before the rescue. Other videos show the rescue taking place.
MTV’s Downtown Julie Brown, who was performing on the ship, described the rescue in a video she posted to social media.
“We are in the middle of a live rescue operation right now,” she said. “The captain of the ship, while we were hauling so fast the other way, thought he saw a boat in distress. So, we looped around … and it was indeed a boat in distress.”
“Nothing speaks more to VACAYA’s values than providing comfort in a moment of need,” said Vacaya CEO Randle Roper in the press release. “I’m so happy we were able to bring these 11 refugees onboard safely and provide medical care, dry clothes, food, and, most importantly, water.”
“It’s sad that some people have to put themselves through such trauma in hopes of finding a better life, but that’s where we are today,” added Roper. “I’m so proud of our LGBT+ guests rallying to collect clothes for these fellow humans in need.”
The ship is scheduled to return to New Orleans on Saturday.
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SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
Queen Camilla meets with JK Rowling
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D.C. queer faith leaders commit to exist, resist, persist
Gay US couple among four people found dead in Mexico mass grave
ACLU says trans athletes ruling is narrower than many believe
Delaware approves amendment protecting same-sex marriage
Centenares de personas participan en la Marcha del Orgullo en la capital salvadoreña
Actually, I’m gay and I’m queer. It matters
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Mexico4 days agoGay US couple among four people found dead in Mexico mass grave
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National4 days ago
ACLU says trans athletes ruling is narrower than many believe
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Delaware4 days ago
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Noticias en Español4 days ago
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