Arts & Entertainment

‘AbFab’ returns!

BBC fave comes to Logo, Chaz puts on his dancing shoes

Published

15 years ago

September 8, 2011

Juliette Ebner

A new Logo acquisition heralds the return of Patsy and Edina in gay cult favorite ‘AbFab.’ (Photo courtesy Logo/BBC)

ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” starts Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. and this season’s cast is already generating buzz thanks to the inclusion of Chaz Bono, the show’s first trans contestant.

Cher, Bono’s mother, has taken to Twitter, blasting the critics and encouraging her followers to support him. His partner, Lacey Schwimmer, who danced with Lance Bass her first season as a pro on the show, has shown support.

“I just think it’s absolutely ridiculous when people have anything negative to say about anybody other than themselves,” Schwimmer told E! Online. “It’s not fair. It’s not nice. And it’s degrading. I really get sad about it.”

‘Dancing’ executive producer Conrad Green has also spoken out.

“We thought Chaz’s story was pretty compelling,” Green told E! Online. “He comes from Hollywood royalty and obviously the personal changes in his life have been quite profound.”

Former “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” Carson Kressley, is also a part of the cast and will be dancing with Anna Trebunskaya.

“Modern Family,” with gay couple Cameron and Mitchell, returns Sept. 21 at 9 p.m.

“Grey’s Anatomy” returns with a two-hour premiere on Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. When season seven ended, Arizona Robbins and Callie Torres, played by Jessica Capshaw and Sara Ramirez, had just gotten married after a pregnant Callie nearly died in a car accident.

ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” may have had its summer finale and the second half of the season won’t start until the new year, but a special Halloween-themed episode will air Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. The episode, which takes place before the series premiere, will offer a glimpse of the relationship lesbian Emily, played by Shay Mitchell, had with her friend Allison.

Fox’s “Glee” begins its third season Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. Previews have shown Blaine, Kurt’s love interest, out of his Dalton uniform and dancing with Santana and the rest of the Cheerios while Quinn sports a new look. Sue Sylvester, played by out actress Jane Lynch, even gets glitter-bombed by Will. And don’t forget Lynch is hosting the Emmys on Fox Sept. 18 at 8 p.m.

The Oprah Winfrey Network has two new shows coming with familiar gay faces.

Rosie O’Donnell is returning to television with her own show, “The Rosie Show,” starting Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Suze Orman will be joining Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz for “Ask Oprah’s All Stars,” which premieres Oct. 16 at 8 p.m.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” starts its ninth season Monday. Her premiere week guests have already been revealed and Ashton Kutcher will be giving his first daytime interview before the premiere of “Two and a Half Men.” “Ellen” airs in D.C. on channel four at 3 p.m. For other areas’ times, visit ellentv.com.

Bravo has a couple new series starting this fall.

“Mad Fashion,” which premieres Oct. 4 at 10 p.m., will feature former “Project Runway” alum Chris March, as he and his crew create designs for high-profile clients, including a Mardi Gras float ensemble for Jennifer Coolidge.

Also starting is the second season of Bravo’s “Work of Art,” a reality show seeking to discover new artistic talent. The season begins Oct. 12 at 9 p.m.

“The A-List” is slowly becoming a franchise with a new show based in Dallas starting Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. on Logo. The cast includes a former rodeo star, a gay Republican, a serial dater and more.

It’s also been announced that Logo is partnering with BBC America to bring back a couple of favorites in a new way. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley will be reprising their roles as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone for three new “Absolutely Fabulous” specials.

Logo has been airing repeats of the first five seasons of “AbFab” since April.

MTV starts the 26th season of “The Real World” on Sept. 28 with the show’s return to San Diego. The cast includes Virginia native Samantha, who goes by Sam, and is said to be a lesbian. A trailer for the upcoming season also shows a male roommate who is said to be bisexual.

Up Next

Preview of coming attractions

Don't Miss

‘Homo’ statement

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.