Arts & Entertainment
Transgender Oscar nominee Anohni boycotts show
history making nominee skips ceremony
(Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)
Transgender Oscar nominee Anohni has opted to skip the Academy Awards after not being invited to perform.
Anohni is nominated for Best Original Song for “Manta Ray,” recorded for the documentary “Racing Extinction.” Fellow category nominees Sam Smith, Lady Gaga and The Weeknd were billed to perform for the night but Anohni found out she and another Best Original Song nominee, Sumi Jo, were cut due to “time constraints.”
In an open letter on her website, the 44-year-old singer aired her concerns over being cut.
“I slowly realized that the positive implication of this nomination was being retracted,” Anohni writes. “The producers seemed to have decided to stage performances only by the singers who were deemed commercially viable.”
“I want to be clear – I know that I wasn’t excluded from the performance directly because I am transgendered,” the singer continued. “I was not invited to perform because I am relatively unknown in the U.S.”
“I have decided not to attend the Academy Awards this election year,” Anohni concluded. “I will not be lulled into submission with a few more well manufactured, feel-good ballads and a bit of good old fashioned T. and A.”
Anohni is part of indie-rock group Antony and the Johnsons, but has also worked as a solo artist for years. She is the second ever openly transgender Oscar nominee.
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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
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The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.Â
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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