Arts & Entertainment
‘Degrassi: Next Class’ character comes out as non-binary
this is the teen drama’s first genderfluid storyline
(Screenshot via Pink News.)
Netflix’s hit teen drama “Degrassi: Next Class” is known for having inclusive characters such as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Now, the Canadian series can add non-binary representation to the list.
In a preview clip for the upcoming fourth season, Yael (Jamie Bloch) kisses her friend Lola (Amanda Arcuri) to determine if she’s gay. Yael decides she isn’t gay but confesses to Lola she’s feeling confused about her gender.
“I feel in between. I don’t feel like a girl, or what everyone thinks is a girl. I don’t like makeup or stuff like you do. I really, really hate my boobs. But I don’t feel like a boy either. And I’m definitely not gay,” Yael tells Lola.
Lola explains it sounds like Yael might be genderfluid or genderqueer and tells her that’s how her favorite vlogger identifies. She then offers to give Yael a makeover.
“Just tell me what you’d want to look like if you weren’t worrying about being a boy or a girl – if you were worrying about being Yael,” Lola says.
The series is just the latest show to include a non-binary character. Non-binary actor Asia Kate Dillon plays the first non-binary character, Taylor, on the Showtime series, “Billions.”
“Degrassi: Next Class” streams its fourth season on July 7 on Netflix.
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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The second annual Frederick Pride Parade was held in the streets of downtown Frederick, Md. on Friday, June 26.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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