Arts & Entertainment
Asia O’Hara says she was ‘threatened to be burned alive’ by online trolls
The ‘Drag Race’ star explains her social media absence
Asia O’Hara (Photo courtesy Project Publicity)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Asia O’Hara revealed she received death threats on social media because of her race in a heartfelt Twitter post.
O’Hara, who is a finalist on season 10, posted an emotional note on Twitter explaining her absence from the social media platform.
She revealed that at 11 years old a group of neighborhood kids attempted to set her on fire for being gay.
“Since that night, I have grown to what I thought was a strong, resilient person,” O’Hara writes. “I left that night and those faces behind me, never telling a soul.”
While she says the horrific incident made her a “strong, resilient person” she encountered an online troll who threatened to burn her alive but this time for her race. It brought her back to the same fearful place she was in as a child.
“This time not because of my flamboyance or vibrance, but because of the color of my skin,” she continued. “That strong and resilient person I had become was instantly reduced back to that 11 year old boy.”
“It is through sharing this story, I’m hoping to regain my strength and joy,” she writes. “I’m on my way back to the person I know I can and should be.”
— Asia O’Hara (@AsiaOharaLand) June 19, 2018
Other “Drag Race” queens offered words of support including her fellow season 10 contestants Aquaria and The Vixen.
“You are one of the fiercest and strongest people I know. I love u so much and will fight anyone that fucks with you,” Aquaria tweeted.
You are one of the fiercest and strongest people I know. I love u so much and will fight anyone that fucks with you ❤
— Aquaria (@aquariaofficial) June 20, 2018
“So, you know i’m not gone rest until you tell me names, Twitter handles, Addresses, Church affiliations and social security numbers of anyone dumb enough to come for my sister! Love You! (i heard they got blow torches on amazon) We gone Stay Ready,” The Vixen tweeted.
So, you know i’m not gone rest until you tell me names, Twitter handles, Addresses, Church affiliations and social security numbers of anyone dumb enough to come for my sister! Love You! (i heard they got blow torches on amazon) We gone Stay Ready!?
— The Vixen (@TheVixensworld) June 20, 2018
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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