Arts & Entertainment
NFL star Drew Brees defends appearing in antigay group’s PSA
The New Orleans Saints quarterback says he wasn’t promoting the group
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is defending his choice to appear in a public service announcement for Focus on the Family, an evangelical organization with a record of anti-LGBT legislation.
Brees filmed a 20-second PSA titled “Bring Your Bible to School Day” for the group.
“I want to encourage you to live out your faith on Bring your Bible to School Day and share God’s love with friends,” Brees says in the video. “You’re not alone.”
Brees has reportedly been connected to the organization since 2010. He is also a longtime friend of Ellen DeGeneres, and appeared in an anti-bullying PSA for teens in 2010, which aired on her show.
People spoke out on social media about Brees’ involvement with Focus on the Family.
So @drewbrees – this picture encapsulates the spirit of New Orleanians. Your sponsorship of Focus on The Family definitely does not. You can choose the city that loves you OR the religious organization that sees you as a subhuman until you convert to their beliefs. Your call. https://t.co/23D08HH1JQ
— Come Hell Or Bywater (@HellOrBywater) September 2, 2019
And there goes all respect for @drewbrees. You know Focus on the Family is a bad group when chick-fil-no-gays distanced themselves from the anti-lgbtq bigots. #FTSaints now and forever.https://t.co/fXFc0mrurI
— Andrew Lessley (@themandrew95) September 4, 2019
I can’t believe that y’all are surprised out Drew Brees being attached to a religious extremist group. Have you not been paying attention? Dude has been problematic. Throwing TDs doesn’t make you a good person. Even doing some good things doesn’t make you a good person.
— David M. Grubb (@DMGrubb) September 3, 2019
However, Brees defended his decision to appear in the PSA saying that he wasn’t promoting the group.
“It was not promoting any group, certainly not promoting any group that is associated with that type of behavior,” Brees said during a post-practice media availability. “I know that there are, unfortunately, Christian organizations out there that are involved in that kind of thing, and to me that is totally against what being Christian is all about. Being Christian is love. It’s forgiveness, it’s respecting all, it’s accepting all.”
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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