Arts & Entertainment
GLAAD calls out J.K. Rowling for transphobic tweet
LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD has taken author J.K. Rowling to task for her tweet in support of an anti-trans activist.
The “Harry Potter” novelist went on Twitter to speak out about Maya Forstater, a British researcher with a history of anti-trans activism who was fired from her job after writing a series of anti-trans tweets.
Rowling wrote on Twitter: “Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill”
Dress however you please.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill
According to GLAAD Director of Communications Mathew Lasky, the organization reached out to Rowling’s PR team with an offer to have an off-the-record conversation involving members of the trans community, but a publicist from Rowling’s team declined.
GLAAD then issued the following statement in response:
“J.K. Rowling, whose books gave kids hope that they could work together to create a better world, has now aligned herself with an anti-science ideology that denies the basic humanity of people who are transgender. Trans men, trans women, and non-binary people are not a threat, and to imply otherwise puts trans people at risk. Now is the time for allies who know and support trans people to speak up and support their fundamental right to be treated equally and fairly.” -Anthony Ramos, GLAAD’s Head of Talent
.@jk_rowling has aligned herself with an anti-science ideology that denies the basic humanity of people who are transgender. Trans and non-binary people are not a threat to women, and to imply otherwise puts trans people at risk.
— GLAAD (@glaad) December 19, 2019
Many voices from the trans community have also spoken out to express their disappointment with Rowling. Some of their tweets are below.
Well, she finally said the quiet part out loud.
— Jackson Bird (@jackisnotabird) December 19, 2019
This is really heartbreaking for a lot of folks.
If Harry Potter is ruined for you, I completely get it.
I’m going to try to hold onto the magic I’ve found in fandom, the original text, & the magic others have created around it. https://t.co/7beiYgJRBT
With J.K. Rowling's defense of horrible transphobia, there are folks claiming trans people aren't valid and citing "science"… except medical and other scientific experts disagree with that completely. Here's a helpful list of what the experts think about trans folks. (thread)
— Charlotte Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) December 19, 2019
Hey JK Rowling and the other TERFs, a reminder that “biological sex” isn’t what you think it is: https://t.co/fFquzTMiO7
— Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) December 19, 2019
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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Comings & Goings
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
