Arts & Entertainment
Delta blasted for straight-washing “Rocketman”
“Rocketman,” the acclaimed musical biopic about Elton John, is making headlines again this week as Delta Air Lines defends itself against accusations of showing straight-washed, edited versions of its inflight movies.
The new controversy began on Tuesday, when an outcry sprang up on social media after Entertainment Weekly’s digital director Shana Naomi Krochma went on Twitter to scold the airline for removing most of the film’s gay content.
“On @Delta today [I] discovered that #Rocketman is stripped of almost every gay reference or scene that [Elton John] fought to keep in the film’s mainstream release, including a simple chaste kiss,” Krochna tweeted.
She followed up with a second tweet which questioned the airline’s decision to edit out same-sex love scenes while leaving in scenes of domestic violence.
“What does it say that the edit left in a scene of John Reid assaulting Elton but removed any evidence of intimacy between them or for that matter Elton and any man? What is that saying is OK?”
“Rocketman,” which deals with the early years of John’s musical career and his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, has been widely praised for its refusal to shy away from the subject of the singer’s sexuality. The film made news earlier this year when an outcry emerged over pre-release rumors that Paramount Studios had demanded director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn remove a nude sex scene between actors Taron Egerton and Richard Madden, who portrayed John and Reid, respectively, in the film. Fletcher has denied that the studio made such a demand.
It’s the second time this week Delta has come under fire for removing LGBT content from its inflight movies. On Sunday, actress-turned-director Olivia Wilde blasted the airline for cutting a pivotal same-sex love scene in her film, “Booksmart.”
Responding to a fan on Twitter who had complained about the missing scene, Wilde tweeted, “This is truly a bummer. There is no nudity in this scene. What makes it too obscene for airplane viewing?”
Later that evening, at the Motion Picture Academy’s 11th Annual Governors’ Awards in Los Angeles, she told Variety, “I don’t understand it. There’s censorship, airline to airline, of films, which there must be some kind of governing board to determine. We rate it a certain way. If it’s not X-rated, surely it’s acceptable on an airplane.”
She added, “There’s insane violence of bodies being smashed in half and yet a love scene between two women is censored from the film. It’s such an integral part of this character’s journey. I don’t understand it. My heart just broke. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it; I want people to experience the entire film.”
Then, on Tuesday, Wilde complained on Twitter, “I finally had the chance to watch an edited version of Booksmart on a flight to see exactly what had been censored. Turns out some airlines work with a third party company that edits the movie based on what they deem inappropriate. Which, in our case, is … female sexuality?”
In a lengthy thread, she called out other specific edits made to the film, such as removing or muting the words “vagina” and “genitals,” removing dialogue about masturbation and UTIs, and removing a scene that featured two naked female dolls. The tweets never referenced Delta by name, though many followers and fans were quick to do so in their replies and retweets.
Wilde asked, “What message is this sending to viewers and especially to women? That their bodies are obscene? That their sexuality is shameful?” She went on to add, “ I urge every airline, especially those who pride themselves on inclusivity, to stop working with this third party company, and trust the parental advisory warning to allow viewers to opt out if they choose.”
Delta, which has a long history of commitment to supporting the LGBT community, received similar criticism in 2016, when the in-flight version of Todd Haynes’ Oscar-nominated “Carol” removed a kiss between actresses Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
On Thursday, the airline issued a statement explaining that a third-party company is contracted to provide its own edit of the movie along with the unedited version. If the unedited version contains content that does not meet Delta’s guidelines, the third party’s version is used instead, whether or not parts of the film that don’t violate the guidelines have also been removed.
The airline’s statement said, “Delta’s content parameters do not in any way ask for the removal of homosexual content” from its in-flight movies. We value diversity and inclusion as core to our culture and our mission and will review our processes to ensure edited video content doesn’t conflict with these values.”
No word on whether the unedited versions of “Rocketman” or “Booksmart” will be now made available on Delta flights.
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‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars’ cast visits D.C.
8 queens vie for $200,000 prize for charity in new season, premiering May 17
Donning sparkling and star-studded red, white, and blue attire on a gloomy, humid D.C. Monday, the cast of the latest “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season sashayed on the National Mall to promote the reality show’s ninth season.
This upcoming season is different than those in the past — eight queens are competing for a donation of $200,000 for the charity of their choosing, rather than a personal cash prize.
Several cast members noted how it felt important to visit the nation’s capital, being authentically themselves and wearing drag. Nina West, who competed in season 11, likened drag to armor.
“We’re here during a really specific time in history, that’s, I would say, markedly dark,” she told the Blade at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “And there’s an opportunity, as drag has always done, which is for our community as specifically LGBTQI+ people, to stand in our truth and be wonderful — like guardians and fighters for our community.”
She’s competing for the Trevor Project, which is focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for young LGBTQ people. This season’s pivot to compete for charity made Nina West want to come back on the show for the All Stars season. She’s been offered the spot two times before this, she said, and this twist aligned with what she wanted to do.
Several of the other queens mentioned that it’s an honor to be featured in this season, including season 5’s Roxxxy Andrews. She also competed in two subsequent All-Stars seasons.
She chose the organization Miracle of Love, which provides HIV/AIDS prevention programming and assistance in central Florida. It’s a smaller, more local organization, which is why Roxxxy Andrews chose it. She wants to make its work more nationally known. Also, vying to win during a charity season makes the competition feel more rewarding, she said.
Plastique Tiara of season 11 also noted it’s different competing for charity. She’s competing for the Asian American Foundation, which launched in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and aims to curb discrimination and violence through education and investments in nonprofits.
“It’s more competitive because then you’re fighting not just only for yourself, but your ideas and the things that you love,” she said.
Vanessa Vanjie of seasons 10 and 11 agreed that competing for charity adds a bit more pressure — she chose the ASPCA. And as onlookers near the Lincoln Memorial took pictures of and with the queens, she said she was relieved.
“I was a little bit worried somebody would yell some slurs at us,” Vanessa Vanjie said. “Nothing happened. Everybody came to take pictures like Santa Claus in the middle of the mall.”
There’s a range of contestants from different seasons for this round of All Stars. Some queens hail from recent seasons, but Shannel competed on the show’s first season. To be a part of this new season is surreal, she said.
She’s competing for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, which she has a close tie to. She’s dealt with anxiety her entire life. The association is focused on increasing awareness and improving diagnosis and treatment.
“I always felt like I just wasn’t normal, sadly,” she said. “And so now being able to be able to do this season and to get back to that organization is like amazing to me.”
Gottmik, from season 13, is competing for Trans Lifeline — a nonprofit providing advocacy, a hotline and grants created by trans people, for trans people. Being able to do drag and give back is the “perfect scenario,” Gottmik said.
Gottmik was the first openly trans man on Drag Race, which was overwhelming when first on the show. Gottmik felt pressure to be the “perfect example,” but later realized that they didn’t have to worry so much.
“I just want to show people that trans people are real people. We can express ourselves however we want to express ourselves, through drag, through whatever it may be,” Gottmik said.
The new season will be available to stream on Paramount+ on May 17.
Photos
PHOTOS: GLSEN Respect Awards
Marcia Gay Harden presented with Advocate Award in New York City ceremony
The LGBTQ advocacy organization GLSEN held its annual Respect Awards at Gotham Hall in New York City on April 29. Special guests included Billy Porter, Wilson Cruz, Nathan Lee Graham and Anthony Rapp. The evening included a live performance by The Scarlet Opera. Peppermint of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” served as host. Marcia Gay Harden was presented with the Advocate Award.
(Photos by Andrew Werner)
Celebrity News
More than 1 million people attend Madonna concert in Rio
Free event took place on Copacabana Beach on Saturday
An estimated 1.6 million people on Saturday attended Madonna’s free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.
The concert, which was the last one as part of Madonna’s Celebration Tour, included a tribute to people lost to AIDS.
Bob the Drag Queen introduced Madonna before the concert began. Pabllo Vittar, a Brazilian drag queen and singer, and Anitta, a bisexual pop star who was born in Rio’s Honório Gurgel neighborhood, also joined Madonna on stage.
Congresswoman Erika Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker, and Rio Municipal Councilwoman Mônica Benício, the widow of Marielle Franco, a bisexual Rio Municipal Councilwoman who was assassinated in 2018, are among those who attended the concert.
“Madonna showed that we fight important fights for the human rights of Black (people), young (people), women and LGBTQIA+ people, and against all injustice, discrimination, and violence,” said Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, on its X account. “What they call identitarianism’ is our subversion to the retrograde and conservative tackiness that plagues the country.”
The Associated Press reported the concert was Madonna’s biggest ever.
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