Another week means another roundup of the five biggest stories that you might’ve missed in LGBTQ2S+ news over the weekend. This week we’ve got Jinkx Monsoon joining our favourite fictional time traveller, Trans Day of Visibility recap, Quebec’s publicly funded transphobia, another arrest in Manhattan for gay nightclub murders and social media users are worried that Twitter is censoring queer content.
1. Drag Race’s Jinx Monsoon to take on major role in Doctor Who
2. Trans Day of Visibility saw celebrations (and some confrontations) across the country
3. Quebec’s publicly funded transphobia
4. One of three men suspected of drugging and murdering two robbery victims leaving gay clubs in Manhattan has surrendered to police
5. Some Twitter users have reported censorship of LGBTQ2S+ terms
1. Drag Race’s Jinkx Monsoon to take on major role in Doctor Who
RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Jinkx Monsoon is no stranger to the acting world, having recently starred in Chicago on Broadway. Now she’s turning her sights to the world of television, and has confirmed that she’ll be joining the cast of Doctor Who in a “significant role.”
Showrunner Russell T Davies said that “Doctor Who will never be the same again” after Monsoon’s role, with Monsoon noting that she is “honoured, thrilled and utterly excited” to join the cast. She just has one concern: “I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage!”
2. Trans Day of Visibility saw celebrations (and some confrontations) across the country
Last Friday was International Trans Day of Visibility, and trans folks and allies around the world came together to celebrate and march in solidarity. Across Canada, groups gathered to reflect on the importance of the day, with successful gatherings in Halifax, Montreal andToronto, among others.
But for those marching in Vancouver, things turned violent when a group of counter protestors came to blows with supporters in Grandview Park. About 75 to 100 rally-goers were gathered in the park when violence broke out between supporters and protestors, prompting an investigation to be launched by Vancouver Police. It’s thought that at least two people were assaulted during the altercation.
3. Quebec’s publicly funded transphobia
A group in Quebec receiving government funding has been under fire for transphobic comments. Pour les droits des femmes du Québec (PDF Québec) claims that the funding it receives allows it to “promote true equality between women and men,” but the group has repeatedly referred to gender-confirmation surgeries as “mutilation,” as well as targeting 19-year-old trans law student Celeste Trianon and Ottawa-based trans activist Fae Johnstone on Twitter.
Since details of PDF Québec’s transphobia came to light last month, activists have called on the provincial government to cut funding to the group. Now, Liberal MNA Jennifer Maccarone has told the National Assembly that the Coalition Avenir Québec government must stop funding the group.
The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity has said in a statement that analysis will be done before the PDF Québec grant agreement is renewed, a grant that currently sits at $143,000.
4. One of three men suspected of drugging and murdering two robbery victims leaving gay clubs in Manhattan has surrendered to police
After New York’s chief medical examiner found the deaths of two men leaving Manhattan gay bars last spring to be homicides, one of three suspects has surrendered to police.
Julio Ramirez, 25, and John Umberger, 33, were found dead outside gay bars in Hell’s Kitchen last April and May respectively, with their bank accounts drained and a toxic cocktail of drugs in their system. Since then Jacob Barroso, Jayqwan Hamilton and Robert Demaio have been named as suspects in the case, with Barraso surrendering to law enforcement this weekend. Authorities have charged Barroso with murder, robbery, grand larceny and conspiracy, with the NYPD connecting the deaths to a gang targeting gay clubs.
5. Twitter users report censorship of LGBTQ2S+ terms
Twitter users have noticed that DMs containing certain LGBTQ2S+ terms are no longer shown as a preview, causing concerns that Elon Musk’s tumultuous leadership could now be censoring the queer community.
Typically, DMs bring up a short preview of the tweet sent—but users are reporting that they’re only seeing a plain link if the tweet has the words “trans,” “LGBT” or “BLM.” Others have reported that tweets containing homophobic and anti-trans slurs are still showing in previews, and that tweets containing queer terms also appear to be garnering less engagement on the app.
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