Hi gays! Welcome to your weekend—may your mornings be late, your outfits be fierce and your drinks be filled to the brim. But don’t run off quite yet. First, we’ve got a roundup of essential news and culture stories, from new data about the benefits of transitioning to the buzziest upcoming lesbian film. Read first, party second.
1. Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel are going to be playing a hot lesbian power couple??
2. Most trans adults are happier after transitioning
3. Disney is going to host a huge LGBTQ2S+ conference as latest jab at Ron DeSantis
4. The World Athletics Council banned trans women from competing in track and field events
5. The world’s oldest drag queen dies at age 92
1. Um … Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel are going to be playing a hot lesbian power couple??
Okay, y’all, stop everything! We just found out this week that Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel are set to star in an upcoming film where they’ll be playing the queer power couple of our dreams. The film, Mother Mary (extra gay!), will revolve around Hathaway’s character, a musician, and her relationship with a famous fashion designer, played by Coel. And just in case you weren’t already sold, Charlie XCX will be one of the writers and is also working on original songs for the film. It’s also already being described as a “pop melodrama”—obsessed.
While neither actor is actually queer (that we know of …), both are fan favourites: Hathaway for her performances in iconic queer films like Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada (okay, not officially queer, but you know what we mean); Coel for her acclaimed and devastating inclusive show I May Destroy You and her recent entrance into the Black Panther universe as Aneka, a new queer character. Anne, Michaela, you can be our mothers anytime you want.
2. Most trans adults are happier after transitioning
Okay, you’re forgiven if reading that headline resulted in a massive “duh.” But, there’s a new poll adding to the body of research that backs up what many trans and queer people already know. The Washington Post partnered up with KFF, a non-profit that does polling on healthcare issues, to survey one of the largest randomized samples of American trans adults ever. And, of the 515 trans people who were polled, 78 percent said that living as their authentic gender has made them more satisfied with their lives. Four in 10 went even further, saying it has made them “a lot” more satisfied.
“Living doesn’t hurt anymore,” said respondent TC Caldwell, a 37-year-old Black non-binary person from Alabama. “It feels good to just breathe and be myself.” Could someone please pass the results of this poll on to all the legislators who are blocking access to gender-affirming healthcare (and maybe even to the New York Times)? In our humble opinion, it’s essential reading.
3. Disney is going to host a huge LGBTQ2S+ conference. Is it a jab at Ron DeSantis?
The Disney corporation has a dubious history of allyship—when Florida governor Ron DeSantis passed his now-infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Mickey Mouse & co. were reluctant to use their massive influence by taking a firm stand on the side of LGBTQ2S+ rights. However, since the company properly denounced the legislation, the relationship between Disney and DeSantis has escalated into an out-and-out war. Recently, DeSantis stripped Disney World of its self-governing status and packed its district board with conservatives.
But Disney just made its most recent move—making plans to host the world’s biggest LGBTQ2S+ conference right under DeSantis’s nose. In September, it’s reported that Disney World will host the Out & Equal Workplace Summit—which regularly attracts over 5,000 attendees—at its Florida theme park. Disney does have a long relationship with the summit, but the timing definitely makes it seem like an intentional dig. Rides + gays + pissing off Ron DeSantis? Sign us up.
4. The World Athletics Council banned trans women from competing in track and field events
Yesterday, the World Athletics Council, the global governing body for track and field, announced their decision to ban trans women athletes from international competition. Following in the transphobic footsteps of the governing body for swimming, they will now be banning athletes who have gone through, in their words, “male puberty” from participating in women’s world ranking competitions.
In a second decision, athletes with “differences in sex development,” such as naturally occuring high levels of testosterone, will now have to take hormone suppressants for six months before becoming eligible to compete. This will affect intersex athletes like two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya, who’s previously been barred from competing due to arbitrary and unscientific ideas about “normal” hormone levels for women athletes.
“It is so disappointing,” said Stonewall, a U.K.-based LGBTQ+ rights organization, in a statement. “They have no specific evidence to justify the ban. We stand with trans people who now have the door closed on their chance to compete.”
5. The world’s oldest drag queen dies at age 92
The drag world is in mourning after Darcelle XV, Portland drag icon and the official record holder for the oldest working drag queen, passed away yesterday. Starting her drag career in 1967, Darcelle entertained generations of bar-goers, eventually opening her own venue, Darcelle XV Showplace. She was also known for her trademark makeup which, after over 50 years, only took her “10 minutes” to apply.
World-renowned drag icons have been paying their respects online. Fellow Portland queen Jinkx Monsoon called her “an icon, a legend and really—an institution.” Shangela, of HBO’s We’re Here, wrote in an instagram post that she was “so grateful to have met this Queen.”
Luckily, we know from an interview last month that Darcelle was living her best life all the way to the end. “I can honestly say, and I mean this from whatever part of the heart that handles this sort of thing, I would not change one day of my life,” she said. “I’m happy and happiness will make you live a long time.”
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