feature image of Angelica Ross (styled by Amiyah Scott) by Malik Aamir for Interview
It’s Thursday, Straddlers! To borrow from one of my favorite podcasts, “drink some water, take your meds, call your person” …and, of course, enjoy this link round-up.
Queer as in F*ck You
+ “I think that is what is so radical about Black excellence — that we defy all of that and, in the face of our oppressors, we’re still able to not only find moments of joy, but show up and kill shit…”
There are so many gems in this Raquel Willis interview with Angelica Ross. It’s very much worth a read: “I Was Born For This:” Angelica Ross is Black, Trans, and Fearless
+ Pride Can’t Go Back to What It Was Before
+ I Survived Gender-Affirming Surgery During a Pandemic
+ Lockdown showed the power of internet friends, something queer people always knew
+ For Trans People in the Service Industry, Discrimination Is an Unfortunate Reality of the Job
+ Vulnerable LGBTQ+ Sex Workers Targeted Again by Politicians
+ Fresh off their appearance at Rise Up, Get Down, Jes Tom is featured among PAPER‘s favorite LGBT comedians: This Generation of Comedy Is Queer
+ 13 Books by Queer Authors Who’ve Called the Midwest Home
+ How Women Have Led The Way For LGBTQ Acceptance In Hip-Hop
+ Recently, Liberty University has seen an exodus of Black student-athletes due to the cultural incompetence of the school’s leadership. That got me thinking about how queer students survive in that oppressive environment and I got my answer: Despite a culture ‘entrenched in fear,’ LGBTQ students find ways to thrive at Liberty University
+ ‘Country Queers’ shares the ‘joy’ and ‘pain’ of rural LGBTQ life
+ In Photos: Egypt’s Queer History
Saw This, Thought of You
+ Beauty companies are changing skin-whitening products. But the damage of colorism runs deeper.
+ This is repugnant: Hair weaves from Chinese prison camps seized
+ ‘All You Want Is to Be Believed’: The Impacts of Unconscious Bias in Health Care
+ Pay It Forward: Crowdfunding is not mutual aid
+ Op-ed: We Can Build a Better Food System Through Mutual Aid
Saw This, Thought of You: Sportsball Edition
+ A great treatise on women’s sports, at this moment, from Lindsay Gibbs: Going first.
+ From North Carolina Courage’s Abby Dahlkemper: NWSL Challenge Cup a return to normalcy and a chance for change
+ I’m a little biased but this might be my favorite goal of the Challenge Cup thus far:
Decent debut, Rook 😏 pic.twitter.com/oWVC55Osv3
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 30, 2020
+ Etch Maya Moore’s name in the history books — not for winning WNBA titles or gold medals — but for following in the footsteps of Muhammad Ali and stepping away from sports, at the prime of her career, for a cause truly bigger than basketball: Jonathan Irons, Helped by WNBA Star Maya Moore, Freed From Prison
+ Related: Inside WNBA legend Maya Moore’s extraordinary quest for justice
+ Details are still scant on the forthcoming abbreviated WNBA season, despite the fact that training camp is supposed to start next week.
+ Converse will pay Natasha Cloud her forfeited WNBA salary by opting-out of 2020 season
+ Related: Cloud’s hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, highlighted her advocacy, visibility and activism as part of their 2020 Pride series. I am not ashamed to say this was my favorite part:
+ Tennis phenom Naomi Osaka speaks “up about systemic racism and police brutality:” I Never Would’ve Imagined Writing This Two Years Ago
+ Blackfeet Nation Boxing Club is fighting to save the lives of Native American women
+ I haven’t been a big fan of all of the name changes recently, mostly because they seem like cosmetic fixes on a systemic problem, but if this name change happens, I’ll be celebrating: Unless Daniel Snyder changes [DC’s NFL team’s] name, RFK site is off the table, officials say
+ Related: Report: Investors call on Nike, FedEx, PepsiCo to cut ties with [DC’s NFL team] over name
Political Snacks
+ Pete Buttigieg reflects on LGBTQ community as Pride 2020 ends
+ Insurgent Wave in New York Pushes Old Guard Democrats Aside
+ HUD Rule Would Cut Protections for Homeless Transgender People
+ Virginia’s new laws on LGBT rights, guns and abortion reflect state’s political makeover.
+ Mary Trump’s book’s going to press and in his vain attempt to keep it out of the public view, her uncle, the president, made it a best seller: Tell-All Book on Trump Can Move Forward Pending Hearing, Judge Rules
+ OF. COURSE. THEY. ARE.: The RNC Is Paying a Former Apprentice Hand Accused of Having Trump Dirt
Cloud <3