Hello, Straddlers! I hope you had a great weekend and you’re taking care of yourself today. Need a distraction today? I’ve got some recommendations for you!
Queer as in F*ck You
+ Munroe Bergdorf receives landmark book deal for trans manifesto
+ Given the disturbing report that “40 percent of LGBTQ youth ‘seriously considered’ suicide in past year”, this change comes right on time: FCC approves ‘988’ as the suicide hotline number
+ What an awfully tragic story: She Waved a Rainbow Flag at Our Cairo Show. Tragedy Followed.
+ Zillow Now Displays LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Laws on All Homes
+ The media company that runs some of your favorite sites on the internet is going through some shit and, unsurprisingly, queer and POC are the first casualties: G/O media employee fired after dress code violations
+ Related: G/O Media just fired a Black travel writer for leaving the country
+ New military ban on Confederate flags also bans LGBTQ Pride flags
+ See Andy Warhol’s compelling polaroids of the queer community in New York
+ Thailand’s historic LGBT bill exposes rifts inside community
+ Blount County man tests U.S. Supreme Court’s new landmark LGBTQ discrimination ruling
+ Imagine my shock: Transgender Facebook content dominated by right-wing sources, study finds
Saw This, Thought of You
+ Barbara Smith Shares the Real Meaning of Identity Politics, the Most Misused Phrase in Our Lexicon
+ We’re on the precipice of a housing crisis, so this advice is right on time: How Do I Get My Landlord to Lower My Rent?
+ Flossie Wong-Staal, Who Unlocked Mystery of H.I.V., Dies at 73
+ Inside the feminist publisher that upended the literary world
+ Saidiya Hartman on insurgent histories and the abolitionist imaginary
+ This, from Wesley Lowery, is an incredible read: How a Lynching Cold Case Was Finally Solved After 34 Years
Saw This, Thought of You: Remembering John Lewis
We lost two icons of the Civil Rights Movement on Friday, John Lewis and C.T. Vivian. The two, who once shared a jail cell after participating in the Freedom Rides, gave their blood, sweat and tears to helping this country live up to its promise. They both continued serving others: Vivian working with various organizations and Lewis representing Georgia’s 5th district in Congress.
As a Congressman, Lewis persisted in making what he called “good trouble, necessary trouble,” risking arrest to stand up for what was right and just. He was an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, saying in 2016, “We are part of an ongoing struggle to redeem the soul of America, to help people in this country and around the world come to grips with one simple truth: we are one people. We are one family. We are the human family.”
+ John Lewis Was an American Founder
+ A timeline of events in the life of Rep. John Lewis (to learn more about the life of John Lewis, check out the new documentary, John Lewis: Good Trouble)
+ John Lewis Was A Vocal Champion Of LGBTQ Rights During A Time When It Had Little Public Support
+ John Lewis saw in gay rights a movement like civil rights
Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did:https://t.co/KbVfYt5CeQ
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 18, 2020
+ Soon after Lewis’ death was announced came statements from Republican politicians that had me screaming, “keep John Lewis’ name out yo’ mouth” at my screen, Joel Anderson captures that sentiment more eloquently here: Do Not Call John Lewis a “Hero” if You Stood in His Way
+ From former Attorney General Eric Holder: John Lewis fought for voting rights. If you’re against that, you’re against him.
Saw This, Thought of You: Sportsball Edition
+ The big news of the NWSL Challenge Cup quarterfinals was the elimination of the favorite, the North Carolina Courage, on Friday by the Portland Thorns. The other big news? No one else can score in regulation: the three other quarterfinal games were decided on penalties.
Back at it on Wednesday @RioTintoStadium 🤩🏆#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/cwLC4QDkCj
— NWSL (@NWSL) July 19, 2020
+ Shirts, armbands, and kneeling: is NWSL truly ready to commit to antiracism?
+ Coming Soon: NWSL Los Angeles, courtesy of Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm and Mrs. and Mr. Serena Williams – Natalie Portman part of L.A. owners group in NWSL expansion
The time has come to reshape expectations on & off the soccer field.
This is the place. The time is now. Welcome to the beginning. #WeAreAngelCity pic.twitter.com/M3bvsmiAfm
— We Are Angel City (@weareangelcity) July 21, 2020
+ Meg Linehan has the best coverage of the NWSL’s Los Angeles expansion over at The Athletic (subscription required): Angel City’s Alexis Ohanian and Julie Uhrman on a shared vision for NWSL in LA
+ Q&A: Natalie Portman on the origins and ambition of NWSL’s LA expansion team
+ The WNBA has grated Tina Charles a medical exemption for the 2020 season and she reveals why and how she’ll spend her time off-the-court: Change Beyond Surface
+ Related: How Much Talent Is The WNBA Missing This Season?
+ From James Wade, the head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky: I Want You to See the Story Through My Eyes
+ I am Native American and a former football player. Our history is much darker than racist mascots.
+ Funnier video about the NBA’s Bubble: The NBA Bubble: A Disney Musical from The Ringer or The NBA Snitch Bubble Hotline from CBS Sports?
Political Snacks
+ We’ll have more on this in Friday’s Extra! Extra! but some early reading for you: Federal officers respond to Portland protests with gas, munitions Thursday amid growing attention from Trump administration
+ Related: RS Reports: Progressive City, Brutal Police
+ This is the best news: Record number of LGBTQ candidates running for office in US
+ Following his loss in the Florida gubernatorial race in 2018, Andrew Gillum fell into a depression and had a very public breakdown. Yesterday, he updated folks on his progress. I’m so glad to see Gillum healthy again and his advocacy for mental health couldn’t come at a more necessary time.
+ Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand proposes creating “a non-profit bank that could be accessed at every post office in every neighborhood in this country:” Voters Support Postal Banking
One of those flags is not like the other, US Military. I am pretty sure you guys fought one of those groups in a bloody war.
Honestly, I’m glad to see pride flags banned by the military. There’s no pride in perpetual imperialist wars. The only downside is that the next time a democrat’s in office, they’ll reverse the rule for some easy pinkwashing.
“Mrs. and Mr. Serena Williams” *chef’s kiss*
So excited for NWSL Los Angeles, I miss the LA Sol
Mrs. and Mr. Serena Williams!!!
As a former Young Life kid (funny part is I started going after my crush in high school invited me even though I was so deeply in the closet) it’s been great seeing this movement and seeing my former leaders calling out Young Life to do better.