After 15 years away from the stand-up comedy stage, it looks like Ellen DeGeneres is going to return to the microphone. The rumors began swirling when Netflix tweeted this week (Out)
Looks like it's been 15 years since you did a stand-up special, @TheEllenShow. How about one for Netflix?
Gillian Anderson goes as the iconic David Bowie in Starz series American Gods. Gillian has previously personified Lucille Ball in the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nBnIgbIFXk
Cara Delevingne & Dane DeHaan star in brand new trailer for Luc Besson’s Valerian
The final trailer for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets indicates the film will take cinema goers on a spectacular visual adventure.
Set in the 28th century, it sees Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne play Valerian and Laureline, two special operatives charged with keeping order in space’s human territories, dispatched on a mission to the multi-cultural metropolis Alpha.
It’s there that a dark force threatens to destroy the peaceful existence of Alpha, known as the City of a Thousand Planets, where species from across the universe converge to share knowledge, intelligence, and culture.
Tegan and Sara are going to be a part of Mothership Women’s Festival this year.
Rachel Maddow was a guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this week, where she talked about the President’s latest trip.
Greys Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez is set to star in Mary Lambert’s new music video Know Your Name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpo1xPMtvXo
New star of Wentworth, Daniielle Alexis, has come out as a trans woman.
In an interview with Woman’s Day, Daniielle Alexis said
“I can finally say that name and feel safe that I’m not about to get teased. I have lived in silence for over 12 years.”
In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, singer Mary Lambert has opened up about some traumatic parts of her past, including sexual assault, mental illness and suicidal ideation.
I was molested by my father at a really young age. You don’t know what’s happening, especially when you’re raised in that environment and your brain is forming, there’s a sense of what normal is,”
I was untreated with bipolar disorder. I was really living in extremes where I would have the best day ever and then I would come home and I would want to die. When I was 16, I snuck into an Army barracks and I was gang-raped. You kind of go into survival mode and are like, ‘OK, how do I navigate this situation?’”
At just 17, Lambert revealed to her church that she was gay. Just one year later, she attempted to take her own life.
She told Cosmopolitan.
Everything hurt so much. The fact that I was abused by my dad. Was raped. Was gay. Was bipolar. Not to mention always being a big girl in the world. Just existing in those spaces, of like, I don’t feel at home in my body, I don’t feel at home in this world. What options do I have left?”
Lambert says now she’s glad she didn’t die. Instead, she’s following a “journey of body love and self-love,” and her passion for music helped her get there.
I’m so glad I didn’t die—I’m so glad that I’m alive, that I didn’t give in—but it wasn’t easy. I feel like there is this canned way we talk about trauma, this canned way we talk about suicide. Like, you just go to Spain and you’re on a boat and you eat tapas—there’s your healing. Real healing is s—ty. It’s dirty and ugly and not easy.”
And even though healing is not easy, Lambert said she hopes other people who might be in a situation like she was know it’s possible.
It all works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, then it’s not the end. That’s something I tell myself. I wish I could have told myself that.”
In my episodes, I tend to oscillate quickly between hyper anxiety, paranoia, suicidal thoughts and shame. I have different mechanisms for coming out of it. TV shows are helpful (thanks Jeopardy!), and I am also grateful to have a deeply compassionate partner that helps pull me out with nice forehead kisses.”
Lambert – who is known for her stunning debut album, Heart on My Sleeve, and for contributing the chorus to Macklemore’s marriage equality anthem “Same Love” – said it was her responsibility to de-stigmatize mental illness and posted the photo to show that someone with bipolar disorder has good days and bad days.
I realized part of the honesty — part of the vulnerability — is allowing people to see the whole picture. I am not like this every day. But I am also not glamorous and confident every day. I can exist in both spaces, and that is OK.”
As Lambert mentions, she opened her 2014 song “Secrets” with the line “I’ve got bipolar disorder.”
Mary Lambert’s new video for Ribcage hits a cord. Featuring Angel Haze and K.Flay the video dark, but powerful. In an interview with FADER, Lambert explained the conception of the powerful song, which came after, she was blindsided on TV following her 2014 Grammy Awards appearance with Macklemore
I was asked without relevance or warning about my childhood abuse, as well as being raped in an army barracks as a teenager. I tried to respond as best I could, knowing that it was live television, but everything afterward was a blur. As soon as the cameras were off, I went into a full-blown panic attack. I didn’t know it then, but this same situation would happen multiple times in the year.”
I questioned so much after that interview. Have I done this to myself? Is this what happens when you are vulnerable and open? How do I take back control of the telling of my own story?”
I wrote ‘Ribcage’ because I was exhausted. I wrote it because my truth was hungover and needed a sarcastic joke. I wrote it because ‘Secrets’ was an optimistic version of vulnerability, and because self-empowerment doesn’t always come wrapped in a bow. I will continue to talk about my own sexual trauma when I feel safe enough to, and when I’m in control. I still believe in the power of vulnerability—that openness is the key to empathy, and that empathy is the key to human connection.”
We use music to give us comfort, to help heal our darkest pains —yet most musicians rarely will speak openly about their own struggles in plain terms and seek help. That is changing.
Mary Lambert is part of a new generation of musicians who refuse to be shamed into the closet and who are using their songs, stages, and interviews to tell the world that mental illness is neither shameful nor defining nor show-stopping. It’s simply part of the picture.
Through her songs like Secrets, Body Love, and She Keeps Me Warm, Lambert has offered comfort to listeners who are so often made to feel shame because of some ‘otherness’.
The idea of same love is not exclusive to gender equality —it speaks to the one in four American adults who suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alSANJgU45w
To honour her journey, this week at the Beverly Hills Hilton, the Seattle singer will be honoured by Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services for her work and bravery in confronting the stigma of mental illness.
Out musician Mary Lambert is currently flying high. After being introduced to the world on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s gay rights anthem Same Love, Lambert went on to perform alongside them at the Grammy Award Show, and released her full-length debut album, Heart on My Sleeve, last October.
In an recent interview with Rolling Stone, the singer discussed her remaking of Rick Springfield’s 1981 hit, Jessie’s Girl
“Originally, I had put a piece about rape on the record, called ‘Epidemic. My project manager was like, ‘We support you 100 percent, but you should know Target and Starbucks won’t carry it, and it’ll have a warning on it,’ so I was like, damn, that’s true.
I remember when I heard ‘Jessie’s Girl’ for the first time, I was like, ‘This is so applicable to lesbians!’ So in two days I came up with a different chord progression, rearranged it, played the piano and sang it. Everyone in the room was crying and I was like, ‘Cool, job well done.’ It seemed to be the perfect replacement for ‘Epidemic’ – equally as important for me.”
Mary Lambert
When asked how she feels about “pushing the envelope” as a gay artist, Lambert said she’s “curious about what the next step is.”
“With the knowledge that your favorite artist is gay, you know that the context of which they’re singing is going to be inherently gay.
And I think what’s beautiful about that is that it doesn’t deter anyone from listening. That’s what I think is really important about gay artists being in the spotlight.
I understand the plight of an artist singing a song and not using gendered pronouns because it can alienate some of their audience, but I’ve found success with using a gendered pronoun – but that’s my story. I’m curious about what the next step is and how to be an asset.”
While the vast majority of Americans consider themselves unprejudiced, many of us unintentionally make snap judgments about people based on what we see – whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability.
This may be a significant reason many people in the U.S. report they feel discriminated against. Subconscious prejudice – called “implicit bias” – has profound implications for how we view and interact with others who are different from us. It can hinder a person’s ability to find a job, secure a loan, rent an apartment, or get a fair trial, perpetuating disparities in American society.
The Love Has No Labels campaign, which features Mary Lambert’s She Keeps Me Warm, urges viewers to open their eyes to their bias and to celebrate understanding, acceptance and diversity.
The campaign, which the Ad Council launched in partnership with HRC and a group of non-profits and business, works to celebrate inclusion and urges people to examine their implicit biases.
“A lot of us make snap judgments based on what we see—whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability. Yet most of us aren’t even conscious of our prejudice. That’s why it’s called implicit bias.”
Check out the PSAs and learn more about the campaign here to help raise awareness to stop bias and prejudice.
GLAAD have announced the nominees for its 26thAnnual GLAAD Media Awards, and although the year has been a challenging one for queer female visibility in film, it has been positive in other areas such as TV shows (drama, comedy and documentary) and music.
In the TV world, lesbian/bisexual characters and storylinesrode strong in 2014 and into 2015, and we now see a number of main-stream shows grace our TV screens with a flurry of positive queer female role models.
This was clear acknowledged by GLAAD who ensured to nominate a number of our favourite female star and showsfor awards.
“For nearly 30 years, the GLAAD Media Awards have raised the bar for inclusion in news and entertainment, transforming LGBT representation in media and moving the dial for acceptance across the globe.
It’s been a remarkable year for equality, and nowhere is that more evident than in the visibility LGBT people have gained across media.“
Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO
Although there is no major queer female-led film nominated, GLAAD did nominate academy award nominee The Imitation Game,Love is Strange,The Skeleton Twins, Golden Globe nominee Pride, and Melissa McCarthy’s comedy Tammy for the best wide-release film award.
In the Outstanding Artist Category, British singer, Sam Smith, is up against folk singer Mary Gauthier, rapper Angel Haze, punk rock band Against Me! and singer/songwriter Mary Lambert.
This year ABC tops the broadcast networks with six nominations, while HBO takes the most noms for a cable network with five nominations. To reflect the increasing diversity of LGBT storylines, GLAAD expanded the comedy and drama series categories from five to 10 nominees this year, to include a great number of shows.
ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, Grey’s Anatomy and The Fosters are all contenders for best drama, while Netflix’s Orange is the New Black picked up a second nomination for best comedy in a row.
In the documentary category The Case Against 8, about the landmark Supreme Case that overturned California’s ban on same sex marriage, was nominated along with True Trans with Laura Jan Grace, and To Russia With Love, about the Sochi Olympic Games and the Russian LGBT community. Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, which follows the lives of seven transgender youths and Showtime’s L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin, about gay women living in the southern United States also got nods for outstanding documentary.
In total, GLAAD announced 144 nominees in 31 English and Spanish language categories for the awards that will be presented at ceremonies in Los Angeles on March 21 and New York on May 9.
See the complete list of nominees below.
OUTSTANDING FILM – WIDE RELEASE
The Imitation Game (The Weinstein Company)
Love is Strange (Sony Pictures Classics)
Pride (CBS Films)
The Skeleton Twins (Roadside Attractions)
Tammy (Warner Bros. Pictures)
OUTSTANDING FILM – LIMITED RELEASE
Dear White People (Lionsgate)
Life Partners (Magnolia Pictures)
Lilting (Strand Releasing)
The Way He Looks (Strand Releasing)
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (Film Movement)
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Degrassi (TeenNick)
The Fosters (ABC Family)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Last Tango in Halifax (PBS)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Orphan Black (BBC America)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
Shameless (Showtime)
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
Faking It (MTV)
Glee (FOX)
Looking (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Please Like Me (Pivot)
Sirens (USA Network)
Transparent (Amazon Instant Video)
Vicious (PBS)
OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL EPISODE
(in a series without a regular LGBT character)
“Deep Breath” Doctor Who (BBC America)
“Down a Tree” Good Luck Charlie (Disney Channel)
“Identity Crisis” Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)
“Let’s Have a Baby” Playing House (USA Network)
“No Lack of Void” Elementary (CBS)
OUTSTANDING TV MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
The Normal Heart (HBO)
OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY
The Case Against 8 (HBO)
L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin (Showtime)
Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word (Logo / MTV)
To Russia with Love (Epix)
True Trans with Laura Jane Grace (AOL Originals)
OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce (Fuse)
B.O.R.N. to Style (FYI)
Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project (VH1)
R&B Divas: Atlanta (TV One)
Survivor: San Juan del Sur (CBS)
OUTSTANDING DAILY DRAMA
Days of Our Lives (NBC)
General Hospital (ABC)
OUTSTANDING MUSIC ARTIST
Against Me!, Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Xtra Mile Recordings)
Angel Haze, Dirty Gold (Island Records/Republic Records)
Mary Gauthier, Trouble & Love (In the Black Records)
Mary Lambert, Heart on My Sleeve (Capitol Records)
Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour (Capitol Records)
OUTSTANDING COMIC BOOK
Hawkeye, written by Matt Fraction (Marvel Comics)
Lumberjanes, written by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis (BOOM! Studios)
Memetic, written by James Tynion IV (BOOM! Studios)
Rat Queens, written by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Image Comics)
Saga, written by Brian K. Vaughan (Image Comics)
OUTSTANDING TALK SHOW EPISODE
“Issues Facing the Transgender Community” Katie (syndicated)
“Laverne Cox discusses ‘The T Word'” The View (ABC)
“Michael Sam” Oprah Prime (OWN)
“Pepe Julian Onziema” Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
“Robin Roberts” The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated)
OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM – NEWSMAGAZINE
“Coming Out” Nick News With Linda Ellerbee (Nickelodeon)
“Gay and Muslim in America” America Tonight (Al Jazeera America)
“Gay Rodeo” This is Life with Lisa Ling (CNN)
“Infield & Out: Baseball for All” Morning Joe (MSNBC)
“Transgender Society” [series] Ronan Farrow Daily (MSNBC)
OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM SEGMENT
“Change is Coming to the South” Melissa Harris-Perry (MSNBC)
“Fired for Being Gay?” MSNBC Live (MSNBC)
“License to Discriminate?” Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
“A Model with a Mission” Alicia Menendez Tonight (Fusion)
“Transgender Tipping Point?” This Week (ABC)
OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
“A Christian Family, a Gay Son and a Wichita Father’s Change of Heart” by Roy Wenzl (The Wichita Eagle)
“For Transgender Service Members, Honesty Can End Career” by Ernesto Londoño (The Washington Post)
“An Identity to Call Their Own” [series] by Michael A. Fuoco & Mackenzie Carpenter (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
“Longtime Utah LGBT Advocates Recount Brutal History” by Erin Alberty (Salt Lake City Tribune)
“When They Stopped Waiting” by Shaun McKinnon (The Arizona Republic)
OUTSTANDING MAGAZINE ARTICLE
“Do Ask, Do Tell” by S.L. Price (Sports Illustrated)
“The Forsaken” by Alex Morris (Rolling Stone)
“Inside the Iron Closet: What It’s Like to Be Gay in Putin’s Russia” by Jeff Sharlet (GQ)
“Sex Without Fear” by Tim Murphy (New York)
“The Transgender Tipping Point” by Katy Steinmetz (Time)
OUTSTANDING MAGAZINE OVERALL COVERAGE
Essence
Glamour
Out
Sports Illustrated
Time
OUTSTANDING DIGITAL JOURNALISM ARTICLE
“31 Days of PrEP” [series] (Advocate.com)
“Black Parents, Gay Sons and Redefining Masculinity” by Edward Wyckoff Williams (TheRoot.com)
“Conner Mertens came out to his college football team. Now he comes out publicly.” by Cyd Zeigler (Outsports.com)
“A Nun’s Secret Ministry Brings Hope to the Transgender Community” by Nathan Schneider (America.Aljazeera.com)
“A Year Later, ‘Nothing’ Has Changed Since Transgender Woman Islan Nettles was Killed” by Tony Merevick (Buzzfeed.com)
OUTSTANDING DIGITAL JOURNALISM – MULTIMEDIA
“Left Behind: LGBT Homeless Youth Struggle to Survive on the Streets” by Miranda Leitsinger (NBCNews.com)
“Why did the U.S. Lock Up These Women with Men?” by Cristina Costantini, Jorge Rivas, Kristofer Ríos (Fusion.net)
“With Technology I Didn’t Have to Sell My Body” by Kerri Pang (MSNBC.com)
“Young and Gay: Jamaica’s Gully Queens” by Adri Murguia, Christo Geoghegan (News.Vice.com)
“Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia” by Milene Larsson (News.Vice.com)
OUTSTANDING BLOG
The Art of Transliness (theartoftransliness.com)
Autostraddle (autostraddle.com)
Box Turtle Bulletin (boxturtlebulletin.com)
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters (holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com)
My Fabulous Disease (marksking.com)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Dragon Age: Inquisition (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME PROGRAM EPISODE
“Cementerio homófobo” Caso Cerrado (Telemundo)
“Maestro despedido por [ser] gay” Caso Cerrado (Telemundo)
“Un mundo de juegos” La Rosa de Guadalupe (Univision)
OUTSTANDING TELEVISION INTERVIEW
“Abigail Pereira participante transgénero de Yo Soy El Artista” Suelta La Sopa Extra (Telemundo)
“En cuerpo ajeno” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)
“Felicia en Ventaneando: Platica sobre su transformación” Ventaneando (Azteca)
“Identidad Sin Fronteras: Inmigrantes transgénero buscan nueva vida en EEUU” Despierta América (Univision)
“Intolerancia familiar” Realidades en Contexto (CNN en Español)
OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY
“Identidad sin fronteras” Panorámica (Univision/Pivot)
La Travesía del Atleta Gay (CNN en Español)
OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM – NEWSMAGAZINE
“Felipe Najera abre su corazón” Primer Impacto (Univision)
“Michael Sam confiesa su homosexualidad” Sin Límites (CNN Latino)
“Orlando Cruz habla de su vida” Al Rojo Vivo (Telemundo)
“Vínculos y rupturas” Aquí y Ahora (Univision)
OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM SEGMENT
“Corte Suprema de Justicia en EE.UU decline estudiar recursos sobre bodas del mismo sexo” Informativo NTN (NTN24)
“Posibles sanciones” Noticiero Telemundo (Telemundo)
“La historia de una [mujer] transexual” Café CNN (CNN en Español)
“Obama apoya la comunidad transgénera” Noticias MundoFOX (MundoFOX)
“Ya no hay obstáculos” Noticiero Univision (Univision)
OUTSTANDING LOCAL TV JOURNALISM
“En centros de detención” Noticias Telemundo Arizona (KTAZ-Telemundo 39 [Phoenix])
“Cobertura de Spirit Day” [serie] Noticias 34 (KMEX-Univision 34 [Los Angeles])
“Justicia para Zoraida Reyes” Noticiero Telemundo (KVEA-Telemundo 52 [Los Angeles]
“Nombran a la primer mujer gay al Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico” Ultima Hora (Univision [Puerto Rico])
“Tacones de charro” Noticias 34 (KMEX-Univision 34 [Los Angeles])
OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
“Caravana gay en contra la marginalidad social” by Panky Corcino (El Diario New York)
“¿Es la TV latina homofóbica? La respuesta te sorprenderá.” by Marta Sarabia (La Opinión)
“Gay, indocumentado y sin cuidados médicos” by Patricia A González-Portillo (La Opinión)
“Latino gay elegido alcalde de Long Beach responde a ataques homofóbicos” by Olivia Tallet (La Voz de Houston)
“Mamá, soy homosexual dijo Ricardo; su familia no entendió y lo corrió de su casa” by Selene Rivera (Hoy Los Angeles)
OUTSTANDING DIGITAL JOURNALISM ARTICLE
“Identidades invisibles” [serie] by Marcos Billy Guzmán (ElNuevoDia.com)
“Identidad sin fronteras, un documental sobre los inmigrantes transgénero” (PeopleenEspañol.com)
“Una misión: repartir amor” by Istra Pacheco (PrimeraHora.com)
“¿Qué tan difícil es salir del clóset en Colombia?” (BBCMundo.com)
“Ser gay en China: La bandera del arco iris ondea libremente” (CNNEspanol.CNN.com)
OUTSTANDING DIGITAL JOURNALISM – MULTIMEDIA
“Derechos de los homosexuales entran a la campaña electoral en Brasil” by Shasta Darlington (CNNEspanol.CNN.com)
“Hispanos LGBT quieren su propia reforma” by Álvaro Ortiz (LaVozTX.com)
“Maité Oronoz jura como juez asociada del Tribunal Supremo” by Rebecca Bamuchi (PrimeraHora.com)
“¿Que es ENDA?” by Cary Tabares (Univision.com)
“Venezuela: Madre lesbiana pide al Parlamento reconocer derechos de su hijo” (EFE.com)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
“Era Diferente” Los Tigres del Norte
Rapper, Angel Haze has just released her own unique version of ‘Same Love’ – one of the biggest LGBT themed songs to be released ever – and boy is her version powerful, raw and honest.
Haze, who identifies as pansexual and eschews gender pronouns in her music, always exhibits an insatiable thirst for authenticity and a take-no-prisoners attitude, making her rapid-fire rhymes all the more compelling.
She is currently dating model Ireland Baldwin (the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger). The couple made their red carpet debut at the MTV Movie Awards in August last year, since dating rumours begun months before. They have since been outspoken about her relationship, supporting each other the long away.xcvbnmnb
At age 13 my mother knew I wasn’t straight she didn’t understand but she had so much to say she sat me on the couch looked me straight in my face and said you’ll burn in hell or probably die of AIDS it’s funny now but at 13 it was pain to be almost sure of who you are and have it ripped away and i’m sorry if it’s too real for some of you to fathom but hate for who you love is not exactly what you’d imagine and i guess it was disastrous cause everything that happened afterwards was just madness locked away for two years to keep me on the inside because she’d rather see a part of me die than me thrive and it’s tougher when it’s something you can’t deny
and ignorance teaches us it’s something that you decide
you’re driven by your choice is an optical illusion
here’s to understanding that it’s not always confusion
Angel Haze
Watch the original – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft Mary Lambert
In terms of representation, queer women have had a fantastic year. From the many queer female characters in our movie theatres (e.g Life Partners) and in our TV shows (e.g Orange is the New Black) to the monumental human rights decisions that have taken place this year (e.g the many US states that now have same-sex marriage), things are on the up.
We’ve also seen many queer women come out – or, if they were already out, they’ve been kicking ass and taking names all year round. And so, to celebrate these out and proud ladies, we’ve put together this list!
1. Ellen Page
Possibly the biggest coming out story of the year was when Oscar nominated actress Ellen Page came out.
After years of rumours and speculation the tiny Canadian actress put them all to bed, telling the crowd at the HRCF Time to Thrive Conference she was ‘tired of lying’ about who she is. The moving speech brought many to tears and plenty of credited it with being the reason that they themselves have come out.
And, as if her amazing speech wasn’t enough, Page also spent the year being wonderful on Twitter, most preciously by renaming people’s pets!
2. Brittney Griner
A trailblazer by many accounts, Brittney Griner made headlines last year when she came out ahead of the 2013 WNBA draft (where she was the number 1 pick). Then, with the Phoenix Mercury she broke the WNBA dunk record in her very first game. With her phenomenal talent she also won over fans when she helped take the Phoenix Mercury to a championship title in September.
As for other records she became the first out athlete to get a Nike campaign, showing that no, being gay does not harm your marketing potential.
Furthermore, Griner also got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson in August, which may not have set any records but it was certainly adorable.
3. Mary Lambert
While you know her best for doing the backing vocals of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ track ‘Same Love’, Mary Lambert is also a massively outspoken gay rights activist.
An out and proud lesbian herself, Lambert very often talks about religion and how it relates to sexuality as well as body image and how to appreciate yourself. Earlier this year she also launched the Body Love campaign to encourage people to love themselves.
4. Emily Rios
Emily Rios’ name will be familiar to those who watch cult TV classics Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad but more recently you may have seen her play a young gay reporter in The Bridge.
While the show was sadly cancelled back in October after two seasons, Rios’ character in The Bridge was significant because we got to see a queer Mexican woman on our TV screens, which doesn’t happen very often. Rios also explained that “I’m gay, personally, so being Mexican and a lesbian — this is why I love the character because I deal with the same type of things with my own family.”
5. Angel Haze
Whilst straight rapper Macklemore may have picked up plenty of awards for Same Love, its this cover by out pansexual rapper Angel Haze that feels like a more honest rendition.
This year, Haze has made headlines not just with her discography of fantastic, hard hitting lyrics but due to her love life too. Earlier this year Haze confirmed that she’s dating model Ireland Baldwin and the couple both flirt on Twitter and hilariously take down those who dismiss their relationship as ‘gal pals’.
6. Djuan Trent
When we think of the beauty pageant scene, few people would ever refer to it as a ‘progressive industry’ yet surprisingly, at least one former contestant is outspoken about equality.
Djuan Trent, Miss Kentucky 2010, came out as ‘queer’ earlier this year explaining that she needed to hit back against those who thought that she agreed with their anti-equality views.
Trent says that she chose ‘queer ‘ because it’s a more inclusive term and that she hopes to open up the conversation about sexuality being fluid and she also wants to foster more visibility and representation of young women of colour.
7. Samira Wiley
Samira Wiley is familiar to us as the funny and emotional inmate Poussey Washington in Orange is the New Black. Her amazing performances this season as Poussey dealt with her feelings for her best friend Taystee and as we saw flashbacks to Poussey’s difficult life as the child of an overseas soldier garnered praise and interest, but plenty were talking about Wiley this year for an altogether different reason.
It became public in September that Orange is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli would be divorcing her husband, after striking up a romance with Wiley. The pair had been acting cute together on Instagram for the past year (they were also seen looking close at the Emmys) and the fact that the couple was now out was just the previous icing on the cake.
Wiley also took to New York City’s Pride Parade with the rest of the OITNB cast, making her a bit of an advocate too.
8. Joanna Lohman
Also garnering headline for dating a colleague is Joanna Lohman. A professional football (soccer) player for the Boston Breakers, she became engaged to fellow Breakers player Lianne Sanderson earlier this year.
Whilst players dating each other is not a total rarity in the world of women’s football (current USWNT player Abby Wambach is married to now retired player Sarah Huffman) they are the first to date a teammate.
In an interview earlier this year Lohman told a reporter that “When someone comes up to you and says, ‘Thank you for being who you are,’ it has much more of a profound impact than, ‘Good game.’”
9. Vicky Beeching
Like the aforementioned beauty pageant scene, the world of Contemporary Christian Music is also an unlikely source of progressive opinion yet that’s exactly what gay Christian singer Vicky Beeching delivered when she came out earlier this year.
Beeching told The Independent: “What Jesus taught was a radical message of welcome and inclusion and love. I feel certain God loves me just the way I am, and I have a huge sense of calling to communicate that to young people.” helping to foster a more accepting viewpoint in the religion.
10. Anna Paquin
Finally, we have bisexual actress Anna Paquin.
Paquin came out as bisexual several years ago, following her marriage to her True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer. But does the fact that she’s married to a man make her bisexual identity any less legitimate? Of course not. however, she was forced to explain this to TV host Larry King earlier this year when he was baffled by the concept of bisexuality. Her explanation is an absolute must-see.
Who is your choice for out woman of the year? Leave a comment and let us know!
Singer-Songwriter Mary Lambert is known for collaborating with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on’Same Love’. She has gone on to release a solo EP “Welcome to the Age of My Body.”
In interview with ABC News she had the following to say ‘Same Love’…
“I knew that I wanted the chorus to speak to a universal truth. There were a lot of thoughts I had when I was writing the song, and one of them was ‘How can I end homophobia?’”
Mary Lambert
‘Same Love’ quickly took off as an anthem for marriage equality and gay rights.
“If you depict a real relationship or the beauty of attraction or first love – that resonates with anybody. But if you are constantly shoving down people’s throats, this idea that lesbians only roll around in lingerie, instead of like, you know lay around and watch Netflix and eat Cheez-Its together… As soon as the exoticism goes away, then you’re stripped down with a real human element and that’s love and I wanted to create something that … fit that vision of first love.”
Mary Lambert
Mary Lambert’s musical style blends spoken word poetry with piano and traditional vocals. Through her music she’s explores dark subject matters, like abuse and suicide.
“Coming out of my late teens into my early 20s, there was a lot that still needed to be processed in terms of abuse and trauma. And even when I’m in a really great, steady and stable place … I’m clinically bipolar, so that always exists — a darkness always exists.”
Mary Lambert
She feels that the new album covers a different range of emotions and topics than her previous songs and poems due to the whirlwind year of success that she’s had.
“My life is going at the speed of light, so it’s a lot of just trying … to be present in each moment … Giving each situation and each part of life that space and making sure that it’s sacred in every aspect. I’ve had an incredible year so the music will undoubtedly reflect that.”
Mary Lambert’s first full-length album ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ – is a month away from release.
Her debut single ‘Secrets’, was well received and got decent airplay.
In ‘Secrets’ Lambert opens-up and sings about her bipolar disorder, her highly dysfunctional family, and other ‘secrets’ which she chooses to reveal.
I like to say that I never intended to be a pop singer. I intended to be a healer. I hope to urge people to be empathetic and compassionate. People don’t relate to each other or see each other as equals, and this causes problems. I want to open up and be vulnerable, and to encourage others to be vulnerable.
Mary Lambert
Now she has released the title song from the album. ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ comes out on Oct. 14.
Watch out lesbian musician Mary Lambert performs a live version of ‘Born Sad’.
A year ago, Mary Lambert was an aspiring singer-songwriter earning a wage as a bartender, now she melts our hearts with her music. This year she stole the show with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, sung at Grammy Awards as 33 couples got wed, and is now preparing the release her debut album, Heart on My Sleeve.
“As a lesbian in this industry, I’ve been instantly embraced. I came out when I was 17—coming out in middle or high school is one of the most difficult things that anyone could experience. I wouldn’t wish it on my enemies”
Mary Lambert
Lambert isn’t your typical major-label pop artist. Inspired by confessional folk singers as well as spoken-word performers, she is a brutally candid writer who deals directly in her art with such past traumas as being raised in a strict Pentecostal household, abusing drugs and alcohol before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, surviving a gang rape at 17, and being molested repeatedly by her father as a child.
“It’s important for me to be completely and totally open”
Last year Mary Lambert signed to Capitol Records and according to a press release sent to media this week she’ll be releasing her full-length debut album entitled ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ on October 14th.
But for those of you who can’t wait for her album, Lambert has released ‘Secrets’ on her VEVO page. That lyric video shows Mary at her bedroom opening her personal diary and revealing all of her ‘secrets’ to us.
The first single ‘Secrets’ was co-written by Mary Lambert, Eric Rosse and Benny Cassette, and MoZella.
“We wrote this song in one super fun night. Eric came up with this simple and quirky piano line. Benny put an awesome beat on top of it. MoZella and I were instantly inspired melodically, and started throwing around melody lines and lyrics. Most of the vocals you hear were tracked that night. We couldn’t stop laughing…”
Mary Lambert
“Secrets” is an upbeat pop song whose lyrics talk about self-empowerment and challenging beauty standards.
“It’s easy to paint a pretty picture and tell everyone to love themselves, but it’s way more complicated than that. There is so much shame and guilt in our society, and I think it has deprived a lot of people from living fully. We’re all facing battles. We’ve all had someone who has hurt us. So let’s talk about it.”
For a woman in the world, there are certain things that you know are practically certain: your views will not always be considered as equal as a man’s (because of the patriarchy), there’s a strong chance that you won’t be paid in line with a man who’s doing the same job (because of the patriarchy) and no matter whether you’re big, small, short, tall or a combination of the above, people will find it valid to criticise your appearance and try and say judgemental things about your body (also because of the patriarchy). But dismantling the patriarchy isn’t something that can be done over night (God knows many have tried) and no matter how hard you fight those self-deprecating thoughts, it can be a little difficult to boost your self-esteem all by your lonesome. Bring on Mary Lambert’s #BodyLove campaign then, teaching you to love and appreciate yourself, one body part at a time.
Initially used as a way to promote her new single, effectively called Body Love, Mary Lambert’s new campaign is more than just a hopeful bit of marketing and is actually being used as a way to uplift women and girls into a place where the things that they think and feel about their own bodies far outweigh whatever negativity is coming their way from other people. Mary Lambert is a great person to pioneer this too, using the fame she garnered after singing the hook from her song She Keeps Me Warm on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ popular tune, Same Love, to boost #BodyLove even further.
How the campaign works is that every day for a week on her Instagram (marylambertsing), Lambert would pick a body part, photograph it, explain why she loves it and then post it with the tag #BodyLove showing the world that frankly, they can say what they want about her body but she does not give a damn. Lambert even took to her website to explain the campaign,
“I decided to launch The Body Love campaign in conjunction with the anticipation of the video starting today. Every day on my Instagram, I will focus on a part of my body that I embrace, and offer you to do the same- posting a picture with it, hashtags, and a description that will automatically post to the Body Love Campaign website. Your empowerment and strength can be a tool for others. I believe we can build each other up. I think self love is one of the most important and potentially culture-shifting movements that is happening and can be propelled. I was inspired by Denise Jolly’s“Be Beautiful” project, and Sonya Renee’s “The Body is Not an Apology” movement.
The #BodyLove movement is absolutely one that we can all get behind and you can watch Mary Lambert’s Body Love music video below!
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