SGN Feb 4, 2022

NATIONAL POLL: STRAIGHT PEOPLE

“SATISFIED”

WITH THE WAY THEY TREAT LGBTQ+ AMERICANS

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Sixty-two percent of Americans are “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with the “acceptance” of Gays and Lesbians, according to a new Gallup Mood of the Nation poll.

“Mood of the Nation” is a series of monthly topical polls conducted by Gallup, using samples of at least 1,000 respondents. The January poll — which is where these numbers come from — asks questions about an assortment of policy areas.

see POLL page 15

Jacqueline Hyde on her new show at Julia’s

by Nick Rapp SGN Contributing Writer

Self-proclaimed “baroness of burlesque and alchemist of tease” Jacqueline Hyde is bringing a showcase of sensual fun to Julia’s on Broadway in her upcoming show Breathless Hyde is not merely a performer; she established a career in burlesque to wide acclaim

shortly after her first exposure to the art and has been proving her “jill-of-all-trades” nature throughout her career. For years, she worked in information technology for Microsoft in addition to arduous hours of hand-beading, makeup production, wig crafting, and garnering two master’s degrees (marketing and project management).

Florida moves to

LGBTQ books

by Lindsey Anderson SGN Contributing Writer

LGBTQ literature took another hit this week when the Florida Senate Education Committee committee met on January 25 to discuss several proposed bills that will make it easier for parents to challenge and ban LGBTQ+ books in public schools. One was proposed by state Sen. Joe Gruters,

who explained that his bill will make it easier for concerned parents to challenge library books. “A parent… can make a complaint to their local principal, and if the principal agrees, they will pull that material,” he said. “If there’s complaints and nothing happens, eventually it would move to the local school board, and they would make a decision.”

Local News

Used Furniture owners recovering from hate crimes

Suspect served but not arrested

by Kylin Brown SGN Contributing Writer

Following an escalation of apparent hate crimes on Jan. 14, covered previously by the SGN, the suspect in the attacks on Summit Avenue East’s Used Furniture has been identified and charged. Police and attorneys advised the owner-couple, John Evans and John Morrison, to move forward with a restraining order while awaiting the judicial process.

A neighbor with a long criminal record

While Evans has recovered from the physical assault by the suspect that day, the store has been “completely upended,” he told me.

Meanwhile, the couple fears retaliation. Their 250-foot restraining order and new indoor cameras are their only means of protection. The man lives in a building within the 1,000-foot restraining order range that they were hoping for.

“The restraining order would have been larger, but he lives down the street from our store. Our attorney hired a private investigator and found that he had 21 court appearances prior to this. He came down from Everett, where he’d done petty theft crimes for a long time,” said Evans.

“This will be his first gross misdemeanor when we go to court,” Morrison added, who expressed concern about how the man remains free with such a record. “We are trying to get all of our police reports, but they are running so behind… All the stuff you see on the TV is old crime. It makes you wonder, you know, what about accountability?”

He said that they now have six incident reports filed, and the assault will be considered a hate crime in court proceedings. They also have three eyewitness accounts of the assault and feel that with their video

evidence, they might be able to prevent the man from “beating the system again.”

The latest incident

Prior to the assault, the storefront was again hit with a liquid poop spray and trash was dumped around the entry. Evans was informed by a neighbor, and rushed to the scene. He recognized the man from previous footage and watched him from across the street. It was then that Evans approached him and told the man he knew it was his doing.

When Evans turned away following the confrontation, the man kicked him to the ground.

During the assault, Evans was dismayed by the lack of action from bystanders. “People didn’t step up, I think out of fear,” he said. Now, the couple feels a small amount of relief in having identified and charged the suspect, though it took such a drastic event to be certain.

“We think we know why” Evans and Morrison also realized that

the man interfering with their business has been potentially holding a grudge.

After recognizing the suspect in person on Jan. 14, Evans said he recalled a previous confrontation he and his husband had with the man. Months before the vandalism began on Morrison’s birthday last year, the couple got a call from a friend.

“He said, ‘John, what’s going on at your store?’” A man had been unloading truckloads of random goods and setting up shop to sell them out front of Used Furniture. He also told passersby that the business was his and that he was just working outside that day.

When Evans and Morrison arrived, they asked the man to leave. He responded coldly, saying, “If I can’t be in business there, neither will you!”

Now, they worry that the man has become violent. Not only was he seen assaulting Evans last month, the couple also reported seeing him hitting a woman outside of a QFC on Broadway.

They have confirmed with their attorney’s PI that the man is often intoxicated, and the footage of him spouting homophobic slurs toward their store prove that he bears some animus. While Evans and Morrison previously refrained from investigating who exactly was trashing their store, they feel that he is becoming dangerous. Used Furniture has also absorbed thousands of dollars in expenses that they attribute to the suspect, from tires on their delivery truck, which were slashed late last fall, to accruing attorney costs and Evans’ hospital visit. The business owners say they are “emotionally drained,” and they are concerned about the recovery of their business.

Evans and Morrison currently await their next court date on Feb. 7.

Spokane County prosecutor’s wife identifies as white nationalist, calls journalist slur

by Kylin Brown SGN Contributing Writer

Reports of the Spokane County prosecutor’s wife openly declaring herself to be a “proud white nationalist” and posting a racial slur online have sparked outrage across Washington state.

Lesley Ann Haskell, wife of Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell, directed the N-word at MSNBC host Joy Reid last week, calling Reid “the the true definition of the word.” Haskell’s comment went uncensored on the social media network Gab, which is similar to Facebook or Twitter, but with no community guidelines. According to its website, the social network “champions free speech, individual liberty, and the free flow of information online.”

Haskell is a verified user on the app, so the platform has confirmed it did not come from an impersonator. This status also makes her profile appear more important to other users.

“My husband is the Spo Co Prosecutor and he’s the last line of conservative armor that the County has. Spokane has gone to shit,” reads a post on her page.

Haskell was responding to a New York Post story with the title, “MSNBC’s Joy Reid: Conservatives would trade tax cuts to ‘openly say the N-word.’” Haskell explicitly directed her words at the news host in response.

Her Facebook profile has apparently been deactivated since the story began to circulate last Thursday.

As reported by the Spokane Inlander,

this is not the first time Haskell has been openly racist or hateful online. Her online rhetoric has been reported on several times since 2015, when her husband was first elected. One comment read simply, “I do not trust Muzlims.”

Since then, as a deep dive into her social media confirms, she has kept an active presence online spreading hate speech over the years, including homophobic and transphobic remarks.

In a statement to the Inlander back in

2015, Prosecutor-elect Haskell defended his wife’s right to express her own views, saying, “She is a strong, independent, and conservative woman. As many others do here in Spokane, she frequently expresses those personal opinions in dialogues in online forums.”

In a statement on the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office website, Larry Haskell responded to the latest Inlander reporting. “I want to strongly reassure everyone that what was expressed in the Inlander, as my wife’s comments, are not my views nor the views of the prosecutor’s office — nor should they ever be,” he said. “I do not and will not tolerate racial bias or discrimination in any form. People that know me fully understand those are not my views.”

Haskell’s position as Spokane County prosecutor places him in charge of criminal sentencing, and he is meant to serve impartially. However, his wife’s latest hate speech may have real consequences for the prosecutor.

The well-known progressive group Occupy Democrats focused on the incident on Twitter, asking its followers to retweet the post if they thought “her husband must be removed from his position as a prosecutor.” There are about 9,000 retweets as of Tuesday.

Lesley Haskell’s comments could affect her husband’s work in the courtroom too, whether from defense attorneys or his own unconscious bias.

Larry Haskell is seeking re-election at the end of his second four-year term later this year.

Arts & Entertainment

HYDE

continued from cover

Her IT background left her serendipitously prepared for the difficulties presented by the advent of the pandemic, but she is bringing back lively, in-person performance with the debut of Breathless on February 10.

The SGN had the pleasure of chatting with Hyde about the ins and outs of burlesque, show curation, and how Breathless stands out in her wide catalog of performances.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Nick Rapp: What is your favorite part of being a burlesque performer?

Jacqueline Hyde: Well, just performer at large, let’s just put it that way. The ability to curate a moment that will give people either joy, reflection, or a moment of escape — especially considering what we’ve been having to go through these past few

years. That moment of escape has really been helpful as an entertainer, not only for myself to curate but to have others experience. I want to create experiences.

NR: How does Breathless differ from your typical show at Julia’s?

JH: It’s focused more on the sensual side. A traditional Le Faux show or throwback brunch focuses on a lot of high energy, a lot of different movements, a lot of real structure. Breathless is hyperfocused on sensuality, gender, self-reflection, and stillness. So, it’s like the polar opposite in many respects, but at the same time works in tandem.

I think a lot of people don’t really understand how burlesque in general works. And so we’re going to be going down that exploratory journey for some folks. As one of the cast members says, “We’re going to get sexy.” And there’s a certain vulnerability when we do burlesque. It can be scary for some folks to do it, and it can create a different tension in the body for other people.

NR: How did you curate the list of performers in Breathless?

JH: Well, I looked at my direct peers at

Julia’s and reached out and said, “I would like you to do this. This is what I’m envisioning for you.”

I mentor one of the gentlemen in the show, Rhode Island Red, and we’ve been working together for years. Knox Falls is a joy in general. I’ve worked with them several times over the years, and I was like, “If I was going to use the word ‘breathless,’ who would leave me breathless?”

I was just looking around and kind of inviting the players, like, “I see this for you. Will you bring this content to me? Let’s extract pieces that people have not seen from you yet.” And so that’s been fun to play with.

NR: Is this a one-time performance?

JH: Well, that’s a very good question. I [bear] the financial responsibility of it all, and having worked almost two full decades now in burlesque and within the community, as somebody who’s being looked to for standards, I pay above the minimum.

The goal is to make it monthly. And… this first one helps to determine that. I know that it’s going to be good. I’m not

going to worry about that in any way, of course. I have a great team (performers and tech) and a beautiful venue. I like to think of it as on the level of Julia’s — Mr. Eladio has standards in his production, and we all work really hard on refining, refining, refining. We’re going to do it again, hopefully, but it’s all dependent upon this first one.

NR: Do you have any other performances you’re excited about on the horizon?

JH: I am debuting a new piece at Breathless. In a couple of months, I’ll be doing a new one at Afternoon Delights, which is produced by Shay Fox. And then I’ve got a couple new acts coming to Le Faux in the next month and a half, two months. It takes me a long time to make costumes, because it’s a lot of hand-beading.

Read Jacqueline Hyde’s origin story at jacquelinehyde.com/origin-story and secure tickets to Breathless at www.eventbrite.com/e/breathlesstickets-232751906217.

Arts & Entertainment

Seattle’s performing arts companies consider closing amid Omicron outbreaks

by Paige McGlauflin SGN Contributing Writer

This winter’s surge in Omicron cases left many performing arts organizations to face the tough decision of whether or not to close their doors to in-person audiences. Among the organizations that made the decision to postpone their mid-winter productions are the Seattle Women’s Chorus and Book-It Repertory Theatre.

Book-It, dedicated to transforming literary works into theater productions, announced on Jan. 11 that its production of the ancient epic Beowulf, originally scheduled to run in January and February, would be postponed. Book-It is now planning an in-person run sometime this summer. A filmed version will be available for screening from Feb. 10 through Feb. 27.

“We talk[ed] with our board, or patrons, health professionals, or artists, our frontof-house staff or box office. In taking all of these viewpoints into account, we… said, we just don’t know enough about this to proceed. And that really sucked. That was really heartbreaking,” Gus Menary, BookIt’s artistic director and also the director of Beowulf, told the SGN

In response to the pandemic, Book-It has moved to implement systems that assist with its COVID-19 response decision process, including onboarding a COVID compliance officer.

“One thing that made me incredibly proud was how quickly our staff moved, how considerate our staff was with each other and everyone involved, including our audience and patrons, in finding a way forward in the midst of this,” Menary added. “We’ve really had nothing but great responses from our audience and folks, because they know that this is coming from a place of care.”

Similarly, Seattle Choruses announced on Jan. 20 that We Are Family, a concert series dedicated to the girl groups and sister acts of the ’60s and beyond — and the Seattle Women’s Chorus’ first in-person production since 2020 — has now been rescheduled. There will be one single performance at 4 p.m. on June 18 at Town Hall Seattle. It was originally slated to run on Feb. 5 and 6.

“It was disappointing to have to make this call, but I think there’s just so much uncertainty and people that are still feeling uncomfortable or unsafe about attending live events and bigger gatherings,” Samantha Berry, Seattle Choruses’ marketing and sponsorship manager, told the SGN. “We’re really hopeful that coming into the spring, this will dwindle again, and we’ll be back at it.”

Lack of COVID-19 guidelines leave organizations to make own decisions on closing

The rapid rise of Omicron variant cases this winter has left performing arts organizations in tricky situations. Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the arts in the United States, found that a total $35,685,606 was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic by the 310 Washington state arts and cultural organizations surveyed, with a median loss of $35,000 for each organization.

The decision to remain open or close is often one that comes with great financial pressure.

“It’s a struggle to have to make that call. Nobody wants to disappoint their membership, their audience, but it’s about keeping everybody safe and following our strict protocols that we’ve had in place about health throughout this pandemic,” Berry said.

Books

Seattle Choruses was recently announced as the recipient of a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan. Recipients can use their grants to help preserve jobs and fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts.

The limit of local or federal guidance on COVID-19 protocol has led to what Menary finds is a “new normal” for performing arts organizations, where each company is left to weigh the options and decide for themselves what is best.

“I know what the pandemic did for us, and I think the larger theatre industry, was make us think about what it meant to be part of that larger human community and how we contributed to that ecosystem. For us, in the space of a new variant that we didn’t know much about other than its incredibly accelerated infection rate, and in an absence of guidance or restrictions from our local or national government, it really fell to us to decide how we wanted to proceed,” Menary said.

It was also important for Book-It to assess how the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant would impact not just its audience and staff but those who come into contact with them as well.

“You can’t just think about the person

who gets it; you also have to think about the five people they give it to, and the five people each one of those five people gives it to, and in knowing who is vulnerable in something in a situation like that,” Menary added. “I mean, the staff of Book-It that have kids… have elderly parents, just like our audience and artists. We have a responsibility as members of a community organization to protect that community.”

Late winter in-person performances

As for the remainder of their respective seasons, both Book-It and Seattle Choruses are anticipating their late winter productions to go as planned. Mrs. Caliban, BookIt’s next planned production, based on the Rachel Ingalls novella, is expected to run at the Center Theatre from March 23 through April 15. Streaming access to Beowulf and tickets to Mrs. Caliban are available through Book-It’s website, www.book-it.org.

It is also anticipated that the Seattle Men’s Chorus will return in March with Motown and More, scheduled at Benaroya Hall on March 18 and 19, and another performance at the Federal Way Performing Arts Center on March 20. For more information on tickets to both We Are Family and Motown and More, as well as further performances, visit Seattle Choruses’ website at www.seattlechoruses.org.

Immortal Valor a beacon of truth, outrage

by Terri Schlichenmeyer Special to the SGN

IMMORTAL VALOR:

THE BLACK MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS OF WORLD WAR II

ROBERT CHILD

© 2022 Osprey Publishing / Bloomsbury

$30.00

288 pages

Almost since the birth of this country, soldiers who have exhibited bravery above and beyond their normal duties have been given medals for military merit. According to author Robert Child, almost 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded so far in the history of the United States.

But “less than 3 percent... have been awarded to... African Americans.” Of the 500 Medals of Honor awarded for service during World War II, just seven of them went to Black soldiers.

That should not be a surprise. Racism was the norm then, and Black soldiers “knew only segregation,” which “meant inequality.”

Even so, the men in this book didn’t let racism stop them from serving their country. It didn’t stop them from performing exceptional acts.

Charles Thomas was working at Ford in Dearborn, Mich., when he was drafted into the army. In the midst of battle in Climbach, France, Thomas was injured but continued to lead his men.

If Vernon Baker hadn’t seen much racism at home in Wyoming, he surely saw it after he enlisted in the army. It was never as blatant, though, as it was when a white officer was given credit “for the actions [which Baker] performed...”

Willy James was killed trying to reach “his fatally wounded platoon leader.”

Edward Allen Carter Jr. was 15 years old and living in Shanghai with his missionary family when he volunteered to fight with the Chinese; four years later, he visited the American embassy and asked to be assigned to Abyssinia with American troops.

George Watson lost his life attempting to save one. Ruben Rivers went into the army with his younger brother. John Fox left a prestigious college to attend one with

an ROTC program, so strong was his desire to serve.

So what makes these men unique? Child explains the rest of the story: In 1993, a study showed that these men didn’t get the honors for which they were recommended. It took another four years before they finally received their medals, more than five decades after the war’s end. Other men are still waiting.

That all makes Immortal Valor part irritation, part history. The former lies waiting, wrapped in the short biographies of those men, Jim Crow tales, and stories of valor so long unrecognized. The latter could be a bit of a challenge for civilians: along with tales of American society, it’s a lot of battlesand-dates information that, even so, pulses with adrenaline, blood, screams, and jawdropping bravery.

Go into the book knowing this and you’ll burst with outrage and pride at nearly every word. Especially for veterans and their families, this is a book to pin down.

Hot Dog Girl summer

Vibe with your imperfection with Jennifer Dugan

by Lindsey Anderson SGN Contributing Writer

The best rom-com finds a way to combine heartfelt romance, swoonworthy love interests, and chaotic misadventures. This week, our book club has the pleasure of experiencing all that and more with Hot Dog Girl, the first novel from Queer rom-com queen Jennifer Dugan.

Hot Dog Girl follows the adventures of Lou, a Bisexual teenager who gets a summer job at her favorite childhood theme park working alongside her loyal best friend and the popular hunk she can’t stop thinking about. But while the cool kids, including Lou’s crush, get all the best roles — princesses and pirates — Lou is assigned the job of “hot dog girl.”

I got the chance to talk with Dugan about her debut novel, Bisexual representation, and what it means to be the hot dog girl.

Learning from mistakes

For Dugan, being a “hot dog girl” can mean making the best of the cards you’re dealt and learning from your mistakes.

Learning from past experiences is something Dugan is very familiar with. “[Hot Dog Girl ] was my first novel that came out but the fifth or sixth novel that I wrote. So, there were a lot before them that didn’t go anywhere,” she said.

“When I first started writing, I was writing a lot of straight romances. I thought that was kind of what I had to do. It wasn’t until I embraced my voice, and I was, like, you know I’m going to write a book just for me about this messy-disaster Queer girl trying to find her way,” after embracing herself and telling the stories she wanted to read, that Dugan found success.

“As soon as I started to embrace that side of myself, that’s when everything took off. I had an agent very quickly and book deals very quickly. It’s been a dream ever since, but it did take me at least five books before that to… get to that point.”

Still, writing a story about a Queer girl was hard for Dugan, who also identifies as Bisexual. “The book right before this was a Queer romance between two boys, because I was… still nervous about really putting myself on the page, so… when I was writing about boys, it didn’t feel quite as intensely personal.”

She had many fears about embracing her story and writing a Bi female protagonist. For one thing, Dugan feared backlash from homophobes, but she also worried that Queer audiences might not accept her characters as “Gay enough” due to negative biphopic experiences she has faced.

“It was scary,” she said, “and the main character of Hot Dog Girl is Bi, so, having her have a crush on a boy and… on a girl, I was worried about some of the things that come up, like biphobia and issues of being ‘Queer enough.’ Those were things that were in my head, but that was the book I wish that I would have had when I was growing up and trying to navigate having feelings for people of all different genders… It didn’t exist for me, so I just wanted to put that out in the world.”

A fun summer adventure

Aside from drawing inspiration from her own experiences growing up, Dugan found inspiration in an amusement park near her hometown.

“There is an amusement park not that far from me, and I used to go there a lot growing up,” she said fondly. “Now it’s been transformed into a Six Flags, so it’s this big corporate thing, but there’s still these remnants of this old park that’s just a little bit crusty.

“One day, I was riding the gondolas, and I was watching people moving around the park, and I was like, this is the best place to put a young adult novel. There’s just so much going on, and I’m sure it’s just wild to work there.”

She thought an amusement park was perfect for a fun Queer summer adventure, but there was another aspect to her story Dugan

felt was necessary to set the perfect tone for a summer rom-com.

“They’re not figuring out if they are [Queer] — they know that they have these feelings, so it was important for me that I could add that into the Queer kid-lit cannon. It’s not a coming-out story. I just wanted to see Queer kids hanging out with other Queer kids, because, at the time when Hot Dog Girl was acquired in 2017, we didn’t have this fantastic amount of Queergirl lit that we’ve had in the last three years,” she said.

“I just wanted to put this fun book out there where you have a Queer kid having these experiences where we’ve seen so many straight white cis kids having on the bookshelves for our whole lives.”

“You don’t have to be perfect to have a love story”

Dugan’s depiction of Lou as a “disaster Bisexual” is an homage to the disaster Bisexual kid she once was. “I was, myself, kind of a disaster teen growing up, and I still definitely have many elements of disaster in my life as an adult. Even though Lou’s heart is in the right place, she makes some bad decisions, and she’s trying to figure it out, but she’s not figuring it out in an elegant way. She’s just running headfirst into walls,” Dugan said.

“So, I wanted the takeaway to be that even if you are struggling to figure out who you are or there’s a gap between who you are right now and who you want to be, you still are deserving of love and family and joy. You don’t have to be perfect to have a love story and have good things.”

Writing Lou was a way for Dugan to work through her understanding of her sexuality, and she hopes others can take away some broader understanding of what it means to be Bisexual. “One thing is that everyone thinks it’s like fifty-fifty between ‘I like boys’ and ‘I like girls,’ and that doesn’t leave any space for genderqueer people. And also that’s not true. You might [99% love girls and 1% a different gender and still be Bi]. So, I wanted to show that there is a spectrum,” she said.

“I also very deliberately wanted her to have a crush on a boy, because that’s okay. Because a lot of times, the biphobia is coming from within the house, like, ‘Are you queer if you’re a cis girl who likes a cis boy?’ And that’s okay. Even if you’re heterosexual appearing, it’s still a Queer relationship because the dynamics are not the same. So that was something I wanted to show, that it was okay to have a crush on a boy, and that it was also okay to have a crush on other genders.”

Other projects

Since writing Hot Dog Girl, Dugan has been able to mold more of her experiences into relatable, heartfelt, and hilarious sto -

ries. Her third book, Some Girls Do, follows two Queer teens in a relationship trying to figure out how and when to come out.

“A lot of my dating experiences [inspired the book]. It’s just a situation that happens a lot, especially when you’re dating multiple genders,” she said. “I do a lot of library visits and school visits, and I’ll do different Pride clubs, and it’s something that I hear about a lot that comes up in my work with teens. It’s not that different from when I was struggling with it when I was younger, so I just… wanted to put it out there for anyone who needs that.”

Aside from her swoonworthy rom-coms, Dugan also creates masterful graphic novels. “Those are very collaborative,” she said. “You’re working very closely with your editor and marketing, and there are always so many hands in the pot.”

Some of Dugan’s earlier graphic novel work included Circadia, a series in which she chose to work with several different artists and styles for each installation. “I wanted to have it as a showcase [for] the work that is being done. There are so many incredible artists; I thought it would be fun to work together and see their take on the same characters. Every book has a different look to it, [and it] was such a blast watching it all come together and watching them all put different pieces of themselves in the story. It was just cool.”

Because Circadia tells the romance between a cis Bi ballerina and a Nonbinary assassin, Dugan also felt it was important to only use Queer and Nonbinary artists for the series.

Tropes

Whether it’s in traditional or graphic novel form, Dugan loves to put as many tropes in her work as possible. Her newest book, Melt with You, is “an ode to tropes.”

The story follows two former best friends on a cross-country road trip, and Dugan promises she’s packed as many cheesy rom-com moments as she can.

“I put pretty much every one in that I could fit. I’m a big fan of enemies-toromance and only one bed, especially if you combine that with enemies, that’s probably key. I love just tropes, like when they physically run into each other for their first meeting, and I love bad meet-cutes.”

Another favorite trope of Dugan’s is fake dating, which she says can never be overdone, as long as it’s done right. “I love fake dating; that’s what Hot Dog Girl is about.

We have seen hundreds of books and movies [with] white boys and girls [falling] in love with each other through fake dating and all of these different tropes I’ve mentioned, and I think the reason I’d say they’re not overdone is that we all haven’t gotten our chances. It’s time to see diverse casts and diverse sexualities and diverse identities getting a chance to enjoy these joyful stories and see themselves in the books.”

Coming soon

With that in mind, Dugan has many LGBTQ+ novels lined up so readers can enjoy all the tropes. “I don’t see myself doing anything but [writing LGBTQ protagonists]. Melt With You is a Queer girl rom-com. I also have a graphic novel coming out called Coven that features a Queer girl protagonist, and everything that is unreleased that I can’t tell you about also features a Queer girl protagonist. I don’t see myself stepping outside that space.”

She explained that even when she writes male/female romantic leads, she does so with Queer people in mind. “With Rona Comics, I did have a male. It’s dual POV, and that was my second book, and that was a boy and a girl in a relationship, but they were both Queer and operating with their bisexuality and pansexuality in different ways, so I might do something like that again, but I don’t see myself leaving the LGBTQ+ space ever.”

While she has many projects lined up for the next few years, Dugan isn’t opposed to branching away from literature. She says she would love to see a Hot Dog Girl movie and has the perfect actress in mind for the lead.

“I love Sadie Sink, although she is probably very busy now after Taylor Swift. If Sadie Sink were ever available to take our calls, I think she would be so good in Hot Dog Girl. I think she would be the perfect Lou. …If I could ever get her away from Taylor, that would be my dream casting,” she laughed.

While it may be a while before we can see Sadie in a giant hot dog suit on the big screen, Dugan has plenty of books for us to laugh along with until then.

Melt with You comes out May 17, 2022, and Coven will be released sometime in the fall of 2022. For Dugan’s other books, Rona Comics and Some Girls Do, check out your local independent bookstore.

94th annual Academy Awards:

The Power of the Dog , Belfast , and Dune expected to dominate this year’s nominations

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN Staff Writer

It’s that time again. The 94th annual Academy Award nominations will be announced next week, on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and considering how tumultuous a cinematic year 2021 turned out to be, it’s safe to say there are going to be quite a few surprises.

Sure, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune are going to come away with a large haul of nods in several key categories. But after that? If anyone tells you they know exactly how this is going to turn out, don’t you believe them.

Why is that? Even more than last year’s eclectic slate of nominees, with box office declines being what they are — SpiderMan: No Way Home and its almost two billion worldwide ticket sales notwithstanding

— and the continued dominance of streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and HBO Max, it’s almost impossible to tell what floated an Academy member’s boat and what they left stranded in drydock.

What did voters watch? What never made it to the top of their massive screener pile? Did critics groups and other precursor awards from the likes of SAG or the Producer’s Guild sway things one way or another? How will the Academy’s return to a set slate of ten Best Picture nominees shape things in the remaining categories? These and other questions are currently sitting at the forefront of my mind, and I’m curious to see how it turns out.

The number one thing I’m curious to learn is whether or not Academy members took the time to watch Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, winner of the top

Here are my predictions for the top categories, as well as one personal pick that has no chance of happening. Check back next week to see how I did.

Best Picture

Thoughts: The Academy has returned to a guaranteed list of ten, so no longer will a Best Picture nominee need to score 5% of the first-place votes to garner a slot. This opens the door for foreign, animated, independent, and giant box office hits to snatch a seat at the table. Heck, even a documentary could make the cut this year. I’m not predicting that will be the case, but dang, wouldn’t that be kind of cool?

Prediction: Being the Ricardos, Belfast, CODA, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, The Power of the Dog, tick, tick…BOOM!, The Tragedy of Macbeth, West Side Story

In the Hunt: Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Encanto, FLEE, House of Gucci, The Lost Daughter, No Time to Die, SpiderMan: No Way Home

Personal Pick: Shiva Baby

Best Director

Thoughts: There are so many cool choices the Academy could make in this category, but I have a sneaky suspicion the final ones will mirror the recently announced Director’s Guild nominees. Granted, that hasn’t happened in seven decades, so maybe I’ll be wrong.

Prediction: Kenneth Branagh — Belfast, Denis Villeneuve — Dune, Paul Thomas Anderson — Licorice Pizza, Jane Campion — The Power of the Dog, Steven Spielberg — West Side Story

prize from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the National Society of Film Critics — not to mention also top honors from our hometown Seattle Film Critics Society. No motion picture that has conquered this particular critical trifecta has ever failed to land a Best Picture nomination.

Sadly, considering this is a three-hour meditative sojourn, part of me worries not enough voters will give Hamaguchi’s triumphant modern masterwork the time of day. Hopefully, I’ll be proven wrong, but I’m not holding my breath.

There are other giant question marks, not the least of which is whether or not Kristen Stewart will land a Best Actress nomination for her blisteringly raw turn as Princess Diana in director Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, the most honored performance of 2021. Shockwaves went through the Oscar

In the Hunt: Siân Heder — CODA, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

— Drive My Car, Adam McKay — Don’t Look Up, Pedro Almodóvar — Parallel Mothers, Joel Coen — The Tragedy of Macbeth

Personal Pick: Julia Ducournau — Titane

Best Actor

Thoughts: This category is going to have some heavyweight contenders. It is likely one that is going to make me silently scream in rage when a few of my personal favorites end up not making the cut.

Prediction: Javier Bardem — Being the Ricardos, Will Smith — King Richard, Benedict Cumberbatch — The Power of the Dog, Andrew Garfield — tick, tick…BOOM!, Denzel Washington

— The Tragedy of Macbeth

In the Hunt: Peter Dinklage — Cyrano, Leonardo DiCaprio

— Don’t Look Up, Hidetoshi Nishijima — Drive My Car, Clifton Collins, Jr. — Jockey, Cooper Hoffman — Licorice Pizza, Bradley Cooper — Nightmare Alley, Nicolas Cage —

Pig

Personal Pick: Dev Patel — The Green Knight

Best Actress

Thoughts: Back in September, this felt like Kristen Stewart’s to lose. Now she’s on the verge of not even getting a nomination. Can’t say I saw that coming.

Prediction: Nicole Kidman — Being the Ricardos, Lady Gaga — House of Gucci, Olivia Colman — The Lost Daughter, Kristen Stewart — Spencer, Rachel Zegler — West Side Story

prognostication world, though, when Stewart was unexpectedly denied a SAG nomination. Will the same thing happen Tuesday morning when this category’s nominees are finally revealed?

Things I’m personally hoping for even though I think they’re all pretty big long shots: Nicolas Cage landing a Best Actor nod for Pig; The Matrix Resurrections showing up in Visual Effects and Sound; Penélope Cruz snagging a Best Actress slot for Parallel Mothers; Cyrano making the cut for Costumes, Makeup & Hair, plus Production Design; and Candyman scoring a surprise nomination for Best Original Score.

I’d also love to see Rebecca Hall’s Passing make an appearance in a good halfdozen categories, but as Netflix has sadly left this film out in the cold to die, I’m not holding out much hope, save a lone Best Supporting Actress nom for Ruth Negga.

In the Hunt: Jessica Chastain — The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Jennifer Lawrence — Don’t Look Up, Alana Haim — Licorice Pizza, Penélope Cruz — Parallel Mothers, Tessa Thompson — Passing, Jennifer Hudson — Respect, Frances McDormand — The Tragedy of Macbeth

Personal Pick: Isabelle Fuhrman — The Novice

Best Supporting Actor

Thoughts: Don’t know why, but I feel like this could be the category with the most surprises, as I think only Kodi SmitMcPhee from The Power of the Dog is safe.

Prediction: Ciarán Hinds — Belfast, Troy Kotsur — CODA, Jared Leto — House of Gucci, Kodi Smit-McPhee — The Power of the Dog, Ben Affleck — The Tender Bar

In the Hunt: J.K. Simmons — Being the Ricardos, Jamie Dornan — Belfast, Benicio del Toro — The French Dispatch, Jeffrey Wright — The French Dispatch, Bradley Cooper — Licorice Pizza, Mike Faist — West Side Story

Personal Pick: Colman Domingo — Zola

Best Supporting Actress

Thoughts: This is going to be a fun category, but that doesn’t mean I think there will be a ton of shocks.

Prediction: Caitríona Balfe — Belfast, Jessie Buckley — The Lost Daughter, Ruth Negga — Passing, Kirsten Dunst — The Power of the Dog, Ariana DeBose — West Side Story

In the Hunt: Judi Dench — Belfast, Marlee Matlin — CODA, Meryl Streep — Don’t Look Up, Aunjanue Ellis — King Richard, Ann Dowd — Mass, Cate Blanchett — Nightmare Alley, Rita Moreno — West Side Story

Personal Pick: Kathryn Hunter — The Tragedy of Macbeth

Film

Jackass Forever a madcap descent into unhinged madness

by Sara Michelle Fetters

SGN Staff Writer

JACKASS

FOREVER Theaters

It’s been 12 years since director Jeff Tremaine and headliner Johnny Knoxville reassembled their team of semi-fearless nincompoops to put gravity, good taste, and how much blunt trauma testicles can take to the test with Jackass 3D, and a full two decades since Jackass: The Movie graced theaters. Now, with the help of a few new — and understandably younger — members, this motley crew of adventurous morons returns with Jackass Forever, and it almost feels like we couldn’t have needed their presence more than we do right now.

Look, I am no fan of gross-out humor. “Frat boy” monkeyshines don’t typically get much of a rise out of me. While I’m partial to a good prank now and then, I’ve never been one to find merit in watching a never-ending series of them over the course of a couple of hours. Seeing people get blown up in a urinal and covered in poop just curdles my stomach.

Yet there is something about Knoxville and his crazed squad that brings a smile to my face. Not every bit lands, and there are frequent times where I’m cringing in my seat as if I myself could feel the pain the person performing whatever unhinged stunt these whack-a-dos have come up with. But I laugh. I thrill to some of their more outlandish escapades. I keep wondering what they could possibly do next that could top their previous zanier antics. This is the glory of what Tremaine and Knoxville accomplish time and time again, and I’m continually in awe of the lengths they and the gang go to wow their appreciative captive audience.

Granted, two-plus decades of this sort of thing does take its toll, and Knoxville,

Dopey

Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, and other members of the troupe are getting a little long in the tooth to keep subjecting themselves to these imbecilic endeavors. Not that this stops any of them of from continuing to test the limits of human endurance, taking chances, and doing stunts that any rational person would walk quickly away from, muttering a quiet “nope.”

There are some repeats from previous Jackass installments, most notably Knoxville once again attempting to go one-on-

one with a rampaging bull. And some bits roiled my stomach to the point I wanted to join along with one of the poor cameramen and upchuck right into my KN95 mask. But there is real heart here, and it’s clear how much this group continues to have genuine affection for one another. Also, there’s something wickedly glorious in seeing all this extreme anarchy play itself out. The momentary catharsis that fueled my heartiest belly laughs was comfortingly sincere. Is this a great motion picture? No.

Of course not. Did watching it make me happy? Yes, to a degree almost impossible to describe. You’re either in the bag to watch these jubilant jokers do their worst or you’d rather get a root canal and your wisdom teeth pulled in one go. It’s still surprises that I’m in the former camp, and as long as Tremaine and Knoxville want to keep up their shenanigans, I’ll keep returning to the theater to discover what magical madness they’ve concocted for me to witness next.

Moonfall goofily soars into the apocalyptic unknown

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN Staff Writer

MOONFALL

Theaters

If you go into Moonfall not knowing what to expect, you only have yourself to blame. Every ad, every poster, every commercial — all of them proudly proclaim the film as being from the director of 2012, Independence Day, and The Day After Tomorrow, the one and only Roland Emmerich. His latest is right up there with some of the dopiest bits of destruction porn this maestro of moronic mayhem has ever come up with, so it’s best to know that going into the theater, otherwise you’re in for an arduously merciless two hours of pain.

A decade ago, astronauts Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) and Jocinda Fowl (Halle Berry) survived a horrendous accident involving the destruction of a satellite, the damaging of their space shuttle, and the tragic loss of a crew member. But where Fowl has risen up the ranks at NASA to a position of power, Harper’s refusal to toe the party line and repeat what he was told to — no matter the actual truth — has left him an unemployed pariah. They’ve gone on different tracks, and to say no love is lost between them would be understating things considerably.

How fast things can change. With the Moon suddenly and inexplicably out of orbit, the only one who seems to know an iota of what is going on is Dr. KC Houseman (John Bradley), a disheveled nobody whose deranged theories have been laughed away as utter madness. But when his catastrophic computations of disaster are spot-on, it becomes clear to both Harper and Fowl that

whatever disagreements they may have had better remain buried there if they’re going to save the Earth from total destruction.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg as far as just how utterly wacky Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen’s unabashedly silly script proves. We’ve got family melodrama up the wazoo for all three of the primary characters (for example, Houseman’s beloved mother is in a senior facility experiencing the early stages of dementia), while Harper and Howl have exes they’re still somewhat close to and children they love dearly. This trio has to grapple with their decision to rocket to the Moon and leave their families behind on what appears to be a fool’s errand, while back on the ground, their loved ones struggle to survive as tsunamis, earthquakes, avalanches, meteor strikes, and all sorts of explosive mayhem attempt to do them in.

But it’s even goofier than that. Yet while

the trailers and commercials have all but revealed many of the film’s biggest twists, I just don’t feel comfortable going into any of them in great detail here all the same. Suffice it to say, the final third of this one explodes into narrative absurdity the likes of which I almost want to stand up and applaud. Elements of 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Abyss, the Terminator franchise, and so many other massive science fiction stalwarts crash into one another with freewheeling abandon. There is whiz. There is bang. And all of it, every single second, is so gloriously stupid, it’s difficult not to leave the theater feeling somewhat impressed.

The visual effects are outstanding. That climax of Harper, Fowl, and Houseman jetting around the interior of the Moon — don’t ask — while being chased by a destructive force responsible for putting the Earth in mortal jeopardy crackle with joyful electricity. There’s also an outstanding

score courtesy of Kloser and his frequent composing collaborator Thomas Wanker (Midway, White House Down) that adds a musical component that helps augment the interstellar thrills and chills considerably.

The stuff down on Earth feels like an episode of “Emmerich’s Greatest Hits,” most notably 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow Even though these scenes involve actors as talented as Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Donald Sutherland, that doesn’t make them anything other than a cartoonish waste of time. Emmerich blows stuff up as terrifically as ever, sure, but that doesn’t mean these moments are enjoyable, and had a meteor landed smack-dab on all of them, I wouldn’t have shed a single tear.

Berry, Wilson, and Bradley fare a heck of a lot better. Once they achieve liftoff and start making their way to the Moon, their characters and their performances both take flight. While they play their scenes straight, there is still a sense that they are having a wonderful time reveling in this stupefying silliness. Their commitment to the material and each other is apparent, and I got a moderate kick in watching all three play this madness out to its inevitably goofy conclusion.

Moonfall is maddeningly nuts. Taken in the right frame of mind, it can also be a great deal of ludicrous fun. While I find myself leaning in the latter direction, I certainly have to warn viewers that the former is a real possibility, as the flashy visuals and charismatic performances are not nearly enough conceal the insane madness that Emmerich’s latest work almost purposefully takes great joy reveling in.

Op-Ed

Florida’s HB 1557: How it impacts LGBTQ families

by Thomas Ryan-Lawrence Special to the SGN

Earlier this week, news outlets across the country reported on the advancement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial “Parental Rights in Education Bill,” also known as HB 1557.

In case you missed it, the bill was passed by the state House’s GOP-controlled Education and Employment Committee on January 20 by a vote of 15-5. While the bill’s sponsors claim the legislation aims to “provide parents with greater oversight over what their students learn and discuss at school,” the passage of this bill would be detrimental not only to LGBTQ students but also to LGBTQ families across the state.

Policymakers across the country are discussing the variety of social issues that should or should not be approached in public education and exactly how deep parental rights go in contributing to that decision. I find it interesting that parents are, for the most part, not involved in the selection of other curricula in public schools, yet somehow feel entitled to have their voices heard when it comes to topics such as critical race theory or sexual orientation and gender identity.

Republican state Rep. Joe Harding told CNN on Monday that this [proposed] law would apply to students in kindergarten through third grade, claiming that “at that age, they need to be worried about reading and worrying about their math… For me, it’s: why are we sensationalizing this age to have all these questions and to force so many questions?… We’re talking specifically about young, elementary-age children that just don’t need that stress in general.”

So, having worked with the LGBTQ community, with a focus on inclusive environments, for 18 years and being a Gay dad, I posted about the advancement of HB 1557 on both the Gayborhood Business Alliance and ARK Leadership LinkedIn pages, organizations that I am a managing partner of. A colleague that I met while speaking at a symposium on Culture Building Basics for the Studer Community Institute in Pensacola messaged me on LinkedIn after seeing my post.

In her message, she said, “Saw your post about the LGBTQ measure… I don’t disagree with you… but I don’t know much about this. I plan to read up on when kids start needing to talk about this. I don’t think I started paying attention to boys until around fifth grade.”

In writing my response, it inspired me to write this piece. This bill is not just about how students identify with their own sexual orientation, but also for those students living in LGBTQ households. Of those under the age of 50 who are living alone or with a spouse or partner, 48% of LGBTQ women and 20% of LGBTQ men in the United States are raising children under the age of 18.

The Trevor Project is quoted as stating the bill would “ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, erasing LGBTQ identity, history, and culture — as well as LGBTQ students themselves.”

Now, there is some debate on exactly when sexual orientation begins to be recognized in children. Personally, I knew at five that I was attracted to men and not women. I didn’t know what it meant at the time… but I knew one thing for sure: I was different.

This bill doesn’t just affect LGBTQ youth. Don’t get me wrong — the possibility is high that it will; someone at that age will identify as LGBTQ. It is well documented by the Trevor Project that “LGBTQ youth

Photo by MART PRODUCTION / Pexels

I find it interesting that parents are, for the most part, not involved in the selection of other curricula in public schools, yet somehow feel entitled to have their voices heard when it comes to topics such as critical race theory or sexual orientation and gender identity.

who learned about LGBTQ issues or people in classes at school had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the last year.”

So, as to Rep. Harding’s [query], the simple answer is: because in the real world, the fact that LGBTQ people exist and will be alongside [kids that age] is very true.

The entire point of me writing this piece [relates to] the question from my colleague. You see, my husband and I have an eightyear old son. He’s precious, sweet, and innocent. I’d like to think he’s that way in part because of how we’ve raised him. So, when my colleague asked what is an appropriate age to start the conversation around sexual orientation and gender identity, my response was “as early as possible.”

As same-sex parents, we have always strived to teach our son that families come in all shapes and sizes. Some may have two daddies or two mommies, some may have a dad and a mom, some may have an auntie or grandparents, and some may be singleparent households. All that matters is love.

While important, for the sake of this argument, take the LGBTQ students out of the mix. After all, we’re talking about K-3. What about the kids that are a part of a LGBTQ family? Sexual orientation and gender identity transcends physical

attraction; there are mental and emotional aspects that are difficult to explain. For our son, he’s always grown up knowing he has Daddy, Papa, and Mama Tara. That’s the way it’s always been and the way it will always be; we started these conversations when he was literally a week old.

Should this law pass, what happens when he goes to school and tries to explain to his friends that he has two dads? For the record, he just turned eight years old in January and is in second grade, so yes… this law would affect our family.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are often ignored in our public school system. I can say this as a current board member in my sixth year of service with a charter school in the Atlanta Public School District. I am proud to say our school has made DEI a primary focus as part of its culture. At the same time, I am saddened to say the majority of the school districts I have seen do not take the same approach.

So, I will close with this: My son’s name is Noah and he is eight years old. If we lived in Florida and this bill became law, What would he do in second grade when talking about his two dads? Are the teachers going to unilaterally ignore his family unit? He surely would be made to feel “less than” or

“different” for having two loving parents at home just because we aren’t a cisgendered opposite-sex couple. How would a child that isn’t LGBTQ but is a part of a LGBTQ family be treated if this law were to pass? How would they view their family in relation to others? If we cannot guarantee that experience will be positive, should it even occur?

If you live in Florida and agree that there are a multitude of reasons why HB 1557 should not pass into law, please reach out to your representatives and express your opposition. Feel free to quote this article (a copy has been sent to the Speaker of the House, Chris Sprowls), and please help spread the word.

One of the worst possible outcomes would be HB 1557 not only passing in Florida but then being used as a justification for similar laws in other states. So many families are counting on us to stand up and have our voices heard.

Thomas Ryan-Lawrence, SPHR, is an entrepreneur living in Atlanta with his husband and son. He has worked in the LGBTQ community for nearly two decades and currently serves as the president of the Gayborhood Business Alliance and VP of operations for ARK Leadership.

According to Gallup, we should be happy about these results because the numbers of “satisfied” people are up from 2021 (when 55% were “satisfied”) and 2020 (56%).

Jeff Jones, a senior editor at Gallup, commented that the question shows that Gay and Lesbian people are “being considered not an outsider group but a normal, mainstream group of people in the US.”

He said this data demonstrates a shift from a time “where the public was kind of opposed to treating them the same as everybody else to one where that’s definitely the norm.”

“It just speaks to changes in societal norms that we’ve seen over the past, really, two decades,” Jones said.

“When we used to ask about same-sex marriage, in the 1990s and even in early 2000s, we would have majorities opposed. And now we have solid majorities that seem to grow at least a little bit every year.”

There are reasons for LGBTQ+ people to be skeptical, however.

First, the question itself excludes important portions of the LGBTQ+ community — those that fit in categories other than “Gay and Lesbian.” From the outset, therefore, the poll erases Trans people, Nonbinary people, and others whose basic rights are certainly not “accepted” in many areas of the country.

Second, Gallup weights these polls for race and ethnicity, but not for sexual orientation. We know, for example, that Black and Latinx Americans participated in the poll in representative numbers, but we don’t know if any LGBTQ+ people participated.

We also have no way of knowing what the responses of LGBTQ+ people might have been if they did participate. Were we as “satisfied” as our straight neighbors?

Third, the categories themselves are

ambiguous. What does it mean to be “satisfied”? If I’m a middle-aged Trump supporter in Alabama, looking at the fact that LGBTQ+ people have achieved some legal protections — but still have to cope with many legal and social barriers — am I “sat-

isfied” that they’ve come far enough, or am I “dissatisfied” that they’ve come too far? And what does “acceptance” mean?

Merely formal legal equality, like the legal right to marry? Merely workplace protections? These rights are important, of

Episode 17: Tim Mulligan

course, but how many LGBTQ+ people feel fully at home in US society?

In short, the Gallup results tell us that straight people are pretty much OK with the way they treat us, but they say nothing about how happy we are with the treatment.

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National & International News

FLORIDA

Support for conservative censorship

Some argued that giving parents the chance to override a school principal’s decision gives them too much say in what is best for the whole school. Committee members also brought up concerns that the bill would put more work and strain on public school librarians, who are already underpaid, by requiring them to log all school materials into a public access database.

However, many parents in attendance voiced their agreement with the bill. Amanda Silvestri gave her support, saying, “I have a seven-year-old and a nine-yearold, and some of the books we have come across are deeply concerning, and if we can’t fix it, we’re going to have to do something or my children are out of here.”

Another parent, Karen Moran, shared Silvestri’s sentiments. “I’m here today because I’m concerned about the content in the schools. We have porn, we have critical race, we have gender confusion, and other objectionable materials in our schools,” Moran said. She continued by describing the experience of a high schooler who she claimed was forced to take a class specifically on oral sex. She then began reading from a copy of It Feels Good to Be Yourself, a children’s book about gender identity, which she claimed her local library had 112 copies of.

“It said that here was a gender identity [that’s] neither a boy or a girl. He was like a multiple person, and so it’s causing gender confusion with our kids, and it should not be in our libraries, and we should not be funding this, and we need to get all these books out, and we need help to get them out,” Moran declared. “I think this bill is a great method to get these books out and make people know what’s going on.”

More than just parents gathered to voice their support for the proposed bill. Brenda Farm, an attorney from Fort Lauderdale, spoke on behalf of several clients. “I get phone calls all day long, all week long, from parents that are frustrated, they’re upset, they’re hurt, they’re disappointed, they don’t trust the schools anymore or the teachers. It goes back to the materials here,” Farm said.

She then told the senators about a firstgrader who had come to his mother in tears because he thought he would be forced to marry a man when he grew up. “He got more hysterical and upset and said, ‘The teacher said it’s the law!’” she recalled, using animated voices and hand gestures. “This little boy has been traumatized, and please don’t look down like you don’t care, you should care about this!” She said the public school has been showing “LGBQT” cartoons to the children without having to get consent from parents and as a result, the children are being traumatized.

Opposition to the bill

Only one audience member spoke out against the proposed bill, reminding those in attendance that “there is a rule where a parent can require that their child can’t check out any book from the library.” She asked other attendees to consider censoring their own children, but not removing books or media from school libraries, as that will prevent all children from accessing materials that may be very important to them.

“I don’t think you should ban books because someone is bothered, because the reality is, there are Transgender kids. The reality is, it’s the biology of sexual orientation; we’re not all heterosexuals. Most people, I would hope, with a loving heart, are not offended by that,” she said.

While the bill ultimately passed the committee, with all the Republican senators voting in favor of it, several other members of the committee voiced their adamant disproval.

“The point of education is to open our eyes beyond the world that we live in. There are Nonbinary children in your schools and classrooms. It’s okay if there’s a book that’s different,” said Sen. Tina Polsky. She went on

to reiterate the idea that parents interested in censorship can and should censor their own children, but not remove learning materials for everyone. She also addressed Moran’s claims about sex education, stating, “There are not courses in sex acts. Do not confuse health education with pornography.”

“If you don’t like what you see in the schools, then don’t go. Homeschool your kid. If you want them insulated so much that they shouldn’t learn about the outside world, then you should homeschool them, or you can send them to a religious private school,” she said. “I am severely offended by the homophobia in this room.”

Sen. Lori Berman also voiced her disproval of the bill, saying, “We are starting down the path of censorship, and it’s an authoritarian action, and I don’t understand why we would want to risk reaching that slope.”

The final word of disproval came from the only openly Gay senator on the committee, Sen. Shevrin Jones. “I don’t care what you may try to do to think you are protecting [the children]; the one thing you are obligated to do is to do like my mother and

my father did, and that is to love them for who they are,” he said.

“So, I’m not going to speak about the politics of this, because all of that is going to go out the window eventually. My ask is that as you all speak, just realize that there are individuals that hear you, that might be in the shoe of someone your words are hurtful towards. And it’s not me, because I’ll be fine. I’m a grown man and I can take care of myself, and my colleagues love me and

such. But I want to just put it out there to you all that as you go and advocate for your children, be careful in how you advocate to make sure you are not harming anyone. My dad always taught my brothers and [me] that when you lead, and even when you speak, lead and speak with love. Thank you.”

“Don’t Say Gay”

This new bill was debated on the heels of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which is also being debated in the Florida legislature. This bill would give Florida parents the right to sue school boards if LGBTQ topics that are not deemed “age appropriate” by parents are even discussed in the classroom.

“This bill is about defending the most awesome responsibility a person can have: being a parent. That job can only be given to you by above,” Rep. Joe Harding, who introduced the bill in the House, said in front of the committee.

This bill has gained media attention from opponents calling it out as dangerous. “This will kill kids,” LGBTQ+ advocate Chasten Buttigieg tweeted.

“This bill will erase young LGBTQ+ students across Florida, forcing many back into the closet by policing their identity and silencing important discussions about the issues they face,” said Sam Ames, director of advocacy for the Trevor Project.

While these laws may only affect Florida LGBTQ students at the moment, they send a message beyond state borders. Censorship tells Queer youth that they are still controversial, their existence is still up for debate, and that there are people powerful enough to silence their voices.

As Sen. Berman said, censorship is a slippery slope. As there are conservative pockets in all US states, such censorship might prevent LGBTQ+ youth from receiving the validation and support that they may only find through books.

Sen. Tina Polsky: “If you don’t like what you see in the schools, then don’t go. Homeschool your kid. If you want them insulated so much that they shouldn’t learn about the outside world, then you should homeschool them, or you can send them to a religious private school. I am severely offended by the homophobia in this room.”

LGBTQ books pulled from Texas school libraries

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Hundreds of books are disappearing from the shelves of school libraries in Texas. They haven’t simply gone missing — they have been removed by order of local school districts, or by librarians hoping to avoid controversy over the content of the books.

All have common themes: sexual orientation or race.

Among the titles removed:

• Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts), about a gay teenager who isn’t shy about discussing his sex life

• The Handsome Girl and Her Beautiful Boy

• All Boys Aren’t Blue

• Lawn Boy

All are coming-of-age stories that prominently feature LGBTQ characters and passages about sex. Some titles were removed after parents formally complained, but others were quietly banned by the district without official reviews.

Records requests made by NBC News to nearly a hundred school districts in the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin regions revealed 75 formal requests by parents or community members to ban books from libraries during the first four months of this school year.

In comparison, only one library book challenge was filed at those districts during the same time period a year earlier, NBC said. Some school districts reported more challenges this year than in the past two decades combined.

Ten current or recently retired Texas school librarians who spoke to a reporter described growing fears that they could be attacked by parents on social media or threatened with criminal charges. Some said they’ve quietly removed LGBTQ-affirming books from shelves or declined to purchase new ones to avoid public criticism.

International news highlights

by Daniel Lindsley

SGN Contributing Writer

China:

Grindr removed from app stores

The Advocate reported on January 31 that the Gay dating app Grindr is no longer available in China, apparently removed from both the Apple and Android app stores as part of a broader crackdown on what China’s Cyberspace Administration considers pornographic or otherwise unacceptable.

The Advocate noted that, while China decriminalized homosexuality 25 years ago, last September the government announced a ban on portrayals of “sissy men” in television and “gay love” in video games. In November the advocacy group LGBT Rights Advocacy China suspended operations and closed its social media accounts. Earlier, in July, the social media site WeChat removed a number of accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ student organizations.

Ghana: Trans woman fights anti-LGBT+ bill with art

Reuters reported on February 3 that Ghanian Trans activist and former Christian pastor Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi is fighting what officials have dubbed

Five of the librarians said they were thinking about leaving the profession, and one already has. Sarah Chase, librarian at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, a Fort Worth suburb, said ill feelings over books contributed to her decision to retire in December, months earlier than she’d planned.

“I’m no saint,” said Chase, 55. “I got out because I was afraid to stand up to the attacks. I didn’t want to get caught in somebody’s snare. Who wants to be called a pornographer? Who wants to be accused of being a pedophile or reported to the police for putting a book in a kid’s hand?”

Parents leading the charge against the books say they’re merely trying to shield their children from sexually explicit material that should not be available in public schools. Some of the books they want banned include hetero sex scenes, they add.

But in many cases, parents and Republican politicians have flagged books about racism and LGBTQ issues that don’t include explicit language, including some picture books about Black historical figures and Transgender children.

Authors vigorously deny that any of the books in question meet the legal definition of pornography. Although some include sexually explicit passages or drawings, those scenes are presented in the context of broader narratives and not for the explicit purpose of sexual stimulation, they said.

“Some parents want to pretend that books are the source of darkness in kids’ lives,” said Ashley Hope Pérez, author of the young adult novel Out of Darkness, which has been repeatedly targeted by Texas parents for its depiction of a rape scene and other mature content.

“The reality for most kids is that difficulties, challenges, harm, oppression — those are present in their own lives, and books that reflect that reality can help to make them feel less alone.”

Several Queer students, meanwhile, said the idea that it’s inappropriate for teenagers to read about LGBTQ sexual relationships is making them feel unwelcome in their communities.

“Reading books or consuming any kind of media that has LGBTQ representation, it doesn’t turn people Gay or make people turn out a certain way,” said Amber Kaul, a 17-year-old Bisexual student in Katy, Texas.

“I think reading those books helps kids realize that the feelings that they’ve already had are valid and OK, and I think that’s what a lot of these parents are opposed to.”

“As I’ve struggled with my own identity as a Queer person, it’s been really, really important to me that I have access to these books,” said a teenage girl, whom NBC News did not identify by name because she is not out.

“And I’m sure it’s really important to other Queer kids. You should be able to see yourself reflected on the page.”

National news highlights

by Daniel Lindsley SGN Contributing Writer

New York: Maddow takes a break

The Advocate reported on January 31 that out MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow will take a break from the widely viewed Rachel Maddow Show, potentially starting next week. The network’s hosts and producers, the New York Times reports, say they are unsure if Maddow will return to the show as before, since her renewed contract with NBCUniversal gives her room to work on other projects. The show will have fill-in anchors in Maddow’s absence, but she will be present for special coverage, such as President Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1. According to People, one of her projects includes serving as an executive producer on Bag Man, a film directed by Ben Stiller and based on her book and podcast of the same name.

Wisconsin:

Mayor withholds library funds over “complaints”

a “Family Values Bill.” The bill would tighten restrictions that already criminalize same-sex relations, enforce jail sentences of up to 10 years for LGBTQ+ advocacy, and may force some into conversion practices. “It feels like waiting to be slaughtered,” Fiatsi told Reuters. No politician has come out against the bill, but Fiatsi continues her fight from her artists’ compound in Kumasi by holding LGBTQ-friendly artist residency programs and pro-LGBTQ+ galleries. “What I do today is not for me, or even those living today,” she said. “It’s for the future generation.”

Ghana is one of over 30 African countries that outlaws same-sex relations. As of this printing, no vote date is set for the bill.

NBC News reported on January 28 that Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee has been accused of withholding $110,000 from a Madison County public library, because it carries books with titles or covers related to the LGBTQ+ community. McGee said that he had received complaints about three children’s books and one adult book in particular. In response, the Madison County Library System released a statement on its website, reaffirming that its mission is “to provide library resources and services necessary to meet the evolving informational, creacrational, and cultural needs of the public, thus enhancing individual and community life.” It went on to say, “Censorship has no place here in the Madison County Library System. Our library is for everyone.”