LGBTQ rights: Where do Harris and Trump stand?

Polls show that LGBTQ rights will likely factor into most Americans’ pick for president this November as they choose between former Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President ... Show more

Polls show that LGBTQ rights will likely factor into most Americans’ pick for president this November as they choose between former Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat. A March 2024 survey by independent pollster PRRI found that 68% of voters will take LGBTQ rights into consideration at the polls. Fully 30% stated that they would vote only for a candidate who shares their views on the issue. It is no coincidence, then, that LGBTQ rights issues feature prominently in the party platforms. The Republican Party’s electoral promises include cutting existing federal funding for gender-affirming care and restricting transgender students’ participation in sports. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party platform proposes to outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people, including passing the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, health care and public accommodations. As a legal scholar who has written extensively on the history of LGBTQ rights, I have seen that the clearest indication of how a politician will act once in office is not what they promise on the campaign trail. Instead, it’s what they have done in the past. Let’s examine their records. Trump restricted some LGBTQ rights Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, are both relatively new to politics, so their records on LGBTQ rights issues are slim. Trump enacted two policies restricting LGBTQ rights early in his one term in office. The first was his 2017 executive order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty, whic...

‘Our Town’ review: A durable classic gets a modern refresh

“Our Town,” Thornton Wilder’s enduring appraisal of small-town life in early 20th century New Hampshire, is among the most oft-produced works in the American theatrical canon. It was la... Show more

“Our Town,” Thornton Wilder’s enduring appraisal of small-town life in early 20th century New Hampshire, is among the most oft-produced works in the American theatrical canon. It was last seen on Broadway some 20 years ago, with none other than Paul Newman taking the lead as the crusty Stage Manager. An earlier production starred the venerable Henry Fonda in the role. Director Kenny Leon (“Purlie Victorious”) has boldly rejiggered this classic for contemporary theatergoers, employing an earnest, inclusive approach. The timeworn narrative still follows the births, deaths, joys, and sorrows of the residents of Grover’s Corners, a stand-in for Anywhere, USA, where love thy neighbor is the golden rule. The story centers on the Gibbs and Webb families, meant to represent our own neighbors, perhaps.  This well-intentioned production, however, is a bit muddled. For starters, Leon cast Jim Parsons to fill the shoes of the Stage Manager. The openly gay actor, best known as Sheldon in the TV comedy “The Big Bang Theory,” has pivoted to bona fide Broadway star, appearing in “The Normal Heart,” “The Boys in the Band,” and “Mother Play,” among others. Regrettably, the shoes Parsons attempts to fill are not a perfect fit. Instead of a sage, rumpled curmudgeon in his 60s or 70s, Parsons, sporting a hipster beard with nary a grey hair visible, registers as in his mid-forties. His trademark, lilting delivery feels like a snarky stand-up comedian rather than a wistful narrator chronicling the deeply human gyrations of his beloved hometown. The gravitas of the role is tamped down. In his quest for diversit...

Q&A: Marco Pigossi and Calvani on ‘High Tide’ and the search for ...

“High Tide” is a bittersweet character study written and directed by Marco Calvani about Lourenço (Marco Pigossi, Calvani’s real-life husband), an undocumented Brazilian living in Provi... Show more

“High Tide” is a bittersweet character study written and directed by Marco Calvani about Lourenço (Marco Pigossi, Calvani’s real-life husband), an undocumented Brazilian living in Provincetown during the late summer. Lourenço is depressed as he has recently been dumped by his lover, and has a month left on his visa. He feels that “his life is happening without him.” Things improve when Lourenço meets a tall drink of water named Maurice (James Bland) on the beach. The two men begin a respectful relationship, which buoys Lourenço’s spirits — but it may be short-lived.  Calvani gives Pigossi a terrific showcase, and the actor delivers a very affecting, ingratiating performance as a man struggling not to hit rock bottom. He is well matched with Bland, who is thoughtful and caring, and justly bristles at the various microaggressions he encounters. Beautifully filmed, and leisurely paced, the modest “High Tide” is a poignant romance about learning to love yourself. The Marcos, Calvani and Pigossi, spoke with Gay City News about their “High Tide.”  Writer/director Marco Calvani on the set of “High Tide.”LD Entertainment Lourenço is melancholic, he lacks confidence, he has hope, and behaves self-destructively. He is often uncomfortable in his own skin. Can you talk about how you approached his character?   Marco Pigossi: I had the script for almost two years and worked with Marco [Calvani] to bring specificities to it — what Lourenço is thinking here or there. We exchanged ideas and talked about the character, so when I got on set, I knew him inside out — his flaws and his beauty. I knew Marco’s...

Bring them home: Presenting the stories of the Oct. 7 hostages

On Oct. 7, 2023, our world changed forever. As families in southern Israel celebrated the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, unleashing a brutal attack th... Show more

On Oct. 7, 2023, our world changed forever. As families in southern Israel celebrated the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, unleashing a brutal attack that left over 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage, nearly all civilians. It was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than a year later, a little more than 100 hostages remain in captivity, including eight US citizens. These are our neighbors, colleagues and friends. They are children torn from their parents, grandparents separated from their families and foreign nationals who came to Israel as workers or tourists. Some of these hostages, we now know, were murdered by Hamas – yet their bodies are still being held, denying their loved ones even the basic dignity of burial and mourning. We bring you their stories. We plan to profile many of the over 100 remaining individuals being held by Hamas in Gaza – though we dearly hope they will all come home now, rendering this project unnecessary. Until then, you will learn about their lives, their dreams and the families anxiously awaiting their return. We begin with the American hostages, including Itay Chen, Edan Alexander and Omer Neutra, young men whose futures were brutally interrupted. This isn’t just news – it’s a call to our shared humanity. As you read these profiles, we urge you to remember that each hostage is someone’s parent, spouse or child. They range from 84 years old to one year young. Their absence leaves a void in countless lives. We’re not here to tell you what to think or how to feel. We simply ask that you read, ...

Where art intersects voyeurism: Kyle Anderson on not-so-guilty pl...

Kyle Anderson is a busy man, and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. This month alone, Anderson has been featured in the SoHo Project Space’s Dirty Little Drawings group show, the Sacra... Show more

Kyle Anderson is a busy man, and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. This month alone, Anderson has been featured in the SoHo Project Space’s Dirty Little Drawings group show, the Sacra queer art and dance party, Dandyland at Boxer’s Hell’s Kitchen, and by the time this goes to press, he will have opened his first solo-show this month at C’mon Everybody’s gallery space. All of this is on top of hosting figure drawing twice a week and his day job. Like I said, he’s a very busy man. Growing up an only child, Kyle relied on his creativity to keep himself entertained. “A lot of drawing things as a kid,” Anderson said. “And they weren’t good drawings, but a lot of imagination.” That imagination later led him to New York, where he studied animation, film, and TV production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before going on to work for big brands such as Nickelodeon and Yahoo. It was at the former that he met fellow animator Lena Green. It wouldn’t be long before Green and Anderson realized they had more in common than they originally thought. Doable Guys Anderson and Green founded Doable Guys to fill a gap they saw in New York’s drawing scene. Feeling excluded from New York’s art scene, they sought to create a new, more inclusive group that celebrated the queer community as a whole. To do so, they put out a call for artists to submit artwork following a simple prompt: draw a guy who is “do-able” to you. All genders and experience levels were welcome, and the group’s first anthology was published in 2016 with 20 artists. Proceeds from the zine — and every edition since — have gone to the LGBTQ+ ...

Conference panel tackles intersection of immigration, mental heal...

The annual In My Mind Conference at The New School in Manhattan featured a panel discussion on Oct. 11 about issues facing LGBTQ immigrants, including mental health, racism, and the pro... Show more

The annual In My Mind Conference at The New School in Manhattan featured a panel discussion on Oct. 11 about issues facing LGBTQ immigrants, including mental health, racism, and the process of seeking asylum in the United States. The panel discussion, held at the Tisch Auditorium, was moderated by Dr. Julian Watkins, who serves as assistant commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and featured panelists Shane Tull of Tull Clinical Psychotherapy and Uche Onwa, a queer immigrant who fled his home country of Nigeria in 2017 and sought asylum in the United States. Watkins noted during the discussion that his experience as someone who grew up with an American father and an immigrant mother, differs from Onwa and others who are not American-born but immigrated to the United States. He called on Onwa to elaborate on the meaning of being forced to leave a country as opposed to those who choose to become expats. Onwa fled his home country after fearing for his safety due to anti-LGBTQ laws and harsh treatment of queer individuals. The conditions grew to become so dangerous, Onwa said, that authorities vowed to punish anyone who dared to support LGBTQ individuals. “I was personally attacked a few times,” said Onwa, who previously told Gay City News that he knew he had to flee his home country when men raped his teenage friend for appearing “effeminate.” But as soon as he arrived in the United States, Onwa immediately faced adversity and experienced what he described as his first encounter with racism and xenophobia. American officials at the border wondered aloud ...