June 19 Does Double Duty

 

The Cat's Meow

Image:  Facebook

At the Tony Awards on Sunday, Qween Jean captured the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, and that made her the first ever openly transgender Tony winner.

Reading about her triumph, I realized Jean is every single thing the Trump administration hates. The show she worked on, "Cats: The Jellicle Ball," draws from ballroom culture. Jean is also an activist, having founded an outreach organization called Black Trans Liberation. And, she was born in Haiti.

A Black, transgender, activist, immigrant theater artist. I guess a celebratory Big Mac at the White House is out of the question.

A Hero Passes

Image:  Facebook

Jason Collins, the NBA's first out gay player, has died of brain cancer at the age of 47.

In a 2013 essay he penned for Sports Illustrated, Collins wrote, "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay. I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation."

That conversation about gay men in sports hasn't stopped since, and we owe Collins a great debt. It's a shame he didn't live longer to see more and more jocks come out. But at least he died knowing he set a ferocious pick on homophobia.

A Reason to Welcome February

 

The Kickoff

Image:  Google

Today is the first day of February, so it's the first day of Black History Month.

Google got the observance off to a fine start with a Google Doodle celebrating author James Baldwin. It depicts him writing longhand.

I think of this Doodle as a threefer, since it lauds someone who was Black, gay–and left-handed.

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

I'm a black, gay woman. I think the only way to make the GOP hate me more is if I sent them a video of me rolling around on a pile of welfare checks.

Wanda Sykes

Source:  AZ Quotes