Rich Friends Turn on Each Other in Queer Horror-Meets-Comedy-of-Errors “Bodies Bodies Bodies”
The following Bodies Bodies Bodies review includes mild spoilers.
Ah, yes, meeting your girlfriend’s friends for the first time. A stressful time for many a young dyke. Throw a hurricane, some dead bodies, friendship fights, and one of the greatest horrors of all (bored rich people) into the mix, and shit just got even more complicated.
Bodies Bodies Bodies — a new A24 release from Halina Reijn based on a spec script by Kristen Roupenian — opens on young lovers Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova) making out in the woods (a known gay pasttime). It’s the calm quiet before the storm, a rare moment of genuine connection in a film full of fraught relationships, fakeness, and social paranoia and manipulation.
It makes it a lot harder to meet your girlfriend’s friends when you’re not even sure any of those friends actually like your girlfriend.
Sophie takes Bee to a remote vacation house for a hurricane party that will soon go very wrong. There, Bee meets Alice (Rachel Sennott) and her older boyfriend Greg (Lee Pace) as well as Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), who’s dating Sophie’s longtime best friend David (Pete Davidson). There’s also Jordan (Myha’la Herrold), who seems immediately suspicious of Sophie’s presence here, especially since Sophie never actually told the group chat she was coming. For this first act of the movie, we’re situated in Bee’s disorienting perspective as she navigates a group with very established dynamics as an outsider. There’s something simultaneously freeing and unnerving about being the stranger in a group of deeply enmeshed friends.
When someone proposes a game of Bodies Bodies Bodies — a sleepover-style game I’ve encountered many times by various different names, including Assassin or, simply, Murder Game — the existing group dynamics heighten and contort. (I am, for the record, an Emma in the sense that this kind of game always resulted in me crying when I played in my youth.) The rules are simple: Everyone draws a slip of paper, and the person who gets the slip with an X on it is the murderer and has to tap people to kill them after the lights turn off. If you find a body, you shout bodies bodies bodies, the lights come up, and everyone guesses who the murderer is. Before drawing slips, the group goes around the circle taking turns slapping each other before shooting tequila. It’s a sexy-scary ritual that hints at the casual and almost flip way violence is baked into these friendships.
Then, someone dies for real, his throat slashed by a blade. The only car’s got a dead battery, and the storm has gotten worse. There’s no way out, and suddenly the game turns into one of everyone pointing fingers at each other. More whodunnit murder mystery than slasher, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a comedy of errors in which destructive friendships have a deadly cost.
The movie doesn’t read as a send-up of Gen Z in general but rather of a very specific subset of ultra wealthy twenty-somethings whose inherited wealth protects them from harm for most of their lives. These are young people who have never had to fight to survive, so it tracks that they would be wildly, comically bad at survival, always taking an individualistic approach to the game when they should probably be working together. The risk-taking these characters do feels specifically rooted in the fact that they’ve never thought about consequences much or, at least, know they could easily be bailed out of any tricky situations. The friends all harbor deep resentments toward one another and are quick to turn on each other, those individualistic mindsets ultimately becoming their undoing. It’s a staple of the horror genre — especially movies with this high of a body count — for characters to make bad choices. And in Bodies Bodies Bodies, those stupid choices come from a very real place of rich idiots thinking that 1. Nothing can touch them and 2. Everybody else is out to get them.
Sophie recently got out of rehab and is sober, and none of her friends seem to care about it at all, never checking in with her about how she feels being around them as they get fucked up and assuming she has ulterior motives at several turns. Even as they dismiss it, they make her addiction about them. And Sophie isn’t a perfect character either; everyone here is flawed. Everyone’s harboring secrets and secret resentments. And even though the movie is full of heavy-handed writing, Sophie’s addiction and sobriety are handled well, without sugar-coating or vilification.
The friendships seem surface-level and bone-deep all at once. They like to party hard together, adding a sheen, but they also know exactly how to hurt each other, what to say to get a reaction. Take the drama of a group chat and dial it up to horror proportions.
As much as I’m also very here for Stenberg and Bakalova as Sophie and Bee, Sennott and Pace easily steal the show repeatedly as Alice and Greg, both fully understanding the humor and fun of the movie, which is at its best when it isn’t taking itself too seriously. When people ask Alice what she really knows about Greg, she insists she has known him long enough to know he’s not a murderer (two weeks) and that while she might not know his middle name she knows plenty of other important things about him (his moon sign). Again, it’s easy to see Alice’s ignorance both of who Greg really is and also of how bringing an older guy into this space could be dangerous through the lens of her wealth. Greg, it turns out, has a very real job, but it’s not like anyone in the group would ever care or know about that. Alice is quick to point at Bee’s outsider status while also denying her very new boyfriend could be anything other than hot and nice.
Class occasionally becomes an explicit part of the conversation, as when Alice calls out Jordan for thinking she’s better than everyone else because she wasn’t born rich but rather has “self-made” parents. Alice calls Jordan upper middle class, and Jordan reacts as if it’s an insult, immediately denying it because to accept it would be to undo the things she believes about herself and the world around her, and sometimes that’s a bigger threat to people than a house full of bodies. When characters become suspicious of the holes in Bee’s story, there isn’t some grand conspiracy at play. She’s just poor (or, at the very least, not even close to being as wealthy as the group). And the others are so situated in their class bubbles that they don’t even fully register what she’s saying and continue to dismiss her or assume she’s lying. When Bee uses violence, it’s not just out of self-preservation; she was trying to protect someone else.
Self-preservation is the name of the game for the super wealthy, and there’s little space for care or empathy among people who are only concerned with protecting their own carefree lives. I like stories about friends who are mean to each other to the point of acting feral, and this horror movie goes to the extremes on that front. The friendships still feel real even though they’re so fucked-up, because the ways in which they’re fucked-up are convincing and developed with intensifying tension.
Even Sophie and Bee’s relationship isn’t as rosy as it initially seems. Their relationship is still in that early stage where they clearly are into each other but don’t know much about each other, hiding parts of themselves so as to seem more desirable to the other. All of the manipulations, lies, and betrayals throughout Bodies Bodies Bodies — even those that are less nefarious — are dangerous games to play. Paranoia plagues these characters, makes them want desperately to see monsters where there are none, where there’s just regular, ugly human mess. And there’s something truly terrifying about the horror of not really knowing someone the way you thought you did. It’s these escalating contortions to the group dynamics and the effects of betrayal and distrust that make for the twistiest, most thrilling parts of Bodies Bodies Bodies.
The script is ultimately heavy-handed in its needling of ultra-rich young people, but a solid cast grounds the characters in specifics, breathing life into the noxious dynamics that permeate the crew and unsettle from the start. There are funny moments throughout, especially when Sennot’s on screen. And while the final twist isn’t necessarily shocking, it effectively underscores these themes of brutal individualism. The film’s a fun, acerbic ride. Like a hurricane party, danger and hedonism mix to wicked effect.
Charting Celesbian Breakup Albums: “Cheap Queen” and “Valentine”
Feature images by Jason Kempin / Frazer Harrison via Getty Images
On the heels of a new MUNA song and this article about sapphic pop, I am thinking about one thing: celesbian breakup songs.
Specifically, isn’t it wild that, as more and more famous people come out (do not fact check me on this, thank you in advance), we now have more knowledge than ever about their breakups? Back in my day, we had Hayley Kiyoko writing about competing with men for the attention of anonymous and (presumably) straight girls.
But famous people writing about other famous people — one extra benefit of more public celesbianism (or celebisexuality!) (if you can think of a punny portmeantau for “celebrity” and “queerness” please hit me up ASAP)! Formerly the realm of (still hetero… I guess!) Taylor Swift albums, now we can read too much into breakup albums by and about our queer icons too, the next phase of evolution from reading into Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson’s tweets post-breakup (or Bella Thorne/Tana Mongeau’s, or Miley Cyrus/Stella Maxwell’s, or, or or). Because after all, what is a breakup album if not just a really long subtweet?
This line of thinking has brought me back to two recent(ish) albums, Cheap Queen by King Princess and Valentine by Snail Mail, both of which were written in the aftermath of the artists’ breakups with Hunger Games and Hate U Give star Amandla Stenberg. First of all, incredible of Amandla to be at the center of two breakup albums specifically for the indie white girlies.
Or as King Princess called it:
https://twitter.com/KingPrincess69/status/1187854599199318018
Iconic lesbian album or not (look, I’ll be frank, some of these songs hit, and some of them…simply don’t), it’s interesting to me that both albums reckon with a lot of the same themes. Cheap Queen feels like an album about situationships that you yearn to make “real,” while Valentine mourns the loss of a person you built your world around. But aren’t those, at their heart, the same desire: to claim something as yours forever that wasn’t even yours to begin with? Both albums insist that they are the heartbroken party, while putting the object of their affection on such a high pedestal as to strip them entirely of their humanity.
Of course that humanity might already be stripped, by nature of all of these people being famous. When Amandla and Snail Mail broke up (in Washington Square Park, of all places), photos ran of Snail Mail in tears with captions calling her just “a tearful friend” of Amandla’s. Cameras, fame and the artifice of a public persona are all running themes too—maybe less relatable to the average listener, but there’s something universal to the experience of feeling like you know your lover more than anyone else in the world. It’s just that in the world of famous people, “anyone else” expands to include, well, more of the entire world.
Maybe I’m just looking at this from a perspective of (almost!) a queer elder: both of these albums were written at the ripe age of 21. If all of my subtweets about my ex at age 21 (or hell, even 25) were strung end to end, I’m sure they’d make an album just as angsty as either of these. But with age also comes (I think?) wisdom, that there are two sides to most stories, that often the person most to blame for your own heartache is you.
Singing about trying to tame someone with an independent streak, mistaking a fiery chemistry for lasting substance, dating someone in the aftermath just to get over your ex, all these themes on both albums scream “queer adolescence” to me, even though they’re behaviors that can easily follow us into adulthood without a lot of growth and self-reflection. Miley Cyrus’s “She’s Not Him” takes that last one even deeper into the celebrity realm, writing about how she can’t love Stella Maxwell because Stella is, ultimately, not Liam Hemsworth.
I used to throw myself at people who from the start indicated they didn’t want a relationship with me, believing I could convince them, with my charm and with the love they obviously already felt for me, to change their mind. I just had to make them see it. Babe, no one asked you to do all that! Sometimes we have to just take people at their word!
It also doesn’t escape my notice how many of the songs on these albums have to do with drinking, drugs, or sobriety. Anecdotally, I feel like many queer artists explore this theme in music, maybe because of the industry’s pressure to party, or because of the growing conversation around how harmful that pressure can be (especially to young artists). Another famous celesbian breakup song in this genre: “Young Lover” by St. Vincent (rumored to be about Cara Delevingne, who is also the inspiration for the song “New York” from the same album).
Look, I get that these are albums from a niche corner of queer women making music right now, in a hyperspecific genre (sad white girl music, I’ll say it!). They aren’t universal, and the parts that are relatable are maybe even cliche. There’s an interesting thread of whiteness that runs through all of this music, too: who gets to write about being sad, and who is allowed public heartbreak? I’m sure that there are more of these stories out there, other celesbian heartbreaks hidden from sight simply because they haven’t been immortalized into albums.
And who gets to be the hero in the story? I’d really love to hear Amandla Stenberg’s double response album (a la an Olivia Rodrigo/Joshua Basset situation, which was really just two album long therapy sessions), and not just because I’m a gossip! As I get older and these breakup albums begin to cause me more pause than unbridled recognition, I recognize that as a young famous person, your breakup being publicized even more at the hands of your ex must cause complicated feelings.
So better yet, where’s my SIX-esque musical starring all the exes being written into albums?
No Filter: Amandla Stenberg, Father Figure
Welcome back to No Filter! This is the place where I round up the best content from Queer Celebrity Instagram for your viewing pleasure! Let’s roll!
This is also what I look like when I act normal in athleisure, thank you for seeing me Cara.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMihaneH8gs/
Where are we on bucket hats, team? I am… like, not sold? But Quinn is making a deeply compelling case here? A lot to think about.
Hey boo! You know, my mental health is a little iffy these days, but honestly, I think the return of the sun is really helping? Thanks for asking!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMlJRKyhnab/
🎶 I will be your father figure, I have had enough of crime, I will be the one who loves you, until the end of time 🎶 (Sorry but if I have to have it stuck in my head, you do too.)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMm1WOnlN8g/
Look. Janelle looks incredible, we know this. BUT the shape, color and rimlessness of these sunglasses??? I am very, very worried about the resurgence of the early aughts into our fashion, and we should keep an eye on it!!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMmzTNTny6n/
*passes away*
Not to be like, super gay, but this has been on my mind: what do we think Niecy smells like? Just… wondering for science, you know?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpuew3gh40/
They wrapped the last season of Pose! 🥺 (full disclosure, I googled “bottom emoji” for that.)
Obviously I am going to celebrate the shit outta Samira making back selfies a thing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMs3wC4jqcg/
This is so sweet?? Celebrate the people you love and respect!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMuWDFPpjbA/
Okay, gotta wrap this up and find exactly that cheesey treat to enjoy for myself see you!!!
No Filter: Amandla Stenberg Did Her Own Makeup For This Photoshoot
Hello my No Fillterettes! (I’m trying something out, bear with me.) Here is a fun grab bag of gay celebrity Instagram, curated and wisely commented on by yours truly. How fun for us all! Let’s go!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B51Tgx0guP0/
THIS LEWK! Also I imagine Rihanana came over and did it herself, let me have that.
You too can create this lewk, thank you Fenty and Amandla!
Leisha Hailey + Gay T-Shirts + The ACLU seems like a good trio to me?
Hayley Kiyoko celebrating being half Japanese, you truly love to see it!
These two are still just out here being cute, in front of my famously single self. Rude.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5v1KV4p7PD/
King of Louboutin, meet King Princess.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yINUwh3PW/
Allegedly Trace Lysette is a real person just like us who lives on this earth, not a literal angel but that skin begs to differ!!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B55oQQsnxUF/
Hello Janet, might I borrow this sweater dress for the rest of my living days?
This is literally a textbook perfect lean, Jacqueline Toboni?
Somehow Amber Heard being a horse girl is the most she has made sense to me yet! It is still not….fully coming together for me though, let’s see what next week brings.
11 of the Best Dressed LGBT Celebs in 2018
It’s been a wild year for gay pop culture, and a great year for some very well dressed queers. While this is objectively great, style and taste are subjectively determined; that’s how we got to this very subjective but deeply felt top 10 11 as based on an internal Autostraddle staff survey.
11. Hayley Kiyoko
Honestly we were gonna do top 10 but voting led us here and we CANNOT close #20GAYTEEN without honoring the one who started it all. Our lord and savior lesbian Jesus, gifted us look after look, video after video of endless fits, color, pattern, and boldness; inspired style thiefs and bras as tops. Hayley’s style is vast, and mutable and she moves in that spectrum because she owns it like no one else.
10. Amandla Stendberg
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrB5N95FtIV/
Literally what can Amandla not pull off? That Sagittarius moon was shining all through 2018! From calculated and elegant pieces carefully put together to carefree and dynamic fits showing color and boldness — Amandla’s style really showed her growing more and more into herself this year and that makes me so excited for what they’ll bring in the future.
9. Indya Moore
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjv8_mWAKgf/
What a breakout year it’s been for Indya Moore. From her amazing fits as Angel on Pose (we all remember that pink fuzzy jacket?) to her radiant IRL looks on the red carpet PLUS cute selfies on Twitter, Indya’s style is brilliant and real.
8. Kiersey Clemons
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlQzeKxnm-v/
You know when people are like “no one wakes up like that?” I really, truly believe Kiersey does. From hats and tshirts to elegant gowns back to sports bras and sweatpants, she is literally never out of style and I’m ABSOLUTELY still not over this look, THANKS.
7. Janet Mock
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGAuBDF_JX/
I just wanna say that Writer looked really good on Janet Mock to begin with but she continues to out-style herself, because Director and Producer look REALLY fucking good also. She blessed us with some serious business mommi this year and I cannot wait to see what 2019 brings.
6. Jasika Nicole
She not only continues to wear cute (handmade!) dresses and knows perfectly how to combine colors and keep it fresh but consistent; she also conquers the perfect balance between soft vintage motifs AND slick and modern aesthetics. And did you miss that she also makes a lot of these clothes? I am CONVINCED absolutely NO ONE looked better in a jumpsuit or wide leg pant in 2018 than Jasika Nicole, thank you for coming to my TED talk.
5. Samira Wiley
I mean, she breaks everyone’s heart no matter what she wears, and truth is everything she wears is on point. From understanding color and CUT to pull off red carpet looks one after another to the boyish California edge of a simple tee and snapback, Samira killed it in 2018 just like she did every year prior.
4. Tessa Thompson
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqIJ0vIhq2B/
Tessa, the gift that keeps on giving — what a busy year she’s had! She didn’t just like serve looks in the 55 movies she did in 2018, she also did IRL and on the red carpet. If Jasika won best jumpsuit/wide leg pant award, absolutely no one looked better in green in 2018 than Tessa Thompson. Honorary mention to her role/look in the PYNK video with same-frequency pal Janelle Monáe. Loved this journey for them.
3. Sara Ramirez
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrOezl_gBuT/
THRILLED Sara made it to the top three. The Latinx style icon we all deserve, she blessed us every week with her Kate Sandoval style posts, particularly killing it in the boot and sock department (in my humble opinion). Later in the year because she clearly didn’t think that was enough and started serving some woke bae looks while never being caught with an off-week haircut. Excited for where the boot collection takes us next year.
2. Lena Waithe
How do I even begin to speak about Lena Waithe? It took me a WHILE to pick a photo for this because the thing is just endless you know what i mean? Hair on point, shoes, on point, fit on point, no one looks better in a hoodie, no one looks better with a snapback, and I SURE KNOW no one looks better in a rainbow fucking cape. When Lena’s cover for Vanity fair came out I went around the whole damn city to find a copy. When she buzzed her hair, I buzzed my hair. Lena Waithe is my personal Regina George, kinder but equally iconic. If she punched me in the face I would for sure be grateful. Lena Waithe wasn’t just one of the best dressed celebs of the year, she’s crowned herself as a style icon and she made sure WE ALL KNEW IT.
1. Janelle Monáe
https://www.instagram.com/p/BinEaCbBJnU/
Let’s not act like we didn’t see this coming. Anybody who didn’t see this coming is BLIND. As resident fire sign I am SO happy and GRATEFUL the crown for best dressed celeb of the year is given to a Sagittarius. Janelle represents the best of the sign; her style is just another avenue where she explores her endless creativity and imagination. Honoring both the past and the present, her arrow always looking ahead. Her style this year showed more than ever that perfect balance between the spontaneity and youth of her boldness and the carefulness, intentionality and heart of her soul. Janelle has always been a style icon, and this year she established herself even more. Whether it was her red carpet looks or video visions inspiring us to dress up for her concerts, she’s been a style icon all of 2018. I cannot wait to see what ride she will take us next year, because she’s never going to stop surprising us.
Pop Culture Fix: Janelle Monáe Presents Amandla Stenberg With Her First Award for “The Hate U Give”
Welcome to the Pop Culture Fix, which you can read today without having to cover your ears and run away from the news for the first time in two years!
+ Janelle Monáe and Amandla Stenberg: reunited and it feels so good. Janelle Presented Amandla with the Hollywood Breakout Performance Actress Award at the Hollywood Film Awards earlier this week, for her work on The Hate U Give. This isn’t their first time hanging out; they had a candid, moving conversation for Vogue last summer about racism and dealing with Trump’s election. Stenberg was also on The Late Show With Tervor Noah a couple of weeks ago where she said of her new film, “I’ve never seen so many white people crying before.” (The whole interview is very good!)
+ Well, it’s happening. The Pretty Little Liars spin-off is coming to teevee. Here is the first sneak peek, featuring Mona and an Emily-less Ali.
+ For a minute it looked like a “San Junipero” sequel was confirmed for the new season of Black Mirror but then the series creator tweeted and said it was NOT confirmed (but he also didn’t say he’s not going to do it, because he already said he was probably going to do it.)
+ Netflix’s confirmed queer She-Ra reboot is coming sooner than expected! On November 13! In six days! Here’s a new trailer and everything.
+ Look at this!
#TheMiseducationofCameronPost is the Top 30 most watched film on @iTunes! Thank you for helping bring awareness to conversion therapy in this heated political climate. Buy/rent it here: https://t.co/YPcaIuffFB pic.twitter.com/xAeiCHhXRR
— The Miseducation of Cameron Post (@campostfilm) November 7, 2018
+ Rita Moreno has joined Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In the Heights adaptation! Update: Never mind. :(
+ Mockingbird‘s creative team has created a new comic called Man-Eaters that “attacks misogyny with menstruating teenage were-panthers.” SOLD.
+ Penny Dreadful is coming back to Showtime. I vaguely remember that it was gay but I can’t remember how. Valerie says she’s pretty sure “Billie Piper turned into a vampire and made a misandrist girl gang sex cult.”
+ The Aretha Franklin documentary, Amazing Grace, is finally getting released (four decades after it was filmed).
+ Abbi and Ilana celebrated election day with a mini-episode of Broad City, in which they tried to learn Russian.
+ The A.V. Club likes The Good Place a lot less when Eleanor and Tahani don’t get to share the screen.
+ Rashida Jones is going to write and star in a new sitcom parodying sitcom wives and what it is called is Kevin Can Fuck Himself. (!!!!!)
+ The Satanic Temple is suing Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
+ Frozen 2 is coming to theaters sooner than expected, make it gay you cowards, etc.
+ A Discovery of Witches, a TV show with queer characters based on a book universally loathed by our senior editors, has been renewed for season two.
+ The Sarah Shahi-fronted thriller Reverie has been axed by NBC.
+ And finally, it would appear Ariana Grande is up to something very Mommi on Ellen today.
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1059991138508005376
16 Iconic Coming Out Moments to Celebrate on National Coming Out Day
Today is National Coming Out Day, the day we make our lesbianism and gayness and bisexuality and trans-ness and all forms of queerness known to the wider world. Robert Eichberg, who co-founded this day in 1988 with his lesbian activist pal Jean O’Leary, said in 1993 (two years before he died of complications from AIDS), “Most people think they don’t know anyone gay or lesbian, and in fact everybody does. It is imperative that we come out and let people know who we are and disabuse them of their fears and stereotypes.”
So, with that in mind, let’s celebrate 16 LGBTQ+ celebrities who came out in iconic ways and changed the conversation around equality. This list is, by no means, exhaustive, and I look forward to hearing about some of your favorite, most inspirational, most groundbreaking coming outs in the comments!
Sara Ramirez
Sara Ramirez came out as bisexual in a speech at the True Colors Fund in October 2016, but she was so excited to share her truth with the world that she jumped the gun on the speech being released and posted the coming out portion of it on her Instagram. Ramirez also has the distinction of being the only woman to play two bisexual TV characters who made it into our “best ever” list.
Janelle Monáe
When Janelle Monáe decided to come out, she came the fuck out. There’d been plenty of speculation about her sexuality over the years, especially her very special friendship with Tessa Thompson, with everyone labeling her sexuality with whatever fit their own narrative. Well, she chose her own label, thank you very much — free-ass motherfucker. She also shared a special message for her fans right before she released her very queer, very critically acclaimed Dirty Computer album: “I want young girls, young boys, non binary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being heir unique selves, to know that I see you… This album is for you. Be proud.”
Gavin Rayna Russom
LCD Soundsystem’s Gavin Rayna Russom came out in July 2017, at the age of 42. “There was legitimately something unmanageable for me about living as a cis man,” she told Pitchfork. “I was working so hard just to present this image of myself that ran very deeply counter to who I really am.” Her work hasn’t slowed down since then; she remains one of the most celebrated DJs and synth players in the industry.
Gloria Carter
Gloria Carter came out last June in the song “Smile” on Jay-Z’s 4:44 album. Early in the track, Jay-Z raps, “Mama had four kids, but she a lesbian. Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian.” Ms. Carter, herself, gave a speech at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards — to a standing ovation — in which she talked about her decision to come out to Jay-Z. “For me, this was the first time that I spoke to anyone about who I really am. My son cried, and said, ‘It must have been horrible to live that way for so long.’ My life wasn’t horrible. I chose to protect my family from ignorance. I was happy, but I was not free.” She encouraged everyone in the banquet hall to find a way — like her — to find their freedom.
Stephanie Beatriz
Stephanie Beatriz came out in the most chill way imaginable. She retweeted an interview in which Aubrey Plaza said, “I fall in love with girls and guys. I can’t help it” and simply commented, “Yup.” Since then she has spoken openly and often about her bisexuality, even penning an essay about it for GQ. She also responded very lovingly to the news that she swept our inaugural Gay Emmys.
Hayley Kiyoko
Everything you need to know about Hayley Kiyoko you will find it in the Nylon magazine profile Riese wrote for their Pride issue this summer. If you just want to know about her coming out, though, that dates back to December 2016 when she told Paper magazine that she loved filming the video for “Girls Like Girls” because she is, in fact, a girl who likes Girls.
Amandla Stenberg
Amandla Stenberg came out on Teen Vogue‘s Snapchat in January 2016, when she was only 17. At the time Stenberg came out as bisexual, but has since said, “I realised that I’m gay – not bi, not pan, but gay.” Riese also noted when she first wrote about Stenberg that she inadvertently also came out as “a perfect human.”
Ellen Page
Ellen Page gave one of the most moving coming out speeches in recent memory at a Human Rights Campaign gala on Valentine’s Day in 2014. She was visibly nervous when she began speaking, and barely able to hold back her tears when she said “I’m here today because I am gay.” She picked up steam as she went along, and hasn’t even flinched back toward the closet since that day. She hosts Vice’s Gaycation, she starred in one of the saddest gay movies of all time with Julianne Moore, and she got herself a wife!
Seimone Augustus
It’s easy to look at the WNBA in 2018 and assume the easiest thing in the world to do is be an out lesbian. But when Seimone Augustus came out in 2012, that was not the case. The league was still two years away from fully embracing its queer women fan base (which it had basically been actively rejecting since its inception), and there were very few openly gay players in any professional sport. It’s hard to overstate Augustus’ impact: At LSU, she won the Naismith and was a two-time All-American. She was the #1 WNBA draft pick in her class. And she was an immediate superstar in the league. She left the closest door open a whole lot wider when she walked out. Augustus wrote an essay about meeting her now-wife, falling in love, and getting married not long after the Supreme Court made marriage equality legal nationwide. It’s called “It is So Ordered” and it’s my favorite essay about love and it will crack your heart wide open.
Ellen DeGeneres
There’s no coming out more iconic than Ellen DeGeneres’. Three words — Yep, I’m gay — and the whole world caught on fire. Her sitcom was ultimately cancelled; she became the scapegoat of the religious right for almost a decade; and her career almost didn’t recover. Now she’s one of the most beloved women (and definitely the most famous lesbian) in the world. Her name’s on everything, her talk show’s everywhere. She was even awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Obama’s last term.
Kristen Stewart
I couldn’t remember all the gay stuff Kristen Stewart did before she officially came out on SNL last year; luckily, Stef had me covered in the post she wrote about the episode.
In the last year, Stewart has become a fantastic, almost mythical character in gay lady circles. She went from being the fidgety, perpetually uncomfortable focus of constant queer-ish speculation to the real-life Shane our community has always deserved. In the last year alone, the notoriously guarded actress went from dating French actress/singer Soko to moving in with her on-again, off-again love Alicia Cargile, to holding hands at fashion shows with St. Vincent and most recently making out in cars with Victoria’s Secret model and former Miley Cyrus paramour Stella Maxwell. It’s safe to say that at this point in her career, Kristen Stewart doesn’t give a fuck anymore.
Stewart is, to our knowledge, the only person who has come out to — among other things — troll the president of the United States.
Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts’ sexuality was always just kind of… known. She’s the reporter Obama reached out to when he wanted to announce his support of same-sex marriage. She was, as Brittani Nichols noted, once on an episode of Hannah Montana called “Can You See the Real Me” about how hard it is to live a double life. Roberts’ had been with her partner for a decade when she finally, casually mentioned her in a public Facebook post around the holidays in 2013. Since then, she’s been very open about her sexuality and her relationship. She even stopped by Ellen to chat about it.
Mara Wilson
The world really only knew Mara Wilson as Matilda until her memoir, Where Am I Now?, hit shelves in September 2016. Not long after that, she came out on Twitter (and also told us that: yes, she knows Miss Honey made everyone gay, but she had a completely different on-set lady-crush). Since then, she’s been a fierce and vocal advocate of bisexual visibility and a frequent guest at A-Camp.
Megan Rapinoe
It seemed like Megan Rapinoe was waiting for a reporter to ask her if she’s gay, and reporters were waiting for Megan Rapinoe to announce that she’s gay — and finally she just called up Out magazine and put it on the record in 2012. She has been brilliantly, sometimes hilariously vocal about her gayness non-stop since then. These days, she’s dating another Seattle pro sports superstar, Sue Bird, who just won another WNBA championship.
Rebecca Sugar
Former Adventure Time writer/Steven Universe creator and showrunner Rebecca Sugar came out as bisexual at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016, gently answering a question about why she’s so great at writing queer women with, “Well, in large part it’s based on my experience as a bisexual woman.” More recently, Sugar came out as a non-binary woman on NPR, and explained how her identity helps shape those of the Gems on her show.
Tessa Thompson
When Tessa Thompson came out just a few months ago, I legitimately rushed out of a doctor’s appointment so I could celebrate with my co-workers. Somehow Carmen was able to keep a level head and write a beautiful piece about the cultural impact of Thompson’s declaration that she’s queer: “It’s still rare to see a celebrity be this introspective and caring in their coming out, to lead with their heart and be purposeful about the responsibility of their fame, recognizing the huge impact their openness can have on their queer fans.” Thompson didn’t confirm her relationship with Janelle Monáe, but she did confirm that they “vibrate on the same frequency.”
No Filter: Amandla Stenberg and King Princess Arm Wrestle for the Throne
Happy Wednesday to everybody except this person.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmKy2mzhArf/?taken-by=kingprincess69
I’d like to take a moment to welcome King Princess to No Filter, nominated because of incredibly gay posts like this one.
This photo speaks directly to my 90s angst-ridden teenage soul.
If you were hoping for a video in which Hayley Kiyoko announces, “Love the titties! The titties are great,” I have good news for you.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmCz-mzDVRw/?taken-by=therealsararamirez
I say this without a trace of snark, Sara Ramirez sounds like a real treat. Here she is being a cool, supportive coworker.
Oh i am CHAMPING AT THE BIT to get super invested in this season of American Horror Story and then completely give up four episodes in!!! Again!!!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmHlgDugP6Y/?taken-by=bishilarious
This is exactly the proper way to love Brittani Nichols, who spends every weekend in formalwear at a twee weekly wedding party that never ends.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmHdDWLgr_z/?taken-by=gabyroad
Gaby Dunn, Gemini nightmare, in the flesh. Possibly being the most herself she has ever been.
LJG has outgothed herself, nevermore.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl1PxwVDrcr/?taken-by=st_vincent
The level to which I am impressed by this performance is diminished somewhat by the stress level I get from iPad instruments.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmF_Qhbn94B/?taken-by=ellenpage
Oh hey, haven’t checked in on these guys recently, wonder what they’re – ZzzzzZzzzzzzzz
Here she is, your new Batwoman, the “Kristen Stewart type” we’d all been waiting for. Ruby Rose cannot act her way out of a paper bag (sorry), but I will 100% see The Meg because I fucking love shark movies, despite (or because of) the fact that shark movies have only one possible plot. Also, please click through if you’d like to see an Insta exchange in which Ruby agrees to give DJ Kittens her eyebrows.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmHLCIWneWY/?taken-by=kehlani
Your pal Kehlani has been too busy playing with puppies and smoldering at the farmer’s market to return my texts, I guess.
Join us next week, mostly because I want to see who else ends up trading eyebrows???
Amandla Stenberg Is Gay, Incredible, and Ready for Untouchable Love Free From the Dominion of Patriarchy
photo by Charlotte Rutherford for Wonderland Magazine
Early in the cold, unforgiving winter of January 2016, Amandla Stenberg came out as bisexual on Teen Vogue’s Snapchat. We knew her already and loved her dearly — she was “Rue” in The Hunger Games. Sweet little Rue! Now Amandla Stenberg was all grown up, had recently taken Kylie Jenner to task for cultural appropriation following Jenner’s ill-conceived decision to post a pic of herself in cornrows with the hashtag #whitegirlsdoitbetter, and Amandla Stenberg was bisexual. She told the world:
“I wanna thank Teen Vogue for giving me this opportunity, I cannot stress enough how important representation is, so the concept that I can provide for other black girls is mind-blowing. It’s a really really hard thing to be silenced, and it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and just mold yourself into shapes that you just shouldn’t be in. As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman, I’ve been through it, and it hurts and it’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable.”
Now, more than two entire trips around the sun later, Amandla Stenberg has a new truth, as shared with her friend King Princess in an interview for Wonderland Magazine:
I had a few big Gay Sob moments when I realised I was gay. One might assume that they were mournful sobs, but actually quite the opposite in my lived experience. They were joyful and overwhelmed sobs – socialisation is a bitch and a half and kept me from understanding and living my truth for a while. I was so overcome with this profound sense of relief when I realised that I’m gay – not bi, not pan, but gay – with a romantic love for women. All of the things that felt so internally contrary to my truest self were rectified as I unravelled a long web of denial and self deprivation. Like oh, maybe there’s a reason why I kissed my best friends and felt ashamed growing up. Or watched lesbian porn and masturbated (and more) with my friends at sleepovers.
Stenberg recalls only feeling attracted to men who were gay or “femme boys who damn near had the sensibility of a woman.” She clarifies: “my sexuality is not a byproduct of my past experiences with men, who I have loved, but rather a part of myself I was born with and love deeply.”
She talks about heteronormativity and the impact of socialization and how “once I was able to rid myself of those parameters, I found myself in a deep well of unbounded and untouchable love free from the dominion of patriarchy.”
She remembers seeing that scene in After Sex where Zoe Saldana and Mila Kunis hook up and also “all that gay shit went down between Mila and Natalie Portman in Black Swan.” She recalls being inspired by Frida Kahlo, Audre Lorde, and Syd (The Internet). She recounts growing up aware of so few women who looked like her:
Had I had more representations of black gay women growing up I probably would’ve come to conclusions around my sexuality much earlier because I would’ve had more of a conception of what was possible and okay. Having more representations of black gay women now and seeing myself reflected in them has been a huge aid in seeing myself as whole, complete, and normal.
What’s remarkable about this interview aside from the remark-ability of Amandla Stenberg herself, a brilliant artist, musician, actress and activist — is that we have witnessed her growing up and coming into her sexuality and evolving at such a young age, something entirely impossible only a decade ago. When Amandla came out in 2016, at the age of seventeen, she was one of the youngest celebrities to ever do so. Now, still relatively new to this great earth, she remains open to the world and the truth as it reveals itself to her. In her introduction to the interview, King Princess writes:
…I distinctly remember walking out of my junior year English class reading: “Amandla Stenberg comes out as a queer”. She unknowingly set a precedent in my life, a gold standard of how to be proud and exist in the intersectionality of multiple identities that were once thought of as being conflicting. Now I know her. I know the nuances of her personality and the uncontrollable passion that she carries in her being.
Read the interview in Wonderland Magazine to find out more about her gay pride, her work on the film The Hate U Give (inspired by the events that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement) and young adult dystopian film The Darkest Minds. We will continue to watch and love everything she puts into the world and also maintain a consistent, simmering, low-key obsession with who she might be dating at any given moment.
No Filter: Amandla Stenberg Guides Us Gently Into Scorpio Season
Welcome back to No Filter, your weekly dose of queer celebrity Instagram. This week in News, Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor walked around Philadelphia, proving that their love is not a lie, and Kristen Stewart and Stella Maxwell drank some juice together, went for sushi and then made out in a car. It’s been a big week; let’s get to work.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BagLQ3vgf9H/?taken-by=gabyroad
AND SO IT SHALL REMAIN FOR ALL ETERNITY.
You asked, and thus you shall receive: Cat Cora and her bridesmaids(?) preparing for ultimate wedding destruction.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BamgWy5FU9m/?taken-by=evanrachelwood
Apparently Westworld is filming in Zion National Park, which (fun fact) is also where they filmed Bonanza and Planet of the Apes because it doesn’t really look like Earth. Also, I’m ready for season 2 of Westworld right about now, thanks.
Would watch this buddy cop movie.
No, I am not.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bal-YfklybD/?taken-by=amandlastenberg
Amandla Stenberg is a Scorpio, which explains so much of why I appreciate them.
Hey are you having trouble getting a private jet whenever you need one? All the time, right?!?! Author Cara Delevingne has a solution.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BacKiIChoE3/?taken-by=daniebb3
I had no idea how badly I needed this video today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Baccy3lD294/?taken-by=therealsararamirez
Nobody loves a tight selfie quite like Sara Ramirez.
Join us next week for more Cardi B karaoke.
No Filter: Amandla Stenberg’s Precarious House Of Sugar Substitute
Welcome back to No Filter, your weekly dose of celesbian social media tomfoolery. This week in Janelle Monáe being amazing, I humbly submit this:
me + 2 badasses. @CecileRichards @GloriaSteinem pic.twitter.com/G6GcTVBfnA
— Janelle Monáe👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) June 29, 2017
Anyway, Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV-UGoIHo5u/
Brittani Nichols has some stern words for you. I would like to have some stern words about her sandals/socks situation.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV-aX3ZlCa6/
Looks like Westworld season 2 will be even more meta than the first.
You look like you could use this photograph of Kate Moennig wearing these overalls and holding this dog.
I have no snarky comment to make; this is very sweet and tender and I hope to get tattoos of my pets when they die, or if they die, because they never will.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWJEi0DgE9D/
Do you know how long Gaby Dunn has probably been sitting on this Wonder Woman bathing suit hoping for the perfect occasion to bust it out?! IT’S YOUR LUCKY DAY.
Jasika Nicole serving looks at Alex Vega’s wedding in Costa Rica!
A gift from Mallory Ortberg to me to you.
Wow so I don’t remember Samira Wiley being a schoolbus but I’m happy to revisit it. It must be nice to be Samira Wiley and constantly receive comments on your Instagram from strangers informing you that they’re so relieved you’re still alive. Like, thanks?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWA73Tilguf/
Anybody can make a house of cards. Amandla made a house of sugar substitute.
Join us next week; Brittani Nichols will probably still have some opinions about your behavior.
Amandla Stenberg’s Glorious Quest For World Domination Continues With Their Music Video Debut
You knew when the time came for Amandla Stenberg to star in their own music video, they would also direct it and edit it. You just knew it. Because there is nothing Amandla Stenberg cannot do. This week in their glorious quest for world domination, they rolled out a cover of Mac DeMarco’s “Let My Baby Stay,” which is on the soundtrack of their latest film, Everything, Everything. Stenberg claps and sways in a hazy rainbow room while their pals stare at phones like an episode of Black Mirror and the whole time Stenberg’s just singing about this girl they were made to love. A flame of queer brilliance in this dark world.
Everything, Everything hits theaters next Friday.
Gift Bags For Celebrity Women Who Came Out This Year
Illustration by Sophie Argetsinger
The year 2016 hasn’t been great. Some would say it feels like the end of the world. But there have been shining lights in 2016. Those shining lights came in the form of Lauren Jauregui, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Sara Ramirez, Gigi Gorgeous, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eva Gutowski, Bella Thorne, Stephanie Beatriz, Aubrey Plaza, Mara Wilson, Rebecca Sugar, Elena Delle Donne, Rowan Blanchard, Amandla Stenberg, and Keke Palmer coming out somewhere on the queer spectrum. We are so blessed.
To show our appreciation, I’ve put together a holiday gift bag to welcome them to our world.
Prrrrfect Tote Bag
I once tweeted (“I once tweeted,” – Me at my own funeral) that on the one hand people don’t exist for your consumption, but on the other hand I need to know if you’re gay. That still rings true. And what better way to alert the masses that you’re of a certain inclination than this beautifully designed tote bag of a woman face down cradling a cat.
The Rider Tarot Deck
Just trust me on this, having a tarot deck in your bag is going to work out really well for you, even before you know how to use it, and even if you never learn how to use it!
Double Feature of Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve
This double feature of Gary Marshall’s Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve will at once serve as a cautionary tale of a strictly heterosexual world, and then as a subtle reminder that in this new world you’ve entered, while everyone’s story lines may start out separately, they always become intertwined in the end.
Carmex Keep Carm & Carry Bag Set
Please enjoy these various Carmex chapstick products as you enter this new journey in life.
Gal Pal Athletic Tee
Are you best friends? Are you related? You’re going to keep them guessing in this shirt.
Carve Up the Mountain Soap Set
Okay, so first of all these soaps are fragrance free and vegetable based and so you know somebody queer made them. Secondly, you’re going to be doing a lot more camping, and these are perfect for you and your on-the-go dishware.
Wildfang PDX Beanie
Well you absolutely will need a beanie, one for the ping factor, and two for the growing out phase of the haircut you might be considering. I’ve chosen this PDX Beanie in particular as Portland is sure to be an upcoming travel destination.
‘Woman Planning Her Escape’ Tapestry
You planned it and you did it. Plus, the word “tapestry” alone gets us there.
The Well of Loneliness
Finally, round out this new beginning enjoying a classic fiction story of two women in love.
No Filter: Hey Samira Wiley, Where’d You Get That Shirt?
Welcome back to No Filter, in which we survey the week in ~celesbian Instagram and declare that it is good. It’s mostly good. This week, Ruby Rose broke up with her person (more on that later), Kristen Stewart got coffee with her person and Samira Wiley took a lot of scrunch-faced selfies. Let’s get to work.
.@JanelleMonae is onto something special. Proud to support. #FemTheFuture. pic.twitter.com/pwOr33duCR
— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) August 27, 2016
What if I turned this column into nothing but pictures of Janelle Monáe with other otherworldy beautiful humans? What would that be like?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJZiNg8g2H5/
Tegan and Sara have finally figured out how to communicate with Holiday.
I really appreciate how Samira waited until like 10 minutes after last week’s No Filter was published to post a picture of herself wearing an actual Autostraddle exclusive Gal Pal shirt designed by our own Alex Vega.
Laura Jane Grace’s autobiography isn’t even out yet and I guess it already needed a vacation.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJtMmAYjfO9/
If I have to deal with this picture, you do too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJvKdFQAN3J/
St. Vincent is casually perfect; it’s almost obnoxious.
Ruby Rose’s acting career is uh, still happening as far as I know, but in case it should suddenly fall through for some reason she’s trying to pick up some backup gigs. Oh, also she apparently broke up with Harley Gusman. Love’s still a lie, might as well repaint your living room. She also signed on to do a giant shark movie, which is my favorite genre of movie because there is only one available plot and Jaws already exists (I see all of these movies anyway).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJnreqyAPpi/
This picture of very famous millennial Gaby Dunn yearning for jerky feels poignant somehow.
Your girlfriend Lena Waithe hasn’t really been posting selfies too much lately
You know who doesn’t ever update their Insta but I check it every week just in case?!?!?! JENNY SHIMIZU. It’s your lucky day because sports are happening and I love sports!
OH HEY GUYS DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE. I like to imagine that all of their interactions are just like the movie Spice World, and probably they spent this entire evening assigning personalities to fish in the fish tank.
Join us next week, when Holiday creates a keyboard to communicate back.
No Filter: Did Demi Lovato Wash Her Hands Or What?
Welcome back to No Filter, in which we dissect the week in celebrity Instagram. We have a lot to get through this week so let’s hop right to it!
Amandla Stenberg is one of my favorite people to post about in No Filter because they are just casually ruling the world.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJBebWhjyIN/
Heather wanted you to see this image of Taylor Swift celebrating her ~*~bestie~*~ Cara’s birthday, but this picture gives me middle school lunch table anxiety. Maybe you had a more positive reaction.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJBGSUkh9q5/
Very famous author Gabby Rivera gives us all something to believe in.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIpx20gAcLK/
Anybody else obsessed with Meredith Graves for making MTV News cool again? Just me? Cool, anyway she’s in this column now and I’m making her a fixture and it’s all happening.
I’m actually really happy for these two because they seem just so sweetly besotted with one another, but c’mon guys, you’re making the rest of us look bad.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJHRg72DWen/
Mey’s girlfriend Demi Lovato is just preening around in this public restroom but I’m feeling weirdly anxious about it.
Have finally confirmed that Samira Wiley is just an extra-cute cartoon that this person draws.
Every night as she goes to sleep, Ellen Page wonders, “How can I become more Canadian?” and probably this is the solution.
Every week Jiz Lee is doing some kind of ambitious new exercise while I slump over in my desk chair and lick chocolate pudding off the lid of the container.
Brittani Nichols continued Suicide Kale’s victory lap all around the USA with a trip to Hawaii.
Join us next week, when Brittani Nichols could be slurping chocolate milk at a House of Pies near you.
No Filter: Samira Wiley Knows What We’ve Been Thinking
Welcome back to No Filter, where we unpack the week in celebrity Instagram and use the mundane images of famous people’s lives to give our own lives meaning. This week, Jenny Owen Youngs wrote a theme song for a television show I’ve never watched and it’s been the highlight of my entire week. Let’s get to work!
Introducing a new feature of No Filter, already popularized by Amandla Stenberg: Queers of note posing in idyllic landscapes. Arabelle Sicardi is enjoying this scenic overlook and you should too.
Samira Wiley’s pride outfit nails it.
Against Me! took newly out Beatrice Martin (Coeur de Pirate) on stage in Toronto and it was pretty adorable.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHNCAGVBHuR/
Like, I know objectively that Taylor Schilling and Piper Chapman are two different people and that Piper Chapman isn’t real (and that that’s Piper Kerman, OKAY I KNOW) but there’s definitely a part of me that’s rolling my eyes like, “Of fucking COURSE you have a stunt double in prison.”
I have never watched Rizzoli and Isles but I would start if this became the theme song.
Well these two are really cute.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHI5jUaDtQ3/
The composition of this picture is insane, like I don’t understand why Amandla’s Instagram isn’t in a museum.
Resident party animal Carly Usdin found a quiet place to relax at VidCon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHF0Bkygfzs/
St Vincent is working really hard to match Amandla’s Instagram game and it’s working.
Queen Latifah wonders what she’s doing in this column.
Join us next week, when Amandla Stenberg probably branches out into Instagram sculpture, somehow.
No Filter: Amandla Stenberg and Janelle Monáe Take Over The World
Welcome back to another rousing week of No Filter, where Evan Rachel Wood still doesn’t have a public Instagram and Vin Diesel is still an important part of my life somehow. This week, some people are in Cannes, some people are seeing Beyonce, and some people are using giant whisks as oars as they sail the high seas of our very imaginations. Let’s get down to business.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFTqw2OpqA9/
I thought we could all stand to start this week by watching Danielle Brooks playing a giant fork as a guitar.
We all understood why it was important for Against Me! to still play in North Carolina but nobody had any way of knowing what a rad statement LJG would make. Girl is crushin’ it.
These two almost make me believe in love. Who the hell do they think they are?!
Your girlfriend Lena Waithe is recovering from Beyonce just like the rest of us.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFWLCT_wcfJ/
Meanwhile, Soko’s been walking around Cannes basically dressed like a Renaissance painting.
ELLEN PAGE CHEATED ON HER DOG WITH THIS DOG.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFc44zcuKoM/
If Demi Lovato ever wanted to beat me up, I’m just letting her know in this public forum that I’m very down for that.
I just like this one because they both look so genuinely happy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFBZs7yDKNO/
Please enjoy this video of Cara Delevingne being a very convincing actor.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFZOdCEH_iq/
I can’t handle how amazing these two are together, I’m sorry.
This video makes me believe in the power of friendship and in my imagination I have scored it with the entire soundtrack from A League Of Their Own.
Join us next week, when I pretty much post nothing but videos of Ruby Rose and Vin Diesel.
No Filter: Samira Wiley And Rose Rollins Smile Together, Angels Sing
Welcome back to another rousing edition of No Filter, your weekly one-stop shop for all the news that’s unfit to print in any respectable publication. This week, a lot of people put on very shiny outfits and had their picture taken, and some other people dressed up as clowns. Let’s get down to business.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE3UQqBJqP5/
Danielle Brooks and Loretta Devine, star of my favorite breakup movie of all time (Waiting to Exhale) and also my heart. Danielle’s right – someone needs to put these two in a movie together immediately.
Oh wow. Do you think they had a cutest laugh competition? Probably woodland creatures appeared all around to cheer them on and a tiny bluebird fluttered between them and perched upon the shoulder of the winner. Who do you think it was?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE9xrJdOKvU/?hl=en
First of all, Mey’s girlfriend Demi Lovato looked amazing at the Met Gala. Second of all, Nicki Minaj looks like the singer of a band I’d listen to in high school. Third of all, the look she’s giving Demi is amazing. We’re not going to talk about Jeremy Scott.
I just assumed this was what Cara wore to the Met Gala.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE9NGxvK6cc/
Brittani Nichols keeps getting exponentially more adorable.
Oh hey, did you hire Kate Moennig for your kid’s birthday party? Cos she’s here and she’s ready to make balloon animals.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEv3J3XMZTH/
I know everyone had a lot to say about Ruby Rose’s acting skills on OITNB but these people were very nice and found her a role as a tree in their latest picture.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE8dmp2G1Qw/?hl=en
I guess Amandla, Aja and Lupita got really bored at the Met Gala.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE7clarxx1x/
Even my grandparents would be impressed.
Join us next week, when Kate Moennig shows up with the cotton candy machine and pony rides.
Pop Culture Fix: St. Vincent and Amandla Stenberg Are Making Feminist Movies For You
This is your Pop Culture Fix and I am this week’s host. This week is a good week because the sun is finally shining in New York City and also because two of my favorite/two of the most feminist TV shows return to my loving arms. Yes, my friends, it’s time once again for Orphan Black and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. (Females are strong as hell.)
Movies
+ Amandla Stenberg is on her way to NYU’s famed Tisch School of the Arts, and so she went ahead and uploaded the film that got her in. It’s called Blue Girls Burn Fast. It sure is queer. It’s got some snappy dialogue. And it’s very film school.
+ Guess who else made you a movie? It’s St. Vincent! Well, she’s in the process of it at least. She has written and plans to direct a feminist horror film that will be part of a female-helmed anthology that includes “four deadly tales by four killer women.” I wonder if she knows any queer actresses she could cast as the lead.
Teevee
+ Gawker’s io9 is alsp now marveling at The 100’s queer fandom, and giving some mainstream attention to femslash fan fiction. (Don’t read the comments.)
And this conversation, which is coming to dominate the TV criticism conversation, is happening because of the tiny migratory fandom that didn’t shut up, and instead got smarter and savvier with their complaints. Femslash has come a long way from The Facts of Life.
+ Raven’s back on Black-ish tonight. Her first appearance as Dre’s lesbian sister (whom everyone in the family thought just lived with her lady mechanic) was fantastic, so obviously I can’t wait to see her again. I’ll have a full report for you in Friday’s Boob(s On Your) Tube.
+ Cece’s former girlfriend, Megan Fox, is coming back to New Girl next season because yes, indeed, it has been renewed.
Famous Queers, Out and About
+ Evan Rachel Wood Bisexual talked to Marie Claire about being bisexual.
Personally, I’ve been very open about my bisexuality because I was terrified growing up and felt very alone. There are misconceptions—a lot of people think that you’re confused if you’re bisexual. They want you to be either gay or straight. And there’s bi-phobia in the straight community, as well as in the LGBT community, which breaks my heart. There’s nothing more frustrating than people who fight against bigotry and closed-mindedness and then turn around and subject other people to the same things. Like fragrance, sexuality is just a really personal thing.
(The article is also about perfume. I forgot to mention that part. That fragrance analogy really threw you, huh?)
+ Vanity Fair spotlights Rowan Blanchard this month. She and Amandla Stenberg make me so excited about the future of queer folks in pop culture. The interview is in three parts. Here’s the first one.
“I feel strongly about everything, especially anything that relates to girlhood. I think girls and people of color get more representation on TV than they do on film. I want to make sure girls are carrying their own narratives—we’re not just a side thing.”
Also.Also.Also.
https://twitter.com/EverythingGoats/status/720044122061586432
Amandla Stenberg Is Bisexual: 17-Year-Old Actress Comes Out Exquisitely On Teen Vogue Snapchat
On Teen Vogue‘s snapchat last night, Amandla Stenberg — who you likely know for playing “Rue” in The Hunger Games and also for calling out Kylie Jenner when Kylie appropriated cornrows with the hashtag “#whitegirlsdoitbetter” — came out as bisexual and also as a perfect human:
“I wanna thank Teen Vogue for giving me this opportunity, I cannot stress enough how important representation is, so the concept that I can provide for other black girls is mind-blowing. It’s a really really hard thing to be silenced, and it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and just mold yourself into shapes that you just shouldn’t be in. As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman, I’ve been through it, and it hurts and it’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable. But then I realized: because of Solange and Ava Duvernay and Willow and all the black girls watching this right now, there’s absolutely nothing but change. We cannot be suppressed. We are meant to express our joy and our love and our tears, to be big and bold and definitely not easy to swallow. I definitely believe in the concept of rebellion through selfhood, and rebellion through embracing your true identity, no matter what you’re being told. Here I am, being myself; and it’s hard and vulnerable, and it’s definitely a process, but I’m learning and growing. Thank you for supporting me and doing this, and thank you to Teen Vogue. This is just the beginning, though; we have a lot of work to do for all women of color. We need more representation in film and television. We need our voices to be louder in the media. And not just women of color — bisexual women, gay women, transgender women, mentally ill women. I’m sick of all the misogyny and homophobia and transphobia that I see around me, and I know you are too. Thank you for listening and goodnight.”
Please note that the post is tagged “I’m very bisexual.”
Stenberg appears on the cover of this month’s issue of Teen Vogue, for which she is interviewed by Solange. You’ll probably want to read that now. You’ll probably buy Teen Vogue this month! I don’t know, I just have a feeling you’re gonna want a copy of this moment in our lives. I have a feeling you’re gonna start following her on instagram if you weren’t already! I have so many feelings about your feelings!
Stenberg got started in show business as a four-year-old, modeling for Disney and appearing in TV commercials. Her first film role, in Colombiana, saw her playing the younger version of Zoe Saldana’s character. Next came Hunger Games, voicing Bia in Rio 2, and spots in Sleepy Hollow and Mr.Robinson. She’s also an accomplished musician, recording with singer/songwriter Zander Hawley as “Honeywater.”
Stenberg is also involved with an anti-hunger non-profit No Kid Hungry. Also, she co-authored a comic book published in 2015 called “Niobe: She is Life.” Also, she posted her “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” school project video on her tumblr and it went viral and everybody was talking about it and it was incredible.
AND SHE IS BISEXUAL.
AND ONLY SEVENTEEN.
Bless us, everyone, it appears the odds are ever in our collective favor.