Pride
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With Donald Trump spending much of his time in court as of late, internet sensation Randy Rainbow decided to serve up his latest take on the former president’s legal troubles with a little help from Dolly Parton. In his new video published Monday (May 20), Rainbow parodied Parton’s iconic work anthem “9 to 5,” replacing […]
In need of some new tunes from your favorite queer artists? We’ve got your covered. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Billie Eilish’s long-awaited new album to Omar Apollo’s moody new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft
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With her third studio album, Billie Eilish has made one thing abundantly clear — she’s not slowing down any time soon. Hit Me Hard and Soft feels like a purposeful progression from the unabashed eccentricity of When We All Fall Asleep, and the confessional dreaminess of Happier Than Ever. The 22-year-old star simultaneously embraces her fears (“Chichiro”) and her confidence (“The Greatest”) to thrilling effect with each successive song, while maintaining the vocal flourishes and production flair (courtesy of Finneas) that made her a star to begin with. But the star also takes a more candid look at her sexuality throughout the album, allowing herself to declare that she wants to “eat that girl for lunch” and singing about the unrequited love of the girl she sees “in the back of my mind all the time,” offering a new level of intimacy to an already stunning body of work.
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Omar Apollo, “Dispose of Me”
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Omar Apollo wants to slow it down, and after hearing “Dispose of Me,” you’ll be sure to understand why. This moving R&B ballad serves as a testament to the rising star’s vocal prowess, as he shows off as much of his impressive range as possible. Flowing from flawless falsetto to rumbling baritone, Apollo evokes the heartbreaking feeling the title promises within the first few seconds of this number, making “Dispose of Me” an absolute must-listen for anyone in need of a good cry.
Monét X Change, Grey Rainbow Vol. 1
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The exchange rate just went up with Monét X Change’s stunning new R&B album Grey Rainbow Vol. 1. Throughout the Drag Race winner’s new project, Monét takes control of her own narrative with confessional songwriting about heartbreak (“Streetlight”), sex (“Rotation”) and moving forward (“Grey Rainbow”), all while utilizing her silky-smooth, classically-trained voice to thrilling effect. With part two due out later this year, Grey Rainbow Vol. 1 promises even more excellence from a drag superstar to watch.
VINCINT feat. Adam Lambert, “Another Lover”
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VINCINT and Adam Lambert is the kind of artist pairing that spins your head with even the thought of them collaborating. So it’s all the more thrilling when the final product of that collaboration, “Another Lover,” is even better than you would have imagined. This pounding dance-pop track perfectly utilizes both artists’ stratospheric voices, as VINCINT and Lambert trade sultry verses about their powers of provocative persuasion. By the time you reach the final chorus, where both stars are riffing and running their hearts out over a thrilling beat, you’ll be feeling the ecstasy they keep singing about on this phenomenal pop banger.
Ben Platt feat. Brandy Clark, “Treehouse”
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When you take a Broadway star and pair him with a once-in-a-generation folk singer, you get something magical. Ben Platt and Brandy Clark are a match made in heaven on the stunning new single “Treehouse,” as they duet together on a lovestruck ballad about finding love in all the right places. Neither artist allows the delicate mood to break, keeping their respective voices as tender as possible for this moving ode to building a foundation of love.
Towa Bird, “Time to Pretend” (MGMT cover)
There’s something ingenious about Towa Bird’s Spotify Singles cover of MGMT’s 2007 space-rock jam “Time to Pretend.” Where the original relied on synth arpeggios and electronic distortion, Bird’s version sees the singer embracing her top-tier guitar skills to make a thrilling, markedly-different version of the track. With her own distorted voice filtering through the driving guitar licks that provide the cover its internal engine, Towa Bird takes “Time to Pretend” to a new level on this thrilling new rendition.
Girli, Matriarchy
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Rising alt-pop singer Girli has approximately zero time for bulls–t on her entrancing new album, Matriarchy. Across 14 songs, the singer-songwriter embraces a more electro-pop sound to help her talk about self-love (especially on the immediately arresting “Feel My Feelings”), queer crushes (“Nothing Hurts Like a Girl”) and embracing the fact that sometimes, things are just deeply messy (“Lose My Cool”). For anyone dealing with the harsh realities of learning to be an adult, Matriarchy is absolutely essential.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
A viral question aimed at women has spread around the internet over the last few weeks: Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or with a bear? After listening to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s bigoted commencement address at Benedictine College, singer Maren Morris has her answer.
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In a post to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday (May 15), Morris shared a clip from Butker’s address, in which the footballer claimed that the graduating women had “the most diabolical lies” told to them, and encouraging them to consider taking on “one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.” Morris summed up her feelings on Butker’s comments — and on the aforementioned question — in just four words: “I choose the bear,” she wrote.
Morris is far from the only celebrity to criticize Butker’s comments. In a post to his X account on Tuesday (May 14), rapper Flavor Flav called out Butker and encouraged him to, respectfully, stop talking. “Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches,” he wrote.
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Meanwhile, Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, responded to Butker’s anti-LGBTQ comments made throughout his address — including saying that Pride Month represented “deadly sins” — calling them “a clear miss,” as well as “inaccurate, ill-informed, and woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”
The speech began blowing up online thanks, in part, to the fact that Butker quoted lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Bejeweled” during his speech. Speaking about bishops who derive pleasure “from the adulation they receive from their parishioners,” Butker made sure to quote “my teammate’s girlfriend” in saying “‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’”
After many called for the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs to comment on Butker’s speech, Jonathan Beane, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for the league, shared a statement with People on Wednesday. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” he said. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Billboard has not yet heard back from the Chiefs after a request for comment.
After Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made a series of misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic remarks while quoting Taylor Swift during his commencement address at Benedictine College on Saturday (May 11), GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis decided to set the record straight. In a statement Wednesday (May 15) reacting to Butker’s speech — in which […]
In the same 20-minute commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas Saturday (May 11), Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker both discouraged female graduates from pursuing careers outside of homemaking while quoting objectively one of the world’s hardest-working career women: Taylor Swift, whom he referred to as “my teammate’s girlfriend.”
The 28-year-old athlete, who shares two children with wife Isabelle, also condemned President Joe Biden, abortion, birth control, Pride Month and “the cultural emasculation of men” during his controversial address at the Catholic liberal arts school, who shared the speech on its YouTube page. But it was while he was admonishing bishops who he says gain too much satisfaction “from the adulation they receive from their parishioners” and “become overly familiar” that he dropped in a line from the pop star’s Midnights single “Bejeweled.”
“This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time,” Butker said with a smile. “Because as my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’”
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The teammate in question, of course, is tight end Travis Kelce, who has been dating Swift since last summer. In addition to championing the LGBTQ community, the 14-time Grammy winner has been open about her feminist beliefs — which probably don’t align with what Butker said next in the speech.
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment,” he continued. “I want to speak directly to you briefly, because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.”
“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all of the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?” Butker went on. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he added, noting that homemaker is “one of the most important titles of all.” “Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation, and say, ‘Heck no.’”
Billboard has reached out to the Chiefs and NFL for comment.
The Chiefs have gained an army of new fans in the past year, thanks to Swift’s association with the team and her attendance at several games at Arrowhead Stadium over the course of the 2023-24 season. And while some people online have praised Butker for expressing his values during then commencement speech, many of those same Swifties/football fans are taking to social media to slam the team’s kicker.
“Harrison Butker gave a misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic commencement speech and then quoted Taylor Swift?” one person tweeted. “Dude. That’s so messed up.”
“I dare Harrison Butker to tell Taylor Swift she has no value unless she is a wife, mother, and homemaker,” wrote another fan.
See more reactions below.
And another thing…Butker mentioned Taylor Swift not by name, but as “my teammate’s girlfriend” The audacity.— Jess Piper (@piper4missouri) May 15, 2024
I dare Harrison Butker to tell Taylor Swift she has no value unless she is a wife, mother, and homemaker. pic.twitter.com/i32ez5fsSt— mimi ✨🎧🦋🫶🏻 (@watchinwisteria) May 14, 2024
Harrison Butker gave a misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic commencement speech and then quoted Taylor Swift? Dude. That’s so messed up.— Saltier Than Usual Willow (@saltysuburban29) May 14, 2024
With Pride season nearly upon us, music fans are busy buying tickets to their local Pride festivals. But if you can’t make it to an in-person celebration this year, don’t worry — Billy Porter, Orville Peck and plenty of others are here to help.
On Wednesday (May 15), iHeartMedia and P&G announced the lineup for their fifth annual Can’t Cancel Pride event. Taking place on June 12, the livestreamed event will feature a series of appearances and performances from stars including Porter, Peck, Allison Russell, Ben Platt, David Archuletta, Meghan Trainor, Melissa Etheridge, Raye and Victoria Monét.
Along with performing at the event, Porter is set to host and receive the Elton John Impact Award for his LGBTQ+ advocacy throughout his career. The award was first given to John during the event’s 2022 broadcast, and was later presented to Americana star Brandi Carlile in 2023.
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In a statement released with the news, iHeartMedia’ spokesperson ‘s chief marketing officer Gayle Troberman teased a can’t-miss event. “We are proud to celebrate Can’t Cancel Pride’s fifth birthday with another fantastic show that celebrates the intersection and unconditional power of music, message and inclusivity,” she wrote. “It’s incredible to see and hear the positive impact this franchise has on the community each year.”
Peck’s performance at the event will come on the heels of his recent win at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards, where the country star took home the organization’s Vito Russo Award. During his acceptance speech on Saturday (May 11), Peck pointed to the importance of having more out queer artists in the genre, in order “to allow some kid in a small town who loves country music to see themselves in me or Mickey Guyton or T.J. Osborne.”
Can’t Cancel Pride will take place live at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles on June 12 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET, with a livestream of the event that will take place on iHeartRadio’s YouTube and Facebook pages, Hulu, Revry, and The Advocate Channel. Check out the full lineup for the event below:
Two months after its Los Angeles counterpart, the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards hit New York City on Saturday (May 11) to reveal the rest of the winners and honor Orville Peck with the Vito Russo Award (presented by Jennifer Lawrence, no less). Additionally, Red, White, and Royal Blue received the GLAAD Media Award for queer fan favorite, presented by Cody Rigsby and Beanie Feldstein.
Billboard was among the winners, earning the award for outstanding print article for Pride Editor Stephen Daw’s June 2023 cover story, which found Maren Morris don Willie Nelson drag and go deep with drag artists Eureka O’Hara, Landon Cider, Sasha Colby and Symone about the proliferation of drag bans around the country. The honor comes six years after Billboard won its first GLAAD Media Award for outstanding magazine overall coverage in 2018.
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Here’s a list of the categories that were presented at the Midtown Hilton Hotel on Saturday night, with winners marked. You can see the winners announced at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles here.
Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode
“Certainty” Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts (Disney+)
“Chaos, Law, and Order” The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+)
“Cynthia Nixon and Kim Petras” Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
“Dulcé Sloan & Sasha Colby Talk What It Means to Be A Happy Trans Person” The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
“Elliot Page Opens Up In New Memoir: ‘It Felt Like The Right Time’” The View (ABC)
“The Hardest Fight Is the Fight Against Status Quo” The Conversations Project (Hulu)
“I’m Not Just Gay, I’m Your Son” Karamo (syndicated)
WINNER: “Jennifer Hudson Surprises HIV Activist with $10,000” The Jennifer Hudson Show (syndicated)
“Trace Lysette & Patricia Clarkson, Laverne Cox” The Kelly Clarkson Show (syndicated)
“Unapologetically Me” Tamron Hall (syndicated)
Outstanding TV Journalism Segment
“11th Hour: Transgender Athletes and What People Don’t Understand” The 11th Hour (MSNBC)
“19-Year-Old Designer CJ King Gets Second Chance to Walk the Runway” GMA3 (ABC)
“The All in Y’all” (KEYE-TV CBS Austin)
“Anti-LGBTQ+ Law in Uganda that Threatens the Death Penalty Sparks International Outcry” PBS Newshour (PBS)
“Bringing Queer Joy into the World of Hip-Hop” ABC News Live Prime (ABC News Live)
“Des Moines LGBTQ Community Hosts First-Ever ‘People’s Pride’” (WOI-TV Local 5 Des Moines)
“Geena Rocero Talks About Her New Memoir ‘Horse Barbie’ and the Power of Living Unapologetically” CBS Mornings (CBS)
“How Eco-Drag Queen Pattie Gonia Defines What It Means to Fight for the Environment” Nightline (ABC)
WINNER: “New York City Gay Bar Deaths Classified as Homicides” (NBC News Now)
“One-on-One with the President of the American Medical Association (AMA)” The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell (CBS)
Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form
“Beyond Limits: Who I Am” CBS Sports (CBS)
“CBS Reports: A Nation in Transition” CBS News (CBS)
“Club Q One Year Later” (KKTV CBS 11 Colorado)
“Freedom to Exist” Soul of a Nation (ABC)
“It’s Ok To Ask Questions – Pidgeon Pagonis” (WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago)
“Marty’s Place: Where Hope Lives” (+Life Media with KGO-TV & ABC Localish)
WINNER: “Our America: Who I’m Meant to Be” (ABC Owned Television Stations)
“Proud Voices: A NY1 Special” (Spectrum News NY1)
“Serving in Secret: Love, Country and ‘Dont Ask Don’t Tell’” (MSNBC)
“VICE Special Report – Out Loud // Big Freedia Presents: Young Queer Artists To Look Out For” (Vice News)
Outstanding Live TV Journalism – Segment or Special
“Capehart on SCOTUS rulings: ‘My Possibilities are Up to Them, Not Up to Me’” The Last Word (MSNBC)
“CNN’s Anderson Cooper Speaks With Lauri Carleton’s Daughter, Ari Carleton, About Her Mother’s Legacy” Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
“Flipping the Script: Live Interviews on LGBTQ+ Community” Morning News NOW (NBC News Now)
“Gio Benitez Interviews Sasha Velour on Her Book and the Climate of Drag in America” Good Morning America (ABC)
WINNER: “Indiana Students Put on LGBTQ-Themed Play Themselves After it’s Canceled By the School” Yasmin Vossoughian Reports (MSNBC)
“José Díaz-Balart Reports: A Texas Mother’s Fight: the Case for Gender-Affirming Care” José Díaz-Balart Reports (MSNBC)
“One-on-One with Eureka O’Hara” The Reid Out (MSNBC)
“Pride Across America” (ABC News Live)
“TikTok Sensations ‘The Old Gays’ Talk About How They Became Friends and Their New Docuseries” TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (NBC)
“Two Anti-LGBTQ Bills Advance to Louisiana House” Breakdown (WWL-TV CBS New Orleans)
Outstanding Print Article
WINNER: “As Drag Bans Proliferate, Maren Morris Goes Deep With Drag’s Biggest Stars on Why the Show Must Go On” by Stephen Daw (Billboard)
“Black Queer History is American History” by Myeshia Price (TIME)
“‘But Most of All I’m Human’: These 3 Transgender Teens Prove Identity Stretches Beyond One Label” by Susan Miller (USA TODAY)
“The Dancer” by Matt Kemper (The Atlanta-Journal Constitution)
“Heroism Overpowers Hate” by John Sotomayor (Embrace Magazine)
“Kim Petras Is Breaking the Mold” by Jeff Nelson (People)
“Pop Icons Are ‘Mothers’ Now. The LGBTQ Ballroom Scene Wants Credit.” by Samantha Cherry (The Washington Post)
“Stop Bad Hair and Uglier Legislation (The New Classics)” by Karen Giberson (AC Magazine)
“Transgender Youth: ‘Forced Outing’ Bills Make Schools Unsafe” by Hannah Schoenbaum and Sean Murphy (AP)
“We Have the Tools to Stop HIV. So Why Is It Still Spreading?” by LZ Granderson (Los Angeles Times)
Outstanding Online Journalism Article
WINNER: “The AP Interview: Pope Francis Says Homosexuality Not a Crime” by Nicole Winifield (AP.com)
“Book Banners Came for This Colorado Town. They Didn’t Anticipate Resistance.” By Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn (LGBTQNation.com)
“Evidence Undermines ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’ Claims” by Timmy Broderick (ScientificAmerican.com)
“From Drag Bans to Sports Restrictions, 75 Anti-LGBTQ Bills Have Become Law in 2023” by Jo Yurcaba (NBCNews.com)
“How the Latinx Drag Queens of Brooklyn Are Finding Freedom through Their Cultures” by Juan De Dios Sanchez Jurado (TeenVogue.com)
“Pedro Zamora, ‘Real World’ Star Who Died of AIDS, ‘Humanized the Disease for a Generation,’ Say Activists” by David Artavia (Yahoo.com)
“Pride Month Feels Different As Threats, Fear of Violence Grows” by Brooke Migdon (TheHill.com)
“Some Trans Kids Are Being Forced to Flee America for Their Safety” by Nico Lang (HuffPost.com)
“Stochastic Terrorism: Links between the GOP, Right-Wing Influencers & Neo-Nazi Violence” by Christopher Wiggins (Advocate.com)
“What Does Queer Gen Z Want on TV? Everything under the Rainbow” by Jude Cramer (INTOMore.com)
Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia
WINNER: “7 Remarkable Trans Elders Share Lessons for the Next Generation” (them.us)
“Brave Spaces” (PBS.org)
“CANS Can’t Stand” (NewYorker.com)
“Club Q: Stronger Together” (NFL.com)
“‘I’ve Always Known I Was Different’: Four Trans People Share Their Stories” (WashingtonPost.com)
“Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Calls Out the New York Times’ Anti-Trans Coverage & Advice for Trans Youth” (Variety.com)
“Moving Isa” (Insider.com)
“People Come Out to Their Parents | Truth or Drink” (Cut.com)
“Protecting Pride: Resilience after Tragedy – Club Q Survivors Fight to Project Their Community” (GoodMorningAmerica.com)
“Transnational” (Vice.com)
Outstanding Blog
Charlotte’s Web Thoughts
WINNER: Erin in the Morning
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
LawDork
Mombian
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
The Queer Review
The Randy Report
The Reckoning
Outstanding Reality Program
Bargain Block (HGTV)
WINNER: Family Karma (Bravo)
I Am Jazz (TLC)
Living for the Dead (Hulu)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
Real Housewives of New York City (Bravo)
Selling Sunset (Netflix)
Swiping America (Max)
TRANSworld Atlanta (Tubi)
The Ultimatum: Queer Love (Netflix)
Outstanding Broadway Production
Fat Ham, by James Ijames
How to Dance in Ohio, by Jacob Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik
WINNER: Melissa Etheridge: My Window, by Melissa Etheridge
Once Upon a One More Time, by Jon Hartmere
The Sign in Sydney Brustein’s Window, by Lorraine Hansberry
Outstanding Podcast
Finding Fire Island (Broadway Podcast Network)
Gay and Afraid with Eric Sedeño (Past Your Bedtime)
WINNNER: Las Culturistas (iHeart)
NPR’s Embedded (NPR)
Queen of Hearts (Wondery)
Rooted Recovery Stories (Promises Behavioral Health)
Sibling Rivalry (Studio 71)
That Conversation With Tarek Ali (Buzz Sprout)
This Queer Book Saved My Life (This Queer Book Productions, LLC)
TransLash (TransLash Media)
Outstanding Film – Streaming Or TV
Cassandro (Amazon Prime Video)
Christmas on Cherry Lane (Hallmark Channel)
Friends & Family Christmas (Hallmark Channel)
Frybread Face and Me (Array Releasing)
Nuovo Olimpo (Netflix)
Nyad (Netflix)
Red, White, and Royal Blue (Amazon Prime Video)
Runs in the Family (Indigenous Film Distribution)
WINNER: Rustin (Netflix)
You’re Not Supposed To Be Here (Lifetime Television)
Outstanding Documentary (Multiple winners)
WINNER: Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later (MTV Documentary Films)
Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate (Netflix)
Every Body (Focus Features)
WINNER: Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures)
Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures)
Orlando, My Political Biography (Janus Films)
Rainbow Rishta (Amazon Prime Video)
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (HBO Documentary Films)
WINNER: The Stroll (HBO)
“UYRA – The Rising Forest“ POV (PBS)
Outstanding New Series
The Buccaneers (Apple TV+)
Class (Netflix)
Culprits (Hulu)
Deadloch (Amazon Prime Video)
Everything Now (Netflix)
Found (NBC)
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+)
WINNER: The Last of Us (HBO)
The Other Black Girl (Hulu)
Tore (Netflix)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming or Film – Live Action
WINNER: Heartstopper (Netflix)
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)
Jane (AppleTV+)
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury (Netflix)
XO, Kitty (Netflix)
Outstanding Online Journalism Article (Spanish Language)
“Abogan por una política pública contra la violencia hacia la comunidad trans en Puerto Rico” por Carolina Gracia (ElVocero.com)
“La activista trans que sepulta a sus amigas olvidadas: ‘Los primeros cuerpos los velaba yo sola, solita’” por Daniel Alonso Viña (ElPais.com)
“Carlos Adyan nos invita a su boda civil con Carlos Quintanilla: ‘Todo ha pasado como yo soñaba’” por Lena Hansen (PeopleEnEspanol.com)
“El eterno desafío de ser un hombre o mujer trans en El Salvador” por María Teresa Hernández (APnews.com)
“Familias latinas con menores trans temen a nuevas leyes que limitan el acceso a tratamientos médicos: ‘Es lo que ha mantenido a mi hija viva’” por Anagilmara Vílchez y Lourdes Hurtado (Telemundo.com)
“‘Hemos huido de algo muy cruel’: las familias que buscan una vida mejor para sus hijos transgénero en otros estados de EE.UU.” por Leire Ventas (BBC.com)
WINNER: “Personas mayores LGBTQIA+ ‘tienen que regresar a un clóset para poder buscar vivienda’” por David Cordero Mercado y Joaquín A. Rosado Lebrón (PeriodismoInvestigativo.com & ElNuevoDia.com)
“Quiero que todo el mundo pueda decir libremente ‘así soy yo’” por Maria Mercedes Acosta (Sentiido.com)
“Reconocimiento a medias también es estigmatizante: RAE agrega ‘no binario/a’ a su diccionario” por Alex Orue (Homosensual.com)
“Wendy Guevara, la ‘perdida’ que lo ganó todo” por Jonathan Saldaña y Mari Tere Lelo de Larrea (Quien.com)
Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia (Spanish Language)
WINNER: “Conoce a la primera diputada negra y trans de Brasil” por Natalia Barrera Francis, Joyce García, David von Blohn, Paula Daibert y Claudia Escobar (Descoloniza – AJ+ Español)
“La increíble historia de cómo ‘Mami Ruddys’ refugió a decenas de jóvenes LGBTIQ en Puerto Rico” por Marcos Billy Guzmán y Pablo Martínez Rodríguez (El Nuevo Día)
“Mi novio vive con VIH y yo no: ser una pareja serodiscordante” por Mariana Escobar Bernoske y Daniela Rojas (La Disidencia – El Espectador)
“This gay cowboy convention celebrates sexual freedom — and Mexican identity” por Jackeline Luma, Kate Linthicum y Maggie Beidelman (Los Angeles Times)
“Villano Antillano cuenta todo de la realidad Queer de su música” por Yollotl Alvarado, René Barreto, Alfredo Castellanos, Sofía Reyes, Rai Irizarry, Arjun Demeyere, Luis Ramírez, Florencia Botinelli, Iván Juárez y Sebastian Fernández (GQ México y Latinoamérica)
On Saturday (May 11), there was only one show on planet Earth that could boast more queer energy than the Eurovision Song Contest, and that was the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards in New York City at the Midtown Hilton Hotel.
And not unlike this year’s Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden, the event was not without protestors. A small group of protestors accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people picketed outside the hotel’s entrance during the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards; more notably, at the top of the show itself, one attendee interrupted the opening monologue by host Ross Matthews to repeatedly declare “GLAAD is complicit in genocide” before being escorted out.
“That was uncomfy for everybody,” Matthews said after a pause. “But you know what? We have to fight for everyone’s rights – and that’s one of them.”
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While the Israel-Hamas War didn’t come up again that night, politics were still central to the GLAAD Media Awards, as always. New York Attorney General Letitia James made an appearance to celebrate LGBTQ New Yorkers and speak out for trans rights; GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis urged attendees to use their “platform and privilege” to ensure that the next U.S. president will be a human who values LGBTQ rights — and warned that the Supreme Court “will roll back our legal marriages like they rolled back Roe v. Wade” in a powerful, fiery speech; and one very famous Oscar winner took a couple of hilarious pot shots at a former U.S. vice president during the show.
Jennifer Lawrence (rocking a Veronica Lake haircut) appeared to celebrate “my favorite musician and good friend Orville Peck,” who was receiving the Vito Russo Award (named after the late activist and author of The Celluloid Closet) at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards.
“I love seeing so many humans who can top their field while still being power bottoms,” Lawrence cracked. Talking about her love for the gay community, Lawrence said she once fell in love with a gay man, but soon realized her advances were for naught. “Conversion therapy doesn’t work,” she said. “Did you hear me, Mike Pence? I said conversion therapy is not real – even though you think it worked on you.”
Accepting the award, Peck talked about being a singer-songwriter in a genre that’s not always been the most open to the LGBTQ community. “I’m one of many of us here who have felt excluded or held back because of who we are,” Peck said, adding that queer people nevertheless manage to “turn tragedy into art, humor and culture.”
Peck also spoke on the “responsibility for visibility” when it comes to all minority communities and what it means to the next generation “to allow some kid in a small town who loves country music to see themselves in me or Mickey Guyton or T.J. Osborne.”
Earlier in the night, Jennifer Hudson – who already has an EGOT – added another award to her trophy room when she hit the stage to accept the GLAAD for outstanding variety or talk show episode, for an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show in which she surprised HIV activist Ian Haddock (of the Normal Anomaly Initiative) with $10,000.
After a fundraising portion that raised more than $350,000, Loren Allred took the stage to perform an emotional version of “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman, as well as the upbeat “Come Alive.” The latter was a duet, with Scott Hoying (of Pentatonix and Superfruit) joining her on the lightly funky vocal showcase.
Toward the end of the night, Billboard (and Billboard‘s Pride Editor Stephen Daw) were honored when GLAAD named Billboard‘s 2023 Pride Issue cover story the outstanding print article of the year. The (now award-winning) article, written by Daw, is a wide-ranging, in-depth interview with Maren Morris and four drag artists about the proliferation of drag bans in the United States. You can read it here.
For most of her career as a performer, Jinkx Monsoon had to create her own model for success. Whether it was in music, stand-up or especially acting, the acclaimed drag star almost always took a do-it-yourself approach to finding stardom — mostly because opportunities for a transfeminine drag queen were, at best, limited.
“I’ve been screaming it for years: ‘Give drag performers real chances to show what we’re capable of,’” Monsoon tells Billboard over Zoom from her well-appointed New York apartment. “Because for so long, it was just lacking.”
Lately, though, it’s clear that someone was listening to her plea. On Friday (May 10), Monsoon starred in the newest episode of the beloved British sci-fi series Doctor Who. Titled “The Devil’s Chord,” the episode revolves around The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) traveling back in time to London 1963, intent on watching The Beatles record their debut album Please Please Me. But when they arrive, something has gone terribly wrong — The Fab Four, along with everyone else in the world, can’t seem to hold a tune.
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Enter Maestro, Monsoon’s malevolent, scene-stealing villain. Described by the performer as existing “somewhere between Greek mythology and Lovecraft,” Maestro introduces themself as an eldritch deity who is the literal embodiment of music itself. Hellbent on hoarding the concept of music for themself to create a symphony out of the ending of the universe, Maestro battles against The Doctor and Sunday using the power of music itself, before being banished by a magic musical chord from younger versions of Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
“This episode is so over the top and so stylized and heightened, that I felt very honored to be invited in — because I did have confidence in my ability to do that,” Monsoon says. “There’s parts of it where it feels like Looney Tunes, which makes a lot of sense to be me because music was such a big part of those cartoons.”
Below, Monsoon chats with Billboard about creating a memorable villain for the show, her starring role as Audrey in the current off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, and why she hopes her success opens doors for even more trans performers.
Before we get into Doctor Who, I wanted to say congratulations on Little Shop of Horrors! It’s such a great role — what has it been like for you to take on this part?
It’s been strikingly easy! Honestly, I was so anxious about this, and the reason why it’s been easy is because the cast and crew is incredible. They are the best. I was very blessed and lucky to come into a wonderful cast and crew with Chicago, and here I am, again, in another setting where everyone is just happily coming to work to put on a really incredible show. Now that I’ve worked with Corbin [Bleu], I can’t imagine anyone else having been Seymour. James Carpinello and I started our rehearsal process together, so we very much feel like we’re in it together. It’s just been a dream come true.
There was so much anxiety I had about being a transfeminine performer and a drag entertainer coming in to play the female lead and the love interest in a show like this. But no one in the rehearsal process or backstage shared that feeling. Everyone else was so certain that this was going to be a hit, that it was easy to let go of that insecurity. I’ve been in situations where I hide my gender presentation or I don’t enforce my pronouns, because I just don’t want to be that person, I don’t want to be the Norma Rae of everything. But this has been such an affirming experience.
Well, let’s get into your latest role as Maestro in Doctor Who — how did you get involved in this project?
[Showrunner Russell T Davies] came to see this show I did called Together Again, Again, which was written by me and music directed by my music partner Major Scales, where we play ourselves in a dystopian future in our 80’s, and Jinkx has become kind of a monster. Like, full-blown Norma Desmond, but with the brassiness of Rosalind Russell — she’s grand and delusional. Russell came to see that show, and I guess on the walk home he thought, “Jinkx should be Maestro.” Eventually I got the call and he was very forthright, and told me he got the idea from seeing me in that show. That kind of nipped my impostor syndrome in the bud, because my first instinct would have been to say “Oh, my friend is trying to give me a leg up in the business.” But I genuinely felt that Russell trusted me to handle this role.
I know you’ve been a fan of the series for a while — what in particular about the universe of Doctor Who attracted you as a fan?
I have very eclectic taste in television, and I prefer to live in the realm of fantasy. I like things that are over the top, even to the point that I like watching old sitcoms because it’s a very presentational style of acting. But what I love about Doctor Who is that it’s got good writing, good acting, wonderful guest stars, and captivating plotlines that are, of course, larger than life, but that have a purpose and a meaning. This episode, for example, shows us that music — and just artistic expression — is necessary for our survival. Without it, we would go extinct. I love getting to be a part of that message at a time when I hope we’ve realized how essential art is after a pandemic that shut the industry down.
This is a very wild character you’re playing. How would you describe the character of Maestro?
I see Maestro as the embodiment of music, and I see them as a god who would also be interpreted as a demon by many. They are an eternal force that exists in the universe. And when you play a character that is that powerful and has existed for that long, certain things come to mind. First, they create their own rules — we see it in Maestro’s gender expression and pronoun reference. Maestro doesn’t care about human rules and societal standards, because they’re a god. Second, I think characters like that must be really bored. When you’ve been alive for a long, long time, you get bored. So, the genuine excitement of meeting someone like The Doctor who actually gives Maestro run for their money — that’s very, very exciting.
Jinkx Monsoon
Courtesy of BBC Studios
Part of what I loved about your performance was your ability to balance the campy, very arch bits of the character, while also being genuinely scary. What was your approach to finding a balance there?
I like to think about the fact that music can be erratic — Maestro can switch on a dime. And one of the scariest things about a person is when you have no idea what they’re going to do next. And when you have a character like Maestro that’s capable of pretty much anything, but you have no idea what they’re gonna do — that’s terrifying.
When it comes to the campiness, I feel like my whole life has been about studying character actors who make big choices feel natural. I think Bette Midler as Winifred [Sanderson in Hocus Pocus] is a great example — everything’s Shakespearean and over the top, but like, do we get sick of it? No! So, specifically for the acting style for Doctor Who, I brushed up on Michelle Gomez as The Mistress. When she plays a villain, they are nuanced, and I love that she has flipped so many female archetypes on their side. I really wanted to bring that to Maestro.
It’s also refreshing to see a show letting a drag performer have a well-written, interesting role, rather than throwing together a collection of stereotypes to make a character.
Yeah, I was extremely honored to be a part of that. There was some anxiety, though, because I thought, “If I don’t deliver, does that mean there’s not going to be future opportunities?” Luckily, I got welcomed into a beloved, professional, incredible production. I’ve said the words trust and respect over and over, but that’s what it was — they trusted me to play this character, and they respected me enough not to tone me down. They weren’t interested in diluting my performance, all of the direction was to help me refine but not de-queerify things. That was incredible, because trans performers and drag performers before me have made things possible, so that I could take another step forward for the next generation of trans and drag performers to come in behind me. And it feels really exciting to get to pay that forward.
All of this comes amid a string of huge career moments for you — between Doctor Who, Little Shop, your return to Chicago and your upcoming debut solo show at Carnegie Hall. Especially as a drag artist, what does it mean for you to finally be acknowledged and welcomed in these spaces?
There were definitely points in my life where I did not believe in my lifetime that we’d see such progress and representation. And now that we have, I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep it there — I will not let our community be pushed back, because this is beyond my wildest dreams. I was very realistic in my early 20s, and I set attainable goals for myself. Now, I gotta set some new goals.
But I also feel like it’s about godd–n time, because queer people have been the backbone of entertainment this whole time. But for so long, we had to hide that part of us to be in front of the camera, because we were not invited. When we started getting invited, it was very homogenized and was very much for straight audiences. And now, we have reached a point where queer people are writing stories with a queer lens and casting queer performers to tell these stories authentically and genuinely. And that is incredible, but I also know the work that we’ve all put in.
Yes, I won season five a decade ago, and I experienced so many wonderful things because of that. But it was a completely different game back then, and I just grew to accept that we were considered a subsect of the entertainment industry. But then I got fed up with that. And then that’s when Ben and I created the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show, and that went to places we never imagined. I started to believe that we all do what we do, we just do it in drag. We’re showing the world that just because we do it in drag doesn’t mean we do it less than anyone else.
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And that’s happening despite what certain right-wing lawmakers have to say on the subject.
They’re a dying breed, I gotta say. They might be loud, but popular opinion is not on their side. I honestly think with every swing they take at the queer community, it’s another nail in their coffin. And I didn’t always feel that way. But I do feel that way now. Our consciousness, our perspective shifting, and these people are getting desperate. When you try to you try to gather everyone against a marginalized group of people hoping that their shared bigotry will rally them behind you, that’s despicable. I can’t think of a lower way of trying to lead your people. I can’t think of a bigger bastardization of the job they were hired to do than trying ostracizing and attacking constituents that they swore to protect. It just sickens me, so I will do everything in my power to fight that.
You mentioned needing to set some new goals — with this windfall of success, what have you not yet accomplished that you want to get to in the near future?
You know, I don’t even know how to answer that these days. Because, honestly, like — I am so happy with the things I’ve gotten to do recently that I just want to do a lot more of it. I’m hoping to do a lot more work on stage, I’m hoping to do more work in front of the camera. I just love when I get to do this, and I want to do a lot more of it. So on my bucket list at the moment is a lot more of the same. I don’t feel like I’ve peaked or plateaued, but I’m not in a rush.
With Pride season just a few short weeks away, there’s no better time to prepare with new tracks from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X’s flirty new collaboration to Beabadoobee’s dreamy new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Camila Cabello feat. Lil Nas X, “He Knows”
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There’s nothing quite like a Friday night out after a stunningly bad week, so Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X decided to bring you an anthem for those unhinged evenings on the town. While “He Knows” continues Cabello’s divisive dance-pop release strategy, the new track takes a few small steps back from “I Luv It,” focusing on a laid-back groove and entrancing vocals rather than a turbocharged beat. And it turns out Lil Nas and Camila make for excellent collaborators, matching one another’s sultry energy with each passing bar to let the boys at the club know that they’re on the prowl.
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Beabadoobee, “Take a Bite”
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Beabadoobee is back, and with “Take a Bite,” she’s sharper than ever. The introspective pop-rock ballad follows Bea Kristi through her own occasionally intrusive thoughts about the grass being greener on the other side of everything — relationships, careers, and everything in between. Her silky voice glides over a simple beat and some sumptuous guitar chords, making “Take a Bite” an excellent return for the singer-songwriter.
Orville Peck, Stampede: Vol. 1
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For his third studio album, Orville Peck is throwing a celebration. On Stampede: Vol. 1, the country crooner is teaming up with stars from all over the spectrum of music to toast their game-changing contributions to country, rock, pop and Americana. Between his excellent duet with Willie Nelson on “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other” and his rollicking rendition with Elton John to “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting),” plus collaborations with Allison Russell, Nathaniel Rateliff and plenty more, Peck proves that he’s more than just a singer with a mask — he’s a world-class curator paying tribute to the stars who helped pave the way for him.
Adam Lambert, “Whataya Want From Me ’24 (White Shadow’s HEmix)”
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It may not seem like 2009 was all that long ago, but plenty has changed in the 15 intervening years. For starters, LGBTQ+ artists didn’t used to feel comfortable singing using their romantic interests’ pronouns. So, Adam Lambert decided to correct the record with a “HEmix” of his 2009 hit “Whataya Want From Me.” Along with bringing in White Shadow to update his classic power ballad with a crunchy EDM beat, Lambert updates one key lyric — instead of singing that “It messed me up/ Need a second to breathe,” the rock singer now declares that “he messed me up.” It might seem like a small update for 2024, but a two-letter word can make all the difference, as Lambert proves on this thrilling remix.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Love Hate Music Box
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Since unveiling their debut album in 2013, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has made a career out of refining their familiar indie rock sound. But 11 years in, the band is ready for something different. Enter Love Hate Music Box, a sprawling 22-track LP that throws the band’s established sound out the window, aiming for bolder, brighter sounds in pop, rock, dance and Americana, all while maintaining some of the sharpest songwriting in the group’s history courtesy of frontperson Ela Melo. For just over an hour, Love Hate Music Box promises to make you feel just about everything — and we can confidently say that it delivers on that promise.
Remi Wolf, “Toro”
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Remi Wolf has always excelled at taking hyper-specific, intimate moments and turning them into grade-A pop bangers. “Toro” is no exception to that rule, as Wolf transforms a last-minute, high stakes romantic encounter and turns it into a grooving, deliciously sexy alt-pop jam. With a bass line that refuses to stay still, Wolf lets the audience know exactly what’s up on the instantly-memorable chorus: “We’re waking up the people down the hall/ You’re a bull, and I can’t help but saying ‘Toro, Toro.’”
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below: