Guest Columnist

Patti Harrison on being trans in Hollywood

by
Patti Harrison

The Lost City of P
Patti Harrison on being trans in Hollywood, her social media woes and Bowen Yang
By Chris Azzopardi

There still aren’t enough trans actors in Hollywood, but at least there’s Patti Harrison. Harrison is currently starring in the big blockbuster rom-com caper “The Lost City,” alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, as the social media manager of Bullock’s character, Loretta Sage, a romance-adventure novelist. In the movie, Harrison’s Allison thinks that to help Loretta appeal to a younger demo, it’s just a matter of hashtagging Shawn Mendes’ name at the end of every tweet. 

As for Harrison, her name rose to even greater prominence in 2021 when she voiced Chief of Tale in “Raya and the Dragon,” giving her the distinction of being the first openly trans actor to lend their voice to a Disney film. Last year, she also starred in “Together Together,” a moving comedy about a single man (Ed Helms) and his surrogate, played by Harrison, that premiered at Sundance. But “The Lost City” could really take her career to the next level given it’s a major studio film with major star power, which can only bring more attention to Harrison’s signature brand of comedy.

Harrison’s wry deadpanning was first introduced on primetime TV, when, in 2017 on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the actor-comedian made wisecracks about then-President Donald Trump’s ban on trans people in the military. Harrison, who was born in Ohio and whose father is from Detroit, starred in a recurring role on Hulu’s “Shrill” in 2020, along with smaller roles in “Bob’s Burgers,” “Broad City” and “Search Party.” 

During a recent Zoom interview with the actor, Harrison joked about what the movie might have been about when its working title was “The Lost City of D,” chimed in on her own interest in reading romance novels (and reading, period), and discussed how she feels about the “overcorrection” of queer people on TV. 

When you got the script for this movie, originally titled “The Lost City of D,” what exactly did you think the D stood for?

To be honest, I thought it stood for dick. Or dong. Maybe dildo. Probably less likely [it would be] dildo. Well, I guess it would be _dildos_, ’cause then it would be “The Lost City of the D.” So I think “Lost City of Dildos,” if it’s pluralized, is better.

I appreciate that the movie, even now that it’s called simply “The Lost City,” did still lean into the D, as there’s a couple dick jokes in it.

Well, there’s a lot of cut scenes with a ton of dildos.

And those are all with just you, or you and Channing?

Well, there was one with me [that] got cut from the movie, but my character was a master in combat with, like, tonfas. But then there weren’t tonfas available, so she wields dildos. And it’s really a lot of work. I took about four months of martial arts classes to learn how to use tonfas correctly and they cut it. Because of dildos.

That’s a shame. Our society is just not ready for something as brave as that.

Doesn’t that suck?

That movie will exist 20 years from now when we’ve made even more progress than we already have.

And Elle Fanning’s granddaughter is doing flips and throwing dildos, and they’re, like, going through people’s heads.

I love that Elle Fanning is your go-to. 

Oh yeah. She’s always in my mind.

I don’t know how we’re going to be serious now, but I do want to ask if you read any romance novels, queer or not, when you were growing up?

Not at all. I never read a lot, and I never really read outside of what was required of me for school. I don’t think I really… I’m learning. I used to feel really guilty about not reading books, specifically. I think there’s a culture around shaming people who don’t read books. I just don’t absorb information that way. A lot of the stories that I absorb are visual. So I love movies, video games and TV. Maybe that makes me stupid, but I watched a lot of romantic movies and TV shows. But as far as novels go, I think I remember reading “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” in school. I think that is, like, a rapey book. It opens with a sexual assault. That’s probably the only book that comes to mind, actually.

And then no more books for you after that. You just stopped reading.

What if the only book I’ve ever read was “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”? That’s the one book. I should be studied by science if that were the case.

What if there was a romance novel based on your life? What might it be called? And who would be your cover model for it?

Well, I did get asked this question earlier today, but I think it’s probably for a publication that wouldn’t use [my answer] and wouldn’t care what I said. Because my answer when asked what the title of my romance novel would be [was], “Oh, Is There Poop?” And I don’t think I would be on the cover of it, right? It would be my mom and my fourth grade teacher, who’s my mentor. And they’re just kind of doing a thumbs up through a foggy window. They’re standing outside of a window. And then you see the crest of someone’s butt.

That’s beautiful, actually.

There would be more explained in the book. I promise.

While you were making this movie, playing a social media manager, did it hit you how ironic it is that in real life you might not cut it as a social media manager since you were banned from Twitter? 

I definitely think there’s some irony there. I, every day, am waiting for my Instagram account to be deleted against my will. Probably for the best. But now Instagram’s terms and conditions have changed and they, like, auto go through and will flag photos. Maybe once a week, I get a new photo flagged. And it’s always a post from, like, 2013. And it’ll be a photo of me being like, “I love this bitch,” and it’ll be me and my friend. And then it’ll be flagged for bullying and harassment, ’cause I called my friend a bitch. And I was like, “Well, that’s my whole Instagram page, me being like, ‘Love this stupid, ugly fucking slut.’” I guess if that’s bullying and harassment, then I’m not fated for Instagram anymore.

I think social media has had a big part in my career success, which has been great. I also think social media has evolved. So the version of it we have now is mainly a shopping platform. So I don’t think social media is intrinsically bad, but I think we’ve made it bad ’cause it’s corporatized. But I don’t remember exactly why Adam [Nee, who co-directed and co-wrote the screenplay], Aaron [Nee, Adam’s brother, who co-directed) or Sandy [Bullock] said they specifically wanted me for the part other than they saw me and thought I was funny. In other things I’ve been cast in, it’s usually ’cause of stupid videos or something I made on Instagram.

Or maybe it was “Together Together,” which was one of my favorite movies of last year. How major did it feel to be part of a film where you, a trans actress, is playing a surrogate? There was a lot of conversation around that and how I’m not even sure that that’s ever happened before in a movie. It all felt pretty groundbreakingly important casting-wise. 

Yeah. I mean, I think I definitely thought about what that meant and the optics of it. I had so many conversations with [writer-director] Nikole [Beckwith] about if it was stunt casting or whatever. But it really did feel like something I just never thought I was going to get to do, and I tried not to overload it in playing the role, like bring too much of that into it. 

I think what was really nice is that Nikole was so present in making sure I felt prepared and knew what was going on in each scene, like where my character was in her pregnancy. I think it helped me get out of my head and not think about the politics of what it means. You know, my whole thing when we were filming was, “Oh my gosh. Are people going to be staring at my Adam’s apple? Is this something that I’m going to deal with? A level of TERF scrutiny or something that would be really emotionally painful to endure?” But, ultimately, it’s been an incredible gift in my life. The only thing that I’ll ever earnestly talk about is that movie because it just felt so special. 

As a queer person, I try not to overthink the optics. But oftentimes, it’s hard for me not to, just because I’m always looking for us to be represented and be visible. 

Yeah. Speaking of social media, I feel like there is an overcorrection or overemphasis with development and TV, like stumbling over themselves to be inclusive in a way that I think can sometimes be minimizing to the creator or the artist or writer, whoever’s trying to make a project, if that person is marginalized in any way.

And if that marginalization is queer, then in an ideal world, that person could just make whatever they want. I think what’s stressful about it is that people who aren’t queer, who aren’t marginalized, and who are in these gatekeeping positions, are trying to figure out a way to capitalize on queerness or the more mainstream interest in it and it can feel very minimizing when the only stories they want to tell or they want to see from you as a queer person is stuff about being queer. It’s like, my sense of humor as a comedian has really been not about that, but it has kind of pivoted into that. I’m approached about being trans so much that it’s made me a little resentful. I’m like, “Oh, I see comedians who are peripheral to me who aren’t queer, and they can make a TV show about whatever they want.” But when I take a meeting, it’s like, they don’t want to hear my idea about, you know, Elle Fanning with dildos. They want to hear about a biopic about me coming out to my mom and her struggling with it.

On that note, it’s nice to see you and Bowen Yang in “The Lost City,” where you can both just be funny. 

Yeah. Bowen shot the last week I was there pretty much, and it was the perfect little ending to the trip. We had, like, golf carts where we were staying. It was so much fun. I wish he would have been there the whole time. It made me want to work with him on something.

On the poop book or the dildo movie? 

Yeah. Where we have unsimulated sex. A lot of penetration, me and Bowen. Really close friends just, like, really screwing for art. That’s representation.

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

John Cameron Mitchell on what we can learn from Joe Exotic

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Joe Exotic

Power, Putin and, Yes, the Tiger King
John Cameron Mitchell on what we can learn about abusing authority from Joe Exotic
By Chris Azzopardi

What could Joe “Tiger King” Exotic and fictional genderqueer arthouse punk-rocker Hedwig Robinson possibly have in common? John Cameron Mitchell.

And so, the Farrah Fawcett wig comes off the 58-year-old actor who created Hedwig and brought her Off-Broadway in 1998, before “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” became a cult indie film three years later, in 2001. Instead, to portray the wildly controversial and buzzy gay subject of the Netflix docuseries “Tiger King” for the new Peacock series “Joe vs. Carole,” Mitchell’s rocking a “Bring Me Some Water”-era Melissa Etheridge mullet.

In this eight-episode dramatization of Exotic’s ludicrous run as the Oklahoma zookeeper infamous for his cruel treatment of animals and his plot to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin (played here by Kate McKinnon), Mitchell slips out of Hedwig’s heels and into Joe’s cowboy boots. (Exotic is currently serving a 21-year prison sentencing for hiring two men to kill Baskin.) The purely scandalous story told in the Netflix series is still scandalous — how could it not be? — but with a humanizing bent to it. You might even find yourself liking the guy. Which, as we’ve seen with the Trumps and Putins of the world, is a slippery and dangerous slope.

From his apartment in New York, Mitchell, who recently came out as non-binary, spoke about why Joe Exotic is “the real Trump,” a podcast he’s working on that takes on cancel culture, and how this generation’s wokeisms are inadvertently working against the very allies they seek.

I’ve followed your career for a long time, and being this indie art guy, a lead role in a Peacock series must feel like a big moment.

I’m old enough to know that it comes and goes. I was able to buy a house for the first time. I’ve always kept my overhead low. And I was like, well, I’m getting older. And so this came along and it was a dream job. I loved everybody. I had a great time. They took my input. Kate’s amazing. Etan [Frankel], the showrunner, is amazing. And we shot in Australia, which was very fun and comfortable at the time. I had more fun acting in this on screen than in Hedwig because I had too much responsibility in Hedwig.

Wait, so “Joe vs. Carole” allowed you to buy the house?

Yes. It’s called money, baby. It’s a mainstream thing. I’m considering another job right now, whether I want to commit to a multiyear thing, but we’ll see. Nice to have options. I’m working on another fictional podcast, which is very fun. This one’s more zany and of-the-moment. Kind of on the subject of cancellation. It’s time to bring our wisdom and humor to bear on a somewhat humorless subject. And I’m also working on a TV series. Pitching a musical TV series. And continuing touring here and there with my concerts.

With “Joe vs. Carole,” I think it’s important to acknowledge that you and Kate, two queer icons, are at the center of this story. There’s something very special about that for me.

I wish we had more to do because we really hit it off and I’m writing her something now I hope she’ll do. Kate and I both obviously have strong opinions about our characters and about humor and about how the characters should be played. Because we’re not really doing the real people; we’re doing an interpretation of them. She’s much funnier than the real Carole. I’m adding my own things to it. It’s maybe 50 percent the real people and 50 percent what we’re bringing to it. Because we’re not doing a “Saturday Night Live” sketch. We’re not doing a karaoke version. We’re wanting to have a full emotional experience. And we’re guessing, also, what these characters might be like when they’re not on camera. And that’s a wonderful thing. We had enough freedom and Etan, the showrunner, was open to that. He cast two queer people in a kind of queer story. And when you see it, it actually feels very queer. The way it’s shot, even. It’s very artificial with hopefully an emotional center. It feels like it’s, perhaps, in that Hedwig model, where you’re not stinting on the humor and the camp, but we’re also honoring the people as real people who’ve been through shit.

Did you recognize that the series’ queerness would extend to its direction, as well, before you signed on?

I didn’t really know about the way it was shooting. Justin Tipping, one of the directors, came up with the way it’s shot. It has certain homages to the Coen brothers, to Danny Boyle, to Hedwig even. It’s highly artificial until it gets real. And that’s how their lives seem. They’re sui generis people. They came from trauma, but they triumphed and created their own kingdoms. But then got corrupted by that power, I think. Joe and Carole could have been buddies. Kate and I even had an improv where we just started making out in a dream sequence. It was improvised. They didn’t keep it in and they won’t let me put it on my Instagram because a lesbian’s kissing a gay man and that’s wrong. Seems right to me.

Seems very right to me.

Yes. Well, I’ll just have to make it happen in another project.

The one that you’re writing for Kate?

That’s for a podcast. We’ll still kiss on the podcast.

I didn’t realize that “Joe vs. Carole” was going to humanize these characters in the way that it has. And there’s so much about Joe that we learned from the series that I didn’t from the docuseries

Because you know, he’s larger than life and, to America, he’s a kind of “Duck Dynasty”-meets-“Real Housewives” [personality]. He’s not a real person. He’s a paper tiger that’s entertaining and maybe not necessarily empathetic. I actually think when you watch him, he’s so eager to please that you want to hug him and take the gun out of his holster and throw it in the river. And Carole presented a more controlled facade, in a kind of Hillary Clinton way. Which turned people against her, partly because of misogyny. But that’s her defense. And that was Hillary’s defense — to hold it together.

Joe screams about being tough, but you can tell [he] isn’t. He’s a megalomaniac, but he’s not exactly tough. It’s like Trump. If you keep saying you’re the best, you know there’s a hole in your soul if you have to keep reminding yourself. We all know the people who don’t mention it are the strong ones.

So then what do these people do? They exert their power, they become bullies.

They still do. And they can abuse it. Because they have to prop themselves up. That’s what Putin is in a more calculated way. Trump is too inept to be a Putin. But he still engenders popularity amongst people who love a dictator, who want a daddy, and they’re willing to ignore the facts because they think he’s authentic. I don’t know how someone who’s a Thanksgiving Day balloon can appear authentic. And a man of the people when he was born with a silver spoon up his ass. And Joe is the real Trump. He’s from the dirt. He made himself. Nobody handed him millions.

Though, he did build the zoo with his brother’s insurance. And he became a very abusive person, but he’s also a human being.

It dawned on me while watching this that you were born in Texas and raised in Kansas. How did your own origin story help you understand Joe when it came to an understanding of being gay in the South?

It was not exactly the South. I would call it more rural America. Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas are kind of this lower Midwest thing that’s different from the South. East Texas is more Southern. I’m from west Texas, which is more cowboy than Southern gentility. But we did live an hour from where his zoo was before the zoo in Fort Sill. And Saff [Saffery], the trans man whose arm is eaten off [by a tiger], is stationed there, actually.

So I’m conversing with my old friends from Kansas, high school friends, and they’re all like, “Johnny, you got it, you got the accent,” and I’m like, “I know; I grew up with all you all.” And so that makes me feel good that they bought it. Because I hadn’t been there in a while. But when I go back I feel that it’s in my bones the way I do when I’m in Scotland too. My mother’s Scottish, my dad’s American. And I’ve moved around a lot, and I had to feel comfortable in different places. Changed my accent. That’s why I became an actor. But I like the “say a few things in a minimal way, kind of Midwestern” thing. Texan is more loquacious. But Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri — that’s all like, just say what you mean, try to mean it, say it in a few words. So there’s a warmth and not getting carried away with things. Which I love about it.

And I think that’s probably why Joe didn’t move. Another queer person would go to the big city. I mean, he went to Dallas for a bit, but it [wasn’t] exactly the same as New York or California at that time. So queer people at that time had three options. You either keep your head down and stay in your small community and become the hairdresser or the lesbian gym coach and just keep it quiet and have your wife or husband and maybe just shut up and help people out. That’s a valid way of living. Or you leave and go to the big city and find your queer community. Or you do what Joe did, which was make a community. Build a fortress in the rural area called a zoo or a pet shop or a drag parlor. And I identify with that because, though I did leave, I create my communities. My temporary creative communities with movies and shows and podcasts and the unwanted animals, the misfits with skills, come there and have a good time. But I know that it will end at some point before the infighting can begin, unlike the zoo. So I love a temporary community.

And he just dragged that on for too long.

And when you have ex-cons and rehab folks and you’re not paying them well, it’s going to end in tears. If you seek out lovers who are lost themselves, and there’s drugs involved, you know there’s going to be trouble. I feel like his first relationship was the most stable. Even though I think his husband had a drug problem and died of AIDS, that was [his] most healthy relationship. He was grounding for Joe and he had as much power as Joe. Later, he sought out people that he could Lord over, but save as well. There’s a thin line between savior and cult leader.

I was thinking about the physicality of Joe, because there’s a lot going on here. And none of it is really you. And that includes the wig, the facial hair, of which you have none, the jewelry, the tats and the shiny tiger print shirts. What piece really helped you transform into Joe?

A cowboy boot with a heel gives you something, a way of walking. All of it together felt like drag, felt like armor. So when I get into the wig and the makeup and the costumes, it’s the same as Hedwig. And in fact, the characters have a lot in common. They’re both misfits who create their own world to survive it and lash out at people because of their early trauma. Lord over people. Hedwig breaks that cycle. Joe doesn’t.

Watching you I was like, “Oh yeah, this is like dressing up as Hedwig.”

I felt like a drag king. I felt like a lesbian identified gay man. The Melissa Etheridge mullet and all.

Switching gears, let’s talk about “Shortbus,” your 2006 film that has been remastered in 4K and is currently screening across the U.S. before its Blu-ray and streaming release later this year. How do you think “Shortbus” plays to younger generations who are seeing it for the first time?

The screenings I’ve been to with people who remember it and people who it’s new to — young people — is interesting. The older people who saw it in their 20s and 30s were like, “Gosh, that sex is like whatever now, but it’s the deeper stuff that really gets me now.” And the young people are like, “People have sex like that?” They’re all like, “Is there a consent issue?” They’re looking for something un-PC about it and they can’t quite figure out what it is.

They love it. But they’re being taught lately they have to find trouble with most things. One of them who loved the film said, “What would you say if someone” — a very journalist way of saying what they’re thinking, “said, ‘Is it your right to tell the story of an Asian woman who can’t have an orgasm?’” And I said, “Well, to that person, whoever said that, which is not you, I would say, it is my story. We developed this together.” There’s elements of me, and I’m a Toni Morrison fan. When Toni’s students were like, “I’m going to write about my going to Europe,” she was like, “You will not. You will write about something you don’t know anything about. You, little Black girl, are going to write about that white frat boy in Houston. And you’re going to find out what that world is and you’re going to enter it.” And that is the beginning of empathy. There’s no other purpose for fiction.

If you keep splitting those hairs looking for trouble, you stop the organ called empathy. You clog it with unnecessary wokeisms that have good intentions. They cloud the mind, and they stop you from feeling. And they do Trump’s work, and you start lashing out at your natural friends and allies. That’s what he wants us to do, kill each other so he can take over.

That seems like your jumping off point for the podcast you’re working on.

Exactly. So when someone said that,“Have you considered remaking ‘Shortbus’ with a more diverse cast?” I’m like, “Why not talk to that other woman who said it’s not my story to tell?” We made this film with the very few handful of people who were willing to go into that sexual realm. And I wanted it to be as diverse as possible. But I also got who I got and I was very happy with them. I couldn’t find a lesbian couple, for example, who wanted to do it. So I recreated it. And I work with people who are in effect playing versions of themselves. “Shortbus” is as authentic as anything I’ve ever made in terms of the reality of these characters, the reality of the setting, the reality of the extras. No one had a problem on that film. Whereas today I don’t think it could be made because of the panic about sex and representation and everything else.

I wondered about the sex in particular, because I know it’s not simulated, but we have shows like “Euphoria” where we’re seeing a lot more frank sex in content.

It’s still grim, though. God. It’s still depressing sex. Depression porn.

“Shortbus” was not depressing sex. I remember feeling sexually empowered by watching it.

Good. God knows there are very creative people in the world. I think they’re being clogged. A lot of people turn to me, my young friends, and say, “How do I get rid of that feeling?” Because they know that my work embodies following your impulses in a disciplined way and not being afraid of not fitting in, or being famous, or being rich. There was something called art for art’s sake. That would be my drag king name — Art for Art’s Sake. May be even better than Hell of a Bottom Carter.

You have to play. This is your time to play. Now that COVID is over, it’s your time to travel to get out of this hamster wheel of American social media. Go to Latin America, go somewhere you’ve never been and find out that other people are living in different ways. We’re shocked by what’s happening in Ukraine. I think what’s happening there is a fucking a tragedy and a crime. But at least it’s reminding people that we’re human.

190 Organizations Call for LGBTQ Data Collection as National Academies of Sciences Releases Historic Report

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LGBTQ Data Collection

On March 9th, an ad hoc panel of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a groundbreaking consensus report focused on advancing data collection on sexual orientation, gender identity (SOGI), and sex, including variations in sex characteristics. The report synthesizes existing research, provides detailed recommendations about how to ask these questions, outlines key principles for advancing inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTQI) people, and articulates areas for further research.  The report emphasizes that improved and standardized data collection is vital for understanding the challenges LGBTQI people face.

In response to this report, 190 LGBTQI and allied organizations today released an open letter calling for renewed efforts to advance SOGI and intersex data inclusion on surveys, in administrative data, and in clinical settings. The letter can be accessed here. 

Data collected by private research firms suggest that there are over 13 million LGBTQ people in the United States, and the population is growing notably. Scientific estimates suggest as many as 2-5 million Americans were born with intersex traits.

Said Liz Seaton, Policy Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force: ““Far too few surveys allow people to identify themselves as LGBTQI+ simply because they do not include sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics questions.  The lack of these questions stands in the way of addressing key disparities that LGBTQI+ people experience. We know that data inclusion is a cornerstone of equity, especially for LGBTQI+ people of color, low-income LGBTQI+ people, and transgender and intersex people. It’s important to note that transgender people may identify as male, female or gender nonbinary, and also some gender nonbinary folx do not identify as transgender.” 

To speak with LGBTQI+ experts about data equity and this report, please contact:  

  • Cathy Renna, National LGBTQ Task Force, crenna@thetaskforce.org 
  • Sharita Gruberg, Center for American Progress, sgruberg@americanprogress.org 
  • Naomi Goldberg, Movement Advancement Project, naomi@lgbtmap.org 
  • Alesdair Ittelson,  interACT, ittelson@interactadvocates.org  
  • Aaron Ridings, GLSEN, aaron.ridings@glsen.org 
  • Scout, National LGBT Cancer Network, scout@cancer-network.org 

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equity for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. For more information go to https://www.thetaskforce.org

What men need to now about sexually transmitted diseases

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What Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Need to Know About Sexually Transmitted Diseases

If you choose to have sex, you need to know how to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

What are sexually transmitted diseases?

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are diseases that can be passed from one person to another through intimate physical contact and sexual activity. STDs are very common in the United States—half of all sexually active people will get an STD by age 25.

Am I at risk for STDs?

While anyone who has sex can get an STD, sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are at greater risk. In addition to having higher rates of syphilis, more than half of all new HIV infections occur among MSM. Many factors contribute to the higher rates of STDs among MSM:

  • Higher rates of HIV and STDs among MSM increase a person’s risk of coming into contact with an infected partner and becoming infected themselves.
  • Certain behaviors – such as not using condoms regularly and having anal sex – increase STD risk.
  • Homophobia, stigma and discrimination can negatively influence the health of gay and bisexual men.

How are STDs spread?

STDs are spread through sexual contact with someone who has an STD. Sexual contact includes oral, anal and vaginal sex, as well as genital skin-to-skin contact.

Some STDs—like HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea—are spread through sexual fluids, like semen. Other STDs, including HIV and hepatitis B, are also spread through blood. Genital herpes, syphilis, and human papillomavirus (HPV) are most often spread through genital skin-to-skin contact.

How will I know if I have an STD?

Most STDs have no signs or symptoms. You or your partner could be infected and not know it. The only way to know your STD status is to get tested. You can search for a clinic here. Having an STD, such as herpes, syphilis, or gonorrhea, may make it easier to get HIV. It’s important to get tested to protect your health and the health of your partner. CDC recommends sexually active gay and bisexual men get tested for:

  • HIV at least once a year;
  • Syphilis;
  • Hepatitis B;
  • Hepatitis C based on risk factors;
  • Chlamydia and gonorrhea of the rectum if you’ve had receptive anal sex (been a “bottom”) in the past year;
  • Chlamydia and gonorrhea of the penis if you have had insertive anal sex (been a “top”) or received oral sex in the past year;
  • Gonorrhea of the throat if you’ve performed oral sex (i.e., your mouth on your partner’s penis, vagina, or anus) in the past year;
  • Sometimes, your healthcare provider may suggest a herpes test.=

Your healthcare provider can offer you the best care if you discuss your sexual history openly. You should have a provider you are comfortable with. You can also visit GetTested to find a confidential, free or low-cost STD testing location near you.

Can STDs be treated?

Some STDs, like gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis, can be cured with medication. If you are ever treated for an STD, be sure to finish all of your medicine, even if you feel better. Your partner should be tested and treated, too. It is important to remember that you are at risk for the same or a new STD every time you have sex without using a condom and/or have sex with someone who has an STD.

STDs like herpes and HIV cannot be cured, but medicines can be prescribed to manage symptoms.

How can I protect myself?

For anyone, choosing to be sexually active means you are at risk for STDs. However, there are many things you can do to protect your health. You can learn about how STDs are spread and how you can reduce your risk of getting infected.

Get Vaccinated: Gay and bisexual men are at greater risk for hepatitis A and B, and human papillomavirus (HPV). For this reason, CDC recommends that you get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B. The HPV vaccine is also recommended for men up to age 26.

Be Safer: Getting tested regularly and getting vaccinated are both important. There are other things you can also do to reduce your risk for STDs:

  • Get to know someone before having sex with them. Talk honestly about STDs and get tested—before you have sex.
  • Use a condom correctly and use one every time you have sex.
  • Think twice about mixing alcohol and/or recreational drugs with sex. For example, when you’re drunk or high, you’re more likely to make decisions that put you at risk for an STD, such as having sex without using a condom. Limit your number of sex partners. You can lower your risk for STDs if you only have sex with one person who only has sex with you.

Know Your Status: If you know your STD status, you can take steps to protect yourself and your partners.

Where can I get more information?

CDC’s Gay and Bisexual Men’s Health page – Information for gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men

Ten Things Gay Men Should Discuss with Their Healthcare Providerexternal icon – Fact sheet from GLMA

Fenway Healthexternal icon – Safer sex information from Fenway Health

The LGBT National Help Centerexternal icon – LGBT support and referrals

AIDS.govexternal icon – HIV/AIDS information and resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2019.  Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services; April 2021.

CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2017pdf icon. HIV Surveillance Report 2018;29.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommendations on the Use of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in Males — Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2011. MMWR 2011; 60(50). Accessed April 2, 2013.Content provided and maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please see our system usage guidelines and disclaimer.

Photo courtesy of Matt Baume

1.2 million LGBTQ adults in the US identify as nonbinary

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Nonbinary

Williams Institute Press Release: An estimated 11% of LGBTQ adults in the U.S.—approximately 1.2 million people—identify as nonbinary, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. The majority of them are under age 29, urban, and white.

Using data from two nationally representative surveys, Generations and TransPop, researchers examined the demographics and characteristics of LGBTQ adults in the U.S. ages 18-60 who identified as nonbinary in terms of their gender. Results show that nearly one-third of transgender adults identify as nonbinary. However, many cisgender LGBTQ adults also identify as nonbinary—approximately 58% of all nonbinary LGBTQ adults are cisgender and 42% are transgender.

The majority of nonbinary adults reported using queer (31%), bisexual (17%), pansexual (17%), or asexual (14%) to describe their sexual orientation.

“Nonbinary people make up a substantial part of the LGBTQ community, and they appear to experience similar kinds of vulnerabilities seen in the larger LGBTQ population,” said lead author Bianca D.M. Wilson, Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “More research is needed to understand whether there are unique needs among cisgender and transgender nonbinary people compared to each other and to their binary-identified LGBTQ counterparts.”

Key Findings

Demographics and socioeconomic characteristics

  • Most nonbinary adults were born in the U.S. (96%). Most are between the ages of 18-29 (76%) and urban (89%).
  • Nonbinary adults represent a range of racial/ethnic identities (approximately 58% white, 16% multiracial, 15% Latinx, 9% Black, and 2% AAPI, American Indian, and other groups).
  • Among nonbinary LGBTQ adults, 42% identify as transgender, 39% identify as cis LBQ, and 19% identify as cisgender GBQ.
  • Nonbinary adults report relatively high indicators of economic instability: 68% report not having enough money to make ends meet and 57% live in low-income households below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Victimization and stress

  • 55% of nonbinary people were hit, beaten, physically attacked, or sexually assaulted at some point since they were 18 years old.
  • 82% of them faced emotional abuse as a child, and 53% report that they were bullied often as a child.
  • 11% of nonbinary people were exposed to conversion therapy as a child.

Health

  • 41% of nonbinary adults report that their health is poor or fair.
  • 51% of them had symptoms consistent with serious mental illness, and 39% had attempted suicide.

“Identities and terms related to gender and sexuality shift across time,” said study author Ilan H. Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “Our study found nonbinary adults tend to be younger, but as the use and acceptance of gender nonbinary terms continues to grow, we may see changes in numbers and characteristics of LGBTQ nonbinary people.”

The Generations Study examines the health and well-being of cisgender and nonbinary LGBQ people. The TransPop Study is the first nationally representative survey of transgender individuals in the U.S., defined as individuals who stated that their current gender identity (e.g., man, woman, transgender) was different than their sex assigned at birth (male, female) across all sexual orientations.

Read the report

photograph by Steve Rainwater

1.7% of Sexual Minority Adults Identify as Asexual

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Asexuals

Findings from the first representative sample of U.S. sexual minority adults estimating the prevalence of asexual identity.
Williams Institute Press Release

An estimated 1.7% of sexual minority adults identify as asexual, according to a recent study by the Williams Institute. The study also found that asexuals are more likely to be women or gender non-binary, assigned female at birth, and younger, compared to non-asexual lesbians, gay men, and bisexual (LGB) adults.

Asexual people reported significantly less sexual activity than non-asexual participants. Yet asexual adults were as likely to report being in an intimate relationship as non-asexual LGB adults.

“Asexuality is an emerging identity,” said lead author Esther D. Rothblum, a visiting distinguished scholar at the Williams Institute. “Given that the majority of asexual respondents were young, we expect that the prevalence and understanding of asexuality will grow as more youth reach adolescence and become familiar with the identity.”

Findings

  • More than one-quarter (27%) of asexuals identify as women and three-quarters (72%) identify as genderqueer/non-binary.
  • An overwhelming majority of asexuals were assigned female at birth (86%), compared with 14% who were assigned male at birth.
  • 91% of asexuals are in the younger cohort (ages 18-27), compared to 61% of non-asexual LGB people.
  • Asexuality is not synonymous with a lack of sexual attraction, sexual behavior, or intimate relationships. A little more than a third of asexuals reported being sexually attracted; more than half of them reported having had sex; and they were as likely to report that they were in a romantic intimate relationship (59% compared with 61% of non-asexual LGB people).
  • Asexuals felt similar social support, well-being, life satisfaction and connection with the LGBT community as non-asexual LGB people.
  • Asexuals reported more everyday discrimination and stigma than non-asexual LGB people.

“We see in these results that asexuals are an integral part of the LGBT community,” said study author Ilan H. Meyer, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “It is important to note, however, that this study only included asexuals who also identify as LGB, so the results are pertinent to a segment of the total asexual population. We have more to learn about asexual heterosexuals.”

About the Study

The report, “Asexual and Non-Asexual Respondents from a U.S. Population-Based Study of Sexual Minorities” appears in Archives of Sexual Behavior and is co-authored by Esther D. Rothblum, Ph.D., Professor of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University, Evan A. Krueger, MPH, Research Coordinator at the Williams Institute, Krystal R. Kittle, Project Coordinator at the Williams Institute, and Ilan H. Meyer, Ph.D., Distinguished Senior Public Policy Scholar at the Williams Institute.

Research reported in this report is part of the Generations study, supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health, under award number R01HD078526. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The Generations investigators are Ilan H. Meyer, Ph.D., (PI, UCLA); David M. Frost, Ph.D., (University College London); Phillip L. Hammack, Ph.D., (UCSC); Marguerita Lightfoot, Ph.D., (UCSF); Stephen T. Russell, Ph.D. (University of Texas, Austin) and Bianca D.M. Wilson, Ph.D., (UCLA) Co-Investigators are listed alphabetically.

Josie Totah Leads the Trans Charge on TV

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Josie Totah

The former Disney star talks LGBTQ+ relatability on ‘Saved by the Bell’ and what’s next for trans representation
Chris Azzopardi

If you were expecting more of the same from “Saved by the Bell” when Peacock revived the series in 2020, you wouldn’t just be mistaken — you’d be pleasantly surprised. 

A staple of TV for a generation of teens, the show, which originally ran from 1989 to 1993, has undergone a woke update that, this season, includes a powerful trans storyline. 

Yep, in 2021, Bayside High now naturally reflects the world as we know it. And so there’s Lexi, the popular girl who just happens to be transgender. No big deal. At least that’s how the show treats it, and how former Disney star Josie Totah, the 20-year-old trans actor known for roles on “Glee,” the NBC comedy “Champions” and the Disney Channel series “Jessie,” prefers it. 

Recently, Totah spoke about the important message for trans allies in the show’s latest season of “Saved by the Bell” and how she thinks trans representation on TV has finally started to depict transgender people in a relatable and authentic way. 

This is not the “Saved by the Bell” I grew up with when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation. What does it mean to you to be a major part of that kind of representation on this more evolved and more queer-inclusive revival that’s far less hetero-centric than the original?

It’s awesome. Our show is so funny, and we get to tell so many cool stories that [weren’t] told in the original that are [relevant] to conversations that we’re having today, that represent people who’ve been around since the inception of time. And it’s awesome. It’s such a privilege. 

Have you gone back and watched any original episodes of “Saved by the Bell”? I just wonder how you interpret the conversations that were being had then versus the conversations that are a part of this reimagining.

Yeah, we went back and watched it as a cast. I mean, I had seen the show before just in its rerun phase in the early 2000s. I feel like that was a very big thing. I really based my character on the classic “Mean Girls” trope that we all know and love, and [I] flipped it on its head and gave her some surgery to make her very interesting and cool. Less stereotypically basic.

Being a part of this show was so important to you that you put school off to be a part of it. Can you explain why?

Well, I put school off, and then school put me off because the pandemic happened. So I was ahead of the curve, but I’m still in college. Somehow, I’m still graduating in May. [Showrunner Tracey Wigfield] told me that she had an idea of a character that she wrote for me, and I fell in love. We met up at a coffee shop in downtown L.A., and she’s just so cool. I love that woman so, so much, and that’s sort of how it happened. It’s one of the best opportunities I ever said yes to. 

As a producer, can you talk about what kind of input you’re giving when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation on the show, specifically as it pertains to Lexi?

I got to sit in the writers’ room this season, which was so fun. I joined once or twice a week and sat in and had a great time. Just to get to be in the room with so many fantastic writers from so many different walks of life and getting to bring my own authentic journey and story to the show was awesome. And I think it [made] the story truer to real life and more entertaining because it was more unique, and there’s relatability. So getting to that was awesome, but also getting to be a part of the other stories that we get to tell, like Aisha [played by Alycia Pascual-Peña]; her journey through her life, particularly in episode seven, was super fun. I remember being in the writers’ room that week and getting to delve into that.

Episode five blew my mind, especially as a fan of the original series. If I would’ve seen episode five when I was a kid, it would’ve changed my life. How did the idea to explore Lexi dealing with a really serious incident of transphobia evolve? 

Tracey has been very cool from the beginning and she’s just like, “We can talk about however much you wanna talk about when it comes to Lexi’s gender identity.” It was clear to us that we wanted to tell a story that sort of delved into her identity in a way that was more nuanced, that we hadn’t been able to come to last season, and that also sort of progressed her arc as a character outside of her gender identity. I just had my second COVID vaccine at the time in March when we were pitching different things of how we would tell this story, and someone came up with an idea for Lexi to write a play that would solve transphobia, which I think is literally the funniest thing in the entire world. It just is a ridiculously beautiful episode in that way, and it’s so funny. 

It deals with a really important societal issue — who carries the burden of having to make change for the trans community when transphobia happens? How did that resonate with you on a personal level?

That’s just a very real thing when it comes to the burdening of trauma, and it’s crazy how people put the oppressed in charge of educating and solving things that everyone really should be working on. It was sick to get to tell it; it was very cool. And I’m glad that we show people probably how _not_ to be an asshole when it comes to things like that, and also how to be a better ally.

By the end of the episode, Lexi realizes that she’s got real support in her peers. But you also have Slater, played by Mario Lopez, on your side. You’ve got Jessie on your side. The original cast is advocating for you; they’re allies of the community, clearly. What kind of conversations did you have with the original cast concerning that episode when it came to any kind of LGBTQ+ issues and transphobia? 

None of the original cast, but Belmont [Cameli, as Jamie Spano], Dexter [Darden as Devante Young] and Alycia are some of my best friends in the entire world, and I’m so honored, particularly with Bel and Dex and Mitch Hoog [as Mac Morris], just to have three guys who are straight and cis and really understand me and see me for my full self and not just one part of me. But also recognizing that life is different for me. It’s so beautiful, and particularly with Bel and Dex just because they were in that episode the most. They’re just the most supportive guys ever. And I felt so loved and so privileged. It brought me to tears. We shared a lot of love, and I really felt like they were carrying me on their shoulders that week. 

It’s important for straight men to see that it’s cool when you stand up for people in the queer community. 

Yeah, it’s hot.

What was your high school experience like?

I mean, I went to a Catholic high school where I would call teachers by their first names and they’d be like, “Shut the hell up, sit down. My name is Sister Rebecca.” And I’d be like, “Becca.” I thought that I was really cool, but I wasn’t. [I was] kind of just this kid who people knew from the Disney Channel and they’re like, “That’s that weirdo.” 

Yeah, I was crazy, but I met two of my best friends there, and we’re still best friends to this day, and we survived. I think if you can survive Catholic high school with people, you’re with them forever. But also it was an awesome Catholic high school, I will say. Very supportive of gender diversity and sexual orientation, and they were very cool. I was very, very privileged to not have a toxic experience.

I grew up Catholic too, and you don’t hear that very often about the Catholic experience.

You really don’t, but they always told me, “Boo boo, like, you might be weird, but God created you. So we blame him and not you. And you’re meant to be who you’re meant to be.”

There’s obviously been so much talk over the years concerning trans representation. How can we improve the representation of trans characters in TV and film? And how do you think Lexi advances trans representation in a positive way?

First and foremost, it’s played by me, an actual trans person, which obviously is unfortunately revolutionary since so many of our stories have been appropriated and have been told by people who have no idea what the trans experience is like and have surrounded it with [the] negativity of violence. Also, I’m a producer, which is sick. Like, that’s amazing because I think it speaks to the authenticity in front of and behind the camera, which is very, very important. I’m not just being tokenized; I’m being listened to and I’m being valued, and it does change the show. It makes it better in my opinion, at least I’d hope, because it makes it more authentic. And I think that’s sort of the goal, right? Not just placing people in these positions to sort of fill a diversity hire, but valuing their experience and capitalizing on their experience and their willingness to share for the benefit of the story, which is awesome. It makes our show so good.

Like you mentioned, so many trans narratives _are_ told through the lens of trans struggle.

That’s important, but it’s also important to tell other stories too, because we’re fully encompassing human beings.

Do you see a change in how Hollywood is representing trans people that isn’t focused on trans struggle? 

I think we’re turning a corner, but I wanna see a trans rom-com of a girl starring in her own movie and living her best life. I wanna see an undercover spy movie where a trans girl has to travel to Bulgaria and take down a drug heist. There are so many different realms that I wanna see and I’m going to do. And I’m so excited that I get to be young and able and afforded that opportunity to throw my hat in the ring. I’m grateful that I’m living in this time, and I’m also excited to hopefully be able to tell other trans stories and other stories of people of color and people from different marginalized communities too, and highlighting their own journeys as well, which I think is very important.

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

Executive Director Fred Swanson to Leave Gay City

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Fred Swanson Gay City

Gay City’s Board of Directors announced Executive Director Fred Swanson is stepping down from his position after more than two decades. Fred will remain involved with the organization until June 1, 2022, and Bekah Telew, Gay City’s Director of Development, will serve as Interim Co-Executive Director during the transition.

“I am so grateful for the friendship and partnerships that developed over two decades,” said Swanson. “We have such talented and creative staff and volunteers and a leadership team that understands what is necessary to continue to move Gay City forward. It’s hard to imagine not being there, and also liberating to know that the special place we have built together will continue to grow and thrive in new ways under new leadership.”

Under Fred’s leadership, Gay City’s programming and impact expanded significantly. This growth included assuming the programs of the Seattle Gay Clinic in 2004, continuing critical parts of Verbena’s work in 2008, and assuming the programs of the Seattle LGBT Community Center in 2009. Gay City created new office spaces to accommodate for the additional service offerings, launched Gay City Arts, created a Youth Advisory Council, implemented core equity trainings for staff, and offered a home to queer organizations Ingersoll Gender Center, Equal Rights Washington, and Three Dollar Bill Cinema.

“Gay City has benefitted tremendously from Fred’s leadership over his two decades as Executive Director,” said Ronn Arii, Gay City’s Board Co-Chair. “He has steered this organization through challenges, great successes, unprecedented growth, and has cemented Gay City’s position as a vital and integral part of the LGBTQ community in Seattle and beyond. He leaves us in a solid position to move forward with the evolution of Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center.” 

With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the news that the building Gay City has called home since 2006 had been sold, Fred worked with the Board of Directors to find a new home for Gay City. A space and location that are responsive to the changing needs of LGBTQ people in Seattle and focuses on community members furthest from health equity.

Gay City’s Board of Directors and staff leadership will be working through a 90-day transition plan and have formed a Leadership Model Task Force. The Task Force will collaboratively explore the next iteration of Gay City’s leadership. Internal and external stakeholders will be consulted and the Task Force will solicit information from other nonprofit organizations that have implemented new and non-traditional leadership models. 

“Building a new leadership model aligns perfectly with our organization’s goals to always innovate, remain resilient, and respond to our community’s needs,” said Arii. “Our history of innovation coupled with our stable financial position and move to a new space present the right timing for a thoughtful exploration of a new and progressive leadership model.” 

The 90-day transition plan and the work of the Task Force will culminate with an announcement of the organization’s new leadership model, and Gay City will begin implementing next steps to bring this new model to fruition. 

“Gay City will always be part of my life, now and in the future,” said Swanson. “My primary focus over the past twenty years has been to build stability and sustainability,” said Swanson. “And we have done that. It is time to give this wonderful opportunity I have had to someone else. The new leadership will step into an organization that is financially strong and continues to build new ways to show up for and serve Seattle’s LGBTQ communities.” 

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About Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center
With more than 25 years of supporting and advocating for LGBTQ communities, Gay City provides a place for you to be authentically yourself. Our mission is to cultivate access and connections to promote self-determination, liberation, and joy in our communities. We center health equity and are the leading HIV/STI testing provider in King County. For more information, visit gaycity.organd @GayCity on Instagram and Facebook and @GayCitySeattle on Twitter.

Afghanistan: Taliban Target LGBT Afghans

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OutRight International

Surge in Threats, Rape, Assault, Wrongful Detention
OutRight International

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Afghans and people who do not conform to rigid gender norms in Afghanistan have faced an increasingly desperate situation and grave threats to their safety and lives under the Taliban, OutRight Action International and Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 43-page report, “’Even If You Go to the Skies, We’ll Find You’: LGBT People in Afghanistan After the Taliban Takeover” is based on 60 interviews with LGBT Afghans. Many reported that Taliban members attacked or threatened them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Others reported abuse from family members, neighbors, and romantic partners who now support the Taliban or believed they had to act against LGBT people close to them to ensure their own safety. Some fled their homes from attacks by Taliban members or supporters pursuing them. Others watched lives they had carefully built over the years disappear overnight and found themselves at risk of being targeted at any time because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
 

“We spoke with LGBT Afghans who have survived gang rape, mob attacks, or have been hunted by their own family members who joined the Taliban, and they have no hope that state institutions will protect them,” said J. Lester Feder, senior fellow for emergency research at OutRight Action International. “For those LGBT people who want to flee the country, there are few good options; most of Afghanistan’s neighbors also criminalize same-sex relations. It is difficult to overstate how devastating – and terrifying – the return of Taliban rule has been for LGBT Afghans.”
 

Most interviewees were in Afghanistan, while others had fled to nearby countries. In addition to worrying about these countries’ laws against same-sex relations, interviewees outside Afghanistan lacked proper immigration status, so were at risk of being summarily deported.

Afghanistan was a dangerous place for LGBT people well before the Taliban retook full control of the country on August 15, 2021. In 2018, the government of then-President Ashraf Ghani passed a law that explicitly criminalized same-sex sexual relations, and the previous penal code included vague language widely interpreted as making same-sex relations a criminal offense. LGBT people interviewed had experienced many abuses because of their sexual orientation or gender identity prior to the Taliban’s return to power, including sexual violence, child and forced marriage, physical violence from their families and others, expulsion from schools, blackmail, and being outed. Many were forced to conceal key aspects of their identity from society and from family, friends, and colleagues.

However, when the Taliban, who had been in power from 1996 to late 2001, regained control of the country, the situation dramatically worsened. The Taliban reaffirmed the previous government’s criminalization of same-sex relations, and some of its leaders vowed to take a hard line against the rights of LGBT people. A Taliban spokesperson told Reuters in October, “LGBT… That’s against our Sharia [Islamic] law.”

A Taliban judge told the German tabloid Bild shortly before the fall of Kabul, “For homosexuals, there can only be two punishments: either stoning, or he must stand behind a wall that will fall down on him.” A manual issued by the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue in 2020 states that religious leaders shall prohibit same-sex relations and that “strong allegations” of homosexuality shall be referred to the ministry’s district manager for adjudication and punishment. 

Despite making repeated pledges to respect human rights, the Taliban have engaged in widespread rights abuses since retaking control of the country, including revenge killings, systematic discrimination against women and girls, severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, and land grabbing. In this context, marked by systematic abuse of power combined with virulent anti-LGBT sentiment, Taliban officials and their supporters have carried out acts of violence against LGBT people with impunity.

A gay man said that Taliban members detained him at a checkpoint, beat him, and gang-raped him, telling him, “From now on anytime we want to be able to find you, we will. And we will do whatever we want with you.” A lesbian said that after the Taliban takeover, her male relatives joined the Taliban and threatened to kill her because of her sexual orientation.

Most people interviewed believed their only path to safety was asylum in a country with greater protections for LGBT people, but very few LGBT Afghans escaping Afghanistan are known to have reached a safe country. Only the United Kingdom has publicly announced that it has resettled a small number of LGBT Afghans. Organizations assisting LGBT Afghans say that hundreds of people have contacted them, seeking international protection and resettlement.
 

“The Taliban have explicitly pledged not to respect LGBT Afghans rights,” said Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s critically important for concerned governments to urgently put pressure on the Taliban to respect the rights of LGBT people, ensure that assistance they provide Afghanistan reaches LGBT people, and recognize that LGBT Afghans seeking asylum face a special risk of persecution in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.”

For more information, please contact:

  • For OutRight Action International, in Michigan, J. Lester Feder (English, Spanish): +1-703-785-1747 (mobile); or jlfeder@OutRightInternational.org. Twitter: @jlfeder                                         
  • For OutRight Action International, in Washington, DC, Neela Ghoshal (English, French): +1-917-935-9087 (mobile); or nghoshal@outrightinternational.org. Twitter: @NeelaGhoshal
  • For Human Rights Watch, in Islamabad, Heather Barr (English): +1-646-479-2703 (mobile); or barrh@hrw.org. Twitter: @heatherbarr1
  • For Human Rights Watch, in New York, Graeme Reid (English): +1-203-606-5847 (mobile); or reidg@hrw.org. Twitter: @Graemecreid

***To download video

Jonathan Van Ness Gets Curious

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Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness Gets Curious
The ‘Queer Eye’ grooming expert’s new Netflix show explores everything from bugs to being nonbinary
By Chris Azzopardi

Before I talk to Jonathan Van Ness about their new Netflix show, “Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness,” they take me on a little on-camera adventure that involves them “needing cuter light.”

They do a 180 with the computer. They swivel in their chair. “I need more natural light in my life, I’m sorry,” they say, still shifting and “getting comfortable.”

And then once they find that magical spot where the light hits their face in just the right place, the 34-year-old “Queer Eye” grooming expert grooms their computer, gently wiping the lens with a tissue. If you’re going to wear what they’re wearing — it appears to be a chiffon kaftan — you don’t want a dusty ol’ lens muddying its bright pink radiance, honey.

“I did an outfit change for you,” they say, having slipped into their new, flowier ensemble just before our interview.

Van Ness, who is also a children’s book author and one of just a few openly nonbinary public figures, rocks an entire closet of gender-nonconforming fashion on Season 6 of “Queer Eye,” which hit Netflix on New Year’s Eve 2021. On their new six-episode series, a TV adaptation of their podcast “Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness,” the multi-hyphenate even has an entire episode devoted to gender identity.

Featured in the episode, titled “Can We Say Bye-Bye to the Binary?,” are gender nonconforming activist Alok Vaid-Menon and Geo Neptune, the first two-spirit elected official in the state of Maine. With Van Ness, who says they hadn’t even heard the term nonbinary until the age of 30, Vaid-Menon and Neptune explore what their identity means to them and the history of our rigid gender binary. The show also intends to open up minds on other topics as well, such as why bugs aren’t so bad, figure skating’s minority barriers and, naturally, an entire episode on the history of coifs called “Why Is Hair So Major?”


All aglow through a freshly cleaned computer camera, Van Ness spoke to me about the “sense of ease” they feel now, a dream “Getting Curious” guest star they’re not sure they could form words around, and their very personal reason for being completely theirself around young queer people.

I watched a lot of “Getting Curious” yesterday and wanted to thank you for modeling curiosity, first of all. I think as adults we tend to lose our imagination and we just accept some things for the way that they are. Is that what you felt going into the show

Well, I started “Getting Curious,” the podcast, in 2015. I’ve always been someone who loves to learn, and I’m just a very curious person. And I clearly love talking. So the idea — wanting to understand the world around me better — has been something that’s existed within me for as long as I can remember. So that was definitely something that I wanted the opportunity to break down on the Netflix stage ’cause it’s a very big stage. 

And I wanted to bring a more visual, multi-medium, multifaceted world in which the podcast — but as a TV show — could live. So I’m just really excited that we got the opportunity and that Netflix believed in me enough and that we can go explore the world together. So I’m just really excited that I have the opportunity and I hope everyone loves it.

You mention Netflix being a big stage, which it is. Is that why you were like, “You know what? We are gonna do an entire episode devoted to nonbinary and gender nonconforming people”? 

Yeah. Being someone who is nonbinary is something that I think I’ve been my entire life. I only had language for it in these last few years. But the amount of trans misogyny that I’ve had to endure and live through in my own life pales in comparison to some of the trans misogyny that other people have had to go through within our community and within our trans community, specifically. 

However, I wanted to humanize us. And it’s not only my job to do this, obviously. But I wanted to have a time where we could talk and be together and learn together and just have that humanity, ’cause I think so often we are portrayed in this way that it’s just not human. It’s only around, like, violence or this feeling of, trans people are coming for our way of life. Or trans people are coming for tradition. Or trans people are coming for sports. Or trans people are coming for public safety, or whatever it is. 

And I wanted to show people that we are human and we are all sorts of different things that are not threatening, and actually very beautiful and amazing and are just as natural as the grass or rain. You know, we’ve been here forever. And I was really excited to get an opportunity to share that information.

There aren’t a lot of nonbinary public figures in the world, and you seem to be aware of that as you’ve been using your platform to really educate people.

Absolutely. I think that for me, being someone who was very mercilessly bullied all throughout my childhood and formative educational years, I’ve always been very moved by this thought of, “If I could make it easier for other people like me or put a little bit of an end to other people’s suffering, it would make my suffering more worth it.” And so I’ve always liked the idea of using what I’ve learned to help make other people’s lives easier.

I love that you said that because my colleague, whose queer son loves you, wanted to know how you feel when it’s a kid who looks to you as a huge inspiration as they’re navigating their own gender and identity.

That’s a really good question. I think sometimes when I see much younger children, like in my standup comedy show, I just feel immediately guilty. I’m like, “Oh my god. I hope I don’t traumatize them, honey, ’cause we are going there tonight.” So in that sense, it can be a little bit harder, but so often I think about Margaret Cho when I think about how I want to live my life as a public figure. I was introduced to her work at a very young age. I was maybe 10 or 11 when I first saw one of her specials on Comedy Central. And she did not hold back. She was herself. She _is_ herself. She’s a full-bodied version of herself. And look at how I turned out. I’m fine. 

So I just feel like I wanna be myself. I don’t wanna totally limit my art or my creativity thinking about, like, “Oh my gosh, is this gonna be too much for someone?” I feel honored that people of any age would look to me and find more self-love, more self-acceptance, more comedy, more joy. More curiosity. So I think I wanna think about that because if I think about, like, “Oh my gosh, I’m a role model for a lot of young people,” and even just success in general, if I thought about it too much, I would become really full of anxiety and unsure of what to do. And so I think in order for me to stay connected to myself and my own vision, I have to not think too much about the way that it’s gonna be received.

Do you have moments in your mind where you’re like, “What would this have meant to little Jonathan growing up in Quincy, Illinois?”

Very much. And sometimes that’s actually another one of those feelings where sometimes I think if I felt that feeling all the way, I know I’d just be in a corner crying because I can’t believe that I’ve been able to do this with my life. But I do hope that other young people seeing me achieve what I’ve been able to achieve in my career won’t find it so shocking when they achieve their dreams. Because for me growing up, I felt like it was unheard of. I didn’t think that I was ever gonna see someone like me be so successful and beloved and accepted and able to create their own projects. It really is such an honor. And I want other people, especially young people, to look at me and think that they can do it too.

Is this your first season on “Queer Eye” identifying openly as nonbinary? 

I came out about being nonbinary in 2019, before we filmed Season 5, but I don’t know if me talking about it in that season made it to air.

I wondered because you are fully yourself this season in a way that I hadn’t really seen before. You’re really embodying your whole self, even down to the fashion. Did you feel differently this season?

Yeah. I think it’s just been such a fast four years, you know? From shooting Season 1 and 2 in Atlanta in 2017, which is when we actually shot that, and then Season 3 and 4, which we shot in 2018, really soon after the show had come out. Season 1 and 2 we shot together. Season 3 and 4, together. And then 5 was its own thing. And then 6 was its own thing. And so each one of those chunks I feel like I was in just a wholly different life situation every single time. Just neck-spraining differences in life situations. So I do think that the season between being married and … definitely this was the first season where I was public about my HIV status. Just very public in all of the things. And so I think that that maybe did lead to just a more overall sense of ease.

In “Getting Curious,” you’ve got some great guest stars, including Rachel Dratch, Lea DeLaria and Michelle Kwan. Who is on your dream guest star list for potential future episodes of the show? 

I mean, once you do have Michelle Kwan, I don’t know where else you’re gonna go from there. I kind of started with the most major one ever! But I mean, I feel like… is Adele ever available? Beyoncé? Michelle Obama, honey? Like, I’m shooting for the stars, but I don’t know. Who knows?

Oprah?

Oh my god, Oprah. Aaah! I don’t know if I could even have Oprah ’cause I think I would literally do that for the whole 22 minutes. Aah! Aaah!

I’d watch it. I would.

The title of that episode: “Can Jonathan Form Words Around Oprah?”