lgbtq community events by scott leonard GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS
Out actress and producer Niecy Nash will host the virtual
ceremony for the 32nd annual GLAAD Media Awards that will stream on GLAAD’s YouTube channel on Thursday, April 8. The virtual ceremony will also stream that day on Hulu and will be available on-demand on Hulu until the end of June. “I am so thrilled to be hosting this year’s GLAAD Media Awards, honoring the LGBTQ stories and images that change the world by growing acceptance and understanding,” Nash said. “My wife Jessica and I are still thriving in newlywed bliss, and I’m looking forward to bringing that love and joy to GLAAD’s biggest night. Be ready for a surprise or two!” GLAAD announced 198 nominees in 28 categories. This
year, several categories increased from five to 10 worthy nominees to recognize expanding levels of diverse LGBTQ representation across several media genres. For a full list of nominees, visit
glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees. The cast of Glee will reunite during the virtual ceremony
for a special tribute to the legacy of the late Naya Rivera’s character Santana Lopez. The tribute will honor the 10-year anniversary of Santana’s coming out as lesbian in the GLAAD Media Award-winning series and spotlight the character’s impact on LGBTQ teens and Latinx LGBTQ representation on television. Demi Lovato, who played Santana’s girlfriend on Glee, will introduce the homage. Each year, GLAAD presents non-competitive Special
Recognition Awards to media projects that do not fit into one of the existing GLAAD Media Awards categories. This year, GLAAD will present Special Recognition honors to eight media projects that spotlighted diverse segments of the LGBTQ community in innovative ways. Those projects are: After Forever (Amazon), Deadline’s New Hollywood podcast, Happiest Season Soundtrack (Facet/Warner Records), Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles (Patrik Ian-Polk Entertain- ment), Out (Pixar/Disney+), Razor Tongue (YouTube), “The Son” episode of Little America (Apple TV+), and Jesse & Joy’s “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma).” GLAAD is also working with TikTok on a special recognition
titled “TikTok Queer Advocate of the Year,” which will highlight the TikTok creators who have taken LGBTQ visibility to new heights. The winner will be announced the night of the GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.
glaad.org
OUTFEST FUSION
This year’s Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC
(Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Film Festival will feature 10 feature films, 41 short films, a One-Minute Movie Contest sponsored by Hyundai, two drive-in experiences at Exposition Park, and a dozen workshops and panels for filmmakers and public to attend from Friday, April 16 to Tuesday, April 20. Now in its 18th year, Outfest Fusion showcases the work of queer and
trans filmmakers of color, providing the audiences and storytellers alike with the critical visibility that is needed to build careers, opportunities, and empathy for our stories. Beyond authentically connecting the industry and the public to so many of our community’s underrepresented artists, Outfest Fusion also provides educational workshops, masterclasses, networking events, and the renowned One-Minute Movie Contest. “Outfest Fusion facilitates an environment where QTBIPOC people are
able to learn, teach, showcase their talent, and feel validated, bridging the gap between the industry’s gatekeepers and so many marginalized people who are typically left out of the conversation. This is why we must continue to grow Outfest Fusion!,” Outfest Executive Director Damien S. Navarro said. To date, Outfest Fusion has showcased over 10,000 works to nearly 250,000 audience members and impacted over 2,500 storytellers and up up-and-coming industry members with its Fusion workshops, contests and events. Feature films from notable directors this year include Nathan Hale
Williams, an Outfest alum who’s presenting All Boys Aren’t Blue ; Marion Hill’s Sundance premiere Ma Belle, My Beauty; Mari Walker’s recent SXSW world premiere See You Then; and Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blindspotting) is presenting Summertime, at this year’s festival which ico-written by its sprawling cast of young Los Angeles poets, including queer BIPOC voices, and is in connection with Outfest Fusion’s celebration of the power of the spoken word. Outfest Fusion will kick off the evening of April 16 with a live spoken word
showcase, including performances by Tyris Winter of Summertime, and Chicago-based raptivist Bella BAHHS from the Outfest Fusion feature documentary Unapologetic, among others. Notable short films will include Maisie Richardson Sellers’ Sunday’s
Child, about a vivid house party of QTPOC who welcome a young woman into their community where she can let down her walls; Whitney Skauge’s The Beauty President, a SXSW-premiere short about Joan Jett Blakk’s historic bid for the White House as one of the first openly queer write-in candidates, featuring Terence Smith, the man behind the persona, who reflects back on his place in gay rights history at the height of the AIDS crisis; the world premiere of Fawzia Mirza’s Noor & Layla; and Jas Pitt & Kate Stonehill’s Mother about a young dancer from Rio de Janeiro who finds acceptance through the art of ballroom and their vogueing family.
outfestfusion.com
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ragemonthly.com | APRIL 2021
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