In Randy Rainbow’s “Little Mermaid” Parody, Trump Is a “Poor Deplorable Troll”

By James St. James on July 6, 2020 9:54 am

Really, he deserves his own Broadway show when this all over. Hell, he deserves a TV series, a three-picture movie deal, and a Nobel Peace Prize. I even think we should erect Randy Rainbow statues in place of all the Confederate ones scattered around the country. He's THAT … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Frida Kahlo

By Stephen Rutledge on July 6, 2020 3:03 am

July 6, 1907 - Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón: "I paint myself because I am often alone, and I am the subject I know best." The Portland Art Museum (PAM) was to have been having sold-out crowds for Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism this summer, and as a … [Read more...]

#OnThisDay: 1946, the Bikini is Introduced to the World

By Stephen Rutledge on July 5, 2020 8:00 am

On July 5, 1946, the world's first bikini made its debut at a poolside fashion show in Paris. It is now so ubiquitous, it's difficult to believe how shocking it once was. When the bikini first arrived, its revealing cut scandalized even the French fashion models who were … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Jean Cocteau

By Stephen Rutledge on July 5, 2020 3:00 am

"Cocteau In Bed With A Mask, Paris" (1927) by Berenice Abbott, via YouTube July 5, 1889 - Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau: "Life is a horizontal fall." He was a poet, writer, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. While still in his teens, Cocteau began to … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Activist, Sylvia Rivera

By Stephen Rutledge on July 2, 2020 3:03 am

Rivera leads an ACT-UP march on June 26, 1994, via YouTube July 2, 1951- Sylvia Rivera: "I was a radical, a revolutionist. I am still a revolutionist…I am glad I was in the Stonewall Riot. I remember when someone threw a Molotov cocktail, I thought, 'My god, the revolution … [Read more...]

Godzilla Jr. Comes Out as Trans in This Poignant Video Short

By James St. James on July 1, 2020 2:01 pm

Coming out to a parent is always hard, whether you are human or a bipedal irradiated lizard creature. @TOHO_GODZILLA – the official Twitter account for the fan-favorite movie dinosaur – shared a touching home video of Baby Godzilla coming out as trans to their father. After … [Read more...]

Dispatches From Portland: Darcelle XV, the West Coast’s Longest-Running Drag Show is Nominated for Landmark Status

By Stephen Rutledge on July 1, 2020 12:30 pm

Photo via Wikimedia Commons On Tuesday, June 30, my Representative, the honorable Earl Blumenauer, urged the National Park Service to add Darcelle XV to the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1967, two years before Stonewall, Darcelle XV has been Portland's premier … [Read more...]

Watch the Trailer for “Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado” Coming to Netflix

By James St. James on July 1, 2020 10:18 am

Every day for decades, Walter Mercado — Psychic/astrologist/wowlebrity/gender nonconforming fashion icon— mesmerized 120 million Latino viewers with his extravagance and positivity. Then he vanished from the public eye. Now a new Netflix documentary tells you … [Read more...]

You Can Now See Ru Girls Monét X Change, Naomi Smalls, Aquaria, Yvie Oddly, Miss Vanjie, Violet Chachki (and more) LIVE at a Drive-In Theater, at “Drive ‘N Drag”!

By Paisley Dalton on July 1, 2020 10:02 am

Voss Events is partnering with Westfield malls on a brand-new drag queen experience this summer: Drive ‘N Drag!...starring a bunch of RuPaul’s Drag Race favorites including Yvie Oddly, Aquaria, Acid Betty, Monét X Change, Miss … [Read more...]

Women Take On The Hollywood Patriarchy, 1944: Olivia de Havilland

By Stephen Rutledge on July 1, 2020 5:00 am

The great actor and film historian Louise Brooks (1906-1985) wrote that the movie industry began because a bunch of rich men thought it would be just terrific fun to own beautiful young women. Women like Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn and Olivia de Havilland pushed back against … [Read more...]