Pride Month is here, and JezeRoot is back!
This month, we celebrate the beauty and vastness of the LGBTQ community and its contributions to this world—and what better way to kick it off than with a conversation about pride?
After all, the word “pride” means many things to many different people. In the African-American community, we often link a sense of pride with our ingenuity and resilience: “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud.”
But what does it mean to have pride as a black member of the LGBTQ community?
Geek Celebrities Can Help Shut Down Vitriolic Fan Behavior
At some point over the past few weeks, actress Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, deleted all of her Instagram posts for reasons that have not been explained. io9 has reached out to Tran’s representatives for comment about what happened but as of publishing, they’ve not returned our calls. Multiple reports are alleging that it might have been in response to racist, misogynist trolling from the Star Wars fandom, reports themselves based off of an as-yet unverified tweet from a fan account that spread quickly on social media.
Regardless of the specifics reasons for Tran’s disappearance from Instagram, the fact remains that groups of fans targeting specific people for harassment is a very real problem that’s not likely to go away soon unless people get serious about addressing it head-on.
via Geek Celebrities Can Help Shut Down Vitriolic Fan Behavior
Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran deletes Instagram posts after abuse – BBC News
Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran, who has suffered months of racist and sexist abuse on social media, has deleted all her posts on Instagram.
Tran starred as mechanic-turned-Resistance fighter Rose Tico in 2017’s The Last Jedi.
But she experienced a fierce backlash from some fans, who took aim at her ethnicity and appearance.
The film’s director, Rian Johnson, has defended the star, apparently describing some fans as “manbabies”.
via Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran deletes Instagram posts after abuse – BBC News
Qatar Airways boss in ‘heartfelt apology’ for sexist remark – BBC News
The boss of Qatar Airways has issued “heartfelt apologies for any offence caused” for saying that a woman could not do his job.
Akbar al-Baker said on Tuesday that the airline had to be led by a man “because it is a very challenging position”.
He later defended Qatar Airways’ record on gender diversity, but that failed to quell growing criticism.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr al-Baker said Qatar Airways fully supported gender equality.
via Qatar Airways boss in ‘heartfelt apology’ for sexist remark – BBC News
Outrage as it emerges schoolgirl is racially abused by drivers regularly while walking to Lincoln school – Lincolnshire Live
A student in Lincoln who wears a hijab is being racially abused by motorists as she walks to and from school.
The Priory Academy LSST pupil walks along Cross O’Cliff and the lower High Street every day to get to school.
But shockingly, people in passing cars are shouting at her as they drive past, Lincolnshire Police have revealed.
Masterpiece Baker Jake Phillips Says “I Don’t Discriminate”
Everyone can relax: Jake Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop wants you to know that he does not discriminate, even though he refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple and then went all the way to the Supreme Court to appeal his case after the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the Colorado Court of Appeals found that he had illegally discriminated against the couple. I’m relieved, frankly.
The Denver-based baker spoke with Today’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb following the Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling in his favor.
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Kotb asked Phillips about his response to critics who believe that he is discriminatory and is comparable to businesses that might not have provided services to an interracial couple 50 years ago.“I don’t discriminate against anybody,” said Phillips. “I serve anybody that comes in my shop. I just want to say again: I don’t create cakes for every message that people ask me to create.”
via Masterpiece Baker Jake Phillips Says “I Don’t Discriminate”
Pro-Choice Activists Take Abortion Pills Outside Belfast Courthouse to Protest Draconian Abortion Law
On Thursday, a few days after the Republic of Ireland voted in a referendum to overturn its nearly absolute ban on abortion, pro-choice advocates in Northern Ireland, where abortion is still outlawed under Victorian-era law, staged a bold and creative protest of the oppressive status quo.
The Guardian reports that activists took what they claimed were abortion pills outside court buildings in Belfast, and in front of news cameras. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where abortion is outlawed.
Drag Performer Donald Shorter Jr. on Masculinity at Livehacker
Multi-talented performer Donald Shorter, Jr. uses his/her experience as a dancer, performer, and drag queen to explain how mixing the masculine and feminine aspects of one’s own personality can make us better men, women, or anything in between.
via Drag Performer Donald Shorter Jr. on Masculinity at Livehacker
Trans Migrant Roxana Hernández Dies In ICE Detention
A 33-year-old transgender Honduran woman who was part of the so-called refugee caravan has died after being detained by immigration authorities.
Immigration officials identified the woman as Jeffry Hernandez, but LGBTQ immigrant rights advocates with the Transgender Law Center said she was an asylum seeker named Roxana Hernández.
A representative with the group Pueblo Sin Fronteras, which organized the caravan, confirmed Hernández was a member of the caravan.
Wall Street Journal Worries About ‘Illicit’ Sex Workers Hurting Multi-Million-Dollar Dating Sites
As Heidi Vogt and John D. McKinnon write, FOSTA has led to the shuttering of sites used by sex workers—and “some worry that could drive the pay-for-sex market to legitimate dating platforms.” They continue to explain, paraphrasing a legal expert, that “it could easily create liability for legitimate services if sex workers simply use their platforms.” The article is filled with moralizing language that poses “legitimate dating platforms” and “legitimate services” opposite “prostitutes.” It’s Match.com versus “bad behavior.” OKCupid versus “illicit behavior.” Tinder versus “those peddling sex.” Peddling sex! I get it, it can be hard to find synonyms for sex work—a phrase the Wall Street Journal article does not once use—but the word choices here are revealing, my dudes. (Note that the Wall Street Journal editorial board came out strong against FOSTA—but their argument had nothing to do with sex workers’ rights.)
via Wall Street Journal Worries About ‘Illicit’ Sex Workers Hurting Multi-Million-Dollar Dating Sites