Welcome to our weekly column, News is Good, where we feature positive news about the LGBTQ+ community. Too much of what we see in mainstream media coverage focuses on the challenges we face and not the celebrations. Here are a few things we’re excited about this week.
The Seattle Trans Film Festival kicks off May 4. TRANSlations heads into its 18th year of celebrating trans filmmakers and creatives with this year’s film fest. Available virtually and in-person, viewers can check out feature-length films, shorts and special programming, all focusing on trans and gender nonconforming stories. Actor Daniel Sea (“The L Word” “Shortbus”) will be in attendance as a special guest artist and juror.
An updated guide for allies. Have progressive and committed allies in your life? Maybe you want your friends and family to be more active in LGBTQ+ advocacy. The new edition of “THE SAVVY ALLY: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate” by Jeannie Gainsburg debuts this Saturday through Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Initially published in 2020, the new edition contains updated information, including the “most current information on identities and LGBTQ+ language” and “appropriate actions to take after messing up.” One Hundred percent of sales of the new edition in 2023 will go to LGBTQ+ nonprofits.
Brittney Griner is writing a memoir. Freed from Russian detainment in December 2022, the basketball star just announced on her Instagram this week that she will write about her harrowing story in a memoir. According to Griner, she also hopes to bring attention to the accounts of other Americans detained worldwide. The memoir will be published by Alfred A. Knopf and is slated for spring 2024.
Professional and Olympic athletes sign an open letter in support of transgender & intersex girls and women in sports. Athlete Ally, founded by former college wrestler Hudson Taylor, created the open letter opposing the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” (H.R. 734). The letter was signed by many big names in sports, including pro soccer player Becky Sauerbrunn, basketball star Sue Bird and trans boxer Patricio Manuel.
“Queer Eye” season seven heads to New Orleans. Netflix has announced that the new season of “Queer Eye” will drop May 12 on the streaming platform. Hosts Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown and Tan France, also known as the Fab Five, will head to New Orleans, Louisiana to “bring some sparkle and sass to New Orleans and transform the lives of residents who are in need of a fresh start.”