Pride
Wilson Cruz and ‘Visible’ Team on LGBTQ Representation In 2020: ‘There Is a Lot More Work to Be Done’
Actor Wilson Cruz, producer Jessica Hargrave and director Ryan White participated in Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit on Saturday. During a live-streamed panel — titled “Apple TV+ Presents: Visibility” — the team behind Apple TV+’s docuseries Visible: Out on Television discussed the importance of LGBTQ representation in a time of unprecedented divisiveness. According to Cruz — an executive producer on the project — uplifting marginalized voices feels particularly meaningful as Pride marches are beginning to overlap with protests for the Black Lives Matter movement, reignited by the killing of George Floyd and unceasing police brutality against Black people. “In this moment, given everything that we are experiencing globally — not just here i...
Lilly Wachowski and Abby McEnany on the Power of Showcasing ‘Unpalatable Queers’ on TV
Lilly Wachowski and Abby McEnany — stars, writers and producers of Showtime’s LGBTQ-centered series Work in Progress — participated in Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit on Saturday. During their live-streamed discussion, titled “Work in Progress: Being Your Authentic Self in This Business” and sponsored by Wells Fargo, the talented duo spoke about the power of showcasing “unpalatable queers” in 2020. But first, Wachowski and McEnany touched on the intersection of Pride marches and protests for the reignited Black Lives Matter movement, a direct response to the killing of George Floyd and unceasing police brutality against Black people. “I think Lilly and I have been talking and we don’t know what we’re going to say. Th...
Todrick Hall on Having to Work ‘Three Times’ Harder Than White Artists to Find Success
Todrick Hall is glad that he’s made it, but he has some thoughts on the effort it took for him to get to where he is now. In a new exclusive clip from Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit & Pride Prom, the cover star of Billboard‘s Pride issue talks with Pose executive producer Steven Canals about the advice he received during his first Broadway stint in 2005’s The Color Purple. Hall says that the experienced Broadway actors he got to work with in the show gave him a wake-up call about the reality of show business for queer man of color. “They straight up told me, ‘In order for you to make it in this industry, you have to be three times as talented as your white counterparts,'” he recalls. “[They sa...
Why Billy Porter Wants People to Take Their Activism Offline & Get ‘In the Streets’
Billy Porter is tired of people acting shocked about violence against black people in America. “This is a country that was built on the backs of my ancestors who were stolen from their land to come over here and be forced into slavery,” he says. “And the people who wrote the constitution that y’all are so keen on owned slaves while they were writing it. Why are any of you surprised?” That’s the message Billy Porter starts with on the latest episode of Billboard’s Pridecast, the podcast from Billboard Pride where host and singer-songwriter Shea Diamond talks with the most influential LGBTQ names in music about how they got to where they are today, and what it means to be out in this industry. Since he got his star...
See the Full Schedule for Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit and Pride Prom
Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter announced today (June 11) the full programming details for the second annual Pride Summit and Prom, which will be held on Saturday (June 13) and feature a number of panels, tutorials, performances, conversations and more, leading up to the first-ever virtual Pride Prom. The day-long online event kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET with some opening remarks and a meditation led by Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors. Leading up to the 7 p.m. prom, fans will see performances and hear discussions with influential LGBTQ artists in the industry. Wilson Cruz, Jessica Hargrave and Ryan White – the team behind Apple TV+’s Visible: Out on Television – will participate in a panel discussion on LGBTQ representation in TV and film. Todrick Hal...
Raymix Comes Out as Gay: ‘I Am Free & Happier Than Ever’
Electrocumbia pioneer Raymix (real name: Edmundo Gómez Moreno) took to social media to come out as a gay to his fans opening up for the first time about his sexuality. In a five-minute video posted on his YouTube channel today (June 5), the “Oye Mujer” singer begins his heartfelt message acknowledging the vulnerable moment we’re living in today with the COVID-19 pandemic and cases of racism and discrimination, and then goes on to make the announcement. “Can you believe that in 2020, there are people in the industry who told me not to do this video? That I should stay quiet and pretend to be the person I am not because I wouldn’t be successful. They told me that the audience is not ready for an artist who sings cumbia or regional Mexican music [to come out as g...
Movement For Black Lives Is Seeking Policing Reforms on Black Out Tuesday
The music industry is taking a day to reflect on Tuesday (June 2) as part of Black Out Tuesday/#TheShowMustBePaused, an industry-wide effort to “disconnect from work and reconnect with our community.” In conjunction with the day of reflection — which was coordinated by Atlantic Records executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang in reaction to the police-involved killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others — the Movement 4 Black Lives, a coalition of 100 black-led organizations, is calling for five days of action, each focused on a specific set of demands. “It feels important to really move the needle on how we’re relating right now and call for very specific national asks that people can drill down at a local level in response to persisten...
Mykki Blanco, MNEK & More Stars Start Off Pride Month by Remembering Its Protest Roots
On June 28, 1969, hundreds of queer people fought back against police brutality at The Stonewall Inn in New York City. Many black and brown folks, including pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson, were the catalysts of those protests, and eventually of the LGBTQ rights movement that followed. The Stonewall Riots are widely considered to be the beginning of what we now know as Pride Month, which begins today (June 1). As demonstrators around the country gather to mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and many others, and to protest the continued police brutality used against the black community, many are calling for the LGBTQ community at large to use this Pride Month as a time to stand in solidarity with the protesters. On Monday (June 1), those sentiments were shared online by a number...
Cody Simpson Drops Miley Cyrus-Directed ‘Captain’s Dance With the Devil’ Video While in Quarantine: Watch
Cody Simpson appears in drag in his new “Captain’s Dance With the Devil” music video, directed by Miley Cyrus. The singer-songwriter tells the story of a sailor “yearning for freedom” on his latest track, and the new clip, filmed in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic and released on Thursday (May 21), offers an intimate, moody portrait of the song’s character. “The song can be interpreted in myriad ways and this was my primary idea. Miley interpreted the song, which is reflected in the newly released visual, as the Captain’s struggle with societal norms regarding masculinity, and his secret affinity for dressing as a woman at a time when this was not as widely accepted as it now has become,” Simpson explained (quote via Rolling Stone)...
Randy Rainbow Rebukes Trump’s ‘Obamagate’ Conspiracy With ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Parody: Watch
As COVID-19 continues to ravage the United States, President Donald Trump has made headlines for something completely different — claiming that former President Barack Obama attempted to sabotage the Trump administration (or as he called it on Twitter, “Obamagate“). But internet comedian Randy Rainbow says he can see right through the president’s favorite new conspiracy theory, and decided to point out exactly what he thinks the president is doing. On Tuesday (May 19), Rainbow uploaded a brand new parody song titled “Distraction,” set to the tune of “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof, where he calls out Trump’s attempts to change the narrative. “So how does an unprepared reality TV host pretending to be the president deal with su...
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Jackie Cox Shares a Diverse Playlist of Her All-Time Favorite Songs
On last week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the final five queens took their talents to the Strip to perform in a massive lip-sync medley of some of the original songs from RuPaul’s Drag Race Live in Las Vegas. Performing their very own verses, complete with choreography and set decorations, the remaining queens aimed to impress the judges one last time. It was a good night for Gigi Goode, who snatched her fourth and final challenge win, along with a spot in the finale. But Crystal Methyd & Jackie Cox found themselves on the chopping block — lip syncing to Jennifer Lopez’s “On the Floor,” the two vied for the last spot in the finale in the final main stage lip sync of the season. In the end, Crystal managed to earn her place, w...
Lip Sync Herstory: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull’s ‘On the Floor’
After a long and eventful season filled with dazzling highs and crushing lows, we’re finally in the home stretch of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12. On the May 15 episode, the final five queens duked it out to secure their spot in the top 4 by putting on a show-stopping Las Vegas singing and dancing spectacle in honor of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! In one of the stiffest competitions to date, Gigi Goode, Jaida Essence Hall, and Sherry Pie advanced to the grand finale, while Crystal Methyd and Jackie Cox found themselves in the bottom and having to fight for the last remaining spot. After a close lip-sync battle to Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull’s 2011 hit “On the Floor,” fan favorite Crystal Methyd claimed her spot in the finals, while Jackie Cox sashayed away. With less than two weeks to go u...
