It turns out the “lesbian renaissance” only has 85 people. 

No, I am not talking about the Renaissance as defined by Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Bottoms, and Drive-Away Dolls. That Renaissance is well populated. 

It’s the Renaissance defined by Jenny Watson, a lesbian and self-described TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) committed to the idea that lesbians can only be “biologically female.”

My number comes from Watson’s female-only lesbian and bisexual dating and community app, L Community, which took LGBTQ news and Twitter by storm last month when it claimed it could identify and exclude transgender women to a rate of 99.89 percent accuracy using AI-powered “sex recognition software.”

As of Aug. 7, more than 60 days since launching, the website couldn’t even break 100 users. 

After reading L Community’s definition of biological sex — “biological sex is firmly linked to distinct reproductive anatomies dedicated to producing sperm or eggs for reproduction” — I realized that I — a transmasculine person — fit the bill for “adult human female.” 

So, I checked the box verifying that I was “biologically female,” snapped a picture of my face — and signed up for the dating app. I didn’t shave beforehand, so my testosterone-induced stubble remained in the picture. Chest photos were not required so my flat chest raised no alarms.

Not that any of that would have mattered, Watson is clear that her app can’t be trans-exclusive because “there are many biological women who identify as males and we would certainly welcome those women.” 

I paid and was refunded the $12.75 to verify my identity. And I was ushered into the community, which was notably silent. The only content was from Watson. Posts include telling members the proper dating app portion was on its way via an invite-only basis and asking if anyone wanted to join a Zoom meet up since “our recent event had only six attendees.” Another user posted sporadic lesbian-themed memes.

I used my legal name to register, as the platform requested. Conveniently, I haven’t changed my name to Henry yet. At the same time, I reached out to Watson multiple times for comment under the name I publish under and use. 

(To counter any claims of misrepresentation, my chosen and legal names are irrevocably tied together on the internet due to my brief time publishing with both. A cursory search of either name identifies both as associated with me.) 

In response to an initial email request for an interview, she wrote “To ensure our message is accurately conveyed, I would prefer to answer your questions via email,” and provided the background “L’App is designed to create a safe and respectful space exclusively for lesbians, utilising facial recognition technology to ensure that only biological females can sign up.”

Watson noted, “This innovation addresses specific concerns raised by many in our community regarding their dating experiences.”

When I followed up with specific questions, as requested, such as the number of active users or their approach to people using the singular “they” pronoun or how they plan to approach intersex individuals, Watson failed to respond in a 5-day comment period. I extended that to 7 days out of courtesy, and heard nothing.

Ten days after I reached out with my questions, Watson asked for another week to respond. I provided her with a work-week deadline and never heard back.

Watson’s stances on the nonbinary, intersex, and trans community are of public record, however.

Watson had previously described a queer, nonbinary musician — who happens to be in a relationship with a man — as “a straight woman LARPing.” She tweeted in dismissal of the inclusion of nonbinary and intersex people in lesbian bars and lesbian history. 

In the same interview Watson said trans men were welcome on the app because they are actually women, Watson repeated that no trans woman could be a woman, to the surprise of the conservative interviewers who questioned if Watson’s conviction held “if they have gone through it, and they’re completely a woman now.” It, of course, being transition. 

By the logic presented in the interview, trans men who pass as men, who have testosterone levels equal to that of a cisgender man, and who have received top and bottom surgery are eligible for participation in the community, but trans women who pass as women, have received top and bottom surgery, and have testosterone levels of a cisgender woman cannot. 

Not that passing is something that every trans person wants, can do, or should be a necessity to gain respect or protection from discrimination.

Additionally, Watson’s app may not be open to cisgender women as well.

Watson was quick to tweet against Imane Khalif, the cisgender boxer whose gender was questioned by a coalition of far-right actors ranging from JK Rowling to JD Vance. (The only “proof” that Khalif has XY chromosomes comes from a highly discredited Russian sports organization.)

The L Community website states that: “In humans, biological sex is firmly linked to distinct reproductive anatomies dedicated to producing sperm or eggs for reproduction. At birth, human reproductive anatomy is unmistakably male or female in over 99.98 percent of cases.” Meaning, that there are only .002 percent of people who are intersex. 

This statistic is categorically incorrect. The Cleveland Clinic estimates that 2 percent of people worldwide are intersex. Other medical and advocacy organizations consistently argue that the number likely is 1.7 percent, drawing from the research of sex and gender biologist Anne Fausto-Sterling.

Where did Watson get that number? It is likely from Leonard Sax, a medical doctor and psychologist, who has argued that 0.018 percent of people are intersex. Sax has also argued that gender is biologically hardwired between females and males on numerous occasions, including on conservative talk shows and for the far-right think take the Institute for Family Studies.

Even if Sax’s and Watson’s proposed statistic was correct, Watson and L Community offer no guidelines about the inclusion of intersex people, regardless of their gender identity. Watson’s derision of Khalif suggests intersex people may not be welcome in the community.

This is not the only case where Watson’s assertions may be faulty. Watson initially claimed that her AI-powered software only messed up 0.10 percent of the time. She provided no proof to verify the claim.

Recent peer-reviewed research from CU Boulder studied gender recognition accuracy in multiple software and found that gender recognition software accurately categorized cisgender women 98.3 percent of the time, meaning that it miscategorized cisgender women 0.17 percent of the time, or a little less than double what Watson’s app does. 

Importantly, CU Boulder was examining some of the most advanced and well-supported models out there, looking at Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, and Clarifai programs. For those who don’t know Clarifai, it’s an AI-specific company that employs over 100 people. The rest need no introduction.

Not only is Watson working with a much smaller team — LinkedIn estimates 2-10 employees — Watson’s software also must account for the diversity of gendered appearances within the lesbian community, ranging from butch to femme, in addition to differentiating “biologically female” trans men from men and “biologically male” trans women from women, meaning their software must be highly advanced. 

The Boulder research team found that transgender men were categorized as women approximately 38 percent of the time and men the remaining 62 percent of the time, meaning they are incredibly hard to accurately categorize in either direction.

Dr. Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, one of the authors of the CU Boulder study, said, “A lot of people have this view that tech is somehow abstracted from human bias or human values, but it’s not in any capacity.” While Scheuerman knew the topic of my interview, we only spoke about his research, not about the app specifically.

Biometric AI and computer vision — how computers can identify objects or people – consistently shows bias against trans individuals.

Watson’s team manually verifies sex from submitted selfies using a script on the website which uses publicly available datasets and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces.) Per UCLA, APIs help dictate how software works and share information. There are several publicly available gender differentiation APIs. 

Scheuerman explains that, “at a broad level, most computer vision works by defining the categories which you want the system to recognize. In gender, this is often male or female.”

As Scheuerman’s research explains, large data sets of images, qualitatively labeled by people for specific characteristics like gender, can be trained to predict those qualities in future images.

Since the foundation of computer vision is human training, Scheuerman says, “these generative AI models, or these large foundation models, ideally can do anything you want them to do.” 

Fundamentally, Watson’s model wants to differentiate between ciswomen and transwomen. Since existing computer models successfully read trans women as women most (87.3 percent per Scheuerman) of the time, Watson likely needed to train her model specifically for its task.

The specifics of Watson’s model remain under wraps. But ostensibly to get the level of accuracy, Watson’s model must have been trained on photos of both trans women and cisgender women, in addition to trans men. This raises questions of consent. 

Where did Watson get the photos? Stock photo websites often include collections of transgender people available for republication, but some explicitly exclude their collections to be used in Machine learning or AI data, while others encourage it. Research has found that AI models often use copyrighted work as data to train models, regardless of if they have explicit permission. 

That is even if Watson used stock photos. “Scraping” data from publicly available sources like social media is very common for AI training and research and has previously been used to target trans people.

For example, an investigation by Vice found that the University of North Carolina Wilmington scraped more than 1 million images of trans people from YouTube without permission to create a dataset to learn more about terrorism. An interesting research question, seeing as a highly disproportionate number of terrorists are not trans.

Although we don’t know how Watson went about sourcing the data used to train her model, the broader question remains: What would models think about their photos being used in this way? 

Shae Gardner, director of policy at LGBT Tech, who has worked in the field of tech policy and research for eight years, says, “While there has been zero transparency in how this app’s facial recognition system was trained, if it involved the non-consensual scraping and inclusion of images of transgender women, that constitutes a severe breach of privacy, trust, and consent.”

Gardner emphasizes that “developing a technology with the explicit goal of identifying members of a marginalized group raises significant ethical concerns. Openly stating an intention to use that technology to exclude said group confirms them.”

Scheuerman says that “a lot of people have this view that tech is somehow abstracted from human bias or human values, but it’s not in any capacity.”

He hopes that “the field of computer science would be more open to understanding these types of concepts [like equity and diversity] because they’re our responsibility and a moral responsibility. Plus, it’s actually valuable within the market.”

The politics of consent and AI are just beginning to be negotiated and already have led to multiple lawsuits.

The first trans-exclusionary lesbian app Giggle for Girls, started in 2019 by Sall Grover, is currently facing a lawsuit from a transwoman, Roxanne Tickle. The app shut down in August 2022 with 20,000 members. Grover’s Twitter bio says the app is under renovation and will be re-launched soon. 

Grover and Watson used to be collaborators of sorts, having joined each other’s podcasts to hype up the small world of female-only dating entrepreneurs. 

That collaboration seems to have soured as both are claiming to be the first trans-exclusionary dating app. Giggle started first, but Watson claims it did not begin to discuss dating — just finding community — until after L Community launched. Grover claims otherwise.

However, a dedication to in-person events is unique to Watson’s mission. She plans to open a bar in London for women — her definition — only. It will be a member’s only club, so the exclusion of trans women is legal.

Watson recently hosted a counter event to London Pride, protesting trans and asexual inclusion at the event. Estimates Watson promotes put her event at 150 people. To put that into perspective, their event was under .005 percent of the size of London Pride. 

These numbers are not surprising. A 2023 YouGov survey found that 18 percent of cisgender lesbians think of trans people “very positively” or “fairly positively.” Another 13 percent don’t care (“neither positively nor negatively” and “fairly.”) Only 3 percent felt “very negatively” about trans people.

The Her App, a trans-inclusive lesbian dating app, that has critiqued Watson and L Community, has more than 15 million users. Grover’s app before it shut down was 0.0013 percent the size of that. Watson’s app is .000005 percent the size of that. 

Perhaps no comparison is more jarring to show that Watson and her followers are a stunning minority within the lesbian community.

The Boston Red Sox on Aug. 12 suspended for two games its all-star outfielder Jarren Duran one day after he shouted an anti-gay slur at a fan who had been heckling him as Duran stood at home plate in the sixth inning of a game against the Houston Astros at Boston’s Fenway Park stadium. 

Multiple news media outlets reported that a microphone at the stadium near where Duran stood picked up him yelling the slur. Most media outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, did not report the exact words he shouted. But CNN reported on its website that Duran told the fan to “shut up you f**king f***ot.”  

According to CNN, after the game ended Duran, 27, issued an apology in a statement released by the Red Sox.

“During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan,” Duran said in the statement. “I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community,” he said. 

“Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility,” his statement continues. “I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.” 

CNN reports that the Red Sox announced on Aug. 12, the day following the Sunday game, that the team will donate Duran’s two-day salary during the time of his suspension to the LGBTQ organization Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, known as PFLAG. 

“The Red Sox addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today’s game,” a statement released by the Red Sox says. “We echo Jarren’s apology to our fans, especially the LGBTQ community. We strive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park, and we will continue to educate our employees, players, coaches and staff on the importance of inclusivity,” the statement says as reported by the online sports publication The Athletic. 

Most of the media accounts of Jarren Duran’s anti-gay slur and apology did not report that the incident took place about two months after the Red Sox hosted their 11th annual LGBTQ Pride Night at Fenway Park on July 11 of this year. The Red Sox are among several major league baseball teams, including D.C.’s Washington Nationals, that host “Pride” games at their stadiums. 

The New York Times and other media outlets reported that Duran, who was named Most Valuable Player at last month’s baseball All-Star Game, reiterated his apology to reporters in interviews on the day following the incident. 

“There was no intent behind the word that was used,” the Times quoted him as saying. “It was just the heat of the moment and just happened to be said.” According to the Times, Duran added, “I actually apologized to the umpire and the catcher for my actions because they were right there. They heard me say it.” 

The world has witnessed beautiful, brown-eyed Tom Daley dive into a pool as part of a competition for the last time. The Summer Olympics in Paris, where the five-time Olympian won silver in the 10m synchronized event, turns out to have been his swan dive. 

“It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive,” Daley told British Vogue in an interview published Monday. “But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time. It’s the right time to call it a day.”

The 30-year-old athlete from Devon, renowned as the UK’s most decorated diver, said he had trepidations about announcing he is officially done with diving. 

“It feels very, very surreal,” he told Vogue. “I felt so incredibly nervous going into this, knowing it was my last Olympics. There was a lot of pressure and expectation. I was eager for it to be done,” he said. “But when I walked out, and saw my husband [American filmmaker Dustin Lance Black] and kids [Robbie and Phoenix] and my friends and family in the audience, I was like, you know what? This is exactly why I did this. I’m here, and no matter what happens in the competition itself, I’m going to be happy.”

Daley publicly came out as gay in a YouTube video in 2013, following a tabloid headline that  declared “Tom Daley, ‘I’m Not Gay.” Up until that point, he had neither directly denied nor confirmed his orientation publicly. 

“It infuriated me that somebody would say that. I never wanted to be seen as lying or hiding from who I was,” Daley told the interviewer.

“With every Olympics, there are more and more out athletes,” he said, mindful of one tabulation that estimates there were 195 openly LGBTQ competitors in Paris. That’s a huge difference from a decade ago, he noted. “It’s powerful,” said Daley, while acknowledging that many closeted male athletes fear coming out and are reluctant to take that step. 

“I think there is a lot of pressure for when people do come out to be an activist and to be outspoken. And sometimes that’s just not in some people’s nature,” he said. “I think this might be part of the reason why possibly more people haven’t felt as comfortable with coming out. I also think that [the world of sport] is such a heteronormative space … lots of queer kids, when they’re younger, have this automatic feeling that they shouldn’t fit into sports, so they don’t pursue them. I hope we’ll see more in the future.”

As for Daley’s past, his accomplishments on the springboard are legendary. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2008 at the age of 14. He won gold and bronze medals in Tokyo, bronzes in London 2012 and Rio 2016. Daley’s gold came in the 10m synchronized event in Tokyo in 2021 alongside Matty Lee. He was back to defend his title in Paris after being convinced by his son Robbie to return to the sport. Daley won silver in the French capital alongside Noah Williams. 

All told, he has since won a combined total of 11 World, Commonwealth and European Championship gold medals, and was the first Team GB diver to win four Olympic medals, a record he has now surpassed with five. 

Before coming out, Daley was asked why he thought he had such a large gay following. 

“Probably because I am half-naked all the time,” he replied. And as proof that’s still true, his latest TikTok and Instagram posts are titled “BRAT Summer Olympics.”

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@tomdaley)

Daley now has more than five million followers across his social media platforms. 

The Americans eked out a nail-biter victory at the Summer Olympics in Paris on Sunday, overcoming host nation France, 67-66, in women’s basketball with more out LGBTQ competitors and coaches than any other team.

Gold medals go to these magnificent seven women’s basketball stars: Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, and Kahleah Cooper. They were led by Cheryl Reeve, one of the most successful WNBA head coaches, who led the Minnesota Lynx to four league titles. Her assistant coach, Curt Miller, is a two-time WNBA coach of the year, the current head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks and the first and only out gay male coach in pro basketball. 

Observers have dubbed them one of the “gayest teams” competing in Paris. 

But Sunday’s gold medal match was not the runaway win Team USA has become famous for. Not every star saw the floor, except from the bench. And those watching courtside — including Sue Bird, Dawn Staley, Kevin Durant, and Vanessa Bryant and her children — witnessed what one observer called the worst half of basketball the U.S. women have played on a world stage. 

The U.S. team appeared to be missing its offensive rhythm in competing against a very physical French defense. France briefly took the lead, 25-23 right before halftime, but Team USA fired back, right before the buzzer, tying it up, 25-25. at the half.

France jumped out to an 8-0 run to start the second half, and the two teams traded leads throughout, with the score tied 11 times throughout the game. Finally, it all came down to one shot: With seconds left on the clock, Team USA down three points, former Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams — playing for France — had a chance to send the game to overtime with a buzzer-beater that caused a bit of a scare for the Americans.

But the New York Liberty’s Stewart immediately pointed out that Williams’s foot was touching the three-point line, preserving a 67-66 win for Team USA and giving the team its eighth straight gold medal and 61st consecutive victory. 

UNBELIEVABLE ENDING IN PARIS. 😱

Gabby Williams banked it in at the buzzer but her FOOT WAS ON THE THREE-POINT LINE. TEAM USA WINS BY A SINGLE POINT.#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/DJI7YxfVMl

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 11, 2024

“The streak is crazy. I mean, they just told me when I was doing TV that it was, like, before I was born that it kind of started, which is wild,” Stewart said. “It just goes to show those that have really paved the way and to create USA Basketball and what it is now. Tons of appreciation for that and knowing that when you represent this jersey and wear USA across your chest the standard is high and there really is nothing higher.”

One factor that may explain Team USA’s struggles Sunday: The majority of 12,000 spectators in Bercy Arena loudly rooted for their home team, France. In that hostile environment, the U.S. shot a whopping 34 free throws off 25 French fouls, but only made 27 of them.

The Phoenix Mercury was well represented in Team USA. Copper had 12 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Griner had four points and two rebounds in five first-half minutes but didn’t play in the second. Taurasi didn’t see the floor for the first time all tournament but won her sixth Olympic gold medal, the most all-time for a U.S. basketball player, men’s or women’s. 

The Seattle Storm’s Loyd was the only player other than Taurasi to sit out this final game. But in the end, they won gold as a team.

On the podium, Griner was emotional as the national anthem played, wiping away a tear. Throughout these games, Griner has spoken about how playing for the U.S. means more to her this time around. Two years ago, she was imprisoned in Russia. Today, she is an Olympic gold medalist.

Other memorable LGBTQ Olympians

At last count, 195 openly LGBTQ athletes competed in the Paris Olympics, according to Outsports. 

On Saturday, Team USA defeated Brazil in the gold medal match of the women’s soccer tournament, a 1-0 victory that gives the Americans their fifth Olympic gold medal. Tierna Davidson and Jane Campbell are the only out LGBTQ athletes on the American women’s soccer team, which has not won an Olympic gold medal since 2012 in London. The U.S. was knocked out in the quarterfinals at the 2016 games in Rio and had to settle for bronze three years ago in Tokyo. 

Sha’Carri Richardson officially became an Olympic champion Friday, as the anchor leg for the Team USA women’s 4x100m relay squad in track and field. The baton pass from 200m gold medalist Gabby Thomas to Richardson wasn’t smooth, but the Texan then exploded down the stretch to cross the finish line and win gold. 

Women’s boxing has made headlines around the world at this Olympics. 

On Saturday, an emotional Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan became the second boxer in 24 hours to win a gold medal despite questions about her gender eligibility. Lin defeated 20-year-old Julia Szeremeta of Poland by unanimous decision to claim the featherweight title, a day after Imane Khelif of Algeria became the welterweight champion. Lin and Khelif competed in Paris despite being disqualified from last year’s World Championships because they reportedly failed gender eligibility tests. Both boxers have been taunted with accusations that they were men, or transgender. 

Both women are women. 

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach defended both Khelif and Lin’s right to compete, and noted the IOC severed ties with the IBA last year over governance and transparency issues.

“If somebody is presenting us a scientifically solid system how to identify men and women, we are the first ones to do it. We do not like this uncertainty,” Bach told the Associated Press on Friday. “What is not possible is someone saying ‘this is not a woman’ just by looking at somebody or by falling prey to a defamation campaign by a not credible organization with highly political interests.”

“But this has no impact on our very clear position: Women have the right to participate in women’s competitions. And the two are women.”

Southern California native Nikki Hiltz finished 7th in Saturday’s 1500-meter final at the Stade de France in 3 minutes, 56.38 seconds. Hiltz is the two-time U.S. outdoor and indoor national champion at 1500 meters and the first trans nonbinary athlete to reach an Olympic individual event final.

While some may call coming in seventh place “disappointing,” that’s not how Hiltz or their partner Emma Gee see it. Gee posted a photo of a beaming Hiltz to Instagram after the final.

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A post shared by Emma Gee (@emma_gee1777)

Three years ago, Hiltz failed to make the U.S. team for Tokyo. They were eliminated in the semifinals at last year’s World Championships. But on Saturday, they were right in the thick of a record-breaking race in one of the most competitive events in sports. 

Congratulations to Hiltz and all the competitors! Win or lose, each and every one comes home an Olympian. 

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A post shared by Nikki Hiltz (@nikkihiltz)

The hyper-masculine world of Hollywood stunt performers might not be the place you’d expect to find queer romance, but Rogue Artists Ensemble Artistic Director Sean Cawelti says he found the idea for his company’s new show, “Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular,” among the real-life stories of stunt performers who had to remain closeted on the job.

Cawelti says he fell in love with the world of stunt performance by watching the live stunt shows at Universal Studios as a kid. 

“I started researching the stunt community and actually found articles about stunt performers that were wrestling with their identity and their sexuality and how they were treated and mistreated in the industry because of that,” he says.

Based on his idea, Rogue Artists engaged playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring to develop a script inspired by conversations with real stunt performers in the industry.  

The result is a multimedia spectacle that aspires to be a true stunt show in the vein of those old Universal Studios shows and a compelling love story about closeted performers.

“The play itself is a stunt show. It has all the things you would expect. It has audience participation, it has really amazing physical performances. And then also there are multiple camera feeds that allow us to create essentially on-the-fly cinematic experiences for the audience so that we can record things and play them back and manipulate them,” Cawelti says.

And the stunts serve as more than mere spectacle – they’re an integral part of building out the love story between aging pro Clay (played by David Ellard) and up-and-comer Felix (played by Kurt Kanazawa).

“Clay represents old school stunt world. He’s been doing this for a long time. His body is starting to get tired and is breaking down, and he loves what he does. His entire identity is baked into this notion of being this kind of invincible action hero. And he is incredibly closeted and has never been able to live fully and authentically in his life,” Cawelti says.

“And Felix, he’s new to Hollywood and is coming to the industry with a real hunger and zest, but also is living more authentically. Felix meets Clay and understands in the coded way that we often can understand that Clay is a part of Felix’s community.” 

The play arrives at a timely moment, as stunt performers have been pulled increasingly into the spotlight with the recent Hollywood rom-com “The Fall Guy,” and, for Hollywood insiders, increased attention on stunt issues in the recent SAG contract negotiations and the ongoing debate about whether stunt performances and coordination should be recognized at the Academy Awards.

Cawelti thinks the increasing attention on stunt performances stems from audience disillusionment over Hollywood’s increasing reliance on CGI to sell action.

“Maybe we are fatigued with this kind of CGI superhero cartoon disembodiment that we find in cinema so much. There’s something about seeing a real person do a real thing that feels real to the eye and has a real sense of gravity,” he says.

And, of course, that sense of gravity is amplified when you’re watching real performers on a stage in front of you, a sensation that can’t truly be copied on screen.

“A live stunt show is such an oddly surreal place that makes a really exciting playground for an experience like this,” Cawelti says. “If it was on film, there’s such a distance that’s placed where we can’t actually go into the audience, we can’t actually look at you in the eyes and talk with you and ask you questions about what you’re feeling.”

To enhance that live theatrical experience, Rogue Artists is also offering a series of complementary pre- and post-show events, including talkbacks and workshops.

“We have a really exciting slate of community programming that’s complementing the performance. You can learn stunt performance, you can take a workshop on puppetry, have conversations with the composer,” Cawelti says.

“Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular” by Rogue Artists Ensemble plays at Renberg Theatre at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, 1125 N McCadden Place, Aug. 17-Sept. 8, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Full details and tickets at rogueartists.org.

In Greek mythology, a young mortal named Ganymede possessed such beauty that Zeus himself chose to abduct the boy to Mount Olympus – which wasn’t such a bad deal, considering Ganymede was granted not just immortality to go along with his new job as cup-bearer to the gods, but eternal youth and beauty as well.

That’s not, however, how the story gets told – or rather, twisted – in the new movie “Ganymede,” the latest queer indie gem to debut on VOD platforms this summer, which uses the myth as the launchpad for a horror story that manages to be both campy and creepy at once. Directed by partners Colby Holt and Sam Probst (from Holt’s original screenplay) and set in a small town in the modern-day Bible Belt, it centers on high school wrestling star Lee (Jordan Doww), the only son of a deeply religious local politician (Joe Chrest) who runs his household with an iron fist. When gay classmate Kyle (Pablo Castelblanco) makes an effort to befriend him, he quickly develops feelings that put him at odds with his conservative upbringing; small-town gossip, as well as a dark family secret surrounding his mother (Robyn Lively, in a deliciously hysterical performance), soon have him under the controlling eye of his church’s fanatical pastor (David Koechner). Even more terrifying, his mind is being invaded by a ghostly, sinister presence that seems determined to drive him toward madness and self-destruction – unless Kyle can get to him first.

Like many of these queer-centric genre pictures, “Ganymede” emerged from the festival circuit, securing acclaim and awards throughout its run. With its unconcealed LGBTQ focus and religious homophobia at the core of its horror, it’s plain to see why it would strike a chord with queer audiences, especially in a time when conservative pushback against queer acceptance dominates the public conversation.

For “mainstream” horror fans, however, whose appreciation of the genre is generally focused on fright and gore rather than on the subtextual nuances of its tropes, Holt’s movie might not be the terrifying experience it aims to be — largely because he and Probst do not hide their LGBTQ perspective between the lines. It’s clear from early on that the gay love story upon which the plot hinges is exactly what it appears to be, and further, that it’s where our sympathies belong.

More than that, “Ganymede” inverts the supposed moral order of traditional, old-school horror narratives by framing the forces of religion – or at least, a weaponized form of it – as the source of the story’s true evil. Despite the “haunting” that plagues the film’s young protagonist from almost the very beginning, the supernatural elements of the story (spoiler alert) remain localized within his own mind, only manifesting in the real world – with one important but ambiguous exception – through his reactions to them, and it doesn’t take a film scholar to figure out that they are not the real threat to his well-being. For Holt and Probst, the evil doesn’t come from outside the real world, but from within the darkest corners of a stunted human imagination that projects its own pre-programmed ideas onto that world and treats anything that conflicts with them as an existential threat. In truth, it’s the same message one can find in horror classics from “Bride of Frankenstein” to “The Wicker Man” to the notoriously gay “Nightmare on Elm Street 2” – but in this case, it is delivered not by implication but by direct and obvious assertion.

It’s this point that might keep Holt’s film from satisfying the conventions of traditional horror filmmaking, but it’s worth observing that it’s also this point that makes it stand out. By refusing to conform to generic expectations, it represents a powerful cultural shift, in which the queerness of its premise no is no longer a transgressive statement of countercultural themes, but in fact becomes the “normal order” that is being threatened by perverse powers that seek to tear it down – and those perverse powers are the very “norms” that have so long cast all “otherness” in a monstrous light.

The bottom line for most film audiences, of course, be they queer or not, is whether the movie succeeds in scaring them – and if we’re being honest, it does so only in the sense that it confronts us with the horrific bigotry and abuse that is heaped upon LGBTQ existence from right-wing religious hate. That means, even for queer audiences, it’s not so much a horror movie as it is a disturbing allegory about the torment of being forced to suppress one’s true self in order to feign the safe conformity required for self-preservation. Frankly, that should be scary enough for everyone, regardless of whether the movie adheres to accepted genre form, to keep them trembling in their shoes over the prospect of a world dominated by such a deranged mentality; after all, it’s not just queer people who stand to be subjugated, suppressed, and worse in a world controlled by a strict and deeply biased interpretation of outdated beliefs – it’s anybody who would dare to suggest that those beliefs might deserve an extinction as final as the one experienced by the dinosaurs.

Going a long way toward making the whole thing work – besides the sureness of Holt’s direction, that is, which fully embraces the traditions of the genre (hence the aforementioned campiness) while treating the story as a realistic thriller with genuinely high stakes – is a cast that delivers performances several cuts above what we are use to seeing in such movies. Doww is a compelling and convincing lead, who never devolves into over-the-top histrionics, while Castelblanco triumphs in embodying the determined heroism required of his position in the plot while still maintaining an unashamedly femme-ish queer persona; we never doubt his ability to turn the tide, nor the natural and unforced chemistry the two actors find together. They find stellar support from the aforementioned Lively, as well as from Chrest – a domineering patriarch who would be the most terrifying figure in the film if it weren’t for Koechner’s chillingly authentic pastor, whose buried self-loathing is nevertheless painfully clear as he bullies and tortures the young Lee in the name of “conversion.”

Which brings us back to the significance of the title, and its roots in Greek mythology, where it was born as a tale of transcendence; in the warped minds of the film’s religious leaders, it becomes the opposite, a story of deliberate corruption perpetrated against so-called “decent” men by monsters who tempt them with “unnatural” desires. More than anything, perhaps, it’s that flourish of the screenplay that makes “Ganymede” an astute piece of social commentary, whether or not it succeeds as a horror film; in warping the understanding of that ancient tale into a justification for cruelty and repression, it underscores the toxic effects of clinging to a dogma that pretends to be truth while casting other viewpoints as the products of malevolent influence. That’s a delusion that has reached crisis levels in American society – and it’s why “Ganymede” is a must-see whether it’s a true horror film or not.

As summer winds down and back-to-school season approaches, families are gearing up for the annual shopping spree that brings fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils. However, this excitement can be overshadowed by realities of our current economy, including rising costs and inflation, impacting budgets that make essential items more difficult to afford. 

According to the National Retail Federation, families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $874.68 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, the second-highest amount in the survey’s history. For Los Angeles families, specifically, tighter budgets and cuts among school systems may equate to fewer school-supplied tools and further add to the back-to-school shopping list, putting a significant strain on family budgets.  

Here are some tips to help families manage back-to-school costs effectively:

Create a budget and stick to it. Whether your child is headed to elementary or high school, having a plan and prioritizing the essential items is a crucial first step in the back-to-school process. Determine how much you have to spend and then categorize the items on your list. For instance, focus on the necessary academic supplies such as notebooks, pens, pencils and backpacks, then consider secondary items like clothes, shoes and technology. If there is excess money, you can add fun items like stickers, fancy colored pens, or the latest and greatest electronics. For high school students, look into the school’s laptop or technology program. Working with a financial adviser can help you create a comprehensive budget that covers not only back-to-school necessities but also supports effective financial planning throughout the year. They can provide insights on cost-cutting, how to make the most of your resources and identify areas where you can save, leading to a more efficient and stress-free shopping experience.  It’s important to create strategies that last all year long, as there are always going to be surprises out of our control, including rising prices. 

Include your children in the planning. It’s never too early to discuss finances with your children. Involving them in the budgeting process can be a valuable, educational experience, as it not only teaches them about financial planning but also helps them understand the value of money. This is also a great opportunity to discuss needs versus wants and encourage them to prioritize their needs and to understand the concept of trade-offs. For example, they might have to choose between getting a new backpack or lunchbox and reuse the one they already have from last year. These small decisions can add up and have a big impact on the overall family budget.

Take an inventory check. Before heading to the store, take stock of what you already have. Go through last year’s supplies to see what can be reused – any leftover pencils, folders, etc. Items like backpacks, binders and even clothing may still be in good condition. This simple step can significantly reduce the number of new items you need to purchase, saving money and reducing waste. 

Shop strategically. Look for discounts and sales that can help stretch your budget further, such as:

Cast a broad net when you’re seeking discounts. Utilize websites, apps and browser extensions that offer coupons or cash back.

Take advantage of back-to-school sales. Plan your shopping around these dates to maximize your budget. Waiting until the last minute typically means you pay full price.

Look for generic or less expensive brands of supplies.

Buy school supplies in bulk with items used frequently like notebooks and pens. 

Search for local community organizations and libraries for back-to-school supply drives.

Prepare for unexpected expenses. It’s crucial to plan for unexpected expenses that can arise throughout the school year. These might include costs for school trips, extracurricular activities or last-minute supplies, such as project materials or replacement items. Setting aside a small emergency fund dedicated to these unforeseen expenses can go a long way and teaches your children a valuable lesson in financial preparedness.

Thinking Beyond the School Year: Allocating Funds for Future Education

Saving money allows you to ultimately invest that money into your future objectives or long-term strategies. While the goal here is to manage costs of supplies that will last the duration of your student’s calendar school year, by employing strategies to save money on that shopping, you can allocate more funds toward long-term education savings plans, such as a 529 account. These savings can significantly impact your child’s future educational opportunities. Working with a financial adviser can help you create and manage these savings plans effectively.

Nikki Macdonald, CFP, is a financial adviser at Northwestern Mutual.

(StatePoint) — The excitement of a new school year unfolds each year when families flood the superstore aisles to buy classroom supplies, tape after-school schedules on the fridge and organize carpools with friends.

Common to each family is a desire for children to remain healthy, active, and ready to learn.

To prepare children and teens to be at their best – physically, mentally, socially and emotionally – the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends regular visits with the pediatrician, as well as immunizations that help keep all family members healthy. Recent outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious disease, have shown how quickly some infectious diseases can spread within a community.

“The best way to strengthen a child’s immune system and keep them healthy is by getting them vaccinated,” said pediatrician, Dr. David M. Higgins. “An illness like measles can keep children home and away from school and activities for days. Immunizations allow children to enjoy learning, playing and getting together with friends and family.”

As of June 13, 2024, a total of 151 U.S. measles cases were reported this year-to-date in 21 different states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These recent measles outbreaks have affected unvaccinated people. Choosing to not vaccinate your children not only leaves them susceptible to measles, but also exposes other children to this potentially serious disease. This includes infants who are too young to be vaccinated and those who are unable to be vaccinated due to other health conditions.

“Everyone in our community deserves to be healthy, and part of being healthy means getting immunized for all illnesses, including influenza and COVID-19 and, if eligible, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It benefits all of us if every child in our community is vaccinated, because it means that all of us are more likely to be healthy,” says Dr. Higgins.

Families can also stop the spread of infection by encouraging hand washing with children throughout the day. Help or remind them to wash their hands:

• Before eating (including snacks)

• After a trip to the bathroom

• Whenever they come in from playing outdoors

• After touching an animal, like a family pet

• After sneezing or coughing if they cover their mouth

• When someone in the household is ill

The AAP calls for the immunization of all children and adolescents according to its policy, Recommended Immunization Schedules for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger, United States. More information can be found at healthychildren.org.

“Your pediatrician can answer any questions about recommended vaccines and when your child needs them,” Dr. Higgins said. “There is a schedule for their recommended timing because that is when research has shown they are most effective during a child’s development.”

‘Blessings’
By Chukwuebuka Ibeh
c.2024, Doubleday
$28/288 pages

Sometimes you just need to step back a minute.

You need time to regroup, to think things through, and a scenery change is the place to do it. Get past your current position, and situations can become clearer somehow. Thoughts can be reorganized. Problems pivot. As in the new novel “Blessings” by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, you’ll have a different perspective.

Obiefuna didn’t say much on the road to the seminary.

What was there to say? His father had caught him in a too-cozy situation with a young man who’d been taken in as an apprentice and for that, Obiefuna was being sent away. Away from his mother, his younger brother, Ekene, and from the young man that 15-year-old Obiefuna was in love with.

Life in seminary was bad – Obiefuna was always on alert for Seniors, who were said to be abusive because abuse was allowed, even encouraged – but things weren’t as bad as he thought they might be. He made friends and good grades but he missed his mother. Did she suspect he was gay? Obiefuna wanted to tell her, but he hid who he was.

Mostly, he kept to himself until he caught the eye of Senior Papilo, who was said to be the cruelest of the cruel. Amazingly, though, Senior Papilo became Obiefuna’s protector, letting Obiefuna stay in his bed, paying for Obi’s first experience with a woman, making sure Obiefuna had better food. Maybe Obiefuna loved Senior Papilo but Senior had other boys, which made Obi work twice as hard to be his favorite. Still, he hid.

And then Senior Papilo passed his final exams and moved on.

So, eventually, did Obiefuna. Sure, there were other boys – one who almost got him expelled, a chaplain who begged forgiveness, and there was even a girl once – but Obi grew up and fully embraced his truth: All he wanted was to be accepted for himself, to be loved.

As Nigeria moved toward making same-sex marriage illegal, though, neither one looked likely.

So here’s the puzzle: the story inside “Blessings” is interesting. Obiefuna is a great character who takes what happens with quiet compliance, as if he long ago relinquished hope that he could ever control his own life. Instead, he passively lets those who surround him take the reins and though reasons for this are not clearly stated and it’s uncomfortable, it’s easy to grasp and accept why. This goes, too, for the Seniors whose actions readers will tacitly understand.

What’s not easy to accept is that author Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s story often slows to a glacial pace, with great chunks of the book’s multi-year timeline crunched into basically only highlights. You’ll be left loving this story but hating its stride.

The best advice is to embrace this moving novel’s message and accept the slowness, love the excellent characters, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself checking to see how many pages you have left to crawl through. Yes, you’ll enjoy the soul-touching cast in “Blessings” but if speed in a plot supersedes good characters, then step back.

By JOSIE HUANG | LAist — Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles is home to a celebrated mural about the Filipino American experience, one of the largest and oldest of its kind in the country. But the depiction of one figure is bringing the artwork fresh attention and leading to accusations of transphobia.

Featured on the colorful mural, along with labor leader Larry Itliong and musician APL.DE.AP of the Black Eyed Peas, is the Filipino pop singer Jake Zyrus before he came out as transgender.

A growing chorus of voices, including Zyrus himself, say the portrait should be changed.

The singer

Zyrus had been added to the mural during an 2011 update, fresh off of becoming the first solo Asian artist to have an album reach Billboard’s top 10. Acclaimed appearances on “Glee” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” made him one of the most famous Filipinos in the U.S.

pic.twitter.com/5hVp2YYgfh

— Jake Zyrus (@jakezyrus) January 10, 2022

Then in 2017, Zyrus came out as a trans man to a mixed response from fans. In the seven years since, as he’s worked to reintroduce himself as a singer to audiences, his name and image on the HiFi mural have not been updated to the alarm of some community leaders.

“I feel that it’s very important to address deadnaming, to address transphobia,” said Eddy Gana, co-founder of the Filipino American arts organization Sunday Jump.

Earlier this month, Sunday Jump made a post about the mural on Instagram tied to Pride Month, sparking impassioned discussion. Gana, who is trans and non-binary, belongs to the camp that wants the mural updated as soon as possible by removing the singer’s portrait and mention of his former name and creating a new painting “to reflect Jake Zyrus today.”

With transgender rights under increasing attack across the country, Gana says there’s urgency to put a stop to deadnaming.

“It leads for us as trans folks to contemplate our very own existence, leads to depression and anxiety to be in a world where we feel like that we don’t belong — and we do belong,” Gana said.

What does Zyrus want? His management company has not responded to requests for comment.

But in a letter written by the singer and shared by Sunday Jump, Zyrus urged the mural’s designer and local leaders to replace the current portrait of him with one representing his “true self.”

Out Now! Glimpse of Us @sushitrash – @jakezyrus x @CheesyFbaby COVERhttps://t.co/QyNmVNRFox pic.twitter.com/bcwUJ6Qv8Z

— Jake Zyrus (@jakezyrus) September 10, 2022

“I would hate to see a process that’s initiated where the conversation is stacked, where it’s Eliseo versus a whole bunch of people who are shaking their fists and demanding we need change right now,” Virata said.

But addressing the deadnaming is not a new ask, according to community leaders who say they’ve been working on the issue for years with little traction until Sunday Jump’s social media post this month.

Now the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, the mural’s steward, and the office of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, say they want to plan next steps with community organizations.

“It does take community to push this issue, to really light a fire under it and make it right,” said KimmyManiquis, executive director of the community group Search To Involve Pilipino Americans.

Maniquis said she cherishes the mural, which friends and family helped to paint in the ’90s as part of a community effort, because of the care that went into capturing “the cultural richness and resistance that comes with our history.” But when the deadnaming of Zyrus was brought to her attention about two years ago, she said it was imperative to find a fix.

The local Filipino American community now has a clear opportunity to show support for trans people, Maniquis said.

“When it’s convenient, we embrace LGBTQ identity and trans identity,” Maniquis said. “Then when it becomes really complicated politically, I don’t think we necessarily ally very well.”

How the community chooses to act could become a case study of sorts.

“We won’t be the last community dealing with deadnaming as part of murals, right?” Maniquis said. “What we do in this moment is actually really important.”

The artist

Eliseo Art Silva, the prolific and well-known artist behind the mural, said it’s important to know what Zyrus’ wishes are.

But he added: “It’s not up to me, you know, it’s not really up to me.”

Silva said he can’t retool the mural he started in 1995 until there are multiple community meetings, funding is secured and a design plan decided. He added he is also booked up with work, which includes restoring the right half of the 150-foot-long mural (Zyrus’ image is on the other half) and painting a fresco at a neighborhood Catholic church.

While asserting his openness to change, Silva also revealed he had his parameters. Pre-colonial Philippine folklore inspired him to locate Zyrus next to Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao on the mural so they could represent the first man and woman. Repainting Zyrus throws off that concept, he said.

“I cannot just disrupt the narrative,” Silva said. “It’s going to compromise the integrity of the entire mural.”

Silva said he is open to replacing Zyrus with a notable Filipina and painting a new likeness of him elsewhere on the mural.

Another idea, Silva said, would be to keep the current image of Zyrus while adding a new portrait of him. But critics of this proposal say it’s transphobic for Silva to treat Zyrus as two different people and to still use his former name.

Silva said he was frustrated and saddened by the controversy, noting he’s shown support for the LGBTQ community with the inclusion of gay Filipino Americans such as the artist Alfonso Ossorio, as well as a babaylan, a shaman from the pre-colonial era who was typically a woman or trans.

Silva said the mural is being unfairly attacked when there are so few like it that honor Filipino American culture and history.

“They should campaign for more murals, instead of trying to bring down this one mural we have in L.A., you know what I mean?” Silva said.

The community

Joe Virata is a retired college administrator who helped guide the creation of the mural nearly 30 years ago and, more recently, made a short film about the historic significance of the artwork.

He expects a community discussion over what to do with the Zyrus portrait will take months and inflame passions.

“I think that we’re going to run into some challenging conversations that include artists’ rights, community rights, historical context,” Virata said.

He wants a broader swath of the Filipino American community to weigh in on the controversy. From his perspective, the current portrait of Zyrus should be preserved as a “snapshot of a particular moment.”

“I would hate to see a process that’s initiated where the conversation is stacked, where it’s Eliseo versus a whole bunch of people who are shaking their fists and demanding we need change right now,” Virata said.

But addressing the deadnaming is not a new ask, according to community leaders who say they’ve been working on the issue for years with little traction until Sunday Jump’s social media post this month.

Now the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, the mural’s steward, and the office of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, say they want to plan next steps with community organizations.

“It does take community to push this issue, to really light a fire under it and make it right,” said Kimmy Maniquis, executive director of the community group Search To Involve Pilipino Americans.

Maniquis said she cherishes the mural, which friends and family helped to paint in the ’90s as part of a community effort, because of the care that went into capturing “the cultural richness and resistance that comes with our history.” But when the deadnaming of Zyrus was brought to her attention about two years ago, she said it was imperative to find a fix.

The local Filipino American community now has a clear opportunity to show support for trans people, Maniquis said.

“When it’s convenient, we embrace LGBTQ identity and trans identity,” Maniquis said. “Then when it becomes really complicated politically, I don’t think we necessarily ally very well.”

How the community chooses to act could become a case study of sorts.

“We won’t be the last community dealing with deadnaming as part of murals, right?” Maniquis said. “What we do in this moment is actually really important.”

This article was first published by the LAist and is reposted here with permission.