Week in Review, Aug. 3, 2018: Madonna’s Return Announced, Summer Reads, Bathhouse Culture
In the Week in Review, we look at 10 of the week’s top stories that you may have missed. In this week’s edition, we look at the horrifying thing the Trump administration said this week, round up some of the summer’s best gay books and make the announcement you’ve been waiting for: finally we’ll be getting some new music from the Material Girl, Madonna.
Here are 10 of the week’s top stories:
1. U.S. Government Says It’s ‘Religious Freedom’ When African Countries Kill LGBTQ People
Mick Mulvaney (pictured above), Director of the Office of Management and Budget, said that America will no longer pressure African nations to repeal their anti-LGBTQ laws. This is a win for anti-LGBTQ evangelical missionaries in Africa and will worsen national security.
Read the full story here.
2. Thailand Could Actually Beat Taiwan to Legalizing Same-Sex Unions and Benefits
The Justice Minister of Thailand has been drafting a Civil Partnership Bill that’s expected to be introduced in the country’s parliament this September. If approved the Thailand civil union bill will grant same-sex couples the same legal rights as married straight couples.
Read the full story here.
3. Watch This Detroit Trans Woman Successfully Fight Off Her Would-Be Murderer
A 29-year-old trans woman in Detroit was standing in line at a Mobil gas station on Monday when 29-year-old Deonton Rogers got behind her. Rogers made “a lewd remark” to her. When she told him that she was trans, he started to argue with her about sexual orientation. As the argument got heated, Rogers pulled out a gun, but she wasn’t about to become another murder statistic. So she fought back for her life … and won.
Read the full story here.
4. Two Gay Men Were Forced to Give Up Their Airplane Seats to a Straight Couple
A gay man and his companion were asked to move from their seats on an Alaska Airlines flight so that a straight couple could sit together. They instead chose to leave the flight altogether. Alaska Airlines has since apologized.
Read the full story here.
5. Madonna Confirms Her Upcoming Album Will Be Released in 2018
This Tuesday, it was confirmed that Madonna, the Queen of Pop, will be releasing new music before the end of 2018. While we don’t know much about the new album yet, it’s inspired by the time she spent in Portugal.
Read the full story here.
6. 5 Queer Summer Reads Perfect for the Dog Days of August
Hornet’s bookworms have wiggled their way through the best independent local bookstores from coast to coast and have come up with five volumes of delectable queer content that will hold your attention and keep you turning pages from now through Labor Day.
Read the full story here.
7. Five Questions I Get Asked About Relationships With an Age Difference
For gay men, age is many things: it’s fetishized, it’s feared, it represents our success and our failures, our self-worth and our worth to others. I’m 19 years older than my boyfriend. When I think of our relationship in terms of those 19 years, it can feel overwhelming. I become driven by fear and insecurity. It’s easy to forget that we both get a lot out of that age difference.
Read the full story here.
8. Trans Journalist Publishes Over 11,000 WikiLeaks Chats With Queerphobic, Pro-Trump Comments
A trans writer named Emma Best recently published over 11,000 messages from private WikiLeaks chats between the Wikileaks Twitter account and about 10 different WikiLeaks supporters. They contain homophobic and transphobic comments and show that WikiLeaks wanted Donald Trump to win the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.
Read the full story here.
9. Not Just Another Glory Hole: Reconsidering the Bathhouse as a Community Space
On the Boystown stretch of Northalsted Street in Chicago is a large brick building. It’s Steamworks, perhaps the last bathhouse left in the city. While these institutions once flourished in many cities, many fell victim to moral panic during the HIV crisis.
Read the full story here.
10. Rick Genest, ‘Zombie Boy’ from Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ Video, Dead in Apparent Suicide
Rick Genest, the 32-year-old model best known as Zombie Boy, was found dead from an apparent suicide in his Montréal home on Thursday, six days before his 33rd birthday. In addition to being an artist and actor, he also famously appeared alongside Lady Gaga in the 2011 music video for her pro-LGBTQ anthem “Born This Way.”
Read the full story here.
Did you enjoy our look at this week’s top stories?
