#trans chorus of Los Angeles

[luminarai]

In case anybody needed a good music cry, wrabel just released a version of his song the village featuring the trans chorus of los angeles and it’s absolutely beautiful

[vaspider]

No, you're crying at the version of The Village with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.

[therosevest]

MUNA BRINGING ON THE TRANS CHORUS OF LOS ANGELES 😭😭😭😭😭 IM ALREADY CRYING

[jessethecowboy]

When I first heard the original version it felt like someone was describing a part of me that I had never been able to put into words on my own. It was the first time I truly felt I wasn't alone.

This version recorded with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles is beautiful, and I am so proud to be part of such an amazing community, even if I mostly interact with it online.

Every day gets better, everyday I become more myself.

[wickedjr89]

G Flip - Waste Of Space feat. Trans Chorus of Los Angeles (Acoustic)

[projectqueer]

The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles is the first of its kind. Its mission is to "empower the transgender, non-binary and intersex community to discover, love, develop, and use their voices to change the social ecology everywhere."

Directed by Lindsey Deaton, the chorus will perform the David Bowie rock opera, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, this Friday and Saturday at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Get your tickets here.

[industryjust]

Whatson kiss

#WHATSON KISS MOVIE#

#WHATSON KISS FREE#

Because she grew up in the public eye, Emma originally had a lot of hesitations about showing off her body. Plenty of actresses don’t have any qualms about going topless or even fully nude for their roles, but things are slightly different for Watson. Does Emma Watson Do Naked Photoshoots Or Nude Scenes? Her other notable films include The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, Seth Rogen’s This Is the End, Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, and Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.

#WHATSON KISS FREE#

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.But after filming wrapped up for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Watson was suddenly free to pursue other roles. TCMĪnchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) 10 p.m. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) 8 p.m. Epixįast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) 8 p.m. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) 8 p.m. Cinemaxīack to the Future Part III (1990) 5 p.m. Six Degrees of Separation (1993) 4:26 p.m. Bravoīack to the Future Part II (1989) 2:30 and 10 p.m. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) 1:30 p.m. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) 1:30 p.m. CMTĬhanging Lanes (2002) Noon and 7:15 p.m. Paramountīack to the Future (1985) Noon and 7:30 p.m. FXĬaptain Horatio Hornblower (1951) 10 a.m. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) 9:30 a.m. TCMįorgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) 8:14 a.m. Nathan Witte and Caitlin Stryker also star.

#WHATSON KISS MOVIE#

Sealed With a Kiss: Wedding March 6 Jack Wagner and Josie Bissett reprise their roles as engaged inn owners in the final installment of the "Wedding March" TV movie franchise. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson and Peter Serafinowicz. Sing A pig, a mouse, a porcupine, a gorilla, an elephant and other animals gather at a koala's theater for a singing competition in this 2016 animated feature featuring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. KABCįrank Buckley Interviews Heather O'Neill and Maria Fleet ("No Ordinary Life"). MLS Soccer The LA Galaxy visit Minnesota United FC, 3 p.m. SportsNetLA the Houston Astros visit the Angels, 6 p.m. FS1 the Dodgers visit the New York Mets, 4 p.m. NFLīaseball The Cincinnati Reds visit the Philadelphia Phillies, 1 p.m. NFL the Cleveland Browns visit the Jacksonville Jaguars, 4 p.m. NFL the Denver Broncos visit the Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. Also, the Miami Dolphins visit the Chicago Bears, 10 a.m. NFL Preseason Football The Chargers visit the Rams, 7 p.m. Amateur Championship Semifinals, noon Golf and 1 p.m. Golf PGA Tour - Wyndham Championship Third Round, 10 a.m. Little League Baseball Midwest Regional Final, 7 a.m. Scheduled to appear are Adam Lambert Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Jane Lynch and Manila Luzon Nate Berkus Belinda Carlisle Melissa Etheridge Eva Longoria RuPaul Trans Chorus of Los Angeles Gabrielle Union Rufus Wainwright Lena Waithe. Los Angeles LGBT Center's Love in Action Telethon This new fundraiser is hosted by Cher Calvin and Jai Rodriguez.

[awstenknyght]

Never Bloom Again

A/N: i have decided that this will lead into Bad Idea. josie finds out kath cheated

Warnings: alcohol, drugs, self harm, tell me if i missed something. also emily being a little bitch, but what’s new

Song Used: Never Bloom Again

Tags: @buttons-and-gulons @piper-koko-barnes-rogers @thatsmycigarbutyoucanborrowit @brooklyn-is-here @the-cowbi @trans-witch-cauldron @and-shes-calling-a-cab @lxwkey-as-hell

All the girls in Los Angeles look like you from a distance

Josie stepped up to the mic. She’d only been on tour for a few days, but she already missed Katherine more than anything. 

“Hey guys!” she was met with a chorus of applause. “This one’s called Powerless. Its for my wonderful girlfriend Kath. I wish she could be here with me now.”

She strummed out the first few chords and began to sing. “I really wouldn’t mind a 20 hour drive…”

I tried to give you space until i stepped away

From your brain but now i just miss it

After the show, Josie flopped onto her bunk. Everyone else had gone out to a bar, but she decided to stay in the bus and call Katherine.

Josie pulled out her phone and clicked on the familiar contact. It took a while, but soon a very disheveled looking Kath came onto the screen.

“Baby!” Josie cried, wishing she could reach through the screen and kiss her.

“Hey Jo,” Katherine responded, her voice hoarse. She kept looking at something behind the screen, but Josie thought nothing of it. “How was the show?”

Josie grinned and launched into an excited recap of her day. “How about you? Did you have a good day?”

Katherine’s cheeks turned bright red. “Uh yeah, it was great.”

Josie frowned. Kath wouldn’t stop looking at something- or someone- behind the camera. “Is someone there with you?”

“No!” Katherine shook her head quickly before clearing her throat. “Hey, I'm getting kinda tired. Do you want to call in the morning?”

Josie swallowed and nodded. The screen went black before she could say goodbye.

All the girls in los angeles look like you from a distance

And now i’m kinda thinking that i’ll never bloom again

Josie sat at a bar stool next to King. Mouse, Moth, and Bruiser were all playing pool. Well, Moth and Bruiser were playing. Mouse was doing her best to distract them from the game, which included climbing on the pool table and bonking their heads with one of the extra poles.

Josie took her phone out and checked it again. There was still nothing.

“You okay?” King asked hesitantly.

“Hmm? Oh. yeah i’m fine.” she said, barely looking up. 

“Are you sure? You haven’t looked up from your phone since we got here.”

“It’s just-” she let out an exasperated breath. “It’s been a week since i talked to Kath. And last time we called she was kind of… off.”

King nodded and downed his drink. “She’s probably fine. If you’re really worried, maybe try calling her again?”

Josie pulled out her phone and tried calling. Nothing. Maybe she just fell asleep. She decided to send a text instead.

Hey baby, you okay?

Kath responded surprisingly fast this time. 

Yeah, just a bit tired.

Josie frowned. Being tired never kept Katherine from calling before. Well, at least not before the tour-

I never thought I’d let myself wear the weak look

but I guess if the shoe fits

Josie didn’t talk to Kath at all for the next week. Then a week turned into a month, a month into two, until Josie was outside their apartment door, waiting to go in.

Josie took a deep breath before pushing the door open. “Kathy? You home?”

No response. Josie set down her bags and walked into the kitchen. There was a note on the counter for her.

Hey love!

If you get home before i get back, i’m just at a friends house. Can’t wait to see you again! <3

Josie tried not to be disappointed. It wasn’t Kath’s fault. She turned back, deciding to start unpacking, when something caught her eye.

Sitting on the counter was a small charm bracelet. Not just any charm bracelet though.

There's a million pairs here

String along my soul, dear, 'til my breath feels useless

“Em!” Josie ran up to the taller girl and jumped onto her back. “Happy birthday baby!”

“Jesus christ J, be careful!” Emily responded. 

Josie climbed down. “Sorry babe. Look what i got you!”

Josie handed her a small charm bracelet. It had six charms already on it, and room for more. “D’ya like it?”

“Thanks baby! I love it!” Emily smiled as she slipped it on. She gave josie a kiss. Cherry lipstick and alcohol. The combination might seem repulsive to others, but to Josie it was perfect. It was emily. 

It's like god fell asleep in

The middle of the day he built my self-esteem

Why was Emily’s bracelet in their apartment? Unless-

No. she’d never. She’s not like that

Josie needed to clear her head. Only one thing could help with that. She rushed to the bathroom.

'Cause I'll keep hopping on these planes

'Til we're sharing last names and a softer scene

Josie turned the corner into the alleyway. Emily was waiting there, just like she promised, with a familiar smirk.

“I knew you’d come crawling back.”

Josie looked down. She didn’t mean for it to get this out of hand. But her hands were shaking and she knew only one thing that could stop them.

“Em, give it to me. Please-”

“Nope! Kisses first baby,” Emily responded in a sing-song voice. “You know the drill.”

“Please Em, i don’t want to do this again-” she was cut off by Emily's lips crashing into her’s. She tried to pull away, but emily had her trapped and wasn’t letting go.

Cherry lipstick and alcohol. Josie wondered when the taste stopped being home and started being hell.

Instead of tying our breath in knots again

You're chopping it down in heavy seconds

Alone was never easy after you

Katherine walked in the door hours later. Josie had come down by then. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were puffy and red. Katherine noticed immediately.

“Baby! What happened? Are you okay?”

Josie held up the bracelet. “What’s Emily’s bracelet doing here?”

Kath froze. “I- I don’t know.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me!” Josie yelled, standing up so she was almost eye to eye with Katherine. “Are you cheating on me?”

“Josie, you’re not in a good mental state. Come on, lets go to sleep.”

“No! Answer me!” Josie’s voice finally broke. “Are you cheating on me?”

“Baby-”

Josie shook her head. “I knew it.”

With that, she grabbed her bags, still packed and waiting by the door, and ran.

Cause all the girls in Los Angeles look like you from a distance

I tried to give you space until I stepped away

From your brain and now i just miss it

Josie’s hands were shaking. She needed more. Just a bit, just enough to calm her nerves.

It had been three weeks since- since the incident. Josie tried to stay away from it. But without Kath to lean on, it was all she had left.

“So Josie, any new songs we should get ready for?”

Josie snapped back to the present. Right. The interview.

“Uh, I’m working on a new one. Called Never Bloom Again.”

The woman smiled widely. “What’s this one about?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see!” Mouse cut in. Thank goodness for mouse. Josie hadn’t released any news about the breakup and she wasn’t ready to talk about it now, especially not with this far-too-cheery-to-be-real interviewer.

Josie excused herself to the bathroom as soon as possible. She needed it bad. As soon as it was back in her, she was able to relax. 

I’m so screwed.

All the girls in Los Angeles look like you from a distance

Now I'm kinda thinking that I'll never bloom again

Josie sat across from king in a small diner. Mouse had forced them there. In her words, “Just because you’re both sad and alone doesn’t mean you can become shut-ins. Go be sad and alone together.”

So there they were. Being sad and alone together. 

“Did you relapse?” King asked after taking a drink.

“Yeah,” Josie sighed. “You?”

“Duh.”

They were silent for a while after. “Why wasn’t I enough?”

Josie looked up. King was staring at his phone. Josie grabbed it out of his hand. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault B cheated, it’s that bitch Katie’s.”

King nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. “Can I have my phone back?”

“Not if you’re gonna keep looking at pictures of B.”

“That’s not fair, you still have your phone!”

“Well I’m over Kath.” Josie said, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything else.

“Mhm,” King said, grabbing Josie’s phone and turning it on. The screen lit up with Katherine’s face. “Completely over her.”

“Fuck you,” Josie said, kicking him under the table. He kicked her back. Soon they were full on fighting under the table and laughing loudly.

A few minutes later, after being kicked out of the restaurant, they began walking home. Josie was finally smiling again.

'Cause this is what you've done, you've done to me

Josie’s heart was racing. She had blacked out and woken up to far too many notifications. 

She logged into twitter to see what all the commotion was about and froze. 

It’s official. No more lies. Me and @ watch_what_happens are done. Sorry

Had she sent that? She didn’t remember it. Then again, she didn’t remember anything from the past hour-

She had hundreds of notifications; press, friends, family, and fans all wanted to know what went down.

But one stood out.

Blocked number

Guess that means i win?

'Cause this is what you've done, you've done to me

Josie stepped up to the microphone and took a deep breath. “This is never bloom again. It goes out to two wonderful exes. I hope you’re having fun together.”

She nodded to mouse and began strumming. She could feel her hands beginning to shake again.

No. Not now.

She tried to focus on the song. It was the last one in the set. She could do it. In and out, sing the words, go through the motions.

“You're not alone 'til it stings like this

I'll fake asleep until I'm dreaming

I guess you messed me up, I'll pay for this

And sleep it off without your kiss”

Josie finished the song and ran off stage. She needed something, anything. She opened the bathroom cabinet. Empty. Her bag was gone too.

Mouse must’ve found it.

She collapsed on the floor, shaking. She needed something to ground herself. Something shiny caught her eye. A small blade in the corner of the room.

It would have to work.

I never thought I'd let myself give what you took

But I sent it off in gift wrap

Josie slowly stood and tried to leave the trailer. She had been spending every night there for god knows how long, but she was done now. She had an actual family now, one that wanted her, and she was ready to go. There was only one problem.

Emily.

The sleeping girl rolled over, reaching out to where Josie was only moments earlier. She woke up with a start, noticing the lack of warmth next to her.

“Baby? Where you going?” Emily asked in a sugar-sweet voice.

“I told you Em. I’m leaving.”

Emily sat up. Her tone turned harsh. “No you’re not.”

“I can’t keep doing this Emily. I’m leaving and I’m not coming back.”

Emily grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down to the bed. “I don’t think you heard me sweetheart. You're not going anywhere.”

With that, she kissed Josie. Hard. Josie gave in and kissed her back. The taste was addicting. And as much as she wanted to leave, she would always come back.

Just as Josie was starting to drift off to sleep again, the sugar sweet voice returned. 

“You’re mine.”

Now all that's left here are my lonely words, dear

I'll paint you pretty with my syntax

It was too loud. Everything was ten times louder and Josie didn’t know what to do.

The show had just ended. The fans were cheering and Mouse was trying to tell her something. But she couldn’t hear a thing.

She was in her head again.

Josie pushed through to the bathroom. She could still feel the scars from the last show. Or were those from last night? She couldn’t remember anymore. Not that she cared.

Once she had it in her again, her hands stopped shaking. It seemed less loud now. She pushed open the bathroom door, ready to put on her fake face on and pretend, when something stopped her.

Right outside waiting for her was none other than Emily and Katherine, holding hands.

Josie’s face hardened. “What do you want?”

Katherine opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Emily just smirked. Josie tried to push past, but Em wouldn’t budge. 

“Kathy, sweetheart, why don’t you wait by the car? I want to talk to Josie alone.”

“Jo, I’m so sorry, I made a mistake, I-” Kath was cut off by Emily’s sharp gaze. She nodded and ran off.

“What were you doing in there?”

“None of your fucking business,” Josie retorted with a glare. What did Emily want from her anyway?

“Oh, we both know that it is my business,” she said with a smile. “Come on baby, did you really think it was that easy to escape it?”

Josie winced. “Don’t call me baby. You lost that right a long time ago.”

“But babe, don’t you miss it?” Emily moved closer and grabbed her hand. Josie didn’t push her away. “We had so much fun together! Don’t you want to go back?”

“I-” Josie’s head was spinning. Snap out of it. “No! What about Kath?”

Emily leaned in closer. “It can be our little secret”

“Katherine’s smart. She’ll figure it out.” What was she saying?

“Will she?” Emily asked in an innocent voice. “You wouldn’t have known a thing if i hadn’t left you that little… clue.”

Josie’s eyes widened. The bracelet. Suddenly, she could feel Emily pulling her somewhere. Before she knew what was going on, Emily was straddling her, their lips locked together.

And she wasn’t complaining

~

aha-

[abductionradiation]

Los Angeles, CA -- Mini Trees, the project of Lexi Vega, will be releasing her debut album Always In Motion on September 17 via Run For Cover. Today, she shares the newest single “Cracks In The Pavement,” a beautiful track that spans just about 3.5 minutes long. The layers on this reflective track perfectly meld together with mellow plucks of the guitar and the dreamy chorus. The textured sonic swirls on “Cracks In The Pavement” give the song an edge that’ll have you craving more.

Mini Trees · Cracks in the Pavement

On the track, Vega shares "‘Cracks in the Pavement’ is a song that I began writing to process unrequited feelings towards a friend, but later evolved into a larger reflection on the lack and longing that I felt in my life at the time. The lyrics attempt to personify an unknown, alternate version of my life as I follow this vague character around in search of some sense of contentment, ultimately ending with the phrase, "if only anything was ever as it seemed", a realization that the grass isn't always greener, and that the discontentment I needed to confront was internal rather than circumstantial."

Always In Motion by Mini Trees

Tour Dates: 09/11 Washington, DC @ Union Stage w/ Thao 09/13 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club w/ Julien Baker, Thao *SOLD OUT* 09/14 New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre w/ Julien Baker, Thao 09/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall w/ Julien Baker, Thao 09/17 Boston, MA @ House of Blues w/ Julien Baker, Thao 09/30 Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge w/ A.O. Gerber (Record Release Show) 11/29 Lakewood, OH @ Mahall's w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 11/30 Hamtramck, MI @ The Sanctuary w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/01 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe w/ S. Raekwon (No Tasha) 12/03 Boston, MA @ Cafe 939 w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/04 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Trans-Pecos w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/08 Baltimore, MD @ Creative Alliance w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/09 Washington, DC @ Songbyrd w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/10 Richmond, VA @ The Camel w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/12 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/13 Nashville, TN @ The East Room w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/14 Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 12/15 Urbana, IL @ Rose Bowl Tavern w/ Tasha, S. Raekwon 08/24/22 - 08/27/2022 Málaga, ES @ Canela Party 2022

Connect with Mini Trees:

Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[glenngaylord]

OUTFEST 2020 FILM REVIEWS:  The Rest Of The Fest

As the curtain closes on another Outfest, this one presented under extremely unusual circumstances, I sit in awe of the filmmakers and of the staff who put together not only a great group of films, but managed to creatively bring them to its audience online and at drive-in screenings.  Typically, you find yourself having to choose one film over several others, but with this new format, you have a great chance of seeing everything you want.  In past years, I found myself lucky if I saw 15 films.  This year I saw 23 features and 4 shorts programs out of the 160 on the schedule.  

As it’s impossible to get full reviews submitted for everything while the festival is still chugging along, I wanted to write capsules of the remaining films not covered at TheQueerReview.com .  Please visit the website for all the other reviews I wrote as well as those by my colleagues.

THE OBITUARY OF TUNDE JOHNSON ★★★★★

Melding a Groundhog Day-style concept with police violence against black people, this stunning film could not be more prescient and emotionally overpowering.  A black gay teenager relives his moment of murder over and over again, with slight shifts in the narrative taking us to someplace unexpected and earned.  Director Ali LeRoi directs his first feature as if he’s been doing it all of his life and has interpreted Stanley Kalu’s ingenious script with a great cinematic approach.  Gorgeously framed, beautifully acted, written, and directed, this is one of the most powerful films of 2020.

TWO EYES ★★★★★

I can’t form sentences here so I’m gonna vomit out words:  Instant classic. Glorious. Set over three centuries seamlessly melding a triptych of stories about gender identity.  I’m a blubbering mess.  Fantastic and very funny last line.  Travis Fine is a very gifted filmmaker who screams love child of Terrence Malick and Kelly Reichardt.  Heartbreaking. Inspiring. Unforgettable.  Montana is so beautiful.  Barstow is not.  A perfect film for anyone who wants to find their place in the world. I wouldn’t complain if TUNDE and TWO EYES both received Best Picture Oscar nominations.  

DRAMARAMA  ★★★★

Theater nerds rule in this incredibly endearing, early 90s set film about a group of high schoolers discovering themselves in one night at a ridiculous Murder Mystery-themed party.  Hilarious script, vivid and wonderful performances, and the opposite of a “Coming Out” movie in the best possible way.  Jonathan Wysocki has given us The Breakfast Club for air-kissing, mid-Atlantic accented freaks and geeks. 

CICADA ★★★★

What happens when a traumatized, bisexual man who has more sex partners than any standard montage can contain slows things down to concentrate on one kind but also traumatized young man?  This elliptically told film has a fun, flirty side but carries its heaviness with great ease.  A terrific feature debut for director/writer/editor/lead actor Matthew Fifer. 

THE STRONG ONES (LOS FUERTES) ★★★★

From Chile comes this sexy, moving story of two men at cross purposes who form a beautiful bond.  Set against some stunning scenery and mining the chemistry between its two leads for everything it has, I am half-jokingly calling it Brokeback Andes.  It’s so much more than that trite, hackneyed comparison.  

MONSOON ★★★1/2

Director Hong Khaou’s followup to Lilting sets its sights on modern day Vietnam as Henry Golding’s character visits to find a suitable place to distribute his mother’s ashes.  It’s a terrific mediation on a gay man finding a sense of belonging in a place he’s never been and Golding proves himself to be a subtle, compelling actor.  Perhaps a little too quiet and reflective, the film makes up for what it lacks in narrative drive with its awe-inspiring cinematography and immersive qualities.  

P.S. BURN THIS LETTER PLEASE ★★★★1/2

What an unexpected surprise.  Michael Seligman and Jennifer  Tiexiera’s documentary about a treasure trove of letters dating back to the 1950s brings us into the world of drag queens from almost 70 years ago.  With many of its subjects not only alive but in fine form telling their stories and the dishiest voiceover readings ever to grace a film, I was not only thoroughly entertained, but I didn’t expect to weep like Laura Dern at the end.  Oh, this is so so so so good. 

MINYAN ★★★★

Eric Steel’s feature debut has its own unique tone and a star making performance by Samuel H. Levine, a spitting image of a young Al Pacino/Sylvester Stallone hybrid.  With its 1980s Jewish Brighton Beach backdrop, this powerful yet subtle film about a young man coming to terms with his sexuality as well as his place within his religion, it’s a stunning debut.  Ron Rifkin is stellar as Levine’s charming grandfather and Alex Hurt (William Hurt’s son) has his father’s intensity.  Fantastic, lived-in production design which feels like its decade without resorting to the usual candy colored tropes and a evocative score makes this a memorable experience.  Reminiscent at times of On The Waterfront, this film puts a fresh new spin on a coming of age tale and finds so many moving moments from first sex to an elderly gay couple hiding in plain sight.  A must-see. 

SHIVA BABY ★★★★

Writer/Director Emma Seligman must have studied Rosemary’s Baby quite a bit with this angsty story set mostly at a memorial service.  Rachel Sennott is fantastic as a young lesbian who moves from one cringe-worthy moment to the next in an attempt to avoid as much conflict as possible.  The great supporting cast includes Polly Draper, Fred Melamed, Dianna Agron, Molly Gordon, and Jackie Hoffman, all note perfect.  Less a comedy and more of an emotional horror story, Seligman knows how to make the best of a cramped space and throw up an endless variety of obstacles.  You just want Sennott’s Danielle to get her goddamned bagel with lox and cream cheese, but the fates have something else, something better, in store. 

COWBOYS ★★★★

Steve Zahn gives a career best performance in this moving story of a father with mental health issues and his trans son escaping into the Montana wilderness.  Sasha Knight makes an impressive debut as Zahn’s son and Jillian Bell expertly walks that fine line between villain and empathetic character.  Its comparisons to Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid are not coincidental.  Not perfect by any stretch, it may feel fairly conventional, but it’s tackling a vibrant subject matter.  Extra points for giving Ann Dowd a role where we don’t hiss at her. 

BREAKING FAST ★★★

Solid romcom with a Muslim backdrop, this very tight, deceptively simple script provides just the right amount of sparks between its charming leads, Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy.  While structurally not breaking new ground, the entry point into a world we don’t see enough of on screen coupled with food porn for days makes this a fun, funny, goes down easy delight.

ASK ANY BUDDY ★★★1/2

Q: Daddy!  Daddy!  What were the 70s like down at the Piers in NYC?   A: Oh shut up and watch this movie.  

An experimental collage of vintage gay porn and archival footage from the disco, pre-AIDS heyday gives this film a mesmerizing, museum installation quality.  While technically without a story, you feel like you’ve gone on a journey nonetheless.  Would pair well with William Friedkin’s Cruising. 

DRY WIND ★★★1/2

Slow cinema meets voyeuristic gay porn in this one of a kind Brazilian exploration an arid small town, a workers’ union crisis, and a man obsessed with the Tom Of Finland drawing come to life who motors into his life.  Overlong and a little too obtuse as it goes along, it’s worth watching this Alice In Wonderland takes a quaalude, gets a very hairy back, and has a lot of sex in the dirt. 

NO HARD FEELINGS ★★★★

This year’s Teddy Award Winner at the Berlin Film Festival, Faraz Shariat’s film uses its backdrop of a refugee camp in Germany to tell the story of Iranians and Irani-Germans searching for a better life.  Its three leads bring a spark and youthful energy to a story with devastating undercurrents.  A wrenching glimpse into the emotional effects an oppressive culture has on its people, yet told with a driving pulse. 

LILY TOMLIN: THE FILM BEHIND THE SHOW ★★★

A look behind the scenes as Lily Tomlin and wife Jane Wagner workshop their legendary 1980s Broadway show, The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe.  It’s great to see these two at the top of their game and get a glimpse of their creative process, but this documentary is almost devoid of incident and feels more like a sweet gift to the fans than a fully realized film. 

SHORTS: WHAT A BOY NEEDS ★★★1/2

A mixed bag here of people searching for excitement, I found a couple of gems here nonetheless.  Not to take away from the shorts I don’t mention, I want to single out two exceptional films. Ruben Navarro’s Of Hearts And Castles looks great, has a beautiful vibe, and shows us a lovely connection forming right before our eyes.  Kiko’s Saints proves highly original as we follow a female Japanese artist on assignment in France become obsessed with a gay couple who have a lot of sex on the beach.  Combining animation with fairly explicit sex, I loved seeing the male gaze from a female perspective. 

THE CAPOTE TAPES ★★1/2

I love Truman Capote. I grew up at a time when smart authors found themselves on talk shows and were treated like superstars.  I’ve read his books and always have been in awe of his ability to be himself.  Featuring never-before-heard tapes of Capote’s friends being interviewed by George Plimpton, unfortunately, I don’t think this repetitive documentary gave me anything all that new.  It’s still touching at times and for the uninitiated, this is a great overview of his life, but I was watching the clock. 

OUT LOUD ★★★1/2

A moving look at the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles as they prepare for their first public performance.  With its ticking clock storyline, director Gail Willumsen expertly interweaves storylines of its founder and members.  As such, you really learn what’s a stake and what it means to them.  I was lucky enough to see the chorus perform David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust a few years ago and basked in the power of its mere existence…and was also ridiculously entertained. 

TWILIGHT’S KISS (SUK SUK)  ★★★1/2

This quiet charmer form Hong Kong shows us something we almost never get to see on film - two elderly gay men meeting and falling in love.  The fact that both have been married to women doesn’t stop them from exploring their feelings.  A little to gentle by half, I still was in awe of this rarity.

[nerdy-emo-royal-dad]

Trans girl roman. That is all.

My Song

Hey, thanks for the support my donation drive has been receiving! Every peso and reblog is such a HUGE help, and the response we’ve been getting is making my small heart so damn happy. Hope you like it fam <3

Let’s make it fluffy Logince cause why not.

~~~~~

“Hey, time to wake up, my Rose.”

Music. That’s what she thinks of when she hears Logan’s voice caressing her ears every morning. Music. His voice is a soft, soothing song whose notes smoothly slips past her eardrums and floats down straight into her heart, practically lifting the vessel up the tiniest bit and making her heartstrings flutter.

And yes, even if it is just seven in the morning. She supposes the hour of day could be forgivable.

“Lo, it’s Saturday,” Ro whispers with the slightest bit of annoyance as she buries her face in her pillow and blindly shoots one hand up to weakly hit her boyfriend. She hears him chuckle as he fondly plays with her soft curls; the gesture turning into a gentle massage against her scalp as he goes.

“Mhmm, yes, I’m aware of that. Have you forgotten what this particular Saturday means though?” She can practically feel the smirk coming off of Logan; but come to think of it, his melodic voice is reminding her of something. Something important. Something about Saturdays and music and--

“My recital!” She shoots up in bed, Logan leaning back a bit from where he was sitting beside her on the sheets, stifling a laugh from Ro’s sudden realization. And maybe also from how tussled her hair is and how wide her eyes are.

“Hey, calm down. It’s still in a few hours. We have time, Ro.” The calm in his voice is a harp, Ro thinks; resonant and sharp but crystal clear in all its flowing beauty.

The time before the recital is spent like they do any other day. She showers while he whips up breakfast, she gets dressed, they eat while they talk about Logan’s students in Literature and her latest ideas for a piece, she takes care of the dishes while it’s Logan’s turn to get dressed, they check everything in the tiny apartment, and then they leave.

She pretends not to notice when her fingers shake in the short bus ride to the theater, but Logan does. So he cups her hands in his, kisses their intertwined fingers, and hums a little tune for the rest of the trip. Liebestraum, by Franz Liszt. It isn’t hard to recognize such a lovely piece, and she finds the coldness in her fingertips fading as she hums along with Lo. 

Right now he’s a piano, she thinks. His voice is deep as he hums, yet it sounds bright and mellow, despite the obvious power hidden beneath.

He joins her backstage a few minutes before she gets on. Logan takes the opportunity to cup her face in his hands, thumb wiping across her cheek and eyes gazing intensely at her own. She’s not surprised when he kisses her, short and sweet; but it still sends a chorus of angels sounding in her head. A small taste of heaven before the murmurs of the crowd bring her back to earth. 

“You’ll do great, my Rose.”

She knows she will. She was never one to doubt her skill, after all; but she still holds his words close to her chest and lets it play like a metronome in her mind as she steps on stage and takes a seat before the grand piano.

Ro is unstoppable the second her fingers touch the keys. One would think they were gliding over the pristine ivories; every note played hovering over the audience and blanketing them in the warm comfort of her piece. 

How fitting, she thought, that she compared Logan to a piano-- the instrument she knew, no, memorized well. Logan, who took some time of her testing out the hardness or softness of his keys, the uniqueness of his tune, and the beauty of his sound. Logan, who she poured her heart, mind, and soul to. Logan who took in her trembling form once, back then, as she revealed to him her truest self. Logan, who only repaid her with acceptance, kindness, understanding, and love. So much love that she cried to her heart’s content out of happiness and the same kind of love; like she cried when she completed her first piece for the very first time.

She almost didn’t hear the thundering applause of the audience as she finished, nor mind the standing ovation they offered, for seeing the love of her life’s smiling face at the center of them all is certainly better than what the crowd ever had to offer.

They congratulate her backstage. They were calling this her “best one yet” and telling her “it was the most beautiful piece of music they’ve ever heard��� while the scene behind the curtains blended into a blur of handshakes, back pats, praises, and laughs.

Logan kisses her again when she finally arrives back in his arms in the midst of the slight chaos out back. He fixes the stubborn strand of hair that always falls onto her face, both of them giggling as he does, and Logan makes sure he’s heard clearly before he opens his mouth.

“That was beautiful, Ro. Just as beautiful as you.”

Ro decides then that Logan is a song, and that the people were wrong. Her performance wasn’t the best piece of music she’s ever heard, Logan was, but this song wasn’t one for her to present to all the world’s hungrily waiting ears. 

This song was hers and hers alone. The world can have everything else.

~~~~~

Tell me if I missed anything! Again, thank you for the support and I hope you stay safe fam!

[tunendaily-blog]

Welcome to Music Daily!

Todays song is Hands a musical tribute to the 49 victims of the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The track features Mary J Blige, Jason Derulo, Britney Spears, Tyler Glenn, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Ty Herndon, Imagine Dragons, Juanes, Adam Lambert, Mary Lambert, Jennifer Lopez, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Kacey Musgraves, MNEK, Alex Newell, P!nk, Prince Royce, Nate Ruess, RuPaul, Troye Sivan, Jussie Smollett, Gwen Stefani, and Meghan Trainor.

Feel free to share or like this post as well as follow tunendaily for more Music.

[pink-ir1s]

This is a version of it with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles; it's great.

“One page of the Bible isn’t worth a life.”

-Wrabel, The Village

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Why Is It So Hard for Democrats to Act Like They Actually Won?

By

Rebecca Solnit

November 19, 2020

When Trump won the 2016 election—while losing the popular vote—the New York Times seemed obsessed with running features about what Trump voters were feeling and thinking. These pieces treated them as both an exotic species and people it was our job to understand, understand being that word that means both to comprehend and to grant some sort of indulgence to. Now that Trump has lost the 2020 election, the Los Angeles Times has given their editorial page over to letters from Trump voters, who had exactly the sort of predictable things to say we have been hearing for far more than four years, thanks to the New York Times and what came to seem like about 11,000 other news outlets hanging on the every word of every white supremacist they could convince to go on the record.

The letters editor headed this section with, “In my decade editing this page, there has never been a period when quarreling readers have seemed so implacably at odds with each other, as if they get their facts and values from different universes. As one small attempt to bridge the divide, we are providing today a page full of letters from Trump supporters.” The implication is the usual one: we—urban multiethnic liberal-to-radical only-partly-Christian America—need to spend more time understanding MAGA America. The demands do not go the other way. Fox and Ted Cruz and the Federalist have not chastised their audiences, I feel pretty confident, with urgings to enter into discourse with, say, Black Lives Matter activists, rabbis, imams, abortion providers, undocumented valedictorians, or tenured lesbians. When only half the divide is being tasked with making the peace, there is no peace to be made, but there is a unilateral surrender on offer. We are told to consider this bipartisanship, but the very word means both sides abandon their partisanship, and Mitch McConnell and company have absolutely no interest in doing that.

Paul Waldman wrote a valuable column in the Washington Post a few years ago, in which he pointed out that this discord is valuable fuel to right-wing operatives: “The assumption is that if Democrats simply choose to deploy this powerful tool of respect, then minds will be changed and votes will follow. This belief, widespread though it may be, is stunningly naive.” He notes that the sense of being disrespected “doesn’t come from the policies advocated by the Democratic Party, and it doesn’t come from the things Democratic politicians say. Where does it come from? An entire industry that’s devoted to convincing white people that liberal elitists look down on them. The right has a gigantic media apparatus that is devoted to convincing people that liberals disrespect them, plus a political party whose leaders all understand that that idea is key to their political project and so join in the chorus at every opportunity.”

There’s also often a devil’s bargain buried in all this, that you flatter and, yeah, respect these white people who think this country is theirs by throwing other people under the bus—by disrespecting immigrants and queer people and feminists and their rights and views. And you reinforce that constituency’s sense that they matter more than other people when you pander like this, and pretty much all the problems we’ve faced over the past four years, to say nothing of the last five hundred, come from this sense of white people being more important than nonwhites, Christians than non-Christians, native-born than immigrant, male than female, straight than queer, cis-gender than trans.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito just complained that “you can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Now it’s considered bigotry.” This is a standard complaint of the right: the real victim is the racist who has been called a racist, not the victim of his racism, the real oppression is to be impeded in your freedom to oppress. And of course Alito is disingenuous; you can say that stuff against marriage equality (and he did). Then other people can call you a bigot, because they get to have opinions too, but in his scheme such dissent is intolerable, which is fun coming from a member of the party whose devotees wore “fuck your feelings” shirts at its rallies and popularized the term “snowflake.”

Nevertheless, we get this hopelessly naïve version of centrism, of the idea that if we’re nicer to the other side there will be no other side, just one big happy family. This inanity is also applied to the questions of belief and fact and principle, with some muddled cocktail of moral relativism and therapists’ “everyone’s feelings are valid” applied to everything. But the truth is not some compromise halfway between the truth and the lie, the fact and the delusion, the scientists and the propagandists. And the ethical is not halfway between white supremacists and human rights activists, rapists and feminists, synagogue massacrists and Jews, xenophobes and immigrants, delusional transphobes and trans people. Who the hell wants unity with Nazis until and unless they stop being Nazis?

I think our side, if you’ll forgive my ongoing shorthand and binary logic, has something to offer everyone and we can and must win in the long run by offering it, and offering it via better stories and better means to make those stories reach everyone. We actually want to see everyone have a living wage, access to healthcare, and lives unburdened by medical, student, and housing debt. We want this to be a thriving planet when the babies born this year turn 80 in 2100. But the recommended compromise means abandoning and diluting our stories, not fortifying and improving them (and finding ways for them to actually reach the rest of America, rather than having them warped or shut out altogether). I’ve spent much of my adult life watching politicians like Bill Clinton and, at times, Barack Obama sell out their own side to placate the other, with dismal results, and I pray that times have changed enough that Joe Biden will not do it all over again.

Among the other problems with the LA Times’s editor’s statement is that one side has a lot of things that do not deserve to be called facts, and their values are too often advocacy for harming many of us on the other side. Not to pick on one news outlet: Sunday, the Washington Post ran a front-page sub-head about the #millionMAGAmarch that read “On stark display in the nation’s capital were two irreconcilable versions of America, each refusing to accept what the other considered to be undeniable fact.” Except that one side did have actual facts, notably that Donald J. Trump lost the election, and the other had hot and steamy delusions.

I can comprehend, and do, that lots of people don’t believe climate change is real, but is there some great benefit in me listening, again, to those who refuse to listen to the global community of scientists and see the evidence before our eyes? A lot of why the right doesn’t “understand” climate change is that climate change tells us everything is connected, everything we do has far-reaching repercussions, and we’re responsible for the whole, a message at odds with their idealization of a version of freedom that smells a lot like disconnection and irresponsibility. But also climate denial is the result of fossil fuel companies and the politicians they bought spreading propaganda and lies for profit, and I understand that better than the people who believe it. If half of us believe the earth is flat, we do not make peace by settling on it being halfway between round and flat. Those of us who know it’s round will not recruit them through compromise. We all know that you do better bringing people out of delusion by being kind and inviting than by mocking them, but that’s inviting them to come over, which is not the same thing as heading in their direction.

The editor spoke of facts, and he spoke of values. In the past four years too many members of the right have been emboldened to carry out those values as violence. One of the t-shirts at the #millionMAGAmarch this weekend: “Pinochet did nothing wrong.” Except stage a coup, torture and disappear tens of thousands of Chileans, and violate laws and rights. A right-wing conspiracy to overthrow the Michigan government and kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer was recently uncovered, racists shot some Black Lives Matter protestors and plowed their cars into a lot of protests this summer. The El Paso anti-immigrant massacre was only a year ago; the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre two years ago, the Charlottesville white-supremacist rally in which Heather Heyer was killed three years ago (and of course there have been innumerable smaller incidents all along). Do we need to bridge the divide between Nazis and non-Nazis? Because part of the problem is that we have an appeasement economy, a system that is supposed to be greased by being nice to the other side.

Appeasement didn’t work in the 1930s and it won’t work now. That doesn’t mean that people have to be angry or hate back or hostile, but it does mean they have to stand on principle and defend what’s under attack. There are situations in which there is no common ground worth standing on, let alone hiking over to. If Nazis wanted to reach out and find common ground and understand us, they probably would not have had that tiki-torch parade full of white men bellowing “Jews will not replace us” and, also, they would not be Nazis. Being Nazis, white supremacists, misogynists, transphobes is all part of a project of refusing to understand as part of refusing to respect. It is a minority position but by granting it deference we give it, over and over, the power of a majority position.

In fact the whole Republican Party, since long before Trump, has committed itself to the antidemocratic project of trying to create a narrower electorate rather than win a wider vote. They have invested in voter suppression as a key tactic to win, and the votes they try to suppress are those of Black voters and other voters of color. That is a brutally corrupt refusal to allow those citizens the rights guaranteed to them by law. Having failed to prevent enough Black people from voting in the recent election, they are striving mightily to discard their votes after the fact. What do you do with people who think they matter more than other people? Catering to them reinforces that belief, that they are central to the nation’s life, they are more important, and their views must prevail. Deference to intolerance feeds intolerance.

Years ago the linguist George Lakoff wrote that Democrats operate as kindly nurturance-oriented mothers to the citizenry, Republicans as stern discipline-oriented fathers. But the relationship between the two parties is a marriage, between an overly deferential wife and an overbearing and often abusive husband (think of how we got our last two Supreme Court justices and failed to get Merrick Garland). The Hill just ran a headline that declared “GOP Senators say that a Warren nomination would divide Republicans.” I am pretty sure they didn’t run headlines that said, “Democratic Senators say a Pompeo (or Bolton or Perdue or Sessions) nomination would divide Democrats.” I grew up in an era where wives who were beaten were expected to do more to soothe their husbands and not challenge them, and this carries on as the degrading politics of our abusive national marriage.

Some of us don’t know how to win. Others can’t believe they ever lost or will lose or should, and their intransigence constitutes a kind of threat. That’s why the victors of the recent election are being told in countless ways to go grovel before the losers. This unilateral surrender is how misogyny and racism are baked into a lot of liberal and centrist as well as right-wing positions, this idea that some people need to be flattered and buffered even when they are harming the people who are supposed to do the flattering and buffering, even when they are the minority, even when they’re breaking the law or lost the election. Lakoff didn’t quite get to the point of saying that this nation lives in a household full of what domestic abuse advocates call coercive control, in which one partner’s threats, intimidations, devaluations, and general shouting down control the other.

This is what marriages were before feminism, with the abused wife urged to placate and soothe the furious husband. Feminism is good for everything, and it’s a good model for seeing that this is both outrageous and a recipe for failure. It didn’t work in marriages, and it never was the abused partner’s job to prevent the abuse by surrendering ground and rights and voice. It is not working as national policy either. Now is an excellent time to stand on principle and defend what we value, and I believe it’s a winning strategy too, or at least brings us closer to winning than surrender does. Also, it’s worth repeating, we won, and being gracious in victory is still being victorious.

[Rebecca Solnit’s first media job was in fact-checking and her last book is the memoir Recollections of My Nonexistence. She’s sent a lot of mail to her nieces and nephews during the pandemic.]

[ljohnson21ahsgov]

Blog #2 - Media Assessment of Issue

USA TODAY (Objective) - “Trans-Americans’ voting rights were already in jeopardy. The pandemic threatens to make things worse”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/27/transgender-americans-voting-rights-danger-amid-covid-19/5622830002/

Subject: People who are transgender in America are being disenfranchised more with the pandemic than ever before.

Author: Kate Sosin actually is a reporter for 19thNews, a nonpartisan newsroom that reports on intersections between gender, politics, and policy. USA Today partnered with 19thNews for this story. Sosin is transgender and uses pronouns they/them, which probably influenced their writing to advocate for transgender people, as well as anyone who falls under the LGBTQ umbrella. In the past, they reported for Windy City Times, an LGBT newspaper rooted in Chicago. Sosin now live in Los Angeles, which has a liberal demographic.

Context: This article was published on August 27 of this year. This topic has become increasingly relevant as the election nears and the coronavirus pandemic still keeps many poll stations and DMVs closed. The area of publication is not stated, but USA Today is rooted in Tysons Corner, Virginia, where residents tend to lean liberal.

Audience: Maribel Perez Wadsworth is the publisher of USA Today. She is a “dedicated change agent” and has published a lot of opinion articles. This article, in particular, was probably written for members of the LGBTQ community who may be seeking assurance about not being able to vote this year, or direction for how they can vote.

Perspective: This is an objective source, but I would say this particular article is slightly subjective. It describes the laws that have caused voter suppression for transgender people, including one that is in place in 14 states and requires “applicants to prove they have irreversibly changed gender [through surgery] by providing a doctor’s certification.” It also describes some of Trump’s policies that have suppressed more than just the trans vote. However, the article does include additional perspectives. It talks about how this year, it may be easier than ever for transgender people to vote because they can vote by mail and not have to deal with being judged by a poll-worker. I think Sosin is trying to communicate that it is harder for transgender people to vote this year, even if it’s by mail, because of varying state laws that may require them to have an updated name or ID, which is unattainable amidst the pandemic.

Significance: Sosin uses a lot of facts, especially examples of state disenfranchisement laws, to back up their claim. Sosin describes some roadblocks for transgender people: “After transgender people complete a legal name change, the next obstacle is updating government-issued identification cards. In many states, that can’t be done without amending a Social Security card, another system that has been upended by the pandemic.” These are additional facts that are embedded in the article: “When the general unemployment rate spiked at 14.7% in April, 19% of trans people reported losing their jobs, Human Rights Campaign reported.” and “Of the 35 states with voter ID laws, 14 don’t allow voting by mail without justification.”

THE NEW YORKER (Liberal leaning) - “The Chaotic Design of Trump’s Mail-In-Voting Rants”

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-chaotic-design-of-trumps-mail-in-voting-rants

Subject: While the right to vote is, as John Lewis put it, “the most powerful non-violent change agent you have in a democratic society,” it is being disenfranchised with the sweep of mail-in ballots this pandemic year.

Author: Sue Halpern mainly writes about science, technology, and politics. She has written 7 books, as well as columns in the Time Magazine and the New Republic, both left-leaning sources. Halpern earned her doctorate in political theory from Oxford, and is now conducting a program in narrative journalism at Middlebury. She has a lot of experience being a journalist and mainly rights liberal articles.

Context: This source was published on July 31 of 2020. The place of publication is not stated, but The New Yorker is based in New York City, which is dominated by the democratic party.

Audience: The publisher of The New Yorker is Condé Nast, a global mass media company with the goal to “entertain, surprise, and empower.” Condé Nast, like most media companies, create their media with the intent to entertain the public. This article was probably intended for democrats. Even from the title, it is ridiculing President Trump, calling his voting plan “chaotic.” This title appeals to the democratic party.

Perspective: This article is subjective. Halpern is making the claim that Trump has disenfranchised millions of voters by making it harder to mail-in ballots. Halpern calls Trump’s administration “cronies” and ridicules him for not knowing that “mail-in ballots” are the same as “absentee ballots.” She also makes it apparent that Trump is promoting in-person voting during a pandemic, which is not only dangerous but morally corrupt. She also only references “blue states” when she is giving evidence about mail-in voting.

Significance: The introduction to this article reads, “Voting by post requires a functioning delivery service and sufficient funding for states—two things that the President is determined to sabotage.” This quote shows how voting by mail does assume some privilege, and therefore it is possible to disenfranchise the vote, which is what Trump has done to the many thousands of additional people voting by mail this year. Halpern uses very subjective language: “he [Trump] and his chorus of enablers have made a habit of trash-talking voting by mail, claiming, erroneously, that it promotes fraud.” Halpern uses words with negative connotations to describe Trump’s point of view, thus promoting her claim that he is not helping Americans vote.

NATIONAL REVIEW (Conservative leaning) - “Vote By Mail, Just This Once”

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/coronavirus-2020-election-vote-by-mail-just-this-once/

Subject: This source promotes voting by mail by saying that mailing in a ballot is safe and not advantageous to one party, but rather collects more representation from both parties.

Author: Mona Charen is a senior member of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, an advocacy group “dedicated to applying moral tradition to critical issues of public policy.” This is a conservative group based in the US Capitol. Being a member of this group probably influences what Charen rights about and how she rights it.

Context: This was published on April 16, 2020. It seems like a lot of articles that encourage voting are coming out right now because of the upcoming election and the intense polarity between the two parties. National Review is also based in New York City.

Audience: E. Garrett Bewkes IV is the publisher of National Review. He previously was a senior manager of the New York Post, an extremely overt conservative newspaper. This article was probably aimed at republicans because it is on a right-leaning newspaper, but it seems to encourage voting for everyone, regardless of the politics. 

Perspective: I think this text is slightly subjective. Charen avoids the term “disenfranchisement.” She justifies voter restriction laws by saying they prevent fraud. And while, yes, it can be very time consuming to get past them, it is worth it. However, Charen does deny President Trump’s worry that voting by mail would give republicans a disadvantage. Her claim seems to be a unifying one: whoever you are, vote! She also gives objective facts to support this message.

Significance: Charen states that, “President Trump has thrust a stick into the spokes by suggesting that vote by mail disadvantages Republicans. But there are no data to support that and plenty of evidence to the contrary.” She then goes on to explain that studies and reports have shown that mail-in ballots promote the vote equally for everyone. This quote warns against the frustrations or difficulties one may face while voting: “Voting by mail will require money, manpower, and time.” It is not this simple to get past voter suppression laws for certain people in certain states, but I think this is a good message overall: Voting isn’t always easy, but it is worth it.

All of these sources talk more about voter disenfranchisement than voting rights. They also all bring in how the pandemic has changed the voting process.

I identify with the USA Today article the most because I trust it the most. I have grown tired of seeing such subjective news. I like to read things that are clear-cut and have a lot of facts, which this one did. I also liked reading the different perspectives and stories from this article.