dispatch from 'brb, walking out'
dispatch from 'brb, walking out'
and something about some other messes
Welcome to this week’s dispatch from the lesbian internet, a mid-week news roundup from Paging Dr. Lesbian. If you like this type of thing, subscribe, and share it with your friends!
Per last week’s dispatch about the Netflix debacle, the trans walkout that Netflix employees organized did indeed occur last Wednesday. The walkout garnered a lot of supporters, including Transparent creator Joey Solloway, but also attracted counter-protesters who were ostensibly there to “support” Dave Chapelle. At the start of the event, the queer Netflix Twitter account Most tweeted “brb, walking out,” indicating that their team was in fact participating in the walkout. While it’s certainly nice to see the queer and trans employees at Netflix take a stand (and Netflix’s asinine corporate decisions are no fault of their own), the eerily cheeky and familiar tone of these tweets only continues to reveal the inherent falsity of Netflix’s marketing “voice.”
If you hadn’t noticed, Hollywood has been a mess lately. Last week, former Batwoman star Ruby Rose alleged on Instagram that they left the series because the set was dangerous to work on and called out several executives for their abusive behavior. The following day, Warner Bros issued a statement refuting Rose’s claims and saying that rather than leaving the show of their own accord, they were actually fired because of unprofessional workplace behavior. A Batwoman crew member seems to have corroborated these claims, as does a cast member. It’s certainly possible that both of these claims have some truth to them (that conditions were unsafe and that Rose acted inappropriately on set), but more so what this reveals is the toxic workplace environment that seems to permeate Warner Bros sets and Hollywood more broadly. And, as Heather Hogan writes in Autostraddle, there have been multiple complaints from black women on Warner Bros shows (in the Arrowverse specifically) alleging a racist environment, none of which have been taken as seriously as Rose’s claims. This news also comes the same week that a crew member was killed by a gun on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie Rust. I will continue following both stories.
In happier news, Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Ruby have graced the cover of People Magazine this week, sharing their story of Ruby coming out as trans and Jamie’s reaction to it. Ruby and Jamie have stated that they chose to do the cover as a way to reach people who might need to hear the story, which is certainly commendable, and I hope it does.
Some dating news for you: According to betteportergallery on Instagram, Kehlani is actually not getting down with SZA (or maybe she was!), and seems to instead be dating musician 070 Shake. Also, Abbi Jacobson and Jodi Balfour (who we basically already knew were dating) officially confirmed their relationship by celebrating their one-year anniversary on Instagram. Cheers!
In other news, the trailer for the new Amazon Prime lesbian reality series Tampa Baes has been released, and it looks absolutely unhinged. Speaking of unhinged, the trailer for the upcoming lesbian nun film Benedetta – directed by iconic sadomasochist Paul Verhoeven – was released this week, and it looks deliciously sacrilegious. Also, JoJo Siwa performed as Pennywise for Dancing With The Stars’ horror week, and it was everything.
It’s been announced that E.R. Fightmaster, who you might know as Fran’s hot significant other in Shrill, has been cast in a recurring role on Grey’s anatomy. The Variety headline reads “‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Casts E.R. Fightmaster as First Non-Binary Doctor,” which I think is funny because it sounds like they are the first non-binary doctor ever in the history of the world (which is obviously not true). If you didn’t know what E.R. looks like, here is a photo for your viewing pleasure.
If you’re looking for something to read this week, check out this fascinating piece on “The Politics of Jewface” in Jewish Currents, or this profile of Katie Couric in The Cut by the always tremendous Rebecca Traister. Also, an illuminating and infuriating read about the anti-trans bill just signed in Texas.
That’s all for this week, folks! Stay tuned for more important updates. Since it’s the last week of spooky season, I will leave you with this pic of our favorite lesbian witch as inspiration for your Halloween vibes. Stay skanky!
