Movie about transgender character wins big at the Golden Globe Awards

“Emilia Pérez,” a Spanish-language musical directed by Jacques Audiard, achieved significant recognition at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

This marks the first time a non-English-language film has secured this award.

The film tells the story of a Mexican cartel leader who transitions into a woman, with Karla Sofía Gascón, a Spanish trans actress, portraying the lead role. Gascón made history as the first transgender actress nominated for a film acting category at the Golden Globes.

During the ceremony, Gascón delivered a powerful acceptance speech, stating, “You can put us in jail, you can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul or existence or identity.”

“Emilia Pérez” also received awards for Best Motion Picture (Non-English Language), Best Original Song (“El Mal”), and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña.

Karla Sofía Gascón gives emotional speech as Emilia Pérez wins Golden Globe

Emilia Pérez triumphs at the Golden Globes 2025 in a major win for trans representation

What is a “lesbian boyfriend”?

Some lesbians call their female partners “boyfriend”. What is that about?

The concept gained attention when actress Lily-Rose Depp referred to her partner, rapper 070 Shake (Danielle Balbuena, photo above), as her “boyfriend,” sparking discussions about gender expression in queer relationships.

The term “lesbian boyfriend” is embraced by some in the lesbian community as a playful acknowledgment of diverse gender expressions within relationships.

Historically, queer couples have often played with gender roles, titles, and presentation, with examples like butch-femme dynamics and female husbands. This terminology exemplifies the fluidity and expansive nature of gender and identity within queer relationships.

Qispe Lopez looks at the concept of a “lesbian boyfriend” over at Them:

If you’re still lost, let’s establish some basics about gender, sexuality, presentation, and pronouns.

At their most basic definitions, gender refers to who you are, sexuality refers to who you like, gender presentation refers to how you present yourself to the world, and pronouns are the terms people use to refer to you in lieu of your name.

Though all four of these things can be related, they also can be completely irrespective of each other. For example, a lesbian who presents in a masculine fashion may still identify as a woman and use she/her pronouns, yet prefer masculine terms of endearment like “handsome” or “husband.”

AI characters are pretending to be LGBTQ+ on Facebook and Instagram

OUT criticizes Meta for creating AI-generated profiles that mimic marginalized communities, including Black queer women and parents.

Social media users are calling out Meta’s “disturbing” use of fake AI profiles on its sites, including several that are pretending to be women, people of color, LGBTQ+, or parents and supposedly speaking to their struggles.

These profiles, intended to drive user engagement on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, have been labeled as deceptive and culturally appropriative.

Critics argue that these AI profiles exploit the identities of marginalized groups while the company simultaneously censors LGBTQ+ content.

The ethical implications of using AI to create fake personas are serious. People may read them as real representatives of LGBTQ-people, and given that AI’s can only reproduce what is already found on the web, the chances that they repeat bigotry and prejudices are big.

More here.

You can get more transgender news if you follow Transgender World over at Bluesky.

“Win or Lose”: Disney’s Transgender Bathroom Scene Leaks Online

Disney has gotten a lot of criticism for turning a trans character cis in the upcoming animated series Win or Lose.

Inside the Magic writes:

Shortly after the news broke, social media sources leaked the alleged rough draft of the transgender scene on X (formerly Twitter). @LostMediaBuster had access to the scene for a while but didn’t publicize it until they found out Pixar had removed it from the series.

Now they have shared it on X.

The scene gives a good presentation of both gender dysphoria and gender euphoria. This is a scene that would have humanized trans kids in the eyes of cis people and shown trans kids that they are not alone.

To bad Disney did not have the moral compass needed to stand up to transphobic politicians and parents.

Jack Molay

Ex-Pixar Staffers Cry Over “Win or Lose” Trans Storyline Being Scrapped

The Hollywood Reporter looks at the removal of a transgender storyline from the forthcoming Pixar’s series “Win or Lose.”

The character, originally voiced by trans actress Chanel Stewart, will now be portrayed as cisgender.

Former Pixar staffers expressed their disappointment, highlighting the emotional impact and the potential positive influence the original storyline could have had.

“It hardly surprised me, but it devastated me,” Sarah Ligatich, a former Pixar assistant editor who consulted on the episode, tells THR. “For a long time, Disney has not been in the business of making great content. They have been in the business of making great profits. Even as far back as two years ago when I was at Pixar, we had a meeting with [then-CEO] Bob Chapek, and they were clear with us that they see animation as a conservative medium.”

Disney’s decision is seen as part of a broader trend of the company prioritizing profitability and conservative content over diverse and inclusive storytelling. This move has sparked debates about the direction of Pixar’s projects and the company’s commitment to diversity and representation

Read the whole article here.

Transgender heroes Dylan Mulvaney and Harper Steele in conversation

The Trevor Project has published a conversation between trans women Dylan Mulvaney and Harper Steele.

Read the whole conversation here!

DYLAN: What do you hope people will learn after watching Will & Harper? [A documentary with Harper Steel and Will Ferrell.]

HARPER: From a trans perspective, what I want is for people to understand the damage that happens when you stop people from becoming who they need to be. If you deprive people of their gender, you’re depriving them of a chance at true joy. I think the other big takeaway from the film is that friendship is about being present, listening and caring — if someone you love is going through a period of change, spend time with them. Sometimes time is all it takes to say, “I’m here for you.”

Disney has removed a transgender storyline from Pixar’s upcoming animated series Win or Lose

Disney has removed a transgender storyline from Pixar’s upcoming animated series Win or Lose, scheduled for release on Disney+ in December 2024.

The series, which follows a middle school softball team, originally included a transgender character voiced by actress Chanel Stewart.

While the character remains, dialogues referencing gender identity have been cut. A Disney spokesperson stated that the decision allows parents to discuss such topics with their children on their own terms.

“I was very disheartened,” says Stewart. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”

The trans actress Chanel Stewart expressed disappointment, emphasizing the importance of transgender representation in media.

This move aligns with Disney’s recent pattern of modifying or removing LGBTQ+ content, including the shelving of an episode of Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur featuring a transgender athlete storyline.

As far as kid’s TV is concerned, it looks like Disney is surrendering to the Republican transphobia. That is sad. So sad.

Which one of the LGBT Pride acronyms is the most popular?

The most commonly used variant of the LGBT acronym is LGBTQ (and the variant LGBTQ+), which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer.

This version has gained popularity since the early 2000s as it reflects a broader and more inclusive understanding of gender and sexual identities.

While LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) remains widely recognized and serves as the foundational term, the addition of “Q” for Queer or Questioning acknowledges the complexities of identity beyond the original four categories.

Some will add even more letters, identifying more sexual orientations and gender identities, like in LGBTQ2IA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Two-Spirit, Intersex, Asexual).

In variants like LGBTQ+ and LGBTQIA+ the “+” signifies additional identities not explicitly represented in the acronym, such as Intersex and Asexual. Indeed, a British study indicates that a majority of queer Britons prefer LGBTQ+ to LGBTQ. This especially applies to the younger generations.

SGM or GSM, an abbreviation for sexual and gender minorities, is used in government, academia, and medicine.

Some use the term “queer” as an umbrella term for all kinds of gender variance and sexual orientations.

The only variant you should not use is LGB. This one is promoted by anti-transgender activists only.

What Are The Most Common Acronyms in the LGBTQ+ Community?
LGBTQIA+ 101
LGBTQ acronyms and definitions
LGBTQ on Wikipedia
LGBT; LGBTQ; LGBTQIA: what acronym does the queer community use?

Trans and queer people are finding a safe haven over at Bluesky

Bluesky has become a real alternative to X-twitter for LGBTQ people. Transgender World has experienced more than a 50% increase in followers since the US election.

The increasing polarization of American politics have seriously damages some of the most valuable parts of the internet: commons for debate and information sharing. Twitter was, for a time, such a place, used by millions of people across the political spectrum for debate and research.

Not anymore. Twitter was weakened even before Elon Musk took over, but since he became the owner and leader of what is now X, it has devolved a cesspool of hatred and trolling. He intentionally dismissed most of the moderators.

Toxic environment

I gave up debating transgender issues on twitter/X years ago, as it became increasingly clear that nearly all threads regarding gender variance might be taken over by trolls whose goal was not to learn but to win. If you debated on their terms, you soon found yourself lost in a toxic sea of “fake news” and lack of logic.

People have been leaving X-twitter for a long time now. I noticed that serious journalists stopped using twitter in their research. Activists who do not belong to the MAGA-tribe are also much less likely to use twitter for hashtag campaigns intended to raise awareness. Most trans people have stopped using twitter as a place of identity exploration or for finding friends.

Elon Musk has effectively destroyed Twitter, and I’m convinced it was intentional, as his extremist politics do not flourish in open and tolerant arenas for learning.

Note that Musk is a transphobe who has actively been harassing his transgender daughter on twitter, He is that bad.

Read the rest of this article over at Crossdreamers.

Photo: Borchee

Transgender teens changing America and the world

The Advocate looks at the GenderCool Project, which highlights the stories of transgender youth to counter harmful narratives and promote understanding.

Through advocacy and visibility, the project showcases how trans teens contribute positively to society, emphasizing their resilience and aspirations.

Participants share personal experiences to foster inclusivity and challenge misconceptions about transgender individuals, advocating for supportive environments.

Read “Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world”

Visit the Gender Cool project here!

Here are two of the transgender teenage activists presented by the Advocate:

Rebekah has a passion for writing and sharing her experiences, which is why the co-author of A Kids Book About Being Inclusive says the project was “based on our own personal stories.” The goal was to explain inclusivity by “putting it down to tiny examples that kids could understand.”

Ashton …says that he often reflects on whether his discomfort with his gender was linked “to the fact that I was a person of color, usually in predominantly white schools and spaces, and feeling othered.” But he never let the discomfort define him, and wants others in his communities to know they, too, are limitless.