The Daily Sting, Monday: Queer Caravan Marriages Are All the Rage, Drag on ‘The Simpsons’
It’s the start of a new week, and a lot has happened over the last few days, so let’s take a look at the top gay headlines on this Monday, starting with a string of queer caravan marriages that have taken place near the United States-Mexico border. And that episode of The Simpsons featuring Marge as a drag queen finally aired last night.
In other news, famous gay rugby player Gareth Thomas was the victim of a hate crime in his hometown, and the Chinese-language version of the Oscars took place, with tons of queer visibility on the red carpet and in the annual ceremony. Plus, we’ve officially fallen more in love with actor Jude Law after an amazing sound bite he recently gave The New York Times.
From caravan marriages to rainbows on a Taiwan red carpet, here are the day’s top queer headlines:
1. 7 Queer Caravan Marriages Have Taken Place at the U.S.-Mexico Border (News)
Congrats to Erick and Pedro! The first LGBT couple of 7 from the migrant caravan to get married today. pic.twitter.com/6t3Snt6jZV
— Sarah Kinosian (@skinosian) November 18, 2018
Saturday saw two gay men who are part of the Central American caravan — one from Honduras and the other from Guatemala, together for three years — get married in Tijuana, a town in Mexico near the United States border. Since then several other queer caravan marriages have taken place, some between gay men, others between lesbians, and others between trans/cis couples. These queer people are part of the first wave of migrants to reach the U.S.-Mexico border. Several Mexican states recognize gay marriage, including Baja California, where Tijuana sits.
2. Last Night’s Episode of The Simpsons Was Drag-Filled (TV)
It took 30 seasons of The Simpsons to get RuPaul on the animated series as a guest, but it finally happened. Last night, the queen of all queens, RuPaul, and Drag Race Season 3 winner Raja were guest stars on the series, in an episode where Marge pretended to be a drag queen in order to sell more Tupperware. We also got to see Homer in full drag, though we wouldn’t exactly say he was “serving fish.” Still, the episode marked a great night for mainstream queer visibility.
3. Gay Rugby Star Gareth Thomas Was the Victim of a Homophobic Attack (Sports)
— Gareth Thomas (@gareththomas14) November 18, 2018
Gareth Thomas, the world’s most famous openly gay (retired) rugby player, was the victim of a hate crime in his hometown of Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday. He was assaulted by a 16-year-old man and received cuts and bruises on his face. But once the police were involved, Thomas opted for “restorative justice” instead of simply pressing charges sending his attacker behind bars. “I thought they could learn more that way than any other way,” he said in a video he later posted to Twitter (above). The attacker has since reportedly apologized. Read more about it here.
4. Taiwan’s Version of the Oscars Saw Activists Pushing for Gay Marriage (Film, World)
The Golden Horse Awards took place on Saturday in Taipei, Taiwan, a ceremony that is basically the Chinese language version of the Oscars. As we are only a week before the people of Taiwan head out to vote in a referendum about gay marriage and LGBTQ history taught in schools, the night saw several Taiwan movie stars hit the red carpet in support of queer civil rights. Several wore rainbow pins, others addressed the referendum in their speeches, and the awards’ judges delegation walked the red carpet carrying a giant rainbow flag. A film called Dear Ex, about a married man’s secret gay relationship, won three awards. Read more about the night here.
5. Jude Law Thinks the World Is Ready for a ‘Gay Children’s Icon’ (Celebrities)
“I think the world is ready for it, and if it isn’t, it bloody well should be” — that’s what famed actor Jude Law had to say when asked whether the world is ready for a gay children’s icon by The New York Times. Law has been on the press circuit for the new film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Crimes of Grindelwald, part of the Harry Potter universe, in which he plays wizard Albus Dumbledore. In the film his character is gay and must come face to face with Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), the evil wizard with whom he had a romance. The film was much-discussed before its release, as audiences weren’t sure how much of the gay relationship would be included in the film, or whether it would be included at all.
