LastWord. People say the queerest things
“Facilities that were completely inadequate before the pandemic are now death traps for the innocent people locked inside.” —GREGORY COPELAND of the Rapid Defense Network, one of several organizations demanding in a lawsuit that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release all transgender detainees being held by the agency. Transgender Law Center’s Lynly Egyes said, “A humane response to address COVID-19 is possible: release transgender people that are currently in ICE detention so that they can receive care and safety in the community.”
“Is there something in this religion that is anti-homosexuality and anti-woman? Does that complicate the issue?” —JEFF GOLDBLUM, in the Friday, April 24, episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Goldblum was speaking about Jackie Cox’s “Stars and Stripes” runway look, which featured a starry hijab and striped caftan, celebrating her Iranian heritage. “I’m just raising it and thinking out loud and maybe being stupid,” Goldblum added. Cox later said, “You can be Middle Eastern, you can be Muslim, and you can still be American…. I had to show America that you can be LGBT and from the Middle East, and there’s gonna be complicated shit around that, and that’s okay.”
“I thought Grindr was something that you cut metal with.” —CHRISTIAAN OTTO, a South African man whose anti-LGBTQ social media comments have led to a human rights complaint against him, speaking to Mamba Online after an LGBTQ group claimed to have found his secret Grindr profile. Otto denied operating the profile and seeking sex with other men, as well as messaging men on WhatsApp, saying, “They just took old photos off of my Facebook account and they created this profile. It’s not rocket science.”
“It shows that Tunisia will not be able to resist the natural course of history in the world. It will also have consequences in terms of law. ” —MOUNIR BAATOUR, leader of Tunisian LGBTQ rights group Shams, in a Facebook post announcing that a court in Tunisia has granted l egal recognition to a same-sex marriage — a potential first for an Arab nation. The marriage in question is between a Tunisian man and a French man who, after marrying in France, returned to Tunisia. The Tunisian man’s spouse was added to his birth certificate, recognizing the validity of their marriage.
“I think that kind of bringing it up in this very casual way is important because it doesn’t need to stand out.” —JAMIE GRAY HYDER, who plays Officer Katriona Tamin in NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, speaking to E! News after her character casually came out as bisexual. “I think by it not totally standing out to the members of the squad, it really will help the community with acceptance when it comes to that community,” Hyder said.
40
APRIL 30, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
