50 Shades of Gay

Whilst browsing the internet researching information that would be pertinent to celebrating this issue’s 50th birthday; that would be appropriate for a Pride issue and that would have a message that is socially, politically and culturally applicable, especially in Africa, where in many of the continent’s countries people who don’t identify as 100% heterosexual are being sidelined, discriminated against and in some cases killed. I stumbled on a 20 minute talk by a woman, Tillett Wright who is working on the Self-Evident Project.

This project aims to show why and how everyone deserves and has the right to be treated equally, regardless of where they lie in the diversity spectrum. Tillett Wright has photographed 2,000 people who consider themselves somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum, and asked many of them: Can you assign a percentage to how gay or straight you are? Most people, it turns out, consider themselves to exist in the gray areas of sexuality, not 100% gay or straight. Which presents a real problem when it comes to discrimination: Where do you draw the line?

She states that “Visibility is key. Familiarity is the gateway drug to empathy. Once an issue pops up in your own back yard or amongst your own family, you’re far more likely to explore sympathy for it or explore a new perspective on it.”

A perfect message, especially for explaining just why the LGBT+ community will always need Pride. Our community must never be forced to live in the closet.

Go to: https://www.ted.com/talks/io_tillett_wright_fifty_shades_of_gay

You wont be disappointed ...

OUT TAKES

“I am an actress, and I am supposed to embody another character. Whatever their sexuality is doesn’t matter to me, the same way watching a gay person play a straight person. We’re actors. We’re supposed to embody a character regardless of their sexuality.” - Julianna Margulies

On casting a straight actor in a gay role, Kai Luke Brummer (Moffie) said, “It’s definitely something I thought about, and about representation. As much as I don’t identify as queer, I still believe that sexuality is fluid. It always has been for me, it’s always been so much more about the person. But it’s definitely something that crossed my mind.”