00:00 – Welcome & Intro
00:23 – The Qube Ad
00:47 – Intro Music
01:27 – Four Democrats out of Pennsylvania are looking to introduce bills that reduce harm for our trans siblings
03:09 – Janet Jackson’s long awaited documentary drops Friday
05:54 – The Sims 4 is going to let you assign pronouns to your characters
07:24 – Anna’s Got A W
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Family, this is your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with our queer news from today.
Four Democrats out of Pennsylvania are looking to introduce bills that reduce harm for our trans siblings. Janet Jackson’s long awaited documentary drops Friday & The Sims 4 is going to let you assign pronouns to your characters.
Our leading story for today is coming out of Pennsylvania. Four democrats there are proposing some new bills to protect individual privacy and prevent discrimination for transgender individuals, who often face many layers of bureaucracy when attempting to transition. Pretty dope, right. The four democrats, Tim Kearney, Amanda Cappelletti, Katie Muth and Lindsey Williams shared they were inspired to propose these bills after the Senate Democratic policy hearing last summer where they were able to hear first hand about the struggles affecting transgender individuals looking to transition. The bills are proposing a couple of things; making the process of changing one’s name easier and more accessible as well as removing “sex” as a field on birth certificates. They noted a couple of things; 1. The delays, cost, and confusion involved in the current name change process causes real harm to Pennsylvania’s trans community. 2. That the American Medical Association recommended last year that sex be dropped from birth certificates. In June 2021 the AMA said that designating babies as ‘male’ or ‘female’ on the public-facing part of their birth certificate “fails to recognise the medical spectrum of gender identity”. Well it seems the AMA gets it. Now, what the Democrats are proposing is legit in my book Pennsylvania currently has a Democratic governor but both houses of the state legislature have a Republican majority. So actually getting these bills passed is going to be a battle and I appreciate their willingness to fight as most don’t even do that.
Next up, Janet is back. This time with a four hour event celebrating the 40th anniversary of her first album. This documentary gives us the most intimate, honest, and unfiltered look into her life. Janet has been notoriously private, which is very necessary when you’re Janet Jackson, but she decided it was time to share. She said, “It’s just something that needs to be done”. I agree that at some point you have to tell your own story otherwise others will write it for you. The film crew captured her life & career for five years and as someone who works in the media that is a whole hell of a lot of footage. The four-part series will feature exclusive archival footage, home videos and celebrity interviews. Celebrities such as Missy, Whoopi, Janelle, Tiyanna, Mariah, Paula, Tyler, Ciara and others talk about the pop culture icon and what she’s meant to them personally & to music. The documentary will also touch on her relationships with her father, Michael, the 2004 Super Bowl moment and being a mom. Now if you’re wondering how this is Queer News its because of The Velvet Rope, her commitment to being an outspoken comrade of the community and did I mention The Velvet Rope. Now, the documentary airs Friday, January 28th at 7pm CT/8pm ET on Lifetime and A&E. Take a listen to the short trailer so you can get a sense of what will be shared. [PLAY CLIP] Now, set your reminders, DVRs, and all the things because you probably don’t want to miss this one.
“JANET JACKSON” Documentary Extended Trailer