Brittney Griner’s wife posts heartfelt messages on Instagram, Lesbians are on broadcast television more than ever before & We salute Lucia “Lucy” Harris for Women’s Herstory Month – Monday, March 7, 2022
Brittney Griner’s wife posts heartfelt messages on Instagram, Lesbians are on broadcast television more than ever before & We salute Lucia “Lucy” Harris for Women’s Herstory Month – Monday, March 7, 2022
07Mar
Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle posts a heartbreaking and a heartfelt message on Instagram as the news cycle picks up the story that Brittney has been detained in Russia for weeks. GLAAD released it’s “Where We Are On TV” report and more lesbians are represented than ever before. We salute Lucia “Lucy” Harris today for Women’s Herstory Month.
00:00 – Welcome & Intro
00:33 – The Qube Ad
01:11 – Intro Music
01:52 – Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle posts a heartbreaking and a heartfelt message on Instagram as the news cycle picks up the story that Brittney has been detained in Russia
05:50 – GLAAD released it’s “We Are On TV” report and more lesbians are represented than ever before
07:48 – We salute Lucia “Lucy” Harris for Women’s Herstory Month
11:02 – Anna’s Got A Word
Things for you to check out
Brittney Griner detainment, explained: Why Russia is holding Phoenix Mercury star in custody and how WNBA has reacted
Family, this is your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with our queer news from today.
Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle posts a heartbreaking and a heartfelt message on Instagram as the news cycle picks up the story that Brittney has been detained in Russia for weeks. GLAAD released it’s “Where We Are On TV” report and more lesbians are represented than ever before. We salute Lucia “Lucy” Harris today for Women’s Herstory Month.
Our leading story for today is of course about Brittney Griner being detained in Russia. Her wife, Cherelle, took to Instagram Saturday night and thanked everyone who has reached out in support of getting BG home. She said, “I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life.” She went on to ask for privacy as they continue to work on getting her home safely. Then just this morning she posted a beautiful pic of BG & the fam where the caption read, “We love you babe! People say “stay busy.” Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from wondering if you are safe. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by without hearing from you. I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family. ♥” Whew. I can’t even imagine.
If you aren’t familiar with this story, Brittney Griner, one of the greatest women’s basketball players to play the game, was stopped by customs in Russia for having a vape cartridge which contained THC. Y’all these types of charges in Russia can get you up to 10 years. The reports vary but she’s been detained for at least two to three weeks. She was in Russia playing ball like so many of the WNBA players do during the winter. They go overseas to make the money they can’t make in the US. For example, Brittney makes $1.5 million dollars to play in Russia where on the other hand she makes $228,000 dollars to play for the Phoenix Mercury. She’s been playing in Russia for seven years now so I’m sure its like a second home for her. Now for the last couple of weeks WNBA players have been leaving Russia since they invaded Ukraine. It is not a safe place to be right now, to say the very least. A WNBA spokesperson said Saturday that, other than Griner, all of the league’s players who were competing in either Russia or Ukraine this winter are now out of those countries.
I have so many questions that won’t be answered till BG is back home. Questions like, “Why were you the last to leave the country?…”Did you forget your vape was in your luggage? … “Have you gone through customs with your vape in the past” … “Was it your vape or was it planted? … that one is for my conspiracy theorists out there. I mean she is in Russia so I’m not ruling anything out 100%.
Brittney’s agent had this to say, “We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA…As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.” Umm yea. Let me give y’all the rundown. She is a Black queer woman standing 6’9 detained in a country who started an unprovoked war with more sancations imposed on them than anytime in recent history where airspace is restricted so flights aren’t going in and out. Yea we are definitely concerned about her mental health. I don’t even know what detained means. Is that jail? Is it a holding area? What does that look like in Russia?
We will continue following this story till BG is back home. If you’re a praying person go ahead and send up some for not only BG & her family but for any persons being detained in Russia right now. It’s about the worst place to be at this moment.
In entertainment news, GLAAD is reporting that for the first time in history lesbians outnumber the number of gay male characters on broadcast television. In its annual “Where We Are on TV” report, GLAAD, which started analyzing LGBTQ representation on TV in 1996, found that queer women represent 56 of the 141 LGBTQ characters on scripted broadcast programs, or 40 percent, in the current 2021-2022 TV season. Gay male characters represent 49 of the total queer characters, or nearly 35 percent, on the five major broadcasters — ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and The CW. Lesbian representation was given a boost on broadcast TV with the premiere of shows such as ABC’s “Queens,” CBS’ “NCIS: Hawai’i,” NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and Fox’s “Pivoting” and “Our Kind of People.” Javicia Leslie, a bisexual actor who plays the lesbian superhero in the CW series “Batwoman,” attributed the uptick in lesbian representation to the onset of the #MeToo movement. She said, “It’s just really cool to be a part of not just a trend, but a change, you know, a shift where more inclusive stories are being told.” I also want to be clear is only for broadcast TV. The gays are still winning when you look at broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms but I think we’re all winning because there is more LGBTQ respresentation overall which is pretty dope. Check the link the show notes to read more about the numbers. Oh oh oh & since we’re talking LGBT representation on television the word is out and P-Valley is coming back for season 2 y’all in June. Get ready!
Now it is women’s herstory month & I will be sharing some of my favorite women who have made profound impacts on the world around them. The inequities women still face today are awful from the wage gap to attaining leadership positions to #MeToo. The journey has been long since the suffrage movement and there is still such a long way to go. So, telling these stories & learning more about these icons brings me so much joy.
So given our leading story is about a future hall of fame women’s basketball star, I want to salute Lusia “Lucy” Harris.
As reported by Swish Appeal’s Zachary Draves, Lucy was a true pioneer in the world of women’s basketball. Born in Minter City, Mississippi in 1955 she grew up at the height of racial segregation and the civil rights movement. The game became a refuge for her and with it she achieved success early on that would carry her into adulthood.
At Amanda Elzy High School in Greenwood, Miss., Harris won the MVP three years in a row, led her team to the state tournament, was the team captain and scored a record 46 points in a game.
In 1973, Harris was recruited to Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. to play under legendary coach Margaret Wade and she arrived at a time when women’s participation in sports was skyrocketing due to the passage of Title IX in 1972.
It was in Cleveland that she helped lead Delta State to three consecutive national titles from 1975 to 1977. During her tenure, Harris essentially wrote the record book as she still remains Delta State’s career record-holder in points (2,891) and rebounds (1,662). She shot 63.3% percent from the field.
Harris played in 115 total games, averaging 25.9 points and 14.5 rebounds, and was a three-time All-American.
In 1976, women’s basketball made its Olympic debut at the 1976 Games in Montreal and Harris was an integral part of Team USA, which also included future hall-of-famers Ann Meyers Drysdale, Nancy Lieberman, and Pat Summitt.
In 1977, Harris shattered the ultimate glass ceiling when the then New Orleans Jazz selected her in the seventh round of the NBA draft.
However, Harris turned down the offer, expressing intent on starting a family. It was later revealed that she was pregnant at the time and therefore wasn’t able to attend Jazz training camps.
In 2021, a short film documenting Harris’ life and career was released and entitled “The Queen of Basketball.” It was directed by award-winning director Ben Proudfoot and executive produced by Shaquille O’Neal. She passed away earlier this year & I’m so glad she received her roses while she was still here because she was amazing! If you haven’t seen “The Queen of Basketball” go watch it today. It’s a short film and available on YouTube. Lucy Harris we see you & we salute you.
So let’s close out today’s episode with a word on faith. The one and only tattoo I have says “Trust Your Faith”. It is a constant reminder to lean in to that thing. A reminder that God has worked some miracles in my life and can do it again. There is this quote that says, “Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness.” Our realities are not sunshine & sunflowers every moment of the day but we can absolutely choose to see the light & flowers in our lives at various moments throughout the day. You feel me? There are 24 hours in a day. 24. You can choose to see the good in at least one moment of that 24 hours. I hope BG & her family are leaning into their faith during this unimaginable time. I hope you are too as we are often walking out of one challenge and staring into another. You’ve got this. Choose to see the light. Till tomorrow, family. Peace.
Sources
Commenting on WNBA star Brittney Griner, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says U.S. ready to give ‘every possible assistance’ to detained citizens
Brittney Griner’s wife posts heartfelt messages on Instagram, Lesbians are on broadcast television more than ever before & We salute Lucia “Lucy” Harris for Women’s Herstory Month – Monday, March 7, 2022
