Good Morning! Especially to Nay — it’s time to wake up, babe! Oliver 🐶, you can go back to sleep!

New memes just dropped! This time courtesy of Andy Hopper, a Republican rep in the Texas House who went viral after admitting (or pretending?) he didn’t know what intersex meant. Except, his mic caught a colleague telling him he was wrong — and the moment was both embarrassing and hilarious! Bonus: most anti-LGBTQIA+ amendments failed to pass that day in the Texas House. That’s a whoosh!

Not everything’s is laughable, though. Hungary’s parliament just passed a constitutional amendment banning LGBTQ+ events in public spaces. Devastating. LGBTQ+ folks in Hungary, you are in our hearts.

In some good news: Colorado’s Governor, Jared Polis, who is an out gay man, repealed the state’s same-sex marriage ban from the state constitution. It wasn’t being enforced, but future-proofing our rights? Always a win!

And for this Thursday? You know it’s LIT! Nay and Vico give us a sneak peek at what they’re working on (writing!) for Today in Gay’s new written Substack series. Plus, in Good Queer News, we’ve got a voicemail today! Don’t miss it!

♥︎ TiG Team

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Happy Wednesday!

We are feeling all of the love you gave our latest written post, so sweet to see all of your stories in the comments! Riding on that high — we have some good news straight outta Colorado: misgendering and deadnaming might soon be considered acts of discrimination under state law! Gender-neutral school uniforms are also expected, and if the bill passes — courts won’t be able to side with transphobic parents anymore! Huge wins on the horizon! Meanwhile, things in the UK are looking rough for trans folks. There's a heated debate around “single-sex spaces,” and the Supreme Court is expected to redefine the term woman. And you know J.K. Ro*ling is a key player in this discourse.… As Vico put it, “haters, hit the bench!” And transphobes, we sincerely hope your pillow is NOT comfortable every single night!

Last but not least, a double-dose of good news: we are celebrating Venton Jones, Texas’ first out gay, Black, HIV-positive lawmaker doing big things in Texas! We previously reported on Jones when he proposed to his husband, Gregory Scott Jr., at the Texas State Capitol. Now? He’s a key player in getting the Texas State House to pass a law making HIV testing a standard part of STI testing. About time, right? To wrap it all up, Nay and Vico spill some tea from their past jobs for Wildcard Wednesday — plus a little good gay news about the blooming Hyacinths! 🪻🌷🪻

♥︎ TiG Team

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We’re back! And we’re having such a great time this Tuesday, reveling in our latest Substack post! A new written series we are posting on exclusively on our Substack, so be sure to subscribe!

https://todayingaypod.substack.com/p/filed-under-subversive

There are baby pics of Vico and amazing words from Nay, maybe even a k.d. lang reference, and definitely some gay yearning. But today’s headlines? Fascinating and conspiracy filled!

It’s bad news for the disinformation bros: trans pilot Jo Ellis is suing a right-wing influencer. Why? Because he falsely claimed she was the pilot in the fatal D.C. plane crash earlier this year. Turns out, you can’t just b******t your way through the internet without consequences. We’ll be watching that one. Also, new conspiracy just dropped! According to a right-wing pastor and podcaster, TSA full-body scanners at airports make you gay! His solution? He prefers full-body pat-downs by male agents only. But you know… no homo. However, according to Vico’s first hand experience, the gay-beam machine breaks if you’re too gay. And in bittersweet news (and Viking pride): a trans politician in Norway just proposed welcoming trans Americans as asylees if things get worse here in the US. The Green Party of Norway is showing support.

It’s TV Tuesday! Nay and Vico talk about their latest binges — sweet characters from Love on the Spectrum (Big shoutouts to Abbey & David, Conner and Nay’s baby boy/friend Tanner!) Vico’s dog Frida says F**K Meta’s censorship of Today in Gay!!! We’ll see you tomorrow!

♥︎ TiG Team

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Celeste O’Connor is known for their roles in huge franchises like Ghostbusters and Scream, but what you might not know is their deep commitment to public health (aka collective wellbeing, for the Gen Z-ers).

“ I just wish, like emotional education was a part of the systems that we have in place for health, AKA public health, emotional education is public health. And, yeah, that's just what I wish for the world.”

O’Connor applies their studies in public health, with a degree from Johns Hopkins University, across every area of their life, from acting, to partnership, to internal work on their feelings of shame, and beyond. In their journey, they have questioned why they pursued acting and the shame that was at the root of it, but then transmuting that shame into action. Turning what could be an insecurity into a superpower.

“Shame tells you I'm different, right? And the way I'm processing that shame[…] is by turning that into a positive thing and saying, okay, I may be different, but that's gonna be a good thing and I'm gonna be super smart and I'm gonna be super talented and I'm gonna be super successful. And so that way the shame that I have can be like, positively received.”

Both actors discuss what it looks like to work and create within big corporations, where your art is commodified, in a sense, as a part of a marketing machine, and what boundaries are necessary in that space to protect yourself as an artist. O’Connor talks about a singing circle they recently joined, to sing with no other intention but to be present. Jasmin took up drawing during the last season of Yellowjackets (we want to see these pieces!) and Nay talks about her realization that the art she creates can take a different meaning, if she’s making it as a job vs for pleasure, or a gift.

Lately, O’Connor has been channeling their energy on creating more projects for themself, outside of the corporate space, focusing on stories that uplift marginalized voices, through their production company, Pedestal. They shared the inception of the company with their romantic and creative partner, Mecca McDonald, and revealed that nurturing their creative sides together has strengthened their relationship.

“She's an amazing designer in general. And so especially when it comes to like filmmaking, I feel like her strong suit is like, ‘What is the composition of this frame?What is the lighting saying?’ And my strong suit is like, okay, ‘What are the actors doing? What is the story doing?’ And then we like come together and we're like, oh. And we start levitating.”

O’Connor also directed our very own Jasmin Savoy’s recent music video for “Signals” (out today!) through their production company, Pedestal, and they shared some inspiration for the video.

Basically, you’ll have to watch the full video to understand just how plugged into their integrity they are as a filmmaker, actor and champion of public health, but the biggest take-away? Celebrities shouldn’t be your go-to source of knowledge for political movements. Not because they aren’t intelligent, or well-meaning, but because as visual icons in our culture, they just aren’t educated in the same ways that scholars and activists are, who have built a career in methods of affecting change.

“ A lot of these people who are posting and who are sharing their political views are not educated politically in any way, shape or form. And celebrities should not lead the revolution. They should not be the voice of s**t besides promoting their creativity.”

While the actor doesn’t think celebrities should use their platform for revolution, they encourage making the most of their platform for good, i.e. redistributing their wealth and giving money to people who can resource the communities who need it most. We don’t want Kim Kardashian to lead the revolution, but Celeste O’Connor is one celebrity who might be able to do it.

You’ll have to watch to hear about O’Connor’s Good Gay News, but here’s a sneak peek! Follow O’Connor’s creative work @by.pedastal or bypedestal.com

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We are full of giggles this Thursday, ready to go HAM on these headlines for you! Just a reminder — producers: they also forget to mute themselves, but when they type “LOL” they mean it!

Good news, nature remains extremely queer! We’re talking about the first intersex Southern Right Whale ever discovered (yep, you read that right) and the literal size queens who made headlines last year! Haters gonna hate on diversity, but nature keeps proving it’s the default. Speaking of haters, literal TERF Queen — J.K-for-Karen Rowling — crawled out of her dungeon to hate on LGBTQIA+ folks again, this time targeting asexuals. We couldn't hate it (and her) more. In California, man-child Mike Munzing (a.k.a. MAGA Mike) tried to ban Pride flags, but got absolutely read by folks in Aliso Viejo. Spoiler: he left red-faced and ripping up his own bill! Also, Vico and Nay satiate your thirst…for knowledge, because it’s Litty (Literature) Thursday! That means it’s time for the latest reads from Nay and Vico. Nay goes deep on the Watts Riots, and everyone’s favorite pirate Vico dives into their latest historical fiction pick! Happy Thursday!

♥︎ TiG Team

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Happy Wednesday!

Today, one of Nay’s dogs and certified Marco Polo star, Oliver, gets a shoutout! Oliver is a goofy-guy who loves to snore (“sawin’ some logs”) while we are trying to record! Speaking of goofy guys (actual losers – not you, Oliver): Trump and RFK Jr. are pushing for research funding only if it’s about “regret” among trans people. Trying to make science back up their hate — but we know the research already proves them wrong. Also? Good news: less than 10% of the hateful bills filed last year actually became law. The attacks are real, but so is the fight — and it’s working. As Vivian Topping says, “focus on the fact that our opposition loses most of the time.” And Vico, our not-a-ball-sports-expert-but-definitely-a-swords-expert, brings us the latest from California, where lawmakers are saying NO to transphobic laws. Oh! And since it’s Wildcard Wednesday… there’s always new goss. Secret crushes included!

♥︎ TiG Team

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Happy Tuesday!

Here’s what’s brewing — Gay Bears in Texas are showing up as trans allies at a campground! Choosing community over exclusivity, is IN! Transphobia, OUT! Let’s remind every business in the country: it’s expensive to hate your neighbors! In some continued b******t, Florida is already testing its new b******t bathroom laws — and they’re targeting a trans student who protested by simply washing her hands in the women’s restroom. Horrifying, hateful and hypocritical, doesn’t even begin to cover it. In Georgia, Democrats have said enough of the b******t transphobic legislation, and staged a walkout instead. A small but mighty reminder that not everyone is backing down. The haters will always be obsessed. Nay and Vico are also talking about their latest Netflix obsessions. And some extra good gay news — an Ambie award just went to a production team Vico worked with! Congrats to What Happened in Skinner!

♥︎ TiG Team

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It’s Monday! Didn’t it kinda feel like the longest weekend ever?

Today, Wisconsin is on a roll! The town of La Crosse, WI elects its first Black and openly gay mayor. This comes on the heels of last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election, wherein voters rejected candidate Brad Schimel — the guy backed by known transphobe, the richest man in the world, and all around dork, Elon Musk.

Then, we revisit Russia’s growing anti-LGBTQIA+ crackdown. Amid the so-called “LGBT movement” that’s now banned in Russia — labeled a terrorist organization — Russia bans the Elton John AIDS Foundation from operating in the country. It’s  a devastating reminder that the massive progress made in HIV/AIDS treatment is at risk all over the world.

Finally, we talk about the ridiculous cis-gender athlete who refused to compete against a trans woman. It’s a blatant display of transphobia and thankfully, USA Fencing agreed by disqualifying the athlete. Plus, we get to learn some of Vico’s fencing lore!

Oh, and y’all have got to have feelings on the JoJo Siwa VIP experience. Worth the $900? Should we go? TiG x JoJo Siwa?

♥︎ TiG Team

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Y’all asked and we’re answering! Today is a very special episode of voicemails from our listeners. Nay and Vico respond to questions that were called and texted in (hint: our number is +1.551.333.5247 and the line is always open!) and give their advice. They talk situationships, high school, and even offer secrets on how to reach Vico levels of cuteness… so you definitely don’t wanna miss — and maybe take notes, too!

We hope you enjoy! And if you need any advice that wasn’t addressed in today’s episode, call or text or even leave a comment! We had so much fun, we may just do this again. Also, any suggestions for what our advice line should be called?

♥︎ TiG Team

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Happy Wednesday!

Today we are celebrating trans folks and their allies that took to the streets for Transgender Day of Visibility, showing up loud and proud! Thousands rallied across multiple cities to send a clear message to transphobes: we’re not going anywhere. Or as Nay puts it, I’m rubber, and you’re glue... Speaking of things not sticking — this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be satire-free, since organizers scrapped queer comedian Amber Ruffin’s performance. No jokes that night, but there will certainly be plenty of clowns in the room. And finally, have you ever thought raccoons give off non-binary vibes? Well, the British Karens sure have, and they’re spiraling over a children’s television show using they/them pronouns. But rest easy — Wren the raccoon is thriving, the show is still standing, and the Karens? We wish they would stop Karen-ing. Vico and Nay also serve up some risky personal lore on this Wildcard Wednesday — spoiler alert: Vico was shackled up at The Eagle, and Nay was preparing for the rapture. Remember, f**k grammar and embrace science!

♥︎ TiG Team

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit todayingaypod.substack.com/subscribe