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lgbtQ CharaCters gain visibility on tv
LGBTQ characters rise in number with streamingBroadcast networks and cable channels are also part of a study
Lynn Elber The Associated Press
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LGBTQ representation on scripted TV series has grown along with the footprint of streaming services, according to an annual study by the advocacy group GLAAD.
“TV is leading entertainment in telling LGBTQ stories,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said in the “Where We Are on TV” report on the 2021-22 season.
In recognition of the increased number and profile of streaming services, the study added five relative newcomers to the trio — Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix — included in previous GLAAD diversity tallies.
Broadcast networks and cable channels are part of the study, which also looks at broadcast representation of women, people of color and those with disabilities. Netflix, which has consistently topped its streaming competitors in LGBTQ inclusivity, according to GLAAD, ranked first again, with 155 regularly seen or recurring characters on its original comedy and drama series.
By comparison, prime-time series on the
ABC, CBS, CW, Fox and NBC networks include a combined 141 LGBTQ characters this season, according to the study. But GLAAD offered thinly veiled criticism of
Netflix over its handling of Dave Chappelle’s 2021 special “The Closer,” which was faulted by people inside and outside the company for what they deemed anti-transgender humor. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos later said he erred in addressing employee concerns, but the special remained on the streaming service.
“It would be disingenuous to shine a light on
Netflix’s inclusive programming without also being clear on the harm Netflix did to the LGBTQ community this past fall by doubling down on giving anti-LGBTQ content the reach and legitimacy of their platform and brand,” the report said. Netflix declined to comment. The following are among the report’s findings, by platform:
Streaming
There were 358 regularly seen and recurring LGBTQ characters in series offered by the eight streaming services included in the study — an increase of 217 from last year’s total found on
“Never Have I Ever” helped Netflix retain its lead in LGBTQ depictions. >Netflix via AP
Sarah Kate Ellis President and CEO, GLAAD
on networks in prime time, 92 (11.9%) were LGBTQ. The previous record high, in the 201920 report, was 10.2%. Combining recurring and regular roles, LGBTQ characters totaled 141, a “significant increase” over last year’s tally of 101, the report said. In a first-time finding, lesbians represent the majority of LGBTQ characters on broadcast, with new characters introduced in series including “NCIS: Hawai’i” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” The study called it a welcome and “noteworthy change” from TV’s criticized portrayal of queer women as tragic figures.
three streaming services. (Last year, only Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix were tracked.) Helping Netflix retain its lead in LGBTQ depictions are foreign-language dramas with queer stories, the report said, including “Young Royals” from Sweden, “Rebelde” from Mexico and “Elite” from Spain. They join the inclusive Netflix comedies “Never Have I Ever,” “Q-Force” and “Sex Education.” HBO Max, which launched in spring 2020, landed in second place in its first GLAAD tally. The service “quickly built a reputation for standout LGBTQ-inclusive comedy series,” the report said, with the majority of its 71 LGBTQ characters found on comedies, including the Emmy-winning “Hacks,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Sort Of.”
Broadcast Networks
Of the 775 regularly appearing series characters
Cable Channels
Two years ago, GLAAD said that it asked all TV platforms to commit to people of color making up at least half of LGBTQ characters, and broadcast and cable met the challenge. “Unfortunately, this year cable
In fact, moved backward,” the report said, dropping from 52% to 45%. A sharp jump in the number Netflix ranked of recurring LGBTQ characters first again, with 155 on cable series, along with an regularly seen or uptick among regular characters, recurring characters brought the combined total to on its original 138 on prime-time scripted cable comedy and drama originals. That’s up from last series. season’s 118 but a significant drop from the 215 characters of two years ago. With a total of 35 LGBTQ characters — including 16 on “The L Word: Generation Q” and four on newcomer “Yellowjackets” — Showtime was found to be the most LGBTQ-inclusive cable network after ranking third last season.
Grilled chicken and pimientos from “Leña Eh” food truck. “Entre Panas” offers breadfruit bread and other gluten free products.
World Central Kitchen returns to “Mercado de Alimentos” in Santurce
Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal
World Central Kitchen (WCK), a nongovernmental organization dedicated to providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises, will return this Saturday, Feb. 26 to the Mercado de Alimentos (Food Market) in Santurce, along with members of its Network of Food Producers to promote support for local farmers.
The Food Market is a space where local farmers have the opportunity to market and sell their products directly to the public, and at the same time, support smallholder farmers, fishers, and small food-related businesses with climate change mitigation and adaptation programs.
In post-disaster communities, WCK’s immediate goal is to help its partners revitalize their operations and begin to regrow their long-term capacity for food production, distribution, and sales. The long-term goal is to contribute to system-wide improvements in food and nutrition security and sustainability by building the capacity of local communities to produce their own food. “We don’t just deliver raw ingredients and expect people to fend for themselves. And we don’t just dump free food into a disaster zone: we source and hire locally wherever we can, to jump-start economic recovery through food,” said José Andrés, founder of WCK. “After a disaster, food is the fastest way to rebuild our sense of community. We can put people back to work preparing it, and we can put lives back together by fighting hunger.” The Food Market in Santurce is one of the few farmers’ market in the San Juan Metropolitan Area where people can buy fresh meat directly from producers. This week, those visiting the market will have the
opportunity to buy fresh lamb from Rosa Martínez’s Katahdor farm in Hatillo. Martínez started her business in 2017 and After a disaster, food is the received a grant from WCK last year to improve the farm’s animal feed warehouse. She used part fastest way to rebuild our sense of the grant to buy better quality animal food to of community. We can put improve the quality of the end product. As part of WCK’s farmers’ market event, people back to work preparing it, and we can put lives back the people from “Leña Eh” food truck will be demonstrating different grilling techniques. Other producers participating in the market together by fighting hunger. event are Puerto Rico Agrotech (season fruits and vegetables), “Entre Panas” (breads and other José Andrés gluten-free products), “Nueva Cosecha” (hot Founder, World Central Kitchen sauces, marmalades and season fruits), and Levain Artisan Breads (artisan breads and pastries). The Food Market in Santurce takes place every second and fourth Saturday of the month, from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Miramar Food Truck Park,
In fact, on Ponce de León Avenue. The Food Market in Santurce is one of the few farmers’ market in the San Juan Metropolitan Area where people can buy fresh meat directly from the producers.
The Para Cristo Puppet Slam Gives People a Creative Outlet for Pandemic Stress
Founder Brenda Morales, a professional theater teacher, talks about her inspiration
By Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal
Puppetry is an ancient art form used to pass down centuries of oral storytelling, but did you know that there is a small, yet vibrant, community of puppeteers in Puerto Rico as well?
The Para Cristo Puppet Slam (PCPS) was founded by Brenda Plumey Morales a year ago. “At the beginning of the pandemic, people were sad and looking for something new to do,” said Morales in an interview with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL.
So, Morales began giving free virtual workshops to interested individuals, showing them how to craft sophisticated puppets by recycling objects in their homes, simultaneously providing them with much-needed art therapy to get their minds off the fears and challenges of the ongoing pandemic.
This past week, PCPS staged their first live production in the Teatro América in Vega Baja. Six puppeteers performed, while another 35 assisted with the on-stage production. Just a year ago, these six puppeteers barely knew the first thing about their craft.
Morales, a multidisciplinary performer, educator, and expert puppeteer, wants to see people engaged in the community. Despite the group’s name (“Para Cristo” means “For Christ”), participation depends solely on your interest in learning something new and meeting new people, and not on religion. Instead of an escape from reality, Morales provides a different way to experience it. Her goal is to “spread the love, even if I have a different belief than you do”.
Following a few months of Zoom workshops, the group’s first production was broadcasted online. The participants, who previously had close to zero experience in puppeteering, theater, filming and editing videos, managed to create an entire online show. Since then, they have hosted another online event and the performance in Vega Baja.
Inspiration
Morales’s background is as an actress, having received a bachelor’s degree in Theater from the University of Puerto Rico, in addition to a Master’s in teaching theater. She fell in love with puppeteering after meeting iconic artists in the field. As for inspiration, Morales draws it from biblical verses and her care of the elderly.
“When I choose a bible verse, it’s mostly based
off some experience that I’m living, or something that I want to share with another person,” said Morales, “When I performed in this third performance, I was looking for bible verses that inspire love, faith, and forgiveness. If Most of my puppets are based on elderly people that I see and you come to see my show, you won’t feel like I’m judging you or am I taking care of. I’m inspired that you must become Christian—it’s always, by their faces. Almost all of my always focused on puppets came from their faces. I respect and love for each other”. love wrinkles and their stories… Brenda Plumey Morales The aesthetic of her puppets comes from elderly people. “Most of Founder, Para Cristo Puppet Slam my puppets are based on elderly people that I see and am I taking care of. I’m inspired by their faces. Almost all of my puppets came from their faces. I love wrinkles and their stories, so I also select bible verses about taking care of people and how much they (elderly)
In fact, give us,” Morales recounted.
Supporting the arts
These productions aren’t simple. There are Puppetry is an pre-production, production, and post-production ancient art form processes that need to happen to achieve the used to pass down caliber of performance that Morales and the PCPS centuries of oral put on. They hope to hold their 4th puppet slam storytelling. this summer and are looking for any community funding and support that can be offered for materials, a location for in-person workshops, as well as support from colleagues in the arts. “People are hungry to learn something new, how to use a milk jug to make a puppet, to communicate, and heal with art during the pandemic,” Morales reflected.
Chelsea Clinton to launch children’s book series
The Associated Press
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton has a lot of publishing plans –for her own books, and for books by others.
The Penguin Young Readers imprint Philomel Books announced last week that Clinton has a new picture story, “Welcome to the Big Kids Club: What Every Older Sibling Needs to Know!”, coming Sept. 13. The book is illustrated by Tania de Regil.
At the same time, she will launch and provide introductions for a nonfiction chapter book series for kids ages 6-9, “Save The …,” about animal conservation. “‘Welcome to the Big Kids Club’ is a reflection of conversations I’ve had with my kids and so many other kids about what it means to have a baby in the family,” Clinton, the mother of three, said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited about this book and the newest ‘Save The’ series. My hope is that young readers and their families will enjoy and learn as much from the books in this series as I have, whether about whale sharks, frogs or more animals that could disappear if we don’t all work together to save them.” The “Save The” series will begin in September with three books: Sarah L. Thompson’s “Save the… Elephants,” Christine Taylor-Butler’s “Save the … Tigers” and Anita Sanchez’s “Save the… Whale Sharks.”
In fact,
Clinton’s book, “She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference,” is Outstanding Women coming out in Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill March. Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has previously written such bestsellers as “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World” and “She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History.” She has a picture book coming out March 1, “She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference,” with illustrations by Alexandra Bolger.
Cover image of Chelsea Clinton’s book, illustrated by Tania de Regil. > Philomel Books via AP
Big wave surfer Maya Gabeira’s adventure for children
The Associated Press
One of the world’s greatest bigwave surfers, Brazil’s Maya Gabeira, has embarked on a kid-friendly adventure.
The seven-time winner of the World Surf League Big Wave Award has a deal with Abrams Children’s Books for two picture stories and a young adult memoir. The first picture book, a fairy tale of “big waves and even bigger courage,” titled “Maya and the Beast” and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki, comes out Aug. 2.
“It’s been a dream of mine to share my story with children, in my own words, for a long time,” Gabeira said in a statement Thursday. “‘Maya and the Beast’ is based on my own story: from a shy, asthmatic child to world record holder in the male-dominated sport of big wave surfing.”
Gabeira’s memoir, currently untitled, is scheduled for 2023. According to Abrams, the book will feature “as-yet-untold stories of the friendships, relationships, and personal challenges she encountered on the road to becoming one of surfing’s elite athletes.”
The 34-year-old Gabeira is credited by Guinness World Records for surfing the highest wave ever by a woman, more than 73 feet in Nazaré, Portugal in 2020.
Maya Gabeira
