Time-stamped by 1996 with its movie rental stores and classic 90s fashion, Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman is far from a new tale; yet still, there are those who are just now hearing it for the very first time after the film entered the Criterion Collection last month. In the film, Dunye—who directed, wrote, and starred in the trailblazing feature—takes to the Philly streets on a mission of inquiry for black lesbians everywhere. In the fictional docu-style film, the story of the “Watermelon Woman” unravels before the viewer just as it does for Cheryl (whose character bears Dunye’s...…Time-stamped by 1996 with its movie rental stores and classic 90s fashion, Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman is far from a new tale; yet still, there are those who are just now hearing it for the very first time after the film entered the Criterion Collection last month. In the film, Dunye—who directed, wrote, and starred in the trailblazing feature—takes to the Philly streets on a mission of inquiry for black lesbians everywhere. In the fictional docu-style film, the story of the “Watermelon Woman” unravels before the viewer just as it does for Cheryl (whose character bears Dunye’s...WW…

Filmmaker D. Smith has never had a problem telling it like it is. Being a Black transgender woman who has worked hard to create space for herself in entertainment, truth was often the only thing that protected her. Now, with her latest project titled Kokomo City, Smith is making room for other Black trans women to use their voices to do the same thing. The film, which centers the lives and experiences of four Black trans women, focuses on not only narrative truth, but the truths that the Black community also need to face about the ways they treat trans people. Kokomo City urges the...…Filmmaker D. Smith has never had a problem telling it like it is. Being a Black transgender woman who has worked hard to create space for herself in entertainment, truth was often the only thing that protected her. Now, with her latest project titled Kokomo City, Smith is making room for other Black trans women to use their voices to do the same thing. The film, which centers the lives and experiences of four Black trans women, focuses on not only narrative truth, but the truths that the Black community also need to face about the ways they treat trans people. Kokomo City urges the...WW…

*Photo credit: Emily Assiran*This interview was conducted prior to the start of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikeFirst discovered in 2018 for his viral food reaction videos, media personality Kalen Allen has garnered millions of followers online through his infectious energy and witty personality. Now, stepping away from his ring lights and into the spotlight on sets like Prime Video’s rom-com series With Love, Allen is paving his own pathway to success and leaving his mark in the digital age. Model D awarded and Shorty Award-nominated, Allen has gained many accolades for his social media...…*Photo credit: Emily Assiran*This interview was conducted prior to the start of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikeFirst discovered in 2018 for his viral food reaction videos, media personality Kalen Allen has garnered millions of followers online through his infectious energy and witty personality. Now, stepping away from his ring lights and into the spotlight on sets like Prime Video’s rom-com series With Love, Allen is paving his own pathway to success and leaving his mark in the digital age. Model D awarded and Shorty Award-nominated, Allen has gained many accolades for his social media...WW…

Last month, Grimes’ ex, Elon Musk, decided that using the word “cis” or “cisgender” on Twitter qualifies as a slur and would be dealt with accordingly on his platform. Soon after, right-wing personalities and trolls hopped onto Twitter and proclaimed that they, too, felt deeply offended by the term “cisgender,” even though it was pretty clear that they just recently learned what it meant.Repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions. The words “cis” or “cisgender” are considered slurs on this platform.— Elon...…Last month, Grimes’ ex, Elon Musk, decided that using the word “cis” or “cisgender” on Twitter qualifies as a slur and would be dealt with accordingly on his platform. Soon after, right-wing personalities and trolls hopped onto Twitter and proclaimed that they, too, felt deeply offended by the term “cisgender,” even though it was pretty clear that they just recently learned what it meant.Repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions. The words “cis” or “cisgender” are considered slurs on this platform.— Elon...WW…

The Barbie movie has been a long time coming. And now we’re finally getting the star-studded, Greta-Gerwig-directed, feminist vision we deserve. And “we,” of course, mean “the gays.” There’s no question that hot pink femmes with Malibu dream homes and sportscars don’t exactly feel like the product of a straight, hetero imagination. And that’s very much on purpose.Talks of a live-action Barbie movie have been floating around since 2009: Initially, the project was spearheaded by Dreamgirls producer Laurence Mark, later to be scrapped and revived by Sony with a script by Diablo Cody. By 2016,...…The Barbie movie has been a long time coming. And now we’re finally getting the star-studded, Greta-Gerwig-directed, feminist vision we deserve. And “we,” of course, mean “the gays.” There’s no question that hot pink femmes with Malibu dream homes and sportscars don’t exactly feel like the product of a straight, hetero imagination. And that’s very much on purpose.Talks of a live-action Barbie movie have been floating around since 2009: Initially, the project was spearheaded by Dreamgirls producer Laurence Mark, later to be scrapped and revived by Sony with a script by Diablo Cody. By 2016,...WW…