PODCAST
Thank You For Coming Out’s Season 2
Dubbs Weinblatt’s podcast back January 25 with live launch
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
If, by some fluke, you missed
the first season of Gay City
News’ podcast “Thank You
for Coming Out,” created and
hosted by Dubbs Weinblatt, you
might set some time aside in the
next couple of weeks to binge-listen
to all 21 episodes.
Why now?
Because Season Two is on its
way!
And the new season will launch
with a can’t-miss January 25 party
where the first episode will be
produced live, with guest Shakina,
best known for her work as Lola on
Hulu’s “Difficult People” and who
can now be seen in the “Musicale
Finale” of Amazon’s “Transparent,”
which she helped write and produce
with Jill and Faith Soloway.
In 2014, Shakina garnered international
attention by crowdfunding
FILM
Trans Character to Star in Marvel Film
Studio is also introducing a gay character in “The Eternals”
BY MATT TRACY
One year after Marvel Studios
introduced trans
actors in “Spider-Man:
Far From Home,” the
film and television studio’s president
said a trans character will be
featured in a forthcoming film.
“Very Soon,” Kevin Feige said,
according to NBC , in response to
a question at the New York Film
Academy on December 28 about
whether Marvel Cinematic Universe
is planning to bring any
trans characters to upcoming
films. “Yes, absolutely. Yes. In a
movie we’re shooting right now.”
It would mark Marvel’s first
trans character on the big screen
since out trans actors Zach Barack
and Tyler Luke Cunningham
were cast in the “Spider-Man” film,
though they did not play lead roles.
Shakina is the guest on the Season Two Episode One live production of “Thank You for Coming Out” at
Caveat on January 25.
her gender confirmation
with a “KickStartHer” campaign.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said a transgender character will be featured in a Marvel Studios
fi lm “very soon.”
It is unclear what film Feige was
referring to or what the nature of
the role would be.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT
Two years later, she performed a
“Rebel Tour” of North Carolina to
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/ GAGE SKIDMORE
Geeks WorldWide reported in
July that Marvel was casting for a
role of a trans woman in her 20s to
protest that state’s infamous antitrans
“bathroom bill,” HB2.
Shakina’s honors include the Lilly
Award for Working Miracles presented
to women working in theater,
the TRU (Theater Resources
Unlimited) Humanitarian Award,
and a listing on the Out 100. She is
a two-time Drama League fellow.
Other highlights of the evening
at Caveat on the Lower East Side
will be Jody Shelton performing
the theme song he wrote for the
podcast, as well as songs by past
podcast guests Vicci Martinez
(“The Voice,” “Orange is the New
Black”) and Emily Tarver (“Orange
is the New Black”).
My bet is that the evening will
also include some surprises, but
Dubbs is holding that info tight to
the vest for the moment.
“Thank You for Coming Out” is
➤ THANK YOU, continued on p.29
30s. That website suspected that
Marvel could be casting the actress
in “Thor: Love and Thunder”
because that story features Sera,
Marvel comics’ only trans woman.
That film is slated to be released
in 2021.
If Marvel did indeed find a trans
woman to play that role, it would
prove to be a victory for trans representation
at a time when, according
to GLAAD, 18 percent of
trans characters on TV shows are
portrayed by cisgender actors.
The latest news comes just
months after Feige confirmed in
an interview with “Good Morning
America” that “The Eternals” — set
to be released in November of this
year — would have a gay character.
“He’s married, he’s got a family,
➤ MARVEL, continued on p.29
January 16 - January 2 28 9, 2020 | GayCityNews.com
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