�� WOMEN ON SCREEN, from p.26
historical drama series “The Gilded
Age” as a lead cast member, acting
opposite Christine Baranski.
MJ Rodriguez
Rodriguez is best known for her
role as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista
in the smash-hit drama “Pose,”
which will soon air its fourth and
fi nal season. She previously appeared
in “Nurse Jackie,” “Carrie
Diaries,” and “Luke Cage.”
Sarah Paulson
A Primetime Emmy and Golden
Globe winner and America’s gothic
sweetheart, Paulson is known
for her tenure on “American Horror
Story” and “American Crime
Story.” She’s also starred in “Mrs.
America” and “Ratched.” Recently,
Paulson confi rmed that she will
return to “American Horror Story”
for its 10th season after being absent
for the ninth go-around. She
is also slated to appear on “American
Crime Story.”
Aubrey Plaza
Funny lady Plaza fi rst made a
splash on-screen as April Ludgate
on the series “Parks and Recreation.”
She went on to appear in
dozens of projects, including the
must-watch series “Legion” and
the Clea Duvall-directed and written
fi lm, “Happiest Season.” Plaza
is set to appear in several upcoming
movies, including comedy-drama
“Best Sellers,” “King Knight,”
animated adventure “The Ark and
Aardvark,” and “Five Eyes.”
Kristen Stewart
Two decades into her acting career,
Stewart has appeared in nearly
50 fi lms, including “The Twilight
Saga” fi lm series, “Charlie’s Angels,”
and “Happiest Season.” In the upcoming
fi lm, “Spencer,” set to release
in late 2021, Stewart will take
the lead as the Diana, Princess of
Wales.
Wanda Sykes
Sykes is best known for her
work as a writer on “The Chris
Rock Show,” and her roles on “The
New Adventures of Old Christine,”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and
“Black-ish.” In addition to voicing
the character Gregoria on the
TV series short “Vampirina,” the
decorated comedian will appear in
the fi lm “Breaking News in Yuba
County” alongside Allison Janney,
Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Awkwafi
na, and Samira Wiley. She will
also be on the new series, “The
Upshaws,” which will co-star Kim
Fields and Mike Epps.
Tessa Thompson
In her early career, Thompson appeared
in “Veronica Mars” and “Hidden
Palms” before her work quickly
gained momentum. She has appeared
in “Mississipi Damned,” “For Colored
Girls,” “Dear White People,” “Creed,”
and 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You.” In
2020, she acted in and executive produced
“Sylvie’s Love,” a sweeping romantic
comedy. Thompson stepped
into the role of Charlotte Hale Dolores
Abernathy on the HBO hit series
“Westworld,” which HBO has renewed
the series for a fourth season. She is
slated to be in the fi lm “Passing” and
in “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
Lily Tomlin
Tomlin started her career as a series
regular on the “The Garry Moore
Show” and has had a riveting career
in fi lm and television, appearing in
“9 to 5,” “Big Business,” “Murphy
Brown,” and so much more. Recently,
she’s delighted viewers with her
depiction of Frankie Bergstein in the
Netfl ix series “Grace and Frankie.”
She’s also the voice of the Professor
Frizzle in “The Magic School Bus
Rides Again.”
Lena Waithe
For years, Waithe stealthy
worked behind the scenes in fi lm
and television, working on “Girlfriends,”
“The Comeback,” “Dear
White People,” and “How to Rock.”
Waithe starred in the Netfl ix comedy
drama series “Master of None”
and wrote the show’s Thanksgiving
episode, which earned her the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding
Writing for a Comedy Series.
The creator of the Showtime
drama series “The Chi,” “Boomerang,”
and “Twenties” appeared in
the 2020 comedy horror fi lm “Bad
Hair.” Next, she’ll executive produce
a series called “Them: Covenant,”
which will premiere on
Amazon Prime Video. They will
focus on a Black family moving
to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood
where malevolent forces
threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy
them.
Rutina Wesley
Most fell in love with Wesley during
her stint as Tara Thornton on
the HBO television series “True
Blood.” That love affair continued
when she became Nova Bordelon on
the OWN television series “Queen
Sugar.” Next, she’ll appear in the
sci-fi thriller “No Running.” Taryn
Manning and Shane West will costar.
Samira Wiley
Many are aware of Wiley through
her role as Poussey Washington in
“Orange is the New Black,” but she
has had arches on “Will & Grace,”
“Night on Earth,” and “Ryan Hansen
Solves Crimes on Television.”
She’s a series regular on the dystopian
tragedy series “The Handmaid’s
Tale” and has projects in
the works, including “Breaking
News in Yuba County,” sci-fi drama
fi lm “BIOS,” and “Red, White
and Water.”
➤ EQUALITY ACT from p.7
language, labeling transgender
girls as “biological males” while
misrepresenting Title IX by saying
the Equality Act “effectively”
repeals Title IX — which protects
transgender student-athletes on
the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity — by saying the bill
is about “effectively repealing Title
IX”
“This bill is about power and
this bill is dangerous,” Cruz said.
GOP lawmakers also invoked
the epicenter of the attacks on
trans athletes: Connecticut. The
state, which allows athletes to
participate in accordance with
their gender identity, has been
targeted by the Alliance Defending
Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ legal
group, and the Trump administration
also railed against that
state’s policy.
Republicans also cited other reasons
for their opposition to the bill.
They framed it as an impediment to
religious freedom and warned that
transgender individuals would be
invading homeless shelters — an
issue that emerged in the wake of
the Trump administration’s efforts
to allow transgender folks to be
banned from shelters.
In the middle of the hearing,
Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
echoed that point on Twitter,
writing, “We don’t want biological
males in women’s shelters.”
Some lawmakers opposed to the
Equality Act took an approach of
prefacing their criticism of the bill
with language insisting that they
do not approve of discrimination —
except in this case.
“We don’t oppose equality but
we do oppose legislation where you
take the rights of one and oppose
the rights of others,” said Republican
Senator James Lankford of
Oklahoma.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley,
ranking member of the Judiciary
Committee, also voiced similar
comments when he said, “We all
agree that everyone should be
treated with dignity and respect.”
He later said he suspects the bill
“actually would dictate what women,
girls, schools, churches, doctors,
and others must believe.”
Abigail Shrier, author of a controversial
book called “Irreversible
Damage: The Transgender Craze
Seducing Our Daughters,” was
among those brought forward as
a witness by Republicans, while
Democrats’ witnesses included
Stella Keating, a 16-year old transgender
girl who lives in Washington
state, and Human Rights Campaign
president Alphonso David.
David discussed his own refugee
experience and his identity as
a Black gay man before emphasizing
the importance of passing the
Equality Act at a time when transgender
women of color face deadly
violence nationwide. He further
pointed to the wide support of
the bill among hundreds of major
companies perched across all 50
states.
“This must change,” David said
to the committee. “And you have
the power to deliver the change
that our communities need by
making the Equality Act the law of
the land.”
Keating spoke about the national
implications of the Equality Act
as she laid out the urgency surrounding
the legislation.
“What happens if I want to attend
a college in a state that doesn’t protect
me?” she asked. “Right now I
could be denied medical care or be
evicted simply for being transgender
in many states.”
The Equality Act’s passage in
the House of Representatives late
last month marked the fi rst time it
cleared the lower house since 2019.
While Democrats narrowly hold control
of the Senate, the fi libuster will
almost certainly prevent the Equality
Act from passing this year.
GayCityNews.com | MARCH 25 - APRIL 7 , 2021 27
/GayCityNews.com
