Celebrities do not deserve our attention. Not now during a global pandemic. Not ever.
Celebrities are shapeshifters. They are incredibly adept at rebranding themselves as cultural trends and norms change. When COVID-19 first took center stage earlier this year, however, celebrities struggled to promote themselves without appearing out of touch and insensitive. Ultimately, their failed attempts at performing sincerity and their gradual return to “business as usual” has illuminated a very simple fact: celebrities do not deserve our attention. Not now during a global pandemic. Not ever.
Deprived of social events and red carpets to attend, celebrities have made desperate attempts to avoid disappearing into oblivion during quarantine. Madonna, for example, filmed a series of “quarantine diaries”. In one installment, she spoke of coronavirus as the “great equalizer” while sitting naked in a bathtub, adorned with jewelry and surrounded by flower petals. Gisele Bundchen also churned out bizarre and tone-deaf content, inviting her Instagram followers to “come together in a Global Meditation”. Others like Drake, Ellen Degeneris and JLo used this opportunity to show off their multi-million dollar mansions while lamenting that they (“just like us”) were stuck inside their homes. …
I knew from the beginning that my ex-girlfriend, L, was magic and her unique relationship to God made my experience of her all the more holy. What I never realized, however, was how much L’s Christian faith affected me personally during our time together. Like most things, this was revealed to me after its ending.
I was brought up by a culturally Catholic mother and an Agnostic father. Both of my parents were progressive and allowed me to decide for myself what iteration of faith — if any — I wanted to prescribe to. They allowed me, for example, to stop attending CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) at age eight after I proclaimed I didn’t believe in the Resurrection. By the time I enrolled in an all-girls Catholic high school for better educational opportunities, I had entirely abandoned any association with Catholicism and was very critical of what I perceived as blind adherence to the Church as an institution. …
To date, there has been no World Health Day explicitly dedicated to LGBTQ communities who face considerably worse health outcomes than the general population.
World Health Day is celebrated on April 7th of each year and was established by the World Health Organization in 1948, taking effect in 1950.The day marks the founding of the WHO and aims to bring attention to important health issues around the globe. This year commemorates 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
To date, there has been no World Health Day explicitly dedicated to LGBTQ communities who face considerably worse health outcomes than the general population. Despite this, however, the queer community can celebrate an increase of financial investment in LGBTQ care and research overall throughout the last several decades. In particular, campaigns dedicated to combatting high rates of suicide, poor health outcomes and homelessness among LGBTQ youth have garnered significant media attention and funding. …
Tone deaf to their insignificance in this moment, many prominent personalities are offering entertainment as a way to keep their audiences engaged (and enamored). But there is nothing healing or redemptive about celebrity culture. Amidst a global pandemic, public personalities’ self-satisfied smiles appear particularly sinister.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrities have taken it upon themselves to release new music, engage with their “fans” over Instagram feeds, and participate in cringe-worthy musical montages. As a society, we are enthralled. It is, after all, easier to stare at conventionally attractive faces and listen to music than it is to consume nuanced and difficult narratives that are far less “pretty” and easily digestible. Put simply, entertainers are offering us a seductive escape from having to face reality. But at what cost? …
It should not have taken government intervention to prevent us from prioritizing our own pleasure over the lives of other.
About a month ago, I published an article urging the LGBTQ community to challenge anti-Asian racism stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak. My article was one of many that chronicled the alarming rate of hate crimesperpetuated against Asians in the wake of the virus and outlined the intersections between the scapegoating of queer folks during the HIV/AIDS crisis and the racialization of infectious disease like COVID-19. …
I fall asleep each night next to a man who I am deeply in love. We share secrets that we have collected throughout the day with one another, careful to whisper underneath the covers as we pour over the details of our lives. This act is exclusionary, and it is ours.
I am often told how fortunate I am to be in a loving, committed relationship. Friends and family alike recognize our partnership as one of sincerity and respect, and I have grown accustomed to those around me expressing their desire to be a part of something comparable. …
By now, we have all heard of the coronavirus (also known as 2019-nCoV) and the toll it has taken on human life both throughout China and globally. The outbreak has prompted significant research since it first presented in humans last December and investigations regarding transmissibility and treatment remain underway. Unfortunately, the virus has also catalyzed a rise in Sinophobia and anti-Asian racism.
As the number of reported cases of the coronavirus continue to grow, individuals of Asian descent around the world face stigma and increasing rates of violence. In an example from Los Angeles, a man riding public transportation was recorded making disparaging remarks against Chinese-Americans and blaming China for the spread of the virus. Videos showing aggression towards Asian New Yorkers have also gone viral, prompting city officials to speak out against discrimination. In Canada, too, accounts of anti-Asian discrimination have surged and Asians living in France established a Twitterhashtag “#Jenesuispasunvirus” (#Iamnotavirus) to shed light on the mistreatment they have received in recent weeks. …
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