Netflix to adapt queer graphic novel The Witch Boy
The celebrated graphic novel The Witch Boy is set to be adapted into an animated movie musical for Netflix. The graphic novel, written by Molly Knox Ostertag, is set in a world where girls become witches and boys become shapeshifters, with those who defy this order getting exiled from society.
The series follows 13-year-old Aster, a male who has not yet shapeshifted and is fascinated by witches. When a danger threatens other boys, Aster knows he can help, but only as a witch, and he receives support from a non-magical and non-conforming friend, Charlie.
The synopsis for the Netflix adaptation confirms that it will follow this magical story, as it states: “In a secret, magical community where girls are born to be witches and boys grow into shapeshifters, Aster is surprised to discover his emerging and extraordinary witch powers. When a mysterious danger threatens his world, Aster must embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind himself, his powers, and everything that is magical.”
It’s a Sin is a masterpiece
Russell T Davies’s new drama, It’s a Sin (on Channel 4 in the UK and HBO Max in the US), is something of a companion piece, 20 years on, to his groundbreaking masterpiece Queer as Folk. The latter was the riotous celebration of gay urban life as led by three friends broadly representing different stages of exploration as they embraced life as hot single men.
In essence it was a gorgeous fantasy, designed to counteract both the historic worthiness and prejudice surrounding such depictions. What it did not do was look much at the darkness out of which such freedom had emerged and which still shadowed the lives of its Canal Street party people. It didn’t, in short, deal with the effects of Aids on the gay community.
It’s a Sin does. Without losing any of Davies’s gusto, irreverence, joy or subtlety, it follows the lives of three young gay men, Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Roscoe (Omari Douglas) and Colin (Callum Scott Howells) who move to London. They evolve into – in Armistead Maupin’s lovely phrase – each other’s logical family (along with Ritchie’s university best friend Jill, played by Lydia West) as they commit themselves to the enjoyment of every freedom the city has to offer.
Mass Effect was more queer before Fox News bashed the game for it
As far as big budget video games go, Mass Effect has traditionally been a pretty progressive franchise that allows for a variety of different romances, depending on your character’s sexual orientation. But during the development of Mass Effect 2, one potential affair was apparently tweaked due to a scaremongering news clip.
Players of the galactic role-playing heist game might recall a certain mercurial character named Jack, who over the course of the game reveals that she had once been a part of a throuple with a man and woman. But, bizarrely, Jack could only be romanced by male Shepards in the game — which left some fans feeling confused. Well, there’s a reason for that.
According to a recent interview conducted by TheGamer with Mass Effect 2 writer Brian Kindregan, Jack was actually initially conceived as a pansexual character who could be into anyone. But after Fox News aired a segment that made a big fuss out of an optional sex scene in Mass Effect 1, the writer’s room got skittish for the follow-up.
In the clip, the participants say that allowing a sex scene in a video game is like opening “pandora’s box” because kids could potentially see it.
Son of a Preacher Man
Singer Tom Goss gives Dusty Springfield’s classic tune “Son of a Preacher Man” a surprising queer twist in this music video. The video tells the story of the sweet-talkin’ teenage son of an anti-gay preacher who falls in love with another teenager in his dad’s congregation…
Netflix to adapt gay graphic novel Heartstopper into live action series
Netflix is adapting Heartstopper into a series. The charming graphic novel takes place at a British all-boys grammar school and follows Nick and rugby player Charlie as they develop feelings for one another. Doctor Who and Sherlock’s Euros Lyn has been signed to direct the half-hour series.
Alexi Wheeler, Director of Kids & Family Content at Netflix, praised the “brilliant and emotionally engaging characters” in Heartstopper and the “relatable yet somehow aspirational” story. “The whole thing is just so poignant and beautifully crafted. To tell a love story between two boys who meet at school involves such vision and creative focus, Alice has absolutely delivered this here,” he said.
Oseman, who also helmed novels such as Solitaire, Radio Silence and I Was Born For This!, will write the series. “Alice is only 26 years old but her talent as a storyteller is astounding,” added Wheeler. “We are clear in our ambition to entertain the world and that means making the best quality content for all of our viewers. We are especially aware that younger audiences are looking for relatable and sincere stories dealing with real life subjects; not shying away from elements of their own lives.”
Hazel
An obsessive mother, on the verge of a nervous breakdown. A father, carefully blotted out from all the family photos and a dreadful child-psychiatrist with unconventional methods – This is the summary of young Hazel’s life, secretly attracted to boys…
Trans in Trumpland
The last four years have been tough for some queer people in the United States, and if they’re trans, that’s even more true. From ridiculous bathroom bills, to hate crimes, and school discrimination, being trans in America has been even more exhausting than usual, and a new docuseries looks to examine that.
Donald Trump has been one the most anti-queer president in modern history, and the upcoming docuseries Trans in Trumpland is going to show exactly how. The four episode series follows trans people in North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, and Idaho, four states that voted for Trump and were particularly unfriendly to trans people.
The series’ website says that Trans in Trumpland “uncovers the complexities of being transgender during the Trump administration era” by travelling to four different states that lack legal protections for trans people and profiling the people who live there.
The trailer shows several trans people from the various states, each with deeply personal stories that also represent the struggles of trans people as a whole during the Trump years. This includes one woman who was detained by ICE alongside men, a young trans student who wants to be able to use their school facilities, a former military service member, and a Black trans woman in Mississippi.
The series will premiere on February 25 on Topic, I’ll keep an eye out for a release on other streaming sites in the future and keep you updated.