The Aftermath of “BeyChella,” China Loosens Up and . . . Historic Hookup Sites?

Okay, so Beyoncé broke the internet…again. But her off-the-chain appearance at Coachella wasn’t all people were talking about this weekend. Here’s the 411.

Throw Your Hands Up At Me

If you didn’t know by now, 36-year old Beyoncé Knowles made history over the weekend by becoming the first black female headliner in the 20 year history of the festival. And no less than Cara Delevingne was left speechless by Beyoncé’s Saturday night show, which included an appearance by her husband Jay-Z, a marching band working the horn parts to “Crazy in Love,” and a jaw-dropping reunion of Destiny’s Child (with the group’s final members Kelly Roland and Michelle Williams), who performed “Say My Name,” “Soldier” and “Lose My Breath.”

Clearly Delevingne was gobsmacked when she posted on social media that the performance left her speechless and made her “burst into tears and sent shivers down my spine. Especially the Destiny’s child reunion. ICONIC is an understatement. Thank you for inspiring so many and for lifting each other up.”

But haters gonna hate, right? So many shot back at her about the actress’ denunciation of Coachella owner Philip Anschutz, a staunch supporter of right-wing (and often LGBT-hating) causes and organizations. Several wanted to see how she’d reconcile the two without twisting herself into hypocrisy.

The model and actress spent some time on Instagram story Sunday to make it clear that her love for Beyoncé did not obviate her disgust towards Coachella. “Some people are commenting on the fact that I posted about my anger towards the owner of Coachella and then about Beyoncé,” Delevingne wrote. “I still refuse to go to a festival that is owned by someone who is anti LGBT and pro gun.”

Seems pretty clear to us.

What Would Mao Say?

Monday, one of China’s best known social media companies walked back its policy to censor gay content, in what’s being called in media circles “a rare victory” for the country’s increasingly visible — and audible — equal rights movement.

Sina Weibo, often considered to be China’s counterpart to America’s Twitter, has acquiesced to LGBT rights proponents and stated that it would no longer persist in targeting gay-themed content.

The announcement, which was made with the least amount of fanfare possible, was made on the microbloggers’ website — a place where some 400 million interact. “We thank all for your discussions and suggestions,” it said in a brief notice posted on its website. Originally, the website had agreed to and ordered a ban on all things suggestively gay or overtly homoerotic.

Xiaogang Wei, a leading Chinese LGBT rights advocate, told the press:, “They targeted the entire LGBT community in that notice,” adding that “we must pressure these companies and show them it’s not easy to discriminate against an entire community — no matter who orders them to do it.”

Just Another Hole in the Wall

Atlanta LGBTQ activists are seeking to save our historic hookup sites. There, a group of passionate locals are trying to keep a long-standing gay rendezvous from being permanently shuttered.

The cruising spot known as Tokyo Valentino first opened in the Lenox Park area of Atlanta back in 1995. Operating (in its own words ) as a “gay megaplex,” the one-stop-shop claims to have “the largest selection of Adult related products, Videoplexx, Video Booths, open and private play rooms, DVDs, lingerie and smoke shoppe products in the Southeast.”

Recently legislators have taken aim at the spot, claiming that in being erected within 500 feet of a residential area, it stand in in violates the city’s adult entertainment ordinance. Opponents, largely LGBTQ activists, are having none of it.

They insist that the opposition is attempting a coup to try and erase a cultural touchstone for an entire community. Accordingly, there’s a petition being circulated now that reads, “Tokyo Valentino at Cheshire Bridge Rd is being shut down by the City of Atlanta unless you help! If we lose our culture then we also lose our identity as gay Georgians!”

Gay Georgia, Inc. (GAGA) is circulating the petition. It’s a state-registered PAC whose credo is to “preserve LGBTQ cultural and entertainment locations important to maintaining the identity and safety of gay Georgians.”

The petition has collected close to 3,000 signatures to date.

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