It hasn’t all been bad!
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS
Even in a year like 2020, there were still so many moments that brought us joy. Here’s a list of our favourite queer moments that we want 2020 to be remembered for.
Elliot Page came out
Elliot Page coming out as transgender was a huge moment of 2020 that brought us so much joy. He wrote in a heartfelt message on Instagram that he was ready to pursue his authentic self whilst raising awareness around the violence that Black and Brown trans women face. We can’t wait to see what 2021 holds for him.
Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers cover Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
2020 really was the year of Phoebe Bridgers. This sapphic songstress not only gave us one of the best albums of the year, Punisher, but also released a cover of this iconic song with Maggie Rogers. She promised on the day of the Presidential election to make the cover if Trump lost, and went on to raise $170,000 for a Georgia voting rights organisation in doing so.
Janelle Monáe as Flyyyrene
After a fly landed on Mike Pence’s head during October’s vice presidential debate, the memes that followed were all 10/10. One celeb that took this to the next level was Janelle Monáe who decided to dress up as the bug which she called Flyyyrene. She hilariously says in one video, “All of a sudden I’m on his head at the debate and it’s like, ‘Oh, she’s a flycon’ … Like, why now?”
Happiest Season breaks streaming records
Happiest Season, the holiday rom-com starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, broke Hulu streaming records after premiering over Thanksgiving weekend. It became the most-watched film across the streaming website during opening weekend and had the most hours watched among all the site’s original films.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this means there’s plenty more where that came from!
Schitt’s Creek took home nine Emmys
In a glowing send off for Schitt’s Creek, which broadcast its final season this year, the show took home nine Emmys – breaking the record for the most wins in a single season for comedy. It has made waves in the LGBTQI community for its commitment to healthy and happy LGBTQI representation.
“Our show, at its core, is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance, and that is something we need more of now than we’ve ever needed before,” said Dan Levy as he accepted the prize for best comedy series.
Joe Biden won the U.S. election
There really was a light at the end of the dark tunnel that was 2020 with the news that Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the U.S. A champion of LGBTQI rights, Biden promises to make the Equality Act a top priority and hopes to sign what would be a landmark civil rights law within 100 days of being in office.
Biden’s explicit reference to transgender people also marked the first time in U.S. history a president-elect reference the community in a victory speech. I think we can all let out a big sigh of relief.
Lesbian penguins Electra and Viola became parents
GOODNIGHT TO LESBIAN PENGUINS ONLY pic.twitter.com/pnBkEwRCDH
— faith 🙂 (@onIyoikawa) August 21, 2020
In one of the most heartwarming moments of 2020, two female penguins Electra and Viola became parents.
Caregivers at the aquarium they live at in Spain noticed the couple gathering stones in preparation for an egg so they knew they’d be perfect parents. After the couple received the egg, they took turns standing over the egg, incubating it until after a little over a month, it hatched a healthy chick.
Caregivers at the aquarium have called the two an “an exceptional pair” and we couldn’t agree more.
Livestreamed weddings
Chaya Milchtein and her fiancée JodyAnn Morgan invited the world to the wedding earlier this year as they live-streamed their wedding online.
There were no guests present, but an audience from around the world watched the “biggest, queerest wedding of the year” online.
The couple married 29 August in the private garden of an Airbnb house overlooking a wooded area. Everything was beautiful and we definitely shed a tear.
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