LGBT SNIPPETS
Thailand’s National Health Security Office (NHSO) recently announced that intersex people can now get gender affirming surgery under the state’s Universal Healthcare Coverage (UC) programme, mostly referred to as the “gold card” programme. Intersex is generally a term used to describe a person born with genital ambiguity or variation of sex characteristics — from chromosome to sex hormones — that don’t correspond to the typical definition of male and female bodies. The debate on non-LGBTI actors and actresses taking on the role of LGBTI characters have been a frequent discussion in recent years as the accusations over Hollywood stealing the narratives on LGBTI people continue. The latest subject of this discussion is none other than Scarlett Johansson who, after much controversy, decided to drop out from the film Rub & Tug, in which she was initially set to play a transgender man. In her statement on Out.com, ScarJo said she understood where this criticism was coming from, acknowledging that her earlier remark regarding the topic may have been insensitive. While some applauded the actress’s eventual sensitivity and generosity, others viewed she was “bullied” out of her role. We will wait and see who will take her place, as well as in which direction the project will now continue. It was announced at the Comic-Con International in San Diego that transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines has been cast as a transgender superhero, the first of its kind on TV. She will join the fourth season of Supergirl as Nia Nal, also known as the superhero Dreamer. In 2014, the up-and-coming actress won a lawsuit against her school district after she was prohibited from using the girl’s bathroom at school. The series is set to air in October.
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