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‘Arthur’ character Mr. Ratburn comes out as gay and gets married

The teacher surprises his students at his wedding

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Mr. Ratburn marries on ‘Arthur.’ (Screenshot via YouTube)

“Arthur” revealed that one of its lead characters is gay in the season 22 premiere episode.

Arthur’s teacher Mr. Ratburn is getting married in the episode titled ā€œMr. Ratburn and the Special Someone.ā€ Arthur and his friends Buster, Muffy and Francine assume that Mr. Ratburn is getting married to a woman named Patty (Jane Lynch) after they run into the pair talking to each other.

The gang is upset because they don’t like Patty and decide to crash the wedding. They learn that Mr. Ratburn isn’t marrying Patty but is marrying an aardvark named Patrick who owns the local chocolate shop. The big plot twist is that Patty is Patrick’s sister.

People commented on the cartoon’s inclusivity on social media with reactions ranging from praise to surprise that “Arthur” is, in fact, still airing after 22 seasons.

The “Arthur” universe has included LGBTQ representation in the past. In the 2005 spin-off series, “Postcards from Buster,” a lesbian couple is seen in the episode ā€œSugartime!ā€

Watch “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” here.

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Movies

Sexy small town secrets surface in twisty French ā€˜Misericordiaā€™

A deliciously depraved story with finely orchestrated tension

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A visitor stirs up secret passions in ā€˜Misericordia.ā€™ (Image courtesy Janus Films)

The name Alain Guiraudie might not be familiar to most Americans, but if you mention ā€œStranger by the Lake,ā€ fans of great cinema (and especially great queer cinema) are sure to recognize it immediately as the title of the French filmmakerā€™s most successful work to date.

The 2013 thriller, which earned a place in that yearā€™s ā€œUn Certain Regardā€ section of the Cannes Film Festival and went on to become an international success, mesmerized audiences with its tense and erotically charged tale of dangerous attraction between two cruisers at a gay beach, one of whom may or may not be a murderer. Taut, mysterious, and transgressively explicit, its Hitchcockian blend of suspense, romance, and provocative psychological exploration made for a dark but irresistibly sexy thrill ride that was a hit with both critics and audiences alike.

In the decade since, heā€™s continued to create masterful films in Europe, becoming a favorite not only at Cannes but other prestigious international festivals. His movies, each in their own way, have continued to elaborate on similar themes about the intertwined impulses of desire, fear, and violence, and his most recent work ā€“ ā€œMisericordia,ā€ which began a national rollout in U.S. theaters last weekend ā€“ is no exception; in fact, it draws all the familiar threads together to create something that feels like an answer to the questions heā€™s been raising throughout his career. To reach it, however, he concocts a story of small town secrets and hidden connections so twisted that it leaves a whole array of other questions in its wake.

It centers on JĆ©rĆ©mie (FĆ©lix Kysyl), an unemployed baker who returns to the woodsy rustic village where he spent his youth for the funeral of his former boss and mentor. Welcomed into the dead manā€™s home by his widow, Martine (Catherine Frot), the visitor decides to extend his stay as he revisits his old home town and his memories. His lingering presence, however, triggers jealousy and suspicion from her son ā€“ and his own former school chum ā€“ Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand), who fears he has ulterior motives, while his sudden interest in another old acquaintance, Walter (David Ayala), only seems to make matters worse. It doesnā€™t take long before circumstances erupt into a violent confrontation, enmeshing JĆ©rĆ©mie in a convoluted web of danger and deception that somehow seems rooted in the unspoken feelings and hidden relationships of his past.

The hard thing in writing about a movie like ā€œMisericordiaā€ is that thereā€™s really not much one can reveal without spoiling some of its mysteries. To discuss its plot in detail, or even address some of the deeper issues that drive it, is nearly impossible without giving away too much. Thatā€™s because itā€™s a movie that, like ā€œStranger by the Lakeā€ and much of Guiraudieā€™s other work, hinges as much on what we donā€™t know as what we do. Indeed, in its earlier scenes, we are unsure even of the relationships between its characters. We have a sense that JĆ©rĆ©mie is perhaps a returning prodigal son, that Vincent might be his brother, or a former lover, or both, and thatā€™s just stating the most obvious ambiguities. Some of these cloudy details are made clear, while others are not, though several implied probabilities emerge with a little skill at reading between the lines; it hardly matters, really, because as the story proceeds, new shocks and surprises come our way which create new mysteries to replace the others ā€“ and itā€™s all on shaky ground to begin with, because despite his status as the filmā€™s de facto protagonist, we are never really sure what JĆ©rĆ©mieā€™s real intentions are, let alone whether they are good or bad.

Thatā€™s not sloppy writing, though ā€“ itā€™s carefully crafted design. By keeping so much of the movieā€™s ā€œbackstoryā€ shrouded in loaded silence, Guiraudie ā€“ who also wrote the screenplay ā€“ reminds us that we can never truly know what is in someone elseā€™s head (or our own, for that matter), underscoring the inevitable risk that comes with any relationship ā€“ especially when our passions overcome our better judgment. Itā€™s the same grim theme that was at the dark heart of ā€œStranger,ā€ given less macabre treatment, perhaps, but nevertheless there to make us ponder just how far we are willing to place ourselves in danger for the sake of getting what ā€“ or who ā€“ we desire.

As for who desires what in ā€œMisericordia,ā€ thatā€™s often as much of a mystery as everything else in this seemingly sleepy little village. Throughout the film, the sparks that fly between its people often carry mixed signals. Sex and hostility seem locked in an uncertain dance, and itā€™s as hard for the audience to know which will take the lead as it is for the characters ā€“ and if the conflicting tone of the subtext isnā€™t enough to make one wonder just how sexually adventurous (and fluid) these randy villagers really are beneath their polite and provincial exteriors, the unexpected liaisons that occur along the way should leave no doubt.

Yet for all its murky morality and guilty secrets, and despite its ominous motif of evil lurking behind a wholesome small-town surface, Guiraudieā€™s pastoral film noir goes beyond all that to find a surprisingly humane layer rising above it all, for which the townā€™s seemingly omnipresent priest (Jacques Develay) emerges to assert in the filmā€™s third act ā€“ though to reveal more about that (or about him) would be one of those spoilers we like to avoid.

Thereā€™s a clue to be found, however, in the filmā€™s very title, which in Catholic tradition refers to the merciful compassion of God for the suffering of humanity, but can be literally translated simply as ā€œmercy.ā€ Though it spends much of its time illuminating the sordid details of private human behavior, and though the journey it takes is often quite harrowing, ā€œMisericordiaā€ has an open heart for all of its broken, stunted, and even toxic characters; Guiraudie treats them not as heroes or villains, but as flawed, confused, and entirely relatable human beings. In the end, we may not know all of their dirty secrets, we feel like we know them ā€“ and in knowing them can find a share of that all-forgiving mercy for even the worst of them.

Itā€™s worth mentioning that itā€™s also a movie with a lot of humor, brimming with comically absurd character moments that somehow remind us of our own foibles even as we laugh at theirs. The cast, led by the opaquely sincere Kysyl and the delicately provocative Frot, forge a perfect ensemble to create the playful-yet-gripping tone of ambiguity ā€“ moral, sexual, and otherwise ā€“ thatā€™s essential in making Guiraudieā€™s sly and ultimately wise observations about humanity come across.

And come across they do ā€“ but what makes ā€œMisericordiaā€ truly resonate is that they never overshadow its deliciously depraved story, nor dilute the finely orchestrated tension his film maintains to keep your heart pounding as you take it all in.

To tell the truth, we already want to watch it again.

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Arts & Entertainment

ā€˜Think of those who have not been seen,’ Cynthia Erivoā€™s powerful message at GLAAD Awards

Erivo and Doechii delivered powerful acceptance speeches

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Cynthia Erivo and Doechii pose together at GLAAD's 36th Media Awards celebrating the best in LGBTQ entertainment, media, and more. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

GLAAD celebrated its 40th anniversary with a star-studded gala in Beverly Hills, honoring achievements in LGBTQ media and entertainment, while pushing back at efforts nationwide to turn back civil rights protections, restrict and erase transgender identities.

Doechii accepted a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding music artist, Harper Steele won for outstanding documentary for Will & Harper and Nava Mau was honored with the outstanding series ā€“ limited anthology award for Baby Reindeer.

Those in attendance rose for a long and enthusiastic standing ovation as the prestigious Stephen F. Kolzak Award was presented to Cynthia Erivo.

ā€œIt isnā€™t easy. None of it is, waking up and choosing to be yourself, proclaiming a space belongs to you when you donā€™t feel welcomed,ā€ said Erivo.

The 38-year-old queer Oscar nominee and Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner delivered a moving acceptance speech, in which she thanked GLAAD but also called on the audience to do more to help those in the community who have not yet come out. Video of her remarks has gone viral on Instagram.

ā€œHere in this room, we have all been the recipients of the gift that is the opportunity to be more. I doubt that it has come easy to any of us, but more, for some, the road has not been one paved with yellow bricks, but instead paved with bumps and potholes. Whichever road you have traveled, how beautiful it is that youā€™ve had a road to travel on at all. There are the invisible ones who have had no road at all. For those who have not
yet even begun to find the road, be encouraged and be patient with yourself, it will show itself,ā€ Erivo said. Then she paused from reading the speech that was in the teleprompter, and ad libbed a poetic, closing message.

ā€œWe use the phrase ‘out and proud,’ and though you might not have the strength or capacity to do that now, know that I am proud of your quiet and solitary want to be just that,ā€ she said, and then addressed the community ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility. ā€œWe are all visible. We can be seen. We see each other. I see you, you see me. But think of those who have not been seen, think of those who sit in the dark and wait their turn, hoping and waiting for a light to light their path. I ask every single one of you in this room, with the spaces that youā€™re in, and the lights that you hold, to point it in the direction of someone who just needs a little guidance.ā€

Broadway legend Patti LuPone offered guidance from queer icons, past and present, when she took the stage to recite inspiring quotes that brought the house down.

ā€œI can no longer accept the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept,ā€ LuPone quoted lesbian, feminist, activist Angela Davis. ā€œComing out is the most political thing you can do,ā€ she said, quoting Harvey Milk.

Then LuPone cited some of the stars of Drag Race, including Valentina, Kennedy Davenport, Alyssa Edwards, Trixie Mattel, Plane Jane, and Latrice Royale. But it was the words of OG Drag Race alumna Bianca Del Rio that got the crowd on its feet: ā€œNot today, Satan. Not today!ā€

ā€œRight now, LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, but what they take from us, they take from you too,ā€ said Brian Michael Smith, upon winning the award for outstanding drama series for 911: Lone Star. ā€œThese arenā€™t isolated rollbacks; theyā€™re attacks on all of our civil rights. This kind of representation is more than visibility, itā€™s resistance.ā€

When Doechii accepted the trophy for outstanding music artist at the ceremony, the ā€œDenial Is a River” rapper commented on this politically charged moment for the LGBTQ community, as she praised GLAAD for its principles of ā€œacceptance, inclusiveness and empowerment.ā€

ā€œThose are the same things I strongly believe in and advocate for and that continue to propel me forward, especially now that hard-won cultural change and rights for transgender people and the LGBTQ community have been threatened,ā€ said Doechii. ā€œAnd I am disgusted. Disgusted. But I want to say that we are here and we are not going anywhere.ā€

ā€œThese kinds of events help me to feel support, to feel like we’re a team working together to make ourselves feel more seen, make others feel more seen, and there’s so much still to celebrate,ā€ said singer songwriter David Archuleta, the American Idol alum who made headlines in 2021 when he came out and quit the Mormon Church. On the red carpet before the gala, he shared with the Los Angeles Blade his advice to fans who want to find joy amid the gloom: ā€œI love to go dance. Dance is so therapeutic. It’s a place where you can just shake it off, feel hot, go out, and that’s a therapeutic way.ā€

ā€œThis is where I find joy,ā€ Michaela JaĆ© Rodriguez told the Blade. ā€œBut the best times where I find even more joy is learning what state we’re in. Learning how I can fire myself, put a fire behind me, and stay as vigilant as possible and be in the forefront and never disappear. And I want to encourage that to a lot of my young individuals out there. Don’t disappear. Stand out, be proud, and don’t be scared. I’m not scared!ā€

ā€œIt feels amazing, being surrounded by basically my own people is always like a big warm hug, so I love it,ā€ Harper Steele told the Blade.

The writer, who took home a GLAAD trophy for her award-winning documentary with her friend and fellow SNL alum Will Ferrell, noted that despite the joy of the evening, she was ā€œvery sadā€ about political moves targeting the transgender community in Washington, D.C. as well where she grew up in Iowa.

ā€œMy own home state, who gave me trans protections and rights, just took them away,ā€ Steele told the Blade. ā€œWe’re the first group that’s ever had those rights taken away from us, so we’re in a weird time. I’m going to keep doing the best I can to convince people that they’re wrong. Not only are they wrong, but they’re being stupid.ā€

The Washington Blade was nominated for its coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics Games, ā€Paris Olympics: More queer athletes, more medals, more Pride, less Grindr,ā€ in the category of outstanding print article. The winner was ā€œā€˜Changing The Narrativeā€™: Advocates Fight HIV Stigma in Dallasā€™ Latino Communityā€ by Abraham Nudelstejer of The Dallas Morning News. The Advocate won for outstanding magazine overall coverage, and Jo Yurcaba of NBC Out won for ā€œFriends Remember Nex Benedict, Oklahoma Student Who Died After School Fight, as ā€˜Fiery Kid.ā€™ā€

The Blade also spoke to GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis on the red carpet.

Ellis and the organization survived a difficult challenge in 2024 when Ellis herself came under fire from The New York Times for what it called ā€œlavishā€ spending. It should be noted that in a one-on-one conversation with Variety in October, Ellis pointed out that The Times report omitted mention of GLAADā€™s multi-year campaign that called attention to the newspaperā€™s unbalanced coverage of issues related to transgender Americans and gender-affirming care, and that any spending issues raised by the report ā€” seen by many as a hit piece in retaliation for GLAADā€™s campaign ā€” had already been addressed ā€œtwo years ago.ā€

Ellis told the Blade she remains focused on GLAADā€™s mission to advance acceptance of the LGBTQ community in media.

ā€œI think tonight for me is about getting everybody together to talk about our stories, how important they are, and make sure that we are plastering the airwaves with our stories. And I think it’s about moving forward and having a plan. We have a plan at GLAAD. We understand what’s happened to this media ecosystem and we’re forging forward.ā€

Ellis spoke passionately about the challenge the nonprofit faces in 2025 and beyond.

ā€œI think the media ecosystem has changed so dramatically and tectonically in a short period of time, ā€œ she said. ā€œWe’re seeing that right-wing media gets about 100 million people a week. Progressive media reaches 30 million people a week. So, we have a 70 million person gap, and that gap is why we’re losing presidential campaigns, why we’re losing the narrative, why our community is under siege. We have to close that gap.ā€

Read the full list of nominees and winners of this yearā€™s GLAAD Media Awards here.

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Theater

Out actor Ɓngel Lozado on his new role in ā€˜In the Heightsā€™

Lin-Manuel Mirandaā€™s musical at Signature Theatre through May 4

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Ɓngel Lozado (center in green) as Usnavi and the cast of ā€˜In the Heightsā€™ at Signature Theatre. (Photo by DJ Corey Photo)


ā€˜In the Heightsā€™

Through May 4
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA
Tickets start at $40
Sigtheatre.org

Before his smash hit ā€œHamiltonā€ transformed Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote ā€œIn the Heights,ā€ a seminal musical set in an upper Manhattan barrio. Infused with hip-hop, rap, and pop ballads, the romance/dramedy unfolds over a lively few days in the well-known Latin neighborhood, Washington Heights. 

Now playing at Signature Theatre in Arlington, ā€œIn the Heightsā€ features handsome out actor Ɓngel Lozado as the showā€™s protagonist Usnavi de la Vega (named for a U.S. Navy vessel), a young Dominican American bodega owner who figures warmly in the center of the hood and the action. 

A durable part that Lozado has wanted to play for some time, itā€™s proved the perfect vehicle to showcase his talents in a story that rings true to his heart.  

WASHINGTON BLADE: Timing is very important to you.

ƁNGEL LOZADO: During rehearsal at Signature, our director James VĆ”squez said ā€œIn the Heightsā€ finds you at a time when you need it. And that definitely resonates with me.

In the past I was up for Usnavi several times and then I was standby in the part for two weeks at the Muny in St. Louis but never called to go on.

And then, I lost my grandmother in January and was cast at Signature. In the show, the neighborhood loses their abuela [played by Rayanne Gonzales], I feel like I was meant to play the part at this moment. Iā€™m a firm believer in the timing of it all. 

BLADE: Youā€™ve trained vocally at Florida State University, debuted on Broadway in ā€œBad Cinderella,ā€ sang in ā€œJesus Christ Superstar Live (NBC),ā€ and sung in many other musicals, but Iā€™m guessing this is different? 

LOZADO: Rapping is the most challenging part of the role. Iā€™m trained in musical theater. I can sustain eight shows a week, but this is different. Rapping is more taxing. Itā€™s challenging. With rap itā€™s clipped and the throat gets tighter. 

BLADE: Like so much of Manhattan,Washington Heightshas changed a lot since 2008 when the show is set. 

LOZADO: I currently live in Washington Heights and itā€™s very gentrified. Rents are high. I donā€™t think it was their intention to do a period piece but ā€œIn the Heightsā€ is a period piece. 

BLADE: And you grew up in Orlando, Fla., where before discovering theater, you were heavily into baseball.

LOZADO: Iā€™m Puerto Rican, and baseball is a big part of our culture. My parents put me on a team at five, and I played first base through mid-high school. That was going to be a career. Went from one crazy career to another. When I got to high school, I was struggling with my queerness being in the sports world ā€” struggled with my identity and the space I was in, I lost my love for baseball.  

BLADE: How did you find your way to theater?

LOZADO:  Through high school choir. It was a hard switch, but one that I couldnā€™t resist. 

BLADE: Youā€™ve been openly queer in the business. Has that ever been a problem?

LOZADO: I donā€™t know if itā€™s problematic or not. As actors, we donā€™t get behind the closed doors of casting. I do know that Iā€™ve gotten to play lots of roles regionally that are straight men and that hasnā€™t been a problem. 

Then again, Iā€™ve cosplayed as a straight man most of my life. It makes me laugh when people see me offstage, theyā€™re like, ā€œWow, you were really convincing as straight on stage.ā€ Iā€™ll take that compliment because that means Iā€™m acting. 

BLADE: Tell me about other roles youā€™ve played

LOZADO:  Latin roles: Usnavi, Bernardo in ā€œWest Side Story,ā€ Emilio Estefan in ā€œOn Your Feet!ā€ and Che in ā€œEvita.ā€And while I was thrilled to play those great parts, at the same time, I had friends getting auditions that werenā€™t specific to them being white, Black, or whatever. I worked with people who are more seasoned in the industry who had done 12 productions of ā€œEvita.ā€ I didnā€™t want to do that. I love representing my culture but Iā€™d also like to do parts that have nothing to do with that. Dream roles include Sondheimā€™s ā€œSunday in the Park with George.ā€

BLADE: And how about a new work? Would you like creating a role on Broadway? 

LOZADO: Oh yes, thatā€™s the big dream. 

BLADE: Do you think ā€œIn the Heightsā€ might appeal to both Latin and queer audiences? 

LOSADO: Yes.To see a people show themselves in a way thatā€™s different from the stereotypes, telling our story in our own way, and not allowing the headlines define who we are, but to stand up in our joy. 

ā€œIn the Heightsā€ holds up the Latin community and, for me, thatā€™s a parallel to the queer community, celebrating itself, especially in the upcoming time of WorldPride DC 2025 events (May 23-June 8). 

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