Arts & Entertainment
Evan Rachel Wood blasts Ben Affleck’s 20-year-old ‘gay kiss’ comment
the ‘Chasing Amy’ actor said kissing another man was the ‘greatest acting challenge’
(Ben Affleck in ‘Chasing Amy.’ Screenshot via YouTube.)
Evan Rachel Wood was not sympathetic about comments Ben Affleck made about filming a gay kiss 20 years ago.
Director Kevin Smith appeared at Outfest in Los Angeles over the weekend and revealed that Affleck thought his same-sex kiss with Jason Lee in the 1997 film “Chasing Amy” was a great acting feat, Gay Star News reports.
“‘A man kissing another man is the greatest acting challenge an actor can ever face,’” Smith quoted Affleck as saying during filming. “‘Now, I’m a serious actor.’”
“Westworld” star Wood, who identifies as bisexual, slammed Affleck on Twitter for the comments pointing out there were more difficult scenes actors must face.
“Try getting raped in a scene. Also, grow up Ben,” Wood wrote in the now-deleted tweets.
“I’m sure he just thought it was funny, but jokes like that are damaging,” Wood continued. “Also, you think us ladies like kissing all the guys we kiss? Just cause its a “straight kiss” doesnt mean we enjoy it. Ahem.”
Wood explained that she deleted her previous tweets due to the backlash her comments received.
I have deleted the thread because of the sickening things people have written in response. I dont want to give that kind of hatred a place.
— #EvanRachelWould (@evanrachelwood) July 19, 2017
The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
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