10 Things to Keep You Smiling Through the Pandemic

WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO
Iconic all-female ‘80s punk-pop band the Go-Go’s have released their first new single in nearly 20 years, “Club Zero.” The catchy, call-to-action chorus joins the ranks of the band’s esteemed catalog of classics like “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat.” A live version of “Club Zero” is featured in the band’s new Showtime documentary The Go-Go’s, directed by Alison Ellwood, which premieres in August. We’re absolutely head over heels. (GoGos.com)

KISSING RAINBOWS
Fun, flirty, and practical, Winky Lux’s Rainbow Tinted Lip Balm adds a queer flush of color while also caring for your kisser with its gender-neutral pH-balanced formula. The pineapple-flavored balm features red, blue, and orange stripes that leave a rosy hue. The company’s products are cruelty-free as well as free of parabens, sulfates, gluten, and phthalates. The rainbow-hued vegan balm comes in a sexy silver container. (WinkyLux.com, $18)

IF WE EVER GO BACK TO SCHOOL
Sallie Mae announced a new commitment to support “social justice, diversity, inclusion, and equality” in higher education by investing $4.5 million in scholarships for minority students. It is also donating $1.5 million over the next three years to support educational programs that advance equality, including the Point Foundation for LGBTQ+ students. “Our emotions are still raw. Our eyes are open, and it must be our promise never to look away. Systemic racism, discrimination, and oppression of African-Americans and communities of color have gone on for too long,” said Sallie Mae’s new CEO, Jon Witter. (SallieMae.com)

YOU DIRTY BIRD
Love Dirty is a new hand sanitizer that also moisturizes and protects your hands so they’re not dry or irritated. Created by Palm Springs, Calif.-based queer entrepreneur Jason Daniels, Love Dirty has a portable, sexy package that slips into your pocket seamlessly. Get rid of the basic plastic squirt containers and go for a more chic look perfect for any room. Who says you can’t be sanitized, sleek, and stylish? (LoveDirty.com, $13)

MASK 4 MASK?
Staying healthy never felt so cute as with Reyn Spooner’s washable, sustainable face masks. Made from the same iconic Reyn Spooner fabric used to make the company’s world-famous Hawaiian shirts, these masks filter dust, bacteria, allergens, and pollutants. With every purchase, the company gives back to the Hawaii Department of Education and Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii. Aloha indeed. (ReynSpooner.com, $16)

FUN AND HOT
From queer streaming platform Revry comes Life Is Easy, a Freaky Friday-esque body-swap comedy from New Zealand about best friends Jamie-Li, a straight woman, and Curtis, a gay man. The zany comedy series explores gender roles and issues of race. Chye-Ling Huang and Cole Jenkins created and wrote the series, and also play the leads. Life Is Easy premiered on Revry’s live TV channels in July. “As a queer Chinese-Pakeha woman, narratives for us are often nonexistent, stereotyped, and boringly woke,” Huang says of the series. “Life Is Easy lets our POC and queer characters be fun, hot, and dumb—and the center of their own learning.”

(RE)MADE IN AMERICA
Queer Eye star Tan France rang in perhaps his most monumental Pride month to date when he became a United States citizen in June. The U.K.-born designer and his husband, Rob (above), were all smiles at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building when they shared the news with the world on Instagram. “And now, I will exercise my constitutional right as an American,” France wrote. “Today, I will register to vote, and vote for the change I wish to see in our nation.”

Stories of Refuge
Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America is a documentary telling the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees in the U.S. The PBS affiliate World Channel premiered the Tom Shepard-directed film in late June, which focuses on Subhi, a gay Syrian refugee who survived multiple death threats from Islamic terrorists and beatings by his father; Cheyenne and Mari, a lesbian couple from Angola who sought asylum through the American immigration courts after having faced brutal harassment from family and neighbors; and Junior, a gender-nonconforming gay man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who is shown struggling to find a livelihood and housing while exploring their identity.

I WANT MY GAY TV
Former MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts has a new Facebook Live show. Gay Good News follows the groundbreaking journalist, who was the first out national network evening news anchor, as he reviews happy headlines for the LGBTQ+ community. Three half-hour episodes of Gay Good News will drop every week, and so far it’s featured celebs like Leslie Jordan, Eric Cervini, Judy Gold, and Michelle Visage. (Facebook.com/ThomasRobertsLIVE)

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: the Editors of The Advocate