title: Gnosticism

text: In the 1880s, Gnosticism was placed within Greek philosophy, especially neo-Platonism. Adolf von Harnack (1851–1930), who belonged to the "School of the History of Dogma" and proposed a "Kirchengeschichtliches Ursprungsmodell", saw Gnosticism as an internal development within the church under the influence of Greek philosophy. According to Harnack, Gnosticism was the "acute Hellenization of Christianity."


title: Gnosticism

text: The "Religionsgeschichtliche Schule" ("history of religions school", 19th century) had a profound influence on the study of Gnosticism. The "Religionsgeschichtliche Schule" saw Gnosticism as a pre-Christian phenomenon, and Christian "gnosis" as only one, and even marginal instance of this phenomenon. According to Wilhelm Bousset (1865–1920), Gnosticism was a form of Iranian and Mesopotamian syncretism, and Eduard Norden (1868–1941) also proposed pre-Christian origins, while Richard August Reitzenstein (1861–1931), and Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976) also situated the origins of Gnosticism in Persia. Hans Heinrich Schaeder (1896–1957) and Hans Leisegang saw Gnosticism as an amalgam of eastern thought in a Greek form.


title: Gnosticism

text: Hans Jonas (1903–1993) took an intermediate approach, using both the comparative approach of the "Religionsgeschichtliche Schule" and the existentialist hermeneutics of Bultmann. Jonas emphasized the duality between God and the world, and concluded that Gnosticism cannot be derived from Platonism. Contemporary scholarship largely agrees that Gnosticism has Jewish or Judeo-Christian origins; this theses is most notably put forward by Gershom G. Scholem (1897–1982) and Gilles Quispel (1916–2006).


title: Gnosticism

text: The study of Gnosticism and of early Alexandrian Christianity received a strong impetus from the discovery of the Coptic Nag Hammadi Library in 1945. A great number of translations have been published, and the works of Elaine Pagels, Professor of Religion at Princeton University, especially "The Gnostic Gospels", which detailed the suppression of some of the writings found at Nag Hammadi by early bishops of the Christian church, have popularized Gnosticism in mainstream culture, but also incited strong responses and condemnations from clergical writers.


title: Gnosticism

text: This definition has now been abandoned. It created a religion, "Gnosticism", from the "gnosis" which was a widespread element of ancient religions, suggesting a homogeneous conception of gnosis by these Gnostic religions, which did not exist at the time.


title: Gnosticism

text: According to Dillon, the texts from Nag Hammadi made clear that this definition was limited, and that they are "better classified by movements (such as Valentinian), mythological similarity (Sethian), or similar tropes (presence of a Demiurge)." Dillon further notes that the Messian-definition "also excluded pre-Christian Gnosticism and later developments, such as the Mandaeans and the Manichaeans."


title: Gnosticism

text: Hans Jonas discerned two main currents of Gnosticism, namely Syrian-Egyptian, and Persian, which includes Manicheanism and Mandaeism. Among the Syrian-Egyptian schools and the movements they spawned are a typically more Monist view. Persian Gnosticism possesses more dualist tendencies, reflecting a strong influence from the beliefs of the Persian Zurvanist Zoroastrians. Those of the medieval Cathars, Bogomils, and Carpocratians seem to include elements of both categories. However, scholars such as Kurt Rudolph, Mark Lidzbarski, Rudolf Macúch, Ethel S. Drower and Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley argue for a Palestinian origin for Mandaeism.


title: Gnosticism

text: Gilles Quispel divided Syrian-Egyptian Gnosticism further into Jewish Gnosticism (the "Apocryphon of John") and Christian Gnosis (Marcion, Basilides, Valentinus). This "Christian Gnosticism" was Christocentric, and influenced by Christian writings such as the Gospel of John and the Pauline epistles. Other authors speak rather of "Gnostic Christians", noting that Gnostics were a prominent substream in the early church.


title: Gnosticism

text: The best known example of this approach is Adolf von Harnack (1851–1930), who stated that "Gnosticism is the acute Hellenization of Christianity." According to Dillon, "many scholars today continue in the vein of Harnack in reading gnosticism as a late and contaminated version of Christianity", notably Darrell Block, who criticises Elaine Pagels for her view that early Christianity was wildly diverse.


title: Gnosticism

text: Hans Jonas (1903–1993) took an existential phenomenological approach to Gnosticism. According to Jonas, alienation is a distinguishing characteristic of Gnosticism, making it different from contemporary religions. Jonas compares this alienation with the existentialist notion of "geworfenheit", Martin Heidegger's "thrownness," as in being thrown into a hostile world.


title: Gnosticism

text: In the late 1980s scholars voiced concerns about the broadness of "Gnosticism" as a meaningful category. Bentley Layton proposed to categorize Gnosticism by delineating which groups were marked as gnostic in ancient texts. According to Layton, this term was mainly applied by heresiologists to the myth described in the "Apocryphon of John", and was used mainly by the Sethians and the Ophites. According to Layton, texts which refer to this myth can be called "classical Gnostic".


title: Gnosticism

text: In addition, Alastair Logan uses social theory to identify Gnosticism. He uses Rodney Stark and William Bainbridge's sociological theory on traditional religion, sects and cults. According to Logan, the Gnostics were a cult, at odds with the society at large.


title: Gnosticism

text: According to the Westar Institute's Fall 2014 Christianity Seminar Report on Gnosticism, there actually is no group that possesses all of the usually-attributed features. Nearly every group possesses one or more of them, or some modified version of them. There was no particular relationship among any set of groups which one could distinguish as “Gnostic”, as if they were in opposition to some other set of groups. For instance, every sect of Christianity on which we have any information on this point believed in a separate Logos who created the universe at God's behest. Likewise, they believed some kind of secret knowledge (“gnosis”) was essential to ensuring one's salvation. Likewise, they had a dualist view of the cosmos, in which the lower world was corrupted by meddling divine beings and the upper world's God was awaiting a chance to destroy it and start over, thereby helping humanity to escape its corrupt bodies and locations by fleeing into celestial ones.


title: Gnosticism

text: According to Michael Allen Williams, the concept of Gnosticism as a distinct religious tradition is questionable, since "gnosis" was a pervasive characteristic of many religious traditions in antiquity, and not restricted to the so-called Gnostic systems. According to Williams, the conceptual foundations on which the category of Gnosticism rests are the remains of the agenda of the heresiologists. The early church heresiologists created an interpretive definition of Gnosticism, and modern scholarship followed this example and created a "categorical" definition. According to Williams the term needs replacing to more accurately reflect those movements it comprises, and suggests to replace it with the term "the Biblical demiurgical tradition".


title: Gnosticism

text: According to Karen King, scholars have "unwittingly continued the project of ancient heresiologists", searching for non-Christian influences, thereby continuing to portray a pure, original Christianity.


title: Gnosticism

text: In light of such increasing scholarly rejection and/or restriction of the concept of Gnosticism, David G. Robertson has written on the distortions which misapplications of the term continue to perpetuate in religious studies.


title: Gnosticism

text: Carl Jung approached Gnosticism from a psychological perspective, which was followed by Gilles Quispel. According to this approach, Gnosticism is a map for the human development in which an undivided person, centered on the Self, develops out of the fragmentary personhood of young age. According to Quispel, gnosis is a third force in western culture, alongside faith and reason, which offers an experiential awareness of this Self.


title: Gnosticism

text: According to Ioan Culianu, gnosis is made possible through universal operations of the mind, which can be arrived at "anytime, anywhere". A similar suggestion has been made by Edward Conze, who suggested that the similarities between "prajñā" and "sophia" may be due to "the actual modalities of the human mind", which in certain conditions result in similar experiences.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Born in Miami, Florida, Harry was adopted as an infant and raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey. After attending college, she worked various jobs—as a dancer, a Playboy Bunny and a secretary (including at the BBC in New York)—before her breakthrough in the music industry. Harry co-formed Blondie in 1974 in New York City. The band released its eponymous debut album in 1976, and released a further three albums between then and 1979, including "Parallel Lines", which spawned six singles, including "Heart of Glass". Their fifth album, "Autoamerican" (1980), afforded Harry and the band further attention, spawning such hits as a cover of "The Tide Is High", and "Rapture", the latter of which is considered the first rap song to chart at number one in the United States.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry released her debut solo album, "KooKoo", in 1981. During a Blondie hiatus, she embarked on an acting career, appearing in lead roles in the neo-noir "Union City" (1980) and in David Cronenberg's body horror film "Videodrome" (1983). She released her second solo album, 1986's "Rockbird", and starred in John Waters's cult dance film "Hairspray" (1988). Harry went on to release two more solo albums between then and 1993, after which she returned to film with roles in a John Carpenter-directed segment of the horror film "Body Bags" (1993), and in the drama "Heavy" (1995).


title: Debbie Harry

text: Blondie reunited in the late 1990s, releasing "No Exit" (1999), followed by "The Curse of Blondie" (2003). Harry continued to appear in independent films throughout the 2000s, including "Deuces Wild" (2002), "My Life Without Me" (2003) and "Elegy" (2008). With Blondie, she released the group's ninth studio album, "Panic of Girls", in 2011, followed by "Ghosts of Download" (2014). The band's eleventh studio album, 2017's "Pollinator", charted at number 4 in the United Kingdom.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry was born Angela Trimble on July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida. At the age of three months, she was adopted by Catherine (née Peters) and Richard Harry, gift shop proprietors in Hawthorne, New Jersey, and renamed Deborah Ann Harry. Harry learned of her adoption at four years old. At first she decided against locating her birth parents, but nonetheless located her birth mother, a concert pianist, in the late 1980s, who chose not to establish a relationship with Harry. In her memoir, she recalls being a tomboy, spending much of her childhood playing in the woods adjacent to her home.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry attended Hawthorne High School, graduating in 1963. She graduated from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with an Associate of Arts degree in 1965. Before beginning her singing career, she moved to New York City in the late 1960s, and worked there as a secretary at BBC Radio's office for one year. Later, she was a waitress at Max's Kansas City, a go-go dancer in a discothèque in Union City, New Jersey, and a Playboy Bunny.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In the late 1960s, Harry began her musical career as a backing singer for the folk rock group The Wind in the Willows, which released an eponymous album in 1968 on Capitol Records.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 1973, Harry joined the Stilettoes with Elda Gentile and Amanda Jones. Shortly thereafter, the band added guitarist Chris Stein, who became her boyfriend. In her memoir, "Face It", Harry describes having been raped at knifepoint during a burglary of the home she shared with Stein.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 1974 Harry and Stein left the Stilletos (along with the band's bassist and drummer) and formed Angel and the Snake with Tish Bellomo and Snooky Bellomo. Shortly thereafter, they changed the name of the band to Blondie, named after the catcall men often directed at Harry after she bleached her hair blonde. The band quickly became regulars at Max's Kansas City and CBGB in New York City.


title: Debbie Harry

text: With her beauty, daring choice of clothing, and two-tone bleached-blonde hair, Harry quickly became a punk icon.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Blondie released their self-titled debut album in 1976; it peaked at in Australia and (later, in 1979) in the United Kingdom. Their second album, "Plastic Letters", garnered some success outside the United States, but their third album, "Parallel Lines" (1978), was a worldwide hit and catapulted the group to international success. It included the global hit single "Heart of Glass". Riding the crest of disco's domination, the track made in the US and sold nearly two million copies. It also reached in the UK and was the second highest-selling single of 1979.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In June 1979, Blondie was featured on the cover of "Rolling Stone". Harry's persona, combining cool sexuality with streetwise style, became so closely associated with the group's name that many came to believe "Blondie" was the singer's name. The difference between the individual Harry and the band Blondie was emphasized by a "Blondie is a group" button campaign by the band in 1979. The band's success continued with the release of the platinum-selling "Eat to the Beat" album (UK , US ) in September.


title: Debbie Harry

text: "Autoamerican" (UK , US ) was released in 1980. Blondie had further hits with "Call Me" ("American Gigolo" soundtrack) (US and UK ), "Atomic" ("Eat to the Beat" album) (UK ), "The Tide Is High" (US and UK ), and "Rapture" (US ).


title: Debbie Harry

text: During this time, both Harry and Stein befriended graffiti artist Fab Five Freddy, who introduced them to the emerging hip-hop scene in the Bronx. Freddy is mentioned in "Rapture" and appears in the video. Through Fab Five Freddy they were also able to connect with Grandmaster Flash who is played by Jean-Michel Basquiat in the video as his label did not allow him to appear. "Rapture" became the first rap-oriented song to reach in the US "Billboard" charts.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry was immortalized by Andy Warhol in 1980, who produced a number of artworks of her image from a single photoshoot at the Factory. The artist created a small series of four acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas portraits of the star in different colors, as well as Polaroids and a small number of rare silver gelatin prints from the shoot. Stein was also present that day to capture Warhol photographing Harry in a series of his own photographs, exhibited in 2013 in London.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Her collaboration and friendship with Warhol continued and she was his first guest on the MTV show "Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes". The first episode opened with Harry announcing the theme: "Sex, Vegetables, Brothers and Sisters".


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry said of her relationship with Warhol, "I think the best thing [Andy Warhol] taught me was always to be open to new things, new music, new style, new bands, new technology and just go with it. Never get mired in the past and always accept new things whatever age you are."


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 1981, Harry issued a press release to clarify that her name was not "Debbie Blondie" or "Debbie Harry" but rather Deborah Harry, though Harry later described her character in the band as being named "Blondie", as in this quote from the "No Exit" tour book:


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry began her solo career with the album "KooKoo" (1981). Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album peaked at in the US and in the UK; and was later certified gold in the US and silver in the UK. The album's cover art was controversial, and many stores refused to stock it. "Backfired", the first single from the album, had a video directed by H.R. Giger (who also created the album's front cover featuring Harry's face with metal skewers through it). The single reached on the "Billboard" Hot 100, on the Hot Dance Club Songs, and on the UK Singles Chart. "The Jam Was Moving" was lifted as the second single and peaked at No. 82 in the US.


title: Debbie Harry

text: After a year-long hiatus, Blondie regrouped and released their sixth studio album, "The Hunter" (1982). The album was not as successful as their previous works, and a world tour was cut short due to slow ticket sales. It was around this time that Stein also fell seriously ill with the rare autoimmune disease pemphigus. His illness, along with declining record sales and internal struggles, caused the band to split up.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In June 1982, Harry contributed backing vocals to The Gun Club's second album "Miami", being credited as 'D.H. Lawrence Jr' while Chris Stein also produced the record, and is credited as 'bongos' and 'cover photos/design'. The Gun Club's singer Jeffrey Lee Pierce was an ardent fan, emulating Harry's hairstyle and founding the West Coast Blondie Fan Club, before becoming friends with the band in New York.


title: Debbie Harry

text: After Blondie split up in 1982, Harry's solo output slowed down as she cared for ailing partner Chris Stein. She released the single "Rush Rush" in 1983 (produced by Giorgio Moroder and taken from the film "Scarface"), but it was commercially unsuccessful. The same year, Harry had a leading role in David Cronenberg's body horror film "Videodrome" (1983), playing the sadomasochistic lover of a television producer who uncovers an underground video output of snuff films. Harry received rave reviews for her performance in the film. Critic Howard Hampton noted in a retrospective that Harry "carries herself with the wry, burned-out, but still titillated instincts of a voyager buying a one-way ticket for the outer limits. A vivid, smallish part can either anchor or undo a risky, conceptually spiky film like David Cronenberg's viscerally deranged phantasia: Harry's presence grounds it in acute, self-aware reality."


title: Debbie Harry

text: A new single, "Feel The Spin" (taken from the film "Krush Groove"), was released as a limited 12" single in 1985, but it was unsuccessful. In 1986, Harry released her second solo album, called "Rockbird", which peaked at in the US, and in the UK (where it has been certified gold for 100,000 sales by the BPI). The single "French Kissin' in the USA" gave Harry her only UK solo top 10 hit () and became a moderate US hit (). Other singles released from the album were "Free to Fall" and "In Love with Love", with the latter completely re-recorded in London with hit British producers Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW). The track hit on the US Dance Charts and was released with several remixes. Harry also recorded another track with SAW during the same sessions, "Mind Over Matter", which was never officially released.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 1987, Harry starred opposite Alec Baldwin in the comedy mystery film "Forever, Lulu", playing the title character.


title: Debbie Harry

text: "Liar, Liar" was recorded by Harry for the soundtrack album "Married to the Mob" in 1988 and was produced by Mike Chapman. It was their first collaboration since the 1982 Blondie album "The Hunter". The same year, Harry starred as Velma Von Tussle in John Waters's satirical dance film "Hairspray".


title: Debbie Harry

text: Her next solo venture was the album "Def, Dumb and Blonde" in 1989. At this point Harry reverted from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her professional name. The first single "I Want That Man" was a hit in Europe and Australia and on the US Modern Rock Charts. The success of the single propelled the album to on the UK chart, where it earned a silver disc. However, with little promotion from her record company in the US, it peaked at . She followed this up with the ballad "Brite Side" and the club hit "Sweet and Low". "Maybe for Sure", a reworked version of "Angel's Song" she'd recorded for the "Rock and Rule" animated film, was the fourth single released from the album in June 1990 to coincide with a UK tour (her second in six months). The track "Kiss It Better" was also a Top 15 Modern Rock single in the US.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry also appeared in film during this time, with a supporting part in "" (1990). From 1989 to 1991, Harry toured extensively across the world with former Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, Underworld's Karl Hyde, and future Blondie bassist Leigh Foxx. In July 1991 she played Wembley Stadium, supporting INXS. In 1991, Chrysalis released a new "best of" compilation in Europe entitled "", containing hits with Blondie as well as her solo hits. The collection reached in the UK album chart and earned a gold disc. The album also included her duet with Iggy Pop of the Cole Porter song "Well, Did You Evah!" from the 1990 "Red Hot + Blue" AIDS charity album.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 1992, Harry collaborated with German post-punk band Die Haut on the track "Don't Cross My Mind" and released the song "Prelude to a Kiss" on the soundtrack to the film of the same name. She also released a cover of "Summertime Blues" from the soundtrack to the film "That Night" in Australia. Her fourth solo album, "Debravation", was released in July 1993. The album peaked at #24 in the UK, but was less successful in the US. The album's first single was "I Can See Clearly", which peaked at in the UK and on the US dance charts. This was followed by "Strike Me Pink" in September. Controversy surrounded the latter track's promotional video, which featured a man drowning in a water tank, resulting in its being banned. US editions of the album feature two additional tracks recorded with prerecorded music by R.E.M.: "Tear Drops" and a cover of Skeeter Davis's 1961 hit "My Last Date (with You)". Also in 1993, Harry had a supporting role in a John Carpenter-directed segment of the anthology horror film "Body Bags".


title: Debbie Harry

text: In November 1993, Harry toured the UK with Stein, guitarist Peter Min, bassist Greta Brinkman, and drummer James Murphy. The set list of the Debravation Tour featured an offbeat selection of Harry material including the previously unreleased track "Close Your Eyes" (from 1989) and "Ordinary Bummer" (from the Stein-produced Iggy Pop album "Zombie Birdhouse", a track that, under the moniker Adolph's Dog, Blondie covered in 1997). Tentative plans to record these shows and release them as a live double CD never came to fruition. However, covers of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and David Oliver's "Love TKO" exist as bootlegs. In early 1994, Harry took the Debravation tour to the US. In the UK, Harry's long tenure with Chrysalis Records also came to an end after "Debravation" lackluster sales, but the label released all of Blondie's albums and Harry's "KooKoo" album (for the first time on CD) as remastered editions with bonus tracks.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In the mid 1990s, Harry worked as a guest vocalist on several projects: She joined the avant-garde jazz ensemble the Jazz Passengers in 1994, appearing on their album "In Love" (1994). Harry also reunited with Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri for a cover of Otis Blackwell's "Don't Be Cruel" for the 1995 album "Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell". During this period, she also recorded a duet with actor Robert Jacks titled "Der Einziger Weg (The Only Way)", a theme for the horror film "" (1994), which was recorded in German and in English. Harry also served as a vocalist in the Talking Heads' side project the Heads' 1996 release "No Talking, Just Head", followed by the Jazz Passengers' "Individually Twisted" (1997). The same year, she collaborated with Jazz Passengers' Bill Ware in his side project Groove Thing, singing lead vocals on the club hit "Command and Obey". Another Jazz Passengers collaboration, "The City in the Sea", appeared on the Edgar Allan Poe tribute album "Closed on Account of Rabies" (1997).


title: Debbie Harry

text: In film, Harry co-starred with Pruitt Taylor Vince and Liv Tyler in James Mangold's directorial debut "Heavy" (1995), playing a misanthropic waitress at an upstate New York restaurant. The following year, she filmed Mangold's "Cop Land" (1997), a neo-noir thriller in which she portrayed a bartender.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 1997, Blondie began working together again for the first time in 15 years. The four original members (Harry, Stein, Clem Burke and Jimmy Destri) began sessions for what would become Blondie's seventh studio album, "No Exit" (1999). The lead single from the album, "Maria", debuted at in the UK, giving Blondie their sixth UK hit. "Maria" also reached in 14 countries, the top 10 on the US Dance Charts, and Top 20 on the US Adult Top 40 Charts. "No Exit" debuted at in the UK and in the US.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry appears on the 2001 Bill Ware album "Vibes 4" singing the track "Me and You" as well as on former Police guitarist Andy Summers's album "Peggy's Blue Skylight" on the track "Weird Nightmare". A techno cover of Stan Jones' "Ghost Riders in the Sky" was featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 film "Three Businessmen", and was available on her website to download. Harry sings on two tracks on Andrea Griminelli's "Cinema Italiano" project: "You'll Come to Me" (inspired by "Amarcord"'s main theme) and "When Love Comes By" (from "Il Postino"), as well as on a tribute album reinterpreting the music of Harold Arlen, on which she sings the title track "Stormy Weather". In May 2002, she accompanied the Jazz Passengers and the BBC Concert Orchestra in a performance of her jazz material at the Barbican Centre in London. In 2003, she was featured vocalist on the song "Uncontrollable Love" by DJ duo Blow-Up. She also sang on the version of "Waltzing Matilda" recorded by Dan Zanes and Friends, released on the 2003 album "House Party". The same year, Blondie released the album "The Curse of Blondie" (2003).


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 2006, Harry started work in New York City on her fifth solo album, "Necessary Evil" (released in 2007). Working with production duo Super Buddha (who produced the remix of Blondie's "In the Flesh" for the 2005 "" compilation), the first music to surface in was a hip-hop track titled "Dirty and Deep" in which she spoke out against rapper Lil' Kim's incarceration. Throughout 2006, a number of new tracks surfaced on Harry's Myspace page, including "Charm Alarm", "Deep End", "Love with a Vengeance", "School for Scandal", and "Necessary Evil", as well as duets she recorded with Miss Guy (of Toilet Böys fame), "God Save New York" and "New York Groove". A streaming version of the lead single, "Two Times Blue", was added to Harry's Myspace page in May 2007. On June 6, 2007, a downloadable version was released via her official website.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 2007, Harry delineated the different personae (Blondie the band, her role in the band, and Deborah Harry the singer) to an interviewer who asked why she played only solo music on the 2007 True Colors World Tour with Cyndi Lauper: "I've put together a new trio with no Blondie members in it. I really want to make a clear definition between Debbie's solo projects and Blondie, and I hope that the audience can appreciate that and also appreciate this other material."


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry's fifth solo album, "Necessary Evil" (2007), was released after she completed the True Colors World Tour. The first single, "Two Times Blue", peaked at on the US Dance Club Play chart. The album peaked at in the UK and in the US Billboard Top Independent Albums chart. Harry performed "Two Times Blue" on various talk shows to promote the album. She also started a 22-date US tour on November 8, lasting until December 9, playing small venues and clubs across the country. On January 18, 2008, an official music video for "If I Had You" was released.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry contributed to Fall Out Boy's 2008 album "Folie à Deux", singing on the chorus of the album's closer "West Coast Smoker". In 2010, Harry began a series recordings (featuring solo songs and duets with Nick Cave and others) for The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project. Blondie released their ninth studio album, "Panic of Girls", in July 2011.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In 2014, Harry made a guest appearance with Arcade Fire at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, The following month, Blondie released their tenth studio album "Ghosts of Download" (2014). In 2015, Blondie members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein made a guest appearance alongside The Gregory Brothers in an episode of "Songify the News", and they collaborated again to parody the United States presidential election debates, 2016. In March 2015, Harry held a residency of several weeks at the Café Carlyle in New York.


title: Debbie Harry

text: Blondie's eleventh studio album, "Pollinator", was released in May 2017, and debuted at in the UK. In October 2019, Harry released a memoir, "Face It", through Dey Street Books. In 2020, Harry cameoed on the third episode of the romantic comedy web television series "High Fidelity".


title: Debbie Harry

text: Harry was in a relationship with the Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. The pair split up in 1987, but remained friends. In 2011, Harry said that she and Stein were both drug users during their relationship, and that they had spent time in a rehabilitation clinic and no longer used drugs. Harry is godmother to Stein's two daughters.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In her 2019 memoir, "Face It", Harry describes having been raped at knifepoint during a burglary of the home she shared with Stein. She also wrote in "Face It" that during the early 1970s, the serial killer Ted Bundy lured her into his car in New York City, but she escaped. Harry's description of the white vehicle stripped on the inside and missing the passenger door handle matched the 1968 VW Bundy was driving, but authorities believed him to be in Florida at the time. Ann Rule, an author of the Bundy biography "The Stranger Beside Me", commented that erroneous claims of Bundy abductions are fairly common.


title: Debbie Harry

text: As of 2019, Harry lives part-time in New York City and part-time in Monmouth County, New Jersey, together with her four dogs.


title: Debbie Harry

text: In a 2011 interview, Harry said that "After witnessing Elton John and his tireless efforts against HIV/AIDS", she had been inspired to make philanthropy her top priority. She said, "These things are important to my life now. I have the privilege of being able to get involved, so I do. I applaud people like Elton John, who have used their position to do so much good." Some of Harry's preferred charities include those devoted to fighting cancer and endometriosis.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Benjamin A. Foster (born October 29, 1980) is an American actor. He has had roles in films including "The Punisher" (2004), "" and "Alpha Dog" (both 2006), "The Messenger" and "Pandorum" (both 2009), "The Mechanic" (2011), "Contraband" (2012), "Kill Your Darlings" and "Lone Survivor" (both 2013), "The Program" (2015), and "Leave No Trace" (2018). He was nominated for a Saturn Award and a Satellite Award for his role in "" (2007) and won an Independent Spirit Award for portraying Tanner Howard in "Hell or High Water" (2016). He also acted as Russell Corwin in "Six Feet Under" (2003–2005). He had a recurring role portraying a high school student named Eli on the Judd Apatow show, "Freaks and Geeks" (2000), which ran for one season.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Benjamin A. Foster was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 29, 1980, the son of restaurant owners Steven Foster and Gillian Kirwan. He has described his parents as "free-spirited, Vietnam-protesting hippies". He has a younger brother, Jon, who is also an actor. Foster and his family relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, when their Boston home was broken into by robbers while they were present.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Foster was raised Jewish, and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. His paternal grandparents were Celia (Segal) and Abraham Foster, who was a prominent judge and politician in Boston; their families emigrated from the Russian Empire. As a youth, he attended Interlochen Arts Camp, studying theatre.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Foster began working as an actor when he was 16 years old. In 1996 and 1997, he starred in the Disney Channel television series "Flash Forward".


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: In 2001, he acted in the film "Get Over It". Foster also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin (22 episodes) in the HBO original series, "Six Feet Under". After appearing in the films "" and "The Punisher", Foster appeared in "Hostage" with Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak and Michelle Horn. In 2006, Foster appeared in "" as the comic-book hero Angel / Warren Worthington III. In the crime thriller "Alpha Dog", he played the character Jake Mazursky and added glaucoma drops to his eyes to simulate the appearance of a drug addict in the film. In 2007, he played cold-blooded killer and outlaw Charlie Prince in the Western film "". In February 2013, he was cast to replace Shia LaBeouf in the Broadway play "Orphans" as his first theater performance. In May 2014, it was announced that he would star opposite Gillian Anderson and Vanessa Kirby in Benedict Andrews' new production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Young Vic in London. That production closed on September 19, 2014. The same production transferred to New York in 2016, opening at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Foster played Lance Armstrong in the biopic "The Program", and co-starred in the fantasy adventure "Warcraft", released in June 2016.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Also in 2016, Foster appeared in "Hell or High Water" as the dangerous Tanner Howard, opposite Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges. Foster was acclaimed for his roles and has received numerous awards nominations.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Foster has continuously received praise from critics for his "intense" and "unhinged" performances in numerous films. Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz described Foster in 2016 as "one of those actors who makes even a bad film worth seeing. Sometimes he suggests the film you'd rather be watching."


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: Foster was in a relationship with German actress Antje Traue, his co-star in the movie "Pandorum". Traue revealed in an interview that she had moved to Los Angeles and lived with Foster until their relationship ended around 2010. Foster began a relationship with actress Robin Wright in early 2012. They became engaged in early 2014, but called off their engagement on November 12, 2014. Foster and Wright reconciled in early 2015; however, on August 29, 2015, they announced they were ending their second engagement.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: In October 2016, Foster announced his engagement to actress Laura Prepon. Prepon gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Ella, in August 2017. Foster and Prepon married in June 2018. Their son was born in February 2020.


title: Ben Foster (actor)

text: After filming of the movie "Here" ended, five members of the cast and crew got tattooed with the letters T.I.A., which stand for This Is Armenia.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series, the first in the "Drag Race" franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the fifteenth season, MTV. The show documents RuPaul in the search for "America's next drag superstar". RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. Contestants are judged by a panel that includes RuPaul, Michelle Visage, an alternating third main judge of either Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, or Ts Madison, and one or more guest judges, who critique their progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: "RuPaul's Drag Race" has spanned fifteen seasons and inspired the spin-off shows "RuPaul's Drag U", "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars", and "RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race"; the companion series ""; and numerous international franchises including British and Australian and New Zealand versions hosted by RuPaul as well as Chilean, Thai, Canadian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, and Philippine editions, upcoming Belgian, Swedish, Mexican, German, and Brazilian installments, and international "vs. the World" competitions hosted in and .


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: The show has become the highest-rated television program on Logo TV, and airs internationally, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Israel. The show earned RuPaul seven consecutive Emmy Awards (2016 to 2022) for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. The show itself has been awarded as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program 4 consecutive times (2018 to 2021), and the Outstanding Reality Program Award at the GLAAD Media Awards. It has been nominated for four Critics' Choice Television Awards including Best Reality Series – Competition and Best Reality Show Host for RuPaul, and was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Make-up for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic). Later in 2018, the show became the first show to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in the same year, a feat it has since repeated three times.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Prospective "Drag Race" contestants submit video auditions to the show's production company, World of Wonder. RuPaul, the host and head judge, views each tape and selects the season's competitors. Once the chosen pool of performers is on set, they film a series of episodes in which they compete against each other in various challenges. Each episode typically concludes with the removal of one contestant from the competition. Rarely, the outcome of an episode has been a double elimination, no elimination, contestant disqualification or removal of a contestant on medical grounds. Each episode features a so-called maxi challenge that tests competitors' skills in a variety of areas of drag performance. Some episodes also feature a mini challenge, the prize of which is often an advantage or benefit in the upcoming maxi challenge. Following the maxi challenge, contestants present themed looks in a runway walk. RuPaul and a panel of judges then critique each contestant's performance, deliberate amongst themselves, and announce the week's winner and bottom two competitors. The bottom two queens compete in a so-called Lip Sync for Your Life; the winner of the lip sync remains in the competition, and the loser is eliminated. Generally, the contestant that the judges feel has displayed the most "charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent" (C.U.N.T.) is the one who advances. The final three, or four depending on what RuPaul chooses, contestants remaining compete in a special finale episode wherein the season's winner is crowned. In early seasons, the finale was pre-recorded in the studio with no audience. More recently, the finale has taken the form of a lip sync tournament before a live audience. The season 12 finale was filmed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole season is typically filmed in four weeks.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Mini challenges are quick, small assignments that RuPaul announces at the beginning of an episode. One of the most popular mini challenges, which recurs from season to season, is the reading challenge. In it, contestants satirically criticize one another in a process called "reading", which was popularized by the film "Paris Is Burning". Maxi challenges vary in the skill they test; some are group challenges that involve singing and acting, while others feature comedy, a talent of choice, dancing, or makeovers. The winner receives a material or monetary prize. Until the show's sixth season, the winner sometimes also received immunity against elimination the following week. "Drag Race"s most popular seasonal maxi challenge is Snatch Game, a spoof on "Match Game" wherein contestants impersonate celebrities or famous fictional personas.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: RuPaul has been the series' head judge since its premiere. For the first two seasons, Merle Ginsberg joined him on the panel; she was replaced in season 3 by longtime friend of RuPaul and co-host of "The RuPaul Show" Michelle Visage. Santino Rice served as a judge from season 1 through season 6. From season 7 onward, Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley have occupied Rice's former seat. New York City makeup artist Billy B held a regular judging spot in the third and fourth seasons when Rice was absent. Most weeks, one or two celebrity guest judges join the panel. After appearing as a recurring guest judge in season 13, Ts Madison became a regular member of the judging panel.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: The first season of "Drag Race" was accompanied by a seven-episode web series titled "Under the Hood of RuPaul's Drag Race", which Logo TV made available for streaming on its website. The series featured behind-the-scenes and deleted footage from the main show's tapes. From season 2 onward, a companion show called "", which has the same premise, has aired instead. "Untucked" largely focuses on conversations and drama that occur between contestants backstage while the judges deliberate on each episode's results. In most seasons, it has aired on TV following the main show, but it was available only online for season 7 through season 9. A number of smaller web series also accompany each episode of "Drag Race". "Whatcha Packin", which began at the start of the sixth season, features Michelle Visage interviewing the most recently eliminated queen about their run on the show and showcasing runway outfits they had brought but did not have the opportunity to wear. In 2014, the web-series Fashion Photo Ruview aired for the first time, co-hosted by Raja Gemini and Raven who evaluate the runway looks of the main show. Since season 8, a five- to fifteen-minute (later eighteen- to thirty-minute) aftershow called "The Pit Stop" has also been produced. It involves a host and guest, typically past competitors of "Drag Race", discussing the recently aired episode. Each season's host (or hosts) are different; to date, these have included the YouTuber Kingsley, Raja Gemini, Bob the Drag Queen, Alaska Thunderfuck, Trixie Mattel, Manila Luzon, and Monét X Change.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 1 premiered in the U.S. on February 2, 2009, on Logo TV. Nine contestants competed to become "America's Next Drag Superstar". The winner won a lifetime supply of MAC Cosmetics, was featured on the cover of "Paper" and in an LA Eyeworks campaign, joined the Absolut Pride tour, and won a cash prize of $20,000. One of the nine, Nina Flowers, was determined by an audience vote via the show's official website. The winner of season 1 was BeBe Zahara Benet, with Nina Flowers winning Miss Congeniality. In late 2013, Logo re-aired the season as "RuPaul's Drag Race: The Lost Season Ru-Vealed", featuring commentary from RuPaul.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: For season 2 (2010), 12 contestants competed for a lifetime supply of NYX Cosmetics and be the face of nyxcosmetics.com, an exclusive one year public relations contract with LGBT firm Project Publicity, be featured in an LA Eyeworks campaign, join the Logo Drag Race Tour, and a cash prize of $25,000. A new tradition of writing a farewell message in lipstick on the workstation mirror was started by the first eliminated queen, Shangela. Each week's episode is followed by a behind-the-scenes show, "RuPaul's Drag Race Untucked". The winner of season 2 was Tyra Sanchez, with Pandora Boxx winning Miss Congeniality. On December 6, 2011, Amazon.com released season 2 on DVD via the CreateSpace program.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 3 (2011) had Michelle Visage replacing Merle Ginsberg on the judging panel as well as Billy Brasfield (commonly known as Billy B), Mike Ruiz, and Jeffrey Moran (courtesy of Absolut Vodka) filling in for Santino Rice's absence during several episodes. Due to Billy B's continued appearances, he and Rice are considered to have been alternate judges for the same seat on judges panel. Other changes made included the introduction of a wildcard contestant from the past season, Shangela; an episode with no elimination; and a contestant, Carmen Carrera, being brought back into the competition after having been eliminated a few episodes prior. A new pit crew was also introduced consisting of Jason Carter and Shawn Morales. As with the previous season, each week's episode was followed by a behind-the-scenes show, "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked". The winner of the season 3 was Raja, with Yara Sofia winning Miss Congeniality. On December 6, 2011, Amazon.com released this season on DVD via their CreateSpace program.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 4 began airing on January 30, 2012, with cast members announced November 13, 2011. The winner headlined Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring Absolut Vodka, won a one-of-a-kind trip, a lifetime supply of NYX Cosmetics, a cash prize of $100,000, and the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". Like the previous season, Rice and Billy B (Billy Brasfield), shared the same seat at the judges table alternatively, with Brasfield filling in for Rice when needed. The winner of season 4 was Sharon Needles, with Latrice Royale winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 5 began airing on January 28, 2013, with a 90-minute premiere episode. Fourteen contestants competed for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" along with a lifetime supply of Colorevolution Cosmetics, a one-of-a-kind trip courtesy of AlandChuck.travel, a headlining spot on Logo's Drag Race Tour featuring Absolut Vodka and a cash prize of $100,000. Rice and Visage were back as judges on the panel. The winner of season 5 was Jinkx Monsoon, with Ivy Winters winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 6 began airing February 24, 2014. Like season 5, season 6 saw 14 contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". For the first time in the show's history, the season premiere was split into two episodes; the fourteen queens are split into two groups and the seven queens in each group compete against one another before being united as one group in the third episode. Rice and Visage returned as judges at the panel. Two new pit crew members, Miles Moody and Simon Sherry-Wood, joined Carter and Morales. The winner won a prize package that included a supply from Colorevolution Cosmetics and a cash prize of $100,000. The winner of season 6 was Bianca Del Rio, with BenDeLaCreme winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 7 began airing on March 2, 2015. Returning judges included RuPaul and Visage, while the space previously occupied by Rice was filled by new additions Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley. Mathews and Kressley were both present for the season premiere and then took turns sharing judging responsibilities. Morales and Simon Sherry-Wood did not appear this season and were replaced by Bryce Eilenberg. Like the previous two seasons, this one featured fourteen contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. The season premiere debuted with a live and same-day viewership of 348,000, a 20 percent increase from the previous season. On March 20, 2015, it was announced that Logo had given the series an early renewal for an eighth season. The winner of season 7 was Violet Chachki, with Katya winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 8 on began airing on March 7, 2016, with cast members announced during the NewNowNext Honors on February 1, 2016. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. The first episode celebrated the 100th taping of the show, and the 100th drag queen to compete. Similar to season 2, this season had twelve contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. The winner of season 8 was Bob the Drag Queen, with Cynthia Lee Fontaine winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 9 began airing on March 24, 2017 on VH1, with cast members being announced on February 2, 2017. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. This season features fourteen contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. The ninth season aired on VH1, with encore presentations continuing to air on Logo. This season featured the return of Cynthia Lee Fontaine, who previously participated in the season 8. Season 9 featured a top four in the finale episode, as opposed to the top three, which was previously established in season 4. The winner of season 9 was Sasha Velour, with Valentina winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 10 began airing on March 22, 2018. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. This season features thirteen new contestants, and one returning contestant, competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. Eureka O'Hara, who was removed from the ninth season due to an injury, returned to the show after she accepted an open invitation. Season 10 premiered alongside the televised return of "Untucked". The tenth season featured a top four following the previous season's finale format. The winner of season 10 was Aquaria, with Monét X Change winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 11 began airing February 28, 2019. This season had fifteen contestants, whereas previous seasons typically had fourteen contestants. Visage returned as a main judge, while Kressley and Mathews returned as rotating main judges. This season features fourteen new contestants, and one returning contestant, competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a cash prize of $100,000. This season saw the return of Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, who was the first contestant eliminated in season 10. Season 11 again featured a top four in the finale. As with season 10, each week's episode was followed by an episode of the televised return of "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked". The winner of season 11 was Yvie Oddly, with Nina West winning Miss Congeniality. On January 22, 2019, casting for Season 12 (2020) was announced via YouTube and Twitter and was closed on March 1, 2019. On August 19, 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a twelfth season. The season began airing on February 28, 2020. This is the first and only season to have the reunion and finale recorded virtually from the contestants' homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The winner of season 12 was Jaida Essence Hall, with Heidi N Closet winning Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: On December 2, 2019, casting for Season 13 (2021) was announced via YouTube and Twitter. The casting call closed on January 24, 2020. On August 20, 2020, it was announced the thirteenth season had been ordered by VH1. It began airing on January 1, 2021. The winner of season 13 was Symone, with Kandy Muse as runner-up, and LaLa Ri as Miss Congeniality.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Casting for Season 14 began on November 23, 2020. In August 2021, it was announced the fourteenth season had been ordered by VH1. The cast for the fourteenth season was revealed through VH1 on December 2, 2021. The season started airing on January 7, 2022. The season welcomed Maddy Morphosis, the show's first heterosexual, cisgender male contestant. The season notably also featured five transgender contestants: Kerri Colby and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté (both of whom entered the competition openly trans), Jasmine Kennedie (who came out as a trans woman during filming of the show), Bosco (who also came out as a trans woman as the season aired), and Willow Pill (who came out as trans femme as the season aired). The winner of season 14 was Willow Pill, with Lady Camden as runner-up, and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté as Miss Congeniality. The winning queen received a cash prize of $150,000, the highest amount awarded to date in a regular season. The runner-up received a $50,000 cash prize.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Full seasons of shows in the Drag Race franchise are available to stream on WOW Presents Plus in over 200 territories. The show is also currently available on the following streaming platforms:


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: "RuPaul's Drag Race" has been nominated for thirty-nine Emmy Awards, and won twenty-four. It has also been nominated for nine Reality Television Awards, winning three, and nominated for six NewNowNext Awards, winning three.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: "Thrillist" called "Drag Race" "the closest gay culture gets to a sports league". In 2019, the TV series was ranked 93rd on "The Guardian"'s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: In March 2014, "Drag Race" sparked controversy over the use of the term "shemale" in the season 6 mini challenge "Female or She-male?". Logo has since removed the segment from all platforms and addressed the allegations of transphobia by removing the "You've got she-mail" intro from new episodes of the series. This was replaced with, "She done already done had herses!"


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: RuPaul additionally came under fire for comments made in an interview with "The Guardian", in which he stated he would "probably not" allow a transgender contestant to compete. He compared transgender drag performers to doping athletes on his Twitter, and has since apologized. Sasha Velour (season 9) disagreed, tweeting "My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men, and gender non-conforming folks doing drag. That's the real world of drag, like it or not. I thinks it's fabulous and I will fight my entire life to protect and uplift it".


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: For the first twelve seasons, RuPaul would say, "Gentlemen, start your engines, and may the best woman win," before the contestants' runway looks for the episode were shown. When season 13 introduced the show's first ever transgender male contestant, Gottmik, RuPaul's catchphrase was changed in order to promote inclusivity: "Drag racers, start your engines, and may the best drag queen win." In season 6 of "All Stars", an altered version of the show's opening theme was introduced with the new tag line.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Performers of any sexual orientation and gender identity are eligible to audition, although most contestants to date have been gay, cisgender men. Transgender competitors have become more common as seasons have progressed; Sonique, a season two contestant, became the first openly trans contestant when she came out as a woman during the reunion special. Sonique later won "All Stars 6", becoming the first trans woman to win an English-language version of the show and the second overall. Monica Beverly Hillz (season 5) became the first contestant to come out as a trans woman during the competition. Peppermint (season 9) is the first contestant who was out as a trans woman prior to the airing of her season. Other trans contestants came out as women after their elimination, including Carmen Carrera, Kenya Michaels, Stacy Layne Matthews, Jiggly Caliente, Gia Gunn, Laganja Estranja and Gigi Goode. Additionally, Gottmik (season 13) was the first AFAB and currently the only openly transgender male contestant in the franchise's history. Various contestants have come out as non-binary as well, including Jinkx Monsoon and Adore Delano.


title: RuPaul's Drag Race

text: Season 14 is the first regular season to feature five transgender women in the cast—Kerri Colby, Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté, Bosco, Jasmine Kennedie, and Willow Pill. While Kerri Colby and Kornbread entered the show openly trans, Bosco and Willow came out after the show's taping, and Jasmine Kennedie came out in episode 7 of Untucked.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. It started following the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Pamela Turner and Rekia Boyd, among others. The movement and its related organizations typically advocate for various policy changes considered to be related to black liberation. While there are specific organizations that label themselves simply as "Black Lives Matter," such as the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the overall movement is a decentralized network of people and organizations with no formal hierarchy. The slogan "Black Lives Matter" itself remains untrademarked by any group. Despite being characterized by some as a violent movement, the overwhelming majority of its public demonstrations have been peaceful.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The movement began in July 2013, with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin 17 months earlier in February 2012. It became nationally recognized for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two more African Americans, Michael Brown—resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, a city near St. Louis—and Eric Garner in New York City. Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or while in police custody. In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 United States presidential election. The originators of the hashtag and call to action, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, expanded their project into a national network of over 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The movement returned to national headlines and gained further international attention during the global George Floyd protests in 2020 following his murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. An estimated 15 million to 26 million people participated in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, making it one of the largest movements in the country's history. It comprised many views and a broad array of demands but they centered on criminal justice reform.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The popularity of Black Lives Matter has shifted over time. Whereas public opinion was net negative in 2018, it grew increasingly positive through 2019 and 2020. A June 2020 Pew Research Center poll found that 67% of adult Americans expressed some support for the Black Lives Matter movement. A later poll conducted in September 2020 showed that support among American adults had dropped to 55%, with notable declines among whites and Hispanics, while support remained widespread among black adults. By May 2022, support for Black Lives Matter had decreased significantly among all racial demographics, including among African-Americans.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The phrase "Black Lives Matter" can refer to a Twitter hashtag, a slogan, a social movement, a political action committee, or a loose confederation of groups advocating for racial justice. As a movement, Black Lives Matter is grassroots and decentralized, and leaders have emphasized the importance of local organizing over national leadership. The structure differs from previous black movements, like the Civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Such differences have been the subject of scholarly literature. Activist DeRay McKesson has commented that the movement "encompasses all who publicly declare that black lives matter and devote their time and energy accordingly."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2013, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter Network. Garza described the network as an online platform that existed to provide activists with a shared set of principles and goals. Local Black Lives Matter chapters are asked to commit to the organization's list of guiding principles but operate without a central structure or hierarchy. Garza has commented that the Network was not interested in "policing who is and who is not part of the movement."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The loose structure of Black Lives Matter has contributed to confusion in the press and among activists, as actions or statements from chapters or individuals are sometimes attributed to "Black Lives Matter" as a whole. Matt Pearce, writing for the "Los Angeles Times", commented that "the words could be serving as a political rallying cry or referring to the activist organization. Or it could be the fuzzily applied label used to describe a wide range of protests and conversations focused on racial inequality."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On at least one occasion, a person represented as "Managing Director of BLM Global Network" has released a statement represented to be on behalf of that organization.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Concurrently, a broader movement involving several other organizations and activists emerged under the banner of "Black Lives Matter", as well. In 2015, Johnetta Elzie, DeRay Mckesson, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel Sinyangwe initiated Campaign Zero, aimed at promoting policy reforms to end police brutality. The campaign released a ten-point plan for reforms to policing, with recommendations including: ending Broken windows theory policing, increasing community oversight of police departments, and creating stricter guidelines for the use of force. "The New York Times" reporter, John Eligon, wrote that some activists expressed concerns that the campaign was overly focused on legislative remedies for police violence.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Black Lives Matter also voices support for various movements and causes beyond police brutality, including LGBTQ activism, feminism, immigration reform, and economic justice.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is a coalition of more than 50 groups representing the interests of black communities across the United States. Members include the Black Lives Matter Network, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Endorsed by groups such as Color of Change, Race Forward, Brooklyn Movement Center, PolicyLink, Million Women March Cleveland, and ONE DC, the coalition receives communications and tactical support from an organization named Blackbird.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Following the murder of George Floyd, M4BL released the BREATHE Act, which called for sweeping legislative changes surrounding policing; the policy bill included calls to divest from policing and reinvest funds directly in community resources and alternative emergency response models.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On July 24, 2015, the movement initially convened at Cleveland State University where between 1,500 and 2,000 activists gathered to participate in open discussions and demonstrations. The conference in Cleveland, Ohio initially attempted to "strategize ways for the Movement for Black Lives to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions on a national level". However, the conference resulted in the formation of a much more significant social movement. At the end of the three day conference, on July 26, the Movement for Black Lives initiated a year long "process of convening local and national groups to create a United Front". This year long process ultimately resulted in the establishment of an organizational platform that articulates the goals, demands, and policies which the Movement for Black Lives supports in order to achieve the "liberation" of black communities across America.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2016, the Ford Foundation announced plans to fund the M4BL Movement for Black Lives in a "six-year investments" plan, further partnering up with others to found the Black-led Movement Fund. The sum donated by the Ford Foundation and the other donors to M4BL was reported as $100 million by "The Washington Times" in 2016; another donation of $33 million to M4BL was reportedly issued by the Open Society Foundations.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2016, M4BL called for decarceration in the United States, reparations for harms related to slavery, and more recently, specific remedies for redlining in housing, education policy, mass incarceration and food insecurity. It also called for an end to mass surveillance, investment in public education, not incarceration, and community control of the police: empowering residents in communities of color to hire and fire police officers and issue subpoenas, decide disciplinary consequences and exercise control over city funding of police.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: "Politico" reported in 2015 that the Democracy Alliance, a gathering of Democratic-Party donors, planned to meet with leaders of several groups who were endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement. According to "Politico", Solidaire, the donor coalition focusing on "movement building" and led by Texas oil fortune heir Leah Hunt-Hendrix, a member of the Democracy Alliance, had donated more than $200,000 to the BLM movement by 2015.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: According to "The Economist", between May 2020 and December 2020, donations to Black Lives Matter related causes amounted to $10.6 billion. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, one of the main organizations coordinating organizing and mobilization efforts across the Black Lives Matter network, reported raising $90 million in 2020, including a substantial number of individual donations online, with an average donation of $30.76.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Black Lives Matter originally used various social media platforms—including hashtag activism—to reach thousands of people rapidly. Since then, Black Lives Matter has embraced a diversity of tactics. Black Lives Matter protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful; when violence does occur, it is often committed by police or by counter-protesters. Despite this, opponents have falsely portrayed the movement as violent.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2014, the American Dialect Society chose #BlackLivesMatter as their word of the year. "Yes! Magazine" picked #BlackLivesMatter as one of the twelve hashtags that changed the world in 2014. From July 2013 through May 1, 2018, the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter" had been tweeted over 30 million times, an average of 17,002 times per day. By June 10, 2020, it had been tweeted roughly 47.8 million times, with the period of July 7–17, 2016 having the highest usage, at nearly 500,000 tweets a day. This period also saw an increase in tweets using the hashtags "#BlueLivesMatter" and "#AllLivesMatter". On May 28, 2020, there were nearly 8.8 million tweets with the hashtag, and the average had increased to 3.7 million a day.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers saw the online tone of the movement become more negative than before, with 39% of tweets using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter expressing opposition to the movement. Nearly half in opposition tied the group to violence, with many describing the group as terrorist.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Khadijah White, a professor at Rutgers University, argues that BLM has ushered in a new era of black university student movements. The ease with which bystanders can record graphic videos of police violence and post them onto social media has driven activism all over the world. The hashtag's usage has gained the attention of high-ranking politicians and has sometimes encouraged them to support the movement.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On Wikipedia, a WikiProject dedicated to of the Black Lives Matter movement was created in June 2020.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2020, users of the popular app TikTok noticed that the app seemed to be shadow banning posts about BLM or recent police killings of black people. TikTok apologized and attributed the situation to a technical glitch.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: BLM generally engages in direct action tactics that make people uncomfortable enough that they must address the issue. BLM has been known to build power through protest and rallies. BLM has also staged die-ins and held one during the 2015 Twin Cities Marathon.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Political slogans used during demonstrations include the eponymous "Black Lives Matter", "Hands up, don't shoot" (a later discredited reference attributed to Michael Brown), "I can't breathe" (referring to Eric Garner and later George Floyd), "White silence is violence", "No justice, no peace", and "Is my son next?", among others.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: According to a 2018 study, "Black Lives Matter protests are more likely to occur in localities where more black people have previously been killed by police."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, with the hashtag BlackLivesMatter, the movement has been depicted and documented in film, song, television, literature, and the visual arts. A number of media outlets are providing material related to racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement. Published books, novels, and TV shows have increased in popularity in 2020. Songs, such as Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" and Kendrick Lamar's "Alright", have been widely used as a rallying call at demonstrations.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The short documentary film, "Bars4Justice", features brief appearances by various activists and recording artists affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement. The film is an official selection of the 24th Annual Pan African Film Festival. "" is a 2016 American television documentary film, starring Jesse Williams, about the Black Lives Matter movement.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: The February 2015 issue of "Essence" magazine and the cover was devoted to Black Lives Matter. In December 2015, BLM was a contender for the "Time" magazine Person of the Year award, coming in fourth of the eight candidates.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: A number of cities have painted murals of "Black Lives Matter" in large letters on their streets. The cities include Washington, D.C., Dallas, Denver, Charlotte, Seattle, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Birmingham, Alabama.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On May 9, 2016, Delrish Moss was sworn in as the first African-American police chief in Ferguson, Missouri. He acknowledged that he faces such challenges as diversifying the police force, improving community relations, and addressing issues that catalyzed the Black Lives Matter movement.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: According to a study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2002 to 2011, among those who had contact with the police, "blacks (2.8%) were more likely than whites (1.0%) and Hispanics (1.4%) to perceive the threat or use of nonfatal force was excessive."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: According to "The Washington Post", police officers shot and killed 1,001 people in the United States in 2019. About half of those killed were white, and one quarter were black, making the rate of deaths for black Americans (31 fatal shootings per million) more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans (13 fatal shootings per million). "The Washington Post" also counts 13 unarmed black Americans shot dead by police in 2019.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: A 2015 study by Cody Ross, UC Davis found "significant bias in the killing of unarmed black Americans relative to unarmed white Americans" by police. The study found that unarmed African Americans had 3.49 times the probability of being shot compared to unarmed whites, although in some jurisdictions the risk could be as much as 20 times higher. The study found that 2.79 more armed blacks were shot than unarmed blacks. The study also found that the documented county-level racial bias in police shootings could not be explained by differences in local crime rates.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: A 2019 study by Cesario et al. published in "Social Psychological and Personality Science" found that after adjusting for crime, there was "no systematic evidence of anti-black disparities in fatal shootings, fatal shootings of unarmed citizens, or fatal shootings involving misidentification of harmless objects". However, a 2020 study by Cody Ross et al. criticizes the data analysis used in the Cesario et al. study. Using the same data set for police shootings in 2015 and 2016, Ross et al. conclude that there is significant racial bias in police shooting cases involving unarmed black suspects. This bias is not seen when suspects were armed.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: A study by Harvard economist Roland Fryer found that blacks and Hispanics were 50% more likely to experience non-lethal force in police interactions, but for officer-involved shootings there were "no racial differences in either the raw data or when contextual factors are taken into account".


title: Black Lives Matter

text: A since retracted 2019 study in "PNAS" concluded that black people were actually less likely than white people to be killed by police, based on the death rates in police encounters. A study published in the journal "Nature" found that such conclusions were erroneous due to Simpson's paradox. According to the paper, while it was true that white people were more likely to be killed in a police encounter, overall black people were still being discriminated against because they were more likely to have interactions with the police due to structural racism. They are more likely to be stopped for more petty crimes or for no crime at all. Conversely, white people interact with police more rarely, and often for more serious crimes such as shootings, where police are more likely to use force. The "Nature" paper also backed up the findings of Ross and Fryer, and concluded that overall rate of death was a much more useful statistic than the rate of death in encounters.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Black Lives Matter protesters are themselves sometimes subject to excessive policing of the kind against which they are demonstrating. In May 2020, in addition to police, 43,350 military troops were deployed against Black Lives Matter protesters nationally. Military surveillance aircraft were deployed against subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Observers, such as U.S. President Joe Biden, have noted that violent far-right mobilizations, including the 2021 United States Capitol attack, attracted smaller and more passive police presences than peaceful Black Lives Matter protests. In November 2015, a police officer in Oregon was removed from street duty following a social media post in which he said he would have to "babysit these fools", in reference to a planned BLM event.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: According to a report released by the Movement for Black Lives in August 2021, the United States federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020. According to the report, "The empirical data and findings in this report largely corroborate what Black organizers have long known intellectually, intuitively, and from lived experience about the federal government's disparate policing and prosecution of racial justice protests and related activity".


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2014, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against the deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of Dontre Hamilton, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Laquan McDonald, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Antonio Martin, and Jerame Reid, among others.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In July, Eric Garner died in New York City, after a New York City Police Department officer put him in a banned chokehold while arresting him. Garner's death has been cited as one of several police killings of African Americans that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: During the Labor Day weekend in August, Black Lives Matter organized a "Freedom Ride", that brought more than 500 African-Americans from across the United States into Ferguson, Missouri, to support the work being done on the ground by local organizations. The movement continued to be involved in the Ferguson protests, following the shooting of Michael Brown. The protests at times came into conflict with local and state police departments, who typically responded in an armed manner. At one point the National Guard was called in and a state of emergency was declared.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Also in August, Los Angeles Police Department officers shot and killed Ezell Ford; BLM protested his death in Los Angeles into 2015.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In November, a New York City Police Department officer shot and killed, Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old African-American man. Gurley's death was later protested by Black Lives Matter in New York City. In Oakland, California, fourteen Black Lives Matter activists were arrested after they stopped a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train for more than an hour on Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year. The protest, led by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, was organized in response to the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Also in November, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy was shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer. Rice's death has also been cited as contributing to "sparking" the Black Lives Matter movement.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In December, two to three thousand people gathered at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, to protest the killings of unarmed black men by police. The police at the mall were equipped with riot gear and bomb-sniffing dogs; at least twenty members of the protest were arrested. Management said that they were "extremely disappointed that organizers of Black Lives Matter protest chose to ignore our stated policy and repeated reminders that political protests and demonstrations are not allowed on Mall of America property".


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, BLM protested the police shooting of Dontre Hamilton, who died in April. Black Lives Matter protested the shooting of John Crawford III. The Murder of Renisha McBride was protested by Black Lives Matter.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Also in December, in response to the decision by the grand jury not to indict Darren Wilson on any charges related to the Shooting of Michael Brown, a protest march was held in Berkeley, California. Later, in 2015, protesters and journalists who participated in that rally filed a lawsuit alleging "unconstitutional police attacks" on attendees.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: A week after the Michael Brown verdict, two police officers were killed in New York City by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who expressed a desire to kill police officers in retribution for the deaths of Garner and Brown. Black Lives Matter condemned the shooting, though some right-wing media attempted to connect the group to it, with the Patrolman's Benevolent Association president claiming that there was "blood on [the] hands [of] those that incited violence on the street under the guise of protests". A conservative television commentator also attempted to connect Black Lives Matter to protesters chanting that they wanted to see "dead cops," at the December "Millions March" which was organized by different groups.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2015, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against the deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of Charley Leundeu Keunang, Tony Robinson, Anthony Hill, Meagan Hockaday, Shooting of Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, William Chapman, Jonathan Sanders, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose, Jeremy McDole, Corey Jones, and Jamar Clark as well Dylann Roof's murder of The Charleston Nine.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In March, BLM protested at Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office, demanding reforms within the Chicago Police Department. Charley Leundeu Keunang, a 43-year-old Cameroonian national, was fatally shot by Los Angeles Police Department officers. The LAPD arrested fourteen following BLM demonstrations.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In April, Black Lives Matter across the United States protested over the death of Freddie Gray which included the 2015 Baltimore protests. The National Guard was called in. After the shooting of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina, Black Lives Matter protested Scott's death and called for Civilian oversight of police.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In May, a protest by BLM in San Francisco was part of a nationwide protest, SayHerName, decrying the police killing of black women and girls, which included the deaths of Meagan Hockaday, Aiyana Jones, Rekia Boyd, and others. In Cleveland, Ohio, after an officer was acquitted at trial in the Killing of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, BLM protested. In Madison, Wisconsin, BLM protested after the officer was not charged in the shooting of Tony Robinson.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In June, after Dylann Roof's shooting in a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, BLM issued a statement and condemned the shooting as an act of terror. BLM across the country marched, protested and held vigil for several days after the shooting. BLM was part of a march for peace on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in South Carolina. After the Charleston shooting, a number of memorials to the Confederate States of America were graffitied with "Black Lives Matter" or otherwise vandalized. Around 800 people protested in McKinney, Texas after a video was released showing an officer pinning a girl—at a pool party in McKinney, Texas—to the ground with his knees.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In July, BLM activists across the United States began protests over the death of Sandra Bland, an African-American woman, who was allegedly found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas. In Cincinnati, Ohio, BLM rallied and protested the death of Samuel DuBose after he was shot and killed by a University of Cincinnati police officer. In Newark, New Jersey, over a thousand BLM activists marched against police brutality, racial injustice, and economic inequality. Also in July, BLM protested the death of Jonathan Sanders who died while being arrested by police in Mississippi.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In August, BLM organizers held a rally in Washington, D.C., calling for a stop to violence against transgender women. In Charlotte, North Carolina, after a judge declared a mistrial in the trial of a white Charlotte police officer who killed an unarmed black man, Jonathan Ferrell, BLM protested and staged die-ins. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Janelle Monáe, Jidenna, and other BLM activists marched through North Philadelphia to bring awareness to police brutality and Black Lives Matter. Around August 9, the first anniversary of Michael Brown's death, BLM rallied, held vigil and marched in St. Louis and across the country.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In September, over five hundred BLM protesters in Austin, Texas rallied against police brutality, and several briefly carried protest banners onto Interstate 35. In Baltimore, Maryland, BLM activists marched and protested as hearings began in the Freddie Gray police brutality case. In Sacramento, California, about eight hundred BLM protesters rallied to support a California State Senate bill that would increase police oversight. BLM protested the shooting of Jeremy McDole.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In October, Black Lives Matter activists were arrested during a protest of a police chiefs conference in Chicago. "Rise Up October" straddled the Black Lives Matter Campaign, and brought several protests. Quentin Tarantino and Cornel West, participating in "Rise Up October", decried police violence.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In November, BLM activists protested after Jamar Clark was shot by Minneapolis Police Department. A continuous protest was organized at the Minneapolis 4th Precinct Police. During the encamped protest, protesters, and outside agitators clashed with police, vandalized the station and attempted to ram the station with an SUV. Later that month a march was organized to honor Jamar Clark, from the 4th Precinct to downtown Minneapolis. After the march, a group of men carrying firearms and body armor appeared and began calling the protesters racial slurs according to a spokesperson for Black Lives Matter. After protesters asked the armed men to leave, the men opened fire, shooting five protesters. All injuries required hospitalization, but were not life-threatening. The men fled the scene only to be found later and arrested. The three men arrested were young and white, and observers called them white supremacists. In February 2017, one of the men arrested, Allen Scarsella, was convicted of a dozen felony counts of assault and riot in connection with the shooting. Based in part on months of racist messages Scarsella had sent his friends before the shooting, the judge rejected arguments by his defense that Scarsella was "naïve" and sentenced him in April 2017 to 15 years out of a maximum 20-year sentence.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: From November into 2016, BLM protested the Murder of Laquan McDonald, calling for the resignation of numerous Chicago officials in the wake of the shooting and its handling. McDonald was shot 16 times by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In 2016, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against the deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of Bruce Kelley Jr., Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Joseph Mann, Abdirahman Abdi, Paul O'Neal, Korryn Gaines, Sylville Smith, Terence Crutcher, Keith Lamont Scott, Alfred Olango, and Deborah Danner, among others.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In January, hundreds of BLM protesters marched in San Francisco to protest the December 2, 2015, shooting death of Mario Woods, who was shot by San Francisco Police officers. The march was held during a Super Bowl event. BLM held protests, community meetings, teach-ins, and direct actions across the country with the goal of "reclaim[ing] the radical legacy of Martin Luther King Jr."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In February, Abdullahi Omar Mohamed, a 17-year-old Somali refugee, was shot and injured by Salt Lake City, Utah, police after allegedly being involved in a confrontation with another person. The shooting led to BLM protests.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In June, members of BLM and Color of Change protested the California conviction and sentencing of Jasmine Richards for a 2015 incident in which she attempted to stop a police officer from arresting another woman. Richards was convicted of "attempting to unlawfully take a person from the lawful custody of a peace officer", a charge that the state penal code had designated as "lynching" until that word was removed two months prior to the incident.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On July 5, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot several times at point-blank range while pinned to the ground by two white Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On the night of July 5, more than 100 demonstrators in Baton Rouge shouted "no justice, no peace," set off fireworks, and blocked an intersection to protest Sterling's death. On July 6, Black Lives Matter held a candlelight vigil in Baton Rouge, with chants of "We love Baton Rouge" and calls for justice.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On July 6, Philando Castile was fatally shot by Jeronimo Yanez, a St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer, after being pulled over in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul. Castile was driving a car with his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter as passengers when he was pulled over by Yanez and another officer. According to his girlfriend, after being asked for his license and registration, Castile told the officer he was licensed to carry a weapon and had one in the car. She stated: "The officer said don't move. As he was putting his hands back up, the officer shot him in the arm four or five times." She live-streamed a video on Facebook in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Following the fatal shooting of Castile, BLM protested throughout Minnesota and the United States.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On July 7, a BLM protest was held in Dallas, Texas that was organized to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. At the end of the peaceful protest, Micah Xavier Johnson opened fire in an ambush, killing five police officers and wounding seven others and two civilians. The gunman was then killed by a robot-delivered bomb. Before he died, according to police, Johnson said that "he was upset about Black Lives Matter", and that "he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers." Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and other conservative lawmakers blamed the shootings on the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Lives Matter network released a statement denouncing the shootings. On July 8, more than 100 people were arrested at Black Lives Matter protests across the United States.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In the first half of July, there were at least 112 protests in 88 American cities. On July 13, NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade opened the 2016 ESPY Awards with a Black Lives Matter message. On July 26, Black Lives Matter held a protest in Austin, Texas, to mark the third anniversary of the shooting death of Larry Jackson Jr. On July 28, Chicago Police Department officers shot Paul O'Neal in the back and killed him following a car chase. After the shooting, hundreds marched in Chicago, Illinois.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In Randallstown, Maryland, near Baltimore, on August 1, police officers shot and killed Korryn Gaines, a 23-year-old African-American woman, also shooting and injuring her son. Gaines' death was protested in Baltimore.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In August, Black Lives Matter protested in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the death of Bruce Kelley Jr., who was shot after fatally stabbing a police dog while trying to escape from police the previous January.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In August, several professional athletes began participating in National Anthem protests. The protests began in the National Football League (NFL) after Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers sat during the anthem, as opposed to the tradition of standing, before his team's third preseason game of 2016. During a post-game interview he explained his position stating, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder," a protest widely interpreted as in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The protests have generated mixed reactions, and have since spread to other U.S. sports leagues.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In September, BLM protested the shooting deaths by police officers of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. "The Charlotte Observer" reported "The protesters began to gather as night fell, hours after the shooting. They held themed signs that said 'Stop Killing Us' and 'Black Lives Matter,' and they chanted 'No justice, no peace.' The scene was sometimes chaotic and tense, with water bottles and stones chucked at police lines, but many protesters called for peace and implored their fellow demonstrators not to act violently." Multiple nights of protests in September and October were held in El Cajon, California, following the shooting of Alfred Olango.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: During the 2017 Black History Month, a month-long "Black Lives Matter" art exhibition was organized by three Richmond, Virginia artists at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond in the Byrd Park area of the city. The show featured more than 30 diverse multicultural artists on a theme exploring racial equality and justice.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In the same month Virginia Commonwealth University's James Branch Cabell Library focused on a month-long schedule of events relating to African-American history and showed photos from the church's "Black Lives Matter" exhibition on its outdoor screen. The VCU schedule of events also included: the Real Life Film Series "The Angry Heart: The Impact of Racism on Heart Disease among African-Americans"; Keith Knight presented the 14th Annual VCU Libraries Black History Month lecture; Lawrence Ross, author of the book "Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses" talked about how his book related to the "Black Lives Matter" movement; and Velma P. Scantlebury, M.D., the first black female transplant surgeon in the United States, discussed "Health Equity in Kidney Transplantation: Experiences from a surgeon's perspective."


title: Black Lives Matter

text: Black Lives Matter protested the shooting of Jocques Clemmons which occurred in Nashville, Tennessee on February 10, 2017. On May 12, 2017, a day after Glenn Funk, the district attorney of Davidson County decided not to prosecute police officer Joshua Lippert, the Nashville chapter of BLM held a demonstration near the Vanderbilt University campus all the way to the residence of Nashville mayor Megan Barry.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On September 27 at the College of William & Mary, students associated with Black Lives Matter protested an ACLU event because the ACLU had fought for the right of Unite the Right rally to be held in Charlottesville, Virginia. William & Mary's president Taylor Reveley responded with a statement defending the college's commitment to open debate.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In February and March 2018, as part of its social justice focus, First Unitarian Church Church of Richmond, Virginia in Richmond, Virginia presented its "Second Annual Black Lives Matter Art Exhibition". Works of art in the exhibition were projected at scheduled hours on the large exterior screen (jumbotron) at Virginia Commonwealth University's Cabell Library. Artists with art in the exhibition were invited to discuss their work in the Black Lives Matter show as it was projected at an evening forum in a small amphitheater at VCU's Hibbs Hall. They were also invited to exhibit afterward at a local showing of the 1961 film adaptation of "A Raisin in the Sun".


title: Black Lives Matter

text: In April, CNN reported that the largest Facebook account claiming to be a part of the "Black Lives Matter" movement was a "scam" tied to a white man in Australia. The account, with 700,000 followers, linked to fundraisers that raised $100,000 or more, purportedly for U.S. Black Lives Matter causes; however, some of the money was instead transferred to Australian banks accounts, according to CNN. Facebook has suspended the offending page.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African-American man, was murdered while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia. Arbery had been pursued and confronted by three white residents driving two vehicles, including a father and son who were armed. All three men were indicted on nine counts, including felony murder.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: On March 13, Louisville police officers knocked down the apartment door of 26-year-old African American Breonna Taylor, serving a no-knock search warrant for drug suspicions. After her boyfriend shot a police officer in the leg, Police fired several shots which led to her death. Her boyfriend called 911 and said, "someone kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend". Protests were held in Louisville with calls for police reform.


title: Black Lives Matter

text: At the end of May, spurred on by a rash of racially charged events including those above, over 450 major protests were held in cities and towns across the United States and three continents. The breaking point was due primarily to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, eventually charged with second-degree murder after a video circulated showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd pleaded for his life, repeating: "I can't breathe." Following protesters' demands for additional prosecutions, three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.