Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Romans 1:21
"All hail Briana Venskus, the first queer queen of the Azalea Festival!
Venskus — a bisexual actress of color known for her roles in The Walking Dead, Good Trouble, Nashville, and Grace & Frankie — made LGBTQ herstory Wednesday when she was crowned the Azalea Queen.
As queen, the North Carolina native presides over the Azalea Festival — a weeklong celebration of North Carolina's artwork, history, and culture. Founded in 1948 and held in Wilmington, it is the largest festival of its kind in the Tar Heel State.
The Azalea Festival is known for its Southern traditions — including tours of the Airlie Gardens led by "belles" dressed in
antebellum attire of hoop skirts and lace parasols. The queen also usually wears this garb, but Venskus opted for a modern red dress at her coronation.
Prior to the festival, some local outlets questioned whether the 31-year-old actress was "a suitable role model" by highlighting a 2018 Instagram post in which Venskus gives a middle finger. In the text, Venskus criticized Hollywood for bi erasure, recounting how she was told she was not "LGBTQ enough" for a queer role.
"One finger can not negate 20+ years of positivity, activism, and donations of time, energy, and resources to the betterment of this country and world we live in," responded Venskus.
Venskus also highlighted the "double standard being placed on me as a female," pointing to two male performers at the Azalea Festival who had also "publicly utilized their middle fingers."
"For people to accept their presence yet contest mine is exactly the reason it is important for someone as ‘unique’ as me to attend this event in the position of Queen," Venskus said." Advocate
Romans 1:21
"All hail Briana Venskus, the first queer queen of the Azalea Festival!
Venskus — a bisexual actress of color known for her roles in The Walking Dead, Good Trouble, Nashville, and Grace & Frankie — made LGBTQ herstory Wednesday when she was crowned the Azalea Queen.
As queen, the North Carolina native presides over the Azalea Festival — a weeklong celebration of North Carolina's artwork, history, and culture. Founded in 1948 and held in Wilmington, it is the largest festival of its kind in the Tar Heel State.
The Azalea Festival is known for its Southern traditions — including tours of the Airlie Gardens led by "belles" dressed in
Prior to the festival, some local outlets questioned whether the 31-year-old actress was "a suitable role model" by highlighting a 2018 Instagram post in which Venskus gives a middle finger. In the text, Venskus criticized Hollywood for bi erasure, recounting how she was told she was not "LGBTQ enough" for a queer role.
"One finger can not negate 20+ years of positivity, activism, and donations of time, energy, and resources to the betterment of this country and world we live in," responded Venskus.
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| From the "Really" File |
Venskus also highlighted the "double standard being placed on me as a female," pointing to two male performers at the Azalea Festival who had also "publicly utilized their middle fingers."
"For people to accept their presence yet contest mine is exactly the reason it is important for someone as ‘unique’ as me to attend this event in the position of Queen," Venskus said." Advocate
REALLY?