‘Under The Desk News’ V Spehar Says To Believe In Yourself With Their Picks For ‘The Sound Of Pride’ (Exclusive)

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Image Credit: Gerry Szymanski @gerryszymanski

It’s Pride Month! Throughout June, HollywoodLife is celebrating with The Sound Of Pride, wherever celebs and stars of the LBGTQ+ assemblage prime songs for the eventual 2023 Pride Month playlist. It’s the cleanable soundtrack to readying your Pride party, researching how to support LGBTQ+ rights, oregon speechmaking astir the history of Pride Month. Today, the award-winning big of @underthedesknews, V Spehar, shares their enactment for the playlist.

Staying connected apical of things portion nether the table (Gerry Szymanski @gerryszymanski)

“I deliberation Pride tin beryllium a small hard for immoderate folks,” V Spehar, the award-winning big of Under The Desk News™, tells HollywoodLife. With the aforesaid position and candor that has earned @UnderTheDeskNews much than 3 cardinal followers online, V acknowledges that Pride Month tin beryllium bittersweet. “Often, it feels similar the remainder of the satellite has created this box, this June month, arsenic the clip we’re ‘allowed’ to beryllium celebrated,” they say. “I observe being queer and queer folks each twelvemonth round.”

V’s solemnisation includes tracking each the legislative attacks connected LGBTQ+ rights crossed America truthful their millions of followers don’t turn complacent done ignorance. It besides means sharing affirmative stories from the LGBTQ+ assemblage portion breaking down the day’s happenings. Within a fewer years of launching @underthedesknews, V has go a trusted journalistic source, which saw them enactment with the Los Angeles Times, erstwhile president Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, and much notable figures to pass Millennials/GenZ portion besides pushing for greater civic participation. V has besides launched the V Interesting podcast with Lemonade Media, offering much in-depth investigation of the bigger stories of the day. V besides speaks with immoderate precise absorbing guests, like Hank Green, Ashley McBryde, and Pete Buttigieg.

@underthedesknews

If youre an ally, oregon adjacent conscionable basal successful absorption to hatred delight support raising your dependable we request you! #glaad #pride #june #loveislove #kindness @glaad

♬ archetypal dependable – UnderTheDeskNews

The enactment has thrust V into the spotlight. They were nominated for a 2023 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Podcast. They besides accepted the 2023 Webby’s Special Achievement Award for “their articulate and concise, but unabridged reporting, and for methodically balancing affirmative quality with much solemn headlines.” After all, @UnderTheDeskNews is astir being the “positive broadside of #NewsTok,” helping to supply the stories sans the fearmongering often recovered done different media outlets.

V volition besides find the affirmative broadside of the analyzable contented that is Pride Month. When they locomotion successful the Buffalo and New York Pride parades, they archer HL they’ll beryllium “looking retired to the assemblage to punctual myself of the divers and resilient radical we are, and holding abstraction for the folks who find pridefulness a small hearbreak-y too.”

They volition besides marque definite to person immoderate fun, too. They see that with their picks for The Sound of Pride playlist, arsenic you’ll work below.

Ashley McBryde, “Brenda Put Your Bra On”

“It’s conscionable a BANGER of a classical benignant state tune, the lyrics conscionable ace maine up, and arsenic a idiosyncratic who often has to study immoderate truly atrocious news, it’s amusive to unrecorded successful the ‘trailerville’ with Ashley and gawk astatine the neighbors’ play which somehow. Makes the satellite consciousness close [laughs].”

Delanie Leclerc, “So Many Ways”

“A genuinely beautiful, kinda hopeful emotion song. Great for a summertime roadworthy travel oregon to sing to your summertime crush. My woman wrote and performed the drawstring arrangements connected that track, truthful it holds a small EXTRA summertime emotion vibes for me.”

Chappel Roan, “Red Wine Supernova”

“EVERYTHING to love, the lyrics are blistery arsenic the Fourth of July, and the bushed is retro kinda 80s? It’s bright, it’s fun, it’s not connected the mainstream’s radar yet, truthful get up of the crowds!”

ABBA, “Dancing Queen”

“Y’all… I americium a dancing queen, I’m a ace trooper, I’m not overmuch for EDM oregon modern creation music. I americium everlastingly a disco diva each day, each day.”

Editor’s Note: We added “Dancing Queen” here, though arsenic V points out, immoderate ABBA is bully for your playlist. 

Additional Suggestions

“Generally.. I’ll person SuperTramp, Veruca Salt, Dolly Parton’s Disco Albums, The Midnight, and this small section set called Double Motorcycle nary 1 knows but who DID constitute my wedding opus successful rotation each summertime long.”

V astatine the Webbys (James Hartley @hartleyphoto )

HollywoodLife: Going into Pride 2023, however does this year’s solemnisation consciousness compared to past year’s?  

V: I deliberation Pride tin beryllium a small hard for immoderate folks. For me, Pride period is astir reflection and paying respects to the queer folks who came earlier and virtually died warring for america to beryllium capable to exist. I tin sometimes find the spotlight we get successful June to beryllium a spot intimidating, and often, it feels similar the remainder of the satellite has created this box, this June month, arsenic the clip that we’re ‘allowed’ to beryllium celebrated. I observe being queer, and queer folks, each twelvemonth round.

This twelvemonth is my FIRST twelvemonth marching successful some the Buffalo Pride Parade and NYC’s Pride Parade. I’ll beryllium looking retired to the assemblage to punctual myself of the divers and resilient radical we are and holding abstraction for the folks who find pridefulness a small hearbreak-y too.

Pride is simply a clip to observe unsung heroes. Is determination anyone you’d similar to spot get immoderate much of the spotlight this year?  

The Old Gays from the tiny towns. The folks who just…exist. The ones who possibly weren’t activists, didn’t pb marches, didn’t go famous, but alternatively simply lived a beingness afloat of quiescent queerness. The older folks you spot connected that aforesaid barstool astatine the itty-bitty cheery barroom that could beryllium 50 miles from their home, but they amusement up each Friday to beryllium a portion of the community. The acquisition they’ve fixed younger generations simply by being gay, showing up, and surviving – that’s worthy a full batch to me. The shy gays merit their flowers too!

@underthedesknews

#goodnews #science #food #animals #anthropology #baseball #brazil #texas #rhodeisland #schoollunch #moon #btsarmy #greenscreen

♬ archetypal dependable – UnderTheDeskNews

Do you person a representation of Pride Months past that you’d similar to share? 

I utilized to hold tables successful NYC, and the edifice I worked astatine was RIGHT disconnected the parade route, truthful each June, it was VERY lucrative to enactment brunch. Back successful 2009, the ICONIC Amanda Lepore came successful with a fewer friends for a bite, and I got to hold connected her and the group. I spilled an full tray of Champagne connected 1 of her guests – which really turned retired to beryllium rather a laugh, she was incredibly gracious, adjacent much beauteous successful idiosyncratic than you tin imagine, and tipped good [laughs]. THAT was a large Pride Day!

What bash you person planned for June (and the remainder of 2023?)  

Lots planned! I’ve got Buffalo Pride Parade, wherever I’ll beryllium marching with the Buffalo Bills and handing retired children’s books with the Rainbow Dads’ VidCon is toward the extremity of the month, and that is large spot to observe and conscionable different queer creators; NYC Pride connected June 25 and a WHOLE LOTTA firm speaking gigs which I truly emotion to do; helping folks navigate their narration to queerness, and go amended allies!? All time each day, that’s what I’m astir arrogant to do.

Do you person a Pride 2023 connection to stock with the HollywoodLife audience?  

You’re gonna beryllium okay. Remember to breathe. Know the battles against bigotry and hatred we look contiguous are battles we person won by immense margins successful decades past. We are many, they are few. I’ll support warring for you. You conscionable support believing successful yourself and crook the euphony up!

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Keep checking HollywoodLife throughout June for more entries in The Sound of Pride and further Pride Month coverage. 

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