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>>> WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL EDITION OF FALLBACK TONIGHT.
>> SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THIS IS A PRIDE EDITION OF
FALLBACK FRIDAY.
FALLBACK FRIDAY. I’M JOINED BY ROCK LEGEND
MELISSA ETHERIDGE, HITS YOU KNOW
LIKE I’M THE ONLY ONE AND COME
TO MY WINDOW.
SHE WON AN OSCAR FOR BEST
ORIGINAL SONG AND THE
DOCUMENTARY INCONVENIENT TRUTH.
THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF WORLD
PRIDE RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK
CITY, AND HER NEW ALBUM IS "THE
MEDICINE SHOW."
MEDICINE SHOW." THAT IS NOT ALL.
I’M THRILLED TO TELL YOU WE HAVE
ACTOR AND COMEDIAN DANIEL
FRANZESSI WHO PLAYED IN "MEAN
GIRLS."
GIRLS." ♪ I AM BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY SINGLE
WAY, BECAUSE WORDS CAN’T BRING
ME DOWN
ME DOWN ME DOWN ♪
ME DOWN ♪ >> HE SERVES AS AN AMBASSADOR
FOR THE ELIZABETH TAYLOR AIDS
FOUNDATION AND THE HBO SERIES
LOOKING AND IS CURRENTLY
TRAVELING FOR HIS STAND-UP SHOW,
"YES, YOU’RE AMAZING, THE TOUR."
>> YES, YOU’RE AMAZING.
>> THAT WAS IT.
THAT WAS WAY BETTER.
>> THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION OF
FALLBACK.
FALLBACK. LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE, WHO NEEDS TO
FALLBACK?
FALLBACK? >> YOU KNOW WHO NEEDS TO
FALLBACK IS MR. MIKE HUCKABEE.
MIKE HUCKABEE HAS BEEN YOU KNOW
ALL THESE TRANSGENDER, THIS IS
NOT MIKE HUCKABEE.
I KNOW WE’VE HAD TROUBLE WITH
MIKE HUCKABEE BEFORE.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN MIKE
HUCKABEE HAD A TELEVISION SHOW?
>> SURE.
>> SURE. AND IT WAS A MUSIC SHOW.
>> MUSIC SHOW.
HE PLAYS BASS.
HE HAD ME ON THE SHOW.
AND I WAS LIKE YEAH, I’M THERE.
TOTALLY, BECAUSE ANY TIME I CAN
CROSS THE LINES, YOU KNOW, ANY
TIME I CAN FIND MYSELF IN FRONT
OF PEOPLE THAT MIGHT NOT SEE ME
THAT CAN SEE OH, HERE IS A GAY
PERSON, AND YOU KNOW WHAT?
YEAH, MUSIC IS THE SAME.
AND MIKE HUCKABEE SAID THAT TO
ME AT THE TIME.
YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT NOT AGREE ON
OUR POLITICS, BUT MUSIC IS
UNIVERSAL.
UNIVERSAL. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL, LOVING
MOMENT.
MOMENT. I WANT MIKE HUCKABEE TO REMEMBER
THAT.
THAT. I WANT HIM TO REMEMBER WHAT HE
SAID.
SAID. HE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PART OF
THE POLITICS OF DIVISION.
IT’S NOT WORKING FOR ANY OF US.
WE COULD SAY HORRIBLE THINGS
ABOUT HIM.
ABOUT HIM. WE DO NOT NEED TO.
WE NEED TO TOM TOGETHER NOW.
IT’S TIME TO STOP BLAMING EACH
OTHER.
OTHER. >> I APPRECIATE THAT.
I LOVE THAT YOUR FALLBACK IS A
LITTLE BIT OF A FALL FORWARD AND
INVITING BACK TO THE WAY HE WAS.
AMEN.
AMEN. WHAT ABOUT YOU?
>> I’M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE --
WELL, IT’S PRIDE.
SO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF
GLITTER.
GLITTER. >> HELLO.
>> HELLO. >> SOMETHING PEOPLE DO NOT THINK
ABOUT, BUT IT’S TRUE.
I WORKED WITH ONLY WHALE TO HELP
REMOVE THE SINGLE USE PLASTIC
STRAWS.
STRAWS. AND JUST THINKING ABOUT THINGS
WE DIDN’T CONSIDER IN THE PAST,
HOW MAYBE RICE AT A WEDDING
WASN’T GOOD FOR BIRDS AND NOW WE
SWITCHED TO ROSE PETALS AND
THINGS LIKE THAT.
GLITTER IS AN IMPOSSIBLE THING
TO REMOVE FROM ENVIRONMENTS.
FESTIVALS, ALL THESE THINGS THAT
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. AND THE GLITTER GETS EVERYWHERE
AND WE CAN’T REMOVE IT.
>> NOW --
>> NOW -- >> I KNOW.
IT SEEMS SILLY.
BUT THINK.
BUT THINK. >> I AM THINKING.
>> I GOT YOU THINKING.
>> YOU GOT ME THINKING.
I’M TORN, BECAUSE I ALSO LOVE
THE ENVIRONMENT.
THE ENVIRONMENT. BUT I LOVE GLITTER.
AND LOOK AT YOU, I DON’T KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.
BUT IT SEEMS A LITTLE GLITTER.
>> GLITTER RESPONSIBLY IS ALL
I’M ASKING FOR.
>> HOW ABOUT SOME BIODEGRADABLE
GLITTER.
GLITTER. >> ANYTHING ELSE ON YOUR MIND,
MELISSA, THAT MIGHT WANT TO FALL
BACK?
BACK? >> OH, LET’S FALL BACK ON THE
TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN.
>> THE MILITARY BAN.
THAT TRUMP HAS STAYED ON.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WHY?
WHY? WE MOVED WAY BEYOND THAT.
AND IF PEOPLE WANT TO -- IF
ANYONE WANTS TO SERVE OUR
COUNTRY, IF ANYONE WANTS TO PUT
THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE, LET’S
SUPPORT THAT.
SUPPORT THAT. OUR TROOPS CAN HANDLE IT.
IT’S JUST -- I THINK THERE IS
SOME FOLKS THAT DON’T WANT TO
PAY THINGS.
PAY THINGS. >> WHEN YOU FIRST HEARD THAT’S
WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTED TO
DO.
DO. >> I DON’T REMEMBER WHERE I WAS,
BUT I DO REMEMBER WHEN I MET
TRUMP AT A GAY WEDDING.
>> I FEEL LIKE THE CONNECTIVE
TISSUES IN YOUR STORIES TONIGHT
ARE TRUMP, THAT WHEN IT’S RIGHT
FOR THE MONEY OR THE MEDIA OR
OTHER THINGS.
OTHER THINGS. >> YES.
>> YES. >> THEY’RE FINE WITH EVERYONE.
YOU’RE SAYING THEY’RE ALMOST --
AND THIS IS A PROBLEM -- THEY’RE
ALMOST PRETENDING TO APPEAL TO
MORE BIGOTRY THAN THEY MIGHT
LIVE IN THEIR NORMAL LIVES.
>> COMPLETELY.
>> COMPLETELY. IF THE BIG SUPERPAC CAME FROM
GAY PEOPLE, TRUST ME, IT WOULD
BE WAY DIFFERENT.
OUT THERE.
OUT THERE. IT’S ABOUT MONEY RIGHT NOW.
>> BEFORE I LET EITHER OF YOU
GO, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE
ABOUT YOUR WORK AS WELL.
UWHO DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING SO
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BELOVED
CHARACTER.
CHARACTER. YOU’RE DOING ALL THIS OTHER
STUFF.
STUFF. I IMAGINE A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL
COME UP TO YOU FOR "MEAN GIRLS"
WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE
MOVIES.
MOVIES. >> I LEAN INTO MY CHARACTER IN
MEAN GIRLS.
MEAN GIRLS. IN A MOVIE HE DIDN’T HAVE TO
FEAR FOR HIS LIFE DURING THE
MOVIE.
MOVIE. HE DIDN’T HAVE HIS HEAD PUSHED
IN A LOCKER, HEAD DUMPED IN A
TOILET.
TOILET. I GOT A NAN LETTER AROUND THE
TENTH ANNIVERSARY THAT SAID WHEN
I WAS IN EIGHTH GRADE I WAS BEAT
UP FOR BEING CHECKUP BY AND
TORTURED FOR BEING A SISSY.
IN NINTH GRADE, THE POPULAR
GIRLS WERE YOU’RE LIKE DAMIAN.
COME SIT WITH US.
IT’S BROUGHT A LOT OF SANCTUARY
FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, THIS MOVIE,
AND THAT CHARACTER.
PRETTY MUCH THE FIRST LGBTQ
TONIGHT AND OF SIZE TO BE SEEN
IN SOMETHING AND NOT HAVE TO
FEAR FOR HIS LIFE.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
>> I THINK REPRESENTATION IS
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE SHOULD GET TO KNOW PEOPLE
THAT THEY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE
WITH.
WITH. PEOPLE SHOULD JUST STOP JUDGING
AND LET’S MOVE FORWARD.
>> HOW WOULD YOU APPLY ANY OF
THAT TO THE VERY SUCCESSFUL
CAREER YOU’VE HAD IN A PERIOD
WHERE OBVIOUSLY THE ACCEPTANCE
OR TOLERANCE HAS EVOLVED OVER
TIME.
TIME. >> YES.
>> YES. WHEN I CAME OUT 26 YEARS AGO, IT
WAS VERY DIFFERENT.
WHAT’S BEEN BEAUTIFUL IS WE
HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO, LIKE PUT
IT IN A BOX AND SAY THIS IS GAY
AND THIS IS LESBIAN.
ONCE YOU DO THAT IT BECOMES
WELL, THERE IS TRANS, AND THERE
IS ALL THIS GENDER.
THE BEAUTIFUL THING IS I THINK
THE GAY COMMUNITY IS PUSHING OUR
WHOLE SOCIETY AND HUMANITY INTO
REALLY SAYING, LOOK, YOU CAN’T
NAIL ANY OF US DOWN.
YOU CAN’T SAY THIS IS RIGHT,
THIS IS WRONG.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT MAKE
PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE.
PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE. THERE ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE
FEAR BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW.
BUT JUST MOVING FORWARD, JUST
LOVING, JUST -- IF YOU’RE GOING
TO JUDGE SOMEONE, JUDGE THEM ON
THEIR CHARACTER.
THEIR CHARACTER. >> I LOVE HAVING YOU GUYS HERE
FOR THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF
FALLBACK.
FALLBACK. I APPRECIATE YOU BOTH MAKING THE
TIME FOR IT.