Strange Fruit #73: Violinist Tona Brown Will Be First Trans Woman of Color at Carnegie Hall

This Summer during New York's Pride celebration, violinist and opera singer Tona Brown will become the first trans woman of color ever to perform at Carnegie Hall - headlining the first LGBTQ-themed production ever to be staged there. We were lucky enough to speak with Tona this week about the music she will play there, and the importance of transgender people in LGTBTQ history. NYC Pride 2014 will focus on commemorating the Stonewall Riots, which were lead by trans women of color. Tona says she's been able to reach the level she has in her career because she took a non-traditional path. "Everything that I do is as an independent, freelance artist," she explains, which means she produces her own events and released her album, This Is Who I Am, independently. "Now if I had tried to do it the traditional way, of going to The Met competitions and doing all of that sort of thing, and meeting a conductor that can say yea or nay to me being hired," she says, "I would have had a different experience." She encourages other aspiring artists to hone their craft and be persistent, even if discrimination slows their progress. "If you have a talent and you have a drive to not let people tell you what you can and cannot do, you will succeed. It will just take you longer." With the help of GLAAD, she's raising funds to support the production. We'll be keeping up with her on Facebook and Twitter and will keep you posted on her progress (and let you know when tickets go on sale, for those who can make the trip!). We absolutely adore Tona and can't wait to see what she might accomplish next! Since we'reLove And Hip Hop Atlanta fans, we had to talk about Mimi and Nikko's sex tape this week in our Juicy Fruit segment. Whether you think so-called "leaked" sex tapes are publicity stunts or the real deal, they share a troubling common denominator: "The thing that kills me about all of these sex tapes that come out, like Kim Kardashian and now Mimi," Kaila says, "is that in all of these straight copulation videos, there's no condom! I mean, in 2014, it's really not time for you straight women to keep sleeping with men raw. Just an FYI, that's not a good look." And as Jaison adds, "Pregnancy's the least of your concerns." Indeed, women now account for 1 in 5 of new HIV infections - with African-American women particularly at risk - mostly from heterosexual sex. So why do we only see free condom distribution and mobile STD testing trucks outside gay bars? What would happen if straight people were encouraged to keep track of their status as conscientiously as gay folks are expected to? Would we see a celebrity safe-sex tape one day? Also in Juicy Fruit, we touched on the always-controversial subject of corporal punishment for children, inspired by a Louisville mom who is accused of punching her teenage son in the mouth, busting his lip and loosening one of his teeth. And we had to toot our own horn a bit, because Jaison Gardner recently appeared before a committee of the Louisville Metro Council to talk about the challenges faced by tipped workers who make a $2.13/hour minimum wage. Check out his remarks and let us know what you th