“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but that talk don’t bother me,” Jackie Shane sang on her 1963 cover single “Sticks and Stones.” In some ways, the words would define aspects of Shane’s life as she became an early transgender R&B icon. By the time she had over a decade of music industry prowess under her belt, however, she mysteriously disappeared from the public eye in 1971.
Almost 50 years after that, in 2017, she reappeared with an anthology of her work named after another 1963 hit, Any Other Way–it was then nominated for a Grammy for Best Historical Album, an award that’s not given to an artist but to an album’s production team. At that point, she gave one of her first interviews in decades to the Associated Press, which in part explained her absence but also cemented her as an influential musical pioneer.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1940, Shane knew she was trans as a young child, and grew up with a supportive mother and community. Most of the ire she did experience came from growing up in the Jim Crow South, and she sought to skip town as soon as she could. This led her north eventually, but not before she got involved in Nashville’s mighty music scene as a session and touring drummer for the likes of R&B great Jackie Wilson. Not only that, AP reported, she had known the venerable Little Richard since childhood and met Jimi Hendrix while he was playing music in the city.
After Nashville, Shane eventually made her way to Toronto where she’d become a star and contribute to what became known as the “Toronto Sound,” which developed in the city’s fresh R&B scene. She had, according to NBC News, a successful career as a singer that reached one of many peaks with the success of the single “Any Other Way,” which rose to the second spot on Canada’s Pop charts. She also appeared on Nashville’s live music program “Night Train” in 1965. “Her enigmatic presentation, her undeniable talent, and the support of the music community allowed her to flourish in Toronto,” wrote AllMusic.com’s Timothy Monger. “No one in 1960s Canada had seen or heard anything like Shane.”
Wherever she went, Shane also appeared as herself–eyes darkened with liner into cat eyes, sequins, chic suits, and claimed to have brought some 20 trunks with her when she traveled. Many thought she was a lesbian, she said. As is often noted, this was a time when many people wouldn’t have known what “transgender” meant, as AP writes, and being a gender nonconforming person in the public eye was practically unheard of. Jackie was resolutely herself anyway.
Shortly after “Night Train,” The Ed Sullivan Show came calling, but to appear they said she’d have to dress as a man. “‘I said: ‘Please stuff it,’” she said, as The Guardian reported in 2019. “Ed Sullivan looks like something Dr Frankenstein had a hand in. He’s going to tell me what to do?”
And while Shane recorded at least enough music to eventually produce that 2017 anthology, she said recording was mostly not her biggest interest–she turned down offers from acclaimed studios like Motown and Atlantic, and even an offer to record with George Clinton–and many of her songs were recorded in front of a live audience, The Guardian shared. You can still listen to them on YouTube and Spotify.
By 1971, however, the pressure of making music started to get to Shane and felt her mother needed her. She left her beloved Toronto for Nashville, almost without a trace. Some even thought she had been murdered. She was found again, at least as far as the public eye was concerned, in 2014. Numero Group, known for their archival releases, sought Shane out, asking to re-release her work, and she eventually consented. The rest of the world would follow. Unfortunately, Shane wasn’t able to perform live again after the album’s release, the Guardian shared. She passed away in 2019, but her legacy lives on.
Not only does Shane regularly appear as the subject of numerous podcasts, articles, and short documentaries, she was also the subject of a 2024 documentary feature named after her most famous song, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, which was co-produced by Elliot Page. It was an official selection for the Toronto International Film Festival and DOC NYC, and a winner of the Best Documentary at the OUTShine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, among other accolades. As of 2024, there’s also a historical marker in Nashville, designating the location of Shane’s musical beginnings. This is in addition to a preexisting plaque in Toronto as of 2023 at the site of Shane’s live album recording.
Jackie Shane was powerfully and unapologetically herself as a transgender woman in a time when doing so was rare and could even be dangerous. It’s because of people like her that we have an understanding of the longstanding role of transgender Americans throughout the country’s history and Canada’s history, a history that can’t and won’t be erased.
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Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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