postqueer home base

Trans Conference: Decolonizing Gender and Remaking Trans Access

2008-10-06T20:09:47Z

cross posted to a few lists.

No idea who is central on this or how this is being organized . Just an FYI....

Sent by: CACS - Canadian Association of Cultural Studies <cacs@lists.mcgill.ca>
Date: 10/06/2008 10:12AM
Subject: [CACS] Call-Out for Trans Conference

Call-Out for Trans Conference
****************************************************
Bodies of Dissent:
Decolonizing Gender and Remaking Trans Access

November 6 to 8, 2008
Peterborough, Ontario
*****************************************************

Peterborough's Trans Events Committee invites trans and gender variant communities and individuals to submit proposals for workshops, and presentations of various forms for the upcoming trans conference Bodies of Dissent: Decolonizing Gender and Remaking Trans Access (working title).

Bodies of Dissent is focused on decolonizing ourselves from the racialization and gender norms present in our society, as well as from the institutional practices of psychiatry and prison. We are calling for a rebuilding of trans access.

We are aiming to conjure discussion around experiences and issues of (but not limited to) race, health, disability, class, psychiatric institutions and prisons in relation to different trans identities.

Please send one page outlining the nature of your workshop, presentation, or creative project specifying the topic or focus, as well as any materials and/or accommodations required.

Workshops, presentations, films and creative projects will be happening during the days of the 7th and 8th. There will also be performances on the evenings of 6 to 8th. Interested performers are invited to contact us as well.

This conference is brought to you by a collaborative effort between Transmission, Trent Women's Centre, Peterborough AIDS Resource Network, Rainbow Service Organization and the Trent Queer Collective.

Deadline for submissions: Sunday, 12th October, 2008
Email: trans@trentwomenscentre.ca

[USA]: Time is Running Out. If you don't Register, you can't Vote!

2008-10-05T23:34:55Z

Voter Registration Deadlines are coming up SOON.
So if you're not Registered DO IT NOW

If you don't Register, you can't Vote!
CLICK HERE to REGISTER NOW

Click Here to go to the Rock The Vote 'Election Center' and check on your state's Registration Date

Upcoming queer events in Manchester, UK (x-posted)

2008-10-03T16:32:10Z

Queer Cafe, Film and Reading Group

Some volunteer-run Queer events in Manchester

The Queer Cafe, Film Nights, and Reading Group are for people of all genders, sexualities, sexes, in all kinds of relationships who like doing all kinds of things to each other. This includes both traditional LGBT groups, and other gender, sexual or just plain deviant people who don't fit nice boxes. Both Canal Street regulars and people who don't fit the scene are more than welcome - we do our best to make this a non-threatening, safe space for everyone so that people are welcome to get involved on whatever level they like.

We created these events out of a lack of informal, low energy input regular events happening in Manchester. We aim to create long running, sustainable events for all, and to raise Queer visibility in Manchester.

This is a space to eat, drink (well, tea) and be merry - also feel free to bring craft projects, publicity, have meetings etc (although please email us if you wish to have a meeting!). Everyone is welcome at these events, but please be respectful of each other's boundaries and identities.

Summary

-- Sun 5th October 12pm-4.30pm. Queer Cafe. "What is Queer?" discussion group 3pm-4.30pm.
-- Sun 19th October, 7-9pm. Ladyfest Manchester film night. With food.
-- Sun 2 November 12pm-4.30pm. Queer Cafe. "Manchester Queer Hermstory" discussion group 3pm-4.30pm.
-- Sun 23rd November, 7-9pm. Pride is a Protest and trans films. With food.
-- Sun 7 December, 12pm-4.30pm. Queer Cafe. "How can we go about (re)building a Queer movement in Manchester?" discussion group 3pm-4.30pm.

Email us: queercafe@gmail.com
Website: http://qvox.org/queer-cafe-manchester
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11259541977
Email list: http://lists.qvox.org/mailman/listinfo/queercafe

Film Night

The new film night will also have lovely vegan food and as always we welcome donations of money or food. Each one will be curated by a different Manchester queer individual or queer group, hopefully bringing together the best of queer activism in the area. They will be on the third Sunday of each month all being well! We have two days booked, and will get more next year if they are a success.

-- Sun 19th October, 7-9pm --
Ladyfest Manchester will be presenting a plethora of feminist based films, and doing a short talk about the Ladyfest festival from 7-9 Nov at the Zion center. The main feature will be Girls Rock: The Movie - a documentary about "rock camps" for girls for ages 8-19. They began in Portland, Oregon in 2001, and have now spread to London.
* Website: http://ladyfestmanchester.com

-- Sun 23rd November, 7-9pm --

Mx Tomboi (Trans Youth Network), and David Henry (Queer Youth Network) are both involved in the new social media venture Outcast Media. They will be showing the premiere screening of "Pride Is A Protest" - a documentary film about Manchester Pride 2007-2008, exploring the commercialisation and depoliticisation of the Pride business machine. See clips: [1] [2] [3].

To commemorate the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, Mx Tomboi will introduce a selection of documentary clips highlighting the continuing struggle for liberation by transgender, intersex and gender-variant people over the last fifty years. Followed by Q&A Session and open debate. See clips [4] [5]. The 10th International Transgender Day of Remembrance is on 20th November. Manchester event details are TBC for Sunday 16th/23rd November [6].
* Email: tomboi@gaycentre.org.uk, david@queeryouth.net
* Website: http://queeryouth.net/

Queer Cafe

The Queer Cafe is a safe space for queer people to come and enjoy each other's company and tasty food. Vegan, wheat free food is provided, but people are welcome to bring (veggie or vegan please) food or donations (£3-£5 would be great if you can afford it).

The cafe is on the first Sunday of the month, from 12pm-4pm. The next cafes are:

* Sun 5th October
* Sun 2nd November
* Sun 7th December

Reading Group

At 3pm at the Cafes, we will now be restarting the Reading Group, finishing at 4.30pm. People are welcome to come to the Cafe, or the Reading Group, or both, and food will be available till it runs out (we always seem to have more than enough).

Rather than read huge texts like we have in the past, we've opted to go for smaller, more digestible material that will all be circulated at the Cafe if you don't have time to read it. Everything will be posted to the queercafe list in advance. Subscribe here:
http://lists.queerwp.net/mailman/listinfo/queercafe

-- Sun 5th October: What is Queer? --
We've had this discussion many times in setting up queer events. What is queer (both big Q and little q), and what does it mean to different people? What alternate meanings are there, and how much is queer rooted in Western culture?

We will have plenty of excerpts from academia, fanzines and the Internet to talk about.

-- Sun 2nd November: Manchester Queer Hermstory --
What queer history does Manchester have? What groups have been around in the past? What famous people and movements came from Manchester? What has been forgotten about, left undocumented in the mists of time? What obvious omissions are there from the current Central Library exhibits?

We have no idea, and hope you do! Hopefully this can be a great sharing of information and past experience, and something we can think about publishing in some format. If anyone has any suitable material, please send it to queercafe@gmail.com, and we can send this out nearer the time.

-- Sun 7th December: How can we go about (re)building a Queer movement in Manchester? --
Manchester has had many Queer movements in the past, and some continue to this day. Why have certain things worked and not worked? Can we devise a strategy to kick start Queer movements in Manchester in a sustainable way?

We hope to talk more specifically about groups people have had personal experience in in this group, and encourage frank discussion of what people feel works and what doesn't. Again, emails to queercafe@gmail.com if you want anything included.

About the venue

Street Level Fully Accessible Venue!

Sidney Street LGBTQI Community Centre
49-51 Sidney Street
Off Oxford Road (Purple doorway behind 8th Day Veggie Cafe on Oxford Road, opposite All Saints Park)
M1 7HB

The Centre is only 10 minute walk from Oxford Road Train Station, or 10 minute bus journey on Number 42 Bus from Piccadilly Gardens Bus Terminal, stopping at All Saints Park, Oxford Road. View a map [7].

Hope to see you at one of these events!

Kim, Sylvia, Tomboi and the Queer Cafe team.

Please contact us for further info, directions, if you require assistance with accessibility, or want to be involved in running future cafes: queercafe@gmail.com.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/leatherpup
[2] http://www.viduk.com/v101
[3] http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/08/Aug/2301.htm
[4] http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5IfqOOxUiHY
[5] http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eZhBGYMHlUE
[6] http://www.transgenderdor.org/
[7] http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=M1+7HB&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

What does Q/queer mean to you?

2008-10-03T16:29:05Z

As part of the queer cafe discussions we're running (I'll post this in a bit), we're having a discussion about this exact question.

What does queer mean to you? What influenced you? Are there any books or other texts you think are essential?

Comment away :)

[New York City]: Poly Pride Weekend October 3rd thru 5th 2008

2008-10-01T05:23:06Z

Welcome all polyamorous, poly-friendly, and poly-curious people & their families: Please join Polyamorous NYC in celebration of their 8th annual Pride Weekend!

Kick off this weekend early with the BiRequest meeting on Thursday evening from 6 to 8 PM at New York City's LGBT Community Center. Then spend Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday morning at some or all of the official Poly Pride events. And finish up on Sunday afternoon from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM at NYC's long running Bi-Perspective meeting at NYC's LGBT Community Center, topped off with a convivial coffee and desert with the gang at a local restaurant.

♥ Thursday, October 2nd 2008 2008: BiRequest Let's Talk About Sex!

♥ Friday, October 3rd 2008: Poly Pride - Super Massive Cuddle Party
♥ Saturday, October 4th 2008: Poly Pride - Picnic + Rally
♥ Saturday, October 4th 2008: Poly Pride - Poly Party
♥ Sunday, October 5th 2008: Poly Pride - Poly Author Read + Sign

♥ Sunday, October 5th 2008: Bi-Perspective: a Social & Discussion Group

Poly Pride Weekend is brought to you by the good folks at Polyamorous NYC. They are an organization designed to nurture a prosperous polyamorous community in New York City. The group is diverse, including individuals, couples and groups of all orientations and genders. What brings them together is their shared interest in long-term, romantically-committed, multiple-partner relationships.

Polyamorous NYC meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 8:00 PM at New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

Queer Short Films

2008-09-25T19:15:22Z

Hello, I am trying to hunt down some short films by or featuring queer/trans people of colour and/or other queer/trans people. The films will be used for movie nights at high school Gay-Straight Alliance events, to incite discussion (so no porn..). Youtube searching has led to an abundance of films on white queer people, but little outside of that narrow scope. Any of you have any ideas or suggestions for films or ways to find some?

Thanks!

what happens when.....

2008-09-21T22:08:41Z

....a brasilian transman, a mulatto queer dude, a deaf bisexual, and a GWM get together and do a webcast?

Only one way to find out :P
SAY SOMETHING, 10 PM EST every sunday http://www.blogtv.com/People/ajaystewartproject
watch, join in the live chat, and get heard
*********
this is our 10th episode, so we're pretty excited! If you join the chat, let us know you're from postqueer on LJ

(crossposted a lil bit)

[International]: On 9/23 Celebrate the "B" in LGBT

2008-09-21T21:30:45Z

Celebrate Bisexuality Day - Tuesday September 23rd 2008

Celebrate Bisexuality Day also called Bisexual Pride Day is held annually on September 23 [& traditionally celebrated with events through-out that week and week-end] and puts the Bisexual/Pansexual Community on the map with its call to Promote Visibility and Celebrate the Wonderful Diversity of ALL our Communities, Friends, Families, Allies and Lives with various sorts of GREAT EVENTS from Evening Potlucks, to Afternoon Picnics, from Panel Discussions to Dinner Dances and so much more.

So what are You and Your Group doing to celebrate this year? If you have a Myspace Page send BiNet USA a Comment and tell us all about what you will be doing to show your pride in your community.

Give us the Complete 411 on Who, What and Where and we will Post Your Event in the Comments area of BiNet USA's MySpace Page and help you reach out to and invite the Bisexual/Pansexual, Bi-friendly Community in your area to your event, [& remember this is the World Wide Web, so always include your City, State and Area-Code].

Transpeople of color

2008-09-19T14:09:59Z

Someone I know is trying to write an academic paper on race issues among transpeople but is having a hard time tracking down resources. Any ideas? Anything from theory/analysis to publications targeted at transpeople of color would probably be helpful. Thanks!

[Oakland-East Bay CA]: 'No On 8' Phone Bankers needed in East Bay ASAP!

2008-09-16T20:11:59Z

this is X-Posted from the California East Bay PFLAG Chapter! Please forward

No On 8 needs us!!!! The campaign is going into an intense effort to get information about Marriage Equality out to the 10% of undecided voters. Conversation is the #1 strategy to help people understand the issue. Ads and signs will follow!!! Our East Bay phone banks need many more callers! This week there are three phone banks scheduled:

Tuesday: Unitarian Universalist Church
1 Lawson Road (off the Arlington ) Kensington
Contact Person: Page Tomkins 415-336-3390

Wednesday: UDC
1941 University Ave (near MLK & Bonita) Berkeley
Contact Person: Sue Ferrera or Ces Rolases 510 665-5974

Thursday: First Congregational Church
2345 Channing Way Berkeley
510-836-3716

Time for all three phone banks 6:30-9:30 Bring your well charged cell phone!

Please note: another phone bank is tentatively scheduled for Sunday at First Congregational Church. You can contact Alison to verify the time.

We will have yard signs, bumper stickers, and some window signs available at our meeting on Tuesday night, September 23rd 2008 [which also just happens to be "Celebrate Bisexuality Day" btw]. This weekend the Yes on 8 campaign is launching a mass distribution of 1 million yard signs throughout California. We need to be visible with NO ON 8 and we need to be verbal with our friends, neighbors, co-workers and families!!! So let’s GET INVOLVED!

Molleen Matsumura and Helen Laird Co-chair, Oakland-East Bay PFLAG 510-562-7692

Respect for gender identity doesn't apply to prostitutes?

2008-09-02T12:20:33Z

There's a news story running on The Somerville News and Universal Hub in which someone presenting as female was arrested for prostitution, and apparently had identification with a male legal name and male legal sex. No word on whether she presents as female in her daily life, or in her work life only, or what. The papers are referring to her with male pronouns and stating that she is really a man without any indication of how they've come to this conclusion aside from her ID.

Both publications have previously run plenty of stories about people who identify as trans and have been appropriate and respectful of current gender presentation when these people hadn't been charged with prostitution. Regardless of what anyone thinks about sex work, it's a little disconcerting that well-meaning people (I can certainly vouch for the character of the Universal Hub editor) feel that a sex worker has somehow forfeited some basic human rights that these same people ordinarily grant trans folks.

Who's going to be America's next daddy?

2008-08-29T06:31:28Z

View Poll: Who you going to vote for on Nov 4th?

[Westchester County NY] New Bisexual/Pansexual Discussion & Support Group

2008-08-26T03:23:40Z

Hello to all you Westchester County Bisexual, Pansexual, "somewhere in the middle between gay/lesbian and straight" people and your friends, lovers and allies. There is now a place and an online group for you.

This is a facilitated discussion group by and for all men, women, genderqueer, transgender and not-quite-sure people, as well as people who fall on different places along the monogamous to polyamorous dimension, as long as you inhabit the space between totally straight and totally gay somewhere (i.e., bisexual, bi-curious, omnisexual, pansexual, questioning, queer, fluid, “I don’t label myself,” heteroflexible, homoflexible, SGL, and bi-friendly). People who wish to understand their bisexual/pansexual loved ones are also welcome.

The group meets at The LOFT: the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Services Center of the Lower Hudson Valley located at 180 East Post Road, White Plains, NY 10601 at 7:30 PM on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month.

Not really a "meetings" type person? Can't make it over to The Loft?

Please come and join the on-line group. Ask questions, chat, make some "net-friends" and keep up with what is happening in your community.

We are looking forward to getting to know you.

[USA] Hallmark's Cards for ALL Occasions VS Right Wing Bigots

2008-08-25T03:59:46Z

Hallmark Cards that epitome of middle-American 'normalcy' is now offering Same Sex Marriage Cards, and the right wing is pissed!

They are rallying all their bigots and haters to make phone calls and send nasty letters telling Hallmark that from now on all the right wing nuts will be using their competitors products, because American Greeting Cards, does not offer cards for the LGBT Community, (Yet!!!).

Let's All Thank Hallmark
This is not the time to debate the sometimes questionable artistic and linguistic merit of many of the company's offerings. The LGBT Community & Allies really needs to rally to Hallmark's defense here and let them know that we really do care enough to support a company exhibiting the very best in fair play and equality for all Americans.

Send the Chairman of Hallmark Cards Mr. Donald Hall your own note thanking him for being fair-minded enough as well as having the business savvy to make products that include all different sorts of people, milestones and occasions (they also sell Coming Out Cards!). Hey, send him your note of appreciation on a regular Hallmark Card or Ecard.

Donald J. Hall, Chairman
Hallmark Cards
2501 McGee Trafficway
Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816-274-5111 or: 800-425-5627
E-Mail: sgronb3 (at) hallmark (dot) com

Let's Tell American Greetings that bigotry is un-American as well as unprofitable
Send your DISAPPROVAL to American Greetings and their subsidiary Carlton Cards for refusing to sell LGBT orientated cards. In fact send your sentiments to them on a regular Hallmark Card or Ecard to get the point across.

American Greetings Corporation
One American Road
Cleveland, Ohio 44144-2398
Phone: 216.252.7300 Fax: 216.252.6778
Frank.Cirillo@amgreetings.com
carla.rose@carltoncards.ca
investor.relations@amgreetings.com
help@americangreetings.com
consumer.relations@amgreetings.com

Kudos to our good allies at GLBTadvocates.org for passing along the need for action, getting the data together and suggesting this wicked cool strategy of using Hallmark's products thank them for their inclusion while clearly showing American Greetings that they are backing the losing horse.
-------------------------

More Food For Thought: Some people are a bit dubious about all of this since they are not really thrilled about supporting large capitalist conglomerates. Obviously they have a point there. To add to the discussion, we would like to just bring two interesting points to people's attention:

1.) Here is how it was reported in Feministing: Hallmark offers same-sex wedding greeting cards where SlytherinPrefect made the following comment:

"Please don't misunderstand; I hate Hallmark as much as the next feminist. In fact, I recently had an extremely difficult time buying my roommate a birthday card that didn't imply she was ugly, old, fat, stupid, obsessed with shopping, constantly drunk, obsessed with men, obsessed with sex, etc.

But we run around saying, "Hey, you big corporate jerks, why don't you stop treating women and same-sex couples and minorities like they don't exist or are inferior!" And then they say, "Okay, here are some same-sex marriage greeting cards." Our response shouldn't be, "But you're evil! You can't respect same-sex marriage! It's against the rules!"

At least, this is how the author's opinion comes across to me. I think we should celebrate the change and work to cause more, rather than getting offended that it's the corporatist machine that's starting to recognize what we're asking them to recognize."

2.) Also ladyofthenut brought this example of Hallmark acting in a LGBT positive manner to our attention:

"i work for a staffing agency, and we staff for hallmark. a few years back, we had a temp that was transitioning. hallmark worked with us to help them transition: they took an old single bathroom, fixed it up, and turned it into a unisex bathroom. it's pretty neat because not a lot of industrial settings want to do that."

queer scientists?

2008-08-22T05:08:33Z

Hi there,
I'm new to this community and I have a question. I just got back from my first national scientific conference and it made me wonder: how many queer folks are there out in the world of academic (or non-academic) sciencey things. Most of my friends are in the humanities and their identities tend to be more visible and part of their academic/professional lives. And being at this conference got me thinking. Good science is supposed to be completely void of personality, but even so... And then I got really excited when I spotted a couple of (probably) queer presenting people.
Is this making any sense? I'm sure there are more of us out there. But where?

-stonewoman

p.s. I do realize I'm talking about a very limited set of people here. It's just, I've spent most of my life so far not in the academic world and it's the rest of the world I understand better. It's the academic world + queers I'm much less familiar with.

postqueer @ 2008-08-19T13:49:00

2008-08-19T17:51:27Z

Glitter & Thorns: A Comedy and Music cabaret with Ryan G. Hinds and Chelsea P. Manders!
Thursday August 21, 8 pm @ Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
also featuring performances from burlesque princess Rani Rhinestone and comedian Steve Scholtz
www.glitterandthorns.com

GLITTER & THORNS
An Evening with RYAN G. HINDS and CHELSEA P. MANDERS
Featuring Steve Scholtz and Rani Rhinestone
Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander Street
Thursday, August 21st 8 pm $10 glitterandthorns.com

The music! The drama! The excessive make-up! Join Chelsea P. Manders (The Black Roses) and Ryan G. Hinds (Nuit Blanche 07) for GLITTER & THORNS, a cabaret sure to leave you scandalized and glamourized. Joining forces for the first time, Manders and Hinds (together with Musical Director Greg Gibson) have put together a hilarious, dark evening of cabaret; expect music, comedy, a dash of pathos, and high style throughout the night. Prickly yet warm, shiny yet sad, this cabaret of contrasts will sting and dazzle.

In true vaudeville fashion, GLITTER & THORNS also features comedian Steve Scholtz and burlesque princess Rani Rhinestone. Scholtz, a 2007 Tim Sims Nominee, has tickled funnybones at Yuk Yuk’s, The Laugh Resort, Just for Laughs, and online with more than half a million hits. One of the bright lights of neo-burlesque in Toronto, Rhinestone has titillated and shimmied with her classic fan dance at Bloor Cinema, Cadillac Lounge, and Goodhandys.

GLITTER & THORNS: An Evening with RYAN G. HINDS and CHELSEA P. MANDERS
Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander Street Thursday, August 21st 8 pm $10
www.glitterandthorns.com

p.e. I'm posting this here because there's a fair amount of challenging gender norms and political content...check it out!

postqueer @ 2008-08-18T12:04:00

2008-08-18T19:04:54Z

how do you define queer?

check out the NOLOSE 2008 conference program

2008-08-12T00:05:44Z

Announcing the NOLOSE 2008 Conference Program!

x-posted all over the place. please help spread the word!

NOLOSE is a conference for fat queer women, trans people and our allies. see the website for more information.

Get little Shannon home to her Moms

2008-08-11T20:55:34Z

This is from a reliable source and is happening right now.

Sheila Calhoun, Coordinator, COLAGE Jacksonville, reaching out for your help.

One of our COLAGE kids, 8 year old Shannon, has been abducted by her biological father. After more than a year absence in her life, he requested to see her and her moms flew her from Jacksonville, FL to his home in New Mexico for a three week visit. Once there, the father advised he would not return Shannon as he thinks it is detrimental to her wellbeing to be raised by a same sex couple.

Not only members of our COLAGE chapter, this couple are personal friends. This has taken a devastating toll on them as they fight to get their daughter back. Although they have full legal custody of Shannon, the police in New Mexico will not intervene without an emergency pickup order from the local judge.

This family is racing against time to get the necessary legal documents in order to retrieve their daughter. Although they have been allowed contact with Shannon via phone, they have reason to believe that the father intends to flee the state and/or country with her. He has yet to enroll her in school and conversations with Shannon indicate he may be planning to move.

Once the order is issued by the judge (hopefully later this week), these two mothers will have to fly to New Mexico and pickup their daughter, with a police escort. Having already tapped themselves out for legal fees, they are at a loss as to how to get to her.

Please help us help them. We have setup a fund raising page on fundable.com. The great thing about fundable is, they handle all of the fund raising and will send us the money when all is collected. Please note: No one takes a risk when making a pledge: if a collection expires before reaching its total in pledges, Fundable deletes all pledges and never charges money. No one pays until and unless everyone else makes a pledge. Simply said, if we do not reach our goal, your pledges will not be collected from your account.

I know as a community of diverse families we can band together to see that this family is reunited. If you can help financially, please do so. Regardless, please keep this family in your prayers.

If you have any questions, or would like to send this family a message, feel free to email me at COLAGEJax@yahoo.com or contact us through www.myspace.com/colagejax.

Thanks so much for your support.

[USA]: A '“Budding Activist' Is Already Teaching Some Old Dogs New Tricks

2008-08-09T22:22:56Z

This great Letter To The Editor was just published in the Washinton Blade with the title "‘Gay’ is not an inclusive term and alienates some readers":

To the Editors: Re: “Budding activists visit Washington, Maryland for Campus Pride events” (news, July 25)

I recently attended Campus Pride’s 2008 Leadership Camp, which was covered in the Blade. Camp was a life-changing experience, and I’m so grateful to the donors who funded the event.

Meeting with leaders of national LGBT organizations inspired me to be more involved in the LGBT movement and gave me the skills to do so effectively.

I was pleased when I returned home to discover the Blade had covered the event. I hope more people will discover Campus Pride and its excellent Leadership Camp through the Blade’s coverage.

However, I felt the article, which referred to all attendees as “gay,” did not truly convey the diversity of Campus Pride’s LGBT & Ally Leadership Camp.

Many of the students who attended identified as transgender and heterosexual, transgender and bisexual, gender-normative and bisexual or gender-normative and heterosexual.

As a bisexual camper, I felt alienated by the Blade’s coverage and felt that defining all of the campers as gay excluded me.

We spent a lot of time at Campus Pride’s camp focusing on the diversity of the movement, and especially discussing the special needs of transgender and bisexual identified persons who can feel invisible within the movement. Using the term “gay” to refer to all LGBT and allied people is one way in which this invisibility continues.

This invisibility has created confusion and pain within my own life. I have struggled to find my place within the LGBT and allied community when in heterosexual relationships, fearing that I wasn’t queer enough to find acceptance within the community I love so dearly.

We must have both bisexual and transgender acceptance and visibility within our own communities. I hope in future coverage, the Blade will not use “gay” as an umbrella term, but rather LGBT & Ally.

SARAH FIELDING
Marlboro, Vt.

Kudos to Ms. Fielding for her thoughtful, articulate and all together spot-on letter; to Campus Pride for obviously doing such a great job in helping to train our future leaders to look after the entire community; to the Blade for owning up and publishing the letter especially with the bold headline THEY chose and to Bi-identified LGBT Activist Loraine Hutchins for bringing it to everyone's attention.

Paying for Pride?

2008-08-07T12:39:49Z

I liked the previous thread on discussions of Pride.

Thought I'd draw people's attention to this though. You have to pay to get into Manchester Pride. It's not cheap either - £17.50, which is about 4 hours work at minimum wage.

You have to pay. To go on a march. WTF?

They say they "donate money to charity", but I think last year they donated about 5% of their profit. Sadly we don't have access to the figures, the resources to dig deeper as to where the rest of the cast went, and none of the local press dare touch it.

I hope this doesn't become a trend. Does anyone else know of Prides you have to pay for?

Ugh.

Pride Parades Opps!

2008-08-07T02:01:39Z

I accidentally pressed delete when I wanted to save the changes I had made.

To summarize for now (I'll fill it in later with detailed opinion later, I've dinner burning right now)...

What I question in Pride Parades:

1) Corporate sponsorship

2) Police at Pride

3) Hard to Relate to

What I like about Pride Parades:

1) Pride

2) Learning about local services that help the LGBT community

3) The growing number of spectators on a yearly basis

What do you think about Pride Parade?

Thanks for all your suggestions

2008-08-04T18:25:22Z

The winners for internet dating site for gay women so far seem to be:

http://www.okcupid.com

and

http://www.curvemag.com

I'm personally liking the curve site more, but I think that's just where I am in life right now. Okcupid is definitely a little more light-hearted and entertaining.

postqueer @ 2008-08-04T11:53:00

2008-08-04T15:53:44Z

I just re-watched the video for Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" for the first time in over a decade.

It's baffling to me that many people were so shocked to find out George Michael is gay.

Shocked.

I mean... the guy was wearing a pink polo shirt, bright yellow gloves with half-fingers, white and blue Lycra shorts, eyeliner, mascara, mousse, and had a shuttlecock stuffed down his shorts.

I realize that, being bi, I'm somewhat more perceptive regarding queerness than most str8 people, but come on...

postqueer @ 2008-07-28T17:05:00

2008-07-28T21:08:51Z

Stolen from ~*~debunkingwhite ~*~:

Two recent national philanthropy reports have released information indicating that Gay funders contributed $37 million in one year to GLBT organizations across the United States. Native American Two Spirit People, the poorest of all the GLBT communities, received only 4 small grants of about $2,500. The average grant to gay organizations nationally is $16,000 a year. Gay funders have a mission to serve all equally, but it's time for a summit with the Two Spirit People here in our ancestral domains to help the funders achieve their mission. Two Spirit People have significant spiritual and ceremonial roles in our Native cultures, and Gay Philanthropy has a significant role to play in realizing a vision of funding-justice and social justice with our people.

Petition: Campaign for Native GLBT Funding Justice.
The Two Spirit Press Room.

EDIT: A better link. Original.