Inauguração do Centro LGBT da Bahia

WATCH: Gay Vlogger Tyler Oakley Talks Education With Michelle Obama

The two reveal some things about their college experiences while encouraging young people to seek higher education.

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Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/politics/media/2014/09/15/watch-gay-vlogger-tyler-oakley-talks-education-michelle-obama

Why Zachary Quinto Doesn't Mind James Franco's Interest In Gay Issues
Zachary Quinto plays James Franco’s lover in the forthcoming film “Michael,” which depicts the life of “ex-gay” activist Michael Glatze.

Franco, of course, has made headlines for exploring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) themes both in front of the camera and behind it in films like “Milk,” “Howl” and “Interior. Leather Bar,” which he co-directed. But one person who doesn’t mind his co-star’s perceived fascination with those themes is Quinto, who is openly gay.

“My feeling about James, in particular, is that he’s someone who is really interested in generating a dialogue,” Quinto, who also stars in the new Starz series “The Chair,” told HuffPost Live’s Ricky Camilleri.

Calling Franco “a provocateur,” Quinto said more Hollywood types should follow his co-star’s lead when it comes to other political and social issues.

“So I feel like putting it out there, and putting it out there in different ways, is something that’s interesting and something that I don’t think people should shy away from,” he said.

Meanwhile, Franco has been teasing his queer fans by posting photos of himself with Quinto on Instagram. One caption read: “I LOVE working with ZACK Quinto!!!! My BABY!”

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/15/zachary-quinto-james-franco_n_5825358.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Ellen DeGeneres teams up with Kristen Wiig for terrible rendition of Let it Go from the film Frozen

Neither funny lady knows the words to the tune but both go all out anyway

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gregh

www.gaystarnews.com/article/ellen-degeneres-teams-kristen-wiig-terrible-rendition-let-it-go-film-frozen150914

BREAKING: Facebook Agrees To Meet With Drag Queens And Others To Address “Legal Name” Debacle

Last week amidst a sea of disappointing Buzzfeed videos, baby photos and unsolicited opinions that have come to define the Facebook experience, a quiet storm was brewing. A Sister of Perpetual Indulgence in San Francisco, Sister Roma, shared her experience of being forced to change her name to the subjectively more “accurate” one of Michael Williams.

Drag queens, performers and others who choose to identify with a name that isn’t found on any birth certificate quickly jumped on board with Roma’s complaints, sharing similar experiences. Queerty was first to report on the backlash, and the story blew up over night.

Facebook broke a cardinal rule: Don’t mess with drag queens. They will fight back relentlessly and will look fantastic doing so.

As momentum grew, Sister Roma planned a protest at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, CA. The event description (on Facebook, naturally), reads in part:

This issue affects a lot of marginalized, creative, and professional communities, including transgender people, bullied youth, activists, LGBTQ people who aren’t out everywhere, survivors of domestic violence and stalking, migrants, sex workers, artists who work under pseudonyms, and various professionals who work in sensitive professions (eg. mental health, criminal justice, etc.) who may want to interact with friends without being found by clients. Facebook claims that its “real name” policy helps protect people from bullying, but this is a form of targeting our communities that can actually make us much less safe. Facebook is today’s public forum and they can’t exclude us — who are they to say we or anyone else isn’t “real”?!

Well wouldn’t you know it, the last thing Facebook wants are viral videos of drag queens with protest signs outside their headquarters hitting social media and the national news.

Here is the promising update from Williams Roma:

We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Ng4n-2zDhjM/breaking-facebook-agrees-to-meet-with-drag-queens-and-others-to-address-legal-name-debacle-20140915

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1619

Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/09/towleroad-guide-to-the-tube-1.html

Doctor Who LGBT Rights!
Three of the LGBT moments in Doctor Who. ALL RIGHTS FOR FOOTAGE TO BBC AND DOCTOR WHO!

Gay Photographer Blinded with Gasoline in U.K. Hate Crime

Homophobia is alive and well even in relatively liberal countries, as a young gay man discovered last week in Wales when an attacker threw an antigay slur and gasoline at the man, blinding him in one eye.

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Thom Senzee

www.advocate.com/world/2014/09/15/gay-photographer-blinded-gasoline-uk-hate-crime

My Son Wore a Dress to School Today
Fashion is subjective, even for kids. In preschool, elementary, and middle school there were the occasional theme days: pajama day, crazy hair day, and of course Halloween; my son often balked at these, not inclined to go along with the crowd. Last school year, his first at a large public high school, he participated in “Spirit Day,” dressing up as prescribed by a group of seniors to demonstrate school spirit. (Although it seemed more like hazing to me.)

To be fair, my son has paid attention to fashion for a while. A Superman tee was his preschool choice, and as a first-grader he saw an older boy with long hair and said, “I want that.” So from first through eighth grade he grew his hair out to a very long length. Known as “the boy with long hair,” and often mistaken for a girl, he added to the persona by dedicating a year of his life to wearing only tie-dye. Notoriety followed these fashion choices, and many kids in the school followed suit, growing their hair and mimicking his style. My son played it cool, never seeming to be too headstrong even as he set trends; he remains down-to-earth to this day.

The hair came off just before high school, and his fashion changed from hippie to hipster, with ironic T-shirts, five-panel hats, and loud Vans skater shoes. He was still a leader in the fashion arena as his jeans got skinny and shirts bright and flowery. All of this remains consistent with the gender fluid identity of my son and his friends. “Queer” is de rigueur, and it makes sense to dress the part.

So as the new school year approached, our son began gearing up. His store of choice is Buffalo Exchange, where flowered shirts, short shorts, and ironic tees abound at reduced prices. We buy all but the most garish garb for him, feeling compelled to clothe our son as we strive to accept and support who he is. A couple of purchases he made from his own funds were dresses. We assumed these were intended as costumes for his avant-garde theater group.

But last evening, after describing his first day of school sophomore year, he casually announced that on day two he’d be wearing a dress to school. His mom and I didn’t miss a beat, merely curious why he waited for the second day. “Doing it on the first day would’ve been such a cliché!” was our son’s response.

And so this morning after a shower, and applying the subtle eye makeup that’s been a daily routine since he appeared in his first stage production last spring, our boy donned a dress and packed up his book bag before classes.

The blue cotton sundress he chose would be fitting for any teenage girl. Heck, it might actually be something his mom would wear. And he looked pretty darn good in it. I like how it ties behind the neck, and I wondered how he got it on without asking for help. The unfilled bulge at the breast is a bit distracting at first, but overall he looks like a fit young man making a bold fashion choice.

These are the types of choices he’s making, and as a parent I am strongly compelled to leave well enough alone and let my son navigate his own course. That this path leads through the halls of a big urban school is something he must’ve calculated. That he’ll be in the company of familiar friends, and under the eye of new teachers and administrators, may have figured into his calculations.

And when I check my own feelings, I need only recall myself as a high schooler, seeking attention and acceptance. My persona was as a merry prankster (in the Ken Kesey tradition), a yippie letting my freak flag fly with bright clothing and bold public actions. Later, my academic career centered on gender identity development, and it seems only fitting that my son is exploring similar territory, and taking it to new places.

“Nice dress” was how I greeted my son this morning. “Thanks,” was his reply. “I’ll see you after cross country practice, at the back-to-school picnic,” I continued. “Cool,” he said.

And cool he is, with the whole idea of a not-yet-16-year-old boy going to school in a dress. I’m cool with it, too.

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www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-gertner/my-son-wore-a-dress-to-school-today_b_5797914.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices