Scholar Won't Stop Fighting Alleged Transphobia, Loss of Housing
Meredith Talusan is fighting to have her Cornell-affiliated housing coop address alleged mistreatment by her housemate.
Mitch Kellaway
Daily Archives: December 28, 2014
Brokeback Mountain Author Wishes She’d Never Written The Story
Brokeback Mountain Author Wishes She’d Never Written The Story
I wish I’d never written the story. It’s just been the cause of hassle and problems and irritation since the film came out. Before the film it was all right… In Wyoming they won’t read it. A large section of the population is still outraged. But that’s not where the problem was. I’m used to that response from people here, who generally do not like the way I write. But the problem has come since the film. So many people have completely misunderstood the story. I think it’s important to leave spaces in a story for readers to fill in from their own experience, but unfortunately the audience that Brokeback reached most strongly have powerful fantasy lives. And one of the reasons we keep the gates locked here is that a lot of men have decided that the story should have had a happy ending. They can’t bear the way it ends — they just can’t stand it. So they rewrite the story, including all kinds of boyfriends and new lovers and so forth after Jack is killed. And it just drives me wild. They can’t understand that the story isn’t about Jack and Ennis. It’s about homophobia; it’s about a social situation; it’s about a place and a particular mindset and morality. They just don’t get it. I can’t tell you how many of these things have been sent to me as though they’re expecting me to say, ‘Oh great, if only I’d had the sense to write it that way.’ And they all begin the same way — I’m not gay, but?.?.?.?The implication is that because they’re men they understand much better than I how these people would have behaved. And maybe they do. But that’s not the story I wrote. Those are not their characters. The characters belong to me by law.”
— Author Annie Prouix explaining to Paris Review the negative response from some readers to the ending of her short story Brokeback Mountain that was adapted into the Academy Award-winning 2005 film
Jeremy Kinser
Tampa Bay Times Names 'Modern-day Anita Bryant' Pam Bondi Its 'Loser of 2014'
Tampa Bay Times Names 'Modern-day Anita Bryant' Pam Bondi Its 'Loser of 2014'
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s declarationback in August that she was “just getting started” in her fight against gay marriage came to an abrupt end on December 19 when the Supreme Court denied her emergency request for a stay on a federal ruling overturning Florida’s same-sex marriage ban.
Since then, Bondi has managed to further assert her incompetence by failing to communicate exactly what will happen in Florida after the stay on the federal ruling expires January 5. She’s acknowledged the stay will end, but her refusal to clarify the scope of the situation at hand has led the Florida State Court Clerks Association to issue a statement warning that county clerks may face legal consequences if they issue marriage licenses to gay couples next month. Gay rights groups, meahwhile, are disputing the association’s claims and have said clerks are “compelled” to issue the licenses to gay couples.
Needless to say, things are messy in Florida right now and Bondi isn’t helping at all. And so for these reasons and more, it’s apt the Tampa Bay Times has awarded Bondi its “Loser of 2014” award.
Writes Times Political Editor Adam C. Smith:
It’s hard to imagine how someone who won re-election so handily (rival George Sheldon could not afford a single TV ad) could emerge from 2014 more wounded and diminished as our Republican attorney general. Put aside the unseemly junkets funded by groups seeking to influence her. Bondi’s clumsy communication skills and relentless defense of Florida’s gay marriage ban have made her a modern-day Anita Bryant. Antagonizing Florida’s gay voters over same-sex marriage and Hispanic voters over immigration reform ensures Bondi has a bright political future ahead of her — if she moves to Mississippi.
If Bondi decides to throw an awards night party to celebrate, someone better bring pie.
Kyler Geoffroy
ITs ALMOST THAT TIME LADIES… FOR THE LIVEST SATURDAY PARTY IN THE DMV!!! —- 2ND SATURDAYs!!!! = 2015 HAS SO MUCH IN STORE! #Avion #women #DMVnightlife #dmvgayevents #DMV #gay #lesbian #queerDC #2ndSaturdays #lgbt #dmvgay #hu17 #hu16 #hu15 #valesbian #
5 Made-Up Reasons Why Gay Couples Don't Divorce Like Straight Couples
5 Made-Up Reasons Why Gay Couples Don't Divorce Like Straight Couples
Why don’t gay couples divorce as much as straight couples? We don’t know, but that won’t stop us from guessing.
Matt Baume
Taco Bell Responds To 'Leaked' Gay Commercial
Taco Bell Responds To 'Leaked' Gay Commercial
Earlier this month a gay-themed television commercial attributed to Taco Bell featuring two men cuddling and a same-sex wedding leaked onto the Internet.
In the clip, which can be seen above, two buddies stop at the fast food chain for a “breakfast pitstop” and then one of them ponders aloud, “I wonder what else we could fit in before work.”
Among the activities the guys manage to check off on their joint to-do list: finding pirate treasure, riding jet skis, spooning on a picnic blanket and getting married.
Little information is provided on the video’s YouTube landing page but the high quality of the ad had many believing that the clip was legitimately produced by Taco Bell.
After the video began going viral on Internet blogs late last week, Taco Bell sent the following statement to Mediaite.com on Friday night:
“We didn’t create this ad, but we can see the people who did share the same Live Mas passion for our brand — and our breakfast—as we do. Although we cannot condone unauthorized use of our intellectual property, we are impressed with their work and would be open to meeting with them.”
In recent years companies have often chosen gay themes and plots for a variety of reasons from the comedic to the inspirational. In 2014 Honey Maid graham crackers and Cheerios both featured queer representations in advertisements for their products.
(h/t Towleroad)
Michael Sam on Whether His 'Cake Kiss' Was Staged and If He Thinks Homophobia Is Why He's Not In the NFL: VIDEO
Michael Sam on Whether His 'Cake Kiss' Was Staged and If He Thinks Homophobia Is Why He's Not In the NFL: VIDEO
Sitting down with Oprah for an interview that aired on OWN last night, Michael Sam was asked about the infamous “cake kiss” that aired on ESPN after Sam was drafted to the St. Louis Rams late in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
Oprah asked Sam whether the kiss was staged for the cameras, as well as whether he thought the kiss itself was “too much” for America and the NFL to handle?
In a separate clip, Oprah asked Sam if he thinks he isn’t in the NFL now because he “wasn’t good enough to play” or because he’s gay.
Find out, AFTER THE JUMP…
Did you watch the interview and documentary? What did you think?
Kyler Geoffroy
2014 – The Chinese Queer Year 2014年中国十大同志新闻
2014 – The Chinese Queer Year 2014年中国十大同志新闻
2014 was a year full of big and small events for the Chinese LGBT community. What gathered most attention? Here is an overview of the top 10 China LGBT News Items from November 2013 to October.
PHOTOS: Trans Men Take Over the Camera
PHOTOS: Trans Men Take Over the Camera
“Trans people are being seen in mainstream media more frequently, but how much of what we see is being created through a trans lens?” Trans masculine artists ask and answer in a new photo series from Original Plumbing.
Mitch Kellaway
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/12/28/photos-trans-men-take-over-camera
6 Big Takeaways From Michael Sam's Interview With Oprah (VIDEO)
6 Big Takeaways From Michael Sam's Interview With Oprah (VIDEO)
When Michael Sam became the first openly gay man drafted into the NFL, the world watched him celebrate with his longtime boyfriend, Vito Cammisano. In those brief moments captured on film, we were given a small glimpse into Sam’s world. The lens opened a bit wider on Saturday night with the airing of “Michael Sam” on OWN, a 90-minute documentary about the history-making athlete and his desire to live an open, authentic life. Afterwards, Sam sat down with Oprah for his first interview since being drafted and later cut from two teams. Below are six big moments we’re still talking about.
The Kiss Was Not Staged
After three days of anticipation, Sam learned he was picked up by the St. Louis Rams, an emotional moment for any player. While celebrating with his boyfriend, Sam playfully smashed cake in his face and gave him a kiss, a moment some criticized as controversial and staged.
Sam says the kiss was absolutely not staged. In fact, he says, cameras were supposed to be finished filming at that point. “They were only supposed to film the moment I got drafted. That’s what people don’t understand,” he says. “They say it was staged. Well, I’m having fun. I’m in a good mood.”
Does he think the kiss was too much? “If you didn’t like it, grab your remote control, turn the channel,” Sam says.
“I’m Not the Only One”
Since publicly coming out, Sam says other gay men in the NFL have reached out to him. “Very few reached out to me and pretty much just told me their gratitude,” he says. “They wished that they had the courage to come out.”
When asked how many, Michael declines to give a number. “There’s a lot of us out there,” he says. “I’m just the only one who’s open.”
He Would Never “Out” Another Player
Sam tells Oprah he would never encourage another NFL player to come out just because he did. “They need to come out whenever they feel comfortable for them coming out,” he says. “Not once have I ever tried to advise them coming out.”
He did, however, think his openness would spark others in the NFL to come out publicly as well. “I was wrong, but everyone has to come out in their own time,” he says.
Sam Was Tormented a Kid
Sam’s two older brothers, known around his small Texas town as the “damn Sams,” bullied him mercilessly. “They used to abuse me daily,” Sam says. “Maybe just for fun. Maybe because I was different.”
In the seventh grade, Sam recalls receiving his very first trophies for honors in football, basketball and track. “I was so proud of those trophies,” he says. “My older [brother], he was so jealous and he just broke them in front of me and it was just the saddest thing. I couldn’t have anything without them destroying it or taking it from me.”
He’ll Forgive His Brothers — One Day
When he graduated from the University of Missouri as an All-American, Sam says his mother handed him a letter from one of his brothers.
“I never read it just because all the memories came back to me and I chose not to read it,” Sam says. “I know one day I will forgive my brothers for everything they did for me.”
Sam Hasn’t Given Up on His NFL Dreams
After being cut from the St. Louis Rams, Sam was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, only to be released after seven weeks. “Do you think now that the reason why you are not with a team is because you weren’t good enough to play?” Oprah asks Sam. “Or because you are gay?”
“I don’t like to think that way,” Sam says. “But I do believe I’m a very talented football player and I’m going to continue on working hard and trying to get that opportunity to play in the league.”
As to why he was cut from the Cowboys, Sam says it was just business. “I did everything I was told to do,” he says. “I was on a scout team. There was nothing I could do, the roster was full already and I had to go.”
Sam is now acting as a free agent and says he’ll hold onto his NFL dreams for as long as he can. “The season’s coming to an end and I know I’m still fresh. I could still get a call right now — it’s highly unlikely, but I can go up in next season and start all over again.”
“I believe good things are on the horizon,” he says.
Related: Sam and his boyfriend share the ups and downs of their love story.
