Monthly Archives: April 2015
Gay Youth Group in Israel Reaching Out to Arab LGBTs
Gay Youth Group in Israel Reaching Out to Arab LGBTs
In Jaffa, an LGBT organization seeks to begin a dialogue, according to a story from Haaretz.
Thom Senzee
www.advocate.com/world/2015/04/26/gay-youth-group-israel-reaching-out-arab-lgbts
We Can Talk About Bruce's Politics Without Ruining the Moment
We Can Talk About Bruce's Politics Without Ruining the Moment
Consider this the backlash to the backlash to the backlash.
Bruce Jenner dropped a bombshell Friday night when he came out — as a conservative Republican. Social media treated that revelation as the real news of the evening, though many argued Jenner’s politics were irrelevant and shouldn’t pull focus from a transgender rights milestone.
I get (and share) the impulse to focus on what was wonderful and historic about the interview — and not ruin the moment by picking it apart. But Jenner himself invited the brouhaha by gratuitously injecting his politics. Grudgingly acknowledging Diane Sawyer’s observation that President Obama was the first president to publicly utter the word “transgender,” Jenner chose to add that he doesn’t think much of the President and is a “conservative” Republican who “believe[s] in the Constitution.”
This provoked a wave of social media comments variously shocked and snide about the irony of a closeted trans woman supporting her own oppressors. A returning tide of testy responses (at least in my feeds) bemoaned tone-deaf political correctness at a joyous moment, and celebrated Jenner’s right to defy liberal expectations and be himself.
I found myself on both sides of the question Friday night, and that’s where I remain. Jenner deserves love, compassion and respect for putting himself on the line, regardless of his politics. History will rightfully remember him for creating visibility for a community still fighting scorn, fear and abuse.
But, hey, that does not preclude engagement on subjects where Jenner himself opened the door — including his presumably narrow view of individual rights and liberties, which is what “conservative” Republicans generally mean when they say they “believe in the Constitution.” Can we assume Jenner thinks same-sex couples have no constitutional right to marry? That women have no right to reproductive choice? Does he embrace Republican orthodoxy on matters of race and poverty — and support candidates working to impose those views on the country?
We can’t be sure, but that’s the unsettling message he chose to send. How sad if someone who endured decades in hiding couldn’t appreciate the worse oppression visited on those without his compensating privileges. Or if someone who benefitted from the more welcoming environment created by generations of progressive activism continued to support those who would turn the clock back.
So, I don’t see the contradiction in embracing the good Jenner has done, while respectfully asking “What the heck?” on his apparently discordant politics — not to enforce liberal orthodoxy, but to encourage self-reflection in someone who has a unique public platform. If Jenner’s views are evolving, he could do a lot of good within his party. His comments in the interview highlighting violence against trans women of color were an encouraging sign of concern for the vulnerable and marginalized.
Bruce Jenner will always be a hero for what he did Friday night. It takes nothing away from that to observe that he, and eventually she, has the potential to do so much more by embracing political as well as personal evolution.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Towleroad Top 10 Must Watch LGBT Videos of the Week
Towleroad Top 10 Must Watch LGBT Videos of the Week
Need a refresher on all the informative, uplifting, sexy, and entertaining LGBT videos from this past week?
Look no further as we count down the best of the best, AFTER THE JUMP…
10. ‘Take Me to Church’ Singer Hozier Speaks Out for Marriage Equality in New Video
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier speaks up for marriage equality, urging people to go to the polls on May 22 and approve marriage equality in Ireland, in a new video for the ‘Straight Up for Equality’ campaign. As you may recall, Hozier’s first video for “Take Me To Church” was a chilling commentary on anti-gay oppression in Russia.
9. Honey Boo Boo’s Mama June Comes Out as a ‘Minor League’ Bisexual
June Thompson, better known as the matriarch to one Honey Boo Boo and co. has come out as bisexual in an interview with her third eldest daughter Lauryn (Pumpkin), who also now identifies as bisexual.
“It’s no big deal, I was young and experimented with it, never went pro though just played the minor leagues,” June explained, saying that she wasn’t all that worried about what people might think. “I look at it this way–haters are gonna hate.”
8. Are All Men Dogs?
Rumer Willis, Skylar Astin, Tyler Oakley, Lance Bass, Courtney Act, Brad Goreski, Darren Criss, and Robbie Rogers voice dogs in this commentary about cruising featuring Kyle Krieger and directed by Jake Wilson.
7. Irish Kids Say ‘Yes’ for Marriage Equality in Adorable New Ad Ahead of Referendum
Another heartwarming “Yes” campaign video from Ireland. The country votes on marriage equality May 22.
6. Matt Baume Destroys a Family Research Council Infomercial with a Million Truth-Telling Wounds
Keeping the Family Research Council honest is a tough job because they’re all about lies and distortions, but Matt Baume is up for the task of taking down their new infomercial “One Generation Away” and its many, many lies.
5. Transgender Boy’s Parents Tell the Emotional Story of Discovering Their Son’s Identity
If you haven’t already started watching NBC Nightly News series on transgender kids, you’re really missing out.
Hear Jacob’s story below:
When Mimi and Joe Lemay’s baby was born in 2010, they heard the three words every parent waits to hear: “It’s a girl.” But by age two, their child was saying “I’m a boy.” Mimi hoped this “obsession with being a boy would go away,” but it only grew stronger. Now, in a rare and candid interview, they share in their own words why they decided to let their five-year-old transgender son Jacob transition and live publicly as a boy.NBC’s Kate Snow will have more on Transgender Kids beginning Tuesday night on Nightly News.
Posted by NBC Nightly News on Monday, April 20, 2015
4. Jon Stewart Laughs at the 2016 GOP Candidates’ Pathetic Attempts to Respond to Gay Wedding Invites
Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, and Rick Santorum have all been asked whether they would attend a gay wedding, and the stumbling and fumbling has caused an opportunity for Jon Stewart to have them by their tails.
“If you can’t handle these questions, how are you going to handle….Putin…asking you to go to a gay wedding? This election is going to boil down to who do you trust… to pick up the phone at 3 am and RSVP to a gay wedding.”
3. NOM Holds Its Third (And Possibly Final) Anti-gay March for Marriage Hate Rally
Ahead of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in the same-sex marriage cases on Tuesday, the National Organization for Marriage and its supporters announced their intentions to kick and scream all the way into the dustbin of history.
Good riddance.
2. Bruce Jenner: ‘I Am a Woman’
After months of media speculation, former Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner finally came out as transgender in an interview with Diane Sawyer.
“Bruce lives a lie, she is not a lie,” Jenner says. “I can’t do it anymore.”
1. ACLU’s Emotional Pop Culture Supercut of the Road to Equality Is Must Watch Marriage Material
In 1970, the ACLU filed the first freedom-to-marry lawsuit in the United States. 45 years later they are at the Supreme Court to fight to win the freedom to marry for couples in all 50 states. To mark the decades of progress, the ACLU has posted a video tracking pop culture’s journey towards marriage equality. A must watch that includes clips from Thirtysomething, Longtime Companion, The Kids Are All Right, Roseanne, Glee, ER, Orange is the New Black, Will and Grace, In & Out, Transparent, The Wire, The Golden Girls, The Real World, Northern Exposure, Friends, The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation, Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, and The Birdcage.
Kyler Geoffroy
'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens Read Mean Social Media Comments
'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens Read Mean Social Media Comments
If you can’t make fun of yourself, how the hell are you gonna make fun of somebody else? Can we get an ‘Amen’?
In this hilarious video from World of Wonder, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” favorites like Bianca Del Rio and Latrice Royale take part in reading mean comments that have been written about them on various social media platforms.
Check it out above or head here to see more from World of Wonder.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
HRC President Chad Griffin Talks Same-Sex Marriage, Transgender Equality on ABC’s “This Week”
HRC President Chad Griffin Talks Same-Sex Marriage, Transgender Equality on ABC’s “This Week”
This morning, HRC President Chad Griffin sat down with George Stephanopoulos to discuss the importance of the marriage equality case, Obergefell v Hodges, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.
HRC.org
Obama Makes Two Excellent Gay Jokes During White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Obama Makes Two Excellent Gay Jokes During White House Correspondents’ Dinner
With his presidency nearing an end, you’re likely wondering whether President Obama has a bucket list. As he made very clear during his speech at Saturday’s annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner that he has something that rhymes with bucket list. Boom! Yes, folks, we have a very witty president and no one was safe during his address to the crowd.
He delivered a laser-sharp barb at the expense of Michele Bachmann and her recent prediction that rapture was upon us. “Michele Bachmann actually predicted that I would bring about the biblical end of days. Now, that’s a legacy. That’s big. I mean, Lincoln, Washington, they didn’t do that.”
Good stuff. However, it’s his two jokes made about marriage equality that really impressed.
On former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum’s announcement that he would not attend a same-sex wedding if invited, Obama stated what we all said when we heard the blessed news: “Gays and lesbians across the country responded, ‘That’s not going to be a problem.’”
Wrapping his close relationship with Vice President Joe Biden and homophobic Indiana Mayor Mike Pence into one delicious bon mot, the president offered: “I tease Joe sometimes, but he has been at my side for seven years, I love that man. He’s not just a great vice president, he is a great friend. We’ve gotten so close in some places in Indiana, they won’t serve us pizza anymore.” Cue loud applause and raucous laughter.
Bravo, Mr. President. We’re happy to see you have a fallback career when you’re presidency ends. Watch some of the zinger-filled speech below.
ABC Breaking US News | US News Videos
Jeremy Kinser
New York City Gay Men's Chorus Cancels Fundraiser at The Out NYC Over Owner's Intimate Reception with Ted Cruz
New York City Gay Men's Chorus Cancels Fundraiser at The Out NYC Over Owner's Intimate Reception with Ted Cruz
On Friday we told you about Broadway Cares pulling out of a planned Solo Strips fundraiser at the NYC club 42West because organizers could not “in good conscience hold an event at a venue whose owners have alienated our community.”
Now you can add the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus to the growing list of groups pushing back against multimillionaire gay hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass over their ill-thought decision to host an intimate “fireside chat” with rabidly anti-LGBT senator and presidential hopeful Ted Cruz.
The chorus org. announced yesterday it would be cancelling its Lily Garden fundraiser at The Out NYC Hotel that was scheduled for Saturday.
From the NYCGMC Facebook page:
We wish we could say this was a clear, easy decision. It wasn’t. We believe in nuanced, complex discussion, and we think that dialogue with your opposition will always lead to positive change in the world. We cannot say who is right and who is wrong, and we hope the debate will continue.
We can say, however, that we made the decision because we want to be 100% clear in our support for the LGBTQ community. NYCGMC has a 35-year history of campaigning for human rights through our music. Our mission must always come first.
We are sorry that we cannot spend the afternoon with our friends and supporters. Besides being an important fundraiser, The Lily Garden is a fantastic event due to the tireless effort of Matt Levison aka Lily Putian. We are grateful that Matt has volunteered to reschedule the event later in the year.
In related news Honey, Urban Bear NYC’s official dance party that was scheduled at XL Nightclub on May 15th has been put on hold until further notice.
From Urban Bear NYC Executive Producer Robert Valin:
With talks of a protest as well as a boycott of the venue, and with others pulling out of their contracts, we have decided to put our dance party HONEY, scheduled at XL Nightclub on Friday, May 15th ON HOLD until further notice.
At this time, we believe this to be the best decision, as numerous members of our community and their families are employed by THE OUT and XL Nightclub, and an impending boycott could adversely affect their livelihoods. We want to do the right thing and believe that waiting until all the facts are in before making any final decisions is best. We welcome your thoughts as we consider alternate locations for the dance event.
Kyler Geoffroy
7 Institutions of HIV Infection
7 Institutions of HIV Infection
The spread of HIV is bigger than two people having sex or sharing needles.
Tyler Curry
www.advocate.com/health/hiv-aids/2015/04/26/7-institutions-hiv-infection
Bruce LaBruce, Queer Filmmaker, Get His Own Retrospective At NYC's MoMA
Bruce LaBruce, Queer Filmmaker, Get His Own Retrospective At NYC's MoMA
Bruce LaBruce is one of the most iconic names within the world of queer film. Now the artist is being honored with his very own retrospective at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, which recognizes his work as a whole from over the past several decades.
Having opened on April 23, the retrospective showcases all nine of the films LaBruce has made as he reaches what he describes as a “mid-point” in his career. The exhibition is also features LaBruce’s latest film “Gerontophilia,” a project that explores intergenerational queer love.
The Huffington Post chatted with LaBruce this week about what the retrospective means for his career and what we can expect from the filmmaker in the future.
The Huffington Post: What is your overarching vision for this exhibition at the MoMA?
Bruce LaBruce: The film exhibition at MoMA is a retrospective, so it’s an opportunity to look back at my work at a more or less “mid-career” point and ponder how I got this far making the kinds of films that I make. The exhibition corresponds with the US theatrical debut of my film “Gerontophilia,” which opens May 1st at the Village Cinema East in NYC, and with the recent release on Blu-ray of my movie “Hustler White” for its 20th anniversary. MoMA is showing all nine of my feature-length films and a program of my short films.
I started out making short, experimental super 8 films in Toronto in the mid-80s, showing them in alternative art spaces and punk venues. My first no-budget feature, “No Skin Off My Ass,” was shot on super 8 and blown up to 16mm. My next two films where shot on 16mm, and then I transferred to digital but still incorporated some material shot on film. My latest features, including “Gerontophilia” and “Pierrot Lunaire,” have been shot entirely on HD digital. So my work has bridged the gap between film and video, which has had interesting implications in terms of aesthetics and process.
I also started making fanzines and films before the Internet popularly existed, and I promoted and exhibited much of my early work myself. I considered promotion and distribution part of the creative process, and still do to this day. And in terms of queer politics, I was one of the first filmmakers to be showing sexually explicit and even pornographic gay imagery in films that were playing at major international film festivals (four of my films have played at Sundance and three as world premieres). So it seems like a good time to reflect back on that trajectory, and figure out where I’m headed now.
As an artist, what does this moment in your career represent for you?
Although I’ve always shown my work at more “queer” and alternative venues and festivals, I’ve also avoided only preaching to the perverted, and have tried to reach broader audiences, even with very provocative and (homo)sexually explicit work. So to be shown and recognized by MoMA is a great way to give my work more visibility, and to put it in a larger context of the gay movement and the avant-garde. The MoMA film department is also talking to me about including my films as part of their permanent collection, so it’s a good opportunity for me to have my work properly archived. I’ve made mostly no- and low-budget films, so there have been very few restrictions on my imagination as a filmmaker. I’ve been allowed to do pretty much whatever I want, without interference, which has encouraged me to really push the envelope and explore some unchartered territory. So it’s great to see MoMA supporting this kind of work.
What are your thoughts about the possibility of viewers truly getting an accurate sense of who you are as an artist by experiencing this exhibition?
The MoMA retrospective is presenting all of my movies, even the most controversial ones. My film “Skin Flick,” an art-porn film that takes as its subject a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads, was my first film to be picketed when it played a three-week run at the ICA in London. “L.A. Zombie,” a gorn movie (mixing gore and porn) was banned in Australia and caused a ruckus when it was screening in competition at the Locarno Film Festival. So I’m happy that MoMA is not shying away from showing these films as well, because they really do give the full picture of my work. “Gerontophilia,” which opens the retrospective, is my first and only non-sexually explicit feature film to date!
What’s next for Bruce LaBruce?
I’m hoping to continue to make more of both kinds of films, both no-budget and experimental, and more mainstream. I have three projects in development. One is unannounced, one is called “Twincest,” which is a feature film without sexually explicit content, and one is a no-budget sequel of sorts to “The Raspberry Reich” entitled “Ulrike’s Brain.” Hopefully there will also be more photography, more writing, and more controversies!
The Bruce LaBruce MoMA retrospective is running through May 2. Head here for more information.
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