queer

The School District held an investigation you see, nothing too formal, they just sat down amongst themselves and members of the community, and decided they didn’t have a bullying problem. Members of the community formed the Parents Action League, to make certain the neutrality policy, the policy forbidding teachers from acknowledging that queer people exist, stays in place. They formed a group whose sole purpose was to make sure that the conditions that led young people who were queer or perceived to be queer to take their own lives did not change.

One of the first squares I always fill in "Hateful Conservative Press Release Bingo" is the one devoted to references to child abuse or to the claim that queers are more likely to abuse children. This perpetually debunked claim is almost always trotted out in national debates about providing queer-inclusive sex education. It is a disgusting lie that puts children in danger by preparing them to be wary of a mincing stereotype instead of real sexual predators, most of whom identify as heterosexuals. It is unclear at what age the Traditional Values Coalition would think mentioning that queer people exist would be appropriate, but my guess is their answer would be "never" and "shut up about it."

The message of The Rawhide Kid reboot—that there is nothing inherently straight or male about being able to defend oneself or attaining mastery of the "manly arts"—is one I never tire of seeing. But why the explicit content warning?

I understand being firmly rooted in your own sexuality and there is certainly a limit to how comfortable I am being touched by people I’m not having sex with. But that isn’t what this is about. This is about making a joke at the expense of a real group of people. They could have just stopped at the erotic showering and I would have been convinced of the worthwhileness of their product, even if I don’t have the resources to even have time to go to the website, such is the non-existence of my "World Travel Discretionary Spending Fund" for the third quarter of 2011. But instead they chose body shaming. Which is important to me, since I am a fat dude and my days of body shame are behind me. I’m not willing to be told I’m less and then shell out money to prove anyone wrong about that.

It is the same as when we acknowledge that the Spice Girls were a marketing tool to sell watered-down empowerment to teens that may have accidentally caused some people to believe in "Girl Power" as a personal concept and might have positively impacted their lives. I will be forever grateful for the slow sex jam "2 become 1" for reminding me to "be a little bit wiser" and "put it on, put it on"—if the Spice Girls used protection, so could I. Even things that are created for completely cynical reasons can have a positive impact.

Downton Abbey, a period piece about a family and their servants, living on an estate after the sinking of the Titanic but before the first World War. The patriarch of the family has no male heir and must surrender the estate to an obscure relation, the three daughters are being wooed by suitors, and their daily lives are mirrored in the power struggles that go on in the kitchen and the servant’s quarters. It is a high-quality show, full of intrigue and interest, and I found myself getting wrapped up in the drama of each episode. Sadly, we burned through them in a week, and new episodes don’t air until Winter 2012. When we next see the Crawley family, it will be without their first footman, Thomas.

Sexual Inadequacy refers to the poor representation of queer sexuality in the larger culture and in the media. Sexual Inadequacy is about the story straight writers and producers tell queer people about their own lives. Sexual Inadequacy is a comment on the amount of information queer students are given about their bodies and their sexuality, especially when these students are told absolutely nothing.

 

Bravo, Frisky, for exposing so many angles of biphobic bullying!

Oh, wait. Is that not your intention?

If Frida Kahlo's painted figures and Marcel Dzama's illustrations were lifted off the canvas and brought to life in a seance performance, their stories and gestures would surely resemble the performative cabaret work of Geppetta. Philedelphia-based queer fabulist Adelaide Windsome is a multimedia puppeteer who explores mental health, identity and survival through the fantastic.

If you've ever thought the rainbow patch could use a 21st century makeover, you weren't alone. Revel & Riot is a new company whose aim is to "promote LGBTQ rights, awareness and equality through new media, graphics, writing, and products on the internet." Their tees, posters, and buttons with sharp designs and reappropriated statements ("God Hates Bags", "Gay is Good", "Ask. Tell.") are awesome and a great way to show your politics while looking good. by Dykes to Watch Out For and Fun Home author Alison Bechdel has even given a shout-out to them!