queer

Heather Cassils in Out: Kissin' Gaga and Pushing Envelopes

Music post by Kjerstin Johnson on March 18, 2010 - 12:36pm; tagged Heather Cassils, Lady GaGa, Performance Art, queer.

While the blogosphere is still wrapping their head around the epic Telephone video, Out Magazine got a hold of Heather Cassils, whose prison-yard smooch with Gaga is one of the most talked about portions of the video. A long-time performance artist, Cassils went to the "Telephone" audition on a whim, and the kiss she and Gaga shared was completely unscripted. While her interactions with Gaga are worth a read, Cassils also speaks about her art ("I use the fact that the image is live to try to capture and transfix people, because people can walk away from a painting.") representation ("binaries are dangerous across the board"), about the co-option of queer identity for pop stars. ("That's been going on since the dawn of time.")

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Sm{art}: The Visibility Project

Art and Design post by Kat Kimberley on February 20, 2010 - 1:28pm; tagged art, Asian women, asian-american artists, Photography, queer.

Most of the art our culture celebrates is the same type of art that makes me yawn. See, I enjoy art that gets my blood racing. For me, good art needs to be both aesthetically appealing and make my brain hurt. Because of my intense predilection for this type of provocative eye candy, I was exceedingly pleased recently to discover the Visibility Project—a female, Asian American, Queer portraiture project by Bay Area Photographer Mia Nakano and Los Angeles collaborator Christine Pan.

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Sm{art}: Jeff Sheng's Don't Ask Don't Tell

Art and Design post by Kjerstin Johnson on February 11, 2010 - 4:43pm; tagged don't ask don't tell, gay, Jeff Sheng, lesbian, military, Photography, queer.

two women with their backs to the camera sit on a hotel bed facing a wall. Both their faces are obscured. One woman in uniform leans in to the other woman's face. Their embracing shadow is cast on the wall above the bed

The problematic policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell, implemented in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, has now been beautifully, if not dutifully rendered visible by LA-based photographer Jeff Sheng. That is, visible to the certain point his courageous subjects can be while in uniform.

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Sapphic Salon: A Blog for the Lesbian in You

Sex and Sexuality post by Natalie Stein on November 16, 2009 - 1:46pm; tagged bisexual, lesbian, queer.

Welcome to the Sapphic Salon, Bitch's new blog about queer women's representation in pop culture. This includes the good and the bad, truths and myths, and about and of interest to women who love women. Basically, we're right at home with Bitch.

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Of Queers and Cowboys

Social Commentary post by Mandy Van Deven on September 3, 2009 - 1:59am; tagged activism, gay, identity, lesbian, LGBTQ, Out in the Country, queer, rural.

Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America is a wake up call for the queer rights movement. Y'all listen good, ya hear?

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Don't Just Stand There, Let's Get to It: Vogue Evolution

TV post by Kelsey Wallace on August 25, 2009 - 11:10am; tagged ABDC, America's Best Dance Crew, gay, MTV, queer, reality TV, transsexual, Vogue Evolution.

If you haven't been watching America's Best Dance Crew this season, it's time to start. For those out of the loop, ABDC (as it is known in the in-crowd) is a dance competition show on MTV that combines crew battles and audience voting to determine, well, America's best dance crew. Sure, the show is a little corny, and the awesome Artistry in Motion crew was eliminated last week despite their body-positive message, but ABDC has a lot to offer the feminist television viewer. The show focuses on teamwork and togetherness as opposed to the abilities of certain individuals, and every week they give the teams a different challenge (the Beyoncé challenge was particularly kickass). The real reason to watch, though, is Vogue Evolution.