Well! I took a bit of a hiatus due to some personal things, but I am back and better than ever. I probably won't be blogging as much in the next week or two due to the fact that I don't have a (working) computer at home, but I plan to purchase a hard drive soon, and then I'll have much more access to the interwebs.
comBIne - a group at Ohio State for students, faculty, and community members who are attracted to more than one gender and their allies - will be having its first meeting of the year on October 13 at 6:30 PM in Central Classrooms 202. Due to some problems with the OSU organizational listserv thing and BuckeyeMail (OSU's new student e-mail service), we will be starting a Google Group to send out all our e-mails. That's why we haven't sent anything yet. But there will be something soon, so keep an eye out.
comBIne will also be doing biweekly screenings of Torchwood starting October 20th at 6:30 PM in Central Classrooms 202. For more information on Torchwood, click here or here. We will be starting with Season One, Episode One, and watching one episode every other week. As always with comBIne events, everyone is welcome.
Also, look for the first meeting of the Columbus/Central Ohio Bisexual Network in the next month or so. More details posted as they become available.
Guerrilla Queer Bar Columbus is Friday, October 9! Stay tuned to Facebook, e-mail, or Twitter for more info on location!.
Lastly, if you are interested in a Central Ohio group for LGBTQIA Jews, please send me an e-mail (cowtown dot bisexual at gmail dot com) or leave a comment here. Something is in the works :)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Oh hay
in case you want to know what I have been up to, I've been working two very interesting jobs, spending some quality time with my dog, reading a ton, doing my art internship thingy, and other stuff. And working on my submission for the bisexual artists' show in SF. I took a sorta break from the intertubes for a while, but I'm back.
oh, also, here is me with Candace Gingrich. Not the best photo of me. But still cool.
Edited to add: look for a post from me very soon regarding the proposed City of Columbus tax increase.
oh, also, here is me with Candace Gingrich. Not the best photo of me. But still cool.
Edited to add: look for a post from me very soon regarding the proposed City of Columbus tax increase.
First Guerrilla Queer Bar Columbus Event Was Great!
Next month's event - on August 14th - will be even better, bigger, and badder. Trust us.
Check out some photos!
Check out some photos!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
AIDSWalk Central Ohio 2009: Sat. July 25th
The 2009 AIDSWalk Central Ohio will begin and end at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Registration and an exhibition start at 7:30 AM and the walk kicks off at 8:30 AM.
From AIDSWalk Central Ohio's site:
To participate in AIDSWalk Central Ohio 2009, please click here!
To sponsor a participant, click here.
To donate, click here.
From AIDSWalk Central Ohio's site:
AIDSWalk Central Ohio is the largest HIV/ AIDS awareness event in the Franklin County area. The event's mission is to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS service organizations through education and promotional activities leading up to the walk and through participation of walkers and volunteers in a safe, fun, educational event. It started over 20 years ago and now benefits Franklin, Delaware, Licking, and Union Counties. The event has raised community awareness of the devastation caused by this disease in Central Ohio by reaching beyond the traditional audiences to families, businesses, schools and civic organizations.
To participate in AIDSWalk Central Ohio 2009, please click here!
To sponsor a participant, click here.
To donate, click here.
Blog Roundup Thingy # ...4?
I happen to have an excessive amount of time available on the internet today, so enjoy a bunch of stuff summarized so I don't make 239843928 posts. :)
This is 2009, this is the north, this is America, and this is what it looks like
"A private pool in Philadelphia apparently didn't like the idea of black children swimming in their pool, even though these campers had already paid the enormous fee to use the pool... More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason... 'When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool,' Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. 'The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately...' Let's not pretend like this is an isolated incident or that it's a bunch of racists nothing like us, just a few bad apples acting in a vacuum. Segregation, in many forms, is alive and well."
The Queerness of Michael Jackson
"Just as Michael was black he was also queer because he did not conform to our society's heterosexist norms. And as the man in the mirror faded from black to white so too did his staged gender performances from cute straight boy lead singer of the Jackson 5 to an effeminate male solo artist donning outfits with sequins. And as the consummate drag performer he was not only a singer and dancer, Jackson was also a shape-shifter... Jackson was unquestionably eccentric, and his masks did not always protect him or liberate him because he always had to don them within the restricted boundaries of both race and sexual discrimination."
Arranging the Homosexual Agenda
Participate in this (totally unscientific but still interesting) poll about what you think ought to be the top priority for LGBTQIA communities. As someone who believes we must take action on every single front, I am fundamentally opposed to this poll. But, haha, I voted anyway. I think I'd say that ENDA, heathcare, and safe schools are the most fundamental to our well-being. These bills also reach a greater number of people in our community than things like marriage equality or Don't Ask Don't Tell.
Slammed for Doing Absolutely Nothing, HRC Goes on Tour
Here is my favorite part of this article: "What we are seeing here is HRC doing something grassroots-y: running around the country trying to do lots of convincing and score media coverage. But haven't we been demanding HRC actually, uh, do something with all the money the gays donate? Haven't we been saying HRC, in cahoots with the White House, has for too long been silent and immobile on legislation that matters?"
WATCH: Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover's Mom Revisits Harrowing Suicide for Congress
Followup to this.
"This has got to stop. School bullying is a national crisis. ...I know that bullying is not a gay issue, or a straight issue. It's a safety issue."
Maine Human Rights Commission Rules in Favor of Transgender Girl
"While marriage equality proponents in Maine will be struggling to keep their new same-sex marriage law in the coming months, at least the state’s Human Rights Commission is able to prevent discrimination against the transgender community. Last week, the agency ruled in favor of a transgender girl’s right to use the girl’s bathroom at her school in Orono, a college town just outside of Bangor."
Gay Men Face Discrimination Over Kiss in El Paso
"'We went, sat down to eat our food and security guards came and said that if they kept doing that, they were going to throw us all out of the restaurant.' Carlos said he then asked them why? Their response, according to Carlos: 'They said 'we didn't allow that gay stuff to go on here.'"
This is 2009, this is the north, this is America, and this is what it looks like
"A private pool in Philadelphia apparently didn't like the idea of black children swimming in their pool, even though these campers had already paid the enormous fee to use the pool... More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason... 'When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool,' Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. 'The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately...' Let's not pretend like this is an isolated incident or that it's a bunch of racists nothing like us, just a few bad apples acting in a vacuum. Segregation, in many forms, is alive and well."
The Queerness of Michael Jackson
"Just as Michael was black he was also queer because he did not conform to our society's heterosexist norms. And as the man in the mirror faded from black to white so too did his staged gender performances from cute straight boy lead singer of the Jackson 5 to an effeminate male solo artist donning outfits with sequins. And as the consummate drag performer he was not only a singer and dancer, Jackson was also a shape-shifter... Jackson was unquestionably eccentric, and his masks did not always protect him or liberate him because he always had to don them within the restricted boundaries of both race and sexual discrimination."
Arranging the Homosexual Agenda
Participate in this (totally unscientific but still interesting) poll about what you think ought to be the top priority for LGBTQIA communities. As someone who believes we must take action on every single front, I am fundamentally opposed to this poll. But, haha, I voted anyway. I think I'd say that ENDA, heathcare, and safe schools are the most fundamental to our well-being. These bills also reach a greater number of people in our community than things like marriage equality or Don't Ask Don't Tell.
Slammed for Doing Absolutely Nothing, HRC Goes on Tour
Here is my favorite part of this article: "What we are seeing here is HRC doing something grassroots-y: running around the country trying to do lots of convincing and score media coverage. But haven't we been demanding HRC actually, uh, do something with all the money the gays donate? Haven't we been saying HRC, in cahoots with the White House, has for too long been silent and immobile on legislation that matters?"
WATCH: Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover's Mom Revisits Harrowing Suicide for Congress
Followup to this.
"This has got to stop. School bullying is a national crisis. ...I know that bullying is not a gay issue, or a straight issue. It's a safety issue."
Maine Human Rights Commission Rules in Favor of Transgender Girl
"While marriage equality proponents in Maine will be struggling to keep their new same-sex marriage law in the coming months, at least the state’s Human Rights Commission is able to prevent discrimination against the transgender community. Last week, the agency ruled in favor of a transgender girl’s right to use the girl’s bathroom at her school in Orono, a college town just outside of Bangor."
Gay Men Face Discrimination Over Kiss in El Paso
"'We went, sat down to eat our food and security guards came and said that if they kept doing that, they were going to throw us all out of the restaurant.' Carlos said he then asked them why? Their response, according to Carlos: 'They said 'we didn't allow that gay stuff to go on here.'"
Ronald Reagan actually did at least one thing right.
Celebrating National Ice Cream Month
OK, so you need a little justification to dive into another pint of your favorite creamy frozen dessert. It’s hotter than Haiti outside and all of the kids are home from school for three months… and you need an excuse?
Well, look no further for the perfect all-encompassing, no holds barred reason to satisfy your constant craving. July is National Ice Cream Month.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Which Ice Cream Company came up with this little beauty to boost sales and grow the bottom line (both financially and physically?)
Well it wasn’t a company, but rather the former Leader of the Free World: Ronald Reagan...
Click the title link for the rest of the article.
I, for one, plan on doing my patriotic duty by visiting Jeni's some time in the very near future. Note to everyone: If you are ever in Columbus, you MUST visit a Jeni's location at least once.
H/T the Jeni's Twitter feed
WHAT?! You mean marriage equality (or some semblance thereof) doesn't fix EVERYTHING?!?!
OMG!!111!! SO SURPRIZED LOL!!!??!?!1111one
It's great that Hungary wants to give queer couples some rights. Absolutely fantastic! But obviously, it's not fixing everything that is wrong with how the Hungarian government views queers. This is also the case in other places around the world that have marriage equality.
I have actually heard more than one queer advance the argument that marriage equality will fix everything. Let's discuss this viewpoint.
FACT: Marriage is not the end-all, be-all, magic cure for inequality. QUESTION: Why isn't that more obvious to people? (</Dwight Schrute>)
Even if marriage were to grant life partners all the rights they deserve, that would still mean you'd have to get married to gain those rights. Not everyone wants to make that legal commitment. Not everyone has a partner with whom they can do so.
Some say that marriage will show our culture that giving queer life partners these rights will show that the world won't collapse, etc. when teh gheys can get their gheymarriage. Then, the state will take action and grant all queers these rights regardless of marriage status.
That's not okay. No one should have to wait to get equal rights. It's not fair to give some queers rights while others sit back and wait.
For these reasons, it is not useful for us to focus on marriage equality as our sole cause.
This is also an opportune time to talk about the language surrounding marriage equality. I know I've talked about this before, but I don't give a sh*t. We need to go over it again.
Even if legal recognition of the commitment of same-sex partners were the magic Band-Aid that could fix everything, we would still need it to be called "marriage" and not "civil union" or "domestic partnership" or "lol fake queer 'marriage' that we will pretend is the same" to have the union be FULLY equal to a marriage between "a man and a woman." This necessity applies no matter where we live. Let's review summaries of the reasons why the language must be so:
So yeah, to all queers that don't care about the word as long as we "have" our "rights," to fickle government representatives that care about perceived votes more than they care about justice, and to frightened voters who are ignorant of facts by accident or by choice: what you call it DOES matter.
See this for more.
Gay marriage legal from today in Hungary, but gap in rights persists
"These life partnerships will be guaranteed the same tax, employment, social and immigration benefits as heterosexual marriages. Gay couples will be barred from adopting children and taking their spouse's name, however."
It's great that Hungary wants to give queer couples some rights. Absolutely fantastic! But obviously, it's not fixing everything that is wrong with how the Hungarian government views queers. This is also the case in other places around the world that have marriage equality.
I have actually heard more than one queer advance the argument that marriage equality will fix everything. Let's discuss this viewpoint.
FACT: Marriage is not the end-all, be-all, magic cure for inequality. QUESTION: Why isn't that more obvious to people? (</Dwight Schrute>)
Even if marriage were to grant life partners all the rights they deserve, that would still mean you'd have to get married to gain those rights. Not everyone wants to make that legal commitment. Not everyone has a partner with whom they can do so.
Some say that marriage will show our culture that giving queer life partners these rights will show that the world won't collapse, etc. when teh gheys can get their gheymarriage. Then, the state will take action and grant all queers these rights regardless of marriage status.
That's not okay. No one should have to wait to get equal rights. It's not fair to give some queers rights while others sit back and wait.
For these reasons, it is not useful for us to focus on marriage equality as our sole cause.
This is also an opportune time to talk about the language surrounding marriage equality. I know I've talked about this before, but I don't give a sh*t. We need to go over it again.
Even if legal recognition of the commitment of same-sex partners were the magic Band-Aid that could fix everything, we would still need it to be called "marriage" and not "civil union" or "domestic partnership" or "lol fake queer 'marriage' that we will pretend is the same" to have the union be FULLY equal to a marriage between "a man and a woman." This necessity applies no matter where we live. Let's review summaries of the reasons why the language must be so:
- The term "marriage" is essential for the portability of the partnership under state, provincial, and international laws. The union will not be recognized unless the government of the locality has written recognition of other states' "civil unions," "domestic partnerships," etc. into law.
- It is necessary to call it "marriage" so that the couple may end the union if they wish. The only way to dissolve a civil union is to be a resident of a state that allows partners to end the civil union. To do so, however, at least one partner must be a resident in that state for a certain length of time. Since there are so few states that recognize civil unions, this is especially tricky to do.
- If DOMA is ever repealed, we'll need "marriage" to get the rights afforded to "heterosexual" marriages.
- We need the term "marriage" to clarify our status as single or married on a slew of paperwork and forms.
- Finally, in terms of linguistic equality, we deserve that word! Language shapes our cultural values and we will always be unequal when we are not linguistically equal.
So yeah, to all queers that don't care about the word as long as we "have" our "rights," to fickle government representatives that care about perceived votes more than they care about justice, and to frightened voters who are ignorant of facts by accident or by choice: what you call it DOES matter.
See this for more.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Call for Submissions: Bisexual Artists' Show at Good Vibrations, SF
Holy crap I am SO all over this!!!
http://biartsf.webs.com/
http://biartsf.webs.com/
I am a graduate student in the Sexuality Studies program at San Francisco State University, and for my Master's project I am organizing an art showing to promote bisexual visibility. I am seeking artists who identify as Bisexual (or with a label inclusive of bisexuality, such as Pansexual, Omnisexual, Ambisexual or Queer), to submit paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, or sculptures relating to their experiences of living as a bisexual person. This project is an opportunity for artists to represent what being bisexual means to them and to help promote the wide variety of people who are bisexual. Artists selected for the exhibition will have their work on display in the art gallery at the Good Vibrations on Polk Street from October 8 to November 26, 2009. Their will be a formal opening for the event at the beginning of the exhibition.
Deadline for submissions is August 1, 2009. To submit your work, please send and email to BiArtSF@gmail.com. Your email must include:
*A digital photograph of the work, and the title of the work
*The work's dimensions. Hangable works will be limited to 8' in height and 6' in length. Sculptures will be limited to a base of 2' by 2', with a height no greater than 8'. Works may be either pre-existing work or work created specifically for the event.
*A paragraph description of the content of the work and how it relates to issues of bisexuality, bisexual identities and/or bisexual visibility (no more than 500 words).
*Your name, email and phone number. Selected artists will not be notified until after the submission deadline on August 1.
*Please specify if digital photographs of your work can be used in promotional materials and other publicity for the event.
All artists must be available during August or September 2009 to discuss their work with myself so that I can design captions for each work and for exhibition programs. All Artists must also be able to transport their work to and from the venue. Paintings, drawings, photographs and prints must be delivered in hangable condition.
If you have any questions about the project or the submission guidelines, please email me at BiArtSF@gmail.com.
Jack Mohr, M.A. Candidate, San Francisco State University
Call for Submissions: "HRC is Not Your Friend" Zine
Wednesday, July 01 2009 @ 12:53 AM CDT
Contributed by: Anonymous
SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: anarchoqueer@gmail.com
AND PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!
As Radical Queers, we are in a constant war against the HRC. Our frustrations run much deeper than ENDA or any other single issue. However, I have often found myself unable to substantiate my frustrations when talking with more mainstream “LGBT” folks. So, me and a friend are planning to compile and edit a zine on why we hate the HRC. We are looking for more radical perspectives written in a language that would be accessible to more mainstream “LGBT” folks.
Talking points could/should include, but are not limited to:
Racism, Classism, Assimilation, Militarism/Imperialism, Transphobia, The Prison-Industrial Complex, The Non-Profit Industrial Complex, Immigration as a Queer Issue, Public Sex/Sexuality and Pleasure (and how the HRC tries to hide that as a part of our identities), The culture of respectability, Healthcare.
Or maybe, even more fundamentally, why there are no “separate issues.”
We would also be interested in writings on things people have done, actions that have been taken against the HRC, and why we don’t need the HRC. (We can do this shit ourselves!)
Remember, the intended audience is mainstream “LGBT” folks who aren’t already radical– this is an attempt to radicalize them!– so please make sure submissions are written in a way that will make sense to these folks. (I.e. don’t assume somebody knows what the prison industrial complex is or why we don’t like it.)
PLEASE EMAIL SUBMISSIONS, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS TO: anarchoqueer@gmail.com.
AND PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!
Thanks!
Solidarity and Sodomy
I'd like to see some dialogue going between people about these issues - hence the sharing. I don't necessarily fall on one side or the other (though if I had to pick one, I'd say radical queer).
Monday, July 6, 2009
Blog Roundup Thingy for the Past Week or So
I'm sure I've missed a lot since I haven't checked everything, but here's some stuff that has come across my path that I'd like to share.
First, something that happened right here in Columbus:
Mennonites protest church exclusion of gays
Go Pink Menno! I was unable to attend the action, but I want to say that I stand in solidarity with anyone who is working for LGBTQIA inclusion in faith communities.
Something relevant for all, coming out of Cincy:
“The Queer Canon” call for submission
"GenderBloc, the University of Cincinnati’s radical queer group that focuses on transgender activism, is placing a call for submissions for its quarterly zine. Submissions can be submitted by anyone, not just UC students. Selections must be submitted before August 31, 2009, to queercanon@gmail.com. "
Please consider submitting to the Queer Canon! Click on the link for more info about submission guidelines and details about the Queer Canon.
More faith-related news:
Hagee welcomes gay groups
I remember watching Rev. John Hagee on TBN with my great-grandmother. He's not really someone I would have expected to do this. Kudos to Soulforce and Atticus Circle for starting the dialogue.
On to the sad:
Gay bar patrons not targeted by officers, chief says and follow-up: Fort Worth resident breaks his silence about Rainbow Lounge raid
Of course the police are saying that the gays were out of control and that police brutality was justified... Ugh.
Sailor gunned down on sentry duty, Navy says
A relative says August Provost was killed for his race and his sexual orientation. The Navy says there was no evidence of a hate crime, but he had reported harassment to relatives before his death.
I'd like to quote a part of the article: "Rep. Bob Filner, a California Democrat, has called for a full and transparent investigation. Asked Friday if Provost was killed because of his sexual orientation, he said, 'There are indications that that's the case [that it was a hate crime]. His family says he was harassed.' Filner said he was on Camp Pendleton hours after Provost's body was found, although no one told him of the killing. 'When I was on the base for another event, the commander of the base was sitting next to me and never mentioned a word, which I find very strange," he said. He said he was asking for the 'truth of what happened... We're going to ask, if I may coin a phrase, and we hope that they tell,' he said."
Very sad and disappointing.
I'd like to add as commentary that though he was out as bi, he's getting gaywashed by some press.
2008 was most dangerously violent year for LGBT people in over a decade
"Our recent report tells us that this past year has been one of the most dangerously violent years for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people since NCAVP began documenting anti-LGBT violence. Many elected officials who do care are focused on the need for hate crimes legislation. This is understandable but not enough. We need attention and resources from every level of government aimed at education that helps prevent hate violence before it occurs. We need laws that deliver equal rights and protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people which by their very existence send the message that we are equal citizens, equal human beings and that hate violence will not be condoned."
Something resourceful that can make a difference:
Ohio Educator's Guide to GLBTQ Resources - A Guide to Creating Safe Schools for ALL Youth
I believe I may have posted this before, but for the sake of thoroughness, here it is again.
And lastly, a bit of humor:
First, something that happened right here in Columbus:
Mennonites protest church exclusion of gays
Go Pink Menno! I was unable to attend the action, but I want to say that I stand in solidarity with anyone who is working for LGBTQIA inclusion in faith communities.
Something relevant for all, coming out of Cincy:
“The Queer Canon” call for submission
"GenderBloc, the University of Cincinnati’s radical queer group that focuses on transgender activism, is placing a call for submissions for its quarterly zine. Submissions can be submitted by anyone, not just UC students. Selections must be submitted before August 31, 2009, to queercanon@gmail.com. "
Please consider submitting to the Queer Canon! Click on the link for more info about submission guidelines and details about the Queer Canon.
More faith-related news:
Hagee welcomes gay groups
I remember watching Rev. John Hagee on TBN with my great-grandmother. He's not really someone I would have expected to do this. Kudos to Soulforce and Atticus Circle for starting the dialogue.
On to the sad:
Gay bar patrons not targeted by officers, chief says and follow-up: Fort Worth resident breaks his silence about Rainbow Lounge raid
Of course the police are saying that the gays were out of control and that police brutality was justified... Ugh.
Sailor gunned down on sentry duty, Navy says
A relative says August Provost was killed for his race and his sexual orientation. The Navy says there was no evidence of a hate crime, but he had reported harassment to relatives before his death.
I'd like to quote a part of the article: "Rep. Bob Filner, a California Democrat, has called for a full and transparent investigation. Asked Friday if Provost was killed because of his sexual orientation, he said, 'There are indications that that's the case [that it was a hate crime]. His family says he was harassed.' Filner said he was on Camp Pendleton hours after Provost's body was found, although no one told him of the killing. 'When I was on the base for another event, the commander of the base was sitting next to me and never mentioned a word, which I find very strange," he said. He said he was asking for the 'truth of what happened... We're going to ask, if I may coin a phrase, and we hope that they tell,' he said."
Very sad and disappointing.
I'd like to add as commentary that though he was out as bi, he's getting gaywashed by some press.
2008 was most dangerously violent year for LGBT people in over a decade
"Our recent report tells us that this past year has been one of the most dangerously violent years for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people since NCAVP began documenting anti-LGBT violence. Many elected officials who do care are focused on the need for hate crimes legislation. This is understandable but not enough. We need attention and resources from every level of government aimed at education that helps prevent hate violence before it occurs. We need laws that deliver equal rights and protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people which by their very existence send the message that we are equal citizens, equal human beings and that hate violence will not be condoned."
Something resourceful that can make a difference:
Ohio Educator's Guide to GLBTQ Resources - A Guide to Creating Safe Schools for ALL Youth
I believe I may have posted this before, but for the sake of thoroughness, here it is again.
And lastly, a bit of humor:
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