Stand Together

Girl from Friday video launches anti-bullying campaign

gaywrites:

Remember that girl in pink who danced awkwardly in Rebecca Black’s infamous Friday video? She hopes you do.

Her name is Benni Cinkle, and after she was bullied online for her dancing in Friday, she started efforts to help others who experience bullying and depression. She’s put together a guide to “surviving the Internet” and her foundation/web site, thatgirlinpink.org, lists resources for kids who need help. Her single “Can You See Me Now?” addresses these issues too, especially in the hard-hitting video (laden with trigger warnings for self-harm, eating disorders, abuse and bullying, so watch at your own risk). 

The Advocate.com article linked above gives you more information about her budding pop career, plus information about up-and-coming singer Holly Elle, another younger artist hoping to raise awareness of LGBT issues like bullying.

And they say something’s wrong with our generation. 

I’m kind of in shock. our generation gives me hope sometimes. stuff like this keeps me from being totally cynical.

Lady Gaga the movie

gaywrites:

Showbiz 411 recently reported that a movie biography about Lady Gaga is in the works.

Called Fame Monster and adapted from a book about the star, the movie will follow the transformation of Stefani Germanotta into Lady Gaga. It will be filmed in Toronto.

Thoughts?

-_- just…ugh. I hate her so much. So much. I don’t hate things or people, I don’t. I’m a kind person. But I really hate her.

Closeted characters abound in fall TV lineup

gaywrites:

It’s no secret that TV is getting gayer. Between Glee, Modern Family, Pretty Little Liars and tons of other shows that feature LGBT characters, mainstream television is rapidly becoming a major forum for discussion of and exposure to LGBT issues. When new TV shows start up in the fall, that trend will continue. 

In this quick Advocate.com writeup, we see that new television shows in the fall do have plenty of LGBT characters, but a fair number of them are still in the closet. Scroll through the article for a list of shows to watch for and the characters to pay attention to. 

Closeted characters are not necessarily helpful to the LGBT cause, but they’re somewhat realistic, sometimes more so than characters who are immediately out. After all, lots of gay people are closeted for part, even much of their lives. But if the show doesn’t address whether or not the character will ever come out, it can lead to reenforcing the idea of LGBT people constantly in the closet.

How should TV represent closeted LGBT people?

A 7-year-old girl responds to DC Comics' sexed-up reboot of Starfire | io9

comicsareforgirls:

I want to hug this girl forever. Rock on, little sister!

(Source: ryeisenberg)

5 Queer Asian American Women in Entertainment and Media

(Source: gaysianinvasions, via bohemianarthouse)

Ellen and Portia's new show

gaywrites:

NBC is considering a new sitcom starring none other than Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. This comes just after an announcement about another gay-themed show the station might consider, called My Best Friend Is A Lesbo (ugh). 

According to Deadline.com, the show is about a pair of dueling sisters, one of whom will be played by de Rossi, while DeGeneres will work behind the scenes as an executive producer. Samantha Who? co-creator and executive producer Don Todd will act as a writer on the pilot episode. 

Very, very interesting. I’m particularly fond of one comment on this Advocate.com article:

Will Portia’s and/or her sister’s character be a lesbian? Has the show been given an air time and start date? I’d like to see a sitcom with Ellen and Portia playing a married lesbian couple with children.

LGBT groups speak out against Tyler, the Creator

gaywrites:

He may have won a VMA, but Tyler, the Creator hasn’t won over the hearts of GLAAD or any other LGBT advocacy group.

These groups have once again stood up to send a message that Tyler’s music is extremely homophobic, and worse, he’s unapologetic about it. For example, he uses the word “fa—ot” 213 times in one album. From Perez Hilton:

Now, Tyler has responded to the widespread public criticism. Here’s what he had to say about it:

“Well, I have gay fans and they don’t really take it offensive, so I don’t know. If it offends you, it offends you…If you call me a n—a, I really don’t care, but that’s just me, personally. Some people might take it the other way; I personally don’t give a sh–.”

Honestly, I’m with GLAAD. There’s no excuse for this kind of blatant ignorance about the kind of hurt these words can cause. 

Broadway show to help Trevor Project

gaywrites:

How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, a new Broadway musical starring Daniel Radcliffe, will put on a special performance to benefit the Trevor Project. 

On Thursday, October 6, a portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will benefit the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBT youth. In addition, 100% of proceeds from an auction of autographed show merch will benefit the Trevor Project, and the actors will stay after the show for a discussion with a Trevor Project representative. 

Daniel Radcliffe has publicly supported the Trevor Project for a while now and has been honored by numerous LGBT activist organizations for doing so. On a personal note, I saw this show in August and it really is incredible. Broadway fans, theater fans, music fans, even Potter fans - you must check it out. 

Click here to buy tickets for this show. It’s a fun time for a wonderful cause. Props to Dan and the rest of the cast and crew for doing this. 

I wish I could go :(

Should we talk about Tim Cook's sexuality?

gaywrites:

Tim Cook, the brand new CEO of Apple, is gay. Everyone’s got that.

What’s unclear is how much - if at all - the media should be focusing on that one fact.

This is an age-old debate in the field of LGBT media: is it important to note that public officials, celebrities, world leaders or other important people are gay? Many would argue yes. A great Reuters blog linked above explains why.

Here’s my perception of the argument, and I basically agree with it: though a person’s sexual orientation may not be relevant to the reason they made the news (i.e. Tim Cook selected as CEO), the fact that they made the news is relevant to the LGBT community.

If an LGBT person makes strides or achieves greatness where no LGBT person has done so before, it does a disservice to the LGBT community to ignore the fact that the person is LGBT. Failing to mention the person’s sexual orientation is a way of veiling the truth, pretending that the orientation isn’t there, suggesting we should ignore the fact that gay people are gay and gay people do great things too.

What do you think?

A push for marriage equality in Washington

gaywrites:

Gay couples in Seattle and other cities in Washington have been eyeing states like New York with jealousy. It’s time for Washington to take a step in support of marriage equality, they say.

This awesome article from SeattlePi details the ongoing fight for (and against) marriage equality in Washington. A big component of the argument is that both sides believe public opinion is with them. Numbers say otherwise:

— More than 24,000 households in Washington are led by same-sex partners.

— In Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula and in San Juan County, comprising most of its namesake islands, more than one out of every 50 couples is same-sex.

— Seattle shows that 3 percent of couples are male partners and more than 2 percent are female partners. The number of same-sex couples in King County grew by 37 percent over the decade, slower than the state as a whole.

— Nearly one-quarter of same-sex couples lead a household with children.

Read this for a good overview of one state’s struggle to reach for gay marriage when both sides claim they’re right. This is relevant to pretty much everyone right now, and chances are multiple states are facing the same challenges. 

24000? really? thats kind of amazing. why are we denying the rights of 48,000 people? and thats just in one state.