Friday, January 31, 2014

LGBT Women's News: Barneys Features Transgender Models In Awesome Push For Equality


The Huffington Post  |  By 

Over the past few years, the modeling industry has taken some strides to redefine itself and maintain its relevancy in modern society. While there's still a long way to go, luxury retailer Barneys New York has taken it a step further this year with its spring campaign, which features 17 transgender models.
The campaign, entitled "Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters," is meant to promote awareness of transgender issues and includes photos, videos and a short film. Women's Wear Daily spoke with Barneys creative director Dennis Freeman recently about the decision to use transgender models in the campaign. Freeman stressed the importance of progress in the industry to include the entire LGBT community, noting that compared to the inclusion of gay, lesbian and bisexual models, "it's striking how the transgender community has been left behind. It's disturbing and upsetting to see that."
Another goal of the campaign is to better acquaint people with the transgender community. Sawyer Devuyst, one of the models featured in the campaign, spoke to TIME this week about his own experience, stressing the broader issue of understanding what the ads can accomplish. He "hopes the campaign will make it easier to relate to trans people -- a trans woman featured in Rolling Stone helped his aunt understand that he was not alone."
Barneys is not the first to put the spotlight on transgender and gender nonconforming models. Between Andrej Peijic's Elle Magazine cover and one woman's decision to only model male clothing, it seems like the barriers to entry in the modeling world are slowly being broken down. Top jewelry designer Alexis Bittar even announced today that it now has a transgender ambassador. Clearly, transgender models have a presence in the industry like never before.
Still, it is certainly refreshing to see this move from Barneys, a major player in the fashion retail world. We hope other major department stores will follow suit.
Have a look at some of the gorgeous photos and the video below. Head over to Barneys.com for the entire story.

transgender

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Inspirational LGBT Quote Of The Day


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Inspirational LGBT Quote Of The Day


LGBT Women's News: Actress Eden Riegel Discusses Acting, Her Career, and Lesbian Kisses on 'All My Children'


Llana Rapp
Writer, NYCastings, "V" fanatic

Eden Riegel played Bianca Montgomery, Erica Kane's daughter, in the original "All My Children" on ABC and on "All My Children 2.0" by Prospect Park. You can reach out to her on Twitter: @EdenRiegel

I chatted with one of the most popular actresses who has portrayed a gay character: Eden Riegel (Bianca Montgomery) of soap opera "All My Children". Eden Riegel did not know her character Bianca was a lesbian when she won the role.
You started acting at the age of 7 years old on Broadway in Les Misérables. Please describe your audition and what you were feeling when you were told you got the part.
"I booked the part out of Washington, DC, close to where I was living in a Virginia suburb. It was a giant cattle call at the Kennedy Center that took all day with hundreds of kids auditioning. My mom read about it in the paper and we went, having no idea what we were doing. We didn't even really know what Les Mis was. My brother and I had done community theater and dinner theater, but nothing on this scale. All the other kids were more professional than us, more polished, more prepared. But our naturalism ended up working to our advantage. I was very nervous which made me look fragile and waifish which was perfect for the role. My brother was spunky and puckish -- a natural Gavroche. He was cast as the 'local kid' in the Kennedy Center production (a publicity trick they often pulled at the time to get a lot of attention in the local press). But the director, Richard Jay Alexander, remembered me through that production, and when he started up a new company out of New York shortly thereafter, he hired both my brother and me. We toured for a year and then I moved to Broadway. I obviously had no understanding of the importance of getting the role, or how it would change my life. I loved doing theater, being a part of a cast and all the fun and grown-up responsibility that went with it, so I was very excited. But I still remember being sad that I would miss Halloween Trick-or-Treating in my hometown. When I moved to Broadway I knew it was important and that made it easier to leave the family I had formed on the tour behind. But I never knew enough to be scared. I just had fun when I performed. I was too young to feel any pressure yet. On tour and on Broadway we had a chaperone backstage and a girls' and boys' dressing room. And my grandmother toured with us as our guardian and received an additional per diem to travel with us (actually 2, as there were 2 of us), as is the Equity [union] rule. Moving to New York initially did create some stress, because I was living with my grandmother away from my parents and brother (who were still living in suburban Virginia). But soon after my brother also booked a role on Broadway and he and my mom moved to New York so we could become full-time show-biz kids. Still, that was no picnic, and definitely put a lot of stress on my parents' marriage."
How is television acting different than stage acting?
"Definitely faster paced to say the least! It's a whole different beast. There is very little time to rehearse or to work with the other actors and director. You show up on set having done most of your prep on your own and already knowing your lines. In soaps that can mean learning 40-odd pages overnight. You work with the director to quickly block the scenes and then head right into shooting. For primetime there is time to light and a small number of takes. In addition there is coverage that they have to get for editing. Usually two cameras are operating at once, from the same angle, one looser and one a little tighter frame. They do a master, some mediums, and go in for close-ups, then turn around and do the other side. In soaps it's often just one take. There are three or four cameras going at once and they do a rough edit in the control room on the fly. Then they make sure they have what they need and move on. That's why soaps can cover so much material, sometimes shooting two hour-long shows a day. Theater is something different altogether, as most actors are familiar with from school. There's a rehearsal process, lots of discussion, and staging goes through several revisions as things settle in and feel different. Once the show goes up all the technicals are set, but performance can change quite a bit within those parameters from night to night. It's a living, breathing organism, and no performance is the same. In film and primetime much of the performance is shaped by the editor and director/producers in the cut. In soaps it's essentially filmed live, so whatever happens on the day is what the final performance is. And in theater there is no final product. It's always a work-in-progress."
Do you continue to take acting classes? How have you seen yourself grow as an actor due to classes and real life experiences?
"Absolutely I am still in acting class and can almost never imagine myself not being in class. Due to the cyclical nature of the business even the most successful actors I know are unemployed almost more than they are working. During that time, of course, they are actively auditioning, maybe making their own content with friends, writing, and sometimes doing some theater for an alternate creative experience. But it's important to stay sharp and that means working the right way in front of other people you trust to push you to improve, even when things are slow. Perhaps especially then. Because we are so reliant as actors to be hired before we can work on our craft, we have to find outlets when people aren't giving us that opportunity in order to be in tip-top shape when they do. Also, when I am working a lot it's easy to fall into traps, taking short-cuts because I'm overwhelmed with what has to get done. Being in class every week is like going to the gym. It keeps me honest, inspires me, and pushes me to keep learning. What's so great about what we do as actors is that you can never be a finished product. You can always get better, I don't care who you are. Even if you are Daniel Day Lewis. I bet he never stops working, that guy. There is never a time when we can't improve. So no matter who you are you have to keep working on yourself. A sitcom actor might find his show cancelled or crave a new challenge, and he will be so glad he's been in class every week working on his drama skills, for example. Those same skills will deepen his sitcom work, and will prepare him for his next project."

When you were cast as Bianca Montgomery in the soap opera "All My Children," did you have any idea about the lesbian storyline?
"When I was cast I had no idea. I only knew that they were looking for a very strong actress because they expected the story to get a lot of attention. I was flown to New York to have a one-on-one sit-down with the then executive producer right after I was offered the role. She talked me through the whole storyline to make sure I was comfortable with portraying a lesbian character. They wanted the right person for this role, because they anticipated it might be a tough-sell to some loyal fans in small-town America who might be uncomfortable with the idea of having a gay regular on their beloved soap. They wanted to win all the fans over, and hoped they could embrace Bianca as their own. To that end the story was vastly more successful than anyone could have anticipated. By and large our fans were incredibly welcoming of me and supportive of the storyline. It became a favorite of the viewers in a way that made us very proud of our fans and gratified in our work."
What type of research (besides consulting your lesbian sister, Tatiana) did you do to make sure you portrayed a girl who was afraid to come out due to family issues?
"I did consult my sister as research, and talked with some of her friends. What I found was that, though the details of each of their stories were different, at the heart of all of them were ideas any human being could relate to. Themes of alienation and rejection, of loving a trusted parent, and worrying (sometimes quite justly) that that parent would lose their love for you if they knew who you really were. Of learning to love yourself, and accept who you were born to be, and having to courage and self-love to be that person no matter the stakes. What was most valuable in my research was the permission I was given to make the story my own. Everyone I spoke to had a different tale to tell with different details. Each was their own person, with different tastes and fashion sense, different likes and dislikes. So I was empowered to make Bianca my own with the confidence that I didn't have to represent an entire community of people. Or rather, by portraying this one girl, unique and like no one else, I was representing the entire community in a way that would make them proud. It's hard to remember but it was really a different time then. Now gay characters proliferate on television. But then it was extremely rare, and had never before been done on daytime. I was the first and felt a responsibility to do it right. As I found out, approaching the role as I would any other role I had played was the only way to go."
What did you do to gear up for the first lesbian kiss (with actress Olga Sosnovska who played Lena) on American daytime television?
"Soaps are so fast we didn't really have time to work anything out. We certainly didn't practice in our dressing rooms, or anything, much to some of the male cast members' disappointment. But at that point Olga and I had been working together for several months and felt very safe with each other. We were friends. Which I suppose might have made it more awkward, but for us somehow made it infinitely less so. And she's British and those British gals don't have the gene for embarrassment so she helped diffuse the situation. It was silly and giggly and ultimately just as uncomfortable as any opposite-sex kissing scene ever is, and no more-so. What was most scary was the wall of press cameras behind our camera guys and all the strangers on set. It was considered an event at the time, and different outlets sent crews to cover the scene. That part was terrifying. Just acting in front of them, and then the kiss, too. It felt very scrutinized. I wanted the kiss to look sweet and tender and very natural. Not rushed or awkward. I'm not sure we achieved that but each kiss got progressively better as we got more comfortable."
Bianca had many girlfriends. As each new love interest was introduced and you became more and more comfortable with same-sex kisses, did you have discussions with the actresses beforehand or just delved right into it?
"We would talk about it a little but honestly it was mostly joking around. It was a soap so we had to keep the kisses pretty chaste. Elizabeth Hendrickson and I tried to slip each other some tongue at one point but they made us retape that kiss sans-tongue. It's the daytime so everything had to be fairly tame. And all my love-interests were very game for the kisses. We were always happy on those days because we loved the story and loved that they were letting us show real intimacy between two women on camera. So we were always up for a kissing scene, or to throw in a kiss where none was written. It became very comfortable and habitual. And, no, I never worried about being typecast. I don't think women had to worry about that as much as men even 12 years ago when we started the story. And nowadays it's even less of an issue than it ever was. We are starting to see actors male and female go in and out of gay or straight roles with no one batting an eye. And actors are playing gay or straight regardless of their personal orientation, and feeling more comfortable being out because of that. But anyway, I never worried about it. Life's too short and the part too enticing. Considering every potential inevitability is too exhausting."
You started doing fan events and other events because of your work on "All My Children." Are these events written into your contract or is there a separate contract?
"The Super Soap event that took place every year at Disney World was sponsored by ABC/Disney and I imagine that was somewhat contractually required as a reasonable promotional appearance. But believe me I wanted to be a part of it. It was fun. No one had to do any convincing. I didn't do much in the way of other public fan events. I did the fan club luncheon every year and my own fan club held and still holds annual events. They are fun and proceeds go to charity. I did a number of other charity appearances and events."
Why did you choose not to renew your contract on ABC's "All My Children" and move out to California?
"Because I wanted to see if I could make a go of it on primetime or in films. I was signed to a big-shot agent and I thought at the time, 'I'm not getting any younger, if I want to give it a shot this is my chance.' I had a few close calls but did not break out in anything and would return to the show when I wasn't busy doing other things. I'm proud to be a working actor who has always supported myself comfortably doing what I love. To me that is success. Everything else is gravy."

Why did you decide to return to "All My Children" 2.0 which [was] shooting in CT?
"I wanted to be a part of the show's next chapter. It was a huge part of my life and I was excited to play Bianca at a new stage in her life and also see the show establish itself for a new generation, with a company behind it that had an exciting vision, and with a new model that is groundbreaking and could pave the way for a new way for viewers to consume television. It's an exciting time. I was also proud of our fans for never giving up, and through sheer power of will bringing our show back from the dead. I wanted to be a part of this resurrection because I was so impressed that it actually came true! We are shooting on location in Connecticut and sharing studio space with One Life to Live, so we take turns being in production there and being on hiatus. During the hiatus I am back in LA. When I am shooting I am on location in Connecticut."

This piece originally ran on NYCastings.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Inspirational LGBT Quote Of The Day


LGBT Women's News: Take Your Dream A Step Further


Mary Gorham Malia
Chief Officer of Love and Founder, gaygirldatingcoach.com

It's a new year. Again. It just keeps happening and there is no stopping it. Days tick by and turn into weeks, months and years and still you dream.
I know, you're busy doing life. You're trapped in saying, "I'll get to it later." There is NO later, there is only NOW.
And as Dr. Phil would say, "How is that working for you?" That waiting until later, putting it off, denying that you want it -- your dream, that is.
And what is your dream?
A dream of love, an amazing lesbian relationship, that job or a new place to live? Your dream of that big adventure or romantic trip? Your dream of dancing under the stars or hiking to the top of that hill? Your dream is for and about your life. No one else is directing your life. When will you start living your dream?
Dreams are lovely and wonderful, the good ones that is. Don't let your dreams turn into a nightmare. The nightmare of never having done a thing about it. The nightmare of regret.
Ask any one who is approaching or in the last stage of life as we know it here on earth. What do they regret? Not having loved more, played more or not having gone after their dreams?
To go after your dreams often requires courage because it means letting go of what you know; letting go of the safety of certainty. Going after your dream means taking chances, perhaps failing and being disappointed. Taking action to make a dream into something real and tangible means you're going to have to do something different with your one wild and precious life.
I've been living out a dream for the last three years. Growing a business that reaches out to the lesbian community to help women live their best lesbian lives, Gay Girl Dating Coach. It's not easy sometimes. I've made more mistakes than I want to remember, but each one is a lesson. I've also had women tell me that their lives have been forever changed. That's the dream coming true.
This fall I launched the Gay Girl Love Tour and I've been on the road doing Love Tour Stops. The Love Tour has visited 5 states so far and there are lots of requests to bring the tour to many places. It's a dream that's become real. Why? I took action. I made decisions, some really hard ones like selling my Miata and buying a van. I've reached out to women around the country for support. Some have showed up in big ways and others haven't. That's how life works.
Walking out this dream so far means I've made mistakes, had failures, had successes and everything in between. I've met lots of amazing women, gone on a few dates myself and seen parts of the country that are beautiful and amazing and other parts that weren't. I've been reminded of how much I love the desert, missed family and friends, laughed and cried.
I've doubted myself and that happens everyday.
I have to reignite my faith every day. Remind myself why I'm doing this -- because I want to change the way gay women date and empower women to create amazing relationships. I want to stir up hope, inspire your dreams and be a partner in your journey. I'm often scared. Yes, for real. Not of strangers but of my dreams.
And then I get up and do it again.
Many days running my own business requires me to stir up a big pot of courage and determination to get stuff done. There is no one giving me a map, I'm doing this with a compass. Navigating my way through a big unknown territory determined to make a difference, even if it's just one woman at a time.
What are you doing to live out your dream?
Instead of New Year's intentions, look at your dream and set some REAL LIVE GOALS to accomplish this week, in the next month and before the year is over. And realize, its the goals you set for each day and each week that really move you forward. It's the small steps that get you there.
Let me say that again. It's the small steps that get you to your dreams. You can decide what a small step is, engineer it, make it happen, do it and then do it again and again. Big leaps are great, but they don't happen very often.
Have you ever navigated with a compass? You determine your direction using the arrow, dial and sometimes the sun. Then you set off, one step at a time. That's the only way you can do it. One step after another, after another and another. You check your direction as you go along but it's still one step at a time. Eventually you get there if you don't quit.
Do you want to finally find love and create your amazing lesbian love affairthis year? Set your compass and then start walking. Do one thing each and every day to move you toward love. That will mean doing something differently from what you have been doing. And it will also mean not quitting when it gets hard or seems to be taking too long.
The magic is in taking small steps each and every day. This is my small step today. Sharing this one small thought with you.
Did it make a difference? For even one woman? Are you ready to do something NOW instead of LATER? Leave me a comment and tell me, what are you going to start doing now to make your dream a reality?
 

Monday, January 27, 2014

Inspirational Quote Of The Day

LGBT News: Black or Gay: Choose One

Nicole Breedlove
President and CEO, oursistacircle.com The first social networking site for lesbians of color

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts has come out of the closet. Hooray for her! So few African-American women, specifically those in the public eye, feel safe enough to do it. There is such a backlash from it. You can be a rapist or even a child killer, which is a choice, and those crimes are often more forgivable than being gay, which is no more a choice than your skin color. I never understood why so many have such disgust and hatred for a stranger. How does their life affect you in any way? How does what two consenting adults do in their own household disturb you? Does Robin pay your bills? Is she forcing you to watch her news program?
The African-American community preaches unity and one love -- except if you're gay. It's almost like we lose our black card when we are LGBT. We are the lepers of the movement even though we have always been an integral part of it. Think Angela Davis. Think Bayard Rustin. Think all the nameless, faceless among us who face the same discrimination and more. Do you think when we are being profiled for being black, they will make the distinction and give us a pass because of our sexuality?
So when I read about Robin's coming out, I just knew how our community would respond. I swear I feel like Celie in The Color Purple: "I just stand back and I wait to see what the wall gonna look like." Except I've seen this wall before. It's always the same. Reactions on social media by homophobic heterosexuals are predictable.
"So what? Who cares if she's gay?"
I care, and so does most of the LGBT community. We are no longer hiding in the closet. We are proud. We want that little girl living in South Africa under the constant threat of corrective rape, or that boy about to commit suicide in Los Angeles,* to know that we are everywhere. We are your daughters, mothers and grandmothers, teachers, police officers, nurses, pastors, armed forces, and athletes, and yes, in some instances, we are your wives and husbands because we don't have the courage to come out yet.
"We don't care about what happens in her bedroom."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but she never mentioned her bedroom. She simply thanked her longtime girlfriend for helping her. What is wrong with that? Wouldn't you acknowledge your partner or spouse?
"The Bible says homosexuality is not just a sin but an abomination."
It is also an abomination for a woman to wear pants: "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 22:5). Funny, I don't see very many of you strictly adhering to that Bible verse.
"What a waste."
A waste for whom? You? What makes you think she would want you if she weren't gay?
"I just don't want it around my kids."
Not a problem. Don't schedule any playdates at her house or bring your children to any gay clubs and you will be safe.
Don't like gay people? No problem! That is your absolute right. What I do have a problem with is the hateful propaganda and misinformation that encourages assaults and murders. That is the issue I have with the rampant ignorance of homophobic black folks all under the guise of the Bible and Christianity, which ironically promote the ideals of loving your neighbor and leaving the judging up to God. Not you. Not your friends. Not your pastor. GOD. But I will make a deal with you: The day you can walk on water and/or raise the dead, I'll make sure to let you judge me then!
*Need help? Visit The Trevor Project or call them at 1-866-488-7386. You can also call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

LGBT Women News: Lesbian Parenting and a Child Trapped Between Mothers

Colleen Logan, Ph.D
Psychotherapist in private practice; Program Coordinator, School of Counseling and Social Service, Walden University




As an adopted child who was always aware of my biological mother and subsequently born half-siblings, I commonly felt like the "other" child -- the one who was different. In my mind as a young child, it just didn't make sense: Why couldn't I stay at home in Northern Ireland with my family, too, and why were my biological siblings somehow "lucky" and able to stay with our mother?




Now as an adult, my family situation is no less complicated: My ex-partner and I legally co-parent our son. Right before our breakup, my ex became the biological mother of another child, a girl. Ultimately, I remarried and became the stepmother of my wife's daughter who is the same age as my son. Now I wonder: Does this youngest child -- the biological child of my ex-partner and the one we speak less about because the legal boundaries of her primary parent are more clear -- feel like the "other" child? Does she feel, as I once felt, that the rules that govern the rest of the family don't apply to her? Does she feel like an afterthought to the older siblings who claim so much adult attention?
As an adult, I have come to appreciate the circumstances that made my own adoption necessary. I know now that the greatest gift and sacrifice my mother ever made was the day she signed the papers and "gave me up" for adoption, as I was afforded many, many opportunities that just wouldn't have been available had I stayed in Northern Ireland. This truth, along with the gift of getting to know my biological family in my later years, has brought my life full circle and I am truly blessed to know and love and be loved by my wonderful families both adoptive and biological.
But what about a child's perspective? I know my understanding was the hard-won product of many years. Now the third child in our family must have some similar feelings -- at least that's what I imagine. My other two children move between homes according to the legal parameters that all parents agreed to and the court ordered. This other child is always welcome in my home but, of course, her presence -- or absence -- is dictated solely by my ex, the legal parent, who can give and take away her time with us. Although this is certainly the right and prerogative of her only legal parent, it is also a slippery slope that offers the potential for the child to become a pawn in the adult battle.
Equally as dangerous is if this child carries the "story" of the failed relationship between the adults, and comes to embody this conflict. Then she can never quite be seen as simply the child, instead always in shadow, and always the one to remind everyone of the relationship failure and the ensuing and enduring conflict between her mothers.
In this third child's seeming impermanence of being trapped in the space between two mothers, I see my young self, floating between the concepts of my adoptive and biological mothers.
We're trying our best. Recently, my wife and I gave up our home office space to make a room for this "other" child, a room she was able to shop for and plan. It's pretty pink! She seemed so happy. After hosting a "reveal" for her older siblings, she closed herself up in the space -- finally in her own domain -- and wrote a song. She sang, repeatedly at the top of her lungs, "I love my two moms, I love my MarMar (her name for my wife), I love my brother, I love my sister, I love my pets, I love my room!"
I swallowed my pride and asked my ex for a regular overnight schedule -- knowing full well she had the legal right to say no -- and, lo and behold, she agreed. We hope this agreement allows our third child to have a permanent space in our lives, just as she now has a space in our home.
 

Follow Colleen Logan, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrCLogan





Saturday, January 25, 2014

Inspirational LGBT Quote Of The Day

LGBT Women News: Mary Lambert 'She Keeps Me Warm' Video Debuts



The Huffington Post  |  By 

Two days before an emotional performance alongside Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the 2013 VMAs, also featuring surprise guest Jennifer Hudson, Seattle-based singer/songwriter Mary Lambert released her own music video for the now iconic "She Keeps Me Warm."
The single, blossoming from the original chorus Lambert wrote for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' gay rights anthem "Same Love," follows the beginnings of a relationship between two queer women.
Lambert, who recently sat down with HuffPost Live to discuss growing up in a Pentecostal household, opened up to Gay Voices about the influences behind "She Keeps Me Warm," expectations of queer women in music, and her rocketing to fame following the success of "Same Love."
In making this video, Lambert particularly aimed to highlight lesbian visibility and the evolving perspective of gay relationships within mainstream culture:
I'm so proud of this video. I've been wanting to make something like this for years, and it almost feels like I'm giving birth. I'm already starting to cry right now. It's emotional, you know? I just wonder if other lesbians OR folks in the gay community OR plus size girls have felt as frustrated as I am that is very little visibility, if at all, of their bodies in music videos.
I keep trying to put myself in an outsider's perspective, to see if it would mean as much, and I think it really does. I think it's important that there's a song that explicitly has female pronouns and portrays a lesbian couple in the video. I was a little scared of doing it for awhile, because I thought that it might alienate my audience. I never want anyone to feel uncomfortable or not want to sing along to something!
After singing "Same Love" across the nation, it's given me faith that I've underestimated the straight world. Women sing this song at the top of their lungs, and don't give two shits if it's about a lesbian relationship. They sing "She keeps me warm, she keeps me waaaarm" and enjoy singing it! I think it's giving visibility to the normalcy of gay relationships. We're just as boring as everyone else -- grocery shopping, farting in front of each other, Netflix binges. We're not rolling around in lingerie or having make-out orgies in pink pajamas while men watch. I think the video takes away the novelty and over-sexualized nature of perceived lesbian relationships.
Lambert, who has repeatedly emphasized that her performances are safe spaces for all people where crying is acceptable, ensured that the environment while shooting the video remained equally as inclusive and freeing.
This video was an all-queer female crew. A lot of the extras were queer too, come to think of it. It made the environment very safe. I trusted everyone that was on the cast and crew, and knew they all had my back. Working with Mego Lin, our director, was seamless. She's so incredibly talented and listened to my concerns and ideas and made my vision translate to film. It helps that she's also the kindest person in the universe.
 The impact "She Keeps Me Warm" and "Same Love" have had on the lived experiences of such a wide spectrum of listeners, particularly LGBT people, is something that Lambert continues to treasure and value.
I receive some amazing mail and stories about the song, and it's really difficult to not get emotional. I read every single one. I just let the tears come at this point; I cry happy tears all damn day. I think the one that sticks out in my head is a girl I met in Texas. She had come out to her family, and unfortunately her mother was less than understanding. Rather than talking, her mom chose to pretend it didn't happen. A year passed and her mom picked her up from college to drive back home, which was a two hour trip. The girl and I had met briefly after a show and I gave her an autograph. She wanted to show her mom the song. They were both silent, intent on listening to every word. The mom started crying, and then the girl followed suit (Good lord, I get so weepy when I recount this story). The mom apologized for being upset and asked for the daughter's forgiveness. A real understanding and dialogue occurred after the song. In the email, the girl said "That was the first time I felt like someone was on my side."
As an artist, I don't think you can't really ask for more than that.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/mary-lambert-she-keeps-me-warm_n_3816836.html?utm_hp_ref=lesbian

Friday, January 24, 2014

LGBT News: Isa Shakhmarli, Azeri Gay Rights Activist, Allegedly Commits Suicide With A Rainbow Flag

Isa Shakhmarli Suicide

Members of Azerbaijan's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are in mourning this week after the unexpected death of one of their leading advocates.
As the AFP reports, 20-year-old Isa Shakhmarli was found dead Jan. 22 after reportedly hanging himself with a rainbow flag. Shakhmarli was the chairman of Azerbaijan Free LGBT, a Baku-based gay rights advocacy group, according to the report.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has published an excerpt of a note that the LGBT activist apparently wrote to friends on his Facebook page.
"This world is not colorful enough for my colors," part of the note read, according to the report.
The RFE/RL report also includes footage of mourners attending Shakhmarli's funeral, which can be viewed above. The activist's coffin is seen covered with a rainbow flag and banners.
Close friend and colleague Vugar Adigozalov told AFP that Shakhmarli "had bad relations with his family" after coming out as gay. Azerbaijan, like many former Soviet republics, is generally considered hostile toward homosexuality, RFE/FL pointed out.
Gay Star News cites a 2013 interview in which Shakhmarli revealed that his family still considered his sexuality "an illness."
"I wish our society was not biased. Before hating, read about homosexuality on the Internet, learn about it," he is quoted as saying. "I want LGBTs to be brave. ...If you want, you can achieve."
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or visit stopbullying.gov. You can also visit The Trevor Project or call them at 866-488-7386.

If located abroad, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) has excellent resources.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

LGBT News: What We Did

Robert Julian
Robert Julian
Writer and actor; star, 'Golden Gays'; author, 'Postcards From Palm Springs: A Memoir' and 'Hollywood or Lust'

We didn't know what we were dealing with. But we knew the effects were pain and suffering, followed by a horrible death. The "experts" were clueless as to why all our friends and lovers were dying. Elected officials, almost as befuddled and frightened as we were, opted for denial or silent non-intervention. As we pushed our way through the tsunami of loss that overwhelmed us, we saw the sick denied the right to board commercial airlines. Ambulances refused to transport severely ill patients to emergency rooms. Funeral homes refused bodies. We were, literally, the untouchables.
In places like San Francisco and New York, a great cloud of suffering descended on our community, challenging us to choose life or accept the opposite. Yet there was no formula for success, little hope, and no guidance. So this is what we did.
We looked inward. We created our own churches to nurture our damaged souls. We relied on the help of those rare individuals whose compassion transcended their fears. We saw a frightening wasting syndrome reduce vibrant young men to shadows of their former selves, and we began to eat. We embraced obesity because we thought the fat could not get sick. We acted out and acted up. We organized. We propelled ourselves into agitprop activism on the streets of our cities and the steps of our nation's capitols.
We attended memorial services every week until we could no longer carry the emotional burden of showing up. We withdrew from life. We shut down emotionally. We stayed in relationships that weren't working because what was out there terrified us. We moved to other cities to start over in places that might offer better survival odds. Or we went someplace where we were not known, to die alone and relieve the burden we had become to our friends. Sometimes we went home to die... if our family would accept us. Some of us stayed where we were, remaining members of a particular tribe: men who put everything familiar behind them to create a new urban gay life. In spite of the odds, we would not undo that choice.
We helped each other because there was no one else. We sought legal counsel to prepare for the looming inevitable. We ran errands, bought groceries, cooked meals, administered IVs, changed bedpans, and took turns sitting bedside. Women, particularly lesbians, stepped up to be caretakers and advocates when we could not help ourselves. We took ineffective or experimental drugs that killed us faster than the illness would have. Or we turned away from the well-intended advice of a medical community that could only treat symptoms. Some of us journeyed to countries like Mexico or France to pursue alternative medical treatments that did not work.
One by one, we deleted the phone numbers of friends from telephone books and speed-dial settings because they no longer connected us to the living. When a sentence began, "Did you hear about...," our spines stiffened as we awaited the saddest punch line in our world. We learned that gallows humor was better than no humor at all. We endlessly reinvented our sex lives without ever becoming entirely comfortable with what we were doing, or why. We responded to requests from loved ones that chilled our souls.
At the insistence of terminally ill friends, we begged, borrowed, or stole opiates and sedatives, hoarding them until we had accumulated enough for a lethal dose. Sometimes it worked. When it didn't, we picked up the pillow on the bed. We allowed ourselves to become on-call murderers; we killed out of kindness and kept the secret amongst ourselves. Coroners did not look closely at our cases. For many, many years we just put one foot in front of the other and tried not to look back. We persevered. We reached for moments of joy and happiness when they broke through the clouds and held them as long as we could.
We gathered the shards and splinters of our broken lives and tried to assemble a mosaic for living, a pattern for survival. Miraculously, a few of us who have walked this path since 1981 are still here to talk about it. But we do not talk. It is painful for us, and no one wants to hear these stories anyway. They are too hard. We are survivors of a holocaust that still casts a shadow over our lives. In silence, we now carry that shadow with us into old age. It does not go away.
There is more optimism these days, and more knowledge. There is an international effort to assist those who are ill or at risk. But on this day I reach out to my fellow soldiers who fought the good fight beside me, in whatever manner they could. If we were not an old soul when we began this journey, we surely became one along the way. I thank you for the way you carried yourselves, how you rose to the occasion. As long as we have memory, neither you nor I will ever forget what we did.
 

Lesbian Health: Empower Yourself


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Inspirational LGBT Quote Of Day

LGBT News


Our work on LGBT issues spans decades – from an early case challenging the military’s anti-gay policy, Hoffburg v. Alexanderto the monitoring of anti-gay hate and extremist groups today. The SPLC is dedicated to defending the rights of the LGBT community. Our current work has a national reach but is primarily focused on the Southeast where relatively few organizations advocate for this community.

Tracey and Maggie Cooper-Harris are legally married, but the Department of Veterans Affairs denied Tracey's application for additional compensation to which other married veterans are entitled. (Valerie Downes photo)
Ensuring safe schools is a particular concern. The bullying of LGBT students is a severe, nationwide problem – one made more difficult by the reluctance of many school districts to take strong steps to prevent it. Nearly nine out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment, a survey by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found. Also, a Southern Poverty Law Center analysis of FBI hate crime data found that LGBT people are far more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime than any other minority group in the United States.
The SPLC has worked to ensure safe schools for all students – including LGBT students – through educational campaigns and legal action. Our Teaching Tolerance program released the anti-bullying documentary Bullied in 2010. The free documentary and teaching kit, designed for both classroom use and professional development for educators, tells the story of one student’s landmark effort to stand up to his anti-gay tormentors.
More than 50,000 copies of the film have been distributed across the country – making Bullied the most successful film ever produced by Teaching Tolerance at that time and helping to raise awareness of this serious issue facing LGBT youth.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has also taken legal action to protect LGBT students. This includes litigation against school policy that creates an atmosphere hostile to LGBT students or otherwise isolates these students for harassment. Anti-gay policies and actions that infringe on the free expression and privacy rights of LGBT students are another focus of this work. Outside the classroom, the Southern Poverty Law Center focuses on the treatment of LGBT youth in juvenile and foster care facilities.
Other efforts focus on the rights of LGBT adults, including issues involving parenting rights and the treatment of LGBT seniors in nursing homes and other facilities.

LGBT News: Oklahoma Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional By Judge


A judge has ruled Oklahoma's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional,Tulsa World reports.
U.S. Senior District Judge Terence Kern made the ruling, which is stayed pending appeal, on Tuesday. Marriages will not occur immediately in Oklahoma.
Chad Griffin, president of Human Rights Campaign, released thefollowing statement on the ruling:
Judge Kern has come to the conclusion that so many have before him – that the fundamental equality of lesbian and gay couples is guaranteed by the United States Constitution. With last year’s historic victories at the Supreme Court guiding the way, it is clear that we are on a path to full and equal citizenship for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Equality is not just for the coasts anymore, and today’s news from Oklahoma shows that time has come for fairness and dignity to reach every American in all 50 states.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Oklahoma's gay marriage ban, ruling that it violates the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern handed down the ruling in a lawsuit filed by two same-sex couples. Kern immediately stayed his ruling pending appeals, meaning gay marriages won't happen in Oklahoma right away.
The gay couples had sued for the right to marry and to have a marriage from another jurisdiction recognized in Oklahoma.
Kern ruled on a constitutional amendment approved by Oklahoma voters in 2004 that says marriage in the state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. He said the measure violates the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause by precluding same-sex couples from receiving an Oklahoma marriage license.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's office did not immediately have a comment on the ruling.
The Oklahoma ruling comes about a month after a federal judge in Utah overturned that state's ban on same-sex marriage and hundreds of couples got married. The U.S. Supreme Court later intervened and put a halt to the weddings there until the courts sort out the matter.
The Oklahoma judge cited that case in staying his ruling.