Published to Beth Ditto
Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto is teaming up with MAC for a limited edition cosmetics line , and I’m kind of having a femme-gasm.
I don’t normally get so excited about celebrities, corporations and capitalism, but this is a partnership I can get behind. MAC cosmetics are not tested on animals, many of the products are vegan , and the company often hires non-normative spokesmodels and employees, like Ditto. She is an unapologetic fat, queer, feminist who lets her inner drag queen shine... Read Full Story
Not yet published.
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Filed under: America , Barack Obama , Obama , Politics Read Full Story
Published to Gay and Lesbian Rights
Black* members of the LGBT community experience stark social, economic and health disparities compared to the general population and their straight black and white LGBT counterparts, according to a Center for American Progress report.
Data in the report emphasized the intersections of the black racial identity with sexual orientation and gender identity , revealing:
Families headed by black same-sex couples are more likely to raise their children in poverty.
Black lesbians are more... Read Full Story
Published to Abortion debate
After years of litigation in the Roe v. Wade case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of Roe , legalizing abortion 39 years ago today.
The court extended the right to privacy clause in the 14th Amendment to a person’s choice to have an abortion; however, that right must be balanced with the state’s interest to protect prenatal life and the mother’s health.
A person may chose to have an abortion until the fetus is viable or “potentially able to live outside the mother’s womb... Read Full Story
Not yet published.
In December I read some of my poetry and short stories at All The Writers I Know , a Chicago queer literary showcase hosted by Southside Hub of Production . I shared my work alongside some other very talented queers—including Kelsey Schultz, Dee Michel , Patrick Gill , Rosy Phinick and Mar Curran .
Because it was close to the holidays, the theme for the night was family: blood and chosen. I read pieces on femme visibility, alcoholism, poverty, fighting and friends. Other writers covered... Read Full Story
Published to Piracy
Over 12,000 sites across the web— Google , Wikipedia and Reddit , most notably—are protesting the House Stop Online Piracy Act and its Senate counterpart Protect IP Act by going black today.
Described as “ the end of the internet as we know it ,” by California Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren , SOPA and PIPA would make it easier for copyright holders to prosecute piracy. Corporations could obtain a court order to take down any website considered to be infringing their copyrights and internet... Read Full Story
Published to Martin Luther King Day
In school around this time every year, my teacher would recite the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. story—the lunch counter sit-ins, the march on Washington , the “I Have a Dream” speech , the assassination—and I would listen in awe, inspired by his strength and determination.
It wasn’t until college that I realized King didn’t do it alone. Of course he couldn’t single handedly orchestrate a peaceful uprising of an underclass, but until college I equated the Civil Rights Movement —and... Read Full Story
Published to The New York Times
Today, I’m toasting to Stuff Queer People Need To Know. It’s been three years since my first post, which was pretty much a repost of an article on a gay man attacked in Dayton . My first original piece on the University of Cincinnati’s LGBT center opening went up a few days later.
Quite a bit has changed since I started this blog. America inaugurated the first black president. “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” has been repealed. Hundreds of thousands of queers marched on Washington. Ohio elected... Read Full Story
Not yet published.
The following is an actual letter from my inbox. It is posted here verbatim, with no edits. My comments follow the letter in italics. If you would like to contact me, please write to stuffqueerpeopleneedtoknow@gmail.com .
Jamie,
I was reading some articles on Lorraine Fende today and came across one that you had written a few months ago.
I’m James Helmink, a Democrat running for State Representative in district 60. The district was renumbered but it is her current district with a few... Read Full Story
Not yet published.
Chris Seelbach | SeelbachForCouncil.com
“On general principle of equality and justice, [extending health insurance benefits to city employees] is just the right thing to do because all people deserve the same benefits. On the business side, it is what we need to do to make Cincinnati as competitive as possible with other cities and corporations. If we offer the best person a job, they may say no and go somewhere that offers these benefits.”
— Chris Seelbach , Cincinnati’s first openly gay... Read Full Story
