lgbt

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 08/09/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

Mistress Matisse’s Journal – Um, yeah, since you asked – you’re snobs, ladies, and you are indeed pretty ass-backwards. The one-line disclaimer you tagged on at the end about how, oh, okay, you’ve learned your lesson and you won’t make fun of those crazy swingers anymore? I’m unimpressed. You are not qualified to write knowledgeably about a minority sexual community, because your outlook is provincial, your research is shallow, and you don’t even try to hide, let alone really examine, your bias. Stick to tips on blowjobs and pubic hairstyles, that’s about your speed.
Porn School: The problem with learning about sex from porn | Bish – So lots of young people learn about sex and relationships from porn. The problem with this is that they can learn good and bad things. The legal age for watching porn is over 18, I think this is a good thing. I think that you need to be old enough to understand some of the things going on.
Hong Kong transgender woman fights marriage ban | SF Gate – The case underscores the uncertainty of marriage law when it comes to people who have changed their biological gender in the socially conservative ethnic Chinese community.
Early Struggles of Soldier Charged in Leak Case – NYTimes.com – He spent part of his childhood with his father in the arid plains of central Oklahoma, where classmates made fun of him for being a geek. He spent another part with his mother in a small, remote corner of southwest Wales, where classmates made fun of him for being gay.

Tagged as: gay, gender, hong+kong, legal, lgbt, manning, monogamy, porn, sex+education, teen, transgender, wikileaks

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 08/08/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Washington’s Muteness on Prop 8 a Sign of Cynicism, Not Progress –
Calif. Gay Marriage Ruling Could Have Raft Of Legal, Political Ramifications : NPR – "He did not say that as a matter of law, gay people are a protected class under the 14th Amendment," Koppelman said. "He said that as a matter of fact, the justifications for this law that were offered by its defenders rested on factually false premises. And it's very hard for a court on appeal to say he was wrong about that."
Scholars: Prop 8 Ruling May Be Tough To Overturn : NPR –
500 Internal Server Error – 500 Internal Server Error

Tagged as: legal, lgbt, politics, prop8

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 08/06/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

Vaughn Walker, Prop 8 Judge, Has Personal Life Debated After Gay Marriage Ruling | Huffington Post – William G. Ross, an expert on judicial ethics and law professor at Samford University in Alabama, said that a judge's sexual orientation has no more relevance to his or her ability to rule fairly on a case involving gay marriage than it would for a deeply religious judge or a judge who had been divorced multiple times…"Under the logic of the people challenging the judge's fitness to rule on a case involving gay rights because he or she was gay, one would have to find a eunuch to serve on the case, because one could just as easily argue that a heterosexual judge couldn't rule on it either," Ross said.
Prop 8 Trial Tracker | A Project of the Courage Campaign Institute – The Prop 8 Trial Tracker is a project of the Courage Campaign Institute, which is a part of the Courage Campaign’s online organizing network of more than 700,000 supporters in California and across the country… The primary contributors are Rick Jacobs, Chair of the Courage Campaign Institute, and Robert Cruickshank, Public Policy Director of the Courage Campaign Institute. California-based bloggers Paul Hogarth and Brian Leubitz also contribute legal analysis and other content to the Prop 8 Trial Tracker. Eden James, the Courage Campaign Institute’s Managing Director, is providing strategic and promotional support as well as adding occasional content.
N.Y. Appeals Court Affirms Lesbian’s Duty to Pay Child Support | NY Law Journal – "This Court has previously employed the 'implied promise-equitable estoppel approach' … to preclude a man with no biological or adoptive connection to a child from disavowing a relied-upon, implied promise to support the child, thus preventing the man from leaving the child without the support of two parents, as originally contemplated," the 2nd Department observed in an unsigned, unanimous ruling.

Tagged as: california, child+support, equality, gay, gay+marriage, legal, lesbian, lgbt, nys, politics, prop8

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 07/26/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

Samuel Steward’s Life in ‘Secret Historian’ – NYTimes.com – When the author Justin Spring finally tracked down the executor of Samuel Steward’s estate, he had no idea what this sexual outlaw and little-known literary figure had left behind after his death in 1993…So he was taken unawares by the 80 boxes full of drawings, letters, photographs, sexual paraphernalia, manuscripts and other items, including an autograph and reliquary with pubic hair from Rudolph Valentino, a thousand-page confessional journal Steward created at the request of the sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, and a green metal card catalog labeled “Stud File,” which contained a meticulously documented record on index cards of every sexual experience and partner — Rock Hudson, Thornton Wilder, “One-eyed Sadist” — that Steward said he had had over 50 years.
Interrogating Sexual Intentions on Mad Men | Cory Silverberg – Whatever the season brings I plan to follow Don's lesson about sex to Peggy; "Sex doesn't sell. You are the product. You feeling something is what sells." Watching characters we know have sex, particularly the ones we think are hot, may be fun, but it's what the sex makes them feel, makes us feel, that's far more interesting.
The Lesbians Who Love Male Gay Porn – The Daily Beast – “I wouldn’t have guessed lesbians would want to watch porn that didn’t have women,” said a straight woman who recently saw the Lisa Cholodenko comedy.
Prohibitionists, where are the answers when comparing sex work and straight work « Bound, Not Gagged – I have been far more harmed by “straight jobs” than I ever was as either a stripper or an independent escort.
GLAAD – Publications – Network Responsibility Index: 2009 – 2010 – The fourth annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index is an evaluation of the quantity, quality and diversity of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on television. It is intended to serve as a road map toward increasing fair, accurate and inclusive LGBT media representations. 
 
Primetime programming on the five broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC) was evaluated as well as 10 highly-rated cable networks (A&E, ABC Family, FX, HBO, Lifetime, MTV, Showtime, TBS, TNT and USA). Based on the analysis, a grade was assigned to each network: Excellent, Good, Adequate, or Failing.

Tagged as: bisexual, gay, lesbians, lgbt, MadMen, media, men, porn, sex, sexwork, television

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 06/25/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

Vibrator Use Among Gay and Bi Identified Men – About.com Guide to Sexuality Cory Silverberg highlights findings by scientist Michael Reece, who recently published data about vibrating sex toy use among gay and bisexual men. "Along with Debby Herbenick and colleagues at Indiana University's Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Reece has managed to find the funding and time to conduct basic research on sex toy use that has long been needed," Cory writes.
Gay Workers Will Get Time to Care for Partner’s Sick Child – NYTimes.com – The new ruling indicates that an employee in a same-sex relationship can qualify for leave to care for the child of his or her partner, even if the worker has not legally adopted the child. 
 
The ruling, in a formal opinion letter, tackles a question not explicitly addressed in the 1993 law. It is one of many actions taken by the Obama administration to respond to the concerns of gay men and lesbians within the constraints of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman as husband and wife.
The Myth of Lesbian Bed Death (Village Voice) – But where did this idea of “lesbian bed death” come from? Thank sociologist Pepper Schwartz, who, in her 1983 book American Couples, asserted that lesbians have less sex and intimacy than other couples. Although her methodology and results were later challenged, the idea of lesbian bed death has taken on a life of its own, with damaging results.
Talking Sex, With Kink Educators and Anti-Porn Activists | Amanda Hess (Washinton City Paper) – If KinkForAll and “Porn Harms” have one thing in common, it’s an obsession with airing taboos.

Tagged as: antiporn, bisexual, gay, kinkforall, lesbian, lgbt, men, parenting, porn, pornography, relationships, sextoys, women

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 06/07/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

Kids With Lesbian Parents Do Just Fine – US News and World Report – When compared to teens of the same age, adolescents raised by lesbian parents are doing just fine socially, psychologically and academically, new research finds. 
 
Not only that, they have fewer social problems, and less aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors than other teens.
Americans’ Acceptance of Gay Relations Crosses 50% Threshold (Gallup) – There is a gradual cultural shift under way in Americans' views toward gay individuals and gay rights. While public attitudes haven't moved consistently in gays' and lesbians' favor every year, the general trend is clearly in that direction. This year, the shift is apparent in a record-high level of the public seeing gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable. Meanwhile, support for legalizing gay marriage, and for the legality of gay and lesbian relations more generally, is near record highs.
Just How Bad Is Porn, Anyway? : The Thoughtful Animal (Jason Goldman) – This is meant to review some of the research that's been conducted on whether or not there is a reliable causal relationship between pornography and various Bad Things.

Tagged as: culture, feminism, gay, lesbian, lgbt, parenting, polls, porn, research, sexuality, women

Bookmarks

by Viviane on 05/04/2010

in del.icio.us, sex

Newark archbishop questions plan for Seton Hall University gay marriage class | – NJ.com – The course is scheduled to begin next fall for upperclassmen in any major on the South Orange campus, university officials said. It is designed to explore the controversial issue without advocating for either side.
Chimpanzees Use Tools to Help Their Sex Lives – NYTimes.com – Leaf-clipping, meanwhile, has remained a local fetish among chimpanzees. The sexual strategy has been spotted at a colony in Tanzania but not in most other groups. There has been nothing comparable to the evolution observed in distributors of human sex tools: from XXX stores to chains of cutely named boutiques (Pleasure Chest, Good Vibrations) to mass merchants like CVS and Wal-Mart.
State’s Highest Court Unanimously Recognizes that Non-Biological Mother in Lesbian Couple is Parent | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) – American Civil Liberties Union of New York State – In its ruling today, the court unanimously held that because Debra would be considered a parent under Vermont law, where the couple entered into a civil union, she should be considered a parent under New York Law as well.
Matchmaking Site Brings Romance to British University Libraries – Wired Campus – The Chronicle of Higher Education – The site, Fitfinder, allows students to post messages broadcasting their attraction to others they've spotted in the stacks.
Duncan Charles Designs to Back Chilldils « Chilldil – Chilldils Sex Toy Sleeves are pleased to announce that they have been approached with an offer from Duncan Charles Designs, which they have happily accepted.
Facebook Users Like Sex | Mashable – As the chart below depicts, Facebook users are extremely fascinated with sex, as sex links are 90% more likely to be shared than other types of content. Links that are positive in nature and/or related to learning rank second and third in terms of shares, respectively.
Amy Jo Goddard | CarnalNation – Abby Ehmann's profile of Amy Jo Goddard and her Women's Sexuality Empowerment Apprenticeship workshop.

Tagged as: dating, entrepreneur, facebook, legal, lgbt, libraries, marriage, online, same-sex, samesex, sex, sextoys, sexuality, women

The LGBT Community Responds in Solidarity!

by Viviane on 04/21/2010

in Events, lbgt

04/21/2010
5:00 PM

Where: In front of The LGBT Community Center, 208 W 13th Street, Manhattan

Please join us and demonstrate the true power of community!

Background:
On the morning of April 14, 2010 the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center staff arrived to find a torched rainbow flag draped on the front of our building. This act of hate must not be tolerated! Actions like this are menacing to our community and, if not addressed, can lead to an environment that allows more heinous acts, such as verbal attacks, property damage and physical violence. Showing our solidarity now will empower our community and send a message to the public that we will not be intimidated or threatened.

Cowardly acts of hateful speech must be responded to with acts of courage and unity.

Updated Attendees:
The Center has partnered with City Council Speaker, Christine C. Quinn, New York City Comptroller, John Liu, Rainbow Flag’s creator, Gilbert Baker and other elected officials in conjunction with other organizations to bring together our community and unfurl a new 20 foot long flag that will drape the building (please visit gaycenter.org/torchedflag for the most up to date information).

On Wednesday, April 21st at 5PM we will gather together as one to prove that we will not sit idly by while our home is threatened. We invite our straight allies to stand with us to demonstrate that LGBT safety and rights are not just an issue for LGBT people. Our city is strong and we need to come together to show that we cannot be intimidated.

The Center is a beacon of safety and hope for LGBT New Yorkers and our building stands as an emblem of our community’s presence in the city. The Center is visited over 300,000 times every year by people in search of support, safety and transformation. More than 1,000 young people come through our doors annually searching for acceptance and a place where they feel comfortable expressing their true selves.

Co-Sponsoring Organizations

The Ali Forney Center: Housing for Homeless LGBT Youth
AVP: The Anti-Violence Project
Bailey House In The Life Media
CBST:Congregation Beth Simchat Torah
GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
GMHC
HRC: Human Rights Campaign
IGLHRC: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

Statements from Elected Officials

Tagged as: lgbt, nyc

Bookmarks for October 29th

by Viviane on 10/30/2009

in del.icio.us, sex

160 Handy Twitter Tools and Resources | Social Media Strategies and Tools Explained –
FWD/Forward – FWD (feminists with disabilities) for a way forward
Richmond High School gang rape: Cops arrest 2 in attack on Calif. teen girl; Bystanders did nothing | NY Daily News – The 15-year-old Richmond High School student hospitalized in stable condition after the attack, which happened while as many as 15 people, all males, looked on but didn't help or call police, investigators said.
Pam’s House Blend:: Is It Transphobia Or Just Bad Journalism At Seventeen Magazine? – The thrust of the article, from the article headline to the bolded and highlighted text, seemed to be that female-to-male transsexuals are really females who are deceiving others. This isn't supported by "Sheri"/Jessica Press's use of proper pronouns throughout the piece, but it is accomplished in the headline chosen for the piece, and the highlighted and bolded call-out boxes for the piece.
The jealousy issue – Times Online – Catherine Millet wrote a book about her own sexual adventures, so it was a shock when she grew obsessed with her husband and his lover. “It was then that I realised I was taking enormous masochistic pleasure in the jealousy, and particularly in the fantasies I conjured up of Jacques and other women. I had become a voyeur.”
Mate debate: Is monogamy realistic? – CNN.com –
Testimony of an Abortion Addict | Bitch Magazine – Irene Vilar’s extraordinary and incendiary new memoir, Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict, is a potential launching pad for a discussion about abortion that is more personal than political. Having terminated fifteen pregnancies in sixteen years, Vilar turns her experiences into a reminder that the complexity of abortion extends beyond the scientific and political arenas.
Hate Crimes Bill Signed Into Law 11 Years After Matthew Shepard’s Death | Huffington Post – President Obama signed major civil rights legislation on Wednesday, making it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity. The new measure expands the the scope of a 1968 law that applies to people attacked because of their race, religion or national origin. The U.S. Justice Department will have expanded authority to prosecute such crimes when local authorities don't.
Interview with S. Bear Bergman (The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You) — Genderfork – I managed to get a copy of the book, and I need to tell you: it’s wonderful. It’s about life in the middle-ground of gender, and all the many ways the world around us hiccups as we try to live our lives. It’s encouraging and honest, and you should go buy it right now. There are very few people out there who are telling our story well in a mainstream medium. But Bear is one of them.
How Journalists Can Use Twitter Lists to Customize, Discover and Curate | Poynter Online – E-Media Tidbits – The most powerful element of discovery is being able to follow other people's lists. In one click, all the users on that list will appear on your home page and Lists page.

Tagged as: abortion, blogs, books, culture, disability, feminism, jealousy, law, legislation, lgbt, lists, monogamy, politics, polyamory, queerstudies, rape, relationships, socialmedia, tools, transgender, Twitter, violence, women

Bookmarks for October 25th through October 26th

by Viviane on 10/27/2009

in del.icio.us, sex

These are my links for October 25th through October 26th:

Scary Sex Toys â€“ Sex Toys That Are More Scary Than Sexy | Cory Silverberg – the sex toys below are ghoulish not just in their looks, but in misguided conception, poor design, and sometimes obvious danger.
Social Networking – Legal and Ethical Issues for Lawyers and Investigators | Private Investigator Public Records Internet Search Privacy Reporting – PI Buzz – Much of the discussion concerned access to profile content, – the difference between civil and criminal (where thereâ€™s the familiar prosecution/defense imbalance) cases – whether certain information should be private even if it can be viewed by unintended parties.
Kids and Sexy Costumes: The Problem With Halloween | BlogHer – Without a doubt, Halloween is a survivor; one that sticks around by absorbing the qualities of the culture in prominence where the holiday is celebrated. The truth of the matter is that Halloween is not a holiday for kids. The shift to kids is a very recent thing in its epic history, and I think the emergence of more and more sexualized costumes is both a reflection of our culture’s attitudes toward sex and an attempt to take the holiday back.
Dr. Dick on Demand: Sex and the Aging Male – Iâ€™m receiving a startling number of correspondences lately from older men and their partners, highlighting the sexual difficulties of the aging process. Itâ€™s not surprising that these people are noticing the changes in their sexual response cycle as they age, but it is astonishing that they havenâ€™t attributed the changes to andropause.
Editorial – Oklahoma vs. Women – NYTimes.com – What persuaded the judge was not the affront to womenâ€™s rights, but a technical defect: the law addressed disparate issues in one bill in violation of the stateâ€™s Constitution. Still, the victory for reproductive freedom is heartening.
How to Talk to Kids About Pornography – Tips for Parents on Talking to their Kids About Pornography | Cory Silverberg – If I could only give you one reason why you should at least think about talking to your kids about pornography it’s that, if statistics are to be believed, they are likely to encounter some of it before they reach an age where theyâ€™ll be able to critically understand what they are seeing.
Google Docs Batch Export – Now you can export all your documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDFs from Google Docs in a ZIP archive.
Time to boycott Scholastic Books? Lauren Myracle’s ‘Luv Ya Bunches’ banned from school book fairs – Last week theSchool Library Journal and other sources reported that Scholastic Books is banning Luv Ya Bunches (a young adult novel by Lauren Myracle) from its book fairs because one of the main characters has gay parents and thus fails to “meet the norms of the various communities that host the fairs.”
Rainbow Response Coalition – Welcome to the home page of Rainbow Response, a grassroots coalition that brings together organizations and leaders from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) communities, along with traditional domestic violence service providers and government agencies. We collaborate to increase the awareness about Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) amid the relationships of LGBTQ individuals, educating within the LGBTQ communities and beyond.

Tagged as: abortion, backup, culture, domestic+violence, facebook, google, googledocs, health, legal, legislation, lgbt, men, parenting, politics, privacy, relationships, sexed, sextoys, sexuality, socialmedia, tools

Tonight: Alphabet Soup: Serving up Solidarity!

by Viviane on 03/26/2009

in Events

alphabetsoupflyer Tonight: Alphabet Soup: Serving up Solidarity!

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009
Time: 07:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Where: Dtox
Address: 31 2nd Ave, Between 1st and 2nd St.
Cost: FREE
Dress code: Come as you are… no judgments, no labels, no rules!

Alphabet Soup… Serving up Solidarity!

Come join us the Fourth Thursday of Every Month for a Sex-Positive Social Gathering for the Entire Alternative Community!

Uniting the LGBTPQ, FABGLITTER, and other sex-positive communities, Alphabet Soup serves up solidarity! Queer or straight, trans or cisgendered, kinky or vanilla, poly or mono, or anything in between… come be among friends!

Alphabet Soup is for ALL kinksters and sex-positive folk to gather regardless of gender, sexual orientation, relationship paradigms, lifestyle preferences, etc.

This event is free.

Buy One, Get One Free Drink Specials until 10p

Stay for the Drag Show after Midnight!

Spread the Word!

Please join the Evite Guest List

Tagged as: Events, lgbt, nyc, queer

Panel Approves Transgender Name Change Application

by Viviane on 12/01/2008

in lbgt, legal, transgender

By Joel Stashenko
New York Law Journal

November 28, 2008

ALBANY – A transgender individual should be allowed to legally assume a new name to reflect her identity as a woman, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.

In Matter of Earl William Golden III, 504992, the Appellate Division, Third Department, reversed the finding of Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey A. Tait of Broome County. Justice Tait had dismissed Ms. Golden’s petition in May 2008 to formally change her name to Elisabeth Whitney Golden because the change from a traditional male name to a female name “is fraught with possible confusion.”

The decision will be published Thursday.

[click to continue…]

Tagged as: legal, lgbt, transgender

Protect Gay & Lesbian Custody Rights in Divorce (HuffPo)

by Viviane on 09/10/2008

in legal

by Glenn Sacks

…LGBT activists believe courts haven’t adequately protected the rights of lesbian social mothers because of the tenuous legal status of gay marriages and relationships, and they’re partly correct. But much of the problem lies in the way courts treat noncustodial parents, regardless of sexual orientation.

According to the Children’s Rights Council, a Washington, DC-based children’s advocacy group, more than five million American children each year have their access to their noncustodial parents interfered with or blocked by custodial parents. Numerous academic studies document this problem.

Link

Tagged as: custody, gay, legal, lgbt

Tonight: In the Flesh reading series

by Viviane on 06/19/2008

in Events, Fetish & Kink, rachelkramerbussel

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
GLBT NIGHT
THURSDAY, June 19th at 8 PM

AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue. Awning says “Xie He Health” )
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://inthefleshreadingseries.blogspot.com

In The Flesh’s third annual GLBT Night offers up a wide range of the queer writing, from Cris Beam reading her entry “dyke” from Ellen Sussman’s anthology Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex, to Selfish and Perverse author Bob Smith, spoken word performer Aimee Herman, and erotica writers Amie M. Evans and Cecilia Tan (reading from her new collection White Flames), both based in Massachusetts, and Charlie Vazquez (Best Gay Erotica).Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (editor of First-Timers, Glamour Girls: Femme/Femme Erotica, Up All Night). Free candy and cupcakes will be served.

Tagged as: lgbt, nyc

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