July 2009
41 posts
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Jul 31st
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s/he or he/she or shhe? →
Jul 31st
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Jul 31st
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Bringing stories of Black transmen to light →
Jul 30th
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Trans "Making the Band" contestant Jaila Simms
The Advocate: Growing up, who were your musical role models?
Jaila: Of course Whitney Houston and legendary figures like Michael Jackson. I’m also a big musical theater buff, so people like Bette Midler or Liza Minnelli or Judy Garland as well as pop icons like Anita Baker and Mariah Carey -- they all influenced me. And of course, I’ve got to give a shout-out to Prince because he is iconic. And, of course, Diddy and the whole Bad Boy family.
A: Was your family supportive of your “coming out” as transgender?
J: I feel like, with all the things I’ve gone through, my family has definitely been there for me and what’s really important in our family is love. People can judge you -- society, even your friends on some occasions. But your family will always be bound by love. Growing up as a child and knowing that I might be more comfortable living my life another way, um, is definitely rough. But if you do have that kind of love in your life, you understand that they’re going to love you no matter what.
A: So they didn’t force you into therapy?
J: This is the whole thing, and I’m gonna keep it all-the-way real. I come from a black family that was born and raised in the church, so we’re deeply rooted in religion and in “doctrine,” but at the same time, there has to be a balance. My family, for instance, may not have always accepted me and may not have always liked my actions, even so far as my putting popcorn in the microwave instead of on the stove. But at the end of the day, we know that our love for each other supersedes that. If more people take that into consideration, you’ll have a lot less therapy patients.
A: What do you think is the biggest misconception about transgender people?
J: A lot of people look at transgender women as people who are overly sexual, especially in the LGBT community. I think people don’t understand that we’re just trying to have our outsides match our insides. It’s more than about sex. On a spiritual level, some people think their soul is caught in the wrong body. They’re just not able to be themselves. And I want society to know that it’s not based upon sex or image or wanting to be beautiful. It’s about wanting to be who you truly are.
A: How would you define your sexuality?
J: I’m a heterosexual woman [laughs]! At least that’s what I think in my own head. Now, what the boys think may be something totally different, but that’s how I feel.
Jul 29th
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Cuba's Transformistas →
Jul 29th
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Jul 29th
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Jul 28th
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Jul 27th
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Jul 27th
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Jul 25th
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BRUNO makes some semblance of sense in Sacha's own... →
Jul 25th
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WatchWatch
George Kanuma is an activist who works for the National Association of HIV positive and AIDS patients. In this video (at the AIDS 2008 conference), he explains the state of tolerance of the gay community in French-speaking Africa. On monday, BBC NEWS covered a story on the alarming rate of HIV amongst gay men in Africa. According to the article, HIV rates among gay men in some African countries...
Jul 24th
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Jul 24th
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"African Sex in the City" features lesbian... →
Jul 24th
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Jul 23rd
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Jul 22nd
Gays are basically just a drunkin' hot mess →
Jul 21st
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WatchWatch
Music Mondays in FULL EFFECT with the Kid Cudi (featuring Kanye West & Common) track “Make Her say”. Not exactly a queer pick, but it samples Lady Gaga and we all know she LOVES the ladies. Plus, the split-screen video feels effortlessly simple while managing to still remain really beautiful. Oh, and we’re suckers for Common’s voice. Check it out and then download the...
Jul 20th
Today a jury found 20-year old Dwight Delee guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime in the killing of Lateisha (Teish) Green, a 22-year-old African American transgender woman. Today’s verdict is the first hate crime conviction for the death of a transgender person in New York.  Dwight Delee was found guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate-crime based on his...
Jul 17th
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Jul 17th
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Jul 17th
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The NAACP considers showing the gays some love →
Jul 17th
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Jul 16th
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WatchWatch
Judge Sotomayor being questioned on same sex marriage by Senator John Cornyn. We have to give props to the way the Judge has eloquently handled the confirmation hearing questions. As for this dude…maybe not.
Jul 16th
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Jul 15th
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ListenNew Goapele “Milk & Honey”
Jul 14th
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How you doin'?
The Advocate: Partly because of your many wigs, colorful fashion statements, and breast enlargement surgery, Wendy haters often try to insult you by saying you look like a drag queen or transsexual -- as if that’s a bad thing.
Wendy Williams: Exactly! What, because I always put the extra effort in whatever it is that I do? The drag community always puts in that extra something, whether it’s an extra row of lashes, an extra wiggle in the hips, or an extra tease of the hair. I’m a woman, and I celebrate being a girl. I’m sorry I don’t like trucker hats and flat shoes.
Jul 13th
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WatchWatch
Oh, Fonzworth. How we love thee. (via The Fader)
Jul 10th
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Interview: Felicia "SNOOP" Pearson from THE WIRE →
Jul 10th
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Jul 10th
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Jul 10th
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Jul 10th
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Tennis players: sexy & straight? →
Jul 7th
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“I thought about calling him the n word, but I thought the f word was even worse....”
– -Perez Hilton (via The Advocate cover story) *END OF GAME BUZZER*
Jul 7th
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Jul 6th
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Jul 6th
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WatchWatch
An episode of “Brunch with Bridget” with the Director (Dee Rees) and Producer (Nekisa Cooper) of the amazing short (soon to be feature film!!) PARIAH. The film is about a young black lesbian who is coming to terms with how to express her sexuality. The two women discuss the film, some amazing projects in the works, their personal experiences growing up, and their experiences as a...
Jul 3rd
Delhi's high court decriminalizes homosexuality →
Jul 2nd
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WatchWatch
For the record, we LOVE Drake. The ex-Degrassi star had us at hello with his rhyme style, swagger, and boyish charm – but this video leaves MUCH to be desired. It’s absolutely exhausting to see the ways in which women are exploited and degraded here. Hip-Hop at it’s roots has always been male-dominated in nature, but we have also simultaneously had some of the most powerful imagery of Black women...
Jul 2nd
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Gay flag re-design by Studio 360 - vote →
Jul 1st