the gang's all QUEER

Laura Aguilar, Three Eagles Flying, 1990, Gelatin silver print,...

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:41:23 -0400

Laura Aguilar, Three Eagles Flying, 1990, Gelatin silver print, Triptych

“Place is about connections, what surrounds it, what formed it, what happened there, what will happen there…A lived-in landscape becomes a place, which implies intimacy; a once lived-in landscape can be a place, if explored, or remain a landscape, if simply observed.” - Lucy R. Lippard

Series: The New Pre-Raphaelites by Sunil Gupta (2008-09)

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:02:04 -0400

Series: The New Pre-Raphaelites by Sunil Gupta (2008-09)

EPISODE NO. 3 of The Peculiar Kind (WHERE I’M FROM…) A group...

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:34:22 -0400

EPISODE NO. 3 of The Peculiar Kind (WHERE I’M FROM…)

A group of queer people of color discuss how “queer” or homosexuality is viewed within their individual cultures. (via thepeculiarkind)

Behind the Scenes with Bloc Party's Kele Okereke

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:57:48 -0400

Kele Okereke, the openly gay frontman of Brit rock band Bloc Party covers The Advocate’s pride double issue this summer. After the jump, see an exclusive unreleased image, as well as behind the scenes shots from his cover shoot with David Needleman in New York City.

(via advocatephotos)

Album covers by the disco diva himself, Sylvester James A couple...

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:21:24 -0400

Album covers by the disco diva himself, Sylvester James

A couple of weeks ago I was picking up some CDs at the store (THEESatisfaction + Santigold - go get themmmm) when I came across an amazing Sylvester CD cover. Curious, I looked for some of his other album covers and became completely infatuated. These are some of the ones I found.

Tyler | Transgender at 5 Kathryn didn’t even want to be around...

Sun, 20 May 2012 17:50:00 -0400

Tyler | Transgender at 5

Kathryn didn’t even want to be around other little girls, let alone acknowledge that she biologically is one.

Jean tried to put her daughter’s behavior to rest. She sat down with a toddler-version of an anatomy book and showed Kathryn, by then 3, the cartoonish drawings of a naked boy and girl. “See? You’re a girl. You have girl parts,” Jean told her big-eyed daughter. “You’ve always been a girl.”

Kathryn looked up at her mom, incomprehension clouding her round face.

“When did you change me?” the child asked.

Read the full article from the Washington Post, HERE

I am extremely excited to present a GAQ feature interview and...

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:58:17 -0400

I am extremely excited to present a GAQ feature interview and photo spread with incredible photographer and artist, Sophia Wallace. Wallace merges narrative, documentary, fashion, and performance strategies to create dialogue around notions of gender and identity. And it’s beautiful work. Perhaps the most striking thing about Wallace’s work for me is her ability to create imagery as crisp and fashion-forward as those in your latest issue of Vogue, while simultaneously offering cultural commentary and bringing thought provoking themes to the fore.

I asked Wallace some questions about her work, her process and the ideas behind it all. Click the photo for the entire spread, or click HERE to download.

Rotimi Fani-Kayode was born in Lagos, Nigeria in April 1955, the...

Wed, 16 May 2012 23:42:51 -0400

Rotimi Fani-Kayode was born in Lagos, Nigeria in April 1955, the second child of Chief Babaremilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode and Chief Mrs Adia Adunni Fani-Kayode, their third child was Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a Nigerian politician and who was the former Minister of Aviation for Nigeria.

This prominent Yoruba family moved to Brighton, England, in 1966, after a military coup and the ensuing civil war. Rotimi pursued his secondary education in England where he went to a number of private schools including Brighton college, Seabright College and Millfield then moved to the USA in 1976 to complete his education. He read Fine Arts and Economics, gaining a BA, at Georgetown University, Washington DC and gained an MFA at the Pratt Institute, New York in Fine Arts & Photography. Whilst in New York he became friendly with Robert Mapplethorpe and later admitted to Mapplethorpe’s influence on his work.

He returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack whilst recovering from an AIDS related illness on the December 12, 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in Brixton, London with his partner and collaborator Alex Hirst.

Although admitting to some influence by Mapplethorpe’s earlier work, Rotimi Fani-Kayode pushed the bounds of his own art much further, exploring sexuality, racism, colonialism and the tensions and conflicts between his homosexuality and his Yoruba upbringing through a series of images in both colour and B/W.

His work is imbued with the subtelty, irony and political and social comment that one would expect from an intelligent and observant black photographer of the late twentieth century. He also contributed much to the artistic debate around HIV and AIDS.

He started to exhibit in 1984 and was involved with nine exhibitions between then and his death at the end of 1989. He has since had his work featured posthumously in many exhibitions and retrospectives. His work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and US. In 1987 along with Mark Sealy he co-founded AUTOGRAPH ABP and became their first Chair. He was also an active member of The Black Audio Film Collective.

He was a major influence on young black photographers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Following Alex Hirst’s death in 1992 there was some controversy over attribution of his work, a discussion that still continues.

“My identity has been constructed from my own sense of otherness, whether cultural, racial or sexual. The three aspects are not separate within me. Photography is the tool by which I feel most confident in expressing myself. It is photography therefore — Black, African, homosexual photography — which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms.”

(via dynamicafrica)

SIGNAL BOOST: MEDIA IGNORE THEFT OF PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORK DOCUMENTING BLACK LESBIAN LIVES

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:02:10 -0400

SIGNAL BOOST: MEDIA IGNORE THEFT OF PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORK DOCUMENTING BLACK LESBIAN LIVES:

An award winning photographer who has devoted her working life to documenting the lives of black lesbians has had five years worth of her work stolen.

Zanele Muholi, described by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa as “one of the country’s foremost artists”, had more than 20 external hard drives stolen from her flat in Vredehoek, Cape Town on April 20.

The hard drives contain stills and video footage, including photos from the funerals of victims of homophobic hate crimes. It is thought that the burglars were targeting Muholi’s work, as little else was taken from her flat, and back up hard drives were also taken.

Muholi’s partner Liesl Theron, with whom she shares the flat, said that her possessions were left untouched, except for a laptop which was stolen, further fuelling belief that Muholi was the intended target of the crime.

The work taken had been captured across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Malawi, according to the Cape Times. Also stolen was work due to be shown at an exhibition in July, which Muholi believes she will now have to cancel.

Despite the volume of work stolen and the imminence of the planned exhibition, Muholi’s plight has been largely ignored by the media. It is believed that the lack of publicity is due to the nature of her work, which shows a different side to the black lesbian community than that usually represented in the mainstream media.

“I’m not myself. I can’t even sleep at night since I’ve heard about the burglary,” the devastated Muholi told DIVA. She has appealed for anyone who knows the whereabouts of the hard drives to return them.

Queer photographer Del LaGrace Volcano said of the theft; “Zanele’s work is, in my not so humble opinion, some of the most important work being produced, not just in Africa, but anywhere. I consider her a dear friend and mourn the loss of her archive as if it were my own.”

Zanele’s supporters are fundraising to help her replace the stolen equipment. Donations can be made online at IndieGoGo.

The investigation into the burglary is ongoing, according to a police spokesperson.

(via sweatbtwn)

Michael Eric Dyson on President Obama’s stand on same sex...

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:27:32 -0400

Michael Eric Dyson on President Obama’s stand on same sex marriage

If you want to get into his BREAKDOWN… skip to 3:54. HE GOES INNNN!

-[bLaK.]

“..Isn’t it ironic that the architect of Martin Luther King Jr.’s march on washington was a gay African-American man?” POW. Peace to Bayard Rustin and Michael Eric Dyson for this video.

(via blaktivist)

Parker Tilghman, Krylon Crying, 2011

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:54:24 -0400

Parker Tilghman, Krylon Crying, 2011

USED BINDER GIVEAWAY!

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:52:00 -0400

I have recently been blessed with the opportunity to have top surgery after binding for close to two years. I would like to give my used binders away (10 in total, including one swimsuit) to those that need them. The binders are from underworks and range in size from small to medium.

Please e-mail the answers to the following questions to theGAQ[at]gmail.com:

Name:

Age:

How do you identify?:

Size binder requested: (small or medium. please specify if you would like the swimsuit)

Brief paragraph about why you need a binder:

Tumblr/Website/YouTube URL:

Mailing Name (if different):

Mailing address (US only please):

**Other notes on the giveaway:

-These binders are for those having trouble getting a binder on their own. I’d like to reserve these binders for those who are unable to get binders on their own, whether it be because of financial issues, familial issues, etc. Please do not apply if you can afford to purchase a binder on your own.

-Preference will be given to people of color. Queer and trans people of color oftentimes have significantly fewer resources than their non-POC counterparts. theGAQ is a blog about providing visibility and information for QTPOC in a tumblr-sphere where there is little to no representation of us. If there are more questions, please see, HERE.

-You will use the binder to present as male and/or to curb dysphoria. This is not about policing identities. I just ask that you be using the binder in your daily life and not for performance purposes (i.e. doing drag, etc.)

*Read more about chest binding resources, HERE. Also, please see other binder giveaway programs and spread the word to those in need: In a Bind, Big Brothers Used Binder Program, and the Pay it Forward binder program for folks in/near Australia and New Zealand.

*PLEASE NOTE: Giveaway has ended.

“Cool Queer People of Color indie films/documentaries”

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:06:44 -0400

“Cool Queer People of Color indie films/documentaries”

May 13th - the RockSteady - 3-8pm (OAKLAND) Selectahs: Michelle...

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:59:00 -0400

May 13th - the RockSteady - 3-8pm (OAKLAND)

Selectahs: Michelle Matos (!!), Angela Love, resident Nina Sol + Special guest DJ Emancipacion

Host: @bLaKtivist — Krys Freeman (Founder, theDefinition.org)

House, Deep House (!!), Neo Soul, Afro Latin vibes

::FREE:: Springtime Edition

LEARN MORE »

(via genderinfinite)

Gymnast Josh Dixon Comes Out

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:04:28 -0400

Gymnast Josh Dixon Comes Out

Episode 2.5 of “The Peculiar Kind” explores...

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:58:53 -0400

Episode 2.5 of “The Peculiar Kind” explores employment and discrimination within Queer and Trans communities of color. I’d highly recommend taking the time to watch this informative video of some wonderfully talented and creative folks who got tired of the bullshit and decided to to it their own way. Featured in the video are:

Hubba (@ruggedambition | http://www.ruggedambition.tumblr.com)
Ryann (@supamckenzi | http://www.bklynboihood.com)
Monique (http://www.Etsy.com/Shop/BannedFromTv)
Tru (Facebook: Tru Angelino)

Support our community.

Trailer for “Tales of the Waria” by Director Kathy...

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:16:25 -0400

Trailer for “Tales of the Waria” by Director Kathy Huang

In Indonesia, there lives a unique community of people assigned male at birth, who live openly as women. Known as Warias, these individuals must balance identity, intimacy, and their Islamic faith. In this eye-opening documentary, four Warias tell the tales of their search for companionship and someone to love.

For Folks in Northern Cali, the film will be screening at UC Davis’ Asian American FIlm Festival on Tuesday May 15th at 7pm. See the facebook invite & info, HERE.

A little promo video, a commercial, if you will, for Wild Seed...

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:04:09 -0400

A little promo video, a commercial, if you will, for Wild Seed Wellness. Please spread the word!

Wild Seed Wellness offers affordable massage therapy for queer and trans people of color in Oakland. For more information, check out wildseedwellness.com.

Massage therapy services at Wild Seed Wellness are sliding scale so that clients are able to afford to make healing a priority and a routine. The 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month are donation based days. In order to expand and offer more appointments, WSW is moving to the Living Room Project, an accessible healing justice practice/community space for queer and trans people of color, in West Oakland. Yay! Right now, it’s necessary for WSW to raise $3500 dollars by June 2 to pay for 6 months rent.

Donate: indiegogo.com/WildSeedWellnessSpace

@janetmock uses her voice to speak out for those trans women...

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:44:32 -0400

@janetmock uses her voice to speak out for those trans women whose voices have been silenced by violence, abuse, death and prison sentences at a keynote address for USC.

“For trans women of color, these women’s murders are constant reminders that who we are falls so outside of the box of what society says is acceptable that our deaths and even our lives don’t matter. We are in effect disposable.

And our entire system validates this belief. Even when we stand our ground and defend ourselves our lives can be taken away. I look at CeCe McDonald, a 23-year-old black trans woman who was verbally assaulted and physically attacked in Minneapolis last year. Her attackers pelted racial and transphobic slurs at her. They even sliced her cheek. And when she had the audacity to fight back, one of her attackers died. Though she was the victim in this incident, CeCe is the one sitting behind bars right now, facing a murder trial.

CeCe’s freedom has been stripped from her and Paige’s life has been taken away from us. These women won’t be able to tell their stories and it is for them and girls like us that I decided to step forward and finally tell my story and own my truth.”

Photo

Thu, 03 May 2012 01:20:15 -0400