Wonderful world of Autostraddle, come on round because I have a story for you. This week my mom sent me a chain email called “Tequila and Lime” but it was actually about “the 8 people you love most in the world.” I took some time to process and unfortunately, in that time span a bunch of things happened that we didn’t tell you about! So here are the stories we missed this week, en masse.
+
LGBT History Month
Today, 18 plaques “honoring a diverse array of national and international people who should be found in any history book” will be displayed publicly as part of Chicago’s growing “Legacy Project,” which is centered around LGBT history. That’s so neat, you guys! And if you’re in San Francisco, you can check out the Gala Silent Auction on October 25 to benefit the GLBT Historical Society and GLBT History Museum, which both sound pretty much perfect. Haven’t you been meaning to get your hands on a 1911 photograph of silent-movie female-impersonation star Julian Eltinge and a 1922 craftsman tile from the Castro Theatre? Now’s your time.
vintage lesbian!
+
On Teevee
If you’d rather stay inside than venture to the Legacy Walk or spend money, though, I totally understand. Plus, maybe once we turn the television on we’ll start having a provocative conversation about the (mis)representation of black women throughout history or whether or not reality television is making us all smarter or how important gay television has been for us anyway. These conversations would probably make me think you had an awesome pop culture brain. You know? I’d freak out.
+
P!nk Thinks She’s An Honorary Lesbian
In fact, I’d probably be all like, “dood, that is the most interesting shit since that time P!nk called herself an honorary lesbian right around the time she began to promote her new album,” and we would laugh and laugh and laugh, and then I’d show you the quote as proof of both my brain and my Internet prowess:
“…I was like a club kid. I was a little candy raver, and I am the kind of person that sucks the marrow out of the bones of life. Those days were really crazy and lots of all-nighters. And with a bunch of other kids that were trying to find themselves and have a good time doing it and get out from under their parents — and there was a lot of ecstasy. And as far as I’m concerned, when you’re on ecstasy there’s no such thing as definable sexuality. There is just love.” […]
“I loved my little girlfriends and we kissed and we had a great time and we held hands,” she says. “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was an honorary lesbian of Los Angeles. I wasn’t gay, but all my girlfriends were. So no, it wasn’t a big deal for me, but when [a tabloid] comes out and says, I just said I was bisexual, it’s like what? That wasn’t my truth, and I like truth. I like absolute truth.”
(PS – in case you’re confused, rest assured: Pink loooooves penis.)
+
Jennifer Livingston Is Our Hero
One of the most interesting conversations being had on the boob tube is definitely that surrounding Jennifer Livingston, a Wisconsin news anchor who has suffered continued bullying on-air by a viewer about her weight. The first time, her heckler felt she wasn’t a good role model because of her size, and she pretty much served him his ass on a plate within the next couple of minutes.
The next time, though, he followed-up just to let her know he was here for her – should she ever decide to diet. I’m actually slowly dying inside even writing that down. Thank you, sir. You are going to be so helpful in her life. If he ever needs a woman to understand, though, I bet he can rely on Octavia Spencer because she doesn’t think being attacked about your weight on television is bullying!
Other celebrities this week caused similarly tiny earthquakes, though, so let’s talk about that, too: Stacy London revealed that her upcoming book will delve into her former struggles with disordered eating and Demi Lovato told girls to love themselves and not a fake ideal of beauty at one of her shows.
+
Sobering Relationship News
With all this good in the world it’s hard to imagine the bitter, cold world that surrounds us actually existing. But it wouldn’t be fair for me to not bring you back down to Earth, so I’m just gonna be real up front with you and let you know that a Williams Institute report came out this week revealing that bisexual women and gay men are at higher risks of intimate partner violence than, well, the rest of the population. And that’s really sad.
+
Justice Scalia Needs To Get A Clue
To make matters even better, Justice Scalia – of the US Supreme Court, you guys – considers the illegality of homosexuality and abortion a no-brainer, which only seems correct because he must obviously know what it’s like not to have any. Don’t be fooled, though: he’s wrong and you’re loved. Plus, if we all came together like the gay activists of Serbia, who held pride indoors this week when their city tried to shut it down, we could just be like “you know what, Justice Scalia, we built this city on rock ‘n roll and we are so keeping it, no refunds.” Confrontation can be healthy, after all, which is presumably the reason why Dan Savage is inviting Tony Perkins to engage him in a lawsuit so that he can continue to be correct about Perkins’ homophobic parenting advice ruining kids’ lives.
+
Once More For The Boy Scouts, Ladies and Gentlemen
Meanwhile, I mostly just don’t get why gay kids can’t become Eagle Scouts. Or why anyone would ever put fecal matter into a microwave just to make gay people feel weird. It’s 2012. Get with it. Are y’all homophobes serious? That’s embarrassing.
+
Homos Eat and Drink
But I can’t let it end this way, so let me cheer you up with one last link.
Yes, you heard right. We’ve been gifted with a statistical breakdown of how lesbians and gay men compare at the bar and the restaurant, and how much we like to dance! I know nothing about the world of eating and drinking out these days since I’m too broke to drink & too young to die, so I’m just gonna live vicariously through these facts.
(Sidenote/Closing Note: Gin was an amazing time in my life. Try it.)
the betty white pic is the best thing that’s happened to me since A-Camp.
Wait I saw a mention of Dan Savage looking for a fight but can’t find out what it was in reference to. And I hate Dan Savage so I’m always looking for more reasons to hate him.
HAHA JUST KIDDING I have A+ reading comprehension skills.
Honorary lesbian? That’s like saying your a vegetarian because you eat salad with your steak. I think she’s confused…
It’s not so out there. In the years before my transition, I fell in with a group of lesbians who crowned me an “honorary lesbian”. In practical terms, it meant that I was part of that group, and since it was a group of lesbians, that meant I must be lesbian. It described the places I hung out, who all my friends were, whose side I would have in a fight (though there weren’t many).
Was it accurate? No, not really. But it was what it was. And it’s not hard to see Pink in a similar situation.
but there is a huge difference between a group of lesbians referring to you as an “honorary lesbian” within the context of your friendship, and using the same phrase with the (straight) media for the consumption of the general public.
it reminds me of some of the jokes ryan murphy has made on glee – queer “inside jokes” that are fine within queer spaces but hella uncomfortable when put out on tv for non-queer audiences to laugh at.
Wow lesbians like tequila a whole lot. Was that why Tila Tequila chose her name, in an attempt to get the lesbian vote?
a) Scalia what the actual actual fuck?
and b) P!nk’s non-gayness is on of the major ongoing sadnesses of my life
Oh she’s gay. In my head, at least (and I’ve decided that that’s what counts)
Well. I nearly put “alleged non-gayness”, but I feel like I mostly have to believe people’s statements about their orientation regardless of what their hairstyle is telling me.
oh,it’s just like Occupy. I am the 18% !
also 22%, 59%, 12% and 51%
gays sure do like their booze, don’t we
that’s how romney&co should argue. gay marriage=safety hazard
I’ve heard some stuff about heterosexuells getting a lil too tipsy at weddings.
so with our drinking habits … idk,but it’s not gonna be pretty
I knew lesbians had more fun! forget going blonde to liven-up your life, go gay! haha
1. The Legacy Project looks amazing! 2. Jennifer Livingston is a badass. 3. Knowing that I’m more likely to experience intimate partner violence as a bisexual woman makes me fear intimacy even more.
that infographic is delightful
i might have bought a liter of whiskey today for my long weekend trip to a foreign city… hahah
I got an email from the embassy being like “if you still live in Serbia, please do not attend pride, we are all going home early, fyi, lots of police, cheers.”
I…what? Pink, you’re confusing.
Gah, I need brain bleach after time Scalia speaks
Also, my gay little heart nearly died of happiness today when Maddow was on Ellen (on the show, not physically on top of Ellen, though I could enjoy seeing that as well)
i don’t think I could stand a Breakup between Ellen and Portia, no matter how amazing RachEllen could be
So I’m confused… is P!nk an honorary lesbian because she fits into certain stereotypes about lesbians, such as her looks? Isn’t that kind of a potentially damaging generalization?
Or is she an honorary lesbian because the majority of her friends were lesbians? Because if that’s the case, I’m an honorary heterosexual.
Also Jennifer Livingston is awesome.
“Or is she an honorary lesbian because the majority of her friends were lesbians? Because if that’s the case, I’m an honorary heterosexual.”
^^ This. Oh my Lord, this. Logic, Pink has none.
Also, I’m super confused about the bisexual statement.
It’s because, at that time, most of her friends were queer, and she was hanging out with them in gay bars and such.
I don’t really understand why people are having such an issue with the term “honourary lesbian”. It means she feels honoured to be included!
Pink has always been so supportive of LGBT rights. How about getting mad at those actually hurting the queer community instead?
Waaaah my hometown (Adelaide, Australia) gets a mention on my favourite website, for something horrible. :'(
That was my first ever uni and I also attended an amazing women’s conference there, full of incredibly intelligent queer women of all descriptions.The person who did it is an ass, but I’m really liking how many people are condemning it and supporting the campus queers.
On the whole most people round here are pretty queer friendly. :D
I KNOW!!! I was like ‘o oh, please let it be some other horrid person in another country’ not Adelaide…
Are you in Adelaide? If so you should come to our meet up!
born and bred… where is it?
Haha I know right? Couldn’t have reported about this Australian story: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-09/julia-gillard-attacks-abbott-of-hypocrisy/4303634
That was awesome, go Ju-Ju!
Are you adelaidian too?
Indeed.
You should also come to our AS meet up! I’ll post the link to the Facebook page as soon as I’m not on a bus :)
Is this it: http://www.facebook.com/events/417418938312465 ??
Ha Adelaide is so small, but not too bad, I only have two mutual friends with one of you. Yay?
yes this is it! I’m getting so excited now!
That’s the one. I only have one mutual friend with one other person (as far as I know), I think that has to be some kind of Adelaide record!
P!nk… I don’t think there is anyone more perfect than her… if I could go back in time, I would hang out with her while she was high on drugs… then maybe i’d have a chance with her… :P
I refuse to believe that Pink is not gay! I spent most of my childhood secretly fantasizing about her. My parents really should have known then! Ha!
I don’t think I’ll ever wholly get over my adolescent crush on P!nk.
I know of only 1 person who is an honorary lesbian, and that is my honorary aunt (She’s good at honoraries). She is super straight- didn’t even experiment in college- but she rooms with a lesbian couple, works at a homeless shelter for queer youth, regularly expresses her desire never to marry a man, and framed the photos she took at the Melissa Ethridge concert. Actually, I’m pretty sure that outside of my mom and non-honorary aunts, she has no straight friends.
Hey,I know of only 1 person who is an honorary lesbian, and that is my honorary aunt (She’s good at honoraries). She is super straight- didn’t even experiment in college- but she rooms with a lesbian couple, works at a homeless shelter for queer youth, regularly expresses her desire never to marry a man, and framed the photos she took at the Melissa Ethridge concert. Actually, I’m pretty sure that outside of my mom and non-honorary aunts, she has no straight friends.