Welcome to this week’s roundup of news we missed, news we couldn’t formulate words about on a strict deadline, and stuff we’re ambivalent about but know matters on some levels. Also, welcome to my weekly opportunity to use words like “roundup” in an effort to finally make it to using the word “cowgirl.” Yee haw, y’all.
Did you know that the Olympics, which is chock-full of gay athletes, is actually SO GAY that the notorious gay app Grindr actually crashed as the athletes arrived in London? Jeez, talk about being excited you guys.
Meanwhile, the Internet is also still talking about Frank Ocean and how his coming out will affect hip-hop. Nerve published a timeline about homophobia in hip-hop, but I’m feeling very annoyed that I couldn’t team pick it since they managed to write the entire thing without mentioning a woman, out or allied, in the hip-hop community. How does that even happen? With out queer women doing the rapping themselves and otherwise inclined female rap artists speaking up on gay rights, it seems to be an odd omission.
I felt almost as annoyed then as I did when Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the man who first got me interested in men’s fashion and one of the cutest boys on Planet Earth, said “most pretty girls aren’t funny.”
And that was shocking, but not nearly as shocking as the time 3-year-old Tripp Palin used the word “faggot.” Classy! Being raised by Palins sounds about as enjoyable and safe as being raised by wolves.
In Austria, a family was denied a family pass at a theme park because two moms is one too many. But One Million Moms has completely given up on making people hate Ellen Degeneres and has instead decided that the next whinefest they deliver will be about “The New Normal,” a TV show about gay people existing at the helm of a family unit. And Marissa Mayer, the new pregnant CEO of Yahoo!, could have been the best thing ever to happen to women in a long time but instead doesn’t really feel like being a feminist at all? She says she just can’t manage to find the “militant drive and the sort of, the chip on the shoulder that sometimes comes with that.”
Why didn’t Obama want to go to the International AIDS Conference?
Why are the old homophobes of the world making assisted living difficult for other elders who happen to be homos?
It’s all enough to make your head spin. Especially when this week’s violence in Nebraska is heard only in echoes of other acts of violence, like the hate crime that took place this week in Arizona against a gay family.
Plus, Mitt Romney is eventually going to pick a Vice Presidential candidate for his soon-to-be-second loss at the White House who will probably hate gay people. But y’know, I am unconcerned because Bill Nye supports Obama and makes really cool stuff happen all the time. And Chik-Fil-A isn’t letting kids have Jim Henson products anymore but who really cares about them, anyway? Chin up!
There’s always the movies: a queer film festival called Newfest is coming to New York City on my birthday, July 27, and looks amazing; also maybe someone else out there in the big Internet could have a lot of feelings about the movie Stud Life with me, which opened last week on July 20 at OutFest and explores the life of a stud lesbian. Also, Jamie-Lynn Sigler loves Lance Bass and is in a gay romantic drama called I Do. As a lesbian.
And for avid readers, Glee’s Chris Colfer wrote the novel The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell and it is out! I wish I enjoyed fantasy novels even a little!
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening’s 20-year-old son Ira made an extremely amazing video for WeHappyTrans, in which he identifies himself as “a trans man, a faggy queen, a homosexual, a queer, a nerd fighter, a writer, an artist and a guy who needs a haircut.” I already think you have a lot in common, to be honest.
If you also consider yourself a queer nerd or you’re as into maps as some of the people I know who like cartography (I know you’re reading this), it turns out all it takes to prove Stop & Frisk sucks and is ineffective is a map, and I feel like you’d like that.
Did I mention they’re considering marriage for the homokind in Scotland?
And the military may have far to go, but for now some small baby steps are being taken in the midst of their Big Green Giant-sized steps backward this week. For example, San Diego pride this year marked the first – and maybe for now, only – time that servicemembers were able to march in their military dress. It was an exemption granted to them by the Defense Department because hell was being raised. And the Navy is seeking “potty parity” right now by making their facilities gender-neutral aboard several of their aircraft carriers.
Really all that matters though is that you watch this video from the National Association of the Deaf affirming their support for marriage equality. Just because.
I know that this story has nothing to do with gayness, but has anyone heard about the Savannah Dietrich case? It would be interesting to read an AS article on it. Also, I am unfortunately from Louisville, where all this shit went down.
whoawhoawhoa… what the hell.
On the Joseph Gordon-Levitt bit: he did apologize for that, for which I was very glad. http://hitrecordjoe.tumblr.com/post/27565378676/in-which-i-apologize-for-a-recent-remark-i-made
this also happened recently. 16 yr old Ky. girl beaten by a bunch of adults, family says incident was a hate crime –
http://www.edgenewyork.com/news/crime//135295/ky_teen_girl_beaten,_family_says_incident_was_a_hate_crime
SCIENCE RULES. Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY.
A Nerdfighter you say? DFTBA
Stephen Ira Bening, in your own words, “the world belongs to you.”
HE’S SUCH A SMARTY PANTS I LOVE HIM.
Carmen!!!! You are so awesome! I loved your “roundup.” You did good, cowgirl. You did good.
Firstly, it has been a hard week. I was especially overwrought after hearing about the horrific attack in Nebraska. So, sometimes its nice to discuss nice things to get your mind off all the things that are hard to stomach.
Bill Nye the Science Guy!!! Nuff said. :)
Also, Stephen is absolutely adorable!! Thank you for sharing his video. He is going to do good things in this world…
The National Association for the Deaf message that you posted up touched my soul and brought appreciation-tears to my eyes. My mom is going deaf and has been gracefully adjusting to my coming out as a kickass lesbian. Maybe that accounts for some of my reaction. But mostly, I’m just happy that humans can have empathy for their brothers and sisters.
I feel the need to share the following short-story with you, just because you got super excited about using the words “roundup” and “cowgirl, because you posted that cute pic of Lisa Bonet in a cowgirl hat, AND because it’s your birthday soon! Rebecca Brown’s “Annie Oakley’s Girl” is a collection of short-stories that kicks things off with a wonderful story about Annie Oakley and her lover. Rebecca Brown’s writing is good, dark, sick and wonderfully odd at times, surreal, and addictive. And I highly recommend it to anyone who comes home at the end of the day, hangs up their hat, dusts off their boots, and enjoys a good whiskey with their grub ‘fore hitting the hay.
<3
Hey, that’s Julie Goldman in that “New Normal” trailer… Cuuuute ! :-)
Lance Bass <3. the 12 year old in me is jumping up and down right now.
Stephen Ira Bening. SO ADORABLE. Oh my gosh. Be my best friend.
Go go NAD! They know what it’s like to be completely misunderstood and have their rights trampled on, so good on them for supporting their fellow minority groups! That made my day.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been spending too much time on the Vlogbrothers Youtube channel and John Green’s Tumblr, but I got quite excited to learn that Ira Benning and I are both a) nerd fighters and b) in need of a haircut.
Stephen Ira Bening. Be my friend! Now? Yesterday? Tomorrow. cool
Omigod, Stephen is just too adorable. And holy shit, kid can speak eloquently quickly. I’m mad impressed with him. Can he be the new poster celebrity-child for the T community instead of Chaz Bono because really.