Happy Monday! Here are some things to read while you drink your iced green tea and pretend to work.
You Should Go or Do or Give
+ Support the Blue Diamond Society in Nepal.
For longer term: fund to repair both the damaged building of BDS, rehabilitation of LGBTI who have lost their homes and income/job creating program to support livelihood of LGBTI, mostly for those sex workers whose income are completely stooped now.
People have been asking us how to support LGBTI people in Nepal. This request has details of the an appeal that has been launched by the Blue Diamond Society. Please forward it to your networks – we need your support right now.
+ Get your #IllGoWithYou button and tell trans women, “Need a buddy in a gendered space? We will go with you.”
+ Help Nia King print Queer and Trans Artists of Color Volume 2!
via gofundme
+ Casting call: Casting Trans Women for Short Film, Happy Birthday, Marsha!
Queer as in F*ck You
+ Remember those Sally Ride Pride patches we showed you a few weeks ago? Well feast your eyes, pin lovers: Sally STEM Pride Pins.
via Olivia/Wicked Queer on Etsy
+ Smith is Accepting Trans Women starting this fall.
Smith President Kathleen McCartney and board Chair Elizabeth Mugar Eveillard said in announcing the change on Saturday since Smith’s founding, “concepts of female identity have evolved.”
Smith will not admit students who were born female but identify as male.
+ An important piece you need to read today: From the Steps of the Supreme Court to the Streets of Baltimore by Angela Peoples.
Tuesday morning, as I got up early to hustle to the Supreme Court to help MC the “Unite for Marriage” rally, I got dressed while brushing tears out of my eyes. I felt like I was literally sitting in the middle of the intersection of my blackness and my queerness, being pulled in opposite directions, and I was hurting — for me and for my community. My personal pain was a pain of privilege, grounded in the fact that as the leader of a grassroots LGBTQ organization, the expectation of many would be for me to be enthused by this historic moment in the movement toward marriage equality.
+ Argentina Making History With a Three-Parent Birth Certificate.
Saw This, Thought of You
+ “Our Demand is Simple: Stop Killing Us.” in which Jay Caspain Kang profiles DeRay Mckesson and Johnetta Elzie for the NYT and it’s great and perfect and you need to read it.
+ How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Unblock the “Spiritual Electricity” of Creative Flow by the brilliant Maria Popova on Brain Pickings.
+ Lord have mercy give me strength: CatCon LA. “It’s like Comic Con, but for cat people.”
+ Books to Help Your Kids Understand Revolution by Janelle Harris.
+ Where Poor Kids Grow Up Makes a Huge Difference. Yes.
+ Can you sue your government for not doing enough about climate change? A Dutch lawsuit filed by Marjam Minnesma of the environmental group Urgenda aims to find out.
+ Roxane Gay Interviewed Toni Morrison so I don’t know how your day could get any better?
And Finally
Orange Creamsicle Jello Shots. Ok maybe this is how your day could get better.
This is all really cool but i’m here refreshing the main page waiting for Heather’s recap of Orphan Black because I NEED SOMEBODY TO TALK ABOUT WITH OKAY ?
But I mean, of course this Orange Creamsicle Jello shots recipe is totally bookmarked for June 12 !
Oh my God, yes! I’ve refreshed more than what’s probably healthy.
Right ? I feel like Heather ought to give us a better time frame, like, when should we tune in for the heartfelt conversations about patriarchy and feminism through amazing sci-fi ?
Yeah Smith! Yeah Sally Ride! Yeah CatCon!
I went to Smith, and I’m so excited to see them taking this step forward (FINALLY).
I don’t like how the article is worded as far as trans men, though – does that mean that AFAB people who start questioning at Smith will be kicked out if/when they come out? Several of my friends came out as trans men at Smith, and while I’m all for not admitting male-identified students to a women’s college to begin with, I don’t think anyone should lose their spot in the middle of their education. I hope there is more clarity around this soon.
Just to be clear: I really hope the above comment doesn’t come across as “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MEN!!” as that is not remotely my intention. I just think that Smith can take this huge, wonderful step forward for trans women without throwing their current students under the bus, and I hope that’s what they’re doing, but I couldn’t tell from how the article was phrased.
At least in terms of the stated policy, that’s absolutely not going to happen. From the FAQ from the study group: “The admission policy does not affect students who transition during their time at Smith. Once admitted, every student has the full support of the college and this includes transmen. And any student who completes the college’s graduation requirements will be awarded a Smith degree and welcomed into the Alumnae Association of Smith College.” (http://www.smith.edu/studygroup/faq.php)
I’m a current Smithie – trust me, we would raise quite a fuss if our transitioning AFAB classmates were discriminated against. Once a Smithie, always a Smithie :) Go Pioneers!
p.s. wish us all luck, it’s finals week!
As an alumna of another women’s college, this seems to be the common ground at the moment
Good luck with finals! :) And thanks for answering – that makes me feel a lot better.
It’s about damn time, Smith. Even if I’m contractually obligated to dislike you because I’m dating someone who went to Mt Holyoke. :-P
Fucking finally, Smith.
But does anyone know what this means for nonbinary folks regarding admissions?
Why do white queers keep stealing people of color’s campaigns? #IllRideWithYou was a response to Islamophobia…
Did anybody see the Ellen Page is doing a TV show with Vice? It’s called Gaycation and follows her overseas to LGBT-friendly places. Sounds interesting, at least, and we could always use more EP.
See here: http://www.tubefilter.com/2015/05/01/vice-newfronts-new-channel/
brb. Need to call the wife. This counts as urgent enough to interrupt work… right????
Have established willingness of spouse to have long distance “long walks on the beach at sunset with Ellen Page.”
Uhg I wish, I’m in a meeting, it’ll have to wait tonight :(
I don’t think it’s been mentioned on AS but Mt. Holyoke and Wellesley also have recent policies that admit trans women. Trans men who realize they are trans while at college aren’t kicked out (though if they indicate male on their applications, they aren’t admitted), and non-binary FAAB people are admitted (though non-binary MAAB people are not).