Nepal Will Count its Transpeople, Court Gay Travelers (Especially Buddhists)
Nepal is open for gay tourists and just announced it will add a transgender category to its Census. Nepal is deeply conservative. Other countries should feel embarrassed.
Riese’s Team Pick: Mr. Sexsmith Wants Your Top Hot Butches Nominations
It’s time to nominate your favorite butches and learn new pronouns!
Transphobia Still Rampant, At Least Anti-Bullying Bills Include Gender Identity
U.S. Senators have begun to respond to the recent rash of bullying-related suicides in the LGBT community, and gender identity made it into the first draft of the bills. Color us shocked, but proud.
Superstars of Butch Voices LA 2010: Nine or Ten We’d Like to “Know” For Sure
Butch Voices is this super awesome conference happening in LA this weekend, and Autostraddle thinks you should go. It’s all about unifying and discussing all the various rainbow of butch identities. Plus, there will be some super awesome people there. Seriously. Go.
Girlhood, Interrupted: Angelina Jolie Forcing Shiloh Into Tomboyhood, Overall Deviance
Angelina Jolie is robbing Shiloh of her true self, which is apparently hidden by comfortable shoes, cute polo shirts and lizard backpacks. IT’S AN OUTRAGE! HIDE YOUR GIRLS BEFORE THEY GET INTERRUPTED!
Judith Butler 101: One Is Not Born a Queer Theorist, One Becomes One
Did you wake up today feeling a little too sure that you understood the relationship between sex and gender? No fear, Autostraddle is here! Guest writer Julia is here to learn you all about Judith Butler, and to make you feel smarter than you have all day.
The (Gender) Trouble With Video Game Avatars
If you think the realm of fantasy might defy our real world gender policing, think again! How Dragon Age: Origins, World of Warcraft and Xbox Live want me to be a size 2 scantily-clad elf and I just wanna be husky with an alt-lifestyle haircut.
Policing Female Masculinity: Much Ado About Rachel Maddow’s Yearbook Photo!
Rachel Maddow had long hair once. That’s right. You’ve seen the yearbook photo — she used to look like a Real Woman! (so says Senator Vitter). I’d tap that! (So says Buzzfeed). Whoa, y’all have some serious gender trouble going on. (Says us).
Women Are Dirty Bisexuals, Men Are Just Dirty. Or Gay. Or Straight.
Gawker wants to know where the bisexual men are at. Silly Gawker, don’t they know there’s a double standard preventing men from ever having a sexuality in a grey area?
“Transmen in the City”: Mainstream Mag Does Trans Story Right (Mostly)
NY Magazine talks to trans photographer and love of our life, Amos Mac. Also; Kate Harding discusses Tasha Fierce’s essay, As Fat As I Wanna Be, more stereotypical junk about Elena Kagan, thoughts on gay parenting, an Iranian lesbian filmmaker is denied asylum, the disgusting practice of ‘corrective rape,’ punk Islam and Harry Potter!
Let Us Now Praise Effeminate Men
Alan Cumming’s latest blog post sums up the week perfectly, and addresses perhaps Newsweekgate’s most underasked question: “What is wrong with being effeminate, anyway?” It’s Friday, y’all. Let us praise ye wise men who know “queeny” isn’t even a word, give you some wisdom and share some of our favorite videos; Kurt’s Turn in Glee, Adam Lambert goes crazy, Alan Cumming emcees, Rickie finds World Happiness and Peter Paige finds Emmet’s truth.
Life & Style’s Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Tomboy-Panic Cover Borderline Offensive
Life&Style Magazine wants to know WHY IS ANGELINA TURNING SHILOH INTO A BOY? and we want to know when this shit gets officially offensive, ’cause quoting Focus on the Family is scaring us. Also; Funny or Die’s presidential reunion, guns are everywhere in Starbucks, big tobacco loves the gays, and ice dancers take cultural appropriation to new lows.
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s Tomboy Look Scares Media Just Like Ours Scared Our Grandparents
Apparently Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is a stylin’ tomboy, which means Angelina is brainwashing her into the bisexual lifestyle! Meanwhile, studies suggest tomboy-identification is good for girls. Also; South African boarding school shuts down after lesbian kiss, the NAACP Image Awards, out actor Guillermo Diaz, “Toe to Toe” looks at interracial friendships, Tegan & Sara in Austin, how to help Chile and old school Gaga.
Trans Photographer Amos Mac: The Autostraddle Interview
Amos Mac, photographer and editor-in-chief of the groundbreaking magazine, Original Plumbing, talks to Laneia about being a trans guy, the power of photography and (briefly) Girl Scouts.
In Defense of Dressing Up: On Trans Surgery, Fashion Writing & the “Natural Body” Myth
Fashion blogger Meg Clark on why fashion blogging matters, trans activist lawyer Dean Spade unpacking feminist discourse around trans surgery. Though very different people/topics, both touch on how a “looks don’t matter” perspective disables us from having important conversations about gender/society/self. Also; 39% of young Swedish ladies lust for other ladies, fancy perfume, marriage officials love love, Margaret Cho directs a kickin’ new video, and Lesbians deal with HIV.
Much Ado About Bisexuality
Are we all bi? Who’s tired of labels? Plus, the de-gay-ifying of A Single Man, Maddow’s just a journalist, New Hampshire will vote on repealing gay marriage, and we had so much fun at Stiletto on Sunday!
Dockers Man-ifesto Challenges Men to “Wear the Pants,” Give Up Disco. WTF?
Dockers wants men to rediscover manliness and “wear the pants.” We would prefer a pantsless revolution. We got a mini-roundtable together to discuss advertising’s attempt to revive khakis, manhood, and the Dockers brand all at once.
Chaz Bono Talks About His Gender Transition on AM TV and We Like It.
Chaz Bono enlightens America about gender reassignment surgery, says he feels better than ever, and gives us an opportunity to discuss the popular and problematic term “sex change”! Also; Caster keeps her title, hate crimes are on the rise in LA and six scary quotes from Sarah Palin’s book tour.
What Does a Lesbian Look Like?: The Autostraddle Roundtable
What does a lesbian look like? Until a few years ago, mainstream culture was pretty sure they knew the answer to that question, even though they didn’t. The Autostraddle Roundtable tackles passing, why people can’t understand that lesbians can have long hair, and the relationship between gender, style, and sexuality.
Straddling the Sexes: Transgender Teen Also Hates The Gender Binary, Says “Call me Ze”
Colorado Springs Weekly’s cover story on the lives of trans teens in the area, Jezebel’s got a girl guide to girl watching, some Nuns are on the Run, and you are a semicolon. Or are you? Also, why are Asian-American girls more prone to suicide?