No Indictment for NYPD Police Officer Who Killed Eric Garner, WTF
A Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, a white police officer who choked Eric Garner to death during the summer.
FDA To Consider Adjusting Restrictions on Gay Blood Donors
A change to FDA policy matters not just because it is based on sound science and will potentially increase blood donations — it would be a powerful and tangible step away from a culture that criminalized homosexuality and AIDS for decades.
The QTPOC Speakeasy Reports Back from Ferguson Protests Around the World
When a grand jury failed to indict Michael Brown’s killer, protests broke out across the globe. Members of the Speakeasy, with heavy hearts and revolutionary intentions, were on the front lines.
BLACKOUT: 11 Queer Black-Owned Business/Organizations You Can Support Today
Plus a list of queer authors and artists of color, and information about hundreds of ways to support BLACKOUT.
The Myth of Plausible Deniability for Anti-Black Violence & How Ferguson Birthed a Movement
What do you do when you’ve done everything “right” and you are still mistreated? You take it to the streets. You take your rage and pain and power you make people listen. You burn and you scream and you keep screaming until someone else shows up and offers you a hand.
We Won Two Things: Same-Sex Marriage Bans in Arkansas and Mississippi are Ruled Unconstitutional
Both rulings have been stayed, but marriage equality in the South seems kind of inevitable now.
How You Can Show Up For Ferguson
You can do more than helplessly watch the news. You can use your voice, your money and your time to help spread the message that Black Lives Matter.
BREAKING: No Grand Jury Indictment of Darren Wilson for Mike Brown’s Death; Protests in Ferguson & Nationwide
Tonight, the announcement came that the grand jury did not indict Darren Wilson for his shooting of Michael Brown.
Catching Flies With Honey: How To Change Anybody’s Mind
This is an essay about searching for the most effective ways to engage those ambivalent, apathetic, or misinformed people who might otherwise find themselves on the right side of justice.
Obama Rolls Out Plan For Executive Action On Immigration; The Struggle Continues
Is the President’s plan enough? As long as there are people whose lives and families are in the US remain vulnerable to deportation, is not enough, but it is something, and it is the result of the hard work of thousands of activists who have put everything on the line to make their presence known as undocumented and immigrant Americans who deserve rights and dignity.
10 Game-Changing Things We Learned At Facing Race 2014
2. Tension is a productive force.
Transgender Day of Remembrance: Critique is Resistance; Resistance is Revolution
“It’s all fine that we become aware of our lives but we need more than for you to finally see that we are walking this Earth. We need you to hear us.”
Why Lyft and Uber Endanger Both Passengers and Drivers: A Former Lyft Driver Speaks Out
Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft are a great idea in theory, but in actuality they’re quite dangerous — for the passenger and the driver. I should know; I’ve been both.
Jury Duty For (Anti-Racist) Dummies
If anything good is going to come out of this jury duty business, maybe it’s that I’m about to kick my ass into gear.
Remembering Us When We’re Gone, Ignoring Us While We’re Here: Trans Women Deserve More
As we honor the memory of those girls who have been murdered, ask how you’re helping the living.
MO Governor Jay Nixon Enacts Preemptive State of Emergency, Activates National Guard as Response to Ferguson Activism
While the indictment of Wilson is a powder keg issue that could incite riots, it’s not the only end goal of these massive protests. With that said, one way to ensure that the protests will remain peaceful is to put away the military-grade weaponry and indict Darren Wilson: “No Justice, No Peace.”
Leslie Feinberg, Transgender Lesbian, Activist, Author, and Revolutionary Dies at 65
Leslie Feinberg died at home in Syracuse, NY, with hir partner and spouse of 22 years, Minnie Bruce Pratt, at hir side. Hir last words were: “Remember me as a revolutionary communist.”
Michigan Same-Sex Couples Get a Court Win, But State Legislature Wants to Leave Trans People Behind
Republicans are trying to exclude trans protections in a civil rights amendment, while a federal judge has struck down a state law banning domestic partner benefits.
President of Lincoln University Slut-Shames Black Women, Incriminates Black Men, Asks for Silence Around Rape
“The other thing I want to tell you about brothers is that we will lead you to believe that you’re the best thing since sliced bread. But we’re slicing your bread and somebody else’s bread, too… if you allow us to do that.”
LGBT Veterans Deserve Equal Rights and Recognition, Not Just a Free Bloomin’ Onion
This Veteran’s Day, let’s give back to the queer service men and women who have put their lives on the line to protect us.