More on Sochi Olympics

Article on ESPN discussing the U.S.'s decision to designate two openly gay former athletes as their designation for the olympics.


http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/10154712/president-barack-obama-selects-gay-athletes-sochi-delegation

West Point & Gay Marriage

Hey All!

Hope finals are going smoothly for everyone. I thought this was an interesting and uplifting piece! It ties in nicely some of our class themes on gay men in the service and marriage equality.

Enjoy.

At West Point: Duty, Honor, Gay Marriage

Kids react to gay marriages

Great insight on how younger kids view gay marriage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TJxnYgP6D8

Sochi Olympics

When Professor Bilger came to speak to us, we spoke briefly about how sports can fit into the conversation of LGBT rights. I found this interesting article about a prominent former Olympians view of Russia's anti-gay laws, and what olympians should do about it.

India's Supreme Court Reinstates Ban on Homosexuality

"In a huge blow to gay rights in the world’s largest democracy, India’s top court on Tuesday reinstated an archaic law that makes gay sex a criminal offense on grounds that it can only be dismissed by lawmakers in government."

Homeless LGBT kids

http://apch2013.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-is-not-where-heart-is.html

This post talks about the author's research into her film, A Place Called Home, about homeless LGBT youth. It also investigates government policies on homeless youth in the UK, Australia, and Canada.

Effects of DADT Repeal

http://www.sldn.org/pages/dadt-before-and-after Above is a quick guide to what the DADT repeal changed and what it didn't change for LGBT service members. There is a link at the top to a guide for LGBT service members.

Compton's Cafeteria Riot

Pomona's very own Victor Silverman directed a documentary with his grad school friend and an author from our syllabus, Susan Stryker, about a transgender riot against police oppression that took place in San Francisco, years before Stonewall. You can check out this clip from the film, or watch the full thing on Amazon.

More than anything, I felt that the documentary highlighted how new a lot of the research we've read for our class actually is. In the film, Stryker describes stumbling across this almost-forgotten episode in queer history. It makes you wonder what other stories are out there that have yet to be found.

Funding for HIV/AIDs

I found this to be an interesting article on the topic of funding of research. It discusses this topic on the global scale as well as on the national level.

Bridegroom Documentary

I recently heard about the documentary, Bridegroom. It illustrates a lot of the points we have been discussing in class in regards to visitation, family relationships and other legality issues that arise during times of tragedy (when same-sex couples are not legally married). I attached the trailer & a link to the movie's website, the full version is available on Netflix!

Trailer

Website

The Face of H.I.V. Today

Today's New York Times reports, in a troubling article, that "the AIDS epidemic in America is rapidly becoming concentrated among poor, young black and Hispanic men who have sex with men."

More on the marriage debates

For additional perspectives on the marriage debates, take a look at these pieces:

David Blankenhorn, who testified in favor of California's Proposition 8 during the 2010 court hearings, later changed his views to support same-sex marriage.  

You might browse the website of the National Organization for Marriage, which works against the legalization of same-sex marriage.

This post by writer Mia McKenzie offers a critique from the left.

For a video spoof of the Prop. 8 trial, take a look at "8: The Musical":

A longer video, worth viewing when you have time, is "8," a play by Dustin Lance Black about the Prop. 8 trial. It's written in the style of theater reenactment, using transcripts from the trial.

Waitress Discrimination

I am interested to see how this plays out.
http://news.yahoo.com/waitress-who-received-alleged-anti-gay-receipt-suspended-pending-investigation-205841873.html

New Way to Protest?

I don't know if any of you have been following the controversy about the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia much or not. In short, Russia recently passed an anti-gay propaganda law, which is being broadly interpreted to also include things such as public displays of affection, any sort of Pride demonstrations, and even just expressing public support of gay rights. There have also been a rash of hate crimes along with the passing of this law (not that it seems the government is doing much to stop them). There have been threats that there will be no leniency in this new law during the Olympics, and the Olympic Committee has continued to stand with Russia, insisting there will be no problems.

The NY Times posted an article today about a line of merchandise being sold by American Apparel that seeks to use the Olympic Committee's own non-discrimination policy as a sort of subtle protest against Russia's threats. There are several athletes working in support of this merchandise/protest campaign. I'm curious to know what you all think of it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/business/media/merchandise-uses-olympics-principles-against-russian-anti-gay-laws.html

Prodigal Sons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oz2BHFH4fc here is a link to the trailer of Kimberly Reed's movie Prodigal Sons. If you missed her ath talk last night I suggest watching this movie. We watched the first 1/2 hour last night and it was very interesting.

"Dallas Buyers Club"

There have been a lot of interesting responses from the online queer community to the upcoming movie "Dallas Buyers Club." Here's the trailer if you haven't heard of the movie: http://youtu.be/fvMPU0WaPcc

I encourage you to look at other responses, but here's one that I found particularly interesting: 

"Macklemore, Warped Queer Advocacy, and Why 'Dallas Buyers Club' is One of the Year's Worst Films"

This article raises for us once again the question of who can be an ally and how they can best fulfill that role. 

Marriage Equality Debate Within the Cheney Family

Given our discussion on marriage equality today, I thought this article about the public conflict between Liz and Mary Cheney (daughters of Dick Cheney) would be of some interest:
Liz Cheney's Sisterly Homophobia Ruins the Cheney Family Thanksgiving (Note: this is a Jezebel article, meaning it has a very liberal slant with some humor.)

For context, Liz Cheney is currently a Senate candidate and Mary Cheney is married to a woman named Heather Poe. In a recent Fox News interview, Liz said she does not support marriage equality, but, as an aside, said: "Listen, I love Mary very much. I love her family very much. This is just an issue on which we disagree."

Until reading this article, I hadn't realized that I subconsciously assumed that political families have generational disagreements about marriage equality (as in, parents conflicting with their children). I thought this was a compelling, though very upsetting, example of discord between siblings in the public eye.

Transitioning at the Claremont Colleges

The colleges have just released a set of Transitioning Plans for trans* students, designed in collaboration with the Queer Resource Center.  The guide includes information about Student Health Insurance, coming out to faculty and staff, and housing and name changes on each campus.

The LGBT Community in DC

The New York Times has an interesting video and related article on the presence and acceptance of the LGBT community in Washington, DC. According to polls, the capital has the highest percentage of LGBT adults (10%) compared to the rest of the nation (average 3.5%) and that LGBT life, particularly in terms of bars, is quite integrated which is interesting considering the history of the lavender scare and government suppression. It's suggested in the video that DC attracts the LGBT community because they have the opportunity to influence national issues in terms of LGBT rights.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/fashion/100000002554781/washington-comes-out.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/fashion/Washington-DC-has-thriving-gay-lesbian-and-transgender-population.html

"Facts" about Lesbians, circa 1963

Autostraddle posted an interesting list of 16 "facts" about lesbians from a book published in 1963. Although some of them are quite hilarious, you can also see how some of the "facts" published in the 60s perpetuated very negative lies about lesbians.

Whole list can be found here: http://www.autostraddle.com/16-hard-core-facts-about-lesbians-from-1963s-a-new-look-at-the-lesbian-205071/

Coast Guard enacts non-discrimination policy

This article is a great example of progress within the current gay movement, especially when compared to the military/government policies that we studied earlier in the semester.

Outing in Politics

The Debate section in our Eaklor reading for today says that in 1992 "the topic of outing seemed to fade quickly. It was taken up in another form by academics..." implying that the issue has faded from mainstream attention or political relevance (Eaklor, 193). However, the film Outrage from 2009 describes an activist who continues to work to out those whom Eaklor calls "the worst offenders (gay congressmen voting against gay rights)." 

Mayor Moscone's son marries his partner:
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/wedding-channel/2013/11/12/son-late-sf-mayor-moscone-marries-partner

Politico article on Maine Congressman Mike Michaud who came out to the public last week making the 7th openly gay House member.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/gay-congressman-mike-michaud-glad-for-support-99629.html

Think B4 You Speak

Here's the website for the "Think B4 You Speak" campaign, which we discussed at our Ath lunch. You can find many of the commercials on Youtube. You might also be interested in learning about GLSEN (the Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network), the organization that sponsored the campaign.  Thanks for the discussion on Friday!

ENDA passes the Senate

ENDA which we discussed in class earlier this week passed the senate today by 15 votes. The only opposition came from Republican senators (out of those who voted) and the against arguments focused on morality and religion according to the New York Times. The article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/us/politics/senate-moves-to-final-vote-on-workplace-gay-bias-ban.html?nl=us&emc=edit_cn_20131107&_r=0
And they also did a breakdown of the votes by party, senator and state which was interesting as it gave some indication of how opinions on the issue vary geographically:
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/113/senate/1/232?ref=politics

Kids React To Gay Marriage

I am sure many of you have seen this buzzing around the internet but for those of you that haven't-- check it out!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/kids-react-gay-marriage_n_4212543.html  

More on ENDA

Yesterday, the Senate began debate on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. Here's the report from the New York Times, and here's its editorial on the topic.  Note the exemption for religiously-affiliated institutions.

Senate to vote on ENDA

The Senate may soon vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal law that would make it illegal to discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Currently, 29 states lack workplace protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, and 33 states lack workplace protections for transgender people.  The Senate last voted on ENDA in 1996, when it failed by a single vote.

This piece from the Washington Post suggests that the bill has a good chance of passing in the Senate this time, and that opinion polls show that a majority of voters in every state supports efforts to make employment discrimination illegal. The article predicts, however, that even if the bill passes the Senate, its future in the House of Representatives is uncertain.

For opposition to the bill, see the Fight ENDA website.

An ad featuring black lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes from ThinkB4YouSpeak.com about not saying"that's so gay" that seems relevant to what Professor Selig was talking about for that high school seminar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS0GVOQPs0

Article about Germany allowing a third gender option on birth certificates.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57610467/germany-to-allow-third-gender-designation-on-birth-certificates/

Article in Nature 1995 About Transsexual Brain Size

We read this article for my neurobiology I lab this week. It's about changes in brain size in transsexuals, published in 1995.

Dykes to Watch Out For

For more on Alison Bechdel and her comic strip, see this website.  You can find a strip archive, read cast biographies, learn about her books, and more.

Gloria Steinem Apology

I could not find the actual transcript of the apology, but here is an article that highlights the main points of Steinem's apology. http://www.voicesonthesquare.com/essays/2013/10/04/gloria-steinem-does-180

Representing Pride... Is Gay Pride perpetuating stereotypes?

     I was doing some research when I came across this "Letter to the Editor" from a Michigan woman:

"GAY PRIDE: Stop perpetuating stereotype

I am a winter resident of Arizona, and a lesbian from Michigan. I attended the Phoenix Gay Pride Festival, an event that celebrates the many LGBT organizations that serve the Phoenix community.

Although I was not personally offended, I was NOT proud of the LGBTs who were clad only in their underwear or were wearing overtly sexually suggestive clothes.

In the crowd I noticed straights, some with young children. Perhaps they were there to support a family member, to learn more about my community or maybe just curious. Whatever the case, what they saw only continues to perpetuate the stereotype of gays as sexual deviants.

How proud are you now?

Pat Witek, Apache Junction"

     I think that Pat's comments are telling of tensions that may exist between generations of gay and lesbian people - how do young gay and lesbian people today choose to represent themselves and their gay or lesbian identities verses older generations? Maybe Pat is just a very socially conservative person? 

    At any rate, I think it is important to consider her upset with the Pride event that she attended. Weather or not Pat is a really conservative person or there exists some generational divide, I agree with her that many Pride festivals do tend to focus on highly sexualized portrayals of the gay and lesbian community, which consequently tend perpetuate deviant stereotypes of the community.  I sympathize with Pat when she notices the straight couples and the children in the crowd, "Perhaps they were there to support a family member, to learn more about my community or maybe just curious. " In places with restrictive social and political climates for gay and lesbian expression, I think that is even more important to portray the full range of gay and lesbian identity and experience rather than just stereotypical image people outside the community have come to expect. 
--

The letter was published on April 29, 2010 in the East Valley Tribune.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/opinion/article_a322bc1f-fd64-5289-a8df-c4e6c890161a.html

Upstairs Lounge Fire in New Orleans

Vickie Eaklor discussed this briefly in Chapter 6 and I remembered reading about it in Time magazine this summer! Here is a link to the story and some photos. Touches on both bar culture and life after the Stonewall riots, mainly untold histories that are still left unresolved.
Hope you all find it interesting!

http://nation.time.com/2013/06/21/the-upstairs-lounge-fire-the-little-known-story-of-the-largest-killing-of-gays-in-us-history/photo/a__021_21a/

Marriage Equality and Divorce

I came across an interesting article written by Dese'Rae L. Stage, who was among the first legally married lesbians in New York State. The title of her article explains her unique position: "I Fought For the Right to Get Married--And Now I'm Divorced." Stage is very honest about how she coped with her personal struggles throughout the divorce process, among them a sense of failure for ending such a publicly significant marriage.

Another fascinating aspect of Stage's article was that it was written for Cosmo, a magazine that has had many problems with feminist and inclusivity issues. In her blog post about the writing process for this piece, Slade addresses criticisms she received for this decision: "I’ve been asked a few times why I would choose to write for such an anti-feminist publication. I can’t say that I have an opinion on the magazine’s ideological leanings, but to be honest, the answer is the paycheck. When I was younger, I desperately wanted to be a writer. Now, I’m writing and getting paid for it. On the other hand, nothing I wrote in that essay is anti-feminist, and the piece has reached a demographic I never could have or would have tried to reach. I’m grateful for that. As a spokesperson for equal rights to marriage (and divorce), I think it’s important to get the word out to as many people as possible." 

For the blog post and a link to the article, visit: http://deseraestage.com/blog/2013/09/10/i-wrote-an-essay-about-my-divorce-for-cosmo-yes-that-cosmo/

Saying no to marriage

Interesting article about gay couples choosing to say "I don't." Article features our own John D'emilio.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/style/gay-couples-choosing-to-say-i-dont.html?_r=0

Gay Visibility on Television

Last Sunday night, Andy Cohen hosted a Queer-Eye (for the Straight Guy) 10-year reunion special, where the Fab Five sat around and discussed their experience with the show. During the show, Thom Filicia discussed the significance of their presence on television a decade ago, and how there was very limited representation of gay individuals on TV during that time. While Queer-Eye is definitely critiqued for perpetuating somewhat limiting stereotypes for gay men, it can be argued that the Fab Five, and this show, really helped the visibility of gay life in the media, and "ended up making over the mainstream media’s representation of gay men." (2nd EW article) This show presented gay men interacting with straight men in very normal social ways, and helped make LGBTQ life more mainstream in pop culture. This show also encouraged a lot of discussions around LGBTQ issues, such as the use of the word "gay" as a derogatory term, or "making-better" a trans-male in one episode. If you are interested in watching the show, all five seasons are currently on Netflix! (that's how I've been spending my free time...)

http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/10/20/queer-eye-10-years-later-react/

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/10/20/queer-eye-10-years-later-the-fab-fives-make-better-legacy/

The Mattachine Society and the FBI

I stumbled upon an interesting collection of documents in the FBI's online archives that pertain to the Mattachine Society. It seems that the Society's concern about building a respectable front was justified, given the scrutiny that it was subjected to by the Bureau: the documents include descriptions of meeting attendees, the Communist backgrounds of at least one leader (name redacted), and investigations into the publication of ONE. I'm sure there's a whole treasure trove of information here. I've only just skimmed it and already found some cool things. 

Here's the archive: http://vault.fbi.gov/mattachine-society

The New York Times Considers Gay Rights and Trans Rights

Since we talked about Christine Jorgensen and the divergence of gay identity from trans identity, this seems like a perfect time to mention: the New York Times has a "Room For Debate" discussion running that asks whether trans issues ought to be lumped together with gay and lesbian issues. Check it out, and see what some of the authors have to say about it.

Buzzfeed List

So if any of you spend as much time on the internet as I do, you've probably come across the time-sucking black hole that is Buzzfeed. I found this article the other day, and it reminded me of one of the conversations that we had as a class around the time that Zach Wahls came to class. If you get a chance to look at the list, I would like to know if you agree with the author? Should we be more concerned with these more "serious" issues? Or is marriage equality one of the first steps in gaining societal acceptance of LGBTQ individuals, and the rest of these issues will follow?

 http://www.buzzfeed.com/hfetter/7-lgbt-issues-that-matter-more-than-marriage-fk74

150 Years of Lady-Loving-Ladies In The U.S.

A friend of mine sent me the link to this earlier today. It's essentially a photo archive that one woman assembled of queer women in the US from the last 150 years, pulling from images posted on tumblr, to digital archives, and even scanned images from books and screenshots form documentary films. It's a cool collection to scroll through, and includes a good balance of well-known figures, as well as anonymous "lady-loving-ladies".

Enjoy!

http://www.autostraddle.com/150-years-of-lesbians-144337/

Companies supporting LGBT employees

I found this article went well with our recent topic of The Lavender Scare that trickled down to private businesses. It highlights five companies who support and protect the LGBT community both within and outside their company.

The end of the article also mentions companies Chick-Fil-A and Barilla who have publicly stated a lack of support for same-sex marriage, despite retracting those statements due to poor publicity.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/67377/national-coming-out-day-2013-5-companies-we-should-celebrate-for-coming-out
http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/27/technology/social/chick-fil-a-gay-marriage-tweet/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/30/barilla-executive-gays-apology/2895831/

Current California Transgender Politics

Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that would make it easier for transgendered people to change their birth certificates. The bill, AB 1121 (Atkins), proposed by San Diego assemblyman Toni Atkins would reduce some of the time and monetary expenses that transgender people experience when legally changing names and gender listings (AP).


While AB 1121 proved a victory for transgender people, a lobbying group "Privacy for all Students" recently began a campaign to repeal California AB 1266 "Pupil rights: sex-segregated school programs and activities" (Wetzstein).  Under AB 1266 children and teens attending California public schools "shall be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records" (AB No. 1266).

----

Associated Press (AP), LGBTQNation, October 8, 2013, http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/10/calif-governor-jerry-brown-signs-transgender-birth-certificate-bill/

Wetzstein, Cheryl, Washington Times, Petition drive underway to put California's transgender student law on the ballot, September 23, 2013, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/23/petition-drive-underway-to-put-californias-transge/

AB-1266 Pupil rights: sex-segregated school programs and activities (2013-2014), California Chapter 85,
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB1266

2013 GLAAD TV Reports

GLAAD released their annual reports this morning on the visibility and place of GLBT characters in the past and upcoming television seasons respectively. The Hollywood Reporter summarised the statistics in their article below and while it was good to see so may networks given "good" ratings for last season, the percentage of GLBT characters this season was surprisingly low:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lgbt-tv-characters-down-2012-647281

Variety also covered the release and highlighted an interesting point from GLAAD's associate director of entertainment media, Matt Kane, who noted that American TV Shows are broadcast all over the world and subsequently have the potential to influence views abroad. I'm not sure what the exact proportion of American programming to British programming is on British TV but I can definitely say that it feels like it has a significant presence and almost everyone I know back home includes American shows amongst their favourites, so the potential to influence views is definitely there. (http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/fox-abc-family-rank-high-in-lgbt-report-history-stumbles-1200714638/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breakingnewsalert)

If you'd like to read more the original reports can be downloaded here:

http://www.glaad.org/tvreport13

Homophobia in Sports

Hey all!

Dovetailing on Hannah's recent post...
I know a few of us are athletes in the class, I thought you would find this story interesting. I think there are a lot of things to be noted, especially sports ability to raise conversation in regards to varying social issues. The sports arena is a unique political venue and clubs/players actions can generate both political and social messages that end up reaching the masses.

Enjoy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2426073/Rainbow-row-Premier-League-clubs-refuse-wear-bootlaces-gay-campaign.html

Wombach and Huffman Marry

So I know BuzzFeed isn't exactly the best news source, but one of my friends shared this link with me about Abby Wombach marrying long time women's national soccer teammate Sarah Huffman. They have both been LGBT activists for their entire careers and each came out to the public recently. http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/us-soccer-star-abby-wambach-marries-longtime-girlfriend-and

Sexual Activity in the United States

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/pdf/TeenSexActivityOnePager.pdf
here is a link to the results of a study that show the percentage of high school students who have had sex. The results are surprising compared to the Kinsey statistics of 75% since as of 2007 only 47.8% of all high schoolers have had intercourse and 64.6% of all 12 graders have had intercourse. 
Surprisingly I was unable to find any documentation on the percentage of college students who have had sex.

How Many People are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender? | Williams Institute

How Many People are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender? | Williams Institute 
This is a recent study done through Williams Institute at UCLA that draws on recent studies and found that only 3.5% of the total population is gay, lesbian or bisexual. this obviously is a much different statistic than Kinsey's research which stated that 10% of males are exclusivity homosexual.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.2307%2F2648117
Here is another psychology study Demographics of the gay and lesbian population in the United States: Evidence from available systematic data sources which was published in 2000, so it may be slightly outdated. This study is particularly interesting because of its statistics on percentage of homosexuals in the military and positive correlation between homosexuality and education level.

The Lavender Scare - documentary film

Take a look at the website for "The Lavender Scare," a film based on the book we read that is now in production. The website includes a detailed description of the film and some fascinating videos.  You can also watch the trailer here:

New York Times Op-ed on Pope's shifting views

Interesting article commenting on the Pope's recent remarks on homosexuality. I thought the author did a good job of placing the Pope's remarks in the larger context of the time.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/sex-doubt-and-the-pope/?hp&_r=0

"The Kids Are All Right" Criticism

During Zach Wahls's private talk with our class, one of the questions was about media coverage of LGBT families. He mentioned a few movies and TV shows, and seemed especially critical of the 2010 movie The Kids Are All Right. The movie focuses on a lesbian couple raising two teenagers and how they cope with meeting and interacting with their sperm donor. I recalled seeing the movie in theaters, but honestly couldn't remember if I had any problems with its depiction of the family.

After doing some research, I found this Huffington Post article criticizing the movie, and I thought it was a really interesting read. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-garry-/the-kids-are-all-right-no_b_659444.html

In summary, the author of the article, Joan Garry, takes issue with the film's implication that lesbian families ultimately need men to be complete. I won't say any more in this post in case I spoil the plot for anyone, but read the article if you've seen the movie! In case you haven't seen it but want to, the movie was also recently posted on Netflix Instant.

Same Love

Music Video by Macklemore I briefly discussed today in class. Has almost 80 million views, so my guess is that you are one of those views. Regardless link follows:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0

Historical Literary Tryst: Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook earlier today and it felt particularly appropriate to share in light of us reading 'Calamus' by Walt Whitman.

The information for it comes from a 2005 biography of Oscar Wilde by Neil McKenna entitled The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde, which specifically focused on Wilde's sexuality.

The actual article/post is quite comical, but it's pulling quotes from primary documents, just like we do!

Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman Did It

NBA player's coming out story

Here's an article written by the first openly gay athlete of a major American team sport.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/20130429/jason-collins-gay-nba-player/

Kind of cool to get his story

LGBTQ Catholic School Club

Hi all,

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today, and I think it's really interesting piece about the intersection of religion and the younger LGBTQ community.

http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2013/09/11/news/lgbtq-catholic-school-students-fight-get-club-rec

Daily Show: Zach Wahls

Daily Show: Zach Wahls: Zach Wahls lists the values instilled by his two moms.

Zach Wahls comes to CMC, Wed. Sept. 18

Zach Wahls, who will be talking with our class next week and speaking at the CMC Athenaeum, was a 19-year-old University of Iowa student when he testified before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in 2011.  His testimony, about growing up as the child of lesbian parents, advocated for marriage equality.  You can watch the testimony here:

He later appeared on a number of TV shows, including the Ellen DeGeneres show:


And he spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention:

You can see more (including his appearance on the Jon Stewart show), read articles and interviews, and learn about his book My Two Moms at his website.