June 2013
1 post
April 2013
1 post
March 2013
1 post
Lucky Charms Open Mic Night and Potluck! →
facebook.com
Click the link above to check out the awesome event we’re having tomorrow!
October 2012
1 post
August 2012
2 posts
Parenting: Father of the Year Helps Dress-Wearing Son Feel Comfortable By Putting on a Skirt Himself(via @Gawker) →
gawker.com
“My five year old son likes to wear dresses,” says German dad Nils Pickert. Back when he lived in West Berlin, it was certainly a conversation-starter, but not much more than that.
May 2012
30 posts
Prom in Space on 6/2!!!
Attention Bay Area youth! Saturday night is our space-themed Prom! This event will be held at 938 The Alameda in the DeFrank Center ballroom and it is open to anyone ages 13-20 (school or state ID required). $5 in a space or futuristic themed costume/$7 without. No one will be turned away for inability to pay. Drugs, alcohol, and smoking are not permitted. The dance starts at 8pm and ends at midnight. Hope to see you there!
Be an Activist: Tips on Community Organizing (Reblog) →
beanactivist.tumblr.com
reblogged:
Changing the world — your homework from the last class — is a challenging task! As you plan your project and reach out to your community, keep in mind the value of starting to implement your vision by taking manageable, concrete first steps. Wangaari Mathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace…
Hawaii Becomes the First State in the U.S. to Ban Plastic Bags! →
surfrider.org
“This was not done by the state legislature, but instead by all four County Councils - a great example of local activists and decision makers addressing the serious issue of plastic pollution.”
The power of local activism!!!
What Happens Next: A Gallimaufry: Lamenting The Friend Zone →
fozmeadows.tumblr.com
Everyone’s heard of friendzoning – even if they don’t know the word, they sure as hell know the concept. It’s what happens time and again to unfortunate Nice Guys who, despite being nothing but sugar and spice to the girls they love, are nonetheless denied the sexual relationships they so…
Human Rights Campaign Survey for LGBTQ Youth Ages 13-18 →
go.hpolsurveys.com
HRC wants you to make your voice heard! Please take a few minutes to complete this online survey and share your experiences, concerns and hopes for the future. This survey is completely anonymous and will help the Human Rights Campaign advocate for and represent your generation. They need to hear directly from you—from LGBTQ youth from every corner of the country and from all backgrounds. http://go.hpolsurveys.com/HRC
Opheliac Bat: Proud of my mother →
kissingblacklips.tumblr.com
My mother attends catholic church regularly. She also does extra things in the church. Well today in NC amendment one passed. Tonight at my mom’s church meeting, their readings were all about love. And it slowly started bothering my mom. My mother is for gay rights. I have always been bisexual, my…
Fuck Yeah FTMs!: Great News for Virginia Transfolk - Much simpler Gender Marker Change process →
fuckyeahftms.tumblr.com
Virginia embraces a SIMPLE mechanism for changing one’s gender marker on a driver’s license !
As of April 25, 2012, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) implemented a new, and much simpler, policy for changing one’s gender marker on a VA driver’s license. Individuals can now use…
“
As I said, I’ve been going through an evolution on this issue. I’ve always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. And that’s why, in addition to everything we’ve done in this administration — rolling back Don’t Ask Don’t Tell so that outstanding Americans can serve our country; whether it’s no longer defending the Defense (of) Marriage Act, which tried to federalize what has historically state law — I’ve stood on the side of broader equality for the LGBT community.
And I’d hesitated on gay marriage because, in part, I thought civil unions would be sufficient, that that was something that would give people hospital visitation rights and other elements that we take for granted. And I was sensitive to the fact that, for a lot of people, the word ‘marriage’ is something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth.
But I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed, monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines, sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf, and yet feel constrained even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they’re not able to commit themselves in a marriage — at a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married.
” —President BARACK OBAMA. (via inothernews)
California Bill Would Protect Patients From Harmful Ex-Gay Therapy →
thinkprogress.org
A California Senate committee today advanced SB 1172, a bill that would help protect citizens from harmful, ineffective ex-gay therapy. The law does not outright ban all ex-gay therapy, but it does prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from undergoing sexual orientation change efforts. It also requires that any prospective patient sign an informed consent form that includes the following disclaimer:
Having a lesbian, gay, or bisexual sexual orientation is not a mental disorder. There is no scientific evidence that any types of therapies are effective in changing a person’s sexual orientation. Sexual orientation change efforts can be harmful. The risks include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior.
Medical and mental health associations that oppose the use of sexual orientation change efforts include the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
This is model legislation that applies scientific knowledge to the benefit of the general welfare. Ex-gay therapy has been debunked repeatedly and deserves the marginalization that this bill would implement.
Of course, groups that promote ex-gay therapy insist that the evidence supports their traumatic practices, but it’s an empty claim. One of the witnesses at today’s hearing speaking on behalf of NARTH (National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) cited two studies that have been debunked and disavowed. The intention behind the therapy, as essentially admitted in NARTH’s alert email today, is to simply reinforce religious bias against homosexuality. (The same email also mistakenly described the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ted Lieu (D), as openly gay, in an apparent attempt to further bias the group’s followers.) SB 1172 is an important step forward to protect gay youth and limit the dangerous impact of such stigma.
14-year-Old Girl Stages Photo Shoot Urging Seventeen Magazine to Stop PhotoShopping Models →
themarysue.com
I am so happy that this amazing endeavor has gotten so much attention! Hurrah for those amazing SPARK activists. You make your fellow feminists proud! :-) xx
LGBT Latino/a center will open in D.C. →
washingtonblade.com
Washington, D.C. will soon have a new LGBT community services center catering particularly to the Latino/a community, according to the center’s new director.
Trans activist Ruby Corado, the founder and director of the LGBT center, says Casa Ruby will be open to everyone, but will focus primarily on Latinos/as. Every person on the all-volunteer staff will speak both English and Spanish. More details from the Washington Blade:
Among other things, Corado said she envisions Casa Ruby as a one-stop community service center for Latino LGBT people that will provide support and referrals to other service providers on such matters as immigration issues, substance abuse, domestic violence, counseling, employment services and HIV/AIDS education and prevention. …
“I want this to this to sort of be a home,” she said. “I want them to feel this is their place. If they don’t have anything out there for their needs like a place to stay I want them to come and I will help them find that.”
More and more LGBT groups are acknowledging the need for outreach to communities of color, such as the Latino/a community, which is fabulous. This is a really great, much-needed thing and I wish them the best.
Play
Rummage Sale and Bake Sale for the LGBTQ Youth Space →
youthspace.org
Attention, San Jose/Bay Area folks who want to support a LGBTQ youth center in San Jose!
This Saturday, May 5, from 12pm-4pm, the LGBTQ Youth Space is having a Community Rummage Sale and Bake Sale! We have a ton of great stuff to sell at a good price and EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Proceeds go to fund a field trip to Great America’s Pride Night as well as AIDS/LifeCycle. Swing by and purchase some amazing yet affordable items for a good cause!
Located at 938 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126. Free parking lot next to Youth Space. Close to public transit and the Diridon Station.
April 2012
26 posts
Scholarship Opportunities for Gender-Confirming Surgery
Check out these two scholarship opportunities for transgender people who need financial assistance for gender-confirming surgeries:
CK Life surgery Scholarship Fund application cycle open until May 1st, 2012
Jim Collins Foundation application cycle now open until August 10th 2012.
LGBT Laughs: How my mother came out to me. And how I came out to her... →
lgbtlaughs.tumblr.com
My mom wasn’t exactly the best mom in the whole world. I do have some good memories with her, though few and far between they are. This is one of them.
We were sitting in our living room, hanging out and watching Will and Grace. I was probably 12-13, and I was starting to…
