All posts tagged: LGBTIQA

One Big Lezzie: NBC’s New Show Takes Queer Lady Visibility Right Back to 1994

Published by thequeerav

Did you guys catch One Big Happy last night on NBC? If you didn’t, you can always head over to AfterEllen (cough *sponsored by NBC* cough) to catch up on the hype. And it’s no wonder people had high hopes for the show, with Liz Feldman and Ellen at the helm. But…sigh. Remember in Friends (especially in the first season), when all we knew about Ross’s babymama Carol was that she was a lesbian — and wasn’t it funny? Sentences like “she’s a lesbian” and “Susan and I are getting married” were met with raucous laughter. Of course, that was a long time ago. High waisted jeans have gone out of style, come back into style, and (possibly) gone out of style AGAIN. In the meantime, the country has made great strides towards marriage equality. And especially in recent years, lots of gorgeous, funny, nuanced queer lady characters have graced our screens, playing whole people who had entire lives, and were also gay or bi or pan or curious or just plain slutty. At this point, in …

Why the Trans Community Needs to Ban the Word “Transtrender” for Good

Published by thequeerav

The other day, I was called a “transtrender” by a trans woman who refused to acknowledge my gender identity because I have, up until this point, not hormonally transitioned. Because the only thing that determines your gender identity is, you know, hormones (sarcasm). A “transtrender” refers to a person who identifies as transgender because they think it’s cool to do so. This particular trans reader insisted that I was not a “true” trans person, and that I claim this identity only because it’s the trendy thing to do. This isn’t the first time my transness has been called into question, but there’s something particularly sinister about this word that made me angry. Here’s the funny (and sad) thing about a trans person calling me a transtrender: They aren’t just hurting me. They’re hurting our community, and undermining our cause. There’s a lot of problematic implications that go with the term “transtrender.” It implies, for example, that a person’s gender identity is for outsiders to decide. It suggests that there is only one way to transition. It marginalizes …

23 BuzzFeed Videos, Lists and Articles That Will Rock Your Queer Socks

Published by thequeerav

BuzzFeed has really grown in popularity over the past few years, largely because of their diverse range of news and entertainment presented in new and fun ways. The queer community is most certainly included in this diversity and so I thought it was time to compile a list, in true BuzzFeed style, of queer BuzzFeed videos, lists and articles that will rock your queer socks. Enjoy! 1. 9 Queer Women in Tech Tell Us What They’ve Learned 2. Smashing Gender Binaries with the Queer Kids of Today 3. 59 Thoughts Every LGBT Student has Before Mardi Gras 4. 11 Things Everyone Always Assumes About Lesbians 5. LGBT TV Characters are Whiter, Male-er, And Richer than Real Queer People 6. Toms: The Complex World of Female Love, a short documentary by Coconuts TV, explores a sexual identity that is unique to Thailand. 7. 17 Times Queer Tumblr Totally Owned 2014 8. Margaret Cho is Here, Queer, And Taking Questions About Anything 9. Why Pronouns Matter for Trans People 10. 17 of the Sweetest Ways to Come …

Gay Marriage Vs. Marriage Equality: Not the same thing

Published by thequeerav

As the world comes closer to reaching marriage equality (baby steps people), I thought it might be an appropriate time to point out what the term ‘marriage equality’ ACTUALLY means. Too often I see the terms same sex marriage, gay marriage and marriage equality used interchangeably and I have to point out that it is incorrect to do so. I know this issue has been written about a lot in the past but it’s still something that happens frequently, so I thought it might be time to revisit. Some people might think this is me being too picky and/or too concerned with being politically and linguistically correct though I would have to disagree. If there’s anything I’ve learnt from being a part of the queer community, it’s that language IS VERY IMPORTANT and something that can’t just be ignored or generalised by the wider community for the sake of ease. Same sex marriage and gay marriage are terms frequently used by the wider community to refer to a marriage between two people of the same sex; 2 …

Top Queer Picks – Fringe World Festival Perth 2015

Published by thequeerav

Perth Fringe is Finally here and in all my excitement I’ve compiled a list of of Top Queer Picks for 2015! I haven’t seen any of these shows before so this list is based purely off what I think looks and sounds a) entertaining b) super queer. Get excited! HEX – “Award-winning young choreographer James Welsby presents HEX, an hour-long, three person dance work reflecting on AIDS, activism, sex, and disco through the eyes and bodies of Generation Y. HEX depicts the arc of the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the queer community through allegorical vignettes using popular club dance vocabularies.” Le Gateau Chocolat – I Heart Chocolat – “This is an exclusive party featuring a delectable hand-picked selection of musical arrangements, as random as a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get! But you can guarantee Le Gateau’s infectious energy and gargantuan voice will satisfy your festival taste-buds. From Glyndebourne Opera to singing for the Queen as part of the Jubilee Flotilla and touring the globe with La Soiree; to performing at the …

Why News.com.au Misses the Mark on Caitlin Stasey’s New Website

Published by thequeerav

I first heard about Caitlin Stasey’s new feminist website ‘herself.com‘ from news.com.au. The headline read ‘Why Caitlin Stasey’s new website misses the mark.’ Thoughts started racing through my mind as to what she could have possibly published that would make someone so unimpressed by her actions. My question was soon answered…nothing. Stasey (Neighbours, Tomorrow When the War Began), released a feminist website reclaiming the female body by posting interviews accompanied by nude photos of herself and other women. I think this is amazing! News.com.au writer Rebecca Sullivan certainly didn’t. In her article she writes: “Stasey’s noble aim — to give women back their bodies — has been lost here. By putting naked photos of yourself on a public platform, you are simply offering your body up to the world for scrutiny and judgment. You are complicity foregoing total ownership of your figure and inviting others to weigh in.” We are taught to be ashamed or embarrassed if our body doesn’t resemble the ideal figure marketed to us by advertisers. Billions of dollars are spent trying to …