The QU

Time for media to focus on the healthcare needs of the trans community

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:34:37 -0600

Time for media to focus on the healthcare needs of the trans community

jesus—walks: yeshairy: MAKING OUT @ THE HIDEOUT I love...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:23:03 -0600

jesus—walks:

yeshairy:

MAKING OUT @ THE HIDEOUT

I love Wes Perry.

DO this!

jrvmajesty: WE GOT SOME NEW ADDITIONS including: Vajaqueque...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:17:57 -0600

Oomphotography.com

Photographed by Jamie Philp

Photographed by thisguyjoe1 @ Instagram

jrvmajesty:

WE GOT SOME NEW ADDITIONS including:

Vajaqueque Brown | Shea Couleé | Martha Mastodon | Pearly Pearl | Kim Chi

For the rest of this gorgeous lineup click through! MONDAY!

LEX·IC·A spreads collaborative wings as our lovely participants explore daily expressions of fashionz, hairography, looks, styles and the art of walking everyday down the street.

Whether going to the corner market to grab some cigarettes or slapping the floor with your latest dazzle or lounging at home, what we wear, what we slip into and onto and out of, for better or worse, is part of what makes us who we are.

Come sit up close. Catch some glitter

QBits: Lesbian mom wins Euro court battle to adopt partner's son

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:46:23 -0600

QBits: Lesbian mom wins Euro court battle to adopt partner's son:

qbits:

The European Court of Human Rights says ban on same-sex second-parent adoption in Austria is ‘unconstitutional’ and gays have a family life

19 February 2013 | By Jack Flanagan

An Austrian lesbian couple have won a court case which allows one partner to legally…

loveyourrebellion: D.C. Launches First Ever Transgender Respect...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:53:31 -0600

loveyourrebellion:

D.C. Launches First Ever Transgender Respect Ad Campaign

On Valentine’s Day, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that...

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:15:34 -0600

On Valentine’s Day, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that would grant same-sex couples of Illinois the freedom to marry. The fight is still not over and members of the Illinois House of Representatives need your voice to push this bill to its final stage. Next week on February 21, Lambda Legal is hosting their annual Freedom to Marry Reception, this time with an additional two hour phone bank drive. Alongside live music, cocktails and a photo-booth, the QU really wants you to come out and help! So, all phone bank volunteers are going to be entered to win a gift basket from the QU! Come and be a part of history and get a chance to win a basket filled with DVDs, music and books. You’ll get cool stuff ranging from The Gossip, Rhinana to copies of Sister Act, Kathy Griffin’s stand up and more. We promise not to skimp on the prizes if you if you promise to come down and urge your lawmakers to advance this bill to Governor Pat Quinn’s desk!

Joe Varisco is a documentarian and producer focused on...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:45:33 -0600

Joe Varisco is a documentarian and producer focused on utilizing creative collaborations as a means of building community relationships and deconstructing boundaries. Joe has spent the last several years in Chicago integrating with creative members of queer communities as the founder of JRV MAJESTY Productions, Creative Director of Chicago IRL, Artistic Assistant to the Youth Empowerment Performance Project and host and curator of monthly performance event LEX·IC·A. His work is informed by a social justice education including interning with the Broadway Youth Center and Night Ministry. He is currently conducting an oral history interview series with artists, social activists and leaders throughout the country and does social media support via tumblr with The Qu

photo & no hetero piece by h. melt

newamuricangospels:

I LOVE THIS!!!

(via PFLAG) U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee Would Extend Equal...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:30:50 -0600

(via PFLAG)

U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee Would Extend Equal Benefits to LGBT Servicemembers, PFLAG National Responds

Chuck Hagel, U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee Would Extend Equal Benefits to LGBT Servicemembers.

Yesterday, U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel stated that, if confirmed in the position, he would “…do everything possible to the extent permissible under current law to provide equal benefits to the families of all our service members,” including lesbian and gay servicemembers.

PFLAG National Board Member Daniel Tepfer, Col USAF (ret.), had the following to say regarding Hagel’s statement,

“Today, I was pleased to read Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel’s positive comments on gay, lesbian and bisexual service members. Many individuals’ views have evolved over time, including former Senator Hagel’s, and we need to accept where they are now, not judge them on earlier, uninformed opinions.

Spousal benefits remain the one aspect of military life where same-gender couples are not treated the same as straight couples. These include access to on-base housing, medical care, use of on-base facilities and survivor benefits to name a few. I am delighted to learn that, if confirmed as Defense Secretary, Hagel will extend the equal benefits he can under current law. Then when the Defense of Marriage Act is repealed, we can look forward to total equality for all military families.”

Additionally PFLAG National agrees with the position taken by our friends at OutServe-SLDN, that Senator Hagel, if confirmed, will have totake a strong step and amend the military’s nondiscrimination and equalopportunity policies to cover lesbian and gay servicemembers.

Rahm Emanuel Signs Marriage Petition calling for the Freedom to...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:15:26 -0600

Rahm Emanuel Signs Marriage Petition calling for the Freedom to Marry in Illinois

Today Lambda Legal announced that Rahm Emanuel has signed the ILove Marriage Petition.

Lambda Legal released the following statement from James L. Bennett, Regional Director for the Midwest Regional Office of Lambda Legal:

“Mayor Emanuel has been on the forefront in advocating for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Illinois, we’re very pleased that he’s taken the step of signing the pledge to show his support for our efforts to bring marriage to Illinois.

“As proud Illinois Unites for Marriage coalition partners, we urge everyone in Illinois who supports our freedom to marry to join Mayor Emanuel and sign the pledge and learn what you can do to bring marriage to Illinois. Join the Illinois Unites Campaign – we all need to be involved as we move forward with our efforts in the Illinois Assembly to pass a marriage bill.

“These are exciting times in Illinois and the momentum is with us. Call your state representative and senator now and tell them to vote yes for marriage for same-sex couples – It’s just time!”

Background:

Illinois Unites for Marriage Coalition brings together a diverse group of individuals and organizations from across Illinois, including business groups, labor, faith organizations, Republicans, Democrats and grassroots supporters.The coalition is being organized by Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois. Learn more here: http://www.illinoisunites.org/

On the first day of the legislative session, Representative Greg Harris and Senator Heather Steans wasted no time in pushing for the freedom to marry. The lawmakers introduced HB 110 and SB 110, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.

On May 30, 2012, Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois each filed lawsuits representing a total of 25 same-sex couples from across the state of Illinois seeking the freedom to marry. Two days later, the Illinois Attorney General’s office filed papers agreeing that barring same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional. The Cook County Clerk and States Attorney also agree that the marriage ban is unconstitutional. On Wednesday, November 21, 2012, State Representatives Greg Harris, Deborah Mell, and Kelly Cassidy filed HB 5710, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act in the Illinois General Assembly, which provides that all laws of Illinois applicable to marriage apply equally to marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples.

Original Plumbing Online – Help us move forward! – An Indiegogo...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:45:39 -0600

Original Plumbing Online – Help us move forward! – An Indiegogo Campaign

Original Plumbing magazine is growing up! As they expand their online community with a complete website redesign and relaunch, they need your help.

Original Plumbing Needs Your Help!

Hi, we are Amos Mac and Rocco Katastrophe and together we edit and publish Original Plumbing, a trans male culture print magazine that launched in San Francisco in the Fall of 2009. A year after the quarterly magazine was born we launched OP Online at originalplumbing.com featuring daily bloggers, first-person narratives, exclusive work from award-winning trans* writers you can’t find in our print editions, photo galleries and most recently the “Talk About It” video campaign to share solutions around isolation around depression within the LGBTQ community.

In the past few years our website has turned dusty, grey and broken. It is disorganized, not sustainable, increasingly harder to find articles and has major video embedding issues. It does not do justice to the writers who have spent their energy writing for OP over the years. It is because of your interest and support that OP has grown bigger than the size of its tank! We need help tearing down the old OP website and rebuilding it from scratch — keeping all of our articles, user comments and galleries in tact while expanding and updating in a major way! This is where you come in. We have listened to your feedback and are making huge changes for our website and online community. We need your help to relaunch OP online v3.0! Help us afford a more inclusive, organized and aesthetically pleasing website that works!

Click here to donate!

Chicago artist on the rise – Frank Mares The Qu loves featuring...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:30:28 -0600

Chicago artist on the rise – Frank Mares

The Qu loves featuring local queer artists and their work, Frank Mares is someone who I have had the pleasure of knowing for some time. He is a driven projection designer, animator, and all around funny guy, once you get to know him. Below is an animation that he recently completed…his drawing style is unique and I just know that he is a Chicago artist on the rise! You can check out his website at frankmares.com!

A special message from BIG DIPPER! Hi Friends! Happy New Year!...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:15:41 -0600

A special message from BIG DIPPER!

Hi Friends!

Happy New Year! I just put out a new Big Dipper EP – THEY AINT READY
It’s available for a FREE Download!
Check it out!

xo
BIG DIPPER

NOH8 Campaign’s 4th Anniversary Party featuring KERLI Whenever I...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:45:23 -0600

NOH8 Campaign’s 4th Anniversary Party featuring KERLI

Whenever I can, I will always send hometown love to Adam Bouska and all the amazing things he is doing because of NOH8! Congrats on 4 years to him and his entire team!

The exclusive inside look into the celebrity party celebrating NOH8 Campaign’s 4th Anniversary at the Avalon in Hollywood. Featuring LeAnn Rimes, Skylar Grey, Kerli, Jamar Rogers, DJ tyDi. Red carpet features Jessica Clark, Gene Simmons, Cast from Days of our Lives and many more!

The party featured a performance by Island/Def Jam recording artist KERLI of her hit dance single “The Lucky Ones,” which is #5 on the Billboard Dance/Club Chart this week.

Marcia’s Law – The Hypocrite Hyp-o-crite: –A person who...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:30:25 -0600

Marcia’s Law – The Hypocrite

Hyp-o-crite:

–A person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs

–A person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements

By Marcia Prichason
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was angry. In fact, he was furious. 66 days after Hurricane Sandy devastated the New Jersey coastline, Congress refused to vote on the release of federal disaster funds; much needed aid that would assist his constituents as they struggle with the aftermath of that devastating storm.

Christie expressed his utter contempt for his fellow Republicans. He stated that the House of Representatives was hurting the people of New Jersey because they refused to vote on the $60 billion aid request that would enable them to rebuild.
He further vehemently expressed his opinion that the people of New Jersey were being treated like second class citizens. Governor Christie declared that he would do everything in his power to ensure that New Jerseyites are treated with the same dignity, respect, and consideration as everyone else.

The Governor has every right to be outraged. New Jersey is a mess. Homes, businesses, and lives were lost to that storm. In every other case involving a natural disaster, the federal government has acted quickly to provide the necessary funds for recovery.

Yet, while Governor Christie decries the treatment his state’s citizens have received for the disaster, he perpetuates a less than equal status for some of the citizens he purports to protect. Governor Christie refused to sign into law the marriage equality bill that his own state legislature passed. By denying equal rights to the approximately 353,000 LGBTQ individuals in New Jersey, he shows utter contempt and callous disregard for their dignity. And that is what makes him a hypocrite.

With respect to the aftermath of the storm, Governor Christie shows great empathy for his New Jersey constituents. He wants the same treatment for his people that the people of Louisiana and Texas received. In short, he wants equality. But, “his actions belie his stated beliefs.” He doesn’t want the same treatment for people in his state who are LGBTQ. They are, according to Chris Christie’s actions, second class citizens.

The Governor is not the only politician who is a hypocrite. Only recently, for example, has Dick Cheney come forward in favor of marriage equality. It became personal for him when his daughter, who is a lesbian, wanted to marry. Newt Gingrich, too, has recently spoken about marriage equality; indicating that it’s time this country treated all citizens equally. Of course, neither of them spoke favorably about Gay rights when they were seeking or holding political office. It wasn’t politically convenient then. Their recent “statements belie their (previous) public statements.” They are hypocrites.

But, the hypocrisy doesn’t stop there. The Republican controlled House of Representatives continues to spend millions of dollars defending DOMA. They are using taxpayer money to support a position that the majority of Americans now view as obsolete. Public officials are elected to serve and represent the people. They “feigned desirable or publicly approved attitudes” to get those votes and now, egregiously act in direct contradiction to the will of the people. They are hypocrites.

In Illinois, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Equality Act has stalled once again. The struggle for marriage equality continues. Legislators who oppose the bill maintain that civil unions are enough; gay people should be satisfied with being “almost” equal. Although it is certain that they would vote differently if THEIR rights were “almost” equal, they contest equality for the LGBTQ citizens of Illinois. They are hypocrites.

As fair minded Americans, we cannot take our cues from politicians who are incapable or unwilling to feel either empathy or understanding. They enact laws that guarantee equality only if it personally affects them. It is imperative that every person be treated with dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law. We must, as thoughtful citizens, press for equality. We must let our politicians know that we will accept nothing less.

But, we have to do even more than that. We must do much more if we envision a society in which every individual is accepted, valued, and appreciated for who they are. We must raise our voices and demand equality at every turn. We MUST; if we do not, our silence makes US the hypocrites.

…And I’m just a mom who loves her son…

Jodie Foster’s Golden Globe Speech So Jodie Foster came out...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 15:45:22 -0600

Jodie Foster’s Golden Globe Speech

So Jodie Foster came out again, kinda.

Accepting the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, Foster spoke obliquely about her relationship with Cydney Bernard, her former partner of 20 years with whom she has two sons. Foster called her “my heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love but righteous soul sister in life, my confessor, ski buddy, consiglieri, [and] most beloved BFF of 20 years.

“I am so proud of our modern family,” she added,” as her two boys in the audience smiled.

The 50-year-old Academy Award-winner (for “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Accused”) has always been protective of her private life, and though she has not hidden her relationship with Bernard or her sexual orientation, she has not allowed it to be fodder for interviews.

Knowing how to approach, and what to say when it comes to gender...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:30:24 -0600

Knowing how to approach, and what to say when it comes to gender and sexuality can be tricky. We have lived in a male/female world for so long, that when approached by something that is different to us then what we are used to, it is easy for ignorance to show it’s ugly head. Below is a cute little booklet that lays out what you need to know, and hopefully clear up any confusion. Please read this and take the time to share it. You can’t understand until you are educated.

France hit by anti-gay marriage protestsHundreds of thousands of...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 13:15:21 -0600

France hit by anti-gay marriage protests
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Paris in protest against a proposed law that would legalise gay marriage in France. People travelled from all over France for the demonstration supported by leaders of the centre-right opposition, the Catholic church and the Muslim community. Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands reports from Paris.

NAKED HIGHWAY “TOUCH ME” Music Video Naked Highway is back with...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:45:39 -0600

NAKED HIGHWAY “TOUCH ME” Music Video

Naked Highway is back with new video from their forthcoming third album. ‘Touch Me’…a cover of the Samantha Fox classic that is already getting significant club play in the USA. The single is out on iTunes/Amazon etc.The video features scruffy guys from NYC’s club scene in a pillow fight. Classy.

Generation LGBTQIA (via New York Times) STEPHEN IRA BEATTY, a...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:30:21 -0600

Generation LGBTQIA

(via New York Times)

STEPHEN IRA BEATTY, a junior at Sarah Lawrence College, uploaded a video last March on We Happy Trans, a site that shares “positive perspectives” on being transgender.

The University of Pennsylvania freshmen, from left, Anastasiya Kudryashova, Roderick Cook, Britt Gilbert, Kate Campbell, Gabriel Ojeda-Sague and Santiago Cortes.

In the breakneck six-and-a-half-minute monologue – hair tousled, sitting in a wood-paneled dorm room – Stephen exuberantly declared himself “a queer, a nerd fighter, a writer, an artist and a guy who needs a haircut,” and held forth on everything from his style icons (Truman Capote and “any male-identified person who wears thigh-highs or garters”) to his toy zebra.

Because Stephen, who was born Kathlyn, is the 21-year-old child of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, the video went viral, garnering nearly half a million views. But that was not the only reason for its appeal. With its adrenalized, freewheeling eloquence, the video seemed like a battle cry for a new generation of post-gay gender activists, for whom Stephen represents a rare public face.

Armed with the millennial generation’s defining traits – Web savvy, boundless confidence and social networks that extend online and off – Stephen and his peers are forging a political identity all their own, often at odds with mainstream gay culture.

If the gay-rights movement today seems to revolve around same-sex marriage, this generation is seeking something more radical: an upending of gender roles beyond the binary of male/female. The core question isn’t whom they love, but who they are – that is, identity as distinct from sexual orientation.

But what to call this movement? Whereas “gay and lesbian” was once used to lump together various sexual minorities – and more recently “L.G.B.T.” to include bisexual and transgender – the new vanguard wants a broader, more inclusive abbreviation. “Youth today do not define themselves on the spectrum of L.G.B.T.,” said Shane Windmeyer, a founder of Campus Pride, a national student advocacy group based in Charlotte, N.C.

Part of the solution has been to add more letters, and in recent years the post-post-post-gay-rights banner has gotten significantly longer, some might say unwieldy. The emerging rubric is “L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.,” which stands for different things, depending on whom you ask.

“Q” can mean “questioning” or “queer,” an umbrella term itself, formerly derogatory before it was appropriated by gay activists in the 1990s. “I” is for “intersex,” someone whose anatomy is not exclusively male or female. And “A” stands for “ally” (a friend of the cause) or “asexual,” characterized by the absence of sexual attraction.

It may be a mouthful, but it’s catching on, especially on liberal-arts campuses.

Click here to read more!

Illinois Marriage Bill Introduced on First Day of New...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:15:33 -0600

Illinois Marriage Bill Introduced on First Day of New Session

Yesterday Representative Greg Harris and Senator Heather Steans introduced HB 110 and SB 110, The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, wasting no time in pushing for the freedom to marry in Illinois. Jim Bennett, Regional Director for the Midwest Regional Office of Lambda Legal, release the following statement:

“We’re glad our legislators are pursuing passage of the bill with urgency. Marriage is urgent for the thousands of Illinois same-sex couples and their children who need the freedom to marry right now,” said Jim Bennett.”The introduction of the bill on the first day of the new lllinois Legislative session is yet another sign that it’s a matter of when, and not if, marriage happens in Illinois.”