Girl Crush

 

Girl Crush is a brand-new zine (literally, it drops this week) that celebrates the complex world of platonic girl-on-girl crushing. Helmed by two ladies rather worthy of girl-crushes themselves (Jenna Wortham is a reporter for The New York Times, Thessaly La Force is fresh off a plum gig at The Paris Review), its M.O. is the type of universal fascination that all women and girls feel about at least one other member of their gender. The zine was born from a discussion about these crushes on rad ladies like Joan Didion and Anna Karina via essays and even suggested recipes and playlists. Featuring work from the likes of Jennifer Egan, Leanne Shapton, and Mary H.K. Choi—among so many others—Girl Crush is instantly relatable and just a straight-up good read. The zine is available online for $10. 

So worth the $10... Follow them on Tumblr.

For a list of other cool, new zines to drop, check out this article from Refinery29.

A Nepalese Tea Garden Empowering Women [Rishi Tea]

As a tea lover/drinker, I love reading stories from various U.S. based tea vendors. For a list of my favorite online vendors, see post "Chai Season." But in even more exciting news, Rishi Tea is now offering a Nepalese black tea from a tea garden that employs and supports women equally to men. Read on:

"We at Rishi Tea have always had a strong connection with our partners at origin. Nurturing that connection is important to us which is why we have worked hard to produce and purchase Fair Trade Certified™ teas. This passion is always with us as we look for new and exciting teas.

That being said, we would like to introduce a new tea and partner to you. Himalayan First Flush, Black Tea from the Jun Chayabari Tea Garden boutique estate is a tasty way for us to introduce you to Nepalese teas and bring you other ways to connect with and help tea growers around the world. The Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden is very unique in that it empowers women in an underdeveloped country. The women that work for this tea garden have the same opportunity and equal pay as the men that work there not only in the fields but also in the factory and management.

One success story is of Kalpana Rai. She is the record keeper, a supervisory position at the tea garden, and is currently enrolled in school to earn her masters degree. This speaks volumes of the Jun Chayabari Tea Garden and their breaking of the patriarchal mold. You can read more about this inspiring empowerment by going to the Nepal First Flush Himalayan Orange product page and following the link to an article by the Nepal Times.

We not only have chosen Jun Chiyabari for their superb quality, but also because they are socially conscious. Whether you are a fan of great quality teas, social consciousness, or both, we encourage you to try this tea.

Himalayan First Flush, Black Tea has a beautiful, light golden-orange liquor and flavors of apricot, peach, honeysuckle and wildflower honey with a lingering aftertaste and full aroma."

Hoozah! Happy Drinking!

MondoHomo: Music Revue

Thelma & the Sleeze, lost bois and Heavy Flow rocked the HOUSE! What a night. If you missed tonight, it's not too late to get your lady-gay on. Sunday (5/29):

Mondo Day Camp

12-4pm, FREE, Cabbagetown Park

Let’s get those yummy balls a swingin’ in a gayday of fun in the sun. This dyketastic park day is an all-ages Queer Family event with playground sports, BBQ, aerial play, fagtastic games with the Atlanta Radical Fairies ( http://www.radfae.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_58136741057), big gay pillow fight, music and outdoor cruising! Everybody Wins at the GayDay Games! Bring your A game and pillows!

…Exciting performances from Dance Truck https://www.facebook.com/atldancetruck?sk=info

and the Atlanta Sedition Orchestra!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xn3ekg9M5g&feature=related

Also...

7pm – MSR, East Atlanta Village – $7 – Mondo Cinema – queer film shorts
10pm – MSR, East Atlanta Village – FREE! – Mondo Finale – dance party

Microaggressions [Autostraddle]

Haven't read this. But I really really really want to:

Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation was released last year by Derald Wing Sue, Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Teacher’s College, Columbia University.

Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation is about the damaging consequences of everyday prejudice, bias, and discrimination upon marginalized groups in our society. The experience of racial, gender, and sexual-orientation microaggressions is not new to people of color, women, and LGBTs. It is the constant and continuing everyday reality of slights, insults, invalidations, and indignities visited upon marginalized groups by well-intentioned, moral, and decent family members, friends, neighbors, cow- orkers, students, teachers, clerks, waiters and waitresses, employers, health care professionals, and educators. The power of microaggressions lies in their invisibility to the perpetrator, who is unaware that he or she has engaged in a behavior that threatens and demeans the recipient of such a communication.

While hate crimes and racial, gender, and sexual-orientation harassment continue to be committed by overt racists, sexists, and homophobes, the thesis of this book is that the greatest harm to persons of color, women, and LGBTs does not come from these conscious perpetrators. It is not the White suprema- cists, Ku Klux Klan members, or Skinheads, for example, who pose the greatest threat to people of color, but instead well-intentioned people, who are strongly motivated by egalitarian values, believe in their own morality, and experience themselves as fair-minded and decent people who would never consciously discriminate. Because no one is immune from inheriting the biases of the society, all citizens are exposed to a social conditioning process that imbues within them prejudices, stereotypes, and beliefs that lie outside their level of awareness. On a conscious level they may endorse egalitarian values, but on an unconscious level, they harbor antiminority feelings.

Wayuu Taya Foundation (and their FANTASTIC bags)

The Wayúu Tayá Foundation is a 501(c)3 non governmental, nonprofit organization founded in 2002 to help improve the lives of Latin-American indigenous communities while maintaining and respecting their traditions, culture and beliefs.  Wayúu Tayá Foundation was founded by Wayúu model and actress, Patricia Velásquez.  Since its creation, it has concentrated its efforts in assisting the Wayúu, an indigenous group of over 450,000 people, located in the Guajira Peninsula of northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela.

Wayúu’s, commonly referred to as Guajiros, are an Amerindian ethic group that have been able to avoid European acculturation over the centuries. The Guajira region is characterized by being very dry and arid, as well as extremely poor in most rural areas.

After the tragic events of the earthquake that hit Port Au Prince, Wayúu Tayá has expanded its work to Haiti with the creation of the Help Haiti Hope initiative.

Currently expanding into the Amazon where it will support healthcare and education initiatives, benefiting major indigenous groups such as the Jivi, Yanomami and Piaroa.

The proceeds from the sale of these bags in their online gift shop go to benefiting the Wayuú indigenous people. The bags are hand-made by Wayuú indigenous women at Shukumajaya, the foundation's women center that helps educate women on parenting and nutrition, family planning and hygiene.

Yansan: 100 Years of Womyn's Struggle, Ceremony, and Sword

Every week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from Fri., March 4 until Tue., March 29 @ Sellars Project Space, Denver, CO

“If someone asked me at the end of the day, ‘Ashara, what do you want to be?,’ I would say that I want to be a curator. I’d have the unmitigated gall to think I could curate a show. But it’s true: When I grow up, I want to own a gallery where I’d show works by African and African-American women.” So says “artivist” Ashara Ekundayo, who now spreads herself thin between Denver and the Bay Area, disseminating the word about community, cultural diversity and urban gardening wherever she goes. But even before she finishes growing up, Ekundayo, who founded Denver’s Cafe Nuba (among so many other things), has gotten to try her hand at curating with the new exhibit Yansan: 100 Years of Womyn’s Struggle, Ceremony and Sword, which opens today at Sellars Project Space, 4383 Tennyson Street, in celebration of the not-insignificant hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day. 

The title Yansan, chosen in tribute to the Yoruban female orisha (or deity) Oya, “who guards and organizes chaos, transition and change, and whose element in nature is the tornado,” Ekundayo explains, is meant to convey the idea of self-actualization for women in modern society. To further that theme, she’s chosen works by a conglomeration of women artists of color from Denver, the Bay Area and New York, including mixed-media Amana Johnson, outspoken photographer Kim Mayhorn, activist poster artist Favianna Rodriguez, local sculptor Li Hardison and others, all women who, she says, are “amazing griots and storytellers who embody the energy that is transcendence” — the spirit of Yansan. 

Attend a reception for Yansan from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight; tomorrow at noon, Ekundayo and some of the artists will join together for a free informal Talk Talk Talk panel. Yansan runs through March 29; for more information, visit www.sellarsprojectspace.com or call 720-475-1182.

Pakistan's Lesbians Live In Silence/Unveiled [****]

NPR did a short piece on a lesbian Pakistani human rights lawyer. Check it out.

Also, since we're on the subject, check out the German film Unveiled (Netflix). In terms of lesbian flicks, I find it to be one of the better ones. It received 7.4/10 stars on IMDB:

After the Iranian authorities threaten to prosecute her for loving a woman, Fariba (Jasmin Tabatabai) assumes a dead man's identity in order to survive. Denied asylum in Germany, Fariba is locked in a detainment center, where her male cellmate commits suicide -- and she spies a window of opportunity. Assuming his identity, she takes a job in a small country village, where she struggles to keep her secret from a well-meaning female friend.

Women Artists Sweep Best of 2010 NYC Arts

Still from Shirin Neshat's Women without Men

 Huffington Post

G. Roger Denson

For at least a decade, arguably two, there's been ample evidence that an avant-garde not only still exists in contemporary art, but that it's comprised almost exclusively of women. If women's art provokes the strongest reactions, pro and con, it's largely because women have made sexuality and gender not just the subject and context of their art, but the medium to be modeled to suit new social realities and identities. Certainly the strongest work exhibited in New York in 2010 was overwhelmingly by women and reflecting feminist perspectives on sex and gender, to the extent that in every contemporary category I could summon to mind, work by women stood out commandingly.

What y'all know about that?  Shirin Neshat's flick Women without Men has a viewing on Jan. 22nd at the High Museum of Art. I need to work at this place...

I AM: Trans People Speak

I AM: Trans People Speak is a multi-media campaign aimed at raising awareness about diverse communities of trans individuals, families and allies. Check them out! They even provide Trans 101 for those who want to educate themselves. This is Tre'Andre's I AM video:

Nicki Minaj: Tellin It Like It Is

Nicki Minaj will not drink pickle juice... This woman is hard not to love. She's weird but approachable, outspoken and does not abuse the power she has. Or rather, she doesn't waste the power she has. We've all heard this shit before: men get applauded for doing things that if women were to do, we'd be labled bitches or whores or both. And Nicki has recently taken a moment to say it, too. Word. She almost apologized at the end. I'm glad she didn't.

Shout-out: Southern Poverty Law Center

I'm in the process of disenchantment with American society. I don't think it's because things are getting worse overall. If anything, it's because nothing overall has gotten any better or worse. Sure, we've had some huge strides (Thank you, Dr. King, but let's be real, the way we dwell on what he accomplished and kind of "stopped working" after he passed and just went back to accepting things as they newly are is... disenchanting. The civil rights movement in my mind stood still right then and there, and no leader since has tackled the challenge of getting the ball rolling again). And now it seems we're back to square one but instead of Black-Americans, America has decided to share some old-fashioned hate with the queer community. The parallels are alarming. Note: some of us are both gay and black. Yet, I can always rely on some fleeting glimmer of hope. In a land where information is twisted for personal gain, there are a handful of ethical institutions out there worth applauding. Southern Poverty Law Center is one such institution (See! The south isn't so bad! I admit, we're a living, breathing paradox). SPLC is known for calling folks out on hate. They have even gone so far as to map them out for you. I was surprised to find one in my hometown of Lafayette, LA and not so surprised to see that Florida out-hated Louisiana by almost double. Anyway, the news has recently been buzzing about a new hate-list: 18 Anti-gay hate groups. And I wanted to say thanks. So, thanks, SPLC. I appreciate you.

Coupon Shoebox

Yes. Coupon Shoebox. They hunt. We save.


And since we're on the subject... Zen Habits.

Andrew Sullivan Making Sense

Andrew Sullivan is a conservative political gay blogger who's been around the blogging sphere for 10 years. And right now, he's making a lot of sense. I have yet to watch the full interview (given by Big Think), but here's a snippet for you...

Evolve!

Atlanta's YouthPride developed the Evolve! program in order to address the growing problem of suicide among LGBTQ teenagers and young adults. The program provides therapeutic services to youth in crisis while also working to increase community awareness of mental health issues, depression and suicide for "at risk" youth and young adults in Metro Atlanta. 

EVOLVE! expanded its services in 2008 by offering YouthPride members free individual, couples, and group counseling in a non-judgmental and confidential environment. Counseling is provided on site by licensed practitioners or a counseling intern. They also provide counseling or referrals to YP members' families and offer workshops to the public.

Suicide Risk Factors

Though it may be obvious to most of us, we should also point out that sexual orientation and gender identity alone are not risk factors for suicide. However, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth face many social factors that put them at higher risk for self-destructive behaviors, including suicide. Some LGBTQ Youth Specific Risk Factors include:

• Gender Non-conformity – Not following society’s traditional gender roles. For example: the young lesbian involved in softball instead of cheerleading and gay boy that is in drama club instead of playing football.
• Coming Out Issues – Will I lose my current friends? Will my family turn me out? Am I doomed to get AIDS because I’m gay? I’ll be alone for the rest of my life and similar worries.
• Rejection when Coming Out – Loss of one’s support system due to rejection by friends, family, community, etc.
• Coming Out at a Young Age - Increased likelihood of rejection by friends and family, less maturity to handle rejection and abuse.
• Gay Related Victimization – Rejection and isolation, verbal harassment, physical/sexual assault, property damage.
• Developmental Stressors – Lack of role models, lack of access to community structures and support systems commonly found in heterosexual community. Can not openly date same-sex romantic partner/take them to the school dance; can not walk down the hall or street holding hands; lack of support from family for same-sex romantic partner.

Youth and young adults (13- 24 years of age), can call (404) 521-9711 or email letstalk@youthpride.org for help.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Culture of Creativity Intro from CJ Something on Vimeo.

Culture of Creativity

Spanish Girls are Beautiful by John Accardo

'Spanish Girls Are Beautiful' brings the hazy world of women and weed into sharp focus, with the intersection of urban and suburban New York serving as a backdrop to the story of Taylor and Jayla.

An all female ensemble cast throws down a real picture of two would-be lovers living in totally different worlds. Can love cross the county lines that divides the 'hood from the 'burbs?

The director @ogfunkbandit (tweet her!) is trying to make this into a series.

Spanish Girls Are Beautiful from John Accardo on Vimeo.

For the Budding Tea Connoisseur

Courtesy of teamasters.blogspot.com

Once you've had an excellent tea, it's impossible to go back to the grocery store stuff, or to any cafe that doesn't put precedence on the quality of teas they serve. And as for finding teas of premium quality, it's pretty expensive if you don't know what you're doing or where to go. However, times are getting better. Less money in Lady's pocket is getting wasted on finding a reputable tea vendor, and more money is going into discovering which teas I genuinely love. I have Steepster to thank for this. Steepster is Twitter meets Digg meets e-commerce. You create a profile, review tea businesses and teas (can't find the tea/biz you're looking for? add it), give directions on how you like to brew your favorite teas, and follow people who can also follow you. What this all means is... if said tea from said business gets a delicious 85/100 rating, you now know where to find said delicious tea, especially if members with similar tastes (who you've been following!) have rated the tea already and left comments.

Mourning at Howard: Students organizing memorial for lesbian student

 By Yusef Najafi
Published on , 11:51am | http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=5654

A former Howard University student died from suicide on Tuesday, Oct. 5, in her home state of California.

According to the university's college newspaper, The Hilltop, students organized a candlelight vigil for Aiyisha Hassan, 20, who attended Howard University from 2008 to 2009, on Thursday night.

Students at Thursday night's vigil
Ryan C. Hamilton

Amari Ice, 22, president of C.A.S.C.A.D.E., the Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality, Howard University's LGBT student group, said Hassan was a lesbian who attended C.A.S.C.A.D.E. meetings regularly.

''It's devastating to say the least,'' Ice told Metro Weekly on Saturday, Oct. 9. ''It's been a lot to deal with especially with all the other youth suicides that have been happening. It's just fuel to the fire. It brought the national issue very very close to home.''

Details regarding Hassan's suicide have yet to be determined.

Lauren Morris, 21, a senior at Howard, who lived in the same building as Hassan from 2008-2009, said she introduced Hassan to C.A.S.C.A.D.E. Morris added that friends have reported Hassan's suicide was related to her struggles with her sexuality.

''She was having a lot of trouble with a lot of different things,'' Morris says, ''but mainly her sexual identity and just trying to express that.''

Sterling Washington, co-founder of C.A.S.C.A.D.E. and former president, came upon news of Hassan's suicide after attending a C.A.S.C.A.D.E. event at the university this week.

''I absolutely think that this is connected in a way to the failure of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' to be repealed,'' Sterling, who is gay and an a 2004 Howard alumni said, speaking to Metro Weekly on Friday.

''What happens in a large group trickles down to the junior members… so in this case it's members of society so it affects youth in general,'' he said. ''Those straight-identified youth who already had a proclivity, who already had from their parents, their socialization, this idea that gays are less than, it sort of gives them permission and facilities this whole bullying thing so that those that are most vulnerable to it sometimes see suicide as an out.''

According to Howard students, a memorial is currently being planned for Wednesday, Oct. 13. For an extended version of this story, visit MetroWeekly.com on Thursday, Oct. 14. 

The National Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Suicide Hotline:  

1-866-4-U-TREVOR

Happy Disability History Month!

“I would like to challenge movement leadership to grow, support, and create space for disabled people of color. I do not mean this as a platform for encouraging simple diversity or one-dimensional multiculturalism, but as a push for us to rethink and revision what we understand as disability community and history.

I want to talk about why disability looks white. I want us to understand how ableism has been leveraged against communities of color with black folks historically being thought of as less capable (therefore fit for slavery) and special education commonly serving as a means of segregating students of color both with and without disabilities. I want us to create a disability pride that acknowledges the complexities of our experience and does not pit living resiliently and proudly against the knowledge that disability is often created by injustice our communities face.

All of this must be done without flattening our differences, without saying being disabled is just like being of color, just like being poor, just like being queer. Let us bring our best selves to community and learn to be with each other in ways that transform and grow who we are, even when (and though) the work is hard.”

Read more at cripchick’s blog here.

No Man's Land: The Women of Mexico

I thought this video was interesting and touching. It's about how gender roles shifted in a small, rural Mexican community because 80% of the men there leave for the United States, and often cannot return. And though watching their sons/husbands/brothers leave rips these women to pieces, it also empowers them.


No Man's Land: The Women of Mexico from Dana Romanoff on Vimeo.