Egypt: Seeds of Change [Al-Jazeera]

"One of the key things to understand is that non-violent struggle is a form of warfare

[...] Violence contaminates your movement."

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Brownie Points: Toyota

Pretty Little Liars Back with More Lady-Gay Stuff

Spoiler Alert

The first season of Pretty Little Liars resumed this month, and while the show took some steps forward (in the lesbo department), by the latest episode I started to get the feeling it was retreating. Emily (played by heart-throb Shay Mitchell) comes out to her parents, and shows a great deal of resolve and strength with her un-accepting mother. However, by episode 113, Maya, Em's lady-love, was getting shipped off to boot camp or some shit. Let's hope ABC Family is doing more than sending a brief, superficial message for It-Gets-Better purposes, and will give Emily some serious character development...

You can watch new episodes here.

Gay Glory at the Golden Globes

Go Magazine

A brilliantly brutal Ricky Gervais on Sunday hosted what many are calling one of the most memorable—and gay-glorifying—Golden Globes award ceremonies in recent history. 

Gervais’ scathing jokes at the expense of celebrity nominees and presenters alike left the star-studded audience squirming and viewers at home snickering at the British host’s unapologetic, Tinsel Town-affronting gall. Despite a smattering of stuffy critiques that Gervais “went too far,” the ceremony proved refreshingly entertaining and veered as far as possible from the forced-polite banality of many glitzy awards evenings. It also racked up quite a few accolades for “Team Gay”—from individual winners to films and TV shows teeming with LGBT themes. 

The night was filled with Glee—and we’re not just referring to the ebullience exhibited by the lucky celebs lugging home statuettes. Fox’s uber-popular, chock-full ‘o gay show Glee scored three big wins, including Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical, a Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for TV accolade for openly gay actor Chris Colfer, and openly lesbian fan fave Jane Lynch’s grab at a G.G. in the counterpart category.

In his acceptance speech, Colfer denounced the current epidemic of bullying—very apropos considering his Glee character’s struggles with anti-gay harassment and Colfer’s own orientation.

"Most importantly, to all the amazing kids that watch our show and the kids that our show celebrates, who are constantly told 'no' by the people in their environments, by bullies at school that they can't be who they are or have what they want because of who they are. Well, screw that, kids," Colfer said. An effortlessly charming and jokingly self-aggrandizing Jane Lynch made it a point to thank her wife and children in her speech. 

The Kids Are All Right—in which Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play a lesbian couple whose children meet their sperm donor, and for which both thespians earned Best Actress in a Motion Picture nominations—did “all right,” as well. The film won the GG for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and Annette Bening took home the prize for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.

Natalie Portman received the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her jarring and complex portrayal of a ballet dancer spiraling into insanity in Black Swan (complete with frenzied [and pretty damn hot, if we may say so] lesbian sex scene with costar Mila Kunis).

Between Women

What do you think of when you hear Between Women... ?

The show "Between Women" brings to life all of the events that altar our lives as individuals, as friends, as lovers and partners... the drama, lies, mystery, friendship, betrayals, secrets, passion, loyalty, and love that comes within any group of women. Based in Atlanta, the circle is comrpised of a variety of women that weave an intricate balance to each other's lives. Between Women showcases the tests and trials that can infiltrate on a circle of friends and their strength and will to go thru it and maintain a level of trust, honor, and commitment with each other.

Brought to you by Mad Studio Productions, Between Women provides an honest look at love and friendship laced with humor, sexiness, and fun. Go there if you dare... Between Women! 

See also, Broken Silence.

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.

Lip Service BBC

There is little that I won't put up with for the sake of LET (lesbian entertainment television). Afterall, I hate reality TV but adore Gimme Sugar. It's two-fold. One side of me is a super-lezzy who supports anything of a truly homogay nature. And the other side is like a child without a role model; I burn holes into the TV screen in search of color. I can't help myself. I need affirmation. I need to be represented. I HAVE NEEDS! And if the show is international, particularly from a country with better race relations than the USA (I'm looking at you, Britain), I have certain expectations. I've recently started watching Lip Service, and I'm hoping they'll meet my expectations. After the first four episodes, I'm already slightly tired of the relentless drama. But I think I'll be able to hang in there. Especially since the endearing Tessa, in search of love and affection, is having fateful interactions with a mysterious lezbo of color (who'd be 10 times sexier with natural hair #justsaying). Lip Service will probably be short lived. The Brits don't drag on television shows like we 'Muhricans. Their lives don't revolve around it. Seasons have a few episodes and run for a few years. No Law & Order: SVU's over there. And that's just the way it is.

Go, Kurt!

I really hope this is happening. He's kind of dreamy...

Habla Ya

I thought this was a great concept. Habla Ya is an HBO series that is pretty much Latinos talking about their experiences. It's sometimes hilarious and makes me wish I hadn't allowed myself to forget so much of my Spanish. I wonder what a Black version of this show would look like, and would it be successful in showing how diverse of a race we are and how many cultures we encompass (specifically in America)? Anyway...

I Heart Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Fear for All Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Fear for All Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

You can always count on Sesame Street

Pretty Little Liars and It's Queer Little Co-star

Emily and Maya

I don't watch television on television, so bear with me. I'm just hearing of Pretty Little Liars now. And when I watched the first episode, I admit that I wasn't sure if I would make it through the first season. Teenage dramas. Ugh. But anyway, it's an ABC Family show about a group of five friends, how one of them disappeared and their secrets. The more morbid aspects personally saves this show for me (Dexter meets Powerpuff Girls? ...Maybe?). But what excited me the most, the character Emily. You see, Emily's secret is that she likes girls. She's played by Filipina/Irish/Scottish actress Shay Mitchell. And her interest? Maya, played by another beautiful woman of color, actress Bianca Lawson. You get kisses! And you get a relationship between two girls that seems to be coming back for the second season! 

Queer women of color are really gaining face in the media. It's no longer limited to just HBO and Showtime, nor to just adults... nor white women... nor a woman of color with a white woman (not that I'm opposed).

http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/pretty-little-liars/photos/

Charmain Johnson: Holding It Down

Charmain Johnson is a name that should be known in every queer woman of color household. And if you've haven't heard it already, you're bound to run across it sooner or later. Charmain is going places but not in mainstream queer culture. She's holding it down for LGBTQ women of color.

Charmain hit the ground running in 2006 with Beyond Black and White: Perspectives on Skin Shades in the African Diaspora. She moved on to more queer things in 2007 with Pieces of a Love Affair, and doesn't seem to be looking back. This short film is about a latina, Toni, and her memories of a love affair she had with another latina. In the same year, The Lovers and Friends Show came to light, and is still rolling. In the works (according to AfterEllen) are two spinoffs. One follows Sasha, Yasmin's closeted, homophobic sister, who moves to Atlanta, and the other stars Holloway (who reminds me of Omar from The Wire in some ways), a lesbian drug-lord who has a tight grip on Kai's baby brother. For a comprehensive list of Charmain's projects, check her out at Insyte Productions.

My only complaint for Charmain is accessibility(!). Charmain, why can't I get my hands on most of your projects?! All I'm saying is that LOGO needs to get its shit together and stop showing RuPaul's Drag Race 24/7 and make room for some QWOC, feel me?

Gimme Sugar [***]

Remember the wide-spread devastation that so many queer women suffered when The L Word ended? Well, at the time, I found a way to cope. During my mourning process I was home in Louisiana, living with my parents, and didn’t have a gay soul to talk to. So, naturally, I turned to television to numb the pain. More specifically, I turned to Logo TV. Now, Logo, every gay-girl-in-a-straight-place’s savior, was playing L Word from the beginning, but it was edited… and that left something (read: a lot) to be desired. And then I saw the first episode of Gimme Sugar. I know what you’re thinking: Lady, this could have just been a rebound. You were stranded and desperate. Nothing can live up to The L Word. And I agree with you. The two really shouldn’t be compared... I honestly just needed a preface.

Even so, a year has come and gone, I still hate reality TV, and yet, I find myself watching reruns of this entertaining series, and that says something. The show’s first season takes place in LA, the second in Miami, and centers on a small group of lez/bi friends, their lives and their drama. But the best part? Charlene. What a (level-headed and nurturing) hottie! And that’s all I have to say about that...

Watch full episodes at http://www.afterellen.com/taxonomy/term/3554 and http://www.facebook.com/gimmesugar?v=wall&ref=ts#!/gimmesugar?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts.