What To Read
Read This Now
Angelica Ross To Host Presidential Candidate Forum On LGBTQ Issues
Actress and trans activist Angelica Ross, the breakout star of the history-making FX series Pose, has been announced as the host of the upcoming 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues.
Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory: Self-Portrait As Self-Therapy
Almodóvar’s endlessly self-referential films, though they are able to stand alone, have always gained when viewed in the context of the artist’s life and body of work. Pain and Glory is no exception.
Astronaut9: Everything Like It’s the Last Time
Everything Like It’s the Last Time tenderly takes back a survivor’s agency, giving the artist, and the audience, permission to feel what was too painful before, and to exist in the way we so badly want to as queer and trans survivors. Because of Astronaut9’s generous narrative, when you listen to this project, you also are heard.
“Queer Eye” And The Neoliberal Myth Of The Self-Made Man
Netflix’s revamp of the classic makeover show Queer Eye, originally called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, has received rave reviews. In the eight-episode first season, the “Fab Five” — gay men who are experts in grooming, fashion, culture, design and cooking — pile into a new pick-up truck to scour the Atlanta area for lonely and messy men.
Copyslut, La Llorona, and the Radical Healing Powers of Pleasure
Copyslut flaunts the theatrical charm of a glam band, but that doesn’t mean they’re all flash and no substance. They make bold music about sex work, queer love, and mixed-race identity. I got to interview lead singer Chatz and lead guitarist Ray about their influences, the story of their band name, and how a karaoke performance of Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” started it all.
Sexually-Abused Gay, Bi, and Trans Men Face Unique Stigma and Harm
Gay, bi, and trans men experience unique harms from sexual abuse and often struggle to resolve their sexuality as a result.
Social-Justice Theater: Two-Cents From A $1 Theater
Performance art is sacred in Seattle. Comedy, music, spoken word, and theater – shining spotlight on heart is venerated in Seattle and maybe more so in this politically-charged time. Performance is a vulnerable medium for performers and attendees, and theaters have been increasingly called out in the Me-Too era, making Seattle an exemplary study. There are as many approaches to progress as there are Seattle theaters. This is the first in a series of profiles about doing this work.
Traveling While Trans And The Trauma Of Dealing With The TSA
On Sept. 15, 2017, Olivia stepped into a full-body scanner at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. When she stepped out, a female Transportation Security Administration officer approached. On the scanner’s screen was an outline of a human body with the groin highlighted. The officer told Olivia that because of something the scanner had detected, a pat-down would be necessary.
Abby Posner’s Tribute To An Unexpected Source Of Queer Survival
Abby Posner found a surprising queer anthem in a late-nineties punk song. She’s the first to admit punk band Alkaline Trio’s “Cooking Wine” is not a queer song but, growing up queer in rural Colorado in the nineties, she took what she could get.
What The States That Don’t Protect LGBTQ Employees Have In Common
Are you fully protected from employment discrimination? For employees who identify as LGBTQ, and work in one of at least 17 states nationwide that fail to protect workers, the answer at best is uncertain. At worst, it’s “no” under state statute. In many ways, the...
Kim Petras Is Winning The Pop Game
Kim Petras could be the next big pop star, and the fact that she’s transgender is secondly, thirdly, or even fourthly, a talking point.
DEVMO And The Conflicts Of Stayin’ Here
Queer female rapper DEVMO just dropped the music video for her summer single “Stayin’ Here.” The music video takes place at a golden hour beach party where friends laugh together by the ocean (perhaps in Santa Monica, where DEVMO hails from). It's a classic millennial...
Totally Unofficial Queer Guide to PAX West 2019
While PAX continues to get queerer, given the sheer amount of content, it can be helpful to have a guide to point you in the direction of the best and brightest. So, following in our annual tradition, here is our totally unofficial queer guide for your enjoyment!
Woke Washing: Buying Good PR With Allyship
More consumers want companies to address societal problems. But consumers are also increasingly skeptical about these efforts, seeing them as marketing stunts.
Queer And Disabled Folks Lead The Way In Surviving Environmental Disasters
Communities around the world are grappling with the growing number and intensity of climate-related disasters because of climate change. Immediately after one of these disasters in the U.S., federal, state, and nonprofit agencies frequently pour financial resources into the communities affected by the latest fire, flood, or earthquake. But these emergency support systems are usually unable to address the long-term needs of those affected, and all too often, these structural support systems entirely overlook those of us who live at the intersection of multiple oppressions: race, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, to name a few.