Sure, you’re spending the day re-watching Dustin Lance Black and Sean Penn’s acceptance speeches after winning Oscars for Milk. Take a few moments, however, to listen to the second segment on the Valentine’s Day episode of This American Life. Each of the show’s three vignettes focuses on someone “searching for people who will understand them […]
Beginning with the vibrant sunburst and smiling child on its cover, Marcus Ewert’s 10,000 Dresses is a joyous book about self-acceptance and identity. It is also the only children’s picture book that features an openly transgender protagonist, and does so with both sensitivity and celebration. Young Bailey dreams of 10,000 beautiful dresses made of crystals,
Carol Adair, the spouse of U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan and a venerated teacher at the College of Marin, died of cancer on January 3rd, 2009, at the age of 66. She is survived by Ryan, two daughters, four grandchildren, her mother, and four siblings. Her death was first announced in the Marin Independent Journal
A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece about new research showing the devastating impact of family rejection on lesbian and gay youth. Tonight, Lifetime television will air “Prayers for Bobby,” the true story of a religious suburban mother in the 1970’s who struggled to accept that her son Bobby was gay. It airs Saturday,
The Wall Street Journal (via DailyKos) reports that President-elect Barack Obama is vetting community organizer and labor leader Mary Beth Maxwell for the position of labor secretary. Maxwell is also a white, out lesbian mom with an adopted black son. Not that any of those identities necessarily qualify her for the job, but I’d like
Today marks the 10th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance: The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a
Thomas Beatie, the transgender man who gave birth to a daughter this summer, will speak with Barbara Walters this week in his first interview since becoming a parent. Here’s from the ABC press release: A Barbara Walters exclusive — Last spring, the stunning announcement that Thomas Beatie, a transgender man, was pregnant sparked controversy and
The women of BlogHer want your ideas! They are already beginning preparations for the 2009 national BlogHer conference in Chicago, and are asking people to submit themselves or others as speakers, or propose ideas for the kind of panels and content they’d like to see. Founder Elisa Camahort Page writes: BlogHer is passionate about delivering
Just for fun, as a break from all the politics: A sculptor friend of mine, Julia Levesque, has created an interactive art installation about identity. In it, she asks viewers to share the type of fork, knife, spoon, or other piece of silverware that best represents them. Her Web site explains: Our terminology for self-description
(Originally published in Bay Windows, October 22, 2008, with slight variation.) “Hollywood would never make this movie,” says director Laurie Lynd of his new feature film, Breakfast with Scot. On the surface, though, the plot sounds like something we’ve heard before: unsuspecting, child-free adults find their lives transformed when circumstances plop a kid on their
