Anti-Gay Violence in New York City, A Pro-Gay Graduation Speech, and Other LGBT News
Posted on May 23, 2013 by Julie Levine in Features, News
In the last 30 days, there have been a total of seven violent assaults against members of the gay community in New York City, including the murder of 32-year-old Mark Carson last Saturday evening in Greenwich Village, a notoriously gay-friendly neighborhood. Carson was walking with another man through the neighborhood when three men began taunting them with anti-gay slurs. The assaults came to an end when 33-year-old Elliot Morales shot Carson in the face. The police took Morales into custody almost immediately. Carson died later that evening in Beth Israel Hospital. (more…)
Read More Than Each Other: Books Every Black Gay Man Should Read
Posted on May 17, 2013 by Paige Cohen in Features, News
This week, Mused released a list of must-read literature reflecting the experiences of black gay men. Books covered include Essex Hempill’s Brother to Brother, an anthology that merges prose and poetry to capture the lives of those who were affected by AIDS, E. Patrick Johnson’s Sweet Tea—an oral history of black gay men in the south—and the current Lambda Literary Award finalist Keith Boykin’s For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough. (more…)
See The Fascinating Evolution of Cover Art From 12 Legendary Queer Books
Posted on May 10, 2013 by Paige Cohen in Features, News
Autostraddle tracks the evolution of twelve queer book covers by women writers, both in the states and overseas, over several decades. Books on the list include: Rita Mae Brown’s Rubyfruit Jungle, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, and Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider—among many others. Check it out here. (more…)
The New Yorker’s Mother’s Day Cover, the Fascinating Stories Behind Classic Book Titles, and Other LGBT News
Posted on May 9, 2013 by Julie Levine in Features, News
Last week, Rhode Island became the 10th state to allow same-sex couples to marry. This week, Delaware became the 11th. On Tuesday, a half hour after the bill passed in Delaware’s Senate with a vote of 12-9, Governor Jack Markell signed it into law. The legislation will officially come into effect starting July 1. And on Wednesday night, Florida’s governor Charlie Crist put his support for same-sex marriage in writing: “I most certainly support equality in Florida and look forward to the day it happens here,” he posted on his Facebook page. (more…)
Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, 10th Anniversary Edition
Posted on May 6, 2013 by Lewis DeSimone in Features, News
This Memorial Day Weekend, a diverse group of GLBT writers, publishing professionals, and enthusiastic readers will descend upon New Orleans for the 10th anniversary celebration of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival. It’s an annual tradition that puts a gay spin on the land of Blanche DuBois and gumbo, where, to quote one of the weekend’s many events, you can “glitter with the literati,” discussing craft and the business of publishing in a city like no other. (more…)
New in May: Dan Savage, Michelle Tea, Amber Dawn, and Martin Duberman
Posted on May 1, 2013 by William Johnson in Features, News
New Month! New Books!
This month sees the release of famed writer and activist Dan Savage’s new collection of essays, American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics (Penguin). This topical collection offers Savage’s provocative take on America’s latest cultural flash points. (more…)
Capote’s Manuscript Sells for a Ridiculous Amount of Money, Shane Bitney Crone, and Other LGBT News
Posted on April 29, 2013 by Julie Levine in Features, News
On Wednesday, April 24, the state Senate of Rhode Island passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, with a vote of 26 to 12. Sometime this week, the bill will likely be turned over to Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, who has already promised he will sign off on it. Once this happens, Rhode Island will be the tenth state to legalize gay marriage in America, and gay marriage will be a law in every state in New England. (more…)
25th Annual Triangle Awards: Winners Announced
Posted on April 26, 2013 by Paige Cohen in Features, News
Last night the Publishing Triangle held its 25th Annual Triangle Awards ceremony at The New School in New York, honoring the best LGBT fiction, nonfiction, and poetry published in 2012. Among this year’s winners are: Lysley Tenorio for her debut novel Monstress, Richard Blanco for his poetry collection Looking for the Gulf Motel, and Alison Bechdel for her graphic memoir Are You My Mother? (more…)
Archie Comics, Really Big Coloring Books, and Other LGBT News
Posted on April 22, 2013 by Julie Levine in Features, News
In September of 2010, Dan Parent of Archie Comics added Kevin Keller to the mix, making him the first gay character in the history of Archie Comics. And in February of 2012, Kevin Keller got a series of his own, and around the same time, he also appeared as an adult in Life with Archie magazine, which featured him getting married to his partner Clay. Now, Paul Kupperberg, the writer of Life with Archie, recently released Kevin, a young adult novel that follows Kevin before he met Archie and the gang, starting with his experiences in middle school where he was forced to deal with bullying, and the problems of being “different” in the midst of puberty. (more…)
Mykki Blanco Calls on Queer Academics for Inspiration
Posted on April 20, 2013 by David Mattar in Features, News
Hip-Hop grenade Michael Quattlebaum, under alter-ego Mykki Blanco, exploits sexual ambiguity in her music and troubles the gender roles, refusing the stereotype of rap music. She tells The Village Voice:
In all my press releases, I make them use the word ‘her.’ Even if you’re looking at a picture of Mykki Blanco shirtless in baggy pants, you are going to say ‘her,’ because language doesn’t mean anything.
Such queerness rose up out of the chaos that ‘Riot Grrrl’ and queer thinkers Audre Lorde, Judith Halberstam, and Leslie Feinberg had inflicted on heteronormativity in Quattlebaum’s teenage years. Identifying with queerness and feminism as a teen was vital to Mykki’s growth as an artist but also informed the vocabulary with which she would later cement her place in the world. [The Village Voice] (more…)
