The Queen has spoken.Everyone listens because, well, how can they not? Her bearing, her stature, her very demeanor demand attention from all her subjects and in the new book, “The Essential RuPaul” by John Davis, illustrations by Libby Vanderploeg, these queens have a lot to say.When RuPaul Andre Charles was a little boy, his mother […]
Review: The Essential RuPaul Read More »
It will surprise none of you to learn that I’ve been engaged in LGBTQ+ activism since I was a teenager. At 15, I joined a group of students in forming a Gay-Straight Alliance. I held leadership roles in that organization until I graduated, working in turns with and against my school’s administration and the wider
Being gay shouldn’t have to be my job Read More »
The debate on bathrooms continues in Indiana.Senate Bill 35 was introduced in 2015 and stated that one could only use the bathroom that matched your birth sex. It was defeated before it came up for a vote, but it’s anticipated that more “bathroom bills” are on their way for 2016. The ideology of the “bathroom
The simple fact – everybody pees Read More »
Beautiful. What does that word make you think of? Or, more to the point, what kind of person do you think of?It seems that the world belongs to the beautiful ones who merely have to smile while the common folk bow at their feet. But just how powerful is beauty? In our culture, beauty is
Recently, in the wake of the massacre in Orlando, news feeds, blogs, you tube videos and tweets have focused on the 49 young people who were senselessly murdered and the whys and wherefores of how such a thing can happen in this day and age. Although we are inundated with news about shootings daily, when
As a professional queer activist its part of my job to educate myself and others on difficult social issues. I want to use this months column to tackle one that is near to my heart and has been weighing on my mind heavily lately – the issue of rape culture. Rape culture is the tendency
What many accept is unacceptable Read More »
I’ve been writing this column since 2008 and I’ve never missed an issue. Then, on the cusp of my deadline for last month, 49 people were murdered inside of Pulse in Orlando – and I had written a column called, “The Death Of The Gay Bar.” Needless to say, the title was glaringly inappropriate and
Every year at about this time, our community enjoys the excitement and fellowship of Pride. Pride celebrations across the country continue throughout the summer. The collective attitude and acceptance raise spirits, and raise awareness of our community’s strengths and, well, our fabulosity. But do you ever wonder: How can we keep it going? I do.
Let’s extend Pride through November Read More »
It’d be journalistic malpractice to ignore the tragic Orlando massacre. But there’s really not a political angle that resonates, so this will be personal. For two decades, I’ve watched that sometimes-clumsy weekend dance: gay and inquiring men (and some women) go to gay clubs to meet other gay and inquiring folks. There are generational, racial
Watch for political fallout from Orlando Read More »
It was a strange scene; there I was in the Egyptian Room of the Murat Theater surrounded by weeping brothers and sisters, the same brothers and sisters who – not 24 hours ago – were smiling in the sunshine, celebrating another successful Indy Pride Festival. And now, here we all were, mourning the loss of
