Jessica wrote earlier this month about a great production going on at Buddies in Bad Times in Toronto, so I thought I’d throw in a mention about their Queer Youth Arts Program.

Buddies Queer Youth Programme invites all queer-identified youth ages 15 to 25 to take part in their weekly Wednesday night events.

Between September and June, you can take workshops with some of Canada’s finest theatre artists, see shows on Buddies mainstage, and get onstage yourself at QueerCab, their monthly open-mic.

Want programme details? Check out their schedule of events or even better, go to their Queer Youth Arts Programme Launch Event on Wednesday September 17 at 8 p.m. in Tallulah’s Cabaret. Get in touch at youth@artsexy.ca.

I’m so freakin’, flippin’, can’t-contain-myself excited for this, I can hardly stand it!

Mark it in your calendars with a big red marker all because on September 23rd, AGOKWE is coming to rock your world at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and you definitely don’t want to miss it!

A new production from the mystical and magical 23 year-old Anishinaabe artist extraordinaire Waawaate Fobister (and he deserves every single accolade that comes his way), Agokwe explores unrequited love between teenage boys from neighbouring reserves. They meet briefly at a post hockey-tournament party where they bashfully confess their desire for each other. However youth, distance and isolation strive to pull the threads apart when tragedy intervenes.

I haven’t even seen this yet and I’m already moved, shaken, and completely inspired. We already know in the queer community how hard it is to be open with your sexuality, but imagine living in any one of our Native communities and the ongoing oppressions that are shoved down your throat every day, on top of what your sexual preference is.

Especially when way back when, you wouldn’t have been persecuted for being who you are since many of our nations used to revere two-spirited people as our medicine people and healers. Hmm, now I wonder how that got taken away?

Agokwe is actually an Anishinaabe word meaning “wise woman” but it is often used to refer to a gay man.

Aww!

Running until October 12th, now is the time to make sure you get your ticket for the show of all shows. Now I KNOW I’ll see you there!

The B Side: Exploring Bisexuality is a 10 week group for people who are exploring their attraction to more than one gender or struggling with what their bisexuality means to them and their lives.

Mondays, 6:30-9:00pm
September 29 – December 8, 2008
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne Street

Topics: **exploring attraction ** bisexual myths & stereotypes ** relationships ** labels & identity issues ** coming out to friends, family & others ** bisexuality & our other identities ** finding support ** sex & safer sex ** biphobia ** health & well-being ** bisexual communities & resources **

The group will provide:
* Opportunities for self-reflection, personal sharing, connecting with others and learning new skills and information.
* Respect for the diverse possibilities of identity and a wide range of life experiences.
* A safe and supportive environment for exploring each person’s unique relationship to bisexuality, with a focus on group members’ needs and experiences.

Facilitated by:
* Cheryl Dobinson, a bisexual activist involved in bi-related education, health research and community development, and
* David Yeh, an LGBTQ community educator and expressive arts therapist.

Registration: Space is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, please contact Fatema Mullan at (416) 324-5256 or thebside@sherbourne.on.ca

From the National Center for lesbian Rights: Community Mourns The Loss of Beloved Civil Rights Leader Del Martin, 87.

Del Martin was instrumental in many civil rights struggles, from the founding of the first social group for lesbians, “Daughters of Bilitis”, in 1955 to her wedding two months ago to long-time partner Phyllis Lyon.

Photo Courtesy of the SFChronicle

For more photos visit: Lesbian rights pioneer Del Martin dies at 87
(SF Chronicle)

I think it is crucial to remember as we honor Del’s rich and wonderful life, that whether you identify as queer or not, the work these women did as Lesbian activists is of massive importance.

For more images visit the Sf Chronicle article photo page (Photo by Noah Berger)

Del and Phyllis struggled to live as they chose, and to be the people they wanted to be. They fought for the right to love one another as a matter of public record and without shame at a time when having rights related to intimacy and love was hardly even considered a feasible point of discussion for anyone, let alone members of North America’s nascent gay community.

(more inside…)

I love stories where people successfully defend the freedom to read. Via Quillblog comes this amazing response to a patron’s request to remove a children’s picture book about a gay wedding, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen, from the Colorado library. Here’s an excerpt:

You feel that a book about gay marriage is inappropriate for young children. But another book in our collection, “Daddy’s Roommate,” was requested by a mother whose husband left her, and their young son, for another man. She was looking for a way to begin talking about this with son. Another book, “Alfie’s Home,” was purchased at the request of another mother looking for a way to talk about the suspected homosexuality of her young son from a Christian perspective. There are gay parents in Douglas County, right now, who also pay taxes, and also look for materials to support their views. We don’t have very many books on this topic, but we do have a handful.

…In short, most of the books we have are designed not to interfere with parents’ notions of how to raise their children, but to support them. But not every parent is looking for the same thing.

…What harm has this book done to anyone? Your seven year old told you, “Boys are not supposed to marry.” In other words, you have taught her your values, and those values have taken hold. That’s what parents are supposed to do, and clearly, exposure to this book, or several, doesn’t just overthrow that parental influence. It does, of course, provide evidence that not everybody agrees with each other; but that’s true, isn’t it?

…I fully appreciate that you, and some of your friends, strongly disagree with its viewpoint. But if the library is doing its job, there are lots of books in our collection that people won’t agree with; there are certainly many that I object to. Library collections don’t imply endorsement; they imply access to the many different ideas of our culture, which is precisely our purpose in public life.

I fully suggest you read the letter in its entirety.

In the US, the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee hearing on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” unfolded into a ridiculous circus of homophobic sentiment, revealing the incredibly unabashed anti-gay doctrine that can come from high up in military administration. The hearing has also revealed that most troops could care less about the sexual orientation and preferences of their fellow soldiers, as long as they are competent and prepared. Given that the military has taken to lowering prerequisite test scores, raising age limits, and even recruiting alcoholics and felons before letting the gays in, it would seem that there’s a disconnect between what’s best for the troops and what’s actually going on.

For those of you who don’t know about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” it is a US Military Policy, implemented by Bill Clinton, that prohibits homosexuals or bisexuals from disclosing their sexual orientation, or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States armed forces. HuffPo gives us a rundown of the recent hearing on the (archaic) policy:

Last week, some in the Democratic Party with a good sense of historic timing held a committee hearing on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of excluding gay people from the military. It’s the first such hearing in 15 years. Democrats invited three witnesses, including a retired Navy Captain and a retired Marine Staff Sergeant, both of whom are gay (and one of whom lost a leg in Iraq). A black retired Army Major General also spoke about how the current policy resembled segregation in the military. The Republicans invited retired Army Sergeant Major Brian Jones, and a woman, Elaine Donnelly…

To behold the hysterical anti-gay sentiment from Elaine Donnelly is truly mindblowing. From CBS News:

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness and anti-gay activist, seems to have exiled her brain to a cave on Mars for the last 20 or so years. Among her many reasons for not permitting gays and lesbians in the military was the prevalence of “inappropriate passive/aggressive actions common in the homosexual community.” She claims that “Don’t ask, don’t tell” contributes to the spread of AIDS. She mentioned a case of “black lesbian” gang rapists who prey on new recruits.

(more inside…)

Because sometimes what we all need on a Friday is a good laugh.

According to US Weekly, Tila Tequila (of Shot at Love fame) believes that Gays can now marry in California all thanks to her:

MTV reality queen Tila Tequila says she played a part in California recently dropping its ban on gay marriage.

“It is because of me — I definitely think [my show] has helped the movement,” she told Usmagazine.com at the Hollywood premiere of The Love Guru on Wednesday.

“Before it came out, everyone was still a little apprehensive about [same sex relationships],” she said. “Then they realized, ‘Wow, everyone is really into this stuff, and it is fine.’ The next thing you know, [gay marriage] is legal.”

I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

While I’m here, I’d just like to congratulate all of the Californians who’ve made their marriages legal since June 16th, and say a big ol’ F you to McCain for endorsing the ballot initiative that seeks to ban same-sex marriage. (Too bad Obama’s not much better.)

Whether Tila takes credit or Obama endorses it, it is a victory and I’m happy to celebrate it. Regardless of your views on marriage, I think we can all appreciate how important it is that we’re all granted equal rights under the law.

Happy Friday!

Hat tip to Bitch.

Kansas City art-punk brats Ssion (pronounced “shun”) set out to make what singer Cody Critcheloe describes as “the gayest record ever”; what resulted was Fools Gold, an album that is maybe more pomo-hop than homo-pop. But let’s not mince words - it is pure disco-punk dance party mania. Man, I wonder what Sid Vicious would think about how it’s now possible to use a term like “disco-punk” without batting an eyelash. But I digress.

Here’s the video for Street Jizz, a (slightly satirical?) song about the sexual and class dynamics between middle-class men and the street-culture youth they cruise for. Look for the various popular (and unpopular) culture references the band drops - Leonard Cohen (think the album cover of I’m Your Man), Tom of Finland, Sonic Youth, and others I’m probably too dense to notice. Also, when Critcheloe is reading a book called “Women In Rock” in the very first part of the video, it’s more than a cute name-drop - in an interview, he cites female musicians like Courtney Love and Kim Gordon to be among his biggest influences.

From the Associated Press:

Gay couples in Norway will be granted the same rights as heterosexuals to marry, adopt and undergo artificial insemination under a new equality law passed Tuesday.

Norway’s upper house of parliament voted 23-17 in favor of the gender-neutral marriage law on the same day that gay couples were marrying in California.