Queer, Isn't It?

By Michael Abernethy

Neil Patrick Harris: The Other Sort

[5.Nov.09] :. Neil Patrick Harris is riding high these days. But in years past, if the average person sitting in his or her Barcalounger knew a TV star was gay, it would have been disastrous for both series and star.
 

Sitting on the Mountaintop

[15.Oct.09] :. Did Obama calm the rash of criticism regarding his inaction on gay rights with his recent speech to the Human Rights Campaign?
 

Like ‘The New York Times’—with a Pink Boa and a Tiara

[18.Aug.09] :. Local LGBT papers are a vital part of our community. They bind us together, and they have played a major role in the development of that community. If only they were more inclusive.
 

You Can Be Queen for a Day

[28.Jul.09] :. What are all of us honest-to-goodness, queer-to-the-core homosexuals to make of these wannabes?
 

Stonewall: 40 Years Hence

[5.Jun.09] :. America's first gay Vice-President lived for 15 years with America's first gay President – and more from this Gay Pride Month's Public Service Announcement.
 

“I Thee Wed”

[12.May.09] :. Weddings performed by a justice of the peace, a ship's captain, or an Elvis impersonator don't fit into the historical, traditional view of marriage, performed in and sanctioned by the church – but they’re legal.
 

Is Your Child Safe?

[16.Apr.09] :. If opponents of gay rights are serious about stopping child molestation, they shouldn't look inside the gay community. They should look inside the house next door.
 

Oxymorons: Gay Nazi, Gay Aryan, Gay Supremacist

[23.Mar.09] :. History reveals that homosexuals have long been a part of the Nazi party and were major players in its formation. Hitler's relationships with gay men offer profound lessons for today's gay community.
 

I’ve Got the Music in Me

[24.Feb.09] :. Today, LGBT musicians can flourish as themselves, not hiding behind euphemisms and fictional record label biographies.
 

Welcome, Miss Addams, to Your History

[21.Jan.09] :. The personal life of 20th century America's Mother of Modern Social Work provides us with lessons during our 21st century debate on GLBT rights.
 

The California Smack-down

[15.Dec.08] :. The victory of Proposition 8 could be the best thing to happen to the LGBT community in a long time, but only if we pay attention to its lessons.
 

Fresh Squeeze with Pulp

[24.Nov.08] :. The dimestore novels of the '50s and '60s helped foster the gay rights movement. And many of them aroused their readers while inspiring them.
 

A Cure for What Ails You

[13.Nov.08] :. Thanks to modern psychology, you can now be trained to accept or reject homosexuality – yours or others -- depending on your interpretation of what's needed.
 

The Changing Face of Drag

[15.Sep.08] :. In large part, the social acceptance of drag has turned female impersonation into a corporate commodity.
 

Dragging the Old Nag to the Racetrack, Again

[12.Aug.08] :. Once again, gay rights have been thrust into the center of a political campaign. Will it be a winning strategy again?
 

A Clan, a Network, a Tribe, a Family

[23.Jul.08] :. Not only does the GLBT community view itself as one movement, society has mandated that the groups are linked -- if not intentionally, then through selective exclusion.
 

Saying It With Pride

[20.Jun.08] :. From Tammy Faye to Rick Santorum, hoodia to herpes treatments, this is a hodge-podge of Pride Month-induced thoughts.
 

The People at the Airport Took it Well

[15.May.08] :. Gay visibility on TV may have increased significantly in the last three decades, but consigned to secondary roles on network shows, the impact of that visibility is weakened.
 

Nuke the Kiss

[7.Apr.08] :. For some TV viewers, storylines of adultery, murder, war, rape, etc. are not reprehensible enough to prompt a channel change; two men kissing, however, is another matter.
 

If It’s Gay, It’s Gotta Be Good, Right?

[13.Mar.08] :. Dante's Cove isn't the only piece of gay schlock to be embraced by the gay and lesbian community – we're quick to latch on to almost anything gay-related and rally around it, no matter how bad it may be.
 

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

[8.Feb.08] :. A Christian nation wouldn't accept homosexuality. The big question, then, is whether America is a Christian nation.
 

Getting to Know You

[14.Jan.08] :. In the blogging stage of the information age, there's no reason to not know what the GLBT community is all about.
 

Gay Men Have Large Big Toes

[13.Dec.07] :. Is there any definite way to tell if a person is gay? Conventional wisdom would lead you to believe there is.
 

It’s a World of Hope, It’s a World of Fear

[16.Nov.07] :. GLBT persons in the West face various acts of discrimination. At least state-sanctioned murder isn't among them.
 

PFLAG: A Piece of Our Hearts

[16.Oct.07] :. For 35 years, long before "traditional family values" became a buzz-phrase, PFLAG has been preaching inclusion, love, acceptance, and understanding.
 

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are - Whether You Want to or Not

[13.Sep.07] :. The decision to come out is a personal one, except when your words and actions forfeit your right to a closeted life.
 

Ready for Their Close-up

[23.Aug.07] :. If not for the work of director James Broughton, gay cinema may not have progressed as quickly as it has.
 

Consent of the Governed

[19.Jul.07] :. The election of gay officials isn't about promoting agenda; it's about electing the most qualified individuals.
 

I’m Comin’ with the U-Haul, Baby

[28.Jun.07] :. This One's for the Girls... I mean Women, or Rather Wymen... uh, Wimin... This One's for the Lesbians! Abernethy learns that society as a whole is relatively indifferent to the lesbian community, whether through acceptance, titillation, or oblivion.
 

Tonight’s Episode: Psycho Cross-Dressing Killers

[29.May.07] :. The history of TV is lacking GLBT characters. But on which shows should they have appeared? If ever someone needed a friend that was a tool-toting lesbian, for example, it was Lucy Ricardo.
 

The Scorecard

[17.May.07] :. There isn't a scorecard of social injustice that makes one group more worthy of equality than others.
 

“Faggot! Sissy! Queer!”

[19.Apr.07] :. Increasingly, the sound echoing from our school playgrounds is the sound of hatred and bigotry.
 

‘That Ain’t Right!’

[23.Mar.07] :. The news, television, and films all reinforce the idea that there is something wrong with even the hint of homosexuality.
 

“You Know, They’re All Alike”

[16.Feb.07] :. Even the most die-hard homosexual would probably be a little disconcerted should his or her doctor flit into the room exclaiming, "Girlfriend! Your X-rays look faaabulous!"
 

A Good Return for Our Toil

[19.Jan.07] :. This is what married people do for one another.
 

The Ugly Duckling has Two Daddies

[8.Jan.07] :. We are surrounded by a large population that simply flaunts its homosexualness at us -- flagrantly, shamelessly, and completely uncontrollably.
 

Gay Icons: Judy Who?

[16.Nov.06] :. Our choice for icons is about more than just high camp and melodrama; it's about who we are in a fundamental way.
 

Gay and Gray

[27.Oct.06] :. Due to AIDS and homophobic violence, many LGBT souls who fought so hard for the things we take for granted today never expected to reach old age... but they have.
 

Do You Wanna Funk with Me?: A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Nightclubs

[19.Sep.06] :. Going to a gay nightclub shouldn't be an intimidating experience, and could prove to be the most fun straight people have had out in a long time.
 

Bi the Way…

[24.Aug.06] :. Bisexuals are the oft-overlooked segment of the GLBT and straight communities.
 

Out Business / Our Business

[24.Jul.06] :. Tom Cruise is NOT Gay... but Anderson Cooper Might Be.
 

And I’m Proud to be an American, Where at Least I Know… I’m a Second Class Citizen

[22.Jun.06] :. A hard lesson in resolve: gay-basher Fred Phelps may have one 'quality', if you will, worth considering.