Wednesday, May 2 2012
Shemekia Copeland and Ronnie Baker Brooks Take a Class
Copeland and Brooks infected my classroom with the ‘existential freedom’ that allows each person to stare into the darkness, yet somehow and someway, find the words, the voice, and the courage to sing a sweet song. That is, they gave us all the blues.
Friday, April 13 2012
Yes, It’s Genocide: Armenian Artists and the Obligations of History
For many artists of Armenian descent, engaging with the legacy of the 1915 genocide is more than dutiful; it's of crucial importance to how we understand and confront the modern world and its troubles.
Wednesday, April 4 2012
The Future is Female
Sometimes, the prism of the future can be envisioned in the kitchen and playground, in unexpected forms of empowerment.
Monday, April 2 2012
When Politicians Hit Wrong Notes
From Reagan in the '80s to Limbaugh in 2012, Republicans have an uncanny knack for linking themselves to musicians who don’t support them. Just ask Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and John Mellencamp.
Thursday, March 22 2012
In Defense Of… The HBO Television Series, ‘Luck’
In light of a third animal death on set, HBO swiftly canceled its promising new racetrack drama. But considering the latest obsession with television nostalgia, was immediately axing the show the right move? Or even better, was it the least bit hypocritical?
Tuesday, March 20 2012
Deriding Desire: Dorothy Dandridge and the Raced and Gendered ‘50s
In 1957, Academy Award-nominated actress Dorothy Dandridge found herself at the center of a smear campaign that betrayed the patriarchal and racial politics of Hollywood and the US at large. The '50s were far from calm.
Wednesday, March 14 2012
Get a Leg Up: The Power of Angelina Jolie’s Pose
The impassioned reaction, both negative and positive, to Angelina Jolie and her leg proves the power of the strong and independent woman, and demonstrates the discomfort such female power provokes.
Friday, February 10 2012
And the Academy Awards Nominees Are… Straight
Films about LGBT people that are aimed at mass audiences win awards; films about LGBT people that are aimed at LGBT audiences… not so much. So, here's the Queer, Isn't It? Best Pic nominees.
Wednesday, February 1 2012
The Gay Ole Countryside
As challenging as it can be to grow up gay or lesbian in an area where the next closest homosexual is 50 miles away, it's often not the sad existence that an urban dweller might assume it to be.
Friday, January 20 2012
Stand-Up! America’s Dissenting Tradition Part 1: Trailblazers Mort Sahl & Lenny Bruce
Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce were more than just maverick dissenters; they were the founding fathers of what would later coalesce under the umbrella of the “counter-culture”.
Monday, January 9 2012
Queer Country: Chely Wright’s Coming Out
The upcoming documentary, Wish Me Away, centered on country singer Chely Wright chronicles the pains of coming out in Nashville and raises questions about why more country musicians haven’t come out.
Friday, January 6 2012
The 2011 Looking Glass Awards: Anger Is An Energy
Welcome to the 2011 Through the Looking Glass awards, the Anger Is An Energy edition. This was the year the whole earth shook, sending shock waves in all directions. We don't mean to imply that the seismic shifts were of equal magnitude: not every violent disturbance registered the same on our Richter scale.
Wednesday, January 4 2012
My Own Private Amazon
You’re a clever Casanova, Amazon. You knew if you could win my love with books, there’d be no stopping us.
Thursday, December 15 2011
Sex Is Between the Legs, Gender Is Between the Ears
It's been over 70 years since Lili Elbe underwent the first gender reassignment surgery, so isn't it time that media in so-called 'advanced' cultures began to recognize the presence of trans persons in its midst?
Thursday, December 8 2011
Thursday, December 1 2011
Herman Cain and the Myth of Acceptable Black Behavior
Called a 'Stepin Fetchit', an 'Uncle Ruckus' and worse by black pundits, I have to wonder... Has Herman Cain found a way to talk about racism in America without actually saying that word?
Tuesday, November 15 2011
The ‘Down-Low’ Is Still Kept Down and Low in Black Communities
Despite gay rights progress on many fronts, the problems of black LGBT people are still largely invisible, as they are often shunned by the black communities from which they come.
Wednesday, October 12 2011
Mohawks and Korans: Taqwacores Punk Mash-up
The Taqwacore movement seizes space in the punk narrative and social fabric, which allows Muslim voices to take root and explore their own version of rebellion.
Tuesday, October 11 2011
One Weekend, Thirty Geeks, Five Projects: ‘Hacking’ for a Good Cause
How a group of people hacked in to start-up culture to change the world.
Monday, October 10 2011
The Survival of the Industrial Sonic in a Deindustrialized West
In the '90s, industrial music crossed over into the mainstream with heavy guitar and massive personalities, but blue collar labor itself was disappearing...
