Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Posting will resume on Monday.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Myrkur and Anna von Hausswolff cover Björk's "All Is Full of Love"
Myrkur's Amalie Bruun joins forces with renowned multi-instrumentalist Anna von Hausswolff to reimagine Björk's classic, "All Is Full of Love".
Bruun comments, "From our homes in Denmark and Sweden we decided to record a simple, fragile and raw version of Björk's "All Is Full of Love". A song we consider to be one of the most beautiful and encouraging songs, that is a reminder to stay open to receive love even in times like these."
PrEP Action Kit Gives Health Centers New Tool for Combatting HIV Infections
“Advancements in PrEP have been life-changing for the sexual and gender minority communities, especially within communities of color who are disproportionally impacted by HIV,” said Dr. Alex Keuroghlian, Director of Education and Training Programs at The Fenway Institute. “One in two Black MSM and one in four Latinx MSM will contract HIV in their lifetime. Black transgender women have an especially high risk. The PrEP Action Kit will add real value to health care centers serving Black and Latinx communities at increased risk for HIV.”
Currently, two medications are available for PrEP: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/em¬tricitabine (TDF/FTC) and tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine (TAF/FTC), and both have shown to be well-tolerated by patients. Studies show that daily PrEP use can lower the risk of HIV transmission by more than 90% with strict adherence to the PrEP regimen. The CDC estimates that over one million people could benefit from taking PrEP. While CDC specifies three groups who may benefit from PrEP use—MSM, heterosexually active people who engage in condomless sex, and people who inject drugs—usage has also been found to be effective among transgender women, cisgender women, and adolescents who are at risk for HIV.
The PrEP Action Kit lays out the case for PrEP use to prevent new HIV infections and provides other health care organizations with a ready-made plan to navigate the complexities of PrEP for HIV prevention. The comprehensive Kit includes information on establishing and managing an organization’s PrEP prescription program, provides the steps needed for implementation of the program, discusses patient engagement, and provides answers to common clinical questions.
The creation of the PrEP Action Kit is just one of the many ways Fenway Health and the National LGBT Health Education Center work to transform the health care landscape and educate health care providers. For nearly 50 years, Fenway Health has been a driving force in elevating the issues that directly impact the LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized communities. The PrEP Action Kit will help health care centers around the country learn more about the benefits of PrEP use and contribute to the fight to end new HIV infections.
UT Dallas ranked one of top universities for LGBTQ+ students
The University of Texas at Dallas was named one of the nation’s best colleges for LGBTQ+ students and the only university in Texas and the Southwest to make the top 25 list.
The University was ranked 14th in the nation by BestColleges in partnership with Campus Pride. UT Dallas has a 5-star rating, the highest possible, from Campus Pride for its commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices.
The ranking was based on eight factors: LGBTQ policy inclusion, support and institutional commitment, academic life, student life, housing and residence life, campus safety, counseling and health, and recruitment and retention efforts.
“We are so proud of The University of Texas at Dallas for being recognized as No. 14 in the nation for LGBTQ-inclusion,” said Matt Winser-Johns, assistant director for LGBT+ programs at the UT Dallas Galerstein Gender Center. “It truly takes our whole community, and we are so appreciative of the continuous efforts of our entire campus to make sure all LGBTQ+ students feel affirmed.”
The University extended its nondiscrimination protections in 2014 to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression where not protected by applicable law. The Gender Center, part of the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement, advocates for and supports the LGBTQ community through a variety of programs, services and events, including the Queer and Trans Action Group (QTAG) and campus events, such as Lavender Graduation and National Coming Out Day. Founding director Lauren DeCillis advocated for the center – which opened in 1996 to serve women on campus – to extend support to the LGBTQ community as well over the past 15 years.
“Our campus administrators recognized the need to support the LGBTQ+ community at UTD as the campus flourished and diversified,” DeCillis said. “The climate for the LGBTQ+ community was supportive before we initiated formalized training programs, resources, support groups and lectures. I am proud that the Galerstein Gender Center gives students, staff and faculty a welcoming space where they can explore their sexual, gender, racial and academic identity.”
In addition to the Gender Center, UT Dallas offers services to the LGBTQ community through the Student Counseling Center, a Campus Pride Alternative Spring Break project and gender-inclusive housing. The University also supports employees through QuTD and provides alumni the opportunity to stay involved through the UTD Alumni of Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Romantic Minorities.
Cody Kuhn BA’17, MA’18 said the supportive organizations on campus became a “second family” to him when he arrived at the University. He became involved in numerous student activities, from theatre to The Rainbow Guard, from Pride at UTD to LEAP.
“One of the things UTD does best is invest in diversity,” said Kuhn, now a doctoral student at UT Austin. “Sometimes it can be really hard to be heard. The Galerstein Gender Center and student organizations really work together to make policy and help implement that together. Being able to effect change in my community felt really empowering.”
As a student, Kuhn also had the opportunity to participate in studies conducted by UT Dallas faculty, an opportunity that expanded his impact as a member of the transgender community.
“I was able to work with faculty who were doing a survey of LGBTQ Texans and their needs,” Kuhn said. “Faculty at UTD are really involved in getting students involved in research. I was able to get my name on something that was published, and it made me feel like I could make actual change by studying government and LGTBQ Texans.”
Students like Kuhn have played a major role in advocating for and serving the LGBTQ community on campus, Winser-Johns said.
“The Galerstein Gender Center has always advocated for our campus community, but we wouldn’t exist without the tenacity and advocacy of our students,” Winser-Johns said. “Over the past couple of years, our LGBTQ+ students have created several new LGBTQ-focused student organizations, each one concentrated on different needs. Their different focuses include the first LGBTQ-Greek organization, the Queer and Trans People of Color organization, a social group, a queer and trans students of color-focused online magazine, a faith-based affirming group and a group for students that are out in the STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!”
Famed Historian Patrick Boucheron Illuminates Life & Times of Eponymous St. Ambrose of Milan
Presented as an “archaeology of collective memory,” TRACE AND AURA illuminates the life and times of the eponymous saint, among the most prominent ecclesiastical thinkers of his era. Investigating St. Ambrose’s enduring sway on the Lombard capital, and, more broadly, on the evolution of Christian theology, TRACE AND AURA contextualizes the bishop’s legacy—or recursion—from the fourth through 15th centuries. Delineating key moments of his civic and religious influence, Boucheron examines how he called for clemency in the aftermath of a riot incited by the Roman emperor Theodosius I; innovated the use of hymns in liturgy; and inspired St. Augustine’s writings, notably his Confessions. Boucheron also considers St. Ambrose’s impact on Milan’s architecture, from the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, the church he consecrated that was later named in his honor, to the Porta Romana bas reliefs, which date to the 12th century and were transferred to Sforzesco Castle in the late 19th century.
Global LGBTIQ Activists Meet Online on Dec 8-10 for OutSummit
Join OutRight in December for the 7th annual OutSummit, a meeting of LGBTIQ advocates and allies discussing the movement’s priorities and challenges. The summit will meet virtually over three days to reflect on the LGBTIQ organizing, strategize collectively, and celebrate queer people.
OutSummit is an annual global conference for the human rights of LGBTIQ people organized in partnership with OutRight Action International and CUNY School of Law. It is a space where people from across civil society, State, and private sector boundaries who believe in LGBTIQ equality come together to build momentum for achieving protection of the human rights of LGBTIQ people everywhere.
OutSummit has been held for the past six years around Human Rights Day, marked annually on December 10. The choice of date is not coincidental. To this day, in too many places, the human rights of LGBTIQ people are not recognized as human rights. Same-sex relations are criminalized in 67 countries, 13 countries have laws criminalizing trans people, with another 37 targeting trans people through vagrancy, prostitution, morality, or other laws. Meanwhile, only five countries ban sexual orientation and gender identity change practices which often use brutal psychological and physical force to attempt to change, suppress, divert, or reorient someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.
OutSummit is a space where we can reaffirm that human rights belong to everyone, including LGBTIQ people, by virtue of being human, and join forces across sector and geographical boundaries to continue pushing for progress in global recognition of this basic fact.
In recognition of OutSummit being held on Human Rights Day, and in acknowledgment of the scale of violations against the rights of LGBTIQ people around the world, this year’s theme of the conference is simple – human rights for LGBTIQ people everywhere.
Everyone is welcome to attend OutSummit. It is a space which transcends across civil society, State, and private sector boundaries for a common purpose – LGBTIQ equality around the world.
BRIAN MACKEY RELEASES SINGLE "MY ONLY FRIEND"
“I was so happy to have a show that wasn’t 2500 miles away from home for once, and I was happy to be playing somewhere with him because he’s one of those people that has the natural ability to make you breathless with laughter,” Mackey recalls. “Jeff started playing, and we were looking at the line forming outside the front window. I declared, ‘It’s good to be here again, I hope this feeling never ends, so great that you’re around me now.’ It was a true statement, and so the song was written.”
The track also features Jeff King's wife, Tammy King, a singer/songwriter and fiddler (Steeldrivers, Chris Stapleton), along with his daughter Delana King, who added her beautiful, sweet-and-no-pretense-style harmonies.
“My Only Friend” follows Mackey’s powerful single "Saturday Night Sleeping," released in May 2021, Mental Health Awareness month. The song was about his son who lost his life to opioid addiction in 2018. Mackey partnered with The Recording Academy’s nonprofit MusiCaresⓇ to donate the proceeds from the single towards treating substance abuse. Both songs appear on Good Morning Ireland, to be released in Spring 2022.
Freedom Center virtual panel reexamines controversial activist Angela Davis
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, in partnership with The Ohio State University and Wright State University, is reexamining prominent – and at times controversial – educator, scholar and civil rights activist Angela Davis. A panel of scholars will discuss Davis’s legacy and will be moderated by Dr. Sharon Lynette Jones, professor in the English Language & Literatures Department at Wright State University and author of Conversations with Angela Davis. Reconsidering Angela Davis: Reflections on Engagement and Societal Transformations will take place virtually Tuesday, December 7 at 5 p.m.
Davis has held multiple teaching positions as prestigious universities, including UCLA, Rutgers University, Syracuse University and Vassar College, among others. She has been at the forefront of several social justice issues in her lifetime, including the second-wave feminist movement of the 1960s, the anti-war campaign during the Vietnam War, advocating for gay rights and, most prominently, abolishing the American prison system. She has also been an active member of the Communist Party USA, running as a vice presidential candidate for the party on two occasions. In 1970, she was imprisoned for over a year in connection to an armed takeover of a courtroom before she was finally acquitted of the charges.
Davis’s accolades intimate a complicated life that has made understanding her a nuanced dialogue. She was awarded the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize and has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was listed as Time’s 1971 “Woman of the Year” and included in Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
The panelists will discuss Davis’s legacy and the complicated dynamics of protest during the virtual discussion December 7 at 5 p.m.
The virtual discussion is free but registration is required.
PRIDELAND: “An Openly Gay Pastor’s Journey to Acceptance in the Bible Belt”
The groundbreaking series PRIDELAND addresses how the LGBTQ+ experience is as diverse and varied as the individuals who comprise it. While some still find rejection close to home, others are finding more and more acceptance in their communities of origin or those they create. In this PBS Voices series, Dyllón Burnside introduces viewers to Rob Lowry, an openly gay minister at a small, but mainstream church in Jackson, Mississippi. He was offered the job before the church knew he was gay, but they accepted him with open arms when he told them he would only take the position if he could lead while openly gay. Lowry is creating just that kind of community—open to all who take the command to “love thy neighbor as thy would thyself” to heart and in practice.
PRIDELAND highlights authentic personal stories brought to life through Dyllón Burnside’s curious, exploratory lens. As an LGBTQ+ advocate, he guides viewers into the South’s various LGBTQ+ communities, connecting with people of different backgrounds, locations, experiences and points of view.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Books: The Secret Diary of Edward Ng
After years of dazzling audiences and garnering critical praise for his work as a director and producer, Quentin Lee has momentarily switched gears to present his debut novel, “The Secret Diary of Edward Ng” (available on Cyber Monday 11/29/21). This boundary-breaking story is a moving journey of self-discovery that explores ideas about the LGBTQIA+ Asian-American experience.
While a graduate student at Yale in 1993, Quentin Lee was pursuing his M.A. in English when he began work on writing what would become “The Secret Diary of Edward Ng”. The fiery, raw and sensual story is a journey into the life and times of a young 21-year-old Edward Ng as he discovers his place in the world while a deadly incurable disease ravages through his community.
“The Secret Diary of Edward Ng” is an electrifying sexual and intellectual coming of age story that follows Edward at his last year at Berkeley, with Edward reckoning his feelings for both his non-monogamous relationship with a bisexual boy named David, and his unconsummated torrid affair with his younger closeted cousin Victor.
With strong family themes present throughout the novel, we are transported between memories of the past while contrasted between the events of the ‘present’ day in the 90s. Moments like the emotional rollercoaster of Edward’s life as a boy in Hong Kong with his neglectful social butterfly of a mother, to his journeying to San Francisco as an adolescent to live with his emotionally abusive uncle.
The story of “Edward” is essentially a love letter to Quentin’s former self where he himself attended Berkeley, which helped him process his complicated relationship with his first boyfriend, as well as his feeling of loneliness during his time as a graduate student. Subsequently, Lee would go on to explore many of these formative experiences with more depth, clarity and levity through his works in film and television.
The novel will be published and released by independent publishing company Troublemaker Press, formed by Simon Tam, founder of the legendary Asian-American rock band The Slants, winners of a landmark victory at the Supreme Court of the United States.
Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché
Directed by Paul Sng and Celeste Bell Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, is a new documentary celebrating the punk icon. Poly Styrene was the first woman of color in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the front woman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements.
But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship.
Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.
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Safeguard Your Emotional Health During Any Crisis With These 7 Practical Steps
7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters is a must-read for anyone seeking to thrive during challenging times. Written by clinical psychologist Elia Gourgouris and change management expert Konstantinos Apostolopoulos, this easy-to-read book offers powerful, yet practical, insights to help minimize the negative emotional impact of pandemics, natural disasters, financial challenges and other major disruptions.
“Not only will individuals and families find the book helpful in a crisis, so will first responders, healthcare professionals, mental health counselors and wellness coaches,” said Dr. Gourgouris.
Drawing from their real-world experiences, Dr. Gourgouris and Apostolopoulos explain the following seven keys to navigating any crisis:
1. Start with self-care. Be aware of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.
2. Practice awareness. Listen to your intuition or inner wisdom.
3. Choose flexibility so you can adapt, pivot and avoid unnecessary pain.
4. Act now! Preparation is key to your survival.
5. Take initiative by moving into action. Become the navigator in your life’s journey!
6. Cultivate a positive attitude filled with faith and hope.
7. Show kindness to others.
“Each chapter has an end section including points to ponder, questions to consider and action steps to take, so the reader can move beyond just surviving to thriving in a crisis situation,” added Apostolopoulos.
Author Elia Gourgouris, PhD, is the Founder of The Happiness Center, an organization of world-leading experts in the field of positive psychology. Dr. Elia's previous book, 7 Paths to Lasting Happiness, became an Amazon #1 best-seller. He is an international keynote speaker and happiness expert focusing on corporate wellness and leadership training. He holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a UCLA graduate. Dr. Elia is certified by the American Red Cross in Disaster Mental Health Services, having assisted in the 1994 Los Angeles and 2010 Haiti earthquakes, the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and other crises. He's the co-host of The Kindness Happiness Connection podcast and a Thrive Global contributor.
Co-author Konstantinos Apostolopoulos is the Founder and CEO of Fresh Biz Solutions, a performance consulting and training provider. As an award-winning facilitator and coach, he has successfully delivered hundreds of custom learning events in the US, Canada and Europe for diverse audiences and industries. He is a regular contributor to Thrive Global and other industry publications. As a young man in Greece, he experienced firsthand the devastation left behind by natural and economic disasters. As an adult, he was fortunate to help play a small part in the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Today, he helps others navigate the challenges brought by major events in their lives.
Trade: Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken
The social media presence of Trade has grown virally to over 5M views between Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest and YouTube. In addition, Trade has received in excess of 20 million impressions, where more than half of all viewers are coming from South East Asia and Mexico. With Iflix, the largest streaming platform in Southeast Asia, Trade has streamed over 3,000,000 minutes in the Philippines since its release. Trade's newfound social media impact and its online popularity has allowed the film to find a home on multiple streaming channels. With the media collaborations of FilmHub, Amazon Spain, Amazon Latin America, Tubi TV, fearless, Avail TV, Watch Now, Revry TV, Gay Binge TV, and Obbod, Trade has grown to over 100,000 hours worldwide.
The New Masculinity – Jose Maria's Provocative Visual ‘LQQK’ EP
In case you missed it earlier, recording and performing artist José María has shared their LQQK Visual EP with the world. The project features six tracks that explore the concept of gender, toxic masculinity, and transformation.
“Each track has its own music video where I progress from James Dean into a non-binary Mondrian,” says José. The LQQK EP takes a deep dive into society’s ideas about masculinity, turning the concept on its head.
“I've always loved pop music. For a long time, I was scared to admit what I liked about female-driven pop and why. And then I finally asked myself: why the f*** can't I be a pop princess? Who made the rules for how someone has to write? Think? Act? Why can't I wear heels with my f***ing Carhart jacket while I lay a pipe? If Joan Jett could subvert and thus empower femmes and feminity, then I sure as hell can claim my sexuality and power by embracing the fullness of my non-binary identity.”
Indeed, the opening track, “EDEN,” opens with the artist sporting a rockabilly pompadour, white T-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and black jeans – all accentuated with killer stiletto-heeled Pleaser boots. The song opens with a haunting six-part harmony before exploding into an alt rock groove set over a pounding beat.
Later tracks such as “BODY” find José in a colorful bodysuit and makeup, joined by Mãr Galeano and Ashton Muñiz. The catchy R&B-infused pop track muses on life, the future, and the inevitability of change. All of the music for the album was written by José, along with Cesar Gonzalez, Alexander Ronneburg, and Karl Ronneburg. The six part music video series was filmed by the queer femme savants at Proteo Media + Performance.
“The music is earnest and sexy – stuff you shout-sing along to in your mom’s car,” José continues. “Our sound is inspired by the intersection of noise and new music with pop vocals, with SOPHIE, Tristan Perich, Meredith Monk, and Queen as references – I sing from my gut.”
It’s not José’s first foray into the intersection of music and visual art. Born in the Bronx to a working-class, Puerto Rican/Italian American family, José started singing and writing as a small child. They had entered the world of contemporary and postmodern dance at 18 when they were accepted into the NYU Tisch School of the Arts on a full ride MLK Jr. Merit Scholarship. At 21, José created their first “musical painting” that incorporated camera, dance, fashion, music, and performance to tell a universal story – and they’ve never looked back since.
José has showcased their work via YouTube, Radio City Music Hall, La MaMa ETC., NYU Tisch, and The Flea Theater. They have been featured in The Advocate, on Logo NewNowNext, and WNYC/NPR. Recent projects with artists Sam Pinkleton, Ani Taj/Dance Cartel, Meredith Monk, The B52s, YouTube’s Queer Kid Stuff, and some fabulous early covers are available online.
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