Category Archives: lgbtqi

Radical cheerleaders need your help: fwd widely

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Dearest Ladyfest,

Radical Cheerleading is often a part of workshops and performances at Ladyfests across the world and we were hoping for some help through your vast networks to get the word out about our project to document the last 10 years of Radical Cheerleading. Could you please post the following information on your myspace and/or pass the “call for submissions for the Radical Cheerleading Anthology” on to all those that you may think would be interested. Our first deadline for submissions is June 1st and is approaching fast.
If you have any suggestions on how to get more publicity and involvement in our book through feminist networks we would most appreciate your advice. look fwd to your response.
thanks so much.
cheers, brackin firecracker, jeanne vaccaro, aimee and cara jennings
please fwd/ post the following:
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despre persecutia comunitatii lgbt

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din articolul “Elita gay din Romania, in puscariile comuniste”:

Aproximativ 20 de persoane au fost inculpate pentru orientare homosexuala in 1959 si condamnate la ani grei de inchisoare. Cotidianul, cu ajutorul unuia dintre supravietuitori, reconstituie procesul si destinele citorva dintre homosexualii implicati.

informatiile sint foarte interesante si bine de stiut, iar articolul este excelent realizat, in afara de un punct important exprimat in comentariul de “hiddencop” pe site-ul cotidianul.ro:

Sincere aprecieri pentru articol, pentru decenta si “raceala” cu care a fost scris: o fasie de istorie dureroasa, pe care nu o poate intelege decat un gay care s-a ascuns si a fost terorizat de gandul ca va fi pedepsit pentru ca viata lui privata, intima nu este identica cu a majoritatii. Sau, desigur, un heterosexual apropiat de ceea ce inseamna a fi gay. Mai bine zis “a fi fost gay in vremuri de teroare”. Pentru ca astazi lucururile stau cu totul altfel.

Ce mi-ar placea sa stie si sa afle cititorii Cotidianului este ca inchisoare pentru orientarea homosexuala au facut multi altii, nu neaparat oameni ilustri precum cei amintiti in articol. Ca membru al comunitatii LGBT, am cunoscut un respectabil domn care prin anii 80 a ajuns in puscarie pentru simplul fapt ca numele lui era inscris in agenda unui alt gay: maniera aceasta in sine este inspaimantatoare, dealtfel, daca ne gandim cum se facea “vanatoarea de homosexuali”.

Asadar, sper sa citesc in curand un articol SI despre suferinta gay-ilor care nu au fost persoane publice (desi inteleg foarte bine ca, pe cat de picant este subiectul pentru pesoanele straight, pe atat de putin probabil este ca el sa fie reluat atata vreme cat nu povesteste despre “VIP”-urile de altadata sau din ziua de azi…)

si ar mai trebui adaugat, la “gay care nu au fost persoane publice”, gay care nu au fost barbati. se zice “lgbt”, nu doar g(bt), pentru un motiv. sint multe de aflat inca si despre femei care au fost inchise sau persecutate pentru orientarea sexuala…

pe wikipedia, la “Drepturi LGBT in Romania” sau “LGBT rights in Romania” nu exista nici o informatie despre persecutia persoanelor lgbt in perioada comunista. “Legislatia romaneasca privind relatiile homosexuale” ofera citeva detalii si repere istorice.

hot topic

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le tigre, “hot topic” (le tigre, 1999) – the song that lists some names of kick-ass artists and activists any feminist should know:

Hot topic is the way that we rhyme
Hot topic is the way that we rhyme
One step behind the drum style
One step behind the drum style

Carol Rama and Eleanor Antin
Yoko Ono and Carolee Schneeman
You’re getting old, that’s what they’ll say, but
Don’t give a damn I’m listening anyway

Stop, we won’t stop
I can’t live if you stop
So don’t you stop

Gretchen Phillips and Cibo Matto
Leslie Feinberg and Faith Ringgold
Mr. Lady, Laura Cottingham
Mab Segrest and The Butchies, man
Don’t stop

And we won’t stop
I can’t live if you stop
Don’t you stop

So many roads and so much opinion
So much shit to give in, give in to
So many rules and so much opinion
So much bullshit but we won’t give in

Stop, we won’t stop
I can’t live if we stop
We won’t stop

Tammy Rae Carland and Sleater-Kinney
Vivienne Dick and Lorraine O’Grady
Gayatri Spivak and Angela Davis
Laurie Weeks and Dorothy Allison

Stop, we won’t you stop
I can’t live if we stop
So don’t you stop

Gertrude Stein, Marlon Riggs, Billie Jean King, Ut, DJ Cuttin Candy, David Wojnarowicz, Melissa York, Nina Simone, Ann Peebles, Tammy Hart, The Slits, Hanin Elias, Hazel Dickens, Cathy Sissler, Shirley Muldowney, Urvashi Vaid, Valie Export, Cathy Opie, James Baldwin, Diane Dimassa, Ani Difranco, Aretha Franklin, Joan Jett, Mia X, Krystal Wakem, Kara Walker, Justin Bond, Bridget Irish, Juliana Lueking, Cecilia Dougherty, Ariel Skrag, The Need, Vaginal Creme Davis, Alice Gerard, Billy Tipton, Julie Doucet, Yayoi Kusama, Eileen Myles

Oh no no no don’t stop stop

Prostitution… give them all a share of it!

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I was eagerly preparing to read an article entitled “Romanian Authorities promise to legalize prostitution”. I was comforted, somehow, to find that title, and amazed at how fast Romania is progressing in promoting Human Rights, even if it joined the European Union only 3 months ago. The topic of prostitution and whether it should be legalized in Romania has been brought up for discussion before. This generated heated exchanges between antagonist parties everywhere in the media, the Orthodox Church and its followers being the chief opponents of legalization. Well, I must say that in a society where sexuality is still not tackled enough as a subject of discussion even between partners; where sexual education in schools is still often approached in biological terms of how humans “breed”; where “sexual and reproductive rights” is a neologism that most people have never heard about; where sexual orientation is considered by many a “politically correct” disguise of “perversion”, and where a big part of the heterosexual population believe that they are immune to HIV because they aren’t gay – yes, Romania doesn’t seem to be ready for such a legislative “liberalization” of commercial sex.

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When Feminism Rocks. Revolution. Grrrl-style.

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Pentru un consumator de mainstream (rock sau nu) pare sa existe putine modele feminine in muzica, artiste care sa insemne mai mult decat interprete ale unor melodii foarte populare, compuse si produse de alti muzicieni. In spatele unei industrii rock suprasaturate de ‘masculi feroce’ chiar exista multe femei care manuiesc instrumente muzicale, care isi compun propria muzica, artiste care aleg ca mod de exprimare aceasta arta… Doar ca ele nu sunt la fel de proeminente ca Britney Spears.

O parte dintre aceste muziciene sunt incluse in miscarea Riot Grrrl (RG).

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Riot Grrrl nu este doar o tendinta vestimentara[1] sau o ‘moda’ care sa dispara la scurt timp dupa ce a fost ‘lansata’, cum se intampla cu acest gen de fenomene. Riot Grrrl nu este doar un curent muzical, chiar daca muzica a jucat un rol foarte important in cadrul ei. Prin intermediul miscarii au fost discutate si rediscutate multe chestiuni politice si sociale legate de sexism, hartuire si abuz, homofobie si fat oppression[2], atat prin muzica, arta, cat si prin literatura, publicatii (zines[3]) si impartasirea unor experiente.
Contrar cu ceea ce unii sustin de la ‘media black out’-ul din toamna 1992, RG nu a disparut.[4]

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and you’ll find yr place in the world, girl

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the gossip, another best band ever:

standing in the way of control, 2005

  • “fire with fire”
    – listen –
    it ain’t the end of the world girl,
    you’ll find yr place in the world girl,
    all you gotta do is stand up,
    and fight fire with fire.
    big or small,
    it makes no difference,
    what part of town,
    or what shape yr in,
    all you gotta do is stand up,
    and fight fire with fire.

    oh oh oh,
    you gotta run run,
    we’re gonna find you,
    oh oh oh,
    you turn around,
    we’re right behind you,
    hey hey hey,
    then they’ll see,
    that the bigger we are,
    the harder they fall.

    no it ain’t the end of the world girl,
    you’ll find yr place in the world girl,
    all you gotta do is stand up,
    and fight fire with fire,
    in the end no one is innocent,
    big or small it makes no difference,
    get up, stand out and hold yr head up higher.

movement, 2003

  • “don’t (make waves)” (lyrics)

home alive compilation ii: flying sidekick, 2001

  • “i want it now”

body image related stuff

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AnyBody – a website giving women a voice to challenge the limited physical representation of females in contemporary society

About-Face: Everywhere girls and women look, they see messages about their bodies and their selves, telling them they must be tall, blonde, tan, and sexually available. In fact, a woman can rarely separate her feelings about her physical body from her self-worth, especially in our media-saturated society. And the messages even the youngest girls are seeing and hearing are skewed, sexualized, and sexist.
These messages — part of what About-Face calls the “toxic media environment” — are contributing to a host of girls’ and women’s ills, including low self-esteem, depression, persistent anxiety over weight and appearance, extremely unhealthy diets and exercise regimens, and eating disorders. All of these problems interfere with a woman’s ability to function to the best of her abilities.
About-Face’s mission is to equip women and girls with tools to understand and resist the harmful stereotypes of women the media disseminates. There are three components to About-Face’s program, Education into Action: media-literacy workshops, action groups, and this resource-filled web site. ….

“girl for all seasons”, northern state

song lyrics

“a girl like me”, short documentary by kiri davis

“video”, india.arie

song lyrics

“typical girls”, a documentary film on women in (punk) rock:
“Women were finally seen as equal in the punk movement. If you could pick up a guitar and play it – great. If you could sing and form your own band, even better. Women were finally getting a voice and not just as backing singers. We look at the women who rocked and discuss the great female punk performers – Siouxsie, The Slits, Pauline Murray, Poly Styrene, Debbie Harry and the seminal Patti Smith – and find out how true the idea that punk emancipated women from rock’s macho posturing really is.” – part 3, on poly styrene, riot grrrl, and images of women and femininity in music today:

the butchies modeling for a photo shoot (kaia’s shirt says “PRADA”) :)
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