What to Watch: This Weekend
November 28, 2008 by Eleanor
Friday, November 28
9:00 pm Starter Wife, USA (1 hr) NEW - The series, based on the miniseries special, brings back Chris Diamantopoulos as Rodney, Molly’s best friend. He’s decorating the home of an A-list action star, and nursing quite the crush on him, but the question is: is the actor gay or straight?
Saturday, November 29
9:00 pm Color Splash, HGTV (30 min) NEW - Out interior designer David Bromstad reworks living spaces. Tonight he focuses on a living room.
10:00 pm The Graham Norton Show, BBC America (1 hr) NEW - Out Irish comedian Graham Norton presents the fourth season of his comedy chat show.
Sunday, November 30
8:00 pm The Simpsons, Fox (30 min) NEW - The Duff man was recently outed, upping Springfield’s gay count to three! [read more]
9:00 pm Desperate Housewives, ABC (1 hr) NEW - Out actress Lily Tomlin is back for another episode as Roberta, Mrs. McCluskey’s sister.
9:30 pm American Dad!, Fox (30 min) NEW - Omnisexual alien Roger is a series regular, and gay couple Terry and Greg are recurring characters.
10:00 pm Brothers & Sisters, ABC (1 hr) NEW - Kevin and Scotty are married. Uncle Saul is gay and seeing someone, but we haven’t met him yet.
10:30 pm Summer Heights High, HBO (30 min) NEW - This Australian mockumentary satirizes high school life, and features Mr. G., a sexually ambiguous drama teacher with a love for the theater and Chihuahuas.
Remembering Harvey Milk
November 27, 2008 by GLAAD Blog
Today marks the 30th year since San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk was assassinated – on November the 27th, 1978.
Harvey Milk was an outspoken advocate for lesbian and gay equality. In 1977, Milk campaigned and won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the city’s first openly gay elected official and one of the first openly gay elected officials in the country. During his brief tenure, he emphasized the importance of gay visibility, encouraging those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to live their lives openly and honestly in order to change public perceptions.
Milk giving his "Hope Speech" at the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day. Image credit: Crawford Barton, San Francisco GLBT Historical Society
While White’s motivation may have been complex, the effects of his actions are clear. Milk’s assassination rallied gays and lesbians throughout the city and his significance within the community was magnified after his death. Milk left behind a recorded message meant to be played in case of his assassination, which he always knew was a risk. On the recording he offered suggestions to supporters and potential successors. He also made one of his most famous remarks: “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.”
When his murderer, Dan White, was tried and received a lighter sentence than most felt he deserved, riots broke out across the city in what would be called the “White Night riots.”
Harvey Milk had the courage to be outspoken in his devotion to equal rights for all people, regardless of their orientation, gender identity, age or race. His life inspired a number of creative and artistic works, including the 1982 Randy Shilts biography The Mayor of Castro Street, the 1983 Emily Mann play Execution of Justice and the 1984 Academy Award-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, directed by Rob Epstein and narrated by Harvey Fierstein.
Yesterday, the much-anticipated film Milk, starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, was released across the country. Thirty years after the murders, Gus Van Sant has directed a star-studded cast in a feature film retelling of the story. The film has the potential to introduce a tremendously important piece of LGBT history to mainstream audiences.
In recent weeks, a bust of Milk was unveiled at San Francisco’s City Hall. It sits at the top of the rotunda’s grand staircase, just yards away from where Milk was shot and killed. On that monument reads an inscription, a quote from a speech Milk made in 1978:
I ask for the movement to continue because my election gave young people out there hope. You gotta give ‘em hope.
That’s just what Harvey Milk’s life and the retelling of his story offers us: Hope.
Take a moment today to be thankful for people like Harvey Milk who have been trailblazers within the LGBT community and beyond and take time this weekend to see a film 30 years in the making that celebrates his life and his impact.
To see all of our glaadBLOG posts on Harvey Milk and Milk, click here.
To see a timeline of Harvey Milk’s life, click here.
To see GLAAD’s Milk resource kit, click here.
What to Watch: Thursday
November 27, 2008 by Eleanor
9:00 pm Grey’s Anatomy, ABC (2 hrs) REPEAT - The fifth season opener re-airs, one of the final episodes featuring lesbian doctor Erica Hahn.
10:30 pm The Office, NBC (30 min) REPEAT - Out accountant Oscar is one of the employees at paper goods company Dunder Mifflin.
Dancing Finishes, Tour Announced
November 26, 2008 by Eleanor
Although Lance Bass represented well, making it into the top three for the Dancing with the Stars finale, he sadly did not walk away with the win. But all is not lost! Lance will be going on the DWTS tour, hitting cities from San Diego to Tulsa to Greensboro during December, January, and February. Even better, L Word fave Marlee Matlin (from last season’s DWTS) will be joining Lance on tour! To see a complete list of towns, dates, and dancers, visit the DWTS tour website.
What to Watch: Wednesday
November 26, 2008 by Eleanor
8:00 pm Bones, Fox (1 hr) NEW - Lab worker Angela is bisexual.
8:00 pm The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS (30 min) NEW - In an effort to keep her best friend in the country, Christine married Barb in the season opener. In this episode, Christine’s dad is missing.
9:00 pm Rosie Live, NBC (1 hr) NEW - Rosie O’Donnell hosts a variety special. Kathy Griffin and Liza Minelli are among those scheduled to perform.
9:00 pm Stylista, CW (1 hr) NEW - Wannabe fashionistas compete to be the new Junior Editor at Elle magazine. Tonight is a review of the first five episodes.
9:00 pm House, Fox (1 hr) REPEAT - Tonight’s rerun is the second part of the two-part season finale from May. Information about bisexual doctor Thirteen’s medical condition is revealed.
10:00 pm Top Chef NY, Bravo (1 hr) NEW - The fifth season of Top Chef is underway, featuring out chefs Jamie and Richard.
10:00 pm Dirty Sexy Money, ABC (1 hr) NEW - Will Clark say anything about Patrick’s transgender mistress to the reporter that is looking into Darling family events?
SEE MILK THIS WEEKEND!
November 26, 2008 by Eleanor
All studio heads will tell you that opening weekend box office matters. The amount of money a movie brings in within the opening few days can really make or break a movie. That’s why you need to support MILK, the biggest, gayest movie of the year, by seeing it in the theaters.
Yes, we know it’s Thanksgiving and you probably have family in town, but instead of checking out some animated kids’ movie guaranteed to blandly appeal to everyone’s taste, why not take the fam to learn about gay history?
If you’ve read anything about it recently, Milk is a shoo-in for at least ten Academy Award nominations, so just go ahead and see it now so that you don’t have to play catch-up, come January.
Support this movie. See it this weekend.
And bring tissues.
OUTAuction 2008
November 25, 2008 by Justin Cole, GLAAD's Director of Digital Media
A big thank you to everyone who attended GLAAD’s 7th Annual OUTAuction this past Sunday at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. Close to 600 people attended the event and over $135,000 was raised!
OUTAuction is a unique event for GLAAD – a chance for art patrons, collectors, artists, celebrities and friends of GLAAD to come out and support our work while viewing and bidding on 100 pieces from both established and emerging artists.
The event drew notables like three time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee, actor Jensen Atwood from Logo’s hit show Noah’s Arc, celebrated portrait artist Robert Risko, fashion designer and Project Runway’s Jack Mackenroth, and many more.
Attendees were able to bid on pieces through a silent and a live auction. The live auction included works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Herb Ritts. We were lucky enough to be assisted in displaying the pieces during the live auction by both Jensen Atwood and by Derek and Drew Riker, the subjects in the Herb Ritts piece being auctioned.
The winning bidder of the Herb Ritts piece not only got to take the original custom framed photograph home, they also got their picture taken with the Riker twins AND the twins offered up a private lunch at the last moment to help drive up the bidding price.
At the event we also announced the 2008 OUTAuction Emerging Artist winners. The winner are selected from hundreds of submissions falling into three categories - Photography, Mixed Media, and Painting/Drawing.
This year’s winners are below.
2008 Best Emerging Artist – Photography
“Birthing of Epiphany” by Troy Duham & Jeff Eason
2008 Best Emerging Artist – Painting/Drawing
“Muslim Icon” by Komail Aijazuddin
2008 Best Emerging Artist – Mixed Media
“White 2″ by Dragana Zoric
Our professional photographer will have more pictures from the event soon. For now, take a peek at some of the shots I took here.
Top Stories Today – 11.25.2008
November 25, 2008 by Justin Cole, GLAAD's Director of Digital Media
National News:
Associated Press: California to Investigate Mormon Aid to Prop. 8
The California Fair Political Practices Commission said Monday that a complaint filed by a group called Californians Against Hate accusing the Mormon church of not accurately reporting the extent of its role in the Prop. 8 campaign merits further investigation.
The New York Times: EDITORIAL: California’s Legal Tangle
The New York Times editorial board says the passage of Prop. 8 was “not just a defeat for fairness,” but that it “raised serious legal questions about the validity of using the Election Day initiative process to obliterate an existing right for a targeted minority.”
The Wall Street Journal: EDITORIAL: Gay Marriage and the California Courts
The Wall Street Journal claims the Calif. Supreme Court will be “usurping the role of the people” if it overturns Prop. 8: “The great achievement of our system was to create a political order where these great moral disputes, as a matter of policy, are left to the people – with allowance for differences according to region and locale.”
The New York Times: Australian Legislators Back Gay Rights
The Australian Senate passed amendments Monday that will alter approximately 100 family, health and taxation laws to give gay couples living in common-law relationships the same protections as their straight counterparts.
Salon.com: Why Churches Fear Gay Marriage
An interview with Catholic, openly gay author Richard Rodriguez, who says “the pro-Proposition 8 movement was really galvanized by an insecurity that churches are feeling now with the rise of women,” particularly brought about by an increase in single mothers.
Regional News:
Associated Press (FL): Judge To Rule On Fla. Gay-Adoption Ban
A Miami judge is expected to rule today in the case of a gay man attempting to adopt his two foster children by challenging Fla.’s ban on adoption by gay parents.
Los Angeles Times (CA): Legal Experts Puzzled Over California Justice’s Seeming Reversal on Prop. 8
Legal experts contemplate the implications of Calif. Justice Joyce L. Kennard – a usually reliable advocate for LGBT equality who voted to lift the state’s marriage ban – being the only justice to vote against hearing legal challenges to Prop. 8.
The Oregonian (OR): Anti-Gay Group No Match for Silverton
In demonstrations outside Marion County, Ore.’s, City Hall, counterprotesters supporting the election of the nation’s first openly transgender mayor, Stu Rasmussen, “significantly outnumbered” protesters from the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church.
Burlington Free Press (VT): EDITORIAL: Legislature Has Time for Only Few Big Issues
The Burlington Free Press writes that though Vt. may be ready for marriage equality, a bill proposed by State Sen. John Campbell to lift the state’s ban on marriage for gay couples would distract legislators from “immediate issues” such as the economy.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (FL): Partners in Abusive Same-Sex Relationships Less Likely to Reach Out for Help
Gay couples face added societal pressures and anxieties that can make them less likely to reach out as victims of domestic abuse, which contributes to both a lack of resources and accurate statistics on domestic violence in gay relationships.
Rocky Mountain News (CO): Musgrave Mum As She Gets Ready to Leave D.C.
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colo., once considered a “rising star in the social conservative movement” who was known for vocally sponsoring an anti-gay marriage amendment, declined repeated interview requests as she closed out her work on Capitol Hill after an Election Day defeat.
Philadelphia Daily News (PA): Gay-Sex Delco Killer Spared Death Penalty
A jury voted not to impose the death penalty on Bill Smithson, the Pa. man convicted of murdering 23-year-old Jason Shephard after Shephard resisted his advances.
San Francisco Chronicle (CA): Is Harvey Milk Still a Force for Change?
The timing of the release of the film Milk is particularly pivotal in the wake of Prop. 8’s passage and the resulting nationwide backlash from LGBT equality advocates: “It’s more than a biopic of a gay politician – it’s the biopic of a movement coming of age.”
International News:
BBC News (United Kingdom): Rise in UK HIV Numbers Continues
Health protection experts in the U.K. estimate that new diagnoses of HIv in the country rose 6 percent since last year. MSM accounted for 41 percent of new cases, but transmission between straight people is also increasing.
From the Blogs:
- Politico: Gay Rights Advocates Wait for Action
- The Bilerico Project: Fundies Launch “Protect DOMA” Website
- Daily Kos: Anti-Prop 8 Backlash Changes Minds
- The Bilerico Project: Standing Firm, Moving Forward
- The Huffington Post: A Horn Pokes Prop 8 – Theatre Secedes From California
What to Watch: Tuesday
November 25, 2008 by Eleanor
8:00 pm House, Fox (1 hr) NEW - Thirteen is among those taken hostage by a patient.
8:00 pm Dancing with the Stars, ABC (2 hrs) SEASON FINALE - Find out if Lance Bass will be crowned champion! [read more]
9:00 pm Food Detectives, Food Network (30 min) NEW - Queer Eye’s Ted Allen hosts a new series looking at common food myths.
Lance Bass
9:00 pm Privileged, The CW (1 hr) NEW - A live-in tutor deals with two spoiled twin sisters in Palm Beach. Their personal chef, Marco, is gay.
10:00 pm Blush, Lifetime (1 hr) NEW - Nolan and Todd are the gay boys seeking the title of “next great makeup artist.”
10:00 pm Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, Logo (30 min) NEW - Logo’s animated series returns for a second season.
My MILKshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard
November 25, 2008 by Sarah
The Harvey Milk biopic, MILK opens tomorrow! All month long, glaadBLOG’s been proud to give you some new perspective on a legend. Today, courtesy of San Francisco magaine, activist Cleve Jones weighs in on Harvey Milk’s legacy.
Jones worries that if Milk had lived, his popularity might have been fleeting.
Cleve Jones
Most of the leftists today would not have trusted him. They would have hated his small-business background… Harvey was this visionary leader. He came from the period when the only way you could accomplish something was through the force of your personality. You had to create something brand-new out of nothing. That era is gone now. What began in the streets as a radical, revolutionary, liberation movement gradually became transformed. The inevitable institution-building begins, the bureaucrats come in, you’re talking about budgets and marketing and personnel policies… and it’s incredibly boring. People like Harvey Milk, people like me, we’re a little bit anachronistic.
Now that you’ve learned everything about the man, go see the film! Order your tickets for the opening of Milk! See you at the movies tomorrow!
In the meantime, watch these great interviews with Milk stars Alison Pill and Josh Brolin, recorded at the world premiere last month!
Marriage Rallies: On the Ground in Hawaii
November 24, 2008 by Damon
With rallies across the United States happening simultaneously a few Saturdays ago, the rally in Hawaii came early, at 8:30 AM, on the grounds of Honolulu’s city hall.
As the crowd began gathering, maybe a hundred strong at the time, police came by to check on the situation, deemed it non-problematic, and then left. Within an hour the crowd grew to approximately 400 LGBT people, their allies and kids.
The rally remained peaceful for its two-hour duration as the crowd waved flags and handmade signs at passing cars, eliciting many honking horns in support. Washington, DC transplant Thomas Larabee, a computer consultant working in Honolulu, saw the need to participate in Saturday’s national movement and an opportunity for Hawaiians to come together. Thomas put the rally together online. Though he’s not engaged in advocacy work in Hawaii, he’s someone who wants to see people get involved in the fight for marriage equality.
Charles Robbins, the Executive Director of The Trevor Project and I were married in Palm Springs, California, Nov. 2, just two days before the election. We were on the island of Oahu for our honeymoon and it was heartening to be among supporters lining the downtown streets protesting not only California’s discriminatory Prop. 8, but also the lack of marriage equality in Hawaii.
Throughout the rally, members of Hawaii’s Family Equality Coalition worked the crowd to get contact info and email addresses, and the citizens of Hawaii seem ready and poised to be engaged. Hopefully, local leaders like Larabee will emerge who can mobilize a new generation ready to fight for equal treatment under the law.
New Bay Area Pro Soccer Team Shows its Pride
November 24, 2008 by Padraic @ GLAAD
A new Bay Area professional sports team says the LGBT community played a role in choosing their name. FC Gold Pride, the new Women’s Professional Soccer team based in Santa Clara, announced its name, colors and logo Wednesday.
WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci told The San Jose Mercury News the name Gold Pride symbolizes the Bay Area, “including the connections to the gay and lesbian community.”
Professional teams in and around San Francisco have historically taken the LGBT community seriously as sports fans. For the past five years, the 49ers have organized LGBT Fan Appreciation Nights, where owners John and Denise York, former players and Gold Rush dancers visit bars in the Castro to celebrate LGBT fans and hopefully gain a few more in the process.
It’s great to see a pro sports team recognize us in such an enduring way. The Bay Area is known as a very gay-friendly stronghold, but I hope teams across the country take up the mantle and continue to reach out and strengthen their LGBT fanbase.
When the Chicago Bears head down to Boystown and hang out with their gay counterparts at Crew, then I’ll know we’ve made progress!
Choose Love Today!
November 24, 2008 by Sarah
Australian pop recording artist Minna has released a new single entitled “Love Shines.” Inspired by her aunt’s wedding with her longtime partner, Minna wrote the bouncy tune celebrating equality, peace and hope.
According to press materials, Minna believes the song is “a powerful and uplifting reminder that when we open our hearts, we truly can change the world.” It is her hope that “Love Shines” will reach over 50 million people and will inspire the world.
But she can’t do it alone. Join the revolution! To get your free MP3 of “Love Shines,” please click here. And be sure to pass it along to your friends.
EW Names The 50 Sexiest Movies Ever; Ten Are LGBT
November 24, 2008 by Sarah
Entertainment Weekly loves its lists. The outlet has counted down the 100 Greatest Movie Moments, the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood and the 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever. So it’s about time they created a list of the sexiest films, dontcha think?
glaadBLOG wanted to know how many of those sexy films included LGBT content, especially with a list whose top five all featured opposite-sex trysts in unusual locales, including a hotel lounge (Out of Sight), a newspaper office (His Girl Friday), a dance floor (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), a beachside bar (Body Heat) and on a baseball field (Bull Durham).
But a hot kiss shared between best friends in a Mexico Hotel lead the gay pack of sexy movies, with Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) coming in at number seven. According to EW, “A drunken, boisterous celebration escalates into a sensuous threeway. As [Ana Lopez] Mercado heads south of the border, the guys unexpectedly — and passionately — kiss.” Ay caramba!
Mulholland Drive (2001) is ranked 17, because of the heat generated between stars Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring. Basically the whole movie is sexy, regardless of its enigmatic storyline.
The 18th sexiest movie is Swimming Pool (2003). Sarah (Charlotte Rampling) fantasizes about voluptuous Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), which isn’t too much of a stretch, being as Julie’s either naked or mostly naked throughout the film.
Coming in at number 21 is Basic Instinct (1992). Love it or hate it, Sharon Stone plays a hyper-sexual bad girl. The sexiest moment? EW says it best: “Duh. The interrogation.”
Number 29 is the Wachowski brothers’ Bound (1996). Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon. ‘Nuf said.
Following Bound is Maurice (1987), ranked number 30. Maurice (James WiIlby) and Clive (Hugh Grant) play Cambridge school mates in 1910 whose relationship blossoms into a romance for the ages.
Cruel Intentions (1999) is ranked 32 specifically because “Vixenish Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) coaxes doe-eyed Cecile (Selma Blair) to kiss her. Their lips part to reveal a strand of saliva that lingers as they pull away. Drool never looked so enticing.”
The 39th sexiest movie is The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). “Anthony Minghella’s film is infused with old-world luster and sultry jazz, but when Tom [Matt Damon] and Dickie [Jude Law] play a simple game of chess — over a bathtub, with Law naked inside — every move is an advance and a rebuff.”
Number 47: Kissing Jessica Stein (2002). “Hoping to get lucky, two lunkheads approach the ladies at a restaurant and proceed to extol the virtues of girl-on-girl action — all while Helen [Heather Juergensen] secretly fondles Jessica’s [Jennifer Westfeldt] thigh under the table.” Check please!
Yossi & Jagger (2003) comes in at number 49. Described as “a less tormented version of Brokeback Mountain’s Jack and Ennis,” the main characters — two Israeli soldiers — keep their coupling a secret. The sexiest moment, you ask? “The guys go at it, fully clothed, on a snowy hillside. Because we see mostly close-ups of their faces as they make out, joke, and laugh, what’s sexy is their sweet delight in one another.”
Is it getting hot in here?
Media Coverage of Transgender Day of Remembrance Grows, Remains Respectful
November 24, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
One of the most important and somber days of the year for gay and transgender communities and our allies occurred last Thursday as communities around the world commemorated Transgender Day of Remembrance.
While these events are primarily a way to memorialize and honor the lives of transgender people, media plays a key role in illuminating transgender experiences. Accurate and fair portrayals of Transgender Day of Remembrance events helps to expand public awareness and understanding of transgender lives.
This year, press coverage of the events grew in both national and local regions. Sadly, this seems to be linked to the recent murders throughout November. Coverage this year was particularly poignant in Tennessee, New York, and Florida where recent deaths shocked and galvanized communities. The recent murders of Duanna Johnson and Lateisha Green, and the recent death of Aimee Wilcoxson brought issues of anti-discrimination laws, proper health care, and community responses to violence into media focus.
One of the many news outlets that overall accurately covered the Day of Remembrance was News-10 in New York. News-10 originally had inaccurately reported on the murder of Lateisha “Teish” Green in Syracuse, however they quickly corrected their reports after outreach from GLAAD and local community organizations. On Friday, the station explored the meaning of Transgender Day of Remembrance vigils, focusing on the local one for Lateisha Green. From the article:
“Many may think that violence against transgender individuals happens in bigger cities. But that, in fact, is not the case. And the recent murder of Teish Cannon brought that to the forefront.”
Reports from Tennessee closely followed Duanna Johnson, often reporting on the pending legal case against the Memphis Police Department and the ongoing instigation into her murder by the FBI. The day before the Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov 19, MyFOX and MyEyewitness News both reported that one of the officers responsible for her assault, Bridges McRae, had been indicted. National publications such as the New York Times also covered the assault and her death.
Reporters also covered the vigil for Duanna, which occurred on Nov 16. From MyEyewitness News:
“Back at the vigil on the streets of Midtown Memphis, those paying their respects to Duanna Johnson honored her as a woman who became the face of the fight against racism, homophobia and transphobia. They remembered her as a woman who received no justice in life, but whose life and struggle for equality will not be forgotten.”
Other local outlets included Maryland’s The Herald Mail, which focused on job discrimination.
The quarterly magazine ColorLines reported on the day in their blog, RaceWire. The blog, written by ColorLines‘ Managing Editor, focused on the reporter’s personal experience covering the murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002. Gwen was a Latina transgender woman whose case made headlines across the nation, the reporter compared Gwen’s story to the brutal and devastating murder of another Latina woman who was murdered this year, Angie Zapata of Greeley Colo.
Casual Loafing, a weekly alternate newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla covered the day in their blog, Daily Loaf, as well. The blog focused on the murder of Simmie Williams, a Fort Lauderdale resident, who was murdered in February of this year. The reporter highlighted how underreported anti-transgender violence is:
“It’s definitely a problem and one that gets little coverage and even less understanding. One just has to look at the Pinellas County Commission’s decision this year to not cover transgender folks with their revamped Human Rights Ordinance. Or the circus surrounding Susan Stanton.”
Online networks and blogs also observed the day with bloggers from Jezebel, feministe, and feministing all participating in remembering the names of those murdered this year and in providing information on vigils and other events.
The Day of Remembrance was commemorated on many college campuses as well, with reports from newspapers such as Penn State’s The Daily Collegian, Purdue University’s The Exponent, the University of Georgia’s Red and Black, University of Tulsa’s The Collegian, and Towson University’s The Towerlight, reporting on the ways in which transgender lives are remembered on campuses throughout the nation. Vanderbilt University’s InsideVany reported on the campuses’ first-ever Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The University of Minnesota paper MN Daily included a long column on the importance of both remembering the dead, and working to improve the lives of the living:
“For many transgender people, the threat or the fact of physical and psychological violence is a daily reality. The fear and risk that accompany performing a non-normative gender are shaped simultaneously by their experiences of identities. The terrain of work for justice, equity and compassion for people who experience gender violence demands that we uplift and engage in all of these struggles. Thus, the challenge — and the promise — lies in working together, and in creating space to honor the multiple dimensions of each of our identities so that each person might be able to be present, to live in their bodies in their fullness.“
As we reported yesterday, international coverage has also been ongoing as the Transgender Day of Remembrance is commemorated across the globe.
