According to a study from UCLA, up to 25,000 transpeople could lose their right to vote this year due to stricter voter ID laws. Find a discussion of the issue and links to resources here. Basically, be informed about the voting rights in your state, keep records, and take advantage of resources compiled by activists and advocates. Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor. Follow Jeana, the author of this post, @foxyfolklorist. Continue Reading →
GLBT
Recent posts
Use Your iPhone To Find Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
I’ve had an Android for most of this year, and I absolutely love finding new apps for it (I wrote about one to help with PTSD, but I also love Priceline’s Negotiator and Craig’s List). I love that I can use my phone to look at penguins being fed at the California Academy of Sciences (it’s called Pocket Penguins, in case you need a daily dose of adorable) as well as do practical things like refill medications. So, when I heard about an app that helps with seeking out gender neutral bathrooms, I was naturally interested. Despite the fact that I come from a tech-literate family and I’ve always had a computer, I am still frequently impressed by technology and this app is no exception. TransSquat is currently only available for iPhones (it’s $2.99), and uses GPS to find gender neutral bathrooms. Users can also add gender neutral bathrooms so other users can find them. Continue Reading →
Limits of the English Language – Revisited
Our most recent theme week, Sex and Language, has prompted me to revisit a topic that I blogged about a while back: the use of language when describing a significant other. At the time, I was struggling with what I should call my Sig O. Since my partner (yes, I’ve settled on that word) is transgender, I was bouncing between boyfriend and partner. “Boyfriend,” on the one hand, led everyone to assume heterosexuality, while “partner” made me sound like an old lesbian (no offense whatsoever to that crowd, I’m just not quite there yet). This of course brings up the question of whether or not I actually care what people think of me. When I use boyfriend and people assume I’m straight, should that bother me? Continue Reading →
Polari: Gay Slang of the 60s
Though it sounds like a term straight out of Twilight, Polari is actually a 50 yea- old queer slang language. Used among gay men in the UK, Polari (often seen as Palare, as the word comes from the Italian “parlare,” or “to speak”) was born out of necessity; gay men in the 1960s needed a certain level of privacy, and thus a secret slang language was born. According to the few sources I was able to find, Polari is a mix of several different languages and slang dialects, including English, Italian, Yiddish, circus-slang, and Gypsy languages. Polari was made up of a small lexicon of only about 20 words, but was ever-changing and often included up to 500 words. This website has a lot of Polari words and their modern translations, but I’ve picked out a few of my favorites to share with you here:
plate feet; to fellate
onk nose
oglefakes glasses (definitely going to use this one)
meshigener nutty, crazy, mental (ah, there’s the Yiddish I recognize!)
cottaging having or looking for sex in a cottage
cottage public loo (particularly with reference to cottaging)
basket the bulge of male genitals through clothes
chicken young boy
So, MSP readers, if you catch me throwing in a few Polari words into my posts here and there, you’ll know where they come from! Continue Reading →
“You’ve Got She-Mail”: The Use of Gendered Pronouns on RuPaul’s Drag Race
Okay, so I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I just started watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. I had heard of the show before, but it wasn’t until I started watching some reruns at a friend’s house that I realized how much I’d been missing out. The show is, in a word, fabulous. From RuPaul’s ever-changing wardrobe to the weekly “She-Mail” messages, the show is like a bad car crash- you just can’t stop watching. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch a bunch of dramatic divas compete for the title of #1 Drag Queen? Continue Reading →
Queering Jewish Traditions
Though I’ve become far less spiritual in the past several years, my Jewish cultural identity is still a huge part of my life. I treasure all of the holidays- for the food, the family, and the inevitable craziness that comes with all of the above. However, I have struggled to find my place in the Jewish community as a queer individual. My family and the Jewish community I surround myself with are extremely supportive of me, but the “laws” don’t always agree. In fact, the synagogue that I attended all throughout my childhood (I even had my bat mitzvah there) does not perform same-sex marriage. Continue Reading →
All About Strap-ons: An Interview with Louise Bourchier
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic presentation by Louise Bourchier on strap-ons, which was hosted by Pleasure Forum Australia. I had no idea there was so much to know about the subject. Louise gave such an informative and entertaining presentation, I couldn’t wait to interview her about her expertise. Kate: Tell me, how did you come to know so much about strap-ons? Louise: Well, I guess I got interested in strap-ons a few years ago when I was expanding my sexual horizons. Continue Reading →
Gender on the Galactica
Ok, so I’m secretly a huge nerd. Well, maybe that’s not so secret. But recently I’ve been accepting my true nerdiness and allowing myself to delve into some awesome sci-fi shows. For the past week, I’ve spent most of my free time watching Battlestar Galactica. I’m only on season 2, but so far I’m fascinated by all of the sexuality/gender play on the show! Continue Reading →
Bisexuality Explained
This Youtube video briefly but brilliantly says what bisexuality is and what it is not. It is simply being attracted to both men and women. It is not anything more than that. That’s it. When someone who identifies as bisexual ends up in a relationship with a man or a woman, she or he is not selling out or giving up or picking men over women or vice versa; they simply happened to choose to love that individual. Continue Reading →
A Fairy Tale Film About Same Sex Marriage
The fairy tale is an art form flexible and abstract enough to be repurposed for just about anything. This is exactly what happened when Middle Tennessee State University professor Bob Pondillo filmed “The Miracles on Honey Bee Hill,” a short film using actors aged 8-9 years old and utilizing the tropes of fairy tales to explore the issue of same sex marriage. However, the film’s reception was controversial, as local Republican politicians were quick to decry the use of child actors as exploitative, despite the fact that the director took every precaution: letting the parents/guardians read the script, having them on the premises while the film was made, and signing releases. The main politician protesting the film has apparently not seen it. I wonder whether these people would be so quick to question the exploitative potential of, say, a pro-life protestor bringing children to a protest site. Continue Reading →