If TPR could give out an award for Best New Non-Profit, this would be it. I never got to go to any away camp as a kid, and you can bet your pink and brown asses my parents would not have sent me to a gay camp. This volunteer-run camp for trans youth, Camp Aranu’tiq, has a heart of gender-neutral gold, and I can only imagine the amount of struggle, defensive conversation and explanation that the organizers have gone through just to get to this point. Well, queer-kudos to the coolest bunch of organized queers I have seen in a long time! From the Aranu’tiq website:
“Our mission is to provide transgender and gender-variant youth with a safe, fun, and unique camp experience during which they are able to express gender however they are comfortable and connect with others in similar situations.
Camp Aranu’tiq is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization. It was born out of the idea that transgender and gender-variant youth needed a safe place to relate to others like them, away from home, in a beautiful rural setting where they can concentrate on what every camper loves: having fun.
Due to the sensitive nature of our program, the exact location of Aranu’tiq can be obtained by interested parents, volunteers, and campers by contacting us.”
The best part about fuckyeahrachelmaddow.com is that it is both serious and fun. I mean, what isn’t serious about the only out-butch dyke on TV? Say what you will about her scoop necks, Ms. Madd is as real butch as we’ve gotten on national TV, and thank god. What we tend to forget, is how sweet and dorky she can be, and fuckyeahrachelmaddow.com puts it all out with pics, quotes, clips and news. SO FUN.
It’s not like I wouldn’t exist without Pansy Division, but almost. There were queer icons before them, all of them punk in my book, but the band had a hand in getting us alternative kids out of the closet, whether we know it or not. At this point, their relevance is more about their story, thankfully there is a doc and band leader Jon Ginoli has written a bo0k about it. A tour with readings is a can’t miss, and the extensive dates leave you no excuse. The new record is called “That’s So Gay,” probably a reference to how you shouldn’t say that, and they have a lot of mp3′s posted at their site. Tour dates run through the end of May, Chicago gets two: April 7th at Homolatte (Good work Scott!) and April 8th at Quimby’s. Check out PD’s cover of “You Make Me Hot” by The Donnas below.
What I really appreciate about JD Samson’s steelo is that it sounds like she is having fun. Never afraid of a cowbell or the cute, non-remixed 80′s hit, JD knows when to leave a classic track alone. Her new mixtape for March is no exception. Tracklist below, download link here.
2 UNLIMITED/YMCA INTRO
A CAUSE DE GARCONS- YELLE (STA REMIX)
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY- DENIECE WILLIAMS
HOT DOG- SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO
FINALLY- CECE PENISTON
GREAT DJ- THE TING TINGS (CALVIN HARRIS REMIX)
FAR AWAY- CUT COPY (HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS REMIX)
WE ARE THE PEOPLE- EMPIRE OF THE SUN (SHAZAM REMIX)
BREAKING IT UP- LYKKE LI (PUNKS JUMP UP REMIX)
RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT- DEBARGE
D.A.N.C.E- JUSTICE (MSTRKRFT REMIX)
ONE MORE TIME- DAFT PUNK
HOLLABACK GIRL- GWEN STEFANI (DIPLO BALTIMORE HOLLERTRONIX REMIX)
CREATOR- SANTOGOLD (SCOTTIE B REMIX)
A VOLTA- N.A.S.A FEATURING SIZZLA, AMANDA BLANK & LOVEFOXXX)
CROSS THE DANCEFLOOR- TREASURE FINGERS (DESIGNER DRUGS REMIX)
NOT GONNA TEACH YOUR BOYFRIEND HOW TO DANCE…- BLACK KIDS (THE TWELVES REMIX)
THIS BOY’S IN LOVE- THE PRESETS (LIFELIKE REMIX) WITH TO PROTECT AND ENTERTAIN- BUSY P
YOU BELONG- HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR (RITON REMIX)
YR MANGLED HEART- GOSSIP (LINUS REMIX)
JOHNNY COME HOME- JEPPE
SEND HIM BACK- POINTER SISTERS (PILOOSKI REMIX)
NEW IN TOWN- LITTLEBOOTS (FRED FALKE REMIX)
MOVE- CSS (FRANKMUSIK REMIX)
YOU’VE CHANGED- LAUREN FLAX FEATURING SIA
Remember last year’s Dyke March in Pilsen and how truly WONDERFUL it was? True to their word, the organizers are moving the march to a different location for 2009. If you go over to their myspace, you can vote between Humboldt Park, Washington Park, South Shore, Downtown, Chinatown or “other” on their poll. Right at this moment, Humboldt Park is winning with 19 votes, or 33%. Get your opinion in!
Saturday April 4th, DM is having a fund raiser at the Wicker Well. Permits and entertainment ain’t cheap, folks! Head on over for some adult beverages and sassy fun. $5 cover gets you a drink, so it’s not a burden on your economy-leeched pockets.
I’m SICK of heteros trying to put the kabash on queer activism by challenging a gay person’s anger and resentment. Lately, it seems that it if someone in the media takes hate to task for the shameful ignorance that it is, a straight person gets to say, “Isn’t that too strong of a word? By saying that, aren’t you being hateful too?” Fuck that. I’m not about to play nice when someone is telling me that I can’t feel the pain that is caused when you defend legislation that dehumanizes me. I thought Mr. Frank, our out-congressman from Massachusetts, did play nice here about the marriage thing, but ultimately he put Supreme Court Justice Scalia on blast, and that rocks.
One of the best things about being alive today is that (a lot of) the queer sons/daughters of immigrants can live out in the open and support each other. As one of those people, I thank the stars everyday that my parents a cool as pie on a window sill with me, my BF and my fashions. Amiguitas is a Chicago based queer-peer group for queer Latinas under 28 yrs, and they are looking for artists for their April 17th Art Showcase at the Center on Halsted. Latina LGBTQ women who want to
show, display or recite drawings films, poems, paintings, photos or other art should contact Zaida Sanabia zaida17(((@)))gmail.com with the following information by April 1st:
Name
Phone Number
Type of work/title
*If it’ s a video, submit description of film and length of time.
The Amiguitas Art Showcase will be on Friday, April 17th 2009 at the Center Halsted from 6- 8:30pm
Hey lovers, blogging will be light this week as my computer is in the shop.
Come see me at Neo with DJ Kamar for Atomic, the best thing in Lincoln Park! Thursdays at Neo have always had a retro/new wave vibe with a reputation for the coolest mix of goths, punks, hipsters and queers. SO excited be DJ-ing there for the first time.
Since December 2008, Wilmington NC and the world at your fingertips are queerer than ever, thanks to Be Yr Own Queero. This sparkly group of young writers is ambitiously tackling the world with their out and about it queerness, championing all out-artists, writers, communities, musicians and happenings. They’ve got a queer music podcast, social networking pages galore, and making an effort to be as all-inclusive as possible (as in, L-G-B-T). If I was growing up in Wilmington, you better believe this would be the only thing keeping me from jumping ship! Hell, Be Yr Own Queero is making me step up my game as we speak. BYOQ is looking for contributors, so if you are itching to get your blog on, contact them at info@beyrownqueero.com
