[image description: a blue banner reading “queer books for ravenclaw” is surrounded by six book covers of the titles listed below]
This is the second of four recommended reading lists of queer and queer-ish books, organized by Hogwarts houses! Gryffindor can be found here. ENJOY.
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
This collection of short works on identity, community and authenticity covers a lot of territory - “passing” as related to gender, race, disability, work, nationality, sexuality, and more. Pick it up if you’re itching for more complex perspectives on social justice.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Besides being an absolute masterpiece of the comics format, Bechdel’s memoir about her cold and inscrutable father earns major Ravenclaw appeal with its highbrow literary allusions. If psychology is more your thing, try her other memoir, Are You My Mother?
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This book tells the story of two Mexican-American teens - Ari, an angry loner, and Dante, a quirky intellectual - who form a transformative bond and ponder over poetry, philosophy and life’s many mysteries. I haven’t gotten my hands on this one yet, but I’ve been told it’s one of those rare transcendent young adult books, emotionally resonant and masterfully crafted.
Israel/Palestine and the Queer International by Sarah Schulman
This latest work from the prolific author and longtime activist chronicles her travels through Tel Aviv and the West Bank and her growing consciousness of the occupation of Palestine. Read it for a knowledgeable queer perspective on a divisive topic.
Adaptation by Malinda Lo
There’s not much on this list for science aficionados, but hopefully some science fiction will suit you. Did you know Malinda Lo did graduate work on The X-Files? This novel, the first in a forthcoming series, has flavors of the 90s TV show and should delight fans of Mulder and Scully, creepy conspiracies, and queer representation in sci-fi lit.
Transgender History by Susan Stryker
For the history buffs - this concise text on transgender people in America between the mid twentieth century and early twenty-first puts trans communities and movements in historical context and offers a compact but comprehensive chronicle of our stories.
Some simple definitions for complex subjects. We encourage you to learn more about all of these terms. You can also share on Facebook, retweet, or learn more about this graphic.
LGBTQ* People and Artifacts in Historical Archives
Franklin Kameny’s Protest Signs (now scattered throughout the American History Museum in Washington, D.C.)
Following from the Smithsonian Institution
Frank Kameny, who died on Oct. 11, was one of those Americans of whom few may have heard but who devoted his life to furthering civil rights, most especially for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) people. He instigated or participated in many of the important gay rights actions of the 20th century.
This display shows a selection of the protest posters that Kameny and the Kameny Papers Project donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 2006. Three of the most resonant picket signs are now on display in Flag Hall, just off the entrance from the National Mall and near the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the national anthem, and the civil rights-eraWoolworth Lunch counter. Another poster is currently on view in The American Presidency exhibition among a number of protest signs. The Kameny collection is part of the Museum’s long-standing commitment to preserve the history of American democracy and the struggles for individual and civil rights in the United States.
Photo of Kameny with Obama from The New York TimesPhotos of Kameny’s Signs from the Smithsonian Institution
Kameny Political Cartoon Pulled from QSyndicate.com
NEWSFLASH!
FUCK YEAH HENRY ROLLINS!
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…
No, Boy Scouts Of America: “Tolerance” Isn’t Good Enough
Accepting gay Boy Scouts, but only until they turn 18 isn’t acceptance at all.If you want to learn how to measure the vast distance between “tolerance” and “acceptance,” join the Boy Scouts. Today, 61% of 1,400 voting members of the BSA’s National Council voted to “remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone.” Before you start writing “thank you” letters though, read on. The official statement, released this afternoon continues, “A change to the current membership policy for adult leaders was not under consideration; thus, the policy for adults remains in place.”
Homophobia is most dangerous when it has a good editor. What makes the BSA’s statement so galling is how it deftly attempts to sidestep the blatant hatred and disdain of gay people packed in between the lines. Instead of sending a clear message that all boys, gay, straight and in-between, should to be embraced as well as introduced to the kinds of role models BSA is in the business of fashioning, the organization’s National Council chose has chosen instead to further the idea that gay adults are pariahs and pedophiles.
And so, Boy Scouts can come out as long as they have no desire, at the age of eighteen, to become role models themselves. That’s just about as logical as Canada’s recent decision to end its anti-gay blood donation ban: gay men can donate blood there now, as long as they haven’t had sex with another man in the last five years. In both cases, the subtext is that gay people, ultimately, are dirty – innately and unforgivably. We will be tolerated but not, at least for now, truly welcome.
(via best-likes)
The new evian commercial
Omg cuteness overload!!! I liked the baby in the sweater hahaha i cant stop watching the commercial #loveit 😍
(via foodfuck)
Gaming Lounge
Redditor ScienceBrah posted this photo set showing his personal trainers (who’s also a sponsored bodybuilder) gaming room set up which turned out to be quite a sight to behold with the sheer variety of gaming options combined with a nice layout and plenty gaming art for good measure.
