The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Support Services Library

There’s a new blog writer over at Indiana Equality, a blog dedicated to protecting basic civil rights for Indiana’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender citizens.

New writer Zak Szymanski is a local Bloomington resident, and teaches journalism at the University. Check out his first post on the state of “partner” policies in the Midwest.

Hellbent:

(3 out of 5 stars)

The most important thing I have to stress about Hellbent is that when watching it, you must keep one thing above all else in mind. This movie’s strength does not lie in its acting, its plotline, or its character development (then again, when was the last time you saw a horror/slasher movie that excelled in any of those categories anyway?) Hellbent is phenomenal because it is a breakthrough film in and of itself. It is one of the first, if not the first, horror films to feature an all gay/bisexual cast of characters, and written and directed specifically for the gay audience.

Those who came to know the NBC soap opera Passions as a guilty pleasure will immediately recognize the handsome and charming Dylan Fergus as the film’s main protagonist Eddie Fitzgerald. Eddie works a desk job at a police station (after being dismissed from officer training due to disability). His hopes of following in his father’s footsteps crushed, he instead pushes papers while his sister patrols the beat as a cop. When reports come rolling into the station of a homicidal maniac killing off homosexual men, Eddie is asked to put up wanted posters around town for anyone who might have information leading to his arrest. In doing so he comes across bad boy Jake, a motorcycle riding, chain smoking, tough guy who’s probably concealing more than a few insecurities under that manly façade of his. It isn’t long before Eddie is totally taken with him. As fate would have it, Eddie later comes across Jake that night at a Halloween carnival with his friends. Of course, the killer has made his way there as well.

As any typical horror movie formula will tell you, the side characters are killed off one by one in an attempt to build suspense. The movie doesn’t really accomplish this. Most of the scares you’ll see coming well before they occur, and the jump factor is rather low. This is good news however for people who find it difficult to stomach the overly gory shock fests that are being mass produced by Hollywood today. This movie does make a valid attempt at establishing a three dimensional personality for most of its characters though. Some will complain that the movie tends to drag after the initial arrival at the carnival, but I admired the film’s attempt at displaying that these characters were not just typical gay stereotypes. While they enjoy a good party and a sexual innuendo or two, they are still people with genuine thoughts and feelings. Eddie’s cross-dressing friend Toby actually stole a number of scenes for me. For a horror movie, he actually has a couple of really funny lines. His disappointment in the “gay scene” at the carnival is something I feel a lot of gay people can relate to as well, as he realizes that while he’s out for someone who can match him intellectually as well as physically, that the other guys there are only after the latter.

I will say that the climax adequately keeps the audience on the edge of their seats however, and Eddie’s final showdown with the killer will leave you glued to the television. If you’re searching for answers to the killer’s history, or even why he’s choosing to kill off the victims he seeks out, you may find yourself disappointed with the rather hasty wrap-up. You may be better off agreeing with Toby when he states early on in the film that the killer is “probably some 40 year old gay guy that just came out of the closet.” As that answer may be just as good as any given the lack of information you’ll be given.

Again, what’s much more important about this movie is that it’s paved the way for the gay slasher genre. Films like Hellbent have surely opened doors for films just like it to continue making their way into our homes and our culture. Eventually, maybe a gay horror movie might even breakthrough to mainstream media. Who knows, a few years down the road we might even see a much better produced Hellbent II.

I know I’ll watch it.

AfterEllen.com has this wonderful feature called Retro Reviewing, where a group of lesbians get together to discuss an older lesbian film. This week they are talking about a favorite film of mine, Better Than Chocolate.
It’s a wacky lesbian-meets-lesbian, then-one-lesbian’s-mother-moves-in kinda film with a hot scene where they paint all over each other with finger paint.  The girls try to hide their relationship from the world’s most clueless mom, the lesbian activist bookstore owner fights censorship from the Canadian government and the transwoman actually gets the girl in the end.  It is campy and funny fluff with some hilarious (and hilariously bad) dialog.
So if you want to get the commentary, come on in and check out the film from us!

by Jonathan Ned Katz.
City, ST : Publisher, date.
p., illus.

Have you ever wanted a historically-based refutation to the statement “heterosexuality is completely natural and has been around since the dawn of time”? While Katz’ book may not provide spell-bounding excitement which urges you to plunge into the next chapter, it does offer a solid argument, showing that “heterosexuality” has not been validated by centuries of public acceptance.

Recounting his initial difficulty in labeling himself as a “homosexual,” Katz puzzles over society’s assumption that heterosexuality is the norm. Himself the author of Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the USA, he further questions common depictions of history by exploring the origin of “heterosexuality” itself and its application then and now. The terms “heterosexual” and “homosexual” did not exist in the infamous ancient Greek societal structure and indeed did not arise until late in the 19th century. Prior to the 20th century, emphasis was placed upon acts resulting in reproduction, seen as beneficial at a practical level, rather than condemning lust for either sex as “sinful” because of the emotional yearning for another person. If one argues that one should follow the societal norms accepted over the evolution of “civilization,” this implies that those stressing the “rightness” of different-sex physical involvement should abhor sexual acts that do not result in actual intercourse and adamantly oppose the use of birth control.

A potentially amusing fact discussed at length is that prior to the 1920’s and ’30’s, “heterosexuality” was a term used solely by psychologists, such as Krafft-Ebing and Freud, to describe conditions of sexual perversion, linked at first to nonprocreative sexual acts between those of the opposite sex and then to preoccupation with different-sex eroticism. Only with time and further discourse on the issue by Freud did nonprocreative different-sex desire become accepted as “natural,” “healthy,” and “good.”

After analyzing this discovery of ther terms’ origins, Katz then tells of the application of the heterosexual/homosexual polarity in Kinsey’s studies, use of these terms in America’s equality movements, and the combined efforts of liberal and radical feminists in questioning male supremacy, subsequently challenging the social arrangement of heterosexuality. The book cites many contemporary writers, including Betty Friedan, Kate Millett, James Baldwin, and Michel Foucalt, giving this book on “history” a very modern feel. While not explaining every question about the heterosexual/homosexual distinction, The Invention of Heterosexuality wonderfully illustrates that while individuals do have a say in their sexual choices, others’ judgements upon those choices are based upon the myths and sayings of respected persons of the time. Since the belief that all sexual acts other than those resulting in reproduction are intrinsically contrary to nature has been cast aside by most of American socity, there is little reason to believe that the current notions of what is “right” and “good” (e.g. heterosexuality) will not also change with additional societal freedom.

Reviewed by Jenn Meece.

This Review and more can be found on the GLBTSSS Library Website.

Check out these gripping, fast-paced novels about teenagers coming out, navigating love, and dealing with their parents.

Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High, Rainbow Road – Alex Sanchez
This complex trilogy follows the lives of three high schoolers: Nelson, a flaming queen, Jason, a jock, and Kyle, who passes. Sanchez presents an honest view of the teenage experience, while dealing with issues such as coming out, AIDS, and discrimination.

Geography Club – Brent Hartinger
When Russell discovers that his crush, Kevin, is gay, and his close friend Min is bi, they form a gay support group and call it “Geography Club” to hide it from the rest of the school. Clever and contemporary, this book is excellent for anyone who has recently been in a high school classroom.

Fool for Love – Lisa Lees

In this sweet tale of high school love, Carys is a butch, possibly even genderqueer girl who falls instantly in love with Jami, a pretty girl who is also intersexed. This is a fast-paced story of difference and acceptance, and living life to it’s fullest, even if that mean bucking
popular opinion.

Between Mom and Jo – Julie Anne Peters

A timely and beautiful story about the experiences of the son of a same-sex couples, this is the story of Nick, a boy who recounts growing up with two mothers, then the pain of their divorce, and the unstable situation of possibly loosing one mother, because they have no legal relationship.

Print this list here!

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence New Orleans Chapter and the New Orleans Women’s Health & Justice Initiative Seeks Books by Women of Color authors for a Radical Women of Color Lending Library Project

The New Orleans Women of Color Resource & Organizing Center (a joint project of the WHJI and INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence ? New Orleans) will serve as a resource and organizing hub to nurture grassroots organizing and activism to end violence against women of color, linking struggles against the violence of poverty, incarceration, environmental racism, housing discrimination, economic exploitation, and medical experimentation and forced sterilization. The Center will provide a host of movement building and leadership development programs, activities, and resources to end violence against women of color; the Center will also house a radical women of color lending library, a cluster of computers for community use, meeting space, and a comfortable environment for women and girls to hangout.

We are currently in the process of establishing a radical women of color lending library. We are seeking donations of books by women of color authors across genres, topics, interests, and subjects.

All books are welcome?fiction, non-fiction, poetry, zines, articles, resource books, anthologies, photodocumentaries, etc. Videos, documentaries, and music are also welcomed. We are specifically interested in books by African, Arab, Asian, Black, Caribbean, Chicana, Indigenous, Native, and Latina authors. Donations should be mailed to the:

New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic
c/o WHJI
1406 Esplanade Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70116

For more information, please contact us at whji_info @ yahoo. com or by phone at 504-524-8626.

Prolific lesbian writer Katherine V. Forrest won the Publishing Triangle’s Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award on April 28th. For almost 25 years, she has written the gamut of genres, from the famous Kate Delafield mysteries (The Beverly Malibu) to science fiction (Daughters of a Coral Dawn) to romance (Curious Wine). She’s won several Lambda Literary Awards, spent ten years as senior editor at Naiad Press, and is currently supervising editor at Spinsters Ink.

Along with announcing this prestigious prize, Publishing Triangle and Ferro-Grumley also announced it’s winners for the best gay and lesbian literature of 2007.

During the 19th century, Russia existed on the outskirts of Western civilization. For most of the 20th century, as a communist society they existed behind an iron curtain. Throughout the years, Russia’s Lesbian and Gay population have contributed to a rich Russian cultural heritage.

Out of the Blue: Russia’s Hidden Gay Literature edited BY Kevin Moss
This easily accessible anthology pulls together bits of poetry and short stories, assembling an entertaining and informative patchwork of gay life in Russia, from as early as the 19th century, through the Soviet era.

Dancer by Colum McCann
This kaleidoscopic novel of biographical fiction tells the life of renowned Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. Narrated by the people who knew him best, this paced book follows him from a peasant childhood, into Communist exile for his sexual orientation, and down the slippery slope of ‘70s Western culture.

Cracks in the Iron Closet: Travels in Gay and Lesbian Russia by David Tuller
In this insightful travel memoir, David Tuller explores gay and lesbian life in Russia during the ‘90s. While not exactly finding a queer utopia, he discovers a world not nearly as oppressive as he had expected. Written with sensitivity, Tuller explores the mystery of the human condition as he falls in love with a Russian lesbian.

Print this list here!

Vancouver’s Little Sister’s Book & Art Emporium is up for sale by the owners. After almost 25 years of business, and 23 years challenging Canadian censorship laws, the owners are ready to move on. Said one owner Jim Deva:

“It’s probably time to pass on the torch hopefully to some younger, energetic people who are willing to work with our store… I’m not in a rush [to sell]. We’re going to take our time.”

Since the 1980s, Canada’s censorship laws have forbidden the import of obscene materials, and more often than not that has meant GLBT-related materials, including works by Jean Genet and Quentin Crisp. With the help of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Little Sister has spent many years fighting back. John Dixon of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said:

“When you look at the trial record of Little Sister’s [you see that] what it was about wasn’t just about gay sex, it was about the freedom, the right, to not only imagine your sexuality but to talk about your sexuality with other people.”

The legal situation still isn’t as good as it could be, but thanks to the lawsuits of Little Sister, Customs Officials have had to defend their decisions to confiscate materials.

There’s a report up at the Advocate Insider on the L.A. Times Book Festival, including tasty little tidbits such as Julie Andrews, author Nina Revoyr, and arguments over the presidential election.

Here’s a Revoyrism for you, on the subject of writing against a period backdrop: “If you don’t watch out, history will bite you in the ass, and often does. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with it.”

Older lesbians face a particularly complex convergence of issues, when sexism, homophobia, and the cultural obsession with youth all combine. This week we look at some of the fabulous and strong older lesbians who have supported our community with their advice and activism in the past and present.

Long Time Passing: Lives of Older Lesbians edited by Marcy Adelman
This anthology collects a series of essays by lesbians on growing older, celebrating their loves, triumphs, hardships, and the place of the lesbian community in their lives.

Lesbians at Midlife: The Creative Transition edited by Barbara Sang, Joyce Warshow, and Adrienne J. Smith
Another anthology, where lesbian women from ages 40-60 write about their lives, growing older, and give practical advice to other midlife lesbians.

Dyke Life: From Growing Up to Growing Old, a Celebration of the Lesbian Experience edited by Karla Jay
Activist Karla Jay brings together a group of lesbian and bisexual women of all ages to write about a variety of lesbian experiences over the lifecycle.

Lesbians Over 60 Speak for Themselves by Monika Kehoe
This book compiles the results of a 1984 research project into the lives of older lesbians, including topics such as being out, lesbian history, family relationships, and coping with loneliness and isolation.

Print this list here!

Summer is here and classes are over, but the GLBT Student Support Services are still open! During the summer, the library will be open its usual hours, Monday-Friday, 8-5.

If you’re in the Bloomington area and looking for a good book for the beach, or a movie to watch with your friends, don’t forget to stop by!

April is National Poetry Month, and the GLBT Library isn’t the only ones celebrating. Over at I’m Here, I’m Queer. What the Hell do I read? They’re celebrating with a new poem every day! Poems aren’t only for straight people. There’s a rich and long tradition of gay men and women expressing themselves through the lyrical language of poetry.

If you want some lesbian poetry, try Paula Gunn Allen’s Some Like Indians Endure. Maybe you’d prefer some transgender poetry with Aaron Shurin’s Women on Fire. If you’re in the mood for some gay poetry, try Walt Whitman’s Calamus. If your tastes run more towards classical bisexual poetry, try Rumi’s The King and the Handmaiden and the Doctor.

The 6th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival is May 8-11th, in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Saints and Sinners is America’s only festival aimed entirely at GLBTQ writers, performers, and publishers, or who focus on GLBTQ issues. It’s going to be an exciting weekend, with literary panels, theatrical performances, a playwriting competition, readings, and master classes.

Guest authors and performers include the incredibly talented Dorothy Allison (Bastard Out of Carolina), Mark Doty (Heaven’s Coast and Firebird), Tim Miller (Shirt & Skin), Michele Tea (Rent Girl and Valencia), plus several others.

Registration discounts are available to students, teachers, and others, but space is filling fast! If you’re interested in learning more about the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, visit their website or call (504) 581-1144.

Heads up, everyone! The Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony will be Map 29th, in West Hollywood, but if you’re like me, there’s no way you’ll be able to make it. For the rest of us, there will be public readings by the Lambda finalist authors in several large cities, including the closest in Chicago on May 6th. Authors include Kevin Barnhurst, Bertram Cohler, Michael S. Sherry, and Jacqueline Taylor.

If you can’t make it to Chicago, you might also try New York on April 29th, where the authors reading will be Jennifer Baumgardner, Cris Beam, Jennifer Camper, James Canon, Roberto Ferrari, Kenny Fries, Sharon Marcus, Perry Moore, Michael Quadland, Robin Reardon, Michael Rowe, Sarah Schulman, Kevin Sessums, and Aiobheann Sweeney.

Or you might try New Orleans on May 6th, with Anthony Bidulka, Vincent Diamond, Mark Doty, Greg Herren, Marianne K. Martin, Robert Taylor, and Michelle Tea.

You can see the whole schedule of events here.

From disco to classical to pop music, these artists broke down doors, moved us with their songs, and created a new queer musicology.

The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, The Music, The Seventies in San Francisco by Joshua Gamson
In the world of that most disparaged of musical genres—disco— Sylvester James commands respect in this biography of an out, gay, African-American who dressed in drag and sang with a thundering falsetto and still found mainstream success in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Gamson’s pulsating use of song lyrics, sounds and descriptions also creates a tangible history of San Francisco as it changed from a joyous oasis of liberation to the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic.

k.d. lang : All You Get Is Me by Victoria Starr
This first full-length bio of country/pop chanteuse k. d. lang examines her courage as a self-proclaimed lesbian and as a performer who has retained control of her career despite pressures to conform. Her account of the politics of sexual orientation, especially in the spotlight, is absorbing.

Leonard Bernstein: A Life by Meryle Secrest
Seacrest argues that despite high brow critics’ condescension, Bernstein widened the audience for classical music far more than even Pavorati, and that his success included a uniquely American talent for P.R., celebrity, and gossip. From the mid-1940s to the mid-’70s, this book offers a sense of the headlong excitement of the golden years of his career.

Print this list here!

Support your queer writers and your local library with an autographed set of this year’s Lambda Award Winning books! Winners are announced at this year’s Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony.

Enter a raffle to win an autographed collection of this year’s Lammy winners — the winning books in all 21 categories will be autographed and delivered to your home library. Winner need not be present to win (for the past two years, winners of the raffle have not been at the ceremony!). Purchase raffle tickets below.

Prices are $20 for 1 ticket, $50 for 3 tickets, or $100 for 6. More details are available at the Lambda Literary Foundation.

D.E.B.S. is one of my favorite lesbian movies ever. There is a little romance, a little action, girls in short skirts, and plenty of laughs!

There is a secret test hidden in the S.A.T. It measures a student’s innate ability to lie, cheat, fight and kill. Those who score well (and apparently can pull off the short plaid skirts that comprise one hell of an impractical spy uniform) are recruited into a secret paramilitary academy. There they fight crime and stuff, sorta like Bond - if Bond had to live in a sorority house with a bunch of other hot and quirky 00’s.

Amy, the only person to make a perfect score on the secret test, just broke up with her boyfriend and is more interested in art school then fighting crime. Lucy is a supervillian on the rebound and is actually quite nice (despite her tendency to want to destroy Australia). When the two meet the chemistry is palpable. When the two women end up on a strange yet sweet date, the D.E.B.S. gang believes that Amy has been kidnapped by the notorious supervillian and all hell breaks loose.

One of the things that makes this film so funny is all the strong characters. Dominique is a sex addict, Janice is pretty much incompetent, and Max is the super-soldier tired of living in Amy’s shadow. Lucy’s best friend Scud is basically her male fag hag. And they all work together to keep the comedy flowing while Amy and Lucy fall in love.

You can see clips from the film here and you can stop by the office to check it out from us.