Welcome, GO readers, to our revamped weekly roundup of the biggest lesbian, bisexual, queer, and transgender women’s news and entertainment stories! We’ll be recapping the biggest hits each week and talking to the newsmakers, movers, and shakers behind them.
Preview Of The TransTech Summit
November marks Trans Awareness Month, a time to acknowledge the challenges faced by the transgender community, as well as the community’s achievements and talents. And, this year there’s a summit to look forward to. Actor, Content Creator and Founder of TransTech Angelica Ross has created the TransTech Summit, a weekend of technology training workshops led by all trans and gender nonconforming facilitators at Columbia College the first weekend in November. “Trans people exist at every intersection of life, which means that the spectrum of ability is wide and wonderful,” Ross told GO. “Over the years I have seen tech have the capability to be a catalyst in someone’s life, fusing their passions and their innate skills into success.”
According to study from LGBT Map, trans folks face a rate of unemployment that is twice that of the rest of the population. The summit aims not only to help young trans folks, but spotlight the experiences of older trans people, with programming from AARP. “It is imperative that the trans community realizes we have the power to save ourselves and completely change the game, by stepping our game up,” Ross said. “The LGBTQ community as a whole is improving in its support for the trans community, but we literally cannot afford for them to help us come up with a solution. We are the solution.”
Happy LGBT History Month!
October: A time to lean into your fall wardrobe, start thinking about a Halloween costume… and celebrate LGBT history. The month marks a celebration of the queer community throughout history, from the earliest documented instances of queerness in Ancient Egypt to icons like Sylvia Rivera that we love today. According to GLAAD, LGBT History Month was founded in 1994 by a high school teacher and originally served as a call to action. Today, it’s vital to celebrate LGBT history and remember that the queer community has existed forever, against all odds.
The U.S. Voted No On Banning The Death Penalty For Homosexuality
With so much happening in the news, it’s hard to keep track of every single WTF moment. But, here’s a big one for you. At the United Nations on Friday, the U.S. voted against a resolution that bans the death penalty for being queer around the world. Fortunately, the resolution passed, however in voting no, the country found itself in the company nations such as Saudi Arabia, where an individual can be put to death for sodomy. The U.S. voted no on the resolution, which broadly condemns the death penalty, under the Obama administration, though this year was the first it mentioned the LGBTQ community. Facing a backlash after the vote, Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted “Fact: There was NO vote by USUN that supported the death penalty for gay people. We have always fought for justice for the LGBT community.” Uh huh.
New Documentary Examines Whitney Houston’s Sexuality
A film about singer Whitney Houston’s life, “Whitney: Can I Be Me,” takes a “powerful” look at the superstar’s sexuality, according to the New York Times. In the film, several of Houston’s associates shed light on how the singer’s addiction problems were fed by a struggle over her sexuality and alleged relationship with Robyn Crawford. Houston died of an overdose in 2012 and the paper of record takes an in-depth look at how the pressure for her to have a broad appeal contributed to her downward spiral. If you’re looking for a long weekend read, this is the one.
Andrea Gibson Is Here To Challenge Gender
The poet and artist Andrea Gibson debuted a new video on BuzzFeed — and, damn, it’s powerful. The video shows young people with different gender identities as Gibson’s voice describes their own desire to be like boys that they saw growing up, and what it was like explaining their own gender identity. Over time, Gibson has identified as bisexual, lesbian, dyke, queer, and genderqueer, according to BuzzFeed. “Your pronouns haven’t even been invented yet,” they say in the video.
Honorable Mentions
Can’t get enough of queer women making news? Here are a couple more stories to check out:
Australia Is Having Problems With the Same-Sex Marriage Vote
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