This is the only thing I will say, re: Ellen. I *do* think that we should be kind, but what kindness actually means can be lost in nuance. I think that a lot of people conflate kindness with being “nice.” Acting nice is a behavior, being kind is a part of a person’s moral and […]
“It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus!” Queer Camp and the 25th Anniversary of Hocus Pocus
I had the pleasure of seeing Hocus Pocus on the big screen this year as a part of its 25th anniversary celebration. It continues to hold its place as one of my favorite Halloween films, and also one of my favorite 90s feminist representations of witches, where it joins Practical Magic and Willow from Buffy […]
To Speak, or Not To Speak?
A work meeting today has me feeling some kind of way. I keep thinking about gender, and specifically, gendered communication styles. I am a member of a small but growing department, and we were having a check-in and reflection about how things have been going, and what could be better in the future when the […]
Uncle Howard Review – aGLIFF
What makes life meaningful? What do we leave behind? How can we make sense of a life cut short? Can we reconstruct a life from a collection of pieces and memories, and what is it that makes us want to try? These are among the questions Uncle Howard, a new documentary by Aaron Brookner, attempts […]
Check It Review – aGLIFF
When you think of a gang, what comes to mind? Guns? Handkerchiefs? What about lipstick and heels? Check It is a documentary about the first documented LGBTQ gang, located in Washington, D.C. The members of the Check It gang are all black gay or transgender youth. Many are from single parent homes, the foster system, […]
I Love You Both Review: aGLIFF
I Love You Both is like a slow motion train wreck of dysfunction, codependency, and existential crisis coupled with an unchecked white privilege festival. I have very mixed feelings about it. Watching the film made me feel very uncomfortable, but I’m not sure whether that was intentional or not on the part of the director. […]
Heartland Review: AGLIFF
I’ve seen my fair share of LGBTQ films about living in the American South. So many that at times it feels like an overdone trope – and this from a queer woman who was raised in the South and still lives there. I will admit I approached my viewing of Heartland with some skepticism, braced […]
What Does It Mean to be Open?
I’ve been thinking a lot about polyamory lately, and how I fit into it. I’ve been very interested in the idea of queer intimacy since I was introduced to it in graduate school. The idea that there are forms of intimacy which do not make sense to or in a capitalist heteropatriarchy. The ways which […]
How to Move Forward
I attended the OUTsider Festival again this year in Austin, and again they totally hit it out of the park. Five days of fabulous queer art and community here in Austin. So much discussion about the relationships between sexuality in art, queer space and place, diversity and representation in art, art and activism. I’m still […]
Wedding Bells in Austin, Oct 23
On October 23 at 8pm, Stephanie Vela Anderson is marrying her dildo, “Glen Potter.” The wedding ceremony, which will take place at Mister Tramps in Austin, is part performance art and part fundraiser for Anderson’s upcoming documentary about mental illness, entitled “Heartlight.” A video of the happy couple can be found here. In an interview, […]