White boys are scared. So scared. That’s literally the only conclusion I can draw based on a recent series of unfortunate events. Earlier this year, CA lawyer Matthew G McLaughlin introduced a voter initiative cheerily entitled the “Sodomite Suppression Act.” It calls for individuals who engage in sodomy to be able “to be put to […]
Austin International Drag Festival
How do drag performers network? What resources do new or developing drag performers have when it comes to getting their work seen by the right people? What might it look like to create an organization devoted to education and promotion of drag-related issues? These were among the questions Jamie Bancroft started to ask himself last […]
INTERVIEW: Boy Meets Girl
What’s it like to grow up trans in the South? BOY MEETS GIRL, a new film from Wolfe Video, attempts to answer that question. The film tells the story of Ricky, a transwoman living and looking for love in a small Kentucky town. Ricky is played by newcomer trans actress Michelle Hendley, with co-star Michael […]
LGBTQ Youth and SanghaLink
According to the Trevor Project, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24, and LGBTQ youth are four times as likely to attempt suicide as their straight peers. High school is a difficult time for a lot of young people, and LGBTQ youth especially. It can be easy to feel […]
Review: 2015 Fusebox Festival
One of the more interesting thing about attending festivals is seeing how different performance pieces speak to one another. In their second week, the Fusebox Festival line-up included some interesting offerings at the intersection of performance and technology. Michelle Ellsworth’s performance piece, Preparation for the Obsolescence of the Y Chromosome, is a meditation on a world without […]
Purvi Patel and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
On average, 15-20% of verified pregnancies (a woman who wasn’t trying to get pregnant, missed a period, and took a positive pregnancy test) will end in a miscarriage. That means roughly one in six pregnant women will miscarry. That’s a significant number, but it’s still not something we talk about. And in a culture where […]
Austin’s Fusebox Festival: The Measure of All Things
There are times when I’m reminded that performance can be a transformative event, and am honored to witness the magic uniquely found when a group of individuals come together to share their time, energy, and attention with one another. The opening night of Austin’s Fusebox Festival proved to be just such a moment. When I […]
Austin’s Fusebox Festival
After the crowds and craziness of SXSW, many Austinites may feel ready to swear off the festival circuit all together. It’s important to remember, however, that all festivals are not created equal. Austin’s Fusebox Festival is coming back April 1-12, featuring over fifty events hosted in over twenty different Austin locations. This year, the Fusebox experience […]
The Cycle of Abuse
A friend recently posted in a group on Facebook asking for advice about her current relationship. She mentioned being worried about it, but unsure if the behavior really was unhealthy since she didn’t have a history of healthy relationships to compare it to. Her post was full of red flags, however, and everyone who commented […]
50 Shades of Misogyny
I’m getting pretty tired of hearing about 50 Shades of Grey. With the recent film premiere, my Facebook feed has been flooded with articles decrying the series’ content. I had previously been willing to give the book’s nay-sayers the benefit of the doubt. Now, methinks (s)he doth protest too much. Since 50 Shades of Grey started as Twilight fan fiction, […]