Kate Bornstein has had a profound effect on my life in a way she may never know (unless I decide to get brave and tweet this post @ her). In September, I saw Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger as a part of the Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. In the film, […]
OUTsider: Connections, Conversations, and Family
One of my favorite aspects of art and performance is putting related pieces into conversation with one another, enriching the conversation surrounding a given topic. I’m so very happy with the way OUTsider Festival’s programming is facilitating those sorts of conversations, and I only wish I had the opportunity to participate more fully this year. […]
OUTsider Fest: Queerness Past, Present, and Future
The creators of OUTsider Festival in Austin really did their homework as far as covering a large scope and breadth of queer art and performance in the programming. Which on the one hand, is refreshing and inspiring. But on the other hand, means that there is just so, so much to discuss. Festivals, conferences, art, […]
OUTsider Fest: Khmer Classical Dance
I never feel quite so Western as in those moments when I’m confronted with Asian modes of performance. So it’s only fitting that the second night of OUTsider Festival in Austin featured a performance by Prumsodun Ok, a practitioner of Cambodia’s Khmer classical dance. I think it’s important to be aware of and claim those moments […]
OUTsider Festival: Narcissister and Gay Wax Museum
I wasn’t sure what to expect when headed to see Narcissister for the opening night of OUTsider Festival in Austin. Narcissister’s name is what it sounds like; the complication of our cultural understanding of the narcissist juxtaposed with the idea of sisterhood, and how being a “sister” relates to the identities of women of color […]
What’s in a Name?
As it’s gotten closer to Valentine’s Day, I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships and love and labels. My partner and I are polyamorous. But not in the sense of the traditional poly narrative. Polyamory seems to have become more prominent in the cultural consciousness of late, but a lot of our discussions about it still […]
What Counts as Sex
Overall, I really like my new therapist. She’s open to the queer/kinky/poly stuff, and though she’s cis/straight/married/etc she seems excited to learn. Plus, she’s Canadian so there’s not the weird religious vibe about it you sometimes get with Americans. Just more of a “Hey, that’s not my experience, but what’s it like for you?” There was […]
Thoughts on Street Harassment
Last Friday night was perhaps the first time I’ve felt legitimately unsafe walking the streets of Austin since I moved here a little over a year ago. I wanted to attend a Halloween event at a queer-friendly bar downtown, and decided to take the bus instead of paying for parking. This meant there was a […]
Here. Queer. Get Used to It.
I guess this is late as far as National Coming Out Day, but I just got asked why I identify as queer instead of bisexual. It’s not the first time I’ve been asked lately, so I thought I might as well expound about it here. So spoilers, yes, I’m queer. And if you spent any […]
Review: Folsom Forever
Folsom Forever is a new documentary by Mike Skiff. It tells the story of the history of the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. Folsom Forever combines interviews with organizers, scholars and politicians with archival footage, as well as footage and interviews from the 29th annual Folsom Street Fair in 2012. The Folsom Street Fair […]