Susan Sontag was an influential and renowned scholar, feminist, critic, filmmaker, and author – perhaps one of the last of a generation of public intellectuals, the likes of which are rarely seen now. Nancy D Kates’ new documentary film, Regarding Susan Sontag, is an in-depth look at the life and work of this inspiring and […]
Review: Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger
Many people probably recognize Kate Bornstein’s name from her books, including Gender Outlaw and My (New) Gender Workbook. She was also the second woman to ever receive a degree from Brown University. An author, performance artist, gender theorist, activist, and self-proclaimed trans-dyke, Bornstein has been an inspiration to many in the gender non-conforming community for […]
Review: Kumu Hina
Frameline award-winning Kumu Hina (“Teacher Hina”) is a new documentary by directors Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson. Hamer and Wilson previously worked together on Out in the Silence, a film about LGBTQ individuals in rural America, and the discrimination and bigotry they often face. It was during an Out in the Silence screening in Hawaii […]
Book Review: Testo Junkie
Beatriz Preciado’s Testo Junkie is half theoretical treatise on gender, half performative autobiography. Preciado self-administered doses of black market testosterone for a year, chronicling its effects on her body and psyche. Preciado did this without the intention to use the hormones as an aid for transitioning from female to male, meaning her actions were technically […]
Stanley Roy: Fantasy’s Show & Tell
For almost two years, local musician and performer Stanley Roy has been hosting a monthly evening of performance called Show & Tell at local queer bar Cheer Up Charlies here in Austin. Roy hosts the evening’s events as Fantasy, a persona he created many years ago when a friend threw a birthday party and told […]
Bob’s Burgers and Genderfluid Gene
I’ve been rewatching old episodes of Bob’s Burgers. In a lot of ways, the show could be considered the most sex-positive show on televison. Tina’s awkward budding sexuality gets talked about a lot on the Internet, and is certainly noteworthy. But while rewatching multiple episodes in a row recently, I found myself thinking more about […]
Sam Killermann: It’s Pronounced Metrosexual
I was first introduced to Sam Killermann when his TED talk was played at a discussion about gender here in Austin. Killermann is the man behind “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual,” a touring comedy show about gender and sexuality. You might also know him from the Genderbread Person, an educational meme which frequently makes a circuit around […]
Gender Portraits
I recently had the pleasure of talking with Drew Johnson, a genderfluid Austin artist. Born and raised in the Austin area, Johnson graduated in 2008 from the Gemini School of Visual Arts, a 4-year vocational program in Cedar Park. Johnson’s Kickstarter campaign, Gender Portraits, was recently funded at 132% of it’s $7,500 goal. Through Gender […]
Book Review: Excluded
I was excited to read Julia Serano’s Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive. I touched on exclusion in my Master’s thesis on queer utopian communities, as well as experiencing it first-hand during all of my time participating in the LGBTQ community as a bisexual femme. It’s an important issue that I firmly believe […]
Book Review: The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History
The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History, by Emma L. E. Rees explores how female genitalia is represented in popular culture, both throughout history and in the present day. Exploring Literature, Visual Art, Film, Television, and Performance Art, Rees argues that cultural representation of female genitalia follow two tropes: covert visibility (simultaneously seen and unseen) […]