Thursday, March 29, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered bisexual health: “Lifting the veil on sexual health prevention for bisexuals”; I covered NGLTF’s 30th anniversary of their first meeting at the White House: “Activists mark 30th anniversary of White House meeting”; I learned more about murdered transgender Latina Ruby Ordeñana’s: “Friends mourn Ruby Ordeñana”; I covered the firing of Largo, Florida’s City Manager: “Stanton fired in Largo, Florida”; and I reviewed Suze Orman’s book Women & Money:Our money, ourselves.”

For more news and entertainment visit the
Bay Area Reporter online or pick up an issue at your local independent or queer bookstore.

Friday, March 23, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I interviewed Jackie Taylor, host of Grounds for Improvement on the DIY Network: “Taylor brings dyke know-how to the masses”; covered another transgender Latina murder: “Trans woman found dead”; and covered the outcome for the anti-queer attack on Berkeley’s Pacific Center for Human Growth: “Man pleads guilty in Pacific Center case.”

For more news and entertainment visit the Bay Area Reporter online or pick up an issue at your local independent or queer bookstore.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

"Queer in the Arab World, Arab in the Queer World"

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
San Francisco Main Library Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St. (at Grove) - right at Civic Ctr BART

Panelists discuss the complicated social and political landscape for LGBT people living in the Arab world and queer-identified Arabs who have emigrated from their native countries. Confirmed participants include Scott Long, Executive Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch and a representative from Amnesty International's OUTfront for this second installment of the "Threat Level: Lavender" series, a collaboration between the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center of the San Francisco Public Library and the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Focus group for Lesbian Women


The focus group is for women 60 years and older to share your thoughts and feelings on the topic of " LOVE". My Name is Melissa Davidson and I'm helping my teacher Dr.Gupta at San Francisco State University with Seniors and their thoughts on talking about Love. I'm very excited about listening to senior lesbians and your life experences. Some of the Questions are " What is Love"? "Is their love at first sight"? When do you know your in love? When was the first time you fell in love?The focus group will last about an hour and a half. The group will be taped recorded so everyone will be quoted. you will not be identified in the research.

To tell your story and experiences from your life will be used for a research studied and used for a book. Your Name will NOT be used. Your identity will be kept safe with my teacher and once the research ends your Identification Number will be destroyed. Please help with sharing your experiences throughout your life as a lesbian with me and my teacher. As a lesbian and student I look forward to talking to you and thank you for helping me.

Melissa Davidson ( 510 ) 741-8004
leave your name and phone number with me and I'll call you as soon as possible. Feel free to ask me any questions. Again the focus group will meet April 19th , 2pm, after the Lavender Seniors Lunch Bunch at the Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. I'll give you the details over the phone.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Downloand
Bisexual Health:
An Introduction and Model Practices
for HIV/STI Prevention Programming

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute in partnership with BiNet USA and the Fenway Institute released Bisexual Health: An Introduction and Model Practices for HIV/STI Prevention Programming on March 13.

You can download the report here:
http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/BisexualHealth.pdf

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the
Bay Area Reporter I interviewed Suze Orman about her noncoming out: “No closets for Suze Orman”; covered LGBT African American’s concerns about Pride’s diversity: “Pride board learns diversity lesson”; covered MCC-SF’s faith through turbulent times: “MCC-SF plans to rebuild in the Castro”; and cover Lavender Senior’s executive director’s departure: “Faulkner to leave Lavender Seniors.“

For more news and entertainment visit the
Bay Area Reporter online or pick up an issue at your local independent or queer bookstore.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Bifeminist Rising
An exclusive interview with author Jennifer Baumgardner

Heather Cassell: How do you find the feminist movement as a utopia and as a way for women to explore our sexuality?

JB: I don’t find it as a utopia. I’m saying that it is this safe place that I found and I was really excited to be with these really smart women, but at a certain point it started to feel small to me. They provide as I tried to describe about Ms., they provide a space where women are...all the people I looked up to were women and it kind of underscored value to me.

HC: How is Ani DiFranco the model bisexual?

JB: Ani Difranco is to me a bisexual woman who is more respected than the person I contrast her with which is Anne Heche. She has a huge following of young women who see in her an example of a woman who has male lovers and female lovers and is open about it and clearly gets a lot from just being who she is. In that sense I think she’s a model. She’s not ashamed. Since she’s been 18 she’s been out as a bisexual.

HC: You both mention that you didn’t necessarily have a "coming out" experience although you did write that letter to your mother on mother’s day, can you explain what you mean by not having a "coming out" experience?

JB: Well I had a coming out experience where I told people, but there was never a time where it was a secret. That was the difference. As soon as it happened there wasn’t a closet where I kept these feelings for a long period of time or my life for a long period of time in a dramatic way, may be in some subtle ways there was.

HC: Do you think that bisexuality is a legitimate sexuality?

JB: I definitely do, but I don’t feel like there is a solid bisexual community in the same way that there’s a legitimate queer community. I know tons of bisexuals are a part of the queer community. It’s not it’s own separate movement while it even though it has some separate issues. I’m sort of writing to the women who don’t even identify as part of the queer community, but have been in love with women before I’m writing to them as well. The book was excerpted in Glamour and Glamour is not a gay magazine—

HC: And you had tried in the past to get bisexual articles in to mainstream magazines.

JB: And there was no interest. So to me it seems like the evidence [is] that the culture has changed a lot that a place like Glamour would be like yeah it’s totally normal.

HC: What do you think it is? Is it with this bi-curious stuff?

JB: In the book I argue that it’s not just that. There have been real gains made in the gay rights movement in the last 15 -20 years. That’s made, I think, some of homophobia is this actual bigotry and terrible thing that is rancorous and some of homophobia, any bigotry or any phobia, is just sort of unfamiliarity and ignorance. The part that can be really ameliorated by pop culture that has gay people in it by simple visibility [is unfamiliarity and ignorance] and that’s the thing that has shifted hugely is the amount of visibility.

HC: Do you find that explaining is hard to do or easy?

JB: I feel like I wrote the book because I was trying to explain basically who I was. I don’t find it that hard, but yeah I thought it was a challenge. I felt like there was a significant misunderstanding and invisibility. I don’t think bisexual people are confused. I feel like in a gay/straight world our stories don’t make sense, but I’m not confused. I feel like I know when I’m attracted to someone. Am I gay? Am I straight? I know that I’m neither, that I'm both.

HC: Is there such a thing as bidar?

JB: I don’t know. I’ve certainly been wrong a lot, but I will say I am continuously shocked by the people, young, old, in between who reveal to me their more bisexual experiences whether they are coming from a lesbian identity or a straight identity. May be I do have it and I don’t realize it. I seem to be always having these conversations, but what I think is more likely going on is that I offer information about myself that gives them a clue that I’m an ally in some way and that they can tell me. And certainly when I was working on the book I couldn’t believe how many people who didn’t identify as bi would tell me about their bisexual experiences.

HC: Is there bi-fashion?

JB: I think there is a look and I think it is sort of that Ani thing that leather slash girlie, that kind of defining riot grrl kind of look. I think that it’s very third-wave. We don’t have to just reject girl things. We can give girl things value, however boy things are not off limits to us either. We are not scared by boy things and sort of incorporate that into the look and incorporating that into who we are and how we are out into the world. We don’t just critic it, we also create it.

Bay Area Author Appearance:
· March 11 at 2pm, Book Passages, 1 Ferry Building, #42, San Francisco
· March 12 at 12:30pm, Alexander Book Co., 50 2nd St., San Francisco
· March 12 at 7pm, Cody’s Books, 1730 4th St, Berkeley

Other US Author Appearances:
· Portland, OR, Powell’s Books, 1005 W Burnside, March 13, 7:30pm
· Bellingham, WA, Village Books, 1200 Eleventh Street, March 14, 7:30pm
· Seattle, WA, University Bookstore, 1225 4th Ave, March 15, 7pm
· Seattle, WA, Elliott Bay Book Co., 101 S Main St., March 16, 7pm
· New York, KGB Bar, 85 E 4th St, April 3, 7pm
· New York, Bluestockings, 172 Allen St, April 5, 7pm
· Cambridge, MA, Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., April 10, call bookstore for time at (800) 542-READ



Lavender Seniors of the East Bay / A Project of The Tides Foundation
Job Opening


Title: Director
Job Status: Exempt
Reports to: Advisory Board Officers
Salary Range: $45,000 - $55,000
Dept.:
Work Schedule: Full Time
LAVENDER SENIORS IS RECRUITING TO FILL THIS POSITION. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO APPLY, PLEASE SEND YOUR APPLICATION TO LAVENDER SENIORS, 1395 Bancroft Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577 or email it to
barbara@lavenderseniors.org . Your resume must be postmarked by 3-30-07.
POSITION SUMMARY
Major Responsibilities
• Leadership & Teamwork – Provides expertise and leadership in working with the Board and Staff to build the organization’s structure to meet the mission of the agency. The Director will do this in the manner that demonstrates the greatest possible efficiency and effectiveness. The mission of Lavender Seniors of the East Bay is to improve the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elders through direct service, community outreach, advocacy and education.
• Fundraising & Budgeting – Ensures adequate funds are in place to operate agency programs.
* Management – Manages and develops programs, volunteers and staff to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of LGBT elders in western Contra Costa County and Alameda Counties.
* Administration – Ensures that required reports and other paperwork are submitted to the appropriate agencies at the appropriate time.
Specific Responsibilities
* Leadership – Provides leadership agency wide, to the LGBT community, local governments and the Aging Community regarding the needs of LGBT seniors. Leads the Agency in demonstrating the need for agencies and people to be sensitive to the needs of LGBT seniors. Provides staff support to the Advisory Board so that is can accomplish its goals. Supervises staff to ensure that the objectives and policies of the Advisory Board are carried out and that the standards of all auditing and monitoring agencies are adhered to.
* Program Development & Implementation – Surveys subscribers with regard to their needs and stays abreast of needs assessment data at local, regional and national levels to advise the Advisory Board and funders for future programs. Writes and submits grants in accordance with Board priorities, to implement programs, hire staff and acquire equipment. Visions for the future and creates the funding opportunities for the agency. Keeps records of provided services in Program Numbers reports to the Advisory Board. These will capture major activities held by Lavender Seniors.
* Fundraising & Budgeting – Researches funding opportunities in the public and private sectors for the Bay Area and western region. Develops relationships with funders and potential funders to ensure their satisfaction with the work of the Agency and synchronization of the Agency’s work with funders’ goals. Develops and maintains healthy working relationships with staff of funders. Maintains Proposal Summary to track proposals and their requirements. Chairs Fundraising Committee of Advisory Board. Creates annual budget and updates it as revenues change. Manages finances.
* Manages volunteers via the Volunteer Management Plan. Ensures that volunteers are recruited for and properly used in programs. Ensures that the Lavender Seniors MSW Internship Program continues to recruit and train MSW candidates.
* Personnel – Hires, supervises and terminates staff in accord with The Tides Center’s requirements. Director’s work schedule is at the discretion of the Advisory Board.
* Program Activities – Provides needed staff work to ensure that newsletter, monthly lunches, website, outreach, and cultural competency activities remain responsive to individual subscriber and community needs.
* Organizational Relationships – Maintains relationships and involvement with other LGBT agencies and works with them to promote common goals.
• Wellness & Safety – Ensures a safe working environment and manages all worker’s compensation and unemployment claims.
Qualifications
• Experience Education – Master’s degree equivalent level of education and/or training in business administration, special education, social work, or other relevant work. Master’s in Social Work is desired.
• Knowledge -- A minimum of five years of experience in the administration of social service programs, including financial responsibility and management. Knowledge of the needs of LGBT seniors is desirable. A grant writing sample is required prior to hiring. Knowledge of the non-profit grant writing community in the Bay Area is required. Computer skills a must, including knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Internet.
• Skills and Abilities -- Demonstrated ability to write successful grant proposals and public funding applications. Ability and willingness to represent the Agency in public and before governmental bodies.
• Physical Requirements of the Job – Ability to sit for extended periods. Ability to drive and walk short distances.
Immediate Supervisor: _Advisory Board Co-Chair____ Dept. Head:_______________
Human Resources:__________________ Effective Date__3-9-07_______
Rev. 3-9-07

Friday, March 09, 2007

CALL FOR ARTWORK BY TRANSGENDER AND GENDER VARIANT ARTISTS

DEADLINE: APRIL 30, 2007

Fresh Meat Productions is currently accepting submissions for our 4th Annual Fresh Meat in the Gallery transgender visual art exhibition (June 2 - July 6, 2007).

This year's exhibition, BORDERS, asks transgender artists to explore the impact of borders on their lives, bodies and communities. We welcome artwork that investigates and challenges BORDERS as barriers, liberation, privilege or exclusion. Who/what do borders protect and who/what is kept out? How do borders function to create and divide nations, communities and identities? How do borders deny participation, inclusion, and visibility? Do borders offer community and at what cost? Who is celebrated? Who is unwelcome?

Fresh Meat in the Gallery is an annual exhibition of visual art by transgender and gender variant artists. We seek to empower artists, expand the repertoire of original work authentically exploring transgender experience, bring visibility to trans communities, connect transgender artists with diverse audiences, create dialogue and build community.

Part of the National Queer Arts Festival, Fresh Meat in the Gallery accompanies Fresh Meat 2007, the 6th annual festival of transgender and queer performance (June 14-16 at ODC Theater in San Francisco). Last year, approximately 1,500 people attended Fresh Meat in the Gallery. Info at: www.freshmeatproductions.org <http://www.freshmeatproductions.org/> .

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

WHO?

We invite transgender and gender variant artists to submit original works of art, including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and mixed media.

HOW?
Please submit the following on a CD:
1) Up to three images, as medium-resolution JPEGs (640 x 480): no larger than screen size). Images should be no larger than 5x7 inches and between 100-200 dpi. Please do not send large files!!
2) A completed Artist Information Form, download form from
http://www.freshmeatproductions.org/callartwork.html or send a request to erin.freshmeat@gmail.com.

WHERE?
MAIL your submission package to:
Fresh Meat Productions
3128 16th Street, PMB #240
San Francisco, CA
94103

Or EMAIL your submission package (up to 3 images plus completed Artist Information Form) to:
erin.freshmeat@gmail.com.

DEADLINE:
Deadline for submissions is APRIL 30, 2007 (received, NOT postmarked by this date). Late submissions will not be considered. Early submissions are much appreciated! Artists will hear back from us by mid-May.

NOTES:

* Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish to
have your submission returned.
* Please do NOT send original artwork.
* If for any reason you're having trouble getting your images onto
a CD, please contact us to arrange something.
* If you do not have access to downloading the Artist Information
Form, please email
erin.freshmeat@gmail.com to have a copy mailed to you.

EXHIBITION DATES:

Fresh Meat in the Gallery
ODC Theater Gallery
June 2 - July 6, 2007
3153 17th Street (at Shotwell), SF
Gallery hours: Wed-Sat 2pm-5pm
Admission: FREE
Opening Reception: June 14, post-performance (Fresh Meat 2007)
Info:
www.freshmeatproductions.org <http://www.freshmeatproductions.org/>

QUESTIONS:
Contact Erin at
erin.freshmeat@gmail.com.

INFO:
www.freshmeatproductions.org

We look forward to seeing your work!
TLC Hires First Transgender Policy Advocate and Elects New Board Chair


Los Angeles activist, Alexis Rivera, joins the Transgender Law Center’s staff
and San Mateo attorney, Lisa Rae Dummer, takes over as Chair of the Board of Directors

San Francisco, CA – March 9, 2007 – The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is proud to announce that our staff continues to grow with the addition of Alexis Rivera as our first Policy Advocate. At the same time, Lisa Rae Dummer, an attorney specializing in benefits, has been elected as TLC’s new Board Chair. These two announcements signal the beginning of a year of change as the agency wraps up five years of making California a state in which everyone can fully and freely express their gender identity.

Rivera comes to TLC after years of working on issues related to transgender youth and HIV education and prevention; most recently for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “I am truly honored and blessed to start this new challenge and to work on policy at a state-wide level,” said Rivera. “Our communities urgently need better policies regarding access to health care, education, and public accommodations and I'm excited to dive right in.”

“If you only knew how much trouble we are in for stealing Alexis from LA,” joked TLC Deputy Director Cecilia Chung. “Everyone who has worked with her, including us, is incredibly impressed with her past accomplishments and believes passionately in her potential. And having her on TLC’s staff only increases our ability to truly serve the needs of a statewide community.”

Dummer, unanimously voted Board Chair in February, is an active member of Transgender San Francisco and joined TLC’s board in 2006. “"I am honored that the Board has shown such confidence in me as we continue to move the organization forward," said Dummer. “TLC has quickly grown into a vital community institution and the entire Board is thrilled with the opportunities we have over the next five years to transform the way California recognizes and affirms our community.”

“Lisa is exactly the right person at the right time to lead TLC’s Board in their continued growth and development,” said TLC Director Christopher Daley. “And, her work ethic and experience will be strong assets to the organization as we bring on our first Executive Director this summer.”

Thursday, March 08, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered the latest developments in the Yale cappella all male singing group that was brutally attacked in the Richmond District on New Year’s Eve: “Two charged in Baker's Dozen assault”; covered the pending closure of two UCSF transgender projects: “UCSF to close trans programs”; covered the firing of Largo, Florida’s transgender city manager: “NCLR assisting trans Florida city manager”; and followed up on ABC7 News and KGO Radio host Pete Wilson’s reaction to being nominated for a Pink Brick award: “Wilson not happy with Pink Brick nomination “and I reviewed Jennifer Baumgardner’s new book Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics: “Bisexual politics redux.”

For more news and entertainment visit the
Bay Area Reporter online or pick up an issue at your local independent or queer bookstore.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Call for Submissions
Special Theme Issue of off our backs: Feminisms and Cultures
Deadline: June 15, 2007

About off our backs:
Off our backs is a newsjournal by, for, and about women. It has been published continuously since 1970, making it the longest surviving feminist newspaper in the United States. It is run by a collective where all decisions are made by consensus.


The mission of off our backs is
• to provide news and information about women's lives and feminist activism
• to educate the public about the status of women around the world
• to serve as a forum for feminist ideas and theory
• to be an information resource on feminist, women's, and lesbian culture; and
• to seek social justice and equality for women worldwide.

About the special theme issue:

Feminisms and CulturesCulture is what we do and the importance of what we do. Feminist culture has always been important to the feminist movement. Cultural Feminism seeks to both re-discover women’s cultural contributions from earlier eras and to build a contemporary women’s culture. In the current millennium, womyn’s culture and cultural feminism continue to change and evolve providing new and important insights for feminist struggles and feminist liberations. This special issue of off our backs will explore the contemporary connections between feminisms and cultures considering the broadest possible definitions and intersections of those two words.

Some of the questions we wish to consider include:
• What are feminist(s) culture(s) today?
• Where are cultural expressions of feminism found today?
• What is the role of music, art, film, literature, and poetry in feminism today?
• How does feminist cultural production confront patriarchy and other systems of oppression?
• How do feminist cultures support and sustain our political and economic work for liberation from patriarchy?

We are interested in articles that explore and engage feminist cultural production from the past and in our contemporary world. We are interested in personal accounts of artists, writers, and feminist cultural workers about the meaning and significance of their work currently. We are interested in analysis of feminisms and cultures. We are interested in reports of feminist cultural work in the United States and around the world.For our special issue on Feminisms and Cultures, we are looking for manuscripts of 500 to 2,000 words.

If you are interested in writing a longer piece, please query first.Deadline: June 15, 2007.For manuscript submission guidelines, please visit the off our backs website here: http://www.offourbacks.org/Write.htm

Submit manuscripts to offourbacks@cs.com AND to JREnszer@aol.comQuestions, queries, comments? Please email the special editor of this themed issue, Julie R. Enszer at JREnszer@aol.com

Please distribute this call for manuscripts widely.

off our backs2337B 18th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009voice: 202-234-8072fax: 202-234-8092email: offourbacks@cs.comweb: www.offourbacks.org

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Call for submissions:
Mixed Fruit Anthology


The incomparable Logan Gutierrez-Mock, is creating something amazing, yet again. Check it out:

Mixed Fruit: Writings from Multi-racial Queer Communities

How do mixed queers experience "passing" in regards to our racial/ethnic backgrounds, our sexualities and our genders? How do the experiences of our multi-racial families effect our genders and sexualities? What are the ways other identities play into being mixed race/transracially adopted and queer (such as being parents, being differently abled, immigrants, etc.). How does being "othered" in regards to race apply to being "othered" in regards to gender and sexuality?

I am looking for original essays and poems that address the specific experiences of multiracial and queer identities in a broad range of topics.

Submission Guidelines:

WHO CAN SUBMIT?
o People who identify as mixed race/multi-racial, mixed blood, transracially adopted and/or identify with mixed cultures (such as mestizo and Creole).
o Who also identify as lesbian, gay, two-spirit, bisexual, mahu, bakla, transgender, intersex, joto, or any "queer" identity.
o Nonfiction: Maximum 2 pieces, up to 6,000 words each. Creative non-fiction, interviews and essays will all be accepted.
o Poetry: Maximum 5 poems, 5 pages or less per poem.

All submissions must be typed and double-spaced. Please send submissions by mail only. More than one piece may be accepted and submissions may be made in multiple categories.

Email for questions/clarification at logangutierrezmock@yahoo.com

Mail submissions, a short bio, and all contact information to: Mixed Fruitc/o Logan Gutierrez-MockP.O. Box 14637San Francisco, CA 94114-0637

Compensation: Contributors will receive one copy of the anthology and monetary compensation (with a minimum of $20 per contribution).

DEADLINE for submissions is May 15th, 2007.

Friday, March 02, 2007

PARTICPATE IN A SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH THESIS ON BISEXUALITY:


Are you a woman who has had sex with women & men? Would you like to participate in a masters level thesis study on sexuality and power?
My name is Genna and I am looking for women to interview for my thesis project for Smith College School for Social Work.

I'm seeking women who are between 21-35 yrs old, of all sexual orientations, of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and from various class backgrounds are sought for this study. Participation involves an audio-taped interview that lasts 45-60 minutes. Confidentiality is assured and participants can withdraw by April 15st, 2007. If interested, please email
gbrodsky@email.smith.edu or call 718-810-6977.
Bisexual Survey

Are you a bisexual female and at least 18 years old? Tera would greatly appreciate your help in participating in an anonymous on line survey concerning Bisexuality and Well-Being. This research is being conducted by a graduate student at the California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant International University. Interested? Follow this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=165663204675

Thursday, March 01, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I help kick off Pride season with the Pride’s grand marshal nominees and the illustrious Pink Brick nominations: “Vote is on for SF Pride marshals” and “Pride nominates Pete Wilson for Pink Brick“and I announce the launch of Maupin’s fictional Barbary Lane coming to life: “Oakland LGBT senior housing project plans fall opening.”

For more news and entertainment visit the
Bay Area Reporter online or pick up an issue at your local independent or queer bookstore.