Sunday, August 26, 2007

Bisexuality gets a positive review

ABC News, child of Disney, took a look at bisexuality last week, giving it a somewhat happily ever after ending.

In an article on ABC News’s Web site, “Young women defy labels in intimacy with both sexes,” in a surprising turn of events bisexuality was given a wink or a nudge towards being okay.

The opener to the article was the typical sensationalism around bisexual women, referring to them as “recreational lesbians” then launching into Anne Heche’s and Angelina Jolie’s public bisexual displays.

I thought the article was doomed as another sensational look at bisexual women, but then the author of the article, Susan Donaldson James, stated that the stars who “flaunt” and then “change their minds” about their sexuality make it difficult for young women exploring their sexuality. Close, but not quite I cringed.

I continued to be skeptical as I continued to read the article and didn’t see actual commentary from bisexual activists, experts, and organizations in the article. James interviewed Roberta Sklar, director of communications of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Kaaren Williamsen-Garvey, director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at Carleton College in Minnesota, and two bisexual young women. It is unknown if any of the experts who contributed to the article are bisexual.

Why were bisexual experts, when there are so many, not included in the article? The answer is unknown, but they could have contributed greatly to James’s article. Bisexual author Jennifer Baumgardner, who wrote
Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics, about young women’s bisexuality and the exploration of this aspect of their sexuality, or Nicole Kristal and Mike Szymanski, co-authors of The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe: Quips, Tips, And Lists for Those Who Go Both Ways, who wrote a hilarious guide through the twist and turns of being bisexual. Nor did James contact any of the bisexual organizations, BiNet USA or the Bisexual Resource Center, to interview them for the article.

Despite the omission of bisexual experts, the article took a positive turn acknowledging that sexuality was complicated and that it was okay to explore sexuality. The article went further when James quoted Williamsen-Garvey who stated, “It’s hard to maintain bisexual identity without a community [of support].”

By the end of the article, James changed her tune about Heche’s and Jolie’s fluid sexuality that has been splashed across the tabloids during the past 15 or so years. She thought it might be good. James even mentioned Eleanor Roosevelt’s alleged bisexual affairs, suggesting that bisexuality is somewhat new, but not quite so new.

The article ended on an open note projecting into the unknown future of sexuality. James quoted Sklar, “We are seeing something out there that is different than what we have seen before.”

I don’t know if bisexuality is something that different than what has occurred throughout time, but we do have a name for it whether we like it or not and we are becoming visible. That’s nice to know.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

I made it onto SFist, a liberal commendary blog in San Francisco, for my story about the Chasing Amy Social Club's anti-trans policy:

http://sfist.com/2007/08/24/a_bitransgender.php

Thursday, August 23, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the
Bay Area Reporter I reported on bisexual discrimination of transgender women: “Bi social club bars some trans women”; I covered a hit and run in the Castro: “Castro resident killed in hit and run”; I covered the Board of Supervisors landmarked the UC Berkeley Extension campus: “LGBT senior housing unaffected by supervisors' landmark decision”; and a man with AIDS in a tangled web of lawsuits over a house: “PWA stuck with mold-filled house.”

For more news and entertainment visit the
Bay Area Reporter online or pick up an issue at your local independent or queer bookstore.
I am writing to ask for your help with what will be the largest non-clinical study of the lives of transgender people in the U.S. (in the first ten days, we have had more than 600 participants, and are aiming for more than 2,000).

While much has been written about individual transgender experiences, there has been little trans-positive research on the processes by which people come to see themselves as MTFs, FTMs, crossdressers, genderqueers, and other transgender and gender diverse identities.

The researchers are a genderqueer college administrator (me!) and a queer campus diversity specialist (full bios are below). We are undertaking this study because we feel that high school and college administrators, therapists, doctors, and other professionals who work with transgender people often have a limited understanding of transgender experiences, which leads to poor treatment and discrimination. We hope that our findings will help foster a greater awareness of transgender people.

You can take part in the study by completing the survey at
https://web.survey.psu.edu/transgender/* (it is a secure server). Thequestionnaire will take about 30 minutes to fill out. It is completely anonymous and responses cannot be tracked back electronically to the sender.

Please feel free to forward the study's web address to other transgender people you know who might be interested. And please feel free to contact me with any questions.Thank you very much! I really appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

brett genny

*Bios of the Researchers

*Brett Genny Beemyn, Ph.D., is the coordinator of GLBT Student Services at the Ohio State University, co-chair of the National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education, and a board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute. Brett has published and spoken extensively on transgender college students and trans-inclusive campus policies. Dr. Beemyn's most recent publications include "Trans on Campus: Measuring and Improving the Climate for Transgender Students" in *On Campus with Women*;"Transgender Issues on Campus" in *New Direction in Student Services: LGBT Issues in Student Affairs*; "Cross Dressing," "Transsexuality," and "Transgender Students" in *Youth, Education, and Sexualities: An International Encyclopedia*; "Genderqueer," "Transgender Autobiography," "Transgender Issues in Education," and "Transgender Issues in the Law" for www.glbtq.com <*http://www.glbtq.com*> ; and a special issue of the *Journal of Gay and Lesbian Issues in Education* on "Trans Youth."

Sue Rankin, Ph.D., is a Senior Diversity Planning Analyst in the Office of the Vice Provost and Assistant Professor in Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University. She has presented and written several papers and books on the impact of sexism, racism and heterosexism in the academy and in intercollegiate athletics. Dr. Rankin's current research focuses on the assessment of institutional climate and providing program planners and policy makers with recommended strategies to improve the campus climate for underrepresented groups. In her role as a consultant, Dr. Rankin has collaborated with over 50 institutions/organizations in implementing assessments and developing strategic plans regarding social justice issues and concerns. Her most recent publications include: "Campus Climate for Sexual Minority Students: Challenges and Best Practices" in *Toward Administrative Reawakening: Creating and Maintaining Safe College Campuses*; "Climate for LGBT College Youth" in *Youth, Education, and Sexualities: AnInternational Encyclopedia*; "Slow but Steady: Administrators Taking Heart to GBT Safety, Services" in *GLBT Campus Matters: Guidance for Higher Education*; "Campus Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender People" in *The Diversity Factor*; "Campus Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender People: A Legal Perspective" in *Focus on Law Studies*. I am writing to ask for your help with what will be the largest non-clinical study of the lives of transgender people in the U.S. (in the first ten days, we have had more than 600 participants, and are aiming for more than 2,000).

Sunday, August 19, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the
Bay Area Reporter I reported on San Francisco’s new superintendent: “New schools chief reaches out to LGBTs”; I covered the sudden departure of the LGBT Library center’s program manager: “Hormel Center director departs”; I covered the American Bar Association’s resolution to support foster youth “aging out” of the system: “ABA gets behind foster youth”; and I follow up on the arraignment of a S&M murder suspect of a San Francisco activist: “Murder suspect pleads not guilty.”

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

Thursday, August 09, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the
Bay Area Reporter I reported about gearing to defend same-sex marriage: “Gay group quietly preparing for initiative fight”; I covered Chris Daly’s propbably run and Mayor Gavin Newsom being “insulted” by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club’s endoresment questionnaire: “On eve of Milk Club endorsement, Chris Daly mulls mayoral run”; I covered the lose of the transgender prisoner’s case against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: “Trans ex-prisoner loses suit, plans appeal”; and I announced the Transgender Law Center’s new leadership: “New TLC leaders aim to widen agency's reach.”

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

Friday, August 03, 2007

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the
Bay Area Reporter I cover a gay protest at the UN Secretary-General’s forum: “Gays 'zap' UN head during SF visit”; and I cover the sudden departure of and new executive director for a LGBT senior organization: “Lavender Seniors director quits after two months.”

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

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Take the Advocate suvey


The Advocate, the award-winning newsmagazine for the LGBT community, is celebrating its 40th anniversary by honoring 40 gay heroes. Advocate.com is featuring a survey asking readers to pick their favorite 40 gay heroes from a list of 100 notable nominees. The Advocate team will determine rankings based on votes plus editors' input, and the top 40 heroes will be featured on the cover of the anniversary issue coming out in September (the top vote-getter will be featured on the opening page of the story and will be celebrated in the issue.)

We'd like to get your help getting the word out about the poll. Here's the link:
http://www.advocate.com/takeSurvey.asp?surveyID=19

The survey will end on August 15. Let me know if you need any more information.

Rich Rodriguez, PlanetOut Inc., rich.rodriguez@planetoutinc.com