CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS/PAPERS
New Trans/Gender Variant/ Queer Anthology

Please submit your writing via email to: captivegenders@gmail.com or mail to: Captive Genders Anthology, 1904 Franklin Street, Suite 504 Oakland, CA 94612

Deadline for submission: Extended to August 1 2007. We will also accept proposals for submissions.

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial ComplexEdited by Nat Smith, Eric Stanley

At least 65% of transwomen and 29% of transmen interviewed in a 1999 study had been incarcerated in San Francisco, California(http://by103w.bay103.mail.live.com/mail/ApplicationMain_11.10.0000.0103.aspx?culture=en-US&hash=1245278327#_ftn1). Trans/gender variant and queer folks disproportionately experience the horrors of poverty, imprisonment, and systems of criminalization.

Along with race, sexuality, citizenship, class, and all other markers of difference, gender must be another central category for an understanding of the prison industrial complex (PIC). Captive Genders seeks to offer some frameworks, theories, and dreams for unthinking these cycles. We see this project as an important intervention in the emergent field of critical prison studies that will push discussion past men and women in prison, toward thinking how gender and sexuality are lived under the crushing weight of corporal captivity. Captive Genders will create a space to think the various ways the prison industrial complex prohibits trans/gender variant communities from thriving. Captive Genders will also explore ways in which we can challenge the very real cultures of violence trans and queer folks experience without relying on current state-sponsored systems that reproduce the same kinds of violence they allege to end, such as the current push for "hate crimes" enhancement legislation.

There is a specificity of survival and power inside prison walls that we want to be attentive to. However, we know the prison industrial complex involves all aspects of state surveillance, policing and social control and does not stop at the prison gates. So, we are also interested in work that explores the punishment of transgender and/or queer bodies outside traditionally understood spaces of incarceration.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Post 9/11 surveillance culture and queer / transgender lives
· HIV in prison and surveillance of positive folks outside of prison
· Cultural/social responses to violence against trans/gender variant and queer folks that rely on the State Ways of building power and challenging the PIC
· Queer sex and alternative gender formations in prison
· Policing sex, gender and sex work
· Social service/nonprofit denial of gender variance
· The culture of sexual violence in prison and its links to gendered power of the State

The marginalization of transwomen, particularly transwomen of color, by the mainstream gay and lesbian community The length of your work should be a minimum of 1,000 words. We would like works that are written for a wide audience. Essays, papers, and creative pieces are all welcome, but please no poetry. Also, please include a short biography with your work.

Eric Stanley is a graduate student in the History of Consciousness Program at UCSC and works with the radical queer direct action collective Gay Shame, San Francisco. Eric is also the co-director, along with Chris Vargas, of the film, Homotopia.

Nat Smith is a member of Trans/gender Variant in Prison Committee (TIP) and an organizer with the Oakland Chapter of Critical Resistance. Nat is also on the planning committee for Transforming Justice, the first ever conference focusing on imprisonment and poverty and the trans/gender variant community.

____________________________________
(http://by103w.bay103.mail.live.com/mail/ApplicationMain_11.10.0000.0103.aspx?culture=en-US&hash=1245278327#_ftnref1) A study done by the Transgender Community Health Project, San Francisco Department of Public Health, 1999 _http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite.jsp?page=kbr-07-04-16&doc=2098.461e_ (http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite.jsp?page=kbr-07-04-16&doc=2098.461e) . Also, we know "trans/gender variant" cannot collect up all the ways we live gender, however we use it to signal the importance of thinking about non-normative genders in relation to the PIC.

Employment Opportunity

Women's Initiative for Self-Employment

Job Title: Regional Director for Development and Operations
Location: San Jose, CA
Salary: FT Regular

ABOUT THE WOMEN'S INITIATIVE FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT (WISE)
Since 1988, Women's Initiative for Self Employment (WISE) has provided a one-stop shop where high-potential, lower-income women receive training to start and grow their business. The business management training, technical assistance, and financing services we provide - in English and Spanish - improve the quality of life for the women we serve, their families and our communities. WISE has been a leader in the United States microenterprise movement for 19 years. Today WISE trains more clients than any other microenterprise organization in the nation, empowering women financially and personally through training, financial services and ongoing support programs. With current offices in San Francisco and Oakland, WISE has a staff of about 25 plus 15 contractors, and an annual budget of about $2,600,000. For more information, please visit http://www.womensinitiative.org/.

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Regional Director (RD) will start up and lead WISE's expansion in the San Jose area. The primary role and the majority of time will be spent on fundraising. The RD will be closely involved in the creative process of building and leading the regional headquarters in San Jose. As the organization matures, the RD will have other operational and programmatic responsibilities. The RD will be able to utilize support from a local board and the close collaboration of the Executive Team of the organization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
* Provide leadership in the planning, implementation, and fundraising for the San Jose regional office.
* Work with senior leaders to identify fundraising priorities.
* Manage the operations and staffing of the San Jose office.
* Work with the WISE Executive Team in providing leadership and ongoing strategic planning, particularly as it relates to fundraising.
* Provide ongoing fundraising information and education to WISE's key constituencies.
* Direct major and annual fundraising programs.
* Personally manage a portfolio of top prospects.
* Develop and implement public relations plans designed to enhance awareness of WISE and its programs including media contacts, publications and events.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
* Demonstrated success in raising significant gifts from institutions and individual donors
* Previous success managing staff, especially in the context of fundraising.
* Experience with and desire to work in an entrepreneurial environment
* Demonstrated mastery of a wide range of fundraising techniques (foundations, major gifts, planned gifts, special events, marketing)
* Superior written and oral communications, interpersonal and presentation skills
* Enthusiasm for WISE's mission

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
* College degree
* Ability to communicate in more than one language, especially in English and Spanish

HOW TO APPLY
Candidates should submit a letter of interest and a resume by e-mail to: wiseyn@pamelacook.com. Candidates may be subject to background checks. Women's Initiative is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages people of color, older candidates, and persons with disabilities to apply.


How to Apply:
Candidates should submit a letter of interest and a resume by e-mail to: wiseyn@pamelacook.com. Organization Web Site: www.pamelacook.com

Email replies to: wiseyn@pamelacook.com

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered eHarmony’s discrimination lawsuit: “EHarmony sued for discrimination”; I hobnobbed with the city’s political leaders as campaigns got kicked off: “Ammiano kicks off Assembly run”; and I announced SF’s queer youth prom: “First-ever queer youth prom in SF.”

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

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I was on the crime beat with one gay bashing and one gay man attacked: “Gay teacher stabbed in the Mission” and “Gay man beaten in SOMA”; I wrote about Equality for All’s response to the anti-marriage equality and domestic partnership initiative: “Equality for All responds to anti-gay marriage initiative”; I explored gender-based sexual harassment: “Study spotlights sexual harassment of women who defy gender stereotypes”; and I profiled a community center’s executive director’s promotion: “Lighthouse center promotes executive director.”

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

Employment Opportunity

Women's Foundation of California

Job Title: Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
Location: San Francisco
Salary: FT Regular

Job Description:
The Executive Assistant to the President and CEO provides general administrative support including scheduling and calendar coordination for the President and CEO to ensure that the Foundation’s goals are achieved. The person in this position is a member of the Administrative Team and works closely with the Management Team and its support staff. The Executive Assistant will schedule appointments and meetings for the President and CEO, organize her incoming and outgoing communication, maintain her files and office systems and assist her with projects and activities as needed while coordinating the activities of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

How to Apply:
Please send cover letter and resume to:
Judy Patrick
Interim President and CEO
Women's Foundation of California
340 Pine Street, Suite 302
San Francisco CA 94104

Materials may also be emailed in care of johnp@womensfoundca.org, include "EA Search" in the subject field. No phone calls please. Organization Web Site: womensfoundca.org

Email replies to: johnp@womensfoundca.org

Employment Opportunity

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Job Title: Legal Assistant
Location: San Francisco
Salary: FT Regular

About Organization:
NCLR is a national legal organization with a primary commitment to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through a program of litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. NCLR's legal and policy victories set important legal precedents that improve the lives of all LGBT people. Our community and public education broadens public support for LGBT civil rights. Our free legal assistance empowers individuals to assert their own legal rights. NCLR’s work focuses on the following program areas: Family (including Marriage Equality), Youth, Immigration, Elder, Transgender, and Sports Law. For more information about NCLR, visit www.nclrights.org.

Job Description:
The National Center for Lesbian Rights seeks a highly skilled, enthusiastic, articulate and motivated individual for a full-time legal assistant position in our San Francisco office. The legal assistant will work closely with attorneys and law clerks.

Responsibilities:
The legal assistant’s duties will include:
_ Assisting senior legal assistant with maintenance of the litigation docket;
_ Maintaining case files in paper and electronic form;
_ Organizing the law clerk hiring process;
_ Editing and formatting pleadings;
_ Cite-checking briefs;
_ Assisting with court filings, including compliance with court rules;
_ Copying;
_ Maintaining legal web content; and
_ Updating NCLR publications.

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have the following experience and qualifications:
_ Minimum education: Bachelor's degree from accredited college or university;
_ Very strong technology skills. Candidate must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access, including maintenance of Access databases. Experience with ProLaw and Word Perfect strongly preferred; and
_ Excellent research and writing skills.

Personal Qualities:
The ideal candidate will be:
_ Committed to social justice and enthusiastic about NCLR_s mission and programs;
_ Well-organized, able to multi-task, a fast learner, and detail-oriented;
_ Able to take initiative and to work well under pressure to meet deadlines;
_ Flexible and able to function independently and as a member of a team;
_ Willing to work late hours when necessary; and
_ Able to interact well with clients, co-counsel, and outside callers.

Salary and Benefits:
Salary is commensurate with experience within the guidelines of NCLR's scale. Benefits are highly competitive.


How to Apply:
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 19, 2007. To apply for the position, please send a cover letter and resume to:

Shannon Minter
Legal Director
National Center for Lesbian Rights
870 Market Street, Suite 370
San Francisco, CA 94102
Fax: (415) 392-8442
Email: info@nclrights.org

No telephone calls please.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, people of color, LGBT persons, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Organization Web Site: www.nclrights.org

Email replies to: info@nclrights.org

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered trans discrimination at a leather club: “Chicago SM club under fire for anti-trans policy”; I covered the settlement of the Adoption.com case I previously wrote about: “Gay couple settles adoption bias case”; I covered another installment in the only suspect in the Castro Halloween shooting: “DA adds another gun charge in Halloween case”; I reported on the decrease in violence against the LGBT community: “Reported violence against LGBT community decreases”; and another installment in MCC-SF’s story, the church is moving in a brighter direction: “MCC-SF finds new interim home.”

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

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered controversy over UCSF and two trans projects: “UCSF gives up nearly $1M in trans funding”; and I reviewed 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother: “The wonderful world of motherhood.”

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

Bi Camp 2007 - Registration Info

On-line registration will open around June 1 at http://www.biversity.org/bicamp.html and will close on July 5.

Registration for camp is $60. Or attend camp at a discounted rate or free! If you volunteer to work up to 1-3 hours at camp, you will earn a discounted rate or 4 hours will earn you a free registration to this year's camp. More information will be available during registration. Register early to get the volunteer option you desire the most.

Camp will be held from Thursday, July 12 through Sunday, July 15.

The location of camp is near Northampton, MA (Lesbianville USA). Campers must provide their own tent, food, and transportation (sharing is encouraged). BiCamp includes showers and flush toilets. And we have the space all to ourselves! Basically, what you get is a place to pitch your tent, a fire pit, fresh water, beautiful wilderness, and the company of a few dozen bisexual and bi-friendly people for a fun summer weekend. Clothing-optional swimming is just a short walk through the woods.

BiCamp is open to all bisexuals and friends at least 18 years of age (or accompanied by a parent or guardian).

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered the joys and trials of lesbian moms: “Lesbian moms face challenges amid joys of parenthood”; and I covered the proposed Calirfornia anti-marriage and domestic partnership initiative: “Anti-gay groups looking at 2008 ballots.”

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

Big Bi Book Weekend! in New York City

Main Event!

Bi Lines: A Celebration of Bisexual Writing in Reading, Music and Culture

Authors of the bisexual books that took top honors at this year's Lammy awards, will read from their works. They will be joined by other published Bi Writers Association authors and musical performers in a celebration of bi writing. Your chance to meet bi authors from all over the country! Co-sponsored by The LGBT Community Center, Lambda Literary Foundation, BiNetUSA, The Bi Writers Association, Billy's Bakery and The Dish Restaurant-Chelsea.

Readers:

Mike Szymanski and Nicole Kristal The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe: Quips, Tips, and Lists for Those Who Go Both Ways; Pete Chvany Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way; Ron Suresha Bi Guys: Firsthand Fiction for Bisexual Men and Their Admirers; Clarence Nero Three Sides to Every Story; Rachel Kramer Bussel Glamour Girls; Wayne Bryant Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way; Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio Eros: A Journey of Multiple Loves; William E. Burleson Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community; and Ann Herendeen Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander: A Bisexual Regency Romance; Michael McColly The After-Death Room: Journey into Spiritual Activism.

Musical Performers: Rorie Kelly, Louisa Light, Skylar, Abby Smith

Date: Friday June 1st, 6-9PM
Location: NYC LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th Street, 7-8 Aves
Admission: Free
6-7 Reception: Beverage Bargains! Tasty Snacks on Sale! Cultured Conversation!
7-9 Bi Culture Extravaganza!
Raffle, auction and food sales benefiting the Bi Writers Association.
www.biwriters.org

Big Bi Book Weekend

Thurs, May 31: Lammy Awards

Friday, June 1: Bi Lines: A Celebration of Bisexual Writing

Saturday, June 2: Free Day to Explore NYC

Sunday, June 3: Bi Perspectives



Lammy Awards

This is the first year we have a bisexual book award and we're ready to rock. Dont forget to "Scream real loud!" when the winner is announced. This is Lambda Literary Foundation's fundraising event of the year. For info and hotels see Lambda's website: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/annual_llf_awards.html

Free Day to Explore NYC

People will be hooking up and making plans at Bi Lines on Friday. Buy a copy of Time Out NY on Thursday or Friday or pick up a Pride Guide at the LGBT Center and you'll have a panoply of NYC events at your fingertips to suggest for outings.

Bi Perspective

Discussion on Bisexuality in Literature and Film.

3-4:30 PM at the LGBT Center followed by snacks at a local restaurant.

There has been a bi discussion group on Sundays at the LGBT Center since the mid 80's ...more than 20 years. Become part of history and join us.

http://www.nyabn.org/BiPerspective/

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

Invites Entries for the Writers Fund

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation's Lesbian Writers Fund seeks to support the work of emerging lesbian poets and fiction writers within the United States.

To be eligible for an award, applicants must be a lesbian-identified writer of poetry and/or fiction who resides in the U.S. Applicants should have published at least one piece of writing (in any genre) in a newspaper, magazine, journal, anthology, or professional Web publication; and should have not published more than one book, including a chapbook, in any subject or genre with a publisher. The submission must be a poetry or fiction sample in English that includes some lesbian content (e.g., lesbian desire, identity, and/or perspective).

First-place awardees and two runners-up in the poetry and fiction categories will receive cash awards ($10,000 for the awardee and $1,500 for runners-up). With support from Skip’s Sappho Fund, at least one grant will be awarded to a lesbian writer who is based west of the Mississippi.

Visit http://www.astraea.org/Main.php4 for complete program requirements.

Berkeley City Council Votes for Transgender Equality
Council’s measure is first step towards eliminating discriminatory health insurance exclusions for city employees and retirees

May 8, 2007 San Francisco, CA – Last night the Berkeley City Council took an important step forward in improving the work environment for all city employees and retirees. By a unanimous vote, the Council directed Berkeley’s City Manager, Phil Kamlarz, to create a proposal for removing exclusions in their current health plan that deny coverage for medically necessary, transition related procedures. The motion, sponsored by Council members Kriss Worthington and Darryl Moore, could lead to changes that will make Berkeley a more competitive employer that better takes care of the health of all its employees.

“This vote makes me very proud of my hometown,” said TLC attorney and Berkeley-native, Ben Lunine. “The Council’s vote increases Berkeley’s reputation as a city and an employer that values inclusivity and equality. And, if improvements to the health plan follow, Berkeley will be a more attractive employer in the competitive Bay Area job market.”

Last night’s motion began as the idea of Berkeley city employee Lynn Riordan. “I was motivated by my desire to make sure that everyone who comes to work for this great city is treated fairly and equally,” said Riordan. “It feels wonderful to have an idea for lessening discrimination and to get so much support in making that idea a reality. After last night, we’re halfway there and I look forward to Mr. Kamlarz’s report in a month.”

“Creating health care equality is good for business,” said TLC Director Christopher Daley. “Other government employers and top corporations have found this to be true over the last decade. As Berkeley moves toward joining their ranks, they are proving themselves to be an employer who invests in the long-term health and vitality of the people who make the city such a great place to live.”

Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.org) TLC is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities through direct legal services, education, community organizing, and policy and media advocacy. TLC receives support from the California Endowment, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Liberty Hill Foundation, among others, to increase access to health care throughout California.

Employment Announcement

Job Title: Executive director
Organization: National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
Location: Washington D.C.
Salary:
FT Regular

Job Description:
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) is seeking an experienced executive director to take the helm of this thriving, Washington, DC-based, national organization and to lead it successfully through a period of dynamic changes in the news industry.

Founded in 1990, NLGJA is committed to working with industry leaders and professional associations within the news industry for fair, accurate and comprehensive coverage of the gay community, and ensuring equal benefits and workplace conditions for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) journalists. The association has 1,300 members in 25 chapters throughout the U.S.A. Its expanding initiatives include on-site newsroom seminars and diversity workshops, a high visibility national convention and regional programming, a quarterly newsletter and a close working partnership with other industry organizations.

NLGJA is governed by a 23-person elected board of directors. Current staffing includes a full-time staff of six and one intern (seasonal). The organization_s current budget is about $1 million. More information on NLGJA may be found at: www.nlgja.org. A detailed position profile is available at: www.transitionguides.com/nlgja.htm.

Ideal candidates will share NLGJA_s goals of accurate coverage and workplace equity and will bring a variety of experiences and attributes to the organization, including:

· Experience in management, staff supervision/development, program development and fundraising;
· Strong fiscal management experience with excellent budgeting and financial reporting skills;
· Strong communications skills with a record of coalition-building success;
· An appreciation for the importance of effective media and public relations in achieving NLGJA_s goals; and
· Familiarity with journalism, and with the LGBT community and its issues are pluses but not required.

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. The relocation of an exceptional candidate to Washington, DC, is open to discussion.


How to Apply:
To apply: E-mail resume, cover letter and salary requirements to: NLGJA@transitionguides.com (e-mail applications are preferred). Inquiries may be addressed to NLGJA Search Committee, c/o TransitionGuides, 1751 Elton Rd, Suite 204, Silver Spring, MD 20903, Voice: (301) 439-6635,
Fax: (301) 439-6638.

NGLJA is open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity and national origin, age, gender, physical ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, religious affiliation, etc.

Resume reviews begin immediately.

Organization Web Site: nlgja.org

Email replies to: NLGJA@transitionguides.com

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered 14 new California LGBT bills: “Lawmakers move forward on 14 LGBT bills”; I covered the award for the SFPD Endup anti-gay incident: “Supes approve Marconi settlement”; and I announce more Pride marshals: “More Pride grand marshals named”; and I review Peggy Munson’s book: “On being genderqueer and ill.”

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

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered a homophobic incident at City College of San Francisco: “Anti-gay incident at CCSF”; I covered queer on queer censoring: “Queers complain of censorship at SF event”; I announce a gay Catholic broadcast: “BBC to broadcast gay Catholic service”; I covered JROTC getting an award: “DignitySF to honor JROTC.”

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

Looking For People To Interview

I'm working on an article for the EdenFantasys web site. I'm looking for gay, lesbian, bi, and trans people to tell me about the kinds of sex toys they enjoy. I also would like to know if your sexual orientation influences the kinds of sex toys you use.

Please write to me at elizabethablack AT aol DOT com if you are interested in contacting me. Also feel free to send this message around to people you think may be interested.

Thank you!Lizzie Black

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered the dropping of an important off-label drug used to treat AIDS-related wasting: “AIDS activists upset by dropped wasting drug”; I covered Ruby Ordeñana’s viewing: “Body of trans woman dressed as boy at viewing”; I interviewed Roberto Hernandez: “Once outed, man hosts gay Spanish-language radio show”; I covered the Spanish version of “faggot” that was heard around the world: “GLAAD gives Latin media homophobia lesson” and I covered a decade of free vegetarian meals in the Castro: “Simply Supper marks 10 years.”

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

Employment Opportunity

Lavender Seniors of the East Bay
A Project of the Tides Center

Management Job Description
Title: Outreach Specialist Job Status: Exempt
Reports to: Project Director Salary Range: $20 per hour
Dept.: n/a Work Schedule: 20 hours per week

POSITION SUMMARY
Lavender Seniors of the East Bay is seeking an Outreach Specialist who will work as part of our staff and volunteer team. The role of the Outreach Specialist is to enhance Lavender Seniors’ cultural competency in working with the East Bay’s diverse LGBT senior population and increasing access to effective and culturally competent senior services and facilities for Oakland’s LGBT seniors, especially those in communities of color.

Major Responsibilities
The Outreach Specialist will act as the Lavender Seniors point person for outreach to the East Bay LGBT community. (S)he establishes relationships with LGBT seniors in the East Bay’s priority populations of the African-American, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American communities and reports on gaps and barriers to needed services. The Outreach Specialist manages the Lavender Seniors Speaker’s Panel and Cultural Competency Training Program that educates mainstream service providers and urges them to change policies and practices to make services more accessible to LGBT seniors. The Outreach Specialist also manages the Lunch Bunch developing programs for seniors residing in Oakland to reduce isolation and provide a means of creating natural support networks among peers. (S)he will assist with Lavender Juniors an group of younger LGBT’s who support Lavender Seniors activities.

Specific Responsibilities
Specific tasks are as follows:
• Works independently, as a member of the Lavender Seniors staff and volunteer team under supervision from the Project Director.
• With Project Director, organizes and plans to ensure compliance with the goals and administrative requirements of grants that provide funding for the Outreach Specialist position.
• Makes and documents contact with key individuals and organizations LGBT populations, as well as their allies.
• Establishes sustainable connections between Lavender Seniors and at least one agency or group of organizations in the priority populations.
• Collects, documents and communicates information about gaps and barriers to needed health and human services and to participation in Lavender Seniors’ programs.
• Manages the Lunch Bunch for the agency, coordinating the monthly lunches funded by the City of Oakland. (S)he designs each month’s program activities to meet the interests and culture of the group.
• Manages the Speakers Bureau and Cultural Competency Training Program which educates mainstream service providers and urges them to change policies and practices to make services more accessible to LGBT seniors.
• Manages other outreach projects as developed, such as the Lavender Scrolls Project.
• Prepares written reports and makes oral reports to Lavender Seniors staff and volunteers, City of Oakland officials and others.

Organizational Relationships
The Outreach Specialist will make contact and develop working relationships with organizations and key individuals who will assist in accomplishing the tasks described above.

Qualifications
• Experience
- Prior experience in community organizing.
- Prior experience working with any or all of the identified populations.
- Prior experience working independently and as part of a team.
- Prior experience setting up new projects.

• Education
- Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent, Bachelor’s degree preferable.

• Knowledge
- Knowledge of the LGBT community
- Knowledge of any or all of the priority populations.

• Skills and Abilities
- Good written and oral communication skills.
- Excellent people skills – ability to quickly establish working relationships with diverse people.
- Ability to travel to various locations in the East Bay.
- Computer competence to document the work and prepare reports.
- Commitment, reliability, good judgment, flexibility, enthusiasm, and humor.
- Self-starter.

• Physical Requirements of the Job
- Requires sitting, talking, and listening for five or more hours per day; standing or walking for up to three hours per day; reaching with hands and arms and keying for up to three hours per day; and lifting up to 15 pounds.

The Outreach Specialist position is funded by foundation grants. Funding renewal beyond one year is not guaranteed but might be sought based on successful completion of the one-year project.

The mission of Lavender Seniors of the East Bay is to improve the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) seniors in Alameda and western Contra Costa counties through community outreach, advocacy, and education.

Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, a project of the Tides Center, is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, including bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities.

Please submit cover letters and resumes by May 2, 2007, to Christina Cappelletti, Outreach Specialist, Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, 1395 Bancroft Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577.

The Center for Sex and Culture Community Survey

This is a survey put together by Nikole Pagan and her colleagues at SF State, who is using CSC as a class project in non-profit administration, and this is part of that large project. From it, we will get a case statement for our use in fundraising and other public representation, which should be very valuable to us. Your thoughts about CSC will be useful as she develops it.

Please try to get this to her this week if you are able. As of next week she will be trying to pull elements together, so she will still find it useful to receive, but sooner is better for her.

Thank you! And stay tuned for more CSC news and events calendar soon. xox--CQ

The Center for Sex and Culture treasures the community of people who attend our events and utilize our programming and services. Your support makes our mission possible. We would like to gather stories for inclusion with fund raising materials that talk about the events and services we are providing to/for you, our community. This will help us be a more effective voice for Sex-Positivism in our community and beyond. In capturing your stories and suggestions, we will also be able to better honor you and your contributions, record and learn from our 13-year-old history, and plan more wisely for the future. We don’t want this to feel cumbersome for you, so please just answer the questions below that resonate with you and return your responses by email to cscvolunteersurvey@gmail.com. Your answers mean a lot to us. Feel free to write as little or as much as you like. ________________________________________________________________

1. Your name and phone/email (please indicate how you wish to be credited if your responses are included in published materials, i.e.: first name only, first and last initial, etc.):
2. What city do you live in?
3. Have you utilized CSC library materials? If yes, for what purpose?
4. Have you donated money or volunteer time to CSC?
5. Have you participated in any of the following at CSC ? (please indicate yes or no):
· Special Events:
· Classes:
· Workshops:
· The Masturbate-a-Thon:
· Cultural Events:
· House Parties:
6. Please indicate the titles of any of the above you have attended.
7. What does “Sex Positive” mean to you?
8. When did you first learn about CSC?
9. Why do you participate in CSC events/programs/services?
10. Do you have a special moment you remember about your experiences with CSC?
11. Is there a “back in the day” story about CSC, Robert or Carol, or some Sex Positive sex education/activism issue/organization that has always stuck with you?
12. Is there any other story that you’d like to tell?
13. Please tell us a little of your autobiography.
14. Do you have any suggestions for CSC?

Thank you so much for your thoughts, commitment to The Center for Sex and Culture, talents and precious time. We value your voice and contribution. Please email your responses to cscvolunteersurvey@gmail.com.

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ victory to sue Adoption.com for discrimination: “Gay couple can sue adoption site”; I cover Page Hodel’s split with Velvet: “All is not smooth at Velvet”; I announced the second of 2007’s individual Pride grand marshals: “Newsome named marshal”; and I followed up on the Baker’s Dozen case: “Suspect pleads not guilty in choir case.”

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

This week's Bay Area Reporter is on newstands!

This week in the Bay Area Reporter I covered the National Center for Lesbian Rights 30th anniversary: “NCLR still has an edge at 30”; I announced the first round of 2007’s Pride grand marshals: “First Pride marshals named”; and I investigated a possible eviction of a man with AIDS: “HIVer fights to save home."

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

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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

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.”

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.

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

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.

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

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.