Podcasting for the Grrls

With an ongoing insufficient amount of lesbian representation in television and film, our community has had to get creative in its approach to entertainment that involves our interests, our styles, and our culture. Thankfully, three lesbians in San Francisco have stepped up to the plate and created a podcast that gives its audience all these things and more. The Lesbian Podcast is a dialogue between j.Church, Charlie, and Mickey Carfora about current gay culture, news, and entertainment featuring special guests that impact the lesbian community. Cherry Grrl wanted to learn more about this creative and funny show so recently talked to the hosts - and their Producer, Cory Gunn - about how it all started and where it’s going next.

Cherry Grrl (CG): How long have you been doing the show and who came up with the idea?

Mickey: I had the idea to do a lesbian podcast for four years, ever since I first heard about podcasting. But, it wasn’t until I met j. and Cory that it became a possibility.

j.Church: Mickey mentioned that she wanted to do a podcast and I knew Cory had a studio in our loft so it just seemed like it was meant to be.

Cory: We’ve been doing this show for 16 weeks, we started in September.

CG: How often do you record new shows?

Charlie: We record roughly every two weeks.

CG: Did any of you have prior experience in radio or podcasting prior to the show?

Mickey: My first job was at a radio station when I was 16, as an assistant to one of the djs. I always wanted to be a dj. Right now, I’m taking classes in broadcast journalism and I’m working on my own documentary, “Lady Hunters,” about women who hunt in the firearm deer season in Upper Michigan, which is in post-production. Previously, I worked with David Brown, a documentary filmmaker based here in SF, on his film “Chasing Maya.”

Cory: I’ve been doing audio production for years under the name The Real Dionysis, but this is the first time I’ve been able to do broadcasting in a sense. There’s a different mindset for producing as opposed to broadcast, namely in respect to the time lines.

CG: What kinds of things do you discuss on the shows?

Mickey: Lesbian news (Homo Headlines), entertainment gossip (Rainbow Rumors), events, and a wide range of guest interviews from the community.

CG: What are your overall goals with The Lesbian Podcast?

Mickey: Many people can’t express themselves as freely as we can here in San Francisco. I hope to reach those people and give them a connection to the larger queer community.

CG: What has the response from listeners been so far?

Cory: We’ve had positive feedback across multiple demographics.

Mickey: We recently got a really nice e-mail from a gay man in Chicago.

Charlie: Yeah, he said he’s been trying to educate himself on other sub-cultures and he came across our podcast.

Mickey: He said it was the first time he was able to connect with the lesbian lifestyle.

j.Church: So, we thought it was really cool, that an audience bigger than what we initially expected finds our show relevant.

CG: Where do you hope to take the podcast in the future?

TLP: Our goal is to be the best lesbian podcast by exploring the social, psychological, and educational aspects of queer culture.

For more about The Lesbian Podcast visit www.thelesbianpodcast.com.

Author Spotlight: Keri Keriotis

As a writer of poetry, short stories, and screenplays that involve lesbian themes and characters, Keri Keriotis has been providing many women with enjoyable reading material since the mid 1990’s. She describes her writing as stimulating and lascivious, and in her self-published collection of poetry and short stories, A Melange of Treasures by the Lavender Chameleon, proved that she knew her work well.

A Melange of Treasures by the Lavender Chameleon focuses on the subject of unrequited love – something Keriotis writes about insightfully and romantically. She explains her inspiration for her stories when she says, “As an enthusiastic voyeur, I seem to always be conveniently located at some private setting…or visualizing the situation in my head in hopes of living it.”

The author feels that her writing definitely has a place among the lesbian community and beyond because “we all covet fantasies,” and is currently working on writing more erotica and finishing her third screenplay in order to fill that need among her readers.

Listing Patricia Cornwell, Tristan Taormino, Anne Rice, and Violet Blue among the writers who she most admires, Keriotis seems to definitely appreciate and respect her area of work – which also includes co-authoring a children’s book with her 11-year-old godchild - but also finds time for her other hobbies and interests including animal rights, intimate dinners, French films, daily reading of Perez Hilton’s gossip site, and an ongoing correspondence with women from all over the world.

At only 36 years old the Brooklyn based lesbian writer has a long career ahead of her and looks forward to more success. “My life-long dream is to become a compensated, established Hollywood screenwriter and continue to write erotica exclusively for my guilty pleasure,” she explains.

Visit http://openlibrary.org/b/OL8526570M for more about A Melange of Treasures by the Lavender Chameleon.

New Generation, New Media - “Anyone But Me” Delivers

An intelligent and enjoyable new show has been creating buzz within the lesbian community lately and it’s not just the stellar acting, writing, and producing that has it gaining so much positive attention. Anyone But Me, a new series brought to us by one of the writers and producers of The L Word and Thirtysomething, Susan Miller, has gone the unique route of airing online, and after two episodes (with the third airing tomorrow), has found its way into the lives of excited fans across the country.

The webseries focuses on a group of New York teens coming of age in a post-9/11 world and stars Rachael-Hip Flores as 16-year-old Vivian McMillan - who has moved from New York City to the suburbs, leaving her girlfriend, Aster (Nicole Pacent) behind. Vivian’s relationships, past and present, are tested as she adjusts to her new life. Cherry Grrl recently had the chance to discuss the webseries with Miller and filmmaker and creator of the series, Tina Cesa Ward – who together write and executive produce the show.

Cherry Grrl (CG): Where did the idea for the series come from and how long was it in development?

Susan Miller (SM): Tina brought the idea to me. I was drawn to concept of young people coming of age in a post 9/11 world. It was something I felt I could put my own stamp on and give voice to, as well. I’d worked as a Consulting Producer/writer on The L Word and Thirtysomething, I was also the head writer/producer for a Fox series, Urban Anxiety, so I had a lot of experience bringing an idea to life collaboratively. Tina had written some scripts, but was completely open to my input as a writer. So, we began working together to revise and shape the characters and story arcs, and give the dialogue authenticity. We started around this time a year ago, and shot our first two episodes in May, 2008. That includes casting, location scouting, setting up a website, working out contracts, getting a crew, all the pre-production planning you have with any shoot.

Tina Cesa Ward (TCW): I had been working in independent film for some time and in the summer of 2007 I wanted to try something new and doing a series online was certainly a change. The thought of kids growing up post 9/11 was a big part of my idea. The other was the need to explore some issues in the lives of lesbians and gays as well as African Americans that I felt weren’t being explored fully in the media. I worked on the characters and then wrote some episodes with Steven Alexander’s input, who was the producer on our first two episodes. Steven helped me understand the life of a young African American male, which certainly helped in Archibald’s development. But I still felt that working on a series was new territory for me and that I needed to bring someone else in whose wisdom was far above my own. Someone who had great credentials but also whose work I admired. I contacted Susan Miller and thank goodness she responded because her work on this has really helped to shape the series into something vastly better than we had in our early drafts.

CG: What is the basic overall description of the series and the story being told?

SM: Anyone But Me introduces a new generation of gay, straight, and ethnically diverse youth struggling to find love and belonging in a complicated world. The relationships are ones you don’t often see in mainstream media. We want to open things up and explore the possibilities. Two of our main characters, Vivian and Archibald, (a lesbian and a straight black guy) may seem an unlikely pair of friends, but we want to address that. We want to show the dynamics of two girls in love. And a father who knows about it. We are telling stories of modern youth and the adults entrusted to care for them. Some people are going to make mistakes. Fall. Get up again. Long for what they can’t have. Come to terms (or not) with their identities. We want to show what’s really going on. This is a ripe, difficult, poignant time of life and everyone who’s still here has gone through it – we can all relate.

CG: Why did you decide to make it a webseries as opposed to something for TV?

SM: It’s a new form. It kind of beckons creative people to venture into it. I’m excited by the concept of being your own boss. To put it out there, without a committee. I mean, it’s a challenge to compete, to find sponsors, to get the word out. But, in commercial TV, there’s so much on the line that it’s almost impossible for people at the top to be decisive or say yes – all the more so to something innovative. I love television. I think the best of television is unmatched in the way it’s shot, cast, written. So, we’re open to any venue for Anyone But Me. But we didn’t want to wait. We saw a door. And took the first step.

TCW: For me, which goes along with what Susan is saying, is that if you can create it then it’s up to you to make it a success. Because you’re your own boss, you’re success and failure is often in your own hands. And I love that about it. We are so involved from mass marketing the series to answering friend requests on MySpace. It’s great.

CG: What was the idea behind keeping the episodes so short?

SM: The web sort of dictates the time limitations. At least for now. When we started out, I called Marshall Herskovitz, with whom I’d worked on Thirtysomething, because he had a hit webseries, Quarterlife. And he gave me a lot of good advice and feedback. One thing he said he learned was to keep the episodes short – somewhere between six to nine minutes. Which, Tina instinctively knew. It just felt right for this medium. People want to come back for more. And there’s something pretty cool about having to be economical while at the same time, still developing the characters and their situations in a satisfying way.

CG: Who is your target audience with the series?

TCW: I think it’s easy to say that our target audience is a young audience mostly from the GLBT community. But we’ve never gone into this series thinking we’re only going to make a series for that group or this group. We’re hoping everyone can find something to relate to. You don’t need to be a teen lesbian to understand what a struggle life can be at times. But of course having said all that, we do understand who our core audience is and have no intentions of letting them down.

SM: I’m really heartened by the universal interest we’ve generated from men, women, straight and gay, all ages, too. If you tell compelling stories and deal with characters honestly, that goes a long way to pull everyone in.

CG: What has been the viewer reaction so far?

TCW: The reaction has been great. I don’t think Susan and I could be happier with how well we’ve already been embraced. Now we’re just hoping more and more people learn of the series. The more people watch of course the more episodes we can produce.

CG: What makes this series and its story unique?

TCW: I think what makes the series different has a lot to do with the times we live in now. It’s a different time in America and the stories we tell should start to reflect that. And the changes really have the biggest impact on the kids growing up in these times. I also hope what people recognize about the series are the challenges that come with being a lesbian or an African American male without the fantastic circumstances or punch lines.

CG: Rachael-Hip Flores is terrific in the role of Vivian. What were you looking for when you cast your lead and how has she fulfilled that for you?

TCW: Besides physicality, it’s hard to vocalize what you’re looking for in an actor to bring the character to life for you. You create and develop these characters so you have a feeling for them so you’re looking for specific things but it’s often a moment in the audition that really brings it all together for you. That’s one of the great things about actors, they bring something to you in a character that you didn’t know you wanted but realize you have to have. Because of Vivian’s circumstances she can be pretty guarded a lot of the time. She has had a lot of adult problems dumped on her at a very young age but she’s not one to sit around and bitch about it. And Rachael has the tough job of bringing that to us without having really big actions to play off of. And because Rachael does that so well she’s very relatable, which is certainly what you want your lead character to be.

SM: She’s amazing. And the girl can eat. She eats more than the crew!

CG: What can fans expect to see in the upcoming episodes?

SM: Our characters and the actors who play them are great to write for. Which inspires us to give them more to grow with, more to discover. We’re always thinking about what life might have in store for them.

TCW: You’ll certainly learn more about all the characters as they continue to find their way and also go through the ups and downs of falling in love and staying in love.

CG: Where do you hope to take the series next?

TCW: Above all we hope the series has a long life ahead of it. We have a lot of ideas for all our characters and we can’t wait to explore them.

SM: We’re in this for the long haul, kids.

For more about Anyone But Me visit http://www.anyonebutmeseries.com. Episode #3 begins airing tomorrow, Tuesday, January 6th and Episode #4 airs next week, January 13th, on Strike TV at http://www.strike.tv.

Groundbreaking Research Links Family Rejection to Health Problems

For the first time, researchers have established a clear link between rejecting behaviors of families towards lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents and negative health outcomes in early adulthood. The findings will be published in the January issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a peer-reviewed article titled “Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young Adults.”

The paper, authored by Dr. Caitlin Ryan and her team at the César E. Chávez Institute at San Francisco State University, which shows that parents’ rejecting behaviors towards their LGB children dramatically compromises their health, has far reaching implications for changing how families relate to their LGB children and how LGB youth are served by a wide range of providers across systems of care. The study and development of resource materials was funded by The California Endowment, a health foundation dedicated to expanding access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities.

“For the first time, research has established a predictive link between specific, negative family reactions to their child’s sexual orientation and serious health problems for these adolescents in young adulthood—such as depression, illegal drug use, risk for HIV infection, and suicide attempts,” said Caitlin Ryan, PhD, Director of the Family Acceptance Project at the César E. Chávez Institute at SF State and lead author of the paper. “The new body of research we are generating will help develop resources, tools and interventions to strengthen families, prevent homelessness, reduce the proportion of youth in foster care and significantly improve the lives of LGBT young people and their families.”

Major Research Findings:

• Higher rates of family rejection during adolescence were significantly associated with poorer health outcomes for LGB young adults.

• LGB young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection during adolescence were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs, and 3.4 times more likely to report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse, compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection.

• Latino males reported the highest number of negative family reactions to their sexual orientation in adolescence.

“This study clearly shows the tremendous harm of family rejection, even if parents think they are well-intentioned, following deeply held beliefs or even protecting their children,” said Dr. Sten Vermund, a pediatrician and Amos Christie Chair of Global Health at Vanderbilt University.

“In today’s often hostile climate for LGBT youth, it is especially important to note that both mental health issues like depression and suicide and HIV risk behaviors were greatly increased by rejection. Given the ongoing HIV epidemic in America, in which half of all new cases of HIV are found in men who have sex with men and there is growing concern about prevention messages reaching young people, it is vital that we share these findings with parents and service providers who work with youth in every way” Vermund continued.

“When put to practical, day-to-day use and shared with families and those who serve LGBT youth, these findings will lead to healthier, more supportive family dynamics and better lives for LGBT young people,” Vermund concluded.

The prevailing approach by pediatricians, nurses, social workers, school counselors, peer advocates and community providers has focused almost exclusively on directly serving LGBT youth, and does not consider the impact of family reactions on the adolescent’s health and well-being.

Subsequent work with ethnically diverse families by the Family Acceptance Project indicates that parents and caregivers can modify rejecting behavior once they understand the serious impact of their words and actions on their LGBT children’s health. In addition, even a little change in parental behavior appears to have a clear impact on decreasing LGBT young people’s risk. This new family-related approach to working with LGBT youth being developed by the Family Acceptance Project engages families as allies in decreasing the adolescent’s risk and increasing their well-being while respecting the family’s deeply held values.

“The new family-related behavioral approach to care being developed by the Family Acceptance Project offers great promise to change the future for LGBT youth and their families by helping parents and caregivers learn how to support their LGBT children and to prevent these extremely high levels of risk related to family rejection,” said Erica Monasterio, MN, FNP, in the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Family Health Care Nursing at UCSF. “Rather than seeing families as part of the problem, this approach engages them as an essential resource in promoting healthy outcomes for their LGBT children.”

“We are using our research to develop a new model of family-related care to decrease the high levels of risk for LGBT young people that restrict life chances and full participation in society,” said Dr. Ryan. “Our easy-to-use behavioral approach will help families increase supportive behaviors and modify behaviors their LGBT children experience as rejecting that significantly increase their children’s risk. However, redirecting practice and professional training – from not asking about family reactions to a young person’s LGBT identity to engaging families in promoting their LGBT children’s well-being – requires a substantial shift on the part of both mainstream and LGBT providers, health systems and community programs.”

“Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young Adults” is the first of many research papers on outcomes related to family acceptance and rejection of LGBT adolescents, supporting positive LGBT youth development and providing family-related care to be released by the Family Acceptance Project.

The Family Acceptance Project uses a participatory research approach. The research sample included 224 LGB young non-Latino white and Latino adults, ages 21-25, who were open about their sexual orientation to at least one parent or primary caregiver during adolescence. These youth were recruited within California from 249 LGBT-related venues. Family rejection measures in the survey were developed based on a prior in-depth qualitative study of LGBT adolescents and families throughout California from 2002-2004.

The Family Acceptance Project is a community research, intervention and education initiative that studies the impact of family acceptance and rejection on the health, mental health and well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Results are being used to help families provide support for LGBT youth; to improve their health and mental health outcomes; to strengthen families and help maintain LGBT youth in their homes; to develop appropriate programs and policies; and train providers to improve the quality of services and care these youth receive in a wide range of settings.

For more information, please visit http://familyproject.sfsu.edu.

A Letter to My Ex

BY NATASHA RICHARD

So it’s another Sunday afternoon at home and I’m listening to a friend go through the motions of breaking up with her current girlfriend. I know that as the “home girl,” what I’m hearing is probably very different from what actually happened. There are at least four sides to every lesbian break-up story. The dumpee version, the dumper version, and the two completely different tales both parties run and tell their best friends.

The thing I’ve noticed about lesbian relationships is that they are usually heaven to get into, hell to come out of, and both situations are total gala events. A lot of us don’t get to tell our exes exactly how we feel or how we felt and very few of us get to show off how great we’re doing without them. They break up with us or we break up with them and there’s usually some immediacy about it. In any case, if the communication part of the relationship had been so great, there might not have been a reason to break up in the first place, so a lack of closure should be expected.

I decided to do a bit of a project for all us gals out there. I asked Craigslist readers to write a letter to their ex-girlfriends but not to send them (to send them to me instead - for entertainment purposes). Time to get all the emotions out there and tell those ghosts that haunt us exactly what we think of them…and maybe if we do they’ll leave us alone.

Here are a couple of the best letters I received, for their drama, story and…well, yeah…mostly just the drama. These are real letters from women to their ex- girlfriends. Following each letter is some personal commentary. All names have been changed to protect…me…since I’m responsible for this stuff.

Letter to My Ex: 1
I need to vent about this. Some years ago I met a woman through work. She was my supervisor and one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. She had it all: looks, brains, a sense of humor, and a good heart. We became friends and though I tried not to, because I did not want to get hurt, I fell in love. The attraction was mutual but for reasons unknown to me, she chose someone else. I told her how I felt and she said if she was not with her girlfriend she would be with me. I was heartbroken but moved on. I met her partner and it became clear that the woman doesn’t like me and is threatened by me.

Recently, I heard that she wants to breakup with her present partner. The problem is they have two kids together now. I really thought they would end up breaking up and my love and I might have a chance to be together, but her partner is using their kids to hold onto her. I don’t get it, why did u get my hopes up? Now I feel like a fool.

At least I know you wanted to be with me. I understand that the kids are important. That partner of yours is really insecure and possessive. I was willing to tolerate her because you two would always have a relationship because of your daughters. I feel sorry for you, because you’re stuck in a relationship you no longer want. I am also angry at you but feeling very sad at the same time.

Wow! This really is some L Word, season 1 and 2, drama right here. Through a letter we can’t see all the little dramatic moments that we know are involved. Like the moment the ex-girlfriend made it clear that she was still interested in the writer of the letter. I wonder how she did that? A romantic look across the room? Did she actually say it?

And on to F.U. letter number two. I have to say, it’s a stark contrast.

Letter to My Ex: 2

TELETUBBIE,
I can’t blame you for not wanting me back but damn, you messed up too. You verbally and physically abused me and all I did was cheat. I cheated because I needed comfort from another stud. Like, come on, at first I took hit after hit until I decided I had enough and fought back.

I am going to say this though, despite all the problems, you were a damn good girlfriend. You were always there and you did bend yourself backward for me - and what happened? WHAT HAPPENED? I really don’t know either…but at least I told you that I cheated on you. Besides, it was good and you could use some lessons from her. I know that’s wrong but you know me, I’m going to always tell the truth. But I miss you babes…

You know, it was kind of twisted that you went out with my ex-girlfriend…who is also the ex to the girl I cheated on you with. Then of all things you get her name tattooed on your body. You and I went out for a year and seven months and you didn’t get my name tattooed on you. Now you’re with this CHICK four months and BOOM, her name is on your body and you’re not even together anymore? UGH! Studs nowadays…

I just want to tell you that I’m sorry for trying to return the engagement ring you gave me. At least you got the money and not me. I hate that the only thing you seem to be able to do nowadays is lie your ass off. Why? You’re the one that’s mixing all the stories up and you know it. I hope you’ll be smarter about the decisions you make in life.

And remember, I am the one who made you what you are. Just remember the swag you’re walking with came from me. I can easily crumble your empire sweetie. Always got love for you.

Not yours truly,
TWISTED MIND

Whoever this Teletubbie girl is, I suggest she run out and get herself some holy water and a proton pack because it sounds like she’s got some hellified demonic entities after her! Some garlic around the neck wouldn’t hurt either. My grandmother used to do that and she said it helped with her arthritis too.

Moving right along…

Letter to My Ex: 3

Dear Ex,
You suck! LOL - just kidding. No, I’m not but I was taught manners so I won’t call you every name in the book, although the book is itching to be utilized. I may have a very low opinion of you but I did love you once and no one has to carry that act of stupidity around more than I do. I was blinded by your lies and the sex…the sex really did me in, I lost my mind over the sex. You mistreated me and I didn’t notice, or maybe I just didn’t care because I wanted to have you at all costs.

Well, it cost me - quite a bit - emotionally, physically, mentally, and socially. You were, and probably still are, a bad seed. I thought if I loved you and gave you everything, you would treasure me. Clearly, that didn’t pan out. Bad seeds don’t grow and it was pointless to water you with Deer Park. You left me crushed and devastated in your wake and I wanted to call the cops on you so they could find your stash of weed and throw you in the tin can! But then someone told me that wouldn’t work and I rethought it. I realized that was a bad idea and I’m better than that.

You actually did me a favor though, you fucked me up so bad I ended up coming out to my parents and being out and proud. No more hiding, no more lying, I was free! I won’t give you any credit for doing good because as a person, you’re not up to snuff on any level. I did it all myself, I came out, I moved on, I learned to respect myself and not let another YOU do me in again. So since you’re probably back with that evil warlord you cheated on me with, I hope you enjoy being treated like crap! That is what you deserve you scallywag! I know I said I wouldn’t name call but I’m owed at least a couple of cheap shots right?

Yours Truly,
Better OFF!!!!

You sure are girl! Ladies, lets all create a pact, right now! No scallywags in ‘09! YEAH! Of course I need some free therapy too… Hmmm, me probably more than anyone… So here’s my letter to my ex. Mind you, I have no hard feelings against the circus freak. And I feel being nice is best because I want her to send me some free tickets when her and her new girlfriend end up on the Jerry Springer show.

Letter to My Ex: # 4

Dear You Know Who You Are:
Yesterday I happened to catch the Steve Wilkos show and I saw something that made me remember you. Usually I can’t stand the Steve Wilkos show (because I don’t want to know about all these f’ed up people in America) but there was this short, dumpy person beating on their girlfriend. I couldn’t help but picture you and I on that stage. What’s worse, if I hadn’t finally let my better judgment take over, it could have actually been you and me on that stage!

All I can say is that leaving you was probably one of the smartest moves I ever made. Your constant drama, constant arguing about everything and anything and complaining about your situation in life (which you have no intention of changing…you just want something to bitch and moan about) were sucking my energy dry. Funny, I was trying to build you up. I was trying to help you. Trying to make you see yourself as a good person, hoping you would start to act like one. You absolutely couldn’t see yourself as a good person…and now I understand why. If someone tells me they’re full of garbage, from now on I will believe them.

Then you accuse me of trying to change you…when really, you were trying to change me. You were trying to get me to accept you and your bullshit…when I know I deserve better. And I got better.

Anyway, I’m happy because I’m still me and I have a lot of awesomeness to give and I’ve learned to only give it to those who are deserving and are capable of actually giving it back. Good things happen when you get toxic people out of your life and you’re proof of that. I’m sure you’re doing great…as in, sometimes the best revenge is to let people be their own messed-up selves.

Peace

And you know what? This letter writing did make me feel better.

(Photo by Caitlin Regan.)

Here Comes the Gride…and Broom

As evidenced by the many protests and movements in the name of marriage equality for gays and lesbians everywhere, getting married and having a wedding is pretty important to our community. The desire to express commitment to ones partner in the same legal way that straight couples are allowed doesn’t mean, however, that all gay men and lesbian women easily identify with the traditional wedding format and “bride” and “groom” titles. When Shelly Helstowski and Allyson Boys decided to get married they came up with a creative way to make their wedding better fit who they are – and it’s catching on. Cherry Grrl wanted to learn more about the company that the now married couple started - that includes the sale of shirts that feature the words “broom” or “gride” on them - so discussed with them how they came up with their unique idea and where they hope to take it next.

Cherry Grrl (CG): What is the story behind Broom and Gride? Who came up with the idea and why?
Broom and Gride (B & G): When Allyson and I were in the process of getting married neither one of us could relate to being called a “bride” or a “groom” so we decided to come up with our own terms. We got shirts made saying “broom” and “gride” and wore them to our rehearsal dinner, our bachelorette party (or dykette party as we called it), and at our reception. We got such a great response from our gay and straight friends that we decided to market them. Broom and Gride was formed shortly after.

CG: What is it about the typical “Bride and Bride” title that didn’t work for you?
B & G: For us, when we think of the word “bride” we picture bug flowing dresses with up-dos and high heels and we couldn’t relate to that. Neither one of us is necessarily butch or femme either so we wanted something more gender neutral that labels or stereotypical images were not attached to. We felt like a combination of bride and groom and needed to come up with a term that better described that.

CG: How long have you had your website up for and the shirts available for purchase?
B & G: We are generally a new business. We came up with the idea in 2007 but our site was officially launched in June 2008. We needed a brief honeymoon first.

CG: Have you had a good response from customers so far?
B & G: The response has been great not only from the LGBTQ community but also from our straight allies. Everyone has been really supportive and it has been great hearing people’s stories of how they met or how they got engaged.

CG: Do you find your shirts to be more popular with men or with women?
B & G: Our shirts are popular with both but we have found more so with women then with men. Men love the idea but women are more likely to purchase our shirts.

CG: Where do you hope to take the company in the future/ what are some other products or ideas you are working on?
B & G: We have several ideas in the works. We plan to offer a larger variety of shirts and some other novelty items. We are encouraging people to sign up for our newsletter on our site www.broomandgride.com and to follow our blog at www.broomandgride.blogspot.com as those will be the places were we first announce our new products.

We also plan to continue to fight for same-sex marriage and be a vocal force within the community.

To learn more about Broom and Gride visit www.broomandgride.com.

The Equality Consumer Guide – Don’t Holiday Shop Without It

Just in time for the holiday shopping season - and the most popular time of year to buy gifts for friends and loved ones - the Human Rights Campaign has developed a way to ensure that the items we buy come from companies that support us. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, has released its 2009 “Buying for Equality” guide, aimed at helping consumers identify hundreds of businesses and brands that support equality and fairness in the workplace for the LGBT community.

The guide includes listings from a record 260 companies that received a perfect 100 percent score on the HRC 2009 Corporate Equality Index, an annual report on company policies related to diversity and inclusion training, non-discrimination policies, and access to healthcare for LGBT employees and their families. (To download or request a copy of the guide visit: www.hrc.org/buyersguide.) To access the guide on your phone text ’SHOP’ to 30644, so that you can quickly determine which companies support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans before making important purchase decisions.

“With this year’s economy, we need to make sure every dollar we spend goes to businesses that have earned the right to call you a customer,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Every day, we make choices that send a powerful message about our values, our principles and our ideals. We do it every time we make decisions on how to clothe and feed our families or what investments to make. Where we spend and invest our dollars has remarkable potential to positively affect the LGBT community because it reinforces what many companies know: fairness is good business.”

According to a Witeck-Combs/Market Research.com study, the buying power of the LGBT community is estimated to be $759 billion in 2009. During difficult economic times, our nation’s businesses know that every dollar spent by consumers figures into the success of their organization.

This is the fourth year the Human Rights Campaign has published the widely-popular “Buying for Equality” consumer guide. The guide has been viewed and downloaded off of HRC’s website more than 275,000 times. This year, HRC included businesses that did not respond to survey requests over the past three years. Each non-responder was provided a score of “?” and placed into the red section of the relevant buying category. HRC looks forward to building positive, working relationships with these businesses and encourages readers of the Buyer’s Guide that contact these companies to report their responses to HRC.

Scores in the “Buying for Equality” guide are determined through scoring criteria in the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the only nationally recognized measure of LGBT workplace equality. The CEI is the primary method for companies to evaluate their diversity efforts toward LGBT employees, customers, and investors. To learn more about the CEI visit: www.hrc.org/cei.

Additional background information on the 2009 “Buying for Equality” Guide

Categories. “Buying for Equality” breaks companies and their products into easily distinguishable purchasing categories. Some categories include:
* Apparel & Accessories
* Banking & Finance
* Eating Out
* Home & Garden
* Technology

Scoring. Companies/products are divided based on their CEI score into red, yellow, and green sections so that consumers can easily determine which brands support GLBT equality.
* Green (80-100): Consumers should make every effort to support these businesses.
* Yellow (46-79): Businesses/brands that have taken steps toward a fair-minded workplace, but there is still progress to be made.
* Red (0-45): Businesses/brands that have more work to do in furthering equality. If possible, make the choice to support a fairer company.
* Red (?): Businesses/brands that have not responded to the survey despite repeated attempts and whose policies are unclear.

Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign recently released a list of the businesses and organizations that supported California’s Proposition 8, the discriminatory amendment passed on Election Day that eliminates the right for same-sex couples to marry in the state. Although several Fortune 500 companies and organizations contributed to the No on 8 Campaign, no Fortune 500 companies were found to have contributed to the Yes on 8 Campaign. The data was searched for donations derived directly from businesses and organizations, rather than from individuals or national advocacy groups. To view the complete list of businesses and organizations who supported Proposition 8, visit: www.hrc.org/prop8supporters.

Julia Serano: Transgender Dyke

BY ULLA KELLY

Author, activist, slam poet, facilitator, blogger, singer, and scientist… and there’s enough in print and online to make researching you a full-time job - where on earth do you get the time and energy?

Julia Serano (JS): Well, I’m kind of naturally hyperactive I suppose. Plus I often have insomnia, which really helps create extra time (although it’s not so helpful with regards to energy). I should also say that while I do or have done all of the things you mentioned, I don’t do them all at the same time. Being a scientist is my day job. These days most of my time outside of that goes toward writing, which is both a creative outlet for me, but also a form of activism (as I primarily write about trans issues and perspectives). I still sometimes perform slam poetry and music, but not as much as I used to.

If you had to pick just one of those hats to wear, which would it be? (You really have to choose, there’s a metaphorical gun to your head or a right wing fundamentalist or something.)
JS: These days I’ve been really into writing, so I’d have to say that.

I hope this isn’t an offensive question, but were you this energetic and productive before you transitioned?
JS: For the most part. Like I said, I’m kind of naturally hyperactive. Before my transition, I was mostly focused on music, and put most of my energy into that. I did experience a lot of sadness back then with regard to my gender situation, and went through periods when I felt too depressed to be creative or productive. But other times I found that having a creative outlet was a useful distraction for me when I wasn’t so happy.

Do you ever get fed up with having the word “transsexual” attached to your art?
JS: Not really, but I think that’s mostly because I have been focused almost exclusively on writing about gender and trans issues. It would be silly for me to complain about the label “transsexual” when it does apply to the content of most of my work.

I suppose that if I began to write mostly about other topics, it could become frustrating. While I’m proud to be transsexual, I also know that sometimes identity labels like that can be used to put minority artists’ work into its own separate box. I know a lot of queer writers and musicians who feel like that label holds them back from reaching the same audiences that non-queer artists have access to.

In a perfect world, which would be the better option: a situation where everyone was so relaxed and public about transgender issues that nobody would discriminate, or a situation where transsexual people would all be thoroughly and convincingly in stealth mode so that they’d all simply be treated as the gender they were meant to be?
JS: Personally, I’d much prefer to live in the first world. I currently have the privilege of “passing” as a cissexual (i.e., non-transsexual) woman. While it still feels amazing to finally be seen and accepted as female, I think I would go crazy if I couldn’t talk about my trans-specific experiences—for example, my experiences moving through the world as male pre-transition, or my experiences transitioning.

One thing that I find really frustrating about being transsexual is that (at least right now) it is difficult to be both out *and* to be seen as myself. For example, when a cissexual lesbian woman comes out, people get to see her as she sees herself—as a lesbian woman. However, when I come out as a transsexual woman, people get to see me as trans (which I am), but they also tend to stop seeing me as legitimately female and instead see me as a “man” (which I am not). I am looking forward to the day when I can both be open about being trans and be respected as a woman simultaneously.

One more thing I feel I should add: The idea of a world in which all trans people could live completely stealth might appeal to many transsexuals, but there are also lots of transgender spectrum folks who don’t see themselves as completely female or male. Lots of people are genderqueer or bi-gender, so I think that a world where people were respectful of all transgender spectrum identities would be best.

Should celebrities come out of their various closets, or are they entitled to their privacy?

JS: Now that’s a really tough question. I remember in the 1980’s and early 1990’s when many queer activists were frustrated that celebrities like Jodie Foster or Michael Stipe refused to come out publicly as lesbian or gay. If they had come out way back then, it might have really had a big, positive impact. But it also may have prematurely ended their careers. Who knows. I really do think that it’s a double-edged sword, because if you come out as gay or queer or as trans in an unwelcoming world, then you do often become ghettoized as a “queer” or “trans” artist. While I am personally fine with that for myself, I can understand why others might wish to avoid it.

Anyway, in general, I think being out is a positive thing, but I can understand why some people may choose not to do so for privacy or safety reasons, and I respect that choice. However, what I have no tolerance for are closeted queer people who are outspokenly anti-queer in their public persona. Last year in the U.S., there was a rash of prominent right-wing, anti-queer politicians and preachers who were caught having same-sex affairs. That kind of hypocrisy really annoys and angers me.

Thinking about recent hate crimes in the first world as well as the third, do you think there’s any hope of humanity learning tolerance?

JS: I think people are definitely able to learn to respect people who are different from them in whatever way. Unfortunately, it tends to take a really long time for entrenched “isms” (such as racism, classism, ableism, and the many different variations of sexism) to be challenged and eventually overturned. I am an optimist, so I’d like to think that it’s possible to end these (and other) forms of oppression. But I am also a pragmatist, and realize that it is a long process that will surely not be fully reached in my lifetime.

Where do all the words come from? When you write, do you think or do the words just happen? Do you edit your stuff much afterwards?

JS: Back when I was mostly doing music or poetry, I found that sometimes things would just come to me all at once. I would sit down one or two times and the piece would just write itself. These days, however, I’ve been writing a lot of essays, which really require a lot of forethought and planning. So often I’ll have an outline of how I want to present it, and I will do lots of editing along the way.

What are the differences (besides the tune factor) between writing a song and writing a poem?

JS: Hmmm, that’s a really good question. I personally feel that the best song lyrics are usually impressionistic. The music is already creating a mood, so I like to pick words or phrases that are likely to evoke thoughts or pictures in people’s minds, rather than tell them exactly what I’m thinking. I want them to fill in the blanks themselves. With poems, however, there are only the words, so I am a little more explicit with what I am trying to say. I am trying to share my thoughts and feelings with someone else, rather than simply provoking other people’s thoughts and feelings.

But of course, that’s just me. I know lots of people who write very impressionistic poems, or who write very explicit and straightforward song lyrics.

Your blog title, “blog-born-blog” - shouldn’t this be updated to “cis-blog”? Heheh.

JS: Once all of the cis women who still use the “womyn-born-womyn” label own up to their cis privilege and realize how that label is inherently marginalizing to trans women, then hopefully my blog will then also become aware of its own cis-blog privilege…

I read one of your blog posts which reminded me of something I’ve heard from a few people lately i.e. that the gay and lesbian community often shuns transgender/intersex/bisexual people - could you elaborate on that? As a dyke myself, what would you advise me to do to help redress the balance?

JS: I’ve written a lot about this issue (from a transsexual perspective) in my book and on my website. Here’s how I see it. We all understand how heterosexism works: same-sex attraction and relationships are seen as being less legitimate than “opposite”-sex relationships. But that is not the only type of sexism that LGBTIQ people face. Bisexuals (but not gays and lesbians) regularly face monosexism, which is the belief that being exclusively attracted to members of one sex is somehow more valid or legitimate than being attracted to people of multiple sexes. Similarly, trans people regularly face cissexism or cisgenderism, which is the belief cis gender identities and expressions are more natural or legitimate than trans ones. Furthermore, transsexual and intersex bodies are generally seen (albeit in different ways) as less natural and valid than cissexual and non-intersex bodies.

It has been my experience that some (although certainly not all) gays and lesbians are very resistant to the idea that they enjoy some privileges that other sexual minorities do not. Those who are resistant tend to see no benefit in joining with other sexual minorities to challenge all of these forms of sexism together, rather than solely focusing on heterosexism. And often they will narrowly view these different groups myopically through gay-centric politics—for example, by assuming that bisexuals are really gay people who still have “one foot in the closet,” or that transsexuals are really gay people who change their sex in order to fit into straight society. Such views are not only narrow-minded, but narcissistic.

My advice for cis dykes and gay men who wish to be allies is to listen to others, own your own privileges, recognize that there are multiple forms of sexism, and realize that it is impossible to ever eliminate heterosexism unless we fight to end all forms of sexism simultaneously.

I have a question for you from a transgender friend of mine; actually the dyke who steered me to your website in the first place, ‘what influenced your descion to come out on a wide scale and how has this affected your life since the writing of your novel?’

JS: Well, I didn’t initially mean to come out on such a wide scale. At first I was just a local performer. But as I got more into activism, and as my writings and performances began reaching a wider audience, it just sort of happened that way. I’ve been lucky because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area (which is largely trans friendly) and am in academia (where diversity is appreciated more than the world at large), so there haven’t been too many negative ramifications of me being so out.

Mostly, I am just happy that other trans folks and allies are able to find and be influenced by my writings—I feel very privileged for that. As someone who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s feeling isolated because of the lack of information about trans people, I am happy to know that I am now one of many trans voices that are easily accessible on the web or in bookstores.

For more on Julia visit www.juliaserano.com.

2,500 Years in the Making: Sappho, the Miniseries

It would be hard to find a woman in the lesbian community who hasn’t heard of the poet Sappho. Hopefully, it would be hard to find ANYONE who hasn’t heard of her and the beautiful and timeless writing that she contributed during her time. Nevertheless, many aspects of this famous ancient Greek lyric poet remain a mystery to those interested in learning about her life - beyond the glimpses offered in her writings. Luckily, a talented artist and writer has created a unique and enjoyable way to share the story of Sappho with readers everywhere. In her House of the Muses miniseries, Pam Harrison takes us on an exciting and insightful journey back in time via graphic novel. Here, she tells Cherry Grrl how it all came together.

Cherry Grrl (CG): Could you explain to our readers what the House of the Muses miniseries is all about?
Pam Harrison (PH): I’ve had a lot of comments about having created a comic series about Sappho. Let me try to explain it without being dry and scholarly. I’ve heard a lot of different stories from women who’ve tried to learn the Sappho story in college. Some fell in love with it based on the few but beautiful scraps of poetry that are left to us; others thought it was dry and boring, a little lacking in places, but everyone agrees that her poetry and storytelling were superb. This series was born of a lot of research dating back from when I was studying New Testament Greek at Western Kentucky University back in the 80s. There’s no poetic license here, all I did was bring it back to life.

I enjoyed translating Greek, wanted to find some more subject matter to play with, and found a book about Sappho in the university library. The series is taken from the writings of Sappho and Alkaios: Lyra Graeca. (Edited and translated by J. M. EDMONDS. Loeb Classical Library, three volumes. London: William Heinemann; New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1924.) Looking through the book I found that the poet Alkaios also told his version of Sappho’s exiles. It fascinated me, so I took it on as a translation project…particularly the fragments. I found a mystery in the fragments. It was like a Nancy Drew movie. I went on and on…and from that early pursuit came the premise of entwining two very different storylines and telling the story of Sappho as it actually happened, in a completely different way.

Scholars have for centuries set aside one perplexing poem inexplicably written in Spartan dialect from the Ennead, the nine books authored by Sappho. Why Sappho kept this poem in her collection has never been explained. Sappho had among her students a girl named Mnasidika, a Spartan name that means, “In Remembrance of Justice.” Another translated restoration of a little-known poem of Sappho’s, shredded by the early Church and left in fragments because of its “offensive” subject matter revealed a haunting tale of “immortal lovers.”

The more I read, the more I wondered why the ancient scholars (and a LOT of modern authors, as a matter of fact) had never bothered to put two and two together. The details of this graphic novel miniseries are derived primarily from the works of Alkaios, not Sappho, in his recounting of their early youth during the Civil War in Mytilene, the War with Athens, and the activities of the House of Penthilos. Many are unaware–or their understanding uncertain–about the part the Poetess of Mytilene played in the court intrigues, political upheavals, and assassination plots of the time.

So, yes, as T.E. Lyons of LEO Magazine so deftly put it, when I first imagined it, the journeys and trials of my protagonist, the Spartan slave nicknamed Dika, went into prose. House of the Muses: The Latter Days of Sappho of Lesbos introduces the reader to Mnasidika of Sparta, a girl with a stolen destiny, and how she made her journey to Lesbos. At the end of her adventures, she would write the one poem that the legendary Poetess of Mytilene would safeguard among her treasured works forever.

Cherry Grrl: We’re interested in learning about how you got into the field. How did that come about?
PH: By accident. It started with my first comic. Oh, yes, I remember the Golden Age of Comics… and the Silver Age, and - whoa! Talk about “dating” myself! Actually I was exposed to comics at a very early age in 1970, when my grandfather bought me my very first comic book: the edition of Adventure Comics #411 featuring Supergirl! I don’t know how many people can remember their very first comic, but I never forgot it. It was a sad little tale of the times about prejudice: a blind black child and an alien become friends, only to have society turn on the alien because it was “obviously” a threat based on society’s perception of aliens. Clearly, some things about our society today haven’t changed much. Anyway, once Grandpa got me hooked, I collected every comic I could get my hands on.

It was fate, I guess, because I soon discovered that I could draw. My mother has a trunk full of old drawings from those early days, and even though my mother and I don’t really see eye to eye (incredibly, she’s never come to terms with the fact that I’m gay but she reads all my books), she will never get rid of them.

I think it was in 1987 that I met then-editor for DC Comics, Dick Giordano, at a talent search at our local comic store in Bowling Green, Kentucky where I was living at the time. I very tentatively offered a page I had penciled from Wonder Woman #1, back when George Perez and Romeo Tanghal were penciling and inking the series. I held my breath as he squinted at the page. “These pencils show a LOT of skill and control,” he said at last. “Submit a portfolio to DC.”

The thing that kept my destiny at this crossroads in my life from ever coming to fruition was that I was with someone at the time who thought it was fun to beat me up and destroy my drawings. So I never did get that portfolio to DC. My utter disappointment made me give up drawing for awhile, and once I had gotten that person out of my life, I never looked back for a long time. But I did get out of that relationship and into a fantastic new one with most of my comics intact.

Cherry Grrl: What were your prior experiences/training that led up to your making a career out of comics?
PH: From 2005-2006, I was a regular face on the OutinAmerica.com Cities Network, where I first made my name in gay and lesbian movie and book reviews, as well as landing my own weekly opinion column, “Speaking Of.” It was great having my own opinion column, but I loved my book reviews. It would be Nick Holbrook at OutinAmerica.com who would offer me MY first book review!

Fate stepped in again when I went back to college back in 2005. I had already worked a number of years in the graphic design industry, starting from the ground up and learning a number of skills from advertising, graphics, and website design. But I was never able to get anywhere because I never finished my college degree, so my partner made me go to Louisville Technical Institute and get an Associate Degree in Graphic Design.

I LOVED it! My previous experience made getting my degree a breeze—well, sort of. Then I got stuck taking those 3DStudio Max classes. I hated them. My prof made jokes that every time I got the hang of the interface, he’d go in and switch all the buttons around on me. Because I was the same age as most of my professors I built up great relationships with all of them, and finally got the hang of 3D.

While I was browsing for some project pieces online I discovered a program called DAZ 3D Studio which was much simpler to use and had infinite possibilities. Now it’s all I use.

I’d dragged House of the Muses out of the mothballs and toyed with using DAZ to illustrate scenes out of the novel. A young friend of mine looked at them and asked, “Why don’t you do a graphic novel?”
In June 2008 came another twist of irony as I taught a semester as faculty at my old alma mater, Louisville Technical Institute, teaching night classes in 3DStudio Max, the very class that started this whole adventure in the first place!

Cherry Grrl: Where do you plan to take the series next?
PH: I’m just beginning book #4, and it feels like I’m just getting started. The plotlines established in HOM #1 have been resolved and Dika has found herself in uncharted territory on an island named Lesbos.
In House of the Muses #2, when Dika discovered she was being sent to Lesbos, she asked herself, “They would submit me to tutelage under some old woman whose heyday was over forty years ago? I wouldn’t hear of it!”

That’s the beauty of storytelling…I’ve had quite a bit of irony in my own life, so being able to inflict it upon my main character is intensely satisfying.
For more about the House of the Muses visit http://houseofthemuses.com. The series is available at Amazon.com, PrismComics.org, and IndyPlanet.com.

Work it, Grrl

Finding a job in this economy is difficult for everyone. As is typical in the gay and lesbian community, however, individuals have come together to offer help to those among them who need it. GLPCareers.com, Gay and Lesbian Professionals, is a job search engine providing employment opportunities and resources to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) job seeker in the US.

It was founded in September 2000 and is the preeminent Internet venture of its kind for the GLBT community.

GLPCareers’ goal is to continue being the leading job search engine for the GLBT community. In order to achieve this goal they seek out the best GLBT-friendly employers and provide them with the highest caliber of candidates, while providing gay job seekers with a work environment which values the diversity that they contribute.

The mission of GLPCareers is to promote excellence in employment services for the gay community by matching highly qualified GLBT employees with a gay-friendly environment.

At GLPCareers, they provide hands-on and timely solutions to all of their clients and understand the importance of customer service and satisfaction. They believe that this will create a genuine partnership that will result in a mutually beneficial business relationship for years to come.

They feel that employers gain a competitive edge by signing on to their job board for the following reasons:

* GLBT employees look for GLBT-friendly environments in which to work (79% Find it VERY important to work in a Gay-friendly company)
* The GLBT community tends to be more highly educated and experienced than the general population
* The presence of GLBT employees, and a policy to recruiting them, demonstrates a strong commitment to diversity
* The buying power of the lesbian and gay population is projected to reach $712 billion in 2008

At CLPCareers, they: work with every client on a one-to-one basis to meet specific budgetary needs; handle all internal and external interactions with integrity and honesty; are very passionate in serving their clients and always strive to exceed their expectations; are community minded; regard all clients, prospects, and vendors as partners in providing winning solutions for diversity recruitment; and welcome feedback and or recommendations in order to enhance their services or ease of site use.

For more information visit http://www.glpcareers.com.

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