compiled by Howard Israel
"WHERE ARE WE? Where are we in the media, in TV shows, in the news in LGTB projects, at Gay Prides, on the work floor? Why are lesbians so invisible? How does this lack of visibility affects us: Who are the icons out there for us? Does it make it harder for girls to find themselves without many easily accessible role models? Why is there such a disbalance between lesbian and gay visibility on TV, the media and the magazines. Why are gay men more accepted in TV shows, films, articles in the media. Why do people automatically think of/talk about gay men when the issue of gay rights are brought up? Why do celebrities only link themselves to the male gay rights organizations? Why do people still think that lesbians can't have 'proper' sex. Why is it still allowed to insult lesbians on TV shows/in the media? Why are bi girls hip and lesbians not."
– Geraldine Joosten, in her blog posting titled "Can you see me? The Importance of Lesbian Visibility," about lesbian visibility and the idea of a book of essays on this topic, http://www.lesbiatopia.com, Oct. 23.
"Today, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) announced that he will cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, the bill that will overturn DOMA. Levin's support brings us to 31 Senators who support ending federal marriage discrimination. We thank Senator Levin for his support and hope that his colleague Senator Stabenow will join him in cosponsoring this crucial legislation. We'll continue working with our supporters in Michigan and across the country to grow support for the Respect for Marriage Act, especially leading up to next month's hearing."
-In a blog posting titled "Senator Levin cosponsors the Respect for Marriage Act," http://www.freedomtomarry.org, Oct. 20.
"What makes Halloween truly impressive, to me, is what it unleashes within the male psyche. It's difficult to tell the difference between the gay boys and the straight ones. Many girls' boyfriends will go in drag and other 'completely hetero' guys will appear in some suspiciously revealing costumes and will encourage being molested by their straight (enough) buddies throughout the evening. And it will seem like a joke until the fondling continues on past the 20-second grace period and re-emerges throughout the evening. Things can get weird. 'No homo'? Well, not on Halloween. Halloween these days has a very murky sexual fluidity to it and it's completely fantastic. Yes homo."
-Master Aiden, professional BDSM Dom, in his "Yes, Master" blog, in a posting titled "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year," http://thenewgay.net, Oct. 19.
"Each and every day websites and social media contacts educate me on everything I need to know in order to be a gay man. Not only have I learned a great deal about the physical aspect of being a gay black male in America, but I have also learned the emotional and physiological lessons that I must face on a daily basis. I learned that once I told those who matter most to me about my gayness I shouldn't care about what anyone else thinks. I learned to be honest with myself and those whom I really love. Additionally, I learned to live my own life, have my own voice, trust my own experiences and not be jealous or envious of any of my fellow gay brothers or sisters."
-DLDude, a 27 year old black educated urban professional who recently admitted to myself that I am attracted to men, in his blog posting titled "Bitterness, Hate, and Joy!," http://dldudeblog.com, Oct. 11.
"The study is one of the first to explore sexual behavior at the event level among a national sample of gay and bisexually identified men. As such, this study was focused primarily on a single sexual event – the most recent – and therefore these data are able to provide a level of detail about MSM sexual behavior that has not previously been documented. Of all sexual behaviors that men reported occurring during their last sexual event, those involving the anus were the least common (less than 40 percent). There is certainly a misguided belief that 'gay sex equals anal sex,' which is simply untrue much of the time."
-Joshua G. Rosenberger, lead author, professor, Department of Global and Community Health in the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University, in a press release, about his study titled "Sexual Behaviors and Situational Characteristics of Most Recent Male-Partnered Sexual Event among Gay and Bisexually Identified Men in the United States," finding show the sexual repertoire of gay men surprisingly diverse, suggesting that a broader, less disease-focused perspective might be warranted by public health and medical practitioners in addressing the sexual health of gay and bisexual men, http://newsinfo.iu.edu, Oct. 18. From an internet-based survey, data were collected from 24,787 gay and bisexually identified men (ages 18-87 years) from 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
