That said, I really prefer the term marriage equality over same sex marriage or gay marriage. Why? Because not everyone who wants the ability to marry identifies as gay (lesbian, queer, bi, or a couple with a trans person who now identifies as straight), and unless you’re [...]]]> This is win. It is so much win.

That said, I really prefer the term marriage equality over same sex marriage or gay marriage. Why? Because not everyone who wants the ability to marry identifies as gay (lesbian, queer, bi, or a couple with a trans person who now identifies as straight), and unless you’re checking chromosomes, you don’t really know if people are the same sex.

All of this said, I love love love this picture, and think it makes a brilliant point, both for marriage equality, and hopefully eventual gender/sex equality, that our country has still yet to practice.

Plus, I love me some animal macros in the morning.

-Shanna

This post, Gay Marriage Hamsters, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed -- Sexuality Educator on June 5, 2010.

-Shanna

Next year we’ll have the second full sized Butch Voices conference to participate in, this year we have four regional conferences.

Subject: Butch Voices 2010 Regional Conferences: Call for Submissions

BUTCH Voices [...]]]> I’ve seen this posting/call for workshops/etc around on a few blogs, and I thought I’d pass it on to anyone who might be interested. Enjoy!

-Shanna

Next year we’ll have the second full sized Butch Voices conference to participate in, this year we have four regional conferences.

Subject: Butch Voices 2010 Regional Conferences: Call for Submissions

BUTCH Voices is a national organization composed of social justice activists who share a commitment to building inclusive community for self-identified Butches, Studs, Tombois, Machas, Aggressives, our partners and allies.

This year we will be holding BUTCH Voices Regional Conferences in Dallas, New York, Los Angeles & Portland. We invite you to join us for workshops, panels, and performances intended to celebrate our diverse identities.

BUTCH Voices Dallas – June 5, 2010 – contact – bvdallas2010@gmail.com

BUTCH Voices NYC – September 25, 2010 – contact – bvnyc2010@gmail.com

BUTCH Voices Portland – October 2, 2010 – contact – bvportland2010@gmail.com

BUTCH Voices LA – October 9, 2010 – contact – bvla2010@gmail.com

These regional conferences will be an amazing opportunity to create local and regional community awareness, to share butch voices, and critical thinking about who we are. BUTCH Voices Regional Conferences are a place to: talk about why we identify in the ways we do, learn how to tell our stories, address femininity, masculinity, discuss areas of overlap and intersection that are none of the above. We will talk about sex, embodiment, community building, our physical and mental health, and issues that stand in the way of Butch-identified solidarity and justice. Most importantly, BUTCH Voices is the place where we can be ourselves with one another.

This is our Call for Submissions. We welcome workshop ideas of all kinds, films, performances, skill shares, especially on topics which speak to the cultural, sexual, emotional, physical, and psychological relationships that arise in the lives of Butches, Studs, Tombois, Aggressives, Machas, etc. We are open to all perspectives–queer, feminist, womanist, neither or beyond! We particularly encourage proposals by and for people-over sixty, under twenty-one, working-class, and people of color or persons with disabilities.

Deadline for Submissions for BUTCH Voices Dallas is May 15, 2010 and for the other three Regional Conferences is August 1, 2010. Please submit your proposal or abstract to the corresponding Regional Conference (email addresses listed above) in which you wish to present along with a short bio of yourself and any other presenter.

Please forward this widely to all who may be interested in participating.Thank you,BUTCH Voices

This post, Butch Voices Regional Conferences, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed -- Sexuality Educator on May 8, 2010.

And I cried. A lot. It hit so close to home, to my experiences, to my partners (past and present), to my invisibility, to my having to repeatedly out myself, to [...]]]> I’ve been seeing this video pop up on various blogs and social networking sites all week, but I just now had the time to watch it.

And I cried. A lot. It hit so close to home, to my experiences, to my partners (past and present), to my invisibility, to my having to repeatedly out myself, to everything that I have been, am and will be as a Femme (minus the 5 inch heels, thanks to the arthritis and surgeries). I cried because everything he had to say is so true, so real, and because no one has ever said that out loud where I could hear it.

So thank you Ivan Coyote, who I don’t know, for warming the cockles of this little Femme’s heart, for loving my gender, and for supporting all of us. Thank you.

This post, A Thank You To Femmes, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed -- Sexuality Educator on April 21, 2010.

There is a call for submissions out now for an anthology on gender non-conformity, whatever that [...]]]> Are you gender non-conforming?  Perhaps you’re queer, trans, a genderfucker, a gender bender, a cross dresser, a drag king or queen, or someone else whose gender does not conform with that society says that it shoud.  Big group of people, right?

There is a call for submissions out now for an anthology on gender non-conformity, whatever that means to you, and how YOU identify.  They are looking for submissions from people of all different genders, orientations, ages, races, abilities, backgrounds, experiences and more, and would love to hear from you.

Want more info? Click here now, or read on for a longer 411.

Call for Submissions:

Working Title: Stalled
Editors: K. Bridgeman and A. Lee Crayton
Contact: stalled.the.book [at] gmail [dot] com
Submission Deadline: December 31, 2010

The range of gender non-conforming folks is broad. We are men, women, genderqueers, two-spirits, trans women/transwomen, trans men/transmen, intersex, bois, grrrls, butchs, faeries, FtMs, MtFs, tomboys, drag queens, transvestites, transexuals, queers, none or maybe all of the above?* In a society that preaches gender as rigid, fighting for gender self-determination can be challenging. For some the process is finite, traveling from point A to point B, while others wade continuously through the mire or transcend altogether. But despite the trajectory of our own personal journey, we all experience the polarizing demands of the binary.

One way these demands are evident is in sex-segregated spaces: changing stalls, detention centers, restrooms, group homes, homeless shelters, locker rooms, and security checkpoints.* These places can be hard to avoid, and interaction with them demands we make a choice about how we will present ourselves. With this anthology, we want to explore the sometimes difficult, layered, isolating, heart breaking, frightening, awkward, frustrating, challenging, funny, and/or queer experiences people are faced with in these settings. Stalled is a space for us to share our stories.

Gender-nonconforming individuals of all ages, published and unpublished, are encouraged to contribute to Stalled. We welcome submissions of all types: stories, poems, photos, art pieces; however you feel most comfortable expressing your personal experiences around sex-segregated spaces. Submissions should be non-fiction and based on actual experience. However, we respect the author’s prerogative to maintain characters’ anonymity.

*We recognize these descriptions are not exhaustive and are not intended to be restrictive. We encourage and hope to engage a broad range of experiences and identities.

Submission Instructions:
• Submissions should be sent via e-mail to stalled.the.book@gmail.com.
• Written submissions should be 1500 words or less, and submitted as a .doc or .docx file with pages numbered. Illustrations should be submitted in jpeg format.

• You may submit up to 2 different pieces of work.
• We welcome both published and unpublished authors; however, if the piece you’re submitting has been published, please note where and when.
• In your cover email, please include Author’s Name, Pen Name (if applicable), Title of Submission, email address, and a brief Bio (150 words or less).

Submissions will be accepted throughout the year. The final deadline is December 31, 2010 (11:59:59 pm EST). All submissions will be responded to by the end of April 2011. Early submissions are encouraged.

This post, Stalled – An Anthology on Gender Non-Conformity, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed -- Sexuality Educator on March 28, 2010.