Attention Gleeks! (and non-Gleeks),
Looks like this week's Entertainment Weekly is worth a gander. Here is how the EW staff describes the cover story:
Gay teens are suddenly popping up in major roles all over television, with Glee’s popular pairing of Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss) leading the way. How did gay teens go from marginalized outcasts and goofy sidekicks to some of the highest profile — and most beloved — characters on the likes of 90210, Pretty Little Liars, and Skins? And more importantly, how is this affecting real-life teens still facing the daily high-school realities of bullying, discrimination, and ignorance? The new issue of Entertainment Weekly investigates the history of gay teens on TV — from the angsty Rickie on My So-Called Life to sensitive-soul Jack on Dawson’s Creek to the slew of groundbreaking characters on Degrassi. We talk to the producers who fought for such progress, the actors who held the career-defining roles, and the activists who cheer recent advances — but are still pushing for more.
Check it out, and report back with your thoughts!
Wow, it started as a monthly "magazine" style site, is now a community site, and at some point in 2011 should morph into a full-blown social network, but on December 1, Oasis turns 15 years old.
I launched the site in 1995 and am amazed by what it has become, as the site has always been driven, created, and supported by the people who share their lives here.
Some of our biggest assets were accidents that I now take credit for, such as not creating a girls forum and a boys forum, which has led to people realizing the problems are universal and the support is welcome from everyone willing to help. This is also useful more recently as our trans membership increases, saving my inbox from messages about reinforcing gender binaries, etc., etc.
I've been a bit absent lately as I've been at a the tail end of one job that was sort of spiraling out of control, and instead of the unemployment I expected, I actually have a 3-day weekend right into a new job with an even longer commute. The upside is that I will be earning enough now to hire a developer and get this site (and my vegan social network) developed in parallel.
So, thanks to everyone who comes here to share their lives, welcome others, and let people who need compassion and concern feel virtually what they might not feel in their offline lives.
I may have created this thing, but everyone reading this is the reason it has become such a special place online.
By Jeff Walsh
Andy South was the youngest gay contestant on Project Runway this season, and made it into the final three contestants who got to show an entire collection at Fashion Week. He may look familiar on the site because he wrote an article for Oasis about his thoughts on fellow contestant Mondo Guerra revealing he was HIV-positive on the show a few weeks back.
Sadly, Andy didn't end up winning the show, but he seems very aware that Project Runway is an opportunity to build on, and from now, it is up to him to succeed.
We spoke last weekend, two days after the finale aired, and the first day he remembers sleeping in for a very long time, as he transitions from being a reality show contestant back to being a full-time fashion designer.
Here's what we said:
I knew it had to be something inside of me. It was my fault, I was doing something wrong, and as soon as I figured out what it was, I would start to be happy.
She told me I was not the problem. And now I'm happy.
This is just about hopeless. Starting a business will take a long time to get stared. Alot of obsicle to dodge and jump over. Alot of money to spend, and alot of shit to worry about. This requires alot of patience.
First two issues to draw the people in. Would need at least 50-200 readers to take on reading the magazine and hopefully they would be able to suggest or subscribe for the rest of the issues.
So i was online today totally bored because school closed 3 hours early due to inclemit weather. I was checking people's aim profiles, but not talking to them just reading the jokes and stuff, and my freind's profile had a link to a test about your love life. i had just gotten off of thespark.com (killing more time) so i was in a test taking type of mood. So i took the test cause what harm could it do? The questions were like, "what is your name", "what is your crushes name" and a bunch of questions about being a virgin or not.
These are links to my diary sites, I don't feel like copying and pasting all of the words and pictures over.....
This was what may have happened about a year ago... if it wasn't for friends...
There is an incredibly huge chance of me coming out to my english class tommorrow. Mixed exitedness and nerves, but mostly exited. The reason this all comes up is Im giving a speech on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the pinicle of American stupidity. *rolls eyes*