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 can't explain it. At all. I am a bisexual twelve year old, and I just can't help thinking, "Why the hell haven't I came out yet?". I haven't come out to a single person, except for a few of my friends on other forums... Yet, I know that if I come out to my friends, I'll end up getting my ass handed to me by... 10-some people. I do not blame them (my friends) at all for being homophobic. They're mature enough to understand what bisexuality is, but not "mature, mature", at least enough to truly accept it, but hey, what twelve year old isn't? "Why not come out to your parents?" Plain and simple, fear of being shut out of their lives until (IF) they start to understand, with my helo of course.
Looking for love doesn't live in just one language...
~If you don't speak Spanish...this won't be of any help to you at all.~
Lyrics by Ov7
I was angry and sad earlier and I just felt like writing poetry. Now I'm tired, but feeling much better. Ok, so it's alliterative and it sounds old-fashioned. It made me feel better.
Sonnet for Valentine's Day
When buds unfurl and creeping vines are new,
The rumbling wind and sky and pounding rain
Shall sweep away the snow that does remain.
Then birds shall sing and cows, their anthem, too.
I need someone to sleep with. Not stupid lame ass sex..no hot steamy love making. I just need to cuddle up and sleep. Someone I could curl up next to kiss the back of their neck..wrap my arm around them and feel safe and like the feeling of makin someone else feel safe. Do u know how hard I try to find just that!? I mean I look at every girl hoping I could do just that. And for some odd reason everyone thinks im a gay slut. Cause I keep juggling hoping to find just that. But shes not my type and then I give up.
Ok.
So... I know that I owe [myself] the coming-out entry...
... but, like always, I've started thinking about things (why does that always lead to trouble?), and so now I'm going to pour my introspection into this silly little blog thing. Today my mom told me that I get online too much to think about these things; that I retreat into the depths of my mind and get lost along the way. I guess maybe she's right.