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:
So im sitting here in my chair blanking out at the computer screen... This is the first saturday night I've spent to myself in a very long time... I only want to be with him... But god knows where he is... And I'm sitting here, and I don't know how much longer I can hold back my tears. I haven't allowed myself to cry in such a long time, but what other option do I have? I'll spend all night thinking about him and when he told me that he wanted me. It seems that that is no longer applicable when my appearance has finally reached out to him. So I'll continue on tonight, waiting for some sing of life to come to my direction... And I'll jump with each sound of opening doors, just to further dissapoint myself... When you come on, I'll be here...
What the hell is this shit
Whos hand is this
Where did the skin come from
Why is it connected to me
Blind, the walls, stare
Floating, lost, dead
My body...
It isnt mine
No feeling
Voices, Voices.. no im not making them up
I see the people, the people talking
I can see everything
And hear, I can hear the laughing
No feeling...Im moving... im walking
blindly... i cant fucking feel myself moving
Well, considering that it's happening right now, i felt it was most appropriate to write about it. So this guys tells me that he wants to do stuff with me, and I'm all for that considering im not generally persued. Well, right now, one of my best friends, Kelly, is practically fucking him. So in response to this im just going to pretend like nothing is going on. Because honestly, I'm really pretty fucking sick of being the transportation for people, and being in the room while they are fucking and I have to pretend like it isnt happening.
My Oasis site is finally back up and running!!! Yay! *sings praises to Adrian*
Now comes the less fun part of typing everything back up *grumble, grumble* Ah well, my fault for not saving it all on disc and stuff I guess
I worked for a big company.But the treated me like rubbish!Do you wna know wot they did to me while i was there?They took my mobile off me.No one else had this problem.It was jst me!A clue to the name of the company: another word for small and we cut down trees for it. Can you guess?My advice: NEVER WORK THERE!!!!!!