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 did something tonight that I have never done before.
ugh...its like 12 o clock...and im not tired...but i'm really bored
I'm new here so I really don't know what i'm doing...so if somebody is actually reading this just bear(did i spell that right?) with me
It sucks to be 14...and closeted at the same time. i though that is could only get better after 13...and in some ways it has, but god i wish i could come out...if only i could. Every day i have the most irresistible urge to tell my sister...she's the only one who would understand and not make fun of me...and yet she'd probly tell everyone.
My weekend is progressing ok ..
Had a very constructive linux user group meeting =) ..
Kind of came out to all of them..
Someone was like 'you are just a closet neo-nazi' .. and i was like 'sweeeetie.. i am not a closet ANYTHING!' .. and at some later stage we were discussing irc, and i was like.. 'yeah .. i have been an operator on #gaysa for years and years"
Also notable is that I have managed to garner quite a bit of support with the guys and generally managed to find a direction for us to head in the future.
This is one of those cases where I am taking leadership because everyone else is too non-committal and it is hurting the local linux community ..
And here I am, again, at Oasis. I used to write a column, you may remember me as Chrisg. I wrote about my life, as I will continue to do in my column: Tales of the Pretty, Mischeivous, or just Bored. Some of the highlights of what I wrote were about my experiences with boys: Dave and Tim are perhaps the most memorable. I wrote about friends, the plays I was in, and in general teenage life. I hope you will find my column interesting still, and for the new readers, I hope you will just plain enjoy it. Thanks for reading!
I cut myself
The blood flows loosely
No pain is felt
My troubles wash away
As the cold water
Touches the wound
You can taste my blood
Because you caused it's fall
I cut myself
With a knife sharp
As the hell you brought me to
Clearly I see
The darkness taking over me
The blood so cold, dark red
It's not over; you will see.
Other poems at: http://allpoetry.com/search/s