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:
Last night I went to see the Indigo Girls in concert, and they were AWESOME.
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They say one in ten of the general population is queer. So we're in the minority. Now - if my math is correct - ten out of ten Oasis users are queer. So we're in the majority! To celebrate, I've decided to start a useless interview section where I print a list of questions and you all take turns answering them. I'm not going to be elitist and choose one person a week - I hate things like that. So instead, please paste the questions into a comment and post those darn commens below!(If you've already done one on the last site, I've still got it!) Then we'll have a little archive of daft information! I've tried not to duplicate any of the sort of information we might put in our bios.
Life is a never endind struggle.Once you think all your problems are behind you,new problems comes to the surface. Somteimes worse than the ones before.Its hard and keeps getting harder by the day.Once,i've wanted to end it all but i'm glad i didn't.That would be giving up on life,the most precious thing to have!I'm not a quiter!I'll keep on fighting!
i love oasis and wanna follow in there footsteps.but do you think that in todays society a gay rock and roller is ok?
My self-induced detox/slow january is officially over .. yet i just couldn't find any time this weekend to be arsed to actually go clubbing or do anything VAGUELY social.
I actually pulled out of 2 pre-scheduled such events.. no make that 3 .. or was it 4.
I slept , watched some Farscape .. and read 2 Harry Potter books .. (1 left.. then I am also in queue for book 5).
Err , I can't think of anything redeeming I did this weekend.. honestly.
We visited the Holly Wood Cemetery in Richmond and afterward had a get together at the house.
I can't sleep again tonight. My head is going in circles.