This Milk Will Make You Gay... Milk Carton Accused of Trying To Make Children Gay in Russia

Yeah, that purple cow, rainbow, and guy with the mustache...  clearly just gay propaganda.

I wish I were joking... but it's in the news.

Here's two quotes from the article:

Mr Artukh [People's Council spokesman] accused Pepsi Cola [which owns Vesyoly Molochnik milk] of trying to promote homosexuality to young people, saying "this is a company renowned for actively and aggressively financing and promoting homosexuality."

 and

...the director of gay rights advocacy group Coming Out Polina Savchenko said the move was a sign of the mood in St Petersburg since the anti-gay propaganda law was passed in November "It's so ridiculous and so middle-aged that it could be funny but unfortunately it's not funny because we know that they're serious," Ms Savchenko said.

So much work still to do to make our world safe for all queer people!  (And for those rainbow colored dancing cows, too.)

Namaste,
Lee

Willow Smith's "I Am Me" Music Video - Brilliant!

Watch this!





I love so many lines of this,

"Your validation is just not that important to me!"

and

"I'm free and you can't stop me!"

and

"I'm me, I'm free, and that's all I can be."

So wise.  So young.  So impressive!


and one more moment I loved:

"You're you, I'm me, let's live in harmony..."

Thanks, Willow!

Namaste,
Lee

Every Day - What Happens When You're A Different YOU Every Day? And what does that mean for Gender and Sexuality and Love?

Every Day by David Levithan

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Add your review of "Every Day" in comments!

Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of The Universe - a gay teen novel

Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Add your review of "Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe" in comments!

Do You Know All About Internet Flitering and Online Censorship of LGBT Info in school / public libraries and children's / YA Computer Labs?

If so, here's a great opportunity to share that knowledge...

Via fabulous YA author Holly Thompson comes word of this call for an expert to write a chapter on censorship for a new book, Queers Online:

Rachel Wexelbaum, a librarian at St. Cloud State University, is putting together a book about Queers Online, and she's looking for a chapter on censorship. From her email:

"If you know someone who could write a chapter about Internet filtering and online censorship of LGBT information in school libraries/public children's/YA computer labs, please let me know…"

You can contact Rachel at rswexelbaum (at) stcloudstate (dot) edu

Here's more about the project

Note: The deadline for final manuscripts has shifted from January to June.

Namaste,
Lee

The Fearless Project by Jeff Sheng - Celebrating Out Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans High School and College Athletes

The Fearless Project inspires me, and I think it will inspire you, too.



Thanks, Jeff!

And thanks as well to the reader who wrote me about it, saying

"As an LGBT athlete, I found this very cool..."

They're right. It IS very cool!

Namaste,
Lee

Some College Humor for Thanksgiving: Give us Gay Marriage, or... "Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends"

"...if anyone reading this believes that gay men can actually become ex-gay men, I have just one question for you: Would you want your daughter to marry one?"

That great argument by Dan Savage in the New York times back in 2006 now gets taken one hysterical step further...

(be aware, there's an f-bomb used, so if that offends, don't watch.)

CollegeHumor's Favorite Funny Videos

Happy Thanksgiving!

Namaste,
Lee

Jailbreak The Binary - A Google Chrome Plug-In that makes our online world and language more gender neutral

Jailbreak the Binary

Takes all instances of 'male,' 'female,' 'he,' 'she,' (and many other gendered words) and "swaps them for gender neutral versions."  It's credited as "Attempts at gender neutrality by Marianna Kreidler."

So thanks, Marianna. My thanks as well to the reader who wrote in to tell me about this, saying

"It really makes you think about gendered assumptions.  My favorite instance using it so far was reading explanations of trans words and having it say that faab and maab both stood for human assigned at birth."

Namaste,
Lee

Unafraid: Book 3 in the teen gay vampire series!

Unafraid by Michael Griffo

At Archangel Academy, Michael Howard has found new friends, new love, and a place that feels more like home than Nebraska ever did. But the most unexpected gift the school has given him is immortality.
When Michael Howard left his small Nebraska hometown to enroll at Archangel Academy, he couldn’t have imagined how much the experience would change him. Once mortal, Michael is now a vampire with a destiny that was foretold long ago, and a group of friends with their own mysterious abilities.

But there are enemies too, some of them hiding in plain sight. Being strong enough to defend himself isn’t enough. Michael must find a way to protect his entire race of vampires. Dark forces within the school will drive everyone to take sides in the escalating violence. And despite his powers, Michael will discover that love, jealousy, and vengeance have a danger all their own…

Add your review of "Unafraid" in comments!

Front Porch Tales & North Country Whoppers: Folk Tales, one of which stars a Gay Couple

Front Porch Tales & North Country Whoppers by Tomie dePaola

A very sweet book with some hysterical stories, including one in particular that I had the opportunity to ask Tomie about.  I had the great opportunity to interview Tomie for the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators in honor of Tomie's winning The Society of Illustrators' Lifetime Achievement Award.  It's a three part interview - one, two, three, and here's an excerpt from where we discussed Front Porch Tales:

Lee:  Yeah.  So your Story “Settin” in your folk-tale compilation “Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers” has two really unexpected elements – one was that fish-out-of-water experience of the couple of non-New-Hampshire natives experiencing an authentic “Settin," which totally cracked me up.

Tomie:  That's a true story!

Lee:  And then that the couple are “two young fellas livin’ in an old fahmhouse out theyah on the Greendale Road.” 

Tomie:  That's right.  I could show you the farmhouse tomorrow if you come up. (Laughs)

Lee:  Is that a gay couple?  Or did you intend to leave it up to the reader to decide who they are to each other?

Tomie:  Actually, we didn't know we were gay at the time.  We were both, we were living in this farmhouse because we had a spiritual ideal, we were going to become - this was a very popular thing in the far-out Catholic Church in the 50's - it was called a Lay Institute, I think.  We met in a monastery, and we wanted to have kind of like a little, simple monastery.  And we had no idea that we were... I mean, I knew I was gay, but Jack, he was older than I was and he didn't know he was gay.  And we didn't live a gay life, we lived a life of two friends.  And that actually happened, that whole thing of sitting there with no one saying a word!  (Laughs.)

Lee:  That hysterical.  For me, as a reader looking at it, I got really excited.   I was like, 'wow, it's a gay couple in this great story, and it's not really about their being gay, it's just this hysterical story.'

Tomie:  That's actually what it is, yeah.  And it was very interesting, because it wasn't that long after that we both realized that oh, wait a minute.  This is more than a religious experience here, our living together.  But talk about being accepted...  Jack and I were terribly accepted in this little village in Western Vermont.  People loved us.  They called us 'the two fellas,' you know?  So I guess, if you don't walk down the street in a dress, you're all right.

Lee:  We'll get the world to where people can walk down the street wearing whatever they want.

Tomie:  Yeah. That's right.  Exactly.  You can in Vermont now. Vermont was one of the first New England states to legalize Gay Marriage, you know?

Lee:  Yeah, that's terrific.

Tomie:  Yeah!

It was very exciting for me to see this sweet and funny anthology of stories for children include a gay couple.  

And it's great to know that this GIANT in the world of children's books is openly gay.  Tomie also has eight books (so far) in his wonderful autobiographical chapter book series, 26 Fairmount Avenue.

The first book in the series

It's lovely to read them knowing that the little boy in these books grows up to be a man who fell in love with another man... like me.

It's certainly a book I wish I had read when I was a child.  And now, I read them for my inner child!

I hope you will, too.

Namaste,
Lee

Lost Gay Fiction - Queer Short Stories Online by E.M. Forster, Willa Cather, Ernest Hemingway and more!

I didn't know these short stories as posted at Lost Gay Fiction, but I'm having a great time reading them.

There's nothing explicit in the two I read (Arthur Snatchfold by E.M. Forster and The Sea Change by Ernest Hemingway) but I would say they're Young Adult.

With ten short stories posted so far, it's a great site to know about.

Enjoy!
Lee

The Young Avengers - A Marvel Comics Series with two main gay characters!

The Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade by series creators Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

When Wiccan's reality-altering powers begin to rival those of the Scarlet Witch, the young hero sets out on a quest to find her that spans the Marvel Universe and pits Wiccan against both the Avengers and the Young Avengers. But will Wiccan's desire to solve the mystery of his parentage be his salvation or his undoing? With three words, the Scarlet Witch changed the world forever...and now with her return, nothing will ever be the same for the Marvel Universe. 

Yup.  It's a gay teen kiss from the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade.  How cool is that!?

My thanks to the reader who recommended this - they also wrote:

Two main characters on the team are gay, and I think that for the younger people who are into comics and such would really appreciate reading their story. It's pretty cool too because in their debut comic, one of the teen's parents are very excited that he finally found love and came out to them. ...Sorry if it's weird that I'm telling you about this, but I feel that these books would just make a lot of young people feel more comfortable about themselves. Marvel, a big comic book company, accepts all types of love, and wants to let people know that it's okay to love whoever you want. I just think that's really cool. :)

It's not weird at all - it's wonderful that you shared - and now more people get to know about it!

Add your review of any of The Young Avengers series of comic books as well as this hardcover title, "Avengers: The Children's Crusade" in comments!

Namaste,

Lee

In a Bind - a new free-to-recipients chest binder program for male identified trans youth and young adults

In another example of our queer and allied community reaching out to help those who could use some help, the In a Bind distribution program of the Portland, Oregon nonprofit TransActive aims to

"collect pre-owned chest binders from guys who don't need them anymore and donate them to trans-masculine youth in need."

It's pretty cool that a program like this exists, and I'm delighted a reader told me about it so I could share it here with all of you.

Namaste,
Lee

THE LAND NEAR OZ: TWO GAY YANKEES MOVE TO NEW ZEALAND - a memoir

THE LAND NEAR OZ: Two Gay Yankees Move To New Zealand by Aaron Allbright

When Aaron Allbright and his better half, Beau, buy a piece of paradise from the direct descendants of the first English missionaries to inhabit the far side of the Far North of New Zealand, they meet the offspring of whores, convicts, whalers, English pirates and those first missionaries. Their closest seaside neighbor is Australia, 1500 miles away (known to everyone thereabouts as Oz).

There are Maoris with traditional full face and body tattoos; a former member of Led Zeppelin; a Texan named Big Mama. And in the wild hinterland paradise of evermore, dreams are made and life is good—just not in the way either Aaron or Beau hoped, planned, or could have ever imagined.

Paradise is a world of adventure, new wisdom and intimations of mortality.

Add your review of "The Land Near Oz" in comments.

A 10 year old girl with two dads writes President Obama... and His Response!

This is a really sweet story, and the best thing of all is knowing this is the man we just elected to be our President for another four years!

Here's the letter Sophia sent to Barack Obama:

images from the post at Perez Hilton's blog

It reads:

Dear Barack Obama,
It's Sophia..., your friend who invited you to dinner.  You don't remember okay that's fine.  But I just wanted to tell you that I am so glad you agree that two men can love each other because I have two dads and they love each other.  But at school kids think that it's gross and weird but it really hurts my heart and feelings.  So I come to you because you are my hero.  If you were me and you had two dads that loved each other, and kids at school teased you about it, what would you do?
Please respond!
I just wanted to say you really inspire me, and I hope you win on being the president.  You would totally make the world a better place.
(heart) Your friend Sophia.  P.S. Please tell your daughters Hi for me!

And here's President Obama's response.

It reads:

Dear Sophia,

Thank you for writing me such a thoughtful letter about your family.  Reading it made me proud to be your president and even more hopeful about the future of our nation.
In America, no two families look the same.  We celebrate this diversity.  And we recognize that whether you have two dads or one mom what matters above all is the love we show one another.  You are very fortunate to have two parents who care deeply for you.  They are lucky to have such an exceptional daughter in you.
Our differences unite us.  You and I are blessed to live in a country where we are born equal no matter what we look like on the outside, where we grow up, or who our parents are.  A good rule is to treat others the way you hope they will treat you.  Remind your friends at school about this rule if they say something that hurts your feelings.
Thanks again for taking the time to write to me.  I'm honored to have your support and inspired by your compassion.  I'm sorry I couldn't make it to dinner, but I'll be sure to tell Sasha and Malia you say hello.
Sincerely,
(signed) Barack Obama

My thanks to Rob Jost for sharing this recently - it's awesome!

Namaste,
Lee

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita announce their engagment... and a new marriage equality organziation!

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (from TV's Modern Family) is Funny.

And what he says here is True.

And Funny!




Man, this line cracked me up:

"Who wouldn't want to see us get married?  We're as cute as puppies—puppies with bowties!"

Find out more about Tie The Knot, and cheer Jesse and Justin on!

Namaste,
Lee


ps - extra love and thanks to my husband, who shared this with me so I could share it with all of you!

Goldenhead: Or Bodies Or Avatars - A Fantasy Where The Imaginary Becomes Real

Goldenhead: Or Bodies Or Avatars by Annalinde Matichei

Goldenhead is a girl from an earth-like (male/female) world who never felt at home there.  She lived most of her life with an “imaginary” pixie companion, frequently visiting the “imaginary” city-sized spacecraft called the Imperial Princess.

While Goldenhead is trying desperately to “grow up” and leave her “fantasies” behind, her body falls into a coma and she finds herself fully among the people and places she believed she had imagined.

She also finds her new real world threatened by dark, demonic forces and becomes one of the three Little Knights determined to protect the Motherland.


The author plays a prominent role in the small press that published this book.  Add your review of "Goldenhead: Or Bodies Or Avatars" in comments!

OBAMA WINS!!!

YES!

Huffington Post Announces Obama's Win

YES!!

CNN says "It's Obama"

YES!!!

Yahoo calls it for Obama!

Thank you, America!

Advocate.com celebrate, saying Obama's reelection changes the politics of marriage equality forever!

Obama's second term means progress towards true equality for all - including we gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer people - will move forward!!!

And in Maine, voters APPROVED GAY MARRIAGE, reversing a 2009 ban.

Gay marriage also won in Maryland!

Despite the unfairness of voting on anyone's equality, winning these referendums in Maine and Maryland changes the conversation nationwide.  LOVE - our gay love - won!

Oh, and Tammy Baldwin won her election to become our nation's first out GLBTQ Senator!

For all this, I am so grateful.

Lee

Collide - a Bi Teen Novel

Collide by J. R. Lenk

Being bisexual is cool now—unless you’re a boy. Or so it seems to invisible fifteen-year-old Hazard James. But when he falls in with bad apple Jesse Wesley, Hazard is suddenly shoved into the spotlight. Jesse and his friends introduce him to the underworld of teenage life: house parties, hangovers, the advantages of empty homes, and reputation by association. So what if his old friends don’t get it? So what if some people love to hate him? Screw gossip and high school’s secret rules. There’s just something about walking into a room and having all eyes on him when just last year nobody noticed him at all.

For a while Hazard basks in the attention, and before he realizes the depth of the waters he’s wading, he and Jesse strike up a “friends with benefits” routine. It could be something more, but what self-respecting teenage boy would admit it? Not Jesse—and so not Hazard, either. Not until it’s too late. Hazard and Jesse have collided, and Hazard’s life will never be the same.

My thanks to the reader who recommended this book, saying "Have you, or would you, review Collide by J R Lenk?  I read it twice since getting it a couple of months ago and I love it.  The E-reader edition does have a few typo's but it's a beautiful story."

Add your review of "Collide" in comments!  

Three Quarters Of A Million Hits!

I've been blogging here for over five years.

More than 1,400 posts.

And we've just achieved a milestone: blasting past 750,000 page loads!

Knowing the blog is being read and appreciated means so much.

So thanks and cheers to you, my readers!

Namaste,
Lee

#WhyIVote!

Voting in the USA takes place on Tuesday November 6, 2012.

We'll be voting for President, but there are lots of other contests across the country that are important.

If you're old enough to vote and a citizen, VOTE!

If you can't vote yourself, help someone else get to the polls.  Can you babysit for a half hour to let an adult have the time to vote?  Can you help get an older person to their voting place?

Most important - and everyone can do this - talk to people.  Talk to your parents, your grandparents, your friends.  Let them know the issues that matter for you, and share with them your hopes (and even your fears) for the future.  Let them know how every vote counts.

In particular, as GLBTQ and allied people, there is a lot at stake in this election, and I join my Kid Lit colleagues on blogs across the web in urging everyone to take part in this election and participate!

Why I Vote?

To Make Things Better for Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans and Queer Youth and their Allies!

Be sure to check out the master list of kid lit bloggers sharing their #WhyIVote stories at Colleen Mondor's blog, Chasing Ray.

Some resources for you:

An insightful article by Jonathan Rauch on Salon, GOP: Gays Out of the Party, about the stark difference between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama in terms of gay rights.

The League of Women Voters

Stonewall Democrats

Log Cabin Republicans 

Mitt Romney was a High School Bully... Does That Matter?

The ACLU's "Get Ready To Vote" resource


Electorially Yours,
Lee

Will Your Book Be Considered For The 2013 Lambda Literary Awards? You have one month to submit it!

The Lammys are The Lambda Literary Foundation's annual awards to recognize the best LGBT literature from the past year.

Two dueling opinion pieces at advocate.com have recently debated the Lammy Awards.  On the one hand, writer, editor and publisher of Lethe Press Steve Berman talked about problems with the awards and how the selection process works.  And on the other, Tony Valenzuela (the Lambda Literary Foundation's executive director) countered with his take on the process' integrity and the continuing importance of the Lammy awards.

It's worth noting that Steve Berman has Lethe titles submitted so far in six Lammy categories for the 2013 awards, which confirms what isn't up for debate: 

The Lammy Awards are significant and increasingly important as publishing changes and we all try to find the best LGBT books out there.

Check out the Lammy guidelines and submission details here at Lambda Literary's website.

Note:  December 1, 2012 is the deadline to have your 2012 book considered!  (And if your book is being released in December, they have a way to accommodate that.)

Here's the list as of last week of the books submitted in the LGBT Children’s/Young Adult category:

Andy Squared, Jennifer Lavoie, Bold Strokes Books

Between You & Me, Marisa Calin, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Boys of Summer, Steve Berman, ed., Bold Strokes Books

Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite, Lianne Simon, Faie Miss Press

Fangs and Stilettos, Anthony DiFiore, inGroup Press

In Stone: A Grotesque Faerie Tale, Jeremy Jordan King, Bold Strokes Books

Kiss the Morning Star, Elissa Janine Hoole, Amazon Children’s Publishing

me@you.com, KE Payne, Bold Strokes Books

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, emily m. danforth, Balzer + Bray

Northern Lights, James Matthew Green, Create Space

October Mourning: A Song For Matthew Shepard, Lesléa Newman, Candlewick Press

OMGqueer, eds. Radclyffe and Katherine E. Lynch, PhD., Bold Strokes Books

Personal Effects, E.M. Kokie, Candlewick Press

The Prospect, Jason Glaser, Darby Creek

Sara, Greg Herren, Bold Strokes Books

Secret of Othello: A Fisher Key Adventure, Sam Cameron, Bold Strokes Books

Silhouette of a Sparrow, Molly Beth Griffin, Milkweed Editions

Starting from Here, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Amazon Children’s Publishing

Street Dreams, Tama Wise, Bold Strokes Books

Timothy, Greg Herren, Bold Strokes Books

Way to Go, Tom Ryan, Orca Book Publishers

The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year, Annameekee Hesik, Bold Strokes Books

Sounds like a great reading list!

Namaste,
Lee