You're Graduating! (And even if you're not...) Here's some wisdom: Ellen's Commencement Speech

Ellen DeGeneres gave this commencement speech to the graduating class at Tulane University, 2009.

She's brilliant. Watch it!



Thanks, Ellen!

Namaste,
Lee

Talk

By Kathe Koja

Kit is secretly gay, and has a major crush on Pablo. Kit's best friend Carma (who pretty much knows) dares him to try out for the school play.

Kit gets cast as the male lead, opposite Lindsay, their school's leading lady.

While Kit is crushing on Pablo, Lindsay crushes on Kit, and then their controversial play (about getting a terrorist to talk) is threatened - some parents want the school to shut it down.

So Kit and Lindsay have to fight for the play and for the truth - the battle rages in school, onstage, and even inside themselves.


Add your review of "Talk" in comments!

So You Want To Write or Illustrate for Children and Teenagers? THE SCBWI SUMMER CONFERENCE 2009 - And Why It's an AMAZING opportunity!!!

SCBWI - The Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators - is an awesome organization. How awesome?

Check this out!

SCBWI Tribute from Kimberly C. Baker on Vimeo.

SCBWI has their big international annual conference in Los Angeles this August 7-10, 2009 (lots of great info on it here), and I'll be there, live blogging the event with an amazing team of fellow authors and bloggers. (Check out links to their blogs in the right hand column, under "SCBWI TEAM BLOG")



If you write or illustrate (or want to write or illustrate) or are otherwise part of the children's book universe, come to the conference and it could very well be the highlight of YOUR career year, too!

There are sessions on craft (how to become a better writer and/or illustrator) taught by some of the biggest luminaries writing and illustrating for children and teens.

Honestly if I start naming names, I'd have to list them ALL... (click here for the full list!)

But I will say that I'll be having an exclusive pre-conference interview right here on "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" with Ellen Hopkins!!! AND another interview with Holly Black!!! and I'm very very very excited about talking to both of those AMAZING authors!

There are sessions on the business (agents and editors talking about how to do things and about their own personal tastes)

There are even opportunities to have your work professionally critiqued!!!

But wait! There's more....

There's a beautiful pool, a gala costume party, joke contests, a bookstore, chances to get SIGNED COPIES of your favorite books by your favorite authors, so much fun to be had, and endless opportunities to network and make new friends on your professional journey!

I hope to see you there,

Namaste,
Lee

Same Gender Marriage in California - The CA Supreme Court Issues a Bittersweet Ruling on Prop 8

So my same-gender marriage, and the other 18,000 same gender marriages that happened last year are LEGAL, and will remain LEGAL.

But Prop 8 was upheld, and no other same-gender marriages can be performed (or will be recognized) in California.

How incredibly ridiculous is that?

7 out of 7 judges upheld my marriage.

But only 1 out of 7 understood the basic principals at play under all the legalese - that for a majority to deny a minority its rights is NOT the American Way!

In Justice Moreno’s view, “[d]enying the designation of marriage to same-sex couples cannot fairly be described as a ‘narrow’ or ‘limited’ exception to the requirement of equal protection,” but adds that “even a narrow and limited exception to the promise of full equality strikes at the core of, and thus fundamentally alters, the guarantee of equal treatment . . . . Promising equal treatment to some is fundamentally different from promising equal treatment for all. Promising treatment that is almost equal is fundamentally different from ensuring truly equal treatment. Granting a disfavored minority only some of the rights enjoyed by the majority is fundamentally different from recognizing, as a constitutional imperative, that they must be granted all of those rights.”


Justice Moreno declares that “Proposition 8 represents an unprecedented instance of a majority of voters altering the meaning of the equal protection clause by modifying the California Constitution to require deprivation of a fundamental right on the basis of a suspect classification.” He states that “[t]he rule the majority crafts today not only allows same-sex couples to be stripped of the right to marry that this court recognized in the Marriage Cases, it places at risk the state constitutional rights of all disfavored minorities” and “weakens the status of our state Constitution as a bulwark of fundamental rights for minorities protected from the will of the majority.”

I suggest the other 6 Justices, and everyone else for that matter, re-read this:



And think about the spirit and the meaning of these words, from the Preamble to our nation's "DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE"

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Everyone can understand ALL people should have equal rights. I was raised to believe that's what AMERICA stands for!

The California Supreme Court embarrassed itself today with this Prop 8 ruling. And while I'm grateful that they upheld the legality of my marriage, I'm appalled at their coming down on the WRONG side of equality for everyone else.

A little sweet.

A lot bitter.

A very bitter-sweet day.

The fight will continue...

Namaste,

Lee

GSA Monday Topic: Thoughts for Next Year, Part 3. Other Schools' GSAs - collaboration versus competition

Generally, the nature of inter-school relations is competitive (often the only organized interactions are sport or academic competitions which set students from different schools AGAINST each other.)

But with GSA clubs in multiple schools, there's an opportunity for collaboration between schools and for friendships between students. For community.

Friendships flourish in shared experiences and circumstances. Like campers from different schools who come together over the summer, or summer job co-workers, or probably even the top 10 on American Idol (who'll be on a 50 city tour this summer.)

I don't personally know if other affinity clubs in high schools (like Asian Pacific Islander students, Latino students, and Black students) feel a kinship with their counterpart groups across school loyalties, but I bet they do.

GLSEN reports that there are over 4,000 GSA clubs in schools in the USA as of 2008.

Maybe you could explore the other GSAs in schools around you - after all, they're part of the same GLBTQ and Allied community.

Maybe there are some joint events you could plan with another GSA club at a different (or even rival) school for next year?

Just like a rainbow crosses borders,
those of us who make up the GLBTQ rainbow come from everywhere.
This makes us uniquely positioned to bridge
the traditional conflicts and competition that divide groups of people.
We build our community across ALL other communities.
There's an opportunity in that.

What do you think?

Hope Part 4, or Another Great Thing You Can Do: The Bridget Zinn Auction

Bridget Zinn (link to her blog here)

From April Henry's blog, as posted at The Bridget Zinn Auction site:

This is Bridget. Three things happened to Bridget in February:
1. She got an agent for her young adult novel.
2. She got married.
3. She found out she had Stage Four colon cancer.

I met Bridget a year ago at an Oregon SWCBI event. She had just moved to Portland from Wisconsin, where she was a teen librarian. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. When she found out she had an agent, she was just glowing. A few days later she went to a naturopath for headaches and vision problems. She ended up in the ER – and learned very quickly that she had cancer.

As Bridget says in her blog, “I would like to add in here that I am a super super healthy non-smoking, non-drinking, carcinogen avoiding young vegetarian who wears sunscreen every day. I looked at the list of risk factors for colon cancer and it turn out that I don’t even have one. Not one risk factor. So that was a surprise. Then Barrett and I decided to get married. He proposed on my hospital bed, it was terribly romantic and we were married by the hospital chaplain the first possible moment we could be.”

But now Bridget is dealing with an ugly reality that is all too common in America today. Even when you have insurance that covers most things, it doesn’t cover everything. Medscape reports, “The cost of treating colorectal cancer has skyrocketed over the past 5 years or so, and the costs of new agents and regimens have risen 340-fold.”

Here’s how you can help. A group of writers who have been impressed with Bridget’s friendliness and what can only be described as her radiant joy (even now) has banded together to help Bridget with the costs she faces.

One of the activities will be an online auction.

The Auction is up and running, and bids are being taken until 11pm Saturday May 30.

There are some AMAZING things being auctioned:

FOR WRITERS WANTING TO GET PUBLISHED:

Reads and critiques by

Kristin Nelson, Agent

Nancy Mercado, Editor Roaring Book Press

A unique team critique by Dori Chaconas (author) and Andrea Tompa, assoc. editor Candlewick Press

and many more critiques by award winning and wonderful authors!!!

FOR WRITERS WANTING MORE READERS:

There are so many amazing opportunities!!! Like these:

an expert social media plan,

a personalized book launch consult,

a custom audio production of a program you can use as a podcast and on your website,

a custom marketing package,

your own website designed for you,

a custom teacher guide created just for your book,

even a podcast interview

and a radio show interview!

FOR READERS:

There are Many, Many, Many signed first editions and Original works of ART!!!

There are too many wonderful choices to even try to summarize them here, but there are some incredible finds - like this ARC of "Dreamdark: Silksinger" with temporary faerie warrior facial tattoos that Laini designed!

Oh, and this signed first edition of Stephanie Meyers' "Eclipse" (the 3rd book in the Twilight series)

FOR EVERYONE:

There's so much more...

Vacations,

baby quilts,

hand crafted journals,

more vacations,

goody bags,

a dragon jester stick!,

custom kitchen knives

...hey, you can even bid to get Carl Kasel's voice on your answering machine!

There are so many great things beyond what I highlighted... and it's for such a great cause!

So please, Go check it out (and get your bids in) to help Bridget and get something AWESOME for yourself!

Thanks for being part of sharing the HOPE this week!

Namaste,
Lee

This was going to be Hope Part 3 - but, scratch that. Kris Allen wins American Idol.

Adam Lambert (Left) and Kris Allen

Just after announcing Kris Allen as the winner of this year's American Idol contest,

Ryan Seacrest: How does it feel?

Kris Allen: It feels good, man, but um, Adam deserves this.

Yes he does.

Sigh.

Oh, America. What the Hell? Kris is cute and a good singer, but Adam is a star and an AMAZING SINGER!

I guess the best revenge will be that Adam will end up being the biggest star that was ever on American Idol.

And I'll be first in line to download all his songs!

I guess we'll get back to "Hope" tomorrow.

Heavy sigh.

Namaste,
Lee

***UPDATE***

this post-show interview with Adam from EW:

I want to just get this question out of the way first, something that's been dangling a bit over you for the whole season: Would you like to put to rest all the speculation about your sexuality?
It's not dangling over my head. [Laughing] It may be dangling over yours, but it's not over mine. Yeah, I think speculation keeps things really interesting.

So you don't want to say anything one way or the other?
Like I said, I think speculation keeps things very, very interesting. [Laughs]

All I can say right now to that is:

Aaargh!!!

Hope, Part 2: A 3rd Grader puts together a rally of hundreds of people for same-gender marriage!

A few days ago a teacher contacted me to let me know that one of his 3rd grade students had put together a marriage equality rally... at the state capital in Denver, Colorado! (Here's one of the many articles on Ethan's rally in the Denver Post.)

Here are some photos from Ethan's Rally that his teacher sent me to share with you all:






Times like these make us yearn for hope. And this child, nine year old Ethan - who is so wise, gives it to us.


UPDATE: HERE'S VIDEO OF ETHAN'S RALLY!!!




Here is the text of the speech that Ethan read on the steps of his state's capitol building:

First I want to thank everyone for coming, specifically the speakers that took their free time to come and speak and support me and equal marriage rights.

At our rally today there might be some people that have a different view than us and they might say some unkind things, but please keep all of your positive energy on the rally. Despite the view of these people

I believe that I am doing the right thing and it will help lots and lots of people and make many lives better.

I believe that everybody is equal. No matter their religion, race, or sexual orientation. In the past different figures in history have improved civil rights, like Martin Luther King and Ghandi. And things got better. But not for everyone.

We need to continue to fight for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Over time things have gotten better for gays and lesbians, but there are two things that have not improved: 1. equal protection for gays and lesbians and 2. Equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians.

I believe that everybody deserves equal protection. This includes police officers and government officials, without bias. On July 9, 2008 an off duty police officer threw the first punch in an anti-gay bar fight and smashed a glass into a gay man’s face before running off. In school you’re taught that the police are supposed to be your friend. How are you supposed to believe that when you’re gay and a police officer just smashed a glass into a gay person’s face? Have you ever heard of a police officer smashing a glass into a straight man’s face? [not all police officers are like this]

I also believe that everyone deserves the choice to get married. I don’t understand why people seem to think that civil unions are the same as marriage? In civil unions you don't get the same benefits such as if your partner dies you don't get their retirement Why are straight couples better than gay and lesbian couples? If you were gay or lesbian how would you feel if you weren’t allowed to get married then later you
see a straight couple get married? People marry because they love each other and want to stay together the rest of their lives. That’s important to children and to adults. If you are married you can go to the hospital to see your partner. If you aren’t married you can’t be there if your partner is sick or dies just because you are gay and lesbian? Do you think that’s fair that one person can stand by their partner when they are sick but a gay or lesbian person can’t? But getting married is not only a right but a responsibility.

In conclusion, there is a lot more work to be done regarding marriage equality and equal protection. I hope this rally will make an impact and let our voices be heard. Once again I would like to thank everybody for coming.

Wow. I have another new hero. And I feel hope for the future of our world!

Thank you Ethan. And thanks to your Mom and to your teacher for supporting you in this amazing step for Gay rights!

With great respect,
Namaste,

Lee

Hope, Part 1: Teenage Boys In Jail. What gives them some hope for their future? Books.

Check out this amazing project to help out Teen Boys who are in LA juvenile detention.

Guys Lit Wire and Inside Out Writers are teaming up for a two week bookfair to get some hope (in the form of books) into the hands of these kids.

Go read about it. And maybe buy them a book.

Some of these kids are gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Questioning. Heck, some of them are even straight!

A single book could change their lives.

Like Colleen says, Let's change the world!

GSA Monday Topic: Thoughts for Next Year, Part 2. Mentoring, Giving Back, Giving HOPE

Four generations of hands in my family

Okay, another thing to consider is how can you and the other kids in your high school GSA reach out to the community in the middle and junior high schools you came from?

Not that you have to have ALL the answers to be a mentor, but even two of you going back and talking to a human development or health class at your middle school about being in the GSA at your high school and what it means can make a huge impact on the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders there.

At every point in our journey, we benefit so much from reaching out and helping others.

In fact, one of the best recipes for cooking up your own self-esteem is to get out of your own head and volunteer to help someone else.

Think about what an impact it would have made on you if someone had come in to talk to YOU when you were in 7th grade about their being a Gay Straight Alliance club in the high school.

Realize that YOU can do that for the kids in the junior high. You can give them that gift of perspective, of knowing there's a safe space for them, no matter if they're gay, or questioning, or straight - you can give them that gift of hope!

Things like this take some planning, so start thinking about what steps you'd need to take.

Also, whether or not you're involved in a real-world GSA, getting out there and giving back is something we can ALL do, in many different ways.

Think about how YOU want to give back next year. How can you volunteer? How can you give the gift of HOPE?

And now make a plan to make it happen!

Namaste,
Lee

A Saturday Bonus Post: How cool. James over at Book Chic interviews... ME!

And it was really fun!

Check it out here!

Thanks to James for including me in his GLBT Month Celebration!

Namaste everyone,
Lee

Let's BUTCH it up, gentlemen! Figure Skating goes "Macho" for the 2010 Winter Olympics

Did you miss this?

Figure Skating Goes Macho @ Yahoo! Video

Canadian skating officials, in advance of the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010, say the sport needs to get macho. Skate Canada hopes to expand figure skating's audience by projecting an image of "masculinity" that will draw in the "hockey crowd."

Snarkiness of the "Good Morning America" hosts aside, I'm flabbergasted by the assumption that a sport has to be macho to be hard - or the parallel flawed logic, if it's not brutal then it's not really a man's sport.

THIS IS ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA.

"If viewers think the athletes are gay, they won't watch." That's the subtext of this whole thing.

This goes right back to the stereotype that "real" men do hard sports, and if there's a softer sport (I'm thinking ballet and figure skating - two physically demanding but not "aggressive" sports) then the men that do that can't be REAL men - they must be gay. AAARRRGHHHHH!!!!

GAY MEN ARE REAL MEN!!!! For that matter, Swishy, effeminate men are REAL MEN, too! I think I need to shout that again:

SWISHY, EFFEMINATE MEN ARE REAL MEN, TOO!

It also makes me think about Olympic level gymnastics. Those guys don't wear the sequins and frills some figure skaters wear, but even there, with their muscles straining as they do stuff with their bodies that 99.9% of straight guys couldn't even IMAGINE doing (the ring routine? crazy!) Not ONE single gymnastics athlete was OUT in the last summer Olympics in Beijing. Not ONE gymnast. And look how girly it looks:


That's Yang Wei, the all around gold medal winner from China in the 2008 Beijing Olympics - We don't know if he's gay or not, but he sure looks like quite the athlete!

Maybe the answer is for the male figure skaters to wear less! Show us more muscle. Perform in just speedos. It worked for Matthew Mitcham!



That should satisfy the hockey crowd and prove to them the sport is masculine enough to admit they enjoy it. And the gay audience won't complain about the changes, either...

This whole "controversy" tells us three things:

1. Homophobia in sports is still a major problem.

2. We need more athletes - in aggressive AND in non-aggressive sports - to come OUT!

3. The media, in reporting the story this way, is quite happy to let the homophobic subtext go without talking about it. They'll talk around it. And snicker at the thought of figure skaters being masculine, but they won't address their own homophobia. So we have to call them on it.

For more Cool Gay and OUT Sports stuff, check out outsports!

The Riverhouse Stories: How Pubah S. Queen and Lazy LaRue Save the World

By Andrea Carlisle, illustrated by Mary Narkiewicz

Two women live together on a houseboat.

Pubah is an electrician, and a dynamo.

Lazy is a writer, and a dreamer.

Together they experience life's small epiphanies, like feeding ducks. And rainbows. And difficult cats.

And together, all those little experiences add up to their life's BIG love.


Thanks to my loyal blog reader who recommended this as a book teen readers love, citing it's "extremely playful" tone! Add your review of "The Riverhouse Stories" in comments.

Inferno

By Robin Stevenson

Your best friend has moved away, without you ever getting to have 'the conversation.'

You change your name from Emily.

You call yourself "Dante."

And then you meet Parker - a girl, a high school dropout, an anarchist.

Sometimes when you fall for someone, you fall into an "Inferno."


Add your review of "Inferno" in comments!

Lieutenant Dan Choi comes out, gets fired under "Don't Ask Don't Tell," and what President Obama said about his commitment to end the policy

Rachel Maddow interviews Lieutenant Dan Choi about his recent coming-out and dismissal under "Don't Ask. Don't Tell." She also speaks with the highest ranking former military officer in the US Congress, Representative Joe Sestak, (Dem. PA)

Rachel starts off the segment by sharing a hand-written note President Obama sent a female officer, Lieutenant Sandy Xou [phonetic spelling of her last name] who wrote the President after she was also recently discharged from the military for coming out as gay.

It's essential viewing:



Lieutenant Choi's final words in the interview,

"We Want To Serve"

still ring in my ears!

For more info, you can check out the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

All right, President Obama. We're waiting for you to come through on this!