Results tagged “Gay Lesbian and Bisexual” from A Swede in SF

Today I attended the Chancellor's Award for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and/or Transgender Leadership. As always this is a very powerful and touching event.

Having served on the selection committee for the last two years, I am aware of the phenomenal work that is done within the community by LGBTIQ individuals and our allies. But listening to the speeches from the awardees I was crying because of the powerful stories they shared with us present. Thank you all, and congratulations!

And in all of this, I cannot help to wonder over the ostracism, homophobia, and ignorance they have met - and that we as LGBTIQ women and men continue to face. Living in San Francisco it is so easy to get lost in the protected world, the bubble we live in. The flag over the Castro often feels like a beacon of hope, but at the same time also like an opium...

And the stories shared today become even more thought-provoking as I am - at the same time - reading about queer theory and describe that theory for my qualifying exam. It feels so strange to write about concepts like the heterosexual matrix and performativity, and then see its presence in and around myself.

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• Affirming Movies (bilerico.com)

Today, the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, today declared that the government will present laws and propositions for a new marriage law in Sweden from May 1, 2009. All parties in the parliament, but one - that also is part in the coalition government - are supporting it. [Link to the Swedish news paper dn.se][The Local's report in English] To avoid the problem with the Christian Democrats, the remaining three parties in the government will present a bill starting in parliament.

It's ironic to see that happening the same day as the Prop 8 looks to pass, and bring a ban on same-sex marriage into the Californian constitution.

I'm happy that we got a chance to get married in California - as party A & party B - the chance to tick a box for bride or groom wasn't there yet. Groom-groom, bride-groom, bride-bride - and it didn't say that the sex had to be the same as the gendered name. :)

"Using 'queer' is a way of reminding us how we are perceived by the rest of the world". It was true for Queer Nation in 1990 - and it seems likely be just as true in 2008.