PFLAG Prom is HERE!

 
It's that time of year again folks: time to dress up and get down! Pre-Sales are going on right now, you can buy them from me @ AHA during lunch in C124 or you can buy them from Owen @ WHS in his classroom.

 For information on the location try Google Maps. Hope to see you there!

"Let's Talk About Sex" World Premiere

On Saturday April 9th, TLC will be broadcasting the film "Let's Talk About Sex" discussing how Americas obsession and simultaneous refusal to talk about sex is effecting our youth. It specifically confronts the lack of sex education in our schools and how our abstinence only policy leads America's youth to make uninformed and risky decisions about sex.

From the film maker:

While American teens live in a society that uses sex to sell everything from lipstick to laptops, they are rarely afforded opportunities to discuss sex and sexual health in an open, honest way. Through interviews with real parents and teens, health experts, and faith leaders, director James Houston presents a revealing look at how American attitudes towards adolescent sexuality impact teenagers. The United States has among the highest teen pregnancy and STD rates in the industrialized world. Produced in collaboration with Advocates for Youth, LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX is both a catalyst and a tool to initiate healthy conversations in kitchens and classrooms across the country.

Controversial? Defiantly! I can't wait to see it. Students, grab a parent and sit down, this is EXACTLY what we need to be talking about.

The show starts April 9th @ 10pm/9pm Central.

Don't Just Stand There! Stop Bullying NOW (with Flash-mobs)

Click to see the image MUCH bigger!

UNM Queer student day

On Saturday, April 2nd, the UNM LGBTQ Resource Center is going to be hosting a Queer Student UNM Day as a prospective student day for LGBTQ and Ally high school students who may be interested in attending UNM. This will include a campus tour and general information about UNM, but will also focus specifically on what it is like to be an LGBT student here. We will be holding a panel that will include people from a number of the support services departments on campus, such as the LGBTQ Resource Center, Residence Life, Career Services, and representatives from different student groups. I think that much of this information would be useful even to students who may be planning on going to college elsewhere. I think that it's important for LGBTQ students to be aware of the support systems that are in place at universities and to know how to access these services, as it can greatly ease the transition to college, whether that be at UNM or elsewhere.

Ricky Martin Spreading the Love!

Just one year since coming out as a fortunate homosexual man Ricky Martin has experienced a boom in his career, which he spoke about while accepting the GLAAD Media Awards.

Since coming out Martin's twitter account has more then tripled in the number of followers, his new album is a success and he and his two children are happy and healthy. However all of these boons in fortune are not enough for Ricky.

When he accepted the GLAAD media award he proposed a mission "Let's share the love! Let's go to Mexico! Let's go to Columbia! Let's go to Argentina! Let's go to Chile! Let's go to Brazil! We need you GLAAD – we need you down there," he said. "I can help, I can do it! I'll be part of it. I want to be part of it."

It gets better event @ page 1!

If you don't know what the It gets better project is you've clearly been living under a rock, the it gets better project was started as a result of the rash of suicides of gay youth that had been bullied.

The It Gets Better Project has come to Albuquerque! Local book retailer Page 1 is planning an event surrounding the release of the It Gets Better Book!
From their press release:

We will be holding this event on Sunday, April 10th at 2pm. If you would
like to be involved in planning, have some ideas for the event, or would
just like to come and support this event, we'd love to hear from you! You
can contact us at events@page1book.com.

So if you have any ideas that you want to share please contact Page 1, remember Queer youth are heavily effected by bullying, if you see anyone who is being bullied or you yourself are being bullied please talk to an adult and remember IT GETS BETTER!

Gaga on 60 Minutes

Last week CBS anchor, Anderson Cooper, sat down with Lady Gaga for 60 Minutes as a part of an ongoing series of interviews with music superstars. As with anything Lady Gaga does, the interview was more than a little strange. Lady Gaga has long been a advocate for gay rights and recently put out her new single Born This Way, in which she encourages everyone to be strong, brave, and unashamed of who they are. The message pops up again in the interview following:

"Tonight I want you to let go of all of your insecurities. I want you to reject anyone or anything that ever made you feel that you don't belong. Free yourself of these things tonight! Yeah!!!" she encouraged her fans at one show.

"You're hoping to speak to people who feel different, who feel disconnected?" Cooper asked.

"People who feel disconnected from society or disenfranchised, feel like a freak, feel like you don't belong, like you don't fit in, or you'll never be great," she explained.

I like to think, no matter what you think of Lady Gaga's music and fashion, her support of people who are different, is something we can all get behind.

If you would like to see the full interview, check out the 60 Minutes website by following the link below:

60 Minutes: Lady Gaga & The Art of Fame

A Gay Marriage/Civil Union Update

Image Source

News from the New Mexico legislature yesterday. There are two bills working their way through the capitol, one a DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) would seek to define marriage as being between a man and a woman only. The second, would void civil unions made in other states (there are currently 5 states and the District of Columbia that recognize civil unions.)

Yesterday, both bills were tabled in the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee, effectively stopping them from continuing. While there is a possibility the issue might rise again, the LGBT community is cautiously optimistic.

From Equality New Mexico:

“We don’t dare call today’s development a victory, but we are clearly happy that these bills have been tabled for now. EQNM applauds our legislators who saw this bill as an affront New Mexico's families,” noted Todd McElroy, Los Alamos resident and EQNM Board Member. “We will remain vigilant, however, to see that these bills do not rise again in the remaining days of this session.”

Meanwhile, in Hawaii a bill to recognize civil unions has just passed after years of debate. The bill will now go to the governor where it is unclear whether or not the bill will be signed or vetoed.

While the future is still unclear, at least Facebook fully recognizes civil unions.

OUTstanding Awards: Voting Open!

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Voting has begun for the annual Outstanding Awards, put on my Albuquerque Pride and the Alibi. These awards showcase the best of the GLBT community here in Albuquerque. Last year, our sister club the West Mesa GSA won the award for Best Youth Group, and this year they were nominated again!

Follow the link below, vote and help support the West Mesa GSA. Voting will close Feb 28th, so vote soon. Good luck Mustangs, and great job!

Vote Now!

On the Cover of Entertainment Weekly

This week's cover of Entertainment Weekly features a story on gay teens on TV.  The article asks questions like:

"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?"

and looks at the Glee character, Kurt Hummel who is openly gay and not alone:

"Jason Galisatus, a 17-year-old student ambassador for GLSEN, would be the first to agree with Murphy. 'I think that Kurt will become a historical figure in LGBT history,' says Galisatus. 'My friends talk about the episode where he came out to his dad. We all talk about how amazing that is and how crazy it must be to live in a conservative, Midwestern community and be able to be open about your sexuality. That’s very inspiring to all of us, and we can say, "Well, hey, if Kurt can do it, why can’t we?" Frequently, even if it is just a show, it does give us hope that coming out is not always a horrible thing to do.' And a little hope can often go a long way. The Trevor Project, which runs a toll-free suicide hotline for gay youth or those questioning their sexuality, has been receiving numerous calls from teens who have been moved to pick up the phone after watching relatable TV characters such as Kurt."

Is more gay character on TV a sign of more acceptance? Does this change things for GLBTQ teens in real high schools? When are we going to see a Die Hard movie where Bruce Willis fights terrorists to save his boyfriend?

Check out the magazine in the AHA library or look on Entertainment Weekly for more. 

Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the State of the Union

If you didn't know, the US military's policy of don't-ask-don't-tell, made it impossible for alternative sexualities to serve openly in the military. It it became known that a soldier was either gay or a lesbian and serving in the military, they were immediately discharged. After much debate the policy was finally repealed by the Senate in December of 2010. Check out the video below for President Obama's remarks on don't-ask-don't-tell in his State of the Union Address.