LGBTQ Guide to Comic-Con 2016.

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Every year for the past 29 years, the Gays in Comics panel has graced a stage at Comic-Con International, the annual celebration of pop culture held in San Diego. During this time the convention has expanded from a comic books-only focus to include other mediums like TV, film, and games. And the presence of LGBT people, once relegated to that single panel, has exploded to a point where every day offers a variety of queer content and the breadth of topics continues to grow. Here are some of the best things about 2016, Comic-Con’s queerest year yet.

[…]

You Don’t Even Have to Be in the Convention Center: One of the best things about this year’s Comic-Con? You don’t need a ticket to take advantage of some events and panels. Organizers have long recognized that the demand for Comic-Con tickets far exceeds availability (as does demand for space for exhibits and presenters). Over the years there’s been a growing number of events outside of the convention hall — including in local bars and even the public library (see above for examples). This year Comic-Con has launched this access into hyperspace by introducing a new premium digital network, ComicConHQ. In association with Lionsgate, the service will live-stream select Comic-Con panels and make others available later; it will also offer classic sci-fi and fantasy titles, and it reportedly has original programming in the works, including scripted series and news shows.

This is a long list, people! Stuffed with great events and panels. Wish I was there. Click on over to The Advocate for the full scoop.

More Indigie Femme

Because I need it today. Am I Ready?:

Am I Ready?

Dreams, what for? Some times I wonder, what for?
Visions, come and go, do we see them, who knows?
Blessings, pleasure and pain, come together, do we get it?
Prayers, piece within, silent heart, can we love?

Always wondering where we’re going, where do we belong? where do we belong?
Walk along the edge and ask yourself, Am I Ready?
Take my hand into the fire, fear unknown!

Tears let them flow, allow the healing cleanse your soul
Thoughts, face the east, sunrise in, beauty way!
Blessings, pleasure and pain, come together, do we get it?
Prayers, peace within, silent heart, can we love?

Always wondering where we’re going, where do we belong? where do we belong?
Walk along the edge and ask yourself, Am I Ready?
Take my hand into the fire, fear unknown!
(Split)
Walk along the edge and ask yourself, Am I Ready?
Dreams, visions, blessings and prayers
Am I Ready? Am I Ready?
Face yourself, you can do it,
Am I Ready?
embrace fears and don’t look back, visions
Take my hand into the fire, fear unknown!
embrace fears and
don’t look back
fear unknown!
AM I READY?

Indigenous Events Calendar

Credit: Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort.

Credit: Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort.

July 25th – 13th Annual Ironworkers Festival.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort hosts the annual Ironworkers Festival to celebrate past and present ironworkers. For more than 130 years, the Mohawk have been known for their ability to work high steel, and for their enormous contribution to shaping New York City’s skyline.

Each year, Ironworkers travel from throughout the Northeast to compete for the top prize of “Ultimate Ironworker,” in the skills competition which awards $6,500 in cash prizes. The funds raised through registration fees and t-shirt sales are donated to the Local 440 Ironworker Benefit Fund, which provides emergency relief to Ironworkers. The event is family friendly, so bring your whole crew out for a great day! Hogansburg, NY. http://mohawkcasino.com/events/ironworkersfestival/

August 17th – 22nd – 98th Annual Crow Fair. Crow Fair 2016 Poster.

Crow Fair, called the “Tipi Capital of the World,” is an annual event held the third weekend in August on the Crow Reservation in Montana. It is one of the largest Native American events in North America and is run by a committee of the Crow tribe. Crow Fair combines a celebration of Crow culture, reunion of family groups, powwow, rodeo, horse racing, and commercial vendors. Native Americans of various tribes and many non-Indian people, including visitors from around the world, gather to celebrate and enjoy themselves. There may be 1,000 tipis, along with wall tents, pickup campers, trailers, and mobile homes. Each family has its own camp area, and people visit and eat under arbor shades and awnings.

[Read more…]

TV: trying to make everybody f*cking gay.

Boosie Badazz.

Boosie Badazz.

So, this person I had not heard of before has decided that the world at large has just gone too far – the gay is in cartoons, oh no! Why, it’s a terrible thing for kids to see themselves represented as normal.

“Gay panic” hysteria over LGBT-inclusive children’s programming is usually the purview of the falsely named One Million Moms, but rapper Boosie Badazz recently brought those fears into the mainstream when he told VladTV that cartoons are making kids gay.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based rapper told DJ Vlad last month that television in general is “trying to make everybody fucking gay.”

“They’re putting it everywhere,” he continued. “Gay stuff is everywhere. … You got cartoons that have gays. On cartoons! These are kids. Let kids make their own decision if they wanna go that way. Six- and seven-year-old, five-year-old, shouldn’t be turned onto gay cartoons when their mind not even developed yet. What if they like how that cartoon talk? Now, you’re forcing them to be gay. Every TV show has gays. They’re kissing each other. It’s out of hand.”

Oh, kissing. Yes, that’s terrible. All those hetero people better stop that, right now. None of that hand holding, either.

“Everywhere you go, they’re forcing this gay stuff,” he said. “It wasn’t like that when I was coming up. The Ninja Turtles wasn’t kissing. You know what I’m saying? It wasn’t like that. The Flintstones wasn’t — they didn’t have two men on The Flintstones kissing, you know. The Jetsons wasn’t kissing. Everywhere you go they trying to do that, and they doing it for monetary gain. They not doing it cause they love the gays.”

Last time I looked, no one was making me, or anyone else watch television, let alone specific programs. I’m pretty sure you can still hang in the stone ages with Fred if you really want to do so.

But those sobering statistics appear to be lost on Badazz, who concluded his rant on VladTV by promising that if his child was gay,”I would probably slap his ass back straight.”

“I’m gonna kick his ass,” the rapper continued. “Maybe he’ll realize he’s not gay. But if I can’t stop him from being gay, I’m not gonna ban my son from my life. I’ll just have to find some crazy ass way to deal with it.”

Later during the same interview with VladTV, Badazz, a father of seven, said that he was looking for women with whom he could have three more children, so that he could make good on a promise he made to his grandmother to give her 10 great-grandchildren.

Though Badazz says he “doesn’t hate gay people at all,” it’s no secret that hostile attitudes like those the rapper is espousing contribute to the perception that LGBT lives, sexualities, and gender identities are deviant and inherently not kid-friendly.

If you ever wonder why bigotry just doesn’t die, there’s why.

The Advocate has the full story.

Jim Boyd has walked on.

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Jim Boyd, musician and Colville tribal chairman has walked on. Jim was well known for his music as a member of the bands XIT, Greywolf and Winterhawk, and for four songs in the iconic Indian Country classic movie Smoke Signals. Jim Boyd was also instrumental in the recent historic canoe journey and intertribal gathering, which has brought profound joy to so many people. Also instrumental in that effort was Virgil Seymour, who also walked on recently, another great loss to the Colville people.

Jim has walked on, but I will look to the stars, listen to his voice, and whisper thank you.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fFWrfI1YLU

Native Music Icon and Colville Chairman Jim Boyd Walks On.  Jim Boyd’s Passing the Second of Two Devastating Losses for Colvilles.  ‘There are No Words’: Reviving Canoe Culture on the Upper Columbia River.

Reggae on the Oregon Rez.

Left to right: Benny Pezzano, Michael Sorensen, Kenny Lewis, Scott Guasco and Michael Lennon are Sol Seed. (Photo: Athena Delene)

Left to right: Benny Pezzano, Michael Sorensen, Kenny Lewis, Scott Guasco and Michael Lennon are Sol Seed. (Photo: Athena Delene)

Many bands in mainstream rock have a connection to Native communities through one of their musicians. The Band’s Robbie Robertson, Testament’s Charles Billy and the many contributions of Jesse Ed Davis to various groups are some examples. Sol Seed—a reggae-fusion band out of Eugene, Oregon—has a relationship with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde through its guitarist, Kenny Sequoia Lewis.

Through Lewis, Sol Seed – only two years old at the time – found itself performing at the 2012 Native American Music Awards at the invitation of Grand Ronde flute player Jan Michael Looking Wolf.

“I think it was one of those moments that validated what we were doing,” said band member Benny Pezzano. “Something was written in the stars for all of us together.”

Lewis played as a studio musician for Looking Wolf’s album Breaking Free. For Lewis, the Nammy experience showed him the depth of genres within Native American music.

[…]

Performing with Looking Wolf created for him a “smoother experience” that he would take to Sol Seed. Now with six years of experience as a band, member Pezzano says Sol Seed has a message of “universal love, universal acceptance and reaching across cultural or national boundaries.”

“Live music is one of the best medicines for anyone,” Pezzano said. “It’s right up there with laughter. Someone once told me that reggae music is what positive feelings sound like. Most importantly, it brings everyone together.”

Sol Seed spends its time between touring nationally and regionally in the northwest. Growing up in Medford, Oregon Lewis says he enjoys playing at the Grand Ronde reservation for their youth.

“It’s really cool to see the smiles light up on their faces,” Lewis said. “I get to connect with them because I’m the only tribal member in Sol Seed. It’s a huge honor for me. I really enjoy it.”

To find out more about Sol Seed and their music, go to www.solseedmusic.com. They can also be found on Facebook, Reverbnation and Soundcloud.

Via ICTMN.

Grateful Dead Tribute Album Could Break HIV Fundraising Records.

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Day of the Dead, is a love letter to the Grateful Dead, curated by The National rockers Aaron and Bryce Dessner. A tribute to the eclectic and iconic band from the era of psychedelic music, the album took four years to collect and compile.

Featuring over sixty artists from a variety of musical backgrounds, (including Mumford & Sons, Wilco, Courtney Barnett, and The National) the set reinterprets the songs and sounds of the Dead for a whole new generation.

A project of Red Hot, the international organization dedicated to fighting HIV  through pop culture, Day of the Dead,  is expected to break the organization’s previous fundraising records.

The 5-hour, 59-track album features artists from Mumford & Sons to Wilco, and Courtney Barnett to The National. Full Story Here.

Native Guitar Tour Showcase.

Jir Anderson performs at the 2016 Under the Native Stars show during Gathering of Nations. Credit: Jason Morgan Edwards.

Jir Anderson performs at the 2016 Under the Native Stars show during Gathering of Nations. Credit: Jason Morgan Edwards.

The southwest is a vibrant breeding-ground for Native talent. A newly emerging source for musicians is the Native Guitars Tour. Led by Jir Anderson (Cochiti), NGT is in its sixth year of existence and offers an alternative venue outside of showcases like Gathering of Nations and Santa Fe Indian Market.

NGT tends to be a two-night show with bands covering a myriad of genres.

“What I really wanted to do was provide a stage for fellow Native artists. I wanted to [showcase] contemporary music: rock, blues, R&B, metal and reggae,” Anderson said. He started the showcase after networking with bands while touring across the U.S. and Canada. His vision for NGT: “more national opportunities for Native artists.”

Anderson is not just focused on new and emerging talent. For the 2016 Under The Native Stars show during GoN, he featured singer/songwriter, Sage Bond (Navajo/Apache); indie rockers, Scatter Their Own (Lakota); Seattle soul band, Daisy Chain, featuring Leilani Finau (Haida Tsimpsian and Samoan); and veteran Navajo blues band, The Levi Platero Band (formerly The Plateros).

[…]

Catch the next NGT showcase on August 30 at The Palace in Santa Fe, with a tentative lineup that includes: The Jir Project Band, Native Roots, Scatter Their Own and The Levi Patero Band.

ICTMN has the full story.

Just Pee (Where You Wanna Pee).

The Tony-winning Broadway stars at Kinky Boots have put together an elaborate response to the bathroom panic that’s criss-crossing the nation — especially North Carolina. It includes a message from the show’s creators Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper.

Said Fierstein in a scathing post on Facebook:

“So, you don’t like transgender people? Have the balls to honestly say it. Today’s bathroom controversy is fueled by the same bigots that sought to ban gay and lesbian teachers forty years ago. All these years later they’re still hiding behind the claim that they’re only protecting their children. These discussions are great opportunities to educate and strengthen the bonds that make us all one human family. But when I see discussions on social media proposing a Men’s Room for adult males, a Ladies’ Room for adult females, a Little Girls’s Room for little girls, a little Boy’s Room for little boys and then another pair of bathrooms for Little Boys with a parent and Little Girls with a parent… Well, it’s time to take a step back and laugh at our own absurdity. This video is a reminder that sometimes we go to the bathroom just to pee.”

“You can change the world when you change your mind,” was the message posted by Kinky Boots to Facebook with the video, using hashtag #JustPee.

Thankfully, I haven’t seen those discussions, but if I had, there would be one question: how would that solve anything? You’d still be forcing transgender people into a binary they most likely wouldn’t be comfortable with. Absurdity is the only word for this nonsense. All this anxiety, all this panic, over what? Transgender people have been using public lavs, this didn’t just start a few months ago. It had seemed that a lot of people were finally coming around to the idea of unisex a/o family type public lavs, and now every possible permutation of a person has to have their own?

Via The Advocate. Now I have to watch this Kinky Boots again. That’s a good thing.

I now pronounce you: Jack Daniels.

From left; Dan Mathews kisses his husband Jack Ryan on stage in Raleigh as Alex Ebert looks on; Photo courtesy of Pawel Malyszko.

From left; Dan Mathews kisses his husband Jack Ryan on stage in Raleigh as Alex Ebert looks on; Photo courtesy of Pawel Malyszko.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros show how to do a concert in NC without compromising your principles.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros considered canceling a concert scheduled in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday, but ultimately decided the show must go on — to make a statement.

The indie band was torn over whether to play in North Carolina in light of the state’s sweeping anti-LGBT law known as House Bill 2, which requires trans people to use bathrooms that do not correspond with their gender identity, rescinds all LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances, and bars residents for suing for discrimination in state court.

“HB 2 was passed by an immoral minority – North Carolina has many thriving, creative, modern communities,” lead singer Alex Ebert said in a statement reported by Rolling Stone. “We were tempted to cancel the show, but decided at the last minute to rally the crowd instead by renewing the vows of our good friends onstage.”

[…]

“Then Jack, and Daniel,” continued Ebert. “I now pronounce you: Jack Daniels.”

Full Story at The Advocate.