Me Time
These Days No News Is Good News: Tuning Out for July
I'm breathing a sigh of relief that it is finally July with Pride Month in the rearview mirror. Don't get me wrong--I'm all about Pride but you have to admit, it was quite exhausting, and I am definitely in need of a break. Plus, all those horrible Supreme Court rulings. Enough said.
So, all of this calls for a break and I'm about to get some much-needed R&R. I will report back about how successful I was at tuning out the news and instead reading copious novels.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
Against AI: An Open Letter From Writers to Publishers ‹ Literary Hub
“We want our publishers to stand with us. To make a pledge that they will never release books that were created by machines.”
Judge Rejects Authors' Claim That Meta AI Training Violated Copyrights
Judge Vincent Chhabria concluded that Meta had engaged in “fair use” when it used a dataset of nearly 200,000 books — including the plaintiffs’ works — to train its Llama language model.
Landmark AI ruling is a blow to authors and artists
Alsup found that as long as the original copy is purchased legally, books can be copied and memorized by AI models without the author's permission.
Frequently Asked Questions – Femmes du Jour
The ultimate goal for Femmes du Jour is to open a brick-and-mortar store in Denver, Colorado, that is dedicated to Sapphic books. Until then, we are getting started online. The other reason is Amazon is filled with 10M+ books, and sometimes visibility is hard to achieve as an indie author. My goal is to create the ultimate place for Sapphic readers to come find their next favorite book.
BookCon is back: Annual fan event will return after extended hiatus
at the Javits Center in New York City on April 18 and 19.
In a statement to USA TODAY, ReedPop called the plans for the 2026 show a “wholly reimagined event.” BookCon will feature book signings, clubs and swaps, author talks, workshops, panels, crafting zones and more. Historically, BookCon has been as star-studded as it has been packed with household-name bestsellers.
How POV Affects Character Inner Life | Jane Friedman
Knowing how to effectively give readers insight into your characters requires being aware of these differences and how to adapt the techniques for conveying inner life no matter your story’s POV.
Character Building – Writer Unboxed
If your characters live in times or places where racism or misogyny are routine and assumed, say, having them just accept these attitudes will turn off modern readers. But having your characters champion modern conventions in the middle of less enlightened characters makes it hard for your readers to accept your characters as real people.
This doesn’t just apply to historical novels.
Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
But compelling stories don’t pile on problems in random fashion. Complications flow organically from one scene to the next in a chain of action and reaction. The upshot for your novel? This chain of progressively escalating complications transforms a mere assemblage of scenes into an unstoppable narrative.
Immersive Interiority: How to Collapse Narrative Distance to Get Emotion on the Page | Jane Friedman
Here, I’m going to use concrete before-and-after examples for three different emotional states to teach you how to collapse narrative distance so your reader forgets they’re just reading, and instead feels like they’re inside the story.
'Girls Girls Girls' Is an Intimate Portrait of Being Young, Jewish and Gay in the '90s - Hey Alma
As Shoshana writes in a reader letter in the beginning of “Girls Girls Girls,” Hannah’s story is based upon her own real-life experience as a queer teenager in San Francisco in the late ’90s. If the book were not already achingly poignant, this context makes “Girls Girls Girls” even more so.
News For A Challenging Time
Supreme Court rules parents must have option to opt children out of LGBTQ-specific lessons
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that public schools must give advance notice to parents and allow them the opportunity to opt their children out of lessons or classroom instruction on matters of gender and sexuality that conflict with their religious beliefs.
Six Supreme Court justices misread my children's book, the author says
Justice Sotomayor called out the conservative supermajority for botching the message of "Uncle Bobby's Wedding." So did its author
A Chicago Restaurant Made Knock-Off Chick-fil-A to Fundraise for LGBTQ+ Center | Them
An Italian restaurant’s “Chick-Feel-Gay” pop-up raised money for a trans-led organization.
Judge blocks Trump anti-trans passport policy
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from refusing to issue passports to transgender and nonbinary Americans that reflect their gender identities, finding it was likely unconstitutional.
Federal Judge Blocks Anti-Trans Executive Orders That Could Defund LGBTQ+ Non-Profits | Them
Nine LGBTQ+ and HIV organizations across six states filed suit against the Trump administration in February.
Veterans Affairs doctors secretly help transgender vets
“We’re building the underground as fast as we can,” they said. That includes continuing to write surgical referral letters, directing veterans to LGBTQ-affirming free clinics, and slipping prescriptions through while they still can. “If I get fired, I can’t help anyone. So I stay. I resist," the doctor said. "I try to keep the door open.”
New 'Don't Say Gay' Law In Texas Sparks Legal Fight Over LGBTQ+ Rights In Schools - GO Magazine
Advocacy groups are suing Texas over a law that bans LGBTQ+ student clubs and restricts discussions of gender, race, and identity in public schools.
Opinion | This Pride Month, We’ve Reached Rainbow Capitalism’s End - The New York Times
is downsizing Pride so terrible? I’m old enough to remember Pride marches in the 1990s that didn’t feel like Super Bowl commercials. They felt messy and urgent and ours. Nice though it is to be courted, it felt pretty good back when Pride was more explicitly political and even radical and when having one another’s backs was the point of it all — not flaunting our corporate bedfellows. Now there’s an opportunity to reclaim that spirit.
I was removed as a Dyke March organizer over Zionism – The Forward
We can’t go backwards to having people feel unwelcome in queer spaces. The goal of queer spaces is to be a place where everyone can feel that level of community. For the Dyke March to take such a turn, and become a place where so many people do not find it to be a source of comfort and community, is heartbreaking for me.
11 Dead Giveaways the Image You’re Seeing Was AI-Generated
Some AI-generated images look shockingly real, but a closer look will often reveal subtle flaws. Once you’re able to spot these inconsistencies, the illusion quickly falls apart.
Culture and Joy
22 Of The Very Worst And Best Queer TV And Movie Scenes
here are 11 queer scenes that totally missed the mark, and here are 10 more that were so good, they became instantly iconic
In 1975, Gay Moms Rarely Got Custody. So She Took Her Child Underground. - The New York Times
“The custody cases affected a whole generation of kids and families in lesbian feminist communities,” he said. “Because we grew up in an atmosphere of fear as families under siege.”
She Was Married to a Man, Then She Came Out and Found Long-Lost Love (Exclusive)
“I adore my children. I want them to be free. I want them to live openly and fully, to feel proud of who they are," Smith explains. "And I knew in that moment: If one of my kids were gay, would I want them to hide it for a lifetime? Would I want them to shrink to stay safe? Absolutely not."
Elliot Page Appears to Debut New Relationship with Actress Julia Shiplett
The 'Umbrella Academy' actor shared a photo on Instagram of the pair posing together, and Shiplett posted a video of Page standing shirtless in a hot spring
Alexandra Shipp on Being Reneé Rapp's Mad Sexy Lesbian Video Vixen
There’s a lot of things that I thought were going to be on my 2025 bingo card. Being a sexy lesbian video vixen was not on it. I am so honored to be a part of it. And I think that we definitely played off a very hot power couple.”
Anna Camp Responds to Criticism of 18-Year Age Gap With Girlfriend Jade Whipkey | Them
Camp also added that she and Whipkey “have far more in common than anyone else I’ve ever dated.”
Survivor’s Katurah and Sabiyah Have Kept the Fire Burning by Falling in Love | Autostraddle
Now Katurah, and her girlfriend (!!!!), fellow Survivor contestant Sabiyah Broderick, are letting us into their relationship, hard-launching this past weekend on instagram with a slideshow of their love, becoming the series’ first Black queer woman couple.
Yes, Azzi Fudd and Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers Are Girlfriends | Autostraddle
U-Conn basketball star Azzi Fudd has gone ahead and made it clear that she is indeed in a relationship with Dallas Wings rookie and #1 draft pick Paige Bueckers.
'Modern Family' Star Aubrey Anderson-Emmons Comes Out Bisexual | Autostraddle
“People keep joking abt me being gay when I literally am (I’m bi),” she wrote upon the video.
She also shared a clip from her new song (which will debut on the 25th) where she is slow-dancing with a girl in the video!
Chappell Roan Explained Why She Changed the “Giver” Bridge After ‘SNL’ | Them
On the recorded version, the bridge consists solely of “na na na,” but in the live version, Roan did include a snippet of dialogue. “All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right,” she said live. “Well only a woman knows how to treat a woman right.” People in the audience cheered after she said it.
Kristen Stewart Shares Wild Meaning Behind New Tattoo
When asked directly what the tatt means, Kristen cited a scene from The Chronology of Water,
Racquel Chevremont proves happy queer families are a reality - Queerty
With that RHONY gig, Chevremont added another feather to her cap—and amped up the visibility of queer women of color in the process.
Why Founder Mariah Hanson is Leaving The Dinah For a New Chapter -
Earlier this week, I hopped on a call with Hanson to answer this question and find out what Hanson has planned for her final Dinah and her next chapter. Here’s our conversation, edited for clarity and brevity.
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Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.