Me Time
How's Everyone Holding Up?
Wars, deportations, civil rights history erased and trans folks erased. It's enough to bring 13 million people out into the streets, which is exactly what happened! Plus, the delicious split screen of those amazing crowds in places like Idaho (pictured here) versus the moribund, disorganized, and depressing picture of the wannabe dictator's military parade. Even the soldiers shuffling along knew what to do. That's the kind of Pride Month I can get behind.
OK, I know everyone's busy so I won't take up more of your time and you can go right to the links!
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
Where Authors Find Inspiration in a Time of Great Distraction – Writer Unboxed
I have found myself struggling to compartmentalize my creative life and my actual life the past several months. I’ve been hearing from many, many other writers the very same.
Why You Deserve to Go on a Writing Retreat - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
a writing retreat can be a great way of ensuring your project gets on the page. Retreats can help writers focus, become motivated, and more productive. Here’s how and why:
Opinion | The Subversive Joy of BookTok - The New York Times
Some critics dismiss BookTok as shallow or consumeristic. But the critiques miss the point. At a time when creative arts are under attack, when libraries face cuts and outright purges, BookTok creators are encouraging people to read. Not for grades or prestige, but to find joy and sanctuary in deeply troubling times.
A Quick Guide to Bookstore Events – Writer Unboxed
If you are organizing your own event, or are asked to do one, where do you begin? Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Here are a few basic formats you can use.
We Are Stronger Than Censorship Receives Support from Book Manufacturers Institute
We Are Stronger Than Censorship uses donated funds to purchase two books from independent publishers for every book that is banned or challenged. The books are then given to schools and libraries affected by bans and challenges.
Continuing a Series: Enticing Readers to Return - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
books in a series need to be similar enough that readers who loved one book will find more of what they love in the other books, yet we also need to make the books different enough to not feel like reboots with just a few minor differences.
When to Let Go: Recognize the Point of Diminishing Returns in Revision | Jane Friedman
the revision trap, and the symptoms are unmistakable:
You’re changing words back to what they were two revisions ago You feel intense anxiety about the manuscript but can’t pinpoint specific problems Small changes consume hours as you obsess over minute details You can no longer tell if your changes are improving the work or merely making it different Each revision session leaves you feeling more depleted rather than satisfied
Authors in Conversation: Camille Kellogg and Susie Dumond | LGBTQ Reads
Sapphic Romance authors Camille Kellogg and Susie Dumond, whose newest releases (The Next Chapter and Bed and Breakup, respectively) both release this month!
We Wanna Know Your Favorite Queer Book Of All Time
Whether it's a sapphic romance or a sci-fi thriller, we wanna hear all about it.
Edmund White, Novelist and Pioneer of Gay Literature, Dies at 85 - The New York Times
Mr. White mined his own varied catalog of sexual experiences in dozens of books and hundreds of articles and essays.
News For A Challenging Time
Gina Ortiz Jones Elected As San Antonio’s First Lesbian Mayor - GO Magazine
Gina Ortiz Jones made history Saturday night, becoming the first openly lesbian mayor of San Antonio and the first woman of color and Filipina American to hold the office. Her win is a milestone not only for the city but for LGBTQ+ representation across the country.
Kehlani, Reneé Rapp, Doechii, and More Speak Out Against Trump’s Mass Deportations | Them
The LGBTQ+ stars are just some of many celebrities who are taking a stand in the face of ICE raids.
DEI isn’t dead: See the companies standing behind inclusion - News Is Out
Here are some of the other major companies that remain committed to DEI:
LGBTQ Americans: Acceptance, Identity and Community | Pew Research Center
Most LGBTQ adults say there’s a lot of social acceptance for people who are gay or lesbian, but few say the same for those who are transgender
D.C. Hosts WorldPride Parade in the Shadow of Trump - The New York Times
Washington is hosting WorldPride, a global celebration of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, but the event has been made more difficult by shifts in U.S. policy.
White House proposes axing 988 suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth
The specialized suicide-prevention counseling service for LGBTQ youths and young adults received more than 1.3 million contacts since the program’s start in 2022, advocates said.
Hotel Under Investigation After Guard Barged Into Women's Restroom And Accused Lesbian Of Being A Man - GO Magazine
The hotel stated they had terminated the security guard who instigated the event and would be making a donation to a local LGBTQ+ organization. This only came after a month of continued public pressure and outcry.
Southern Baptists Call to Overturn Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage - The New York Times
The nation’s largest Protestant denomination was motivated by conservative Christians’ success in reversing Roe v. Wade.
Republicans quietly slip 'religious freedom' clause into funding bill - Raw Story
House Republicans have inserted anti-LGBTQ language into a $66 billion must-pass funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, effectively granting civil immunity under federal law to individuals and organizations that discriminate against same-sex couples—by citing a religious or moral belief that marriage should be limited to one man and one woman. It also bans the federal government from taking a range of actions against those who hold and act on anti-same-sex marriage beliefs.
Hegseth Orders Navy to Strip Name of Gay Rights Icon Harvey Milk from Ship | Military.com
The official also said that the timing of the announcement -- occurring during Pride month -- was intentional.
Culture and Joy
The Dinah Gears Up for Its Final Hurrah -
This year’s event, taking place September 24-28, will be its last edition organized by Mariah Hanson but the door remains open to the possibility of a successor taking over.
‘Pitch Perfect’ Stars Rebel Wilson and Anna Camp Say “All the Bellas Are Gay Now!” | Them
The “les-be-honest” scene was a prophecy.
Another Member Of Girl Group KATSEYE Comes Out. Happy Pride! - GO Magazine
Then, without much fanfare, she said the words: “Guys, I’m coming out, I’m bisexual.”
Jonquel Jones is the epitome of a champion on and off the court - Queerty
Because Jones is a Black lesbian woman, she has had to fight for the media attention and endorsement deals at every step of the way that straight and white players receive with comparatively less effort.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Daughter Gracie Reveals She's Queer
On Monday, June 2, Gracie shared a celebratory Pride month post on her Instagram Stories that read, "Everyone get more gay now," with several exclamation points.
"Happy Freaking Pride," Gracie, 28, wrote below the post. "I love being queer."
Sally Ride Gave Partner OK to Reveal Their 27-Year Romance Before Dying (Exclusive)
Tam O’Shaughnessy discusses her life-long relationship with Ride in the documentary 'Sally'
Norma Swenson, ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’ Co-Author, Dies at 93 - The New York Times
The book revolutionized how women’s health was discussed, and it quickly became a cultural touchstone. Reading it — often under the covers — was a rite of passage for many young women, who nicked it from their mothers’ bedside tables. More progressive moms gave it to their daughters in lieu of “the talk.”
The Many Lives of 88-Year-Old Trans Legend Sandy Stone | KQED
In an open letter in Sister magazine, the Olivia collective shot back: “Sandy Stone is a person, not an issue,” they wrote in 1977.
A community meeting at a San Francisco feminist bookstore ended with Olivia Records members in tears as their former friends berated them. They pressed on, but hate mail escalated into death threats. When the collective traveled to Seattle for a concert, a militant lesbian separatist group called the Gorgons threatened to shoot Stone, she recalls.
Tennis Star Daria Kasatkina And Former Olympic Skater Natalia Zabiiako Announce Engagement - GO Magazine
They’ve become a visible and much-loved couple in the tennis world, not only for how open they’ve been about their relationship but also for their YouTube series What the Vlog?, which documents their life on tour.
'Love Island' Gives Us The Kiss We’ve Been Dying For - GO Magazine
Thank you, Chelley and Cierra, for giving us what we need, and we can only hope that the two find each other in the next recoupling.
The Backlash Against Jojo Siwa and Billie Eilish Sure Feels a Lot Like Old-School Biphobia to Me | Them
But the social media (and IRL) discourse suggesting that Siwa and Eilish are doing something wrong—instead of embracing the concept that a couple of 20-somethings might be…gasp…attracted to people of different genders—also rubs me the wrong way as someone building a life with a trans man
It's Okay, We Don't Need Fletcher To Sing About Girls | Autostraddle
She also literally erased the entirety of her instagram feed prior to one week ago, symbolically annihilating her sapphic past. The song itself uses queer tropes to frame a famously conventional relationship choice (having a boyfriend) as a mournful confession of a shameful secret, a love she wanted to resist, but couldn’t.
“I Like Who I Am A Lot At This Point”: Billie Eilish Opens Up About How Far She’s Come And The Path Ahead | British Vogue
she contemplates just how far she’s come and what the path ahead might look like for a compassionate, generation-leading, Grammy- and Oscar-collecting superstar. Meanwhile, roadside assistance comes in the form of burning questions from some familiar ride or dies. Chappell, over to you…
'The Valley' and Bravo's Problem With Queer Women | Autostraddle
But it’s no secret Bravo has long had a lesbian problem. Or, more accurately, the straight people who make up the majority of its casts have long had a lesbian problem. Too often, Bravo series serve as a stark argument for why queer women shouldn’t be in friend groups that are predominantly straight. Lesbophobia is so deeply ingrained in the social groups these shows comprise, and that reflects reality, too.
Lonely Planet’s LGBTQ Guide Arrives Just in Time for Pride - The New York Times
“The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide,” by Alicia Valenski, features more than 50 queer-friendly destinations in a coffee-table-size book, a departure from the company’s usual packable paperbacks. Also unlike the usual guides, this one explores destinations like Brooklyn, Berlin and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, entirely through local voices.
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How It Works - Pano News
Pano is a news aggregator that compares how different sources cover the same story. We pull in coverage and perspectives from across the political spectrum, letting you decide for yourself on today's biggest issues.
