Technical Problems Bring People Together

New York filmmaker, Joyce Wu, experienced something that no filmmaker should ever endure. She traveled all the way from New York to the Vancouver premiere of her short film, “Withholding,” and witnessed the presentation of her hard work on the big screen with technical problems. I had the pleasure of meeting Joyce in San Francisco and saw her well-made film presented flawlessly. We could imagine the agony she must’ve endured as she silently watched strangers critique her abilities. Sadly, this is not the first time I have witnessed good work presented poorly. And here are some prevention tips:

We are the Packaged Generation

by Jason

How will history judge us? The Occupy Wall Street protests are a revolt to everything that is wrong in society. We are seeking truth in an age of flashy packaging, spin doctors and increasingly intrusive marketing techniques.

Are you married, or you must get married?

What is your income level, or you should attain to have this income level?

Are you gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgendered? Therefore you must be this way, or why wouldn’t you want to openly come out?

Jamey from Buffalo

Apparently, it didn’t get better for 14-year-0ld Jamey Rodemeyer who just committed suicide the past Sunday admidst being bullied and struggling with his sexuality. In May, Jamey posted his own “It Gets Better” video but it certainly didn’t get better for Jamey. Read the excellent Telegraph article for details. Jamie, may you rest in peace. Bullying is truly a problem in America.

Northampton, MA: a parallel universe

by Alicia

A question for some of our female readers: let’s say that you meet the woman of your dreams, fall in love, and want to raise a family together.  Where is the best place to raise a lesbian family? Perhaps where you currently live is a queer family friendly place, but perhaps it is not.

I recently visited high school friends in New England. We took a day trip to Northampton, Massachusetts to see a famous comedian and also to visit a very charming family. Visiting Northampton felt like walking into a parallel universe, one where lesbian parents are the norm.  This town of about 30,000 apparently has over 5 times more LGBT residents than a typical American town. Though not very ethnically diverse, this was still quite refreshing to me as someone who grew up in the Bible Belt. I’ll admit, I was enchanted by all that I observed in Northampton.We spent much of the day at the lovely home of Kirsten and Elizabeth, parents of twin toddler boys.

Signs of Pride in Jakarta

by Steven

a circuit party in Nirvana of Jakarta

I may have to recant some of what I wrote about Indonesia on my post about Lady Gaga being censored in Malaysia.  Yours truly is currently on a 2 week hiatus in Jakarta, Indonesia.  It’s been 8 years since my last visit and I’ve been noticing quite a few changes in this densely populated city I call my birthplace.  Aside from the noticeably worse traffic, I’m sensing a positive change especially in the lives of LGBT people. 

It Gets Better – Vancouver Men’s Choir

by Yogi

Check out the “It Gets Better” video by Vancouver Men’s Choir that I produced:

Being Good and Bad in America

by Quentin

Here’s a long-awaited response to gay bullying from the API community. The PSA was directed by Ben Wong, produced by Pan Asian Community Together with the song “vOX” performed and kindly provided by The Shanghai Restoration Project. There was a frenzy in the Asian American community fearing that Asian Americans would be tarnished as being homophobic after the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi who was bullied by Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, both Asian American. I wasn’t really sure how grounded that fear was… Remember mass murderer Cho Seung-Hui?

Gay Teens: It Gets Worse

by Quentin

I cannot help not posting our comedic Philip Huang’s “Gay Teens: It Gets Worse” video. I get a good laugh every time I watch it.

It Gets Better: So Last Year?

by Yogi

For those of you who have been living under a rock, the It Gets Better project started in late September 2010 when columnist Dan Savage and his partner Terry posted a video on YouTube hoping to inspire GLBT youth facing bullying, in response to a slew of gay teenage suicide, that life does get better. The next thing you know, the video project has gone viral! We see various vigils, fundraisers, concerts, walks, etc. in support of the project. Personally, I started a weekly viewing of the It Gets Better postings every Saturday morning for some good cry and inspiration. Here are a couple of my favorites.