Trans people can sometimes be at higher risk of sacrificing our self-interests because we might not know where else to go or what else to do, writes Matt Kailey.

Do genderqueers date those in the lesbian, gay and bisexual community who fetishize us? Are we relegated only to each other when it comes to romantic or sexual relationships? Toi S. ponders the difficulties of relating to those people who are outside the gender binary.

The vampire TV show, True Blood, has a wide range of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, but quantity doesn’t equal quality and we should not be so accepting of the program’s failures in some of the queer portrayals, writes Spark in Darkness.

A misappropriation of terms and complexity of factors have served to muddy what is quite clearly inappropriate, and sometimes abusive behaviour on the part of some friends, family, lovers and partners of trans people. The following behaviours go beyond mere ignorance of trans issues and land squarely in the category of harming others, writes Xander Sarkisova.

Filmmaker Ira Sachs has launched Queer/Art/Mentorship (QAM), which is being promoted as the first fellowship program of its kind devoted to supporting emerging queer artists.

The BDSM community must step up and hold to account people who commit sexual assault. There's a difference between blaming the community and not the attacker, and holding the community accountable for enabling the attacker to be there, writes Kitty Stryker.

The first Australasian Conference on Sex and/or Gender Diverse (SGD) Human Rights has been officially launched, with the full conference itinerary released, along with details of the conference agenda and presenters. 

14 November 2011

The conference, which is open to all, will be held on Friday, 2 December 2011 at the Redfern Community Centre in inner Sydney. 

Sex and/or gender diverse (SGD) people are made up from many differing groups including people who are intersex, transexed, transsexual, transgendered, androgynous, without sex and gender identity, cross dressers and people with sex and gender culturally specific differences. They are people who experience variations in physical presentation and social behavior that is other than stereotypically male or female. Each group may have its own physical, psychological, social, legal and political issues that may not necessarily relate to any of the other groups.

Beginning at 8.30am, the conference will be officially opened by activist Norrie May-Welby, who in 2010 became the first person in the world to receive government recognition as “sex not specified” (although this is now subject to legal dispute). 

Norrie will be followed by a diverse array of presenters including: trans queer sex worker Mish Glitter Pony; counsellor, supervisor and educator Elizabeth Anne Riley; sex educator, researcher, therapist and SGD human rights campaigner Tracie O’Keefe; National LGBTI Health Alliance health policy officer Sujay Kentlyn; Crave Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) pastor Karl Hand; freelance writer, editor and transgender activist Katherine Cummings; journalist, editor, author and speaker Katrina Fox; and Koori woman and media producer Mish Sparks. 

“It’s about time that such a conference enabled voices to be heard from the different sex and/or gender diverse groups. Governments and professionals often have trouble hearing these voices so it is important at a grassroots level that we are able to work out good human rights principles to help all sex and/or gender diverse people to live with dignity,” said Tracie O’Keefe, sexologist and spokesperson for lobby group Sex and Gender Education (SAGE). 

Bookings are now being taken for the conference, which is being organised by the Australian Sex and/or Gender Diverse Alliance (ASAGDA), a group of organisations working in concert with each other. 

Admission fees – which are sponsored by The Australian Health & Education Centre – are $30 per person for the full day, $15 for unwaged people, and $200 for government sponsored organisations (up to four entries and may have a stall). 

To book, visit the dedicated booking information page at the Sex and Gender Australia (SAGE) website: 

http://www.sageaustralia.org/sage_2011_008.htm 

The SGD Conference organisers acknowledge and support the Equal Marriage Rally on Saturday 3 December, and the One Love Conference on Sunday 4 December.

Source: SAGE

 

 

The metaphor positioning ‘gay as the new black’ is aimed at nullifying the impact, experiences, history and power of Black history, culture and oppression to pour its energy into the gay rights movement, writes Johnathan Fields.

Vegan lesbian Jasmin Singer dissects the intersections between gay rights and animal rights, concluding that the rationale used to marginalize both groups are rooted in the same mindset.

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