Stop by and say hello to new bloggers Aged Reasoner, Primate Chess, and Jonathan’s Musings.
Affinity
Art, Fun, & Nonsense.
Stop by and say hello to new bloggers Aged Reasoner, Primate Chess, and Jonathan’s Musings.
Gays Against Guns in the NYC Pride March
Gays Against Guns formed out of a meeting the Friday after the June 12 tragedy, and by the time the New York City Pride March rolled around last Sunday, it had marshaled a contingent of 750 people to participate, plus 49 veiled in white to represent those killed by the Orlando gunman, with each carrying a placard with the name and photo of one of the dead. The group also performed “die-ins” all along the Fifth Avenue parade route.
Now the organizers have heard from people who want to set up similar groups in San Diego, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and they hope to get more cities on board, says one of those organizers, Catherine Marino-Thomas.
Thomas, who headed Marriage Equality USA for 17 years, says Gays Against Guns will focus on direct action, not lobbying. Among other things, it plans protests at the offices of state and national elected officials who oppose LGBT rights and gun control.
[…]
This weekend Gays Against Guns will be spreading the word to the holiday revelers on Fire Island. It will have information tables set up from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday in the Pines and Cherry Grove. There will also be a Gays Against Guns meeting July 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the New York LGBT Community Center.
For more information on the group, visit its website or the Gays Against Guns pages on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.
Via The Advocate.
In other gun control news, California has tightened up their laws considerably: California expands assault weapons ban as part of new gun laws package, Hawaii has databased gun owners, and Survivors of Charleston Shooting Are Suing FBI Over Guns.
Hat tip to rq for this one.
President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the latest ‘all-Belarusian peoples gathering’ in June: “You know what to do, how to do it, and what goals to achieve. Everything is simple. Innovations, IT technology, privatizations, etc. – it’s all clear, we’ve done it.
“But all our life is in simple things: we should get [undressed] and work”.
In all probability, the president meant “Develop and work,” as the words sound very similar, ‘razviVAtsa’ and ‘razDEvatsa’, but who cares now?
This somewhat confusing comment led to the Belorussian equivalent of the hashtag #getnakedandgotowork trending in the country, and people did just that.
Most comments went along the lines: “The leader says, we should.” We must say the Belorussian people do look good!
Sunday’s NYC Pride parade will include an important new contingent of marchers. Hundreds of people will march in a group called Gays Against Guns (GAG), formed in the wake of the June 12 Orlando massacre. The parade begins this Sunday at noon starting at 36th street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
From organizers:
About 150 people showed up for GAG’s first organizational meeting at the LGBT Community Center on Friday, June 17, to organize the group’s presence at the March. In attendance was openly gay City Councilmember Corey Johnson, who invited GAG to join his March contingent. “Gays Against Guns is taking this fight to the NRA’s front door,” said Johnson. “Our community has been fighting for gun control as part of other organizations for many years, now we’re starting our own. The LGBT community has vanquished bigger enemies than the NRA.”
Said Kevin Hertzog, who started the group with Brian Worth, “We know that several groups have been fighting gun violence in the U.S. for decades now. We’ll be meeting after Pride to hash out positions and a strategy approaching the November 2 elections. But for now, we want to present as large a crowd as possible on Sunday, to show New York and the U.S. that LGBTQ people are outraged. The current situation with guns in America makes us gag in disgust!”
[…]
Follow them on Facebook at “Gays Against Guns NY” or @GAGnoguns on Twitter.
(Staging area is 35th street between Fifth and Madison, Section 0, Group 33, from about 11am.)
Full Story is at Towle Road.
London Pride saw two proposals made, by Met officers who broke ranks to declare their love. That’s how to start a Sunday right!
He said yes, too! (via @MetLGBTNetwork)
Youtube link. Aaaaaaaaaw. All the happiness to both couples.
Midnight Sun Intertribal Pow Wow Facebook Page
Two dancers at the Midnight Sun Intertribal Pow Wow, which takes place July 8-10 in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Alaska
Midnight Sun Intertribal Pow Wow: July 8-10 in Fairbanks.
The World Eskimo Indian Olympics: July 20-23 in Fairbanks; competitive events include tests of agility, balance, endurance and strength.
British Columbia
Squamish Nation’s 28th annual Youth Pow Wow: July 8-10 at Capilano Reserve Park, 100 Capilano Road, West Vancouver.
The Spirit of the People Pow Wow: July 22-24, at the Tzeachten Sports Field, 46770 Bailey Road, Chilliwack.
The Kamloopa Pow Wow: July 29-31 at the Tk’emlups Indian Band Powwow Grounds, 200-330 Chief Alex Thomas Way, Kamloops.
Idaho
Julyamsh Pow Wow: (Arguably the largest outdoor powwow in the Northwest) July 22-24 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene.
The Shoshone Bannock Indian Festival: Aug. 11-14 in Fort Hall.
The Rexburg Native American Contest Pow Wow: Sept. 16-17 in Rexburg.
Oregon
Pi-ume-sha Treaty Days: June 24-26, 2200 Hollywood Blvd., Warm Springs.
22nd annual Wildhorse Pow Wow: July 1-3, 46510 Wildhorse Blvd , Pendleton; Marcellus
Norwest Veterans Pow Wow: July 8-10, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde
26th annual Tamkaliks Annual Celebration: July 22-24, Pow Wow Grounds, 70956 Whiskey Creek Road, Wallowa.
Richard Twiss Memorial and Living Waters Pow Wow: July 30, 7790 SE Marion Road, Turner.
Nesika Illahee Pow Wow: Aug, 12-14, Pauline Ricks Memorial Pow Wow Grounds, 402 NE Park Drive, Siletz.
The Klamath Tribes’ Restoration Celebration: Aug. 26-28, in Klamath Falls. The pow wow, parade and rodeo take place at 7390 S. Sixth St., Klamath Falls.
The 13th annual Mill-Luck Salmon Celebration: Sept. 10-11, in North Bend.
Washington
The 2016 Canoe Journey: July 30 – Approximately 100 canoes from Pacific Northwest Native Nations will land at the Port of Olympia.
The Nisqually Tribe Medicine Creek Treaty Commemoration: July 31, Aug. 1-6.
Siiddastallan 2016 / Sami People Gathering: Aug. 12-14 in Poulsbo, Seattle located in Suquamish’s historical territory and founded by immigrants from Scandinavia in the 1880s. This is the first Sami gathering here since 1998.
Chief Seattle Days: Aug. 19-21, the Suquamish Tribe’s three-day public festival established in 1911 to honor Chief Si’ahl, or Seattle, leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish people and namesake of the City of Seattle.
Seattle Center Festál: Spirit of Indigenous People: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 25 at Seattle Center Armory and Mural Amphitheatre (www.sihb.org). The seventh annual event celebrates Native American, Alaska Native and First Nations cultures.
The 22nd annual SpiritWalk – Walk for Native Health: June 25 – 8:30 a.m. at the Mural Amphitheatre. Participants will walk to Myrtle Edwards Park and back to Seattle Center to raise funds for various Native community programs.
Quileute Days: July 15-17 in La Push.
Omak Stampede: Aug. 11-14 in Omak.
Stillaguamish Festival of the River and Pow Wow: Aug. 13-14.
40th Annual Muckleshoot Skopabsh Pow Wow: Aug. 19-21.
Gathering at the Falls Pow Wow: Aug. 26-28 in Spokane.
Skagit Valley College Fall Pow Wow: Oct. 14-16 in Mount Vernon.
Via ICTMN.
Japan-based, Chinese designer Leonard Wong creates his latest collection and accompanying fashion video, both named Alchemy. In stark monochrome, the Alchemy video features ferrofluid-like orbs that morph and transform into human figures, namely performance artist Sylvia Lajbig and dancer duo AyaBambi.
A mesmerizing video, to say the least. For those of you at work, have a care, this opens with a nude person, however, it’s not graphic. After being mesmerized, I visited Leonard Wong’s site, and oh…well, if I could afford designer clothes, I’d find myself buying most of the lot, both from the collection, and the experimental – particularly the overthrowing tradition pieces. Fabulous! You can read more about Leonard Wong and this current collection at The Creators Project. If you do watch the video, I recommend full screen.
From left, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Chis Pine as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Karl Urban as Bones are shown in a scene from, ‘Star Trek.’ (Photo: Paramount).
Star Trek star Anton Yelchin has died at age 27 following a tragic and strange car accident early Sunday morning.
His publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed the news in a statement on Sunday.
“Actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning,” the statement said. “His family requests you respect their privacy at this time.”
Yelchin was pinned by his own car leaving his Studio City residence Sunday at 1:10 in the morning, Jenny Hauser, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, said.
“A fatal traffic collision occurred, it was the result of the victim’s own car rolling backwards down his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence,” Hauser said.
Let us say the names of the 49 Orlando victims.
David and Tonya Goss Photo: Rupert Thorpe
Lifelong Republican David Goss, 35, was hanging out with his conservative friends in February when he came up with the idea of TrumpSingles.com, a dating website for supporters of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Goss’ female pal, who’s a die-hard Trump fan, told him that when she revealed her political leanings to a male Hillary Clinton supporter in the middle of a dinner date, he got up and left her with the check.
“I think there’s a special stigma when people say they’re supporting Trump, because of some of the brash things that he’s said,” Goss, an associate TV producer based in Santa Clarita, Calif., tells The Post. “That immediately gets [projected] on his supporters, and it makes it hard for them when trying to date.”
Golly, people finding out they have major disagreements politically might lead to a bad date? Well, who the fuck knew.
“At first I was concerned that people would think this was a parody site,” says Goss, whose wife, Tonya, is also pro-Trump. “But people have told me that they’re so happy they can finally go on dates without worrying about political differences.”
TrumpSingles user and libertarian Richard, who asked that his last name not be used for privacy reasons, agrees.
“Trump is bastardized and demonized in the media, so I kind of keep to myself that I’m a Trump supporter because people can have a violent reaction to it,” Richard, a 27-year-old retail associate from Oxnard, Calif., tells The Post. “It’s hard for me sometimes to meet new people.”
[…]
Founder Goss plans to roll out a TrumpSingles mobile app in the next week.
“We’re not a hookup service,” he says. “We want to be an actual real dating site that helps people find real love.”
Oh good. Conservative bigots meeting, mating, and manufacturing more conservative bigots. Just what we all need.
Just the other day, I posted about The Passion of the Christ: Jesus Returns, with the mild commentary Jesus Christ, a bad movie might be on the way to resurrection. Downright bland, compared to what Twitterers have to say about it all:
There are many more tweets to be enjoyed at Raw Story.
I posted earlier about the great campaign taking place in New York. NYC keeps forging ahead, and when there’s basically nothing except bad news about police and police departments across uStates, it’s really nice to read something positive for a change:
The NYPD recently made its own statement in support of transgender rights with a post at their headquarters noting that bathrooms in all police stations are now gender-neutral, according to the New York Daily News.
Way to go, NYPD! I know not all individual cops are going to be on board with this, but they will have to deal, just as they did when queer cops stopped staying in the closet. The campaign also has a couple of new videos.
Via City Lab.
Join us this fall in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the National Hispanic Cultural Center for the very first Indigenous Comic Con! Featuring Indigenous creators, illustrators, writers, designers, actors, and producers from the worlds of comic books, games, sci-fi, fantasy, film, tv, and graphic novels. The Indigenous Comic Con seeks to highlight the amazing work that brings understanding about the Indigenous experience to the world of popular culture! The action begins Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday evening!
Everyone is welcome!
Red Wolf creator, Award-Winning Native American Comic Artist & Designer from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Jeffrey Veregge will be one of many special guests at this year’s Indigenous Comic Con.
With a growing number of Native people making comics and designing videogames as a way to revitalize their languages, one great way to break down stereotypes is a Native-centered event. The inaugural Indigenous Comic Con on November 18-20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hopes to do just that.
“There are a lot of Indigenerds out there,” said Indigenous Comic Con artistic director and Laguna Pueblo member, Dr. Lee Francis IV. “We joke about that word, but the idea that Native People, Indigenous People, get to participate in pop culture…We wanted to create a space of celebration and say ‘Hey. We are in these spaces.’ A lot of wonderful creators are doing some incredible work in these areas. It’s time to celebrate that.”
After a year of planning and a joint sponsorship between Francis’s Native Realities Publishing and A Tribe Called Geek, the organizers selected the November 18-20 date and the site of the comic con at Albuquerque’s National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. S.W. Francis said the NHCC has the facility requirements as well as a long history with hosting Native poetry and other indigenous workshops.
At press time, the keynote panelists scheduled are Jeffrey Veregge (Port Gamble S’Klallam), the artist for Marvel Comics’ Red Wolf, and Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), the creator of Super Indian Comics. Other events include an exhibition hall, live music and cosplay contests.
In the FAQ section of their website, there is a disclaimer about the cosplay and costumes that states “no Tontos or other Indigenous stereotypes.” Although this Comic Con will be fun, the panels will not shy away from serious subjects such as stereotypes, marginalization and the issue of Natives being “historicized.”
[…]
“Our approach is to be very positive,” Francis said. “We’re looking for positive images. We’re vetting the folks that we want to come in. We’re not going to be bringing in folks that were in a random Indian movie. We want folks who are going to be thoughtful about the portrayals, whether they’re a comic book creator, an actor, someone doing games or science fiction. Being very thoughtful about the work that they’re putting into the world because of all these stereotypes and historicizations. The sheer number of folks we’re trying to get on panels and the conversations that we want to spark, I think, are going to address those negative representations of Indigenous people in pop culture.”