Soapbox Article and Ten on Tuesday

It's been a great day for the blogosphere, IMHO, despite the awful news out of California. I wanted to highlight a few things that popped up.

Ryan McLendon of Slouching Towards Manhattan posted his newest in a series of articles over at Soapbox Media about the state of queer-ness in Cincinnati. This time around, he writes about one of my favorite events: Guerrilla Queer Bar. From the article:

Reactions to the first Friday events have been mixed but very positive from both the straight and gay communities. Bar owners welcome the addition of 150-200 thirsty patrons they normally would not have through their doors and many straight patrons are even unaware that anything is different. More than an "invasion," the events more than anything else become a "blending" of both straight and gay.

[CGQB Organizer, Ethan] Philbrick recalls a particularly valuable discussion on queer identity in the ladies’ room of the Lodge. According to Philbrick, by the end of the conversation the women he was speaking to him felt comfortable enough to ask a few questions proving that exposure to different ideas and people can breed understanding. This accomplished all while wearing a sequined cocktail dress, no less...

Movements such as the Guerilla Queer Bar help to bring the idea of "other" into the familiar. This exposure to the outside world - straight, gay and everything in between—provides the tools needed to erase the stigmas and bigotry that holds progress back.

Also, QueerCincinnati.com's first weekly TEN ON TUESDAY had a great response today, appearing twice on this blog -- once from me and once from Cody -- and on three other blogs as well! Thanks to the following blogs for their participation and some amazing responses:

Girlfriendology:

1. Girlfriends - Shocking, I know. But I really do find happiness in the female friendships that bless my life. They make life more memorable and fun. And girlfriends make us healthier, less stressed, live longer, feel more beautiful and … drum roll please … HAPPIER. Thanks to all the great women who have inspired, encouraged and supported me in my dream of making the world a better place one friendship at a time.

Stuff Queer People Need to Know:

4.) Vegetable skewers straight off the grill

Big Lug Land:

7) Getting flirted with. It's immensely validating as I still carry around all the insecurities that were cemented into place over 20 years ago. Being found cute or charming goes right to my head like bubbles in champagne. What others take in stride can have me feeling like the most valued man on earth. That keeps my heart open and, much as it hurts, I'm not sure I'd ever want to change it.

Great posts everyone -- thanks so much! I loved reading over your responses; I couldn't help but smile for each and every one!!! Watch for next week's TEN ON TUESDAY!

Blogroll Additions: Two Local Queers!

What a weekend, but we'll go over that later!

In the meantime, I am so happy to put a bit out there about Cincinnati's two newest additions to the queer blogging community -- seriously, folks, if any more pop up, I may just scream. Cincinnati has an amazing and burgeoning blogger scene, and I am always happy to give a tip of my hat to new ones! If you have a local blog, or if you're a QueerOhio blogger... give me a shout out via email (queercincinnati@gmail.com) and I'll be sure to blogroll you too!!!

First, we have my not-husband, JAC, over at Midwest GenderQueer. If there's anything in town that fucks with gender, you can be sure JAC is attached to it. He's a also a smoking hot self-identified "femme boy." You may know him from such amazing projects as the Black Mondays, GenderBloc (at UC) and the GenderQueer Coaltion. An excerpt from his latest blog:

What makes a faggot a faggot? My friend is a girl but looks like a boy. I’m a boy who looks like a girl. If faggot is intended to mean homosexual, if only I could tell shouters just how accurate they are. I’m a guy who looks like girl who looks like a guy, who was born a girl, who fucks girls and boys and boys who were girls, and girls who were boys, and people who were never one or the other or anything at all… Is it hypocritical of me to argue or get upset? In my own, closed circles I call myself a fag, a tranniboy, and queer - all controversial words considered to be hate speech. Is our pain caused by the words or the malicious intention. Which is the one we need to remove? Does language have the power, or do we?

Secondly, we have Ryan M., blogging over at Slouching Towards Manhattan. He's a native Cincinnatian who lives in New York but writes about CinNKY and the issues involved with being queer in the Midwest. He is also the author of the Soapbox Media article -- Queen City: musings on gay cincinnati -- a few months ago discussing where we are headed as a gay community. Good guy, identifies as an independent journalist. He posted a great bit entitled "21 Ways the Midwest and Manhattan Differ," and this is my favorite one:

17: New Yorkers largely consider Midwesterners to be paunchy, hunch-backed , snaggle-toothed yokels with little education, culture and upbringing. The Midwest largely considers New Yorkers to be a phalanx of debauched, gaunt and unreasonably confident gaggle of Midwestern transplants that use the the status of living on or near Manhattan to justify their existence. Both parties are half right.

:-) Now, go, read, enjoy! Comment away}!

Soapbox Media: Musings on Gay Cincinnati

An interesting article over at Soapbox Media that I'm mentioning not just because this blog is mentioned in it:

To paint a portrait that casts Cincinnati as a city without a rainbow would be disingenuous. There exists a groundswell of new energy in the LGBT corners of the city. There is new blood, new energy and a renewed sense of purpose that is beginning to take shape.

Worth a read this morning... check it out.

(Thanks to @TaketheCakeCafe for the heads up)

BLOGGING: Cincinnati Annual Blogger's Convention

Looks like I'll be in attendance at the Cincinnati Annual Blogger's Convention this Thursday at 6pm.

I RSVP'd to the information found on the aforementioned Soapbox Media article, and, I assume, I spoke to Albert Pyle of the Cincinnati Mercantile Library (now blogrolled), where the event will be held. I called it Cincinnati Annual Blogger's "Convention," and his immediate response was "No need for the quote-unquote."

Ha! I like people that call me out.

The event information:

WHO: All Cincinnati Bloggers, and Cincinnati-specific or -related bloggers
WHAT: Annual (maybe :-)) Blogger's Convention
WHERE: Cincinnati Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street
WHEN: Thursday, July 24th, at 6pm
WHY: To meet people! Yea!
Call the library, 513-621-0717, to RSVP beforehand. I don't know if you have to bring a covered dish. If you do, I'll eat it. :-)

I also RSVP'd LV/Juliet of the Juliet and Juliette blog to force her to go out with me, since I haven't seen her in WEEKS!

That's one of two "networking" events I'll be going to this week. I'll blog later tonight on the GUPPIE (gay urban professionals) thing that I'm attending on Friday. I feel like I'm going to cause a ruckus at that one.

BLOGGING: Soapbox Media Puts the Word out on Local Blogs...

...sadly, QueerCincinnati is not one of them.

But they do highlight a lot of great blogs here in the city. I've never heard of a few of them, though the buzz is that they focus almost exclusively on male-written blogs, which is true.

They leave out some significant ones, but that's the Cincinnati blogosphere shiftin since Jackie Danicki left.

The Cincinnati blog scene, and it is a “scene,” in the sense that bloggers tend to make references to one another, repost their friends’ articles and link their favorite blogs within their own space, is vibrant and prolific. It is also varied; you can find anything from info on how to improve your personal finances to where to buy a rare spice. Some of it is artistic, some political, some is comical, some whimsical – but it is all Cincinnati.

And the blogworld does feel "scene-like" here sometimes. But that's ok, I'm not above being the bastard step-child of another group. :-)

Our friends who are mentioned:

Cincinnati Blog
CityKin
Make Cincinnati Weird
Cincinnati Locovore (yea, Valeree!!!!)
UrbanCincy
'Nati Life
Somewhere Over the Rhine

YEA! Congrats you guys!

PS There's a local blogger's convention? I think I may just have to show up. My new MO: showing up uninvited to places. Or, rather, places I've been sort of invited to. I suppose that is an open event.