Paris is Burning 1 of 11

Paris is Burning (1990)
An unblinking behind the scenes story of fashion obsessed New Yorkers who created "voguing" and drag balls , and turned these raucous celebrations into a powerful expression of personal pride. The world within a world is instantly familiar, filled with ambitions, desires and yearnings that reflect America itself is an intimate portrait of one urban community, a world in which the allure of high fashion, status and wealth becomes an affirmation of love, acceptance and joy.

Documentary reveals NYC drag queen life

by Kevin Turner

1.24.2008


For drag queens featured in the documentary "Paris is Burning," sequins, makeup and stilettos aren't just part of a costume. They're part of a lifestyle.

The 1990 documentary about the drag culture in New York City will be screened at 5 p.m. today as the fourth installment in the Global Queer Cinema Film Series.

The film series is presented in conjunction with Global Queer Cinema, a course taught by Germanic languages professor and sexuality studies board member Alice Kuzniar. Kuzniar, who chose all films for the series, was once a programmer for the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

"I wanted to choose 'Paris is Burning' because it has been probably the most controversial in visible film from the 1990s that dealt with transgender and it's been taken up in a lot of film criticism and scholarship on race and transgender studies," Kuzniar said.

"It has also been controversial because why is it that a predominately white audience would be interested in the spectacle that they are presenting? So there is kind of a voyeuristic titillation in the gender and racial difference."

The series, which began last November and has already shown two films and one documentary, screens movies tackling issues facing the queer community from a variety of cultures and religions.

"I wanted to have a diversity of different nationalities represented, and I wanted to have a number of documentaries represented that discuss issues like religious taboos," Kuzniar said. . . .

Boys will be boys - or else

Brian Whitaker

1.23.2008


Kuwaitis who defy very narrowly defined gender stereotypes now face prison or a hefty fine

In his book Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the prominent religious scholar, writes:

"The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared that a woman should not wear a man's clothing or vice versa. He cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men ...

"The evil of such conduct, which affects both the life of the individual and that of the society, is that it constitutes a rebellion against the natural ordering of things. According to this natural order, there are men and there are women, and each of the two sexes has its own distinctive characteristics. However, if men become effeminate and women masculinised, this natural order will be reversed and will disintegrate.

"Among those who are cursed by Allah and His Angels, both in this world and in the Hereafter, the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, has mentioned the man whom Allah has created as male but who becomes effeminate by imitating women, and a woman whom Allah has created as female but who becomes masculinised by imitating men. For this reason the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade men from wearing clothes or things pertaining to women."

According to the website IslamOnline, "Aspects of such imitation include the manner of speaking, walking, dressing, moving, and so on."

Quoting a Saudi scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, it continues: "Wearing adornments on the wrist and neck, and on the ears is an imitation of women, as this is something that is only for women. So it is not permissible for men to wear bracelets, earrings, anklets, or chains." . . .

One-man show extends 'tremendous energy'

By LINDSAY OBERST

1/23/08


Poet dismisses transsexual falsities

One might think Athens Boys Choir would sound like smiling boys in matching robes, crooning in harmony. But Katz, the only member, is far from it.

"There's nothing choir about it. I'm beyond terrible of a singer," he said.

Katz - whose legal first name is Elizabeth - is a transsexual man who also goes by the name Harvey.

"When people hear it's a poetry event, it conjures up a specialized group of people," Katz said. "But my work is not traditional poetry; I do X-Games poetry, and I definitely have a sense of humor."

Ryan Byrd, a University alumnus from Augusta, has been to Athens Boys Choir shows numerous times.

"It was literally a life-changing experience," he said. "The shows have a tremendous amount of energy. (Katz) has the ability to challenge and entertain. I am also just a bit amazed at his power with words." . . .

Gender Identity Vs Transgender

Alice

1.23.2008


I was just reading something and came across the following definitions

Quote:

Transgender A broad range of people who experience and/or express their gender differently from what most people expect — either in terms of expressing a gender that does not match the sex listed on their original birth certificate (i.e., designated sex at birth), or physically changing their sex. It is an umbrella term that includes people who are transsexual, cross-dressers or otherwise gender non-conforming. Not all people who consider themselves (or who may be considered by others as) transgender will undergo a gender transition. Gender identity The term “gender identity,” distinct from the term “sexual orientation,” refers to a person’s innate, deeply felt psychological identification as male or female, which may or may not correspond to the person’s body or designated sex at birth (meaning what sex was originally listed on a person’s birth certificate). Gender identity disorder / Gender dysphoria GID is a psychological diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. This disorder is marked by severe distress and discomfort caused by the conflict between one’s gender identity and one’s designated sex at birth. Not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria or are diagnosed with GID.

I find this very curious. Part of my stress has been the thought that I am a cross dresser about to transistion. As can be seen by the top definition - a cross dresser is within the transgender community.

What if I still identify as Male? . . .

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

loganloveslego

2008-01-23


I have experienced more ignorance in the past 7 days that I have in
my entire life. I am an upper year psychology student at this
learning institution. I am ashamed and embarrassed to be in an
educational environment with such closed minded people. It is easy
to understand how and why people are not aware of ignorance's like
the ones I am shortly going to address but it is not justifiable, or
acceptable by any means.

First and foremost, I am a 'trans' identified person. 'Trans' in
this context is loosely defined as someone whose gender identity is
inconsistent with the gender they were assigned at birth. Our
learning institution is taking initiatives to become a more
'trans-friendly' place but they are slow and met with many
bureaucratic road blocks.

Part of Brock's initiatives have been to allow students to go by
whichever name they prefer and have that name presented on class
lists, the assigned legal name is however also on this list. Last
week in a seminar a teaching assistant was deeply troubled by my
preferred name and 'legal' names gender inconsistency and she
announced this problem to the group of 20 or so students practically
forcing me to explain that I am trans and thus have a legal name
that does not reflect the gender I present. I would prefer to remain
stealth about my biological gender, but I am not ashamed of my
identity or situation. I am however concerned for my safety as there
is a history of abuse and mistreatment of 'trans' people by those
who are not comfortable with the idea. . . .

Why Kylie Minogue could have the perfect legs

By Laura Clout

1.17.2008

Scientists have discovered the secret to the perfect pair of legs - an extra five per cent.

Research found that the average woman - at around 5ft 4in tall with an inside leg measurement of 29in - would need shapely 30.5in legs to reach perfection.

However, very long legs are not necessarily better because the study also showed that those with an extra 10 per cent were actually rated as less attractive.

The findings could explain the sex appeal of stars such as Kylie Minogue, the singer, who despite being only 5ft tall, has topped polls of the "best celebrity legs".

Although her legs are petite, they are proportionally long compared with her small frame. It could also explain why women often choose to wear high heels, giving the illusion of longer limbs.

Polish researchers at Wroclaw University asked 218 male and female volunteers to rate, in order of attractiveness, seven silhouettes of a man and woman. . . .

UCSC Gender Neutral Housing

By Cody-Leigh Mullin

What if the subject of gender, masculine and feminine alike, was as variable as race and religion when it comes to assigning on-campus housing? This is precisely what the Colleges and University Housing Services staff at UC Santa Cruz is currently discussing.

Integrating men, women and those who do not affiliate with a particular gender on the same dormitory floor is a fairly new development in colleges and universities across the nation. However UCSC is already working toward the goal of giving a gender-neutral option to all students.

Among the colleges and universities in the nation to already offer gender-neutral housing are Brown University, Oberlin College, Columbia University, Vassar College, and University of Pennsylvania.

Three California campuses have similar accommodations, including Humboldt State, the California Institute of Technology, and UC Riverside. UCR, which initiated gender-neutral housing in the fall of 2005, remains the only UC campus to have done so. However, other UCs offer various accommodations for the GLBTI community, such as UC Berkeley’s Unity House and Davis’ Rainbow House. . . .