Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

Currently listening to Tonic (album: Sugar)

The Russian couple who got married in Toronto, Canada, last week by Justice Harvey Brownstone (an out gay Judge) returned to Russia this week to try and force the authorities to recognize their union.

Justice Brownstone penned a wonderful book, drawing from his experiences in Toronto Family Court, called Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court (ECW Press, 2009) and was released earlier this year. I still intend on picking it up and reading it.

Trans people who legally change their names will no longer need to provide courts with a doctor’s note after a ruling from New York’s Supreme Court.

Joan Jett rocks in more ways than one: read her interview for Inked Magazine (Inked for a cause).

The ‘net is buzzing with more Lilith Fair news. I, for one, hope to attend one date (I couldn’t the last time due to financial reasons). A guy friend of mine recounts his time at Lilith Fair - read it here. Its tone differs greatly from the one on Popnography. AfterEllen also asks her readers who they would love to see - here. (Easy guess who tops my list, eh?)

SFGate ran an interesting article on chocolate farms on Hawaii.

Hottie Rena Sofer has joined CBS’ “NCIS” as a potential recurring. She will play a no-nonsense attorney with mysterious motives.

CBC is broadcasting my friend Lara’s short, called Sunfish. It’s not geo blocked, so anyone can watch it *HERE*

eurOut published my latest article on straight allies (yay! Thank you, Stacey) and a heart warming tale posted on Dorothy Snarker’s blog. Sounds like a Hollywood movie, eh?

Chaz Bono is one of this year’s OUT 100.

OUT Editor Aaron Hicklin sent over this photo and told us the magazine’s starting to roll out this year’s honorees.

Says Hicklin of the shoot with Chaz: “He’s the first of 100 people we shot, our annual roll call of honor, which this year was photographed entirely by Jason Bell, and themed around school given that adolescence is the time when most of us start coming to terms with our sexuality and who we are. Given that Chaz is transitioning, we felt shooting him in a boys bathroom was a powerful representation of his real identity, albeit with a touch of humor. Chaz was obviously up for the concept, too.”

Chaz will be appearing on Entertainment Tonight this evening. He tells ET: “I shave about once a week now. It kind of started to come in just like peach fuzz. I always wanted to shave. It is a very natural process. For my birthday I got a lot of shaving stuff….Still not anywhere near what I will look like, but really for the first time I am feeling much more comfortable with how I look physically….The most important thing about this for me is that my outsides are finally starting to match my insides…I feel like I’m living in my body for the first time, and it feels really good.”

Let me start off this post with two recent interviews with Terry Moore in which he talks about Strangers in Paradise and Echo. This one’s interesting for Francophones as it is in French, and in this interview Terry also discusses translating his works to the big screen.

Late last night I found this article on scholars (!) studying Bruce Springsteen - who celebrated his 60th birthday earlier this week - at a weekend event. As a fan I would have attended it if I could, but the idea of actual scholars studying the man… Wow.

Another article that caught my attention was one on US spoof shows. I’m all for that as it shows people’s obsession with celebrities on one hand, and it also shows how ridiculous celebrities’ lives are; just because Britney and Paris are famous doesn’t mean they’re flawless and their lives are automatically more interesting than our own. (Think about it: whenever they screw up, it’s in front of the entire world - and I don’t envy them for that!) I can’t wait to see an episode of “Popzilla”. The article reminded me of a long running BBC show called Spitting Image (I think it was aired in the 80s and 90s) where -British- politics got spoofed. I was a little too young to get all the jokes, but I can imagine it certainly gave the Brits food for thought. I just occurred to me: remember the Genesis video to “Land of confusion“? Those were all Spitting Image puppets!

Staying on British soil: actor Colin Firth has won an award for his portrayal of a gay professor in “A single man”, directed by fashion designer Tom Ford. (Colin got the cute guy in “Mamma Mia!”) I like Colin. He seems like a down to earth kinda guy to me.

In the meantime Iran - amidst all the controversy of another nuclear plant (I do NOT like their President, let’s get that straight) - may allow trans marriages, according to this. Let’s just wait and see, eh.

Also late last night, as I was surfing the web, I noticed just then my Flemish friend Michael Vincent gave me credits on his site. (Check it out; it certainly is worth it.) Wow; I only helped him translate some pages into English. Nothing major. Thanks, dude

As read on towleroad.com:

Reverend David Weekley of the Epworth United Methodist Church in southeast Portland, Oregon, took a big step on Sunday:

“Just months after telling his own children that he was not their biological father, Weekley, who is in his late-50s, came out to his congregation of 221 members. Standing behind his pulpit, Weekley began his usual worship service. About halfway through, he paused to share a personal message he called ‘My Book Report.’ He told them that in 1984, just nine years after undergoing extensive sex-reassignment surgeries, he was ordained by the Methodist Church without telling anyone of his original gender at birth. Following his story, the congregation, who had remained silent throughout his talk, broke into thunderous applause. Church members then proclaimed their support for their pastor.’ It doesn’t change him; he’s still Reverend David, and that’s what counts,’ says congregation member Robbie Tsuboi, who has been attending Epworth since 1964.”

Weekley has been married to his wife Deborah for 13 years and has served as a clergyman for 27.

And: Shalom Sesame!

Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Applegate, Debra Messing, Greg Kinnear and Cedric the Entertainer are among the stars slated to appear in Shalom Sesame, a 12-part series of Sesame Street episodes geared at teaching Jewish-American children about Jewish culture. The series will debut around the Hanukkah holiday in December 2010.

Currently listening to Fleetwood Mac (album: Greatest Hits)

Apparently, I’m not entirely fashion impaired: Canadians are warming up to Electra Bikes. Hee! Mine’s not an Electra (a Schwinn, maybe?) but resembles the Punk model from the Cruiser collection. Check out the site.

You’ve probably read about it or seen it on the news: hurricane Bill is set to lash Nova Scotia in about 12 hours. The Armdale Yacht Club, home of Foxglove, made today’s newspaper. Read the article here.

The Canadian Press: Beach goers flock in the thick fog to watch the approaching waves on Lawrencetown Beach, N.S.

Further south Florida Governor Charlie Crist half-joked to a group of real estate agents that the state’s lack of hurricane activity is because God is listening to him. Uh yea, mr. Crist, can you spell idiot?

Another thing that possibly hasn’t escaped your attention is the controversy surrounding 18-year-old Caster Semenya. Breaking records and winning gold, she’s not to enjoy her 15 seconds of fame.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) subjected Semenya to a gender verification process both in her native South Africa, and since her arrival in Berlin. The official investigation could take weeks to draw conclusions with an endocrinologist, a gynaecologist and a psychologist all involved.
What baffles me is the following statement by someone of the IAAF: “It’s a medical issue. It’s not an issue of cheating. We’re more concerned for the person not to make this something which is humiliating for her and something which is going to affect her in a negative way. This is why you will appreciate we have to be discreet. She is a human being who was born as a woman and who has grown up all her life as a woman but who is now in a position where this is being questioned.”
WTF?! Pardon my language, but the medical issue actually trumps cheating?
Even though I’ve read about Semenya being used to this ridicule (apparently, she once asked a police officer who stopped her outside the ladies room if she needed to drop her pants to prove she’s a woman) I can’t help but feel sorry for her; she should be celebrating her gold medal - like fellow sprinter Bolt - but instead she’s being scrutinized, and disrespected by some of her peers. Anyhow, this inspired me to write a new column on gender for EurOut.

In the meantime writer this article is a shining example of how some people need more than just a sensitivity training (how rude is that?!), while in Australia two trans men have won a court appeal allowing them to be legally recognized as men without having to have their female reproductive organs removed. And star of the Rocky Horror Show, Richard O’Brien, has suggested that society should allow people to grow up and not feel like they have to conform to a certain gender. Read that article here.

I also read about a gay and trans recruitment day by Scottish police. Although I am all for equal opportunity, I also wonder why they have to have a seperate recruitment day. The people coming in that day could be the proverbial sitting ducks: ignorant homophobes and religious hate mongers know where to go to for a bit of fun…

In response to the report from Human Rights Watch that came out earlier this week, CNN talks to gay Iraqis about the atrocities being committed by militias in that country, and the hundreds of executions that have happened since 2004. Watch a clip here.

CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, friends with co-founders Missy and Sean Suicide, called on the Suicide Girls to do a photoshoot for the release of his new cross-platform Digi-Novel, Level 26: Dark Origins. Read more on it here.

About a week and a half ago I came across a lesbionic-ish video on 8Asians.com that was banned from YouTube. Read the post and watch the video, but be warned it may be NSFW! It certainly is an attention grabber, eh? Hopefully, the upcoming feature film The People I’ve Slept With is just as interesting.

Finally, I go back to Nova Scotia to end this post on a happy/positive note. It’s good to know there are still plenty of decent people out there who pass it on to their children. The article of a bunch of kids rescuing a stranded dolphin is heartwarming, eh?

You’ve probably seen it or heard about it since it’s all over the news: the reported 63% to 34% victory by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sparked turmoil and rioting within Iran. Personally, I was surprised by the big difference as I had expected both candidates to get about half of all the votes, and that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared himself the winner nonetheless. The latter happened. I don’t know if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really got the majority (whatever the actual majority of votes is) but if young people went out of their way to vote for reformist opponent, Mirhossein Mousavi, and are now crying fraud on the outcome of the elections (risking severe beatings by the police), it makes me wonder. Supporters of defeated moderate Mirhossein Mousavi are being arrested. That makes me wonder even more. Hearing that It’s obvious the younger generation want change, and I hope for them it’s gonna come soon.

Talking about elections; it seemed the majority of Europeans voted right. Whether it’s due to the economic crisis or something else, I don’t think it’s alright. (I voted left.) Read about the Dutch elections from a Canadian point of view.

A Catholic woman is suing a gay couple after her son got placed into their care when she was unfit to take care of him herself. The reason for suing couldn’t be lamer than that; if the couple was deemed unfit, I don’t think her kid would be placed in their care in the first place.

Floating belly up in the Pacific, this is the body of a giant blue whale - killed by a passing ship. (How on earth could you NOT notice running over or bumping into something large as that?!)

The body was found by researchers from Oregon State University in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California. How sad is that?

Chastity Bono, the 40-year-old daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono announced her decision earlier this week to undergo a sex change. Chastity will be known as “Chaz” from now on.

Bono’s publicist said, “Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity. He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by loved ones. It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his coming out did nearly 20 years ago.”

Read the entire statement on GLAAD.

Kudos to Chaz for coming out as trans; it takes courage to do that. I’m sure he’ll be turned into a spokesperson because he’s famous. (But I think he already knows that.) The good thing is that it might pave the way for other trans people.

A women’s prison in Virginia is - apparently - separating lesbian inmates from straight inmates. Based on appearance. How dumb is that?

The Ausiello Files reported that Stephanie March is staying a little longer on SVU - woo-hoo! While the length of her commitment has yet to be finalized, March’s Alex Cabot will assume ADA duties for only part of the season, as producers have cast a wide net to search for other ADA types as well. NBC had no comment. I’m stoked!

The school censoring a sixth-grade student’s presentation of gay rights activist Harvey Milk has been forced to apologise. Right on!

Towleroad.com offers two views from the High Line Park I blogged about earlier this week. Check them out here.

The ever gracious Terry Moore talked to Publishers Weekly about Echo, his up and coming Strangers in Paradise omnibus, and other works. Read about it here.

A trans girl has been barred from attending her Catholic school in Omaha, Nebraska, after officials objected to her wearing girls’ clothes.

The eight-year-old, who has not been named, was prohibited from transitioning at St Wenceslaus school.

“The child is welcomed to come, but it would not be acceptable to change the child’s gender and present as a girl,” said Omaha Archdiocese’s Chancellor, the Rev Joseph Taphorn. Taphorn added that as the girl had already attended the school for three years as a boy, her new appearance as a girl would not help foster a good learning environment for other pupils.

The girl has been supported by her parents, who have decided she must live openly as a girl, rather than being forced to dress as a boy for school.

Speaking to WPTZ.com, the girl’s mother, a devout Catholic, said: “She’s been a girl since the beginning, everything about her, the way she dances and skips around and the things she’s attracted to. It’s more than toys and clothes. One night, she said, ‘Every night when I go to bed, I pray my inside will match my outside. But it never happens,’” she added.

The girl will now attend a public school in the autumn where she will be permitted to dress as a girl.

So you’ve always wanted to know all about the ins and outs of gender, sexuality, and vegan cooking. Fine - you’ve never really thought about it. But now you may just have the perfect reason!

In the debut episode of Cooking with Trannies, Chef Alexa helps out a transboy who wants to impress his vegan date with some homecooking.

Join Chef Alexa (a Natural Gourmet Cooking School chef-in-training) as she embarks on her mission to “teach trannies to cook flavorful vegan meals” and helps Trent (of “That’s My Jam” fame) whip up a dish of Vegan Spaghetti and Not-Balls (get it?).

Learn about everything from the art of chiffonade to why a transgender man who is dating a bio man would bother transitioning in the first place!

I hope YouTube doesn’t pull this interesting new show.

Watch one of the sweetest, most impressive commercials I’ve ever seen. Granted, it’s from Argentina and we’re only seeing it because of YouTube, but still, it’s clips like this that give us a little hope and helps us to hold onto that hope after hearing about people like Marco Rebeiro.

TV ad with transgender woman

Currently listening to Daughtry (album: Daughtry)

As a contributor to EurOut I wrote and edited (within a week’s time) and submitted another column - this one’s about “spotting peers“. (Thank you Globe and Mail for the sudden inspiration.) It got published shortly after. I was hoping it would get some response, and it looks like it got plenty. Feel free to join the conversation
Thanks to the site I learned about another out (and very attractive) soccer player: Jessica Landström.

Landström is known for being a football player for Linköping FC in the Swedish national league, as well as for playing on the national football team in the Olympics. In addition, she was voted best breakthrough player at the Swedish football awards last year. She came out publicly in November last year.

More eye candy to come…

Facebook is giving its users input on policies, which I think is not necesarily a bad thing.

This doesn’t come as a surprise to me: gay (and lesbian) content in Sunday’s Academy Awards presentation was censored all across Asia. Read it *here* and at Fridae.com *here* An excerpt from the latter article:

Separately, viewers in Singapore who watched the repeat telecast on free-to-air Channel 5 reported that entire chunks from Black’s and Penn’s speeches referencing the former’s growing up gay years and gay marriage rights respectively were cut (See boxes below.)

In China, Internet chatter has it that state broadcaster CCTV (China Central Television) had cut Sean Penn’s speech while Black’s speech was not shown at all. Observers however also pointed out the three and a half hour-long show was condensed into two hours.

Last night I watched Shortbus, a movie written by John Cameron Mitchell. Athough, I enjoyed “Hedwig and the angry inch”, I couldn’t help but think what an utterly crappy movie Shortbus is - despite an interesting storyline. (It probably looked better just scripted.) Even though I was trying to multitask one minor character managed to catch my eye. It took me till the end of the movie to find out who she was: Leah, played by Shanti Carson.

Killer body aside, the tattoos certainly helped
I surfed the web to see whether she’s done more acting (it turns out she’s an NYC based artist) and found a site called Forever… For now that has two seasons worth of vlogs. I watched all twenty episodes. The vlogs are filmed as if they’re confessions - and I deliberately use “as if” because after having watched the first couple of episodes I couldn’t help but wonder how much of it was staged/scripted.

“Forever… For now” is about a single NY woman and the dating scene, and what kept me watching was the fact that Shanti doesn’t seem to date men exclusively. (Was my gaydar right for once?) She even dates a transgendered girl. Having said that, the verdict’s still out on whether I liked it or not.

Finally, one of the guests on this week’s “Brunch with Bridget” (the darkhaired Eliza Ladensohn, hm - that sounds Scandinavian or German to me) not only designs nice looking underwear, she sports a do I’m currently growing