Queer Poets: 10 Favorite Moments from Capturing Fire

Capturing Fire

Capturing Fire is an international spoken word and poetry that takes place in Washington DC.  Poets gather for panel discussions, workshops, performances, and of course a poetry slam.    Fortunately some of the best queer poetry performances over the years have been captured on video and have been viewed hundreds, some even thousands of times on youtube.  Our most popular video by featuring Joanna Hoffman has over 80,000 views!  Unfortunately, we do not have video footage from 2015 which include some of my favorites, including performances by Lady Dane Edidi and Venus Selenite.  Still, over the years we have amassed an amazing collection of queer poetry.  I offer below, ten of my favorite performances from Capturing Fire featuring some truly amazing queer poets.

Joanna Hoffman – Pride

Patience Rowe – Freedom Piece

Sam Sax: After My Boyfriend’s DragShow

trigger warning – hate violence

J Mase III – Ally Fail

J.T Bullock – This Dance Floor

Shyla Hardwick – Worms

Regie Cabico – It’s not so much his kiss I recall…

Jessica Genia Simon – For the Jewish Queers

Paul Tran – On Beauty (For Queer Colored Boys)

trigger warning – sexual assault

Gabe Moses – Stimming


If you liked these poems, you can find more on the Center Arts youtube page.  You can also follow Capturing Fire on Twitter or like Capturing Fire on Facebook.

Capturing Fire

 

 

 

What We Know: LGBT Youth & Family Acceptance

LGBT Youth & Family Acceptance

The What We Know Project at Columbia Law School has released a new research analysis on what scholarly research says about the link between family acceptance and LGBT youth wellbeing.  Family rejection, and the fear of family rejection, has always been a major concern for LGBT Youth, particularly transgender and gender non-conforming youth.   And it’s a valid concern considering that in the District of Columbia, for example, 43% of homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.  Clearly families that engage in rejecting behavior raise the risk of significant harms for their LGBT children.

There is however, another side to this story.  Research shows that on the flip side, parents and families can have a profoundly positive influence when they exhibit affirming behaviors.   The important take home message is that even parents that have neutral or negative views about LGBT people can change their ways and exhibit these affirming behaviors when they truly understand how devastating their rejection is.

LGBT Youth are coming out at even younger ages these days and therefore spending more time living with their families.   One very important role we can play in supporting LGBT Youth is to reach their parents.  Clearly, the work of PFLAG and other organizations that support family members is more important than ever. It also presents a challenge to all of us who work with LGBT Youth to not give up on parents who initially present negative views of LGBT people, and to push for more research on effective interventions to help these parents make the right choices.

Below are some key findings from the Study.  Be sure to check out the complete report here.  For more information on this topic be sure to check out the amazing work of my friend Caitlin Ryan at the Family Acceptance Project.

Key Findings from the Study

  • LGBT youth face heightened risks of numerous mental and physical health dangers including depression, suicidality, substance abuse, psychological distress, low self-esteem, HIV/AIDS infection, and others.
  • Research shows that rejecting behaviors by parents can increase these risks, including contributing to far higher levels of suicidal behavior and depression.
  • Family can play a key protective role against these physical and mental health risks. Several studies confirmed the importance of sexuality-specific acceptance (over generalized support), and of parental support over peer support.
  • Research shows that LGBT youth are coming out at younger ages than in the past, which can mean longer periods of time when they are in the home and “out,” and hence a greater chance of both family-related stress and the possibility of positive interventions.
  • More research is needed on the factors that best predict rejecting family behaviors, the factors that contribute to positive family climates, and intervention approaches with records of evidence-based success; however, a great deal is already known about the information and support that families and LGBT youth need, and parents, practitioners, policymakers and funders should act on this knowledge if they wish to minimize the health risks for the LGBT population.

LGBT Youth and Family Acceptance

 

 

 

 

United We Dream Unveils Largest Survey of LGBTQ Immigrant Community

United We Dream Report on LGBTQ Immigrants

United We Dream, the national network of immigrant youth, has just released its “No More Closets” report, the largest national survey of the LGBTQ immigrant community ever conducted.

The report tells the collective and individual stories of some 461 individuals who self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and who are either born outside of the United States or are U.S.-born citizens with foreign-born parents. The survey was conducted in late 2015 both online and through individual interviews.

The report uncovers high levels of discrimination and harassment in employment, healthcare, housing and education and a distrust of law enforcement among this highly resilient population.

“With this survey, we aim to both tell our stories to policymakers as well as to the young people in our communities who are struggling that they are not alone and that together we can turn our shared struggle and power into the change we seek,” said Carlos Padilla, National Coordinator of United We Dream’s Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project. “In fact, some of our nation’s leading change makers are LGBTQ immigrant youth – out of great struggle can come great strength.”

Among the findings:

  • 73.4 percent of respondents say that their income either doesn’t cover or just barely covers their living expenses. Only 26.6 percent report earning enough to live comfortably

  • About half say they have experienced discrimination at school because of their sexual orientation

  • 41 percent have no health insurance, significantly higher than the general LGBTQ population

  • 46 percent said they have hid or lied about their sexual orientation or gender identity to a health care provider because of fear

  • Nearly half of all respondents say they are afraid to deal with police because of their immigration status or sexual identity.

Survey architect and report author Zenen Jaimes Perez, Policy & Advocacy Analyst for United We Dream, added, “The patterns of discrimination, lack of healthcare and harassment uncovered by this report are heartbreaking but the countless stories of resistance and hope are inspiring. We hope that this report is just the beginning of research into a community determined to live authentically despite the odds.”

In addition to the survey data, the report also includes several individual testimonies of LGBTQ immigrant leaders themselves including this one from Bianey Garcia of New York City:

“Coming out for me was not about visibility, it was about survival and about being able to share my strength with other youth who continue to remain in the shadows and in fear as undocumented and LGBTQ. As a transgender immigrant woman, being out and counted is a critical step so other people in my community can feel safe.”

Download the entire report here.  You can also use these great graphics below to help spread the word.

nmc_8 nmc_7 nmc_6 nmc_5 nmc_4 nmc_3 nmc_2 nmc_1 (1)

United We Dream Report on LGBTQ Immigrants

National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day

National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day

September 18 is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day. The importance of the annual observance increases as the number of people aged 50 and older who are living with HIV continues to grow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people aged 55 and older accounted for 26% of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV infection in the United States in 2011.

HIV-related challenges facing older Americans include lack of knowledge about HIV and stigma that discourages them from seeking HIV testing and care. In older adults, HIV is too often diagnosed late in the course of the infection, leading to shorter HIV-to-AIDS intervals.

hivagingsquare