Loving her even more now…

I watched So You Think You Can Dance, and I was definitely Team Sasha! This young lady is a beast on the dance floor, and I pray that she goes far!

This article was written in The Advocate magazine, and I am interested in hearing the thoughts of the LGBT community. Do you feel like Sasha should have come out on the show?

So You Think You Can Dance Lesbian Gets Criticism

By Diane Anderson-Minshall

So You Think You Can Dance’s uber-popular eighth-season runner-up Sasha Mallory says she’s proud to be a lesbian, but told AfterEllen.com that she didn’t come out during the show because “It’s not important for America to know that personal side of me. They just needed to know if I could dance and if I had a personality. They didn’t really need to know if I was gay or straight.”

Considering the scarcity of out lesbian and bisexual women in the world of dance, some critics are arguing that Mallory made a bad decision. Andy Dehnart ofRealityBlurred.com argues that Mallory’s “rationale is disturbingly close to Nigel Lythgoe’s moronic and homophobic arguments about why no one ever comes out on his shows, which is far more glaring than competitions series where gay contestants are out.”

Some might insist that being lesbian — or straight or bisexual — is a part of that “personality” Mallory says audiences want to know and that being out can have a positive impact on TV viewers. In fact, Mallory herself posted on Tumblr months ago, “I am who I am and I’m not going to change … I think I’m a really good role model for anyone struggling to be comfortable with themselves because I had to go through that same struggle. I’m proud to say I’m a lesbian and a good person. My personal life shouldn’t affect the way people see my talent … and if it does I truly feel sry [sic] for them because they shouldn’t worry about who I’m sleeping with … they should worry about if my dancing moves them.”

Dehnart supports Mallory’s right to privacy but adds that “it’s disappointing to hear her repeat the specious argument that Nigel Lythgoe and other dummies keep making, because identifying one’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with talking about sex or who she’s sleeping with. Look at straight contestants: they do it all the time, and not by referencing sex, like when a male makes an offhand comment about a wife or girlfriend or how attractive a female is. Perhaps some bigots would have been less inclined to vote for her if she’d revealed that part of her personality on national TV, but perhaps she would have have found that, likeThe Voice’s out women, she would have mentioned it and then gone on to be recognized for her talent.”

Please share your thoughts!

Peace and blessings,

 

LGBT LOVIN’

I stumbled across Elixher’s blog (http://elixher.com/) a couple months ago. I am writing this post to share the site with you all because I think you might find it interesting. She has different segments like “Our Family” and “InspiHERed”. She did an interview with Hanifah, whom I have admired for years. You might remember her from U People.
I like the Our Family section because she interviews lesbian couples who are raising children together.
So, when you get a chance check it out!

 

Not available in your area

This year Old Navy has made pride tee shirts for the LGBT community, which I think is awesome. The thing that is bumming me out is the fact that they are only selling them in 26 stores! I wonder who made that decision.
My friend Anjii called the Columbus store (hour and a half away) and of course they are sold out. She is going to call back to see if they get more in. If so, we plan to make the drive.
I hope they get more in because I want both!

 

LGBT card contest winner(s) & Slouch Hat Giveaway

Happy Friday everyone. I am doing this post in advance because I will be leaving for Chicago today (Thursday). My wife is singing with her choir this weekend. We may also do some of the Pride events, and swing by the Taste of Chicago.

I would like to thank those of you who participated in the LGBT coming out card contest. If you did not get a chance to participate in this one, don’t worry, there will be more.  My panel of judges decided to choose 2 winners for this contest, and I am happy to announce their names here.

So, here goes…

Their online names are Foxy Brown and Rice Pudding. Congratulations! I need for you two to email me your real names and yours addresses.  Once the cards are printed, you will receive your set. Please let me know if you want your real name to be credited on the back, or if you would like to use a pen name. Royalties will be paid once a month for 6 months, so make sure you push the sale of these cards.   Your gift certificate will be sent when your cards are mailed to you. Once again, thanks for your participation!

The slouch hat giveaway has now ended. The winner will be announced on Friday, July 9, 2010. Good luck to all the participants!

 

LGBT Card Contest is now over…

Thank you so much for submitting your entries to the LGBT card contest. The contest is officially closed! A winner will be announced on Friday, July 2, 2010. Good luck to all of you!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the slouch hat!!!

 

Come out, Come out wherever you are: LGBT card contest

The contest is finally here! I hope that you will spread the word about this contest so that we can have a marvelous turnout.

As you all know I have a card shop on Etsy. The name of the shop is Hers and Hers Greetings.  I make handmade cards from scrapbook materials. At the present time I am ready to branch out into printed cards. Hence the contest. I am good with the designs, but wording the cards give me a little challenge. So, my Twitter friend @ThatGayGirlTam came up with the idea to do a card contest. So, we have finally worked out the logitistics and the ground rules for the contest. Please tweet, facebook, and blog about the contest so that we can get the word out there.

This contest will run from Friday, June 18, 2010 until Midnight Friday, June 25, 2010. You may submit your entries to HHGreetings@gmail.com

RULES

• This contest is for wording only
• You may enter more than once
• You do not have to be gay, lesbian, bi, transgender or questioning to enter this contest. It is open to everyone.
• No curse words included in the cards.
• You may submit a card under any of the following themes: funny, quirky, religious, or sentimental
• At times I have come across people who have been afraid to come out verbally to friends or family members. As a result most of them wrote letters to their friends/family to come out. So, this card will be a coming out card that can be sent to come out to loved ones.

The Prize

• The name of the winner will appear on the back of each card as winner of the contest
• The winner will receive 6 months of royalty payments (10% of all sales). 1 check will be mailed each month for 6 months.
• The winner will receive a set of the final printed cards
• The winner will receive a $20 Gift Certificate that they can use in either of my Etsy Shops. Hers and Hers Greetings or Maleia’s Closet.

I believe that is everything. If not, I will amend the post.  So, put your creative thinking caps on, and don’t forget to spread the word about the contest!!!

 

LGBT card contest…

My internet friend Tam and I are putting together a contest. We have discussed the lack of good greeting cards for the LGBT community. As you all know, I have a card shop on Etsy, so this is where the card will be featured/sold. We are currently working on the prize that the winner will get, but here is the premise of the contest.

We are looking for the wording only. The graphic image will be designed by my cousin. The card is a coming out card for a gay male or female to send to a friend or family member. The wording could be quirky, religious, funny or sentimental. The contest will run for a full week and the winner will be announced at the end of the week.

As soon as the prize is worked out, I will post it on my site, and Tam will post it on hers. I hope that we can get some good feedback with this contest.

Peace and Blessings,

Michelle