Bridges
Across the Divide
(November
11, 1999)
Bridges-Across
the Divide (B-A) describes itself as "a cyberspace initiative
providing models and resources for building respectful relationships
among those who disagree about moral issues surrounding
homosexuality, bisexuality and gender variance." This website
defines and examines the separation that exists between many people
(straights and gays, gays and transgenders, gay men and lesbians)
and offers a number of dialogs and articles on the issues relating
to, among other topics, Youth, Faith, and Science. Perhaps a little
too intellectual at times, this is a thought-provoking place to rest
for awhile and gather great ideas about encouraging understanding.
Bridges Across the Divide
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Directing Gays
to God
(November
11, 1999)
In an
age when a lot of people seem to be moving away from established
religion, many lesbians and gay men are choosing to do the opposite.
This often means, however, going to churches that may or may not be
accepting of homosexuality, which presents a real quandary indeed.
This site, sponsored by ChristianLesbians.com, offers a
state-by-state list of welcoming congregations. The churches are
categorized by Protestant denomination, and include the city in
which they're located, along with some phone numbers and website
links. A great resource for those comfortable with their sexuality
who are looking to explore their spirituality.
Directing Gays to God (Now Defunct)
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Examining
Poodle Porn
(November
11, 1999)
Most
gay people I know deplore pornography of any kind, especially the
type involving one of the true icons of gay society--the French
poodle. This site promises "all models over 18 months," so I found
it to be more educational and instructive and less harmful than
other sites.
Examining Poodle Porn (Now Defunct)
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Queer and
Hearing Impaired
(November
11, 1999)
Being
deaf or otherwise hearing impaired in today's world can be a
challenge in and of itself. But if you're also a member of the
so-called gay/bi/les/trans minority, your feelings of being an
outsider may be compounded. The Deaf Queer Resource Center (DQRC) is
a national non-profit center that provides news and other resources
to gay folks who are deaf. There's a surprisingly extensive list of
Deaf Queers' homepages here, as well as some good articles on the
Bulletin Board. The site could use some additional content,
certa
inly, but poke around for a while and you'll find some good
stuff.
Queer and Hearing Impaired
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Straight Answers
(November
11, 1999)
Straight
Answers is an informative site that tries to "answer questions
about gay life and change anti-gay attitudes." The webmasters
have made some interesting, fairly conservative, editorial
decisions, including using the acronym GLB to describe all members
of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community--no doubt including the
transgenders. Also, the term "queer" is avoided because
such words "can cause confusion among straight and gay people
alike." In addition, one article decries "'flaunting it'
to society in general [which] makes us look like clowns." You
can join moderated discussion lists here, find personal coming-out
stories, ask a question yourself, and peruse some interesting essays
regarding gay life and gay issues. Some of the information's pretty
basic and clearly aimed at out-of-the loop straight folks (such as a
discussion of "the gay 'lifestyle'"), but there's a good
range of material to meander through.
Straight Answers (Now Defunct)
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Working Pink
(November
11, 1999)
Gaywork.com
is a search engine that (at least according to the website) provides
equal opportunity for all job seekers. Presumably this means for
lesbians and gay men, which makes us wonder if the site will work
for straight job seekers as well. However, since so-called
"straight" search engines, such as Monster.com, seem to
work equally for gays and straights, I suppose this one will as
well! The major difference here is that the site is definitely
geared toward the GLBT community. There are "hot tips" at
http://www.gaywork.com/hottips.htm that key you into gay-friendly
companies. In addition, you'll find resource lists, links of
interest to both gay job seekers and employers, a volunteer message
board, and even a freelance forum for consultants, small businesses,
and the self-employed to hawk their services (for a fee). This is
definitely a hot place to start that job search.
Working Pink (Now Defunct)
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Gip Plaster's Gay Scribe
(November
29, 1999)
One good
resource for gay journalists, writers, publicists, and others who
want to contact lesbian and gay publications is Gip Plaster's Gay
Scribe. The site offers a free, virtually complete listing of gay
and lesbian newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and around the
world. There is contact information for many of the publications
listed, including addresses, phone numbers, and URLs. Created by Gip
Plaster, an independent writer and journalist whose work appears in
gay and lesbian publications around the world, this "virtual
newsstand" can be a boon to gay writers and editors alike.
Gip Plaster's Gay Scribe (Now Defunct)
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In the Company of Women
(November
29, 1999)
In the
Company of WOMEN is a great resource for information on lesbian
events, gatherings, and trips. Its stated purpose is to "create
extraordinary events and unique adventures for lesbians, their
friends and lovers in an atmosphere of pride, safety, and lots of
female fun and frolic." Among the numerous Year 2000 events
listed here are a Memorial Day weekend get-together, a Gay Day Show
and Dance on June 2 (both in Florida), and a mountain adventure in
the Catskills the weekend of October 20. The site also features a
lesbian chat room, a section on lesbian artists and entertainers,
and many other online resources for gay women. In the Company of
WOMEN is not a travel agency, the proprietors tell us, but a group
that "brings together women from everywhere for unique,
stimulating, gender-specific tours and events that cater to the
needs, wants and desires of womyn."
In the Company of Women (Now Defunct)
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Y2GAY
Crisis?
(November
29, 1999)
With all
the hype about the coming Y2K crisis, it's nice to see that someone
has a sense of humor about it! This site, courtesy of our friends at
http://queerpittsburgh.com
(Not Defunct), takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the
"millennium crisis for gays" set to wreak havoc on January
1, 2000. It seems there might just be a bug afoot that will turn gay
people straight overnight! There's even a link to a selection of
free images designed to certify your website "Y2 Gay
Compliant."
Y2GAY
Crisis? (Now Defunct)
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