Fifty years ago this week, a horrifying tragedy struck the New Orleans queer community. On June 24, 1973, an arsonist attacked the Up Stairs Lounge, a French Quarter gay bar, killing 32 people. Until the Pulse massacre in Orlando in 2016, it was the most lethal attack on the LGBTQ community ever perpetrated in the United States. Yet even today, few people have heard of it. Robert Fieseler has done more to change that than nearly anyone.…
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June is a hard month for me. It’s a time when the world reminds me that I’m getting older, and the signs of adulthood become more apparent. Suddenly, being in my thirties means taking naps before nights out (also, why go out when you can be in bed by 9:30 p.m.?), turning down the radio in the car to focus, and realizing that “back day” is no longer just an intense workout at the gym but a day dedicated to…
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You can tell that Jaime Harker loves her job. I first learned about this scholar of the queer South through her brilliant 2018 study, The Lesbian South: Southern Feminists, the Women in Print Movement, and the Queer Literary Canon. When she’s recounting a tale from the adventurous, unapologetic southern lesbian literary cultures of the 1970s to 1990s that her book documents, her whole face lights up. Her buoyant enthusiasm shines through as she gestures avidly, grinning ear to ear, pumping…
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We know you don’t have time to read every book and listen to every podcast out there. But chances are, you’re curious to know more about our history (and herstory, and theystory). That’s why we’re launching Historians of the Queer South, Spectrum South’s new series of articles profiling the writers and researchers who are helping to tell our stories. Each month, we’ll share a new article highlighting a scholar who we think has made a particularly important contribution to our…
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As a queer Texan, Elisheva Fox’s debut poetry collection, Spellbook for the Sabbath Queen, moved me in recognizable, yet surprising ways. If you have any relation to the area, you will adore the scenery of this book, not only in familiarity (sometimes lacking in poetry) but through the handling of queerness in Texas. The poet draws you into an array of colors, from violets to bluebonnets, from gray-green waters to golden grass. Fox cycles between the vibrancy of the “Texan…
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The Austin-based queer transmedia festival OUTsider, founded by Curran Nault and co-founded by filmmaker PJ Raval, has long been known for pushing artistic boundaries. Last year, I was delighted to profile three of the festival’s BIPOC artists, focusing on how each found moments of liberation in their art during the era of COVID. Although I’ve since moved to my new home in Richmond, Virginia, I was excited to virtually reconnect with my Texas ties to interview a few of the…
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So, what can you do to build up queer youth in a world that breaks them down? How can you become an ally that takes action? Let’s cover a few things you can do right now that will help the youth in your community, helping to foster a culture that will be more inclusive and accepting in the future.…
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On this episode of Asking for a Friend, host Dr. Laura McGuire welcomes the podcast's first international guest, queer and trans Jewish scholar Orlando Meier-Brix, to discuss his conversion to Judaism, queer inclusivity in the Jewish faith, coming out as non-binary in his home country of Austria, and evolving trans rights in Europe.…
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On the season three premiere of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire sits down with Sarah Saint and Milan Pham, two queer southern lawyers, to discuss the future of marriage equality in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, queer parental rights in family planning, and the evolving legal landscape for trans folks in the South.…
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Taking a road trip is a great U.S. tradition. After all, this country is home to some incredible and varied landscapes. In some cases, you barely have to leave your home state to experience everything from scenic lakes to bustling cities. The South, in particular, offers some incredible delights to those willing to take to the open road.…
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