Showing posts with label archives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label archives. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Monday, March 31, 2008
Community Service
So like any good gay I service the community. I've been working like 7 days a week selling stuff on ebay for the Archives, and I came across this cool joke book, here's some samples.
What's in the air in San Francisco that prevents women from getting pregnant?
- Men's legs.
What did a blind lesbian say when she passed the seafood market?
- "Hi girls."
Brilliant, eh? It's kind of a pain in the ass but I've raised about $500 in a week and a half. And as payment if I occasionally fall in love with a book I can keep it. Or if they have 500 copies of the same title.
I need an assistant to help me. He should be about 35 tall, dark and handsome, or about 17 and dumb. Either way.
The best news is I GOT FUCKING 19TH ROW CENTRE FOR GEORGE MICHAEL!!!! I am so happy I think I burst. Or maybe that was my eardrums from the Ottawa flight.
What's in the air in San Francisco that prevents women from getting pregnant?
- Men's legs.
What did a blind lesbian say when she passed the seafood market?
- "Hi girls."
Brilliant, eh? It's kind of a pain in the ass but I've raised about $500 in a week and a half. And as payment if I occasionally fall in love with a book I can keep it. Or if they have 500 copies of the same title.
I need an assistant to help me. He should be about 35 tall, dark and handsome, or about 17 and dumb. Either way.
The best news is I GOT FUCKING 19TH ROW CENTRE FOR GEORGE MICHAEL!!!! I am so happy I think I burst. Or maybe that was my eardrums from the Ottawa flight.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The media you first identified with
I have been asked by the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, specifically the handsome and charismatic manager Robert Windrum, to share, in about 250 words, the media that I first identified with as a homosexual.
Robert based his submission on Dave Kopay, a football player who came out in 1975 and wrote his life story. Mr. Kopay also recently donated $1 million to the University of Washington's Q Center, whose mission is to create an inclusive and celebratory environment for people of all sexual orientations.
I wracked my brain for a book. I think in 20 years teens will be able to say they read a life changing gay story they identified with, but the fact is I did not. The first gay book I read that changed my life was Against the Law by Peter Wildeblood.
This book details a British man who was arrested and jailed for 18 months for being gay in England in 1954. It moved me because it was so recent, I could picture this happening to me. It gave me a sense of community and of the struggle gays have gone though, I read each page in rapture. But, I read this only last year.
I didn't grow up with the internet. In the small town of 500 people I grew up in the only gay books I ever read were books like "Growing up gay", given to me by counselors who had driven over an hour to come help me come to terms with my sexuality. These books seemed so clinical, I don't think I ever read any of them. I was born gay, I was okay with that, I just needed help finding my place.
Even when I turned 17 and moved to Toronto, I did go to Glad Day Bookshop but I think I only bought pornography. There was no sense of community in my mind and I think for the first time, no public struggles for gay rights. There was nothing to rebel against.
So I chose the TV movie Doing Time on Maple Drive.
This movie was broadcast March 16, 1992, when I had just turned 13 and been inadvertently thrown out of the closet. My mother had found a journal I was writing about a boy in my class, Jeff Wahler, and had not handled the situation well.
I knew this movie was coming on and I needed to watch it. It was the first time I had heard of a movie with a gay theme and on that night I was sitting, glued to the tv. I remember watching it in awe, as the story played out, here was the first time I saw positive images of gay men. These guys were masculine and well-spoken and it was a whole new concept of gay for me. Before this I never really thought I was gay. I was attracted to one person my whole life thus far and he was a man. I thought I was single sexual.
My mom spoke with my father, who called me 15 minutes before the movie was over. We had just received our first VCR the week before so I taped the last 15 minutes and took the call. It was what could be expected of the time, what was wrong with me, I was a disgrace, a piece of shit and he was going to get me counseling. But when I came back to that movie I had a sense again that things might be ok.
We had no cable so the signal wasn't very good but I must have watched the grainy footage from the last 15 minutes of the film about 50 times. I remember the father in the story saying to the gay son "Whatever you are, we love you."
Robert based his submission on Dave Kopay, a football player who came out in 1975 and wrote his life story. Mr. Kopay also recently donated $1 million to the University of Washington's Q Center, whose mission is to create an inclusive and celebratory environment for people of all sexual orientations.
I wracked my brain for a book. I think in 20 years teens will be able to say they read a life changing gay story they identified with, but the fact is I did not. The first gay book I read that changed my life was Against the Law by Peter Wildeblood.
This book details a British man who was arrested and jailed for 18 months for being gay in England in 1954. It moved me because it was so recent, I could picture this happening to me. It gave me a sense of community and of the struggle gays have gone though, I read each page in rapture. But, I read this only last year.
I didn't grow up with the internet. In the small town of 500 people I grew up in the only gay books I ever read were books like "Growing up gay", given to me by counselors who had driven over an hour to come help me come to terms with my sexuality. These books seemed so clinical, I don't think I ever read any of them. I was born gay, I was okay with that, I just needed help finding my place.
Even when I turned 17 and moved to Toronto, I did go to Glad Day Bookshop but I think I only bought pornography. There was no sense of community in my mind and I think for the first time, no public struggles for gay rights. There was nothing to rebel against.
So I chose the TV movie Doing Time on Maple Drive.
This movie was broadcast March 16, 1992, when I had just turned 13 and been inadvertently thrown out of the closet. My mother had found a journal I was writing about a boy in my class, Jeff Wahler, and had not handled the situation well.
I knew this movie was coming on and I needed to watch it. It was the first time I had heard of a movie with a gay theme and on that night I was sitting, glued to the tv. I remember watching it in awe, as the story played out, here was the first time I saw positive images of gay men. These guys were masculine and well-spoken and it was a whole new concept of gay for me. Before this I never really thought I was gay. I was attracted to one person my whole life thus far and he was a man. I thought I was single sexual.
My mom spoke with my father, who called me 15 minutes before the movie was over. We had just received our first VCR the week before so I taped the last 15 minutes and took the call. It was what could be expected of the time, what was wrong with me, I was a disgrace, a piece of shit and he was going to get me counseling. But when I came back to that movie I had a sense again that things might be ok.
We had no cable so the signal wasn't very good but I must have watched the grainy footage from the last 15 minutes of the film about 50 times. I remember the father in the story saying to the gay son "Whatever you are, we love you."
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Colton Ford Featuring Cazwell
Cazwell is hot, I love how he's becoming the gay Eminem. I just wish I knew where to buy this version of this song, I would.
In other news, working with the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives has paid off again, on Wednesday I received another amazing piece of gay history, "Discrimination and the Gay Minority", a brief to members of the Ontario Legislature from 1977. In typical me fashion, it was in excellent condition when I received it so I accidentally removed the staples and spilled coffee on it. Yet another reason why I don't run the archives.
This was a report to the government showing how gays were discriminated against and why the law should be changed. There are amazing documents in there, about how people were fired for being gay and a bunch of other things, but instead of an account of the incident, this is all real documents from the time. I've copied the best 2.
This is a disciplinary letter to a lifeguard working for the Toronto District School Board (click to enlarge). On November 9, 1977, John Argue was given this letter for being gay and made to agree he would not eat, swim or talk to the students he was lifeguarding.
Another excellent article is this one on a film not being shown at the library.
Of note in this is the stupidity presented by the talking heads representing the library, most notably Hazel McCallion, who has been mayor of Mississauga since I've been alive.
"I'm not sure a public body should promote a topic not generally accepted by the public," McCallion said, adding that the library should stay away from controversial issues and promote positive things such as anti-vandalism and the perils of drugs.
WHAT? Number 1, what group of adults is going to show up at 7:30 on a Friday night to see an anti-vandalism film? Number 2, what exactly is positive about the perils of drug addiction?
She also mentions the film is dangerous as there would not be a heterosexual present to give another point of view and the leader of the event could be promoting homosexuality. This is how we recruit you know, free films at the library. She goes on to ask if we should promote communism or prostitution at the library. I believe this is the first time in my life I've heard communism and prostitution in the same sentence.
Finally it is inappropriate to show this kind of film when 40% of the libraries users are minors. At 7:30 on a Friday night for a gay film in 1977? Or in general 40% of the people who walk in the door?
Finally, I'd like to go to this event and need someone to volunteer to go with me:
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
I recently started volunteering at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and I LOVE it. I can't wait for Wednesdays, it gives me a huge sense of purpose and when I'm there I don't leave until they lock the door. I love it, I'd love to spend weeks in there pouring over the material. There's such a sense of brotherhood, I have the feeling when I go like I had when I first went to the gay village, a sense of connection, of belonging, I love pouring over the stories of the people who went before. I want to buy them supplies and volunteer for everything.
I'm currently working on the book collection with Cliff. This is him here, hard at work. I label the donations and put stickers on the books and stuff, which is great as I get to see all the books, and Cliff lists them all in the computer by subject and category and author and year and condition.... yikes, I'm glad I don't have that job.
This is part of the book collection. There are far more books than storage space right now so it's a bit tight.
More books and a research table. It was interesting, one of the aspects of the archives is public service, where you help members of the public who come in. Tony who I volunteer with was surprised when I said I didn't want to do that, I guess, especially in a library setting, I'm one of the more outgoing people. But there's a reason I've been in admin for 12 years, I work best by myself with a ton of different stuff to do and this job gives me that.
Some of the video collection.
This is the rare (read expensive) stuff. I find it hard not to go through this, write down everything and go home and order one for myself. I friend of mine wisely said "There already is an archives, you don't have to start another one".
Some of the books. They have some marvelous works here. None in this picture unfortunately but I find it's difficult sometimes to get gay books, like you go to a yard sale and you know they won't have anything for you, and here they have TONS. I should do another blog post later on some cool finds at the archives. X-tra seems to be running a weekly feature lately along the same lines, highlighting one thing from this collection.
Lots of magazines and archival records, like all the records from the Body Politic, Canada's first gay newspaper, and Svend Robinson's parliamentary papers.
LOTS of magazines.
Part of the poster collection and a sign we're getting to the good stuff. It's so cool to be in a gay library with a picture of a penis hanging on the wall.
Last, but not least, the porn. A lot of people snicker at this collection, even volunteers at the Archives themselves, but I love going through this. Half to three quarters of this collection was published before 1985 when there were no "gay" magazines, there was still pornography. Many of these magazines were it for gay culture, containing theatre reviews, interviews with queer authors and articles like "Gay in Berlin: On Both Sides of the Wall" and "Gay parents" from the mid 70's. An invaluable resource, even if the people do have stupid hair.
The archives is always looking for volunteers or donations and can be contacted at the link above.
I'm currently working on the book collection with Cliff. This is him here, hard at work. I label the donations and put stickers on the books and stuff, which is great as I get to see all the books, and Cliff lists them all in the computer by subject and category and author and year and condition.... yikes, I'm glad I don't have that job.
This is part of the book collection. There are far more books than storage space right now so it's a bit tight.
More books and a research table. It was interesting, one of the aspects of the archives is public service, where you help members of the public who come in. Tony who I volunteer with was surprised when I said I didn't want to do that, I guess, especially in a library setting, I'm one of the more outgoing people. But there's a reason I've been in admin for 12 years, I work best by myself with a ton of different stuff to do and this job gives me that.
Some of the video collection.
This is the rare (read expensive) stuff. I find it hard not to go through this, write down everything and go home and order one for myself. I friend of mine wisely said "There already is an archives, you don't have to start another one".
Some of the books. They have some marvelous works here. None in this picture unfortunately but I find it's difficult sometimes to get gay books, like you go to a yard sale and you know they won't have anything for you, and here they have TONS. I should do another blog post later on some cool finds at the archives. X-tra seems to be running a weekly feature lately along the same lines, highlighting one thing from this collection.
Lots of magazines and archival records, like all the records from the Body Politic, Canada's first gay newspaper, and Svend Robinson's parliamentary papers.
LOTS of magazines.
Part of the poster collection and a sign we're getting to the good stuff. It's so cool to be in a gay library with a picture of a penis hanging on the wall.
Last, but not least, the porn. A lot of people snicker at this collection, even volunteers at the Archives themselves, but I love going through this. Half to three quarters of this collection was published before 1985 when there were no "gay" magazines, there was still pornography. Many of these magazines were it for gay culture, containing theatre reviews, interviews with queer authors and articles like "Gay in Berlin: On Both Sides of the Wall" and "Gay parents" from the mid 70's. An invaluable resource, even if the people do have stupid hair.
The archives is always looking for volunteers or donations and can be contacted at the link above.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
