Honesty: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the gay activism community. Its continuing mission: To deplore strange new homophobes; to seek out new life in old civilizations; to boldly go where no civil rights movement has gone before. Somehow, even in a culture where nearly everyone gives lip service to the idea of fighting racism and sexism, it's still a very radical thing to stand up for the basic human right to fall in love.
I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but Good as You is probably much
better than you. Funny, quirky, and just a little bit edgy, this blog takes no prisoners and probably wouldn't observe the Geneva Conventions if it did. Think
Feministing for the gay rights set--but with even more snark, if you can believe it. Oh, enough of this; just click on the link already.
If you're looking for the straight scoop on gay rights, this is the site for you. With grace and compassion, this relentlessly up-to-date blog examines the gay rights news of the day and looks at how it impacts the real lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans--with minimal fluff, minimal frills, and no apologies.
This is one of those blogs that you'll find yourself checking twice a day
just in case something new has been added. Clever, fast-paced, and more likely to be well-written than anything you'll find on your paper's op-ed page, the Big Gay Picture brings together politics, civil rights, and gay culture in a way that no other blog really can.
The
2005 Weblog Awards rated this the #1 LGBT blog anywhere, and it's easy to see why: Pam Spaulding is one of the best writers on gay issues in any medium, period, and there's something just intrinsically reasonable about the way she writes that will draw you in whether you intend to be drawn in or not. Read this blog and then try
not to bookmark it. I dare you.
Subtitled "Margaret Cho's Marriage Equality Site," this page is unique in that it focuses specifically on gay marriage and civil unions--but what you'll quickly discover when you start reading the site is that there's more than enough in that one specific topic to make for one of the most engaging blogs you'll find anywhere.
Is this a transgender or a feminist blog? A gay and lesbian blog or a disabilities blog? Is it academic or activist? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. The brainchild of Villanolla lawyer-activist Jen Burke, this site doesn't just transcend gender--it transcends categories. It's also one of the most provocative and worthwhile blogs of any description that you're likely to find. There's no way you can read this blog for more than a few days and not learn something.
Montreal-based freelance writer Eleanor Brown has a lot to say, but the most remarkable thing about this blog is that it involves more wonder than anger. As I know from experience, that's a very hard thing to do on any politics blog. It's not that she doesn't make her case forcefully, but there's an easy confidence to the way she writes that gives you the distinct feeling that whatever side she's on is going to win.
"Black. Gay. Father. Vegetarian. Buddhist. Liberal.," the site banner exclaims--and since I'm reviewing the blog, here's a seventh label: "Philosopher." The Republic of T. is written by a guy who sees the big picture in
everything and carries that with him when he discusses gay rights issues. And sure, it's one of the best gay rights blogs--but you get the feeling that if it was about anything else, it'd still be amazing.
Q: When is a local blog not a local blog? This blog has been set up to combat Wisconsin's proposed anti-gay marriage amendment, which might make you wonder why I listed it here--but if you click on the link, you'll stop wondering. As a perfect example of the old activist mantra to "think globally and act locally," it covers national issues affecting gay Americans with a sense of immediacy that puts many more ambitious blogs to shame.
Let me explain what this site is and what it isn't. What it
isn't is a great place to find independent writing, analysis, or commentary; a consistent personal style; and so on. What it
is is the most active gay news aggregator on the Internet, period, collecting links to pretty much every single interesting gay news item from the mainstream media and putting it all in one place for easy access.
