The Reading List: Aug 9, 2012

It’s been amazing to see all the support that Pussy Riot has garnered since their arrest.

Image via Jezebel

Canadian electro-punker Peaches got more than 400 people together to protest the group’s trial, citing that she wanted PR to know that people support them. Madonna had the words “Pussy Riot” written on her back while in St Petersburg, saying, “I think that these three girls — Masha, Katya, Nadya — I think that they have done something courageous. I know that everyone in this auditorium, if you are here as my fan, feels they have the right to be free.” An artist in Russia has sewn his mouth closed as a response to what he feels is the censorship of fellow artists.

– Meanwhile, over in the UK, a former aide to the mayor of London is found not guilty for owning what was originally deemed “extreme pornography.” The videos featured images of fisting and sounding, acts that are legal in the UK, but their depiction, apparently, is not. The weirdest part of this case is how the testimony was tweeted by one of the lawyers.

– The editors of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, a manual used in psychology and psychiatry, have decided to remove the term “gender identity disorder” from the book. Transgender activists state, “The label of mental defectiveness really places a burden on trans people to continually prove our competence in our affirmed roles.”

– And, if you’re looking for something a bit uplifting after all that, check out this video of Antony Hegarty performing “Blind” with Hercules & Love Affair, live, for the first time ever.

Journalist, writer, blogger, producer.

Keep Reading

How ‘North of North’ is introducing Indigenous queer dramedy to a global stage

Actors Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq on learning about forgiveness and queerness through their award-winning show
Barbara Hammer

Barbara Hammer’s endless influence

The lesbian filmmaker made a radical difference by making work that reflected her real life. A new documentary is cementing her legacy
Collage with two hands holding a bat, swinging towards a baseball with a dollar sign on it, against a blue background with a net, baseball player and the Olivia logo on an outfield sign

Why the WPBL partnering with a lesbian travel company matters

Support from lesbian brands and bars harks back to the queer history of women’s sport leagues
Confluence cover

‘Confluence’ brings Vancouver’s queer history to life

The late Alex Turner and his husband, Lucian Childs, have written a unique and rewarding ode to mid-century gay British Columbia
Advertisement