The Reading List for Nov 19

This latest edition of The Reading List is a little heavy on the celebrity, but with good reason.

– First, Stephen Ira Beatty, the son of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, is well known for his work in the trans commnunity, as well as the work he did on his blog, Super Mattachine. Stephen recently took part of a video campaign organized by GLAAD, discussing healthcare for the trans community. The story was picked up by news outlets but mostly as a story about the “trans son of a celebrity.” But the fact that people are learning about this subject is beneficial.

Margaret Cho talks to the PBS webseries Makers about stereotypes, life in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis and being truthful to herself.

– RuPaul continues her “RuPaul Drives” series, this time with Drag Race alum Alyssa Edwards. And for those of you who haven’t checked out Alyssa’s webseries, Alyssa’s Secret, please do. You won’t regret it.

– BuzzFeed’s LGBT section takes a peek at the word gay in several languages and the history therein.

– And last but not least, the Oxford English Dictionary has announced its word of the year: selfie.

Journalist, writer, blogger, producer.

Keep Reading

Collage with pink and white shapes and images of a neon "sex shop" sign, mannequins with fetish gear on top of a shelf of costumes, and a hand passing a sex toy to another hand, against a purple background

Can queer sex shops ever truly be radical?

Stores can provide important access to health resources and community—but queerness demands that we dream bigger
Jimmy Heagarty

‘Big Brother 27’ star Jimmy Heagerty is making for great TV. It could be even better with more queer people

By very virtue of their sexuality, queer houseguests cannot have the same experience as their straight competitors

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10’ delivers a wildly entertaining finale—after a waste-of-time semifinals

It’s hard to figure out just what producers were thinking with this merge format
Andrea Gibson, left, and Megan Falley, the subjects of the film "Come See Me in the Good Light," pose for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Park City, Utah.

Andrea Gibson helped me see life in the good light

Gibson’s poetry about queerness and mortality taught thousands of people how to reject apathy and embrace life