We’re Here, We’re Queer and We Look Real Cute

It’s never looked better to live on the boundaries of gender.

While high fashion has long had its fair share of openly gay designers (think Jason Wu or Michael Kors), it’s arguably been much more difficult for ordinary queer folks to easily find clothes that embody gender variance. Western beauty standards, with their petite female-bodied models and chiseled cismale spokespeople, haven’t changed all that much. But in recent years, a new trend has emerged: gender-bending designers and consumers are making their pressence known on the screen and in the streets.

More over at Colorlines.

8 Ways Not To Be An “Ally”: A Non-Comprehensive List

People like to throw around the term “ally”. White people who claim to be anti-racist, non-disabled folks who claim to be invested in challenging ableist norms, cis queers who claim to understand the importance of trans* visibility. People claim “ally” for themselves regularly and with ease. But the truth is that being an ally takes more work than most of us imagine. In fact, it takes constant vigilance. And there are many ways we fail at it everyday. Frankly, some of us are just totally doing it wrong.

To help sort it out, Black Girl Dangerous’ Mia McKenzie compiled this list of “8 Ways Not To Be An Ally” and I hope it’s useful.

Continue reading on Black Girl Dangerous.

Fighting Unwanted Cat Calls, One Poster At A Time

It’s hard to go unnoticed in New York City, with everyone checking out the latest fashions and hairstyles. As the weather warms, some women who are shedding those winter layers are finding themselves the object of more cat calls, whistles and roving eyes than they’d like. Artist Tatayana Fazlalizadeh is not going to take it anymore.

Read more on NPR.

‘Blurred Lines,’ Robin Thicke’s Summer Anthem, Is Kind of Rapey

It’s the No. 1 song in the country. But some female fans are unnerved by the creepy lyrics and NSFW video from the blue-eyed soul singer. Here’s a sure-fire way to get the No. 1 record in the country: engineer a fake controversy by making an unrated version of your video featuring strutting, mostly naked supermodels. That’s the route blue-eyed crooner Robin Thicke took with his single “Blurred Lines,” which sits atop the Billboard charts this week, ending Macklemore’s long reign.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast.

Adult Life: Brittney Griner on Dating, Tattoos, Freedom

At a downtown tattoo parlor, Brittney Griner is cautiously picking out her next choice of body ink. “I’m getting this next one on my neck,” Griner says, showing off a wide array of current tattoos decorating her upper body. As the tattoo artist shows Griner a sketch, the 6-8 women’s basketball star calls over to her girlfriend for approval. Once she gets the OK, Griner slips into her goofball persona. “I might get my next tattoos on my eyelids,” she says, smirking. Thirty minutes before a doctor’s appointment to determine the status of a left knee sprain that kept Griner out of her fourth professional game, the 22-year-old is constantly joking and smiling. Since being selected by the Phoenix Mercury as the top pick in April’s WNBA draft, Griner is getting a chance to do something that has eluded her for so long. She’s finally free to be herself.

Read more on ESPN.