UPDATE Dec 10, 2009: LA Weekly’s Lina Lecaro loved “Bad Questions!”:

http://www.laweekly.com/2009-12-10/music/lost-in-transploitation-new-zoo-revue-walk-on-the-wild-side/

There was plenty of the expected laughs and flash, sure, but the work was also compelling, complex and downright educational, notably Calpernia Addams’ “Bad Questions to Ask a Transsexual” (which has more than a million hits on You Tube), Beat’s video for “Don’t Tell Me You’re Gay” (an anthem for gaydar-less gals searching for Mr. Right, set to the beat ofThelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way”), Chris “Leave Britney Alone!” Crocker’s discussion of his sexuality, and Zackary Drucker’s powerful piece, “You Will Never Be a Woman” (which we won’t even try to explain here).

Hey kids! Guess what? “Bad Questions” has been requested and will screen at the “transploitation” film event “Ultra Fabulous, Beyond Drag”!

Screening & Panel @ Downtown Independent Theatre
Wed. Dec 2nd, 2009, Screening starts at 7:45 PM; Panel starts at 9:45 PM
Hosted by the ever-amazing Mormon ingenue, Jer Ber Jones
Come join us for a screening of short films by and about the trans community, featuring new work by/featuring Mathu Anderson & Andrew Schneider, Jer Ber Jones, Lipstique, Buck Angel, Calpernia Addams, Jackie Beat, RuPaul, Boom Boom, Squeaky Blonde, Zackary Drucker, Candis Cayne, Chris Crocker, Austin Young, Taylor Mac, WIllam Belli and more.
Stay for the panel, moderated by Jackie Beat and featuring Zackary Drucker, Calpernia Addams & Buck Angel.
Tickets: $12.00 (click here to buy tickets now)

Come looking amazing!

Developed by Austin Young and Saskia Wilson-Brown, Ultra Fabulous: Beyond Drag was first screened in 2007 as part of the Silver Lake Film Festival. Selling out the LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s 200 seat theatre, the first edition of UFBD included films by iconic performers & filmmakers – Jefree Star, Peaches Christ, Darren Stein and Walt Paper amongst others -- as well as live stage performances from Sir Heffington and the late, great Steve Lady.

Read MORE & MORE

Get Tix

Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day on which we take a moment to reflect on the trans people who have been murdered this year, and those murdered in years past. Many people have written to ask what I personally will be doing, in terms of appearances at memorial events or speaking on behalf of the day. Honestly, I don’t plan to set myself up as a public face for this day of remembrance, because people like Gwen Smith have already been doing the best job possible and especially because the last decade of my life has involved some form of public grieving after the homophobic and insane murder of my heterosexual boyfriend in 1999, who was essentially punished for loving a transsexual woman.

I’ve attended the TDOR gatherings in Los Angeles most every year of the eight I’ve lived here, but I usually go alone and dressed to blend in and pass unnoticed as much as I can. I prefer to let other leaders speak at the podiums and rally the troops this time. I will continue to think privately about the hatred and violence society rains down on trans people of all stripes every day, but know that it is especially on my mind today, as it is with most of us. I hope everyone understands that I am obviously aware of, and concerned about the violence and murders in our community, even if I choose not to set myself up as a public face during this time of remembrance. As I said, I can only endure so much public grieving. I need to keep some things personal.

Please check out some of the resources provided by Gwen Smith, ever the leader in making sure the voices of our dead are not silenced:

Gwen Smith’s “Transmissions” for the Bay Area Reporter: There are always more

Can you imagine that? Two people a week killed due to anti-transgender violence. While this pales in comparison to the 7,000 or so who have died due to the H1N1 virus in recent months, it is nevertheless an epidemic.

Now to today: this Friday, November 20, will mark the 11th Transgender Day of Remembrance. This year, Carsten Balzer, representing Transgender Europe and Liminalis: The Journal for Sex/Gender Emancipation and Resistance, began to report anti-transgender murders in Central and South America. The data was staggering, with 83 cases reported between January and June of this year alone. As a result, over 100 people will be honored at this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance – as many as were even known about at that first event, and somewhere in the neighborhood of two a week.

• Locate “Transgender Day of Remembrance” events in your area
• Visit http://www.gwensmith.com
• Los Angeles, CA Transgender Day of Remembrance
  Plummer Park Fiesta Hall
  7377 Santa Monica Boulevard
  11/20/2008
  Time: 7:00pm
  Event hosted by the City of West Hollywood’s Transgender Task Force and will feature guest speakers and a march from Plummer Park to the Matthew Shepard Triangle on Santa Monica and Crescent Heights Boulevards. For more information, please call 323/848-6371. TTY for the deaf and hard of hearing at 323/848-6496.

Bid HERE on Calpernia’s hand-decorated Shepard Fairey “Defend Equality” print to benefit marriage equality!

Over 80 entertainers, political leaders and other notables, including Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, RuPaul, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, have customized original screen prints by noted artist Shepard Fairey. The prints are to be displayed at an event in Los Angeles in November and auctioned online HERE, with all proceeds going to grassroots organizations fighting for marriage equality across the country.

An eclectic list of equality-minded celebrities — gay and straight — have signed (and in some cases customized) the original screen prints, including Robert DeNiro, Bradley Cooper, designers Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels (who signs her name Tammy Etheridge), Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pine, Natalie Portman, Lance Bass (above), Dave Matthews, Jared Leto, Charlie Sheen, and the cast of The Sarah Silverman Program.

Read the articles:

AccessHollywood

http://www.accesshollywood.com/celebs-get-artistic-for-gay-marriage-equality_article_24198

Yahoo’s OMG

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/shepard-fairey-art-project-channels-celebs-for-gay-marriage-equality/29521

E! Online
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b148781_jared_leto_gets_fired_up_over_gay.html

The Advocate
http://advocate.com/Politics/Marriage_Equality/Top_Celebs_Gets_Artsy_for_Marriage_Equality/

Towleroad Blog
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/celebs-customize-shepard-fairey-for-marriage-equality.html

Instinct Magazine
http://instinctmagazine.com/blog/shepard-fairey-s-celebrity-filled-equality-project

LogoOnline
http://www.newnownext.com/2009/10/shepard-faireys-love-unites-posters-get-celeb-makeovers-for-charity-cheyenne-reichen-milo-more.html

365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/news/celebrities-get-creative-for-gay-marriage/

Thank you to Andrew Oldershaw of www.fifteenminutes.com and Jonathan Weber of www.faironline.org for bringing me in on this wonderful project so many months ago. I haven’t been able to talk about it until now.