Category: Memphis Gaydar

Although religion remains the biggest obstacle in the fight for equal rights for the LGBT community, not every faith can be blamed.

The Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC) is hoping to showcase some of the local inclusive churches and faith groups in their first annual Faith Fair tonight (Tues., Nov. 11th) from 4 to 7 p.m.

“Our goal is to bridge the gap between the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community and the local Memphis religious community. We welcome you to help bridge that gap for those of us who have felt turned away from faith regardless of creed or denomination,” reads the event’s Facebook invite.

Ministers and faith leaders of various churches and organizations will be present. The event is open to any religion and every denomination.

Local marriage equality advocates will be protesting Thursday’s Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to uphold same-sex marriage bans in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan.

The “Rally for Equality” will be held in front of the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (892 S. Cooper) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. this afternoon (Friday, Nov. 7th).

Participants are encouraged to bring signs with messages like “Equal Protection for All” and “Not Done Til DAY ONE,” and “Marriage Equality NOW!”

For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.

Tennessee’s ban on gay marriage will remain in place for now, following the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling today upholding bans on same-sex marriage in Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky.

The three-judge panel’s decision was 2-1 with only Judge Martha Craig Daughtry dissenting. Judges Jeffrey Sutton and Deborah Cook upheld the bans.

The issue will now likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Sixth Circuit is the first federal appeals court to uphold gay marriage bans. Across the country, appeals courts have been overturning such bans. A PDF of the court’s ruling is at the bottom of this post.

Judges Martha Craig Daughtry, Jeffrey Sutton, and Deborah Cook

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• Photo by Mia Nakano
• From the Visibility Project

Photographer Mia Nakano has spent the last eight years documenting still images and video of queer Asian-American and trans women from across the country for her Visibility Project.

In the video collection, the women discuss everything from how they deal with pronouns, the process of coming out in their own families, and general issues of gender and sexuality.

Nakano is on a Southern tour promoting the Visibility Project, and she’ll be speaking at Rhodes College on Friday, November 7th. The free event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Hyde Hall of the Catherine Burrow Refectory on campus.

Those with specific inquiries about the event can contact Dr. Evelyn Perry, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology.

Amanda Magdalena, a women’s history PhD student, has been researching the influence of evangelical religion on lesbian identity and community formation in and around the Memphis area. She’s giving a brief talk about her dissertation at the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (892 S. Cooper) on Saturday, November 1st from 2 to 5 p.m.

After her talk, Magdalena is inviting local women to share personal stories and anecdotes from their own experience to help build on the southern lesbian history she has already researched.

She’s especially interested in hearing from local lesbians who are 50 years old or older, either during the discussion or as part of an in-depth interview after the event.

For more information, email Magdalena at amandamagdalena@gmail.com. For more information about the event, check out the event’s Facebook page.

The Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center is hosting a health fair on Saturday, October 18th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Representatives from health organizations and service providers that are welcoming and open to the LGBTQ community will be on hand to provide health information, refer people to various doctors, and share alternative exercise options.

The event will be in collaboration with Healthy and Free Tennessee’s “Voice Your Vote” event, so attendees are encouraged to bring an ID. There will be music, food, and an area for kids.

The city’s annual gay pride parade is happening a little early this year, after the past two October parades were marred by cold snaps and wet weather.

Gay pride weekend kicks off with the “Big Gay Art Show” at Crosstown Arts Gallery on Friday, September 26th from 6 to 9 p.m. The show will feature work dealing with themes of sexuality, gender identity, and contemporary queer issues by regional artists in mediums ranging from painting and photography to video and performance art. Storyteller Elaine Blanchard will perform, and there will be a screening of the film Underage by artist Ohm Phanphiroj. The show is curated and hosted by Thomas Everett Green and Kevin Mitchell, faculty members of Memphis College of Art.

• Laura Phillips

The annual Mid-South Pride Festival begins off at 10 a.m. at Robert R. Church Park downtown on Saturday, September 27th and runs through 6 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Seeing Red, male illusionist Spikey Van Dykey, Tori WhoDat, Incredible Hook, and others.

The pride parade will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at Beale and Fourth and will proceed toward Second, where the parade ends. The grand marshals for this year’s parade are Arkansas-based LGBT rights activist Laura Phillips and Jonathan and Dwayne D. Beebe-Franqui, a gay military couple that have become role models for LGBT service members.