Tag: photos

Why we do what we do

Posted on by JAC

This weekend I attended the Sex Education Youth Summit which the Ohio Advocates were helping Planned Parenthood organize. It was a great day and I met lots of inspirational youth. One in particular was a young activist from rural Ohio. They are twelve years old, came out as queer at eleven, and are working on queer activism in their school. How awesome is that? Sometimes you just get lucky and meet someone that sparks the suffocated, warm fuzzy hope that got you into activism in the first place.  In that moment, you suddenly don’t feel so jaded, and the hard work and bullshit is all worth it.

Ohio Advocates and friends
Ohio Advocates and friends

x-posted AmplifyYourVoice.org

Ohio Youth Rock D.C.

Posted on by JAC

The Ohio Advocates for Comprehensive Sex Education on Capital Hill lobbying for the REAL Act. (Also pictured Advocates for Youth Campus Organizers for University of Cincinnati and Bowling Green State University)

This weekend The Ohio Advocates attended the annual Advocates for Youth Urban Retreat in Washington D.C. Its my second year with the Advocates and it was awesome to spend time with the Ohio folks and re-connect with people I met last year. The youth are always so articulate and empowered, it is an energizing experience!

Ohio CAMI team dancing as Nobles Darby (front) freestyles about the awesomeness of Ohio Advocates.

I choreographed a couple routines for the advocates to do, which were ridiculous, of course. As to be expected we blew everyone out of the water with our fabulous dance stylings. Plus we had matching purple shirts. Duh, we’re the best state. We’re coming….

Find out more about the Ohio Advocates.

TransOhio and Fabulously Fluid

Posted on by JAC

This past weekend the 2nd annal TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium occurred and was a big hit! This year we got over triple the attendance we had last year. I am eager to see what we’ll have next year. Ohio is on its way!! Sorta!

Our keynote speaker was Helen Boyd, and was even for fantastic than I anticipated. I met her when taking a break from organizing the morning workshops. We picked up an awesome conversation about genderqueer spaces and community politics. I have a total crush on her.

Aside from random organizational duties, my main charge was the entertainment. On Saturday the show Fabulously Fluid: a night of Genderbending Performance took off and did great! With the help of Gavin and Laura of Dangerous Productions, there were no major catastrophes. It was the biggest show I’ve directed, and man I’m taking a break! The Black Mondays, Royal Renegades, CKG, and more were there. I did a tap routine where rocked out my sequined-fringe flapper dress I got in 9th grade. It was awesome.


JAC McFaggin’ GenderFuck

Posted on by JAC

My send off show with the Black Mondays.The show was themed as a GenderFuck in my honor, because the troupe members are amazing and I love them. The show was packed and a ton of fun.

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Me and Big Gay MotherFuckin’ Al

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My parents and sister

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Backstage with Special K and La Femme Demanda before genderfucked “Rama Llama.” I made the skirts :)

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My first performance in full femme drag. I got this dress at a thrift in highschool. My best friend had a matching one and we used to wear them to school.

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Impromptu “Thriller” performance after the show. I think I make a better MJ in the skirt.

Once a Black Monday, always a Black Monday. I am sure I will have more performances with folks from the troupe. It’ll be hard not being in Cincinnati, not going to practices and seeing my 2nd family every week after 3 years of being in together… I’ll make it through, we all will. The troupe itself needs a break, all of us need a break I think. But not matter what we do, were we go, we’ll always be connected.

Ohio “Gay” Pride

Posted on by JAC

Pride season has come, and gone. All queers going busily berserk for 30 days altogether: Always interesting.

I gave a speech for Cincinnati’s pride, skillfully skipping the middle chunk of it by losing my place on my homemade flashcards. Awesome. I am not real big on pride as an event, I’m actually bitter about it. I wish people would come out more than just one weekend a year. A handful of us are in the streets working our asses off to create space, always overworked and alone. Then, one day a year, the queers and allies come out to do what? Party and pretend nothing needs to change.  I said as much in my speech, but in a much nicer way. I tried to highlight Pride’s beginning as a activist movement. The twelve sober people listening seemed really into it.

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Blurrily speaking at Cincinnati Pride rally

Cincy pride always looks so tiny in comparison to Columbus. Our dinky little get together isn’t anything to wow about, but people try. Columbus pride is massive and intense with thousands of people. Makes me wonder why, if there are so many of us, we have so little going for us .

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Performing at Wall Street for Columbus Pride Royal Renegades show

Pink Hair Trumps Human Rights?

Posted on by JAC

An Update on the University of Cincinnati: For over three years we’ve been jumping through administrative hoops trying to get a campus queer center with a staff person. This week we had a rally in hopes of getting some recognition. It was a good turn out, considering it was snowing, and we did get some recognition from the university community. Well, we got our picture in the paper anyway…

Photo by Jamie Royce.

And even though I look fantastically good in the photo, I still have found something to complain about. It’s not the fact that the world “staff” is written twice. Its not even how there was NO article to offer information or explanation for what we are doing.

Its all about the photo caption. The caption above the photo says “Ooh, that’s some pink hair!” Really? Of all the things to write, why comment on my hair of all things? Does it bring any information about the rally? Any legitimacy to the movement? No. It borderline pokes fun at us. Apparently there is nothing more important or interesting about the event than my hair. It should be flattering, instead its just shitty.

We are nothing to the UC community except fringe and furnishings. We are not even a section of “diversity” as has been stated by the University “Diversity” Council. We don’t need resources or attention or even recognition. Its not like we’re getting kicked out of our homes, losing friends, living in hostile dorms, dealing with uneducated professors, or being beaten up on campus. Sure, just leave the queer students to their own devices and make not-even-clever commentary on their appearance. The appearance of equality is all that matters here.

cross-posted on AmplifyYourVoice.org