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Monday 9 November 2015

Top 20 Gorgeous Women 2015

by Lauren W

So way back on September 1st, lesbian favourite AfterEllen.com posted their Hot 100 Women as chosen by the readers.

However, you only have to go as far as the comments at the bottom of the results page to realise that a lot of ladies felt as though Ruby Rose was given the number one spot unfairly. (I should let you know that the AE writers and editors insist that Ruby's position was given to her because she got the most votes.) Either way, I'm not a particularly massive fan of her's either, and I certainly did not vote for her, regardless of whether hundreds of other lesbians did.

As a matter of fact, I only voted for about 4 women because I hit the "enter" button prematurely in excitement and my vote was spoiled. (Sad face.)

Every year bar 2014, I have compiled a list of my personal favourite 20 women (10 votes just isn't enough), and have posed it to the readers of ATL for them to mull it over.

As always, I must reiterate that these ladies are my personal preferences. I am absolutely not going out of my way to discriminate on grounds of race, sexuality, gender identity, etc. What can I say? People are attracted to who they're attracted to.

So, without further rambling, here are my top 20 picks!

#20: Kerry Washington (AfterEllen Place: #100).



Known For: Scandal, Django Unchained, Ray.

Why She's On My List: Okay, so Kerry only barely made my list at number 20, but she slid in by the skin of her teeth on AfterEllen's list at #100! Anyway, I'm obsessed with her. She's gorgeous, for one thing, but she's also one of the most talented actresses on TV right now. Not only that, but she's a huge ally. If you missed her amazing Vanguard award acceptance speech about LGBT rights at the GLAAD awards this year, get yourself caught up by clicking HERE.

#19: Michelle Rodriguez (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: Avatar, The Fast and The Furious, Machete.

Why She's On My List: I was kinda surprised that Rodriguez didn't make AE's list this year. I mean, she dated P.Y.T. Cara Delevigne for Christ's sake! Recently when on vacation in Egypt, an Arabic TV station was showing Machete, and I just couldn't help but re-watch it... And all my feelings for Michelle came rushing back. Man, I'm a sucker for a woman with a (fake) gun wearing jean shorts.

#18: Rochelle Aytes (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: Mistresses, White Chicks, Criminal Minds.

Why She's On My List: When the US remake of Mistresses came to the fore, I watched it because I am a long-time Alyssa Milano fan girl. Clearly, I was happily surprised to find that the beautiful Rochelle was equally (if not more) crush-worthy. We've seen her co-stars (Yunjin Kim who plays Karen, and Jes Macallan who plays Joss) get into some girl-on-girl action, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm refusing to tune back into Mistresses until Aytes gets some of the female sugar.

#17: Famke Janssen (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: X-Men, Hemlock Grove, Goldeneye.

Why She's On My List: She's been on my radar of smoking hot women ever since she played the trans character Ava on Ryan Murphy's medical drama Nip/Tuck. However, most recently, this Dutch beauty has been playing Viola Davis' lover in Shondaland show How To Get Away With Murder, and that made me remember why I've loved her for all these years. Oh, and she's super hot as Jean Grey in the X-Men movies, too.

#16: Portia de Rossi (AE Place: #66).



Known For: Scandal, Ally McBeal, Arrested Development.

Why She's On My List: Does Portia ever really age? I'll give you a clue: no. I've been a fan of Portia's ever since my pre-pubescent brain secretly stayed up way past her bedtime to watch Ally McBeal on VHS. I've recently been re-watching the entire series actually, and I still love Portia as Nelle Porter. More recently, I've been loving her in equal amounts as the perfectly-coiffed Elizabeth North in Scandal. She's an underrated dramatic and comedic actress and she's hot as hell. How could I not include her on here?

#15: Katie Lowes (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: Scandal, Transformers, Wreck-It Ralph.

Why She's On My List: I promise that there are no more Scandal actresses on this list... Look, I don't know what it is about Lowes that makes me want to jump her bones. Maybe it's because she's hot as balls playing a spy/assassin on Scandal. Maybe it's because she's so often overshadowed by the likes of Kerry Washington and isn't given enough gritty material. Maybe it's just those thighs. I don't know. Whatever it is, I'm glad that Katie isn't only known for her voice acting these days.

#14: Kate Winslet (AE Place: #77).



Known For: Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Revolutionary Road.

Why She's On My List: Move over, Cara Delevigne, these are the original eyebrows. If you look up the definition of "English Rose" you'll find a picture of Kate Winslet. Sometimes crushes come and go, but Kate seems to be the one constant in my life. She's so damn attractive, and she just happens to be in one of my favourite movies of all time (Eternal Sunshine). There will never be a list that from me in which she doesn't make an appearance.

#13: Anna Silk (AE Place: #18).



Known For: Lost Girl, Being Erica, Assassins Tale.

Why She's On My List: Do. I. Even. Need. To. Explain. This. One. To. You? Seriously? No. It'd be like preaching to the choir. I mean, can you even imagine anyone else being cast as a drop dead gorgeous bisexual succubus? Yeah, that's what I thought.

#12: Laura Prepon (AE Place: #6).



Known For: Orange Is The New Black, That 70s Show, Karla.

Why She's On My List: So this is the only entry in my list that placed lower than it did on AfterEllen's Hot 100. Why? I have a love/hate relationship with Laura Prepon. I can't decide if I'm attracted to her or her character, Alex Vause, in Orange Is The New Black. Sometimes I see her in interviews and I'm just all "oh, be quiet", and then I see her face on Instagram and I think "actually, you seem pretty cool". No one on this list causes such ~real~ dilemmas in my head. Maybe I'm just attracted to Alex. Whatever, Laura Prepon looks like Alex Vause, so that's good enough for me.

#11: Emilia Clarke (AE Place: #53).



Known For: Game of Thrones, Terminator Genisys, Dom Hemingway.

Why She's On My List: I just. I can't. *Mean Girls voice* How do I even begin to describe Emilia Clarke? She's just. Sigh. She has such a great face. How can one woman have such a perfect face? Oh, and of course I'm a huge GoT fan girl. If I didn't include my Khaleesi on this list then she'd probably feed me to the dragons. #AllHailMhysa

#10: Caterina Scorsone (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For:
Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Missing.

Why She's On My List: Like Katie Lowes, Caterina is another Shondaland lady I can't figure out why I like so much. I've watched her grow into an amazing actress since her Private Practice days, so it could be that. She's also a Torontonian, and I'm a sucker for the Canadians, so it could be that. She's also half Italian, which is my downfall, so it could be that. Whatever it is, she's far too often overlooked by the lesbians, and she's fine as hell.

#9: Taraji P. Henson (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: Empire, Person of Interest, The Karate Kid.

Why She's On My List: Out of all of the ladies who didn't make the AfterEllen Hot 100 this year, this one surprised me the most. With the year Taraji has had (with the success of Empire and being nominated for a Golden Globe alongside the great Viola Davis), I couldn't believe that Taraji didn't get enough votes to make the top 100. Since I started watching Person of Interest, I knew that this lady was phenomenal. And my God, she's gorgeous too.

#8: Troian Bellisario (AE Place: #48).



Known For: Pretty Little Liars, NCIS, Lauren.

Why She's On My List: The majority of lesbians will be surprised that I've picked this little liar over Shay Mitchell (Mitchell ended up in the top 5 on AfterEllen's list). And don't get me wrong; Shay is beautiful. There's just something about Troian that makes me more attracted to her. It's probably because she's a little more alternative, a little more complex, and an amazing actress in her own right. Not to mention that she played gay this year in Still a Rose; a queer adaptation of the classic Romeo & Juliet. (Click HERE for the trailer, by the way. You're welcome.)

#7: Rachel Skarsten (AE Place: #43).



Known For: Lost Girl, Reign, Fifty Shades of Grey.

Why She's On My List: Are you kidding me? The woman looks like a real life angel! And she is a real life angel, damn it. I have to admit, I don't usually go for the whole blonde hair/blue eyes thing, but Skarsten is too hard to resist. When she's not sucking Anna Silk's face off in the late, great Lost Girl, she's playing British royalty as a redhead Queen Elizabeth I in the CW's Reign. Strong women, hear them roar!

#6: Margot Robbie (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: The Wolf of Wall Street, Neighbours, Focus.

Why She's On My List: Isn't it obvious? Look at the woman. Once again, I was super surprised when she didn't make the AfterEllen list, especially since everyone is going bat shit crazy over her upcoming role as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. She started off in mediocre Australian soap opera, Neighbours, and then won a break-out role in Hollywood as Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend in The Wolf of Wall Street. Seems like no one can get enough of her... Me included.

#5: Amy Acker (AE Place: #26).



Known For: Angel, Person of Interest, Much Ado About Nothing.

Why She's On My List: Anyone who knows me will also know that I am obsessed with Person of Interest and the Whedonverse. So there's no surprise that Acker is on this list, considering Sarah Shahi just planted a kiss right on her mouth on CBS. I loved her in Dollhouse, I loved her in Cabin in the Woods, I loved her in everything I've ever seen her in. Not to mention, if you watch any interview with Acker (I recommend THIS fan video, which is pretty much a compilation of some recent PoI interviews), you'll know - to steal the internet's phrase - Amy Acker is literally too good for this world. She's precious. And when she carries two guns, she's also kinda hot.

#4: Aubrey Plaza (AE Place: Not on the list!)



Known For: Parks and Recreation, Addicted to Fresno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Why She's On My List: Okay, not only do I have a comedy crush on Aubrey, I also have a general "good God, you're attractive" crush on her. Obviously she was often overlooked when she starred in Parks and Rec, as the lesser known actress on the cast list. However, she made a lasting impression on me. This year also saw her star in Addicted to Fresno, (or as I call it, "a sight for sore eyes"), in which she plays Natasha Lyonne's girlfriend. The fact that she's a bit of a weirdo probably contributes to what makes her so attractive to me, and I'm sure you'll agree... If you're into that sort of thing.

#3: Demi Lovato (AE Place: #58).



Known For: Glee, Sonny with a Chance, The X Factor.

Why She's On My List: Demi came under a lot of scrutiny by the bisexual community this year for saying something like "there's nothing wrong with experimentation" in regards to the girl-on-girl nature of her Cool For The Summer video. At the same time, though, she also hinted that her bisexuality "didn't not stick", so I'm cool with that. Honestly, I've always gotten a gay vibe from her, and now I've seen her kicking some ass in her music video for Confident alongside Michelle Rodriguez, I feel like I'm gonna be crushing on her forever more. And, as I've said before, thick thighs save lives.

#2: Sara Ramirez (AE Place: #40).



Known For: Grey's Anatomy, Spamalot, Sofia the First.

Why She's On My List: Latinas, latinas, everywhere... I guess you could say I have a type. Ever since Ramirez joined the cast of Grey's waaaaaaay back in 2006, I've been a huge fan. And then they gave her a lesbian storyline and had her make out with Jessica Capshaw and I've never looked back. Plus, she can sing. Very well. PLUS, she can act. Very well. A woman with talent and legs like that? You should be noticing a trend in my choices by now...

#1: Sarah Shahi (AE Place: #11).



Known For: The L Word, Person of Interest, Fairly Legal.

Why She's On My List: You have no idea how long it took me to choose a photo for my number 1 spot. Seriously, Shahi looks flawless in every damn photo. You also have no idea how obsessed with her I am. Not only is she a great actress, supportive of the LGBT community, and playing the most badass super-assassin/superhero on TV in Sameen Shaw, she's real. Watch an interview with Shahi and you'll realise almost immediately that she says what she thinks, not what she's been made to think. She's been known to drop the F bomb in the middle of serious conversations. She has no filter. In short, she's not been groomed by her agents and media pressue, and she will do as she pleases, when she pleases. Now that is my kinda woman. I could go on about her for hours. This Iranian-Spanish-American beauty is absolutely my number 1 gorgeous woman this year for a multitude of reasons. And if you haven't watch Person of Interest yet, I am urging you to do so. It started off as a bit of a sausage-fest (minus Taraji P. Henson), and has inadvertently become one of the most feminist, forward-thinking shows of all time. Plus, you get to see Sarah wielding a gun and kicking some serious ass... Oh, and she also kisses Amy Acker. Did I already mention that?


So that's it! I hope you enjoyed reading/browsing this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

I'd love to hear some of your top 20 picks in the comments! You can also tweet your choices to me at http://twitter.com/allthingsles. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Friday 6 November 2015

New LGBTQ Music: Kerchief

(Brooklyn, NY) While Kerchief's LP Machines and Animals bears no title track, the sophomore single "Jack London" lends a fitting summary of the entire 11-song debut.

Formerly of the indie band Vanity Theft, Britt Hill cuts through with the poetically relatable and compelling edge that has grabbed the attention of critics and fans alike since the album's mid-summer release.

A dynamic composition tensely contained by its recurrent low-end hypnosis with a cumulating burst from a boundless wall of sound set the perfect tone, tying an underlying story of a creative person's journey from angst to ease.

Distinguished drum patterns contributed by producer Matty Amendola, alongside Hill's experimental melodic guitar arrangements, will have audiophiles hitting the repeat button while satisfying the first-time listener with its engaging hook.



The single, joined by its accompanying music video directed by Andy Strohl, premiered on OUT Magazine’s website, with a broadcast debut on THECOOLTV network to follow. Kerchief's sound, previously characterized as "fortified by straightforward lyrics that still leave spaces for a listener’s imagination" (by June Tunes Digest), intuited the intention behind the cinematically produced video.

Unexpected twists and turns with unprecedented artful attention won't be allowed to go unnoticed. "Jack London", slated as a firm follow-up to Kerchief’s 20 city summer tour, is sure to serve the indie rock culture of discovery and whet the appetite of any true music connoisseur.

Tuesday 3 November 2015

ANTIGONE RISING Launches GIRL BANDS ROCK Foundation

ANTIGONE RISING 
LAUNCHES GIRL BANDS ROCK FOUNDATION
TO HELP EDUCATE & INSPIRE YOUNG GIRLS AROUND  THE WORLD ACCOMPLISH THEIR GOALS


New York, NY - Antigone Rising has announced the launch of their foundation dubbed Girl Bands Rock (www.GirlBandsRock.org)

The official kick off, which took place during the band’s 2nd Annual Antigone Rising BeachFest  in Sea Cliff, NY on September 19th, comes on the heels of a two-week-long trip as Cultural Ambassadors of the United States to Vietnam performing outreach programs, master classes and public concerts.

Since stepping onto the music scene, AR fused their success with helping educate youths around the world on accomplishing goals as Cultural Ambassadors to the United States Government. 

Girl Bands Rock is a not for profit foundation set to inspire and educate kids, especially young girls, to pursue careers in the music industry. 
Antigone Rising partners with school districts and youth centers to create innovative programming dedicated to building confidence in youth by developing leadership and creative skills through musical workshops, outreach programs and performances. 

Realizing that the music industry does not provide enough worthy female role models, especially women in self contained rock bands, the Girl Bands Rock program provides kids the opportunity to see women excel in a male dominated profession and offers them strong female role models to emulate. 




As Cultural Ambassadors to the U.S. Government, the band has done outreach programs in Israel and Palestine and has recently returned from an inspiring trip to Vietnam this past July, 2015

The ladies of Antigone Rising have also played a part in LGBTQ advocacy, making news when Kristin Ellis-Henderson appeared on the cover of Time Magazine with wife Sarah Kate Ellis-Henderson, the president/CEO of GLAAD, for a feature on marriage equality.  

This past June, the band also came together along with other artists to support LGBT acceptance at the inaugural Concert for Love and Acceptance, presented by Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning artist Ty Herndon and GLAAD, and co-hosted by political commentator and author Meghan McCain.

Best known for relentless touring and masterful musicianship, Antigone Rising played upwards of 280 shows a year in their early days. Whether it was an open mic on a Monday night or a jam packed New York City hometown show, the ladies and their infamous Vanna White (the band's beloved 15 passenger van) eventually blazed a trail straight to arenas alongside some of the biggest names in rock history including The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Allman Brothers Band, The Bangles and Rob Thomas.

Founding sisters Cathy and Kristen Henderson have always had the same philosophy- play better than the boys and make sure the fans feel like part of the family! That philosophy--along with writing undeniably catchy songs--has allowed this self sustained group to maintain their independence and leave an indelible mark on an industry best known for leaving girl (bands) behind.

For the all-female-boot-stompin'-alt-country-rock band ANTIGONE RISING, helping aspiring young artists while giving back to their community is something that comes second nature to a group that is helping to create music and history.


FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.girlbandsrock.org ; www.AntigoneRising.com

Saturday 31 October 2015

New Super Lesbeau Film: SEEKING DOLLY PARTON

“ SEEKING DOLLY PARTON 
GETS ONLINE WORLDWIDE RELEASE

The Lesbian-Themed Feature Film Available as a Digital Download


LOS ANGELES, CA –Writer/director Michael Worth released his lesbian-themed feature film Seeking Dolly Parton as a $3.99 digital rental on Vimeo at Vimeo.com/ondemand/seekingdollyparton last month. 

"Seeking Dolly Parton" is the romantic comedy starring Kacey Barnfield (Resident Evil: Afterlife) and Anya Monzikova (Iron Man 2). The film centers on a lesbian couple wanting to have a baby and the ex-boyfriend (played by Worth) who steps up to help to unexpected results for all. 

The film premiered this year at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival to rave reviews.

Worth gave the film its worldwide release as a streaming rental on September 25 giving fans and cinephiles alike the opportunity to view the film on any Internet-capable device. 

Worth, who wrote and directed the flick, is not the first director breaking outside of and bypassing the traditional Hollywood distribution channels. 

In the age of the Internet, it’s becoming less uncommon for a feature to eschew theatrical platforms completely for a digital release.


Seeking Dolly Parton is available for $3.99 for a 72-hour rental period at: Vimeo.com/ondemand/seekingdollyparton.

Watch the trailer HERE!:


Friday 17 July 2015

tello Films Review: Brunch with Bridget

by Lauren W

When a member of the tello Films team offered me a year's free subscription on their site, I couldn't have been happier. tello is one of those companies I'd known the name of for years, but, like a magical, otherworldly unicorn, I never quite saw it with my own two eyes.

Am I being too cryptic? Probably.

So... What is tello?


tello, in it's own words, is "a subscription web-series site dedicated to producing quality lesbian series. Every series on our site is made by, for, and about lesbians and lesbian-friendly allies."

If that description alone isn't enough to tempt you, I don't know what will.

Naturally - being a lesbian of habit - I jumped right to a web series I'd already seen seven years ago. That web series was Brunch With Bridget.

I wonder if Cersei Lannister can wield a banana gun as well as this?
Yup, hold on to your panties, that is lesbian favourite Queen Bitch Cersei herself, Lena Headey.

Of course, I had to (re)watch this episode first, because BwB was filmed before Game of Thrones even started, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a humble Lena before she was too big of a superstar. (Granted, she'd already been in blockbuster hit 300 at this point, but the majority of heterosexuals were talking about Gerard Butler after that movie, and not our gay little florist from Imagine Me & You, which is a cardinal sin in itself, if you ask me.)

Turns out, Lena seems 100% the same today as she did back then; down-to-earth, slightly mean, and very hot.

Anyway, more to do with the web series itself.

Brunch With Bridget is hosted every week by lesbian comedian, Bridget McManus. (She may look familiar because she was a regular on The Queen Latifah Show up until recently.)

Every week, Bridget invites someone gay - or someone who's played gay - into her bed for a candid interview which ends in a pillow fight to the death. (And if that hasn't enticed you into subscribing to tello, I'm pretty sure you've stumbled across this website by accident).

tello brought back so much nostalgia by giving back this web series that I was transported way back to 2008 when I was a teeny, tiny, 16 year old baby dyke, who was still crying because The L Word was almost over.

Bridget (left) with regular SNL cast member, Kate McKinnon.
Just as I remembered, Bridget was a crazy yet hilarious host, and never seemed to be intimidated by the guests she was speaking to. Why is this a good thing? Well, it meant she could ask them the most embarrassing questions that no one else would dare to. And let's face it: those are the type of questions we really want answered.

If I were you I'd seek Brunch with Bridget out right this second; there are over 60 episodes for you to catch up on! Plus, it's really fun to see all of these lesbians and allies from before they became household names.

Anyway, I'm off to watch Nikki & Nora for the first time.

Subscribe to tello at http://www.onemorelesbian.com/tello/.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

LesBook Review: "Too Late... I Love You" by Kiki Archer

by Lauren W

If you're a long-time reader of All Things Lesbian, you may remember that way back in the ethereal haze that was 2012, I reviewed British lesbian author Kiki Archer's first novel, But She Is My Student. (Click HERE if you want to take a look).

Now, in 2015, Archer has provided us, the lesbians, with her sixth novel (that's right, I said SIXTH), Too Late... I Love You.


Wow, where should I start?

Firstly, you should know that I devoured this book within two days. (I would have read it all in one sitting, but my room mate came home from work and demanded that we watched Masterchef Australia. We can't always get our own way, but I digress...)

Like her previous books, Archer's writing is so easy to read. She doesn't beat around the bush (no pun intended), and every part of her storytelling has a purpose. There is no straying away from the storyline. Too Late... focuses entirely on its protagonist, Connie, and the world that turns around her. Even when you think the plot line is going off-topic, each twist brings you back to the pivotal story and connects you back to its main character.

Without spoiling too much, I'll summarise the book like this: Connie, a 'straight' lady with a boyfriend and a young son finds her solace in writing inside the cupboard under the stairs. (Yes, this is both a Harry Potter reference and a euphemism for being stuck in that closet we all know and hate.) When she realises that her life isn't as perfect as it seems, Connie meets a very interesting lady at her son's playgroup, where everything takes an unexpected turn.

I really can't say any more. In fact, I've probably already given too much away.

I can say, however, that this novel is a vast improvement on Archer's first novel. The editing was clearly near-perfect, the storyline was far less predictable, there was complexity within the story-telling... Everything down to the book's font was an improvement. I especially welcome back some of the very British references included by the author, specifically when she mentioned the now defunct ladies' clothes store, Ethel Austin. That one made me giggle in a way that no American could understand.

This book is what all young lesbians are in search of when they start reading romance novels. Kiki Archer is the lesbian answer to Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones' Diary), Sophie Kinsella (Remember Me?), and Cecelia Ahern (P.S. I Love You). I for one remember reading a Sophie Kinsella book when I was around fifteen years old and thinking "why am I reading about a heterosexual relationship that I have no interest in? Oh, probably because there is VERY LITTLE GOOD LESBIAN ROMANCE FICTION OUT THERE."

Hopefully, young lesbians today will pick up this book and realise there is someone out there who wants to give young women and girls that happily ever after story in a way that rings true to what their lives represent.

If I had to be really nit-picky and pick a fault, I guess it would probably be my distaste of the character of Ryan; Connie's gay best friend. He's a very stereotypical, loud-mouthed, flamboyant gay man, but I kind of get that these characteristics were essential to the plot in many ways, so I can forgive it.

All in all, this is possibly one of the best lesbian novels I've read (second only to Beyond the Pale by Elana Dykewomon), and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an easy, gritty, yet light-hearted read.

About Kiki Archer:

Kiki Archer is a UK-based, best-selling, award-winning author. Her debut novel But She Is My Student won the UK's 2012 SoSoGay Best Book Award. Its sequel Instigations took just 12 hours from its release to reach the top of the Amazon lesbian fiction chart, and Kiki's third novel Binding Devotionwas a finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Awards. All quickly became bestsellers in their genre. Kiki's fourth offering One Foot Onto The Ice broke into the American Amazon contemporary fiction top 100 as well as achieving the US and UK Amazon lesbian fiction number one. The sequel When You Know went straight to number one on the Amazon UK, Amazon America, and Amazon Australia, lesbian fiction charts, as well as number one on the iTunes, Smashwords, and Lulu, Gay and Lesbian chart. Her latest novel Too Late... I Love You has been her most successful to date making that transition into the mainstream contemporary romance charts. 

Kiki was crowned the Ultimate Planet's Independent Author of the Year in 2013 and she received an honourable mention in the 2014 Author of the Year category.

Click HERE to visit Kiki's website.

Saturday 11 July 2015

YouTube Lesbian Sensation CHRISSY CHAMBERS Needs Your Help To End Revenge Porn

As you may be aware of by now, YouTube star Chrissy Chambers (of BriaAndChrissy fame) has started a petition to end revenge porn, after becoming the victim of it recently.


Head over to Petition.org to sign Chrissy's petition or click HERE if it's easier for you. The petition only needs around 5,000 more signatures to reach the 150,000 signature goal, so please click the link to make a real difference.

Here are a few touching words from Chrissy herself, which help explain what she's been through.

Have you ever seen an embarrassing photo of yourself? You know the type, a notification pops up on Facebook and the picture you see makes you cringe. Now imagine getting a notification that includes your name, but this time when you open it up you see something criminal, something you can’t unsee, and sadly something everyone else can look at too. This time, you see yourself naked and unconscious. 
My name is Chrissy Chambers. Some of you probably know me from the YouTube channel BriaAndChrissy that I run with my girlfriend Bria, but even those of you have been following my life and work for years don’t know this story. 
When I was 18 years old, I started a long-distance relationship with a man who was 6 years older than me. As you might expect, soon enough the relationship grew strained and we broke up. I still cannot believe what happened next. 
Before the relationship ended, and without my knowledge or consent, my ex filmed himself having sex with me, and when we broke up he posted them online and they were shared to over 30 pornography sites. 
It wasn’t until two years after they were posted, when a link to one of those videos was emailed to me, that I found out they existed or even that this sexual encounter had taken place. 
When I first saw them I felt like I’d been stripped of my dignity. Each one included my full name, and my ex had included text calling me a slut and a horrible role model. By the time I found them, they had been viewed tens of thousands of times. Life as I had known it ended. It was like I had been hit in the chest and couldn’t catch my breath.It only got worse when I found out that there was nothing I could do to get them taken down. There are currently no federal laws in the United States that criminalize “revenge porn,” meaning sexually explicit photos or videos posted online without consent. 
How is it possible that this practice is legal? How can there be no consequences for the perpetrators who commit such horrific acts? How would you feel if this happened to you, or your sister, or your best friend? 
My ex posted those videos for revenge, plain and simple. He wanted to hurt me, and to tarnish my reputation. But he won’t succeed. 
I am standing up to fight back, not just for me, but for the tens of thousands of other women (and men) who have been put in this same situation with no way to defend themselves. With the help of our lawyers at the firm McAllister Olivarius, we are bringing the first ever civil lawsuit against revenge pornography in the UK. 
The reality is that what happened to me was a form of sexual assault, and it should be treated that way by the law. No one should be able to get away with posting explicit photos or videos of another person without their consent, or profiting off running a website that hosts that content. 
A bill that would criminalize “revenge porn” in the United States is currently being written by multiple members of Congress, but it will take a lot of public support in order to convince them to push it through. Please stand with me and call on Congress to end this horrific practice once and for all. 
I do not want anyone else to ever have to go through what I did, and with your help we can make that happen.
Don't forget to sign the petition today: https://www.change.org/p/protect-victims-end-revenge-porn-now  

Wednesday 8 July 2015

Stooshe To Play at L Fest 2015!

L Fest 2015 are proud to announce that STOOSHE have joined the festival’s already amazing line up! 



This trio of London lasses are a vocal sensation, breaking onto the music scene in 2012 with the emergence of their first single, ‘Love Me’. After being placed in the UK top 40 for over 16 weeks with their enormous hit ‘Black Heart,’ the song received a nomination for ‘Best British Single’ at the 2013 Brit Awards. 

The festival boasts an increasing level of excited attendees, all of which are counting down the days until L ­Day. If you’re looking for an event which hosts thriving music artists, classic cabaret, priceless comedy, fun sports, insightful workshops and of course, women, then this is without doubt the weekend for you. 

With a combination of all of this, including these feisty three, the exceptionally talented Lucy Spraggan alongside many other incredible acts and just three weeks to go till the festival, well, you’d be mad not to buy your a ticket here:  www.lfest.co.uk/tickets 

Monday 4 May 2015

NEW LGBTQ MUSIC REVIEW: Tús Nua

by Lauren W

It is very rare for me to write a music review here on ATL, but I just couldn't help myself.

Tús Nua are a brand new band from Zagreb, Croatia, although they sound as though they've been performing for a lifetime.


Their sound is already so mature sounding and professional that you'd never know this band was only founded in September of 2014.

This duo is formed of Jordi (guitar/bass/synth/vocals) and Marija (bass/guitar/synth/vocals). Whilst listening to their first EP, "Existence", one cannot go without comparing them to a more modern, female Placebo (a great compliment, in my eyes).

The catchy, edgy rhythm and vocals within each of their songs causes the mind to jump to television and film soundtracks. When I first listened to track #2 on the EP ("Flowing Around"), I couldn't help but think that it wouldn't go amiss as part of a soundtrack to an angsty, sexy television show, such as True Blood or even The L Word.

On their freshman EP, guest drummer Emerge Dora seems to 'get' the band's persona and the way they want to come across, providing extremely fitting beats and clashes to create a sturdy scaffold for each of the tracks.


Self-labelled as 'hard to describe' in terms of genre, the band position themselves as somewhere between alt-rock and shoegaze; or at least a mixture of both, if you will.

It should also be noted that although this twosome hail from Croatia, they sing all of their original songs in the English language. Unfortunately, some listeners are turned off when they cannot understand the lyrics to a song. Personally, I'd listen to Tús Nua even if they sang in German, Arabic, or Zulu - their music is really that good.

You can get a FREE download of Tús Nua's "Existence" EP or listen to it online (also for free!) over at http://tus-nua.bandcamp.com/. Don't miss this.

Friday 1 May 2015

Former Queer "AMERICAN IDOL" Contestant Releases New Album

POP RECORDING ARTIST AND FORMER AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT
DARIO 

RELEASES BRAND NEW ALBUM  REVOLUTION (DELUXE)


Los Angeles, CA - Pop Singer Dario has announced the release of his 7th studio album, "Revolution (Deluxe)”.  The highly anticipated album drops May 5, 2015 on Amazon, iTunes and all other major music streaming sites and select retail stores.

Revolution is being re-released off the back of the hugely successful Evolution album last year and features new songs including a Spanglish version of the hit “Save You”. The first single “Backlash” already broke the Top 40 in its first week snatching the #28 slot on the National Independent Digital Radio Chart!

The Tucson AZ native has been on a meteoric rise to success. The former American Idol contestant got his early start at a Search for Stardom convention, and was invited to audition for a handful of independent record labels. Since then, he’s toured with Beyonce in her Destiny’s Child days, opened for Ashanti, and sold nearly a million albums. 

In the 10 years he’s been in the business, he’s recorded 7 albums, had two headlining tours and a single, “Fallback,” get some major radio play. Dario’s last album "Evolution" hit the top 100, then the top 50, and broke through the Top 10, hitting number four. He went on a seven-month-long 62 tour dates nationwide - with about 80 percent of “Evolution” tour stops being Pride events. The LA based pop singer nearly double attendance at Lexington 2014 Pride Event and repeated the phenomenon at the close of the tour in Sarasota, FL.

His Evolution tour was building off of the success of Dario: Undiscovered and the series’ 2.5 million viewers. The singer filmed his trials of the music business for the reality show "Dario Undiscovered," which broadcast online its inaugural season. The show was originally slotted to go to a television network for season two, but Dario declined so he could focus on "Evolution.”



While his highly anticipated seventh album titled Revolution (Deluxe) will hit stores nationwide and iTunes May 5, Dario’s schedule won’t be slowing down any time soon. He’s now in the process of solidifying tour dates for 2015 - Dario will once again hit the road to promote the new album with a first stop June 25 in Deming, NM.

Pre-order on Amazon: HERE.


For more information visit Dario’s official website at: www.DarioOnline.com

Tuesday 28 April 2015

TV FANGIRL MOMENT OF THE MONTH: Person of (Lesbian) Interest

by Lauren W

You may remember the last time I wrote a "fangirl moment of the month" article, in which I ranted a lot about what the title of this segment should be. (Click HERE if you don't!)

Well, this month, I'm going to be doing a lot less ranting and a lot more incoherent fangirling because -

HDSFSUDIOFSPFAFPINADIOSAJFNKLCVNXM

Yes, that is Sarah Shahi (Carmen from The L Word) and yes, that is Amy Acker (Fred from Angel) and YES, THEY ARE KISSING.

Once again, I am a few weeks late writing this one up as my favourite 'fangirl moment', but the point is, I got there in the end. And my gosh, it is glorious. (Plus, it's kinda still fresh for me, because I've watched this episode only about 5 billion times since it aired.)

Just to let you into the context of the show a little bit, Shaw (Shahi) is a badass former assassin who now helps people with the assistance of a gun and an adorable little guy named Finch (played by Michael Emerson). Root (Acker) is a slightly insane, badass computer nerd who enjoys wielding two guns at once to get the bad guys. You heard that correctly; two guns.

Throughout this past season (and the season before), Root has been overtly flirting with Shaw, whilst Shaw has been ignoring her advances; possibly because she's a self-diagnosed sociopath with no feelings for anyone except the team's German Shepherd, Bear.

And then, we found out Shaw DOES have feelings for one lady, and that lady is Root. *insert heart eyes here*

The witty dialogue between the two of them creates this amazing chemistry that you just can't fake, no matter how good the acting. Both actresses play their parts with conviction and professionalism... Oh, and they're both incredibly hot, too.

When it got to episode 11 of season 4, Root and Shaw finally got their kiss. (By the way, it's an amazing episode even without the kiss. It is currently holding a 9.9/10 rating on IMDb).

Here's another GIF, just because I like you:

Look at me and tell me those eyes aren't screaming "I LOVE YOU".

Anyway, right now PoI fans are FREAKING OUT because of this week's episode promo, so I guess I should give you a glimpse at that too. (Can you tell I'm trying to entice you into watching this show so I have someone to fangirl with?!)



You can watch Person of Interest TONIGHT on CBS at 10/9c.

DON'T MISS OUT. THE ENTIRE ROOT X SHAW FANDOM IS SO EXCITED.