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  

The Greatest Gay Moments of 2013

What a year it's been.

There was a bunch of amazing stuff that happened for the LGBTQ community in 2013 that it's hard to keep track of it all. Here are just a few of our favourite gay moments from last year.

Tammy Baldwin Becomes the USA's First Openly Gay Senator

If politics isn't your thing, you may have missed this. But we all know that being gay in the most powerful country in the world is still (unfortunately) often seen as a taboo.

This year, Baldwin made history by becoming the first openly gay senator (for her home state of Wisconsin) - such a monumental achievement for our community.

The United Kingdom Legalizes Gay Marriage.

You probably didn't miss this one, but we all know gay marriage should have come sooner in the Land Of Hope and Glory. Hell yeah, the Brits!

The above image was actually taken from a super anti-gay website, which is why I've chosen to use it here: because they definitely did not create this image for good... But look how great it is! The Queen is officially a supporter, get over it.

Gay marriage will begin starting March this year - and I am so excited and proud to be going to my Aunt's wedding to her girlfriend! Bring on the festivities.

Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico Get Gay Married.

That's right, the USA also finally got a move on with their legalization of same-sex marriage.

6 more states (please correct me if I'm wrong here!) legalized same-sex marriage, proving that the USA really is becoming the land of freedom and equality once and for all.

Here's to hoping that this will only continue in 2014 - it looks like Utah could be next!

2013 Gave Us Some Great Gay TV.

There are most definitely too many great gay TV moments to mention in this post.

However, some of the best gay on-screen happenings in 2013 came from the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, in which we see Taylor Schilling and Laura Prepon (above) makin' out and doin' the nasty to no end.

BBC America's Orphan Black also gave us the ever-talented Tatiana Maslany who, whilst playing an army of other characters, brought us the delightfully nerdy queer Cosima.

On top of that, shows such as Grey's Anatomy (ABC), Lost Girl (Showcase Canada/SyFy) and Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) continue to wow us with their portrayal of strong, female gays. And we just can't get enough!

Jodie Foster Comes Out... Officially.

Though homosexuals and heterosexuals alike could have probably told you this years ago, way back in January one of the greatest actresses of her time came out of the closet in an elaborate way: while collecting her award at the Golden Globes.

It's always great when celebs tell the world they are proud of who they are, but even better when they are as high profile as the lovely Jodie. Who do you reckon will come out next in 2014?

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Of course there have been many more amazing moments for the LGBTQ community in 2013, but what was your favourite?

What did we miss? Let us know what you thought about 2013 in the comments!

Krissy Krissy Joins Girl In a Coma & Hunter Valentine on Tour!

KRISSY KRISSY 

JOINS 

GIRL IN A COMA & HUNTER VALENTINE CO-HEADLINING TOUR

AS SUPPORTING ACT.

Fall Tour Dates Just Announced

Brooklyn, NY - 23-year-old out singer, songwriter, musician Krissy Krissy will be hitting the road together with all-female bands Hunter Valentine and Girl in A Coma for a Fall Tour.  A 20 plus- date adventure across the U.S. and Canada that kicks off on September 8th in Nashville, TN, and then continues throughout October. 

The bands have officially announced a string of dates for the series of shows that sees Hunter Valentine and Girl in A Coma co-headlining with support from Krissy Krissy  (See tour dates below).

Praised as being a powerful vocal house, California native/Brooklyn raised, Krissy Krissy has been making tremendous strides in a very short period of time.

From garnering a quarter million views in just two days for her debut single “Dreams,”  to a top record on I Heart Radio, to an MTV Buzzworthy Feature, to a #1 spot on MTVU "Freshman Pick of The Week, Krissy Krissy continues to break new ground.  

Growing up in a Pentecostal church, “the white girl who has soul” was quickly nicknamed “Frederica” for her musical influence spawning from the likes of Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, to Aretha Franklin. She was kicked out of choir and church at age 15 for kissing a girl; moved out of her family-of-8’s crowded two-bedroom apartment at 17; and was soon after discovered at a local karaoke bar in Brooklyn.

Since releasing her new EP "Above All" last Fall to great success, Krissy Krissy has been garnering impressive media coverage turning up everywhere from the pages of HIts Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Hype Magazine, MTV Buzzworthy, to URB and AOL Feature, to name a few.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Krissy Krissy is now working on her new album. She is also currently running a social media contest, giving away $1,000 to the person that posts the craziest picture of her new cut out cartoon on Instagram:  http://searchinstagram.com/mydaywithkrissykrissy#

Music's new "it" girl is definitely on the move and making a lot of noise!

Krissy Krissy is beyond excited to be embarking on this tour alongside acts of the caliber of Hunter Valentine and Girl In A Coma. 

Coming straight out of starring in Season 3 of Showtime's hit reality series The Real L Word   into the release of their third studio album, titled Collide & Conquer, no one can deny the momentum behind rockers HUNTER VALENTINE. 

The in-your-face buzz-heavy all-girl rock band, formed by Kiyomi McCloskey (lead vocals/guitarist) and Laura Petracca (drummer), has unequivocally established itself as a veritable powerhouse that is exploding onto the mainstream. Averaging some 200+ tour dates a year all over the world including the Sum 41 tour and more recently The Cindy Lauper "She's So Unusual" tour, Hunter Valentine have never been more primed to take the musical world by storm (www.Huntervalentine.com).

If anything is big in Texas, it's certainly the buzz around San Antonio's friend/sister trio, Girl in a Coma. Discovered and signed by Joan Jett after participating in a cable TV show called 'Jammin',' the three girls took their punk tinged soulful tunes and charted iTunes and Billboard. They've opened for bands like Tegan and Sara, Social Distortion and Morrissey. With a total of four albums worth of high-end singles and retro covers, they have earned the attention of many industry veterans and celebrities alike, including James Franco, who recently directed a series of commercials for Stuart Weitzman shoes, using the girls’ sultry cover of “Walkin’ After Midnight.” (www.GirlinaComa.com).

Get ready for the all-female artists invasion! New music, new tour dates and bigger sound will be coming to a city near you this Fall.

For more information about Krissy Krissy visit: www.krissykrissy.com

TOUR DATES:

Please note that the September 8th show in Nashville is Hunter Valentine and Krissy Krissy only. Also, all shows after the Chicago date are as well only Hunter Valentine and Krissy Krissy.

More dates  to be added.

INTERVIEW: Up & Coming LGBT Music, Syren

You know what there's not enough of? Lesbian bands.

I mean sure, we currently have Hunter Valentine, Sick of Sarah and the like, but how about something different?

Check out this great interview we have with the lead singer of Syren, a band originally from the US and who are now stationed in the UK.

All Things Lesbian: For our readers who haven't heard your music, describe your sound in 5 words or less.
Erin Bennett, lead singer of Syren: Passionate, Lesbian Pop/Rock


ATL: Do you think its important for LGBT musicians to "come out" in today's media and political climates?

EB: That's quite difficult. I think it is important for LGBT people in music to know that they CAN come out but it is still very difficult to build a largely successful career if you do. More artists are coming out as bisexual (such as LadyGaga and Jessie J) and you also get the odd male (Will Young, Adam Lambert) who come out as gay. There are not many 'out' lesbian singers in today's mainstream pop world. 

But for every artist that faces the difficulties of publicly coming out it builds a firmer foundation for new artists who want to begin their career as an openly gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans artist. I believe the world's attitude towards homosexuality is slowly changing and music is a perfect way to push that more further forward because everyone loves music, music touches everyone in one way or another. That's what I hope to do as an artist.

ATL: You're based in Scotland but born in Texas. Did you ever perform in Texas? Would you say the
atmosphere/music scene there is different to the UK?

EB: (Laughs) Seems I played all the states but Texas. I'd love to go back one day and do a gig there though. Especially in my home town of Ft. Worth.

The music scenes in the UK and USA are relatively the same. There are tons of hard rock bands and metal bands in both countries and there seems to be a massive folk scene in both countries as well. The states seem to have a bigger Country music scene than the UK, but that's a typically American style of music. However, the live scene in America seems slightly more accessible for bands and artists but I think that's probably because the US is such a massive country. The UK is smaller so the music scene is far more competitive. Truth be told though, I think that breeds better music because you have to be really unique to stand out amongst the thousands of bands that flood the venues around the country.


ATL: Who are some of your musical (and general life) influences?

EB: I was hugely influenced by Heart, Queen, Janis Joplin and Alanis Morrisette. They were so expressive and musically skilled. I wanted to be THAT. But I grew up listening to everything from Motown, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and these days draw huge influence from artists like KD Lang, KT Tunstall, Lissie and The Pierces.

As a general influence, I most admire Benazir Bhutto. She was such a brave and beautiful woman and a real inspiration to women all over the world.


ATL: Some of the proceeds from your music went to UK based charity, Breast Cancer Care. Why? What are some other charities you're in support of?

EB: Back in January 2012 I lost my wife (and Syren drummer) Jo to breast cancer. It was a very rare but aggressive cancer that is very hard to detect until after it metasticizes. (Inflammatory Breast Cancer) I wrote 'Never Give Up The Fight' in her memory and released it in aid of Breast Cancer Care because they had offered Jo so much information and support during her treatment. I went on to win Songwriter of the Year at the 2012 Scottish New Music Awards for that track and have since tried to use it as a way to reach out to women and encourage them to get educated about breast cancer. So many women (as well as men, actually) just don't know enough about how to look out for it.

I'm also a huge supporter of LGBT groups throughout the UK. I have recently been involved with some of Scotland's LGBT groups in small-ish towns. Some LGBT people may feel uncomfortable about coming out in such a tight knit community so I try to help inspire people to feel a bit more confident and safe when they decide to come out.

ATL: Would you be interested in playing at any UK LGBT pride festivals? Do you you have any up and coming gigs that our readers should know about?

EB: I would love to play at Pride Festivals throughout the UK. Syren is now a five piece band and we have already played a couple of LGBT events. We will be playing the McGal Lesbian Festival in Dunfermline, Scotland in late August as well at the Rainbow Kilts Festival in the Scottish Borders in September.
Apart from that we will be performing in Seaton, Exeter in the end of March as part of Hawkwind's 'Hawkeaster' Festival. Any other gigs will be confirmed and listed on our website and facebook pages. 

To keep a watchful eye on Syren and their tour dates check out their website (www.syrenband.com) and their Facebook, (Facebook.com/SyrenMusic).

Skins US? No thanks.

I briefly mentioned Skins in my last blog. And I feel like I need to mention it again.

I wasn't actually a fan of the show until series 3, which saw the romance between Naomi (Lily Loveless, below right) and Emily (Kathryn Prescott, below left) blossom. (I won't give anything away, so there's no need to beware of spoilers!)

As you can see, they're impossibly adorable. My personal favorite being Naomi. YUM.

The way in which the relationship is portrayed by the writers is enough to draw anyone in. The reason I say this is because of the realism of both the storyline and the acting. Any teen living in the UK can recognize that the whole of the Skins franchise is exactly the same as real life.

Obviously, lesbian relationships on TV are often done in the wrong way (think Lesbian Vampire Killers and shudder as much as you like.) But Skins is different. It shows all of the things that would really happen - resistance, being frightened, giving in - showing viewers an overall realistic look into teen lesbian romance.

The fact that producers in America are proposing to create a 'Skins USA' however disappoints me.

British television, for whatever reason, is always allowed to be that bit more racy and explicit than American television. In fact, I'm surprised that The L Word got away with all the stuff they did. Take Sugar Rush as an example.

When it took to US screens, the public were shocked. Usually, they are confined to the 'peck-on-the-lips' sort of lesbian relationship. *cough* Spashley. But Sugar Rush displayed full on girl-on-girl sex scenes, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Say 'I' if you too don't want to ruin Skins by 'americanizing' it!