There are THREE gay couples in the final four of E! Online's Top TV Couples poll.
The only heterosexual 'couple' are Tony and Ziva of NCIS, which I'm also happy about because I'm a huge NCIS fan.
Vote for Doccubus (Lost Girl) and Brittana (Glee) by clicking HERE! There are only a couple more days to vote, so hurry!
But who should you vote for if both Doccubus and Brittana make it to the final couple?
I'm going to make my plea for Doccubus right now.
1) You should vote for Doccubus because they are the most real couple on television right now. Brittana aren't actually a couple (the stupid writers hooked Brittany up with Sam. Not cool.) but Doccubus repeatedly portray a healthy same-sex relationship on TV week after week.
2) Damn Glee win every poll... Ever! Let's face it: Glee lost its pizzazz after the second season. Some may even argue during the season season. But Lost Girl gets better every week. It's sexy, fun, and mature all at the same time. Oh also, Finchel isn't a thing that happens in Lost Girl.
3) A vote for Doccubus means a vote for more Lost Girl visibility! Who doesn't know what Glee is, right? Whether you love it or hate it, you've heard of Glee. The thing is, not so many people have heard of the little Canadian show that could. So if Doccubus won, you'd be showing your support and spreading awareness of the show!
4) Brittana are cute and all, but Doccubus... I think this emoticon explains it sufficiently: *_* They are damn smokin' hot, and if you don't watch Lost Girl, you'll feel stupid for not doing so after watching the video below...
So, please. I am begging you. Just because you knew Brittana first does not mean they're worthy of this crown.
Doccubus are 100% the best couple on television I've seen for a long time, gay or straight. GO VOTE! (There will be a reminder of the final poll once we find out who the finalists are... Hold on tight!)
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.
I am based in Canada right now; a place where they don't care who you marry, as long as you both like hockey. AMIRIGHT?
Today, my country became a place where we don't care who you marry, as long as you both like tea and crumpets.
Okay, I'm playing on stereotypes here. (But it's true. Shush.)
At a time when only 11 countries (not including the UK) have national legal gay marriage, this is historic. Yes, the United States are one fifth of the way there, and Mexico and Brazil are following suit too, but the UK just became the 12th country to pass a same-sex marriage bill on a national scale. (Okay, not entirely true as Scotland are not included. But two of our four countries are 100% gay approved.)
Today in the House of Commons, there were intense debates on the issue. Some crazy religious people used the same old "Adam & Steve" argument, whilst others claimed they were "protecting marriage."
One MP claimed he was opposing the bill in an attempt to "protect the sanctity of marriage." Said MP has also been divorced and is now re-married. I wonder which marriage he was protecting the sanctity of?
Anyway, the best argument in my opinion came from Kate Green, an MP who represents Stretford and Urmston (a constituency within Greater Manchester).
Green - a straight, married woman dedicated to equal rights for all - used her wisdom to turn all of the opposing arguments face down. She was correct in saying that all of the opposing arguments are not valid. HELLS YEAH.
In the end, the commons voted and the bill was approved, 400-175. A huge majority!
We're still waiting to hear from the House of Lords (a.k.a. the Senate, for you North American folk), but chances are, they will not overturn the bill.
Fingers crossed!
Once again, I am so proud of my country today. Thank you all for being such awesome people.
Know what's great? Being able to access great lesbian content... for free!
Check out this press release for brand new web series, LESlieVILLE.
LESlieVILLE is...
...a webseries about connection, attraction and navigating between lust and
true love. It's the story of two girls meeting, clicking, but one is already in
a relationship. Still, the two carry on with their "friendship"
firmly wrapped up in denial about what they're really doing - falling in love.
Filmed in the fall of 2012, this original indie
webseries is premiering online on February 6th, 2013. Created by
queer, indie filmmaker Nadine Bell (SPACE Channel,Out with Dad, The Devil's Mile),LESlieVILLEis a ten episode series exploring
what happens when a woman meets the love of her life... while still dating
someone else.
Bell’s main purpose in makingLESlieVILLEwas to give back to the community.
She feels it's extremely important for young queer men and women to have
the chance to have some balance against the heteronormative feed that viewers
ingest all their lives. "I'm geeky for my people you know?"
Bell adds. "I get obsessive fan girl over the silliest shows for the
barest hint of girl/girl love. Seriously, I've watched everything. I
think you have to classify yourself as a geek when you are watching
unsubbed German and Spanish soap operas to see gay content, trying to
extrapolate the storyline as best you can!”
Among her cast are a Dora Award
nominated actress, an actress stepping into her first feature film role
directly after completingLESlieVILLE,
a New York City and theatre scene alumni, and an internationally awarded
science fiction author. And the crew is no less impressive. "I was
honoured when Nadine asked me to be her cinematographer. I jumped at the
opportunity, how could I not? I fell in love with her script immediately. I'm
so proud of what she's done, and that I could be a part of this beautiful
series," says Jason Leaver, international award winning creator of the
queer webseriesOut With Dad.
"...Sight", the first episode of the series, will go live on February
6thonwww.llvseries.com. The
first three episodes will also be screened for the public and the media at The
Flying Beaver Pubaret (488 Parliament Street, Toronto, Canada). The event will
run from 7 pm to 10 pm.
Sounds awesome, right?
And for all of you lucky people in Toronto (including me!), you'll be able to go to a screening of the series next week!
