economics

Earlier this month Oscar winner and all-around badass for many reasons, Charlize Theron, urged leaders at the World Economic Forum to do more to fight AIDS.

Despite the stereotype that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, gay men in particular, have more disposable income, we've all been impacted by the economic downturn. Despite all the hardship, we have the opportunity to set the example just like we did during the early days of the AIDS crisis. Today, we face an economic crisis--one that knows no race, religion, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Pearl’s Rainbow, the well known lesbian-only resort in Key West, Fla., has decided to open its doors to all due to economic challenges and changing cultural attitudes. “Pearl's Rainbow's lesbian owner, Heather Carruthers, said it was a business decision based on tough economic realities, the request of some lesbian guests who would like to bring male family members or friends — and on some good news. Lesbians are being more accepted and feel more comfortable in the mainstream these days.”

Michelle Ang plays Sofie, a twenty-something queer woman and aspiring novelist trying to navigate the post-collegiate, post-economic crash world, and narrating the lives of her and her friends in MTV's newest scripted series.

With the country in the midst of an economic recession coupled with the debate over healthcare, gay marriage is not on the minds of the Iowa lawmakers. On the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same sex marriage, the fight to overturn seems to be too much of a liability.  Iowans are moving on. 

With the current economic times as they are, many of us poor gamers are facing the fact that gaming is an expensive hobby. Happily, there are some options out there for the gamer who needs their fix but is lacking in cash. One of my current favorites is the new virtual world of Atlantica Online.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center announced today that it is joining the City of Los Angeles in its economic boycott of Arizona. Going forward, the center will prohibit staff travel for conferences and will take all necessary steps to end any business relationships with all companies headquartered in the Grand Canyon state.

Pastor David H. Grisham has called on his ministry to boycott the city of Houston by imposing economic sanctions on the city for electing lesbian mayor Annise Parker and for allowing Planned Parenthood to build a clinic in the city, saying "Both of these actions are an abomination in the eyes of God."

At a time when lesbian and gay marriage activists are fighting for equal rights, writer and button pusher Stephanie Schroeder dares argue against the institution for a myriad of reasons including feminist and economic factors. 'There's nothing equal (or gay) about marriage. It's an outdated concept, an antiquarian vestige, a ghost of social mores past,' writes Schroeder.

Diana Cage posits that taking a cue from lesbians could possibly save the crumbling economy. 'Since the beginning of our current financial meltdown people have been speculating about what types of economic and social changes the recession might spur. Even a country as obstinate as ours can’t suffer an epic fail like this one and come through without some little spark of enlightenment, right?'

Spring is here, and you know what that means: The Dinah! You may lose your shirt at some point (or at many points if all goes as planned), but chances are you’ll have your phone handy. Here are several apps that are sure to spice up your iPhone in time for hanging with thousands of lesbians at The Dinah. From equality-minded economics to fun photo apps to instant pickup-line rejections, upgrade your smartphone for The Dinah with a few of these fun apps.

Hilary Rosen, a top Democratic strategist and media commentator, took criticism from all sides for saying Wednesday that Mitt Romney’s wife Ann had “never worked a day in her life.” The controversy erupted when Rosen, a managing director with the SKDKnickerbocker firm, appeared on “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN. She knocked the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, whose net worth is estimated around $250 million, for appealing to his wife as a sounding board for women’s economic concerns on the campaign trail.

The Monroe County Board of Education in Tennessee is reviewing its dress code after high school student Chris Sigler was allegedly harassed by his principal for wearing a t-shirt that read, "Gay Straight Alliance: We've Got Your Back" in support of establishing a GSA at his school. That's when Moser came to Sigler's economic class in the middle of an exam, and demanded that all other students leave the room, he said. Sigler's sister Jessica refused to leave. Both siblings said Moser grabbed Chris's arm, shoved him against a wall, and chest-bumped him several times, while asking, "Who's the big man now?"

Members of the group Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ) marched on Wall Street Thursday in honor of Yvonne McNeal, a 57-year-old homeless lesbian who walked with a cane that NYPD police shot and killed Saturday as she was attempting to enter the shelter where she was staying. McNeal who was part of a support group for homeless women and transgender men run by QEJ had been involved in an altercation at the homeless shelter where she was staying on 45th Street in New York. The argument moved outside and that’s when police shot and killed her after she failed to respond to orders to drop two knives she was carrying, according to QEJ.

A recent study by the Williams Institute out of the UCLA Law School has also given us one more item for our list of great equalizers—lesbians and gay are also poor. The myth that all gays and lesbians are affluent with lots of disposable income is just that--a myth. 

The Democratic candidate highlighted the wage gap and paid family leave in her campaign speech on Monday. Here's why that's important to queer women.