Written by Wire Report
Barbara Grier, co-founder of the lesbian publishing company Naiad Press, has died. She was 78.
Grier’s partner, Donna McBride, says she died of cancer Thursday at a hospital in Tallahassee, Florida. The couple founded Naiad Press in 1973. She says Grier believed that through literature she could make lesbians feel good about themselves and find a happy life.
Tallahassee-based Naiad was best known for publishing “Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence” in 1985. Fifty-one former or current nuns contributed to the book. It described relationships in their religious communities that sometimes turned into love affairs.
McBride says Naiad was publishing 36 books a year before she and Grier sold the company and retired in 2003.
FOOT NOTE FROM MARK & CARRIE We had the pleasure of doing business with Barbara since 1989. Many of her Naiad Books & videos were and are at MC Film. She was a Gay Pioneer and very independent paving the way for followers in the GLBT literary world.. She will be missed very much.
National Study Finds LGBT Seniors Face Harder Old Age
A recent study released by the University of Washington’s School of Social is turning attention toward a group of seniors who face unique (and ignored) needs; a group whose numbers are expected to be more than 4 million by 2030–lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) boomers. Researchers surveyed 2,560 LGBT adults aged 50-95 across the United States, to find that they had greater rates of disability, depression, loneliness and distress compared with heterosexuals of similar ages. Further highlighted by the study were the unique needs of this aging group, such as fear of discrimination, the lack of children to depend on as caregivers and less social support and financial security with age, as older LGBT adults are less likely to be partnered or married than heterosexuals. www.HuffingtonPost.com
Alarming Rise in STDs Among Gay/Bisexual Black Men
Of the 19 million people that were diagnosed this year with a sexually transmitted disease, one population has been hit the hardest — young, gay and bisexual black men. While syphilis rates fell 1.6% from 2009 to 2010, the rate among young black men rose 134% since 2006, according to the recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV infections are also spiking within this population. www.nydailynews.com
CA Law Mandating LGBT History Faces New Challenge
Opponents of the state law that mandates the inclusion of the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in social science instruction in public schools have filed two initiatives with the attorney general to eliminate the law and to give parents the ability to opt out of classroom teaching on the topic. The initiatives come from two groups that are not affiliated with the organization that failed to qualify a referendum on the law, SB48, last month. The leader of that effort said they will also file an initiative with the attorney general on the law in the near future. www.BigGayNews.com
Thanksgiving Travel: Grandma’s or White Party?
What are your plans for this long Thanksgiving weekend? Traveling to family, entertaining friends, small store shopping or to the 26th Annual White Party in Miami! A lot of fun and excitement this long weekend all around the GaYBOR District and Tampa Bay area also. We are promoting “SHOP SMALL BUSINESS WEEKEND”. Shop the small stores if you want to keep the economy going in a positive direction! Simple, Shop small independent businesses! But one of the oldest AID fundraising parties in the country is this weekend also.
White Party began in 1985 as a pioneering fundraiser to raise money for research and awareness on a new disease called AIDS. Twenty-seven years later, the Party remains true to its roots as a primary income source for Care-Resource, a nonprofit, multicultural, community-based AIDS service organization, which provides education, prevention, research, care and treatment, and support services. Surrounded by an entire weekend of events, Saturday’s actual “White Party” unites thousands of gay men and women dressed in white, creating a fairy tale party setting. Sunday’s Muscle Beach Party recruits over 5,000 muscle boys for an afternoon of barefoot dancing, dripping sweat, and inebriation. www.Whiteparty.org
What is on Your Thanksgiving Table This Year?
Our Question of the Week to our readers came up with a more traditional menu.
The main course was overwhelmingly said by readers, turkey for Thanksgiving. Higher than thought was Ham, then chicken, roast pork, Cornish hen and leg of lamb. We did have a couple of vegetarian menus as top dinner for the day. Yams was higher than white potatoes. Reservations out had a high number vs cooking at home or going to friends/family. No true number of desert items. Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue, Apple and Pecan Pies came in about the same number and pumpkin cake. Thank You readers for your input.