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PUSH GIRLS: The push and pull of relationships

Article: PUSH GIRLS: The push and pull of relationships

Posted June 25th, 2012, 10:06 PM by

Lots of relationship drama on PUSH GIRLS this week, from Angela and Dustin having a serious conversation about the direction of their relationship to Mia and Tiphany going on a speed dating adventure. All the girls are at different phases, relationshipwise; I love watching Auti and Erik’s incredibly strong, loving marriage as much as I enjoy seeing Tiphany explore the relationship world because she’s still searching for what, and who, she wants.

Top 10 weirdest speed dating concepts

Article: Top 10 weirdest speed dating concepts

Posted June 25th, 2012, 2:06 PM by

In a busy world, it can be tough to make time to find a partner. That’s why some genius invented speed dating, and some people are really pushing the limits when it comes to creativity in that department. Goodbye gongs, hello rare culinary ingredients. This is speed dating for the 21st century.

10. Edwardian-themed Football Speed Dating

Say that ten times fast, and pick a suitable pseudonym so you can prepare to play table football with a random mate, all while living in the Golden Age (without the hideously restrictive bathing suits). Beware: Small talk is strictly banned, but at least you can work out nerves with your competitive streak.

Happily Ever After: Don't forget queer youth homelessness while celebrating Pride

Article: Happily Ever After: Don't forget queer youth homelessness while celebrating Pride

Posted June 22nd, 2012, 10:06 AM by

Wedding season is upon us and if you’re looking for the perfect gift, I have a few suggestions that aren’t likely on the registry. You might be tempted to go for the traditional, like something for entertaining or to spruce up the house, but what would really make an impact is a bed. Of course, that all depends on who you’re spending for.  Same-sex couples now have the privilege to legally wed in 6 states (woo hoo!), with President Obama recently offering his blessing in the fight for marriage equality. Legions of people, gay and straight, have donated their social media statuses to show support, spent time lobbying and ponied up their hard earned cash, so that two people in love, regardless of their sex, can say “I do” and be granted the many benefits that go along with it.  In fact, to advance the cause, a staggeringly large and unprecedented amount of money has been raised with special thanks to donations from folks in Hollywood, on Wall Street and in Washington (amongst other places). Everyone loves love and attending fabulous parties, and those could be part of the inspiration behind this mass mobilization. Plus, with all the revenue gay marriage is predicted to generate, it’s not hard to tell why the ‘powers that be’ are celebrating too. But as we’re preparing to put on our dancing shoes for a weekend of Pride parades and dances celebrating how far we’ve come in the fight for marriage equality, GLBT youth across the country are worrying about where they’re going to sleep. More than 300,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth experience homelessness every year and the already meager funding for beds in shelters is being cut.

Breaking Bad LEGO meth lab: For the kid/tweaker in all of us!

Article: Breaking Bad LEGO meth lab: For the kid/tweaker in all of us!

Posted June 21st, 2012, 3:06 PM by

When I was a kid I liked to “play” some of my favorite TV shows with my LEGOs. I guess it was sort of like “recreating” Thunder Cats with what I had on hand (since my parents wouldn’t buy me the actual Thunder Cats toys…which I’ll get over never, Mom). None of my efforts managed to come close to this LEGO recreation of a Breaking Bad meth lab.

What have YOU done lately?

Article: What have YOU done lately?

Posted June 21st, 2012, 1:06 PM by

Check out the “Hey Girl, What Have You Done Lately?” Tumblr for some awesome push girls throughout the ages, from Joan of Arc to Hillary Clinton. Each of them has done something fantastic, and wants to know what you have done lately. If you need a lesson in taking life by the horns and fighting prejudice to rise to one of the highest offices in the land, visit Shirley Chisolm, first Black woman elected to Congress. Maybe you’d like to learn more about modern activists like Kasha Nabagasera, who’s protecting LGBQT Ugandans from execution. Or maybe you just want to follow to get your daily fix of amazing ladies.

Cool gender-bending tee from Qwertee

Article: Cool gender-bending tee from Qwertee

Posted June 21st, 2012, 12:06 PM by

For all you TRANSGENERATION fans out there: here’s a cool t-shirt design on Qwertee called USBgendered “for those of us who think beyond binary.” Like Qwertee the site (and “Qwertee” the name), this design perfectly combines t-shirts with geek love (i.e. the love of all things techie). Like any of their shirts, you can vote to get it printed in a limited edition for only $12 bucks a pop.

Growing into his own: an interview with trans youth advocate Sean Ebony Coleman

Article: Growing into his own: an interview with trans youth advocate Sean Ebony Coleman

Posted June 21st, 2012, 9:06 AM by

As the youth from TRANSGENERATION have shown us, each trans* person’s journey through identification and transition is unique. Access to mentors and resources for support can make a huge difference to a young person, no matter where they are in the process. But for transgender people of color whose stories often go untold, lack of visibility can lead to an even greater sense of isolation. We spoke with Sean Ebony Coleman, Executive Director of Destination Tomorrow, to shed light on the experience of a role model in the trans community of color and hear his perspective on what’s important to young trans folks today.

Top 10 wars won by women

Article: Top 10 wars won by women

Posted June 20th, 2012, 12:06 PM by

In this, the year of the War on Women, it seems important to take a look back on all the hard-won battles women have poured their blood, sweat and tears into over the past 150 years. Seeing how far we’ve come makes it hard to understand why there are so many people across the country right now working to roll back our reproductive rights, restrict our access to birth control, and allow employers to pay us less than men. It’s like they want to erase the ’70s! Let this top 10 list light a fire under your ass so you make sure that doesn’t happen this election year.

PUSH GIRLS: Auti pushes back the privacy curtain on fertility, abortion, and more

Article: PUSH GIRLS: Auti pushes back the privacy curtain on fertility, abortion, and more

Posted June 18th, 2012, 10:06 PM by

“Hope It’s Not Too Late” came with some real talk on relationships and abortion. It was also a very intimate episode for us. Auti really put herself out there with some personal scenes this week where she took us to the fertility clinic (and into the ob-gyn exam room, yikes!) to get evaluated as she and Eric start working on a baby. And she revealed that she had an abortion in her youth, shortly after her accident.

From Chuck Close to Sunaura Taylor: Disabled artists pushing public perception

Article: From Chuck Close to Sunaura Taylor: Disabled artists pushing public perception

Posted June 18th, 2012, 1:06 PM by

Sunaura Taylor’s work, like Chicken Truck, seen above, is striking and haunting: rows of battery hens in cages and downed calves speak to her commitment to animal welfare activism, while detailed and intimate oil portraits bring people to life on the canvas, and self-portraits depict her disability and connect it with a larger social context. She has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition that causes joint contractures, and uses a wheelchair for mobility. To paint, she uses her mouth to hold the brush, and her work has made quite a mark in the art world; she’s received a number of awards for her painting and her work has been displayed in some distinguished places.

Now playing on Sundance Channel: Boogie, bang and bury

Article: Now playing on Sundance Channel: Boogie, bang and bury

Posted June 14th, 2012, 1:06 PM by

Beware the ides of June, for there will be films featuring sparkly vampires as lovelorn twenty-somethings (and not, you know, teens), art world sluts of a different kind and Steve Coogan. We’ve got a slew of indie comedies on tap this week, along with some Tilda Swinton freaking out as only Tilda Swinton can (it must be the cheekbones).

Top 10 secretly feminist films

Article: Top 10 secretly feminist films

Posted June 12th, 2012, 4:06 PM by

No filmmaker in their right mind would advertise the fact that their film has feminist ambitions — we’re pretty sure that’s box office suicide (sad, but true). Despite that, some films have pretty obvious feminist heroes — think THELMA AND LOUISE, G.I. JANE, Jodie Foster’s character in THE ACCUSED, and ERIN BROCKOVICH. And then there are the stealth feminist films — movies that advance the feminist cause without anyone driving off a cliff or shaving their head or or fighting against rape or giving an Oscar-winning, stick-it-to-the-man performance. These movies take feminism for granted and act like it’s no big deal — in fact, they’re so stealth that sometimes maybe even the filmmakers and stars didn’t know what was going on. Here are ten of our favorites:

PUSH GIRLS: A ‘wheelchair sexy’ primer and some mother-daughter drama

Article: PUSH GIRLS: A ‘wheelchair sexy’ primer and some mother-daughter drama

Posted June 11th, 2012, 10:06 PM by

Tonight on PUSH GIRLS we learned more about Mia’s relationship with her mother while we celebrated Angela’s 10th anniversary of survival, and there was plenty of fun too, like Chelsie’s first pair of post-wheels heels. As Auti and Tiphany pointed out when they took her on a shopping trip, your first pair of heels after a major spinal cord injury is, as our Vice President would say, a BFD, because using a chair for mobility doesn’t mean you can’t be sexy.

Bodybuilding grandma Ernestine Shepherd pushes past the competition

Article: Bodybuilding grandma Ernestine Shepherd pushes past the competition

Posted June 11th, 2012, 2:06 PM by

At 75, you’d think Ernestine Shepherd would be in retirement, perhaps volunteering with some local organizations and puttering in her garden. But you’d be wrong, because she’s actually the Guinness World Record holder for oldest female competitive bodybuilder; and she only started training at 71! Did I mention that she goes on a 10 mile run every morning before hitting the gym, and that both of these things probably occur at hours when most of us are asleep (or staying out late)? And if you think Ernestine is a fluke, check out Tao Porchon-Lynch, who happens to be the world’s oldest yogini and yoga instructor at…wait for it…93.

Watch: Exclusive premiere of Fiona Apple's new video EVERY SINGLE NIGHT

Article: Watch: Exclusive premiere of Fiona Apple's new video EVERY SINGLE NIGHT

Posted June 10th, 2012, 12:06 AM by

Fiona Apple’s first album since 2005 drops on June 19th and to say we’re excited is an understatement. You can preorder “The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do” (or as I’ll call it from here on in, “The Idler…

Getting a leg up to the Olympics: Japanese athlete strips down to get to London

Article: Getting a leg up to the Olympics: Japanese athlete strips down to get to London

Posted June 08th, 2012, 10:06 AM by

Japanese para-athlete Maya Nakanishi was having some trouble pulling funding together for her trip to the Paralympic games in London this summer, so she decided to get creative; she made a seminude calendar. A time-honored fundraising tradition, the nude calendar takes it to a whole new level when the subject is a visibly disabled woman who’s also an athlete. It’s like a clash of everything people think they know about bodies and disabilities, and it’s a project that definitely gets Maya Push Girl status!
‘I don’t regret having become nude. I’m very happy that I was able to show Maya Nakanishi as I am.’ (NDTV Sports)
Looking at the images from her calendar, what I’m struck by is her amazingly toned and honed body. This is an athlete’s body. It’s all power and strength and compressed energy. It’s a body that’s turned her into a record holder, but it’s also a body that she can play with, and have fun with; I love that we see her wearing several different legs, turning the prosthesis into an accessory that enriches her life, rather than a symbol of “lesser than.”

Top 10 closet cases in cinema

Article: Top 10 closet cases in cinema

Posted June 07th, 2012, 12:06 PM by

Ahoy! Pride Month 2012 is upon us (already??) and to that end, we are rolling out some notable films that feature the sometimes painful journey toward a proud, authentic existence – a journey that often involves years in the closet. In a time when “it gets better”, when coming out may feel like a redundant, strategic or long-overdue (ahem, Anderson Cooper) tactic, it’s important to remember that on the individual level, this is still a huge milestone in a queer person’s life, a brutally honest moment when each person claims a little more of his or her true self.

They can’t stop gushing over PUSH GIRLS

Article: They can’t stop gushing over PUSH GIRLS

Posted June 05th, 2012, 12:06 PM by

You like us! You really like us! “[PUSH GIRLS] is accomplishing something else: proving that it is possible to set a new standard for reality-type television.” “It’s a solid show of just the kind it’s nice to see as networks explore where they can go with reality programming.” “If you dismiss all reality TV as empty-headed trash, PUSH GIRLS should make you reconsider.”

Top 10 girls who pushed back

Article: Top 10 girls who pushed back

Posted June 05th, 2012, 9:06 AM by

Inspired by the new docu-series PUSH GIRLS, which features four outspoken women rollin’ large, we decided to write about ten women under 40 who push back in their own way. To help us narrow down the list (and not totally lose our minds), we kept it contemporary, which is why you won’t find Joan of Arc, Anne Frank or Rosa Parks below. Even so, it was near impossible to choose just ten young women who embody empowerment. Who else should have been on this list? Let us know in the comments section!

PUSH GIRLS premiere realness: Yes, people in wheelchairs have sex

Article: PUSH GIRLS premiere realness: Yes, people in wheelchairs have sex

Posted June 04th, 2012, 11:06 PM by

Tonight’s episode was called Everyone Stares. And that’s a fact. Get ready to see a whole lot of sexy on PUSH GIRLS, because the premiere episode was only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to frank talk on dating and relationships for women thinking about issues like finding life partners and choosing whether to have children (btw, sponsor a lady’s uterus, why don’t you). One of the things I loved about the first episode was the unabashed exploration of sexuality for wheelchair users, since it’s such a taboo topic, something we’re not supposed to talk about; everyone assumes wheelchair users can’t or don’t have sex.

PUSH GIRLS premieres tonight at 10P…are you ready?

Article: PUSH GIRLS premieres tonight at 10P…are you ready?

Posted June 04th, 2012, 9:06 AM by

a lot of buzz because we’re finally getting a show about fierce women with disabilities that isn’t solely focused on the disability experience, but rather on women’s experiences. I’ve already seen the first episode and, trust me, it’s everything I’ve been hoping for and more, because PUSH GIRLS is ready to scare the horses when it comes to confronting women’s issues, talking about what it’s like to be a middle class woman in Los Angeles struggling with dating, employment, and fertility while navigating disability as well. In a media landscape where women’s lives rarely get a chance to enjoy center stage, it’s refreshing to see a show focusing on women and their relationships with each other and I’m jazzed for everyone who will be seeing the premiere tonight.

Watch: PUSH GIRLS dance across New York City

Article: Watch: PUSH GIRLS dance across New York City

Posted June 01st, 2012, 10:06 PM by

We’re only a couple of days away from the first two episodes of PUSH GIRLS and the ladies themselves just can’t wait. They brought their energy and “heels on wheels” from Los Angeles to New York and decided the best way to introduce themselves was to dance across this town.