TIME magazine has been criticized for using what many saw as a ludicrous set of pronouns to describe a ‘Gender Queer’ author in an article published this week.

The article referred to author Maia Kobabe, 33, who wrote the book ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’, by using the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns.

The use of the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns sparked a massive backlash on Twitter, with professors, journalists and comedians all slamming the magazine for promoting ‘unintelligible’ words.

The article focused on the controversy surrounding Kobabe’s book, which describes and illustrates sexual acts, and came a day after a judge in Virginia dismissed a lawsuit that had sought to declare ‘Gender Queer’ as obscene for children and to restrict its distribution to minors.

‘In the 2019 illustrated graphic memoir, Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, explores eir process of coming out as nonbinary and asexual,’ the TIME journalist wrote.

The TIME magazine Twitter account also promoted the article and tweeted: ‘TIME spoke to ‘Gender Queer’ author and illustrator Maia Kobabe on about eir work, the efforts to restrict access to eir writing, and what ey make of the current cultural moment.’

Social media users – from the co-founder of Wikipedia to journalists and authors – slammed TIME magazine and accused the publication of using ‘made-up’ pronouns to suit the ‘whims of a narcissist’.

Douglas Murray, the author of ‘The War on the West’, tweeted: ‘Nobody has time for this. Nobody.’

TIME magazine has been criticized for using what many saw as a ludicrous set of pronouns to describe a ‘Gender Queer’ author in an article published this week

The article referred to author Maia Kobabe (left), who wrote the book ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’, by using the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns

The use of the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns sparked a massive backlash on Twitter, with professors, journalists and comedians all slamming the magazine for promoting ‘unintelligible’ words

The e/em/eir pronouns

Kobabe has used ‘e/em/eir’, known as Spivak pronouns, since 2016. The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns promoted by a virtual community LambdaMOO.

The Spivak pronouns are based on the pronouns used by American mathematician Michael Spivak.

These pronouns were formed by dropping the ‘th’ from they, them and their.

Kobabe, who was raised as a girl, began using the pronouns ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns when the author came out as nonbinary in 2016.

Larry Sanger, the Internet project developer who co-founded Wikipedia, tweeted: ‘Noteworthy that TIME is using the made-up abominable pronoun ‘eir’ because the person it describes says so.’

Journalist Stephen Miller, the contributing editor at The Spectator, tweeted: ‘Ok the pronoun thing has got to be a troll at this point right?’

He joked: ‘”Thank you for interviewing me Time Magazine and before we get started I’d like to tell you that my pronouns are timeeats***/ timeeatmores*** / timef***off”.’

‘Just reading this sentence makes Americans more stupid,’ conservative writer Kimberly Morin wrote.

Author Frank Fleming tweeted: ‘I mean, people are free to use whatever crazy pronouns they want for themselves, but the idea that everyone else is supposed to keep a pronouns spreadsheet based on the whims of every narcissistic weirdo seems unsustainable.’

Gad Saad, a Lebanese-born Canadian Professor of Marketing at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Quebec, tweeted: ‘This eir utter bulls***.’

Meanwhile, writer and comedian Andrew Doyle tweeted: ‘Spare a thought for English teachers in a world of narcissists…’

El American editor-at-large Ben Kew wrote, ‘People may laugh, but I actually find it pretty sad to see a publication as iconic as TIME Magazine reduced to this.’

Washington Examiner columnist Becket Adams tweeted: ‘Did a cockney chimney sweep write this tweet?’

DailyMail.com has contacted TIME magazine for comment.

Social media users – from the co-founder of Wikipedia to journalists and authors – slammed TIME magazine and accused the publication of using ‘made-up’ pronouns to suit the ‘whims of a narcissist’

Kobabe, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, has used ‘e/em/eir’, known as Spivak pronouns, since 2016. The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns promoted by a virtual community LambdaMOO.

The Spivak pronouns are based on the pronouns used by American mathematician Michael Spivak.

These pronouns were formed by dropping the ‘th’ from they, them and their.

Kobabe came out as bisexual in high school – and in 2016, the author came out as nonbinary. Kobabe said that this was the point the author decided on using the e/em/eir pronouns.

Kobabe’s book has been criticized by parents as it describes and illustrates sexual acts including oral sex and masturbation.

Tommy Altman, a Virginia Beach tattoo shop owner and former Republican congressional candidate, filed a petition to a Virginia court about ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘A Court of Mist and Fury’ by Sarah J. Maas, saying the depictions were inappropriate for children.

Altman asked the court to issue an order under state law against distributing, selling or loaning the books to minors. The suit was filed in April but was dismissed by a judge on Tuesday before it could proceed to trial.

Circuit Court Judge Pamela S. Baskervill struck it down on jurisdictional grounds, citing state law as well as the US Constitution.

For example, Baskervill wrote that Virginia law doesn’t give her the specific authority to determine whether the books are obscene for minors.

The judge also wrote that restricting the books’ distribution would authorize ‘prior restraint’ of speech and violate the First Amendment. The judge also described concerns about prosecuting someone who didn’t know they were selling or loaning books that were deemed to be obscene.

Kobabe’s book has been criticized by parents as it describes and illustrates sexual acts including oral sex and masturbation

The judge’s order comes at a time when book challenges and bans have surged across the US to levels not seen in decades. Virginia has been on the frontlines, with public school curricula and books serving as a major prong for Republican Glenn Youngkin’s successful run for governor last year.

Author and publisher groups hailed the judge’s decision.

Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, said Tuesday that it was an ‘unequivocal victory for the free speech rights of readers, authors, publishers, booksellers and libraries.’

Many of the targeted books have focused on sexuality, gender identity or race. Kobabe’s ‘Gender Queer,’ a graphic novel that contains explicit illustrations of oral sex and masturbation, has served as a particular flashpoint.

The Virginia Beach school board removed the book from school libraries earlier this year, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Schools in Fairfax County, in northern Virginia, also briefly removed it last year before it was reinstated. Loudoun County Public Schools chose to pull the book.

In his petition against the fantasy book ‘Court of Mist and Fury,’ Altman said it ‘contains pages of extreme sexual conduct not suitable for children as young as 10 years old.’

In his petition against ‘Gender Queer,’ Altman cited content that illustrates ‘two minors engaged in sexual intercourse,’ among other actions.

Jeff Trexler, an attorney for the author of ‘Gender Queer,’ pointed out that Altman was running for Congress when he filed the suit. Altman lost in a crowded Republican primary.

‘This isn’t 200 pages of people from various gender identities, having sex and nothing else,’ Trexler said. ‘It’s an award-winning work as a literary memoir and as a graphic novel. It’s been relevant to lots of people in terms of understanding themselves and their children’

Tim Anderson, Altman’s attorney, said the lawsuit ‘was never never about trying to ban gay literature or trans literature.’

‘This was simply just saying these (books) have really sexual explicit content and it´s not appropriate for kids,’ Anderson said.

Anderson said the suit’s intent was changing a state law that determines what is obscene for both children and adults alike. Altman wanted a ‘carve out’ that deems what’s obscene for juveniles specifically.

Anderson, who is also a state lawmaker, said Altman is considering his options following the judge’s order. He said one way forward could be a ratings system for books like there are for video games and movies.

‘Fundamentally, what we’re trying to do is get to a point where parents are more in the driver’s seat of what their children are consuming,’ Anderson said.

The post Time journal is ridiculed for utilizing ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns in piece on ‘Gender Queer’ writer appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

After going to Baloney, San Francisco’s “only all gay-male” burlesque show, you might think you’ve seen every inch of these guys—but they have so much more story to tell.

In the new documentary Baloney, filmmaker Joshua Guerci goes behind the scenes and under the covers of one of the Bay Area’s premier queer revues, chronicling 18 months in the lives of the artists who bring the show together, night after night, with theater, dance , and striptease.

Through interviews, rehearsal footage, and uncensored looks at the live Baloney performances, Guerci strips these guys bare, taking a compassionate look at the highs and lows of being a queer entertainer in “the most expensive city in North America.”

Following their lives in the lead up to their big New Year’s Eve performance, Baloney offers a candid look at the hustle and drive it takes to make it as an artist in this day and age.

But it’s not all serious.

Even the show’s tagline—”San Francisco’s only all gay male revue”—is a bunch of baloney: There’s a woman in the cast, too! The documentary keeps things engaging and fun, bringing audiences into the colorful world of this “mostly male, mostly naked, very erotic” burlesque troupe.

And they don’t hold back either.

As one of the performers says, the ethos of Baloney is that everything is sexy to someone: “I can see from the stage, if somebody is maybe completely disgusted by something, then the person next to them is completely into it.”

“We’re definitely all about the smut in Baloney—you know, that’s what you came for, that’s what we’re going to give you,” says another of the show’s artists. “But we’re also going to make you think.”

Guerci’s film perfectly embodies that spirit, too, delivering a documentary that’s as sexy as it is empowering.

Baloney is now available to stream via a variety of digital and cable platforms, including: iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, Spectrum, and inDemand.

You can watch the titillating trailer for Baloney below.

The post WATCH: San Francisco’s queer male burlesque revue bares all in attractive new doc appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

TIME magazine has been criticized for using what many saw as a ludicrous set of pronouns to describe a ‘Gender Queer’ author in an article published this week.

The article referred to author Maia Kobabe, 33, who wrote the book ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’, by using the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns.

The use of the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns sparked a massive backlash on Twitter, with professors, journalists and comedians all slamming the magazine for promoting ‘unintelligible’ words.

The article focused on the controversy surrounding Kobabe’s book, which describes and illustrates sexual acts, and came a day after a judge in Virginia dismissed a lawsuit that had sought to declare ‘Gender Queer’ as obscene for children and to restrict its distribution to minors.

‘In the 2019 illustrated graphic memoir, Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, explores eir process of coming out as nonbinary and asexual,’ the TIME journalist wrote.

The TIME magazine Twitter account also promoted the article and tweeted: ‘TIME spoke to ‘Gender Queer’ author and illustrator Maia Kobabe on about eir work, the efforts to restrict access to eir writing, and what ey make of the current cultural moment.’

Social media users – from the co-founder of Wikipedia to journalists and authors – slammed TIME magazine and accused the publication of using ‘made-up’ pronouns to suit the ‘whims of a narcissist’.

Douglas Murray, the author of ‘The War on the West’, tweeted: ‘Nobody has time for this. Nobody.’

TIME magazine has been criticized for using what many saw as a ludicrous set of pronouns to describe a ‘Gender Queer’ author in an article published this week

The article referred to author Maia Kobabe (left), who wrote the book ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’, by using the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns

The use of the ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns sparked a massive backlash on Twitter, with professors, journalists and comedians all slamming the magazine for promoting ‘unintelligible’ words

The e/em/eir pronouns

Kobabe has used ‘e/em/eir’, known as Spivak pronouns, since 2016. The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns promoted by a virtual community LambdaMOO.

The Spivak pronouns are based on the pronouns used by American mathematician Michael Spivak.

These pronouns were formed by dropping the ‘th’ from they, them and their.

Kobabe, who was raised as a girl, began using the pronouns ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns when the author came out as nonbinary in 2016.

Larry Sanger, the Internet project developer who co-founded Wikipedia, tweeted: ‘Noteworthy that TIME is using the made-up abominable pronoun ‘eir’ because the person it describes says so.’

Journalist Stephen Miller, the contributing editor at The Spectator, tweeted: ‘Ok the pronoun thing has got to be a troll at this point right?’

He joked: ‘”Thank you for interviewing me Time Magazine and before we get started I’d like to tell you that my pronouns are timeeats***/ timeeatmores*** / timef***off”.’

‘Just reading this sentence makes Americans more stupid,’ conservative writer Kimberly Morin wrote.

Author Frank Fleming tweeted: ‘I mean, people are free to use whatever crazy pronouns they want for themselves, but the idea that everyone else is supposed to keep a pronouns spreadsheet based on the whims of every narcissistic weirdo seems unsustainable.’

Gad Saad, a Lebanese-born Canadian Professor of Marketing at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Quebec, tweeted: ‘This eir utter bulls***.’

Meanwhile, writer and comedian Andrew Doyle tweeted: ‘Spare a thought for English teachers in a world of narcissists…’

El American editor-at-large Ben Kew wrote, ‘People may laugh, but I actually find it pretty sad to see a publication as iconic as TIME Magazine reduced to this.’

Washington Examiner columnist Becket Adams tweeted: ‘Did a cockney chimney sweep write this tweet?’

DailyMail.com has contacted TIME magazine for comment.

Social media users – from the co-founder of Wikipedia to journalists and authors – slammed TIME magazine and accused the publication of using ‘made-up’ pronouns to suit the ‘whims of a narcissist’

Kobabe, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, has used ‘e/em/eir’, known as Spivak pronouns, since 2016. The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns promoted by a virtual community LambdaMOO.

The Spivak pronouns are based on the pronouns used by American mathematician Michael Spivak.

These pronouns were formed by dropping the ‘th’ from they, them and their.

Kobabe came out as bisexual in high school – and in 2016, the author came out as nonbinary. Kobabe said that this was the point the author decided on using the e/em/eir pronouns.

Kobabe’s book has been criticized by parents as it describes and illustrates sexual acts including oral sex and masturbation.

Tommy Altman, a Virginia Beach tattoo shop owner and former Republican congressional candidate, filed a petition to a Virginia court about ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘A Court of Mist and Fury’ by Sarah J. Maas, saying the depictions were inappropriate for children.

Altman asked the court to issue an order under state law against distributing, selling or loaning the books to minors. The suit was filed in April but was dismissed by a judge on Tuesday before it could proceed to trial.

Circuit Court Judge Pamela S. Baskervill struck it down on jurisdictional grounds, citing state law as well as the US Constitution.

For example, Baskervill wrote that Virginia law doesn’t give her the specific authority to determine whether the books are obscene for minors.

The judge also wrote that restricting the books’ distribution would authorize ‘prior restraint’ of speech and violate the First Amendment. The judge also described concerns about prosecuting someone who didn’t know they were selling or loaning books that were deemed to be obscene.

Kobabe’s book has been criticized by parents as it describes and illustrates sexual acts including oral sex and masturbation

The judge’s order comes at a time when book challenges and bans have surged across the US to levels not seen in decades. Virginia has been on the frontlines, with public school curricula and books serving as a major prong for Republican Glenn Youngkin’s successful run for governor last year.

Author and publisher groups hailed the judge’s decision.

Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, said Tuesday that it was an ‘unequivocal victory for the free speech rights of readers, authors, publishers, booksellers and libraries.’

Many of the targeted books have focused on sexuality, gender identity or race. Kobabe’s ‘Gender Queer,’ a graphic novel that contains explicit illustrations of oral sex and masturbation, has served as a particular flashpoint.

The Virginia Beach school board removed the book from school libraries earlier this year, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Schools in Fairfax County, in northern Virginia, also briefly removed it last year before it was reinstated. Loudoun County Public Schools chose to pull the book.

In his petition against the fantasy book ‘Court of Mist and Fury,’ Altman said it ‘contains pages of extreme sexual conduct not suitable for children as young as 10 years old.’

In his petition against ‘Gender Queer,’ Altman cited content that illustrates ‘two minors engaged in sexual intercourse,’ among other actions.

Jeff Trexler, an attorney for the author of ‘Gender Queer,’ pointed out that Altman was running for Congress when he filed the suit. Altman lost in a crowded Republican primary.

‘This isn’t 200 pages of people from various gender identities, having sex and nothing else,’ Trexler said. ‘It’s an award-winning work as a literary memoir and as a graphic novel. It’s been relevant to lots of people in terms of understanding themselves and their children’

Tim Anderson, Altman’s attorney, said the lawsuit ‘was never never about trying to ban gay literature or trans literature.’

‘This was simply just saying these (books) have really sexual explicit content and it´s not appropriate for kids,’ Anderson said.

Anderson said the suit’s intent was changing a state law that determines what is obscene for both children and adults alike. Altman wanted a ‘carve out’ that deems what’s obscene for juveniles specifically.

Anderson, who is also a state lawmaker, said Altman is considering his options following the judge’s order. He said one way forward could be a ratings system for books like there are for video games and movies.

‘Fundamentally, what we’re trying to do is get to a point where parents are more in the driver’s seat of what their children are consuming,’ Anderson said.

The post Time journal is ridiculed for utilizing ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns in piece on ‘Gender Queer’ writer appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

ON STAGE El Beh, who plays the title role in Mary Poppins of the San Francisco Playhouse (through January 12), never thought of playing the no-nonsense nanny who blows her parrot-headed umbrella and the Banks family in Brings shape.

They got the role when Susi Damilano, the director, came across her on the street and asked Beh to just take on the role. Beh, who, in addition to singing, dancing and acting, also teaches theater and small children movement and music to middle school students, decided to do it. Part of the reason was representation.

“It really meant something to me to have a strange colored person in that role,” they said. “I’ve been thinking about my kids seeing this and how much that would mean, so I thought I can’t walk away from it – I have to be brave enough to think about it. My social justice has to match my art or it’s just not worth it. And I’ve decided that it is. “

From the SF Playhouse production of ‘Mary Poppins’. Photo by Jessica Palopoli.

PL Travers wrote a series of books about Mary Poppins, the nanny who joined the Banks family after two children, Jane and Michael, evicted their other nannies. Her father works in the bank and has little time for his children during the play – her mother used to be an actress, but is now trying to meet her husband’s high demands on the house and children.

Mary Poppins, who has a high regard for herself and sniffs a lot to signify disapproval, takes the children on magical adventures. Bill English, co-founder of the Playhouse with Damilano, writes in the program that the books have attracted unexpected fans like Sylvia Plath and TS Eliot. According to English, the Australian immigrant Travers wrote the books as a commentary on the lessons: Mary Poppins teaches empathy and compassion for the poor.

Beh’s first encounter with Mary Poppins was in the Disney film starring Julie Andrews (whom Travers allegedly hated) when she was very young. They liked it but weren’t swept away. But they found it rich and interesting to play the role of the enigmatic nanny.

“She is single-handedly dismantling patriarchy in this world,” said Beh. “And she doesn’t tell them fascistically how to do it. There is one line that I love that you can play your tongue on the cheek, but I think it’s absolutely her truth: when you go to the bank and Michael says she put it in her dad’s head, says Mary: “The insolence! I would never put ideas in anyone’s head. “I think she’d be horrified at the idea of ​​putting ideas in someone’s head – she could guide them, but you have to get to it yourself.”

Breaking down patriarchy is exactly what Beh expects from her art, and Mary Poppins does it in a loving way, they think.

“I alternate between being able to do this work through love – and feeling like ‘burning everything down’. It’s good to sit with it and do it through love, and I’ve burned it all down to the mood for a while, ”they said. “The thing about love is that it lasts longer. She does real moderation, so the other characters join in on their own. “

From the SF Playhouse production of ‘Mary Poppins’. Photo by Jessica Palopoli.

Beh finds a lot of joy in the role. For one, there is the reaction of children in the audience. Then they can play with their best friend, Wiley Naman Strasser, who plays Bert, the chimney sweep who dances across the rooftops.

Beh’s numerous productions include Black Rider, Our Town and Hamlet at the Shotgun Players, Into the Woods and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Playhouse, playing the cello and singing in Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Beh grew up singing and dancing – and her mother made sure they see plays from a young age. It was her theater studies at UC Berkeley that made her choose this as a career.

“That’s where I learned how my art changes the world,” said Beh. “And what it could do as activism.”

MARY POPPINS: THE BROADWAY MUSIC
Until January 12th
San Francisco Playhouse
Tickets and more information here

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