Guerrilla Queer Ball

Last year a group called Guerrilla Queer Bar formed in Cincinnati to bring awareness to the city's queer population. The group describes their method: "Every FIRST FRIDAY of the month, Cincinnati's queer community will flashmob and take over a popular straight bar, transforming it, for one night only, into queer dance-love-heaven." [From: Facebook]

Since June is National Gay Pride month the group hosted a Guerrilla Queer Ball at the Mockabee in Cincinnati's West End. The party was an absolutely fabulous time, but best of all the party was socially responsible. The struggle for queer equality is not isolated - all oppression is connected. There was a photo op tribute to Butler County Sheriff Jones (a notorious anti-immigration presence in the Greater Cincinnati Area). This display was used to promote an Immigration Reform arch that took place downtown the following day.



Unfortunately I was unable to attend the march in Cincinnati, but I did attend the National Immigration Reform march on the Washington Mall in Washington D.C. in March of 2010. Here is my favorite image:

But I Thought Earth Day Was Last Month...

Being environmental friendly not only saves energy, it also saves money! Here are a few simple ways to "go green" without spending money or making drastic changes to your habits. I will elaborate on some of these suggestions in later posts.

Turn off the lights!

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.

UNPLUG! Appliances and chargers use electricity even when they are turned off. Power strips make this super simple.

Don't overfill your refrigerator.

Turn off the A/C! Open your windows instead.

Set your thermostat a few degrees lower. (It makes a HUGE difference in your bill.)

Cover your windows with plastic insulation and thick curtains during the winter to retain heat.

Keep your house shaded in the summer by closing blinds in the rooms that get a lot of direct sunlight.

Hang your clothes up to dry instead of using a dryer.

If you use a dishwasher, turn off the heated dry option.

Shower only when necessary. Shower quickly. Learn to enjoy a cool shower.

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc.

Wash your clothes only when absolutely necessary, and use cold water.

Don't wash your car or water your lawn. Seriously, is that necessary?

Aim to put less trash on your curb. Recycling, composting, and reducing the amount of single-use products you purchase are some solutions.

Minimize toilet flushes. If it's yellow, let it mellow!

Say NO to bottled water. Buy a reusable beverage container and bring it everywhere.

Make your own cleaning products.

Buy used!

Bring a reusable coffee mug to the cafe. Many places offer a discount for doing so.

Say no to one time use items such as plastic bags, styrofoam containers, straws, and plastic cutlery. Bring along reusable items.

Sign up for online billing and direct deposit to reduce the amount of paper you waste.

Grow your own food!

Use a rain barrel to collect water for your plants.

Walk or ride a bike for nearby errands. Utilize public transportation. When you must drive, combine trips and carpool.

Breastfeed (if applicable).

Use a menstrual cup instead of disposable pads or tampons.

Victoria's (Dirty) Secret

Everyone has probably heard the motto, Think Globally, Act Locally. But how does one think globally while acting locally? One way is by making responsible consumer choices. Every purchase has an impact. When you make a purchase you are choosing to support either a locally-owned business or a multinational corporation. You are choosing to support either a company that promotes human rights by using ethical labor or a company that relies on cheap - often child - labor and uses inhumane conditions such as sweatshops to manufacture goods as cheaply as possible.

Sweatshop labor is pervasive, especially in clothing chains. This reality is a huge deterrent in sustainable living. Personally, it was one of the last things I considered as I thought of ways to make my lifestyle more sustainable. When you need/want something it is a huge hassle to first sit down and research the ethical violations of the company you are considering supporting... especially if the purchase you are about to make is a sale item or an impulse my. I'll admit that a lot of the clothes in my closet were not produced ethically.

Last week I was using a Victoria's Secret gift card and wishfully hoping that just maybe Victoria's secret is that she uses organic, fair trade cotton and her products are made in Ohio, where her company's headquarters are located.

Then I saw this tag:

A glimmer of hope! Made with love, just for me!

But the cynic in my prompted me to look a little deeper. The tag on the inside of the garment revealed:


Made in China? Hmm.

So I went home and with a quick Google search determined that in the future I am going to have to look elsewhere for adorable and comfortable underwear. Shame on you, Victoria, and your dirty little secret.

The National Labor Committee’s report titled, “Sewing Victoria’s Secret: Garments in a Hidden Sweatshop,” outlines the human rights violations committed by the Mina Garments Factory, which supplies goods for Victoria’s Secret. The lack of respect for workers’ basic human rights included the following:

Human trafficking and involuntary servitude of guest workers

Confiscation of workers’ passports and denial of legally required identification cards

Routine work shifts of 14.5 to 15.5 hours, with 40 percent of guest workers kept on 19 hour all-night shifts

No sick days, paid vacations, or government holidays allowed

Wages at 8 percent below the legal minimum

Workers denied the legal 25 or 50 percent premium compensation for overtime hours

Sporadic pay

Inadequate and unsanitary working conditions

Workers subject to pay reductions, humiliation, violence, and threats if production goals not met

Forced deportation for any worker who spoke out about factory conditions

[Source: National Labor Committee] and Green America: Responsible Shopper]

The unfortunate reality is that most mass produced clothes are made overseas in low-income countries, and most often under inhumane conditions. It's hard to avoid. Some companies, such as Urban Outfitters, are starting to carry some eco-friendly and responsible items. All American Apparel clothes are made in the United States (though I have other issues with American Apparel - I'll save that for another post). My solution: by used whenever possible. And buy quality items that will outlasts trends so that you aren't replacing your wardrobe every six months.

Take Back America

So, the other day I was cycling behind a middle age white lady in a fancy car with a bumper sticker that said, Take Back America! and featured the Tea Party Movement logo. I pulled up beside her at a stoplight and asked, "are you Native American?" Of course it was a rhetorical question and of course she just starred at me blankly - but seriously, think about that bumper sticker...



Who are we taking back America from? I have seen other, less subtle, versions of the sticker:





The only people in the country now known as the United States of America that have any right to complain about immigration ruining the country are the Native Americans. The history books are so skewed toward the European male bias that we may have forgotten that we actually took this country over from the native inhabitants. We are all immigrants. Immigration is our heritage and we should embrace that.

Nothing makes me cringe more than the word illegal but I do agree that no one should have to be in this country undocumented. The solution is immigration reform, not deportation.

[Images borrowed from Zazzle]