2/6/10-by Paula Brooks
This past week, Lori Hahn (Hahn at Home) and Margo Moon (Starr Ann Chronicles) launched Our Big Gayborhood, an entertaining new site full of lively, powerful, snarky, reflective and just plain interesting articles spanning the entire spectrum of GLBT life.

Our Big Gayborhood is also home to the brand new podcast The Starr Ann Chronicles, narrated by women’s music legend Tret Fure. Listen for yourself, as Tret gives just the right voice to the cowgirl adventures of these two lucky, nature-lovin’ lesbians on horseback.

“We aren’t a news site – there are so many fine ones already. We aren’t an issues site either. Though, we discuss those things,” site co-creator Lori Hahn said. “This is a place to find humor, warmth, pathos, activism and to peer into the lives and opinions of our great team of writers who make up a pretty significant cross-section of GLBT life.”

“We’d love to see you in Our Big Gayborhood – where the queers write,” stated Margo Moon, co-editor. “And if you’d like to join our team, give us a shout at ourbiggay1(at)gmail.com!”

by Melanie Nathan,  San Francisco:
Three of America’s leading LGBT cruise companies announced a joint fund to raise money for disaster relief in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.  Olivia Cruises, the all lesbian cruise and vacation company, owned by Judy Dulgacz and Rachel Wahba, is amongst the three who have joined forces.

Dlugacz, President and founder of Olivia Companies, a lesbian-oriented vacation company, commented that “so many of our passengers have been touched by the destruction and poverty in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. It is important that as LGBT Americans, we come together to show our community’s solidarity and support for those living through this unimaginable disaster.”

Rachel Wahba told Lezgetreal that Olivia has a history of helping in disasters mentioning the time when she and Judy visited a Club Med in Mexico on an Olivia vacation, soon after a hurricane had caused devastation.   The guests arrived after the hurricane and raised a lot of money which was matched by a local bank.

American Red Cross Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Floyd W. Pitts stated “We are thrilled with this partnership with the LGBT community and we are delighted to be working with organizations which take such a strong interest in humanitarian response”.

The other cruise groups involved include Atlantis and RSVP cruises (a subsidiary of Atlantis), has also joined the effort.

According to PR-USA.dot.net.  Atlantis/RSVP have pledged $15,000 in matching contributions, Olivia has pledged an additional $7,500 for a total of $22,500. Olivia is also offering a limited number of free cruises to those who contribute $7,500 or more. They are urging all LGBT individuals and organizations to contribute and provide matching funds when possible. To contribute to the fund, visit: http://american.redcross.org/LGBT-pub

“Olivia was created to serve a lesbian market that ranges from women who must live quietly in suburbia, to women who have the freedom to walk the streets holding hands. I am extremely blessed to have been part of this amazing experience. When the company launched 35 years ago, I never dreamed Olivia would become the company that it is today,” says Judy Dlugacz, President and Founder of Olivia.

Olivia’s has featured headliners such as Melissa Etheridge, kd lang, Heart and The Indigo Girls. Sports stars (Sheryl Swoops, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Rosie Jones, Diana Nyad) and comedians (Margaret Cho, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin) are no stranger to Olivia, either. Olivia also has amazing house entertainers—fantastic singers, comedians and other performers who have become part of the Olivia family.

Olivia has also recently rolled out its Sisters at Sea™ and Sisters at Play™ programs, which are designed for lesbians of color and their friends and provide special programming and activities onboard or at the resort. Olivia also has a solos/singles program so women traveling solo can meet up for meals, excursions and special parties and activities designed just for them.

In addition, Olivia has a strong online presence in the lesbian community, and Olivia.com boasts a vibrant community of women from around the world. Olivia.com was designed with the needs of the lesbian market in mind, and enables lesbians of all ages, cultures and passions to connect online. The site allows women to network, find out about Olivia and its lesbian-friendly partners, as well as plan their next trips. Olivia seeks to create memorable community experiences and Olivia.com is an extension of that mission.

 Related articles by Zemanta

• Haiti Earthquake Overwhelms Medical Workers (abcnews.go.com)
• House OKs 2009 tax break for Haiti gifts (msnbc.msn.com)
• 01/29/2010 American Red Cross President Witnesses Haiti’s Need Firsthand (basilandspice.com)

Melanie Nathan LGBT ADvocate /Activist

 by Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

11/14/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Where’s My Lesbian is a social networking site not dissimilar to places like MySpace and Facebook. According to the site:

Where’s My Lesbian is a site for the LGBTQ community to express themselves using all forms of artwork. We encourage members to contribute their poetry, music, artwork and participate in our forums. We want to help develop an online community where all members will feel welcome and feel like they have a place to go when they want to be heard or seen. Everyone is welcome.

It is a place where one can find humor, enjoy a video, and network with others in the online LGBTQ Community. There are resources to off site places, including one to this site. There are also forums to which people can go to discuss various topics as well. the site includes movie reviews, reviews of various other topics, and on site games.

The site is a work in progress. The site is small, but growing, and there is certainly hope that it will grow further in the future. We certainly recommend that those who are interested in a welcoming LGBTQ online experience head over, give it a good look, and join if social networking is something you love to do.

The site can be found at: Where’s My Lesbian

If you’re looking for a great lesbian video blog (aka vlog) I completely suggest “Ask AJ Anything” which can be found on YouTube.com.

This vlog is funny as hell and AJ always starts her videos with the phrase “Hellooooo Ladies!” which can only be done best by her. Her show is called “Tuna Talk” and features advice, interviews, and commentary about a variety of topics, mainly those affecting the lesbian community.

AJ says…

Need gay advice (or if you’re straight I’ll try my best)?? Send your queries about anything dating, sex, relationships, the meaning of life, whatever, to me and I’ll spend about 4.27 seconds formulating a response. But we’re talking QUALITY advice here. None of that Ann Landers shit.

to be a part of my Harem please SUBSCRIBE!!:)

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO— AskAJanything@yahoo.com

OR CHAT VIA YAHOO:
AskAJanything

You can find Tuna Talk on the Ask AJ Anything vlog at http://www.youtube.com/user/AskAJanything.

Here is a sample video of Tuna Talk just to give you a taste of AJ’s vlog and style… enjoy!

Lesbian.com is one of the original lesbian websites online that featured content from real lesbians as a resource for other real lesbians.

Lesbian.com was registered in 1995 by Sue to protect the domain from the radical right and because she thought the web would be “an excellent avenue for dykes around the world to connect and network”.

In 1998, Sue, Mel, Ana, and Gisele (“The Dykes of Lesbian.com”) came up with their mission statement and began to grow their site. Lesbian.com now offers a lesbian-friendly marketplace, personals, news, and more such as the column Roving Lesbian Astrologer by Jenny Yates.

My favorite part of Lesbian.com is the extensive directory that it offers as a main feature to the site.

On the left hand side of Lesbian.com is an index list with topic names to choose from which will take you to a page with a list of links on that topic. So if you are looking for Deaf lesbians, Herstory, Land dykes, Lesbians of color, etc. you can find links for sites on those topics in the directory at Lesbian.com.

Make sure you take some time to add Lesbian.com to your bookmarks and the marketplace is a great find too so be sure to check that out as well.

Thanks for reading this lesbian website and we hope you enjoyed this post.

Lesbian blogs usually offer you a nice mix of lesbian news and personal commentary on hot topics of importance to the LGBT community, lesbians in particular.

Just a Girl in Short Shorts is a lesbian blog online that offers you a brilliant mix of news and personal commentary in a way that makes the topics covered especially H.O.T.T. (that’s the only way I can put it!). The official tag for the blog is “Just a Girl in Short Shorts Talking About Whatever: Observations and commentary by a post-modern neo-feminist libertarian cyberpunk on society, culture, politics and whatever.”

Take a look at this blog, and you will find that our Girl in Short Shorts Becky C. spices up her blog posts with creative photos and sexy pics that many a lesbian can appreciate.

Becky is a “mom, recovering attorney, post-modern neo-feminist, disrespectful dyke, unlikely punk, nice Catholic girl, passionate freedom-loving libertarian, thinking conservative, sappy romantic, spiritual redneck, softball enthusiast, shopaholic and unrepentant flirt”. Oh, and her other passion is mountain climbing. ;o)

Becky is not afraid to post what’s on her mind, and you can find many links and banners on her blog that offer you insight and information on issues close to her heart.

Take a look at the Just a Girl in Short Shorts blog and see if it’s your cup of tea. Over 2 million visitors have stopped by so far! Here is the link to the main blog, and here is the link to the RSS feed for subscription.

Let her know that LezGetReal sent ya, and we hope you enjoy this week’s Featured Lesbian Blog.

]]> http://lezgetreal.com/?feed=rss2&p=12115 1 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=9354 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=9354#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:30:33 +0000 ~Julie Phineas~ http://lezgetreal.com/?p=9354

About.com is a website where you can find out ‘about’ pretty much any topic you might be interested in.

One such topic on About.com is the topic of Lesbian Life. About: Lesbian Life is a section of the About.com website maintained by your “Lesbian Life Guide” Kathy Belge.

Kathy Belge has been the About.com Guide to Lesbian Life since 2003.

Kathy says to all who visit the Lesbian Life section on About.com:

Thank-you for visiting Lesbian Life. I hope you will find this site informational, educational and inspirational. I will do my best to present the diversity of the Lesbian Experience on these pages.

I subscribe to Lesbian Life via email, but when you visit the website itself you will find a handful of categories to choose from where you will find the articles and information that Kathy Belge has gathered together for us all on About.

Categories you’ll find include Coming Out, Sex Love & Relationships, Famous Lesbians, Lesbian Teens, Home & Family and more.

You can visit the Lesbian Life section of About.com by visiting http://lesbianlife.about.com.

The Lesbian Lifestyle is a blog that was created to collect real life stories written by lesbians from around the world.

The Lesbian Lifestyle, aka TLL, has been online since since 2004 with a goal of becoming the largest lesbian storyteller blog on the Internet. They currently have over 200 registered authors, and over 850 posts.

The Lesbian Lifestyle takes pride in being a blog where lesbians can read posts that let them know they’re not alone.

TLL gives lesbians a chance to read about the lives of other lesbians, and it gives heterosexuals a peek into the reality of the lives, opinions, and every day concerns of lesbian women.

On The Lesbian Lifestyle blog you will find the Topic of the Month where each month, in addition to their normal posts, the TLL Authors are given 1-3 topics to write about.

You can also find the TLL Editor’s Blog Pick, which is a feature much like this post offering a highlighted blog you are suggested to visit. You will also find that TLL has a TLL Advice Panel, The Webs Largest Lesbian Blog Roll, and hostesses The Lezzy’s, an annual best blog award.

You can find The Lesbian Lifestyle homepage at www.thelesbianlifestyle.com or you can subscribe to the blog directly here, and let em know LezGetReal sent ya! (lol j/k)

Enjoy!

AfterEllen.com is THE lesbian website online.

If you haven’t seen this website yet, well then I am proud to have been the one to point the way. AfterEllen.com is a lesbian website that highlights lesbians and bisexual women in the media, founded by Sarah Warn in April 2002 and bought by LOGO in 2006.

The name AfterEllen refers to the milestone achieved for lesbian women after Ellen DeGeneres came out publicly, although the site is not directly affiliated with the celebrity lesbian.

You can find articles, columns, reviews and recaps, blogs and vlogs, plus a social network on this lezsite. They consider television, film, music, books, and celebrity news; and bring in over 700,000 readers a month as of 2008.

Contributors to the AfterEllen.com website are highly coveted lesbians such as Kate Clinton, Bridget McManus, Grace Chu, Tracy and Angela (from LesbianGamers), Mombian’s Dana and Helen, Jill Bennett, Dorothy Snarker… the list goes on and on.

Brought to us in a variety of ways, the lineup of lesbian talent on AfterEllen, and the topics they cover are keeping many a lesbian’s interest and if you haven’t been to this site yet, you’re definitely missing out.

That being said, the AfterEllen homepage is at www.AfterEllen.com, and you can subscribe to get the latest from there here.

Thank you for reading THIS lesbian website, and we hope you have a great rest of your day!

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

There is a lesbian blog online that I absolutely love… my own!

Okay so I am a little biased but it’s true, I absolutely love my blog!

My blog is called Lesbian Mommy: Adventures of A Lesbian Mom, and that really sums up what this blog is about – my adventures in this world as a lesbian mom.

The Lesbian Mommy Blog is where I share with the world the experiences I encounter in my travels through lesbian life.

Some of the most popular stories on that blog are the ones where I share my most personal feelings and insights into what it’s like to be a lesbian mom, my relationship with my wife, and the adventures we have as a family. I have also come to use that blog to raise awareness for LGBT issues and provide a resource to lesbians online with links and information they might be looking for.

Whether you are a lesbian, a mom, or label yourself in any other way you are most welcome to visit my Lesbian Mommy blog and take a look.

I hope that others can benefit from the sharing of my adventures, and I welcome other lesbian blogs and sites to visit my blog roll to be added. You’ll also find a Sponsor section where you can find a variety of online shopping options for lesbians like myself. I really have tried to make my blog become a valuable resource and I hope that you like it.

The Lesbian Mommy Blog is at http://lesbianmommy.blogspot.com, and I try to post there whenever I have something interesting to share.

Thanks for reading THIS blog, and I hope you come back to read us again soon!

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

SheWired.com is a lesbian website that is a part of the Gay Wired Media Network.

GayWired Media includes some of the most well respected digital brands serving the LGBT community including flagship sites GayWired.com, 247Gay.com and LesbiaNation.com.

LesbiaNation.com evolved into SheWired.com in 2008.

SheWired.com Senior Editor Tracy E. Gilchrist announced the transition by saying:

While the Web remains a relatively young media outlet compared to newspapers, radio, film and television, LesbiaNation.com, at 11 years old, is ancient by Internet terms. And it’s to the credit of the site’s creators and the editors and writers who’ve contributed outstanding content throughout the years, that I’m in the position as Senior Editor of LesbiaNation.com, soon to be SheWired.com, to shepherd the site into fun, fresh, important pop culture territory.

Fun, fresh and important are three accurate terms for the new site, with it’s celesbian personalities, featured columns, and user friendly atmosphere.

SheWired.com brings users these exciting new columns and features:

- Cathy DeBuono’s Weekly Vlog “What’s Your Problem?” – The star of “Out at the Wedding” offers her candid opinion on how to deal with the trials and tribulations life serves up on a daily basis.

- Jill Bennett’s Weekly Vlog “The Violet Underground” – Want to know what’s on Jill’s mind? Check out “The Velvet Underground,” where she’ll feature politics and pop culture as well as exclusive “South of Nowhere” coverage.

- Staceyann Chin’s Weekly Blog – Poet and activist Staceyann Chin pushes the limits delivering her thoughts on a variety of subjects, including relationships, dating and sex.

- Gloria Bigelow’s Weekly Blog – A featured star of “Laughing Matters…Next Gen!,” Bigelow brings her own brand of humor to SheWired.com by riffing on the week’s top pop culture and political headlines.

- Exclusive Interviews and Features – SheWired.com premieres with exclusive interviews with “The L Word’s” Leisha Hailey, the Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray, “All My Children’s” Tamara Bruan and The Veronicas’ Jess Origliasso. Additionally, SheWired.com sits down with D-Listed’s Michael K to discuss the “gayelle” phenomenon.

We LOVE SheWired.com and are subscribed to their site as they are a great source of entertainment news and celesbian interviews.

You can find the SheWired.com homepage here, or you can reach out to them on Facebook here or Twitter here.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

Lesbian.pro is a unique blog that you just may fall in love with once you see it.

It’s not all bells and whistles, and there are no fancy gimmicks – it is a pretty simple site. Lesbian.pro provides us with a daily dose of lesbian links, videos and photos from around the internet. Every day you can count on a collection of links highlighting all things lesbian from a “social, political & comedic” perspective. Lesbian.pro link posts are a valuable asset to the lesbian web surfer, and you are guaranteed to find something interesting each day if you subscribe to this blog.

The RSS feed for that is here and you can also find Lesbian.pro on YouTube here.

A lot of the videos I find on Lesbian.pro wind up as The Daily Video or on our video page, and a lot of the articles we post here on LezGetReal have been linked there on Lesbian.pro. We consider the Lesbian.pro blog to be a source of valuable information for lesbians and others in the LGBT community, so be sure to give it a visit and subscribe if you like.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

]]> http://lezgetreal.com/?feed=rss2&p=5469 1 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=4563 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=4563#comments Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:00:57 +0000 ~Julie Phineas~ http://lezgetreal.com/?p=4563

CherryGrrl.com is an online magazine and lifestyle site dedicated to “keeping lesbians up-to-date with the information that matters most to them”.

Cherry Grrl invites you to “grab a cup of coffee and get morning news or better yet, grab your girlfriends and a cocktail and check out what’s going on tonight in your city.”

Their site has a sleek look and fresh atmosphere, with a heavy focus on entertainment and nightlife.

One of the more popular features of the site is the Real Grrl weekly column which features real lesbians doing amazing things in the community and more. You will find that LezGetReal.com writers have been featured on the site such as Spaz and Jules Joyce. I suspect many of our writers are amazing and warrant a listing on Cherry Grrl, and if you know someone who should be considered they invite you to contact them.

The Cherry Grrl MySpace page says they are looking for:

Lesbians who are doing amazing things – musicians, athletes, performers, comedians, activists, designers… A Real Grrl is a lesbian-next-door who is dedicating her life to something amazing. In the past, we’ve profiled surfers, artists, and athletes. Each week, our editors pick a different grrl to feature. If you think you’d make a great Real Grrl, contact us via the contact page on CherryGrrl.com and we will send you the info!

Other features on the site include the ‘Fresh Ten’, movie reviews, and a special section on NYC Nightlife.

If you are in NYC it’s worth a look, and if not there are other features of the CherryGrrl website that you might like. So be sure to visit Cherry Grrl today and see if it’s your cup of cherry, and if it is be sure to subscribe.

Enjoy!

I love Two Lesbos Goin At It.

This blog started when two lesbians (One Lesbo & Lovely Spouse) decided to start a blog together and couldn’t agree on it’s style, theme, or what to post. After going at it about the blog, One Lesbo went it alone on the blog they are still… Two Lesbos Goin At It. On this blog you can read about celebrity lesbians, see celebrity lesbian couples, watch videos about and by lesbos and also catch some angry rants as well.

Most of the posts on this blog have videos, and I really like the videos and pictures that One Lesbo picks out.

She always finds the steamy lesbian commercials, or good pictures of Lindsay Lohan and her girlfriend. Sections for these on the blog are aptly named, Lesbo Photos and Lesbo Videos. ;o)

I suggest you take some time to visit this blog if you haven’t already.

I love the feel and color, and navigating the blog is easy too. It’s not too flashy and has just the right amount of widgets and features to keep you entertained without slowing down your computer. Plus their banner and logo is HOTT. Two Lesbos Goin at It is always abreast of current events so be sure to subscribe to their blog so you can stay abreast too. ;o)

LezGurlz.com is a new a lesbian entertainment site, where you can find the latest lesbian movie trailers, a forum, chat box and more.

The site is still very new and yet has a very good variety of video clips and new release trailers for lesbian movies that keep you coming back for more. Some of the videos they show can be found on their YouTube channel, but for the most part you can find video trailers on their main site here. Aside from video trailers and a discussion forum for ‘women who love women’, you can also find book reviews, posters and art, plus show information for your favorite lesbian TV shows, short films, and documentaries as well. Follow lesbian story lines on LezGurlz.com and shop for lesbian movies direct from their site as well. If you are a lesbian looking for the latest in lesbian entertainment, be sure to check out the LezGurlz.com website and let them know that LezGetReal sent ya. Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

Every now and then you will see me surfing the blogosphere looking for lesbian mom blogs.

I always look for these types of blog above all others because I am the only lesbian mom in my neighborhood, and don’t really have anyone to compare myself to or identify with. I think this is one of the reasons that I enjoy watching The L Word. I identify with the characters and feel like they go through what I am going through. “Thoughts of a Lezzy Mom” is a blog where you can find insights on current events in the LGBT community from lesbian mom, Kathy Young.

She is is living an All American life – two kids, a girl and a boy, a dog and a wonderful partner to share it with.

She is a Board of Governor for the Human Rights Campaign and an LGBT activist and her political & media commentary has appeared on C-Span, and CSPAN.org. You can find her regular contributions here on LezGetReal.com as well.

The “Thoughts of a Lezzy Mom Blog” is a place where you can find regular commentary and insights from Kathy Young, and her featured posts called the ‘Moron of The Week’. (This week it’s Rush Limbaugh.) Take some time and give this blog a visit if you are looking for a new site to follow, and a good lesbian mom to look up to. Kathy’s insights will give you a chuckle, raise an eyebrow, and have you nodding in agreement. (Unless your Rush Limbaugh.)

“Thoughts from a Lezzy Mom” can be found at http://lezzymom.blogspot.com.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.