Projects tagged "LGBTQIA"

NYU Activist Group on the Streets
Practitioner:
EMERGENYC
Date:
May 17 2017
On a sidewalk in the Village in downtown Manhattan, an African-American woman leans on her elbows and knees, wearing only black underpants. Scrawled in black marker all over her body are the words "Ain't I a Woman?" Across the street, another woman lies face down, sunbathing on a large sheet of tinfoil. The sentence "White Supremacy Is Terrorism" is inked across her white skin, which is turning pink under the hot sun.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt
Practitioner:
Cleve Jones
Date:
Oct 11 1987
Cleve Jones's powerful vision for memorializing those lost to AIDS was realized in October 1987 in Washington D.C. It showcased the artistic contributions of people who'd lost loved ones to the virus from a number of US metropolitan centers. The quilt has continued to grow for the nearly 40 years since. By 1992, the AIDS Memorial Quilt included panels from every state and 28 countries.
Woe Fie
Practitioner:
Angel Maxine
Date:
Jul 26 2021
Can you finish the lyric? “Your driver could be LGBTQ, Your Tailor could be LGBTQ,…” If you can’t, you may be a part of the majority who doesn’t know about the song Wo Fie. However, for those in the LGBTQIA+ community, and followers of Ghanaian musician Angel Maxine, the song has become a Pride month anthem.
I'm Not A Joke
Practitioner:
Daniel Arzola
Date:
Aug 1 2015
The "I'm Not A Joke" campaign from Daniel Arzola is a series of images inscribed with compelling truths about human diversity that encourages individuals to live as their authentic selves. He wants the images to eventually appear on buses and subways, exposing audiences to the realities of queer experiences in an attempt to break down prejudice in a form of activism that he calls "Artivism."
Hedonistic pictures of Barcelona’s queer underworld
Practitioner:
Leo Adef
Date:
Apr 15 2021
Topless queer men light spliffs on the beach. A trans man injects testosterone on the toilet. Drag queens nonchalantly scroll through their phones and smoke. These are just some of the images that make up the new book from Leo Adef. Titled WARP, it’s comprised of photographs captured across four years spent in Barcelona's queer underworld
How Keith Haring used art for good
Practitioner:
Keith Haring
Date:
Jan 1 1986
It’s the radiant baby, the barking dog and the dancing man; the badges and the t-shirts; the unmissable mural spelling out CRACK IS WACK. Keith Haring’s career was short but spectacular, and he leaves behind a lasting legacy. From his chalk drawings in city-wide subway stations, to his collaborations with the superstars of his day, Haring’s life was founded on a belief in the power of people to change the world.
Sister Activism: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Practitioner:
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Date:
Jan 9 2014
If you've been to a Bay Area protest or community event, you've probably seen -- or even met those nuns in whiteface -- The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Devoted to human rights globally and locally, AIDS education, and respect for diversity, this controversial Order of Queer Nuns has long been a staple of San Francisco's cultural fabric. They join host Joseph Pace for the hour. Guests:
It Gets Better
Practitioner:
Dan Savage and Terry Miller
Date:
Sep 21 2010
After a spate of bullying-related suicides of LGBT youth, gay columnist Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller decided to launch the It Gets Better project to see what they could do about it. They began with a simple YouTube video in which both of them described their experiences with bullying in high school, coming out, their families, and the story of their relationship and the adoption of their sun.
Wired in Disability Arts
Practitioner:
Kinetic Light
Date:
Feb 3 2022
Serene colors and technical set pieces create a surreal ambience as performers delicately hover into the black void above the stage. These performers belong to Kinetic Light, an "internationally-recognized disability arts ensemble". In 2022, the ensemble performed Wired, a "potent contemporary aerial dance performance that explores race, gender, and disability stories of barbed wire in the United States".
Kiss of Love
Practitioner:
Kiss of Love
Date:
Oct 25 2014
The Kiss of Love campaign in India is a non violent protest against moral policing. It started out as a Facebook page but gained momentum across India when a mob of conservative, right-wing party members attacked and demolished a coffee shop in Kozhikode, Kerala. Their grounds to do so was public display of affection by couples inside the coffee shop, which they saw as immoral activity.
Welcome to Chechnya
Practitioner:
David France
Date:
Feb 20 2020
In February 2017, authorities in Chechnya -- a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus -- arrested a man they suspected to be under the influence of a controlled substance. As is procedure, they searched his phone. According to a report from the Human Rights Watch, they found “explicit material” (most likely shared nude photos and gay pornography), and the contact details of dozens of gay men.
Davey Drumpf, Presidential Cousin-At-Large
Practitioner:
Dave Lippman
Date:
Dec 23 2016
A new series of video commentaries with Davey Drumpf, The Donald's long-lost third cousin, twice removed. His views are several degrees to the Left of the Don's. First installment: Co-housing vs. Weaponized Xenophobia.
Mashrou’ Leila
Practitioner:
Mashrou’ Leila
Date:
Sep 1 2018
CAIRO — Seven Egyptians were arrested on charges of promoting homosexuality after concertgoers waved rainbow-colored flags at a rock concert in Cairo last week, Egyptian officials said. The arrests were the latest assault on social freedoms in Egypt under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whose government has imposed harsh restrictions on free speech and led an aggressive campaign against gays.
Creative Time NYC’s unique flag project
Practitioner:
Marilyn Minter
Date:
Jun 14 2017
The 14th day of June each year is celebrated as Flag Day, and in 2017 it was no different save for the fact that the project took center stage. The celebrations kicked off with hoisting the resist flag, a creation by Marilyn Minter on the rooftop of the 4th street headquarters of Creative Time.
"STAND UP FOR SOMETHING" Oscars 2018
Practitioner:
Common, Andra Day & Special Guests
Date:
Mar 4 2018
The American rapper’s performance of 'Stand Up for Something' with singer Andra Day has gone down as one of the highlights of this year’s Academy Awards. Common used his Oscars performance to condemn Donald Trump’s “hate” and the National Rifle Association. The American rapper’s performance of “Stand Up for Something” with singer Andra Day has been held up by many as one of the highlights of this year’s Academy Awards.
You Need to Calm Down
Practitioner:
Taylor Swift
Date:
Jun 17 2019
Everything You Need to Know About The Equality Act & Taylor Swift's Petition to Pass It In her latest song and music video for “You Need To Calm Down,” Taylor Swift is celebrating Pride the best way she knows how — by telling homophobic bigots to pipe down. Both in the video and in the song’s lyrics, the singer establishes herself as a clear ally to the community, singing “Shade never made anybody less gay.”
Photographing the hidden – Violence Unseen
Practitioner:
Alicia Bruce, Zero Tolerance
Date:
Sep 3 2018
UK photographer Alicia Bruce collaborated with Zero Tolerance, a Scottish non-profit to end GBV, to produce a new version of the Violence Unseen campaign, launched for the first time in the 1990s and created by Franki Raffles. The new one was launched in 2018, 25 years after the original iconic Zero Tolerance campaign, shot by the late Franki Raffles.
Human Genitals Dinner
Practitioner:
Mao Sugiyama
Date:
Apr 13 2012
In a private Tokyo dinner party artist Mao Sugiyama served his genitals to five of the events guests. Several months prior to the event he chose to have his genitals surgically removed. He released invitations to the event on social media, 70 paid attendees were present for the event. Self-identifed as asexual, Sugiyama stated that he intended to raise awareness for "sexual minorities, x-gender, asexual people."
In NYC, Activism Begins With Lessons In Theater
Practitioner:
EMERGE NYC
Date:
May 31 2017
Note before the post: This article is great in highlighting a specific case of creative activism in the streets of New York City, but also gives some contextual background to how this project manifested. On a sidewalk in the Village in downtown Manhattan, an African-American woman leans on her elbows and knees, wearing only black underpants. Scrawled in black marker all over her body are the words "Ain't I a Woman?"
Love Queer Cinema Week (aka the Beijing Queer Film Festival)
Practitioner:
Students of Beijing University, Beijing Queer Film Festival commitee
Date:
Dec 1 2001
Founded 19 years ago, the Beijing Queer Film Festival (aka Love Queer Cinema Week) is one of the grassroots film festivals in China focusing on independent queer film screenings and cultural exchange activities. We aim to expand public discussions on sexuality / gender identity / gender expression, we aim to give a platform to sexual and other minorities in China and the World, and we celebrate diversity.
Reagan has died of AIDS
Practitioner:
Oliviero Toscani
Date:
Jan 15 1994
Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States on November 4, 1980. In less than a year, in the Summer of 1981, AIDS was first identified in medical journals. However, it took until 1987 before he would give his first major address on AIDS.
This Is Why Keith Haring Got Arrested Numerous Times
Practitioner:
Keith Haring
Date:
Jul 1 1982
In the early 1980s Keith Haring created hundreds of drawings in the New York subway system. He used chalk to paint on unused advertising space, which was covered with black sheets of paper. Haring was caught and fined numerous times.
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Practitioner:
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Date:
Apr 9 1979
"The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence® is a leading-edge Order of queer nuns. Since our first appearance in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, 1979, the Sisters have devoted ourselves to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment.
ACT UP is at it again
Practitioner:
ACT UP
Date:
Apr 26 2012
Long before the red ribbon became an innocuous symbol of AIDS “awareness” and celebrity philanthropy, there was the pink triangle and there was ACT UP and there were thousands of people taking to the streets for their lives. Once a symbol used to mark suspected queers for death in the Holocaust, ACT UP appropriated the pink triangle for
I want a president
Practitioner:
Zoe Leonard
Date:
Oct 11 2016
Installed on the occasion of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, I want a president renders a poignant portrait of the cultural and political climate in the early 1990s in New York City with words that still resonate today.

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