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Article: Supreme Court rules states must allow same-sex marriage

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Washington (CNN)In a landmark opinion, the Supreme Court ruled Friday that states cannot ban same-sex marriage, establishing a new civil right and handing gay rights advocates a victory that until very recently would have seemed unthinkable. The 5-4 ruling had Justice Anthony Kennedy writing for the majority with the four liberal justices. Each of the four conservative justices wrote their own dissent. See the full article here

The Sci of Scifi: Integrating LGBT Characters

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I wish there wasn’t a gay fiction category. There are many reasons people read and write fiction of any genre with gay characters. My favorite type of story is not the one where the focus is on a character being gay. I love the story where the main character(s) just happen to be gay. Being gay shouldn’t be considered a character flaw so it stands to reason it shouldn’t be what defines a character. I think it’s great when a book/TV show/movie has characters that also happen to be gay. Their sexual orientation doesn’t need to be the story line. The … Read more

Announcement: Iron and Ether, by Gus Li

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Iron and Ether

DSPP author and QSFer Gus Li has a new Fantasy book out: Sasha was born to, and has always defined himself by, the secret assassins’ Order of the Crimson Scythe. He chose the love of Yarrow L’Estrella and Duncan Purefroy over his duty to his clan, forfeiting his last mission and allowing Prince Garith to live. Now, the order—previously Sasha’s family—has branded him a traitor. He’s marked, and that means the brethren of the Crimson Scythe won’t stop until Sasha is dead. Garith’s twin kingdoms balance on the brink of war, and all three men have reasons to help the … Read more

Are You Going to RainbowCon?

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RainbowCon

Hey all, We’re just three weeks out from RainbowCon in Tampa. QSF is going to be there in a big way: –We have a gathering planned for 4-6 PM the first day, and then anyone who wants to go can join us at Panera for dinner from 6-8 –We will have a table in the dealer room for QSF, right next to Angel’s table –By my count, we will have 46 QSFers there –Many of us will be on panels too. I have nine panels over the weekend – schedule here So are you going? Are you excited? Come join … Read more

ARTICLE: New Sesotho-named dinosaur from South Africa

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Discovery is perhaps my favorite element of SciFi writing. So when we discover something NEW about our environment, a whole new realm of possible story ideas peeks out from behind the prehistoric fern fronds. I love that this article shines a light on an environment that paleo-research has not traditionally been funded to explore. New Sesotho-named dinosaur from South Africa South African and Argentinian palaeontologists have discovered a new 200-million-year-old dinosaur from South Africa, and named it Sefapanosaurus, from the Sesotho word “sefapano.” See the full article here

Announcement: Deep Plunge, by Rory Ni Coileain

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Deep Plunge

QSFer Rory Ni Coileain has a new Fantasy book out: More than two thousand years ago, the healer Lochlann Doran was the first Fae to leave the Realm after the Sundering of the Fae and human worlds. After centuries of wandering the human world, seeking his SoulShare, he has spent all his magick, and lost all his hope. Garrett Templar is the star pole dancer at Purgatory, the hottest gay nightclub in Washington, D.C. If his past hadn’t taught him the futility of hope, his present surely would; HIV-positive since age 18, his illness has suddenly and inexplicably mutated into … Read more

Discussion: Are We Over Shifters?

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Today’s discussion topic comes from QSFer Jenn Burke: “Are stories of shifters overdone? What are your favourite/least favourite aspects about this trope? How would could it be refreshed?” Shifters saw a rapid rise to prominence in the paranormal genre in the last ten years, riding the popularity of Twilight and True Blood along with vampires. Suddenly everything was about shifters – wolf shifters, cat shifters, even one of my all0time favorites, cuttlefish shifters. But the tide seems to be receding now, and many are predicting the demise of the sub-genre. But is everyone wrong? Are we due for a resurgence … Read more

NEWS: Stonewall Inn Declared NYC Landmark

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This may not be SciFi, but it’s so incredibly important to the LGBTQ world. BREAKING: Stonewall Inn Declared NYC Landmark New York City’s landmarks commission today voted to grant official status to the Stonewall Inn, the Greenwich Village bar often credited as the birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement. The vote was unanimous, according to the Associated Press. This marks the first time any site in New York City has been designated a landmark because of its significance in LGBT history. See the full article here

Midweek Mingle: Capturing Community

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Ugh. I want to start by apologizing for missing last week. I went camping the weekend before and ended up with food poisoning. Last time I agree to let anyone else cook chicken for me. Needless to say, I was out of commission for a bit. But now I’m back at full force and ready to get going again. I’ve talked a few times in this column (all right, more than a few) about the QUILTBAG+ community, but never really in any way relating to writing. Well, I’m here to rectify that mistake. We, as SF/F writers, are normally at … Read more