BY ABBY WALLER

Meet Queer Abby, our new advice columnist, feel free to ask her anything in the comments below or write to her directly at abagailwaller@gmail.com.

There’s just something about Christmas. I can’t deny it…I don’t try to. I really do love it.

Christmas fervor is a force stronger than me and it really makes no sense. I mean, work is a thousand times busier, it’s colder than a snowman’s balls outside, and I’m more broke than ever.

Still though, I find myself wanting to decorate my home as if Christmas lights boned like bunnies and their offspring perched themselves on every hook, ledge, or surface throughout my house. I want to wrap presents while drinking hot cocoa, watch Christmas movies and listen to holiday music on vinyl that I scored from thrifty spots around town.
And that right there is the thing I might love most of all — Every year my family and I get together for what we call “A very Thrifty Christmas.” Basically, we all get together on Christmas day just like millions of families across the country, but instead of giving each other iPads, SUVs with giant bows on top, and other stuff we can’t afford…we give each other handmade items or items scored from thrift stores.
I’m a big fan of thrift stores – what’s not to like?

1. They’re environmentally friendly. Seriously. Do you have any idea how much clothing ends up in landfills? Apparently, 10.5 million tons. Barf. When you shop at a thrift store; you’re supporting the whole reduce, reuse, recycle ethos.
2. Uh hello…they’re hella cheap! I just won’t ever find any fault in trying to save a buck. I scored some rad Michael Kors boots for $40 at a thrift store that originally retailed for around $300.
3. They’re filled with Nostalgia. I constantly come across stuff in thrift stores that brings back oodles of childhood memories. Remember New Kids on the Block or the Spice Girls? I’ve spotted Spice Girl dolls with super tousled hair and bedspreads adorned with the faces of the boys from NKOTB.

So, every “Thrifty Christmas” I like to get thrifty with it. You literally have no idea what you’ll find. The holidays shouldn’t be about fighting some soccer mom at Target for the hottest toy of season to give to your kid who’ll appreciate it for three weeks and then decide they want a laptop instead. It should be about family. It should be about laughing, having a good time with the ones you love, and just enjoying being around each other.

So, pass the eggnog…actually, no don’t, eggnog is totally gross. Make me a sparkling cranberry cocktail and put on The Santa Claus or Elf. I’ll snuggle under a blanket with my lady and then head out to treasure hunt for the perfect thrifty Christmas gifts.

The post Queer Abby: Gettin’ thrifty with it first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Looking for a unique gift filled with good karma for the lesbians in your life? Well, look no further. We’ve put together a list of great holiday gifts from fabulous lesbian companies.

WOLFE VIDEO

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LUCKY DOG LEATHER

TOMBOYX

SEE JANE RUN

THAT GAY SITE

SOUL NUMBERS JEWELRY

The post Great holiday gifts from lesbian-owned companies first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Members of the New York City Council have joined Mayor Bill de Blasio in boycotting the city’s 2014 Saint Patrick’s Day Parade for its refusal to allow LGBT people to participate openly.

One of them, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, said “The St. Patrick’s Parade should be a time when all New Yorkers can come together and march openly as who they are — but right now that is not the case for the LGBT community.

Read more at dot429.com

The post NYC officials boycott St. Patrick’s Day parade first appeared on Lesbian.com.

(Photo: Getty Images)

BY KONRAD JUENGLING, Guest Blogger
Washington Blade

The Salvation Army is one of the most recognized charities in the United States. What a lot of people, myself included until recently, do not realize is that the SA actively and institutionally works against people in the LGBTQ community. For this self styled “evangelical part of the universal Christian Church,” the homophobia is literally written into its handbook. For its position statement on LGBTQ individuals, “The Salvation Army believes […] that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life.”

Mark Oppenheimer wrote a 2011 story for the New York Times about the SA turning away people because they are gay. While the SA has denied this, we’ve also seen them threatening to leave New York City altogether in 2004 if they were “forced” to abide by the law of requiring health benefits for employees’ same-sex partners. In 2012, we heard SA media relations official Major Andrew Craibe imply on national radio that gays should be put to death. When shopping, remember how you choose to spend (and donate) your money shows support for that organization; just make sure you’re supporting the right cause. Skip the red buckets and support an inclusive, non-discriminatory organization that truly wants to help everyone that comes through its doors.

Read more at Washington Blade

The post Opinion: Boycott the red buckets this season first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Holiday season is finally upon us, and whether you like it or not, that means you will soon be receiving invitations to all of the holiday parties. But what should you wear to the company holiday party?

The Company Holiday Party

Your boss will be there, as will your colleagues, their significant others, and maybe even a few clients—so keep it professional! Professional does not have to mean boring, however. It’s good to stand out, and it’s definitely time to glam it up more than you would if you were at the office on a regular workday.

One great way to do this is by choosing a bold color. Most people will keep it safe and conservative and opt for a black pantsuit or the Little Black Dress, but don’t go with the norm—after all, you do want to get noticed for all of the right reasons. Be bold. Red is a great color to wear and get noticed. Red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, and determination, as well as passion, desire, and love. Wear a white blouse, long red flared trousers, nude pumps, and a red lip. Not a pump-wearing kind of girl? Then switch out the nude pumps for a pair of cool Adidas sneakers, add a vest or a scarf to the whole ensemble, and rock out a cool fedora.

Read more at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

The post Tis the season to get glam: What to wear to a holiday party first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY TRISH BENDIX

Every year we ask our writers to come up with gift-giving ideas for the women in our lives, and it unintentionally doubles as an interesting social experiment. (Results: Not typical.) Everyone gets to choose the category they are choosing presents for, and then they go to work finding the items (or in some cases, experiences) that they believe that woman would want. Now we’re not saying we get it all right, but we can almost guarantee that our picks will please whatever lucky lady you are shopping for.

We hope to provide you with alternatives that are frequently women or lesbian-made, and something your giftee would not already be getting from her mom or brother or Santa Claus.

Check out the Gift Guide at AfterEllen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team

The post Gift guide for the gay girl 2013 first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY JAMES NICHOLS

Who companies and their CEOs are (or aren’t) looking out for (ahem… Chick-fil-A….) is something we want certainly want to be aware of when we plunk down our hard-earned money at the cash register. So, with the holiday shopping season upon us, we’re offering you this handy dandy guide to some businesses that have publicly vocalized their support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

From Apple to Starbucks, Target to Levi’s, American Apparel to the Home Depot, check out the list at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Holiday shopping? Pro-LGBT companies to consider first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Although trick-or-treat night is a time to protect your pet from strangers and stressful situations, you and your dog can still enjoy Halloween.

If your dog is sociable and likes kids, gets along well with other dogs, and is comfortable wearing a costume, then check out local pet parades and costume contests. Such events are part of many Oktoberfests, Pumpkin Festivals, and special community activities sponsored by pet-related retail establishments.

Read more at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

The post Keeping your canine safe for Halloween first appeared on Lesbian.com.

With Halloween just around the corner, are you stressing out about what to wear? The options out there are limitless, from funny to sexy to downright spooky.

To give you some ideas, we recently took over The American Backstage Company located in Alexandria, VA. American Backstage Company is 6,500 square feet of costumes and theatrical items, with separate areas for make-up, dance, books, shoes, magic supplies and more. Opening its new location in April 2013, the store still boasts the same quality, tradition and service, with an even bigger selection of costumes.

See a variety of costume ideas at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

The post Are you ready for Halloween? first appeared on Lesbian.com.

From the moment you arrive at Louis Armstrong International Airport, the authentic spirit of New Orleans grabs you like a six-foot-four drag queen and never lets you go until, indelibly imprinted with glitter (and a hangover), you leave for home, feeling more like yourself than you have in a while. Here, in The City That Care Forgot, or NOLA, as it is referred to by locals, you can really be yourself, which may even be someone else, because for Halloween and Mardi Gras no amount of gay guising is too much. This town doesn’t bat a false eyelash at anything, which makes it the perfect place for a dyke to explore her inner decadence.

What to do

Art is the lifeblood of this city, devoted as it is to self-expression. The lesbian-owned Angela King Gallery at 241 Royal Street is worth a visit to take in some quality contemporary art and to support the gallery owner, a lesbian-art lover and California transplant, and the community of art-lovers she fosters. For some local color, Dr. Bob’s Folk Art Complex offers up mixed-media pieces (many a work is bedecked in beer caps straight off the local brews) priced from as little as $35. But NOLA is now on the map as a major U.S. arts destinations thanks to the superb collections at the Ogden Museum, which presents the most comprehensive assemblage of Southern art in the world, and the Contemporary Arts Center, which fearlessly hangs emerging and experimental pieces that would be right at home in New York City. The healing arts are flourishing here, post-Katrina, especially at the New Orleans Healing Center, a holistic and sustainable center with programs promoting physical, nutritional, emotional, environmental, and spiritual well-being. And lovers of the musical arts can bask in the sounds of every genre as national superstars sit down with the local talent at the Voodoo Music Experience, which is held every year around Halloween, come hell or high water.

Read more at Curve

Curve, the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, spotlights all that is fresh, funny, exciting, controversial and cutting-edge in our community.

The post Halloween in The Big Easy first appeared on Lesbian.com.