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Virtually queer
Web sites for the cyber-savvy
by CP BurkeIn the meantime, memorize these definitions: the Internet is a world-wide network of accessible electronic data, which can include text, databases, lists, and computer software. The World-Wide Web, meanwhile, puts a pretty face on the Internet with fancy (and not-so-fancy) graphics. These can include computer-generated illustrations, photographs, audio and video clips, and animation -- as well as interactive referenced materials called "links." Today, when people refer to the Net, they probably mean the Web -- and the Web is what we're talking about here.
For this column, I reviewed the hundreds of pages I have in my Web browser's bookmarks file. What follows represents what I think are the essential Web sites for the cyber-savvy queer; selections were based on content, presentation, and usefulness beyond the pages' borders (that is, coherent collections of links to other useful and well-designed sites).
When you explore these Web sites and discover links to other sites, your bookmarks list will probably mushroom out of control (as mine has) and before you know it, you'll be in a state of information overload. That's okay, because if you're going to get mired down with information, it may as well be with the best that's out there.
If you bookmark only one site from this list, let it be this one. The Queer Resources Directory bills itself as "a massive archive of files about everything queer." Trust me, that's no exaggeration. It's easy to become overwhelmed by the information available here. Don't go blindly wandering through -- pick through this site with some goals in mind. Because the QRD holds such an extensive list of links to other sites, you're always just one click away from a veritable Library of Congress of queer-related information.
Yahoo is a mega-huge search engine with a comprehensive directory of lesbigay stuff. From Yahoo, you can jump off into all kinds of fun sites such as Trudy's Trailer (way campy) as well as more serious-minded sites. Bear in mind, though, that Yahoo is a dumping-ground of sorts which relies on the creators of Web pages to submit their site addresses and descriptions. So it's hit-or-miss, but worth the time it takes to find your way around.
This site, called Amy's Obsessions, is a lesbian-link launch pad. Maintained by Amy Goodloe, a self-described Internet and Web-design consultant who is dedicated to "empowering women with technology," it contains a vast selection of lesbian-related Web information, from nonprofit projects and e-mail lists to sex and sexuality.
Queer America is published by !OutProud!, the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth. The blurb on its Web page boasts that the site connects to "the largest collection of lesbigay resources in the nation." I don't know about that, but you can access a comprehensive list of community resources by punching your zip code into the Queer American database search field. Once the search is completed, create a bookmark for easy future reference.
Like the QRD, infoQueer is a comprehensive jumping-off point for glbt-related Web information. There are no intense graphics to slow you down, but the site is well-designed and international in scope. With links to "Transgender & Transsexual Resources" and "General Women's Sites," infoQueer is one of the more inclusive Web sites around.
Thanks to the Communications Decency Act, the CyberQueer Lounge is now a members-only site. To join, you must provide proof that you are over 18 years of age. Once you're a member, though, you get access to tons o' stuff -- I'll leave it up to you to figure that one out. Instructions for joining are easy: scan in and e-mail a photo ID certifying that you are over 18 years old, or photocopy your ID and snail-mail it. This page also links to international sites in Spanish, German, Greek, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
For New Yorker wannabes, the Lambda Lounge hosts the Queer Issues Conference, "where New York's most talkative queers meet to discuss, debate, and tawk about sexuality, identity, community, sex toys, and Fiestaware."
Adult Children of Heterosexuals
As their intro warns: Don't go here if you're "offended by the glorious colorful musings of bisexuals, transsexuals, dykes, fags, and freaks." This site, billed as the "sex-positive, queer cultural visitation point," is, like infoQueer, more inclusive than most that cover gender issues. It also features links to the "Top Fab Three Sites," which are updated periodically. Recent faves include Annie Sprinkle's home page and the "Underwear Catalogue."
An education site where you can find "some moderately explicit material." It includes recent information on oral sex and HIV.
Gay Links will probably offend netizens with backgrounds in graphic design, but it is an easy-to-use, point-and-click version of a links list. It features national and international lists, both commercial and nonprofit, and is brought to you by Adam and Sean, who lean toward the flashy and the funky, respectively.
Censorship on the Web
Recent legislation passed by the US Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton will restrict speech on the Internet. The 1996 Telecommunication Act bans "indecent" materials made available via the Net. Violators of the law will incur penalties including fines and jail time. Various groups have called for a protest of the legislation, asking individuals and organizations with Web pages to turn the pages black as a sign of protest. Some sites are sporting a blue-ribbon graphic, part of the Free Speech Online Blue Ribbon Campaign. Of course, the law has a disproportionate effect on queer-related sites, and for obvious reasons, glbt Web sites reflect the protest movement. Several queer individuals and organizations have signed onto a suit challenging the constitutionality of the law.For more information, bookmark these censorship-information sites:
Voters Telecommunications Watch
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The American Civil Liberties Union
The Center for Democracy and Technology
Electronic Privacy Information Center-- CPB
CP Burke is the co-editor of PlanetQ.com, checks e-mail every five minutes, and can be reached at cpburke@planetq.com.
