Difference between revisions of "Welcome to QueerBio.com"

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<h2 align="center"><em>'''DID YOU KNOW?'''</em></h2>
 
<h2 align="center"><em>'''DID YOU KNOW?'''</em></h2>
<h3 align="center">'''LGBTQ Travel Writers'''</h3>
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<h3 align="center">'''Reality Television and the LGBTQ Community'''</h3>
[[File:travelwriting.jpg|200px|link=LGBTQ Travel Writers]]
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[[File:tv.jpg|200px|link=Reality Television and the LGBTQ Community]]
  
<p>It has been observed that travel and writing go hand-in-hand.  The desire to travel and see the unknown or experience a different life is coupled with an equal desire to share the experience and encourage others to do the same.</p>
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<p>Reality television is a genre of television show that presents its characters and story line in an unscripted and spontaneous format, intending the show to represent real life with real people.  Over the past twenty five years, it has become one of the largest segments of programming on television networks, specialty channels, and streaming services.</p>  
  
<p>Throughout history, there have been many prominent fiction and non-fiction writers of a travelling lifeIn the 1800s and early 1900s, the readers of these books on travel looked for information about far-off lands in an effort to let their minds wander to somewhere they would never have a chance of visitingThe authors were put in the same category as explorers and adventurers of the unknown worldTheir books were often biographical in detailing their personal adventures.  Many early works of literature can be viewed as travel narratives.</p>   
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<p>The vast majority of reality television shows are competitive in nature with a focus on a specific profession or skillThese include singing, cooking, modelling, dancing, slam poetry, and moreMany of the shows set up their characters in programmed elimination bouts, with the final character standing declared the winnerA smaller number of the shows are focused on documenting the daily lives of the characters in the show and their interactions with others.</p>   
  
<p>Any notion of same-sex adventures in these early works tended to occur through subtle wording because such relationships were illegal.  Those who were more upfront about LGBTQ characters in their books were considered radical and often forced into exileNevertheless, their books were popular and their legacy continues to this day.  Authors such as Britain's [[Norman Douglas]] and [[Sir Wilfred Thesiger]], or American [[Richard Halliburton]], stirred their reader's imagination to great heights.</p>
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<p>To appreciate the size of the industry, we have identified a total of 82 global reality television shows from 29 countries that have had prominent LGBTQ representationIn many cases, the original show concept has been so popular that it has become an international franchise that is replicated in numerous countries and broadcast more locally. </p>  
  
<p>Today, in addition to both fiction and non-fiction books, travel writing includes destination guides, hotel and restaurant reviews, tour suggestions, and travel blogs or other social media productsThe latter group of writers appear mostly in glossy magazines and online.  There can be a distinct category of writing on LGBTQ travelers and their interests, with a mind on safety of the traveler.</p>  
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<p>LGBTQ representation can be by way of producers or directors of the show, hosts, or charactersMany of theses individuals have become household names around the world as a result of their profile on reality television.</p>  
  
<p>Several of the contemporary travel writers presented here have won awards for their work, including the Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Grand Prize in Travel Journalism Award Winner for the North American Travel Journalists Association.</p>
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<p>The ranking of the top twelve shows in terms of the greatest number of LGBTQ participants is: the Big Brother franchise; the RuPaul Drag Race franchise and the Idol franchise (tied); X Factor and Project Runway (tied); Eurovision; the Next Top Model franchise; Top Chef; The Amazing Race; and So You Think You Can Dance, the Got Talent franchise, and the Queer Eye franchise (tied).</p>  
  
<p>We have identified prominent LGBTQ travel writers from Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Romani, and The United States.   To read more and see the complete list, click '''[[LGBTQ Travel Writers|HERE]]'''</p>
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<p>The wide acceptance of LGBTQ individuals in reality television has helped educate the public about the community.  The appeal of this genre has helped move the dial forward on tolerance around the issue of sexual orientation, and the wide representation of lesbians, gays, transgender and others has truly reflected the diversity of the community itself.  Because it is reality television, the community believes they are being represented authentically and are shown as a genuine and real segment of society.  The success of the genre is because the shows are entertaining and the audience develops an intense interest in the characters' lives.  In the quest for ratings however, there is concern about the risk of sensationalizing the characters to the extreme to attract popularity and advertising support.</p>
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<p>We have identified prominent LGBTQ individuals from the reality television industry from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, and The United States.   To read more and see the complete list, click '''[[Reality Television and the LGBTQ Community|HERE]]'''</p>
  
 
'''Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles''' [[Past 'Did You Know?' Articles|See Here]]
 
'''Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles''' [[Past 'Did You Know?' Articles|See Here]]

Revision as of 18:32, 13 July 2020

DID YOU KNOW?

Reality Television and the LGBTQ Community

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Reality television is a genre of television show that presents its characters and story line in an unscripted and spontaneous format, intending the show to represent real life with real people. Over the past twenty five years, it has become one of the largest segments of programming on television networks, specialty channels, and streaming services.

The vast majority of reality television shows are competitive in nature with a focus on a specific profession or skill. These include singing, cooking, modelling, dancing, slam poetry, and more. Many of the shows set up their characters in programmed elimination bouts, with the final character standing declared the winner. A smaller number of the shows are focused on documenting the daily lives of the characters in the show and their interactions with others.

To appreciate the size of the industry, we have identified a total of 82 global reality television shows from 29 countries that have had prominent LGBTQ representation. In many cases, the original show concept has been so popular that it has become an international franchise that is replicated in numerous countries and broadcast more locally.

LGBTQ representation can be by way of producers or directors of the show, hosts, or characters. Many of theses individuals have become household names around the world as a result of their profile on reality television.

The ranking of the top twelve shows in terms of the greatest number of LGBTQ participants is: the Big Brother franchise; the RuPaul Drag Race franchise and the Idol franchise (tied); X Factor and Project Runway (tied); Eurovision; the Next Top Model franchise; Top Chef; The Amazing Race; and So You Think You Can Dance, the Got Talent franchise, and the Queer Eye franchise (tied).

The wide acceptance of LGBTQ individuals in reality television has helped educate the public about the community. The appeal of this genre has helped move the dial forward on tolerance around the issue of sexual orientation, and the wide representation of lesbians, gays, transgender and others has truly reflected the diversity of the community itself. Because it is reality television, the community believes they are being represented authentically and are shown as a genuine and real segment of society. The success of the genre is because the shows are entertaining and the audience develops an intense interest in the characters' lives. In the quest for ratings however, there is concern about the risk of sensationalizing the characters to the extreme to attract popularity and advertising support.

We have identified prominent LGBTQ individuals from the reality television industry from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, and The United States.  To read more and see the complete list, click HERE

Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles See Here


The goal of QueerBio.com is to be the definitive online biographical reference source for the international LGBTQ community. Its database lists over 17,000 contemporary and historical figures who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit, or gender fluid (LGBTQ) and includes artists, sports figures, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, academics, activists, and more. The database is widely international in scope and is an ideal source for research and analysis with full search and sort functionality.

The mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate all generations of LGBTQ individuals and others through a collective knowledge of this international community.

Managing Editor: Mark S. Bonham

Search for a Biography

To search for an individual from the database of over 17,000 biographies, simply type the name in the Search Box located in the top right hand corner of this Home Page and click on GO. Similarly, you can search for a common characteristic such as Country, City, Nobel Prize winners, writers, and so on.

Alternatively, you can view and scroll through the entire list of biographies by viewing the All Biographies section.

Library of Congress Historic Collection - LGBTQ+ Studies Web Archive

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QueerBio.com has been chosen for the Library of Congress Web Archiving Program - Preserving important cultural artifacts by acquiring, cataloging, preserving and serving collections material of historical importance to foster education and scholarship.

Announcing Our New Documentary Project - Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed the World

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Despite adversity and discrimination, LGBTQ individuals have excelled throughout history. Yet historians and academics have conveniently participated in the heterosexist erasure of these LGBTQ contributions by omitting the LGBTQ status of prominent historical figures from academic and historical documents. Accordingly, there are relatively few comprehensive projects which document and showcase the influence of these LGBTQ efforts.

Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed The World will be an original documentary outlining the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made, individually and collectively, to changing the world.

We are now Crowdfunding to get this project off the ground. We would love to have you as part of our team. You can help us and SUPPORT THIS PROJECT!

SEE THE TRAILER, READ MORE AND CROWDFUND HERE

Our goal is to make QueerBio.com the go-to website for global biographical information on LGBTQ identified individuals. To do this requires a serious commitment of people and resources, so we need your help to fund and help this project grow.


Click here for more information.

Sign Up for our Bi-Weekly Newsletter

Sign up to receive our informative bi-weekly newsletter. Included in the newsletter is the updated 'DID YOU KNOW?' column, a sample of new biographies added since the previous newsletter, and relevant news features pertaining to QueerBio.com.

SIGN UP HERE

Bonham Centre Awards Gala

Annual Awards established in 2007 to recognize individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution to the advancement and education of human rights issues surrounding sexual education. Click here to find out more about the Bonham Centre Awards, past recipients, and present nominees.

Books Available From QueerBio.Com

NEW RELEASE

It's A Fabulous Morning! My Interviews With Fascinating People in the LGBTQ World (Pearse Murray and Mark S. Bonham, 2019) presents fascinating interviews with individuals from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two Spirit and Ally (LGBTQ) community. Icons such as Lily Tomlin, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Mark Tewksbury, John Cameron Mitchell, Kathleen Wynne, Wanda Sykes, Tony Kushner, David Hockney, Edmund White and more provide their personal stories of the community and their lives within it. Compelling insight into events of the community, such as Toronto’s Bath House Raids, is also provided. 262 pages.

New books available

A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World (Mark S. Bonham, 2017) investigates the current state of employment markets around the world for the LGBTQ community. Included is a discussion of equality in the workplace and why it is important to both the employer and employee, the wage gap, which professions are attractive to LGBTQ individuals and why, and the role of unions and government legislation. A survey of seventy five professions provides a status report for each, and seventy two biographies of influential LGBTQ professionals from around the world is included. 242 pages

Notables: 101 Global LBGTQ People Who Changed the World (Mark S. Bonham, 2015) reveals a group of select global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals whose accomplishments in their profession changed the world in some relevant way. Included are founders of various social movements, innovators in sports, leaders in business and politics, explorers and discoverers, instigators in religious movements, thinkers in philosophy, infamous villains, creators of new academic fields of study, and risk takers in the arts, culture, and entertainment worlds. 212 pages.

Champions: Biographies of Global LGBTQ Pioneers (Mark S. Bonham, 2014) reveals a group of select artists, writers, politicians, lawyers, sports figures, activists, and religious figures from around the world who have helped shape the history of the LGBTQ community. Presented in a convenient notebook format. 114 pages.

READ MORE AND PURCHASE PRINT or EBOOK COPIES HERE

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ALL BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE ON FLAMINGO MARKET

Order for yourself, and the books also make an ideal gift for friends and family while supporting the development of QueerBio.Com