Queer Oakland: Malkia Cyril's official story
Article by Tehea Robie.
Last updated at Wed, 9 Nov at 2:36pm.

I, in all my poetry, could never find a metaphor for Malkia Cyril. I could never adequately explain what she brings to a conversation. She has an uncanny capacity for off-top eloquence - it’s bizarre.

I couldn’t figure it out at first … then I realized … Cyril is seriously “media trained.” Sometimes media training comes off as artificial, as simplistic repetition of sound bite. Cyril’s media training amounted to 3,000 precise and passionate words over a couple of beers.

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Bike shop offers inclusive, collaborative services near Oakland's Lake Merritt (Community Voices)
Blog entry by Charlie Stephens.
Last updated at Thu, 27 Oct at 10:43am.

Tucked away on the east side of Lake Merritt is a little shop that you wish you had stumbled upon on accident. It’s one of those gems you find and then can’t believe everyone you like isn’t hanging out there all the time.

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Teen Queen, Part 1: A fostering story (Community Voices)
Blog entry by Charlie Stephens.
Last updated at Sat, 1 Oct at 3:16am.

Around the age of 14, I decided I wanted to be a foster parent some day.

In Oregon, where I grew up, my grandma’s sister, who I spent a lot of time with, became a foster parent around that time, and across the country in New Jersey, my FTM uncle and his (male) partner were in the process of adopting four young children themselves.

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Teen Queen Part 2: From foster care to family unit (Community Voices)
Blog entry by Charlie Stephens.
Last updated at Fri, 30 Sep at 2:03am.

(Read "Teen Queen Part 1: A fostering story" here.)

To be honest, when my teen queen came to live with me it was both amazing and amazingly hard.

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Oakland was Proud: Photos & Report from Oakland Pride 2011
Article by Susan Mernit.
Last updated at Fri, 9 Sep at 5:56am.

As many as 100,000 came into downtown Oakland this weekend for the second annual Oakland Pride festival, which had a new emphasis on family and youth.

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Serving LGBT elders: Local organizations work together to improve care, understanding (Community Voices)
Blog entry by Susan Mernit.
Last updated at Thu, 25 Aug at 11:38am.

In a partnership addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors in Alameda County elder care facilities, Salem Lutheran Home, Center for Elder Independence, and Lavender Seniors of the East Bay are working together to survey and develop programs to assist LGBT elders who reside in elder care communities in Alameda County.

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BUTCH Voices conference comes to Oakland this weekend - Aug. 18-21 (Video)
Article by Tehea Robie.
Last updated at Wed, 17 Aug at 1:19pm.

BUTCH Voices - a national organization, which will hold its 2011 conference at the Oakland Marriott this week - is sure to be a machismo-fest, right? Won’t it be one big gathering of hotheads comparing silicone “strap” sizes and trying to out-butch each other?

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BUTCH Voices is back in Oakland and seeking volunteers (Community Voices)
Blog entry by bLaKtivist.
Last updated at Mon, 15 Aug at 8:49am.

by Redwolf Painter, Facilities Chair for BUTCH Voices 2011

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