A federal judge in Massachusetts sided with gay and lesbian advocates by ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the constitutional rights of same-sex couples legally married in their state. It's the start of a long battle that will likely end up in the Supreme Court and eventually provide equality not only to US citizens but allow US citizens and permanant residents to sponsor their same-sex non-citizen partners.

Source: Immigration Equality

Big Queer congratulations to our very own Pauline Park for making the Campus Pride's 2009 Hot 25 list.

Pauline was noted for co-founding the New York Association of Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA) as well as her work negotiating inclusion of "the first fully transgender-inclusive legislation" that was introduced in the New York legislature.

You can learn more on Pauline Park's website.

Come join us on our new Big Queer Facebook page.

Everybody's doing it! Don't be left out. Don't be left behind. Get ready, get set, join the fun! Be sure to add us and keep us updated on what you're up to.

While some may claim that the theatre is dead I want to tell you all that it's alive and well in New York.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of kick-starting my weekend with the best theatre I've seen in a long time. In Thunder Above, Deeps Below, playwright A. Rey Pamatmat tells the story of three homeless kids living on the streets of Chicago. He combines themes of gender and sexuality with classic themes of human survival and belief in the supernatural that take you through a full range of human emotion. I was thrilled, disturbed and exhausted when I left the performance. Now that's good theatre.

Since the A. Rey (aka Big Mouth) is a contributing editor to Big Queer (and a close friend) don't take my word for it alone. Daniel John Kelly's spot on review of the play over at NY Theatre.com states:

"Inspired by the late romances of Shakespeare, playwright A. Rey Pamatmat has created a wondrous magical adventure with Thunder Above, Deeps Below. It's large, loud, and complex?at times deeply funny, at times deeply disturbing. The play does credit to its classical roots while telling a story with real human characters that are entirely contemporary. Throughout the play, I found myself leaning forward in my seat, a huge smile on my face, totally immersed in the fantastical and yet heart-wrenching reality of the world of Thunder Above, Deeps Below."

I saw a staged reading of the play at the 2008 Eugene Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and was bowled over by it. Now in this world premier production, I am reminded how thrilling the theatre can be when you combine the talent of a brilliant writer with a super director and great cast.

Do not wait to get tickets as it runs only to September 26, 2009. Click your mouses over to Second Generation reserve your tickets and get ready for some intense theatre.

They like us, they really like us! What's more it wasn't a "top" 100 list or a "most popular" list but the "BEST 100" list. W00t! Thanks to the folks at The Lesbian and Gay Foundation for noticing not only noticing us but including us in their Best 100 LGBT Blogs list. The list is impressive and we're honored to be a part of the list.

We'll keep brining you news, opinions and commentary about our big diverse queer wold from the perspectives of our small diverse group of Big Queer Writers. And if you've got something to say and know how to say it drop us a line. We're always interested in hearing from good writers.