James Brady Ryan

First published on OneYoungNewsroom.com on September 2, 2011. Read the original here.

Representing nearly 200 countries, the delegates of the One Young World Summit are an amazingly diverse group. But if there’s anything they have in common, besides a commitment to action, it’s a mastery of social media that more and more has little regard for borders. Can Facebook and Twitter be trifling? Yes, but only if used in a trifling way, and for proof you only need to look at the inspiring torrent of online action during the first two days of the Summit.

Despite what must have been taxing jetlag for many of the delegates, the word of the day on Thursday was energy. This was a group of young people ready to represent their voices, their causes, and their countries – Maureen Anaga tweeted, “Finally met Arch. Bishop Desmond Tutu and I raised the Ugandan flag up high:)” and Alex Leboucher echoed her with, “Ready to be the flag bearer of #France at the opening ceremony at @OneYoungWorld!” The pressure on a young person to be the face of a whole country in front of so much attention must be daunting, but of course these are not your typical young people. Continue reading →

First published on Nerve.com on March 16, 2012. Read the original here.

Dharun Ravi, the former roommate of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, was found guilty today of a majority of the charges against him, including invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering, and hindering arrest. Ravi now faces up to ten years in prison and even deportation to India.

In September of 2010, Ravi used his webcam to watch Clementi and a male date in their shared room, and encouraged others to watch as well. Two days later, Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge. Prosecutor Julie McClure argued that Ravi was motivated by the fact that Clementi was gay, and that his actions were tantamount to an anti-gay hate crime. McClure also argued that Clementi was clearly made uncomfortable by Ravi even before the webcam incident. Ravi’s attorney claimed that his actions came from a place of immaturity and not maliciousness, and were simply the actions of an unthinking eighteen-year-old. (For probably the most nuanced look at the situation so far, go read this excellent New Yorker article.) Continue reading →

First published on TheFasterTimes.com on September 28, 2011. Read the original here.

Thanks to Glee, Fox Leads In GLAAD’s TV Inclusiveness Report

Fox has taken the title of “most inclusive broadcast network” in GLAAD’s 2011-2012 Where We Are On TV report, which analyzes the numbers of LGBT characters on both network and cable television. The station took the title away from last year’s winner, ABC, with 6.9% of its leading characters identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, which translates to a total of eight. There are no regular trans characters on the channel.

Is this a sign that Fox is leading the charge of the gay agenda? (It’s cousin, Fox News, must love this idea.) Not quite: a full half of those characters belonged to a single show, the Ryan Murphy juggernaut Glee. The show may have started with one out character, Kurt (Chris Colfer), but with the revelation of a relationship between cheerleaders Brittany (Heather Morris) and Santana (Naya Rivera) and the promotion of formerly recurring character Blaine (Darren Criss), Glee propelled the station to the top. Of course, having the gayest show on TV outside of Logo should garner Fox some praise anyway. Continue reading →

First published on TheFasterTimes.com in October 6, 2011. Read the original here.

Days after the altercation at the Brooklyn Bridge, in which 700 protesters were detained for blocking traffic, the police presence at Zuccotti Park (also known as Liberty Plaza) remains strong. Stone faced officers stand in pairs around the perimeter of the square; plain clothes policemen walk among the many people who are in it for the long haul at the Occupy Wall Street event.

One protester, who asked only to be referred to as Kaitlyn, was among the many who were held for hours in the aftermath of the march. After sitting for hours on a bus with her hands cuffed, Kaitlyn said her shoulders were still sore from the day. (Luckily, someone had set up a station for free massages.) And while Kaitlyn is a veteran demonstrator, she admitted that for many of the group this was a first foray into activism. She was relieved to see that organizers were educating some of the greener attendees about what to expect. Continue reading →