Gay organ
Cameron Carpenter’s Queer Art of the Organ, Camp, and Neoliberalism
Cameron Carpenter, photograph by Dovile Sermokas
It is known to be the case that queer organists own a long, more or less disguised, history of camp culture within the confines of churches and cathedrals. Organ virtuoso Cameron Carpenter, however, performs camp and queerness flamboyantly on stage. The Mohawk-haired musician with his skin-tight outfits and glitzy jewels is probably the most famous organist today, especially outside the circle of organists and organ aficionados. Born in the USA in 1981, Carpenter received a classical practice at the Juilliard School, where he was recognised as ‘a talent of Mozartean proportions’, and today he tours the world with a digital instrument built to his own design.[1] The sounds of this International Touring Organ have been sampled from various pipe organs ‘from the cathedral to the Wurlitzer’, many of them Carpenter’s favourite instruments. Carpenter’s motivation behind designing an updated version of the organ was to ‘innovate the relationship between organ and organist’.[2] Besides requiring a consistent and versatile instrument, which would construct it possible for
Over a year ago, doctors disconnected Sheryl Moore's 16-year-old son from life support after his attempted suicide caused irreversible damage that he'd never survive. Her son, Alexander "AJ" Betts, chose to end has life as a result of being bullied by classmates who outed him as gay a year and half earlier.
Months before his suicide, the Iowa teen signed on to become an organ donor. But recently, Moore learned her son's last wish was not fully granted simply because of what many say is an antiquated policy enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Under the agency's regulations, created decades ago at the height of the AIDS epidemic, gay men are not permitted to donate blood and certain types of human tissue, which potentially could carry HIV and are therefore considered too risky for the donor recipient. Under the FDA's guidelines, donations by men who have had sex with men anytime since 1977 -- when the AIDS epidemic began -- aren't accepted.
Moore received a letter that informed her of what became of her son's organs. Though his kidneys, liver, heart and lungs all had recipients, his eyes could not be used, the letter said.
"My initial feeling was just very an
LGBTIQ+ Donation
In 2020 the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service worked with ACON and Southern Cross University to survey the LGBTIQ+ community about attitudes to organ donation. 430 responses showed that the LGBTIQ+ community has similar beliefs to the wider people, but some were uncertain about whether being HIV positive rules out the possibility of donation. We have heard you, so we’ve provided answers to a few frequently asked questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I’m older or not in fine health? Can I still be an organ and tissue donor?
Age is not a barrier - people over 90 have become organ and tissue donors. While your age and medical history will be considered, you shouldn’t suppose you’re too fresh, too old or not healthy enough to become a donor.
Can I be an organ donor if I am living with HIV?
Yes, you can. In fact there are five people who have HIV on the waiting list for organs right now. As with anyone donating, overall health or conditions of organs and compatibility with potential recipients is evaluated before proceeding to donation.
I’ve registered to be an organ donor but my family don’t consent with it. Can they over-ride my
An Iowa teen’s recent suicide has sparked a debate over the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation on organ donation with regard to gay and fluid men.
Alexander “AJ” Betts Jr., a 16-year-old teen from Des Moines, Iowa attempted suicide in July 2013 and died shortly after. Per his request, Betts’ heart was donated, but his eyes were rejected as a result of the FDA’s policy on gay organ donors. The policy states that men who have had sex with men (MSM) within the last five years pose a “risk factor,” most commonly associated with HIV, and are ineligible for donation.
The FDA’s guidelines are based on statistics that attribute the uppermost rates of HIV/AIDS to MSM. However, according to the Center for American Progress (CAP), an independent research and advocacy corporation, 43,200 people in the U.S. need blood transfusions and 18 people pass away every day waiting for an organ donation. Understandably, the CAP is critical of the FDA’s donor policies, stating they are discriminatory.
Though the FDA claims it does not aim for policies to show up discriminatory, they promote homophobic prejudices and e
An Iowa teen’s recent suicide has sparked a debate over the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation on organ donation with regard to gay and fluid men.
Alexander “AJ” Betts Jr., a 16-year-old teen from Des Moines, Iowa attempted suicide in July 2013 and died shortly after. Per his request, Betts’ heart was donated, but his eyes were rejected as a result of the FDA’s policy on gay organ donors. The policy states that men who have had sex with men (MSM) within the last five years pose a “risk factor,” most commonly associated with HIV, and are ineligible for donation.
The FDA’s guidelines are based on statistics that attribute the uppermost rates of HIV/AIDS to MSM. However, according to the Center for American Progress (CAP), an independent research and advocacy corporation, 43,200 people in the U.S. need blood transfusions and 18 people pass away every day waiting for an organ donation. Understandably, the CAP is critical of the FDA’s donor policies, stating they are discriminatory.
Though the FDA claims it does not aim for policies to show up discriminatory, they promote homophobic prejudices and e