This past Sunday marked the annual Pride celebration in Los Angeles, and since many of us were already out getting farmer's tans and paying too much for bottled water anyway, we gathered for an informal meet-up at the end of the parade route outside of The Normandie Room.

A few of us AfterEllen.com vloggers (from Cherry Bomb, Ghostella's Tomb, We're Getting Nowhere, and Brunch with Bridget) and some of the women from 3Way were in attendance, and we were all thrilled to meet our fellow readers. Thanks to everyone who braved the mayhem and came out to say hello.

Below are some of the photos we took at the event, and some from readers who sent them in (thanks!). Happy Pride!

AE reader Carmen and Cathy DeBuono

Cherry Bomb vlogger Dalila with Cherry Bomb's producer Bethany Landing, and fellow
Cherry Bomb vloggers Tatum and Nikki … continue reading

Last Sunday a bunch of AfterEllen.com vloggers and staff along with the women of 3Way attended a NYC meet-and-greet with some of you. We were expecting a a few dozen people, and got a around 200 instead! It was crazy! But in a good way (mostly). It was great to meet everyone and see some of the faces behind the usernames.

Below are some photos from the event — about half are from our new NYC photographer Saidi Granados, and the others from readers and our own cameras (thanks to the readers who sent them in!). Enjoy!

Note: Jenn, Cathy Shim and Maile Flanagan couldn't attend at the last minute due to schedule conflicts.

The crowd at Cowgirl

Bridget McManus, Jill Bennett, and Dee
(Dee has no last name, just a first one — like Cher)

Bridget and Kate McKinnon with Chireese
(I'm sure I spelled her name wrong, but she's the woman who
loves Love and Basketball as much as I do!)

Karman Kregloe with AE reader (and video editor extraordinare) Charlie

… continue reading

Yeehaw! That's all we can say about Bridget's blog this week with our favorite Cherokee cowgirl, writer and producer Nancylee Myatt (3Way, South of Nowhere, Nikki & Nora)

Bridget gets in bed with the woman who oversaw the birth of Spashley (although she doesn't really talk about that in the vlog); who created the greatest show (Nikki & Nora) about a couple of "ladycops" that you never saw on network television; and who had the huevos to put Maile Flanagan, Jill Bennett, Maeve Quinlan and Cathy Shim in a lesbian comedy together.

In addition to talking about Nancylee's career in television, Bridget and Nancylee also play with horses and buffalos (plastic) and talk about why spurs in bed are actually a bad idea (at least when they're worn by Bridget), while Baby Bridget officiates A Very Special Lesbian Doll Wedding. It's weird.

The cast of 3Way complain about the trailers, the food and unmet contractual obligations, while guest star Cathy DeBuono resents having to work in the rain, and Bridget McManus is concerned about "all the touching."

Then there's guest star Elizabeth Keener (aka Dawn Denbo), who is upset at not being able to eat and being forced to clean Jill Bennett's car with ... well, just watch the video.

Was anyone else waiting for Jill to tell Keener to "suck it"? And is it just me, or can Bridget make even a UPS-driver uniform look attractive? (Yes, we're all about asking the important questions here at AfterEllen.com.)

Get character bios, photos, avatars, video etc. at 3WayTV.tv.

On a recent trip to L.A., 3Way's executive producer Nancylee Myatt (South of Nowhere) graciously allowed me to spend a few days on the set filming a behind-the-scenes video, AfterEllen.com-style — i.e., snarky, irreverent and all about the lesbian relationship. (She also roped me into being an extra in a party scene when someone didn't show up, but I didn't have to act, thank God, I just had to stand in the background and talk to Lori — which I definitely know how to do!) … continue reading

Tonight, Logo and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation present The Visible Vote '08, a live forum in which the leading 2008 Democratic presidential candidates will address a range of issues of importance to the LGBT community. And if you don't think that's a big deal, just trust those of us who grew up in the Reagan years: It's a very big deal. As panelist Melissa Etheridge notes, "The fact that these candidates have even agreed to show up to a televised forum on LGBT issues means that we have come a long way."

The event will be brodcast on Logo and VisibleVote08.com at 9:00 p.m. ET tonight. The full program will also be available on Joost on August 20, and on iTunes on August 21.

Meanwhile, over on the Visible Vote '08 website, a host of LGBT folk have been blogging about various election issues. Here are some excerpts of their views and insights.

Julie Goldman (The Big Gay Sketch Show):
I will vote for the candidate who supports gay marriage, as that candidate believes in human rights. That candidate believes civil rights are the foundation of human equality. That is what we are really talking about here. True equality.

I don’t need you to tolerate me or accept me, but my money is just as green as yours, and my love is as valid as anyone else’s — and no one has a right to judge or legislate that. I am tired of begging for what is already mine to own, the right to live as I see fit for myself. READ JULIE'S FULL POST

Linda Villarosa:
Instead of planning our weddings, let’s plan a better world. We’ve fought the good fight, but it’s time to move on and use our vast talents to fight the better fights, the ones that benefit everyone — straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and any and everyone in between. These include ending the war; battling HIV/AIDS with care, prevention and treatment; providing affordable health and child care for everyone; eradicating poverty; reducing the wildly escalating gap between the rich and poor; ending violence and abuse of all kinds, reducing the numbers of guns on the streets; lowering the prison population, healing drug and other addictions; cleaning up the environment; and erasing prejudice of every kind and discrimination against anybody.
...
But in the meantime, what about the original question — should lesbians and gays have the right to marry? With the complexities of politics and PR in mind, let’s keep it simple. To the Democratic Presidential candidates who are generously taking part in this groundbreaking Logo/HRC debate, there’s only one answer: “Yes!” READ LINDA'S FULL POST … continue reading

As Malinda mentioned in her Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. column last friday, AfterEllen.com Editor-in-Chief Sarah Warn and I were invited to speak on a panel at the South of Nowhere Appreciation Conference in Los Angeles this weekend. The conference was designed to get viewers of the show together for the first time to share their experiences, as well as allow the SoN audience to show the cast and creators of the show some love.

South of Nowhere stars Mandy Musgrave, Gabrielle Christian, Maeve Quinlan, Eileen Boylan, Matt Cohen, Quentin Prescott Price, and Valery Ortiz attended, as did former SoN executive producer Nancylee Myatt and SoN writers Paige Bernhardt and Chad Fiveash.

The audience was a rambunctious group of SoN devotees — or more to the point, Spashley devotees. Every time Mandy or Gabrielle entered the conference room (or were even rumored to be within 50 feet of the conference room!) the fans erupted in cheers. And yes, the attendees were almost all female.

The panel that Sarah and I sat on was devoted to SoN's impact on the media and how it fits into the larger context of lesbian representation in pop culture. We were pleasantly surprised by the strong turnout for the panel (it was celebrity-free, so we didn't know how many people it would draw) and audience members had some great questions and suggestions for ways we could increase the Spashley love on AfterEllen.com. Sarah said a lot of insightful things and I mostly just made the occasional wiseass remark. Yep, just another day at the office. … continue reading

She Said What? is a weekly online lesbian entertainment talk show featuring lesbian and bisexual women discussing the latest pop culture and entertainment news.

EPISODE 15 (April 19, 2007) The AfterEllen.com staff discuss memorable interviews, and South of Nowhere's Nancylee Myatt and Maeve Quinlan talk about the show, Nikki and Nora, and playing spin the bottle.

GUESTS: South of Nowhere's Nancylee Myatt and Maeve Quinlan