Photo by George Martinez

View photos of Aqua Girl 2012 at the Surfcomber Hotel here.

Anthropologists have long studied the North American lesbian woman, with little to no success in recording accurate data. We at Cultist decided to take to the field and conduct our own anthropologistic-ish study at one of the most popular, well-known, and populated lesbian happenings in the world -- Aqua Girl's five-day, lesbo-riffic whirlwind of events catering to lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women.

We concluded that the '50s, an era when most LBT women felt that they had to confine themselves to being either femme or butch, are long gone. Those social confines no longer exist and LBT women present themselves in many variations. We studied the fascinating creatures at Aqua Girl 2012 and noticed several subspecies, including some of the male variety.

Feel free to use our handy guide to identify these fine specimens on your own.
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If you're a woman who loves women, there's a good chance you've spent the last five days partying your lesbian ass off at the Aqua Girl festivities happening all over Miami Beach.

In the same sense, if you enjoy the lady kind, we might also be inclined to think that you have seen every episode of The Real L Word on Showtime. (Judgmental? Perhaps. Forgive us.)

The two sapphoriffic worlds combined this weekend, with the cast of the lesbian reality show showing up at the Catalina for it Sunday Splash festivities. We snagged a session with season two's Claire, who told us why she wouldn't be back for the next season.
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Courtesy of Aqua Girl

Who cares about May flowers when it's time for Sapphic sisters to rejoice? Once again, bisexual, transgender, and lesbian women get to indulge their baser natures with the arrival of Aqua Girl.

Organized by the Aqua Foundation for Women, Aqua Girl offers five days' worth of events for women who love women. You get to enjoy 14 culturally diverse, deliciously dyke-y festivities such as dance parties, stand-up comedy, film, pool parties, a tea dance, and a brunch.

And you also get to feel good about yourself -- and not just because you hooked up with that cute boi in the Diesel jeans and wifebeater. All of the proceeds from Aqua Girl go to the foundation, which serves as a "funding catalyst for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender wellness and equality in South Florida through grants, scholarships and initiatives." Sounds good to us -- and the myriad women from around the globe that make it to South Beach each and every year to enjoy five days of female solidarity (and hook-ups).

Check out this year's best Aqua Girl events after the jump.
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Courtesy of MGLFF

"Wanna go see a movie that doesn't demoralize us or trivialize our love?"

In its 14th year (God, where did the time go?), the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF) has become one of the top LGBT film festivals in the country.

And it's no wonder why. This year's festival will run for 10 days and feature 65 films from 15 different countries. You can get your gay cinema on from April 27 to May 6 throughout several venues in South Beach and Coral Gables.

MGLFF is also one of the first LGBT festivals on the national calendar, so many of the documentaries, shorts, and features are world premieres. In the spirit of inclusivity, the MGLFF also offers some free screenings and family-oriented films.

And of course, it just wouldn't be a gay film festival without some fabulous parties. Franc Castro, the director of both the Miami and Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian film festivals, says, "Parties are back with a vengeance. Not only are plans in the works for rocking opening, spotlight, and closing parties, but there are additional after-parties in the works in which filmmakers and talent will be present, and they are looking forward to mingling with the film audiences."
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Photos by Maria Murriel

Transgender advocate Chaz Bono will lecture at FIU tonight about his new book Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man. But before getting to business, Bono served as the grand marshal of Sunday's Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade.

Unlike plenty of others at the parade, Bono's appearance contained no flash or extravaganza -- Bono wore a light blue polo shirt, no cape or hat -- and the grand marshal had just gotten into town in time for the parade. Sadly, he didn't even break out any of his Dancing With the Stars moves on Sunday.

Maybe he was just bummed about the weather? We can sympathize.
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Photos by Maria Murriel

A proud Pride mom

Sunday's Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade was a super-happy event rife with drag queens, rainbow flags, and the occasional dog or baby. The costumes were louder than the music and the dance moves were right out of a Brazilian Carnaval.

But although all our gays and lesbians are equally lovable, some were more colorful than others, so we've put together a list of the 10 gayest people, pets, and assorted other things we saw at the parade.

Check the photos below the jump to see if your friend and his spandex jumpsuit made the cut.
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Yes, we're just like you. But we all don't look like Andy Cohen (nor do we want to).

We love the gay community - and we mean love, in, like, a totally gay way. Yes, we know that a gay person is just like any other. But in reality, many gays know that they are simply a little more fabulous than the rest of the world. And that fabulousness comes in all different flavors.

With that in mind, we're celebrating Miami Beach Gay Pride by listing some of the quote-unquote "stereotypes" of the LGBTQ community who'll be coming out (no pun intended) to party this weekend. There'll be drag queens, bois, twinks, futches, bears -- all those who can't or don't want to assimilate, who relish being different from the boring old heteros of the world.

And in the spirit of equality, we decided to treat members of the LGBTQ community in the same way that we treat everyone else -- by having a little fun with them.
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Yeah, yeah, we know you're too sexy for your shirt, you luscious lubed-up gay man. In fact, you're so sexy you and your friends have commandeered South Beach and made it a super gay-man hotspot. Meanwhile, the gay ladies of Miami find themselves driving for endless hours (okay, maybe less) to Fort Lauderdale for nights of clubbing and sensual debauchery.More >>

Courtesy of Kathleen Warnock

Writer, editor, and playwright, Kathleen Warnock.

​The highly anticipated anthology Best Lesbian Erotica 2012 was just released a few weeks ago. We're pretty sure you think you have lesbians all figured out. Then again, right now some of you may be thinking, 'What's erotica?" Heck, some of you may even be wondering what an anthology is.

Do not fret. As always, Cultist is here to edu-ma-cate you - not only about erotica, but as it turns out, lesbians as well. Unless you are a lesbian, there may be a few facts about your Sapphic sisters that would surprise you. We had a little chat with Kathleen Warnock, the editor of the annual Best Lesbian Erotica series, and came up with a list of interesting facts that you may not know about lesbians.
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Scott Pasfield

​With "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" officially over for the U.S. military, many more Americans are discovering that old stereotypes about homosexuality simply don't pass muster. Nowhere is that sentiment clearer than in Scott Pasfield's Gay in America, a book chronicling the cross-country journey the photographer took to interview gay men from all walks of life.

By documenting these men through stunning portraits and personal essays, Pasfield has made a striking statement about the diversity of the male gay community. Their stories are at various points tragic and joyful, detailing the risks -- and rewards -- of accepting themselves and fighting for true equality. He will discuss his project at Design Within Reach tonight.

Pasfield has had great success photographing celebrities (including Carrie Fisher, Marisa Tomei, and David Byrne, to name a few) so we wondered what led him to travel 54,000 miles in search of ordinary people.
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