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This article from Ingrid a few years ago is totally in line with current news stories!
The #1 QUILTBAG opinion blog on the web. We aim to open minds and help the q***r community. News, blogs, video, worldwide su***de prevention and more.
Today it's . Read about trans life in with this first-hand account from Yana Sitnikova.
Yana Sitnikova explains the situation for trans* people in Putin's Russia.
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: : 's appeal court has ruled Medically Assisted Procreation is "not an obstacle" in adoption procedures for ****ns
: ’s appeal court has ruled Medically Assisted Procreation is “not an...
Blood Bucket Challenge - In Defense of Black Bodies
Our Blood Bucket Challenge was inspired by Orlando Jones' Bullet Bucket Challenge and "We Charge Genocide: The Historic Petition to the United Nations for Re...
[WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT]
Shocking parents' reaction to their son coming out as gay. Please donate to help Pierce with his living expenses: http://fdrq.ws/HelpPierce
A lot of people have asked about donations. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist with living expenses. http://www.gofundme.com/dnoqgg A perfect example ...
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In the wake of Robin Williams’ passing last week, I’ve seen and heard a lot of discussion about mental health, depression, awareness, and the importance of getting help. Mental health issues have always been of particular interest to me, both because I was a psychology major, and more importantly, because of my own personal experiences. There has always been a lot of stigma associated with mental illness, and it is something that is not talked about nearly as much as it needs to be. This is an issue that is important to society as a whole, but has an extra level of importance in the QUILTBAG community, as rates of depression and su***de are higher in our community compared to the general rates in society as a whole. For ourselves and for the sake of everyone around us, we need to fight away the stigma and bring mental health issues into the light. We need to start the conversation. And most importantly, we need to be aware of the people around us. Often, the people who struggle the most with depression are the best at hiding it. And whether because of the stigma or because of how deep they are in the struggle (or both), many of them are not in a place where they are able to reach out for help. So we need to watch for signs, and if we see anything that indicates to us that a fellow human being is struggling, we need to reach out to them, in case they cannot reach out to us. Sometimes it’s hard, because you don’t want to offend the person, or push them away. But you never know when the simplest act, such as smiling, saying hello, or asking how the person is doing (with genuine caring behind the words) might save someone’s life. I have adopted the motto, “when in doubt, reach out”, and I want to share this idea with the world, so that we can all help each other and hopefully, someday, eliminate su***de entirely.Read more »
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Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a lot of articles popping up around the internet about the benefits of s*x. These articles mostly have titles along the lines of “Why You Should Have More S*x”, “X Number of Things You Didn’t Know About Why S*x Is Awesome For You”, etc. This is not a new concept. For years, psychologists, therapists, and relationship experts have been saying that s*x life is a crucial part of a strong marriage (or any long term romantic relationship). In most cases, where the participants in the relationship are s*xual, it’s probably true. But for me, and for other as*xuals who are in long term romantic relationships (including marriages), seeing this message constantly drilled into society’s collective mind not only excludes us, but it undermines the validity of our relationships. If society is getting a resounding message that s*x is required in order to maintain a strong and lasting relationship, then how can our relationships that may or may not include s*x at all fit into that paradigm?Read more »
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A couple of weeks ago, I was in the car with my husband, on our way to run an errand. He was listening to NPR, as he often does in the car, and a story happened to come on that caught my attention. It was an interview about transgender issues with the editors of a new book, “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves”, which is a collection of stories by and for transgender people about their experiences as transgender people in today’s world. Two of the three people being interviewed were transgender, one male to female, the other female to male. I was captivated and fascinated by the stories they shared on the air, and some of the things they brought up made me look at my own gender experience in a different light. I should clarify before I go on that I am not transgender, nor do I claim to be any kind of expert on the transgender experience or trans issues. I have known several transgender people in various capacities in my life, and that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the subject. So what I have to say here is simply my reactions to the stories I heard these people telling, and maybe a lesson for all of us (myself included) about being open and able to learn about ourselves from sources we wouldn’t normally expect or even consider.Read more »
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There's More Than One Way To Handle A Bully. Watch One Teacher Deal With It Beautifully.
Things that matter. Pass 'em on.
"Love is worth it" - Dan Choi
Things that matter. Pass 'em on.
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This idea that women now are not oppressed persists, and the 20th Amendment is often used as evidence. In the modern LGBT movement, we are setting ourselves up for the same fate with marriage legalization.
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The latest spurt in controversial comments on men who have s*x with men (MSM) came about on Friday, published by no other than the World Health Organization. Unsurprisingly, this sparked outrage in the LGBT world, and grabbed the attention of papers around the planet.
The WHO told all MSM they should take antiretroviral medicine for the rest of their s*xually active lives in a news release on their website last Friday.
Read more »
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Wake-up call or insult?
*xual World Health Organization (WHO)
The WHO told all MSM they should take antiretroviral medicine for the rest of their s*xually active lives in a news release on their website last Friday.
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Image from http://as*xualsproject.com/
Recently, I was surfing the internet for as*xuality-related things, and I came across something really cool that I want to share with everyone. I’ve always been drawn to people’s stories. Everyone has a story, and it greatly intrigues me that we as humans can be so similar, and yet have such different experiences in life. Hearing people’s stories in their own words, from their own mouths (or hands, in some cases), is one of the most important things I believe we can do to form stronger connections among all of humanity. So when I stumbled upon the As*xuals Project, it immediately piqued my interest. And once I watched it, I knew I needed to share it, because it’s such a personal depiction of what as*xuality really is.Read more »
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You’re among a group of people you don’t know very well, when the topic of s*xuality comes up. You mention offhand that you’re pans*xual, and, predictably, you hear the inevitable comment. “Isn’t that the same thing as bis*xual?”
We’ve all heard it, no matter our s*xuality - the implication that pans*xuality is just another form of bis*xuality, or is the same thing as bis*xuality, or some other variant on the same underlying idea - pan people don’t exist. Occasionally, the tone is less innocent, and the idea more hostile - that those identifying as pans*xual are merely seeking attention from others who will give it to them based on a “more oppressed” identity.
This, of course, is untrue - most people with a general familiarity of s*xual orientations understand the distinction between pans*xuality and bis*xuality. Yet the myth continues - this pervasive idea that being pan is merely a subset of being bi - and we often find ourselves in a conversation with someone who believes it. It’s difficult to explain the difference between the two to someone less familiar with identity politics, especially when the vocabulary of the issue is poorly-defined in modern dictionaries and its intricacies are still discussed in many forums in the community. The details of the issue are rife with controversy, much of which concerns trans* and non-binary identities. Introducing a less-knowledgeable person to it can be messy without introducing them to many other issues as well.
Even those who reject this argument must accept that language evolves, and many words today do not mean simply the composite form of their Latin or Greek roots. Not all gay people are effeminate or flamboyant, as the words once meant. Not all le****ns are from the Greek isle of Le**os, from which the word is derived. Similarly, not all bis*xuals are attracted to only two genders.
This issue only serves to further obfuscate an already-messy situation, which brings us back to our discussion on the distinction between pans*xuality and bis*xuality. If bis*xuals are attracted to the gender that is the same as theirs as well as others, and pans*xuals are as well, then what is the difference? Surely if the two groups are attracted to the same gender/s, then they are of the same s*xual orientation.
I believe that, rather than the problem lying in the definition of either pans*xual or bis*xual, it is instead in the definition of “s*xual orientation.” Dictionary.com defines it as “one's natural preference in s*xual partners; predilection for homos*xuality, heteros*xuality, or bis*xuality.” Not only does this definition completely erase pans*xuality (as well as other s*xualities), it defines orientation poorly. Many people, and apparently dictionary.com, believes that orientation is only who one finds attractive, whereas the word more specifically defines how that attraction is felt, and there lies the difference between bis*xuality and pans*xuality. It is not a matter of which genders one finds attractive, but rather how one is attracted to individuals of that gender. Generally speaking, bis*xuals are more often attracted to certain traits in certain genders, or have genders to which they don’t feel attraction, whereas pans*xuals generally feel more attracted to certain traits within all genders.
Of course, this complicated definition is less well-known. In a heterocentric society, a definition of “s*xual orientation” that applies well to heteros*xuals and the second-largest group in that society (homos*xuals) is likely to be well-accepted, especially as most mainstream conversations relating to gender politics discuss only heteros*xuality and homos*xuality, and only occasionally touches on bis*xuals - never, of course, straying from the gender binary or discussing less popular s*xualities.
Explaining to less well-read people that orientation determines more than the gender/s towards which one feels attraction may help them understand the difference between bis*xuality and pans*xuality. Explaining that common dictionary definitions of words like that are inadequate will probably help explain your position further.
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Anyone who’s read any of my previous posts likely knows that I am as*xual, and that I desperately want to be a mom. You probably also know that I have been trying to get pregnant via alternative means for a while now. I have experienced a lot of emotional highs and lows during this process, and the past couple of weekends have presented me with the return of one of my most basic emotional struggles in this situation: feeling like everyone else moves forward and I am stagnating. More than that, it’s become a more personal and cross-generational feeling. I know that I am my own person and that I shouldn’t compare myself or my life to others, but it’s very hard for me to avoid doing that, especially within my own family.Read more »
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Celebrate Pride 2014 in style with special Pride stickers by designer Cathy Lo for Facebook chat.
To get them:
1. Open a chat dialog.
2. Click on the smiley icon in the bottom right-hand corner.
3. Open the 'Sticker Store' in the top right-hand corner.
4. Add them for FREE!
"So, you may ask, what does all this have to do with s*xual orientation? On the surface, next to nothing. But somehow, involvement with Judaism, even in such an informal setting, always makes me feel uncomfortable about my as*xuality."
The #1 QUILTBAG opinion blog on the web. We aim to open minds and help the q***r community. News, blogs, video, worldwide su***de prevention and more.
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I have never considered myself to be a religious person. I am Jewish, but I identify with it much more as a culture than as a religion. Growing up, my family was never very involved in Jewish life. I went to Hebrew School starting in second grade and continued only through my Bat Mitzvah. We only went to services on High Holidays, except when further attendance was required for Hebrew School. In my adult life, I have only gone to services on High Holidays, and all of the holiday celebrations that we observe are generally more cultural than religious. My husband’s family was much more involved in Jewish life, to the point where his mom was actually the president of their synagogue for a time. They attended Shabbat services every Friday night, and also participated in religious aspects of a few other holidays in addition to the High Holidays. So naturally, my husband seeks out involvement in Jewish life now much more than I do. As such, he’s gotten involved with a local group started by a friend of his, which markets itself as a group where young adults in the community can interact with their Judaism in different, more affordable, and less formal ways than joining a synagogue. I have zero interest in participating in this group, but I occasionally tag along to an event with him if it’s something I would enjoy anyway. Yesterday, I joined them at an event of tailgating and going to a baseball game. So, you may ask, what does all this have to do with s*xual orientation? On the surface, next to nothing. But somehow, involvement with Judaism, even in such an informal setting, always makes me feel uncomfortable about my as*xuality.Read more »
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We're recruiting new volunteers to write with us!
Find out more at http://fdrq.ws/recruitingauthors.
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"Violence, cowardliness, and hate of difference all condemned by the court today" Wilfred de Bruijn wrote on Twitter this afternoon as Paris's Criminal Court announced the sentence upon the four young men who beat Wilfred and his companion Olivier Couderc on their way home one cold April night last year.
The case soon became infamous when this photograph went viral on social networks, and media around the world published articles about the shocking story.
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Patrick reports from France on the Parisian Criminal Court verdict one year after the homophobic attack.
It's that anger in me that gave me the energy and the strength to carry on at the time, the equal marriage law that makes me feel free today, and this verdict that gives me hope for the future.
Celebrate Pride 2014 in style with special Pride stickers by designer Cathy Lo for Facebook chat.
To get them:
1. Open a chat dialog.
2. Click on the smiley icon in the bottom right-hand corner.
3. Open the 'Sticker Store' in the top right-hand corner.
4. Add them for FREE!
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(via George Takei's page)
Happy June, everyone! June is (at least here in the U.S.) LGBT Pride Month, and as a result, I’ve noticed the image at the beginning of this post resurfacing a lot on various social media websites. As in previous years when it’s come to my attention, while I love the fact that there are so many allies out there who are being boldly vocal and posting this image as a reflection of themselves on the internet, there is something about the wording of the image that has always bothered me. Even before I fully self-identified as as*xual, I always wanted to post this image in support of my LGBT friends, but felt that I couldn’t, because it would be a lie to claim that “I am not gay, le***an, bis*xual, transgender, pans*xual, inters*x, or as*xual.” I want to be an ally to my friends and family, but I don’t want to misrepresent my own identity in doing so. This begs the question, which has been on my mind a lot lately: Do you have to be straight to be an ally? And if so, why? Why should the fact that I am as*xual mean that I can’t be an ally to the gay, le***an, bis*xual, transgender, etc. communities, and vice versa?Read more »
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A student stands on a wall in a skirt to mock anti-equality
protesters opposite. AFP (S)
Lets stop the stupid jokes about the French "being gay", and stand up and applaud this just a minute.
"Skirt Day" is held in France every 16th May after the film by the same name. It's an opportunity for many students to denounce s*xism in school, at the workplace, and s*xism in general. However, needless to say, the idea of men in skirts didn't please the 'Manif Pour Tous' too much; one of the leading French anti-LGBT equality groups, or Le Figaro, the right-wing paper.
Read more »
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You are about to witness around 150 anti-equality protesters in a face-off with 450 high-schoolers. Has that brightened up your day?
Lets stop the stupid jokes about the French "being gay", and stand up and applaud this just a minute.
New playlists and categories on FRW Video! Check out the link below, or click on the "Video" tab on our page!
Get the best coming out advice from YouTubers, watch documentaries and more
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In honor of Mothers Day, I want to take a look back and also a look ahead. Last year, I wrote a blog post in one of my personal blogs (also anonymous because it was meant to be a place for me to explore my journey to self-acceptance regarding my as*xuality) about how my experience of Mothers Day had changed since I had recently begun to self-identify as as*xual. I thought it would be very relevant to my mission in writing for FRW, so I’ve decided to repost the content here along with some additional comments one year later. Here is what I wrote one year ago:
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Equality House gets a paint job to support people in .
See it and read more: http://fdrq.ws/1sqUEv5
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Since I’m really tired tonight, and therefore having trouble coming up with a more serious topic, I’ve decided to regale you all with a tale of workplace awkwardness. For context: I work in a department of six people (myself included). Two of them are the manager and the supervisor, the other three hold the same position as me. The four of us get along pretty well, and we chat a lot among ourselves during the work day. One of my colleagues is in his late 30s and has a 3-year-old daughter. Another is in her 50s and has a daughter who’s my age and married with three kids. Those two have a constant friendly banter back and forth about all sorts of things, one of which is that he doesn’t want any more kids, and she keeps telling him he’s going to have another one. He usually tries to deflect this onto my supervisor, who just turned 40 (though she looks and acts much younger!) and is married but has no kids yet, but last week, I somehow got dragged into it. To make this easier, I’ll call him MC (male colleague) and her FC (female colleague).Read more »
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