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Below are the 50 most recent journal entries recorded in
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| Friday, May 13th, 2011 | 9:48 am
[ftmichael]
 |
US, MA: New Study Finds Employment Discrimination against Transgender Residents Costs the State Mill
http://masstpc.org/?p=1358New Study Finds Employment Discrimination against Transgender Residents of Massachusetts Costs the State Millions AnnuallyMay 11th, 2011 For Immediate Release Contact: Gunner Scott: 1617 778 0519 Kara Suffredini: 1617 878 2300 BOSTON — A new research study released today by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy shows that employment discrimination against transgender residents of Massachusetts likely costs the state millions of dollars each year. These costs are the result of reduced income tax revenue, expenditures on public assistance programs, and other costs related to an increased need for public assistance programs. The added cost to the Commonwealth for public health insurance coverage alone is $3 million annually due to employment discrimination against transgender workers. “When transgender people experience employment discrimination, not only can that have a substantial negative impact on people’s lives, but it also affects the Commonwealth financially so all Massachusetts residents pay a price,” said study author Jody L. Herman, the Peter J. Cooper Public Policy Fellow at the Williams Institute. “The legislature is making painful choices as it builds next year’s budget,” said Kara Suffredini, executive director of MassEquality. “This law would not cost the state a dime, but it could bring in millions of revenue and savings each year.” “Employment discrimination erodes your dignity—and empties your pocketbook. When otherwise qualified people cannot find work solely because of who they are, the state loses money in lost tax revenues and increased expenditures on public programs such as MassHealth,” said Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. In calculating the cost to the Commonwealth, the study estimates that 6,600 Massachusetts residents have lost a job, 12,900 were not hired for a job, and 5,600 were denied a promotion, all due to due to anti-transgender bias. Furthermore, 15 percent of surveyed transgender Massachusetts residents made $10,000 or less in annual household income, whereas only 3 percent of the Massachusetts general population made this amount. Employment discrimination can lead to lost wages and the need to access public assistance programs to replace lost income and health insurance coverage. This study estimates that the Commonwealth may be losing millions in income tax revenues each year due to employment discrimination. In addition, the Commonwealth is spending nearly $3 million every year in public health insurance coverage for those who have lost jobs due to anti-transgender bias. View or download the reportSee press coverageAbout the Transgender Equal Rights CoalitionThe Transgender Equal Rights Coalition is working to pass “An Act Relative to Transgender Equal Rights.” (House Bill 502 and Senate Docket Number 536). This law would add gender identity and expression to existing Massachusetts civil rights laws, which currently prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, and marital status in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, education, and credit. The bill would also add offenses regarding gender identity or expression to the list of offenses that are subject to treatment as hate crimes. The bill defines gender identity and expression as “a gender-related identity, appearance, expression, or behavior of an individual, regardless of the individual’s assigned sex at birth.” This is consistent with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination’s past decisions, as well as Boston’s 2002 transgender anti-discrimination ordinance. Members of the coalition include MassNOW; ACLU of Massachusetts; Jane Doe, Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; National Association of Social Workers, MA; Mass AFL-CIO; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition; MassEquality; the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association. | | Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 | 4:32 pm
[schtuf]
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| | Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 | 4:30 pm
[tipsykitten]
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| | Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 | 2:23 am
[ryryrendon]
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my NEW ftm youtube channel!
hello! im ryan, and im ftm! yah i just wanted to post about my new youtube channel, where im trying to set up a place for people to talk about ftm everyday issues. Ive set up a few videos already and am open to ideas to make new videos. one of the more important reasons for doing this was because i felt that the lgbt community has a way of excluding queer people of color, and being hispanic myself, i identify with this feeling. i havent seen much out there based on these issues and thought maybe this could be a place for some of that to be spoken about. well heres the channel check it out! http://www.youtube.com/user/ryanrendon1?feature=mhum
<input ... ><input ... ><input ... ><input ... ><input ... ><input ... > | | Monday, March 28th, 2011 | 7:10 pm
[bialogue]
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| | Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 | 6:56 pm
[a_chan01]
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Planned Parenthood Attacked!
(I'd just like to preface this with stating that this is indeed a legit post written up by me, Andrew ( ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) a_chan01), and not a forward, spam post or bot. This is a serious issue, thank you for reading.) Open call to arms, all feminists to the front! On February 18, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to bar Planned Parenthood health centers from all federal funding for birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other lifesaving care. It is the most dangerous legislative assault in our history, and it cannot go unanswered. Join me in signing a petition and open letter to the Senators who can still stop this from happening! (and to every unethical representitive in the House who voted for it to pass). So far roughly 700,000 women and men have signed this, and it would be amazing if we could count our voices one million plus. Whether you are a man, a woman or nonbinary, we all have a right to our bodies and a right to affordable health care services. I'm a feminist. Prove you are, too. Sign the letter! Click here to read and then sign the open letter and petitionThanks in advance for your strength and fortitude against the injustices of this world, and the perseverence you have to withstand and stop it as best you can! ~Andrew H galileodino@gmail.com a_chan01 Current Mood: angry | | Friday, February 11th, 2011 | 3:24 pm
[filteredminds]
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born to love
The sun almost sets and I get this weird feeling like I was losing my mind, I just cant stop thinking about Marie. She's at another place and I miss her terribly. I keep telling her how much I love her and she said the same, but I cant figure out if its just friendship or she too is falling for me. But sometimes I think or I just want to think that she's sending me signals; you know body languages and stuff. I still remember when I was 13 and she was 14 and we are young and still in high school where uncertainty becomes everyone's issue, it was a very hot sunny afternoon of august when I first heard the words other people say to the people they really care about, I love you was being shouted at the whole school in front of many people and that really makes me think twice. After 8 years of being courted by men, we are still single and some kind of don't want to be in a commitment. Sometimes we cant help ourselves well even in public, we are still close, I mean really close like holding each other while ordering food, make sweet gestures when every eye is looking, well I don't care as long as I'm happy. Since then there has been an unanswered question between us, we don't need to say it coz we can feel it, but there is still a problem. Read the rest of the article at kategrace.com the free lesbian dating love community | | Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 | 8:08 pm
[mactavish]
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Robyn Ochs talks about why she has done what she's done in bi activism. She also explains well why I do what I do, and say what I say, and why I'm out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQHvSmdGvms <-- just in case it doesn't embed | | Sunday, January 9th, 2011 | 1:41 pm
[queerunity]
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| | Monday, January 3rd, 2011 | 2:42 pm
[nyabn]
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| | Sunday, December 19th, 2010 | 10:46 pm
[bialogue]
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[USA]: Bi-identified GLBT Vet and Activist celebrates repeal of DADT
 Media AdvisoryDate: Saturday, 18 December 2010 Contact: Cliff4vets (at) aol (dot) comDear Fellow Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Heterosexual Veterans & Advocates: On the morning of March 15, 1778, after having been court-martialed on charges of attempted sodomy, Lt. Gotthold Frederick Enslin, became the first known soldier in our Country's history to be “drummed out” of the Continental Army on grounds of homosexuality -- with orders of “Never to return!” Well, today, 232 years later, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender servicemembers and veterans have RETURNED, with the repeal of the US Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy by an affirmative vote of the US Senate. Yes, today, Lt. Gotthold Frederick Enslin finally rests in peace, as do ALL other GLB&T veterans who gave their lives in service to our Country. ( History will record that the sky did not fall down upon us, and the Earth did not quit spinning. ) Current Mood: thankful | | Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 | 2:19 am
[bialogue]
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| | Monday, December 13th, 2010 | 11:16 pm
[rebklyn]
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| | Sunday, December 5th, 2010 | 5:29 pm
[misterc]
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(Some Of) My Tattoos Are So Gay! Just The Way I Like Them!
I was in my early 30s before I got my first tattoo.
If that sentence doesn't tell you that it wasn't a decision I made easily, I guess nothing will, right?
Yes, it is true that I am no fan of needles or pain, but I also had to consider more than just how much it would hurt; even more than temporary pain, I also had to consider carefully exactly what my first tat would be. Most importantly, I knew I had to find the strength to answer the inevitable question: What is it?
I know that I am probably starting this post in the middle instead of at the beginning, but I just wanted to let whomever reads this know what was going through my mind, and that I didn't get any of my tats on the spur of the moment. Most of my (thus far) 7 tattoos all have a special meaning to me. I suppose that's true for most of the tattoos that most tattooed people have.
Anyone who has read any of my other posts on other subjects will note that a lot of what I write about here is pretty "gay"...I don't mean that as a slur; I mean that quite literally. I've been accused of being a "Johnny-one-note" where writing is concerned, and while I don't think that's ENTIRELY true, my sexual orientation does comprise quite a bit of what I feel lead to write about.
I used to think that I'd run people off from reading my tomes by so often writing about The (Gay) Story of Me, but then I came to understand that my writing isn't necessarily for the benefit of "the world" (though, I always hope that someone out there in this big, wide world who has lived a life like mine and somehow finds my words might not feel so alone, and too-painfully unique--a snotty, ignorant comment here and there is more-than-worth-it if just one someone somewhere can see through my words that life is so much more than what "the world" tells us is "normal"); it's something productive that I do as a catharsis, a way of healing long-unattended hurts. For me, tattoos are part of that healing. Funny how you have to go through pain sometimes before you can feel better, isn't it??
Anyway, after I decided to leave that infamous suffocating closet where I had lost so much of myself, I knew that I wanted to do something that was the OPPOSITE of what the closeted me would have done. I didn't want to shove my life onto anyone else, of course, but I also wanted to slam that closet door so hard behind me that the hinges would fall off. Finally, I decided I needed to get branded.
Together with my partner (whom I considered my husband--at least in my heart, if not in law), I went to a tattoo parlor in my new adopted hometown of Orlando, Florida. Because of my being nervous (though completely dedicated to the tattoo idea), and because I wasn't sure how much it would hurt, I started with something relatively small on a part of my body where the pain might not be so bad, so on the right side of my right calf, I got a simple pink triangle (which--just in case a potential reader is not aware--was the symbol that the Nazis used to identify homosexuals in the prison camps in World War II--and which the GLBT community has co-opted in order to draw all the poison, ugliness, hatred and death from it, and which is now one of the symbols of "gay pride") with interlocking male symbols in the middle of it. By putting it on my calf, I thought, when I was at work or when I didn't feel as if I wanted to share my life story with someone I could wear pants instead of shorts, so it was a pretty safe tattoo while--for me anyway--still being a tad radical.
I will remember the day I got that tattoo for as long as I live...for a couple of reasons.
One: my first tat. Hey, you never forget your first, right????
Two: it did hurt some,but--since it was relatively small--the pain was not intolerable at all. It kinda felt like a cat scratch afterward.
Three: the guy who did the tat was on the phone with his girlfriend and arguing with her the whole time he was doing my tattoo! I remember thinking that I didn't want to complain or do anything that might make him even more upset than he already was, and cause him to use a heavier hand than he was already employing. I am just so grateful that my love was standing beside me holding my hand, and that he didn't complain as I squeezed his hand pretty intensely! I don't think the guy said a single word to me after he found out what I wanted and after his girlfriend called. The most important thing is that it didn't take too long as I was happy with the results.
A few years later (after I had had a few other tats added), I did have to go to another tattoo artist and have him redo the pink inside my triangle as it had faded. The new tattoo guy had told me that the guy who did the original work didn't really put much effort into doing the color correctly. Considering the situation back then, that didn't surprise me.
One of my most favorite tattoos is one I see every single day. I'll warn you, it's going to sound "cheesy" to some people, but--as I said before--my tattoos are meant for me, not for body art critics. It's the Chinese symbol for truth written on my right wrist in my favorite color, purple. It reminds me every single day that there is nothing about who I really am that I ever have to hide or lie about again. No matter how bad a day I have now, I can take a look at that tattoo and remember that things could most certainly be worse...because, for a very long time, they WERE worse.
The way I see it, coming out & tattoos have at least a couple of things in common: they both are terrifying when you first begin to think about them, and they both hurt sometimes in the beginning, but the permanent beauty of what comes after makes it worth every moment of ephemeral pain.
I will spare you the details of my other "gay" and "non-gay" tattoos (for now), but--like most people who have tattoos--I don't regret ANY of them. The only regret, where my tats are concerned, is that I waited so long to get them.
The same way I feel about how long it took me to finally find the strength to be myself...my TRUE self. | | Monday, November 8th, 2010 | 5:41 pm
[civilrightsfast] |
| | Thursday, October 28th, 2010 | 3:52 am
[bialogue]
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| | Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 | 11:52 am
[rebklyn]
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CASTING CALL: TRANS GUY/ FTM WANTED FOR FILM!
CASTING CALL: TRANS GUY/ FTM WANTED FOR FILM! For MFA thesis short film by award-winning trans director Shoot will be in Los Angeles early Dec 2010 COMPENSATION for travel, food, and accommodations will be provided For the role of TRISTAN- a transitioned FTM. 20's - early 30’s, boy-next-door type. "TRISTAN AND ZOOEY" (a comedy) SYNOPSIS: Gender, cats, and mythical roadside attractions are at the center of a tumultuous roadtrip embarked upon by a young woman and transman. Will the couple break up? Will the cat get a UTI? Will they ever find out what's at their mysterious destination known as "The Thing"??? NYC AUDITIONS will be held OCT 20-25th (as arranged). Please email to set up an audition. **First-timers and non-actors encouraged to apply. Please send an email with: info about yourself, what city you live, age, acting experience if any, and a photo/ headshot For more info: http://tristanandzooey.blogspot.com/ | | Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 | 2:52 pm
[misterc]
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| | Monday, August 16th, 2010 | 4:24 pm
[tipsykitten]
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Absolut Opposes "Labeling" Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Minorities With Their Vodka No
Absolut Vodka is introducing limited edition naked bottles that do not feature the Absolut label or logo to mark the launch of its latest campaign In An ABSOLUT World There Are No Labels, an initiative which challenges prejudice against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) minorities. Absolut wants to challenge labels and prejudice to make the world more diverse, vibrant and respectful. You will only find a discreet and easily removed sticker with the campaign manifesto on the bottle. This will encourage you to discard your labels and look beyond the obvious...  read more at my bisexual dating bisexual stories blog | | Thursday, July 29th, 2010 | 1:02 pm
[subj_to_debate]
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Looking for Participants in a Study (Who Are LGBTQ, or Why Would I Post This, Right?)
Hello all, My name is Arielle White and I’m currently an undergraduate student in the psychology department at CSUSB. I’m working with Dr. James Kaufman on several projects, one of which is looking at Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. As you might expect, members of the LGBTQ community are vastly underrepresented in comparison to our heterosexual counterparts. I am posting here in an effort to increase representation of all persons in this study. We are looking for participants 18 years of age and older, self-identified as LGBTQ or anything else that isn’t “straight” or “heterosexual.” Your participation is completely optional, as well as anonymous. The only exception to this is if you wish to contact me for the purpose of hearing about the results at the conclusion of the study. If so, feel free to email me at whita309@csusb.edu, and I can put you on a mailing list. Also, if you have other LGBTQ friends who are 18 and over, please share this information with them, or feel free to direct them to me if they wish to participate! Here is the link to the study: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CreativityGenderThank you all for your time ☺ AW (x-posted to bisexual and hopefully the lesbians communities. trying to up our representation!) ETA: the survey is a bit long, so allow time for it! if you know of other LGBTQ communities, please let me know of them! so far i've only hit up this comm, bisexual, queer. need some for the G's and T's! thank you! | | Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 | 1:31 pm
[kuhlwax]
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Asexuality Zine - submissions, anyone?
In case anyone here is asexual or knows of any asexuals: I have been interested, for some time now, in putting together a zine on asexuality, one that I can hopefully distribute widely and that could potentially raise awareness about asexuality. I am posting here in hopes that some of you (who identify as asexual) will be interested in submitting your thoughts, stories, and reflections on the topic. I would like the zine to be somewhat educational – something that someone with no knowledge on asexuality (sexual or questioning) could pick up, read, and understand. I don't have a title yet but I will post here once I do. Things I would like to include (feel free to write about any of the following): -the basics: asexuality: what it is and what it’s not -experiences you may have had discovering this identity -experiences with relationships -coming out to family/friends -how asexuality affects your everyday life Anything else that relates to asexuality would be awesome too! As you can tell, the topic is very broad, so as to encompass many aspects of asexuality. Send in your writings (anecdotal, story-like is fine), drawings, photographs, prints, collages, WHATEVER expressions that can be photocopied onto paper on the subject of asexuality and living as an asexual. Submissions can be very casual. Make sure to include the name you would like to see your submission printed alongside. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, that’s fine too, although ideally, I would like to include at least your first name and then the city/state you reside in. Contribution length can be anywhere from about one paragraph to two pages. I am making the deadline for submission Friday, July 30th. You can send submissions to sidewalkscene@gmail.com. If everything goes according to plan, the zine will be published by late August. Thanks everyone! Also, another zine on Asexual Feminism here: http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?showtopic=51114 | | Friday, June 25th, 2010 | 9:54 am
[mactavish]
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JOIN THE BAY AREA BISEXUAL NETWORK IN THE SF PRIDE 2010 PARADESunday, June 27th, 10:00 AM Assembly Area Location: K -Line-Up Number 124 Beale between Mission & Howard. This year we are supporting the National Center for Lesbian Rights as they defend 3 bisexual members of the SF gay softball team D2 in their case against the National Gay Softball League. (see the story at http://www.nclrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issue_caseDocket_apilado_et_al_v_NAGAAA). These team members will be joining BABN in our march up Market street- so grab your baseball cap and join in. We need more contingent monitors!Trainings are at the below time. Please let me know if you can go to a training so I have a count. NeilH63@gmail.com
Friday, June 25th, 7pm
Bill Graham, Larkin Hall, 99 Grove Street, SF | | Saturday, June 5th, 2010 | 5:35 pm
[misterc]
|
One Thing I Know Without Doubt
This may shock you, but I was thinking about marriage equality today. Now, it's true that I no longer have as deeply a personal stake in the fight for equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples as I used to when I had a someone to love, but the cause burns as brightly in my healing-but-still-broken heart as it always has. I've said/written about this many times in many places, but I feel the need to vent about it again. In the proverbial "grand scheme of things", those who see same-gender couples as threats to the very underpinnings of human civilization fight this fight because they believe that limiting marriage to strictly one male-one female is what is best for society and for the world. I will even go so far as to say that I DO believe they really believe that. They fight for those beliefs and for their morals and their conviction that--where marriage is concerned anyway--"the way things are" is how they should always should always be. For them, this is about their ideals & their philosophy. For us, though, it is about the equality of our hearts & about the right to commit ourselves to that special one who completes our lives. While I do not underestimate the convictions or the willingness of our opponents to fight tooth-and-nail for them, I am convinced that, in this fight, we will be victorious one day. For us, the stakes in this fight are nothing short of the value of our very lives; but even more than that, we battle in defense of love itself, and there is no dogma, no philosophy, no ideal, no rule, no law, no motivation higher, nor more powerful than that. And, truthfully, it doesn't matter if "they" understand that or not. We do--and that's why we will always, always fight, and why we will ultimately win. | | Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 | 5:16 pm
[misterc]
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Batty In The Beehive State
Could it be that septuagenarian Utah Senator Orrin Hatch is so ill-informed & so detached from reality that genuinely believes this tripe he's spewing, or is he just out-and-out lying in an attempt to scare people into filling the GOP's dwindling coffers? Either way, this man needs a check-up from the neck up! | | Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 | 8:53 am
[misterc]
|
I'd Rather Be Different Than Be The Same
At the risk of revealing my true age, I must say that I am a longtime fan of "Mama" Cass Elliott (she late of the 60s musical pop family, The Mamas and the Papas) . I am also a longtime fan of the old Saturday morning live-action fantasy show H.R. Pufnstuf from the wonderfully-warped-and-obviously-pharmac eutically-altered minds of the deliciously-but-mostly-benignly-demented duo of brothers, Sid & Marty Krofft. I loved all their live-action Saturday morning stuff: The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmund & The Sea Monsters, and Land of The Lost (BTW, even all these years later, the Sleestak still freak me out, but I kept watching every Saturday...actually, I think it was because I had a crush on the character Will played my Wesley Eure, who--as it turned out--is also gay! Obviously, that cutie Will trumped the scary Sleestak for me! :-)...but I digress.... I was perusing YouTube, as I apt to do from time to time, looking up songs by Mama Cass, and I found a video clip of a song I had never heard before. A new Mama Cass song for me to experience was wonderful enough by itself, but to know that she did it dressed as a witch for a Krofft Brothers show just made it too, too delicious to pass up. And, as if those two facts weren't enough, the song our Ms. Elliott sang (whose character name was not as inventive as I might have hoped: Witch Hazel) was called "Different". I have included the YouTube clip below, as well as the lyrics to the song. It seemed to me quite appropriate for a song whose lyrics include the stanza below to be posted in a group like this, for people like us, who know that, as difficult as it is to be "different" in this world, it's worth every single sling & arrow just to be--to borrow Witch Hazel's words--"true to yourself", and to come to realize that there are (again to quote Witch Hazel) others like me:
Wonder no longer, together we're stronger.
It's not so bad to be different,
be true to yourself -
that's what you must be!Amen, my Sister! Sing it to us: Lyrics
When I was smaller, and people were taller,
I realized that I was different,
I had a power that set me apart.
I learned to take it, to use it, to make it,
it's not so bad to be different -
to do your own thing
and do it with heart.
Different is hard,
different is lonely,
different is trouble, for you only.
Different is heartache,
different is pain,
but I'd rather be different than be the same!
At first I'd wonder, what hex I was under.
What did I do to be so different?
Then I discovered some others like me.
Wonder no longer, together we're stronger.
It's not so bad to be different,
be true to yourself -
that's what you must be!
Different is hard,
different is lonely,
different is trouble, for you only.
Different is heartache,
different is pain,
but I'd rather be different than be the same! | | Monday, May 10th, 2010 | 5:31 pm
[queerunity]
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| | Saturday, May 1st, 2010 | 5:27 pm
[babyslime]
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The case of Greene v. County of Sonoma et al.
I heard about this today and was left in tears. An elderly gay couple lives together for over 20 years with all the legal paperwork taken care of. After a tragic accident (one of the men fell and was hospitalized) the state then kidnapped, robbed, abused and kept them forcibly separated against their will until the death of the injured man... his partner missing the last precious months of his life. The trial goes forward in July. Excerpt: "Without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold’s possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord." ( Full story ) | | Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | 6:32 pm
[espreite]
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Questions for long-lasting queer relationships
(I couldn't tell if this was okay to post from the profile, so I hope it's all right!) I'm currently working a project for a school class for which I'm supposed to interview people who have been together for at least 25 years, and I thought it would be nice to focus on queer, trans, and polyamorous folks who tend to get ignored. If you've in a relationship for at least 25 years and wouldn't mind sharing a little, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to answer ten questions for me. ( 10 questions under the cut )If you could reply via comments or PM me, I would be very, very grateful. Details of the answers will only be shared with my teacher and otherwise will be confidential. | | Monday, April 12th, 2010 | 1:45 am
[system_boomin]
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*queer artists hotties allies friends family coolcats and etc wanted!!
click the photo for the site!hey guys! i hope this is within the quidelines for posting but im starting a new art project that revolves around ALT QUEERS alternative punk cool artist wierd shaved hot different maybe just a little different shy and smiley interesting and fun loving totally rockin rivethead goth whatever pierced queers! i chose the title alt queers because queer is a term that encompasses so many of us! &WE ARE ALL ALTERNATIVE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! if you like alt music or alt art or if youre not ~alt~ at all id love to grab submissions! the email is *ALTQUEERLOVE@GMAIL.COM!!! this means *photos, *art, *quotations, *recommendations, *music, *your blog, *your friend, *your mom, *your dog, what you had for dinner*, whatever* whatever!! i want it all! we are all so beautiful. i know like who needs another tumblr right?? my site is like hipsterdykes or lesbianswholooklikejustinbieber but it's for all of us! and its not strictly vain i want to proudly represent each and every queer!! all my love and sending my best feel free to add this LJ i update frequently and love making new friends xoxo ruben ♥ >> my personal art blog | | Thursday, April 8th, 2010 | 7:43 pm
[bialogue]
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| 7:43 pm
[nyabn]
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| | Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 | 3:56 pm
[queerunity]
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| | Monday, April 5th, 2010 | 6:13 am
[misterc]
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Not In Our Town
"...and a little child will lead them."
--Isaiah 11:6Hate-monger extraordinaire, Fred Phelps, and his Kansas "church", Westboro Baptist (or WBC as it is sometimes called in this video below), decided to--as the clip below states-- picket at [San Francisco] Bay area schools and Jewish institutions. One of the targets of their "Godly" protests was Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. Although the Bible verse quoted above mentions that a "little child will lead them," it's obvious that these high school students are certainly not little children, but they are from the next generation that will become this country & this world's future leaders, and they give me hope that love & respect & acceptance will be their creed & their guiding light as they help to usher in a hopeful, beautiful new day. This counter-protest which, as usual, far out-numbered the WBC protesters, was established with the help of a group called Not In Our Town, whose website describes themselves as a national movement that encourages and connects people who are responding to hate and working to build more inclusive communities, and which encourages students to Make change in your town and your school.From what I saw in this video, these kids have made a HUGE impact on not just Palo Alto, but on folks from all over who are fortunate enough to get to see love in action. I personally thank them for their open hearts & open minds, but mostly for knowing that--in the face of hate & ignorance, silence is not an option, and that, to fight such ugliness--as one of their homemade signs stated--all you need is love. Rock on, Gunn High! :-) Please watch the video here. | | Thursday, March 4th, 2010 | 7:44 pm
[bialogue]
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| 5:44 pm
[misterc]
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Fear + Ignorance Does NOT = Science!
Note: I have made a couple of corrections from my original post. Apparently women who have had sex with MSMs are banned also, though I am not sure it is a lifetime ban. Also the states or party affiliation of some the Senators who signed the letter were listed incorrectly. Sorry for any inadvertent wrong info I may have provided The stupid, illogical, unscientific, discriminatory, nutball policy of banning any male who had sexual relations with another male at any time after the mid 1970's from giving blood is finally on Congress's radar. For those who don't know, MSMs (that's the Food & Drug Administration's label for us Men who've had Sex with other Men) are now "deferred" (a.k.a BANNED) from giving blood because they think that gay men are the ONLY group so susceptible to HIV/AIDS that they can't risk taking our blood. Even if--like me--you've been monogamous for over 13 years. The same lifetime "deferral" is not made, however, for lesbians who have had sex exclusively with other women (which is as it should be, of course); it's just us evil MSMs. Anyway, I read on The Advocate's website that the senior US Senator from Massachusetts, former Democratic Party presidential nominee, John Kerry, has drafted a letter to the head of the FDA demanding that gay men not be automatically disqualified from donating blood. Basically, he & the other 15 Democratic US Senators who've signed the letter are demanding that we be held to the same standard as anyone else, and pointing out that the ban was created 30 years ago & that science has come quite far since then, and can root out the "bad blood" so to speak. Below the cut, you can read Senator Kerry's letter to FDA Head, Margaret Hamburg, explaining that the need for blood donations is so great that keeping out such a large potential pool of donors, especially in light of the advances in medical research & since since 1983 when the ban was implemented during Ronald Reagan's administration. As Senator Kerry's letter points out, even The American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers, and American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) have called this ban “medically and scientifically unwarranted". The American Medical Association agrees, too! I hate to keep holding out faith on this, but it's good to see that it's not just gay men who are fighting this nonsense! ( Senator Kerry's Letter to the FDA behind the cut ) | | Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | 6:23 pm
[nyabn]
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| | Sunday, February 28th, 2010 | 11:37 pm
[bialogue]
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| | Friday, February 26th, 2010 | 9:35 am
[blackroot]
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Calling all writers!
Hey all! I've had some great success posting on this forum before, so here goes: I'm co-editor for a pretty cool forum that largely addresses matters related to gender, sex, and sexuality, and we're looking for a few new writers. We're pretty open to content/mediums, so aspiring columnists, creative writers, podcasters, videobloggers, etc. - I encourage you to check it out and see if you might be a good fit! -blackroot/ toughstuffBELOW THE BELT Current Mood: chipper! | 2:56 pm
[polustroff]
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| | Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | 11:57 pm
[bialogue]
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| | Friday, February 19th, 2010 | 3:47 am
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| | Sunday, February 7th, 2010 | 6:29 pm
[misterc]
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Anne & Michael & Cindy & Meghan
Ann & Michael HathawayActress Anne Hathaway (of Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada) has revealed that, after her brother, Michael, came out as gay, her family basically excommunicated themselves from the Catholic Church, and most of them have since taken up with the Episcopalians. Anne, who is a longtime GLBTQI rights supporter, said basically that she cannot support a church that cannot support her "beloved brother" (Anne's words). Anne and the rest of the Hathaway clan may have ditched Catholicism but Anne, herself, apparently is in no hurry to find a pew with a more gay-friendly view, saying that--where faith is concerned--she is ...a work in progress. I know whereof you speak, my sister! ( Cindy & Megan behind the cut ) | | Sunday, January 31st, 2010 | 2:09 am
[bialogue]
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| | Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 | 2:10 pm
[mactavish]
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http://phelps-a-thon.com/gunn.htmlFred Phelps and the rest of WBC are going to picket Gunn High School in Palo Alto. Why? Two words Kevin Jennings, hollar! 780 Arastradero Rd When you look at the good for nothing youth of California, what do you think? No brains, no truth, no life, no love for their neighbors! Therefore, WBC is determined that each place we go, all the children who you adults have lied to to, get this message: TWO WORDS define Antichrist Obama's "Education Plan", to wit: KEVIN JENNINGS, United States Education Czar. This fag who started GSAs and GLSEN Organizations all across DOOMED america. Now 63 years old, with ZERO CHILDREN of his own, this fag is DETERMINED to sodomize all of you children he and Obama can get their filthy, bloody hands on. Flee these lying false prophets, kids. God hates fags (Romans 1) and their hateful enablers (June 15). Jennings/Obama say "screw you buddy" to God. That is why God has sent them to punish your parents for lying to you all your lives long. Praise God and Fear Him! AMEN!” It's clear that Shirley Phelps hasn't yet recovered from her incredibly abused childhood. Turn this into a fundraiser for Gunn's LGBT club at that link. Thankee.c | | Sunday, January 24th, 2010 | 9:29 pm
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| | Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 | 2:31 pm
[misterc]
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John Corvino Callin' Out The 'Phobes!
Come out, come out, wherever you are! You've gotta listen to what THIS (queer) doctor has to say! Why are all the good ones always married or gay...or (as with our Dr. Corvino) both??? ;-) | 12:49 pm
[queerunity]
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| | Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 | 5:58 pm
[misterc]
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Prop 8 Trial Beginning Soon!
Below in bold type is an email I have sent to some of my "real world" friends regarding the upcoming trial in California regarding the legality of Proposition 8. I am posting it here because I wanted to make sure that as many people know about this, and take action on it as possible. The email sent by the California Courage Campaign, an organization fighting AGAINST Prop 8, explains that the presiding judge in the case, Judge Vaughn Walker, is asking for input regarding whether or not the case should be televised. Apparently the pro-Prop 8 people do NOT want the case televised (can't imagine why???), and the Courage Campaign is trying to get as many people to sign their online petition as possible to convince the judge to make this trial & the process as transparent as possible. Below in italicized writing, I have included the comments I sent along with my electronic "signature" on the petition. The deadline for input regarding televising the case is this Friday, January 8. Of course, if you felt lead to sign it, you don't need to include any comments, if you don't want to (basically your name, your email address and your ZIP code are the most important things for the petition), but if you DO send a note, I would personally advise against making any argument for or against Prop 8--that's not what this petition is about; it should be about the importance of televising & making as public as possible this most important case.The email I sent with the California Courage Campaign's help: Hi,Have you heard about the Prop 8 trial starting on Monday?There is some urgent and important news about the trial. I just took action and hope you will join me.U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker -- who will be overseeing a federal court challenge to Prop 8 starting this Monday (January 11) -- is considering whether or not to open the court room to TV cameras. The court just announced that it is seeking public comment on the proposal to televise the trial -- and that all comments must be submitted to the court by a Friday deadline.We have just this one chance to make our voices heard -- thousands of Americans calling for equality, transparency and accountability. That's why the Courage Campaign Institute is teaming up with CREDO Action to collect as many signatures as possible asking Judge Walker to televise the case.I just signed a letter, asking Judge Walker to televise the Prop 8 trial. Will you join me? They need your signature by FRIDAY at 9 a.m.Click here to electronically sign the petition being delivered to Judge Walker.If you know other people who believe this trial should be televised as well, please forward this message to them. On Friday, Courage and CREDO will hand-deliver all of our signatures to Judge Vaughn Walker before the deadline.Thank you so much!My comments: I don't live in California, but the decision made there will affect me & other Americans all across the nation. There is no good reason why this very important case should NOT be open to ANY American or ANY person interested in how our government & legal system work. This is a case involving the rights of citizens who feel they have been singled out for punishment by dint of majority vote seeking redress of their grievances, and it is not just the fair thing to do to have the world hear each side defend their stance; it is the RIGHT thing.Please, Judge Walker, allow this most important case to be televised, so that the world may bear witness to American jurisprudence in action.Respectfully, | | Thursday, December 31st, 2009 | 3:11 am
[aidenfire]
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Coming Out Party?
Hey everybody, I'm not totally sure if this sort of thing is allowed and my apologies if it's not, but I'm planning a coming out party for a friend (with their encouragement, don't worry!) and I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas to share. I'm looking for decorations, games, drinks, music, all of it, the more flamboyant and cheesy the better! Also, any general tips to make sure everything goes well would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. :) | | Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 | 8:36 pm
[pandapajamas]
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US: Prop 8 backers say TV coverage of trial unwise
Prop. 8 backers say TV coverage of trial unwise Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, December 30, 2009 (12-29) 17:26 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Sponsors of California's ban on same-sex marriage, which faces a federal court trial in San Francisco next month, have told the trial judge that his suggestion to televise the proceedings is both unwise and illegal. Television coverage could expose witnesses and other trial participants to harassment and intimidation, backers of Proposition 8 said in a court filing Monday. They said some of their witnesses "have indicated that they would not be willing to testify" if the trial was televised. ( Read more... ) Current Mood: LOL |
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