signedlostsoul asked: all-signs-point-to-lez <an accurate blog
Were you trying to figure something out, KATE?
Lady Gaga’s recently announced Born This Way Foundation for youth empowerment will launch on February 29 with a kickoff event at Harvard University. The Harvard Graduate School of Education is among many organizations that will work together on “BTWF” to reach out to youth and promote self-acceptance and self-confidence.
“BTWF, a non-profit charitable organization, will address issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and advocacy,” the release said. “With a focus on digital mobilization to create positive change, BTWF will lead youth into a braver new society where each individual is accepted and loved as the person they were born to be.”
Road trip to Harvard, anyone?
This week, GLSEN is sponsoring No-Name Calling Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness about bullying in schools and finding constructive solutions to problems among and between kids.
The site linked above has tons of information about what this week means and what you can do to get involved. An especially cool link discusses how to get a NNCW event off the ground at your school, including tips on involving administration and students.
Sometimes it seems like there are a lot of planned days, weeks or even months that demand our attention for a particular cause, and it gets overwhelming (not to mention how you should never name-call). Pay attention to this one anyway. I don’t need to tell you guys that bullying is out of control in a lot of schools in this country, especially against LGBT kids. A week of events like the ones suggested here could truly make a difference in how kids treat each other.
This week, I’m going to speak out against bullying among my peers. What will you do?
In the United States, openly gay Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger’s campaign has fallen by the wayside in media coverage and political attention. But in Finland, another openly gay candidate is still going strong.
Pekka Haavisto is the first openly gay person to run for head of state in Finland, and he’s doing quite well. He came in second place in the first round of voting in the election, securing him a place in a February runoff against conservative candidate Sauli Niinisto.
A smooth-talking political veteran, Niinisto is viewed by many Finns as the most statesmanlike of the candidates.
But Haavisto also has strong resume. The 53-year-old former environment minister has held several positions in EU and U.N. operations helping to solve crises in Sudan, Darfur and the Middle East.
“He’s extremely cultured and civilized. We need a member of a new, educated generation who hasn’t been corrupted by politics,” said Laila Halme, a retired graphic artist, as she walked her dog through thick snow to vote in a Helsinki suburb.
According to analysts quoted in the Huffington Post article linked above, it’s unlikely that Haavisto can beat his opponent in the runoff. But to have made it this far is a huge accomplishment, proving once again that things are getting better every day for LGBT people in the public eye.
Our big bake sale fundraiser is next week, and we need to find a new place to bake on Sunday. If anyone could offer their kitchen to us, they’d be doing us a big favor! We’ll also probably have one of the newspaper photographers come to take some pictures of us.
Our current schedule for who will be there in the morning for the bake sale is:
Monday- Erin and Ryan
Tuesday- Jon and Ananda
Wednesday- Olivia and Natalie
Thursday- Erin
Everyday- Kaylin, Savannah, and Ri
If you cannot make that day anymore or would like to sign up for another, please let us know.
LGBTQ* Graphs, Charts and History
The Kinsey Scale
The Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale created by Dr. Alfred Kinsey in 1953.
(via projectqueer)
Transgender men housed in women’s prisons also face abuse, often more from guards than other inmates
(via projectqueer)
(Updated 12/18/11)
LGBTQ Identities Part I - Sexual Identities
- Heterosexual: Sexual attraction towards those of a different gender.
- Homosexual: Sexual attraction towards those of the same gender.
- Bisexual: Sexual attraction towards two genders or gender the same or different to yours.
- Pansexual: Sexual attraction towards all genders.
- Polysexual: Sexual attraction towards multiple genders.
- Skoliosexual: Sexual attraction towards genderqueer or non-binary people.
- Androsexuality: Sexual attraction towards men or masculinity.
*Depending on the person they may use Androphilia. I’ve heard both used for- Gynesexuality: Sexual attraction towards women or femininity.
*Depending on the person that may use Gynophilia.So, I’m sure most of you are familiar with a similar post that included several icons that had an identity and then a simple definition underneath it. Unfortunately that post was severely problematic. It had exclusive and erasing wording and had several definitions wrong with it.
I decided to create my own with more inclusive language, less erasive language, and proper definitions. (Though definitions can vary from region to region.) These icons are not all of the LGBTQ identities out there.There are limitless identities, and these are just some of the sexual identities that I know of.
This is also not the only one of these I’ll be doing. I’ll be creating more sets. One of which will be for asexual/demisexual/grey-a identities and another will be for gender identities. Stay tuned.
I’m very open to corrections and suggestions as long as they’re not rude.
Where did “skolio” come from? The only translation I’m seeing for that is a Greek root possibly meaning “school.” And I’m hearing it as too close to “scoliosis” (scoli- coming from skolios for “crooked” according to Wikipedia). Was that scoli- where the “skolio” above came from? If so, I see that as too close to the insult of “bent” which used to be used for GLBQ people, which has been reclaimed to an extent but I don’t see it as much in trans/GQ communities. Honestly I’m just curious where it came from because I haven’t heard “skolio” or “skoliosexual” before and I like etymology and word coining.
I haven’t heard of it before either.
But yay, one of these that gets pansexuality right and doesn’t define it as “attraction only to someone’s personality” or whatever I usually see (which is a perfectly valid orientation, but it’s not my definition of pansexuality, anyway.)
Wtf is with all these sexualities? Why are people so obsessed with labels?!
And poly and pan are the same thing.
(via projectqueer)
Rossville Christian Academy, a K-12 school in Tennessee, has banned the promotion of or association with homosexuality via speech or action, and one parent believes the move is targeted at one gay student out of 300 kids at the school.
The policy is legal because there is no state or federal law protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and because the Christian academy may receive additional protection since it’s not a public school. The policy states:
“Homosexuality is forbidden in scripture (Romans 1:27, Leviticus 18:22). A staff member or student who promotes, engages in, or identifies himself/herself with such activity through any word or action shall be in violation of this policy. Should the administration determine a violation of this policy, the person involved will be subject to disciplinary action with the possibility of permanent dismissal. Any applicant who is not in compliance with this policy will not be admitted.”
This is wrong on so many levels I can’t even point them all out. I’m appalled. Permanent dismissal for being gay? Targeting one kid in a humiliating, homophobic manner? And this is all perfectly legal? Really?
(via projectqueer)
