It seems like everyone I know has been going through some stressful times lately, myself included. When I’m feeling sad, pictures of puppies tend to cheer me up, as well as some uplifting stories. If an uplifting story is what you need, I’ve got one for you! When a transgender member (Donnie Collins) of a fraternity in Boston required top surgery, the brothers decided to band together and raise the funds on the website indiegogo. The brothers haven’t listed their fraternity, and explain “We are doing this as individuals in an organization rallying around another individual. Continue Reading →
GLBT
Recent posts
Is Sex-Based Medicine Helpful or Harmful?
Our society needs categories in able to function (or so it seems). These categories come in handy when we’re collecting data for the Census, but the rest of the time, they tend to do more harm than good. In the United States, many pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals use these categories to study human health. It seems like this would make sense, right? Some groups of people are prone to some diseases more than others, so stratifying the data could help to create cures or treatment specific to this group. Continue Reading →
Remember: We’re Not The First Advocates for Equality
As I wait with bated breath for the Supreme Court to make a decision on the repeal of DOMA and Proposition 8, I’m reminded of all those that came before me. In the past several years, the LGBTQ community has seen some incredible legal, social, and political advances. Just in my lifetime, I’ve seen several states pass laws that recognize same-sex unions, gays and lesbians in the military be allowed to discuss their sexuality openly, and have experienced a huge growth in cultural acceptance of the queer community. To put this in a different perspective, here are some numbers. A document from the Movement Advancement Project recorded that between 2000 and 2010, the United States experienced a 1300% increase in states outlawing gender discrimination based on gender presentation, a 600% jump in the number of high school Gay-Straight Alliances, and today, majority (57%) support for marriage equality. Continue Reading →
Act Less Gay For A Better Life?
An article I read recently hit a nerve. Apparently some teachers are telling kids that are being bullied that they need to act less gay. While this article is from England, I think that it is applicable for almost anywhere. The article from the London Evening Standard acknowledges that some children are teased for their sexuality, and I not only see this happen in college environments daily, but also witnessed it in my junior high and high school. A friend of mine actually started an organization, Write Your Principal, partially due to the bullying that LGBTQIQ students have had to face and also due to her own experiences. Continue Reading →
Protecting Heterosexual Marriage… Because Of “Unplanned” Offspring?
Lawyers defending the Defense of Marriage Act have chosen an unusual argument to make: only heterosexual couples can ”produce unplanned and unintended offspring,” and thus they need the sacrament of marriage to… I don’t know… protect them from… okay, I give up, they’ve lost me. That argument makes no sense whatsoever. Continue Reading →
Strap-On Sex Shouldn’t Hurt!
My friends always come to me first with their sex questions- which is both welcomed and appreciated. During a recent car ride, a few of them got to talking about strap-on sex. “Oh yeah, it’s so great, I can’t believe you’ve never done it!” “I don’t know, it kind of creeps me out.” “Really? Continue Reading →
Queer Alphabet Soup: Moving Beyond Sexual Inclusivity
LGTBQIA…and the list goes on. What we once simply called gay expanded to gay and lesbian, then to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender, and then further to include the umbrella term queer, as well as intersex and asexual. A recent New York Times article by Michael Schulman tackles this expansion of inclusive terms, discussing the new generation of queers and the gender inclusivity that they are striving for. “If the gay-rights movement today seems to revolve around same-sex marriage, this generation is seeking something more radical: an upending of gender roles beyond the binary of male/female. The core question isn’t whom they love, but who they are — that is, identity as distinct from sexual orientation. Continue Reading →
Gender Theorists Are The Enemy (According To The Pope)
In a recent speech, Pope Benedict XVI asserted that heterosexual marriage is a sacrament of creation, and that because gender theorists seek to disrupt marriage and similar institutions, they pose a danger to humanity. Riiiight. Here come the gender theorists, who will DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR. I would instead argue that the pope should be taken to task for giving his blessing to Ugandan legislation that institutes a death penalty for homosexuality. Who’s doling out the harm, here? Continue Reading →
Hasbro to Produce “Gender-Neutral” Easy-Bake Oven
McKenna Pope, a 13 year-old girl from New Jersey, is a bad-ass. After searching for an Easy-Bake oven for her younger brother for Christmas and discovering that the Hasbro product only comes in pink and purple, Pope decided to make a change. She headed over to Change.org (you know, the people behind those daily emails with inflammatory headlines that you can’t quite figure out how to unsubscribe from) and started an online petition, which received over 40,000 signatures. Hasbro recently announced that they would be releasing an Easy-Bake oven in “gender-neutral” colors (black, silver, and blue), and have promised to include boys as well as girls in their advertisements. This is great news! Continue Reading →
Holiday Giving? Think Again About The Salvation Army!
Love it or hate it, the holiday season is here. That means (along with being bombarded by Christmas music every time you’re out) being forced to choose between dodging and acknowledging the people who are out asking for money in front of stores. Even if the idea of giving to charity appeals to you, think carefully about where your money might be going. One of the most prominent charities, with their distinctive red buckets and bell-ringing, is the Salvation Army. However, one of their media relations directors said outright that gays deserve death. Continue Reading →