QBits: Zambian gay rights activist arrested after appearing on TV
Zambian gay rights activist Paul Kasonkomona was snatched up by police directly after appearing on television to discuss gay rights
A Zambian LGBT rights activist has been arrested by police directly after he appeared on television…
[image: a series of posters such as 5 things to know about your queer child, 5 ways to end transphobia and 8 queer identities to understand].
**Trigger warning for cissexist slurs in bottom left poster**
I’m the co-chair, and organizer for a local outreach program that was just started in my town to help queer kids and allies.
I put together some “info handouts” and we’re all really excited about them.
Please let me know if you have ideas for more, or how we should change them to be even more inclusive.
Thanks everybody!
what ballin’ posters!
^^
GREAT INFORMATION! Great design and great inclusion. I don’t think there’s anything I can suggest, except maybe put them up at my university XD
…
Actually, can I print them off and put them up at my university?
Ohhh Jacq these are wonderful. I totally love how it also says that before assuming anything always check with the individual and their identity at the top, but these are great for people who really aren’t informed passed mainstream gay rights.
Love,
Taylor
These are just fantastic. :D
I love these. Just to point out, the phobia suffix is seen as ableist because it trivialises people with real phobias and legitimises bigotry. Heterosexism and cissexism can replace homophobia and transphobia.
On a lighter note, wouldn’t it be a good idea to offer some kind of support for the queer child/friend? As the poster says, the chances are they’re going to suffer a lot of abuse and the suicide rates speak for themselves.
It reminds me of that mantra, acceptance is better than tolerance. That should include not just accepting that things are going to be hard but also that support structures are essential to combat that fact. But maybe that’s a whole other poster…
*bisexuality is not necessarily attraction to both “binary” genders and doesn’t reinforce the gender binary. Bisexual simply means attraction to at least two gender presentations and (usually) sexual organ variances, and colloquially often just means non-monosexual.The assumption that it reinforces the sexual binary is pretty shitty, and if we’re gonna get into that, wouldn’t being definitively gay or lesbian do that as well? (I don’t think OP meant to pin that on or say that about bisexuality at all, but I do see it being blamed on it a lot and it’s jut not accurate.)
^ Signal boost, bisexuality is any two genders.
Using male and female to describe the binary genders is also confusing, since intersex is later defined as ‘a person whose biological sex cannot be clearly classified as male or female’. I think that encourages ciscentrism and gender essentialism (even though cissexism issues are also discussed).
not only are these posters awesome, but these comments are awesome, too.
These are amazing. Love them.
The Toronto Star: Michael Woods: Gay students endure ‘cycle of hate’ in schools
Hubley’s death is drawing renewed attention to what experts say is the largest failure gripping Canadian schools: their inability to create a safe environment for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered) students. The problems lie in curriculums that ignore gay people, teachers inadequately trained to deal with homophobic bullying, and a lack of support for those who try to address the problem.
Egale Canada, a group fighting for equality for gays and lesbians, released a nationwide study in May exploring homophobia in schools — the first of its kind. It found two-thirds of LGBT youth don’t feel safe in school. One-fifth of them experience physical harassment or assault at school because of their sexuality. Half of all students surveyed said they hear homophobic slurs at least once a day.
Thanksgiving for queers
Thanks to #lgbt #queer #trans advocates for all that they do and have done to improve life for people everywhere! #thanksgiving #imthankful
Let’s not forget about people in rural areas, towns, and big cities, Uganda and Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, among many other places, where people who are queer or trans* face threats daily as National Coming Out Week starts.
LGBT Laughs: Gender queer through the eyes of a child
Submitted by seitanworshiper
To preface, I should probably say that I’m (a cis-female) gender queer and view gender as a fluid spectrum. When I wish to portray myself as (stereotypically) male/female, I do so and I like the pronoun usage to match my portrayal. Generally I attempt androgyny and…
Why LGBT History Is Important by David Mixner
An enormous amount of energy went into Governor Jerry Brown’s office in California surrounding legislation insisting that the LGBT community’s struggle and history be included in text books and class room discussion. Happily, it was announced late Thursday that Brown had signed the FAIR Education Act (SB 48, Leno) into law. Congratulations to all involved in this great success, especially Senator Mark Leno, who authored the bill, and Governor Brown whose signature made the bill a reality.
A friend of mine today said he didn’t understand why it was so important and shouldn’t we just be included with everyone else. Well, he is right on the second point, we absolutely should be included with everyone else in the text books. And as to his first point, nothing could be more important.
There are many ways to kill people and one of the ways is to pretend that they never existed at all. Remove all traces of their journey and hope no one discovers their story. Often the issue of self-esteem among young LGBT citizens stems from the fact that they think our common denominator is just sexually based. They have no idea of their noble, proud and heroic traditions and actions of their pioneers.
LGBT history is filled with dramatic courage, dignity and determination and innovative and extraordinary leaders.
Unlike other communities that have struggled to preserve and create awareness about their history, we have seen systematic attempts to destroy and distort our journey. When we lost so many of our storytellers from AIDS, their surviving family members usually destroyed any trace that their family member was a LGBT citizen or had AIDS. Tens of thousands of stories of courage and heroism were lost. Boxes upon boxes of historical documents were burned. The shame of the families about their LGBT son or daughter made it even more difficult to keep our history intact.
In addition, we have organized groups now attempting to quash any positive role models, stories or epic struggles by this community. Some have linked us to Nazis and others insist we are nothing but pedophiles. Any positive portrayal of a community whose history is rich and full would threaten those lies.
If you feel like you have come out of nothing then you might feel you are nothing. If you think only sex is the basis of our journey then you will miss the remarkable stories that define this community as one of heroes, heroines and a very proud people.
The Advocate: Diane Anderson-Minshall: The New Republic Takes on Trans Issues
Coming on the heels a slew of LGBT victories like “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal and marriage equality in New York, The New Republic magazine made a bold statement with its current issue’s cover story, “Welcome to America’s Next Great Civil Rights Struggle.” Even better, it focuses squarely on the rights of the segment of the LGBT population most often overlooked. In the story about the movement for transgender rights in the U.S., author Eliza Gray asks what it will take for America to accept transgender people for who they really are. The New Republic relies heavily on data from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and its facts are alarming: “In a recent study of transgender students, nearly half said they’d been ‘punched, kicked, or injured with a weapon’ at least once in the last year. And, on average, a transgender person is murdered because of their identity every month. … More than a quarter of transgender people surveyed say they have lost a job because of discrimination. Transgender people are more likely to become homeless.”
Trans protections in Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy, has signed into law a bill protecting transgender people from discrimination. Connecticut is the 15th state with such a law.
From the Advocate:
The far-reaching legislation goes into effect on October 1; it will protect transgender people in matters of employment, housing, public accommodations, credit and all other laws under the jurisdiction of the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. Republican politicians unsuccessfully attempted to exempt restrooms, locker rooms, and boardinghouses from the law.
Woohoo!
"Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives" (1977)
I downloaded this movie a few weeks back and am just starting to watch it now.
The following are two of the plot summaries on IMDb for “Word Is Out”:
More than two dozen men and women of various backgrounds, ages, and races talk to the camera about being gay or lesbian. Their stories are arranged in loose chronology: early years, fitting in (which for some meant marriage), coming out, establishing adult identities, and reflecting on how things have changed and how things should be. Some speak as couples and some as individuals. One lost her children in a custody decision, one was dishonorably discharged from the US Army, two were sent to insane asylums. Each sees social progress as he or she looks back; all are reflective. News footage and a few vocal performances provide breaks as topics shift.
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Twenty-six American homosexuals of various ages and backgrounds are interviewed, they who speak candidly about their sexual orientation in this era just a few years after the initial gay liberation at Stonewall. They speak of when they first knew of their sexual orientation and what that actually meant to them during a time when there were few open outlets or supports for homosexuals in American society. Some speak of the added pressures if the acknowledgment of being a homosexual was during one’s growing up period, when there are enough pressures from growing up in and of itself. They also speak of the period of coming out - for some, this process being involuntary - with many who were treated as having a mental disorder and the resulting fear or anger associated with the treatment. Into their out period, they needed to figure out where in society they fit, whether it be in relation to their partner, to friends or society in general. To each individual or group, these roles could be totally different. They speculate on their future as homosexuals based on their experiences and the state of homosexual acceptance in American society.
