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Preparing my Geology test on Tuesday!

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Ask.fm Questions

"When did you find out you were gay?"

Um, I got my letter in the mail... NO. It's not like it was something that I was waiting for and eagerly awaiting its arrival. I realized I was gay when I fell in love with my first girlfriend, because that's what it takes sometimes - another person. It was a bit confusing because I didn't understand exactly what I was feeling, but luckily I had someone who was very patient and showed me that it was all okay and I was able to accept myself.

"Why do all lesbians dress like men?"

We don't. I don't ever dress like a man and my ex-girlfriend rarely did. We are both very feminine - and that's okay! I see lots of girls that do and do not dress masculine and they can still classify as a lesbian. It's a terrible stereotype that is completely false.

"How old were you when you had your first girlfriend?"

I was 17 and we were together for 2 years.

"Who is your current crush? Is it someone you know? Do they know?"

Ahh I do have a current crush but I am not going to say! It is someone I know and have actually met (so not a celebrity crush) but I'm not giving out her name. I'm blushing right now.

"What do you tell people when they say you haven't had good dick yet?"

Okay, first of all, I hate the word "dick". It's not okay. And secondly I think they really lack knowledge in terms of the LGBT community. It's just not something I have ever desired and don't desire to this day. I find penis to be disgusting and I really would prefer to never come into contact with one. Yes I have seen one before and yes it was disgusting. No penis. I'm a lesbian.

Those are all the questions for this week! If you have any more please go to my ask.fm and I will answer some more for you :)

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Trying to study, but even with the rainbow and the equality stickers I still can't seem to focus!

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Sarasota Pride 2014!

Of course I volunteered with Equality Florida! Don't even bother asking that question.

I had a great time! The people who work with Equality Florida are all so kind and I truly enjoy being around all of them! They have big hearts and great personalities and I'm upset it will be a while before I see some of them again. I love Equality Florida and all the amazing things they do for me and my fellow LGBTQ+ Floridians.

I was at the EQFL booth the entire time (6 hours) and I had fun again! I love that I get to have fun while volunteering! I got to talk to people, hang out, have ice cream, and enjoy lovely weather/fresh air. I needed these two pride events for my sanity and vacation time. School has me on a tight schedule and locked away in rooms all the time so being outdoors and making new friendships is just what I needed.

And I don't volunteer just for community service hours. I don't need any. What I need is to be surrounded with the LGBT community every once in a while and leave my worries and stress behind. I need the opportunity to be myself and make new friends and that's exactly what I get out of working with EQFL. It's also eye-opening to see all the signatures we get each event from people who support marriage equality. People are so supportive of equality and they also have such interesting stories of their own to share! I love all of it. It's an experience and a great time for me and I would never see it as 'work' because it's just fun. 

I also volunteer because I get to see Connie. #sorrynotsorry

Even though I have injured feet right now, I still did a few flips at Pride anyway. Here are some pics from my fabulous time!

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Here’s The Map Of What Marriage Equality Looks Like In The U.S. Today

** AS OF 3:45 P.M ET

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"Which one of you is the man?"

I used to get asked this question all the time when I first was coming out to everyone and I had my first girlfriend. Questions like "Who wears the pants?" and "Which one of you is the man?" happened all the time. At first I would not know how to answer the question, but now I do, and I think I can answer for the rest of the lesbian community.

Neither one of us is the man! That's kind of the whole point. If we wanted one of us to be the man, don't you think we could've taken the easy way out and found a man? We could have! But we have seeked out another girl and neither one of us wants the other to be the man! Let me show you how Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term 'lesbian' - maybe this will help you understand.

Lesbian (n): A woman who is sexually attracted to other women; a homosexual female

Homosexual. Other women. Are you understanding now? Yes, one of us may look more masculine than other females but that does not mean she is the "man" in the relationship. You cannot define/judge her based off of what she wears. There is no man in the relationship!

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Drag Queen Confronts Anti-Gay Protestors at Pride Parade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjbfI809wNE

"...the bible to spew their hate when actually they, if they followed by all the teachings of this book that they use to hate, they themselves are sinners! They are wearing cotton poly-blend! That is an abomination! Did you kill your daughters if they had sex out of wedlock? Do you sleep with your wife if she happens to have that time of the month? You're not even allowed to share the bed with her! Should we stone you for that? Why don't you read your own book and actually follow the teachings to the letter of God, and learn to support and love! You need to drop the hate! You are a sad, sad excuse for a human being! Once you learn to drop the hate, you too can find happiness, because we will welcome you with open arms if you learn to open your mind. Not today Satan, NOT TODAY!

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LGBT Spirit Day & Reparative Therapy

So happy LGBT Spirit Day everyone! I hope you all remembered to wear purple (or if you don't have purple, are thinking about it) to stand up against bullying. 

So today I want to address the topic of "conversion" or "reparative" therapy. I have heard several LGBT people tell me that their families/communities have sent them to such therapies to "fix" their sexual orientation. One of the most well-known, if not the most well known organization that took part in this therapy was Exodus International, which closed its doors in 2013 after it realized how silly they were being.

There are some funny things I read about this organization in the books I read when I took a break from studying. It has to do with the actual members of the organization and some pretty hilarious plot twists. This is for all of you who are twisted enough to think that conversion therapy works.

1979: One of the cofounders, Michael Bussee, left the organization to live with another cofounder, Gary Cooper. They had had a commitment ceremony in 1982. 

2000: John Paul, the chair, was removed from his position after being spotted drinking and flirting in a gay bar in D.C.

Hilarious? I think so. And one last thing from FORMER PRESIDENT Alan Chambers: "There [is] no cure for homosexuality and reparative therapy offers false hopes to gays and could even be harmful." So there. Homosexuality is not a disease, and there is no cure, nor will there ever be. Reparative therapy DOES NOT WORK.

There really is no evidence out there that reparative therapy works, nor is there any case in which it has been proven to "cure" someone. I'm really glad that we can all see that. And if you need a little bit more convincing (in the case you are an oblivious moron), these are words from another well-known reparative therapy organization's former executive director John Smid:

"I never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual." 

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Took a break from my studying/homework last night to enjoy some good reads. I look forward to sharing some great information with you all! Also, lots of good things are coming - new people, new stories, and another pride event this Saturday!

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If you all are able to go to this, go! Jazz is a very inspiring young woman and she has a great story. Go check it out on YouTube! I would love to meet Jazz!

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Labels

So when I meet people and they find out I had a girlfriend, they will say, "So, you're a lesbian?" I'm sure you don't mean any harm, but some of us really don't like labels.

I am a variety of things, and if you put me into this little box marked lesbian, you're placing a limit on me. I'm limitless, okay? Everyone is. I will identify as a lesbian if you ask me that, but I prefer if you just let me be Allison and have a good day.

Feelings change a million times a day, and it's pretty impossible to label someone as one thing because we humans are so complex. Sometimes you can't even label someone as a male or female because that gets complicated, too! Some humans have male genitalia but female parts on the inside and vice versa! It's incredible how we all are made and how we work. You can't label people.

There are so many stereotypes that come with labels, too, and I really don't appreciate that - no one does. Here are some LGBT labels that come with nasty stereotypes.

Lesbian: The word dyke - no, just no. We are not all athletic, some of us are pretty girly (like me) and that is perfectly okay - "But you don't look like a lesbian" makes me want to feed you to the campus squirrels. What the hell does a gay person look like? And another one - we are not lesbians to get men's attention. Just stop.

Gay: "That's so gay" - I already posted about this. Don't go there. Second, not all gay men are extremely fashionable. Some of them are, yes, but some gay men are quite masculine. Like I said, do not tell someone they don't look gay. Third, not every gay guy has some type of spiritual connection with a woman who loves shopping. Not all of them want to be your gay BFF. So chill.

Bisexual: No, they are not 'confused' and no it is not 'just a phase'. Some people like both genders. More options for them. Great. They are not greedy people and they CAN be satisfied with whoever they choose to lay in bed with at night. But if you want to see a violent bisexual, tell the they are going through a phase and send me a postcard from the hospital. You're gonna get punched in the throat.

So quit labeling people! If we all wanted to be labeled, we wouldn't have feelings that change and we wouldn't be curious or we wouldn't want to experiment! Leave people alone and throw away whatever labels you would like to place on anyone. I'm Allison, and that comes with a variety of fun things. I'll continue doing my thing now, thanks.

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WCW Ft. Connie Siu

My first Woman Crush Wednesday is going to Connie because she is so freaking awesome. She’s one of those people that, if the world was full of people like her, would make peace with everyone and there would be no wars and no inequality anywhere. But unfortunately that isn’t so and that’s why this world is so messed up.

ANYWAY, I met Connie this past weekend at Come Out With Pride for the first time and I was touched my how kind she was! While I was canvassing, she would come over and talk to me to make sure I was having fun! I can’t get over that - I don’t recall ever volunteering for someone and them checking up to see if I was having a good time. And I’ve volunteered a lot. She was genuinely happy that I was happy and excited and all the other wonderful feelings I was having because I was at pride.

I’m sure most of you have heard the quote "Beauty comes from within." Connie is probably the reason this quote came into existence in the first place. Besides the word incredible, the only other word that would properly describe Connie’s heart and personality is beautiful! She is full of so many wonderful things and she just shines! Everyone that met her at pride enjoyed her presence.. She made the pride experience better for everyone there. And of course, Connie is beautiful on the outside too :)

If you all have ever done any canvassing or even tried to sell anything to anyone, you like to push that product/thing on the other person right? That’s the only way to get them to buy into what you’re saying? I mean, that’s what I had been taught in the past but Connie taught me a completely different approach that works so much better. Not one time did she ever tell me or any volunteer to get in people’s faces or follow them or anything like that. If people said no to what we were saying, she made it clear that we smile at them and tell them to have a good day! It’s incredible how well she approaches these situations without attacking anyone.. She’s smart and very, very good at what she does! Equality Florida should feel blessed to have her because I know no one could do the job better than her!

I truly hope that you all get to meet Connie one day and hopefully get to volunteer with Equality Florida. They are always pushing for good things and they have plenty of ways to get involved. Here is their website: www.eqfl.org . Go check it out!

Connie, I am so thankful that you are out there fighting for my rights, and your rights, and every other LGBT Floridian’s rights. We can’t all thank you, but I am eternally grateful for all the hard work you put forth for equality and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

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Lucy Hale, A.K.A. Aria Montgomery from Pretty Little Liars (and one of my top woman crushes!) is going to be sporting purple this Thursday, October 16 for LGBT spirit day! You should do the same!

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Does homosexuality still look like a disease to you? Only the most fabulous get to identify as something so wonderful! I got 99 problems but my pride ain't one.

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I am officially Safe Zone certified!

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So for any/all of you that have questions about LGBT issues that you may want to ask anonymously or would like to know more about, post them here! I will answer them either here on my blog, or on ask.fm, or both! I want to know what you are curious about and I want to makes sure we all have our facts straight!

Did you see what I did there? Punny, I know!

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Gay Manipulation

Someone told me that I tried to manipulate them to be gay. There are numerous problems with this statement.

First of all, a guy told me this. If I would ever try to “manipulate someone to be gay” which is not possible and I would never do, it would be a female whom I was attracted to. But you can’t just manipulate someone into being gay. You don’t invite people to be gay. You can invite people to become an ally/join an LGBT organization, but you cannot invite people to be gay. Gayness does not rub off onto other people. Homosexuality is not a disease (despite what you hypocritical Christians and homophobes say). It is a lifestyle. And it’s an awesome one.

Which leads into the second issue: being gay is not something you can choose. Like Mary Lambert says, “I can’t change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to.” I’m not going to wake up one day and just choose not to be gay anymore. Unfortunately, there are a lot of gay people that wish this was the case because of the hate crimes and the bullying, but it’s still not possible. Yes, we are born this way. I was one of the lucky ones to be born this way, and no amount of therapy or readings or preachings, etc. will make me any different.

So for all you Christians who stand outside of Pride events and festivals saying that “Homo is sin” and we are going to hell for turning our backs against God, please know that you are doing a horrible job of trying to get us to “find Jesus.” If Jesus is as much of a judgmental asshole as you are, then I don’t want to know what he has to offer. Even though I struggle with religion, I’m pretty sure that Jesus loves every single one of us. That does include the lesbians, the gays, the transgender people - everyone that roams this Earth. If you want me to buy into what you’re saying and listen to your views, quit spewing hate at me and show some love. Homo is not sin, homo is in! This is 2014. 

While we are on the topic of gay manipulation, I think that I should also address the same-sex friendship issue. For some reason, when a girl/guy tells their same-sex friend that they are a lesbian/gay, this friend sometimes freaks out and thinks that there is now some type of sexual attraction between the LGBT individual and said friend. This is not the case! I mean, sometimes it may be, but all the person wants is for the support of their peers. Be that person for them! Their homosexuality is not going to rub off on you! They will find partners of their own, but they want your friendship. Gay friends are fabulous friends. I would know, because I’m that gay friend!

So if we can all just chill and realize that homosexuality and the flu do not fall under the same category, that would be great. I’m not going to ever infect you with homosexuality, okay? I have a very long list of woman crushes of my own that are not my best friends. But yes, Woman Crush Wednesday definitely takes new meaning for us lesbians sometimes (Selena Gomez, if you’re reading this, hey girl). 

Just let us do our thing! Be our friend because we all need a support system for the gay times and the sad times.