mightbedamian

[mightbedamian]

Dear female porn blogs

I appreciate that you like the stuff that I post. But I do have a few concerns about you following me. 1. I haven’t posted anything in a month or so. 2. What I post is really, really, really different from what you post: I post guys, you post girls/ladies. I post stuff everyone can view, you post porn. 3. What I don’t get is, why you don’t read my bio. It states there - very prominently - that I am gay. And that I am a guy. So why exactly do you expect me to follow you back? Anyway, if you are genuinely interested in what I do, head over to my wordpress and read some of my #TMIishTuesdays over there. Cheers, Damian

[mightbedamian]

Moving to Wordpress

Yo mighty people of the internet! If you’re missing today’s #TMishTuesday, you’re doing it right! :D I decided to move my text posts to Wordpress because - quite frankly - the Tumblr text editor sucks big time! It’s such a struggle to write in here, let alone copying from Word.  Long story short: I moved to Wordpress. Click this to read today’s #TMIishTuesday! It’s about the debate on same-sex marriage the German Bundestag held last week. Regarding the future of this account: I might post some pictures of guys every now and then (like I did before), but the text posts, will be over on my Wordpress. Hope to see you there!

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #62 - Dangerous CDU Dominance

Hey, In my last pre-intro I told you I was trying to keep the total score for my English C1 exam above the 90 % mark. Well, I got 27 out of 30 points for the oral part. Total score is something around 92 %. Crazy! So satisfied with it! Also: I got new glasses! Technically I could have picked them up today, but I was too f*cked off by the bad traffic (drive home lasted 45 minutes instead of the usual 25…) that I didn't do the extra detour. Might pick them up tomorrow. Oh, and I'm done with all exams. Next ones probably in September or so. Chill! Now hoping for satisfying results. Anyway, why are we here again? Right, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia had elections in the weekend - and the result is clear: The Christian Democrats will be in power in the most populous state for the next 5 years. At the same time, the two parties from the previous coalition, the Social Democrats and the Greens, massively dropped. Let's talk about why that may potentially be dangerous to LGBTQ+ folks and our democracy in general. Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #62 of #TMIishTuesday. If you're new, here's the reasoning behind my weekly #TMIishTuesday series. // Last week I gave you a review of the new album "Laune der Natur" by my favorite German band, Die Toten Hosen. If you like music or are interested in what music I like, read it. // Okay, let's dive right into it: The Christian Democrats (CDU) won the majority of votes in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. If you don't know me too well, you'd probably go: "So what?". And one might also think that when you don't care about politics. I'll show you why you should care. 1. The chancellor - Angela Merkel If you haven't been living under a rock (or on Mars) for the last 12 years, you'll know that Angela Merkel is our chancellor. Yepp, that girl who's cool with pretty much the entire world - except for their own party. Oh, and her "step-party" (if you want so), the Christian Social Union (CSU). And I'm not gonna lie, four years ago I liked her very much. Although she was of the party that I didn't quite like, she seemed very approachable and open for discussion. Well, let's just say, things changed. Granted, it's not only HER fault that the coalition - CDU, CSU, and the Social Democrats (SPD) - seems to have very opposing opinions on virtually ANY topic. But she certainly didn't try not to clash. And with some topics - especially regarding the handling of refugees - Merkel and CSU chairman, Horst Seehofer, did a pretty good job at working on both extremes. Merkel was the oh-so-friendly and oh-so-welcoming lady who pushed all of Europe to accept all refugees. I give her that: That was good! But: It was the exact opposite of what her own party, the CDU, wanted. And the CSU took it even further than most of the CDU. Mr. Seehofer wanted to close the borders. That was not the only situation that Merkel totally disagreed with her party - and actually took on a stance that the parties left of the CDU - SPD, the Greens, and the Left party - favored. With Seehofer still on the ultra-right side and Merkel on the left side of the political spectrum, that massively garnered the following of her and her party. People who previously voted for parties on the left spectrum felt that the CDU now also stood for their opinions. The traditional voters of the CDU had no other options, but to keep voting CDU, if they didn't want to vote for the populist AfD. The effect: More and more people voted for those AfD idiots and less and less people voted for the traditionally left parties. 2. The federal parliament - Bundestag In the 2013 election, roughly 42 % voted for the CDU/CSU. Still, with the Liberals (FDP) not making the 5 % election threshold, they couldn't continue the coalition. That led to a Grand Coalition between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. What sounded like an improvement at first sight (I definitely like the SPD better than the FDP), soon developed the typical Grand Coalition syndrome: Postponing any major decisions. Discussing about those decisions until forever and ever. And with the opposition being in SUCH a minority (80 % of the seats in parliament are held by the two parties in power), there barely is any opposition. And I don't mean the number - which is obvious. I mean the discussions, I mean voting on laws and regulations, I mean bringing up topics for discussion. I think I addressed the topic of the same-sex marriage laws before. 3. The federal council - Bundesrat // The Bundesrat is the institution responsible for enacting laws. Without the consent of the Bundesrat, no law passes. Therefore, it plays a vital role in our democratic system. The council consists of representatives of the federal states' governments. They send members of their government to discuss certain topics (and laws). Depending on the number of population, each state is entitled a certain number of representatives. In general: The larger the population of a state, the more representatives he sends to the Bundesrat. // As of now, the SPD is still the major power in the council. However, with both the elections in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia - the most populous state (aka. a very influential state when it comes to the Bundesrat) - won by the CDU, this might change. And with the gap between the two largest parties growing more and more (the CDU/CSU will hold ~35 % of the seats in the federal parliaments, the SPD ~28 % after the recently elected parliaments have been constituted), our country might become one dominated - even more - by one party. And - let's face it - it's not the most modern party. Long story short: I don't like the direction our country is going. I addressed the topic of AfD loads before. They already hold ~10 % of seats in federal parliaments - that's frightening! Luckily they are not involved in any government yet, hence they claim no seats in the Bundesrat cause they are not involved in any governments (yet?). But there's more to worry about: With the CSU turning from right more and more to ultra-right, with the CDU turning from rather right to right, and with Merkel turning from right to rather left, we have a situation in which one party is covering an entire spectrum - and is recognised for that. Over the long run this might get us back to long forgotten times with one party holding the majority vote. I don't like that. Especially when this party involves idiots who can preach far-right opinions (Seehofer, De Maiziere, Schäuble, the list goes on) without getting in too much trouble! With that being said: I feel that national politicians have never been further from granting us LGBTQ+ folks our well-deserved rights. Tomorrow the Bundestag will debate same-sex marriage again. For 30 minutes. No voting about it. Afterwards it's the summer break and we get an election. Wow! Well done, CDU! You certainly know how to make a fool out of the SPD! Remember that it was one the big goals for the Social Democrats to make it same-sex marriage happen? Look what has happened since. Okay, just read this. I summarised it for you. Anyway, what I wanted to say is: Dear members of the Bundestag, you already messed up badly. You better work towards equality. Soon! This is probably the last chance we get in a long time - with a majority of parliament being "left": SPD, Greens and Left party. GO FOR IT! NOW! Right, so far my concerns. Let's hope we get a brighter future. Now let me know what you think of current political situation in Germany? Do you like it the way it is? Also: Were you allowed to vote in the elections? Or would you, if you could? Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? I usually don't promote brands too much on here. But: Ben & Jerry's, made a special branding for their ice creams, in support of same-sex marriage. And I just think that is super awesome! Spreading awareness for the topic is the best way to deal with it. And one way to do it, is by making specially branded ice cream. Yes, Ben & Jerry's is still really expensive stuff, but Yes, I Dough like that campaign! (see what I did there? Good!) I heard about them being LGBTQ+ positive before and this just fits their concepts 100 %. Thanks for being awesome! (for the record: #notsponsered) As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - TMIishTuesday #56: The Social Democrats are a lie! - On the discussion of same-sex marriage in Germany: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/159196102114/tmiishtuesday-56-the-social-democrats-are-a - Queer Shoutout: Ben & Jerry's: "Verliebt, verlobt, verpartnert? Klingt doof? - Ist es auch!": http://www.benjerry.de/blog/unser-ja-habt-ihr

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/160485106750/tmiishtuesday-61-laune-der-natur - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on politics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/mightbeserious - More very cool stuff: https://twitter.com/MightBeDamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

[mightbedamian]

cutest thing ever!

when your boyfriend asks you to homecoming in one of the most romantic ways possible

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #61 - Laune der Natur

Hey,  First off: 64 % turnout in the election in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Well done, Northerns! Also: Shame that the AfD made it into parliament, but at least they "only" got 5.9 %. Second: Well done, France, too! Even though Emmanuel Macron has his questionable thoughts, I 100 % prefer him over Ms. LePen. Let's see what France will look like with him in the driving seat. On my personal life: I don't remember, if I told you that I am doing an English language exam to get written proof of my skills. It's on level C1 of the European CERT framework. Well, for the written part that I did in April, I scored… erm… 93 %!? I still don't get how, but you know… Not gonna complain… :D Oral exam this Thursday. Technically I have passed the entire thing already, but I'll try to keep the total score over the 90 % mark. Just for fun. :D On my internet life: I discovered more of the wonderful work of German YouTuber skate702. I had watched his Minecraft Sky and vlogging videos already - and really liked it. And in the last week of April I gave his Watch Dogs 2 videos a chance, too. Didn't have a clue about the game, but digging the story! The main character is a hacker, trying to help humankind in rather dubious ways. It's really fun to watch - especially when you have an IT graduate like skate playing and commenting. Apparently, the story is not too far off the reality. Anyway, if you want to check his videos, click right here. On with what we are here for: Music. Dropped last Friday. Bibi's new song. Hahaha. No! I haven't even listened to it. I've read two trillion comments about it. Not a single one was positive. That told me I didn't need to listen to it. Especially, when my favorite band dropped their new album the same day (and the Drama Help Line aka. DHL actually delivered it on time for once). Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #61 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I discussed why it is important to make use your voting power. How it helps the democracy we live in. And what might happen, if we don't use it. Check it out, if you haven't. Especially, if you are among those, who may vote in the election in North Rhine-Westphalia upcoming Sunday. // Okay, I still haven't told you what exactly you can expect from this post. A little bit of an review of the new album of Die Toten Hosen, Laune der Natur. And I will try to not make any comments on the Bibi song that was released the same day. I promise. I'll go one by one - song by song - and then give an overall rating for the album, okay? 1. Urknall ("Big Bang") Very strong beginning. First thing of the first song of the album: counting 1-2-3-4 and a piece with loads of rock-y guitar riffs and drums. Me gusta! The song starts by saying "the manager is dead" - which is true. The guy who discovered the band back in 1982 and became their manager, Jochen Hülder, died of stomach cancer two years ago. For the rest the song describes the clash between what band life was like in the beginning and what it could be like now they are famous: They want to go back to the big bang, the beginning. Sound: 8/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 8/10 2. Alles mit nach Hause ("Everything home with me") A softer song to follow the bang-y beginning. Dominant drum beat - rather soft guitars. To be honest: Not the most special beat, quite pop, not too much rock - despite a little reluctant guitar solo. Content: Reflecting on where his career has brought lead singer Campino: Rome, Ibiza, Paris, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Liverpool - but it still feels like he is not satisfied. He takes everything home with him, but it still sounds not too happy when he talks about his "prey". It's a dilemma. Sound: 7/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 6/10 3. Wannsee ("Wannsee") A song I don't know what to think of. Really, really, REALLY catchy chorus ("Wannsee, Wannsee, wann seh ich dich endlich wieder?"), but the music really doesn't convince me… Little too slow, little too much of a "let's make this sound strange". Little too… idk! The music is not my thing. Plus I've never been a fan of the Wannsee. The song describes the life in the Wannsee area, a rather rich suburb of Berlin and how they want to go there again - but at the same time miss their hometown, Dusseldorf. This might also be considered a homage to another German band, Die Ärzte. They wrote a song called Westerland which starts by "Jeden Tag sitz ich am Wannsee". While the Berlin band wishes to be at the North Sea coast (the island of Sylt), the one from Dusseldorf wants to be in Berlin - at the Wannsee. Sound: 3/10 Lyrics: 5/10 Total: 4/10 4. Unter den Wolken ("Below the clouds") The single released a few weeks before the album. Was not too excited about it when I first heard it in April. But the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Soft rock, if you want so. Lead guitar quite melodic, strong drum beat, louder chorus. Lyrics: Very cool! A homage to Reinhard Mey's Über den Wolken ("Above the clouds"). Mey sang about how cool it must be to fly over above the clouds and how that should be the goal of everyone: Reaching for freedom. Now Die Toten Hosen turn it around: They still strive for freedom, but you can't get on any planes cause they are grounded by the weather. Instead, we should try to build our own freedom down here. Fight for it. Really thought through, I like! Sound: 7/10 Lyrics: 9/10 Total: 8/10 5. Pop & Politik ("Pop & Politics") "Do you really think it's good to mix those things? Your naïve thoughts to pop and politics" - the first two lines of the song say what the song is about: People have told the band (and other punk bands,  too) that they shouldn't comment on the topics of pop and politics. The song is kind of a throwback to the 80s and 90s when the punk scene (including Die Toten Hosen) went for a totally different approach than their parents and the politicians in power. Everything described in this song ("shut your mouths!", "who needs your embarrassing songs?") actually was what the situation looked like. But the band - and the punk scene - kept going and told them off. Awesome lyrics! Music: The drum beat is ace, the background "oh-oh-oh"s are great, the guitars are on point. This is what perfection looks like! Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Total: 10/10 6. Laune der Natur ("Nature's Mood") A beat resembling folk songs. Very slow again. Not really my kinda beat. The lyrics are good though. About how both nature and other people are steered by a few who think they are God - and beyond. The album is named after this song. Not much more to say about it. Sound: 4/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 6/10 7. Energie ("Energy") The beginning of the song resembles Bibi's song for once. "Papapapapapa" and so on. But the difference is: With "Energie", you get a guitar riff that can compete with any other rock song. With Bibi's song… Okay, let's keep that out of here… Like that beat of Energie a lot! And you get that tiny bit of a guitar solo at the end. Lyrics: Very simple, very short. "Where does all this energy come from all of a sudden?" Sound: 9/10 Lyrics: 5/10 Total: 7/10 8. Alles passiert ("Everything happens") Very thoughtful sound. Acoustic guitar, calm voice. Drum later on, but on a small scale. Lyrics: A typical relationship drama - break-up mood - the understanding that "everything happens like it has to" - love is gone - staying friends wouldn't work - sadness about the break-up. Sound: 7/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 6/10 9. Die Schöne und das Biest ("Beauty and the Beast") The setting: Guy laying on bed, bleeding out of the belly. Lady laying next to him, holding a gun. While he's passing away, he reflects on their relationship - and his failure. Music-wise: Good one. Guitar intro that reminds me of the old Western-themed movies. Drums, some thoughtful piano jingling along at the important parts. A clear cut towards the chorus. Nice. Sound: 8/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 8/10 10. Eine Handvoll Erde ("A handful of dirt") Very thoughtful intro. Just a guitar being picked. Sounds like time is running out. Then the singing starts in low volume. For the chorus the full band joins in: Second guitar, bass, drums. Then back to only picking for the second verse. Then a piano filled musical sequence, then silence. Awesome sound design! And fitting the lyrics as well: The song describes the funeral of someone close and how their coffin is carried towards their grave. Thoughts about what should have been said before the passing-away and life after. The band dedicated this song to their manager, who passed away (the one mentioned in the first song: Urknall). What can I say? If there ever is a right way to say goodbye, this feels really right to me. Love this song! Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Total: 10/10 11. Wie viele Jahre (Hasta la muerte) ("How many years - to death") Big change from the last song! Rocking guitar riff to start with, heavy drum joining in, lyrics sang with a rather loud voice. Great composition! The song describes the changes the band has been through over the more than 30 years of their existence. It satirically compares three birthdays of their guitarist, Breiti: His 20th, his 40th and one of his recent ones. From very limited money to more money and the thrive to make the most of it and the realisation that exaggeration is not the way to go. This is illustrated by the setting of the parties and the gifts Breiti receives from his fellow band members: - location: from the band's run-down rehearsal room to a rather noble hotel room - gifts: two crates of the regional beer and a tiny bottle of liquor; two crates of champagne and a tiny bottle of liquor; and finally for his last one: two crates of organic snack bars - Breiti's body doesn't tolerate anything else! Really, really fun way of telling the story of the changes that have happened over the years! And probably 100 % true as well. Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 15/10 Total: 13/10 Oops. 12. ICE nach Düsseldorf ("Intercity Express to Dusseldorf") Drum beat and a clanging guitar open that seems to not be 100 % on the beat. Cool! Lyrics: Wow! Who thought of this? :D They are rather pointless, but they 100 % fit the vibe the band sets: Everything Dusseldorf! It's their hometown and most of them still live there and love the city to pieces. The last concert of every tour they do, HAS to be "at home". And 30 years after their first concert - played beneath a bridge - they fill the giant Esprit Arena, to play in front of a mere 20k people. Anyway, back to the lyrics: The last wish of the singer is quite simple: Send his coffin with the Intercity Express - the fastest train in Germany - to Dusseldorf. But please give him his well-deserved window seat! Oh, and the last line tells us: He wants you to dodge his fare - again. Sound: 10/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Total: 10/10 13. Geisterhaus ("Haunted House") The picking guitar guy is back! And so is the soft voice of Campino. Description of the empty, abandoned house. The beat picks up for the chorus: How the house used to be. Explained very quickly, in just two lines. Back to soft sound for the next verse, then slowly picking up for a more extended chorus, describing how there once was hope for a love story. But it's gone. Break. Music picks up drastically for little instrumental intermezzo, before a last chorus gives us hope again - and leaves us with it. Great composition! Sound: 8/10 Lyrics: 8/10 Total: 9/10 14. Lass los ("Let go") Fast guitar sound, fast vocals, fast drums. Sound picking up more and more towards the chorus. Lyrics: Letting go. Wow, who would have expected, right? A story of a broken love. And how both of them can't let go. A theme that Campino likes a lot, it seems. It is present on pretty much every album of the band with one or a few songs. Promise in this case: Let us love each other one last time, before we end this in friendship. Even though we know it won't work. Sound: 9/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 8/10 15. Kein Grund zur Traurigkeit ("No reason to be sad") Very interesting song. Cause it was not written by any of the band members. It's former drummer Wölli, who composed it. Wölli passed away from kidney cancer a year ago. He sings the song as well. The band retrieved his voice track from the original song and put their own instrumentals in it, along with Campino singing the chorus. The song is about desire and that it should be the reason for sadness. Sung by Wölli with his rough voice over the gentle sounds of an accompanying guitar, it makes for a great composition and is an awesome way for the band to say goodbye to Wölli who played the drums in the band from 1986 to 1999. He was part of the composition of songs such as Hier kommt Alex, Sascha… ein aufrechter Deutscher, Wünsch dir was, Nichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit, Paradies, Bonnie & Clyde, 10 kleine Jägermeister. Sound: 5/10 Lyrics: 6/10 Total: 5/10 How do I end this now? With an overall rating? Hard to do! But I'll try anyway. A solid album with a lot of serious songs. The we-only-care-about-fun songs from the 80s and the first half of the 90s are long gone, more thoughtful songs is the way to go for the band. And it works. Ageing, politics, dealing with the passing-away of two loved ones (manager and former drummer) - difficult topics. Still, there's enough room for the fun songs. Musically, the rock parts are there. However, compared to earlier albums (also the last album, Ballast der Republik, released 2012), it's not as present. It sounds much softer, going towards mainstream pop for some songs even. Look at Unter den Wolken, which was released as a single already, look at Wannsee, look at Laune der Natur. That's your perfect WDR2 radio song. And that's something I don't quite like. Yes, I LOVE it when my favorite artists are played on the radio. But there's just too much of a turn-around to fit in more. To be more mainstream-successful. That's my impression, at least. I miss the early 2000s when there still was mainly rock on the band's albums (Auswärtsspiel and Zurück zum Glück). Nonetheless, there are a lot of songs, I really like. Especially the funny ones toward the end of the album (Wie viele Jahre, ICE nach Düsseldorf), but also the more thoughtful Eine Handvoll Erde and Pop & Politik. Three favorite songs, you say? Difficult! But, okay, I'll try: 1. Wie viele Jahre (Hasta la muerte) 2. Pop & Politik 3. Handvoll Erde TL;DR: Sorry, I can't summarise this! You have to read it all! :P If you're interested in getting the album, click this. Oh, and remember to vote on Sunday! Now let me know what you think of Die Toten Hosen? Do you know the band? And if so, what do you think about the album (or the Unter den Wolken single, if you don't have the album)? Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? It's time for a simple tweet again. A tweet which is basically a little piece of a newspaper, a birth announcement. And it's the single cutest and most beautiful thing I've ever seen! The parents of this guy are ACE! I'm not gonna spoil anything. It's too good to spoil. But that much: It's queer. Check it! As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - skate702: youtube.com/skate702 - Philipp Oehmke: Zum Tod Jochen Hülders: Der Mann, der die Hosen groß machte: http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/die-toten-hosen-manager-jochen-huelder-gestorben-a-1013276.html - Get the album: https://smile.amazon.de/dp/B06XJ85SZJ - Queer Shoutout: https://twitter.com/Lamptopus/status/859870117626347520

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/160235699317/tmiishtuesday-60-make-a-democracy-a-democracy - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on music topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/music  - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

[mightbedamian]

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #60 - Make a democracy a democracy!

Hey, This is a very important topic. Please keep reading - and most importantly: Go, use your vote! Be it upcoming Sunday, the Sunday after or any time later. Thanks! Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #60 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I discussed bisexuality and the stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the topic. Check it out, once you're done reading this. :) // Within the next two weeks we have two elections coming up in Germany. Both are elections for state parliaments - those of the Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia. Given the latest events in countries like the UK (Brexit), the US (The Trumpet), and France (Le Pen), it is even more important that you - you reading this - make use of your vote! Ever heard of the AfD? Let me give you a little bit of a break-down as to what happened in the elections mentioned above and then move on to the situation in Germany - and why I think we have some scaring tendencies here. 1. The UK, aka. "we want to leave the EU so badly!" - 23 June 2016 For the past few years there had been more and more public voices who felt the UK was not treated properly by the European Union (EU) - especially with regard to the migration situation (aka. the refugees coming into the EU being distributed equally among the member states). After a years-long debate, Prime Minister David Cameron kept a promise from his 2015 election campaign and held a referendum about a possible move of the UK to leave the EU. The weeks before the two campaigns were picking up speed and the closer the referendum came, the closer the parties were. In the end, it was a very close race, but Cameron's campaign to stay in the EU was not successful. It got 48 % of the votes. Which in turn meant that the UK has officially started talks to negotiate the terms of their leave. Also, as you probably know, the leave voters had a significantly higher average age than those who voted to stay in the Union. I already posted @glenrules's tweet back then in my an general update post on my life, but it's just ridiculous. And his caption "Ever been fucked by a pensioner before ? You have now." is just spot on! The younger population - and Scotland and the city of London - showed a high percentage of stay voters. Why do I tell you this story? You probably know all of the things I just told you. Well, the leave campaign got a mere 1.3 million votes more. With nearly 18 million people, who could have voted, but didn't. 35 % of those, who were allowed to vote in the referendum, didn't. But surely they joined in with the incredible vocal "this was not a fair referendum" shouts. I don't see how it was not fair. You knew the facts. You knew it would cost the UK millions every year to leave the EU. You knew your relationship towards the EU would change. You couldn't expect that you were allowed all the benefits at no costs. What would have worked: Preparing yourself well enough before the vote, checking both opinions, and finally: actually voting. Take-away: Go, use your voice! Vote! 2. The US, aka. "God bless this mofo!" - 8 November 2016 Elections in the US are quite a happening. Still, all the "Let's make America great again" and "Hillary for America" didn't quite get the people to the polling stations. Only 60 % of the voting eligible population actually used their power. And while Hillary Clinton got the popular vote (meaning she got more total votes), she still didn't become president. The American voting system is f*ed up!  No, the Trumpet became president. And we saw the same we saw with the Brexit vote: People shouting: "This is not fair! We need a re-run of the election!" Well, I have to give you that: To me it also feels unfair when the majority of people voted for Clinton, but they got the Trumpet as a president. :D But: That's how their election system works. And has been working for centuries. You can't say "it's unfair". You knew how it worked. What would have worked: Getting the remaining 40 % to vote. Changing the election system during the last election period. Fleeing the country. Okay, leaving the country is not funny. I shouldn't say that. But the first two: Definitely! 3. France, aka. "Let's switch the political situation completely!" - 23 April 2017 The latest election in France shows how sudden a change can come by. From two parties winning pretty much every electoral district to winning barely any in just five years. This again shows how agitated the whole political situation in Europe has been lately. Take-away: Don't let the right-wing parties take over! France, if you're reading this: Don't be silly! Don't hand the Èlysée Palace to Madame Le Pen just like that! Right, let's turn to Germany cause that's what we're here for. Looking at recent polls, we can expect the AfD well above the 5% threshold needed to claim seats in the Bundestag, the German national parliament. As if 9% of the German voting population were asleep for the last few years - or simply feel SO "invaded" (quote by Bernd - pardon, Björn - Höcke) by immigrants. A party built on hatred. A party that basically denies the Holocaust. Höcke, spokesperson of the AfD in the German state of Thuringia and chairman of the party in the state parliament, called the Holocaust memorial in Berlin a "memorial of shame". Wilhelm von Gottberg, another member of the party, once mentioned a "flaw of guilt" which clearly states he believes the Holocaust is nothing you should apologise for. Yepp, and I could mention lots and lots of other statements. But it's not the topic of today's post. I think I made my point here: The AfD is an ultra-right party. Some say calling them "nazis" would be too much. But, quite frankly: They are nothing short of the stuff the NPD preaches. And you call them nazis. As far as I am concerned: Only because the AfD doesn't have the N of "national socialism" incorporated, that doesn't make them any better. Aaaanyway. This post should be more about why you should vote. The first reason is stated above: Don't give those ultra-right idiots any more power. The more votes for other parties, the less their votes will weigh. As long as you don't vote for them, I don't care what you vote - it's completely up to you. And that's why we should be proud of how far we've come! We learned the lessons from the Third Reich: Anti-democratic behaviour leads to dictatorship. Sooner or later. As Cicero told us more than 2000 years ago. What a wise man! Why is democracy important you might ask? Cause who care when you only have one vote and there are 60 million others, who also do? Well, I have some answers for you. 1. Every vote counts the same. If you vote, you can be sure that your vote counts exactly the same as any other vote. We don't have the conditions of the empire times where only certain people were allowed to vote - and those of the noble and the clergy would count waaay more than those of the "common bourgeois". That's freaking important! 2. You are free in the party you vote for. You have the choice. You can decide between the 30+ parties that run for the election (granted, if we're talking Schleswig-Holstein, there are only 13 parties. And no one can tell you off for voting for that particular party. Take a look to Turkey to know how a situation would look like when you were not allowed to choose freely. Do I have to say any more? 3. It's fun! If you're young, that sounds ridiculous. I know that. But: Politics are fun! Developing an opinion on topics you have an interest in - and on those that are very important - is cool! Not only does it help you when you engage in discussion with friends, family or class mates - it also makes you realise some stuff you wouldn't have realised before. It makes you realise opportunities. Go, catch them! Also: It fills me with a lot of pride that I actually haven't missed a single opportunity to vote. National, state-wide, communal, European - I used them all. You do the same, please! Btw, did you know that you can also vote, when you know you won't be able to on the day itself? Just request postal vote. There are forms online for the respective elections. If you forgot, you still have some time left. For the election in Schleswig-Holstein upcoming Sunday, the deadline for requesting your postal vote is Friday, 5 May, 12.00. For North Rhine-Westphalia you have 6 hours longer. The deadline is Friday, 12 May, 18.00. Whatever way you use to vote, whatever party you choose to vote - do the same as 78 % of my Twitter followers and go, vote! I'll like you a little bit more then! Go, do it! Do you plan to vote? If so, why do you think it’s important? If no, what’s your reason? Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? Technically this isn't too much of a queer shoutout, but 1/3 is queer. That counts, right? It's just too fitting. Three wonderful videos on why voting is such an important part of a democracy. And why it's even more important in these times. Jodie Calussi gives you a little talk on the history of voting rights, Lisa Sophie talks about the difficulties of making decisions and help with finding the party that fits you best and Applewar's MasterJam and his friends created a lovely cover of Die Toten Hosen's song Willkommen in Deutschland to tell you that voting can keep those nasty AfD people off you. Check all those videos out. They deserve it! :) As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - glenrules’s tweet: https://twitter.com/glenrules/status/746228140792381444 - My post mentioning #Brexit last year: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/146622442867/tmi-ish-tuesday-16-wrap-up - Wikimedia graphic for the 2012 presidential elections in France: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2012_French_presidential_election_-_Second_round_-_Majority_vote_(Metropolitan_France,_communes).svg - Wikimedia graphic for the 2017 presidential elections in France: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%89lection_pr%C3%A9sidentielle_de_2017_par_d%C3%A9partement_T1.svg - Welt.de: SPD büßt noch mehr in Wählergunst ein: https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article164132054/SPD-buesst-noch-mehr-in-Waehlergunst-ein.html - Wikipedia: Election threshold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_threshold - Fabian Leber for tagesspiegel.de: Flüchtlingskrise: Die AfD drängt auf die Straße: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/fluechtlingskrise-die-afd-draengt-auf-die-strasse/12466360.html - Sidney Gennies for tagesspiegel.de: Nationalsozialismus: Die AfD provoziert am Holocaust-Gedenktag: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/nationalsozialismus-die-afd-provoziert-am-holocaust-gedenktag/19310794.html - Zeit.de: Wilhelm von Gottberg: AfD-Politiker lehnte Distanzierung von Holocaustzitat ab: http://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2017-03/wilhelm-von-gottberg-afd-holocaust-zitat-distanzierung - Wikipedia: De re publica: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_publica#Inhalt - NDR.de: 13 Parteien stehen in SH zur Wahl: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/13-Parteien-stehen-in-SH-zur-Wahl,landtagswahl1190.html - Poll among my Twitter followers: https://twitter.com/MightBeDamian/status/859146811486998529 - Jodie Calussi: Ihr wollt es.. | 80% Challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNIPuQMk4Y - Lisa Sophie: Wen soll ich bloß wählen? - Entscheidungskrisen | ItsColeslaw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEy1_80PqRw - MasterJam: Willkommen in Deutschland (Cover Musik Video “Die Toten Hosen”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru91LJ_R6e8 Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/159982754723/tmiishtuesday-59-bi-what-on-bisexuality - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on politics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/mightbeserious - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #59 - Bi-what? - On Bisexuality

Hey, After writing the last #TMIishTuesday I got sick. Maybe that serves to say that I'm sick of our society. Maybe it was just coincidence. Anyway, I'm recovered for the most part and ready to write the next one. Let's talk about bisexuality. Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #59 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I discussed my first ever poem in English: Society. It's about how society treats people and expects people to treat it. The discussion included several norms and the issues that I, personally, and other people have with those norms. If you haven't read it, do so now. I mean… Why not? :) // Bisexuality is a concept that most people will be familiar with. Still, many seem to not be able to relate to it. How can you love both boys and girls? How is that even possible? Would God want that to happen? These are some questions that might be raised when someone comes out as bisexual. Society loves to question everything that they don't know. And ASSUME about stuff they know nothing about (more on that in my previous two #TMIishTuesday's #selfpromo). People like to call out stereotypes on other people. Let's discuss some stereotypes I found are quite common about bisexual people: 1. "You like both genders, so it has to be SO MUCH EASIER to DATE for you!" Well… No? Even though it might seem that bisexual people do have a little more choice, they also have their preferences. Also: They might identify as "bisexual", but only be interested in sex with one gender - but prefer a romantic relationship with the other gender. Or they have only dated one gender, but could also imagine dating the other. 2. "You are WHORES! You F*CK EVERYONE you can find!" Well… No? The statement above is actually kind of the follow-up to what I said before. But it's simply not true. Bisexuals don't change their partners more frequently than people of any other sexual orientation. Regardless their gender or those of their partners. 3. "You have it so much EASIER than the rest of the LGBTQ+ community! YOU DON'T KNOW how it feels!" Well… No? The statements above might give you a little bit of an impression of the situation bisexuals find themselves in. Yes, they may "fit in" better, if they date the opposite gender. In this case, if they wanted to, they could hide their bisexuality from others. But: That's only when they date the opposite gender. Once they date the same gender they might be viewed as lesbian or gay - which doesn't give a correct account on their feelings, either. However, given the common misconception of "you can easily fit in, if you want to", bisexuals may not be as excepted in the LGBTQ+ community, as other members are. 4. "You can just CHOOSE which gender to DATE! You are so LUCKY!" Well… No? Building on what I just said, it's widely accepted that homosexuals can't choose which gender they want to fall in love with. And guess what? The same goes for bisexuals. They also need that certain "click" with people to fall for them. And we all know that doesn't happen too easily. Regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

5. Adding to the bisexual stereotypes, they also might face some gay or lesbian stereotypes - given that they (sometimes) date the same gender - including: "God doesn't approve of same-sex love! You'll go to hell, if you sleep with the same gender!" Summing up: The stereotypes against bisexuality, the misunderstanding and the ignorant "I don't like anyone different from me" (read with a very derisive voice) kinda of people are still around. Bisexuals still have to fear rejection by their loved ones. That it might ruin their career (the case of Aaron Hernandez is not proven, but there are assumptions that suggest that he killed a friend who was threatening to out the former American football professional. Apparently Hernandez thought the outing might set an end to his professional career. There is no doubt that murdering also ruined it, but that's a different story). All we can do is to fight stereotypes. Be proud. Be loud. Even, if you are not bi, tell people off who assume things about bi people or even make fun of them. That's your chance to be a good ally! If you are bi yourself, I'd LOVE to know your opinion on the topic! How do you perceive being bi in today's society? What needs to change? If you are not bi, I'd still like to know your thoughts on the topic. What needs to change? How would you support a bi friend? Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? Talking of bi people: I've been subscribed to German vlogger Lisa Sophie (known on YouTube as ItsColeslaw) for more than three years now. In September 2016, she made a video about an article of German teen magazine BRAVO. The article was about bisexuality and suggested that bisexuals per se have more than one sexual relationship at a time. I brought up that topic above as well. It's just not true. Lisa addressed this misconception, thereby revealing her sexuality. Community power really was strong this time: Lisa told her community to write an email to BRAVO to change the article. I participated - and got back an email a few days later: They changed the article. But I'm drifting off. This is the story of how Lisa had her coming out which I really admired. Half a year later, she released her first book: "Wie ich auf hörte, perfekt sein zu wollen. Ein Leitfaden zum Umgang mit peinlichen Situationen aller Art" (which translates to: "How I stopped wanting to be perfect. A guide to handle awkward situations of any kind"). The book is about her experiences growing up in a small town in Bavaria and includes everything from school, relationships, the drama about certain clothing - and also details about her first female partner. (I probably missed a lot of good stuff in this list, but these are some aspects) I really enjoyed her style of writing. It's written very light-heartedly. Inside jokes make it throughout the entire book. And just like in her videos, she brought her self-sarcasm to the book as well. Plus the book is autobiographical which makes it extra easy to follow. You can tell she didn't try to fake-lengthen the story. Really enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to anyone struggling with things like school and (especially long-distance) relationships - or just to have a laugh. As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - Dennis Klein for queer.de: Der Fall Aaron Hernandez: Wurde der NFL-Star zum Mörder, um seine Bisexualität zu verstecken? : http://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=28705 - Lisa Sophie aka. ItsColeslaw on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ItsColeslaw - Lisa’s video on the BRAVO article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ms42o4wllg - Lisa’s book: Wie ich aufhörte perfekt sein zu wollen. Ein Leitfaden zum Umgang mit peinlichen Situationen aller Art: https://smile.amazon.de/dp/3733503805/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493138858&sr=8-1&keywords=itscoleslaw+wie+ich+aufh%C3%B6rte+perfekt+sein+zu+wollen Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/159722748276/tmiishtuesday-58-re-a-poem-to-society - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on society topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/lgbtqplus - More #TMIishTuesdays on society topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/society - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

[mightbedamian]

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday - #58 - Re: A Poem to Society

Hey, Thanks for stopping by. Not much of an intro today. Hope you had a great Easter (if you celebrated). The following is a more in-depth discussion of the issues addressed in last week's #TMIishTuesday aka. A Poem to Society. Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #58 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I wrote my first ever poem in English: Society. It's about how society treats people and expects people to treat it. I'm rather proud of it, so if you haven't yet, please click the link above and check it out! // In the poem I addressed some of the topics that - according to me - need to be fixed with today's society. But I just touched on them, instead of really discussing them. That's what this post is for. Let's do this in a chronological order. Starting with the first verse. Norms, standards, rules. It's kinda what this whole poem is about. Because these are such important concepts. And whether you like it or not: They are set up by society and basically everyone is following them. That is quite powerful. If society were a single person, the Western world would probably take Kim Jong-un as an example. A dictator leading what us Westerns see as one big people who are not allowed to think for themselves. Someone who makes you believe that you - and only you - know what is good for you. Someone who you can't touch. Someone who is basically assuming a godlike position. But it doesn't stop there. Society enforces the norms, standards, rules set by itself. And it also does so in other societies. It expects them to adapt to its own norms. Disclaimer: There are probably exceptions from the following (which is awesome!), but from what I experience in my age group and older, it is like this: Germany has quite some population. More than 80 million. And then there are Austria and parts of Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg that also speak German. If I may cite Wikipedia for once, there are roughly 95 million native speakers of German and 10 to 35 million more studying it abroad. Fair enough.  But: Us Germans like to play god from time to time. We just go abroad and expect everyone else to be fluent in German. Doesn't sound like a clever idea? You're German yourself and it sounds very absurd and rude to you? Thank you! We need more people like you! But trust me: I've experienced it SO many times when I lived in the Netherlands just around the German border. Germans who take the weekend (or even more so: German bank holidays like Ascension Day) to go shopping in the Netherlands and ask for directions. No problem so far. But the problem starts exactly there: They don't know any Dutch. And they just approach people in German. And guess what? They don't even apologise! They just start talking German. And most of the time they are lucky. They find a person who speaks enough German to tell them the directions they need. Actually most of the people are probably quite fluent in German. The Netherlands being a rather small country, they KNOW they probably will need more than just Dutch and English, if they want to be set for their career. That's why they learn French and/or German from early on at school. And - in contrast to German schools - Dutch schools know how to teach languages. Dutch people are fluent in the language they took for 6 years. Why can't we do the same in Germany? Anyway, my initial point was that society thinks that they can push their expectations onto everyone and everything. Point proven by Germans approaching people in German when they are abroad. Fun fact: The German constitution dates back to 1949 (roughly 70 years ago). And even if it is quite outdated in parts, keep in mind that it is one of the newer constitutions. Take the British one. Its basic concept is still in place - after being established in 1688. Or the American one - set up 101 years later. Don't get me wrong: All of the mentioned constitutions hold great principles. But there is no doubt that they also hold some that are just outdated. Like I said in the poem: The spirit has changed. We know globalisation, we have lots of people travelling far distances. And human rights have drastically progressed towards a more open and tolerant society. Thank God they have! But there's still a lot of work to do regarding the constitutions! Even though there might not be many "riots" in the Western countries, there certainly is a feeling of inequality. Over the last few years minorities have started to notice that they are not treated equally and fought for it. Most of the time in peaceful protests, sometimes police had to take action. And these protests have achieved a lot! Yet there is still so much inequality in place. Equal pay has been a goal for centuries - and we are still not there. Each and every year we have the "equal pay day" which marks the date it took women to earn the same money it took men to earn the same in the previous year. In Germany it was 18 March this year. We need to fix this! Everyone should earn the same for doing the same job - regardless their gender, ethnicity or whatever else people discriminate based on. "Riots" are also there because government doesn't treat people equally. Take a look to the U.S. where people of color are afraid of getting beaten up by police. Simply for being black. Look at Turkey where Turkish and foreign journalists have to fear imprisonment. Simply for reporting on what is actually happening in Turkey. But Erdogan wants to hide that from the world. We can't tolerate that! YouTubers and other people posting on the internet are - with a few exceptions - part of the younger generation. Teens playing video games or filming their make-up routines, people in their twenties filming their adventures or talking about topics like society's misbehaviour. To them equality tends to matter more than to the older generations. Overall we see a frightening tendency of a "generation gap" in voting behaviour: The younger generation didn't want to Brexit. The younger generation didn't vote for Trump. The younger generation voted hayır (no) in the Turkish referendum. But the older generation is still in the majority. They decide on the fate of the younger ones. To quote a tweet on the Brexit decision by @glenrules (again): "Ever been fucked by a pensioner before? You have now." That is a problem! It happens over and over again. If we can't get our shit - also known as our society - together, we have a serious problem! I can already see the results of the German elections for parliament in September: The “Catholic Dowdy Union” (CDU) wins the elections (for the third time in a row) and the “Alternative fucks Da World” (AfD) becomes the third-strongest party. Demographics for voters of CDU: older than average Demographics for voters of AfD: male. What does that tell us? If you're male: Use your brain. If you're old... well... don't vote! :D Oh and most importantly: You reading this, Generation Internet: Use your power! If you are allowed to vote on 24 September, do so! To quote Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong: "Don't let those bastards dictate your life!" If you don't stand out, you'll just be a small drop of water in the ocean. But if you decide to fight for equality, if you speak up when inequality happens, or simply "break the norms" by dying your hair, you can be that splattering wave that makes for a beautiful photo. And people will see this photo and will admire you for standing out. Voice your concerns! Step up and tell people who are doing wrong! And most importantly: Don't forget to check yourself, too! When the older generations (and the media, thanks guys...) blame video games for shootings. When they tell us that "the internet is evil" (or virgin soil, like German chancellor Angela Merkel once did: "Das Internet ist für uns alle Neuland"). When they tell us that we would be hunted down, if we put too much TMI on the internet, well... have you ever been hunted down cause you posted a tweet from your toilet? Have you been dragged because you researched on the internet about a cool band you liked? Have you been the persecutor in a shooting because you played a game of Call of Duty? No? Congrats! You are part of the 99.99 % of the younger population! The older generations still need to figure that out. Give them time. Eventually they will. Maybe. Who knows? Screw society!  Immigrants. Can I just copy-paste what I wrote about the younger generation? If you are an immigrant, you probably were not involved in the rape at New Year's Eve 2015. And you probably are more scared to have your home set on fire than setting something on fire yourself. And you probably are looking for a job, trying to adapt yourself to the German culture and society, rather than wishing you could go back to Syria, Turkey or Mali. Most of the Germans still need to figure that out. Give them time. Eventually they will. Maybe. Who knows? Screw society!  If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, don't hide, if you don't feel like hiding. Be confident of who you are! No matter if your sexuality or your gender is not conforming the norm. No matter who does or doesn't accept you. Be proud of who you are! After all it's not a choice. Be proud and be loud! You are you - just the way you are. And no one can change that! There are some bastards in this world. Let's not let them have a say in who we are. In how we feel about ourselves. In how we behave.  If you are treated disrespectfully, be loud about it! Tell those who are disrespectful (they might not even be aware of it). And, if necessary, turn to others for help. Don't be ashamed for that. It's not a bad thing to look for help. I had to learn that myself. But it really does help! You do you. We do us.  Before I go, tell me your thoughts on the poem and this post. Should I try to post more poems? And of course, I wanna know what you think are some things that need to change with regard to society! Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? German gay forum dbna wrote a post about The Travelin Bum. It might sound weird at first - an ass that travels? But it's just that. Pictures of naked male butts who pose around the world. Well the guys, not just the bums. It's definitely a little weird. But it has its own charm. Check out the page on Instagram. As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - Wikipedia: World language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_language#Living_world_languages - @glenrules on Brexit: https://twitter.com/glenrules/status/746228140792381444 - Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung: Wahlergebnisse und Wählerschaft der CDU: http://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/parteien-in-deutschland/42068/wahlergebnisse-und-waehlerschaft - Alternative für Deutschland: http://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/parteien-in-deutschland/211108/afd - dbna: Darum zeigen schwule Jungs gerade ihren Hintern bei Instagram: http://www.dbna.de/leben/meldungen/2017/03/nackte-hintern-schwule-jungs-bei-instagram-41526.php - The Travelin Bum: https://www.instagram.com/thetravelinbum

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday:http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/159459231432/tmiishtuesday-57-a-poem-to-society - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on society topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/language http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/me - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #57 - A Poem to Society

Society You like to tell us what to do. You like to think that we only do what we are supposed to do. According to your norms. Standards. Rules. You like to tell them what to do. You like to think that they don't do what they are supposed to do. According to your norms. Standards. Rules. You like to think that you are the most advanced of them all. You like to tell yourself that you know how stuff is done. According to your norms. Standards. Rules. Politicians set the norms. Standards. Rules. Democracy has become a crime! A constitution written 70 years ago. Updated, yet not representing the spirit of time. Guess what: The spirit it changed. From 70 years ago To now. They are not the same: Norms. Standards. Rules. But have you ever wondered: Who tells you what to do? Who likes to think that you only do what you are supposed to do? According to your norms. Standards. Rules. Who likes to tell you what to do? Who likes to think that they are the most advanced of them all? Who likes to tell themselves that they know how stuff is done? According to their norms. Standards. Rules. The riots they are there. Norms. Standards. Rules. They don't care! They fight for freedom. Justice. Equality. They are in the streets. On the web. Everywhere. They feel they've lost their power. Voice. Dignity. Due to norms. Standards. Rules. Let me tell you: You might tell us what to do. You might think that we only do what we are supposed to do. According to your norms. Standards. Rules. You might like to tell them what to do. You might like to think that they don't do what they are supposed to do. According to your norms. Standards. Rules. You might like to think that you are the most advanced of them all. You might like to tell yourself that you know how stuff is done. According to your norms. Standards. Rules. You are a mere definition of society's norms. You have to face all these storms. You are a mere definition of society's standards. You are more than that! You are a mere definition of society's rules. You like rock, pop, the blues. Rules. Standards. Norms. We are teachers, nurses, nuns. We would die for bad puns. We have blonde hair, brown, black or grey - do you frown? How long or short has it been? It does matter: We are so keen to stick to rules. Standards. Norms. Rules. Standards. Norms. We dream about being YouTubers, shivering from comments of hate users. We play video games that "glorify violence". Thanks, society, we still don't need an ambulance. We put "everything" on the internet. People hunting us down hasn't happened, yet. We are Syrian, Nigerian, Chinese, Dutch. It doesn't matter all that much. We are homo, pan, a or bi, this is what we go by. We are trans, non-binary, flux or grey, but hey! It's society who sets the rules. Standards. Norms. Darling, schatje, Liebling, bae, this is gonna sound bizarre tell your hamster, dog or cat: We don't have to obey! we are who we are - and no one can change that!

If you liked this poem, feel free to do one or more of the following: - like the post - share it around (on any social media you can think of - including RL) - follow my blog - check out my Letter to Society from October - have a read of my other #TMIishTuesday’s This post is inspired - among others - by: - Dave Brown: Don’t Stay In School - Ash Hardell: Stop Coming Out

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[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #56 - The Social Democrats are a lie! - On the discussion of same-sex marriage in Germany

Hey, No pre-things to say - enjoy this week's #TMIishTuesday. Well… "Enjoy" is probably not the right expression with this topic in mind. But nonetheless: I hope you like the post. Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #56 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I told you how I felt growing up thin and rather small. The post focuses on how my peers reacted to that - and how they made me feel. Click the link above, if you haven't read it, yet. // A couple walks up to the civil registry office. The marriage registrar says: "Excuse me, you are men." and… No punch line. Reality. This translation of a tweet by @politischernate is a pretty accurate description of a situation that could arise any given day in any given German registry office. Sad reality. I already addressed the topic of same-sex marriage in Germany in previous posts (e. g. the Letter to Society and - shortly in my comparison between the Dutch and German cultures). But nothing has changed. So why should I bring it up again? Because f*ing nothing has changed! And that feels just surreal! Absolutely ridiculous! It's nothing short of a political disgrace! How can a country as progressive as Germany be behind so much on an equal rights issue? HOW ON EARTH can some ignorant little a*holes in parliament play god? Think that is exaggerated? Let me show you what happens and has been happening! 1. The German population wants marriage equality - for years and years For years and years there have been polls by many different pollsters. The outcome has always been the same: The vast majority of Germans are in favour of same-sex marriage and equal rights, e.g. adoption rights. The most recent survey I found sees 75 % of respondents pro same-sex marriage. 2. Parliament is pro marriage equality With the rather-left parties (the Left, the Greens and the Social Democrats) more than half of parliament are in favour. Most of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (the two parties form one grouping in parliament, hence I will refer to them as the "Union" from here on) are still opposing, but that shouldn't matter. You got your 50 %. That's what counts. 3. Party discipline But if you thought this would do the trick, you're wrong. Cause why should a democracy be bound by democratic principles, right? Why should parliament take a decision that the majority of MPs appreciate? That would be… That would… No! That would be democratic! We certainly can't do that!! Instead let's pretend we are the f*ing rulers of the world! Oh and let's make our country less progressive than South Africa, Brasil, Uruguay, Mexico, and the like. That makes so much sense, right!? Okay, party discipline. A very simple concept: If the majority of the party in parliament holds a certain opinion, the rest of that party will vote for this opinion as well. Prohibited by constitution in Germany - as in most democratic countries. Still it widely exists and is carried out. How?! 4. Dealing The coalition of the Union and the Social Democrats are governing. And how this coalition works - given the two rather different approaches of both parties (with the Union being rather "right" and the Social Democrats being rather "left") - is by dealing. “You get this, if we get this, okay?” Remember when you and your childhood friend were 4 and he would let you borrow his cool toy truck, if you gave him your toy dinosaur? But the deal was only valid until one of you had enough of that toy and handed it back? That's exactly how this coalition works! The Social Democrats got their minimum wage, the Union got their child care subsidy. Both parties were very happy with one of these - and took the other one cause it was part of the deal. With same-sex marriage, however, there's a problem. Well… It's not a problem to the coalition it seems. But to the 75 % of Germans mentioned above. The Social Democrats told us they were pro marriage equality. And they really wanted to fight to implement it. That was back in 2013. When they were campaigning. But since it apparently was not too important of a topic for them, they dropped it when agreeing on goals with the Union when fixing their coalition. Instead we got a mere sentence in the agreement. It says: "We will eliminate legal hurdles discriminating same-sex civil partnerships", but, quite frankly: That's vague af! Also, (not so) fun fact: We're approaching the end of this election period and there are still hundreds of laws in place that discriminate against same-sex couples. 5. The incredible farce of the Social Democrats Yepp, you guessed it: I'm not happy with what the Social Democrats are doing with their political power. I used to be quite a supporter of them. I gave one of my two votes to them in the last elections of parliament. But I feel let down. Running the 2013 campaign saying "100 % equality only with us!" is a strong promise, yes. And I was aware that it might not be possible to achieve that 100 %. I totally get that, when you are in a coalition with the Union, it's not exactly the easiest topic to address. But: If you make such a strong statement - and if you decide to make it one of your core principles your campaign is about - I expect that you at least fight for it over the next election period! It might be a little harsh of me, but I'll say it like I feel it anyway: What the Social Democrats did regarding same-sex marriage is fraud! During their campaign they pinky-promised that they would fight for equal rights and marriage equality. Not even a month later, the coalition agreement was signed. And they had completely given in to the Union's request. The Social Democrats opted to live the Stone Age-like life instead of being the paving stone to what might have been historic. And this is where things get really hypocritical: The Social Democrats realised they messed up just now. Five months before the election. They had 4 years to make the change. And they didn't. They left the Union in peace. Instead of insisting to put the topic on the agenda, they - jointly with the Union - voted to not discuss it. Not 1 parliamentary week. Not 2 parliamentary weeks. Not 5 parliamentary weeks. Not 10 parliamentary weeks. Not 30 parliamentary weeks. 49 !!! parliamentary weeks! And bear in mind that parliament only has meetings in one of two weeks every time! And that there is such a thing as the summer break as well. All in all the oh-so-social Democrats voted to push the topic off the agenda f*ing 11 times! And now? Now all of a sudden they tell the Union: "Let's hurry! We need to make it happen!" Or… Well… They told them a month ago. By now - after the Union was like: "Why now? We don't have enough time left before the elections? Oh, and we need the constitution to change [which is total bullshit! Marriage is not defined in the constitution. It only says: “Marriage and family” are under special protection of the state (GG, Art. 6 (1))]. That's gonna take some time. Let's just… wait?" …by now the Social Democrats have changed their mind. Again. Now they say: "If we don't achieve same-sex marriage in this election period, we'll definitely make it happen in the next one."

Like… WOW! Thanks for nothing! Also: You are aware that not mentioning a strict deadline means you're gonna end up in March/April of 2021, trying to push the topic over the finish line once again? If - and that's IF - there's still a majority in favour then. It looks like the AfD will be featured in parliament quite prominently after the election. They are even more opposing of same-sex marriage than the Union. You don't want that to happen when pushing for same-sex marriage. Also: Sorry? But it was one of your core principles of your past campaign. And you committed fraud to that promise 11 times! YOU had the change to make it happen for FOUR years! YOU chose not to do it! If you were not completely OUT OF YOUR MIND, you would not declare marriage equality your goal for the next election period. DON'T YOU SEE? That just makes you look STUPID as FUCK! The chance to change was there. It was served to you on a silver platter. The opposition parties - the Greens and the Left - did ALL the work for you! They prepared a very detailed, very well-thought of proposal to change the law. All you had to do was NOD YOUR HEAD. That would have made it pass and become law. The Bundesrat didn't even have to approve anymore - after all that was the chamber in which the Greens and the Left proposed the law change. And the majority of the Bundesrat had already approved of the changes. But you did NOT nod your head. And to be honest, you denied yourself the chance. Simply by following the bad example of the oh-so-mighty Union - and putting it off the agenda, and putting it off, and putting it off, and putting it off… 11 f*ing times! But, okay. At least you realised you missed something over the last few years. But WHAT THE FUCK are you doing now!?? If I realise I did something bad, I apologise and do everything I can to change things. As quickly as possible. But not the Social Democrats! They proposed their OWN law change last week. Why? No one knows! Probably so they can say "Haha! It was US who brought to you same-sex marriage!". In ten years time this might actually be very handy. However… talking of 10 years ahead: If you ask me, the Social Democrats might be redundant in 10 years time, if they proceed to do politics the way they do at the moment. Schulz might be a good candidate. And tbh, I quite like him as a person. But that won't make me vote for them. They really disappointed me over the last couple years. And I feel that, if they don't change their "oh, the Union is so powerful, we are so helpless" policy, a lot of others will feel the same. For me this story just shows one thing: They do not deserve my vote! Full stop. If you really want to work towards equal rights, why don't you sign this petition for same-sex marriage in Germany? If you do, tweet me, or tell me on another social media. I wanna know who are with me! Before I go, tell me your thoughts on same-sex marriage (in Germany and elsewhere) and your opinion on the behaviour of the Social Democrats. I wanna know! Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? You know that I adore Troye Sivan and his music. Now it has been announced that he'll be rewarded with the GLAAD award for his promotion of equality and acceptance. He'll be the youngest recipient ever. Well deserved, if you ask me! He speaks up so much for equal rights and knows how to use his platform. Well done, Troye! Keep going! As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - Link by politischernate: https://twitter.com/politischernate/status/832622707254534146 - Zeit: Umfrage: Mehrheit der Deutschen für "Ehe für alle":http://www.zeit.de/news/2017-04/02/gesellschaft-umfrage-mehrheit-der-deutschen-fuer-ehe-fuer-alle-02023803 - Dennis Klein and Micha Schulze for queer.de: Keine Ehe für alle: Merkel lässt Schulz abblitzen: http://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=28537 - Grundgesetz, Art. 6: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_6.html - Robert Klages for tagesspiegel.de: Gleichgeschlechtliche Ehen: Entscheidung über "Ehe für Alle" zum elften Mal aufgeschoben: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/queerspiegel/gleichgeschlechtliche-ehen-entscheidung-ueber-ehe-fuer-alle-zum-elften-mal-aufgeschoben/13683888.html - Campact Petition zur Öffnung der Ehe: https://www.campact.de/gleichstellung/appell/teilnehmen/ - Jackie Willis for etonline.com:  EXCLUSIVE: Troye Sivan to Become Youngest Recipient of GLAAD's Stephen F. Kolzak Award: http://www.etonline.com/awards/213909_troye_sivan_to_become_youngest_recipient_of_stephen_f_kolzak_award_at_glaad_awards/

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/158934445048/tmiishtuesday-55-have-you-always-been-that - My Letter to society: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/152304851890/tmi-ishtuesday-33-a-letter-to-society - My comparison between the Dutch and the German culture: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/151988181967/tmi-ish-tuesday-32-cultural-differences-between - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on random topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/me - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com 

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my edit

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#TMIishTuesday #55 - Have you always been that thin? - Growing up thin (and small)

Hey! No announcements today. Just have fun reading! Oh, maybe one thing: I stole the first part of the title from a video. More on that later. Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #55 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I told you about the shitty situation that YouTube have created with their restricted mode: Why it has good intentions - and what goes wrong with it. Check it out, if you haven't already. And if you are interested in the topic, here's a great video by @ashhardell. // I talked about body image and what society makes us believe in that regard in a #TMIishTuesday last November and briefly addressed my own situation: Being really thin - and rather small as a child. I'm not too small anymore, but I still am really underweight. Inspired by the DASDING video linked in the foreword, I want to talk a bit about how I experienced the whole situation. What happened at school and basically everywhere I went as a child. I feel that the things I experienced were not as bad as the ones mentioned in the video. Still: It hurt when people questioned the same things every time. The first time I met new people (I should say guys cause girls didn't care for the most part), it always went a little bit like this: "Hi, my name is Damian." - "Oh, [insert comment about my stature]". I don't remember kindergarten too much, so I assume the other kids were fine with my stature then - or at least it didn't bother them enough to make fun of it. But when I got to primary school, things started. Slowly, but steadily. I knew some of the kids from kindergarten still, but there were lots of new people as well. And they started asking me how I could be so thin? Questions like: "How do you even survive then?" started. And I forgive them: When you're 6, 7 years old, you're just curious. And you're straightforward enough to ask such questions. I was the smallest child in the entire class - even if I was a year older. And height was all that mattered to define who was cool and who was not. Still, I made it through primary school with only one situation that really stuck to my mind. But compared to what was to follow, it really wasn't that dramatic. And if I recall correctly, it wasn't even about my stature, but rather about wearing the "right" underwear. Yepp, children can be very picky. Then came secondary school - and the drama really started. I knew about three people of my class and everyone else were new faces. 27 potential new bullies. And pretty much all of the guys came for me. They picked on me for being small. They picked on me for being thin. They told me I was anorexic (which I never was, luckily!). They told me my parents didn't care for me. They tried to convince me to stop living vegetarian (cause that's where being so thin came from according to them). They tried to make me do more sports. I had a few hard years to go through, being call names for being so thin. The guys wanting to touch my belly cause it was so skinny. Being lifted off the floor. And so on and so on. (I started writing this pretty late, so this is all for the list, but it could get much longer for sure!) Well, guess what? I only grew stronger from that. Not physically, but mentally. And I learned how to take the underlying ridicule: Just ignore it. And if it gets too much, tell them off and show your teeth! It worked. In tenth grade we had a class trip to Berlin. We only were only 11 guys in class, so we walked around Berlin in that group of 11 (for once it was one group, not the seven or eight "cool guys", the two outsiders, and me). And we decided we wanted to have dinner at the Mac. Like you do when you’re 16. And on the way, everyone was trying to convince me to stop being vegetarian and finally taste a burger. But I insisted I wasn't going to do it. They even told me they would pay for it. After a 10-15 minute discussion my patience was gone - and I told them in a very decisive tone that it was not gonna happen. I would not taste a burger - even if they tried to convince me for another 100 years. And guess what? It didn't happen. I had my fries and was fine. They all got their burgers and were also fine. There were some attempts to still make me try a bite, but I sticked to my opinion. After tenth grade, as puberty was taking a turn for the more reasonable and more accepting, we got a new class and things got better. I still was the skinniest guy of them all. But at least we had another guy in class, who was skinny as well. Granted, he wasn't the most accepted, but it worked for him. And it kinda worked for me as well. From then onwards, my stature didn't matter anymore at all! I’ve met a lot of new people in the meantime. Uni, another uni, work, school, another work. Life's fine. I'm still a veggie, I still have the BMI of a feather, and I still don't care too much what people say about my body. Yeeey! Btw, my two best friends became veggie, too. Independent of each other. I feel I should take credit for that - even though I never tell people how to live their lives. If you want to eat meat - fine. If you want to color your hair (who would do that right? Haha :) ) - do it! If you finally got the guts to get an appointment at the therapist to get that testosterone subscription - go, boy! Whatever you do - do it with passion! Be who you are and be proud of it. Or to quote Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong: "Don't let these bastards dictate your life and try to tell you what to do, alright!?" (quote from the performance of the song Minority at a Milton Keynes concert in June 2005) Before I go let me know whether you are satisfied with your stature and what people tell you about it. Tell me, I wanna know! Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. Queer Shoutout you say? How about Sam Collins then? I know, I listed pretty much all of the LGBTQ+ creators I'm subscribed to on YouTube just last week, but let me shout him out individually cause he deserves it. I discovered Sam by someone retweeting his "I'm FTM transgender" video. It's basically his coming out video. He also explains how he found out that he is a guy, although he was born as a girl. He talks about how he lived before and after he found out. After the video, he kinda changed his channel and incorporated videos on trans issues. And they are actually that good that I think, they deserve more attention. Whether you yourself are transgender or not - watching them will definitely educate you. He covered topics like top surgery, transitioning and passing tips, signs you might be transgender, dating tips, and much more. And I feel he's very open about everything. Oh, and there are lots of topics not related to trans stuff, too. Go, check him out! As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! Linkage: - DASDING: Ja, wir sind dünn - Komm bitte damit klar!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpaWYLSrjs8 - #TMIishTuesday #53 - I dyed my hair:  http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/158402870513/tmiishtuesday-53-i-dyed-my-hair - Queer Shoutout: Sam Collins: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySTKqYThqBbKdEtzOjFhgg - Sam Collins - I’m FtM Transgender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O68dTOfdeVw

Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/158675683464/tmiishtuesday-54-youtube-stop-censoring-us - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on society topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/language - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com

[mightbedamian]

Hello 2017 <3

[mightbedamian]

#TMIishTuesday #54 - YouTube stop censoring us!

Hey, If you follow an LGBTQ+ YouTuber on Twitter, you're probably aware of this, but I can't stress it enough: What YouTube are doing with their "restricted mode" is plain censorship! Here's why. Hey there mighty people of the internet! And welcome to issue #54 of #TMIishTuesday - my weekly Tumblr post about what goes through my weird mind and on what you guys want to know more about. It can be something very personal, it can be something political, it can be completely pointless - but in 99.9 % of the cases, it involves opinions. And mine as well. // Last week I told you about my slightly crazy hair adventures and how they came about. Btw, I had school this week as well. One class mate is obsessed with my hair! She calls me "green hair" now, haha. The rest of my class mates don't really seem to mind. No positive, no negative feedback. Just: "What? You really did it?"- Hell yeah, I did! Surprisingly, most of my teachers like it as well. And not a single negative comment on that as well (although I'm 99 % sure my Politics teachers doesn't like it :D). Anyway, if you're curious how I look (with turquoise hair), click the link above. // Back to business: YouTube, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? But okay, first things first: What is YouTube's "restricted mode"? You could call it a "family filter". It is meant to make YouTube a place that is safe for minors. It's basically Google's try to make sure parents don't freak out because "OH MY GOD! THERE ARE SO MANY VIDEOS ON THERE!" and telling them: We got your back! Probably a good majority of family filters look for certain key words in the articles, websites, or videos that they scan - and those media that use these keywords, are banned from viewing. It's how censorship in authoritarian countries works as well. So far, so not-worrying. Good intention, YouTube! There is some sh*t on your platform that, indeed, minors should not view. *cough* Sam Pepper *cough* ItsMert *cough* Leon Machére *cough* Sorry,  I'm still battling the cold. It's just not getting better! *wink* Long story short: I don't know if videos of those three channels are blocked in restricted mode (and I don't want to check. I don't want to give them even more doubtful fame). What I do know is that most videos revolving around LGBTQ+ issues are blocked. And that is just shocking! It seems that once you mention the words "gay", "lesbian" or "trans" in your video title, it won't show in restricted mode. But that's not all. Even videos that have NOTHING to do with sexuality, gender, or anything along those lines, simply get blocked in restricted mode. Tell me, YouTube: Why is a video titled "My Tattoo: I was bitten by a tiger" blocked, why a "most likely to" video by two guys, why is barely any "My Drunk Kitchen" episode viewable when Hannah barely talks about drinking - and never gets drunk. May it be because these people are gay, bi, or lesbian? YouTube, you have a whole lot of explaining to do! Oh, and why are entire channels basically blacked out? Check out Calum McSwiggan's channel in restricted mode: There's 1 - in words: ONE - video left. At least it's for a good cause: When he shaved his head in benefit of StandUpToCancer. Why, on the other hand, are there other LGBTQ+ creators that have barely any videos taken down? Why do you even think that videos on the pros and cons of the different types of top surgery, the thoughts of a trans guy before surgery and after, and the outcome of the surgery, is "potentially inappropriate content"? HOW ON EARTH could informative videos on top surgery featuring totally non-biased opinions be "potentially inappropriate content"? And why is "cross-dressing" allowed, but hangover morning thoughts, that are not at all about the hangover, are not? Why is a video titled "coming out at the scouts" perfectly fine, when most other coming out videos are not? And why is a video introducing a person on a channel titled "on party tour with the camera" blocked? Why is a video on greygender fine - and one on pronouns, while other videos on different LGBTQ+ spectrums and a discussion on how many genders there are, are not? Okay, I could name way more examples of great LGBTQ+ content creators. But I want to mention one more video: levlognog's lovely anti-hate video as a reaction to KsFreak's video "I don't want to be gay". I don't remember what exactly had happened to KsFreak and one of his friends, but in the end they pretended to be gay-married to get out of some trouble. And KsFreak made a video about that, stating how strange that felt and that he really didn't like being seen as gay and basically BASHED gays. No one seemed to notice. No YouTubers. Except levlognog. He made a very friendly, very open video about his opinion, stating that he thought KsFreak's video was offensive as hell and spoke out about the inequality in society. Take-away from his video: Be friendly. Don't judge. And don't tell others off for being themselves. This video - which, again, by no means is offensive or anything - is not viewable in restricted mode. WTF, YouTube!? What the actual f!? You better fix this! ASAP! And I don't speak out about this because I have a loss from this. I don't use restricted mode, I can view whatever content I want. But: Those, who need information on LGBTQ+ issues the most, are kids. Teenagers, who battle with their anxiety and feel that what they feel is not right. Kids, who are trans, gay, lesbian, bi, pan, etc. What these people need most is recognition. Recognition that what they are feeling is natural. That what they are feeling is nothing to be ashamed of. That what they are feeling is totally valid. In 2017 the number 1 source for teens to look for information - especially for info on topics that they haven't figured out for themselves completely and therefore would want to hide from anyone else for the moment - the number 1 source for teens to look for such information is the internet. With the second largest search engine of the internet blocking that content, that these people are so desperately looking for, we are ruining our hard-fought-for freedom of speech. We are ruining the achievements of heroes, who have battled those, who were fighting against equality. We are basically ruining our future! YouTube, STOP beta-testing in real time! You've done it so many times before. And it never worked! Don't mess around with topics like this! How do I end this? Is there even a good way to end this post? I don't know. Maybe with a shocking number: 56.3. That's the percentage of the latest videos on the LGBTQ+ channels that is blocked in restricted mode. 184 of the 327 videos blocked*. Think about that! *taking into account the last 15 uploaded of each of the 22 channels run by LGBTQ+ people that i’m subscribed to.

Before I go let me know your thoughts on YouTube's restricted mode. Do you agree with me or do I make too much of a deal of it? Tell me, I wanna know! Place a comment, tweet me, dm me, or do anything else you can think of to get to me. This week's post basically was a Queer Shoutout in itself. Hence, I will go ahead and link you all the amazing LGBTQ+ YouTubers I'm currently subscribed to (in order of me subscribing to them): - manniac (gay, German) - Troye Sivan (gay, Australian) - Ricky Dillon (asexual, American) - Connor Franta (gay, American) - Tyler Oakley (gay, American) - ItsColeslaw (bi, German) - Hannah Hart (lesbian, American) - Troye Sivan VEVO (see above) - Miles (trans man, American) - Chandler (trans man, American) - Stephan Jonas (gay, German) - Calum McSwiggan (gay, British) - Kalem Johnson (trans man, American) - Nick Camryn (trans man, American) - Ash Hardell (pan, American) - Sam Collins (trans man, American) - PrideTV (gay, German) - Weird Norwegian (gay, Norwegian) - Courtney-Jai (bi, British) - Alex Bertie (trans man, British) - anyway.tv (channel run by an LGBTQ+ community centre in Cologne, Germany)

Check them out, they are all amazing! As always: Next #TMIishTuesday next Tuesday. If you have any questions in the meantime, just ask away. Whatever you’re curious about - I don’t bite. :) Until then: Stay mighty! (And this time for real! Show your claws!) Linkage: - Calum McSwiggan - “My Tattoo: I was bitten by a tiger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEK9xU2Uar4 - Weird Norwegian - “”Most Likely To” with Calum McSwiggan”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPG74ToU9x4 - Hannah Hart - My Drunk Kitchen playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk96M05hJx8&list=PL2EC7F45DBD9D9B1A - Calum McSwiggan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6pzgnZ75lEnsOCLi64Vx2g - Calum McSwiggan - “Stand Up To Cancer”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQz-sV0O_ME - TheRealAlexBertie - “Surgery Worries & Hopes”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMX4MhHBI1c - Sam Gillard for Ten Eighty magazine - “YouTube’s Restricted Mode Limiting LGBTQ+ Visibility”: http://teneightymagazine.com/2017/03/19/youtubes-restricted-mode-limiting-lgbtq-visibility/ - Connor Franta - “that time i wore a dress”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepNVZrG2m0 - Connor Franta - “This Morning’s Hangover Thoughts”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgXxfe9CiKE - anyway.tv - “Coming-out bei den Pfadpfindern”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEtm6bTVdy4 - anyway.tv - “Mit der Kamera auf Partytour”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSXs9sg3Grk - Ash Hardell - “What’s...Greygender??? (ABC’s of LGBT+)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Amt3YOkNes - Ash Hardell - “All About Pronouns (Abc’s of LGBT+)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NcMV5dsmgI - Ash Hardell - “Gender Fucks and Confusions (ABC’s of LGBT+”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqO34uI4rwg - Ash Hardell - “Only Two Genders!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsRu5EZO2hI - levlognog - “Ich will nicht schwul sein! |KsFreak’s schlimmstes Video”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp_KXuLVKQc Queer Shoutout: - manniac: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPFpU588dagQfGyrDuTpSzA - Troye Sivan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWcrr8Q9INGNp-PTCLTzc8Q - Ricky Dillon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBxs6sUSOJ3UUATAi4rp30w - Connor Franta: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudeRz9YntRrmKBSqnHyKGQ - Tyler Oakley: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvVuqRzGVqRlmZYlTf99M_w - ItsColeslaw: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtB4Win87uHQ20iv52ZGRkQ - Hannah Hart: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJQL1Fai-9GlVunsbP4x8Pg - Troye Sivan VEVO: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnsa7fw1hZHP5qvf8zVGnvA - Miles: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7XFgbOyFBoGxssEwGvkKig - Chandler: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3HxTGAxX3Ej4Bqf8LDpRtg - Stephan Jonas: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpa3q7uuPjX7Dt9hmym_hwQ - Calum McSwiggan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6pzgnZ75lEnsOCLi64Vx2g - Kalem Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCor-W_j3STNWc6RuiS3d5Bg - Nick Camryn: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJeMIfDZeEAMX9poCvD1-zA - Ash Hardell: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwXB7a3cq9AERiWF4-dK9g - Sam Collins: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySTKqYThqBbKdEtzOjFhgg - PrideTV: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCti8U9-VbM3_pPoUsgSqYDg - Weird Norwegian: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF6M_dgiPcK8zrLRUuLeUsg - Courtney-Jai: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy2xH40m75qpAoQb7unJTRw - Alex Bertie: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXX0iCrVQnlNvGW4gKEhHdA - anyway.tv: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_AwdVD7Hw1pjDovmAr-NHg Oh, and here’s some self-promo: - Last #TMIishTuesday: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/post/158402870513/tmiishtuesday-53-i-dyed-my-hair - All #TMIishTuesdays: mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/tmi - More #TMIishTuesdays on LGBTQ+ topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/lgbtqplus - More #TMIishTuesday on YouTube topics: http://mightbedamian.tumblr.com/tagged/mightbeyoutube - More very cool stuff: www.twitter.com/mightbedamian - Even more very cool stuff: mightbedamian.tumblr.com