#lgbt outreach

[uncanny-tranny]

The weirdest thing I see cis people do is misunderstanding how trans labels work so for any cis person who may need this...

Trans man, trans male, transmasc, or other variations of transmasculinity refers most typically to a person who is transitioning towards masculinity in identity, not away from it. A trans man would be a person who is transitioning towards manhood, for example (such as a person who is FTM).

Trans woman, trans female, transfem, or other variations of transfemininity refers most typically to a person who is moving towards femininity in identity, not away from it. A trans woman is transitioning towards womanhood.

There will always be exceptions to these guidelines, however, I find that cis people often mistakenly apply incorrect labels because they are trying to communicate what they think a trans person's assigned gender/sex is. The trans community will focus on the current identity one holds to communicate who we are. I am a trans male because I am bother trans and male and because it is my current identity, if it helps you understand.

[iveeaten3humanorganz]

SO MANY QUEER TAGS ARE TRENDING! YO QUEER PEOPLE LETS DO A ROLL CALL!

I’m Via, 16 and I’m gay aceflux transgender xenoboy! I’m inclusive and a proud queer. I knew I was ace since I first found out what ace was. Been in the lgbtq community for around 2-4 years!

[decolonize-the-everything]

I GOT IT

They privatized and corporatized community. They corporatized human rights. And people swallowed that like candy.

And combined with individualism saying "you owe nobody, least of all some unaccredited movement, anything"...

No, hear me out because when we say protest or strike or whatever else what's the FIRST thing people ask?

"who organized this?"

Y'all refuse to listen to normal people anymore. And yeah organizations are great and they offer awesome resources and support behind their actions but the more I think about it the more it just sounds like another psyop used to discredit and further marginalize the already marginalized.

Those organizations weren't always there and we were organizing WAY more effectively before them.

And now we're peaking on a fascist wave and where are they calling for strikes and unity and protests? For solidarity?

....but the small grassroots groups that only have a cashapp to raise funds are. The ones actually on the ground or at desks making posters are. The people suffering from poverty and systematic racism are.

But it's them you need to be weary of? Normal people unallied to a corporation & willing to fight the ones ruining our lives?

They might not be trustworthy, huh? Might take advantage of you?

*taps the sign aggressively*

[elekid]

Asking for money for my husband as his acct is overdrawn evrry month $30- fees, and he does not yet have income of his own (were working on it, immigration is not easy to navigate..)

he has paypal here

thank you all so much. I can't say much abt it but my income that is controlled by my parent isn't getting to me and hasn't for a while. (again, we are working on it)

[blackh0letempest]

To the kids currently going through abuse from their parents, keep pushing forward. You will get out. You will. It feels huge, it's a lot to think about. You will probably make mistakes. But there is not a single living independent adult that hasn't made mistakes in handling their finances, taking care of themselves, etc. The sooner you get out, the sooner you can start to learn who you are when you aren't being abused, and that self is deeply worth knowing. You are worth the effort.

[nonbinaryresource]

RIP Brianna Ghey, a 16 year old trans girl who was brutally attacked and murdered in Warrington in the UK, whose death they're refusing to even consider as a hate crime even though she faced years of documented bullying and harassment from peers at school. She deserved better. She deserved to live 106 happy years of life and beyond.

Times have been really, really difficult, and this is only the latest piece of heartbreaking and devastating news on top of everything else.

Please, please know that if you need someone to talk to, a shoulder to lean on, someone to listen - I am here. I am happy to talk privately. I will probably not be able to respond immediately after a message is sent, but I will respond. I hear you. I see you. Y'all are important to me.

If you are in crisis and can do so, please reach out to a hotline like Trans Lifelife. Please be advised that crisis lines are legally obligated to call emergency services if you are considering or in the act of committing suicide, and if you're a minor, they are obligated to disclose your status to your parents. This can result in involuntary holds in psychiatric hospitals. I trust y'all to make the best decision for your own personal circumstances.

~Mod Pluto

[red-eft]

perk of being lgbt: lavender graduation cord <3

[neonpurrs]

Post-Stream Team Neonpurrs for Gamers Outreach Fundraiser Recap

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I had an incredible stream and had so much fun! We raised an incredible $75 during the stream. So close to our $100 milestone.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the charity fundraiser for Gamers Outreach!

My sincerest gratitude to my dear colleagues & friends, @theawkwarddork and Nyxie The Dream Sheep for joining me and showing me the fun of Sonic Adventure 2!

There's still time to donate, take a look here! https://tiltify.com/@neonpurrs/kitty-paws-for-vtss-2023

[agangofwolves]

Hey yall. I'm a disabled trans woman, and I have plans to move over to Denver in October from Oklahoma. Its not that great here right now and I'm preparing for it to get worse. Im moving with about 3 people, but, primarily im trying to get a good first last and security deposit on an apartment's worth of money. If you can help out, I'd appreciate it so, so much. Once i have whatever i end up with, we have to be out.

Sharing is appreciated too. Thank you so much.

[neverendingford]

.

[mintharan]

the way that post abt so much heteronormative content for astarion where op never mentioned his sexuality in any way immediately got hijacked into "well actually the authors of all those tradwife fantasies clogging the tags that you mean evil homos complain about are bisexual so they're being radical about it! let people have fun why are you complaining abt how people play a game!" like. being a gay video game fan is hell actually

I mean...yeah, that's the feeling I get. Gay people aren't allowed to voice discomfort (and I will add the caveat that op of that post is bi, and several people who agreed with the post are bi as well) with heteronormative content in fandom (or anywhere, let's be real) without being accused of biphobia. Heteronormativity is not good, it's the social expectation that people be cis and heterosexual with the set behaviours that come with it. I think it's kind of tone-deaf to say that upholding the nuclear family ideal is fine actually if a bi person is into it. It's worth questioning why these depictions are so popular, and tbh if these women are bi that's even more concerning, do they see their attraction to women as a fetish? Something to pursue only for sexual gratification because they fully expect to marry and have children with men? Do they think this is more desirable/convenient? If so, why? What are the social implications of this line of thinking how does social expectations of cisheteronormativity play into it? Aren't gay people allowed to have thoughts on the matter?

I think at the end of the day, some people really want to believe that being cis in a m/f relationship is socially radical, actually. And they'll lose their minds if you point out this is the ideal couple form according to all the world's major religions and far-right parties.

[badger-bear]

What did he do, out of curiosity?

Evening! I'm assuming you're talking about Vince. Here you go!

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - June 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $Kaybarr1735! And if you tip me and give me a way to contact you, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Victory for Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand

“Thailand’s Senate voted 130-4 today to pass a same-sex marriage bill that the lower house had approved by an overwhelming majority in March. This makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia, and the second in Asia, to recognize same-sex relationships. […] The Thai Marriage Equality Act […] will come into force 120 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. It will stand as an example of LGBT rights progress across the Asia-Pacific region and the world.”

2. One of world’s rarest cats no longer endangered

“[The Iberian lynx’s] population grew from 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022. While young and mature lynx combined now have an estimated population of more than 2,000, the IUCN reports. The increase is largely thanks to conservation efforts that have focused on increasing the abundance of its main food source - the also endangered wild rabbit, known as European rabbit. Programmes to free hundreds of captive lynxes and restoring scrublands and forests have also played an important role in ensuring the lynx is no longer endangered.”

3. Planning parenthood for incarcerated men

“[M]any incarcerated young men missed [sex-ed] classroom lessons due to truancy or incarceration. Their lack of knowledge about sexual health puts them at a lifelong disadvantage. De La Cruz [a health educator] will guide [incarcerated youths] in lessons about anatomy and pregnancy, birth control and sexually transmitted infections. He also explores healthy relationships and the pitfalls of toxic masculinity. […] Workshops cover healthy relationships, gender and sexuality, and sex trafficking.”

4. Peru puts endemic fog oasis under protection

“Lomas are unique ecosystems relying on marine fog that host rare and endemic plants and animal species. […] The Peruvian government has formally granted conservation status to the 6,449-hectare (16,000-acre) desert oasis site[….] The site, the first of its kind to become protected after more than 15 years of scientific and advocacy efforts, will help scientists understand climatic and marine cycles in the area[, … and] will be protected for future research and exploration for at least three decades.”

5. Religious groups are protecting Pride events — upending the LGBTQ+ vs. faith narrative

“In some cases, de-escalation teams stand as a physical barrier between protesters and event attendees. In other instances, they try to talk with protesters. The goal is generally to keep everyone safe. Leigh was learning that sometimes this didn’t mean acting as security, but doing actual outreach. That might mean making time and space to listen to hate speech. It might mean offering food or water. […] After undergoing Zoom trainings this spring, the members of some 120 faith organizations will fan out across more than 50 Pride events in 16 states to de-escalate the actions of extremist anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups.”

6. 25 years of research shows how to restore damaged rainforest

“For the first time, results from 25 years of work to rehabilitate fire-damaged and heavily logged rainforest are now being presented. The study fills a knowledge gap about the long-term effects of restoration and may become an important guide for future efforts to restore damaged ecosystems.”

7. Audubon and Grassroots Carbon Announce First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Reward Landowners for Improving Habitats for Birds while Building Healthy Soils

“Participating landowners can profit from additional soil carbon storage created through their regenerative land management practices. These practices restore grasslands, improve bird habits, build soil health and drive nature-based soil organic carbon drawdown through the healthy soils of farms and ranches. […] Additionally, regenerative land management practices improve habitats for birds. […] This partnership exemplifies how sustainable practices can drive positive environmental change while providing tangible economic benefits for landowners.”

8. Circular food systems found to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, require much less agricultural land

“Redesigning the European food system will reduce agricultural land by 44% while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 70%. This reduction is possible with the current consumption of animal protein. “Moreover, animals are recyclers in the system. They can recycle nutrients from human-inedible parts of the organic waste and by-products in the food system and convert them to valuable animal products," Simon says.”

9. Could Treating Injured Raptors Help Lift a Population? Researchers found the work of rehabbers can have long-lasting benefits

“[“Wildlife professionals”] tend to have a dismissive attitude toward addressing individual animal welfare,” [… but f]or most raptor species, they found, birds released after rehabilitation were about as likely to survive as wild birds. Those released birds can have even broader impacts on the population. Back in the wild, the birds mate and breed, raising hatchlings that grow up to mate and breed, too. When the researchers modeled the effects, they found most species would see at least some population-level benefits from returning raptors to the wild.”

10. Indigenous people in the Amazon are helping to build bridges & save primates

“Working together, the Reconecta Project and the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous people build bridges that connect the forest canopy over the BR-174 road[….] In the first 10 months of monitoring, eight different species were documented — not only monkeys such as the golden-handed tamarin and the common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), but also kinkajous (Potos flavus), mouse opossums (Marmosops sp.), and opossums (Didelphis sp.).”

Bonus: A rare maneless zebra was born in the UK

June 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[nientedal]

What progress at home has biden enacted? What policies of his show that he is making progress that prove he is actually different than trump?

I like to pretend I have faith in humanity, so I'll answer as if you're asking this in good faith.

Biden's DEA has lifted restrictions on telehealth prescriptions to make appointments and assistance more accessible.

He put a funding package into place to help unhoused people get access to mental and physical healthcare, as well as short-term and long-term housing.

He has attempted and is still attempting to get student debt relief through - this was blocked by Republican judges appointed by Trump, but he's still working on it.

Infrastructure repair - his administration has budgeted funds to actually fix some severely-damaged and frequently-traveled bridges.

Trying to expand access to healthcare to include undocumented immigrants who came to the USA as children (Dreamers) under the Affordable Care Act. Support for Navigator programs and outreach has also been increased.

He has vetoed Republican-led bills that were attempting to overturn environmental protections - one that would have forbidden investment fund managers to consider climate change in their portfolios (I have two degrees in accounting and this is actually huge), and another that would have overturned restrictions on agricultural runoff into our waterways.

He and his administration worked for ages to get rail workers paid sick days.

This is just some of what he's been doing. Meanwhile, Trump and other Republicans want to criminalize the lives of LGBT people like you and me. They want to eliminate no-fault divorce and force births that will kill parents or devastate them financially. They have stated flat out that they want to install a military dictatorship in the USA. They attempted to put that in motion on January 6th, 2021. They failed once. They will do better next time.

One party wants to house the homeless and expand social safety nets, while the other one wants to criminalize homelessness. One of them wants a future in which I might be able to vote to change how much of a war machine my country is, while the other one wants to eliminate my ability to vote entirely. Those are not the same. Those literally are opposites.

At the end of the day, all you and I can do is choose to do the least amount of harm possible. You and I cannot choose to do no harm. This is the USA, we sell war, you and I cannot choose to do no harm. I wish we could, my god do I wish we could, but that is not an option. So we grieve for the harm we couldn't eliminate and work to minimize the harm that is done. Despite all the crap they support, Democrats are the minimum amount of harm right now. Acting like they aren't is exactly what brought us to an election where our options are a future where we are either wading in blood or drowning in it.

Not voting for Biden will not help Palestine. Not voting for Biden will guarantee a Republican president who will make the situation in Palestine WORSE. AND it'll hurt a lot of other places as well, both at home and abroad, because Republicans are about business and the USA is in the business of war! And I would very much like that to change someday! I would very much like to someday be able to choose to do no harm! And I know what I have to do to try for that future, so what are YOU going to do? There is no standing off to the side in this. If you aren't helping pull, you're the dead weight we're pulling. Are you going to dig your feet into the mud and blood and drown us there? Or are you going to get the fuck off your ass, grit your teeth, and help us pull free?

[loveerran]

The 99 (plus 1)

On September 9th, President Russell M. Nelson, prophet and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will turn 100 years old. His has been a full life, dedicated to service and a desire to improve the lives of others.

As part of that ministry, the prophet has invited us to help celebrate his birthday by reaching "out to 'the one' in need", "'the one' in our lives who may be feeling lost or alone". This invitation references the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18 and Luke 15), which emphasizes the value of one that is lost.

This is interesting to me as a transgender disciple of Christ. Transgender individuals generally make up no more than 1% of the overall population, making us (in some very real ways) 'the one'. If a typical ward has 100-200 active members, then there should be approximately 1 transgender individual in every congregation of the church. It is sad there are far, far fewer than that. Most leave. They feel alone, lost, isolated and discriminated against despite the council President Nelson has given.

There will be a special broadcast commemorating the prophet's 100th birthday. During the broadcast, "Examples of what people around the world have done over the past 100 days to commemorate his birthday will be shared through stories from people who were 'the one.'"

Throughout his ministry, I see the Savior ministering to those who felt lost or alone, forgotten or marginalized. I imagine that the broadcast will show outreach efforts that look familiar to us. When I think about the people the Savior ministered to, I often think on those who were rejected or discriminated against by the society around him, including:

Those who may have been considered enemies, like the Samaritans - including the good Samaritan of the parable or the woman at the well,

Those who may have been considered outsiders, like the centurion's servant - or tax collectors and sinners like Levi and others,

Those who may have been considered unclean, like lepers (at least one of whom was another Samaritan) and the woman with the issue of blood,

Those who may have been considered sinners, like the woman taken in adultery or the woman who washed his feet, and others.

We also read of several times where Jesus' followers didn't want him to interact or minister with a certain class of people, from the blind man who called after him "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me" to the little children he instructed should be suffered to come unto him.

I am grateful for the church's emphasis on (and exercise of) ministry and outreach, and for the good that it will bring to the world. I am grateful for those who try to make the world a better place, as President Nelson has. I hope someday we will see inclusion of LGBT people in our outreach narratives, including stories of truly sensitive, kind, compassionate and Christlike ministry - even when some in our society may consider us to be enemies, outsiders, unclean and sinners.

Love, Erran

[olderthannetfic]

To be fair to the anon who said they didn't believe in queer community, if you don't drink you're basically unable to participate in the "queer community" in my city. I guess if you're university aged they have a club on campus, but past that there's really nothing for you. Your options are getting smashed and fucking, getting smashed and talking, and getting smashed and hanging out at a place where you can do either of the above and also play pool. Outside of that, all the queer events are for "LGBT youth" aka 25 year olds at the absolute max or younger and are almost aggressively PG rated. I get that they're the focus because queer youth are the most at risk for mental health issues + once you're an adult you're on your own but in terms of fostering community, none of it's very useful. The queer people I'm actually close to are people I met individually and spent time with in non-bar, non-drinking, non-youth oriented spaces. And there's not a designated spot for people who aren't drinking who are queer to meet up or, IDK, businesses we frequent or places we all know are the queer places or something. Apparently there are a few queers who work with city government to make programs for queer people but since it's just more outreach to queer youth/teens/pre-teens that's hardly going to foster a community for those of us "olds" who are over 30. (As I approach 35 I get told sometimes it's predatory of me to be at bars, which is one of those moments where I feel like the US is a failed state even more acutely than I normally do.)

I feel like gushing about the magic of community and longing for it is a very 20 year old experience. When you're young, you mistakenly think that life is going to have anime style groups of people who are there for each other through thick and thin, and then you grow out of thinking that people will be friendly towards you based on having one thing in common and you move on. It's not that it's a fiction, it's that you have to be down to pound back so much alcohol you can't get off the floor tomorrow and be willing to overlook a lot of insults and disgust in order to be a part of it. There's a queer community, sure. There's also the world of sober adulthood, which is an infinitely better world to be a part of for many reasons, namely your liver, your wallet and the fact that no cishet friend of mine has ever gotten annoyed at how I'm "too normie" or "too old" to be queer.

--

The death of the independent bookstore is indeed a serious issue.