#lgtbq 101

[queer-nonqueer-coded101]

What are some of the main/well known sexualities?

There are many common sexualities. The most common are Hetrosexual, Homosexual, Bisexual, Pansexual, and Asexual. I may have missed a few, I see these as the main 5.

Heterosexual (Straight): Hetrosexuality is the typical straight relationship. It is being attracted to a person the opposite gender of you. Hetro relationships are male and female.

~~~~~~~~~~

Homosexual: Homosexuality is being sexually attracted to a person with the same gender as you. For males the term gay is often used. And for females the term lesbain is often used. The blue/green flag is the gay flag and the orange/pink is the lesbain flag.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bisexual: Being Bisexual means a person is attracted to people of the same gender and people of different genders. It can include males, females, and those who are non-binary and/or Transgender.

~~~~~~~~~~

Pansexual: Pansexuals can have an attraction to everyone. They tend to focus on the inner beauty of a person over what they look like. They can be viewed as "gender blind," but they can have preferences. Gender isn't a factor for an attraction.

~~~~~~~~~~

Asexual: Asexuality is lacking a sexual attraction with someone. The shortened version is often used insead (Ace). This can be an umbrella term and has a whole spectrum to it. Some asexuals might be alright with sex as a way to show affection for their partner, others may be completely against it. There are people who fall anywhere in between.

[recentlyheardcom]

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan and Pennsylvania will emerge from the Tuesday elections with House legislative chambers evenly split between Republicans and Democrats in yet another sign of how narrowly divided the two swing states have become. The change will be at least temporary after House members in the states were elected to other offices and will need to resign from the legislatures.Michigan Democrats who have controlled the governor’s office and slim majorities in both chambers of the Legislature will lose their full control after two state representatives won mayoral races. Democrats who have clung to a one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania House will soon see the chamber return to a 101-101 tie after a suburban Philadelphia incumbent was elected district judge.Democrats have been able to push through a number of key pieces of legislation in Michigan since they flipped both chambers in the Legislature while holding onto the governor’s office in last year’s midterms, giving them full control for the first time in 40 years.Two Democratic state representatives, Lori Stone and Kevin Coleman, won mayoral races Tuesday in their own districts in suburban Detroit. The wins will eliminate Democrat's two-seat majority in the state House and put the chamber in a 54-54 deadlock until special elections can be held for the seats. Democrats will still control the agenda, but they will no longer hold a voting advantage.It's not yet clear when special elections will be held in the two districts — which each heavily favor Democrats — but it's expected to at least be several months. The governor — in this case Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — may call a special election in the representative’s district when a seat is vacated, or may direct that the vacancy be filled at the next general election, according to Michigan law.The entire Michigan House of Representatives will be up for election in next year’s November general election.Coleman won his mayoral race in Westland while Stone won in Warren. Each is expected to be sworn into office later this month after the election is certified, according to local officials.Democrats have known the loss of full control was a possibility and are expected to try to pass a number of bills this week before Stone and Coleman are sworn in to their mayoral positions.Fueled by their midterm wins, Michigan Democrats have this year passed a gun safety package, expanded voting rights, free meals for all students and increased protections for abortion rights and LGTBQ+ people. The state also became the first in nearly 60 years to repeal a union-restricting law known as “right-to-work” that was passed over a decade ago by a Republican-controlled Legislature.In Pennsylvania, Bucks County Democratic Rep. John Galloway, who was on the ballot as both parties’ nominees, could resign any time before taking the oath as district judge. The vacancy will then require House Speaker Joanna McClinton, a Democrat, to set a special election no sooner than 60 days later in the Democratic district Republicans will be eager to flip.Under current state House rules, Democrats will maintain their majority unless and until Republicans win back at the ballot box the majority they held for a decade until last year’s election. For the time being Galloway, who did not return messages Wednesday, remains a state House member. In Pennsylvania, magisterial district judges, as they are formally known, handle lower-level criminal matters and many are not lawyers. ___Schultz reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

[happylittlegremlin]

Quick Discussion About The “Spider-Man Across The Spiderverse” Trans Theory

OK! So regardless of what you think Gwen Stacy’s gender is, I just wanted to say that I heard about the theory BEFORE I watched the film. I am straight and cis and when I saw Spiderverse I DEFINITELY understood what everyone meant by this theory! Like, LOOK AT THAT COLOR SYMBOLISM! THE FUCKING SPIDERMAN COMING OUT SCENE! LIKE THAT DEFINITELY SMELLS LIKE SYMBOLISM FOR TRANS AND LGTBQ PEOPLE!!! AND IT CERTAINLY SMELLS LIKE PEOPLE PAID A TON OF FUCKING ATTENTION IN ENGLISH CLASS BECAUSE THIS SHIT IS MEDIA LITERACY 101!!! I THINK! I DON’T KNOW I HAVEN’T TAKEN MEDIA LITERACY!!!

REGARDLESS! This was definitely a really cool thing to see in the movie and overall, I am really happy to see a mass crowd of people feel represented in a mainstream film.

It also delights me that this whole theory is just another gateway into overanalyzing media, because while I did love my fair share of “lore theories” back in my younger years, today I thrive off of looking at Lion King as both an adaptation of Hamlet and strangely fascist (watch SIN SQUAD’S NEW VIDEO FOR MORE INFORMATION!!!)

WOOOOOO!!! ENGLISH MAJOR!!!

[percyjacksonson]

Curiosidades de Percy Jackson Parte #2

Aquí vamos con la segunda parte para los que os quedastéis con ganas de más.

Parte 1 

Recordad pasaros por nuestro instagram y twitter.

101. El nombre de Piper fue puesto por su abuelo.

102. En El Héroe Perdido, Leo dice que su existencia fue un error y que es malo para todos.

103. La descripción de Nico y Anubis es muy parecida.

104. En La Sangre del Olimpo, Reyna dice que Nico parecía “un Frankenstein un poco espeluznante”.

105. Hay una lluvia de estrellas en mitad de agosto llamada Perseids.

106. Annabeth contaba los días, horas y minutos desde que Percy desapareció.

107. Los dioses ven la televisión. El tiempo lo retransmite Eolo y hay un canal llamado Hefesto TV.

“-Dijiste que lo retransmitirían en Hefesto TV en horario de máxima audiencia -dijo Oto-. Pero nadie me vio.” -La Marca de Atenea

108. Contracorriente tiene 3 formas: Espada, bolígrafo tapado y destapado.

109. George Washington era hijo de Atenea y Hitler de Hades.

110. Logan Lerman es el Percy ideal para muchos en el fandom, a pesar de no coincidir con la edad. En la nueva serie, muchos han pedido que haga de Poseidón.

111. Uno de los signos de que eres un semidios es tener uno de estos miedos o fobias:

“Sufres por miedos irracionales o fobias, por ejemplo, fobia a las alturas, el agua, la oscuridad o las arañas.” -Percy Jackson y los olimpicos: La Guía Definitiva.

112. Nico asumió que Percy sabía hacer surf porque era hijo de Poseidon.

“-¿De verdad eres hijo de Poseidón?

-Pues sí.

-Entonces sabrás hacer surf muy bien.” -Percy Jackson y La Maldición Del Titán.

113. En dicho libro, Nico le pregunta a Percy si Annabeth es su novia. Ahora sabemos por qué.

114. Percy nunca deseó nada de lo que le sucedió.

115. Los únicos semidioses que supieron que debían ir al campamento antes de la edad normal (12 años) fueron Annabeth (7 años) y Nico (10 años)

116. Quienes lo supieron tiempo más tarde fueron Piper y Leo (16 años).

117. En la cabaña de Hécate no hay una tabla de Ouija.

118. No existe ningún manual o libro para saber a qué cohorte pertenece un semidios romano.

119.  Christian McCarrel es el actor que interpreta a Percy en el musical de El Ladrón Del Rayo.

120. Según Rick Riordan, las cazadoras de Artemisa son asexuales (No se sienten atraídas por ningún género o sexo)

Q: ¿Alguna vez escribirás sobre un personaje asexual o arromantico?

A: Basicamente, así es como veo a las cazadoras de Artemisa. Ellas han sido llevadas a esa vida porque es sobre camaraderia, aventura y amistad, no sexualidad o romance. Pero esa es mi interpretación.

121. Nico aparenta 14 años.

122. Los ojos y el cabello de los hijos de Afrodita van cambiando a lo largo del tiempo.

123. En ambas sagas han revivido 4 personajes [Spoiler]: Hazel, Gwen, Thalia y Leo.

124. Leo hizo una referencia a los juegos del hambre en los libros.

125. No se sabe si Rick Riordan hará una saga de libro sobre únicamente romanos también.

126. Hay sentimientos divididos entre Silena y Bianca: Unos las aman y otros las odian.

127. Hazel parece una chica de 13 años.

128. Percy dijo en el primer libro que él contaba su historia porque estaba basada en hechos reales y quería prevenir a otros semidioses aun no reclamados.

129. La película de Percy Jackson: El Ladrón del Rayo costó 95 millones de dólares.

130. A Rick Riordan se le acusa de plagiar a Harry Potter.

131. Annabeth ha tenido alrededor de 9/10 camas en la cabaña de Atenea.

132. Thalia y Jason Grace son los únicos hermanos biológicos (Hablando del parentesco mortal) que uno sea romano y el otro griego.

133. Cuando Rick Riordan le contó la historia a Haley Riordan (Su hijo) Annabeth tenía el cabello marrón.

134. “Annabeth” es un anagrama de “Athena” añadiendole las letras “n” y “b”.

135. Percy conoció a todos los olímpicos (Hades y Hestia incluídos) en solo la primera saga.

136. Dionisio aparece en todos los libros de la primera saga.

137. Nico es 4 años mayor que Hazel. (Nico: 1924 - Hazel: 1928)

138. Cuando Frank obtiene la bendición de Marte, Percy dice que es como si se hubiese convertido en un toro y luego hubiese vuelto a ser humano pero conservando algunos rasgos.

139. El ship “solangelo” significa “Ángel del sol”.

140. Artemisa nació antes que Apolo.

141. Jason es el único semidios que ha visto a un dios en su forma real y ha vivido para contarlo.

142. Bianca fue la primera semidiosa en morir en su primera misión.

143. En Las Pruebas de Apolo se dice que cada cabaña tiene espacio para 20 personas. 400 semidioses en total sería los que habría en el campamento.

144. El Olimpo se reubicó en USA alrededor del 1860.

145. Hécate fue la diosa que ha perdido a más hijos en la segunda guerra titánica.

146. Todos los semidioses son primos, sobrinos o algún familiar muy lejano.

147. Los padres de Sally Jackson murieron en un accidente de avión.

148. Percy lleva el apellido de su madre. Si llevase el de sus padrastros, su primer apellido hubiese sido Ugliano y más tarde Blofis.

149. Sally, May Castellan y Rachel son las pocas mortales que ven a través de la niebla.

150. Las Parcas son las diosas del destino y aparecen en El Ladrón Del Rayo.

151. Annabeth atiende a Percy en la enfermería cuando llega al campamento por primera vez pero más adelante se dice que eso es trabajo de los hijos de Apolo, no de Atenea.

152. Thalia pasó de estar muerta a ser inmortal en un libro.

153. El Olimpo que aparece a partir de la primera saga fue diseñado por Annabeth.

154. Kayla Knowles es la única semidiosa conocida con padres del mismo género.

155. Con 17 años, Percy ya es considerado como un veterano de Guerra.

156. Grover y Percy tienen un enlace de empatía, si algo le sucede a Percy, Grover también lo siente.

157. Hazel consideraba a Nico el semidiós más poderoso hasta que conoció a Percy.

158. El nombre del poder de controlar el agua es “hidroquinesis”.

159. Percy tiene conocimientos de cualquier nave marina.

160. Para Percy, Calypso siempre será su mayor “y si...”.

161. Trident es la marca de chicles favorita de Percy.

162. Nico no ha estado en un colegio formalmente desde quinto grado.

163. Luke tenía un diario de aventuras de Thalia y Annabeth. Hay un capítulo de dicho libro en Diario de Semidioses.

164. Frank y Nico pueden controlar a los fantasmas.

165. El único interés amoroso de Frank en toda la saga es Hazel.

166. Frank es una de las pocas personas que no se siente incómoda al estar alrededor de Nico.

167. Leo tenía interés romántico a Hazel hasta que conoció a Calypso.

168. Meleagro fue un semidios griego que, al igual que Frank, tenía su vida conectada a un trozo de madera.

169. Clarisse lideró al grupo de personas que llevaron a Annabeth y a Percy al lago.

170. Las personas que solamente vieron las películas y no leyeron los libros todavía se preguntan por qué Annabeth es rubia en la segunda película.

171. El Campamento Mestizo no tiene basura porque se la comen los sátiros.

172. Según Rick Riordan, estas son las bandas que le gustan a Percy; Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Black Keys, White Stripes...

173. Rick Riordan dijo que cuanto terminase las pruebas de Apolo tal vez escribía un libro entero desde la perspectiva de Nico.

174. Anakulis es el nombre de la espada de Percy pero va cambiando según la traducción.

175. La espada de Jason se puede convertir en lanza y es una moneda.

176. Cuando Percy regresó de Ogigia los campistas estaban celebrando su funeral.

177. Dédalo se autoconvirtió en un robot.

178. Piper robó sin querer un BMV solamente hablando.

179. Tanto Piper como Frank esperaban que otro dios fuese su padre.

180. Bob es el nombre con el que Percy nombró a un titán y Piper a una espinilla.

181. Piper significa “Flautista”.

182. Piper es 1/3 nativo americana, 1/3 griega y 1/3 estadounidense.

183. Hedge fue quien llevó a Clarisse al Campamento Mestizo.

184. El apodo que el fandom le puso a Percy es “Persassy” (Sassy = Descarado)

185. El cumpleaños de Percy también es el aniversario de la muerte de Luke.

186. El defecto fatídico de Percy es la lealtad extrema.

187. Mientras Percy estaba desaparecido, Annabeth visitaba una vez a la semana a Sally en su apartamento para consolarla y llorar con ella.

188. Percy se recorrió USA solamente caminando por el laberinto.

189. Rick Riordan es de Texas.

190. Él era profesor de mitología en San Francisco antes de ser escritor.

191. El primer mito que Rick Riordan leyó trataba sobre Perséfone.

192. Antes de escribir sobre cualquier mito lo lee desde distintos puntos de vista.

193. Con el martillo de Thor, Rick Riordan ganó el premio Stonewaal Book Award, un premio que se da a escritores que apoyan a la comunidad LGTBQ+.

194. El mito de los Argonautas fue escrito por Apolino de Rodas. Son 4 libros en total. Sin embargo, los mitos más conocidos aparecen en la Iliada y la Odisea de Homero.

195. Rick Riordan dijo que prefiere la mitología nórdica porque es más sencilla.

196. Annabeth no ha leído un libro por diversión en años porque confunde las letras.

197. Hazel solamente le ha mostrado visiones a Frank y a Leo.

198. Jason llegó a la segunda saga sin recordar nada y su última palabra fue “recuerda”.

199. Algunas escenas de la película fueron grabadas en Nashville, Tenessee, donde hay un Panteon hecho a escala.

200. A Annabeth se le ha pedido que abandone el campamento mestizo más que a nadie.

Circe la invitó a convertirse en bruja y que se quedara en su isla.

Luke le pidió a Annabeth que se uniera a Cronos.

Se le pidió que se uniera a las Cazadoras de Artemisa.

[d20owlbear-deactivated]

The Mathematical Improbability of Reaching the Stars

I am absolutely thrilled to announce a recent collab fic I’ve started writing with @cassieoh​ on Archive of Our Own! Her art is beautiful, her writing is amazing, and I am beyond blessed to be able to contribute!

Summary: Aziraphale, 3rd-year doctoral candidate in Library Sciences and current failure at Astronomy 101, finds out about an app for meeting people from some undergraduates. He’s desperate for a tutor so he decides to try it out. Surely someone in the wilds of Tinder is willing to help him learn about the stars?

Meanwhile, in said wilds of Tinder, Crowley (high school dropout, star enthusiast, and official garden center plant-harasser) is not really looking for anything past dinner and maybe ‘tea’ back at their place.

Hijinks, and also a surprisingly intricate plot, ensue.

Chapter 1: Of Old Books

Match. Chat. Date.

Aziraphale sighed and closed his eyes as he hit the download button on the app his classmates had suggested. He’d balked momentarily at the age restriction, before it occurred to him that since Tinder claimed to be a people-meeting app some people might go there to find a date. Surely, that was why it was rated 17+. You couldn’t control people and what they said, free will and all that, Aziraphale supposed. Though he did resent that he might have to wade through those people in his own search.

Well, here went nothing.

The set up questions were essentially what he might have expected had he ever considered using an app like this before. He used ‘Azira’ as his name, trusting most people could pronounce that correctly. Occupation, location, standard demographic information. Then he paused and sucked in a startled breath, as the app began asking about his sexual preferences. Aziraphale scrunched up his eyebrows and almost set it aside before he caught sight of the grade he’d gotten on his latest astronomy test. Written in red and circled twice, it- it was atrocious.  Worse than that, it was embarrassing. While some thought that it was alright to skate by, citing the ever-popular axiom “C’s get degrees”, Aziraphale didn’t. He couldn’t. It wasn’t that he particularly thought poorly of those who did, but he wouldn’t be able to live with the anxiety poor academic performance sparked in him. He’d given up too much, fought too long and hard for this to-

He took a deep breath, shoving those thoughts and worries aside. He had a plan, he could fix this.

He picked up the red-covered exam and hid it away, slipping it between the heavy covers of Paper Acidity: A Primer and Soil Compositions Along the Nile Delta and the Production of Papyrus in the Middle Kingdom.

That was why he was here, filling out these questions (which really felt a bit too personal if he was being honest with himself) all in order to find a tutor. He’d overheard a group of second-years talking on their way into lecture earlier that week; one young lady had mentioned she’d found a tutor on the Tinder app and everyone else had asked for details, thoroughly agreeing that she’d found a great one amidst plenty of laughter. He added his school, feeling slightly bolstered by that question, and then immediately deflated at the need for pictures.

Why did his face matter?

Wait! What if this was for what he needed help in? And, perhaps, to find him if there was a crowd? He would, of course, meet someone new in a public place, particularly if his tutor ended up being female. That made perfect sense. Aziraphale chuckled at his own foolishness. The sexual orientation question really had thrown him off, but he’d been honest on that too, and really, it did help that he could choose to simply not check the box that said to put it on his profile. Maybe even that was to make sure that tutors signed up as LGTBQ+ friendly? He appreciated that sort of responsible thinking on the part of the app developers, and he would hate to think he’d found the perfect tutor only to encounter someone, well-- He’d hate for it to not work out.

Either way, Aziraphale took a picture of himself, smiling as kindly as he could for a dreaded selfie, and then took pictures of his textbooks. He added a few to the pile that was currently hiding the shame of his poor grade; Precious Stones in Late Medieval Illumination and a personal favorite, Binding for Beginners. He only needed to take a few, but he made sure all the titles were in clear view, just in case!

And that was that, he was done with his profile. The app took him to a view of other people, and a rather baffling swiping system. He’d swiped the wrong way on a few men and women who didn’t much look like they were studying (quite a few of these people looked to be “gym rats” as the phrase goes, but no matter!) before he discovered the buttons and started making his selections after inspecting each profile for possible tutor material. He was generally out of luck, to be sure, but he still had hope! After all, with this many people (the app store said millions of users, and wasn’t that delightful) there had to be at least someone who could help him. And so, with a single-minded determination, Aziraphale swiped left on a large number of people.

***

Crowley woke with a groan and rolled off his bed. He yelped as the cold floor on his sleep-warm skin yanked with ungodly speed and a bitten-off curse into wakefulness. There were occasions, like now, he was glad he’d gotten a proper fold-up futon that laid out on the ground instead of a box-spring and raised bed situation. Glancing over at the analog clock he hung above his doorway, Crowley groaned again. 2-bloody-am. Who was awake at this time of day?!

Another sickeningly cheerful little beep sounded from the phone shoved under his thin pillow. He reached up onto the bed and fumbled around until he found the infernal thing and pulled it to his face, blinking against the miniature sun behind the screen.

He shot his phone the worst glare he could muster--a twist of his lips and a furrowed brow and the weight of the exhaustion that pulled at him--before rolling back onto the bed to curl up in the chaotic nest his sleeping habits inevitably turned any pile of blankets into. With nothing better to do, and his chest still aching in that way having all the warmth sucked out of skin does, he pulled the phone up again, fighting bleary eyes to actually see the notification. He groaned. Tinder, really? He’d been woken up, lost his perfect little bubble of warmth, for a match?

Crowley squinted, no, it was a super match. He rolled his eyes, super matches were weird and useless, but hey, if someone liked his snake picture enough... A thought occurred, ugh, it had better not be to ask him if that was him. Obviously it was.

He opened the match and his eyes widened in interest. That one, huh? He’d only just seen him and swiped right just before falling into bed last night. Did that mean that the poor bugger was awake at 2 am and had just matched with him? Maybe the super match was a mistake… the thought crept into the back of his mind, curling around his hindbrain and urging him to just push the phone away and chicken out in sending a message. The more logical side of him agreed, he should at least wait until morning.

<<picture of Aziraphale’s Tinder profile in full chapter>>

Sending a response at two in the morning said a lot of things and none of them were really things Crowley wanted to be saying.

But one thing that needed to be understood about Crowley, was that he was an ornery little shit and very much liked to disregard good advice, even if it was his own. Sometimes especially his own, because he also knew that he was an idiot and often acted accordingly. So, he typed out a quick message with a pun that made him chuckle, sleep-deprived and almost delirious, into the empty darkness around his bed, hit send, and passed out with a small smile on his lips for a whole 3-and-a-half hours before he had to wake up and face his shift in the nursery at 6.

<<picture of Crowley’s first message in full chapter>>

Full Chapter

[philippecombaz]

#HAMINO #MikiHAMANO #Miki #HAMANO #JapaneseBeauty #Ambidextrous #COMBAZ #LeftHanded #LeftHandedAmbidextrous #Ambidextre #Ambidexterity #双手 #Ambidextrie #左撇子 #Левша #Амбидекстр #Gaucher #贾珍珍 #孔八子兵法 #필립콤바자 #ecoKapitalism #PhilippeCOMBAZ #ФилиппКОМБАЗ #КОМБАЗ #MethanolEconomy #孔八子 #ExtinctionRebellion #DGSE #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests @misshamino @youngagentmulder @orlov_rtm @philippe.combaz 2019-12-31 101 黃背心運動! Revolution French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Biomethanol Algeria Algerie SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolAppeal 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK https://www.instagram.com/p/B6xrRSwItH_/?igshid=5c2enpgqanc7

[vaspider]

okay but if someone doesn't experience homophobia or transphobia then they're not lgbt it's as simple as that.... the lgbt community doesn't exist for the purpose of being "inclusive" it literally is by nature exclusive to people who experience homophobia and/or transphobia

No, I’m sorry, that’s simply not true. I’ve written an awful lot about this, which you can find under my ‘ace exclusion’ tag. But since there’s a lot under there, let’s hit all the highlights. Frankly, it’ll be nice to have an omnibus post I can just pass to people from now on. 

This post is not an argument of your point, it is a reference post, because you are simply wrong.

This post is going to be very, very long, and very, very US-centric. It is important to state right up front that this discussion is extremely Western-centric. I do not have the right personally to speak on gender and sexual orientations from indigenous communities of which I am not a member, but it is absolutely important to acknowledge that the colonization of gender and sexual identity of non-Western peoples is a) wrong as fuck and b) we need to knock it off and c) none of the stuff I’m writing necessarily applies to non-Western peoples/indigenous peoples. 

1) This ‘formed to fight homophobia and transphobia’ definition of LGBT is literally and completely an invention of Tumblr. It started on Tumblr, it really only exists on Tumblr, and it only exists for the sole purpose of excluding minority sexualities and orientations (not limited to but currently focused on asexuality). It’s a very recent invention and this specific definition is less than eighteen months old. Probably less than a year old, but I’ll be honest: I don’t have the time or patience to go through the history on Tumblr and read all the hateful stuff that I’d have to in order to find the first use of that particular little piece of nonsense.

2) If that’s the case, then bisexuals (that big ol’ B in there) wouldn’t necessarily be part of the community, because bisexuals experience biphobia, which, no, is not the same as homophobia, is not homophobia lite, is not because they are ‘perceived to be’ homosexual and therefore homophobia. Your definition also casually and totally sweeps intra-community biphobia under the rug, which, good golly, part of the reason that bisexual people became part of the acronym is because lesbians literally kicked bisexual women out of the term lesbian in the seventies. And of course that’s pretty funny considering that the discourse before the ace discourse was the bihet discourse. All of this has happened before, etc. etc. 

3) The acronym has constantly been in flux since the rise of the modern community, so trying to claim there’s some sort of continuity that goes back to a singular point and it’s always been LGBT and it has never been anything but LGBT is just… wrong.  (see point 5 and all subpoints) It was ‘the gay community’ > ‘the gay and lesbian community’ > ‘GLB community’ > ‘LGBT community’ (as a specific attempt to decenter gay men and also adding a letter because trans people fought hard for inclusion and are still fighting hard for inclusion) > LGBTQ/LGBTQI/LGBT+/LGBTQIA/LGBTQIPA - all of these have been in use for a really long time. That last set? Some of them have been in use for a decade or more. Some of them are much more recent. And the LGBTQ community is not a monolith, though with the rise of the internet we have certainly become much more connected. Organizational and regional variations absolutely exist. 

3a) Here’s a non-Tumblr link from a 53-year-old bisexual writer who discusses her history with the terms the community uses, and who suggests ‘NSP’ for Non-Straight People. Two therapists in 2013 (including the director of Pink Therapy) suggested that GSD ‘or Gender and Sexual Diversities,’ should replace LGBT.

Officials on the group’s Facebook page echoed those sentiments. “The point we’re trying to make is not that our community shouldn’t be called LGBT, it’ that actually our community is SO much BIGGER than simply LGBT,” they noted.

3b) Before the sexual revolution of the 1960s, there wasn’t really any kind of non-derogatory widespread term for the community or even for the people themselves. Uranian was used in the 19th century to refer to gay men (and later lesbians), and the ‘third gender’ – which was used for gay and lesbian people as well as gender-non-conforming and trans people most commonly in the 1950s and 1960s in the US  – was used. The term stopped being used in the 1970s in the US as gender identity and sexual orientation writing and identification started to separate into different things. So, again, our community, and our people, haven’t been called the same thing even over the last 2 centuries, let alone since the start of human history.

4) To stress again, ‘LGBT’ as an acronym began widespread use in 1988. Before that it was gay community, GLB, Lesbian and Gay community, etc. What we have called ourselves and why has always been changing. Always. 

5) Circling back to your main assertion, let’s turn it into questions and ask each of the major LGBTQ orgs via their mission statements and actions: what is the point of the community? And does the point of that community include asexual people? And since when has it done so?

5a) Human Rights Campaign Mission Statement:

The Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation together serve as America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality. By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

The Human Rights Campaign envisions a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are ensured equality and embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

5a1) Isn’t this just a rephrasing of ‘fighting homophobia and transphobia’?

Nope. While it’s obvious that this is part of HRC’s mission, it repeatedly does not limit the discrimination that LGBTQ people face to ‘homophobia and transphobia.’ The mission statement very specifically talks about ‘working for LGBTQ equality’ and ‘end[ing] discrimination’ and ‘ensur[ing] equality and embrac[ing LGBTQ people] as full members of society.’ These sorts of things are read and debated and discussed, and this word choice was extremely purposeful. There were no accidents in this phrasing.

5a2) Are asexual people explicitly included? They don’t say it in the mission statement!

Yes. Asexual people are repeatedly and explicitly included.

In the HRC Equality Forward “At The Intersection” document from 2009, on p9, discussing a survey taken in 2008 to discuss the issue of race in what the document calls the LGBT community:

About half of the LGBT people of color in this survey identify as gay orlesbian (51 percent) and another 41 percent identify as bisexual. Theremaining 8 percent use a number of other terms to describe theirsexual orientation, including queer, intersexual, asexual, human and prefernot to use labels.

To be clear and to repeat, they didn’t kick people out of the survey if they identified as asexual. Asexual was included as a legitimate and LGBTQ orientation.

Also here, in a guest blog post written by Romeo Jackson, a self-identified QPOC: 

When I hear the national narrative on coming out, rarely do I hear the experiences of trans people, asexual people, or people of color represented. It seems these experiences are often over looked, and because of this, the coming out process as experienced by LGBT people of color is sometimes misrepresented and/or misunderstood.

Not only is it important for asexual people to be included, but it is important for asexual people’s coming-out stories to be included in our community discussions.

A couple more instances, for example this scholarship listing for UW-L Eagle Pride, and the HRC #AM_Equality Tip Sheet from May 2016 (listing of article educating people on asexuality).

5a3) Conclusion, subsection 5a: Human Rights Campaign’s mission statement does not define the community, their work or our struggle as ‘fighting homophobia and transphobia,’ but as a struggle to achieve equality for LGBTQ people in all communities, and they explicitly, repeatedly, over the course of at least seven years, well before the start of the ‘ace discourse on Tumblr, define ‘LGBTQ people’ and ‘LGBT people’ to include asexual people and asexuality. 

5b) The Trevor Project MIssion Statement:

The mission of The Trevor Project is to end suicide among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people. The organization works to fulfill this mission through four strategies:

1. Provide crisis counseling to LGBTQ young people thinking of suicide.

2. Offer resources, supportive counseling and a sense of community to LGBTQ young people to reduce the risk that they become suicidal.

3. Educate young people and adults who interact with young people on LGTBQ-competent suicide prevention, risk detection and response.

4. Advocate for laws and policies that will reduce suicide among LGBTQ young people.

5b1) Another major org, and this one doesn’t even touch on fighting bigotry in any way (except potentially as fighting internalized bigotry in those who are suicidal) until their 4th point, and in that point, they clearly are advocating for laws and policies to protect LGBTQ young people. There’s no statement of ‘fighting homophobia and transphobia is what we do, it’s all we do, the end.’ Not even close.

5b2) Are asexual people explicitly included? They don’t say it in the mission statement!

Yes. Here’s their asexuality FAQ, and at the bottom of it they link to AVEN (I realize AVEN is a somewhat controversial organization but I view that as an intra-sub-community issue and not for me to speak on, AVEN is clearly a legitimate resource to The Trevor Project), Asexual Awareness Week, and their own Asexuality 101 PDF. A notable quote under ‘ace issues’ on page 2:

LGBT communities aren’tuniversally supportive ofasexuality.

5b3) Conclusion, subsection 5b: The Trevor Project explicitly includes resources for asexual youth, giving asexuality a header equal to every other subgroup on their Resources page. They acknowledge that LGBT communities are not universally supportive of asexuality, but they address it as an issue, that is, an issue that needs to be addressed, and one for which asexual youth require explicit support. 

5c) GLAAD does not have an explicitly listed Mission Statement on their site. This is their About page:

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.

5c1) I hope at this point I don’t have to explain that this is not just a rephrasing of ‘fighting homophobia and transphobia,’ but an affirmative statement of working for acceptance and protection for the LGBTQ community as a whole. 

5c2) Are asexual people explicitly included?

Yes. February 1, 2015:

…it’s critical to boost acceptance of LGBT people, not just among non-LGBT folks, but also among members of our own community.

And that includes increasing acceptance of and being good allies to the Asexual, Agender, and Aromantic community.

Let us say without equivocation, the ‘A’ in LGBTQIA represents millions of Asexual, Agender, and Aromantic people, who are far too often left out of the conversation about acceptance.

(Note, this is over a year before GLADD added Q for ‘queer/questioning’ to their official acronym. The Q is a whole other kettle of fish, I provide it only for context of inclusion.)

July 24, 2015, re: a project on The Advocate called #21AceStories:

Cruz also previously curated #27Bistories, which similarly addressed misconceptions about bisexuality.

Cruz writes that the “erasure of asexual identities disenfranchises the asexual community from the LGBT community, perhaps more so than any other marginalized community.” It’s necessary to make asexual individuals feel like they have a place and a voice in the LGBT community – for their emotional wellbeing and physical safety.

October 29, 2014, re: Asexual Awareness Week:

GLAAD celebrates Asexual Awareness Week to amplify the voices of those who identify as asexual, aromantic, demisexual, and grey-asexual to be able to live the life they love.

This an explicit callback to the mission statement and an inclusion of asexual people in GLAAD’s ‘about’ and their mission.

February 12, 2016, in “The GLAAD Wrap”:

Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend…. In the most recent issue, popular Archie Comics character Jughead came out as asexual. 

June 16, 2014, on Pride Flags:

To help clear any confusion and to refresh the memories of those who already know, Mashable has compiled a very useful list of iconic LGBT flags and symbols… 

 GLAAD put Mashable in touch with several LGBT leaders to talk about the symbols. Sarah Toce of The Seattle Lesbian and Sue Kerr of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents explained the background of many of the LGBT symbols used within the community. GLAAD also worked with Geena Rocero, model and founder of Gender Proud, and BiNet USA’s Faith Cheltenham to provide commentary on the post, as well as GLAAD’s own National Spokesperson, Wilson Cruz…

The asexual pride flag has four stripes colored black, grey, white, and purple from top to bottom.

October 2016, Media Reference Guide, 10th Edition:

AsexualAn adjective used to describe people who donot experience sexual attraction (e.g., asexualperson). A person can also be aromantic,meaning they do not experience romanticattraction. (For more information, visitasexuality.org.) 

HeterosexualAn adjective used to describe peoplewhose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to people of theopposite sex. Also straight.

Please note that the GLAAD reference guide lists Asexual and Heterosexual one right after the other, and lists them as two different orientations and two different experiences. ‘Straight’ is only listed after Heterosexual.

From an article discussing acronyms, queer, and the GLAAD Media Reference Guide with The Advocate, Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO: 

“It is still, of course, particularly concerned with media, aiming to assure that both news and entertainment media represent us in a manner that is fair, inclusive, and accurate. It has been publishing the Media Guide for about 20 years, so updates have come about every two years, Ellis notes. Other changes in the 10th edition include expanded definitions of the terms asexual and intersex, based on conversations with those populations, she says.” [Emphasis mine]

Note the inclusion of asexual and intersex with ‘us.’

5c3) Conclusion, subsection 5c: GLAAD does not have as an extensive a documentable history of asexual inclusion as HRC, The National LGBTQ Task Force, or The Trevor Project. They do expressly, repeatedly, explicitly include asexual people - notably, the GLAAD-written sentence “It’s necessary to make asexual individuals feel like they have a place and a voice in the LGBT community – for their emotional wellbeing and physical safety.” as well as explicitly including discussion of an asexual comic book character in their LGBT media roundup and explicitly including the asexual flag in their own write-up of LGBT Pride Flags in preparation for Pride Month. They expressly amended their Media Guide (one of GLAAD’s main projects) to include asexuality and do not define aces as straight but as LGBTQ.

5d) National LGBTQ Task Force Mission Statement:

The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people.

We’re building a future where everyone is free to be themselves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you.

…

Everyone in our community is able to be exactly who they are and able to lead the lives they’re entitled to live. We want you to “be you.” We’ve made a lot of progress in the past 40 years and we never take that progress for granted. The Task Force community wants more than equality – we want to create a transformed society.

It’s very important to pause here and clarify that the National LGBTQ Task Force was founded in 1973 and is the oldest national LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States. It’s also important to note that “In 2014 the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force changed its name to the National LGBTQ Task Force; it was founded in 1973 as the National Gay Task Force and added Lesbian in 1985.” Over and over again, we see the evolution of the acronym, the words we use, and who would be therefore included. Our identity as a community has never been static.

5d1) Isn’t this just a rephrasing of ‘fighting homophobia and transphobia’?

Not in the sense of it being an exclusionary, ‘this and only this’ statement. The history of the Task Force is absolutely focused on fighting homophobia, homophobic violence, transphobia, biphobia, and all forms of anti-LGBTQ violence and discrimination. They do not just seek to ‘fight all forms of LGBTQ-phobia,’ either, which is directly stated. They seek a transformed society in which there would be complete equality. 

5d2) Are asexual people explicitly included? They don’t say it in the mission statement!

Yes. 

April 30, 2013: The A Is Here To Stay

Now LGBT groups are having conversations about asexual issues. There have been workshops at the last two Creating Change conferences. The Task Force is joined by the Trevor Project and Campus Pride as the first LGBT organizations to include asexuality in their work.

April 2013: Wonky Wednesday, written by Jack Harrison, Policy Institute Manager

…I was very excited when Sarah Beth volunteered to write an Ace 101 post for the Task Force blog…

…there’s relatively little research by asexuals on asexuals, and what has been done is largely based around asking others their opinions of asexuals to determine the possibility of bias or psychological research attempting to establish possible reasons why people experience themselves as asexual. That means there’s almost no data based on methodologies of asking aces to articulate their own experiences.

I’ve been involved recently in a coalition of activists and academics, primarily from ace communities, trying to remedy this…

…the bulk of respondents [to a 2011 survey about asexuality] (76%) were between the ages of 16 and 25 years old, the implications of which are very interesting to someone like me who is very concerned about employment discrimination. This means that most ace-identified folks may not have entered the work force and thus, as advocates who believe that everyone has the right to be judged on the quality of their work rather than on their sexual or non-sexual identities, we need to be preparing for a rise in instances of discrimination in the coming years.

5d3) Conclusion, subsection 5d: The National LGBTQ Task Force evolved its position on its name in its 44 years of existence. They seek to create a truly equitable world and not only do they explicitly include asexuality in the LGBTQ community which they serve, but their Policy Institute Manager not only recognizes the need for more writing and work by asexuals about asexuals within the community, but considers the entry of a largely younger asexual community into the workforce to be an action item for which the Task Force should be prepared, in order to better handle instances of discrimination against the asexual members of the LGBTQ community.

5e) May 17th, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, A Worldwide Celebration of Gender and Sexual Diversities

Are Asexual people explicitly included?

Yes.

May 17 was first known as the “International Day against Homophobia” and mainstreamed through its acronym “I.DA.HO”In 2009, Transphobia was added explicitly in the title of the name, in the recognition of the very different issues at stake between sexual orientation and gender expression. “IDAHOT” became another popular acronym used alongside the initial one.Since 2015, biphobia is added to the title, to acknowledge the specific issues faced by bisexual people.

At the level of our Committee, we have kept the acronym ‘IDAHOT’, which we’ve been consolidating for years. We acknowledge this is an imperfect solution, but a necessity for communications consistency. We totally support other organisations who adapt the name of the day to their contexts and their priorities. In the UK for examples, the Day is increasingly known as IDAHOBiT*, in Latin America Lesbophobia is almost systematically included and placed first, etc.

To ensure even more inclusion and reflect the diversity of sexual and gender minorities, we have created at global level the baseline “A global celebration of sexual and gender diversities”. This is probably the only “solution” to the issue of inclusion and reflection of other diversities, such as Queer, Asexual, Pansexual and regional identities such as Hijras, Weres, Two-Spirit, etc. [emphasis mine]

The Day is not one central trademarked brand and everyone is free to communicate as they wish. This creates inconsistency but this is the cost to bear for large ownership.

No further comment is needed on this; the evolution of inclusion, and the explicit inclusion of asexual people, is already clearly delineated by the Committee’s own words. 

5f) The National Institutes of Health, in a study begun in 2009, included asexuality in an LGBT Health study. (Sadly this is behind a paywall, so I’m not going to go very far into it, just providing a link.)

5g) Before we go, here are a few links to college pride organizations which explicitly include ace people that I just happened to stumble across when I was looking for other links for this answer. I wasn’t even explicitly looking for them, I just found them. 

Conclusion: 

Our identity as a community has never been static. Since the rise of the modern US LGBTQ community in the 1960s and 1970s, our community has been consistently moving toward greater understanding of the massive complexity of sexuality and gender identity. What started as the Gay Community has gained so many letters and such great understanding of the incredible diversity of human gender and sexual experience that it has become necessary to use umbrella terms for ease of communication.

Unfortunately, sometimes those umbrella terms are taken as prescriptive, rather than inclusive, terms. Given the examples from every single major LGBTQ organization, the National Institutes of Health, and The Advocate (arguably the premiere or one of the premiere LGBTQ publications), asexuality is a part of the larger LGBTQ community, expressly accepted by every single major organization in the United States. 

Like transgender (including and/or alongside non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid and all other non-cis gender identities which may or may not consider themselves to be explicitly transgender or part of the trans community), pansexual, queer, and bisexual before (and in some cases alongside) it, asexuality is not a new identity - it is a relatively newly-understood identity. And just like all of those identities before and alongside it, acceptance both within and without the community has been and continues to be a struggle. 

Like bisexual and pansexual people especially, asexual people face accusations of being ‘outsiders,’ ‘secret straights,’ etc., who either face demands that they perform a certain amount of queerness to the satisfaction of others (with goalposts that constantly change), or are rejected outright. 

Like transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, etc. persons, asexual people face pushback from people who claim their identities aren’t real, don’t belong in the community - ‘what does a lack of sex have to do with being LGBTQ?’ ‘What does gender identity have to do with being gay, it’s a totally different thing, drop the T’ - and all other manner of exclusionary pushback.

Just as bisexuals faced much more pushback a quarter-century ago when I came out and started coming up in the LGBTQ community, but face greatly-diminished pushback now and a greater general acceptance that we are simply part of the community, and just as there was no word, no string of words that existed in the community vocabulary when I was a teenager for my gender identity, but there are now, asexuality, aromanticism, and all of the many other identities along the a-spec continuum, I have a great deal of faith that in the next few years, even Tumblr will move on from this particular division or discourse and move on to the next argument. I have every faith that given the fact that every major organization has explicitly included ace/aro folks, we will move on, and ace/aro folks will be a pretty-damn-completely-accepted ‘default’ part of the community, the same way that bi and trans people are accepted by all but a very small, non-representative portion of the community.

That’s already the truth outside of Tumblr. I simply hope that we can move on from this already, even on Tumblr, because the LGBTQ community in the United States is in for a really bumpy ride over the next 4+ years. 

There are a lot of battles we need to fight. They shouldn’t be against each other, and yes, ace people are part of ‘us.’ That argument is over. . Let’s move on to protecting the LGBTQ community from whatever 45 and his vizier are planning to inflict on us.

I hope you’ll stop wasting your energy and the energy of others on pointless infighting over an argument that’s over. We have a lot of work to do. We’re going to need all our energy. 

[damonbation]

The Tatiana Show Ep. 182 Maria Tokareva

A quick show about a new and unique artist I met with when down in Miami. She sells some of her work in crypto, but is also immersing herself in other ways. Take 5 minutes to brush up on your crypto artist culture and meet this beautiful and talented Latina painter on this episode of the Tatiana Show!

About the Guests:

Maria Tokareva is pure Magic, she paints her feelings on canvas, walls, floors and clothes. She also is a creative director for her fashion urban art wear brand Miss Frais. Last year Maria was awarded with a certificate of recognition for her art contributions to the city of Miami, by the Mayor of Miami. She is also a published artist in Forbes and has participated in many art fairs and gallery exhibits. Her latest project is a charity auction for Family Resource Center of South Florida where Maria donated her paintings to raise money for the kids who have been abandoned by their families. A Queer fashion show benefiting PFLAG South Miami, raising awareness about gender diversity, body positivity and LGTBQ issues. A very special Gala to raise money for Suicide Awareness at FIU.

More Info:

TatianaMoroz.com

CryptoMediaHub.com

Mtsg-art.com

Friends and Sponsors of the Show:

MetalPay.com

from Money 101 https://letstalkbitcoin.com/blog/post/the-tatiana-show-ep-182-maria-tokareva via http://www.rssmix.com/

[queer-nonqueer-coded101]

What is LGTB+?

LGTB / LGTBQIA+ is the encompassing name for the community who identifies differently from being heterosexual (attracted to opposite sex) and cisgender (same gender as sex at birth). Another name that is often used is Queer. Queer is used as an umbrella term throughout the whole community.

Each letter stands for a different term that is often used: Lesbain, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Aromatic

I am not an expert, nor do I know everything about the community. I am human and will get some things wrong. This blog is meant to help enlighten anyone who may be struggling to find a name for how they feel and anyone who wants to know more

[tribelamag-blog]

http://tribelamagazine.com/ripped-bodice-part-2-great-benefits-romance-suggestions/ TribeLA Magazine • Los Angeles When I asked them what their favorite traits are in a romantic hero, Bea gave me a brief tutorial. “Heroes are generally split up into two categories; alpha and beta. Alpha is the classic strong hero, whereas the beta is more sensitive. #Allartallthetime #Authorbrendajackson #Authorsandrabrown #Jennifercrusie #Therippedbodice #Tribelamagazine

New Post has been published on http://tribelamagazine.com/ripped-bodice-part-2-great-benefits-romance-suggestions/

The Ripped Bodice Part 2: ...great benefits to getting romance suggestions from Bea and Leah versus just clicking on Amazon... “We’re human!”

By Janice Bremec Blum

I asked Bea and Leah what they personally like to see in a romance book. “I like a heroine with confidence and high self-esteem. A career she’s passionate about, a desire to do good in the world,” says Leah.

Bea tends to go more for the “nerdy” heroine. “I like academic heroines, someone who focused on education or is studying things.”

When I asked them what their favorite traits are in a romantic hero, Bea gave me a brief tutorial. “Heroes are generally split up into two categories; alpha and beta. Alpha is the classic strong hero, whereas the beta is more sensitive. I go back and forth.” She says with a smile, adding, “some days I really like when a difficult man is brought to his knees by the right woman.”

Leah jumps in quite emphatically. “I like a demonstrated ability to listen. It has to be demonstrated, you can’t just say he’s a good listener, you have to show it.”

Bea adds to Leah’s thought, saying, “You’ll always find romance novels where the hero just can’t communicate.” Bea, Leah, and I catch one another’s eye and in a brief, female bonding moment, we all nod in agreement instinctually recognizing Beas’s declaration as more than just something found in fiction.

The Ripped Bodice offers not only a plethora of books in all the romance categories including suspense, LGTBQ, shifters and more, but they also have special events and classes. You can partake in a writing romance 101 class as well as drop in on their community book club. There’s always some activity happening within their warm and inviting shop. In fact, I myself took a Sunday afternoon class and left with more than just an education about how to write romance, but a deeper appreciation for this genre as well as a new home with which to share my affection. No more brown paper bags Nana!

There are great benefits to getting your romance suggestions from Bea and Leah versus just clicking on Amazon. “We’re human!” They tell me.

“There’s a human factor that a robot will never be able to replicate.” By shopping locally, you can make a connection with a merchant who has intimate knowledge about their niche. Think of it as “inside” information that you could never get from a computer ad. This season, let’s see Mommy kiss her literary Santa and fall in love!

There are some exciting events going on at The Ripped Bodice including book signings with Asa Akira promoting her new erotica anthology, Asarotica and Christina Lauren’s latest, Roomies. Get your belly laughs out with stand-up on Romantic Comedy night or drop in on The Ripped Bodice’s community book club. These are just some of the aspects that make independent book sellers worthy of your support.

Excerpt from Part 1

According to data from Bowker, a research organization for the publishing industry, romance is now the fastest-growing segment of the e-reading market, ahead of general fiction, mystery and science fiction.

Harlequin, one of the leading publishers in the romance genre, touts such famed New York Times best-selling authors as Nora Roberts, who has written over 215 books; Brenda Jackson, the first African-American author to have a book published under the Harlequin/Silhouette Desire line; Sandra Brown who has published nearly 70 novels with over 50 hitting the bestseller list, and of course, my crossword gal, Jennifer Crusie. All of these books and more can be found at The Ripped Bodice.

LEAH’S TOP FIVE ROMANCE BOOKS FOR THE SEASON

[hoot_slider id=”8323″]

BEA’S TOP FIVE ROMANCE BOOKS FOR THE SEASON

[hoot_slider id=”8327″]

Store Information HOURS Monday- CLOSED Tuesday: 10am-8pm (The Culver City Farmers Market is on Tuesdays from 2-7pm. Please allow extra time for parking and navigation) Wednesday: 10am-8pm Thursday- 10am-8pm Friday- 10am-8pm Saturday- 11am-8pm Sunday- 11am-7pm

LOCATION/PARKING The Ripped Bodice is located at 3806 Main St. in the heart of downtown Culver City. Please note: We sit directly on the border of Culver City and Los Angeles. Our street is called both Main St. and Bagley Ave. If you are using a GPS, enter the following address: 3806 Main St. Culver City, CA 90232

Therippedbodicela.com

Janice Bremec Blum is Editor in Chief at TribeLA Magazine. This gifted multi-talented artist is an MFA graduate of Antioch University; and creative writing is her domain. Janice’s work will debut under “Meet LA’s new voices of fiction in 2018.” Her extensive background as a makeup artist in the Hollywood entertainment industry has allowed her to write a book on the subject of makeup and beauty. What better person to learn about make-up tricks and safety than a Hollywood makeup artist. A die-hard romantic, she and her husband Hunter (both art collectors) live in Los Angeles. You can email Janice at: janice@tribelamagazine.com.

Exposing the World of Romance at America’s ONLY all romance bookstore right here in LA – The Ripped Bodice, Part 1

[philippecombaz]

#Acte35 #YellowRevolution #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests #ЖелтыеЖилеты #PlannedObsolescence #黃背心 #노란조끼 #Ambidextrous #필립콤바자 #ecoKapitalism #孔八子 #双手 #双手创作 #COMBAZ #POUYANNE #TotalCommittedToBullshit #PatrickPOUYANNE #菲利普孔八子 #Nobel #ArtificialPhotosynthesis #SunTzu #ArtOfWar #Ambidextry #GreenPeaceFrance #France #Paris #TOTALSA #NobelPrize #TOTAL 101 2019-07-13 黃背心運動 (in my previous videos) Police officer clubbing me like a mad man! Yelling at me: "Run, run, run or I will beat you, club you & destroy you!" And this is exactly what he did in front of his 10 colleagues who did not help me as I was on the floor, nor did they help this woman on my video who got beated by this giant bastard policeman! This is insane! We are in France, one of the oldest democracies, not under PINOCHET's dictatorship! Revolution French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Algeria Algerie SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire SolarMethanol GasToMethanol MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolEconomy MethanolAppeal Wine Vodka Beer Whiskey Whisky Bourbon Cidre Cider Cognac Armagnac 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK ElonMUSK MasterBullShitter TESLA SpaceX u forgot to say "thanks" to me when you created SolarCity! BENALLA МАКРОН 马克龙 GeorgeOLAH JamesBALDWIN https://www.instagram.com/p/B0E27hmIg0c/?igshid=8wilyeiz3lf6

[philippecombaz]

#Acte34 #YellowRevolution #July4th #4thOfJuly #BenjaminFRANKLIN #AlexisDeTOCQUEVILLE #EINSTEIN #SunTzu #ArtOfWar #War #PEACE #Liberty #孔八子 #GayPride #Pride #ParisPride #LGBT #LGBTQ #Rainbow #Queer #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests #ЖелтыеЖилеты #黃背心 #노란조끼 #MACRON #Ambidextrous #필립콤바자 #双手 #ecoKapitalism 101 On my videos you can easily estimate more than 3'000 in Paris! 2019-07-06 黃背心運動 Police officer clubbing me like a mad man! Yelling at me: "Run, run, run or I will beat you, club you & destroy you!" And this is exactly what he did in front of his 10 colleagues who did not help me as I was on the floor, nor did they help this woman on my video who got beated by this giant bastard policeman! This is insane! We are in France, one of the oldest democracies, not under PINOCHET's dictatorship! Revolution French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Algeria Algerie SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire SolarMethanol GasToMethanol MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolEconomy MethanolAppeal Wine Vodka Beer Whiskey Whisky Bourbon Cidre Cider Cognac Armagnac 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK ElonMUSK MasterBullShitter TESLA SpaceX u forgot to say "thanks" to me when you created SolarCity! BENALLA МАКРОН 马克龙 GeorgeOLAH JamesBALDWIN https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzjq9xUoN5w/?igshid=wdcghs6zd9f

[philippecombaz]

#Acte26 #PhilippeCOMBAZ #Biomimicry #BioTRIZ #TRIZ #КОМБАЗ #COMBAZ #ParisHILTON #HILTON #Sexy #Blonde #BlondeGirl #AnneFRANK #SunTzu #MUHAMMAD #EINSTEIN #TESLA #Macron #POUYANNE #YellowRevolution #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests #ЖелтыеЖилеты #黃背心 #노란조끼 #ecoKapitalism #DaVINCI #PatrickPOUYANNE #ALTSHULLER #GreenPeace 101 2019-05-05 黃背心運動 BlackBloc Revolution TotalCommittedToBullshit ArtOfWar Police officer clubbing me like a mad man! Yelling at me: "Run, run, run or I will beat you, club you & destroy you!" And this is exactly what he did in front of his 10 colleagues who did not help me as I was on the floor, nor did they help this woman on my video who got beated by this giant bastard policeman! This is insane! We are in France, one of the oldest democracies, not under PINOCHET's dictatorship! French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Solar Energy SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol RenewableEnergy PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism 菲利普孔八子 필립콤바스 フィリップ DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire SolarMethanol GasToMethanol MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolEconomy MethanolAppeal Wine Vodka Beer Whiskey Whisky Bourbon Cidre Cider Cognac Armagnac 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK ElonMUSK MasterBullShitter TESLA SpaceX u forgot to say "thanks" to me when you created SolarCity! BENALLA МАКРОН 马克龙 GeorgeOLAH JamesBALDWIN https://www.instagram.com/p/BxUlz_On9FB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18gopltfhyal4

[philippecombaz]

#Acte25 #BRUNDTLAND #SustainableDevelopment #SaintEXUPERY #SunTzu #MUHAMMAD #EINSTEIN #NikolaTESLA #Revolution #Macron #MacronDemission #YellowRevolution #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests #ЖелтыеЖилеты #黃背心 #노란조끼 #ecoKapitalism #Paris #France #TotalCommittedToBullshit #TOTAL #PatrickPOUYANNE #BlackBloc #ROBESPIERRE #GreenPeace #Algeria #Algerie #PhilippeCOMBAZ #ArtOfWar 101 2019-05-05 黃背心運動 Police officer clubbing me like a mad man! Yelling at me: "Run, run, run or I will beat you, club you & destroy you!" And this is exactly what he did in front of his 10 colleagues who did not help me as I was on the floor, nor did they help this woman on my video who got beated by this giant bastard policeman! This is insane! We are in France, one of the oldest democracies, not under PINOCHET's dictatorship! French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Solar Energy SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol RenewableEnergy PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism 菲利普孔八子 필립콤바스 フィリップ DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire SolarMethanol GasToMethanol MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolEconomy MethanolAppeal Wine Vodka Beer Whiskey Whisky Bourbon Cidre Cider Cognac Armagnac 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK ElonMUSK MasterBullShitter TESLA SpaceX u forgot to say "thanks" to me when you created SolarCity! BENALLA МАКРОН 马克龙 GeorgeOLAH JamesBALDWIN https://www.instagram.com/p/BxGXZGVBtsG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fwg04o7pej7c

[philippecombaz]

#Acte61 #YellowRevolution #MarcFISCHER #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests #ЖелтыеЖилеты #黃背心 #노란조끼 #TOTALSA #SolarToLiquid #TotalCommittedToBullshit #BioTRIZ #SolarMethanol #SolarEnergy #MethanolEconomy #PhilippeCOMBAZ #SolarMethanol #EndOfCapitalism #ecoKapitalism #孔八子 #ManningOfLife #MeaningOfLife #필립콤바자 #菲利普孔八子 #孔八子兵法 #GasToLiquid #ExtinctionRebellion #RebelForLife #TellTheTruth #PlannedObsolescence 2020-01-11 Paris 101 黃背心運動! Revolution French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Biomethanol Algeria Algerie SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolAppeal 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK https://www.instagram.com/p/B7MTCt-IN1r/?igshid=1qhvviia51br5

[philippecombaz]

#Acte60 #GiletsJaunes #YellowVests #YellowRevolution #EndOfCapitalism #BlackRock #贾珍珍 #HongKong #ЖелтыеЖилеты #黃背心 #노란조끼 #孔八子兵法 #LeftHandedAmbidextrous #PlannedObsolescence #MethanolEconomy #Methanol #孔八子 #ecoKapitalism #TOTAL #TOTALSA #TotalExcellium #PatrickPOUYANNE #PhilippeCOMBAZ #BoycottAmericaFirst #Ambidextrous #SolarMethanol #ExtinctionRebellion #RebelForLife #TellTheTruth #LosCaidos 2020-01-04 101 黃背心運動! Revolution French media are controlled by our government! "War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself" Benjamin FRANKLIN Biomethanol Algeria Algerie SunPower SAFT CrudeOil LNG GasToMethanol PlannedObsolescence LGTBQ Methanol COH4 CH3OH Ethanol C2OH6 C2H5OH Energy BioEthanol Capitalism DimitriCOMBAZ VictorCOMBAZ PhilippeCOMBAZ GillesCOMBAZ JeanCOMBAZ BlackRock AMUNDI GNL NuclearBioMethanol CoalBioMethanol ROBESPIERRE Algerie BlackBloc Police CRS Ambidextrous Ambidexter FVMMO DETTINGER ParisOnFire MethaneToMethanol ProudToBeFrench ProudToBeJewish ProudToHaveMuslimFriends ProudToBeIrish ProudToBeChristian ProudToBeItalian ProudToBeSavoyard MethanolAppeal 酒 Sake 俳句 Haiku Haïkou: 高 - 01 い - 02 偉 - 03 大 - 04 さ - 05 は - 06 強 - 07 い - 08 性 - 09 格 - 10 と - 11 善 - 12 に - 13 あ - 14 り - 15 ま - 16 す - 17 高い偉大さは強い性格と善にあります "High greatness lies in strong character and goodness" Philippe COMBAZ フィリップ 孔八子 inspired by "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character & goodness" AnneFRANK https://www.instagram.com/p/B66BvpwI48v/?igshid=gfs17l9ysjms