As humans, we gravitate to putting meaning to things and events. This often translates into using symbols for those things. Symbols can give us direction and meaning, hope and belief, and inspiration and courage. But can also get mired in their meaning and stuck in a time where their relevance may be lost? Can we, [...]
Pride season has started and it is a different scene than it has been in years past. This will be the first celebrations or marches in almost a year, due to the impact that Covid-19 had on the world. During Pride, it is important to remember the elders that came before us that have given [...]
No LGBTQ person should have to fear being denied access to needed healthcare because of who they are. Just as it is important that we have access to see our spouses in the hospital. Healthcare is important for our quality of life, as much as it is for our survival. The Hippocratic Oath says that doctors are supposed to treat the sick to the best of their abilities. LGBTQ people deserve the same access to healthcare as our heterosexual counterparts. No one should have to feel shame or fear when they need to see a doctor. Because of this fear, many of the contributing factors to our well-being have not been fully documented. This can cause misleading statistics about how environmental and psychosocial stressors affect our well-being. We need more information on how LGBTQ health disparities affect our overall health and well-being. We need healthcare providers that will treat us as people and not our sexual orientation or gender identity.
All too often, when we watch Christmas movies we are forced to see heterosexual couples getting all the spot light. If we are lucky, we sometimes get a bit part in a movie or tv show. Most of the time it's just the subtext that shows up. I thought I would compile a list of [...]
What really made it for me was when I started putting together my own family of friends. Coming together for Thanksgiving and Christmas took on different meanings than some of the pain and struggles that came with gathering with relatives. There are two very vivid points in my history that were pivotal changes of my [...]
The last four years has been a roller coaster ride, no one can deny that. Since the 2016 election that brought Trump in as president, we have seen a steady increase in hate crimes. We have watched as hate groups have taken more of a center stage in media reports. We have watch as citizens [...]
As children, we are set upon a path to adulthood. Boys are taught to become men and girls are taught to become women. We are told these are immutable characteristics, it is what is expected of us. This is the normal way of things. Men are taught to hide their emotions away from the world, [...]
It is an old trope, gay men are repulsed by vaginas, and lesbians are fueled to rage at the thought of a penis. But is this actually the truth or some outdated mindset of a bygone era that promoted sexist ideals. How much of this hearkens to a past post about what is "normal." I [...]
Adjectives are a common part of our daily lives. They surround us in literature, movies, and chats with friends. We see beautiful scenery, couples that share endearing love with one another, and delectable food. One could argue that adjectives are overused or thrown about carelessly. That people may even use them when there are better [...]
As LGBTQ people, we have always had a hard time finding suitable role models. Mainstream media definitely does not give us great representation . When I was growing up, it was almost guaranteed that the characters I saw in tv shows and movies were the most stereotypical of ideals from straight writers and directors. Even [...]
Gay in the CLE 