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#he thinks the lgbtq community is wrong and he thinks most of my interests are evil and he hates my political beliefs
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Rick's Reality
Richard Thompson, or "Rick" as he was known to everyone in his small Midwestern town, had always been a figure of certainty. A solid, unchanging monument amidst a world that was too often in flux. His voice, amplified by the local radio, was a constant stream of opinions and advice that echoed through the homes and cars of his listeners each weekday morning.
Rick was an imposing man, in both stature and belief. Standing tall at six feet two inches, with broad shoulders and a deep, resonant voice, he was the picture of traditional, rural masculinity. His dark hair was always neatly combed, his clothes crisp and clean, and his boots spotless despite the dust and mud of the local landscape.
His radio show, "Rick's Reality," was a beacon for conservative values and traditional perspectives. It was a platform from which he would confidently espouse his views, his deep baritone voice resonating with a fervor that drew in even the most reluctant listener. Rick had a particular disdain for the LGBTQ+ community, seeing them as a challenge to his idea of 'normal.'
"There's a certain way of life, a right and a wrong," Rick would assert, his voice crackling over the airwaves. "Men are men, women are women. That's how God intended it."
Rick had been born and bred in this town, his life as firmly rooted as the old oak tree in the town square. A divorced father of one, his life was a well-trodden path of work, hunting, fishing, and beer with his buddies at Joe's Bar.
That Monday, Rick sat behind the microphone in his small studio, a cup of black coffee steaming beside him. He had a familiar fire in his belly, the one that fueled his daily tirades. Today, his ire was directed towards immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
"Folks," he began, his voice stern and unwavering, "our great nation is being undermined. We've got immigrants coming in, not respecting our culture, our way of life. And then we got these... these... folks who can't decide if they're men or women or want to marry their own kind. It's a disgrace, I tell ya."
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The phone lines were lighting up, as they always did during his heated monologues. He gestured to his assistant, who patched through a caller.
"You're on 'Rick's Reality', what's your reality today?" Rick asked, a smug grin on his face.
"Hello, Rick," the caller began, their voice calm, measured, and anonymous. "I've been listening to your show for a while. I've heard your views on immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community. I wonder, have you ever challenged your beliefs? Have you ever tried to see life from their perspective?"
Rick was taken aback. He was used to angry rebuttals and passionate agreements, but this? This was new. He stuttered, before finding his footing. "Well, I... I know what's right. And it's my job to stand up for what's right."
"But what if 'right' is subjective, Rick?" the caller continued. "What if the 'right' you know is not the only 'right'? Have you ever considered that?"
Rick was angry. Angry enough to hang up. But something stopped him. He knew he needed more information about this mysterious caller. So, he stayed on the line, listening intently as the caller continued.
"I'm just curious, Rick," the caller said, "what would happen if you met someone who thought differently than you do? Wouldn't that be interesting? What if they didn't think like you did?"
"I'd punch them out," Rick replied. "I don't need no faggot or immigrant around me thinking he's better than me."
"Interesting," the caller mused. "So, you wouldn't try to understand them? You wouldn't try to learn from them?"
"Nope," Rick said. "I'd punch them out." He had enough of the caller and cut the line. This was ridiculous, why did people with these deviant opinions even bother calling into his show? He had to get back to ranting about the evils of immigration and the perils of same-sex marriage.
He returned to his monologue, but his mind wandered. He couldn't shake the strange feeling he had when talking to that caller. Their words had struck a chord within him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was like a small voice in the back of his mind that was so very different from himself, that was curious about what that guy had said, curious about the very idea of being different. It was only miniscule though, and Rick quickly dismissed it, continuing his show.
The rest of the callers were good, normal people calling. People agreeing with him and encouraging him. The day went by smoothly until the end of his shift. He was heading home in the bright noon sun, when he felt like he could do something different today. The route he usually took when walking home was down the main street, passing Joe's bar and into the residential area with the neatly trimmed lawns where he lived. There was, however, another route, a quicker one that went through the bad parts of the town. The parts where those Latino gardeners and pool boys lived, where there were shady clubs and even the dreaded local 'rainbow' scene. Normally, Rick wouldn't even think about entering those parts of town, but the comment from earlier was still gnawing at his mind. Perhaps he should take that way today, just to see how much better life was when you were normal. There was nothing going to happen, after all. If he met anyone who bothered him, he'd just punch them.
So, Rick turned off the main road, making his way towards the seedy part of town. As he walked past the bars and strip joints, he saw men and women going about their businesses or sitting around, taking a break and smoking a cigarette. So far, nothing out of the ordinary except the slightly darker skin color of most people here. He passed a few men playing socker in an alleyway between buildings. A man sat on a bench outside a corner store, drinking a beer and watching some kids play basketball nearby. He made eye contact with a woman wearing a tight red dress as she exited a convenience store carrying bags full of groceries. She was probably wondering why he came here - a question he asked himself.
He kept walking, trying to ignore the looks he was getting as he got closer to the gay district. Well, district was a bit much. There was a bar and a club with rainbow flags in the windows, nothing more.
The bar was closed, as it was just noon. However, the club was apparently open, which was surprising considering the time of day. Rick stopped. Maybe he should go inside. There would probably no patrons in there and he was kind of curious what that godless place looked from the inside.
He pushed open the door to the club and stepped inside. The place was empty, as he thought, apart from a bartender cleaning up. The guy was a fairly muscular and about the same age as Rick and greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Oh hi! Welcome to Club Rage!" he said. "What can I get you?"
"I don't want anything", Rick said with a reserved tone. He didn't even want to speak to that guy, but now that he was in here, that seemed to be less and less of an option.
"Ah, then you're here for the job opening!" the other man beamed. "Name's Miguel by the way."
Of course, an immigrant, Rick grimaced. "Richard." he said noncommittally.
"Good! I didn't expect someone like you to apply, but sure, let's see what you've got! Follow me!"
Why didn't Rick just say he wasn't interested in the job, whatever it was?
Miguel led him to the big dance floor of the place and pointed to an elevated cage with a pole in it. "This would be your workplace."
Rick looked at him dumbfounded. "What did you say was that job again?", he asked cautiously.
"You'll be dancing," Miguel replied. "It's not a difficult job, trust me. You won't have any trouble keeping up with the crowd. Come on, show me some moves, Richard!". He patted the cage floor with his hand.
Rick wanted to say a lot of things, shout at the guy or storm out of here, but another part of his brain saw this as an opportunity. There was no one here but Miguel to see him and he would never, ever do something like that again, so he might as well try it once.
Rick nodded slowly and hoisted himself up into the cage with some effort. Miguel was looking up to him expectantly and Rick tried some careful, stiff dance steps.
It must have looked ridiculous, but Miguel was nodding. "Yeah... you need some beat, man. Hold on."
Miguel disappeared for a moment and shortly after, a driving, thumbing rhythm filled the room, way too loud for the empty room.
When Miguel reappeared, he gave Rick thumbs up: "Okay, Rick! Try it with this!"
The rhythm actually helped a bit, and Rick found it easier to get into it. His dance moves became more sweeping and quickly, Rick was sweating from the unfamiliar workout.
Apparently, Miguel had also noticed and shouted from below: "Come on! Show me that body a bit, don't be shy!"
Rick gritted his teeth and moved his hips faster, feeling the sweat running down his face. He could hear the music pounding in his ears, drowning out everything else. He felt good about himself, better than he'd done in years. While dancing, he unbuttoned his shirt and quickly disposed of it. His torso was looking different from what he was used to: It was smoothly shaven and more toned - not trained or muscular but toned and lean. His skin had a darker complexion than he was used to, and the glistening sweat gave his moves a smooth and fluid quality.
Down below, Miguel was cheering. "Yeah, come on, Rico boy! Use the pole!"
Rick, no, Rico shook his head and smiled. While he grabbed the pole with his right hand, his left hand unbuttoned his pants, in a well-practiced movement. As he twirled around the pole, he used an upward movement to strip the pants completely from his legs, revealing his very tight purple hotpants that accentuated his bulge nicely. Rico noticed that Miguel was clapping to the beat now and decided to give him a special show, turning around and shaking his ass to the rhythm right above Miguel’s face. Rico smiled. He had no doubt that he would get the job - he was just so damn good at it. Every man loved him, and he knew how to hone and groom his body to just tease them the right way. He was a living wet dream, with both an impressive ass and an ample bulge in the front of his pants that he knew just how to shake in a way that made the patrons drool. A boner factory, an ex-boyfriend of his had called him, and there was something very true about it.
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Finally, Rico finished his gig and slid down the pole without even panting much, planting an impish kiss on Miguel’s mouth. He couldn't resist to cup the other man's groin with his hand meanwhile... yep, he was going to get that job.
Ricardo Torres was happy - this would be perfect for him, a chance to put his body to good use and get familiar with this new town quickly. Besides, that Miguel guy was really cute, perhaps it was time for a new boyfriend in this new town!
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stormblessed95 · 1 year
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Sorry to say it like this but i Just wanted to share it. I really really and REALLY never seen a gay man who don't behave a little feminine. And it's not my opinion...it's a observation. Whenever i see a gay man and i seen a lot of them...but i never and ever saw a gay man who behave fully manly u know??? I don't know how to explain it. But it's just there...like the way they sometimes walk, like the way they talk sometimes, their gestures. And that is the only reason for me to believe that jk is definitely straight. Yes he likes makeup but that's not a big deal considering his line of work. But other than that...it's just so much in body language,his gestures... everything he does...it's just so manly...same like a straight man. I can give so many examples of gay couples...on YouTube... every single one of them have something in their body language, u can just tell that yes this guy interested in men too but it's not the case with jk at all. And my gut feeling was most of the time right and i do believe that after the cameras shut down..i don't think he behave with jimin the same like he did on cameras. His body language speaks a lot, his gestures, his choices in things,the way he talks,the way he walks, his style. Everything include just doesn't show anything gay. And let me clear this also that I'm not here saying anything bad to degrade gay people that their body language just screams gay...it's just a obversation i have that every gay man atleast has something in him feminine but in jk...it's not there...not at all. So i believe he is definitely straight.
All you've done here is out yourself as someone who doesn't watch enough BTS content in full and mostly just exists in short clips that comes from your biased timeline. AND as someone who doesn't actually read my blog. I'm so sorry hun, but JK actually gives "babygirl energy" or "anime girly pose energy" more than any other member in BTS. He loves it. Lol
Just one example for you, in an edit and short clip compilation just for you lol I can link you to the original content for each clip though if you'd like, where you would find more of the same "feminine" energy from Jungkook.
Also high key suggest you interact with more queer people before making generalizations about them all, because you cant make generalizations about ANY sub group of people like that and not except to be just plain wrong about plently of them. Not to assume anything about you or anything, but... If you want to see more about JKs queer coding in general too and feel like actually reading my blog... I have a whole section of posts dedicated just to that
Wow.
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treasureofmammon · 7 months
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Warning: RANT POST! ‼️
This happened to me this week:
So, between my recurring "Mammon-lover" posting, there was this person who interacted with one of my stupid posts and nagged about Mammon being mean to his bros and a robber, and- you name it. This person "call me out": "... and you know it" -they say. Yes, I know everything he is. Despite this, I chose to see the good side of him because that is the side he shows us, MC. Just like all the brothers do to us once we passed the first lessons in our relationship with all of them.
Also, I can't stop loving him. I honestly didn't choose to love him. If I could, I'd have chosen Simeon, but I can't, ok?! The heart wants what the heart wants. I just fell for him and built this one-sided weird relationship with a 2D guy, like the childish adult woman that I am.
And, honestly, I love all of them: all the 7 brothers, from Luci to Belphie, and the secondary characters too. They all make my heart race, bury my face into my pillow, and throw my feet like a fidgeting high schooler. I just like Mammon better.
I guess this post is more of a rant and, to say, straight to "everyone's face," that, if you're here (in my blog) expecting me to change my preferences for Mammon, just because he's morally wrong a lot of the times, you can leave my humble little Tumblr page. Bye.
And don't get me wrong, I can see everything he does, yes, I can! But let me indulge in my man here. He's the one I like the most! Let me be! I ain't hurting others. And definitely, I'm NOT running through every goddamn post to change people's minds on Mammon, nor to call people out for their preferences. Would it kill you to do the same? Would it kill you to be a person who respects other people's preferences and tastes?
Also, what OM!/NB game are you playing?! These dudes are demons! They all are the literal definition of each capital sin. WTF?
Also, like, we can have a healthy discussion over the brothers being their sin, about Mammon and his interesting personality: as he is so kind yet greedy, as he puts his family in bad situations yet he also puts them first. On how he tries to hold himself high, but he's probably the one who hates himself the most, because he doesn't want to be a burden for his brothers but can't stop indulging in his sin, who is himself: greed, and ends up doing whatever he's tempted by, with the side effects that he didn't want, which is hurting others, most likely his loved ones. And yet, he acts like an angel sometimes, for example <SPOILERS ahead>: on how he was willing to put himself in an uncomfortable position, being blackmailed by witches for years, so a child can have a decent life, being this, probably, the only debt that he pays without fail, but he can't stop himself from self-destructive attitudes like continuing his gambling addiction that keeps to build up his debt higher and higher and ruin himself. Yet he finds the way to endear us, always. Our protector and our troublemaker. Both. He is both: my wonderful baby boy and my headache (and heartache too, honestly). And yet, he's (allegedly) the better of them all (said by Satan who is also and probably the most rational of them all, along with Lucifer), meaning that Mammon is the most humane. Mammon is flawed: he's bad yet he's good. Aren't rl humans like that too? Walking contradictions? And also, we can have a healthy discussion, about the other 6 brothers too, being the way they are and who they are, which aren't any better than Mammon, btw. Yet they are also endearing and kind to us. And that's ok.
It's just that you can't go through people's posts thinking that you are a moral compass, changing people's minds because you think they are wrong and you are right like some random unlikable elementary-school bully.
And now that we are on it. This blog is strictly feminist, open to all LGBTQ+ communities, anti-homophobic, anti-xenophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-racism, anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist. Because I understand that all of these are born from empathy and acknowledging other people's realities. Which is where this all comes from, EMPATHY: "the ability to understand and share (or at least, try to) the feelings of another".
That's all I'm asking. It's not much. I do this. I understand people have different preferences, I respect that. Can you respect mine then?
So:
This Barbie loves empathy.
This Barbie loves Mammon 💖✨️💛
This Barbie loves shitposting.
This Barbie loves to see people happy with their beloved OM! character, whoever he or they are.
So kindly go fuck yourself if you can't comply with these. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Here's a hot Mammon if you read the whole post.
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Ps: English is not my first language, there might be ortographic and syntactic errors.
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Hmm what in Taehyung set your gaydar off? I'm a bi woman and idk I don't trust my gaydar at all 😆 what's worse is that i fing it hardest to detect Bis like me 😆 that's why Im asking bc jhope and tae might be bi but idk 🤔 I always get the urge to move jhope in the gay category and tae with the straights. I am always open to the possibility of being wrong but here's my assumption -> Gay - JM & Suga; Bi - jhope & tae; Straight - jk, jin, rm
These are my personal opinions which may not have any basis, so nobody come for my head please, I just wanna discuss 😅
I think because of fan service and skin ship it's sometimes hard to differentiate to potential sexualities, even in a group like BTS where it seems less geared toward queer sensibilities.
Thoughts of the members sexualities...
Hyung line excluding J Hope:
RM - Heteroflexible, I used to flip between thinking he's straight or Bi.
Jin - He's straight, I could also see him as demi-sexual though
Suga - Bi/Pan - he's said as much in lyrics and interviews, but probably leans towards women in general.
Maknae Line & J Hope:
Firstly, Hobi & Jimin...
J Hope - Bi, he initially gave me ACE vibes, but as I got to know him I realised he's probably wasn't comfortable in his sexuality and has grown in confidence.
Jimin - Bi... well first off he's close to Kai and Taemin and friends, who give off the biggest queer vibes in the entire K-Pop community, also he flirts with anything guys and girls in equal measure.
Ok on to Taekook, here are some of the things that make me think why I came to the conclusions I did...
JK
Demi-sexual Gay or possibly Bi with possible gender non-conforming. JK is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle… yes, he dresses masculine a lot, but he constantly wears gender-neutral clothing brands and even said (paraphrasing) fashion has no gender.
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He has liked queer singer/songwriters:
His constant plugging of Troye Sivan (even covered "Fools" about young gay love as duest with RM),
Sharing a gay unrequited love song by Years & Years - Memo
The alleged LGBTQ playlists on his official Spotify profile before they disappeared
Adding Trans artist Kim Petras to playlist
Adding Queer singer/songwrite Carlie Hanson to his playlist
As wells as other queer songs to, such as:
Destin Conrad - In the Air
Troye Sivan - Suburbia | Talk Me Down | There for You
Kehlani - You Should be Here | Honey
Kim Petras - Do Me
Let us also not forget his first thought when meeting RM was thighs. Plus he has fascination with guy butts, slapping them or filming them.
His used of the phrase "I'm Still Me" a few months after the release of Love, Simon in South Korea. He used it twice, firstly in a tweet posting some art, then later in the summer package when asked how he's changed, in both case he used the exact English.
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His whole partners are family too, thing during the Japanese BBQ Party
The whole golden closet films, with Bert and Ernie inside.
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Overall, whilst he can be masculine, there are times JK is incredibly feminine. JK is queer, he just doesn't broadcast it loudly, just like the others in the group or even in K-Pop in general. So the suspicion is less on him because he only occasionally talks about his interests and likes, that might come across as queer.
Tae
He's probably the only one I can say is definitely gay. He does things that your typical straight man would not do.
Most straight men I know, personally or work with, would not have three gay photographers as their favourites and in the case of Ante Badzim an inspiration. Also, I find it interesting that as a thank-you Ante (who is now a friend with Tae) Tweeted this photo of two naked men in a pool:
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Ryan McGinley, a well known photographer, who's photographed tons of celebs, but also posts very gay and very naked gay couples, nudes and sexually explicit suggestive content mostly focusing on the men...
Here are some examples of Ryan McGinley's work:
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It should be noted, during a pre-BE album YouTube Live video with Tae, RM and Hobi, RM mentioned Ryan in conversation with Tae regarding the photography for BE's concept and JK, to which Tae became very nervous about, and hinted that that was related to a secret project. Tae has one of Ryan's photo-books, which he photed about, though he had to issue an apology for posting a photo of the book back in 2016. In 2017, Dean (KwonHyuk) posted a screenshot of his conversation with Tae (note the chat was quite innocuous). Tae's chat profile image was of a naked man running a field, the photographer of that images was Ryan: https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/detectives-discover-connection-between-bts-v-and-dean/
Tae also highlights and promotes, queer/gay artists too. He's a big fan of Troye Sivan and has recommended 5 of his songs:
Easy ('Easy' follows the star as he examines a crumbling relationship, begging his lover to give their relationship a second chance.")
Seventeen (he alluded that his song is about losing his virginity to an older man)
What a heavenly way to die (a love song about growing old with his significant other, spending their last days in each other's company)
My My My (is about queer sexual liberation and love with an MV that very gay)
Animal (A beautiful same sex song about being whipped for his man)
Another song he chose to highlight, both in a VLive and in a Bangtan Bomb, was Crazy Beautiful by Austin P Mackenzie:
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Other LGBTQ+ artists/songs he highlighted are:
Conan Gray - The Other Side Sam Smith - Stay With Me ! Lay Me Down Kehlani - Advice ! Piece of Mind ! Dstraction Frank Ocean - Thinkin bout you
It's clear he's a big fan of Leslie Cheung, a deceased gay actor, from Hong Kong. He's some evidence that Tae's a fan:
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Happy Together, the first big gay film to come out of Hong Kong, starring Leslie Cheung.
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And let us know forget that Taekook used the hand sign that Leslie Cheung did to he's lover Daffy during concerts and a secret way of say I love you:
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Side note: JK also did some Leslie Cheung things too:
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Taehyung, has highlighted/reference several films with gay centric storylines. They are:
Moonlight - is references in his song 4 O'Clock
Call Me By Your Name - he mentioned it in a VLive with Hobi, referenced it in a Tweet playing the piano to the soundtrack on in Pride Month, and reading the script of the father / son conversation, in full in Korean, about accepting one's sexuality.
The Man I love - In the same VLive with Hobi, he mentioned this French gay film
One of his favourite fashion designers is gay, Alessandro Michele from Gucci:
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He likes queer artists, like Alexander Calder and Jean Michel Basquiat:
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Conclusion
No straight person I know would highlight this many queer content/artists as their personal favourites. Most gay men I know will gravitate to queer content more and have queer representations in the homes and life. People gravitate to things that resonate with themselves. And if you're queer, that will be queer people and things.
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pb-dot · 14 days
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Film Friday: Bohemian Rhapsody
This week I want to try something a bit different. So far I've mostly written about movies I really like. Hidden gems, movies that are, if not 10/10s are for the most part good and clever and made by people who really care about making a good flick. Today, I'm going to talk about a movie that I don't like. I'm actually going so far as to say the movie pisses me off. I'm going to try to be fair and explain my reasoning because there are some interesting points as to why this thing sucks, and I don't want them to drown in the bile. So, let's talk about Bohemian Rhapsody.
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For the uninitiated, Bohemian Rhapsody is the story of Freddy Mercury, lead vocalist in the British classic rock leviathan Queen. Born in Zanzibar and later immigrating to the UK, Mercury's truly stunning baritone tonal range and operatic songwriting sensibilities paired with his flamboyant and powerful stage presence made him and Queen an unstoppable force in the music scene up until his tragic death from AIDS in 1991.
Now, if you're thinking this is the kind of life story that the typical musician biopic yearns for if you could write a bit less of a bummer ending somehow, you'd be right. The screenwriter has solved this by climaxing the movie at the triumphant note of Queen's legendary Live Aid 1985 performance, where Freddy, by now aware of his HIV diagnosis, reunites with the band to pitch one for the angels and sing his heart out for a good cause.
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So, to cover the good things first. The Live Aid recreation is some truly impressive stuff, best viewed on the biggest screen you can. The soundtrack is, of course, Banger City, although it's mostly the crowd-pleasing hits. Not a lot of Innuendo, Barcelona, or Brighton Rock on the soundtrack if you feel me, but I suppose there is something to be said for the mass appeal. I also like Rami Malek in the lead role. He plays Freddy with a vulnerability that feels very genuine, and although he doesn't quite reach the peaks of Stage God Grandure that ol' Freddy operated on, he does sell the simulacra reasonably well.
Now, onto the less good parts. Now when I say Freddy's story fits the musician biopic, that isn't necessarily strictly a compliment. The by now well-worn ruts of "Rise To Stardom but Oh No Being Famous Kinda Sucks And Is Bad For You Actually but You Get Together With The Band Again and Rock Out Because That Is The Most Important Thing" is the kind of thing even a causal watcher of the subgenre can dictate in their sleep. Being a bit formulaic isn't strictly wrong of course, but it does feel a bit disrespectful when applied to the life of an actual real person.
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Of course, I say that, but for being a film about Freddy Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody doesn't actually feel like that as much as it feels like a movie about the band members of Queen's perception of the guy. Now I say this in part because Freddy's interactions with the LGBTQ community (more on this later) feel a bit told from an outside perspective, as the filmmakers have chosen to tell this slice of the story as the poor lad's downward spiral. Freddy's in a bad place and he goes to gay clubs and truck stops and whatnot. Like, considering what ended up killing the man I can see where that came from, but it also feels like a flattening. Freddy didn't hang out in gay bars to die from aids, one assumes, and the fact that Freddy's soon-to-be shitbag ex looms in the background of several scenes dressed and lit like a villain on Star Trek does not help.
The reason why I say this really is "Freddy as understood by Queen" is because of what I have to assume is historical revisionism going on. Our protagonist does bicker with his bandmates, and he's late for rehearsal, and it does come up of course, but the rest of the band is just so goddamn reasonable. Yeah, he's a flake and he's out there partying all night with those scary gays (not that there's anything wrong with that) but y'know, he's Freddy, he's a bit of a tosser but he's a good lad. Nobody loses their temper with him, nobody says an ill word about this obviously spiraling man, and if anyone does bring anything up it is in the gentlest, most understanding tones you've ever heard. While that isn't bad in itself, it does feel highly suspicious, especially when you take into account that bar Freddy, all of Queen's original lineup is still alive and was, in fact, involved in producing the movie. Honestly, if they had owned this perspective a bit and made Freddy this Jesus Christ in Spartacus-esque figure, too large to be contained on film alone, that would be neat, but no, it's a tell-all story told by people who at the best have a fraction of the story.
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This isn't the film's biggest sin in my eyes though, no, it isn't even the atrocious editing although yes it does break several core tenets of good editing for no discernable reason. No, the most atrocious thing this movie does in my opinion comes down to one particular scene in Act 2. Here, Freddy has a heart-to-heart with his long-time friend and, in the actual man's own words, "common-law wife," Mary Austin. In a moment of melancholy Freddy confesses to Mary that he is Bisexual, to which she responds "Freddie, you're gay" and in essence cuts the conversation and the relationship right there. Now this isn't outrageous in itself, people have assumed that bisexual men are just gays in disguise up until very recently. What is somewhat unforgivable though is that this statement, and Mary's followup on it is literally the last words on Mercury's sexuality.
Now, the exact thats and whiches of Mercury's sexuality are a bit murky to my understanding, so this could be an attempt at hedging their bets in that regard. That said it is just incredibly disrespectful to let someone else than the character in question have the last word on anyone's sexuality, fictional or not.
Now I can see what the filmmakers were going for here. "You're lying to yourself and me when you say that you love me (in a way that we both find meaningful)" can be a place where a relationship ends, and it's an appropriately grim one for the start of a downward spiral. That said, it's hard not to read this as "This FAIRY thinks he can trick us into thinking he's BISEXUAL but he's LYING because he's GAY and then he gets SAD and has DANGEROUS GAY SEX about it."
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It's a whole mess of a scene, and even without all the other issues, it soured the entire experience for me. This wasn't the story of a musical genius with a complicated relationship with his own sexuality and the degree to which he was public with that sexuality in a time when that kind of openness was sought with destructive intent. This is the story of a musical genius whose understanding friends and bandmates love and support despite being a silly little gay. This is celebrating the works of a man despite the inner life he led that fueled those works, not because of it. I wouldn't call this movie explicitly hateful exactly, but it's so thoroughly saturated with what esteemed philosopher and playwright Abigail Thorn calls "yer da'-thinking" that it'd honestly be better if it just called Freddy a slur and got it over with.
To pull back from that frothingly rage-filled abyss for a second, it is perhaps too much to expect even a biopic to even-handedly handle its subject matter. After all, when making a movie about someone dead, all you have is whatever they left behind and the perspectives of the people who survived them. Adapting anything also requires some changes made, if nothing else because setting a start and an end to a story changes the story even as it creates it. That said, this isn't an excuse to remix historical events to your liking. Live Aid 1985 did not struggle until Queen turned the tide, it was a highly successful event in which a very famous band did one of the best rock performances of all time, to name one example.
So in short: I don't like Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) very much. The song is still a banger though.
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nerdygaymormon · 1 year
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Hi David! Thank you for your answer to the latest ask you got. I grew up in the church, am not queer but have many friends that are, and have been struggling with these questions for the past ten years maybe. Right now I feel like I’m staying so queer members won’t be alone. I had a temple interview with my branch president this Sunday, and I answered yes the question if I support doctrine that is contrary to the church’s teachings. My branch president was at least forthcoming enough to not immediately shut me down, and he didn’t see a reason for me not getting my temple recommendation, but I was still so discouraged by the conversation we had. He asked me if I had prayed about it (!!), and now I really wish I had asked “Have you?” There’s such unwillingness to learn or even entertain the idea that the church might be wrong about most of it’s teachings about LGTBQ+, and it makes me so heartbroken. The attitude also that queer people are some kind of weirdos “over there” doing their own thing instead of being here, with us, our friends and family, is also so prevailing and it drives me nuts. But if I can make someone feel loved and welcome I should probably stay, right? Also it is as you say: this is my religion, my faith. I don’t want to be driven away by ignorance.
I'm glad your Branch President asked some questions and determined you still qualify for a recommend. It's okay to have different understandings from the top leadership. That question was originally added as a way to root out polygamists who joined the LDS Church in order to go to the temple, and then once they had the temple ordinances they would go back to their polygamous community.
You have to decide if staying in church is beneficial for you. If you can make someone feel loved and welcome that may be enough for you, or maybe it's not enough. I put together my list to show there's multiple reasons, some more important and some less so, for why someone may stay in church.
My friend Cal Burke, a gay LDS college student, says some of the reasons he stays are "Community, friends, a sense of spiritual fulfillment, general happiness, I get to sing songs, I get to have strangers who look out for me (in a good way), I like talking about scriptures. I could go on but I like many things about Mormonism & think Mormonism is good in moderation"
I have something else from the chapter I wrote for that book I'd like to share with you that I hope helps as you think about the differences you have in belief from the church on LGBTQ topics:
"It’s interesting that the Church has rules and policies and doctrines about queer people without revelation or scripture to base them on. Where is the revelation to oppose same-gender marriages? When did they get a revelation that gay people shouldn’t have companionship and love? Where’s the revelation that God doesn’t want me to fall in love with another man? Where’s the revelation that God doesn’t want someone to express their gender identity? Maybe the answer is that the Church does not have revelations about individual situations, but that is our job."
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gaykey · 7 months
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firstly and most importantly, i am beyond proud of kibum for releasing a song that’s very obviously about having sex with another man like that’s such a bold and courageous step to take in an entertainment industry operating in such a conservative country like south korea, like he’s so fucking cool for doing this. love him endlessly!
i am really curious about how sm came to approve the intoxicating lyrics though - obviously sex is not something sm groups have ever avoided making music about but i think this is the first time an idol under the company has released a song that so directly references a same-sex partner in general, let alone in a sexual context. of course kibum has always done whatever he pleases and has never needed the validation of others but g&g is a sm release, so the company would have had oversight. i hope this doesn’t come off as negative btw, it’s absolutely not meant to! i’m just wondering what made sm give intoxicating the green light considering it is a potentially risky song to release to conservative audiences in korea. i guess my question is - do you think sm are fully aware that the song is about gay sex and are just letting kibum run wild or do you think there’s a more nuanced reason as to why they approved the song? do you think the execs somehow didn’t catch on to the obvious implications of the song or thought they were subtle enough for listeners to not pick up on? again, sorry if this reads the wrong way. i love the song and the album and kibum, i’m just very interested in learning about how it came to be haha.
but also HOLY FUCK he must be getting the best lay of his life rn to be writing lyrics like that
hello! hope you are well!
i love this message, because ugh it touches on things i just love to talk about. kim kibum, music, and gay sex dhdhdjjsjsjs. so thank you.
i think? this might be a long reply, so be prepared, and i'm lowkey wine drunk, so PLEASE forgive me if it's a bit all over the place......
first of all, i would really love to touch upon the whole 'how could he get away with this in such a conservative country' but genuinely? despite what we observe of south korea via kpop (because let's be honest, that's where most of us get our info about the country. not @ you, just a generalisation) it's honestly not as uber conservative as you think. like in terms of lgbt+ people? if that makes sense. like gay ppl are everywhere, and they WILL find their own people.
because
though i think a lot of westerners think sk is like, this place where lgbtq+ people hide, and have no comminuty???
(again, not at you! i just know this is something i have observed, and i'm using your message as a like, a way to address the topic as a whole.)
south korea has a very vibrant and active lgbtq+ community!
admittedly, i am far from the best person to talk about this, but the point i'm trying to make is-
key IS super brave for how overt he is
but, he has the backing of a vocal community. and, we will always find and support our people.
and, how he gets away with it, is, heteronormativity.
it goes a long way.
the lyrics are vague enough (for straight ppl) that they can pretend it's not about kibum fucking dudes.
like, we know because we know
and same goes for the company
it's either, they're too oblivious to know what he's saying, or, they know that only those who know will know so? no harm?
so like, a mixture of awareness meets letting him run wild?
and yes!
literally, kibum having great gay sex is something i genuinely have hoped he has, and, from the sounds of it...! mwah, good for you bestie!
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thessalian · 7 months
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Thess vs "Think Of The Children"
I've been thinking about how to frame this for awhile, but ... okay, I think it bugs everyone - or at least, everyone that I associate with - that on top of the "the LGBTQ+ community is full of predators" bullshit, there's the softer-core version: "Oh, but children won't understand why Uncle Johnny wants to be called Aunt Jane now, or why Aunt Melissa has a girlfriend and not a boyfriend". I mean, obviously it's all bullshit, and that last is particularly bullshit.
And I know it doesn't have to be the way these jackasses would have it, because I remember understanding just fine as a kid.
I mean, TV. There was not a lot of representation in the 80s and early 90s, but I remember the show that introduced me to a lot of concepts that get, "Oh, kids can't understand that!" The show was called Night Court, and I think it got a reboot recently, and one day I will have it on DVD because it holds up surprisingly well. I mean, I probably watched it too young by most standards. Thing is, what with my mother bulldozing her way up the corporate ladder and working constant late nights and going to night school, she didn't get a lot of time to just sit down and watch stuff with me, and a lot of that was after the watershed.
(Um. ..."The watershed" is a particularly British phenomenon. I don't think it's necessarily a thing anymore given Watch On Demand, but for a very long time, anything deemed for mature audiences only - mostly nudity and swearing - was only allowed on TV after 9pm.)
Anyway, point is that we watched what my mother watched, and a lot of what she watched was MASH, LA Law, and Night Court. I liked that last best. And here are some of the things I learned about directly from it.
Homosexuality: I'm pretty sure I understood the concept before, but it came up a few times on the show. The one I remember best was the Resident Ladies' Man Letcher (who was actually more the butt of the jokes than the actual casanova, which was nice) getting an invitation to grab a drink with a gay man and going through The Gay Panic before getting stuck in an elevator with said gay man and figuring out that there's nothing actually wrong with being gay etc. Thing is, it wasn't just the "Lesson Of The Episode", that idea; it permeated the entire sub-plot. Because we weren't laughing at or appalled by the gay man trying to tempt this main character into depravity or whatever the fuck; we were laughing at this legend-in-his-own-mind asshole main character freaking the fuck out about what amounted to a simple question and an "Okay, fair enough" when he got turned down. The homophobe was the butt of the joke. This was in the mid-eighties, by the way.
Transgender people: Same guy (seriously, the 'ladies' man' was the perpetual butt of the joke in this show), looking forward to his old college friend coming back for a visit. Turns out his old college friend has transitioned into a woman - the kind of woman our ladies' man finds attractive, in fact. Cue more panic from our ladies' man. Thing is, he's not always the butt of the joke this time. The only times he gets "Laugh At Me; I'm An Asshole" is when he's doing the "is it catching / am I gay for being attracted to this person?" bullshit. The times the show frames him sympathetically is when they have the conversation about why she didn't tell him before, in any of their communication; when he actually started asking how she felt instead of focusing on how he felt.
Sex Work: It was a night court in New York City. They had a lot of people brought in for solicitation. And the main-character judge treated them all with decency and a certain air of, "Yeah, let's just give you the bare minimum because what you do with your body isn't really any of my business but this is my job, so ... $50 fine and time served". There was a whole episode where one 'regular' was so unused to being treated with basic dignity that she mistook it for the judge being romantically interested in her.
Neurodiversity: Again, night court in NYC. Lot of people brought in for some various disturbing-the-peace behaviours that required mental health intervention. Again, these people were treated with dignity at almost all times, and the audience encouraged to laugh at the people who treated them poorly.
Homelessness: Same deal - lot of homeless people just sitting in the audience seats for a safe place to sleep off the streets. Again, the only ones the show really wanted us to laugh at were the ones who refused to see these people as people.
"Illegal Immigrants": Two separate plot threads involved people trying to enter the US without the paperwork. One was from Russia - or, more accurately, the USSR, because this was the 1980s and we still had the USSR. He'd be in so much shit if they made him go back that he got desparate enough to douse himself in gasoline and threaten to light a lighter. Language barrier made it a problem and they couldn't get hold of a translator, but main character kept on trying with compassion, and eventually managed to help at least a little. The other was, "I was staying with a family in Vietnam and they had a daughter and she needs to be out of Vietnam so I'll do the 'marriage of convenience' to get her a green card and citizenship" and not understanding that said Vietnamese girl had been crushing on him for years. Thing is, they sat down and decided to stay married on paper but to try to build a relationship as adults. (Managed it, too.) The show didn't vilify either of these characters. Not for their nationality, and not for doing whatever they could to get someplace safe. (Also, the Vietnamese lady really loved using people's racism against them. It was always a delight when she'd justify any action she wanted to take with "It is tradition" and come up with 'whatever vaguely Oriental-sounding bullshit will best push this gullible idiot's buttons' to sell it.)
I grew up on this show. Most of what I learned from it is that however weird you seem to others, that's their problem, not yours. Unfortunately bigotry tends to make itself everybody's problem. Just ... if I could understand everything one kind of niche sitcom from the 80s was trying to teach when I was seven years old, the whole "kids won't understand" thing is bullshit.
It's not that they think kids won't understand, I guess; it's that they're terrified that the kids will.
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wishiwazlink · 9 months
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hey heyy!! can i be matched up?
i'm short (5'0 or 5'1) and i have glasses bc im farsighted. i like indie pop music. im autistic and i have anxiety, adhd, and major depressive disorder. im a trans demi-boy who is polyamorous. starting to question my sexuality tho...ny interests are videogames, art, food, music, science, animals, criminology, anything about mystery, history, and fashion. one of my stims is just crackinv my knucles/joints. i zone out alot btw!! my favorite videogames are probs genshin impact, botw, windwaker, twisted wonderland, and cookie run. my top 3 shows are she-ra, angel beats, and black butler. i'm sometimes hyper and loud around my friends. but when im shy around others, im quiet and (probably) have a rbf. i make ur mom jokes a lot. i also swear too much (more than i should tbh). im insecure sometimes about myself and a super nice person (imo). im polite around others. im good at singing, drawing (kinda), gaming, and making good outfits.
hopefully this isnt too much/too little of info. Tysm for reading this and have an awesome day!!!!
Hello! I hope you’re having an awesome day! I know you sent this ask like a year ago BUT IM HERE TO ANSWER IT NOW! My first year of college kept me busy and I have had 0 time to write. But I’m out of school for the summer and need something to keep my busy so HERE. WE. GO! Also I just want to forewarn that I don’t know much about the LGBTQ+ community besides from the basics and if anything is wrong here I apologize BUT I WILL DO MY ABSOLUTE BEST AND PHONE A FRIEND WHO IS MORE IN TUNE  IF NEED BE! I will do both genders for this match-up. Have a lovely rest of your day and I hope you enjoy! <3
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First, I match you with Link!
Please hear me out
Cooking while telling murder mystery stories….. Oh please honey you know that’s his dream date
And I probably wouldn’t be surprised if this dude turned out to secretly be a whole history nerd
My mind is made up and you cannot change it love ya mean it 
Being someone that struggles with severe anxiety himself, Link would be there for you through it all
And if he can’t be there physically you best believe this man about to whip out ye ole pen and paper to write you letters as much as physically possible
And I don’t mean like they “hey darling.. How are you” letters
I’m talking “not a moment passes where I don’t miss your beautiful eyes and smile” letters
Mailman gonna be tired of this dude
Link likes your up and down personality
He adores how hyper and happy you are but he also loves the sweet quiet times (he thinks you being shy is cute but he’ll never admit to it)
(your rbf turns him on btw)
Don’t even think about being insecure around him
Heck, don’t even think about being insecure when he is not around (bro will suddenly appear and make sure being insecure is impossible trust me)
I feel like Link would be 1000x times expressive around someone he 1000% trust aka you
He may not show it through words but I feel like he would express himself through his cooking
For example:
He wants something like kisses and he’ll make you some really good cookies
He want something more than kisses…. I hope you have an appetite for one of the most delicious and outgoing dessert you’ve ever laid eyes on
He’s feeling blue? It’ll show in his cooking
So-so? He’ll make so-so food
You get the point
Also if you crack your knuckles around him he will 100% feel the need to crack his right after
Please please please please make him some outfits
He will wear it everywhere to show it off
He may not say anything about what he is wearing to anyone but if they ask where he got it he would be so proud to say you made it
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I also match you with Zelda!
Anything you love Zelda also loves
Please make her an outfit and discuss various topics while you take her measurements
I think her favorite thing to talk about with you would be unsolved historical mysteries and you can’t change my mind
I don’t think she would ever really have anyone to talk about that sort of stuff with so of course she’ll get excited talking about it
And will get even more excited when you get excited until the room is filled with nothing but excited shouting
And don’t you dare shy away from it cause then she’ll feel bad
You are 100% going to be her escort to any and all government affairs
Even if you are just there to watch and listen it brings the princess comfort during stressful situations just having you in the same room
She also wants you to teach her the art of chilling and zoning out
It would not surprise me if Zelda had some kind of mental health condition
I mean come on just think about the burden she has to carry of course there is going to be effects from that
Zelda would 105% be there for you through it all and she sees you as someone she can trust and go to about any problems she may have as well
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taintedsoul-if · 1 year
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What is wrong with the anon that asked for a selectable gender option for Cadmus?
Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad thing for someone to want more flexibility. But he asked for it being openly homophobic and that being the only reason
That being said, I would like to say that I don't think it's really necessary to do a lot of extra routes just because one or two people are unhappy. People have partners that they later regret. You're literally not forcing anyone to date Cadmus in the future, but it seems like it's kind of important that we were married to him in the past. And there are other characters we can date in the future.
I don't know if with the "friendship route" you mean that instead of us being married to him we were good friends, and although I find it interesting, I think that would change too many scenes in the future. Not to mention that it seems that you already have many things planned that you would have to modify.
If it really was something you thought about doing before, do it. If it's just for that person, I'd recommend either not doing it or writing it as a bonus when you're done with the book, so you don't interrupt your current writing process.
Now, if you meant something else, I might have sounded very silly. But in the end my message of "don't change things for something only one person said" still stands. And more when that person is openly rude and intolerant. And that he probably didn't even read the demo or paid much attention to it considering he mistook Cadmus's name for the name of the country he rules.
PS: I love the way you write and I loved the demo, keep it up.
PS2: I used a translator, sorry if something was translated wrong
You see Anon. I grow up in a homophobic community. At a certain age I never knew what LGBTQ stand for but I did heard my father saying if any of his children came out as gay one day he would hang them to death/slit their throat. I was very depressed at that time and I couldn't help asking my father what those people ever did to harm them "straight people". My father responded. They're the ones that are responsible for most of the raping and kidnapping. I just shook my head at his small minded behaviour.
I just couldn't help myself. At that time my sister loved reading M/M romance. She was the one who pulled me down that rabbit hole and ever since then I never looked back. I do believe love has no gender. At the end of the day only one being can judge us for our sins. We as human beings have no right whatsoever to loathe, kill someone just because they're gay. They're human beings as well. With blood same as anyone else. I am just tired of small minded people. This world is not like it once was in the Victorian times where a man has to hide his lover behind close door in fear.
Cadmus has lived in my mind for years and he has always been a man. His dialogue would not sound right as a female. At the start of this book I never thought about Trysten/Trista and Nyssa/Nyala. But because I wanted my readers to not feel uncomfortable I decided to add two more romanceable npcs. I understand that most are uncomfortable with the fact that Cadmus is a man. But in the prologue did he do anything to your character? No he did not because I have a sense of measure. I understand he's the most interesting RO at this point because he's a madman. So most wants to get on this bandwagon. I also understand that there's going to be constructive criticisms.
I do understand all that. Reading that ask today made me rethink everything. Wondering if I should even continue my story because of those words. I couldn't help wondering how other readers felt. If they would dislike my story and not want to read it anymore. Everyone is a human being. I don't want anyone to come on my blog to spread hate about gay people. Everyone deserves love. It's not their fault they grew up loving the same gender.
People who makes it their main goal in life to antagonize gay people makes me wonder if they're a closet case and they're just jealous of the fact that Joe/John was brave enough to come out. I am a peaceful person. I do not believe in fighting unnecessarily. I came here to write and interact with mysterious people who genuinely liked my demo and wanted to gush about their crush on a certain RO! No more negative energy please.
Anon I'm sorry if I'm ranting to you. Reading your ask, I felt as if a dam opened up inside of me and I just couldn't hold back anymore.
Everything for Cadmus is already planned and I wanted to toss in the friend route because I didn't want anyone else to comment on the fact that they're not gay.
But what most don't understand is these interactive ifs are text based you control the story. There's always another way around. I have a favorite author that I love reading from and she had an RO that I did not like one bit. Instead of going on her page to complain I actually just avoided that romance route completely. Sometimes we can be the bigger person and not hamper down on others. I am already up to my neck with planning out my story. Learning coding. Reading books about the topic I want to write about. Trying to sleep at nights and eating on time.
I'll carry on as I have. I won't allow one ask to dampen my mood for my story. If it steers others off then that's just how it is. Cadmus is MALE and he'll remain that way.
It's insulting to forget the name of my character as well. It's very hurtful. I am not being rude. I am just being straightforward. Anon. 😭 thank you for listening to my long rant. And for giving me words of encouragement. I really appreciate it.
I am glad that you're enjoying the story so far! 🤗
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ingravinoveritas · 1 year
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Wait do you think gay bars like ban straight people
Of course any bar would be welcoming to a celeb that had given them a shout out
Even a straight one. Since you know, straight people are allowed in gay bars
Hello, Anon. I was going to add something about this in my tags, but was hoping I didn’t have to.
I am indeed aware that gay bars do not ban straight people, and of course would be welcoming to anyone who gives them a shout out (or anyone who isn’t an asshole), regardless of sexuality.
What I should’ve specified is that it wasn’t Vauxhall inviting Michael that got me, so as much as him 1) ‘Liking’ the QT of theirs; and 2) Following the bar on Twitter. I had the feeling from the way Michael talked about Vauxhall and the experience there in the interview that it was something personal for him, as well as the fact that he recently liked another tweet condemning David Beckham for offering support to Qatar during the World Cup and characterizing it as a slap in the face to his (Beckham’s) many LGBTQ+ fans. There has been something of a theme to Michael’s likes recently, so I just thought this was an interesting addition to that. Again, I do understand that anyone can follow a gay bar on social media, but my feeling tends to be that I’m not sure any straight man, no matter how staunch an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, would follow a gay bar on Twitter. Especially because Twitter is such a curated space and most people (or I do, anyway) carefully choose who to follow.
As I said, I do know that I could be completely wrong, absolutely. But for me, this is just another instance of Michael pretty clearly letting us know who he is, as he has been for some time now. That is my take on it, at any rate.
I hope this helps to clear things up, Anon. Thanks for writing in! x
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monsieurboyardee · 1 year
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Tw // biphobia
One of these days I will write a fic where wwx is falling in love with lwj but he hadn't known he was bi beforehand but instead of just the intense denial there will be slightly less denial so that I can reflect on my own experience with being bi yet never having dated through wwx
Wwx doesn't really like women's voices in porn. Like it's fine he can listen to it, he just really prefers men's voices. This doesn't make him gay though, he tells himself (later, he will reflect, and he will laugh himself silly).
He finds himself staring at men a lot, more so than a straight man probably should. It's all for the aesthetics though, right? Nothing wrong with that.
He's been into girls since the first grade, when he first fell for a sweet girl in his class whom he liked to talk about wii games with. He's only ever been into girls, though that's not saying much seeing as he's only really been interested in a few.
But then lwj comes along. And he's super standoffish and a stickler for the rules but he's the most beautiful boy wwx has ever seen. And so wwx begins bothering lwj every chance he gets bc he Needs lwj to look at him, needs his attention to be only on him. At first he doesn't think much of it. He's an attention whore, this isn't news.
But then the years go by and wwx starts learning about sexuality, and what it means to be gay. He learns a lot through underground forums and maybe like jj stories and comments or smthn but he's still very into girls. So he's not gay, which is such a relief to him, bc madame yu would not be happy if it turned out he was gay.
But then he learns about bisexuality, and pansexuality, about all the different letters that make up the LGBTQ+ community and all of a sudden things start to click for wwx.
But he's never dated any girls, let alone any guys. So he doesn't know for certain. Maybe he just really wanted to be a part of this community, and now he's deluding himself. Maybe it's just a phase. Maybe he's making mountains out of molehills.
But as he starts trying to figure out what he is exactly, he starts to realize that he has been attracted to males in the past. He thinks back on all the crushes he's had, and he starts to pick things apart.
And then there's a school trip, and lwj and wwx have to share a bed. And somehow, while lwj is asleep, his leg ends up in between wwx's and his nose ends up pressed to his neck, and wwx gets so hard he has to disentangle himself and run to the bathroom to take care of things.
And then wwx sits on the counter and realizes that during this strange experience, lwj's gender never came to mind. Wwx was just into it regardless. And so then wwx let's out a sigh of relief c finally!!! He knows what he is now, he finally understands.
But then the rest of the fic would be about wwx's fear surrounding his realization at being bi and his Constant worry that he was mistaken, and that he's actually straight or he's actually gay or whatever. And then madame yu finds out, and she's demanding that he make a choice, and he keeps telling her that he can't, bc he's into girls and guys, and she keeps asking him "so what are you?! Are you gay or are you straight?!" And bc he spends so many years trying to convince her that he's neither that he never is given the chance to really allow himself to be in between labels, to reflect on what he truly is, bc he's constantly trying to convince madame yu of what he is and if he doesn't know himself how can he Possibly convince her?
But wwx's also a baby virgin kid whose never had his first kiss, so he still doesn't know whether he's actually bi or whether he's not, so he's constantly worried about whether or not he's been faking or whether he really knows what he is bc he just doesn't know.
And I think it'd be interesting to juxtapose wwx with lwj, whom in this fic would have known he was gay since he was like 8, who is so steadfast and sure of his sexuality that he doesn't understand why wwx can't seem to take pride in his label, or why wwx is constantly second guessing his sexuality and himself. And lwj asks wwx at some point like "are you into me or not" and wwx tells him he doesn't know, bc he thinks he is?? He really, really thinks he is, but what if he's not? What if his supposed feelings for lwj are Actually just a phase? he couldn't string lwj along like that, it would be so awful and so cruel to do that to him. And it frustrates lwj when they're younger, that wwx just never seems To know, but when they get older and lwj is more balanced and a modern interpretation to wwx's running away with the wen's occurs, he is okay with wwx not knowing, bc even though it's caused him so much heartbreak he understands that wwx just needs time, he won't be like this forever he just needs to become a bit more sure of himself.
And eventually when wwx is open and available to the idea of opening himself up to somebody and being able to rely on them completely, he and lwj kiss and it sucks bc they're not good at it but it's still amazing Bc it's lan Wangji, whom he really has been in love with this entire time, he wasn't just deluding himself. And they have sex and that sucks too but it's still amazing and wwx is finally at peace with the idea of himself being into men (there will still be instances where he Will second guess and will question, but he feels infinitely stronger in his perceptions of his preferences).
And maybe wwx is okay with the idea that he's never been with a woman, bc he recognizes that he doesn't need to date or have sex with woman to still be attracted to them, and that he's still bi regardless. Or maybe after he and lwj do their thing, he tells lwj that he needs to find himself just a little bit more first, just needs a bit more time, and it breaks lwj's heart to do it but he tells wwx that it's okay. And then wwx goes on a couple of dates, has a couple one night stands, and at the end of it is certain that while he has mostly been into women, he is still very much into men, and he finds comfort in his sexuality. But ultimately, he realizes that he really really loves lan zhan, so he goes to lwj and Confesses, and lwj confesses too, and they kiss and wwx feels happy and confident and comfortable with who he is, and the man that he now has by his side.
Btw lwj wasn't just like "oh do ur thing I'll wait for you" he was more like "I recognize that you need To figure out who you are before you are able to enter into a relationship, so therefore I encourage you to do that, and if I'm not what you want at the end of that then I will try my best to move on"
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rivetgoth · 2 years
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Sorry I didn’t read close enough before asking But damn I didn’t expect so much advice, but like one of my biggest problems is I’m monogamous. Based on talking to my friends and just my interactions in the LGBTQ+ community in general I’d say most gay men are not monogamous and even in committed relationships tend to have a third and participate in group situations that I’m not comfortable with and never will be comfortable with. I already have being trans against me but when you add the dating/hooking up with one person at a time to it it’s so fucked. I’ve been attracted to other transmen but generally I don’t know if my dysphoria could take being with one as well, I know I sound like a bastard but it’s just where I’m at. Not to get pathetic and stuff but while who I am inside has always been masculine and my body generally matches it now I’ve never opened up to polyamory or polycules and I feel like there’s something wrong with me as a man for being that way.
Look dude, I genuinely don't mean this rudely but I seriously am not sure where you are that you think that polyamory or nonmonogamy is like, a default expectation for men because it REALLY isn't. The idea that gay men aren't interested in monogamous committed relationships and are only thinking about sex and hooking up is sort of a stereotype, like obviously many ARE into hookups or just casual sex, as are plenty of women and straight people of both genders as well, but there are sooooo many men with the exact same feelings as you, who are looking to settle down with somebody that they love. If it helps at all I was looking for some statistics to back up my lived experiences and a study from last year suggested about 30% of gay men are in open relationships, which is obviously a minority -- higher than heterosexual couples, yes, but to be blunt, of course a community built from sexual oppression and subjugation meant to celebrate nonnormative sex is going to have a higher amount of people who are into these things, thinking about "relationship anarchy" and reframing the idea of sex and relationship as something meant for pleasure and exploration rather than for the cishetero nuclear family. But it's still not even 50:50. Put into perspective then that if you met 10 gay guys, roughly 3 of them would be into open relationships. And even amongst that 30% there's a wide variety of how that openness actually plays out.
Honestly unless you're in some really specific kinky spaces IRL or actually actively seeking out the gay hookup or cruising scene I would say that in basically all of general society (including the mainstream LGBT community) monogamy is still the standard expectation and anything outside of that is viewed as a deviation from the norm. I also think that the vast, vast majority of men would be kinda puzzled to hear the suggestion that being down with polyamory or polycules is some sort of expectation for masculinity, that's not even true in mainstream cishet society where a man being a good husband to his wife is wayyyy more prioritized than the kinda stereotypical frat guy sleeping around with girls, which stops being cute to like 99% of people the moment he's like, over the age of 21. Idk, man. I do not think you sound like a bastard or pathetic and I've been in spots pretty similar to yours I think, like I said in my last reply it's really fucking hard navigating relationships and self esteem and dysphoria and safety and risk taking as a trans person, and it can feel super hopeless if you haven't had much luck. I definitely have been in places in my life where I would not have been comfortable dating another trans person, because my own insecurities and dysphoria was just too bad and I KNOW I would have projected it onto them and either ended up insecure about myself or bitter towards them. Knowing yourself is important and knowing what would be unhealthy for both you and a potential partner is good. But I think I'd honestly suggest engaging more with IRL gay social spaces in general and talking to more gay men, both trans and cis. Or just engaging more and more with the LGBT community in general IRL. This sounds kinda mean maybe but I think the whole polyamory/multiple partners thing is actually more common to see amongst online gays in part because most people are long distance, so that can also sorta skew your view of these things. You would be surprised to realize how incredibly common it is to find men who are just looking for love and a connection and a committed relationship with someone who they care about, many of whom may even feel equally ostracized from certain LGBT spaces that are more kink or sex oriented.
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What LGBTQ book sparked calls to defund the library?
The book that sparked the calls to remove LGBTQ books from the shelves at Patmos is one of the most banned books in the country, "Gender Queer: A Memoir." Patmos Library refused to ban the book but did remove it from its spot in the adult section and placed it behind the counter. Interested readers would have to specifically ask for it.
Residents also wanted to ban “Kiss Number 8" and "Spinning," both graphic novels that depict girls realizing they want to kiss other girls. Neither contains nudity.
Jamestown Township resident Donna Rotman, an opponent of the library's books, which she describes as "graphic sexual dialogue and narratives," said at an Aug. 8 board meeting that "tax dollars should never be spent (on) grooming children." 
"No child has an innate sense of being genderqueer or gender fluid. It is manipulative, destructive and wrong." 
What have residents said about losing the town's only library?
Connor Cook, a 26-year-old gay man who grew up in Jamestown and now attends medical school at Wayne State University, said he was shocked when he found out it failed. Losing access to the township's only library will have a significant impact on the community, he said, especially because many families homeschool their children and many of them learn how to read at libraries."I honestly assumed it was gonna pass because I've been home twice since the primary and just talking with neighbors, most of them are kind of shocked that it happened to begin with," he said. "Not that they're any more affirming of (LGBTQ) people or anything, they do just like the concept of having a library."
Cook grew up working in the Patmos Library and spending time with the librarians; it was his safe space in a very religious and conservative town. He said he's worried about the LGBTQ kids who still live in the township and are seeing their community's response to who they are."I imagine it feels very isolating. I remember how scared I felt — I definitely didn't have any friends who knew I was gay or who I knew were gay until college — so the isolation must be pretty intense," Cook said.  "No one wins in this and the people who lose first are our kids."
"We're not going anywhere, so I just hope your kids have a library."
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This is so disheartening and infuriating. When I was thinking-but-not-thinking about maybe(-but-very-likely) being homosexual, I looked for and read a lot of books. From libraries. Because I would have been mortified to purchase such books--and, quite frankly, the variety and spectrum in the libraries surpassed the selection in bookstores and the card catalogs directed my searches. I retreated to books because I had no one in my life I could ask and I felt too shy and uncertain to seek the advice of those who might have helped me.
No books groomed me. Books offered reflection, clarity, and comfort to me in a time I felt isolated and that I had access to them at my own discretion and privacy was so key to allowing me to give myself permission to explore.
I'm exhausted by this conservative talking point. I am tired of the willful ignorance. They are punishing a whole community, robbing everyone of resources, because of their intolerance. I'm so mad they're winning on this messaging and angry I feel helpless in that we have no counter-messaging--and that even if we did, would it work?
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astralbooks · 2 years
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Hell Followed with Us - Andrew Joseph White
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Read: 1/6/2022 - 2/6/2022
Rating: 5/5
Rep: gay trans boy main character, autistic gay love interest, Black trans girl side character, Latinx non-binary asexual side character who uses xe/xem, Black lesbian side character, sapphic Black hijabi Muslim side character, aromantic side character, various other queer side characters including characters who use they/them and neopronouns CW: parental death, graphic death, body horror, violence, religious abuse, discussions of genocide; instances of homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, and deadnaming
Review:
When I started reading this book, I very quickly knew I didn’t want to stop reading. The only times I managed to take breaks were when my partner messaged me to let me know that the renewal of a TV show I’ve been obsessed with recently had just been announced, and when I was literally falling asleep due to how late it was. I’m usually the kind of person who always arrives early when meeting up with friends, and I wound up running late to a hangout because I had to finish reading this book before I could let myself move. I couldn’t leave the last couple of chapters until later, I had to read them right then and there. The need to continue to read this book overrode my anxiety and that in and of itself is glowing praise.
Benji was such a great main character and I loved watching his development from being a scared runaway to how he is at the end. If you want to read about someone coming to terms with their anger and using that anger to destroy the people who hurt them then this is the book for you. ‘Anger’ doesn’t feel like a strong enough word to describe what’s going on here, to be honest. ‘Wrath’ might be better. I also really liked seeing Benji try to reckon with everything when in positions of relative safety with the ALC, and his growing friendships with (almost) everyone there were really lovely! He also has a directness that I appreciated. He’s not one to let a potentially sticky social situation fester, and I really liked that! This book is not for the faint of heart. The content warnings are not jokes or exaggerations. The descriptions are vivid and graphic, and the strength of these descriptions alone are enough to strongly recommend this book to people who like body horror. White doesn’t pull a single punch and does a truly great job! I loved the ALC so much! Benji himself notes how healing it is for him to be in an environment where he can tell people his name and pronouns knowing that people will use them for him without argument, and especially how important being around other trans people is for him. This book does a good job at emphasising how important community is, and at addressing some of the beliefs that some people within the lgbtq+ community have that do more harm than good. This book is unapologetically queer and a rejection of the idea that there is a right or wrong way to be queer or to exist. I need to give a special shout out to Salvador. Salvador my beloved. A major character who uses xe/xem pronouns? Who isn’t white?? Who casually mentions that xe’s ace??? And whose relationship with Benji is one of the most significant ones in the whole book???? Salvador pretty much takes Benji under xyr wing in the ALC and makes sure to loop him in in all the gossip, which does so much to help Benji feel like he belongs there. I think Salvador would’ve been one of my favourite characters even if xe didn’t use xe/xem, but xe does and that’s so exciting to me!! I’ve read so few books with any characters who use neopronouns, and I’ve never read a book with a character with neopronouns who’s this prominent before!! And all of Salvador’s friends used xyr correct pronouns and didn’t slip up once!!! Getting a little personal here, but a big reason why I use they/them is to make things easier for other people. It means so much to me to see a character who isn’t doing that, is unapologetic about it, and who’s respected by everyone whose opinion matters. And xe’s not even the only character who uses neopronouns in this book, xe’s just the most prominent one!! Xem being ace too is only mentioned once very briefly and is easily missed, but there was no way I was going to miss that. I wasn’t expecting any aspec rep, and I was fine with that, but for Salvador to be ace and Faith to be aro means so much to me as an ace arospec person!! I also really liked the main love interest, Nick, and I especially enjoyed his pov chapters and the greater understanding of both him and everything else that’s going on that this gives the reader. At the beginning, Nick and Benji have totally different priorities and this isn’t something that Benji fully grasps, so seeing Nick’s perspective of things at that point was needed and worked really well. The two of them also share a lot of really sweet moments, and their growing affection for each other was believable! I wish Nick had been a little more present than he was, though. Benji has a lot going on, so obviously his focus is often not on Nick, and then Nick only has three pov chapters in the whole book. We see him at the start when he’s distrustful of Benji, and we see him nearer the end when he regrets that distrust, but we don’t get to see his perspective of him going from A to B, and Benji doesn’t know about any of this while it’s happening. I was left with the feeling that earlier versions of the book had more written from Nick’s pov that have since been cut and I think that’s a shame. I could be totally wrong about that, but that’s the impression I got. I really liked Nick and Benji’s relationship! I just wish that it had a little more space. Nick is such a great character! Interestingly, one of the main antagonists, Theo, also got a single pov chapter, and I have complicated thoughts on that. It felt a little out of place, and I don’t think it was needed. I would’ve preferred another Nick chapter, if just because I need more of him in my life. Ultimately, I had a really great time reading this book, and would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a strong, visceral horror with a queer cast, with the caveat that if any of the content warnings would be an issue for you then to proceed with caution. Thank you to Peachtree Teen and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with an e-arc and having me on this tour! You can see the rest of my tour stop here and the full tour schedule here!
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unit2beth · 4 months
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CurzonRoad. (2013). Irving Kaufman: Masculine Women... Feminine Men.... (1926). [Online]. YouTube. Last Updated: 23rd July 2013. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdTIJ9dpX-w [Accessed 3 December 2023].
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This song was written in 1926 by Irving Kaufman and talks about how women and men started to challenge the expected gender roles of that time. I thought this song was interesting because it shows that social norms have been challenged throughout the majority of history. Normally when people think about when gender variance and androgyny became more common they think about the 70’s and 80’s and how glam rock started to challenge mainstream stereotypes. However it all really kicked off in the 1920’s
Drag Balls
Drag balls had been occurring in Harlem since 1869 when the first queer masquerade ball was said to have taken place. However the underground drag scene started to really flourish in the 20’s during the Harlem renaissance. These events would include extravagant performances of gay men and women impersonating the opposite sex. Men would be dressed up in feathers and gowns whereas women would be in suits. As well as preforming, female impersonators would compete in fashion shows. Although Drag balls became quite popular they were still seen as wrong and illegal by the majority of society. Despite this the shows still managed to attract straight artists. For example writers Charles Henri Ford and Parker Tyler who found themselves enticed by the newly emerging drag scene.
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Jean Malin
Jean became a female impersonator in the early 20s however his career peaked during the pansy craze in the late 20s to early 30s. He was one of the first openly gay performers and was known for not being afraid to stand up for himself and the rest of the LGBTQ+ community. Jean was always creative as when he was a teenager he won several competitions for his handmade costumes. In the late 20’s he tried to start up his career in broadway however he was fired for being too feminine. Sadly Jean only lived a short life because in 1933 he accidentally reversed his car off a pier resulting in him drowning.
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Dancing
Due to the Harlem renaissance jazz music started to become more popular. This then lead to lots of new dances such as the Charleston, the black bottom, the Fox trot and the Texas Tommy. Dancing also became more popular as young women thought it was a way to challenge cultural norms whilst having fun. In my opinion the Chareston is the most well known dance nowadays and was very popular back in the 20’s. It featured twisty steps and fast paced swinging of the legs and arms. This dance could be performed as a solo or in pairs and was often enjoyed by the flapper girls.
Savoy Hop. (2013). 1920s dances featuring the Charleston, the Peabody, Turkey Trot and more. [Online]. YouTube. Last Updated: 26th May 2013. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psch9N4PmO4 [Accessed 3 December 2023].
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