#trans women belong in the lesbian community and their presence makes it better | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lesbianartandartists · 4 years

Text

This blog is still and will continue to be suspended due to tumblr’s homophobic and misogynistic policies, but since a lot of you are still here:

Cops don’t belong at pride events. Cops are historically and presently the enemy of LGBTQ people. Cops are historically and presently the enemy of black women, men, and children. Cops are historically and presently the enemy of black trans women. Cops are historically and presently the enemy of black lesbians. Inviting cops to your pride events is inviting violence to your pride events. Allowing cops to be present at your pride events is allowing violence to be present at your pride events. The presence of cops at pride events is a message to people historically and presently targeted by cops that they are not welcome at pride events.

This is not an issue of “a few bad apples.” This is not about needing better training, or more sensitivity seminars, or better outreach to communities. There are no good cops. If good cops existed, they would be the leaders of these protests. If good cops existed it would be easy to root out the bad cops, because those good cops would be telling the world about the abhorrent acts that those bad cops commit. If good cops were meant to exist, there wouldn’t be so many examples of cops who’ve been fired because they named the abuse and violence committed by their coworkers. There is no way to be a “good cop” and to remain a cop. That picture you’re about to link of cops kneeling in “solidarity” with protesters is meaningless propaganda. I know from seeing this locally in my own city and from seeing verified accounts of this in countless other cities across the U.S.: the cops in that picture are about to teargas, beat, and arrest protestors without any provocation. If cops actually wanted to act in solidarity, they would put down their weapons, remove their riot gear, and walk away. If cops actually wanted to act in solidarity, they would stop being cops, in the same way that you or I would stop working for any company or employer who allowed and encouraged violence and racism.

Cops don’t belong at pride events.

I don’t care if your brother, your father, your mother, your best friend, or whoever else is a cop. I don’t care if your girlfriend is a cop. There are no good cops. If this statement makes you angry, if it makes you want to defend your cop friends and cop family, I’d like to encourage you to step outside of your hurt feelings, look around you, and consider what it means that your loved one is willing to be a part of this. If you’re getting geared up to write a comment that includes the words “not all cops,” “all lives matter,” or anything referencing looting, please know that, if it were up to me, you wouldn’t be allowed at pride events either.

Black lives matter.

#police brutality #anti-black racism

939 notes · View notes

vampireqrow-moved · 3 years

Text

um its my birthday so wait until 12:01am pst to block me if u hate this post 🥰🥰

long story short the pansexual label is redudant and actively harmful (its far from the worst problem bisexuals face but it is one issue) and i dont hate anyone who identifies as pan because A) those ppl are bi like me and B) i used to identify as pan myself.

if thats enough for you to block me and make a callout post for me then i cant stop you but pretty please either read this whole thing or just wait a few minutes for my bday to end 🥰🥰

anyways im kicking off this point with some personal experiences bc i love to talk to myself. i got introduced to the pan label at maybe 10ish years old, and started identifying with it pretty much right away. i heard about it before bisexual and it was pitched as attraction to all genders and of course trans people. i was of course a trans ally! i had trans friends! i was trans also but hadnt figured it out yet! the way i had heard of it, there was no bisexual, there was no need for bisexual, and identifying differently was excluding trans people, which I was certainly against. being bisexual was trans exclusionary and why would i exclude trans people? the 'hearts not parts' slogan was thriving around this time and i genuinely said it and meant it.

as i started to become more online, mostly through roleplaying websites and tumblr here, i started hearing of bisexuality. it was supposedly an older term, so older people still used it, but it was common knowledge that pansexual was the better, inclusive label and younger people should adopt the new inclusive language instead of the old and transphobic words like bisexual. /s

and then bi and pan solidarity was all the rage! pansexual wasnt erasing bisexuality, why did anyone ever think that? bi and pan were two separate and complete identities that were valid and had to be respected or youre a mean exclusionist. and an asexual person, hearing people labelled exclusionist always meant they were excluding people from the lgbta community who rightfully belonged, denying peoples lived experiences, and generally telling people theyre wrong about their sexuality because theyre too young. and all of those things were bad and had hurt me, so it would be ridiculous to change labels and support "pan exclusionists" because they were just as bad as ace and aro exclusionists, and they were all the same people. or so it seemed to me at that time.

then, 'hearts not parts' began getting called out for blatant transphobic by insinuating that pansexual was the only identity that loved people for their "hearts" and personalities instead of those gross gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and even straights who only saw people for their "parts". (STRAIGHT PEOPLE ARE NOT OPPRESSED. I AM MERELY POINTING OUT THAT PANSEXUALITY WAS SHOWN AS ABOVE ALL OTHERS.) many pan people, including myself, began to denounce the slogan and insist pansexuality wasnt transphobic, there had just been a coincidence that a transphobic slogan was everywhere and a huge part of people's explantions of and associations with pansexuality. hint: it wasnt a coincidence.

from my perspective, this is when i began to see people discussing dropping the word pansexual. that seemed to be a huge step from getting rid off a transphobic slogan, and these people were just meanies who hated microlabels. and i like microlabels! as a genderfluid person, and someone who has friends who use specific aro and acespec labels, ive seen how people can use them to name specific experiences while still acknowleging their presence underneath umbrella terms like aromantic, asexual, nonbinary, lgbta, and for some people, queer.

pansexuals dont do that. they dont label pansexuality as a specific set of experiences under the bisexual umbrella, they see themselves as a separate identity, and even if they started to, the history of biphobia and transphobic undeniably linked to the existence of pansexuality in enough to stop being worth using. but i digress. pansexualitys shiny new definition that many people cling to is that pansexual is attraction to all genders. bisexual is two or more genders.

which. frankly? doesnt make any sense. my guess is that its supposed to be inclusive of nonbinary genders and those a part of cultures who historically have not had a binary gender system in the first place. i cannot speak for the latter group, but as a nonbinary person, its not inclusive. anyone can be attracted to nonbinary people. literally anyone. theres no way to know if everyone you meet is nonbinary or not. whether or not a nonbinary person reciprocates those feelings and is interested in pursuing a relationship is completely up to the individual, regardless of the sexualities of the people involved.

bottom line is that you cant number the amounts of genders someone can be attracted to, thus rendering those definitions pointless. people can be attracted to all kinds of people regardless of gender, even if they are gay, a lesbian, or straight. all people can date thousands of nonbinary genders if all people involved are interested and comfortable with it. numbering the genders you can be attracted to diminishes the post of nonbinary, as it is not a third gender, it simply any experience not fitting within the western concept of the gender binary (if the person so chooses to identify as such. if you cant tell already, the nonbinary experience is varied between every single nonbinary person.) important to note also that no widely accepted bisexual text defines bisexual as attracted to exclusively two genders or even the "two or more genders". i know this is used a lot but please read the bisexual manifesto. its free online i promise.

some people also claim pansexuals experience "genderblind" attraction while bisexuals feel differently attracted to different genders. this is very nitpicky for whats supposed to be two unconnected idenities, but thats only part of the problem. this definition is also not in any widely accepted bisexual texts, and bisexuality has never excluded those who experience genderblind attraction. i am in fact a bi person who experiences genderblind attraction. this does not mean i am not bisexual. it simply means i experience bisexuality differently than other bisexuals, and thats wonderful! no broad communities like bisexuality are expected to all share the same experience. we are all so different and its amazing were able to come together under the bisexual flag.

last definition, or justification i should say, is that yes these definitions are redundant and theyre the same sexuality, but people prefer different labels and thats okay. i agree in principle. people can define themselves as many things like homosexuals or gays or lesbians or queers or even other reclaimed slurs, while still not labelling themselves under the most "common" or "accurate" labels.

but pansexuality isnt the same as bisexuality, which may sound silly but hear me out. it has been continually used as a way to further divide bisexuals, who are already subject to large amounts of lgbta discrimination. "pansexuality was started by trans people who were upset with transphobia within the bisexual community! it cant be transphobic OR biphobic!" except of course that it can and it is. to say that trans people cant be transphobic is absurd. transmedicalism is right there, but thats not what im getting at. all minorities can have internal and sometimes external biases against people who are the same minority as them.

pansexuality was started as a way to be trans inclusive at the expense of labelling bisexuality as transphobic when its not. transphobia is everywhere, and bisexuals are not exempt. instead of working on the transphobia within the community, the creators of pansexuality decided to remove themselves from it to create a better and less tainted word and community, and the fact that pansexuality is intended to replace bisexuality or leave it for the transphobes goes to show a few things. pansexuality and bisexuality are inherently linked because the pan label is in response to the bi label. due to its origins, it is inherently competing with bisexuality and it cant be "reclaimed" from its biphobic roots. pansexuality is not a whole, separate, and valid label. its a biphobic response to issues within the bisexual community.

to top off this post, heres something a full grown adult once said to me. in person. she was my roommate. "i feel like im pan because im attracted to trans people. trans women, trans men, i could definitely date them. but not nonbinary people because thats gross and weird." she saw pan as trans inclusive and defined herself that way as opposed to bi which is shitty!

also a little extra tidbit about my experiences identifying as pan. i saw myself as better than every bi person. all of them. even my trans and bi friends. whenever they brought up being bisexual i would think to myself "why dont you identify as pansexual? its better and shows people you support trans people." because i was made to believe bisexuality didnt and was therefore inferior. thats the mindset that emerged from my time in the pansexual community. i am so sorry to all of my bisexual friends even if they never noticed. i love you all and hope you have a great day. this also goes to any bisexuals or people who identify as bi in anyway, such as biromantic or simply bi. love you all.

ummm yeah heres some extra reading i found helpful and relevant. here and here. also noooo dont disagree with me and unfollow me im so sexy 🥴🥴🥴

#if u have follow up questions ill probably answer them 2morrow #if u ask something just be nice its my birthday 🙄🙄#anyways time to tag this lol !#pansexuality #biphobia #transphobia #q slur #long post #my post #ask to tag maybe??

11 notes · View notes

setabane · 3 years

Text

The Beauty of Queer Intimacy and Love: The Dynamics of Femme Women loving Women (WLW) Relationships

This captivating series maneuvers around the beauty of everyday queer life and the documentation of queer love (platonic, romantic and of-self). A dialogue that contains a cinematography-focused visual aesthetic on tender and gentle moments with main inspirations from Clifford Prince King, Ryan McGinley and Ryan Pfluger.

Words: Cassim Cassim

There is a heavy stigmatism behind the word femme in its essence, especially when you coalesce and meld it with being queer. There is a shift in conflict whenever you are a queer femme identifying person, a shift that diverts hate and prejudice from the cis hetero community to the queer community. In the gay community, there is creation of internalized homophobia, which is known as femphobia, femme presenting queer men have been historically ostracized and ridiculed for presenting too girly or too feminine. Whereas in the lesbian community, there is an ambiguous reaction and opinion towards femme presenting queer women. There is a heavy dig into the existence of queer women, especially queer femme women who love other women.

Queer femme women must face a challenge amongst the heterosexual agenda and feeding into an idea that they must feed themselves into compulsory and performative ‘bisexuality’ all to praise the needs of men. Usually, women who are in femme relationships fall prey to this cage of men belittling their relationships by sexualizing them and praising their union because it is “sexy”, but God forbid a relationship between a butch queer woman and a femme queer woman, sensuality between them becomes “sick” and “cruel”. It widens the range of behavior considered acceptable from men in heterosexual intercourse, behavior which reiteratively strips women of their autonomy, dignity, and sexual potential, including the potential of loving and being loved by women in mutuality and integrity.

Femme to femme relationships in women are part of the forefront yet have never been seen as a redefinition of a generational idea of what queer love looks like. Without denigrating the idea that a wlw queer relationship is between butch and femme, it assumably feeds into the base idea that it belongs into a system of gender, the man and the woman, the provider and the receiver, simply because both expressions are dichotomic. It is rather cathartic knowing that now we don’t have a prominent base idea of what a queer relationship looks like or should look like, and that’s what makes queer relationships unique and splendiferous. This last article in the last series is to highlight the beauty of queer relationships, in all forms, and the subversion of the patriarchy by painting a soft and delegate form of femininity and queer intimacy between 2 femme women. SETABANE had an interview with 2 queer femme presenting woman discussing their idea of intimacy between women and their experiences with love and intimacy.

1. What is your definition of intimacy?

(J) My definition of intimacy is where me and my partner are together and we’re both tapping into each other’s emotional and mental inclination/state. It could be through just a casual conversation maybe about how your day really was or a deep conversation about the things you want for yourself or for the both of us. Allowing your partner to get in touch with your emotional being is the most intimate you can ever be with him/her (in my opinion). With physical intimacy, it’s more to do with being so comfortable with each other’s presence, their touch, having a good time and not involving sex. The latter on the other hand isn’t my way of showing intimacy.

(C) Intimacy to me is defined as the complete acceptance of oneself and of other people. It’s being comfortable in my body and my spirit to share a bond with most importantly myself and then another person.

2. What is your idea of romanticism?

(J) It’s definitely doing something, could be small or big, for my partner and not expecting anything in return, just making my partner feel so special. I could be doing whatever it is I’m doing out of love or admiration or for the fun of it. It also keeps the relationship alive, just little surprises here and there. Affirming your partner all the time counts too, as well as giving them your time, doing things out of the ordinary, basically being spontaneous.

(C) Being aware of my own wants and needs and/or as well as my partners. Words or actions based off this form the base of the romantic aspect in any relationship.

3. What’s one thing you love about being queer?

(J) I’d like to think it’s how I learn something all the time about being queer and the queer community. There’s so much to being queer that it just blows my mind sometimes. Anything thing is the support that comes from the queer community. It’s so overwhelming in a good way. It’s just incredible to see it and feel it.

(C) The ability to be my most authentic self. The community as well. There is an abundance of love and generosity. We all share a commonality yet embrace individualism to the fullest.

4. Is queer expression important to you?

(J) For me, I really do not think too much about how I express myself physically that is. I absolutely adore when queer people express themselves wholeheartedly that’s for sure, but for me, it never really wasn’t that important.

(C) Queer expression is vital. Without it, embracing one's true self cannot happen. Being queer takes up a portion of who the person is, if it cannot be tapped into and explored by physical means, it is left untouched and dormant.

5. Do you feel prejudice/discrimination as a queer woman in Botswana?

(J) I personally haven’t really experienced/received that kind of energy from people, so I don’t think so. But for my fellow queer people, I’d like to think some have, especially trans, gay and bisexual men. They have it the hardest and it’s hard to witness that.

6. Do you believe in queer platonic love?

(J) Yeah, absolutely.

(C) Absolutely. Again, it’s the community. Friends come to be from sharing experiences and opinions, while accepting each other regardless of any differences. I don’t see why that cannot be for queer friendships. It can be one of the greatest friendships to ever have as a queer person.

7. What’s one advice you’d give to someone reading this?

(J) Don’t live up to people’s expectations of you. Live up to your expectations of you. Don’t be concerned about what other people think of you. Don’t focus on trying to prove to people your validation. And be kind, always. We live in such a cruel world and you can make it better by just being kind to the people around you.

(C) Study yourself. Expand your mind. Have some substance. We live in a world where distractions occupy our lives. But we weren’t put on this planet to become machines. Don’t lose your humanity, it’s the most beautiful thing you own. CREDITS:

PHOTOGRAPHY : @wenz_hd

EDITOR: @cxsside

MODELS: @jdee_ridge and @clarisapriyanka

3 notes · View notes

gayasinstupidpodcast · 5 years

Photo

What’s up gamers!!! Our fourth episode plowed through the chaos of thanksgiving holidays and is Here w/ some Facts and Opinions about creating shit and being LGBT and how being LGBT influences creating shit. HEADS UP we recorded this while I had a cold so my voice is probably a little off, but ik Isaac put SO much work into the editing so it would be ready on time and we have recorded statements from some amazing artists (transcriptions under the cut below!) & this is honestly one of my favorite episodes we’ve done so far, so give her a listen if you’re gay or enjoy fun things!

BIG thank you once again to everyone who participated in this month’s episode!! Your contributions are so valued and so beautiful!!

You can find us on the Itunes Podcast App/Webpage at Gay As In Stupid Podcast! You can also find our episodes uploaded to Youtube and Soundcloud!

You can also follow us on twitter at gayasinstupid!

Further Reading on LGBT Artists

Montage of a Queering Deferred: Memory, Ownership, and Archival Silencing in the Rhetorical Biography of Langston Hughes

The Political Provocations of Keith Haring

Pop art politics: Activism of Keith Haring

E M Forster’s Gay Fiction

Alok Vaid-Menon Tells Us What It’s Like To Be Femme In Public

Shea Diamond Speaks Her Truth

Aaron’s 2018 November Recs!

Alok Alok Vaid-Menon is one of my favorite poet/activist/performance artists out there! Their writing and stage presence is gorgeous and witty in a way that’s SO clever and still feels like you’re in a room trading jokes you don’t need to explain with your closest trans friends. The way they balance their art creates a real, deeply touching experience that feels very essential to our world.

Miles (2016) Miles is set in 1999 and is a coming of age story about a gay teenager trying to get a volleyball scholarship for college in Chicago. It’s not revolutionary and it’s not over the top dramatic, but it’s funny and honest and it makes me feel nice. Definitely the movie to watch when you’ve just been through something emotionally taxing and need a light crying session and some mediocre pastries.

Isaac’s 2018 November Recs!

The Adventure Zone I know half of you already kin the Mcelroys while the other half either don’t know or don’t care, but the Adventure Zone is one of my most favorite things in the world. It’s a DND podcast (yes, all episodes are transcribed, and they have a graphic novel for the first arc of Balance with a second one on the way!) by three brothers plus their dad, and not only does it have the most amazing story and is ungodly funny, but TONS of gays (Griffin went ape with those Lesbian NPCS)! And just because they can! Same with trans characters. It’s a story where they just exist, and that’s really important to me because in a lot of media LGBT have to almost prove why they deserve to take up space. And it’s not just something that goes on in their first campaign, Amnesty also has those sweet sweet gay! I could talk about this podcast for hours, so if you needed that final push to give it a listen, THIS IS IT!

Stardew Valley You get to farm and be gay. And if THAT hasn’t sold you on this charming video game, then maybe the super cute graphics, beautiful soundtrack and a handful of interesting characters will! TBH I spend so much time playing this game it’s concerning. It’s just such a fun way to relax, and I just really REALLY like video games were I can chose to be gay. Like. God Tier. YOU CAN HAVE CROPS AND CHICKENS AND BE GAY C’MON YALL!!

The Amazing Quotes And Artists Featured!

Meg | instagram | esty

“My identity as a bisexual woman influences my art in many ways. As a woman, i create art about the issues that effect me, such as abortion and gender equality, in order to resonate with the people that matter most to me. As a bisexual individual, my subjects often appear from a gaze that falls outside of the stereotypical eye. My figure drawings and portraits all come from a place of admiration, and don’t fall into the stereotype of the male gaze or womanly care- they are the space inbetween, equally sexualized and normalized. I feel lucky to be a bi gal in the art world because it is a place that is my own to create in. There are so many queer artists that i look up to such as Mapplethorpe and Warhol, and many female artists i can cite as influence (Jenny Holzer, Kiki Smith, and Louise Bourgeois to name a few). My identity gives me a whole new world of content to draw from and allows my work to resonate with a wider audience, and I really think that any artists goal is to reach and touch as many people as possible.“

Cameron | twitter | instagram

“I don’t think that it influences the form really, but it definitely influences the subject matter! (Much as I hate to admit it, my identity influences the majority of choices I make in life.) I write a lot of poems about lgbtq related things and religion, as well as other stuff too. I was raised catholic, so realizing that I was “different” at more than one point in my teen years was scary AF. Being a member of the lgbtq+ community and also trying to still feel like I belong, or wanting to, in a religious community is hard, the two things are usually at a crossroads in my life so writing about them makes it easier for me to get through. My hope is that someday someone reads what I wrote and finds some peace in their own life/experience.”

Vince | art instagram

“Well, being transgender I feel like I’m constantly aware of the lack of representation of my community, and I feel like it might be because of that I tend to experiment with showing all sorts of different type of people in my work. Because there’s so much diversity in the world, why not showcase that?”

Fox | art instagram

“Oof…I’m gay so my characters always be gay. Gotta Fill the void in media w my own bullshit so I don’t have to rely on straight showrunners who will inevitably discard the character since they themselves seem to have no personal attachment and treat lgbt characters as disposable extras. Bc if I don’t at least attempt to create representation in the field I’m going into then I can’t rlly complain about the lack of it right? If I don’t try and change it I can’t complain about the lack of change so being an lgbt artist is lowkey Big Pressure to be revolutionary in your work but sometime…..I just wanna draw funkey animeal and that’s aight too”

Jen | twitter | instagram

“As a female bisexual poet, I worry often that my poetry and art will be too niche to be appreciated. I’ve spent years editing my poetry down to its barest bones in hopes that someone will relate to it. Changing pronouns back and forth because I worry that if I do talk about a woman, the poem will be stripped of its context and suddenly be about my queerness when in reality it never was. When I write about love and people I have dated and have crushed on, I want the poem to exist outside of the gender of who I love. I fear my authorial death will result in a complete misinterpretation of what I mean. When I write, it truly does not matter to me if I am writing about a woman or a man. If I feel what I write and I can make someone else feel it too does it matter that I also love women? I write what matters to me overall, regardless of gender, I try to make my poetry as true as possible. Sometimes, when I catch myself over editing I try to take myself back to the moment, to the person, what I loved about him or her. “

Lain | art instagram

“My LGBT Identity has significantly impacted almost all of my art, especially my work over the last two years. Ever since I have allowed myself to accept that I am trans and began my transition (6 months on T!), the impact that my Roman Catholic upbringing has had on my bisexual trans identity has bled into my artwork. Because of the way I was raised, accepting and allowing myself to be authentic has been an upward struggle. And what better way to process and document struggle than art?

Much of my recent work has had a focus on the trans body, particularly the “sanctity” of self-actualization and the god-like power that comes with accepting and creating yourself in the unique and exceptional way that LGBT people must in order to live authentically. Two of my pieces on this topic were actually recently exhibited at UWM in the Trans-lucent exhibition, and will remain there until December 15th (I think). I got sick and tired of never seeing trans representation, so now I am creating that space that I crave in my own work.”

Kobe | instagram | soundcloud

“My art from is very influenced by my LGBT identity. It is very influenced by my LGBT black Identity. I think that whenever an artist makes their art (in my case writing music, singing, dancing) they should incorporate as much of themselves as possible. I think my LGBT identity definitely adds a sense of representation as well. I want people like me to listen to my music to know they aren’t alone. So it influences my work a lot. “

Nat | art instagram

“I think the fact that I am part of the LGBT+ community influences my art directly. Even though I don’t draw as often as I wish, I believe both my drawings and college projects (I am a 3d art/animation student), and my creativity in general is inspired by my personal experiences as a gay woman and common things experienced by the community. I try as often as I can to bring representation of some kind in the things I do, mainly personal projects. I also feel that it influences me on my motivation to keep creating; whenever I listen to, see drawings, watch movies or see whatever form of artistic expression from LGBT+ artists it gives me the energy to keep going, to keep creating.”

#gay as in stupid podcast #lgbt podcast #lgbt artists #gay art #trans art

24 notes · View notes

lauraramargosian · 5 years

Text

Ruby Rose: ‘Dreamt Big’ when she felt ‘so small.’

“I dreamt of being a famous singer or an actor who, through my work, could inspire others to be themselves or hang in there. I had no idea how I dreamt so big when I felt so small, but I know it got me through each day. I wanted to be the person I couldn’t find in my life.”

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0910 — Pictured: (l-r) Actress Ruby Rose during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on August 8, 2018 — (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)

Learning about Ruby Rose is quite inspiring, the way she rose to fame to inspiring millions of people through her actions is nothing less than inspiration.

Ruby Rose Langenheim is her full name and Rose was born in Melbourne to Katia Langenheim.

Katia Langenheim was a single mother at the time and Ruby truly describes her mother as a huge inspiration and role model.

She truly is one inspiring mama!

Further, Ruby was able to attend University High School and Footscray City College.

Isn’t it true that college students often change career paths?

It’s amazing how hard Ruby Rose worked her way to the top, from Orange Is the New Black, Pitch Perfect to Batwoman.

The lack of women starring in high-budget films has increased and that alone is inspiring to see, it’s history right in front of our eyes, I mean, she’s making history every single day.

Let’s take a deeper dive into her life, her story truly inspires those who are having a hard time with situations in life.

Facts about Ruby Rose and being gender-neutral.

rubyrose This was fun, beautiful, Inspiring and an honor. @entertainmentweekly

Pride

Love

Hope

She was the goddaughter of indigenous Australian boxer Lionel Rose and the great-granddaughter of Alec Campbell [the last surviving soldier from the Australian Battle of Gallipoli].

Inspiringly, Ruby came out as a lesbian when she was 12-years-old. In fact, her sexuality was a cause of bullying, including verbal and physical abuse from schoolmates.

Sadly, this even led her to a suicide attempt.

The truth is hard to digest but the world would not be as great as it is without her presence. Many things attributed to Ruby suffering from depression [like many other people in the world].

Of equal importance, Rose opened up about her sexuality growing up, sharing how she was saving money to transition from female to male.

“It was in my mind as something I wanted to do and then I just… didn’t. I guess I grew out of it. I even used to sleep on my front because I didn’t want to get boobs ever, which I think worked actually.”

Ultimately leading her to discover androgyny, which allowed her to model with different gender expressions.

“I remember being at a yum cha restaurant with my dad and the owner coming up and saying, ‘Excuse me, we’re trying to work out if you’re a handsome boy or a beautiful girl.’ It was a compliment and I was shocked, and when I thought about it I actually wanted to be a handsome boy.”

Presently, Ruby Rose is genderfluid, sharing

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

“I am very gender fluid and feel more like I wake up everyday sort of gender-neutral. I think at this stage I will stay a woman but … who knows. I’m so comfortable right now I feel wonderful about it, but I also fluctuate a lot.”

All that matters is that she is comfortable and inspiring others to feel the same, as well as to be proud of who they are inside and on the outside.

Isn’t it great that her short film “Break Free,” literally opened a whole new world not only for herself but for her viewers, those she truly wanted to inspire with her short?

Buzzfeed shared a great article about her short-film and how it was made to inspire others to “break free,” from gender identities.

“With over 100,000 shares and 80,000 likes on Facebook – the film, written and produced by Rose herself – has a lot of people talking. She posted the project along with this brief description.

youtube

“A short film about gender roles, Trans, and what it is like to have an identity that deviates from the status quo.”

Unfortunately, not one soul in the universe can please every person alive. In fact, after the project dropped, the gorgeous model spoke up bluntly on issues of bullying within the LGBTQ community, right on her Facebook page.

“You know what needs to stop just as much as homophobia, bullying within the LGBT Community…

A ‘bisexual’ isn’t just greedy.. ‘Pansexual’ exists and isn’t a cop-out.. ‘Straight’ people can be gay huge advocates and blessings to the community…

You can identify as trans without surgery, you can be gender fluid…

Pride 2019: Daya was not afraid to open up about her sexuality!

in fact, guess what… you can be whoever you are and like whoever you like and WE should spread the love and acceptance we constantly say we don’t receive. I will delete any inter fan/follower bullying.. because it’s so backward and does not belong on my page.”

Lastly, she shared how this is her story [even though there were those who still complained about how she chose to share her story].

“In this film, I am telling my story which involved bandaging my breasts in the ’90s. I had no education on the harm Ace bandages cause as I was just a kid. I do not recommend anyone trying to tape down their breasts to use them.”

6 celebrity LGBTQ trailblazers on growing up, coming out, and living proud in Hollywood

Honestly, to those who have a problem with how Ruby Rose decided to approach her life, her choices, her sexuality, her visions for film and modeling…

Well, they can just take a seat in the back because negativity will never have a positive outcome.

So, in turn, why not leave the world better than you found it?

For instance, why not take a stand and tell your story, it doesn’t have to be the same as Ruby Rose’s “Break Free.”

In fact, it shouldn’t be the same, we all have a different path.

Are you ready for an honest ending?

Ruby freakin’ Rose has likely become the female crush of those who are even straight, I mean, damn, she is hot.

Batwoman: First look at the trailer!

youtube

FACEBOOK

jQuery(".fb-page").hide(); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=&version=v3.1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "facebook-jssd"));

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Laurara Monique is known by various celebrities as the youngest and kindest celebrity blogger. PCG has been described as a "celebrity safe zone."

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique shared a post.

If you're a 90s kid then you probably remember AshleyTisdale! She's such a positive influence and is always raising awareness and helping those who need it. *Raises hand* I can relate, what about you?

2885 197 View on Facebook

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

You learn something new every day. 29-years-old. Haha. #LifeHacks #DidYouKnow #Facts

9 2 View on Facebook

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

"After hearing a quote from criminal minds about all the victims that get lost in the crazy press that surrounds serial killers, I knew that this was something that I really wanted to talk about. For example, even though Ted Bundy came to Utah and lived here, I myself could not name a single victim of his or say anything about them. I researched all 24 victims and found as much personal information about them as I could, and it was so difficult. Every single one of their Google searches brought up more information about their killer than them. I really had to dig, but I found enough to tell as much of their story as I could. The star of this video is their faces and stories, which don’t get shown nearly enough. Amidst all the hype about true crime and serial killers, let's remember them instead of their killer." Music is composed and performed by Sadie Anderson IG @sadieeesings Design by Stauney Segle IG @luckysegledesign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bc9Iw_C108

jQuery(document).ready(function() {jQuery(".feed_dynamic_video_classthezbgcemf_page").click(function() {jQuery(this).addClass("fts-vid-div");jQuery(this).removeClass("fts-jal-fb-vid-picture");jQuery(this).prepend('<div class="fts-fluid-videoWrapper"><iframe height="281" class="video1530462310533045_2390833704495897" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Bc9Iw_C108?autoplay=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

');});});

Lost | Ted Bundy's forgotten Victims

After hearing a quote from criminal minds about all the victims that get lost in the crazy press that surrounds serial killers, I knew that this was somethin...

youtube.com

5 View on Facebook

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique shared a post.

4926 120 2 View on Facebook

jQuery.fn.isolatedScrollFacebookFTS = function() {this.bind("mousewheel DOMMouseScroll", function (e) {var delta = e.wheelDelta || (e.originalEvent && e.originalEvent.wheelDelta) || -e.detail,bottomOverflow = this.scrollTop + jQuery(this).outerHeight() - this.scrollHeight >= 0,topOverflow = this.scrollTop <= 0;if ((delta < 0 && bottomOverflow) || (delta > 0 && topOverflow)) {e.preventDefault();}});return this;};jQuery(".fts-fb-scrollable").isolatedScrollFacebookFTS();

The post Ruby Rose: ‘Dreamt Big’ when she felt ‘so small.’ appeared first on Positive Celebrity News and Gossip.

No related posts.

from WordPress https://positivecelebrity.news/2019/07/25/ruby-rose-dreamt-big-when-she-felt-so-small/

#Positive celebrity gossip #celebrity gossip #news #love #positive vibes

0 notes

deathbystraybullet-blog · 7 years

Text

Throwing Down The Binary One Queer At A Time

The social construction of gender, relies on the binary gender, biological sex or a breaking of the two. We know that many things are gendered and that many of them are ridiculous. From the colorization of gender before birth to what job fields are considered feminine and masculine, gender is by far the biggest social construction that exists in society today.

Because we are human we tend to look for representations of ourselves in media all the time, but since medias construction of reality is always a bit exclusive, we don’t see everything we need to. Some forms of media allow more restrictions of what is deemed acceptable, like the YouTube restrictions of LGBT forms, or letting a cis person portray a trans person in a film or television show. In the movie Stonewall they whitewash and cis-wash what happened. Stonewall was a bar in the 60’s and 70’s that was known to be a place that LGBT would gather. During a police raid on the Stonewall, a trans-woman of color named Marsha Johnson started the resistance and riot of Stonewall that night. “Johnson was a patron at the bar who "really started it" on the night of the riots” (King).

In the 2015 movie, Johnson was portrayed by a cis white man. Which is not only erasing Johnson being the originator of the riots. It paints what many mark as the beginning of the fight for LGBT rights, as something a white man started. When we see bad representations, sometimes it feels like you must accept it because somehow bad representation feels better than no representation at all. “Viewers who take the dominant-hegemonic position can be said to decode images in a relatively passive manner. But it can be argued that few viewers actually consume images in this manner, because there is no mass culture that can satisfy all viewers’ culturally specific experiences, memories, and desires” (Sturken Cartwright 73). When media is formed, the producers know that even if their portrayals aren’t the best, that people will watch or read it because they want to feel verified, and in most cases, it works. In the socialization of the binary gender system, we can take examples of how there are many genders and what media does to belittle those who don’t fit into this category or just completely ignore those who aren’t cis-gender (the idea that you align your gender with your biological sex) straights or in some cases cis-gender gay.

In the concept of gender, I identify as a non-binary person. Which basically means that I don’t identify as a woman or man. I just want to be is a person who gets respect. “Media content plays a hugely significant role in shaping our perceptions of what it is to be ‘male’ or ‘female’. It also carries a set of hegemonic assumptions about human sexuality. Research on media representations of gender has focused on how women are objectified and exploited in media context (especially in advertising and in pornography) and on the gap between social reality and media constructions of femininity and masculinity” (Devereux 214). I discovered this idea about three years ago, while watching a web series on YouTube called Carmilla. Which many of the episodes are now unavailable if you turn on restricted mode in YouTube. There is a character who identifies as non-binary, and once I discovered that not portraying gender was a thing you could do. I was investigating what it was and if this is what I’d been looking for.

When I was younger, I always said that I was a girl who acted like a tomboy, without doing “boy” things. Looking back, this was the first time I claimed a gender identity, even if eight-year-old me, didn’t know what that meant. It was my way of defending the fact that I wasn’t a “girly-girl” but I wasn’t “tomboy” enough to be a tomboy. “Media representations pertaining to be ‘a man’ or being ‘a woman’ are not fixes entities and they, demonstrably, change over time, if you were to undertake even a brief content analysis of the representation of roles ascribed to women and men to contemporary television advertising” (Devereux 214). Gender is messy and hard and I wish we didn’t live in a society that values one gender over the other or makes it known that they think one gender is superior. Or that expects everyone to fit in this box, based on what’s between your legs and then chastises you when you don’t. Gender is a hard and scary place once you learn that it’s not just box to tick off on an application. Unless you’ve never had to struggle with your gender identity, then I’m jealous of you.

I like media that uses queer people, either as a character, or an actor themselves. I’ve noticed that if an actor comes out I find myself consuming almost all their media, from following them on twitter to watching everything that their name brings up on a Netflix search. I’ll go on Amazon and look at things that they endorse or contemplate buying something with their face on it. “Media content acts as a powerful source of social meaning. The media are centrally involved in the social construction of reality for audience members, giving them an understanding – however limited- of both their immediate and their more distant social contexts, Media audiences are informed and entertained by the media industries. A significant amount of people’s leisure time is taken up with media consumption, and media content itself plays an important role in the day-to-day conversations and interactions in which members of society engage. Media content draws upon and contributes to the discourses or forms of knowledge that we have about the wider social world” (Devereux 20).

A commodity of self are things that we use help us construct who we are through what we deem necessary. What I like to think is necessary to myself and self-worth is probably different than what you think is necessary and that’s what it’s about. For instance, a few days ago I purchased a binder, which is something that either trans-men or gender nonconforming sometimes wear to make their chest flat. It’s basically the opposite of a bra. This is something that I would view as a commodity, whereas I’m sure some people don’t even know that such a thing exists. Commodities don’t have to be things you wear or something you watch. They can also be something like our phone cases, since our phones are what we use to consume a lot of media, the outer appearance of it says a lot about what we want others to think about us.

When we look at actual social media, this can be attributed through banners and profile pictures. We want others to see our best selves and see what we think is important, and judge us through that. “Logos are ubiquitous. They appear on clothing and shoes, on household objects, cars, knapsacks, computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. Because consumers are so accustomed to the presence of brands and ads and see so many ads over the course of a typical week, they tune ad messages out. In today’s media environment, advertisers and marketers are compelled to constantly reinvent the ways in which they address and hold the attention of increasingly jaded consumers, who are always on the verge of turning the page, hitting the television remote control, fast forwarding on their TiVo’s, or browsing to a new website” (Sturken and Cartwright 265). We live in a day and age where advertisements have always been a part of our lives, no matter where we are or what we are doing. It seems like in the technological era that you can’t think about buying something, with no actual browsing of the internet and poof there it is on the side-bar of your Facebook timeline, and that is terrifying.

I mentioned before that I had just recently purchased a binder, I believe that since the only thing we ever learn about is the gender binary and how our society functions on that basis, products like binders aren’t advertised unless you go to a website with cookies on it, and that’s just taking things you’ve already looked at and showing them to you again because that’s the best way to keep you coming back to the site to purchase things. One can assume that objects like binders, stuffers, and any other products one might use to pass as a different gender aren’t sold in the same ways as other products because there is a niche to it. “Advertisements affirm this meaning that people relate to each other on the most intimate levels through consumerism, depicting commodities as facilitating familial emotion and communication… In the same way that advertising sells the ideal of belonging it also establishes codes of difference in order to distinguish products. Ads often establish norms by demonstrating things that are different from the norm; this happens through the process of marking and unmarking” (Sturken and Cartwright 277). While this was talking more about who we all relate to how and what we buy, I think that we can think of the lack of adverts for trans items in the same way. “We could equally create a list of men who do not conform to the dominant discourses surrounding masculinity and who are largely invisible within mainstream media content. This is particularly true in terms of men who are gay or bisexual” (Devereux 215).

One thing that has become a staple in the lesbian community is flannel. I would also argue that I’d consider this a commodity. Even though it is something that everyone basically wears there’s a community acceptance that we are trying to make flannels a lesbian thing, we just want it to become part of our identity. “A look at different kinds of products can help us to see how exchange value works. Certain kinds of products have important use value in our society- food and clothing for instance, that we feel we cannot live without.” … “This refers to the process by which mass-produced goods are emptied of the meaning of their production and then filled with new meaning in ways that both mystify the products and turn it into a new fetish object” (Sturken and Cartwright 280).

For instance, when I see a girl in a cute flannel, I often think to myself if she’s trying to give off a gay vibe too or if she is just a girl who likes flannel, and admittedly that is a big flaw in the “lesbians reclaiming flannel” plan. “As many critics have argued, however, the ‘chic’ visibility of gay men and lesbians in the mainstream media is not unproblematic, … Nearly all of these portrayals skirt the realities and implications of homosexuality by desexualizing the characters – i.e. by almost never depicting them as in a romantic or sexual situations” (Devereux 216). I’m defending this because it took me so long to accept and embrace my sexuality. If there is something that can make me feel like I am more a part of the community, then I’m going to commodity it to myself. “Such a show also sells the idea that people can connect and transcend their differences (including differences in sexual orientation) through the cultures of taste and consumption. Other television programs simply hawk products by putting them noticeably on the screen” (Sturken and Cartwright 299).

We know that media constructs a lot of different things in life, to people in phases of life. For those to embrace who they are, whether that be who they were born as, or who they’d like to become. Gender is one of the biggest social constructions that exist in society today because it’s implicated from before birth and after death, and people will get frustrated with you if you don’t fit into their boxes of what gender should be. From not announcing the sex of your child to strangers on the bus asking if you’re a boy or a girl, gender shouldn’t be that hard for people but it is.

Works Cited

Cartwright, Lisa, and Marita Sturken. Practices of Looking, an Introduction to Visual Culture, Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, 2nd Edtion. Moorpark, CA: Academic Internet Incorporated, 2011. Print.

Devereux, Eoin. Understanding the Media. London: Sage, 2014. Print.

King, Jamilah. "Meet the Trans Women of Color Who Helped Put Stonewall on the Map."Mic. Mic Network Inc., 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

#Queer #Queer Media #Essay #School Things

0 notes