Gender Sensitivity is the belief that people of all genders should be treated with respect. This includes respecting people’s pronouns (the words they use to describe themselves, such as he/him, she/her or they/them), their chosen name and their preferred gender pronoun. It also means using language that is inclusive...
Anti gay sentiment is something that has been around for a long time. In many cases, it is based on ignorance and fear. People who are anti gay may not understand what it means to be LGBT, and they may be afraid of something that is unfamiliar to them....
General Uncertainty: How to Survive in Spaces Where You Can’t Come Out For gay, bisexual, asexual, trans or intersex people, coming out can be many important things. Few could call coming out an important “moment” given that, for most of us, coming out is a constant process rather than...
What is online activism? Internet activism is a form of activism that uses tools offered by online technologies: that is social media, e-mail, e-campaigning, and other internet tools. This may include protesting, campaigning, fundraising, lobbying, mobilizing and organizing people against a common cause. From the 80s onwards there have...
It’s 2017 and the Big Picture of activism certainly is not what it used to be a few years ago. With technology advancing every day, we have passed in a new era: that of social media activism, hashtag activism, or “hashtivism”. It is much easier today than it once...
What LGBT Means What does LGBT mean? This is a question that many people have asked, and there isn’t always a clear answer. The acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, but it can also include other sexual orientations and gender identities. This term is used to describe...
Coming Out Movies Everyone Should Watch Coming Out is a complex and overwhelming process for most of us, a process that must only happen when we are ready and should never be rushed. Coming Out is a constant, repeated process, that bears with it many contrasting and powerful feelings,...
LGBT Sex Education: Why LGBTIQ Sexuality is Conspicuously Absent from the National Curriculum Any LGBTIQ person that assume they are over the darkest parts of discrimination are deluding themselves. Certainly, there have been major victories. It is no longer acceptable to imprison people for “sodomy” in most civilized states...
Closet Cases And Protective Nets for the Low Hanging Fruit In all its various forms; sexual abuse and grooming are unacceptable. However, when it comes to the LGBTIQ community; gay youths are increasingly finding themselves in the cross hairs of the pedophiles. Interestingly some of their abusers identify as...
HIV/AIDS Infection: Why Prison Romances Are Helping to Fuel the AIDS Pandemic There is a lot of blame to go around for the AIDS epidemic. Some of the explanations are so outlandish as to fall within the realms of conspiracy theories. Others are more practical and based on empirical...
Discussions about reproductive rights have played a central role in gender equality movements around the world and through history. With Trump in the office and conservative voices still taking up much space in human rights dialogues everywhere today, with abortion still being illegal in Ireland and other countries around...
Gaydar is a term used to describe a person’s ability to identify other people who are gay or lesbian. Some people believe that they have a natural gaydar, while others may develop it over time. There is no scientific evidence to support the existence of gaydar, but many people...
HIV Stigma, who is really responsible? All of Us!!! Here I was doing post-testing counselling for this young girl. She was worried that her boyfriend was going to infect her with HIV. He was sleeping with everything moving but she was insistent that she still wanted to be with...
Sexually Fluid – Labels such as bi, gay, straight, trans, asexual, pansexual, agender etc. serve a purpose, and this is why they are super important for some people. A person may identify with one or multiple of those labels and in this way have a sense of self and...
Inclusive Pride Events. Pride, by which we mean both the parades and all the other events, narrative, creations and discussions taking place in Pride month, are of vital importance. They may reasonably be criticized not being political enough, or for reducing the meaning of Pride to festivities and celebration,...
June is set to be LGBT Pride month, in commemoration of the Stonewall riots that took place in 1969 in Manhattan. Pride as an anniversary of Stonewall started by Brenad Howard, a bisexual woman who also introduced the tradition of a week-long festival with LGBT events. Gay & Lesbian...
Why Gay People Support Right-wing Candidates. The Right to Political Conscience. I was watching a program about Donald Trump supporters and could not quite believe my eyes or even ears. There was an “obviously gay” man telling us how Trump was very good for his business. Thep interviewer seemed...
When Are You Officially a Gay Whore? The dating scene in the LGBT world is complicated to say the least. The idea that you can be in monogamous relationship for the rest of your life can be daunting, but it is not unheard of. Unfortunately; gay people have for...
LGBTQ People and The Suicide Rates within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual Community. The affliction of suicides within the LGBT community has long fascinated social commentators and advocates for the community. I would like to take on a slightly different tack. We know that most of the suicides...
Straight Pride and the reasons why don’t need it. June is over – and so is Pride month, leaving us wondering who was actually left hurt and violated by our community coming together to support each other and be slightly more visible – but never enough – in a...
