#he understands the concept of gay/lesbian. not really bisexual. possibly will learn more about trans people

[sectumsemprae]

is my father finally gonna learn something about trans people once and for all since he now has a trans colleague? let's fucking hope so

[and-damntheconsequences]

Modern Merlin AU — With Gays and Churches

Slight CW for religious homophobia, and ofc I know that the majority of Christians are loving and beautiful people 💕

**

The Cast:

Uther: A firmly anti-gay pastor who is well known and mostly respected by the congregation and the community.

Ygraine: Uther's ex wife who divorced him after she found about an affair he had once had with a woman who named Vivian.

Arthur: Their son, who lives entirely with Uther and attends a religious school nearby.

Leon: Arthur's friend who also attends that school, who's parents have been going to Uther's church for years and years.

Merlin: A boy who recently joined the school after moving with his uncle, who teaches there. Also a closeted gay.

Gaius: An old friend of Uther's, a teacher at the school, and the only other person who knows about the affair.

Morgana: Uther's child from his affair with Vivian. She moves in with Uther when she's 10, since her mother can't financially support them both anymore.

Gwen: A girl at the school, who Arthur dates briefly in order to "prove" that he is straight.

Elyan: Gwen's brother, who lived with more distant family for a few years and has recently returned.

All other "round table" knights: New kids (they arrive at different times) who's parents have recently converted to Christianity and enrolled them in the school. Gwaine's family actually came from another church but he doesn't talk about that much, since he's not actually religious himself. Also Gwaine picks fights with homophobic teachers.

Kilgharrah: Either an angel, a demon, God Himself, or the school principal, I can't decide. Whichever he is, he occasionally pops up to give both Merlin and Arthur utterly useless life advice, in whatever form that takes depending on who he is. If he's somehow celestial, it's probably through sarcastic comments in dreams. If he's the school principal, he's just... That teacher that decides that stopping you in the corridor to Impart Words Of Adult Wisdom is a great use of everyone's time.

**

The Plot:

Uther becomes pastor at a church, and marries Ygraine. She disagrees with many of his views, but doesn't speak up about them, wanting to be a "good wife". That is, until she discovers that he once had an affair with a woman named Vivian and gave her a child. Ygraine then quietly divorces him and leaves, too afraid of making a fuss to try to get custody of Arthur. Uther tells everyone, including Arthur, that it was her choice to leave and that she willingly parted from the ways of the Lord. No one knows about the affair except him, her, and Vivian (and Gaius).

Arthur grows up with only Uther, not having many close friends, only Leon, who he's known his whole life and who's parents are also very religious. When Arthur is around 10, Vivian turns up on their doorstep, insisting that she has fallen into financial trouble, and cannot look after her child anymore. Uther takes Morgana in, insisting it was an act of charity on his behalf, and that Vivian was only an old friend. Everyone believes he is being a good samaritan, but secretly he hopes that if he "redeems" his child to the church, he may find redemption for what he did. Arthur and Morgana are the same age, and Uther begs Morgana not to tell Arthur the truth (threatening her for if she does), so he doesn't know she's his sister. They get on, mostly, but Arthur's a bit of a prat in lecturing her about God sometimes because he thinks that's how you make friends.

Anyway, a few years later, when Arthur is around 14, Merlin joins his school (they're roughly the same age here, Merlin only a few months younger.) He was sent to his uncle by his mother, since he came out to her and she didn't accept him. She wanted him to go to church and a religious school to "fix" him. He now lives with Gaius, and goes back into the closet for the time he's at school. He quickly becomes friends with Gwaine, who doesn't have many friends and is constantly in trouble for arguing with bigoted teachers.

Because he's really academic, Uther asks Gaius if it would be possible for Merlin to come round and help tutor Arthur in order to catch Arthur up with his studies, so Merlin starts coming around every Tuesday and Thursday. They slowly become friends, despite Merlin being quite rude, and Arthur having the most frustrating "holier than thou" attitude because he's the priest's son. Merlin develops a crush on him, and quickly gives up on trying to deny his sexuality to himself, but he can't tell Arthur, or anyone else.

In time, Merlin stops being so afraid of his own sexuality, and sneaks off to a pride parade and attends an LGBT group a couple of times. Gaius suspects what he might be doing, but says nothing.

When Morgana turns 16, she tells them all that she thinks she might be a lesbian. She's scared, but hopes that Uther may be understanding. Instead, he kicks her out, despite Arthur's protests that it isn't fair. She goes to live with some friends in similar situations, and over the next few months, cuts off Uther completely, changes school, and starts regularly attending LGBTQ+ events and just generally living her best lesbian life.

This makes Uther incredibly angry, and he takes it out on Arthur a lot, who starts going to Gaius and Merlin's after school to avoid him. He texts Morgana a bit, but is afraid to keep close contact with her, and still sees homosexuality as a sin. However, this whole situation has made him actually think about his own sexuality, and he's now afraid that maybe HE himself isn't totally straight. To prove that he is to himself, he asks Gwen on a date, but he can't ever truly like her, and she knows that.

At the same time, Merlin is trying to get rid of his crush on Arthur because he doesn't want to ruin that friendship, so he starts going to pride groups weekly, to meet others. He meets Will, a trans guy, and they almost date for a while, but Merlin can't commit to it because of his own feelings. Morgana happens to meet him there, and at first that interaction is a little awkward, but instead of pressuring him, she just gives him a hug, and tells him it's okay, she's learnt that now. She'll always be here for him if he needs to feel safe away from Uther/Arthur, or the school as a whole. He tells her that he hopes Arthur could be different from his father, and she says she hopes so, but she doesn't believe he would be — he seems to hate her too now. But that's okay. She's got a new family now. She's happy.

And then, eventually, Arthur comes to accept his own feelings, and Gwen does hers. He talks to Merlin about how he isn't sure if he's straight, and eventually they date, and then kiss. Gwen has a Bisexual Awakening™, and she reconnects with Morgana (they were friends before Morgana left) and they date too. Hunith (who's been having a side plot of researching things and learning and becoming a better, more accepting person) comes to stay with Gaius for a while, and tells Merlin she loves him, and will always love him no matter who he's with, and she's sorry she never said that before now.

When Arthur turns 18, his mother reaches out to him. She was too afraid to risk upsetting Uther and the church before, but she wants to know if he's okay. He's angry at her for all the years she was silent, and all the things he didn't know, and for leaving him, but in time, she tells him the truth. Morgana also tells Arthur the truth, knowing now that he doesn't blindly believe his father, and this won't tear a rift between them. Uther's affair is then revealed to the whole congregation, most of whom are appalled, and his reputation is ruined. The church gets a new pastor.

Some of the kids realise that they don't need religion to be valid and happy, and others realise that they can have both religion and love, and God can love them no matter who they are with. Both are okay, and everyone accepts everyone. They all live their best, gayest, cutest, and happiest lives.

***

Feel free to add stuff I love this concept. Also someone needs to write something like this and tag me bc I cannot write this myself — I'm incapable of managing the 3 fics I'm writing at the moment.

[endobiologist]

What Being Trans Is Like; A Guide For Allies

Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Atom Yorke. I am a 16-year-old transgender and pansexual man, and you should probably get some popcorn ready because I've got a lot to say.

I'll split this up into categories so you can go page by page.

DEFINITION Now to begin this, if you're not sure what transgender means, transgender people are people whose brain does not match their body in gender. For example, I am a man. However I was born in a body most would call "female". I am a transgender man. This may be a radically new concept for some of you, but the truth is that we've been around since the dawn of humanity. Our history has been heavily modified and erased. In fact, any history that's not white, christian, heterosexual & cisgender has been shoved down to the darkest confines of information, where people have to look to find it. The truth is even ancient cultures have records of trans people, of nonbinary people, and of other LGBTQ concepts. This was one of the things they most heavily tried to erase during the ruthless colonization of Christianity.

You may be surprised to learn that yes, you yourself have met a trans person! Chances are you've met a lot of them, actually.

The reason why we're never seen is because until a little ways back, we would be imprisoned, killed or worse just for being out.   Now that we finally have a voice, we're speaking loud. But still, some trans people do not wish to be that way, and they will stay quiet their whole lives and blend in with the rest of society. Because of many people living in hiding, surveys are skewed and we have no real way to quantify just how many transgender people there are in the world. But there are a lot. And we matter, just like you.

MISCONCEPTIONS First off, there are a LOT, and I mean A LOT of misconceptions about transgender people. And it's not an accident. The lack of information and the stereotypes that have been given have been due to not only ignorance, but intentional covering up of the truth of who we are, and blatant propaganda against us. Many people think trans people are "out to get them" like they're some kind of "cross-dressing predators looking to peep in on the other gender". I can assure you, we are nothing of the sort. This falsehood would be laughable, if it didn't hurt so many people. Nearly 60% of trans people in America are outright TERRIFIED to go to the bathroom, (or go anywhere, really) due to them being harassed, assaulted, and worse inside. We are the ones being attacked in bathrooms, not you. We are the ones being attacked out in the streets, not you. We are not predators, we are quite literally the prey for the real predators. And this has to change. And the way it changes is through spread of information, and actual facts.

A trans woman is a woman. She is not a "man in a dress". A trans man is a man. He is not a "woman in disguise". A trans person is a person. They are not "confused".

There have been multiple scientific studies done on transgender people's brains, and they have revealed, every time, that your brain will match your gender, even if your genitalia does not. The reason for this is due to how you develop in the womb. In utero, the brains form one way, and the genitalia develops another way. Most of the time they match, creating what is known as a cisgender person, aka a person who is not trans.   Occasionally, the brain will develop in one gender and the sexual organs will develop in a different way due to an influx of different hormones during pregnancy, causing a trans person to be born.

To restate that; A trans person's brain matches their gender, not their genitalia. It has been scientifically proven. To argue that trans people "do not exist", are "confused", are "pretending" or anything else of the sort is foolish, and a rejection of science and reason altogether.

TERMINOLOGY Also, before you say "Well, if they existed forever, where are all these new terms coming from and why are we only now seeing trans people?" The reason being is you have seen trans people. You haven't seen these words because they are helpful labels we have only created recently for concepts that are ancient. The reason for all this new influx in trans activity is due to the internet and the spread of its information, which causes so many people to feel much safer and begin to come out. Now, let's take a look at the vocabulary of trans people, so you have an easier time understanding the lingo!

LGBTQ - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer. Refers to the community. FTM - Female to Male. A trans man. MTF - Male to Female. A trans woman. T - Testosterone E - Estrogen HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy. The medical procedure of hormone replacement to look more like your actual gender. Binder - A form of undergarment that is like a very tight sports bra that binds the chest of trans men & sometimes nonbinary people so they can appear flat-chested. Packer - A fake penis (or sometimes a rolled up sock, etc.) used to make trans men look like they have a bulge. Tucking - A technique trans women use to make them look like they have no bulge. Top surgery - Surgery on your chest to correct it to your gender. Bottom surgery - Surgery on your genitalia to correct them to your gender. Coming out of the closet - Telling the world and everyone openly that you are LGBTQ, or in this case transgender. Stealth - A term referring to trans people who go completely "undercover", and keep the fact that they're trans hidden so they can just enjoy a normal life. Gender dysphoria - A feeling of heartwrenching, guttwisting wrongness in a trans person's soul when someone calls them by the gender they are not, or sometimes when reminded of their body. Gender euphoria - A feeling of either complete contentedness, or giddy joyful excitement when their gender is affirmed.

HOW IT FEELS; A WATERED DOWN VERSION Now that we got all that out of the way, I wrote a short summary of what it feels like to be trans, from my perspective.

Imagine you're in the womb. It's a clean slate, nothing but peace. Then from the moment you're born, you're immediately categorized by your sexual organs and colour-coded. "It's a girl!" They say. They wrap you in a pink blanket. Your whole life you're told to be a girl, and so that's what you are. It was the first thing someone decided that you are. But the whole time you live in this fake life you feel... empty. Every time you use the girl's bathroom, there's a gnawing part of you that says you shouldn't be there. When kids around you are playing on a bouncy slide, playing a game of boys vs. girls, you always feel like you belong on the other side, for some nagging reason. Your grandmother keeps buying you skirts, bras, dresses, because you ask for them. You think that's what it takes for you to feel normal. You never wear them. "Maybe I'm not girly enough." So you try to be even more of what you are not. And every time, you feel this pit, this twisting gnawing void that aches and only aches more as you grow older. You don't know what it is. It gets worse every time someone says the word "She". "Girl." "Have a nice day, ladies." You tear through your room, looking for anything that doesn't look like the dresses your grandmother buys you. You cry and cry like you've never cried before, and you don't know why you're crying. What is it that's wrong with me? And after a while you decide you want your hair cut. Maybe that's what it is. Then you think, "Maybe it's because I eat a lot. Girls are supposed to be self-conscious of their weight, right?" So you blame your weight. Until you realize that's not the issue at all. Because one day you wake up. It hits you. And you put the pieces together. I'm not what they forced me to be all my life. There was a reason I was always uncomfortable. I'm not a girl... That was an option? That was even an option? I'm not forced to stay in this cell? There's actually NOT something wrong with me?

All I felt was profound relief at first, but soon enough the relief turned to paralyzing fear. This was the beginning, and also the end of my life, and I was only thirteen. But some people don't find out until they're adults, sometimes even until they're in their old age. It doesn't make anyone any less who they are. But man, does it uproot your whole life to fix things. If you realize at a young age it's easier because then you don't have as much paperwork to deal with, but you still no matter what have to deal with it, and people make it as hard as they possibly can for you, because of petty ignorance. I've had multiple cases of people straight-up refusing to give me my legal documents back (such as my insurance card which I need for my literally life-saving medication) because of ignorance or malicious transphobia. I had to actually argue with people to put my insurance card through, something that was common sense, that I had all the legal documentation for, that could be typed in at the push of a button, and costs nothing for them. But they had "never came across this situation before" so they argued with me for a good while about doing it until they finally gave in.

I've had cases of family members, family friends turning on me and calling me "tranny", a "confused girl", I've been told that there was "no masculinity in my eyes" when they looked at me. I was yelled at, screamed at in front of family and friends that I would never be a man. I've been insulted in front of people, I've been ridiculed and humiliated. But I will stand tall. You know why? Because it is A MILLION times better dealing with all this than dealing with not being who I truly am. I'm myself, and if anyone's got a problem with that, they can take it up with me.

The sad truth is, if you're trans, you unfortunately are going to experience horrible, horrible things like this. It's an inescapable reality. But that does not mean it's without hope. Every person can be educated, even if it may not seem so at first. Don't give up hope, because there is so much more beauty than you're seeing right now, and wouldn't you like to get to see it?

If you're an ally, you're here to make sure this feeling they have happens less. So, here is how to treat a trans person, written from the perspective of a trans person.

HOW TO HELP TRANSGENDER PEOPLE (from the perspective of a trans person)

1. Treat them with basic human respect. Aka refer to them how they want to be referred, you know, by their ACTUAL name and pronouns, not the ones you're clinging to desperately. You may think "What's the big deal?" about being misgendered, because as a cis person you've never been forced to live in a body that's not your own. You have ZERO frame of reference for how a trans person feels, or experiences their life, and so the very least you could do, even if you may not understand, is treat them with basic human decency. It literally costs you nothing to just be a civil human being.

2. Ask questions! (to a point. Don't be creepy or disrespectful.) If you are concerned you are not treating a trans person completely right due to not knowing, or you have something you're curious about, or you just don't understand us at all--ask! Please ask! We love it when you consider our needs, it makes us feel more appreciated. And asking questions opens important communication pathways, that lead to higher understanding, empathy, and acceptance of each other, which can only lead to higher growth for everyone involved. However, if you start getting really nosy about it by asking us weird questions when you barely know us like "Have you had the surgery yet? What do your genitalia look like?" Or the much dreaded "What's your original name?" Then you know you've gone too far. I mean, come on, you wouldn't ask a regular person that question, so why would you ask us?!

3. Speak up for them when they have no voice. This is probably by far the most huge thing you can do for a transgender person. A minor example; If they're in a very uncomfortable situation, like say for example they are getting misgendered by the cashier over and over at the grocery store and you can see they're too nervous to correct them, or even if they have corrected them themselves multiple times but the person will not give them that basic respect, the best thing you can do in that moment is step in and correct them for them.  I've had someone do it for me, and it makes me feel euphoric that someone actually stood up for me. Just back us up when we need back up, cause we very rarely have that support. A lot of trans people have no support whatsoever. Any support you can show a transgender person will help them exponentially more than you know. Some allies will post LGBTQ positive things on their social media pages, meanwhile some others take this to extremes by becoming huge supporters of LGBTQ communities, and standing up and giving a voice everywhere for them through words, art, many different forms of media, pride parades & riots.

4. Physical Support If you are very close to a trans person yourself, such as one of your children, your spouse, etc. or even if you just want to go above and beyond by supporting trans people everywhere, giving a roof over their heads, a warm meal, and some kind words would change people's lives. Consider donating to a charity (a charity you research before donating into, a lot of them are fake and will collect the money) that goes towards help for transgender people, or LGBTQ people in general! We really need it, especially in the days of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named as our president.

5. Don't out them if they're not ready! This goes for all LGBTQ people, but please, if someone is closeted due to safety reasons or even just because they're not ready, do not under any circumstance out them for who they are. This could potentially throw them into massive danger, or it could just throw a massive wrench into their lives in some way. Please ask first.

6. Give positive, gender-affirming actions toward them! I absolutely LOVE IT when people do this. I have a friend who not only does bro-fistbumps with me, the two-pat hug thing, highfives me, but also always uses gender-affirming language such as calling me "man", "dude", "bro", etc. and it just always makes me feel so good to be around him! It creates a pleasant, safe space for us to be ourselves when you treat us for who we are, and it honestly makes us more happy than you know. So next time you see a really fabulous trans woman, tell her she looks lovely and classy today! When you see a trans man on top of his game, mention that he's handsome. And mention the things you know they feel insecure about in a positive way! It gives us majour gender euphoria. I know I've always been so ashamed of my round baby face due to it being the main reason I don't pass, but my friends on a call once had started all ooh-ing and ah-ing about how nice my cheekbones and jawline were and all that day I was ecstatic! A simple compliment that you might not even remember giving could change someone's life. And that goes for all people, not just trans people.

Now, you might have heard a lot of negative things that happened to me because of my being transgender, but I'm here to tell you there is so much hope. Cut forward to 2019. I've been out and proud for three years, and by God, I am so, SO SO much happier than I was. I am proud to say I was lucky, I have an amazing support system in my mom, dad, siblings & grandmother that have helped me so much through this. I'm about to start T soon, and I am so unbelievably excited. The person who had yelled at me in front of family members? They are now supportive, and make an effort around me. The person who called me a tranny? They apologized profusely and learnt from that experience.

So to fellow trans people out there--Things do get better. And they get better soon. You just have to hold out for a little while longer.

And for the allies who want to do better by trans and LGBTQ people everywhere, thank you. Thank you for showing your support, and thank you for your willingness to learn about those different from you. That shows extreme emotional maturity. On behalf of all LGBTQ people, thank you.

- Atom T. L. Yorke

Atom T. L. Yorke is a visual artist, cosplayer, writer, musician, and comedian that has also dedicated his life to helping LGBTQ people in need, especially the transgender community.

[hakuteeth]

Harry Styles and the Concept of Gender

I have a lot of thoughts and I wanted a place to lay them all out so I’m sorry this is gonna be probably indecipherable but disclaimer I’m not saying harry is a gender he’s not this is just really exploring the concept of freedom with or without gender and expression of oneself thru clothes not so much about identity but the wider concept of the binary based around my own interpretations of it. A femme take on femininity thru a white man’s exploration of gender if u will so if u dont like that i dont care

also.... ive never taken a queer studies class but I love sociology so..... all these connections I make are from my own knowledge and arent meant to box harry in...

Gender defined from a sociological standpoint is based around how we behave and what actions we are expected to perform and for the most part a little give and take people can stick within this binary as it can be safe and comfortable and black and white. What’s interesting is when people step outside the norm and are more willing to explore that grey area that most people simply dont understand. This is interesting because it extends beyond clothing or makeup as most people don’t realize a man wearing makeup does not subvert gender because the gender binary is also inherently shackled to the concept of heteronormativity just as a woman completes a man, the soft counterpart to his masculine ways. 

Harry Styles and the concept of gender started for me with a dress. It never quite occurred to me that harry would wear a dress and reading the rolling stone article that harry had worn or would ever wear something quite as feminine as that. I think for a lot of people solo Harry Styles was a strange and beautiful uncharted territory of course many people came to suspect the new age rock n roll harry had to usher in but what’s fun is not so much deconstructing Harry as a soft rockstar but the idea that Harry has a femininity to him something I never saw until I noticed it everywhere in his clothing and even more interesting his actions.

The most interesting thing is Harry doesn’t quite believe in a gender binary when it comes to fashion possibly attributed to Alessandro Michele’s take on gender or perhaps the work of a really good stylist but I think if anything Harry also believes in that mission that gender could be redefined within the confines of fashion.

Harris Reed described his vision and Harry ended up wearing five different looks on his world tour introducing a student and relatively unknown LGBT designer to the masses and Harris has went on to say that Harry completely understood the connection clothing gender and sexuality have all shared since the dawn of fabric and it’s interesting when one also thinks about the time and effort this collaboration took considering Harris designed all these looks himself over a very short period of time. Harry wasn’t looking for somebody to dress him as what we normally see male popstars wear onstage, he was looking for a risk.

Gender like most things is more complicated than somebody might think. It extends beyond putting on a funky print before leaving the house it’s about the mannerisms, the actions, the behavior of the individual and the overall societal imprint. And Harry’s always been a bit softer than most. He’s always displayed his self as overwhelmingly kind to the point it makes my teeth hurt sometimes and he’s never overbearing. He’s quite quiet and subtle for somebody who can wear a loud pink custom gucci suit. 

Since 2013 he never shied away from looking or being a bit more feminine and he’s always exuded this calming energy or at least I believe if he had an aura it would definitely be soft pink. During his 2018 tour, every night he would tell fans that they were allowed to be whoever they wanted be in that room and it was all about fostering this environment where crying is manly and babies could choose their own gender  (which he said twice on tour). Also something that sticks out quite vividly is when a fan told him his mermaid has saggy boobs and he replied that everybody should love themselves. 

“We are men!” Then he prances away. That’s always how I picture Harry now him using his kilt to curtsey or him twirling like a ballerina on a football pitch. The concept of gender has extended more beyond fashion and into comfortability but also exploring what somebody may not be comfortable with at first but finding they quite like it. 

When men wear nail polish or when you gift your boyfriend flowers for valentines day. It all lies inside the confines of gender. Subverting gender doesnt mean men should wear makeup but it encompasses a vast majority of actions AND behavior or as I like to call it being a bit softer than most. Men have a tendency to bathe themselves in aggression and to assert their dominance and I’m not saying Harry can’t be masculine as well. One of his favorite hobbies is boxing but even then I’d argue that’s less about aggression and more about control and analytical power where taking down an opponent requires more than brute strength.

I believe there’s power in being feminine and there’s power in owning yourself, 100%, and what’s interesting is Harry is the one who taught me that. I think a lot of people see Harry as this mysterious figure and while he is more private than some people would like I also think he’s shown us a lot about himself and it all depends on us to draw our own conclusions. The thing is I don’t like Harry cause I think he subverts gender or I think he’s feminine. I like him cause he’s authentically himself without any concern for others and he’s different. I’m not a man I present as a woman so I’m subjected to an oppressive environment. I am wary at people who are unwilling to learn who are afraid of stepping outside the box ANY box and hold themselves so tight they can barely move. I see Harry as somebody who moves freely.

I could make an entire essay on Harry and the concept of heteronormativity but I’m going to stick with toeing the line on gender for right now but I do believe a lot can be said for cis heterosexuality and attending a harry styles concert. It felt a bit like a pride parade which was interesting how somebody who essentially had for years this show of heterosexuality somehow ended up being followed by lesbians and bisexual women as well as many gay and trans men fans. 

Well it’s not that hard to see. Harry’s concerts are more celebrations of being yourself and I’ve never seen Harry ever discourage that or shy away from defending his fans to him we are a group of strong men and women and girls are the future. Once again bringing the concept back to the gender binary, girls can do anything despite being told they are only good at some things.

I don’t think this vision of Harry is a product of fan pressure. I think Harry genuinely supports things like LGBT rights and I think he believes in it just as much as we do I can’t ever imagine him not doing so. He made pride merch and wasn’t getting a cent of it because it was all donated to an LGBT charity to benefit youth in schools. If we’re talking in the ways in which Harry explores gender the number 1 community for that has always been the LGBT community historically we tend to fuck around with the concept of gender so it’s not surprise to me that’s a community Harry advocates for. 

Harry’s solo career from the beginning has been about reinventing masculinity. He wore a women’s suit for his album photoshoot and bathed in flowers and pink lemonade for his album cover and though his album had some rock n roll tropes he’s never shied away from talking about women’s rights or lgbt rights. And even within One Direction Harry never felt like just another man to me. He’s somebody special. Not afraid of vulnerability, not afraid of being called gay, not afraid of expressing who he is thru clothing. 

To me it’s always felt like Harry wanted people to know this is who I am you can take me or leave me. Harry I feel is somebody willing to take risks putting himself in a dress in a booklet as tour merch. Saying we’re all a little bit gay on tour. Like moths to a flame outsiders are drawn to him at least I was. 

To me Harry Styles is carving out a place for himself in a world that can be very rigid. Harry isn’t following anybody’s path but his own setting out to reinvent rock n roll and always and forever being a bit softer than most. It’s an admirable trait in a world that has become quite scary as of late. 

[bisexualunicorndiva]

my essay for LGBTQ rights

Abby Brewer Mrs. Amick English III January 23, 2017

    You Give Love a Bad Name Why do people always use the “Adam and Eve” argument when they are trying to justify being prejudice to gays? Obviously, Adam and Eve committed the first sin and caused the downfall of all of mankind; they’re not exactly what anyone would call role models.  The church has always been viewed as the enemy towards all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and generally queer people, and for good reason. LGBTQ people have been attacked by these “Christians” that believe they can pass judgment and decide for God, who has the right to enter the gates of Heaven. Many LGBTQ people have questions because of all the abusive judgments passed onto them. Such as, does God really love me? Am I damned for Hell because of who I love and who I am? Why doesn’t God want us to love unconditionally like he does? Why is the Christian idea of love only about genitals, and not what that person has in their soul? LGBTQ people have and are currently being treated unfairly and nonjudicially by Christians and other lifestyle groups. Although, there have been the select fewer number of God’s followers who have been accepting and loving towards LGBTQ people, the ones that have not are the reason “Christianity” has a bad name. Yes, people have the right to their own views and opinions, but that does NOT give them the right to force their views onto other people. Personal opinions, questions, and physical evidence have been compiled and collected and proven to support the unofficial case for the LGBTQ community. Gender dysphoria- the condition of feeling one's emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one's biological sex. “Gender dysphoria”. People that are transgender are not confused and are not attention-seekers. If a person makes a claim, for example, ‘‘he is saying that God made a mistake with making him, because his gender is not the same as his sex,’’ then this person has no defending argument as support. If a child is born with a cleft pallet, deaf, or even blind, does that mean that God made a mistake with them? Numerous persons have stated that gender and sex are the same thing. This is completely incorrect; although, it is easily mistaken as a truth. Gender- the state of being male or female (typically used regarding social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). (Google definition search engine) “Gender” Sex- either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided based on their reproductive functions. (Google definition search engine) “Sex” Sex is clearly provided by chromosomes and gender is a title. Boy, girl, man, woman; these are nothing more than titles; God doesn’t care what title a person may choose to identify as. This does NOT make these people abnormal, it makes them secure with who they are. Transgender, cisgender, nonbinary, etc. people, are people too. Drake at the age of thirteen realized that he wasn’t a girl, although his natural sex said otherwise. Abby had the privilege of speaking with him through an app that allows conversation between LGBTQ identifying people. “I feel like I’m a guy trapped inside a girl’s body. I feel like I should’ve been a guy more than a girl.” – Drake. Drake’s birth name is Kassie and is “out” to his parents about his true gender. His parents replied instead of love and acceptance with stating that they didn’t know how God would judge him, but that they fear that he will go to Hell if he doesn’t change. (interview through Amino, LGBT app). How would a person change his/her/their gender? That would be like telling a dog to fly or a bird to bark. It’s impossible. No one can change who they really are, even if others don’t approve. Although Drake’s parents have every right to their opinions and Christian views, this is a perfect example of showing how transgender people are often treated by people that are simply unaware to the issues some are facing. On a blog post on BuzzFeed labeled Trans Teens Are Sharing Their Inspiring Personal Stories In Hopes Others Will Do The Same, a non-binary fifteen-year-old teen named Danny shared their story explaining who they are and how they wish non-cisgender people are viewed. “What I really want is for all the people of the world, both transgender and not transgender, to be open and willing to accept and learn about new possibilities. Many of the people I’ve met who reacted with anger, disbelief, or hostility upon hearing me speak openly about my gender identity seemed to be merely unsure of how to wrap their heads around a very new concept.” (Danny, BuzzFeed.com, Trans Teens Are Sharing Their Inspiring Personal Stories In Hopes Others Will Do The Same) Of course, people have been raised on the social norm that is the possibility of only two genders and only being identified as the gender that complies with their natural sex. There are a couple scriptures that have been used to prosecute non-cisgender people. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28-29 NKJV).  In these scriptures, it is shown that gender has no relevance to salvation, because we are all a part of the body of Christ. “Women must not wear men’s clothes, and men must not wear women’s clothes. Everyone who does such things is detestable to the Lord your God.”  (Deuteronomy 22:5 CEB). What exactly are women and men’s clothing? If a person identifies as a man wouldn’t it be morally right for them to dress in masculine clothing? Or if a man wears a specific item of clothing wouldn’t that make it men’s clothes? How many homophobes does it take to change a light bulb? None they’re afraid of change, even if it would make the world a brighter place. (Tumblr, BriBry). A couple of the largest groups that have been verbally and sometimes physically attacked has been the gays and the lesbians. The scripture describing that being homosexual is an abomination, has repeatedly used against these two groups of people. Gays and lesbians are people that are attracted to the same gender that they identify as. The only obvious difference between the two, is gender. Gay (men attracted to men). Lesbian (women that are attracted to women). These two groups are a couple of the most widespread through today’s modern times, many people don’t know that there are other existing sexualities. Many people use “there are no gay people in the Bible”, as an opposing argument for being gay/lesbian. Yes, this is partially true. It was illegal in those times to have any kind of relationship other than a heterosexual one; and, it was very common for types of homosexual behavior to be between a man and a young boy used as a sex slave. Granting there are other examples of homosexual relations in the Bible, some were shown as incest. “Noah, who was a farmer, was the first man to plant a vineyard. After he drank some of the wine, he became drunk, took off his clothes, and lay naked in his tent. When Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked, he went out and told his two brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it behind them on their shoulders. They walked backward into the tent and covered their father, keeping their faces turned away so as not to see him naked. When Noah sobered up and learned what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “A curse on Canaan! He will be a slave to his brothers. Give praise to the Lord, the God of Shem! Canaan will be the slave of Shem.” (Genesis 9:20-26 NJKV).  Other examples are shown as being unfaithful to a spouse with homosexual acts with other partners and some as rape. The example of Noah and his son Canaan was incest and rape; although, the Bible does not go into much detail of what Canaan did to his father it is very clear that it was nonconsensual incest. People often use the Adam and Eve argument when explaining why they are against gays; their explanation is that God made a man and a woman for each other not a woman and a woman or a man and a man. If he had made them a homosexual couple, then they wouldn’t have been able to have reproduced and multiply as God wished them to. The first ever flavor of ice-cream may have been vanilla, but does that make it an abomination to enjoy other flavors such as chocolate or strawberry? “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NKJV). Even if a person is queer in any way, and they believe in God they will have eternal life; not if they are people that judge others on whom they choose to love then they are the ones that are damned for hell. Do not criticize one another, my friends. If you criticize or judge another Christian, you criticize and judge the Law. If you judge the Law, then you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it. (James 4:11 NKJV). Why should anyone be hated or judged for being gay when no one is ever judged for being straight? People that identify as LGBTQ are often told to be careful because it’s just a phase. If a child or teenager says that he/she/they are a part of this community often he/she/they are told that “they are too young to know or understand the concepts of such a thing” No one EVER tells the heterosexual child/teenager, they are too young to know when it is acceptable to know what he/she/they identify as. Being LGBTQ is NOT a trend and it is NOT a phase. Do some people later realize that they are in a different placement on the LGBTQ spectrum? Sure. That doesn’t make it a phase; it doesn’t make them flakey. It means that they are finding themselves for who they are. With how our times have changed, people are becoming more comfortable with being open about who they are and who they love. Bisexual (sexually attracted to both men and women). (Google definition search engine). Frequently, people that identify as bisexual are discriminated by even people in the LGBTQ community. Bi’s are sometimes viewed as greedy and unsure. Many people say that bisexuals are flaky and more likely to cheat, this is very untrue. It cannot be stressed enough that bisexuals are normal people who just have a very special preference as to who they are attracted to. A bird may love to fly high up in the sky above the trees, but sometimes a bird also just wants to poke around on the ground too. Bi or even pan people (pansexual- not limited in sexual choice regarding biological sex, gender, or gender identity.) (Google definition search engine) are beautiful, because they are more open to love than some people may understand. On a post on BuzzFeed post labeled as Why It’s Hard To Talk About My Bisexuality Catie Disabato quotes “I’m bisexual,” I said. Paul smiled warmly at me and asked, “How old are you?” “23,” I said. “You’re young,” he said. “You’ll get over it.” A lot of the time when someone says that they are bisexual they are judged and told to make up their minds, because they can’t have both. Who made up that rule?  “Okay, you’re bisexual, but who have you dated more of?” Meaning that which one should I think of you as, straight or gay?” – Catie Disabato. Bisexuals are neither gay or straight; they aren’t half gay or half straight either. Bisexuals are their own category; they are a group all on their own. The bisexual flag is pink and blue with a purple strip in the middle. These colors represent that bisexuals are neither straight or gay and they are what is known as purple. Being a bisexual and a Christian or any part of the LGBTQ community does not take away from the fact that everyone has been given a job from God that he has given to everyone, to spread his love and his word. Elyaness is a twelve-year-old girl that identifies herself as a bisexual Christian. Elyaness lives in a conservative home where gays and such are accepted, but that they don’t believe that it is morally acceptable. She said that she was worried how her parents would see her when and if she tells them that she is bi. When Elyaness was asked if she had told any of her friends, she said “My friend is bi too so yea, but my BFF is straight and she told me that lesbians weird her out. I’m afraid to tell her considering she might only think of the lesbian side of me forever. And if I tell anyone, I’m afraid my life might change completely.” (interview through Amino, LGBT app). Jack is a bisexual Catholic. “To Bigotry no Sanction, to Persecution no Assistance.” This is the Catholic motto that Jack has said he lives by. When he was asked how is church views his lifestyle he said that no one in his church or community shames him or judges him. He attends Catholic school and enjoys studying Political Science. When Jack was asked how his church explained the scriptures used against gays he said, “Oh they just point out that it was never a commandment by any figure in the Bible for it to be only a man and a woman who should love together. It is used as an example, because that applies to over 90% of the population, and because at the time the Bible was written, it was illegal to be into people of the same sex.” (interview through Amino, LGBT app).  Many people argue with the scriptures that state a man shall not lie with another man; that it’s an abomination. Although, his argument is so clear, their argument is invalid. Shouldn’t we love by heart not by genitals: isn’t this what would please God? Later, in the conversation Jake said, “Well, we certainly must respect the beliefs of others, and their right to be open about it without censorship. Super nationalist conservative to radical Marxist communist, everyone has a right to be open about what they believe in their own accord. But at the same time, everyone’s beliefs should be challenged and debated in the hopes of gaining new insight… to put it like a graded term paper.” (interview through Amino, LGBT app).  Everyone can believe what they want; everyone has the right to live the way that they want. Although some Christians may believe that it is wrong for two people of the same sex to get married, they have no right to interfere on this act, because it is the couple’s right to live as they wish as well. Abby is a sixteen-year-old girl with the life goal of becoming a high school English teacher. Abby is bisexual and has gradually became public about the fact of her sexuality. Her friends have been very accepting and encouraging with her sexuality; although, there have been current issues concerning her sexuality. She grew up as a pastor’s daughter in a small church located in Arkansas; she was told gays were going to hell, but she never understood why. “Why would God condemn me or anyone for who we choose to love?” Later, in her life she left the church she attended and realized that she didn’t agree with the way she had been taught her entire life. When she understood these things, she wondered if maybe it was true that it wasn’t a sin to be who she was. For months, she prayed and searched the Bible for the truth and finally came to the realization that God loves her unconditionally. Abby has proven to be a normal girl with a special heart with the ability to love no regardless of gender. Jeff is a 23-year-old man from Florida and he attends Florida gulf coast university. Jeff is bisexual and has currently been out for about five months. He has been a believer of Christ for about five years now and he said “When I first became a believer I struggled with that in church, especially when they talked about how marriage was supposed to be between a man and a woman. Overtime, I realized that God loved me for who I am, and it doesn’t matter that I’m bisexual. His love knows no bounds.” (interview through Amino, LGBT app).  He attends and worships at a church called Thrive, located in Fort Myers, FL, although he did change churches because his past church did not believe as he did such as: they believed in the use of conversion therapy and for also other unknown reasons. When he first visited Thrive he told the pastor that he was bisexual, and the pastor replied that he was still a child of God and he has been going there ever since. Jeff is just like any other young person, he has goals; he dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher and a youth pastor. Jeff came out publicly in a beautifully composed and worded post on Facebook, “We must start to love one another again no matter what our differences are. It doesn’t matter if you’re Lesbian, Gay, Straight, Bisexual, Transgender, African American, White, Hispanic, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist, Republican, or Democrat. We are all humans and we need to stand up and stand together and stop the hate in this country and around the world. To do this we must stand up and not hide who we are, I am proud to say I am a bisexual Christian and a democrat. 1st Corinthians 13:8 Lover never Fails.” (interview through Amino, LGBT app). Conversion therapy has been a popular method to “change” LGBTQ people and turn them into “normal” people and away from the “evil” things they are involved in. Although what some people may not know is that conversion therapy is nothing but torture for the people that are being victimized. Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy can lead to dangerous paths for the victim. It is also such a harsh treatment that conversion therapy has been illegalized because of what it truly is, torture. This type of treatment has proven to be so severe that California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and the District of Columbia have all outlawed the practice of conversion therapy on minors; more than twenty other states have passed similar laws. Oklahoma has made it completely illegal to perform conversion therapy in any form on anyone, of any age. During a court case, New Jersey Superior Court judge ordered that the misrepresentation of homosexuality as a disorder a violation of the state’s consumer laws. “The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity” Conversion therapy is the exact opposite of being “foolproof”. Section five of the Federal Trade Commission Act was violated by the People Can Change’s advertisements and business practices for being deceiving and disingenuously false. Advertisements stating, they can change a person’s sexuality or gender identity has been confirmed as false and hazardous information to the consumer. Therefore, verifying that conversion therapy does not work and is only a way of torture to punish the people, breaking the rules of “God’s code”. Some religious groups and churches teach and believe that conversion therapy is required for a person to be accepted as a Christian, and into the grace of God, if they are of any part of the LGBTQ community. This has been recognized as wrong, as has also been stressed how excruciatingly insufferable on the person’s health it is. Psychiatrist Dr. L. Spitzer has deplored his study on conversion therapy and apologized for ratifying the practice. This is proof of how malicious this malpractice is; harsh enough that a person that supported it, suddenly apologized for even endorsing it. It has been proven by hard cold evidence that conversion therapy does not work and is harmful to anyone who has received these harsh treatments. Through a comparison study, it has been shown that a LGBTQ person that has been rejected by even a smaller bit is eight times more likely to, or to have attempted suicide, six times more likely to report high levels of depression, three times more likely to illegally use drugs, and to be three times more likely to be at risk for HIV and STDs. Being homosexual or LGBTQ in any way is not a disease, although the attempt of prevention or to change a person with these types of mannerisms can cause mental diseases for instance depression and PTSD.  “The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity” Through conversion therapy, lies and threats are often used as an aid to change people. A victim admitted that they were told during the time of their therapy that homosexuals are lonely and no one loves them; and, that they have no happiness in life whatsoever. “#BornPerfect: Survivor Stories & Survivor Network” Deb Cuny, as a teenager was forced to be involved with Crossover Ministries trying to turn her from her sins by making her straight. She said she remembered going to a youth conference and thousands of people her age praising that God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. “My family, in their own attempt to seek help and support, became involved in the ex-gay ministry Exodus International, and eventually began volunteering regularly at a local ex-gay organization called Crossover Ministries. Embroiled in my own struggle to maintain a relationship with my family and with God, I agreed to meet with people who were undergoing treatment for their sexuality. I began regularly engaging in conversations with communities who reinforced my own fear that I had chosen my own self-interests over the love of God. I believed I was irrevocably broken, which made me try even harder to find the root of my illness so I could heal and regain God’s love.” “#BornPerfect: Survivor Stories & Survivor Network” She fell into a deep depression and later found a church that accepted her and told her that God loves her regardless of sexual orientation. This was when her healing finally began. Sam Brinton formed a crush on his friend when he was seven years old. When his family and church realized that beating would not “heal” his sickness, his family admitted him to conversion therapy, something that would scar him for life. His abusers convinced him that the government was hunting down gays and that they were looking for him; he was terrified, but it did not change who he was. They told him he had gotten AIDS from being gay. Eventually the mental abuse was not enough to break him and they started to physically abuse him. They tied his hands down and plunged them into ice while he was shown pictures of men; an attempt at setting his mind to view men as pain. Sometimes, he reported that they would use hot coils, electric shock, and needles forced into his fingertips for his “treatment”. “By the end, even hugging my father brought on flashbacks.”- Sam Brinton. “#BornPerfect: Survivor Stories & Survivor Network” Being LGBTQ, (although as believed by many Christian groups) is NOT a sin. So many ways have been used for the attempt of changing a person through intimidation, mental and physical abuse, family abandonment, and even exorcisms. People are beautiful and wonderful just the way they are, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. God loves His children and He has a plan for each one of them. This is not an illness and it’s not confusion; it’s not the devil whispering in anyone’s ears and it’s not for attention. This is simply nothing different from the color of a person’s hair. Many people call homosexuality “unnatural”, although it is a proven fact that it is found in over 1,500 living species. How would this be unnatural when it is accepted by so many others, except humans?

Works Cited

B.A. Robinson, “Homosexuality and the Pentecostal movement” religioustolerance.org Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 1996. Web. January 7, 2017. @BriBryontour, tumblr.com tumblr, Web. January 25, 2017. Deb Cuny, “#BornPerfect – Deb Cuny” nclrights.org NCLR, 2017, Web. January 15, 2017. Drake, Amino LGBT, Amino, Web. January 5, 2017. Elyaness, Amino LGBT, Amino, Web. January 5, 2017. @fireflythepigeon, tumblr.com buzzfeed.com, Web. January 25, 2017. Google definition search engine, Google, Web. January 20, 2017. Holy Bible, onlinebiblepassages.com, Web. January 22, 2017. Jack, Amino LGBT, Amino, Web. January 5, 2017. Jon, Amino LGBT, Amino, Web. January 5, 2017. “The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity” hrc.org Human Rights Campaign, 2017, Web. January 15 2017. @toomuchtaylor, tumblr.com moosopp.tumblr.com, 2016, Web. January 25, 2017. ��Transgender and Christian?” queertheology.com queer theology, 2013, Web. January 8, 2017. “1,500 animal species practice homosexuality” news-medical.net News Medical Life Sciences, 2000, Web. January 25, 2017.