#it means agender aromantic asexual and other a terms

[hokkaidocreamcheese]

As somebody who is asexual greyromantic and agender, it hurts when I hear hamas murdering people just bc they're being themselves.

LGBTQIA+ (A does not mean ally, fuckers) has persevered and will always do so.

[nerdygaymormon]

The LGBTQ community has seen controversy regarding acceptance of different groups (bisexual and transgender individuals have sometimes been marginalized by the larger community), but the term LGBT has been a positive symbol of inclusion and reflects the embrace of different identities and that we’re stronger together and need each other. While there are differences, we all face many of the same challenges from broader society.

In the 1960′s, in wider society the meaning of the word gay transitioned from ‘happy’ or ‘carefree’ to predominantly mean ‘homosexual’ as they adopted the word as was used by homosexual men, except that society also used it as an umbrella term that meant anyone who wasn’t cisgender or heterosexual. The wider queer community embraced the word ‘gay’ as a mark of pride.

The modern fight for queer rights is considered to have begun with The Stonewall Riots in 1969 and was called the Gay Liberation Movement and the Gay Rights Movement.

The acronym GLB surfaced around this time to also include Lesbian and Bisexual people who felt “gay” wasn’t inclusive of their identities. 

Early in the gay rights movement, gay men were largely the ones running the show and there was a focus on men’s issues. Lesbians were unhappy that gay men dominated the leadership and ignored their needs and the feminist fight. As a result, lesbians tended to focus their attention on the Women’s Rights Movement which was happening at the same time. This dominance by gay men was seen as yet one more example of patriarchy and sexism. 

In the 1970′s, sexism and homophobia existed in more virulent forms and those biases against lesbians also made it hard for them to find their voices within women’s liberation movements. Betty Friedan, the founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), commented that lesbians were a “lavender menace” that threatened the political efficacy of the organization and of feminism and many women felt including lesbians was a detriment.

In the 80s and 90s, a huge portion of gay men were suffering from AIDS while the lesbian community was largely unaffected. Lesbians helped gay men with medical care and were a massive part of the activism surrounding the gay community and AIDS. This willingness to support gay men in their time of need sparked a closer, more supportive relationship between both groups, and the gay community became more receptive to feminist ideals and goals. 

Approaching the 1990′s it was clear that GLB referred to sexual identity and wasn’t inclusive of gender identity and T should be added, especially since trans activist have long been at the forefront of the community’s fight for rights and acceptance, from Stonewall onward. Some argued that T should not be added, but many gay, lesbian and bisexual people pointed out that they also transgress established gender norms and therefore the GLB acronym should include gender identities and they pushed to include T in the acronym. 

GLBT became LGBT as a way to honor the tremendous work the lesbian community did during the AIDS crisis. 

Towards the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s, movements took place to add additional letters to the acronym to recognize Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, and others. As the acronym grew to LGBTIQ, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAA, many complained this was becoming unwieldy and started using a ‘+’ to show LGBT aren’t the only identities in the community and this became more common, whether as LGBT+ or LGBTQ+. 

In the 2010′s, the process of reclaiming the word “queer” that began in the 1980′s was largely accomplished. In the 2020′s the LGBTQ+ acronym is used less often as Queer is becoming the more common term to represent the community. 

[genderqueerdykes]

the following types of people can use the term butch for themselves: gays, lesbians, bears, men, women, bisexuals, pansexuals, transgender people, trans men, trans women, transmascs, transfems, transneutral people, intersex people, non binary people, genderqueer people, multigender people, genderfluid people, asexual people, aromantic people, agender people, polyamorous people, and any other queer masculine person, it just means "queer masculine," it belongs to no specific gender or identity. if it feels right to you to use. the only requisite is being queer.

[emilem-forevermore]

hey! intro post here :)

are you having a panic or anxiety attack? or just feeling upset? tap or click here

here is a link to the trevor project (a helpline for queer youth) if you are struggling. remember you deserve love and recovery :)

okay, a bit about me:

my name: you can call me em, ollie, or oliver!

my pronouns: he/they, for the most part, but i actually really like fae/xe/ey too :)

terms you can use for me: masc stuff is great, gender neutral good too! sir, mister (mr), boy, bro, dude, mage (mg), handsome, cute, manly, masc, and pretty/beautiful is okay

a few labels i use: bisexual, genderfluid, transmasc, demiromantic, and i think polyamorous!

my age: i am a minor. don’t be gross.

DNI: if you’re sending asks for donations, pedophiles, just here to be mean, sex blogs

my birthday: april 8th! i’m an aries :3

i also have a poetry blog! @emilems-poetry

some other stuff you might want to know:

i’m 5’0!

i earned a black belt in taekwondo.

single, but in a situationship

collection of nicknames/silly labels: emilem, gay little frat boy, catboy tea

i cannot play any instruments but would like to learn guitar one day

i’m a norwegian forest cat therian (i think) but i’m fine with being called human/person too - i have a therian blog. you'll find it.

adhd, autism (undiagnosed) and therapist says i might have ocd

if you want my spotify or pinterest (or scratch) dm me (it's something i'm willing to share but not like with the entire world lol)

music i like: harry styles, 1D, hozier, noah kahan, chappell roan, sabrina carpenter, taylor swift, the amazing devil, + a lot more

fandoms i am in: gravity falls, warrior cats, heartstopper, brooklyn nine nine, only murders in the building, a good girls guide to murder, the hunger games, ride the cyclone (kinda), + more

some of my interests: poetry, drawing, digital art, writing, reading, french, veterinary sciences, the human body, psychology, hebrew, spanish

PLEASE:

ask me stuff! i love answering questions

message me if you think i’m cool!!

send me art and poetry!!! it’s so awesome to look at :3

interact w me! i love talking to yall and i don't bite that often

if i say/do something that upsets you, let me know! i try to do my best to be inclusive and kind but sometimes i mess up so help me out :)

this is my favorite post on this website, a slight tw for self harm, but aside from that it might help if you're feeling down :)

i think you’re pretty awesome!! :) (especially trans, intersex, aromantic, agender, and asexual individuals!)

i love my moots more than the world!!!

here's a list of some of them

@hotteststar my first moot and fellow bisexual :)

@rins-batcave my reason /p

@raeprise mon cœur /p

@sparky4577 my brother (not irl but i wish)

@star-dust-shark and @crowwolf8 my favorite animals fr

@crowofthestars just really fuckn cool. go follow them!

@thecrazyalchemist my bestie with the coolest name(s) ever

@mrblazeflappybird my cool uncle essentially

@wishiwereheather13 my really cool moot im too nervous to talk to (your banner is so cool btw. just sayin.)

@boldofyoutoassumeicanspell my wise gal i should talk to more

@holiday-spice my favorite seasoning (get it. cause his name is spice. lol.)

@daggerhobbit where i'd get a dagger if i needed one. very cool

@aflairforthemelodramaticc my father :)

if you'd like to be added to (or removed from) this list lemme know! i have so many mutuals and i love them all beyond words <3

[aroace-musings]

My AroAce Journey

I would say that I first knew I was AroAce at eleven going on twelve even though I didn't use this exact term to describe my experience until much later.

In 1995, I mainly only saw heteronormative couples in shows and movies. The exception being The Birdcage. I thought the romance shown in these shows and movies were fantasy. A figment of the writer's imagination. And any scene of a sexual nature utterly baffled me. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to perform that act solely for pleasure.

It wasn't until I played Girl Talk with my friend that I began to suspect that my relationship to sexual and romantic attraction differed significantly to my peers. In the game, you're asked about crushes, who you'd like to kiss, who you hoped would ask you out on a date, how many children you wanted, and the like. I had no answers for a majority of them. And for the ones I could answer, I would provide the following responses: 

I don't want to kiss anyone. Why would you want to swap spit with someone else? Sounds disgusting. No, it doesn't sound romantic. It sounds absolutely vile.

What do you mean by crush? Butterflies in the stomach? Do you mean the feeling you get when you have the flu? No? Then I don't understand what you mean by "butterflies in the stomach". 

I don't want to marry nor do I want children. No, I'm being serious. I don't need a spouse. I don't need children. I'm just happy with having a friend or two. No, my life will not be lonely. No, my life will not be sad either.

In junior and senior high, my classmates started having their first dates, their first kisses, their first sexual experiences. And I was left alone on the sidelines. An observer to this foreign and bizarre mating ritual that made not a bit of sense to me.

People called me a "late bloomer". Told me not to worry. That I would find someone, someone special. Insisted that soon my libido would kick in, and I would start experiencing this mystical wonder called a crush. They believed that everyone experienced this and if I didn't, then there must be something wrong with me. Something that a doctor could fix.

Then, I went to uni and had access to the internet for the fist time. There, I learned the words aromantic and asexual. I discovered people who had similar experiences to me. I came across AVEN and found my people. Eventually, I found the term AroAce and its flag. I also learned that the initialism lgbt had been expanded to include others in the queer community: lgbtqia+. 

Upon this discovery, I tried to join a rainbow alliance at my uni, but the president of the club thought me not queer enough to join. Because I suffer from rejection sensitive dysphoria due to ADHD, this negative interaction put me off going to any more queer spaces. To this day, I've still not gone to pride, for I don't want to go somewhere I'm not wanted.

I don't remember "coming out". I didn't know it was a thing I should be stressed or concerned about. I just told people for better or worse. If they didn't know what AroAce meant, I told them to Google it. If they took issue with it, I simply cut them out of my life, for I don't need to associate with toxic people. Seriously, life's way too short for that!

Also, I didn't take issue with being AroAce myself. I just accepted it and moved on with my life. At that moment, I had more pressing concerns to worry about. Daily, I experienced chest dysphoria due to being agender. In addition, I was dealing with having undiagnosed AuDHD. Both took up all of my spare time and attention.

At thirty-six, I came across AroAce representation for the first time: Georgia Warr in Loveless by Alice Oseman. Even though the protagonist's experience differed greatly from my own, I'd never felt more seen in my entire life. Shortly after finishing the book, I learned that the author also identifies as AroAce. Despite not actively reading young adult literature, I binged all of her published works during lockdown. 

Then came the Netflix adaptation of Heartstopper. Instantly, Issac Henderson became my favorite character. If only I had this show as a teenager, what a difference my high school experience would've been!

Now, I'd like to write a novel with an AroAce protagonist. One who is also agender and has AUDHD like myself. Perhaps I can make this a reality in the next five years or so. Once I've finished all of the writing projects that I'm currently working on.

Well, that's all I have for today. Until next time, take care and say curious.

[rainbowsforbeginners]

Rainbow 101: 001

Today’s topic, as voted by you: What is LGBTQIA+?

Hello, class!

Welcome to Rainbow 101!

To start us off, today I’ll explain the acronym LGBTQIA+:

It stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and A-spec - And the little “plus” at the end stands for any other queer labels that don’t fit neatly into the main acronym!

You may also see it shortened to LGBTQ+, LGBT+, LGBT, as well as a few others - But, they all refer to the same community!

Now, as this is a beginner-friendly lecture, I’ll also give a brief explanation of the main “flagship” identities - Though I highly encourage you do your own research of any terms you find interesting, as I will likely not be able to cover all nuance here!

Also, if anyone has any comments, questions, corrections, or kudos, please put them in the ask box after class!

Alright, let’s get started:

Lesbian:

Someone who is a lesbian is a women who is attracted to other women - Non-binary people can also use this label if they wish! The term Lesbian is also related to the terms WLW and Sapphic - Though I recommend finding sources who are more well-versed in those labels to understand the nuances/differences!

Gay:

The “proper” definition of gay is similar to lesbian, being a man who is attracted to other men - And non-binary folk can use this one, too! - However, you will also find many people use “gay” as a broad blanket term similar to “queer,” so context is useful here! Gay is also sometimes called MLM (men-loving-men, not multi-level-marketing :) )

Bisexual/Biromantic:

Someone who is bisexual/biromantic is attracted to multiple genders - Commonly interpreted as simply “likes both men and women.” But, as with many of these labels, there can be nuance that is different for every person; Such as having attraction for multiple, but preferring one over another. You’ll often see Bisexual/Biromantic shortened to Bi!

Transgender:

Someone who is transgender doesn’t fully identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. For example, someone who was born as a girl named Jane and later transitions to a man named John. (Something to note here: While many transgender people do fully identify with the “opposite” gender, and undergo various visual/biological transformations (ha!), there are many who don’t do either! Some people only change their pronouns, and some may not change anything!) Non-binary people are also under this umbrella term - though not everyone identifies with the label! You’ll often see Transgender shortened to Trans!

Queer/Questioning:

From what I’ve seen, “Queer” is a pretty broad label, often used as a collective term for all LGBTQIA+ people - But, I’ve also seen some people use it as a catch-all personal miscellaneous label, when they don’t care to explain or define the details! “Questioning” is pretty simple - It just means the person is figuring out some aspect of their identity, but hasn’t quite gotten there yet!

Intersex:

This one I don’t know as much about as I could, but my understanding is that an intersex person falls between or outside of the biological sex binary - And it can be as drastically obvious as physical organ differences, or more often, as subtle as having unusual chromosomes!

A-spec:

A-spec, or the A-spectrum, is a wide category for those who experience little, no, and/or specifically-parametrized attraction! Aromantic (or Aro, little-to-no romantic attraction) and Asexual (or Ace, little-to-no sexual attraction) are the more popular, “flagship” labels, but the A spectrum also includes Aplatonic, Agender, Afamilial, Asensual, and probably a few others I don’t know of! To oversimplify for the sake of comedy, the A-spec is for those of us who look at everyone else and go, “No thanks!” with varying degrees of intensity.

Plus (+):

And the + is for everyone else who might not fit within the above!

…And there you have it - That was a lot, and I’m glad you stuck around to the end!

I want to note here that many of these labels have more sub-labels nested under them, and/or have more nuance than we covered today - So, if any of you have questions or clarifications, or have a correction to make, please feel free to drop a note in my ask box!

Also, any ideas for future topics to cover would be much appreciated!

Batteries and Bars,

Neon

[starbounddragon]

I am 6 years old and my family tries to call me Lexi.

They tell me it's a nickname

It is uncomfortable in a way I don't have words for

Like the Easter dress my mother always made me wear

There is an ache in my whole body I cannot explain

I ask them not to call me that

It's years before they listen

I am 8 and my best friend is a boy

I play sports and read books and detest Barbies

I am branded "tomboy"

It fits like wearing my dad's oversized baseball mitt

Roomy, not uncomfortable, but not right

I am told I should be more ladylike

I am 10 sitting with the other girls from my class

They ask why I never wear the uniform skirt

I tell them I just prefer to wear the pants.

I do not explain how I begged my mother not to buy any skirts.

I do not explain the panic I felt when I tried it in on at the uniform store.

I just prefer pants.

I am 12 and my best friend switches schools

The same girls ask if I miss him

They ask if we're dating.

My face grows hot and I forget how to speak

Before I can deny it another girl scoffs

She says my shoulders are too broad

She says I am not a pretty girl

She means it as an insult

Why am I relieved when she says I'm not a girl

13 and I have a new best friend

A girl this time

It feels different in a way I don't have words for

She doesn't go to my school

For the first time I beg my parents for a cell phone

I text her every day

The school year starts and I have my first health class

I go to a Catholic school

The two "teachers", a youth pastor and the ccd coordinator, tell my class to hate the sin, love the sinner

One of them says she loves her brother but he's going to hell for his "gay lifestyle".

To their merit, my classmates are outraged.

Their uncle, oldest brother, cousin, is gay.

They protest on behalf of their loved ones.

The teacher does not change her stance.

I am ashamed.

I am afraid.

I am silent.

I am 14 and I hold a door open for a stranger and his kid

The man tell his son to "say thank you sir"

I feel like a fish on dry land

I feel my broad shoulders

I feel like wearing a uniform skirt

I feel tomboy

I feel Lexi

He's gone before I correct him

How do I run from this

15 and I only wear blouses and push up bras

I only wear my hair down

I can't bring myself to wear a skirt

My highschool is Christian not Catholic

Chapel every Wednesday reminds us girls to honor our husbands

Health on Fridays says babies are God's plan

There is no path more fulfilling than joyful motherhood

I tell my teacher I do not want to be a mother

She assures me she didn't either at 15

Her husband changed her mind at 20

The rage I feel is familiar

So is the grief

This is the year I learn the term asexual

This is the year I learn I am not aromantic

This is the year I become two people

My family and school friends are all conservative

We do group activities

We talk about their lives

I keep them at arms length

They don't ask

They don't notice

They don't want to know

My summer camp friends are all queer

I tell them everything

My girl best friend is one of them

She's pansexual

I realize I'm in love with her

I also realize I can't have a girlfriend

Not like this

Not as two people

I'm not ready

We're 16 and she tells me she's gender fluid

She tells me her pronouns are she/they

I didn't realize a person could be that

I wish I could be they too.

They call me Lex.

It doesn't hurt.

At 20 I learn the term agender and it feels like finding something I didn't know I was looking for.

I'm still two people but not as much anymore.

25 is the first time I say it out loud to other people

Friends from college who are also they/them

And for the first time since 15 I feel like a whole person.

[furious-blueberry0]

I don't think I'll ever come out as agender to friends and family.

I can already hear the questions that they are gonna ask and how they will judge me if I don't give a clear and concise answer other than "it's just how I feel".

Or how I'm gonna be treated by them as an encyclopedia (again) about my identities. "Oh you don't know what asexual, aromantic and agender mean?? Don't worry, my friend Blue is totally going to explain to you, a total stranger, not only what they mean but also how she lives with these identies and her most personal aspects of them!!" god help me.

Plus I'm not changing pronouns or names or anything like that, and I don't mind being adressed with feminine terms, so coming out is not gonna be that useful lol overall.

So yeah, this is something only you guys will know eheh

[yeehaww-sims]

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

I'm only a little late, but better late than never!! Today I have for you: 16 recolours and an overlay, totaling to 17 pieces of cc!

I know some of these have been recoloured for pride before, but I've never been happy with some of them, so I did it myself!

This started out as a personal recolour series for myself and my partner, but I wanted to share it with everyone! Because of that, please note that certain flags/terms were chosen with my personal wants/preferences in mind first, and then others I thought others might want/are never included in any recolour. If a flag is included that isn't the most popular version of it, or feels as though it might not fit, this would be why.

BGC, some meshes included, some not.

150 swatches per item, not including the overlays.

Overlays are located in the Toenail category.

The hoodies are an update to This Piece of CC that I made last year, and will replace the originals.

I realize this is a LOT of flags. It’s a lot for me to even remember. Feel free to remove swatches you’re not going to use, the original will always remain up if you want any back!

I won't be doing flag requests for these, but if you have a flag you'd like to see in game, may I interest you in This?

Every single item uses the same flags; if you feel something doesn't fit a particular piece of CC that's not my problem.

Don’t claim it as your own, and please feel free to tag me if you use it!

Most textures were sourced from Pride-Flags Deviant art, LGBTA Wiki, Tumblr, Twitter, or google search.

T[SW]ERFS/Bigots/Exclus die! You are not welcome to this CC :)

DOWNLOAD: [SFS] | [MF]

Meshes: [Answer] [Illusion] [Paper Plane] [Circle Earring]* [Bottlecap Earring]* [Adult Hoodies] [Bandana]* [Necklaces] [Child Hoodie] [Binder] * = REQUIRED

Below is a list of every flag included. Some flags include uncensored reclaimed slurs. If you don’t care for/disagree with a flag/term, just delete it from the file. I do not care, I will not be involved in any discourse, and if you message me about it, I will just ignore you. Please respect my boundaries. Thank you. Happy pride!

See also: [Pronoun Hoodies] [More Pride Flags v2] [Pride Thigh Highs] <- Made by my partner, using the same flags as below!

Usually I would link every single flag, but Tumblr refused to let me save the post while I was in the process of doing so. So, instead, you can find all the flag's sources and meanings [HERE]

[Rainbow Flag] [Gilbert Baker 8 Stripe] [Gilbert Baker Diversity] [Philadelphia Pride] [Progress] [Progress + Intersex] [QPOC] [Gay Anarchy] [Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism] [Abrosexual]

[Achillean] [Agender] [AlloAce] [AlloAro] [Alterhuman] [Amatopunk] [Androgynous] [Angled AroAce] [Aromantic] [Aroflux]

[Aroflux] [Aromantic Spectrum] [AroAce] [AroAce Spectrum] [Asexual] [Aceflux] [Aceflux 2] [Asexual Spectrum] [Autigender] [Bear]

[Bigender] [Bigender 2] [Bisexual] [Bi Gay] [Bi Lesbian] [Boyflux] [Bungender] [Catgender] [Ceterosexual]

[Cinthean] [Demiboy] [Demigirl] [Demigender] [Demiromantic] [Demisexual] [Diamoric] [Dollboy] [Dyke] [Enbian]

[Enbian] [Faggot] [Femme] [Futch] [Gay Man/Vincian] [Gay Man/Vincian 2] [Gay Man Double Mars] [GENDERANARCHY] [Genderfae] [Genderfaun]

[Genderfluid] [Genderflux] [Genderless] [Genderpunk] [Genderqueer] [Gendervoid] [Gendervoid 2] [Girlflux] [Greyromantic] [Greysexual]

[Heartless Aromantic] [Homoflexible] [Inclusionist] [Intergender] [Intersex] [Intersex 2] [Leather] [Lesbian] [Lesbian 2] [Lesbian Labrys]

[Lesbian Trans Labrys] [Lesbian Trans Labrys 2] [Lesbian Sappho] [Lesbian apersnickitylemon] [Lesbian Double Venus] [Lesboy] [Loveless Aromantic] [Loveless Aromantic 2] [Loveloose] [Lovequeer]

[Maverique] [Multigender] [Multisexual] [Multisexual Spectrum] [M-spec Gay] [M-spec Lesbian] [Nebularomantic] [Nebulasexual] [Neurogender] [Neutrois]

[Nonbinary] [Nonhuman Unity] [Non-SAM Aromantic] [Objectum Sexual] [Omnisexual] [Omni Gay] [Omni Lesbian] [Oriented AroAce] [Otherkin & Kingender] [Pangender]

[Pansexual] [Pan Gay] [Pan Lesbian] [Polyamorous] [Polyamorous 2] [Polyamorous 3] [Polygender] [Polysexual] [Ply Gay] [Ply Lesbian]

[Pupgender] [Queer Anarchy] [Queer Chevron] [Queer] [Queerplatonic] [Sapphic] [Stargender] [Systemfluid] [Therian] [Tomboy]

[Transgender] [Transandrogynous] [Transaporine] [Transfeminine] [Transfeminine 2] [Transmasculine] [Transmasculine 2] [TransNeuFem] [TransNeuMasc] [Transneutral]

[Transneutral] [Transoutherine] [Transxenine] [Trigender] [Twink] [Two-spirit] [Unlabeled] [Unlabeled Gender] [Voidpunk] [Xenogender]

🏳‍🌈🏳‍🌈🏳‍🌈🏳‍🌈🏳‍🌈

@maxismatchccworld @mmfinds @ts4pride @emilyccfinds @sssvitlanz

[cobrastrikes421]

LGBTQ art

Bisexual fact:

Overall, 4% of U.S. adults say they identify as bisexual, according to an August 2023 survey by the Center. Younger adults are more likely than older Americans to describe themselves as bisexual. the term bisexual was used in Dutch for the first time in 1877, to refer to a hermaphrodite who had their sexual career as both a heterosexual woman and a heterosexual man. Later, the term bisexuality is used to represent both the double sexual-object choice and androgyny.

Aromantic fact:

Aromantic people can also form non-romantic relationships of all types, as well as being able to enjoy sexual relationships. They may also choose to have children, and studies indicate that aromantic individuals are no less likely to have children than alloromantic individuals. One of the earliest uses of the modern term "aromantic" dates back to 2005. The early online community around aromanticism formed on the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), an online community around asexuality, and social media platforms such as tumblr.

Progress fact:

a reinterpretation of multiple iterations of the pride flag. The original 'rainbow flag' was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978 to celebrate members of the gay and lesbian political movement. It comprised eight coloured stripes stacked on top of each other to evoke a rainbow, a symbol of hope. Daniel Quasar (xe/xyr pronouns) is the creator of the Progress Pride flag, a combination of the original Pride flag by Gilbert Baker, the Trans Pride flag by Monica Helms in 1999, the More Color, More Pride flag introduced by Amber Hikes in 2017, and a black stripe from the Victory Over AIDS flag, inspired by Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, to represent those lost during the AIDS crisis. This flag design “forces the viewer to confront

Aro/ace fact:

Aromantic asexual people are colloquially known as "aro-ace" or "aroace". Aromantic individuals are also able to experience platonic love and may have committed friendships, and some form intimate non-romantic partnerships called "queerplatonic relationships". the early 2000s as a way for individuals to explore and understand their experiences of limited or absent sexual and romantic attractions.

Agender fact:

agender" was actually on the Internet! It was born in the year 2000, on an Internet forum called UseNet. In a chat room discussion entitled alt. messianic, a user posted the following: “God is amorphous, agender, so image can't be a physical or gender or sexual thing.” Agender is a term used by individuals who do not identify with any specific gender or who experience a lack of gender altogether. Agender people have a sense that their gender identity is completely neutral, or does not exist at all. They may use words like "genderless" and "gender free" to describe themselves.

Trigender fact:

In Ancient Greece, Phrygia, and the Roman Republic and Empire, Cybele and Attis were worshiped by galli priests (documented from around 200 BCE to around 300 CE) who wore feminine clothes, referred to themselves as women, and often castrated themselves, and have therefore been seen as early transgender figures. The exact origin of the term "trigender" is unknown, but it has been mentioned as early as 1998. The prefix tri- means three, so "trigender" literally means "three gender".

Gay fact:

2400 BCE, are speculated to have been gay based on a representation of them embracing nose-to-nose in their shared tomb, though critics say that they were likely brothers. In 1978 Harvey Milk became the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States, and the first openly gay or lesbian person to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. "The green (Community) and teal (Joy) in the flag represent Nature. I thought this was important because love between men is often seen as “unnatural” in the eyes of society and in religion. Furthermore, gay men have historically used green flowers and plants (Carnations, hyacinths, etc.) to symbolize our love, reinforcing our connection with Nature. The white stripe is adopted from the Trans Pride flag because trans, nb, and GNC men are often erased or talked over and need explicit representation.

Pansexual fact:

the hybrid words pansexual and pansexualism were first attested in 1914 (spelled pan-sexualism), coined by opponents of Sigmund Freud to denote the idea "that the sex instinct plays the primary part in all human activity, mental and physical". created to differentiate between the bisexuality flag, which also has three horizontal bars. It was created on the internet sometime around 2010, and has gained popularity since then. The Pansexual symbol combines the male, female, and transgender symbols into one, new, P-shaped symbol representing pansexuality.

Demigirl fact:

The earliest demigirl flag was created on April 15th, 2014 by Tumblr user kyriefortune. The second demigirl flag was created on August 24th, 2015 by pride-flags based on Willow's demiguy flag. Another flag was posted on the same day by pride-flags also based on Willow's demiguy flag. A gender identity term for someone who was assigned female at birth but does not fully identify with being a woman, socially or mentally. transgender pride-flag, retaining the central white & pink stripes representing enbies & women, but with 4 added horizontal stripes of different shades of grey to signify a disconnect and/or uncertainty associated with this gender-identity.

Hope you all had a great pride month. Can’t wait to do more of them.

What pride art should I do next year?

[hunter216]

My Queer Labels

GENDER LABELS

Trans: Transgender is an umbrella term for anyone whose internal experience of gender does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.

Transmasc: Transmasculine, often abbreviated to transmasc, is a term used to describe transgender and/or non binary people who have a gender identity that is predominantly masculine. Transmasculine people may or may not identify as male.

Bigender: Bigender is a gender identity in which people experience exactly two gender identities, either simultaneously or varying between the two. (Mine are simultaneous)

Gendervoid: Gendervoid is a gender identity in which one feels nothing where a gender should be. This is different from agender which is often used to refer to gender neutrality rather than genderlessness.

Voidboy: A gender in which one feels as if they are partially a boy, yet void at the same time.

Paragender: Paragender is a gender identity in which one feels very close to being a certain gender, but encompasses another gender or feeling that prevents them from being fully that gender.

Paraboy: Paraboy, paramale, paraguy, paraman, or paramasculine, is a gender identity in which one is paragender, and is also connected to masculine or masculine aligned identities. One's masculine identity will make up 51%-99% of one's gender, whilst the remaining percentage may be any other gender or combination of genders.

Oxigender: Oxigender is an umbrella term and subset of multigender and trigender in which one has one label first, which is the main part of the gender, another second, which is still significant but not the main part, and another label third, which is only a small part of the total gender.

Bivogendroma: Bivogendroma is an oxigender identity in which one's gender feels primarily bigender, sometimes gendervoid, and occasionally paragender.

PRONOUNS

Prefer:

He/Him/His/Himself

Xe/Xim/Xis/Ximself

Don't mind:

They/Them/Their/Themself

Ey/Em/Eir/Emself

SEXUAL ORIENTATION LABELS

Asexual: Asexual, often shortened to ace, describes people who do not experience sexual attraction, experience little-to-no sexual attraction or conditional sexual attraction.

Ageosexual: Aegosexual, or anegosexual, historically known as autochorissexual, is a microlabel on the asexual spectrum that describes individuals who experience a disconnect between themselves and the subject of arousal. In my case, I like the idea of sex, but don't actually experience sexual attraction or wanting to have sex with anybody.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION LABELS

Aromantic: Aromantic, often shortened to aro, describes people who do not experience romantic attraction, experience little-to-no romantic attraction or conditional romantic attraction.

Cupioromantic: Cupioromantic describes those who do not experience romantic attraction but do desire romantic experiences or relationships with others.

OTHER LABELS

Aroace: Aromantic asexual, also known by the abbreviation aroace, means people who are both aromantic (aro) and asexual (ace) or on the aromantic spectrum (aro-spec) and the asexual spectrum (ace-spec).

Oriented aroace: An oriented aroace is an aromantic asexual (aroace) individual who experiences a form of tertiary attraction, that they feel is significant enough to warrant a place alongside their aroace orientation.

Omniplatonic: Omniplatonic refers to someone who regularly feels platonic attraction to all genders, though gender often still plays a role in one's attraction.

[penguicorns-are-cool]

got this picture from a post about the intersex definition but I want to make another post just going through them, especially the asexual one

an infographic showing the acronym "LGBTQUIA+" with definitions from left to right +: and more A: "Asexual They are uncomfortable with sexual contact with anyone. They have no interest in relating sexually with their partners" I: Intersex These are people who were born with genital organs of both sexes (male and female) it is a genetic condition Q: Queer Identify people whose sexuality goes beyond the heteronormative and what is accepted by society T: Transgender Tehy identify with the sex opposite to the one they were born with. This has no relation to sexual preferences B: Bisexual People who may experience attraction to people of multiple genders G: Gay People who like people of the same sex. Often used to refer to men who are attracted to men. It is a concept valid for all genders L: Lesbian These are women who are attracted to women

So I'm gonna go through all of these really quick but the asexual part will probably be longest

Lesbian and Gay: very simplified but like yeah that's it. That's the 101. very gender binary terms but whatever this is an introductory infographic and it's not false

Bisexual: not bad, props for saying multiple genders instead of both genders

Transgender: very gender binary terms. like yeah that's true for a lot of trans people, but also in this context it would be better described as an umbrella term for anyone who doesn't identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. This definition of identifying as the opposite sex is a bit misleading in that sense.

Intersex: I'm just gonna link the @ipso-faculty post go read that it's very important especially cause chances are you have never been properly taught about what intersex means yourself

Asexual:

one: the A stands for more than just asexual. please don't forget the aromantics and agenders. the A is just for everyone who doesn't experience either sexual attraction, romantic attraction, or gender in the same capacity as others

It is so so so important to include all three to at the very least remind people that there is a population of people who don't experience the thing at all and you shouldn't act like it's a universal experience

two: that definition, asexuality is not feeling uncomfortable with sexual contact and not all asexuals are uninterested in having sex with their partners.

that is such an extremely ignorant definition considering that the very first link when I look up "what is asexuality" is this and it says

"Considering that asexuality has often been assumed to be a human impossibility, it is sometimes confused with celibacy. Celibacy is the conscious decision to forgo sexual activity, regardless of one’s level of desire. Celibacy is usually undertaken for religious purposes, either until marriage, or lifelong in the case of Catholic priests and some Buddhist monks. Celibates refrain from sexual activity with other people, and sometimes even with themselves, however much they may long for it. Asexuals, meanwhile, exhibit a distinct lack of desire for partnered sexual activity, although they may have sex."

and like, that last sentence is still a bit off mark but it's a whole lot better than "uncomfortable with sexual contact." Honestly, I haven't seen all that many definitions of asexuality that don't either use the term "attraction" in place of "desire" or make the distinction between celibacy and asexuality. That's a pretty important part, like Asexuality 101 first thing you've ever read should absolutely make that distinction.

but no, instead of describing asexuality this has successfully described celibacy + sex aversion

And it would be one thing if this were some instagram infographic someone made, but this is an infographic in the definition section of a peer-reviewed paper

like, I would hope you are doing a teensy bit more research about definitions before writing an entire study about lgbt+ students. This paper is being cited in other papers, it's being used for other research and they seem to have not even done a google search to figure out that asexuality does not mean discomfort or that intersex includes way more than people with both genitals. and you might think "oh it's probably just an older paper" but no, it was published in 2021

like this is why there are so many misconceptions about the IA+ and why aromantics and agenders always get left off when people talk about it, because research papers like this can't do a google search

[i4eth0ld]

Juvelic Orientations Flag Re-Desing

I am proposing this redesign for the following reasons:

— The colors have no meaning, it's just the flags of other communities together, disproportionately.

— Uses "heterosexual flag" there isn't a pride flag to represent a majority, and I don't like the idea in which blue and pink were placed, because it reminds me of the "cisgender flag".

As this is not a new flag, but a redesign, the original credits for the original flag remain with the person who made the design, which in this case I am based on it.

Meanings:

Red Orange, yellow, blue and purple stripes represent ALL the queer attractions. Includes all flags and all gender/non-gender love terms.

I kept the gray and black stripes precisely because of the Agender, Asexual and Aromantic pride flags, I do not want these stripes to be erased in any way, I am an Aroace person and these stripes are very important to me, as they must also be important to agender and other non-binary people.

The white stripe represents everyone who is not queer, or some who are straight, cisgender, allosexual or alloromantic who are otherwise queer, Everyone who Has an identity, attraction, orientation labeled "marginalized".

Lavender has long been a symbol of the queer community, so I decided to claim it and put it on the flag.

(flag with quality)

F.A.Q.

"Do I have to use the flag?"

No, there is no official flag in any community, there are flags for all tastes, and everyone can disagree and agree on guidelines.

"Is the old flag problematic?"

Probably not, but I still wanted to make an Alternative that is more representative, and I welcome suggestions on how to improve it

"Who are you?"

My name is Ethan, I'm an Inclusionist, I'm gay/Vincian non-binary Aroace, I like cats, and I sometimes enjoy learning about queer community terms and flags.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I was once an exclusionist, but I totally regret these kinds of thoughts, but if for some reason you come across an exclusionist comment of mine, please send it to me, I will delete immediately.

Finalization

I hope you queers like the flag, I tried my best to make it as beautiful as possible, bye!

EDIT: According to some people's feedback I changed the gray tone of the flag, I also think it looks much better so thank you very much for the feedback!

[somewhere-south-of-neutral]

Asexuality Awareness Week 2023: Visibility for the Invisible Orientation

[I am interning with a nonprofit focused on queer advocacy, and I wrote a piece about my experience with asexuality and a short primer on what asexuality is for their newsletter in honor of ace week, which can be found linked above. Unfortunately, for reasons of space, I had to shorten my personal story. This also meant cutting out a reference to how @comicaurora (in her role as OSP's Red) is directly responsible for me figuring out my asexuality (so thanks). To remedy this, my earlier draft with the longer story is included below the read more. Also, nothing on this blog should be construed as the official stance or opinion of Georgia Equality, my opinions are my own.]

Do you know what the A in LGBTQIA+ stands for? Until a few years ago, I assumed I was correct in my belief that it meant ally, a description that I was also fairly confident applied to me. Then, towards the end of 2021, I started watching the YouTube channel Overly Sarcastic Productions and YouTube, therefore, started recommending me related content, including a video entitled “OSP Red being an asexual icon for 5 minutes”. As it happens, Red and Blue, the creators of OSP, are both asexual, which is what the A actually stands for (along with aromantic and agender). Within a few months of seeing that video (and then many others like it), I was identifying as asexual, and the only reason I hadn’t known I was asexual all my life is that I didn’t know it was a thing that I could be. This is a story not unique to the asexual experience, but the degree of ignorance about and erasure of asexuality, even within the LGBTQIA+ community, has led to its being known as the “invisible orientation” and this invisibility is why events such as Ace Awareness Week (the last full week of October) and International Asexuality day (April 6th) are so important. It’s not just about showing pride and supporting our community, it is about reminding the world, and ourselves, that we exist. It is making the invisible visible.

Also, remember that asexuality is a spectrum, one that Ace Awareness Week and International Asexuality Day celebrate in its entirety, and any who feel some affinity for the identities within are welcome. To honor Ace Awareness Week, which this year is from October 22nd to October 28th, here is an FAQ for anyone who wants to better understand or be a better ally, or maybe is just now realizing, as I once did, that ally isn’t actually the right word for them:

What is asexuality? - Asexuality is both an umbrella term and a sexual orientation of its own. The umbrella covers the identities of anyone who feels sexual attraction rarely, situationally, or not at all. Within the asexual umbrella, there is asexuality, feeling little to no sexual attraction to anyone, demisexuality, meaning that you only develop sexual attraction to someone after forming a strong emotional bond, and gray asexuality, a catch-all orientation for people who feel sexual attraction rarely or at specific times, but don’t fit cleanly into the asexual or demisexual identities. There are also a myriad of subidentities, all of which are valid and welcome in the asexual community. These identities are often referred to collectively as falling on the asexuality spectrum. 

How is asexual different from aromantic? - The aromantic spectrum is very similar to the asexual spectrum, but instead of being centered on a lack of sexual attraction, it is centered on a lack of romantic attraction. Romantic and sexual orientation are not necessarily correlated, and it is possible to be asexual without being aromantic or vice-versa. Many people are both, but someone’s romantic orientation cannot be assumed from their sexual orientation. However, the amount of overlap in the communities and the similarity in the struggles they face has often led to aromantics and asexuals being each other’s most vocal allies.

How is asexuality different from celibacy/low libido? - Celibacy is the voluntary avoidance of sex. It has nothing to do with sexuality, and though many asexuals do avoid sex, many don’t. Similarly, feelings of attraction are completely separate from libido. Some asexuals categorize their feelings on having sex as favorable (they enjoy it and may even actively seek it out despite not feeling attracted to their partners), neutral (they don’t have any strong feelings on sex, and likely won’t actively seek it out), or repulsed (they feel some level of disgust at the idea of having sex, often dislike discussions or depictions of it, and will not seek it out). None of these feelings about sex are more or less valid than any other, and they can change over time. This is also extremely personal, and asking someone about their sexual history or views on sex is inappropriate.

Is this one of those new fad identities from social media? - No identity, no matter how recent it may seem, is invalid, a “fad”, or unworthy of respect. Like all sexualities, asexuality is as old as humanity, and academic acknowledgement of it goes back to the earliest gender and sexuality advocates of the 1800s, though under a variety of different names. The use of the actual word “asexual” dates back at least as far as 1907, and when Alfred Kinsey made his scale of sexual attraction in the 1940s, he included an “x” for those who feel attraction to nobody. During the explosion of queer activism in the 1970s, asexuals were right in the middle, fighting for our place and writing foundational works about how we fit in the grand tapestry of humanity.

Why is this queer and/or what discrimination do you face? - Queerness should never be defined by other people’s hatred. It is about experiencing gender and attraction that doesn’t fit neatly into the heterosexual gender binary; and asexuality is very much queer by that definition. Furthermore, asexuals do, unfortunately, face discrimination–from widespread microaggressions caused by societal assumptions about sexual relationships, to direct exclusion and erasure, and even to violence. 

To find more information about asexuality and the wider ace spec community, visit the AVEN, the Asexual Visibility & Education Network, at asexuality.org. For more information about Ace Week and associated events, visit aceweek.org.

[autisti-kat]

🧩 About me/ BYF 🧩

+++ Disclaimer: If you don't want me following you or I missed your DNI, just block me. Making post to publicly shame me for whatever you decided makes me a horrible person today is not efficient. +++

😺 Name: Eden

🧚 Pronouns:

* English: fae/faer, they/them, he/him

* German: fae/faer, es/sein, dey/deren, er/ihn

* Ay other language: any neo or masc pronoun

🌼 Age: 24

🏠 Location: Germany

🧑‍🍼 Occupation: 2,5 year vocational school for pharmaceutical technician, probably gonna study pharmacy afterwards

⚧️ Gender/Sex Stuff: Butch, Agender, Proxvir/Libramasculine, very Genderqueer, Perisex, Altersex

🏳️‍🌈 Orientation Stuff: Bi/Achillean, engaged to my lovely intersex genderfluidflux autigender fiancé(e), demisexual/grey-ace, romantically/sexually monogamous but queer-platonically polyamorous. Not a parent yet.

✡️ Religion: prospect Jewish convert

⚕️ (Special) Interests and other things I'm passionate about: HIV (medication), Intersex, Trisomy 21/Down Syndrome, Queer history (currently Magnus Hirschfeld), reading, studying, ambers, colourful cow print, Bloons lore, my fiancé(e), medical weed, trains, twisty puzzles, Melee (watching), object emojis, baking, our cats and our dog

💜💛🤍🩷🩵🤎🖤🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[ALT: 15 emoji hearts in the colours of the intersex-inclusive progress pride chevron, coupled with the original 1978 rainbow flag by Gilbert Baker. The hearts are in this order: Violet, Yellow, White, light pink, pastel blue, brown, black, light pink, red, orange, green, pastel blue, blue, violet. /END ALT]

🏩 Before you follow (BYF) 🏩

I don't have a Do Not Interact (DNI), anyone may follow. I have opinions tho.

🧷 Stuff I post: queer, trans, intersex, Disablity, Jewish, ...

* Own Posts/Replies: #own post/reply

💾 Opinions/Political affiliations:

* Feminist

* Anti-Fascist

* Anti-Racist

* Zionist

* Standing with Ukraine

* Anti-psychiatry, Anti-Saneist, Pro-MAD PRIDE!

* Pro-Legalisation of illegal substances, Pro-Harm Reduction/Safer Use

* Highly Critical of pre-natal testing for Disability and Intersex Conditions (aka Eugenics) but Pro-Choice

* Unapologetically queer, accepting of complex identities I don't understand, all pronouns, microlabels, macrolabels, objectum, orientation, etc. Asexual/Aromantic spectrum inclusionist, kink/fetish friendly. Pro-RACK (Risk Aware Consentual Kink), not liking the term "sane" in SSC (Safe, Sane, Consentual). This is not a kink blog by any means, tho.

* Calling traumatised sex work survivors SWERFS/bigots for being critical of sex work or hating people who benefit from it (customers, pimps) is NOT radical. Sex Work that traumatises, exploits poverty, oppression or addiction needs to be abolished asap. I don't give a shit about Johns or their opinions. I center (Ex-) sex workers, their wellbeing and their voices.

* Professionally diagnosed but both Pro-Self Diagnosis and Anti-Diagnosis, whatever is best for you!

💌 Boundaries: I'm always down for asks, dms, irl contacts and penpals! In fact, I would love to interact with you.

If you don't want me following you or I missed your DNI, just block me.

📑 Content Note for this blog:

* Educational/artistic/queer nudity, sexual health and other forms of NSFW

* Medical imagery/discussions of sexual and medical abuse, incl. Intersex genital mutilation (IGM)

* Discussions of drug usage, safer use, addiction, medical weed

* Discussion and examples of antisemitism, intersexism and other forms of bigotry, oppression, etc.

I typically tag things as what they are but I oftentimes forget tagging reblogs. Let me know if you have any specific needs.

🧸 You are loved. You are valuable. You are welcome here. 🧸

Last edit: 21-Oct-2024

[macksting]

Murderbot: System Collapse (and Susan Pompoms)

This is not exactly spoiler territory but I'm still putting it below a cut. (It might qualify as spoilers for El Goonish Shive, but I kinda feel the same about that in this case too.)

Bharadwaj says even good change is stressful.

A relatively recent page of El Goonish Shive has a character facing this head-on. Unfortunately for Susan, she wants to be rational about things, even though she knows she sometimes isn't, and seems to consider it a bit of a weakness. She's harder on herself than she is on others. Big Mood. We have to deal with our own bullshit 24/7; at least when we sleep or are alone we aren't around someone else's that often, and even then it's a different angle on the subject and, in my experiences, compassion is easier.

[ID: El Goonish Shive page. Susan and Sarah are standing talking on the roof of the high school. Susan is facing away, distraught and trying to hide her expression as she has lost her composure. Sarah suggests, pursuant to a page omitted, "It, um. Maybe you're upset by change?" Susan, still facing away, incredulously asks, "By good change? Not the store closing, but... quitting a job I don't want? Being done with this school? Not having to deal with that terrible locker anymore?" Sarah, concerned but calm, continues her supposition: "Well, I mean... You've worked there for years, and you've been here for years. It's what's normal for you, and... there is stuff you like about both places, right? Like, you started your movie review show with Elliot because of your job, and... you have friends here. You met Catalina here. Got to know Elliot and Tedd here." Susan half-smiles, her expression still bearing the strain of the strong emotions she's navigating, and asks, "And what's there to like about a locker with a sticky door?" Sarah smiles and replies, "You share it with me?" Susan, the sardonic half-smile gone, turns to face her more fully, and with a haunting expression as she comes to terms with it, pauses and says, "I want to hang out more." /end ID] So, y'know, right now I'm a mess. One little line messes me up so much. okay from here on I'm just fangirling to clarify shit. If you don't wanna hear me ramble about these fandoms in the abstract, adios. If you're a Murderbot fan wondering what this is about, El Goonish Shive is a webcomic that's been going since 2002, is unapologetically queer, has both accidentally and deliberately given earnest and deeply compassionate portrayals of queerness and neurodivergence, and also is just interesting, clever, and has a really big cry button moment as early as 2003. Susan in particular doesn't use the label asexual; Dan Shive considers her sexuality representative of his own, and is personally uncomfortable committing to restrictive labels such as that, though he knows how important they can be as well. She is beloved by asexual fans, okay frankly she's beloved by all fans because she's a complex, fascinating character whose political and philosophical views are her own, and excuse me I'm a mess again. She's not even my favorite fucking character. If you're an El Goonish Shive fan, I am crying over a construct made of cloned human tissues and robotic parts who is bitter, sardonic, and spent the first few books in a deep depression it was not aware of, has developed into a badass punk, and has an unsophisticated but very personal perspective on oppression, slavery, and artificial consciousness under a corporate dystopian rule. It calls itself "Murderbot" because of an incident it cannot remember that led to it hacking its governor module so that it might never be forced to kill again. It will kill, it's occasionally even Plan A, but it's a choice, not an order. ("As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure." - Book 1: All Systems Red.) It is asexual ("Things. :p"), prolly aromantic, prolly agender, and wonderful.

Then she added, “You know, you can stay here in the crew area if you want. Would you like that?” They all looked at me, most of them smiling. One disadvantage in wearing the armor is that I get used to opaquing the faceplate. I’m out of practice at controlling my expression. Right now I’m pretty sure it was somewhere in the region of stunned horror, or maybe appalled horror.

My favorite installment takes place after the fourth novella, but the first novella is absolutely sufficient as a standalone work of fiction, with a satisfying beginning, middle and end, comes in a glorious audiobook format narrated by Kevin R. Free, and makes me cry a lot. The early "humor me" level cry button for me is when everyone confronts it, and it turns to face a corner to avoid their deeply stressful eye contact. I have heard that fan responses to All Systems Red led the author Martha Wells to seek out an autism diagnosis; compare Dan Shive's "It would explain a lot."