Empowerment

Return to Water
Water heals. This persisting belief was a gift from my young mind. Perhaps an innate understanding of a truth that many accepted as fact long before peer-reviewed articles declared the same. Water heals. I believed this as I swam the lengths of my hometown's iconic Z-shaped community pool. I believed because of the ineffable calm that overpowered my senses as I submerged my body. Faith in my restoration kept me afloat, not my particular matter and biology or the stringent lessons of my swim instructors. Even as I swam to the depths, I felt no panic as my body depleted itself of oxygen. The pressure felt like part of the healing process. I would push my lungs to the point of blackened vision until I reached some arbitrary milestone: a wall’s edge, a friend’s leg, or the bottom of the pool. The first gasp of air as you breach the water’s surface floods the system, and suddenly, you’re alive again.
By kp2 years ago in Pride
Pongal: Harvesting Joy, Celebrating Abundance
In the heartlands of India, where vast fields sway in the gentle breeze and the sun casts its golden glow over the fertile plains, Pongal heralds a celebration of harvest, gratitude, and abundance. This South Indian festival, deeply rooted in agrarian traditions, is a time when communities come together to express their thanks to nature for a bountiful yield. Pongal, often referred to as the "harvest festival of Tamil Nadu," is not merely a cultural event but a spiritual journey that binds the people to the land that sustains them.
By Varsha2 years ago in Pride
Breakup heartbreak
This last year was to say the least a tough one. There was so much emotions I experienced love we one I thought anyway but heartbreak like no other. I had been talking to this guy for over a year prior and we had spent time together in the Las Vegas area. We met at a pool party and really always had a spark. Last year he decided to move to Colorado with me I was not out to anyone not even my family. He had confided in me that he would be there for me no matter what even when the time came to come out to my family. I loved him we traveled together lived together cooked together all things that seemed stable and loving. That is what I thought anyways until I seen that he could not stop hiding his phone and would not answer who he was taking to. I let that go and thought well that’s ok I trust him and love him. As time went on I knew something was not right. My best friend text me hey this is your boyfriend right . I looked at the text realizing it was my boyfriend he was messaging him asking him to hookup with him. I never felt so sad and hurt I asked him about it and he’s said no way I just have been hacked or something I said no way that’s how it works. Among all of this he had been drinking more and more and he would drink 4 bottles or more of wine each night. When he would drink he would get mean and the truth would come out. He would say your fat your not smart your not honest on and on about things to try and bring me down. Also another friend found out he had many social media pages that was let’s just say shocking. He promised he wanted to be monogamous but that was not the fact he was messaging well over a 1,000 guys a day and now that really hurt. I decided it was time for him to move out and he disagreed of course. At this time my mom and dad found out I was gay as he told them they quit talking to me as did all of my aunts uncles cousins, because in there eyes I was living life wrong. From not having his love to having lost my family’s love was the hardest struggle of my life. He finally asked me to help him move back to Vegas and I did so help with that. After all of this happens I realized one thing I’m wonderful and beautiful made , his words and actions can not change me for I am stronger. I can overcome this time and one day I know the right man will come along and truly love me . I hope this story helps someone know you are courageous and can overcome anything. I also have learned that by embracing who I really am is beautiful. For so many years I knew I was gay and that now it feels so good to just be me. If those who do not accept me for that then I do not need them to be there for my support. Loving yourself is one of the greatest feelings out there even after a heartbreak like I have experienced I can only grow from this day forward. Writing this also is wonderful to be able to share this experience with others in my community full of love and support for one another.
By D+J 2 years ago in Pride
From Playboy To Scientology: VENUS VALLEY’s Feminist Finale(ish)
Happy new year, gentles and lady-men! If you’ve just arrived at this series, you’re a little late, but don’t worry - there’s plenty of rewriting and re-releasing of other chapters coming, and almost as many epilogues as The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King! You my dear queer reader have arrived almost at the end of my chapter-by-chapter release of my LGBTQIA+ centric philosophy chat book, in which queer life experience is the perfect example to introduce you to pretty much any and every facet of philosophy you can think of; in which you, my rainbow flag waving reader, are invited to debate discuss, question, contribute, so your inputs and insights can become my edits, until your views and voices are in its pages right alongside mine. Welcome, for almost the last time, queerly beloveds - in which I finally get around to talking about THE BIG BAD “F” - to VENUS VALLEY: Queer Philosophers’ Forum.
By Steph Cole2 years ago in Pride
TREKS & GENDER: Sexual Identity in the Final Frontier (a VENUS VALLEY chapter)
Yes, before anyone wonders, I have noticed these chapters are longer when I’m indulging my fandoms, like Shakespeare and The Matrix! (If you haven’t, you can see me do that by clicking HERE & HERE). So welcome, queerly beloveds, to the geeky Trekkie chapter of my book-in-progress - in which, as always, your inputs and insights become my edits as you debate, discuss, question, contribute, so your voices and viewpoints become part of the finished published product:VENUS VALLEY, Queer Philosophers’ Forum.
By Steph Cole2 years ago in Pride
You’re a Wizard, Neo: Queer Culture in Fantasy Fiction (a VENUS VALLEY chapter)
A fun fact & fantasy filled chapter is here, queerly beloveds - if you’ve just found me and just thought “a fun fact and fantasy filled chapter of what?”, let me tell you where you are: I’m releasing my LGBTQIA+ centric philosophy book chapter by chapter, so my rainbow flag flying readers can debate, discuss, question, contribute, giving me insights & inputs which become my edits, so the finished book includes all our views and voices. Welcome to Venus Valley: Queer Philosophers’ Forum.
By Steph Cole2 years ago in Pride
I Was Going to be an Actress.. Top Story - December 2023. Content Warning.
I was eating molten cheese, the kind that comes out of a spout, from Taco Bell. I was a high school senior, hopeful actress, crashing at my father’s business partner’s pool house on weekends so I could attend back to back Friday/Saturday acting classes at the Bobbie Chance Studio.
By Jen Parkhill “JP”2 years ago in Pride
Queen James & Dr. John: ShakesQueer pt. 2 (a VENUS VALLEY chapter)
Info-dump chapter! I had a lot I wanted to say in the last chapter and a few different places I wanted to take it; but for those who want to know more, there’s plenty more to know - and like a good little philosophy blogger, telling you all about it can raise plenty more questions!
By Steph Cole2 years ago in Pride
How To Levitate
One of the most fascinating feats in magic is the ability to levitate and there are many methods to make this happen in this story we're going to cover just a few of them we're going to cover some simple methods that can be done at home right now, then some more advanced techniques that'll take a little bit of practice and preparation. We'll also cover some more expensive versions the professionals use that you've probably seen on some national television shows, let's get ready to learn how to levitate. In this first method, the magician walks into the room and then covers the front of their body with a blanket or a towel then magically they seem to just levitate right off the floor this looks pretty convincing and it is super simple to perform.
By Mavin Winston2 years ago in Pride
Surviving Life
Since 1988 December has been made HIV/AIDS awareness month. This silent pandemic has infected 39 million people and has killed over 680,000 of them since its discovery in 1981. HIV/AIDS is a disease that attacks the immune system, weakening the body’s defenses to fight against infection and diseases. It is spread through contact with infected blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. Despite the global awareness of the disease, it still infects less than 2,000 people a year. Here is how you can go through life with HIV/AIDS.
By M.L. Lewis2 years ago in Pride
The Topic of Gender-Affirming Care
Logical fallacies often tap into emotions to sway opinions. Fear-based fallacies, like the appeal to fear or the slippery slope fallacy, can create a sense of urgency or alarm by suggesting dire consequences if a particular action or viewpoint is not adopted. For example, in the context of gender-affirming care, an argument might falsely suggest that allowing such care for transgender youth will lead to irreversible harm or societal chaos, appealing to parental fears for their children's well-being.
By C.M.Dallas2 years ago in Pride
Sandra Day O'Connor,Dies at 93 First Woman On The Supreme Court,
Washington – Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who made history as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, passed away at the age of 93. The Court announced that O'Connor died on Friday in Phoenix, Arizona, following complications related to dementia and a respiratory illness.
By Ali Hashmi2 years ago in Pride