Identity

Do I have grief...
I was recently asked if I have grief over identifying as a Transgender-Lesbian. Although it wasn’t asked in a derogatory way, the question stirred up a few emotions within me. And in the spirit of it being Pride Month, I thought I would share.
By EJ Arundel5 years ago in Pride
On the Merits of Being Out
This essay was previously published on the website Leatherati in 2015. I wrote it and hold all rights to the content. On November 1st, 2015, Mr. Hardy Haberman presented his keynote address, “Welcome to the War on Sex,” at Leather Fiesta, an annual celebratory and educational event for kinksters, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In his powerful speech, Hardy claimed that now that the LGBT Rights campaign has been essentially won, those who fight us have moved on to the Transgender community as their next target. Our enemies’ goal? To instill fear into the hearts and minds of the American public. When they lose this battle, for they will lose this fight too, who will be next? Hardy predicts, and I agree with his assessment, that the next fight will be against leather folk, kinksters, and BDsM in general. With varied communities under our header, ranging from leather-clad gay men to dykes who ride on bikes, twinks in puppy gear to whip-wielding women who dominate men, and an environment that fosters openly pleasurable relationships between individuals of one, many, or no gender, individuals of differing orientations and with sexual proclivities that would shake the conservative base to the core, “they” will have much material with which to maintain the Puritanical status quo that sex is dirty, bodies are bad, and desires should be kept secret or expunged via criminal prosecution, brainwashing, or violence. Hardy offered a number of means with which we may combat this coming inquisition, and among these means was that we as a group need to be open. I have read and heard numerous diatribes from countless individuals who rail against being out for this reason and that, we all have. I am tired of hearing about all the things that we can’t do; that we are not supposed to do. I do not believe that outness is right for every person, but I am 100% out and open. I refuse to live in closets and I have had positive experiences as a result. Being out has been the best choice for me because it has given me a chance to break misconceptions, inspire those who are unsure, and protect our community.
By Saint St.James5 years ago in Pride
Daddy Oh Daddy!
~Daddy~ What kind of secret could you have that's so bad? What did you do, that you would think we'd never forgive you for?
By Jennifer Cooley5 years ago in Pride
Let Your Freak Flag Fly
If you don't feel like you fit in where you are, you have two options: beat 'em or join 'em, right? Of course, there are numerous other possibilities, like moving away or finding new people to hang out with, but, as a teenager, these options weren't really available to me. Unfortunately for me, the people I wasn't fitting in with were my family, and almost my entire class. Don't get me wrong, I had some friends, but that wasn't enough to shield me from the feeling of constantly grating up against everyone and everything, like rubbing sandpaper the wrong way.
By Cora Rose5 years ago in Pride
On the Fringe
The innocence of youth grips us all. I was nine and I knew what I wanted. I wanted to look like my best friends. I wanted a haircut that reflected how I felt.
By Rebecca Peel5 years ago in Pride
Being Asexual in a Hypersexual World
It's not easy to be asexual in a world that loves sex. You're bombarded by it at every corner: the magazine covers, the advertisements, the movie trailers, the music, the media at large. It's hard not to look at all of it and think, "Am I wrong for not wanting this?"
By Jillian Spiridon5 years ago in Pride
I'm coming out!
I’ve never felt the need to “come out.” Let me back up and introduce myself: My name is Sara and I identify as pansexual. Now, for those of you who I’ve met and known “offline”, in particular, I’m willing to bet that there’s at least a few of you who assumed otherwise. And many who’ve never really considered it. If that’s the case, I want to start with 2 things:
By Ember5 years ago in Pride
Cheers to the Truth
When I saw this challenge, I was excited because I love music and felt I could create a great playlist, potentially even win a prize, but I didn’t know that I would in fact win, before I even submitted. Here I am writing with tears down my face because all these anthems I have listened to over the years have empowered me and wrapped me in a hug of acceptance I never knew I needed.
By Cristina Isabel5 years ago in Pride
We're All Just Pink
Crimson and Clover by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts It’s 2010, and Kristen Stewart is starring in The Runaways, a biopic about the eponymous all-female rock band from the late seventies. You’re a preteen, the Twilight franchise has awakened the rabid fangirl within you, and you’ve been following Stewart’s career because she’s got such a cool, mysterious vibe, I just think she’s really interesting. You research the band behind the film and discover Joan Jett, the real-life rock star inspiring Stewart’s on-screen role.
By R. S. Gonzalez5 years ago in Pride
Songs From My Queer Life That Speak To Me
Dancing Queen - ABBA "Dancing queen, only seventeen" ABBA is a key band to include on any LGBT playlist. While their lyrics may not exactly describe queer experiences, they have always been icons. This is partly contributed to their out of the box, 'campy' style. The use of the term "Queen" in the song can also easily be interpreted as the queer term originally used to refer to a flamboyant, effeminate gay man.
By Theo Randall5 years ago in Pride
Tapes recorded in my bedroom
When I was fifteen, my friend William taught me how to cover the tab openings of an old cassette tape to record over it. It was 2011, and there was no particular reason for me to be making tapes other than the illusion of coolness that came from using vintage technologies, my indulgence in nostalgia for a time before I was even born. At this point in my life, I was just beginning to figure out my own identity, and walking around Atlanta with my headphones on (savoring the tape's low hiss that whispered underneath the music) allowed me to construct fantasies in my head in which I was free from my spatial, temporal, and physical realities. I spent countless hours making mixtapes, and each mixtape was the soundtrack of a different life I led in my dreams. In these dreams, I cut off all my hair, played baseball while the sun set, drove through the city with a girl I had a crush on. I was rugged and boyish and untouched by shame.
By X X5 years ago in Pride
Write What You Don’t Know
Listen As You Read Learning how to write what you’re unsure about. It is an exercise in self discovery. “Write what you know” is an epitaph etched into the gravestone souls of every budding high school writer from the get go.
By Cereal Oatmeal 5 years ago in Pride