#12 Pride Makeup

#11 Podcast

This podcast is an interview I did with a friend, and fellow queer woman, Vinyl Anderton. In this inter view we did a quick overview of our opinions of the subject of LGBT representation in the media.

#10 Queer-baitng

Representation of LGBT characters in the media has come a long way since the negative portrayal of queer characters since the 70's. From the 70's to 90's the only way films and TV could portray LGBT characters was if they were painted in a negative light or if their storyline ended tragically. Since then we have made progress in film and television by showing many positive queer characters. Unfortunately, there is a phenomenon known as queer-baiting that has been pervading many popular TV shows. The term queer-baiting doesn't have a official definition because it is a new term.

These Supernatural characters are often the subject of queer-baiting

The urban dictionary definition is when an author/director/etc. gives hints, and clever twists to paint a character as possibly being queer, to satisfy queer audiences, but never outright says they are so they can keep their heterosexual audience. This is done in many popular shows and some fans are fed up with it. The two shows that I'm most familiar with are Supernatural and BBC's Sherlock. In these shows there are canonically straight men that are very close and often share intimate moments. These characters, due to their closeness, are usually shipped together, which simply means that they pair them together romantically outside of the actual show. When directors see this obsession with queer couples they will begin to add in subtle scenes and nods to the characters being gay with no intention of ever making them actually gay. This is frustrating to actual queer fans and shows a reluctance to actually add in queer characters. By doing this they have alienated their queer fan base to keep their heterosexual fan base. These two shows are particularly popular among the LGBT community and although we have made great progress in the fight for accurate representation of queer characters in media there is still the horrible use of devices like queer-baiting. This means we still have work to do. Until next week, remember #LoveWins.

#9 Nobody Can Drag Them Down

Drag queens have an extraordinary history and an interesting place in the LGBT community. One major stereotype surrounding drag queens is that all queens are transgender or face some kind of gender dysphoria. This isn't true, most drag queens identify as male when they aren't in drag. I would explain a drag queen as a man (usually gay) impersonating a woman, or several women, for the purpose of entertainment or performance. They can range from those who do it as a job to those who

RuPaul Charles, Age 56

do it as a form of artistic expression. The practice of men dressing as women dates all the way back to ancient Roman literature as well as Chinese theatre styles. Since women were generally banned from performing on stage men had to play their roles. The slang term "queen" came along around the beginning of the 20th century as a derogatory slur against extremely feminine, gay men. Drag queens as we think of them today weren't introduced in America until the 1950's and 60's. Drag queens during this time were criminalized as perverse characters. They didn't gain popularity until the late 80's and 90's when gay culture began to flourish.  Drag queens have grown in popularity since this time. There was a popular drag queen that went by the name Divine. Although Divine lived a short life, he died in 1988 at the age of 43, he had a huge impact on the drag scene. The popular character of Ursula in The Little Mermaid was actually modeled after the iconic look that Divine trademarked. The most popular drag queen by far is RuPaul Charles who is the creator of the show RuPaul's Drag Race. The show premiered in 2009. Since then, we have seen a rise in drag queen exposure in the media. Each season viewers root for their favorite drag queens based on look, entertainment, or general sassiness. This has boosted the popularity of drag queens to a national, and even international level of fame. The show is about to enter it's ninth season and has amassed a large, dedicated fan base, especially among the queer community. Although drag is usually seen as gay men dressing up as women, there is a smaller portion of the drag community which is comprised of women dressing up as men. These women are appropriately called drag kings. This division barely gets any visibility and many people have no idea that drag kings even exist. Most of these women will identify as lesbian or bisexual and will dress for entertainment purposes, or for artistic expression. Although usually drag kings and queens are queer, there is no rule against heterosexual

Divine was the inspiration for popular Disney villain Ursula

people dressing in drag.  Drag can be just a casual hobby, or it can be a  lifestyle. I personally know a male that likes to dress in drag as hobby because he generally enjoys it. He doesn't do any sort of performing, but he loves the process of dressing in drag. This hobby is incredibly time consuming. Drag requires a ton of makeup, a long time collecting clothing to wear, and a lot of practicing to learn feminine/masculine mannerisms. Although drag has a long, complicated history I feel like drag queens are slowly being accepted and loved by the media and America. There will always be people that are against free expression because it makes them uncomfortable, but we are making progress towards a society that accepts all people no matter who they are, what they look like, or who they love. Until we reach that goal of a open minded society, always remember #LoveWins.

#8 A Home is a Home

There are many issues that face the LGBT today. Marriage equality, job discrimination, and homelessness. Yes, although it isn't talked about in the media, the numbers of LGBT youth that are homeless has risen to become a national concern.  LGBT youth are often homeless because they were rejected by their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been reported that 40% of all homeless teens identify as queer or transgender. Among this percentage 58% percent are on the streets due to unaccepting families and communities. Not only are LGBT youth at a higher risk of being homeless they are also at a higher risk of being sexually assaulted on the streets. One study showed that 58% of homeless LGBT teens reported sexual assault compared to the only 33% of heterosexual homeless youth. Many of these assaults have occurred at group homes by shelter staff. Sometimes they are just turned away from shelters completely because if their sexuality or gender identify, leaving them on the streets with no support. These statistics show a horrible reality that homeless LGBT youth must face every day. There are some shelters that are specialized for LGBT youth, but not enough to make a substantial difference. Some shelters have already started training staff and foster parents about the needs of queer and transgender youth. This is a step in the right direction but what can we do to fix this problem before it gets out of hand. Maybe the only thing we can do is work to help families, communities, and schools be more accepting of LGBT youth, to take out the problems at its roots. This all goes back to love and acceptance to help solve LGBT issues. Which is why it's important to always remember that #LoveWins

Original Article

#7 It's Just Business

There is supposed to be no discrimination in the workforce. Yet we hear all the time about racism in the workforce, sexism in business. What nobody seems to talk about is homophobia in the workplace. Nobody talks about it but that doesn't meant that it's not there. There are many people who will keep their sexual orientation a secret in the workplace to avoid discrimination, teasing, or just uncomfortableness. In the article "One Job, Two Lives: LGBT in the Workplace" originally posted on CNN, a man named Sam has worked at the same place for 27 years and he is still closeted to his coworkers. It started in the 80's when people literally had to fear for their lives if they were homosexual. Now people are more accepting but still LGBT people feel less respected and uncomfortable talking about it in fear of discrimination. Currently there is only one openly gay Fortune 500 company CEO, Tim Cook, the CEO of the Apple Corporation. Many LGBT individuals right now are lying about their private lives, omitting facts, and doctoring photos to keep their sexual orientation secret. In many states there are no laws to protect LGBT people from discrimination. Another closeted employee, who works at a major corporation in a state that can legally fire, or not hire someone based solely on the fact that they are gay. There are currently 29 states where no law exists to protect LGBT people in the workplace. There is a lack of activism on the subject of LGBT discrimination in the workplace, although it is still a huge issue. What are we going to do to stop it? There needs to be some kind of legislature passed that protects LGBT people from being fired for their personal lives. Until that happens remember #LoveWins.

Original Article

#6 I Don't Bi It

Bisexual is not a new term, but there are people who still believe that this sexuality doesn't exist or shouldn't be respected.  Even among the queer community bisexuals are looked down on. There are many lesbians and gay men who won't date a bisexual because they feel that they are unreliable, greedy, and confused. There are so many stereotypes about bisexuals that are false.

Most often bisexuals are seen as confused because they can't make up their mind or they are using the term bisexual as a stepping stone to eventually come out as gay or lesbian. Many people have done this before, they will come out as bisexual to their families to soften the blow, to not disappoint them too much. Later when they realize that they are just gay or lesbian, it reinforces the stereotype that bisexuals are just confused or lying. There is also the bisexual phase. A lot of girls during their freshman year of college will start to experiment and say that they are bisexual, but they are usually just heterosexual. This reinforces the idea that bisexuals are unreliable and usually just lying. Then there are the people who just believe that bisexuals are greedy and that they can't be trusted in a serious relationship because they have double the chance to cheat on their partner.

Sexuality is a difficult to understand and sometimes people can be confused on what their identity is at first, this doesn't mean that bisexuality doesn't exist or doesn't deserve respect. There are a lot of men and women that identify as bisexual and they face discrimination even inside the community that is supposed to be accepting of them. We must remember the motto love wins. This motto embodies the LGBT community so we should be accepting of all sexual identities. So, until next time always remember #LoveWins.