#my heart goes out to all the lgbt folks

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: Ink Blots and Forget-Me-Nots

Ninth Circle Ink was hardly more than a stone’s throw from the flower shop; Aziraphale knew from past experience that it took less than thirty seconds to go from door to door (forty-five if you had to wait for a car to pass). It had been a perfect arrangement in the beginning, when they were just starting out. Owning a flower shop across the street from your boyfriend's tattoo parlor is fun and adorable. Owning a flower shop across the street from your ex-boyfriend's tattoo parlor? Not so much.

Length: 42,373 Words

AO3 Rating: Teen and Up

Best for: Safe in Public, Slow Burn, Slight Angst, Human AU

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by gutsandglitter

*Minor Spoilers* This story was written in 2019 but reading it now after season two...hm..extra ouch. In this Human AU, Crowley and Aziraphale were together for 14 years before separating and still own shops across from each other. The perspective changes from present to past and we slowly learn what happened to them. It's devastating at times, learning something from their history and then coming back to Aziraphale's present day heartache. It's so heavy on him. It's primarily an Aziraphale point of view, yet you'll still be able to pick up on Crowley's feelings very clearly. Of course Aziraphale misses all the signs, it's a fanfic after all. No romance brain cells allowed here folks.

Internalized homophobia is one of our main themes here. It's something all of us LGBT people know intimately, and I'm sure we've all had experiences that mirror Aziraphale's and Crowley's in this. Fear, shame, having to hide, being hidden. It's heartbreaking but cathartic to read a story that knows this feeling and doesn't villainize Aziraphale for his actions here. He may blame himself, but the story doesn't.

It's not all gloom though! The present day is filled with scenes with The Them, Anathema, and Madame Tracy that I really enjoyed. I love Adam's matchmaker schemes and how it never goes to plan. In the past, the original character of Elsie was one of my favorite parts of the entire story. She was the original owner of the shop Aziraphale now runs and becomes family to our boys. It was such a wonderful and heartfelt found family story line to go along with their new found family in the present. While there is a lot of heartache in this story, there is also so much love!

Completely safe in public. It'll break your heart a bit, but it's ends on a very good note and I wouldn't classify this as angst. Slight angst yeah, but it's not depressing. Well....2004 is a bit depressing....good luck with 2004....

Read it here, fic by gutsandglitter

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #good omens fanfic #fanfic rec #aziracrow #good omens fic rec #aziraphale x crowley #Ink Blots and Forget-Me-Nots #gutsandglitter #safe in public #no spice #medium #human au #slight angst #angst #slow burn #marriage #tattoo au #plants au #flower shop au

[swagtastic-bougie-pompadour]

We're down to the last hour of LGBT+ Pride Month! Even if it's down to the wire, though, we're not done yet! It's time for our very last:

Clive Update: Pride Edition!!!!

(Brought to you by the Naranja-Uva GSU! Even if McDonphan's pride logo goes away tomorrow, we're here all year, spreading more rainbows than a Ho-oh after a rainstorm!)

Today's guest is... hey, Penny, who did you schedule? ...Penny?

Uhuhu... Ahahahaha-ha! We're flipping the script today, folks! Witness the true might of Team Star's founder, Cassiopeia-- No, with all seriousness, who did you schedule. ...YOU, dummy! Get over here! Huh- wha-- Today's very special guest is... Clive. Coincidentally, I could only get this old photo of Director Clavell for today. Sorry, "bro".

Penny, this is vexation, why are we-- You got to interview me, I'm getting even. Was the fanfiction not enough? That wasn't getting even! You're the worst! That was me sharing true literature with you! Geez, you really don't get anything, old man... I suppose there was something literary underneath it all... Though I pegged you as more of a "tech whiz", as it were. I mean, o-obviously I'm a tech genius. Duh. But Team Star's founder has complexity! Layers! Like an onion! (Not that you'd even get that cringe old reference...) Such "anime protagonist" energy. I applaud you. ...Ugh, okay, I'm just starting the interview! You're worse than my dad... What does Pride mean to you, "Cool Kid Clive"? ...As you said in your interview, Penny, "Pride" is something that has evolved drastically since I was once young. Huuuuh? I thought you were, like, super young and hip-- Ah, apologies, Penny. I appear to have switched places with Clive at some point. ...I was staring at you the whole time. Spiritual channeling. It's one of Clive's hobbies. What, did you go and kick the bucket while I wasn't looking or something? Who's out here channeling the living-- Okay, okay, we can drop the kayfabe for one interview. Is that acceptable? Heh. Penny wins again~* Why did your glasses start shining when you pushed them up...? Arceus, you confuse me at times. Regardless... As I was saying, Pride is something that has evolved drastically even over the past several decades. I wish desperately I had the online resources available at one's fingertips as a teen that you all do now. And such a supportive environment, as well. I suppose that is part of my desire to understand and share space with all of you youth! The rebels of this age shine just as bright, if not brighter, than those of my age. Even if they don't wear pompadours, or call things "bodacious", or listen to their music on Walkmons... and more and more, you all do not have to hide your difference from the norm! How wonderful a world. And I hope, with all of my heart, I can support each and every one of my students in bringing about such a world. That would be a most great treasure. Clavell... that's so... I don't know what to say... Wait, ohmigosh, did you have a boyfriend????? I do not trust the way in which you asked that question, but yes...? Oh my ARC, tell me everything. Absolutely not. Wow, Clavell, I can't believe you're denying a request of an LGBTQ student during Pride Month. Real progressive of you. I--what does this have to do with anything??? Uh--everything? Duh. I'm trying to understand the experiences of my LGBT elders! Fine. Fine. One day. Yessssss. That aside... this Pride Month has been lovely, everyone! Tomorrow, we break ground on our new elevators, in a quite wonderfully convenient coincidence with Disability Pride Month! See you soon!

#pkmn irl #pokeblogging #clivespiration #suggestive #//in by the bell lmao.

[faintedincoils]

7, 10, 11, 12 & 34 ^_^

7) Are you the "token" queer person in your family? Nope! My sister and niece are both queer, and by their own description both my mom and her mom are on the ace spectrum, though they didn't have the language to label themselves that way. My mom's cousin is gay too.

Putting the rest under a cut because my answers got long. 😅🙈

10) Something that gives you gender euphoria (whether you're cis or trans): All of my cute, colorful, silly skirts. All through my childhood and young adulthood I was told by all sorts of folks that I was "bad at being a girl." Which was okay, because a lot of the time I didn't really feel like a girl, although I couldn't say what I did feel like. I had some broomstick skirts that were long and flowy and so much fun to spin in. I loved the sensation of wearing them. I didn't love how people would say it made it even more obvious that I wasn't a good girl, or that I looked or 'felt' weird in them. So I just stopped wearing them for the most part. Then as I got older I tried wearing them to work on occasion, which was just as bad or maybe worse. I kept getting comments on how dressed up or pretty I looked, or how they weren't used to seeing me looking so girly, or questions about if I was trying to find myself a man now, because if so this was definitely going to help. So I stopped again. Then a random patron at work one day gave me a hard time about wearing a pastel purple polo shirt, how it wasn't a good color on me and made me look even bigger than I already am. This is after years of wearing nothing but polo shirts and khakis to work, or jeans and t-shirts on the weekends, being as bland as possible and hoping nobody paid any attention at all to what I was wearing. I got so angry and so offended and so fed up that I was like you know what? I am going to make my off the wall, probably questionable taste and fashion everybody else's problem and I am going to be happy. So I bought myself two maxi skirts in very bold designs: a desert landscape and some flying griffins. Then I decided to finally buy the Maya Kern skirt I'd always wanted, even though a midi skirt seemed too short because it might draw attention to my big calves, which happened a lot when I was younger, and got my legs groped by strangers more than once in my 20's. And every single time that I wear any of those skirts or the other ones I've bought similar to them, I'm so so happy. I can twirl around in my midi skirts and they flare out around me! I can put my hands in my pockets and swish my skirts around and I feel like a fancy dancer or something even though I'm an awful dancer and won't actually dance around at anyone. And everyone compliments what cute patterns they are, or how happy I look wearing them, but nobody really says anything about me being girly. I don't know. That was a lot of words but I still feel like I'm doing a lousy job of describing it. Some days I feel like a girl, but the skirts don't make me feel like more of a girl. Other days, more frequently, I feel like not a girl. I feel nebulous, or like nothing, so far as gender goes. And even though skirts register largely as feminine, and I'm sure they help a lot of people feel more feminine, they actually enhance my neutral gender feelings. Somehow.

11) Favorite (or just one you love) piece of LGBT media: Oh wow, there are so many! I'll start by saying that I have a huge soft spot for pretty much anything put out by Wolfe Video in the early to mid-2000s. I probably need to watch a bunch more of their recent stuff honestly. Anyways, Make the Yuletide Gay is a fluffy holiday favorite I watch almost every year. Were the World Mine is the gay movie I would have killed for in high school. Camp is the one I got as soon as I graduated from high school; it and But I'm a Cheerleader came into my life at just the right time and I'm forever grateful for them. On a similar note, Mercedes Lackey and Tanya Huff's books will always hold a place in my heart for being so matter of fact and lovely with their gay characters, which helped me tremendously as a tween and teen. More recently, Cat Sebastian's books have been game changers for me in the romance field. Her queer characters are so varied and have so many lovely little idiosyncrasies, and even the romances that you assume are straight aren't, because her characters are often by or because gender and attraction are a little more complicated than what you're used to.

12) Name some queer artists/bands or songs you like most: I'll be honest, I don't really listen to a ton of music. Once podcast became a thing I switched over to them by and large for when I have time to listen to stuff. But Placebo was one of the formative bands in my early life and they were queer. I didn't listen to a ton of Green Day, but American Idiot looped in my CD player nonstop, and boy howdy did the line "maybe I'm the faggot America" resonate with me and get me all pumped up. And t.A.T.u's "200 km/hr in the Wrong Lane" was my entire experience for a year in high school.

34) What are you needing most right now (what would make your life easier or more fulfilling in regards to existing as queer)? It would be so nice if people would stop using so much gendered language and phrases about me or in reference to me. I don't mind she / her pronouns, but being called Miss or ma'am or lady skeeves me out a lot of the time. It doesn't bother me at all coming from some of my friends who aren't cisgender, because there's always an implied asterisk, so to speak, but from randos it's the actual worst even though I know they're probably just trying to be polite and don't think anything of it.

#askbox answers #thanks for asking #queer stuff #gender stuff #faint thoughts

[vv3spa]

Several weeks ago I sent an ask saying that I ship buzz and Alisha because I'm Catholic and I can't practice or par take in same sex activities , I never attacked you guys in the lightyear fandom and I tried to remain respectful. You told me to fuck off , thank you saying that. I also noticed you and your online friends ship buzz with other characters and have no problem doing that , but if I ship him with a woman I'm homophobic or racist ( it seems you and your friends have a problem with a white man being shipped with a black woman ??? But have no problem shipping him with other people ) . Vv3spa I though you were cool and all but I'm wasn't trying erase Alisha " lesbianism"???(I'm Catholic , that's why I shipped them) , I'm not going to compromise my religious beliefs to fit in with you and your clique . My feelings are hurt but you guys are very rude by telling me to leave the fandom. You lgbt people aren't accepting of those that are religious and are hostile, then try to gatekeep who can ship who with whom , like these characters are real people . But don't worry you will never here from me again . I tried to be nice but okay. Enjoy your lightyear or what not .

P.s I never was homophobic to begin with , but what ever Tumblr has the biggest batch of hypocrites preaching love and acceptance, but when religious people want to join you guys want to attack people and tell them to fuck off . Criticize me all you want , call me a weirdo and do whatever .

listen man, i don't care that you're catholic. i couldn't give two shits about your religion or anyone else's.

but it's the fact you're using your religion as an EXCUSE for shipping alisha with buzz, as well for your homophobia, saying that you 'can't practice or partake in' same sex shit, which is not against anything in the damn bible. alisha is a lesbian. shipping her with buzz goes directly against her lesbianism since he is a man. she isn't attracted to men. she's already MARRIED to a woman. wouldn't that be against the bible, to want to see a woman get in a relationship with someone else even if she's already got a spouse of her own? seems a bit sinful to me.

here's the thing. we do not have a problem with shipping buzz with a black woman. i don't know where you got that. nobody has ever said anything like that. i literally ship buzz with both mo (who i assume is polynesian) and commander burnside (who i presume is black) (either way neither of them are white). we do not have a problem with shipping buzz with other characters. hell, the most popular ships i see are of him and non canon characters! i ship buzz with a ton of people! her being black and a woman is not the problem we have with the ship, it's the fact you're being homophobic and ignoring her canonical sexuality in order to make a heterosexual ship instead. that's where the problem lies, mate.

and don't try to "compromise [your] religious beliefs to fit in with [me] and [my] clique"... first of all, i don't have a clique, but i can assure you even if i did, we wouldn't want you here if this is the type of behavior you're going to exhibit. i'm sorry you have your feelings hurt, but you're absolutely not doing yourself any favors by saying "You lgbt people aren't accepting of those that are religious and are hostile"... just call me a fucking slur or something already goddamn dude. religious LGBT people exist, i know quite a few of them. maybe we don't seem accepting of religious people because it's folk like you that think homophobia is excusable because of an invisible man in the sky who couldn't give a fuck about any of us or what we do with our lives, and none of us wanna tolerate that kinda fucking disrespect.

maybe i just don't understand because i would never let an ancient ass he-said-she-said misinformation-central book dictate my entire life, but whatever. do what you want if it fills that scared little hole in your heart. i just don't understand what you gain out of arguing with me about this, why you want my approval so badly. i'm telling you why it's wrong. and as a bisexual woman, i don't want to interact with people who insist on erasing WLW representation because it's "against their beliefs". those beliefs are a result of homophobia. thanks nonnie for wasting 30 minutes of my life i'll never get back by responding to this. hope that clears everything up. and next time? come off anon. don't be a quivering pussy if you wanna have such strong opinions and debate with me.

#that's about it #chuck shut up challenge . #asks .

[artzychic27]

In honor of the glorious pride month (Coming up soon), please enjoy these Miraculous Pride Headcanons!

Inspired by this post by @transvoltronhc

You a TERF? Fuck off, beeyatch!

Marinette- The Pan Trans Queen we all Need 🏳️‍⚧️

She/Her- Pansexual/Polyamorous

Every time Marinette inhales, a terf gets punched

Every time Marinette exhales, a trans kid gets a flag

She and Nathaniel supply the face paint

She’s very vocal at pride and gets super violent with protesters

Marinette: *Punching protester while her friends cheer* I don’t wanna see your disgusting face here ever again, you filthy pig! Same goes for the rest of you!

Terfs go to protest, walk away covered in bruises and with a tiny crush on the bluenette

Got into a muscle-flexing contest and won first

Dyed her hair the colors of the pan flag and walks around with a brightly colored, bedazzled trans flag cape

Supplies juice boxes and cookies for the pride kids

She and Marc pass out colorful binders, flower crowns, and starter makeup kits

Drag Queens and Kings LOVE her and are always giving her hugs whenever she walks by / She’s even been commissioned by them to make outfits for their next shows. The audience loved them

Alya- The Badass Pansexual Pirate 🏴‍☠️

She/Her but is not opposed to They/Them

Actually has dressed like a pirate with a sword the colors of her flag. Anarka was so proud

Will punch TERFs with their Pan bestie any day

Ships random people

Leaves many girls swooning as she walks by in her thigh high leather boots

Alya: Sorry ladies, I’m spoken for. *Kisses Nino*

No one dares to flirt with her because she’s out of everyone’s league

One protester made a transphobic comment about Nino, and Alya immediately hit em with a frying Pan

The chaotic aunt of pride

Death drops are flawless!

Hands out phone cases they painted the colors of different pride flags

Born This Way is her anthem

Has many pride-themed superhero tank-tops ‘Super Gay 4 Super Girl’ ‘I’m Bi Man’ ‘Deadpool was at Stonewall’

Nino- The Insanely Cool Bi Trans Guy 😎🏳️‍⚧️

He/Him

Marinette made him a bedazzled cape so they could match

Mari and Kim’s brother in Transness

Dresses in hoodies no matter how hot it is

One of the mom friends. / Everyone wants to be adopted by him. / He once put everyone on baby leashes so they wouldn’t wander off

Everyone refers to him as “Trans DJ Jesus” because he wore sandals with a long curly wig one time. (To this day, no one knows why he did it)

Takes a five-minute break to Vogue with the drag queens

Supplies the music while skateboarding. He blasts every gay national anthem known to humankind

Alya, Adrien, Marinette, and Kim are very protective of him. Once, a TERF pushed him to the ground. Alya, Marinette, and Kim beat up the TERF while Adrien treated his friend to some ice cream

Adrien- Shit! We lost the baby! 🏳️‍🌈😱

He/Him & She/Her- Bigender/Bisexual/Polyamorous

Can’t stop, won’t stop wandering off because he’s never been to a Pride parade before

He was surprised at how accepting his father was. Although, it probably had something to do with Nathalie and Gorilla threatening to expose him as Hawkmoth if he didn’t let Adrien go

The class goes ballistic whenever she goes missing and will interrogate anyone

Myléne: *Interrogating a drag queen* Are you hiding him in your wig?! / Marinette: Get her out! She’s so frail! Her dad doesn’t feed her! / Nino: Found him! He was getting ice cream. / Myléne: ... You are free to go.

Nino has to put him on a baby leash every time

Drinks the most juice boxes and eats the most ice cream

Can’t tell when he’s being flirted with / Rando: Hey, cutie. / Adrien: ... My name is Adrien.

Bigender legwarmers, bracelets, and headbands

Dresses in pastels every year, and people just wanna hug him / He's happy to oblige and will hug anyone / Vows to hug the hate out of protesters

Every time Adrien smiles or laughs, a transgender child is accepted by friends and family and then gets a flower crown

Keeps getting asked if she and Marinette are dating. / Adrien: No, we’re just shopping buddies. (Secretly wishes for more)

A girl once asked if he was Cinderella when he wore a blue headband, and he immediately said yes. Now every week for Pride month, she dresses as a different Disney Princess

Nearly fainted when Marinette and Luka entered a flexing contest and Luka’s sleeves tore

Kim- Mari and Nino’s Bi brother in Trans Pride🏳️‍⚧️

He/Him & They/Them- Gender nonconforming

Kim: I’m a guy, I like blouses and heels, deal with it, people!

Kim/Mari/Nino: Bedazzled Cape Squad!

Muscle shirts and converse sneakers / Has a tank top that reads, ‘I flexed so hard the sleeves came off’

Got into a muscle-flexing contest against Luka and Marinette and got third place (No one beats Marinette)

Also can’t tell when they’re being flirted with

Alix and Max convinced him to dress in drag, and he went all out. Now he has the respect of many drag queens. And every pride parade, he wears heels and a huge wig

Gives everyone (Mainly Max) piggyback rides

Asked Max to be his boyfriend at one pride parade, and people thought it was so cute! They named that day, ‘Kimax Day’

Max- Not a Robot, I’m Agender 🤖

They/Them

Has many pride tank-tops and pins with puns / ‘Error 404 Gender Not Found’ ‘I Don’t Speak Binary Code’ ‘2/3 of the Invisible Trio’

Has Marinette paint their cheeks the colors of the agender and asexual flags

Has one of those digital backpacks with pixelated images on the front

Downloads Pride songs for Markov to blasts from their speakers

When they and Alix convinced Kim to dress in drag, Max may or may not have drooled a bit

Progress Pride Flag cape, socks, and nails

When protestors attack, Max goes all LGBT scientist on their butts, explaining the difference between gender and sex, what hormone blockers actually do, and how not every gay person has AIDS

Once beat up a sleazy protester for... Feeling Kim down there / Max: *Hitting protester with a baseball bat* If you ever do that again, I will fit Markov with a laser and have them slice your rotten dick off!

Marinette and Nathaniel helped them make pride bracelets with the sexualities and gender identities written in binary code. The pride nerds LOVED them

Nathaniel: Our Beautiful BiRomantic Son 🎨

He/Him

He and Marinette paint everyone’s faces before every pride parade

Painted an asexual heart on his Bi flag and wore it as a cape

Cuffed jeans, boots, tucked-in shirt, beanie, pride buttons / Paints pride flags on his denim jacket and shorts

Marc does his makeup, and he looks fabulous

His grandma teaches him how to fight in case of violent Christian protesters / Grandma: Sweetie, you’re Jewish and Bisexual, the world is gonna tear you apart. Learn how to give a mean left hook.

Once took over a face painting booth, now he does it every Pride Month

Enters the 'Crush a watermelon between your thighs' contest every time and always wins first

Saw couples cosplaying as Mightillustrator and Inverser, and cried tears of joy

He and Marc cosplay as couples at every pride parade. The fan favorites are Keith and Lance, Tweek and Craig, and Michael and Rich

CANNOT have too much sugar or he goes crazy and wakes up with no memories of what he did

The next day after an intense sugar high, people were saluting as he walked by and calling him ‘General of the Bisexual Battalion’ / He’s not complaining or questioning it / He has an army now and will one day take over all of Europe. Then the world.

Marc: The Rainbow Flag has Taken a Human Form🏳️‍🌈

Nonbinary- He/Him & They/Them

A True Pride Legend

Born on June 1st at a pride parade.

A singer helped deliver him, his cord was cut by a sword Lesbian, he was swaddled in a drag queen’s glitter cape, and their name was thought of by a drag king

This moment was so beautiful that many protesters cried and decided to join the parade

Everyone will literally stop what they’re doing just to get a picture with them / Everyone loves Marc!

Got into a splits contest and won

Makes flower crowns and knits rainbow flag scarves to pass out to everyone

Certified Mom Friend

Does everyone's makeup

Loses his shit when his shorter friends get lost in crowds

Hugs pride kids who were forced to sneak out or were kicked out of their homes then buys them ice cream / He and Nathaniel have adopted over fifty Pride kids who were kicked out of their homes

Joins Adrien in dressing like a Disney Princess. He SLAYED as Snow White

It may not seem like it, but Marc can throw a punch and fight with one hand right behind their back

Beat up a transphobic asshole for trying to “correct” a trans boy by forcing himself onto him. / They never did find the man’s body. In fact, all of his personal information was gone. Almost like he had never even existed... / Marc looks cute, but he can be terrifying when he needs to be

Alix: Two Out of 3 💚💜🖤🤍

She/Her & They/Them

Leaves many girls swooning as they skate by

Devious little shit

She doesn’t beat up protesters like her classmates. She pranks them until they cry / One year, they all ended up covered in rainbow glitter and pink feathers / Adrien and Rose help them make glitter bombs to throw at protesters, then they run away giggling

Wears sarcastic Pride shirts and black shorts with her roller skates

She and Jalil come out to their father every June

Alix: Father. I am AroAce! / Jalil: Also, I am gay! / Alim: Kids, I know. You’ve been doing this every year. / Jalil: Well... Thank you for being an ally!

This is the only time she’ll wear makeup / She wears it like war paint. Only it’s rainbow

Drinks the most juice out of everyone

Ships people with Alya. SHIPPING BUDS!

Myléne: Smol Asexual Bean ♠️

She/Her

Goes all out for Pride Month / Rolls around in glitter with Rose and Sabrina before every parade

Dyes her hair all rainbow / Wears a ‘Shakespeare was Here’ shirt with her asexual flag skirt

Has also beaten up homophobes and transphobes

Is the most vocal when it comes to putting those assholes in their place. Ivan has to hold her back sometimes

After an acephobe after they made certain comments (You ace folk know what I’m talkin ‘bout) She roundhouse kicked them / Every protester knows not to mess with the bohemian girl

Will blast The PROM soundtrack at max volume from her phone

Cosplays as musical characters. Veronica Sawyer was a fan favorite

Part of the “Where the Hell is Adrien?” Squad

Ivan: My Girlfriend is Stronger than Me, and it’s So Hot 💪😍

Prefers He/Him but is cool with other pronouns - Questioning his gender so isn’t using any labels right now

The responsible auncle

Mari and Alya’s partner in Pansexuality/ He can’t help if everyone is attractive, he just can’t!

Looks like he can kill you, but is actually a cinnamon role. Myléne on the other hand...

Has let Marc do their makeup and nails, and looks gorgeous!

Did drag. Slayed. Rocks those three-inch heels.

Tank tops and shorts club

Like Marinette, no one dares to flirt with him. Not because he’s out of their league, but because they’re scared of his girlfriend

Dyes his blonde tuft pastel pink every year

More pacifistic than her friends are when it comes to protesters, but if the right buttons are pressed, hell shall be raised

They join Alya and Alix in shipping random people

Rose: The Lovely Lipstick Lesbian💄

She/Her- Breaking lesbian stereotypes est. 2004

The kind aunt who supports all of her niblings

Has been going to pride with her dads since she was born/ One of her dads is a retired drag queen

Wears her rainbow fairy wings every year

Has a lesbian flag with dozens of girls' phone numbers written on it. / Doesn’t wear it anymore now that she has Juleka

Throws fistfuls of glitter at protesters and yells at them, “LIGHTEN UP!”

Sprinkles glitter on pride kids and tells them to sparkle

Marinette helps her make rainbow unicorn plushies to hand out to children every year

Dresses as Disney Princesses with Adrien and Marc. Princess Squad!

Bakes cookies to pass around

Drag Kings and Queens love this girl! She’s cute, loud, and carries glitter everywhere

Butch lesbians learn not to flirt with her after their encounter with Juleka

To piss of protesters, she dipped Juleka and kissed her for ten whole seconds / Rose: I bet your husbands don’t love you like that. / Drag Queens: BUUUUUURN!

Juleka: The Gay Witch 🖤🏳️‍🌈

She/Her & They/Them - Total lesbian

Was there when Marc was born, and will never forget that day. (She has an impressive memory, even as a baby)

They swore they saw a rainbow when he was born

Dresses as a witch and wears red eye contacts to every pride event so she freaks out protesters

Has actually cursed them / They just bought the spellbook off of Amazon

Carries around a rainbow parasol

Carries Rose under every threshold she comes across

Is a lot louder at pride events than on regular days

She actually sang Girls Like Girls up on stage, and everyone went wild

Sometimes wears suits

When they saw Rose being flirted with by some butch lesbians, they went ballistic / Now the butch lesbians are terrified of her forever

She and Luka help out with painting her friends’ nails and dying their hair

Dyes her hair rainbow every pride month

Luka: The Responsible Hot & Chaotic Auncle 💖💚💙

Agender- They/Them, He/Him, She/Her - Polysexual/Polyamorous

“For me, gender is like silence... I’m just not into it.”

Doesn’t really care what pronouns people use for him

Wears dresses to every pride parade. Anarka and Juleka have never been so proud

Is always doing drag cosplay. Marc and Nathaniel have never been so proud / They had people gawking when they did Jessica Rabbit cosplay

Purposely bends over in front of people, while wearing leggings, skirts, skinny jeans, or short shorts. Marinette, Kagami, and Adrien got nosebleeds

Marinette/Kagami/Adrien: Luka's ass in those shorts is a Godsend.

Dyes her hair rainbow every pride parade

The minute June starts, they’ll get up in the morning, grab their Polysexual flag, and just run around the city

Has been coming up with Pride songs to sing at protesters. Many of the songs insult them. / Luka: Okay! This one goes out to the trash behind barriers, it’s called, “Please shut the fuck up, you homophobic dildos!”

Got into a flexing contest and won second, but at the cost of their sequined sleeves

Asked Adrien, Marinette, and Kagami to be his significant others at a pride event. They all said yes

Has carried Adrien and Marinette on her biceps, and Kagami on her shoulders

Adrien: ... I marrying them first. / Marinette: Get in the back of the line, blonde wonder! / Kagami: Both of you move to the back.

Kagami: While You Were Busy Being Hetero, I Studied the Blade 🗡

She/Her - PanRomantic/Polyamorous

Surprisingly, her mother was very supportive. She even bought Kagami a rainbow sword / Turns out, Tamoe had a few flings herself. 😉

Kagami came out to the whole fencing team by wearing a pansexual-flag print fencing mask. Adrien squealed all through practice

She didn’t quite understand what polyamory meant and was confused as to why she had crushes on Adrien, Marinette, and Luka at the same time

After a bit of explaining and reassuring her that it was totally normal and not being disloyal to a partner, Kagami came to terms with being polyamorous

Tamoe allowed Kagami to go to her first Pride Parade. On the condition that she take her sword to ward off protesters

She was so overwhelmed and wasn’t entirely sure what to do until she found Marinette, Luka, and Adrien in the crowd with their friends

The four of them hung out together and got closer

Believes Adrien in pastels is one of the purest things on Earth

When Marinette and Luka entered the flexing contest, Kagami had to keep Adrien and herself from fainting

When Luka asked her, Marinette, and Adrien to be his significant others she tried to resist the urge to jump and squeal, but couldn’t hold it in

Likes it when Marinette wraps her trans flag around her. It’s so warm

Chased off a protester and TERF with her sword. They said some shit about Marinette being ‘fake’, Luka being ‘greedy’, and Adrien being a ‘pansy’, and she just snapped / While screaming in rapid Japanese, she chased about fifty protesters away. Her SOs were so proud.

Sabrina: The Ginger Gent 👑🏳️‍🌈

She/Her, He/Him in Drag- PanRomantic

Rolls around in glitter, as is a Drag tradition

Dresses in drag. / The Ginger Gent is her drag king name and she’s got like a glam rocker theme going on

Sequined leather jacket, coiffed toupee, glitter makeup

Started doing drag when she was twelve. Her dad supported her wholeheartedly and even entered her in junior drag contests. She took first place three times

Sometimes puts on private drag shows for Chloé. (Nothing weird!)

Marinette helps makes most of her costumes

Luka’s partner in Drag / Together, they kick ass and still look glamorous

A makeup expert (Next to Marc)

Roger taught her self defense / If you're going to Pride, learn to fight

Has taken down thirty protesters, his hair still looks awesome, and there's not a sequin out of place.

Chloé: The Badass Polysexual Demigirl 💖💚💙

She/Her and They/Them

Not really that attracted to guys

Best dressed. / Marc/Luka/Sabrina: She wishes!

Only allows Marc to do their makeup, no one else!

She has her own float in the parade / She passes out rainbow boas

Taking names and kicking butt

Has actually choked a protester with their flag and they don't do a thing about it since they're the mayor's child

Chloe: It pays to have political power. / Marinette: In this situation.

Doesn't tell people, but they came to Marinette, Nino, and Kim about gender stuff when they were questioning their identity

The day was spent teaching Chloe about the trans spectrum until she found the gender that felt right to her

Whenever Chloe gets excited, she makes out with the first girl she comes across. / Many young female protesters started questioning things when the blonde's lips grazed against theirs'

#miraculous ladybug #lgbt headcanons #everyone is gay #happy pride 🌈 #love is love #nathaniel x marc #rose x juleka #marinette x adrien x luka x kagami #kim x max #trans Kim #trans Nino #trans Marinette #brotp #lukadrinette #lukadrigaminette #lgbt pride #lgbtq #lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #pansexual #asexual #nonbinary #Aromantic #akuma class #polyamory

[rantrambles]

Ever get so upset you make a Tumblr account to vent?

I haven’t even listened to The Penumbra Podcast yet but it’s on my list because it’s insanely popular and the cosplays I’ve seen are hot as hell (A+ to all the cosplayers I’ve seen you’ve done great work). Now, with the recent news surrounding the podcast, I’ll wait till it’s done if I ever do get into it. I’m Asian and part of the LGBT community but I’m not nonbinary so I can’t say much about the trans represention in the art but I wanted to add my two cents on the matter as a person of color and someone examining the situation from the outside. Also, before I get deeply into it, I’m not the only person of color with opinions on this matter so if people have their own frustrations and criticism with the racism in The Penumbra Podcast and/or the new artist they hired, definitely listen to them too. These are my own personal opinions, and I’m sure other people will disagree and that’s fine. We’re all going to have different views on this so bear that in mind. Also, feel free to correct me or add anything if I’ve missed some information. Here’s a great breakdown of the whole situation for those that don’t know what happened. Finally, I was very hesitant to post this, but I felt it was important because I make a statement at the end on how race should be presented in a podcast format so if you are interested in making a podcast and want to have a diverse range of characters, please skip to the end to read those thoughts.

I’ll start off by saying, I’m not even that upset with the new artist that The Penumbra Podcast hired. I know that statement alone is controversial but I don't personally know them, and I’m not going to judge who they are as a person by a few pieces of art they’ve made. They are the least of the problems that I have here. Since the announcement and the backlash, I’ve been scrolling through the artist’s Instagram account and I can tell why people find the designs offensive, but I’m also comparing the designs to the artist’s other work, and I honestly believe that’s just their style. They’ve exaggerated the features of just about every character they’ve made, regardless of race or gender. From what I’ve seen the sharp angles and overly round curves in the anatomy that make some of the character’s features more jarring are how they prefer to draw. I’m sure they’re capable of drawing more realistic proportions but for the most part they’re art aims to call attention, be bold, and create distinguished features. Not inherently a bad thing on its own.

And yeah I’d understand the issue if this were a scenario where the artist heard how these characters acted in the podcast and thought “hey, obviously this character is a black woman because they are super strong and therefore must have big muscles, no other woman could look like that” or “hey, this character has to be Asian because they act super seductive sometimes better draw them as such.” But from my understanding the race was already decided by previous official artists and a general description of the characters were already generated by the audience, similar to how The Magnus Archives leaned towards drawing scrawny Jon with black, greying hair and dark skin. The new artists couldn’t really change those features even if those features aren’t described in canon because a depiction that strayed too far from popular fandom interpretation would make the character’s unrecognizable to the fanbase. 

I think the reason this became such a big issue for most people is because the new Penumbra artist used their exaggerated art style when making these characters and people of color and nonbinary folks already see themselves drawn as these exaggerated caricatures all the time (with those images being used to further discriminate against them). I’m sure the artist didn’t mean for their art to be offensive, but that of course doesn’t change how it was received. 

According to some, the poses and expressions the artists chose did not fully represent the characters entirely and only served to further perpetuate harmful stereotypes, and I’ll have to take their word for it because I still haven’t listened to the podcast so I have no idea how the characters act. But again much of the criticism is based on the one line-up and doing a deeper dive into the artist’s work I managed to find artwork that was much less offensive. Here some art where Vespa is depicted in a non-violent pose and one where Vespa is in a threatening pose but not an overly violent one. Here is Peter drawn in a non-seductive pose. Hopefully, the artist truly does keep the criticisms in mind as they work on the new official art. I’m just not the type of person that wants to get the pitchforks out and cause this particular person to lose a job they seemed really excited about over their old character line-up, especially when that person is also part of a marginalized group.

Again, that’s just my opinion on that particular artist. Those who are offended by their art are still valid in how they feel, and the artist should absolutely take their criticism to heart to better how they represent the characters.

What I’m more upset about is that I think The Penumbra Podcast should never have released official art for their characters in the first place and that’s their mistake that they refuse to own up about. They have made it clear that the story was never meant to portray characters of colors, a fact emphasized by the fact they hired mostly white actors from the start. They only started releasing art of the characters to get a profit. And the thing is they know what they did was wrong. All I had to do was search Penumbra Podcast racism and there is a note on their website saying that they archived some old official art.

“We have discontinued all Penumbra merchandise that uses the original character designs, and in the meantime, any profits on the sales of that merchandise will go to the For The Gworls project. We also realize that the depiction of these characters as POC, while not appropriate for us to use in our marketing and merchandise, has nonetheless become personally meaningful to many POC listeners. For that reason, and because we do not wish to distance ourselves from our mistake, we are keeping these images on our website for archival purposes. Though we do want to make it clear that many of the main/featured voice actors are white and that we did not write the characters to represent any specific POC experience, you are, as always, free to imagine these characters in any way that you like.”

I went to their shop and they still sell posters and pins with the character’s faces on them, but they are donating it to a good cause so hopefully that stays the same. However, I still find it a little uncomfortable that they are still selling character merch and have plans to continue selling character merch. They have no right to dissuade the fans that already found representation in the characters, but they also have no right to profit off the representation that was built, regardless if they made the story. 

Let’s compare this to another piece of popular media. I love Avatar the Last Airbender and, I liked the ATLA voice actors just fine but there should have been more people of color doing voice acting behind the screen too. The voice actors for that show were mainly white too, however, the creators knew that they would be making poc characters. That’s what makes the difference. Did they still choose to go with mostly white voice actors? Yes. Could they have done better and pay more people of color? Also yes. But I’m not as furious at them because they did their research on the cultures they were basing the ATLA world off of and intentionally gave us a show where Asians could see characters that looked like them represented on the screen. The Penumbra Podcast did not do any of that. Again, they openly admitted that it was never their intention to make the character’s people of color when they made the podcast so that goes to show no research was made to properly represent specific cultures. The color of the character’s skin in their official designs therefore became more of aesthetic choice rather than representation, and it wasn’t even their aesthetic choice to begin with!

Race isn’t a color you can just throw onto the character because you feel like it. So I want this to be a lesson to anyone that wants to make a podcast: if you want to include poc characters please do some research into the cultures you plan to represent the way you would with any other form of media. Just because the audience can’t see the characters and just because it’s harder to smoothly introduce the character’s appearance doesn’t mean you’re allowed to be lazy on how you present the characters. Do research before you start writing the first episode and take the time to hire poc actors. Hiring poc actors is actually the least that can be done to show representation. Also, since the audience cannot visually see the race of the characters on a podcast and it can’t typically be described the way you would in a book, you’ll have to be creative. It’s not my job to say how, but my suggestions would be, before the fans come up with their own image of the character, you need to establish race in the first few episodes or release character profiles on a website so that the fans know you canonically intended the characters to be of a certain race even if you aren’t able to mention it in the actual podcast. If you are unwilling to do any of these then the best route is to avoid stating race at all and allow the audience to build their own representation into your form of media. However, once this happens, you are not allowed to profit off popular fan interpretations. You lose all rights to create official art or images of the characters. You cannot use “we have a diverse cast of characters” when you market your story. It doesn’t matter whether you created the content or not, you did not create the representation for those minority groups.

It’s one thing for fans to build their own inclusivity into a form of art like a podcast, but it’s another thing for the creators who never worked to make the representation happen to take advantage of the representation that the listeners built for themselves. Thank you for attending my TedTalk.

#the penumbra podcast #podcast #race #the magnus archives #diversity in podcasts #diversity #tpp #tpp fanart

[unsafepin]

Saw’s Adam Faulkner-Stanheight and Queercoding

In today’s day and age, I believe any relatively media-literate person would be able to tell you what “queercoding” is in the lamest of terms.

It’s the flamboyant male sidekick in Disney movies who is comically gender non-conforming and is played for laughs. It’s the punky girl in sitcoms who seems to despise all men and is mean to everybody she encounters, while still having a heart of gold she extends to her female friends. That's, no offense to media critics who spent years unpacking the never ending layers of undeniable queerness in these characters, baby’s first queercoding. For the context of this essay, let’s call this extremely obvious type of coding “Cishet Queercoding” - coding largely done by cishet people, easily recognizable by cishet people. What I want to unpack in this essay is “Queer queercoding”.

The most obvious example that comes to mind and got plenty of media attention recently is, of course, Supernatural. You’ve got to hear me out here. In its grueling 15 season run, a hodgepodge of people of different ideas and ideas for the show worked on Supernatural, but fundamentally it was a show conceived by cis straight men for cis straight men. This resulted in its two leads, Sam and Dean Winchesters, being comically masculine. Dean’s demonstration of masculinity (enjoying rock’n’roll, women, cars and alcohol, preferably at the same time) is so comical every queer person who laid eyes on this character immediately went “Oh, okay, you’re overcompensating”, while the writers of the show simply tried to fulfill their ultimate cishet dude fantasy. No one is this macho all the time, except if you are performing cishet masculinity.

Hence by my definition, “queer queercoding” isn’t necessarily LGBT characters by LGBT folks for LGBT folks, but rather coding a character as queer (accidentally or not) in such a way it’s painfully familiar for LGBT people but largely goes over the head of cishet folks. So where does Saw fit into all this?

Saw’s whole premise is a complicated, morally gray mix of one man both exacting revenge on people who wronged him and teaching them to appreciate the sanctity of life. While the main antagonist, Jigsaw, isn’t afraid of collateral damage, his main targets are people who somehow ruined his life and don’t appreciate their own. This is why Dr. Lawrence Gordon finds himself in the trap - for cheating on his wife and cold heartedly breaking the news of untreatable cancer to Jigsaw. His companion in the trap though - a downtrodden twenty-something photographer Adam Faulkner-Stanheight - seems to only be there as an accessory to Gordon’s torture. He doesn’t have any immediate connection to Jigsaw and his only connection to Gordon is that he was hired to spy and photograph his activities. Gordon’s condition to escape the trap is that he must kill Adam. Adam doesn’t get a solution to escape.

Adam’s only function in the film is seemingly to be an audience self-insert and then to suffer. The audience for gory, tacky horror flicks is obviously much closer to Adam’s character than to Gordon’s thus while we can sympathize with the latter’s struggle, the former’s is much more visceral. Adam’s only crime seems to be taking a job to earn some money and not being satisfied with a life that’s frankly hard to be satisfied with (In his own words - “I remember going to sleep in my shithole apartment and then waking up in a literal shithole”). And he dies in the end - abandoned, on the edge of escape, not knowing what he did to deserve this fate - while his fellow prisoner, as we later find out, becomes Jigsaw’s apprentice and goes on to torture other people.

Cool, so I’ve explained why Saw is scary beyond a guy cutting his foot off, why is Adam queer again? Well, besides his artistic career, general cynicism about life, comically crippling addiction to nicotine (queer existence and addiction to substances is a well-documented problem in real life, a coping method for living in an unaccepting society) and a cut dialogue line revealing he doesn’t speak to his parents (I don’t think I need to explain how many queer children were disowned by their caretakers), being put in a narrative only to suffer, die and be outlived by some cishet douchebag is possibly the oldest queer trope in cinema. Leaning into symbolism even more, Adam was cunning and on-guard the whole movie, obviously recognizing the only other person in the trap with him is just as likely to be a foe as an ally, but by the end he put his life entirely in Gordon’s hands. He shot Adam to escape and Adam still helped him, believing he will return with help. To make it painfully obvious, Adam was punished for putting his trust in another man. Adam Faulkner-Stanheight, bleeding out from a bullet wound inflicted by Gordon, still embraced him and begged him not to leave.

I don’t think it was Leigh Whanell’s, screenwriter and Adam’s actor’s, intention to make a veiled kill-your-gays metaphor. On the contrary, I think that the ephemeral queerness of suffering elevated this movie far beyond its successors. It becomes a commentary not only on needless violence, sanctity of life, but on how queer people suffer both in media and in real life. Perhaps by not considering this perspective, Saw was able to look queer pain in the eye and not flinch.

#unsafe pin #saw

[ladywhistleclown]

Benedict Bridgerton x M!Reader: Valentines Fools

Summary: Benedict does something special. Word Count: 3334 A/N: I read this post about Valentines in Regency England, and found it so interesting that I had to write about it. of course, I made it gay. duh. Also, I wrote the ‘poem’ later myself, but its inspired by many LGBT poets/writers from history who wrote poems like it, about hope for future LGBT folks, just very simplified. This is some of my best work, and I don’t want it to get snubbed just because its not f/m, so like, give it a chance! MLM fic is also fun :) Enjoy! Warnings: Fluff, Drinking, Giggly men doing giggly men things (being stupid) -- Valentines Day, in your mind, was a rather dreadful event. Ladies and Lords spent days agonizing over hand-made letters, writing disgusting poetry about love, or rejection. You had never partaken in the act, partly because you had never had anyone to write to, and partly because even if you had, you had neither the patience nor skill to craft such detailed notes of devotion. You thought it best to leave such things to artists and ladies, of which you were neither. This year was only slightly different. After having met Benedict at Lord Granville's, striking up conversations about art, women, and your places in society, you had developed a rather strange relationship, one that you would almost call a courtship, if it wasn’t so clearly an impossibility. Benedict simply wanted to explore something new, something outside the realm of society and expectations, and you, lovesick fool that you were, happily obliged him. It was nothing more than attraction and curiosity. Second son or not, Benedict could never marry a man. Even if he wanted to.

At least you could drown yourself in booze at Lord Granville's. He was a good listener, with even better advice, and you knew that he understood exactly your pain. It was here you found yourself, a day before Valentines, throwing down your sixth beer and lamenting to Granville, who sat patiently by your side. “Society is not kind to those like us.” You sighed, running the tip of your index finger along the outer edge of your glass, staring blankly at it, as though if you drank enough, the answers would appear in the liquor. “No, it isn’t. But we are kind to each other, and ourselves.” He replied, looking over you with pity. You had never been much of a drinker, not for as long as Granville had known you, but your infatuation with Benedict had brought it out in you, and he wondered if it was a mistake to invite the Bridgerton boy here, if it caused an old friend to suffer in a way that was very familiar and personal to him. He knew the pain of impossible love too well, and saw himself reflected in your morose state. “Of course. You’re too kind to me, Granville. I talk your ear off about my foolish troubles with Bridgerton, but never think to ask of yours.” “I am not nearly as troubled as you are. And as I said, we must look out for each other, as the ton certainly will not.” he lifted up his own drink, pausing just before it reached his lips to glance at you, “Perhaps I should dis-invite Bridgerton from future events?” “Oh hell, Granville, don’t torture the man on my account. He enjoys the art and the company, and besides that,  I’d rather him here than at some brothel.” you grimaced as soon as the words left your mouth, an embarrassing slip revealing just how deeply attached you were. “Apologies. The alcohol has loosened my tongue.” “No bother. I understand that jealousy quite well.” Granville said, his voice still light and amused, and you couldn't help but laugh as he took a sip, winking at you before putting his glass down. “What jealousy?” Came a loud voice from directly behind you. You jumped, Granville almost knocking his drink over in his shock. Of course, he would arrive now, when you were drunk and foolish. You breathed out quickly, praying that you would say nothing incriminating before turning to face Benedict. He looked confused, glancing from Granville's face to yours, before reiterating, “What jealousy, Granville?” “Merely of other artists. I’m sure you know it too.” He recovered, taking another drink before gesturing to the table, “Care to join us?” Benedict sat in the chair closest to you, and you shot Granville a look of pure spite. In your drunken haze, everything seemed too much. His voice was too smooth, his smile too large, and the way he draped an arm across your chair, caging you in, was entirely too casual. You promised to whatever God was listening that you would slaughter Granville for this. “Of course I do. You know better than anyone.” He agreed, sliding easily into the conversation. You remained silent, not trusting yourself in your inebriation to respond beyond a simple hum of agreement or a grunt of displeasure. If you allowed yourself to speak freely, no doubt you would be weeping in Benedict's arms like a little girl within minutes. “What do you think?” You started, retreating from your thoughts to find both Benedict and Granville looking at you. Benedict’s eyes shone with thinly veiled concern, tilting his head and gently shaking you by the shoulder, while Granville simply smiled in amusement. “I..was lost in thought. My apologies.” You said quickly, waving Benedict’s hands away and sitting up completely. You were drunker than you thought, and briefly you wondered if you would even be able to make it to your carriage without help. You figured if you couldn’t, you would force Granville to escort you. He certainly owed you, after pulling this little stunt. “You’re wasted. Perhaps you should head home.” Benedict said gently. You huffed, shaking your head. “Don’t concern yourself with me, I can take care of myself. Now. My opinion on what, exactly?” “Valentines,” Granville supplied, glancing into his empty cup, “we were talking about all the effort that goes into such cards and letters. Artistry, in a way. What do you think of it?” “I find the holiday wholly unnecessary. And it takes far too much time to make such delicate things. A canvas is much more secure.” you huffed. Benedict stiffened beside you, although in your semi-consciousness, you barely noticed, your eyes fluttering between shut and open. “So you wouldn’t make any?” Benedict asked. “No.” “Would you receive them?” “I suppose it would be rude to deny such labors of love. But I have never received one, and I doubt I will this year. Ladies don’t send cards to men like me.” you shrugged, drooping over the table. The longer you sat, the harder it was to hold yourself up. If you passed out, it would be a good escape from such intimate topics with Benedict, so you allowed yourself to slump on the table, sighing. “Alright, that's enough. I’ll help you home.” Benedict declared, standing up and taking you by the arm, heaving you up. You groaned in protest, but didn’t fight as he slung your arm over his shoulder and half dragged you away from the table, Granville following behind. “Apologies, Bridgerton. Next time I won’t allow him to indulge quite so much. You may end up getting more than 10 minutes with him that way.” He said cheerily. “I’m sober enough to know when I’m being mocked, Granville.” you opened your bleary eyes to glare at him, finding his eyes twinkling with amusement. He patted your shoulder. “It’s no trouble. I was about to head home, anyway.” Is all Benedict said as he helped you into the carriage, climbing in after you and seating himself on the same bench. Granville waved you both off as Benedict rapped his knuckles on the carriage, directing your footman to take you home. “Now you have me alone and vulnerable. Not very gentlemanly of you, Bridgerton. What would the ton think?” you teased, leaning lazily against the side of the carriage, away from him. You hoped it was subtle, that he thought you were just drunk and loose and tired. You couldn’t bear the thought of him finding out just how weak you were for him. Then he would leave, and you would be crushed. “They would think nothing, because we’re men.” He pointed out, leaning closer to you. You hummed, acknowledging his words, but didn’t reply beyond that. It was only then that you realized how precarious a situation you were in. Drunk, alone, with a man you loved, who seemed to be moving closer and closer by the minute, although maybe you were imagining that part. Anything was possible when you were this drunk. “They would be wrong, though.” Benedict finished softly. He reached over, brushing his fingers along your jaw, moving downward to loosen your cravat. You sighed, tilting your head back to allow him easier access, cursing yourself but unable to shove him away. You were such a fool. “Are you planning something?” You asked. He finally managed to pull your cravat away, revealing your neck to him. He laughed at your question. “With you this drunk? No. I only wanted you to be more comfortable.” He tossed the cloth onto the other bench, leaning safely away from you to stare out the window after. While you were partly disappointed, you were mostly relieved. You wouldn’t have been able to resist, and only would have brought yourself more shame and confusion in regards to him. But Benedict was a good man, and he would never take advantage of you in your current state. Your heart squeezed. Too good of a man. “I’m sorry to be such a burden tonight.” you blurted suddenly. Benedict looked at you, his head whipping away from the window so quickly it almost made you dizzy. “I shouldn’t have drank so much. It was foolish.” “You’re never a burden to me.” He said, his voice soft and indignant, almost as if he was offended by the mere idea that you had inconvenienced him. “You shouldn’t have to chaperone me home like a weak debutante.” “I’d rather you than a debutante. Trust me.” You chuckled, shaking your head and glancing out the carriage window. You could see the square, and your home, fast approaching. It appeared as though your time with Benedict was over for tonight. Relieved and downtrodden, you sat up and attempted to right your swirling vision as the carriage came to a stop. Benedict stood, helping you up and out of the carriage. After explaining the situation to your housekeeper, he hauled you all the way into your home and bedroom, even being kind enough to help you out of your boots as you lay back in your bed, arm over your eyes, trying to stop the room from spinning. “I’ll be going, then.” He said quietly, standing up and brushing his hands together. You lifted your arm, making certain you weren’t going to puke before crooking one finger, beckoning him closer. “Come here.” You breathed. He obeyed, moving dutifully to your side, remaining silent despite the question in his eyes. You sat up slowly, ignoring your dizziness. Placing a hand on the back of his neck, you pulled him closer. Benedict, realizing what you were after, leaned down and forward, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. You flopped back into your bed after he pulled away, grinning, although you couldn’t see it, having already rolled over and buried your face in the covers. “Goodnight. I hope you enjoy tomorrow.” He said ominously, the clicking of his heels against the marble floor the only indication you had that he had left. Before you could even think of the meaning of his strange farewell, you were dragged into rest. -- The first thing you registered after waking was the pounding behind your eyes. Moaning in pain, you lifted your arm over your face, blocking out the light that your butler had let in through the curtains. “My apologies, My Lord. Should we have a cure made?” He asked politely, noticing your haggard state. “Quickly.” You begged. He nodded, bowing before swiftly leaving the room to procure you a bit of relief. Sitting up, you turned away from the windows completely, opting to try and find your balance. After a moment, you were able to make your way to your wardrobe, pulling on your breeches and doublet. Today you had no need to dress formally. Valentines was a day you dedicated to staying completely shuttered away from the rest of the ton, tending to your estate and business ventures. It was easier than being bombarded with reminders of love, and much easier than running into any Bridgerton, although one, of course, you wanted to avoid above all else. It would only pain you to see him giving or receiving such intimate letters, especially with the women of the ton. Once your butler had delivered your cure, and you had thrown down the slimy, disgusting mixture, you were feeling much improved. You made your way to your study, smiling at your maids as they bowed before rushing off, no doubt in a hurry to finish their work and make off with their sweethearts for the day. You felt a twinge of jealousy, smiling sadly as you opened the door to your study. Oh. In your study sat piles and piles of cards, all handmade, some gilded with gold while others were trimmed with lace. You picked one up, in awe at its intricate gold-foil flowers, embossed on the front and lined with sharp swirls and embellishments, all clearly hand done with a calligraphy pen. You opened the card. The script inside was as lovely as the rest of the card, although it was the words that brought tears to your eyes. I sit and I look into your face And I see those before us, Who have loved as we do, And I see those after, And I pray that our impossibility Will become their reality. Yours. You choked on a sob, quickly closing the card and setting it down. The last thing you wanted was to ruin something so perfect with tears. It was not signed, and it didn’t have to be for you to know. Benedict. You looked around the room. There were at least 3 large piles of cards, enough to last an entire year, all handmade and intricate. You wondered how long this had taken him. It would take you days just to read them all. Surely, your servants thought you were either the biggest rake in the ton, with all these notes. You couldn’t care less. You gathered them all, handling them as gently as you would glass, slipping them into your desk cabinet and locking it. They were yours, no one else's. Benedict's words were just for you. Dazed, you leaned back into your office chair, holding the first card, running your fingers over the edges and rereading the lines over and over. It wasn't quite a poem, nor a letter, but a sentiment. A dream, a wish. You would be lying if you said that it wasn’t your dream too. A future where love like yours would be special, not sinful. Love. You jolted. And then laughed. How could you ever have doubted him? Surely, it was only love that would drive him to do this. Only love that would have him escort you home, make sure you were safe and comfortable. That would make him sit for what must have been weeks, if not months, working tirelessly on card after card just to take advantage of the one day where letters between unmarried men and women could be sent freely. Of course, he did so for a cover. But was that not also love? He wanted to protect you from ire, from harm, and so he delivered all the letters he felt he couldn’t today, just to keep from drawing unwanted eyes. Crying and laughing all at once, you pressed the note to your chest. How had you doubted his love for a second? His devotion? You truly were a fool, although not in the way you had expected. It took you half an hour to calm yourself, and by that time, your headache was back and worse than before, thanks to your emotional outburst. But another thing was back, too. Your butler, standing in the doorway with an impassive look on his face, glancing about the room, no doubt looking for the heaps of cards the servants had dropped off. “Do you know what card came from which maiden?” You asked, holding up the first card. It was the only card you had yet to put away, and though you were loathe to show it to him, you thought you should make it try and seem as though you had no idea who they had come from. “The cards were delivered mysteriously early this morning, My Lord. No names, no signatures.” “I see. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. None of them will be receiving a response.” You laughed, setting the card down. “What is it?” “A visitor, sir. The Second Bridgerton. Says he has something to discuss with you, about Lord Granville's gathering last night.” Your heart stuttered. “Send him up. No doubt he wants me to apologize for making such an ass of myself last night.” You joked, and he smiled back, giving a quick nod before rushing off to fetch Benedict. You quickly tucked the last letter into your desk drawer, pulling out a decanter of whiskey and pouring yourself a small glass. “No better cure for a hangover than more drink, right?” Benedict stepped into your study, shutting the door behind him even as he teased you. You laughed, pouring him a glass as well. He took it gratefully, sitting down in the chair across from yours, the desk between you two. “You may mock me if you wish, Benedict, but I am feeling positively delightful.” you said dramatically, lifting your cup in cheers. Benedict touched his glass to yours, and you took a sip. He did not. “Would that have anything to do with any deliveries?” He questioned, a secretive smile spreading across his face. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” “That’s why I asked.” You snorted, shaking your head quickly. “It would, if you must know.” Dropping all pretenses, he leaned forward, smiling even brighter now. “So you’ve got them. Do you like them?” “Of course I do,” you breathed, leaning in as well, dropping your voice to a whisper, “how long did they take you? They’re beautiful. True artistry.” “Much too long, as you said last night. But they were worth it, if you like them.” You nodded once. Smiling, he brought one hand to rest on your desk, palm up and spread open. You took it, intertwining your fingers. “Do you truly...love me? In that way?” you asked nervously, avoiding his gaze in favor of staring at your two hands. “No, I spent hours of my precious time making hand crafted love letters for a man I consider a friend.” He rolled his eyes. “If anyone would do such a thing, it would be you, Benedict.” “Certainly not. It would be Colin.” You laughed, and he grinned. Standing, he quickly rounded your desk and pulled you up by your still connected hands, pulling you against him and kissing you firmly. It was sudden, but not unpleasant, and you wrapped your arms around him, carding your fingers through his hair before resting your hands on the nape of his neck. After a long moment, he pulled away, eyes shining mischievously. “I do love you.” “And I you.” you said quickly, desperate to reciprocate. You had spent so long convinced that Benedict only saw you as good fun, that the revelation of love had left you reeling. But you would be damned if you passed up this opportunity to tell him of the affections you had kept secret since your first meeting. In response, he kissed your jaw once before pulling away, still smirking. “But you taste of garlic and egg. You truly should not have indulged so much. Now I can’t kiss you.” Groaning, you turned away from him, clamping your lips shut even as he wraps his arms around your middle, pressing kisses to your neck and cheek lovingly, cooing affections like a lovesick fool. You smiled at that passing thought, leaning into Benedict and returning his whispers in kind, leading him with purpose to your bed chamber. Perhaps you were both lovesick fools. You could live with that.

#benedict x reader #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict imagine #bridgerton #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton x reader #netflix #male reader #mlm fanfic #mlm #x reader #mine #fanfic #bridgerton fanfiction

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

So, I've gotten myself into a bit of a predicament. I ended up going to a church that a lot of people (many of whom are influential in my life) I know go to. I didn't realize until I was already sort of committed that they aren't affirming. I haven't really been interested in returning to my Christian roots until I started going there. So now, I'm stuck hiding portions of myself from everyone. The people I go to church with can't know I'm queer, and most of my queer friends are pretty darn judgemental about christianity. I'm not really sure if I can extract myself from this situation until I move in a few years. I've never felt more conflicted about my queerness vs my religion than I do now. I'm trying to do my own research, but somehow proving that it's ok just to myself doesn't feel like enough. I'm not really sure what the point of this ask is, but maybe you can think of some kind of advice, because I feel like I'm at an impasse with myself.

Aw anon, my heart goes out to you. What a painful situation to be in. You deserve a faith community that nourishes you in all that you are! But in this imperfect world, that can be hard to come by.

I'm not sure my input below is all that helpful. This is such a hard situation to be in, and what steps to take are so contextual, depending on the exact circumstances and your own personal experience of them. So if the following doesn't help at all, I do hope it brings you a little comfort to know that I'll be praying for you and wishing the best for you. <3

_______

Is the reason you can't extract yourself from the situation because you feel pressured by members/leaders to stay in this congregation? or because you actually enjoy going there and get spiritual fulfillment from it?

If the former, that's a really unhealthy environment to be in. My thought would be to try to get out of there if you can (big disclaimer there — you know the context better than i do; your safety is top priority if trying to leave would put you in physical, emotional, or financial danger). You may have to be really blunt and firm with people who try to get you to go to worship or events, which is never comfortable, but better than staying somewhere that is draining you. Saying you're trying out a new church community may help the ones who are influential in your life let go, because that might assuage any worry that you'll be "spiritually disconnected" if you go. If anyone has advice or resources for leaving a church that pressures you to stay, please share.

If it's the latter thing — there are LGBT/queer folk who attend non-affirming churches because they find some reason to stay there, whether it's the people they love in that church, nourishment they get from the worship or events, or something else. That's a rough road to travel, but you're not alone in it. I would advise you to ponder deeply whether you feel "more fed than failed" by this church, or "more failed than fed." It sounds like knowing this church you love is unaffirming is hurting your spirit. It is so hard to let go of a community you love, but if they are hurting you, starting the process of moving on may be what you have to do. One way to take that slowly is to keep attending this church while looking around for a new one (see this post for how to find an affirming church near you). For instance, one Sunday go to your current church, the next Sunday, visit a new one.

In the end, if you can't leave this church, it is good to know that there is an end in sight, even if it's a few years away. This is only one chapter of your life, and you can take what joy and growth you can from it while looking forward to the wider welcome and love waiting for you ahead.

______

As to friends who are judgmental about Christianity: ach, that's also such a rough situation to be in. I'm guessing you understand that they have reason to be critical; but that doesn't mean it's appropriate for them to always voice those criticisms around you — especially if they aren't only critical of Christianity, but judge you for your connection to it.

I've got a post with encouragement for LGBT/queer Christians struggling with criticism from LGBT/queer friends.

I've also got a post with some tips for responding to those friends. If they're truly friends, they will hopefully be responsive to having a courageous conversation about it so that you all can find a way to respect each other's beliefs and hurts, together.

_____

Wishing you well, anon. Please let me know if you come up with more questions or just need to vent as you continue through this rough part of your journey.

And if anyone else has advice or encouragement for anon, please share.

#unaffirming church #church hurt #when to go #friends tag

[sapphicconservative]

Since Pride Month is coming to an end, what are your thoughts on it as well as other history months?

I'm not a fan of it, in all honesty. If it was reworked to not sow community divisions, then it would be a different story.

Why is it okay for us to constantly raise up one group of people because they are not deemed the "norm" in society? Have you ever seen this happen among children? Where one child is raised up above the others and the other children begin to turn away from that child out of jealousy. This doesn't help a community. This is how you sow divisions.

Why is it okay to raise up one group and let them have pride in their sexuality but the group deemed the "norm" is not allowed to and is also shamed for their sexuality?

Personally, I believe I am as normal as straight folks. There's nothing weird or different about me, and this constant pedestal LGBT+ people are put up on during this month is a reminder society thinks differently of me compared to straight people.

I don't care they have my best interests at heart, it doesn't automatically make it the right thing to do. It doesn't help ease tensions among the community. Look at LGBT+ acceptance and you'll see we're actually experiencing a decline in acceptance.

My philosophy goes for all history months. Every minority should be treated equal to the societal norm. Stop letting them sow division just because it panders to you and start demanding to be treated equally. No more shaming or praising groups of people and more mutual treatment.

I would love to learn about black history, native history, asian american history, etc. all while I learn about the rest of American history. To me, they are American first and race or sex or whatever you want to divide them as last. Why is it primarily held to one month?

#lots of lgbt+ people be acting heterophobic #but its okay #they're the minority so they get a pass to be an ass 🙄 #anonymous #discourse #lgbt+ discourse #lgbt+

[crossdreamers]

Influential Australian gay male activist explains why being LGBT and trying to exclude trans people makes no sense

There are some anti-transgender lesbian, gay and bisexual activists around. They represents a tiny minority of the LGBTQA community, but they do make a lot of noise. 

In Australia  long-time LGBTQA advocate, Rodney Croome has addressed the trans-exclusionary  LGB Aliiance’s arrival down under through this open letter: 

I am a gay man who has fought for LGBTIQ equality for three decades.

I have seen cycles of prejudice against LGBTIQ people and between us.

My hope is this letter will convince the LGB Alliance to stop perpetuating these cycles, and help break them.

The LGB Alliance says trans and gender diverse people are not part of our community, that gender activism threatens vulnerable LGB people and that gender theory threatens our very identity.

I don’t see it that way. Trans and gender diverse people aren’t just our friends and family members, they are members of our rainbow community, they are allies in our struggle for freedom and equality and we in theirs.

Why? Because, like us, they don’t fit what cultural tradition and religious dogma insist a man or a woman should be.

Like us, they are made to feel shame about their “deviance” from traditional gender roles.

Like us, they struggle with a truth about themselves that can be denied or hidden but always at great cost.

Like us, they decide to reveal that truth and come out knowing others will fear and hate them, but hoping they will find affirmation and equality.

Like us, they are attacked as a threat to society by traditionalists, authoritarians, misogynists and all manner of haters who think they are an easy target.

Like us, they reach out to the broader community in an effort to foster acceptance.

Like us, they crave the safety and empowerment of a like-minded, diverse, creative and supportive community.

If you’re unconvinced we share a common struggle, just consider the remarkably similar myths and stereotypes that are thrown at all of us.

Same-sex attraction has been dismissed as a phase, a choice or “a feeling”.

LGB people have been accused of sexualising young people, and recruiting them into a miserable, sterile, unnatural life they would later regret and from which they can escape.

LGB people have been portrayed as a threat to faith, family and even feminism (because gay men were “posing” as victims of patriarchy and because the accusation of “lesbianism” was a weapon against feminists).

We have been labelled as radicals and authoritarians just for wanting to be treated equally.

Every single one of these slurs against LGB people has been revived and thrown at trans and gender diverse folk.

As LGB people we should stand against these old stereotypes, not reiterate them. If we allow them any quarter, how long will it be before they are again turned on us?

The same goes for building up our inclusive and diverse LGBTIQ community, not dividing and weakening it.

I remember when some gay men dismissed forming a coalition with lesbians because “they hate men but we love them”.

And when bisexual people were dismissed by gay men and lesbians because “they can adopt straight respectability any time they want”.

We overcame those balkanising views to form a community that is stronger for its diversity and inclusiveness.

Rejecting trans and gender diverse folk because “we have different struggles” not only excludes people who need our support and with whom we have great commonality, it weakens our community by homogenising it.

There’s also nothing new about social theory that some people fear will “erase” us.

For a century and a half LGB people have theorised an end to LGB identity.

That end could be through a utopian sexual liberation of everyone’s “polymorphous perversity”, or through the eradication of prejudice and our integration into a heterosexual world where pride is redundant.

Theories about the end of sex and gender are, at heart, no different.

We don’t have to agree with them, but it is hypocritical for us to see some as more threatening to our identity than others.

If there is one ethic the oppression of LGB people should have taught us it is to see others as we want to be seen: not as an abstract idea, not as a projection of others’ fears, but as human beings with the same aspirations and anxieties as everyone else.

When we see trans and gender diverse folk as people first what we see are fellow humans whose experience of prejudice and aspiration for acceptance is just like ours.

Trans and gender diverse people have stood by LGB people for decades, at Stonewall, at the first Mardi Gras, at Salamanca Market and at every protest and celebration since.

We must continue to stand with them, especially now when they are under greater attack than ever.

Anything less is a betrayal of our own long struggle.

I extend an invitation to you to sit down with me and a trans advocate to talk through our concerns and yours.

Rodney Croome

Via Out in Perth. (Emphasis is ours)

Rodney Peter Croome is an Australian LGBT rights activist and academic. He worked on the campaign to decriminalise homosexuality in Tasmania, was a founder of Australian Marriage Equality, and currently serves as the spokesperson for the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group  and a spokesperson for Just.Equal. More here. 

Photo pf Rodney Crome by Australian Human Rights Commission.

#TERF #terfs #lgbt alliance #lgbtqa #lgbt+ #trans #transgender #transphobia #lgbtiq #australia #gay #lesbian #bisexual

[nightswithkookmin]

Goldy I never thought I would reach out to any Jikook blog but after your last post I have to. I am an east asian american and trans. I have never spoken on this issue, commented or posted about this. I am a Jikook supporter but sometimes Jikook supporting blogs don't feel like the friendliest place. I want to thank you for changing my opinion on that. It is an insult to BTS to say Jikook don't know they seem gay or that they don't know what gay looks like. It is an insult to fans like me to say it would be OK to do the things they do if they were cisgendered straight men. I personally saw a few people say or dance around this and they got intimidated by big blogs for it. I would never name names because I beleive in free speech and the right of people to express themselves, as long as it isn't hate speech. Supporting lgbt people and making sure they don't feel endangered is MORE IMPORTANT THAN STANNING A KPOP BAND and I say this as a 4 year long bts and Jikook stan. So many people don't want to touch this issue and I understand why.

But thank you for supporting ACTUAL lgbt people as well as bts and showing stubborn people that BTS mean gay rights when they say gay rights.

I don't know why but this Ask made me cry...

I've been reading it over and over for the past two days and each time I feel humbled by it. Thanks so much for sharing this with me.

I think the era of the obsessed 'kids' and '13 year old shippers' in this space is coming to an end. I think it's time for a more nuanced mature conversation on what it means to ship and stan our faves in today's sociopolitical climate.

Let's intellectualize shipping and use it as a vehicle for social change not just pleasure. Sabotaging political hashtags is a start. Trending and donating to BLM is equally important. Fighting for gay rights and recognition is the next step and a natural progression from here- and about damn time!

Gone are the days where celebrities and idols were immune to accountability and personal responsibility. We live in a world where everyone is required to be converstant in and sensitive to social issues. Awareness is woven into our collective consciousness and for some of us we cannot divorce that from our pleasure receptors.

Hate to quote my pastor but, 'As a kid, I spoke, thought and reasoned like a kid. As I grew up, chilee darling, I put my ghetto ways aside. You feel me?' Lol. Yea, my pastor hood like that. Lol.

The fact of the matter is, BTS has a higher mature demographics now. Majority of us grew with them, if not past them. They are not seventeen anymore, Jin is almost thirty, the youngest in the group is past twenty three and majority of their fanbase are breaching Young Adult well into Adulthood and beyond.

We simply cannot view them with the same lens anymore. If we did, we would be infantilizing them if not enabling them.

We ought to be able to have certain conversations that reflect our age, hearts, backgrounds, experience, values and beliefs.

We can't sit behind our television sets and smart phone screens in this day and age and assume BTS sat through a performance like this and did not for a second think about what it meant, why the crowd cheered at certain moments or even understand the impact, message and intent behind it- especially not when Halsey, an openly bisexual woman and advocate for LGBTG rights is an acquaintance of thiers.

I don't know how a fraction of this fandom can assume BTS would have a collaboration of this nature and not know anything about the gay rights discourse or what queer baiting is or not consider how their actions may or may not be contributing to the marginalization of persons as these- to not have agency and personal responsibility or empathy.

JK cannot stan a gay artist such as Troye Sivan and divorce his music from his sexuality because it flows from it. Not when Troye has openly spoken about the struggles he went through as a closeted gay man, coming out and how that affected his mental health.

JK knows what gay is, he is aware of the struggles queer people face on a daily. His decision to cover, license and recommend songs by this artist is a deliberate act coming from a place of being informed on the matter.

Jimin knows. RM knows. Suga knows.

BTS cannot prepare a speech like this while oblivious to the plight of the LGBTQ plus community. I refuse to believe that simply because it's not true. Anyone who says otherwise is a scammer. Lol.

And I think they are intelligent enough to have cognisance of the fact majority of the world view certain aspects of their home culture as problematic and non-progressive and that this same world is watching them and what they do in this space matters.

They are part of the conversation. And it's in their interest to present themselves as queer a queer friendly band and company by distinctifying themselves from these 'traditional' Kpop bands.

I believe they know that being woke gives them a competitive advantage as MCs and advocates for the youth in today's world.

I believe they are aware certain things in their 'fan service culture' doesn't fly in the space they compete in and want to compete in. They are competing and rubbing shoulders with top LGBTQ plus advocates, sharing seats with them at awards, standing next to them- they best to look sharp.

It's obtuse for anyone to fall on the 'culture' rhetoric to excuse certain behaviors of their idols when actual queer people from and within that same culture fight against it.

Most S. koreans I know and have come across complain about their 'culture' and some even harbor strong resentments against this whole fanservice culture.

Holland, an openly gay Idol from South Korea, has equally spoken out against the 'fan service' culture prevalent within Kpop on several occasions and laments how it depoliticizes queerness and affects actual queer people within S.K.

And isn't it funny that the same conservative Christian population who strongly oppose homosexuality in S.K often lead online campaigns against Jikook for 'promoting homosexuality' because of certain fanservice and skinship they do?

If skinship is normal and fanservice is culture, why does conservative S.K keep pushing back against it? It's their culture uno?! Lmho.

Queer south Koreans and conservative Christians hate fanservice culture and yet here we are using their culture to defend it as if it's all black and white. Lmho.

Did they or did they not see South Korean's reactions to this performance by Jikook? The mixed feelings most had about it?

Men can nibble on men's ear but God forbid they toss them in the air and catch em💀

South Koreans are not a monolith. Their culture is nuanced like any culture. It's not static and not clear cut black and white either.

It's one thing to respect other's culture, it's another to perpetuate it in ignorance. Perpetuating their culture and being religious about it does not allow for the dynamism inherent in their culture.

Troye Sivan talked about how he'd stop in the middle of his concerts and performances upon seeing the hyper fangirls in the front row and then think to himself, 'I know they know I'm gay, so why are they still here...'

And this was before he came out.

Jikook know we know they are queer or that we think of them as queer. When Jimin talks about 'those that love me for me' he knows exactly what he is talking about or rather who he is talking to- it's not these hets I'm afraid.

Troye also talked about being privileged because he lived in a rather queer friendly neighborhood where everyone is gay and so he'd always felt safe coming out.

Isn't that what JK is doing?

Now this is a person who's without a doubt had a lot of influence on JK in his early formative years as an Idol right down to his decision to move into a much queer friendly neighborhood of Itaewon.

They know we know. Jikook is gay.

Thankfully, there are reports of a rising number of LGBTQ plus in South Korea, a lot of allies, a lot of queer folks coming out and a lot of companies opening up to working with gay idols and aspiring idols.

It's such a relief but a lot of work still needs to be done and I stand with them on behalf of Jikook and any queer folk in SK.

My sister is helping me reach out to an LGBTQ plus advocate from Seoul for an interview for my blog. If everything goes well, I'd love for her to share her thoughts on queer passing, queer baiting and fan service within Kpop and how that affects LGBTQ youth in South K.

It's a conversation I'm really passionate about and interested in.

I love me some ships, but I also love me some queer advocacy and human rights uno? Lol.

Thing is, I may quit BTS one day, but I can never quit being me. Being human. Always put the human first is my motto.

Oh and I hear people are plotting to cancel me? Chilee. Y'all do that but:

Let it echo.

Signed,

GOLDY

[nerdypipsqueak]

My computer died and I have to wait a while before I can get a new one so I'm using that time to do research, play with different ideas and ponder over the things I'm working on.

If you're familiar with my AO3 account you may have read "Our Hearts Together, Hand in Hand", an AU to my major story "My Soul and Yours". The idea is fairly simple: it's "My Soul and Yours", only homosexuality has been fully decriminalised and LGBT folks have been granted marriage rights (within countries that belonged to the League of Nations). So, predictably, Feisal proposes to Ned Lawrence, they get married and become co-rulers of Iraq. And I just couldn't help but imagine the impact the new laws and Ned and Feisal's example would have on society.

So here goes, in no particular order:

Acceptance for LGBT folks would grow.

There would be more representation of LGBT folks in politics, literature and the media.

Ned and Feisal are quite a tactile couple. You won't catch them snogging in public but a kiss on the cheek or hand or Feisal offering Ned his arm when they're walking is pretty standard for them. That wouldn't go unnoticed and I wouldn't be surprised if it encouraged people to be more affectionate with their partners.

The legalisation of homosexuality and gay marriage would likely open up a marketing niche for relationship advice books, "marital anatomy" books, other marital aids and so on.

LGBT cafes, clubs and other hangouts that used to be underground establishments are now perfectly legal and mainstream. And it's becoming more and more socially acceptable to be seen there. Ned AKA Lawrence of Arabia AKA the Prince Consort of Iraq being seen in such places will certainly help too.

It becomes necessary to rethink and reform other laws related to married couples. Straight couples benefit from that too. Women in general benefit too.

It becomes necessary to have a discussion as a society about gender roles and the roles of spouses. Straight couples benefit from this. Women in general benefit from this.

As other people in positions of power (royalty, aristocracy, high ranking politicians, diplomats and soldiers) are coming out and marrying their partners it becomes necessary to redefine the role of consort, first lady/first husband etc. All those people are looking to Ned and Feisal for inspiration. They can see that Feisal is treating Ned as his equal, that he's not pushing a complementarian relationship. They can see that while Ned has a preference for "soft" things like supporting education and the arts he is also a very capable diplomat and is not afraid of hard work.

#lawrence of arabia #t.e.lawrence #feisorence #au of an au #meta #i was bored and thinking too much #thank you for coming to my ted talk

[vampish-glamour]

i try to avoid anyone who had she/they or he/they or other gender or lgbtqwerty shit on their bios. at first, i thought i was being petty and silly but i thought better about it and really? these people are probably the same who love to talk about how "men have boobs too!!!" and things of the sort and as a trans guy i don't really want to talk to someone who for sure won't see me as a man lol. with how much they try to act as if trans people are different and/or better than cis people i don't want to talk to someone who i'm sure will treat my gender as a cute little accessory. at least when i talk to a full blown transphobe i can just ignore them. but i find it hilarious that a huge part of the LGBT community thinks like this, so even if i'm tired of transphobia and seek a more accepting place i come to the LGBT community and find people saying that pronouns =/= gender, how pan people are attracted to "men, women AND trans people!", people ground enbies with trans people and i still find transphobia, but 🌟woke🌟

sorry, this was a pretty long rant, but ive been seeing so many posts on how gatekeeping is evil and exclus are such meanies, but seeing the shit that comes from inside of the LGBT community, really, we need MORE gatekeeping. i wish people would stop seeing gatekeeping as being inherently mean or disrespectful but i guess some people care more about how "valid" they are then actually making a safe space for lgbt folk

It’s all good!! 💖

I completely agree, I think you worded this well.

It’s funny that I feel the same way about bigots, like it feels like regular homophobes are almost better than woke homophobes. Because at least I know what to expect with the regular homophobe and can just ignore them, and most of western society ignores them as well. But the woke homophobes sort of just weave homophobia into their wokeness, and claim to be my “ally” while saying the most anti-gay shit they can think of.

Same goes with the mainstream trans activists… they don’t seem to realize that the shit they say is often both sexist and transphobic. And idk why any trans person would want to team up with them, because at the end of the day they do not have the interests of trans people at heart.

I’m just so done with the lgbt “community” at this point… it’s run by the Q+ and it’s not a good place for LGBT people anymore unless you’re completely on board with the wokeness.

Gatekeeping is really all we can do, and it should’ve been done long before now. If it had, we wouldn’t have to deal with the Q+ making a mess for us to clean up. And IMO, that’s exactly why so many of them are against gatekeeping, because they know that they’re the ones who we want to keep out. They know they aren’t supposed to be here, and that the only way they can stay in the club is if they demonize those who they trample on.

#asks #anon

[nerdygaymormon]

My Queer Playlist - Part 2

These are songs from 1994 to 2011

1994 - A Deeper Love : Aretha Franklin - No longer will I do all the things that I used to do. That’s right, I’ve been working on my self-esteem, self-respect and becoming proud of who I am. Pride is developing a deeper love for ourselves. 

1994 - Streets of Philadelphia : Bruce Springsteen - Bruce wrote this haunting song for the film Philadelphia, which was about a lawyer who was fired for being gay & having HIV. Oh brother, are you gonna leave me wastin’ away on the streets of Philadelphia? These lyrics ask how society could turn its back on those who need help the most. He can hear the blood pulsing in his veins, and he describes the blood as black because HIV/AIDS is figuratively black and deadly instead of red & life giving.

1994 - Don’t Go Breaking My Heart : RuPaul & Elton John - This is a remake of Elton’s hit from 1976, but he’s replaced singer Kiki Dee with drag superstar RuPaul. Two legendary queer icons singing a duet, of course it belongs on this list.

1994 - Girls & Boys : Blur - Blur wouldn’t have success in the USA until 1997 with the release of Song 2. However in the UK, this song of gender & sexual freedom was a hit. Girls who are boys, who likes boys to be girls, who do boys like they’re girls, who do girls like they’re boys.

1994 - Always : Erasure - Erasure frontman was the openly gay Andy Bell, and this song has him singing for a lover to accept him and be with him forever. 

1994 - 100% Pure Love : Crystal Waters - Huge dance hit about being in love. There's no gender identified, and I like these lyrics near the end: You'll never have to run away, you'll always have a friend to play. You'll never go out on your own, in me you will find a home.

1994 - Basket Case : Green Day - Anxiety attacks and a feeling that you are going crazy aren’t usually topics of hit songs. He goes to a psychologist and she says it’s lack of sex that’s bringing me down. I went to a whore, he said my life’s a bore. Billy Joe Armstrong, the lead singer, came out as bi in 1995, so this lyric may have been hinting at that.

1994 - Connection : Elastica -  I don’t understand how a heart is a spade, but somehow the vital connection is made. A song that references a spade while singing about intimacy, that counted as peak ace culture in the 1990′s. Asexual folks often use the ace of spades to represent their orientation.

1995 - Everlasting Love : Gloria Estefan - Because she was pregnant, Estefan didn't appear in the video and instead had 5 drag queens impersonate her. The LGBT community had embraced her and this is seen as her embracing them back.

1995 - I Kissed a Girl : Jill Sobule - A song of yearning, confusion, & freedom.

1995 - Waterfalls : TLC - Hugely successful song that addressed hard topics, including HIV/AIDS. His health is fading and he doesn't know why, three letters took him to his final resting place. In the video, a woman decides against using a condom with her boyfriend. A small twin photo frame shows her picture in one frame and a montage of all her previous lovers flashes in the other. The boyfriend with whom she didn’t use the condom notices his face getting the symptoms of AIDS and the two of them sit quietly on the edge of her bed as both the man & his picture fade away.

1995 - Free 2 Be : RuPaul feat. Skeltal Ki & Chris Willis - This song is about being free to be yourself and loving who you want.

1995 - Queer : Garbage - The term “queer” in these lyrics meant odd or different, but Garbage welcomes how the queer community uses that word when we sing along to the song.

1995 - Il Adore : Boy George - A poignant song about those who died from AIDS. How far must it go, how near must it be before it touches you, before it touches me. Here in this cold white room tied up to these machines, it's hard to imagine life as it used to be.

1995 - I Am the Body Beautiful : Salt-n-Pepa - This song plays in the opening scenes of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! as jaws are dropping at seeing Wesley Snipes dressed as drag queen Noxeema Jackson. At a time when most of Hip Hop was antagonistic towards the queer community, Salt-n-Pepa were not afraid to be seen as allies.

1995 - Sexuality : k.d. lang - The lyrics sound like she’s convincing a shy lover that it’s okay to be in a lesbian romance. Now how bad could it be if you should fall in love with me? 

1996 – Jesus to a Child : George Michael - This heartbreaking and devastatingly beautiful song is a tribute to George’s Brazilian love, Anselmo Feleppa, who died from AIDS. This song is a glimpse of the tenderness and love they shared together. The song’s rhythm and harmony is influenced by the Brazilian bossa nova sound. 

1996 - Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit : Gina G - This song was Australian singer Gina G’s debut single and it reached No. 1 in the UK and Israel, and in the US, the song peaked at #12. Not sure why this became such a gay anthem in the UK other than it’s a cute danceable song she performed at Eurovision

1996 - I Will Survive : Diana Ross - Diana Ross is beloved by the gay community, and in the 1990′s she recorded this song which had been a gay favorite from the 1970′s. As if that’s not enough, this video is full of drag queens, including RuPaul. This was a gift to her gay fans.

1996 - Fastlove : George Michael - This guy was in a committed relationship that didn’t work out and now he just wants to not worry about romance. Had some bad love, so fast love is all that’s on my mind. But even as he’s saying he’s seeking casual hookups, he keeps saying he misses his baby, that being with someone he loves would be his preference. The video is about the chaos of modern sexuality with people choosing virtual sex partners, with many male and female options appearing. 

1996 - I Want You : Savage Garden - This was Savage Garden's breakout hit. After singer Darren Hayes came out as gay in 2001, he was asked if there were songs in Savage Garden's catalog that contained any coded gay messages. He replied, "'I Want You' is a song about a dream about being in love with a male energy, and waking up and feeling sad that I knew there was a part of me that was missing." He was in the closet, married to a wife, but dreaming about men. No wonder the song has this curious vibe of wanting to be close to a person I’m attracted to but not sure I should. 

1996 - Wannabe : Spice Girls - The Spice Girls’ core message is that female relationships are strong and rewarding, something the lesbian community will attest to. 

1996 - It’s All Coming Back to Me Now : Celine Dion - I think Celine is popular with gays because she's a diva singer with a kitschy side. This song in particular is popular because it’s pretty dramatic for a love song, a chance to display a range of emotions at the karaoke. 

1996 – Seasons of Love : Cast from the musical Rent - What is the proper way is to measure the value of a year in a human life? The most meaningful way is to measure in love. Since four of the lead characters in the show have HIV or AIDS, the song is often associated with World AIDS Day and AIDS awareness month.

1996 - Say You’ll Be There : Spice Girls - The Spice Girls' message of girl power and their iconic outfits in this video made them favorites to impersonate among the drag community

1996 - 2 Become 1 : Spice Girls - Realizing that the group had become queer icons with a large gay fanbase, the Spice Girls changed the lyrics of one line to be more inclusive when they released this single. The original lyrics were Any deal that we endeavour, boys and girls feel good together. This was changed to Once again if we endeavour, Love will bring us back together.

1997 - The Real Thing : Lisa Stansfield - In the video, Stansfield has magical abilities and she interacts with 3 people. In the final scene of the video, a gay man is by himself looking at another man who is busy talking with his friends. Stansfield walks over, sings to him and magic dust sprinkles on him. The man walks over to the other man, who leaves his friends and they walk off together.

1997 - Free : Ultra Naté - 'Cause you're free to do what you want to do. You've got to live your life, do what you want to do. You come out, grow up, and get to make your own choices and be free to become the person you want and to live your life. 

1997 - Go the Distance : Michael Bolton - This song from the Disney movie Hercules is about not fitting in and declaring that no matter what struggles lie ahead, I’m going to find a place that accepts me. I have often dreamed of a far off place where a hero's welcome would be waiting for me. Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face and a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be. I'll be there someday, I can go the distance. I will find my way if I can be strong. I know every mile would be worth my while. When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong.

1997 - Pink Triangle : Weezer - The singer sees a woman he imagines he’ll marry until he sees she is wearing a pink triangle (at the time a symbol of the gay community). He’s disappointed she’s a lesbian and sings Everyone's a little queer. Can't she be a little straight? Turns out this actually happened to lead singer Rivers Cuomo while a student at Harvard, he saw a woman and fantasized about her until he saw the pink triangle on her backpack. Later he learned she’s not a lesbian but was showing support to the gay community.

1997 - Somewhere : Pet Shop Boys - The Pet Shop Boys put their spin on this song from the musical West Side Story about forbidden love and dreaming of a place where such love is accepted.

1997 - You Have Been Loved : George Michael - George Michael wrote this song about Anselmo Feleppa, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1993. The beginning of the song describes Anselmo’s mother, who visits his grave and says goodbye, telling him You have been loved. The ending chorus has Anselmo telling George, You have been loved. The line, If I was weak, forgive me; but I was terrified, refers to the trauma George felt during Anselmo’s decline in health. While an intense song about grief and death, it also involves a spiritual struggle. What’s the use in pressing palms, if you [God] won’t keep such love from harm? It’s a cruel world. You’ve so much to prove.

1997 - Come On, Eileen : Save Ferris - This is a remake of the 1982 hit by  Dexys Midnight Runners which was about getting a school girl to overcome her Catholic repression in order to be in a relationship. Only now a woman is singing about Eileen.

1997 - Free Xone : Janet Jackson - Even though the song wasn’t released as a single, it was important to the LGBT community to have one of the biggest artists of the time have a positive song on her album about gay relationships. Boy meets boy, Boy loses boy, Boy gets cute boy back. Girl meets girl, Girl loses girl, Girl gets cute girl back.

1997 - Tonight’s the Night : Janet Jackson - Janet gave Rod Stewart’s song “Tonight’s the Night” a lesbian reinterpretation.

1997 - Spice Up Your Life : Spice Girls - This is an anthem for fun where everyone, no matter their background and identity, is welcome. Every boy and every girl.

1997 - Together Again : Janet Jackson - The album notes include “I dedicate the song ‘Together Again’ to the friends I’ve lost to AIDS.” It’s a sweet song with hopeful words of one day being reunited with those we love who have died. Everywhere I go, every smile I see, I know you are there smilin’ back at me

1998 - Diva : Dana International - Dana is a trans woman who won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, which was the first major celebration of a trans artist on an international stage. She became a beacon of hope for many queer people in Israel.

1998 - You’re a Superstar : Love Inc. - The most poignant lyrics to me are when it says Everything you are today is what you want to be, so don't be someone else when you be the best so easily. When you can be who you are, and stop pretending to be someone you’re not, that’s when you can reach your true potential and be a superstar. Reach for the stars and hold your head up high, for tonight and every night you're a superstar.

1998 - Reflection : Christina Aguilera - This song from the Disney movie Mulan is about how others don’t know the real you, which means the lyrics can fit the experience of being in the closet. Look at me. You may think you see who I really am, but you’ll never know me. Every day it’s as if I play a part. The song is loved by a lot of trans people because how they feel on the inside doesn’t match how they look on the outside. Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?

1998 - Jumper : Third Eye Blind - This is an anti-bullying anthem. The song is about a guy who is about to jump off a bridge because he is gay, or rather, because he is bullied for being gay. We need to be accepting and understanding of each other.

1998 - Will & Grace Theme Song - This is the theme song from the groundbreaking TV show that brought fun gay characters into America’s living rooms, helping the American people become comfortable with gay people and caused many women to want a gay best friend

1998 - Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here [Hex Hector Club Mix] : Deborah Cox - The song is about a woman who’s been burned by love too many times, and she suddenly finds herself in the fairytale ending she didn’t think would happen. This was a huge hit, spending 14 weeks at the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Simultaneously, the dance remix was beloved in the LGBTQ community and catapulted Deborah Cox to gay-icon status. 

1998 - Outside : George Michael - George Michael was entrapped by police into committing a lewd act in a public restroom in Los Angeles. The news of his arrest outed him to the world. He turns that experience into a song. The video mocks the way queer people are held to different standards--many couples in the video were caught getting frisky, but the gay couples are the ones arrested. 

1998 - Believe : Cher - This song is about strength, power, hope, and the fact that it’s not always easy to be who you are. Whatever happens, you’ve gotta believe there’s something better coming. Keep going and loving because things will be better.

1999 - Everlasting Night : Dannii Minogue - This official theme of the 1999 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras made Dannii a gay icon of the Australian queer community. 

1999 - Strong Enough : Cher - This is sung from the perspective of Cher to a cheating lover, but one could easily interpret the lyrics to be about a repressive society that she is no longer willing to accept. It's a song about finding one's strength and moving on.

1999 - Man! I Feel Like a Woman : Shania Twain - This song delivers self-empowerment as the video challenges societal gender norms by reversing the power dynamics of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” video. I wanna be free yeah, to feel the way I feel. Man, I feel like a woman. My queer friends who identify as women love feeling like a woman.

1999 - There She Goes : Sixpence None the Richer - It’s surprising that a Christian band with a female singer does a song about being attracted to a woman who you just can’t get out of your head. There she goes. There she goes again. Racing through my brain. And I just can’t contain this feeling that remains.

1999 - G.A.Y. ★Good As You★ : Geri Halliwell - The former Spice Girl says to those who wanna dismiss her that she’s good as you (g.a.y.) and in the chorus she invites Everybody c'mon, let's get G-A-why, G-A-why

1999 - New York City Boy : Pet Shop Boys - You’re a gay young man living at home and feeling like you gotta escape? Go to New York City where you can be who you want to be. 

1999 - Deceptacon : Le Tigre - Le Tigre is a female punk band that sung about feminism and the LGBT community. This song is the first track on their debut album and denounces the decline in meaningful lyrics in rock music. Before it faded away, the riot grrrl movement had addressed issues such as rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, racism, patriarchy, classism, anarchism and female empowerment. (warning, f-word in the song, which is very punk but may not be acceptable in certain settings)

1999 - Waiting for Tonight! : Jennifer Lopez - The lyrics are about waiting for tonight when the love she's dreamed of will finally come to be. Queer people often wait a for the love they dream of. 

1999 - That’s the Way It Is : Celine Dion -To find true love, stay positive, keep going and love will find you if you don't give up on it. This song became beloved in the gay community for the positive message that love can be had even if it doesn’t seem likely. 

1999 - Absolutely Everybody : Vanessa Amorosi - This was a hit in Australia & New Zealand and has been used as the anthem for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia. The lyrics are inclusive, pointing out that absolutely everybody needs friends, needs to be respected, needs to love and be loved, and needs human touch. Everybody needs a human touch. Everybody, everybody needs love. I'm no different, I am just the same, a player in the game. Absolutely everybody, everybody, everybody, absolutely everybody.

2000 - Affirmation : Savage Garden - An affirmation is a statement of your beliefs. The lyrics to this song are a series of affirmations of what Savage Garden stands for: Karma, goodness, family, and inner beauty. Singer Darren Hayes had already come out privately by the time he started writing "Affirmation,” and includes the lyric I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality, and when he performed on The Jay Leno Show, he winked at the camera on that line. Darren Hayes publicly came out in 2001.

2000 - Oops... I Did it Again : Britney Spears - In the course of a year, Britney had gone from first release to the biggest pop princess in music. Her music videos were must see. She was glitz and glam and the gay community adored her. The song is how, oops, I keep making people think I’ve fallen in love with them, but really I’m toying with them. 

2000 - It’s Not Right But It’s Okay : Whitney Houston - I’m gonna be okay, I’m gonna be alright shows a certain defiance & determination to continue on and not be defeated

2000 - Proud : Heather Small - What have you done today to make you feel proud? The lyrics encourage people to find the freedom to do something extraordinary. In 2012, this song was the theme for Pride in London

2000 - Let’s Get Loud : Jennifer Lopez - Let the music make you free, be what you wanna be. Great message

2000 - Music : Madonna - The song is about partying and having fun, but it also talks about the power that music has to unite people. Music makes the people come together. Music makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel. Music can overcome differences of race, class, gender and sexuality to unite us.

2000 - Stronger : Britney Spears - This empowering song is a declaration of independence and self-empowerment. You might think that I won't make it on my own, but now I'm stronger than yesterday. 

2001 - Your Disco Needs You : Kylie Minogue - There is a fun campiness to the song. This homage about going to the disco club makes it sound like we have a gay duty to go dancing.

2001 - Survivor : Destiny’s Child - I’m stronger and more resistant than you think. I'm a survivor, I'm not gon' give up. I'm not gon' stop, I'm gon' work harder. I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it. I will survive, keep on survivin' 

2001 - Lady Marmalade : Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, P!nk - This fabulous foursome remade Patti LaBelle’s 1974 hit song for the movie Moulin Rouge. In the video, the singers dressed glamorously in lingerie, and the sparkles & feathers along with kicking vocals ensured this song was once again embraced by the gay community

2001 - I Wanna Be Bad : Willa Ford - The lyrics contain messages of rebellion and being oneself against the influences of other people, an inspiring message that will be relevant to the queer community whether it’s 2001 or 3001.

2001 - It’s Raining Men : Geri Halliwell - In a nod to her large gay fandom, Geri recorded this 1983 gay favorite originally sung by The Weather Girls

2001 - Absolutely Not (Channel Club Extended Mix)  : Deborah Cox - Always waitin' for someone to make me happy, pick me up. I realize that someone is me. It’s a song about gaining self acceptance and self confidence. Do I measure me by what you think? Absolutely not, absolutely not. I don’t need permission from others to be fabulous. Plus this dance remix is hot and was included in the show Queer as Folk. 

2001 - Can’t Get You Out of My Head : Kylie Minogue - One thing about this song is how we don’t know who she’s singing about. Is it a long-time partner, a one-night stand or someone who doesn't even know she exists? It’s obsession, not love, and that’s okay because we can’t get this song out of our head. Kylie has openly embraced her gay fans and they’ve loved her in return, and it helps that she puts out one danceable pop song after another.

2001 - I’m a Slave 4 U : Britney Spears - Britney was ready to be rid of her bubblegum princess image with her iconic performance at the 2001 VMA’s when she carried an albino Burmese python on her shoulders, solidifying her status as a fierce diva.

2001 - Androgyny : Garbage - I think this song has two messages. First, don’t dismiss people who don’t fit traditional gender roles. The other message is to individuals who can’t see the point in going on, they’re reminded that nothing in life is set in stone, there’s nothing that can’t be turned around.

2001 - I Want Love : Elton John - This song is about a man who’s gone through some hard times, lost love, and as a result has some scars around his heart, and yet he still wants love. 

2001 - The Middle : Jimmy Eat World - This is a song about being a teen and not fitting in. You’re in the middle of the ride and everything will be just fine, just give it some time. My favorite lyrics are Yeah, just be yourself. It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.

2001 - Keep On Livin’ : Le Tigre - This song is for LGBT individuals and also for abuse survivors. You have to deal with a lot of hard stuff but keep on, keep on livin’. Le Tigre has a dedicated page on their website called "Keep On Livin'" which contains advice from JD Samson for coming out, as well as help from Kathleen Hanna for sexual abuse survivors (Samson & Hanna co-wrote the song “Keep On Livin’”).

2001 - Overprotected : Britney Spears - Britney sings about yearning to control her destiny. There are many lyrics in this song that resonate with queer people, especially if they’re still in the closet or if they live in a home with parents who don’t accept their child is queer. I'll tell 'em what I like, what I want, and what I don't, but every time I do, I stand corrected. If you’ve ever been told to deny who you are, these lyrics slap hard: I'm so fed up with people telling me to be someone else but me

2002 - Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) : Garbage - Cherry Lips is inspired by a fictional trans woman who is a delicate boy who is a girl with cherry lips who makes the whole world want to dance.

2002 - Anything is Possible : Will Young - Will Young became the first winner of the British show that inspired Idol franchises around the world. The song “Anything is Possible” is such a great song for someone who wins a singing competition, truly anything does seem possible in that moment. After winning Pop Idol, in order to pre-empt a tabloid newspaper that was about to out him, Young publicly announced he is gay. 

2002 - Song for the Lonely : Cher - Cher is praying for you to find love and companionship. 

2002 - All the Things She Said : t.a.T.u. - This music video is about two women developing feelings for each other. It was controversial for its portrayal of underage lesbians kissing and many stations, including the BBC, would only air the video after cutting the kissing scenes, which exemplifies how queer people are held to a different standard as a straight teenage couple kissing wouldn’t have caused any concern. Given Russia’s homophobic laws, it is ironic that this song is it’s biggest musical export.

2002 - Beautiful : Christina Aguilera - This song affirms those who feel they don’t fit in. It’s a message of self-empowerment and individuality. The video includes young people with body issues, a goth punk, a person assigned male at birth putting on women’s clothes, and two guys kissing. Positive images of gay and transgender people? Yes please! I am beautiful no matter what they say. Words can’t bring me down, but songs can lift you up, and this one does.  

2003 - Try It on My Own : Whitney Houston - And I am not afraid to try it on my own. I don’t care If I’m right or wrong. I’ll live my life the way I feel. No matter what I’ll keep it real, you know. Time for me to do it on my own. Love that idea, I’m the one who’ll have to live with the consequences, so I’m gonna choose how I live my life

2003 - Fighter : Christina Aguilera - This empowerment anthem is using the pain caused to you by others to fuel your drive to succeed.

2003 – Defying Gravity : Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth – In this song from the musical Wicked, the character Elphaba sings of how she wants to live without limits, going against the rules that others have set for her. 

2003 - Gay Bar : Electric Six - The lyrics are straight forward, I wanna take you to a gay bar. The music video is fabulously crazy, singer Dick Valentine portrays Abraham Lincoln in the White House getting ready to go to a gay bar--he loses the pants, exercises, takes a bath, and dons leather gear.

2003 - All Thing (Just Keep Getting Better) : Widelife with Simone Denny - This is the theme song for the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy which worked to build acceptance for gay people as it presented gay men as people who can help straight men up their game. This show brought gay people into America’s living rooms in a way that felt safe.

2003 - If You Were Gay : Cast from the musical Avenue Q - An irreverent musical uses puppets resembling Sesame Street’s Bert & Ernie to sing this song. It’s about how a closeted person may have trouble accepting themselves, even if their friend is affirming. 

2003 - Trouble : P!nk - The video is set in the Old West. P!nk comes into town, sees the horses aren’t being well cared for and fights the men neglecting them. She goes into the saloon and is refused a drink because the sheriff thinks she might be trouble, and she affirms I’m trouble and starts a brawl. Singing along to this song is fun as I feel like I’m tough and not gonna take it anymore. You gonna disrespect me or those I care for, then I’m trouble. Fun fact, the group Pussycat Dolls weren’t recording artists at that time but known for their burlesque shows and they are in this video dancing on the bar. 

2003 - I U She : Peaches - Set to a fast electronic beat, this song has a simple message: I don’t have to make the choice, I like girls and I like boys. Oh, and let's add some whips, crops, canes, whatever.

2003 - Mr. Brightside : The Killers - This song is about knowing the person you’re crushing on is with someone else and it breaks your heart. The way the song is written, it's unclear if it's the woman or the man that the singer is heartbroken about.

2003 – Me Against the Music : Britney Spears, Madonna - The music video shows Britney and Madonna in a cat-and-mouse chase. Britney finds Madonna in the end, only for the latter to disappear just before they kiss.

2004 - Toxic : Britney Spears - This song is basically a girl addicted to a guy and she’ll do anything to keep him because the taste of his lips is intoxicating. Idk why this became such an anthem in the gay community other than in the early 2000′s Britney’s presence in pop culture was dominant, and she was a supporter of the queer community, and each song she put out was empowering, sexually playful and had a sense of vulnerability.

2004 - Amazing : George Michael - George started a new relationship with Kenny, and during that time George’s mom was fighting cancer and Kenny was there for him. To be able to comfort a person in their time of grief and come out of it closer together, that’s amazing.

2004 - Somebody Told Me : The Killers - The singer says that you’re dating a boy who looks like his former girlfriend, that’s pretty queer. 

2004 - Take Your Mama : Scissor Sisters - The Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears is very close to his mother and this song is about him coming out to her as gay. The song suggests taking your mama out to a gay bar to show her that we are all doing the best we can. In other words, let your mother see your friends, community, and the real you.

2004 - Proud of Your Boy : Clay Aiken - This song was written for Disney’s Aladdin and while it didn’t make the film, it was included on the CD, and later in the 2011 Broadway musical. The lyrics make me think of coming out and worrying if their parents will still be proud of [their] boy? Clay came out as gay a few years later in 2008.

2004 - Flawless (Go to the City) : George Michael - Seizing the day and enjoying life by moving to the big city where you can be out and flawless is a storyline that resonates with many queer people. You're wasted here, you're a star in this small town of hand-me-downs who don't even know it.

2004 - Michael : Franz Ferdinand - At a dance party, two friends seem to become more than friends. Michael, you're the boy with all the leather hips, sticky hair, sticky hips, stubble on my sticky lips

2004 - Walking with a Ghost : Tegan and Sara - Thanks to a popular cover by the White Stripes, this is the song that brought twin sisters Tegan and Sara to people’s attention. This song is about being haunted by memories of her former romantic partner. No matter which way you go, no matter which way you stay, you're out of my mind, out of my mind.

2004 - Viz : Le Tigre - "Viz" is short for visibility, and this song is about butch-lesbian visibility

2004 - I Believe in You : Kylie Minogue - This song was written by Kylie together with the Scissor Sisters (a band where four of its five members are openly gay men who sing songs addressing queer topics), it’s no wonder this swirling disco-esque hit was embraced by the gay community

2005 - Hung Up : Madonna - This song is about living your best life and not wasting any more time on men who won’t call, and it includes that synthesizer riff from ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”

2006 - Standing in the Way of Control : Gossip - The song was written by lead singer Beth Ditto as a response to the Federal Marriage Amendment which would have constitutionally outlawed same-sex marriage in the United States. Beth said: "Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated. I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It's a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting."

2006 - Sorry : Madonna - I don't wanna hear. I don't wanna know. Please don't say 'forgive me.' I've seen it all before and I can't take it anymore. You've gone too far and a simple apology won't fix this, time to stand up for myself and leave you.

2006 - Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other : Willie Nelson - Willie Nelson’s long-time friend and tour manager came out of the closet which prompted Willie to release this song which queerifies the stereotypes associated with cowboys (and in truth, gay cowboys were common back in the day, but most people today are not aware of this). Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other. Say, what do you think all them saddles and boots was about? 

2006 - Fashionista : Jimmy James - This fiercely campy song is an homage to high fashion goes out to all the queens who know how to serve. Fashion is the art, designers are the gods. Models play the part of angels in the dark. The song pokes fun at the self-seriousness of the fashion set and uses the artificiality of fashion as a metaphor for life

2006 - One : U2, Mary J. Blige - A remake of the 1992 hit about the difficulty of a son coming out to his religious father.

2006 - Take Me or Leave Me : Idina Menzel, Tracie Thoms - This song from Rent has become one of the great breakup songs, and is sung between two polar opposite women: flirty Maureen and controlling Joanne

2006 - The Wings : Gustavo Santaolalla - This is the theme song from the movie Brokeback Mountain which was about the complex emotional and sexual relationship between two men in the 1960′s. The song itself is an instrumental. It begins as a guitar solo, then another instrument is added, and this is followed by a large instrumentation. I think it’s a way of showing the more we share our life with others the richer the music is we produce.

2006 - Valerie : Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse - Amy sings about yearning for her old lover Valerie. In this accoustic version the passion and desperation in her voice is so convincing. Well my body's been a mess and I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress. Won't you come on over? Stop making a fool out of me. Why don't you come on over Valerie?

2006 - An Easier Affair : George Michael - I told myself I was straight but I shouldn't have worried ‘cause my maker had a better plan for me. I love that lyric! George tells us life is a much easier affair without hiding in the closet and not worrying about the haters.

2006 - I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ : Scissor Sisters - This song is a response to the Bee Gees disco hit "You Should Be Dancing." Jake Shears called this "The happiest-sounding song ever written about staying in and feeling miserable."

2006 - Boys Wanna Be Her : Peaches - The singer has a magnetic presence & control over people. You've got them all by the balls, causing waterfalls. Stonewalls, bar brawls, climbing stalls at concert halls. The chorus recognizes her universal appeal as the boys wanna be her, the girls wanna be her, they desire her qualities and confidence. The second verse is about her musical prowess, talent, and individuality. The way you rock non-stop, girl, you got the chops. Flip-flop, she bop, self-taught, your licks are hot. Her power comes from being unapologetically herself, finding her voice, and defying gender conventions.  

2006 - I’m Gay : Bowling for Soup - The song uses the word ‘gay’ in the old-fashioned sense to mean ‘happy,’ but they do so tongue-in-cheek. In the chorus they encourage everyone to say "I’m gay!” I want to hear you say, "I'm gay!" (I'm gay!) Say, "I'm gay!" (I'm gay!). 

2006 - And I am Telling You I’m Not Going : Jennifer Hudson - This song is about an underdog,. And I am telling you that I’m not going. I’m going to be here and I’m going to thrive, I’m going to be me and you’re going to see me and you’re gonna love me.

2007 - Grace Kelly : MIKA - Mika felt frustrated with record label executives who wanted him to change his sound to be more like another singer. Mika wrote “Grace Kelly” to reject the idea of pretending to be someone else to win approval. We love Mika because he’s authentically queer and has no interest in conforming.

2007 - Billy Brown : MIKA - It was all going according to plan for Billy Brown--he had a wife, two kids and a dog. Then he fell in love with another man. A tale of bisexual awakening.

2007 - My Interpretation : MIKA - This is a gay breakup song. He doesn’t want to talk with his ex about why their relationship ended, because I have my interpretation and don’t need to hear your version. This is not about emotion. I don't need a reason not to care what you say, or what happened in the end. And it don't have to make no sense to you at all 'cause this is my interpretation

2007 - Verbatim : Mother Mother - Sexuality isn’t determined by our behavior but by who we’re attracted to. I wear women's underwear and then I go to strike a pose in my full length mirror. I cross my legs just like a queer, but my libido is strong when a lady is near, ya. What defines a straight man's straight?

2007 - Touch Up : Mother Mother - All my makeup, it has washed off. I need a touch up. He uses makeup and skincare as a way of renovating or updating his image, not something a male singer would typically sing about. 

2007 - Dear Mr. President (feat. Indigo Girls) : P!nk - This song criticizes George W. Bush’s presidency, including the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind Act, opposition to gay marriage and the gay rights movement, and a lack of empathy for poor and middle-class citizens. This lyric, though: And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay. The song features vocals from the Indigo Girls, both of whom are lesbians.

2007 - Love Today : MIKA - The song tells stories about people who want to find love in many different ways. Everybody is looking for someone to love and to be loved back, or maybe they’re looking to get laid, it all depends on how you want to interpret the lyrics, but however you interpret it, we want love today.

2007 - That’s Not My Name : The Ting Tings - This is a song for anyone who’s been disrespected by being deadnamed. The Ting Tings are a duo made of Katie White and Jules De Martino, who aren’t just musical partners but also romantic partners.

2007 - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) : MIKA - Mika covers this 1983 Eurythmics’ anthem of resilience. This song acknowledges that sometimes life is hard, some people want to use or abuse you, but hold your head up, and keep moving on and you’re sure to have sweet dreams.

2007 - I Don’t Dance : Corbin Bleu & Lucas Grabeel - This song from High School Musical 2 is where Chad, co-president of the drama club, is trying to get Ryan, co-president of the basketball team, to “swing” to the other side, if you know what I mean. The scene in the movie is about playing baseball, and at the end of it, the two of them are sitting together wearing the other’s clothes. Guess Chad got Ryan to swing.  

2007 - Gimme More : Britney Spears - After months of having her personal life made very public, Britney used this song to make a comeback. Her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards was criticized as lackluster and lots of people commented on whether she’d ever recover. Gay YouTuber Chris Crocker became an overnight sensation, pleading for people to “Leave Britney alone!” Britney survived, bounced back, and 9 of her 13 top 10 hits came after this. 

2007 - Happy Ending : MIKA - Not every saga or relationship lasts joyously forever, some will not have a happy ending. Find hope from the despair and that is how to start on an even more beautiful story that leads to a happy ending. 

2007 - Untouched : The Veronicas - There's nothing explicitly queer in the lyrics of this song, but it rocks and is sung by a queer singer & an ally. The Veronicas is a band of 2 twin sisters from Australia, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. Jessica identifies as queer and sexually fluid, she has had high-profile relationships with women and men. Lisa marched in support of gay marriage in California, and both sisters joined the "Wear it with Pride" campaign to overturn discrimination against same-sex couples in Australia. 

2007 - Lollipop : MIKA - “Lollipop” is a song in which Mika is warning against falling in love too fast. You should live your life to the fullest, and not let loneliness get in the way of happiness, do not live your life waiting for love.  

2008 - Back in Your Head : Tegan and Sara - I think this song is about a relationship that has gotten so comfortable that it’s become a friendship and not a romance. This lyric is brilliant: Build a wall of books between us in our bed, going to bed has turned into reading book after book until the lights go out, no longer any hint there might be a sexual spark. While the lyrics don’t indicate the gender of their partner, given it’s a song by twin sisters who are both lesbian, we can assume it’s about a girlfriend.

2008 - Just Dance : Lady Gaga feat. Colby O’Donis - This is Gaga’s first hit and she tells herself to just dance and everything will be okay. Whatever hard things are going on in our life, sometimes we have to take a break and dance. Lady Gaga performed this at the inaugural NewNowNext Awards, which were broadcast on the Logo network which is a channel aimed at the queer community

2008 - I Kissed a Girl : Katy Perry - Katy has a boyfriend, but she kissed a girl and liked it. Don’t pretend you don’t want to run to the nearest drugstore for some cherry chapstick after listening to this song. 

2008 - This is Me : Demi Lovato - This song from Camp Rock wasn't purposefully queer but has become a coming-out song

2008 - Hayloft : Mother Mother : In 2020, asking someone, “Hey, do you listen to Mother Mother?” is essentially asking if someone is nonbinary. This is because on TikTok people frequently used the lead-in instrumentals of the song “Hayloft” on videos when someone talks about discoveries regarding their identity that distinguishes them from their cisgender peers. 

2008 - Burning Pile : Mother Mother : In this song, a man gathers up all his problems and burns them. Life can be complicated and how nice it would be to gather up all the complications of our life and be rid of them.

2008 - Body : Mother Mother - The song “Body” details a process of casting off limbs and organs by the singer because they’ve grown tired of this body, a cumbersome and heavy body, which works as a gender dysphoria anthem.

2008 - Arms Tonite : Mother Mother - While it may be a fluke that their music became associated with being nonbinary, many Mother Mother songs challenge conformity and participation in cis-normative societal roles.

2008 - Poker Face : Lady Gaga - “Poker Face” is all about masking your thoughts. During a performance in 2009, Gaga explained that the song is about her personal experience with bisexuality. When she’s with a man but fantasizing about a woman, she’s got a “Poker Face” so he won’t know what is going through her mind.

2008 - Womanizer : Britney Spears - There’s a stereotype that gay people walk quickly and the joke is it’s because we have “Womanizer” by Britney Spears (140 bpm) playing in our heads. 

2008 - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) : Beyoncé - What is it about songs of strong women that gay men love, especially if they’re danceable? Beyoncé is a diva loved by gay men and she reciprocates the love. In 2013, Beyoncé said she supported marriage equality. “If you like it you should be able to put a ring on it.” There have been countless videos uploaded of gay men performing to this song.

2009 - Cover Girl : RuPaul - The theme song to RuPaul’s Drag Race, the TV show which brought Drag performance and culture to the masses.  

2009 - Diva : Beyoncé - Beyoncé’s is loved by gay men, trans women, and drag queens love to perform her songs. And this song feels like she acknowledges this as she repeatedly states “I’m a diva.” 

2009 - Champion : RuPaul - Drag Race has become a platform that pushes one RuPaul song after another into a hit, this being one of them.

2009 - The Climb : Miley Cyrus - Miley sings of perseverance and overcoming self-doubt. The song inspires everyone to keep going. Whether you’re in search of a dream or going through a difficult time, learn to appreciate the long journey to a better place.

2009 - If U Seek Amy : Britney Spears - “If U Seek Amy” is a song that lets you see either a dirty pun, or her sexual interest in a woman, or both. Love me, hate me. Say what you want about me, but all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy (F.U.C.K me).

2009 - Love Who You Love : Rascal Flatts - This song was written as a reminder to show affection to the people closest to you, as you never know when it will be too late. Singer Gary LeVox said this track also can be interpreted as a message of support towards the gay community.

2009 - When Love Takes Over : David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - When you grow up ashamed of who you are, that’s complicated and it takes time to be ready to love someone. But when we fall in love it feels so good and wonderful, that’s when love takes over from shame. Letting ourselves live & love is a way to show pride in ourselves.

2009 - Love Story : The Scene Aesthetics - This acoustic/indie pop band did a cover of Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story.” Having two males sing the love lyrics to each other gives the song a new feel.

2009 - Heavy Cross : Gossip - This song was the first international hit for Gossip, reaching the top ten across Europe, yet lesbian lead singer Beth Ditto, who is outspoken in support of LGBT and feminist causes, isn’t well known in her home country of the USA. Beth exclaims that life is very hard alone. It's a cruel cruel world, to face on your own, a heavy cross, to carry alone. 

2009 - Jealous of my Boogie : RuPaul - A song made popular by RuPaul’s Drag Race

2009 - Bulletproof : La Roux - The song is about a girl who has been through a lot of bad relationships and hopes that next time maybe I'll be bulletproof, meaning she hopes she doesn't get hurt when things go wrong. Singer Elly Jackson was vague in answering questions about her sexuality. She had a girlfriend at the time but worried what coming out would mean for her career. She feels androgynous but more feminine than masculine, and she doesn’t call herself “gay”, “straight” or “bisexual,” she doesn’t like labels.

2009 - F*ck You : Lily Allen - The song was written as a protest against George W. Bush and his homophobia, but the song took on a bigger meaning after Prop 8, an anti-gay marriage state constitutional amendment, was passed in California. This song is now used against all kind of homophobia.

2009 - Butch : Saint Motel - While her dad is gone, she sneaks into his room and puts on his clothes. A guy shows up at the house and sees her, is she a butch lesbian or possibly trans? I’m into you, but what am I into? A girl or are you a guy? Being into someone even if you aren’t sure of their gender is so queer.

2009 - We Are Golden : MIKA - This song is a celebration of youth. The video has Mika dancing around his teenage bedroom in his underpants. Mika has said the song's theme is about a person’s burgeoning sexuality. With that in mind, these lyrics hint that teenager Mika would eventually come out as gay: We are not what you think we are, and I was running from the things that you’d say. 

2009 - Toy Boy : MIKA -This is a song done in 3 scenes. Scene 1 is about a boy who was dating another boy. His boyfriend’s mama says it is wrong to sleep with a boy and she says homosexuality is a serious thing in a grown-up world and for her son he would be better with a Barbie girl. Consequently he dumps the man who loves him. In scene 2, the man who was dumped is now in an unhappy marriage with a woman. His wife treats him like a toy whom she dresses like the man of her dreams, then puts him away when she's done with him. He's not himself in this marriage. In the final scene, he reminisces of how he once had a boy who loved him but now (thanks to the mom) is afraid of being with him. He hopes that in the future when his ex-boyfriend looks back, he’ll remember their time fondly, and he’ll use the tragic story of his former love to teach his son to seek happiness and love.

2009 - I See You : MIKA - The song is about being in a room with someone and having romantic thoughts & feelings about them, but not having the courage to say anything. You don’t know how they’d react so you resign yourself to simply getting to see them.

2009 - Bad Romance : Lady Gaga - First, it’s gender neutral so any of us can sing without translating pronouns. Second, it’s about loving someone completely, including their “bad” parts. I want your ugly, I want your disease. Third, Lady Gaga showed up to the 2010 MTV Music Awards with four members of the U.S. military who had been discharged or resigned because of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. When she went on stage to receive the Video of the Year award for “Bad Romance,” Gaga wore the now-famous meat dress as a way to show her anger about the military’s anti-LGBTQ policy. “If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones.”

2009 - For Your Entertainment : Adam Lambert - After a successful run on Season 8 of American Idol, Adam debuted his first single at the 2009 American Music Awards. The performance featured various dancers in bondage gear, included 2 guys Lambert led around by a leather rope, and Adam kissed the man playing keyboards. It was a bit much for many watching.

2009 - Whataya Want From Me : Adam Lambert - I wonder if this song is referencing when he was figuring out his sexuality with words like Yeah, it’s plain to see, baby you’re beautiful and there’s nothing wrong with you. It’s me, I’m a freak.

2009 - Rain : MIKA - Mika wrote a break-up letter to say it didn’t seem like his ex did anything special for him, didn’t do anything to show he loved Mika. He was left feeling ordinary, he wanted more than that. Mika decided turning that letter into a song would feel empowering. 

2009 - Someday : Rob Thomas - This song hopes that someday the problems of today will be worked out. At the time, same-sex marriage was still illegal in most of the US and this song was embraced as hope that Someday we will have this fixed.

2010 - Diplomat’s Son : Vampire Weekend - This song is about 2 boys who are best friends. One of them has had a crush on his friend for a long time but never thought there was a chance anything could happen. Then one night he tells his friend that he likes him as more than just a friend, and they wind up sleeping together. In the morning, he wakes up to find his best friend is gone. Maybe this indicates it wasn’t love, just his friend experimenting, so the young man decides to end his life by jumping into a river by his home in the middle of the winter. 

2010 - Telephone : Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce - A song with both Gaga and Bey is just as fabulous as it gets. Original Queer Eye culture expert Jai Rodriguez has a cameo appearance as a reporter, sealing the deal: a new queer classic song is born.

2010 - Fearless Love : Melissa Etheridge - The song’s first line is I was 17, you kissed my lips. Etheridge explained “It was the first time I kissed a girl…It was intense going through that experience and having the fireworks go off: ‘Oh my God, this is greatest thing ever! This is what all my girlfriends have been talking about when they kiss boys’ and stuff." Regarding the lyric, You are what you are afraid of, Melissa said "If you say, 'Oh I’m afraid of this’ and it stops you from doing, then you become what you are afraid of.”

2010 - Cold War : Janelle Monáe - The song starts off saying being alone’s the only way to be. When you step outside, you spend life fighting for your sanity. The song says this is a cold war but if the weak unite and have faith in love, the mighty will crumble. So powerful. Alone we feel weak and need to hide, but united we are strong. This is followed by I was made to believe there was something wrong with me. Janelle has said this and additional songs about being “other” are related to her being a queer Black woman and people in all those identities can identify with the message.

2010 - Blame it on the Girls : MIKA - This song is about how people don’t appreciate what they have and try to find others to blame for their problems. In the song, a handsome, rich man seems to have it all, yet is still unhappy. Instead of taking responsibility for his choices of how he spends his time and money, he blames others. The chorus has very bi vibes. Blame it on the girls who know what to do. Blame it on the boys who keep hitting on you...Blame it on the girls. Blame it on the boys. Blame it on the girls. Blame it on the boys. 

2010 - Not Myself Tonight : Christina Aguilera - Donned in leather, ball gags, whips, the lyrics say ‘I’m kissing all the boys and the girls’ 

2010 - Dancing on my Own : Robyn - It’s a post-break up song. Somebody said you got a new friend. Does she love you better than I can? But with a great dance beat like this, it’s a sure bet Robyn won’t be dancing on her own for long.

2010 - Alejandro : Lady Gaga - In the video, Gaga dresses in a red latex nun outfit, eats a rosary, and intermingled with the Catholic imagery are clear references to gay love.

2010 - Ain’t No Son : Court Yard Hounds - Court Yard Hounds is a side project of the two sisters from Dixie Chicks. The song was written after watching a documentary of families who throw their young sons out of the house when they find out their child is gay. 

2010 - If I Had You : Adam Lambert - I love how the beginning sounds like Adam is going out to a gay club. So I got my boots on, got the right amount of leather, and I’m doing me up with a black color liner, and I’m working my strut. Not the way we usually hear about a guy getting ready for a night out.

2010 - Feel It in My Bones : Tiësto feat. Tegan and Sara - Tiësto teamed up with our favorite lesbian twin sisters Tegan and Sara for this song where one person in a relationship has been betrayed or hurt. They feel the hurt in their bones. They were knocked down and manage to pick themselves back up and let go of the person who caused the hurt and reclaim their strength. But love, even when it’s lost, continues to have a hold on us and it’s difficult to move on. 

2010 - Football Song : Matt Fishel - The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a young gay schoolboy with a crush on the straight captain of the school’s football (soccer) team. It is ambiguous whether or not the relationship between the two is real or in the narrator’s mind. 

2010 - Te Amo : Rihanna - A woman says to Rihanna te amo, which means “I love you.” Rihanna’s response is I feel the love, but I don’t feel that way. The lyrics may find Rihanna hesitant to love this other woman, but the video tells another story as Rihanna initially resists the seduction, but eventually gives in to the woman’s charm.

2010 - All the Lovers : Kylie Minogue - A feel-good track about love and dancing your fears away. The video has people strip down to their underwear, form a pyramid, and begin kissing. Definite pansexual vibes.   

2010 - Mine : Taylor Swift - This is a song about a careless man’s careful daughter going off to college and falling in love with a small-town waitress. That’s it, that’s the song.

2010 - Ice Cream Truck : Cazwell - It’s a cute, simple and upbeat 1980’s-style summer anthem that conveys happiness about being gay. The video is delightfully raunchy, a bunch of shirtless male dancers licking popsicles.

2010 - Whip My Hair : Willow Smith - The song is a message of self-love, to be yourself and don’t let anyone tell you that's wrong. To whip your hair with such abandon takes a certain self-confidence and willingness to have fun no matter what others think. Willow would later come out as bisexual, stating "I love men and women equally". She also supports polyamorous relationships.

2010 - Best Thing About Me is You : Ricky Martin - Earlier in the year, Ricky Martin officially came out as gay. The video features couples, mostly interracial queer couples. Life is short so make it what you wanna. Make it good, don’t wait until mañana

2010 - Raise Your Glass : P!nk - Lyrics like these are relatable: So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways, all my underdogs. Ignore convention and just let loose. Plus, the video has her singing at a gay wedding.

2010 - Far Away : Marsha Ambrosius - Marsha wrote this song after a gay friend attempted suicide because of the abuse he experienced. The video has scenes of gay bashing and homophobia. She sings of her sadness at missing her friend.

2010 - Pretty Girl Rock : Keri Hilson - Keri is an LGBTQ ally. When asked about this song, she answered, "there’s so many 'rules’ to society’s view of beauty. I wanted to dispel that and get rid of that. We’re all beautiful in our own unique ways, you just have to find that happy place within yourself.” The video has Keri dressed as a star from 9 different decades, from the 1920’s all the way to herself in 2010 and is her “way of paying homage to groundbreaking women, strong women who were fearless and so bold and so confident that they made women feel that way. And I hope to do the same.” 

2010 - We R Who We R : Ke$ha - After a news story that bullying leads to suicides of gay youth, she was upset people have to hide themselves and pretend to be someone other than who they are in order to be safe. Ke$ha wrote this song in hopes it would become a Pride anthem and it is intended to inspire people to be themselves, celebrate who you are, and to celebrate anyone deemed quirky or eccentric. 

2010 - Firework : Katy Perry - Everyone is a firework, they have an ordinary or insignificant wrapping, but in the right situation they ignite and show how amazing, extraordinary, and beautiful each of us is. The video features a scene in which two boys passionately kiss. Katy Perry dedicated this song to the It Gets Better video campaign aimed at queer youth who may feel alone or suicidal.

2010 - Teenage Dream : Glee Cast - Having this song being sung by one boy for another was a big moment on a popular TV show.

2010 - Back to December : Taylor Swift - She spends all summer with someone and then autumn rolls around and she realizes she love them. The bonus is already knowing their family from when you were best friends before the relationship changed. Then ending everything with them because you’re scared. Could this get any gayer? Plus there’s no gendered pronouns in this song, a common way to slip a gay love song past the straights.

2010 - F**kin’ Perfect : P!nk - With all the negative messages we grow up hearing and believing about our gender identity or sexual orientation, these lyrics are so powerful: You’re so mean when you talk about yourself. You were wrong. Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead.

2011 - Born This Way : Lady Gaga - Many songs hint at queer identities and acceptance by using metaphors, but not this one, it is direct. No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life, I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive. The hype song is a battle cry for equality.

2011 - We All Try : Frank Ocean - Frank Ocean sings of losing faith in mankind as the LGBTQIA+ community struggles to find acceptance. I believe that marriage isn’t between a man and woman, but between love and love, and I believe you when you say you’ve lost all faith, but you must believe in something. He reassures the queer community that I just don’t believe we’re wicked, I know that we sin but I do believe we try.

2011 - Call Your Girlfriend : Robyn - Robyn is telling her two-timing partner (is it a man or a woman, who knows?) to end things with their girlfriend, and advises them on how to do it gently. Call your girlfriend. It’s time you had the talk. Give your reasons. Say it’s not her fault but you just met somebody new.

2011 - Run the World (Girls) : Beyoncé - If girls did run the world maybe we’d be better off!

2011 - Glamazon : RuPaul - A glamazon is a beautiful, thick, tall, voluptuous woman. In this video, drag queens are glamazons, wreaking havoc on the world until an even bigger glamazon (RuPaul) shows up

2011 - Turn it Off : Cast of The Book of Mormon musical - A funny song that talks about turning off sad or uncomfortable feelings, this includes a gay Mormon missionary turning off his gay feelings.

2011 - Americano : Lady Gaga - The scenario is she has fallen in love with a girl from East L.A. (which has a mostly Hispanic population) but they can’t marry due to the laws prohibiting gay marriage. As to the I don’t speak your Americano, I don’t speak your language oh no, I don’t speak your Jesus Cristo, I think it’s rejecting the religious rhetoric used to justify the laws.

2011 - Make it Stop (September’s Children) : Rise Against - The song & video are about the bullying and harassment of LGBTQ youth, driving them to the point of suicide. The lead singer says the song’s message is “it can get better, it does get better, give it a chance to get better, don’t end your life prematurely.” The video was a collaboration with the It Gets Better Project, a nonprofit organization that aims to prevent suicide within the LGBTQ community

2011 - I Wanna Go : Britney Spears - Britney sings a song poking fun at her past. Lately people got me all tied up. There’s a countdown waiting for me to erupt. Time to blow out. 

2011 Love On Top : Beyonce - This is a jam by Queen B and she sings of her partner treating her like a Queen, putting her above everything. That’s the kind of love we all want.

2011 – Call Me Maybe : Carly Rae Jepsen - The video begins with Carly Rae spying on her attractive neighbor as he is working on his lawn. She tries to get his attention with various provocative poses only for her neighbor to give his phone number to Carly Rae’s male band mate

2011 - We Found Love : Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris - Finding love in a hopeless place, for many queer people this can be what it’s like in a heteronormative society, especially for someone in the closet…which can feel hopeless, and then love is found

2011 - The First Time : Matt Fishel - Fishel said of the song: “The first time I kissed another boy was an amazing, life-changing moment for me. I can remember the day it happened really vividly and I [wanted] to write a song about all those feelings of warmth and nostalgia that come from that first special moment.”

2011 - Who You Are : Jessie J - The song acknowledges it’s okay to be sad sometimes as you figure out who you are, but be true to who you are and don’t become somebody else. 

2011 - Everybody Talks : Neon Trees - TikTok has made this the pansexual anthem and it has joined a list of music that is code for sexual orientation & gender identity. “Do you listen to Girl in Red?” “No, I listen to Everybody Talks.” In other words, “Are you a lesbian?” “No, I’m pansexual.” The song itself is about gossip. Tyler Glenn, the lead singer, says this is about a girl who spread rumors that he was gay, so yeah, It started with a whisper, and that was when I kissed her, and then she made my lips hurt.

2011 - Take a Bow : Matt Alber - A beautiful, heartfelt cover of the 1994 Madonna song with just a guitar for accompaniment. An openly gay man singing the words to his male lover. 

2011 – Titanium : David Guetta feat. Sia – The openly queer singer Sia wrote this song about enduring everything the world throws at you and coming out stronger.

Link to My Queer Playlist - Part 1 songs from 1939 to 1993

Link to My Queer Playlist - Part 3 songs from 2012 to 2017

Link to My Queer Playlist - Part 4 songs from 2018 to present

Link to my Queer Disney Songs Playlist

Link to my K-Pop Queer Playlist

#queer playlist #long post

[leverage-ot3]

to all the leverage fans out there, I thought I’d throw out some recommendations of other shows that y’all might like

this is completely centered around the lgbt aspects of leverage (how none of the characters are straight, how there is a canon ot3, etc), because I know other people have recommended white collar and stuff but I haven’t personally seen that and I’m just a humble lgbt wanting to share more gay shows with y’all

1. wynonna earp (my sideblog is @angelicearps)

just renewed for a fourth season after two years (this feeling is very familiar to leverage fans)

the first episode of season four aired last night and IM SCREAMING the writers served us a five course meal

the main love story includes waverly earp, a CANON (officially as of 4.01) bisexual girl falling in love with nicole haught, a lesbian cop-turned-sheriff (that’s a slight spoiler, so sorry about that) and both of them are main characters

wynonna earp, another main character, has a complicated relationship with two different men and is not slut shamed for it and is never put down about it

I’m serious- the healthiest and most stable relationship in the show is between waverly and nicole, so wlw nation rise

wynonna and waverly are descendants of the great gunslinger (and demon killer) wyatt earp, who ended up getting a curse on his future generations. the story of the show is centered around wynonna being the chosen heir having to fight demons and try to break the curse for good

doc holiday is another main character- yes, that doc holiday. he’s one of wynonna’s love interests and he has such a pure and loving relationship with waverly. he’d literally die for her and move heaven and hell to make sure she’s safe (that’s literally canon)

jeremy comes in around season two if I remember correctly. canon gay. gets in a relationship with another canon gay character whose name I am blanking on. they are very loving and very pure

literally, in 4.01, when armed military men are breaking into the earp homestead and he doesn’t know what to do, he literally says: “gays only?” lol they didn’t respect that answer

the show has so many good quips and one-liners. so many hilarious lines. it can be an angsty show at times but they definitely balance it out with humor and wlw softness between waverly and nicole

wynonna has a baby in season two and literally calls herself a milf

it also made fans faint because they have been calling nicole “daddy” for like six years and nicole was referred to as daddy three (3) times in 4.01

this show is NOT AFRAID to say things like gay, lesbian, etc. at one point someone tweeted at emily andreas (the writer) asking her to amp up the gay energy and she responded that she would

literally, emily andreas is on the same level as john rogers with trustability and dedication to fans

emily andreas heard of the bury your gays trope and did us one better: unkillible gays trope. the gays are unkillable.

2. motherland: fort salem (my sideblog is @fortsalem)

(HELL YEAH I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE FANDOM AND I GOT THE HANDS DOWN B E S T URL)

au where during the salem witch trials a witches named sarah alder made an agreement with the government that witches would serve for the us army in exchange for not being systematically hunted down and killed

THIS IS NOT MILITARY PROPAGANDA. sorry, I just had to make this point early on because it’s not even though it might seem like it in the beginning. literally by the end of the season you see it’s very corrupt

since this is an alternate history of the united states, in this universe there are no heteronorms. literally, there’s literally no words for lesbian and bisexual that they use because it’s so normalized and common and accepted that there’s no need for terms like that

the main love story is of star-crossed raelle and scylla. raelle comes from a poor family and is a talented healer, and (this isn’t technically a spoiler because you find out in episode one) scylla is a member of the spree

the spree is a terrorist organization of witches that protests the compliance witches are forced into by having to join the military or die/be imprisoned

scylla is supposed to turn raelle to the “dark side” but falls so deeply in love with her that she can’t do it (THATS TRUE LOVE FOLKS)

the students at fort salem (the military school) are divided into groups of three: the main group being focused on is composed of raelle, tally, and abigail

tally craven is a pure-hearted baby and I’d die for her. she is very idealistic about fighting in the military (but don’t worry that’s fixed by the end of the season)

abigail bell weather comes from a high military family and is kinda really stuck up about it, but she’s humbled a lot by the end of the season. this girl has LAYERS (they all do, but abigail goes through a lot and goes from very stuck up and stuck up the military’s ass to questioning everything she knows)

the trio starts off rocky, especially between raelle and abigail, because raelle blames abigail’s mother for her mother’s death (her mother’s unit was led by abigail’s mother)

the beltane episode literally hits you in the face with how there are literally no heteronorms whatsoever. they do this sacred dance where by the end they will end up with the people they are destined to spend the celebration with (“trust the dance”). raelle makes friends with a gay guy and they spend the celebration making fun of the sex noises around them and become gay friends for life. abigail has sex with two (2) guys who kiss each other. a group of four girls went off together. a group of two girls and a guy went off together. and sex isn’t shamed. at all. in fact, it’s respected as a part of life. and y’all, literally this representation was OFF THE CHARTS

the witch’s most powerful tool is their voice,,, think about that for a minute

it’s an all girls school so there are like no guys whatsoever minus the beltane episode and a couple others

EMPOWERED WOMEN (of all ages and ethnicities too)

3. siren (my sideblog is @polymarinelove)

imma start off by saying that season three doesn’t exist. don’t watch season three. don’t do it. the disappointment is real

ANYWAYS

the central love story is between an interracial couple (a white guy and his black girlfriend that has a native american stepfather) that turns into a loving polyamorous relationship

maddie, the girlfriend, is amazing and incredibly smart and the first two seasons (and the beginning of the third) accentuate that and they never downplay her because she’s a black woman like many shows and movies do. she’s a smart stem woman and we stan her so hard. she’s also bisexual.

ben, the guy, comes from a rich family that are basically the hotshots of the town and own the fishing company that the community works for. his dad is hella untrustable. ben doesn’t trust him and neither should you. he is kindhearted and smart and respectful, and at one point teaches a merman about consent after being kissed by him (and he didn’t even #nohomo it which was AMAZING)

now to the mermaids

mermaids are apex predators. they are very dangerous. they are very strong. they’re also wickedly smart, canon smarter than humans

the story begins when donna, ryn’s sister, is captured by a fishing boat and carted off to a military facility. ryn comes to land to try to find and save her. (she literally choses her name because she sees a character on a kid’s tv show saying “I am ryn” which is also the first thing in english that she can say)

she ends up being helped by ben and maddie and legit is like these humans are hot imma learn english for them

there’s a lot of really cool and thought out lore as well as TONS of thoughtful marine biology science that makes sense

oh and transforming from mermaid to human? painful as FUCK. realistic depictions of having your body literally transform into something else

humans are wrecking the oceans and that’s a heavy theme of the show

oil rigs are poisoning the water (making them infertile) and killing mermaids with their sonic drilling

so ben and maddie lowkey commit an act of ecoterrorism but it’s chill

“ben and maddie are love” they’re poly, bitches

they come together in a natural, organic way

very healthy and communicative

ben’s alright but ryn and maddie are amazing

don’t watch season three if you don’t want to be majorly disappointed. the writers listened to the homophobic trolls on instagram and broke up the polyamorous relationship and I’ll NEVER forgive them for that. seasons one and two are amazing though. just don’t watch the third one.

#leverage ot3 #leverage #reccommendations #my recs #siren #siren freeform #motherland fort salem #fort salem #wynonna earp #mine