Welcome to another of our biweekly blog series! In this edition, we're celebrating Pride month all across the globe! We've rounded up some of our favorite queer and LGTBQA+ fics from the archives, some recent LGBTQA+ news, and also some personal stories and information about being a part of the LGBTQA+ community! Always be your authentic self if it's safe to do so -- and remember that there's nothing to be ashamed of. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Since our blog post last year celebrating Pride month, there has been a great influx of LGBTQA+ stories to the archives! This is only a small selection of those that everyone should definitely check out! 

Everybody Lives Series by @facingthenorthwind
Song For The Julian Calendar by @facingthenorthwind
The Fortunate Ones by @MegGonagall
The Best Day Of My Life by @MegGonagall
Replenished by @MegGonagall
Marigolds by @Unwritten Curse
Icarus by @Stella Blue
Hidden Desire by @Lacey Black
Tasty (M) by @Lacey Black
to dwell on dreams by @Stella Blue
I don't smoke (M) by @poppunkpadfoot
Of Bookshelves and Baby Carriers (M) by @poppunkpadfoot
Breathe (M) by @poppunkpadfoot
Skewed Toward Truth by @MuggleMaybe
Goodbye, Love, Goodbye by @MuggleMaybe
When I Got Out With You by @Dojh167
To Boil Telephone Porridge by @teh tarik
red luck by @just.a.willow.tree
lazy days by @just.a.willow.tree
how long? by @crestwood
Scars From Tomorrow by @Nix
Cut From The Same Cloth by @Nix
Chill for an Hour by @VaguelyCreativeName
9.9 Out of 10, Highly Recommend by @down-in-flames

In the past year there has been a lot in the global news regarding LGBTQA+ folks, and quite a bit of it is good! Here's a snapshot of some of the biggest news stories we found. If you have more news, please share it in the comments! 🌈

India legalised gay sex
India's Supreme Court ruled in September 2018 to decriminalize gay sex, ruling that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation violates fundamental human rights. It was also a unanimous decision by the panel of 5 judges! Previously, it was categorized with other sexual acts as an "unnatural offense" that could be punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and was often used to harass same-sex couples. The good news now is that the LGBTQA community has a lot to celebrate with this ruling and can be their true selves without fear of jail time for doing so. 

Same sex marriage in Taiwan
Just last month Taiwan's Parliament legalized same-sex marriage, the first place in Asia to do so! In 2017 their Constitutional Court ruled that laws prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying violated their personal freedom and equal protection and gave the government two years to come up with the legal framework to comply with the ruling. Needless to say, it's been a huge celebration for the last month as hundreds of couples have gotten married under the new law!

Gay Indian prince opens his doors to queer people in need
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, India's only openly gay prince, has opened his palace to vulnerable people of the LGBT community in his home state of Gujarat, India. He's doing this by building a center for LGBT people on the grounds of his palace where they can live, receive healthcare, education and job training skills. He's from a small town in India, so he really wanted to help people in a similar situation to how he was before he came out get on their feet and have a place to call home. 

Marsha P Johnson & Sylvia Rivera Monuments
New York City announced plans for statues honoring transgender activists Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to be unveiled in 2021 to memorialize their key roles in the gay rights liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s, along with their participation in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Johnson and Rivera duo co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, an organization which had a shelter for members of the trans community who were shunned by their families. For many people, these two served as idols and role models to look up to when fighting for LGBTQA+ rights, and 50 years on from Stonewall their fight continues. 

NYPD Commissioner Apologies for 1696 Raid on Stonewall Inn
The current NYPD commissioner James O'Neill released a statement apologizing for the department's raid that night on the Stonewall Inn that kickstarted the public gay rights movement. Previously the department has merely expressed regret about actions taken during that night, but this full-out apology is a step forward for the NYPD in coming to terms with their actions during that night. It also shows to those LGBTQA+ people that might want to join the NYPD that the department is working to dissipate lingering discontent in the LGBTQA+ community. 

Some of our wonderful members were willing to share their own personal stories regarding their experiences within the LGBTQA+ community. Please feel free to share your own personal journeys in the comments as well if you're comfortable with doing so. Let's please appreciate these lovely folks for their openness and proudness as part of the LGBTQA+ community! 🏳️‍🌈

| S O M E T H I N G   W I C K E D |

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1. My brother accidentally outed me to my very traditional, catholic grandmother a few months back. She was incredibly angry for a few moments, in what looked to me like it was because of my sexuality, but once she started talking it turned out it was only anger at herself because I had felt like I couldn’t tell her. This was so surprising but since then she’s been incredible. Educating herself on bisexuality and being willing to ask me questions and discuss things with me that would have once seemed impossible to talk with her about.

2. In September, at the age of sixty and after six years living openly as a woman, my dad FINALLY got her operation and is now living her best life in a body she feels comfortable in. (she’s also now stealing my jeans which makes me both incredibly happy and a little annoyed at the same time)

| G R U M P Y   C A T |

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Kris recently shared a blog post about her experience, which can be found here+.

| F A C I N G T H E N O R T H W I N D |

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Compulsory heterosexuality (sometimes shortened to comphet) is the idea that not only is heterosexuality the default that everything else deviates from, but also that you have some kind of obligation (usually through social pressure) to perform heterosexuality. The idea of "performing" traits such as gender or sexuality is too complex to get fully into (also I don't have a degree in gender studies, haha), but I think we can all understand the idea of being pressured into being something you're not.

Compulsory heterosexuality can take many forms, and it's often why many people who come out as queer later in life are met with surprise. You Cannot Possibly Be Gay, a cishet person will say, Because You Had a Boyfriend In Primary School. I don't know about you, but I had a "crush" on multiple boys in primary school and it went absolutely nowhere. Even when I discovered queerness, it took several years to finally be comfortable with who I was and what labels I chose. They shifted over time, because people change and grow in their self-knowledge and gender and sexuality can be fluid.

As unintuitive as it seems, compulsory heterosexuality can even negatively impact heterosexual people,  as they feel pressured to pursue relationships. This June, it might be worth thinking about the choices and obligations you have in your relationships with others, and whether some of them are just societal pressures writ small. As so often happens, pushing for equality for minorities also benefits the majority, as a multiplicity of views can mean there are new answers to questions the majority hasn't even thought to ask.

If anyone wants to discuss this or other queer things privately, feel free to send me a PM. ❤️ May all your relationships be healthy and happy!

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credits:

graphics: rumpels | layout: madi
fic recs: lexi
news: emma, madi
stories: emma, deni, kris
huge s/o to @something wicked, and @grumpy cat for sharing their stories!