federal protection vs. state rights
When LGBTQ Kids Feel Rejected At Home
Rob Todaro, Press Secretary of the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project, reported alarming statistics from a recent Morning Consult Survey. One-third of LGBTQ young Americans felt they couldn’t be themselves at home with their parents for fear of rejection or worse being “kicked out” of the…
Planes, Trains, and Automobile Remake by Pete Buttigieg
On February 2, 2021, Pete Buttigieg was confirmed, by a vote of 86 to 13, as the Secretary of Transportation. The youngest Senate member at age thirty-nine, he has the distinction of being the first out LGBTQ official cabinet member to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to a cabinet position. Since 2008, Buttigieg has…
Biden Signs Away Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops
On his first day in office, forty-sixth President Joseph Biden, Jr. directed all agencies to address any policies in place that discriminated against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (a person’s innate, deeply-felt psychological identification as a man, woman or some other gender), including housing, education, employment and health care. As…
LGBTQIA: What Does the A Stand For? No, It’s Not Ally!
The correct answer is Asexual. In our sexually-charged society and social media, it is possible to be asexual. In fact, 1% or nearly three million people refer to themselves as asexual or “aces,” according to Lisa Zhang at TED X Gunn High School Talk on YouTube (3-26-2014). What Is Asexuality? Asexuality is a term for…
State of The Union Before 2021: How’s the LGBT Community Doing?
It has been a tough year for many people: unemployment, isolation, escalation in drug abuse, a world-wide pandemic taking so many lives, schools shut. Yet despite all the social problems of this year, there have been some bright spots in this trying time. The LGBT community made some strides and should continue to do so…
National Homelessness Youth Awareness Month: November
Did you know that: LGBT Youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness. LGBTQ youth are over represented in the foster care system. They are more likely to become homeless, according to http://pflag.com. One in three transgender Americans have been homeless at some point in their lives. According to Covenant House, LGBT youth comprise 40%…
Why We Need Transgender Awareness Week November 13-19
Yearly, you can count on the third week in November being celebrated as National Transgender Awareness Week. Between November 13-19, people and organizations in the U.S. help raise visibility about transgender people. As allies of the trans community, we need to address the issues members of that community face such as social stigma, discrimination and…
Pronouns Aren’t Just Good Grammar
If you have an LGBT child, you need to address them by the right pronouns. It not only demonstrates acceptance but acknowledges their identity. It is particularly troublesome for a transgender child or gender non-conforming child to hear the more common pronoun she/her/he/him that is applied to cis-gender kids (those who identify with the sex…
What Can You Do If Your School Isn’t An Ally To Prevent Bullying
National Bullying Prevention Month is coming to a close. Your kids have hopefully been able to attend school these last two months. While the opening of schools may be a blessing for you as a parent, it may be hellish for your LGBT child if he is being bullied. Although the school climate is better…
How Do You Make Your Child’s School An Ally?
Great! You’ve been doing your duty of making your child an ally at home. You’ve taught how to outsmart bullies, online and in person. But how do you make the school an ally, especially when you’re not there to see the violations? Here are some tips: Include your child in the problem-solving. If he’s included,…
How to Outwit Your Child’s Bullies at School
Last week, I wrote about cyberbullying and how it affects your family. I also gave tips on how to protect your child during National Bullying Prevention Month (October). It’s important to know how to teach your kids to confront bullies in person. School has started and the bullies are in session with your kids. Is…
October is Bullying Prevention Month
Perhaps, one of the most famous cyberbullying cases involved a Rutgers Freshman, Tyler Clementi a talented musician who happened to be gay. In 2010, Tyler was humiliated and shamed when his roommate Dharun Ravi activated a secret video camera to record Tyler’s sexual relations and streamed it to others on the campus. This cyber-harassment lead…
LGBT History Month Oct. 1-31
LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance that takes place in October. It was founded in 1994 by a Missouri high school teacher named Rodney Wilson. Its purpose is to showcase the achievements of gay icons as well as the gay and civil rights movements. It combats prejudice against the LGBT community. Some Questions…
What R.B.G. did for gender equality. Parents of LGBT Kids Are Indebted.
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in 2015,” liberal icon and pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg advanced LGBTQ rights. In 1993, President William Clinton nominated her to the High Court. She, replacing retiring Bryon White, took her oath of office from Chief Justice William H. Rehnquest at…
The World Needs Bisexual Awareness Week September 16-23
Bisexuals make up the largest portion of the LGBTQ+ community (40% of America), according to data from the Pew Research Center. However, society tries to erase them. How? The Bisexual Resource Center (BRC), America’s oldest national bisexual organization in Boston, reports that this community experiences significantly higher rates of physical, sexual, mental and social health. …