knowhomo:

LGBTQ* People You Should Know

Reed Erickson (1917-1992)

* Born as Rita Alma Erickson and was the first biological female to graduate from Louisiana State University with a degree in mechanical engineering

* Erickson was introduced to equal rights/political reformation while dating a woman from NYC after graduating from LSU (Louisiana State University)

* Erickson was fired from first job as an engineer after refusing to fire a woman suspected of Communism

* Started a company making bleachers for stadiums and inherited family business and money after father’s passing

* In 1963 - became a patient of Dr. Harry Benjamin (the “father of transgender medicine” in the United States) and started to live openly as a man

* Erickson underwent a hysterectomy and double mastectomy in 1963 (which was required by the state of Louisiana to be legally recognized/change documentation of birth sex)

* Erickson also legally married his first wife in 1963 (divorcing two years later). — He went on to marry Aileen Ashton of New Zealand with whom he had two children. (He proposed to her on their second date.)

* 1964 — founded the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF), financed entirely by himself. The organization (which Erickson contributed millions to) went on to assist in the early development and organizations for LGBTQ* movements from 1964-1984

Their Mission Statement:

“to provide assistance and support in areas where human potential was limited by adverse physical, mental or social conditions, or where the scope of research was too new, controversial or imaginative to receive traditionally oriented support.”

* Longest-running recipient was ONE Inc - the newspaper and homophile organization founded in 1952. -Erickson contributed over 75-80% of their budget for a number of years.
(Above and Below: Pictures of Erickson - dates unknown)

For More on Reed Erickson:

Aaron Devor writing as Holly Devor. “Reed Erickson (1912-1992): How One Transsexed Man Supported ONE.” In Vern Bullough (ed). Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context. New York: Haworth. 2002.

Online at: http://web.uvic.ca/~ahdevor/ReedErickson.pdf

Joanne Meyerowitz. How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the the United States.Cambridge, Ma, London: Harvard University Press.

rainbowblakelock:

Rainbow World

Word of the Day:

thecsph:

The Lambda: Chosen by the Gay Activist Alliance in 1970 as the symbol of the gay movement, the lambda is the Greek letter L. The Greeks considered balance to be the constant adjustment necessary to keep opposing forces from overcoming each other. The hook at the bottom of the right leg of the lambda represents the action required to reach and maintain a balance. To the Spartans, the lambda meant unity. They felt that society should never infringe on anyone’s individuality and freedom. The Romans adopted the letter to represent “the light of knowledge shed into the darkness of ignorance.” Finally, in physics the symbol designates an energy change.

source: http://www.pflagatl.org/lgbt-glossary/

PLEASE READ THIS. RE: LGBT BULLYING, MISSOURI “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL

thetimesinbetween:

There is a bill floating around the Missouri legislature currently that proposes the following: “170.370. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no instruction, material, or extracurricular activity sponsored by a public school that discusses sexual orientation other than in scientific instruction concerning human reproduction shall be provided in any public school.”

Gay activists have dubbed it yet another “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Please sign the Human Rights Campaign opposition petition here: https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1427 

You can read Rep. Cookson’s defense of the bill here: http://semotimes.com/8523 though he pretty much just comes off like a homophobic hypocrite.

You can read about the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s opposition to the bill here: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary-protect-the-kids/article_046bb5f7-832b-51e3-90f5-aea27623b48a.html 

You can read about how a Minnesota district with a similar policy has become (as labeled by MN state public health officials) a “suicide contagion area,” with 9 suicides in the past 2 years alone, here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/07/michele-bachmann-teen-suicide 

You can read about LGB teens attempting suicide four times more often than their heterosexual peers because of harassment and discrimination here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_among_LGBT_youth

You can read about how the attempted suicide rate is 1.6% for “the general population” but is 41% for transgender people here: http://nnlm.gov/bhic/2011/02/08/transgender-suicide-rates/ 

And you can hear all about my spiral of rage on this issue from me any time you ask. But seriously, just sign the HRC petition because I’m so fucking sick of queer kids dying.

alexorue:

United Kingdom: Equal Marriage Campaign Group Launched In Northern Ireland

Pink News UK reports:

A new campaigning group, Equal Marriage NI, has been launched to push for marriage equality between gay and straight couples in Northern Ireland.
The group includes representatives from bodies including The Rainbow Project NI, NUS-USI, GLYNI and the Queen’s University Belfast LGBT Society.
Last month, a survey into social attitudes and discrimination in Northern Ireland suggested a quarter of people would object to having a gay or bisexual neighbour and four in ten would object to a close relative forming a relationship with a gay or bisexual person.
At a meeting at Queen’s University Belfast, the campaign group discussed turning “negativity into positives” with a goal of lobbying the Northern Ireland assembly to repeal the 2003 Marriage Order that bars gay marriages.
Reference was made to the fact there is currently no “home grown” legislation protecting gay and transgender people.
John O’Doherty of the Rainbow Project said that opposition to marriage equality was about putting the LGBT community “back in the closet”.
Speaking on the society within Northern Ireland, Henry Adams of the National Union of Students and the Union of students in Ireland called on politicians to “Do what they say in their manifestos; Work to create a society that all can share.”
One speaker added: “Marriage is a human right and not a heterosexual privilege.”
LGBT officer at the NUS-USI Rachel Wallace spoke of student roles within the struggle for basic rights, adding: “As part of the Equal Marriage movement we may experience intimidation; however ‘separate but equal’ is not equal.”
She added: “The LGBT community do not have to campaign alone, and indeed cannot.”
Sinn Fein MLA Caitiona Ruane said: “Equality will only be achieved by instating full marriage for Gay and Lesbian couples.”
She said her party was “100% in support of equality and will be leading the way, along with other parties” on this matter.
Organisers said the Sinn Fein MLA could apply substantial pressure as the Chief Whip to her party and also as Equality Spokesperson and a Policing Board member.
Event organiser Gary Spedding said the “campaign is not an attack [especially on religion], it is about equality before the law.”
He added: “If we accept LGBT partnerships as unequal, we risk accepting further inequalities further down the road”.
Event organisers said another meeting would be scheduled to further the campaign.

This is Caitlin’s story.

June 30th, 2011 was one day I will never forget. I had so much fear of telling my parents, the fact that I had come out at school was scary enough. My day had started at 9:00 am to meet a friend of mine that had been very close, well I had made that person very upset with me and they knew my “secret” which I had been hiding for 6 months. I had told my mom to delete that person off of facebook knowing they would most likely tell her. I had knew that moment that things were going to become very bad, and we went to practice with me anxious knowing my mom most likely knew. I knew my “secret” was no longer a “Secret”, that evening when she came to pick me up from Band, she asked me “What is this?” and she showed me a message that my friend messaged her saying “Your daughter is gay, just asked her, she can’t lie.” At that moment, I couldn’t help but cry my eyes out. I knew I was “out” and it frightened me with her reaction. She reacted quite positively, and said “I wouldn’t care who you dated, just as long as they respect and love you.” The very next day she told my immediate family and I was quite worried ,but they all came and said the same thing “We will love you for what or who you are.” I have been out 2 months and 5 days now and I am happy with my life. I am out as a bisexual and I am very proud of what and who I am..Thank you for all your support and it does get better.

receptiveapprehension:

The Legalize Love Campaign 

This is Jesus’s story.

I’ve ALWAYS questioned it. It’s hard. To come up with a simple solution. Because in my case, it isn’t one or the other. In a way, it’s both and neither. To any of you who don’t know, yes. I am bisexual. Not gay. Not straight. Bi. And no. I’m not confused. It’s not a phase. I’ve been confused about it before. And now, I’m sure about it. 100 percent.

 I remember looking at relationships when I was younger and realizing, “This is really messed up.”

So many relationships ruined by BOTH people. Boys and girls. And this isn’t like high school. This is elementary and middle school. And still, there are people in high school who still don’t understand what to do in relationships or even what they mean. 

Towards the end of 7th grade, I started to develop feelings for certain people. A boy and a girl. :O. It made me feel weird. I was ashamed to like either one. I felt like I NEEDED to choose. I did like one over the other, but that was besides the point.

Towards the end of my Freshmen year, I had finally decided that I would classify myself as Bisexual. It wasn’t because I wouldn’t choose; it was because I honestly couldn’t. By that point, I had thoughts about both genders all the time. So then, the only thing left to do was to come out to everyone. I wasn’t afraid of it. I knew that deep down inside I was still the same person, so if people started to avoid me because of it, I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about them.

The first few people I came out to: The Front Ensemble (right before the summer, which included Alex, Aryanna, Kayla, Felisha, and Erin), some people in my Art Class (John, Jessica, and David), and after that, news spread like wild fire.

I… felt… AWESOME. I felt like I had this big secret on my shoulders and now it was gone.

A few weeks into summer break, my mom picked me up from one of my friend’s house. She handed me a note. She asked me what it was.

(It was a note from me to my friend talking about my “certain situation” and we’d been talking for a while now.)

I told her what it was. The look she gave me…

She told me that she didn’t care about my sexual orientation and that she still loved me, but that she was disappointed in me because I didn’t tell her earlier. She felt disrespected in a way. I didn’t care. It didn’t matter if I told her or not. Like she said. She would’ve loved me either way. So why disapointed?

(And me and my mom haven’t always been on the best of terms. So I didn’t really care what she thought about anything regarding anything, especially me.)

And that’s pretty much it. After that, I felt more like me. I could do what I wanted and feel better about it.

Sometimes, I feel like I favor one side more than the other. If I do, then I honestly do not have an idea about which one. But I guess for now, I’m Bisexual. And I’m awesome. :)