ALONE WE'RE A DROP OF WATER – TOGETHER A MIGHTY RIVER
Society for Human Rights – First gay rights organization in the United States (West Third). Published Friendship and Freedom, the first American gay publication.
This was also when the first issue of Die Freundin (the girlfriend) appears; it was the first Lesbian magazine worldwide.
Worldwide laws regarding same-sex intercourse and freedom of expression and association
Same-sex intercourse legal
Blue – Marriage
Light Blue – Marriage recognized but not performed
Blue – Civil unions and registered partnerships
Lavender – Unregistered Cohabitation1
Gray – Same-sex unions not recognized
Tan – Laws restricting freedom of expression and association
Same-sex intercourse illegal
Yellow – Illegal, although no arrests for same-sex intercourse for the last three years
Orange – Imprisonment
Red – Up to Life imprisonment
Brown – Up to Death Penalty
Rings indicate areas where local judges have granted/denied marriages or imposed the death penalty in a jurisdiction where that is not otherwise the law and/or areas with a case-by-case application.
*Some jurisdictions in this category may currently have other types of partnerships.
You can find more info here.
In 1923 Lesbian Elsa Gidlow, born in England, published the first volume of openly lesbian love poetry in the United States, titled “On A Grey Thread.”
An inside look at the origins of the term “Two-Spirit,” and the centuries of colonial violence and prejudice Two-Spirit people have faced.
With our growing need for a larger selection of pronouns, keep in mind that assuming a person’s pronoun can be a sign of disrespect when misgendering them and can create an un-inclusive environment. Using the right pronouns is an important part of respecting someone’s identity and to show respect for an individuals diversity of gender identity and promote awareness.
When in doubt ask. People want to be identified correctly so if you’re unsure politely ask “what pronouns do you use”. This is a good time for you to offer your prefered pronouns even if you think they already know.
If you make a mistake don’t worry, it happens. Apology then use the correct pronoun for them. Try not making them feel uncomfortable or the need to explain why use that pronoun.
Using the correct pronoun comes easy to some and for others pronouns that fall outside the gender binary might take time to pick up. Being taught as a young person that you only have he/him and she/her to use can be challenging to add they/them, ze/hir and ze/zir to a vocabulary. With gender being more fluid having a better understanding of pronouns will help you and those around you.
Only a few pronouns have been referenced here, you can find more by doing a search for Gender Pronouns
We’ve all seen the different acronyms like LGBT, LGBTQ+ and everything in between. Do you know what they all mean? The initialisms can sometimes being confusing and unintentionally leave some out. As our community evolves so will our acronyms.
An alternative, more comprehensive (though not exhaustive) acronym is LGBTQQIP2SAA+: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Intersex, Pansexual, Two-Spirit (2S), Androgynous, and Asexual. Occasionally, we’ll see a third A for Ally, and sometimes it’s preceded by an S for Straight Ally.
Projects like The River of Pride Flag and The Unity Pride Flag are building awareness to our diverse community.
7.3 percent of people born between 1980 and 1998 who now identify as
LGBTQQIP2SAA+—up from 5.8 percent in 2012. (This new data reinforces a 2015 conclusion from the Public Religion Research Institute that “7 percent of millennials identify either as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender,” based on a survey of 2,000 adults.) It’s uncertain if this data take in account for the 2.7% of millennials who identify as genderqueer, gender-fluid or unsure of their gender identification.
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun.