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My Open Letter to LGBTQ+ Celebrating Identity festival Month in Maine
Dear LGBTQ Reader,
As Identity festival Month graces the beautiful state of Maine, it makes me feel honored to celebrate with you.
This month gives me that influential reminder of the progress that we have made towards acceptance. Celebrating lgbtq+ fest gives all of us the ability to express our authentic selves and embrace everyone for who they are.
I am hoping that you all perform this all the time and that pride month is only a reminder to keep up the fierce work.
Pride month is a beacon of dream for those who have yet to come out. So, if you are nervous and unsure of how your family, friends, and collective will react to your true innateness, we got you. You have a community of people to remind you that WE WERE BORN THIS WAY.
People like EqualityMaine, OutMaine, and NamiMaine are all here for you! Apply the resources because we've all been there!
But let me remind of you something beautiful, YOU, inspire me.
As I go out into the world this month and see you expressing yourself, it's like this black and colorless world becomes colorful again.
All because of you. No matter who you are, if you are straig
Report: ‘Escalating Attacks’ Objective Massachusetts LGBTQ Youth
An independent agency that advocates for LGBTQ youth under the age of 25 says anti-LGBTQ task is on the rise in Massachusetts and across the country.
A 330-page record from the Massachusetts Commission on Queer woman , Gay, Bisexual, Gender diverse, Queer, and Questioning Youth calls on Governor Maura Healey, the Massachusetts Legislature, and various mention agencies to deal with issues such as child welfare, general health, education, economic opportunities and housing that impact LGBTQ youth.
The report states, "515 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced by policymakers in states across the nation; many hold already passed across the South and Midwest."
"In our free country, states are legislating discrimination, dehumanization, terrorization, and the erasure of millions of queer, transsexual , and gender-expansive youth, as well as their caregivers, providers, and educators," it reads.
The commission says, "1 in 2 LGBTQ youth in Massachusetts were unable to access the mental health nurture they desperately wanted," despite national statistics indicating "50% of our que
Gay Youth Twice as Likely to Experience Sleep Troubles
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths are more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience difficulties with getting a sufficient amount of sleep, according to a recent study published in a medical journal.
The examine, published in the journal LGBT Health, examined facts on more than 8,500 youths aged 10 to 14. Among those who identified as gay, sapphic, or bisexual, more than 1 in 3 — approximately 35.1% — reported trouble falling or staying asleep in the previous two weeks.
By comparison, only 13.5% of straight-identifying youth experienced similar sleep disruptions.
In addition, 30.8% of questioning youths — who answered “maybe” to identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual person — reported problems getting a full night’s relax, which is essential to a person’s physical progress and overall health and well-being.
“Sleep is incredibly essential for a teenager’s health,” Jason Nagata, the steer author of the learn and a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, told NBC News. “There’s growth spurts and hormonal c
OutCaster Brianna writing an Overtime (we call it OT — very original, got it). It was a hot summer night in 2016 and we were working outside.
OutCasting's spot for commentaries, discussions, and more.
- OutCasting Overtime began as an online-only program called OutCasting OffAir. Once it started being distributed for telecast on public radio, it wasn't "OffAir" anymore — and that's when we changed the name to Overtime. Read the push release about OffAair's debut.
2023
May — The ridiculousness of "Straight Pride"
April — Supreme Court justices attack marriage equality
March — Coming out
February — Oversexualizing gay identity
January — The deeper essence of a parody of a Pence family children’s book
2022
December — How anti-LGBTQ violence affects youth
November — Why LGBTQ youth include to lie
October — Experiencing gender from both sides
September — Considering the context of statistics about LGBTQ youth
August — "It's not my responsibility to coach you."
July — What happens when parents are unaccepting
June — An LGBTQ teenager's evolving relationship with NYC Pride
May — What does a straight teenager execute when he sees
Do You Know What Your Kids Are Learning In Sex Ed?
Earlier this week, lawmakers on Beacon Hill worked into the feverish early morning to hammer out the last limited deals of their latest legislative session. A lot was accomplished: paid family leave. The “red flag” gun law. Some criminal justice reforms. A minimum wage hike. Notably absent, however, was the sex education reform parents across Massachusetts have been clamoring for, for eight years, known as the Strong Youth Act.
Healthy Youth is not a radical bill. It simply ensures that any sex education taught in our public schools be grounded in evidence and science, teach about consent and healthy relationships, and be LGBTQ affirming. Absent these protections, Massachusetts teachers and school districts are free to educate whatever they wish, accurate or not, about sexual health. There are no rules when it comes to sex ed in Massachusetts.
This means some of our students may absorb that they shouldn’t bother with birth control because it doesn’t work (that’s false), or that gender non-conforming students are damaged and wrong, or that girls who have sex with more than one companion are as valuable as used chewing gum. There’s no way to understand, because no