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The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health provides an open, safe environment for adults to ask questions, address concerns, and learn about human sexuality in a sex-positive, unbiased, and medically accurate manner. We are located in Pawtucket, RI.
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WE HAVE A TRANS* WOMAN IN THE HOUSE. YES. HELL YES.
“She said advocating for the homeless and people with mental illness and physical disabilities and strengthening public schools will be her top priorities.”
ahhhh wow what a boss lady *w*
I’m in a puddle of trans feelings
Yay! What an awesome woman!
Rock on! This is huge.
Imagine the picture above without the red-bolded accusation. It’s exactly what it looks like - a same-sex couple’s wedding photo.
The Public Advocate of the United States, an SPLC-classified anti-gay hate group, took the photo off of The Gay Wedding Experience, a blog run by Brian Edwards, one of the men in the photo. The picture is from Edwards’ wedding to husband Tom Privitere two years ago.
The hate group cut out Edwards and Privitere from the photo, pasted them into a Colorado setting, added an aggressive line about the state senator seeking reelection (because she supports civil unions), and then mailed it to thousands of people.
“I want to share what this picture means to me,” Edwards wrote in reaction. “It represents my first home away from home, my beloved NYC, which at the time this image was taken (2 years ago) did not allow same sex couples to marry. It represents my longterm relationship with my best friend, my partner, and now husband – the love we share and obstacles we have overcome. It is a reminder of the happiness I felt the day he proposed to me and of the excitement I had all throughout our engagement. It represents hope and it represents love. Or at least it did.”
The Post reports that the Public Advocate refuses to apologize and claims that even though the photo is copyright protected, it can do with it as it pleases — since others have supposedly done the same with their copyrighted images.I’m in shock. Of all the low-life things to do to hurt LGBT people, this group took an actual photo of one of the happiest days in a couple’s life and defiled it, sending it into the universe as an image of hatred and revulsion. I can’t imagine the humiliation this couple has to deal with as a result of one hate group’s abominable actions. There is nothing right about this.
A sobering and horrifying attack on not only personal privacy, but also decent human morals. Our best wishes to Brian and Tom. Your loving commitment to one another is far more admirable than any message this group wishes to promote.
(via bu-qcollective)
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When Connor Ferguson was getting ready for prom, she was worried her peers would make fun of her or call her names. The 18-year old trans* woman didn’t expect that instead of jeering, they would cheer her name - as they elected her Prom Queen of their high school.
“It was absolutely unreal. I’ll definitely remember that moment forever…so much support I cannot even put it into words.”
Connor looks absolutely stunning in her dress and we wish her a happy coronation! In a world infused with sobering transphobia, stories like hers are rare and beautiful.
It remains to be seen exactly what the details of Google’s new “Legalize Love” campaign are (will they focus purely on gay marriage legislation, or LGBTQ rights as a whole?) and exactly how much effort and efficacy the enormous company will be able to wield in the field of gay rights. But it looks like all those people who boycotted Oreos for their Pride ads are going to have to give up their Gmail accounts & Google searches too.
The Örebro District Court in Sweden tossed out an attempted rape charge brought against a “brutally violent” 61-year-old man because the person he assaulted was “a man in women’s clothes.”
“The intended crime never had the possibility of being fulfilled,” judge Dan Sjöstedt told a local paper.
Though the victim was actually a trans woman, the court refused to recognize her as such, instead referring to her as “a man.”
“We believe that he wanted to rape this woman in particular,” Sjöstedt said. “But as she turned out to be a man, the crime never was actually committed.” According to the judge, the attempt is invalid not because of the victim’s sex but because his intent was to rape a woman.
The attacker was ultimately convicted of assault and faces four years in prison. The victim and her lawyers are expected to bring the case before the Court of Appeals.
Firstly, trans women ARE WOMEN. But even despite that, at the point where the court admits that the attacker intended to rape SOMEONE, why does it matter what the gender of their victim was? He attacked a person with the explicit purpose of sexually harassing them. That is attempted rape regardless of what his expectations about their gender/gender identity/gender presentation were.
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Three cheers for a SCOTUS healthcare decision that will make healthcare more accessible to those who need it! We still have a long way to go (and a loooong time before we can expect to see any much-needed diversity in the Supreme Court pool), but it’s a great starting point.
Extra Reading: How LGBT People Benefit Under The Affordable Care Act
“What she said was offensive,” said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. “It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company.”
Quoted by Hemant Mehta. Rep. Callton was referring to Rep. Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield), who used the word “vagina” on the floor of the Michigan House of Representatives during a debate on abortion, and was then banned from speaking.
He wouldn’t use an anatomically-correct term? That’s sad, really.
(via icantbelieveitsalawblog)
If you haven’t been following this story, it’s absolutely ridiculous. What else was this woman supposed to say?!
It seems that vaginas scare Rep. Callton more than they do anyone who owns one…
When asked by The Barna Group what words or phrases best describe Christianity, the top response among Americans ages 16-29 was “antihomosexual.” For a staggering 91 percent of non-Christians, this was the first word that came to their mind when asked about the Christian faith. The same was true for 80 percent of young churchgoers.
“The gay issue has become the ‘big one, the negative image most likely to be intertwined with Christianity’s reputation. It is also the dimensions that most clearly demonstrates the unchristian faith to young people today, surfacing in a spate of negative perceptions: judgmental, bigoted, sheltered, right-wingers, hypocritical, insincere, and uncaring. Outsiders say [Christian] hostility toward gays…has become virtually synonymous with the Christian faith.” (David Kinnaman)
One of the top reasons 59 percent of young adults with a Christian background have left the church is because they perceive the church to be too exclusive, particularly regarding their LGBT friends.
When I [author Rachel Held Evans] speak at Christian colleges, I often take time to chat with students in the cafeteria…Some of these students would say they most identify with what groups like the Gay Christian Network term “Side A” (they believe homosexual relationships have the same value as heterosexual relations in the sight of God). Others better identify with “Side B” (they believe only male/female relationship in marriage is God’s intent for sexuality). But every single student I have spoken with believes that the Church has mishandled its response to homosexuality.
—Rachel Held Evans, “How To Win A Culture War And Lose A Generation”
These quotes have been excerpted from the full article - click through to read the rest. Faith and queer-friendliness do not need to be mutually exclusive, but it’s unfortunate and oppressive that many Christian institutions have decided to market themselves as non-LGBTQ inclusive. Lets hope that the sentiments in this article are a sign of eventual positive transition.
*note: This summer at the CSPH, we are proud to have not one but two new interns with a primary focus in the intersectionality of faith and sexual education - proving in person that it is possible to integrate both in an sexually positive and accurate fashion. We strive to be pro-LGBTQ rights in all aspects, including productive work in communities of faith.
