Lgbtq History - Blog Posts

So apparently last year the National Park Service in the US dropped an over 1200 page study of LGBTQ American History as part of their Who We Are program which includes studies on African-American history, Latino history, and Indigenous history. 

Like. This is awesome. But also it feels very surreal that maybe one of the most comprehensive examinations of LGBTQ history in America (it covers sports! art! race! historical sites! health! cities!) was just casually done by the parks service. 

In regards of the Trump government scraping all trans inclusion in its queer information portion of its websites I have made this thing. Spread the word. Don't let them pretend we never existed.

P.S: Don't like! Reblog! <3

Today in APUSH, we got to the part about Stonewall. In a very conservative town, our teacher is a lesbian who might probably be ex-military. Suffice to say, no shit was taken and I admire her very much.

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community I'm wishing all my fellow queers ( and let's face it, noting about tumblr is cis!het) a very happy Pride! This is the first pride I've been 'out' to my friends as aro and honestly it great!! For all of my closeted queers and those in non supportive household! You very valid and welcome here!!

We have always been here

sometimes-overlooked bit of queer history

The practice of clinics, centers, bars, universities, organizations, etc. giving out free condoms, while menstrual hygiene products remain expensive, may seem like a patriarchal nod to the needs of cis-het men over those who menstruate.

It absolutely is not.

Handing out free condoms was, is, and always will be (as long as the patriarchy exists, anyway) a radical act. It is a result of the movement to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS in the face of deathly inaction on the part of most mainstream institutions at the time.

That any of us ever believe that free condoms are a product of the patriarchy is a victory for the homophobic erasure of the fight against HIV/AIDS. I once fell for it, too, but it's simply untrue.

Yes to free condoms, and yes to free menstrual supplies.

A Love Letter to History

(if you could call it that)

On a cold January morning in 1914, James Joyce published the first part of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In that very part, on a similarly cold morning just after Christmas Break, Stephen Dedalus stood huddled with other Clongowes students and watched the snow moulding itself around their boots, wondering what made Simon Moonan and Tusker Boyle, in all their ordinariness, kiss in the square.

Napoleon Bonaparte was not born Napoleon Bonaparte. He was born Napoleon Buonaparte. Napoleon Buonaparte was not born in France, but he was born French enough. Of course, they’ve forgotten that by now. They often aren’t allowed to remind themselves, either.

There is very little to say about Fahrenheit 451 that it has not already said about itself. Any review of it is only ever a paraphrasing of some chapter or other, intentionally or otherwise. In the past twenty years, it has been banned at least ten times in the US alone. I imagine censoring a book about censorship gave many people the opportunity to pat themselves on the back. Unfortunately, their intentions, however malevolent, are misplaced. In the book, the people are on the side of banning books. There is no oppression, and no need for revolution. The bars caging a mind are not so easy to topple. The guillotine falls over an empty basket, and symbolism overflows from an empty cup. There is nothing to overthrow when the fault lies with time.

History. What a heavy word.

Christopher Marlow was excommunicated by the Church, and so was one of Shakespeare’s daughters. It is claimed that he based Ophelia off of his wife. I wonder why.

Five years after that day in the square, Stephen Dedalus refused to back down from his claim of Byron’s brilliance. Words like 'blasphemous' and 'irreligious' pooled around his feet. He cupped his hands in the water and lapped it up. Everything I write now contains some shred of Stephen’s name. I wonder why.

Why is a muse called a muse? To muse is to think, to think deeply. Is a muse’s job to be a conductor of thought? Must all thought be equivalent to love? Why does the word smell like the thickest honey? Why does it sit so heavily on my tongue?

Icarus never meant to fall. If he raced toward the sun, it was only to prove that he could. And he was never on fire. Oh, he burned, alright — the melting wax made sure of it. Did he grasp at the feathers as they came free from the harness? Did he watch them drifting towards the sea? Did he notice anything happening at all? For a moment, a brief, shining moment, the sun was neither hope nor doom, but triumph.

I never could write anything on either the 31st or the 1st. There is something about endings, and something about beginnings. The sun dawned the same on New Year’s Day, but at the stroke of midnight, my phone sang like I lived my whole life before the first light.

Fifteen years after that day in the square, Stephen Dedalus parted with Cranly, unafraid of being alone,

“— and not have any one person who would more than a friend, more even than the noblest and truest friend a man ever had.”

“Of whom are you speaking?” Stephen asked at length.

Cranly did not answer.

They met again, and sixteen years after Oscar’s death, James Joyce retraced his name in “Wilde’s love that dare not speak its name” in a book I have yet to read.

It’s funny how they ban books written centuries ago. Congratulations, Ronald, a pre-industrialization schoolmaster had a broader mind than yours. A clod of dirt shifts as Shakespeare turns in his grave.

History. What a heavy word. I used to think we owed it something.

According by sources given by @loveonfalls , he also used to identify as gay.

Bicycle Race by Queen

Okay so I'm back for Pride Month with this Queen song from 1978, written by Freddie Mercury echoing his Bisexuality!

(Lyrics and OG Video Clip under the cut [TW: Nudity])

Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like

You say "black", I say "white" You say "bark", I say "bite" You say "shark", I say "Hey man, Jaws was never my scene And I don't like Star Wars!"

You say "Rolls", I say "Royce" You say "God" - Give me a choice! You say "Lord", I say "Christ!" I don't believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my

Bicycle races are coming your way So forget all your duties oh yeah! Fat-bottomed girls they'll be riding today So look out for those beauties oh yeah

On your marks get set go

Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle (I want a) Bicycle race

Hey!

You say "coke", I say "caine" You say "John", I say "Wayne" "Hot dog", I say, "Cool it, man" I don't wanna be the President of America

You say "smile", I say "cheese" "Cartier", I say, "Please" "Income tax", I say "Jesus!" I don't wanna be a candidate For Vietnam or Watergate 'Cause all I want to do is

Bicycle, (Yeah) bicycle, (Hey) bicycle I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle (c'mon), bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like

Lyrics from AZLyrics: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/queen/bicyclerace.html

The Official Video (TW: Nudity)

Annoting that Freddie Mercury never really confirmed being bisexual, but was notoriously dating men and women.

He loved his fiancée Mary Austin and wrote her the song Love of My Life Queen - Love Of My Life (Official Video) (youtube.com) and finished his life romantically involved with his hairdresser Jim Hutton, that he would often call his husband.

Bicycle Race by Queen

Okay so I'm back for Pride Month with this Queen song from 1978, written by Freddie Mercury echoing his Bisexuality!

(Lyrics and OG Video Clip under the cut [TW: Nudity])

Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like

You say "black", I say "white" You say "bark", I say "bite" You say "shark", I say "Hey man, Jaws was never my scene And I don't like Star Wars!"

You say "Rolls", I say "Royce" You say "God" - Give me a choice! You say "Lord", I say "Christ!" I don't believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my

Bicycle races are coming your way So forget all your duties oh yeah! Fat-bottomed girls they'll be riding today So look out for those beauties oh yeah

On your marks get set go

Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle (I want a) Bicycle race

Hey!

You say "coke", I say "caine" You say "John", I say "Wayne" "Hot dog", I say, "Cool it, man" I don't wanna be the President of America

You say "smile", I say "cheese" "Cartier", I say, "Please" "Income tax", I say "Jesus!" I don't wanna be a candidate For Vietnam or Watergate 'Cause all I want to do is

Bicycle, (Yeah) bicycle, (Hey) bicycle I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle (c'mon), bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like

Lyrics from AZLyrics: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/queen/bicyclerace.html

The Official Video (TW: Nudity)