I'm From Driftwood

the “it doesn’t effect me so its not my problem” attitude is at the core of this issue. if you saw someone get hit by a car would you not call 911 because YOU weren’t injured? if someone who was a different color than you was being denied service at a restaurant, would you look the other way because it wasn’t YOU who was missing out? would you not care if lets say jews were not allowed to legally practice their religion in your neighborhood?  

it is literally not freedom unless its for all of us. the rights you have as straight person are not rights at all - they are elite privileges that you were born with by being what our country considers to be a ‘first class citizen’. if you don’t stand up for those who are discriminated against, then you are just as bad as the homophobes and bigots to begin with. is there any difference between the bully beating someone up versus the apathetic lemmings behind him/her? the silence/paralysis of smart free thinking people is in my opinion far more dangerous than the idiots filled with hate making all the noise. being not pro gay IS being silent. in 2012 there isn’t much middle ground. human rights is one of the few black and white issue, and no matter how stressful it may be, we are in the moment when saying nothing is an endorsement for inequity. all innocent people deserve the same rights - period. 

as for it being a “non issue in their lives”- how is the oppressive treatment of innocent people ever a non issue in anyones life? especially when it is happening in a country in which we have the power to change these discriminating laws and offensive view points.

lastly, men who don’t take a stand on abortion (or stand up for woman’s rights in general) are just as pathetic as those of us straights who do nothing for our fellow citizens who are treated as second class ones. 

think about it - what if it was you who was treated like garbage because of who you naturally were born as.

http://youtu.be/9grc-Gjr4uI I mentioned you guys so I thought i’d let you know ^^

Thanks for the shout out!

To answer your question, the hijra is a gender identity specific to South Asian culture. According to Wikipedia, hijra “are physiological males who have feminine gender identity, women’s clothing and other feminine gender roles….Since the late 20th century, some hijra activists and Western non-government organizations(NGOs) have been lobbying for official recognition of the hijra as a kind of “third sex” or “third gender,” as neither man nor woman.”

So, hijra is a gender identity that specifically refers to those in South Asian culture who are assigned male at birth and assume feminine roles in society, and who do not identify as either male or female, but as a third sex and/or third gender. Third sex/third gender is also a term used in Western society, and falls under the trans* umbrella. (Note: I am not someone who belongs to, or is familiar with South Asian culture; this is just my understanding of the information I’ve read. If I’m giving misinformation, someone please correct me!)

That said, I have also seen the ‘H’ in LGBTQHI used to include those who are HIV-affected.

Hope this was helpful!

So I came out to my mum as bi at about 13, she was totally cool with it. Many girlfriends later on a car journey home from godknowswhere, she was just like, “Kirah, you’re a lesbian aren’t you? You haven’t had a boyfriend since you were 5.” And I just burst out laughing and admitted :) My whole family were fine with it, even though my nan gets terribly confused as to how my girlfriend can look like Justin Bieber. Never really got any abuse for it at school apart from the occaisional dickhead that would get jelly that I get more girls than him ;O

So yeah :) I had a really positive coming out experiance apart from mum questions me on the mechanics of lesbian sex, that gets really awkward. Always here if anyone has any problems that they wanna talk about <3

Thanks for the submission! (Submitted by seeingthelieinbelieve)

Telling my Mom that I was gay was the single hardest thing that I have ever done… but it was also the bravest and happiest moment of my life, thus far. All she basically said was, “I knew.” She just smiled and said, “I knew.” I’m not someone who says that they have always known that they were gay, or that they have just been fighting it since the 5th grade. I didn’t even talk to another boy in hopes of having a relationship until my senior year of high school. Being gay is different for EVERYBODY, and I feel like people, even the LGBT community, forget this. It’s not our past that defines who we are. It’s our decisions today that make us who we are.

I’ve had a great group of friends in my life that judge a persons character based on your actions, not your sexual orientation or the color of your skin or your faith. Those things only make up a fraction of you. There is so much more to each and everyone us, and sadly, some will never get to know the completely “you,” because of their prejudice. But I say stand up for who you are and never change to please another, because you are only hurting yourself. Being gay isn’t about being different or wanting to stand out in a crowd. Being gay, like being heterosexual, simply says that you love. Love is what it is all about.

Thanks for the submission! (Submitted by browncr)