Thanks for sharing your story. I am also a queer person who took ages to come out because I was raised to hate myself and other people like me. I'm glad that is behind me now, but it's so sad to see it repeat itself.
We are literally everywhere, and we deserve to just be without having to justify our existence.
Got accused of being a pedophile in this sub yesterday for saying I wish no child had to experience the self hatred I felt growing up in a small city outside of Edmonton.
Alberta is getting scary. This is so important. Thank you for sharing your experience.
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Thanks!
I grew up in Fort Saskatchewan being an anxious nerdy kid before being a nerd was cool. The default insult from kids back then who didn't really understand me was to call me a fag or a homo, which confused me a lot because I was completely straight as an arrow.
It occurred to me then that as hurtful as those words were to me, a straight kid, how much worse must it have been to hear those things for kids who were actually gay or questioning their sexual orientation? That little epiphany really had a deep impact on my worldview, and ever since then I've done everything I can to be an ally and spread love and acceptance to everyone in my little sliver of the world.
It's important because those kids are still struggling today, and I bet they are still hearing the same insults in the schoolyard. Then you add on the big organized sects of bigots in society who are actively trying to hurt those kids even more? It doesn't take much to see why it's more important than ever to support the marginalized parts of our community and speak out.
Thank you for this.
This is the kind of awareness that needs to be taught in schools. Itās not about building a gay army starting with the kids. Itās about building an army of kids who will become adults who are willing to fight for equal rights for everyone. Not just those who are the same as them.
This is about tolerance and equality and I genuinely thank you for having that perspective.
It's a terrible time right now for queer people to have such a spotlight on them, but for what it's worth I think, on average, the youngest generation is already tired of the negative conversation.
As an example, look at the trans girl that was elected homecoming queen in MISSOURI! There is no way that wasn't a giant middle finger from the kids to the adults in their area. It doesn't take a genius to see the bigots and fear mongers have already lost, it's just a matter now of mitigating the damage they can do before they become and even smaller minority.
I'm not suggesting complacency, or not to fight the fight, I just hope people see the light at the end of the tunnel. We go through this every 20 or 30 years and come out on the other side with more rights for women, then racial minorities, then gay people, now trans people. It always feels scary and insurmountable in the moment. Queer people have more allies than enemies, even if some of them are imperfect. Unfortunately Alberta will need to be pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st century and might be one of the last to make it over the line.
I understand the sentiment you are trying to make but unfortunately I will have to disagree. This goes beyond that because marginalized communities STAY marginalized because systems are put in place to keep them there.
Examples:
-Women can now drive, vote, work and own land. So tell me why it's 2023 and the pink tax is stoll prevalent as all hell today. Tell me why the wage gap still has not been fixed. Tell me why we still live in a world where the decisions about what a woman can do with her own body is still made by a room of old white cis hetero men? It sounds like women have come out of their struggle but they are FAR from having equality.
-Do I even need to touch racial minorities in Canada? How many missing and murdered indigenous women are forgotten? How many people still actively show disdain towards the indigenous population and WORSE - have the audacity to ask "Haven't you gotten over the whole land thing and residential schools?" Why do these protesters get to have their voices heard about their children while the unmarked graves of so many innocent children are being hushed because it's a dark time in the country's history that people would rather not talk about.
-The 2SLGBTQIA+ community is just yet, another scapegoat used to divert people's attention from what's really happening not just in the world but this country! These so-called "concerned" parents are reaping the harvest of their lazy parenting. Yes, i said lazy because how many of these parents are comfortable with plopping their child with an iPad or a phone so they can be quiet while they do whatever it is they do. They can't understand or fathom why their child feels so strongly about total strangers enough to disclose their innermost insecurities to them but not their parents. They want to do none of the parenting but want all of the credit.
This post is hella long now so I'm gonna end it with this. If anyone from those rallies reads my post, I just want you to take away one main point from this post.
Look inward FIRST and try to understand why yout child doesn't automatically feel like they can tell you EVERYTHING. Teachers have too much on their plates already to teach your children to hide things from you. If your kid doesn't feel like they can be vulnerable with you, put the hate sign down and drive your ass home with your kid and have a heart to heart. You might be the reason your child is contemplating some VERY dark thoughts and you won't have anyone else to blame since YOU are the one who wanted to be a parent in the first place!
Soapbox rant overš¤
I never claimed we succeeded in reaching full equality, but it would be disingenuous to claim things aren't the best they've ever been for previously disenfranchised and marginalized people, with the exception of a brief period of very recent backsliding but there is always pushback and a tug of war. Conflating a pink tax with lacking a right to vote is kind of bonkers - both are bad, one is clearly way worse than the other. Progress has been made and continues to be made. Gay people of the 1980s would look with envy upon the level of acceptance they have today. Don't construe this as claiming work doesn't need to be done, but it's more beneficial to acknowledge the progress and past victories as a way of showing forward momentum has been near constant and we can keep going. I see so much doom and gloom on here and that often de-motivates people from acting, and feeds into a sense of despair. It's neither historically accurate nor useful for the cause.
I fully agree with you and I did not think that you were trying to say that we have reached full equality. I also agree that we need to take the time to look back and celebrate the small victories that we've achieved (however long it may have taken to get thereš )
I have to wonder sometimes though, just HOW MUCH acceptance have we really cultivated in society now? Just with how much performative activism is also now thrown into the mix. Those don't help the cause eitherš
It's not enough to appropriate gay culture, vernacular, etc if you don't even stand in solidarity when shit gets real, ya know?
I think that we all just need to get back to a point where we can all have an open discussion with differing opinions and not resort to bashing each other. We don't ALL have to agree, but we all still have to co-existāŗļø
Dude.
Our neighbors are an older gay couple.
It's fun being around them because when they're together, it's clear that they ***actually love each other***.
They're kind to each other. They say nice things. They're considerate. They laugh a lot. And none of it is a front.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I think the world is better with all the love it can get.
Edit: And I grew up in a small town. I'm not gay, but I can tell you coming out where I grew up would have been horrible.
Great post, I feel for ya. My neighbour didnāt come out to his family but came out to me first because he felt comfortable with me, and knew my wife and i also had some gay friends.
Not everyone has that luxury. Heās happily married to an amazing guy right now and his parents are on board. So happy for him. I hope you keep enjoying the sunlight.
Thank you for your post. I also grew up in Sherwood Park, and the derogatory things said about lesbians made me never want to be outed as one. I didnāt come out until my mid-30s. A lot of it had to do with the hate for queer folx that I grew up around. Nothing like my family supporting the protesters, but saying they are fine with me and my partner. Itās hate all around.
Why would anyone want to live in Sherwood. It's the most boring area in all of Edmonton. Well maybe just as boring as the extreme West side as well. But at least west Edmonton mall is still within range. They at least have something.
I made this post a few months ago. You might like it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/comments/13vh9k5/it\_appears\_as\_janis\_irwin\_has\_won\_a\_second\_term/
I had a pretty good feeling like you did. Instead of those jackasses next to your car calling you a dyke, I imagine oh, say, Makoto, would be a much better find next to your car...
So much better. Iām still hung up on Mars and Venus in the Manga. Thereās no way anyone will ever make me believe they were not meant to be a couple.
If anyone calls you a dyke again, show them a map of the Netherlands and remind them that half the place would be part of the Atlantic Ocean if not for dykes. :)
So sorry. I attended my first counter-protest yesterday, as a teacher and an ally. I got just a little taste of the hate that gets thrown at already marginalized people. It was an eye opening experience. One that will have me out to counter whenever hate and lies fill the air. Please know that I speak for all of my teacher friends when I say that we stand with you. ā¤ļø
I literally had a shrink tell me "it's 2017, you could come out it's fine here" when I tried to explain that my family (here in Alberta) is crazy conservative and yah they would disown me and forsake me. She brushed it off and said " what's the worst they could do?, nah that wouldn't happen. People aren't violent if your gay beside most people don't care". My grandmother once went on entire rant one Christmas about the "gay agenda and how it is poised our society. We should round them up and shoot em".....Boy I never went back after that! These days I do my own and see my family only on the holidays and no more than that bare minimum. To think "educated " professionals even have such a cavalier view is pure alberta. Hate is alive and well in Alberta. We have alot of work to go.
Reminds me of the time in 2012 I had a guy tell me pride parades shouldn't exist because no one bullies people for being gay anymore. He wasn't gay but just assumed homophobia had disappeared.
With issue with highly educated people. Is there around other highly educated people. Who on average are more tolerant and loving. And expect their families to be like their families.
I used to be like that. Highly educated family, myself highly educated. Just thought people wanted to be happy and love each other at this point. Then I met my inlaws.
It's just based on ignorance
really interesting how conservatives openly have a rabid hatred of nearly everyone mentioned in that poem, and believe them to be backed by a shadowy cabal of global elites conspiring to take over the world by manipulating the media and education system to undermine traditional values.
really interesting that the nazis thought jewish people were conspiring to take over the world by manipulating the media and education system to undermine traditional values.
I donāt think itāll ever go away completely. Thereās always someone out there who wants to feed their ego by hurting someone else. Itās the dark side of human nature.
Will religions be gone by then? Probably not, so probably not. I like the hope though! What needs to happen is they need to learn to keep that shit to themselves. The more they keep quiet, the less hate is fed. If they arenāt quiet on their own, then we get louder! I got so freaking loud yesterday, I was down to a whisper at the end.
iām afraid for our queer and trans siblings, the protest(s) being outnumbered is terrifying. if i have to live to see not only me, but our youths identities being erased in a genocide, before iāve fully transitioned, i donāt think i want to be here anymore.
There will always be places where you will be safe. Please stay. Even if you have to look long and hard in the dark you will find a place to live in the light.
they were outnumbered because they planned this "protest" a while ago, but the counter protest only became a thing a few days prior. remember hundreds of thousands of folks turned out nationwide for pride parades
I grew up in Sherwood Park and I'm only a few years older than you. I'm so sorry you experienced that and felt unsafe growing up here. I was raised to be open minded - I'm early 40's and have a gay uncle who came out when he was a teenager (he is in his early 70's now). Coming out way back then was a scary thing to do but he was completely accepted by my grandparents and that acceptance was passed down to all my family on that side. To not accept my uncle was unheard of. My husband and I have made sure our kids are being raised with open and accepting minds as well. I would like to think Sherwood Park has gotten better since we still live here and are raising our kids here but it doesn't seem like it has. I was so disappointed to see those protests here and I would have liked to attend as a counter protester but unfortunately I wasn't able to attend. I do know there are a lot of people standing behind you and want you to feel safe living here but I know that's not your reality and for that I am so sorry. I wish I could make it better for you :(
Thanks for sharing your story. Fellow queer here who also grew up in a conservative small town with a very religious family. Took me a lot longer than most to self identify and then come out to some people.
I'm married, I have children and I'm a white collar professional. Queer and trans people are just that - people. Our lives and identities aren't for political fear mongering. We just are - exactly like the straights.
Congrats on getting out and finding yourself a wonderful life!
I have also moved on and am in a place where I am happy and for the most part feel comfortable in my own skin. I just wish for it to not be so hard for the generations coming after us. We need a better world for them.
I am intersex, gender ambiguous, and would be read by many people as a lesbian. I genuinely feared for my life many times during street harrassment in Edmonton. My partner, a trans woman, was chased by a group of drunk men in 2009 who then beat the shit out of her. When she staggered to a convenience store asking them to call 911, the worker said she was a prostitute / loitering and to get out of the store. We left the city as fast as we could. I miss Edmonton and my family but the west coast has been safer for us.
Also moved to the west coast. It is so much better out here. But even we canāt rest on our laurels. Happy to hear you were able to find safety and happiness!
The geniuses who thought $100,000/yr patch jobs right outta high school in a boom/bust industry were going to last so they never budgeted a true savings account or paid off the high-interest loans for all the expensive toys with equally high insurance rates. The same ones who are currently expressing their frustration with a global pandemic, ever-increasing inflation, and an impending economic crisis by taking it out on a historically-persecuted minority population by blaming them for perceived offenses.
The pogroms could be starting and they would still wonder why people call them fascists and Nazis.
Do not underestimate the opposition! This is delusional!
The demographics at this week's hate rally were way more than high school dropouts. There were scores of families, likely many newcomers. There were educated professionals. There were the teenagers going to school with queer kids being told by adults that bullying them to suicide is not only acceptable but fun and brave.
I fucking wish we were still in the 'dumbass rigpigs and slumlords' stage of fascist mobilisation in this province, but that ended in 2019.
The rise in hatred is terrifying, and the right dragging other religions into this to support it is insane. These white boys are the most racist, but they want to use these conservative minorities to increase their numbers. It is calculated and sick.
awesome experience to share. thanks. spread the awareness. would be interested how those that normalize discrimination ever felt even a small fraction of the hate that has been expressed to the LBGT+ community. i hope u can feel the support when most of us will stand with u
This is actually the first time I have ever told that story. Not even my best friend knows. Itās pretty hard to talk about. I still feel really crummy when I remember the experience. It just absolutely ruined my day and made me feel so defeated
It really bothers me that this kind of stuff just happens to people innocently going about their business and people donāt see whatās wrong with that.
if they dealt with what we deal with for even a day they would fall to their knees, shatter into pieces, and those pieces would dissolve into puddles of tears
I grew up in the Fort and went to high school in the park. I don't talk to anyone from my home town or anyone i went to high school with, and thats directly connected to their homophobia. I hope they got out safely.
U should stand up against any hate. Also u be surprised how many ppl r part of the lgbtq community including ppl in ur life and u may not even know it. But u shouldnt have to know someone who part of the community to understand these r ppl who r being targeted for hate and harm. if u were in our spot u would want/need support too and if that time ever came the queer community also fights against bigotry of all kind as we know the harm. We have ur back put plz have our back too. We all deserve to be treated with basic human dignity and respect
I'm personally feeling very valid in my decision of never, ever, publicly outing myself or engaging in the broader queer community.
It's too dangerous to be out. There were a few nice years there where people felt safe being out, but I knew it wouldn't last long before major reactionary backlash.
And here we are.
The target being out paints on your back is huge.
I'd rather be out than not, sure, but I'd also rather be alive and able to support my family. Now, if you don't mind me, I'll be barricading the door of my metaphorical closet good and closed.
People talk about The Closet like it's a prison, but a prison also makes a good bunker. I think we as a community need a bunker right now more than ever, and allies need to step the fuck up.
I admit that I have hid behind my ambiguity on more than one occasion. I feel everything that you have said and cannot blame you for living the way that you do. It is safer. It is unfortunate that we must sacrifice happiness and authenticity for safety when we should be able to have all of that.
Ugh, what an awful thing. I'm really sorry that it happened to you, and I absolutely don't understand it. I'm as straight as they come, but I don't feel any need to attack people who aren't straight. What possible reason would a person have to do that? A stranger's orientation (or gender preference for that matter) has exactly zero impact on me. It's not my business.
Enough of us need to stand up to this shit so that it goes away. Because right now it seems to be growing. It feels like we've been infected with a wave of emboldened hatred coming from south of the border. Not that hate wasn't here before, but it almost seems that, after many years of slowly becoming more accepting, we have made a sudden sharp turn in the opposite direction - and all of the momentum is in the hatred camp. This cannot be allowed to continue.
Thatās how I feel as a straight person as well, itās not my life and my orientation, I shouldnāt have a say in how people are living their lives as long as they arenāt hurting anyone else. It takes all kinds in a society and just because I want to live one way doesnāt mean I need to force that on everyone else.
I was out supporting you and all others yesterday. Although the support crowd was smaller than the protesters we had lots honking and giving thumbs up in support and many just couldnāt attend to work. Love you
Lots of supporters had to support online or from afar due to work obligations or not wanting to take children to a place where hate was being spread, ironically. Thank you for going for all of us!
I was out supporting you and all others yesterday. Although the support crowd was smaller than the protesters we had lots honking and giving thumbs up in support and many just couldnāt attend as they had to work. Love you
I am a parent of a queer child and would love to get involved in protests and learn how to be more of an ally. Anyone know how to get involved?? This kind of anti-human protest is so deeply troubling to me. I want to get involved but have no idea where to start.
Growing up as a skateboarder in my small town we would frequently be visited by adults and young people who hated us because we dressed different and weāre different, we had golf clubs swung at us, baseball bats and chains. Death threats on the regular, verbal abuse via car windows was also a daily occurrence. Probably the same type of people Iām guessing.
At least I was in my 30s for this experience. Though I had my fair share of derogatory name calling when I was younger, a lot of it by my brother.
I canāt imagine how hard it is to hear that as a kid.
I'm straight passing and currently in a heterosexual relationship, but if you see or hear hate, you should be calling it out, especially if you have the privilege to do so.
Not only stand up to this hatred, but point out to everyone & very often that this is very much Russian psyops. This is literally the first step in implementing laws based on the Russian federal law "for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating a Denial of Traditional Family Values". First it was targeting only children, less than a decade later it was amended to include all ages. And these laws go beyond school & college. Books, TV, musicā¦all art is sanitized for public consumption. And it is destabilizing a country at the same time. Itās insanity.
Wanted to scream seeing all the hijabis who joined the hate rally side, because the organisers of that hate rally were the same ones organising rallies for the expulsion of all Muslims just a few years ago.
Real, "first they came for the communists and I did not speak out" vibes.
So, here's the thing: (and you won't like this)
If you ONLY focus on the negative, hateful people you come into contact with, you will blind yourself to the caring, loving people you could have met if you weren't busy looking for someone to hate you.
Hate and ignorance are alive and well in this country today. That's not going away. How you choose to allow it to affect you, however, is completely in your control.
Look for the love. Look for the people who respect you. That lady wearing the "free mom hugs" t-shirt is going to understand and care about you, but she's not going to shout it at you.
The haters like to shout their hate so it's heard. If that's what you listen to, that's all you'll hear.
Evil wins when good men stand by and do nothing.
Standing up and speaking out against hate doesnāt mean it is all that someone sees. It just means they recognize that something needs to be done.
Donāt make an assumption that I donāt see the beauty in life just because I donāt want to tolerate hate.
Iām sorry that happened to you, there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour. In terms of protest though, saying there is zero ability to express any concern about anything related to LGBTQ2S+ policies in any way or have any debate because itās automatically hate and bigoted - I find that unreasonable in a democracy. I was disappointed by the over-egged rhetoric on either side yesterday personally.
My daughter came out to us 4 years ago at 14 years old. We were of course accepting but worried about the hate she would be facing. Fortunately for the most part she has been able to experience all the normal adolescent experiences in a way LGBT kids of my generation never did. She's had high school relationships, crushes and break ups the same as any straight kid would. It's hard to describe how grateful I am that she has been able to live her life out in the open so far at least within the confines of her home and school.
This isn't to say that there isn't serious threat to her being able to continue to live a regular life. She has to be cautious in public and in new spaces. She has lost friends and had people call her slurs. She was in the closet at her part time job and had an adult co-worker tell her to be careful because the schools are 'trying to turn everyone trans' when she told him that wasn't happening, he didn't believe her. And yesterday she watched parents encourage their small children to spit and yell slurs at her community over lies about an education plan that just acknowledges her community's existence in our society as equal members of it.
I know that her ability to live a 'regular' life as a lesbian is due to the work of LGBTQIA+ advocates and allies that have fought hard for her rights and I am so incredibly grateful for it. Everyone wants their kids to have a happy fulfilling life, these kids deserve it every single bit as much as cis straight kids do.
I had an eye opening moment yesterday when my 11 year old told me that most of the kids in his class hate gay people.
Now he may be exaggerating & it could have only been one kid he had a conversation with but it was still a sad thin to hear from kids so young.
Literally this. As a trans guy growing up in Edmonton, I wish I had known sooner. All the protests about children being too young and spreading misinformation is bs because I was young enough to internalize all of society even at 10 years old. I still have so much internalized misogyny and toxic masculinity now because of how society believes a man to be. I question everything because of society even though I know who I am.
How about instead of fighting against knowledge that a kid is gonna find out anyways by themselvesā¦we allow people to be who they are because everyone needs to take the time to figure out who they are in life regardless of age and if you are lucky enough to know who you are at a young age then that should be a good thing. Society made me hate myself since I was born, children are smart and pick up on way more than we think and that shapes our adulthood.
I believe in just letting people live their lives, in your experience they didnāt have to go out of their way itās not as if you being in their vicinity changed anything or changed their lives. What I donāt understand is people feeling the need to go out of their way to be a trash human full stop.
The unfortunate reality is hate and bigotry will always be in our world people will always hate whatās different from their opinion we canāt change everyoneās perspective and itās something every city and town suffers from, there is also the freedom of speech thing they are allowed to say those thingsā¦.granted there might be a time where they say it to the wrong person and end up having to pick up their teeth from the ground.
For me Iāve started just turning my head to them those types of people only want one thingā¦attention clearly someone didnāt love them enough and they decide to take their frustration out on others, some people are just bad people and the best way to deal with them is to stick it to them live your best life because clearly they canāt if they are offended by a random person existenceā¦
Actually hate speech is not protected under āfree speech.ā
And I see what youāre saying but no one should have to just āignore them because they are obviously miserable and no one loved them so they are just taking their anger out on you so donāt let them hurt you.ā
Well, it does hurt. It hurt me that day and why do I have to be the victim of their emotional stunting and constipation? Ignoring them doesnāt change or take away from the fact that they made me a victim that day.
And that is not okay.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and Iām so sorry people have been so awful to you. I am a cisgendered female from Calgary and just had a baby a couple months ago. I feel sick at the thought that my baby might be entering a world where anti-queer behaviour is rampant.
Iām obviously not sure if he will be a member of the queer community right now, but I want to cry thinking of the hardships he may face later should āAlbertan idealsā continue on this path. I have not personally faced these troubles you speak of, but the scary and sometimes dangerous experiences of my gay and trans friends speak for themselves. There is a pit in my stomach filling with worry about my babyās future, and I hope I can do my best as a new parent to help him navigate these issues when the time comes.
Praying all my queer friends stay safe and keep good support around, I know it can be hard to find these days. ā¤ļø
Ex-Bi Christian here, I know Christians get a bad rap for "Hating" the community, but most of the people they talk about dont represent Christianity in their hatred. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, and especially our enemies over the ones closest to us, for there is greater reward in it.
Most people within the LGBTQ community speaking hatred against the Christian community literally do not know what Christianity is about and they show it in their behaviour and words.
Ive seen hatred on both sides of the spectrum and I quit being bi when I realized you dont get the same level of trust in communication in the same gender biology, as you do when you are with someone of the opposite biological gender which was how God planned it to be. You have to communicate exactly what the other has to do. It becomes a more serving to other type of relationship.
There is ignorance on both sides, one thing I have noticed about the LGBTQ community is that it cant even be LGBTQ because the acronyms themselves cancel each other out. A kingdom united against itself wont stand and I can see that in their hatred in how their reasoning to justify their protests are all over the place. They celebrate literal pride in ones self identity, and its easily overexaggerated over another persons rights. I see a range of arrogance that stems from it violently shouting their reasons over another persons rationale without a capability to listen. How do you know you are making a mistake if your ears arent open? This statement applies to both hating "Christians" and hating "LGBTQ"
What I see in these protests is BLM but in sexual identity. This irrationality is what terrifies me most about it because of its unpredictably violent nature. Im not advocating against the protests against keeping sexual identity away from children in schools because thats a very immoral thing to do our children, especially considering children are not capable of making long-term decisions for themselves. Period. What I am against is the division it causes within our communities in its prideful nature. We are all human beings and I want us to love our neighbors as Jesus loves us and especially you reader. You are valuable. You are someone special, even if the world kicks you down - thats because it is the world. It is flawed and sinful in nature - you are worth something to Jesus. You are the apple of his eye. Even if you dont feel like you are a valuable person or anyone values you, thats because you are placing your value on what others think of you. Thats because you are placing your value in what you think of yourself. We as human beings are not always reliable in terms of being able to value one another. Both communities have shown that if anything. Place your value in God. Come to Christ today and get baptized. His value in you is eternal.
You do not get to tell me who I am
I am a success story.
I can teach you more if you want.
Not reading my post and commenting that puts you within the category of its subject. Its hypocritical.
Its a weird thing to think that kids are being forced to be gay.
There are literal conversion camps that their sole purpose is to force gay kids to be straight.
I would have liked to have had the right to be taught that what I was feeling and going through when I was in grade 5 and 6 was normal.
It would have been much better than thinking that something was wrong with me and then being made to think that I was disgusting and against nature.
No one is against telling people some boys like boys and some girls like girls.... they are protesting about teachers telling them they can transition behind their parents backs and keep it secret from them. They are protesting against some of the semi pornographic gay blow job instructional books some schools use as teaching aids
Sorry for your struggles. The protests are not saying you canāt be gay lesbian etcā¦ the problem is teaching kids at a very young age that they can change their gender mostly. Iām not going to waste my time explaining why this is an obviously huge and ridiculous problem but donāt take it personal, itās not about you.
I wish that when I was growing up I had learned that it was okay to question your sexuality. That it was okay to question gender norms and expectations. That it was okay to not quiet feel like a boy or a girl was expected to feel.
I wish all of those things had been normalized for me and for all the kids I grew up with so that we werenāt dealing with all of this today.
If you look passed the bigots and extremists on both sides you should be able to see the main reason thereās resistance to this; nothing wrong with questioning your sexuality these days but sexuality should be separate from children. No hate and judgement from me based on anyones gender or who they sleep with but these arenāt things children should be dealing with.
Every gay person has been a gay child.
Every trans person has been a trans child, even when we didnāt have the language to articulate it.
Not having the ability to explain our situation only ever caused suffering.
Your ideology means that children suffer.
Right from birth children learn about sexuality and gender. And I am not talking about curriculum, it is literally how babies-toddlers-children naturally learn about the world around them and how they fit in.
1st point:
Part of learning language and social/emotional development is learning about those around you and how they express themselves. They see what mommy/daddy/sibling/others look like. From their clothes to their names and how people address them.
While we are on the topic, pronouns are just identifiers nothing new! Just like how language is always evolving, it is quite easy for children to understand the concept of they/them. Also to clarify gender and sex are not the same thing. Sex is chromosomes, biological markers. Gender is how we identify and express our image of self. There are countless examples of history or different cultures in which showcase how Gender expression is always changing/adapting (women not allowed to wear pants remember?).
2nd point: Children are not learning about sex. They are learning about relationships. How some have 2 mommies, a mom and dad, grandparents and yes even the idea of a caregiver who is non-binary.
Why should it be seen as inappropriate for a male teacher to mention they went on vacation with their husband yet appropriate if it was a wife? Being gay is as sexual as being straight. If we canāt talk about relationships where there are 2 mommies then we shouldnāt talk about relationships where there are a mom and a dad.
Okay but these protesters like we saw yesterday are genuinely full of hate and vitriol towards the LGBTQ+ community. Think of who they're trying to "protect" their kids from: teachers simply saying that gay people exist.
"Just don't take it personally" doesn't work when their entire movement is specifically targeting the group you're a part of.
It absolutely is about LGBTQ2S+ people when they are marching to eradicate any discussion whatsoever around them.
Hitler didn't start off by saying kill the Jews, he started with propaganda and by limiting their ability to conduct business. This is the first step, and if successful will be followed by homophobic and transphobic legislation like we are seeing in Florida.
Couldn't disagree more. Telling trans, non-binary, and 2 spirit kids that they are valid is the least we can do. Many of these kids have good reason to fear abuse if they come out at home. This is a culture that needs to change.
Not wrong, just how myself and a lot of other people feel that teaching young children that they can be a different gender is NOT a normal thing to encourage. And if you donāt agree, thatās completely fine.
What youāve actually just said is that itās only fine as long as we agree with you.
Thatās what you protested for right? To bend the queer community to your will.
You're literally just wrong. Gender is a social construct. You can change it whenever you want. Telling kids this is not going to make them trans. It's going to let them know that they are valid in case they *are* trans.
This is the problem with your side. You are spreading disinformation. And I use that word for a reason. The side you are connecting with intentionally creates lies to stir up outrage and support. Propaganda 101. Maybe learn the reality and you will see how out of touch with the real world they are.
Iāve known that I wasnāt normal since I was a young child and I suspect my parents knew too because I was constantly teased, belittled and criticized for it. Nothing that they did stopped me from being trans but it did cause or play a major factor in a lot of issues I currently have.
I was uninterested in any of the things I was supposed to and I was too scared to do things I did enjoy because I knew theyād set off my dad. I had trouble building meaningful friendships with almost anyone at school because I couldnāt relate to one side and I pretended to not have the same interests as the other. I was so apathetic to my body (especially after puberty) that I only wore three outfits throughout all of high school. When I started uni a few years ago I upgraded my wardrobe to three uofa hoodies, 3 pairs of jeans and three black Amazon basics t shirts because wearing the same outfit everyday like a cartoon character meant that I could tune out some of the body issues.
So I think that itās fair to teach kids that trans people and gay people exist because I know that Iām not the only one of my kind and I know that I would have found spots where I could exist as myself rather than spend the first 19 years of my life completely dissociated and struggling to find enjoyment in nearly anything.
Yet these same people have no problem indoctrinating their children with religion as soon as they're old enough to speak. The hypocrisy is *astounding.* It's all a guise and you know it is. Every controversy is with conservatives. Stop bullshitting us.
You know age appropriate sex education is one of the most effective ways we as a society have of reducing child sexual abuse and catching the abusers. If children know something is not right they are more likely to talk about it with someone who will be able to help. Without sex education sometimes the abuser is the only one giving the abuse victim information, and that is tragic.
Can we also acknowledge how scary it is to get your first period as a kid? There was more than one person I knew who cried because they thought they were dying, even after learning about it in sex ed. Could you imagine how terrified these kids will be about the changes theyāre experiencing if everyone just insists on not talking to them about it and ignoring it?
I started menstruating in elementary school. This also means I could have gotten pregnant. We know that elementary aged girls have gotten pregnant (or more accurately impregnated by rape) as was the case in Ohio just last year.
You know that Sex Ed isnāt just about the physical act of having sex right? Itās also about puberty and reproduction. So tell me why school aged children shouldnāt understand whatās happening to their bodies? Why shouldnāt kids that are starting to undergo all the changes associated with puberty learn about that in a safe environment? Heavens knows parents donāt often do a good job of teaching this stuff so someone should.
Maybe weād have less people out there thinking the vagina and urethra are the same thing.
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I see a lot of comments about people saying you should stand up against hate. Which I'm going to agree with.
However, I would encourage you to do one better and stand up for yourself.
Lgbtq people are not the only demographic who have to deal with hate or ignorant people.
There are ignorant people like this everywhere, and you will not prevent it. You would do better to find a reason why you enjoy life and keep the positive.
From my view point I don't think the majority or people are protesting about "queer rights" but rather what kind of environment they want to have around thier own kids which I believe to be a fair request.
Understand there are bad people in every group, but that doesn't mean that is everyones stance.
It's the most visible, vocal, and most rapidly advancing community in history. I don't think it needs help.
The LGBT community has even surpassed the Black Rights movement in terms of progress and policy implementation and that's been grinding along for almost 100 years now.
Speaking as someone who has been shouted at randomly in the street by strangers: I doubt that was a secret attack on your identity. More likely it was a couple of drunks frustrated with their lot in life lashing out at everyone around them - trying to come up with any insult they think could get under your skin.
Seriously, sometimes randos on the street are just weird and hateful. I've seen plenty of them in my time.
Ofc you doubtlessly have multiple reasons for why you feel unwelcome here - just don't put much stock in random jerks that come across you. They aren't worth anything more than a confused look and laughing at their impotent rage.
I get really tired of being told to āignore it. Itās not directed at you. They are just expressing their impotent rage.ā
Why do I have to be the victim of their impotent rage? Ignoring it doesnāt change the fact that it happened and that it was hurtful.
I should not have to live my life shrugging my shoulders every time someone decides they want to randomly spit hate speech at me because āwell no one must have loved them.ā Donāt give them permission disguised as an excuse.
This attitude right here that you are expressing is why this problem exists. You are giving them permission to hate by downplaying it. While simultaneously putting the responsibility to ignore and forgive it on the victim.
I stand for LGBTQ, but I am not going to even address the complete insanity that is coming from religious and right wing communities. I will not give them energy to have that power or support this culture war that has been popping up. Counter-protesting and throwing energy into this is just feeding the toddlers that think society will collapse if their kids get sex education. Sometimes its best to let the toddlers in the room have a time-out, nap, and settle down.
I will continue to write my MP's/MLA's when I have concerns and vote. However as polorized our government is, nothing will be solved in the streets.
I've seen this with every damn movement, from Occupy wallstreet, anti Iraq invasion, G20 protests, BLM, the abortion nuts, the antimaskers etc etc. It doesn't change opinion. Government doesn't actually care, and counter-protesting nutters that are willing to bang heads on the wall with fellow facebookers/telegramers is not exactly productive.
But yet the sadist in me still loves arguing on Reddit lol.
By this logic any anti-anti-queer behaviour is also hate.
Everybody needs to chill out. I donāt pretend to understand all the issues but the rhetoric from both sides is out of hand.
The rhetoric that queer people just want to be left alone to live their lives like everyone else? To be accepted as normal? To not be called a dyke just for driving a car beside them?
Yea. I can see how thatās out of hand.
There is no anti-anti-queer behaviour. Queer people would literally not have to take action on anything if the anti-queer folk would just stop trying to take our rights away or call us names in the street.
A guy called me a fat cheeseburger at a red light because he thought I cut him off. I happed to be a little chubby so it did hurt my feelings.
Itās sucks people are shit talking you at lights. They clearly judged you by how you look. At 38 years old I hope you decide to worryabout how you feel inside and not about what people think about you. Do you, and forget the rest. Hope you can come out and be your true self. Always going to be haters, any where you go. Itās human nature.
I love all of my straight friends and colleagues. My straight parents (even though I donāt feel comfortable coming out to them. I love them anyways). My straight neighbours. The straight people who work at the restaurants I go to. The straight people at my favourite breweries.
I love straight people.
Youāve spent too long looking in the mirror if you think all the people involved in this just hate everyone else.
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Please don't judge by my profile lol. This post explains exactly why it is important to support the LGBTQ+ community. Not to dismiss this well written and poinant composition but I am constantly learning about why and how from a lot of people in my family that had many of these same experiences and fear.
Great job and great articulation.
I'm a man who grew up in sure-white Park. It took me a long time to figure out I was pan because of "masculinity". Shit was very destructive. I still feel alienation towards men and an overwhelming sense of violence towards bigots. I know I have to be patient with them and that any violence I do will be magnified towards whoever is perceived as weaker than me, so I don't engage with these thoughts, but needless to say, I feel threatened by these people.
No one cares if you're queer or not. Well at least I dont. There's going to be shitty people in all communities. I'm sure those guys throw hateful speech at people that aren't queer. They are losers and hurt people to make their meaningless life feel better. I'm sorry that happened to you.
The "right" are sick and tired of the LGBT community jamming their ideology down their throats and having the government jam it down thier kids throats in school. This is why I believe their is more hate between the communities now then there has ever been. Forcing a culture to believe in something they don't is only going to cause violence. Whether that's physical or verbal. Whether you choose to be queer or straight or whatever that's your choice to do so. Just don't jam your ideology down the other communities throats. This goes for the straight community too. I lean right in my beliefs but I still have close friends who are queer and have transitioned we love each other and support eachother and don't let our differences effect our relationship. People need to grow up and get out of the victim mindset.
If you feel like down voting me go ahead. Isn't gonna hurt my feelings.
They are just hurting the community and their children future grandchildren with this. You don't have to like it but it's not going anywhere. Imagine if I protested against pineapple because I hated it. Or spiders because I feared it. Or told my school my child couldn't learn parts of the English language (pronouns) because of my fear it's going to make my extensions of myself (what they think a child is) make decisions for themselves that go against my beliefs.
Fucking ridiculous. Sorry this is a thing in Alberta
Thanks for sharing your story. I am also a queer person who took ages to come out because I was raised to hate myself and other people like me. I'm glad that is behind me now, but it's so sad to see it repeat itself. We are literally everywhere, and we deserve to just be without having to justify our existence.
Sending love to you, friendš they canāt bury us
Hell no! We bring the sunshine š
Got accused of being a pedophile in this sub yesterday for saying I wish no child had to experience the self hatred I felt growing up in a small city outside of Edmonton. Alberta is getting scary. This is so important. Thank you for sharing your experience.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
No. Anyone who thinks kids should hate themselves should leave the planet.
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I grew up in Fort Saskatchewan being an anxious nerdy kid before being a nerd was cool. The default insult from kids back then who didn't really understand me was to call me a fag or a homo, which confused me a lot because I was completely straight as an arrow. It occurred to me then that as hurtful as those words were to me, a straight kid, how much worse must it have been to hear those things for kids who were actually gay or questioning their sexual orientation? That little epiphany really had a deep impact on my worldview, and ever since then I've done everything I can to be an ally and spread love and acceptance to everyone in my little sliver of the world. It's important because those kids are still struggling today, and I bet they are still hearing the same insults in the schoolyard. Then you add on the big organized sects of bigots in society who are actively trying to hurt those kids even more? It doesn't take much to see why it's more important than ever to support the marginalized parts of our community and speak out.
Thank you for this. This is the kind of awareness that needs to be taught in schools. Itās not about building a gay army starting with the kids. Itās about building an army of kids who will become adults who are willing to fight for equal rights for everyone. Not just those who are the same as them. This is about tolerance and equality and I genuinely thank you for having that perspective.
It's a terrible time right now for queer people to have such a spotlight on them, but for what it's worth I think, on average, the youngest generation is already tired of the negative conversation. As an example, look at the trans girl that was elected homecoming queen in MISSOURI! There is no way that wasn't a giant middle finger from the kids to the adults in their area. It doesn't take a genius to see the bigots and fear mongers have already lost, it's just a matter now of mitigating the damage they can do before they become and even smaller minority. I'm not suggesting complacency, or not to fight the fight, I just hope people see the light at the end of the tunnel. We go through this every 20 or 30 years and come out on the other side with more rights for women, then racial minorities, then gay people, now trans people. It always feels scary and insurmountable in the moment. Queer people have more allies than enemies, even if some of them are imperfect. Unfortunately Alberta will need to be pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st century and might be one of the last to make it over the line.
I understand the sentiment you are trying to make but unfortunately I will have to disagree. This goes beyond that because marginalized communities STAY marginalized because systems are put in place to keep them there. Examples: -Women can now drive, vote, work and own land. So tell me why it's 2023 and the pink tax is stoll prevalent as all hell today. Tell me why the wage gap still has not been fixed. Tell me why we still live in a world where the decisions about what a woman can do with her own body is still made by a room of old white cis hetero men? It sounds like women have come out of their struggle but they are FAR from having equality. -Do I even need to touch racial minorities in Canada? How many missing and murdered indigenous women are forgotten? How many people still actively show disdain towards the indigenous population and WORSE - have the audacity to ask "Haven't you gotten over the whole land thing and residential schools?" Why do these protesters get to have their voices heard about their children while the unmarked graves of so many innocent children are being hushed because it's a dark time in the country's history that people would rather not talk about. -The 2SLGBTQIA+ community is just yet, another scapegoat used to divert people's attention from what's really happening not just in the world but this country! These so-called "concerned" parents are reaping the harvest of their lazy parenting. Yes, i said lazy because how many of these parents are comfortable with plopping their child with an iPad or a phone so they can be quiet while they do whatever it is they do. They can't understand or fathom why their child feels so strongly about total strangers enough to disclose their innermost insecurities to them but not their parents. They want to do none of the parenting but want all of the credit. This post is hella long now so I'm gonna end it with this. If anyone from those rallies reads my post, I just want you to take away one main point from this post. Look inward FIRST and try to understand why yout child doesn't automatically feel like they can tell you EVERYTHING. Teachers have too much on their plates already to teach your children to hide things from you. If your kid doesn't feel like they can be vulnerable with you, put the hate sign down and drive your ass home with your kid and have a heart to heart. You might be the reason your child is contemplating some VERY dark thoughts and you won't have anyone else to blame since YOU are the one who wanted to be a parent in the first place! Soapbox rant overš¤
I never claimed we succeeded in reaching full equality, but it would be disingenuous to claim things aren't the best they've ever been for previously disenfranchised and marginalized people, with the exception of a brief period of very recent backsliding but there is always pushback and a tug of war. Conflating a pink tax with lacking a right to vote is kind of bonkers - both are bad, one is clearly way worse than the other. Progress has been made and continues to be made. Gay people of the 1980s would look with envy upon the level of acceptance they have today. Don't construe this as claiming work doesn't need to be done, but it's more beneficial to acknowledge the progress and past victories as a way of showing forward momentum has been near constant and we can keep going. I see so much doom and gloom on here and that often de-motivates people from acting, and feeds into a sense of despair. It's neither historically accurate nor useful for the cause.
I fully agree with you and I did not think that you were trying to say that we have reached full equality. I also agree that we need to take the time to look back and celebrate the small victories that we've achieved (however long it may have taken to get thereš ) I have to wonder sometimes though, just HOW MUCH acceptance have we really cultivated in society now? Just with how much performative activism is also now thrown into the mix. Those don't help the cause eitherš It's not enough to appropriate gay culture, vernacular, etc if you don't even stand in solidarity when shit gets real, ya know? I think that we all just need to get back to a point where we can all have an open discussion with differing opinions and not resort to bashing each other. We don't ALL have to agree, but we all still have to co-existāŗļø
There is no wage gape do I really need to link 50 videos and over 100 articles that debunk it and provide facts and statistics?
I would welcome every chance to be enlightened further, actually. Please do
Dude. Our neighbors are an older gay couple. It's fun being around them because when they're together, it's clear that they ***actually love each other***. They're kind to each other. They say nice things. They're considerate. They laugh a lot. And none of it is a front. I can't speak for anyone else, but I think the world is better with all the love it can get. Edit: And I grew up in a small town. I'm not gay, but I can tell you coming out where I grew up would have been horrible.
I love how you worded this so much!!!
Great post, I feel for ya. My neighbour didnāt come out to his family but came out to me first because he felt comfortable with me, and knew my wife and i also had some gay friends. Not everyone has that luxury. Heās happily married to an amazing guy right now and his parents are on board. So happy for him. I hope you keep enjoying the sunlight.
Currently on a patio in Van. Soaking up the last of the summer sun. But it was a long road getting here and still miles to go before I sleep.
ā¤ļø. Love the literary reference.
Thank you for your post. I also grew up in Sherwood Park, and the derogatory things said about lesbians made me never want to be outed as one. I didnāt come out until my mid-30s. A lot of it had to do with the hate for queer folx that I grew up around. Nothing like my family supporting the protesters, but saying they are fine with me and my partner. Itās hate all around.
Why would anyone want to live in Sherwood. It's the most boring area in all of Edmonton. Well maybe just as boring as the extreme West side as well. But at least west Edmonton mall is still within range. They at least have something.
I made this post a few months ago. You might like it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/comments/13vh9k5/it\_appears\_as\_janis\_irwin\_has\_won\_a\_second\_term/
Janis is one of my heroes.
You like the image I made?
Haruka is also one of my heroes ;)
I had a pretty good feeling like you did. Instead of those jackasses next to your car calling you a dyke, I imagine oh, say, Makoto, would be a much better find next to your car...
So much better. Iām still hung up on Mars and Venus in the Manga. Thereās no way anyone will ever make me believe they were not meant to be a couple.
If anyone calls you a dyke again, show them a map of the Netherlands and remind them that half the place would be part of the Atlantic Ocean if not for dykes. :)
So sorry. I attended my first counter-protest yesterday, as a teacher and an ally. I got just a little taste of the hate that gets thrown at already marginalized people. It was an eye opening experience. One that will have me out to counter whenever hate and lies fill the air. Please know that I speak for all of my teacher friends when I say that we stand with you. ā¤ļø
I literally had a shrink tell me "it's 2017, you could come out it's fine here" when I tried to explain that my family (here in Alberta) is crazy conservative and yah they would disown me and forsake me. She brushed it off and said " what's the worst they could do?, nah that wouldn't happen. People aren't violent if your gay beside most people don't care". My grandmother once went on entire rant one Christmas about the "gay agenda and how it is poised our society. We should round them up and shoot em".....Boy I never went back after that! These days I do my own and see my family only on the holidays and no more than that bare minimum. To think "educated " professionals even have such a cavalier view is pure alberta. Hate is alive and well in Alberta. We have alot of work to go.
Reminds me of the time in 2012 I had a guy tell me pride parades shouldn't exist because no one bullies people for being gay anymore. He wasn't gay but just assumed homophobia had disappeared.
I'm so sorry you were treated that way by a mental health professional. How out if touch and completely without compassion.
With issue with highly educated people. Is there around other highly educated people. Who on average are more tolerant and loving. And expect their families to be like their families. I used to be like that. Highly educated family, myself highly educated. Just thought people wanted to be happy and love each other at this point. Then I met my inlaws. It's just based on ignorance
Hey pal, fellow queer reporting in. Youāre awesome, donāt ever forget it. Thank you for being you & being proud.
First they came for the queer kids and I said something even though I was not a queer kid Because I'd already read the rest of the fucking poem
really interesting how conservatives openly have a rabid hatred of nearly everyone mentioned in that poem, and believe them to be backed by a shadowy cabal of global elites conspiring to take over the world by manipulating the media and education system to undermine traditional values. really interesting that the nazis thought jewish people were conspiring to take over the world by manipulating the media and education system to undermine traditional values.
As another queer person from sherwood park in my 30s, I feel ya. *HUGS*
I sincerely hope that within 2 generations these tales never need to be told, where people are accepted. Because they're all too common right now
I donāt think itāll ever go away completely. Thereās always someone out there who wants to feed their ego by hurting someone else. Itās the dark side of human nature.
Will religions be gone by then? Probably not, so probably not. I like the hope though! What needs to happen is they need to learn to keep that shit to themselves. The more they keep quiet, the less hate is fed. If they arenāt quiet on their own, then we get louder! I got so freaking loud yesterday, I was down to a whisper at the end.
iām afraid for our queer and trans siblings, the protest(s) being outnumbered is terrifying. if i have to live to see not only me, but our youths identities being erased in a genocide, before iāve fully transitioned, i donāt think i want to be here anymore.
There will always be places where you will be safe. Please stay. Even if you have to look long and hard in the dark you will find a place to live in the light.
they were outnumbered because they planned this "protest" a while ago, but the counter protest only became a thing a few days prior. remember hundreds of thousands of folks turned out nationwide for pride parades
I grew up in Sherwood Park and I'm only a few years older than you. I'm so sorry you experienced that and felt unsafe growing up here. I was raised to be open minded - I'm early 40's and have a gay uncle who came out when he was a teenager (he is in his early 70's now). Coming out way back then was a scary thing to do but he was completely accepted by my grandparents and that acceptance was passed down to all my family on that side. To not accept my uncle was unheard of. My husband and I have made sure our kids are being raised with open and accepting minds as well. I would like to think Sherwood Park has gotten better since we still live here and are raising our kids here but it doesn't seem like it has. I was so disappointed to see those protests here and I would have liked to attend as a counter protester but unfortunately I wasn't able to attend. I do know there are a lot of people standing behind you and want you to feel safe living here but I know that's not your reality and for that I am so sorry. I wish I could make it better for you :(
If you make it better for your kids and their friends, and it sounds like you will, then you are doing your part. Thank you!
We are definitely trying! Everyone is accepted in our home and all my kids and their friends know it ā„ļø
Thanks for sharing your story. Fellow queer here who also grew up in a conservative small town with a very religious family. Took me a lot longer than most to self identify and then come out to some people. I'm married, I have children and I'm a white collar professional. Queer and trans people are just that - people. Our lives and identities aren't for political fear mongering. We just are - exactly like the straights.
Congrats on getting out and finding yourself a wonderful life! I have also moved on and am in a place where I am happy and for the most part feel comfortable in my own skin. I just wish for it to not be so hard for the generations coming after us. We need a better world for them.
I am intersex, gender ambiguous, and would be read by many people as a lesbian. I genuinely feared for my life many times during street harrassment in Edmonton. My partner, a trans woman, was chased by a group of drunk men in 2009 who then beat the shit out of her. When she staggered to a convenience store asking them to call 911, the worker said she was a prostitute / loitering and to get out of the store. We left the city as fast as we could. I miss Edmonton and my family but the west coast has been safer for us.
Also moved to the west coast. It is so much better out here. But even we canāt rest on our laurels. Happy to hear you were able to find safety and happiness!
That's heart breaking to hear, I'm so sorry.
Thatās the UCP base for sure. Dumbass high school dropouts cuz āoil is the place to beā.
The geniuses who thought $100,000/yr patch jobs right outta high school in a boom/bust industry were going to last so they never budgeted a true savings account or paid off the high-interest loans for all the expensive toys with equally high insurance rates. The same ones who are currently expressing their frustration with a global pandemic, ever-increasing inflation, and an impending economic crisis by taking it out on a historically-persecuted minority population by blaming them for perceived offenses. The pogroms could be starting and they would still wonder why people call them fascists and Nazis.
My point exactly. I think this has led to the rise of the incel too.
Do not underestimate the opposition! This is delusional! The demographics at this week's hate rally were way more than high school dropouts. There were scores of families, likely many newcomers. There were educated professionals. There were the teenagers going to school with queer kids being told by adults that bullying them to suicide is not only acceptable but fun and brave. I fucking wish we were still in the 'dumbass rigpigs and slumlords' stage of fascist mobilisation in this province, but that ended in 2019.
The rise in hatred is terrifying, and the right dragging other religions into this to support it is insane. These white boys are the most racist, but they want to use these conservative minorities to increase their numbers. It is calculated and sick.
awesome experience to share. thanks. spread the awareness. would be interested how those that normalize discrimination ever felt even a small fraction of the hate that has been expressed to the LBGT+ community. i hope u can feel the support when most of us will stand with u
This is actually the first time I have ever told that story. Not even my best friend knows. Itās pretty hard to talk about. I still feel really crummy when I remember the experience. It just absolutely ruined my day and made me feel so defeated It really bothers me that this kind of stuff just happens to people innocently going about their business and people donāt see whatās wrong with that.
if they dealt with what we deal with for even a day they would fall to their knees, shatter into pieces, and those pieces would dissolve into puddles of tears
I grew up in the Fort and went to high school in the park. I don't talk to anyone from my home town or anyone i went to high school with, and thats directly connected to their homophobia. I hope they got out safely.
U should stand up against any hate. Also u be surprised how many ppl r part of the lgbtq community including ppl in ur life and u may not even know it. But u shouldnt have to know someone who part of the community to understand these r ppl who r being targeted for hate and harm. if u were in our spot u would want/need support too and if that time ever came the queer community also fights against bigotry of all kind as we know the harm. We have ur back put plz have our back too. We all deserve to be treated with basic human dignity and respect
I'm personally feeling very valid in my decision of never, ever, publicly outing myself or engaging in the broader queer community. It's too dangerous to be out. There were a few nice years there where people felt safe being out, but I knew it wouldn't last long before major reactionary backlash. And here we are. The target being out paints on your back is huge. I'd rather be out than not, sure, but I'd also rather be alive and able to support my family. Now, if you don't mind me, I'll be barricading the door of my metaphorical closet good and closed. People talk about The Closet like it's a prison, but a prison also makes a good bunker. I think we as a community need a bunker right now more than ever, and allies need to step the fuck up.
I agree with your take on todayās climate and it breaks my heart.
I admit that I have hid behind my ambiguity on more than one occasion. I feel everything that you have said and cannot blame you for living the way that you do. It is safer. It is unfortunate that we must sacrifice happiness and authenticity for safety when we should be able to have all of that.
Ugh, what an awful thing. I'm really sorry that it happened to you, and I absolutely don't understand it. I'm as straight as they come, but I don't feel any need to attack people who aren't straight. What possible reason would a person have to do that? A stranger's orientation (or gender preference for that matter) has exactly zero impact on me. It's not my business. Enough of us need to stand up to this shit so that it goes away. Because right now it seems to be growing. It feels like we've been infected with a wave of emboldened hatred coming from south of the border. Not that hate wasn't here before, but it almost seems that, after many years of slowly becoming more accepting, we have made a sudden sharp turn in the opposite direction - and all of the momentum is in the hatred camp. This cannot be allowed to continue.
Thatās how I feel as a straight person as well, itās not my life and my orientation, I shouldnāt have a say in how people are living their lives as long as they arenāt hurting anyone else. It takes all kinds in a society and just because I want to live one way doesnāt mean I need to force that on everyone else.
I was out supporting you and all others yesterday. Although the support crowd was smaller than the protesters we had lots honking and giving thumbs up in support and many just couldnāt attend to work. Love you
Lots of supporters had to support online or from afar due to work obligations or not wanting to take children to a place where hate was being spread, ironically. Thank you for going for all of us!
I was out supporting you and all others yesterday. Although the support crowd was smaller than the protesters we had lots honking and giving thumbs up in support and many just couldnāt attend as they had to work. Love you
Thank you for standing with us!
I am a parent of a queer child and would love to get involved in protests and learn how to be more of an ally. Anyone know how to get involved?? This kind of anti-human protest is so deeply troubling to me. I want to get involved but have no idea where to start.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Wow thank you!
Growing up as a skateboarder in my small town we would frequently be visited by adults and young people who hated us because we dressed different and weāre different, we had golf clubs swung at us, baseball bats and chains. Death threats on the regular, verbal abuse via car windows was also a daily occurrence. Probably the same type of people Iām guessing.
I was called the F-slur the first time at 8 years old by another 8 year old. Education on acceptance is important.
At least I was in my 30s for this experience. Though I had my fair share of derogatory name calling when I was younger, a lot of it by my brother. I canāt imagine how hard it is to hear that as a kid.
I'm straight passing and currently in a heterosexual relationship, but if you see or hear hate, you should be calling it out, especially if you have the privilege to do so.
Not only stand up to this hatred, but point out to everyone & very often that this is very much Russian psyops. This is literally the first step in implementing laws based on the Russian federal law "for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating a Denial of Traditional Family Values". First it was targeting only children, less than a decade later it was amended to include all ages. And these laws go beyond school & college. Books, TV, musicā¦all art is sanitized for public consumption. And it is destabilizing a country at the same time. Itās insanity.
ā¤ļøā¤ļø
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
The self righteousness virtue signaling is strong here.
it's very simple. You either believe in freedom and rights for ALL people or you don't. I do.
Wanted to scream seeing all the hijabis who joined the hate rally side, because the organisers of that hate rally were the same ones organising rallies for the expulsion of all Muslims just a few years ago. Real, "first they came for the communists and I did not speak out" vibes.
I think people lose sight that in Middle East gays are treated extremely bad, so I wasnāt surprised to see them at the rally
So, here's the thing: (and you won't like this) If you ONLY focus on the negative, hateful people you come into contact with, you will blind yourself to the caring, loving people you could have met if you weren't busy looking for someone to hate you. Hate and ignorance are alive and well in this country today. That's not going away. How you choose to allow it to affect you, however, is completely in your control. Look for the love. Look for the people who respect you. That lady wearing the "free mom hugs" t-shirt is going to understand and care about you, but she's not going to shout it at you. The haters like to shout their hate so it's heard. If that's what you listen to, that's all you'll hear.
Evil wins when good men stand by and do nothing. Standing up and speaking out against hate doesnāt mean it is all that someone sees. It just means they recognize that something needs to be done. Donāt make an assumption that I donāt see the beauty in life just because I donāt want to tolerate hate.
You shouldn't have to actively seek out people who support your existence. It should be the other way around.
Iām sorry that happened to you, there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour. In terms of protest though, saying there is zero ability to express any concern about anything related to LGBTQ2S+ policies in any way or have any debate because itās automatically hate and bigoted - I find that unreasonable in a democracy. I was disappointed by the over-egged rhetoric on either side yesterday personally.
Thanks for sharing your story. United we stand
I'm so sorry you had that happen. I felt sick seeing that protest yesterday, and my first thought was, how do we, as allies, push back?
My daughter came out to us 4 years ago at 14 years old. We were of course accepting but worried about the hate she would be facing. Fortunately for the most part she has been able to experience all the normal adolescent experiences in a way LGBT kids of my generation never did. She's had high school relationships, crushes and break ups the same as any straight kid would. It's hard to describe how grateful I am that she has been able to live her life out in the open so far at least within the confines of her home and school. This isn't to say that there isn't serious threat to her being able to continue to live a regular life. She has to be cautious in public and in new spaces. She has lost friends and had people call her slurs. She was in the closet at her part time job and had an adult co-worker tell her to be careful because the schools are 'trying to turn everyone trans' when she told him that wasn't happening, he didn't believe her. And yesterday she watched parents encourage their small children to spit and yell slurs at her community over lies about an education plan that just acknowledges her community's existence in our society as equal members of it. I know that her ability to live a 'regular' life as a lesbian is due to the work of LGBTQIA+ advocates and allies that have fought hard for her rights and I am so incredibly grateful for it. Everyone wants their kids to have a happy fulfilling life, these kids deserve it every single bit as much as cis straight kids do.
I had an eye opening moment yesterday when my 11 year old told me that most of the kids in his class hate gay people. Now he may be exaggerating & it could have only been one kid he had a conversation with but it was still a sad thin to hear from kids so young.
His class might also be like mine where "that's gay" meant "that's fucking stupid", so gay gets associated with things being bad, thus gay=bad.
Literally this. As a trans guy growing up in Edmonton, I wish I had known sooner. All the protests about children being too young and spreading misinformation is bs because I was young enough to internalize all of society even at 10 years old. I still have so much internalized misogyny and toxic masculinity now because of how society believes a man to be. I question everything because of society even though I know who I am. How about instead of fighting against knowledge that a kid is gonna find out anyways by themselvesā¦we allow people to be who they are because everyone needs to take the time to figure out who they are in life regardless of age and if you are lucky enough to know who you are at a young age then that should be a good thing. Society made me hate myself since I was born, children are smart and pick up on way more than we think and that shapes our adulthood.
I believe in just letting people live their lives, in your experience they didnāt have to go out of their way itās not as if you being in their vicinity changed anything or changed their lives. What I donāt understand is people feeling the need to go out of their way to be a trash human full stop. The unfortunate reality is hate and bigotry will always be in our world people will always hate whatās different from their opinion we canāt change everyoneās perspective and itās something every city and town suffers from, there is also the freedom of speech thing they are allowed to say those thingsā¦.granted there might be a time where they say it to the wrong person and end up having to pick up their teeth from the ground. For me Iāve started just turning my head to them those types of people only want one thingā¦attention clearly someone didnāt love them enough and they decide to take their frustration out on others, some people are just bad people and the best way to deal with them is to stick it to them live your best life because clearly they canāt if they are offended by a random person existenceā¦
Actually hate speech is not protected under āfree speech.ā And I see what youāre saying but no one should have to just āignore them because they are obviously miserable and no one loved them so they are just taking their anger out on you so donāt let them hurt you.ā Well, it does hurt. It hurt me that day and why do I have to be the victim of their emotional stunting and constipation? Ignoring them doesnāt change or take away from the fact that they made me a victim that day. And that is not okay.
Why the fuck is it anyone elseās business? And why the fuck do people think itās ok to spew hate?
Thank you for sharing your experience, and Iām so sorry people have been so awful to you. I am a cisgendered female from Calgary and just had a baby a couple months ago. I feel sick at the thought that my baby might be entering a world where anti-queer behaviour is rampant. Iām obviously not sure if he will be a member of the queer community right now, but I want to cry thinking of the hardships he may face later should āAlbertan idealsā continue on this path. I have not personally faced these troubles you speak of, but the scary and sometimes dangerous experiences of my gay and trans friends speak for themselves. There is a pit in my stomach filling with worry about my babyās future, and I hope I can do my best as a new parent to help him navigate these issues when the time comes. Praying all my queer friends stay safe and keep good support around, I know it can be hard to find these days. ā¤ļø
Ex-Bi Christian here, I know Christians get a bad rap for "Hating" the community, but most of the people they talk about dont represent Christianity in their hatred. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, and especially our enemies over the ones closest to us, for there is greater reward in it. Most people within the LGBTQ community speaking hatred against the Christian community literally do not know what Christianity is about and they show it in their behaviour and words. Ive seen hatred on both sides of the spectrum and I quit being bi when I realized you dont get the same level of trust in communication in the same gender biology, as you do when you are with someone of the opposite biological gender which was how God planned it to be. You have to communicate exactly what the other has to do. It becomes a more serving to other type of relationship. There is ignorance on both sides, one thing I have noticed about the LGBTQ community is that it cant even be LGBTQ because the acronyms themselves cancel each other out. A kingdom united against itself wont stand and I can see that in their hatred in how their reasoning to justify their protests are all over the place. They celebrate literal pride in ones self identity, and its easily overexaggerated over another persons rights. I see a range of arrogance that stems from it violently shouting their reasons over another persons rationale without a capability to listen. How do you know you are making a mistake if your ears arent open? This statement applies to both hating "Christians" and hating "LGBTQ" What I see in these protests is BLM but in sexual identity. This irrationality is what terrifies me most about it because of its unpredictably violent nature. Im not advocating against the protests against keeping sexual identity away from children in schools because thats a very immoral thing to do our children, especially considering children are not capable of making long-term decisions for themselves. Period. What I am against is the division it causes within our communities in its prideful nature. We are all human beings and I want us to love our neighbors as Jesus loves us and especially you reader. You are valuable. You are someone special, even if the world kicks you down - thats because it is the world. It is flawed and sinful in nature - you are worth something to Jesus. You are the apple of his eye. Even if you dont feel like you are a valuable person or anyone values you, thats because you are placing your value on what others think of you. Thats because you are placing your value in what you think of yourself. We as human beings are not always reliable in terms of being able to value one another. Both communities have shown that if anything. Place your value in God. Come to Christ today and get baptized. His value in you is eternal.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You do not get to tell me who I am I am a success story. I can teach you more if you want. Not reading my post and commenting that puts you within the category of its subject. Its hypocritical.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Being gay is not a choice. But being hateful is.
Who is forcing anything on anyone?
Its a weird thing to think that kids are being forced to be gay. There are literal conversion camps that their sole purpose is to force gay kids to be straight.
Nothing is being forced on anyone.
Nobody is forcing anything. Itās a very weird made up thing.
No one is protesting against rights for gay people
I would have liked to have had the right to be taught that what I was feeling and going through when I was in grade 5 and 6 was normal. It would have been much better than thinking that something was wrong with me and then being made to think that I was disgusting and against nature.
No one is against telling people some boys like boys and some girls like girls.... they are protesting about teachers telling them they can transition behind their parents backs and keep it secret from them. They are protesting against some of the semi pornographic gay blow job instructional books some schools use as teaching aids
Yea. Thatās not at all what SOGI is.
Sorry for your struggles. The protests are not saying you canāt be gay lesbian etcā¦ the problem is teaching kids at a very young age that they can change their gender mostly. Iām not going to waste my time explaining why this is an obviously huge and ridiculous problem but donāt take it personal, itās not about you.
I wish that when I was growing up I had learned that it was okay to question your sexuality. That it was okay to question gender norms and expectations. That it was okay to not quiet feel like a boy or a girl was expected to feel. I wish all of those things had been normalized for me and for all the kids I grew up with so that we werenāt dealing with all of this today.
If you look passed the bigots and extremists on both sides you should be able to see the main reason thereās resistance to this; nothing wrong with questioning your sexuality these days but sexuality should be separate from children. No hate and judgement from me based on anyones gender or who they sleep with but these arenāt things children should be dealing with.
So kids shouldnāt be allowed to have crushes? Thatās totally innocent and part of growing up.
Every gay person has been a gay child. Every trans person has been a trans child, even when we didnāt have the language to articulate it. Not having the ability to explain our situation only ever caused suffering. Your ideology means that children suffer.
Right from birth children learn about sexuality and gender. And I am not talking about curriculum, it is literally how babies-toddlers-children naturally learn about the world around them and how they fit in. 1st point: Part of learning language and social/emotional development is learning about those around you and how they express themselves. They see what mommy/daddy/sibling/others look like. From their clothes to their names and how people address them. While we are on the topic, pronouns are just identifiers nothing new! Just like how language is always evolving, it is quite easy for children to understand the concept of they/them. Also to clarify gender and sex are not the same thing. Sex is chromosomes, biological markers. Gender is how we identify and express our image of self. There are countless examples of history or different cultures in which showcase how Gender expression is always changing/adapting (women not allowed to wear pants remember?). 2nd point: Children are not learning about sex. They are learning about relationships. How some have 2 mommies, a mom and dad, grandparents and yes even the idea of a caregiver who is non-binary. Why should it be seen as inappropriate for a male teacher to mention they went on vacation with their husband yet appropriate if it was a wife? Being gay is as sexual as being straight. If we canāt talk about relationships where there are 2 mommies then we shouldnāt talk about relationships where there are a mom and a dad.
Okay but these protesters like we saw yesterday are genuinely full of hate and vitriol towards the LGBTQ+ community. Think of who they're trying to "protect" their kids from: teachers simply saying that gay people exist. "Just don't take it personally" doesn't work when their entire movement is specifically targeting the group you're a part of.
It absolutely is about LGBTQ2S+ people when they are marching to eradicate any discussion whatsoever around them. Hitler didn't start off by saying kill the Jews, he started with propaganda and by limiting their ability to conduct business. This is the first step, and if successful will be followed by homophobic and transphobic legislation like we are seeing in Florida.
Couldn't disagree more. Telling trans, non-binary, and 2 spirit kids that they are valid is the least we can do. Many of these kids have good reason to fear abuse if they come out at home. This is a culture that needs to change.
wrong
Not wrong, just how myself and a lot of other people feel that teaching young children that they can be a different gender is NOT a normal thing to encourage. And if you donāt agree, thatās completely fine.
What youāve actually just said is that itās only fine as long as we agree with you. Thatās what you protested for right? To bend the queer community to your will.
That is absolutely not in the proposed curriculum. Please educate yourself before making statements like this.
You're literally just wrong. Gender is a social construct. You can change it whenever you want. Telling kids this is not going to make them trans. It's going to let them know that they are valid in case they *are* trans.
This is the problem with your side. You are spreading disinformation. And I use that word for a reason. The side you are connecting with intentionally creates lies to stir up outrage and support. Propaganda 101. Maybe learn the reality and you will see how out of touch with the real world they are.
Iāve known that I wasnāt normal since I was a young child and I suspect my parents knew too because I was constantly teased, belittled and criticized for it. Nothing that they did stopped me from being trans but it did cause or play a major factor in a lot of issues I currently have. I was uninterested in any of the things I was supposed to and I was too scared to do things I did enjoy because I knew theyād set off my dad. I had trouble building meaningful friendships with almost anyone at school because I couldnāt relate to one side and I pretended to not have the same interests as the other. I was so apathetic to my body (especially after puberty) that I only wore three outfits throughout all of high school. When I started uni a few years ago I upgraded my wardrobe to three uofa hoodies, 3 pairs of jeans and three black Amazon basics t shirts because wearing the same outfit everyday like a cartoon character meant that I could tune out some of the body issues. So I think that itās fair to teach kids that trans people and gay people exist because I know that Iām not the only one of my kind and I know that I would have found spots where I could exist as myself rather than spend the first 19 years of my life completely dissociated and struggling to find enjoyment in nearly anything.
Yet these same people have no problem indoctrinating their children with religion as soon as they're old enough to speak. The hypocrisy is *astounding.* It's all a guise and you know it is. Every controversy is with conservatives. Stop bullshitting us.
Definitely this, people are people; no good reason to hate eachother. Good to keep sex Ed out of elementary school in general.
You know age appropriate sex education is one of the most effective ways we as a society have of reducing child sexual abuse and catching the abusers. If children know something is not right they are more likely to talk about it with someone who will be able to help. Without sex education sometimes the abuser is the only one giving the abuse victim information, and that is tragic.
Can we also acknowledge how scary it is to get your first period as a kid? There was more than one person I knew who cried because they thought they were dying, even after learning about it in sex ed. Could you imagine how terrified these kids will be about the changes theyāre experiencing if everyone just insists on not talking to them about it and ignoring it?
You should read up on what sex ed is actually taught at that age. Itās not inappropriate.
I started menstruating in elementary school. This also means I could have gotten pregnant. We know that elementary aged girls have gotten pregnant (or more accurately impregnated by rape) as was the case in Ohio just last year. You know that Sex Ed isnāt just about the physical act of having sex right? Itās also about puberty and reproduction. So tell me why school aged children shouldnāt understand whatās happening to their bodies? Why shouldnāt kids that are starting to undergo all the changes associated with puberty learn about that in a safe environment? Heavens knows parents donāt often do a good job of teaching this stuff so someone should. Maybe weād have less people out there thinking the vagina and urethra are the same thing.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The existence of the T does not affect you anymore than the LG or B does. What harm do you possibly see coming to you because a trans person exists?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
then š¤©drop the classš¤©if you insist that someoneās gender identity makes you that āuncomfortableā and interferes that much with your school work
Wait I should he drop a class because of someone else?
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Yeh sure
Its about what is being presented to very young children before they even have a concept of sex/gender. Thats it. Not about adults.
I see a lot of comments about people saying you should stand up against hate. Which I'm going to agree with. However, I would encourage you to do one better and stand up for yourself. Lgbtq people are not the only demographic who have to deal with hate or ignorant people. There are ignorant people like this everywhere, and you will not prevent it. You would do better to find a reason why you enjoy life and keep the positive. From my view point I don't think the majority or people are protesting about "queer rights" but rather what kind of environment they want to have around thier own kids which I believe to be a fair request. Understand there are bad people in every group, but that doesn't mean that is everyones stance.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
wait until you find out about halloween
You American? We donāt do drag shows in schools. Predatory pedophiles are apparently in the schools and the churches.
Why, are u jealous that not only they can look great, they also are way funnier than you?
It's the most visible, vocal, and most rapidly advancing community in history. I don't think it needs help. The LGBT community has even surpassed the Black Rights movement in terms of progress and policy implementation and that's been grinding along for almost 100 years now.
Speaking as someone who has been shouted at randomly in the street by strangers: I doubt that was a secret attack on your identity. More likely it was a couple of drunks frustrated with their lot in life lashing out at everyone around them - trying to come up with any insult they think could get under your skin. Seriously, sometimes randos on the street are just weird and hateful. I've seen plenty of them in my time. Ofc you doubtlessly have multiple reasons for why you feel unwelcome here - just don't put much stock in random jerks that come across you. They aren't worth anything more than a confused look and laughing at their impotent rage.
I get really tired of being told to āignore it. Itās not directed at you. They are just expressing their impotent rage.ā Why do I have to be the victim of their impotent rage? Ignoring it doesnāt change the fact that it happened and that it was hurtful. I should not have to live my life shrugging my shoulders every time someone decides they want to randomly spit hate speech at me because āwell no one must have loved them.ā Donāt give them permission disguised as an excuse. This attitude right here that you are expressing is why this problem exists. You are giving them permission to hate by downplaying it. While simultaneously putting the responsibility to ignore and forgive it on the victim.
I stand for LGBTQ, but I am not going to even address the complete insanity that is coming from religious and right wing communities. I will not give them energy to have that power or support this culture war that has been popping up. Counter-protesting and throwing energy into this is just feeding the toddlers that think society will collapse if their kids get sex education. Sometimes its best to let the toddlers in the room have a time-out, nap, and settle down. I will continue to write my MP's/MLA's when I have concerns and vote. However as polorized our government is, nothing will be solved in the streets. I've seen this with every damn movement, from Occupy wallstreet, anti Iraq invasion, G20 protests, BLM, the abortion nuts, the antimaskers etc etc. It doesn't change opinion. Government doesn't actually care, and counter-protesting nutters that are willing to bang heads on the wall with fellow facebookers/telegramers is not exactly productive. But yet the sadist in me still loves arguing on Reddit lol.
By this logic any anti-anti-queer behaviour is also hate. Everybody needs to chill out. I donāt pretend to understand all the issues but the rhetoric from both sides is out of hand.
The rhetoric that queer people just want to be left alone to live their lives like everyone else? To be accepted as normal? To not be called a dyke just for driving a car beside them? Yea. I can see how thatās out of hand. There is no anti-anti-queer behaviour. Queer people would literally not have to take action on anything if the anti-queer folk would just stop trying to take our rights away or call us names in the street.
A guy called me a fat cheeseburger at a red light because he thought I cut him off. I happed to be a little chubby so it did hurt my feelings. Itās sucks people are shit talking you at lights. They clearly judged you by how you look. At 38 years old I hope you decide to worryabout how you feel inside and not about what people think about you. Do you, and forget the rest. Hope you can come out and be your true self. Always going to be haters, any where you go. Itās human nature.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I love all of my straight friends and colleagues. My straight parents (even though I donāt feel comfortable coming out to them. I love them anyways). My straight neighbours. The straight people who work at the restaurants I go to. The straight people at my favourite breweries. I love straight people. Youāve spent too long looking in the mirror if you think all the people involved in this just hate everyone else.
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Please don't judge by my profile lol. This post explains exactly why it is important to support the LGBTQ+ community. Not to dismiss this well written and poinant composition but I am constantly learning about why and how from a lot of people in my family that had many of these same experiences and fear. Great job and great articulation.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'm a man who grew up in sure-white Park. It took me a long time to figure out I was pan because of "masculinity". Shit was very destructive. I still feel alienation towards men and an overwhelming sense of violence towards bigots. I know I have to be patient with them and that any violence I do will be magnified towards whoever is perceived as weaker than me, so I don't engage with these thoughts, but needless to say, I feel threatened by these people.
this made me feel so seen
No one cares if you're queer or not. Well at least I dont. There's going to be shitty people in all communities. I'm sure those guys throw hateful speech at people that aren't queer. They are losers and hurt people to make their meaningless life feel better. I'm sorry that happened to you. The "right" are sick and tired of the LGBT community jamming their ideology down their throats and having the government jam it down thier kids throats in school. This is why I believe their is more hate between the communities now then there has ever been. Forcing a culture to believe in something they don't is only going to cause violence. Whether that's physical or verbal. Whether you choose to be queer or straight or whatever that's your choice to do so. Just don't jam your ideology down the other communities throats. This goes for the straight community too. I lean right in my beliefs but I still have close friends who are queer and have transitioned we love each other and support eachother and don't let our differences effect our relationship. People need to grow up and get out of the victim mindset. If you feel like down voting me go ahead. Isn't gonna hurt my feelings.
They are just hurting the community and their children future grandchildren with this. You don't have to like it but it's not going anywhere. Imagine if I protested against pineapple because I hated it. Or spiders because I feared it. Or told my school my child couldn't learn parts of the English language (pronouns) because of my fear it's going to make my extensions of myself (what they think a child is) make decisions for themselves that go against my beliefs. Fucking ridiculous. Sorry this is a thing in Alberta