Wicked Gay Rights

The Southern Version of P Town

Originally Posted January 6, 2016

Hey ya'll!

I'm just coming back from one of the most amazing places in the world, Key West, Florida.

Being the southernmost point of the United States, it is WARM. It is a small island, known for Duval Street, and it's countless tourist attractions.

While these things alone would make Key West a great place to visit, the most amazing part of all was it's diversity and acceptance. While on the island, I noticed several different examples of their accepting community.

On the first day I arrived, while walking down Duval Street, the first thing I noticed was this:

RAINBOW CROSSWALKS! Are you kidding?!

Upon seeing these, I immediately knew my parents had chosen the right vacation spot.

The longer I was there, the more things I noticed that made me fall in love even more. Such as:

A poem found written on the sidewalk in Key West, Florida.

A sticker that could be found everywhere you look in Key West.

The sticker above was very popular in Key West. I found it stuck to street signs, and buildings, and just about anything you could image. On the top of the sticker it reads, "Everyone in the world can share the 'Official Philosophy of Key West, Florida.'"

It was really incredible to see how accepting and loving the people in Key West were. Everybody spread the word of anti-discrimination and acceptance. This non-profit organization devotes all of their efforts to ending discrimination. The stickers are always free, and they will send you as many as you want. To read more about the organization click the link below:

http://www.onehumanfamily.info/join-us/

Overall, the trip was absolutely incredible, and it felt amazing to be in a place where I could be myself without fear of judgment. I can't wait to go back.

Labels Are For Soup Cans!

Growing up, being labelled is one of the toughest things that happens. As part of the LGBT community, I face this more and more.

I personally, have been told that "I don't look gay."

I'm honestly not quite sure what it means to "look gay" but the people who say such things are exactly the ones that feel the need to label us.

Now LGBT people are not innocent either. We have an astronomical amount of types and subtypes of LGBT people.

For example, lesbians are never just lesbians. You've got butches, femmes, lipstick lesbians, chapstick lesbians, gold stars, blue jeans femmes. The list goes on and on (and they don't make any sort of sense).

My point is, it doesn't matter who you love or how you dress. People are people. End of story. And they don't need any more labels. So save those for cans.

Amnesty International Gay print advertisement

I happened to stumble across this image, and it hit me really hard. The reality of the message is horrifying.

Gay people are not happy.

Research shows that depression affects LGBT people at a much higher rate than the general population.

Even more upsetting, the main sources of hate and discrimination against these people comes from school and home. Two of the places that are supposed to be the safest for kids.

Gay Everyday

I found this and fell in love with it. Then the words in the middle changed, and I fell in love with it even more.

Being gay is not a choice, and it won't change just because someone else wants it to.

Once you're out, and finally able to be proud of yourself, it's the happiest feeling in the world.

We've accomplished too much in the LGBT community to let it go to waste. I would hate to see all of these terrible things come back...

Human Rights Campaign Endorses Hillary Clinton

Human Rights Campaign has decided to endorse Hillary Clinton for president. The group had a unanimous decision while deciding which candidate to endorse.

With the elections coming up, the Human Rights Campaign fears for the safety of all the progress that LGBT people have made, especially under President Obama. Some of the progress includes:

Historic support from the Administration for nationwide marriage equality.
The end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Non-discrimination protections for LGBT employees of federal contractors.
Landmark hate crimes legislation.
Greater visibility for transgender people.
Call for an end to abusive practice of "conversion therapy."
The Administration's support for LGBT students.
Support for HIV prevention and affordable treatment.

Hillary Clinton plans to extend even further, making sure to gain full federal equality for LGBT Americans, protect the rights of transgender Americans, and to prevent discrimination against LGBT kids and families.

To view Hillary's views on LGBT rights, watch the videos below: