today's theme... DRAG QUEENS!

Quote by Chryses

Some dreams have become nightmares.

the thing is, this kind of thing happens in a lot of other states too - the violence towards women - the difference is that Californians speak up against it while others just let it continue unabated.

Quote by Seeker4

I don't know, I've heard a lot about this Kate person over the years and she might be a big hit if she ever put in an appearance here. Assuming Rach would even let her. 😀

True story: I was once working on a longer piece where the protagonist's daughter was named Kate and was shacked up with a woman named Rachel. I even PM'd sprite and made sure she'd be cool with it though it was entirely inadvertent or maybe unconscious. Sadly, it was going to be a longer and more elaborate story than I really had time for. There's still a diagram in my writer's notebook showing all the characters and their relationships to each other.

lol she's chatted with a few people using my account. Jen has met her. Evie has. I think Lizzy has... when i was having health issues she exchanged emails... oh, Nicola too... to keep them updated on whether or not i was still among the living. i told her i'd be okay with her having an account, but she told me was okay with me having my space here, so...

AND... finish the damn story, wouldja? it's been like what, 5 years now? lol

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

Aww Rach, I don't think you're that much of a suck.

And since I don't know Kate at all, I'd have to say I prefer you – so far.

😜

Kate is way cooler, smarter, and prettier than me. that said, i can kick her ass at b-ball, so...

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

I’ve come out so many times it’s not funny cause I keep finding new parts of myself. A lot of labels fit me to the point where it’s actually kind of ridiculous so I use the ones that fit closest to ones people understand.

we all evolve. straight, gay, binary, non-binary, fluid... it's natural, it's normal. to me, labels don't really matter. i mean, a label doesn't change who you are. that said, some people do need them to try to understand, so yeah, just go with what makes YOU feel comfortable and let them work it out themselves. OR... try this label. the awesome label. what are you? i'm awesome. that says it all, because really, you ARE awesome

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

Rach, I'm straight, and always have been. I grew up steeped in the "gays are different and bad" tradition, and had the usual concerns, heard and told the usual anti-gay jokes, and was fundamentally afraid that I'd be exposed to gay men.

Then I met Marshall Goldman at university.

We were staging a production of "The Wizard of Oz". I had the title role – which caused one of my friends to say, "You're playing Dorothy??"

Marshall was doing the makeup, and as the Wizard, I went through a number of makeup changes, so we worked closely together. Marshall was also out of the closet, and a prominent member of the Gay Liberation Front at my uni. He was also incredibly funny, and just all-around fun to be with. And he liked my taste in clothes – he said I screamed.

As we worked together on the production, I relaxed and found that here was a gay man that I was glad to know, and happy to call my friend.

And that was about all it took. I never again felt threatened by gays and was much more open-minded afterwards.

Recently, my university, in their alumni magazine (sent to shake down alums for money) had an article about the GLF. I wrote in to tell them about my experience with Marshall, and to comment that the GLF had not merely been about liberating gays, but also straights, and that I was grateful to Marshall and the GLF for my own awakening.

I got a very nice reply from the editor. They published my letter, but they also told me that Marshall died several years ago. It hurt.

I stand with my gay & other friends.

everyone's situation is different. i was lucky, my family were very cool about it when i came out...

So... I'm dating Kate... like, seriously... i'm gay...

no duh. and thank god. your taste in men is horrendous.

seriously, i think that they liked her better than they did me - like FINALLY we get a daughter/sister that doesn't kind of suck

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

Rach, I'm straight, and always have been. I grew up steeped in the "gays are different and bad" tradition, and had the usual concerns, heard and told the usual anti-gay jokes, and was fundamentally afraid that I'd be exposed to gay men.

Then I met Marshall Goldman at university.

We were staging a production of "The Wizard of Oz". I had the title role – which caused one of my friends to say, "You're playing Dorothy??"

Marshall was doing the makeup, and as the Wizard, I went through a number of makeup changes, so we worked closely together. Marshall was also out of the closet, and a prominent member of the Gay Liberation Front at my uni. He was also incredibly funny, and just all-around fun to be with. And he liked my taste in clothes – he said I screamed.

As we worked together on the production, I relaxed and found that here was a gay man that I was glad to know, and happy to call my friend.

And that was about all it took. I never again felt threatened by gays and was much more open-minded afterwards.

Recently, my university, in their alumni magazine (sent to shake down alums for money) had an article about the GLF. I wrote in to tell them about my experience with Marshall, and to comment that the GLF had not merely been about liberating gays, but also straights, and that I was grateful to Marshall and the GLF for my own awakening.

I got a very nice reply from the editor. They published my letter, but they also told me that Marshall died several years ago. It hurt.

I stand with my gay & other friends.

i don't hold being straight against you, ya know... thing is, and it's both funny and sad at the same time, i know gay folk who aren't out around certain friends who would be weird about it if they knew they were gay, but since they don't, it's not a thing. like that one thing would change their entire relationship when it really has nothing to do with them. like it'll rub off on them or they'll get hit on or something. they again, i know a lot of wonderful straight folk who are like, so what? that's my fav thing. So what? most people don't define themselves by their sexuality - it's a part of us, but it's not the whole of us. i like that, at work, i can just talk about my wife and no one even bats an eye. it's nice to feel normal. that said, i AM totally wearing an out and proud rainbow tee right now. lol

in other words, thank you. it really does mean a lot.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

How on earth do you come to that conclusion? I take a day off and the sky starts falling, lol.

Apologies for the button not working as intended. I've reported this to the dev team and will feed back.

chains you to the keyboard

oh, and something a bit more uplifting, if still defiant...

Trigger Warning - contains images of bullying and attempted suicide. that said, it's a kick-ass song.

pride month can be a mixed bag. on one hand, you feel the love of your community - straight, gay, inbetween - allies and friends and fellow queers. it's a month of celebrating who you are. a lot of people find the courage to come out in june or to just be themselves in public for the first time. it's a beautiful and joyous things.

the flip side...

June is also the month when the haters and bigots feel the need to get louder, to get more in your face, to "fight back" againt the "queer agenda". you feel that as well. some of you may heard this story before, but i'll tell it any way. 1998 was the year i figured out i liked girls was the same year that Matthew Shepard was found on the side of a road after being beaten and tortured and left for dead. he died 6 days later. not only did i discover that i liked girls, but i discovered that there were people out there who would kill me because of something i had no control over. i was faced with a choice. shut my mouth and pretend i was straight, or not... it wasn't an easy choice, but i think you all know what i chose...

Pride is not just a celebration. it is a remembrance. the first pride parade took place a year after the Stonewall riots in memory of the event. armed with a warrant, police officers entered the club, roughed up patrons, and, finding bootlegged alcohol, arrested 13 people, including employees and people violating the state’s gender-appropriate clothing statute (female officers would take suspected cross-dressing patrons into the bathroom to check their sex).

fed up with constant police harassment and social discrimination, angry patrons and neighborhood residents hung around outside of the bar rather than disperse, becoming increasingly agitated as the events unfolded and people were aggressively manhandled. at one point, an officer hit a lesbian over the head as he forced her into the police van— she shouted to onlookers to act, inciting the crowd to begin throw pennies, bottles, cobble stones and other objects at the police...

that was the beginning of a long fight for LGBTQIA+ rights that continues to this very day. a lot of things have changed for the better, but it's still a struggle. there is still a lot of hate, a lot of discrimination, a lot of violence against gays out there...

Gwen Amber Rose Araujo was 17 years old when she was murdered in 2002. she lived in Newark, CA, about half an hour's drive from where i grew up. her crime? She was trans. my best friend growing up was a gorgeous black man - JC. he came out as gay a few years before i did. and then he came out as trans. he, too, is gone. it still breaks my heart.

i just really want to say to everyone here who supports LGBTQIA+ people, thank you. i might not seem like that big a deal, but it is. being accepting, being supportive, being allies is huge. so yeah, thank you very much...

tomorrow is Pride in the Park in Seattle. Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. It should be fun. Kate had a hand in helping organize it - not a huge hand, as she'll say, but her fingerprints are there. music, drag queens, vendors... it's a sad sign of the times that i am considering carrying. considering, but i think that i'm going to resist the temptation.

oh, and yes, there WILL be a performance of Disney songs by Supertonics - fuck you, Desantis.

Happy Pride, everyone. and, to start it off right, the first of the daily Pride vids....

let the celebrations begin!

Quote by noll

That seems to suggests that there are more transwomen than transmen. Do you have any evidence for that?

at present, there is no real evidence of this, no. it's currently supposition based on a variety of things, but yeah, no proven scientific evidence at this point in time. i could easily find information claiming there are more MtF, or more FtM, or that they are equal in number.

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

No, absolutely not. I LOVE being bored to tears, me!

Please Rach – please bore us to tears! Please!

(snicker)

ok, and so begins the telling of the life of one, James Llewellyn... (snickers back)

Quote by Seeker4

Oh, I fully expect that. Having just gone heavily queer with my comp entry, not sure I'll do anything Pride-related but we shall see. I am actually waiting on someone who promised a photo I could use for the annual Pride banner on Wondercafe2. I do have backup, though, if they don't come through. I have heavy duty manager training for work for the next three days so might not get it up until the weekend anyhow.

Yeah, i wasn't really thinking about writing pride stories until just now, so i might, and i might not. i might just bore you all to tears with lgbtqia+ stuff instead. at least i know it won't be unappreciated here.

Just a word of warning... June will soon be upon us. Pride month. So expect to see a lot of gay shit from me

Quote by Seeker4

What song and artist? This one seems to be geoblocked in Canada. Looks like another John Legend.

This is John Legend with The Roots doing a cover of Bill Wither's "Can't Write Left Handed"

Quote by sprite

Seeing the live action little mermaid on monday. very excited, seeing as it's one of my fav Disney movies

met and exceeded expectations - it is SO good. :)

just a note - free speech comes with a caveat - it doesn't cover the consequences of speaking freely. it's not some absolute law that says that everything you say is given a free pass. do i have the freedom to declare that all men should be castrated at age 16? sure i do. that doesn't mean that i am legally protected from being boycotted, etc, for making the statement.

free medical care.

life is insanely busy for me at the moment. strangely, that's when i seem to be at my most prolific, writing wise. i just published the finale to The Seduction of Hope, I have a Seattle Mix Tape story in the que, and i have (FINALLY) a new chapter of Butterfly Beach waiting to be sent in. Feeling invigorated. woo hoo!

Quote by wxt55uk

Enjoy your holiday (or is it a vacation) Sprite. We have a national holiday on this side of the pond too, this Monday. I would like to say my cutting it close to the deadline date is because I am a risk taker, flying by the seat of my pants but the truth is far from that and more poignant.

I am pleased to say WW has read it, and given it back to me for a few changes. It seems I don't know if I living in the present or the past! 🙄 However with luck my competition story will be up later today... and by the way, it is a little different to the others posted and was inspired by your Ellie story. 😇

lol i said SOME. i'm working sat&sun - i do get monday off, tho and am using it to go see the Little Mermaid film

as for living in the past/present/future... my big issue is sometimes i randomly change tense in the middle of a story for like 3 paragraphs and then go back to the original without even realizing it lol it's very weird... oh, dude... nothing should be inspired by Ellie - that was kind of... weird. lol

ALSO! be aware that this is memorial day weekend in the USofA and some of the 'murican mods will be using it to travel, etc, so we might be short handed... in other words, once again, if you wait until the very last minute to submit, you are taking a big risk.

Quote by wxt55uk

I posted my competition story effort "Punked" yesterday, which I guess is slightly different to others, though I have not yet read any other entries.

I am just a little concerned about running out of time as I wait to know if it has been accepted or needs a little more work. I ask, if a story is rejected, can it be resubmitted after the deadline?

no. it cannot be resubmitted after the deadline. that said, we are very aware of all comp entries sent in and we will do everything within OUR power to make sure that they are approved before the deadline. that being said, if you wait untl the very last minute to do it, you're taking a bit of a risk.