.........and My Device Is Faulty Haha 😂😂

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”

— Albert Camus

Imagine if coffee was illegal

There’s just something about love, and time differences, talks in person, and long distance, that aches so much like this: like when Billie Eilish said “midnight for me is 3:00 a.m. for you” or when Shawn Mendes said “I’m three hours back seems like your always six ahead” or “All it’d take is one flight and we’d be in the same time zone” or Taylor Swift said “Words, how little they mean when you’re a little too late - We wake in lonely beds, in different cities” or Lizzy McAlpine said “Someday we could be in the same city.” or Lorde said “It drives you crazy getting old. - I want 'em back, the minds we had - You’re the only friend I need, sharing beds like little kids, laugh until our ribs get tired, but that will never be enough.” Head and the Heart said “A year from now, we'll all be gone. All our friends will move away. - Been talkin' 'bout the way things change, And my family lives in a different state.” or Avery Lynch said “I wish I could remember what it feels like, to touch your skin. And what your voice sounds like in person, I know FaceTime can distort it, and I miss it. I wish I'd fall asleep with you. - I know I'm more than lucky just to have you. If you're here or not. But it's hard to comprehend the amount that I would give, To have you in my arms, just in my arms. And I'm sick of kissing you in my head. Tell me, when can it be real instead? 'Cause I would do anything to be close to you again… And it's hard being here half empty. When somewhere different is my favorite part of me.” or FINNEAS said “I was strung out in Austin for nearly a week, Anxiety like we were kids. I've been thinkin' too much and it's ruined my nights, But it's hard when it isn't, to let yourself slide - And my heart doesn't slow down when you kill the lights - I never learned to call it quits. If I could see the future, I never would believe her. - I'll wait for years, but I won't wait alone. - Can I take you out? To a concert Six months from now?”

Waking up with the bitter realization that today might as well be my last day.

The LGBTQ community has seen controversy regarding acceptance of different groups (bisexual and transgender individuals have sometimes been marginalized by the larger community), but the term LGBT has been a positive symbol of inclusion and reflects the embrace of different identities and that we’re stronger together and need each other. While there are differences, we all face many of the same challenges from broader society.

In the 1960′s, in wider society the meaning of the word gay transitioned from ‘happy’ or ‘carefree’ to predominantly mean ‘homosexual’ as they adopted the word as was used by homosexual men, except that society also used it as an umbrella term that meant anyone who wasn’t cisgender or heterosexual. The wider queer community embraced the word ‘gay’ as a mark of pride.

The modern fight for queer rights is considered to have begun with The Stonewall Riots in 1969 and was called the Gay Liberation Movement and the Gay Rights Movement.

The acronym GLB surfaced around this time to also include Lesbian and Bisexual people who felt “gay” wasn’t inclusive of their identities. 

Early in the gay rights movement, gay men were largely the ones running the show and there was a focus on men’s issues. Lesbians were unhappy that gay men dominated the leadership and ignored their needs and the feminist fight. As a result, lesbians tended to focus their attention on the Women’s Rights Movement which was happening at the same time. This dominance by gay men was seen as yet one more example of patriarchy and sexism. 

In the 1970′s, sexism and homophobia existed in more virulent forms and those biases against lesbians also made it hard for them to find their voices within women’s liberation movements. Betty Friedan, the founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), commented that lesbians were a “lavender menace” that threatened the political efficacy of the organization and of feminism and many women felt including lesbians was a detriment.

In the 80s and 90s, a huge portion of gay men were suffering from AIDS while the lesbian community was largely unaffected. Lesbians helped gay men with medical care and were a massive part of the activism surrounding the gay community and AIDS. This willingness to support gay men in their time of need sparked a closer, more supportive relationship between both groups, and the gay community became more receptive to feminist ideals and goals. 

Approaching the 1990′s it was clear that GLB referred to sexual identity and wasn’t inclusive of gender identity and T should be added, especially since trans activist have long been at the forefront of the community’s fight for rights and acceptance, from Stonewall onward. Some argued that T should not be added, but many gay, lesbian and bisexual people pointed out that they also transgress established gender norms and therefore the GLB acronym should include gender identities and they pushed to include T in the acronym. 

GLBT became LGBT as a way to honor the tremendous work the lesbian community did during the AIDS crisis. 

Towards the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s, movements took place to add additional letters to the acronym to recognize Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, and others. As the acronym grew to LGBTIQ, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAA, many complained this was becoming unwieldy and started using a ‘+’ to show LGBT aren’t the only identities in the community and this became more common, whether as LGBT+ or LGBTQ+. 

In the 2010′s, the process of reclaiming the word “queer” that began in the 1980′s was largely accomplished. In the 2020′s the LGBTQ+ acronym is used less often as Queer is becoming the more common term to represent the community. 

“My anxiety is silent. You wouldn’t even notice a change on the outside but I’m honestly so stressed I can’t even manage simple tasks. People call me lazy when in reality I’m just overwhelmed.”

— Unknown

Great Success

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