BY NATASIA LANGFELDER
Lesbian.com

How would a girl’s life change, if she was a boy? What privileges would she have as a man that she wouldn’t as a woman? How would it affect her friendships? Her sexuality? Her identity? Girls Lost attempts to answer this question through a ‘modern fairytale,’ albeit more “Brothers Grimm” than Disney. 

The post ‘Girls Lost,’ a compelling coming of age story that challenges gender norms first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY FRANCESCA LEWIS
Lesbian.com

You may have heard the name Dare2Care around the internets, back when they released their provocative and poignant “Words Kill” PSA in 2014, but you probably have no idea how much good work they are actually doing. The Ohio-based non-profit is all about educating teens and adults alike about LGBTQI issues, empowering people with accurate information about diverse identities and increasing awareness about LGBTQI-focused bullying. Sponsoring training programs for kids and medical professionals and hosting awareness-raising events, including an annual poetry competition with a scholarship prize, they are already doing so much to educate people and make space in the world for LGBTQI voices.

Dare2Care are raising funds on GoFundMe to roll out even more essential and important projects, including expanding their existing leadership programs and establishing a more formal presence in schools. I caught up with VP Liz O’Donnell to give her the chance to tell you in her own words about the strides this much-needed organisation has already made and plans, with your help, to make in the future.

Dare2Care may be most well-known online for their poignant PSA released last year, but your main focus is in education – not just of students but of teachers too. What made you decide to include adults in your training programs?

We decided to include teachers in our training programs because we are beginning our student leadership at the end of the high school freshman year when our participants are only 14/15 years old. It is a lot to ask young people to come back to their school environment with a lot of new information and implement creative and educational peer programming without having teacher-mentor support. By including teachers we ensure that there is a committed faculty presence to not only endorse the students initiatives but to facilitate implementation of cultural change within the administration. Also, both teachers and students are hearing the same material and therefore have a common language to discuss LGBTQI issues.

You’ve developed a Sex, Gender, and Diverse Identity curriculum for med students – can you explain a little about what that is and why it is important?

Yes, this has been an important development for us as an Organization. It is one of the benefits of the work we have been doing that perhaps many of our supporters do not yet know about. As a mental health professional and neonatal physical therapist I have worked in many acute care settings over my years of clinical practice and the absence of diversity education, particularly as it pertains to LGBTQ and inter-sex individuals, is poor. I worked in an intensive care nursery for over 10 years and was fortunate enough to experience the professional and personal struggle that families who have a child who is inter-sex face. We want, as an Organization, to change the dialogue at several points of the educational interface and given that we know that access to health-care, particularly mental health care, for LGBTQI clients, demonstrates significant inequity and misinformation, this elective course was one way for us to make a difference in medical education. Only a very small percentage of medical school in the United States have a mandatory curriculum that address the specific health-care needs of sexual minority populations. If we aren’t training our students then we don’t have clinicians who can change care at the point of delivery.

You also offer scholarships – what have been some of the success stories from this?

Our first cohort has been a stunning example of what information in the hands of young people can do. Some of their three year accomplishments include: starting an in school community called Club Identity, the development of LGBTQI inclusive literature, peer to peer educational workshop facilitation (in the community and other schools), participation in Cleveland Pride (with parents), expansion of Ally week, the celebration of the first cisgender male prom queen at the pilot high school, recipient of the transgender community award, and an extremely positive coming out experience for one of our initial student scholars. All of our first cohort of students are going onto college with a commitment to expand their work in the area of LGBTQI equality. One of our students was accepted into a highly competitive academic program that insists each participant commit to a 4 year long service project. We are fortunate enough that she has chosen to make our mission her thesis. There are many more accomplishments both macro and micro that show that we have made a difference not only in their lives but also in our own.

Dare2Care recently launched a GoFundMe – what are the aims of the fundraising project?

Now that we have completed our pilot study we would really like to expand the programming in a more formal way to other schools. This would allow more students to apply to the Dare2Care/GYLI summer leadership program and take back what they learn to their own environment. Cleveland has a significantly diverse population and each school community has their own needs with respect to addressing LGBTQI education – we would like each school to have the information necessary to create a culture that represents both our mission and their philosophical principles. We also plan to offer more local workshops that would allow for an even greater number of students to participate and act as ambassadors for the direction change that we know is coming in LGBTQI equality. We are still a small Organization often funded by our own personal financial contributions – we know that for our mission to be sustainable that has to change. We will be working to make another PSA that will perhaps to an even better job at highlighting the problems we address and what we are doing to help solve them.

In the list of Core Beliefs on your website, you state “LGBT focused bullying is not an LGBT issue, it is a human issue.” Can you expand on that a little?

I think that this is a fairly straight forward, simple, yet profound concept. We are saying that the rate of bullying and suicide in the LGBTQI population is a public health issue. It is not an issue that can only concern the community that it affects. We are talking about all of us, straight or LGBTQI, having a shared right to exist as human beings in safety and privilege, and by privilege I really mean the right to exist as we are without the fear of coming to harm simply because we don’t meet an externally imposed expected ‘norm’. Until we see ourselves as everybody’s child and everybody’s parent then the belief that some people can be treated with inequity will continue. We are not unrealistic in terms of the scope of this problem beyond our particular mission but we are especially focused on making some kind of meaningful change in our own community.

You can donate to Dare2Care here or on their website.

This interview has been edited for length.

Francesca Lewis is a queer feminist writer from Yorkshire, UK. She writes for Curve Magazine and The Human Experience as well as writing short fiction and working on a novel. Her ardent love of American pop culture is matched only by her passion for analyzing it completely to death.

The post Dare2Care: Bringing Diversity Education to Our Schools and Lives first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Cartoonist Tory Hoke

Cartoonist Tory Hoke creates “Meddling Auntie” comics to break the ice between tweens and those who love them on sensitive subjects. “Meddling Auntie” is the concerned aunt that all kids need when they’re growing up. Hoke gives kids someone who isn’t a parent to provide some perspective, in an unconventional format. After previous issues on Drugs, Bullies, and Perverts, in April, Hoke released “Meddling Auntie Presents: Puberty.” In the cartoon, Hoke addresses both the gender issues and same sex attractions that might manifest themselves at puberty and how to handle it. A straight ally, Hoke collaborated with popular editor, writer and podcaster Kristine Chester for perspective in the LGBT community. I sat down with Hoke to discuss “Meddling Auntie” and her creative process, as well as her advice for aspiring female comics.

What was the inspiration behind “Meddling Auntie?”

Tory Hoke: When my niece turned eleven, I was out of ideas for what to get her–what would be interesting and personal and not something she had a dozen of already. So I asked myself, what could I really, really have used at that age? The answer was information–what I wish someone had told me. So I gathered words of wisdom from friends, put funny pictures on it to soften some harsh truths, and gave it to her as a comic.

Things sort of spiraled from there.

Excerpt from “Medding Auntie Presents: Puberty”

Why did you decide to include gender and LGBT acceptance into “Meddling Auntie Presents: Puberty?” 

TH: Ah! Great question. The first couple of comics were very much “this is just my personal experience.” But when I made one about “Perverts”–identifying and dealing with sexual abuse–the feedback from readers showed me that “personal experience” isn’t enough, not when I’m putting something in front of the public.

Puberty is a godawful time of pain and conflict plus crazy-making pressure to pretend everything’s okay. If any kid picks up this comic–a comic that claims to get it, claims to be for them–and doesn’t see themself in it, then that’s a big failure. That’s a terrible failure at a terrible time.

So for “Puberty” I put out a call for help, for more brains and more ideas, and Kristine Chester answered.

Tell me about your collaboration with Kristine Chester. Why did you decide to reach out to her? How did she help?

TH: Kristine’s guidance, her insight, and her perspective–as a younger woman, a trans* woman, and a woman who got even less school sex ed than I did–was absolutely vital. There was so much she wished someone had told her–about puberty’s physical changes, the social changes, what’s possible, what’s normal, all of it. Without her, I don’t think the comic would have happened.

We worked by email, mostly: I sent a script, she sent notes, I sent comic pages, she sent more notes. Our exchanges were a lot of her saying, “Here’s something to maybe consider,” and my answering, “Holy crap, of course!”

Excerpt from “Meddling Auntie Presents: Puberty”

Is  “Meddling Auntie Presents: Puberty” inspired by your own difficult time with puberty? 

TH: Oh yes! And, then as now, a lot of my problems were self-inflicted. I was immature for my age, often thoughtless, sometimes cruel. I think maybe underneath the comic, there’s an idea of, “Look. You’re going to have enough of a hard time. But a lot of the hard time isn’t your fault. Let me let you off the hook.”

What advice would you give to aspiring female comics?

TH: Keep going! Keep making, keep writing, keep drawing. Surround yourself with people who believe in what you’re doing. Seek criticism, take what you like, and leave the rest. Tell the stories that need to be told. Feel free to promote your work, but feel free to let it stand on its own, too. Everything you do is practice for every other thing you’ll do, and there’s no way to guess where the future will take you.

If you would like to read more “Meddling Auntie” visit meddlingauntie.com or purchase the comic for the tween in your life, at Amazon or IndyPlanet

The post Cartoonist Tory Hoke Tackles Transgender and LGBT Issues in “Meddling Auntie” first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Co-founder and Vice President of Dare2Care, Liz O’Donnell

BY EMELINA MINERO
Lesbian.com

Dare2Care is an Ohio-based non-profit that focuses on youth leadership development, fostering discussion around identity and bringing awareness to LGBT bullying.

On April 25, at their fashion and performing arts gala, 50 Years of Change, they officially launched their anti-bullying PSA. We got to chat with the co-founder and vice president of Dare2Care, Liz O’Donnell, about her work with Dare2Care and what they hope to achieve with their anti-bullying PSA.

What inspired you to co-found Dare2Care?

Most critically, the incidence of LGBT-targeted bullying, which is known to be five to six times greater if students are perceived to be, or are actually, LGBT versus straight, and the attempted and completed suicide rate in our youth. Cleveland in particular had several distressing stories of young people taking their own lives in 2010.

How does Dare2Care impact the student scholars who go through your leadership program? What excitements and concerns do they share with you about the work they do with Dare2Care?

Dare2Care has an enormous impact on our student scholars. First and foremost, we are saying to them, “You count. Your ideas count. Your story counts, and your passion will be supported.” Their participation in the leadership training at the Global Youth Leadership Institute is such a mind expander. Their excitement in learning about the complex and multifaceted aspects of identity is infectious. We wanted to focus on all aspects of identity and give them a language to speak for their generation and to their experience. It has been a joy to watch the changes in them.

The biggest challenge they have shared is in their fear of failing to implement a big idea. We have to continually remind them that we don’t expect big ideas from them. We expect challenging conversations. These are things we all have everyday. We believe it is at this level that we have had an enormous impact.

Our motto is incremental is monumental — you don’t have to make a feature film — just a tiny vignette!

Have you heard from students or LGBT youth who have been personally impacted by Dare2Care’s work?

Absolutely! It began right at our first gala with one of our poetry winners Haley, whose poem “I was Your Daughter” won second place. When I called her to ask if she would be willing to read her poem at the event and to confirm she had parental consent, she told me that her parents had not read her poem. It was a beautiful piece, but I was aware that it might be hard for her to share with them. However, she called me back, told me that she had given it to them to read and that they were both going to accept our invitation to attend with her to receive her award. Her poem began a new and scary conversation with her family. I believe we had an important part in that and this was our mission manifested. Haley read that poem and a year later openly began her transition to Spencer — with full disclosure and a measure of authenticity that I believe would have taken much longer without our support in giving Spencer a voice.

What went on behind-the-scenes in making Dare2Care’s anti-bullying PSA?

What was amazing about making the video was the response to the casting. No one gets paid by Dare2Care, from our performers to our directors. We have no money. We only have passion. Our fabulous director Marcy Ronen put out a casting call and had 80 students respond. Lakewood High School opened their doors to us for filming. We had hair and makeup services donated. We shot for seven hours to get 60 seconds of footage. Every single student under 18 came with a parent or guardian who gave us the freedom to work with their child. How amazing is that? These students shared their personal bullying stories and confirmed for us that we are truly making a difference. They all had something to say. We gave them a forum in which to say it.

What message do you want to get across with Dare2Care’s anti-bullying PSA?

One, what we say to each other matters. Two, words do indeed kill. Not just what we say, but how we say it. Three, daring to care requires courage. Every child is everyone’s child and using ugly words to label another human being is cruel and devastating.

DARE2CARE PSA 2014 from Marcy Ronen on Vimeo.

The post Dare2Care releases new anti-bullying PSA first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Trailer for the HBO documentary “Valentine Road” which focuses on anti-gay bullying and the institutional failures that allow it to occur.

The post Trailer: ‘Valentine Road’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY REBECCA PLATTER

According to a large survey of students in Washington State (Bullying and Quality of Life in Youths Perceived as Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual in Washington State, 2010), over 10 percent of eighth-grade boys and girls reported that they’ve been victimized because of perceived sexual orientation. The study showed that bullied kids targeted due to being perceived as gay were much more likely to have considered suicide in the past year. They were also far more likely to report being depressed.

An associate Chicago professor, Brian Mustanski, in the department of medical social sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said that the survey fails to address whether those bullied are gay or just perceived to be. Mustanski states that “because of this, it is a major underestimate of the rate of bullying among gay youth.”

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches over 188,000 readers per week globally

The post Survey: Anti-gay bullying causes spike in youth suicide risk first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Alexis, Jasmine, Amy, Paul, Aaron, Fik-Shun and Tucker of “So You Think You Can Dance” perform a moving routine on bullying, an issue especially pertinent to LGBTQ youth.

The post ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ stars against bullying first appeared on Lesbian.com.

A new study has found that gay, lesbian and bisexual teachers are less likely to confront anti-LGBT bullying in the classroom — but why is this? The study, conducted by Doctor Tiffany Wright and team from Millersville University in Pennsylvania surveyed 350 teachers and principals through a process of in depth interviews.

Approximately two-thirds of those surveyed said they had never seen another teacher protest homophobia if it came from other members of staff, while 59 percent said they had heard anti-gay comments made by other teachers.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

The post LGBT teachers less likely to confront anti-LGBT bullying first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Once the victim of vicious bullying, openly gay WNBA star Brittney Griner is embracing her new role as inspiration and superstar.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times this week, Griner, an NCAA phenom who came out as a lesbian before the WNBA draft in April, opened up about her difficult teen years and the responsibility she feels as a role model to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Griner reveals struggles with bullying, her status as a role model first appeared on Lesbian.com.

After recent widely publicized reports of anti-gay bullying at Mason Clark Middle School in East St. Louis, Illinois, the Hesperia Unified School District received a letter from The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California this week accusing the district of allowing a climate of anti-LGBT bullying to persist at one of its high schools despite state law and district policy prohibiting it. The letter, which you can read here (.pdf), goes further than that, actually. It claims that administrators at Sultana High School are actively participating in the ostracizing of LGBT students.

This comes as a study released Thursday shows 89% of students in California report having heard homophobic slurs from students and 14% from school staff, while 37% reported being harassed because of their sexual orientation. We owe it to every child in America to act. Thankfully some lawmakers are doing just that although Congress has so far failed to move on previous versions of the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

The post LGBT bullying: The only ‘gay agenda’ is survival first appeared on Lesbian.com.