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queer activist

Doing Just Fine Inside The Closet

in Opinion

It’s that time of year again—the season when LGBTQ+ people are called upon to identify themselves to the masses. National Coming Out Day, October 11th, has just passed. In addition, the entire month has been dedicated to leaving the closet behind. Ever since I recognized my own queerness, I’ve felt uncomfortable on NCOD. But to be fair, it’s an event with a history we can all be proud of. The concept of “coming out” dates back to the 1800s, when early German advocates like Karl Heinrich Ulrichs and Magnus Hirschfeld promoted self-disclosure as a means of working towards equity for…

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Going Back Into The Closet: Retirement

in Blog/Real Talk/Weekly

Partners of many years, Christopher Ross and Allan Keech are both 68-years-old. As they approach the typical challenges that must be faced with age such as health issues and retirement, they must also cope with discrimination. Upon their search for an appropriate retirement community, they have found them all to not have valid resources for including those in the LGBTQ community. Keech expressed that many gay people decide to go back into the closet during this time because of not wanting to feel ostracized. Both Ross and his partner Keech are not alone. Les Geller of the LGBT Center of…

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Hurricane Harvey: Who’s Affected?

in Real Talk/The-Nation/Weekly

All of us. That’s the answer. On Monday, in response to a Politico article linking Hurricane Harvey to climate change, conservative TV personality Ann Coulter tweeted the following: “I don’t believe Hurricane Harvey is God’s punishment for Houston electing a lesbian mayor. But that is more credible than ‘climate change.’” — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) Of course! How could we have thought that the worst rainstorm in U.S. history was caused by an unwillingness to take climate change seriously, when it’s clearly just God’s way of putting Houston in a time-out for electing a qualified official who happens to be gay?…

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Giving Back: A History & Guide

in Blog/Real Talk/The-Nation/Weekly

LGBT charities and non-profits, which can be the same organization, exist to provide advocacy, awareness, and a safe haven for those individuals in the LGBT community that need a place to turn to. LGBT charities in the United States have been around for many years now, but they got their real start in the 1920’s. In 1924, Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights, which was the first officially recognized gay rights organization in the United States. Twenty-six years later, the Mattachine Society was founded in 1950-51 by Harry Hay. This was the first major gay rights organization in…

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Global Gay Rights

in Blog/Real Talk/Weekly

With the progressive nature of society, it seems barbaric to think that the LGBT community could be treated as criminal in the year 2017. For many citizens, this is the case. Currently, there are 8 countries in which being a homosexual can result in the death penalty. Additionally, there are 72 countries where simply being a part of the LGBT community is still criminalized and can result in legal punishment. If action is taken against someone in this geographic location, it could end in harsh retribution such as a prison sentence. Although, many countries over the last century have made…

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Outfest 2017

in Blog/Entertainment & LifeStyle/Weekly

The LGBT Sentinel is thrilled to be a sponsor at Outfest LA. Here are the ten films we’re most looking forward to watching. Attending Outfest? Pick up your copy of the LGBT Sentinel when you’re there! Get your tickets : www.outfest.org/about-outfest-los-angeles/ #LGBTSentinel #OutfestLA

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My Full Coming Out Story & A Message Of Hope: Roddy Biggs

in Blog/Real Talk/Weekly

So I knew at a very young age that I was not like other boys my age. I never liked the typical “boys toys” I would always rather play with dolls and other toys typically associated with girls. When I was 12 years old I told the first person I was gay and it was a huge relief. The first person I told was my aunt when we were on vacation, we have always been very close and she knew everything about me because I would always tell her things and I still do. That day I had been acting…

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Racism in the Gayborhood: A Philly Story

in Real Talk/The-Nation/Weekly

  The city of Philadelphia, PA added black and brown to its Pride flag in time for the city’s 2017 Pride festivities, and, as always, people freaked out. The flag’s creation is an attempt to show inclusivity within the LGBTQ community. A year ago, volcanic tensions within the city’s “Gayborhood” erupted after a club owner was video recorded using the N-word. The city’s Gayborhood was soon inundated with protests and a dying night life. The people of Philadelphia used social media to express their thoughts on the new flag. Most responses expressed how proud they are to live in a…

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White Pridefest: Let’s Do Better

in Blog/Real Talk/Uncategorized/Weekly

In July of last year, Black Lives Matter protesters staged a sit-in at the Toronto Pride parade. The protesters provided Toronto Pride organizers with a list of demands. These included the facilitation of space and opportunities for Black Queer Youth, prioritized hiring for queer people of color, and the removal of police floats from marches and parades. Toronto Prideagreed to the requests, and the parade resumed. There’s a lot we can learn from this successful intervention staged by BLM. Thanks to activists of color, the queer community has gained some awareness of how racially exclusive our spaces can be. Pride celebrations across the country are a great…

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