All posts tagged: trans

Safe Schools Rally, April 23 2016 [PHOTOS]

Published by thequeerav

On April 23 2016, community members, organisers and activists gathered at Murray Street Mall in Perth for the second time, to rally for Safe Schools in Australia. The event saw protesters from Equal Love and  the Socialist Alternative in attendance, and counter-protesters from Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front.  For more details about what happened at the rally, click here. For photos from the event, see below! The next Safe Schools rally will be held at Murray Street Mall on June 4. For more information head to the event page here.

Perth’s Stand Up for Safe Schools! Snap Rally [PHOTOS]

Published by thequeerav

On Monday night, March 21, Murray Street Mall was filled with people ready to show their support for the Safe Schools Coalition at the Stand Up for Safe Schools! Snap Rally. The rally was organised after the Liberal government announced plans to change, and eventually stop funding the program after 2017. Here are some photos of the rally, and of the people speaking up for Safe Schools in WA. To stay updated on issues relating to the LGBTIQ+ community in Australia,  join the LGBTIQ+ Community Action Group on Facebook here. To show your support for Safe Schools and to let the government know what you think of their recent decisions visit ineedsafeschools.org.au. Lastly, remember to look after yourself! You can seek support at Lifeline and/or QLife! .

How Can I Help Safe Schools Coalition Australia?

Published by thequeerav

As news today hit of the changes to be made to the Safe Schools anti-bullying program, people were enraged, and rightly so. Today is National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, ironic really, considering the Australian government just hit LGBTI youth with a major form of bullying themselves. Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham announced changes to the program which include amending some lesson plans, restricting all program produced resources to secondary students, and resources such as “OMG I’m Queer”, “OMG My Friend’s Queer” and “Stand Out” to one-on-one counselling sessions between students and  “qualified staff” (Buzzfeed). It was also indicated that Safe Schools would not continue to receive funding after 2017. In light of this information, a lot of people are probably asking themselves, “What can I do?” I know I found myself asking the same question. To put it simply, the best form of support in this kind of situation is being vocal! Talk to your communities, educate yourself on LGBTI issues, participate in rallies and protests, and most importantly, let the government …

Why the Trans Community Needs to Ban the Word “Transtrender” for Good

Published by thequeerav

The other day, I was called a “transtrender” by a trans woman who refused to acknowledge my gender identity because I have, up until this point, not hormonally transitioned. Because the only thing that determines your gender identity is, you know, hormones (sarcasm). A “transtrender” refers to a person who identifies as transgender because they think it’s cool to do so. This particular trans reader insisted that I was not a “true” trans person, and that I claim this identity only because it’s the trendy thing to do. This isn’t the first time my transness has been called into question, but there’s something particularly sinister about this word that made me angry. Here’s the funny (and sad) thing about a trans person calling me a transtrender: They aren’t just hurting me. They’re hurting our community, and undermining our cause. There’s a lot of problematic implications that go with the term “transtrender.” It implies, for example, that a person’s gender identity is for outsiders to decide. It suggests that there is only one way to transition. It marginalizes …

23 BuzzFeed Videos, Lists and Articles That Will Rock Your Queer Socks

Published by thequeerav

BuzzFeed has really grown in popularity over the past few years, largely because of their diverse range of news and entertainment presented in new and fun ways. The queer community is most certainly included in this diversity and so I thought it was time to compile a list, in true BuzzFeed style, of queer BuzzFeed videos, lists and articles that will rock your queer socks. Enjoy! 1.  9 Queer Women in Tech Tell Us What They’ve Learned  2.  Smashing Gender Binaries with the Queer Kids of Today 3.  59 Thoughts Every LGBT Student has Before Mardi Gras 4.  11 Things Everyone Always Assumes About Lesbians 5.  LGBT TV Characters are Whiter, Male-er, And Richer than Real Queer People 6.  Toms: The Complex World of Female Love, a short documentary by Coconuts TV, explores a sexual identity that is unique to Thailand. 7.  17 Times Queer Tumblr Totally Owned 2014 8.   Margaret Cho is Here, Queer, And Taking Questions About Anything 9.  Why Pronouns Matter for Trans People  10.  17 of the Sweetest Ways to Come …

Gay Marriage Vs. Marriage Equality: Not the same thing

Published by thequeerav

As the world comes closer to reaching marriage equality (baby steps people), I thought it might be an appropriate time to point out what the term ‘marriage equality’ ACTUALLY means. Too often I see the terms same sex marriage, gay marriage and marriage equality used interchangeably and I have to point out that it is incorrect to do so. I know this issue has been written about a lot in the past but it’s still something that happens frequently, so I thought it might be time to revisit. Some people might think this is me being too picky and/or too concerned  with being politically and linguistically correct though I would have to disagree. If there’s anything I’ve learnt from being a part of the queer community, it’s that language IS VERY IMPORTANT and something that can’t just be ignored or generalised by the wider community for the sake of ease. Same sex marriage and gay marriage are terms frequently used by the wider community to refer to a marriage between two people of the same sex; 2 …

Top Queer Picks – Fringe World Festival Perth 2015

Published by thequeerav

Perth Fringe is Finally here and in all my excitement I’ve compiled a list of of Top Queer Picks for 2015! I haven’t seen any of these shows before so this list is based purely off what I think looks and sounds a) entertaining b) super queer. Get excited! HEX – “Award-winning young choreographer James Welsby presents HEX, an hour-long, three person dance work reflecting on AIDS, activism, sex, and disco through the eyes and bodies of Generation Y. HEX depicts the arc of the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the queer community through allegorical vignettes using popular club dance vocabularies.” Le Gateau Chocolat – I Heart Chocolat – “This is an exclusive party featuring a delectable hand-picked selection of musical arrangements, as random as a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get! But you can guarantee Le Gateau’s infectious energy and gargantuan voice will satisfy your festival taste-buds. From Glyndebourne Opera to singing for the Queen as part of the Jubilee Flotilla and touring the globe with La Soiree; to performing at the …

Vagine Regime hosts WA’s first Queer Derby Bout

Published by thequeerav

Vagine Regime hosted Western Australia’s first queer derby bout Sunday January 18 at Morley Rollerdrome. Vagine Regime is an international community of queer derby folk and allies who promote and celebrate the inclusion of queer peeps in the sport. In an interview with Out In Perth Recently, WA Co-founders Mary Fagdalene and Nurse Stax talked a bit more about it. “The Vagine Regime aims to build an international community of queer derby folk. Through a commitment to inclusive solidarity we hope to create networking opportunities, cultivate acceptance, and foster derby love matches.” Said Nurse Stax Mary Fagdalene went on to say “Whilst it might not be a big thing to be ‘out’ in derby, it can still be a very difficult to be queer in the world. For gender queer or trans people, being involved in sport can be very challenging. VR has worked to advocate for the acceptance of trans women in the sport and to call out discrimination where it is present. If we can build a safe and accepting environment within our sport then it …

The Identity Project – What Defines You

Published by thequeerav

I came across this project on Tumblr and thought it was definitely worth sharing as it shows the diversity of the queer community around us in a positive, artistic and inspiring way. The Identity Project is a photography project started by  San Francisco based portrait photographer Sarah Deragon at the beginning of 2014. “This photography project seeks to explore the labels we choose to identify with when defining our gender and sexuality.” Society is still catching up on the realisation that sex, sexuality and gender are all something a lot more complicated and diverse than the binary system we’ve been taught to constrain ourselves in and this project really shines a light on this diversity. To be eligible for the project participants must be a member of the LGBTQ community, choose 1-5 terms related to gender and sexuality to self-identify with, sign a model release and come to the Portraits To The People studio in the Outer Richmond neighborhood in San Francisco. Having said this, the project made it’s way to Portland, New York & Chicago in the second half of last year …