15 LGBTQ Activists of the Past and Present You Should Know

From the “Rosa Parks of the LGBT movement” to a Cameroonian lawyer, you should know these heroes.
It’s LGBTQ Pride Month — a time to celebrate love, but also to champion equality and LGBTQ rights.

Throughout June, cities around the world have been hosting marches in honor of LGBTQ pride. In many countries today, people are free to join these marches, marry whomever they choose, and openly show their love. But that’s still not the case for LGBTQ communities in every country, and even in countries where it is safe to march, there is still a long way to go before true equality is achieved.

Without these incredible activists, the LGBTQ rights movement would not be where it is today.

In honor of Pride Month, Global Citizen is celebrating the brave activists fighting for LGBTQ rights in places where it can be dangerous to do so, and the inspiring champions …

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A Seat at the Table: International LGBTQ Rights at the United Nations

There is at the present time no binding international law that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, nor are there any key organs or agencies of the United Nations that are specifically committed to their protection. While the success of marriage equality campaigns in North America, Europe and elsewhere might be seen as an indication that further advances in LGBTQ rights and protections are inevitable, that a tipping point has been reached on LGBTQ equality, and that we are witnessing the rapid expansion of these rights throughout the world, empirical evidence of state-sponsored homophobia does not support these claims. There is a large divide between the rights and protections enjoyed by Western LGBTQ individuals and those who live in the Global South. Being LGBTQ is punishable under law in more than 75 countries; another eight allow the death …

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What are the different advocacies that the LGBTQ community fights for?

LGBTQ is the short form of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. These words are used to define a person’s gender identity and sexuality. The proper description is given below:

  • Lesbian: A woman whose physical, romantic and emotional attraction is towards other women.
  • Gay: This term is used for people who get physically, romantically and emotionally attracted to the same sex.
  • Bisexual: A person who gets attracted to both the same sexes as well as the opposite sexes are termed as bisexual.
  • Transgender: When a person is born, they are distinguished as a boy or girl based on the genitals they are born with. However, some people who are born male may feel they are actually a female and some born female may feel themselves a male. Such people fall under the category of transgender.
  • Queer: The adjective used for the people whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual. It also
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Gay Pride Parade and Safe Sex

With June (the gay pride month) just around the corner, we can’t help but commence preparations. Some of us pull out our gay pride flag and let it soar in the sky. Others whip out their trans, bisexual, pan, ace, demi, and other regalia, and get ready for the party of the year.

With the typical gay Pride parade being more about having fun than rioting (although political activism is still deeply embedded in our community), we can’t help but look at Pride as an opportunity to let our freak fly. And it is. 

There are LGBTQ people and members of other communities who resent this. Some think we should keep the Pride as tame as possible. However, those people need to realize that it took years of activism and fighting tooth and nail for every inch the government ultimately gave to get where we are today. That gives us

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Emotional Challenges Faced by LGBT Students

Insight into the daily challenges facing lesbian, gay, bixexual and transgender college students.

Learning to be yourself and dealing with other people’s perception of you can be hard for anyone. This process can be especially stressful or tough for students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). In fact, they can face unique issues when it comes to mental health. The discrimination LGBT students may face or the pressure they feel from their family or community, can put them at greater risk for emotional health struggles like depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide.

If you or someone you know is struggling with issues related to sexuality or pressures of not being accepted by family, friends or community, it’s important to speak up. By developing strong coping skills, creating a positive social network, and seeking help if needed, LGBT students can protect their emotional health during college and beyond.…

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How do LGBTQ community music festivals start thriving?

The world is showing greater acceptance to the LGBTQ community and recognizing the need for equal rights in all possible sphere. But it is still too far away from the ultimate goal of ‘life of pride’. This change in a social response in happening, although at a very slow pace, only because of assertiveness of the community who are asking fair questions and highlighting challenges, biases, prejudice, trans & homophobias through events mainly the music festivals.

It is a fact that mental and sexual orientation makes people from the LGBTQ community more creative and innovative. This sense of dynamism, freedom, colorfulness, and struggle gives them the unique power to express through music. The world has witnessed rise in the LGBTQ community music festivals and the trend is likely to continue as they need to make their presence felt. The unfortunate reality of the contemporary world is that homosexuality is still …

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Sex is not all about Gender. It is about what makes you feel love and feels great

No matter how much society progresses, the rules of the social atmosphere are mostly governed by the males. The patriarchy still rules society. Earlier this was very extensive but now with the passage of time this has decreased. Women are being given importance in today’s society to an extent. They are given freedom and liberty like the males nowadays. However the society still needs to uplift its ideology related to the other genders and their relations, like transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexuals and the queer.

People in society still consider that only two types of gender exist in society, that is, the males and females. The existence of other gender types normally in society is something which is very uncommon.

This article tells how sex is different from gender, and how sex is not all about determining gender and gender roles, rather it is about what makes you feel love and …

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What are some of the things that you can do to promote love and respect for the LGBTQ community?

LGBTQ community needs extensive support from society to achieve the goal of equality. Apart from the understanding about physical, psychological and behavioral the community needs support for legal and social lights at national, state and local levels. It is fact that most of the people are unaware of the physiological and psychological aspects involved in LGBTQ personality and accordingly builds assumption validating the prevalent notions. The challenge is in making people aware of issues and challenges that the community faces and how a little bit of support could help in making everyone feel great.

Your support can be a big boost in the struggle to get a unique identity and rights required for survival. So, help the community in mobilizing resources for the long-drawn battle for survival. You are proactive in your support and want to make the difference. Here are some of the simple things you can do to …

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Why pride festivals are important to the community?

The Pride festival (also called pride marches/ pride events/ pride parades) is the most popular stage for showcasing the pride of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) group. This is an outdoor event where people belonging to the LGBTQ community come out to celebrate their existence, their acceptance in the society and achievement of legal rights. Generally, pride events occur annually in the month of June.

History:

The very first incident which led to the pride festival took place long back in the year 1969. There was a gay club in downtown Manhattan named ‘Stonewall Inn’ where the police used to raid every now and then. On 28th June 1969 the patrons of the club also fought back and a riot broke out amongst the community members and the police. This happened 45 years ago and led to the beginning of the gay rights movement which later became …

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What are the small things that you can do to help the LGBTQ community?

Discriminatory divisions are with human civilization since the beginning. Society creates several walls to keep one section or the other away from normal participation and enjoys this sense of superiority. It is less social and more psychological in nature. When it comes to the LGBTQ community this discrimination and abuse are more acute as it makes even survival a challenging task.

If we believe in the uniqueness of every individual, then we have to accept the uniqueness of this community as well and let them have equal participation in aspects of society and feel equal. Just like anyone else, people from LGBTQ community also loves and appreciates support from society at large. The support is not just in terms of acceptance, but understanding the views and opinion and actions that help in making life better. One area that needs special support is work.

A survey conducted by a Human Rights …

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