Chilean Olympic athlete Tomás González has come out as gay, saying in a recent interview: “I guess it’s not a big deal anymore, but yes, I’m gay.”

The gymnast opened up about his journey last month to Chilean news outlet La Tercera, saying he “cried a lot in those [early] days.”

The 37-year-old revealed he only came to terms with his sexuality at 24, after dating women since 18 and planning to marry and have children. He added that his traditional upbringing played a part in this.

“Accepting myself wasn’t an easy process,” he said. “Ultimately, one grows up in a heteronormative society that conditions you in the same way. I’m glad that things are becoming more normalised today.”

He told La Tercera he’s been in a relationship for six years and plans to adopt with his partner in the future.

Impressive athlete Tomás has earned an impressive nine medals over the years for his discipline of gymnastics. He’s competed in three summer Olympics, including London 2012.

The Olympian recently released his Spanish-language autiobiography, Campeón (Champion), in which he talks more about his upbringing and professional career.

In the book, he discusses an “abusive” coach, who allegedly screamed “removed” at him after he made a fault during a 2007 competition. He says the coach also kept him isolated from others, leading a toll on the athlete’s mental health before they finally cut ties.

“Failures are overcome by being humble and analysing what happened without becoming involved in playing the victim,” Tomás says in the release.

Runaway Netflix hit Heartstopper was a huge hit with teenagers when the first series came out last year.

But while it may have been targeted at a younger audience - just like Alice Oseman's hugely popular graphic novels series of the same name - it ultimately had a much broader appeal.

The series centred around the blossoming same sex relationship between school friends Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor).

The storyline follows Nick's coming out journey as he realises he is bisexual and series two, which drops on Netflix on Thursday, will follow Charlie and Nick's deepening romance.

For the young LGBTQ+ community, Heartstopper is about representation, identity and first love, while the show also tackles other teen issues such as bullying and friendship problems.

Older viewers have also been drawn to the series with its universal themes and nostalgia for rose-tinted schooldays (even if they weren't always so rose-tinted).

For some though, it's had a more profound effect.

Fiona - not her real name - says the show helped her to open up about her sexuality for the first time, in her 40s.

"Saying that Heartstopper made me realise I was bisexual is a bit of an oversimplification. There was probably a part of me that always knew but didn't really know how to label it because there weren't any people talking about bisexuality when I was growing up," she explains.

More people identify as bisexual than gay or lesbian, a new study recently suggested.

Fiona herself is married with a young child and her husband has been very supportive as she has begun to open up about her sexual orientation.

But it was a very different landscape in the 1980s.

She says that growing up through the Aids crisis and Section 28 was damaging, recalling once hearing Aids described by adults in hushed tones as the "gay plague".

"There was a lot of trauma and horror associated with not being straight.

"Because I liked boys as well, I just kind of pushed that side down. It [bisexuality] was always floating around in my head but I had those negative ideas of what it means to be bisexual."

She also feels that there's been a lack of bisexual storylines on our screens, which hasn't helped. Last year's Glaad report, which charts LGBTQ representation on TV in the US, noted that there was a four per cent decrease in bisexual characters compared with the previous year.

While there have been prominent bisexual characters in recent TV series, such as Rosa Diaz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Darryl Whitefeather in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it was Heartstopper's Nick Nelson that made everything click for Fiona.

"When I saw his journey, the emotions he felt... the more I thought about it, the more I thought this is something I can relate a lot to the past.

"It was like jigsaw pieces floating around and watching Heartstopper was the thing that finally... they all fit into place.

She says that while the show has "been really important for young people... because it normalises those feelings... there is a generation of older people who are realising they are bisexual because Heartstopper is helping them to go through the things they went through as a teenager and recognise it".

Heartstopper doesn't sugar-coat the issues that still exist today in coming out; Nick is part of a very macho school rugby team, for example, which includes some members who are openly homophobic.

"The fear of coming out to friends is very relatable. That's something I'm still going through at the moment," says Fiona.

But she notes that Heartstopper is also a "simple love story... that isn't drenched in trauma", which she feels is significant.

"There was a big phase where every gay storyline involved HIV... you couldn't just have simple love stories like straight people."

Watching Heartstopper led to Fiona tentatively begin to explore her newly uncovered identity.

"I just subconsciously started using the [bisexuality] label for myself to see how felt. It's like unlocking a part of your identity that's always been hidden.

"Everything just clicked and I was crying at the end when Nick comes out to his mum."

Fiona recently attended her first Pride event but while her husband has been an ally, she isn't ready to come out to her wider family yet.

"My family are very heteronormative. I'm a bit of a misfit because they do (traditional) gender roles, women do this and men do that, and I've always kicked against that."

While Fiona's coming out journey is at her own pace, Connor revealed on Twitter last year that he was bisexual, but suggested he was forced to come out after pressure on social media.

"No-one should be forced to come out when they're not ready, they should be able to do that in their own time. He was pushed into a corner where he felt he had to do that, it was completely unacceptable," Fiona says.

Connor himself said recently: "One of the really powerful things about Heartstopper is that it's a voice for a lot of people.

"We do try and teach people that no matter what, it's OK. It's okay not to know, and it's OK to explore and it's okay to work things out. You'll get there. It's going to be the best thing ever when you do."

Series two will see the relationship between Charlie and Nick grow and mature.

The pair are "super, super optimistic and hopeful about their relationship," Connor says.

"But it's maybe not as easy as they thought it would be, to suddenly be as out and proud as they want to be."

Dr Julia Shaw, a psychologist and author of the book, Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality, says bisexual people face "double discrimination, expressed to them by both homosexual and heterosexual people".

"There's an assumption that for bisexual women, it's probably a phase, whereas for bisexual men, it's kind of the opposite... the assumption will be that you're actually gay but just not willing or brave enough to come out yet.

"Often bisexual people are seen as not queer enough to be fully part of the queer and homosexual community," she adds.

Dr Shaw also recognises the importance of representation on screen.

"Parasocial relationships are when we have relationships with... or get to know people on screen, or in other media contexts," she explains.

For example, the viewer may feel a genuine connection with Connor's character through shared experiences.

"We know that parasocial relationships are important for changing people's hearts and minds when it comes to queer issues.

"So if you feel like you know someone [who is gay or bisexual] in your real life, or through the media, you're much more likely to accept that that's a sexuality that really exists."

She adds: "I think that bisexual representation in the last five years has shot up massively, although it's still not proportionate.

"I think Heartstopper is one of the first representations of a delicate portrayal of bisexuality in boys in a way that we haven't seen before."

Oseman herself, who identifies as asexual and aromantic and uses both she and they pronouns, says: "We want to see our struggles represented accurately in the media, but we also often want media that makes us feel hopeful, comforted, and happy, and I like to think Heartstopper does both those things."

So what would Fiona say to Oseman if she met her now?

"Thank you for giving my generation the representation that we didn't have. I don't know if she will ever realise what impact she's really had."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/2344066

> A swath of adjoining states in the South now ban transition-related care for minors, forcing families of trans youth to travel long distances for care

A really sad tale about new neighbors making life difficult for a gay couple and their business.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230624214956/https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/06/emblems-of-equality-discovering-the-world-of-lgbtq-flags/

I don't know how to make memes I just think they're funny.

Still trying to discover where I can find stuff & things over on this thing called lemmy. First post and feeling pretty lost.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — officially declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States for the first time in its more than 40-year history, following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year. A new report released by HRC today — LGBTQ+ Americans Under Attack — details more than 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been signed into law this year alone, more than doubling last year’s number, which was previously the worst year on record.

The sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ measures has spawned a dizzying patchwork of discriminatory state laws that have created increasingly hostile and dangerous environments for LGBTQ+ people, prompting HRC today to also issue a national warning and downloadable guidebook for the LGBTQ+ community — including health and safety resources, a summary of state-by-state laws, “know your rights” information, and resources designed to support LGBTQ+ travelers as well as those already living in hostile states. This guidebook will arm LGBTQ+ people with resources and information to help ensure safety in all 50 states.

>On May 22, over 50 trans and nonbinary youth from at least 18 states gathered in front the U.S. Capitol with their birth and chosen families, including over 50 trans and nonbinary adults, to throw the party and issue a manifesto. While the country regressively debates the contours of gender-affirming healthcare and the validity of trans people, we collectively made the decision not to entertain those debates and instead celebrate our powerful lineages of resistance. As we move into the even more deadly and toxic discourse of the presidential primary season, Trans Prom was designed to be a reminder and an anchor.

so, every Pride, I have a Playlist of my top LGBTQ+ materials: tv series, films, and documentaries that focus on LGBTQ+ characters and/or issues. some are oldies and goldies, some are newer. Here are some of my highlights, what are yours?

TV

• Queer as Folk (UK) - the original groundbreaking, gritty, unrelenting BBC series that inspired others. It's a story of a group of Manchester gays and lesbians (and their cohorts) who blazed their rainbow road through an unsuspecting English city. It ran for 2 seasons. (1998-1999)
• Queer as Folk (US) - if the UK original was groundbreaking, this Showtime US version was Earth-fucking-shattering. Beyond anything the original could imagine (or anything ever seen on American television). Set in Pittsburg, PA, and running for five award-winning seasons, this series broke ground, pushed boundaries in homes and on television, and changed an entire nation's perception of the LGBTQ+ community for the better through its honest portrayal of the good - and the bad - of how people are people, love is love, and sex is sex. Often graphic, and always rude, this series - although a bit dated in its sensibilities today - served as a weekly sanctuary for countless people during the oppressive and hateful Bush Administration while actively urging its viewers to take political action to demand equal rights NOW-- and we did, and won them!. (2000-2005)
• Queer as Folk (US 2022) - neither a remake nor a reboot, but a spiritually-faithful continuation of a theme, this series is set in New Orleans, LA juuuuust post-pandemic. It tells a story of a group of friends making their way through a world beset by the backlash of LGBTQ+ acceptance of the previous generation, and beset by the terrorist actions present and which affect us all today-- and the aftermath, recovery, and how we can all survive and persevere. (2022)
• Tales of the City - a miniseries told in multiple parts: Tales of the City (1993), More Tales of the City (1998), Further Tales of the City (2001), and Tales of the City (2019), Armistead Maupin's serial stories come to life. A tale told over 50 years, from the 70s to today, of a group of friends, lovers, roommates, and neighbors of life and love in San Fransisco. Winner of multiple awards, namely for performances by Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis.
• It's a Sin (2021) - Russell T Davies, of Doctor Who fame, presents this 5-part miniseries set in London in 1981, as a group of friends navigate the ups and downs of the HIV/AIDS crisis. (2021)
• Looking/Looking A TV series and follow-up film, this series follows a group of friends in San Fransisco as they navigate the complexities and nuances of gay relationships in San Fransisco. Featuring Jonathan Groff and Russel Tovey (2014-2015, 2016)

these are just my favs, list yours in the comments below!

Film

• Beautiful Thing (1996) - a heartwarming tale of two working-class kids in a South London estate who find - through bullying, abuse, and social conflict - common ground, companionship, compassion, and love. And Mama Cass. This served as a seminal gay teen film for, at least, two generations. It's lovely.
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) - Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp play 3 drag queens traveling by decrepit bus from Sydney across the Australian outback to a cabaret engagement, meeting adventures along the way. Featuring enough Abba to tide you over until next year's rewatch.
• Gods Own Country (2017) - Spring. Yorkshire. Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs the pains of his doldrum life with binge drinking and casual sex until a hired Romanian farmhand ignites new passions and sets him on a new path that changes both of their lives forever. Featuring Josh O'Conner (The Crown) and his fantastic cock. He won a BAFTA for this. A fantastic film.
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) - based on the brilliant off-Broadway/Broadway show of the same name, this film tells the story of an East Berlin ex-pat who has to undergo a forced sex-reassignment to emigrate to the US, where she reinvents herself as a talented rock diva inhabiting a "beautiful gender of one". Featuring award-winning music and performances, including "The Origin of Love", this is a cornerstone of queer culture. (I saw this in 1996 off-broadway, and met John Cameron Mitchell then. Amazing person!) Neil Patric Harris played Hedwig in the Broadway re-visit in the mid-2010s and won a Tony. The soundtrack won a Grammy.
• The Imitation Game (2014) - You like computers? Thank Alan Turing, the gay man who invented modern computing to defeat the Nazis on behalf of England. and this is that story-- and the story of how England felt that defeating the fucking Nazis wasn't enough to forgive him for who he loved. Featuring Benedict Cumberbatch.
• Rent (2005) - 525,600 reason to watch this film, but it still will never compare to the Broadway show, which I saw first-run in 1995. still, it's incredible, the music is spectacular, and who doesn't want to see a bunch of struggling gays, hustlers, and junkies live their story in 1980s NYC Alphabet City fighting AIDS, The Man (and their shitbag landlord)?
• Free Fall/Frier Fallen (2013) - a German film about a German police officer in training, with a wife and baby on the way, who meets another trainee who sparks feelings he's never had before... feelings which lead to more... and the devastating consequences of his decisions for himself and those he loves. Basically, the German Brokeback Mountain*, but with a much more authentic and realistic feel. Featuring Hanno Koffler and Max Remmelt.
• Moonlight (206) - a young, gay black man is guided to adulthood in Miami by the kindness and love of his community and an unlikely father figure portrayed by Mahershala Ali in one of his best roles ever. Ali won an Ocasar for Best Supporting Acor, and the film won Best Picture in 2016.

There are soooo many more shows and films that are immutable classics, but this is just a basic list of my favs. Please, add your own!

edit: I'll do a separate post for documentaries and docu-series.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/1140307

> cross-posted from: https://karab.in/m/Twitter/t/8266 > > > The chief of Twitter’s trust and safety division, Ella Irwin, left the company that same day, after a tenure leading its efforts around content moderation. A second executive, A.J. Brown, whose job was to reassure advertisers that Twitter was a safe place for their brands, also decided to quit, The Wall Street Journal reported. A third person, a program manager who worked on brand safety, said on her Twitter profile that she was now “ex-Twitter.”

>“This Uganda law is horrific & wrong,” the Republican tweeted on May 29. “Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ is grotesque & an abomination. ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse.”

>Fellow conservatives were quick to attack Cruz for his seeming moment of clarity.

They say they don't feel regret about their journeys, supprt trans people, and some who were once part of the anti-trans movement have retransitioned. - e_urq@journa.host

!

The Super Bowl ads, which highlighted Jesus as a "refugee" who "confronted racism with love," first appeared to be "a breath of fresh air," wrote Goodwin, a progressive, Black, and openly queer minister who preaches in Bloomfield, Connecticut. "However, the funders of this invitation are the same folks who promote anti-LGBT legislation, a denial of women’s rights to their own bodies, the campaigns of clear white supremacists, and the evangelical church." - lenoc@opalstack.social

By najęci pracownicy mogli przez godzinę nie opuszczać wąskiego pasa zieleni przed głównym gmachem Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego i tym samym zagłuszać grupę protestujących, potrząsano nawet drzewami. Około 50 osób zebrało się przed UP, by zamanifestować swoją niezgodę na wycofanie się uczelni z wprowadzanych udogodnień dla osób transpłciowych.

Various people are aware of my articles entitled "Jesus Is an Anarchist" and "The Physics of God and the Quantum Gravity Theory of Everything", among other articles published under my nom de plume of James Redford. Presented below are some of my writings posted on the Sissy School website discussion forum for male-to-female transgender people. A large portion of my creative and biographical writings are contained on the Sissy School forum, and this collection curates a number of such writings by me that I consider to be among the most interesting.

• Jamie Michelle, "Jamie Michelle's Greatest Sissy School Hits", Internet Archive, Sept. 2, 2022, ark:/13960/s26t45wxbtx; also available here and here; download website: here and here.

See also my below Linktree profile to find other social-media websites that I'm on:

• "jamie_michelle", Linktree; also available here and here.