Jammed into a sardine can

ripping through the sky

at thirty-five thousand feet,

no one asked me

if I favored cock or pussy

for over two hours—

I guess it was either altitude sickness

or they didn’t give a shit.

We all shared our misery the same,

hating the ungrateful little bastards

kicking our seats

more than each other’s sexual orientations.

And when we lowered beneath the clouds

and when Florida revealed itself,

I raised my finger at the window

to the governor,

and offered a greeting from America.

According to Disney

my trip was soon to start

in the Gayest Place on Earth

DeSantis must have forgotten which State he ran for.

To everyone part of the community...

Be brave.

Be proud.

Be happy.

Be loved.

Happy Pride Month everyone!

#lgbt #PrideMonth

once a year only one month atlas the time has come that I can spam my discord servers with gay memes and text my friends about wishing them a happy pride month. This month is the month Id sham bully's for mocking us if I were to be in school, this month is when I get together with my friends and support them as they support me. Finally, I am able to notice how, how people actually have human decency showing that you hate someone off of their character and not off of something they can't control, and I can be sheltered by others being discriminated against. I am happy to be bi with all the support I receive from this month.

There4 was a time when gay meant being happy. There was a time when queer meant odd. Not any longer.

Until the late sixties, gay people across the globe were secretive about their personal actions. If they weren't, they would lose, their jobs, their family, their friends. The term "coming out of the closet" became the metaphor to disclose their sexual orientation. Then came a thing called the "Stonewall Riots".

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, was raided by police. But instead of responding with the routine compliance the NYPD expected, patrons and a growing crowd decided to fight back They wanted their freedom to congregate, and the police tried to take that away from them. This incident changed the face of gay and lesbian life. Communities from all over the globe lent their support, and from this, the phrase, "Hell no, we won't go" came to be more than a phrase but their outcry for independence.

Myself, I'm a straight white male who never had a thought of turning the corner but that doesn't mean that I'm afraid to turn the corner and accept people for who they are. I will say that when I was younger, gay men came on to me, but I declined and there was no pressure, no hatred. We simply understood what we did and did not want.

I have met and become friends with many gay individuals over the years and in many respects, outside of their sexual preference, they are no different than anyone else. They have a mind, two legs, two arms, two eyes, and when they bleed their blood is as red as mine.

However, a major turning point was when AIDS hit the globe everywhere. People became frightened and angry with gay people and those old enough may remember the stupid things people said regarding getting AIDS from gay people. The big one was "toilet seats". Then came sharing needles. "Breathing the same air". The list is almost endless.

It took decades before AIDS came under control and today, people don't talk about it that much, but then came the right to live openly with a partner. Their significant other. And that blew open a new can of worms. Gay people wanted the right to get married.

The LBGTQ+ community marched, they gave speeches, they supported one another. No other movement in U.S. History has ever seen such an outpouring, such an outcry against human rights. Religious leaders spouted from the Bible where it would say. "one man and one woman", but history has shown us that being gay has practically been a thing since the beginning of time.

The most famous homosexual couple in Roman history around 500 A.D., are two Roman leaders, Antinous and Hadrian Although Hadrian was married, ancient sources reveal that he also had several relationships. And both insured each would have a stable or concubine of male slaves for their enjoyment. In 67 A.D., Nero, also an emperor, actually married his male slave, Scorus, in a public ceremony. These are just a few factual examples.

In today's society, being gay is pretty much an accepted way of life. Granted, there will still be a small percentage that will snub gay people, mainly the church "hardliners", but science has proven a complex interplay of genetic hormonal and environmental influence, meaning that that the X and Y chromosomes are and have become interchangeable determining one's thought process and their gender identity.

It all boils down to one thing today. Acceptance. If being gay makes you happy then I see nothi9ng odd about being queer.

To those who refuse to buy into any of this ... get over yourselves.

(FYI ...The federal government formally recognizes marriage in law for the first time with the passage of the Revenue Act of 1913. In 1929, all states now have laws regarding marriage licenses.)

In a better world

I could hold your hand

he said to me

that day on the beach

I smiled

not knowing what to say

I felt my heart

swell with pride at the thought

But in my inner world

your hand was already in mine

as we walked through the sand

our fingers interlocked

like an inextricable puzzle

And in a better world

I would have

pressed your body

so close to mine

and kissed you

deeply

passionately

fearlessly

22 March 1998

There was one time that I received ribbons with rainbow and pink-blue patterns. Each ribbon was in a separate event or I received it at different times. Anyways, it was free to get one ribbon with a safety pin or both sticker and ribbon. I knew it was no discrimination based on people’s appearances, everyone should be equal and it related to other terms being used in the government, politics, and the community.

There was one classmate in the Printmaking class at the university that looked like a male with short hair but had a deep female voice. He said that he had a girlfriend like he said one time in the class. His girlfriend was from Mexico and she has ties with her family. The project we were doing was Printing a River by the border. That topic was already redundant.

I was confused by one classmate. It may seem heterosexual at first, but maybe it was a woman. So, a lesbian perhaps. I shrugged it off thinking he was the male.

In high school, people always call other people “gay”. During that time, I was not thinking much of that word. People basically say inappropriate words and do not like one another. I get along with people who are still not considered “gay” or actually “gay”. We are classmates, though.

In the AP Government class in high school, a teacher mentioned about the Christian/Conservative baker vs the same-sex couple. The same-sex couple wanted a wedding cake for their upcoming event. But the baker refused and it was against his religious beliefs. The court rule in favor of the baker, not the same-sex couple.

I wished that case is turned around and protect everyone’s rights to get whatever cake they want. It does not matter the religion or the first amendment, it matters for equality among individuals. Still, everyone has their own views on politics.

When I met her, I had no opinion of Eira. She seemed polite, kind, but not the type to stand out in a crowd. She had friends, but not too many. She was in two of my classes, Art II and Sociology. I barely noted her existence until I found her outside of class one day.

I was at the park because I didn't want to be at home. It was a cold December day so I didn't expect anyone else to be there, and was shocked to see Eira sat on a swing. When she saw me in the dark she smiled and invited me to the swing next to her.

Ignoring my hesitance, I cleared snow off the swing and smoothed out my dress and sat next to her. She complimented my dress, saying the way dark blue blended well with the colors of the next. I expressed a similar sediment in the rings she was wearing, the way the silver reflected off the snow made it appear to be glowing.

She smiled and asked what I was doing there. It was the first time she ever said my name, and it was lovely how the vowels in 'Ada' sounded.

I explained my woes of being at home. Although my parents were given a daughter, I was more inclined to the romantic pursuits of a son.

Eira laughed at my phrasing, saying she always found my dramatic nature to be charming. I blamed my flush on the cold. She explained she preferred to be in cold, and how she wasn't fond of the summertime.

We talked about dull things for hours, although being next to her made them seem like the most interesting things in the world. It wasn't too long before the cold got to me and I began to shiver.

She noticed and told me I should head home. It wasn't until then I noticed she had no winter clothes, just a long sweater and leggings. I forced her to take my scarf, fearing her getting frostbite. She said she would only take it if I took her ring.

After I allowed her to slide it onto my finger, she kissed my cheek and told me she would be there the next night too.

Evening after evening, we would meet up. She would be wearing normal clothes besides my scarf I refused to take back, while the only stable thing about my outfit was the silver ring. Eira would observe it on my finger with a look of happiness I rarely saw in her any other time.

It changed on the first day of spring officially, when it was obvious there would be no snow. I went to the muddy park, dressed in a light coat along with the ring, and she was not there. I waited for her, and she did not show.

I went to the park and waited for a week, before something bright red caught my eye in the darkness, right underneath Eira's swing. It was the red scarf I gave her all that time ago.

That was what filled me with dread as I realized I would not see my love again. I slipped the silver ring off of my hand and wrapped the scarf around it, before sticking it back in the mud.

The only thing I can I do is wait for winter.

I really like it because I can actually find pride merch in stores (although I am asexual so I'm slightly less likely to find that stuff over other stuff).

Okay but it's important to celebrate it because it helps us remember history wasn't too kind, like with any event celebrating a type of minority. Makes us feel more accepted, and human.

After Representative Gipson from Mississippi had declared a holy war on gay people by calling on Americans to kill them, George and Victor had decided it was time to leave. The battle cry had been taken up in the southern states and weeks of vicious massacres had left the rest of the country appalled and the president closely guarded by troops and in speech. Even in liberal Los Angeles, vigilantes with an axe to grind were targeting anyone outside of the gay ghettos. The governor had declared a state of emergency, called the National Guard, and set up checkpoints along the borders of Mexico, while the northern states did along Canada’s. Victor had pointed out that these checkpoints were most likely screens to keep gay people inside rather than to prevent the perpetrators of the massacres from leaving. Still, they had spent enough lost time not sleeping, so they packed up a few things, drained their bank accounts, and fled south. As they neared the checkpoint, they saw a near riot as gay men and women were taken from their car to be beaten while passersby drove by in silent avoidance. George took Victor’s hand as they approached the guards.

his name was will

my cover story

the artificial relationship

created to please others

she had many names

she was everywhere

in the soft laugh i hear walking in the hallways

hips touching on the bus

hair running between my fingertips

as I braided her hair

she was the feminine warmth

the kindness

silky gentleness

undeniable strength