Author Archives: Suzie Carter

Suzie Carter

About Suzie Carter

Suzie Carter is the Senior Women's Writer at KitschMix. Listed among her achievements are performing stand-up, graduating from London Met and writing for her favourite publications. She enjoys covering women’s topics, watching celebrities self-destruct and rising to any occasion.

10 LGBTQ+ Documentaries Free To Watch On KitschMix.TV

Sometimes, you need a little reality check. That’s why a good documentary can be a welcomed change to, say, battering your head against a wall while watching another episode of Orange Is The New Black.

So (in no particular order) we rounded up ten great LGBT documentaries that you can stream right now on KitschMix.TV.


Lesbian Angles – A Lesbian Documentary

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This was a non-profit project, created by lesbians for lesbians. Lesbian Angels’ goal was to entertain and interact with awesome people from all over the world.


We Went To Gay Conversion Therapy Camp

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What Is Female Masculinity?

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Buzzfeed’s new on-point video on female masculinity. In it they asks people along the masculine-presenting-female perspectives to discuss how they see themselves; from butch to masculine of centre to gender neutral.


In My Shoes: Stories of Youth with LGBT Parents

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In a time when LGBT families are debated and attacked in the media, courts and Congress, from school houses to state houses across the country, five young people who are children of LGBT parents give you a chance to walk in their shoes – to hear their own views on marriage, making change, and what it means to be a family.


Teen Line: Understanding Sexual Orientation & Gender Identities

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LGBTQ: Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities is the latest educational video released by TEEN LINE in May 2015. Hear from several youth in Los Angeles, CA about their coming out process, support, and embracing their identities. Professionals speak to the importance of support, safety, and celebrating individuality.


Just Call Me Kade

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Kade Farlow Collins is a sixteen year old FTM (female to male transgendered person) residing in Tucson, Arizona. Kade’s parents maintain a supportive and nurturing relationship to Kade regarding the many challenges facing their teenage child. However, it hasn’t always been easy.


Love is Love

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In the summer of 2012 Shalem Mathew and Mitch Kitter started the Love is Love project. During the first stage of the project they photographed 28 Vibrant LGBT families from all over Alaska. Thru out the project filmmaker April Frame recorded video, interviewed couples, and compiled a video that is sure to leave you misty eyed.


Edie and Thea: A Love Story

Acclaimed directors Susan Muska and Gréta Ólafsdóttir (The Brandon Teena Story) present a lovingly crafted documentary in which life partners Edie Windsor andThea Spyer recount how their improbable romance ignited a lifelong journey around the world and through history.


Gay and Lesbian Refugees in South Africa: ‘We Thought

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A new video from Atlantic Philanthropies shows that despite written law; tolerance and acceptance do not come easily to those living in Africa; and in particular South Africa.


Dave Naz : Identity

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Coagula Curatorial presents Identity, a solo exhibition by Dave Naz which explores the gender spectrum in an entirely new way — by turning his camera on transgender, intersex, pangender, and every shade in between. Helping to add to the current global discussion on the structured nature of gender identity, the exhibit is an eye-opening musing on all of the people who don’t fit neatly into a convenient box.

Ingrid Nilsen On Coming Out One Year Later (Video)

Last year, in an emotional, 19-minute video, Ingrid Nilsen came out to millions – explaining how she had denied her sexuality even to herself for a long time.

I want to live my life unapologetically because I am proud of who I am and I am not going to apologize for who I am anymore. This is the life that I have always lived in my head and now it’s real.”

One year on, she looks back over her experience, and shares in new video.

One year ago today I came out. Lots of thoughts. Lots of feelings. And I’m sharing them with you.

Russell T Davies Shares His Thoughts About Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Lesbian Kiss

Russell T Davies said he wanted to bring Midsummer Night’s Dream up to date with a same sex kiss.

Davies’ adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream was certainly memorable, and widely praised by BBC viewers.

From its diverse cast to the shock death of the tyrannical King Theseus, the re-telling originally sparked headlines with the inclusion of kiss between two women.

But this appears to be the moment people enjoyed the most viewers.

The kiss happens between fairy queen Titania (Maxine Peake) and Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta (Eleanor Matsuura) after she grows butterfly wings – a moment not in the original text.

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Russell described the last ten minutes of the programme as ‘the favourite thing I have ever done’ and went on to discuss the kiss from any Shakespeare purists who might take issue with it.

Davies told Digital Spy:

Really, if you’re a Shakespeare idiot, you might have a problem with it. It’s what his plays do, they reinvent themselves constantly, with every generation.

I don’t like the end of the play, where frankly Titania is submissive to Oberon and he gets away with his tricks. So it’s very deliberate.

That’s why Flute dances with a handsome man – because it’s such a happy ending, but it’s very male-female, male-female, male-female. I wanted to have a man with a man, a woman with a woman…because it’s 2016 now. That’s the world now and you want children to watch this and see the real world, in the middle of this fantasy.”

UK fans can watch Midsummer Night’s Dream on BBC iPlayer.

17 Must-Watch LGBT Coming-Of-Age Movies We All Need To Watch

For many, it’s still not easy come to terms with your sexuality be it as a teen, a young adult or even if you’re in your late 40s.

But when you do, there is a moment of profound revelation (which is pretty awesome), and in cinema, these moments of realisation happens often in coming of age films.

There are some pressing questions which have been answered in the history of LGBT coming of age stories, which range from tragic to fabulous and everything in-between.

So we’ve rounded up the best of the best and found the words that make these movies special.

 

These LGBT themed films feature good writing, good acting, and good plots. So enjoy, and get yourself immersed in some significant LGBT cinema.


1. The Journey

In this powerful tale of forbidden love, beautiful young Kiran (Suhasini V. Nair) falls in love with her lifelong best friend, the effervescent Delilah (Shrruiti Menon). But in their idyllic Indian village, tradition still dictates that a girl marry a boy chosen by her family. With longing in her heart, Kiran refrains from expressing her love.When their neighbor Rajan (Syam Seethal) asks Kiran to compose his love letters to Delilah she decides this will serve as an outlet for her feelings and begins to write passionate, poetic love letters to Delilah in Rajan’s name. When Delilah discovers that Kiran is the true author, Kiran tells Delilah her real feelings.


2. Boy Meets Girl

Boy Meets Girl is a funny, tender, sex positive romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman, and how important it is to live a courageous life not letting fear stand in the way of going after your dreams.


3. A Perfect Ending

Drop dead gorgeous Jessica Clark (True Blood’s Lilith) and TV icon Barbara Niven co-star in this glossy, sexy and fun romantic drama from writer-director Nicole Conn (Elena Undone, Claire of the Moon). When straight and married Rebecca (Niven) seeks out the sexual services of high-priced call girl Paris (Clark) she isn’t expecting to fall in love. A Perfect Ending is filled to the brink with aching desire, and the sexual chemistry between Niven and Clark is off the charts.


4. Tomboy 

From out lesbian director Celine Sciamma (Water Lilies), Tomboy tells the story of 10-year-old Laure (played by the amazing Zoe Heran) who moves to the suburbs and decides to pass as a boy amongst the pack of neighbourhood kids. As “Mikael” she catches the attention of leader of the pack Lisa, who becomes smitten with her. At home with her parents and younger sister Jeanne, she is Laure; while hanging out with her new pals and girlfriend, she is Mikael. Finding resourceful ways to hide her true self, Laure takes advantage of her new identity, as if the end of the summer would never reveal her unsettling secret.


5. The Wise-Kids

Gay teen Tim (Tyler Ross) and his two best friends Laura (Alison Torem) and Brea (Molly Kunz) spend their last summer before college grappling with their feelings about the fundamentalist Baptist beliefs of their families, and prepping for the Passion Play at their church. Preacher’s daughter Brie is having a crisis of faith while Laura quotes Leviticus to Tim.


6. When Night Is Falling

Successful in her teaching job at a conservative religious college, Camille (Pascale Bussières) looked forward to marrying her adoring, minister boyfriend (Henry Czerny) and settling down to the conventions of family and career. But a chance encounter with a beautiful, irresistibly sensuous young female circus performer named Petra (Rachael Crawford) is about to transform Camille’s predictable life into an electrifyingly erotic adventure.

Captivated by Petra’s impulsive sexuality and passionately free spirit, Camille is drawn into a world whose existence she never dared imagined: A world of hypnotic sensuality, rapturous self-discovery and exquisite erotic pleasure. Now, walking an emotional high-wire between the familiar past and the forbidden future, Camille must choose between the love she can’t forget… and the desire she can’t resist.


7. The World Unseen

The beautiful Lisa Ray stars as Miriam, a doting wife and mother whose sudden attraction to the free-sirited Amina (Sheetal Sheth) throws her life choices into question. Their subsequent romantic involvement pushes the rules-that-bind and forces them both to face outrage and violent disapproval. Set against the back-drop of 1950s apartheid South Africa, this lush romantic drama showcases the stunning South African landscape and jazz tunes of the time to create a wonderfully atmospheric lesbian love story.


8. Loving Annabelle

Director Katherine Brooks rocketed to the top of favourite lesbian movie lists around the world with this wildly popular 2006 lesbian drama. The award-winning film continues to earn new fans. Enjoy! Rising heart-throb Erin Kelly stars as Annabelle, a precocious Senator’s daughter who falls in love with her teacher Simone (gorgeous Diane Gaidry) at a stodgy Catholic girls boarding school.

Inspired by the classic lesbian drama Maedchen in Uniform, out writer-director Katherine Brooks unveils this passionate tale of forbidden love with intelligence, wit and sensitivity.


9. Leading Ladies

Filled with warm (and wacky) family drama, this fabulous comedy about two sisters (newcomers Shannon Lea Smith and Laurel Vail), their gay best friend (So You Think You Can Dance winner Benji Schwimmer), and their overzealous stage mother (legendary ballroom diva Melanie LaPatin) serves up a tale of uplifting gay affirmation — and exceptional choreography!

With one sister pregnant and the other coming out of the closet and falling in love (with the adorable Nicole Dionne), the whole family is hustling to stay on top in the wild world of competitive ballroom dance.


10. It’s In The Water

When sexy, upper-crust society wife Alex (Keri Jo Chapman) falls for her old high school best friend, Grace (Teresa Garret) the snobby little town of Azalea Springs is up in arms. Alongside the budding romance, indie filmmaker Kelli Herd brings us a hilarious comic portrait of small-town life and a firm trouncing of homophobic intolerance as the whole town confronts the zany rumor that their water supply is turning everyone gay!


11. I Can’t Think Straight

Moving between the vast enclaves of Middle Eastern high society and the stunning backdrop of London’s West End, I Can’t Think Straight explores the clashes between East and West, love and marriage, conventions and individuality, creating a humorous and tender story of unexpected love and unusual freedoms.


12. The Gymnast

Winner of 28 awards, The Gymnast is a visually stunning film about hope, second chances, and finding the courage to defy gravity.

Talented Jane Hawkins (Dreya Weber) was an impressive gymnast at the top of her game until a devastating injury ended her career. Years later, a chance meeting sets Jane on a new path – performing a cirque style aerial act with a mysterious dancer named Serena (Addie Yungmee). As the stunning pair prepares for a Las Vegas show, the pull between them becomes increasingly unavoidable.


13. Forbidden Love The Unashamed Stories Of Lesbian Lives

This award-winning portrait of lesbian life in the 1940s, 50s and 60s incorporates interviews, archival footage and a pulp novel dramatisation to illustrate this incredible time. With humor and grace, ten charming and fascinating women discuss what it was like being lesbians at a very different time in history.

Their candid and riveting stories bring to life what it was like coming out (or being closeted) and finding community amidst the homophobic backdrop of the era. Interwoven with this real-life history is the aching romantic, pulp-novel inspired tale of star-crossed lovers Mitch and Laura. The film also features an interview with the acclaimed 1950s lesbian pulp author Ann Bannon (Beebo Brinker, Odd Girl Out).


14. Claire Of The Moon

As the two debate back and forth, Noel also falls under Claire’s charms, but she is wary, having recently suffered a disastrous breakup. As each faces her fears, an intricate – and sensual – “dance” takes place between them, as they move apart, then come closer and closer.


14. Elena Undone

Fate brings two diversely different women together, and sets them on a collision course that will shatter their preconceived notions about love, life and the power of one’s soul.


15. Desert Hearts

To everyone’s surprise, Vivian and Cay hit it off immediately as Cay introduces the shy academic to the wild-west casino scene as well as the breathless beauty of the desert. It’s not long before Vivian finds her friendship moving into unexpected passion. And for Cay, it’s the first time she has met someone who stirs her deepest emotions.


16. Mosquita Mari

This exquisite coming of age tale follows a pair of Latina teens who fall gradually in love against the backdrop of Southeast Los Angeles.


17. Love My Life

Sarah Paulson Talks Marcia Clark, The Lines She Won’t Cross, And Industry Sexism

During The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Drama Actress Roundtable discussion, Sarah Paulson got candid about her experience with sexism in the industry.

I’ve never been asked to play the leading lady without having to be a blonde. I don’t mind it, I like the blonde — but to be told that in order to be considered a romantic lady opposite some hunky guy, I need to have long blond hair that looked very L.A. Real Housewives? It does do something to your brain. You go, ‘Gosh, so the way I came into the world is not as appealing as it would be if I were altered in some way?’ That’s a funny message to extend to a person.

Shaw And Root Get A Steamy Reunion On ‘Person of Interest’ (But There Is A Catch)

WARNING: Full spoilers for the May 16th Person of Interest episode “6,741.”

Person of Interest brought back Sarah Shahi’s Shaw on Monday night, for a heart-pounding roller coaster ride, taking us through the highest highs and the lowest lows.

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Absolutely do not keep reading if you haven’t watched “6,741” yet.

In the new episode, we finally got to see Shaw’s big reunion with Root. Their first real moments together after Shaw sacrificed herself back in If-Then-Else. And it’s a reunion we’ve been craving!

The withheld love and lust finally got released with a lot of kissing, tumbling, and some sex.

The moment was perfect between the two women – with the show going full tilt with their years-in-the-making sex scene.

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Talking to AfterEllen, Shahi explained

The fans, I think they deserved to see some of that chemistry, and they deserve to see the kiss, and they’ve been along for the ride for a while, and they’ve been very patient. I’m all about tapping into my home girls and I’m glad they stuck around, and I hope it was well worth the wait!”

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Sadly, none of the episode was, in fact, real, but instead a cruel, torturous simulation created by Samaritan to try and brainwash Shaw into leading its team to the Machine, and murder her former friends and partners in the process.

And sadly, Shahi also doesn’t think love will blossom any further

I think for Shaw, her feelings for Root really crept up on her. I don’t think it was anything she was intentionally setting out to create or to get. We see this through the simulation so it would never happen in real life. I don’t think Shaw would ever go there for Root in real life. I think things are just too complicated in her head, and I think Shaw would have to go through a pretty big transformation in order to let herself go there with Root.

It Is Now Illegal To Be A Lesbian Or Bi Woman In 44 Countries Around The World (And That Number Is Growing)

44 countries have criminalised sex between consenting adult women, and of these at least ten countries (which have previously only criminalised male relationships) have recently expanded their laws to include women.

Many of the laws were first instigated under British colonial rule and others are based on Sharia law.

The Trust warns that while many countries have historically only criminalised male homosexuality due to the legacy of British colonial penal codes, increased international criticism of the laws is having the counter-intuitive effect of laws being expanded to include women as states believe the legal basis is strengthened if they are gender neutral and therefore more ‘equal’.

Ironically, such amendments [to criminalise women] are often made on the inaccurate premise of ensuring non-discrimination in the State’s treatment of male and female homosexuals.

A Botswana court found that a gross indecency law that only applied to male homosexuals, and not female homosexuals, was discriminatory, but that the discrimination was rectified when the provision was made gender-neutral.

Similarly, a court in Solomon Islands found that the male gross indecency law was discriminatory since women were not criminalised, but found that this would be rectified by removing the word ‘male’.”

The report warns that while reports on LGBT criminalisation can often focus on gay and bisexual men, women experience criminalisation in specific and particularly damaging ways.

Countries where lesbian and bisexual women are criminalised
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Corrective rape is found to be common as a way of ‘curing’ women of same-sex attraction and forced marriages with men are also a continuing threat.

As social and economic structures are already designed to require women to be dependent on men, women can experience particular stigma and practical issues if seeking to live independently outside of a ‘traditional’ relationship or with another woman.

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Another concern highlighted in the report is how restrictions on women’s movement in socially conservative countries can often mean it is forbidden for women to travel without a man, making it difficult for women to meet in private.

Women in general are disadvantaged economically in many societies, for example by inequality in family structures, labour markets and laws on property and inheritance, which in turn compound the human rights violations faced by lesbians and bisexual women as they are less able to live independently without male family members.

Women [pressured into sham ‘heterosexual’ marriages] are likely to have significantly less control over their own bodies than gay men who enter sham heterosexual marriages, and may have little control over their sexual and reproductive health choices.”

 

Rain Dove Proves North Carolina’s House Bill 2 Hurts More Than The Trans Community

A wide range of people – from musicians to politicians – are taking a stand against North Carolina’s House Bill 2.

Thankfully, one of the most outspoken is activist Rain Dove.

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The androgynous supermodel has released a short video on Facebook about discriminatory new laws.

With almost half a million views in one day, an essay that dismantles the bill accompanies the video.

Dove begins the essay by writing

DISCOVERY! HB2 IS NO LONGER VALID OR ENFORCEABLE! As of TODAY this minute-this very second that you read this the discriminatory ‘bathroom’ part of the bill can’t be upheld! Here’s why North Carolina’s HB2 Law is NOT VALID.”


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Dove goes onto explain that North Carolina does not have a statute requiring an individual to give their ID when approached by police.

The only circumstance that would allow for an officer to be able to take your birth certificate or ID force fully (whether you like it or not) would be if you are driving a vehicle or REASONABLY SUSPICIOUS of committing a crime.”

The essay highlights how law enforcement officers, as well as the general public, cannot decide if someone is of the “right sex” to use the restroom. Dove states that doing so is “called PROFILING” and also notes that

In 2014 Eric Holder BANNED Racial, Religious, and Gender profiling in the United States for Federal Officers as a technique to determine ‘potential guilt’. It’s called ‘Gender’ Profiling and not “Sex” Profiling because Sex refers to your sexual organs and/or birth certificate status. Gender refers to ‘the state of being’ aka your energy, aesthetics, clothing, voice, hair style – the you that is you.”

Watch the video below:

https://www.facebook.com/raindovemodel/videos/1798127703749354/

How Much Do You Know About Sex? Science Says Not A Lot

We all have our preconceived accepted “truths” about sex. But, how much of what we think we know is actually true?

Well, we’ve done the research on all things orgasmic, risque and desirable, and what we’ve uncovered will shock you.


Post-Coital Cuddling Benefits Long After Leaving the Bedroom

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Cuddling has been a standard of proper post-intercourse procedure for as long as such bedroom behaviours have existed.

Though its popularity may waver – particularly among young, reportedly-non-committals – new research shows side effects of spooning may be stronger than you think.

According to findings of Amy Muise, Elaine Giang and Emily Impett, the duration of post-sex affection has positive association with higher sexual satisfaction, resulting in higher relationship satisfaction for those in committed relationships.


Women Fake It for Themselves

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Contrary to popular belief, women may be faking orgasms not to stroke their partner’s ego, but to enhance their own sexual pleasure.

In one study, four factors were used in the Faking Orgasm Scale for Women (FOS):

  • faking orgasm out of concern for one’s partner’s feelings
  • faking for fear of a negative sexual experience
  • faking to increase one’s own arousal
  • faking it to end sexual activity

Though faking it to spare a partner’s feelings was a key factor, study co-author Erin Cooper told a Huffington Post writer that pretending to reach climax is merely another “tool in the toolbox” of sexual satisfaction techniques for women.


Only Heterosexual Males Care About Infidelity

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Emotional cheating versus physical infidelity is a divide that has threatened to destroy even the oldest of partnerships.

In a survey of 63,894 gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual individuals, researchers asked participants which would cause them more emotional distress: a partner engaging in an emotional affair (but never engaging physically) or a partner having sexual relations with another (but not falling in love).

Researchers, David Frederick and Melissa Fales,  that while the heterosexual male survey population was by far more upset by sexual infidelity, a staggering 70 percent of all other participants preferred physical cheating over emotional unfaithfulness.


Orgasm Obsession Can Actual Deter Satisfaction

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That’s right. Despite what your favorite porn provider may lead you to believe, focusing too much on orgasm achievement may actually inhibit one’s ability to climax.

In a study of sexual satisfaction, four factors of focus were considered:

  • emotional and masculine
  • relational and feminine
  • partner-emphasized
  • orgasm-emphasized

Dr. Sarah McClelland that though orgasm was important to some participants, it was not a viable determinant for whether or not an individual was sexually satisfied.


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Should You Stay Friends With The Ex After You Break Up?

Ladies, do you still keep in touch with your exs even after moving on with someone else? Or are you paranoid about your girlfriend staying friends with her ex?


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Join the conversation and share your views below.

Personal Interest Drops Extended New Trailer (And We’re Rather Excited About It)

There’s plenty to be excited about in this two-minute preview, but it’s especially exciting to see just how much Sarah Shahi is in it.

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If you look at Person Of Interest‘s description – a show about a tech whiz, a former soldier and their pals as they try to protect people from the world’s dangers as well as the government’s snooping – it sounds like an unlikely candidate for fantastic queer representation, but you’d be surprised.

The show’s two supporting women, Shahi’s Sameen Shaw and Samantha “Root” Groves (played by Amy Acker) are part of the core group of ‘good guys’ who aim to protect the world and though the two characters are incredibly sarcastic and spend most of their time shooting bad guys’ kneecaps, they still find plenty of time to flirt.

In Person of Interest‘s fourth season, their flirting finally came to a head when Shaw kissed Root, right before she risks her life to save Root and co. and gets shot in the process.

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Although Root spends the remainder of the season pining over Shaw/trying to find Shaw/talking about how much she misses Shaw, Shaw’s not dead and the two will be reunited in season five of the show.

And as Shahi promised at Person of Interest’s New York Comic Con panel, “Shaw comes back in a very dynamic way.”

Person of Interest: Season 5 premieres Tuesday, May 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Why Cara Delevingne and Ruby Rose Talking About Mental Health Is Needed

A few days ago Cara Delevingne took to Twitter to explain how dealing with mental illness made being a supermodel pretty tough.

I suffer from depression and was a model during a particularly rough patch of self hatred.

I am so lucky for the work I get to do but I used to work to try and escape and just ended up completely exhausting myself.

I am focusing on filming and trying to learn how to not pick apart my every flaw. I am really good at that.

Okay…. Rant over. Just wanted to clarify and word vomit a little.”

Days later, Ruby Rose also posted about her own struggle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDrsrJ3MZQ7/

As someone who suffers with anxiety, panic attacks, and periods of depression, I think Cara and Ruby sharing these things is a very, very good thing.

Yes, I get why some people don’t like it. There are people who think that someone who’s famous has no right to discuss such a big, serious topic.

And we don’t necessarily want famous faces being to be the definitive face people think of when they hear about mental illness.

I get all that.

But I’m of the opinion that celebrities sharing their struggles also does a lot of good.

When they admit that they’ve experienced issues with mental health, it does a number of important things.

One: It gets us talking about mental health in a big way.

Two: It breaks down the silence and stigma surrounding mental illness – because if we can talk about Cara Delevingne having depression, maybe it’s okay for us to talk about what we’re going through, too.

Also, when a celebrity speaks out, it reminds everyone that people who seem to have everything can be pretty miserable.

Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders – they’re not moralistic beings that judge how sad you should be, based on your current wage and living situation.

You can have everything you could possibly need in life and not be happy. It’s not a choice. It’s not being ungrateful, or moaning, or not realising that other people ‘have it much worse’.

It’s your brain malfunctioning. It can happen to you even if you ‘should’ be the happiest person around.

The face of depression isn’t just a person who cries all the time. They can be cheery and chatty and confident.

Mental illness is an invisible illness.

You can’t tell what someone’s going through just by looking at them.

When a celebrity admits they have a mental illness, it works to add another story and face to what we think of when we think of mental health and helps break down the negative stereotypes of what people with mental illness are like.

And for people going through similar stuff, a celebrity being open about their issues makes us feel less alone – and reminds us that we can get through this.

If someone with depression can battle through it, work hard, and be mega successful, we can, too.

According To New Study, Women Leave Employment For One Big Reason (& It’s Not Babies)

It has often been thought, that best way to hire and retain women is to allow for a flexible hours.

Why? Well in this crazy world, women are often the ones to take a career break to have children.

So if a company makes it easier for them to fit work around family, the thinking goes, mothers are more likely to stay.

But this thinking is now proved to be flawed.

In a new study, researches asked people 300 people worldwide, between the ages 22-to-35 about the factors that prompt them to switch roles five-to-10 years out of university.

The main reason women leave their jobs? Salary. More women than men cited the answer, “I found a job elsewhere that pays more” as the top reason for switching roles.

In all, 65% of women gave that as the main reason, versus 56% of men. Starting a family ranked fifth among the most-cited reasons for women leaving their jobs.

Women are paid less than men in the US, the UK, and pretty much everywhere else.

For men, the top reason for leaving a job was a lack of learning and opportunity in the role. Salary was in second place. Family didn’t make the top five.

In general, though, the reasons women and men in their 30s cited for leaving companies were similar.

The report boils down to two findings, according to one of the researchers, Christie Hunter Arscott:

Firstly, women care about pay. Secondly, women and men leave organizations for similar reasons.”

She suggests three fixes for executives looking to attract and retain more women: develop strategies to retain talented people that aren’t gender specific; address challenges beyond flexibility, like pay; and ask women what they need, rather than making assumptions.


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Nipple Piercings, Dice, & Lots Of Rolling Around; We Give You Rihanna’s Latest Single ‘Kiss It Better’

The full video for Rihanna’s latest single Kiss It Better is here and it’s hot, hot, HOT. Like hotter and sexier than you could have imagined.

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From exposed nipple piercings to some strategically placed dice and lots of skin showing, she once again reminds us all how she got that ‘Bad Gal’ nickname.

FYI, Plenty Of Your Straight Friends Are Engaged In Sapphic Sex

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that a fairly large percentage of people who identify as straight have had sex with someone of the same gender.

The study used data from the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth, which polled 9,175 people between the ages of 18 and 44 across the US.

Researchers found that of people who identified as straight, 12.6% of women and 2.8% of men had engaged in some form of ‘same-sex sexual contact’.

Which doesn’t sound like much, but if you think like this then of your ten straight female friends, one of them has probably had sex with another woman – which actually sounds quite plausible.

The study also found that people who identified as gay or bisexual had experienced hetero-sex – possibly because they experimented before coming out.

So basically, we’re all (to some degree) sexual fluid, and it’s good to try new things.

So, here’s to all the bi-curious straight girls out there. Yeah!


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SoKo On Her Relationship With Kristen Stewart: ‘I’m Very, Very, Very in Love’

Stephanie “SoKo” Sokolinksi has opened up about her rumoured relationship with Kristen Stewart, in a recent interview with W Magazine,  and it turns out she’s in love.

The 30-year-old French singer, who has opened for both M.I.A. and Foster the People, was discussing her new project, an X-rated zine she’s compiling that will be made up of the scores of sexually charged, NSFW direct messages sent to her over Instagram every day.

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While discussing how she would phrase a DM to ask someone out on a date, Sokolinksi ended up dropping the L-word to describe her current relationship, which happens to be with Kristen Stewart.

I think if I was in the need of doing that right now, I would totally be able to come up with something. But I’m very, very, very in love and very happy in a relationship, so I don’t have that urge.”

The pair have not officially confirmed their relationship status, but they have been displaying plenty of PDA in LA and Paris over the past few weeks.

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Sokolinksi has also referred to being in a long distance relationship, tweeting earlier this month that she spends “every minute of my days and nights loving her from afar.”

Even though she did admit to W that she has gone on a “totally successful date” with someone who contacted her over Instagram, Sokolinski said that isn’t how she met her current girlfriend. In fact, the Bordeaux native adorably noted the way they met “was very OG.”

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Sokolinski has been very upfront about being bisexual in the past and said that she often gets DMs from both men and women.

I’ve always been open with my sexuality, meaning I don’t really care about gender. Sex for so long was such a taboo thing. You couldn’t be free with your sexuality and say that you like it. But it’s one of the biggest joys of life. If you find one partner who you love having sex with, it’s the best! This new generation is a lot more liquid with sexuality and it’s really refreshing.”

11 Dating Advice Videos You Need To Watch For Every New Lesbian Relationship

Dating another woman can be tricky. You meet a stranger woman (sometimes a friend) that you might like, and then you do an activity together, and you use that experience to decide if you want to keep doing activities with her in the future.

It’s a weird world, and it can be pretty tricky to navigate. Fortunately, a lot of your favourite lesbian YouTubers have lived that life, and they’ve used their experiences to impart some knowledge onto the rest of us singletons.

So put down your HER app for a while and scroll on for some real dating expertise…

1. Lesbians You’ll Date Before You Die, Gay Women Channel

How to ask a girl out, Stevie Vlogs

3. How to Approach Femme, Femmegasm

4. How to Approach Butch Women, GirlfriendsTV

5. What Lesbians Do After A First Date, Arielle Scarcella

6. How Lesbians Get Ready for the First Date, Marissa Farina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY6ByyJmvSM

7. What to wear on your first date

8. Lesbian Dating 101, Sarah Croce

9. How To Kiss, Ari Fitz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8giAVD_Lvqk

10. Things Not To Say On A Lesbian First Date, Lesbian Catch Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE9i4j_G1fY

11. Dating Problems Every Lesbian Will Recognize, Brittany Ashley

New Survey Says Americans Are More Accepting Of Same-Sex Relationships, Than Heterosexual Divorce

According to a new survey, Americans are more accepting of gay relationships, but they are less comfortable with divorce.

Over the last few years, the American government has been periodically asks thousands of teens and younger adults what they think about changes in U.S. family relationships.

The results released this week indicate a shift over a decade on a range of topics. But most surprising was what they said about divorce.

Asked if divorce is the best solution when a marriage is on the rocks, 38% of women agreed, down from 47% a decade earlier. For men, it was 39%, down from 44%.

Divorce in the U.S. has become more common through the generations, and there’s an assumption that acceptance would be holding steady or perhaps increasing, some experts said.

According to Wendy Manning, a family and marriage researcher at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, there could be several explanations for the decline.

Marriage is becoming so selective that maybe people think if you achieve this status, you don’t want to end it.”

Marriage rates are down and people are older when they first get married. So those who do marry are more likely to be in it to win it, she said.

Also, the survey was conducted on the heels of a national economic downturn, when some couples didn’t have the money to divorce and set up separate households, she noted.

Other findings, which reflect an increase over a decade:

  • Think it’s OK for a young couple to live together before they’re married; about three-quarters of men and women.
  • Approve of single women having and raising a baby; 78% of women, 69% of men.
  • Agree gay and lesbian adults should have the right to adopt children; 75% of women, 68% of men.
  • Approve of premarital sex among 18 year olds; about 54% of women and 64% of men.
  • But there was no significant change when it came to sex among 16 year olds. Only 15% of women and 21% of men said it’s OK.
  • And fewer than 10% think it’s necessary to have children to be happy in life. That hasn’t been changing, either.

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Mormon Teen Forced To Carry Backpack Full Of Stones To Make Her Straight

21-year-old ex-Mormon Alex Cooper, of Salt Lake City, is speak out against her experiences coming out to her parents aged 15.

When Alex Cooper, came out to her Mormon parents in 2009, rather than embrace their gay daughter, they first kicked her out, then decided they were going to “fix” her.

They took her to the home of fellow Mormons Tiana and Johnny Siale in St. George, Utah, where Cooper was subject to eight months of captivity and torture, according to her book, Saving Alex.

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Cooper claims that the pair – who did not have any license or training to operate as a therapist – subjected her to cruel and unusual punishments, including beatings, forcing her to stand facing a wall for up to 18 hours a day, and making her wear a backpack full of rocks.

Cooper told CBS outlet KUTV:

It’s like sending you to therapy to change your eye colour… it’s not going to work. What it’s going to do is damage you.”

The teen was forced to stay with the Siales, living in captivity and surviving a suicide attempt.

She says many in the Mormon-dominated local community were aware of the pair’s methods, but did not raise a hand to help her.

Eventually she was allowed to attend a local school – and sought help through the juvenile court system via a Salt Lake City attorney.

Years after securing her right to live openly, Cooper now wants to stamp out the threat of ‘gay cure’ therapy to other teens.

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Cooper, who now lives as an out lesbian in Portland, Oregon, and is no longer a practicing Mormon, ultimately chose not to prosecute the Siales.

She has also reconciled with her parents, saying she believes they were only doing what they felt was right, and following the tenets of the Mormon faith.

Cooper told KUTV.

I don’t blame my parents. I am able to share my life with them, and it’s awesome.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which once conducted shock and vomit aversion therapy on homosexual members at Brigham Young University, no longer advocates so-called “reparative therapy.”

However, it still teaches that gay sex is sinful, and in November the church unveiled a policy declaring same-sex couples “apostates” and barring their children from being baptized.

More than 30 young LGBT Mormons reportedly have committed suicide in the wake of the policy.

In response to Cooper’s book, the Mormon church issued a statement saying it “denounces any therapy that subjects an individual to abusive practices,” according to KUTV.

We hope those who experience the complex realities of same-sex attraction find compassion and understanding from family members, professional counselors and church members.”


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Cara Delevingne Writes Powerful Essay On Self-Acceptance

Cara Delevingne has written an essay for Motto, and in it she gets brutally honest about how she struggled through her younger years as a model, confessing that one of the hardest things she had to deal with was the constant need to be ‘accepted’ by everyone in the industry.

I felt like I needed validation from everyone. As a result, I lost sight of myself and what it meant to be happy, what it meant to be successful. I think it all stemmed from a deep-down feeling of wanting people to like me and love me.”

She also admits that during her time as a model she was never truly happy because of all the expectations she had put on herself.

Over time, I came to realize that work and getting others’ approval isn’t the most important thing. Yes, your career is very important—but it’s not the most important. Of course I was proud of my accomplishments, but I wasn’t genuinely happy.”

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On top of the emotional struggles she faced, she also found that being overworked impacted her physical health, as she developed the painful skin condition, psoriasis.

Recently Cara has hung up her modelling shoes and left the runway, giving up her successful modelling career to focus more on acting and her relationship with girlfriend, singer St. Vincent.

Cara Delevingne And Annie Clark 03

She’s already landed some huge acting gigs – Paper Towns, Pan, Zoolander 2 andSuicide squad, just to name a few.


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Another TV Show, Another Lesbian Character Death

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Season 3 of The 100.

Last Thursday, a major character death sent shock waves throughout the fandom for the popular CW sci-fi series The 100.

Loyal legion of fans of The 100 erupted with outrage when Lexa, Commander of the twelve clans, was killed off in a thoroughly rushed, ruthless fashion.

But while The 100 has long been known for its brutal, no-one-is-safe approach to killing off main cast members, this character’s death hit especially hard – not just for members of the fandom, but for all of us queer women too.

The 100 is a unique show, in many ways. It’s not just another teen drama, its political themes, gripping plot, complex female characters, and deep study of a post-apocalyptic survivalist future have earned it major critical acclaim and an intense fan following.

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And last season, fans were thrilled when the main character, Clarke, began to develop feelings for another young woman named Lexa.

The show was heavily praised for its representation of bisexual characters on television.

It presented this same sex relationship between two women – who are powerhouses in their own right – wonderfully, and the coupling added a complexity, depth, and importance to the plot of story.

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And this is why so many of us are shocked and dismayed when – in this milestone episode -the writers decide to tear down the foundation they’ve built and discard this romance altogether with one pull of a trigger.

The backlash over Lexa’s death is not just about the fact that The 100 killed off Lexa, but the manner of her dying. The stray bullet that killed her is eerily similar to the stray bullet that killed Buffy, the Vampire Slayer‘s Tara, famously ending one of the few recurring lesbian relationships on TV in a maelstrom of tragedy and fandom backlash.

In the annals of cinema and queer history “the dead lesbian” trope can be found it in notable film, theatre, and literature dealing with queer characters, from tragic lesbian ground breaker The Children’s Hour to many of the most famous and influential lesbian novels.

There’s an entire Tumblr devoted to chronicling the dead lesbian trope on television, which stretches back decades.

In an episode of The 100 podcast The Dropship, the episode’s writer, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, explained that the creative team had to write the character of Lexa out of the show because her actor, Alycia Debnam-Carey, had become a lead on Fear the Walking Dead:

We considered a lot of different options, including the possibility that killing her would make a political statement that we were not comfortable with.

But ultimately when you’re talking about this world and the stakes we’re dealing with, we genuinely came to the perspective in the writers’ room that this death would be the best way for us to, not only write the character out of the show, but protect ourselves against the possibility that we might never see the actor again ….

And honestly I think that in terms of the epic quality of the show … we honestly look at the story as an epic tale of shocking fate and destiny. And, you know, kings tend to not retire from being kings.”

Grillo-Marxuach acknowledged that fans would be “very unhappy” with Lexa’s death, but argued that the show’s narrative is “the struggle for love and humanity in an atavistic world that only understands conflict” and thus dictated the mode of the actor’s departure.

I can’t control or dictate how people are going to react to a character death on the show, and obviously there’s a huge spectrum of, outside the narrative bubble of the show in terms of the LGBT representation and all that, that has to be addressed.

The hope that these characters are going to find happiness and joy halfway through the series is a very poignant one, but is in no way borne out by any of the events of the show.”

So, the argument in favour of killing off Lexa is that there should be room on television for a multiplicity of portrayals of queer characters, including characters who endure tragedy.

This season, perhaps in anticipation of killing the Clarke/Lexa shipThe 100 did introduce another queer relationship in the form of the character Miller and an off-screen boyfriend, as well as another potential love interest for Clarke in the form of Niylah, a female character she’s already hooked up with once.

But as always, the pattern of Hollywood killing off lesbians and ending happy lesbian relationships is still here. Perhaps the most heartbreaking responses to Lexa’s death also underscore just how rarely happy queer female relationships appear on our screens.

Number Of Children Self-Harming Grows, As Mental Health Problems Amongst Students Rise

A newly-published survey of head teachers says the number of children are self-harming or harbouring suicidal thoughts is growing, because mental health problems amongst pupils are rising.

A survey of 338 schools in the UK, revealed 55% of staff said they had experienced a large increase in cases of anxiety and stress – while more than 40% reported a big increase in cyber-bullying.

The survey, conducted jointly by the Association of School and College Leaders – which represents secondary school heads – and the National Children’s Bureau – also reported that nearly eight out of 10 schools (nearly 80%) reported an increase in the number of pupils self-harming or having suicidal thoughts.

At the same time as mental health problems were increasing, nearly two-thirds of schools (65%) reported that it was becoming more difficult to access mental health care from local services.

Malcolm Trobe, acting general secretary of ASCL, reported

Our survey shows a serious gap in mental health services beyond the school gates. The fact is children today face an extraordinary range of pressures.  They live in a world of enormously high expectations, where new technologies present totally new challenges such as  cyber-bullying. There has seldom been a time when specialist mental health care is so badly needed and yet it often appears to be the poor relation of the health service.

Early intervention is essential before problems become entrenched and start to increase in severity. These services are a vital lifeline that many young people cannot do without.”

The survey’s findings were supported this week by mental health campaigners with Lucie Russell, director of campaign at the mental health charity Young Minds saying:

We shouldn’t underestimate the huge amount of pressure young people today face: family breakdown, stress at school, body image issues, early sexualisation, 24/7 online networking, bullying on and offline and uncertainty about the future after school are all piling on the stress.

To make matters worse when young people are struggling it can be extremely difficult for them to get the support they need.”

She added that services were ”a postcode lottery with unacceptably long waiting times in many areas.“

Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the NCB, added:

It is alarming that teachers are seeing ever-growing numbers of children self-harming or having suicidal thoughts.  For these young people, and many others like them, their psychological states are almost too much to bear.

While schools are doing their best to help, in cases where children are in acute need they require specialist mental health services to step in and provide support. Unfortunately, teachers say that limited capacity in these services often makes referrals very difficult.”

The survey’s evidence comes on top of concerns expressed by the Commons select committee of health that many schools were finding the threshold for triggering action to help pupils was “unreasonably high” .

The results of the survey support concerns that there are worryingly high levels of mental health and well-being issues among young people and that the prevalence of  these issues has increased during the past five years. It is also noted that the prevalence of the relatively new phenomenon of cyber-bullying has significantly increased over that time.”

According To Science We’ve Got Too Many Facebook Friends

We’ve all got that one friend who always has more Twitter followers or Facebook friends than you, and always seem to get a zillion likes a day.

This can be annoying and always makes me feel socially inadequate. However, the latest studies show these amazing social butterflies probably don’t have more “real” friends than you do.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have determined how many Facebook friends you should have, and sadly most of us have to many.

According to Professor Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist at the University of Oxford, the mental capacity of human beings allows them to maintain social relationships with about 150 people.

He and a team of researchers surveyed over 3,300 people in a study questioning whether or not the Internet made it possible for humans to have functional relationships with more than 150 people.

They found the average male Facebook user had 145 friends compared to 166 for the average female user. This puts the average amount of friends for all users at 155, close to the same number of real friends Dunbar believes one can maintain.

He reportedly said,

This suggests that the constraints that limit the number of friends we can have in the everyday offline world also limit the number we have online. I suggest that this is because friendships ultimately require occasional face-to-face interaction if they are to be maintained over time.

Survey participants considered just 28% of their Facebook friends to be true friends and also claimed they would turn to only four in an emergency.

Those participants with significantly more than 155 Facebook friends confessed they too have only a small amount of truly close and dependable friends.

The findings imply real friendships cannot be maintained exclusively online.

Dunbar reportedly explained,

Social media certainly help to slow down the natural rate of decay in relationship quality that would set in once we cannot readily meet friends face-to-face. But no amount of social media will prevent a friend eventually becoming ‘just another acquaintance’ if you don’t meet face-to-face from time to time. There is something paramount about face-to-face interactions that is crucial for maintaining friendships.

This study was originally published in Royal Society Open Science.


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Will There Be Lesbian Romance In The New Ghostbusters film?

Paul Feig’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot with Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon just got its first official trailer on this week, and we’re are already speculating about McKinnon’s character Jillian Holtzmann.

There appears to be some flirting with McKinnon’s edgy, short-haired, slightly off-kilter character, Jillian Holtzmann, and Wiig’s straight-laced scientist Erin Gilbert.

McKinnon is Saturday Night Live‘s first openly lesbian cast member, and while she’s not necessarily playing a lesbian here, her magnetic performance is certainly inviting speculation, particularly due to one particularly saucy wink and a subtly suggestive smile.

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And yes, this would be a huge moment if McKinnon were to play a lesbian character in Ghostbusters – a mainstream science fiction comedy that could very well be one of the biggest hits of the summer

While it’s probably wise to keep expectations low, this could spark a new trend for LGBTI characters in mainstream science fiction fare.

Last week, Star Wars director JJ Abrams responded to the fans wanting a romance between Finn and Poe or any gay character.

When I talk about inclusivity it’s not excluding gay characters. It’s about inclusivity,’ he said. ‘So of course . . . I would love it. To me, the fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility. So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in that world.”

Watch the Ghostbusters trailer here:

Orange is the New Black’s Teaser Takes Aim At The Diversity Crisis Overshadowing Hollywood (VIDEO)

Hurrah for the ladies of Litchfield, for providing us all with a hilarious politically incorrect response to the #OscarsSoWhite diversity row in a new teaser for season four of Orange is the New Black.

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Cleverly titled For Your Incarceration – a play on the awards season For Your Consideration campaigns laid on by film studios – Netflix’s favourite inmates offer up their two cents on the Academy Awards.

In the 30-second clip the Litchfield inmates watching an awards show on television, marking the “Hollywood types”.

Taystee, played by Danielle Brooks, quips:

Even when white folks try to be excited, they’re still boring.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtC8y6YmgpY

OITNB is seen as one of the most culturally diverse shows on TV these days, winning praise from critics and fans alike.

LGBT media pressure group  recently praised the show, as it announced it will no longer publish an annual report monitoring the quantity, quality, and diversity of LGBT representation on TV.

GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis warned that the film industry was in danger of being left behind – by failing to mirror the progress made by ground-breaking TV shows such as OITNB and Transparent.

The show has won fans for its realistic portrayal of women, its exploration of trans issues and its abundance of same-sex relationships – especially that of lead characters Piper and Alex.

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The show recently won a host of SAG awards – with Uzo Abuda picking up her second award for Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren.

The show’s entire cast also picked up the Best Ensemble award – with an extensive 35 cast members name-checked, including Ruby Rose, and Lea DeLaria.

The show’s fourth season is set to air on June 17.

Americans Can Finally Agree On One Thing, Their Love For Lesbian Porn

Pornhub, which is one of the most popular porn websites in the world, released a breakdown this week of the most popular search terms used on the site, across the 50 US states.

And it would seem America is united (for once), with those hard-working PornHub users search “lesbian” more than any other term.

Ironically, the search term is popular in a number of states where same-sex couples don’t have basic anti-discrimination protections, including Texas – where a vicious campaign was waged to block an LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance in the city of Houston last year.

Searches for ‘Lesbian’ also top the list in Alabama – where the state’s elected Republican Chief Justice Roy Moore has led the charge against equal marriage, attempting to defy the Supreme Court to block gay weddings.

Given that people in both states have voted to oppress LGBT rights, it is interesting to note that (statistically speaking) a lot of them were probably getting off on lesbian porn before doing so.

Lesbians are also on top in Utah and Kansas, home to the anti-LGBT Mormon Church and Westboro Baptist Church respectively.

The study explains:

There’s nothing like an election year to illustrate how UN-united the United States of America can be.

Political affiliations and porn appreciations both differ from state-to-state and coast-to-coast. Thus brings us to today’s Pornhub Insights topic – along with our friends at Vocativ, we present the top ranking search terms and categories across the United States.”

The breakdown of search terms shows that ‘lesbian’ is the most popular search term across the vast majority of states, with nearly 30 states among those who search for lesbians more than anything else.

Lesbian adult videos blew the competition out of the water last year, as it was the most searched type of videos on PornHub in 2015.


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Despite The Strong Nominations, LGBT Films Lose Out At Oscars

Despite the hype, Carol – the critically acclaimed lesbian love story directed by Todd Haynes – failed to scoop any awards, despite both stars being nominated for awards.

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Cate Blanchett lost out to Brie Larson in the Best Actress category, while Alicia Vikander – who won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Tom Hooper’s transgender drama The Danish Girl – beat co-star Rooney Mara.

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The Danish Girl – which focuses on the first ever recipient of gender reassignment surgery and the effect this has on their marriage – failed to pick up any other awards, including Best Actor for Eddie Redmayne, who lost out to serial nominee Leonardo DiCaprio.

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The actor portrays the lead character, Lily Elbe, in the biopic – which also failed to pick up a BAFTA Award last week.

Carol also lost out at this year’s BAFTAs – despite a total of nine nominations.

Meanwhile, Sam Smith won the award for Best Soundtrack – dedicating his award to the global LGBT community, after wrongly suggesting he was the first gay man to win.

This year’s awards were seen to be one of the most controversial yet, after a number of stars announced their decision to boycott the ceremony due to a lack of diversity in nominees.

Lesbian Teens In The US Have More (And Riskier) Sex Than Their Peers

A study in the US has found Lesbian teenagers have sex younger, have more partners and engage in riskier practices than bi or heterosexual girls.

One in five sexually active lesbian teenagers in the United States also reported recently having sex with a man, according to the research, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The study also discovered, lesbian teens reportedly lose their virginity at the average age of 13 years 9 months, which is significantly younger than bisexual (15 years 1 month) and heterosexual (15 years 6 months) girls.

Lesbian and bisexual adolescents also have considerably more sexual partners than straight girls, although bi teens reported having more sex with males.

The report suggests this could be because bi girls feel greater social pressure to have sex with men, or because they experience greater sexual pleasure doing so.

As for safe sex, lesbians were found to be much riskier then their peers, with less than a third saying they had discussed using condoms or dental dams with their most recent sexual partner.

The report suggests this may be because ‘lesbians are less likely to believe they are at risk for STIs when having sex’.

In comparison, nearly two thirds of bi girls and three quarters of straight girls said they had discussed the same issue with their partners.

One of the co-authors of the study and president of the Center for Innovative Public Health Research, Michele Ybarra, explained:

Our findings highlight that sexual orientation labels and sexual behaviour don’t always align – especially during the teen years.

This means that lesbian and bisexual girls may be having unprotected sex with boys – and with girls.”

Another, the University of Boston Columbia’s nursing professor Elizabeth Saewyc added,

Sexual health education should be comprehensive and cover sexual health for everyone.

Programs need to teach all youth about safe sexual practices for the kinds of sex they’re having, and that means teaching pregnancy prevention and condom negotiation skills to lesbian and bisexual girls too.”

Co-author Margaret Rosario, a professor of psychology at City University New York agreed, saying:

Experimentation is normal, which is why adolescent health professionals need to make sure that every young person has the skills she needs to keep herself safe.”

The study, co-authored by researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Graduate Center and City College of the City University of New York, used data collected online from nearly 3,000 US girls, aged 13–18 years.


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Bisexual Woman Discuss The Difference Between Sex With Men And Women (VIDEO)

In a new video from YouTuber Arielle Scarcella, she explores the difference between sex with men and women.

Bisexuals Explain - Sex With Men Vs Women

Talking with bisexual, queer and pansexual women, the video give insights into the differences between their sexual relationships.

Both are very good in very different ways… I love topping girls so it’s not about my pleasure necessarily when I’m going into a sexual interaction with a girl.”

Check out the video below:

You can catch more videos from Scarcella on her YouTube channel – so good and so funny.


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