Tag Archives: lesbians

Lesbian, bisexual girls face higher odds of being suspended or expelled, say researchers

A study into the differing experiences among lesbian and bi pupils in the American school system has found an alarming disparity in the way it treats its LGBT+ and straight pupils.

According to the report, young lesbians and bisexual girls are 95% more likely to be disciplined at schools than their straight peers, according to a 15-year survey of some 5,000 American families.

But the report’s author, Princeton sociologist Joel Mittleman, says that only about a third of the risk can be explained by students’ misbehavior. He believes discrimination by faculty and administrators could be a real factor.

“The results suggest that sexual orientation itself may shape teens’ experiences in very different ways for girls versus boys,” Mittleman said in a statement. “My results are consistent, for example, with recent research showing that sexual minority girls are dramatically overrepresented in the juvenile justice system in a way that sexual minority boys are not.”

Overall teens attracted to the same sex have 29% higher odds of being taken out of school. But when broken down by gender, girls experienced 95% higher odds while gay/bi boys had zero increased risk of discipline. (The study did not examine other factors such as race, family life, or academic achievement.)

Another recent study, out of Tel Aviv University, found that people often stereotype bisexual women as “confused,” “disagreeable,” and “neurotic.” So we shouldn’t be surprised if school staff are primed to see queer girls as problems.

Even if, and perhaps especially, if they’re retaliating against a bully.

Sociologists say they’re only beginning to explore how sexual orientation impacts interactions with institutional authorities: Lesbians and bisexual women are also overrepresented in the American prison system—representing 42% of the female prison population, but only 4.4% of the female general population.

 

America’s Healthcare System Is Discriminatory Against Queer Women, Experts Warn

A leading doctor has expressed concern for queer women seeking health care in the USA.

According to a new report, queer women have higher rates of substance abuse, psychological disorders and suicide attempts than heterosexual women, studies show.

Experts with the Mayo Clinic say these statistics are clearly connected to access to care for queer women and how they are treated.

They are also less likely to receive imperative treatments such as cervical cancer screenings and mammograms.

The research authors say that queer women would have better healthcare if clinicians were more accepting towards them and if they had better access to insurance.

Some ways to improve healthcare for queer women is to not assume a patient is heterosexual during their first appointment and to regularly assess anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

The essay focused on middle age queer women and what stressors they deal with in terms of their healthcare.

Dr Jordan E. Rullo and Dr Stephanie S. Faubion wrote in their essay:

Clinicians who have an understanding of lesbian women and their unique stressors, who provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, and who provide cross-cultural care are well positioned to reduce healthcare stigma and improve clinical outcomes.”

The authors said that LGBT people have health and sexual relationship patterns like those in the general population but ‘have higher rates of substance use, psychological disorders, and suicide attempts than their heterosexual counterparts.’

Queer women have a higher chance of smoking and obesity than heterosexual women, according to new studies the authors analyzed.

The authors also found that queer women are less likely to have had a recent mammogram or been screened for cervical cancer.

Dr. Lori R. Muskat, a psychology professor at Argosy University in Atlanta who was not an author on the opinion piece, said:

This paper is particularly important regarding lesbians who are now in middle age. Most of these women grew up and ‘came out’ when being a lesbian was even more taboo than it is now.”

Muskat also believes ‘culturally literate’ clinicians are more likely to offer an environment that is ’emotionally safer’ for middle-aged lesbians, ‘resulting in a freer reporting of symptoms and concerns.’

Dr Valerie Fein-Zachary of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, also not an author on the paper, said:

By learning about the specific health issues of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, we as providers can better counsel them – including about screening exams for breast, cervical/ovarian or prostate cancer, depending on their individual needs; and about risk-reduction strategies.”

She also suggests asking patients if they feel safe at home, at work, and in the community.

She identified several barriers to care:

Lack of access to insurance, lack of knowledgeable providers, lack of culturally competent providers, and lack of institutional acceptance – including hospitals denying LGBT people basic rights such as visitation by family members (non-blood relatives)… Lack of insurance coverage may hamper access to healthcare because most insurance still relies on employment or spousal insurance through employment.”

 

Older Lesbians and Bi Women Suffer More Chronic Health Conditions Than Heterosexuals, Study Finds

According to a new study, Lesbian and bisexual older women are more likely than heterosexual older women to suffer chronic health conditions, experience sleep problems and drink excessively.

The study from the new University of Washington, found that in general, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) older adults were found to be in poorer health than heterosexuals, specifically in terms of higher rates of cardiovascular disease, weakened immune system and low back or neck pain.

They also were at greater risk of some adverse health behaviours such as smoking and excessive drinking. At the same time, however, findings point to areas of resilience, with more LGB adults engaging in preventive health measures, such as obtaining HIV tests and blood pressure screening.

The study is the first to use national, population-based data to evaluate differences in health outcomes and behaviours among lesbian, gay and bisexual older adults. Using two-year survey data of 33,000 heterosexual and LGB adults ages 50 and older from a probability-based study of the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers from the UW School of Social Work report noticeable health disparities between LGB and heterosexual adults.

The findings were published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

While this study did not delve into what causes the poorer health outcomes, UW social work professor Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen pointed to other research, including the landmark longitudinal study, Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging and Sexuality/Gender Study, that has identified associated factors.

“The strong predictors of poor health are discrimination and victimization,” said Fredriksen-Goldsen, the principal investigator on Aging with Pride, which surveyed 2,450 adults aged 50 to 100, studying the impact of historical, environmental, psychological, social, behavioral and biological factors on LGBT older adult health and well-being.

The new UW study relied on the 2013-14 National Health Interview Survey, which for the first time asked respondents about their sexual orientation. In the United States, approximately 2.7 million adults age 50 and older self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. This number is expected to increase to more than 5 million by 2060.

Among the UW study’s findings:

  • Disability and mental distress are significantly more prevalent among lesbians or gay men than among their bisexual counterparts.
  • Strokes, heart attacks, asthma, arthritis and lower back or neck pain affected significantly greater percentages of lesbian and bisexual women than heterosexual women. For example, 53 percent of lesbians and bisexual women experienced lower back or neck pain, versus not quite 40 percent of heterosexuals.
  • Nearly 7 percent of gay and bisexual men, compared to 4.8 percent of heterosexual men, suffered chest pain related to heart disease.
  • More LGB people reported weakened immune systems: about 17 percent of women, and 15 percent of men, compared to 10 percent of heterosexual women, and 5 percent of heterosexual men.
  • Lesbian and bisexual women were up to two times as likely to engage in adverse health behaviors such as excessive drinking.
  • More than three-fourths of gay and bisexual men, and almost half of lesbians and bisexual women, had received an HIV test. In contrast, roughly one-fourth of heterosexuals had obtained a test.
  • Slightly more lesbian and bisexual women had health insurance than heterosexual women, a possible reflection of professional choices, financial independence or same-sex partner benefits.

But the health disparities among lesbian and bisexual women indicate a population that merits greater attention, Fredriksen-Goldsen said.

Most people think gay and bisexual men would have more adverse health effects, because of the HIV risk. Lesbian and bisexual women tend to be more invisible, less often considered when it comes to health interventions. This is a population that isn’t getting the attention it deserves.”

Bisexual men and women, meanwhile, may be marginalized not only in the general population, but also within gay and lesbian communities. As a result, bisexuals report feeling more isolated and experience greater stress, which, in turn, could lead to more adverse health conditions associated with stress as well as frequent risky health behaviors, Fredriksen-Goldsen said.

Like Aging with Pride, this new national study brings to light the need to target prevention efforts and health care services to improve health and the quality of life of LGB older adults, Fredriksen-Goldsen said.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging. Other authors were Hyun-Jun Kim, Chengshi Shiu and Amanda E.B. Bryan, all of the UW School of Social Work.

Dee Rees Teams With ‘Get Out’ Producer For Horror About Black Lesbians In Rural America

Screenwriter Dee Rees and Get Out Producer Jason Blum are joining forces for what should be a one-of-a-kind movie that speaks to the terror of homophobia, sexism and racism, at the very least.

Blum made a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s most prolific horror producers, having recently worked on Get Out, Split, and The Purge.

Rees directed the Pariah, which centres on a young black lesbian coming to terms with her sexuality and familial rejection. She also earned a Golden Globe nomination for the biopic Bessie, about 1920s queer blues singer Bessie Smith staring Queen Latifah.

The duo apparently met at the Sundance Institute while giving speeches, Rees approaching Blum and offering a movie pitch:

You’ve got me and my wife, two black lesbians, and when we first moved in, we fought every day over all these little things: ‘Why is this over there? Did you move that?’

Maybe it was a ghost. Or maybe it was some other force — like us not wanting to be there or fitting in. Anyway, that’s my horror-movie pitch.”

Blum immediately replied the two should work together, with The Tracking Board confirming they had indeed signed a deal soon after the initial meeting.

Say What?! Controversial Study Claims Women Are Lesbians Because Men Want Them To Be

Researcher Menelaos Apostolou is puzzled as to why women are attracted to one another, therefore has blamed it on men. No really.

According to Apostolou the male penchant for women who have sex with women drove the evolution of homosexuality in women.

My argument in the paper is this: A considerable proportion of men desire same-sex attractions in women, and this is one possible reason why many women have such attractions.”

According to a study by the Cypriot researchers, from the University of Nicosia, about 15% of heterosexual men in long-term relationships say that they would want their partner to have a sexual encounter with another woman. This figure goes up to about 30% of men in short-term relationships. The figures for heterosexual women who found same-sex attraction a turn on in their male partners were much lower in both types of relationship.

The researchers argued that one of the reasons for men being attracted to women who experience same-sex attraction could be to increase their certainty of being the father of a potential child if their partner sleeps with someone else.

The paper reads:

A woman, driven by her sexual desires, may seek sexual contact outside of her long-term intimate relationship. When this woman has sex with another woman she does not have sex with another man which translates into same-sex contact reducing the risk of cuckoldry.”

To say the least, the theory has been called a bit of a stretch.

Diana Fleischman, a psychologist at the University of Portsmouth, points out;

The paper totally ignores a lot of other possible hypotheses and makes claims that are really not supported by the evidence they provide. If you ask men about all kinds of sex fetishes their partner might have – so, how would you feel if a woman had a foot fetish – more men wouldn’t care than if you asked women about male partners.”

But even though men are typically more accepting of women’s fluid sexuality, fetishes or paraphilia, women do not have higher rates of them than men do, Fleischman said, which introduces a bit of a hole in the hypothesis.

Another problem is that the study doesn’t account for the effects of porn.

Apostolou argued;

I can’t really see how cultural factors would make some men be turned on when their partners tell them I want to have sex with another woman. These kinds of sexual traits are more instinctive. It’s a mechanism that has been selected to serve a purpose – to make you reproduce. For me, these things are expressions of old mechanisms.

I’m not sure that factors like the media have an important effect. This is not something that is promoted, for instance, having a girlfriend who also has same-sex attraction. I don’t see it there.”

Apostolou did recognise some of the limitations of his arguments and accepted that more research needs to be carried out if we are to understand the complexity of same-sex attractions.

He told PinkNews:

I believe also that there are additional factors that need to be taken into consideration if same-sex attraction in women is to be understood.

The publication of my theory gives the opportunity for a fruitful academic dialogue, where another scholar may attempt to refute, alter, or expand it and replicate my findings.”

 

UK News: Five Lesbians Severely Beaten In Vile Homophobic Attack By 15 Men

A group of five lesbians were set upon by more than 15 men in a homophobic beating outside of a club this weekend.

According to a report from the Portsmouth News, the victims were set upon by seven men who shouted homophobic abuse before kicking and punching them.

One woman lost seven teeth when she was punched in the face.

The women, who wish to remain anonymous, said others in their group were punched, kicked and stamped during the assault on Kingston Road.

In a joint statement, they said:

This was a brutal homophobic attack on innocent women trying to get home after a night out.”

The group said they were singing “I’m in the mood for dancing” as they walked home from a karaoke night in the North End area of the city when a man ran towards one of them, a 25 year old, and punched her in the temple.

When her 23-year-old friend tried to come to her aid, she was hit in the face, knocking out seven of her teeth and breaking her jaw.

One woman said she feared she would die from the attack, another lost seven front teeth from a single punch and a third had a fit after she was left bleeding.

A 32-year-old woman “was quickly surrounded by seven men, she tried to cover her face while being hit and grabbed as another woman pleaded for them to stop,” the women said.

Once they had finished attacking [her], they threw her against the shutters on which she was previously beaten.”

She was left with extensive bruising to her breasts and upper body.

The victims said the men then attacked a 27-year-old woman who had tried to intervene.

She was kicked to the floor, following this her head was stamped on.”

Another woman, 21, was punched, leaving her with a black eye.

The 25-year-old victim also sustained a black eye, as well as bruised kidneys and liver and a dislocated knee and shoulder.

The group added:

All involved have been left with injuries and many left emotionally scared. We are angered but overall we are fiercely upset. Innocent women trying to get home to their families should not be disgustingly attacked due to being homosexual.”

A police spokesperson said that the “altercation between two groups” is under investigation and that four men were arrested but released.

Those men are still under investigation.

A Guide To Bi-Curious Experimenting

Sexuality is all about experimentation. How do you know whether you like something if you don’t try it?

Specifically, if you’re bi-curious, how do you actually test the waters?

DO admit that you could be queer and it’s not the end of the world.

If you’re bi-curious, own it. Don’t be ashamed. Maybe you could be bisexual. Maybe you could be homosexual. Say it out loud – to a friend or to a mirror – and you’ll realize that it’s not the end of the world. The prospect might even excite you a little.

DON’T try to make out with your lesbian friend.

Contrary to what straight people are led to believe, not every queer person is attracted to you. You know your lesbian friend? The super gay one who wears flannel and rocks a buzzcut and romances a different woman every night? Yes, that lesbian friend might not be into you.

Besides, even if she is into you, it’s a bad idea to mix your budding homosexual and homoromantic feelings with a friendship. Big no-no.

DO get on the apps, all the apps.

The best way to meet someone is in everyday life. But everyday life takes too long. You don’t have enough time to wait for your meet-cute with a beautiful woman in a quirky coffee shop, so help fate out by downloading everything. Tinder, Her, Bumble, OKCupid. Cast your net wide. Not every queer woman will be into a bicurious girl, so increase your odds by matching with every queer woman in your city at once.

DON’T hide the fact that this is your first time.

In your dating app profile, be upfront with the fact that you just want to experiment. Perhaps you’ll match with someone else who is bi-curious and you two can experiment together. Or perhaps you’ll match with a mature lesbian willing to show you the ropes.

But don’t be the girl who waits until the actual date to mention that you’re new to this. If your date is looking for something more – namely, an experienced woman who is good in bed and knows that she’s definitely a lesbian – then you’re just wasting her time.

DO be honest about your anxiety.

If you’re nervous about your first time with a girl, don’t play it cool. This will just increase your anxiety. If the first line out of your mouth is “I’m such an amazing pro at lesbian sex,” then you’ll feel major pressure to live up to your boast. And you won’t live up to that. (Not your first time, anyway. Practice makes perfect.)

Instead, just admit that you’re nervous and ask for her to patiently walk you through it. Chances are, she’ll think it’s cute and will be more than willing to break the ice.

Good luck!

Are Lesbians Who Date Trans Men Really Lesbians?

NOTE: The opinions and statements in this article are only a summary of the views stated in the two videos below. This article has absolutely no relationship to my own views on the subject.

“Trans men aren’t really men.”

Transgender men are tired of hearing that.

Recently, two transgender men – Ryan Sallans and Sky – sat down with vlogger Arielle Scarcella to talk about their experiences with lesbians. They answered two questions: If a transgender man transitions to male while in a relationship with a lesbian, what should the lesbian do? And is a lesbian who says she “only dates women and trans men” really a lesbian?

Question 1. I’m a lesbian and my partner transitions. What do I do?

This is tricky. When your partner transitions, standing by his side isn’t always easy – he will experience physical, emotional and personality changes, for example. And if your female partner becomes biologically male, then you suddenly have to wrestle with your identity.

If you loved him as a biological woman, shouldn’t you love him as a biological man? Are you transphobic if you leave?

“It depends,” says Sallans.

According to Sallans, it comes down to the reasoning behind your decisions. If you leave your transitioning partner because his transition is straining the relationship and you’re not emotionally equipped to handle his changes, then that’s okay. However, Sallans believes that if you leave the relationship automatically without even considering attempting to date your partner in his new body, then that’s transphobic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwQ3cz3AqBg

Question 2. I’m a lesbian who dates trans men. Am I a lesbian?

Perhaps you’re a lesbian whose partner suddenly transitioned from female to male, and you find yourself dating a man for the first time. Or perhaps you’re a lesbian who only feels comfortable dating women and transgender men. Either way, can you call yourself a lesbian?

“Call yourself whatever you want,” says Sky. “Labels are for community, not for defining love.” In other words, it doesn’t matter what you call yourself as long as you treat your partners with respect.

However, Sky reminds lesbians who date trans men that calling themselves lesbians belittles the transgender man’s identity – it implies that you don’t see him as a “real” man, since you don’t want to date cisgender (read: “real”) men.

You could have a lot of reasons for not changing your label. Coming out again is hard. Wrestling with yourself is hard. But Sky believes that if you date a trans man, then it’s worth wondering whether your lesbian label negates his male one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=87&v=9kZgduudq3k

For more, read “How to Tell Your Girlfriend You’re Transgender” and “What to Do If Your Partner Comes Out as Trans.”

Watch ‘Firebringer’, a Hilarious Feminist Musical with Hot Lesbians

Hello, reader:

If you are here, you probably fall into one of two camps.

1) You hate musicals, but you love beautiful, funny lesbians who dance around in skimpy Flinstones outfits

Or

2) You’ve seen every gay musical in existence, including the cringe-worthy underground ones, and you’re hungry for more.

From the makers of A Very Potter Musical comes Firebringer, a side-splitting musical that you can watch for free on YouTube right now.

The musical follows a feminist clan of cavemen who discover fire and destroy their friendship in the process.

Musicals can focus on literally anything. Whether you want to watch a European Afro-jazz musical (Passing Strange), a German musical about the rise of Obama (Hope! Das Obama Musical), a Greenday concert gone awry (American Idiot) or even Shrek (Shrek), you can find it.

Still, Firebringer’s prehistoric setting still feels unorthodox.

So what makes this zany show so darn queer? (No spoilers.)

Top 5 Queer Moments in One of the Queerest Musicals Ever

5. Troublemaker Zazzalil and her queer partner-in-crime Keeri share a quick peck on the lips in the middle of a scene for no reason at all, and never address it.

4. Tiblyn, a girl who’s been holding up the sky for 27 years, has a longtime crush on genderqueer character Chorn.

3. Jemilla, the female leader of the clan, gestures to the entire audience and says, “These are my husbands and wives!” This is right after she made one of her onstage husbands cook dinner and tend to the kids.

2. In an attempt to woo Jemilla back, Zazzalil offers herself as a wife. Dancing seductively, Zazzalil whispers, “All this could be yours.”

1. In addition to marrying the entire audience as well as stand-up caveman comedian named Schwoopsie, she also marries a beautiful homemaker named Claire. They make out on stage. A lot.

If that’s not enough for you, then keep in mind that every single member of the cast, from the chief nut-gatherer to the grandmother, is very, very attractive. You won’t be able to decide which character to have a crush on. (Tibyln, when you’re done with Chorn, call me.)

Even if you’re not a musical fan, watch Firebringer, if only for its queer feminist themes, hilarious dialogue and catchy R&B numbers. Or the skimpy Flinstones costumes. Whatever works.

Stories Of Lesbians And Bi Women During Nazism

Among the people hunted by the Nazi regime in Germany were, obviously, LGBT people who were deemed “anti-social” or “crazy”. Most of us have heard about the pink triangle and what it meant as a symbol of recognition for gay men in concentration camps. But what about gay and bisexual women and their fates during Hitler’s regime in Germany?

The sources of knowledge we have concerning lesbians and bi women and what they went through are limited, but we do know about some women leaving the country and seeking shelter in England and America. Lesbians have been named as the “forgotten victims” of Hitler’s attempt to “ethnically cleanse” Germany, by the German feminist magazine EMMA.

There are gender-related differences when it comes to the reasons, justification and forms of oppression that gay men and women faced in Nazi Germany.

Lesbians weren’t directly referred to by the 1872 law, Paragraph 175 that banned sexual acts between men and sexual acts on animals. That coincides with the general cultural assumption of the era that sex between women is not “real sex”, so lesbians were technically not illegal in Germany, unlike Austria where sexual acts between women were criminalized in the 19th century.

However, there was a justification for the ostracization of queer women that was based on different priorities of the Nazi regime: women were supposed to bear children and be mothers and housewives to German husbands; they were not seen as sexual beings, or as able to have any considerable influence in public and social life.

So the actual issue with lesbian women was that they refused to conform to the Nazi norms of being a German mother and wife. And yet, as Stefanie Gerdes states in her article

What Happened to Gay Women During the Holocaust”, the thought that lesbians could actually be “fixed” and still become pregnant and bear children, was what saved some of them from detention in concentration camps. Homosexual people, in the opinion of Heinrich Himmler, the leader of SS, would “deprive Germany of the children they owe her.

As part of the Nazi cruelty in the concentration camps, homosexual women had to wear a badge, either green as “career” criminals, or black as “asocials” (like Romani and homeless people were deemed). That classification took place because lesbianism was not criminalized. They were also forced into prostitution – unless they were Jewish – and forced to serve SS men as well as homosexual men in order to “heal them”.

The lives of women who didn’t go to the camps were difficult and dangerous, as they either had to pretend they were straight by marrying, flee the country, or live in poverty as they had no husbands and were paid really low wages – while constantly fearing for their lives and the possibility of being arrested.

The research that’s been made has brought up some stories of women who passed through Ravensbrück, the women’s concentration camp 90km north of Berlin. Today we share their stories as a tribute to their memories. (Based on this article).

Henny Schermann was one of those women. She was born in Frankfurt in 1912 and worked as a saleswoman when she was arrested. Official documents stated that she moved only in lesbian bars and she is thought to have been arrested in one of those. According to official Nazi paperwork she was also a “Stateless Jewess” and was selected by one of the Nazis’ death doctors, Friedrich Mennecke who claimed her “unworthy of life” in 1942. She was sent to the gas chamber on the 30th of May that year.

Elli Smula, born in 1914, was another woman who worked at the Berlin trams and was arrested on 1940 after being reported by her employer, Berlin Public Transport, accused of not reporting at work because she stayed up late at nights in parties, having sex with female colleagues. She was logged as a “political” prisoner and the word “lesbian” was also added in her documents. Her mother wrote that she died quite suddenly’ in Ravensbrück on 8 July 1943.

Inge Scheuer was born in 1924 and conscripted into military service as a “Marine Assistant” in 1943. She was found to have a relationship with a female comrade so she was discharged and sent to the Psychiatric Hospital Brandenburg-Görden in 1944. Fortunately, she was released early and survived the war.

Mary Pünjer was born in 1904 and worked in the clothes shop her parents owned in Hamburg. She was arrested in 1940 and admitted to the Ravensbrück. Her documents stated that she was imprisoned because of “political” differences and because she was a “lesbian”. She died in gas chambers in the killing wing of the ‘Convalescent and Nursing Home’ at Bernburg, presumably in 1942.

Another homosexual woman, who was actually sentenced to prison for violating paragraph 129 of the Austrian Penal Code (the paragraph that made homosexual behaviour punishable) in 1939, was Marie Glawitsch, born in 1920 in Graz, Austria. She was also accused of theft and was committed to Ravensbrück as a “career criminal” in 1942.

Rosa Jochmann was born in Vienna in 1901 and became a union representative in a factory that made glass covers for glass lamps. She rose up the movement and joined the Social Democratic Labour Party. That was the reason she was arrested several times. On August of 1939 she was arrested again and in March of 1930 she was sent to Ravensbrück, where she continued to advocate for the rights of others and became a mediator between the camp authorities and the prisoners.

She risked a lot but miraculously survived. The camp was liberated by Soviet troops in 1945, but Rosa stayed back to care for the sick. She became a honorary citizen of Vienna and was awarded a grave of honor in the city when she died in 1994. Her sexuality was not something talked about but she was actually identified as a homosexual woman in a 2005 exhibition about her life and about the persecution of gays and lesbians.

Finally, Stefanie Gerdes writes in her article about the story of Annette Eick, who was born to Jewish parents in Berlin and one of the lesbians who managed to flee the country. Her story is an extremely inspiring one that brought tears to my eyes, as did the other stories of the harsh realities faced by LGBT people during the Nazi regime. She spoke about her experiences during the Third Reich in 2005, together with 5 gay men, as part of the documentary “Paragraph 175”.

Eick had actually realized her identity from a very young age. When she was only ten she wrote an essay in school about dreaming of living her late life with her girlfriend, surrounded by animals and writing. She talked about growing up in Germany before the Nazi regime, when Berlin was still one of the best places in the world for an LGBT person to live, due to the small subculture that existed. She met a Jewish girl from Berlin and they became too close. “I saw a woman who looked a little bit like Marlene Dietrich,” she said. “She is the one I saw occasionally later, the one who saved my life because she was the one who sent me this permit [that saved me].”

During the Night of Broken Glass in 1938 the Germans ambushed the farm where she was staying, preparing to leave with other Jewish children and teen for Palestine.

A police officer’s wife left the cell door of everyone caught unlocked in purpose and all the prisoners escaped. Eick was lucky enough to retrieve her passport from the destroyed farm in the middle of the chaos. She was planning to go to Berlin but a letter arrived for her, from the aforementioned former love affair. The woman who looked like Marlene Dietrich with whom she was in love had mailed to her an entry permit to England. That saved her while her family was sent to Auschwitz.

She lived the rest of her life in Devon, found love in the 1960s, published a collection of poems and died a littler after her 100th birthday, in 2010.

For the last three years a group of feminists and lesbian women from Germany and Austria have led a movement to commemorate the horrible experiences of lesbian and bi women at Ravensbrück. Feminist historians and lesbian groups have been doing extensive research about the issue since the 1980s.

On the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the women’s concentration camp at Ravensbrück last year, a memorial stone was laid for the queer women who were persecuted and murdered in Ravensbrück. LGBT people and feminists are applying for a “commemorative orb” to those women to remain at the camp, in order to pay a tribute to them and engrave a hidden reminiscence of history that should not be concealed and forgotten anymore.

Trump Claims That His Immigration Ban Helps Lesbians. He Is Very, Very Wrong.

It’s difficult to be queer. It’s even more difficult to be queer and Muslim, especially if you’re a person of color. Yet Trump claims that his blanket ban on travelers from Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Libya and Iran does queer people a favor.

Trump cited LGBT rights as one of his reasons for the ban. He claimed that people from those seven countries “would oppress members of [marginalized] gender or sexual orientation.”

The assumption is, of course, that all people coming from these countries are Muslim, and that all Muslims are intolerant of LGBT people. He is completely erasing the growing population of Muslims who openly identify as transgender or queer.

The Advocate puts it well:

What happens now to the lesbian asylum seeker in search of a semblance of safety in the U.S.? What happens to the bisexual student who came here on a visa and now does not know if they can return? What happens to the parents of a transgender child, who can no longer come to the U.S. even to visit?”

In short, Donald Trump is not doing us any favors. He’s hurting members of the LGBT community hoping to find freedom in the United States, and he’s tearing apart the families of queer Muslims by barring them from entry.

Trump acts as if all non-Americans are heathens swarming on the United States in order to steal our resources, bomb our cities and impose their beliefs. He ignores the reason why so many people from these countries are traveling to the U.S. – the United States has destroyed many parts of their countries.

The U.N. recently confirmed that in Yemen, U.S. drone strikes have killed more innocent civilians than al Queda has. And the U.S. has been dragging the Iraq War out for nine long years, which makes it the third-longest war in U.S. history after Vietnam and Afghanistan.

What happens when you go to war with a country for a decade? You leave that country in ruins and force the citizens to become refugees – refugees that the U.S. is now denying entry.

So what can you do? Find a protest near you and fight back!

How Religious Lesbians Are Finding Love

“No gays allowed.”

Since its launch years ago, the dating website ChristianMingle.com has always catered to heterosexuals only, on the basis of religious freedom. “Gay Chrisitan” was an oxymoron.

The website became embroiled in a grueling 3-year legal battle with the state of California for violating the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which protects consumers from discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation. Recently, Christian Mingle finally lost, and was ordered to allow same-sex members to match up.

Catholic Mingle, Adventist Singles Connection and Black Singles also begrudgingly followed suit.

But gay and lesbian Christians would like to go somewhere they are accepted not merely tolerated. They have trouble finding anything deeper than a hook-up on apps such as Tinder and Grindr, but don’t want to invest in websites like Christian Mingle that will never truly cater to their needs.

More and more, queer Christians are turning to a website called Christian Gays.

With over 10,000 members, the website is relatively small but growing quickly, and offers more than just the swipe-and-chat system that has become popular with contemporary date-seekers.

Members can find community and make friends by joining a list serve, hopping into a chat room or communicating on forums. All members who sign up are automatically subscribed to the listserve and to several general forums so that they can begin chatting with like-minded members.

Christians looking for love can meet one-on-one with a Dating Service and Friend Finder, which has matched hundreds of happy couples to date.

The website boasts that its membership “consists of sincere people of all ages, all genders, all faiths, at all stages of life, and all stages of reconciliation of their face and sexuality.”

You don’t have to be out in order to use the website. In fact, many members aren’t out, and look for support and community with other queer Christians in the same situation.

The site also includes educational articles and resources for queer Christians and their family members. The founder says, “We want to provide information to help educate people that there is no conflict with Scripture for a person to be gay and Christian Just as Scripture was misunderstood to promote slavery, so now we have a better understanding about the clobber verses used against us, and we want to share the answers we have found.”

Transgender Christians have also found a home here. There are specific forums and chat rooms designated for transgender members who would like to meet, pray, date and discuss Scripture.

The website has its drawbacks, particularly the outdated design, but has potential for improvement.

New members are welcome, so if you’re looking for someone to share your faith and your heart with, memberships start at $2 a month.

Learn more at ChristianGays.com.

What is Life Like For Lesbians In Iran?

In Iran, it’s socially acceptable for women to pursue higher education and hold their own jobs – but expressing queer desire is not just taboo, it’s illegal.

While extramarital sex between a man and a woman is punishable by house arrest and stoning, women who engage in lesbian sex receive 100 lashes or the death penalty. Many homosexuals are counselled into sexual reassignment surgery because being transgender, unlike being a homosexual, isn’t against their interpretation of Shia Islam.

As a result, more and more Iranians live in exile in Turkey, Europe and North America. The Iranian lesbian community is growing quickly.

For example, the organization LesMigraS e.V. prints brochures and leaflets about homosexuality in Farsi, in order to educate not just open-minding and educated Iranians in exile, but also their more conservative families. This information is available online to Iranians who can bypass censorship.

Gorups such as LesMigraS e.V., while changing the minds of Iranians, also hope to draw attention to their cause internationally. They have been working tirelessly since the 1980s to do so.

Queer Iranian artists are also using their work as activism.

The Iranian pop musician Googoosh made headlines in 2014 with the song Behesht (Paradise). This song tells of a young woman who receives a marriage proposal.

However, her family and community reject her suitor, who is not visible until the end of the video – the suitor is a woman. At the end of the video, a message appears: “Freedom to Love for All.”

The music video’s director, Navid Akhavan , told the Iran Journal,

Many members of the LGBT community in Iran wrote to tell us that the release of the video led to some positive changes in their lives. I realized what kind of power art gives you.”

Despite the vitriolic criticism he received, Akhavan insists that he will not back down from this cause. “We have to show that we are on the side of the people in the LGBT community and accept them as part of our society just like anyone else.”

Learn more at Qantara, and check out the Iranian lesbian film Imagine Me and You.

Rescue Your Girlfriend In This Lesbian Adventure Game

Your name is Lupe, you wear a fanny pack, and you have to rescue your girlfriend from the clutches of evil.

In the new adventure game Queer Quest: All in a Gay’s Work, you will point-and-click your way through a Portland gayborhood of quirky characters and strange scenarios. Playing as butch lesbian Lupe, you will also decipher puzzles and practice virtual self-care. Sorry, did I say point-and-click? I meant “point-and-clit.”

5081da149dc3afc38abe3baf660d9aea_original

Queer Quest has been described as “gay Monkey Island meets feminist Leisure Suit Larry.”

Besides the whole My-Girlfriend-Is-Kidnapped storyline, this game hits pretty close to home for most lesbians. I mean, your character wears a flannel shirt, for crying out loud. Her alternative lifestyle haircut is also very appealing.

58012169170000bc16acc0a9

Every stage of the game is a different puzzle. One moment, you’ll be pushing your way through a naked bike ride that’s blocking the street, and the next you’ll be kicking “breeders” out of a drag show so that more gay people can get in.

Other locations and puzzle descriptions include:

• Tobi lost his earplug! And without it his ear looks like a butthole.
• Theo has FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
• Femme sex party!
• Hipster coffee shop!
• Lou left her shirt at a girl’s house…but can’t remember which one!

download-25

The game’s creators were inspired by a recent hate crime that targeted an LGBT couple in Portland. In response to the assault, the local queer community organized a giant protest, holding hands across a bridge. Queer Quest was created in order to demonstrate how queer communities hold themselves together during tragedies.

Huffington Post expressed interest in the game, saying, “Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d be playing video games about our actual lives! We’re so ready.”

Ron Gilbert, creator of Monkey Island, was “fascinated and intrigued.” The Cliqist called the game “very clever.”

Unfortunately, Queer Quest did not make its Kickstarter goal. However, its lead creator Mo will continue raising money for the game and funding it out of pocket. Follow the game on Patreon, and get more information at the official QueerMoGames website.

Official summary: Queer Quest is a queer-as-fuck point-and-clit adventure game. Inspired by classic gems like Monkey Island, Kings Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry, but set in a queer community in the pacific northwest. You play as Lupe, a long haired butch with a heart of gold.  She lives with her babely girlfriend, Alexis,  that is until one day when Alexis gets kidnapped! You gotta help Lupe by deciphering clues, talking to lovable weirdos, and navigating self care.

Four Lesbians Wrongly Convicted of Child Abuse, Have Finally Been Exonerated

Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez were convicted in the late 1990s of gang-raping two little girls who were Ramirez’s nieces.

n_melvin_safour_131123-nbcnews-ux-1080-600

They had recently come out as lesbians and prosecutors used their sexuality as a motive.

The women refused plea deals and took the rare step of testifying in their defence to say they had done no wrong.

After years of fighting to clear their names, the state’s highest court exonerated them.

Texan judge David Newell wrote.

These four women have unquestionably established that they are innocent of these charges. Those defendants have won the right to proclaim to the citizens of Texas that they did not commit a crime. That they are innocent. That they deserve to be exonerated.”

The ruling overturns their convictions, prevents further prosecutions and paves the way for the women to potentially seek millions of dollars in compensation from the state

Cassandra told The Guardian after learning the news earlier this week.

It means everything to me, to my family. I have a son and a daughter and I do not want them living with the fact that I had been charged with a crime I did not commit, especially one such as child molestation.

I have so much to be thankful for already because I have my children back in my life, I have a beautiful family that has always been supportive. I’m thankful [for] every day that I’m given because I was taken from them for 14 years so when I got this news this morning it’s like ‘wow, this year we’re going to have a beautiful Thanksgiving because we have so much more to be thankful for.”

The arrests came after Elizabeths nieces’, who were just seven and nine at the time, accused the four women of rape while they were staying at their Aunt’s apartment for a week.

Elizabeth, who was five months pregnant at the time of her arrest, had enlisted her friends to help look after the girls that week as they all worked long, alternating shifts and she wanted someone to be at the house to look after them at all times. It was around this time Elizabeth had been rejecting advances from her niece’s father, Javier Limon, the ex-partner of Elizabeth’s sister, Rosemary.

The children told Javier’s mother, Serafina, of the alleged abuse who then alerted authorities.

When the case went to trial the girls testified “after several carefree days at Elizabeth’s apartment, her aunt called her into the bedroom one afternoon and began shouting at her. The women had been drinking tequila and were topless,” the elder of the sisters said.

“There were ‘liquids and powders and different things.’ There were syringes and vials of white powder. The women held her down and started kissing her and putting cold ‘liquid stuff’ inside her, and then they inserted a tampon into her vagina, she testified. Aunt Liz produced a gun. Her father Javier called, and as the older daughter assured him that everything at Aunt Liz’s house was going just fine, her aunt held the gun to her head,” The Texas Observer reported.

Elizabeth’s trial was separate from her friends and held a full year before in 1997. The jury found her guilty and she was sentenced to 37 and a half years in prison. Elizabeth had to give up her son who was just two years old at the time.

When Cassandra, who was a mother to two young kids at the time, Kristie and Anna were tried a year later, they received 15 years in prison a piece.

Despite efforts over the years to appeal the case, and letters sent to various Innocence projects around the country and even to Oprah, no one was willing to re-examine the evidence and take it back to court. That is until Canadian man, Darrell Otto, took an interest in the case.

Darrell began corresponding with Elizabeth when he found some inconsistencies in her case, he then contacted the National Centre for Reason and Justice and his claims ended up in the hands of journalist, Debbie Nathan who often looks into cases for the organisation.

Debbie looked through the notes from the physical examination conducted by Dr. Nancy Kellogg at the time and saw she had written, “this could be satanic-related”, noting that was probably the last time a physician had labelled anything as ‘satanic’.

Also in the notes were descriptions of scars on the girls’ hymens, something Debbie said, “good pediatrician’s knew had been discredited” by the time the trial took place in 1997.

Debbie brought the case to the Innocence Project of Texas where lawyer Mike Ware agreed to represent the women.

The case caught the eye of Michelle Mondo, a journalist for the San-Antonio Express News. The coverage prompted the first break through in the case – Stephanie Limon, the younger of Elizabeth’s nieces’ decided to recant her accusation.

I remember everything [Javier] coached me to say, as well as my grandmother. I’m sorry it has taken this long for me to know what truly happened,” “You must understand I was threatened, and I was told that if I did tell the truth that I would end up in prison, taken away, and even get my ass beat.

I will make things right, and I am sorry for everything I put you through. I was only 7, and I was scared.”

As evidence mounted supporting the women’s innocence, Elizabeth, Cassandra and Kristie were granted bail in 2013, and Anna was paroled in 2012.

On the exoneration, lawyer Mike Ware said,

It couldn’t be more clear that they are acknowledging and declaring that these women are factually and legally innocent and that’s obviously what we have been fighting and struggling for.”

 

21 Lesbian Jokes to Tell at the Dinner Table

Your family doesn’t quite understand your sexuality. They think lesbians do nothing but scissor and talk about how much they hate men. They’re wrong – lesbians also crack corny jokes.

After you try a few of these jokes at the Thanksgiving dinner table, your family will become much more accepting of your sexuality. Okay, probably not. But they’ll be so grateful that you’re not a full-time comedian that your sexual orientation won’t seem so bad in comparison.

I hope you’re hungry. I’ve brought my specialty: Blue is the Warmest Custard.

What do two lesbians eat at a carnival? Flannel cake.

Did you hear that Ellen gave $10,000 to two kids from Vine last week? They don’t call her Ellen De-Generous for nothing.

My dildo doesn’t work properly. Now it’s a dilDON’T.

My girlfriend and I are finally moving in together this Christmas! Happy U-Haulidays!

I put all of my gemstones on the shelves. Now I have several Ruby Rows.

I went to Home Depot to pick up a stud finder. Now I’m dating a butch lesbian.

Two lipstick lesbians had a very short fling. It was eFEMeral.

What does a black lesbian feminist say when she’s fed up? “Oh Lorde.”

To cure a lesbian with a sore throat, give her LGBTea.

What do you call a queer woman purchasing a vibrator? Buy-sexual.

When lesbians mix drinks, they use Ever-Queer.

My favorite song is “Hips Don’t Lie.” I play it at all of my lesbian parties because lesbians love ShaQUEERa.

Queer Italians eat LEZ-agna for every meal (but no meatballs).

My girlfriend and I bake our own edible sex toys. I love my new dilDOUGH.

My girlfriend thinks that she’s more masculine than me just because she owns a meat shop. She thinks she’s butcher because she’s a butcher.

Ellen Page is a shoplifter! They should call her Ellen DOESN’T PAYge.

I taught that young lesbian how to be masculine, and she turned butch overnight! She’s a quick STUD-y.

Where do lesbians stay when they go on vacation? A lesbi-INN.

My lesbian girlfriend and I are totally different! We’re a real DYKE-otomy.

She’s attracted to all genders and she looks great in trousers. She’s 100% PANTSexual.

Creator Of ‘Last Tango in Halifax’ Says She Made A Mistake By Killing Off Lesbian Character

It was a sad day when BBC drama Last Tango In Halifax  killed off heavily pregnant Kate (Nina Sosanya) in a car crash last year, just after finally marrying partner Caroline.

At the time, the show’s writer Sally Wainwright said that it was a ‘myth’ that lesbians always get killed off and that “people get killed off all the time”.

Wainwright also explained that it was a “narrative” decision, which caused further backlash from the show’s fans as they didn’t feel like Kate’s death added anything to the plot.

last-tango-in-halifaxrs-02

Many criticised the trend of killing off lesbians on TV – known mockingly as ‘Dead Lesbian Syndrome’ – the running joke in the queer female community is that if there’s a lesbian in a show, you can almost guarantee that she’ll be offed by the end of the season.

Wainwright said:

It was a shock. I didn’t realise how attached the audience had become to that relationship and to those two characters.

Of the criticism, she said: “I found it hard and I regretted it. I do think I made a mistake. I wished I had found a better story.”

Davies said:

It might be one of my least favourite things that you ever wrote, partly because it was off-stage… I think you were trying to make the point that death is random and off-stage, but it had the effect of it being an off-stage death.

It’s really unfortunate that you walked slightly into the world of those lesbian deaths, that extraordinary numbers of lesbian characters end up being killed off.

What people miss is that Caroline is alive and the heart of the drama and she’s a lesbian as well, but it’s tough getting criticism.”

He added:

You know, I could have told you that you were going to have that flack! [When I found out] you were doing that story… I gasped! Because I know the gays quite well, I thought ‘oh my god that’s going to be trouble!’

I’m kicking myself [for not warning you].”

Wainwright added:

I was on the cusp and wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do. You worry afterwards if you could have worked harder or if it was a lazy choice because those were the criticisms.”

The fourth season of the show is expected to air later this year, so look out for more Last Tango In Halifax then.

Lesbian Farmers Are Infiltrate America’s Heartland (Video)

Thanks to Rush Limbaugh, the world now knows of Obama’s secret plans to have lesbian farmers infiltrate the heartland.

On his radio show he criticized a Department of Agriculture LGBT outreach program, saying:

Here comes the Obama regime with a bunch of federal money and they’re waving it around, and all you gotta do to get it is be a lesbian and want to be a farmer and they’ll set you up.  I’m like you; I never before in my life knew that lesbians wanted to be farmers.

I never knew that lesbians wanted to get behind the horse and the plow and start burrowing. I never knew it. … The objective here is to attack rural states.”

Limbaugh’s comments inspired Kathryn Lounsbery to create a musical-theater tribute to the art of lesbian farming, a time-honored tradition. See her perform a medley of songs below.

Obama Is Sending ‘Lesbian And Transgendered Hillbillies’ To Invade Rural America

Well, I really have heard it all now. According to members of the tinfoil hat brigade, Lesbians who attended the 15th annual LGBT Rural Summit in Iowa earlier this month were being taught how to get subsidies for their cows and chickens by becoming farmers.

The Washington Free Beacon, a right wing publication, published an article written by Elizabeth Harrington regarding the summit and she stated:

 The all-day summit will teach lesbian and transgender hillbillies how to get subsidies from the government like rural housing loans and ‘community facility grants.’”

It’s time for us all to fess up now and admit that yes, becoming farmers, and turning all lesbians into farmers, has been our lifelong ambition ever since we came out. And the fact Obama is sending the hillbillies amongst us to encourage other lesbians to start herding goats is quite simply an added bonus for us all.

This bizarre conspiracy theory was started by one of the more prominent members from the tinfoil hat brigade, right wing conservative radio host,  Rush Limbaugh. A week after the Iowa summit was held Limbaugh delivered a rant to his listeners regarding this oh so sinister lesbian plot. He said:

What they’re trying to do is convince lesbians to become farmers. So here comes the Obama Regime with a bunch of federal money and they’re waving it around, and all you gotta do to get it is be a lesbian and want to be a farmer and they’ll set you up. I’m like you; I never before in my life knew that lesbians wanted to be farmers.”

Really Limbaugh? How could you not have known? Us lez’s and trans wannabe farmers have been in cahoots with Obama planning this for years. You must try to keep up with what’s really going on a bit more. Keeping up with the times is another thing Limbaugh seems to have an issue with as he went on to say:

I never knew that lesbians wanted to get behind the horse and the plow and start burrowing. I never knew it. But apparently enough money [made] it happen, and the objective here is to attack rural states.”

Get behind a horse and plough? 100 years ago perhaps. I think he’s been watching too many re-runs of ‘Little House on The Prairie.’ These days’ queers prefer to get behind a tractor Rush, just so you don’t think we also work our farms, or intend to work our future subsidised farm,  the same way John Boy used to.  We may be lesbian hillbillies but we like to make use of modern day equipment.

So there you have it girls. We’ve been rumbled. Best we give up our milking and chicken feeding activities and plans and think of another way we can take over rural America.

What’s Happened To Our Lez Bars?

Has anyone else noticed recently how our lesbian hangouts seem to be getting less and less? I remember my last trip to London about 4 years ago and of course where is the first place I head for?

The Candy Bar no less. It was one of the most popular Lesbian bars around in London but 3 years ago it shut its doors, despite the amount of women that used to hang out there.

It seems that this is something happening all over and especially in the United States. There are still many Gay bars that have ‘Ladies Nights’ but why are Gay bars thriving and popping up everywhere but our friendly ladies’ haunts are disappearing at a rate of knots? Apparently there are now only 3 lez bars in NYC and one woman, Oliva, also from NYC told Cosmopolitan:

I think it’s hard for femme-presenting women to find an LGBT space where they feel legitimate — I often feel like people don’t believe that I’m queer and I also feel like most LGBT spaces are dominated by gay men.”

nice-lesbian-image-000545

It’s really looking like our own LGBTQ community are still seeing woman as less important than men. Another woman, Becky, also told Cosmo:

There has often been a misogynistic attitude that I’ve felt from male-dominated queer spaces. “Often, LGBTQ women aren’t taken as seriously as LGBTQ men because it’s believed women are more fluid in sexuality and thus not reliably LGBTQ. I think this stems from institutionalized misogyny and the constant sexualisation of women.”

Umph, now this is not good. Women get the rough end of the deal all the time and it’s hard enough fighting for our rights in a predominately hetro society, not alone having to fight for our rights in our own community.

Last year a documentary titled ‘The Last Lesbian Bars’ highlighted this issue and Jack Halberstam, a professor of gender studies at the University of California stated that:

Even back in the ’50s and ’60s, which some people consider to be a golden age of lesbian bars, it was often community formation as much as it was hooking up.”

That’s so true. Lez bars are a place we can also go and feel comfortable, safe, and, as an extra benefit, meet like-minded women that we might just want to share a tequila with at the end of the eening.  Earlier this year a dating app for queer women, HER, carried out a poll with 3000 women and asked them how they specifically felt at events during Pride month in June. The survey found that many women felt unwelcome despite the fact Pride is supposed to cater for the entire LGBTQ community. When women were asked to explain why this was many responded with:

I feel things are more catered for Gay men.”

I for one am not happy with the fact we are losing our own lez bars that are men free zones. Not because we don’t like men, but because it’s only fair we also have our own space to hang out with and are able to celebrate who we are freely only with other women. I guess we just have to hope that the Lez bars make a come-back because us ladies deserve a place of our own.

Another Study Concludes Straight Women Prefer Watching Lesbian Porn (Well Dah)

Another day, and another study into the porn preferences of straight women.

So what can we conclude from this latest study; well heterosexual women overwhelmingly prefer lesbian porn over straight porn.

The study conducted by PornHub and Buzzfeed found women are 132% more likely to watch lesbian porn than men.

The study follows a similar research Pornhub and Buzzfeed carried out in 2014 which has similar results.

Gender and pop culture expert, Dr Lauren Rosewarne, explained the reason this is such a common occurrence is because straight porn is often more aligned with men’s fantasies than women’s.

She said that a penis poking in and out of a vagina often isn’t “that great of a look,” and although straight women might appreciate the role of the penis in practice, they do not “necessarily find its deployment in action titillating – particularly since penises are very rarely named as the sexiest part of a man.”

In contrast, the sole focus of lesbian porn is what women find pleasurable – gay or straight.

Sex therapist Megan Flemming added;

In lesbian porn, there is really a focus on oral and clitoral stimulation as the main events. And since this is typically what gets most women off anyway, it’s no wonder this is what you like to see on the screen.”

And the second most popular porn category amongst ladies – male gay porn.

Dr Rosewarne suggests this is because gay porn does what straight porn never does – it sexualises the male body.

14 Made-Up Words All Lesbians Should Start Using

Are you looking for some new words to add to your vocabulary?

I’ve always had a pretty big vocabulary, but for some reason, slang has completely evaded me for the longest time. I try to get on board – but I really can’t most of the time.

This month, I’ve been trying to incorporate a little more of those slang words into my daily life – the words that really don’t mean anything, but are fun to say for whatever reason.

Here’s a list of 14 made-up words I’m going to start squeezing into my daily conversations – are you with me?

Napflicks, noun

The term “napflicks” describes that super short sleep you squeeze in before work after you’ve been up all night binge-watching movies or television shows, particularly when done on Netflix.

Twuck-Up, noun

“Twuck-Up” describes what happens when you come up with a brilliant tweet, status, or text post and don’t notice the glaring typo until after someone has reposted it already.

Frunk, adjective

This refers to the specific type of drunk that you can only afford to become when someone else is footing the bill, such as at an open bar. Usually results in very poor decisions.

Lieting, verb

“Lieting” occurs when you take your gym stuff with you to work or a friend’s house, with the intention of working out when you’re done (but knowing that there’s no chance it’s actually going to happen).

Tonirl, noun

This one comes from the acronym “Tinder Only – Not in Real Life” and describes someone who you’d totally swipe right on, but would probably never even talk to if you’d met at a bar or a bookstore.

Robynism, noun

This is derived from the idea that Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” is the undisputed best song on the planet.

Freeal, noun

The obligatory meal that your parents buy for you when one of you visits the other – and it’s usually worth the drive.

Terrifired, adjective

“Terrifired” refers to any situation where you may have accidentally added an annoying and/or sensitive coworker into a group chat where you’re complaining about them. Note: It’s probably a good idea to avoid using your work e-mail and messaging system to complain about coworkers, for this exact reason.

Fauxductivity, noun

Fauxductivity refers to being super busy on non-important stuff – such as when you organize your pens for the third time this week, when you really ought to be working. (Not that I’ve ever done this one, of course… Ahem…)

Twatify, verb

The act of editing your pictures to an unrecognizable state so that you appear more or less attractive than you do in real life. This can be done for a variety of different reasons, but it’s most often used for dating profile pictures. As a side note, please don’t edit your photos to make yourself look different – you should love yourself the way you already are!

Netwerking, verb

This is what inevitably happens when there is a work party with alcohol. Someone is going to end up twerking on a table, or maybe the decorative fichus in the corner of the boss’s office…

Mortrage, noun

The feelings of despair that come from realizing that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to own your own home before you turn 90.

Tweepeat, noun

When a post you made on Twitter gets so much attention that you can’t help but repost it on Facebook – or vice versa. Variants include Instapeat, which refers to posting the same selfie to Instagram and Facebook.

Fopop, noun

An acronym that stands for “fear of putting on pants”. Alternate versions include Fopob (fear of putting on bra) or fopos (fear of putting on shoes). I feel this one on an emotional level.

Showtime Looking To Adapt Ingrid Jungermann’s ‘F To 7th’ Into Comedy Series

According to Deadline, Ingrid Jungermann, whose first feature, Women Who Kill, just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is heading to television.

Showtime has put in development F To 7th, a half-hour comedy based on Jungermann’s popular web series of the same name.

fto7th

The web series follows a middle-aged lesbian woman named Ingrid, as she attempts to navigate a world where her old-fashioned ideas of lesbianism have been left behind.

F To 7th – which she created and stars in – is 2 seasons long with each season lasting eight episodes. The series featured Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy, Bojack Horseman, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer, Hello, My Name Is Doris, They Came Together) and Janeane Garofalo (Wet Hot American Summer, The Larry Sanders Show, The Ben Stiller Show).

fto7th5-600x337

Although she starred in the web series, there has not been any confirmation as to whether or not Jungermann will star in the TV series.

Jungermann will be writing the TV adaptation of her series along with Showalter and writer/director Jamie Babbit (But I’m A Cheerleader, Married, Girls).

As with any web series making the jump to television, it will be interesting to see how similar the Showtime series will be to its web series counterpart.

This news also raises the question of who will play Jungermann’s character if she does not star in the television adaptation.

For anyone who has seen the web series it may be difficult to watch someone else take on the part that Jungermann has inhabited.

 

Lesbian Couple Says Everything They Were Told About Their Sperm Donor Was A Lie

Couple, Angela Collins and Elizabeth Hanson have filed a lawsuit against a sperm bank in Canada – after finding out their child’s biological father was a schizophrenic ex-criminal.

The couple, of Port Hope, Ontario, had conceived a child eight years ago with the help of sperm bank Xytex Corp.

According to the New York Times, the couple searched the companies database and viewed a number of sperm donor profiles, before settling for Donor #9623 – who was listed as having an IQ of 160 and a master’s degrees in neuroscience.

However, in 2014 – after the birth of their son – they discovered the truth about the sperm donor.

Ms Collins said that when a Xytex mix-up accidentally sent her the anonymous donor’s name, it took just minutes searching online to find out the man had been to prison on burglary charges, suffered from schizophrenia and narcissistic personality disorder, and did not have any university degrees.

The pair filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court this month accusing Xytex of “misleading” them about the donor – failing to spot the false claims on his donor profile, nor flag his mental illness and criminal record.

Speaking to Canada’s CBC radio network, she said:

We know nobody is perfect, but we didn’t sign up to choose knowingly that our donor had schizophrenia. He wasn’t healthy at the time. He’s not a bad man.

He’s a person who has an illness – and he helped to create the love of my life.”

While she is suing the company, Ms Collins said that she doesn’t hold a grudge against the donor.

Xytex President Kevin M O’Brien said “the claims by the couple in question do not reflect the representations provided to Xytex”.

We have conducted a careful review of our records and the claims by the couple in question do not reflect the representations provided to Xytex … In this case, the donor underwent a standard medical exam and provided extensive personal and health information. He reported a good health history and stated in his application that he had no physical or medical impairments. This information was passed on to the couple, who were clearly informed the representations were reported by the donor and were not verified by Xytex.”

Ingrid Jungermann Brings ‘Women Who Kill’ to the Tribeca Film Festival

Brooklyn-based filmmaker Ingrid Jungermann is best known for her web series’ The Slope and F to 7th.

The Slope, which Jungermann created with then-girlfriend Desiree Akhavan, followed a couple of “superficial, homophobic” lesbians in Park Slope, Brooklyn as they figured out their power dynamic and realise that they are “ultimately, perfect for one another.”

F to 7th, meanwhile, was perhaps even more successful than The Slope.

In this web series, Ingrid in her “descent into pre-middle age,” as she find herself “in a world where sexuality and gender have left her old-fashioned lesbianism behind.”

The Guardian called it one of the best web series of 2013.

fto7th5-600x337

In a similar vein to both series, Jungermann has written and directed feature film Women Who Kill. Women Who Kill, is also set in Park Slope and follows two true crime podcasters, Morgan (played by Jungermann) and her ex-girlfriend Jean (played by Ann Carr), as they suspect that Morgan’s new love interest Simone (played by Sheila Vand) of being a murderer.

download (8)

Speaking to Indie Wire, the filmmaker explains that Women Who Kill came about due to an “unhealthy obsession” with (popular podcast) Serial, as well as a “history of failed relationships and a desire to deconstruct romantic comedy structure.”

I wanted to make a movie that felt both familiar and foreign and tap into the universal problem of loneliness.”

While reviews still appear to be in the works, Filmmaker Magazine has called it one of ‘15 Films to Anticipate’ at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Alexis-11

Loren Hammonds, who is the programmer and live events producers for the film festival also calls Women Who Kill “an adept and wry comedy on modern romance’s hollow results set in an LGBTQ Brooklyn that pulls ample humor from awkward and, perhaps to confirmed Park Slopers, all-too-familiar situations.”

Hammonds also called it a “marvelous send-up of the search for meaning in modern-day relationships.”

You can visit the Tribeca Film Festival website for more information on how to see Women Who Kill.

11 Songs Every Lesbian Should Listen to When They’re Missing Their Girlfriend

Sometimes, when we want to be with our girlfriend the most, we just can’t find ourselves in the same place. Whether it’s physical distance or unfortunate circumstances keeping you apart (don’t you hate when the girl you love is in love with someone else?), this playlist is sure to help soothe the pain of being alone. Let us know in the comments if there’s another song you think we should add!

Perfect – Doria Roberts

Doria Roberts has one of those soothing, soulful voices that helps to remind you of everything you love. The aptly-named “Perfect” tells a beautiful tale of the love that she has for her partner, which is likely to be the same love that you feel for yours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0hn6L7RXns

Love And Affection – Joan Armatrading

While Joan has never come out as a lesbian, this song has been a favorite among lesbians since the ‘70s for its ambiguous and sexy feel. This is sure to bring some happy memories of when you and your girlfriend first started awkwardly flirting with one another (and it’s just as sure to be stuck in your head for the rest of the week).

Bring Me Some Water – Melissa Etheridge

If you’re missing your girlfriend because she’s in the arms of another, Melissa Etheridge’s powerful tune can help your misery find a little company. While I don’t advise you listen to this if your relationship is actually in a rocky place, but it can soothe your heart from the pain of her wandering eye.

Come Over Here – Sarah Bettens

Missing the lady who hasn’t come out yet? “Come Over Here” is one woman’s urging for her lover to take the plunge. If you and your lady are having a hard time being with each other due to disapproving family members, this song can help remind you that everything’s going to be all right someday.

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

Constant Craving – k.d. Lang

If you believe in soul mates, it can be reassuring to know that you’ll find each other again in the end. “Constant Craving” embodies your feelings for the woman who holds a part of your soul – whether intentionally or not. This song offers reassurance that your love will last, despite the odds. (And besides – who doesn’t love k.d.’s mind-blowing voice?)

Sweet Woman – Cris Williamson

If you’re more of a fan of the oldies, Cris Williamson’s supercharged tune about being in love with a woman will take you back to the good old days. Back in a time when it was risky to confess your feelings for a woman, Cris bravely announced her love for another and captivated our hearts. (Seriously, if you haven’t heard this song, listen to it – it’s beautiful.)

Our Purpose Here – Ferron

Another older tune, Ferron tells of missing her lover when she travels – something many of us have felt from time to time. Whether you’ve let your lover go or still let her hold your heart, this song might intensify the longing – be warned!

Sweet Darlin’ Woman – Meg Christian

Another song full of passion for women, Meg Christian sings of the “sweet darlin’ woman” she loves – and she’s sure to remind you of the woman you love. Although Christian has officially retired from the music scene, her voice still captivates listeners worldwide.

She’s So Lovely – The Butchies

What if you’re looking for something that’s just a little grungy? The Butchies deliver a strikingly rocking love song with “She’s So Lovely”. Although the screamed lyrics are a little tough to make out, lines such as “grab my hand baby I just want to talk/she’s so lovely, yeah” help bring the innocence to rock. Sweet melodies cranked out by powerful voices, The Butchies might just be your new favorites!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZdk-HgbqG4

Will You Be There – God-des and She

For those who want more urban-sounding love songs, God-des and She helps put into words the desire for your lover to stay by your side, always. The vocals are beautiful, and the lyrics are just right when your relationship is in that awkward “will we make it through this?” confusion. (Pro tip: You will, if you both put forth the effort.)

Closer – Tegan and Sara

We couldn’t have a list of lesbian songs without including Tegan and Sara, of course – and this song helps to fill the void that exists between you and your partner, whether it’s emotional or physical distance. It’s peppy enough to dance to, yet sensual enough to get intimate to. What more could you want?

What songs did we miss?

If you have any other song suggestions for us, leave them in the comments – we’d love to take a listen!

The Argument Against Same-Sex Parenting Just Got Blown Out Of The Water

In recent years, right winged Christians like Mark Regnerus, Donald Paul Sullins and Douglas Allen, have done their best to argue that same-sex parenting is flawed, wrong and immoral.

But a new study has blown a massive whole in this biased theory, and proved what the medical community has already long known: same-sex couples make great parents.

The primary accusation against past research supporting same-sex parenting is that the samples are skewed.

Because researchers have to advertise and search for same-sex couples willing to participate, the families self-select to join the studies, and thus may be not be representative of all same-sex families.

Mark Regnerus insisted that his studies – which are sceptical of same-sex parenting – are more valid because they use data from broad population-based surveys, and therefore are more representative.

So the Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank at the UCLA School of Law, decided to call Regnerus’ bluff.

Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, researchers were able to identify same-sex couples who were raising children and compare them to demographically similar different-sex parents. Because few male same-sex parent households were included in the study, they focused on female couples, identifying 95 that they then matched against similar different-sex households.

The study found only one difference between the families: same-sex couples had more stress than their different-sex peers.

However, even with that distinction, there was no difference in the outcomes for their children, including their general health, emotional difficulties, coping behaviour, or learning behaviour.

Most would think a higher stress rate would have gone against the them up, but it didn’t.

Researches concluded that the lesbian mothers might be using additional support systems like parenting groups or counselling services, and likewise, their kids may also develop greater resilience skills having to defend against the stigma of having same-sex parents.

There is an obvious explanation as to why the new study found affirming results while conservatives found negative outcomes in their population-based studies.

The new study controls for committed couples; it compares same-sex families who have raised their children from birth with different-sex families who had done the same.

None of the same-sex parents who had broken up or divorced were analysed in the study.

Regnerus didn’t account for family structure. In his study, he counted any child whose parent had had any kind of same-sex relationship at any point.

As a result, most of the children he counted had experienced a parent’s separation or divorce, but they were still compared against children from stable different-sex families. The resulting negative outcomes for those children, he concluded, proved that same-sex couples make inferior parents. Regnerus’ data only included two children who had been raised from birth by committed same-sex couples, and their outcomes were just fine.

Similar population-based surveys from Donald Paul Sullins and Douglas Allen used the same trick of comparing unstable same-sex families to stable different-sex families. Sullins, for example, used data from the National Health Interview Survey, and admitted, “Almost all opposite-sex parents who are raising joint biological offspring are in intact marriages, but very few, if any, same-sex parents were married during the period under observation.”

Sullins, like Regnerus and Allen, was comparing apples to oranges.

In some ways, the new study isn’t ground-breaking. There has already been scientific consensus in support of same-sex families for decades. With the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision last year and the recent conclusion of the challenge to Mississippi adoption ban, same-sex adoption is now legal in all 50 states.

Nevertheless, some states are still figuring out some legal questions about same-sex parenting.

Several lesbian couples in Indiana, for example, are fighting to make sure that both moms can have their names on their children’s birth certificates, a fight that has played out in other states as well.

With courts continuing to weigh these important protections for same-sex families, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have another study showing that their children turn out just as great as in other families.

[interaction id=”5624d46847771a9960fe4a18″]

14 Music Videos That Confirmed I’m Definitely a Lesbian

I’m not sure about you, but… I knew I was into girls way before I was ready to admit it to anyone else. There were so many signs that I saw in myself and I wrote off as one thing or another. Whether you knew and didn’t come out, or you didn’t know until everyone knew, this list is sure to bring back some vivid memories – or maybe even inspire some type of feelings within you.

How many of these songs just screamed, “Yep, definitely gay!”?

Britney Spears – I’m a Slave 4 U

For the most part, I’ve never been too much of a Britney fan, but this song is a stark exception. It’s got a similar sort of video-vibe that Dirrty had, but it’s a little less overt about it. Plus, who can honestly say that they’ve never had a thing for bellydancers?

Ciara – Like A Boy

The subtle connections to lesbian aesthetics are suddenly much less subtle. We’ve all dated someone who dressed like one of the Ciaras in this video – whether it’s the ballgown Ciara or the snapback-and-wifebeater Ciara. Admit it – and then admit you want to watch it again! (And please try to get past the part where she assigns unnecessary gender to things. It’s 2016, and we’ve moved past it, but this video came out in 2007, so we’ll forgive her.)

The Veronicas – Take Me On the Floor

I think one of the first signs that I couldn’t hide the gay anymore was when “4ever” came out, and I immediately assumed that the two were lovers, instead of twins. (I know, I know, it’s creepy, but they didn’t have their hair the same back then, and I was apparently blind.) But this song even implicitly gives the idea that the beautiful Jess would be into kissing a girl… And I’m okay with that.

Aaliyah – Try Again

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

Aaliyah was a singer in a league of her own, and that sexy way she moved in every little crop top and tight leather pants… Maybe that’s why it’s become such a big aesthetic among millennial lesbians these days. Okay, maybe we don’t do tight leather pants, but sports bras and sweatpants? I can get on board with that one every single day, and if you inject some glam into it, too, you’re channeling some Aaliyah – and I don’t think anyone is going to complain about that.

Shakira – Whenever, Wherever

I have to admit… Shakira is one of my biggest straight-girl crushes. She’s always showing off her midriff, which I really enjoy. Plus, she’s also super petite (I think she’s under 5 feet tall!) which I also seriously like in a woman. And, she’s got the confidence for a line like “Lucky that my breasts are small and humble” – so I’m pretty sure she’d never shame me for my flat chest. Score.

t.A.T.u – Show Me Love

Okay, so it’s not the t.A.T.u song that most people associate with being gay – but bear with me if you haven’t seen this one yet. There are literally hundreds of girls in short plaid skirts, button-up shirts, and ties. Thousands, even, maybe. (I never actually counted the girls.) And they’re marching like they’re actually proud of demanding love… Hey, how does that sound familiar?

Mya – My Love is Like Wo

Long before Janelle Monae pulled off the suit thing, Mya made it happen with My Love is Like Wo… And whoa is right. This song pretty much embodied every chance that we had of Mya being gay, and although I’m pretty sure she’s actually not, she’s definitely a master of multiple disguises. Just try and see if you can watch the video and not find a single outfit you don’t find is sexy. Go ahead –I’ll wait.

Hayley Kiyoko – Girls Like Girls

Okay, this one is significantly newer than many of the other songs on this list, but if you watch this video and don’t think a) these two should kiss already; b) her boyfriend is a complete dick, and c) she deserves to be treated so much better, then I really don’t know what to tell you. This song embodies pretty much every inner emotion that most of us felt when we were working to come out. (And PS, there is a happy ending – so yay!)

Christina Aguilera – Dirrty

Personally, Dirrty was one of my least favorite Christina Aguilera albums… But this video doesn’t even try to deny what it’s about, and it definitely gets the intended response. Christina Aguilera has always been a huge crush of mine, and this was definitely one of the songs that opened my eyes to that.

Aaliyah – Are You That Somebody

Oh, here’s the sports bra and sweat pants. Yep, that explains it. She’s often been regarded as one the most beautiful women who ever lived, and it’s not hard to see why. She managed to ooze sensuality everywhere she went, without being vulgar or explicit about it – how can you go wrong?

Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, Pink – Lady Marmalade

Does this one even need any words? Probably not, but just in case… This is the song that single-handedly taught an entire generation that voulez-vous coucher avec moi was the only French you’d ever need to learn to get some action.

Beyonce, Shakira – Beautiful Liar

Between these two undeniably-gorgeous women, their perfectly-synchronized gyrating, and the story that we’ve all found ourselves in at least once (whether with a man or with a woman), this is a power anthem that will also help bring sexy back. Too bad it doesn’t work out like that for us normal people.

Latch – Disclosure

This video involves literally getting up the courage to go kiss a girl at a party – how many of us have been there before? Sure, there are straight couples at this party, but let’s be honest: You weren’t paying attention to them, and neither was I.

Shakira – Can’t Remember to Forget You

Again Shakira is in a video that we know is super queer-bait-y, but we just can’t resist… This is the stuff dreams are made of. If you have ever wanted to know what your Shakira-and-Rihanna fantasies would look like if they actually played out, this is it.

For Now, Same Sex Couples Can Now Legally Adopt In All 50 US States

U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan has ruled that Mississippi’s ban on same-sex couples adopting children is unconstitutional.

This move now means gay adoption legal in all 50 US states.

Judge Jordan issued a preliminary injunction against the ban, citing the Supreme Court’s decision legalise same-sex marriage across the US last June.

The injunction blocks Mississippi from enforcing its 16-year-old anti-gay adoption law.

Jordan wrote in his ruling.

… foreclosed litigation over laws interfering with the right to marry and rights and responsibilities intertwined with marriage. It also seems highly unlikely that the same court that held a state cannot ban gay marriage because it would deny benefits — expressly including the right to adopt — would then conclude that married gay couples can be denied that very same benefit.”

The challenge to Mississippi’s law was filed last year by four same-sex couples, who were joined in their fight by the Campaign for Southern Equality and the Family Equality Council.

Roberta Kaplan, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said.

Two sets of our clients have waited many years to become legal parents to the children they have loved and cared for since birth. We hope that it should finally be clear that discrimination against gay people simply because they are gay violates the Constitution in all 50 states, including Mississippi.”

The Human Rights Campaign’s Mississippi state director Rob Hill also praised the ruling.

This welcome decision affirms that qualified same-sex couples in Mississippi seeking to become adoptive or foster parents are entitled to equal treatment under the law, and commits to the well-being of children in our state who need loving homes,” he said in a statement.

Sadly, the ruling came soon after Mississippi’s Senate passed a “religious freedom“ bill, its most homophobic to date.