At The Ends of the World

Kieron Gillen on fandom response to Billy and Teddy. (via williamwiccankaplan)

socialjusticeanimemacros:

(A picture of Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon holding hands) How does depicting a gay relationship “expose children to sexuality too young”  more than the constant focus on heterosexual love stories in children’s media?

(A picture of Touya and Yukito from Cardcaptor Sakura, Touya cradling Yukito’s face) If not for bigotry, parents would see such things as the perfect opening to educate their children about the wider world and the love all types of people share.

This blog is borderline perfect.

dccomicconfessions:

“If DC thinks they are making progressive change by simply DECIDING to make Alan Scott gay, they’re really missing the point. The LGBT community keeps trying to stress that none of them just DECIDE to be gay, that it’s a long process of questioning and soul searching before they come to the realization that that’s just how they are. Why can’t DC change a character’s sexuality that way, make it a compelling and human story arc, instead of making a spectacle in an attempt to gain more readers?”

Here’s the thing, Anon. This isn’t the same Alan Scott from prior continuities. This is a different Universe, a different Alan. So it really isn’t a straight character “suddenly” deciding that they’re gay out of the blue. Maybe this particular Alan went through the earlier half of his life thinking he was straight and living accordingly, but A) we don’t know that for sure yet, it’s entirely possible that he didn’t go through this at all, which is totally fine, and B) that’s really not the same thing.

The other problem here is that not every queer person experiences or discovers their queerness the same as others. Not everyone goes through the same challenges, if any. It’s important for our stories to reflect this because we’re not a homogenous group. We all have different experiences, perspectives, beliefs, values, etc.

And sometimes some of us just want to exist without being constantly reminded of the shit we put up with on a daily basis. I sure as hell know that I do. Not every queer characters story has to consist of endless battles against internal and external homophobia. It’s important to tell those stories, but it’s also important to have characters who reflect us without putting up the daily burden of being queer in a heterosexist society. It’s important for us to have heroes and heroines to look up to and root for. They may or may not go through the same exact things everyone else goes through, but that’s okay. Variety is a good thing.

(Also, maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I’m really hating the implication here that a persons queerness is validated the more they struggle/d to come to terms with it? Because anyone who doesn’t struggle with it the same way that others do are somehow “lesser” than others, or their stories aren’t as important to tell? I really hope I’m imagining things here, because wow, that is all kinds of wrong I’m not sure I even want to get into.)

Superhero comics are a form of wish fulfillment and escapism that many gladly delve in to escape their daily lives. Why shouldn’t queer readers be allowed the same opportunity? Because we’re queer and every one of our stories must be about how much our lives tend to suck half the time because of our queerness? No thank you. Superhero comics are fantasy. If readers can suspend disbelief enough to read about characters who utilize a green ring and their willpower to protect the innocent, than surely we can suspend enough disbelief to believe that this particular Green Lantern just happens to be gay.

P.S: I don’t remember DC actually making a huge deal out of this whole thing either. All I saw was the one official announcement and a few twitter conversations where writers answered a few questions readers had. The massive hype was mainly generated by fans and the press, who were mostly guessing which character was coming out. So unless I missed something, I’m not really seeing how DC made a “spectacle” out of it.

Edit: I’m not saying that there aren’t issues with how Earth 2 or Alan Scott’s character are being handled, because there most certainly are. I just don’t think that this particular thing is necessarily one of those mistakes.

Excerpt from Teju Cole’s essay “The White Savior Industrial Complex”.
(via jalwhite)

(via stfuconservatives)

Audre Lorde, “Age, Race and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” (via andyouhavetogivethemhope)

(Source: lizdexia, via stfuconservatives)

Loose Talk: You can take your “just joking” and shove it. (via shitkrieg)

I will always reblog this when I can.

(via racemash)

(Source: xuananigans, via fuckyeahfeminists)

stfuconfederates:

edman93:

For those who don’t know what this person has done, she has taken the names, addresses and other personal info of LGBTQ people, and is sending this information out to the whole world, and outing these people against their will.

This is her blog here.

My name is Edward Lucas, and I am putting a stop to her, I am standing up to her, and I will end it. Reblog this, all of you, I don’t care if it makes your blog “ugly” or whatever. This is peoples lives at risk.

Signal boost. I’ve already reported them; I encourage anyone who sees this to do the same. Not only does their blog need to be shut down but the authorities also need to be contacted, because what they’re doing this is nothing short of disgusting, illegal, and is going to get a lot of people hurt or worse.

If you think I’m kidding, go look at their blog. There are already several pages of peoples photos, personal information (including their addresses), as well as an entry stating that yes, it is their intention to out people against their will because it’s “their duty” to do so. I don’t think I need to explain why this is wrong and needs to be stopped now.

(via stfuconservatives)

» Fauxgress Watch: “Born This Way” Social Justice League (via platonicteamugs)

(via glompcat)

tuchanka:

So, you’re a Straight Male Gamer playing a Straight Male Character and picking all diplomatic options because you’re such a Nice Guy, and would you look at that!  You’re being supportive toward a character, and they attempt to flirt with you because they appreciate your sympathy.    There’s only one problem with this.  He’s a dude.   There is absolutely nothing worse than an unsolicited, unwanted advance!  Give me a toggle flag so I don’t have to see this gay shit!  Bioware, that was out of line.

Hey, mister Straight Male Gamer?  Welcome to everyone else’s life.

Guess what—women have to deal with unwanted advances from straight men constantly, no matter where they are or what they’re doing, and they’re expected to be honored or complimented by them. (If they aren’t, then obviously something is wrong with them, because gosh, who could turn down an lewd offer to ride a handsome straight fella’s station wagon!)   Conversations in the real world don’t end in a finished cutscene or some rivalry points, either—women are frequently harassed by dudes that will just not go away unless they get the special attention they think they’re entitled to.   But y’know what,  it doesn’t always stop at HEY CHECK OUT MY COOL SUNGLASSES WHY AREN’T YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO ME I AM GOING TO ASK YOU TO DANCE AT THIS BAR UNTIL YOU GIVE IN WHAT DO YOU MEAN “NO” YOU’RE AT A BAR SO OBVIOUSLY YOU MADE THE TRIP DOWN HERE JUST TO GET INTO THE GROOVE WITH PRECIOUS OL’ ME!    Anders more or less drops it after the first time and still hangs out with you without whining every five seconds about how you put him in the friend zone and telling you how you should stop everything you are doing because he is such a nice guy therefore you should have sex with him and stop chasing after Bad Girls. All you Nice Guys out there that think you’re entitled to have sex with a woman just because you laughed at a few of her jokes and listened to her problems and cry because you got “friend zoned”?  This is you, and you are an enormous shitnugget.

In an entirely unrelated issue, I have a shocking piece of information: queer people play video games.   The same video games you do.  In games where certain aspects of the player controlled character are, in fact, up to the player, most of us don’t think it’s unreasonable to be able to have the same choices you straight dudes have, but on our terms.   In a game where there is zero control of the player controlled character (or any characters, period) there is a 99.9% chance that everyone is straight if there is a romance subplot.   Do you know what would have happened if there was a rivalry system  in either of the Mass Effect games in my  mShep playthroughs?  Let’s see, I would have pissed off… Ashley, Liara, Miranda, Jack, Kelly and Tali.   In my fShep playthroughs, I’ve consistently rejected Kaidan.   Matter of fact, there are still female NPCs who give mShep a kiss on the cheek—do you know how awesome it would be for Gianna Parasini to do the same for fShep?

A guy hitting on you in a video game doesn’t make you gay.  Matter of fact, I’ve been playing video games for ten years, and a few of them have been full of True Heterosexual Love.  I’m still pretty damn gay.   I beat Final Fantasy VIII  when I was younger, and I didn’t transform into an angsty, teenage lone wolf looking for  Rinoa. I’m the same person.  So are you.  You just got hit on by a guy and you didn’t like it.  If Bioware for some ridiculous reason actually caves and gives you assholes a No Homo flag then I had better damn well get a No Hetero one.    In the meantime, deal with it and take your rivalry points like the big, strong, manly straight man you are.

And if you’re a straight dude who doesn’t do these things, who isn’t offended by being hit on by a fictional dude, who thinks being inclusive is important and isn’t a douchebag but feels a compelling need to announce this to the world?  HERE’S YOUR MEDAL IN ADVANCE.  If it doesn’t apply to you then it’s not about you.

(Source: beermuda, via gigamacho)

Seanan McGuire aka my new hero (via takenoverbyrocknroll)

(via demonicmuffin)

(Source: jeronlamour, via homosexualpride)