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Gender & Sexuality
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2020-12The impact of COVID on the LGBTQ+ Community
This PDF details data related to the LGBTQ+ Community's relationship with COVID in America. Based on the data, it is clear many within the community struggled with excessive financial issues, the inability to receive medical care, and the loss of insurance. While the pandemic has placed serious burdens as a whole on society, data such as this is valuable as it allows a look into the most vulnerable communities within society already, and how COVID has destroyed the once normal lives of so many. -
2022-07-11LGBTQ+ VA Healthcare in Arkansas in the wake of COVID
This is the Arkansas Veterans Affairs website listing specific resources for LGBTQ+ veterans in Arkansas. This site places a specific emphasis on Central Arkansas due to the heavy LGBTQ+ population in that area. In order to combat COVID-19, this site focuses on not only concerted vaccine rollout for LGBTQ+ vets, but also lists mental health resources in order to combat COVID-19. I think this shows a particular vulnerability to a select group and how COVID-19 can reach anyone. Indeed, it is essential that at-risk groups such as the LGBTQ+ community are not overlooked in the age of COVID, and it is encouraging to see the VA take steps to assure this is the case. -
2022-06-09Columbia Pride Month events to return to full capacity, celebrate LGBTQ community
This is a news story from Columbia Missourian by Chloe-Ryan Woolfolk. After two years of either cancellations or limited capacities, Pride Month events in Columbia will be returning to full capacity. Listed in the article are local events that people can attend now, with lists of fees and general details. -
2022-06-10Pride is back — and more expensive than ever
This is a news story from The Washington Post by JD Shadel. Due to the last two years of Pride Month remaining virtual due to COVID, some changes have been made along with it. Included in the changes since COVID are leadership ones in Philadelphia and London after allegations of their Pride leadership having racism and transphobia. The rising inflation has made it so summer travel is more expensive than before. Things like hotels, plane rides, and other modes of transportation cost more than they did before COVID. One change that has been brought about because of COVID is the rise of virtual events. Groups like NYC Pride, Capital Pride and Pride Amsterdam will have online streaming available. The NYC Pride March and the LA Pride March will be available on Hulu. Another debate that has changed since COVID are questions about "pinkwashing" in which a company will recognize Pride for profit, while not donating to any LGBTQ organizations. Some of the corporations in the past that have used Pride merchandise to sell things during Pride month while contributing to anti-LGBTQ organizations have been heavily criticized recently. Overall, COVID has contributed to changes in how Pride is celebrated. -
2022-06-04After coming out during the pandemic, many LGBTQ+ folks look to 2022’s Pride with a mix of emotions
This is a news story from The Seattle Times by Scott Greenstone. Pride has changed quite a bit over the last two years due to COVID. For a while, Pride celebrations were held virtually. The in-person events in 2022 will now resemble what Pride was like prior to the virus. Included in this article are personal stories of people who did not come out until the pandemic, with this year being the first year they will attend Pride in-person. For some, they didn't realize they were trans until the pandemic hit. Rhys Hutton, for instance, did not know he was trans, and is also coming to grips with having autism. Hutton's story of how he came to the realization started on TikTok when the algorithm kept showing videos of trans-masculine people. This exposure helped him figure out his identity more. Stories like this are not uncommon, according to a recent Gallup poll, ten percent of Millennials and twenty percent of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+. -
2022-05-15Mikayla Augustine Oral History, 2022/05/22
I asked the interviewee how the pandemic affected her experience at UB -
2022-04-19Pride month events return with new mission to uplift people of color, trans civil rights
This is a news story from USA Today by Bill Keveney. Pride parades will be returning to full-scale since 2019. With the events that happened during COVID, some changes have been made in how it is celebrated. For 2022, more people of color and trans people have been added to leadership positions. Participation is also going to be more accessible for disabled and low-income as well, by making some events online for easier access. Police brutality will also be addressed due to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Seattle Pride has banned police from Pride. Along with this, there is also the theme of speaking out against the anti-LGBTQ legislation that is happening across the United States. -
2022-05-13INDY PRIDE FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS HOPE TO RECLAIM CROWDS AFTER COVID
This is a news story from WIBC by Chris Davis. According to the article, the Indy Pride Festival will be back after a two year hiatus due to COVID. The event will be held Indianapolis. Since the hiatus, some changes have been made. Cops at Pride will be in softer uniforms to make them more approachable. This will include shorts instead of the standard pants. There will also be police on bicycle patrol during the event. Shelly Snider, an executive director of the parade, says that the goal is to help queer people feel safe from major incident, but understands the rough relationship queer people in the past have had with the police force in general. -
2022-05-10Athens Pride and Queer Collective to host first local Pride Parade
This is a news story from WUGA by Sofi Grates. According to this article, it says that Pride Month will be back in full swing in Athens after it being canceled due to COVID. It will be hosted by Athens Pride and Queer Collective. The parade that is sent for June 12 will include vendors, music, and a cookout -
2022-05-09I can't even make this up anymore
First off, I do not agree with the attached pdf to this story. When I first looked at this awful website, and saw that they had FREE DOWNLOADABLE PRINTS, I immediately sighed because this is the type of stuff that's turning people AWAY from getting a vaccine. These people are the reason why people can't trust "media". It is also very obvious that these people have never taken a history or any type of political science class in their lives. Let's analyze a little bit of what they say. First off, in their step 1 of "create a problem" they compare COVID-19 to something like the flu. Given, I'm sure people have died from the flu. I mean, the influenza pandemic was a thing in 1918. Also important that they even wore masks then! Their step 2 is "provoke a terrified reaction". What I'm getting from this is, we shouldn't be worried. But we should. Any pandemic should be worrying. I can also guarantee you as well that these people didn't give a shit when the AIDS/HIV Epidemic was literally killing so many queer people at an alarming rate, and wasn't addressed until 6 years later after it started. Anyways, the steps that talk about "contact tracing" and "health passports" things are interesting. They talk about surveillance, but surveillance has been happening since the dawn of time. I'm sure muslim's everywhere in the United States could talk more about surveillance than I could as a white person. Health passports? You have to have certain vaccines to attend public school or even a public university. Also, actual passports are a thing. You know, the thing you need to tell other people who you are and where you're from when you visit their country. I'm going to jump to step 10's "Impose a Cashless Economy," anyone that has ever handled cash during a job knows how gross cash is. This pamphlet must've been when the pandemic first happened, because that's when my last job couldn't take cash because we were too afraid to touch anything. Now knowing the information I know now, a lot of places take cash now. But also, people are gross. Half of the time, people are sneezing into their hands or not washing their hands and come out of the bathroom and go to pay and give you cash. Don't even get me started on people pulling money out of their bras. Throughout this entire pdf, they talk about the elite. Which is probably the only thing I agree with them because the rich got richer during the lockdown and even made prices higher. This type of propaganda could be harmful to someone that was already on the fence about vaccines, but the fact that this information is out there instead of the actual science based truth is harmful. It uses familiar words from history to persuade people to not get the vaccine. -
2022-04-12Even the Pandemic Didn't Stop STDs From Spreading in the U.S.
This is a news story from Bloomberg by Madison Muller and Ella Ceron. According to recent reports, the overall amount of STDs went down with the lockdowns in early 2020, but then started to rise again near the end of 2020. Gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis all surged later in the year to exceed 2019 totals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the report. Chlamydia remained the most common STD for the year, although cases declined overall, likely because of under-diagnosis. Possible reason why the numbers may be decreased for the beginning of 2020 might not be because of the lockdowns entirely. Some people in 2020 skipped doctor's appointments where they could have gotten diagnosed, in addition to resources being low during the height of the pandemic. Other trends included in this study are the rates of health insurance among certain demographics. Black people, in addition to LGBTQ people, are shown to have lower rates of having health insurance. -
2020-12-28First Time Swimming Shirtless During The Pandemic
This is a picture of me swimming for the first time after top surgery! I can't even begin to explain how free I felt. One of the things I was worried about was the fact that my fiancé and I not being able to swim because there was people there, but it was completely empty! It was almost like it was meant to be. After being confined about something for so long and being able to take off my shirt in public was so weird! Before this picture, the last time I went swimming was in 2015. And now, I'm able to enjoy the water and the beach with my fiancé. -
2020-10-09Traveling During The Pandemic For Top Surgery
I traveled from Virginia to Texas for my top surgery. We drove all the way there and stopped in Tennessee on the way there and on the way back. I hadn't gotten the vaccine yet for COVID-19 and I was going to be going to a hospital in a different state that I had never been to. This is was the crazy decision I had ever made, but it was so worth it. -
2022-04-18COVID-19 and my life.
I’ll keep this as short and detailed as possible since I could go on and on about how the past few years sucked but also were good. When COVID-19 came to the United States in 2020 I was a Senior in Highschool about to graduate. I was in band with the wind ensemble and I did winter guard as well. I went to Meridian tech in the afternoon for biomedical sciences and was in all sorts of honors clubs. Because of COVID-19 I missed all of our band competitions in the spring, the rest of winter guard, all of my senior activities, a “normal” graduation, and more. I graduated in July instead of May. I respect and followed the mask mandates but it definitely sucked during times like graduation because that was such a special moment that was tarnished by the pandemic. I feel for the 2021 seniors but they at least had a warning. We didn’t. They had time to plan and we didn’t. After that I went to Oklahoma state university and I’m still there. It’s hard to believe that I’m about to be a Junior in college. The last few years have flown by. I missed out on a lot of opportunities and experiences along with everyone else. Luckily, the pandemic seems to be dying down but I know it’s still here. It pisses me off when people say it’s not that bad. One death or millions of deaths is bad and I wish people respected and understood that. But sadly, some don’t and they take this pandemic as a joke. I have yet to get COVID and I’m very happy about that and don’t plan on getting it ever hopefully. It’s caused de watering consequences on both a personal level and a nation wide level. This past year I had other personal experiences that didn’t help which was that my Grandma passed (from heart condition) unexpectedly, I came out to my parents as a lesbian and they’re homophobic, one of my dogs is in renal failure currently, my elderly neighbor who is like another grandma to me got run over by a car (she’s doing good now), I’ve made mistakes that caused me a lot of pain but I corrected them and am working on myself, and more. I know everything I’m saying is so negative but I can’t recall a whole lot that was positive in the last two years. My best friend is my girlfriend and we’ve been dating for 4 years, I just went to an oddities expo, etc. so at least there’s some positive things. There’s more that I haven’t said but not a whole lot more. Either way since 2020 life has been very hard. Not just for me but everyone. I just hope it goes up from here. -
2022-03-31Suicide Statistics Against Queer Youth
Suicide statistics against queer youth released by the CDC in the first half of 2021. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 queer children attempted suicide. -
2022-03-31COVID-19 and pregnancy: More new mothers dying, increasing women's fears during tense time
This is a news story from The Columbus Dispatch by Megan Henry. This story is about the rising fears of new mothers as COVID has increased their chances of dying. In 2020, motherhood mortality rate increased by 20% in the United States. There were also large disparities in who died, with Black women dying three times the rate of White women during pregnancy. Dr. Jason Melillo, an OB-GYN for OhioHealth claims that COVID is the main culprit for the rise in pregnancy related deaths. Pregnant women are more prone to complications from COVID, with things such as blood clots, stillbirth, and preeclampsia happening more often. This concern has made some couples only deciding on pregnancy until they have both been vaccinated. Dr. Melillo hopes that over time, mortality rates associated with pregnant women will go down. -
2022-03-30After two-year hiatus, LGBTQ events return to Fiesta San Antonio
This is a news story from the San Antonio Current by Sam Sanchez. This story is about LGBTQ events returning to San Antonio after a two year break due to COVID. For the past two years, many of these events have been canceled. This article shares events happening in San Antonio and what non-profits they benefit. Some of these non-profits include: the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, The Thrive Youth Center, Pride San Antonio and BEAT AIDS. Events include: themed parties, chili cook-offs, party shuttles, and fiestas. Certain events include fees for attending and certain COVID precautions, such as masks, to attend. -
2022-02-03Study: COVID Vaccination Rates Higher Among Gay, Lesbian Adults
This is a news story for US News by Steven Ross Johnson. This story is about a study on how LGBTQ+ people are more likely to have been vaccinated compared to the general population. In a survey published by the CDC, 85% of gay and lesbian adults received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine compared to just 76% of heterosexual adults. Within the LGBTQ+ community, gay men had the highest vaccination rates at 89%, compared to 81% of women. Nearly 76% of trans and nonbinary adults report having had at least one dose. This study also noted income disparities among LGBTQ+ adults. Those with a $75K income or above and LGBTQ+ had a 94% vaccination rate. For those LGBTQ+ adults below poverty level, the vaccination rate was 74%. Along racial lines, White LGBTQ+ individuals had a 92% vaccination rate. Black LGBTQ+ adults reported vaccination rates of 67%. Overall, this article shows that LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to have less vaccine hesitancy compared to the general population, though income and race make a difference when those elements are combined. -
2022-03-17Working Remotely, Some Transgender People Saw an Opportunity to Change
This is a news story from the New York Times by Jenny Gross and Alyssa Lukpat. This story is about people that have transitioned during COVID, or before that, and their work experiences. Some of the data present is interesting to look at. In 2021, healthcare providers reported a stronger demand for confirmation surgeries compared to 2020 when many elective surgeries were postponed. Though, demand was even higher in 2021 compared to 2019, before the pandemic. Some doctors say that this influx is partly due to surgeries being postponed, but there are other explanations. At Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, the Center for Transgender medicine and surgery performed a total of 938 surgeries in 2021, 60 percent more than the previous year, and 43 percent higher than 2019. While there is this influx, the story links to a YouGov poll showing that many Americans are still divided on if others should be legally allowed to switch their sex. The article then goes on to discuss other inequalities trans people face, such as earning 32 percent less than the general population. Trans people are also twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the general population. Later on, there is a discussion on what trans people face in the workforce. Even in more liberal and progressive work environments, some trans people still report feeling unsafe working in person. There are complaints that diversity training in the workplace focuses mainly on gays, but glosses over trans people and their issues. Other trans people, like Rae Lee, fears she will be fired if she came out to public administrators. Working from home has allowed Rae Lee to feel safer. -
2022-03-31'A Cry for Help': More than a Third of High Schoolers Report Poor Mental Health During COVID, CDC Study Finds
This is a story from USA Today by Adrianna Rodriguez. This is about the mental health in teens during the pandemic and how it has affected them. The CDC study that is cited says that 44% of high schoolers reported feeling persistently sad or helpless during 2021. Over half of the students surveyed were reported to have experienced emotional abuse from a parent, with 11% saying they have experienced physical abuse. Nearly 30% of students reported a parent or another adult in their house had lost a job. In a demographics breakdown, LGBT students reported more suicide attempts and poorer mental health than their counterparts. One third of students say that they have experienced racism. This article is meant to help show the impact COVID has had on people and the way lockdowns have impacted high schoolers specifically. -
2020-06-03The Survival of an LGBTQ+ Community in the Bible Belt During the Age of Covid-19
Deep in the Ozark Mountains lies the small resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This community relies heavily on tourism, shopping, and the many natural spas erupting from within the Ozarks. This community is also home to a thriving LGBTQ+ community in the heart of the Conservative Bible Belt. As Covid quickly enveloped Arkansas and restrictions were placed on activity, Eureka Springs and the LGBTQ+ crowd suffered. While there is a strong Queer population in Eureka Springs, the area is home to a strong evangelical crowd. This article details how the LGBTQ+ community took greeter precautions to protect against Covid, while the Evangelical crowd largely disregarded the pandemic entirely. Covid truly resurfaced a tremendous divide amongst the population of Eureka Springs which had, for the most part, been stable. The nature of pandemic regulations and the adherence or neglect of these regulations spilled over into the greater conflict between Evangelicals and the LGBTQ+ community, an occurrence that would otherwise be non-existent without the presence of Covid-19. This article highlights that while Covid seems to have the primary grip over our lives at the moment, we must be conscious of the impact Covid can have on other areas of life, deep-seeded conflict, and the general safety of vulnerable groups. -
2022-03-27Were masks and pandemic anxiety a useful distraction towards ideas that should not matter, but did (to many)?
Like everything having to do with public interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and lockdowns significantly impacted "traditional weddings." Gone were the days of large weddings, dancing around mask free and hugging the happy couple. If you search the internet, you will find a large amount of information on happy couples who had to cancel or alter their plans. Many of the #COVID BRIDES stories on this archive illustrate the extreme panic of changing plans and constant change, such as wearing masks in their pictures. The pandemic altering, delaying, or even preventing weddings has impacted society's mental health and perhaps future cultural traditions in weddings. This archive has a collection on mental health, https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/page/mental-health, which demonstrates how hard this pandemic has been on many people. The effects on mental health shows how weddings are a popular and important tradition in American society. The ceremony is a way to share your love before others, blend families and friends, and move from a "single person" to a team. When I say wedding, I mean the customs and celebration within the ceremony, not the genders of the couple. Gay marriage has not been legal throughout America long, only since 2013. The anxiety and stress of two years of delayed/cancelled weddings during a pandemic pale in comparison to the longstanding social pressure for LGBTQ people not to marry, on top of previous legality issues. There is still a large group of Americans that have the opinion that it is "evil" or a sin. I have seen and heard in person, movies, or television disparaging remarks on the idea of two men or two women getting married and/or kissing. I wanted to highlight this picture from TIME magazine as I hope it demonstrates that masks made people freak out. The idea that the officiant and the people were so distracted and concerned about the two brides either not wearing masks or being the only two kissing while not wearing masks----rather than not being male/female made me smile. I hope some of the pain, anxiety, and discomfort of the pandemic was turned into positivity by distracting people from the meaningless idea of couple's gender and that some LGBTQ opponents realized there are bigger problems in the world. -
2021-08-21Virginia PrideFest Postponed due to COVD-19 Surge
Video highlights why the cancelation of PrideFest 2021 was important. During this time in 2021 there was a COVID-19 surge, so for the safety of the community, PrideFest was canceled. This shows the difficulties that the community faced and the hard decisions that had to be made in order to keep the community safe, but also the city of Richmond. -
02/22/2021Bryan Gilbert Oral HIstory, 2020/10/05
HIndiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis student Shanda Nicole Gladden interviews Bryan Gilbert for the COVID 19 project in hopes of collecting stories about racial justice movements in the context of COVID 19. In this interview they discuss noticeable changes in his neighborhood and work place. The reputation of the Eastside of Indianapolis and personal concerns surrounding COVID. The interviewee spoke about his personal concerns surrounding COVID as well as politics, the importance of voting and rising racial tensions. They spoke about the Black Lives Matter movements, protests and demonstrations and art installations that have followed that. They also spoke about hopes for the future, predictions on how COVID will impact the future. How COVID might change relationships (family, friends, community and society as a whole). The interviewee also touched topics of the LGBT+ community, getting married during a pandemic and the hopes he has for the progression of the community in the future. -
11/20/2020Joanne Jahkne-Wegner Oral History, 2020/11/20
C19OH -
2021-10-06
COVID-19: The Impact of Power, Gender, Race, and Religion
Life during the COVID-19 pandemic is something that no one could have expected or prepared for. The way that our everyday lives instantly got disrupted and for many people their lives turned completely upside-down. We went from going to concerts, shows, and movies with friends and family, to lockdown in a brief second. Yet, for everyone lockdown, quarantine, and even work all looked different. There were many factors that went into trying to be able to stay safe and healthy during this time. Not everyone had the same advantages to try and protected themselves and their loved ones; some of the driving forces behind the advantages or disadvantage were power, gender, race, and religion. The more power, money, influence that you had during 2020 was what could almost guarantee that you and your family would be okay. By having money and power one was able to by as many masks as they wanted or by as much disinfectant as they could. Those people didn’t need to worry about if they could afford the inflated prices of hand sanitizers and Clorox wipes (if they could be found). Having power and money meant having information and accesses. This meant that those who possessed these things, could have accesses to doctors for healthcare purposes but also to get information about what was happening in their local area. With the possession of money also came space. Besides disinfectants and good masks such as N95s or KN95s, space was the next most luxurious thing people could have. Having space meant that you and your families weren’t all crowded on top of each other even if that’s how many people felt like they were because of lockdown. Having space also meant that if one of your loved ones got COVID-19, there was an area for them to quarantine and not but the rest of the people in the house at risk. Power and money were what separated those who could afford to stay at home and be safe and have minimal disruption to their lives, and those who still had to leave the house every day, if they were some of the fortunate ones to have jobs and put their lives at risk to try and provide for their loved ones. The way that gender was impacted by COVID-19, was that for lots of family’s stereotypical gender roles were reversed in some cases or even ceased for a bit. With everyone spending so much time at home, there was no more reason for any one person to be doing either the housework, looking after the children, or even doing all the cooking. While it is not just women that stay home with children, plenty of men to do, it is a stereotype that most women stay home with the kids and that the men work. Well with many people working from home or unfortunately being unemployed the jobs that typically might have fallen on mom became a mom and dad job. However, gender was not only impacted in these ways. While COVID-19 was already a hard, tough, and sad enough event domestic violence rose drastically during lockdown. Because people were forced to stay home, women especially since they are the dominant gender affected by domestic violence, had no option but to remain in the same environment as their abusers. This is not to say that men did not face the same situations but in America, 77% of domestic violence victims are female. Race played a huge part in the treatment of those with COVID-19 as well as accessibility to masks, disinfectants, and other forms of PPE. Areas all around the country that were not primarily made up of white people, were hit the harder with COVID-19. These groups of people were not given or provided the same level of care or protections that those where were white did, during this crisis. People who were any race other than white were treated as second class citizens to those who were white. They tended to be forgotten about by the healthcare system or were not prioritized the same way those who were white were. The color of your skin during 2020 could have been the difference between living or dying due to COVID-19. Religion was one of the biggest debates that surrounded the entire COIVD-19 pandemic. Religion was the cause for fights, violence, and even deaths of thousands of people. People used their belief in religion as a reason for why they did or did not believe in many parts of COIVD-19 crisis. One of the oldest debates in history is religion versus science, and this debate in modern times has never been so present in every part of the country and many parts of the world. Not only were people’s personal beliefs in religion playing a role in the chaos of the pandemic, but the attendance of religious gatherings such as church and temple causing issues as well. As a result of millions of people choosing to still attend religious gatherings, they were spreading the virus because of being in such close contact with many people. Even when there were executive orders in place prohibiting gatherings of over a certain size to prevent the spread of COVID-19, people still felt it was their right to go to these gatherings. The COIVD-19 pandemic impacted and altered the lives of billions of people. There are lots of factors that played a part of making the pandemic better and making the pandemic worse. However, at the end of the day the ones that were the most prominent were power, gender, race, and religion. -
2021-10-03A Century Later
A look at a global pandemic from a 21st century American point of view, nearly a decade after the last pandemic of the world. -
2021-03-14Alex Smith Oral History, 2021/03/14
Self-description: “I’m an artist, writer, musician, and an off-and-on again activist, lecturer, worshopshop leader. I’m coming out of Philadelphia. My work revolves around concepts relating to Afrofuturism; for lack of a better term: superheroes and the conceptual nature of superheroes and the idea of the vigilante and the people’s champions and heroes can walk among us. I use [aesthetics and the immersive ideas of] from science fiction, cyberpunk, solarpunk, biopunk, and Afrofurturism to empower people of color, queer people and to project us into the future and our ideas and culture into the future as well. I use different mediums to do that, my bands Solarized (a sort of noisy punk rock band) and Rainbow Crimes (indie rock, but a little crazier and noisier than many excursions into that). I have written a short story collection called ARKDUST. And I do collage work and soundscapes and curate events like Laser Life, which was a queer sci-fi reading that me and my friends in a collective that I’m in called Metropolarity put together. That’s my praxis right now: a little bit of everything. I view my work as if I’m creating for 18 or 19 or 20 year old Alex, who probably needed some queer Black sci-fi in his life. So, I’m projecting these aspects of myself back to the past to not just nourish my community, but to nourish myself.” Personal website: alexoteric.com Other biographical details: Vegetarian, experiences depression, Pew Center for the Arts Fellow, during COVID is the first time in his life he’s had Health Insurance. Some of our discussion touched on: Using art to project hope and remaining hopeful during the pandemic. Afrofuturism as a part of the fabric of activism, how it is imbedded in culture and impacts queer and POC culture. How Afrofuturism exceeds an “aesthetic revival” of representation of Black people in the future and the kind of work that needs to be done to ensure those futures. Deciding to cancel a show he was organizing in the early days of the pandemic to protect the presenters and audience members. The everydayness of people dying because they don’t have healthcare access or can’t afford medicine* outside of the times of COVID-19; racism, sexism, and transphobia in the healthcare system.Corporate interests and their influence on policy. The unreasonable imperative that artists take the pandemic as an opportunity for productivity when many are out of work. It is hard to make art without fuel and without food. Witnesses barriers in the healthcare while caring for his partner after a stroke 5 years ago, the importance of medical bureaucratic literacy in a “Kafka-esque system”. Excitement about getting the vaccine. The pandemic in geopolitical context. Isolation in practice: Safety precautions and research prior to traveling for a funeral. Hope for “science married with activism”. Scholars in the humanities and social sciences need to be more visible, speak in lay person’s terms, do advocacy, and get in the streets. “Nothing is safe unless it empowers.” Other cultural references: Netflix, Zombie Movies, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Oprah’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Black Panther, Teenage Bounty Hunter, Elon Musk, GoFundMe. A specific reference is made to the need for his sister’s sickle cell anemia medicine in this interview. She dies a few months later. The GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-fund-for-elizabeth-graham?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer -
2021-09-18HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 128
Afghanistan exit and U.S. border- a Biden disaster -
2021-03-18Brianna Tong Oral History, 2021/03/18
Self description: “I am sitting in my bed right now as I’ve done for a lot of this quarantine. In regular times and I guess still now, I’m in three bands and I also work at the library, the public library. So I’ve been working there in person since we came back to work in May. I was contacted for this interview through Bussy Kween Power Trip, which is a Black queer punk band with three people, no guitars, so my close friends. I’m in two other bands. One band is called Je’raf and one is called Cordoba. And one person each from Bussy Kween is in each of those bands. Haven’t played a show in forever. I can give a little about what I look like or am like. I’m a woman. I’m 26, almost 27 I guess. I’m Black and Asian. I’m kinda short. And during this pandemic I’ve been in general super lucky to have a job still and a great living situation. And I met my partner right before the pandemic, so we’ve been chilling a lot and that’s been amazing. She is so great. Yeah, just going to work and working on all kinds of things in my home. And sometimes having the energy to do a bunch of music and crafts and other art things, and sometimes laying in bed for a full day.” -
2020-03-13Coming out during a pandemic
I have submitted my experience of the pandemic from the months of February 2020 through August 2020. I talk about my experience of coming out immediately before the nation shut down. My submission is important to me because I give my personal experience of the pandemic as it pertains to being gay. I find that there isn't enough LGBTQ+ history documented, so I feel that I am contributing to a cause by telling part of my story. -
2020-05-09Through the Eyes of Assimilation: Immigrant Families, Mental Illness, and COVID-19
This story is about my partner's family, utilizing both of our perspectives to talk about how his mother, and subsequently my partner, was treated due to mental illness, ethnicity, and gender identity. -
2021-04-23Yang Not Getting LGBTQ Support for NYC Mayor
People in the LGBTQ community feel that the former Democratic Presential nominee is not out for their best interest but instead is just using them for their vote. They feel like he should push more for homelessness, housing, healthcare, and other issues important to the LGBTQ people but Mr. Yang says he loves and supports the community. He is running for New York City mayor and is the former nominee of the democratic party. -
2021-04-23COVID 19, BLM and Religion - My story of 2020
This story tells my experience of having Covid-19 along with being the mother of a brown child during the pandemic and BLM movement. I also share how this year drew the line in the sand for our family's faith and how my partner and I finally found the courage to come out. -
2021-04-22Queer Joy
Throughout the pandemic I have found myself with a lot more time for introspection than usual. I had thought at the start of this pandemic I had felt rather self-assured. I thought I knew what I wanted as a career, for my future, and mostly what kind of person I wanted to become. However, the more time I spent alone the more I realized how much of myself had been a performance for others. For once, the pandemic encouraged me to slow down enough to evaluate what my own personal wants and needs are. I also grew spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. I was especially surprised to find myself changing my opinions on religion. For years, I have subscribed to rather devout atheism, to the point it nears becoming a religion in my attempts to cut it out. However now I have found myself accepting the mystic much more, and allowing myself to stop explaining everything. Though all these added experiences I was able not to find something new in my queerness per say, but a new way to relate to my world. I was able to find peace with myself as a queer person in the world, not in spite of it. I think the time alone allowed me a lot of space to appreciate the community and its place. To finally start feeling like the bonds and friendships and joy of myself and other queer people is worth even more than just surviving. I think one of the most important things that happened was coming to terms with myself as a nonbinary person. For years I was confident I was a binary trans man due to my physical transition goals and personal fears of being delegitimized in public. I finally realized and accepted that myself is no one else’s business. I have found a new peace with living authentically, even when other people react poorly. Finally, I honestly love being queer. -
2021-04-04ACLU The time to defend trans kids is NOW.
The time to defend trans kids is NOW. If we don't, HB 1570 will set a dangerous precedent nationwide. Tell Arkansas Governor Hutchinson to veto this bill: 501-682-2345 -
2021-04-12‘I want to show the pride’: photo essay of the Two Spirit Indigenous people
Two-Spirit, the term used to describe LGBTQ Indigenous, are fighting to be recognized amongst their own people. Although Indigenous, they claim their sacred circle was broken when colonizers landed on their soil and are now viewed upon with pity. Fighting to regain equal rights, the Two-Spirit community refuses to be marginalized. They work to convince other South Dakota tribes to legalize same-sex marriage and pass LGBTQ hate crime legislation. Two-Spirit member, Monique Mousseau stated, “Our younger generation needs to be acknowledged for who they are. It’s important for them to know that they are who they are and that it’s OK,” Mousseau says. “It’s time to acknowledge we have always been here, and we will always be here.” -
2021-04-18"Kimberly in Red" by Indigenous Artist Nayana Lafond
Indigenous artist, Nayana Lafond, painted this piece as part of the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls (MMIWG) exhibition. The exhibit was designed to advocate for these missing women and to stop the violence against Indigenous women. On her website, Lafond features "Kimberly in Red" with the following description, "Kimberly LaRouge, Ojibwe from Lac Courte Oreilles Wisconsin. Mother, grand mother, motorcycle racer, traditional jingle dancer and badass." I would encourage everyone to visit Lafond's website and view her powerful and emotional art pieces. -
2021-04-11Alarm grows over impact of states banning trans youth treatment
Medical experts and LGBT advocates are sounding the alarm over the physical and mental health risks to the transgender community after at least 19 state legislatures, including Arkansas, have proposed or passed bills seeking to ban trans youth treatment. Proponents of the bills have argued that the legislation is in place to protect children from making irreversible decisions about their bodies. But earlier this week, doctors and LGBT organizations defended treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, and warned about a potential increased suicide rate among trans youth if such legislation is enacted. -
2020-10-193 easy ways to help kids unlearn gender identity & sexual orientation bias during the pandemic
With all of the controversy in my state about our new Social Studies state standards about bringing in more diversity I see that we need to educate more people about the diversity that is in front of every student no matter their background because no matter what you do in life you will meet and interact with people that are not like yourself. I saw this article that gives teachers and parents some ideas on how to help kids unlearn gender identity and sexual orientation bias. Here are the three things you can do: 1. Prioritize Social-Emotional Learning 2.Introduce LGBTQ Characters, Works, and Historical Figures. 3.Start Easy, Start Small. Read the article for more information within these tips. -
2021-04-09Clinical Trials for HIV Vaccine has been Overwhelming Success due to the help of COVID-19 Vaccine
Clinical trials for HIV vaccines have been overwhelmingly successful with a 97% success rate at stimulating the production of rare immune cells which could lead to vaccines in the future. The COVID-19 vaccine has led to the increased development of m-RNA dosed vaccine which is also found in many other vaccines. By producing the COVID-19 vaccine has led to much more funding and research into the mRNA vaccine field which will bring about new changes in medicine in the future. -
2021-04-14CVS Changes Policy to be more LGBTQ Inclusive
CVS changed COVID-19 vaccination registration form to be more trans/ LGBTQ friendly. Originally, the form asked people to mark their birth sex in order to get the vaccine however, now they have removed the question. The CDC has come out and said it is important to only ask about the gender identity not the gender on the birth certificate. CVS has issued a statement stating that sex, gender, race, or ethnicity does not hinder people from getting the vaccine. -
2021-04-15Kentucky Vaccination Statistics
Congratulations to the 3 nonbinary people in Kentucky who were vaccinated, however, I believe there could be more as some people might be afraid to select that box or don't know what to select as their gender as many queer people like I do when it comes to medical records as there is a small fear of the worry of facing discrimination in the healthcare field. This graph is both funny and a sign of a sad current present for queer and gender non-conforming people. -
2021-03-04Colorado Governor Jared Polis Gets Engaged
The Governor of Colorado Jared Polis proposes to his boyfriend of seventeen years Marlon Reis due to their COVID-19 diagnosis where one of them had to be hospitalized. Members of Congress in his state had issues with him getting engaged to his longtime boyfriend due to their conservative views and the governor's response to the pandemic. The two long-time partners have two children together as well. Some residents of Colorado showed hate towards the Governor's news as he was an open and out government official and was the first Gay Colorado Governor in history. -
2020-11Comparing the Impact of COVID-19-Related Social Distancing on Mood and Psychiatric Indicators in Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) and Non-SGM Individuals
"There has been direct correlation with mental health disparities and sexual and gender minority (SGM) compared with cisgender heterosexual individuals. SGM members report having elevatedrates of emotional distress, symptoms related to mood and anxiety disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Social support is inversely related to psychiatric symptoms, regardless of SGM status. The COVID-19 pandemic—with its associated limited social interactions—represents an unprecedented period of acute distress with potential reductions in accessibility of social support, which might be of particular concern for SGM individuals' mental well-being. In the present study, we explored the extent to which potential changes in mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, worry, perceived stress, positive and negative affect) throughout the duration of the pandemic were related to differences in perceptions of social support and engagement in virtual social activity, as a function of SGM status. "-Front Psychiatry. 2020; 11: 590318. Published online 2020 Dec 22. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.590318 -
2021-03-15Missouri Dad Testifies Against Trans Youth Athlete Ban
“As a parent the one thing we cannot do…is silence our child’s spirit.” Brandon Boulware, father of a transgender daughter, urged Missouri lawmakers to stop discriminating against trans youth while testifying in a hearing about trans youth athlete ban HJR 53. Parents, coaches, doctors, and student athletes are all coming together to say that trans people belong everywhere. Trans girls are girls, and they shouldn’t be barred from participating in sports. -
2021-04-01Transgender Day of Visibility
Today on #TransDayOfVisibility, we are in solidarity with all trans and nonbinary folks, whether they choose to be visible or not. Visibility does not equal protection and safety, and it does not guarantee basic rights. Currently there are at least 44 anti-trans bills being introduced by lawmakers in the US, a record number that primarily targets children and prohibits them from accessing medical care and limits their ability to participate in school sports. With visibility comes the need to be even louder. No one is free until we are all free, and with the disproportional rate our Black, Brown, and Indigenous trans siblings experience violence, both physically and judicially, we must commit to ending the systems that allow the systemic barriers and hatred to endure. For more resources, actionable steps and donations, follow: @raquel_willis @chasestrangio @glits_inc @mpjinstitute @transjusticefp @intransitive.ar @tko_alabama @mattxiv @jmaseiii #transdayofvisibility #tdov2021 -
2021-03-24COVID-19 Claims Life of Trailblazing Bourne Police Lieutenant, Cancer Survivor
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect law enforcement personnel far more than all other job hazards. The SARS-CoV-2 virus killed more American police officers and law enforcement personnel in 2020 than any other cause of death, and that trend appears to continue in 2021. Unlike most other essential workers, law enforcement professionals cannot reliably keep social distance or avoid personal contact with the public and their colleagues. Additionally, they are unable to seek reasonable accommodations that would allow them to do so, and their failure to fulfill their duties and sworn obligations is often grounds for dismissal and decertification. -
2021-03-21How does the pandemic affect children?
This is an article that provides an inside on taking care of a newborn during the pandemic. -
2021-01-20Inclusivity at the Inauguration
Georgia Fire Captain Andrea M. Hall recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday morning. She also signed in American Sign Language as she spoke.