+ I SUPPORT +

This poster was made by Voltaira, a straight, cisgendered Deviant. I think it is beautifully done, and I'd like to share it with you, my readership.

Click for the full-sized image.

I would like to believe that all straights and non-straights can someday believe that they are equal; hopefully, that day will be short in coming.
~Sushi

That's So Honors English

Recently, there have been several LGBT teen suicides. The pressure on these kids, as well as the rest of the LGBT community, is enormous, and many feel that death is their only escape from the hatred that they encounter in their lives. I wrote this paper a few years ago, for my Honors English class, but the message is still as true as it was then. We need to stop perpetuating hate speech in order to push progress forward.

_{By DeviantArtist Traitors-stead}

When you hear something stupid, or see a silly picture, what is your most common response? “That’s so stupid?” “That’s really silly?” That’s probably not the case. As nice as it would be to live in a world where dumb things were simply dumb, this is not reality. In most cases, when something strikes a person as being different, or odd, or oppositional to their own beliefs, they refer to it as “gay.” “Oh my God, that shirt is so gay.” “You listen to that band? You’re such a fag.” The truth is that most people who say these things probably don’t realize the strength their words have. It is most commonly believed that about ten percent of the American populous is LGBT. Despite the fact that this community is a minority, they still have the right to stand up and oppose the deliberate misuse of a once-neutral term for homosexuality. In defense of the LGBT community, the Ad Council has brought forth an award-winning series of commercials dealing with the phraseology “That's so gay.” The clips are about thirty seconds long, but they deliver a strong message, spoken by celebrities that Americans can easily recognize-- Wanda Sykes, who recently came out to the public, and Hilary Duff are in the two most popular of the commercials. Speaking as a friend of several gay people, and as a bisexual, I personally believe that the American people, and young adults in particular, need to come to the realization that their words have power, and can hurt people when taken in the wrong light.

The emotional weight that the LGBT community carries, due to their orientation, has been somewhat lifted in recent years, though it still seems far more acceptable to be straight. With the controversy over gay marriage and equal opportunities, LGBTs have been forced under a spotlight as of late. California's Proposition 8 has drawn a great deal of attention, as have the bans on gay marriage and adoption rights in several states. It may seem, then, that simple words don't matter much in the light of far more serious concerns. Unfortunately, though, the misuse of words like gay, faggot, lesbian, and homo is becoming so prevalent that it, too, as become one of those serious issues. A report by the Ad Council states that “Almost 90% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students report being verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation”. The majority of the abuse may, in fact, be unintentional because of the adoption of the orientational slurs into the everyday teenage vernacular.

Rationally, fighting the verbal abuse of an already-oppressed group makes perfect sense. Very little separates LGBTs from the so-called “rest” of the population; the separation is what truly makes no sense. Unfortunately, there are those who feel that the commercials that fight against stinging insults are themselves insulting: “This campaign from the Ad Council goes about sharing the love by creating more hate. [Hilary] Duff makes fun of the teenage girl and her ability to shop in order to make her point”. The same sentiment was expressed by several people I have personally addressed, including my own father, who is usually quite supportive of my orientation, but has always expressed a dislike for homosexual males. To him, people who have reacted to the phrase are being oversensitive, and they are simply demanding political correctness. However, while this may just be a pompous demand over childish vernacular, it must be taken into account that the word “gay” has the most commonly accepted, and certainly the friendliest, term used to address a homosexual, male or female, since the 1970s. The fact that this word is also attributed to any negative happenstance that occurs causes its degradation to all people, and takes away its safety to the homosexual community.

In order to inflict change, steps can be taken to show that you care enough about the matter at hand to stand up for it. In this case, those interested in making their mark can go to thinkb4youspeak.com. The site offers several ways to get involved with the effort, including a personal pledge to “Not use anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) language or slurs. Intervene, if you safely can, in situations where students are being harassed. Support efforts to end bullying and harassment”. Visitors to the website can also submit their own ideas for sayings to replace “That's so gay,” as well as send e-cards to spread awareness and to gain further support for this cause. Another option for supporters of the cause is to participate in a Day of Silence. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GSLEN) sponsors several such events throughout the year; the day of silence is typically in the second week of April. The event's website aids potential participants in signing up to be counted, purchasing themed merchandise to advertise, and pages to register GSAs and other advocacy groups for involvement in the Day. Finally, the simplest way to curb the phrase “That's so gay,” and other similar phrases, is to stop saying it yourself. Check yourself when you see something that strikes you as dumb or stupid, and watch your tongue. If one of your friends says the phrase, ask them why. Make them think before they just utter pointless, hurtful chatter. All of the groups, advertisements, and events can never compare with the small act of one person addressing another; one heart needs to touch another if this movement can make headway.

By saying “That's so gay,” the speaker, whether or not they realize it, demeans the entire homosexual populous. The phrase spreads a sort of subconscious homophobia, which has turned viral in recent years. Despite its widespread use, though, change can happen, if people realize that what they are saying is very wrong, and sounds completely nonsensical and unintelligent. Words have power, whether they are used properly or improperly. Consider the way you would feel if, instead of saying “gay,” the common phrase was “That's so straight.” While most people do not solely define themselves by their sexual orientation, having a word that describes it used as an insult can be hurtful nonetheless. You probably wouldn't like to have an essence of yourself, a part of your life, targeted and trivialized. It shouldn't be cool to say that something is gay. This phrase should not be socially acceptable. Think about the words you use to describe the strange, the odd, the down-right stupid. And for those of you who do say “That's so gay,” knock it off!

~Sushi

Ethnic Hair Dye and Booty Dancing Seven Year Olds

Most people in my small group of friends know me as a person who is always willing to try something new. I'm also one of the few of my friends who goes out of her way to have some of the weirdest hair colors possible. I've had Challenger Orange, violet, and burgundy, yellow, among other colors. But, I wanted to try something a bit daring even for me: red. Not like Orphan Annie red--firetruck red. I'm kind of broke right now, so before going to a salon, or even Trend Setters, which is the cosmetology school in my area, I hit Wal-Mart. And, believe it or not, I found what I was looking for; what surprised me was the aisle I found it in. After giving up on the hair dye aisle--nothing was bright enough--I walked back to the pharmacy, and there was this glorious box of hair dye--> ! It was the perfect color! And the woman on the box is a total babe, too! I don't know about you, but I call that an epic win. Why wasn't she in the hair dye aisle, with all the other, not-as-red colors? Well, she's black. And the hair dye is Creme of Nature, a company that makes products specifically for black people. See, I'm not just writing this blog to tell you about my awesome dye job--though it is awesome, and I will put up pictures eventually. For the most part, I'm writing this because I don't think hair dyes should be segregated. Nor should books, for that matter. And yet, the library I used to work for separated all the Spanish-language books into one small, dark corner of the building, fiction and non-fiction, juvenile and adult. Maybe it makes lives of stockers and pages a little easier, but it has to feel the slightest bit embarrassing to be told that the book, hair dye, food, et cetera that you're looking for is in another aisle, simply because of the ethnicity of the product. Yes, there are entire salons devoted to the treatment of African-American hair. I used to pass one such salon every day after school. But as I stop to think about it, that store may have been opened because every other salon in the area caters to white people. I'm fairly sure that I could count on one hand the number of white hair techs in my area who can do a proper weave. [I apologize if I'm wrong, but from what I've experienced, it's very likely.]
Before I go off on a racially-charged, crazy-insane tirade, I'm going to move on to the other topic that I would like to tell you about: the booty dancing seven year olds. It's been brought to my attention [by Severe, who thought it would be a good blog entry] that a group of six to eight year old girls dancing to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" has been pasted all over the internet and the news as of late. These aren't just little kids dressing up and playing around; they are trained dancers, working it in ways no small child should. Being not-quite-straight and all, I feel like a pedophile just for watching this! Here's some of the news coverage I mentioned earlier:

CBS News
CNN News
ABC News
FOX News

And, from the World of Dance site comes this group shot of the girls; seeing their young, tiny faces really drives the point home for me.
I hate to show my age, but I'm three times as old as the little girls [who happen to be the same age as my sisters], and I would never dance or dress like that, especially in front of a live television audience. And this is coming from someone who regularly dresses in ridiculous costumes at midnight movies and anime conventions. I'd like your opinions on the matter.
~Sushi
P.S. Personally, I blame The Chimpmunks...

Pomp and Circumstance

It doesn't seem like it's been enough time since I graduated high school in 2008. Has it already been two years? There are days when I can't even remember high school, and others when it feels like I was just there. Today, I can clearly remember standing in the kitchen, ironing the hideous green gown I wore then, and I can recall sitting at my kitchen table decorating my mortarboard with foam cut-outs of the colleges and universities I thought I would attend [I made it to one out of the three]. But now, I've traded my green cap and gown for black, my green and gold tassel for blue and red, and my high school diploma for an associate's degree in psychology. Some things stayed the same, though. For instance, I didn't actually receive my degree today--the school will mail it after they do a degree audit. Instead, I crossed the stage and was handed a snazzy folder with a letter inside:

Dear graduate:
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, I congratulate you on your accomplishments as a graduate of Kankakee Community College.
We trust your experiences at KCC have prepared you for your next steps in life. More importantly, we wish you to always look at KCC as part of your life-long learning experiences and intellectual growth.
It was our pleasure to serve you through our programs and services. This letter will serve as your provisional diploma. Upon final verification of your completion of degree requirements, your diploma will be mailed to you.
As you go on to new and greater challenges, let me wish you success in realizing your highest potential and accomplishing your goals. I sincerely hope that your efforts also bring you happiness, prosperity, and a sense of fulfillment. KCC is proud to include you in our growing family of alumni.
From the entire KCC family, we wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
[signature]
John Avendano, Ph.D.
President

When I was in high school, the same thing happened, minus the provisional replacement on official school letterhead. In fact, I don't remember why the diplomas weren't in the folders, since they had our names on them and everything. No matter, though. I had an enjoyable day. Another interesting parallel was that Ted Petersen, the athletic director at KCC and an EIU alumnus, was our keynote speaker; when I was a freshman, he came to my high school to give a speech. After snapping a million and a half pictures, Spock and I went back to his house and watched Star Trek. We got through four episodes, all third season:
1. All Our Yesterdays
2. Turnabout Intruder
3. The Cloud Minders
4. The Savage Curtain
And I'm well-aware that they aren't in order; I put them in which they were watched.
College has brought a lot of interesting changes for me. I've got five more piercings than I used to. I have dated five people since I started, and found, I hope, the person I will stay with. I've changed my major, and gotten far more experience in the field than I ever thought I would. I've met new people, and made friendships that I will keep for a lifetime. I've gone to midnight shows, anime conventions, pride parades, and not a whole hell of a lot of parties. [There really isn't much partying in community college; either that, or I didn't hang out with the partying crowd.] I discovered my sexual preference, and flaunted it like a tad too much at times; my parents didn't appreciate that. Most importantly, I developed a sense of who I am and where I am going in life. I'll take all these experiences with me, and move on to the next part of the journey. IN THREE MONTHS!
I'm super-tired after all this, though, so I'd just like to close by saying congrats to the entire Class of 2010, no matter what school, or even what level of education, you are in. We all did well.
~Sushi, A.A.

Self-Concept: Who Am I?

For as much as people don't care for him, I think that my psychology professor, who is filling in for our usual teacher, is awesome. Yes, he's an old-school university type who still wears tweed sports coats with leather elbow patches, and yes, he assigns far too much homework. But, it's better than having to listen to our teacher, who is out on an injury, whimper and complain about her aches and pains, and drop names of the people she supposedly knows in the psychology community. So, now that I'm done ranting, I'll talk about what we did today.
The prof gave us one of those giant notecards, and had us write fifteen "I am" statements; i.e. we wrote about what we are. I decided to share mine with you, and, just because I can, to have a little fun with it. So, along with my "I am" statements, I'll be posting a picture, following the rules of the Google images meme [the picture has to come from the first page of results].
Who am I?
I am a woman.

I am a Lutheran.

I am a sister.

I am a daughter.

I am bisexual.

I am short.

_{I also hate quite a lot.}
I am suicidal.

_{But I'll be okay.}
I am a blonde.

_{At least, I was born a blonde.}
I am a friend.

I am responsible.

I am intelligent.

I am dependable.

I am a psych major.

I am sleepy.

I am a Trekkie.


I like these sorts of things.
~Sushi

Androgyny Suits Me

Today, Spock and I were sitting in the back of his truck during a break at school. I may not have mentioned this, but I look somewhat like a boy, despite my ample bosum, and I dress in a non-gender-specific fashion a majority of the time. Which, I believe, is why passers-by thought that Spock was gay and that I was his boyfriend. The poor dear... I also haven't mentioned that I am bisexual, and quite a bit more into girls. That probably will come into play one of these days. I'm just glad we weren't harassed or anything, because I certainly would have put up a fight. I don't wear these terrifying stompy boots for nothing.


_{My Glorious JtHM Stompy Boots!}

Well, that's pretty much what mine look like; I think that they may have been discontinued.


A list?
My Seven Favorite Bisexuals in the Media!


1. Hans Christian Anderson: SWEET!
2. Andy Dick
3. Vin Diesel: It's a rumor, but I take what I can get.
4. Elton John: His relationships speak for him; I don't care if people think he's simply gay.
5. Billie Joe Armstrong
6. Melanie B: Yes, Scary Spice.
7. Drew Barrymore: She is such a babe...


I decided on seven because I hadn't used that one yet. Top tens get boring when overused...
~Sushi