Not a post, just an update

Hey folks! Heather here. Just wanted to let you know that my winter break is starting, so I'll be out of commission for a while. I'll post when I can, but odds are good that I'll miss a few days. Sorry!
Love ya!
Heather

Trans Population Statistics in the UK // Gender Identity

Hi everyone! I was feeling ambitious, so here's a double post: The first part is about transgender people in the UK, and the link is here. The second part is about gender identity and the link is here.

Part I

• About ⅓ of UK trans people were victims of hate crimes
• Around ⅕ of LGBT people were victims of hate crimes
• 41% trans people have experienced hate crimes because of their gender identity
• Trans people between 18 and 24 are 52% more likely to be shot
• 79% of trans people who have experienced hate crimes and/or violence do not go to authorities or law enforcement for support because of the fear that the “help” will discriminate against them or make the situation worse
• From 2015-16 to 2016-17, referrals due to hate crimes against trans people decreased from 98% referred to only 87%
• The trans community tends not to trust police enforcement because they have done more harm than good in the past
• 48% of trans people report being scared to use public toilets
• 12% of trans people report being physically attacked by a peer
• 28% of trans people report domestic abuse by a partner
• 44% of trans people report that they are scared to walk in certain areas because of violence
• Trans murders are rising all around the world

Part II

• Gender is a spectrum
• An intersex person has a combination of male and/or female parts: internal/external anatomy, hormones, etc.
• Dimensions of gender:
• - body → how society and individuals interact w/ bodies, how we are treated, ect.
• - identity → internal knowledge of our gender as we feel
• - expression → how we show, present, and shape our gender in society.

• Cisgender (cis)= assigned gender matches gender identity
• Transgender (trans)= assigned gender does not match gender identity
• Binary gender identity= identifies as boy/man or girl/woman, regardless of trans/cis
• Around age 4 we know our gender identity, even if we don't know that we know; it’s just part of who we are, how we act, and how we express ourselves
• By age 3 kids tend to participate in activities or play with toys that are more associated with their sex/gender identity
• Gender expression IS NOT gender identity: people can wear or act however they want

• Transvestite/Crossdresser: a person who wears the clothing or accessories typically associated with a different gender
• Drag queens: boys/men who dress as girls/women, for entertainment or as part of their gender expression

So I hope you enjoyed this!

Love ya!

-Heather

Different Sexualities

Info- 

Cupiosexual- Wanting to get in a relationship despite not attracted to anyone

Greysexual-between sexually attracted and asexual to people

Polyamory-Being attracted to several people at the same time

Heterosexual-Liking the opposite gender

Homoflexible-Identifying as gay “but is flexible in this identity”

Androsexual-Sexually attracted to males

Autosexual-Sexually attracted to yourself

Gynesexual-sexually attracted to females

More soon~~~

The Sad Correlation Between LGBT Status and Suicide

Hello folks! Today's post is basically why you should step into other people's shoes, specifically the shoes of LGBT teens and youth. The links for the sites that I took notes on are here, here, here and here.

• The average suicide rate for transgender people is 41%, while the average suicide rate for cisgender people is 4.6%
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth aged 10-24
• Compared to heterosexual youth, LGB youth are:
• 3 times as likely to seriously consider suicide
• Almost 5 times as likely to attempt suicide 
• Almost 5 times as likely as suicidal heterosexual youth to require medical treatment for suicide
• 4-6 times as likely to require treatment from a doctor or a nurse
• 40% of transgender adults report attempting suicide. Of these people, 92% report having attempted suicide before the age of 25. This totals to 36% of transgender adults who report having attempted suicide before the age of 25.
• LGB youth who come from rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to attempt suicide as LGB youth who come from accepting families
• About 1 in 6 high-schoolers report having attempted suicide in the past year.
• Every time an LGB person is harassed, the likelihood of self-harming behavior increases by about 2.5 times.
• 42% of LGBT youth say that the community in which they live is not LGBT-accepting
• LGBT youth are twice as likely as non-LGBT peers to report being physically assaulted.
• 26% of LGBT youth report that their biggest problems are non-accepting families, bullying, and fear of coming out or being out
• 73% of LGBT youth report being more honest about themselves online than in real life
• 91% of LGBT youth report being out to their friends, and 64% report being out to their classmates
• 75% of LGBT youth report that their peers are accepting of them
• 92% of LGBT youth report hearing negative messages about LGBT people, especially at school, on the Internet, and from their peers
• 68% of LGBT youth report hearing negative messages about LGBT from elected officials
• LGBT youth who are out to their families are more likely to be happy
• Of the 700,000 openly transgender people in the US (0.3% of adults):
• 19% report experiencing violence or abuse from family members
• 26% report having lost a job based on their gender identity
• 50% report harassment in the workplace based on their gender identity

So, it looks pretty bleak, doesn't it? We can try to lower suicide rates through therapy. We can improve medical services throughout the country. But the kids who really are intent on killing themselves will still manage to do so. The best action we can take against this is to make LGBT+ people feel welcome and accepted. I know that you've probably heard this from a lot of sources, so let me attempt to influence you with a personal anecdote.

Three of my best friends are LGBT+ and suicidal. They hurt themselves regularly in an attempt to make themselves feel better; they don't feel worthy of the life that they've been given. I worry about their well being, their survival, on a daily basis. Every day, I am terrified that I won't see them at school again tomorrow, that I'll lose them forever. I believe that no one should have to feel that way. Ever. Because it's scary to know that you might never see some of the most important people in your life again. It hurts to know that they don't believe that they're worthy of their life, their love. That they believe that they are just trash left on the side of the road. Nobody is; remember that there's someone who loves you and needs you and looks forward to seeing you everyday and couldn't fathom not having you. 

I hope that this will convince someone to notice when people, especially youth, are hurting, and to extend a hand to those in need. It probably seems crazy now, but wouldn't it be worth it if YOU were able to save a life? By eating lunch with the new kid? By smiling at that lonely girl who sits next to you in History? By saying "hi" to the guy who never seems to be happy? The tiniest thing you do could totally change someone's life, so get out there and do it!

Time to make a difference in this world.
Love, Heather.

Sexism In Everyday Life

Hi Everyone! Here's a post about some examples of sexism in everyday life. (The links are the sources from which I gathered the information below.)


The Pink Tax: slang for the "tax" that women have to pay when shopping. It's not an official tax, but the name refers to the extra money that is charged for stereotypically feminine products.

• Women's Feminine Care Products are considered "luxury items" and are therefore subject to taxes. A woman in a 1st world country spends about $3,000 on Feminine Care Products over the course of their lifetime.
• Women's personal care items (deodorant, razors, etc) cost on average 13% more than men's.
• Kids' toys cost about 7% more for pink toys or stereotypically feminine toys.
• Girl's clothes cost about 4% more than boy's. Women's clothes cost about 8% more than men's.
• Men's clothes, especially shirts, cost more to dry-clean then women's.
• Women's plus size clothing was estimated to be $12-15 more than regular sizes, while men's plus sizes cost about the same.

Sexism in the Workplace

• In interviews, women are more likely to be asked about marital status and family life, even if it is not relevant to the job.
• If a woman is pregnant or has plans to become so, she is on average less likely to be hired due to the common misconception that the birth of a child will drastically decrease a woman's office capabilities but will not at all effect a man's.
• Women are often not allowed to breastfeed at work, making their babies susceptible to illness and/or forcing the mother to take time off work to breastfeed.
• Women are sometimes not allowed to take time off work for pregnancy and associated issues like morning sickness and childbirth as temporary medical conditions on the grounds that pregnancies are intentional and therefore the mother has total control over it. This is not accurate as incidents such as rape or unplanned pregnancies may occur. Also, an unhealthy lifestyle makes one likely to have a heart attack in the same way that being sexually active makes one likely to become pregnant.
• Sometimes women are given few responsibilities on the grounds that a woman would be too weak or incapable to carry out more difficult tasks. In contrast, some women are expected to complete a disproportionate amount of menial work to her peers, such as cleaning, taking notes, making copies, or getting coffee. This can decrease her productivity in regards to her actual job and therefore make her less effective than her peers expect her to be.
• Some women have been fired for reporting sexual harassment or asking for things, like promotions, that usually only male peers receive.
• Women are often expected to fill certain roles(ex: secretary, teacher, nurse) and are expected not to touch other roles(ex: president, CEO, doctor). This is because women are stereotypically weak, incapable of rational and original thinking, overly emotional, and needy. People impose these stereotypes on women and are displeased whenever a woman breaks the mold.
• Sometimes, women are requested to wear stereotypically feminine clothing, like skirts and dresses. It is important to remember that not all women feel comfortable in stereotypically feminine clothing, and being forced into it can cause self-esteem issues. Some clothing, especially short skirts and dresses and low-cut blouses, can also increase a woman's change of being sexually harassed or assaulted.

And on that happy note, I'm signing off.
Love ya! 
-Heather

Gender, Sex, and Gender Expression: What's the difference?

Hi everyone! This post is about the differences between gender, gender expression, and sex. Firstly, we do NOT mean sex as in intercourse; the definition will be below. Also, it is very possible that you will feel that this post is untrue for many reasons. If so, please do NOT leave rude comments or messages. You may present your case in a polite way and we will consider your grievance, but irrelevant or inappropriate messages will be disregarded and deleted. 

I'll start by writing a rather controversial statement: There are many genders. 
If this makes you angry or annoyed, then by all means, stop reading immediately. If not, please proceed.

Gender is one's identity. It is a part of who you are, and it can be influenced by many things such as one's chromosomes or hormones. Contrary to popular belief, people CANNOT change their gender. Don't get me wrong; your perception of yourself and your identity can evolve over time. But its not a conscious process that you can control whenever you want.You are who you are and that's all there is to it. This post won't contain a list of genders; that's long enough to warrant its own post. Some examples of genders, however, include pangender(identifying as all or many genders) and demifemale(identifying as partially agender and partially female). Again, many of the prefixes used to describe sexualities and romantic orientations also carry over to genders. For example, one can take the prefix "a-," which means "no" or "without" and stick it onto any of the root words to create "agender(no gender)," "asexual(not sexually attracted to anyone)," and "aromantic(not romantically attracted to anyone)." 

Gender expression is how one shows their identity. One can identify as any given gender and still express themselves in a way that is contrary to social stereotypes of their gender. For example, a guy can wear makeup and skirts. It's no big deal. There are three main types of gender expression: feminine, masculine, and androgynous(gender-neutral). Feel free to point out if I have missed any, but those are the three that I know.

Sex is defined by someone's physical characteristics. These may include genitals, inner reproductive organs, chromosomes, and hormones. A person's sex is usually what their doctor bases their "birth gender" on; someone with a vulva is a girl and someone with a penis is a boy. This is not always true. There is also a sex called intersex. An intersex person has a combination of male and female genitals, inner reproductive organs, chromosomes, and hormones. There are many different combinations of the above, and therefore every intersex person is unique in terms of their particular combination. Some doctors prefer to remove different parts of the inner or outer reproductive organs if a baby that they birth is intersex. This has to do with the doctors not understanding that being intersex is perfectly normal and healthy, and therefore being afraid of what they do not understand. 

So, if you have any questions, please post them in the comments.
Love y'all!
-Heather

Inspiration~

Being the way we are now isn't weird, we grew this way, we learned this way. Being different colors, genders, and sex's, it's not weird or bad, its just human. 

Romantic Orientation vs. Sexual Orientation

Hi Everyone! Heather here! Today, I'm going to tell you all about the differences between romantic and sexual orientation, as well as the differences between gender and sex.

Your sexual orientation is who you are sexually attracted to. This basically means physical attraction. For example, a woman who identifies as homosexual will likely be physically attracted to other women and/or want to have sex with them. Homosexual and heterosexual, as well as a few other terms, are relative to a person's gender. This means that the people they are attracted to are, or example, the same gender as them. However, some sexualities(sexual orientation) are not relative to gender. For example, a gynesexual person is attracted to women, but is not necessarily any gender. 

Romantic orientation is very similar to sexual orientation. The main difference is that, while sexual orientation is about physical attraction, romantic orientation is about(you guessed it!) romantic attraction. For example, you may like someone's personality and be mentally and/or emotionally attracted to them without being attracted to their physical appearance. Romantic and sexual orientation share a lot of prefixes that have the same meaning, but the root word is different. For romantic orientation, the last part of the word will be -romantic (ex: homoromantic), while the last part of a sexual orientation will be  -sexual (ex: homosexual). 

You may notice that sexual orientation is far better known in general than romantic orientation. Comment your thoughts as to why this might be. One theory that I have is that society puts so much emphasis on sex and physical relationships that emotional or romantic attraction was put on the back burner.

Later folks! See you on Wednesday!
-Heather