In The Closet by LASA Ezine

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Meet the Creators

Living with Pride

Where You Live Can Get You Killed

The Unfair Truth

13 In The Closet | 4

Letter from the Creators

Supreme Court Rulings of the 2000s

Let’s Get Down To Business

19 20 Flags of the LGBTQ+ Community

15 8 Ways To Support the LGBTQ+ Community

Enjoy!

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Gauge Becker

Meet the creators Hihi I’m Gauge. I have some family and a sister and a dog and another dog. I like math, and I’m not very good at hangman. I like to play my music loud and have fun with my friends

Bryan Gonzalez Hello my name is Bryan Gonzalez and I’m an incoming Freshman to LASA. I was born in Guatemala and I’m the oldest of my siblings. In school my favorite subjects are math and science. I’ve been playing the clarinet all throught middle school and I will continue to play the clarinet becuase it is a wonderful and fun instrument to play.

Sowmya Kulukuru

Hi, I’m Sowmya, and we’re ALL incoming freshman, Bryan. I was born in Michigan and recently moved here from California. I have two siblings, my little sister and my dog. I like to write stories and talk to my friends in California because they’re the best. If my family is reading this later, hi! Hope you like the magazine!

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A letter from the creators Hi! Thanks for picking up this magazine! Our magazine is all about the LGBTQ+ community. By reading, you can learn about the struggles that the community faces, and the issues that they have overcome in the past. The LGBTQ+ community is often thought to have won all their rights, and to be treated pretty equally in this day and age, but that is more than often not the case. The fight for rights is far from over. Luckily, we’ll tell you about how the many ways you can help! Keep reading to find out about ways to ally with the community, the various ways that people are discriminated against, the meanings of the different flags, and more! Thanks! - Sowmya K

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The Unfair Truth The LGBTQ+ community has experienced many struggles over the years but is still moving forwards. By Gauge Becker

Photo of the 48th annual LGBTQ+ pride parade in Chicago Illinois during pride month. Photo provided by Chicago Detours

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t’s an open secret that the LGBTQ+ community still isn’t getting the representation it deserves. Many schools and workplaces still apply hurtful policies that restrict people from living their best lives.

working and volunteering with the community for more than 20 years. She said that there are improvements that could be made for the community.

“I’ve seen a lot of change happen at UT in the last 20 The LGBTQ+ community has years” Elson said. ”And there achieved quite a bit over the are some things that students years. Even though they have are still asking for that they made many achievements, they were asking for 20 years ago.” still experience discrimination and unfair policies. Many of Elson also spoke about a study us focus on the progress that’s in 2006 about the policies been made, but we should still wanted by the LGBTQ+ be striving for a better world. community in UT. Liz Elson is the Gender and Sexuality Center director at The University of Texas, a group dedicated to support and counsel the LGBTQ+ community. She has been

“[Trans-Student Alliance] did a big report in 2006, and they asked for a lot of things including gender-inclusive housing, a way for trans students to change their name

online without having to go to the gender and sexuality center to do it, things like that… are slowly moving in the right direction” Elson said. “But students are still asking for some of the same things that they were asking for in 2006.” Wes Cowan is a clinical therapist for the LGBTQ+ community that specializes in transgender wellness. He believes that pride month is a great way to be able to admire the past achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. “When we get to take the time [to] see people’s stories, both current stories, because [we’re] still working on getting full protection and rights, and looking at where we came

Mental health America conducted a study throughout 2017 - 2019 with over 300,000 LGBTQ+ individuals. The results showed that 24% of the community has moderate to severe mental health conditions which is more than 4 million people in America. Graph provided by Mental Health America

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from, and seeing the fight, and how people were able to exist, and how we can still strive and thrive, just like folks in our past.” Cowan said. Elson agreed that pride month is important for representation, but also believed that it is more complicated than that. “There is, an increased visibility during Pride Month, that can also bring out some people that are a little bit more openly antagonistic to LGBTQ+ plus folks,” Elson said., “And so some of my students have actually said, ‘Gosh, as much as I love celebrating with my friends, as much as I love remembering the historical struggle and seeing people openly supporting us, sometimes I feel really tired. And I just want June to be

over so I can go back to living my life.’ And I think it’s one of those cases where my students would love for people to celebrate and support LGBTQIA+ folks all year, and not just during Pride Month.” With the growing acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, there is less and less discrimination and bullying but [it] is still far from completely gone. “The Trevor Project just put out a pretty compelling report that said there was a lot of LGBTQIA+ that were that were still experiencing harmful comments, hurtful policies, things that were stopping them from living their best lives and being their full selves,” Elson said.. Cowan believes that your past experiences may influence your understanding and treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. “I think with exposure and understanding, we will have less bullying.” Cowan said ”But Austin is a little pool of progressiveness. And when you go outside to smaller communities… there’s not as much exposure.” Elson has a unique view about coming out. He says that it is a lot more than a one-time

experience. “There’s a lot of pressure on people to come out,.” Elson said. “And it’s framed as a one-time thing [as if] you just come out. And that’s it. I think that most people that are in the LGBTQIA+ community find that we have to come out all the time. Anytime you may get a new friend, anytime you have to fill out paperwork at the doctors, they often will ask those questions.” To relieve the stress of coming out, Elson has a different suggestion. “Some of our students are using language about how it’s less important to come out.” Elson said. And it’s more important to come into yourself and to who you are as a person, and to know those identities for yourself and to feel self-assured, than it is to share that with everyone else.” Although we have still had a lot to improve on, we have already made great strides over the last 20 years. Over the years, the progress made has been able to help many people. “It’s rewarding for me to be able to provide that service,” Cowan said, “And it feels like I’m not working at all. And being a trans person myself, it’s rewarding that I can provide a safe space for my clients and that they know that I understand, without having to further explain things… it’s just

something that I get because it’s my own experience as well.” Elson has been able to rethink social norms after joining the LGBTQ+ community to feel more confident in herself. “I think it allows you to….

question a lot of the things that are told to folks that you have to doin your life, like you have to get married, and you have to have kids [and] you have to live a certain way and do a certain thing, and being queer has opened that up for me to examine all of the choices that I’ve made in my life.” Elson

said. “And I think the choices that I’ve made, are because I really wanted to do them, not just because I felt like I had to.” If you would like to support the LGBTQ+ community you can donate to the Trevor Project to help create an equal world for everyone.

Photo of ATX pride flag revealed during Austins FCs second home game. Photo provided by KVUE

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Lgbtq Time Line

Major events that affected the queer community in the 2000s.

2013 – Hollingsworth v. Perry / California Proposition 8 (Supreme Court Decision) Plaintiffs Perry (left) is celebrating the next big movement since the 2003 case, Lawrence v. Texas during the pride parade. The court ruled that the California ruling that marriage could only be between a man and a woman was unconstitutional. Photo provided by Wikipedia

2000

2003 – Lawrence v. Texas (Supreme Court Decision)

Tyron and John Lawrence are appearing at a Houston rally to celebrate their supreme court decision. This court rulling declared that criminlising gay or ledian sex was illigal under the 14th admentment(,.) Over rulleing the previos desion in Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986. Photo provided by outsmart houston lgbtq magazine

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2015 – Obergefell v. Hodges (Supreme Court Decision)

Demonstrators stand in front of the pride flag while the court hears the Obergefell v. Hodges case. The result of this case made same-sex marriages to be legal and seen equaly under federal law. Photo provided by us news

2016

2013 – U.S. v. Windsor / Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act – DOMA (Supreme Court Decision) Plaintiff Windsor celebrates the case allowing same sex mariage and stating that they will be seenequaly as any other under the federal law. Although the US v. Windsor case deemed it illigal to pervent same sex mariage but never made to equal under federal law. Photo provided by Freedom to Marry.

2016 - Orlando Shooting

The Orlando shooting took place on june 12, 2016 at a gay night club in orlando Florda. A 29-year-old man shot and killed 49 people while injuring 53 more. This is considered the worst shooting in America’s history. Photo provided by Phelan M. Ebenhack In The Closet | 13

Living with Pride People of the LGBTQ+ community are living through discriminations and Injustices By: Bryan Gonzalez

Bostock vs Clayton County was the name of the supreme court case that took place in Georgia.This Supreme court case came to be by three minor cases. Photo credit to Harvard Civil RIghts- Civil liberties law review

Being yourself shouldn’t be eye-catching. Why should other people mind? You're not seeking attention, you just want to live your life. There is hope that society will accept change and leave those dark times behind. People in the LGBTQ+ community have been fighting for equal rights for a very long time as long ago as the Stone Wall Riots. The ultimate goal for anyone in this life is to live happily, and other people's opinions shouldn’t In The Closet | 14

matter. There has been a lot of awareness surrounding the LGBTQ+ community during the month of June, but that still isn’t enough. The LGBTQ+ community needs national and worldwide awareness. People of the LGBTQ+ community don’t need to live their lives in fear, they should live them with Pride. Rachel Hill is the Community Outreach and Engagement Manager in the north region of Texas, for Equality Texas. She has advocated for over two

legislative sessions. Previously, she worked with the Dallas Regional Chamber to improve the quality of life for people in Dallas. Equality Texas is all about advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ people. “In Texas, we do not have any statewide non-discrimination protection, and there are also no federal non-discrimination protections. We're one of only a handful of states that doesn't have that. If you are denied housing, because you're LGBTQ+, there's not really a

whole lot you can do legally,” Hill said. “[In contrast] to that, there are some cities in Texas that do have local nondiscrimination protection laws, but they're all a little different. Some of them are only for sexual orientation and not for gender identity. [These laws] are all different in what you can do, whether there's a fine on the business, or whether the consequences are stronger than that.” Lorelai Myint is an upcoming senior for the year 2021 and is a student at the Liberal Arts Science Academy in Austin, Texas. She has participated in two protests about the Injustices happening in Myanmar.

that code that says the union of men and men, and the union of woman and woman is unnatural, even compared to the union of person to animals. And so, this is kind of a code that has been enforced by the military, because

said. Change is happening around the world. It's just taking its time adapting to the new ways of life. Slowly but surely things will change for the better. “Now, there was [2020] a US Supreme Court case that said that [getting fired for sexual orientation or gender identity] was no longer legal. It's the Bostock case and [it] said that civil rights protections in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extends to LGBTQ+ people, but only for employment. And it's only for companies that have 15 employees or more,” Hill said.

“When we think of injustice and hate crimes, we think of very extreme examples, and that's something that needs to be taken care of."

“I feel here in America, there's a lot more focus on LGBTQ+ rights, and there's a big push for that. I feel we're making a lot of progress. At least compared to other parts of the world [for example] Myanmar,” Myint said. Depending on where you’re from and where you live, that can have a positive or negative effect on your life. “This penal code from Myanmar that's kind of inspired by British colonial law. So it's been that way for a long time,” Myint said. “There's a specific section in

— Lorelai Myint

they have the idea of a model citizen.” Crimes are happening all around us. How can we distinguish between something minor and something major? “A hate crime is when someone commits a crime that is premeditated, and the motivation for that crime is because of animus towards a particular group of people. Whether it's based on someone's religion, sexual orientation, someone's gender identity, someone's race,” Hill

The Bostock Supreme Court decision was composed of three minor cases all put into one. Gerald Bostock was fired for participation in a gay softball league. Donald Zarda was fired from his skydiving job for mentioning to a client that he was gay. Aimee Stephens transitioned in her funeral home job and she got fired for that. “Aimee Stephens, unfortunately, passed away before the Supreme Court decision came down. She had health issues and she didn't have a job. So she didn't have health insurance. And so in part she didn't make it to see the Supreme Court decision. In The Closet | 15

A very high percentage (94%) of LGBTQ+ students in Texas hear Anti- LGBTQ+ remarks and a very low percentage of LQBTQ+ get the resources they need like Gender & Sexuallity Alliance (GSA) and inclusive curriculum according to the GLSEN 2019 National School Climate Survey.

Racial minorities need more representation as well as protection. Photo provided by Amazon

Now more than ever student’s are feeling more comfortable coming out as LGBTQ+ but they also need our help and the help of organizations so they get the respect and fair treatment as anyone else. “There's a really good report by GLSEN. It's an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ youth. They do a state by state breakdown on how many kids in each state report being bullied or hearing homophobic or transphobic remarks,” Hill said. The statistics in Texas are pretty high. It's something like 90% of kids. I don’t know the actual stat but a very high percentage of kids will hear at least some sort of verbal harassment in school in Texas.” In The Closet | 16

“I feel like I'm in my life. I don't know that many people are LGBTQ plus, but when I came to Lasa. I was definitely introduced to a lot more people who were part of that community,” Myint said. “It was an eye opening experience, and I didn't realize, LGBTQ plus people could experience that kind of discrimination or maybe I did know but I was less aware of it. and I started to care more because of my teachers, those adults. They were closer to me. So the problem is also seen.” In life you have a professional

and personal life. Anything outside your job or school is personal and people shouldn’t take action against you till an extent. “There was a kid named Trevor… he painted his nails. I think it was [Clide] . I think it was Snapchat[He uploaded the photos of his nails], and he got suspended from school, just for having painted nails and [Equality Texas] got involved,” Hill said. Most of us have heard teachers say “Whenever there is an issue contact a trusted adult” or some variation of that. “A lot of times, schools ,teachers and school administrators don't intervene. Teachers are supposed to be there to stand up for folks, right? They're the ones with authority in this situation. And then when they don't do anything it’s super

Lorelai Myint is a LASA student who gets involved. Photo provided by Lorelai Myint.

inmoralizing,” Hill said. Some people when growing up they grew up with certain viewpoints on different things and what is “normal” to something that is not normal. Parents most of all are not ready to “expose” their kids to the world. “You know, there's a teacher, even just a [May 2021] month ago, who was put on administrative leave for supporting LGBTQ kids in her classroom. All I do know is that she had kind of posters up in her classroom, saying, ask people their pronouns, and she had at least one lesson where she talkeds about what it meant to be transgender,” Hill said. “There was another teacher. She was from Texas. I can't remember the exact city, but she got fired, just for showing a picture of her and her wife inand Halloween costumes. That was enough to get her fired. And it was because, you know, a kid

came home and said, ``Hey, my teacher showed us a picture of her and her wife, and then someone freaked out.”

protected by law. You call that a hate crime but It does not extend to gender rights. At any time trans folks are left out in Texas,” Hill said.

Hill said that black transgender women have a very low life expectancy which is around the 30’s.

Everyone is living a different life with different struggles and society should help out more other than just judge and be unsupportive.

“There's an epidemic of black and brown transgender women being killed and every year it gets a little higher. It has been named an epidemic by the CDC,” Hill said. “There are several black trans women who have been murdered in Texas for being trans, [such as] Malaysia Booker” The state of Texas is one of the states with the most murders, hate crimes.

“Everything ties together. None of your identity Ideas are in a vacuum. And so if you are Dealing with homophobia and also racism Then you see lower health outcomes,” Hill said. If you're dealing with sexism because you're a woman, transphobia because you're trans, racism because you're Black. Like that's just the Perfect Storm”

“ In Texas if you're murdered because you're gay If you're murdered because of your race or your religion if your murdered because of your sex, all of those things are

If you want to be an ally for those people in your life who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, stand up for each other because there is nothing wrong with being yourself.

The pride flag represents the entirety of the LGBTQ+ community but there are other more specific flags. Photo credit by wikipidia and photo by Gilbert Baker.

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Sexual orentation LAws By: Bryan Gonzalez

You might want to reconsider the place in which you live. Most of the countries in North America are LGBTQ friendly which provide constitutional protection.

Living in South America as a member of the LGBTQ+ Community looks great, with many countries providing protection, but there are many countries which remain neutral.

The place in which you live can influence your lifestyle and choices if you are a member of the LGBTQ+ Community.

Information credit to Ilga world for leading a report by Lucas Mendos, Kellyn Botha, Rafael Carrano Lelis, Enrique Lopez de la pena, R.I. and Daron Tan for creating a map based on State-Sponrored Homophobia. Also a photo credit to Google maps for the template of the continents. In The Closet | 18

All of Europe is a welcoming place for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In the continent of Asia, most countries are neutral with some execptions, but that does not mean you’ll get the protection you need as well as the respect.

Many countries in Africa don’t support LGBTQ+ people and it is illegal to come out, because you can face jail time or even death.

Blue Constitutional protection

Neutral No protection

But respected

Red Jail time and Death sentence, publically humiliated

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Let’s Get Down To

BUSINESS By Sowmya Kulukuru

The Little Gay Shop, a one-stop shop that, as it says on the website, “exists to support, celebrate, and ignite the queer community.” Image provided by Justin Galicz, owner of The Little Gay Shop

Two models pose with We Are Fluide’s Otherworldly Palette Image Provided by Laura Kraber, co-founder of We Are Fluide

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The Little Gay Shop has made many changes in order to account for COVID-19 guidelines. Image provided by Justin Galicz

is no secret that not everyone is treated equally. Prejudice still runs rampant and there is no shortage of discrimination for things that are completely out of people’s control. However, in recent years, people have started pushing for change. With movements like Black Lives Matter, and multiple organisations bringing these issues to light, equality doesn’t seem too far off. Still, there is a long road ahead.

queer, black, and brown people in all of our campaigns,” Kraber said. “Our whole mission is to lift up and amplify the faces and voices of people from underrepresented communities in beauty, including black and brown faces, as well as LGBTQ+ faces.” These underrepresented communities are only recently being spotlighted, thanks to brands like Kraber’s. Even though they’ve come far, there is still a long way to go

“Beauty is opening up for everyone, and it’s not so limited anymore.” - Laura Kraber

A large part of daily life is influenced before everyone can be represented by social media. From Tiktok to equally, no matter what they look Youtube to Instagram, the media is like or how they identify. constantly in our faces, something that’s evident in many places. This “For decades, beauty has been lost in tends to spotlight one glaring old-fashioned, patriarchal ideals and difference between real life and the standards of beauty,” Kraber said. media: the faces that are seen. With “So whether it's, Twiggy from the strict standards of the beauty industry, internalised prejudice, and more, the representation of minorities is noticeably lacking. This discrimination can be seen in daily life as well; 22% of LGBTQ+ people in the United States live in poverty, compared to 16% of cisgender, heterosexual people, according to a study done by UCLA. Clearly, something needs to change. Even though sometimes it may seem like the struggle for equality is pointless, we are constantly gaining ground. Laura Kraber, the co-founder of Fluide, is active in the fight for representation. “We're still the only beauty brand that is consistently showcasing…

We Are Fluide hires all kinds of models, no matter their race or how they identify. Image provided by Laura Kraber

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the 60’s or Cheryl Tiegs in the 70’s, to Christie Brinkley in the 80’s, to people more within your lifetime, perhaps in the 90’s and 2000’s. It's been a lot of skinny, thin, white blonde models. “So what does it take to show a whole different way of representing beauty?” Despite the beauty industry’s history of cookie-cutter models, it has become a lot more accepting in recent years. Minorities of all kinds, although still underrepresented, are being shown, and some previously strict standards are slowly melting away to give way to a more positive and accepting outlook on beauty. “I think [the beauty industry] is definitely changing,” Kraber said. “And we're a part of that change, we're a harbinger of change, as well as part of a trend, which is ‘let's democratize fashion and

beauty.’ We see that moving beyond just skin tones and gender identity, or sexual orientation, to also include people who are considered fat, or people who are disabled.

unapologetically themselves in our space, and they would be able to see themselves represented in some capacity,” Galicz said.

“So what does it take to show a whole different way of representing beauty?” Laura Kraber People with all different body types, and all different levels of abilities, are going to start being featured more in fashion and beauty… Beauty is opening up for everyone, and it's not so limited anymore.” Justin Galicz, the owner of The Little Gay Shop, also works towards equal representation. He started his store to create a special place for people who identify as LGBTQ+. “We just wanted to create a safe space where all queer people could be

With The Little Gay Shop, Galicz aims to let everyone see themselves in some aspect, especially members of the ever-growing queer community in Austin. “I think… queer people have an especially difficult time, and less so now than ever before, but there's still barriers [preventing] representation of seeing yourself,” Galicz said. “So I think one of the things that we really try to do in our space… is ensuring that all of our products create a diverse sense of experience, and background, so that no matter who comes in, they will be able to be able to walk into our store and actually see themselves, which I think is one of the most powerful things that you can do.” LGBTQ+ people and businesses like his often struggle, more than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. Fortunately, there are ways to help.

A few of the many LGBTQ+ positive products that The Little Gay Shop sells. Image provided by Justin Galicz

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“I think buying from queer business owners, buying

for Pride Month is to raise from local shops when you awareness and make sure can, and buying from local, small, independent businesses, that people in the LGBTQ community feel accepted,” regardless of their queer Kraber said. “But every day of nature still helps us by creating and fostering community, and the year, every month of the year, individuals can make keeping the wealth inside sure that they're an ally to the the city itself as opposed to it queer community by being going out externally,” Galicz open and accepting, and being said. “So just buying local supportive. And that may and buying small is one of the mean donating money, if you biggest ways to help.” have money, it may mean listening and being a part of As well as shopping at the local level, boosting businesses conversations, and advocating, and standing up for rights, and online can also help. voting for people who support your rights.” “One of the simplest things you can do for businesses is

“...buying local and buying small is one of the biggest ways to help.” - Justin Galicz to just share their posts on social [media], like, comment, share with your friends, things like that,” Galicz said. “Especially because the current Instagram algorithms do not particularly favor queer businesses, especially queer, POC businesses, their content seems to be more inhibited than then some other content outlets. So ensuring that you like and reshare… so that you can continue to boost their content on social is a great way [to support them.]”

Pride Month also tends to suffer from excessive marketing, AKA ‘rainbowwashing,’ from big brands.

“I think it's only gotten worse, but this concept of rainbow capitalism [where] your big brands like Target or Chase Bank or Levi’s… think that they can simply slap a $10,000 donation to the Trevor Project or something like that to overcome the fact that they're one) probably exploiting workers in labor overseas to make these products, and While Pride Month does help to two) they're probably… not even hiring or working with spread awareness about these queer identifying people in the sorts of issues, the LGBTQ+ creation of these campaigns,” community benefits greatly Galicz said. “So ensuring that from year-round support. big organizations that do pride “I think the goal for individuals campaigns work with actual

queer people, hire actual queer people, give actual queer people money for it and not rip them off, ensuring that they are continuing to be an ally and a supporter of the queer community outside of just the one month. And also ensuring that the profits or proceeds are going to a good cause.” The involvement of big brands in Pride Month is an ongoing debate, and has sparked quite a few calls for change. “But when it comes to corporations and brands, that's where the onus is a little heavier, where the corporatization of pride means that so many companies… they call it rainbow washing, where they're just covering their logo with a rainbow, or making a rainbow themed shopping bag, or whatever [they do] to show support, but what are they really doing all year long?” Kraber said. “And that really often comes down to donations, to the politicians that are either advancing or not advancing our rights.” The LGBTQ+ community faces many struggles, and these struggles are often amplified for business owners. Despite the the spotlight on the queer community every June, people often forget that the struggle for representation and equal rights is far from over. Still, there are many ways to make a difference and, hopefully, soon the future will be brighter for the LGBTQ+ community. In The Closet | 23

8 Ways to support the LGBTQ Community By Sowmya Kulukuru

The queer community has accomplished a lot when it comes to striving for their rights. However, the fight is not over, and from microaggressions towards coworkers to legislations restricting the rights of queer citizens, this issue shows itself everywhere,. Here are 8 ways you can ally yourself with the local LGBTQ+ community and help out your queer neighbors.

Be Open Minded

Speak Out Call someone out if you hear them using discriminatory language, such as “That’s so gay.” It might be awkward to do so, but letting someone know that they’re wrong can push them to do research and change their behavior.

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that different does not always mean wrong. Being open minded to others opinions will not only show them that you can be trusted, but you might be surprised at how much you learn.

Research and Educate It never hurts to learn more, and this especially applies to the LGBTQ+ community. Many false and harmful myths are perpetuated simply because people don’t have the knowledge to say otherwise. Not to mention, doing research will allow you to educate others and help them learn as well. In The Closet | 24

Create Inclusive Spaces Help make your school/workplace more inclusive by encouraging protective policies, supporting queer coworkers and friends, and calling out discriminatory speech, even microaggressions that seem minor. The queer people around you will definitely appreciate it.

Keep up with Politics Keeping up with politics can feel like a chore, but doing so can actually help! There are still attempts to cut back on the hard-earned freedom and the rights that the queer community has fought for, and signing petitions, going to protests, and speaking out are all ways to combat the discrimination this community faces.

Buy from Queer Businesses Shopping at local, queer-owned businesses is a great way to give back to the community, and get something nice out of it in the process! By shopping at the local level, the money stays in the community, and you can be sure that it’ll help someone out as well.

Go to Protests and Parades

Donate to Charities/Nonprofits A large part of the LGBTQ+ community lives in poverty. One way to help is to donate to the charities and nonprofits that work tirelessly to fix this problem. Donating takes little effort on your part, but can have a big effect on those who really need it.

Going to local protests and parades is a great way to show support for and get involved with the queer community. It’s also a good way to get to know new people and to learn more about your local LGBTQ+ community.

Information Provided By: Lambda Legal Katie Dupere, Mashable Kaitlin Miller & Syjil Ashraf, The Active Times

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20 Flags of the LGBTQ + Community Pride flag The rainbow pride flag represents the LGBTQ+ community, and is one of the most well known flags of the community. The colors represent the diversity and variation of the queer community.

Progress flag The progress flag adds a chevron over the basic six striped flag, to symbolise the marginalised communities: people of color, people with HIV/AIDS, and trangender people. The arrow pointing to the right symbolises forward movement and progress.

Transgender flag

Transgender means that someone's personal identity and gender does not match up with their birth sex. The transgender flag has five stripes in blue, pink, and white. Blue, the color typically assigned to baby boys, represents masculinity, while pink represents femininity, and the white stripe represents those who have an undefined gender, are intersex, or are transitioning genders.

Bisexual flag Bisexuality is to be sexually attracted to two or more genders. The bisexual flag has three colors: pink, purple and blue. Pink represents attraction to the same gender, blue represents atraction to the opposite gender, and the purple stripe represents attraction to 2 or more genders.

Lesbian flag Lesbian usually refers to a person who identifies as a woman, and is romantically or sexually attracted to other women. The most well-known lesbian flag has a gradient from orange to white, with special meanings for each color: non-conformity, independence, community, relationship to womanhood, peace, love, and femininity. In The Closet | 26

Bigender flag

Bigender people experience two gender identities. This can be at the same time, or varying between the two. These genders can be male and female, or can include non-binary identies as well. Bigender should not be confused with bisexual, and people who identify as bigender can be any sexuality. There is no single bigender flag, but this is the most widely known one.

To be agender means to not identify with any particular gender. Agender is not the same as nonbinary, but it is possible to be nonbinary and agender. (See Nonbinary Flag) The black and white stripes represent absence of gender, the gray stripe represents semi-genderlessness, and the green stripe represents nonbinary genders.

Genderfluid flag

Agender flag

Genderfluid is an identity in which a person's sense of gender changes and varies over time. A genderfluid person's gender is always changing, and the rate at which it changes may depend on the person. The pink stripe represents femininity, white represents a lack of gender, purple represents both masculinity and femininity, black represents all genders, and blue represeents masculinity.

Genderqueer is similar to nonbinary, but while nonbinary applies to all who identify outside of the male and female gender binaries, genderqueer can describe those who are genderfluid or questioning their gender. The lavender stripe represents a mixture of blue and pink, or a cross between masculinity and femininity. The white stripe represents agender, or genderlessness, and the green stripe represents the "third gender," or identities outside of the binary.

Genderqueer flag

Genderflux flag Genderflux refers to people who's gender varies in intensity. Genderflux people tend to fluctuate on the spectrum of one gender, which may go from agender to demigender (to be partially connected to a gender) to fully one gender, or anything in between. Someone who experiences multiple genders that also fluctuate in intensity would be called multiflux. NOTE: Sex refers to one's bodily anatomy. Gender is about who you are, and what gender you feel yourself to be. Sexual orientation refers to who you are sexually attracted, and romantic orientation refers to who you are romantically attracted to.

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Nonbinary flag Nonbinary is an umbrella term that refers to people who identify as neither male nor female. Nonbinary people can express their gender in any way, because the label is not tied to any single form of gender expression. The term 'nonbinary' can be coupled with other labels in order to fully express one's gender. For example, someone may identify as nonbinary as well as transgender.

Aromantic flag Aromantic means to experience little to no romantic attraction. This does not mean they cannot experience sexual attraction, although it is possible to identify as aromantic and asexual. Aromanticism, like asexuality, exists on a spectrum. Aromantic people may experience no romantic attraction, and they may experience it only sometimes, or only with people they know well.

Asexual flag Asexual means to experience little to no sexual attraction. Like aromanticism, this can exist on a spectrum, with people experiencing no, little, or fluctuating amounts of sexual attraction. Some people can identify as both aromantic and asexual, one, or neither.

Demisexual flag To be demisexual means to only be attracted to people who you know well, or who you have a bond with. Demisexuality is considered to be gray-ace, meaning it falls under the asexual spectrum. The black chevron represents asexuality, the gray stripe represents grayasexuality, the white stripe represents sexuality, and the purple stripe represents community.

androgyne flag

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Androgyne is another identity that falls under the nonbinary umbrella. It means to be male and female at the same time, or to be somewhere in between. Some androgyne people may identify as bigender, while others may identify as nonbinary. An androgyne person may not be equally masculine and feminine. Androgyne shouldn't be confused with androgynous, which means to present in a gender neutral way. Androgyne is a gender identity, while andogynous is a quality that someone can have.

Vincian flag

"Vincian" is one of many terms created to describe gay men or masculine-aligned people attracted to other men/masculine people, since the term gay has come to be associated with the entire LGBTQ+ community. Although vincian is the most commonly seen term, there are many others, such as Uranian, Carnatian, and Viridian, although these words are not as frequently used.

pansexual flag Pansexuality is attraction to all people, no matter what gender they are. Unlike bisexuality and omnisexuality, people who are pansexual are considered to be "genderblind," meaning that the gender of a person doesn't matter to them.

intersex flag

Intersex means to have sex organs that do not look like typical male/female reproductive organs, or do not fit binary ideas about sex and bodies. Some people don't ever find out that they are intersex, because it is not always visible at first glance. There are many varied definitions of what it means to be intersex. People who are intersex face a lot of prejudice and discrimination.

Omnisexuality is similar to pansexuality, but those who are omnisexual are not gender-blind, meaning they take notice of their partners gender, even if it may not make a huge difference concerning attraction. Omnisexuality, pansexuality, and bisexuality all fall under the category of "multisexuality," meaning to be attracted to multiple genders.

omnisexual flag

polyamory flag Polyamory means to have a relationship with multiple people, with the consent and knowledge of everyone involved. Polyamory may refer to an open relationship, or a relationship with more than two people. Polyamory is not a sexuality, but a description of a relationship, and people in a polyamorous relationship can have any sexuality. Polyamory should not be confused with polysexuality (attraction to multiple genders) or polygamy (marriage to multiple people), although some In The Closet | 29 polyamories involve marriage.