Creativebrief’s Post

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe is the most challenged book in America for the third year in a row. In the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023, released by ALA today, All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson is No. 2 for the second straight year. Many of the titles are the same as in 2022, with seven from last year's list among the most targeted again. In the third spot, This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson replaces Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, which dropped to No. 6. The LGBTQIA+ community continues to come under attack with seven of the titles challenged for having LGBTQIA+ content. The other three books were challenged for, among other things, sexually explicit content, including rape in two. The full list:

175. The Sacred and Profane Project Epilogue: Part 3—"Presentation and Representation of Gender, Identity, Sex, Sexuality in Illustrations and Illuminations" Since so much creative work from certain time periods and in certain genres was and still is greatly impacted with the implementation of the Hays Code (1934-1968)*, and the rating systems of the Motion Picture Association**, and the TV Parental Guides***, so much of LGBTQIA+ representation and narrative had become en/coded.**** Thus, media imagery from the past can sometimes be viewed as cisgendered, heterocentric, heteronormative, stereotypical, coded. As for the use of such imagery as illustration and illumination for these writings (posts and comments) you can presume when presented with an assumed heterosexual context (male/man and female/woman) that the elasticity of my brain, education, experiences, philosophies, and thinking, allows me to tumble that around in my head like laundry, in that the gender, identify, sex, and sexuality that is portrayed and projected doesn’t always matter to the words being spoken or signed, or the emotions and themes conveyed by characters' stories or narratives' arcs. The use of imagery of women does not mean I want to be heterosexual or female, or have sexual relations with someone who identifies as female, or that I am confused about my sexual identity or that I desire to be transgendered or transsexual. It means something caught my attention (colors, movements, sounds, messages, passages) and I may have identified, for whatever reasons, with the character and performance and the message that was being portrayed and telegraphed. I have been asked several times why gay men specifically so strongly identify with depictions of strong female archetypes and their womanly ways in a variety of media. I’m quite sure this has already been researched and written about, but a shorter answer here could be that for LGBTQIA+, like anyone not treated as equals in life’s demographics and histories, we long for and strive to see ourselves represented in the world, so as to know, that yes, we exist, we are alive, we are here! And with prohibitions of that representation during upheavals brought upon by political and religious campaigns, the social mores of Victorian and Edwardian periods, Jim Crow, the Hays Code, etc. you had to take what you could get from suppressed and clandestine underground subcultures and interpolate that with what you got from approved and mandated mainstream media.***** Of course, there has been so much improvement of this representation now and in the last few decades, but there is always more work—so much work—to be done!******

Day 2 of posting for Pride Month! 🌈 Let's take a moment to dive into LGBTQIA+ terminology and language. Understanding the words we use is essential in fostering an inclusive workplace and showing respect to the diverse identities within the Queer community. I can speak towards personal experience while working in higher education. I presented at a conference around 2015-2016 on support transgender students in the admissions process. My session? Educating our leaders and members of these offices on shared language for us to communicate with both internally amongst ourselves and external with our students. Language holds power by creating spaces for our communities to explore and grow. It gives us common understanding to discuss and learn about things that may new or different from us and who we are. Take a moment to check out this page from the Human Rights Campaign with a glossary of terms. You may be familiar with some, and others may be new. Either way let's continue our journey of learning, understanding, and embracing the richness of LGBTQIA+ experiences. https://lnkd.in/e2QW-Xgk #pridemonth #lgbtqia #languagematters

Lot’s of queer rom-coms these days, but why are they all heteronormative? Have loved seeing more queer representation on screen recently—and not discounting the huge impact that’s having—but kind of wondering why mainstream queer media puts their queer characters into a heteronormative box. Is it because we’re afraid of getting (more) pushback from anti-LGBTQ+ groups? Seems like instead of showing relatively privileged characters finding monogamous relationships, we have the opportunity to celebrate other parts of our expansive queer experience. Ready to see some characters tackle non-monogamy, and open relationships. One of the best things about being queer is that we get to make up our own rules, right? https://lnkd.in/evM9zzb3?

🏳️⚧️Today is Trans Day of Visibility. 🏳️⚧️ Simple actions to be an ally: 1. Put your pronouns in your bio. 2. Introduce yourself using your pronouns, instead of asking others what theirs are. 3. Support, follow, share, and amplify Trans voices and businesses owned by Trans folks every day. 4. Educate yourself on the difference between gender expression, gender identity and sexuality. 5. Everyone makes mistakes; if you accidentally misgender someone or use the wrong pronoun, apologize, correct yourself and move on. A little compassion goes a long way.

On this Transgender Day of Visibility, I’d like to offer a (perhaps contrarian) thought. Visibility is not the problem or the solution. Having gone through my own coming out process when I did, and especially doing so in the workplace, I have so much empathy, respect, and admiration for transgender folks who have the courage to be out and be seen. I see you, friends, and I stand with you. The solution for the mess we’re in, is ensuring that, beyond visibility, we prioritize the dignity and rights of our transgender family, friends, and colleagues. We must all advocate. We are in this together. It begins with education. Check out this great resource from the Trevor Project on how to be an ally.

I wonder why some people working in civil society organisations find it so difficult to recognise that in their workplaces, we exist, people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions. Why do they find it so difficult to respect and use our pronouns? How can we say we work for human rights if we are upstaging the rights of LGBTIQ+ people? #humanrights #lgbtiqpeoplematter https://lnkd.in/eXxktT-Q

#ABBIorg TERMS TO AVOID “homosexual” (n. or adj.) Because of the clinical history of the word “homosexual,” it is aggressively used by anti-LGBTQ activists to suggest that people attracted to the same sex are somehow diseased or psychologically/emotionally disordered – notions discredited by the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association in the 1970s. Please avoid using “homosexual” except in direct quotes. Please also avoid using “homosexual” as a style variation simply to avoid repeated use of the word “gay.” Many mainstream news outlets’ style guides restrict use of the term “homosexual.” BEST PRACTICE gay (adj.); gay man or lesbian (adj., n.); gay person/people Use gay, lesbian, or when appropriate, bisexual, pansexual, or queer to describe people attracted to people of the same gender or more than one gender. Ask people how they describe themselves before labeling their sexual orientation. https://lnkd.in/gmKKqPbk

From educators to allies to folks who are trying to expand their understanding of language and labels, our LGBTQ+ Glossary is a valuable resource. Plus, our award-winning LGBTQ+ Fundamentals series recently expanded to include new educational video companions to enhance the learning experience. Check it out. #education #inclusivelanguage #lgbtq #glossary #itgetsbetter #language #learning #educators