fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
The “Happiest Season” Perfectly imperfect family
By: Leo Storyteller
Tags: Movies, Queer, LGBTQ, Happiest Season, Review

To be honest, I sat down to watch this rom-com with a lot of skepticism. I read a few reviews and didn’t expect much.

However, I will watch anything that says ‘Kristen Stewart” on it, so I gave it a try. This turned out to be one of the most satisfactory movies I have seen in 2020. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it immersed me into my own memories of getting out of the closet. So many feelings that I could relate to.

But don’t let the reviews trick you; this is not “another yet a coming out story”

The coming out is just a premise used to tell a classic family story. The resolution of this coming-out plotline comes twenty minutes before the end of the movie. And as we filmmakers like to say, every story is told for the last twenty minutes. This is where we hide the main idea, and we build all the tension just to see how the “final battle” will end.

If you keep that in mind, you will never mistake “Happiest Season” for a coming-out movie.

It is a story about psychological traumas, and how we are wired to lie about who we are to maintain the status quo. Everyone in Harper’s family has an issue (raise a hand if you don’t ), something complex, something that needs to be toldout loud. But instead of being a family and discuss it, they will hide the problems at all costs relying on good looks and a neat Instagram account.

This all will come to an end when Harper pushes Abby, her girlfriend, to stay in a closet for “just five days.”

As lately Harper will say to Abby: “you are my family”.

Well, if you push your family to lie about who they are, you will have precisely the situation we see in the movie.

At the end of the day, every family member is just a Harper’s projection, playing “seek and hide” with themselves and all people around.

This easy-to-watch movie is more profound than you can think. It is not only about being queer and dealing with rejection. It is about being yourself no matter who you are, and continuously fearing rejection in our “cancel culure” world.

A great Christmas movie to remind us what the family really means, what it takes to have a “perfect ”one, and how Christmas time can be the Happiest Season if we find the courage to stay true to ourselves.
My Mom is Not the Best, And That’s Okay, I Still Love Her
By: Lance Tolentino
Tags: Love, Queer, LGBT, Moms

It is common in our culture that we champion our parents, specifically our moms throughout the world. So common, that every mother’s day my feed on Facebook is flooded by general sentiment: “you are the best mom in the world!”

I do not mean to offended anyone. There’s nothing wrong or harmful about that notion. But one day, as the breeze of the sky stumbled on my head, I’ve thought about something. That my mom is not the best mom, and that’s fine with me. What she lacks is what she gains to be more loving mom.

It just a flash of light when I thought about this. Let’s be clear: I do not hate her. Okay, I concede that sometimes I was mean to her. Anyway, I thought about this because why I do not feel that she’s the best mom? Am I a bad person? At first, I felt guilty. But at second thought, that became the primary, is that don’t I think that loving her is enough?

I don’t like to show off that I have a privilege that I have a good and awesome mom. it’s an eerie for other people to found out they have no mom like I do. They are hunted by the thought of not being able to have the mom-child connection like I have. It triggers jealousy, which if I was on other opposite position, I will definitely curse my life for not being blessed enough. I am not pointing out that you should not do that; proclaiming you have the privilege to have a mom. It’s just that I don’t feel like it is a need for me to do it.

I also do not want to use her as a tool to compete with others. I dislike pressuring her to be a mom that I expect, which I did before. I pressured her to dress like 30’s mom. She was forced to dye her white hair into a black one just for my classmates to be ignorant about her actual age. I do not want her to be the best; to be the coolest, smartest, and the most loving mom in the entire world. Because she and I only belonged not in the world full of moms but a small world filled only by our tears, laugh, and pain. (I exclude my siblings lol)

So what now that she’s not the best? It’s simple. She will have more room for improvement and growth in being my mom. I was disappointed when she is not liberal as I want her to be. But in the present time, it is more fun to educate my mom; on why Marcos is not the best president we never had; on why activism is vital in a liberal democracy; on why transwoman are a living woman.

You know what is the best part? She accepted me for being me;

For being queer. (not straight)
“Genesis”: A Queer Creation Poem about the Breastfeeding God
By: Flora Tang
Tags: Queer, Queer Poetry, Theology, Catholic, Poetry

In the sink with water filled to the rim,

and a soaked shirt sunk to the bottom — water

Now clouded by breastmilk, baby urine, sweat,

and the reflection of her own face —

She saw her fatigued face and the face

of the God of many breasts,

the God who brought light into darkness,

Water into dry land,

Whose leaky overflowing breasts fed her ancestors in exile with milk and honey,

Whose tender raw nipples which carry the marks and memories

of the ferocious suckle of newborn lips,

form the many breasts of blessing for all generations.

(End.)

“Feeding, a Painted Mother” Photo by Orin Zebest

This poem expands on the biblical imagery of “el shaddai”, commonly translated as “God Almighty” in the English versions of the Bible, yet in Hebrew, the words originally contain the meaning of “God of many breasts.” El Shaddai commonly appears in God’s discourse with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the book of Genesis, promising them God’s protection and the fruitfulness of their lineage. El Shaddai is often known as one of the first feminine imageries of God in the Hebrew Bible, its symbolism stringing through other biblical texts with God’s provision of milk and honey to the people of Israel and feeding people during times of famine.

Envisioning breasts as a site of divine encounter, this poem expands upon the image of God (or an image of divine encounter) as a new mother who gets up in the middle of the night — perhaps out of sleeplessness, perhaps out of tired frustration — to wash the fresh breastmilk stains off her nightshirt. I named the poem Genesis for its allusions to the creation story, from the imagery of breasts that fed a newborn child, to the woman flicking on a light in the middle of darkness, to turning on water to fill an empty sink. This poem is both a queer creation story and a return to a deeply embodied, feminine image of God: a very bodily, scarred, and tangible image, where both the character, the writer, and the reader can encounter a motherly God with exposed, leaky breasts of life.
Lifesaving toxicity-Queerphobic Bond
By: Happy Fam Ea
Tags: East Africa, Lgbtq Youth, Queer, LGBTQ, Same Sex Marriage

A pensive evening, some very conservative gospel music blasting on my earplugs. Am sitting at a local cafe typing away some emails with a jar of cappuccino-yeah it's one of those hippie cafes.

I do this often, not listen to music while working remotely- that’s obvious- but find myself listening to some back-in-the-day radical Christian artist singing about fire and brimstone to all queer people.

Now, at first, -when I realized my bisexuality at 19- I couldn't listen to such content, it was just too much listening to someone constantly telling me how am supposed to be burning in some pit of hell but lately, I find it oddly relaxing. Almost as if it seems to remind me of something very different from its context yet weirdly familiar.

Growing up in a very radical Christian African family - no correction -country- has its own perks, you know more like “traditions”. Like how we used to listen to continuous tapes of gospel artists together back in the day till midnight on Friday evenings and Saturday’s attend overnight fellowships. It was our family norm until I was probably 17.

At 24 now, less of any type of a Christian and far from my family. Sometimes I just want to connect with my family again, you know to feel the familiar warmth again, like my mum humming to the song with an off-tune voice, my little sister singing the wrong lyrics all the damn time and little me just laughing while I just mess it all up with some improvised drum made of cooking fat tin- yes we all used that. And guess what, that toxic track always gets me on the family warmth even if it's the most queerphobic song I have ever heard.

Now I admit to being quite a sentimental person so I feel a lot, contrary to what men are “supposed to” and while it's not something to be proud of I have found myself jamming to the lyrics of the song while thinking -damn, this woman is crazy.

But just like the love, we share when my boyfriend and I are all on the crypts hating on some celebrity we saw on tv or my family is closer together when hating on queer people. Who knew toxicity can be a lifesaver, a source of warm bonds-as long as it's not violent!

I have been using it to close the gap between me and my fam!
Dream Girl
By: Mia Darlington
Tags: Queer, LGBTQ, Poem, Love, Poetry

Last night I had a dream

That I had kissed a girl with purple hair,

She smiled at me and leaned in close

And whispered something in my ear,

She was singing a song by Elton John,

Something slow and quiet and fun,

And I knew then that I loved her,

But only for the next few seconds,

Before I woke up and she was gone,

It felt weird that she wasn’t there,

When I woke up in bed alone

Thinking about her purple hair.
I Am Aberrant
By: Esther Spurrill-Jones
Tags: Queer, Weird, LGBTQ, Neurodiversity, Poetry

I’ve called myself lazy.

I’ve called myself crazy.

I’ve settled on simply, “I’m weird.”

I seem polished, shiny,

But I am untidy.

I’m not the square I appear.

I may be deranged,

But I have not changed:

I’ve always been more than appeared.

I am aberrant,

Though it’s not apparent:

I am neurotic and queer.
taxidermy & taking the train
By: Adam Montana
Tags: Queer, Poet, Queer Poetry, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

1

.

three bodies touch me at once —

i can see the roots of it all as they wander from surface

to navel and skin to skin and it is all half-mast at nightfall

but no one is asking to leave.

.

the light posts are illuminated in reverse

and where was dark yesterday being marigold and

lukewarm under midday sun and the bodies have grown

shrewd and sandpaper but they still touch me the same

so there is nothing to discuss over a dinner where

no one has ever had anything to say.

.

when the train comes can we sit together?

can our feet touch and eyes lock and the whirling

and the spinning might shake our circles back to circles

and diamonds back to coal, contract broken, seal dissolved

to slosh and soot to rub under aforementioned eyes

and scare the windows like they do us?

.

or have you already jumped the turnstiles

and left me to rot under the kitchen table

begging for scraps as it fastens to my spine

and all three bodies abandon me at once.

.

2

.

it is funneling and intestinal and it reeks

but we need it and we paid for it and youth is to stake

as witch is to hand is on the small of my back?

hand on the brim of my chest, hand knuckle deep in my gullet?

.

when the train comes will you shove me hard?

can you tie my laces together and two-step, too often

leave me to mold with the headboard — are you not famished?

are your ribs not peeking through the skin, marinated, broiled,

ready for you to grind them to dust just to send me a postcard

.

of what you’re not missing; not wishing was

dead but would kill to feel welcome in that same skin

again, molted from top to bottom, molten from ashes to flame,

moot and ripe and perfectly legal but reprehensible nonetheless.

just say it like to the pile of my bones on the track, i’ll say it back;

divinity welts like sin and you’re the blackest of blues.

.

three bodies touch me at once,

but not one of them mine.
I feel your stories, thank you for putting yourself out there for us to witness you, its brave and vulnerable. Through your voice i Can feel some of the shadows you carry. Us empaths are out there…
Tags: Queer, Trauma, Trauma Recovery, Queer Theory, Neurodiversity

I feel your stories, thank you for putting yourself out there for us to witness you, its brave and vulnerable. Through your voice i Can feel some of the shadows you carry. Us empaths are out there you’re one of them for sure. There are a lot of hurt people hurting people out in this world, thier shits not yours to carry.

I pray this resource brings you as much pleasure and empowerment to read as it has for me.

What would your life look like if at every turn you asked yourself is this something I want to be doing? If it isnt then dont. You dont even have to know why, get grounded in your body learn to listen to your nervous system you have many powers. Embrace them, you deserve it.

https://liberationandmedicine.wordpress.com/2019/12/12/queer-attachment-an-anti-oppression-toolkit-for-relational-healing/
sepia
By: Rowen Maeve
Tags: Queer, Poem, Poems On Medium, New Writers, Poetry

face changing colors in the sky,

rotate along the surface of your eyes,

contrast that,

cuts you into pieces.
Surviving the Holidays as a Queer Person
Tags: Queer, Christmas, LGBTQ, Family, Holidays

The holidays are a super rough time for many queer people. Many of us are forced to be around homophobic family members who won’t acknowledge our significant others. Many of us experience transphobia and being dead-named and misgendered. Some of us are even without anyone to celebrate with.

I’ve experienced many holidays where I wasn’t invited, where I was left isolated, where I was misgendered, and where my identity was completely disregarded. Those type of days sure do sting. As a teenager, they were unavoidable and you may be in the same situation. I know many queer people are going through similar circumstances and feelings this holiday season, so let’s dive in…

Here’s some getting-through-the-holidays-as-a-queer-person tips I’ve learned along the way:

If you have no other choice but to spend the holidays around transphobic/homophobic family members, then make sure you go in to the party as ready as you can be. Have a few friends on speed dial that you can call when you need to vent or text for comfort throughout the holiday festivities. Having a persons ear, whether it’s an online friend on Reddit or Instagram, or a school friend, could help to take a little weight off your shoulders. Take moments for yourself. Step away from the people and the party. When I was a teenager, I used to step away and play my guitar in another room to take a break from the misgendering and dead-naming. Doing something that I loved helped me to feel okay through the ignorance. For me, playing guitar was how I could escape, so I did that. Think of what makes you feel calm and do that. Maybe that’s bringing earbuds and listening to your favorite music? Maybe it’s bringing a book with you? Maybe it’s bringing a coloring book? Bring a healthy escape with you.

3. Check to see what your local LGBTQ centers are doing. This year, it might be easier to find a virtual holiday plan because you actually don’t have to be local to a center to attend an event. If you can, get on Zoom, and get to an LGBTQ center event or support group. You might even meet someone that becomes chosen family!

4. You’re quarantining? Then let’s make it a Holiday Queer-antine! Schedule a Zoom party with your favorite people! Dress up in your favorite holiday gear. Make some hot chocolate. Put up some lights. Connect with the ones you love. Sing holiday tunes together. Play games. Be with your chosen family, even if that is virtually.

5. Know that you are not alone. Thousands of queer people are going through this same exact thing. Keep it in mind, that you are not alone, and that you don’t have to do the holidays like this forever. One day you will be old enough to spend the holidays with your chosen family. You’ll get to have a different experience, so please, just stick this one out! I believe in you!

Please know that no matter what happens this Holiday season, you are valid and loved. Stay true, stay you! Love, Ryan Cassata
Funny Boy Review: An Emotionally Intense and Inspirational Film Despite its Flaws
Tags: Queer, Film Reviews, Funny Boy, Tamil, Shyam Selvadurai

By Harrish Thirukumaran

The recently released film adaptation of the 1994 novel by author Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy, was an engaging film overall despite the public controversy and flaws surrounding it.

It was an emotionally intense and inspirational film in artistically depicting the Queer Tamil experience in Sri Lanka, a country where homosexuality has been illegal and stigmatized throughout its history. It placed evolving generational differences at the forefront, as characters like ‘Radha Aunty’ can be seen defying cultural norms and embracing uniqueness, particularly in Arjie Chelvaratnam, the film’s protagonist.

Kumar Ratnam remarked that Funny Boy is a great movie if you can forgive some bad modulation of Tamil and lack of native Tamil actors. Importantly, however, it brings issues for the Tamil community both in Sri Lanka as well as part of the global diaspora to mainstream. It is done in an artistic and emotional way, all the way to the Oscars.

Queen’s University Assistant Professor, Amarnath Amarasingam, highlighted that the acting was excellent, especially Nimmi Harasgama, who played Nalini Chelvaratnam, Arjie’s mother. He also mentioned that the cinematography was excellent as the setting of the island of Sri Lanka was beautifully shot.

However, he noted that the Tamil and Sinhalese became very distracting and clunky with their transitions. It would have been preferable if the film were kept entirely in English in consideration of this from his view. Regardless, he was overall thankful that the Tamil issue and Black July 1983 are now being talked about in the mainstream, despite being far from perfect.

Bob Rae, the current United Nations Ambassador and Permanent Representative for Canada, commented that Shyam Selvadurai wrote a beautiful book and Deepa Mehta, the director of the film, has just made an extraordinarily beautiful, emotionally rich, and courageous film.

Along with tackling the circumstances of growing up gay in a deeply conservative society, it was also brave in depicting the issues surrounding the Tamil community regarding the Sri Lankan Civil War. Black July 1983 was dedicated its own extended scene, illustrating the horrors many Tamils faced. The tense Tamil-Sinhalese relations were on display through a wide range of situations throughout the film, demonstrating the deeply embedded nature of the conflict and its effect on daily life. It helped to put these issues in the mainstream for other audiences to hopefully take notice.

Funny Boy is a great moment for not only the film world and Queer community, but the Tamil community as well.
dreaming
By: Cm. Cancel
Tags: Queer, Latinx, Depression, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

all of my writings are dream-based realities,

things a manic-depressive makes up

as they lay lucidly at night pressed up against

the warmth of their husband.

Not all dreamworlds are blissful escapes.

Rarely are they sought out vacations

from the gray reality of everyday monotony

no, no, no

no they are not.

These instead are prisons,

My Pisces constellation drowning

stuck with heads beneath

the surfaces of Callisto, Enceladus, and Europa

and I have not yet learned to swim.
Sexuality is something we all talk about and discuss and label but as I think from my experience…
Tags: Queer, Sexuality, Queerness, LGBTQ, Gender

Sexuality is something we all talk about and discuss and label but as I think from my experience, ever thing is not limited everything is fluid more than we can ever imagine

As much as gender is fluid and as a gender fluid person I can say a lot about it

I’ve never imagined that what we used to put in categories is all wrong

Nothing stays in it’s please, nothing unchangeable

I always thought I’m a gay male until i discovered that I’m just queer as the word can mean
Department Store Pride Merchandise Actually Kinda Cute, Dammit
By: Ian Zandi
Tags: Satire, Queer, LGBTQ, Pride, Comedy

Browsing through her local Westfield Target, Erin Uribe, 24, was conflicted upon learning that the mid-tier department store’s Pride merchandise was “actually pretty cute.”

“I just came here for my sister’s birthday present, I never expected to see a Deborah Kass crewneck!”, she said in a hushed manner as her girlfriend walked by. “I mean, corporations are supposed to be evil. How could a big-bad money monster be capable of brandishing a neon-print Lance Bass facemask?”.

Target set their aim on marketing to the LGBTQ+ community after CEO Brian Cornell saw Neil Patrick Harris’ on-screen appearance in The Smurfs 2. “I walked right out of that theater. Not because the movie was bad. I enjoyed it quite a bit.”, he continued. “That man — Neil Patrick Harris. He had it. I Google’d it immediately to be sure. Yes. It was true. He had exactly what I was looking for. Money.” Cornell shortly after realized that NPH was also gay, and simply used that as a vessel to further his own riches. What started out as merely slapping rainbows on hoodies, has turned into an artisanal focused line of hip green-wearables.

As for Erin Uribe, she said she doesn’t intend to keep purchasing from such a devious conglomerate but “might walk past” the Pride section again next week when she comes “just for Cheez-Its”.
It’s #HumanRightsDay!
By: Queer Utopia
Tags: Humanrightsday, Queer, 16 Days Of Activism

It’s #HumanRightsDay!

During this #16DaysOfActivism, we talked to 5 humans who shared their thoughts on violence on queers, a violent free world dream and what we can do to reduce/stop violence.

You can listen to it on our Anchor. It’s 3 questions with…

Link is below and on our bio! Listen, share and tell us your thoughts!

https://anchor.fm/queer-utopia0/episodes/3-questions-with-en2107
Teaching Kids About Being LGBT
By: Cameron Martinez
Tags: Queer, LGBT, Education, YouTube, Gay

NEW YORK — A cohost, producer and writer emphasized the importance of teaching kids about gender and sexuality at an early age.

Lindsey Amer, CEO of Queer Kids Stuff, an educational web-series about being LGBT, spoke at a TED talk in June 2019.

“Talking to kids about gay stuff is actually crucial,” said Amer. “The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that children have a solid understanding of their gender identity by the age of four.”

As a result, Amer and their stuffed teddy bear have made several videos teaching kids. Amer said that the show is specifically made for kids aged 3–7, but everyone is welcome to learn from them.

Still, Amer said that suicide/homicide are still common among members of the LGBT community. “Lesbian, gay and bisexual teens are more than three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, and transgender teens are almost six times more likely,” says Amer. Commentator Frances Martinez, mother of three children, added: “Hearing the statistics around suicide is really hard to hear because of [my child] recently revealing her true self, but it had a strong impact on me.”

Yet, despite Amer’s best efforts to teach inclusivity they said that the channel has a lot of negative comments and people who wish Amer was dead.

Despite the negativity in the world, Amer has said that they choose to be positive and happy.

“It’s OK to be gay,” says Amer in a singing voice with their ukulele. “We are different in many ways. Doesn’t matter if you’re a boy, girl or somewhere in between, we all are part of one big family. Gay means ‘happy.’ Queer Kid Stuff. You are enough here at Queer Kid Stuff.”

###
I Know Who I Am
By: Delany Marie
Tags: Queer, Transgender, Genderqueer, Nonbinary

I Know Who I Am

Man or Woman.

why do we choose?

as if it’s one or the other

I’m Non-Binary

you act as if it’s “made up”

call it fake and say i’m worthless

I use all Pronouns

because they make me comfortable

you tell me I have to choose

I Love Myself

what you say about me doesn’t define me

I Define Me

I am Worthy

Hi. My name is Delany Marie. I’m genderqueer/non-binary and i use all pronouns. What’s your name?
Fucking, Fate.
By: Badass Creative
Tags: Queer, Resilience, Heartbreak, Fate, Poetry

As my life was falling apart, a girl said to me “It was fated”. While the recognition of my reality settled in and made itself at home, I thought blandly to myself “It… always.. fucking is”

I've lived an extraordinary life.

A life of heart strands and hope, of stick-with-it-ness and misery, of opportunity crafted by the whims of my charm, and broken by those who are charmless.

I have been a vagabond street urchin, pinstripe executive, home wrecking whore, and child pregnant with child and possibility.

I have conjured words and built monuments of sentiment.

I have been the disaster, the savior, the lover, and the morning after ~faulted and fabulous, making my way from one lunar eclipse to the next.

And, in all of that variation to living large, I did so entirely, with passionate conviction.

Right now, in this moment, I am beyond tired. I am in fact, utterly broken. But make no mistake, these pieces are still mine. Fractured, shattered, crushed and wounded. Mine.

Know now, they will fit together again, as they always do, marking the next great adventure of me. It is fated.
National Black Justice Coalition Mourns the Death of Skylar Heath
By: National Black Justice Coalition
Tags: Queer, LGBTQ, Racial Justice, Transgender, BlackLivesMatter

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) mourns the death of Skylar Heath.

Skylar Heath, a 20-year-old Black transgender woman, was killed in Miami, Florida on November 4, 2020 from a reported gunshot wound. There has been a gap in the timing concerning reports of her death because of unanswered questions and a lack of clear details. Her death is now being investigated as a homicide.

Family and friends gathered on November 21 to celebrate Skylar’s life. She has been remembered as a kind and gentle soul with a warm personality who loved her family and close friends dearly.

“We now have a record of 46 murdered trans, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary kin in 2020 and there are still weeks that remain in the calendar year,” said NBJC’s executive director David J. Johns. “More than half of the victims (61%) are Black trans women, 85% are trans women of any race, and more than half are under the age of 30. We know that a key issue is stigma and shame around gender, sex, and sexuality.

“We have to help people accept themselves and their desires. We have to normalize love of and for Black trans people. We have to speak up when we see incidents of violence, ignorance, harassment, and trauma. We have to stop this violence.”

Violence against trans, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people in the US this year has far surpassed prior years on record. In 2020, an average of four murders have been reported for each month, with a serious spike during summer.

“No member of the community is immune,” continued Johns. “Even Laverne Cox, actress and trans activist, was recently the victim of a transphobic attack. What we have is an epidemic of violence that is not being addressed effectively at any level. It is crucial that protective legislation be passed, that we ramp up educational efforts to eliminate stigma, and that we don’t wait until people are a news headline to care.”

To get involved in changing your local laws, you can learn more here. To learn how to increase safety and inclusion, look here.

Anyone with information on the death of Skylar Heath has been asked to contact Miami Police Department Homicide Detective A. Gonzalez at 305–471–2400 or Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305–471–8477.
The Lesbian K-Drama That Made Me Cry
By: Yj Jun
Tags: Representation, Korea, Queer, Lesbian, TV Series

Writing Life

The Lesbian K-Drama That Made Me Cry

I teared up watching “Hello, Dracula” (안녕 드라큘라), a TV show about a lesbian from — I cannot emphasize this enough — SOUTH KOREA. (No, she is not a vampire.)

Jesus makes a cameo at the 2018 Seoul Queer Festival, photo by author

Half a lifetime ago I cowered on my sofa in Seoul, TV set to a whisper, watching a Pride Parade in Seoul as shown in the docuseries “Coming Out” (커밍아웃). My mind had exploded with the notion this limited docuseries had been made at all, produced by one of the only openly gay men in Korea at the time, Hong Seok-cheon (홍석천).

I went to a small private school where the only openly out person — a bisexual boy — was relentlessly teased. The kids were clever; they never had a problem with his sexuality per se, just his voice (“So nasal!”), the way he hit on boys (“Such a creep!”), and the way he danced to Britney Spears at the school talent show.

Not only was “Coming Out” made, not only did it land a daytime slot on a major channel, not only did I, for the first time in my fifteen-year life, see people like me — queer Koreans — but now, in the finale of the series I had been sneaking to view while my mother was deafened in the hissing, sizzling, popping kitchen, while my brother was out or holed up in his room, now, the series was telling me that, on top of all that, Seoul had a P-R-I-D-E P-A-R-A-D-E. How far was it from where I was?

There were 20 people at most. Half of them non-Korean ex-patriots. They first gathered at the “festival,” then thinned out as they marched through the streets.

I was filled with hope and terror. Terror that the small demonstration would draw intense hatred; hope that, here in Korea, things were already better than I could have imagined.
Visiting the Dawn
By: Aikya Param
Tags: Tea, New York, Jewelry, California, Poetry

Visiting the Dawn

Wire jewelry image from Snappy Goat

From the East Coast, where tea was Lipton’s with milk and sugar,

And life centered around New York City, where father

Worked, where theater, museums, and concerts were,

Where better doctors could be found and Irish

Great aunties made huge pots of simmering lamb stew for you

If you were hungry, where all of them talked at once,

Unless you had the best story which somehow

Was heard amidst the babble and then everyone

Kept still. My mother’s father was a Fire Chief,

Father’s father, a mailman. Wives and mothers

Did not work outside the home back then.

From there I came to visit my college roommate,

Barbara in Berkeley, where tea was chamomile

Or mint with lemon from a tree outside,

Herb tea, new to me. Their neighbors created

New clothing so colorful, alive, unique, hand-made,

So different from Fifth Avenue fashion or Vogue.

There palm trees and evergreens predominated.

With a torch and tools Barbara’s fiancé

Melted strips of silver right there at home

And easily sold the glimmering jewelry he made

On Telegraph, a crafts’ center steps from classes

Where Barbara earned her PhD, where they could thrive.

Dressing for cold when I awoke, I’d be

Overdressed by afternoon. Not just weather

But food was different: colorful with herbs

Grown outside, vegetarian and vital.

That was ’72 and not till ‘79

Did I move from New York City to Piercy,

California; it was a first touch, a taste of

Revision and creation of a new tradition.
NYC day in my life: Day 1
By: Ava In Nyc
Tags: Day In The Life, City Living, New York City, New York, My Day

NYC day in my life: Day 1

Hi everyone!!

My name is Ava and I live in nyc! Since many people want to move there and love the city living, I wanted to document what I do everyday! Today I woke up at around 11:00 am and went to Joe in the Juice in Tribeca. I got a latte with vanilla milk (SOOO GOOD). The next place I went to was soho! I love soho so much from the beautiful buildings to the massive selection of stores, it’s hands down my favorite neighborhood in NYC. I went to return some things I got for Christmas and then I went to La Esquina for a chicken quesadilla! La Esquina is the coolest little resturant with graphiti and stickers on the walls and a secret club in the back. Such a fun place to go for a night out (not during covid lol) or just for a bite of delicious Mexican food. Highly recommend. After, I took an Uber home and sat with my dog while looking at Pinterest. I ordered some amazing healthy snacks from thrive! I loveee the sriracha hippeas. I decided to go to bed early tonight so I sat in bed and watched a little Netflix and that’s it! Hope you enjoyed my first post! Let me know what I should write about next!
What I Want To Accomplish In Life
Tags: New York, Jewlery, Writing, Life Goals, Psychology

Although I am just a teenager, I feel as though I have a fairly good idea of what I want to accomplish in life. I want to move to New York, go to school for neuropsychology, and possibly even own my own handmade jewelry shop. I know that teenagers tend to create a reality of things they want to accomplish but then never follow through with their plans, but I’m different. I’ve been told since I can remember that I have persistence like no other which leads me to accomplishing whatever I set my mind to. For example, in 6th grade I decided I wanted to play football in highschool (as a girl this is not very common) and 3 years later I followed through with my plans and I am now on the team. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to visit New York but more recently seeing more and more videos and pictures, I decided I want more than just to visit. Part of me wants to stay close to family but another part of me feels like the whole point of growing up is finding out who you are and I’m not sure I can do that where I currently am. I have only recently gotten interested in neuropsychology but I have always loved the process of the mind. Incase you don’t know what neuropsychology is, it is based around the different processes the brain and nervous system do and how they influence someone’s cognitive and physical behaviors. Over the summer I took a college psychology course which only made me more interested in the topic. I want my own jewelry shop because recently jewelry has become overpriced just as I am getting more interested in it. I have learned new ways to make rings like making them out of spoons or with beads and wire. Or using the tab of a soda can to make a heart necklace. I just think it would be fun to make jewelry that I enjoy and other people do as well. Also, a backup plan I have is something to do with writing. I don’t know exactly what but I really like writing no matter the form. Most teenagers dread writing essays, but I like them and tend to finish them in about 45 minutes; still getting an A on my work. I can always find something to write so maybe I’ll write a book, I’m not sure. Only time will tell how my life will pan out. Hopefully this story will be updated after I accomplish everything on my list. I know I have the ability to achieve everything, it’s just a matter of time until I do.
TEDDY KONYA DARLING (Official Song) Amit Saini Rohtakiya | New Haryanvi Songs Haryanavi 2020
Tags: MP3, Me, New York, HR, Song Lyrics

in Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Doyle — One of the World’s Best Auctioneers of Art and Collectibles
By: Ilya Kushnirskiy, Fine Art Shippers
Tags: Auction, Fine Art, New York, Collectibles, Art

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons User Romacat / CC BY-SA 4.0

New York City is not only the capital of the art world but also the capital of the global auction market. It is where the most valuable and important works of art and antiques are being sold by the world’s leading auctioneers. One of the best and most prominent auction houses located in New York City is Doyle that has long been a go-to place for all lovers of high-quality art and collectibles.

Doyle — One of the World’s Best Auctioneers of Art and Collectibles

Doyle is an American auction house specializing in fine art and collectibles, jewelry and silver, furniture and decorations, stamps and coins, and a variety of other valuables in many different categories. Doyle was founded by the late William Doyle in 1962 and at the time was known as William Doyle Antiques.

Today, Doyle is regarded as one of the leading auctioneers and appraisers of fine items in the world, which offers nearly 40 sales each year. The auction house is headquartered on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, not far from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and has representative offices in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and other US states. Doyle also serves international clients all over Asia and Europe.

Through the years, Doyle has held many important sales of estates from the royalty, celebrities, famous musicians, and Hollywood stars, including Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Louis Armstrong, Bette Davis, James Cagney, and Douglas Fairbanks, among others. The auction house also serves notable institutions, such as Columbia University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, providing them with auction and appraisal services for their collections.

Known for its exceptional service, expertise, integrity, and professionalism, Doyle is indeed one of the world’s best auction houses specializing in art and collectibles. It is a must-visit place for both seasoned collectors and art enthusiasts.
Top 3 Ways to Find High Salary Jobs in 2021 during Covid19
By: Sahil Jan
Tags: Afghanistan, New York, Canada, Jobs, Dubai

USAID Jobs in Afghanistan

You can find Jobs with USAID, US Emabassy and other organization with High Salaries for Expats from worldwide in Afghanistan.

For more information about jobs articles visit: https://job.ngo/blog/
What is important for an American Citizen to check before buying real estate in Israel?
By: Menora Law - Israeli Law Firm
Tags: Los Angeles, New York, United States, California, Lawyers

What is important for an American Citizen to check before buying real estate in Israel?

Buying a property in Israel being a foreigner is certainly possible and even a good investment opportunity, seeing how the market grew in the last 10 years and how the prices went up. Nevertheless, there are some complexities that have to be taken into account when deciding to do such a big investment in a foreign country. Besides the logistic or technical problems that could represent flying into the Country just once a year or even not having the possibility to fly in, there are bureaucratic and legal issues that have to be taken care of. Also, not having a bank account in Israel or moving the money could be one of the complications.

One of the things that is important to know is that Tax legislation is different for israeli citizens and for foreigners. In the case of a Foreign Resident, the Purchase Tax will be paid as if he was an Israeli Citizen that already has other properties. This Tax is paid in relation with the price of the house, between 8% and 10% of the price.

Regarding the possibility of a Mortgage, a Foreign Resident can get one, but banks are really careful in this process, being that they could give lower amounts of mortgages or take a long time to approve it, in comparison with an Israeli Citizen.

Regarding the registration and other documents that have to be filed upon buying a house in Israel, it is important to note that, although they can be submitted without the need of flying in, they will be in hebrew and professional assistance should be used in order to avoid any problem in the future.

It’s important to know that the Menora Law Firm has Israeli real estate lawyers who practice Israeli law all around the world with offices in Israel, USA ,with clients from Canada, Australia and all around the world, who are always available to provide for international clients the best legal services in all the major and minor process of assisting you through the purchase or sale of your property in Israel. Visit the link for further details https://www.menoralaw.com/
Vanilla Sky: Όταν η πολυσύχναστη Times Square εκκενώθηκε για να κάνει γύρισμα ο Tom Cruise
By: Christos Arfanis
Tags: Times Square, Movies, Tom Cruise Movies, New York, Vanilla Sky

Filmmaker (film producer, screenwriter, film director) and Author and Editor (Movies & Series) for Three Pixels Lab Media Production.
I want to love you but I don't know how
By: Eva Klayman
Tags: Idk, New York, Love, What Is Love, Poetry

I wish I could just nibble on all the beautiful and cute and fucked-up and good men and open up a wide new dimension each time where me and him would exist together.

I wish I could have lived half of the time alone in Tel-Aviv and half of the time with you in nature.

During the week I could unload and unleash my burdens while you were off working and flying around the world. And on the weekends, we would live in your village and I would have all my cosmetic creams times two, and we would be this interesting, quietly reserved couple with an air of European mystery. I would have a make-up kit that has all the things real ladies carry that I could take with me everywhere I go. Exactly like the knowledge that my husband is a pilot.

I could have grown a big stomach with my belly-button sticking out under a comfortable gray dress and drink tea and wine with you in our apartment in France,

just like you answered when I asked where we would live because Israel for you is a brutal occupation for and New-York for me is the immigration police. And you have the French anyway so I’d be willing to give up my Russian and you your Spanish and we’d just raise sweet, soft-skinned, light brown kids.

Twins, boy and girl.

I swear I would be willing to grow that belly for you.

I could just stay with you and hide inside of you within the van that you fixed up. Live with you, surrounded by postcard views of the world, programming computer codes on rooftops and taking freezing-cold showers in the mountains.

I could have lived with you in your all-too-demanding apartment on Luntz street and grow my hair long and even, coming back home after a long day with a black dress, yellow heels and red lipstick.

I could have been singing and improvising in jam sessions and making you feel so proud that your girlfriend is so beautiful and full of confidence.

And I would have forgiven the cynicism and you would bring me to orgasm ten times a night multiple seven times a week.

I could have given you children that were much prettier than you and the children you already have, and you would have been in love with them and grateful for the western-whiteish genes that had somehow fallen into your possession.

I could have kept on holding you at night when you turned into this crazy human-hating monster, that wants to grill them in fire and hang them in hell from their finger-tips.

I could have been your woman and also a bit your mother that tells you not to eat ketchup.

Would have found your silky black hair on the bed in the morning and been purely happy.

I could have tolerated the outrageous amount of drugs that you do and worry to death from your exaggerated extreme mountain climbing.

I could have dived with you into electricity and into the electric poles. Together. Forever.

I swear I could have lived this way every day.

But for some reason

Somehow

I don’t.

And I don’t know why.
Keto Diet
Tags: Diet, New York, Newsletter, Ketogenic Diet, Community

Our custom meal plan service was designed to help men and women all over the world turn their lives around and take charge of their health and figure.

The custom keto diet is a brand new product that allows someone to create their very own keto diet plan based on their food preferences, daily activity levels, height, weight and target weight goals.

We use scientific research and proven studies to create personalised ketogenic diet plans that maximise fat burning via the correct calories and macronutrients for each individual.

The customers keto diet plan is available to access immediately after payment.
Diary of a Plague Year
Tags: Philosophy, Christmas, Ideas, Covid 19, New York

Overheard at an outdoor cafe:

“It’s so fun to just play on Street Easy. But I think I’m going to get a broker — it’s so overwhelming.”

“I got this $400 gift certificate for this match making service. But the whole package is like $4,000.”

“My partner and I are not going to see anyone for two weeks.”

“I’m still going to go running but I’m not gonna do indoor hangs.”
10 Best Places To Visit In New York City, NYC complete info
By: Mansur Hussain
Tags: Manhattan, Statue Of Liberty, New York City, New York, New York Times

New York City is a vital city on the eastern side of the United States of America.

the ten finest locations to go to in New York City together with different very important journey details about New York.

best places in new york city

10: The High Line is sort of a novel place in NYC, High Line was previously a railway line that has been transformed right into a plantation wealthy strolling observe,

The superb factor about this place is that it’s not at floor degree however over New York’s hustling bustling streets.

The High Line is within the western part of Manhattan and the closest subway station is the twenty-third avenue station.

The finest season to go to NYC is in the course of the months of April to June and within the festive months of November and December.

But the lodge costs are additionally on the upper aspect throughout these months. NY City is split into 5 divisions, often called Boroughs,

these boroughs are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island.

9: St. Patrick’s Cathedral St Patrick’s Cathedral is a church located within fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

This Cathedral shows wealthy Gothic Architecture and may accommodate as many as 2400 people.

You can be amazed by the 330 ft tall spires of this cathedral contemplating the truth that these have been constructed within the nineteenth century.

The Fifth Avenue-53rd Street Station is the closest subway station to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The most generally spoken language in NYC is English, whereas the Spanish language also has an outstanding presence in some parts of NYC.

New York is thought by many nicknames comparable to The Big Apple, Gotham, and the City that Never Sleeps.

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