Transgender Woman Dies in Suspicious House Fire in North Carolina

The body of Bubba Walker was discovered in the burned house in July, and police are now trying to determine if the fire was deliberately set and if she was targeted.

www.advocate.com/crime/2019/9/19/transgender-woman-dies-suspicious-house-fire-north-carolina

What is it like to be a bisexual man living in India?

A 36-year-old bisexual man living with his family in Delhi says “unconventional doesn’t even begin to define my life.”

In an article published by GQ, the anonymous man writes about what it’s like being bisexual in a country where gay sex was still punishable with life in prison just last year when the country’s Supreme Court passed a landmark judgement decriminalizing Section 377.

The man first realized he was attracted to both women and men in 2003, when he was still in college, and it freaked him out at first.

“I had to suddenly face the reality that I wasn’t ‘normal’ anymore,” he writes. “Add to that, I wasn’t even just gay. Being bisexual meant that I was a minority within a minority. How would I deal with that?”

His girlfriend at the time dumped him the minute he came out to her. And his friends responded with “unfunny remarks” about bisexuals.

“You can enjoy the best of both worlds, was the common one. You can hook up with as many men as you want and then get married to a girl, some suggested. There was a fair bit of ‘it’s a phase’ as well. Basically, no one understood my true self. Most still don’t, even after close to two decades.”

Related: Out Indian pop singer pens powerful essay about his country’s decision to legalize gay sex

The man says he continues to struggle with feeling lonely and misunderstood. Dating is especially challenging.

“I’ve been terribly unfortunate in that department,” he writes. “Most men and women I’ve liked, have backed off. … The men worry that eventually I’d want to get married and go for a woman, and the women are scared that I’ll just turn gay.”

His family has also had a hard time accepting him for who he is.

“My parents are still in denial about my sexuality,” he explains. “Yes, even after all these years. They’re quite hopeful that one day, I will go back to being straight–even if that happens when I’m 40, or 50. Talk about optimism!”

He continues, “Even members of the LGBTQ+ community aren’t particularly affable, once they realize you’re not just gay. There are a lot of crusaders for homosexuality but how many bisexuals do you know who’re fighting for their rights?”

Being bisexual, the man notes, really isn’t that strange or difficult to understand. So why do people continue to act like it is?

“Just like a heterosexual person is attracted to the opposite gender, a bisexual person is attracted to both genders. That’s all there is to it.”

He continues, “And for all those who believe that bisexuals are having all the fun, I wish you’d understand just how difficult it is to even go out on a date. Most people turn you down before they’ve even met you because they can’t deal with your orientation. That’s certainly not fun!”

Related: This gay Indian film that was deemed too hot by censors is finally being released

www.queerty.com/like-bisexual-man-living-india-20190919?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Introduces its Pit Crew, er, ‘Brit Crew’

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is coming in October. Last month they introduced the queens – Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea, Cheryl Hole, Crystal, Divina de Campo, Gothy Kendoll, Scaredy Kat, Sum Ting Wong, Vinegar Strokes, and The Vivienne. And now, the thirst trap “Brit Crew” has revealed themselves – AJ, Archie, Ashraf, Matt, and Mitch.

ICYMI: Meet All the Queens of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ — WATCH

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SHES BEEN SITTING ON A SECRET!!! But now… It’s official. You’re looking at the “Brit Crew” for Rupauls Drag Race UK!!! #dragraceuk #britcrew #pitcrew #dragqueens #dragrace #rupaulsdragrace

A post shared by Mitch Marion (@mitchmarion) on Sep 17, 2019 at 12:40pm PDT

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So I don’t wanna go too overboard with how excited I am to be #rupaulsdragraceuk #britcrew … BUT IVE BASICALLY BEEN BURSTING AT THE SEAMS SINCE FEBRUARY!! What has really made it a literal dream come true though are my Brit Crew girls! We are all insane Drag Race fans and have become family immediately! And you haven’t even met all of us yet! The whole journey so far has been a giant GAYGASM and I’m so freaking excited to watch the show! COS, OOOOH GIRL we’ve seen the first episode and it is legitimately one of the best first epiodes of a season EVER! #factsarefacts these queens have more collective personality than the American girls and they make it CLEAR with every damn cut away! And the RUNWAY!?!? THE RUNWAY!!! You. will. GAG! Ok…. #gaygasm over! Photo by the insane talent @cleverprimeuk

A post shared by Mitch Marion (@mitchmarion) on Sep 19, 2019 at 8:50am PDT

The post RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Introduces its Pit Crew, er, ‘Brit Crew’ appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Introduces its Pit Crew, er, ‘Brit Crew’

Powerful New Lifetime Film Showcases the Dangers of So-Called “Conversion Therapy”

This article first appeared in Equality magazine. Read the most recent issue at hrc.org/magazine.

Coming out as a lesbian to a devout, traditional Mormon family was never going to be easy for Alex Cooper. 

Cooper had been taught from a young age that marriage sealed in a Mormon temple was the only way to make it into the highest levels of heaven after death. By the age of 15, she knew that being LGBTQ was seen by the Mormon church as a grievous sin against God. 

“I came out to my parents, and my mom was hysterical, but my dad didn’t say anything,” Cooper, a former HRC Youth Ambassador, said in an interview with HRC. “They told me to get out of the house, so I stayed with a friend for a couple weeks. From there I was sent to conversion therapy.” 

Cooper’s journey of survival is the focus of a powerful upcoming Lifetime film called “Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story.” Based on her auto-biography, the film shines a light on the dangerous practice of so-called “conversion therapy,” which encompasses a range of discredited practices that attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. 

These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be “cured” — a theory that has been rejected by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association and American Medical Association.

Cooper was held captive by a Mormon couple for eight months, and was subjected to a range of attempts to change her sexual orientation, including verbal and physical abuse. 

“At first ‘therapy’ was me learning how to be the perfect wife,” Cooper said. “I learned how to cook for a family of eight. I got the kids ready for school in the morning and helped them with their homework when they were done with school.” 

During the day, Cooper would clean the house and perform other chores she was told would foster “motherly instincts” — but nothing changed how she felt inside.  

“When that wasn’t working I had to wear a backpack full of rocks to feel the physical burden of being gay,” Cooper said. “It started out as a couple hours a day — and it still didn’t work. I felt the entire time that I was going to outsmart these people and somehow get out.” 

The backpack weighed about 40 pounds and Cooper would have to wear it from sunrise until 4 a.m. the next day, facing a wall. 

As time went on, the sense of isolation and hopelessness became overwhelming for Cooper. She attempted to escape, but failed — resulting in her captors ratcheting up their abuse. 

“I wasn’t allowed to go to school. I couldn’t talk to my family,” Cooper said. “I went to the same church as my grandparents every Sunday, and they wouldn’t even look at me because that was a part of the program.” 

“I eventually decided I just had to fake it because I wasn’t going to get out any other way,” Cooper said. “They eventually let me go to school, and I got out the same month.” 

There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Rather, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness and even suicidal behavior. 

Be sure to tune in to Lifetime Saturday, September 28, at 8/7 c to watch “Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story” and learn more about the urgent need to protect LGBTQ youth from this dangerous and discredited practice.

www.hrc.org/blog/powerful-new-lifetime-film-showcases-the-dangers-of-so-called-conversion-th?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed