Ready For Your First Pride? Here’s What You Need to Know!

Are you an LGBT+ person who is ready for your day to show off your rainbow stripes with pride, or an ally who is equally proud to support the community? Then here are a few hot tips everyone should know! Particularly for NYC Pride Parade, one of the largest in the world!

1. Know the Route.

And I mean REALLY know it! Regardless of which city you attend Pride for, be familiar with a map of the parade route. This is important if you are planning to meet up with friends. The streets of which the parade commences are blocked off from crossing for cities with the largest Pride parades. You may want to consider meeting with friends before the parade starts, or plan where you will cross. This can save you miles of walking, or missing the parade because you couldn’t find your friends.

A map of the NYC Pride Parade route of the 2016 march.

Source: SUNY

2. Save the heels for the Pros!

I KNOW that you want to look head-to-toe fabulous for your first parade. However, keep in mind that these parades last typically over six hours. While the fabulous Drag Queens marching in the parade have access to rest and water stations, this is not provided for spectators. Therefore, leave the heels at home. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you don’t want to remember your first parade being uncomfortable or having nasty blisters for days!

Source: Flickr- bambe1964

3. Claim a spot near a public restroom, and guard it with your life!

SERIOUSLY. As stated before, this parade goes on for over six hours. That means you will have to go at some point. For NYC Pride 2017, my friends and I were able to find a spot to watch the parade right in front of a marketplace. We were able to access a public restroom with plenty of stalls, and refilled our water bottles from the sink to stay hydrated. We did not move so as not to lose our spot. I learned this lesson from NYC Pride 2016 where I did not find a spot near a restroom, and it was not fun once I had to go!

4. Dress in cool, breathable clothes, and stay hydrated!

Leave the wooly, rainbow sweater at home and opt for a tank top (don’t forget to wear sunscreen!) Also, once you claim a spot as suggested for tip no. 3, drink up! It’s a long, hot day, and you don’t want to have it ruined by passing out!

5. Have FUN!

Everything aside, if you plan properly and prepare yourself to endure the obstacles, Pride is amazing! Seriously! It is a fulfilling, life-changing experience, and you will never regret going. So decorate yourself in rainbow gear, and get ready to go to your first Pride parade!

São Paulo Gay Pride Parade

Source: Wikipedia

Spread the Love: Share Guide to Pride

If you or you know of anyone who is interested in Pride, LGBT+ news, or wants to reach out to other Rutgers students who are part of the LGBT+ community, let them know about Guide to Pride! Although Guide to Pride is building a community throughout social media, the LGBT+ community is more than what exists digitally. The LGBT+ community participates in a variety of events, as well as yours truly is a member of the wonderful student body of Rutgers University. People don’t know what they don’t know. Guide to Pride is also an up and coming blog with a small audience, and therefore people can participate in more personal discussions. Additionally, if someone who identifies as an LGBT+ person or ally and is a member of Rutgers University, or lives in the tri-state area, they would benefit from learning about this blog. So what are you waiting for? Spread the love!

Guide to Pride’s Piece in the LGBT+ Mosaic

I consider myself lucky to live in the time period that I live in now as an LGBT+ person. Is this time period perfect? No. Is homophobia defeated? Absolutely not. Could the future be even better than it is now? Possibly. However, I live in a time period where I do not have to suffer in silence. I live in a time period where I am not isolated, and where I have to live in fear. I do understand, however, that not all places of the world are safe for LGBT+ people. For instance, take a look at these lovely photos posted throughout the Westboro Baptist Church website:

 

Source: Westboro Baptist Church http://www.godhatesfags.com

Lovely images right? It’s a reminder that although the LGBT+ community has come so far, there is still a long way to go. I do understand my role as a person of the LGBT+ community in order to help strive towards our new goal. I must not be silent. I must not be uneducated. I must not allow myself to be isolated. I must not allow these voices of hate to make me feel ashamed. I am proud that Guide to Pride’s blog stands alongside other blogs such as LGBTQ Nation, PinkNews, and The Gaily Grind. Although Guide to Pride blogs on topics similar to these other blogs, such as about Pride and LGBT+ news, I offer my personal experiences to these topics. I also specify in celebrating the history and culture of Pride, as well as how to participate. Essentially, the more voices, the more we are heard against the voices of hate.

Peanutized Myself

I created this image because I really wanted to make a Powerpuff version of myself but the site wasn’t working so I had to settle for this.  I decided to Peanutize myself because I have a general interest of seeing a Peanut style cartoon of myself that honestly looks nothing like me. So, if anyone was curious, this is what I would look like in the alternate dimension of the Peanut universe:

So this process was quite like sorting through trash and having to pick the best assets out of rubbish fun. I really felt like I was part of a vapid fandom I was being creative in Peanutizing myself. I decided to go with the wavy, blondish hair because that somewhat resembles mine but not really. I also decided to dress my avatar in plaid because it’s stereotypical lesbian wear, and this is an LGBT+ blog because I like plaid and the color purple. Overall, this was a very simple process. Additionally, I can see how this would be exciting for people who love the Peanuts fandom, because they get to partake in it although I am not excited because I am not a huge Peanuts fan. Overall this was a fun experience, and I am not salty at all about the fact that I couldn’t make a Powerpuff version of myself.

Fair Use of Media: Pulse Orlando

For anyone who is a member of the LGBT+ community, or an ally, a thought that may unfortunately creep into your mind is the unfortunate night that occurred on June 12, 2016. This marks the date of the Pulse shooting that occurred in Orlando, Florida. It represents how although a major battle was won for the LGBT+ community after the Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2016, the war is not over. However, in light of this event, I wanted to share a beautiful image that  Allsdare Hickson posted on flickr:

Source: Allsdare Hickson

This photo depicts people who gathered to show solidarity in the Old Compton Street of London’s Soho district. While there was one act of hate that destroyed dozens of lives, there were millions of people around the world that expressed an act of peace. I feel that it is Fair Use to share this media on my blog because it is a published work of which I am not profiting from nor am I denying credit to the original author. This media is also available for a creative commons usage, and I am commenting on the photo in regards to the historical event of the Pulse shooting.

To see the original post and to learn more about the Pulse event, use the following link: https://flic.kr/p/HZEinG

A Meme to Make Your Day Gay

Here to brighten and make your day ultra gay is none other than Mr. Condescending Wonka himself. As his name suggests, and according to Know Your Meme the captions of this meme can be “characterized as patronizing and sarcastic.” For the year of 2017, this meme is quite fitting as well as gives the LGBT+ community a ray of hope after a tumultuous year.

What began during the election process as this (Note how Mr. Trump is holding the flag upside down):

Has now turned into this:

Therefore, a meme that draws attention to the rights of the LGBT+ community felt fitting. For those who oppose marriage equality, the notion of this country stemming from “separation of church and state” must not compute very well in their minds. This stems directly from the Constitution which reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” As well as Thomas Jefferson himself further clarified this idea with a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut on January 1, 1802 which stated:

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make now law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

Therefore, the religious and legal terminologies of marriage are completely separate things. While there may be a terminology of marriage in religious texts, they do not apply to the legal terminology nor can they bar same sex couples from getting married in the United States following the Supreme Court Ruling of June 26, 2015.

It is amazing how a screenshot of a 1971 musical film about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory can be used in an unexpected way to express in a satirical way political and cultural issues.

Promoting Guide to Pride

In order for Guide to Pride to grow, it is important that members of the LGBT+ community and allies to be able to discover the website. This is why it is important in order for Guide to Pride to thrive that followers share Guide to Pride. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, etc. are best because they are text-based as well as overall multiple-media platforms. This would attract people to view the Guide to Pride blog because it would involve the interests of people who are interested in news and reading blog posts.

There may be people who are looking for a blog such as Guide to Pride, but may be unaware of its existence. This is the general concept with all blogs and websites. Although search engines are able to guide people to certain pages, these pages are ranked. However, these rankings may not necessarily meet an individual’s needs. For instance, other LGBT+ news blogs and websites may be too general for certain people. People may want websites that are more specific that garner to their needs. Therefore, through sharing Guide to Pride, this blog may reach someone who is looking for a site that covers topics of the LGBT+ community that aren’t covered elsewhere. This is why sharing the blog on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Reddit would ultimate promote the growth of Guide to Pride.

Reception of Trump’s Military Trans Ban

Unfortunately for the LGBT+ community, on July 26, 2017 President Trump announced plans to restore a transgender ban from serving “in any capacity” within the US military. The announcement read:

“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump said in a series of tweets Wednesday morning. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

“Thank you,” he added.

Who on Earth are you thanking, Trump? Consider finding new “Generals and military experts” because a 2016 Rand Corp. study commissioned by the Defense Department concludes with results of the trans military community that are far from “tremendous” in medical costs.

First, the trans military community would have a small impact on medical costs and “disruption” due to the minimal presence in the approximate 1.3 million-member force.

Second, the approximate estimate for gender-change surgery would be around 25 to 130 surgeries of active members. For hormone treatments, it would be roughly 30 to 140 treatments a year. The estimated cost for both surgeries and hormone treatments ranges from $2.4 million to $8.4 million.

You want to know what is an actual “tremendous” cost? According to the American Progress Action Fund, Trump’s travels to his private resort and golf course in Mar-a-Lago have cost approximately $25 million in expenses. This is for the first 100 days of office alone.

As of now, we cannot determine what will follow this announcement. However, there is faith in humanity restored as you can view J.K. Rowling tearing Trump apart on Twitter:

J.K. Rowling has a blazing reaction after Trump bans trans people from the military

So hang in there to all of my LGBT+ guys, gals, and non-binary pals. Stay strong, and above all, have a very gay day.

Guide to Pride Screencast

Guide to Pride: Review of Fit for a Femme

Before writing this post, I combed through the Internet looking for a precise word that describes hating the sound of one’s own voice. While I found psychological explanations as to why we hate the sound of our own voices, I could not find a term that describes the feeling. Regardless if there is or is not an exact word, that was the feeling I felt the entire time of making this screencast. However, I hope that it gives insight into the wonderful blog of Fit for a Femme, and that it entices people to check out that blog.

Although listening to my own voice makes my skin crawl, I cannot deny the usefulness of screencasting. I have seen it used several times for a variety of reasons. It is useful in tutorials of different software. For example, the easiest Photoshop tutorials to follow along with are screencasts. Another way screencasts are useful is for online lectures. I have watched several screencast lectures which are easier and more interesting to follow along with than a video of the professor talking. Through a screencast, you can look at images and texts that a professor is talking about.

I certainly cringed at myself and had many outtakes of my screencast, but I cannot deny its usefulness. I can present ideas or give tutorials to people based on what I am viewing on my respective screen. This can be used for when I am working with virtual teams, or if I wanted to explain something that would be too confusing to simply post about. Screencasting is also simple to use and share, as well as editing is not always necessary. Therefore, this is definitely a useful skill, and therefore I would like to polish it for future usage.

Creation of a Commercial

Guide to Pride Commercial

This week, I designed an audio commercial for the Guide to Pride blog using Audacity and then LAME to convert the file into an MP3. I mixed the songs “Skylarking” by BT with “Afterglow” by Phaeleh. I wanted the music that introduced the commercial as well as was the background music for my splice to be upbeat. The music that it mixed into that was the conclusion, however, was selected because it was calmer, to allow the viewer to reflect on my introduction. The idea I had behind this commercial was to use the audio in the future paired with images and videos. I also like music with little to no words for commercials because it less distracting for the viewer.I am used to working with Adobe Premiere and Adobe Audition, so the fundamentals of Audacity were simple. Although the program is free, I did not like it since it was more annoying to use and had limited features. However, you get what you pay for, and since I paid nothing, I can expect nothing.

Ultimately, I wanted to make sure that my voice was audible, yet the music could still be heard in the background. Ultimately, the biggest personal challenge was having to listen to my own voice. It made me greatly uncomfortable, which was the main reason I did not like this assignment. However, learning is about testing boundaries, and learning to be comfortable with yourself is a foundation for success in life. It is not my best work, but I am glad that I rose to the challenge and did this assignment. I look forward to feedback from others as to what they think, and how I can improve. I hope that I was able to express the mission of this blog, as well as allowed myself to get out of my comfort zone.