Reddit Users Invent New Sexuality 'Highsexual' for 'Temporarily Gay' Pot Smokers

Reddit users have invented a new type of sexuality for people who get 'a little gay' when they smoke weed, 'Highsexal'.

A thread appeared on the forum discussing the strange occurrence of cannabis smokers displaying gay behaviour when high.  he author of the threat wrote 'I'm quite a hardcore pothead, I feel very attracted to girls and not at all to men when sober, but when I get high I just want a big cock to suck.'

'Anyone else happen to have the same effects?  Just curiosity, not that it really bothers me since I'm still attracted to girls while high, but I sometimes feel weirded by male friends with whom I don't usually feel attracted to.'

During the conversation that ensued one user came out with the phrase 'Highsexual' and spoke very positively and open minded about the whole prospect.  'You sir, are possibly a Highsexual.  If the parties are down and on the same wavelength, whatever.  When it has occurred it's never been a big deal.'

A number of users who have commented on the post have been very positive on the subject, encouraging the original poster to consider the possibility that he is bisexual rather than straight or gay and that there is nothing wrong with the prospect at all.

Despite the strangeness of the term 'Highsexual' I think that it's a good thing that people are being encouraged to explore their sexuality and not made to feel ashamed.  If getting high makes you want to explore your sexuality and other participants are open and comfortable with it too then go crazy everyone, explore what feels right for you and become comfortable with yourself.

Check out the original Reddit thread.

Amy.
xx

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Guy Gamers Lose Their Shit Over Scantily Clad Final Fantasy Hero

Fans of RPG's, and Final Fantasy specifically, have been getting excited by the recent announcement by Square Enix 'Mevius Final Fantasy', a smartphone game that they are claiming will rival the scale of a console game.

Their description for the game goes as follows;

You wake up in an unfamiliar world, without any memories whatsoever. Where you came from, let alone where you’re headed, you have no idea, yet all you can do is set forth and walk onward. A mysterious voice calls out to you, guiding you along your path.
“This country is the land of Paramatia, a place bereft of any hope. Its people wander in melancholy, their hearts untouched by the Light of Hope.”

Sounds good right?  The fans certainly thought so.  Then Square Enix released some images of the game's protagonist and there were some less than positive reactions.

Where final fantasy is used to presenting their male leads as cool and stoic (think Cloud or Squall) they have a history of putting their female characters in more revealing outfits (the whole cast of Final Fantasy X-2 anyone?).  This time however they've chosen to put their male character in a costume that shows off a lot of skin.

The new Final Fantasy character.

Whilst this kind of costume is hardly a rare occurrence in Final Fantasy it's something that the developers would normally put onto a female character, something that it's fans have been used to seeing for years.  So no one wold have a problem with seeing this right?

Actually no, male fans are up in arms over the way the character looks.  What they're fine with seeing women wearing has somehow become unacceptable for a man.

Some of the outcry from male gamers.

It would appear that after countless games that show women in armour like this, and even skimpier, it's this one example that finally pushes it too far.  So why is that?  Is it one too far?  Is it that as an audience gamers have finally said enough is enough, we're not going to keep looking at these unrealistic and sexualised examples of character designs?  No.  No it's not.

The problem people, and by people I mean guys, are having is that they are finally on the receiving end of what the games industry has done to women for years.  Lara Croft, Bayonetta, Quiet, Jade and Kitana, Ivy Valentine, to name but a tiny handful.  But now that a man is being depicted in the same way suddenly it's inappropriate and wrong.

Women have had to deal with this issue for years.

You know what guys?  If you can stare at scantily clad women and find it fine, but think that it's wrong for a guy to be sexualised then you're an idiot.  What's more, you're just down right sexist.  You can't ignore the wishes and complaints of women for so long and then make the same arguments yourself because you suddenly feel uncomfortable.

Stop being sexist and insecure.  You can't have it one way for female characters and anther for male characters.  It either has to end as a whole or you just have to live with it too.


Amy.
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US Distributors Remove all References to Homosexuality From 'Pride' DVD

The cast of 'Pride' celebrate the success of the film.

In a surprise move by American distributors all references to homosexuality have been removed from the US DVD cover for the critically acclaimed film 'Pride'.

The widely successful film tells the true story of a group of gay and lesbian activists, whom in 1984 rallied to support striking miners in Thatchers Britain.

The US cover for the film, however, has made a number of changes that completely remove all references to homosexuality in the story.

The newly altered version of the synopsis reads,

'Pride is inspired by an extraordinary true story.  It's the summer of 1984 and much of blue-collar Britain is on strike.  For one tiny Welsh village, the strike brings unexpected visitors - a group of London-based activists who decide to raise money to support strikers families and want to make their donation in person.'

Compare this to the original version of the synopsis and it's quite clear just what's missing,

'Pride is inspired by an extraordinary true story.  It's the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers families.  Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person.'

Add to this, one of the main images on the back of the DVD case features a group of activist holding a banner that reads 'Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners' has been digitally altered and the sign has been completely removed.

Original unaltered image.

Gay free version of the image.

This obvious attempt to hide what the core focus of the film is about, and in a way edit away a part of history is completely baffling.  Anyone who actually watches the film will become quickly aware that the film contains a heavy LGBT theme.

There are only really two outcomes I see from removing all the references to homosexuality, one is that people in the LGBT community and their supporters might miss out on the film because they're not fully aware that the films content is something that would interest them.  Secondly, people will pick up the film with no knowledge of the LGBT content and be taken by surprise when they're suddenly faced by it.

I don't know what the intention of the distributors is, whether they want to hide the fact that half the cast in the film are playing gay and lesbian characters so that the film falls under the radar and slips into obscurity in America, or if they are trying to sneakily get people who are against LGBT culture to end up buying a film that shows LGBT activists in a positive light.

Either option is possible, and there are negative consequences to both scenarios.  Whatever their intention I believe that it was wrong.  To not only remove reference to homosexuality from the synopsis, but to edit the images on the cover is just wrong.  The film is trying to tell an amazing, real life story of a part of the LGBT community and should be represented in that way.  It just seems like another example of censorship gone completely mad, with a one sided view dictating policy.  Ironically, much like the mad censorship laws in the era of Britain the film is depicting.


Amy.
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Was it Right to Share Leelah's Suicide Note?

I've seen a number of commentators condemn the sharing of Leelah Alcorn's suicide not over the last twenty four hours.  Ranging from people who don't want conversion therapy to be banned, to defencive Christians who believe that it could damage their religion, to trans supporters who don't want her note to urge others into taking their own life.

The thing is, Leelah chose to share her letter on the Internet, on a public forum rather than some hand written note that would have been quickly destroyed and denied by her parents.  Leelah wanted the world to know who she really was and the horrors that her parents made her face.  We wouldn't have known this if it wasn't for her suicide note being shared.  Her mothers comment about her 'son' being accidentally hit by a truck would have been the only version of the story known to the world.

Even if some people were aware that Leelah was trans and chose to share that news, to suggest that perhaps she hadn't died in an accident she's be just another name on this years list of people we read on the Transgender Day of Remembrance.  Her story could have easily faded away into the background, just another horrible statistic.

By sharing Leelah's note her story has gone viral.  The trans community has banded together behind her memory, allies have lent their support, the media have been sharing her story (mostly in very trans positive ways).  #RealLiveTransAdult has appeared on Twitter and is full of beautiful, encouraging stories of trans people who are surviving to try and help those who need encouragement.  Her suicide note has made Leelah become an icon, she's become the face of transgender suicide.

Not the best thing to be known for granted, however, if that memory can be used to help other, to stop conversion therapy and make people aware of the torment that transgender youth go through then it can be made into something beautiful.

I read her suicide note and it made me cry.  It hurt so much to read those words.  But then it made me angry.  It made me want to never have to read another note like that again.  Her words spurred me to share her story, to sign the petitions, to write about her.  It made me pass her story on her, to give her memory a chance to live on through other people.

I never knew Leelah, but I cried for her, I want justice for her and I want her to be the last one we loose.  That was because of her suicide note.  She was right to share her goodbye with the world, and all those of us that have shared it were right too.  By staying silent we would let her memory fade, we would let her parents and people like them win.

So if someone asks you if it was right for her suicide note to be shared I hope you will join me in saying 'Yes, it was more than right.  It was needed.'

Amy.
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Making Leelah's Death Mean Something

In a heartbreaking and emotional suicide note teenager Leelah Alcorn pleads with the world to make sure that other transgender teens never have to go through the hell that drove her to take her own life.

Aged just seventeen, Leelah was a victim of insidious abuse and hatred based solely on the fact that she was transgender, but not from her peers, not from strangers, but from her own family.  People that were supposed to love her and care for her unconditionally put her through so much emotional torment that the only way she knew to stop it was to take her own life.

On Sunday Leelah left her home early in the morning and walked four miles to the Interstate 71 where she waited for a semi-truck to pass before stepping out in front of it.  Despite initial claims from her mother saying that it was an accident a Leelah had arranged for a suicide to appear on her tumblr blog 'Satan's Wifey' in the event that she died.  The message it left was very clear.

'If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue.

Please don’t be sad, it’s for the better. The life I would’ve lived isn’t worth living in… because I’m transgender. I could go into detail explaining why I feel that way, but this note is probably going to be lengthy enough as it is. To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy’s body, and I’ve felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was a word for that feeling, nor was it possible for a boy to become a girl, so I never told anyone and I just continued to do traditionally “boyish” things to try to fit in.

When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion I finally understood who I was. I immediately told my mom, and she reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong. If you are reading this, parents, please don’t tell this to your kids. Even if you are Christian or are against transgender people don’t ever say that to someone, especially your kid. That won’t do anything but make them hate them self. That’s exactly what it did to me.

My mom started taking me to a therapist, but would only take me to christian therapists, (who were all very biased) so I never actually got the therapy I needed to cure me of my depression. I only got more christians telling me that I was selfish and wrong and that I should look to God for help.

When I was 16 I realized that my parents would never come around, and that I would have to wait until I was 18 to start any sort of transitioning treatment, which absolutely broke my heart. The longer you wait, the harder it is to transition. I felt hopeless, that I was just going to look like a man in drag for the rest of my life. On my 16th birthday, when I didn’t receive consent from my parents to start transitioning, I cried myself to sleep.

I formed a sort of a “fuck you” attitude towards my parents and came out as gay at school, thinking that maybe if I eased into coming out as trans it would be less of a shock. Although the reaction from my friends was positive, my parents were pissed. They felt like I was attacking their image, and that I was an embarrassment to them. They wanted me to be their perfect little straight christian boy, and that’s obviously not what I wanted.

So they took me out of public school, took away my laptop and phone, and forbid me of getting on any sort of social media, completely isolating me from my friends. This was probably the part of my life when I was the most depressed, and I’m surprised I didn’t kill myself. I was completely alone for 5 months. No friends, no support, no love. Just my parent’s disappointment and the cruelty of loneliness.

At the end of the school year, my parents finally came around and gave me my phone and let me back on social media. I was excited, I finally had my friends back. They were extremely excited to see me and talk to me, but only at first. Eventually they realized they didn’t actually give a shit about me, and I felt even lonelier than I did before. The only friends I thought I had only liked me because they saw me five times a week.

After a summer of having almost no friends plus the weight of having to think about college, save money for moving out, keep my grades up, go to church each week and feel like shit because everyone there is against everything I live for, I have decided I’ve had enough. I’m never going to transition successfully, even when I move out. I’m never going to be happy with the way I look or sound. I’m never going to have enough friends to satisfy me. I’m never going to have enough love to satisfy me. I’m never going to find a man who loves me. I’m never going to be happy. Either I live the rest of my life as a lonely man who wishes he were a woman or I live my life as a lonelier woman who hates herself. There’s no winning. There’s no way out. I’m sad enough already, I don’t need my life to get any worse. People say “it gets better” but that isn’t true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse.

That’s the gist of it, that’s why I feel like killing myself. Sorry if that’s not a good enough reason for you, it’s good enough for me. As for my will, I want 100% of the things that I legally own to be sold and the money (plus my money in the bank) to be given to trans civil rights movements and support groups, I don’t give a shit which one. The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up” and fix it. Fix society.

Please.
Goodbye,
(Leelah) Josh Alcorn'

Leelah wasn't simply killed in an accident, but that it was the reaction from her family, and the torment that they put her through that pushed her to step in front of that truck.  Forced into isolation by being denied access to her friends, to social media and being made to go to Christian counsellors that told her she was wrong and selfish pushed her to do what she did.

I'd like to be able to say that Leelah is a rare case, but I can't.  The rate of suicides for transgender people, and transgender teens in particular are staggering.  Leelah wasn't alone in her situation, she wasn't the only person in the world having to face the fear of understanding that she was born into the wrong body and she wasn't the only person being forced to 'seek help' from people who have no intention of helping her.  The problem was her parents made her feel alone.

Leelah was isolated, she was seperated from people who could have given her support and advice.  She was made to feel like there was no way for her to win, that she would always be in pain for the rest of her life.  She said that in her case things wouldn't get better, but she was wrong.  We've seen the floods of messages on Twitter that prove that things do get better.  #RealLiveTransAdult shows that, and I truly hope that it can help others in Leelah's situation.

We were too late to save Leelah, we couldn't help her but maybe we can stop this from happening again.  Go and share the stories from #RealLiveTransAdult.  Sign the petition to pass Leelah's Law.  Challenge people that accuse trans people of being 'wrong' or 'selfish'.  Stop conversion therapy.  Please, do anything you can to stop this horrible tragedy from happening to other vulnerable children.  Please, don't just let Leelah be just another horrible statistic, make her death mean something.  Make this the last one.

Amy.
xx

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