admin, Author at The LGBT Sentinel

Marriage Voting in Australia; What’s Going On and What Happens Next?

Published on October 10, 2017 in International

You may have seen Australia mentioned a lot lately and you are probably wondering why. To give a brief history, Australians have been going back and forth on the opinion of same-sex marriage for years now. In 2004, the Prime Minister at that time, John Howard, clarified the definition of marriage to be “the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others”. Since then, there have been several attempts to get same-sex marriage put into law in Australia, but to no avail. In 2015, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that Australia would hold a national…

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Shamir 2017

Published on October 10, 2017 in Entertainment & LifeStyle

On November 3rd, Shamir will drop his 3rd studio album. Entitled Revelations, the record will be the 22-year-old artist’s first with the Father/Daughter label. The drop is coming just 7 months after Shamir’s second album, Hope, which was self-released on Soundcloud in April of this year. For every record purchased, Shamir will donate a dollar to the Mental Health Association of PA. Shamir holds an entirely unique presence in the music industry, and his nonbinary gender identity and androgynous voice have made him a staple in the LGBTQ+ music scene. He’s released one single off the new album so far,…

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Will & Grace: For Us

Published on October 3, 2017 in Uncategorized

Nearly two decades ago, Will & Grace took television by storm. The premises focuses on two best friends, a gay male and straight female, living together and experiencing daily antics. At this time, in 1998, LGBT representation on television was scarce. Will became a leading character that was loved not only by the gay community, but by those in the straight community as well. The show was largely relatable because it shed light on the dynamic of their friendship. Over the 8-year run, Will & Grace would prove to promote tolerance of those in the LGBT community. The audience got…

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The Big Walk: Since 1985

Published on October 3, 2017 in Blog/Entertainment & LifeStyle/Real Talk/Weekly

Autumn is upon us! That means it’s AIDS walk season. This year in LA, the date is set for October 15th. AIDS walk is a global fundraising event where participants raise money through pledges. The funds are given to local AIDS education and service organizations. LA was home to the first ever AIDS walk back in 1985. AIDS Project Los Angeles, founded only a few years previously, set a goal for raising $100,000. At the end of the day, they had raised $673,000 to use for screening, treatment, counseling, education, and other free programs. This was a huge accomplishment in…

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It’s Not A Phase

Published on September 29, 2017 in Real Talk/The-Nation

The term “bi+” refers to anyone who doesn’t relate to gay, lesbian, or asexual identifications: Whether you’re queer, pansexual, demisexual, or prefer not to label yourself, this post is for you. This is an afterthought to by Bi+ week, which was created with help from a variety of sources, including queer activists like Gigi Raven Wilbur, Michael Page, and Wendy Curry, and organizations like GLAAD. Curry, the founder of bi support network BiNetUSA, has been an outspoken voice for issues like bi invisibility and bi erasure. Asked about the biggest challenges facing bi+ people today, Curry responded: “Invisibility. Because most…

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Going Back Into The Closet: Retirement

Published on September 27, 2017 in Blog/Real Talk/Weekly

Partners of many years, Christopher Ross and Allan Keech are both 68-years-old. As they approach the typical challenges that must be faced with age such as health issues and retirement, they must also cope with discrimination. Upon their search for an appropriate retirement community, they have found them all to not have valid resources for including those in the LGBTQ community. Keech expressed that many gay people decide to go back into the closet during this time because of not wanting to feel ostracized. Both Ross and his partner Keech are not alone. Les Geller of the LGBT Center of…

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We Happy Trans

Published on September 25, 2017 in Real Talk/The-Nation/Weekly

If you don’t look for it, it can be hard to find positive news about trans people in the U.S. and beyond. It’s a negative news cycle that’s warranted: Research organizations like the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs have shown that 50% of transgender people have survived sexual violence, that almost 80% of gender nonconforming youth have experienced bullying and abuse at school, and that trans women and trans people of color continue to be murdered and harassed by police at higher rates than any other group on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. There’s no doubt that these are important facts for…

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LGBT Tears Into Trump’s U.N. Speech

Published on September 20, 2017 in Blog/Real Talk/The-Nation/Weekly

As predicted, LGBT foreign policy experts have weighed in on Donald Trump’s recent U.N. speech – The result is not favorable. During this speech, Trump taunted terrorists, calling them losers. He also denounced “rogue nations” and vowed to “totally destroy North Korea.” Trump stressed the importance of sovereignty from all of the independent nations to lead to ultimate success. He claimed that this would be the basis for cooperation. He also stated that he does not expect other countries to uphold our same cultures, norms, and values. Finding this statement troublesome, LGBT groups fear that this emphasis on sovereignty would…

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Michigan Civil Rights Commission Will Not Revise Laws to Be LGBT Friendly

Published on September 19, 2017 in Real Talk/The-Nation

As per a request to revise the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, one that does not currently include protection for the LGBT community, members of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission have decided to decline the notion. The purpose of the Civil Rights Commission is to determine if a group or community is being discriminated against. By way of revising the Elliott Larsen Act, action could be taken towards those discriminating against the LGBT community when it comes to job opportunities and housing purchases. Commissioner Linda Lee Tarver simply stated that it was not within their intention to re-write the law.…

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German Reparations: Is 35 Million Euros Enough?

Published on September 19, 2017 in Blog/Real Talk/Weekly

In recent years, the concept of paying reparations to Black Americans has been a center of discourse on racial equity (in part because of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article “The Case for Reparations,” published in the Atlantic in 2014). In his article, Coates starts a dialogue about how the U.S. could compensate black Americans for the legacy of slavery. The question is easy to answer: There’s no way for America to provide full reparations to the descendents of slaves, or to the Black Americans who live today amongst institutions that continue to be complicit in racism. However, his article sparked a national…

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