Lived Experience Forum

[HappyCastle]

@The-red-centaur "I don't feel judged for being me" - I love that

[Daisydreamer]

@NatureLover, thank you so much for sharing. I hope that your story and your experience of questioning and uncertainty at the moment helps support others too who might be at a similar point in their journeys

@wellwellwellnez I am so glad you raised the topic of the key issue because that's what today's question will be all about

@Former-Member- and thank you for being here to support IDAHOBIT

@The-red-centaur "the ability to be myself and to express myself how I want/feel." This is so powerful and I am glad to hear the inclusiveness you have found in the community.

@Appleblossom that sounds like a brilliant way to connect

@HappyCastle "belonging to a community that's bursting with resilience."

[Daisydreamer]

Today's question: 

What are some of the biggest issues facing the community or things that you wish more people knew about being LGBTQIA+?

[Shaz51]

@petrichor , @Sophie1 , @Queenie 😀👋

@Daisydreamer , @HappyCastle , @Appleblossom , @NatureLover , @The-red-centaur , @eth 

[Shaz51]

@Fluttershy1, @Jynx 

[The-red-centaur]

What are some of the biggest issues facing the community or things that you wish more people knew about being LGBTQIA+?

It is who we are, but it doesn't define us. We are more than our sexuality and/or gender.

[wellwellwellnez]

When I think about BIG issues the first place I have to go to is sovereignty itself. Sovereignty intersects with a lot of the other things that are going on. But, more than that. Sexual sovereignty is the moment that we all need to meet right now. We are more than our identities but that doesn't mean that we are less than our identities. We're fast running out of reasons to punish or pretend. That's how big the big issues get. Maybe bigger.

[Daisydreamer]

Today's question:

Do you have a story of support that stands out for you?

@wellwellwellnez @The-red-centaur @Shaz51 @HappyCastle @Appleblossom @outlander @NatureLover @eth @petrichor @Sophie1 @Queenie @Former-Member 

[NatureLover]

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@Daisydreamer wrote:

What are some of the biggest issues facing the community or things that you wish more people knew about being LGBTQIA+?

---

One thing I really hate is that people seem to think that being LGBTQIA+ is a choice. (My family are really conservative and I don't agree with their views.) They don't consider things like, what if they themselves had been born with ambiguous genitalia, for instance? Their failure to think leads to stigma and abusive views towards LGBTQIA+ people. 

Do you have a story of support that stands out for you?

For me personally I am thankful for the support of the people on this forum. Instead of criticising me and saying, "Well, by your age you should know your sexual identity," they welcomed my questioning and pointed me in the right direction for some advice. I have always been attracted to women but have repressed it almost completely (due to a range of things). So for me it's not a simple matter. 

[Former-Member]

@NatureLover it's often not typically included, but I've seen another Q added to the end of "LGBTIAQ+" to stand for "questioning," and I think it's something everyone should get into the habit of including! i.e., LGBTIAQQ+. Anyone who is questioning is 100% welcome in the community 😊And there are quite a lot of people who are questioning!  

Whoops I have quite a number of questions to catch up on! 😅

Day 1:

-   What are some of your favourite things about being LGBTQIA+?

I love that I have a lot more choice when it comes to partners! Being able to date women & gender diverse folks in particular is amazing- generally, people raised to be women are encouraged to be more communicative and open/in touch with their emotions- this works wonders in relationships!

I also love the strength of the community 🌈 There's an amazing connection you can have with others when you're coming from a shared experience of oppression by society; we can truly understand each other, and we care deeply for each other.

-   And what parts of being in the LGBTQIA+ community bring you joy and resilience?

The people! Friends, partners, the broader community. The events we have, the spaces we share, the parties we have, and the communities we build.

Day 2:

-  What are some of the biggest issues facing the community or things that you wish more people knew about being LGBTQIA+?

I wish more people knew that our oppression is ongoing and our concerns didn't stop when marriage equality was legislated.

These points here don't include everything- there are other significant issues; there are just the ones that stand out to me personally as a queer person who is also trans. My main concerns are:

1. Ongoing stigma, bullying, family rejection (often leading to homelessness), discrimination, and an increasing epidemic of violence, hate crimes, and murders. I hate that I can barely walk down the street with my partner without being worried about/anticipating other people's negative reactions, like verbal abuse, because we're trans.
2. Ongoing attacks on our existence through legislation, such is this frankly horrifying bill in the NSW parliament; and a lack of safe, accessible, affordable healthcare, particuarly for trans people.
3. Things like the above causing disturbingly high rates of mental distress, self-harm, and suicide (about 1 in 2 trans people has attempted suicide). 

I also wish more people knew about the asexual community (the "A") and the intersex community (the "I" - more info here)!

Day 3:

-   Do you have a story of support that stands out for you?

The support that has stood out for me has come from the people I was unsure about; we know we can count on people in the community to support us, so it's particularly impactful when the people we're uncertain about actually support us. It can be a very rough world out there, so that support means the world 🙂 

I'm looking forward to continuing to read other people's responses! 😊