Exploring your gender identity By Chess (Narrative.) For most people, their innate sense of gender is consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth – in most cases, either male or female. This is known as being cisgender. Although this is often seen as the default, there is a lot more diversity in terms of gender than many people realise. In recent years there has been an increase in the visibility of gender diverse individuals, and an improvement in general knowledge of...

Surviving the holidays as an LGBTQ+ teen By Sammi (Orenda.) The holidays are often regarded as a time of cheer and festivities with loved ones. However, for many LGBTQ+ individuals, this is not necessarily the case. Whether you're still in the closet and fending off questions about your love life, out and being misgendered by intolerant family members, or anything in between, even the most joyous of times can become difficult. While it can seem unbearable, it is possible to enjoy your...

Safety during Pride By Sammi (Metanoia.) For the LGBTQ+ community, June marks the beginning of an exciting season. While the United States officially recognizes it as "Pride Month", countries around the world hold Pride events in June and in the months to follow. During these events, members of the LGBTQ+ community are able to come together and celebrate who they are by participating in parades/marches, visiting different booths, mingling with others at parties, and attending concerts...

Debunking the myths of the female body By Dez (Epiphany.) The functioning of the female body can be confusing for a lot of people. There are a lot of myths that seem plausible, but are actually untrue. People may have heard misinformation from family members and friends, or through other sources. It is important to know why certain statements are myths, as well as the truth behind the myths. This article will debunk many of the common myths of the female body. Myth: Women...

Binding safely By Shane (MyVisionIsDying) During transition, a trans male (and those who identify as other transgender identities) may opt to bind their chest before top surgery, or if they choose not to undergo surgery, then they might possibly bind their chest for the rest of their life unless they do not want to bind. Binding is a way to flatten the breasts to create the appearance of a more masculine looking chest. For trans males in particular, binding may help to...

The difference between bisexuality and pansexuality By Traci (Coffee.) Labeling your sexual orientation is complex and is frequently blurred by lengthy definitions and technical terms. It’s common to experience what many call “identity policing,” where somebody corrects another person’s identity as they do not “fit” that identity definition. Those who identify as bisexual or pansexual get this frequently; somebody will tell them that they are actually straight, gay, or even switch the...

Difficulties a trans person might face By Nicole (Pug Princess) The definitions of sex were created to be composed of two simple labels in order to categorize society, however for many people it is a very complicated process to figure out how to define oneself. Some people grow up thinking that they were born the “wrong way” because they don’t like the opposite gender which is what society deems is “correct.” In other cases, people feel that they were not born as the right gender, and that...

Asexuality: myths and misconceptions By Chess (Syzygy.) Although most people have heard the term 'asexual', there is some confusion surrounding what exactly this means. Some people, for example, regard asexuality as a choice much like abstinence. Others mistakenly believe that sexual and romantic attraction are one and the same, attributing asexuality to a lack of romantic attraction to other people. Many of these myths have developed as a result of a simple lack of awareness, and with...

Understanding transvestism and cross-dressing By Jenny (coolkid98) A transvestite is someone who enjoys dressing up in clothes of the opposite sex. This is different than being transgender because those who cross-dress are comfortable with their assigned sex. There is a common misconception by both individuals and professionals that transvestites cross-dress only for sexual pleasure, but this is not necessarily true. If it is done for sexual gratification, it is called transvestic...

Understanding non-binary gender By Hester (LiveLongAndProsper) There is more to gender than the two tick boxes on forms. Not everybody can tick ‘male’ or ‘female’. Binary means two, and non-binary gender means any gender identity that doesn't fall in either of the two binary categories. Instead of considering gender as binary, people are now beginning to consider it as a spectrum with people identifying somewhere between ‘male;’ and ‘female’. The problem with viewing gender as a position on...

The advantages and disadvantages of labelling your sexual orientation and/or gender identity By Chess (Celestial.) In terms of the LGBT community, a label can be understood as a specific title which describes a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Many of these may be familiar, such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender, but others, such as homoflexible, heteroromantic, or trigender, may come as more of a surprise. No matter what a person’s sexual orientation or gender...

What is queer? By Jen (Arcenciel) The commonly used initialism “LGBT” stands for the four main "types" of sexual orientation and gender identity groups: lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. However, did you know that the initialism is actually longer than just four letters? One version of the very long initialism is "LGBTQQ2IAP." This stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, two-spirited, intersex, asexual, and pansexual. Since these labels are so...

Gender identity – Terms to know By Chess (Celestial.) When someone hears the word ‘gender’, most people automatically think of the binary system: male or female. However, more and more people are coming to an understanding about the gender spectrum, which goes beyond the simple ‘male or female’ mentality that many people hold. A lot of people also assume that the terms 'sex' and 'gender' are interchangeable, but sex refers only to the physical characteristics (i.e. reproductive...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 1, Issue 10 (March 2008). Coming Out by .Infinity. (Mel) Growing up, discovering your sexual orientation may be one of the most difficult things you will go through. Not knowing how you feel can be quite confusing. As important as knowing your sexual orientation is, coming out to those close to you is also something that may be quite important to you. When you do know how you feel, however, coming out may be quite nerve wrecking. This article will...

Keeping It Safe By Anonymous (Please note: This is a guide, and only advises on safer sex. It can not guarantee 100% protection, but greatly reduces risks. It's wise to know your sexual partners and their sexual habits, to further lower this risk.) Introduction - STIs So we all know that when a guy's sperm goes into a girl's vagina, she can get pregnant. I don't know about you, but my sex ed seemed most concerned about this. However it isn't the only risk involved in sex, and you...