My generation had princesses to look up to. Our daughters have generals.
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Generations
Thank you P!nk
Last year I made a promise to myself. I am gonna be brave and I will do a bunch of things that scare me, but which are also going to help me and my life, moving forward. Since then, I went to see Michelle Obama and I learnt that the phrase I was looking for is: ‘I needed to Michelle up’.
So, I moved to another country, I met and talked to one of my idols and I became a Human Rights Speaker. And let me tell you, that the hardest part was, teaching my first class. It was one of the scariest things, I’ve ever done in my life. Going into a classroom in England, and teach about refugees and human rights to young people whose first language is English while for me it’s the second…it’s nerve-wracking. I have not yet mastered how to seem confident when standing in front of a class. But I did it anyway. I went to a primary school, taught 6 classes and had a blast. I wrote about this experience here.
Now, the “only” thing left on my to do list, was coming out. You see, I am bisexual and I didn’t know that until I turned 30 years old. Those years weren’t the easy part of my life. I was struggling with depression, I had a very difficult time fitting in and then I also discovered that I am bisexual. This was a rather challenging couple of years and it took me a lot, to survive and come out of it. I got very lucky and with the help of my little support system, I managed to win this fight. I came out to my friends, some part of my family and I started to turn my life around. Moving to the UK was a significant part of this journey. But I did move without telling my Mum about who I really am. It’s been more than 2 years since I know I’m bi and I still didn’t tell her.
And then, P!nk announced her tour!!!! Me and my Mum are loyal fans since the beginning of her career so I knew I need to get tickets for this concert and I am going to bring my Mum to the UK and we will go and see P!nk. All was in order. We got tickets for the Liverpool concert, we booked her flight and we started to plan the holiday. And it made me realise. I was looking forward to see P!nk in one of her tours for basically half of my life and it means the world to me, so…I don’t wanna go to the concert without coming out to my Mum.
If P!nk taught me one thing is how to be proud of who I am. Her journey and personality and her honesty is inspiring and I didn’t want to dishonour the meaning of all this and attend the concert without coming out to me mum. So I did. Two days ago, I came out. It went well, my mum is supportive but we have a journey ahead of us. Lots of conversation and learning together will help to evolve from here.
Thank you, P!nk for your music, for your presence and for everything you do. You stand up for people who can’t stand on their own, you give strength to people who don’t have it and you change people’s life for the better. You certainly did change mine and I hope, one day I can meet you and thank you in person. You are fantastic, thank you for helping me navigate through this life. Me and my Mum will see you tonight!!! Good luck on the show and happy pride!!
8 Things You May Not Know About Rosa Parks
7. PARKS WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO LIE IN STATE AT THE U.S. CAPITOL.
After Park died on October 24, 2005 at the age of 92, she became the first woman to lie in state, a tribute usually reserved for statesmen and military leaders. More than 30,000 filed by her casket to pay their respects.
“Stay afraid but do it anyway.”
So today I’ve done one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life… I went to a primary school with a fellow Human Rights Speaker and we taught 6 classes on refugees and Human Rights. It was a very scary thought to stand in front of 30 young people (aged 5-11) & teach them in a language that’s not my native. Mentally it was a challenging task to prepare but as Carrie Fisher once said;
“Stay afraid but do it anyway.”
And I’m so happy that I did. I’m very grateful for the school, for inviting us & for my speaker buddy who helped me feel comfortable and confident at the beginning of our session. I learnt so much from her and the amazing young people who I met today. Education is a human right and we all should have access to it. If you give the young the opportunity they will shine. They are incredibly bright and resourceful. They care and if you listen to them, they will also teach you a thing or two!
It was absolutely fantastic having a conversation about gender, freedom, education with such young people. They were aware of the unfairly treatment of transgender people and how their rights are not respected. They told me that it is very important to know that there is difference between an asylum seeker, a migrant and a refugee. They knew and understood the concept of discrimination and they were all very inclusive and intelligent. It was such a refreshing atmosphere, full of hope and laughter.
They will change the 🌍 We just need to guide them through their journey from time to time. 💙
A Rohingya girl’s journey from refugee camps to college
Formin was 18. She was sitting on a plastic stool in a bamboo shelter at a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Like the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees around her, she and her family had fled a campaign of mass murder, rapes and arson in Myanmar the previous year.
But Formin wanted to talk about Keller, the deaf and blind American author she considered an inspiration. She wanted to talk about Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, another hero. She wanted to talk about her books ravaged in the burning of her house amid deadly violence in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state. She spoke of her dream of becoming a lawyer, and of inspiring other Rohingya girls deprived of education.
If Billy Porter Wants To Wear A Dress, Billy Porter is Wearing A Dress
People forget that Jesus wore a dress, too. They call it a robe, but he wore a dress.
I’m Gay – Eugene Lee Yang
Eugene Lee Yang (born January 18, 1986) is an American filmmaker, actor, and internet celebrity, best known for his work with BuzzFeed (2013–2018) and The Try Guys (2014–present). As a YouTuber, his videos have been viewed collectively more than 2 billion times.
I created this music video as my personal way of coming out as a proud gay man who has many unheard, specific stories to tell. I withheld because of fear and shame shaped by my background but I promise to give my full truth in the rest of my life’s work.
Eugene’s Twitter Feed
This video is visually stunning, deeply personal and just beautiful. It was written, directed and choreographed by Eugene. What a journey and what a sincere way of telling his story. Such a powerful video, that made me cry while watching. Thank you for sharing and thank you for your bravery! Happy Pride, Everyone!
Please if you can, support The Trevor Project. Alongside the video, Eugene Lee Yang posted a fundraiser.
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people. The organization works to save young lives by providing support through free and confidential suicide prevention and crisis intervention programs on platforms where young people spend their time: a 24/7 phone lifeline, chat, and text counseling services.
