When Fiction Comes To Life

Fiction Really Did Come to Life!

Ever stop to think of all the great benefits of reading slash? I’m sure you’ve considered the obvious…… enjoyment, pleasure, relaxation, escape… Not in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine it also bringing friendship, meeting amazing people, satisfaction in knowing there are others like you, and making a positive impact on the world. But that is exactly what I found when fiction really did come to life during a recent weekend in Chicago.

When Fiction Comes To Life

HIV/AIDS

There are two items that make an appearance in just about every Twislash story: Lube and Condoms.   They are packed for ever trip, sometimes stashed in every room, and nearly always readily available.

And just why are they so important? Let’s leave the lube for another day, but those condoms are crucial to preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and most crucially of all, preventing the deadly HIV/AIDS virus from spreading.

I know very little about HIV/AIDS, so I plan to share links where much more information can be found.

When Fiction Comes To Life

GAY ATHLETES

While reading If on a Winter’s Night by Touchstone67,   I get so caught up in the touching story of the human heart, of courage, friendship, dedication, and love, that I almost forget I am even reading slash.  (Though the red hot lemons soon remind me!)  If you haven’t been reading that story, I recommend you start, now!   Edward is a star basketball player who is paralyzed in a very unfortunate accident. His boyfriend, Jasper, is also a star athlete in Track & Field. He stays by Edward’s side through horrendously difficult times.  The story will have an impact on you!

When Fiction Comes To Life

2010 recap and update!

In 2010 Twislash Unveiled introduced a new segment where we discussed real world crossovers with slash fan fiction readers. We learned that all of the authors were bringing to light real world issues and concerns as experienced through the fictional characters, and that by doing so, they were changing hearts and changing minds, for the better.

We saw that gay bashing is very real and still occurs in this day and age.  However, there are also organizations like The Matthew Shepard Foundation that battle the atrocities.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/05/when-fiction-comes-to-life.html

We realized that there is real life pain being caused by Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/06/when-fiction-comes-to-life.html

We found out that there is more to Gay Pride than just parades (but those are fun too)

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/06/when-fiction-turns-to-life.html

We learned that Marriage Equality is really about human dignity and human rights.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/08/when-fiction-comes-to-life.html

We discovered that areas outside of fan fiction are recognizing that the impacts that slash writers are having on the real world.  

 http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/08/when-fiction-comes-to-life_25.html

We discussed what real family values were.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/09/when-fiction-comes-to-life.html

We saw instruction on how to be a real Straight Ally.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/09/when-fiction-comes-to-life_29.html

We faced a real tragedy caused by all the homophobic nonsense and bullying and learned how to help and how to support organizations that helped.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/10/when-fiction-comes-to-life.html

And last but not least, we learned that sexuality is not always black and white, but many shades of grey.

http://twislash.blogspot.com/2010/11/when-fiction-comes-to-life.html

I am very pleased to announce that there have been two very significant and very positive breakthroughs on two of our topics.

First, my home state of Illinois voted to legalize Civil Unions!!! And while I am the first to say that separate is not equal, this is still a huge step forward.  Much like in Washington State, the law actually specifies that Civil Unions will have the exact same rights and everything as marriage, and is open to everyone.  This does pave the way for full equality some day.  Please enjoy a very good speech by a state senator:

It’s just fairness ya’ll that’s all.

(Pat Quinn that he mentions is the Governor of Illinois and he promised Civil Unions)

And for the big news!!!

After many had given it up for impossible, Our Congress passed and our President signed into law the bill that will repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell!!!  I actually cried – how did you react?

I think President Obama says it best:

(I recommend viewing the whole video, some very good lessons and some very good points)

That was it for 2010.  What articles did you like?  Did you learn anything new?

What kind of topics do you think should be discussed in 2011?  

Please comment.

Thank-you!!

When Fiction Comes To Life

The Kinsey Scale

One of my favorite slash awards categories is “but I thought I was straight”.  I love reading those stories!   My very first slash story involved a very confused popular ladies’ man named Jasper who questioned everything he ever knew when he fell hard for a man named Edward in All I Ever Knew by manyafandom .  Then there was Edward, who had a steady girlfriend, yet fell for Jasper in Secrets and Lies by OCDJen and in Masks by HopelessRomantic79

Then there is gay Jasper who only dates straight men and who snares Edward in

How to Turn a Straight Guy Gay by Lou-La  

So are these scenarios possible, and do they happen in real life?  Just ask gay Will and an actual “but I thought I was straight” RJ…

Such a sweet couple!  They actually went as a “pitcher” and a “catcher” for Halloween this year.

But does a straight person “turn gay”?  Well, not exactly, not if we study and understand the Kinsey Scale, a sexuality indicator from 0 – 6 developed by Dr. Alfred Kinsey.  This concept was discussed in The Kinsey Scale by Pastiche Pen, written for the intheclosetcontest

Personally I think the Kinsey Scale is pure genius.  It was revolutionary in its day.  It was a major breakthrough in studying human sexuality.  Genius, revolutionary, and breakthrough….  but only the tip of the iceberg.   It is so complex, and there is so much more yet to discover.  However, since our society is just barely coming out of the dark ages in this regard, we have only just scratched the surface.

The Kinsey definitions of the scale can be found at

http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/research/ak-hhscale.html

And much of Kinsey’s research continues on:

http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/

http://kinseyconfidential.org/

And there has been some attempt by Dr Fritz Klein to expand on the basic principal: http://www.bisexual.org/kleingrid.html

To understand the history of the Kinsey Scale a little better, there is a 2004 Movie about Dr Alfred Kinsey:  “Kinsey” (available at Netflix).  It is excellent and offers a great appreciation for just how far ahead of his time Dr Kinsey was.  There is also a PBC documentary:  “Kinsey: American Experience” that I have not seen yet, but is on my list.

I find it very frustrating when people appear ignorant of the Kinsey Scale.  Sometimes they claim that straight people can be turned gay, or that gay people can be “cured” (as if there is anything wrong with them in the first place).   Recently one such person who promoted gay “therapy” showed us all just how well it really works…  see the plight of George Rekkers   http://www.sunjournal.com/node/844399

I think ZJemptv provides a very nice summary of Kinsey scale:

Of course seeing ZJ brings other questions to mind!  I think it is important to note that

sexual orientation does not dictate gender identification and vice versa.  Nor does cross-dressing.  For example, Drag Queens are not necessarily transgender, nor are they always gay for that matter.  Those are topics for another day.

In the meantime, there is a very sweet story about a cross dressing Edward in The Measure of a Man by PolkaDotMoma

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6222996/1/The_Measure_of_a_Man

So where does the population tend to fall on the Kinsey Scale?   That turns out to be another very frustrating question.  Generally experts do not even agree yet.  I suspect it can still be pretty hard to get accurate information from people.  The following is the most recent study numbers I’ve seen, and it does not even incorporate the Scale:

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/04/National_Sex_Survey_Released/

I think most people don’t even understand the Scale, or their own sexuality, well enough yet.  I don’t think they can determine where they are on the scale; much less provide accurate information for a study.   There is still just too much left to learn.

So our favorite Twi-slash characters did not actually turn gay instantly.  They were probably low on the Scale (between 1 and 2 maybe?) and just happened to meet that one special person who rocked their world.  Have you ever played the game “who would you go gay for?”  Then you probably aren’t at “0” either.  Personally I believe we are all born with our own unique spot on the Kinsey Scale - which makes for a lot of decimal places....   and for a very interesting world.   

What do you think?

When Fiction Comes To Life

The Trevor Project   866-4-U-TREVOR or 866-488-7386.

Justin Aaberg,15

Billy Lucas,15

Asher Brown,13

Seth Walsh,13

Tyler Clementi,18

Raymond Chase,19

Caleb Nolt 14

Suicide.  Lives lost far too soon.   Left with no hope and the thought that there was only one thing left they could do.  Because they were bullied physically and mentally.  Because of who they were or who they loved or who they were believed to be.

The first article in this series addressed the Matthew Shepard foundation  and its efforts to rid the world of the cruel hate crime violence that resulted in injury and death.  But sometimes the cruelty damages the part of a person that we can’t see.  It takes away their will to live.  

The leading support in this area is The Trevor Project:  (from Wikipedia) The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization that operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.  The Trevor Project was founded by James Lecesne, Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone. They are the creators of the 1994 Academy Award-winning short film, Trevor, a dramedy about a gay 13-year-old boy who, when rejected by friends because of his sexuality, makes an attempt to take his life. When Trevor was scheduled to air on HBO in 1998, the filmmakers realized that some of the program's young viewers might be facing the same kind of crisis as Trevor, and began to search for a support line to be broadcast during the airing. They discovered that no such helpline existed, and decided to dedicate themselves to forming what was, in their view, a much-needed resource: an organization to promote acceptance of LGBTQ youth, and to aid in crisis and suicide prevention among that group.

Daniel Radcliff explains the Trevor Project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMaVp_kQDqU

and he provides some behind the scenes and interview footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFMBYVMSVg

The Trevor Project website:

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

The Trevor Helpline:   866.4.U.TREVOR or 866.488.7386.

Last week the Trevor Project had so many hits, the website kept crashing.   They need donations to do the work they do.  You can donate at their website, and you can even Text: TREVOR to 85944 and donate $5 to The Trevor Project!

Recently columnist Dan Savage and his partner started the “It Gets Better” project, and the response has been huge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfZhjUVlWE

Last I checked their YouTube channel “itgetsbetterproject” had over one million views and over 12,500 subscribers and roughly 1000 entries.  The numbers keep growing.   The Advocate rated their top 25 (so far)

And  TU found this one which sums them all very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NJ8b300e94

And this one features Tyler Oakley, a famous YouTuber who interns for The Trevor Project.  Clips from this video even appeared on the national evening news:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NJ8b300e94

Tyler calls on all of us to help out.  In addition to The Trevor Project and Matthew Shepard Foundation listed above, There are plenty of  other resources to help us do that:

GLAD - Gay and Lesbian Ally organization

http://www.glad.org/

GLAAD - Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

http://www.glaad.org/

GSA - Gay and Straight Alliance organization

http://gsanetwork.org/

GLSEN - Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network

http://www.glsen.org/

PFLAG - Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

http://community.pflag.org

HRC – Human Rights Campaign

http://www.hrc.org/

Please visit the HRC site and sign the petition to end bullying in schools

You can help by joining “We Give a Damn”

Also, you can help by staying informed:  Here are some great ways to do that:

http://www.joemygod.com

http://www.towleroad.com

http://www.advocate.com

http://www.pamshouseblend.com

http://gay.americablog.com

http://www.bilerico.com

http://www.queerty.com

http://www.goodasyou.org

It may seem like there have been an unusually high number of suicides lately.  The beginning of the school year does cause additional stress and does cause a peak in the cases.  However, sadly, this really is nothing new.  Historically the number of suicides among gay youth has always been hugely disproportionately gay males.  The difference now is that awareness, knowledge, and attention to the cause has greatly improved.   At least acknowledging the problem is the first step toward resolving the problem.

Here is a story about one brave boy…

Naelany wrote a story in response to the latest suicides, called Did No One See The Writing On The Wall? If you know of any other stories that deal with bullying and/or suicide among LGBTQ youth, please share them with us in the comments.

The next step is up to you.   

Several potential actions have been presented to you.  Please pick at least one.  I will sign the HRC petition, donate to The Trevor Project, and will work with local schools to see how I can get this information to the youth of the community.  I will stay in touch by reading the blogs so when I know things like important legislation is underway and will contact my legislators.   I just read that Senator Al Franken is a fierce advocate so I hope to see action there very soon.

What will you do?  I challenge everyone who reads this to pick at least on action.  Please leave a comment and let us know which one(s).  Thank-you!!!

PS.  Next Monday October 11 is National Coming Out Day.  I hope to write more on the topic of ‘coming out’ someday.  In the meantime, check out:   http://www.hrc.org/ncod/

When Fiction Comes To Life

Straight Ally

LGBTQA

The first time I’d seen that acronym, it stopped me in my tracks.  I was familiar with LGBT and knew it was also frequently written as GLBT.  I had seen the Q attached, and understood it meant “Questioning” and knew that was important to be included.  But that “A” touched me.  That was me; I was being included.  I am an Ally.

I still feel honored to be included.   Here was a group who has been fighting for centuries for the most basic of human rights and human dignity.  They were fighting for the things that were given me free of charge.  I had not earned any right to be included.  But there they were, open and accepting.

Straight ally is a colloquial term that describes a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBT social movements.

Recently I participated in a Marriage Equality rally.  I seriously debated what kind of sign I wanted to carry.  Should I carry a common sign and just blend in, or a ‘straight ally’ sign?  I did not want to be seen as ashamed to blend in, because I wasn’t.  But in the end I decided to show that I was proud to be an ally.  Because I want the opposition to know that there really are straight allies.  And our numbers are growing.

Popular Straight Allies include:  Liza Minnelli, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Aniston, Cybil Shepherd, Paul Newman, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Kathy Griffin, Seth MacFarlane, Sarah Silverman, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, Dennis Kucinich, and Coretta Scott King.

Taking a stand recently, a straight couple - Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and Elyse Buxbaum - were married in a civil ceremony in New Haven Connecticut rather than in New York.   The reason – gay marriage is allowed in Connecticut and not in New York.   They made a statement by boycotting discriminatory marriage laws in their own state.

Recently in an article in The Advocate, New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita voiced his unapologetic support for marriage equality and LGBT rights. When asked if he worries about losing fans over his pro-gay views, Fujita replied:

"I've found that every time I open my mouth about an issue that's unrelated to football, I alienate some people. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. Because for every piece of hate mail I've received for speaking out in support of gay marriage or for wanting to bring the troops home or for discussing the injustices of Japanese internment, there's a dozen people who either appreciate what I'm doing or who think about the issue in a different way... I also recognize that the platform I've been given as a professional athlete will be taken from under me once I leave this game, at which point no one will care to ask my opinion. So in the meantime, why not stand for something?"

How can you be a straight ally?  There are many ways.  

In addition, some ally, and some gay / straight ally, organizations include:

GLAD - Gay and Lesbian Ally organization

GLAAD - Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

GSA - Gay and Straight Alliance organization

PFLAG - Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

And here is PFLAG’s website for Straight Allies:

http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=565

Be sure to sign the pledge!!

Fortunately almost all of our favorite slash characters have been surrounded by some very powerful straight allies.  The first one I met was Emmet in  All I Ever Knew by manyafandom

Emmet helped Jasper, accepted him as he was, and was there for him when he came out to friends.  In Equal & Opposite by Oh Jasper My Jasper  Jasper’s mother joined PFLAG.

Rosalie stood firm by Jasper through many trials in At The Deep End by Naelany , and Bella had been there for Edward. Those boys had a strong circle of friends who did not hesitate to stop a group bashing Jasper. In Marked by Whitlock-Masen Mike Newton repeatedly proves to be a very accepting friend. The list could go on and on, but I would rather hear from you.  

Which Fan-fiction allies have impressed you?  

How are you an ally?

When Fiction Comes To Life

Gay Family Values

I was smiling ear to ear while reading Over the Top by Starfish422  when a little teddy bear appeared that said “I love my Daddies”.   I watched Edward and Jasper battle serious illness and struggle raising one child and adopting a second in Lay Your Hands by OCDjen.    I laughed and it warmed my heart to watch through Cletus’ (the cat’s) POV as Jasper and Edward bring home their daughter in Southern Charm by meikela   I really enjoyed a star gazing camp out with Edward and Emmett and their two children in Shooting Stars by rosmarina. Currently I am reading about Edward and Jasper struggling to raise a new daughter while also battling PTSD not to mention additional strain and potential additional hardships that could be caused by DADT in Everything is Broken by blakeney

The common theme throughout all the above stories is Gay Adoption.  Several of the stories addressed the various options involved, and they addressed the legal implications as well.  As with most things in real gay life, societies tend to make things more complicated than necessary.

The options available for any childless couple are quite varied.   These can involve public agency adoptions, private agency adoptions, international adoptions, open adoptions, and surrogacy.

And…. If it weren’t already complicated enough, same sex adoption laws vary widely in every country, and many times vary widely in every state/province/territory/etc within a country.   For more information:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_adoption

It seems ironic that any opposite sex couple, no matter how poorly qualified, can produce a child, while loving same sex couples can face many hurdles.  

What a sad statement about a society that automatically assumed that children would somehow be worse off if both parents were of the same sex?  I fail to see that logic when there are healthy single parent families, and when an opposite sex family does not always guarantee a healthy outcome? 

Shouldn’t every situation be regarded individually rather than making assumptions based on gender?

Fortunately studies have been conducted, such as the following that discovered that there is no difference in children raised by gay parents:

http://www.uta.edu/ucomm/mediarelations/press/2009/09/Ryan-study-in-SSW.php

and this study that determined that children raised in a gay family did well in school:     http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/gay-study-083010.html   

and this one actually shows that children raised in a lesbian household actually fare better than their peers:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19014-children-of-lesbian-parents-do-better-than-their-peers.html   

Gay families can be so loving; they often adopt children no one else will.  In fact, it has been found that children are actually suffering because of unfair adoption laws.  

http://adoption.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=adoption&cdn=parenting&tm=17&gps=418_305_1020_564&f=10&su=p284.9.336.ip_p504.3.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.adoptioninstitute.org/research/2008_09_expand_resources.php 

I stumbled upon a very brave YouTube family that is telling their story in the hope that they can help change the perception of gay families.   They are an amazing couple, just every day guys, doing their part to make the world a better place.  Bryan, Jay, Daniel, Selena:  

I highly recommend you subscribe to their channel - depfox.

I wasn’t the only one that stumbled upon them.  Documentary producers found them, and are turning their story into a documentary called “The Right to Love – An American Family” (grab the tissues):   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYC-2djhzv8  

You can bet I will be first in line when it comes out early next year.

The couple has also produced several YouTube videos detailing their journey to become a family: Our Adoption Story   They provided valuable stories and resources that are very helpful to other gay couples.  

One uneducated myth is that children raised by gay families will be turned gay (just like all children raised by heterosexual couples are turned straight??)  Dan Savage, journalist and internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice columnist tackles that myth in wonderful Dan Savage style by telling his story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GPkWORrBcs

Domestic Daddy blogger Christopher Nordquist attempts to shed light on the varying reactions he sees as a gay dad in his revealing and informative article:  Where Did You Get That Baby?

On the positive side, I do believe things are changing for the better.  Do you remember the old riddle about a father and son car crash where the father dies and the son is rushed to the hospital?   The head surgeon says “I cannot operate; he is my son”.  The riddle baffled almost everyone and was intended to show gender prejudices since very few people guessed the surgeon was the boy’s mother.   

This riddle was recently revisited and school children were asked the question.  None of the children were baffled at all!!  Most quickly answered “it was his mother”, and some even said “the boy had two dads”.   When I hear from the children, I have hope for the future.

And finally, guess who are expecting twins?!?!

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1645768/20100814/story.jhtml

Slash authors are bringing great awareness to their readers when they include the children.  Who are your favorite FanFiction gay families?   

~*~*~*~*~*~

A little addition from naelany:

Towleroad happened to have an article on What's A Parent? today, that I thought was appropriate. It gives some insight into what gay parents have to go through in order to become just that: parents. In the eyes of the law, that is. 

Thank you, lovelypenguin, for another awesome article.