Real stories from the World - LGBTQ+

Shorter Snippets

England:

 I am a bisexual gender neutral teen. I was originally born a girl but over years of being a tomboy (and occasionally mistaken as a boy) I have come to the conclusion that my gender doesn't matter. I am attracted to both boys and girls, luckily I live in a very caring household where I van be who I am freely. Unfortunately, my school is still prejudice as well as a bit racist. With 98% of all students and faculty European, a black kid or an asian kid is a rare sight. I am half cast. Part Asian and part english, meaning that I am picked on more for my race than my sexuality (but that doesn't help matters). It's a shame that in where I live race is more of a defining feature than their personality. I support and hope that this story is useful for you. Thank you  

India:

 l'm a straight girl from India. I have seen only transgenders. Generally they are ostricized from the society.Most of them are begging or in prostitution but there are NGOs helping them and govt recognized third gender and have reservations in certain jobs( I think).  I have also seen transgender protests in my local area.  Local and national newspapers are writing great articles that support lgbtq+.  

The U.S.:

So when I was in third grade I realized I had a crush on a girl. I didn't know whether this was ok or not. I just assumed I was gay or something, and that I couldn't tell anyone. In fourth grade I had a crush on a boy. That just made me even more confused. I already felt the pressures of being secretive and the dying need for a label.

So now we fast forward to my current age and I am happily open being panasxual, I'm okay with myself. But not everyone in the U.S is. There is homophobia like no tomorrow. Personally, I go to a great school that's very open minded. But every once and a while you always have that one person say something. For me, I had a girlfriend at some point and this boy would sexualize things constantly. He did that just because I had a girlfriend, he assumed we already had sex. But we hadn't and he kept making up stories and telling me. I'm actually very fearful right now being pansexual. With our President I'm scared that laws protecting and allowing things to the LGBTQ+ community will be taken away. I'm scared that I'm going to have to go to conversion therapy. Being myself right now is tough, as it is for others as well. But I hope we can stick it out in the U.S. Thank you for listening and giving me this opportunity to get my story out there.

Rain

The Philippines:

I am from the Philippines where we are immensely tolerant of lgbtq mostly. Being part of the lgbtq myself, I have been through my fair share of bullying, catcalling and downright oppression. I have experienced being excluded by my peers because I was gay I have experienced being a target of some professors because of my sexuality. I have experienced being physically assaulted because of the way o carry myself. However, I am lucky enough that those experiences have shaped me into what I am today. Some have it worse than myself but I am lucky enough to have the most supportive family and friends. Although, I do have some friends who are gay and are terrified of coming out. I have transgender friends who have been shunned by their family even though she was helping contribute to her family. I have a lesbian friend who was literally dragged herself down all because she couldn't accept that she was gay. I guess the main point I'm making is, even here in the Philippines where we appreciate lgbtq people, specially those successful ones who had made a name for themselves, you will occasionally find those who still believe that gay is a sin. It's changing, however, for the better. And the best thing we can do wherever we are in the world is to accept and assist them however we can. Battling the world is terrifying, but battling the self is a much harder endeveur.

India:

Hello! I'm from India. I'm​ happy to say that although people here are extremely homophobic, that is changing with my generation. Almost everyone in my class supports lgbtq, which is great. However, people are still scared to come out. Nobody at school is publicly out. Some teachers and parents are supportive, but most are still homophobic. Transphobia is a serious problem here. I read an article in the newspaper the other day about how most colleges and universities here refuse admission to trans students. There was a case study of a trans girl who was told that she would be granted admission only if she registered as male. She had to keep her birth name and wear male clothes. Gay marriage is illegal here, but I'm happy to see many pride parades and protests being conducted in many cities. Many children at a young age are told that lgbtq is "wrong", which is why I, like most young kids here, was homophobic and transphobic till I realised I liked girls too. Then I was extremely scared. I researched about it, and realised I'm bisexual. That helped me realize that there's nothing wrong with lgbtq and it's completely natural. I think that most kids here, when they're mature enough to form their own opinions, realise there's nothing wrong with lgbtq. So overall, the situation here is pretty bad, but it's definitely improving, and I'm hopeful that India will be a safe place for lgbtq in the future.

The U.S.

Going Straight : By ChaseIt was my first year of middle school when I started finding guys attractive and had a weird "experience" with another guy. Bi-curious is the term to describe that. I was also a Christian at the time and I completely disapproved of homosexuality, though I don't think it was really because of what the Bible said but because of the common mentality. I put aside my newfound curiosity in males for more than a year and joined wrestling in seventh grade where I encountered sexual harassment all of the time and assault one time. They took my love of it away from me and made me bitter.

A couple of months later off season I was harassed again by the guys in art class until finally, they broke me and I admitted to myself that I liked guys. It was a tough pill to swallow. Perhaps the change in my sexuality shouldn't have been caused by sexual harassment but it was. I admitted my feelings to the guy I liked and at the same time, I hated him since he was the one who ruined me. At this point, I was angry and on the verge of depression and I wasn't able to join wrestling. I stayed home through December to February and occupied myself by watching my old favorite NFL team, the Panthers. The following week after the season was over, me and my family moved out at long last into the apartments. I was depressed then. My life seemingly had no meaning and bullying made it worse. I felt abandoned by my friends and those who had once been my friends. In May, I left Christianity and began seeking the ultimate truth but remained stuck in a fear of hell for a few months. By October, I reconverted to Christianity, pondered the beliefs and decided that I didn't believe. I chose athiesm, but became a perfectionist as a result. I decided that being bisexual was one of the many flaws in myself because of the self hatred it caused over the past year and a half. I have since became a better person mentally, physically and better in character.

I did like someone of the same gender, but love is random. Love doesn't have a sexuality. For a fact, I know I'm not attracted to masculinity anymore. I have dubbed myself the "freaky" kind of straight.

Hope this doesn't make anyone mad. I see bisexuality as a flaw within myself. Liking the same gender works for a lot of people, it just hasn't worked for me.