YA LGBT Books discussion
Introductions & About You
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Where are you in the world?
I was born in Montreal, Canada, but have lived in Minnesota, USA for 30 years.Yes it is cold in the winter, and snowy. And we have mosquitoes that swarm together to carry away small children in the summer.
But we have four lovely seasons, polite and friendly people, great jazz and theater, and legal marriage equality. :)
I was born in Corfu, Greece. Corfu is one of the largest Greek islands and it is east of Italy :) It has an interesting history of imperialism, as do the remaining six islands of the Ionian Islands complex it belongs to. Conquered by Venetians, by British, gifted to Russians (if I am not mistaken) and in the end becoming part of the Greek state in the mid-19th century. That is why you see such an interesting mix of architecture :D Also, it was home to the first Greek uni!I moved to Thessaloniki when I was 6 and live here ever since. It is a large city, very popular with students and with a rich Jewish history!
Greece is getting better with lgbtiq rights and protections - a draft of an antiracist bill was voted through parliament this year, which will include protection from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. Truth is, in theory it sounds great, in practice society has a long way to go. Sexism and phobia is even expressed by political figures who do not even seem to understand their damage.
Marriage equality is still on hold - even though Greece has been fined by the EU for not allowing same-sex civil partnerships.
On the bright side, lgbtiq people have been more visible the last years and various organizations, groups are pushing activism forward. We have a long way to go but we will make it :)
I am from Czech Republic, which is in the Central Europe. It is a small country with only 10,5 million inhabitants. It's capital city is Prague with maybe 2 - 2,5 Million people. People should sure visit the capital. But also many other towns and cities because across the country you can find many castles and chateaus, old temples and cathedrals.
Czech Republic is quite LGBT friendly. There is a substitute for marriage and same sex adoption is not allowed, but at least lgbt people are fully protected.
Here you can see some of the landmarks
http://www.pinterest.com/flanamy27/cz...
Oh this is fun, to find out more about new places. Thanks for commenting.
Carson City, Nevada, is not as conservative as some people think. Sure, we have cowboys & hunters, and even some 'smokey back rooms' for the 'old boys'' political networks. But more and more women are in politics, and Reno (1/2 hour away) has support clubs for lgbt. And though I'm bi and poly, I've never felt uncomfortable in public. And of course we have Burning Man! We also have four seasons, Lake Tahoe, wilderness, and big beautiful skies.
I was born in Chicago, but moved to San Francisco when I was 3, so I've lived here (and in Berkeley) pretty much my whole life. I like everything about SF, except for the *hellaciously* high-cost of living. If someone visits here, they can come pretty much any season and I would recommend seeing all the major tourist stuff, as well as checking out all our neighborhoods. LGBTQ-wise, not much to say that hasn't already been said, lol. SF is famous for its sexual diversity.
I was born, raised, moved out of, and then back to a small town in California's High Desert/Mojave Desert called Ridgecrest. We only have three seasons here: Hot, Windy, and Cold. Sometimes there are overlaps where you get two seasons in one day; so you can have days where it is Hot and Windy, Cold and Windy, and on a few rare occasions it can be freezing in the morning and then get to 90F (33C) by mid afternoon.The town is built over one of the most active tectonic faults in the state, and our town frequently owns the title of Earthquake Capital of the World (but is currently disputed). Any quake less than a 4.3, we don't notice; that's partly due to the bomb and munitions testing they do out here, a mag. 3 or smaller is indistinguishable from a bomb's shockwave according to a human (but the instruments know the difference).
The town is insular and strongly Republican on the majority of issues, but thanks to the US Navy base that is the main employer, LGBT views are mostly positive.
If you're visiting, get your gas/petrol and run... erm, I mean come visit our lovely Maturango Museum to learn about the local tribes and the Petroglyphs, or if happens to be spring (a.k.a. Cold and Windy) grab the Wildflower Tour info. And be sure to wave goodbye on your way to your actual destination. Seriously, there is nothing out here to do. The only positive this town has, is it centrality to every other popular destination in California and Las Vegas. Oh, and dirt lots and lots of dirt for motorcycles and ATV use.
Rez wrote: "I was born, raised, moved out of, and then back to a small town in California's High Desert/Mojave Desert called Ridgecrest. We only have three seasons here: Hot, Windy, and Cold. Sometimes there a..."It's interesting that you say the Navy base makes the town more LGBT positive. That's a surprising effect to me, so short a time after DADT.
It is a Navy facility (NAWS - China Lake), but it is primarily a research and testing station, so instead of the enlistees and crewmen, we get drone-pilots and aerospace engineers.After the Google and Apple campuses, our little podunk has a high-ranking PhD per-capita density outside of college towns. It is dense enough that the minimum wage jobs in the area almost require a Bachelor's degree.
So it has more to do with the education level of the population, but it is because of the Navy base that that level is so high.
Kaje wrote: "Where do you live? What do you like or not like about your home town/state/nation?
If someone comes there, when and where should they go?
Any LGBTQ comments?
We'd love to hear about the diversity..."
My name is Dee Dee and I am a male to female post op transsexual and I live in Ecuador. I pass completely so I have no problems there. Ecuador has a strange attitude towards LBGT- Male/Male is tolerated more than Fem/Fem? Dunno why? Overall LGBT's should feel safe here if they are publicly discreet.
Been in Ecuador two years and it has awesome people. Kind, considerate and relaxed. Futball is king here. Ecuador has the Andes Mountains, the Amazon rainforest, a varied and beautiful coastline, the Ecuator and of course, the Galapagos Islands.
Wrote it in Ecuador so gotta plug my new book: MEMORIORS OF A TRANSSEXUAL CALL GIRL- Enter the Butterfly by Dee Dee Jackson. A true narrative not for the faint of heart. Amazon.com just gave it a "Hot New Release" button!
So if you are interested in a different South American adventure by all means consider the beautiful country of Ecuador. Dee Dee Jackson
Where do you live?Anosizato, a suburb of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
What do you like or not like about your home town/state/nation?
I like the sights. I like the "don't shun relatives" side of the clan-based culture. I also like the resourcefulness.
I thoroughly hate the superstitious/gullible mindset, the explosive breeding (almost triple the population in 30 years!) and the associated idea that more neglected children is better than a few children well taken care of. I despise the "hate/distrust strangers" side of the clan-based culture, bordering heavily on racism and xenophobia.
If someone comes there, when and where should they go?
We’re a big country. Lots of stuff to see: historical cities, small traditional villages, the eastern jungles, the western dry forests, the southern desert, the highland savannahs, the beaches, …
Avoid the rain season (November to March) if you intend to visit the more isolated places, as many "roads" become impassable mud swamps during that time.
Any LGBTQ comments?
We’re an African country. That should cover most of it. We’ve escaped the wave of virulent homophobia that affected the continent, though. At most, I would say that it’s kind of a Cold War situation: society discourages systemic persecution of LGBT folk, at the condition that we remain discreet and don’t try to influence the heavily heterocentrist culture (by asking for legal relationship rights, for example).
Regional differences also exist: more friendly in the highlands and along the east/south coasts, less so in the western/northern regions, and of course life is much easier in larger cities.
Where do you live? I live in Sheffield, which is the fifth largest city in England.... it's known as "Steel City" due to the 19th Century industrial development of the stainless steel industry, but it's been famous for cutlery production long before that - in fact its knives are mentioned in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. We have two top rated Universities in the city and are the home of the first ever football (soccer) team in the world.
What do you like or not like about your home town/state/nation?
I am not Sheffield born and bred, though I grew up here (born in London). After a period of rebellion when I lived in Lancashire, I was successfully rehabilitated and allowed back - yep, the War of the Roses is officially a long time over, but there is a friendly rivalry even now. That said, I love my city. There is lots to do and see in the city - from museums and art galleries, two theatres - including The Crucible which also hosts the World Snooker finals. It's the most environmentally friendly/green city in Europe - with over 61% of the city being green space.... and then just a 30 minute drive from the centre you are in the middle of the Peak National Park in Derbyshire - with places like the plague village of Eyam and stately homes and gardens like Chatsworth house or Hardwick hall to investigate. (yep I sound like the Sheffield Tourist Board)
If someone comes there, when and where should they go?
That depends on what you want to do - but city or country there is lots of choice. visiting in winter is a bit hit and miss - like Rome, Sheffield is surrounded by 7 hills and the weather can be a bit hit of miss.
Any LGBTQ comments?
There are a number of LGBTQ friendly places in Sheffield, but it's not a huge scene when it comes to nightlife... we do have a good Pride event in the summer, an LGBTQ choir and various social groups - including outdoor sports, hiking and other social events (Gay Sheffield would be a good place to start for all sorts of local information. On top of that.... just hop on a local train over the Pennines and you are in Manchester, whose gay quarter is of course well known.
Dee wrote: "Kaje wrote: "Where do you live? What do you like or not like about your home town/state/nation?
If someone comes there, when and where should they go?
Any LGBTQ comments?
We'd love to hear about ..."
I've heard great things about Ecuador, Dee Dee. Now I really want to visit!
I'm in Seattle, Washington, USA. I've lived here many years, but the last ten years, things have REALLY gone crazy (Microsoft, Starbucks, Nordstom, and now Amazon, which is literally building a second downtown area for their offices).
On one hand, the traffic is getting insane. And housing? Forget it. On the other hand, it's exciting to be living in the middle of all the action. I lived in Los Angeles years ago, and it felt like this: too much energy and excitement (and too many people), but also feeling like being in the center of the world, the place where all trends are born.
It's so much fun reading everyone's posts. Thank you!
this is so cool!! And here I am just from Washington, DC!! LOL
Sammy Goode wrote: "this is so cool!! And here I am just from Washington, DC!! LOL"Just. Nah, nothing to do in DC, boring city. ;)
Kaje wrote: "Sammy Goode wrote: "this is so cool!! And here I am just from Washington, DC!! LOL"Just. Nah, nothing to do in DC, boring city. ;)"
We are making headlines with this Ebola case---golly--everyone--stay safe!! It will be ok--listen to
Dr. Anthony Fauci--he is a great guy-met him two years ago--really knows his stuff! Don't listen to the fear mongers!
The Bay Area is my home. I was born an raised in Oakland,California. To me its pretty amazing here especially tourist because there is so much to do. There is so much diversity and openness with culture especially in Berkley and San Francisco. we have so many beautiful beaches. my favorite is baker beach it's pretty remote but it's right in view of the Golden Gate bridge. At night the lights from the bridge are beautiful to look at.San fran is enchanted lol not to mention the Castro is amazing for the lgbtq community there's great food, gyms,bars(21+) etc. Right Above/Behind the Castro is Twin Peaks and believe me ;you haven't lived until you've been there.You can take the bart almost anywhere here ... The Bay Area is like a beautiful place. The best time to visit would be summer time . there is always some type of festival going on
Melvin wrote: "The Bay Area is my home. I was born an raised in Oakland,California. To me its pretty amazing here especially tourist because there is so much to do. There is so much diversity and openness with c..."a place I have never been but long to see--thanks for sharing, Melvin!
I was born in José Bonifácio and raised in Guaiçara, both small towns in the center of São Paulo State, Brazil.There are lots of things to love here. Everyone is nice and fond, and I know everybody in town (literally). The wheater is usually nice (even if I'm a winter person and we don't really have winters here). Brazil in general is a big and beautiful country. We have lots of culture and diferente types of music, food and accents, and the land is as wonderful as it can be.
For tourists, there are always the tourist-must-visit-cities, as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo (first and second are coastal cities, and third is the biggest and most important city in the country - our very own New York and probably our most gay-friendly city). We also have amazing regions to nature-lovers in the Pantanal region, or the whole Amazonas state.
On the other hand, we are socially behind most importante countries over the world. Our politic scenario is a shame, there's a lot of corruption, thievery and social injustice, from our government down. Also, our Public Educational System is one of the worst in the globe, specially for Middle and High School.
As for LGBT causes, the church still plays a big political role, specially Christian protestantism, which is proving to be a terrible idea - we recently had a racist pastor as National Human Rights Commission President, for example - and we are a officialy laicist country, so you can see it's not much coherent. But we gay people can get married here - a decision made by law forces instead of political - but it's easier to get married in some states than others (you'll have to start a lawsuit in the more conservative ones if you want to have a chance). Adopting is still a blurry matter, but a dozen of gay couples were said to have accomplished it recently. We are currently on President elections period and both candidates have a couple of promises for LGBT rights, most of it just sound like meaningless offers that won't happen when they are elected.
But hey, there's Carnaval every February and we take Soccer very seriously! Even people like me that couldn't care less about sports get all competitive when FIFA World Cup happens (and I don't want to talk about that match against Germany this year, thank you very much).
And music - oh God, our music is good! If you are a dancing-partying kind of person, try Ivete Sangalo and other Bahia State singers (they play Axé, the most Latin/African rhythm we have here). If you are more romantic and calm, maybe singers like Sandy or Silva are for your treat (both play MPB or Brazilian Pop Music).
Wow, that's interesting information. It does seem like LGBT rights is such a patchwork, depending on local laws and who is enforcing them. Like here in the US where you may be legally married in one state, walk a hundred feet across the state line, and not be married any more by local laws. But even giving lip service to LGBT rights is promising, compared to a decade or two ago.I'll have to check out those musicians.
Yay for one more state legalizing equal marriage! I bet there's some beauty in the starkness too.
Good country to write in maybe?
I was born in Toronto, Canada, but moved to Japan when I was twenty-six. I've spent half my life here! I only visited Toronto long enough to see my mother (gone now) and my older sister who lives north of Toronto. It's a large, diverse metropolis, very expensive, and AFAIK, there's legislation to make gay marriage legal.In Osaka, the people are pretty open. My wife is from Osaka, and a more honest person you could not meet. The temperature gets cold here come winter, but very little snow in my neck of the woods. As far as equality is concerned, Japan does not recognize it for same-sex couples. If a Japanese citizen marries elsewhere I.e. Canada or France, then that's accepted--over there. Not here. Gays are still stereotyped here as drag queens or just plain weird which is just plain wrong. And yes, there's racism...the kind taught to kids when they're young. That's really the only drawback of living where I do...that and prices are insane!
Jesse wrote: "Gays are still stereotyped here as drag queens or just plain weird which is just plain wrong...."Interesting, since so much of Yaoi manga originates there (and usually the two guys are shown as young/students and pretty normal, although there is a definite tendency to stereotypical roles of top and bottom in them.)
To Kate, yes, I'm pretty fluent in Japanese, mainly in the Osaka dialect which is vastly different from standard Japanese. My kanji still sucks, though.To Kaje, yeah, they have the boy-boy manga here, and also the girl-girl manga and both are very popular. Kids who read that--and adults, too--find nothing wrong with it. My wife likes the Takarazuka players, an all-women's troupe where some of the leads--usually a tall, slender woman--play the males, strapped down and acting 'mannish'. It's odd to me, but hey, cross-dressing is nothing new here. It's been done in Kabuki for centuries.
Denmark
We have traced our family back to the years around 1200 and as it turns out I am pure Danish with only a faint hint of German
We have traced our family back to the years around 1200 and as it turns out I am pure Danish with only a faint hint of German
Michelle wrote: "Denmark We have traced our family back to the years around 1200 and as it turns out I am pure Danish with only a faint hint of German"
Wow, that's a long family history :)
Where do you live?I live in Austria, in a small village near the capital Vienna. I'm not Austrian though but German, I was born in Munich although I'm quite the mutt with French, Italian and Danish ancestors. We moved here due to my dad's job when I was 14 and I went to school here, I left and went to uni in Germany, England and France and I never wanted to come back actually live in Vienna but love makes one stay and now I really like it here :)
What do you like or not like about your home town/state/nation?
I like the mixture between history and modern that you can find everywhere in Vienna and I absolutely love that there are still areas in town that never changed over the last 100 years. There are lots and lots of museums, art galleries, theatres, two opera houses and beautiful buildings to see here, Vienna is a fantastic city.
What I don't like so about Austria is that people often tend to think it's the centre of the universe... but, hey, only 8 million people live here so, really not that important. But, well, that's politicians...
If someone comes there, when and where should they go?
Definately Vienna, but the mountains are beautiful too, the castles, Salzburg, the lakes, Tyrol, Styria.... Austria is truly a beautiful country with nice people and fantastic food :)
Any LGBTQ comments?
It's fairly open-minded, there's a lot going on in terms of equality, we've the Life Ball and a huge Pride event every year. Lost of clubs, a huge BDSM community :), there's a lot you can do. Oh and the Eurovision Song Contest is in Vienna next year cause Conchita Wurst won this year :)
http://www.gayinvienna.com/en
http://www.patroc.com/vienna/
I loved Salzburg when I was there many years ago - absolutely wonderful food.And Conchita's well-deserved win was just excellent - a measure of how far acceptance has moved in recent decades.
Wow, family history. I was born in Toronto as was my father. My mother was a Connecticut Yankee, and her parents came from Minsk (mother) and Kiev (father). My father's parents came from a little shtetl in Odessa.Funny factoid. My father knew Joe Shuster (co-creator of Superman) as a kid before Shuster moved to Cleveland. He was actually closer friends to his cousin, Frank Shuster, who later became a well known comedian with his partner, Johnny Wayne (Wayne and Shuster). One of my mother's uncles owned the first (I believe) factor that mass-produced Braun tubes for TV's back in the late forties/early fifties...sold out to GE. Another uncle was a speechwriter for FDR...and I ain't famous yet...
I really enjoyed Wayne & Shuster. Never knew anyone famous though...
Just so happens my parents had semi-famous relatives or lived in the areas where there were these future standouts. :Shrugs* I make no claim of being famous myself, and it would be hard to substantiate these claims in a court of law...but that's what I heard from my father and mother, and I met a couple of these people, so...
I live in Slovenia, it's a small country in central Europe next to Italy. I live in Ptuj (which is the oldest city/town in Slovenia), but I spend most of my time in Maribor (it's like a sub-capital) where I attend school. Coming out as gay in my home town, is scary for the most part. One guy that used to go to the same primary school as I did, came out as gay infront of his whole class (balls of steel that one has), well...life was hell for him for the next few months. The whole town found out he was gay and there was a lot of hate/rumors going around, but what was the worst, his parents tried to send him to church so he could be ''fixed'' by the hand of Jesus. But now we go to the same highschool and I think his life got a lot better when he came to Maribor.
Slovenia is a beautiful country, especially when it comes to nature. The people are for the most part very nice, and depending in which part of the country you are they can also be very supportive about LGBT rights. Same sex marriage is unfortunetly still illegal...
I love how spread out around the world we are :)That guy in your class was really brave, Nik, coming out that young and with religious parents. I hope things did get better for him. It's so hard when parents see who you are as something to be fixed. I'm glad there are parts of your country that have more accepting attitudes.
Tara wrote: "Gahanna, Ohio"Is that a smaller town?
I live in Shercock a tiny 'town' in Ireland
Gilbert, Arizona (Basically part of what we call "The Valley" in central Arizona next to Phoenix). Phoenix has become sort of a wannabe Los Angeles, with cities and towns surrounding it all blending into a gigantic megatropolis. Most of the state's population is in this area. (about 5 million I think?) I'm actually a fourth-generation Arizonan, which is extremely rare. Most people here come from other states, mostly in the last forty years. My great-great grandparents came to Tempe, Arizona on a covered wagon back in 1889.
Yes, it's hot. Yes, it's a dry heat. Turn on your oven and stick your head inside, and that's an Arizona summer. I don't mind the heat--in fact if it gets under 60 degrees I'm cold, and I wouldn't know the first thing to do about snow. I like that there's tons to do here and if I want mountains I can go north or east or if I want ocean, it's a six hour drive to L.A. It's also a lot cheaper to live here.
The LGBTQ community is large and diverse. There are several gay bars/clubs around town, several pride celebrations around the state, and we have gay marriage now! The only problem is we're not cohesive in any way, and too often there's petty bickering among different groups. I'm a member of the Arizona house of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and we're always on a mission to bring various factions of the community together.
While Arizona as a state is still considered conservative, that's mostly the older generation (who still control the politics, for now.) Among the younger generations, coming out is less of a big deal now and things are generally accepted. I rarely get any kind of flak when out with my girlfriend.
J.T. wrote: "Gilbert, Arizona (Basically part of what we call "The Valley" in central Arizona next to Phoenix). Phoenix has become sort of a wannabe Los Angeles, with cities and towns surrounding it all blendin..."Very cool info -thanks.
We had -10 F here today, so a little heat sounds welcome (although in general I do better with cold, the reason I'm in Minnesota and not Arizona.)
I hope things move forward in Arizona, with help from the Sisters :)
I was born in Switzerland, as was my father and sister. My mother is Australian, my grandfather on my father's side is French and his wife, my grandmother, is italian. My parents, my sister and I live in Spain.
Lily wrote: "I was born in Switzerland, as was my father and sister. My mother is Australian, my grandfather on my father's side is French and his wife, my grandmother, is italian. My parents, my sister and I l..."An international presence all by yourself :) Cool.
I currently live in Auckland, New Zealand, and I've been here for four years. Originally, I'm from Wellington, but I moved to Auckland because I needed a fresh start. I'm happy here; I'm out and about, if you know what I mean. The one thing I don't like is how hot it can get, but apart from that, I like it here.
I love how the group has people from all over. New Zealand is a place I'd love to visit.
message 49:
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♫✯Em loves Hollenstein✯♫❤the summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation❤
(new)
i'm in Christchurch, New Zealand. We have had a few major earthquakes.
That's kind of scary. Where I live we have few earthquakes, but a bunch of tornadoes every summer. I guess New Zealand is more varied than I realized.
YA LGBT Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Boy Shattered (other topics)Lover at Last (other topics)
City of Bones (other topics)
Big Stone Gap (other topics)
Big Cherry Holler (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Eli Easton (other topics)Adriana Trigiani (other topics)
What do you like or not like about your home town/state/nation?
If someone comes there, when and where should they go?
Any LGBTQ comments?
We'd love to hear about the diversity that our members see outside the computer screen.