Star Trek and LGBT+

So it was announcement a bit ago we are going to get a new Star Trek series and today in my random thoughts I started thinking about LGBT+ characters (with a bit of a focus on the T) and posted them on Twitter (my handle is @Shades_Corvid). The following is pretty much a copy paste from Twitter with some refinement and expansion.

It would be great to see LGBT+ characters in the up coming new Star Trek series or any future movies but first I think you need to answer "What does it mean to be LGBT+ in Star Trek".

Of course Star Trek has many cultures but Star Fleet would clearly be both the baseline as this is where our Pool of Characters usually comes from there. Given the known tenets of both Star Fleet and its creator this would be our ideal accepting society where LGBT+ is normal and understood.

So next is how will we see or establish LGBT+ characters in Star Fleet? Lesbian and gay characters are easy, not that hard to slip it on conversation, having someone's partner as part of the crew or living on board the ship or seeing a conversation communication with the same sex love one.

Bisexual gets a little harder, you have to show history or establish it or be patient as the character goes through relationships. Of course an immediate solution would to have the character in a poly-relationship that include both genders but carries a bit of a stereotype with it. That might want to be avoided but it also can be used to show positive representation of a poly which could be an added bonus; things to consider.

Now, trans* can be a bit more challenging; specially to have the audience know. How do you establish a character as trans* in a society that a) accepts them b) has the technology to perfectly help them transition? Why are these issues? Well general speaking trans* characters have to be outed so we know as an audience but outing is a negative action.
I can't see Star Fleet officers outing and how would they even know (besides medical personnel)?

So I have some thoughts to establish trans* characters in Star Trek's Star Fleet!

Trans* Character 1) A character who uses Non-gender pronouns, most likely a bigender, gender fluid, androgynous or non-gender identifying person.

Trans* Character 2) A transgender character uses different pronouns when referring to certain parts of their past.

Trans* Character 3a) Gender fluid character who is usually one gender on duty and the other when off duty.

Trans* Character 3b) or Gender fluid character who switches each episode and sometimes during.

Now a Gender Fluid character would probably need visual cue(s) for the audience along with an actor that can deliver this difference in presence and again crew be seamless in correct pronoun use.

Trans* Character 4) A transgender character who never physically transition, happy as is. Crew still ok and seemless in pronoun usf.

Trans* Character 5) A transgender character who is reverted to pre-transition form due to accident. This concept is more an episode(s) and restoring them needs to be treated as a real issue that needs to be correct for one's health. Could be a lot to explore and deal with here. Crew still uses correct pronouns still.

That's all the ideas I have about that for now so let's jump back to general Star Trek with LGBT+ for a moment and wrap this up. Gender identity can even be explored with interesting uses of the holodeck or interacting with other cultures as well. Also if Star Fleet being our ideal LGBT+ accepting culture then LGBT+ causes, phobia, etc can be explored with the other cultures in Star Trek.

Final Note: Of course LGBT+ Star Trek Characters need to include People of Color as well.

Scrambled Eggs

Recently the Spousal Equivalent had her "Tubes Tied" (actually they were clamps made to pinch them shut I believe.) This was the end result of a conversation that I believe started shortly after we moved in together about 2 1/2 years ago. It was never brought up on purpose, it would just come in conversation ever so often.

We realized and agreed that we were not in a 'place' in our life to have children and if was only a few years off it would not be safe for her to be carrying and give birth. This led to the final decision of having her 'baby maker shut off' (FYI at the end of the day, it is ultimately her decision.) but this is not the end of children; there is always 'second hand kids'.

Adoption and/or fostering is always an option when we get into that 'place'. In fact we decided if we do we focus on LGBT youth given they are hard to place along with the rise of homeless LGBT youth. All in good time.

Gay is Just About Sex?

There are days where I can't believe people have issues with homosexuals. I know the reality, people do have issues but it is the logic behind it that I am referring to. So, I starting thinking it might have to do with words or how we use or define them.

Lets take a look at Webster and see what it gives us.

1: of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex.

Straight forward, simple and dry but right...or is it? Honestly, it is bare bones and base of something much greater. Being homosexual is more then a simple sexual desire to have sex with the same gender, it about wanting to have a romantic relationship with the same gender and perhaps maybe a family of just more then one person.

They want to have dates with the same gender, wonderful good times that connect hearts and take that love to give it to others, all to the same gender. How is that so wrong and debased? How is this any different to heterosexual who get the same treatment in Webster?

1: of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the opposite sex.

We know that heterosexual is more then just sex, they want the same things as homosexuals.

Now I am sure someone is going to go that there are homosexual sluts running around and my reply is shut the f*ck up, heterosexuals have them too and probably more of them. Have the time it just hormones/people growing up.

While I am at it, going about definitions, I hate the word 'straight' when someone is saying they are heterosexual. I think it is an @sshat move but most people don't realize it. I know it a slang term really and works better in conversation but have you ever thought why we use that word. Again, let me show you a definition.

g(1): exhibiting no deviation from what is established or accepted as usual, normal or proper.


Gay, lesbian, bisexual; all of it is proper, normal and usual. Some don't think it is, but the majority does or at least close to it does. Some would disagree, as some elements of homosexual-ism is illegal in places but it just an example of the more 'vocal' are the ones in the control but give it time. Soon the laws will change then peoples attitudes with them, television as declared it so. See USA, Fox (not Fox News) and Logo.

Post Transgender Day of Remembrance

This past Sunday, Nov 20th, was Transgender Day of Remembrance (T-DoR). My church (FYI, I am a Unitarian Universalist - Pagan) had an evening service and candle vigil for T-DoR, which I took part of in fact by reading off some of the names of those that we have lost in the past year across the world. It was a great service.

To show my support and raise awareness in my church I went to the service as my female side, Gwynn. This would be the first meeting of my church and Gwynn face to face. A selected few in the church knew about me being bigender until quite recently when I came out as part of a LGBT panel to educate the church's youth.

Gwynn

It was a great experience and very supportive in fact though it was not surprising as everyone at the service was there showing their support for the Transgender community, the bigger challenge would be a normal service that we have every Sunday.

Going Out/Coming Out in Oct!

Last weekend, two major things happen in my life about being bigender. First, and the bigger of the two, Gwynn went out in public! Now Gwynn has been out to private play parties, which are rather safe environments and only after John has become familiar with the host/origination of such parties. That was a big step, leaving the house as Gwynn to be seen my people though these people were known to be open and accepting. What I discuss now is a bigger step and far riskier.

I (Gwynn) went out to dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill on Saturday, which also happen to be some school's dance as there were lot of younger couples in 'prom' dresses and tuxes. Thankfully it was drama free and uneventful, in fact it was a very fun time.

Now I look back at it, it was a rather stacked in my favor. It was a friend's birthday party so I was surrounded my friends and allies, it was the back half of October and a busy night. I thought I handled everything very well though my partner tells me I was white knuckled in the car before coming inside.

The other big deal is I 'came out' to my fellowship, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula (Unitarian Universalism), or more specifically the middle school children of our fellowship about being transgender/bigender. Let me explain some more.

My fellowship is currently doing the OWL (Our Whole Lives) program where my partner has been acting as a teacher and I have just been just helping out here and there. Well last week we had a LGBT panel so the students could meet LGBT and talk to them. About quarter way through the panel I ended up joining the panel adding myself to the Transgender section and introducing all of myself to the students and answering questions. To say the least, it was a very interesting weekend but over all I am very glad it happen and it was all positive.