diversity is the spice of life
Some of you may or may not have heard that there has been a proposal to build a slots-only casino on 10th and Market — 1/2 blocks away from the Friendship Gate of Chinatown.
Please, if you are against this, sign the online petition
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/philadelphiacasiNO/
To learn more about the issue and how to get involved, visit http://www.aaunited.org/
I don’t understand a thing that is happening with the stock market. Can someone tell what’s going on?
I wish I had a farm in norcal, and on this farm I would grow peaches, tomatoes, and avocados. There’ll be a winery in the back, a dairy cow named Wanda by the barn, and a firepit with a spit so I can roast something real delicious while eating foods that came from the dirt 100 feet from my seat.
But I’m here in my room so that dream will have to be put on hold.
A lot of talk about sexuality and gender identity circulating around campus. It’s a little weird, because we’re suspended between the line of aware-of-language-pc-ness-issues-knowledge and joking fun. I’m at a point where if someone makes some kind of joke like about their gay friends, I don’t know what way I should react. Do I say, “No, that ain’t cool,” or “LOL!”
Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about I should react. Maybe I should just go with the flow of the conversation, of the moment and let things run it’s course.
I titled this entry in a “joking” way of all the acronyms associated with the LGBT community. I am no expert but I can speak from experiences of the context in which I believe these acronyms came out of.
LGBT – Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgendered – came out in response to negative connotation of homosexual,
Q – Queer – once a derogatory term long ago. So then gay became word of choice. Then gay was popularly used as a derogatory term. Now we hear queer used, but in a more umbrella term context. May have also been in response to people’s laziness to say each letter in LGBT.
I – Intersex – preferred word of choice instead of hermaphrodite.
A – Ally – equals You!
MSM – Men who have Sex with Men – sexuality does not equal activities in bed.
WSW – Women who have Sex with Men – same as above.
This past summer, I did a 10 week internship with Philadelphia FIGHT, an HIV/AIDs service organization, primarily at their medical clinic, the Jonathan Lax Treatment Center. Intake paperwork includes you answering how you became infected with the virus: IDU (drug user); MSM, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Other.
“Well, if you are a man, and you have sex with men, doesn’t that make you gay?”
The answer is Nope, nope nope nope. If anyone ever asks me that, I always say Nope! Of course not! Identity does not equal behavior. MSM and WSW are behaviors, not gender or sexual identities. MSM/WSW were categories created by health care providers to target communities who were at high risk for diseases (like HIV, STIs, etc.) because all those ads asking if you’re gay and that if you are, you should use a condom sure as heck didn’t appeal to the MSM community who did not identify as LBGT.
SGL – Same Gender Loving – this term always makes me go awww. Not too sure how it came about, maybe to be more gender normative, but this says to me that there’s more to sexuality than sex, that there is L-O-V-E y’all.
This is how I understand language used and how I use these terms in conversation. If there’s anything different y’all have heard or know, spread the knowledge 
Time for bed. Q-Forum is next Thursday at 9PM in your respective dorms.
Looking forward towards my time with you,
Lucy
My name is Lucy from socal. I like all foodz.
