LGBT

Tom Cook has never acknowledged his sexual orientation publicly, until a post on the Bloomberg Business Week website. He has always tried to maintain a basic level of privacy throughout his professional life to keep the attention away from himself and focus much of his attention on his products.

“I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.”

Tom Cook fits into the 20 percent of the world which is estimated to be gay or homosexual by a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2013. This is nearly double of the actual estimated figure of 10 percent that was previously believed to be true. The growing percentage of homosexuals in this day and age has caused many other gays to step up and come out to their families and friends.

Most recently, Tom Cook came out to the rest of the world online. ‘Famous’ people like Cook help provide confidence for the rest of the world to be grateful and proud of who they are. Not only has Cook given a spur of confidence to other young or old gays, but other normal everyday people have too. There are over 14 million results when searching the keywords ‘Coming Out’ on YouTube. Many of these videos are just ordinary people coming out to their families, others tips and tricks for coming out. This is just another piece of evidence of how strong internet connections are and how anybody can make a change in the world.

Troye Sivan, a YouTuber with nearly 2 million subscribers (or viewers), has definitely made a desirable effect on the world at the age of only 19. Not only has he released a music album and have a very high profile online presence, but he is gay. He came out to his viewers on August 7, 2013. His loving, close-knit family have accepted Troye for he is and have supported his YouTube and music career unconditionally.

On the other hand, there are coming out stories that do not end with a ‘happily ever after’ but self harm and suicide instead. According to the Trevor Project, a movement started to support gays who may experience problems during their journey as a homosexual, say that LGBT (lesbians, gays and bisexuals) youths are four times more likely to commit suicide than straight children or teens their age.

Coming out and being homosexual is especially hard on teens, as it is an ‘awkward’ time in terms of body changes and figuring out who you are. This is why projects like The Trevor Project exist- for support that may not be there for teens in their surroundings. They offer a 24-hour hotline and a branch called TrevorSpace. TrevorSpace is social networking site for LGBTQ (lesbian, transgender, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth) aged 13 through 24 to talk to one another and find support in people their age.

Although many people are allies of LGBT community and say they support it, but not much action is taken against discrimination of homosexuals. This is where being an ally comes in. This is where people fully support gays and take action against racial slurs and discrimination against the LGBT(Q) community.

One’s sexual orientation should never change the level of respect for another. Being gay doesn’t change the person in any way- they just have different preferences. Haven’t people always said that love knows no boundaries? Why should it stop at what we assume marriage can only be- between a male and female? There are endless questions towards gays- ranging from reproduction and religion that will probably never end.

The only thing we can do is try to understand their point of view, as much as they understand straight people’s desire for people of the opposite gender. We need to let them know they aren’t alone. 

By Jo Yie

F is for Feminism

Ben scoffs as Stephanie walked towards him, knowing this would be an easy task. Hair in a mess and eyes dazed, she quietly took her place on her knees. 10 seconds. Ben tries to turn her over to no avail and pulls her into his guard. Stephanie wiggles out with no trouble, her eyes darting around as she weighs out her options. 20 seconds. Ben attempts an armbar, leg passing over Stephanie’s head, but she sits upright again, merely phased. 30 seconds. Both sides shout at their team member, hitting the mats and trying to help them out. Ben and Stephanie push with all their might, belts in a tangle, hands and legs indistinguishable as they toss and turn. 40 seconds. Stephanie moves in to get Ben’s back, speed being one of her major advantages, and turns over and chokes Ben. He submits. The students go wild. Ben is the strongest in the class, or at least he’s supposed to be.

Their weekly martial arts class had just gotten better.

A lot of people misunderstand martial arts and self defense. Some think it is a waste of time, others thinking it is dangerous. In the increasingly dangerous and conflicted world, women are being attacked daily in countries all over the world. Not just abducted, but being used as sex slaves, raped. This is where feminism comes in- like a superhero to save the day. The dictionary definition of feminism is ‘the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.’ It is becoming so vital and important as women stand up for themselves as they are looked down upon or not treated with the same respect as men.

The smile on Stephanie’s face was so broad as she walked back, head held high back to her teammates’ high fives and congratulatory shouts.

“I couldn’t believe you beat Ben!”

“Only the guys can beat him!”

“I didn’t know you were so good!”

Stephanie didn’t think much of the comments as she was glowing in her moment. However, there were so many preconceived notions before the mini-fight even started. The whispers and laughs before she stepped onto the mat were obvious, everybody certain that this victory belonged to Ben.

Nobody had noticed or even bothered about Stephanie’s talent before that day, even though she was every bit as good as Ben. They were shocked, just because she was a girl, or had a spindly figure. Martial arts not only could help in the situation of abduction or rape, but a great tool to boost self confidence.

Feminism is all about both genders being treated equally, not how women are better than men. The suffragettes in the UK and US fought, protested and dedicated their life to just letting women vote in the 19th to 20th century. Yet, here we are in 2014, with women still being treated as if they are not worthy of men or just not good enough. There is so much controversy over certain singers naked in their own music video. Yet, it seems find for a male singer to have numerous naked women in his video.

This year, more and more men and women step up to raise awareness about feminism and the inequality of the sexes. Celebrities have stepped up and recently introduced a campaign called #HeforShe- a movement for gender equality where men pledge to treat women with respect and take action against discrimination. Man or woman, you should be a feminist to support gender equality to give women and girls a voice, one that is cherished, valued and valid.

By Jo Yie

Wedding Day: It's Complicated

By 10 o’clock, Cheryl was out of smiles. Her heavily made up face was struggling to keep up with the conversation and she was anxious to get away from people. Her wedding day, which was meant to bring joy and happiness, was filled with things to do, people to talk to and speeches to give to make sure things went smoothly. She constantly turned to her husband, Geron, with worried looks as family friends got even more drunk causing accidents that would cost more money on their already slimming pockets. Chunks of hair were starting to fall out from her heavily curled updo.

This begs the question of the original meaning and purpose of a wedding. It is meant to represent the unity of two people in love. No fancy clothes or elaborate ceremony to enhance it, just love. Nowadays, couples have gone astray from the real purpose of marriage to impress in laws and outdo friends. There is barely any time for the newlyweds to be together, never mind the 50 tables of people the have invited. The personal flair to wedding is now gone, now replaced with the feeling of mock enjoyment while trying to stick to tradition.

Not all weddings are like this as it is usually Chinese-based weddings. The fact that most couples choose not to serve sharks fin soup is great on the environmental front and a major development in Asian societies in recent years. A lot is put into these type of weddings and a lot goes to waste to studio pictures and wedding planners. Most haven’t moved past the fact that spending a lot of money on one day in life is going to help blossom the flowers of love.

There is a lot of pressure in Asian societies to get married at an earlier stage in life. However, getting into the wrong relationship is an increasing problem as divorce rates increase. Not only does it impact one’s emotional stability but it is usually frowned upon by relatives and friends.

At the wedding I attended a few weeks ago, I did feel a strong bond between Cheryl and Geron. Their ‘special’ day was filled with supposed family friends she had never even heard about before. Aside from that day which marks a fresh start that maybe wasn’t the best, they will experience events which will make them love each other more. The future promises happiness, love and adventure. I only hope they seize the every moment they can spend together and make the most of their limited time on earth.

By Jo Yie