QUILTBAG general thread?

So this is a thing that exists... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073P95WZS/?tag=absowrit-20
It's a CYOA romance novel! I'm posting it here because the story map allows the heroine to "tap out" of being chased by her suitors, and run off with a lady friend.

Hi everyone! I haven't been around as frequently lately, but I'm trying to drop in a little more.

In general, things have been going okay. I've been struggling a bit with some anxiety and depression, and might try to seek some help for that, but at the moment I'm doing okay. I've been trying to find a good balance between giving myself permission to avoid needlessly stressful/toxic situations and not relying too much on avoiding conflict or stress altogether (because that's clearly not realistic or sustainable).

Writing has been going fairly well. I've found a good IRL writing group and have been pretty productive lately.

I've been thinking about my sexuality a lot. I'm fairly comfortable seeing myself as bisexual, but I've become more aware over the past few years that I'm just not that interested in men. I do feel like I genuinely find men attractive sometimes, but if, say, I get a message from a man on a dating site, I'm always disappointed that it's not a message from a woman, and these days, I can't really see myself with a man. I'm fine with this, but it does kind of complicate how I label myself. Of course, bisexuality is a pretty wide spectrum and there's nothing wrong with feeling the way I do. But it's starting to feel kind of weird calling myself bisexual when I have no real interest in dating or sleeping with men right now. (Of course, "bisexual" can just mean "attracted to two or more genders," and I am attracted to a lot of non-binary people as well as women, so it still works!)

Speaking of online dating, I'm a bit discouraged with it. I don't like Tinder because there just isn't enough info to make me interested in messaging people, but OKCupid recently made changes I don't care for. I don't like their new messaging system where you don't automatically get messages people send you, and I don't like the push to use your real name instead of a screen-name. I have a fairly distinctive name, so I'm not really comfortable with that.

I'm out!

As of last week, I am me full time!

Tabitha Rose said:

I'm out!

As of last week, I am me full time!

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Congratulations!

( DM!)

Congrats Tabitha!

Dancing - Online dating can be discouraging, for sure. If it helps, I met my fiance online. OkCupid, actually. And we're getting married in a month! (oh crap a month oh crap)

Thank you folks!

I am super happy!

Congrats!

A little Diana update: I gave away my business to my employees, retired, and moved to the South of France with my girlfriend. Things are nice. Hope you all are well.

Diana Hignutt said:

A little Diana update: I gave away my business to my employees, retired, and moved to the South of France with my girlfriend. Things are nice. Hope you all are well.

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that sounds amazing! congrats!

Diana Hignutt said:

A little Diana update: I gave away my business to my employees, retired, and moved to the South of France with my girlfriend. Things are nice. Hope you all are well.

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I've been sighing every time I think of you living in the south of France amidst all that beauty. I promise I'm not jealous! Only happy for you! (-:

- - - Updated - - -

This thread used to be so active. )-:

Diana Hignutt said:

A little Diana update: I gave away my business to my employees, retired, and moved to the South of France with my girlfriend. Things are nice. Hope you all are well.

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Félicitations!

KTC said:

This thread used to be so active. )-:

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It did. We need to get it active again! Maybe a conversation starter?

What are everyone's plans for Pride month?

Jade A said:

It did. We need to get it active again! Maybe a conversation starter?

What are everyone's plans for Pride month?

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Charlotte's Pride is actually in August, because of local history reasons; I'm bummed because this is the first one since I started coming out, and it's the weekend my daughter moves into her dorm on the other side of the state. She and I have gone for years, but obviously it's different this year...

There is a tiny festival in June in a small town up the highway a bit, we're planning to go to that at least.

It's good you two have are able to go to the smaller one at least.

In addition to the big parade, we're going to the trans march. Hubby came out shortly before last year's march, but we weren't able to go. So this is going to be his first time at the march!

Our QUILTBAG group at The Day Job™ will have a contingent in this year's parade, the first time we have such a thing; a few years ago, we had a table at the festival but nothing since. When I tell people about it, I mention that I'll be wearing my Pride kilt as a bonus selling point.

I've been watching the entire run of Monty Python's Flying Circus and getting deeply interested in Graham Chapman. I knew he wasn't straight but apparently he was quite an outspoken activist in the 70's and 80's.

Also, I've been interested on pitching some articles for QUILTBAG publications but so far I haven't find appropiate venues.

edutton said:

Charlotte's Pride is actually in August, because of local history reasons; I'm bummed because this is the first one since I started coming out, and it's the weekend my daughter moves into her dorm on the other side of the state. She and I have gone for years, but obviously it's different this year...

There is a tiny festival in June in a small town up the highway a bit, we're planning to go to that at least.

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My city's Pride festival is also later in the year, which is a bit of a bummer because it feels like we don't have the momentum of Pride month. But on the plus side, we're a college down and having it later increases the number of college students who are able to participate.

I'm glad you can go to a smaller festival, at least. I would like to take a weekend trip to go to one of the really big Pride festivals someday (my city's Pride is big but not New York, DC, or San Francisco big), but not this year. I'll have too see if there's anything going on in my state in June, though.

I LOVE the rainbow kilt

Jade Rothwell said:

I LOVE the rainbow kilt

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Same! I want one now.

I'm just waiting for The Backlash™. We're also sponsoring a display in the common use display case in June, which usually leads to somebody whining that homosexuality is considered offensive by SOME people on the company's Q&A page, which also leads to somebody complaining that Christmas is getting erased from the common vernacular because everything except Christianity is ever on display in the case.

BenPanced said:

I'm just waiting for The Backlash™. We're also sponsoring a display in the common use display case in June, which usually leads to somebody whining that homosexuality is considered offensive by SOME people on the company's Q&A page, which also leads to somebody complaining that Christmas is getting erased from the common vernacular because everything except Christianity is ever on display in the case.

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People who get angry about diversity must live really sad, rage-filled lives. I don't feel bad for them though, since it's their own choice

On Thursday, we put together about 700 packs of shredded currency we're handing out during the parade, with the possibility of doing more some time later. When the group chair ordered the boxes of currency, he wasn't aware how feckin' BIG these boxes would be. He was expecting something about the size of a box of office paper; the boxes were about the size of small refrigerators.

Shredded currency?

My city just had its first Pride ever. We're a decent sized city just outside Boston, been around a long time, but this was the first. It was a fight, but it was a huge success.


http://www.patriotledger.com/photogallery/WL/20180604/NEWS/604009970/PH/1?start=5