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“When you’re a boy, you can wear a uniform When you’re a boy, other boys check you out” – David Bowie, Boys Keep Swinging There came a point in my teenage years when, without wishing to sound too self-indulgently maudlin, I reached breaking point with my general cynicism, ennui and discomfort. I wasn’t a bit […]
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Image description: bisexual flag colours of pink, purple and blue painted on canvas Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” is a queer anthem for a good reason: we never really stop coming out. Of course, there is the main coming out, which typically means your sexuality or gender identity to your family, but even this is […]
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Image description: girl holding flag silhouetted against sunset Disclaimer: What I describe in this article is inspired by my personal and my neurodivergent friends’ experiences with gender identity. Many neurodivergent people are very comfortable with and secure in their gender identity and the fact that their brain works differently does not invalidate who they are. […]
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Image description: Someone holding the asexual pride flag CW: Transphobia, sexual assault Alex* is a student at Oxford University who would describe themselves as being on the asexual spectrum. We met up last week to discuss the experience of being asexual at university over a zoom-coffee (a term I’m sad to admit is actually part of […]
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Image description: rows of neon rainbow lights silhouetting a clock In a video called “Queer Theory”, Youtuber Abigail Thorn (also known as PhilosophyTube) introduced me, and I’m sure plenty of others, to the concept of ‘queer time’, and suddenly my life made a lot more sense. The basic idea is that queer lives do not […]
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Image description: green letters formed vertically against a black background reminiscent of The Matrix “My name, is Neo!” And so marks the end of the transformation of the protagonist of the Wachowski’s breakthrough 1999 film The Matrix from “Thomas A. Anderson” into his true, and freer, self. The Matrix as trans allegory is a well-known and […]
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Image description: a child running with a trans flag with the ground illuminated in rainbow colours TW: transphobia, internalised transphobia, misgendering Disclaimer: this article is written entirely from a binary trans personal perspective. The feelings talked about, whilst possibly shared among multiple binary trans individuals, do not represent how every trans people feels and definitely […]
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Image Description: a row of books seen from above The prominence and popularity of LGBTQ+ fiction has been steadily rising for a number of years, with best-selling books such as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda spreading across the globe and even being adapted for the big screen. These novels tell important stories and give […]
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Image description: many different Smiths albums scattered over each other CW: xenophobia, transphobia, Holocaust denial A dreaded sunny day So I meet you at the cemetry [sic] gates Keats and Yeats are on your side While Wilde is on mine Cemetry Gates, The Queen Is Dead (1986) A few months ago I was […]
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Image description: two rolls of stickers in a basket which say “They/them/theirs” and “Ze/hir/hirs” on them respectively A few weeks ago, I woke up to an email from my internship supervisor. I was expecting it to be a standard admin job, one of the usual tasks. Instead, I found that the email was asking me […]
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Image Description: Irene and Seulgi from K-Pop girl group Red Velvet at a concert in 2016 CW: mental health issues and homophobia Catchy songs, impressive choreography, well-produced music videos, creative concepts – if you have not at least heard of K-Pop by now, you must be truly living under a rock. South Korean “K-Pop idols”, […]
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Image Description: Two men kissing at the Baltimore Pride Parade block party 2017 TW: Body Image, Eating Disorders From an outside perspective, the idea of the ‘twink’ can be something of a joke. It helps non-LGBTQ+ people to neatly categorise queer people into more easily understandable stereotypes, often with the aim of ridicule. In my […]
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CW: Biphobia Image description: a bisexual pride flag DISCLAIMER: In this piece, I am only speaking to the experiences of myself and those of many other bisexuals I know. Bisexuality is such a broad range of sexuality and experiences that it would be impossible for anyone to speak on behalf of the whole community. Any […]
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Image description: a picture of Jenny and a cat at home CW: transphobia The Oxford Student spoke to Jenny Elizabeth Scoones, a third year English student at Mansfield and pop singer/songwriter about her upcoming single, trans rights in the UK and creating art in a pandemic. Your new single, Always Known, comes out on March […]
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Image Description: A sign in the trans flag colours that reads: ‘Trans misogyny is still misogyny’ CW: transphobia Beyond their obvious implicit transphobia, there is an odd narrative being spun by UK-based Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs, a term describing those who actively and deliberately attempt to exclude trans people, and especially trans women, from […]
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Image Description: (Left) Rita Mae Brown, (Right) Cover of Rubyfruit Jungle There are always lots of recommendations floating around of what to read, watch, and listen to in LGBT history month. However, finding older books and films that clearly foreground queer characters can prove difficult: the lengthy backlog of historical classics that emphasise heterosexual relationships […]
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Image Description: Two men laying down on their side surrounded by technology *MSM stands for men who have sex with men For MSM, the internet can be both the best and worst place. On one hand, it offers an anonymous place where one can express their sexuality, learn more, and meet others whether they are […]
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Image Description: Female presenting person waving pride flag on a truck As with many facets of the LGBTQ+ community, our flags are not without controversy. As we progress through another LGBTQ+ history month, it is important to look back on these flags and remember where they come from and what they mean. Obviously, there are […]
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Image Description: LGBTQ+ victory parade 2018 in Calcutta, India, a sign reads: “Queers for Democracy not for Emergency” When I recently attended the hustings for the OULGBT society, there was a lot of talk about how marginalised students (people of colour and trans students) within the community felt as though they didn’t belong in the […]
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