Song of the day:
For Pride month, I’ll be sharing some information I believe is helpful in understanding a community you may not be a part of. I consider myself an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, and as such I believe I have a responsibility to speak up, to help others learn.
So, let’s start simple. Hey, Carrie…what do those letters mean? I’m so glad you asked!
L is for Lesbian
G is for Gay
B is for Bisexual
T is for Transgender
Q is for Queer/Questioning
I is for Intersex
A is for Asexual/Aromantic/Agender
N is for Nonbinary
+ is to signify all of the gender identities and sexual orientations that letters and words cannot yet fully describe
Learn more here
And Carrie, what about that flag? It seems to have more colors than before. You’re right! Let’s learn more about that today as well.
The Pride Flag is now known as the Progress Pride Flag, and was created in 2018 by digital designer Daniel Quasar. Additional colors were added to be more inclusive and to recognize people of color in the LGBTQIA+ community.
(Image and information from verywellmind)
The original Pride Flag was created by Gilbert Baker in the 1970s and used eight colors and corresponding meanings: hot pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. The original hot pink was removed because it was hard to find the fabric. Over the years turquoise was removed and other colors were added, eventually morphing into the Progress Pride Flag just a few years ago.
Per this article from verywellmind, “the placement of the new colors in an arrow shape is meant to convey the progress still needed. Quasar spoke publicly about how work is still needed in terms of POC and trans rights. This arrow design is meant to highlight that.”
So why is the flag so important?
“The pride flag serves as a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is a visual reminder of the struggles and oppression that people in the community have faced and continue to face, but, it's also a sign of hope.
People have displayed the flag outside of their homes or business to signal to others in the community that they have a safe space to enter.
The widespread use of the pride flag allows LGBTQIA+ individuals to connect with each other and feel included regardless of their location. No matter where you are or how you identify, the rainbow colors are meant to signify that you are included, welcome, and safe as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
I hope you all had a great weekend. I got a few things done around my house, watched some movies on TV, finished one book and started another, and generally relaxed. Here’s a brief recap:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Y’all. This movie is spectacular!! I absolutely LOVED Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the first movie in this series, and this sequel did NOT disappoint. The movie is visually gorgeous and the story is truly good, infusing humor - as all the good Spider-Man movies do - with serious topics and tons of twists and turns. The voice acting is top notch as well. We are introduced to a lot more spider-people, and I mean a LOT, and while I didn’t know who they all were since I never read the comics, it was clear that there were some important ones based on the reaction in the theatre. I particularly enjoyed Spider-Punk and hope to see more of that character in the next movie. Because oh yeah, there’s a follow up coming next year, and I can’t wait!!
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania - This movie was out earlier this year, but I completely missed it in the theaters due to getting COVID, then recovering from COVID and not feeling comfortable going to a theatre. But it premiered on Disney+ recently so I finally found time to sit and watch it. And it was okay. Definitely not my favorite Marvel movie ever. Paul Rudd was perfect, as always, and while Jonathan Majors was good - really good - it was hard not to think about the recent abuse allegations against him. But overall, I just didn’t think the story was all that interesting. I’m sure it would have been better on the big screen.
Year on Fire by Julie Buxbaum - I finished this book Friday night, and it was enjoyable, but to me, it was not as good as her previous two books (Admission, Hope and Other Punch Lines). It was a slow start and I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. The problems facing the teens were very real, however, which was good, and like I said, in the end I did enjoy it.
Even if the Sky is Falling by Various Authors - This is a connected collection of short stories based on the premise that some sort of space debris may be hurdling toward Earth, forcing people to question what they’d do if it was their last day to live. It’s definitely a romance novel, and I have to skim some of the sections, but the story so far is good. I’ll keep you posted.
How about you? See or read anything interesting over the weekend?
Video of the day: