Sexual Identity Support
Sexual Identity Support
Sexual Identity - or sexuality - is the sense of ones own sexual preferences including who we are attracted to, which could include their gender, appearance, dress sense, charisma, or other things we like about them; how we like to have sex, or not, whether we are romantic or not, how we date, how we flirt, perhaps how we dress; and whatever 'kinks' or other kinds of fantasies people might have that are explored through their sexuality in some way. So our sexuality is as complex and varied as personality itself can be and it is often a side to ourselves which we don't share with everyone around us.
Some sexual identities such as Straight, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and other terms a little less clearly defined (eg Queer - which used to be a slur, but has been embraced by some here in the UK in a positive sense) are now widely accepted by most people in all but the more illiberal parts of most quite liberal societies, whereas generally only
Straight identities were accepted in history, and in many parts of the world still today. Together with 'trans', this makes up LGBT, or LGBTQ, as the group for supporting rights of minority sexualities.
Sexuality is believed to be some combination of nature and our life experiences, as children, teenagers, or young adults, with this varying from one individual to the next. Sexuality can also vary during the course of a lifetime for some people, but that is nearly always the result of changing experiences
or feelings changing with age
as life continues, rather than the result of any conscious decisions or interventions. Whatever the outcome, nature should be left to take its course.
Useful resources on the web: Click pictures to open pages
Initial Thoughts/Ideas: Please add your own to comments section below!
Many of the early dance genres from the 1980s started life in gay clubs in America then spread to the UK and Europe at around that time. Disco became Classic House; Classic House became EuroHouse and many other genres; Many of the 1980s New Wave acts were fronted or driven by gay or lesbian popstars of the time (Pet Shop Boys, Boy George, Dead or Alive, etc) with a lot of others as "gay icons" for their supportive concerts at gay nightclubs or other venues (Madonna, Kylie, Annie Lennox , etc). There's always been a strong link between the music and the gay scene, and , to this day, classic Disco, classic House, and Europop hits and so on makes for a major part of a Saturday night out in a gay area of town.
There is no such thing
as "gay music genres" : you can be into punk rock
or thrash metal
or footie hits, or any other genre while being LGBTQ and you can be straight and love disco hits
and New Wave. But, in keeping to the 'traditions' of the club and bar scene, I have posted a playlist of classic hits below.
There is a less upbeat side though since many gay lives involved strife either at home or with peer groups , either or both of which may have rejected them, leading to much more unsettled lives, higher rates of homelessness, drug addictions, and adult mental health problems. This is possibly one reason why the gay scene developed, also, a great sense of humour to laugh of life's troubles, leading to many famous comedians back from Kenneth Williams through the likes of Kenny Everett to familiar characters of today such as Alan Carr or Matt Lucas. But, because of the highs and the lows, most gay-themed stories in films tend to show the full range, from the good times to the bad. The soundtracks for a few classics are added into a playlist below.
Music styles to browse
DISCO HITS
NEW WAVE
CLASSIC HOUSE
EUROHOUSE AND EUROPOP
CLASSIC FILM PLAYLISTS.
Beautiful Thing (1996), Happy Together (1997), Paris is Burning (1990), Pariah (2011), My beautiful Laundrette (1985).