Gender

Now I usually don't like to get involved when people talk politics on facebook but a guy I worked with recently posted a photo which I wasn't sure if it was meant to be a light hearted joke or a protest. I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt but I knew one of his friends/another of my co-workers was very vocal about his transphopia.

Now I was brought up being told that there was girls and boys. Then when I was older I met transgender, gender fluid, androgynous and non-binary people. And it was like ok cool, the more you know am I right?
Well apparently some people seem stuck in some fairy land where everything they knew as a child is still true (Spoiler alert the moon isn't made out of cheese and a magic bunny doesn't bring you chocolate once a year). 

We over simplify things for kids for example we tell them you can have blonde hair, brown hair, black hair of red hair - but as we get older we realise each colour has an entire spectrum of colours.
And that's kinda what gender is. We get told as kids that there are men and woman and our entire future is go to school/uni, get a one job, get married to the opposite gender and then have children and it all starts all over again.
Spoiler alert life isn't a conveyer belt, it's a choose your own adventure. Personally I don't know if I want to go to university, I've had multiple jobs since I was 16 and they are completely unrelated. I have dated girls and boys and for years I struggled to define my sexuality until I discovered pansexuality. I definitely do not want kids ever. See already I am living a completely different life to what 5 year old me was told I'd be living.

So how many genders are there?
Cis Female
Cis Male
Trans Female
Trans Male
Gender Fluid
Non Binary / Agender
Androgynous 
Gender Queer
Gender Non Conforming
Intersex

*Some of these are umbrellas, meaning that if you don't see your gender then it may come under the umbrella of one of these

A breif history of multiple genders

So back to the main point I wanted to make in regards to my co-workers uneducated post. 
Multiple genders are not a a 'new' thing. At school my history lessons focused a lot on post-settlement Australian history (the whole 200 years of it) and European history (specifically world wars and the industrial revolution). So my history obviously had massive holes in it, in my own time I researched ancient cultures, watched horrible histories and did my own research. 
What have I learnt? Why the hell do people want to live in the past? It's mostly war, plague and oppression. 
But in my research I came across many cultures that had acknowledged multiple genders.
One of the reasons you probably don't hear much about this is because many of these cultures were colonised.
For example Hawaii, specifically the Kanaka Maoli indigenous society, the mahu could be biological female/male who took on a masculine/feminine role or somewhere on that spectrum that wasn't their assigned gender.
The Yoruba people didn't even have gender before they were colonised, they had no concept of a gendered system.
In some cultures even their deities had different gender, like the Incas whom worshiped a 'duel-gendered' god, the Chuqui Chinchay. Shamans/attendants who performed ceremonies in their honour were seen as 'third gendered'. They wore androgynous clothing to show the third gender as being between masculine and feminine as well as encompassing the past and present and the living and the dead.
The Sakalvas of Madagaskar raised little boys with feminine appearances as females.
The Ankole people's oracles to the the god Mukasa where females dressed as men.

The Buginese people (an ethnic group of Indonesia) recognise five genders:
Makkunrai & Oroané - Cis women & men
Bissu - androgynous shamens
Calabai & Calalai - trans men and women.

And these cultures have been around for thousands of years so sorry, but multiple genders isn't new.

We are very different people than we were 100 years ago, youths have more freedom to explore themselves, and redefine society. With each generation we become more accepting of each other, but we still have a long way to go. The intolerance many people have comes from their family, the environment they were exposed to or the people they hang out with. I personally don't like macdonalds burgers, but I don't go around telling other people they shouldn't eat them.
We have more than 2 genders, deal with it, because we're moving on towards the future.
I don't really expect older generations to change, but the youth can change, if you don't like it then keep it to yourself because all your doing is breeding hate.

Spread the love guys and if anyone doesn't respect you because of your gender identity, then they are not worth your time or effort. Besides they're the ones missing out on our (LGBTQ+) amazing culture.

Catch ya later xx

The Circle - A few thoughts on internet privacy

I pride myself on knowing how to properly protect myself online; stalkers and people that I do not invite into my life have a hard time finding me on social media unless I specifically tell them where too find me. So, when I sat down to watch an interesting movie with my mother my mind went reeling with all the ethical dilemmas presented in the movie itself.

The Circle is a Netflix original movie based on the 2013 book by Dave Eggers, starring Emma Watson (yes, Hermione Granger/Belle herself) which focuses on the impact social media can have on privacy, and is a cautionary tale about the dangers of oversharing online.

Watson portrays a young woman called Mae who gets a job working at the Circle throughout her time there she makes certain choices that lead her to choose to become "transparent" and show the world every second of her day. She straps a camera to herself and live streams every day which leads to a few complications in her personal life.

I do recommend watching this film as it really makes you think about what you post online and how ethics can be thrown out the window for the sake of the truth. Ultimately what people choose to share online is their business,  no one can force you to share something private, and in some cases certain facts aren't yours to share.

Now I will list a few problems I have with the movie and the ethics surrounding character choices, needless to say, spoilers ahead:

• Mae is asked to drink something in a doctors office, containing nano transmitters, and at no point was she informed that was happening or that these nano transmitters would be able to keep track of her every movement until after the fact.
• Mae steals a kayak and goes into the middle of the water at night, almost dies, and her bosses use that as an excuse to convince people they should be watched at all times to be held accountable for their actions, AND SHE AGREES.
• Mae attempts to promote her friends work by posting it on her social media which backfires as his work involves collecting deer antlers and making chandeliers out of them, considered a tad controversial as the internet then calls him a deer killer
• She films people without actually asking them, just because she goes transparent doesn't mean her parents have to and as such their relationship is strained.
• The company has little to no ethics when it comes to their workers privacy, including the fact that they encourage their workers to share their lives on their own version Facebook/twitter/YouTube all rolled into one, which they can then keep track of because it scans the internet for all their other social medias and uploads them for everyone connected to see...

And that's just a few of the things that make me a bit uneasy about the whole corporation in this film, which is the whole point. The Circle is meant to make you think about your online footprint and how much you share. Its meant to make you think about how much information the world has access to and it's terrifying. The thought that everyone who has seen your profile can find your families medical history for one is an insane breach of privacy which also happens in the Circle by a few of Mae's colleagues just out of the blue. I guess we are just a little closer to this version of a dystopian world than we actually thought...

Think on it, xox

Taz

Eat 'fresh' *terms and conditions apply

How 'fresh' is our favourite sandwich restaurant?

Well as I have now left my sub job at a certain sub fast food place that sub treated me like sub sh*t, I can tell you.

"Our food is prepared fresh daily"

It is prepared daily at 6am, when they ask their staff to come in early unpaid. It is prepared in the morning then put in the fridge and won't be used till the next day or possibly the day after.

Sweetcorn, gherkins and lettuce come to us pre-cut and pre-packaged, the sweetcorn and gherkins are kept in brine. 

"You'll find only good eggs on our breakfast mega melt "

They are delivered poached and frozen, hence why they taste like rubber.

"Fresh meat"

Meat is all pre-packaged. The turkey and ham come in foul smelling liquid and the chicken smells even worse. I will never eat their chicken, the smell makes me gag. 

Probably the only descent meat is the tuna, pepperoni and salami.

"Freshly baked bread and cookies"

Cookies come in frozen disks that are then cooked. Bread takes an hour to proof before baking and then need time to cool, meaning that if you come in before lunchtime, you're getting yesterdays semi-stale leftovers.

Now, I only worked there a few weeks and I never signed any contract swearing me to secrecy, besides a lot of this is already circling the internet. 

Careers

"Become part of the family"

Probably the most dysfunctional family ever (besides those in Game of Thrones)! My boss made me do the training but never mentioned it was unpaid, then made me do extra unpaid shifts and unpaid overtime - 26 hours, that's £140.

When I complained to their online complaints department they basically told me they cared but couldn't do anything...so basically to stuff it.

My boss asked inappropriate questions about my virginity, joked about blow jobs, made racist and transphobic comments and overall treated me like sh*t.

"Our goal is to become number one"

My local subway has the worst reputation amongst the town and neighbouring villages. It's even reached the city paramedics.

A lady saw the way I was treated and got me a card for 'good luck'.

Ok, ok you're probably at this point wondering how my leaving went...

I was 'let go'.

My boss has asked me several times if I would leave and every time I said no.

I was away for a few days as my boss knew...

He made it very clear that he wanted me to quit.

And when I went into collect my pay it was not there.

He said I missed the cut off to which I pointed out I hadn't.

He then started asking me why I stayed there; I said:
"This is a part time job, I am here to do the work and earn a living."

He then gave a spiel about how great a boss he was and I was at this point starting to become inpatient.

He said that he'd give me my cheque if I left my job, I said that I needed this job to which he replied that I wasn't 'part of the family'. He then once again gave a speech about how he was a great boss he didn't understand why my mum had complained about him. (She had contacted head office about all the unpaid overtime and unpaid shifts, because she cares about me and knew I was being treated like mud).

I then was getting slightly irritated and defended her saying she was just looking out for me, and he said he had a reputation to uphold.

At this point I was either about to cry or scream...I swallowed my rage and remarked that he wasn't doing a great job, because he didn't have the best reputation.

He then lost it and called someone asking how much my pay was - a whole £5.60 an hour - and wrote me out a cheque and asked me to leave.

While yes that may have been a comment too far, understand he treated me like mud and always acted like he was doing me a favour, he was vulgar and had zero filter. I came into work and did what I had to.

Take care of your staff and they'll take care of your business.

Catch ya later xx

My thoughts on LeFou

While I am member of the LGBTQ+ community, I cannot speak on behalf of everyone but I do believe we all celebrated a little when we found out LeFou would be the first main gay character in a Disney film.

Growing up Disney was a massive influence on me, some my favourite movies being 'The Little Mermaid', 'Aristocats', 'The Black Cauldron' and yes 'Beauty and the beast'. 
Every child loves being able to see themselves in their favourite stories; I know that 10 year old me adored Ariel, one of the reasons being her red hair.
I was very confused about my sexuality for years and I think part of that was due to the lack of information and misrepresentation in media. 
Even now there is a lack of accurate LGBTQ+ representation, even when there is its 77% gay men, 23% lesbian women and only 9% bisexuals. Personally I have only seen two pansexual characters, that being Jack Harkness (Doctor who, Torchwood) and Deadpool, so I did a bit more research and...

...Thats not alot

Luckily every year there are more and more LGBTQ+ characters in media. The problem is that some characters come across as stereotypical and 2 dimensional. Stereotypes are there for a reason and yes they are sometimes true but after seeing the punchline 50 times???

If young people are view these 2 dimensional, stereotypical characters then they're going to be confused because they don't feel they fit into certain boxes.

Beauty and the Beast is one of the most famous fairy tales in the world, which then became one of Disney's most timeless classics. Disney fans leapt for joy when we discovered there would be a live action re-make, even more so when we discovered the incredibly talented cast, but it was the announcement that LeFou would be gay that caught the most attention.

While many leapt for joy, others immediately boycotted the film. The fact that Disney proudly released this information shows how far we've come. Sadly the movie was banned in several places or given a movie rating of 16+ or 18+ in others because of this.

Many believed LeFou would be pining for Gaston and possible resent Belle and the other girls because of his affections. In the original Gaston was not the greatest friend and LeFou was a bumbling sidekick, so it was interesting to see how this would unfold.

Thankfully LeFou didn't end up with Gaston (despite appearing to have some feeling towards him, but ultimately saw the toxicity of the relationship) and stepped out of his sidekick roll and became the sassy well rounded character we didn't realise we needed in the original. He still has that love/hate relationship with Gaston and in the end helps Mrs Potts to stop the intruders (I think we can all agree this was better than seeing him rip Babette's feathers out). The final dance brought a smile to everyones face and gave a hint to LeFou's own happily ever after.

Not only was Lefou and well executed and believable character but this means that we can expect more Disney, and it can be expected that many animation creators will follow suite.

Warner Bros & Son's 2016 movie 'Storks' showed families of every kind and Mattel have even hinted at a lesbian relationship between Darling Charming and Apple White (Ever After High) who after falling under a sleeping curse cannot be roused by Darlings brother so she steps up and tries 'mouth to mouth' aka the true loves kiss she needed.

ABC made strides with their show 'Once Upon a Time' with Mulan having feelings for Aurora and Ruby waking Dorothy with True loves kiss and expressing their love. Personally I'd love to see more of Merida and Mulan, who have great chemistry on screen as did Ruby and Dorothy.

While these are all great, they haven't had as much exposure as 'Beauty and the Beast'. 

Personally I think LeFou signified that in the past few years we have come far...buuuuut we still have a loooooong way to go. 

I know a little girl I used to look after who is going to grow up seeing all kinds of different characters represented and she will not struggle to find character she can emulate and that warms my heart. LeFou was a big step for Disney and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Catch ya later xx

Content VS Opinion: Today's "debate"

There comes a time where a person needs to separate their opinion from the facts. When you are an educator, particularly in young minds, there needs to be a distinct separation between the two. However, when it comes to uni that separation is able to be more subtle due to the minds educating themselves on current topics. Opinions can be made and though they may not be agreed upon, they can be on topic. Take for example culture and the presidency of America. The decisions made by the president can affect culture in a multitude of ways therefore that discussion would be relevant. Alternatively a discussion on whether Severus Snape from the series Harry Potter is a redeemable character or not, is not relevant in a cultural studies class. However, attacking someone based on their opinion? that is just bad manners.

Here are some techniques to utilize while debating without being an a**hole:

1. It pays to be open minded. Listen to the other person's opinion. Yes you may not agree with it but that person probably has reasons as to why they think that way. Explore and understand them.
2. Have evidence to back up your claims. The best way to develop a healthy argument is to actually be able to discuss the facts. Pros and cons are great!
3. Speak civilly. No one wants to listen to someone rude and accusatory in a debate, the point is to calmly argue your opinion. Blustering and swearing will not help you win your case, keep it clean.
4. There is a time and a place. Pick your times to argue carefully, as some places or scenarios can be inappropriate. For instance during a lecture is not appropriate especially when the lecturer is trying to teach the rest of your class, instead try discussing it with your tutor after the lecture.

Today I witnessed someone who did the opposite of these techniques during the first lecture I attended this year. It was so ridiculously out of the blue and surreal that hours later, I cannot stop thinking about it. As students at University I would think we know the difference between the lecturers opinion and the course content. Waving a bag around the air and storming out? That is blatantly immature and rude. Certainly not the way to go about a debate in a tertiary setting. Entertaining nonetheless, an interesting start to a year that is sure to be memorable.

Seriously just use manners, xox

Taz

News: Medibank Madi Gras Madness

So medibank released an ad that had same sex couples kissing and tons of people loved it, but there were some homophobes who were being horrible in the comments on Facebook. 

The 'think of the children' line they alway use confuses me because they themselves aren't thinking of the children - its this hatred and bullying (yes if you're a 40 year old man hiding behind a computer it's still bullying) that is the reason an estimate 30-40% of lgbtq+ teens have attempted suicide so yes, please think of the children and keep your homophobic comments and bigotry to yourself!

More info on Australian LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide

The other comment that stuck me as odd was someone brought up reproduction and said "if a gay person produces a child I'll eat my hat"...

Well enjoy that hat because surrogacy is a thing, I have a family friend who is gay and father to two beautiful young girls. Not to mention the billions of kids who are orphaned every year.

For gods sake its a company spreading a positive and loving message and bigoted idiots can't help but spout nonsense because seeing two people of the same gender kiss is too much for them (whats the bet that they've all watched lesbian porn though).

Spread love not hate,
Catch ya later xx

The world we live in...

Something very disturbing happened to me recently; a man asking for directions apologised for asking for help. He used the words "don't be afraid" and made no attempt to step closer to me or my companion. The fact that he asked at all wasn't the disturbing event, what really upset me was the fact he felt he had to say "don't be afraid", because of his dark skin, and the world we live in.

Had I seen this man on the street in passing, I would not have thought he looked threatening, he simply looked like a well put together and educated young man off running errands, just like everyone else during christmas shopping. He had an open face yet sad eyes when he thought we were afraid (we were simply taken aback because we weren't expecting anyone we didn't know to approach us). Now, I consider myself a decent person and of course I helped him with directions as he asked but the entire event has stuck with me the past few weeks.

Sadly, the world we live in is scary for most. I envy those who feel they can travel without fear of reproach or even violence in some cases. When I read the news about the shootings in America or of the violence that permeates our world it saddens me. I too have felt fear in a public setting, as a woman I hear many horror stories of women just like myself who have found themselves attacked and abused. Whereas in the case of men, they too are attacked by the violence in this world. Is it too much to ask for peace? Is it too much to ask that the people in this world treat others the way they wish to be treated? All too often this is not the case.

Wishing everyone safety in the new year, xox

Taz

DESTROYED BY BOOKS

Do not even get me started on books. TOO LATE.

Wow, never have I been so mad at a book... that is a lie. I always get mad at characters and occasionally authors for killing off characters I happen to love. I wont say who or what book but the fact of the matter is I get so damn invested in these figures that it physically pains me when these things happen.

I have been known to:

• throw books across the room into a beanbag (never at the wall, that could actually damage the books!)
• Start actually bawling and sobbing, becoming a blubbering mess
• Stomp out to my mother and start ranting like crazy for hours
• Start frantically texting a friend I KNOW has read the book, lots of swearing, even more capitals.

These are just a few of the more major things I do when confronted with a plot that wrecks me. I have to hand it to the authors though; if they can cause a reaction from me that intense, they clearly know their stuff. If an author can pull my heart out of my chest, cause adrenaline to course through my bloodstream or even make my anxiety play up, I personally think it is well written. 

I found a few photos that may explain how I'm feeling around now:

Yup, that's about it... xox!

Taz

Updates and change

A lot of things have changed...

Over the past month or two, I implemented a few changes in my life. Some were conscious decisions, and some random occurrences. Honestly, its been kind of a roller-coaster ride but I have survived and hopefully, things are just going to get brighter from here.

• I quit my old job
• I got a NEW job yesterday, which is an interesting story for another time
• I cut my hair short into a pixie cut
• I attended my first ever convention
• I volunteered for the first time at a convention
• I am currently doing two university courses externally and am unsure whether I am even doing it right?
• I was in a short film (thanks for the experience Tabby)
• I now occasionally play Pokemon Go! on my mum's phone ahah (Team Instinct bruh!)

And one last thing...

• I don't blog enough.

Honestly, with Uni and life, I have not been in the right mindset to write.

Love and xox!

Taz

AVCon 2016

AVCon 2016

So I attended my first ever convention, and yes, it was quite a few days ago now, and no, I am no good at keeping up with updates...

ANYWAY, lets talk about my time at AVCon 2016!

Friday

Had a very nice sleep in actually. I wasn't registered to set up AVCon with the other volunteers so I didn't turn up to the convention centre till around midday and when I got there? MAYHEM! The con had not even begun and the showbags were having problems. I threw on my volunteer shirt and spent the next 3 hours helping to fix things. 
Oh well, at least I got to watch the opening ceremony right in front of the stage with new friends. Watch Tabby's AVCon vlog on youtube to watch the dance/fight scene during the tragically short ceremony. As well as everything else that happened that night. An interview with WOLFSTAR is soon to come.

Saturday

WOKE UP LATE! Had to do my eyebrows on the bus, My hair was sticking up so I threw a wig on it, grabbed my labcoat and ran out the door. I was almost late to my first volunteer shift which consisted of... Babysitting. Although technically I was babysitting a room, not the children because their parents were not allowed to leave without them.
CUT FORWARD to me walking down artists alley in the four hours I had left till I had to leave for a birthday dinner and this was the result:

That is my face, yes.

SKINNY MISTER you made me look so cute! (Find him on facebook) I feel kinda bad for wearing a black shirt though, his pen was running out a bit... BUT he was dressed as Tem from UNDERTALE, so awesome!. After that I went to the birthday dinner, slept through most of it and worked on my cosplay untill there were only the finishing touches left.

SUNDAY:

COSPLAY DAYYYYYY!
Started the day late for my shift, whoops I stayed up too late and overslept once again, then I missed my bus so I was half an hour late for a shift I got pulled out of anyway. This turned out to be a blessing because I was thrown into the group that helps out when more people are needed... Then I got to be Pikachu!

That is me, beside a random poketrainer. Seriously though the first thing that happened was a poke ball to the face. Then it was all trying not to walk into small children, dancing around, having people throw their arms around me and eventually, photos were taken. I am scouring the internet to find said photos because I couldn't get ANY!

After leaning down to small children and vehemently saying NUUUU to being captured, I finished my shift and went to go quickly finish my cosplay with the help of a friend in a nearby sandwich shop... 
 Lets finish this con off with a Yang! ;) 

Boom, nuff said.I think I look pretty good, and I am proud of what I managed to accomplish with a certain amount of help in making patterns, gauntlets and the finishing touches. There are some things I would tweak but overall? Solid attempt in my opinion.

Night Guys! xox

Taz

No Time To Read?

I'm late, I'm late for a very important update...
As Taz mentioned in her last post, I am currently in year 12 and the stress is really getting to me.
When I was starting highschool I had friends in year 12 and I said to one once "Only 4 subjects? You must have tons of spare time"...I want to go back and punch myself in the face!
I am currently studying Visual Arts, English Comms, Drama and Religion (compulsory) as well as trying to keep up with dance, hobbies and a social life.

But you know what I don't seem to have time for?
READING
Yes, reading. Me? The ultimate bookworm, who used to spend lunchtimes reading? Who got books confiscated for reading in class? Who read with a flashlight all night and now has awful eyesight?
Yes it is the sad truth. The last time I read a book was on my dance trip, as I've said before I usually by a book at the airport to read on my trip. When I finished 'Red Queen' I bought 'Black Widow: Forever Red' but I ended up sleeping for most of the journey back due to jet lag. So now it has joined my shelf along with 'Throne of Glass', 'Eragon', 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children' and the other piles of books I have collecting dust on my shelves.
I even tried putting a book in my bag to read at school ('Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer') and I forget about it after my friend told me there were police at school because some people were stabbed nearby and they found the guy on our oval. 

So reading and cosplay aren't going so swimmingly, luckily my final Performance Team performance was last weekend and Saturdays are finally free, so who knows? Maybe I'll have time to read again. 

But just to put this into perspective of how stressed school is I had a breakdown and cried until my nose bled. The councillor sent me home and I slept for 5 hours and I am still tired. Honestly I can understand why my friends dropped out XD

But it's not all bad news - I finished season 2 of Supernatural recently. It scares the shit outta me but I still like it?

Catch you later xx

Okay, real talk

I have not been on top of things.

And as a result? This blog has fallen behind in content. Hey! Both Tabby and I have school; she has year 12 to complete and I have major assignments to finish, so yes, priorities have been made. 

I personally love to write something down here and there, but it doesn't help if you are concentrated on your education and don't really have the time to sit down and write a blog post. My parents have always said "education comes first" and I do believe that, despite all my procrastination. 

So all I ask for is patience, the pressure put on young people today to do everything while still making a life for themselves is unrealistic. Between family, friends, jobs, school, hobbies, homework and trying to get some exercise? I'm surprised young adults get any sleep ever. Not to mention how almost every person I know at University has had some form or another of a major freak-out regarding the course they are doing and what they intend to do with their lives... Trust me, I changed courses because of it. Sometime's that is just what you have to do. Changing things up a bit is scary but it can be very healthy. Patience, ad just maybe, the storms will clear.

Thanks! xox

Taz