Roads to Safe Places

So peachy that there are no issues the annual city-wide pride event organisers needs to support, apparently and that, like some of the very visible ally organisations, you don't need to appear in the blurb on the homepage because it's an event for "gays and lesbians". Huh.

Considering that pride week is always organised by Hamburg Pride e.v. which says it's supporting the rights of the full LGBTQI etc. spectrum in their statement, but whose goals are aimed primarily at same-sex couples that's probably not too surprising. As a member of a same-sex couple I think it's great they care, but is there really nothing that pan-, bisexual or (especially) trans individuals who are not in a same-sex couple could do with this year? Really?**

It's a shame, because one of the primary functions of the association seems to be "education and the inclusion of homosexuality awareness" not only in school curricula but also in the actual lessons, and props to them - even though it's been on the official curricula for years, most teachers don't include LGBT issues in their lessons in any way (not entirely true in my case. We did watch The Crying Game in our English LK (A level class), albeit without any kind of communication about the movie apart form how the political issues of the Troubles were presented in it. LGBT people don't exist in our school reality).

I'm not sure how they actually go about their education programmes, but I'd like to know if they include at least bisexual or trans related issues. It doesn't really say anywhere. I'd also be a happier person if they'd include gender-related issues and a bigger spectrum of sexual orientations and preferences, too, and possibly even such a thing as kink awareness, as it may save a lot of people a lot of angst and trouble, even in times of the internets. In the aftermath of education events, a lot of kids end up trying to insult each other, and if they're presented with a bigger variety of sexual orientations à la YayGenderform, identities and gender identities as well as preferences, that might not only broaden their horizon, but also shut them up and get them thinking.

They say they do offer help for LGBTQI individuals who are survivors of assault or otherwise in trouble or in a crisis, which is good, but on the whole not very specific. 

So, I don't really feel the love.

--
** Edited for less cryptic cynicism: after they were criticised by a UN committee for women's rights this Febuary with regards to our out-dated trans laws, the German legislative body have agreed to hand in a revised version of the laws by the first of August, which just so happens to be the first day of pride week.
As far as I can remember there was not much mention of laws being changed during last year's pride, and it's not an official goal during this year's. I'm hoping they simply forgot to change the goals on the official page, which seems to be a template they've been using for three years now, but I doubt it.

Seeing as I only went into the inner city (one-hour commute) to get one signature, I took some pictures of the city and, more importantly, of an abandoned house that I've been wanting to have a closer look at for years.



( Inner city (5) )



I have been driving past this house on the bus on my way to university from my parent's place for years, and I always wondered what it looked like from the inside. When I was younger, it was still in its original state of decay, then, around 2000, the city refurbished it, but apparently abandoned the project or ran out of money half-way through and now it's just sitting there, large, beautiful, abandoned and decaying. It's really a shame - I would have liked to see it whole again. Now it's haunted by drunken teenagers who tag the place and have barbecues indoors.

( Far too many pictures of one house )

And back to work. I have to prepare tomorrow's office hour visit and catch up on sleep for the commuting marathon that awaits me.

I miss my girlfriend. Oh she is here, physically. She is busy organising stuff for various online affairs, and somehow I do not want to tell her to go offline and talk to me, because she seems to be having so much fun.

Fine, back to editing pictures it is. *sticks out tongue* Lots of them. Here goes -things which have been Done Before. 

Organising those sites is bound to be over at some point. ^^


 

( More Pictures. )
Something exiting happened today. I'm living in the basement, so the windows are overgrown, green affairs because there are plants in front of them. Well, they are better than any curtain and my father,who occupies my cellar normally, likes them there, so plants it is. Today, there was suddenly a rustling noise outside and I saw that it was a frog!! Sitting directly in front of the window!!



I tried to get Crocky interested in it, but she was too busy. It's pretty, isn't it? And more colourful than I would have thought. I was excited like a small child when I saw it and even climbed onto the desk and opened the window to get a closer look. Whee! A frog! ... or a toad? Will have to look that up.

Ah, well. Back to bed, and more cleaning and tidying and Latin stems tomorrow.

*hugs* to all.