Comments for Kraus Notes

Comment on Coming Out at Fourteen by 5 Tips On Starting Your Own Blog « Kraus Notes

5 Tips On Starting Your Own Blog « Kraus Notes — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:54:58 +0000

[...] about social media. In addition, I’m an advocate for full LGBT equality and have been ever since I started my high school’s gay-straight alliance, so I took my passion for advocacy and my love for social media and made my [...]

Comment on [RECAP] New Media Training Institute Session at Creating Change by 5 Tips On Starting Your Own Blog « Kraus Notes

5 Tips On Starting Your Own Blog « Kraus Notes — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:54:56 +0000

[...] me to sit on a panel to talk about how to create engaging content for blogs as part of their New Media Training Institute at the Creating Change [...]

Comment on [RECAP] New Media Training Institute Session at Creating Change by Guest Post: [RECAP] New Media Training Institute Session at Creating Change | LGBT Human Rights. Gay News, Entertainment, Travel

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:58:08 +0000

[...] This post is crossposted from Kraus Notes. View the original post. [...]

Comment on LGBT Social Media Ethics: Is that Really You? by Why is Media Important to Study? « mediatodaypadenr

Why is Media Important to Study? « mediatodaypadenr — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:41:55 +0000

[...] example, a man could actually be a woman online, which was the case for a man who pretended to be “A Gay Girl in Damascus.” But as a positive you can keep in contact with relatives and friends from all over the world. [...]

Comment on Interview with Allison Palmer, Director of Digital Initiatives at GLAAD: How We Can Protect Ourselves on Social Media by Is Facebook Going Gay or is it Respectfully Honoring Spirit Day? « Kraus Notes

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:22:14 +0000

[...] night, my friend Allison Facebook ‘liked ‘the Mashable post, “Facebook’s Going a Little Gay for Spirit Day.” I saw [...]

Comment on Coming Out at Fourteen by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:37:10 +0000

I don’t know if there is a limit to the reply, but I would like to make a few comments. First, for transparency’s sake, I am Leone’s mom. She writes beautifully, doesn’t she? Her story is honest and truthful; there are aspects of her experiences that I was not fully aware of. I just want to be sure that the readers understand I was not a villain in Leone’s life, nor were any of her family. And the “new husband” pictured in the photo is not the “new husband” she mentions in her essay. But that is neither here nor there. Leone never mentions it, so I’m not sure she and I have ever really discussed the situation. But the fact is, I believe she is the proof of the reality that being gay is not a matter of making a choice (therefore, it is not a matter of morality), but it is a matter of biology. She always refers to my looking so devastatingly disappointed in her when she came out to me. Was I shocked? Yes, but for a totally different reason. You see, her grandmother was also gay, but she (my mother) struggled with suppressing her own identification in a generation and a social culture when such a concept (as being gay) was totally verboten to think, let alone act upon. I grew up with a very heterosexual self-identity. But, to be honest, I never really understood my own mother…she behaved so differently, she thought so differently, she expressed herself so differently than all the other moms I knew. I never knew why. It was not until after she died that my father discussed the issue with me. He was the one who “named” the elephant in the room that I sensed, but could never identify clearly. I did not know at that time how to define “being gay.” I only knew I wasn’t. But, even as an adult, I was very confused about the issue. This was an issue I discussed with no one. So, when Leone came out, I was stunned. Rightly or wrongly, the immediate flash that came into my own mind was, “My God! I’m a carrier! I’ve given my child a defective gene!”
I can look back and laugh at myself, now. But then, I really was convinced that I had somehow transferred a defect.
Today, I accept that, given that there is a biological basis for bisexuality, transgenderism, and gayness, there is no “defect” involved at all. It is simply a variation…like blue eyes, brown eyes, musical talent, mathematical genius, muscularity, etc. But, yes, Leone was hurting, I was dumbfounded (and not just a little guilty-feeling), and there were all kinds of dysfunctional family dynamics going on that had nothing to do with her coming out, but impacted her life, nevertheless…in short, our lives were a royal mess during her high school years. I always have to remind my children that I was a child-bride (at barely 21 and not yet out of college) and that I basically had to do all my growing up right along with them. But that’s a whole different story. And I have promised Leone, I will march in PFLAG parade one of these years…after I retire and have time to do so. My moral is: remember, to every story there is more than one perspective and especially with autobiographical stories, the author generally can present only one of those perspectives. The other characters have their own viewpoints to offer. Congratulations, Leone! You really did write a very nice piece. I’m proud of you.

Comment on LGBT Social Media Ethics: Is that Really You? by QP Nooz - Ha'at Nath

QP Nooz - Ha'at Nath — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:37:32 +0000

[...] author discusses the recent brujhaha over “A Gay Girl and Damascus” and “Lez Get Real.” and whether or not such behavior within our community is harmful or beneficial. ……………………………… Kudos to Australia which is now allowing a [...]

Comment on Meeting Girlyman: An Interview on How the Band Uses Social Media by jamiebobamie

jamiebobamie — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:23:00 +0000

I’m a Girlyman fan. I interviewed them for SingOut! My latest blog is a reprint of that article.