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Politics and Activism

The Start Of Something New

An introduction to my page and the type of topics I will be gracing you all with.

2
The Start Of Something New
Riko Pratt

All right, hello world. Actually, I'm not entirely sure how to start this. Oh wait, I just did.

I suppose I would like to start out by letting everyone know that this will be a safe space. A place where anybody can be anything. In my opinion, that's one of the most important things. Being yourself. I know, I probably sound like a damn Disney Channel commercial- but it's true. Some folks just don't quite understand what that means, to "be yourself".

It starts with happiness. Being happy with who you are, how you look and where you're headed. I can't stress the importance of being happy with yourself. No, all of your problems won't go away, but I guarantee that they'll be a little easier to conquer if you're on your own side.

That's part of my whole deal. I want to help people understand that they deserve to be happy and love themselves. Especially, with all of the craziness in this world.

Personally, I'm extremely affected by it. First, as a member of the black community, hearing what's been happening in my very own country shatters my whole being. Furthermore, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it hurts my heart so much to see all of this death.

It's disappointing.

I'm sure you could come up with a more intellectual word to describe all of this tragedy, but to put it simply, I'm just so utterly disappointed in this world, in my own country. It's not right, and it needs to stop.

Yes, yes, of course everything is easier said than done, but we can at least try. That's why I'd like to do my part and educate the world on these groups of people that they're killing. I would like to try and make the world a safer place so that everyone can be happy with themselves.

For one, LGBTQ+ issues aren't even discussed much in the news, and when they are, not all of the information is accurate.

I'd like to fix that.

As mentioned earlier, I belong to the group, in particular the 'G,' and I also know a handful of people that represent some of the letters that don't get as much coverage, specifically the 'T' and extending the acronym, the 'P.'

For those of you that don't know what those are, the 'T' is for 'Transgender' and the 'P' is for Pansexual.

To go further, the full list of queer identities are as follows:

Lesbian

Gay

Bisexual

Transgender

Queer (sometimes Q is referred to as Questioning)

Intersex

Asexual

Pansexual

Some lists include a 'K' which would stand for 'Kink' or 'Kinkiness' but I personally disagree that it belongs on the list as a queer identity.

Now, that may all seem overwhelming so I won't delve into that now. What I would like to do over the course of this year is get people more educated. Especially, on the letters that haven't had quite as much representation as the 'L' or the 'G,' which to say, also need their representation.

With all of that being said, I'm not in the business of just writing grouchy, political articles. I have a soft side. I can even be funny, (right?)

Well, a huge inspiration for my writing is that I'm a big pop culture fan. I love music, television, books and even video games. That means I'll be writing some critical reviews here and there, don't worry, I have good taste.

I'm also modest. Can't you tell?

Truthfully, there are a millions things I would like to discuss and share with the world and I'm hopeful that this platform will be a place where I can do that, where I can be myself.

Here's to a wild ride filled with self-acceptance, controversy and maybe some food!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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