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Germany just passed a nationwide ban on gay conversion therapy for minors

Germany just passed a nationwide ban on gay conversion therapy for minors
via Soonfeed Europe / Twitter

Gay conversion therapy is an attempt to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It's most often pushed onto teenagers by religious parents who can't accept their child's sexuality and believe that it can be prayed away or altered through therapy.

These practices can include electroshock therapy and sometimes involve a variety of shaming, emotionally traumatic or physically painful stimuli to make their victims associate those stimuli with their LGBTQ identities.

Not only are these practices completely inhumane but studies show they are ineffective.

A 2007 report by an American Psychological Association task force found that "results of scientifically valid research indicate that it is unlikely that individuals will be able to reduce same-sex attractions or increase other-sex sexual attractions through [sexual orientation change efforts]."

Conversion therapy enacts a tremendous psychological toll on teens and has been shown to lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.

Archibald Jude / Flickr

One of the most traumatizing elements of the therapy is that teen believe they are being rejected by their families who do not support their sexuality. These teens are eight times more likely to have attempted suicide. Nearly six times as likely to report high levels of depression and three times more likely to be at high risk for HIV and STDs.

Due to its overwhelmingly negative psychological effects, gay conversion therapy is banned in Switzerland and parts of Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

Germany has just joined the group of countries with bans on the practice. The country's parliament passed a law making conversion therapy illegal for anyone under the age of 18.

Before the law was passed approximately 1,000 German teens were forced into conversion therapy every year in Germany.

Those who break the law can face up to a year in person or a €30,000 ($32,535) fine.

The parliament passed a strong bill so that it could stand during court challenges and let the LGBT community know that the practice is unacceptable.

"They should feel strengthened when the state when society when Parliament makes it clear: we do not want that in this country," German Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Some critics argue that the law didn't go far enough. Germany's Green party believes that the law should extend to those 26 years of age. The Left Party believes it should be illegal for anyone 27 and under.

In the U.S., 21 states have laws that ban conversion therapy for minors in some form or another. Twenty-nine states have no law or policy. According to LGBTMap, approximately 50% of the country's LGBT population lives in states with no laws or policies banning conversion therapy for minors.

The American Medical Association announced last November that it supports a country-wide ban on gay conversion therapy. "It is clear to the AMA that the conversion therapy needs to end in the United States given the risk of deliberate harm to LGBTQ people," said AMA board member William E. Kobler in a statement.

Last year, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2019 which would ban the practice throughout the entire country. It has 135 Democratic co-sponsors and awaits a vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

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Gen Zer asks Gen X how they got around without GPS and the answers are perfectly accurate

"We're old. Older than Google, too."

Photo credit: Canva

Gen Zer asks how people got around without GPS, Gen X responds

It's easy to forget what life was like before cell phones fit in your pocket and Google could tell you the meaning of life in less than .2 seconds. Gen Z is the first generation to be born after technology began to move faster than most people can blink. They never had to deal with the slow speeds and loud noises of dial up internet.

In fact, most people that fall in the Gen Z category have no idea that their parents burned music on a CD thinking that was peak mix tape technology. Oh, how wrong they were. Now songs live in a cloud but somehow come out of your phone without having to purchase the entire album or wait until the radio station plays the song so you can record it.

But Gen Z has never lived that struggle so the idea of things they consider to be basic parts of life not existing are baffling to them. One self professed Gen Zer, Aneisha, took to social media to ask a question that has been burning on her mind–how did people travel before GPS?

Now, if you're older than Gen Z–whose oldest members are just 27 years old–then you likely know the answer to the young whippersnapper's question. But even some Millennials had trouble answering Aneisha's question as several people matter of factly pointed to Mapquest. A service that requires–you guessed it, the internet.

Aneisha asks in her video, "Okay, serious question. How did people get around before the GPS? Like, did you guys actually pull a map and like draw lines to your destination? But then how does that work when you're driving by yourself, trying to hold up the map and drive? I know it's Gen Z of me but I kind of want to know."

@aneishaaaaaaaaaaa I hope this reaches the right people, i want to know
♬ original sound - aneishaaaaaaa

These are legitimate questions for someone who has never known life without GPS. Even when most Millennials were starting to drive, they had some form of internet to download turn-by-turn directions, so it makes sense that the cohort between Gen Z and Gen X would direct Aneisha to Mapquest. But there was a time before imaginary tiny pirates lived inside of computer screens to point you in the right direction and tales from those times are reserved for Gen X.

The generation known for practically raising themselves chimed in, not only to sarcastically tell Millennials to sit down but to set the record straight on what travel was like before the invention of the internet. Someone clearly unamused by younger folks' suggestion shares, "The people saying mapquest. There was a time before the internet kids."

Others are a little more helpful, like one person who writes, "You mentally note landmarks, intersections. Pretty easy actually," they continue. "stop at a gas station, open map in the store, ($4.99), put it back (free)."

"Believe it or not, yes we did use maps back then. We look at it before we leave, then take small glances to see what exits to take," someone says, which leaves Aneisha in disbelief, replying, "That's crazyy, I can't even read a map."

"Pulled over and asked the guy at the gas station," one person writes as another chimes in under the comment, "and then ask the guy down the street to make sure you told me right."

Imagine being a gas station attendant in the 90s while also being directionally challenged. Was that part of the hiring process, memorizing directions for when customers came in angry or crying because they were lost? Not knowing where you were going before the invention of the internet was also a bit of a brain exercise laced with exposure therapy for those with anxiety. There were no cell phones so if you were lost no one who cared about you would know until you could find a payphone to check in.

The world is so overly connected today that the idea of not being able to simply share your location with loved ones and "Ask Siri" when you've gotten turned around on your route seems dystopian. But in actuality, if you took a few teens from 1993 and plopped them into 2024 they'd think they were living inside of a sci-fi movie awaiting aliens to invade.

Technology has made our lives infinitely easier and nearly unrecognizable from the future most could've imagined before the year 2000, so it's not Gen Z's fault that they're unaware of how the "before times" were. They're simply a product of their generation.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Identity

Harvard linguistics 'nerd' shoots down the biggest misconception about the gay 'accent'

He also shares the reason why man gay men have a unique speech pattern.

via Canva/Photos

Gay men having a conversation in bed.

The gay community isn’t monolithic, so it’s incorrect to say there is a gay “accent” as if they were from another country or region. However, linguistics can point to specific speech patterns that are more common among gay men. This style of speech is used to solidify the community but is also used by homophobic people to stereotype them.

According to Joseph Radice, a linguistics professor at the University of Florida, gay men often uptalk and use vocal fry when speaking. Susan Sankin, a speech pathologist, adds that gay men also often use nasality, a sing-song pattern, and hold on to words longer in their speech.

Adam Aleksic, a self-described “etymology nerd” and Harvard graduate with a popular YouTube Channel, went viral recently for a video that explains the origins of the unique speech patterns often used by gay men and for dispelling a common misconception about how the “gay accent” developed.

Is there a gay accent?

“First of all, there is no one gay accent because the queer community is not a monolith. Second, the gay male lisp is not actually a lisp, which would involve misarticulating their s’s. They actually overpronounce their s’s along with many other consonants. Third, it’s not just an imitation of women’s speech, which I’ve heard many people say,” Aleksic says in the video. “Gay men also tend to speak in a breathier voice and have a wider pitch range.”

- YouTubeyoutu.be

People often misattribute the speaking style many gay men use as a way of impersonating women. However, Aleksic says that it comes from a style of speech that gay men used to identify one another in the past when it was much more dangerous to be out of the closet. By slipping into the speech pattern, a man could identify himself as homosexual to other men that he believed to be the same.

“But what’s really interesting to me is why they speak this way because it comes out of their history as a marginalized community,” Aleksic continues. “The gay accent fundamentally functions as metalinguistic signaling as a way for queer people to find each other when it might not be socially acceptable to be open about it.”

What is the Polari language?

Aleksic adds that in the UK, gay male circus performers developed their language, Polari, to communicate with one another and identify those who are part of the community. The secret language allowed them to talk about their experiences as a gay man without being recognized by outsiders. Homosexuality was illegal in England until 1967.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

“In 19th century England, gay circus performers needed a way to hide from undercover policemen, so they developed an entire slang system called Polari to secretly signal to each other. The same thing happened in the Philippines, where gay men developed a slang dialect called Swardspeak, which involves a special kind of code-switching between English and Tagalog,” Aleksic said.

Even though the speech patterns associated with gay males may not be as necessary now as they were when people could get into serious trouble for outing themselves, it’s interesting to see that it’s much more than an “accent” but a part of a unique co-culture that allowed people to find safety and community at a time when it was dangerous to express themselves. The speech pattern not only helps create community but connects gay men to a larger cultural pattern that stretches across humanity. “And if you really look, some kind of gay accent has emerged in every country in every culture, which is linguistically very cool but socially kind of sad that it’s always necessary,” Aleksic finishes his video.

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'90s kid shares the 10 lies that everyone's parent told them

"Don't swallow that gum. If you do, it'll take 7 years to come out."

via 90sKid4lyfe/TikTok (used with permission)

90sKidforLife shares 10 lies everyone's parents told in the era.

Children believe everything their parents tell them. So when parents lie to prevent their kids to stop them from doing something dumb, the mistruth can take on a life of its own. The lie can get passed on from generation to generation until it becomes a zombie lie that has a life of its own. Justin, known as 90sKid4Lyfe on TikTok and Instagram, put together a list of 10 lies that parents told their kids in the ‘90s, and the Gen X kids in the comments thought it was spot on.

“Why was I told EVERY ONE of these?” Brittany, the most popular commenter, wrote. “I heard all of these plus the classic ‘If you keep making that face, it will get stuck like that,’” Amanda added. After just four days of being posted, it has already been seen 250,000 times.

Parents were always lying #90s #90skids #parenting

@90skid4lyfe

Parents were always lying #90s #90skids #parenting

Here are Justin’s 10 lies '90s parents told their kids:

1. "You can't drink coffee. It'll stunt your growth."

2. "If you pee in the pool, it's gonna turn blue."

3. "Chocolate milk comes from brown cows."

4. "If you eat those watermelon seeds, you'll grow a watermelon in your stomach."

5. "Don't swallow that gum. If you do, it'll take 7 years to come out."

6. "I told you we can't drive with the interior light on. ... It's illegal."

7. "Sitting that close to the TV is going to ruin your vision."

8. "If you keep cracking your knuckles, you're gonna get arthritis."

8. "You just ate, you gotta wait 30 minutes before you can swim."

10. "If you get a tattoo, you won't find a job."


This article originally appeared last year.

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Education

Unearthed BBC interview features two Victorian-era women discussing being teens in the 1800s

Frances 'Effy' Jones, one of the first women to be trained to use a typewriter and to take up cycling as a hobby, recalls life as a young working woman in London.

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Two Victorian women discuss being teens in the 1800s.

There remains some mystery around what life was like in the 1800s, especially for teens. As time marches on, we're moving further and further away from the Victorian era and what life was like for the people living through it. Thankfully, though, relics have survived that are not just historical treasures, but connections our human family now since passed. In this rediscovered 1970s clip from the BBC, two elderly women reminisce about what it was like being teenagers during a time when the horse and buggy was still the fastest way to get around.

While cars were just around the corner from being the common mode of transportation toward the end of the 19th century, it's pretty wild to imagine what these women experienced. Frances "Effy" Jones explained how, at age 17, she was encouraged by her brother to check out this new machine in a storefront window. Turns out that machine was a typewriter and, after being trained on how to use it, Jones would sit in the store window typing while people outside gathered to watch. Before long, classes began popping up for women to learn how to use a typewriter, starting a new movement for women of that era.

The second woman, Berta Ruck, told the BBC that she would get into a bit of trouble at boarding school for drawing instead of completing school work. This talent took Ruck to art school in London where she rode buses around town, attempting to avoid mud getting on her long skirt. But Ruck explained that it never worked and she would spend hours brushing the mud from her skirt before wearing it out again. I'm sure you're thinking, buses? They weren't the buses we would see nowadays. These were double-decker horse-pulled carriages. It may be hard to imagine, but life was just as vibrant and bustling then as it is now. Check out the video below to learn more:


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Pop Culture

Little boy steals the show at his sister's end-of-year dance school concert

This kid was born to dance.

Little boy steals the show at his sister's end-of-year dance school concert
www.tiktok.com
Doen dit lyfie doen dit! @Bernice West #Dans #fun #show Die Here het my mooi gemaak🎊🥳

Some kids are too shy to ever want to get on a stage, some will spend most of a performance staring awkwardly at their shoes or, God forbid, making faces, and some kids love the opportunity to show off what they've practiced in front of an audience. And then there are the kids were simply born for the spotlight. You know them when you see them.

When Dirkco Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen hopped on stage with all of the other brothers and sisters of the dance students at René’s Art of Dance in South Africa, no one expected a viral sensation. According to Capetown Etc, it was the school's year-end concert, and siblings were invited to come up and dance to Bernice West’s "Lyfie"—a popular song in Afrikaans. And Dirkco, who goes by Klein Kwagga, took the assignment and ran with it.

Or rather, he danced with it. From the moment the music started, the 7-year-old was all in, expertly demonstrating his moves with intent seriousness. Nothing seemed to faze him—not the other kids around him, not the whoops from the crowd—he was just on.

Watch:

@kleinkwagga1

Doen dit lyfie doen dit! @Bernice West #Dans #fun #show Die Here het my mooi gemaak🎊🥳

Translated into English, the song begins with the lyrics "The Lord made me beautiful" and goes on to celebrate our bodies and dancing before God. But you don't have to understand a word of Afrikaans to enjoy Klein Kwagga's enthusiasm for the song and for dancing his little heart out.

"I can’t get enough of this, I want this vibe everyday," wrote one commenter.

"Jumped straight out of his Toyota land cruiser and owned the show 😁," wrote another.

After someone at the concert shared the video, Klein Kwagga's family set up a TikTok channel for him and shared some other videos. As one video shows, hamming it up is clearly in the kid's nature. Check out this clip of him as a ringbearer at a wedding:

@kleinkwagga1

#wedding #Ringbearer #Twist #Dance #funny@Die_Swart_Kat_ @boerboelwear @Robbie wessels @Bernice West

Gotta love a kid who instantly shines in the spotlight. Keep on dancing, Klein Kwagga. We love to see it.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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