The High Price of Marriage Inequality (Infographic)

How wrong is marriage inequality? The fact that not all of the loving and consensually passionate couples out there aren't able to commit to one another. To put it simple: the legislation is outdated and needs to be revised. Thank goodness now, 9 states have legalized gay marriage so far. We at GetLusty think that's not enough. 

We've noted before that we support marriage equality. Besides the usual social reasons, maybe we could all use some economic reasons? What about the economic reasoning why loving gay couples should be able to have the same rights as heterosexual couples? Thank goodness--we were digging on Pinterest and we found an infographic describing the situation.

So, in GetLusty for Couples fashion, we had to share it! Do you believe in marriage equality, too? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below! Want to find and share our pin from Pinterest? Check out the pin from Pinterest here!

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101 Must-Follow Sex Positive Twitter Users for #FF (Part 2)

At GetLusty, we're all about empowering couples to have amazing sexual relationships. What better addition to Twitter's #FollowFriday (also #FF) than our top 100 favorite sex positive people? We follow these folks and really love their message. Our team has compiled a hefty list of 101 sex positive individuals and organizations to follow this Friday. The list was so big, we had to break it in two! Below we've segmented into gay, lesbian, LGBTQ, erotica and organizations. Don't forget to follow @GetLusty on the bottom!

* * *

Gay

@AMERICAblogGay (Washington, DC)
Name: AMERICAblogGay
Profile says: One of America's most influential gay civil rights blogs. Editor @aravosis

@Instigaytor (Chicago, IL)
Name: Insti(gay)tor
Profile says: Insti(Gay)tor is an exclusive matchmaking agency that provides introductions, #date coaching and singles events to the GLBT community.

@DaleLazarovXXX (Chicago, IL)
Name: Dale Lazarov 
Profile says: Writer/editor of chic, wholesome hardcovers of gay erotic comics filth published by Bruno Gmünder Verlag and distributed worldwide! Lives in Chicago. 

Lesbian

@Lesbilicious (UK)
Name: Lesbilicious.co.uk
Profile says: The web's tastiest lesbian magazine.

@100Lesbians (Los Angeles, CA)
Name: Emily Wilcox
Profile says: Relationship expert and author of 100 Lesbians Walk Into a Bar... Real Women. Real Questions. Real Funny.


@LesbianLoveGuru (New York, NY)
Name: Christine Dunn
Profile says: Helping lesbians re-ignite the love, passion, and deep connection in their relationships.

LGBTQ

@viviane212 (New York, NY)
Name: Viviane
Profile says: Sex nerd and tech top. Interests include blogging, kink, LGBTQ health and policy, social media, sex-positive culture, privacy and technology.

@KateLoree (Encino, CA)
Name: Kate S. Loree, LMFT
Profile says: Sex columnist & psychotherapist. Advocate for free thinkers, creatives, sex workers, LGBTQ, swingers, polyamorous, and kinksters.

@QueerieBradshaw (San Diego, CA)
Name: Lauren Marie Fleming

Profile says: Queer femme sexpert who tweets a lot about porn, cancer and your mom. Professional speaker, writer & Editor-in-Chief of QueerieBradshaw.com. See also @LaurenMF.


@sexgeekAZ (Toronto, Canada)
Name: Andrea Zanin
Profile says: I'm a queer-poly-kinky gal with a taste for the nerdy, the sexy & the political (& the chocolate). Blogger, journalist, speaker, PhD student, translator, and editor.

@Fausto_Sterling
Name: Anne Fausto-Sterling
Profile says: Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling is a leading expert on the development of sexual identity as well as the biology of gender.

Erotica

@HollyRandall (Los Angeles, CA)
Name: Holly Randall
Profile says: Erotic Photographer/Director/Producer

@ashenwhite (Toronto, Canada)
Name: Ashen White
Profile says: Author and blogger of erotic tales & horror tales - things that go bump or bonk in the night.


@writingdirty (New York, NY)
Name: Jack Stratton
Profile says: Erotica writer, New Yorker, blogger, activist, hedonist, poly, dandy, and self publisher.

@Cassandra_Carr
Name: Cassandra Carr
Profile says: Award-winning, multi-pubbed erotic romance writer.


@tonyakinzer
Name: Tonya Kinzer
Profile says: Author of The Boss's Pet series.

@OCEroticBooks (Boulder, CO)
Name: OystersandChocolae
Profile says: Slingin' the smart smut since 2005. Erotica stories, art, poetry at OystersandChocolate.com and erotic books at OCEroticBooks.com

@MichelleFawkes
Name: Michelle Fawkes
Profile says: Erotic romance writer.

@XciteStories (London)
Name: Xcite Sexy Stories
Profile says: If you love hot, sexy stories then you'll enjoy our free reads, reviews & new title info.

@PortiaDaCosta (Yorkshire, UK)
Name: Portia DaCosta
Profile says: Veteran author of erotica & romance.

@eroticnotebook (England)
Name: Ruby
Profile says: A delightful head of kink & lone parent. Founder of Eroticon, UK's first sex blogger erotica authors conference.

Organizations

@CatalystCon
Name: CatalystCon
Profile says: Sparking Communication In sexuality, Activism, and Acceptance. Next conference: March 15-17, 2013 Washington, DC

@sexedjournal
Name: American Journal of Sex Education
Profile says: A peer-reviewed journal on sex ed, with research, scholarly commentary, lesson plans, resource reviews, and more. Tweets by editor Bill Taverner.

@swopusa
Name: SWOP-USA

Profile says: Sex Workers Outreach Project: Sex Workers Rights Are Human Rights

@TheCSPH
Name: The CSPH (Center for Sexual Pleasure & Health)
Profile says: The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health is now on Tumblr! Follow us at www.thecsph.tumblr.com

@Sex_Science
Name: SSSS sexscience.org
Profile says: The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of sexuality knowledge, research, and sexual science.

@KinseyInstitute
Name: Kinsey Institute
Profile says: Keep in touch with sex research news and events

@goodinbed (New York, NY)
Name: Good in Bed
Profile says: We believe that sex matters--your sex life in particular. Follow us for sexy news, intimate advice, and smart sex ed that works.

@MakeLoveNotPorn (New York, NY)
Name: Make Love Not Porn.tv

Profile says: We like great porn. We like great sex. They're not always the same thing.


@NoH8Campaign (Los Angeles, CA)
Name: NoH8 Campaign
Profile says: Join the fight to end H8!

@SexExperiment
Name: The Sex Experiment

Profile says: A man, a wife, a dare. From the erotic blog.

@GottmanInst (Seattle, WA)

Name: The Gottman Institute 

Profile says: The official twitter of the Gottman Institute, which provides practical, research-based skills to strengthen and restore marriages & relationships.

@getlusty (Chicago)
Name: GetLusty for Couples
Profile says: Couples: End boring sex! See our 425+ articles. Our daily eNewsletter http://bit.ly/Rm5xOK Version 2 Launches Dec 1. Sign up! http://bit.ly/GetLustyBeta 

I'm sure we're missing many here! To include one you love, comment below!

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The Birth of the Modern Gay Rights Movement

After finding a slightly sexist but hilarious meme that we posted on Facebook (which was approved by our gay and straight friends), it dawned on me that I knew very little about gay culture. And the gay rights movement for that matter. We care about and support gay marriage. So we should know the history of the gay rights struggle. In the United States, as well as other countries, the LGBTQ movement has come a long way. Luckily, GetLusty's Mary-Margaret Sweene is here to review some of the milestones that have led us to where we are within the American gay rights movement.

* * *

When politicians and pundits talk about the modern gay rights movement, it is often in a way that obscures the long and lumbering, laborious and lovely, struggle for equal rights. It's easy to forget that groups of gay activists have been making noise for quite some time.

Homosexuality has, indeed, been observed as far back into history as we can reach, across cultures and continents. The Greeks are often called to mind. But when did an activity become an identity, a census check box, a political movement? Historian John D'Emilio begins his book Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities in November 1950, in a Los Angeles living room. Five men met at the home of Harry Hay to discuss "the heroic objective of liberating one of our largest minorities." This gathering eventually led to an organization called The Mattachine Society, the first established gay rights group in history.

Of course, this didn't just pop out of history at random. As the nuclear family changed, the mandate of procreation curbed. WWII scattered young people of marrying age. Men hunkered down together in fox holes; women donned pants and operated factory equipment. People moved away from their families to big cities. For the first time, men and women had a real choice in who they would pursue. The Kinsey Report, published first in 1948, disrupted long-held assumptions about sex.

For years, people with same-sex attractions found refuge in big cities, and in underground clubs and bars. Police raids often shut the establishments down, and photos of patrons arrested were published to humiliate. Yet despite the terror of being revealed to friends and family in the morning paper, those who longed for a community continued to flock to these bars.

The Stonewall Inn was one such place.

On June 28th 1969, gay and transgender patrons gathered at The Stonewall Inn. The evening had a somber tone, as a gay community icon, Judy Garland, had just passed away. And during their evening of mourning, celebrating, and fellowship, the police conducted a raid. The usual routine of violence against patrons while a paddy wagon idled outside began to unfold. But this time, the bar patrons fought back.

The NYPD quickly lost all control of the situation and a riot ensued. The cries from the bar drew the attention of surrounding Greenwich Village gay residents and the riot grew into the streets. It continued into the next day.

It reignited several days later. This was the start of something big. Within months of the riots, multiple gay rights organizations had formed and began jockeying for political visibility. Several newspapers and magazines catering to a gay community came into circulation. In June of 1970, the first parades were held in New York, LA, and Chicago. We still celebrate Pride at the end of June to mark the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.

Why is this important? Because it's estimated that between 30-40% of gay teens have attempted suicide.   They yearn for acceptance in a world too slow to change. Knowledge, as they say, is power. I will never forget my first Women's Studies course in college. I sat with tears in my eyes, realizing that while I had grown up learning that men had built our world, in reality many women had a hand in the undertaking as well. The next semester I took an African American history course and felt embarrassed that my experience as a white female had precluded my knowledge of the Africans Americans who built our nation. But then I looked around the room and I saw black students experiencing what I had felt in that Women's Studies course. We were people with rich histories. And we didn't even know it.

Earlier this year, a family member of mine came out. He said that when I'd taken him to the Chicago Pride Parade, he overheard me mention "the riot 40 years ago." "I didn't know what you meant," he said. "It's my history, and I didn't know it."

Here's to knowing. Here's to pride.

For further reading and to get the full, inspiring story of the gay rights struggle, check out the following sources:
John D'Emilio, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970

George Chauncy, Why Marriage?: The History Shaping Today's Debate Over Gay Equality
Films: Before Stonewall (released 1985); After Stonewall (released 2005)

Mary-Margaret McSweene is a writer and graduate student in Chicago. Her undergraduate degrees are in Social Justice Studies and Feminist Theory which basically means she knows how to ruin a dinner party by calling bullshit on another guest.

She spends inordinate amounts of time thinking, reading and writing about feminist issues, punctuated by brief respites to enjoy good tea and good beer. Contact her at editorial@getlusty.com or follow her on her brand new shiny Twitter, @MMMcSweene.

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End Marriage Discrimination (Video)

We saw something that really touched us this morning from down under and we wanted to share it.  Don't worry, it didn't come from that down under. It came from Australia. And we love it so much we had to share it.

Here's a video from the Australian organization GetUp in their support of gay marriage (marriage equality) in Australia. We believe in love and we support equal marriage. That's why we're putting up this touching, beautiful video.



Have you taken our GetLusty survey yet? Take 5 minutes now to help end boring sex. Also, don't forget to 'Like' us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter @getlusty! We're giving away a Sqweel 2, the world's best oral sex toy by October 15th.

This is post by Erica Grigg, our Founder and Chief Lust Officer. She's a writer, marketer, social entrepreneur and sex geek. She founded GetLusty to end boring sex. 

If you don't see Erica riding around downtown, Chicago in her beach cruiser or at a diner with her adoring husband. You'll also find her chatting up the tech community about the importance of sex and love in marriage. Follow Erica on Twitter @ericagrigg or subscribe via Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Want to connect about business partnership with a woman-run business that cares? E-mail me directly at erica@getlusty.com.

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