Advocacy

prosodies
when i "was a woman," i garnered considerable attention – some unwanted, some critical, some obsessive, some violent, some worshipful, and some oppressive –
By kp11 months ago in Pride
An Intersex Story and Sport
As a child, my earliest memories were being taken to the "sick kids" hospital in Edinburgh. I wasn't dying, but I was and still am, a peculiarity, I'm intersex, or to be more specific I have an Intersex condition called Klinefelter's syndrome. I was a peculiarity in the Endocrinology department of the Hospital, but I was also a peculiarity because I was in the hospital for the condition in the first place. You see, most people with Klinefelter's don't find out until they're in their 30's or 40's, when they're trying to have kids. There I was, a kid, in the hospital, being poked and prodded, fully aware of what I was in the wide scheme of things.
By Ashyr H.11 months ago in Pride
A Gay Guy Knows When a Simple Look is Hiding Hate
Sometimes, all it takes is a look — a sideways glance, a roll of the eyes, or a slow turn of the head. A person may even literally look down their nose at you.
By Brandon Ellrich11 months ago in Pride
My Sexuality Is Not An Apology
Now that you know who is back in the White House, his hateful and dangerous policies targeting us once again has gotten even worse. He lacks empathy and compassion towards certain groups of people. This manchild has no soul. I refuse to mention him by name, because I've always seen him for who he was: a childish, petty, out of touch individual who hasn't had a dose of reality and refuses to take any responsibility for his actions. It's always everyone else's fault and refuses to do some self reflection. The next four years will be hell and his right-wing policies are becoming more extreme.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 12 months ago in Pride
More Thoughts About Clayton Kershaw
The 2025 MLB regular season is only a month away and we're eager for it to get underway. About a month ago, I wrote a story about Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. In that story, which I will post a link to it down below, I called him out for his bigoted rhetoric. In a 2023 interview, he got in his feelings over Dodger Stadium inviting The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during Pride Month. He stated in that interview that they, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, were mocking Christianity. To him, it was a personal attack towards him because he's a Christian, when it really wasn't. I've also called him out on other things, but in this story, I have even more to say about Clayton.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 12 months ago in Pride
Transitioning Saves Lives
February 27, 2025: Today, I have been on testosterone for three years. It's wild that time has passed so quickly. It doesn't feel like that ago that I was on the phone with a gender specialist, asking about being prescribed hormones. I look back on pre-transition photos of myself - I'm so young, so oblivious to what life had in store for me. The image of myself in old photographs is like some distant relative: a younger sister or a cousin I used to know. I still know her, of course, on a superficial level. I wish she had gotten the chance to know me, too.
By Antiquity Anecdotes12 months ago in Pride
Brewing T. Honorable Mention in Pride Under Pressure Challenge.
A while ago, I wrote about the Medicaid unwinding during the Biden administration that left me without my prescriptions. The thing I didn't mention, quite intentionally, was the fact that this unfortunate change also ensured I wouldn't be able to afford my weekly dose of testosterone. I didn't frame it as an attack on my rights as a queer person. I didn't even point to my queerness as one of the reasons I was removed from coverage. It was two weeks after my top surgery, but I understood this as coincidence, and knew millions of people were impacted by the loss of COVID protections, not just queer people.
By kp12 months ago in Pride
The Thirteenth Year
The number 13: there are two reasons why this number holds dear and near to me. The first being that I was born on the 13th of November and the second is today, I celebrate my 13th coming out anniversary. February 20, 2012, was a scary, yet joyous moment in my life. While many people have since stopped being friends with me because of me coming out as a gay man, there are others who love and accept me for who I am. I knew that I liked guys at a very young age, but my now estranged parents, made it difficult for me to fully express myself. I had to act and look a certain way around them. To them, being yourself is wrong and they think something is wrong with you. I had to hide my true self for about the next 20 years, because I grew up in the 90s, at a time when being gay was a taboo topic and not accepted by society.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 12 months ago in Pride
Inside a Cloud
My face is hit by thousands drops My eyes are burning So moist and heavy my breathing stops I hear sounds for ever returning
By Henrik Hagelandabout a year ago in Pride
World's largest religious gathering begins in India, hundreds of millions of Hindus expected to attend
Maha Kumbh Festival: The World’s Largest Religious Gathering in Prayagraj Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics, and holy men and women from all across India have gathered in the northern city of Prayagraj to kick off the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being hailed as the world’s largest religious gathering. This year’s festival, held every 12 years, is expected to draw more than 400 million people—more than the entire population of the United States.
By Ramesh Mahato about a year ago in Pride
Lessons That Pride Parades Taught Me
Greetings, Vocal readers and also to my wonderful subscribers. I want to say thanks to the people on Vocal for making my Baseball Is for Everyone story among the Top Stories for the month of January. I'm grateful for that honor and it only motivates me to write and publish more stories. For this story, I'll be sharing a few lessons that Pride parades have taught me. Before I get into that, I want to share a bit about myself to those who aren't familiar with who I am.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
5 Positive Vibes You Should Embrace. AI-Generated.
1. Embracing Gratitude If you look at the good side of the world your life is a full of blessing. When we focus on positive vibe a warm conversation with our friend or watching the sunset. Gratitude shifts our mindset from scarcity to abundance, making even ordinary moments extraordinary. It reminds us that hapiness is a state of being we can choose every day by appreaciating the present.
By Hazraelabout a year ago in Pride