Asking and correctly using someone’s pronouns is one of the most basic ways to show your respect for their gender identity.

Today we recognize National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD), a day dedicated to raising awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV in Latinx communities in the United States, Puerto Rico and territories.

When LGBTQ Latinx youth are shamed or denied care, they seek out other providers or stop pursuing care. Healthcare providers can adopt LGBTQ inclusive trainings, policies, and practices so youth obtain welcoming care.

flowerais:

open this if you don’t feel good today 💌

taste:

• eat small fruit snacks
• buy yourself a treat occasionally
• make a cake in a mug
• chew flavored sugar-free gum
• put lemon in your water

hearing:

• listen to your favorite music
• or just wear earphones to block things out
• listen to white noise/ambient sounds

smell:

• put on some sweet-scented lotion
  
• spray a bit of your favorite perfume
  
• make your favorite coffee or tea

sight:

• look in the mirror and tell yourself you look good today
• clean the clutter in your room + throw things away
  
• close all the unused tabs
• clean the dishes + do your laundry
  
• delete unused apps
  
• make your bed
• fold your clothes tidily
• organize your books and papers
  
• turn down the brightness of your phone/computer at night
• smile and be more polite at strangers
• open up the curtains, let the light in
• go outside often
  

touch:

• hug people you love
• cuddle your pet
• read while lying in your bed
  
• hug a soft toy
  

appearance:

• wash your face/use face wipes
• dry shampoo if you’re too tired to shower
  
• brush your teeth
  
• exfoliate + moisturize your skin
• change into clean clothes
• brush your hair
  
• put on some lip balm

body:

• do your favorite exercises
• take a nap
• take deep breaths with your stomach
• take a warm shower
• stand up and stretch your legs
• put on some music and go for a walk outside
• get at least 7 hours of sleep
  
• drink lots of water

hobbies:

• always make some time to do what you love
• create art, writing and music for yourself, not anyone else
• don’t feel embarrassed about your hobbies
• be patient with yourself, progress takes time! don’t give up
  
• hobby ideas: cooking, reading, drawing, painting, a sport, a new language, learn a musical instrument, collect things, photography, join a class or a club

mind:

• put yourself first
• spend less time around people who make you feel bad
• write your thoughts in a journal
• stand up for yourself
  
• stop judging people
  
• don’t dwell in the past
• concentrate on what’s happening now
  
• don’t try for people who don’t care
  
• stop caring about what’s not important
  
• be a friend to yourself, rather than a bully
  
• learn to love your body
  
• see the bigger picture
  
• change self-destructive habits
• appreciate the good
  
• let things go
• ask for help

studying:

• make lists
  
• focus on priorities
  
• stop putting everything off
• turn off your phone if you need to
• take breaks
• do one thing at a time
  
• believe in yourself!
  

other:

• laugh a lot
• get a plant and name it
• buy flowers for yourself
  
• be ok with being alone
  
• go out with your friends
• watch a movie

I hope you feel better soon. You deserve so much. Things will get better soon so keep going. ☁️ I love you

thegranvarones:

jose  anibal  fonseca | october 11, 1956 - january 19, 2001

jose was my mother’s older brother. pictured here with my aunt, his wife, pat, jose was one of 9 children. “your grandmother had all these kids around and she still took me in when i needed a place to stay” pat tells me.

“he was like your mother, always laughing & telling jokes. i loved him immediately.” aunt pat tells me a lot about my uncle josé. i didn’t know him well. i didn’t know any of the men in our family. i found safety & affirmation in the many aunts & wives that frequented the house.

i don’t know what his dreams were. i didn’t even know that his birthday was yesterday. my aunt pay told me. as i got older, jose & i would only greet each other. we didn’t laugh. we didn’t joke. he would often disappear. like my mother, he struggled with addiction.

by the time he & i would spend a decent amount of time in the same room was long after he & pat split. in the late 1990’s he began to lose weight. we knew what was going on but the family was still reeling from my aunt blanca’s death just a few years earlier.

i watched my father deteriorate. i knew exactly what i was witnessing. no one spoke a word.

when jose died of aids complications in 2001, there was no funeral. at least i don’t remember. his name is seldom mentioned by family. so today, i speak his name: joseanibalfonseca.

written by: louie a. ortiz-fonseca

‪”I am a proud black gay man. At age 16 I decided to embrace my sexuality. I let the world know I was a man who was attracted to other men; I chose to no longer hide or fight who I truly am.‬” — Darriyhan, Atlanta

“At the age of 16, I didn’t know non-binary, transgender, queer and blackness identities could co-exist with one another. At the age of 23 I am a representation of all those identities and I am proud, and liberated. Because I make my own  journey, and folks choose to be apart of it or not but they can’t take what’s mine.” — Aidan, Philadelphia

#WorldMentalHealthDay gives us the opportunity to stand in solidarity and fight stigma that surrounds mental health.

“We the Animals” is never a condemnation of a young boy’s homosexuality — instead, it’s an exploration of a family through the eyes of a child who is feeling out the rights and wrongs from within a world where there are too many inconsistencies to be completely sure.“