Pink triangle
The pink triangle (German: Rosa Winkel) was one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, used to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. Every prisoner had to wear a downward-pointing triangle on his or her jacket, the colour of which was to categorise him or her by “kind”. Other colors identified Jews (two triangles superimposed as a yellow star), political prisoners, Jehovah’s Witnesses, “anti-social” prisoners, and others the Nazis deemed undesirable. Pink and yellow triangles could be combined if a prisoner was deemed to be gay and Jewish (see German concentration camp chart of prisoner markings image).
Originally intended as a badge of shame, the pink triangle (often inverted from its Nazi usage) has been reclaimed as an international symbol of gay pride and the gay rights movement, and is second in popularity only to the rainbow flag.
Nazi use in concentration camps
Under Nazi Germany every prisoner had to wear a concentration camp badge on their jacket, the color of which categorized them into groups. Homosexual men had to wear the Pink Triangle. Other colors identified Jews (two triangles superimposed as a yellow star), political prisoners, Jehovah’s Witnesses, “anti-social” prisoners, and others the Nazis deemed undesirable.
While the number of homosexuals in German concentration camps is hard to estimate, Richard Plant gives a rough estimate of the number of men convicted for homosexuality “between 1933 to 1944 at between 50,000 and 63,000.”
After the camps were liberated at the end of the Second World War, many of the pink triangle prisoners were often simply re-imprisoned by the Allied-established Federal Republic of Germany. An openly gay man named Heinz Dörmer, for instance, served 20 years total, first in a Nazi concentration camp and then in the jails of the new Republic. In fact, the Nazi amendments to Paragraph 175, which turned homosexuality from a minor offense into a felony, remained intact in both East and West Germany after the war for a further 24 years. While suits seeking monetary compensation have failed, in 2002 the German government issued an official apology to the gay community.
In 1995, after a decade of campaigning, a pink triangle plaque was installed at the Dachau Memorial Museum to commemorate the suffering of gay men and lesbians.
On August 3, 2011 Rudolf Brazda died at the age of 98, he was the last known homosexual deportation survivor. In 2000, the documentary film Paragraph 175 recorded some of their testimonies.
Gay rights symbol
The pink triangle is the basis of the design of the Homomonument in Amsterdam, the Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial in Sydney, thePink Triangle Park in the Castro neighbourhood of San Francisco and the huge 1-acre (4,000 m2) Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks that is displayed every year during San Francisco Pride weekend in San Francisco. It is also the basis of the design of the LGBT memorials inBarcelona and Sitges.By the end of the 1970s, the pink triangle was adopted as a symbol for gay rights protest.[5] Some academics have linked the reclamation of the symbol with the publication, in the early 1970s, of concentration camp survivor Heinz Heger‘s memoir, Men with the pink triangle.
The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) adopted an inverted pink triangle along with the slogan “SILENCE = DEATH” as its logo shortly after its formation in 1987.
Rainbow flag
A rainbow flag is a multi-colored flag consisting of stripes in the colors of the rainbow. The actual colors shown differ, but many of the designs are based on the traditional scheme of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, or some more modern division of the rainbow spectrum (often excluding indigo, and sometimes including cyan instead).
The use of rainbow flags has a long tradition; they are displayed in many cultures around the world as a sign of diversity and inclusiveness, of hope and of yearning.
There are several independent rainbow flags in use today. The most widely known worldwide is the pride flag representing gay pride. The peace flag is especially popular in Italyand the cooperative flag symbolizes the international co-operative movement. It is also used by Andean people to represent the legacy of the Inca empire (Wiphala) and Andean movements.
Rainbow flags in various cultures and movements
European history
The use of rainbow flags as a sign of diversity, inclusiveness, hope and yearning has a long history. This choice of the rainbow, in the form of a flag for convenience, harkens back to the rainbow as a symbol of biblical promise. According to the Christian Bible, God first created the rainbow as a sign to Noah that there would never again be a world-wide flood. The reformer Thomas Müntzer (1489–1525) connected socially revolutionary claims with his preaching of the gospel. He is often portrayed with a rainbow flag in his hand. The Thomas Müntzer statue in the German town of Stolberg also shows him holding a rainbow flag in his hand.
In the German Peasants’ War of the 16th century, the rainbow flag together with the peasants’ boot (“Bundschuh”) was used as the sign of a new era, of hope and of social change.
South America (Pre-Columbian)
A flag with a seven-striped rainbow design is used in Peru and Ecuador to represent Tawantin Suyu, or Inca territory. The use of the flag has its origin in Inca culture and it is called wiphala. Even today in the city of Cusco, Peru it is common to see the flag around the city displayed even in government buildings and in Cusco main square.
Some argue that there is no historical reference to an Inca or Tawantisuyo flag or banner until the early 1920s; but other specialists suggest that there are chronicles and some references that support the idea of a banner attributable to the Inca. In 1534 during the invasion and occupation of the city of Qusqu today Cusco, the Spaniards found the first resistance of qhishwa-ayrnaras and saw between the multitude, objects similar to the flag of strips and pictures of seven colors of the rainbow. The existence and the use of this emblem probably has been from the same creation of Tiwanaku for more than 2000 years.
Buddhist flag (1885)
A flag to represent Buddhism was designed in Sri Lanka in 1885 and modified to its current form in 1886. In 1950 it was adopted by theWorld Fellowship of Buddhists to be a symbol of all forms of Buddhism around the world.
It consists of six vertical colored segments, the first five of which are usually blue, yellow, red, white, and orange, while the sixth is a combination of the first five. Variant colors are often found.
Cooperative movement (1921)
A seven-colour rainbow flag is a common symbol of the international cooperative movement. The rainbow flag has been the cooperative emblem since 1921 when the International Co-operative Congress of World Co-op Leaders met in Basel, Switzerland to identify and define the growing cooperative movement’s common values and ideals to help unite co-ops around the world.
In Essen, Germany in 1922, the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) designed an international co-op symbol and a flag for the first “Co-operators’ Day,” which was held in July 1923. After some experiments with different designs, a famous French cooperator, ProfessorCharles Gide, suggested using the seven colours of the rainbow for the flag. He pointed out that the rainbow symbolized unity in diversityand the power of light, enlightenment and progress. The first co-op rainbow flag was completed in 1924 and was adopted as an official symbol of the international cooperative movement in 1925.
In 2001, the ICA’s official flag was changed from a rainbow flag to a rainbow logo flag on a white field, to clearly promote and strengthen the cooperative image, but still use the rainbow image. Other organizations sometimes use the traditional rainbow flag as a symbol of cooperation.
Like the rainbow, this flag is a symbol of hope and peace. The seven colours from flags around the world fly in harmony. Each of the seven colours in the co-operative flag have been assigned the following meaning:
- red: stands for courage;
- orange: offers the vision of possibilities;
- yellow: represents the challenge that GREEN has kindled;
- green: indicates a challenge to co-operators to strive for growth of membership and of understanding of the aims and values of co-operation;
- sky blue: suggests far horizons, the need to provide education and help less fortunate people and strive toward global unity.
- dark blue: suggests pessimism: a reminder that less fortunate people have needs that may be met through the benefits of cooperation.
- violet: is the colour of warmth, beauty, and friendship.
The ICA has been flying a flag with its official logo since April 2001, when its Board decided to replace the traditional rainbow flag. Its use by a number of non-cooperative groups led to confusion in several countries around the world.
Meher Baba (1924)
Meher Baba designed a rainbow flag on April 23, 1924. It is flown each year near his samadhi (tomb-shrine) in Meherabad, India during the week of Amartithi (the anniversary of his death on January 31, 1969). Baba explained the symbolism, saying, “The colors in the flag signify man’s rise from the grossest of impressions of lust and anger – symbolized by red – to the culmination in the highest state of spirituality and oneness with God – symbolized by sky blue.
Peace movement (1961)
This rainbow flag in Italy was first used in a peace march in 1961, inspired by similar multi-coloured flags used in demonstrations againstnuclear weapons. It became popular with the Pace da tutti i balconi (“peace from every balcony”) campaign in 2002, started as a protest against the impending war in Iraq. The most common variety has seven colours, purple, blue, azure, green, yellow, orange and red, and is emblazoned in bold with the Italian word PACE, meaning “peace”.
Common variations include moving the purple stripe down below the azure one, and adding a white stripe on top (the original flag from the 60s had a white stripe on top). This flag has been adopted internationally as a symbol of the peace movement.
Bene Ohr Jewish movement, U.S.A. (1961)
In 1961, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi designed the rainbow tallit (prayer shawl) as a symbol of the Kabalah for the members of the Jewish Bene Ohr (“The Children of Light”). It is a vertically presented rainbow, with each colour separated by black stripes of varying thicknesses. The colors represent aspects of God; the black stripes and white spaces represent aspects of creation and protection.
LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride (1978)
The world’s best-known version of the rainbow flag, sometimes called ‘the freedom flag’, was popularized as a symbol of lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and diversity by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. The different colors symbolize diversity in the gay community, and the flag is used predominantly at gay pride events and in gay villages worldwide in various forms including banners, clothing and jewelry. For the 25th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots, held in 1994 in New York city, a mile-long rainbow flag was created and post-parade cut up in sections that have since been used around the world.
Originally created with eight colors, pink and turquoise were removed for production purposes and as of 1979, it consists of six colored stripes, which should always be displayed with red on top or to left. It is most commonly flown with the red stripe on top, as the colors appear in a natural rainbow. Aside from the obvious symbolism of a mixed LGBT community, the colors were designed to symbolize: red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), blue (harmony), and purple/violet (spirit).[citation needed] The removed colors stood for sex (pink) and art/magic (turquoise).
Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony circular rainbow flag (1991)
A “circular rainbow 圓形彩虹” is the symbol for the Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony. A rainbow is made of seven basic colors which, when combined together, become blank white light. The Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony pursues the circular rainbow and goes towards the blank light or empty circle in the flag’s center. The blended white light or empty circle of the flag’s rainbow can be thought of as “wu”. The Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony follows this concept: for example, people have knowledge, wealth, and appearance, and try to forget these things and transcend.
Jewish Autonomous Oblast (1996)
Another variation of rainbow flag is used by Jewish Autonomous Oblast, situated in the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia, by theChinese border. The stripes symbolize the rainbow. The white field may be reminiscent of the Israeli flag. Proportions 2:3. Adopted first of October 1996.
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast has a flag with a seven-colour rainbow. The number of colours is meant to symbolize the seven-branched Jewish Menorah.
Pachakutik political party
In Ecuador, a rainbow flag is used by the Pachakutik political party, which is composed mostly of left-wing indigenous people.
Patriots of Russia political party
Rainbow is used as an element of flag of Patriots of Russia (Russian: Патриоты России, Patrioty Rossii) political party.
Noahidism
In religion, Noahidism use rainbow symbols as signs of their faith – the rainbow representing the covenant with God after the flood and the seven colours representing each of the Laws.
Gallery of rainbow flags
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Rainbow “PACE” (Peace) flag
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Greek Peace Flag
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International Co-operative Alliance‘s rainbow flag
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Inca banner
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LGBT flag
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Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Russia
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Flag of Lingua Franca Nova
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The Rainbow Family of Living Light
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LGBT flag
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The LGBT flag being carried at the 1997Christopher Street Day in Berlin
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Parada Równości, 2006
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Circular Rainbow Flag of Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony
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Rainbow protest flag used by Not in Our Name
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Lungta-style prayer flagshang along a mountain path in Nepal
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Statue of Thomas Müntzerwaving a rainbow flag inStolberg, Germany
Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)
The rainbow flag, sometimes pride flag, LGBT pride flag or gay pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender(LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements in use since the 1970s. The colours reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in LGBT rights marches. It originated in California, but is now used worldwide. Designed bySan Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, the design has undergone several revisions to first remove then re-add colours due to widely available fabrics. As of 2008, the most common variant consists of six stripes, with the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is commonly flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow.
Rainbow flag
History
Original eight-stripe version designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978
Version with hot pink removed due to fabric unavailability (1978–79)
Six-colour version popular since 1979. Indigo changed to royal blue.The original gay-pride flag was hand-dyed by Gilbert Baker. It flew in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978. It has been suggested that Baker was inspired by Judy Garland‘s singing “Over the Rainbow“. Another suggestion for how the rainbow flag originated is that at college campuses during the 1960s, some people demonstrated for world peace by carrying a Flag of the Races (also called the Flag of the Human Race) with five horizontal stripes (from top to bottom they were red, black, brown, yellow, and white). Gilbert Baker is said to have gotten the idea for the rainbow flag from this flag[4] in borrowing it from the Hippie movement of that time largely influenced by pioneering homosexual activist Allen Ginsberg. The flag consisted of eight stripes; Baker assigned specific meaning to each of the colours:
hot pink: sexuality red: life orange: healing yellow: sunlight green: nature turquoise: magic/art indigo/blue: serenity/harmony violet: spirit Thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched the first two flags for the parade.
After the November 27, 1978, assassination of openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, demand for the rainbow flag greatly increased. To meet demand, the Paramount Flag Company began selling a version of the flag using stock rainbow fabric consisting of seven stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet. As Baker ramped up production of his version of the flag, he too dropped the hot pink stripe because of the unavailability of hot-pink fabric. Also, San Francisco-based Paramount Flag Co. began selling a surplus stock ofRainbow Girls flags from its retail store on the southwest corner of Polk and Post, at which Gilbert Baker was an employee.
In 1979 the flag was modified again. When hung vertically from the lamp posts of San Francisco’s Market Street, the center stripe was obscured by the post itself. Changing the flag design to one with an even number of stripes was the easiest way to rectify this, so the turquoise stripe was dropped, which resulted in a six stripe version of the flag — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
In 1989, the rainbow flag came to nationwide attention in the United States after John Stout sued his landlords and won when they attempted to prohibit him from displaying the flag from his West Hollywood, California, apartment balcony.
Mile-long flags
Large sections of the 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) flag, like this one used along Reforma at the 2009 Marcha Gay in Mexico City, were cut from both giant flags and subsequently used in parades and LGBTprotest marches.
The mile-and-a-quarter-long flag (2 km) stretching across Key West in 2003.
For the 1994 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots flag creator Baker was commissioned to create the world’s largest rainbow flag. It took months of planning and teams of volunteers to coordinate every aspect. The flag utilized the basic six colours and measured thirty feet wide. Foot-wide sections of the flag were given to individual sponsors as part of a fundraiser for the Stonewall anniversary event once the event had ended. Afterwards additional large sections of the flag were sent with activists and they were used in pride paradesand LGBT marches worldwide. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed it as the world’s largest flag.
In 2003 Baker was again commissioned to produce a giant flag. In this case it marked the 25th anniversary of the flag itself. Dubbed “25Rainbow Sea to Sea” the project entailed Baker again working with teams of volunteers but this flag utilized the original eight colours and measured a mile-and-a-quarter (2 km) across Key West, Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Coast Sea. The flag was again cut up afterwards and sections sent to over a hundred cities worldwide.
2000s
In 2000, the University of Hawaii at Manoa changed its sports teams’ name from “Rainbow Warriors” to “Warriors” and redesigned its logo to eliminate a rainbow from it. Initially Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida said that the change was to distance the school’s athletic program from homosexuality. When this drew criticism, Yoshida then said the change was merely to avoid brand confusion. The school then allowed each team to select its own name, leading to a mix including “Rainbow Warriors”, “Warriors”, “Rainbows” and “Rainbow Wahine”.
The rainbow flag (Annual Queer Easter, Kurt LöwensteinHouse, Werneuchen, Germany, 16 April 2006).The rainbow flag celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2003. During the gay pride celebrations in June of that year, Gilbert Baker restored the rainbow flag back to its original eight-striped version and has since advocated that others do the same. However, the eight-striped version has seen little adoption by the wider gay community, which has mostly stuck with the better known six-striped version.
In autumn 2004 several gay businesses in London were ordered by Westminster City Council to remove the rainbow flag from their premises, as its display required planning permission[citation needed]. When one shop applied for permission, the Planning sub-committee refused the application on the chair’s casting vote (May 19, 2005), a decision condemned by gay councillors in Westminster and the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. In November the council announced a reversal of policy, stating that most shops and bars would be allowed to fly the rainbow flag without planning permission.
Today some LGBT individuals and straight allies put rainbow flags in the front of their yards and/or front doors, or use rainbow bumper stickers on their vehicles to use as an outward symbol of their identity or support.
In June 2004 LGBT activists sailed to Australia’s uninhabited Coral Sea Islands Territory and raised the Gay flag, proclaiming the territory independent of Australia, calling it the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands.
Variations
US flag with LGBT pride colours
LGBT Flag of South AfricaMany variations of the rainbow flag have been used. Some of the more common ones include the Greek letter ‘lambda’ (lower case) in white in the middle of the flag and a pink triangle or black triangle in the upper left corner. Other colours have been added, such as a black stripe symbolising those community members lost to AIDS. The rainbow colours have also often been used in gay alterations of national and regional flags, replacing for example the red and white stripes of the flag of the United States. In 2007, the Pride Family Flag was introduced at the Houston, Texas pride parade.
In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, AIDS activists designed a “Victory over AIDS” flag consisting of the standard six-stripe rainbow flag with a black stripe across the bottom. Leonard Matlovich, himself dying of AIDS-related illness, suggested that upon a cure for AIDS being discovered, the black stripes be removed from the flags and burned.[6]
Other countries’ LGBT communities too have adopted the rainbow flag. South Africa with one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, has recently adopted The LGBT flag of South Africa at one of the world’s biggest costume parties the Mother City Queer Project 2010 to a crowd of 10 000 party goers. The creator Eugene Brockman said “the flag honors every Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered person as they make the Rainbow Nation dazzle”.
Rainbow colours as symbol of gay pride
Pride colours decorating a metro station in Montreal‘s gay village
The rainbow flag has found wide application on all manner of products including jewelry, clothing and other personal items and the rainbow flag colours are routinely used as a show of LGBT identity and solidarity. One common item of jewelry is the pride necklace or freedom rings, consisting of six rings, one of each colour, on a chain. Other variants range from key chains to candles.
In Montréal, the entrance to Beaudry metro station, which serves that city’s Gay Village, was rebuilt in 1999 with rainbow-coloured elements integrated into its design.
REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag
REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBT_movement)
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Gay man publishes father’s letter disowning him
This is a heartbreaking story of a painful coming out to family.
The letter tells the son ‘God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle’A gay man has published a letter sent to him by his father to disown him after he came out.
Published on social news website Reddit, the user who published the letter described his father’s reaction to the news his son was gay.
He wrote: “In August of 2007, I finally built up the courage to tell my father I was gay. The moment I said it, the phone got quiet and he got off the phone after a few “Okay”s. I decided to give him time to process the news. About a week later, and not long before my birthday, I received the following letter.”
The letter reads:
“James: This is a difficult but necessary letter to write. I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past.
Don’t expect any further conversations with me. No communications at all. I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house.
You’ve made your choice though wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle.
If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand.
Have a good birthday and good life. No present exchanges will be accepted.
Goodbye, Dad.”
The user said it was “zealotry” from Bryan Fisher, of the American Family Association, Maggie Gallagher, former president of the National Organization for Marriage, and Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A which negatively affected “everyday people”.
He went on: “I’ve never done drugs, was an excellent student, an obedient child (far less trouble than many of my classmates), didn’t drink until I was 22 because it terrified me, and have had just 1 speeding ticket in my life.
“Yet I am still seemingly deserving of this terrible act of hate and cowardice that one person can place on another. 5 years on and I am still doing fine, though this letter saunters into my mind every once in a while. When it does, I say without hesitation: Fuck you, Dad.”
REF: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/08/07/gay-man-publishes-fathers-letter-disowning-him/
IN & OUT Movie
A great Light hearted movie that deals with most of the questioning, homosexual, homophobia and sterotype issues that most people do when coming out.
Film Trailer to Frank Oz’ ‘In & Out’ (1997) with Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, Selma Blair, Dan Hedaya etc. Based on the novel by Paul Rudnick.Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI)
Our Work
Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) seeks to improve conditions and advance the rights and equality of trans* people and their families.
Despite significant progress in the past years, Ireland remains a place where it is difficult for trans people to lead safe, healthy and integrated lives. TENI is dedicated to ending transphobia, including stigma, discrimination and inequality.
Our vision is an Ireland where trans people are understood, accepted and respected, and can participate fully in all aspects of Irish society.
TENI engages in activities that promote the equality and well-being of trans people in Ireland. We work in four main areas:
- Support: We offer a range of support services that aim to increase the well-being of trans people and their families by providing support that mitigates common experiences of isolation, misunderstanding and exclusion.
- Advocacy: We advocate across legal, medical, societal and political structures to ensure that policy development and legislative reform reflects the positive recognition of trans inclusion, rights and equality.
- Education: We provide workshops and trainings that increase awareness, understanding and inclusion of trans issues across key sectors of Irish society.
- Capacity Building: We work directly with voluntary and statutory organisations (including those within the LGBT sector) to enhance their capacity to provide support and services that are both effective and inclusive to the needs of trans people. We also strive to strengthen the trans community through skills building, participation and empowerment.
Our Vision and Mission
• TENI seeks to improve conditions and advance the rights, equality and well-being of transgender people and their families.
• TENI’s vision is an Ireland where trans people are understood, accepted and respected, and can participate fully in all aspects of Irish society.
• TENI is an inclusive organisation and we recognise and represent diverse trans and intersex identities and experiences.
• TENI represents and works with all trans and intersex people in Ireland, regardless of how they self-identify.
• TENI provides support and education, advocates for equality and rights, and helps other organisations and institutions to become trans-inclusive.
• TENI works within a human rights framework
• TENI collaborates with other LGBT organisations in Ireland and Europe.
Our Organisation
• TENI is a non-profit member-driven organisation, founded in 2005 and registered as a company limited by guarantee in February 2010.
• governance is provided by a volunteer Board.
• operations are led by a full-time Director assisted by a part-time development worker, communications officer and bookkeeper and a number of volunteers.
• community engagement is an essential part of TENI’s identity and our mandate is based on a substantial membership, which elects the Board and is involved in long-term strategic planning.
Our Focus
• Under the current strategic plan the primary focus of TENI’s work is the transgender strand of the Building Sustainable LGBT Communities Programme, for which funding from Atlantic Philanthropies has been secured.
• We collaborate with a broad working group of Irish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organisations, operating as LGBT Diversity, to promote self esteem, confidence, visibility, health and safety through the development of strong LGBT communities locally, regionally and nationally.
• In the next 16 months, much of the Board’s attention will be devoted to securing the sustainability of operations after December 2012.
Partnership Working
TENI is a member of LGBT Diversity and participates in the Your Rights, Right Now campaign, the Equality Rights Alliance and the HSE LGBT Health Advisory Committee.
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*Transgender or Trans is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the sex assigned to them at birth.
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TENI is proud to be one of the 47 charities resident at the Carmichael Centre. For further information see: www.carmichaelcentre.ie
Crisis!!! Stumble Upon = Massive Blip In My Campaign
I have stumbled upon this website that is fantastic, and is exactly what I am trying to accomplish minus the Social Network. I have spent months searching the web making sure that this kind of website doesn’t exist. This was extremely hard to find, and now that I am finished the major research for my campaign, this stumble has put a slight dent in my plans and has made me nervous about my entire campaign.
Then again to think about it, this website is just situated for Scotland yougth. So maybe then my thinking shouldn’t be for the whole of the U.K. Maybe I should start at home, and just stick to Ireland.
This Information on this website is exactly what I want to give to the LGBTQ Youth. The have the Advice for all the Sexual Orientations and Have the advice for the Friends and Family too. They are right on track to what I want to achieve. Though they do not have a social network along side of the Information. They do however have parents and friends who help with giving advice to other parents that are struggling with the sexual orientation of their child. They have a series of youth groups though out scotland and have events on going thought out the year. The only campaign I can see that they have running now is one for equal marriage. I understand why they are looking at this, but this is one of the few things that I want to stay away from. I want to focus mainly on help the youth coming out and understanding their sexuality.
Im thinking there may be a possibility of contacting this group and asking for some information for my website and saking how their funding works etc. The important questions I still need to answer.
Like I said they don’t have a Social Network But they Do have a fourm but its not as popular as they would like they only have 6 members.
This is the link to The Rainbow Project Which is based over Northern Ireland, and focuses on just the health of gay men. So it may be better for me to launch my campaign throughout Ireland as there is nothing like my campaign. So Im thinking now starting at home is the way to go.
BuddyPress – Possible Help Policing My Social Network
BuddyPress was conceived in 2008 while working to add social networking features to a WordPress MU powered site. The first official stable release was in May 2009. The platform has grown and morphed considerably since then, into the dynamic, easily extensible package you see today.
Just like its parent project WordPress, BuddyPress is a completely open source endeavor. Everything from the core code, to the documentation, themes and plugin extensions are all built by the BuddyPress community. This means anyone can help the project by contributing their time and knowledge.
What can I use BuddyPress for?
BuddyPress is built to bring people together. It works well to enable people with similar interests to connect and communicate. Some of the fantastic uses might be:
- A campus wide social network for your university, school or college.
- An internal communication tool for your company.
- A niche social network for your interest topic.
- A focused social network for your new product.
If you’re using BuddyPress in a unique or interesting way, be sure to let people know on the forums. We’re always interested.
BuddyPress is not “all or nothing”
BuddyPress provides a range of features that work right out of the box. However, you might decide that you only want to make use of a couple of features to start with. This is really simple using BuddyPress as you can turn off the features you don’t want with a click of a button. When you disable features, your site’s theme will auto adjust, showing only the menu items, pages and buttons for the features you have enabled.
BuddyPress.org
This site is built on WordPress and BuddyPress (we believe in the software we build!). Please consider registering and becoming part of the BuddyPress community. By doing this you’ll be able to contribute to the documentation, ask questions in the forum as well as build your BuddyPress profile so other BuddyPress developers and contributors can keep in touch with you.
Peoplefund.it!!! Start your own business..
A fantastic way to like about launching my project. This may be the way to do it.
We can help each other.
Peoplefund.it is a new crowdsourcing website from the makers of River Cottage, Hugh’s Fish Fight and Chicken Out! which brings together individuals with fresh business ideas.
Originally a way for charities to raise funds, crowdsourcing is increasingly used by entrepreneurs to raise essential financial backing for exciting new projects.
Of course you need a good idea, but without the cash to turn it into reality, that’s all it is – an idea. Hence Peoplefund.it, the UK’s biggest crowdsourcing platform.
You have two options.
You can raise the cash you need to get your project off the ground.
Or you can get behind a project that’s close to your heart, in return for a reward from the project owner.
All our projects offer rewards to investors in return for pledges of support from as little as £1.
And if it doesn’t hit its target, it won’t hit you in the pocket.
“The success of our Fish Fight, Landshare, and energyshare campaigns have shown that solutions often come from grass roots action, and have the power to effect more remarkable change than we really ever imagined,” says TV food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
“Peoplefund.it builds on that momentum, and gives people the means to take their ideas forward. That, in a nutshell, is why, I’m excited about Peoplefund.it,” he added.
We’re also working with a number of partners including NESTA, Forum for the Future, Unbound and WeDidThis.
Guerrilla marketing
The concept of guerrilla marketing was invented as an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional, potentially interactive, andconsumers are targeted in unexpected places.Guerrilla marketing is an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional means (graffiti, sticker bombing, flash mobs) are utilized, often in a localized fashion or large network of individual cells, to convey or promote a product or an idea. The term guerrilla marketing is easily traced to guerrilla warfare which utilizes atypical tactics to achieve a goal in a competitive and unforgiving environment.
The objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turnviral. The term was coined and defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. The term has since entered the popular vocabulary and marketing textbooks.
Guerrilla marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, PR stunts, or any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. More innovative approaches to Guerrilla marketing now utilize mobile digital technologies to engage the consumer and create a memorable brand experience.
Guerrilla marketing focuses on low cost creative strategies of marketing. Basic requirements are time, energy, and imagination and not money. Sales do not compose of the primary static to measure business but is replaced by profit. Emphasis is on retaining existing customers then acquiring new ones.
Levinson’s books include hundreds of “guerrilla marketing weapons,” but also encourages guerrilla marketers to be creative in devising unconventional methods of promotion. Guerrilla marketers use all of their contacts, both professional and personal, and examine their company and its products, looking for sources of publicity. Many forms of publicity can be very inexpensive, or even free.
Introduction
Levinson says that when implementing guerrilla marketing tactics, small size is actually an advantage. Small organizations and entrepreneurs are able to obtain publicity more easily than large companies, as they are closer to their customers and considerably more agile.
Yet ultimately, according to Levinson, the guerrilla marketer must “deliver the goods”. In The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook, he states: “In order to sell a product or a service, a company must establish a relationship with the customer. It must build trust and support. It must understand the customer’s needs, and it must provide a product that delivers the promised benefits.”
Levinson identifies the following principles as the foundation of guerrilla marketing:
- Guerrilla Marketing is specifically geared for the small business and entrepreneur.
- It should be based on human psychology rather than experience, judgement, and guesswork.
- Instead of money, the primary investments of marketing should be time, energy, and imagination.
- The primary statistic to measure your business is the amount of profits, not sales.
- The marketer should also concentrate on how many new relationships are made each month.
- Create a standard of excellence with an acute focus instead of trying to diversify by offering too many diverse products and services.
- Instead of concentrating on getting new customers, aim for more referrals, more transactions with existing customers, and larger transactions.
- Forget about the competition and concentrate more on cooperating with other businesses.
- Guerrilla marketers should use a combination of marketing methods for a campaign.
- Use current technology as a tool to build your business.
- Messages are aimed at individuals or small groups, the smaller the better.
- Focuses on gaining the consent of the individual to send them more information rather than trying to make the sale.
- Commit to your campaign. Use Effective frequency instead of creating a new message theme for each campaign.
Associated marketing trends
The term Guerrilla Marketing is now often used more loosely as a descriptor for non-traditional media, such as:
- Reverse Graffiti — clean pavement adverts
- Viral marketing — through social networks
- Presence marketing — marketing for being there
- Grassroots marketing — tapping into the collective efforts of brand enthusiasts
- Wild Posting Campaigns
- Alternative marketing
- Buzz marketing — word of mouth marketing
- Undercover marketing — subtle product placement
- Astroturfing — disguising company messaging as an authentic grassroots movement
- Experiential marketing — interaction with product
- Tissue-pack marketing — hand-to-hand marketing
- Live-in marketing — real life product placement – see related article or Hostival Connect
- Wait marketing — when and where consumers are waiting (such as medical offices and gas pumps) and receptive to communications
Guerrilla marketing was initially used by small and medium size (SMEs) businesses, but it is now increasingly adopted by large businesses.
Risks
On January 31, 2007, several magnetic boxes with blinking LED cartoon figures were attached to metal surfaces in and around Boston, Massachusetts to promote the animated seriesAqua Teen Hunger Force. The boxes were mistaken for possible explosive devices, and several subway stations, bridges, and a portion of Interstate 93 were closed as police examined, removed, and in some cases, destroyed the devices.
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