Tumblr Stuff
22 октября 2018
You’ve been seeing them all month long. You know the drill. It’s another edition of our interviews from celebrities and artists on Tumblr, getting their thoughts on identity, politics, and any advice they might have for all of you. Today’s interview is pretty special. It comes from none other than one of the most successful artists of all time…
Sir Elton John (@eltonjohn)
What advice would you give your younger self about exploring your identity?
My advice would be not to try to be someone or something I wasn’t, but to really understand and accept myself for who I am and to love myself. Then to find people who would genuinely love me for who I am.
How do you express your gender identity on a day-to-day basis?
My gender identity is as much about being a loving husband, a good parent, and a loyal friend as it is about being gay. I want people to realize that first and foremost we are all people.
What’s the most challenging part of exploring and expressing gender and orientation in today’s society? What gives you hope?
The most challenging part is still superficial judgements about what gender identity means. These are spread through the media, and sadly sometimes by religion or politics. People want to control or punish what is different. But I’m hopeful because all over the world, more people are feeling the courage to express who they are and more are being accepted. Young people care much less about sexuality than their parents.
What’s an important moment in LGBTQ history that’s important for LGBTQ youth to understand?
I think the Stonewall riots. They were the first demonstrations by the LGBTQ community against a police raid that took place in Greenwich Village in the U.S. in the early hours of June 28th 1969. They really catalyzed the liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the whole world.
What is the biggest change in the LGBTQ experience that you’ve noticed over the past 10 years? What work needs to be done to continue progress in the right direction?
Gay marriage…respecting love between two people as love, in countries as previously resistant as the UK, Ireland, Australia, is a huge change. We need laws and policies that first and foremost treat LGBTQ people as citizens like everyone else so that their human rights are protected—in the family, at work, in society.
What advice would you give to LGBTQ youth trying to find their way in the world?
Remember that change can and does happen. Not overnight, but it does happen. Don’t ever give up on yourself. Take care of yourself and don’t ever doubt that change is possible.
What about you? What’s the most challenging part of expressing your identity? What gives you hope? If you feel up to it, share your story with your followers, just like Elton. Tag it #TumblrPride so it’s easily discoverable by the community. And then follow the Rocket Man himself on Tumblr: @eltonjohn.
All month long we’ve celebrated Pride with a series of interviews from celebrities and artists on Tumblr. We’ve asked the likes of Elton John (@eltonjohn) how he expresses his identity, and the podcast queen herself, Gaby Dunn (@gabydunn), shared what kind of advice she wished she could give her younger self. Today we close out our series with one more queer legend: Stefan Olsdal, the bassist and guitarist from Placebo.
To help fight for world wide equality, Stefan recently designed the Rainbow Glove, seen above, with designer Gizelle Renee. The proceeds of each purchase go directly to The Peter Tatchell Foundation and LGBT Foundation. You can grab yours here.
What advice would you give your younger self about exploring your identity?
Don’t keep your inner turmoil all to yourself! Find someone to talk to, someone who makes you feel safe and will listen. Being in a minority is hard in itself, and it doesn’t have to be made harder by going at it alone. You will feel safer exploring yourself knowing you have someone on your side. I wish I had done that!
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Originally posted by placebrain
What is the biggest change in the LGBTQ experience that you’ve noticed over the past 10 years? What work needs to be done to continue progress in the right direction?
My 5 year old son doesn’t get gender. He calls everyone by the same pronoun, as he sees people just…as people. If it’s that clear to a child, then why complicate things and put people in boxes?
What’s an important moment in LGBTQ history that’s important for LGBTQ youth to understand?
In the UK where I live, my first relationship at 19 with someone a few years older could have landed my partner in prison. The age of consent in 1993 was 21, but then finally lowered to be the same for ALL genders and sexual orientation in 2001. I am lucky to be in the UK where there are now laws that protect and serve all with no discrimination, but our friends in Russia, and many other countries in the world, aren’t so lucky.
This might be the last of our Pride Q&A series this year, but it’s not the last of our Pride celebration. Keep your eyes peeled to @staff, our IG (Story and grid!), Twitter, and Facebook as we continue to signal boost voices and highlight art from the community. Love you, Tumblr.
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER • TUMBLR IRL • BROOKLYN, NY • 6/26/18
Last night in Brooklyn, we helped 300 lucky fans celebrated one of the biggest bands on Tumblr—the amazing 5 Seconds of Summer (@5sos).
There were fans were patiently lined up outside the venue as early as 6 a.m. the day before. It’s easy to be that dedicated when your faves are celebrating their third No. 1 Billboard album.
Like all IRLs, this wasn’t just a regular ol’ concert. This was a one-time only visual experience. Artist Signe Pierce (@signepierce) brought their latest album, Youngblood, to life through radiant light direction, artistic projections, and a holographic photo installation. Every single audience member was given a single rose to keep or toss on stage as they saw fit.
If you didn’t get to make it to the IRL, don’t fret. We’ll be doing a special video Answer Time with the band tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST on their Tumblr, so be on the look out for that.
Photos by @laurajunekirsch and @tiffanysage for BFA
Having SDCC withdrawals? Same. While we can’t turn back time, we can share some of our favorite cosplay portraits, like this one of Marge and Marge and Marge and…Marge, with you, Tumblr.
Photo by @brianguido.
It’s not a good-bye, it’s just a wee change
We’re shaking things up a little bit next week, Tumblr. Week in Review will be retired to make way for a brand new weekly summary that will highlight the most popular bits of pop culture on Tumblr. The rankings and lists will stay the same. We know there’s been a lot of changes on @fandom recently, but it’s all to improve your fandom experiences on Tumblr. Get ready.
Going out on a high note
(K-Pop) Triple H—not the wrestler—debuts at No. 7 after their latest comeback song, “Retro Future,” dropped last week.
(Music) Troye Sivan returns at No. 30 following his collaboration with Ariana Grande. The Arianator fanbase is strong.
(Celebs) James Gunn returns at No. 15 following his firing from Disney, sparking heated conversation across the internet.
(TV) Stranger Things moves ten spots to No. 10 after a teaser for its third season was released. We can hear the screams for Will already.
(Movies) Holy superheroes. Aquaman and Shazam! debut at No. 2 and 4 after their trailers were shown at SDCC.
Originally posted by stefanieshank
Leaving on a low note
(TV) Anne with an E drops twelve spots to No. 18. That’s eighteen with an E.
(Anime & Manga) Free! Dive to the Future dives straight down seven spots to No. 9.
(Movies) Ant-Man and the Wasp must feel puny after falling to No. 18.
(Music) Twenty One Pilots nosedives to No. 14.
(K-Pop) LOOΠΔ fΔlls to No. 18.
