TAIMI highlights the LGBTQI+ stories that topped the headlines in 2019
As we march into 2020 it’s time to take a look back at the year that was. The passing 2019 saw many breakthroughs in LGBTQI+ recognition, queer celebrities, equality acts, and much more. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of LGBTQI+ rights around the globe.
We take this time to remind everyone that we cannot afford to ignore the fact that in more than 70 countries it is still illegal to be LGBTQI+, we cannot afford to ignore the fact that in many of the more progressive societies LGBTQI+ people still suffer systemic abuse, bullying and harassment, we cannot afford to ignore the deaths of trans women due to transphobia in the United States and beyond.We cannot afford to be silent! Equality should not be up for debate!2019 was the year of the 50th anniversary of a revolutionary moment n the history in LGBTQ rights. The Stonewall Inn uprising in 1969.TAIMI team had the honor of being present during the Drag Olympics in Amsterdam where Stacy Lentz, the co-owner of Stonewall Inn gave an extremely powerful speech about LGBTQI+ rights.2019 was also full of surprises and breakthroughs. One of them — a talented musician by the name of Lil Nas X. The “Old Town Road” superstar came out while having a #1 single topping the charts all around the world. Lil Nas X continued to be at the top for record-breaking 19 weeks prior to being nominated for several Grammy Awards.
Speaking of Awards, Gay Times Honours in London celebrated the best in queer culture. The event that gathered influencers, celebrities, activists, artists, journalists, LGBTQI+ people from the UK and beyond. It was truly a night to remember! TAIMI is proud to be a partner of Gay Times, and we cannot wait to share all the plans we have for the upcoming 2020 year.This year the Emmy awards recognized queer excellence like never before. 11 openly LGBTQI+ people were nominated in 2019. Among them — Pose’s Billy Porter who is the first openly gay Black man to win the best actor prize! Pose became the pinnacle of self-love and LGBTQI+ representation on television in 2019.TAIMI is extremely adamant about spreading the message of love and equality. Unfortunately, there is still lots of hate and anger towards LGBTQI+ people in the world, and we want (and must) change this. 2019 was also a year when more than 25 trans women of color lost their lives in the United States alone, this statistic is even more staggering around the globe. TAIMI marked Trans Day of Remembrance in the app and dedicated posts on its social media to remind people that trans lives are on the line every day.Breaking barriers this year was a theme. Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness continued to do so and make an impact worldwide. The non-binary star came out as HIV positive in their memoir Over The Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love. Van Ness was not shy about sharing their story in hopes of helping to reduce the stigma millions of people continue to face around the globe.Yes! 2019 was THEY year! The singular form “they” was chosen as the word of the year, Jonathan Van Ness and the world-famous singer Sam Smith came out as non-binary this year. Smith also made sure that everyone knows their preferred pronoun is “they”. name=”ae87″ id=”ae87″ class=”graf graf–figure graf–iframe graf-after–p”>I Am HereIn 2019 TAIMI proudly helped out with a groundbreaking survey for UNAIDS and LGBT Foundation, as we mentioned above, we signed a major partnership with Gay Times Magazine, and joined forces with AZ Magazine on I Am Here series. We secured many partners and ambassadors for the upcoming year. Our team attended several prides including Amsterdam and Las Vegas Pride, we were VIP guests at Gay Times Honours, we met amazing LGBTQI+ celebrities among whom are Ryan Russell and Corey O’Brien as well as hundreds of supporters and allies over the past year.
We look forward to what 2020 has in store for us and our users.Happy New Year from TAIMI!
By TAIMI on December 31, 2019.Canonical linkExported from Medium on July 7, 2020.