New Year, New You: Tips for Resolutions this Year

New Years is a time for renewal, growth and commitment to your goals! In the LGBT community, this is important because we are given a chance to remember the things we are working on improving within ourselves. Here's a list of LGBT New Years resolutions for you to consider!

New Years is a perfect time to do something you've never done before! So whether you decide to visit the Castro District in San Francisco for the first time, or you want to see a live play this year -- make it happen! Accumulating positive experiences is a great way to prepare for any difficult time you encounter this year.

Contributing to the community can be very helpful. No, not Tulare silly! I'm talking about the LGBT community! Volunteer at an HIV clinic or help out at your school's Gay Straight Alliance. Helping to build the queer community makes you feel great while improving your support network!

Next time someone says something homophobic or insensitive around you, try teaching them the right words. I know, it's hard not to get mad! But that's the only way we can make a difference. 

LGBTQ+ Visibility In Rio Olympics

The 2016 Olympics in Rio De Jineiro have been an amazing spectacle in sport and pizzazz. Not only have the athletes competed at a high level, but the LGBT community has seen many of their own community members thrive in the spotlight.

 The first Gold Medal won by Brazil was earned by openly lesbian judo star Rafaela Silva. She took home the top prize after coming out on August 10th to a popular magazine during an interview. What a great accomplishment for Silva, Brazil and the LGBTQ+ community!

Along with Judo, the queer community also represented at swimming, with Rachel Bruni of Italy earning a Silver Medal in the 10K marathon! She may have swam far, but she took queer visibility even further with this great showing.

Lastly, British diver and openly gay man Tom Daley took home another Bronze Medal this year. By winning third in synchronized diving, this gay role model added to his tally that began in London 2012, where he took home Bronze in an individual event. Go Tom!

Although the Olympics are over, we don't have to wait two years to see fantastic LGBT athletes competing. They are in action all over the country and the world, showing that queer people can compete with anyone in any sport. 

Supreme Court: same-sex couples have right to marry

In a long-sought victory for the gay rights movement, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in the 5 to 4 decision. He was joined by the court’s four more liberal justices.

Justice Kennedy said gay and lesbian couples had a fundamental right to marry.

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family,” he wrote. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”

The Oscars: Manta Ray Receives Oscar Nomination

Hegarty is the lead vocalist for the band Antony and The Johnsons. They created music for the film Racing Extinction. Hegarty wrote the lyrics for the song Mantra Ray, which was nominated for the award of Best Original Song!

This is the second time a transgender person has been nominated for an Oscar, with the other known trans person being Angela Morley, a transgender composer who was nominated twice in the seventies. Even more progress is still needed in representation and change.