Chastity White Rose

Tag: LGBTQIA+

  • Chapter 16: Pedophilia is no Joke

    An event happened that made me feel suicidal in the winter near Christmas time. A team lead at Walmart decided it would be a good idea to bother me while I was stocking the baking aisle A17. He decided to ask me if I wanted to have children. I told him maybe if I were married and wanted to adopt children. And he said, “No, I mean HAVE children in a way like pedophilia”.

    I was upset at the time, but told him I would never hurt a child because I know what it’s like to be molested. He went on, and I went back to stocking and trying to look like I was okay. Inside, I was thinking, “What the hell?!?!?! Why would he even ask me that?”

    A few days later, I questioned him on why he asked me that. He said he was joking, but I said it was not something to joke about at work and distract me from my job. He said, “Why does it bother you if it’s not true?”

    He apologized, reluctantly, in the presence of the overnight coach who witnessed our short fight.

    I was not completely satisfied with this, and he still made plenty of sexual jokes over the next few months. After a while, I really started wondering if he jokes this way with everyone (not good), or if he specifically is targeting me because I am a transgender woman.

    At first, I was afraid to report it because I knew the history of LGBTQIA+ people being accused of all being child molesters. It also became more prevalent during this time because of the open political hatred of transgender people during 2024 and 2025. Therefore, I had reason to believe I could be arrested just on the accusation of being a person who was sexually attracted to children, even if I had never done anything to suggest this was true, nor would I have done something sexual to a child even if it were true.

    I had a difficult decision to make:

    1. Report to ethics and get fired because they will probably think I am a pedophile, and then call the police. I could be written into a sex offender registry, quite possibly be sent to a men’s prison, and be raped by actual violent criminals.

    2. Quit my job to avoid seeing this team lead, who apparently thought I was a pedophile and that it was some kind of joke to ask me about it.

    3. Commit suicide because I live in a world where other transgender women are murdered every single day by transphobic people who assume they are criminals and deserve it.

    4. Stay silent and hope the problem goes away.

    I chose option 4 for longer than I should have; however, Pride Month of 2025 broke me emotionally. I started working on my book, Walking the Rainbow Bridge, for my Portfolio 3 project with Full Sail University.

    During this time, I did a lot of research and read the worst transphobic content on the internet. I became very depressed as I considered how dangerous the situation was. Finally, I decided to make a report against this team lead to protect other people. No matter what happens to me, I don’t want him to talk to someone else this way.

    1. It is simply unacceptable to distract someone from the work they are being paid to do with personal matters that should not be discussed in the workplace.
    2. Even if someone is a pedophile, this is not the same as a child molester. People don’t have to have sex with someone they are attracted to. Therefore, they are not a threat to anyone, especially if all they are doing is stocking shelves at Walmart.
    3. Pedophilia is no joke. It is an unfortunate condition to be attracted to children sexually. I feel bad for these people because they were also born with a brain that does not operate in a way society understands, and they face much persecution. This topic is nothing to joke about; no matter who you are or what your position is, it is not funny.

    Also, to make matters clear, a Pedophile is someone who is sexually attracted to children. A child molester is someone who actually tries to have sex with children. A person can be a pedophile but never have sex with children. A person can molest a child even if they are not a pedophile. These two things are only loosely related.

    I am tired of being treated as if I were some kind of danger to children. I was quite offended and depressed at the thought that this team lead thought that I wanted to have sex with children. Even now, I worry about what led him to think this about me. Is it because I am transgender, or is he trying to tell me something about himself? Either way, this has no place at Walmart or anywhere, for that matter, except perhaps a therapist’s office.

    The only reason I wrote this is so that people are aware of the reality that the innocent rainbow people are often accused of unspeakable crimes against children. But that’s not even the worst part. Those who are raping children are not the ones being called pedophiles. Most children are raped by their own fathers or a catholic priest. An overnight stocker at your local Walmart is not someone you should be afraid of. But that one team lead who thinks Pedophilia is some kind of joke, I still worry about him whenever I have to work overnight at Walmart.

    The conversation on the topic of Pedophilia should be had only outside of the workplace, but I do believe it is worth discussing. There are two main types of pedophiles.

    1. The people sexually attracted to children who will try to rape them if they have the chance.
    2. The people sexually attracted to children who, despite being sexually attracted to them, know that children cannot consent to sexual behavior of any kind. They know it is wrong to hurt children and would never do anything.

    However, society in general does not know the difference between these two types. More importantly, those who are born with the unfortunate condition of being attracted to children don’t really have a way to seek help. If they talk to a therapist about it, that therapist will probably be required to report it to others, and therefore, the person ends up on a sex offender registry, despite not committing any crime or even intending to.

    Therefore, the sad truth is that it seems the only option for a pedophile is to commit to a life of celibacy and keep their attraction a secret. Perhaps this is why the profession of being a catholic priest seems so attractive to people with this condition.

    But I also can’t help but wonder why people have repeatedly accused me of being a pedophile. My only guess is that they take my lack of sexual interest and lack of any activity as a sign that I am the same as those priests who claim to be celibate but are raping children.

    The difference is that I am a celibate person, not because the catholic church mandates it, but because it is the right thing to do. Unlike most Christians who view homosexuality as a sin, I apply the same standards to all sexual activity, no matter whether it is heterosexual, homosexual, adult, or child.

    I would prefer a world where biological sex and genitals didn’t even exist. Then no more children would be hurt. I say this as a child who was raped at the age of two years old.

    No, I am not a pedophile, and no, I do not in any way condone sexual relations with children. However, if being paranoid and protecting your kids from anyone who you think is a threat keeps them safe, then I suggest you do so.

    I have intentionally held back writing this chapter for months, even though it was on my mind constantly. However, just a few days ago, on September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck and died very quickly. I just wanted to make sure that before someone shoots me in the neck that I have written what I need to say. Every death is a reminder of how short and unpredictable life is. Don’t wait until it is too late to write the book you have been planning, spend time with your loved ones, and live authentically for what you believe in, even though doing so is probably why someone will shoot you for it.

  • Chapter 10: Consistently Pro-Life

    In this chapter, I know I am going to lose some readers because if there is anything that is more misunderstood than the religious or political debates over LGBTQIA+ rights and identity, it is the abortion debate.

    I know you are not expecting a Transgender person with rainbows all over their social media and book covers to be Pro-Life because the “Pro-Life” movement has traditionally done things that are very “Pro-Death” involving the LGBTQIA+ community.

    Most of the Pro-Life organizations and charities are strictly Anti-Gay and Anti-Transgender. Most of these groups are religiously based, and this causes them to only work with people who meet their standards based on their faith. Since many passages in the bible are interpreted to forbid homosexuality and even imply that homosexuals go to hell, the Christians who believe these things seem to prioritize their fight against LGBTQIA+ people even more than they do their fight against abortion.

    But let me be very clear here: there is nothing Pro-Life about denying gay people the right to marriage. There is nothing Pro-Life about denying the ability of gay couples to adopt children that straight people did not want or could not afford to take care of, and there is nothing Pro-Life about taking away life-saving hormones and surgeries from Transgender and Intersex people who rely on them for their physical AND mental health.

    Nobody has the right to call themselves Pro-Life unless what they are doing actually keeps people alive. You don’t get to murder a transgender person on the street and then go to church and talk about being a follower of Jesus. If you do, you are a hypocrite, and even Jesus would tell you so, just as he did the Pharisees and Sadducees.

    For me, being Pro-Life DOES NOT EQUAL BEING ANTI-ABORTION. Rather, being Anti-Abortion is probably 5 percent of the equation. I follow a consistent life ethic, and this includes Veganism to save the animals and supporting human minorities who face additional challenges because of their race, religion, gender, skin color, disability, or whatever other excuse people use to murder them and take away their jobs, housing, and healthcare.

    Therefore, by writing these chapters about the Rainbow people, I am doing my best to be Pro-Life for the LGBTQIA+ community. I hope that even though you may not agree with my opinion that abortion is immoral because it is murder, you can at least see the parallels to the other topics.

    There are two important Pro-Life organizations I want to share with you. The first is the Rainbow Pro-Life Alliance. I have been a board member since 2022 and attend the Zoom meetings. What I can tell you based on my experience is that all of these people come from different places and don’t share the same opinions on every topic. We do agree that abortion is wrong and that LGBTQIA+ people certainly have a place in the discussion, even though we have been excluded by mainstream Pro-Life organizations and events. After all, most of us are either extremely gay or are straight allies.

    https://www.rainbowprolife.org/

    The second is Vegans for Preborn Rights. Because I am an ethical Vegan who does not eat or wear anything from an animal, I want to be involved with them, too. I don’t know them as well, but their website is full of helpful resources explaining the Pro-Life and Vegan connection. Also, they fully support LGBTQIA+ people.

    https://www.vegansforprebornrights.org/

    Oddly enough, the reason I became a Vegan was because I was Pro-Life for humans, and then I just extended it to other species of animals. I have answered many questions about Veganism over the years. I would say I have faced more criticism from co-workers at the jobs I have worked because I am Vegan than I have for being transgender! However, if I had to choose between being called by my correct pronouns and saving the lives of the animals, I would choose the animals every time.

    If you want more information on Veganism, I recommend the book “Why We Should Go Vegan” by Magnus Vinding. It is available free on Smashwords and is an excellent summary of the reasons it benefits the animals as well as humans if we adopt a vegan diet. I also recommend Magnus Vinding’s other books because most of them are about philosophy and ethics. He is an amazing author, and he introduced me to Smashwords even before Draft2Digital purchased it. Draft2Digital is the company I use to publish my e-books to this day.

  • End of the National Suicide Hotline for LGBTQIA+ people

    For those who have not heard, the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is ending its “Press 3 option,” which matched the caller with someone knowledgeable about LGBTQIA+ issues.

    https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/trump-administration-orders-termination-of-national-lgbtq-youth-suicide-lifeline-effective-july-17th/

    When a person is LGBTQIA and calls a suicide hotline, they cannot just talk to some random cisgender straight person who tells them that they probably should stop being gay or transgender, and then all their problems will go away. A lot of people don’t trust someone unless they have reason to believe they understand what they are going through. Just like black people probably would not trust white people who have never experienced the targeted hate crimes and discrimination they face. Having special categories for minorities on a suicide hotline is essential for reasons like these.

    Not everyone is the same, and if an untrained person says the wrong thing to a suicidal person at their worst moment, that person will most likely die. For this reason, I am obligated to say something about this and try to offer resources that may be helpful to my Rainbow people during difficult times.

    The Trevor Project is an organization that helps LGBTQIA+ people in difficult times. I would advise you to look more into it and write the information down so that in the event you are suicidal or put into a situation where you lose your job or home due to discrimination against you for who you are, at least you will have someone to call.

    https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

    I will also be learning more about what they offer. After graduation, I expect I will have more time and can possibly even volunteer to help them somehow.

    If anyone has more websites, links, or phone numbers I can add to this post for people contemplating suicide or facing another crisis, please comment and tell me so I can add it and update this post on all my social media.

    This year is a very dangerous time. People are trying to kill my Rainbow people, and most of them are driven to suicide by people who beat them down till they have nothing left to live for.

  • Chapter 8: The Alphabet People

    I refer to the LGBTQIA+ community as the “Rainbow People”. However, that is not what most people know them as. They are most commonly called the “Alphabet People” by those who can’t keep up with what seems to be an ever-growing acronym. It started as LGB for a while, and then the T was added to include Transgender people.

    While being Transgender is not the same as being Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual, I believe that it was a very good idea to include it in the acronym because first, someone must figure out what gender they identify as before they can figure out whether they are Straight or Gay.

    chastity_transgender_flag.png

    LGBT was just fine because it was four letters, did not take long to type, and fit into a 32-bit integer in a computer file. And then it got ruined when the Q was added. Q is often understood to represent “Queer”, which is literally a term for something weird, odd, strange, or unusual. In modern times, it refers to any identity or sexuality that cannot be defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender but that is still not cisgender and straight.

    Others refer to the Q as someone who is “Questioning” and hasn’t quite figured out what they are yet. The lack of a common definition is part of what makes the Q confusing in the acronym, but I also understand that the idea was to be vague enough to include people not covered by the LGBT acronym. In this sense, it is much like the plus sign is used in LGBTQIA+. It leaves room for further definitions to be included in the umbrella term of Queer.

    I, which stands for Intersex, was added later because it was not for some time that scientists and doctors understood enough biology to know that people are born with mixed chromosomes and genitalia some of the time. Intersex is the only term in the acronym that is specifically about the body of the person being biologically different. Because of this, it can seem like these people should not be included in the acronym. However, I would argue that these people face the same kind of challenges that gay and transgender people face because they face unusual sets of relationship and health problems. Many will also be harassed and questioned by others their whole life, whether they are a man or woman.

    The Asexuals were later added with the letter A in the acronym. Because of the conflicting definitions of asexuality, asexual people rarely have an accurate representation. Some of them literally don’t have sex with people. Others do have sex but only do it to please their partner or for the social and financial benefits that come with having sex with people.

    For more information on asexuality than what I can provide with my experience, I suggest the book “The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality” by Julie Sondra Decker

    I am asexual, but I really feel like most asexual people need to do a better job of educating the public about what they really mean. A little bit less fighting between the sex-positive and sex-negative aces would be great.

    By the way, an ace is a short form of asexual. It is also a playing card in a standard 52-card deck.

    ace_of_clubs-1 ace_of_diamonds.png ace_of_spades2.png ace_of_hearts.png

    Sorry, I couldn’t resist making the playing card comparison.

    In any case, you might wonder why the acronym keeps growing and how we can keep up with it. The good news is, you don’t have to. Obviously, people will keep coming up with new words and letters to describe themselves. The point of these labels is to help people outside their community understand who they are. Some people make fun of us because we are referred to as something that they can’t understand or remember. Others will do their best to understand the meanings of these labels as it applies to the person they love.

    Although I have done my best to describe what these terms generally mean when they are used, the best way to really know a person is to talk to that person and ask them questions.

    These terms are also not mutually exclusive. Someone being transgender or intersex does not mean that they cannot also be considered straight, gay, or bisexual. However, at this point, the logic breaks down.

    Suppose a man named Steve is married to a woman named Alexandra because he was taught that he was supposed to marry someone of the opposite sex. Then he discovers that he is unable to have sex with her because he isn’t attracted to her sexually. He loves her personality deeply, but their relationship is never physical.

    Instead, he finds that he is sexually attracted to men, but he is committed to his wife, whom he loves and has known for years. However, Alexandra discovers that she would rather be a man and then does a gender transition. Alexandra becomes Alex, cuts their hair short, takes testosterone for a few years, and looks like more of a man than Steve ever did to begin with. Now Steve is attracted to Alex because they look more like a man, but he always loved the person they were inside anyway. They live happily ever after, except for those who criticize them for being in a gay marriage.

    But the funny thing is that their marriage wasn’t gay at the time but became that way later. I wish Steve and Alex all the happiness in the world, even though I made them up. However, similar stories of real people exist. Sometimes, relationships end because one or both people discover they are not as cisgender or heterosexual as they thought they were when they first met each other. I believe relationships like this probably can only be defined as Queer because no other suitable word for things like this exists.

    The point is that the minds and souls of people are quite fluid. People do not always remain the same in the way they feel, and sometimes they find themselves living a life that was not their choice but instead one that they are in because it was expected by society.

    In this book, I have chosen to stick with the acronym in its current most common form: “LGBTQIA+”. I believe that this is sufficient because the plus sign refers to anything else that is not already included by the other letters.

    Every day, new terms are made up that I cannot pronounce, nor do I know what they mean. I might be part of the LGBTQIA+ community myself, but I am 38 years old, and I still see things very much the same way I did in the 1990s. I believe in two genders, male and female, but I think there is a ratio between them, and some of us are 50/50, 60/40, or 25/75.

    I can’t keep up with all the new terminology, so I can understand why people who are not even part of the LGBTQIA+ community would be quite confused and scared by these people who come up with new words and keep extending the acronym. For all we know, by next year, it could be LGBTQIAROTFLMAOSEXYAFBIDGAF.

    I love and support you, my fellow Rainbow People, but you gotta do better at not scaring people off with all the new terminology so quickly. People have the right to make words, but they must be clearly defined and gradually introduced to the people in your life.

  • Chapter 7: The History of Pride Month

    Many people know that June is considered Pride month, but there seems to be some misunderstanding of the meaning and the history.

    Stonewall Riots

    In the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New York, there was a historical event that happened in the year 1969. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar where gay men and lesbians would hang out. However, at the time, homosexuality was illegal, and so was “cross-dressing”. The police frequently raided bars and arrested people for the sale of alcohol and wearing clothing different than what was considered legal for their gender. One time, when the police came to arrest people for these “crimes” on June 28, 1969, there was such a crowd of angry people that they started fighting the police. This conflict continued for about a week. The police won in the end, but by this time, more and more people were tired of being harassed by the police and unjust laws that forced them into hiding.

    Each year after this event, a bunch of people marched as a reminder of what happened. This holiday was the start of what would eventually become known as Pride Month. The people were proud to be who they were and were done hiding and pretending to dress and behave the way that the majority of society wanted them to.

    When so many people had these events, then people started to see that the LGBTQIA people were not just a tiny minority and they could no longer be bullied without them fighting back. At first, June 28 was known as Gay Liberation Day. Over time, the celebration expanded to include the whole month of June.

    The Two Meanings of Pride

    Some people take issue with the term “pride” because there is more than one definition for the word.

    The first is to generally feel good for being who you are and not be ashamed or trying to change yourself into something you are not. People can be proud of their achievements, and they can be proud of themselves or others.

    The second type of pride is where someone thinks they are better or more important than someone because of whatever they have done or for who they are, even if they can’t take credit for it. This type of pride is what some refer to as the “deadly sin” of pride.

    Strangely, nobody seems to talk about the sin of pride until the subject is LGBTQIA pride. It seems that people are oblivious to their pride for the rest of the year. Most people feel pretty good about themselves. However, the only difference now is that gay, transgender, and other people can also feel good about themselves.

    Parallels to Juneteenth

    Although not directly related, Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 of every year. This holiday is similar in that it is a reminder of when slavery for black people ended officially on June 19, 1865. On that day, the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect, ending the legalized slavery of African Americans.

    It is fitting that June contains holidays that are something like “Independence Day” for specific communities that traditionally have not been free in the same way as the rest of the population.

    Although I can’t speak as much about Juneteenth since I don’t know as much about it, and I would prefer to let the black people speak about their own history and pride movement, I would like to remind you once again that the Progress Flag includes black and brown stripes because they are very much part of the progress society has slowly made about accepting different kinds of people.

    progress-flag_1920x1080.png

    Also, don’t forget that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual people of every race, language, and culture exist. Pride month includes everyone, not just the white LGBTQIA people.