5 Reasons Being Queer Today is Way Better Than Being Queer in the 90s

Being LGBT today definitely still has it's challenges. The anti-LGBT legislation in places like North Carolina and Mississippi over the past week are clear signs that things are not entirely better. We've come a long way though. I was born in the late '80s and I remember what it was like for us LGBT kids in the 90s. Here are a few reasons that I think it's better to be LGBT today than in the 1990s.

1. Trans People are Visible

Trans people have always been so much more than how they were portrayed and viewed in the 1990s. Back then, trans folks, mainly trans women, were sensationalized and disrespected on television shows like Jerry Springer, and that’s about all the visibility there was. While trans folks are more visible now they are dealing with the implications of that visibility as made evident by new legislation passed by North Carolina.

2. More Legislation in Our Favor

Even though, Mississippi passed a hateful anti-lgbt law this week, things have gotten better since the 90s. While trans folks are still in need of legislation in their favor, there have been other things over turned in support of LGBT folks such as DOMA and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. You can get married to the opposite gender or sex now! So, there’s that.

3. LGBT Media Has Improved Tenfold

The 90s was a time of LGBT people who lived closeted in the media. It seems unbelievable that there was ever a time that Rosie O'Donnell wasn't out, but she wasn't as late as the '90s. Most LGBT characters on TV and in movies were gay male identified and written as very two-dimensional at the time. Even Ellen is better now! Although, Ellen did change the television landscape by coming out in the 90s on her show -- becoming the first out lead character on television. But now she gets to be out and open every day on her talk show. Thank the millenial Gods for shows like Glee, Transparent, Sense 8, Orange is the New Black, and Modern Family. 

4. The Internet

Can you imagine a life without easy access to the internet? A time before smart phones? A decade without Twitter or Facebook? Well, that was the '90s. While the solace of less internet sounds appealing, the internet has provided the LGBT community and many other oppressed groups a platform for their issues. Personally, I think the internet has been a catalyst for rapid change in matters of sexual orientation, gender, and race.

5. The Style

This one speaks for itself.