Teens Rock Their Power on TikTok to Impact US Politics - Even If They're Not Old Enough To Vote

So the current occupant of the White House held a political rally for his reelection. In Tulsa (injury), originally scheduled for June 19, 2020, or Juneteenth (adding insult). They pushed it one day back, and were crowing about the biggest reservation requests... But the crowds didn't show.

So what happened to the giant crowds the President and his team predicted?

I like how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put it:

"Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID
Shout out to Zoomers. Y'all make me so proud." —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

You can read the full report on it in the New York Times here, under the headline "TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans Say They Sank Trump Rally":

And from the New York Times newsletter, here's a screen shot of empty seats at that Trump rally.

It's a great reminder that voting isn't the only way to have your voice heard, no matter your age.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

Mohandas Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach were Soul Mates - 4 Keys to Unlock Their Hidden History in this week's TikTok!

Finding out that Mahatma Gandhi was in love with another man - a German Jewish architect named Hermann Kallenbach - rocked my world...

@leewind Mohandas Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach were soul mates! ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##queer ##historybuff ##gaypride ##love ##lgbtq 4 keys
♬ Bloom - Troye Sivan

Four Keys...

1)
Soul Mates

And it's not just me, or the Pulitzer-prize winning biographer Joseph Lelyveld who said it... Gandhi himself said it!

One of the letters Mohandas wrote Hermann in 1914 included this line,

"We can therefore but go forward as far forward as our legs will carry us and no farther and still be together, one soul and two bodies."

2)
Upper House and Lower House

These were nicknames Mohandas and Hermann used in their letters to each other. Mohandas was "Upper House" and Hermann was "Lower House."

3)
The love contract

Gandhi had trained in England as a lawyer, and on July 29, 1911 he wrote up a contract between him and Hermann, pledging

"...more love and yet more love between the two houses ~ such love as, they hope, the world has not seen."

Hermann signed the contract.

4)
More than a footnote in history. 

If Gandhi was in love with another guy, a Jewish guy at that, does it help us understand his giant breakthrough better? That Mohandas Gandhi was the one who wrote in 1911 in his "Triumph of Satyagraha",

"Let people's religions be different... You worship facing one way and I worship facing the other. Why should I become your enemy for that reason? We all belong to the human race; we all wear the same skin; we hail from the same land."

This was a giant step forward in humanity's compassion towards others with different religious beliefs. Could it be more than co-incidental that Mohandas loved Hermann while he had this insight? I think so.

There's so much of our LGBTQ heritage to discover! Queer history really is everywhere.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

The Latest TikTok - 1 Key To Unlock The Hidden History of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut

I'm excited to continue this series on TikTok with this 15 second celebration of Hatshepsut!

@leewind Over 22 years of ruling Egypt, Hatshepsut transitioned their public persona from female to male. ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##queer ##historybuff ##pride
♬ Me Too part 2 - Meghan Trainor

The Key

The remarkable thing is that these three statues are ALL Hatshepsut. At the beginning of their reign, as regent for their 2 year old nephew, Hatshepsut was portrayed publicly as a woman. Seven years into their rule, they declared themself KING (senior Co-King, technically), and not daughter of their father but son of their father. There was a period of time where Hatshepsut's gender transitioned to an in-between state, both in terms of dress and body shape (men's clothes, no shirt, and not quite breasts or bare chest, in the center sculpture). And then, towards the end of their 22-year rule, Hatshepsut was portrayed completely as a man, with a man's physique and a beard!

I loved learning about Hatshepsut, and think how empowering it must be for gender-queer, gender non-conforming, and trans kids today to know that thousands of years ago (Hatshepsut ruled Egypt from 1479 BCE-1458 BCE) the ruler of Egypt completely transitioned their public display of gender over two decades!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

William Shakespeare Bi Pride! 3 Keys to Unlock His Hidden Queer History

The latest TikTok, all about William Shakespeare, has three keys, revealed below...

@leewind William Shakespeare Bi Pride! ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##queer ##historybuff ##bisexual ##lgbtq ##pride ##love ##gaypride 3 keys to unlock.
♬ Everyone Is Gay - A Great Big World

Henry VIII and Homophobic British Law (Key 1)

In 1553, under King Henry VIII, a new law made a guy loving another guy a crime punishable by death. It was the law of the land during William Shakespeare's life (He was born in 1564.)

Sonnet 144 (Key 2)

Most of the time, when students learn about Shakespeare, no one mentions the Sonnets. There's debate about whether or not they are autobiographical—I think they are. Sonnet 144 is the clearest about Shakespeare having romantic interest in both a man and a woman. It starts with these lines:

Two loves I have of comfort and despair,
Which like two spirits do suggest me still;
The better angel is a man right fair,
The worser spirit a woman color'd ill.

There are 154 of these love poems, 28 addressed to a "dark lady" and the other 126 addressed to "a man right fair."

Some of the most famous lines of Shakespeare, like this opening to Sonnet 18,

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate;

were lines he wrote to this guy he loved.

Mr. W.H. (Key 3)

The identity of the guy Shakespeare loved isn't known. The Sonnets, when they were published, were dedicated to a "Mr. W.H." and historians don't agree on who that was. But it's fascinating (and empowering) to know the Bard of Avon was a guy who was Bi.

Queer Pride!

Queer History really is Everywhere.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you. Stay safe,
Lee

Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok - 2 Keys to Unlock Their Hidden Love Story in the TikTok Video

When I was a kid, I loved studying the Al Hirschfeld drawings of Broadway celebrities for the hidden "Nina"s - the number by his signature let you know how many times he'd tucked his daughter's name in the line drawings that so artfully captured the personalities of these actors.

With a nod of appreciation to Hirschfeld, I've tucked two keys into this week's TikTokVideo that's all about celebrating the love between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok. Watch for the keys, and then scroll below to unlock the hidden stories behind each...

@leewind Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok! ##queerhistoryiseverywhere ##queer ##historybuff ##lesbian ##bisexual ##lgbt ##pride ##love ##gaypride ##lgbtpride ##lgbtq
♬ Physical - Dua Lipa

The first key is the ring:

Lorena gave Eleanor a diamond and sapphire ring as a gift for Christmas in 1932. In a letter to Lorena from the White House on March 7, 1933, Eleanor wrote:

"Your ring is a great comfort. I look at it & think she does love me, or I wouldn't be wearing it!"

The second key is "Mrs. Doaks":

Mrs. Doaks is the codename both Eleanor and Lorena had come up with for Eleanor—if she were not the First Lady of the United States, not married to the President, not world-famous. If she were just Eleanor, and Lorena was just Lorena, and they could be together without the external world getting in their way.

Hope you enjoyed playing along!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you. Stay safe,
Lee

Source for the stories behind both keys: Roger Streitmatter, Ed., Empty Without You: The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok (New York: The Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 1998), 20, footnote 17, and 119-222.

My First TikTok Video Celebrates the Love Between Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Fry Speed!

Hi Everyone,

First, I hope you and yours are well.

Second, I'm excited to share this!

@leewind What if you knew a secret from history that could change the world? Abraham Lincoln & Joshua Fry Spped! ##queer ##historybuff
♬ Boys - Lizzo

Of course, if you're curious about Abraham and Joshua, and all the historical evidence that they were in love, you can check out my award-winning YA novel, Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill.

It's all about a teen today discovering this secret from history... and deciding to use it to change the world. It's available in eBook and digital audio, as well as print editions.

Stay Safe,
Lee

p.s. Giant thanks to my husband and our teen daughter for their help pulling this off!