The jacarandas are flowering. The bright purple flowers are a sign that Christmas is just around the corner. They are also a reminder of the many years of high school and university exams I endured during my teens and twenties.

It's a familiar chant at any rally for nearly any cause: “What do we want? [insert desired change here]! When do we want it? Now!”

Whatever closet you happen to find yourself in, good ol’ Society has created the public ritual to come out of it, hence the recent International Coming Out Day. I thought I’d go above and beyond and aim for a world record, because coming out just once in your life is borderline straight these days.

How schools deal with LGBTI issues has been in the news in two states.

Janet Jackson had Damita Jo while Beyoncé had Sasha Fierce. Here, Nicky Bryson takes her alter ego out of the closet and into the world. Move bitch.

Dear blaze readers, as the title of Denton Welch’s charming novel informs us ‘in youth is pleasure’; perhaps sometimes excessive pleasure, pleasure to the extent that it enters the ‘danger zone’.

I find it hard to believe that the first of the ‘modern' Adelaide Pride Marches was way back in 2003.

Fashion has always played an important role in the lives of lesbians. From women who dressed as men in order to have wives in Victorian England to give away nose rings today, fashion has been used by queer women to externalise their identities. But who cares about all that, sweetie darlings. Let’s make some lesbian fashion predictions for Spring/Summer 2012!

Politicians and leaders aside, oftentimes the worst enemies of satire are ourselves, writes Phil Scott.

Some context for Julia Gillard’s now world-famous parliamentary rounding on Tony Abbott seems to have been lost in the post-match analysis.

Science and homosexuality have a hideous history. Even the term ‘homosexual’ came out of the 19th century obsession for categorizing aberrant sexual behaviour. It was not a benign project. Homosexuality was considered a disease, and an incorrigible attraction to members of the same sex was classified as a psychiatric disorder until the 1970s. Aversion therapy. Electroshock treatments. Dark times.

Recent defeats of same-sex marriage bills in Tasmania as well as Federal Parliament hide how close equality actually is, writes Australian Marriage Equality national convener Rodney Croome.

There’s more to social media than just maintaining a Facebook profile. Indeed, it’s shaking the very foundations of human interaction and relationships, writes Garrett Bithell.

Excuse my rather flippant title for what is a genuinely serious debate on a social issue affecting thousands. But really, I can’t help giving a wry smile when I hear some of the comments made by certain people during the current phase of the same-sex marriage debate.

Dear blaze readers, it’s happening. Boomers are ‘hitting seniorhood’! How exciting is that?