98-458: The first campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role premiered on March 12, 2015; it consisted of 115 episodes and concluded on October 12, 2017. It followed Vox Machina, a party of seven to eight adventurers , in their travels across the continent of Tal'Dorei . Campaign one broadcast live each Thursday at 19:00 PT on Geek & Sundry 's Twitch channel, with
196-465: A débutante 's coming-out party . This is a celebration for a young upper-class woman who is making her début – her formal presentation to society – because she has reached adult age or has become eligible for marriage. As historian George Chauncey points out: Gay people in the pre-war years [pre-WWI] ... did not speak of coming out of what we call "the gay closet" but rather of coming out into what they called "homosexual society" or
294-472: A "little daunting" and that campaign one's "quality is noticeably lacking compared to future episodes which can be off-putting for those not already invested", while campaign two is "highly recommended for new Critters to watch, as it makes it easier to fall in love with the cast, which then makes it easier to go back and watch some of the lower-quality sessions of the first campaign". However, Emily Duncan of Tor.com suggested in 2021 that new viewers begin with
392-669: A "stony, moodily-lit backdrop". Campaign one was originally broadcast live on the Geek & Sundry Twitch and YouTube channels between March 12, 2015, and October 12, 2017, for a total of 115 episodes. Starting in November 2016, it was also broadcast live on the Alpha streaming service from Legendary Digital Networks . The show on Alpha had a unique overlay that included "real-time character sheets, damage and heal animations, and visualizations". Campaign one's closed captions were transcribed by
490-526: A choice. Further, elements that accompany a change in gender can have financial, physical, medical, and legal implications. Additionally, transgender individuals can experience prejudice and rejection from sexual minorities and others in the LGBT community, in addition to the larger LGBT bias they can face from mainstream culture, which can feel isolating. Asexual and aromantic people might experience different challenges when coming out that other individuals in
588-422: A coherent story. Campaigns in video games often incorporate cutscenes to tell the story, breaking up the game into alternating interactive and non-interactive sequences. In open world video games, campaigns usually consist of a series of linked quests that require players to travel to specific locations to continue the story. Players who dislike being forced to travel and complete specific quests may ignore
686-496: A dangerous beholder by the name of K'varn, who is controlling an entire city of Illithid . The Vasselheim story arc (7 episodes, 17–23) splits the party into two groups, who seek to prove their worth to the "Slayer's Take", a local adventurer's guild in the ancient city of Vasselheim, by taking on dangerous missions. This arc features multi-episode guest appearances by Felicia Day (Lyra), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Zahra), Wil Wheaton (Thorbir), and Will Friedle (Kashaw), adding
784-555: A desire to keep the core game session to three hours, while filling the dedicated time slot on Geek & Sundry. These segments later fell out of use in favor of longer play times and were edited out of the podcast versions of the episodes. In 2016, the show was nominated in the Streamy Awards for the "Gaming" category. Critical Role has been credited by VentureBeat as responsible for making actual play shows "their own genre of entertainment", and has since become one of
882-466: A fan group who submitted them to Geek & Sundry. Geek & Sundry then added these to the YouTube VODs . The VODs have since been uploaded to Critical Role 's own YouTube channel. A number of cast members were absent during episode 12, and so Mercer ran a Dungeon Master workshop rather than a session with Vox Machina. Further workshop and DM tip videos would be released by Geek & Sundry over
980-562: A lack of understanding over their existence. Asexual and aromantic people may face risks of sexual assault , coercion, or other pressures to conform to sexual or romantic behavior from their sexual or romantic partners or external to their relationships. They can also experience being rejected by a partner or love interest for being asexual or aromantic, which may make some asexual and aromantic people tentative to come out. A 2023 study co-authored by Yasmin Benoit found that asexual people in
1078-401: A linked series of quests designed to tell a complete story. A campaign in a tabletop role-playing game is characterized by the following: Campaigns with deep stories are typically found in single-player video games . Cooperative multiplayer video games may also have campaigns where players assist each other with a series of challenges or goals. Progressing through them together provides
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#17327976223631176-418: A list of sponsored charities. Several post-game segments were employed, particularly early on in the run. These included giveaways, Q&A sessions with the chat, and reading the names and messages of donors. Episode 11 featured a 45-minute dancing sequence after the game to celebrate reaching a subscription threshold. In the book The World of Critical Role , it was revealed that these dance segments came from
1274-425: A model. For example, some LGBT youth become aware of and accept their same-sex desires or gender identity at puberty in a way similar to which heterosexual teens become aware of their sexuality, i.e., free of any notion of difference, stigma or shame in terms of the gender of the people to whom they are attracted. Regardless of whether LGBT youth develop their identity based on a model, the typical age at which youth in
1372-471: A more polished show in subsequent campaigns and that "the first campaign feels like an epic tale told around the campfire at the end of a long day on the road. That's not to say that the more recent play style is particularly better or worse – it's simply different, and a viewer's enjoyment of one campaign over another will come down to personal preference. There are a lot of long hours at the table that are more worth skipping through than watching when it comes to
1470-540: A new boss, social worker, loan officer, landlord, doctor, erects new closets whose fraught and characteristic laws of optics and physics exact from at least gay people new surveys, new calculations, new draughts and requisitions of secrecy or disclosure. As Tony Adams demonstrates in Narrating the Closet , meeting new people makes for a new time to disclose one's sexuality. Observed annually on 11 October, by members of
1568-514: A new twist to the now-divided adventuring band. This arc also includes the first episode (episode 22) that touches on a character's backstory, as Keyleth visits another druid tribe to continue her Aramenté, a journey to become the leader of her people. The Briarwood story arc (15 episodes, 24–38) leads Vox Machina to Percy's ancestral home, the city of Whitestone, which was once ruled by his family. The party have to fight for control over Whitestone against Lord and Lady Briarwood, who are responsible for
1666-424: A newly revealed gender identity as a "phase" or making efforts to change their children back to "normal" by using mental health services to alter the child's gender identity . The internet can play a significant role in the coming out process for transgender people. Some come out in an online identity first, providing an opportunity to go through experiences virtually and safely before risking social sanctions in
1764-408: A pre-game segment in episode 5, later becoming a sporadic post-game segment through the first half of the show's run. Beginning in episode 3, fans would also order food such as pizza to be delivered to the studio; this would arrive mid-game and quickly became unmanageable so the studio set up a PO Box for non-perishables. From December 2015, Geek & Sundry instead encouraged generous fans to donate to
1862-520: A process for gay and lesbian identity development, e.g. Dank, 1971; Cass, 1984; Coleman, 1989; Troiden, 1989. Of these models, the most widely accepted is the Cass identity model established by Vivienne Cass. This model outlines six discrete stages transited by individuals who successfully come out: identity confusion, identity comparison, identity tolerance, identity acceptance, identity pride, and identity synthesis. However, not every LGBT person follows such
1960-399: A psychological process or journey; decision-making or risk-taking ; a strategy or plan; a mass or public event; a speech act and a matter of personal identity ; a rite of passage ; liberation or emancipation from oppression ; an ordeal ; a means toward feeling LGBT pride instead of shame and social stigma ; or a career-threatening act. Author Steven Seidman writes that "it
2058-460: A secret and separate from their outside appearance. This is not as simple as often thought, as Diana Fuss (1991) argues, "the problem of course with the inside/outside rhetoric ... is that such polemics disguise the fact that most of us are both inside and outside at the same time". Every coming out story is the person trying to come to terms with who they are and their sexual orientation. Several models have been created to describe coming out as
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#17327976223632156-539: A spell that will save the world, but at the cost of his plans to save the character played by his friend Liam O'Brien—who whispers 'I love you' in response to Riegel's 'I'm sorry'." In October 2023, Noelle Warner of CBR opined that "Scanlan's ninth-level counterspell is not only one of the best moments in Critical Role – it might be one of the best narrative moments in gaming, period. It's an instance of seemingly infinite complexity – somehow, one moment summarizes
2254-467: A step too far in terms of our need to be entertained. [...] The fact that these shows can average hundreds of thousands of views is probably lost on those who don't regularly watch TV online (re: older viewers)". Critics have emphasized the emotional story beats in the first campaign. Ryan Teitman, for Slate , wrote "sure, it's corny, but the actors sell their performances so well that you really begin to invest in their emotional arcs". Teitman highlighted
2352-440: A study in 2015 on positive and negative behavior performed during the coming out conversation. During his study, he learned that almost all of his participants would attribute negative behaviors only to themselves during the coming out conversations, and positive behaviors to the recipient of the conversation. Manning suggests further research into this to figure out a way for positive behaviors to be seen and performed equally by both
2450-411: A three-hour video almost entirely consisting of pals sitting around a table and acting out whimsical characters. Two years and 114 mammoth episodes later, their imagined adventures have spun off a comic book, an art book, and even a line of merchandise [...] – all in addition to inspiring countless works of fan-generated art, music, and literature". Academic Emily Friedman, in the book Roleplaying Games in
2548-406: Is a mixed metaphor that joins "coming out" with the closet metaphor: an evolution of " skeleton in the closet " specifically referring to living a life of denial and secrecy by concealing one's sexual orientation . The closet metaphor, in turn, is extended to the forces and pressures of heterosexist society and its institutions. When coming out is described as a gradual process or a journey, it
2646-435: Is a crime, coming out may constitute self-incrimination . These laws still exist in 75 countries worldwide, including Egypt, Iran, and Afghanistan. People who decide to come out as non-binary or transgender often face more varied and different issues from a legal standpoint. Worldwide, legally changing your documented gender or name based on your identity is often prohibited or extremely difficult. A major negative effect of
2744-556: Is a massive task, and one that is difficult to compare to other linear storytelling forms". Jevon Phillips, for the Los Angeles Times in 2017, wrote that Critical Role "is bare bones. Mercer guides the narrative action as dungeon master, and a group of players [...] sit at a table and play out scenarios – sometimes for more than four hours". Phillips also wrote that "combining the two – watching people onscreen (online or TV) who are playing role-playing games – would seem to go
2842-488: Is meant to include becoming aware of and acknowledging one's gender identity, gender expression, or non-hetero-normative sexual orientation or attraction. This preliminary stage, which involves soul-searching or a personal epiphany , is often called "coming out to oneself" and constitutes the start of self-acceptance . Many LGBT people say that this stage began for them during adolescence or childhood , when they first became aware of their sexual orientation toward members of
2940-509: Is needed to assess whether these results generalize to a larger sample, these recent findings open the door to the possibility that gay men's online experiences may differ from those of heterosexuals in that these may be more likely to provide mental health benefits than consequences. Transgender people vary greatly in choosing when, whether, and how to disclose their transgender status to family, close friends, and others. The prevalence of discrimination and violence against transgender people (in
3038-550: Is reasonable to describe [Ulrichs] as the first gay person to publicly out himself." In early 20th-century Germany, "coming out" was called "self-denunciation" and entailed serious legal and reputational risks. In his 1906 work, Das Sexualleben unserer Zeit in seinen Beziehungen zur modernen Kultur (The sexual life of our time in its relation to modern civilization), Iwan Bloch , a German-Jewish physician, entreated elderly homosexuals to self-disclose to their family members and acquaintances. In 1914, Magnus Hirschfeld revisited
Critical Role campaign one - Misplaced Pages Continue
3136-536: Is related to poorer mental health, physical health, and relationship functioning. For example, it has been found that same-sex couples who have not come out are not as satisfied in their relationships as same-sex couples who have. Findings from another study indicate that the fewer people who know about a lesbian's sexual orientation, the more anxiety, less positive affectivity, and lower self-esteem she has. Further, Gay.com states that closeted individuals are reported to be at increased risk for suicide . Depending on
3234-694: Is starting at episode 24, which is the beginning of the Briarwood arc when the group ends up in a revenge quest for Percy, taking on a vampire power couple who murdered his family. Starting here skips over the first two arcs, The Mines of Kraghammer and the Adventures in Vasselheim (also called the Trial of the Take), but everyone at the table is more comfortable and the energy of the group is more vibrant after
3332-496: Is that following the story requires a substantial commitment on the part of the viewer. Episodes of Critical Role often last multiple hours, or may even be split into multiple parts. Chris DeVille, for The Verge in 2017, stated Critical Role is "arguably the most popular and influential D&D liveplay series" and that "the YouTube archive of Critical Role 's first episode has accumulated more than 5 million views – this for
3430-426: Is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individual's life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America". Coming out of the closet is the source of other gay slang expressions related to voluntary disclosure or lack thereof. LGBT people who have already revealed or no longer conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity are out of
3528-499: The Los Angeles Review of Books , commented that Critical Role 's "maximalist" production design allows the viewer to watch all players at once which can create "unexpectedly moving moments". Friedman highlighted one such moment towards the end of the campaign: "As other players take their turns in heated combat, we can also see, in one corner, Sam Riegel's puckish face collapse in grief as he realizes his character can cast
3626-454: The in medias res transition from Critical Role's home-game. Chuen included the caveat that "the first campaign is still a great place to start, though, especially because it's a big part of why the show is so well-known now". She also recommended the animated series which adapts the campaign "for those that are even more pressed for time or simply don't want to take in a hundred episodes of old content". Warner viewed Critical Role as becoming
3724-739: The Greek Basketball League and Kinder Bologna of the Italian Basketball League ), came out in February 2007 on ESPN 's Outside the Lines program. He also wrote a memoir, Man in the Middle , published by ESPN Books , which explores his professional and personal life as a closeted basketball player. He was the first NBA player (former or current) to come out. In 2008, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham became
3822-562: The LGBT communities and their allies , National Coming Out Day is an international civil awareness day for coming out and discussing LGBT issues among the general populace in an effort to give a familiar face to the LGBT rights movement . This day inspired the United States government to recognize October as LGBT History Month . The day was founded in 1988, by Robert Eichberg, his partner William Gamble, and Jean O'Leary to celebrate
3920-721: The Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights one year earlier, in which 500,000 people marched on Washington, DC , to promote gay and lesbian equality. In the United States, the Human Rights Campaign manages the event under the National Coming Out Project, offering resources to LGBT individuals, couples, parents, and children, as well as straight friends and relatives, to promote awareness of LGBT families living honest and open lives. Candace Gingrich became
4018-520: The open secret of a public figure widely thought to be LGBT even though the person has not officially come out. Between 1864 and 1869, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs wrote a series of pamphlets – as well as giving a lecture to the Association of German Jurists in 1867 – advocating decriminalization of sex acts between men, in which he was candid about his own homosexuality. Historian Robert Beachy has said of him, "I think it
Critical Role campaign one - Misplaced Pages Continue
4116-692: The video on demand (VOD) being available to Twitch subscribers immediately after the broadcast. On the Monday following the live stream, the VODs were made available for the public on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel. For the first 27 episodes Campaign 1 had nine cast members: eight players and a Dungeon Master. This became eight from episode 28 to the conclusion of the campaign with episode 115. In total, 13 guest players appeared in Campaign 1. Additionally,
4214-415: The "gay world", a world neither so small, nor so isolated, nor, often, so hidden as "closet" implies. In fact, as Elizabeth Kennedy observes, "using the term 'closet' to refer to" previous times such as "the 1920s and 1930s might be anachronistic ". An article on coming out in the online encyclopedia glbtq.com states that sexologist Evelyn Hooker 's observations introduced the use of "coming out" to
4312-409: The "light of illumination" reveals a true (or essential) identity. Nonetheless, Butler is willing to appear at events as a lesbian and maintains that "it is possible to argue that ... there remains a political imperative to use these necessary errors or category mistakes ... to rally and represent an oppressed political constituency". Diana Fuss (1991) explains, "the problem of course with
4410-531: The 1960s, Frank Kameny came to the forefront of the struggle. Having been fired from his job as an astronomer for the Army Map service in 1957 for homosexual behavior, because it was considered to make people vulnerable to blackmail pressure and endanger secure positions, Kameny refused to go quietly. He openly fought his dismissal, eventually appealing it to the US Supreme Court . As a vocal leader of
4508-534: The Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom (2021), highlighted the length of the first campaign – "447 hours, 39 minutes" – which "outstrips the entire runs of long-running livestreams like Dice, Camera, Action (141 episodes and roughly 266 hours) and the first campaign of the prerecorded podcast The Adventure Zone (69 episodes, roughly 103 hours)". She commented that "for new viewers, 'catching up' on Critical Role
4606-479: The Dwendalian Empire on the continent of Wildemount. It also features Taryon's coming out story. During this arc, which is loosely defined by Scanlan's absence and Taryon's presence in the party, Pike's family also makes an appearance and her relationship with them is explored. The arc includes a one-year time skip between episodes 94 and 95. The Cult of Vecna story arc (16 episodes, 100–115) revisits
4704-620: The LGBT community may not face. The 2018 National LGBT Survey in the United Kingdom found that only 17 percent of asexuals received positive responses when coming out, in comparison to over 40 percent for other LGBT people. A 2016 study found that asexual individuals commonly experienced skepticism and misunderstanding over the existence of their identity when coming out as asexual. A 2024 review by Michael Paramo noted that asexual and aromantic people are commonly tasked with educating people about their identities when coming out because of
4802-423: The LGBT individual may not always enjoy positive effects from the decision. For example, teens who had parents who rejected them when they came out showed more drug use, depression, suicide attempts, and risky sexual behaviors later on as young adults. Some studies find that the health effects of coming out depend more on the reactions of parents than on the disclosure itself. A number of studies have been done on
4900-514: The UK were unlikely to reveal their identity within healthcare settings for fear of being pressured to conform to sexual behavior. Online role models may be helpful for asexual people when coming out because of a lack of representation surrounding asexuality. In areas of the world where homosexual acts are penalized or prohibited, gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people can suffer negative legal consequences for coming out. In particular, where homosexuality
4998-550: The United States come out has been dropping. High school students and even middle school students are coming out. Emerging research suggests that gay men from religious backgrounds are likely to come out online via Facebook and other social networks, such as blogs, as they offer a protective interpersonal distance. This largely contradicts the growing movement in social media research indicating that online use, particularly Facebook, can lead to negative mental health outcomes such as increased levels of anxiety. While further research
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#17327976223635096-439: The United States, for example, transgender people are 28 percent more likely to be victims of violence) can make coming out a risky decision. Fear of retaliatory behavior, such as being removed from the parental home while underage, is a reason for transgender people to delay coming out to their families until they have reached adulthood. Parental confusion and lack of acceptance of a transgender child may result in parents treating
5194-490: The VOD versions. The clips were eventually removed from the introduction in favour of a live-action opening sequence with the cast. The first of these featured the cast in costumes, much of which were owned by Jaffe for use at ren faires . The second live action opening featured more elaborate costumes and make-up. A segment informally referred to as "Critmas" featured cast members opening mail and gifts from fans. This originated as
5292-400: The academic community in the 1950s. The article continues by echoing Chauncey's observation that a subsequent shift in connotation occurred later on. The pre-1950s focus was on entrance into "a new world of hope and communal solidarity", whereas the post- Stonewall Riots overtone was an exit from the oppression of the closet. This change in focus suggests that "coming out of the closet "
5390-497: The attack of four ancient chromatic dragons on Emon, the capital of Tal'Dorei, with the Sovereign and other important political figures falling in the onslaught. The dragons take control over and divide the kingdom, and in order to defeat them, Vox Machina needs more power than they currently have. They search for the "Vestiges of Divergence", famed and extremely powerful magical items from ages passed, which are scattered throughout
5488-404: The cast. The format and production values evolved significantly over the course of the run. The initial set, nicknamed "Felicia's Bedroom" by the cast, had a number of issues. They were seated at three tables which were located far apart from one another, the cameras got in the way of the players' eyelines, and the audio quality was very poor. The show moved to another set early on, which featured
5586-418: The closet or simply out , i.e., openly LGBT. By contrast, LGBT people who have yet to come out or have opted not to do so are labelled as closeted or being in the closet . Outing is the deliberate or accidental disclosure of an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity by someone else, without the first individual's consent. By extension, outing oneself is self-disclosure. Glass closet refers to
5684-469: The closet there. In 1951, Donald Webster Cory published his landmark The Homosexual in America , saying, "Society has handed me a mask to wear ... Everywhere I go, at all times and before all sections of society, I pretend." Cory was a pseudonym, but his frank and openly subjective descriptions served as a stimulus to the emerging homosexual self-awareness and the nascent homophile movement . In
5782-409: The demise of most of the de Rolo family and have taken the city as their own. The Briarwood's ties into necromancy and a secret cult make things even more dangerous, and Vox Machina must stop them from completing a ritual that threatens to endanger the entire kingdom. During the early stages of this arc, Tiberius leaves Vox Machina for good. The Chroma Conclave story arc (46 episodes, 39–84) begins with
5880-517: The departure of Scanlan from the group, whose use of "spice" (an in-campaign illicit drug) and disagreements with the group culminate in an argument that shakes the party. While traveling to Ank'Harel on the continent of Marquet, Vox Machina meet Taryon Darrington, an inexperienced aspiring author and adventurer. Adventuring together with Taryon, some smaller story arcs see Vox Machina helping Keyleth (who seeks to complete her Aramenté), traveling to hell, as well as dealing with Taryon's family, who reside in
5978-454: The effect of people coming out to their parents. A 1989 report by Robinson et al. of parents of out gay and lesbian children in the United States found that 21 percent of fathers and 28 percent of mothers had suspected that their child was gay or lesbian, largely based on gender atypical behavior during childhood. The 1989 study found that two-thirds of parents reacted negatively. A 1995 study (that used young people's reactions) found that half of
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#17327976223636076-448: The emotional impact of a devastating city-wide attack: "in the midst of the chaos, they search the streets, desperately looking for beloved friends and allies. And in those moments, I forgot that I was watching D&D—I only saw the anguish on the faces of each of the actors as everything their characters had come to love came crashing down around them. I wondered how they could possibly deal with so much death and destruction". Friedman, for
6174-532: The end of his career. In 2013, American basketball player Jason Collins (a member of the Washington Wizards ) came out as gay, becoming the first active male professional athlete in a major North American team sport to publicly come out as gay. On 15 August 2013, WWE wrestler Darren Young came out, making him the first openly gay active professional wrestler. On 9 February 2014, former Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam came out as gay. He
6272-428: The first campaign because the viewer would know the exact time commitment compared to an ongoing campaign. Duncan also commented on the show's early production value – "the audio quality on the first twenty or so episodes is a little rough, and there's some expected awkwardness as the group takes something that had been personal and private into the public eye". Duncan highlighted: A popular consensus, and one I recommend,
6370-427: The first campaign, but the chaotic, often confused energy is something special when fans revisit the origins of Critical Role . The show's change in tone and structure feels even more poignant when fans consider the early episodes' ephemerality ". Campaign (role-playing games) A campaign is a continuing storyline in a game. In role-playing games , it is a set of adventures . In video games, it may be
6468-613: The first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic gold medal . He achieved this at the Beijing Olympics in the men's 10-meter platform event. The first Irish county GAA player to come out while still playing was hurler Dónal Óg Cusack in October 2009, in previews of his autobiography. Gareth Thomas , who played international rugby union and rugby league for Wales, came out in a Daily Mail interview in December 2009 near
6566-517: The following guest players appeared in episode 12, which featured a one-shot rather than a traditional Vox Machina episode: The Kraghammer story arc (16 episodes, 1–16) starts in medias res at the point in Vox Machina's story where the cast's original home game left off. It takes place primarily in the subterranean depths of the Underdark , and culminates in a battle between Vox Machina and
6664-621: The following years but unlike episode 12 these were not given numerical episode designations. An announcement segment was present through much of the run, usually with Mercer opening the show, followed by other announcements such as new merchandise or other projects from the cast. These would continue into the second campaign in a similar fashion. On occasion, guests would be present for the announcement segment, such as prop maker Kai Norman in episode 15. The opening and break sequences initially featured backstory videos about each player character- these used copyrighted artwork and had to be blurred out of
6762-509: The growing movement, Kameny argued for unapologetic public actions. The cornerstone of his conviction was that, "we must instill in the homosexual community a sense of worth to the individual homosexual", which could only be achieved through campaigns openly led by homosexuals themselves. With the spread of consciousness raising (CR) in the late 1960s, coming out became a key strategy of the gay liberation movement to raise political consciousness to counter heterosexism and homophobia . At
6860-399: The harm caused both to a closeted person and to society in general by being closeted. Because LGBT people have historically been marginalized as sexual minorities , coming out of the closet remains a challenge for most of the world's LGBT population and can lead to a backlash of heterosexist discrimination and homophobic violence . Studies have found that concealing sexual orientation
6958-530: The highest percentage of housing instability. Homelessness among LGBT youth also affects many areas of an individual's life, leading to higher rates of victimization, depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and participation in more illegal and dangerous activities. A 2016 study on homelessness pathways among Latino LGBT youth found that homelessness among LGBT individuals can also be attributed to structural issues such as systems of care, and sociocultural and economic factors. New data
7056-405: The incident. This further shows the barriers that trans individuals can have when coming out. Coming out as transgender can be more complex than coming out as a sexual minority. Visible changes that can occur as part of changing one's gender identity – such as wardrobe changes, hormone replacement therapy , and name changes – can make coming out to other people less of
7154-412: The inequality in regulations comes in the form of mental effects, as transgender people who have to legally announce a gender they do not identify with or their dead name can face uncomfortable situations and stress. In the early stages of the LGBT identity development process, people can feel confused and undergo turmoil. In 1993, Michelangelo Signorile wrote Queer in America , in which he explored
7252-409: The inside/outside rhetoric ... is that such polemics disguise the fact that most of us are both inside and outside at the same time". Further, "To be out, in common gay parlance, is precisely to be no longer out; to be out is to be finally outside of exteriority and all the exclusions and deprivations such outsiderhood imposes. Or, put another way, to be out is really to be in – inside
7350-685: The largest population of homeless youth; this has typically been caused by the reaction of others, especially parents, to self-identification and acknowledgment of being gay, or identifying with the LGBT community. About 20 to 30 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT. Native and Indigenous LGBTQ youth make up the largest population to suffer homelessness: 44 percent, compared to any other race. 55 percent of homeless LGBTQ and 67 percent of homeless transgender youth were forced out of their homes by their parents or ran away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Compared to transgender women and non-binary youth, transgender men have
7448-501: The lives of modern-day Americans for two reasons. However, when understood as an act of self-disclosure, coming out (like any self-disclosure) cannot be accomplished once, and for all. Eve Sedgwick writes in Epistemology of the Closet : the deadly elasticity of heterosexist presumption means that … people find new walls springing up around them even as they drowse: every encounter with a new classful of students, to say nothing of
7546-430: The main story. In this sense, campaigns are the game's main story, as opposed to side quests . Heavily scripted video games that force players to progress linearly through the story may be called " on rails ". Some published games have deliberately used different terms for the same concept. For instance, White Wolf uses the word Chronicle for its World of Darkness and Exalted games. The Lego Group simply uses
7644-546: The most prominent actual play series. By January 2021, the first episode of Campaign One had been watched 15 million times on YouTube. Both the show's length and high viewership have been emphasized by multiple critics. Ben Kuchera, for Polygon in 2016, wrote: According to Geek and Sundry the show has reached over 37 million minutes watched, with over one million minutes watched per episode on Twitch. The show's YouTube account has over 1.3 million subscribers, with over 10,000 paying subscribers on Twitch. What's even more surprising
7742-440: The mothers of gay or bisexual male college students "responded with disbelief, denial or negative comments", while fathers reacted slightly better. 18 percent of parents reacted "with acts of intolerance, attempts to convert the child to heterosexuality, and verbal threats to cut off financial or emotional support". If rejected by their families, many LGBT youth can become homeless during the coming out process. LGBT youth are among
7840-464: The mysterious and dangerous artifact that was activated beneath Whitestone Castle during the Briarwood story arc. Scanlan finally rejoins Vox Machina, while the party now has to fight a cult which tries to summon the evil lich demigod Vecna, who seeks to ascend to true godhood and rule Exandria. His ascension actually succeeds and he becomes the only god on this side of the Divine Gate, which keeps
7938-462: The other gods from directly interfering in the world they created. With the indirect help of some of the prime deities who aid them with special powers, Vox Machina are the only group of heroes who can possibly stop the "Whispered One" in one gigantic final battle. After the conclusion of the primary campaign, several one-shots have taken place using Vox Machina. These include "The Search for Grog" and "The Search for Bob", which portray an adventure on
8036-497: The plane of Pandemonium which was only briefly summarized toward the end of the final episode. Additionally, the "Dalen's Closet" one-shot portrayed the wedding vow renewal of Vex'ahlia and Percy one year later. The Vox Machina campaign originated as the home-game of the cast, which started in 2012. While the adventures prior to the Kraghammer arc in 2015 were not formally recorded, some shorter recordings have been released by
8134-412: The real world. But, while many trans people find support online that they may not have in real life, others encounter bullying and harassment. According to a study published by Blumenfeld and Cooper in 2012, youth who identify as LGBT are 22 percent less likely to report online bullying because they may have parents who do not believe or understand them, or they fear having to come out in order to explain
8232-478: The realm of the visible, the speakable, the culturally intelligible." In other words, coming out constructs the closet it supposedly destroys and the self it supposedly reveals, "the first appearance of the homosexual as a 'species' rather than a 'temporary aberration' also marks the moment of the homosexual's disappearance – into the closet". Furthermore, Seidman, Meeks, and Traschen (1999) argue that "the closet" may be becoming an antiquated metaphor in
8330-424: The recipient and the individual coming out. The closet narrative sets up an implicit dualism between being "in" or being "out", wherein those who are "in" are often stigmatized as living false, unhappy lives. Likewise, philosopher and critical analyst Judith Butler (1991) states that the in/out metaphor creates a binary opposition which pretends that the closet is dark, marginal, and false, and that being out in
8428-706: The relational bond between parents and children, a child coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender can be positive or negative. Strong, loving relationships between children and their parents may be strengthened but if a relationship is already strained, those relationships may be further damaged or destroyed by the child coming out. If people coming out are accepted by their parents, it allows open discussions of dating and relationships and enables parents to help their children with coping with discrimination and to make healthier decisions regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases . Because parents, families, and close others can also reject someone coming out,
8526-464: The relationships between Vox Machina, the players themselves, and themes of heroism, sacrifice, and found family. Suddenly, two men are crying at the table, and the magic of Dungeons & Dragons , tabletop games, and games as a whole is laid bare". On where to start the Critical Role series, critics are divided between Campaign One and Campaign Two. Alexandria Turney, for Screen Rant in 2020, highlighted that starting Critical Role at all can be
8624-489: The removal of a player who caused some tension within the first two arcs. Because the campaign already drops you randomly at the beginning of a quest point, it's easy to just start a little later on and pick up quickly enough on what has happened previously. Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen, also for CBR in 2023, similarly highlighted skipping the early episodes of Campaign One and jumping to the Briarwood arc since it can be "a little boring or off-putting" due to poor production quality and
8722-418: The same sex. Coming out has also been described as a process because of a recurring need or desire to come out in new situations in which LGBT people are assumed to be heterosexual or cisgender , such as at a new job or with new acquaintances. A major frame of reference for those coming out has included using an inside/outside perspective, where some assume that the person can keep their identity or orientation
8820-456: The same time and continuing into the 1980s, gay and lesbian social support discussion groups, some of which were called "coming-out groups", focused on sharing coming-out "stories" (accounts) with the goal of reducing isolation and increasing LGBT visibility and pride . The present-day expression "coming out" is understood to have originated in the early 20th century from an analogy that likens homosexuals' introduction into gay subculture to
8918-804: The spokesperson for the day in April 1995. Although still named " National Coming Out Day", this day is observed in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland also on 11 October, and in the United Kingdom on 12 October. To celebrate National Coming Out Day on 11 October 2002, Human Rights Campaign released an album bearing the same title as that year's theme: Being Out Rocks . Participating artists include Kevin Aviance , Janis Ian , k.d. lang , Cyndi Lauper , Sarah McLachlan , and Rufus Wainwright . The first US professional team-sport athlete to come out
9016-454: The topic in his major work The Homosexuality of Men and Women , discussing the social and legal potential of several thousand homosexual men and women of rank revealing their sexual orientation to the police in order to influence legislators and public opinion. Hirschfeld did not support 'self-denunciation' and dismissed the possibilities of a political movement based on open homosexuals. The first prominent American to reveal his homosexuality
9114-523: The word Story for its Lego video games . Coming out Coming out of the closet , often shortened to coming out , is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation , romantic orientation , or gender identity . This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, because the consequences may be very different for different individuals, some of whom may have their job security or personal security threatened by such disclosure. The act may be viewed as
9212-595: The world. During the ongoing battles against the powerful dragons of the Chroma Conclave, the backstories of some characters are also further explored. Smaller arcs focus on Grog's herd that once exiled him, the last figure from Percy's traumatic past, as well as a strained family reunion for the twins, Vex and Vax. Episodes in this arc are broken up into 3 parts (39-56, 57–69, 70–84) based on Geek & Sundry's change of colour in thumbnails on YouTube. The Taryon Darrington story arc (15 episodes, 85–99) begins with
9310-620: Was David Kopay , a former NFL running back who had played for five teams ( San Francisco , Detroit , Washington , New Orleans and Green Bay ) between 1964 and 1972. He came out in 1975 in an interview in the Washington Star . The first professional athlete to come out while still playing was Czech-American tennis player Martina Navratilova , who came out as a lesbian during an interview with The New York Times in 1981. English footballer Justin Fashanu came out in 1990 and
9408-639: Was collected by Amit Paley, the CEO and executive director of the Trevor Project, in regards to how the COVID-19 pandemic affected LGBTQ youth. The 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health shows that COVID-19 had made 80 percent of the LGBTQ youth housing situation much more stressful due to economic struggles, initially affecting their ability to have safe and secure housing. Jimmie Manning performed
9506-545: Was subject to homophobic taunts from spectators, opponents and teammates for the rest of his career. In 1995 while at the peak of his playing career, Ian Roberts became the first high-profile Australian sports person and first rugby footballer in the world to come out as gay. John Amaechi , who played in the NBA with the Utah Jazz , Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers (as well as internationally with Panathinaikos BC of
9604-595: Was the poet Robert Duncan . In 1944, using his own name in the anarchist magazine Politics , he wrote that homosexuals were an oppressed minority. The decidedly clandestine Mattachine Society , founded by Harry Hay and other veterans of the Wallace for President campaign in Los Angeles in 1950, moved into the public eye after Hal Call took over the group in San Francisco in 1953. Many gays emerged from
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