Hello lovely Prism readers, and welcome back to another article about LGBTQ+ Art. With the release of Hogwarts Legacy and the controversy involvng JK Rowling in regards to the trans community, we'll be discussing some more community-friendly games.

We'll be starting with Wylde Flowers, a game nominated for GLAAD's Oustanding Video Game award, and a win for inclusivity in the Apple Awards 2022. On top of this, they had multiple wins and nominations for other awards and plenty of wonderful reviews. In this game, you're playing as Tara, who's recently moved to Fairhaven, and you can meet the wide variety of people that live here, including Kim, whose pronouns are they/them. It's classified as a farming simulator with 35-60+ hours of gameplay.

Another nominee for the Outstanding Video Game Award is I was a Teenage Exocolonist, in which you can create an extremely customised character. Right away, you can choose your name, pronouns, and how your appearance will change. You're even able to choose whether your characters will have periods or not. There are romance options which all have their own interests and skills. The game also includes a transgender character who uses augmentation to transition. It's been jokingly called the "blue hair and pronouns" game, even by its developers.

A third nominee within this category was Tiny Tina's Wonderland, created by company 2K games which created the very diverse world of Borderlands, which gives us the character Maya - one of the few asexual characters in games. The story within Tiny Tina's Wonderland is about a group of friends that gathered for a session of tabletop RPGs. It's been described as being unapologetically queer, and one of the reviews I've read said it's been refreshing to see queer stories that are simply fun rather than traumatic. This game is also multiplayer and can be played with up to 3 other people.

Moving on, we're talking about Night in the Woods, in which you play a young cat freshly dropped out of college named Mae Borowski. Developers have confirmed that this character is meant to be pansexual. Within the game, you'll meet Angus the bear and Gregg the fox, both your friends who just happen to be dating each other. There's also the ungendered Forest God, as well as the confirmed trans character Jackie. Mental health is a very important topic throughout this game, in which exploration, story, and character are very important.

That's it for this issue's article, and I hope you have fun if you decide to check out any of these games! Come back next month to see what art we'll be discussing for you then.

Welcome to another positive and inspiring issue of Lovely Luminaries. Today, we will be covering things that are helpful and joyful moments for the LGBTQ+ community. While these events may be good, please tread lightly as the topics may be triggering to some.

While many countries still criminalise homosexual relations between consenting adults, Cambodia is taking steps to integrate the LGBTQ+ community. This will give people more rights to protect themselves against violence and discrimination in their country.
Adopting anti-discrimination legislation will give the Cambodian people the opportunity to live in freedom and equality as their cis-gender peers do. Or so we hope.

England and Wales are currently attempting to ban all forms of conversion therapy. This now includes transgender conversion therapy after previously saying it would not. This new bill will ban any practices trying to change someone's sexuality or gender identity. For years, many mental health groups have stated that the therapy was unethical and harmful to many patients that have undergone the practice. Unfortunately, we are still in the earlier stages of this bill being passed. It still has to go through pre-legislative scrutiny. We hope this bill does pass, as it is long overdue and greatly needed. Including transgender conversion therapy was a small step in the right direction, but there are more steps that need to follow if this is passed.

In South Korea, a gay couple has sued the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). The appeals court has ruled in their favor! This is a historic event as it is the first time a same-sex marriage has been recognized in the country. The lawsuit began in 2021 after the NHIS refused them spousal coverage. A lower court sided with the issuer before this was taken to the Court of Appeals on Tuesday, February 21st. The appeals court stated that spousal health insurance coverage is not just for families, as is defined by law, and that denying coverage to same-sex couples constitutes discrimination. Unfortunately, South Korea does not recognize same-sex marriages, but this ruling does give more rights to the LGBTQ+ community in South Korea and will open doors for more rights to the community in that country.

While these are all small moves in the right direction, even larger ones still need to be taken. Until next time, Luminaries, keep your head high and spirits higher!