336 posts tagged with trans.
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Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth Is Neither New nor Experimental
Julia Serano compiles over two decades of academic research on gender affirming care for trans youth and summarizes it into a brief, compelling fifteen minute essay with pages and pages of sources. For those who don't know her, Julia Serano is a transgender woman, the author of Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity and activist for LGBTQ causes.
“We have enough. We can take care of people. We just choose not to.”
Infiltrating a Bay Area anti-trans meeting is hardly standard fare for a restaurant critic, but Soleil Ho isn’t your average food writer.
How Writer Soleil Ho Reimagined Restaurant Criticism [more inside]
"no one knows what to do ... this is just how things work now"
Two short, wrenching stories published this year that reflect what it's like to live in this century. "Rachel Is at a Protest" by Esther Alter: content notes for the Holocaust, Gaza, kink, bad dreams that seem to stop being dreams, and a battle against despair. "A Shape that Has No Name" by Monica Wendel: COVID in 2020, a messy painful relationship, prison, and (a spoiler in comments), and what lives one can save, despite everything. These stories closely observe pain, though they don't end with it; take care of yourself and avoid or stop reading if you need to.
“Wait, we don’t want a song by the drummer!”
The History of Red Hot, the Pioneering Social Change Organization, in 8 Great Songs Ahead of Transa, a new project for trans charities featuring Sade and André 3000, Red Hot founder John Carlin talks about wrangling Nirvana through Kurt Cobain’s babysitter and accidentally releasing the first-ever Wilco song.
"I can feel the pinch. Something pointed that should be round."
Two very different short stories about romantic relationships and change. "The Manifesto" by Ilse Eskelsen, published in Lunch Ticket Summer/Fall 2024: "Elizabeth sucked her bottom lip. She sprinkled cheese over another pizza. Eventually, she asked, 'How do you make guys think you’re smart?'" A girl reads The Communist Manifesto to impress a boy; it works, at first. "Transmogrification" by R.M. Pérez-Padilla, fantasy, published in July 2024 in The Future Fire: "It speaks to how freaked out I am that I told her about it at all." A trans person starts to notice changes in how other people look, especially when they're transphobic. (Content note: transphobic language/behavior, bodyhorror.) Interview with the author and the illustrator.
"A revelation that's as shocking as finding out water is wet"
(Trans)formation: The Story of Christine Jorgensen
She was literally the biggest story on the planet in 1952. Her story knocked the story of testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific off the front page. It blew Queen Elizabeth's coronation off the front page. A former GI, who knew from childhood that she was in the wrong body, went to Copenhagen and became Christine, who she really was all along. [more inside]
a rightward swing within girl culture online
On predatory marketing, girlblogging, and when anti-consumerist discourse becomes a vector for reactionary ideals. Within the broader context, however, phrases like a “personality ... built out of products” or “self esteem ... borrowed from surgeries” become incredibly loaded by framing transness – particularly trans femininity– as manufactured, inauthentic, a frivolous costume to put on. See also fascist girlbloggers. [more inside]
There is a gendered side for buttons on clothing
A transgender woman examines “the trans episode” of the Nikolodeon live action show Danger Force. [more inside]
... but I'm not sure if I *really* have gender dysphoria?
That's Gender Dysphoria This experience of discontinuity between the societal presumed gender and the internal sense of self is what we describe as Gender Dysphoria, and is common among nearly all trans individuals, regardless of their position within or outside of the gender binary. This has at times been something of a political topic within trans communities, as different groups have their own ideas of what Gender Dysphoria is, how it manifests itself, and what qualifies a person as being trans. [more inside]
"half-remembered and half-created, neither real nor ideal"
Andrew was convinced the writer had been trans. By this point his friends were tired of hearing about it, but he had no one else to tell besides the internet, and he was too smart for that. That would be asking for it. B. Pladek's new short fantasy story "The Spindle of Necessity" (published in the May 20th, 2024 issue of Strange Horizons) is a captivating, closely-observed story of longing, literary connection, insecurity, queer community, and how we make use of the past. I think this will resonate with a lot of readers who wrestle with questions about representation and what used to be called #OwnVoices in fiction, and mixed feelings about art we love. [more inside]
Robbi Mecus, Who Fostered L.G.B.T.Q. Climbing Community, Dies at 52
A New York State forest ranger who worked in the Adirondacks, she died after falling about 1,000 feet from a peak at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. (SLNYT gift link) [more inside]
“Are you a gay Republican or a Republican gay?”
Interviews with the author of Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right, Neil J. Young, on the podcast Conspirituality & at the Culture Study newsletter: The handful of lesbian Republicans contended that supporting reproductive freedom was consistent with gay Republicans’ belief in personal autonomy and limited government, “when we say the government should stay out of our wallets and out of our bedrooms, this is what that means!” However, even though a slight majority of Log Cabin members consistently called themselves pro-choice, more didn’t want the organization to take a public position because they thought that abortion wasn’t a “gay issue.” [more inside]
Selbstbestimmungsgesetz
Landmark Vote for Trans Rights Law (Human Rights Watch) – "Germany’s parliament on April 12, 2024, passed a landmark law that allows transgender and non-binary people to modify their legal documents to reflect their gender identity through an administrative procedure based on self-identification …" [more inside]
... will shock you
a webcomic by max graves. tumblr softboy cancelled for involvement in "heavenly creatures" style murder. darkly hilarious exploration of internet fame, isolation, transness and trauma. goes deep into various kinds of internet damage. really can't recommend this enough. [more inside]
What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?
Orville Peck & Willie Nelson - Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other (slyt) [more inside]
The Matrix Has You
In the film, one of the representatives of the AI, the villainous Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving, tells Morpheus that the false reality of the Matrix is set in 1999 because that year was “the peak of your civilization. I say your civilization, because as soon as we started thinking for you it really became our civilization.” Indeed, not long after “The Matrix” premiered, humanity hooked itself up to a matrix of its own. There is no denying that our lives have become better in many ways thanks to the internet and smartphones. But the epidemic of loneliness and depression that has swept society reveals that many of us are now walled off from one another in vats of our own making.25 Years Later, We’re All Trapped in ‘The Matrix’ [more inside]
Blue Beat Baby: The Untold Story of Brigitte
Who was the woman who inspired ska's ubiquitous Beat Girl logo? Joanna Wallace found a picture of the woman who inspired Hunt Emerson's iconic logo, and it led her to start digging into the history and career of Brigitte Bond. [more inside]
How to support trans girl scouts
Did you know that for a long time, Girl Scouts has openly included transgender and nonbinary individuals in its membership? I first learned of this three years ago while searching for a source for my annual Girl Scout cookie purchase. At that time, a wave of anti-trans sentiment was intensifying, prompting me to seek out transgender Girl Scouts from whom to order. One major benefit of their online ordering system is that it allows for trans girl scouts to sell their cookies with relative privacy and no contact between the scout and the purchaser when it comes to online orders. ... the kids are under attack this year more than ever, so let's give them some joy. Erin Reed on where to get your cookies.
2024 Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map
I have tracked anti-transgender legislation for 3 years @erininthemorn on Twitter and TikTok. Every day, I’ve gotten messages from worried people wondering how they are supposed to assess their risk of staying in their home state. The messages range from parents of trans youth wondering if their children will be taken from them to trans teachers wondering if their jobs will be safe in coming years. Sometimes people just want to know if there is a safer state they can move to nearby. Writer and trans activist Erin Reed has mapped the United States from the perspective of safety for trans individuals. [more inside]
The Transgender Family Handbook
There is plenty of rhetoric out there that might encourage a parent to question their child in this moment that’s designed to scare them into inaction or, worse, outright rejection. There is less guidance for those who choose to believe their children. This is a handbook for the trans-affirming family; it presumes you love your child and want what’s best for them. And while it’s their journey alone, you have the opportunity, and obligation, to help them to become who they are.
"I had a bag with me with my boy clothes so I was dressed in girl mode"
Eddie Izzard talks about growing up trans and coming out in the 80s at the 2022 Utah Equality Allies Gala.
16 years as a professional maintenance technician
MSIOTHM (Mercury Stardust Is Our Trans Handy Ma'am) on TikTok: Need to find a wall stud? No problem!
Plugged up tub drain? She's here for you. Podcast: Handy Ma'am Hotline. And Instagram.
This Is What Transgender Eradication Looks Like
Trans teachers fired. Trans inmates detransitioned. Adult care banned. Allies killed. We are entering into a new phase of anti-trans politics, and eradication is the goal. [more inside]
Bernadette's true voice
Transportation journalist, radio personality and voice-over artist Bernie Wagenblast has been the iconic voice of the New York City transit system for over a decade. Last fall, at the age of 66, she presented herself publicly as a transgender woman.
Why is the NY Times seemingly so Anti-Trans?
Imara Jones and the Translash Podcast capture the story of a trans former NYT staffer. "Hunter" joined the New York Times and thought they found their journalistic home. This podcast, part of a series on the Anti-Trans Hate Machine series, captures how the paper of record seems to have made a deliberate choice to actively court right-wing voices, especially those who peddle disinformation about trans people, which came to a head in April.
Meet the New (Transphobic) Boss. Same as the Old (Homophobic) Boss
Shaun, YouTube lefty and agitator, presents his 2 hour treatise on Kellie-Jay Keen (AKA Posie Parker) a noted anti-feminist and transphobe. CW: transphobia (obviously), misogyny, homophobia, Nazis (both neo and classic), hate speech, etc. [more inside]
“Renton says it’s a miracle that he made it out of adolescence alive.”
He’s The Trans Son Of An Anti-Trans Influencer. It’s His Turn To Speak. A long article by Christopher Mathias about Renton Sinclair. [CW: attempted suicide, conversion therapy]
I Am A Transwoman. I Am In The Closet. I Am Not Coming Out.
Because it turns out transition isn’t the answer for everyone — to suggest otherwise is narrow-minded and proscriptive. I am nine years old. I am learning the rules, and I am learning that boys liking girl things is a very high stakes issue. I am learning that adults react the same way to my interest in makeup as they do to my interest in matches and lighters.
As if maybe, by being what I am, I might burn down something very important to them. Something that makes their life more comfortable and easy. [more inside]
What is gender-affirming care?
"So what is gender-affirming care, exactly? And why is it important? The 19th spoke with health care professionals who provide gender-affirming care to adults and adolescents — as well as trans young adults who were comfortable sharing their experiences — to answer those questions."
In the ring, vulnerability is everything
Wrestling turned me cis, then it turned me trans by Abraham Josephine Riesman [Polygon] “Wrestling is built around masculinity, but in its own way it is also transgressive — even queer. Men in wrestling wear bright colors. They intimately touch other men in public. When they’re allied, they speak of each other in the warm terms of life partners; when they’re at odds, they issue ambiguously sexual threats such as “I want your ass.” Most importantly, they show pain. The essential, irreducible element of a wrestling match is the ability to show suffering — the very thing drummed out of every boy by high school, if not earlier. It’s the heart of the art form. No matter how skilled a wrestler is technically, it doesn’t count at all unless they can make the audience believe they’re being hurt. Every wrestler has to spend a significant amount of every match showing nothing but raw, visceral agony. They have to show their secret face, the most vulnerable one of all. Wrestling is an art form, one that turned out to have also planted seeds in my mind about how fun it is to dress up, show tenderness, be vulnerable, and do the things you’re not supposed to.”
Living sound forever: The genius of Wendy Carlos
The Transfemme Field Guide
Be Yourself, Regardless: The Transfemme Field Guide by Leadhead (ft. TransVoiceLessons, Jessie Gender and AdequateEmily). Text version
Can I Offer You An Egg In This Trying Time?
On the memetic rhetoric of transgender coming-out comics... but a lot more readable than the subtitle makes it seem like it will be. [more inside]
Trans people were always here
🏳️⚧️ Happy Trans Day of Visibility! 🏳️⚧️
For many, Link is gay or trans or both, and that’s a powerful thing
Link is a gay icon, and Zelda fans know it [Polygon] “The Legend of Zelda’s beloved and iconic protagonist, Link, is tagged in more than 17,000 pieces of fanfiction on Archive of Our Own. Among those stories, more than 300 are tagged with “Trans Link,” and nearly 2,000 feature Link in a romantic relationship with Prince Sidon (or Ganondorf, for the enemies-to-lovers fans). AO3 may not be the only metric for how many Zelda fans interpret Link as gay and/or transgender, but it’s one of the biggest. This is no surprise, as fans have been speculating on Link’s gender and sexuality since at least 2009, though realistically he’s been on the minds of queer players since The Legend of Zelda was first released in Japan in 1986.” [more inside]
It can't rain all the time
Author Jordan Kurella writes about The Crow: Two movies released when I was eighteen years old. One was The Crow, and the other was Pulp Fiction. One changed my life; the other was by Quentin Tarantino. [more inside]
I can't wait for you to operate
The Forgotten History of the World's First Trans Clinic [ungated] - "The Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin would be a century old if it hadn't fallen victim to Nazi ideology." (Magnus Hirschfeld -- and Li Shiu Tong -- previously: 1,2,3,4) [more inside]
State lawmaker vows to filibuster all bills until GOP withdraws
Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh (D) on Thursday pledged to filibuster every bill on the state’s legislative agenda this session if two Republican-backed bills seeking to ban both abortion and gender-affirming health care for transgender youth are not immediately withdrawn. [...] “I have nothing, nothing but time,” Cavanaugh said, “and I am going to use all of it.” [more inside]
The natural destination of poor editorial judgment is the court of law.
"We write to you as a collective of New York Times contributors with serious concerns about editorial bias in the newspaper’s reporting on transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people." An open letter to the New York Times.
A plain old-fashioned newspaper crusade.
Why Is the New York Times So Obsessed With Trans Kids? A detailed, scathing editorial by Tom Scocca.
What if we just said: “Here we are, we don’t want to be harmed.”
Andrea Long Chu talks to gender studies and political science scholar Paisley Currah about trans rights, official definitions of gender and his new book Sex Is as Sex Does.
When Currah was on a NYC Dept of Health committee to figure out a new birth certificate policy, at one point the committee had agreed to define sex by gender identity. The city was like, “No, that won’t work for prisons,” or “Yes, it will work for homeless services,” or “It’ll kind of work for drug rehab but not for the facilities that are residential.” The city just cared about how sex was operationalized, what effect it would have on the government, and not the fact that sex as a biological concept is really messy.
When Currah was on a NYC Dept of Health committee to figure out a new birth certificate policy, at one point the committee had agreed to define sex by gender identity. The city was like, “No, that won’t work for prisons,” or “Yes, it will work for homeless services,” or “It’ll kind of work for drug rehab but not for the facilities that are residential.” The city just cared about how sex was operationalized, what effect it would have on the government, and not the fact that sex as a biological concept is really messy.
Quidditch rebrands as quadball and further distances itself from JKR
Fans of quidditch are now fans of quadball, the new name for the real-life sport that was first inspired by the Harry Potter book series.
U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch announced the name change on Tuesday as well as their own rebranding as U.S. Quadball and Major League Quadball. The groups announced their intention to find a new name for the sport in December, citing what they called anti-trans positions of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
"with this sign for beautiful, there is no objection"
Rogan Shannon is a queer deaf guy who makes YouTube videos about a lot of different topics. This video (turn captions on, it's silent) discusses the creation and evolution of signs for trans people and topics in ASL. It's a few years old and he's updated some of the terms in this video and gone a little more into some of the history of the ASL word for trans (blog post, video). This video by Britton, a non-binary trans person (no captions, read transcript below) talks about the use of the sign for trans within the trans Deaf community. Rogan has also made a video and blog post about queer signs in other countries.
The Gazebo: One of the Internet’s First Trans Safe Spaces
Gwendolyn Ann Smith remembers when you could almost fit the entire trans internet into a single (virtual) room. This was the early ’90s, when only a few million people worldwide were on the web. Even though users were sparse, the benefits of getting online for trans people were acute. For those who didn’t live near significant numbers of other trans people, or for those who were not yet out to their loved ones, finding refuge online was an especially vital lifeline that has only grown more powerful over time. The Gazebo was a 48-person chatroom, named in honor of Lauren D. Wilson, a trans woman who died by suicide, and who dreamed of precisely this kind of safe digital space.
“Jonah told me that he could talk to ghosts.”
Jonah disappeared in the early 2000s. When I say disappeared, I mean vanished: No sightings, no social media, no work history, no criminal record, no glimpses of him in the background of a party photo. His family went to great lengths to find him; they found nothing. I have been searching for the past five years, on and off; what I haven’t tried, they tried first.Rage USA is an essay by Jude Doyle about their high school friend who vanished, and what it’s like to live and grow up queer in the US, and is a part of their Twelve Genders, Full Moon Mixtape series.
Finding a Path in a Broken System
Thailand is a top destination for gender affirming surgery. Low costs are only the tip of the iceberg.
"Since the first operation in 1975, Thailand has gained a reputation as the global expert in this niche field: Foreigners made up 90% of GCS patients between 2010 and 2012. But what is driving this thriving industry in the country goes well beyond the comparatively low cost of care. Over a period of six months, I spoke to a group of trans women* to better understand why many would rather fly halfway across the world than receive GCS at home. Coming from the U.S., the U.K., Norway, Bulgaria, Israel, Canada, and Australia, and facing different personal and social circumstances, they were united in their conviction that their home countries had not presented them with good options and that they had to take matters into their own hands."This article goes into great depth regarding the gatekeeping, bureaucracy, and bigotry that many trans people who seek surgery often face, and how Thailand has long been a beacon of hope for many of these people. (CW for depression, suicide, graphic details of surgery)
Crip ecologies, crip time, crip ingenuity, crip spirit
"Crip ecologies, crip time, crip ingenuity, crip spirit radically aim to question root systems that keep our imaginations limited and starved. How can we channel joy within our own skins before there is the stethoscope, the specialist’s jackhammered interrogation, before all the stigma we battle? I am not asking to look beyond it, because these constraints in our beings are here and ever-present. I am asking, as poets, as curious people who want liberation, how do we revel in the grief and also the growth we experience? In what ways does this unpack how we are taught to perceive place and nature?...I cannot discuss just the maroon autumnal leaves of a forest in a poem. You see, for every invitation of publication, every event, in-person and virtual, every residency in the middle of oak trees, there’s a script I have to bring along with me. I am, by default, an unpaid teacher, training: Yes, Disabled and Sick people exist, do in fact care about poetry, but they can’t access the flyer without a description, can’t get to the building because of all the stairs, can’t witness the poetry because there are no ASL interpreters or captions." Kay Ulanday Barrett on poetry, accesabilty, disability & intersectionality.
You like my body the way it is
Backxwash is the performing name of Ashanti Mutinta, blending hip-hop with doom metal, avante-noise, pagan spirituality and trans representation. She discusses her latest album, 2021's 'I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES' in various interviews, and
has a fantastic half hour studio-live set presented by Audiotree. [more inside]