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I have to say that this unit has become my favorite from this semester. It had a definite focus on current events and how trans history ties into it, and it gave me such a good perspective on how to handle things recently and how to view it all. It has all been a lot to process, and this class gave me a lot of time to focus and reflect on topics I truly care for and about. What most is going to stick with me from this unit is how truly unified the LGBT community is becoming to support Trans individuals and their rights, and the impact it has on ALL of us. It is a scary time, with difficulties at every step and turn. We have to take precaution in how we deal and how it will impact others. 

Looking at this course overall, all I can say is thank you. I found so much support in all of you individually. And through learning, I found out these about myself personally that have allowed me to grow so much. I really hope to continue to see these courses in the future. Not just for myself, but for others. It is SO beneficial to have an open space to talk about issues that are important to you with like-minded people :)

I forgot what 

strong voices sounded like as

they crept underneath my pillow 

case and never

were given to the fae

My pillow grew cold and stone

and silent

and

I fell scared against the floor

where

there

they come

thank you pretty things

with strong voices

you brought them back from underneath

and you sprung the new 

onto me without fear

thank you for the tears we shed

that allowed hands to 

grow 

[cottagetwigs]

I don’t trust Cotton Eye Joe

[cottagetwigs]

Breaking the chains of trans discrimination and treatment in the prison system. We all know exactly how terribly the prison system of America treats minorities and people that show any difference that deters from the nuclear family dynamic. Reading the articles provided for this week really made me reflect on just how badly things have gotten, to the point that I’ve almost become numb to it. But I’ve become so sick of these treatments and of allowing these things to continue to happen. 

[cottagetwigs]

A house can be red, with a tin roof. Especially as a child, a home is the sunshine, bushes outside, and a little gravel road. It has nothing to do with the individual that lives there, it has all to do with human beings belonging in a home. It wasn’t complicated to me at that young age, it was simple as being a human. Now that I’m older, I still hold this belief but to a stronger opinion due to the oppression and injustice I’ve seen in those who are not homeowners. 

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[cottagetwigs]

💭 head in the clouds 💭

[cottagetwigs]

Just my ocs for Halloween tangie and chester🥰

#halloween #oc #originalcharacter

[cottagetwigs]

My vote is my voice My vote is essential My Vote counts If you don't vote, you don't count

I don’t know what it was that struck me about this one, but it was multiple things. With the language divides and the hatred spewed with the use of the Spanish language, tied with the individuals pose of power-- I just found this one to really en-capture the American voice. It’s also representation for union workers, which I found incredibly powerful as well!

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“Why should I not want something better? Doesn’t everyone? Don’t you? A farmer wants his son to be afraid of beautiful women, so that he will not leave home too soon, so he tells a story about how one drowned his brother’s cousin’s friend in a lake, not because he was a pig who deserved to be drowned, but because beautiful women are bad, and also witches. And it doesn’t matter that she didn’t ask to be beautiful, or to be born in a lake, or to live forever, or not to know how men breathe until they stop doing it. Well, I do not want to be beautiful, or a woman, or anything. I want to know how men breathe.”

— Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless

[cottagetwigs]

Frog.

[cottagetwigs]

Based on a quote from page 5 of the Spade reading. Not sure exactly how much sense this makes, but I wanted to capture the feeling of the confusing political atmosphere and the clashing it has with human rights and the harm we lay onto other individuals. 

[cottagetwigs]

I just wanted to take this wrap up of our section on trans history to say-- THANK YOU!! You have no idea how much learning and growing with ya’ll has meant to me. The things we’ve studied during this time I am so excited to keep with me, because it’s so important to me. In my own goals, it’s added that bit more of drive to include the diversity of gender in story and narration for those in our lives and communities to relate to on a much more personal way. The one thing that really stuck out to me was Rivera’s story in ties with stonewall- and generally our look at the erasure of trans lives in history. And--- ugh. I just really appreciate the way we’ve been conducting this course and the specifics in which we’ve learned. 

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I decided to do a quick sketch to hit on Cava’s point on normalizing the similarities in individuals instead of the differences between trans and cis folk. There is not a clear line between cis and trans people- and there is a multitude of a range when it comes to gender identity- different for every person. The struggles that transgender people face are extremely essential to this conversation- but at times it’s nice to come down to the bones of the issue and face the overlying importance that we are all humans. With our gross little bodies living on a tiny little ball of dirt. 

[cottagetwigs]

Cava’s Article in Association with Workplace Discrimination

I decided to focus on this specific point of Cava’s due to having a personal story attached to it- and hoping ya’ll would enjoy hearing about it! But firstly-

 I found a very good article to attach this reading to done by NBC news. Although that is a more common news source, the story they did about trans woman Aveda Adara and the discrimination she has faced in the workplace along with the interview environment was something I wanted to share with ya’ll. She spoke on constant misgendering- specifically by those at a position of power over her. I found that when reflecting on it- those who believe they have that power dynamic over an individual are usually the ones that hold these biases and disgusting discriminatory views. Adara spoke about being laughed out in interviews, and the pain that has brought when it comes to preparing for interviews. Having to fear that you don’t pass, or if you should simply try to pass as an assigned gender. 

I worked customer service for a large branch craft store last year, where I made friends with Sam. I automatically saw the differences in interactions people had towards him. He would be excluded in lunch sitting arrangements, biases were thrown towards him, etc. To the point in which we had a situation with another employee getting reported for the slurs they threw at Sam. It was hard to watch, as a friend. But even harder knowing I could never imagine that kind of pain, of the invalidity of a gender identity.

Edit: I realize I did this assignment slightly wrong with not including an article about specifically Trump’s administration so I apologize lol