#Appalachian queerness

[spirit-of-helimire]

Discussions of Queerness w/ Luca and Nico

Short little thing, a scene that wouldn't be in Blackwater Depths but generally alluded to. Nico asks questions in his normal fashion, Luca keeps up to the best of his ability.

“Luca, how did you know you were trans? Or queer? Or whatever?” Nico sits down heavily next to where Luca is slowly sipping from a beer at the edge of yet another one of Ellis’ summer bbq’s. He jumps at the sudden influx of words from the younger man as he sits down on his knees next to Luca. If he didn’t already know how old Nico was, he would have expected he was a teenager, he had one of those youthful faces. 

“What?” Luca asks, deep confusion evident in his voice. He would have expected Nico to ask someone like Ellis this question. “I thought you would ask Ellis a question like this.” He states. Nico shrugs. 

“Ellis knows a lot, and he’s helped a lot over the years too! But he can only do so much, he’s not trans.” 

“Mmm… fair enough. A… are you?” Luca has never been good at conversations like this, he doesn’t come out to people unless he has to because no one needs to know. He’s queer but he just wants it to be left at that, there’s better people to talk to for community than him, especially with his missing decade. 

“Yeah! I mean. I guess? I’ve gone by Nico for years but that’s just because I wasn’t super comfortable with my birth name, not that I hate it or anything, it’s just not what I wanna be publicly called most of the time. I…” His eyebrows knit together and he bites his bottom lip. 

“I just, while I’ve known Ellis since I was little because he helped out my mom when I was young, and there’s a few other queer people my age in town and have been. I just… never really started thinking about it all until recently. Well. The gender thing, I don’t know. I’m pretty ambivalent about it all, I never grew up with harsh restrictions or even thinking about it until the last handful of years.” Luca follows to the best of his ability, Nico talks fast and talks with his hands, he processes it all, but takes a moment to do so. He reaches up and scratches his cheek and sighs softly. 

“I haven’t always known. I really didn’t care ‘til I was a teenager, things started feeling just slightly wrong. I did some research and realized that I think I would have been a lot more comfortable as a guy. Sort of a guy. Man adjacent bisexual, queer as hell.

“That’s just what I’ve been calling myself, queer.” 

“S’a good word. Simple, easier than describin’ whatever might be goin’ on. What do you wanna go by?” Luca settles back in the shitty little lawn chair he dragged down, looking over at Nico, who turns his eyes to the sky in concentration. 

“I think I just wanna add on a ‘they’ to what I already have going on. For now. That’s nice. Like you!” Luca feels himself flush a but when Nico looks at him again, the kids smile his bright and wide. Kid. The man is almost in his late 20’s. Still, they’ve got a youthfulness to him that Luca loves and is also drained by at times. He raises his beer in a little cheer. 

“Fuck yeah, t’ queerness.” He doesn’t shout it, but he does knock his can against the bottle of whatever Nico has in their hand. They laugh, eyes bright. 

“Yes! Fuck yeah!” Nico knocks his bottle against Luca’s beer and the two take a swig of their respective drinks. 

“You gon’ tell Adelaide?” 

“Why would I tell her?” 

“Now don’t be dense, your crush on the pretty school teacher is about as obvious as mine on a certain bait shop owner.” Luca gives Nico a little grin, chuckling when the other flushes a bit. Luca didn’t talk about his thing for Ellis out loud much, not even to himself, but he’s not gonna be dense when he knows Adelaide and Nico rib him all the damn time on said infatuation. 

“I’ve brought it up before with her, on occasion, she’s patient and she knows a lot about that stuff.” 

“We’ve got us a nice lil group of queer people here it seems.” Luca chuckles, Nico mostly thinks it’s just the four of them; Luca, Adelaide, Ellis, and him. He won't  bring up the last individual at this moment, it’s not his to talk about. But with the way Finch and Nico work together and how Nico annoyed his way into a friendship with the guy, he might find out eventually. 

“We do! And there’s others, it’s so cool that there’s so many in the area.’ 

“We flock together, don’t we?” 

“Who flocks where?” Ellis’ deep voices sounds, Nico and Luca looking up as the bear of a man walks over towards the two of them. 

“Queer folk flock to one another.” Luca says with a smile up at the man. He laughs and nods his head. 

“Aye, that we do! And I couldn’t be happier for it.” 

[intheholler]

went on a nice long drive through west virginia today. soooo pretty. i never spent much time there.

it was really nice skitterin through small towns and seeing pride flags hangin on the front doors of businesses in these rural areas. like, more than one. *especially* because WV is one of the most heavily and harmfully stereotyped states in the region

tiny things like this show some things are really changing for the better in appalachia, and i'm tired of people pretendin they ain't just so they got more fuel for their hateful narrative about us.

when i was a teenager i never even saw that kinda thing in comparatively progressive western nc. and now here i was today, windin through the hills of west virginia with rainbows blowing everywhere

keep being loud and unapologetic, y'all. it's working

[s1eepingsapphic]

With every part of me, I am pissed.

As a woman, I am pissed as to think someone can just vote away reproduction rights without shame. Do they know the harm they have caused? Will the same future grandparents, who cheered, experience heartbreak when they can't save the mother from miscarriage complications? Do they know the risks, including for the healthiest of pregnancies? Can they hear the snaps of our souls break when they say, "your body, my choice"? Do they not hear the screams of all the women before us, who worked so hard to get us here? Does the majority actually believe women are less than?

As a queer person, I am pissed. Did they not hear us? Surely, they didn't just ignore us? I will not stand by, while my friends and community are subjected to policies meant to isolate and invoke hate. Are we as a country so self-centered, fearing, and complicit in misinformation at the expense of a real human being?

As an Appalachian, I am pissed. Do you know what you have done? Did you read his book? How could you sell out your own people for some constructed mirage? Have we not suffered enough embarrassment from the wild assumptions of everyone else? They are laughing at us, voting against our own wellbeing.

It doesn't end there. It is the loudest parts of myself, grieving together in the courtyard of my mind. With every part of me, I am pissed. And the worst part? There are so many who know what they did and the others... it will be too late once they see the consequences of their own actions. Somehow in my heart, I am grieving for them too.

[oldedo]

I often think how lucky younger folks are to be born in a country and in an era when being bi or homosexual is more or less accepted. Certainly more so than when I was young and growing up. I didn't even know what gay was until my early teens---and the word used back then was not "gay." It was years later that I could finally accept that I was tending strongly toward gay, if I must label myself. More accurately I enjoyed going to bed with men much more than the experiences I had with women. I still rejected that idea when I first began intimate relationships (or one-night stands) with men. Homosexual? No, not me! Sometimes I think how different my life would have been had I been able to love whomever I wished. But that's all past. I Japan, no matter the gibberish we can read in media, gays have not been accepted. They were never fully rejected either to the extent they have been in some other countries---and those are not only western countries. There was never the strong religious basis for most, but it is still mostly considered more of a fetish that people could control enough to get married and have a family. Play time is over, it's time to grow up and get serious. I still know lots of married guys who are secretly gay (or not so secretly) to their wives but go out seeking men. That in and of itself is nothing special to Japan, but it is still going strongly in 2024. I suspect there has been no gigantic change among younger men as I know several who are married but frequent gay bars or clubs or places such as 24 Kaikan in Shinjuku. Most guys, and I suppose gals, are not "out."

I adapted years ago. The slight changes even in Japan are an improvement, but there is still a ways to go to get where I wish things had been back in Appalachia when I was growing up,

[orthopunkfox]

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! EXCITING NEWS!

Hello my dear friends and siblings! I am so terribly sorry for my absence but I have been working on some big things and I have some VERY exciting news.

As some of you may know, I have been working with an affirming and inclusive parish, Saint Thekla Independent Orthodox Church. The priest and I have been working together for several months now and share a vision of building an inclusive and affirming community here in Indiana. To that end:

ANNOUNCEMENT ONE: I have been granted permission to found an offspring community under the umbrella of Saint Thekla. I am proud to announce the official opening of Holy Protection Orthodox Christian Community! Although we are mostly online currently, Mother Thekla and I will be working diligently to establish in-person meetings locally. That said, our online ministry will continue and I invite you all to participate. Our virtual Coffee Hour is especially great and not to be missed! (links below). Eventually we hope, by the grace of God, to grow into a fully functioning parish with a priest serving weekly Divine Liturgy. Which brings me to my second announcement:

ANNOUNCEMENT TWO: I have been granted permission to begin the process of reading for Holy Orders with the goal of ordination to the priesthood. I will submit my official application later this week but my spiritual director is confident given my ministry experience (and my brief time in Anglican seminary before my transition) my application will be welcomed and granted quickly. This process will take a couple of years. but I'm very excited to finally complete my journey to the priesthood after so many years. Glory to God for all things!

I will try to post here more regularly and consider this blog as an extension of the online ministry of Holy Protection. I invite you all to please participate in our online community and for those of you who live in my neck of the woods, I hope to invite you to in-person meetings soon! In the meantime, please like the Facebook page and join the Facebook group to stay up to date on our development!

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563480251752

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/ecxTi3GAJ8iZiAa6/

Youtube channel (in development): https://www.youtube.com/@AffirmingOrthodoxy

[powerlineprincess]

☆B&W 35mm☆at the club☆K.E.A Lux Hill 2023☆

[bloodofgrapes]

sigh

another day, another slew of blatantly aggressive homophobic comments out in the wild

I am starting to consider tumblr to be the budding christofascist site

[jojo-oliver]

oceans and forests 🌲paintings i did

[sagehaubitze]

Hiking the Appalachian Trail, like... the entirety of it, used to be a bucket list thing when I was a little kid. Dad was an avid hiker, backpacker, white water rafter.. I guess I got it from him. I can only go about seven~ miles of difficult/rough hike before the extra bone in my foot gives me killer tendonitis, so hiking the whole length in my lifetime is probably a little out of reach unfortunately. I'll enjoy what I can though.

[anarchypumpkincowboy]

I just started listening to old gods of Appalachia and y’all it is so nice hearing my accent and like that familiarity has gotten me hooked quicker than any other podcast I’ve tried listening to

[maybemockingbird]

Hey y’all! My upcoming cannibalism romance novella Lover, Thy Name Is Pestilence is now on GoodReads and can be added to your shelves! I’m starting the formatting process this week and am hopeful that I’ll have it done soon, which means I’m opening up applications for ARCs! This is my first time doing ARCs for a self pub book, so I’m going to be selective and only send out a handful of copies, but if you want to sink your teeth into this devilishly delicious story, head to the link above to sign up on the Google Form! Applications close on 10-30-24 so I can begin sending them out hopefully starting on Halloween (I'll probably send out some earlier)! And as a reminder, Lover is available now for preorder on my site for anyone who wants a physical copy come December!

I’m so excited for this book!

🪓

Synopsis: Dakota and Ed Hollander have lived quiet, isolated lives deep in the Smoky Mountains for nearly a decade without much trouble despite the pious locals who scrutinize their way of life. Everything changes overnight as a brutal civil war decimates the United States, leaving behind a wasteland of decay and ruin in its wake. The country is shaken to its core for nearly nine months before all falls silent…

Now, in a world recovering from famine and war, Dakota and Ed fight to prepare themselves for the harsh winter that will soon arrive on their doorstep. But Dakota’s sense of safety is rattled when lost travelers come knocking, and everything Ed told them about the world post-disaster is scrutinized when the secrets hidden in the cellar desperately claw their way to the surface.

The carnage of Ed’s devotion is strewn across the snow in blood red streaks, and Dakota finds themself making Drastic choices that threaten strip away their humanity like flesh off a carcass. At the end of the world, love is written with the blade of an axe, and the most haunting plague of all may just be man’s own hubris…

Apply to be an ARC reader here!

[oakflavoredraspberry]

ahhh idk i felt cute soo hiii 😝🙈

[intheholler]

Donations for Appalachian/Southeast USA Queer Organizations

Here lies the sister post to my resource list.

Under the cut, you'll find a list of regional, primarily queer-focused groups to donate to, if you have the means.

If you've ever accused us of being beyond help, or have ever said we should be sawed off into the ocean, here's your chance to help the many helpers trying to make the southeast a better place--those that always go conveniently ignored in such conversations.

General Regional Links

Appalachian Outreach

STAY (Central Appalachia)

Help suspected transgender John and Jane Does regain their identities

Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP)

Southerners on New Ground (SONG)

Campaign for Southern Equality

Trans Health Project

Alabama

AIDS Alabama

The Knights & Orchids Society

Magic City Acceptance Center

Medical Advocacy and Outreach

Prism United

Shoals Diversity Center

T.A.K.E.

Thrive Alabama

Georgia

Carrollton Rainbow Inc.

Emmaus House

Feminist Women’s Health Center

First City Network

Georgia Equality

Kentucky

AIDS Volunteers of Lexington

Arbor Youth Services

Lexington Pride Center

Louisville Queer Youth

Louisville Youth Group

Kentucky Fairness

Kentucky Health Justice Network

Kentucky Youth Law Project

Sweet Evening Breeze

Louisiana

AcadianaCares

Louisiana Trans Advocates

OUTnorthla

PACE Louisiana

Shrevepride

Mississippi

Capital City Pride

Gulf Coast Equality

LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi

The Spectrum Center in Hattiesburg

Violet Valley Bookstore

North Carolina

Charlotte Transgender Healthcare Group (CTHCG)

Down Home NC

Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center

Pitt County Aids Service Organization

Tranzmission

Triad Health Project

Triangle Empowerment Center

South Carolina

Alliance for Full Acceptance

Charleston Black Pride

Harriet Hancock Center

Palmetto Community Care

T-Time

Uplift Outreach

We are Family

We are Family Trans Love Fund

Tennessee

CHOICES

Launch Pad

Metamorphosis

Mountain Access Brigade

My Sistah’s House

Pride Community of the Tri-Cities

Trans Empowerment Project

Youth Villages

Virginia

Justice 4 All

Nationz

Side by Side VA

Virginia Home for Boys and Girls

West Virginia

Harmony House West Virginia

Fairness West Virginia

Holler Health Justice

WVFREE

[bumblebeeappletree]

Dulé Hill meets the Grammy-nominated, Appalachian musician, Amythyst Kiah. Amythyst discusses the Black community’s contributions to American traditional music, and how she processed her grief over her mother’s suicide.

Amythyst Kiah is redefining the sound of traditional music in Appalachia through her lens as a queer, Black woman in America. When Amythyst’s parents gifted her a guitar as a child, she spent hours playing, copying training cd’s and popular artists she heard on the radio, but it wasn’t until she took a bluegrass guitar class that she discovered the African contributions to the music of Appalachia. As a teen, Amythyst remembers feeling alone as her father battled drug addiction and her mother eventually committed suicide. Turning to alcohol nearly cost her a shot at a musical career, but through her father’s intervention, Amythyst began to re-channel her sorrow into song. She earned a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song for her tune “Black Myself," and today, Amythyst is continuing her journey of self-discovery through music.

[oldedo]

Sunday Selfie

Censored of course.

[orthopunkfox]

☦️🦊🌞🌿🐝🥧🦋🐦🍯🍞🪺🌝🫖🏳️‍⚧️🍂🐞🍓🪻☦️

Hello friends! Peace be unto you! 

My name is Hilaria, I’m a genderqueer trans girl raised in the hills and hollers of Appalachia. Currently, I live with my partner, our children, and our dog. 

Having been raised in an extremely abusive household where religion was used as a weapon to keep my quiet and obedient, I was overjoyed to find the beauty of an inclusive Holy Orthodoxy. I was overwhelmed by the mercy of the true Jesus who extends love to all. Slowly He began to heal my wounded heart. I also discovered a queer Orthodox community where I was welcomed and began the journey of realizing the queer woman God made me to be. 

Here you will find the love of Jesus Christ expressed in queer community. Here in the icons and the incense, you will find the truth of inclusive Orthodoxy. Here in the chant that echoes across the hills and the hollers, I hope you will find rest.  

☦️🦊🌞🌿🐝🥧🦋🐦🍯🍞🪺🌝🫖🏳️‍⚧️🍂🐞🍓🪻☦️