#I believe Megan Murphy

[coochiequeens]

This guy is in the news again........

By Eva Kurilova. December 21, 2023

Canadian women are expressing outrage after a trans-identified male who campaigned to defund a rape crisis shelter was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada. Morgane Oger, a trans activist from Vancouver, was honored at a ceremony in Ottawa last week.

On December 16, Oger took to X (formerly Twitter) to boast of his receipt of the award, claiming he had been selected because of his work with “2SLGBTQ+ persons” and trans rights.

“Feeling so grateful, recieving [sic] the Meritorious Service Medal from Governor General of Canada Mary Simon last week for supporting 2SLGBTQ+ persons and furthering the legal protections of Transgender Canadians.”

In Canada, the Governor General is the federal representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III. According to the website for the Governor General of Canada, the Meritorious Service Medal is a civil award that recognizes “great Canadians for exceptional deeds” such as tackling poverty or improving educational opportunities for children.

In the list of recipients for the awards that were distributed on December 7, Oger is described as a “champion of diversity who has changed perceptions around 2SLGBTQI+ rights and has worked tirelessly to see those rights enshrined in law.”

Continuing, the office of the Governor General states that Oger has “forged alliances across party lines that propelled changes to provincial and federal legislation protecting individuals against discrimination based on gender identity or expression.” The short biography concludes by lauding Oger for his “courage, vision and perseverance have helped redefine the fundamental issue of equality and have advanced inclusiveness for gender-diverse Canadians.”

But the news of Oger’s top-level commendation did not sit well with Canadian women’s rights advocates, who noted that Oger has a long and disturbing history of actively fighting against women’s rights.

Canadian journalist and Feminist Current founder Meghan Murphy called out the Governor General, writing that Oger had once stalked her through her neighborhood in apparent retaliation for her views on gender ideology.

“Morgane Oger, whose career has involved harassing and vilifying feminists who defend women-only spaces, including fighting to defund Canada’s longest-standing rape crisis centre and transition house, @VanRapeRelief, stalked me around my neighborhood one day. Just one more reason I left Vancouver,” Murphy wrote. “Are these the ‘exceptional deeds’ bringing honor to Canada, @GGCanada? Making women feel unsafe and ensuring that when they are targeted by male violence they have nowhere safe to go?”

Murphy, like many others, was calling attention to an incident in 2019 where Oger successfully campaigned to strip Canada’s oldest rape crisis center, Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter, of its city funding due to its female-only policy. In comments made before the city committee meeting, Oger called the shelter “non-compliant with Canadian law.

Prior to losing its city funding, Vancouver Rape Relief had been through a 12-year legal battle where its policies of only serving females and only allowing female peer rape counselors had been tested and held up in court. The Supreme Court of British Columbia and the British Columbia Court of Appeal both ruled that the facility was allowed to maintain a female-only space.

But despite the legal precedent, the City of Vancouver agreed with Oger and pulled the funding it had previously provided the shelter for its educational outreach programs despite the fact that the outreach programs were accessible to all, even transgender people.

While in the throes of defending its funding, Vancouver Rape Relief was targeted by a sickening harassment campaign from trans activists. Dead rats were nailed to the door and messages like “KILL TERFS” and “trans women are women” were written on the windows of its charity storefront.

Oger dismissed the abuse the rape shelter was receiving in a blasé statement he gave to press at the time.

“Sometimes, unfortunately, when Vancouver Rape Relief’s policies hit mainstream media and when their discriminatory conduct hits the light of day some people overreact,” he said of the vandalism and threats.

But just prior to the incident with the shelter, Oger had already attracted the ire of Canadian women’s rights advocates for his initial support of vexatious litigant Jonathan “Jessica” Yaniv.

Yaniv, a trans-identified male, made international headlines after filing a series of complaints with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal against female aestheticians who refused to perform waxing services on his male genitals. During a lengthy proceeding, it was alleged that Yaniv had deliberately targeted salon workers who were Sikh or Muslim in an effort to force women with religious restrictions on male-female contact to serve him.

On X (then known as Twitter) Oger referred to the women’s refusal to touch genitals on demand as “prohibited discrimination” and said that there was “no entitlement in Canada to refuse the performing of a service” on the basis of gender identity.

“Estheticians should take this up with their training providers. It wasn’t that long ago some service providers ‘weren’t trained’ to work on Black women or serve foreigners, either,” he said. “The law’s changed. Move on, get the training you need.”

When asked directly about his personal involvement with Yaniv, Oger was non-committal in his comments but admitted that he had spoken to Yaniv on the phone and that he had previously encouraged “trans women” to “complain to their human rights tribunal about prohibited discrimination.”

Eventually, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal ruled that estheticians were, in fact, able to refuse services that they were not trained to perform, such as waxing a scrotum.

This is not the first time Oger has received a Meritorious Service Medal. In 2018, he was given the award by then-Governor General Julie Payette for, according to City News, “her [sic] work advocating for LGBTQ rights.”

Speaking to Reduxx, journalist Meghan Murphy condemned the Governor General for providing Oger one of the most respected civilian awards in the country.

“Morgane Oger’s legacy is fighting against women’s rights, safety, and free speech,” she said. “Anyone who focuses so much effort on defunding one of the few rape crisis lines and transition houses in Canada is not someone who deserves to be celebrated.”

Murphy continued by noting that Oger had made her feel “unsafe” in her own home, prompting her to file a police report on him in 2020.

“This is a man who has gone out of his way to ensure that women don’t have safe places to go when escaping male violence. That the Canadian government has supported and celebrated him in these efforts is horrendous and shameful.”

[venussaidso]

who tf do ketu men frequently date? 🧍🏼

so i decided to check the charts of ex/current partners of some selected well known ketu men.

See, Timothee Chalamat having dated Rahu and Jupiter girls kinda validates my theory of Ketu men going for these planetary archetypes. I also see Moon and Mercury nakshatra women.

He dated Shatabhisha ASC, Vishakha Moon Lourdes Leon. Was with Eiza Gonzalez who has Shravana Sun & a possible Purva Bhadrapada Moon. His iconic pairing with Lily Rose Depp who's Rohini Sun & Swati Moon and Vishakha ASC. And finally Kylie Jenner -- Ashlesha Sun, Swati Moon.

Avan Jogia, who is Ashwini Moon, is dating Punarvasu Moon Halsey -- and she also has Hasta Sun AND Swati ASC. He's also dated Zoey Deutch who is a Vishakha Sun. He dated Swati Sun Cleopatra Coleman. He had a thing with Vishakha Moon Miley Cyrus 💀

Ben Barnes, who is Ashwini Moon & Magha Sun, dated Ardra Moon Tamsin Egerton. Then Shatabhisha Moon Felicity Jones. And also Vishakha ASC AND Hasta Moon Julianna Hough.

Possible Magha Moon Robert Sheehan with his long-time girlfriend Revati Sun Sofia Boutella.

Idris Elba's -- who's Magha Moon -- current wife is a Punarvasu Sun AND a Jyestha Moon mwahaha.

Ashwini Moon Benedict Cumberbatch's wife is a Purva Bhadrapada Sun AND Rohini Moon.

Ashwini Moon Michael C. Hall's first wife had Revati Moon, name's Amy Spanger. Then he married Jyestha Sun Jennifer Carpenter who ALSO has Punarvasu Moon and a Hasta ASC.

Ashwini Moon Matt Dillion had dated Vishakha Moon Denise Richards. Also Punarvasu native Cameron Diaz. And I believe his recent partner is Vishakha Moon Roberta Mastromichele. He'd dated Ashlesha ASC, Swati Moon and Shravana Sun Heather Graham.

Magha Moon Paul Wesley was married to Hasta Moon Torrey DeVitto. He was also engaged to Punarvasu native Phoebe Tonkin.

Ashwini Sun Machine Gun Kelly (who also dated Punarvasu native Halsey), was with Ashlesha Moon Megan Fox. Daniel Day Lewis' wife is a Revati Moon. Cilian Murphy, who I also believe to be Ketuvian, is married to a Jyestha Moon woman. Christian Bale's -- who's Ashwini Moon -- wife may have Revati Sun (she may also be Ashwini Sun if she was born past noon).

And Ketu men also go for Ketu women. Justin Trudeau's wife is an Ashwini Sun. Machine Gun Kelly dated Ashwini native Amber Rose.

Ashwini Moon Milo Ventimiglia's wife, Jarah Mariano, is a Jyestha Moon. He's dated Ashwini Moon Alexis Bledel and also Hayden Panettiere who's also an Ashwini Moon with Magha Sun.

Ashwini Moon Boris Kodjoe's wife, Nichole Ari Parker, is a Mula Moon with a Hasta Sun.

Magha Sun Andrew Garfield was with Vishakha Sun and Hasta Moon Emma Stone. He also dated Mula Sun Shannon Woodward. He'd been with Ashwini Sun and Vishakha Moon Phoebe Dynevor. Also Ardra Sun Alyssa Miller. He got on with Ashlesha Asc & Purva Bhadrapada Moon Rita Ora too.

Mula Sun, and confirmed Ashwini Moon, Jared Leto, had dated Vishakha Moon Scarlett Johansson. Then Ashley Olsen who is literally a Magha Moon with Ashlesha ASC. He'd been with Punarvasu ASC Cameron Diaz. He was also linked with Ardra Sun Lindsey Lohan. Had an iconic love struck moment with Shatabhisha Sun, Hasta Moon Lupita Nyong'o. I think Valery Kauffman too who's Rohini Sun and Shravana Moon. Reminder that he's a Krittika Asc, he's a Sun nakshatra and my god he's got a running list of hookups I can't deal with right now so Valery is where it ends. It's honestly giving Leonardo DiCaprio lmfao who's also a Sun nakshatra (can't stand solar males💀).

If I stumble on more Ketu men, I'll probably keep editing this post. But there's a pattern here. It's Rahu, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Ketu nakshatras that frequently pop up in the women they date.

[venuscnjunctpluto]

Astro pt 3.

Credit: @venuscnjunctpluto

(I’m on spring break and literally have 50 other things I should be doing but we’re back at it again folks😝)

Venus conjunct saturn women 🤝 men w mommy issues

The worst moon square moon beef I’ve seen is Taurus and Aquarius. Both won’t let it go like the Taurus moon thinks they’re making sense while the Aquarius moon wants to seem unbothered it’s a mess.

Taurus Venus people are so beautiful (ex: Victoria Monet, Ariana Grande, Leighton Meester, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Gray Gubler, plus my mom💕)

There are three types of Aquarius risings: one who walks around in pajamas and chokers, one who is legit a model, and the one who wears graphic t shirts and multiple finger rings)

Also I notice a lot of aqua rising women love dressing masculine (ex: Zendaya, Nicki Minaj, and Aaliyah) if you see a girl w her pants sagging with her hat turned backwards w every color of the rainbow on. just know she’s a aqua rising.

Sag Venus women are bisexual ex: Erica Mena, Nicki Minaj, and me lol

Most kpop stans have libra placements and this is coming from a libra moon

Underdeveloped Men w Fixed sign placements are such incel. Leo esp mars when their ego gets hurt they cannot take it. Aquarius thinks they’re too good and smart for women so they can’t understand why no one wants to be around them. Do I even need to explain Taurus and Scorpio?😭

Pieces Venuses are down bad ex: the men crave a manic pixie dream partner and when they can’t live up to the natives fantasy; they cheat. The women are usually loyal but they are blind asf and will neglect and abandon their relationships w others just for their partner who may or may not be trash. On a good note; they are very very very giving in relationships and so sweet but just because y’all can give doesn’t mean you have to constantly.

Brent faiyaz and Jungkook have Scorpio Mars😮‍💨 I don’t know what it is but I wanna date one so bad. What’s y’all experiences?

Certain signs and placements date people w similar charts. Like I notice Taurus suns usually date eachother bc who else is about to put up w them (just kidding…no I’m not🙂) also Scorpio placements (ex: future and Ciara, Megan fox and machine gun Kelly, Karruche and Chris brown…these are terrible examples😭)

As far as Venus conjunct ascendant synastry…I honestly only feel the tension when I’m the ascendant. Whenever my Venus conjuncts someone’s asc it doesn’t really move me like I don’t think they’re unattractive I just don’t really gaf. Their personalities are fun because my sag Venus and mars knows they can take a joke. I think Scorpio/8th house doesn’t really care too much about looks and appearances. In fact I notice Scorpio Venus men view the people they date as beneath them in some way and they do that to feel comfortable as if that person can’t get better and leave or cheat.

I always tell people I don’t have a type which I kinda don’t aesthetically but: Virgo rising, moon-Pluto or Scorpio moons, Virgo mars, Taurus suns w aqua moons, air venuses or mars, libra risings, Scorpio mars😚

Blueface and Chrisean have Venus square pluto synastry. When I say they are the most exaggerated example of this synastry it’s crazy. She clearly seems trauma bonded and believes she’s truly in love with this man (Venus). While he’s using her for money (pluto) and maintaining control over her at all times. That’s another thing w Venus Pluto synastry the venus person looks worse in the public eye because we’re always outwardly vulnerable (the good and bad) while Pluto doesn’t show just how insane they are overtly. But he’s the jealous one because peep how mad and aggressive he gets when she gets any sort of attention outside of him (ex: when Drake followed her and he twisted it to be related to him) Pluto really thinks they OWN the Venus person like that Brent lyric “they only wanna fuck with you cause they know I fuck with you” that’s their mentality. (They’re both physically abusive to eachother and need to breakup asap)

Also everyone talks about how much she’s changed for the worst since she got w him. Her missing tooth and getting multiple tattoos of that man. I’ve seen this guy w his Venus square his ex’s Pluto and he looked terrible while w her and when they broke up he got hisself together. My conjunction synastry took me from wearing bold colors to black for months😭

Sag placements esp Venus or mars men are bow legged asf

Lana Del Rey’s catalog is the epitome of 8th house stellium. Constant changes, a certain loneliness that doesn’t go away, learning and growing, but also never giving up hope.🦋

Cancer mars men and their pregnancy fetish…lil durk has like 5,000 kids and his ex India said that she wanted another baby because of how affectionate he was when she was pregnant.

A lot of football/soccer player have air mars. (Ex: mason mount, kylian mbappe, phil foden)

Women w sun-Neptune, Uranus, pluto may have terrible relationships w men bc of their relationship w their father

Aqua, sag, and cap placements are funny asf😭 I’m one of them and I don’t even try but people are always dying laughing around me

I’ve been in two “lust” triangles and both pairs had one Taurus placement friend and one Scorpio placement friend. The Taurus friend (literally both of them had birthday two days apart) liked me and had their Scorpio friend (one was a Scorpio Venus and the other was a Scorpio mars) spy on me or maybe they just offered😭 long story short the Scorpio friend ended up liking me in both situations I just✨felt✨ it. Taurus and Scorpio are both sneaky and possessive they have opposite energy and it’s very likely they could like the same people. It gets complicated because Scorpio is more likely to keep their crush a secret which can cause unintended overlap.

Capricorn mars: I don’t get mad like I rarely get upset😐

Us all hearing them yell behind closed doors and come out like nothing happened:

[matcha-lemonade-enthusiast]

okay divas i have more thoughts on grotesquerie!

i love how food is used in the show as symbolism/foreshadowing. also i genuinely believe that the way food is presented, somehow ties into the main crime or “sin” of the episode.

like lois making her daughter the turducken, and the frankenstein body of people in the dancehall.

sister megan and father charlie eating at the diner together, and the gory last supper recreation in the church.

a close up of a jelly donut being in the same episode that we see father charlie and sister megan do the devil’s tango for the first time.

the most recent episode with no food (lois tries to give the little girl peanut m&ms, and she refuses saying they aren’t for her), we’re introduced to the baby tr*fficking lady and the womb raiding in the maternity ward.

lest we forget, the opening of the pilot episode literally being that family that was forcefully cannibalized at their dinner/dining table.

idk guys im just saying when food comes around on this show things get spooky, and i kinda love it. ryan murphy you will always be famous.

[lottiesprophecy]

it kinda does seem too obvious if father mayhew is the killer… but did anyone else catch the look on his face when megan insists that it’s a group of killers?

it’s a quick but subtle reaction, almost like he’s insulted or something.

even though he brought up the theory first

ORRRR

what if they’re both the killers?

“serial killer nun? that’s so right for you.” hint hint???

noooo! it’s way too obvious i want to believe that ryan murphy has something better than that.

[hannahssimblr]

“...into the hedge man, the whole packet.”

“Wait, what, are you serious? Why did she do that?”

“Because she didn’t want Megan smoking them, or something. She said they made some promise not to.”

“Man, what the fuck, and did someone fish them out?”

I take a lazy bite of my boring lunch. Some chicken roll I bought down at the nearest deli. It’s a three euro deal for this and a can of coke, which I never drink. I’ll give it to Breener as usual. 

He’s speaking to me now, “Did you see this happen, Turner?”

“No,” Murphy interjects, smacking the back of his hand against the other boy’s chest, “Turner was up in Katie’s bedroom riding Alison the whole time.”

“Ohh, Alison…” All the guys start nudging each other and chortling into their sleeves, “Busy busy as usual… Man, Breener, did you see that Nick Dunne took a load of pictures of himself trying on a heap of bras from Katie’s sister's room? Aw, like, it was so funny like, we were all-”

I spy Jen coming out of the front entrance of the school and I quickly abandon the lads to jog over to her.

“What’s up Jenny?”

“Nothing much, Judie, what’s up with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Hanging out with the rugby boys, I see. Discussing art history and literature as usual?”

I grin, “Not every conversation has to be all deep and intellectual, c’mon.”

“Well, whatever it was must have been so exciting, huh? Is that why you’ve legged it over to me as soon as I’ve appeared?”

“No, I just felt like having lunch with you today.”

She rolls her eyes and begins to stroll across the yard while I hope along in her trail, “Well I’m having lunch with Michelle and the horrible greasy emos by the back steps today, so fair warning.”

“That’s fine, I’ll come.”

She shrugs. 

“Where were you until now?”

“Counsellor.”

“Oh yeah? How’s it going?”

She sighs, “Okay. She keeps insisting I talk about my mother, for some reason, which, why would I want to do that? My mother is completely uninteresting… and she says I have to stop smoking weed, can you believe that?”

I blink, “Did you admit that you’re still smoking weed?”

“No! She just seems to know it, I don’t know, do I smell like it?”

I grab her arm and take a very un-subtle sniff of her blazer, “No, you smell like Jen.”

“Huh. Well maybe she has little creepy binoculars and she stands looking through the bars at me when I’m smoking in the park.”

“Yeah, that’s the most likely scenario.”

“I don’t know, sometimes it feels like a waste of time.”

“You don’t feel like it’s helping at all?”

“Helping what?”

I hesitate uncomfortably, “Um, well, you know, with your family and your mental health stuff and, like-”

“The drug stuff?” She finishes, “This horrible, problematic relationship I apparently have? No, firstly, I think I’m fine. Actually, I think you do drugs more than I do these days, and secondly, my mental health is okay. I’m getting through stuff on my own, I wish that they’d stop insisting I go to the sessions and wasting half of my lunch hour asking probing questions about what it was like for me to be a child.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s about the volume or the frequency of the drugs,” I say carefully, “I think it’s about your relationship with them.”

“Yeah, but there isn’t anything weird about my relationship with them. I’m the same as you, I can stop any time I like.”

I pull back as she’s using her agitated voice. Her nostrils are flared and her eyebrows are stitched together in the middle so that I can be aware that if I don’t stop trying to talk about this then she and I will have a bicker fest in the middle of the school yard. “Yeah you’re dead right. Sorry.”

“My friends are over here,” she jabs a thumb over her shoulder, “Are you coming or not?”

When we approach the emos they look perplexed, and they don’t need to say it, I can see it on their faces as they watch me make bold strides to join them on the steps. What is he doing here? 

I wedge myself between Evan and some girl with pink hair and a stud in each cheek like little metal dimples and then, ignoring the dark, hateful aura of the collective group I unwrap what’s left of my chicken roll and lay into it. “What’s up guys?” I say with a full mouth, “Hope it’s okay that I sit here.”

“Um, yeah,” Evan says. I don’t miss the look he exchanges with the pink haired girl on my other side, but I pretend to.

“Jude had enough of hanging out with the boys from his rugby team,” Jen explains, “So I invited him to sit with us,” The way she speaks to them is authoritative, with finality, as if she won’t hear anything else about the matter. She swiftly moves onto the next topic while I peer over my shoulder and wiggle my fingers at Michelle who smiles back and raises a limp hand in greeting.

“So Michelle and I were thinking about having a movie night, would you guys be up for it?”

A ripple of approval goes through the little group of stairway lurking emos. 

“I suggested Saturday,” Michelle says, “because it’s my parents' anniversary or some shit. They’re going out for dinner so we would have the whole place to ourselves.”

I can’t help but speak, “Wow, I thought you guys would be up to something more nefarious on a Saturday night than huddled up watching a movie together, honestly,” I’m not trying to be mean or anything, it’s an honest statement. It’s a bit hard for me to imagine this collection of misfits, all with at least one piece of metal in their face sitting around eating popcorn in the Tengu’s pastel blue living room. 

Jen is the only one that laughs, “Yeah, we occasionally take a break from sucking the blood of civilians to hang out and watch Sleepy Hollow. You’re invited, by the way, if you’re not doing whatever rugby wankers do, like tossing a frisbee around and doing jager bombs.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, I wasn't going to sit here and make plans in front of your face otherwise.”

Jen is the only one that looks comfortable with this decision, so I’m on the point of telling her that I’ve already made plans to try and blag my way into another city centre nightclub before I realise how repelled I am by that very idea. I consider those sticky floors and the bad music, the hangover I’ll have and eventually I think about Doherty and the inevitable horrors he’ll inflict upon me if I don’t get back into shape. Suddenly a film with the emos doesn’t seem like the worst way to spend a Saturday night. 

“Okay, yeah. I’d love to come.”

Evan glances at me incredulously but I just smile in response and bump him with my shoulder, “We’ll have fun, right?”

He flashes the ghost of a smile,  “Yeah, I suppose.”

Beginning // Prev // Next

[teacore-hunny]

Ok I gotta talk about grotesquerie

(Spoilers!!!) also there’s probably a lot of grammar mistakes because I have a fever and I’m just rambling.

Ok this latest episode was such a mind fuck. Finding out that all the events of the show were just a coma dream made up by Lois was shocking at first but given how Ryan Murphy loves to force plot twists, i really can’t act like I didn’t see it coming. It’s pretty weird that all the events in the show have ultimately boiled down to “it was just a dream”.

I do have some thoughts about the comparisons between the dream and reality. I personally do think that some of the events of the dream have been influenced by what Lois may have heard around her hospital room. I’ve seen some speculation as to why Megan and Charlie hooked up in the dream but seem to be nowhere near each other in reality. I think that Megan regularly or at least occasionally visited Lois in the hospital and that could’ve been where the relationship started. We see in the dream after Megan was shot that Charlie visits her and dotes on her in the dream hospital (maybe idk) and that he does have some sort of dislike of Lois being there when he claims that Lois used her as bait which resulted in her being in the hospital.

I think that the real Charlie may have genuine feelings for Megan and that he resents Lois for not taking Megan seriously career-wise and indirectly putting her in harms way. Since he believes that Lois is not fully aware of what’s going on in reality, (which can be inferred when Marshall is sitting at Lois’s bedside and says that the doctors believe that she can’t perceive what’s going on around her) I do believe that Charlie wouldn’t have any reservations about hooking up with Megan near or in the hospital room if he believes that no one knows what’s going on. This could also coincide with the fact that in Lois’s dream, Charlie is a lust crazed man in a powerful position who does occasionally expose himself in public places when he believes no one is around (when he was spinning around in the church and the scenes of him in his room).

I mentioned this on another person’s post but megan is shown as a ditzy young nun who’s too invested in true crime, when in reality she’s the chief of police. Lois doesn’t view Megan as a serious partner/peer, so that’s how her character is viewed in her dream.

Lois has a lot of resentment directed at Merritt due to her relationship with Ed and that’s seen multiple times throughout the show. In the dream Merritt is a young woman who only really cares about eating and to Lois, Meritt’s only shot at being successful is through being on a show for fat people. In reality, Merritt is a doctor who has two doctorates and is an accomplished medical professional while also being married to Ed. In the dream Ed was seen as a handsome, confident nurse aid when in reality he’s an insecure and timid man who works a minimum wage job while he’s constantly berated by Merritt. I think in reality Lois has always been jealous of Merritt because of her relationship with Ed. Lois receives attention from Ed in both reality and the dream where he supports her and tries to help her overcome her alcoholism in the dream while in reality we only know that they had a two year affair. Lois thinks that Ed originally liked her and feels betrayed when he makes his relationship with Merritt official (in reality this could’ve been when Merritt and Ed got engaged or when he decided to officially end their affair).

Marshall and Redds involvement is kind of a shot in the dark for me but I’m just going to ramble. In the dream, Marshall is bedridden in a coma while Redd is a nurse who repeatedly challenges Lois’s relationship with him while also forcing herself on him while Marshall is unable to turn down her advances due to him being in a coma. It’s later revealed in the dream, when Redd confides to Lois, that Marshall and Redd had an emotional affair that started when he confided in Redd about his family issues. In reality Marshall and Redd have had a very long and consensual affair where Marshall is still a professor but Redd is a cam girl. I think in reality Lois saw Redd as someone who only occasionally helped Marshall and chased after him but she didn’t realize how deep their relationship was until Redd eventually told her. Redd seems to be emotionally uninterested in Marshall in reality (which happened over time due to him stringing her along) and I think she confessed to Lois because she eventually got tired of Marshall stringing her along to think that he’ll eventually leave Lois for her.

Marshall’s comatose state is pretty interesting to me. It’s revealed that when Marshall was with Redd (or other mistresses probably) in reality, he never called or spoke to Lois. I doubt that they were that talkative to each other at home and it seems that even if they did speak it was only for arguments. Lois’s mind probably put him in a coma because in reality she believes that he’s a weak man who’s unable to speak his mind (unable to end things to be with Redd or admit his infidelity) and is unwilling to reject the advances of other women which can be seen when “Nurse” Redd fondles him in his coma.

[realmeganamram]

GIRL RANSOM NOTE

Oh my god, hi!! I am SO sorry to do this, but we have your wife Jenna, and if you don’t pay us $20 million in unmarked bills by tomorrow night, we are gonna have to kill her. So sorry about this!!

We are a group of private individuals who disagree with your amoral business practices and have kidnapped your wife, because four of us are Scorpios, and you know how we are when we get together—you better be glad we didn’t make a worse mess of this, LOL. We follow your public stock holdings and know you have the money. Please follow our instructions to the letter if you want to see your wife again, and I know you do because she is super pretty!!

Just to say it again: SO sorry about this, I know this is annoying, ugh.

To prove that we have her, we’ve enclosed some hair—that’s right, we gave her bangs. She is going through a tough time right now because she is kidnapped, and everyone agreed that letting her get bangs would make her feel free and in control of her own future. She looks SO cute!!!! You should absolutely pay us so you can see the bangs.

Your wife is safe and unharmed and is one of the most beautiful, strong women I have ever seen. You have no idea how lucky you are to have her. You better treat her right by paying us the ransom. If you let us kill her, I will never forgive you. God, men are such pigs sometimes!!

Listen carefully! Actually, I’m so sorry if I’m yelling! Listen however feels best to you! If you don’t respond to this letter immediately (sorry!), we will cut off your wife’s pinky finger and send it back to you in a box. I can’t believe you are going to let that happen—your wife has the most beautiful fingers, and she could be a model if she wanted to be and if we don’t kill her. We keep telling her she deserves better and that we could return her to any man on earth—she’s that special. She keeps crying, which makes us cry!!

You need to understand: Seabiscuit’s life is in your hands (there’s another Jenna in the group, and we started calling your wife “Seabiscuit” because she ran across the room so fast this one time, even though we told her the windows were bolted shut, and we all laughed SO hard, OMG! Maybe you had to be there, but it was SO funny!!). Her future is up to you. I take that back; her future is up to her. The future is FEMALE. We don’t need a man’s money. I take that back—in this instance, we do!!!

I’m sorry the letters are getting smeary. I can’t stop crying at how grateful I am to have Seabiscuit in my life! This is truly so unprofessional of me!! But honestly, crying does not equal weakness, and I think more male kidnappers should cry at work rather than fewer female kidnappers. Happy to discuss if you disagree. Are you mad at me?!

I’m really, really looking forward to getting the money tomorrow. Please leave it by the big oak tree near College St., and one of us will pick it up. And just to be very clear: this is not a date!!

Men always think meeting a woman by a tree in a ransom situation equals a date, but sometimes, it’s just meeting a woman by a tree in a ransom situation!! We will be wearing all black! I promised our Fearless Leader I wouldn’t give any information that could identify us, which is just the same old Kelsey Murphy Virgo shit she’s been saying since LSU. God, I love my friends!!!!

I know you’re really busy, but can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Sorry in advance for bugging you!

Love, Megan A. (there’s another Megan here too!)

[dickfuckk]

A list of season 2 cast and crew members, confirmed and speculated

I will try and keep this updated

Not counting the obvious ones

Please note that this is a list of both cast and crew members, so PAs and such are also included and not just actors

sorry in advance that 90% of my sources come from instagram

A

Aaron Morton (Camera) - he’s listed on the very last picture as the camera-man

Adam Stein (Writer)

Alan F. (English solider)

Alexandria S.

Alistair Gregory - from this tweet so uncertain, but followed me back on my bts instagram account so seems to have some interest in ofmd

Amy Tunnicliffe

Amanda M. (Wedding guest)

Andrew DeYoung (Director) - I don't remember if there was any other reason than the fact that he was in Aotearoa during filming

Andy Rydzewksi (Cinematographer)

B

Brian Badie (Hairstylist)

Bronson Pinchot ("Torturer")

Bryn Seager - I don't remember why but I follow him

Bryony Matthew (Food stylist)

C

Cora Montalban (Makeup and/or hairstylist) - I believe she was tagged in an instagram story once, and she's followed by a ton of cast and crew members

D

Daniel Fernandez (Spanish priest)

David G. (Stand in)

Dennis Bailey (Hairstylist) - Leslie revealed that he's there.

Don A. (Swampy Town folk)

E

Eliza Cossio (Writer)

Erroll Shand (Prince Ricky)

F

Fernando Frias (Director)

G

Grant Lobban

Gypsy Taylor (Costume designer)

H

Haroun Barazanchi - I'm gonna be honest, I have no memory of why I suspect this guy will be working on season 2, but I follow him hgjfdks

I-J

Jaden McLeod

Jason Samoa, possibly spotted on location

Jemaine Clement, pretty sure this is only based on his friendship with Rhys and Taika tbh

Jes Tom (Writer)

Jessica Lee Hunt (Makeup artist) - followed by a ton of crew and cast members and I believe she's been tagged in instagram stories and such

John Mahone (Writer)

Jono Capel-Baker (Groom)

Jonno Roberts didn't get the role from his audition, but could still have gotten a different role - hung out with Ruibo

K

Karl L. (Action extra)

Kate Fu

Kathleen Zyka Smith ("Red Flag")

Kosuke Iijima (Fabricator/Sculptor?) - due to interaction on this post

Kris Gillan (Fabricator/Sculptor)

Kura Forrester - followed by quite a few cast and crew members, but I don't remember if there was anything else to it

L

Laura Stables (SFX makeup artist)

Leanne - followed by cast and crew

Lee Tuson

Leslie Jones (Spanish Jackie) - she's spoiled this so many times, but gjfhdks

Leyla - followed by a lot of cast and crew members, don't remember if there was more to it than that

Luke V. (Stand in)

M

Ma Christina C. ("Red Flag")

Madeleine Sami (Archie)

Maddie Roche (PA) - read the tags idk lmao

Maddy Powell - this double rainbow photo is for sure from the first day of filming and nathan commented on her post

Maggie Philips (Music supervisor)

Mark Black (Henchman)

Mark Mitchinson (Hornigold)

Martin D. (Wedding guest)

Megan Vertelle (Set decorator)

Mike Berlucchi (Cinematographer)

N

Nareemun S. (Stand in)

Nat Van Halle - Has been hanging out on set with crew and cast

Natalie Torres (Writer)

Nathan Foad (Lucius)

Nathaniel Goodman - listed as camera-man

Nicola Dove (Photographer) - I'm guessing she'll be the season 2 version of Aaron Epstein

O-P

Paul Murphy (Director)

Q-R

Ra Vincent (Production designer) - He's the one in a white t-shirt and sunglasses or smth on his head

Rachel Forman - followed by a lot of cast and crew (including taika, nathan, madeleine, alex etc.) and Fernando made a post saying goodbye to Aoteroa, and she commented and he said he would miss her

Rachel House - Suspected due to her hanging out with cast and crew, but could be nothing

Richard B. ("Republic of Pirates")

Ringo R. ("Republic of Pirates")

Rory Davis - followed by cast and crew

Ruibo Qian

S

Sha M. ("Republic of Pirates")

Simone Nathan (Writer)

T

Tammy Davis - pretty sure it's just based off of this post which could be nothing

Tara Lauren (Makeup artist)

Tenesse Murfitt (Hairstylist) - followed by a ton of cast and crew members, and I believe she's been tagged in instagram stories

Tino L. (Stand in)

Toa Paranihi - I honestly don't remember why this was speculated or possibly confirmed, but I follow him on instagram and so do a couple of the cast and crew members

Ty Evander

U-V

Vanessa Vandy (Cinematopgrapher) - don't remember why i suspect her, but i follow her

W

Will Giles (Set designer)

X-Z

Zach Douglas

Zackery Alexander Stephans (Writer)

Zak Enayat - he has just been very openly working on the show, and is followed by cast and crew members

Zayre Ferrer (Writer)

[areyoutheregoditsmejessica]

your post re canonbuddie stans ♥

you liking bucktaylor & megan west ♥♥

you liking bucktalia ♥♥♥

you not liking eddie ♥♥♥♥

you liking marisol ♥♥♥♥♥

your take on canonbuddie overall ♥♥♥♥♥♥

i agree with it all so wholeheartedly!!! buck and eddie literally feel like bros to me. yes, they are besties, and yes, buck has a very lovely bond with chris! but at every single point in the past 6 seasons that could have been used to give Hints to the audience that buck or eddie could ever be romantically involved with a man (or even each other), the show never took it. zero jealousy, zero hesitation to date somebody else, zero insecurity of their "family dynamic" changing when they date again, zero flirtation or appreciative looks or past experiences with men. buck and eddie are both so painfully heterosexual to this day that everybody who honestly thinks of buddie being a feasible option for a canon endgame couple is just delusional to me at this point. and i want to stress that this does not mean that people cannot enjoy and ship buddie to their hearts content! but i need people to fucking learn how to watch and comprehend a narrative realistically because things have gotten so extremely exhausting, even in the tags that are not even meant for buddie! it is everywhere, and i am so so so tired of it.

also, god, i am always so happy whenever i see somebody who enjoys buck and canon buck ships but also shares my disinterest in eddie dfjdsfk; i loved him sm in s2 but that love dwindled more with each new season, s4 and s5 eddie bored me to death. today, i am mostly just indifferent to him. i believe in marisol's power to make his scenes better lmao.

you have any wishes for bucktalia moving forward or some type of scene you'd like to see them in? i personally must see her in lingerie and/or in some really sexy outfit. i just want to stare at them being pretty and cute together, frankly speaking.

legit haven't gotten an anon ask in well over a decade hahaha so this was super neat to open the website and see <3

yes in s2, that character was one of the best male characters i had the pleasure of watching and that dwindled quickly, to the point i wish for the s1 118.

i don't wanna touch on the sexuality of anyone, even fictional characters but the writers have not gone out of their way in anyway to say they aren't straight and i think 7 seasons in, if it was in their plan it would've been done. it's a ryan murphy creation for goodness sake, if he wanted to he would've from ground zero.

i don't have much thought about them yet! they are very aesthetically pleasing. i just want them to stop having buck reinvent himself. we're on buck 345.0 at this point. (i love him and think oliver is GREAT at portraying him, but enough) i was really excited to see where buck and taylor could've gone especially given their history and how we had already been introduced to the audience and had a story independent of his. i also like how she wasn't falling at his feet and also in s4 when he basically used her and she called him out and told him he actually needed to treat her like a friend. why they just decided to take their story in the direction they did, i'll never know. they've written bathena AMAZINGLY and have done a wonderful job with madney, not sure why they aren't doing the same with buck. because after AB, PK, and JLH who came with an already established fanbase, buck/OS seems to be highly popular among the audience and deserves better writing. he was single majority of season 6, so i guess i can't say i wish he was single much longer. i hope natalia becomes a character we can invest in separately from buck. i'm pleased with what very little we've seen so far.

whoever, you are thank you for sending this! and here's to hoping we get season 7 by january 2024.

[queenboudicaa]

A sex strike doesn't mean women don't enjoy sex. Do you believe hunger strikes mean people don't enjoy food?

I tend to agree with Megan Murphy regarding sex strikes -

"Calls to 'stop having sex with men until we have equal rights' assume women don't enjoy sex and that sex is just for men. It's an incredibly sexist, regressive, and frankly naive argument. Newsflash: women enjoy sex, too. I am sick of this 'women as gatekeepers' role both the right and, apparently, some feminists impose on women, as though we are forever relegated to this 1950s-style game where we hold off on 'allowing' men sexual access for as long as possible in order to force commitment. "

[dearestdaffodils]

Fuck it, I’m gonna do it lol here is my top 100 from 2022, plus a bonus song because Spotify put 101 songs on the playlist

Heat Above - Greta Van Fleet

Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold

As It Was - Harry Styles

You’re The One - Greta Van Fleet

My Way, Soon - Greta Van Fleet

Another Man’s Jeans - Ashe

Music For A Sushi Restaurant- Harry Styles

2 Be Loved (Am I Ready?) - Lizzo

Safari Song - Greta Van Fleet

First Class - Jack Harlow

Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse

Oh My God - Adele

Black Smoke Rising - Greta Van Fleet

Shake Ya Tailfeather - Nelly, Murphy Lee, Diddy

Sweetest Pie - Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa

Cleopatra- The Lumineers

Trip the Light Fantastic - Greta Van Fleet

12345 - Em Beihold

Geraldine - Miranda Lambert

Hammer To Fall - Queen

Broken Bells - Greta Van Fleet

Just a Cloud Away - Pharrell Williams

Freaky Girls - Megan Thee Stallion, SZA

Beer Never Broke My Heart - Luke Combs

Flower Power - Greta Van Fleet

Need to Know - Doja Cat

SOS - ABBA

Sunroof - Nicky Youre, dazy

When The Curtain Falls - Greta Van Fleet

Woman - Doja Cat

Canyon Moon - Harry Styles

Shivers - Ed Sheeran

Light My Love - Greta Van Fleet

Betty (Get Money) - Yung Gravy

Let’s Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez

American Kids - Kenny Chesney

Left Hand Free - alt-j

California Love - 2Pac, Roger, Dr Dre

Alrighty Aphrodite - Peach Pit

Chiquitita- ABBA

Bam Bam - Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran

Free Ride - The Edgar Winter Group

The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani, Akon

Don’t Shut Me Down - ABBA

24/7 - Common Kings

Hot Mess - Zoe Clark

Go To Town - Doja Cat

Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer) - Greta Van Fleet

Baby, I Love Your Way - Big Mountain, Tom Lord- Alge

Daydreaming - Harry Styles

Vegas - Doja Cat

The New Day - Greta Van Fleet

SOMETHING SWEET - ADÉ, Farman Scoop

Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

Sleep On The Floor - The Lumineers

Sunshine Girl - J Boog, Peetah Morgan

SUPERBLOOM - Misterwives

Apex Predator - Mean Girls Cast

She Keeps Me Up - Nickelback

Nothing - Bruno Major

Hello Hello - Elton John

A Man Without Love - Engelbert Humperdinck

Enemy - Imagine Dragons

Roddy - Djo

Cold Heart - Elton John, Dua Lipa

3 Nights - Dominic Fike

Lollipop- Charlie Curtis-Beard, EARCANDY

Ophelia - The Lumineers

Levitating - Dua Lipa, DaBaby

Top of the World - Carpenters

Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins

Ça Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand

Sofia - Alvaro Soler

35 - Rob Ruha, Ka Hao

Mountain of the Sun - Greta Van Fleet

Achilles Heel - J Maya

More Than A Woman - Bee Gees

Tuned In Freestyle - Megan Thee Stallion

Sunflower Vol. 6 - Harry Styles

Friends to Lovers - Melina KB

Onipaʻa Ka Pua O Ka Hala - Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu

Megan’s Piano - Megan Thee Stallion

Enemy - Imagine Dragons, JID

Golden - Harry Styles

Revenge Party - Mean Girls Cast

We Don’t Talk About Bruno - Encanto Cast

Clouds - Fin Argus, Sabrina Carpenter

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston

Groundhog Day - Em Beihold

Age of Man - Greta Van Fleet

Best Song Ever - One Direction

Does Your Mother Know? - Mamma Mia Cast

Dandelions - Ruth B

Nobody To Love - Sigma

Heat Waves - Glass Animals

Rock The Boat - Hues Corporation

Lights Up - Harry Styles

It’s All Coming Back To Me Now - Celine Dion

Kingdom Dance - Alan Menken

Dance With Me Tonight - Olly Murs

Late Night Talking - Harry Styles

[womenfrommars]

Anna Slatz is Jewish I believe (hence her last name being Yiddish I think) so I highly doubt she sympathises with Nazi ideology

Anna is quite popular in gender critical spaces so it wouldn't surprise me someone copied her username and profile picture

FeministCurrent is Megan Murphy's website but she herself no longer truly aligns herself with (radical) feminism and in the past has written an article that seemed very tone deaf and racially biased against East-Asians

i just saw that anon saying that anna slatz's alt acc is misandrist_muss and a few days ago menalez was calling out a user named misandristmussolini on here for being a nazi after she found out her twitter account. She said that twitter wasn't hers but someone else and she just copied their username and profile picture because she thought it was cool? And everyone believed it even though she had posted similar tweets on both the accounts....yeah stealing someone's profile pic, username and their tweets is extremely normal behaviour.

Now she's under a new username on radblr @ deadbeatwife and she had her likes tab visible until a few hours ago. I saw her like a post saying white people raising their children in "niggerville" aka black neighbourhoods is child abuse. She's made her likes private now and I couldn't screenshot it but if you go on @transgenocidergk 's account you'll find the post and you can check the likes on it.

i never thought Anna slatz would be behind the account tho. That's crazy.

!!!!!

Wack

I don't want to see people reblogging Reduxx and lining Slatz pockets. Every time you visit her site, she gets ad revenue.

Here are some better resources to use:

Unherd

4W

feminist current

[mermaidsirennikita]

Can you recommend any contemporary romance novels? Thank you!

For sure!

One of my favorite contemporary series I read this year was Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series, which I recommend reading in full and in order. It's about a rock band and the women who fall in love with the members of the band, basically.

Lick--hero is the guitarist/songwriter, heroine wakes up with no memory of the previous night in Vegas and oops they're married

Play--hero is the wacky drummer, begins fake dating the level-headed heroine For Reasons

Lead--hero is the lead singer, had biiig addiction issues and is the older brother of the hero of Lick; heroine is his sober companion/assistant, and the professional lines are.... blurred, to say the least

Deep--hero is the bass player, has been tempted by the little sister of book 2's heroine for a while even though there's an 8-year age gap and he's been instructed to... not touch her; one night later and whoops, she's pregnant

American Royalty by Tracey Livesay--pitched as "what if Prince Harry fell for Megan Thee Stallion", and it is, delightfully, hilariously, very heatedly that

The Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert--Very fun, very soft, very hot. Book 1 has chronic pain rep with the heroine and book 3 both leads on the spectrum. I believe the hero of book 2 has anxiety.

Heated Rivalry and The Long Game by Rachel Reid--Must be read in order, TLG is the direct sequel to HR and about the same couple. Ilya and Shane are super-hyped up arch rival hockey players, the best of the best. What nobody knows is that they've been hooking up in secret since their rookie season. It's basically charting their relationship going from pure sex to love. Heated Rivalry is easily one of my favorite reads this year, and TLG is a great followup. Super hot, super romantic, Shane and Ilya are PERFECT leads--very uptight meets wild, very carefree slutty one has a secret emotional side and reserved one has a secret risky side.

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone--A porn star is brought in last minute to star in a Christmas Hallmark-type movie, with the knowledge that her porn career must stay a secret. But oops, the male lead of the movie is a former boy bander she used to have a crush on, and he's been subscribed to her OnlyFans for YEARS. Very fun, hot, and Christmassy.

Kiss An Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips--A wild 90s-era contemporary. The heroine (spoiled little rich girl) and hero (surly alpha) are pushed into an arranged marriage by the heroine's father, and plan on getting it annulled in six months. But lol turns out he is part of a TRAVELING CIRCUS and she has to spend those six months working the circus with him. Truly wacky and fun, great grovel.

Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips--Another insane 90s contemporary. Heroine is extremely smart (graduated college at 14 smart) and always felt alienated due to her brain and lack of social skills. She wants a baby, but she wants the baby to be kinda mid intelligence-wise, and figures she should get knocked up by a stupid man in order to have an average baby. She targets a dumbass NFL quarterback, and after some maneuvering, ends up pregnant with no intention of ever telling him. Except, oops, turns out he is actually VERY smart, and he finds out and forces her to marry him because no kid of his will be a bastard!!! Truly insane, and TW because she does poke holes in the condom the first go (which doesn't take). The second go, he's just like "what the fuck ever let's just do this" and foregoes the condom by choice.

The Billionaire's Wake-up-call Girl by Annika Martin--Heroine is desperate to make it through a trial period at her new job because she needs the signing bonus to pay off a loan shark her ex got into trouble with (yes). Her boss instructs her to arrange a wake-up-call service for the company's billionaire CEO, but she puts it off and fucks up, which leads her to pretend to be the service and call him herself. He loves her abrasive attitude, and eventually they start talking... and phone sex happens... And it goes on from there.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan--Uptight heroine moves to take a chance on living with the guy she's always been into, but he flakes out and goes on tour with his band, leaving her with a replacement roommate. Except, whoops, turns out the new roommate is a rather successful porn star, and she can't quite look away from his work.

Priest by Sierra Simone--Tyler Bell is a Catholic priest, and is happy with his lot in life until Poppy shows up at confession. She begins confessing her rather interesting past, leading to him getting hot and bothered and the two of them eventually connecting emotionally. This is an erotic romance, with unique uses of holy oil and altars. Also, it does discuss the sexual abuse of a character off-page--not either of the leads, but it's plot important.

Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan--Heroine and hero were childhood sweethearts until conflict between their parents drove them apart. Years later, heroine is a successful political consultant, and hero is a father getting out of a messy relationship. They swing back into each other's lives and begin to discover the secrets in their families' pasts together.

The Kiss Quotient Trilogy by Helen Hoang--Kicks off with The Kiss Quotient, which is about a heroine on the spectrum hiring a male escort to teach her how to be good at sex, as she feels her stiffness in bed is keeping her from getting a lasting relationship (which is what she feels her family wants for her). Each book features a hero or heroine on the spectrum, and a hero or heroine (or both) of Vietnamese descent. The author is both, to be clear.

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata--Hero and heroine are figure skaters who hate each other. Heroine's career is on a downward trajectory, and she's given a surprising opportunity to team up with the hero.

[wiseabsol]

Hello~

I've been a reader of yours since 2012 and I've been following you ever since. I greatly enjoy reading your stories on fanfiction and can't wait to read the future of Angelic Shadows. I've always need a bit to shy to actually reach out and comment on your works and how much I've enjoyed reading them.

I'd like to ask you a question. I've taken up actually reading books other than just fanfiction, but nothing I've read has me as entertained like storys such as yours and ChesireCat24. I was wondering if you could recommend some books for me to read? I gues I kinda enjoy the fantasy of interspecies relationships (not a sick creep or anything, but like the intelligent relationship you've made between Cassandra) and the struggles surrounding the characters you've created.

Thankyou 😊

First, thank you for your kind words about my writing and your continued interest in Angelic Shadows. I swear I will get to writing those last few chapters someday (there are only five! But those five will probably clock in at 200 pages, so it will be an undertaking XD), once I've managed to make it past the depression/burnout I'm currently stuck in.

Since you're particularly interested in interspecies romances, here are some I've very much enjoyed over the years:

Megan Kearney's Beauty and the Beast (webcomic, probably my favorite on this list due to the gorgeous art and complex characters)

Dragonsitter (a manga, couldn't find the author for it, but I remember being pleasantly surprised by the quality of this one, since most of the other manga on the app I read it on was...not great)

Yū Tomofuji's Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts (manga, strong character designs and a fun plot. I need to catch up on this one)

Chobits by CLAMP (I read this manga as a kid and enjoyed it--no idea how it holds up now, but it was some pretty good scifi at the time)

Princess Tutu (the best children's anime ever made! The protagonist is actually a duck and her love interests are human)

Spice and Wolf (the best anime about economics you've ever seen. Also the relationship between the leads feels very mature and develops slowly over time)

Wolf's Rain (a tragic anime following a pack of intelligent wolves on their journey to find paradise, with the protagonist having a romantic relationship with a girl made from flowers)

Kiesha'ra by Amelia Atwaters-Rhodes (a book series about shapeshifters having arranged marriages and going through political turmoil. Very good for scratching that teen angst itch)

Animorphs by K. A. Applegate (the best children's book series about the horrors of war ever. Also there are a few notable cross-species romances in this one, with The Hork-Bajir Chronicles being my personal favorite)

The Firekeeper Series by Jane Lindskold (a door-stopper high fantasy book series following the adventure of Firekeeper, a girl raised by intelligent wolves, and her best friend and love interest, Blind Seer, one of those wolves. Apparently this is still ongoing?! I need to pick up the newest books from the library)

The Negotiator Trilogy by C. E. Murphy (urban fantasy book series that features a few different mythological races trying to figure out how they fit in to the modern world? I think? It's been a while. I mostly remember the leading lady and her gargoyle lover)

Gargoyles (I can't believe I almost forget this Western cartoon from my childhood. Eliza and Goliath are wonderful! Also I seem to remember this one being surprisingly dark and Shakespearean)

I'm sure there are more out there, but here's hoping you dig one or more of these!

[hellomynameisbisexual]

As a nonbinary bisexual, I’m no stranger to people erasing me and telling me that I’m something I’m not. With the rise of terms like “pansexuality” and “omnisexuality,” many people unfamiliar with the true nature of bisexuality now think that it’s transphobic or otherwise binary — some go so far as to claim bisexuals only believe in two genders.

People assert that, while bisexuality allegedly means “attraction to two genders,” pansexuality and omnisexuality, unlike bisexuality, denote “attraction to all genders.” It’s easy to think this way if only examining the terms at face value, but this comparison is an outright lie. Some others say that new labels were a response to transphobic exclusion from the bisexual community — this is similarly not the case. (I’ll be compiling a piece on the history of the “pansexual” label at a later date.) Using this “reasoning” to separate bisexuality from these other terms is woefully inaccurate and disrespectful to bisexual and transgender people.

While there are cissexist definitions of bisexuality, that holds true for “gay” and “straight,” too. Bisexuals have also described our orientation as attraction regardless of gender¹ for decades — at least fifty years or so — and we still do. Before words like “transgender” and “nonbinary” came about, bisexuals still often saw themselves as attracted to people beyond gender.

Androgyny and gender-nonconformity are also a staple in bisexual culture. Major bisexual icons throughout history explored and embraced it. Look at bisexual chic, especially the glam rock era. Some bisexual activists and organizations have historically included and allied with transgender and nonbinary people, and many of us are transgender or nonbinary ourselves.

Below are just a few examples of the hidden secret of our gender-expansiveness. (Including a quote here does not equal my approval of what was said. Keep in mind the times during which they were recorded as well as the footnotes.)

Sources without links can be downloaded for free from ZLibrary, borrowed from the Open Library, or found wherever you purchase or borrow physical books. Sources without a year next to them are those for which I could not find the publish date.

“…the very wealth and humanity of bisexuality itself: for to exclude from one’s love any entire group of human beings because of class, age, or race or religion, or sex, is surely to be poorer — deeply and systematically poorer.”

— Kate Miller (1974)

“It’s easier, I believe, for exclusive heterosexuals to tolerate (and that’s the word) exclusive homosexuals than [bisexuals] who, rejecting exclusivity, sleep with people not genders…”

— Martin Duberman (1974)

“Margaret Mead in her Redbook magazine column wrote an article titled ‘Bisexuality: What’s It All About?’ in which she cited examples of bisexuality from the distant past as well as recent times, commenting that writers, artists, and musicians especially ‘cultivated bisexuality out of a delight with personality, regardless of race or class or sex.’”

— Janet Bode, “From Myth to Maturation,” View From Another Closet: Exploring Bisexuality in Women (1976)

“Being bisexual does not mean they have sexual relations with both sexes but that they are capable of meaningful and intimate involvement with a person regardless of gender.”

— Janet Bode, “The Pressure Cooker,” View From Another Closet (1976)

“A sex-change night club queen has claimed she had a bizarre love affair with rock superstar David Bowie. Drag artiste Ronny Haag said she lived with the bisexual singer while he was making his new film, “Just a Gigolo,” in Berlin. […] Ronny says: ‘I am a real woman.’”

— Kenelm Jenour, “I Was Bowie’s She-Man!”, Daily Mirror (1978)²

“[John] reacted emotionally to both sexes with equal intensity. ‘I love people, regardless of their gender,’ he told me.”

— Charlotte Wolff, “Early Influences,” Bisexuality, a Study (1979)

“On Saturday, February 9, San Francisco’s Bisexual Center will conduct a Gender/Sexuality Workshop. ‘We will explore the interrelationships of gender feelings and sexual preference… We will discuss sexuality and whether we choose to play out the gender role assigned to us by society or whether we can shift to attitudes supposedly held by the opposite gender, if those feel good to us. We will deal with the issue of the TV/TS [transvestite/transsexual] in transition and how sexuality evolves as gender role changes. We will attempt to present a summary of the fragmented and confusing information on gender and sexuality.’”

— The Gateway (1980)

“J: Are we ever going to be able to define what bisexuality is?

S: Never completely. That’s just it — the variety of lifestyles that we see between us defies definition.”

— “Conversations,” Bi Women: The Newsletter of the Boston Bisexual Women’s Network (1984)

“Bisexuality, however, is a valid sexual experience. While many gays have experienced bisexuality as a stage in reaching their present identity, this should not invalidate the experience of people for whom sexual & affectional desire is not limited by gender. For in fact many bisexuals experience lesbianism or homosexuality as a stage in reaching their sexual identification.

— Megan Morrison, “What We Are Doing,” Bi Women (1984)

“In the midst of whatever hardships we [bisexuals] had encountered, this day we worked with each other to preserve our gift of loving people for who they are regardless of gender.”

— Elissa M., “Bi Conference,” Bi Women (1985)

“I believe that people fall in love with individuals, not with a sex… I believe most of us will end up acknowledging that we love certain people or, perhaps, certain kinds of people, and that gender need not be a significant category, though for some of us it may be.”

— Ruth Hubbard, “There Is No ‘Natural’ Human Sexuality, Bi Women (1986)

“I am bisexual because I am drawn to particular people regardless of gender. It doesn’t make me wishy-washy, confused, untrustworthy, or more sexually liberated. It makes me a bisexual.”

— Lani Ka’ahumanu, “The Bisexual Community: Are We Visible Yet?” (1987)

“To be bisexual is to have the potential to be open emotionally and sexually to people as people, regardless of their gender.”

— Office Pink Publishing, “Introduction,” Bisexual Lives (1988)

“We made signs and slashes. My favorite read, ‘When it’s love in all its splendor, it doesn’t matter what the gender.’”

— Beth Reba Weise, “Being There and Being Bi: The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights,” Bi Women (1988)

“…bisexual usually also implies that relations with gender minorities are possible.”

— Thomas Geller, Bisexuality: a Reader and Sourcebook (1990)

“Many objections have been raised to the use of [“bisexual”], the most common being that it emphasizes two things that, paradoxically, bisexuals are the least likely to be involved with: the dualistic separation of male and female in society, and the physical implications of the suffix ‘-sexual’.”

— Thomas Geller, Bisexuality: a Reader and Sourcebook (1990)

“Bisexuality is a whole, fluid identity. Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or duogamous in nature: that we have ‘two’ sides or that we must be involved simultaneously with both genders to be fulfilled human beings. In fact, don’t assume that there are only two genders.”

— The Bay Area Bisexual Network, “The 1990 Bisexual Manifesto,” Anything That Moves (1990)

“Bisexuality works to subvert the gender system and everything it upholds because it is not based on gender… Bisexuality subverts gender; bisexual liberation also depends on the subversion of gender categories.”

— Karin Baker and Helen Harrison, “Letters,” Bi Women (1990)

“I tell them, whether or not I use the word ‘bisexual,’ that I am proud of being able to express my feelings toward a person, regardless of gender, in whatever way I desire.”

— Naomi Tucker, “What’s in a Name?”, Bi Any Other Name (1991)³

“Some women who call themselves ‘bisexual’ insist that the gender of their lover is irrelevant to them, that they do not choose lovers on the basis of gender.”

— Marilyn Murphy, “Thinking About Bisexuality,” Bi Women (1991)

“Results supported the hypothesis that gender is not a critical variable in sexual attraction in bisexual individuals. Personality or physical dimensions not related to gender and interaction style were the salient characteristics on which preferred sexual partners were chosen, and there was minimal grid distance between preferred male and preferred female partners. These data support the argument that, for some bisexual individuals, sexual attraction is not gender-linked. […] …the dimensions which maximally separate most preferred sexual partners are not gender-based in seven of the nine grids.”

— M W Ross, J P Paul, “Beyond Gender: The Basis of Sexual Attraction in Bisexual Men and Women” (1992)

“[S]ome bisexuals say they are blind to the gender of their potential lovers and that they love people as people… For the first group, a dichotomy of genders between which to choose doesn’t seem to exist[.]”

— Kathleen Bennett, “Feminist Bisexuality, a Both/And Option for an Either/Or World,” Closer to Home: Bisexuality and Feminism (1992)

“The expressed desires of [female bisexual] respondents differed in many cases from their experience. 37 respondents preferred women as sexual partners; 9 preferred men. 21 women had no preference, and 35 said they preferred sex with particular individuals, regardless of gender.”

— Sue George, “Living as bisexual,” Women and Bisexuality (1993)

“Who is this group for exactly? Anyone who identifies as bisexual or thinks they are attracted to or interested in all genders… This newly formed [support] group is to create a supportive, safe environment for people who are questioning their sexual orientation and think they may be bisexual.”

— “Coming Out as Bisexual,” Bi Women (1994)

“It is logical and necessary for bisexuals to recognize the importance of gender politics — not just because transsexuals, cross-dressers, and other transgender people are often assumed to be bisexual… […] I have talked to the bisexual practicers of pre-op transsexuals who feel they have the best of both worlds because their lover embodies woman and man together.² Is that not a connection between bisexuality and transgenderism? […] Some of us are bisexual because we do not pay much attention to the gender of our attractions; some of us are bisexual because we do see tremendous gender differences and want to experience them all. […] With respect to our integrity as bisexuals, it is our responsibility to include transgendered people in our language, in our communities, in our politics, and in our lives.”

— Naomi Tucker, “The Natural Next Step,” Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions (1995)

“The first wave of people who started the Bi Center were political radicals and highly motivated people. The group was based on inclusivity… for example, in the women’s groups, anybody who identified as a woman had the right to be there, so a lot of transgender people started coming to the Bi Center.”

— Naomi Tucker, “Bay Area Bisexual History: An Interview with David Lourea,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“[B]isexual consciousness, because of its amorphous quality and inclusionary nature, posed a fundamental threat to the dualistic and exclusionary thought patterns which were — and still are — tenaciously held by both the gay liberation leadership and its enemies.”

— Stephen Donaldson, “The Bisexual Movement’s Beginnings in the 70s,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“If anything, being bi has made me hyper-aware of the sexual differences between [men and women]. And I still get hot for both. But I do experience something that is similar to gender blindness. It’s this: being bisexual means I could potentially find myself sexually attracted to anybody. Therefore, as a bisexual, I don’t make the distinction that monosexuals do between the gender you fuck and the gender you don’t.”

— Greta Christina, “Bi Sexuality,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“[A]nd too / I am bisexual / in my history / in my capacity / in my fantasies / in my abilities / in my love for beautiful people / regardless of gender.”

— Dajenya, “Bisexual Lesbian,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“The bisexual community should be a place where lines are erased. Bisexuality dismisses, disproves, and defies dichotomies. It connotes a loss of rigidity and absolutes. It is an inclusive term. […] Despite how we choose to identify ourselves, the bisexual community still seems a logical place for transsexuals to find a home and a voice. Bisexuals need to educate themselves on transgender issues. At the same time, bisexuals should be doing education and outreach to the transsexual community, offering transsexuals an arena to further explore their sexualities and choices. Such outreach would also help break down gender barriers and misconceptions within the bisexual community itself. […] If the bisexual community turns its back on transsexuals, it is essentially turning its back on itself.”

— K. Martin-Damon, “Essay for the Inclusion of Transsexuals,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“As bisexuals, we are necessarily prompted to come up with non-binary ways of thinking about sexual orientation. For many of us, this has also prompted a move toward non-binary ways of thinking about sex and gender.”

— Rebecca Kaplan, “Your Fence Is Sitting on Me: The Hazards of Binary Thinking,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“And so we love each other and wish love for each other, regardless (to the extent possible) of gender and sex.”

— Oma Izakson, “If Half of You Dodges a Bullet, All of You Ends Up Dead,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“Similarly, the modern bisexual movement has dissolved the strict dichotomy between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ (without invalidating our homosexual or heterosexual friends and lovers.) We have insisted on our desire and freedom to love people of all genders.”

— Sunfrog, “Pansies Against Patriarchy,” Bisexual Politics (1995)

“In the bisexual movement as a whole, transgendered individuals are celebrated not only as an aspect of the diversity of the bisexual community, but because, like bisexuals, they do not fit neatly into dichotomous categories. Jim Frazin wrote that ‘the construction and destruction of gender’ is a subject of mutual interest to bisexuals and transsexuals who are, therefore, natural allies.”

— Paula C. Rust, Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics: Sex, Loyalty, and Revolution (1995)

“Is bisexuality even about gender at all? ‘I don’t desire a gender,’ 25[-]year-old Matthew Ehrlich says.”

— Deborah Block-Schwenk, “Newsweek Comes Out as Supportive,” Bi Women (1995)

“One woman expressed the desire to elide categorical differences by reporting that she finds ‘relationships with men and women to be quite similar — the differences are in the individuals, not in their sex.’ Others expressed their ideal as choosing partners ‘regardless of gender…’”

— Amber Ault, Ambiguous Identity in an Unambiguous Sex/Gender Structure: The Case of Bisexual Women (1996)

“Most conceptual models of bisexuality explain it in terms of conflictual or confused identity development, [r-slur] sexual development, or a defence against ‘true’ heterosexuality or homosexuality. It has been suggested, however, that some individuals can eroticize more than one love object regardless of gender, that sexual patterns could be more variable and fluid than theoretical notions tend to allow, and that sexual desire may not be as fixed and static in individuals as is assumed by ‘essential’ sexual categories and identities.”

— E.Antonio de Moya and Rafael García, “AIDS and the Enigma of Bisexuality in the Dominican Republic,” Bisexualities and AIDS: International Perspectives (1996)

“I’m bi. That simply means I can be attracted to a person without consideration of their gender.”

— E. Grace Noonan, “Out on the Job: DEC Open to Bi Concerns,” Bi Women (1996)

“BiCon should accept transgender people as being on their chosen gender, this includes any single gender events.”

— BiCon Guidelines (1998)⁴

“The probability is that your relationship is based on, or has nestled itself into something based more on the relationship between two identities than on the relationship between two people. That’s what we’re taught: man/man, woman/woman, woman/man, top/bottom, butch/femme, man/woman/man, etc. We’re never taught person/person. That’s what the bisexual movement has been trying to teach us. We’re never taught that, so we fall into the trap of ‘you don’t love me, you love my identity.’”

— Kate Bornstein, My Gender Workbook (1998)

“Transsexuality and bisexuality both occupy heretical thresholds of human experience. We confound, illuminate and explore border regions. We challenge because we appear to break inviolable laws. Laws that feel ‘natural.’ And quite possibly, since we are not the norm or even average, it is likely that one function we have is to subvert those norms or laws; to break down the sleepy and unimaginative law of averages.”

— Max Wolf Valerio, “The Joker Is Wild: Changing Sex + Other Crimes of Passion,” Anything That Moves (1998)

“From the earliest years of the bi community, significant numbers of TV/TS and transgender people have always been involved with it. The bi community served as a kind of refuge for people who felt excluded from the established gay and lesbian communities.”

— Kevin Lano, “Bisexuality and Transgenderism,” Anything That Moves (1998)

“A large group of bisexual women reported in a Ms. magazine article that when they fell in love it was with a person rather than a gender…”

— Betty Fairchild and Nancy Hayward, “What is Gay?”, Now that You Know: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding Their Gay and Lesbian Children (1998)

“Over the past fifteen years, however, [one Caucasian man] has realized that he is ‘attracted to people — not their sexual identity’ and no longer cares whether his partners are male or female. He has kept his Bi identity and now uses it to refer to his attraction to people regardless of their gender.”

— Paula C. Rust, “Sexual Identity and Bisexual Identities,” Queer Studies: A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Anthology (1998)

“Bisexual — being emotionally and physically attracted to all genders.”

— The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, “Out of the Past: Teacher’s Guide” (1999)

“There were a lot of transvestites and transsexuals who came to [the San Francisco Bisexual Center in the 1970s], because they were not going to be turned away because of the way they dressed.”

— David Lourea, “Bisexual Histories in San Francisco in the 1970s and Early 1980s,” 2000 Journal of Bisexuality

“Respondent #658 said that both are irrelevant; ‘who I am sexually attracted to has nothing to do with their sex/gender,’ whereas Respondent #418 focuses specifically on the irrelevance of sex: I find myself attracted to either men or women. The outside appendages are rather immaterial, as it is the inner being I am attracted to. […] Respondent #495 recalled that “the best definition I’ve ever heard is someone who is attracted to people & gender/sex is not an issue or factor in that attraction.” […] As Respondent #269 put it, “I do not exclude a person from consideration as a possible love interest on the basis of sex/gender.” […] For most individuals who call themselves bisexual, bisexual identity reflects feelings of attraction, sexual and otherwise, toward women and men or toward other people regardless of their gender.”

— Paula C. Rust, “Two Many and Not Enough: The Meanings of Bisexual Identities,” 2000 Journal of Bisexuality

“Giovanni’s distinction between what he wants and who he wants resonates with the language of many of today’s bisexuals, who insist that they fall in love with a person, not a gender.”

— Marjorie Garber, Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life (2000)

“The message of bisexuality — that people are more than their gender; that we accept all people, regardless of Kinsey scale rating; that we embrace people regardless of age, weight, clothing, hair style, gender expression, race, religion and actually celebrate our diversity — that message is my gospel. I travel, write, do web sites — all to let people know that the bisexual community will accept you, will let you be who you are, and will not expect you to fit in a neat little gender/sexuality box.”

— Wendy Curry, “Celebrating Bisexuality,” Bi Women (2000)

“But really, just like I can’t believe in the heterosexist binary gender system, I have difficulty accepting wholeheartedly any one spiritual tradition.”

— Anonymous, “A Methodical Awakening,” Bi Women (2002)

“But there are also many bis, such as myself, for whom gender has no place in the list of things that attract them to a person. For instance, I like people who are good listeners, who understand me and have interests similar to mine, and I am attracted to people with a little padding here and there, who have fair skin and dark hair (although I’m pretty flexible when it comes to looks). ‘Male’ or ‘female’ are not anywhere to be found in the list of qualities I find attractive.”

— Karin Baker, “Bisexual Basics,” Solidarity-us.org (2002)

“Bisexual: A person who is attracted to people regardless of gender (a person does not have to have a relationship to be bisexual!)”

— Bowling Green State University, “Queer Glossary” (2003)

“The bisexual community seems to be disappearing. Not that there won’t always be people around who like to have sex with people of all genders, the community, as I’ve discussed in this book, is a different matter altogether.”

— William Burleson, Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community (2005)

“Although bisexuals in general may or may not be more enlightened about gender issues, there has been, and continues to be, in most places around the country a strong connection between the transgender and the bisexual communities. Indeed, the two communities have been strong allies. Why is this? One reason certainly is, as I mentioned earlier, the significant number of people who are both bisexual and transgender.”

— William Burleson, Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community (2005)

“Amy: […] But my friend’s question got me thinking: given the fact that so many bisexual friends and community members reject the idea that gender has to have a relation to attraction and behavior, why should I reject the bi label? Why did her question even come up? How relevant is gender to the concept of bisexuality? If bisexuals like me don’t care about gender the way monosexuals do, why would my identity label exclude my lovers’ gender variations?

Kim: …Like you, I’m a bi person who sees gender as fluid rather than fixed or dichotomous… I’ve also felt outside pressure to reject my bi identity based on the idea that it perpetuates the gender binary: woman/man. However, this idea reduces bisexual to ‘bi’ and ‘sexual’ and disregards the fact that it represents a history, a community, a substantial body of writing, and the right of the bisexual community to define ‘bisexuality’ on its own terms. Most importantly, this idea disregards how vital these things are for countless bi people. Identifying as bi doesn’t inherently mean anything, and it definitely doesn’t mean a person only recognizes two genders. However, to assume that bi-identified people exclude transgender, gender nonconforming (GNC), and genderqueer people also assumes they are not trans, GNC, or genderqueer themselves, when in fact, many are.”

— Kim Westrick and Amy Andre, “Semantic Wars,” Bi Women (2009)

“The [intracommunity biphobia] problem is very serious, because bisexuals, along with trans folks, are the rejects among rejects, that is to say, those who suffer from discrimination (gays and lesbians) discriminate against bis and trans folks. It is for this reason, at least here in Mexico City, that Opción Bi allies itself with transsexuals, transgender people and transvestites, and works together with them whenever possible. It seems to me we are closer to the trans communities than to the lesbian and gay ones.”

— Robyn Ochs, “Bis Around the World: Myriam Brito, Mexican City,” Bi Women (2009)

“I introduce myself as bisexual, because I am attracted to people, across gender lines, and ‘bisexual’ comes closest to explaining that.”

— B.J. Epstein, “Bye Bi Labels,” Bi Women (2009)

“Bisexuality is not some kind of middle-ground between heterosexuality and homosexuality; rather I imagine it as a way to erode the fixed systems of gender and sexual identity which always result in guilt, fear, lies[,] and discrimination.”

— Carlos Iván Suárez García, “What Is Bisexuality?”, Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)⁵

“To me, bisexuality is a matter of loving and accepting everyone equally — seeing the beauty in the human soul, rather than in the shell that houses it. Being transgender, I know firsthand that love between two people can transcend — even embrace — what society regards as taboo. Bisexuality is a mindset of revolution, a mindset of change. We’re creating a brave new world of acceptance and love for all people, of all the myriad genders and methods of sexual expression that this world contains.

— Jessica, “What Is Bisexuality?”, Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“Bisexuality (whatever that means) for me is about the ability to relate to all people at a deep emotional level. It is an openness of the heart. It is the absence of limits, especially those that are defined by the other person’s sex.”

— Andrea Toselli, “Coming Out Bisexual,” Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“Considering my personal preferences, calling myself ‘bisexual’ covers a wider territory regarding my capacity to fall in love and to share the life of a couple with another person without taking into consideration questions of gender.”

— Aida, “Why Bi?”, Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“I’m sure I’m bisexual because I can’t ignore the allure and loveliness of a wide spectrum of people — differentiating by gender never seemed attractive or even logical to me. […] For me bisexuality means I don’t stop attraction, caring or relationship potential based on gender; I can have sex, flirtation or warm ongoing love with anyone (not everyone, okay? That part’s a myth). […] And we have enough trouble splitting the human race into two halves, assigning mandatory characteristics, and then torturing people to fill arbitrary roles — I consider that a wrong and inaccurate way to understand human potential, and that’s also why I’m bi. Men and women are different? Honey, everyone I’ve ever met has been different. I think being bisexual lets me see each person as an individual.”

— Carol Queen, “Why Bi?”, Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“But to hell with respectability: the real point about being bisexual, a friend pointed out, is that you’re asking someone other than ‘What sex is this person?’”

— Tom Robinson, “Bisexual Community,” Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“Being bisexual… allows us to love each other regardless of our gender…”

— Jorge Pérez Castiñeira, “Bisexual Community,” Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“‘Hello, my name is Jaqueline Applebee… if you want to see me later, or just want a kiss, let me know as I’m bisexual, and you’re all gorgeous!’ […] I have loved men, women, and those who don’t identify with any gender.”

— Jaqueline Applebee, “Bisexual Community,” Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“[T]here’s nothing binary about bisexuals. Bi is just a provisional term reminding us, however awkwardly, that when it comes to loving, family and tribe, margins and middle intertwine.”

— Loraine Hutchins, “Bisexual Politics,” Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“My bi identity is not about who I am having sex with; it is not about the genitals of my past, current, or future lovers; it is not about choosing potential partners or excluding partners based on what is between their legs. It is about potential — the potential to love, to be attracted to, to be intimate with, share a life with a person because of who they are. I see a person, not a gender… I demand to be free to legally marry anyone without regard to their gender.”

— Rifka Reichler, “Bisexual Politics,” Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition (2009)

“To me, being bisexual means having a sexuality that isn’t limited by the sex or gender of the people you are attracted to. You just recognize that you can be attracted to a person for very individual reasons.”

— Deb Morley, “Bi of the Month: An Interview with Ellyn Ruthstorm,” Bi Women (2010)

“Q: Which gender person does a bisexual love? A: Any gender she wants.”

— Marcia Deihl, “Do Clothes Make the Woman?”, Bi Women (2010)

“While the bisexual manifesto being written following a workshop at London BiCon is still being worked on, the tweeters set to work on a shorter, snappier alternative… ‘Love is about what’s in your hearts, not your underwear.’ […] ‘We aren’t more confused, greedy, indecisive or lustful than anyone else. We like people based on personality not gender.’ ‘[W]e believe that lust is more important than anatomy.’ ‘What you have between your legs doesn’t matter. What you have between your ears does[.]’”

— Jen Yockney, “#bisexualmanifesto,” Bi Community News (2010)

“As briefly mentioned above and interlinked with the notion of ‘importance of individuality’, the binary concepts of gender and the stereotypes surrounding these is a notion which each of the [bisexual] women interviewed fundamentally reject. The participants here were keen to distance themselves and their experiences of romantic relationships from any notion of hetero-normative gender boundaries, although they did agree that unfortunately these gender boundaries still exist in contemporary society. Most participants do not link gender boundaries with concepts of romantic love; it was stated that although sometimes gender boundaries can be seen in romantic relationships this is primarily down to socialisation and the unnecessary importance that hetero-normative society places on gender roles. Therefore, gender boundaries seen in romantic relationships are not constrained by gender but instead are a product of gendered socialisation. For these women, claiming their bisexual identity and their romantic relationships illustrates the futility of binary concepts of gender as it is about individual preference or style rather than gendered norms values and expectations.”

— Emma Smith, “Bisexuality, Gender & Romantic Relationships,” Bi Community News (2012)

“And anyway, I’m generally not sexually attracted to men or women. I’m into all sorts of things, but a person being a man or a woman isn’t a turn-on. Certainly not in the same way it’s a turn off to a gay or straight person. I’m never going to think “Wow, Zie is really sexy, shame they’re a ____” because what turns me off isn’t gender.”

— Marcus, “What makes a bisexual?”, Bi Community News (2012)

“I am bisexual. That does not depend on my dating experience or my attraction specifications. It is not affected by my dislike for genitals (of any shape). All it describes is how gender affects attraction for me: it doesn’t. I am attracted to people regardless of gender, and I am bisexual.”

— Emma Jones, “Not Like the Others,” Bi Women (2013)

“I’m generally okay with ‘attraction to more than one gender’ [as a definition of ‘bisexuality’]. I think that the ‘more than’ part is important because there are definitely more than two genders. Some people like the definition ‘attraction regardless of gender’ and I like that too because it suggests that things other than gender can be equally, or more, important in who we are attracted to. I like to question why our idea of sexuality is so bound up with gender of partners. Why not encompass other aspects such as the roles we like to take sexually, or how active or passive we like to be, or what practices we enjoy? Why is our gender, and the gender of our partners, seen as such a vital part of who we are?”

— Robyn Ochs, “Around the World: Meg Barker,” Bi Women (2013)

“It may sound crazy but I’d never thought that carefully about the ‘bi’ part of the word meaning ‘two’. I’d always understood bisexuality to mean what Bobbie Petford reports as the preferred definition from within the UK bi communities: changeable ‘sexual and emotional attraction to people of any sex, where gender may not be a defining factor’. […] Participants in the BiCon discussion rejected the ‘you are a boy or you are a girl…binary’ (Lanei), all arguing that they were not straightforwardly ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’.

[…] Because they discarded the dichotomous understanding of gender, participants rejected the ideas that they were attracted to ‘both’ men and women, arguing that they did not perceive gender as the defining feature in their attraction. Kim said: I don’t think actually gender is that relevant…gender is like eye colour, and I notice it sometimes, and sometimes it can be a bit of a feature it’s like “oo, that’s nice” and I have some sorts of gender types, but it’s about as important as something like eye colour.

[…] As I came to realise that you can actually be bisexual…your desires and your attractions can wax and wane as time goes on, I realised that there was a parallel to gender: you don’t have to clearly define, you don’t have to cast off the male to be female and vice versa. Despite the fact that the conventional definition of the word ‘bisexual’ could be seen as perpetuating a dichotomous concept of gender, being attracted to both sexes, Georgina concluded that it could challenge conventional understandings of gender…”

— “Bisexuality & Gender,” Bi Community News (2014)

“My fellow bisexuals… I stand before you as an unapologetic, outspoken, bisexual activist who has intimately loved women, men and transgender persons throughout my life span of 72 years…”

— ABilly S. Jones-Hennin, “If Loving You is Wrong, Then I Don’t Want to be Right,” Bisexual Organizing Project (2014)

“Coming out as bisexual in the late 80s, when I first came across the label pansexual it didn’t involve any kind of gender nuance: it was how someone explained their bisexuality feeling interwoven with their Pagan beliefs. Back then the ‘bi’ in bisexual didn’t get talked about as having some great limiting weight of ‘two’, it was an “and” in a world that saw things as strictly either/or. As I was pushing at boundaries of discussion around gender and sexuality with people in the 90s I’d sometimes quip that I was ‘bisexual, I just haven’t decided which two genders yet’. When I started to come across people saying that bi was limiting because it meant two, a bit of me did think: oh lord, were they taking me seriously?”

— Jen, “Bi or Pan?”, Bi Community News (2015)

“Pansexuality is sometimes defined as attraction to people of all genders, which is also the experience of many bisexual people. More often than not, however, people define their pansexuality in relation to bisexuality. In response to the question: ‘What does pansexual mean?’ I’ve seen countless people reply: ‘I’m attracted to people of more than two genders. Not bisexual.’ The implication is that bisexual means binary attraction: men and women only.

Since I came out in the late 90s, I haven’t seen one bi activist organisation define bisexuality as attraction solely to men and women. Bi and trans* issues began to grow in recognition at the same time. When I use ‘bi’ to refer to two types of attraction, I mean attraction to people of my gender and attraction to people of other genders. […] …it’s so upsetting to see internalised biphobia leading many pansexuals, many of whom until recently identified as bisexual, telling us we’re still not queer enough. Gay and straight people aren’t being pressurised into giving up the language they use to describe their attractions and neither should they be. As usual it’s only bisexuals being shamed into erasing our identities and our history.

The most frustrating thing to me about the current bi vs pan discourse is that it’s framed as a cisgender vs genderqueer debate. This has never been the case. In reality, many genderqueer people identify as bisexual… To say bisexuality is binary erases the identities of these revolutionary bisexual genderqueer activists, and it erases the identity of every marginalised genderqueer bisexual they’re fighting for.”

— Sali, “Bi or Pan?”, Bi Community News (2015)

“Currently some pansexual people argue that bi is ‘too binary’ and that bisexuals are focused on conventional male/female gender expressions only. This is then taken to mean that bisexuals are more transphobic, whereas pansexuals aren’t locked into a binary so they are open to all gender expressions. However we believe this is not the case since bisexuals: ‘… do not comply with our society’s imposed framework of attraction, we must consciously construct our own framework and examine how and why we are attracted (or not) to others. This process automatically acknowledges the artificiality of the gender binary and gendered norms and expectations for behavior. Indeed, the mere act of explaining our definition of bisexual to a nonbisexual person requires us to address the falsity of the gender binary head on.’

We do not deny that in actuality some bisexuals are too bound by traditional binary gender assumptions, just as many gay, lesbian, and heterosexual, and some trans people are too. Bisexuals, however, have been in the forefront of exploring desire and connection beyond sex and gender. When anyone accuses bisexuals, uniquely, as more binary and more transphobic than other identity groups, such targeting is not only inappropriate but is also rooted in biphobia — a fear and hatred of bi people for who we are and how we love.

Confusing the issue are the definitions in resource glossaries defining bisexual, most surprisingly in newly released books including textbooks. [...] These definitions arbitrarily define bisexual in a binary way and then present pansexual as a non-binary alternative. This opens the doorway to a judgment that pansexual identity is superior to bisexual identity because it ‘opens possibilities’ and is a ‘more fluid and much broader form of sexual orientation’. This judgmental conclusion is unacceptable and dangerous as it lends itself to perpetuating bisexual erasure. The actual lived non-binary history of the bisexual community and movement and the inclusive nature and community spirit of bisexuals are eradicated when a binary interpretation of our name for ourselves is arbitrarily assumed.”

— Lani Ka’ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins, “Bi Organizing Since 1991,” Bi Any Other Name (New 25th Anniversary Edition) (2015)

“Herself a bisexual woman, [Nan Goldin] found that drag queens, to her a third gender, were perfect companions. By transgressing the bounds of the binary, they had created identities that were infinitely more meaningful.”

— Alicia Diane Ridout, “Gender Euphoria: Photography, Fashion, and Gender Nonconformity in The East Village” (2015)

“It is the job of those of us with links to children to continue to promote the language of bisexuality and validity of attraction to all genders — especially when that attraction changes over time.”

— Bethan, “Practical Bi Awareness: Teaching and LGBT,” Bi Community News (2016)

“The persistent use of the Kinsey Scale is another issue. Originally asking about the genders of people you have had sex with, more recently it gets deployed in more sophisticated ways which distinguish between sexual attraction, romantic attraction, and sexual activity. Nonetheless it is woefully inadequate in accounting for attraction to genders other than male and female — a key part of many bisexual people’s experience.”

— Milena Popova, “Scrap the Kinsey Scale!”, Bi Community News (2016)

“Robyn Ochs states where the EuroBiCon also stands for: bisexuality goes beyond the binary gender thinking. There are more genders than the obsolete idea of two: male and female.”

— Erwin, “Robyn Ochs: ‘Bisexuality goes beyond the binary gender thinking’,” European Bisexual Conference (2016)

“I call myself bisexual because it includes attraction to all genders (same as mine; different from mine).”

— Rev. Francesca Bongiorno Fortunato, “Label Me With a B,” Bi Women Quarterly (2016)

“Loving a person rather than a man or a woman: this is Runa Wehrli’s philosophy. At 18, she defines herself as bisexual and speaks about it openly. […] She believes that love should not be confined by the barriers put up by society. ‘I fall in love with a person and not a gender,’ she says. […] Now single and just out of high school, she is leaving the door open to love, while still refusing to give it a gender.”

— Katy Romy, “‘I fall in love with a person and not a gender’,” Swissinfo (2017)

“I’m bisexual so I can’t really come out as gay. When I’m gay I’m very gay. And when I’m with men then, you know, I’m with men. I don’t fall in love with people because of their gender.”

— Nan Goldin for Sleek Magazine (2017)

“I use the word bisexual — a lot / I’ve marched in the Pride parade with the Toronto Bisexual Network / I post Bi pride & Bi awareness articles all over social media / I’m seeking out dates of any and all genders / (not to prove anything to anyone, but simply because I want to)

— D’Arcy L. J. White, “Coming Out as Bisexual,” Bi Women Quarterly (2017)

“BISEXUAL — Someone who is attracted to more than one gender, someone who is attracted to two or more genders, someone who is attracted to the same and other genders, or someone who is attracted to people regardless of their gender. […] Other words with the same definition of bisexual, though they have different connotations, are ‘pansexual,’ ‘polysexual,’ and ‘omnisexual.’”

— Morgan Lev Edward Holleb, The A-Z of Gender and Sexuality: From Ace to Ze (2018)

“In the heat of July [2009], and finally equipped with a word for “attracted to people regardless of gender”, I bounded out of Brighton station with that same best friend. At the time, I didn’t know that we bisexuals have our own flag…”

— Lois Shearing, “Why London Pride’s first bi pride float was so important,” The Queerness (2018)

“Being bisexual does not assume people are only attracted to just two genders. Bisexuality can be limitless for many and pay no regard to the sex or gender of a person.”

— “The Bi+ Manifesto” (2018)

“I realized I was bisexual at age fifteen, but although I am attracted to folks of any gender, I’ve always had a preference for men.”

— Mark Mulligan, “Fight and Flight: ‘Butch Flight,’ Trans Men, and the Elusive Question of Authenticity,” Nursing Clio (2018)

“Bisexuality just became, to me, about that openness — that openness to anything, and any potential to any type of relationship, regardless of gender. Gender is no longer a disqualifier for me. It’s about the person.”

— Rob Cohen, “Where Are All the Bi Guys?,” Two Bi Guys (2019)

“Oh no, Mom. I’m not a lesbian. Actually, I’m bisexual. That means that gender doesn’t determine whom I’m attracted to.”

— Annie Bliss, “Older and Younger,” Bi Women Quarterly (2019)

“A bisexual woman, for example, may have sex with, date or marry another woman, a man or someone who is non-binary. […] If you think you might be bisexual, try asking yourself these questions: …Can I picture myself dating, having sex with, or being married to any gender/sex?”

— “I Think I Might Be Bisexual,” Advocates for Youth

“Although it’s true that people have all kinds of different attractions to different kinds of people, assuming that all bisexuals are never attracted to trans or genderqueer folk is harmful, not only to bi individuals, but to trans and genderqueer individuals who choose to label themselves as bi.”

— “Labels,” Bisexual Resource Center

“My own understanding of bisexuality has changed dramatically over the years. I used to define bisexuality as ‘the potential to be attracted to people regardless of their gender.’ […] Alberto is attracted to the poles, to super-masculine guys and super-feminine girls. Others are attracted to masculinity and/or femininity, regardless of a person’s sex. Some of us who identify as bisexual are in fact ‘gender-blind.’ For others — in fact for me — it’s androgyny or the blending of genders that compels.”

— Robin Ochs, “What Does It Mean to Be Bi+?”, Bisexual Resource Center

“… bisexual people are those for whom gender is not the first criteria in determining attraction.”

— Illinois Department of Public Health, “Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Youth Suicide”

“Bisexuality is sexual/romantic attraction to people regardless of sex or gender.”

— “Bisexual FAQ,” Kvartir

“Please also note that attraction to both same and different means attraction to all. Bisexuality is inherently inclusive of everyone, regardless of sex or gender.

In everyday language, depending on the speaker’s culture, background, and politics, that translates into a variety of everyday definitions such as:

Attraction to men and women

Attraction to all sexes or genders

Attraction to same and other genders

Love beyond gender

Attraction regardless of sex or gender”

— American Institute of Bisexuality, “What Is Bisexuality?,” Bi.org

“This idea [that bisexuality reinforces a false gender binary] has its roots in the anti-science, anti-Enlightenment philosophy that has ironically found a home within many Queer Studies departments at universities across the Anglophone world. […] Bisexuality is an orientation for which sex and gender are not a boundary to attraction… Over time, our society’s concept of human sex and gender may well change. For bis, people for whom sex/gender is already not a boundary, any such change would have little effect.”

— American Institute of Bisexuality, “Questions,” Bi.org

Gender-expansive (or -fluid, or -blind) descriptions of bisexuality are nothing new — and with the exception of the Getting Bi quotes, the above compilation is just what I was able to find online. Arguably, the concept of excluding genders never even crossed the mind of many twentieth-century bisexuals — not just because “nonbinary genders hadn’t entered the mainstream” — but simply because many bisexuals understand bisexuality itself as “beyond” gender. Go to any bisexual organization and they’ll tell you bisexuality is broad and can include anyone.

Of course, the above quotes do not reflect the beliefs of every bisexual — no single quote can do that. These quotes were certainly not the only variation of bisexual-given definitions of bisexuality. I’m only pointing out that the “both” descriptions are similarly not the only ones that exist.

Even then, before wider knowledge of and language for nonbinary identities, attraction to “both” men and women was attraction regardless of gender. “Both” does not purposefully keep anyone out; it only (mistakenly) assumes how many groups there are. Gender not being a make-or-break, or not caring about gender in general, doesn’t depend on how many genders there are.⁶

Not to mention, all sexualities automatically include some nonbinary people — “nonbinary” isn’t merely a third gender. The mere notion that someone could just “not be attracted” to nonbinary people as a group completely misunderstands nonbinary identity.

Some bisexuals “see a person, not a gender,” while others, like me, see a person with a gender (that doesn’t stop us from finding them attractive), if they have one. Being bisexual has made me see people in more gender-neutral ways. Our experiences are far too vast to pin down, and there’s immense beauty in that vagueness.

Also, while bisexual activism and transgender activism have frequently overlapped, plenty of cisgender bisexuals are transphobic. But this is because all sexualities have transphobes. Even if we coined a sexual identity that only transgender people could use, some identifying with it would still likely be transphobes. Why allow transphobic bisexuals to erase the attitudes of all the bisexuals before and after them?

I find it incredibly odd that people now task bisexuals with proving our inclusivity considering that, for decades, we never had to. We had always (i.e., consistently throughout history, not as in every bisexual) been warping gender norms, but it was never to debunk a myth or make ourselves look good; it was just how we were. That hasn’t changed.

One of the predominant stereotypes is still that we’re indiscriminate sluts willing to sleep with anyone, but somehow there’s a new wave of folks insisting that we require our partners to obey the gender binary. I have a severely hard time believing this conclusion is based on reality. Almost all attempts to redefine bisexuality as binary come from people who don’t identify as such.

Imagine if we performed this revisionism with the word “gay.” For this example, I’ll use “gay” to describe gay men in particular.

“Gay” only means exclusive attraction to men, so the people who use that word only like cisgender men. I’m androsexual, which means I like cisgender, transgender, and nonbinary men.

Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? So why do we only apply this rhetoric to bisexuals? (It couldn’t possibly be because of biphobia, could it?)

While it’s obviously unrealistic to say that no bisexual person has ever been transphobic, bisexual orientation is not, and never has been, about exclusion. Considering that bisexual activists were seldom (if ever) focused on the prefix in the word “bisexual,” this recent fixation people have on trying to find a way to use “two” in its definition is misguided.

Begging to differ is ignorant and arrogant, contradicting not only history but many current bisexuals who understand bisexuality as all-encompassing. Acting like it’s uniquely binary or inherently limited in any way is indisputably false and biphobic. Please stop speaking over us and erasing our history. It, like the bisexual community itself, is bountiful, beautiful, and never going away.

Here’s one final quote that, while a bit unrelated to the rest, I particularly enjoy:

“I understand bisexuality not as a mixture of homosexuality and heterosexuality as Kinsey did, nor as a particular sexuality on an equal footing with homosexuality and heterosexuality, but as a holistic view of human sexuality, in which all aspects related to human sexuality are taken into account.”

— Miguel Obradors-Campos, “Deconstructing Biphobia” (2011)