#M's transphobic letter

[thosearentcrimes]

Me for the past week: Damn I really need to focus on writing this paper about revolutionary self-perception in 1789-1794 France. No distractions, just relevant stuff, deadline's coming up.

Instead:

Maria Edgeworth's 1817 novel Harrington contains a vivid evocation of the Gordon Riots, with two unsympathetic characters taken for Papists and finding refuge in the home of the rich Spanish Jew, the father of the young Jewish woman at the centre of the love story.

huh never heard of her I wonder what was up with her

She held critical views on estate management, politics and education, and corresponded with some of the leading literary and economic writers, including Sir Walter Scott and David Ricardo.

that David Ricardo? from economics?

After Honora died in 1780 Maria's father married Honora's sister Elizabeth (then socially disapproved and legally forbidden from 1833 until the Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907)

wait what

The Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7. c. 47) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, allowing a man to marry his dead wife's sister, which had previously been forbidden.

ok yeah that's pretty much what it says on the tin

The 1907 Act did exactly what it said and no more. It was amended by the Deceased Brother's Widow's Marriage Act 1921 to allow a widow to marry her deceased husband's brother.[36][37] This was a response to First World War deaths to encourage remarriages, reducing war widows' pensions and increasing the birth rate.[37]

the war really did do a lot for gender equality didn't it

anyway what was up with Maria Edgeworth, let's catch up with her

When passing through the village, one of the party wrote, "We found neither mud hovels nor naked peasantry, but snug cottages and smiles all about".[10] A counter view was provided by another visitor who stated that the residents of Edgeworthstown treated Edgeworth with contempt, refusing even to feign politeness.[11]

Ireland moment

Following an anti-Semitic remark in The Absentee, Edgeworth received a letter from an American Jewish woman named Rachel Mordecai in 1815 complaining about Edgeworth's depiction of Jews.[45] In response, Harrington (1817) was written as an apology to the Jewish community.

imagine if Graham Linehan had responded this way to criticism of his transphobic IT crowd episode :)

Rachel Mordecai married widower Aaron Marks Lazarus in 1821, and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where she lived for the rest of her life. The Lazaruses had four children together, three daughters and a son, M. E. Lazarus, in a household that also included Mr. Lazarus's seven children from his first marriage.

oh the lady had a son who she named after the author she liked who turned out to be willing to not be anti-semitic, that's nice

Marx Edgeworth Lazarus (February 6, 1822 – 1896) was an American individualist anarchist, Fourierist, and free-thinker.

oh well that sounds nice enough

Lazarus was a practicing doctor of homeopathy

ehhhh

Through his adult life, Lazarus tried to cope with apparent mental and physical disturbances, in particular what seemed to be chronic nocturnal emissions, a condition that at the time was labeled "seminal incontinence" or "spermatorrhea," believed to be detrimental and even fatal to the mind and body. Lazarus sought treatments through homeopathy, hydropathy, and electromagnetic treatments that seemed to bring some temporary relief. He also discussed the condition in his 1852 book Involuntary Seminal Losses: Their Causes, Effects, and Cure," where he suggested that the total sexual abstinence that he had tried to practice might be one of those causes. In 1855, Lazarus shocked some of his fellow Fourierists and free love advocates by marrying a 19 year old woman from Indiana, Mary Laurie (or "Lawrie).[1]

oh... a libertarian...

By the mid-1850s, social movements like Fourierism were in decline, and Lazarus's later life seems to have had less focus. When the Civil War broke out, most members of Lazarus's extended family lived in Southern states and generally supported the Confederate cause. In 1861, Lazarus, was staying with relatives in Columbus, Georgia and joined the local City Light Guard when war broke out, later serving as company physician for the Wilmington, NC Artillery.

on the one hand, obviously very bad to enlist in the Confederate army right, but on the other hand a semen retentionist doing homeopathy to them can't really be classified as "aiding" them can it

After the war, Lazarus continued to practice his areas of medicine and contributed articles and comments to various publications.[5] By his last years, though, he had become a disenchanted recluse known as the "Sand Mountain Hermit" of Jackson County, Alabama.

most normal libertarian

I wonder what those articles and comments are, and what kind of website they're hosted on. Oh.

[deconstructingchabad]

The Rebbe and LGBTQ Rights

Warning for: extreme homophobia, transphobia, conversion therapy, medicalizing language, etc etc

Chabad is nothing if not an expert in PR. Unlike other Chassidic factions, or, indeed, other Chareidi (what you might call "ultra-Orthodox") factions in general, Chabad has spent a lot of effort into disguising their true politically conservative views until you've already been sucked in. This had led to the very false belief, especially among younger generations who aren't so familiar with Orthodox Judaism as a whole, that Chabad is on the progressive side of Orthodoxy.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

While Chabad doesn't hold any views unique to Charedi Judaism with respect to the rights and respect of LGBTQ individuals, they have done a better job at hiding them.

You may think that perhaps this isn't such a bad thing- after all, isn't it a good thing that Chabad isn't picketing at Pride parades or outright throwing queer people out of their Chabad houses? And while of course it's good that Chabad isn't engaging in those types of homophobic and transphobic behavior, that doesn't mean that what Chabad does engage isn't just as harmful.

Chabad will be intentionally vague to outsiders about their true opinions of LGBTQ people, while in reality they fund and campaign for conservative political leaders and agendas and make life a living Hell for those unlucky enough to be born as queer into the movement.

Since Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, or 'The Rebbe' as he is better known, is the axial power within the Chabad movement (despite being dead for decades now), lets take a moment to unpack what he actually believed about LGBTQ people.

I (OP) am a transgender man. In January of this past year, I was lucky enough to be able to get a gender affirming double mastectomy, something that I had been yearning for for years and something that I, seven months later, still do not regret. But the months leading up to my surgery were fraught with emotional battles with my parents, who are deeply involved in the Chabad movement. They felt that what I was doing was wrong and went against, if not Judaism as a whole, then their values within Chabad. As part of my parents' attempts to dissaude me from continuing my medical transition, my mother sent me a letter the Rebbe had written to a seemingly trans (if not, at least, gender questioning) individual. Followers of the Chabad movement place immense value onto responsa letters by the Rebbe, even to the point of almost placing as much value on them as Torah, so it was no surprise that my parents held this letter, written in 1985, to such a high pedestal and as something to base their current beliefs upon.

Here is the scan my mother sent to me:

RABBI MENACHEM M SCHNEERSON Lubavitch 770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 1123 493-9250 Mr. Chabad of Northern California 2340 Piedmont Ave. Berkeley, Ca. 94704 Greeting and Blessing: By the Grace of G-d 22nd of Av, 5745 Brooklyn, N.Y. This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th of Av. There is surely no need to point out to you at length that one of the basics of our Torah, Toras Chaim, is that Hashem is the Creator and Master of the Universe, whose benevolent Providence extends to each and everyone individually, and that He is the Essence of Goodness, and it is in the nature of the Good to do good, particularly in regard to our Jewish people, to whom. he has given His Torah, Toras Chaim, of which it is stated that it is "our life and the length of our days," together with its Mitzvoth whereby Jews live. As you know, and indicate also in your letter, there are Mitzvoth which apply to Jewish males, and those that apply to Jewish females, and the distinction in regard to the fulfillment of the Mitzvoth, is a far-reaching one. In light of the above, it is not clear why you should want to interfere with HaShem's blessings and contemplate a change of sex; especially as it would immediately bring in complications regarding Torah and Mitzvoth, even assuming that there would be no problems in other areas. And since this is quite plain and understandable, there is no need to elaborate on it. As for your writing that you have sometimes had the desire to have been born a female, etc. it is not surprising that a human being cannot understand the ways of HaShem, Who surely knows what is best for every individual. If it is somewhat troublesome to you, it would be advisable that you However, if this desire should talk things over with a Torah-observant psychologist. I suggest that you should have your Tefillin checked to make sure they are Kosher. With blessing,, M. Schneerson

And here is a letter from 1986 that is often shared around that is the Rebbe's response to a man "struggling with homosexuality":

RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON Lubavitch 770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn. N. Y. 11213 493-9250 By the Grace of G-d 25th of Shevat, 5746 Brooklyn, N. Y. Greeting and Blessing: This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Jan. 26th, in which you write about a serious problem. As requested, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good. While all blessings come from HaShem, a Jew is expected to do what is necessary in the natural order. In the matter of the said problem, you surely know that there are doctors and psychiatrists who treat it, and have been successful in many cases. I know of a number of cases of people who had this problem but eventually overcame it, married and raised a family. While on this topic, I would like to clear up a misconception that has led some individuals into confusion and wrong conclusions. The misconception stems from the argument that since some individuals are born with this problem, it must be a "natural" thing; hence it cannot be designated as a wrong, or a sin, and there is therefore no need to do anything to change it, or at any rate, it is not a serious problem at all. That this approach is entirely without foundation can be seen from the fact that the Torah (called Toras Chaim and Toras Emes because it is our true guide in the everyday life) declares that to indulge in it, or even to dwell on it mentally, is a grave transgression of HaShem's commandment. Hence, it is also clear that the problem is controllable, for if it were beyond human control, HaShem would not have made it a sin. The fact that the problem may largely be congenital does not alter the situation. Every day children are born with particular natures and innate tendencies or drives, some of them good and some of them bad. This is why human being have to be trained and educated, so as to develop and strengthen the positive characteristics and eliminate the bad ones. The Creator endowed human beings with the capacity to improve, indeed even to change, their "natural" (i.e. inmate) traits. A case in point is kleptomania. It is generally recognized that kleptomania is a very compulsive drive. But no one will suggest that because it is probably inborn and extremely difficult to resist, the kleptomaniac should be told that it is okay for him to steal, or that there is nothing he can, or should, do about it, and so on. Similarly in the case of one who is born with a drive to destroy things, or with a quarrelsome or aggressive nature, or with a propensity to cheat or lie, or any other inmate trait that is considered reprehensible. No normal society would declare that since one was born that way, one should be allowed to go through life according to his natural desires and tendencies. Such an

attitude will help neither the individual, nor the society. On the contrary, everything should be, and is, done to help individuals to overcome their neurological problems, whatever they may be. Needless to say, the person who is afflicted with this or other neurological problems, may well ask, 'Why has HaShem created such a compulsive drive, which is in direct contradiction to His moral Code? Why has He afflicted me, who desires to comply fully with His commandments?" No human being can answer such questions, which only HaShem, the Creator, can answer. One observation that can be suggested in relation to the question, "Why me?" If an individual experiences a particularly difficult, or trying, situation, it may be assumed that HaShem has given him extraordinary powers to overcome the extraordinary difficulty. The individual concerned is probably unaware of his real inner strength; the trial may therefore be designed for the sole purpose of bringing out in the individual his hidden strength, which, after overcoming his problem, can be added henceforth to the arsenal of his revealed capacities, in order to utilize both for infinitely greater achievements for the benefit of himself, and others. Maimonides, the "Guide of the Perplexed" of his generation and of all subsequent generations, who was also acclaimed as the greatest physician of his time, declares in a well known passage in his famous Code, Mishneh Torah (Yad Hachazaka): "Every person has the option (power), if he so desires, to direct himself to do only good and be a Tzaddik, or, if he chooses, to follow the bad road and be a Rasha. Do not ever think that a person is predestined from birth to be a Tzaddik or Rasha. Nor is there any inner compulsion to make a choice, but one has the capacity to choose the right behavior, and it is entirely a matter of one's own will and determination" (Free translation from Hil. Teshuva, ch. 5. See it there at length). A final remark from the scientific viewpoint. To say that the human mind and neural system are unimaginably intricate, is to say the obvious. Only the Creator knows His handiwork. But the Creator has endowed the human mind with wonderful qualities to probe the mysteries of nature, to research and experiment and steadily gain more knowledge about himself and his physical and mental capacities. Considerable progress has been made by scientists in their studies of the brain cells and hormones. It is now clear that a wide range of human emotions and sensations can be stimulated artificially with the aid of electronic and biochemical techniques. It is now generally agreed that most, if not all, neurological disorders, including deviant sexual behavior, probably proceed from chemical(hormone) deficiencies or irregularities during the period of youth. Some neurological disorders are already being treated successfully in certain areas involving the neural system, and it is to be hoped that the range will expand and eventually include the whole spectrum of neurological disorders, both of individuals and of nations.

In the meantime, we can only put our trust in HaShem, and strengthen our adherence to the Torah and Mitzvoth, of which it is written, "They are our life and the length of our days." With blessing, M. Schneerson

With the above two letters, you can see the Rebbe recommending seeing a "Torah-observant psychologist" (this is a euphomism for conversion therapist, as you will see) to someone questioning their gender identity and comparing homosexuality to kleptomania and neurological disorders.

In 1987, the Rebbe was quoted as saying the following about homosexuality: (I had to dig a little to find this because. PR experts. But. Thank you so much to The Canadian Jewish News for reprinting his statements in 1987 and saving all their scans.)

"Any bill that proclaims that the 'rights' of these people must be protected and supported, should be seen for what it really is: It is taking away their right to be really protected (also -- from themselves); it is depriving these people of the vitally needed help! In simple physical terms it will bring even more suffering and pain to them, to their loved ones and to all society. Certainly all must be done to assure that this will not occur." "We are not dealing with the inalienable right of freedom of choice; we are not dealing with the innate and sacred, democratic right of free will; we are dealing with an issue of abnormality." ''In simple language, (homosexuality) is a sickness. And just because the patient proclaims he is normal does not make the malady any less dangerous." "there is no insult intended and no derogatory attitude suggested. . . . When a person is ill and someone volunteers to help him get well, there is no disrespect involved at all. "A special responsibility lies on the parents, educators and counselors to educate those afflicted . . . with a loving and caring attitude." When one acknowledges that homosexuality is destructive, he will realize "that it is no different from a child who is born with the tendency to tear out his hair or bang his head against the wall. But there is a very tragic difference in that this trait when practiced is much more devastating because it destroys both body and soul." "One person may stay only to lick the sugar and ' 'swear the pill is sweet." Another may come along and say: "I don't care if there is poison under the sugar, so long as I can enjoy the momentary pleasure of the sweetness .'.. . I don't care what the consequences will be." "Is it truly satisfying after the act? Or does it only provide momentary gratification . . . Are all his (or her) protestations about 'the great pleasure' and 'satisfaction' really true? Or has he Just been saying this for so long that now he is not willing, or is ashamed, to admit that he is wrong." -

Now, you may say that the Rebbe was only repeating what was the scientific and social consensus of the time, but homosexuality was officially removed from the DSM in 1973, over ten years before the Rebbe made his statements. The mid-1980s, when the Rebbe made these statements, were marked by the deaths of thousands upon thousands of Americans from the AIDS epidemic, and yet the Rebbe thought it appropriate to compare homosexuality to kleptomania or a poison pill. This isn't me singling the Rebbe out for his homophobia and transphobia- his ideas certainly weren't unique, especially among other fundementalist religious leaders- but I am holding him to a higher scrutiny because of the way in which the modern Chabad movement has attempted to whitewash his ideologies and market themselves as any less than the religious fundementalists that they are.

But what about the modern Chabad movement? Surely, even if modern adherents of Chabad didn't hold the Rebbe's words to such esteem as they do, perhaps the movement's ideologies have progresses with the times, and, dare I say it, modernized?

Well, they have. Sort of.

Any reference to homosexuality or gender divergence as being a disease has been virtually scrubbed from Chabad's public records (of course, this doesn't mean that the previously shared letters don't get passed around in private circles, such as the letter my mother sent to me in an attempt to dissuade me from persuing life-affirming medical intervention), but you can easily find what today's Chabad religious minds have to say with a quick little Google search:

"The issue is marriage. Marriage is, and always was, a religious idea: the idea that a relationship between a man and woman can be sanctioned as a holy union, as a partnership in which G‑d takes part. Does the California Supreme Court believe that their ruling will obligate G‑d to enter a relationship He does not condone? Marriage is not a civil institution; it is a religious one. The Court's intervention in this matter is, in my opinion, a dangerous precedent. This is a decision that should be left to the clergy." -Naftali Silberberg, 2008

"How do you navigate that journey? Thank G‑d, we have a Torah that provides a map, given to us by the One who gave us life. It tells us which desires we can embrace and elevate, which longings we can subdue and tame, and which we must reject or re-channel entirely. The Torah tells us unequivocally that the homosexual act is of that last category. Even if it burns inside for a lifetime, the best thing for you, for your health, and for your ultimate satisfaction in life is to subdue and re-channel that desire........ .......So yes, just as we don’t judge a fellow Jew for breaking Shabbat or eating non-kosher, so we don’t judge for the type of sexual life they are practicing and certainly not for the desires they never chose to have in the first place. In all cases, we look deeper, to the divine soul within. Encourage such people in the good things they are doing. Help them grow in the realms of Jewish practice and spirituality where they wish to grow. Let that soul shine." --Tzvi Freeman

It's pretty hard to find any official statements regarding LGBTQ issues made by Chabad because the devil works hard but Chabad's PR team works harder; however, I have the advantage of coming from within the community, and I know where to look.

So here are a few anecdotes from people such as myself, and what they've heard and dealt with due to Chabad:

(TW: extreme homophobia, sexual violence, conversion therapy)

Chabad is by no means a progressive branch of Orthodoxy. It is not unique in its queerphobia in comparison to other Orthodox Jewish movements, but it has spent a great deal of time and energy generating an illusion of being "milder" than other Charedi wings, when in reality it engages in just as much suppression and exclusion, even to the point of conversion therapy, as other Charedi groups do.

Just because you've seen that one photo circulating around Tumblr of a Chabad shliach putting Tefillin on a rainbow-flag caped individual does not change reality. A Chabad shliach putting Tefillin on an individual they view as undeniably a man (even if that person identifies as a woman or nonbinary, which they could have) is not the progressive win you think it is. It is no different from the refrain you hear from fundementalist Christian groups that preach to "love the sinner, hate the sin". They still view LGBTQ people as inherently sinners, whether they're doing so with a smile or not. And while I believe everyone is entitled to their beliefs, it is the deception that is most insidious to me, and young queer people have a right to know who it is they're endorsing when they endorse Chabad.

If you are in a similar situation as I once was, here are some resources:

JQY.org

Eshelonline.org

[olderthannetfic]

I appreciate the approach about being honest if, for instance, you don’t want trans headcanons in an exchange. I have that in my letter less because I totally hate all trans fic — there are some I have really enjoyed— and more because there are so many specific common things in trans fic that I don’t like (PIV, issuefic, any time it feels like the choice of which character to be trans is kind of gender essentialist e.g. “this woman must be AMAB because she has muscles/this man must be AFAB because he’s petite and pretty” or “this character who is a queeny gay man in a way a lot of IRL gay men are is actually a trans woman because obviously you wouldn’t be gender non-conforming unless you’re secretly trans”) that it just seems easier to DNW all of it rather than get particular in a way that might not be clear (especially with the last thing, which is subjective af, and kind of an I-know-it-when-I-see-it thing, and certainly not true of every fic that hcs those particular characters as trans, but it does ruin the fic for me when I do see it) or that might offend people (I’ve been in fandoms where people got super bent out of shape about how it was secretly transphobic of you to like M/M or F/F but dislike PIV). I got really bent out of shape at first about worrying it made me sound transphobic, and a friend had to be like, look, the people who are going to think that are going to think that anyway if you’re honest about your preferences, so you may as well just make it easier

--

Yeah. DNWs are appropriate for any of those "I know it when I see it" or "Be at least this skilled a writer" topics.

You just can't expect your assigned person to be a mind reader or brilliantly talented. It's better to steer them away from things that will end up annoying you when written "wrong".

And yes, people will get mad no matter what. A lot of them are people who desperately want to write their headcanon and not what their recipient actually likes, so they get mad at any request that tells them point blank to respect the recipient's tastes.

[the-undead-doctor-rp]

WELCOME TO THE WELL!!

HOWDY! I'm known as the Plague Doctor, but please, Call me Docty!

This is me 💜

And before you ask, yes, I'm dead. Like, really dead. I've been dead for 700 YEARS!! IM SLOWLY LOOSING MY MARBLES...

but it's FINE. I'm FINEEE.

I am currently living in a well that moves around :3 one moment I'll be in earth, the next I'll be in a dimension full of only the letter M! It's pretty wet.

Some rules~ ✨

💜 no bigots, transphobes, homophobes, racists, etc. Look man, i may be from the black plague times but also. I'm dead. None of us have room to judge each other over stupid shit like that.

💜 no nsfw man-! I'm literally a corpse! But if ya wanna flirt I wouldn't be opposed~ after all who could resist all THIS!

💜 NO TOUCHING THE MASK. I will beat you.

// Mod Finnley here! Hi! So. Welcome to this stupid RP blog I made for fun. This is gonna lean more into the lore and character of my persona, rather than just be me yapping. Just having fun here!

My main blog is @thecluelessdoctor, go check it out! I post alot of art there, and it's less shitposty there. Please go look at it lmao

This will mainly interact with gravity falls blogs, but I'll try to branch out for funsies if my fixations change!

Anyway, Ciao!

Tags;

In the well posts- text posts

🐦‍⬛ questions for the doctor 🐦‍⬛ -asks

🐦‍⬛ 💊- mod symbol

Docty lore- any posts involving docty's backstory, or the backstory of the well.

[piarelei]

HP Trans Fest 2023

Written for the @hptransfest, self-prompted.

the mortifying ordeal of being by Piarelei

Draco/Harry | M | Detailed warnings in notes (Misgendering, Depression) | Trans Male Draco | Trans Male Harry Potter | Trans Female Astoria Greengrass | T4T | Angst and Fluff | Angst with a Happy Ending | Enemies to Friends to Lovers | and they were roommates

The first step is getting away from his mother. The second, surprisingly, is moving in with Potter.

Includes, but is not limited to: Harry's fantastic cooking skills, Christmas in October, friendship, an emerald necklace, too many crêpes and Draco's disastrous attempts at hiding his feelings.

Why I think you should read it:

It's exactly 33,333 words and if that doesn't show you commitment to the bit, idk what does. (last year's submission was 22,222)

Astoria and Draco are besties and it's the best thing I've ever written. Trans solidarity at its finest.

"Thank you for writing this. For including the awful and ugly bits as well as the soft and joyful ones." @basicallyahedgehog

T4T power couple.

I'm trans, everyone in this is trans. It would be transphobic not to read it at this point. Also, follow @magicaltrans

Not to quote @samyistrying but: "the solidarity is threatening to warm my cold, dead heart" gives a good idea of what's happening.

This is a love letter to friendship and a farewell to daughterhood

[shinyshade8026]

can you like recap on all the DDs outside of J, N, S, V, E,

like the ones i haven’t fully asked questions abt 😭

Yuh!!!

W: S's old squad leader. Massive bitch and largely transphobic towards S and S alone. She is manipulative and power-hungry, loving to get what she wants. She is... weirdly obsessed with the idea of taking down S or making them work for her?

L: The pilot of S's old squad and W's right hand. She's not as manipulative as W, and definitely isn't transphobic (They use She/They) She was twisted and broken under W's demands and there is no going back for her.

T: A roaming and adventurous disassembly drone who ends up meeting S and they introduce him to the colony! It falls for Thad and ends up staying there to live. He is assumed to be dead by the 'company', and asked his squad mates to keep that secret for him, but he still talks to them to this day!

X: One of E's old squad mates! Jester's OC

A: One of E's old squad mates! Jester's OC

M/Maddie, O/Ozzie, & C/Callum: A squad of disassembly drones on the other side of the planet! They are in one big poly relationship and affectionately gave each other names with double letters, so they'd match!

[the-worst-bracket]

Frank Burns propaganda:

Imagine Mike Pence (vice president under Trump for non USians who may be going "why is that name familiar?") + the most incompetent yet certain of his own rightness doctor you've ever dealt with + that one kid in grade school who thought everyone needed to follow every tiny rule to the letter and went running to the teacher to report infractions so much that even the teacher hated him (and his constant whining that no one wanted to play with him without any awareness of why) + lots of incel energy (despite being in no way celibate, despite having a wife at home)

Whiney, mean, stupid, obnoxious, racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic even by the standards of his time, would definitely be a Trump republican if M*A*S*H was set today.

.

[all-is-fair-in-love-and-gore]

judas ♡ 18 ♡ gay ♡ autistic ♡ he/it ♡ cannibalcore and romantic gore sideblog ♡ mlm sideblog @slasher-mlm ♡ main @kittyslashers ♡

¤ m@ps/p3dos DNI ¤ terfs/transphobes and people with "men dni" on their blogs DNI ¤

♥︎ i've had cannibalistic thoughts, urges, and fantasies since i was 4 years old. it is innate and beautiful ♥︎

tags:

original posts: spitting blood

reblogs: reblood

text posts: written in blood

images: blood splatters

videos: slashics

gifs: blood sprays

asks: love letters

anonymous asks: anonymous letters

crush posts: 🫀

[thepowerisyouth]

EDIT-AS-I-GO-ALONG-JUSTIFY-ALL-MY-ACTIONS-POst

First started February 10th, 2024 in the middle of the night of course. Although I am 22 years old so I should really be saying-- "it all began 22 years ago when I was born"

Sometimes I write rants that are way too long, and I dont feel like editing or deleting it in full, I'm just going to call this what it is:

A very long diary entry I can come back to later. Its got some good stuff I wont lie to myself. But its also probably incomprehensible at times so ignore it as anything but a very rough rant for now

I also plan to invite new-to-the-site people to read my blog (no doubt being exposed to the horrors within my own blog and past). I'm talking bout people who have probably never typed in the letter T, U, M, B, L, R in a row ever once, and boy howdy are they in for the time of their fucking life

For anyone who is reading this right now, and is worried that they might find something truly scarring to their good christian sensibilities on this site, then I heavily recommend using tags, and content filters before delving further down in the dnd dungeon of my blog, or especially the higher level dungeons on the rest of the site for the first time, where the algorithm will absolutely assume you are ready for the same things the rest of the demographic here wants to see.

(Its a lotta porn. Okay? I'm talking about different unique genres of drawn, or whatever medium of porn mainly. Thats scary to a new person)

So grandma-- buckle up. Jesus take the wheel. Have faith in me & humanity. Its going to be a ride to get there but I truly believe you are capable of it

The whole philosophy I'm preaching is about expanding horizons in a respectful way, so please do so.

With that in mind, in order to prepare any newbies to this site in an engaging and fun way, I had to poke fun in what might be taken in a bad way at the site. I dont mean that. I love this site. I liken my words of preparation to what you might say before bringing your transphobic family into your home full of very queer friends

If you really wanna get mad at me, please do, I love hearing dissenting opinions.-- "Life is full of contractions" as they say.-- But please do so in truly, humanizing, empathically good faith. On every. Single. Post you see. Not just mine of course. Theres a lot more to be said on methodology of public discourse that is a huge part of my philosophy so this post really delves into this

Last thing for now before this post gets even more nitty-gritty:

This is really important, but only for any person who at any point doesn't understand something I'm talking about, and is discouraged by that fact to continue reading up on this philosophy. Don't let that discourage you. I made a perfect science ACT score way back when, and it was all thanks to (and literally nothing else) the simple, but persistent learning skill which is: ignore everything you dont know for now. If you start to notice it happens more than once on something you don't deem irrelevant, than ask questions, but often times people get bogged down by big words, but really do get the gist of an argument. And thats more than enough understanding for a first read. Learning takes many attempts. People learn different materials at different rates and thats a fact

Disclaimer 1: I think the other things counted as number ones but I'm starting here with the numbering

Disclaimer 2: I'm wrong. A lot. I talk with varying degrees of confidence because all language capable humans in existence do that, but literally quantum mechanics--the core principles of our universe as we understand them today-- teaches us that everything acts with a bit of a standard error. Theres no coincidence in the universe why statistics is a field of study.

My standard error is +/-50% on being 50% correct. My point is dont @ me for using an incorrect degree of confidence, because as a trained financial analyst I can attest they are all fucking wrong all the time just like me. However, none of them are wrong about most of the things they say, they simply draw the wrong conclusions most of the time

However, if you believe that the ideals which I, and others like me, are preaching are true than you should in good-faith contribute to making this philosophy more refined, not just be a toxic asshole on the internet. I think most sensible people are past that by now, come on.

I think the last thing I can think to say on this specific point about being wrong (there will always be more to say later), is that a lot of us are inclined, in this world, to only trust things when we've really tested & read into every possible source. And that's for every right reason in the world. But there is no denying that there is gate keeping to science. Huge barriers to entry. Exponentially balooning costs to scientific study. Not to mention just like.. paywalls on every site nowadays. Everyone.

I believe that in this year-of-our-lord-mr-krabs 2024 we need to turn back to philosophy to understand all of our problems, more specifically all of our greviences with capitalism. With the important caveat that we do, in fact, have probably thousands or millions or billions more questions answered than our favorite old philosophers. Fuck yes thats exciting! Because that only makes philosophy today work even better. I think it will help us answer trillions more

Disclaimer 3: I also justify myself. A lot. I'm doing it right now. And now. Every word.

This is an edit at the top after reading over disclaimer 3 once: I think I'm defining justification the same way a scientist thinks of evidence. Also context. It really is just all the same thing. I just needed to add that because I wasnt clear about my definition below

I think as time goes on, people will probably justify themselves more, and more, and more, but while also finding ways to better communicate those justifications in a quicker, more efficient way. Like how encryption and decryption science is a super cool and fast growing study. Kinda cool and star trek if you really think about it far enough

The reason I justify justifying myself is that we have, in fact, learned to encrypt and decrypt many things through our own brains and language. If I say a word that someone else knows, than I save time by not having to jump into every possible nook-and-cranny of explaination. This bit of framing about language being an efficiency/encryption/decryption thing will come back a lot in my writings

I read that over, and told myself: "okay bennet I think you lost the point there" so I need to circle back and say that when we speak we are trying--- desperately -- to find a way to decrypt the crazy encryption that is our thoughts. And because trial and error is effective, we often just jump to saying a bunch of things that have worked in the past, in the hope that the listener will respond with the rewarding joy of 2 people in understanding. A puzzle solved, if you will.

For example, if you engage with my post and I perceive that engagement to be positive, than I will probably, uncontrollabley get a rush of dopamine that cocaine only wishes it could give. You know this is true, because you've felt it too

Disclaimer 3a - mistakes are really cool. I finally know why the Japanese have that thing where they highlight mistakes in a piece. Its about making. It. Memorable. I have a great story example on a post here, but I think most people can agree with my position that its easier to remember when you are wrong-- than right.

What that means-- this is super duper uber wuper sluper important. Things that are memorable are part of the decryption key to language. There is a way that we are all figuring out how to communicate where we utilize what some percieve as mistakes to draw in attention, then listener either remembers the key or has to find it, then both move forward, happy having solved the issue of decrypting a bunch of literally just electricity and sound waves coming from a very real human in front of you. How cool is it that we can apply the framework of humans as puzzle solvers to better communicate our crazy thoughts?

To wrap that up-- this doesnt include all forms of language, of course. But I think its a humanist framework for understanding how we can be more effective communicators.

I read over that whole 3a thing and I already had plenty of questions and dissents for myself. Going to just add for now that if we extend our definition of the word mistake, to include ANYTHING that catches the attention more than expected, than yes, this framework makes more sense.

The next time I read that over I thought I could add that people are drawn by knowledge. Something which isnt new to us just isnt interesting. We know this already, but I'm connecting it to this point.

3b - the fact that I bring up humanist arguments for encouraging memory promoting activities brings to mind that it IS HEALTHY FOR US AND HELPS US AVOID NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS

Disclaimer 4: Like most people on this site, most people who arent depressed (I call tired depressed I was told I'm bipolar its what I do), and honestly all leaders, influencers, artists, actors, scientists, innovators, most entrepreneurs---- yatta yatta yatta everyone okay. Bascially, arguments sake, I mean every human being on the planet. I am capable of great, sometimes too great, emotion. If I wasnt Id be dead. If that emotion seems overwhelming, or too much, then please just take a break, or take a step back and try and reframe everything I'm saying as a deperate plea for help from a very young (I was born in 2001), very hungry, person. More on this later

Disclaimer 5: I'm ex mormon. I come from Texas. I use a LOT of religious sounding talk. There is good reason for that and there's good reason I'm giving this it's own disclaimer. Theology & philosophy go hand-in-hand and theres a quadrillion combinations of words I could barf up from the deepest pits of my mind to discuss.

In the interest of keeping the top of this disclaimer an actual one I'm going to stop for now by saying I think I'm correct in using this language so liberally, for now, because it really does work as a way to connect with people who are used to hearing that language. Most #religiouslytraumatized people I know do the same, and Ive yet to find a good reason to stop. But if someone does get triggered from my religious verbiage at all, please let me know. I'm sure theres a way we can work it out that will make both of us feel better. Probably would just be me watching my damn satanist mouth or something

[inevitably-johnlocked]

meetinginsamarra said: This one by laiquilasse is very good https://archiveofourown.org/works/10838751

damnbluewires said: I especially love when John is trans

----

C19, H28, O2 by Laiquilasse (E, 34,659 w., 17 Ch. || Teenager AU || FTM Trans Sherlock, Bullying, Eating Disorders, Transphobia / Misgendering, Bisexual John, Big Brother Mycroft, Gender/Body Dysphoria, Hand Jobs, Vaginal Sex, Eating Disorders, Self Harm/Cutting, Self Hatred, Masturbation) – A new school means a new start for Sherlock Holmes. Given a clean slate, Sherlock sets out to present himself as the boy he knows he is. He soon finds a friend in the form of John Watson, the boy who makes Sherlock's heart ache in want and in worry. But not everyone is supportive of Sherlock's decisions, and he struggles to keep his secrets under wraps.

Seems So Easy for Everybody Else by etothepii (T, 14,882 w., 1 Ch. || FTM Trans Sherlock, Mention of Suicidal Ideation) – He signs his correspondences to the police as Sherlock H, as he always has, and he signs his letters to his parents as SH -- they can take what they will from the S. He signs his school assignments S. Holmes, and manages to get away with it because he is the only Holmes in his classes.

-----

Cheers!

And I only know of this Trans John fic:

The Glitter of Broken Bottles by Phoenix2319 (M, 12,855 w., 4 Ch. || Punk Teenagers AU || FTM John, FTM Sherlock, Dangerous Binding, Pre-T John, Family Issues, Harry is a Bad Sister, Big Brother Mycroft, Transphobia) – Sherlock first saw John on the train. "He was just like Sherlock, the slight dip under the shirt in the shoulders, the line at the base of the neck under the collar, the clothes on general. Not boys clothes. Maybe they were purchased by mistake or handed down, but the wear of them insisted that they were at least a year old, and from the way he was holding himself said he and his older sister had completely different body shapes, and that she would have been too vain to see him wearing her old clothes. Even before he transitioned. "Or, the time Sherlock saves John from transphobic bullies then proceeds to cause him injuries and slowly fall in love with him. Part 1 of The Glitter of Broken Bottles

The other one I know of – The Bluest of Blue – was removed from AO3, but I do have a copy of it if you haven’t read it.

Hi! Do you have any trans!lock fics?

Hey Nonny!

Certainly! Check out my personal Trans / Genderfluid / Genderqueer / Enby Characters (MFLs) list I made a bit ago, and THIS MASTERPOST for additional lists from others :)

If anyone has one they need Nonny to read, please let me know!

[cumulohimbus]

A Transcript of M’s Transphobic Letter to Me (from mid-Sept. 2018)

I am transcribing this for posterity, and so I can remove the images of it from my phone.  This was a four page long, handwritten letter I received in the mail 6 months after coming out publicly as trans & queer, from a former Catholic Confirmation teacher.

Four years ago I thought it was silly, but it still hurt.  Today it just reads as ridiculous and deeply unhinged; I feel bad for the person who wrote this.  I later burned the letter in my fire pit, surrounded by friends.

     [Dead Name] - (I know you use a different name now so I’ll explain later on in this letter why I use the name given to you at birth) -

...[this section just talks about my starting college and moving out on my own]...

     Now - onto other - for me quite hard to accept - subjects.      I’m having an extremely hard time accepting this whole transgender trend.  And yes, I do believe it’s a trend.  Being confused as a child and a teenager in reference to a person’s sexuality is quite normal.  Experimentation with homosexuality is also quite normal and has been going on since time began.      I have no problem accepting the confusion or experimentation.  However, I do have a hard time with the concept of so many people recently stating they are “trans”.      You were born with a vagina - as far as I know you still have one - hence -  you are a female!      I know you’ve struggled with your mental health for many years.  I’m so sorry you were given that cross to bear.  I know it’s not easy.  However, I do feel, especially in your case, that this wanting to be “male” is, unfortunately, another aspect of a mental demon.      I remember in Confirmation Class you telling me you thought you might be bi-sexual.  Ok - fine - that I can live with.  But have you given very serious consideration to how injections of a hormone may affect you long term?  As in, twenty or more years from now?  That can’t be good for you - or anyone else.      You may not feel like a “woman” because you prefer short hair, or you don’t like wearing dresses or make-up.  Fine!  Don’t do those things!  Because society dictates what “feminine” is does not make you less of a female.  It simply makes you a person outside of society’s norm.  Please do not let what is concerned “normal” make you do something crazy!  Short hair does not make you less feminine, nor does going without high heels.  Mutilating the the body God gave you -  is not the answer.  God created you in His image!      Don’t get me wrong - you are loved - beyond [illegible, crossed out text] understanding - by God.  And I love you too, no matter what.  But I am worried about you!      As for the name thing. - Your Mother gave you a beautiful name.  A name she chose specifically for you!  Again, do not let society dictate what is or is not a “feminine” or “masculine” name.  I do not understand why a certain name has to be gender specific.  Hence, to me you are [Dead Name] and you always will be.      I’m certain by now you’re upset with me.  I’m sorry.  I figured if I was honest about my feelings you would get angry, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take (I tend to be a bit on the brutal side of brutally honest.)      You know I’m always here for you and no matter what choice you make that will stand.  But please do not let this all be an attention grabber.  Keep praying and discerning.  Keep your spirits up and keep smiling.

Love & hugs, -M

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

Lee says:

If you haven't heard the news already, soon you'll be able to self-select the gender marker you would like printed on your U.S. passport!

Here are the two key changes:

The government no longer require medical documentation to change the gender marker on your U.S. passport!

The government now allows you to choose "X" as a gender marker on your U.S. passport!

What does it mean to self-certify or self-select your gender marker on your passport?

Basically, now you don't need to provide any documentation (medical or other) to change your gender marker on your passport.

So even if the gender you select on the application for a new passport doesn't match the gender on your previous passport or other documents, you don't need to supply any evidence or proof that you have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or have medically, socially, or legally transitioned, or anything else.

This removes a big hurdle for trans people who want to update our IDs; there used to be a lot of hoops to jump through because people used to need a doctor's note which not everyone had access to.

Now, you no longer need to provide medical certification or a physician’s letter if the gender marker you select for your U.S. passport does not match the gender on your citizenship evidence or photo ID.

Instead, you simply self-select the gender you would like them to print on your U.S. passport, by selecting "male (M)", "female (F)", or "unspecified or another gender identity (X)".

Does this mean all of your legal gender markers have to match?

Beyond removing the unnecessary and burdensome gatekeeping, these changes actually open up new options for transgender people.

Because your citizenship evidence or identification document does not need to match the gender you are requesting, you can actually have multiple legal gender markers.

That means your passport can say "X" even if you aren't able to legally change your gender marker to X on your state ID or driver's license because that isn't an option in the state you live in yet.

Similarly, your passport can still say "X" even you aren't able to update your birth certificate with an "X" because that isn't an option in the state you were born in.

Because the gender you select for your passport does not need to match the gender on your supporting documentation, you'll still be able to have your passport use your preferred gender marker regardless of the gender marker on your other forms of ID.

That means you can have a driver's license that says "M" and a passport that says "F," for example; the mix-and-match gender marker option isn't restricted only to people who want an "X".

Some people might like to have that flexibility earlier in their transitions when they aren't consistently passing and want to have more than one option for their gender marker on legal identification.

For example, a non-passing trans man wants his driver's license to show "M" because he identifies as male. While he knows that having "M" on his license would out him as being transgender because he isn't passing yet, he doesn't mind that because he feels safe in the state he lives in and the places he goes to and wants his ID to reflect his male gender identity. But when he travels overseas to a less-accepting area, but he wants to keep the "F" on his passport so he can have the option of going into the closet for his own safety in transphobic/homophobic places.

In other cases, some genderfluid or bigender people, for example, might like the validation that comes with having disparate binary gender markers on different forms of ID instead of having an X.

But the legal/logistical consequences of having mixed gender markers on different documents may turn out to be inconvenient at some point because of the difficulty in reconciling the various markers. So I personally would recommend keeping your gender markers congruent for now, and either update them all or leave them all the same. But it's up to you of course!

I currently have "X" on my birth certificate and "F" on my driver's license because I couldn't update my license to "X" where I live since it wasn't an option yet, so I do have mixed legal gender markers and it hasn't been an issue yet.

What's the deal with the photo needed for the passport?

While you don't need to have the gender on your birth certificate and/or driver’s license changed before you can get the gender marker changed on my passport, the photo you submit with your passport application must look similar to the photo on your ID.

This means that you can't be fully female-presenting on one ID and fully male-presenting in the photo of your other ID to the point where the two photos of you look like you're siblings and not the same person.

So you'll have to choose a single "look" that's similar on both documents, whether you chose to try and aim for a more neutral/androgynous look or go fully masculine or fully feminine for both.

You will need to submit a new photo when applying for a passport, and the photo must look similar to your current appearance, must look similar to the photo on your ID, and must meet the passport photo requirements.

So, can I just go out and get a new passport card with an X right now?

Not yet. There's a difference between a passport book and a passport card.

So before folks get too excited about the possibility of getting an X all their passport-related documents, I'd keep in mind that it actually isn't an option on all passport-related documents yet because the government says that they won't have their systems fully updated until sometime late next year. Oof.

Starting on April 11, 2022, you can select male (M), female (F), or unspecified or another gender identity (X) as your gender marker if you are applying for a U.S. passport book and selecting routine service.

But it isn't until late 2023 that the government anticipates completing additional technological updates so that the X gender marker will be available on the following documents they issue:

Passport cards

Emergency passports printed at embassies and consulates

Expedited and emergency passports issued at passport agencies and centers

Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs)

So before late 2023, if a person visits the public counter of a passport agency needing a passport for immediate travel, like if they suddenly need to go overseas for a family funeral for example, they will have to select a binary gender marker (M or F).

Similarly, U.S. embassies and consulates will not be able to offer emergency passports with X gender markers until all technological updates are complete in late 2023.

If someone who has an X gender marker on their passport then loses their passport while traveling overseas, they will need to select a binary gender marker (M or F) to be issued an emergency passport for the return home.

But once they have completed their travel, they have up to one year from the date of issuance to apply for a free replacement routine passport with an X gender marker using Form DS-5504.

Ok, cool, but how do you actually update the gender marker on your passport?

"Well, the government is in the process of updating their Form Filler and Form Eligibility Wizard tools to incorporate the X gender marker, so you can't use the online website that you'd normally use.

This means you need to download the PDF version of your passport form instead, and complete it by hand (in black ink!) if you are requesting a passport with an X gender marker.

Then you need to follow the steps listed on their "Apply in Person" page.

Children under age 16 must always apply using Form DS-11 and appear in person with both parents or legal guardians (if they have two legal parents/guardians)."

Well, what about people who currently have a limited-validity passport?

"Under the previous passport policies, if you were in the process of transitioning to a new gender when you applied for your passport, you may have received a limited-validity passport (issued for less than the full validity period of 10 years for those 16 and older and five years for children under 16).

But the government no longer requires medical documentation or a physician’s letter as evidence of a gender transition.

To replace a limited-validity passport with a full-validity passport in this situation, you'll need to submit Form DS-5504.

To use this form, you must apply within two years of your previous passport's issuance date. You do not have to pay fees unless you are requesting optional, expedited service.

If your limited-validity passport was issued more than two years ago, please use Form DS-11 and follow the steps on our Apply In Person page.

Please note that expedited service is not yet available if you are applying for a passport book with an X gender marker."

Anything else?

For folks who are looking to update their legal gender markers, whether it's on your driver's license, birth certificate, passport, social security record, or anything else, I'd highly recommend exploring the Trans Equality Document Center. It's the resource that I used myself when I legally changed my name!

[hellomynameisbisexual]

TERMS THAT MAY FALL UNDER THE BI+ UMBRELLA

Bisexual: “A person whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of their same gender and of other genders, or towards people regardless of their gender. Another definition that some people define bisexuality is being attracted to men and women.” - (Source)

Pansexual: “An attraction to all genders without a preference: either not seeing genders or choosing for it to not be a determinant factor.” (Source)

Omnisexual: “An attraction to all genders with a preference to one over the others.” (Source)

MYTHS

CW: Biphobic Stereotypes and Tropes

Myth: Identifying as Bisexual is transphobic.

Reality: Contrary to what some believe, Bisexual does not necessarily limit gender to two binaries, despite the prefix bi- commonly believed to mean two. Various definitions of the term bisexual exist, and labels of identity show up differently for each person. One person may define their sexuality as “being attracted to one and a different gender,” someone else may describe themselves as “having a sexual and romantic attraction to multiple different genders,” and yet another may describe themselves as “being attracted to masculine and feminine energy,” and yet they may all identity under the Bi+ umbrella.

Source: http://bi.org/en/101/bi-umbrella

Myth: All Bi+ people are into threesomes.

Reality: While some Bi+ folks may be interested in being with more than one person at a time, polyamory and bisexuality are two different things and one does not necessarily mean someone identifies as the other. Many Bi+ folks are monogamous, and while polyamorous folks in the Bi+ community exist, they are not the majority.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/strictly-casual/201409/are-bisexuals-really-less-monogamous-everyone-else

Myth: Bisexual people cheat more often than non-bisexual people.

Reality: This myth stems from the stereotype that Bi+ folks are “greedy” or other terms that attempt to villainize Bi+ folks as being more likely to commit infidelity. In reality, no data backs this up, and Bi+ folks are just as likely as their monosexual counterparts to remain faithful in relationships.

Source: https://www.insider.com/myths-about-being-bisexual-2018-8

Myth: Identifying as Bisexual just means the person is questioning/confused.

Reality: About 50% of people who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are bi+, and therefore, Bi+ folks make up the majority of the LGBTQIA+ community. This myth may stem from the fact that only around 28% of Bi+ folks are out to their loved ones, and therefore visibility is lower for Bi+ folks.

Source: https://www.minus18.org.au/articles/busting-7-myths-about-being-bisexual/

VIDEOS

Below are a variety of videos that seek to educate folks on Bi+ people and their experiences. Some are TED talks and are very formal and delve deep into academia and studies, while others are casual list videos and informal vlogs. If you have suggestions for videos to add to the list, submit them to rcsgd@sa.ucsb.edu!

Bisexuality and beyond | Tania Israel | TEDxUCLA

Summary: A current professor at UCSB gives a TED talk at UCLA about what bisexuality means to them, what it can mean in a nonbinary world, and discusses how the world views the label of bisexuality in this current binary.

Bisexuality: The Invisible Letter "B" | Misty Gedlinske | TEDxOshkosh

TW: Bi Erasure, Personal Experiences of Biphobia

Summary: Misty Gedlinske, a founder of a community outreach effort connecting local LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies with services, resources, and welcoming organizations named Fond du Lac Pride Alliance, gives a TED talk about bi-erasure and how invisible it can feel to be Bi+, both within and outside of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Performative Bisexuality: Y'all Not Tired? -- Tee Noir

TW: Scene depicting strong biphobic rhetoric are played

Summary: Pan identifying YouTuber Tee Noir dives into how popular media and society as a whole views bisexuality from the point of view of the Male Gaze, delving into Compulsory Bisexuality?: The Challenges of

Modern Sexual Fluidity by Breanne Fahs. She talks about various TV shows and media and how they negatively contribute to stereotypes about Bi+ folks.

Bisexuality Stories Onscreen, Explained -- The Take

TW: Scenes depicting strong biphobic rhetoric and violence by and against Bi+ people played throughout

Summary: This video dives into film and TV shows depicting Bi+ representation, both good and bad. It highlights the erasure of the identity in Hollywood and how oftentimes tropes are perpetuated and established in these mediums.

5 Bisexual People Explain What "Bisexual" Means To Them -- Tinder

Summary: Five different people describe their identities and answer questions regarding what their Bisexuality means to them. It shows how different people can have different definitions of the same identity and yet all still find themselves under the Bi+ umbrella.

21 Challenges Bi+ People Face -- Jackson Bird

TW: Mentions of violence by and against Bi+ folks, hate crimes, suicide, self-harm, drug use, and biphobia.

Summary: Bi and queer-identifying YouTuber Jackson Bird discusses various issues that Bi+ folks are at higher risk of experiencing. They discuss personal experiences as well as bring up many sources and statistics regarding challenges that the Bi+ community uniquely faces.

Bisexuality vs Pansexuality: What’s the difference? -- ADP

Summary: This short animated clip by ADP discusses the differences between Bisexuality and Pansexuality and gives definitions of these identities that many would label themselves, as well as gives an example of how one might approach talking about the labels if they’re unfamiliar with them.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

BI US FOR US DISCUSSION GROUP

This is a discussion group for all students who identify as Bi+(bisexual, pansexual, fluid, and questioning). We will have facilitated conversation, information about available resources, and a space to heal from biphobia and bisexual erasure. This group is open to all genders.

For those interested in attending this group, please email rcsgd@sa.ucsb.edu

BIALOGUE (3RD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH | 7-8:30PM)

Bialogue is a free, confidential discussion group for people who are bi+ (bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, fluid, and/or otherwise non-monosexual). All genders welcome, bi+ participants only, please.

Pacific Pride Foundation

608 Anacapa Street, Suite A | Santa Barbara

For more information on meeting times, contact Pacific Pride Foundation’s main office at hello@pacificpridefoundation.org or (805) 936-3636

NATIONAL RESOURCES

Bisexual Resource Center

As the oldest nationally-focused bisexual organization in the U.S., the BRC continues to raise awareness and build bridges within the LGBT and ally communities and fosters bi-supportive social and political space wherever it can.

Originally started in 1985 as the East Coast Bisexual Network, the organization incorporated in 1989 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and changed its name to the Bisexual Resource Center in the mid-nineties. Since its inception, the Bisexual Resource Center has been creating resources, providing support, and helping to create a stronger sense of community for bi/pan/fluid people across the U.S. and beyond. As one of its first actions, the BRC published the Bisexual Resource Guide from 1990 through 2002 and helped to connect organizations and individuals around the world from Argentina to Zambia.

Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP)

BOP (Bisexual Organizing Project) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit registered in Minnesota that serves the Upper Midwest. We are committed to building the bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community through regular events and the yearly national BECAUSE conference. BOP is welcoming and inclusive of everyone, including but not limited to people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, sexes, relationship orientations, ethnicities, abilities, religions, and political affiliations.

Bi.org

Bi.org is a project of the Bi Foundation, also known as The American Institute of Bisexuality (AIB), a 501(c)(3) private foundation that supports and sponsors projects likely to promote bi visibility and improved understanding of bisexuality through education, research, training, and outreach.

Created in 1996 as bisexual.org, this website began with the simple goal of letting bi people know that they are not alone. When we first launched, there were virtually no online resources for the bi community and the few resources that were available were hard to find, highly sexualized, or catered to niche audiences. Since those early years we have grown into a huge global community.

Trevor Project

Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

Contains information on how to support Bi Youth as well as resources for Bi Youth.

List of Bi+ and LGBT YouTubers

This list of notable LGBT YouTubers includes YouTubers who publicly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise part of the LGBT community.This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. Watch their content to support Bi+ content creators. :)

INFOGRAPHICS

[batmansymbol]

hi riley! read this recently and would love to get ur perspective on this as a YA author https://tinyletter.com/misshelved/letters/did-twitter-break-ya-misshelved-6

hi anon! yeah, i read this the day it was posted. thoughts/supplementary essay below.

firstly, i'd put a big "I AGREE" stamp across this essay. i think it's well-cited and thoughtful, and i agree with pretty much everything in it. i especially appreciate it for introducing me to the terms "context collapse" and "morally motivated networked harassment" - seeing internet sociology studied and labeled is ... odd, but useful.

i left twitter in 2017, but i keep an eye on things, which seem similar now to the way they were four years ago. the essay describes the never-ending scrutiny, the need to seem perfect, and the pressure on writers to out themselves. all of that is spot-on. twitter is an outing machine. there is so much harassment and anger on the platform that in serious conversations, good-faith engagement becomes something that must be earned, rather than something that's expected. and in order to earn good faith, strangers expect you to offer up an all-access pass to who you are. otherwise, things might take a swift left turn into verbal abuse.

obviously twitter is a cesspit of harassment from racist, homophobic, and transphobic people, but i think the most painful harassment comes from within the community. i, and most people i know, wouldn't give a single minuscule little fuck if ben shapiro's entire army of ghouls came after us and told us we were destroying the sacred values of Old America or whatever. but the community at large does care about issues of racial justice and queer liberation and economic justice. which is why it's painful to see this supposed "community" eating its own over and over again.

how cruel can we be to people and pretend that we are their friends? that's the emotional crux of the essay to me. what we're doing to ourselves - people who do share our values and want to achieve the same goals - because this one platform is built on rewarding the quickest, most brutal, and most public response.

god forbid you don't have your identity figured out. god forbid you have an invisible disability, or are writing a story about something sensitive you've personally experienced but had an off-consensus reaction to. on twitter, if you are not a paragon of absolute and immediate clarity, you may as well be lower than dirt morally, because you're unable to do what the platform requires of you: air every private corner of your identity, up to and including your trauma, to justify not only your everyday actions and opinions but also your art.

(this is all honestly incompatible with interesting art, but i'll get to that in a bit.)

it doesn't take a genius to see how troubling this environment is when combined with twitter as a marketing tool. i remember that around the time of my debut, i'd tweet out threads of private, painful, personal stuff, which felt terrible to recount, but i'd watch the like count increase with this sense of catholic, confessional satisfaction. all of this was tied to the idea of my potential salability as a writer.

i was around 21 at the time. i felt a lot of pressure as a debut. i wanted people to like me and think i was exceptionally mature and confident. i wanted to do my job and build buzz for my book. i saw that all these publishing professionals and authors spent day in, day out angry and exhausted on twitter. every few days, a new person fifteen years older than me would say, "i can't take this anymore, i'm so fucking tired of this, i'm logging off for a while." i thought, well, this must be how online activism feels: like running on a sprained ankle.

i can still remember book after book after book that inspired blow-ups, big explanations, and simmering resentment: carve the mark (whose author was forced to admit that she suffered chronic pain after relentless criticism of that element), the black witch (a book explicitly about unlearning racism that was criticized for depicting ... racism), ramona blue (a book about a bi girl who thinks she's a lesbian but winds up in an m/f relationship, because she's still discovering her identity) ... etc

each book, each incident, followed the same pattern. firestorms of anger, a decision of where to place blame, the desperate need for a single consensus opinion in the community. i think a lot of people on book twitter see these as bugs inherent to the platform, but really, in twitter's eyes, they're features. the angrier and more upset twitter's userbase is, the more reliant they are on the platform.

i wound up leaving around the time i realized that not only was twitter making me anxious - NOT being on twitter was beginning to make me anxious, because of vaguely dread-infused tweets all around like "i'm seeing an awful lot of people who are staying silent about X. ... why are so many people who are so loud about X so silent about Y?" etc.

that shit is beyond poisonous. people will not always be logged on. the absence of someone's agreement does not mean disagreement. actually, someone's absence is not inherently meaningful, because it is the internet and silence is everyone's default position; internet silence in all likelihood means that that person is out in the universe doing other things.

this is already a ridiculously long response, so i'll try to wrap up. firstly, i think that progressive writers and readers have GOT to stop thinking that a correct consensus opinion can exist on every piece of fiction, and on every issue in general, and that if someone diverges from that consensus, they're incorrectly progressive.

secondly, i think that progressive writers and readers have got to uncouple the idea of a "book with good politics" from a good book, because 1) there are books about morally grimy, despicable subjects that help us process the landscape of human behavior, and

2) if, in your fiction, there is only one set of allowed responses for your protagonist, you will write the same person over and over and over again. you see this a lot in religious fiction. the person is not a human being but an expression of the creator's moral alignment. (not entirely surprising that this similarity to religious correctness might crop up with the current state of the movement. i read this piece around the time i left twitter and it shook me really, really deeply.)

i understand that in YA, there's a sensation of immense pressure because people want to model good politics and correct behavior for kids. this is a noble idea - and maybe twitter is great for people who want to be role models. but i've become more and more staunchly against the idea of artist as role model. the role of the writer is not to be emulated but to write fiction. and the role of fiction is not to read like something delivered from a soapbox, or to display some scrubbed-clean universe where each wrong is immediately identified as a wrong, and where total morality is always glowing in the backdrop. it's to put something human on paper, and as human beings, we might aspire to total morality, but we fall short again and again. honestly, that's what being on twitter showed me more clearly than anything.

[comfort-character-letters]

Hello! This is a project created and ran by @thewholesomebean, where we write letters from your comfort characters! Below you will find a list of (current) fandoms we write for and some of our rules.

Rules

No NSFW. Nobody writing for this account will accept any requests containing it and they will be deleted.

Some writers may be open to writing about more sensitive topics, but it is entirely possible that we may not feel comfortable doing them.

Please be respectful of everyone working with this project. We all have our own lives and that means requests will take time.

Proshippers, pedophiles, racists, homophobes, and transphobes are not allowed here. If anyone interacts with this blog and applies to any of these, they will be blocked.

Fandoms

Amphibia

The Owl House

MCU

Harry Potter

Sherlock (BBC)

Patrick Melrose

The Big Bang Theory

How I Met Your Mother

Karen M McManus’ books

The Hunger Games

The 5th Wave

- Mod Zephyr

[paradisetemporarilymisplaced]

Book recs: Similar to but less sad than TSOA

Hello everyone! @lordeteams requested some book recommendations that are not as sad as The Song of Achilles so here we go. I read a lot of books and since 2019 I've kept a running list of what I've read so honestly I'll take any excuse to subject people to my interests🤗 List is below the cut, not in any particular order (except from the first entry which is my current favorite), and includes NA, YA, and adult fiction. If you're curious about the distinction I'll refer you to this (sadly, now-deleted) tweet from Maggie Stiefvater:

One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston, NA): This one is brand new and instantly became a favorite. F/F romance in which August Landry, newly transplanted to Brooklyn, meets Jane Su on her morning commute. Turns out, Jane is stuck on the train and has been since the 70s, but has no memory of how it happened or of her old life. Part romance, part time-travel mystery, but entirely a love letter to queer communities everywhere. Found family trope abounds with August's roommates and coworkers, which include drag queens, people of every flavor of queer, and a real life psychic, all of whom are ready and willing to help solve the mystery of why Jane is on the train and how to fix it. In the process, August learns things about her own family, as well as events in American queer history that few people remember today. I really cannot express enough how much I love this book. Please read it.

Red, White, and Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston, NA): Odds are, if you've heard of Casey McQuiston, it was because of her first book (this one). M/M romance about Alex, son of the first female US President, and Henry, prince of England. Enemies to friends to lovers, featuring queer self-discovery, coming out, PR/corporate closeting (hello, larries!) and just a delight. This is a very different queer story from OLS - OLS is a romance, but more plot-heavy and the romance isn't the entire focus. In RWRB, the romance is the plot and it reads like fanfiction which is very fun.

The Raven Cycle (series, Maggie Stiefvater, YA): This series is a character-driven, coming-of-age, found family story about a bunch of weird-ass teenagers (affectionate), magic, prophecy, and Welsh kings. This is the rare story in which every single main character plays a critical role in the plot and grows and changes with the story. You will fall in love with all of them and their relationships with one another. Plus, the worldbuilding is incredible and has such an intricate mythology that you'll want to reread just to get the details. Followed by the Dreamer Trilogy, of which two books have been published, but I've only read the first one so far.

All for the Game (series, Nora Sakavic, YA): This is the series that got me back into reading for fun five years ago and as such it holds a special place in my heart. The plot is wacky and convoluted - college athletics, a made-up sport, a kid on the run from his mob boss father - but don't let that discourage you. Hella found family. (Are you seeing a pattern?) I will warn you, this deals with some pretty heavy stuff, including torture, abuse, addiction, sexual violence, and more. Here's a comprehensive list of trigger warnings, with detailed descriptions at the bottom. It's intense, but the friendships and romances make it worth the read imo.

Grishaverse (series, Leigh Bardugo, YA): This is actually three series: the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology (which I haven't yet read). If you've seen Shadow and Bone, the S&B trilogy covers the Alina storyline, while SOC covers Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, and Matthias. S&B is a chosen one/coming of age story, while SOC is found family committing heists. It's great.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Saenz, YA): Coming of age M/M romance. Set in the 1980s in El Paso, it describes the friends to lovers journey of Ari and Dante over several years, as well as Ari's journey of self-discovery. It is the most beautiful book and one of my comfort reads. There's some themes of homophobia and violence, but with a happy ending.

Carry On (Rainbow Rowell, YA): This is basically Harry Potter fanfiction, but better because (a) it doesn't take itself too seriously and (b) the author is not a violent transphobe. Seriously, this book is so fun. It's a twist on the chosen one trope because Simon, said Chosen One, is just spectacularly bad at what he is supposedly destined to be. Plus you have an enemies to lovers storyline, which is my personal favorite trope. Followed by Wayward Son, which is literally a road trip AU, and Any Way the Wind Blows, which will be released next month.

The Queen's Thief (series, Megan Whalen Turner, YA): Fantasy series centered on Eugenides, who is very proud of being a great thief but also wants to be famous, two goals which are not really compatible. This series is interesting because every novel is told from a different character's point of view in an increasingly zoomed-out lens such that you're seeing how Eugenides' influence grows over time and space. The setting is vaguely based on the ancient Mediterranean region, but with a mythology all its own.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid, adult): This is a frame story in which aged Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, famously tight-lipped about her personal life, hand selects a young journalist, Monique Grant, to finally tell her story. Evelyn tells Monique all about her life - how she became an actress in the mid-twentieth century, how she got involved (and uninvolved) with all seven of her former husbands, and who was the true love of her life. There are some sad moments for sure, as it's a retrospective on the very long and very full life of an actress at what she knows is the end of hers. But it's such a good story and worth the bittersweet tones.

This Is How You Lose the Time War (Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, adult): Sci-fi novel told by Red and Blue's letters to one another across time and space. They are on opposing sides of the Time War and as they perform their respective missions, they leave letters for the other to find. Their letters start out as "I'm coming for you, you better run" but then eventually turn to friendship and then love. Ultimate enemies to lovers. It's a short novel but you'll read it again and again to pick up more details. It's so good.

The House in the Cerulean Sea (TJ Klune, NA): This book feels like a warm hug. Linus Baker is essentially a child protective services worker, overseeing the orphanages housing magical children. He is then assigned to the most remote orphanage in the system, in which six dangerous children reside, to determine whether any or all of these children are capable of bringing about the end of the world. Once more, with feeling: FOUND FAMILY. Also nice because it's a metaphor for queerness that also features canon queer characters.