#and donate to trans causes while you're at it

[madrewrites]

so my day has been irreversibly ruined

[genderqueerdykes]

disabled intersex trans lesbian needs help saving up for rent while recovering from gallbladder removal surgery

hello, my name is equinox. im a multiply disabled intersex trans lesbian who had to get an emergency surgery to get its gallbladder removed on the 16th of October. i was unable to keep down food and was dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, and on the verge of passing out which forced me to go to the ER to get an emergency surgery. i had to spend 4 days in the hospital while getting this surgery. apparently, the surgeons could tell just how badly it was affecting me just by seeing how things looked on the inside

i have to rest for about 4 weeks to properly recover. i cannot do much walking, lifting, bending, or most other physical activities during this time. my abdominal muscles and organs need time to recover, so i'm mostly bed bound for a month while my body heals. fortunately the surgery went very well and so far i'm having no complications with recovery. it's worth noting that i cannot over exert myself right now to make sure that the recovery period continues going smoothly

i need help saving up for rent, as my ability to work and even promote my own posts was being hindered drastically by the pain the stone stuck in the neck of my gallbladder was causing me. currently i need to not exert myself and to sleep when needed. my rent is only $178/month thanks to having been accepted into a housing program for severely disabled people. currently this and a small order i need to place from the grocery store for some things to aid in my recovery (throat lozenges to help with the sore throat caused by the breathing tube used during surgery, toilet paper, etc.) are the only things i need help saving up for. thanks to everyone who reads, shares and support, i cannot thank you all enough for all the help

$0/$178

if you're interested in helping, you can do so the following ways:

cash app: $glitterGraphix pay pal: glittergraphicnightmare @ gmail .com chime: $Equinoxian venmo: $Equinoxian

[nerdygaymormon]

Happy Pride

I want to wish a Happy Pride to:

Green Carnations

In 1892, Oscar Wilde had some of his friends wear a green carnation on their left lapels to the opening night of his show. An elegant and witty character in the play—who paralleled real-life Oscar Wilde—wore a carnation as part of his costume. Why green? It was an unnatural color for a carnation, Wilde chose this since it was said that homosexuality was unnatural. The green carnation became associated with Wilde and his flamboyant friends, and spread as a secret code to show others that you're gay.

"Be Gay, Do Crime"

The slogan "Be gay, do crime" has existed since at least 2011. The slogan suggests that crime and incivility may be necessary to earn equal rights given the criminalization of homosexuality around the world and a reminder that the Stonewall uprising was a riot. The slogan stands in contrast to the polished, corporate version of contemporary Pride, and shows that queerness has always been transgressive, regardless of its legal status. Part of being queer is being willing to push boundaries and protect one's self from the law since we have traditionally been attacked by it.

Peppermint Patty and Marcie

Peppermint Patty defied traditional gender norms. She played all sorts of sports at a time when it wasn't common for girls to do so. All the other female characters wore dresses, but Patty wears a t-shirt, shorts and sandals and the only other female character not to wear dresses is Marcie.

Peppermint Patty regularly flirts with Charlie Brown and has a strong bond with Marcie. While we don't know for sure, it certainly seems that Peppermint Patty is bi and her best friend Marcie is a lesbian.

I can imagine Peppermint Patty organizing the school's GSA or an all-inclusive dance, and loudly calling out any queerphobia. I like thinking of Patty getting a man's suit from a thrift store and going to Prom where she dances with both Marcie and Charlie Brown

Absolut Vodka

In 1979, Absolut entered the American market, but sales were slow. In 1981, Absolut starting targeting the LGBTQ consumer with the idea this group are trendsetters. Since 1981, Absolut has had print ads in queer magazines, sponsored events in gay bars, donated more than $40 million to queer charities and causes, sponsors the GLAAD Media Awards, and numerous major LGBTQ events in the US annually. Absolut has commissioned many openly gay artists to create ads, such as Andy Warhol, Nereyda Garcia Ferraz, David Spada, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf. Supporting the queer community in 1981 was risky, but they have invested in the community and earned loyalty in return.

Pink Triangle

In the 1930s and 40s, just as Nazi Germany required Jews in the concentration camps to wear a yellow star of David, gay men, bi men, and trans women had to wear a downward-pointing triangle on their chest. The symbol was reclaimed in the 1970's by the queer liberation movement as a symbol against homophobia, and then was adopted widely by the LGBTQ community. The community took this symbol from the holocaust to show we are stronger than the worst done to us.

The pink triangle has largely been replaced by the rainbow Pride flag, and a reason for this is explaining why a pink triangle is the symbol of the community required an explanation of its dark past and therefore was about what others did to us rather than a symbol representing who we are and our hopes & aspirations. Although it isn't used much anymore, it's important to remember the pink triangle as the first widely-adopted visual symbol of the queer community

Ace & Aro Rings

Beginning in 2005, wearing a black ring on the middle finger of your right hand became a way for people to signify their asexuality. The material and design of the ring are not important as long as it is primarily black. It’s about carrying a reminder on our hands that there are others like us, and it's a way to identify each other. A white ring on the left hand of the middle finger is the aro equivalent.

Eyebrow Slits

Eyebrow slits was a trend in the hip hop community in the 1990's and called "eyebrow cuts." The trend fell out of style, but was brought back in the 2010's by some male artists and models as an edgy fashion statement. Lesbians quickly adopted this trend, perhaps as a way of showing they aren't beholden to gendered fashion rules, and it quickly grew in popularity on social media as a way for members of the queer community to express themselves and signal to each other. It seems natural that a fashion style containing an underlying rebelliousness appeals to a group who are marginalized by society. The eyebrow slit trend largely has faded except among the LGBTQ+ community, and so has become associated with us.

Nautical Star Tattoos

For centuries, sailors would get tattoos, often of images with symbolic meanings, such as the nautical star (which represents the North Star) which was believed to ensure a sailor’s safe return home. In the 1940s and 50s, lesbians were navigating the choppy waters of societal norms and expectations, and this five-pointed star tattoo became their compass, helping them find others like themselves. They'd get this tattoo on the inner wrist because it could be covered by a watch strap during the day, allowing women to hide their identity when necessary for their safety or professional lives, but could reveal it in safe spaces. This symbol was revived in the 1970's and is still used by some to this day.

Online "Am I Gay?" Quizzes

A common experience of people who are gay, bi, and pan, is they find an online quiz that will ask a few questions and then determine whether you are gay, or will reveal how gay you are (as though this can be graded like a school test). Sometimes the questions are lighthearted, while others try to be more serious. Here's the thing, more than any quiz results, searching for this type of quiz is probably the biggest indicator that a person experiences attraction to people of their same gender. It can be helpful for someone to have a "confirmation" of how they're feeling, and thus these "am I gay" quizzes will remain a rite of passage many.

Subaru

In the early 1990's, Subaru was struggling. Sales of their dependable but plain cars were in decline. Subaru knew teachers, healthcare professionals, IT professionals, and the outdoorsy types bought 1/2 their cars in America, and they targeted advertisements at those groups. Soon they realized there was yet another core group, lesbians were 4 times more likely than the average American to purchase a Subaru.

Subaru began printing advertisements that made subtle nods to lesbians in a way that slipped past the notice of other Americans, such as having the license plate "XENA LVR" on a car. Many ads had taglines with double meanings. "Get Out. And Stay Out" could refer to exploring the outdoors in a Subaru—or coming out as gay. "It’s Not a Choice. It’s the Way We’re Built" could refer to all Subarus coming with all-wheel-drive—or an LGBTQ identity.

Subaru noticed a group of customers and created ads for them, a group which often felt unwelcome and invisible. The campaign was so successful that it became a stereotype that lesbians drive Subarus, even leading to the word "Lesbaru." Polls show that the queer community views Subaru as the most queer-friendly brand.

[sixty-silver-wishes]

well, it's fourth of july. if you're like me, and you're in the us, you're probably feeling pessimistic right now, given the state of things. I made a joke post about how I feel about it the other day that blew up, and tbh I'm not surprised. that being said, I'd like to talk a bit more in detail about my thoughts on the matter this year.

so, to begin with, it's pretty obvious why I'm feeling so disillusioned this year. the us presidential election isn't looking good, fascism is on the rise and seems to be met mainly with apathy, the us is aiding in genocide in gaza, while many politicians are restricting the rights of american civilians, especially those belonging to marginalized groups- abortion is being criminalized, as is trans healthcare, and rulings have been upheld gerrymandering black-majority voting districts, not to mention the state of education surrounding POC and queer history. the supreme court is out of control. climate change gets worse every year, with consequences all around the world; hurricane beryl's early arrival and its devastation of the caribbean was just one more instance of the worsening state of the environment. russia is still invading ukraine, with global tensions worsening as multiple major powers battle for global prominence. all that is to say, it's a scary time to live pretty much anywhere in the world, and given the slew of problems in the united states, it's impossible to feel a shred of patriotism as many people of prominence in our country either worsen or are otherwise complicit in many of the aforementioned issues.

all that being said, I want to begin by saying that I don't think you're necessarily a bad person if you celebrate fourth of july. I don't think guilting people is a productive way to go about things, or to alleviate any feelings of cognitive dissonance. I don't know why everyone is celebrating; maybe you want to focus on the positive aspects of american culture, such as its diversity or the accomplishments of those who have been able to advocate for themselves despite oppression from within their own country. or maybe you just want a day off to spend with your family and friends, without anything to do with america. what you do today is your business, and it's not up to me to police what you should or shouldn't do.

I do, however, want to offer some resources for those of you like me, who feel like we can't celebrate. I don't think we should be paralyzed by guilt and do nothing, but I also acknowledge that what we can do varies from person to person. maybe you can do a mix of both- spend the day with your family while also taking time to engage with these resources. You don't have to engage with all of them, but I would appreciate if people took the time with these resources, whether it means educating themselves on various issues or donating money to a cause. So, here are some I think deserve some attention:

NDN Collective: NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization that focuses on sustainability, the Land Back movement, intersectional activism, and climate justice.

Native Land Digital: This interactive digital map shows the location of precolonial Indigenous land around the world, so you can find whose land you're living on. Clicking on a location on the map may provide you with links affiliated with specific tribes or Indigenous groups, allowing you to learn more about the history, culture, and issues regarding Indigenous peoples in the area where you live. For instance, I live on Seminole land, and clicking on the Seminole area of the map leads me to the official Seminole tribe website.

The Afiya Center: The Afiya center is a Texas-based organization that focuses on reproductive health issues regarding Black women and AFAB people in Texas. This includes abortion and contraceptive resources, as well as preventing STI's.

Zebra Youth: Zebra Youth is a Florida-based organization that provides resources to LGBT adolescents, such as housing and mental health resources.

Operation Olive Branch: Operation Olive Branch is a spreadsheet that contains various verified fundraisers to help people evacuate or survive in Gaza during the current genocide.

Healing Our Homeland: An organization that delivers food and humanitarian relief to Palestinians.

Nova Ukraine: Delivers humanitarian relief to Ukraine.

ASAN: Autism Self-Advocacy Network- An autistic-led organization that aims to better representation for autistic people, provide educational resources, and improve accommodations.

This article contains links to relief efforts to help the victims of Hurricane Beryl.

Of course, please remember to vote this year! As bad as the choices are, either a democrat or a republican will be the president in 2025, and organizing for progress is going to be a hell of a lot easier under one than the other. For now, let's continue to uplift our communities, provide support where we can, and continue to learn about intersectional issues and diverse viewpoints.

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Ways to Give:

Anon linked to a fundraiser for andromeda3116, who needs help with medical bills for an upcoming surgery so as not to divert rent money for it. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

ufoend is raising funds for a $500 overdue electricity bill as well as basic necessities such as food, trash bags, and water after they and their disabled spouse were recently kicked out by their family due to homophobia. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

avatarpyler is raising funds for medication for themselves and food for them and their family, as they currently have no transportation to get to the local food bank. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

gelasius is raising funds to help their queer polycule pay rent and bills while Gelasius is out of work in a substance use treatment program; they're working hard, but getting back on one's feet is difficult and the family currently has only 2/3 of their usual income. You can read more and give to the fundraiser here.

57flagsofdeath is fundraising for a close friend who is disabled and Two Spirit; due to issues with the DC Housing Authority, they are at risk of losing their home, cannot access critical medical services including home healthcare aid, and have had to delay a necessary surgery. You can read more and reblog here or give directly here.

chaosfay and her husband have been unable to share a bed for nearly a year because their mattress causes him so much pain, and is increasing her chronic pain as well; they are a single-income household and saving for a new mattress that will suit them both is difficult. They are accepting donations but also selling quilted textiles and digital images/patterns at their Ko-Fi shop. You can read more, find giving links, and reblog here or purchase from their ko-fi shop here. Use code SLEEPCOMFY for 25% purchases through September 4th.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for Rivers Solomon, a Black, queer, and nonbinary author, who is trying to offset expensive immigration fees to the UK (where they reside) and get back on their feet after a couple of hard years that have left them in a financial crisis. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

Recurring Needs:

alirhi linked to a fundraiser to get herself, her mother, and her sister stable housing; they are currently staying in their cars in a a dangerous parking lot. They have a friend who will let them park a camper in her yard, but the camper there currently is unlivable, and they haven't been able to find an affordable replacement. With two of the family on disability it is difficult for them to keep up with bills and also save for housing. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for dee-the-red-witch, a trans woman who needs to raise $10K to keep her home. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here, give via paypal here, or purchase her leatherwork here.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

[karekuat]

Artist Support

Hey! Are you maybe interested in helping out a trans Indigenous artist for a little bit?

Due to complicated circumstances with my usual day job, I'll be out of work for the entirety of December, so as a result I'm going to try and make it through the month by being sustained by my art. I'm starting to prep for the lack of income now, so as a start I think it would be really cool if y'all wanna either tip or donate to help me or get a commission depending on what's more viable for you!

Typically I do comms through my Discord server to keep it all organized, but since I'm really just looking to get this out and known I'm open to DM orders.

I'm most comfortable with detailed monster or creature art, but I'm willing to do character chibis or portraits, and while I'm not fully at my best with anthro art yet, I'm also willing to do that.

Complex armor and gun designs okay!

My prices vary on complexity of the individual piece

( ↑ Click for Better Rez ↑ )

If you'd also just like to support me with no strings attached or wanna give some Holiday gifts, I do have a Kofi tip jar!

I also have a brush pack that I'm creating in the works, so if you're a procreate artist interested in a bone-style brush pack, I will be making more updates on that as I work.

RB's would also help me out a lot ^^;

Thank you!

[evilundead]

Hey I'm currently doing $5 pet/animal doodles to help with moving expenses! Willing to do any animal! Send me a message on here if you're interested! (More info under the cut)

Me and my fiance are two disabled trans people planning to move at the end of the month. And of course my fiance's job decided to fire him NOW for a medical leave he had to take due to his unknown brain disorder that causes him debilitating migraines. I'm currently in the process of trying to get a better paying job, but for now I'm trying to support both of us and our pets while saving up for moving expenses on $13 an hour. I'm also very limited in the amount of hours I can work at my current job, because of my own disabilities.

If you'd like to donate instead, my fiance is accepting any donations here:

P: olihurt

V: loudmouthhero

Thank you all so much for the help so far, we've been able to get groceries and feed our elderly cats!

[just-antithings]

Not really an anti thing per se, but something I feel the need to vent about:

One of the reasons I feel so conflicted on the Harry Potter thing is not only my concerns about continuing to give Rowling a platform, but also just, unpopular opinion, I… kinda think the fandom can be almost as performative as the haters?

I KNOW HOW THAT SOUNDS BUT HEAR ME OUT!

First off: they’re always going on about how "oh, we’re making ALL the hp characters trans to piss off the TERF!" and then you look at the fics and art and stuff and it’s like, at least 80-90% is just the same cookie cutter "Draco and Harry are gay trans men who make out 24/7 and there's some trans gay WolfStar in the background too, I guess, and also maybe black trans Hermione can have a cameo at some point as a treat, but who cares because it’s Drarryin' Time! *proceeds to Drarry all over AO3*" fics.

Like… why is it that after Rowling announced her status as a card-carrying fascist, "all the hp characters" suddenly became just Harry, Draco, Remus, Sirius and maybe Hermione if you're lucky? ESPECIALLY considering the fact that I know from experience that the fandom used to have way more diversity headcanons than this?

What about Ron "angsty because his mom wanted a daughter" Weasley? Or Neville and Hannah, who never had children (clearly, one of them is trans! Or maybe both are trans AND ace! Two groups Rowling hates for the price of one!)? Where are the Trans Dean/Seamus and Trans Lavender/Parvati fics? Trans Luna??? One of Bill and Fleur's kids being the first known male Veela hybrid in the series (literally a fuckin' goldmine of gender possibilities)???? What about fuckin' Nymphadora "gender nonconforming shapeshifter who hates her traditionally feminine name" Tonks (if ANY character would’ve been made trans or enby to spite Rowling, I’d have thought Tonks and her son Teddy would be the FIRST choices)???? EBONY DEMENTIA DARKNESS RAVEN WAY (objectively the BEST Harry Potter character)??!!!????

Part of me suspects that this is at least partly because these characters aren’t "popular" and therefore won't get the same attention as the Drarry "rivals to lovers" vibe and the All The Young Dudes spin-offs, but I can’t be fully sure of that.

And like… a lot of times it looks like their activism just, begins and ends with fandom activity? A lot of the same questions levied at HP haters ("are you supporting and/or donating to pro-trans causes?" "Are you making an effort to understand WHY TERF ideology is bad?" etc., all 100% valid questions) can also be levied against fans who make their headcanons and shipping the main source of their activism.

I’m not saying that NO hp fans are doing actual activism, I’ve seen a few examples, but it feels to me at least like the majority are not. It just seems they think shipping Harry and Draco whilst transing them to pretend it makes the TERF seethe (when really she probably doesn’t even know your fanfic exists) is a substitute for activism, just as HP haters think hating the series and patting themselves on the back for not reading it when they were twelve is a substitute for activism.

I guess the bright side is that at least the Drarry shippers aren’t harassing people? There are testimonies from trans people about hp fans harassing them, but the majority of those fans obviously wouldn’t also be writing trans Drarry fics so ehh?

Idk, like I said I’m conflicted and I need to vent. I’ve been holding this vent in for a while now.

I guess my thesis statement here is: HP fandom, if y'all really want to "diversify Harry Potter to spite the TERF", then please for the love of Glaux ADD MORE CHARACTERS AND IDENTITIES TO YOUR HEADCANON ROSTER.

.

[apocalypse-gang]

What's your opinion of people outside of the West that don't know anything about JKR but still play Hogwarts Legacy?

This is just a strawman argument.

I don't know what you want me to say here. Idk if you're genuinely curious or if you want me to provoke me to prove trans people are irrational meanies so you can buy a video game guilt free, or you want someone giving you the greenlight to yell at someone who isn’t aware.

If they don't know, they don't know. There's not anything I can do but inform those who don’t know when I can.

Harry Potter is huge, with hundreds of thousands of products and a cultural phenomenon. I want to say they should know about Joanne's beliefs as she's gotten more and more vocal, and it has been reported on by across multiple platforms, but Harry Potter is so much bigger than we can possibly imagine and how's been a pop cultural phenomenon much longer than she's been open about her transphobia. 

But I’m finding a majority of people who are buying the game are online, and most people online are aware and

Are actively transphobic so they’re buying it out of spite.

B. Are casually transphobic, so they don’t care at all.

Feel guilty about buying the game and use donating or just feeling bad to get people to reassure them it’s okay they bought the game.

Care more about a video game than trans people, and use “death of the author” and “no ethical consumption under capitalism” (neither which they understand) and also “some trans people are harassing people so they’re the Real oppressors” (aka transphobic rhetoric used to justify stripping our right) as excused to justify why they don’t feel bad and aren’t transphobic.

Genuinely believe they did nothing wrong and can still be a trans ally despite knowing their money will be donated to transphobic causes. 

And for people who were able to purchase the game without knowing about Joanne’s transphobia or the antisemitic story, I'm not going to pretend I'm happy with it, or it makes where the money is going fine. 

And, for the people who are ignorant? I don’t hate them. I’m frustrated where their money is going and I'm sad they're ignorant of the reality of their situation and the game their playing. I'm sad they aren't aware of the harm their money will cause, and I wish I could inform these people and they would return the game. I wish they never bought the game in the first place. I wish JKR wasn’t a bigoted, I wish the game wasn’t bigoted, and I wish all the money this game made was put to helpful causes or better art.

But we don’t live in that world. Joanne is a bigot and likes being a bigot and likes pretending to be a feminist. All she cares about is getting money to fund her anti-trans causes. She doesn’t care if fans agree with her or not, or if they're aware of her beliefs, she’s just happy to be having money. She has stated she doesn’t care what her fans think, she sees them as people helping her.

I'm frustrated where their money is going, people are allowed to be upset by this. They're allowed to be angry that people are buying this game, whether or not the person knows it’s harmful. Because the harm is still there and is still harming people, whether they’re intended to hurt someone or not. Are people not allowed to cry when someone accidentally hurts them?

People are especially allowed to be pissed with others trying to act like they’re allies all while knowingly buying this game. Allyship isn’t something that depends on when you feel like it. Allyship shouldn’t be playing into what JKR wants, which is money. You are either an ally or not. 

Idk, anon, is this enough?

[trans-femme-fag-dyke]

Privilege, Virtue Signaling & The Long Game

When thinking about the election, I need to take a step back and remember the privilege of living in Los Angeles as a transfemmefagdyke.

Like any privilege, QT (queer/trans) geographic privilege is a dangerous game.

I live in a city where I walk past billboards featuring queer couples and gender fuckery, and cannot walk a mile without bumping into my darlings.

It's very easy to succumb to the idea that I might be OK in a Trump-led world.

It's very easy for me to inject my estrogen and boof my progesterone and not worry too much about the continuation of my trans journey.

When MY identity is seemingly not as much at stake, it can make me lazy and it can erode my empathy. When my biggest dysphoria trigger happens with a barista misgendering me and not criminalization of my presence in a bathroom, I am subject to different realities.

My extra security and additional time can lead me down rabbit holes.

It can lead me to a place where I consider abandoning my vote or voting for a third party to make a stand about Palestine.

Here's the deal:

I am firmly pro-Palestine, pro-ceasefire, pro-two state solution. I am pro-boycott and anti-governmental silence or platitudinal rhetoric.

I donate to vetted Palestine causes, I write to my elected officials, I read more than social posts and CNN, and I have dug deeper than headlines since 2005. I know the dates, the history, the theology.

What I am not is someone whose commitment to those causes begins and ends with social media post shares and photo opps at marches and whose identity is almost entirely comprised of virtue signals and DSM diagnostic obsessions and contains barely any actual values or attributes.

What I am not is someone who thinks that Palestinian civil society is going to happen overnight such that we don't remain locked in the negative feedback loop that haunts any chance of hope and which likely any US administration won't be able to do shit about.

What I am not is someone who thinks that, if a Trump administration comes into play and my trans identity is threatened, I will still be thinking about Palestine.

When Trump will 100% continue to attack my female/trans/queer friends outside my geographic privilege, I am not someone who can even rest on the laurels of thinking that in California I will be OK.

Prop 8 language is still on the books and if Prop 3 fails, California's homophobic Constitution will be the fallback in the event of a fundamental legal backslide.

Anti-trans efforts have already led to trans refugees fleeing to states where they get stuck in the cycle of homelessness and addiction.

This November please don't get stuck in some romantic revolutionary delusion that makes your Feeld profile more edgy.

Praxis over theory, long game over impetuous virtue signaling, research over reaction, commitment over shares/clicks/views.

Would you rather engage with and fight Kamala for your rights, or Trump? It really is that simple.

Then you can go back to hopping on the wagon of whatever genocide most burnishes your self-image.

And, while you're at it, reblog the fuck out of @estrogenesis-evangelion who frames at least some of this argument in succinct and passionate terms: https://www.tumblr.com/estrogenesis-evangelion/755322350213513216/a-single-one-more-of-you-gormless-childish-fucks?source=share

[dinoburger]

hey.

people are dying, but you're giving your cause everything you can. i've seen you work hard to try to help people. you're donating. you're spreading the word. keep going.

keep questioning how you interact with the world and you'll keep gaining richer experiences for it. this is a turning point for many artists, writers, crafters, etc. wherein they realize that fan culture is not giving them what they could be getting by engaging directly with themes and topics and a medium that they personally care about most.

you have to engage with art to get better at art, and fan work can be a great vessel for your thoughts on art. fan work can be fulfilling, but it is also ultimately a sort of self-imposed constraint.

now. you clearly have stories you want to tell about trans men and war and pointless enterprise and they're outgrowing the tf2 framework. they have been for a while. i don't really like tf2, but i *do* like your art and think of you first as an artist who engages with the trans body before someone who partakes in fandom of any kind.

if you decide to take those stories in your own direction, i want to read them and watch them grow. take care.

I have mixed feelings because it's not that I see fan work vs. original work as the dichotomy here, but rather like. A lot of the stuff I do outside of it isn't particularly deep in and of itself but it's still meaningful.

It's funny cuz like, I started getting back into traditional art because I've been painting picket signs. You're not doing that because it's narratively engaging or even to make them beautiful, but to be eye-catching and make a point.

I guess that's mostly what I think about, it's more laterally like, something that can exist without needing to be to that ends.

I don't really think it's a matter of taking the stories I have and restructuring them to add "originality" because that wasn't the point of writing them in the first place, and I'm not going to forcibly take my experiences and try to twist them into a compelling story if they won't fit or shouldn't center me - rather, the work I do doesn't need to be that deep if the context I'm using it for is meaningful already, I don't need to cut myself up for parts.

I want to engage art and culture more in that sense, you know? I think that was part of the joy of making pottery to me when I used to do it, there was always this kind of practicality and physicality that makes it feel significant in ways that aren't simply expressed, regardless of "depth" or branding or anything else.

There is just a kind of funneling that inevitably happens with engagement and social media. I think acting like I'm totally above it isn't honest, it's now 2 AM as I'm writing this response. I don't think of myself as profoundly removed, more the opposite. I think even if you're aware, you sometimes don't realise how bad it is for you until you start peeling away.

There's a kind of sterile singularity to it, every aspect of how art and identity are engaged here. There tends to be a kind of singular authority people take to each other that shapes the landscape here. And there's very much an "I'm not like that" kind of dogma.

Paradoxically it is like, the thing where the more you argue the point, the more it seems like you're trying to establish yourself as the authority of it, and again it's not like none of these things can be meaningful at all, but there's a kind of undeniable tunnel vision you get sucked into.

I don't think anything I've done for the causes I'm interested in are praise worthy, I try to do what I can. But it's still the most valuable thing I could be doing.

[v11ces]

"you need to be doing activism even at the expense of your own life and well-being" is how our enemies win. we all need to learn to live life like normal while atrocities happen around us or there straight up isn't going to be anyone left to keep fighting this battle for the decade plus amount of time it's going to take to win. if you can't go to the rally right now, if you can't donate right now, if you can't continue to maintain a livable lifestyle and participate in activism, then don't participate in activism until you can safely. the state has no end of resources to throw at it's goals. all we've got is each other, and you're fucking useless if you have alarm fatigue and straight up a fucking hindrance if you die on us or have to fucking pull out completely forever, since we DON'T have endless amounts of informed activists able to put endless time and money in. don't become part of the problem, we are going to need fresh faces to fight for (Palestine, the ever growing climate disaster, fucking COVID still, abortion rights, trans rights, gun control legislation, tearing down this government and not living under a fascist capitalist hellscape until the planet is a crisp and nothing but bougies and their space slaves are left of earth) for the next fucking DECADES it's going to take to fix all this. keep talking about this shit. keep making noise when you can even if it's all you can do. get your fucking life on track and then learn how to fold protests and rallies and demonstrations and community events into your hobbies along with videogames and what ever else you do for fun and to make yourself feel good about life. you can and FUCKING NEED TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY HAPPY LIFE OUTSIDE OF ACTIVISM OR ELSE YOU'RE QUICKLY GOING TO BECOME A SOURCE OF STRESS FOR YOUR FELLOW ACTIVISTS AND THAT'S LITERALLY A MASSIVE FUCKING HINDRANCE TO THE CAUSE. THEY'RE BANKING ON US FLIPPING OUR SHIT AND WEARING OURSELVES OUT TOO FAST. DON'T GIVE OPPRESSORS AN EASY PATH TO VICTORY BY BEING TOO TIRED TO FIGHT IN 7 YEARS PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK

[emerysnonsense]

Hihihi sweet tea!!

Today I had a doctors appointment, got a shot which absolutely sucks

The nurse I had was super nice and I have an absolutely lovely doctor who specializes in LGBTQ+ patients and she’s trans and has literally the coolest rainbow glasses so love her she’s super fun

Still hated the shot tho, absolutely despise needles, very much trigger my fight or flight and I have to be very careful to not punch or push or do anything while they try and do stuff

Very much hate em but my mum got me a plushie after as bribery for doing it and being good so yayyy

Uh did some other stuff after but then got home at like 4ish and it absolutely killed me so kinda just napped till rn

Hopefully you’ve had a good day tho and have a goodnight and have another good day!!

Did ya do anything neat or mainly just the normal? Hopefully school didn’t stress ya out too much

Anywayyy imma probably eat and then sleep some more cause ughhhhhcsthcfhxshjhsekvsuv

Lotsssss of platonic love to you sweet tea!!!!

Love and appreciate you tonssss!(/platonic)

<333333333333333333333333333333333333

hi starshine!!!

am playing bg3 right now

seems like you handled the appointment well despite the needle

good job :D

hope you got enough rest and are well rested now!

actually, on the topic of needles

I'm gonna go donate blood next friday

have never done that before so that'll be interesting

anyways, ye, school was a little stressful, but not too much

still hate presenting stuff in front of the class with a passion

no thanks, never again

but I'm fine now so that's good

lots of platonic love to you starshine <33333333333

you're absolutely amazing

[arctic-hands]

Bear with me as I ramble for a few paragraphs. I'll be real, I owe my literacy to Harry Potter. I didn't learn how to read until I was six, and I was crap at it until my friend recommended me the book when I was seven and my mom bought it for me during Christmas shopping. Since I was a crap reader, my sister read the first few chapters to me, but when school started up again she had to stop. My mom read it to me after that, but she's a crap story teller and I got frustrated with her after a few chapters. But I was determined to finish the story so I started reading it myself and my skills began to improve. By fifth grade I was reading at a collegiate level. I have no doubts in my mind it's because of Harry Potter.

It was a huge portion of my life. When the sixth book came out, my Professor Trelawny cosplay on the night it came out won me the book for free. The next book my Luna Lovegood cosplay won me second place and a huge discount for the seventh book. Even after the series ended I bought the supplementary books, and it remained one of my biggest fandoms. I wrote fanfiction for it, even as an adult.

I'm not going to pretend I always knew it was bad. Being a young white American Gentile, I had no frame of reference for the antisemitic stereotypes of the goblins, and when I first learned of the controversy as a teenager I dismissed it to myself as "JK probably didn't mean for it to come across that way, it's just an unfortunate coincidence." And while I sympathized with the plight of house elves, the implications of a sapient being being happy and eager to be a slave was also lost on me. I started to have an inkling about the implications of the characters of color like Cho Chang after hearing Rachel Rostad's slam poem "To JK Rowling, From Cho Chang", but I'll be honest, it wasn't until I was well into adulthood and Rowling began to attack the trans community that I belong to that I began to reexamine all aspects of her bigotry that was there from the start.

And I, being an adult ideally capable of critical thought and ability to reexamine things in my life, dropped the series from my life and dropped my support for Rowling. I got rid of my books and movies because just looking at them on my shelf filled me with disgust and anger and betrayal. I stopped buying anything related to Harry Potter. Was it hard? Yeah, kinda. I'll admit I mourned the loss of this big portion of my childhood and even adulthood. I still miss it sometimes, or at least I miss the seemingly innocent joy it gave me. But I knew it was time to let it go and move on. My own personal safety, the safety of my community, the safety of the Jewish community is far more important than any lingering nostalgia.

Which is why it's so incredibly frustrating now. I can say I had waited most of my life for a game like Hogwarts Legacy until Rowling went TERF, but when it was announced I had no desire to play it and lend my financial and tacit support for Rowling or anyone connected to the game. And to see my peers who turned saying "trans rights" into a meme now flock to it, and then self-flagellate themselves by saying they couldn't help it, the nostalgia was too strong, they're donating to trans causes as they give their money and support to both a terf who is influencing the British government and the antisemite original developer of the game, boo hoo people are calling them out and spoiling the game and that makes them sad.

The inability of grown ass adults to reexamine their support and realize their nostalgia shouldn't overrule the safety of multiple vulnerable communities is not only infuriating, it's terrifying. Millennials like to pretend we're the most progressive generation, but god forbid anything go against our happy childhood memories. God forbid we self-reflect. God forbid something spoils our fun.

TL;DR: As a former Harry Potter fan, fuck you if you're playing Hogwarts Legacy, you fake ass ally and progressive. Grow up.

[total-shipper]

i think that insinuating that people who disagree with your interaction with the hp franchise agree with sending death threats is a tad unfair. there are people who go to extremes from all sides, and to lump them all together to prove your point would make as much sense as me saying that you engaging in harry potter means you personally agree with violent transphobia

i get that hearing that the person behind one of your favourite franchises is rough and youd rather seperate the art from the artist. hp was the first thing i got really into and it shaped my childhood in a way that nothing else did. it was there for me when nobody else was. i read the books countless times and i have pretty much every fact about the world memorised. hearing what jkr was saying sucked

but im a trans person in the uk, so it's not just a case of seeing some bad takes on twitter. the causes she donates to, the rhetoric that she spreads, impacts me personally. it impacts thousands and thousands of people like me personally

and yeah, making a hp au doesnt directly give her money. but it can very easily appear as a show of support, whether you say you personally disagree or not. and if you dont care that terfs will see your account and think you're one of them, then fine. if you don't care that a majority of trans folk won't fully trust you because of that, that's your call. i mean that genuinely, not passive aggressive or anything. you can do what you want.

but while you can do what you want, please don't act like the people who disgree with your actions are being irrational or inflammatory. just because it doesnt seem like a big deal to you doesnt mean it isnt huge deal to others.

i hope this didnt come off as an attack! i just wanted to try and clarify the perspective of the anons you've recieved recently, and feel free to dm me if you'd like to discuss anything

Thank you for your reply and thank you above all for not using anonymity to express your opinion.

So I perfectly understand that many people find me having to say because everyone can have a different opinion from mine, everyone has the right to think what they want without falling into vulgarity or offenses, that's obvious.

People who disagree with me don't consider them stupid on the contrary I am happy to discuss opposing opinions so that we can have a civil conversation, what I hate is when some people take only a part of my speech to not understand all the rest just because they only want to understand what they want.

I'm not an egocentric Harry Potter fan because I'm the first to say that part of the Harry Potter fandom is extremely toxic, perhaps one of the most toxic of all fandoms, but not all of us are like that.

I understand being angry with Rowling who started saying obscenities and bullshit about the trans community and I'm sorry it made you suffer I can't even imagine how you felt, but is it necessary to blame people who want what they love?

I understand your point of view perfectly but you understand mine too, right now I feel accused of something that I don't think in the slightest and that I have never thought of in my life because I've never broken anyone's balls, everyone has the right to do and be what they wants but they must not in turn become a persecutor of others.

I didn't see your comment as a threat and I hope you don't see mine as a message of aggression either.

This is my most honest opinion I respect yours, but mine will remain this that I explained.

[intersex-support]

Hello! I've been nervous to send in an ask for a while now. I've recently discovered that I'm not hormonally intersex despite how much I thought I was, I was born "pseudo-male" and was operated on as an infant to appear female. This has given me a feeling of distress that I haven't been able to shake. It all started when I was reading articles about IGM and people who found out they were intersex and had these surgeries done to them. The further I got into it the more worried I got because it was familiar. Constant doctors visits as a child, having your privates being deeply examined and pictures being taken, I was told by my parents that those things were normal they are just making sure there's nothing wrong that I am functional and all kids go through this. What I didn't know is the wrong already happened. I started to look deeper, stunts sexual pleasure? Got that. Causes nerve pain? Check. Infertility? Found that out when I tried to donate eggs for rent money they also told me that my body just wasn't "capable". I remember all throughout my childhood how much my parents forced me to be feminine, the skirts I was required to put on, the dresses that were for every Sunday, the plethora of pink and just pink. I'm terrified to confront my parents because these are people who believe that trans people should face a mass genocide, but I already know they know and they kept it from me and they've silently used it as a reason to abuse and neglect me as a child. After finding this out so much more makes sense, how much my brother's births are celebrated vs mine, how much they are appreciated vs me, I can now put a label to the face of disgust they make when I wear anything but feminine clothes. I can hear what they think in their heads 'went through the whole process and you still aren't a girl what a waste'

I just wanted to share. I've been suspicious of being intersex for a few years now but I had always thought it was pcos. I got my big confirmation that it wasn't just a few days ago and I'm trying to heal trying not to feel like if I didn't dig my nose into it all then it wouldn't feel violating and I wouldn't have this dread. I want to be closer to my community and I want to find someone like me but that's another thing I'm struggling with because I know there's not many like me who have found out. I just want someone to talk to, someone who knows and who can tell me I'm not alone that this isn't a horror I'm facing alone that they lived through it as well and that I can keep living through it and that I can be proud of my body. I can say all these things to myself and they mean nothing.

Thank you, for reading, answering, even just considering and deleting this ask. I love your blog and I cannot express enough how much it means to me. How much I need this sense of community that you provide.

Hi anon <3

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I'm so sorry that you had to go through IGM, uncomfortable and traumatic doctors appointments, and dealing with your family's judgements. You deserved so much better and any rage, grief, and anxiety that you're feeling right now is so valid. It can be such a big shock to finally get the confirmation and then start to look back through your whole life, putting the pieces together and looking at past events through a new light. You're not overreacting and you deserve all the time, space, and support you need to process this new understanding. And you are absolutely not alone. There are mods on this blog who have survived IGM, many of us who have survived other forms of correctional medical abuse and we really get what it's like to find this out and deal with the aftereffects. I know for me, there's been certain times during my intersex journey where I found out new information and it felt like my world had ended, and I couldn't understand how the rest of the world just kept moving when it felt like everything I had ever understood about myself was different. I thought I would never be able to get to a point where I could feel anything about being intersex besides dread, shame, and fear. And there's still a lot of shame and anger that I carry--but that's not the whole story for me anymore. There are days when I can say intersex is beautiful and actually believe it, days when I can feel proud of my intersex body and it's not a lie.

Anon, I'm sending so, so much love and solidarity your way. Nothing that happened to you was your fault--not the IGM, not the doctors appointments, not your parents' reactions and not doing more research and finding out all this about yourself. I really believe that you will survive this and get through this, and that there is always that room for hope that someday, you will get to a point where all of this feels less raw and painful. That doesn't mean that you need to pretend that everything's okay right now if it doesn't feel okay, but just know that being intersex and surviving IGM and medical abuse does not mean that you are destined to feel this amount of overwhelming grief for all of your life.

It's absolutely okay if you don't feel ready to reach out to intersex community yet, but if that is something you want, I want to share some options for you. If you want to join the intersex discord server we run, send an ask off anon and I will send you a link. If you're under 30, Ispace is a Facebook group for intersex people to connect. Interconnect is also an option that has a support group, and also conferences to meet up with other intersex people in person. I'm also going to link this collection of personal stories from other intersex people that was really helpful when I read it early in my intersex journey, but I do want to give a warning that many of them talk about medical abuse and surgery and I know that can be overwhelming.

We're here for you, anon, and please feel to reach out again if you need anything, even if it's just to vent.

Best wishes 💜💛💜

-Mod E