#because they still need women to create more transgender people

[ryukisgod]

TRAs talking about how history will judge us poorly reminds me of that quote “isn’t it an amazing coincidence that the good guys won every war?”

[enfinizatics]

dear americans,

as a polish queer woman and human rights activist, i know exactly how you're feeling right now and what to expect from these elections. i lived through the 2015-2023 regime of pis, a right-wing populist party that divided families in the same way trump did. i’ve experienced the rise of fascism in poland, the influence of far-right parties like konfederacja, and their “santa’s little helpers”—ordo iuris, an ultra-conservative catholic organization (banned in many countries, mind you) that helped enforce a near-total abortion ban and runs anti-queer campaigns in public spaces. i supported the black protests in 2016 as a middle schooler when they first tried to ban abortion. as an adult, i actively participated in the 2020 women’s strike, running from police tear gas daily after they finally passed the ban. i supported friends who faced charges.

i’ve lived through intense homophobia in poland as a queer teen and adult. i survived the first pride march in my hometown, where far-right extremists threw stones and glass at us. i endured the anti-queer propaganda spread by the ruling party in state-owned media. i survived the “rainbow night,” poland’s own stonewall moment in summer 2020, when police arrested around 50 queer activists following the arrest of margo, a nonbinary activist. i survived the "lgbt-free zones," the targeted violence, the slurs from strangers on the street, and the protests i held against queerphobia. it was hard as fuck, but i survived.

but just because i survived, it doesn’t mean others did. many women died because of the abortion ban—marta, justyna, izabela, dorota, joanna, maria, and many others who didn’t survive pis’s draconian anti-abortion laws. milo, kacper, michał, zuzia (she was 12), wiktor, and other queer and trans kids and young adults took their own lives because of the relentless queerphobia.

despite all of this, our experience in poland can serve as a guide now. here are some tips for staying safe and how we, polish queers and women, organized under the regime:

safety first, always. if you know someone who’s had an abortion, no you don’t. if you know someone is trans, no you don’t. if you know people who help with safe abortions, no you don’t—at least not until you know it’s 100% safe to share. if you are queer or have had an abortion, only share this with people you trust fully. most importantly, not everyone has to be an activist just because they’re part of a minority. if it feels unsafe to share that you're queer, trans, etc., then don’t. it doesn’t make you any less queer.

use secure, encrypted messaging like signal for conversations on potentially risky topics, such as queerness, abortion, organizing counter-actions, protests—anything that might be used against you.

stay anonymous online. if you want to research or report something without surveillance, do not use regular internet. get a vpn (mullvad is affordable and reliable), download the tor browser (for both onion and standard links), and if you plan to whistleblow, consider using a riseup email account.

organize and build networks. community is everything now. support each other, foster independence, because your government won’t have your back. set up collectives, grassroots movements. create lists of trusted professionals—lawyers, doctors, etc.—who can offer support.

to lawyers and doctors: please consider pro-bono work. this is what got us through poland’s hardest times. your work will be needed now more than ever.

for protests or risky actions: always write a pro-bono lawyer’s number on your arm with a permanent marker.

get to know the anarchist black cross federation and other resources on safety culture: "Starting an anarchist black cross group: A guide"; Still We Rise - A resource pack for transgender and non-gender conforming people in prison; Safe OUTside the system by the Audre Lorde Project;

for safe abortion info or involvement: get familiar with womenhelpwomen.

stay radical, stay strong, stay informed: The Anarchist Library

if i forgot to (or didn't) include something, don't hesitate to reblog this post with other resources.

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

Let’s look at some myths and facts about drag queens:

Myth: “Drag queen” is a gender identity.

Fact: Drag is a performance art. 

Let’s go into some detail here: “Drag queen” is a role you play, for example as a form of entertainment or as an expression of your creativity. A gender identity on the other hand is intrinsic and enduring, it’s about who you are in your mind and heart (For example: a trans woman doesn’t “play” a woman, she IS a woman). So, drag and gender identity are two separate things - although we also need to add a little disclaimer here that gender identity is wonderfully complex and highly individual and not always so easily defined. So while drag is usually separate from gender identity, there can be overlap! 

Myth: All drag queens are gay cis men.  

Fact: Drag is an inclusive art form. Many drag queens are gay cis men, but not all. Drag performers can have any sexual orientation and gender identity - including transgender or non-binary. See that part about “overlap” above! 

Myth: There’s only one type of drag.  

Fact: Drag is incredibly diverse and has many different styles. Drag queens may also blend different types to create their own unique persona. Some examples: Pageant drag focuses on glamour and beauty (drawing inspiration from traditional beauty pageants). Camp drag leans into humor and exaggeration (celebrating the “so bad it's good” aesthetic). Alternative drag experiments with unconventional or avant-garde looks (breaking norms to challenge mainstream beauty standards). Club kid drag is known for its bold, futuristic looks (inspired by the nightlife scenes of the 80s and 90s). 

Myth: Drag is inherently sexual.  

Fact: Any art form can potentially be done in a sexual way but that doesn’t mean art is an inherently sexual thing. So, while some drag performances may include adult humor or themes (if they’re advertised for an adult audience), many other shows are family-friendly and focus on comedy, storytelling, or artistry. A drag event advertised as a family event will not be sexual. (It’s really just a common sense thing: You don’t expect kids movies to be sexual, just because adult movies also exist). 

Myth: Drag has only been around for a few years.  

Fact: Drag has a long history, dating back centuries. Men and women have cross-dressed in theater since at least the time of Shakespeare, and modern drag has roots in the ballroom culture of the 20th century. It definitely didn’t randomly spring up in the 2020s. 

Myth: Drag queens make fun of women.  

Fact: It’s more the opposite. Drag is a tribute to femininity and celebrates aspects of female identity and fashion. While some drag may use exaggerated features for humor, it’s usually done with admiration and respect, not as mockery. If it mocks something, it’s usually things like extreme beauty standards, gender stereotypes etc. 

Myth: All drag queens are famous and rich.  It’s easy money. 

Fact: The majority of drag performers are local artists who put a lot of time, effort, and money into their craft without making much. Only a small fraction gain fame or wealth, most do it out of passion.

Myth: Drag isn’t important for the lgbt+ movement. A ban on drag doesn’t really affect the community.  

Fact: Drag historically has been (and still is) an essential part of the lgbt+ movement, creating a visible platform for self-expression and providing a safe space where people can explore their identities. Drag performers have often led the way in activism, supporting many causes from HIV/AIDS awareness to transgender rights. A ban on drag doesn’t just limit artistic freedom - it threatens to silence a key part of queer culture and history. It also sets a dangerous precedent that can lead to further restrictions on our rights, marking the start of a slippery slope toward broader discrimination.

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad 

[mueritos]

Hi, Matteo! So, I have just about the stupidest question to you as a fellow transmasc artist/creator: whenever I find myself trying to create a female character, I end up struggling with forming the idea of her personality and motivations etc in my mind, and then when I try to sort look at the character from different angles to 'get' them, boom! My hand slips and they're genderfluid now, or nonbinary, or transmasc, or transfem. The point is, they're never a cis woman in the end. No issues with male characters, cis or trans. Is this a common experience for other trans/nb creators? Or is it a 'default misogyny instilled in us all by society' thing? I just want to be able to create female characters too! and I kinda feel like an asshole for not being able to. So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that!

this isn't stupid at all! first of all, it's entirely fine if you only want to draw and create trans characters. It's also okay that you have preferences toward certain characters. I hilariously fall into this same problem of struggling to make female characters, because my attraction toward men makes me want to always create gay/MLM centered stories. My brain is giving very much "no women no girls this is...The World of the Gays" image. But here's the thing, what you draw and what you choose to invest your creative energy into doesn't say anything moral about you. I would say things start becoming more complicated depending on the intentions behind art, how characters are depicted, and the harm it may cause to others (example, racist depictions of characters, colorism within art, etc).

However, it sounds like you do want to make female characters, specifically cis female characters. I struggle making cis female characters too, and i don't know if you relate, but after many years of being forced to be a Girl and to be Feminine, I now avoid situations or things that make me feel like I'm going back to GirlMode. But, it's important to remind ourselves that this avoidance can become maladaptive and prevent us from opening ourselves to new experiences. You're not an asshole, and clearly you care enough about making diverse art because you're trying to seek different perspectives.

my thought process when making female characters is essentially the same with all characters, but there are many characters I have intentionally chosen aspects of themselves that i do not relate to to push myself. It sounds like you need to make a decision to keep a cis female character and protect her from your transgender mind beam haha. Give her something you relate to, like a hobby or a lived experience or an outfit you like, and perhaps it can help alleviate any feelings of wanting to push your connection to her through shared transness. Another thing you can do is base her loosely off a cis woman in your life! I've done this before and it prevents me from changing her gender, mostly because I feel like it would be disrespectful to make them trans if they're based off someone I know haha. Or, if you still want a trans character in proximity to her, give her a trans friend, sister, cousin, partner, or enemy! That way the dynamic is not just based on their relationship, but also their different genders :)

also, don't worry if you're being misogynistic or not. every character you make may have some form of a stereotype or some "problematic" aspect. I have a cis female character who falls into the "wants to get married and only things about men stereotype", but she is brave and often far more driven than the men and women in her life because she cares about the man she loves (enough to break from her social status and become a fighter to save him). I ALSO have all kinds of trans characters I created just to lewd them up, and I know for sure there's probably someone out there wagging their finger at me and saying i'm "fetishizing" trans people. I also like to draw the occassional cute girl because I think women are beautiful and I admire the ways I see the women in my life carry themselves. My point is, characters are flawed because WE are flawed and we internalize a lot of messaging from the world. as long as you are seeking our ways to re-learn messaging and incorporate that into your work, you're doing enough. There exists no perfect squeaky clean un-problematic non-stereotypy character ever, because we all aren't squeaky clean un-problematic non-stereotypy people.

hope that helped ^-^

[lesbians4armand]

on the technical side of things, maybe armand is intersex. he was often described as being beautiful like a girl! he couldve been born with a boys body but as he got older and hit puberty, perhaps he had a hormone disorder he didn't know about/coupled with sexual trauma/being turned he never really got to go through a full hrt puberty.

i know armand slept with numerous vampires in his coven, but he DOES have a tendency to not fuck human beings. maybe vampires CAN get pregnant, but they need a living counter part to make it work. immortal children are banned under vampire law, so i can see why female vampires aren't having children of their own (for fear of their child/them dying/the child being unable to progress physically or mentally) but wouldn't it just be like armand to be pregnant and not know until it's too late to do anything with?

or he gets pregnant and daniels the first to recognize the symptoms? the eating, the mood swings, how feral he's gotten during sex. i assume it would be jarring to wake up and find your vampire boyfriend projectile vomiting the 70 units of blood he gorged on 3 hours prior.

INTERSEX ARMAND!! YES!! The vampires of the vampire chronicles have always defied gender in its social ways but to have it completely blur binaries of biological sex is so so good, they already have so many differences to their biology and anatomy its not too much of a stretch.

And you’re right, armand is always described as being very androgynous, and bringing that along with his limited memories of his youth and the trauma that he went through, he could very well be intersex and not even realise it, though lack of memory or some other factor. I love exploration of Armand’s gender identity a lot due to his lack of self identity in general, I’ve considered genderfluid armand before and even transgender armand (t4t devils minion… real) but intersex is a new concept to me that’s super fascinating.

(shout out to that one fic where armand IS alice because he can literally change his gender and sex at will btw been thinking about that since i read it… very good very delicious very gender)

On logistics of vampire specific pregnancy, i also agree that one participant must be a living human, i doubt that vampires can get one another pregnant (both being dead things, as well as the law to not create vampire children). I think male vampires who do sleep with human women (cough cough, lestat) would be able to get them pregnant, and that human men can get vampires pregnant too. Someone has to be alive to create life in this scenario.

Who knows if these pregnancies would be entirely viable without specific requirements. Would the fetus need blood in-utero if half-vampire?? or is the baby just human as its created with living dna regardless? how does the vampire reproductive system work?? if their hearts still pump blood and their lungs still breathe, and their brains are still alive, their reproductive system may still be functioning even if other processes shut down? Iirc the VC universe later established that vampirism is kind of like a ghost-alien parasite infecting a dead human body but keeping some parts of it living. maybe this does include reproduction, I think all grounds of logic went out when we first got to aliens.

In the tv-show universe (in which im basing this crazy au), the vampires can have sex (though they could not in the books), so this implies a working reproductive system.

Anyway yeah! I think intersex Armand COULD be getting pregnant here. Admittedly I’m not super familiar with intersex people and how this would work but I’d love to learn more and it’s definitely a way of getting mpreg to work here. I think im too scared to commit to omegaverse so this is a very fun dynamic and solution.

On to the other parts of this ask as I have gone on a bit, Armand does seem the type to neglect his own wellbeing to the point he doesn’t realise he’s pregnant until months along when there is little to be done, but I also think he wouldn’t want anything to be done. He might not have very good experience or track record with children or kid-vampires (see claudia), but he would love the evidence of love from daniel. It’s a part of daniel and a part of him, I think he’d be obsessed with that, that they can bring something that is alive and good and both of them to the world.

The idea of daniel realising like “oh my vampire boyfriend is actually very strangely, almost like he’s ill, but vampires can’t get ill! It’s weird it’s like when Alice was pregnant with… Oh! oh that’s it. okay.”

thank you for the ask this was very interesting.

[jacebeleren]

It bothers me so much that the only transfem rep in mtg cards is this like. Soldier military woman, like 'ooh look at this guy's we made a trans woman who's a part of a war machine' fantastic thank you magic very original

=========

Okay.

First of all, there is no "our" interpretation of the text. My thoughts are my own, and your thoughts are your own. Some of our thoughts might align, but I will not allow you to speak for me.

Second, I am sorry you feel so disappointed in the current state of transgender representation in Magic. I understand your concerns and I think they're valid concerns.

Third, your concerns being valid does not mean I agree with what you have to say, though. Don't come into my inbox complaining unless you're ready for me to honestly respond. Respectfully, your approach to these concerns makes it clear to me that you don't actually understand what you're talking about.

It's apparent that you follow me or have at least seen many of my posts. You appear to respect my opinions / analysis (at least regarding Jace and Tezzeret). So listen to me when I say this:

What constitutes 'good' representation is context-dependent, and it's not something you alone get to decide.

Yes, Alesha is a "soldier military woman", as you said. I understand that you have this complaint because you believe this makes Alesha an example of the stereotype that trans women are violent. But context matters. What you're failing to consider is the fact that she comes from the Mardu Horde, a faction on Tarkir inspired by the Mongol hordes of real-world history. In this context, Alesha isn't presented as violent because she's a trans woman. She's violent because she literally comes from a warrior clan based on one of the greatest military forces in human history. And honestly, with Magic being a combat-centric game, she's not any more violent than any non-Mardu Legends, either.

Do you seriously think a story about a trans woman fighting to proudly declare her trans identity in her culture and later becoming the accomplished and well-respected leader of her clan is bad representation? Does the fact that she's a warrior really outweigh the rest of the lovingly crafted trans narrative they created for her, to you?

It's fine if you feel that way. You don't have to like Alesha or her story. But just because something wasn't made for your taste doesn't mean it's bad writing / bad representation.

Anyway, I highly recommend you read Alesha's story, "The Truth of Names", since it seems like you haven't read it yet. It's a fantastic story-- the most beloved short story in all of Magic, actually. It was the most-read article on the entire Magic website for like 5 years, according to WOTC.

And if you're interested in learning more about transfem characters in Magic who aren't Alesha, I recommend you read about Xantcha, who first appears in the novel "Planeswalker".

Next, I need to make things clear about Ashiok.

Ashiok was never intended to be nonbinary representation. Ashiok was created to be a mysterious, unknowable villain. What makes Ashiok special is that we are not mean to know anything about Ashiok. We do not know Ashiok's species or plane of origin, for example. Another part of that element of mystery is not knowing Ashiok's gender, or how Ashiok identifies. Ashiok's original style guide from Theros explicitly instructs people to not use any pronouns for Ashiok at all (which I still follow because old habits are hard to break.) Official Magic sources did not begin to use they/them pronouns for Ashiok until 2022, in the story "A Garden of Flesh" (another excellent story, BTW.) And they only started using they/them for Ashiok because it is really hard to write a story where the character is mentioned that many times without pronouns.

All this to say: Ashiok as intentional nonbinary representation is certainly not the narrative WOTC is pushing.

Yes, there are many fans of Ashiok who interpret Ashiok as nonbinary, but those are their thoughts and you need not concern yourself with that, if it bothers you so.

As for Niko, it's weird that you say they're "non-existent" in Magic story when 2 of the 5 side stories ("Know Which Way the Wind is Blowing" and "Aim Through the Target") in their debut set Kaldheim were entirely focused on Niko. They're also a starring main character in 15 of the 25 issues of the BOOM! Studios Magic comics.

I'm glad you like my analysis of Jace and Tezzeret as transgender characters. Thank you for that, genuinely. But I want you to understand that the reason I have these interpretations is because I love Magic Story. And more importantly, I actually read it. I love Magic Story, and I have so much respect for the Magic Narrative team and the work they do.

What most people don't understand is that the Magic Narrative Team is in fact very careful and very loving in their approach to queer representation. You may not know this about me, but I'm friends with A LOT of people who formerly or currently work on Magic / Magic Story. Knowing these people personally, I know for a fact that the Magic creative Team does not create queer characters for "diversity points". They're not just checking boxes. The Magic creative team creates queer characters because the Magic creative team is full of queer people and allies who want to tell stories that reflect their own + fans' experiences. And they have to constantly fight to include more / better queer representation in Magic. They want good queer representation in Magic just as much as we do.

Am I going to defend everything they do? No! Are they perfect? No! They are just people. They make mistakes and they have blind spots. For example, in my essay about my analysis of Jace as a trans man, I explain that the reason my interpretation means so much to me is because there is currently zero meaningful representation for trans men in Magic canon. There are zero transgender male characters in Magic canon who have names. That's a HUGE blind spot considering the number of canon trans characters! That's something that disappoints and upsets me.

I'm not afraid to criticize Magic Story, and I do so very often. But I am critical of Magic story because I love it. My criticism does not equal hatred or unhappiness.

Sorry to hear that their efforts at including better trans representation in Magic would piss you off. I'm sorry that you've given up.

Lastly, I think Liliana is cis, but that's just my headcanon.

[xxx-ang3l-w1th-a-sh0tgun-xxx]

THE LABRYS FLAG - a quick queer history lesson & my flag redesign

so I've been doing a lot of research into the labrys flag (below - these two versions are the most popular) and i feel that it needs a quick redesign. first though, lets start with the current labrys flag and it's history...

────────────────────────────────

basic history - the labrys symbol & the creation of the flag:

this flag was originally a symbol for the lesbian feminist community

the symbol, the labrys, is an Ancient Greek double-headed axe and it has been used as a symbol of lesbianism since the 1970s

the labrys symbol represents strength and empowerment

back in the mid-70s to mid-80s, wearing a small silver labrys on a chain was a way to self-identify to other lesbians (similar to how carabiners are used nowadays in the same way)

the actual flag was officially created in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell and published in June 2000 in the Palm Springs edition of the Gay and Lesbian Times Pride issue

the colour violet (the background colour of the flag) became associated with lesbians through the representation of the violet (the flower) as a symbol of lesbian love, which originates from a poem by Sappho about a lost love wearing a garland of "violet tiaras, braided rosebuds, dill, and crocus"

it's the oldest lesbian flag by a decade

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discourse, discomfort & TERF association:

the flag was invented by a man, not a lesbian, which has created some discourse among lesbians

the purple on the flag is sometimes said to represent only cisgender women, while the black triangle symbolizes lesbians

this flag didn't represent lesbian transgender women or non-binary lesbians

the black triangle symbol is a reference to the Holocaust, and the antisemitism claims are essentially discourse about whether lesbians are 'allowed' to reclaim it. while lesbians were targeted under the 'asocial' label, they weren't explicitly targeted in the same way gay men were

it's also gained a lot of popularity among TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists) and various exclusionist groups

although it's the oldest lesbian flag, there's various reasons for people to be uncomfortable with it, instead sticking with newer, less problematic lesbian flags, such as the sunset flag

many people choose not to use the labrys flag because it's popular among bigots (mostly TERFs), so only bigots end up using it, reinforcing the association

────────────────────────────────

the sunset flag:

the sunset flag seems to be the most universally understood and least problematic lesbian flag (below)

the 5 stripe flag (right) is just the simplified version of the 7 stripe flag (left)

────────────────────────────────

reclaiming the labrys flag:

many lesbians wish to reclaim the labrys flag, ignoring the TERFs who use it to exclude trans lesbians

the colours and symbolism are important in lesbian/queer history and for a while, the labrys flag seemed like a good and accurate representation of the lesbian community - it empowered lesbians and acted as a symbol of love and reminded people of queer history

many lesbians who still use the labrys flag are assumed to be TERFs/transphobic, so many are afraid to reclaim the flag or even just use the labrys symbol for fear of judgement or misunderstanding

the labrys symbol alone isn't problematic and it is not a TERF symbol

────────────────────────────────

my opinion & my new flag designs:

as someone who is trans, gender non conforming, a lesbian and a feminist, i feel that the labrys flag does have some problematic elements to it but i still feel that the flag could be redesigned to be more inclusive

i have decided to experiment with creating a new lesbian flag which combines the unproblematic elements of the labrys flag with the current inclusive sunset lesbian flag

these are the flag designs i have made so far:

────────────────────────────────

explanation/description:

top left - the sunset lesbian flag with the violet labrys symbol in the middle

top right - the triangle from the progress flag, (to represent people of colour, trans and non binary identities and intersex people) and the sunset lesbian flag, with the violet labrys symbol on the right side

bottom left - the transgender flag with the violet labrys symbol in the middle

bottom right - a half and half design with the sunset lesbian flag and transgender flag, with the labrys symbol in the middle

i have used the labrys symbol on all of these flags as the symbol itself is not problematic. it represents strength and empowerment

(the white outline on the labrys symbol is just to make it stand out more against the backgrounds)

i made the labrys symbol violet - violets have been linked to lesbian love for over two and a half thousand years. i felt that using the colour violet represents the history of lesbians

i have also included the transgender flag in some of the designs to represent the trans community, specifically including trans people to deter TERFs

i included part of the progress flag in one design to be even more inclusive of marginalised groups

i have decided not to include the triangle symbol in my designs

overall, my flag designs are supposed to be as inclusive as possible, whilst still referencing the original labrys symbol and its unproblematic meanings. my flag versions specifically include the transgender community and marginalised groups

────────────────────────────────

this redesign is just an idea and my historical research may not be 100% accurate

if my research is incorrect, please let me know and i can edit parts of this post to make my research more accurate

and if anyone has any suggestions or ideas for anything i can change/add to my designs please let me know!!

if any symbols/colours/imagery i have used in my redesigns have problematic meanings, this is completely unintentional, so please let me know

────────────────────────────────

feel free to use my designs with credit!

do NOT use this flag as a TERF/radical feminist/transphobic symbol as that completely defeats the whole idea of the redesign

[burnt-coffeepot]

i've decided that it doesnt matter if i fear i might be transgender just cuz of x

i fear i might be trans just cuz i feel uncomfortable with people treating me as nothing more than a sexy doll, just cuz i feel uncomfortable when people see me and they immediately think about sex.

i am uncomfortable with the thought of female sexual roles being associeted to me in other people's mind, and i want to control this as much as possible.

i am still really uncomfortable with the thought of sex and i dont let myself enjoy my sexual life cuz the shame and the uncomfortableness is just too big.

my friends still are shocked when it comes up and they discover i've been active, i've been the dominant part all the times. cuz they see me and then think about me as a sex doll and i hate it cuz it's not their fault and it's just the way society is built but it's not my fault either and i dont want to be associated with sex in this way.

im not a top, i am a switch, i probably would enjoy partaking in sexual acts in other positions of control, but i dont feel comfortable with what derives from it.

i fear im gonna be treated as a class B citizien Even More.

but being a guy, no one would care. being a guy my personhood would not be diminished because everyone assumes im dominant, so who cares. I feel helpless, and it doesn't help that the people around me comment on my body, on my boobs and my ass all the time to say how fuckable i am.

it all comes down to this, being born a female:

how fuckable i am in the eyes of others.

BUT THERE IS MORE TO WOMANHOOD THAN THIS and i love women and i dont think about sex when i see a pretty woman, even when she's dressed in a way that may lead most to think immediately about sex, i just see a fucking person.

so i dont understand why (in my mind) this applies Only To Me.

only I am perceived the wrong way.

that's why i feel i'd be more comfortable being a boy. and i've been a boy for a while now and I Am much more comfortable, really. But not everyone knows I'm a boy cuz im still stuck dressing in a way that communicates "womanhood" to the people around me.

I am not allowed happyness cuz it doesn't matter how much i try, everything everyone sees when they look at me is a fucking fleshlight that walks.

i feel like i am being denied personhood.

to think about my gender as something totally unrelated to sex for the past years has been so freeing

i have been experimenting: my gender is gaming, my gender is neon colors, my gender is black holes and nebulas, my gender is space pirates, my gender is gayboyfag, my gender is flapping my hands when im excited, my gender is glitter, my gender is an artwork made in paint ms.

this has been a liberating experience

but it's not enough yet

i need to start wearing clothes that match this idea that i have of me in my mind. i would love to be a lesbian too, if it weren't that i am bisexual BUT I STILL WOULD LIKE TO BE A LESBIAN

Like, I Mean if i lived 20 or 30 years ago, i would be rolling with the butches and the femmes, i would have found community with them, i would have started a riot grrrl band.

but i started "pretending" to be a boy on the internet when i was age 13/14, and i dont think that the liberation that i find in being perceived and treated as a boy (or boy adiacent genders) is gonna go away soon

so yeah, i think im transgender, im not an imposter, i really am.

why? cuz thinking about myself as a boy has only made me happier since i've started, and it has helped me get on the path to liberate myself from social pressure about sexuality and behaviour/manners.

if thinking about yourself as X gender makes you happier, EVEN IF YOU DIDNT THINK OF YOURSELF AS X GENDER ALL YOUR LIFE, then by all means i think you should be able to say you are X gender.

Chase happiness

Create Your Self

[androgynealienfemme]

the linchpin of the subordination of women, the impetus and structure of women’s gendered status as second class, is sexuality, socially gendered through sexualized misogyny. We are placed on the bottom of the gender hierarchy by the misogynistic meanings that male dominant societies create, project onto us, attribute to us, which, in my observation and analysis, center on women’s sexuality. This has nothing whatsoever to do with biology, which serves, however powerfully, as sexuality’s after-the-fact attributed naturalized rationalization and supposed ratification. Sexualized misogyny merges synergistically with myriad inequalities: it sucks up and incorporates age-based specifics, takes on every racialized and caste and class guise. In other words, I reject the “single-axis” notion argued by what is currently inaccurately being called “gender-critical feminism.”

[…]

Transgender feminist theorization and realization, emerging into view but begun long ago—in a brilliant literature from Sandy Stone to Julia Serano to Esperanza—embodies a politics of its own but also sheds new light on feminist politics. All this suggests to me that “woman” is a combination of sex and gender, such that sex can be a sufficient condition for being considered a woman but has never been a necessary one. Sufficient, because most women so assigned at birth do not affirmatively identify with all women and women’s interests, or even as women really (seeing oneself as part of any group with men in it has more dignity); many (even most) are not critical of male supremacy; but all are constrained to live women’s lives, whether they see it that way or not. They are our people.

Not necessary, because not only are trans women living women’s lives—often much the worst of that life—but the transgender women I know, anyway, embrace womanhood consciously, are far more woman-identified than a vast swath of the women assigned female at birth (so-called “natal women” sometimes) whom I also know, many of whom have been trying to escape womanhood their whole lives for real reasons, yet often defend rape of other women as just a bad night and disidentify with women in every possible way short of their own transition, which is a lot of trouble and takes real courage. Trans women are, politically, women. They are our people too.

[…]

I take away two overarching lessons from these thoughts in progress. One is that feminism has not yet sufficiently changed the social meaning of gender around us for everyone to be safe and free and equal in gender terms, no matter how strongly we have confronted it or expanded it or bent it or transcended it or worked to abolish it. A lot of people still think it is biologically based. This much is truly obvious. Naturalism, that gender flows from sex in the sense of chromosomes and genitals and reproductive biology and so on, still exercises dominion over the world we all live in. Two, the feminist anti-transgender position is built on and reinforces, rather than challenges, that ideology. The notion that gender is biologically based—the philosophical foundation common to male dominant society and anti-trans feminists—is core to the reason why trans people know with their lives that they have to change their bodies to live the gender of their identities. Trans people do not need to make or defend a progressive contribution to gender politics to be entitled to change the way they inhabit gender. But trans people, in addition to all else they do and are, highlight feminism’s success—gender’s arbitrariness and invidiousness was our analysis originally—and feminism’s failure, or better our incomplete project—as the world is still largely stuck in what feminists oppose and fight to change, and trans people are determined to escape.

Babe wake up new MacKinnon essay on trans rights and feminism just dropped!!

[cure-icy-writes]

It’s been two years and I am STILL mad at the ending of Wonder Egg Priority. Maybe enough to brainstorm a better ending for them.

-Starting with episode 10, Kaoru’s trauma is shown in much less graphic detail. Rather than outright assault, his trauma consisted of realizing that a trusted mentor just viewed him as Girl Lite after he made that person his only support system, and his mentor's romantic/sexual intentions towards him aren't made explicit. It tones down the graphic abuse, while also creating a character foil to Momoe, who feels like girls see her as Boy Lite and constrain her to their fantasies and gender roles. Momoe is more explicitly trans, and the episode makes a point that Acca and Ura-acca don’t actually know shit. Kaoru’s suicide wasn’t a “feminine” one, it just got lumped in with the rest because he wasn’t openly out and was buried under his deadname.

-the friends that frill created, rather than. You know. Brutally murdering and traumatizing anyone? They just show up as vaguely unsettling messengers who aren’t supposed to be there. And they start asking pointed questions. Why was Kaoru in the egg? Can the suicides of boys and girls really be separated so easily? Momoe is a gnc trans girl. She experiences gender differently than her cis friends. And the experience leaves her shaken in her faith of the Accas. She’s completed the game, but it’s bittersweet. She has closure, but the dead cannot truly be brought back to life. All that can be done is to create a parallel world, another chance for them to live in, and to say goodbye.

-Rika completes her game, and gets to say she’s sorry. She realizes that eating food in public without being mocked? That’s basically thin privilege. Her arc ends with her asking her mom to make her some comfort food. Frill’s friend asks why, exactly, Rika said what she did, abused her position of power. We see her manager, a grown ass adult man, and the silhouette of her father.

-Neiru isn’t a robot AI because that makes no fucking sense. Instead, she parallels Frill, as a “created girl” who was born to fulfill expectations. It’s revealed that her sister stabbed her and committed suicide because the expectations made her snap, because she wanted to destroy the image of the “perfect girl” as a final act of spite. She apologizes to Neiru, for not seeing her as a person but a tool.

-Ai completes her game, and gets closure with Koito— their friendship was kind of fucked up and gay in the way that repressed thirteen year old girls with codependence issues tend to be, and they actually talk about that. Koito reveals that their teacher strung her along, pushed them apart, and she committed suicide because of the guilt that she’d been complicit in Ai’s grooming.

-Ai tells her mom that she doesn’t feel safe around her teacher. Her mom believes her, and Momoe slowly comes to terms with the realization that she’s been putting her uncle on a pedestal because he was supportive of her transition, but she needs to believe her fellow women. The dude doesn’t go to jail but there’s a marked difference in how the girls talk about him.

-Frill and Himari get to take back their narratives. Frill is literally just a baby created by misogynists, and she decides to crawl out of the basement fridge and tell her dads “yeah I didn’t kill your daughter. She realized that she was just a replacement, that you people saw a daughter as a replaceable toy to make for fun, and she couldn’t take it. Anyways have a nice life lol” and chops off her hair, leaving it in a pile on their doorstep.

-The series ends with the girls taking control of the magical egg gacha— something thematic about girls supporting girls and taking back control from the institutions run by men who exploit their pain and grief for money. There’s a timeskip where Ai graduates school and starts working from home, Momoe gets gayer and starts building up a transgender support network, Rika moves away from home into her own apartment and starts rebuilding her fraught relationship with her mother, and Neiru is shown running the egg gacha for free, and with explicit warnings to the girls who come looking for closure.

-The temptation of death is posited as a human urge, something that exists at rock bottom, but one that teenage girls are especially vulnerable to in a society that will take advantage of them. And warriors of Eros? Those are the ones who choose love. Ai.

anyways. I think that ties up all the character arcs and plot threads? It would be nice if canon had given us this but ah well. I can dream

[chaos--gremlin]

Trans attorney headcanons because I'm normal about this game. Disclaimer I've only played the first trilogy so far

(I'm serious about Jean Armstrong being a diversity L and I'll explain why. Phoenix and Godot's tier however, is silly, hc whatever you want always <3)

The "probably genderqueer" category is for characters who would come out as some sort of trans if they thought about their gender for two seconds. Transfem and transmasc categories are for characters who don't necessarily identify as binary

A case made for each hc under the cut because I like to yap way too much:

The case against Jean: (transmisogyny tw)

Jean Armstrong is a diversity L because he's the butt of multiple transphobic jokes, his feminine presentation and demeanors are mocked, and his gender is questioned by multiple characters for laughs. It's incredibly ironic that Jean is the reason AA is on the steam woke list, because well, the game itself makes fun of him. He's a walking transmisogynistic joke, a "hey look at this BIG BURLY DUDE who WEARS PINK and FLIRTS WITH MEN." Unacceptable

The wiki saying Jean's presentation is a "drag performance" and that does not change any of what I just said, the game still makes him out to be a transphobic laughing stock.

Ok now onto the HCs:

To start I need to talk about Miles and Franziska at the same time. I love HCs where they swapped names as kids, that's so cute :]]. To add though, the reason Franziska specifically calls Miles her younger brother is because he came out as trans after she did! (This also applies to transfem Edgeworth btw, except she would become Franziska's younger sister!) Extra cute!!

Trans men:

So Miles, the way he looks up to his late father, the way he followed closely in the footsteps of his male role models (MvK, Gant) despite the toxic path they led him down. The way he "chose death" and left for a year to find himself, to realize his own path. That's all pretty transgender if you ask me. Self-made man kinda thing

Trans Kristoph is hot. If we want to keep this post PG-13 I'll have to stop talking here 🫣

Trans women:

Trans Mia is hot. But also! I think, like Franziska (who I'll talk more about in a moment), her interrogation of gender dynamics as the only female defense attorney is made all the more epic if she's trans <3

Angel Starr! First of all, her name is incredibly transgender. I will talk more about her when I talk about Gumshoe

More on Franziska- (I haven't played AAI yet so I haven't actually seen young Franziska, so this is coming from her appearances in the trilogy:) She has to carry herself with pride and command attention with her whip, not only because she's a von Karma, not only because she's very young, but also because she's a woman. On top of everything, the whip creates a very interesting dynamic in the courtroom, interrogating gender and power dynamics. Made even more epic if she was transfem

Adrian Andrews: her character arc lends itself beautifully to certain transfem experience. To start, she based her identity on other people and was particularly dependent on Celeste Inpax. When Celeste committed suicide, Adrian was heartbroken but spent the next few years masking her depression and true feelings. Her entire personality was essentially a mask. After 2-4 though, she's freed from the figurative chains that were weighing her down, and she finds a new identity, learns to do what she wants to do, and is significantly happier when doing it. Personally I think she should change the spelling of her name to Adrienne

Probably genderqueer:

Ema Skye and Kay Faraday - weirdgirls! Maybe they should be weird enbies! (Once again I haven't played AAI, obviously also haven't played AA4 yet. But based on vibes. They should be weird enbies.)

Max Galactica: I have a soft spot for this guy okay. I think he'd divorce himself from gender labels if he knew it was an option. (& You can't tell me he's not already tucking, those pants are INCREDIBLY low waisted)

Apollo: also based on vibes, but pack it up Polly you're taking a trip to Questioning Your Gender Town. Apollo Justice is Not Fine when he learns about the nonbinary spectrum. So many genders what the fuck. And they could just. Be That. Be Whatever the hell he Wants To Be. So I think they should identify as a bugboy (he looks like a bug to me. That's just me tho)

Klavier: once again based on vibes. His name is literally Piano okay I think she should be allowed to have fun with gender. Genderfluid Klavier

Transfems:

TRANSFEM GUMSHOE my BELOVED. MY BELOVED!!! It all started with me thinking "what if his feelings were so repressed that they were hidden under Psyche Locks" - I was thinking about Gumshoe's feelings for Edgeworth. But from another angle I was like "oh my god. Your Honor she's a deeply, deeply repressed trans lesbian. There's a woman trapped in there and we have to get her out." This is where Angel comes in!! I think they should become friends again during the events of 1-5. Angel is post-op, none of her boyfriends know she's trans. She also had already started her transition before she met Gumshoe when they were teens, so at first Gumshoe doesn't know Angel is trans either. But Angel slowly cracks her egg and helps Gumshoe work out her very complicated feelings around gender and they start a t4t qpr. I love them a lot I am writing a fic about them. But without Angel in the picture- Maggey not being into Gumshoe because she's not attracted to women. That's what would crack her egg

Link: This post on Laurice Deauxnim has already said it all

Trans Dahlia is hot okay I support women's wrongs. She transitioned during the 5 years where she was declared legally dead. By extension this should mean Iris is trans as well, with them being identical twins! (I'm not implying anything about her lack of spiritual power btw. I read a fic in which transfem Pearl explained that if you're spiritually a woman, then your birth sex doesn't matter and you'll still be able to access the powers of the Fey bloodline. I like that hc a lot! So yeah Iris is just weak in the spiritual department, same levels as if she were cis.)

Lisa Basil: once again incredibly transgender name. Why wouldn't you name yourself with a fun as hell palindrome name?? Plus she's CEO(?) of a computer programming company and has cool light-up body mods. She's transfem cyborg transition goals

Transmascs:

Trans Matt is hot, no notes

Shi-long Lang is giving the transmasc version of "on all levels except physical, I am a wolf"

Emo tboy Blackquill. Based on absolutely nothing but vibes

The cis men of all time:

Cis Phoenix is funny because I literally wrote a trans Phoenix fic recently (but that was a VERY canon divergent au so it didn't count!!1!) I also appreciate trans yurimitsu. But close-enough-to-canon Phoenix is giving cis ally. He's bi asf, he dates trans people, he's just not trans himself (to me)

Cis Godot/Diego, idk that's just the vibes. Like.. Gumshoe's "masculinity" is actually repressed transfemininity. Edgeworth's masculinity is very transmasc to me. Godot's masculinity, however, is a particular flavor of cisgender. So yea

As you can see I have lots of opinions, but I also love to hear what others think! Feel free to share your trans attorney HCs and/or tell me why I'm wrong about Phoenix and Godot or anyone else lol

[qnewsau]

The LGBT Aussie Paralympians competing in Paris

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/the-lgbt-aussie-paralympians-competing-in-paris/

The LGBT Aussie Paralympians competing in Paris

The 17th Summer Paralympics Games are underway in Paris. Among the competitors are many LGBT athletes including some from Australia.

According to Outsports, there will be 41 publicly out lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer athletes at the Paralympic Games.

Among that group, there are at least five Australian competitors from the LGBT community.

We run through those competing:

Nikki Ayers – Para Rowing

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Nikki is competing at her second Paralympics in the sport of para rowing.

She wasn’t out publicly at the last Olympics, explaining to Outsports that her sport needs to do more to encourage people to be themselves.

“I identified as being gay within the sporting community, and the people who were close around me knew I was,” she says.

“But I wasn’t very open about it. As a sport, rowing is quite conservative, and it’s still learning how to be more inclusive.”

Nikki is the world champion in the mixed doubles scull with Jed Altschwagert and will be hoping to bring home gold for Australia.

Al Viney – Para Rowing

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Al Viney is an ambassador for Proud 2 Play which advocates for inclusion in sport. It’s something she says is “Creating environments where every participant, athlete, coach, volunteer, and staff member feels safe, included, and supported.”

She will be competing in her second Paralympics in the PR3 Mixed Cox Four Para Rowing.

Maria “Maz” Strong – Para Track and Field

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Maria or “Maz” is competing in their second Paralympics. In the Tokyo 2020 games, they won a bronze medal in the women’s shot put F33 breaking an Australian and Oceania record.

They will be hoping to bring home another medal for Australia in the same event in Paris.

Anu Francis – Para Triathlon

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Anu will be competing in her first Paralympics after just missing out in Tokyo.

She previously competed in rowing but her classification system found that she would have an advantage over her fellow competitors.

Undeterred, she switched to triathlon and qualified for Paris.

Anu is an ambassador for the Australian Institute of Sport’s Thrive with Pride Program and she hopes she can “utilize my experience as a gay athlete to be a positive role model for LGBTQIA+ individuals.”

Ben Weekes – Wheelchair Tennis

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Ben will be competing in his sixth Paralympic Games after debuting in Athens 20 years ago.

Although out to many beforehand, he spoke about his sexuality in an article with the Australian Open website this year.

“For me, I don’t really have a big coming out story, because I have always been myself and I have never made a big deal of it because I always felt so comfortable,” he said.

“My partner Sam has come to a lot of tournaments in the past and everyone has just been so great about it, I’ve never felt the need to hide anything.

The Paralympics take place from August 28 to September 8 in Paris. 

Read next:

Valentina Petrillo set to become first transgender athlete at Paralympics

Our Ambassadors at the Paris Olympics Pride House

Lesbian boxer Cindy Ngamba to become first Refugee Olympic Team athlete to win medal

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[junosfilmjournal]

my review for mutt (2023) dir. vuk lungulov-klotz

this is my first time seeing someone like me (a gay, latino trans guy) on screen. we barely get represented in film and i couldn't stop crying while watching. i'm also glad that feña's unlikable. it made me like him even more. trans people are always put into this box on who we're supposed to be. trans men are regarded as a "safe type of man" because we were born female. whether it's intentional or not, it's obvious the people who say that don't see us as men, but as gender non-conforming women. more trans men need to be assholes!

there were so many parts of this movie that were painfully relatable that it was just hilarious. i had the same conversation with my 11-year-old niece, who's basically my little sister, that feña had with his sister. she was my first and only family member who didn't look at me like i was crazy. if anything, she rolled her eyes at me because she already knew due to the trans flag in my room. she told me "okay? i have gay friends.", which just made me laugh.

his relationship with his parents is like mine but reversed. my mother wants to be supportive, but she just doesn't understand what being transgender is. i've been out for more than a year and my mother has only called me her son once. she still uses my deadname and misgenders me. in the beginning, i would remind her not to, but i've grown tired of that. we got into so many arguments over it. they would always end with me sobbing while she told me it was hard for her too. she still has her moments though. i'll never forget when we were shoe shopping together and i saw the cutest mary jane platforms. i gathered up the courage to tell my mother i wanted them, but it didn't change the fact that i'm a boy. she told me, "i don't fully get you, but i know." that was the first time i was sure she wasn't lying to me.

growing up, my father was pretty much my hero. i was closer to my mom, but i still looked up to him. he wasn't around much when i was in elementary and i would cry while looking through the family albums. he eventually came back for good and i was the happiest kid ever. though, it didn't last long. as i was growing up, i was also realizing just how much of an asshole my father is. the first time i hit back, i was 15, protecting my mother from his drunken tirades. i can still see his shocked face clearly in my mind. ever since then, our relationship has become nonexistent and it got worse when i came out. he looks at me in disgust because i'm "trying (and failing) to be a man" to him. he looks at me like he doesn't know where he went wrong.

everything about this movie pulled at my heartstrings. i'm so glad i had a box of tissues next to me. i'm gonna have a hard time moving on from this. it's just so special TO ME! thankful for all the trans artists out there who make me want to keep going and create art of my own. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[swordwithribbon]

the most recent terf claim is that trans people and trans identities are a product of the patriarchy and misogyny. on tiktok, narratives are being spread with thousands of likes that display trans people as evil and pushers of a tyrannical “lie” which is spread to uphold the patriarchy. these cisgender people also deny the existence of trans people and gender identity as a whole, claiming gender is a “lie”, a fiction.

what must be said about this argument is that, yes, gender is something completely built by society, mainly men, and it is pushed onto everyone all over the world. so, terfs and i are actually in agreement: gender has to be abolished. my issue arises, however, when these cisgender- mainly women- push the blame for the construction of gender onto transgender people, when, trust me when i say this, trans people are the largest supporters of gender abolition. do you really think that trans people want to grow up in a world where we are discriminated, killed and harassed for expressing our identity? of course not, and, if gender was not such a widespread concept, we wouldn’t.

but, gender does exist in the sense that society has made it exist. so, unfortunately, it is impossible to live a life without the influence of gender. this in itself means that, as much as terfs hate it, gender identity does exist and will continue to until gender is completely erased from our society (which i don’t believe will happen in anybody’s lifetime today). just because something is a social construct it doesn’t mean that it isn’t still a very real social construct- an issue, yes, but still a real issue.

i’ve seen discussions of femicide in these videos almost insinuating that trans people, especially trans women, are one of the causes. this is so dangerous. what about trans genocide? because in the direction we’re going, we’re not far from it. the point i’m making is that both cis and trans women are in danger, and if you are spreading a harmful narrative you are adding fuel to this transphobic fire. if a trans person could wake up and not be trans, they would. life is hard enough. to abolish gender, which is what these terfs claim is the goal, we need to unite to destroy the patriarchy, not create further divisions. but, truly, these terfs care more about spreading their bigoted rhetoric than female liberation; trans women are not the problem, society is.

[mueritos]

Hey! You made a post about trying to find autistic BIPOC people- my roommate is native and autistic, though it's not something he really says anything about on his blog, and he's had a p traditional upper-middle class upbrining: FennalFennec is his username. Not sure what you're looking for exactly but wanted to help if I could.

Also, if you have the energy to answer, could you explain your autistic experience compared to the white autistic experience? Or maybe point me to people who do? Im neurodivergent as well, but white af and am p ignorant on the differences for BIPOC people.

thank you for the recc of your friends blog! Im really looking to diversify the autistic content i do engage in because its been pretty monolithic for a while now. even if your friend doesn't talk about it much, i just would like to be aware that people like me exist.

i'm still pretty much self-suspecting and would like be self-dx, but ive been retaking the raads-r after seeing that study that came out that pretty much confirms its a good indicator of ASD. kept scoring above 140 (literally right in between the average of suspected ASD in cis men and cis women, its almost like im a Transgender or something).

Anyway, im still unpacking the differences in the experience besides the obvious racialization of skin color. I think a main thing that comes to mind for about the difference between my experience as someone who was raised in an immigrant Mexican household (and as someone who has white privilege but was never treated as "White" i.e european) and the usual white autistic experience can be summed up with the Right to Comfort. I was actually talking about this with my twin the other day. The tenants of white supremacy are something I go back to everyday because they really do hold true in every aspect of life--interpersonal, intrapersonal, systemically, etc. But one of the tenants is the Right to Comfort. I'll past examples here from this pdf:

the belief that those with power have a right to emotional and psychological comfort (another aspect of valuing “logic” over emotion)

I see this a lot in how White autistics are allowed to be as "disabled" or as "autistic" as they want. There is still ableism of course, but the amount of BIPOC autistic folks who are killed, assaulted, harassed, and bullied for appearing as "disabled" or as "autistic" as they are is quite high. Even BIPOC autistics with lower support needs aren't allowed to express those needs in the ways I see White autistics can. Obviously it's a privilege to unmask, too. I personally don't relate to White autistics in that way, and it brings me a lot of discomfort. I also wanna say I'm not upset at White autistics; everyone deserves to unmask if they want and everyone deserves to receive the support they need. What I am saying is I am deeply upset by White Supremacy and the way it creates access to being myself an incredibly racialized thing. Because racism effing blows man.

also if I am veering into saying something shitty in this pls feel free to correct me. everyday im learning more about myself with this and I am still self-suspecting, but at this point there is very little else that explains the way my brain thinks and why I require certain things to feel good. i appreciate you affirming my experiences <3

[ivo1112]

Blog Post due 9/12

How does the idea of escaping physical bodies online connect with real-life issues of race and gender, and what are its weaknesses?

The idea of escaping physical bodies online suggests avoiding the usual problems related to race and gender when interacting on the internet. However, this idea has weaknesses because race and gender issues don’t disappear online.

For example, in pro-ana communities, discussions about body image often ignore racial differences, even though race can affect how people experience and talk about eating disorders. Similarly, transgender communities online might find support and resources, but they still face racial biases. This shows that race and gender issues are still present in digital spaces despite the idea that the internet might be where these issues are left behind.

How do people in pro-ana and transgender online communities both challenge and follow traditional gender and racial norms?

People in pro-ana and transgender communities use the internet in ways that both challenge and follow old gender and racial norms.

In pro-ana communities, people share tips and support for eating disorders, which can challenge traditional views by creating a space for discussion. But they also follow harmful standards of beauty, often based on thin, white ideals. This means that while they might challenge some norms, they also reinforce others.

In transgender communities, the internet helps people find information and support for transitioning, which challenges traditional gender norms. However, the available information often reflects existing biases and medical standards, which might not be fully inclusive or supportive. While these online communities can be empowering, they reflect and sometimes reinforce traditional stereotypes.

What happens if we don’t consider race when discussing how the internet affects identity?

If we ignore race when discussing how the internet affects identity, we miss the important aspects of people's experience of digital spaces.

For example, in pro-ana communities, not considering race means missing out on how racial background can influence someone’s experience with eating disorders. In Bryson’s study of transgender communities, not considering race means overlooking how some people face extra challenges or exclusion online because of their race. This shows that understanding race is essential to fully grasp how online spaces work and how they reflect real-world issues.

How do automated systems in social services make life more complicated for poor and working-class communities, and what can we do to make these systems fairer?

Automated systems in social services, like welfare or housing, often make things more difficult for poor and working-class people. These systems use data and algorithms to decide who gets help, but they can be unfair because they are developed by using past information that may be biased against marginalized groups. For example, if certain neighborhoods or groups were mistreated, the system would continue to treat them the same way, labeling them as "risky" or less deserving of help.

These automated systems sometimes make decisions based on patterns in data, which can lead to people being unfairly denied access to resources. It's also hard to challenge these decisions since the systems are sometimes transparent, meaning people can't easily understand or contest why they were denied help.

To make these systems fairer, we must ensure they are transparent and regularly checked for bias. This can be done through audits to see if certain groups are unfairly treated. It’s also essential to involve people from affected communities in designing these systems to meet the real needs of the people using them. Finally, human oversight should be included to ensure decisions are made with care and fairness, not just by a computer.

Daniels, J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment. WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly, 37(1–2), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.1353/wsq.0.0158

Eubanks, V. (2019). Automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. Picador, St. Martin’s Press.