#like woah what if i said i’m not interested in cis men because i don’t feel any attraction and not because theyre some kind of special evil

[barbedwirechain]

“why like trans men but not cis men if they’re still men?” “do you talk about cis women how you do trans women” is so funny like i get it, you can’t conceptualize attraction via shared marginalization &/or a genuine lack of attraction to cisgender people! more for me!!!

[army-of-mai-lovers]

Hi, Ace Toph hc anon here! I totally agree people should be able to hc characters however they choose! Hc Toph as an aroace lesbian, ace, and a demiro lesbian are really great hcs and completely valid. I think it’s kind of comparable to ppl writing Bolin and Asami as cis in fan works. It’s like woah I forgot that ppl think of character as ‘xyz’ haha. Your wording is great and I get the point you’re conveying! I apologize for the long text I went on a rant too lol.

The biphobia in this fandom sometimes. I swear it’s palpable on so many different levels. My friend (a lesbian) paints Asami and Korra as lesbians and honestly I don’t get it. They’re both attracted to men AND women? Again people can have their hc’s but it’s really hurtful to erase bi representation in media. Like a while back she identified as bisexual and I thought she would understand that making/ enjoying jokes like “lol Mako turns all of his exes lesbian” to be super biphobic and not very funny. Or when people say they ship Wuko bc Mako deserves to suffer. Can we stop using the reason people/characters are lgbtq+ bc men have done them wrong in relationships or deserve “dealing with someone just as bad.”

Also 100% my hc is Zuko being bi you’re not alone! While they’re not my otp I definitely think he had genuine (romantic) feelings for Mai and other women he dated. But again that’s up for a person to speculate as comphet or not. The problem, like you said, definitely arises when there’s a double standard for people being adamant about hc men as gay and hesitant/against women as lesbians. I get when people say it’s somewhat stereotypical for Toph to be a lesbian but there ARE women that identify as lesbian that fit being tough, strong, and ngc. Like she fits the sort of aro/ace, butch vibe. AND THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. I’m tired of people acting like being butch is something negative! Ngc lesbians should be able to be hc in the fandom. You know what I redact my earlier statement on hc Toph as just ace. I definitely see Toph being an aro, aroace, or a demiro lesbian 😤😤😤!

People can hc what they want but don’t hold double standards. It’s funny how like you said ppl hc Wu and Zuko as 1000% gay (imo bc of stereotypical actions/characteristics). But turn around and say that others shouldn’t hc characters as lesbians bc of stereotypes and characteristics/point out canonical events disproving the hc of said lesbian character.

Pls tell me if I got misunderstood or interpreted what you said in an inaccurate way. Thank you for discussing! Also I’m sorry this is so long!!! I enjoy your content so thank you for your opinion on this topic :D

oh anon this is so thoughtful thank you so much! you understood EXACTLY what I was saying and I’m so glad bc I was honestly a little afraid to say it. the analogy to people writing Bolin and Asami as cis is a great one, I get so into my own hcs that I forget sometimes that people don’t have the same one that I do. 

OH MY FUCKING GOSH THE BIPHOBIA IN THIS FANDOM. I HATE IT SO MUCH. I am not bisexual myself but I have friends who are and just in general seeing someone else be shit on for the way they identify pisses me off. Honestly, the Korra and Asami situation is one of the few where I do think “having your own hcs” is harmful, just because bisexual representation (esp bisexual representation of women of color) is so rare and I do think it’s erasure to interpret them as not having been genuinely attracted to Mako. Further, I agree the joke of “Mako turned Korra and Asami into lesbians” is super not funny, in part bc I am a Mako stan but also bc lesbians have had a history of our attraction being attributed to trauma or bad relationships w men and that is a trope I would rather not contribute to!

and yes bi Zuko!!!!! I def agree that he had genuine, romantic feelings for Mai (now, whether she had genuine, romantic feelings for him is a whole nother question). and yes I don’t understand the issue with hcing her as a lesbian? I mean I guess if your only lesbian hcs are Toph and Azula I would maybe encourage you to question your thought process, but the people I’ve largely seen make lesbian hcs about Toph or Azula also have them for other female atla characters (for my part, I also hc Mai and Ty Lee as lesbians). and people acting as if being a butch lesbian is a negative thing is SUCH AN ISSUE, not just in this fandom but in all kinds of spaces!!! being a butch lesbian is a wonderful thing to be!!! I hope all the butch lesbians reading this are having a wonderful day!!! 

and yeah it’s,,,,,interesting. for the record, I def also hc Wu as gay, but I find it so interesting that it’s a problem for people to hc Toph as a lesbian because it’s “stereotypical” but it’s fine for people to hc Wu as gay??? like honestly I just want people to be consistent but they never are. 

and omg thank you so much for sending me this ask!!!! this was a lovely discussion!

[queenboudicaa]

The annuls of the terf part 2

TERF-blocker descends*

 Episode 1: The End of the First War. Scene 3: Cyberspace and public sphere, 2014-5

Feminists: *Educate themselves* *Become increasingly horrified* *Start writing articles nobody fucking reads*

HEY PEOPLE! This shit is mental. There are these people saying being female has nothing to do with being a woman, and that they’re women because they have magic gender essence, and this sounds pretty sexist, and they also say that sex doesn’t exist and given we’ve always thought that that’s the reason we’re oppressed we’re pretty worried this is a bad idea for women and feminism, and now these other people who say they’re feminists are telling us we have to centre people who are not female in our feminism or we’re the oppressors and are going on and on about how we shouldn’t say anything because we’re whorephobic bigots and it’s kind of nuts and people are bullying lesbians to have sex with people with penises and they’re encouraging young people to take hormones that we don’t seem to understand the effects of and we think this is all sketchy as fuck to be honest. What the hell is going on?

Trans activists and intersectional feminists:That woman talking over there is making people unsafe because she is an evil bigot and trans people are the most vulnerable people in the world and she is the oppressor and she is oppressing us by speaking and if she speaks then it is literal violence and it will make people hurt us and we will also hurt ourselves and so you have to stop her speaking and if you don’t stop her speaking then you are also an evil bigot and we are going to tell everyone what evil fucking bigots you are and you wouldn’t want that now so you better stop her speaking right fucking now.

Civic institution: Um, what now?

Trans activists: *Pickets* *Inundates with letters and emails and phone calls* *Goes on twitter and gets a massive pile of people to bombard institution*

Civic institution’s PR people: This makes us look bad.

Civic institution: Okay, we won’t let the bigot speak. I mean, she’s just a feminist, right?

Trans activists: Hurray we are safe! Ding dong the witch is dead!

Feminists: What the fuck? HEY PEOPLE! I was just trying to say something because I think there are some questions here and I think we should really talk about it. I’m not sure people are women just because they have magic woman essence and I think there might be some not good consequences of thinking this.

Trans activists and civic institutions: SHUT UP BIGOTS.

Misogynist child with column in major left-wing newspaper: SHUT UP BIGOTS. YOU’RE THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT GAY PEOPLE WERE ALL KIDDY FIDDLERS.

Feminists: Um, lots of us are lesbians actually and the rest of us were totally behind gay rights, like, we’ve always been allies, what the hell are you going on about?

Misogynist child with column in major left-wing newspaper: *Blocks all the women objecting* WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY BITCHES.

Woke bros and assorted leftie-misogynists:*Jumping up and down with excitement* WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY UPPITY BITCHES.

Trans activists and civic institutions and leftie newspapers:  REPEAT AFTER US – Trans women are women. Because trans women are women then trans women should be given all the social resources given to other women and if you don’t accept this then you are exclusionary bigots and we’re going to make damn sure everyone knows what terrible terrible people you are and how you shouldn’t be allowed to live or work or speak or write in public. Have you fucking got that???

Feminists: You’re intimidating and silencing us.

Trans activists and leftie newspapers:  No, we’re not. You trigger people by existing and asking questions and having the wrong opinions. You need to shut the fuck up so that everyone is safe. RIGHT NOW.

 Episode 2: Between the Wars. Public sphere, 2015-2017

Feminists: We’re feeling pretty demoralized here…

Trans activists: EXCELLENT. You just sit over there and keep your little lady-mouths shut. *Organise some more* *Take over Stonewall and all the LGBT+ organizations* *Start sending people into school and institutions to explain that people have magic gender essence which sometimes gets trapped in the wrong body* *Bully, harass and no platform any woman who speaks up*

Hey, government. We’ve got this great idea. You know how people think you’re a bunch of assholes who has been driving the economy into the ground and lining rich people’s pockets while you let vulnerable people starve, we’ve got just the ticket for you.

Government: *Ears prick up* Tell us more.

Trans activists: Yeah, all you have to do is change this piece of legislation so we can get our sex changed more easily. The current legislation is really burdensome, and we’re really vulnerable, and it would really help us out, and would totally make you look like you care about marginalized people while costing you fuck all.

Government: Well, that does sound like a boon. Is there a catch?

Trans activists: No, not one. It’s just streamlining an administrative process really.

Government: Okay, come and tell us all about it. Is there anyone else we need to talk to?

Trans activists: No. It doesn’t have any effect on anyone, it’s just paperwork really. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON’T TALK TO THOSE UPPITY WOMEN OVER THER THEY’RE ALL EVIL BIGOTS WHO WANT TO KILL US.

Government: Oh yes, they do sound like terrible people, how awful for you.

Trans activists: Yes, they’re really horrific. And while we’re at it, you might want to think about removing their rights to single-sex spaces from the Equalities Act because it discriminates against us.

Government: Interesting. Okay, when can you come in?

 Episode 3: The Second War Begins. Scene 1 – Somewhere in Whitehall, 2018

Government: We think we’re going to change the law. Just a little administrative clear up to make life less burdensome for the trans population who, as we know, are terribly vulnerable.

Feminists: You’re going to do what??? Why didn’t you ask us about this?

Government: Yes well, the trans people said it didn’t affect you.

Feminists: THEY SAID WHAT??? Hang on a motherfucking minute.

 Episode 3:  The Witches Strike Back. Scene 2: Cyberspace and public sphere, 2018

Trans activists: REPEAT AFTER US: Trans women are women. Trans women should not be excluded from any spaces women have access to. Anyone who questions that is an exclusionary genocidal racist who is in league with the far right. And by the way, you’re not women anymore, you’re cis women, and we want you to stop talking about your bodies, and we’re going to change all the words in all the literature that has anything to do with you so that everyone understands that being female is not necessary to being a woman, and from now on you are ‘mentruators’ and ‘cervix havers’ and ‘pregnant people.’ Got that?

Women: WOAH. You fucking what? We’re cis-what? And we’re not women anymore, we’re menstruators. We don’t think we like this.

Trans activists: It’s inclusive.

Women: Well, it sounds dehumanising as all hell to us.

Trans activists: Shut up cis people, you are the oppressors. These are the new words for you.

Women: Don’t we get to decide which words we use for ourselves?

Trans activists: No, you are the oppressors, if you do not accept these new words you are oppressing us.

Women: We’re oppressing you by wanting to be called women??? What the hell is….

Trans activists: BIGOTS! These are your new words. You are cis women, and we are trans women. We are both just different types of women, except we’re more oppressed than you so you have to do what we say. Look, there’s nothing you can do about it, the government already agrees with us, see?

Women: The government already agrees with you? What?

Trans activists: Yes. REPEAT AFTER US: Trans women are women. The government believes this and is going to change the law so that we can be legally recognised as female if we sign a piece of paper that says we have magic woman essence…

Women: What??? This can’t be right. Surely someone would have said something about this? Where are the feminists? Feminists, is this right?

Feminists: U-huh. We were trying to….

Women: What are the implications of this???

Feminists: *montage of charts and essays* *three weeks later*

Women: Fuck this shit. We need to do something.

Feminists: YES. WE. DO.

Feminists and radicalized women and intersex people and transsexuals and concerned parents and gay men who are realizing something’s up and some straight male allies:EVERYONE HOLD HANDS AND PUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLL.

The press: The women seem to be making a shit-ton of noise about something? Why are there stickers of cocks everywhere??? What on earth is going on?

Trans activists and the left-wing press:NOTHING, THEY’RE BIGOTS.

Most of the press: Oh, okay.

A few journalists: *Digging around* What the actual fuck??????

Feminists and allies: EVERYONE KEEP PUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLING. IT’S MOVING.

Trans activists: BURN THE WITCHES BURN THE WITCHES BURN THE WITCHES.

Feminists: Ha, yeah, we’re not so scared of you and your words now are we? There’s a ton of us here. And people are starting to listen. EVERYONE. C’MON. PUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

Trans activists: BURN THE WITCHES BURN THE WITCHES BURN THE WITCHES.

Women and allies: PUUUUULLLLLLLLL.

Feminists watching from around the world:Hell yes! PUUUUULLLLLLLLL.

Women and allies: KEEP FUCKING PUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLING.

Trans activists: BURN THE WITCHES BURN THE WITCHES BURN THE WITCHES.

Government: Lah-lah-lah.

A few journalists: Um actually, we had a little look at this thing, and we think the women might have a point.

Trans activists: NO THEY DON’T THEY’RE WITCHES BURN THEM BURN THEM.

A few journalists: Now, come on, there is a proposed change to law, and this is a democracy, and they have some arguments that seem quite compelling, and there have been some things that have happened recently that seem to suggest that maybe there’s some substance to their concerns, and it seems like we should think this through.

Trans activists: NO DEBATE. BURN THEM BURN THEM.

A few journalists: We’re not sure that’s really helping your case. We think we’re going to start covering this in more depth.

Trans activists: YOU CAN’T LISTEN TO THEM THEY’RE WITCHES. IF YOU DON’T GIVE US WHAT WE WANT WE’LL KILL OURSELVES.

Women and allies:PUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLL. IT’S MOVING IT’S MOVING!!!!!!!

Feminists watching from around the world:PUUUUULLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!

Major left-wing newspaper that has been steadfastly quiet: *ostentatiously clears throat* Um, actually we think the women might have a point.

Women and allies: *BACKFILPS*

Trans activists and allies at home and abroad:OMFG why is the British media so full of evil bigots??????

Women and allies: *Lying in a bundle panting* Whatfuckingever asshats.