#they often speak out on their support for the lgbtq community

[alkibiadessuperfan]

I have to say it: I love imagine dragons and this whole hate train saying they are cringe and making fun of people for liking them is so stupid.

[trans-axolotl]

my gendered experience growing up as an intersex person was overwhelmingly defined by my responses and resistance to everything that got me labeled as a failure: failure to quickly get a gender assigned at birth, failure to go through a normal puberty and grow up into a woman, failure at meeting the standards for "complete womanhood" because of my intersex sex traits, and yet simultaneously failing to ever be acknowledged as a "real man" and being treated as a threat when I expressed I wanted to transition.

before i realized i was a man and came out as trans, the ways that girlhood was denied to me was very often humiliating and painful. locker rooms filled with other girls were a frequent source of shame. there were many big and small ways that i was told that my intersex body made me insufficient, incomplete, broken. i was forced onto estrogen, forced into shaving my body hair, and was constantly being told to change myself to better fit this mystical idea of a "normal woman." and even though I ultimately ended up becoming a man, the denial of girlhood was painful.

but i think that these things would have been even more difficult to navigate as an intersex girl if on top of everything I already said, i was having to cope with the denial of my girlhood while i was forced into boys locker rooms. if my doctors were forcing me onto testosterone hrt and refusing to even discuss estrogen, if all my legal paperwork had "M" on it and was a logistical nightmare to change, if every support group for my intersex variation labeled it as a "men's support group," if the LGBTQ community spaces i tried to join were misogynistic towards me often to the point of exile, if my self determination as an intersex girl was denied in most spaces of my life, and on and on and on. while listing all these things out i also don't want to make it seem like it's all about suffering and pain--so much of transition for me has been about joy in my self determination and how much it feels like a reclamation of autonomy to decide what I want my body and self to be like--i know this is an experience i share with so many of my trans intersex friends.

as an person who was AFAB, although there were many ways that trying to grow up as an intersex girl were a painful, logistical nightmare, many times and places that i was excluded from woman's spaces, etc. however, there was a simultaneous affirmation that i was right to strive for that in the first place. which is logic rooted in some fucked up compulsory dyadism, but also which would have made some things slightly easier or even possible at all if i had wanted to embrace being an intersex girl within this fucked up system.

pretty much every time i've seen people on tumblr talking about "afab transfems" in an intersex context, people seem happy to collapse these experiences and act like there's no meaningful distinction or point in distinguishing between different types of intersex embodiment. it seems incredibly extractive, to be perfectly honest with you--taking terms already used by a community to make meaning of their experiences and to expand and dilute that term enough that it means something pretty different than the original.

it's making me think about the concept of epistemic injustice, which is a term coined by Miranda Fricker to describe oppression related to knowledge, communication, and making meaning of the world. There's two subtypes of epistemic injustice: testimonial injustice and hermeneutical injustice. Testimonial injustice refers to the dynamic where marginalized people are labeled as not credible, excluded from conversations, and their testimony and knowledge is labeled as unreliable, even when they're the ones who are experts and have first hand experience of what people are talking about. (this is why i probably won't make this post rebloggable--i've noticed this pattern on tumblr many times where trans men speaking about transmisogyny get lots of notes and are given a lot of grace, where trans women are silenced, attacked for not having perfect wording, and otherwise delegitimized.)

the second type is called hermeneutical injustice. it describes how marginalized people are denied the right to make sense of the experiences in their own lives. this can look like preventing people from building community, terminology, a political understanding of themselves, and the interpretive resources needed to process how you live in the world.

this is a form of injustice that I think almost all intersex people are very familiar with--we are denied community and interpretive resources to the point that we're told we don't even exist, that intersex isn't a real word, and so many more examples that leave us isolated and with very few options for understanding what we're collectively experiencing. as an intersex person i really intimately understand how frustrating, confusing, and painful it is to not have words for your experiences, your identity, your life.

so it makes me really sad and pissed off when it seems like intersex people seem to be replicating this exact same type of epistemic injustice towards transfems and specifically towards intersex transfems. pretty much every time recently i see people talking about "afab transfems" they're doing so in a way that seems to deny that trans women even have the right to make sense of their own experiences in the world. there seems to be this mindset that these political frameworks, these interpretive resources that transfems have built up are just up for grabs for anyone. and then on top of that has come with it a lot of cruel, hateful language and direct attacks towards many intersex transfems who are facing so much harassment right now.

an important value to me is this idea of reciprocity as a foundation for solidarity. to me reciprocity means that we're prioritizing the ways we care for each other, we're thinking about how we can uplift each other, and we're watching out for extractive or exploitative patterns where one group is constantly expected to be in "solidarity" with another group without getting the same respect and care back toward them. i think that there could be so many ways that intersex people of all genders could share our overlapping experiences and actually be in true, meaningful solidarity with each other, but i barely ever actually see that happen on tumblr. and that pisses me off, because i do think that there's so much we have in common that we could celebrate and support each other with. i feel so much kinship with so, so many of my trans intersex friends, and ways where i see our lives converge. but i don't think that can happen in an environment where there's no acknowledgment of the ways that our experiences will sometimes (often) differ from each other, and the ways that we have unique needs.

another frustration i've had based on this most recent couple months of transmisogynistic intersex posting on tumblr is how intersex people have been mostly ignoring intersex community resources and devaluing the existing intersex terminology that people created to try to meet our needs. so much of what i've seen people describing on tumblr seems to really line up with the term ipsogender. Ipsogender is a term coined by an intersex sociologist Cary Gabriel Costello, and is used to describe intersex people whose gender matches the gender they were medically assigned at birth, but who might not feel like cis or trans fits them, might experience dysphoria, and who might feel like they've ended up transitioning medically or socially in some ways. this is a word that exists that an intersex person put time into coining because they wanted other intersex people to feel seen, embraced, and have ways of understanding themselves and communicating to others, and that's something that's super meaningful to me! and yet, i've rarely seen anyone reference it, and also seen multiple people making fun of it in other spaces online.

there's also intergender, which is another intersex specific gender term used to describe when your gender is inseparable from your intersex traits, and that your intersex identity is intertwined with your gender identity in some way. some people just identify as intergender, others use it as an adjective and exist as an intergender man or woman. intersex terminology like this is really important to me, especially because we're so often denied the right to make sense of our own experiences.

i think ultimately what i wanted to say with this post is just that when i think about intersex community, some of the most important values of intersex community for me are solidarity, care for each other, and affirming our right to define our own existence. and i don't think that can happen in a community where people are acting in extractive ways, harassing and attacking their fellow community members, and being dismissive of the realities of other intersex people's lives.

[transtheology]

According to Matson, 39, his “disclosing,” as he describes it, is a moment years in the making. He offered his story as indicative of the often difficult path for trans Catholics, including those seeking life as a religious — a category that includes brothers and nuns.

“I am currently based in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky,” he wrote in an email to friends and supporters on Sunday. “I live in a hermitage at the top of a wooded hill, which I share with my German Shepherd rescue, Odie, and with the Blessed Sacrament, which was installed in my oratory shortly before Christmas.”

[...] Matson approached a canon lawyer to discuss his options and was told that only two aspects of Catholic life were categorically off the table: marriage and the priesthood. According to Matson, the canon lawyer recommended being upfront about his status as a transgender man in any vocational conversations with church leaders and mentioned the role of a diocesan hermit, which could prove less challenging than enlisting with an existing religious order.

[...] What followed was roughly a decade of searching and no small amount of rejection. Living in the United Kingdom while pursuing a master’s degree, and later a Ph.D. in theology, Matson entered a vocational discernment program and approached the Jesuit order to ask if he could join.

“They said, ‘No, we just don’t see how this would work for us,’ which was crushing, because that’s where I felt called,” Matson said.

[...] “I thought, well, if I can’t find a religious community to sponsor me, maybe what I need is a bishop,” Matson said.

A priest friend recommended different bishops to contact, beginning with Stowe, who was emerging as a leading voice among Catholics calling for a more tolerant approach to LGBTQ+ people. In 2020, Matson sent Stowe a letter, conveying his status as a transgender man, his vision for an artists’ community and his pull to religious life.

Stowe wrote back immediately, expressing his openness.

“It was an enormous relief,” Matson said. “I was in tears. I felt my hope revive.”

[...] Matson vented his frustrations to Stowe and his spiritual director, saying he wanted to speak out. But he said he was advised to first “build a foundation” in religious life for several years.

During that time, Matson had an experience that shook him. Attending a friend’s play in his religious habit, he was approached by a student who identified as trans and nonbinary. After asking if Matson was a monk, the student said they were raised Catholic, but that their parents had rejected their identity, and the student felt like they “don’t have a place in the church anymore.”

Matson responded by saying there were people in the church who would support the student, and Matson prayed with them, asking God to show the student how they are “wonderful the way you’ve made them.” The student, Matson said, grew emotional, thanking the hermit profusely and saying, “No one from the church has ever affirmed me for who I am.”

[...] As for ever leaving Catholicism itself, Matson bristled at the idea, calling the church “my family.” “I’m Catholic,” he said. “I became Catholic after I transitioned because of the Catholic understanding — the sacramental understanding — of the body, of creation, of the desirability of the visible unity of the church and primarily because of the Eucharist.”

At the very least, Matson said, he hopes going public will spark dialogue about his fellow transgender Catholics, a discussion he believes can enhance unity among the body of believers.

“You’ve got to deal with us, because God has called us into this church,” he said. “It’s not your church to kick us out of — this is God’s church, and God has called us and engrafted us into it.”

[gayloringinplainsight]

"Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn't a straight white cisgender male," she tells Vogue, when asked about why she chose to, all of a sudden, stand up for LGBTQ+ rights. "I didn't realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I'm not a part of."

Source: https://www.out.com/news/2019/8/08/taylor-swift-says-shes-straight-despite-all-bisexual-rumors#toggle-gdpr

I was waiting for this to come through my inbox lol. (There was more then one ask about this but I'm only responding to the first.)

There's lots to unpack here but the first and foremost thing is: She doesn't actually say here, "I'm straight." It was a perfect opportunity. It was the ideal conversation. She punted. Why?

Why did she instead give this vague, circuitous, carefully couched answer?

She calls out communities encompassing sexuality, race, and gender, followed by saying, "a community that I'm not a part of." There are lots of communities that she could have been referring to, but she crafted the sentence in such a way that makes it unclear which one. She could have been talking about the trans community. She could have been talking about the poc community. She could have been talking about the ace community. She could have been talking about the gay male community. There are lots of possibilities. In this carefully worded sentence, she deliberately avoided naming the specific community she's talking about.

Another thing to consider is that many, many closeted people don't consider themselves part of the queer community. They don't feel like they belong because they're not out and proud. And even once people come out, it often still takes time before they feel like they're part of the queer community. That was certainly my personal experience. Cara Delevingne said something similar in her Hulu show when discussing her own coming out.

Let's move on. The link anon provided isn't the source. It's an article quoting the source. The actual source is the 2019 Vogue cover article. And the full article is important because there are lots of interesting things that give context to this quote.

First, there's a great deal of conversation about gay stuff and lgbtq+ rights. And the writer makes a point of saying about this subject matter that Taylor seems to enjoy that part of the conversation "as much as she’d enjoy a root canal." Wouldn't a straight ally be eager to discuss this? They would. And a closeted queer person would be uncomfortable and panicking at the thought of having to talk so blatantly about this subject. The writer also makes a point of saying that once the conversation changes to music, Taylor lights up and her demeanor and speech patterns relax dramatically.

The other important context that the Vogue article discusses is Taylor's very long history of supporting lgbtq+ rights. Everything from the Mean mv of a gay boy being bullied to the "boys and boys and girls and girls" line in WTNY to donations to lgbtq+ organizations to giving out queer awards to queer people to dedicating Dress to Loie Fuller, an openly gay artist. There are plenty of other examples of Taylor advocating for the queer community that aren't mentioned. All the way back in 2008 she participated in the LOGO queer anti-bullying PSA. In 2009 she was in Seventeen magazine taking a stand against the slaying of a teenager for being gay.

Why is this important? Because it proves that Taylor is lying in the quote in question. "I didn't realize until recently that I could advocate…" girl yes you did. You've been advocating for years and years at this point. She's lying. She's lying. She's covering herself up. She's hiding in the closet and hoping desperately that no one notices.

And this isn't the first time she's done this either. During the 1989 press tour she gave an interview where she was asked about the "And you can want who you want / Boys and boys and girls and girls" line. As the interviewer is starting to speak about this, a look of pure panic immediately takes over Taylor's face:

And then she starts stumbling around trying to give a coherent answer. At one point she stutters out, "And also I wrote this song, um, I wrote this song, kind of, kind of following, the, uh, when gay marriage became legal in New York." This interview was in October 2014. Gay marriage had been legal in New York since June 2011. Sooo three years later is "kind of following." Right. Sure, Taylor. Nice closeting. You really nailed it.

Okay let's review. She doesn't actually say she's straight even though this was a perfect opportunity to do so. She doesn't name the actual community she's talking about, giving herself cover if she ever comes out. She's closeted and probably doesn't think she's part of the queer community anyways. She full-on lies about not knowing she can advocate for others. And the writer states Taylor seems deeply uncomfortable talking about lgbtq+ things even though the context of the article was that blondie wanted to make it clear how much of an ally she is.

None of this remotely adds up to hetero. And none of this comes even close to Taylor saying that she's straight.

[hellomynameisbisexual]

Understanding bisexuality is knowing bisexuality is not a phase or a stepping stone. It's a valid sexual orientation, representing attraction to more than one gender. However, bisexual individuals often face discrimination, not just from the straight community, but sadly, more often from within the LGBTQ+ community as well. This is called biphobia and it leads to bierasure. The invisible battle of Biphobia is the fear or hatred of bisexual people, often manifesting as harmful stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Bierasure, on the other hand, is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or reexplain evidence of bisexuality in history, academia, news media, and other primary sources. How can people help to end biphobia and bierasure as allies, we can help fight to end these harmful behaviors. Here's how:

1. Educate Yourself and Others: Learn about bisexuality, the challenges faced by bisexuals, and the harmful effects of biphobia and bierasure. Share your knowledge with others, especially those who may hold misconceptions about bisexuality.

2. Speak Up: Don't stay silent when you witness biphobia or bierasure. Challenge harmful stereotypes and stand up for bisexual individuals in both the straight and LGBTQ+ communities.

3. Support Bisexual Individuals: Be there for your bisexual friends and family members. Let them know that you see them, you support them, and you're fighting for them.

4. Promote Bisexual Visibility: Share and celebrate stories, art, and media by and about bisexual individuals. This can help combat bierasure by showing that bisexual people exist and their experiences are valid.

So join the bisexual community in this fight we need to act urgently to end biphobia and bierasure amongst other things as well. It's time to stand up, speak out, and show your support for the bisexual community. Share this post, start a conversation, and let's make a difference together for a better place for bisexuals.

[leikeliscomet]

A Brief Look at Stem(me) History

Wanted to know more about Black lesbian identities and I couldn't find a lot on Tumblr or Twitter so I did some research on stem/stemme myself. I'm not involved in queer discourse like that but I've noticed stemme being compared with futch both positively an negatively. The term "futch" is a mash up of butch and femme and the OG Futch Scale was posted 17th February 2011. In 2015, it got posted to Tumblr and became a meme, then an accidental "guide" on lesbian identity. Regardless of stances pro-futch or anti-futch I wanted to find info on stem/stemme as a Black lesbian identity for gender and gender expression. The modern definition of a stem/stemme is a Black lesbian whose gender expression and mannerisms fall between stud and femme. I've managed to find definitions not only supporting this but also definitions predating the futch scale, both pre and post meme version:

"Stem – A person whose gender expression falls somewhere between a stud and a femme.  (See also ‘Femme’ and ‘Stud’.)" Stud is defined as "An African-American and/or Latina masculine lesbian.  Also known as ‘butch’ or ‘aggressive’." (John Jay College of Criminal Justice LGBTQ+ Terminology, Eli R. Green, 2003-2004)

"Stemm A stemm is a gay/lesbian female who dresses like a guy, and dresses like a girl. Person 1: Look at that girl, she looks like a dude with all those guy clothes on, she has to be a stud Person 2: Well she was wearing girly clothes yesterday, so I thought she was a femm Person 3: Actually she's a stemm, she's wears boy clothes sometimes, and girl clothes other times" (Urban Dictionary definition of Stemm by user JenniferHill, November 8th 2009)

"A lesbian, who identifies as a Stemme, retains traits from both Femme and Stud/ Butch lesbians. Stemmes are in the center of the lesbian spectrum of classification and identities. Therefore, it is considered natural or common for Stemme lesbians to share the same behaviors as women of two diverse identity groups. Often times, the Stemme identity is viewed as the “transitional” stage of lesbianism, when a lesbian woman goes from being a Femme to a Stud/ Butch, or (on rear occasions) from a Stud/ Butch to a Femme... *In this blog the characteristic and behavioral difference between a Femme and a Stud is conjoined. The way a Femme or a Stud dresses is not the only way she can be identified. They can also be distinguished by their attitudes, actions and the way they interact with other people. A Stemme is the in-between identity of a Stud and Femme. She is apart of both groups and her identity is subject to change at anytime. A Stemme identity is often referred to as the transitional stage; however, some lesbian women remain a Stemme because they enjoy representing male and female dominance." (Lesbian Identity: Stemme, Nell S., 6th Nov 2009)

"'one who could switch up one day, she could be a femme and other occasions dress like she has a li’l hood, li’l ghetto inside her; a stemme –  part femme part stud a tomboy'" (STORY OF INTEREST: Lesbian Speaks Out, Dominica News Online, April 12th 2010)

"Stemmes presented themselves one day as femme and another day as stud; as such, they were visibly unrecognisable unless they divulged their gender identity. Stemmes expose the amorphous nature of gender identity and are invisible – silenced, ostracised or prescribed a gender identity. Many participants refused to recognise that stemmes existed and instead described them as confused. As Shane (age 22) admitted: ‘Sometimes they [studs and femmes] think that we’re confused. We don’t know what we want to be.’ Stemmes show that personal identity claims were often at odds with community perceptions of identity." (Good gay females and babies' daddies: Black lesbian community norms and the acceptability of pregnancy, Sarah J. Reed, Robin Lin Miller, Maria T. Valenti & Tina M. Timm, 21st April 2011)

"Stem, described as a cross between or combination of stud and femme, is a label that was used to refer to a lesbian that presented both masculine and feminine traits and characteristics. Short Dawg said, 'A stem, for me, is a little mixture of a lot of different things. One day you can be super feminine, and the next day you can be not so feminine.'" (Labelling, Butch, Femme Dyke Or Lipstick, Aren't All Lesbians The Same?: An Exploration Of Labels And "Looks" Among Lesbians In The U.S. South, Danielle Kerr, 2013)

Videos

Who has it harder in the world of lesbians? [studs? stems? or fems?}, iRoqStarStemme, 10th Jan 2011

WTH is a STEM??, AmbersCloset, 1st Feb 2013

The Black Lesbian Handbook: The Stem, Channel 4, 9th Feb 2015

There's a lot more I found and I'll post each article and video separately because they all go into more detail but tl;dr;

Stem(me) is an identity coined by Black lesbian spaces

Stem(me) mainly follows stud/femme dynamics rather than butch/femme (but can reference it)

Stem(me) predates the futch scale meme

Stem(me) is defined by clothing but also behaviours, so it can be a form of Black gender expression or gender itself

[umlewis]

Hamilton Says Ralf Schumacher's Coming-Out Sends "Positive Message"

Lewis Hamilton says Ralf Schumacher's revelation that he is in a same-sex relationship is a "positive message" for Formula 1, but feels more has to be done to promote inclusivity. Six-time F1 race winner Schumacher made the announcement on social media this week, posting an image of himself and his business manager, Étienne, with the words: "The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything." Schumacher posted another photo of himself with his partner a day later, saying: "Many thanks for the many congratulations and comments. We are very happy and thank you all." The younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher is the fourth driver to come out in F1's history, and the first to do so having competed in the 21st Century. It follows Mike Beuttler, who drove privately-entered Marches in F1 between 1971 and 1973; Lella Lombardi, the first female driver to score a point, in 1975; and Mario de Araujo Cabral, who came out almost fifty years after the last of his five F1 race starts in 1964.

F1 drivers were asked in Hungary for their thoughts on Schumacher's decision and were full of support for the ex-Jordan, Williams, and Toyota driver, who made 180 starts between 1997 and 2007. Hamilton, who has championed LGBTQ+ rights and raced with the six-colored pride flag painted on his helmet in races staged in nations where homosexuality is illegal, said: "I think within sports it still has a long way to go. It's one thing saying that it's accepted, but it's another thing to make sure that people feel comfortable in the environment. This is a male-dominated space and, as far as I know, he is one of the first to publicly be open. I think we are very inclusive within our team, but I think the sport does need to continue to do more to help people feel more comfortable; to help women more welcomed in this space. I know there is a lot more to do." When pressed whether Schumacher's decision showed a change in attitude, Hamilton pointed to his and Sebastian Vettel's decision to support the LGBTQ+ community at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, against a backdrop where the nation's government was looking to pass laws banning the teachings of LGBTQ+ issues to under-18s.

The Mercedes driver added: "I don't know if he felt he wasn't able to say it in the past, but I think it just shows that we are at a time when finally we can take that step and don't have to fear. So far it's got positive feedback from people, but it's a different time and it's changed who we are, and it's all started from Seb and I standing on the grid here, fighting against all the governments that are here, and in Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. And if Ralf felt that he was going to be able to do those things perhaps today, it may have shifted his mind, and even him taking that step sent such a positive message. And race drivers have got to do the same, and we need more of these people to be able to do that." When asked what more F1 could do, Hamilton added: "It's a good question. I don't know if I can come up with a solution off the top of my head, but I do know, more often than not, it's about conversation, it's about dialogue with key stakeholders. It's about how we're analysing how the accessibility is. It's getting information from people who do or don't feel included. It's engaging the community. It's easy to do. You could do a questionnaire for every single person that's here, and just have a few questions and just ask them honestly how they feel and what they feel could be done. There's a lot that you could do. But it's firstly speaking about it, rather than ignoring that it's an issue, and having a lot more of the priorities to bring it up and actually set some people a task and going about how can we make people feel."

[kingconia]

Hiii I love you writing so much <3

I would love to see the housewardens with a bi S/O. How would then react? (gn please)

A/N: Oh, as a bisexual, I loved working on this one.

(Beware: it contains my personal headcanons about some worldbuilding and different characters orientation. It is merely my vision—you have all rights to disagree.)

GN!READER COMING OUT AS BISEXUAL TO THE HOUSEWARDENS AND HOW THEY REACT

Riddle Rosehearts. ❤️

— ”Wait, what do you mean you are bisexual? So, you can speak two languages or what?”

— Genuinely apologising here, but I believe that he has no idea about LGBTQ+ community. You need to explain him more about it;

— I feel like he knows the basics like the fact people could date people their gender, but overall everything you say means nothing to him;

— Though, I also think that because of his deprivation in the social contact with people—and because I don't think his mother had ever spoke with him about romantical love in general—he has no prejudices about it;

— (I also headcanon that later on he defines himself as asexual, but it is just my vision—);

— So, Riddle attentively listens to all of your explanations, thanks you for the trust, and accepts you easily.

Leona Kingscholar. 💛

— Firstly, I headcanon Leona as the open bisexual. And secondly, I like to imagine that Afterglow Savanna is a very progressive place to live in. They are highly feministic as we saw already, and, I think they are very LGBTG+ supportive community;

— Because of that, I also think that Leona had no idea that not everyone are so supportive. That coming out could be a dangerous and unnerving thing;

— Imagine coming out to him, only to see him shrugging the unbothered king he is...

— But! The moment you tell him about it, or about your genuine concerns about sharing it with him, Leona fixes his mistake by comforting you;

— And, oh, I think he would love taking you on trips to the Afterglow Savanna, so you get to see how accepting and free his people are;

— (Lmao, I think that sometimes both of you could just lazily slump over each other, and checking out random people in the crowd, because why not?)

Azul Ashengrotto. 🩵

— Oh, I think that Azul is very touched that he was shared with this kind of information;

— He is aware how judgmental the world can be, and that sometimes, sharing with this even with your closest friends and family could be hard;

— And, Azul knows that most of the people would never trust him with these things. So, he accepts your coming out as something especially valuable for many reasons;

— I feel like he would be the ”embarrassingly supportive parent” type of person, though. Like the one, who buys you awkward t-shirts and cups with bisexual flags;

— Which might or might not to be followed by the stupid puns;

— If you ask him about his preferences, he would probably try to pull out the ”I am Y/n-sexual” card.

Kalim Al-Asim. 🧡

— When it comes to Scalding Sands, I kind of see them to the the opposite of the Savanna. Which means that I see their community as the old-fashioned one, with conservative ways of thinking;

— So, for Kalim I have two possible scenarios, that are quite contradictory?

— Scenario number one: Kalim is clueless about all of this stuff—much like Riddle, but even worse—and he is not very sure about his own preferences;

— However, he is willing to research about it more—with your guiding hand, of course—and you can be assured that he will support you, even despite views of his country about this matter;

— In the second one I see him as a closet bisexual, who tries to keep it quiet for an obvious reasons;

— Which leads to him, supporting you well. I also think, he would be an active fighter for LGBTQ+ rights, often participating in the Gay Pride.

Vil Schoenheit. 💜

— Well, he works among models, actors, singers and a lot of different starts;

— Most of people in there are either friendly, or the part of the community theirselves, and with Vil practically growing up among them, it is only logical that he is not homophobic;

— I love to think that he is the part of the LGBTQ+ community himself, though, I don't have a specific headcanon for him;

— But... I think, he is in the closet as well;

— Don't get me wrong, but Vil is a very private type of star. He likes to keep everything personal in the secret, and such things could easily became a hot topic in the social media;

— However, when you confess to him about being bisexual, he is instantly very supportive, and comes out to you in return. You can count on him as much as he counts on you.

Idia Shroud. 💙

— I actually headcanon him as aroace, that is why I am having a hard time writing romantic works with his character, but let's ignore this;

— Oh, Idia is a child of internet. More to say, he is a fandom person. There is no way, he had never read fanfics on Ao3, and had his own pairings, lmao;

— I also headcanon him as that one type of guy, who ships his classmates, but he would be strangely accurate with that;

— Nevertheless, I think he is so absorbed in the virtual world and his circle of online friends, that he tends to forget that not all the world is gay and that homophobic people exist???

— So, when you coming out to him, he just... Shrugs. Like, hey, you are not special?

— It is up to you if you laugh about it and take his reaction as it is, or point out to him that you were nervous about it. In the second option, he will apologise and reassure you that everything is fine. But the result in all the same, he accepts you.

Malleus Draconia. 💚

— ”Wait, what do you mean you are bisexual? So, you can speak two languages or what?” X2

— But, consider this: I headcanon that all fae are queer;

— So, Malleus might not know about labels, but he grew up in the place, where everyone is gay, so...

— He finds it fascinating—and annoying—how different humal culture is from what he knows. Malleus also find a hard time understanding why anyone would hate people for loving someone;

— He quickly reassures you that it is absolutely normal, and he wouldn't care less. He loves you so much!! Please don't worry!! (Ha-ha, Lilia had a crush on both of my parents, so—);

— ...And I also think that just like Azul, he would buy a very cringe merch. Like t-shirts with ”My Lover Is Bisexual!” or ”BI proud!” shit, lmao. He thinks it is sweet and hilarious, and you can't do anything about it. Sorry.

[rural-punk-realness]

What is Rural Punk?

i have decided to coin a new phrase for a subculture and movement that i have seen people take place in but not give a name.

I do not just mean punks who live in rural areas, although they very much as included.

Rural Punk is a term I use for the lifestyle of minorities who are isolated from others, as well as resources they need to live. This can mean people living in literally rural areas but also people who are kept separated from their necessary support structures and resources. People like this often stick out like a sour thumb and their existence alone is seen as being alternative and going against polite society, making them "punk" even if they don't dress punk or listen to the music. This is a separate subculture from the music scene, though i am sure it will overlap. This movement is designed to include and center the voices of People of Color, as they are often ingnored when discussing rural and southern environments.

How do i be rural punk? heres some rules and examples

be anti-authoritarian

think of that guy in your town who knows where all the speed traps and cop hiding spots are

dont report people for drug usage. That person going to prison wont fix anything

protest when injustice happens in your community

don't report shop lifters

2. honor and respect nature

dont litter

reduce, reuse, recycle. DIY is an essential part of punk

document nature around you via drawing, painting or photography

be kind to animals

3. serve your fellow man

volunteer

advocate for others

listen to people talking about their experiences

speak up for, not over

vote in local elections

4. try to make your community better by spreading inclusivity and acceptance in hostile places

lgbtq+ clubs

organizing Black history events, especially if it's illegal to cover in school in your state

book clubs with diverse authors

[honeybeebytheseaa]

My Grandkid HC’s

ISABELA

Lesbian. I’m sorry I just can’t see her being into guys it just doesn’t work in my brain.

Also trans of the gender (mtf)

Since she’s dropped her perfect persona, Isabela has been pulling pranks, ESPECIALLY on known little shit head Camilo. He doesn’t know whether to be proud or extremely annoyed.

Can’t cook or bake she’ll set the kitchen aflame

Always walks barefoot on the grass

Has names for most of her plants, especially the cacti

Doesn’t really involve herself in farmers work unless there is an emergency.

Developed a skill for gardening without her gift, and continues to do so even once she’s gotten it back. There’s something special about watching plants grow over time.

She still makes bouquets for events, but they’ve lost their conservative look for something more ‘Isabela’

Unlike most of her family she doesn’t mind bugs (unless they are in her room)

Very high pain tolerance. Likely due to smiling all day and cacti thorns.

She still likes pastel colors but they aren’t high on her list of favorite colors, so she opts for darker colors when choosing cloths.

She used to bite people as a kid

Has conflicting feelings on animals because on one hand yeah they are cute on the other she has to shoo them away from eating her plants every other week

Has a large man eating plant named ‘Rosita’

Sometimes she’ll take whatever is in Mirabel’s hand, put it on a high shelf she cannot reach, and walk away.

Can actually be scarier then Luisa believe it or not

SNORES SO LOUDLY the only person who can handle it is her gf

Not big on physical affection and often uses gift giving as her way of showing love (platonically and romantically)

DOLORES

Incredible musician who could basically play any instrument you hand her

She sings lullabies to the younger family members

Personally I imagine her as the only straight grandkid but obvi she is supportive of lgbtq+ since half her family is apart of it

She wouldn’t come out of her room when she first got her gift, but her parents and a very supportive Isabela eventually coaxed her out

She has headphones painted red and gold by Mirabel

autism (vine boom sound effect)

As much as she loves Isabela and appreciates all of Luisa’s hardwork; out of her cousins her and Mira get along the best.

Speaking of that Isabela and Dolores’s relationship, much like Camilo and Mirabel’s, soured as the pressure to uphold the family name increased. Before the magic disappeared they basically ignored each other, but began to reconcile during the rebuild and became close again.

Her room is sound proof (I know people say otherwise idc she needs a BREAK) but during the night she’ll sometimes open her window since it’s much quieter

I do believe she has SOME control over her gift, and in order to hear very far she has to hold a hand against her ear. When she isn’t, things are amplified but not unbearable. She’s kinda just gotten used to it.

Dolores love language is, unsurprisingly, words of affirmation.

If she gets stressed and doesn’t have access to her headphones, she’ll listen for the nearest family members voice (Ex: her fathers laugh, her mothers ranting, Camilo’s jokes, Antonio communicating with his animals)

Gets in on Isabela’s pranks now and again. She is mostly polite but has a devious side, especially with her cousins and siblings.

LUISA

I still adhere to the concept Luisa has some sort of ‘calm’ room. Wether it be an amusement park or a sauna she deserves to have somewhere to destress

Has a pile of stuffed animals, each with different names

She actually does enjoy doing chores and being active, but struggles to find a stopping point and not overwork herself

She’s more then just brawn, and was always a sharp academic when she was in school

Women enjoyer women enjoyer

VERY physically affectionate she’s giving everyone hugs and crushing their bones

Her and Camilo get along very well after Casita’s rebuild. She likes his energy and ability to let loose, and Camilo respects all the work she does around the Encanto. They mesh well.

When she first got her gift she accidentally broke her dads hand

Her father used to teach her piano, though she sorta fell out of it the older she got. Since casita’s rebuild she’s picked it back up as a hobby.

A big animal person, second to Antonio. She likes patting the donkeys on the head if she gets the chance

Has a hard time sitting down to eat because she’s always getting ready to move

If you give her anything she’ll begin sobbing and thanking you (birthdays and Christmas are rough)

She puts the younger kids if air jail if she has to

She originally struggled to control her gift, and that made her scared to touch anyone in fear she’d hurt them. But Pepa helped Luisa find ways to control the strength as she had to learn with her weather

After she lost her gift she kept trying to move the church as a force of habit

Reads a lot of fantasy novels

Helps Antonio wrangle his animals

CAMILO

(This will be more brief as I have a whole post of HC’s for this mf)

Gay and trans can’t change my mind

Despite always being hungry he cannot stomach fish. Some other seafoods are fine but the smell of fish makes him ill.

Won’t say this out loud: he is kinda legitimately afraid of Isabela ever since he’s become the target of her pranks. No one knows true fear until you realize you are caught in a Isabela prank.

Camilo’s love language is a lot of things, but quality time is high up on his list as he likes living in the moment.

Is a very good artist but gets embarrassed when people try to look at his work

Despite being a stick he is surprisingly strong.

Him and Mirabel used to be close but sort lost that connection the older they got, and even began to fight and butt heads. I like to think they do eventually become close, but it takes a lot of conversation and time.

adhd and autism (vine boom sound effect)

used to bite people as a kid

He likes reading plays and will space out for hours thinking how something translates on a stage

Sometimes he stands in front of a mirror and goes ‘why why why why why why why w

MIRABEL

The silly!!!

Like Isabela: gift giving is her way of showing affection. She loves hand crafting gifts.

This is depressing but when she didn’t get her gift she drew a door on her wall hoping the magic would make it real

Once no one would wake up so she poured water on Camilo’s head and he screamed so loud it woke everyone else up

Mirabel looks extremely innocent but will literally try to stab anyone who bothers her with her sewing needle

She used to write simple picture books for Antonio when they roomed together

She DEF got her own room during the rebuild. Like imagine saving the miracle and your family is just like “anyway go back to the baby room lol” they wouldn’t do that to her

Bisexual icon love to see it

Has zero rizz I’m sorry queen but like she’s a girl failure by heart

Is a bit of old woman and can’t stay up too late without getting tired but in turn wakes up extremely early.

Not the best academic but obviously still very smart.

She’s an empath so if you begin crying she’ll start crying too she can’t help it

Is blinder than a bat if you take her glasses away she cannot see SHIT

ANTONIO

Don’t have too much on him since he is still a baby but I have a few!

His favorite animal is the jaguar! Hence the plushie and his closeness to Parce

He likes matching animals to people, and even has a few animals named after his family.

Animals often tend to just kinda… follow him. If he goes for a walk he might came back with some new friends.

I do think he’s a vegetarian. Maybe not a vegan but eating meat is not easy for him.

He doesn’t always go to his parents if he has nightmares, and will rotate between Dolores, Mirabel, and Camilo.

Kicks in his sleep

[techiekittie]

Kemi Badenoch, the equality minister and part of the Conservative Party, has said many transphobic things like blocking laws to ban conversion therapy, purposefully misgendering trans women in a leaked recording, and supporting the LGB alliance (which excludes trans people from queerness).

Meanwhile, David Tennant, a popular Scottish actor starring in Doctor Who and Good Omens, is a great ally to the queer community. While not being queer himself, he is very supportive of LGBTQ people, often wearing a nonbinary pride pin to support one of his (unknown) children, consistently speaking out about gay and trans rights, and posting about equality online.

His words have had an extremely positive impact on many queer people (especially his fans), and he won the Celebrity Ally LGBTQIA+ award for his support.

During his speech, he expressed more support for the queer community, saying:

“…acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it as long as they're not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special award or special mention, because it's common sense, isn't it?”

He also criticised Kemi Badenoch (the transphobic woman I mentioned above) in his speech, saying:

“We shouldn't live in a world where that is worth remarking on. However, until we wake up, and Kemi Badenoch doesn't exist any more – I don't wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up.”

This has sparked controversy amongst the Conservative Party, who has recently been attempting to form policies to limit “transgender ideology”. Rishi Sunak, the MP leading the party (and running for PM in the general election, though expected to lose by a landslide) has openly opposed trans people, making many transphobic comments on live television during the election debates.

He opposed David Tennant’s speech by saying on Twitter:

He uses the word “women”- plural, though Kemi Badenoch is only one woman, and the only one David Tennant criticised in his speech. Some have speculated that he is trying to garner support from feminists, pandering insincerely to them.

Kemi Badenoch has also responded on this on Twitter, saying:

Ironically, she campaigns heavily against policies banning conversion therapy- which often uses traumatic experiences to associate queerness with trauma, making the person avoid their own sexuality and identity, leading to PTSD for most. This endangers many women, including trans women and lesbians, yet she opposes policies designed to keep them safe from these traumatic situations.

[theballadofthesunandthestars]

So, I don’t have the right set of words right now to express how I’m feeling after the election. When I do, I will likely post them. But I wanted to tell people that you are not alone. My DM’s are open, and you have my consent to vent as much as you need in them. I’ll try to respond to every one.

Free Palestine. Trans rights are human rights. Love is love. Abortion is healthcare. Black Lives Matter, and there is no such thing as an illegal immigrant.

This also serves as a reminder that activism shouldn’t only be limited to election years. Too often, people only speak up when it’s too late, when activism is never ending. Even now, there are steps you can take to protect and help marginalized communities in America. Below, I’m linking lists of resources to help people in marginalized communities in and outside of America. Call your representatives. Email them. Donate what money you can. The fight is not over. Feel free to reblog and add more to it.

Here is a link of resources to help the people of Palestine. The Palestinian people are facing a genocide, and we can help support them in fleeing and finding resources to survive.

Here is a resource available to transgender people to aid in their transition nationwide, as well as provide mental health support. Gender affirming care is absolutely necessary, and you deserve to be able to have it.

P-flag is a great resource if you are LGBTQ+ and are looking for support in the fight for queer rights. It can also help you find community, which is more important now than ever. You can donate to assist in their fight and in the fight to find and support queer people nationwide.

BLM did not go away in 2020, the fight to stop police brutality against black and brown communities is still ongoing. Breonna Taylor’s killers were recently indicted four years after the incident, but many more are still seeking justice. Please check out their website to find out how you can help.

Here is a hotline you can use if you are seeking an abortion that you are unable to get in your state. You can also donate money, which goes directly to patients, allowing them to pay for travel, housing, and the procedure itself. Your body, your choice.

Again, feel free to reblog with more! Even small actions help, and we need them now more than ever.

[jasmin-d55]

9/12 Blog Post Week #3

Why and how can the internet be or feel like a safe space for women outside of political organizations? 

For many women not involved in political groups, the internet can feel like a safe space where they can challenge the gender inequality they deal with in their everyday lives. It gives them a place to explore who they are, connect with others, and talk about feminism and gender issues without the restrictions they face offline. Nouraie-Simone (2005) explains that for young Iranian women, the internet becomes "a liberating territory of one’s own—a place to resist a traditionally imposed subordinate identity" (p. 61). It offers them a break from the limitations of public life, allowing them to express themselves freely. In this way, the internet is like the “room of one’s own” that Virginia Woolf described—offering women a personal, empowering space to speak up and take control of their identity.

Reference: Nouraie-Simone, F. (2005). On Shifting Ground: Muslim Women in the Global Era. The Feminist Press at CUNY.

2. Would it be considered right or wrong when people seek out online spaces that affirm and solidify their own social identities? 

Looking for online spaces that support and strengthen one's own social identity is usually seen as a positive thing. People often use the internet to connect with others who share their racial, gender, or sexual identities, which can be empowering. For instance, young people might use social media to express themselves and connect with friends (Boyd, 2004). People of color and LGBTQ+ individuals also use specific websites to affirm their identities and find like-minded people (Bryson, 2004). Nouraie-Simone (2005) notes that for those in restrictive environments, the internet can provide a freeing space to explore and express their identities (p. 61-62). Moreover, research shows that people with health issues use online platforms to talk about their experiences openly, rather than to escape them (Pitts, 2004). So, using the internet to support one’s identity is generally a meaningful and helpful practice.

Boyd, D. (2004). Friendster and Facebook: Social networking site strategies.

Bryson, M. (2004). QueerSisters: Learning to be queer online.

Nouraie-Simone, F. (2005). On Shifting Ground: Muslim Women in the Global Era. The Feminist Press at CUNY.

Pitts, V. (2004). Illness and the body: Online narratives of cancer.

3. How can high tech tools impact and affect poor working class communities negatively when it is supposed to “help those in need?”

Even with the best-laid plans, high-tech instruments can be detrimental to underprivileged populations. Governor LePage of Maine falsely claimed that recipients of TANF were abusing their benefits based on EBT data, despite the fact that only 0.03% of transactions were dubious. Due to the perpetuation of unfavorable perceptions, receiving public aid was seen as "lazy" or "criminal" (Eubanks, 2018, p. 19). Stricter regulations were consequently implemented, burdening families with additional stress (e.g., requiring them to retain receipts for a year). In this instance, technology didn't help—rather, it made things more difficult for individuals who require assistance.Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. St. Martin's Press.

4. AI struggles to be able to fully conduct black and asian faces and it is known. Why does law enforcement rely on this to identify these people knowing the risk of putting someone innocent behind bars? 

Facial recognition tech is notoriously bad at identifying Black and Asian faces, but law enforcement still uses it. Research shows that these systems are much more likely to misidentify people of color because they’re often trained on biased data (Buolamwini & Gebru, 2018). For example, Nijeer Parks, a Black man from New Jersey, was wrongfully arrested after being misidentified by facial recognition—he's the third known Black man to face this kind of mistake (Hill, 2020). Even though the risks are clear, police keep using this flawed tech, likely because it seems like an easy solution, but it ends up hurting innocent people. There needs to be more caution and oversight to prevent these errors.

Buolamwini, J., & Gebru, T. (2018). Gender shades: Intersectional accuracy disparities in commercial gender classification. Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, 81, 77-91.

Hill, K. (2020). Another arrest, and jail time, due to a bad facial recognition match. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com

[genderqueerpositivity]

There are a lot of calls for trans folks, parents of trans kids, and allies to abandon and boycott red states that are passing anti-trans laws.

And something that gets left out of that conversation often is that the people supporting and lobbying for those laws, voting for the representatives who support those laws, and even signing those bills into law--they're our own family.

Because trans people are everywhere. No matter where you are, you have--at the very least--met a trans person; whether you realize it or not, we're your neighbors, coworkers, and children.

I hope that Gov. Gianforte will be moved by his child's words; but unfortunately, parents in this country choose their politics and their god over their own children everyday.

I do commend them for coming out and speaking up; this is absolutely a courageous thing they have done. It isn't an easy thing at all to come out as trans to someone who thinks of trans people as less than human, especially when that someone is your own flesh and blood.

[dearweirdme]

This is just a bit of a story of my journey as a Jikook biased Army I wanted to share owing to all the discussion on your blog about the attention seeking tendencies of Tae. This is just more of a personal story that you can very well choose to ignore cause it adds no value to any discussion.

Soo, I became an Army around 2020 and the first thing I was pushed into was Taekook fan content on YT. Since the content seemed pretty fishy cause of all the "analysis" and secret messaging to it, I started looking up other sources to prove said ship and then stumbled across Jikook content. In comparison to Taekook, the Jikook content felt much more real and I didn't have to go around following any theories for it. But it did seem unlikely to me how there could be a gay couple being so open. The good thing though was that I am OT7 through and through and by this time I had watched way more BTS content to realise that BTS are not your same flushed out Kpop band, they have a lot more depth and speak about things that matter, have honest opinions about things and do voice it out either directly or indirectly. It also helps that Jikook are my bias line and so I began to follow more Jikook based accounts.

I do believe that when you keep seeing something you do start believing it more cause what started as a simple they are cute and I love their interactions did escalate to I support them. I mean I was reading so much about how they were being so loud and brave at times. I think the thing about Jikookers also is that most if not all discussions are based on real content not some contorted fan theory like Taekookers making it easier and easier to move my mindset to a "supporter". And yes, I still do find A LOT of Taekookers being really mindless about what they say and do feel it kinda pushes out any legitimacy to any of the more sensible things or actual things they say.

The thing that got me taking a step back though was when I started getting annoyed about Tae posting things about Jk to seem like he is wanting the attention and I hated that for me. Cause I genuinely love the 7 for who they are as they are and these kinda thoughts were not really nice for me to have. I also started over analysing particular content wondering why Jikook seemed mad at each other and petty things which I don't even want to think back about. It was all very "teen girly ". The other thing that stood out to me is also when Jikook enlisted together. Having read more and more about the LGBTQ+ situation in SK and the military (this is not restricted to SK, I did read up quite a bit about some other asian countries too), it didn't seem like a gay couple would actually enlist together. That said, I anyway don't think any of the Taekooker reasons for believing they are real as well.

So I took a step back and started following more general OT7 blogs and twts and I just felt so much at peace and more like myself. I am at a place now where I think that even if the members are part of the community, I don't see any ship between them as "real" or support it cause it just doesn't seem likely. It's also obvious that we see a very limited portion of their lives and there is truly not enough information to suggest that we really know anything about their other relationships. I do still really enjoy following all the Jikook accs cause it just gives me so much joy. I truly think their bond is something I will always cherish and love. They just have this wonderful chemistry and click in a way that we don't see too often and it's beautiful to watch. But so is every other bond in BTS that is so unique and wonderful.

They will really are just so wonderful together and I can't wait for them all to be out of their mandated military service to pursue their careers however they deem it feel right for them. And I'll be here to support it as best as I can.

Hi anon!

Thanks for sending me this. I can relate, because I too love all 7 of them. When I came into Tkk fandom I was met with a lot of nasty takes about Jm and I could not recognize what those takes were telling me from what I had seen myself by watching BTS. I was pretty happy to see that on Tumblr there is way less of that (though still some) and that most of the accounts I interact with love him just as much as I do.

Shipping fandom is a tricky place. When I started to look into Tkk after being Army for a while, I had real trouble sifting through all the edits and overanalyzations. There is so much shit going around that I think the madness that comes with being in Tkk spaces works counterproductive. There is realness to Tae and Jk in my opinion (a lot of reallness, though you still think my ideas are a strech… so 😆) but all the wrong edits and far fetched theories are what makes most people directly go to ‘delusional’.

I am glad that you are able to enjoy watching your favorites and that you are in a good place in fandom for yourself. That is what being a fan is about.

[khionefr0st]

This June we're seeing less companies openly express support of the lgbtq+ community possibly because they're caving in to right-wing demands and it sounds like a canary in the mine.

Because I'm gonna be honest with you I didn't give a single shit if the companies were changing their logos to rainbows or making queer products because they were "performative" or because they had a "better" reason. In the end it was a net good and had an overall positive impact on the queer community because we were receiving mainstream support and people were getting more used to seeing us. Every June the pride flags are everywhere. Every June we are normal.

What happens to us when that support starts to slowly disappear because not only do we refuse to encourage it, we're also talking about how performative it is instead of addressing actual issues?

You really want to critique companies? Criticize them for their working conditions, their refusal to pay their workers right, their outsource of labor to underdeveloped countries that employ children and exploited people and pay them pennies. Again. I literally cannot give less of a shit if the company having a rainbow pride flag logo for June and only June is performative or whatnot. Rainbow Capitalism is some of the most useless and most online discourse I have ever encountered.

You really want to help the queer community? Talk about sexual discrimination in schools, lack of queer resources and the active suppression and banning of books about us, about how we are still socially and in many places LEGALLY persecuted for being queer.

Discourse about harmless performativity is often performative in itself because in the end it talks about things that are not issues. It is frustratingly pointless and I hate the way some of you spend so much time talking about it compared to other issues out there. You speaking about how performative they are has less of a positive impact for the marginalized community than their performativity. I'm gonna say this - seeing companies cater to, accommodate, and yes, MARKET AND CAPITALIZE AND ADVERTISE TO QUEER PEOPLE, JUST LIKE CISHETERO PEOPLE HAVE ENJOYED FOR DECADES, is what some people have been wanting and fighting for for years. Until very recently, it was a win. Now we might be slowly losing it and all some of you can say is "good, I didn't want their performative support anyway".

There are people who want us dead. I'd rather we talk about that and all the reasons behind it rather than about why some companies only have pride logos during June.