#where are the transvestite women!!!!

[omgthatdress]

In the immense social upheaval following World War I, Berlin emerged as the global hub for gay life and gay art. In 1921, Berlin was home to 40 documented meeting places for gay people. By 1925, that number had jumped to 80.

Cheif among these hotspots was the cabaret Eldorado, whose drag pageants and performances were immortalized by the likes of artists such as Otto Dix. In 2023, Netflix released a documentary about the club, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate.

At the center of the movement for gay rights was Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and his Institut für Sexualwissenschaft.

Ins 1896 Hirschfeld was operating as a regular physician, when he received a note from a soldier who was engaged to be married. The soldier was suicidally depressed because he could not get over his attraction to men, and was desperate to be cured of it. Being gay himself, Hirschfeld related tremendously to the soldier, and was spurred begin studying homosexuality in a scientific manner.

He was led to the conclusion that homosexuality was a natural occurrence that happened the world over. More importantly, he argued that homosexuality was not immoral and that homosexuals should be free to live and love as they pleased.

Hirschfeld was also the first scientist to recognize and study what we'd call transgenderism today, and was the person who coined the term "transvestite."

(Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, 2nd from right)

Das Institut acted as both a medical clinic and a center of education. Members of the public could come and be informed on the mechanics of how sex worked as well as receiving non-judgemental medical care for STIs and other sexual conditions. Women could receive information about safe abortion. It was also one of the first places where trans people could come and receive hormone treatment and information about gender-reassignment surgery.

Then, in 1933, with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor, everything changed.

Queer lives were officially deemed not worth living, and public queer places became the chief target of Nazi persecution. The voluminous libraries of Das Institut were raided and then burned, destroying so much early queer history and science that was irreplaceable.

Dr. Hirschfeld managed to escape Germany and died in France in 1935. Queer people who were not lucky enough to leave to the country were arrested and sent to die in concentration camps.

The lessons of Weimar Berlin are painfully pertinent today. Progress can be destroyed faster than it gets made. Rights are not guaranteed and must always be fought for. The past cannot be allowed to happen again.

By which I mean, for the love of all that is holy, if you want to continue to have any rights at all, pleasepleaseplease vote for Joe Biden on November 5th. Don't not vote in protest. Don't vote 3rd party. If Donald Trump is re-elected this WILL happen again. Just imagine your favorite local queer hang-out being shut down with "Make America Great Again" signs in the window, and vote to stop it.

[doberbutts]

Why doesn't privilege come into play in the conversation, what is the preferred way you would prefer trans women refer to the privilege to side step all of the worst concequences of transmisogyny? how do we communicate that?

Bringing up Semenya is a great example of an intersex woman having less privilege to escape transmisogyny than perisex women. This is not really the slam dunk you think it is because the terrible intersexism (with transmisogynist intent) she has been receiving since the transvestigation is it's own separate horror from what would happen to a trans woman- her exclusion no better or worse in my mind than the exclusion the trans woman would face but it is my (good faith) understanding that distinction is important to the intersex community- and it is that marginalization as an intersex woman that makes her less exempt from transmisogyny.

I hope you have a nice day. thank you for talking about this with me.

Because I am not talking about privilege- which I again have already stated is there. I'm talking about the idea that one is somehow exempt from their own experiences.

I have no problem with whatever way trans women want to talk about their own experiences. I do have a question and it is this: how is one *exempt* from systemic oppression? Systems of oppression are, well, systems. They are something that affects everyone. A cis woman who is forced to undergo a genital inspection, a blood test, a cheek swab, a birth certificate check to verify that she is not a trans woman is still being affected by the system of transmisogyny because it is the explicit fear and hatred of trans women that is creating this issue.

A cis woman that suddenly fails this check because it is discovered that she is intersex, such as Semenya, is now sorted into the same file as the trans women whether that is "correct" to label her such or not. There are many people insisting that Semenya is a trans woman specifically because they do not understand what intersex means or even is.

It does not escape my attention that the particular examples I gave- both Khelif and Semenya- are also falling under misogynoir and interphobia. That is the basis of my logic, so you still really aren't in disagreement with me- all of this is interconnected because that's kind of how intersectionality and systems of oppression work.

I also brought up Semenya specifically *because* she is intersex. Khelif swears she is not intersex. The supposed "authority" that Rowling got her information from says she is. According to Khelif, she has never submitted to any medical testing. And Khelif's country has made being LGBT illegal, so I am unsure exactly where that would leave her if it is discovered that she is intersex after all and that may be a significant portion of why she is so resistant to the idea of testing (also bc it's genuinely not anyone's business).

The point is that both Semenya and Khelif went into their Olympic careers as perisex-assumed cis women. Both were transvestitated. One managed to side step the majority of material consequences though I do still see people swearing that she is "secretly a man". The other was not able to do so. So it is not necessarily true that a cis woman is automatically able to dodge the consequences of being transvestigated just because she is not a trans woman. That's my point.

[genderqueerdykes]

the reason why trannies HAVE to stick together is because at the end of the day, cis people can and will prioritize their needs over ours. i witnessed a fight that broke out at one of my local gay bars where a cis male drag queen attempted to assault one of the two transfeminine security guards because he had too much to drink and had apparently has trauma from assaulted before by a cis woman's cis male friends after being called a faggot.

... so he thought it was appropriate to try to pass this trauma on to someone more marginalized than him. i got involved and his cis female friends decided to try to tell me to back off because it "didn't involve me." i noticed the only people telling me to back off and stop protecting the two trans women security guards... were cis. all of the trans people who gathered to see what was happening jumped in to help keep those women safe, and neither of those women told us to leave, or that it didn't involve us.

of course it involved me, because i don't just stand idly by and watch cis people attack my trans sisters. it will ALWAYS involve me.

i don't care what his thought process was or what was going through his mind- there is never an excuse to pass your queer trauma on to someone else- especially when you are cis and that person is trans. events like this just go to show that queer people are still capable of queerphobia.

that guy got his ass thoroughly beat, by the way, and is permanently banned from that bar. he accomplished nothing and lost everything.

please learn from this fool and check any and all desire for queer infighting at the door and understand that we HAVE to be here for each other. trans women, men, wo/men, nonbinary people, genderqueer people, gnc people, agender people, multigender people, crossdressers, transsexuals, transvestites, every stripe of trans person HAS to have ALL of their trans siblings' backs, no matter what we identify as, because a lot of cis people really struggle to prioritize our needs or treat us as humans, really.

[partypuppynastja]

Transgender Day of Remembrance

This year’s official list has 327 names:

Those murdered were disproportionately women, usually around my age, more often women of colour. Many more will have gone unreported, and/or misgendered in their deaths.

One of those murders is from my native UK—there was also an attempted murder not far from here though, a trans woman stabbed on her doorstep. Fortunately, she survived. I wonder how many other non-fatal attacks were made in the same year.

51 were in the US; that’s more than one per state. Brazil was worst, with 96 (with a similar population size).

9 were tortured to death; another 3 burned alive; another 3 dismembered.

It can be hard to understand why people hate us so much. We’re mostly just trying to live our lives. I guess we’re an easy target, and dehumanised enough in popular media that our deaths elicit little care. I remember the first time I read in a newspaper about a trans woman being killed, the headline was written as a punchline, “transvestite beaten to death with hoe”, and the article was worse. 

Fast-forward and today the jokes normalising such violence get Netflix specials, and the more serious hate-mongers get #IStandWith— hashtags in their support, as they go on their “I’ve been cancelled” tour and given every platform available. Politicians debate, and “sensible centrists” call for understanding from both sides, which tends to amount to “well we must understand that trans people can’t help being trans, and trans people must understand that we have Legitimate Concerns™ that if we don’t take seriously enough will just result in violence against trans people”. And so the microphone gets passed to the transphobe-du-jour.

Eventually, the world will get better. Education improves, community (and thus a little safety) is easier to find, transphobes start to realise history will judge their crimes like every other bigotry and ‘phobia and ‘ism. Those who are “not transphobic but” will learn to put aside their biases; those who are openly transphobic will become “not transphobic but”. It may never die out, just like racism hasn’t, just like homophobia hasn’t, and so forth, but it will get better. We just have to live to see it.

And that gives me strength sometimes, gives me an extra reason to survive when I don’t always want to. Transphobes want to see me die, and I will do my level best to thrive instead. It’s not easy and sometimes I feel like a flower growing through concrete. 

But like a flower growing through concrete, I know where I’ve come from and I know where I’m going. I can’t know whether I’ll make it, but I know I must keep trying, and the further I get, the easier it will get along the way. It doesn’t mean there won’t be the occasional storm, or freeze. But, there’s sunshine too. There is love in the world; there is hope.

We owe it to the fallen to live, to thrive, and to strive to make things better in this world.

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

Regarding radical feminists (specifically transphobic ones) becoming fascists: it's a thing. You let yourself fall into one form of bigoted thinking, it gets easier and easier to adopt others. And that's how we get JK Rowling denying Nazi crimes in the year 2024.

oh my fucking god. someone accused her of „upholding nazi ideology around gender“ which she called a fever dream because gender was not a thing in nazi germany since the distinction between sex and gender was made mid 20th century. all the claims about trans people being targeted by the nazis come from the fact they burned books by magnus hirschfeld and made him close his institut where he did research on transsexuals - his wikipedia states he was targeted for being JEWISH and GAY. not because of his research.

this article also makes clear that being trans only meant people crossdressing, which mostly - almost exclusively - affected gay men who were indeed targeted by the nazis as emphasised by homosexuals getting their own symbol in the concentration camps. crossdressers were indeed persecuted because they were regarded as homosexuals.

and just my personal opinion? doing experimental research on what we today understand as homosexuals with internalised homophobia and gender dysphoria is not trans friendly. they usually died soon after the surgeries. if hirschfeld had not been jewish and gay but a non-jewish heterosexual german in the nsdap selling it as the medicalisation and castration of homosexuals it was to the nazis, they certainly would have let him do it or even supported it as part of their eugenics politics. seeing as he was racist and sexist too. and one of his doctors went on to work for the nazis, for example (source: the scientist magazine below).

oh and by the way it is really difficult to find sources that are not tainted by modern gender ideology applied to what went down at that clinic.

this article for instance talks about „transgender“ people getting „gender affirming care“ when - again - gender was introduced as a concept after the fact.

i wish some more of you would realise this. trans, whether that be transvestite, transsexual or transgender, is not a universal concept like biological sex and homosexuality. it is entirely cultural.

oh and lastly, did you know that the nazis persecuted prostitutes but opened brothels in concentration camps and other places? and did you know that many of the women prostituted by german nazis were jewish, roma and eastern european? and did you know that pro trans groups and parties are supporting the liberal prostitution law in germany that enables and fosters the mass sexual exploitation of eastern european women at the hands of german men in german brothels TODAY? where is the uproar for that huh? you people are deeply unserious when it comes to social justice issues and prefer engaging in manufactured rage online over actually analysing and dismantling systems of oppression. fuck off now

[androgynealienfemme]

"I find myself feeling frustrated while writing, thinking you, the reader, must picture me as far more femme than I am. Although I enjoy wearing skirts, I often wear pants. I rarely wear makeup (although I do have a fetish for nail polish), and I proudly wear my facial hair. I neither love nor hate to cook or clean house and have healed (finally) my codependent need to be eternally present for my partner. By nobody's standards am I "delicate, docile, deferential, ladylike, refined, and genteel," as femininity is traditionally defined, although some might argue that I am "soft, tender, and submissive" - but only under the right circumstances. One friend, trying to reconcile my very assertive presence with my femme drag, called me a transvestite butch! I do not fit anyone's stereotype of a feminine woman, any more than I fit anyone's stereotype of a dyke.

A few years ago, I brought a pair of warm winter boots. I worked in an agency where all the women wore heavy femme drag, and even if I hadn't been out, my differentness was apparent. I wasn't sure if the agency would even let me wear boots to work. I walked into my office and then two male co-worker immediately began playfully whistling. "Ooh, new boots- hot butch," they teased me. Later that evening, I met my lover and another friend, both butch identified. They too teased: "Ooh, new boots- how femmy," they said. And I suppose that's what being a femme-dyke means. The boys think I'm butch, and the girls think I'm femme."

-"Femme-dyke", Arlene Istar, The Persistent Desire, (Edited by Joan Nestle) (1992)

[feminist-furby-freak]

Well can you explain Gender Ideology with who uses it and where? Can you show where I can find it? Can you describe it without conspiracy theory or recycled homophobia? You are welcome to try.

So I think some of the confusion might come from the language. I know you’re being facetious with this comment but anyway. I am literally a gender studies major so this will probably be more in depth than what you’re asking but maybe someone can benefit.

Gender Ideology™️ isn’t some sort of official concept and doesn’t have an agreed upon definition or foundational text like other social theories. It’s a way of conceptualizing sex and gender. Other analogous frameworks would be biblical gender roles, the Christian fundamentalist ideas of men and women, or postmodernist queer theory, something like Butler’s Gender Performativity.

You’re right that gender ideology is vague and non-specific and I think this is because of the interaction between academia, politics, medicine, and popular culture. Sure, academics and theorists influence society, but rarely in such a direct way (please feel free to correct me). For example, the American civil rights movement and women’s liberation movement had academic elements, but were not governed by how academics theorized race and sex, they were based on people’s lived experiences. Transgenderism, I think, is the opposite and somewhat of an escaped lab experiment. Towards the end of the 20th century, academics began to write about gender in more provocative and philosophical ways. Obviously, this was not the first time anyone had done this, but there was a huge shift in the way academic spaces thought about gender in the US after women achieved full legal rights (which didn’t happen until the 1970s btw). I’m sure the fact that women and gays/lesbians could finally be scholars and professors was important as well. Anyway, I might disagree with Butler, but her theory work is at least intellectually robust. And if you read Butler, it’s very obvious that she is first and foremost a philosopher, not a sociologist or an anthropologist, and this is clear when you hear her speak (which I’ve done btw). Contemporary transgenderism, as a social category, is a direct result of these theorists. There is a lot of misrepresenting or even rewriting history but “transgender” as we understand it today did not exist 20 years ago. We like to call people like Marsha P Johnson transgender, but he didn’t identify that way. He called himself a gay man, a cross dresser, a drag queen, a transvestite etc etc. TRAs often say “trans people have always existed” and homosexual behavior and gender nonconformity (and maybe even sex dysphoria) have always existed but trans as a concept undeniably has not. I could talk a lot more about historical falsehoods and Transgenderism but for the sake of getting to the point I’ll move on for now.

Gender ideology, is how groups like radfems refer to the Frankenstein monstrosity that is the framework Western left/progressives use today to think about gender and sex in order to be inclusive to transgender identifying people. The main ideas are that biological sex is not real and neither is sex-based oppression. It maintains that social and medical transition is necessary for transgender people to live, and that medicine is able to change someone’s biological sex (it can’t). Being transgender is not just dysphoria but some innate sense that someone’s soul is differently gendered than their biological sex (except biological sex is also somehow not real, one of many paradoxes). A woman is “someone who identifies a woman,” even though this phrase is completely meaningless. Because gender is not tied to biology sex, it relies on social ideas. As a result, gender ideology reinforces regressive gender roles and stereotypes, without which it cannot exist. 20 years ago we said boys can play with dolls and it doesn’t mean they’re gay because gender stereotypes aren’t innate and are very harmful, today “we” say that boys who play with dolls are actually girls and need to be given a pink makeover and put on medication. While society was beginning to move away from gender, gender ideology has brought it back to the center and gender is once again considered to be central to one’s identity (and personality) and maybe even the most important fact about them. For this reason “misgendering” and similar actions are considered violent attacks on personhood. Crucially, gender ideology converges with conservative gender ideals through its obsession with gender and performing femininity and masculinity.

[anastasiareadsnwrites]

Hi, could you maybe write a Anthony Bridgerton x male reader where Anthony is a transvestite/crossdresser?

Maybe the ton and his family are aware of this and they don't mind that Anthony is a crossdresser/transvestite and he goes to the balls dressed as a woman or at least in women's outfits. also when he is out and about he sometimes crossdresses too. Maybe Anthony could meet a man in the same class as him and they fall in love. Also when Anthony is crossdressing he could use the name Antonia or something like that.

I hope this isn't too odd, I would totally understand if you don't want to write it :)

As It Was (Anthony Bridgerton x Male! Reader)

Author's note: I most certainly love how creative you are, darling. I won't have came up with anything like this. Absolutely wonderful!

Summary: Anthony Bridgerton, known to some as Antonia when crossdressing, navigates his dual identity with ease, supported by his family and the Ton. At a lavish ball, he meets a man from his social class, and they quickly form a deep bond. Despite societal expectations, the two fall in love, embracing both Anthony’s masculine and feminine sides.

Warning(s): Crossdressing, !trans theme!, Mild discussions of societal expectations, Romantic and Emotional intimacy

The MAIN Masterlist

The Bridgerton Masterlist

Anthony Bridgerton, or Antonia, as he was known during certain evenings, strolled through the lavish ballroom with a grace and elegance that few could match. His family, the Bridgertons, were well aware of his proclivity for wearing women's clothing, and it never phased them. In fact, his mother, Violet, had always said, "You wear what makes you feel yourself, my dear."

The Ton had long accepted it as well. Anthony often dressed in elegant gowns or delicate, feminine attire. Tonight, he wore a flowing lavender gown with lace-trimmed sleeves and a sapphire pendant around his neck. His hair, usually well-groomed for his masculine persona, was styled in loose waves, framing his sharp jawline with a soft touch.

As Antonia, he felt more free—more able to express the parts of himself that society often tried to suppress.

Across the room, you stood observing the crowd. As a man of Anthony’s class, you had heard whispers of his crossdressing tendencies, but seeing him—her—tonight stirred something new within you. The way he moved, the confidence in his gaze as he mingled, was unlike anything you had ever encountered.

Soon enough, your eyes locked. Antonia, noticing your gaze, smiled with a mischievous glint, a perfect combination of Anthony's usual charisma and the demure charm he adopted when crossdressing. She gracefully made her way toward you, the swish of her gown sweeping across the floor like a gentle breeze.

“Good evening,” she said, her voice soft yet unmistakably Anthony’s beneath the affectation. “You seem lost in thought.”

“Not lost, merely captivated,” you replied, unable to tear your gaze from her.

She raised a brow, clearly entertained by your response. “Captivated by what, if I may ask?”

You swallowed, taken aback by how her mere presence affected you. “By your… confidence. I’ve never seen anyone quite like you.”

A slow smile spread across her lips. “I’m not like most, I suppose. You’re new to the Ton, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” you nodded. “Just recently returned from my travels abroad. I’m still adjusting.”

“Well, then you should know that I—Antonia—am a frequent sight at these events,” she said playfully, offering her hand. “Shall we dance?”

Without hesitation, you accepted her hand, leading her to the dance floor. As you both moved in rhythm with the music, you found yourself forgetting about the curious eyes of the Ton. All you could focus on was the closeness between you, the soft fragrance of her perfume, and the way her smile seemed to warm your very soul.

After the dance, the two of you stepped outside onto the terrace for some fresh air. The moonlight cast a soft glow over Antonia’s features, and for a moment, you forgot entirely that this was the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton before you.

“May I ask something?” you inquired, hesitant but curious.

She turned to face you fully, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Of course.”

“When you’re like this… as Antonia… does it feel different?”

She smiled gently, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of her gown. “It does. When I’m Antonia, I feel free. Like I don’t have to be the strict, responsible head of the family all the time. I can simply be myself—whoever that is in the moment. Does that scare you?”

You shook your head, stepping closer. “No, it doesn’t scare me. In fact, I think it’s… incredible.”

Antonia’s breath caught in her throat as you reached out to touch her hand, your thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles. The connection between you two was undeniable, and it was clear that neither of you could ignore it any longer.

“Do you prefer me as Antonia?” she asked softly.

“I prefer you as you are, whatever form that may take,” you answered sincerely.

Her eyes softened, and in that moment, Anthony—Antonia—knew that this was the beginning of something profound. A relationship built not on the conventions of society but on the acceptance of every part of each other, both seen and unseen.

As the evening wore on, you and Antonia continued to talk, laugh, and share a connection neither of you had expected. And from that night forward, whenever Anthony chose to be Antonia, you were always by her side, falling more and more in love with every passing day—no matter which persona he chose to embrace.

In the days following the ball, the memory of Antonia haunted your thoughts. There was something about Anthony’s duality—his confidence as both the Viscount and the graceful woman who swept you off your feet—that intrigued you. Despite the whispers of the Ton, you found yourself drawn more to him. He had revealed a part of himself that few dared to show, and you couldn’t help but admire that.

Weeks passed, and you crossed paths with Anthony several times in the usual social circles. Some days, he was the stern, decisive Viscount Bridgerton, commanding attention with a sharp wit and natural authority. Other days, you spotted Antonia—her elegant dresses flowing as she mingled with the ladies of society, her smile warm and her demeanor softer, yet still unmistakably strong.

Each time, whether as Anthony or Antonia, your connection deepened.

It was at another ball, hosted by the Bridgertons, that things truly shifted. You arrived fashionably late, scanning the room, searching for Anthony, or perhaps Antonia. Sure enough, there she was—Antonia—dressed in a stunning emerald gown that shimmered beneath the chandeliers. Her long gloves reached to her elbows, and a delicate silver necklace adorned her neck. She moved gracefully through the crowd, her head held high, as though she were born to wear such attire.

And then, as if sensing your presence, she glanced up and saw you. Her lips curled into a small smile, and she excused herself from a conversation before making her way toward you.

“You’re becoming a regular at these balls,” she teased, her voice lilting with amusement.

“I could say the same about you,” you replied, offering your arm. “Shall we take a walk?”

She accepted your arm without hesitation, and the two of you strolled through the grand halls of the Bridgerton estate, away from the prying eyes of the guests.

“I must admit,” you began, glancing at her, “seeing you as Antonia feels... different, yet the same.”

Her brow arched. “Different how?”

“I think I admire your courage even more,” you confessed, your voice soft but sincere. “You wear what makes you feel comfortable, even when society can be harsh.”

Antonia paused, her expression thoughtful. “It’s not always easy. There are days when I wonder if people truly see me as I am. But I’ve come to realize that I can’t live for others’ expectations. I have to live for myself.”

Her words stirred something deep within you. This was the heart of Anthony Bridgerton, no matter what clothes he wore or what name he used. He—she—was someone who defied the rigid rules of the Ton, refusing to be boxed in by expectations.

As you reached the quiet gardens of the estate, you both stopped by a small fountain, the gentle sound of water trickling filling the silence between you. Antonia turned to you, her face illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns.

“Do you ever feel like you don’t belong?” she asked quietly.

You took a deep breath, considering her question. “Yes, sometimes. But it’s different now.”

Her gaze softened, and she stepped closer, her hand brushing against yours. “Why?”

“Because of you,” you admitted. “With you, I feel like I’m finally where I’m meant to be.”

Antonia’s breath caught, and for a moment, you feared you had said too much. But then, she smiled—a real, genuine smile that lit up her entire face.

“You make me feel the same,” she whispered.

Without thinking, you gently cupped her cheek, your thumb tracing her soft skin. The lines between Anthony and Antonia blurred in your mind. All you saw was the person in front of you—the one who had stolen your heart.

“I don’t care what name you go by or what clothes you wear,” you said, your voice steady and sincere. “I care about you.”

Antonia’s eyes glistened with emotion, and she leaned in, her lips brushing against yours in a tender kiss. It was soft at first, hesitant, as though testing the waters. But soon, the kiss deepened, and you could feel the weight of unspoken feelings between you.

When you finally pulled away, Antonia rested her forehead against yours, both of you breathing heavily in the quiet of the garden.

“Does this mean you’re courting me now?” she teased, her voice light but her eyes serious.

You chuckled softly, still holding her close. “I suppose it does.”

Antonia’s lips curled into a smile, and she whispered, “Then let’s see where this takes us.”

From that moment on, your relationship with Anthony—or Antonia—only grew stronger. You both navigated the complexities of society together, hand in hand. Whether at balls or in the quiet privacy of your homes, Anthony embraced both sides of himself with you by his side.

The Ton may have had their opinions, but to you, Anthony was perfect—no matter what name he wore or which clothes adorned his frame. You had found someone who defied the conventions of society, and in doing so, had found a love that was as unconventional as it was real.

The weeks that followed your first kiss were filled with quiet moments and stolen glances. It seemed that in every setting—whether it was in the public eye, as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, or in private, as Antonia—your bond deepened. The Ton had its gossip, as it always did, but you both were too absorbed in each other to care.

One evening, Violet Bridgerton hosted a grand dinner at the family estate. The guest list was selective, filled with the most prominent members of society, and you, of course, were among the attendees. Anthony, dressed in his typical masculine attire for the event, was the perfect host. He was charming and composed, his every movement calculated to impress.

But every now and then, when no one else was looking, he would glance at you with a smile only you could recognize—the smile that belonged to Antonia.

After dinner, as the guests mingled, you excused yourself and made your way to the Bridgerton family’s private library, needing a moment to collect your thoughts. Anthony followed shortly after, closing the door behind him.

“Didn’t expect to find you here,” he said softly, his familiar voice bringing a sense of calm.

“I needed a moment away from all the chatter,” you admitted, turning to face him. “Sometimes, it’s all a bit much.”

Anthony stepped closer, his gaze softening as he studied you. “I feel the same. At times, I wish I could just shed the weight of it all—the expectations, the responsibility. When I’m Antonia, I feel free from that, if only for a little while.”

You nodded in understanding, knowing that the roles he played—both as the Viscount and as Antonia—were each a part of him, but neither defined him completely.

Without another word, Anthony crossed the room and sat beside you. He reached out, taking your hand in his, his fingers tracing small, gentle circles on your skin.

“Do you ever wish we could just… disappear?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

You looked into his eyes, seeing the vulnerability there—the weight of everything he carried. You squeezed his hand gently. “Sometimes. But wherever we go, whatever we do, as long as I’m with you, I’ll be happy.”

Anthony’s lips curved into a soft smile, and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against yours. For a moment, the world outside those walls didn’t exist. There were no titles, no rules, no expectations—just the two of you.

But even in the privacy of the library, you knew the world was waiting just outside. Anthony had obligations, and so did you. Yet, in this moment, you both let yourselves exist in a space where nothing else mattered.

“I want to show you something,” Anthony whispered, breaking the silence. “Come with me.”

He stood and led you through the back corridors of the Bridgerton estate, his hand firmly in yours. You weren’t sure where he was taking you, but you trusted him implicitly. Soon, you found yourselves at a private wing of the house, where few ever ventured. He opened the door to one of the rooms, and you stepped inside.

It was beautifully decorated, with soft fabrics draped over the bed and elegant gowns hanging neatly in a wardrobe. But it was the vanity table, covered in delicate jewelry and perfumes, that told you exactly whose room this was.

“This is where Antonia lives,” Anthony said softly, his voice filled with a quiet pride.

You walked further into the room, touching the fabrics and looking at the gowns. “It’s beautiful.”

Anthony moved behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders. “I come here when I need to be her, when I need to escape. It’s… my sanctuary.”

Turning to face him, you smiled. “Thank you for showing me this. It means a lot that you’d share this part of yourself with me.”

His eyes softened, and for a moment, there was silence between you. Then, slowly, Anthony stepped away and moved toward the wardrobe. With a thoughtful expression, he pulled out a gown—a deep burgundy dress with intricate embroidery along the bodice.

“I think it’s time for Antonia to make an appearance,” he said with a smile.

You watched in awe as Anthony shed his masculine attire, carefully stepping into the gown. His movements were practiced, elegant, and soon enough, Antonia stood before you, her hair brushed back in soft waves, and her lips painted a subtle shade of rose.

“What do you think?” she asked, twirling slightly to show off the dress.

“You look stunning,” you replied honestly, your voice filled with admiration.

Antonia walked over to the mirror, adjusting a strand of her hair before turning to face you once more. “It’s strange, isn’t it? How different I can feel depending on what I wear.”

“Not strange at all,” you said, stepping closer to her. “You’re still you, whether you’re in a gown or a suit. But I can see how this allows you to be more of who you are.”

Antonia smiled, a soft blush rising in her cheeks. “I’m glad you understand.”

Without hesitation, you pulled her into your arms, holding her close. “I don’t just understand. I love you for it.”

The words hung in the air between you, but you didn’t feel nervous saying them. It felt right, like they had been waiting to be spoken.

Antonia’s breath hitched, and she looked up at you, her eyes shimmering with emotion. “I love you too,” she whispered.

And with those words, everything seemed to fall into place. You kissed her, slow and tender, your hands gently tracing the outline of her waist. The connection between you both had always been undeniable, but now, it felt stronger than ever.

As the night wore on, the two of you stayed in that room, talking, laughing, and simply being together. You told her stories of your travels, and she shared her dreams of a future where the two of you could live without the constraints of societal expectations.

By the time the morning light crept through the windows, you both knew that what you had was something rare—something that transcended names, titles, or appearances.

Antonia may have been the softer side of Anthony, but in truth, you loved all of him. And as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, the Ton would continue to gossip and speculate. But none of that mattered to you or to Anthony. Together, you had found something far more important: acceptance, love, and the freedom to be exactly who you were meant to be.

And that, you both knew, was all that truly mattered.

[cnjosephs]

POLARIS TRANS*

A poem for Pride. Continued under the read more.

As I grew from a little girl to a teenage boy, They said I should call myself trans*, with a star at the end: A star for something unfinished; a star for possibility.

As I grew from a teenage boy to a femme young adult, They said I should call myself trans, with no star at the end: That the star’s sharp points only served to cut and divide.

As I grew from a femme to a gloriously butch dykefag, I thought again about the star of my youth And about all the things it can stand for:

Trans* is for transgender— It’s for language that grows and shifts Like a living being; like a tree; like a child; For Sylvia’s Transgender Action Revolutionaries And for the kids at their high school GSA Walking into the club with their hearts in their hands.

Trans* is for transgressive— It’s for shattering expectations Shattering societies, boundaries, and binaries Like panes of fractured glass; The glass was breaking already, you know, But now we can turn it into a mosaic.

Trans* is for transsexual— It’s for those who pick up an old word That they’ve been told is “outdated” And brush the scorn off of it Like dust off of fine China To display it with pride on the shelf.

Trans* is for transformation— It’s for the little girls who became men, For the little boys who became women, For everyone who became everything, For everyone who became nothing, For everyone who became.

Trans* is for transvestite— It’s for shedding the skin you were forced into Like a snake shedding too-tight scales And growing something that fits you better; Making something new and beautiful, Wearing something beautiful and yours.

Trans* is for transitory— It’s for those of us whose gender shifts Like the phases of the moon; For people who fall asleep a femme fag And wake up a butch dyke And repeat the process again in a week.

Trans* is for tranny— It’s for picking up the stick they beat you with And sharpening it to a spear; Holding it up to defend yourself, To defend your kin, and saying: “You really wanna mess with us?”

Trans* is for those who reject the New Queer Binary— Who answer “Are you transfem or transmasc?” With an annoyed “Neither, actually”; Whose gender is not silence, but absence of noise; For men who are also women, For lesbians who are also gay men; For people so outside the binary That “nonbinary” feels like a chain around their throat; Maybe you can’t be cis and trans But I know you can be cis and trans*, And I know that you can’t draw a line between genders Like the respectable queers pretend you can.

Trans* is for all of us— For boydykes and girlfags, For queens and kings and crossdressers, For masculine women and feminine men, For my oft-excluded intersex darlings; For FTMs who wear suits and MTFs who wear gowns, For MTFs who wear suits and FTMs who wear gowns; For those on hormones and those who eschew them, For those who change their name and those who don’t; For those who want surgery to get a penis or a vagina, And those who want surgery to get both, And those who want surgery to have nothing.

Trans* is for everyone who marked the path we walk on now— It’s for Lili and Dr. Barry, For Roberta and Christine, For Marsha and Sylvia, For Stormé and Miss Major, For Leslie and Lou; And for so many others whose names we do not know Because they were blessed with the safety of privacy Or cursed with the violence of erasure.

If you asked me to name trans-with-a-star I’d tell you to call them Polaris Trans* The gender-variant community’s guiding light.

Trans* tells us where to go— To follow the paths cut by our predecessors, While keeping their drive to explore untrodden ground. To offer our hands for each other: Both to raise each other up when we fall And to fight when we’re under attack.

Trans* tells us who we are— We are faggots and dykes and sissies and queens, We are a bunch of rowdy queers who won’t shut up; We are armed with bottles and glasses, With bats and pens, with guns and paint; We are the people who have only survived Because when nobody would take care of us, When respectable queers treated us like a stain on their flag, We took care of each other.

Trans* tells us who to be— It tells us that we must be so brave and so strong, And so scared and so soft. That we must save our anger for those who hurt us, And not turn it on each other. That we must hold each other accountable for harm, But understand we are all flawed humans, And that mistakes are not unforgivable. That we must not hurt our trans* siblings For daring to be trans* in a way we cannot understand, And that you don’t need to know exactly what stars are made of To love how they shine in the sky.

Historical Notes

The figures referred to in the thirteenth stanza are, in order: Lili Elbe, Dr. James Barry, Roberta Cowell, Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé DeLarverie, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Leslie Feinberg, and Lou Sullivan.

Sylvia Rivera is the same Sylvia mentioned in stanza four. In the 1970s, Sylvia and Marsha founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries together. They provided housing and care for homeless gay and trans* youth while working towards broader goals of achieving trans* liberation. Sylvia and Marsha kept their kids fed and housed through funds they raised via sex work. 

Sylvia would later say that the death of STAR came at the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, where trans* activists were told they couldn’t speak on stage. Sylvia and drag queen Lee Brewster physically fought their way to the stage and criticized the gay community for abandoning the trans* community after the trans* community had spent years fighting for rights for all of them. Lesbian activist Jean O’Leary verbally attacked them both, claiming that drag was “misogynistic” and “demeaning”, and that trans* people had no place in the gay rights movement. Receiving such a devastating rejection from people Sylvia had considered friends pushed her out of working in activism for many years. 

Marsha was tragically murdered in 1992 at the age of 47. Eight years later, in response to the murder of trans woman Amanda Milan, Sylvia resurrected STAR as the Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries. While Marsha and Sylvia were both integral to the initial work of STAR, I refer to it as “Sylvia’s” in the fourth stanza to make it clear I’m referring specifically to the later incarnation, which used “transgender” in their name. You can read more about Sylvia’s life in her essay “Queens in Exile, the Forgotten Ones”, written just before her fiftieth birthday in 2001. The closing paragraphs of the essay are, in my mind, both a profoundly valiant rallying cry and an agonizing indictment of our community’s failures:

Before I die, I will see our community given the respect we deserve. I'll be damned if I'm going to my grave without having the respect this community deserves. I want to go to wherever I go with that in my soul and peacefully say I've finally overcome. Editor's Note: Sylvia died on February 19, 2002, from complications of liver cancer. She was 50 years old. 

[olderthannetfic]

Recently saw Rocky Horror for the first time, had an AMAZING time, but actually seeing it really has me wondering about something.

What's up with all of the ostensibly very straight and even outright conservative women being so into it?

My partner has a strictly religious mother that refuses to utter a naughty word, was even married to a pastor for years, that loved seeing the live shows and still speaks fondly of it. Meanwhile, my own mother, also extremely conservative and outright bigoted, used to beg my even more conservative father to take her to see it.

How can women normally scandalized by the existence of LGBT people suddenly be all down with the transvestite from transexual transylvania?

--

I've mostly known the live shows to be a refuge for all the weirdos in places with not enough weirdos, but I suppose, at a guess, these conservatives want to let off steam and only feel they can do so in a carnival-esque context where the mayhem is safely bounded somehow.

RHPS frames all of its queerness as extremely Other and often pretty toxic. By the end, everything has come crashing down. Perhaps this is enough of a fig leaf to pretend it isn't just a celebration of its content.

[autolenaphilia]

I think about the article "Don't Call Me Mister You Fucking Beast" from 1972 a lot. It was written by Transvestite, Transsexual and Drag Queen group of the Gay Liberation Front, the British organization. Among its authors was Roz Kaveney and Rachel Pollack. in fact I discovered the text by reading Kaveney's obituary about Pollack, where Kaveney says Pollack was the major mind behind their manifesto.

Now "Don't Call me mister" is a fascinating and important text in general, and a part of trans history. The Gay Liberation Front is often remembered as a cis gay organization, but the fact was that trans people were a part of it, especially transfems. As the article mentions, their group didn't have transmasc members at the time, it was all people we today would describe as transfem. Contrary to some claims in the transmisogynistic British press, transfems were a part of the modern UK queer liberation movement from its beginnings.

Also transvestites and transsexuals were organized together. There is no "medicalism", distinctions are made between those on hrt, those who want it but don't have it yet (in large part due to medical gatekeeping) and those who don't want it, but it isn't treated as important. The claim of "mere" transvestites to be women is treated as valid. The text openly speaks of "transvestite, transsexual and drag-queen women."

The writers also see their struggle as women as part of the broader feminist wave going on at the time. "Think how much more inspiring and beautiful the women's revolution will be when it joyously includes all women." The text in many ways anticipates the concept of intersectionality.

The discussion of passing too is complex, and defends wanting to pass from the young who are "quick to say be militant, don't hide." because the reality is "if you pass you're treated as a human being, if you don't you're treated as a pervert or a roadshow." But the text also notes "Yet there are also thrills to not passing, or more precisely, not caring if you pass." and defends that as well. And the text notes that not all of them conform to feminine stereotypes and that there are butch transfems among them.

I was most recently reminded of this article due to the recent f1nnster discourse, because the article discusses that question as well. "Why is Danny La Rue [a popular drag artist of the time] a West End institution, when we get kicked out of our flats for wearing a skirt? Apparently it's all right if you're doing it for money, but perverted if you do it for personal satisfaction." And that about sums up the divide between men who crossdress as part of a show, and ordinary transsexual women and transvestites even today. Crossdressing as a gag or part of a show has always been more accepted than crossdressing for personal reasons, or transitioning.

The values of the text holds up well overall, and reveals that the "old-school transsexuals" of the 70s often had similar views about medical gatekeeping and passing that young trans people today often have.

[painfully-bisexual]

Zelda fanfic where Zelda, Link, and Ganon are all trans women with very different upbringings and experiences, and their lives collide in ways that help them all become the women they truly want to be

Not writing it below the cut, just describing it

Summersett Zelda (Summer for short) has been out as a trans woman for years, and has been shown support in being a woman by her family. She's also been pressured since coming out to be the same woman her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were. She's trying to be that woman, but the expectations are impossible to ever come close to meeting. Her family is insistent she's "still a woman even if [she's] not like other women" in her family.

She used to just go by Zelda, and now has trouble getting people to call her anything but that.

Ganon Dorf was raised hearing about trans women. Transvestites. Mentally ill men who get their dicks chopped off. The worst of the worst. And now she might be one.

When your mom looks you in the eyes, and you can't help but think "if she knew who I was, the devil I am, she'd never feel love for anything again," it does some things to you. And so you don't let it happen. You can't be one of them. You're a good person... But like, let's say you were one of them. What would even be the point of trying? You'd already be a horrible person for something you could never change. Why not go all in? Why not get violent at the idea of these people?

You're not one of them. You're just not.

And then there's Link. A silly nickname from grade school that stuck. A quiet person who had never heard of anything like a trans woman. A person who always felt different, always at the periphery. A person who's shelled herself up, and never spoke, because it's better than getting hurt for some reason she could never identify.

And she meets Zelda. Summer. Learns what being trans is, and her shell cracks. She can be a woman. She is a woman.

And eventually Summer accidentally runs across Ganon while out with Link. And Link makes the connection. And wants to help her.

Long story short, slow burn pinched, polycule at the end and Ganon is still struggling to love herself; and Summer is still struggling to explain that she's happy with who she is; and Link is still struggling to not make herself so small.

But they're all trying. And they're all supporting each other and picking each other up whenever they fall down. And they love each other.

[exeggcute]

I hope you don't mind me sending this ask, feel free to ignore it, but I am trying and failing to understand your point about (trans-)misandry.

In my understanding, "misogyny" is a name given to a collection of negative attitudes and prejudices towards women (and femininity). It plays a role in the structural oppression of women, but it is not synonymous with it. Accordingly, "misandry" just denotes a collection of negative attitudes and prejudices towards men. Misandry does not play a role in structural oppression, because men are not structurally oppressed as men, but claiming that negative attitudes and prejudices towards men do not exist just seems silly to me. Just because misandrists are not a huge societal force does not mean they don't exist.

I think it is quite useful for thinking clearly about the matter to keep the words for attitudes and prejudices separate from the words for power structures: Even if tomorrow, every man on earth stopped being misogynistic, women would still be structurally oppressed, because the laws and social structures and unequal distribution of resources would continue to exist. Likewise, if we ever do get rid of the structural oppression of women, some men will probably continue to be misogynistic.

"Transmisogyny" as I understand it also started out as a word for specific negative attitudes and prejudices towards trans women (and in the original conception also towards feminine boys and men and drag queens and transvestites afaik), so using "transmisandry" (or "transandrophobia", already a concession) to mean certain attitudes and prejudices seems uncontroversial to me. The attitudes and prejudices on display in "Irreversible Damage" do seem to me to be rather distinct from the attitudes and prejudices targeting trans women, so it is useful to have a word for them, no? I find it quite fascinating how typical misogynist attitudes are in a way split up on the issue of trans people: The infantilisation is reserved for trans men and the demonisation for trans women, while in traditional misogyny these two go hand in hand. Why are you against using the words "transmisogyny" and "transandrophobia" to talk about this phenomenon?

hey, I appreciate you reaching open a discussion about this. also apologies for the delay, today was a little busy lol. typing on my phone rn so bullet points:

I am obviously not the Keeper Of Language (as much as I would love to be), but in my opinion one reason "misandry" is not a useful word is because of the implied false symmetry to "misogyny". you correctly recognize that one is underpinned by structural opinion and the other is not... but many people do not, lol. and a personal/professional axe that I've been grinding for a while is about reducing ambiguity in the way we talk about stuff, like generally speaking, so I'm of the opinion that "this word means different things to different people and causes a lot of confusion" is a solid reason to avoid using it when possible.

similarly, I think the fact that misogyny is a structural oppression and a major societal force is what makes having a specific word for it so useful. there are a lot of types of non-structural prejudice that basically boil down to Sometimes People Are Sometimes Mean To You, but we don't have a particular word that means "the thing where people are mean to redheads" or "the thing where people are mean to theater kids." maybe that'll change, but as it currently stands I just don't think having a single word for these things is useful or necessary, hence why there isn't one.

to your hypothetical about "if structural misogyny 100% ceased to exist but sometimes individual men were still mean to individual women," maybe not everyone would agree with me on this, but I kinda think that "misogyny" would no longer be the right word for the situation. like if someone with an innie belly button was mean to a person with an outie belly button, we'd just call that "being an asshole," ya know.

also part of me is curious about the origin of the word "misandry" now and like, whether the first people to use it were the bona fide men's rights motherfuckers who think men are structurally oppressed. totally speculating though. further research required

(I was gonna say another thing about how a lot of negative prejudices and attitudes around men have roots in cissexism and to some extent misogyny, like the idea that men shouldn't do X because only women do X and if you're a man who does X that means you're basically a woman, which is bad, because women are bad. or just plain old biological essentialism. but I don't know if I'm articulating this well so take it with a grain of salt.)

re. "irreversible damage" and similar panic about "oh no our precious innocent daughters are turning into men," I would argue there's a couple reasons that "misandry" isn't the word for what's happening here. one is that these transphobic parents don't categorically hate men or think badly of men; they love and accept their cis sons. the other is that I'm reasonably confident that parents who are transphobic about their transmasc kids would not be ANY less hateful about "son" who came out as transfem. which is all to say, their problem isn't just about having a transmasc kid. their problem is about having a trans kid, period.

and that also ties into the "infantilizing vs demonization" thing, which a lot of people have pointed out basically comes down to... transmisogyny. there's an element of both cissexism and misogyny in the way transmasc people are cast as victims (because they're "really just girls," and girls are weak and easily influenced), AND an element of both cissexism and misogyny in the way transfem people are cast as predators! because what's happening here puts transfem people in a sort of limbo where they're not recognized as women, but not exactly recognized as men either: the accusation is that by virtue of their birth assignment, they can't truly be women (cissexism), but also that by eschewing maleness and seeking femininity they've become something "other," a failed man, who will always be marked by an unacceptable affinity for womanhood (misogyny).

the "predator" part of that is informed by a number of factors, including the way that people assume Being A Girl On Purpose must be a sex pervert thing because they think womanhood is inherently about sex and sexual availability (misogyny!), but I don't know if I can articulate it very well and I don't have any good quotes handy. if someone reading can explain it better or has a quote to throw in, please do!

[zoestorm]

"cis women don't have a problem with trans women, Bigots do"

Shut the fuck up yes we do, don't put words in our mouths you TIM snakes. Womanhood is both biological & Systemic.

You claim that when your neighbours apartment was destroyed she stayed with in yours out of free will but is that truly the case? Isn't it suspicious how every block was burgled but yours was fine? This was an inside job wasn't it, you deliberately hired someone to break into her & every other apartment all so you could subtly manipulate her into staying with you. Because if no other block is available, she has no choice but to use yours.

Frankly I'm not surprised, transvestites often use mafia & cult tactics to get their way with women, but it's more indirect, more subtle, to the point of where women genuinely believe they're supporting you out of choice.

In recent years the trans movement has been such a disaster that women aren't allowed to have their own spaces out of cultural stigma of "transphobia" we have no choice but to "accept" you because if we don't we'd be socially attacked from all fronts via: the lgbt+ community, men, tim's, tim supporters & tim rights activists. So tell me, how aren't we accepting you out of fear when we know the consequences if we don't. This Systemic violence you've implemented is torturing us, we can't live properly anymore knowing we have to obey every whim of TIM's (another type of man but more unpredictable)

& your neighbour is aware of this too, you said she knew you were "trans" correct? Meaning she knew the consequences if she didn't accept your invitation, living under your subtle manipulation & getting raped & killed isn't a choice, it's a tactic of control. & when you reccomend that she sleeps in your bed but you'd sleep on the couch but you took her offer to sleep together, that was another tactic of control. You were aware of her position & kind nature & took advantage of it, when she had her gaurd down due to you giving her the false impression that she's safe you took advantage of her kind nature by offering her a deal that you knew she'd refuse because you made her think you were her saviour.

I could go on but I'm analyzing this story is making me sick enough. How can't you see that you're all groomers??? This is why I'd rather spend time with a man then a tim, at least with men you know what you're getting, their tactics are obvious, but with tim's they...do something deeply insidious, they actually make you feel safe, but then right before you know it, your corpse is getting raped.

The only reason I'm answering this is to show exactly how transphobes tie themselves into logical pretzels to justify their bigotry.

You are literally out of your mind. Seek help.

[welcome-to-sparkys]

As an apology for disappearing, here's a WIP of a project I'm excited for. Sorry about it again, I caught COVID, I'm dealing with college, AND I do live in capitalism.

Also please feel free to send in requests 👀

Tags/CWs: trans!Mike, FTM!Mike, pregnancy mention, mpreg (technically), securitywaiter, dreamtheory, I suppose trans phobia kinda??? It's the early 2000's but Ness is accepting, transvestite mention

This is NOT edited ‼️

No, no this can't be possible, Ness thought. In all reality, it was entirely possible. The couple didn't have a tendency to use protection. Mike never carried it around, never had the funds or the thought to, and Ness was... Ignorant. He knew of people like Mike. Trans... Transvestites? Wait, no. Transgender. That's right, Mike had to correct him often. He didn't care that Mike used to be a woman, Mike was a man where it counts.

He loved and accepted Mike, how could he not? Mike was the light of his world. He was more beautiful than when the sun began to rise, painting the valleys and hills in bright golden sunlight. More breathtaking than the first dusty snowfall on a winter's day. His rich, silky curls, ones Ness had tangled his fingers in tenfold, his sharp jaw and sweet crooked nose. Every inch, every detail, every fine line Ness loved feverishly.

Even now.

Even now as he held a positive pregnancy test. The end was wrapped in a towel, but the two Ruby red lines stared him in the face. Even now, as he glanced up at Mike, the antsy man, lip quivering and nibbling at his jagged fingernails, Ness loved him with every fiber in his being.

He blinked.

"How?" Was the first word to tumble out from Ness's lips.

It jolted Mike back to reality. Back to this very-real moment, despite his bout of disassociation. It didn't feel real. None of this did. Then again, neither did the couple's courting or unlikely relationship feel real from time to time. "Wh-What?" He sputtered out. "What do you mean how?"

"I... Mike-" Ness cleared his throat, shifting a smidge on the edge of the bed. Mike was towering over him for once, standing in the bathroom doorframe, bathing in the artificial warm light. Their gaze met, for just a moment. Ness felt his anxiety melt under Mike's hazel stare. "Don't get me wrong, I, uh... I understand what you are." Ness began, tripping over himself. He shifted more uncomfortably, picking at his hangnails. "I know you're a man, a-and I read plenty of books to... To understand."

Plenty would be an understatement. Ness checked out every single book he could at every library he had access to. He scouted the internet for any traces of people like Mike, for answers to his questions. So many of the resources claimed Mike was broken, wrong. That Mike needed to be "fixed". Hell, some argued sleeping with a man would somehow flip a switch in Mike's head and make him a woman again.

That was evidently false to Ness, especially now. Proof is in the pudding, and Ness had somehow knocked Mike up.

Women becoming men — or rather, men who just happened to be born in a woman's body — was rare. At least to the public eye. Especially so, with the date reading April of 2000. Ness never denied Mike's identity. In fact, he embraced it. Every single day he reminded Mike of who he was, calling him a "big strong man," "handsome fella," or even just "my boyfriend."

"So...?" Mike's voice drew Ness out of his swirling thoughts. His "mind palace" Mike and Abby often called it. His space where he asked far too many questions and investigated as he pleased.

"Oh, um... So, I just. How can you be pregnant? You're a man, Mike. You know that, I know that."

[velvetvexations]

I do what I can because I must.

It was awhile ago that I randomly ran across the post informing me of it, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find.

Fuck yeah.

I wonder if that's part of the reason people have a hard time approaching the transmisogny argument in good faith, not just because the reason people loved it wasn't really for the movie itself but for the community spaces it created at a time where those just didn't exist for most queer people, but also because the ambiguity of "transvestite" for FNF makes people lean more cross dresser/drag artist than trans fem/woman. Like, when I first went to a showing it felt a lot more...idk kink event/drag show that was supposed to be a bit off and messy and imperfect, doing the whole queer people embracing slurs and sexuality and gender fuckery to make the cishets uncomfortable, I guess. It was a space for queer freedom, not like, an honest attempt at good representation. Of course though none of that makes the trans women and fems who do find it to be uncomfortable or don't want anything to do with it or wish we'd move on wrong, but yeah I wonder if that's part of the miscommunication between people who defend it and people who have a lot of problems with it, maybe we're just interpreting the characters in completely different ways?

I always interpreted him as a reflection of the queer community in general, rather than any specific thing.