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The 1969 American Stonewall Riots remain a defining moment in global 2SLGBTQIA+ history. But did you know that during the same year, the result of one Albertan's case would lead to the eventual decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada? Join Kels as she interviews Harper-Hugo Darling, the founder of Making Queer History to learn more about Everett Klippert, the last person in Canada to be criminally charged with "gross indecency."

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photograph taken in the Mission District from photographer Chloe Sherman's book Renegade: San Francisco, the 1990s.

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Random late night thought: Every time I read "But asexuals CAN and DO have sex", I shrink a little bit. I understand it's a spectrum. But as someone who doesn't have sex and hasn't for fifteen years, it brings me back to the shame of feeling like a freak. I'm new to the community but I'm wondering if there's a better way to discuss the spectrum without making sex the "norm"?

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The biggest male privilege I have so far encountered is going to the doctor.

I lived as a woman for 35 years. I have a lifetime of chronic health issues including chronic pain, chronic fatigue, respiratory issues, and neurodivergence (autistic + ADHD). There's so much wrong with my body and brain that I have never dared to make a single list of it to show a doctor because I was so sure I would be sent directly to a psychologist specializing in hypochondria (sorry, "anxiety") without getting a single test done.

And I was right. Anytime I ever tried to bring up even one of my health issues, every doctor's initial reaction was, at best, to look at me with doubt. A raised eyebrow. A seemingly casual, offhand question about whether I'd ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Even female doctors!

We're not talking about super rare symptoms here either. Joint pain. Chronic joint pain since I was about 19 years old. Back pain. Trouble breathing. Allergy-like reactions to things that aren't typically allergens. Headaches. Brain fog. Severe insomnia. Sensitivity to cold and heat.

There's a lot more going on than that, but those were the things I thought I might be able to at least get some acknowledgement of. Some tests, at least. But 90% of the time I was told to go home, rest, take a few days off work, take some benzos (which they'd throw at me without hesitation), just chill out a bit, you'll be fine. Anxiety can cause all kinds of odd symptoms.

Anyone female-presenting reading this is surely nodding along. Yup, that's just how doctors are.

Except...

I started transitioning about 2.5 years ago. At this point I have a beard, male pattern baldness, a deep voice, and a flat chest. All of my doctors know that I'm trans because I still haven't managed to get all the paperwork legally changed, but when they look at me, even if they knew me as female at first, they see a man.

I knew men didn't face the same hurdles when it came to health care, but I had no idea it was this different.

The last time I saw my GP (a man, fairly young, 30s or so), I mentioned chronic pain, and he was concerned to see that it wasn't represented in my file. Previous doctors hadn't even bothered to write it down. He pushed his next appointment back to spend nearly an hour with me going through my entire body while I described every type of chronic pain I had, how long I'd had it, what causes I was aware of. He asked me if I had any theories as to why I had so much pain and looked at me with concerned expectation, hoping I might have a starting point for him. He immediately drew up referrals for pain specialists (a profession I didn't even know existed till that moment) and physical therapy. He said depending on how it goes, he may need to help me get on some degree of disability assistance from the government, since I obviously shouldn't be trying to work full-time under these circumstances.

Never a glimmer of doubt in his eye. Never did he so much as mention the word "anxiety".

There's also my psychiatrist. He diagnosed me with ADHD last year (meeting me as a man from the start, though he knew I was trans). He never doubted my symptoms or medical history. He also took my pain and sleep issues seriously from the start and has been trying to help me find medications to help both those things while I go through the long process of seeing other specialists. I've had bad reactions to almost everything I've tried, because that's what always happens. Sometimes it seems like I'm allergic to the whole world.

And then, just a few days ago, the most shocking thing happened. I'd been wondering for a while if I might have a mast cell condition like MCAS, having read a lot of informative posts by @thebibliosphere which sounded a little too relatable. Another friend suggested it might explain some of my problems, so I decided to mention it to the psychiatrist, fully prepared to laugh it off. Yeah, a friend thinks I might have it, I'm not convinced though.

His response? That's an interesting theory. It would be difficult to test for especially in this country, but that's no reason not to try treatments and see if they are helpful. He adjusted his medication recommendations immediately based on this suggestion. He's researching an elimination diet to diagnose my food sensitivities.

I casually mentioned MCAS, something routinely dismissed by doctors with female patients, and he instantly took the possibility seriously.

That's it. I've reached peak male privilege. There is nothing else that could happen that could be more insane than that.

I literally keep having to hold myself back from apologizing or hedging or trying to frame my theories as someone else's idea lest I be dismissed as a hypochondriac. I told the doctor I'd like to make a big list of every health issue I have, diagnosed and undiagnosed, every theory I've been given or come up with myself, and every medication I've tried and my reactions to it - something I've never done because I knew for a fact no doctor would take me seriously if they saw such a list all at once. He said it was a good idea and could be very helpful.

Female-presenting people are of course not going to be surprised by any of this, but in my experience, male-presenting people often are. When you've never had a doctor scoff at you, laugh at you, literally say "I won't consider that possibility until you've been cleared by a psychologist" for the most mundane of health problems, it might be hard to imagine just how demoralizing it is. How scary it becomes going to the doctor. How you can internalize the idea that you're just imagining things, making a big deal out of nothing.

Now that I'm visibly a man, all of my doctors are suddenly very concerned about the fact that I've been simply living like this for nearly four decades with no help. And I know how many women will have to go their whole lives never getting that help simply because of sexism in the medical field.

If you know a doctor, show them this story. Even if they are female. Even if they consider themselves leftists and feminists and allies. Ask them to really, truly, deep down, consider whether they really treat their male and female patients the same. Suggest that the next time they hear a valid complaint from a male patient, imagine they were a woman and consider whether you'd take it seriously. The next time they hear a frivolous-sounding complaint from a female patient, imagine they were a man and consider whether it would sound more credible.

It's hard to unlearn these biases. But it simply has to be done. I've lived both sides of this issue. And every doctor insists they treat their male and female patients the same. But some of the doctors astonished that I didn't get better care in the past are the same doctors who dismissed me before.

I'm glad I'm getting the care I need, even if it is several decades late. And I'm angry that it took so long. And I'm furious that most female-presenting people will never have this chance.

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your pal says something mean about a fat person in shorts this summer you SAY, "oh so they're supposed to get heat stroke because of your sensitive ass?" (fat people deserve to wear weather appropriate clothing)

you're getting ice cream with your friend and they make a comment about the fat person eating an ice cream cone you SAY, "oh then I guess you don't want ice cream, let's go." (fat people don't need to earn food even for enjoyment)

you're at the beach and a fat person is laying out and your dad says something rude about it you SAY, "I think they look comfortable. It's good they're getting some sun. I bet they work hard all year for this vacation." (fat people deserve to appear in public)

telling a someone you like their stretch marks does NOTHING for fatphobia and will NEVER make your friends and family think twice about their shitty learned hatred.

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Radical Feminist theory has no home in Intersectional theory. Radical Feminism is practically innately antithetical to Intersectional Feminism. The ideas and criticism that would create the framework of Intersectional Feminism pre-Kimberlé Crenshaw came to be as a near direct result of questioning Radical Feminist practices and ideology.

Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Angela Y. Davis, Judith Butler, Leslie Feinberg, all wrote/have written in ways that challenge and defy the core principles of Radical Feminist dogma. Kimberlé Crenshaw created terminology, Intersectionality, that ended up enveloping it all. People like Patricia Hill Collins, Mikki Kendall, Roxane Gay, Kate Bornstein, Leah Thomas, and Emi Koyama continue to write in ways that challenge Radical Feminist ideology - half the time purely by the nature of their framework.

You don't need Radical Feminism. Radical Feminism is not your friend. It will never be your friend. There is better Feminism out there - I promise you.

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slate butch lesbian flag 🧡

A flag for butches like myself who identify as trans men and present masculine while identifying as a lesbian

(I use he/she/they)

Each stripe has a meaning, our joy as a community

Our butch communities from diesel dykes to stone butch to soft butch, every butch is included

Transmasculine lesbians, lesbians who take testosterone but may or may not identify as men and/or use he/him pronouns

Inclusivity to all queers

Ftm lesbians, lesbians who may also identify as transmasc but also as men and opt to medically transition to fulfill their butch identity (lesbians who identify as transgender men)

Masculinity, our attachment to masculinity as butches in the lesbian community

History, our long and vibrant history as members of the lesbian community, honoring those who came before us and fought for our rights

Visibility and de-stigmatization, the concept that lesbians that are butch only wear mens clothes and have a shaved haircut, some choose to medically transition and should not be shunned as butches for that reason

This flag is for ALL dykes ❤️‍🔥🤟

💙🧡💛🤍💚🩵💙

❤️🧡🤍🩷💜

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Intersex people are meant to be intersex.

We were not "supposed to" develop any way other than how we actually did.

We are not a failed version of something else.

We are intersex, worthy of respect as we are.

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as a “passing” “binary” trans man who’s been on T for 11 years, the way some of yall talk about “binary passing trans men who’ve been on T a long time” is insanely disappointing , shallow, and inaccurate

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"Critical thinking and reading comprehension are skills that aren't taught to a lot of students in the US anymore."

Very true! The US school system is absolutely fucked and cares more about producing good test results than actually teaching students useful and vital skills, so students can do just fine on standardized tests but end up graduating without the ability to put that knowledge into practice in their day-to-day lives.

But! I will say this again! Your education does not end in a high school classroom! And you can in fact build and improve these skills on your own! It's very easy actually! Just google "how to improve [reading comprehension/critical thinking/etc] skills" and you'll find tons of advice and guides from a lot of different resources! Here's a couple to get you started!

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black liberation and trans liberation are inherently intertwined and we NEED to be vocal about this btw

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People on this website genuinely believe that acting in self defense is a violent act.

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Not feminist as in "women should be included in the draft" but feminist as in "being drafted is a violation of bodily autonomy for any gender".

The draft should not exist. Drafting people into the military is a violation of human rights. You should not be able to force someone to risk their life. If you can't find enough people who care about a conflict to keep it going then it simply shouldn't keep going. You can't even force someone to donate a kidney using government power, why the fuck can you force them to donate their whole body and life to a cause they don't agree with or don't care about?

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This girl is an actual hero and we need to donate to her defense fund please

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Pride 2022 03/30: Maryam Khatoon Molkara

Iranian trans woman Maryam Khatoon Molkara spent her life campaigning for the rights and recognition for trans people in Iran.

In the mid-1980s, she travelled to the compound of Iranian leader and Muslim cleric Ayatollah Khomeini to persuade his government to legally recognise trans people and approve gender confirmation surgery. After a violent encounter with security guards, she secured a meeting with Khomeini, and left with what she came for - a fatwa, or Islamic legal statement - reading:

“In the name of the Almighty. God willing, Sex reassignment if advised by a reliable doctor is permissible, I hope you are safe and those who you have mentioned treat you well.”

learn more with queer as fact: a queer history podcast

[Image description:  Maryam Khatoon Molkara, an Iranian woman wearing a black hijab; Maryam and her husband Mohammed, a man with a mustache and khaki shirt]

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I don't like how quickly y'all forgot about Sam Nordquist. How when the news came out, y'all had to be reminded to include that he's a black trans man. How his killers and tormenters included queer people. And how in a week or two's time, he wasn't mentioned again. As if his death was just some unimportant footnote you never look back on.

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the whole point of intersectionality is that people do not experience the world one identity at a time, but in wholeness. Black women are not women when they're sexualised and black when they're masculinised, they experience both as black women. There's no baseline woman experience for blackness to intersect with, or vice versa. It's white feminism that treats white women's experiences as the default woman's experience - there's no such thing. Black women have just as much claim to feminism as white women, and don't have to separate themselves in pieces or defer to white women for what pure womanhood is. That's the point.