#1-800-queer

[queer-advice-hotline]

Calling All Queers!

This is a blog for all your queer questions, advice, vents, and more! I know it isn’t the typical “our _ experience” blog, but @our-queer-experience and @our-transmasculine-experience and others like that have been super inspiring! I’m here to take your calls and help in any way I can!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional in anything, and any advice I can offer is based off personal experience or knowledge, take everything I say at your own discretion. Please do not come to me in place of professionals should you need serious help.

If it isn’t clear: hate and exclusion are not tolerated here. If you have anything bad to say about anyone's identity or life, don’t.

My name is Synn, and my pronouns are nie/nier and zy/zyr/zyrs

Edit: tagging system explained under the cut, as I realise it can be confusing

1-800-queer- Tagged on ask posts

queer advice hotliine- Tagged on everything

for i have synned- Original posts, personal information, unrelated things

advice calls- Asks where I give advice

question calls- For when I'm asked a question

vent calls- When I'm not giving advice, just for vents

gender calls, mspec calls, aspec calls, romantic orientation calls, sexuality calls, name calls, etc- Tells the specific nature of the advice I'm giving or question I'm answering

you've reached the operator- When a post contains links to outside resources

long distance calls- Long posts

voice mail- Reblogs

the phone number post- the one post with phone numbers to suicide/crisis hotline and other immediate resources. added under its own tag for ease of location, should you need it

[hussyknee]

people who get upset about mspec lesbians and fight about it never seem to realize they're doing the work of the people who want to eradicate us. real "we forgot the point of queerness is destroying the boxes instead of putting ourselves into them" vibes.

It's not vibes, love, it's what they are. They're so deeply conditioned by compulsory heterosexuality and cis normativity that their version of freedom is building the same prison in different configurations. Of course "you shouldn't try to control people" EXCEPT for "this one teeny tiny bit of control just so everyone knows where they belong you understand–it shouldn't even be such a big deal to you except WE WILL BE SUBJECT TO VIOLENCE AND CHAOS WITHOUT IT and it's very suspicious why you're so resistant WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE–"

Cops, the entire lot of them.

[liyazaki]

via the Arkansas Advocate

it’s official: in Arkansas, library staff may now be charged with a Class D felony for providing books to their communities that are deemed “obscene”.

in Florida, school librarians and teachers can be criminally charged for checking out books to kids that dare to touch on LGBTQ topics & gender identity, thanks to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

book censorship in the US is at such an all-time high, book sanctuaries are popping up all over the country.

library staff aren’t physically safe, either. just over the past couple months, threats against libraries and their staff resulted in the temporary closure of “five public library systems due to bomb and shooting threats," ALA. active shooter trainings have become the new norm for me.

the censorship myself and my colleagues have been watching unfold over the last several years has felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.

but this bill? this feels like a death knell for my profession.

via Teen Vogue

when I was a confused queer kid growing up in an ultra-religious household, the library was my refuge. when I asked hard questions, librarians listened and gave me the tools I needed to answer them. in many ways, libraries saved my life. it's why I became a librarian.

I can't believe I'm living in times where future generations of kids may not have access to the same refuge I did, but it's happening.

if you live in the US and you care about protecting open, equitable access to information, please check out the American Library Association for anti-censorship resources in your state, info on contacting your representatives, etc.

you can also report censorship you see in your community and ALA will investigate (1-800-545-2433, ext. 4266; oif@ala.org).

I know this isn't my usual content, but libraries are standing on the edge of a horrifying precipice- one we can't escape on our own.

libraries are free society's canary in the coal mine, and all the alarms are singing. when libraries fall, nations usually aren't far behind.

this matters- and we need help.

[rusalkaandtheshepherdgirl]

Do you want your queer-ass folklore retellings, and just realized that the mechs died 3 years ago? Have you already adopted Tim's gender and need a new source for gender envy? Do you wish Ivy Alexandria played more ominous horn? Call 1-800-4GET-MENAUTS (forget-me-nots like the flower, but the last syllable is spelled like astronauts). That's 1-800-4GET-MENAUTS. Side effects may include: no brain only Rusalka and the Shepherd Girl, wanting to teleport to Cali, and staying up too late to listen to the radio

[rwrbficrecs]

Readers' Choice Rec List Part 1 of 7

To celebrate 500 followers we thought we'd do a special rec list featuring recs submitted by all of you, the readers ❤️ Though at the time of posting this, we're at 800+ followers 🥺 From the volunteers and I, thank you for supporting this blog. We hope it's been a helpful resource! Hope you enjoy these recs, with a little comment from the reader. Thank you to everyone who submitted a fic rec 🥰 I'll be posting a list everyday till all 7 parts are posted Go and leave these authors some love ❤️ Happy Reading! Theme: A fic that you’d like to celebrate and give some love to ❤️ the poem you make of me by @omgcmere

@celaestis1: Just as they speculate under the linden tree, Henry is a writer; Alex a model. The story is just so beautiful, sweet and smutty and funny.

Omakase by @orchidscript

@historicallysam: Orchid made me fall in love with a brash American who wants respect and a stoic Brit who wants to be himself. I could read this story every single day.

We'll Invite Something In by @smc-27

@historicallysam: President ACD & HRH Prince Henry, grown up and willing to work for what they want. It's one of my top two favorite stories in this fandom.

Spoke Love to Soul by @celaestis1

@emmalostinwonderland: The story is gripping, the characters are compelling, and the myth they chose is really under-appreciated. I rode the entire rollercoaster of emotions with this one, and I would gladly do it again.

cover to cover by Anonymous

anon: The characters' voices are amazing and the narration is just super sweet! A feel-good fic for anyone craving a good intimate time.

On Thin Ice by @pirates-against-heterosexuality (WIP)

anon: A really sweet, in progress, NHL AU. It's in progress but It's really enjoyable so far, especially as it draws a lot of similarities to book moments, without being a copy.

Heartaches and Cupcakes and Sunshine Boys by @everwitch-magiks

anon: This was the first RWRB fic I read, and it's still my favorite! Henry as a writer (and her skill writing as Henry) and the emotional depth of this fic are things I need in every fic!

love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves by @kapplebougher

anon: I am simply OBSESSED with this oneshot, I scream about it to anybody that will listen. I come back and read it every time I read the climax of Alex and Henry's argument in London. It is Henry POV and the first time I read it I truly wondered if it was CMQ writing Henry fic on AO3. Not only does it build on the signet ring and give background on what it means to Henry and parallels it with his parents, but it also weaves fire/water symbolism for Alex/Henry. The thing that gets me is the quote at the end though. It's just like the queer historical quotes from the emails in the books and it makes the ending SO PERFECT it just makes me go feral. I wish I could give it all the kudos!

Picture On Your Corkboard by bleedingballroomfloor

anon: absolutely beautiful and a roller coaster of emotions. 100% recommended.

religion's in your lips (even if it's a false god) by @coffeecatsme

anon: NSFW but also incredibly good and i need everyone to appreciate billie's writing!!!

Someday We Will Be Home by witchseeker1133

anon: this fic is incredibly special to me bc it was one of the first ones i read. it is very angsty but i think its worth a read.

[barghest-land]

tw suicide thanks to everyone who reached out and helped with the info, i'm sorry i can't really respond to messages rn cuz i just don't have any resources for it if anyone ever needs it tho, this thing works no matter where you're from and calling them from overseas isn't even expensive. it's english mostly but it's possible to talk in spanish to them too, idk about other languages; they also have a department (?) specially for queer people: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: +1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) i thought it might also help someone. a few things that were important to me: it's also a crisis line. no, u don't have to be suicidal to call, no, u don't have to stand-on-the-roof-ready-to-jump to call. they usually call back on the next day to check if everything is ok, but they can't call back overseas. u can always do that urself if u need to tho that's ok too. also ofc u don't have to share any personal info. in my case it's also good that i don't have to speak my native language cuz i don't want a call to be traced by some phrases.

stay safe

[windywallflower]

QUICK REMINDER

We're a small queer duo making comics and we have...???

THINGS YOU CAN READ FOR FREE????

AUGUSTINE

We've been telling folks this is kind of a Mad Max meets Greek Mythology, my brother said its more like a Disney's Hercules meets Borderlands-- all of these are absolutely wrong but we'd be lying if we weren't inspired by them all even just a little bit. Its queer, this group of misfits is a found family out in some junky little desert where the cash is literal liquid (water) and the people are rough around the edges. August and her team just want to be heroes but maybe pissing off rich people comes at a bit of a nasty price.

We're working on Chapter 2 right now and will be back to regular updates in August this year!! You have a whole honkin 75-page first chapter to read already!! HURRY!!

--

PAINT THE TOWN RED

You want vampires? You want werewolves? You want them to kiss? You want them to flirt? You want that gross gooey shit that makes you all warm and fuzzy inside? Look no further, we're throwing a layer of sapphic over all of these babes and ripping the drama rug out from under them-- okay I'm losing my train of thought here.

Winny's never known much about the supernatural side of Merlot aside from the fact that werewolves exist, so what does she do when she suddenly becomes one? Well she sets up a shelter with her best bud Odile (also turned werewolf) and takes in visitors during full moons. Except one night a vampire stops at their doorstep... what are they even supposed to do with that?

We've got 3 volumes up on our shop and are now uploading them on a schedule to make the story free to read online!! We're nice like that.

--

THE SANITY CIRCUS

Hey so, you totally know what its like when you're living your life absolutely normally, totally unbothered, just having an average time living and then suddenly your best friend is actually a monster and your whole life goes to shit and you meet a shifter who turns into a seagull and I guess he's you're new best friend now and--

No? Well you can definitely learn what that feels like reading through 700-800 pages of Sanity Circus up riGHT NOW--

I know... its on hiatus... its not been updating REGULARLY--if I catch you making my partner feel guilty about it I'm breaking through your screen and kicking your ass. It's not dead, the whole ending is planned. Its gonna be killer I promise.

Now go read for a bit!!

BUT WAIT BEFORE YOU GO--

THINGS WERE GONNA BLAB ABT ON PATREON--

(and reasons why you should pledge-- you're getting like a 3-for-1 deal here we have so much to unpack, this is barely the tip of the iceberg!!)

Hey you mighta seen some of this... looks familiar...?? You should pledge and find out a little bit more, help us out making them all so we don't have to worry & stress about bills! Gosh wouldn't that be something~!

(We also have a shop, though if subscriptions aren't your jam.

AND WE ALSO HAVE A NEWSLETTER we update once a month for folks who might not be able to spend money right now, you can be in the loop of everything we're working on and what's coming up~!)

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 1, Wave 3, Poll 9

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Patchouli Knowledge-Touhou Project

Qualifications:

Every touhou character is queer even if it isn't canon. They just are. It's touhou it's just how it is. Patchouli is also canonically disabled, having asthma and anemia, and it canonically gets in the way of her day to day life because she can't cast as many spells as she'd like to

Propaganda:

She's very PURPLE

Hua Cheng-Heaven Official’s Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu

Qualifications:

Hua Cheng is the main love interest in Heaven Official's Blessing, a ghost who has been in love with the hero Xie Lian for over 800 years. As if being dead isn't enough, he once clawed out his own eye in order to save a group of humans from marauding ghosts shortly before his ascension to Ghost King.

Propaganda:

Sexy pirate ghost king swag. Gay for His Highness.

Fun fact: between when he was submitted and when this poll was written the mods both read all of TGCF. Also low key I feel like gay for his highness is a little bit of an understatement.

[beepartcollection]

Behold! A TF2 OC!

They’re The Janitor, or really, just a janitor. Or Jay, if you want to call him by name. They work long, loooong days and are paid fuck all. They’re an art college dropout, and so navigated their early 20s riddled with debt and late bills. After a point he was ready to take any job, and Mann Co needed janitors. He sweeps the floors, mops up blood, shoves bodies into the wood chippers, does the dishes, and all without complaining! Being annoying is a friable offense, after all! (It says it on his contract, and yet Scout walks around with that mouth of his) Over the course of working at Mann Co, and taking Medic’s homemade testosterone injections, Jay really changes! Grows into himself and transitions :3 And he learns a lot about chemicals, especially dangerous ones that could ruin the circuitry of a robot that’s threatening your found family! He joins the battlefield as some strange mvm exclusive tenth class. He changes a lot, therefore, second design! It was fun to draw :3 More info under the cut! As well as a FUCKTON of doodles featuring a few other tf2 ocs :3

First of all, a fuckton of doodles! This first batch is my favorites from my doodle canvases of him, and some silly ones :3 cameo from @1-800-deactivatednearu​ ‘s Botanist and @sickknifetrick​ ‘s Butcher!

Next batch is transgender stuff, I apologize but I cannot make an oc that’s not queer in some way ^w^

And general body shape, he’s pretty pear shaped, and considering it was the 1960s and 70s, before top surgery he bound with tape, which absolutely fucked up his ribs! He did all his 12 hours shifts in that :3

And last but not least, the Janitor’s fallen in love with the Mailman :3 Specifically, @sicc-nasti​ ‘s mailman! The Courier! Aka, Brodie ^w^ Some doodles of the two of them!

And a comic panel redraw! I apologize, the lineart’s hard for me to imitate X3 I’m a ctrl z every 0.2 seconds kinda guy while Makani is not

[roshoes]

Rant about your hyper fixation little queers I beg 🫶🏻! I’ll start!!

The magus archives is amazing. It’s an ongoing horror story line that takes place in London. The main characters of season one are Jonathan sims, Sasha James, Elias Bouchard, Timothy stocker and Martin Blackwood. Martin is my favorite he even writes poetry like me! So many Insane things happen in this podcast it’s based on supernatural or unrelated to this planet events that people make statements of. Almost everything ties into something else. Is a super cool storyline to follow and I’m absolutely obsessed with it!

@cedarw00d-the-fourth @1-800-ishi @faggotfuckery

[queer-advice-hotline]

i miss the aro-ace confessions blog a lot. i’m ace myself and it was one of my favorite places to find community with fellow aspecs. now that the blog’s inactive i don’t know where to go. do you have any aspec spaces to recommend? advice in the notes is welcome as well :) thanks for starting this blog!

@our-aroace-experience and @our-queerplatonic-experience and @our-aromantic-experience are all great for sharing your experiences, asking questions, and interacting.

@fuckyeahasexual is great for other ace content.

I'm afraid that's all I have for the moment, tag some good aspec accounts if you know them!

[vinelark]

do you have book recs?

i sure do! and they have no theme at all (aka i’m just looking at my bookshelf right now and pulling some random favs from there), so apologies in advance for a stunning lack of consistency.

SOME DESPERATE GLORY by emily tesh: maybe my fav book from last year? it had a big twist i didn’t see coming that also meant i barely even blinked the whole second half of the story. a reality-bending sci-fi that stayed readable the whole time, feat. a lovable alien and a found family breaking out of a space cult.

YELLOWFACE by r.f. kuang: when i say i did not put this book down for more than a minute from start to finish i mean it. a tense, incisive thriller with a twitter cancellation sequence more gripping and intense than any guns-blazing action scene could ever be.

THE MEMORY EATER by rebecca mahoney: do you like monsters? catharsis? the burden or a family legacy? atmospheric small towns and a sprinkling of plot-relevant amnesia? if you answered yes to any of the above it is TIME TO READ THE MEMORY EATER!!

1-800-WHERE-R-U series by meg cabot (also called VANISHED in some bindings): an enduring fav since i was a kid; meg cabot’s voice is so readable in every series but this one was always tied with the MEDIATOR series for my fav. i give this one an edge just because i love how gripping she makes such a simple premise, and the fifth book basically invented post-timeskip sequels in my heart.

AMERICA IS NOT THE HEART by elaine castillo: i have been slowly reading this one for a long time, going slow mostly because on every page there’s a line or paragraph that makes me have to pause and just swish it around in my head. like i haven’t even finished it and it’s maybe the best book i’ve ever read. the prose is just. so good. also it’s my wife’s fav book so points for that.

A LAND WITH A PEOPLE edited by esther farmer, rosalind pollack petchesky, and sarah sills: i’m currently reading this one, which is a collection of stories/photos/poems centering on palestinians’ experiences with zionism as well as stories from jews who unlearned and rejected zionist narratives.

THE PAIRING by casey mcquiston: my most recent read; i was lucky enough to snag an early copy of this and it is so charming and fun and sexy and queer and full of so many tantalizing food descriptions that i (known menace in the kitchen) almost started a list of recipes i wanted to make. def keep this in mind when august rolls around.

[queeryouthassemble]

[ID: A light red rectangle takes up the top third of a square post, with a heading reading "We, The Youth, Dissent" in large, black, bold lettering. Below it in small black text reads "Queer Youth Assemble is coordinating a nationwide protest of the recent Supreme Court rulings, which have blocked debt relief, prohibited affirmative action, and weakened anti-discrimination protections for queer people nationwide. Join us at a demonstration near you!". The bottom two thirds of the square is taken up by a light pink background. Inside is a light red graphic of a state map of the United States, with location markers in Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. End ID.]

[ID: A light pink square post, with a large, black, and bold heading that reads "What are we protesting?". Below this is a rounded light red square with smaller black text that reads "The Supreme Court has recently targeted areas of our everyday lives that impact our finances, education, and our freedom of self-expression. With the rulings impacting student debt relief, lgbtqia+ rights, and affirmative action, we have had enough. Queer Youth Assemble has created Youth Dissent as a way to highlight the impact of these recent Supreme Court rulings especially on minority groups within the lgbtqia+ community. The intersectionality of these rulings is too large to ignore and we the youth, dissent." End ID.]

[ID: A light pink square post with part of a light red state map of the United States taking up the left third of the post. There are three location markers in different states. The location marker in Massachusetts has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "Boston, MA". Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "8/4 from 12-3 PM", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Boston Common, by Brewer Fountain, near the corner of Park and Tremont Streets". The location marker in Pennsylvania has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "Scranton, PA". Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "7/29 from 2-4:30 PM", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Demonstration beginning at 310 Mifflin Street, ending at 800 Linden Street". The location marker in Washington DC has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "District of Colombia. Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "7/19 from 10-11:30 AM", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Outside the Supreme Court of the United States, First Street NE between East Capitol Street and Maryland Avenue". End ID.]

[ID: A light pink square post with part of a light red state map of the United States taking up the left third of the post. There is a location marker in Georgia and South Carolina. The location marker in Georgia has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "Atlanta, GA". Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "8/26 from 10-11:45 AM", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Outside the Georgia State Capitol building, Capitol Sq SW, Atlanta, GA 30334". The location marker in South Carolina has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "Colombia, SC". Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "8/5 from 1 - 2:30 PM", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Outside the South Carolina State Capitol, North Ground Steps, 1100 Gervais Street". End ID.]

[ID: A light pink square post with part of a light red state map of the United States taking up most of the space. There is a location marker in Illinois, Kentucky, and, Oklahoma. On top of the map is a light pink rounded rectangle. Bold, black, all-caps text reads "Springfield, IL", with smaller bold black text reading "TBA" below it. Below this, bold, black, all-caps text reads "Frankfurt, KY", with smaller bold black text reading "7/29 from 5-7 PM" below it. Below this smaller black text reads "Outside the Kentucky State Capitol building, 700 Capital Ave, Frankfort, KY 40601". Below this, bold, black, all-caps text reads "Oklahoma City, OK", with smaller bold black text reading "7/22 from 2-5 PM" below it. Below this smaller black text reads "Outside the Oklahoma State Capitol Building, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105". End ID.]

[ID: A light pink square post with part of a light red state map of the United States taking up the right half of the post. There is a location marker in Washington and Idaho. The location marker in Washington has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "Seattle, WA". Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "TBA", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Volunteer Park Amphitheater, 1139-1157 Volunteer Park Rd, Seattle, WA 98102". The location marker in Idaho has text beside it in bold, all-caps lettering which reads "Boise, ID". Below it, slightly smaller black text reads "7/31 from 12-4 PM", and below that there is smaller black text which reads "Outside the Idaho State Capitol Building, 700 W Jefferson St, Boise, ID 83702". End ID.]

[ID: A light pink square post with a black, all-caps, bold heading which reads "Don't see a protest near you?". Below this is a light red rounded square with smaller black text within it, reading "Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements about protests near you! If you are interested in organizing a demonstration in your state, please feel free to contact us at youthdissent@queeryouthassemble.org We have a complete guide to organizing your own demonstration coming out soon!". End ID.]

[snootyfoxfashion]

The Queer Language of Flowers Zine by robinelan

What was up with Oscar Wilde and green carnations? How can you tell someone you’ve got a Sapphic crush on them? Before there was 1-800-Flowers’s “say it with flowers” campaign, there were flower dictionaries that explained how to send messages to friends and lovers with flowers. While 19th century flower dictionaries focus on heteronormative romance, floriography—and sending coded messages—is hella queer. In this zine, we’ve included some famous historical flower meanings as well as invented some of our own for contemporary queer culture via art, literature, botany, and history.

[radio-to-trenchcoat-demons]

Oh shit, homie...you just walked in to the wrong home...(cocks glock mm9)

Updated: Jan 18, 2024 5:22 pm

Who is the gayest? The gays.

Hi! Im a-radio-demon I go by AL or Hector por favor! um...kinda eng/esp so i don't mind spanish asks/comments!!! and i draw so yea :]

a gift from one of my kids @officially-a-simp13

“thats a long-winded way of calling me a homosexual” says wilbur melos pinned to explain the melo fam <33 <- @m3l0man14c es mi padre ^^

Links->

✩°｡⋆✺ ☽⋆｡°✩ @huhithoughtthiswastheuk✩°｡⋆✺ ☽⋆｡°✩

✩°｡⋆✺ ☽⋆｡°✩@its-jschlatt-mate✩°｡⋆✺ ☽⋆｡°✩

✩°｡⋆✺ ☽⋆｡°✩ @chat-with-a-demon✩°｡⋆✺ ☽⋆｡°✩

(rp blog)

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆  Mutuals ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ 

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ Mis Hijos (kids) ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ 

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆Links⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

this cool thing ->Fonts post

i take drawing requests...just not digital anymore, lo siento mi amigos

Some tags I use:

-#AL was here!

-#tntduo

-#wilbur soot/#wilbur/#wilbur fanart

-#quackity/#quackity fanart

-#qsmp (current)

-#1(800)Itz-art!

My interests!

-art

-poetry

-FNAF

-Supernatural

-Stranger Things

-Demon Slayer

-BSD (Bungo Stray Dogs)

-Lovejoy

-Minecraft

-COD (yes believe it or not)

-Coding/Web Dev

-Genloss

-Hamilton (im so goddamn gay about it)

-DND

-JRWI

The QueerPlatonic Polyamorus pringle can relationship:

Love you homeslices <3

take my blue screen of death collection:

heh, flowers from moot @thinkingaboutctommy:

🪻🪷🌺🌻🌸🌼🌹🌷💐🌾

also the fruit for our smoothie:

🍉🍏🍎🍐🍊🍌🍇🍓🫐🍈

[mariathechosen1]

Queer participation and representation in fanfiction: An update

Hello! 

Some people might be aware of the fact that last week I posted a survey I was doing as part of research project for a Norwegian research competition. I was expecting about 50-80 answers, but instead got about 8300…this is a lot of answers. For quite some time this was more ‘Maria’s silly little fanfiction project’ and so, due to the nature of the competition and the expected sample size, official university requirements weren’t prioritized. Since then, me and my research supervisor have been in contact with the university organizing the competition to ask them “What the hell do we do?” and after much discussion we’ve decided to redo the study.

The survey itself can be found here: https://forms.gle/Tcoafs9dU627PNcn8

Update: The survey is now closed!

 FAQ:

‘What does this mean?’

The main differences are that we’ve had to remove the two questions asking the survey taker about their gender identity and sexuality as these are considered to be sensitive information. We’ve also decided that to participate in the current study, you have to be over 16 and we’ve changed the requirements so that this study is only for queer individuals. There’s an added ‘terms and conditions’ page that one must consent to before taking the survey to confirm this.

  ‘I participated in the past study, what happens to my answer?’

Any past data from the former survey will be deleted. I know that some people might be a little frustrated over this (A big thank you to all those who wrote 800 word essays in the original survey), but the past data would simply not be valid. I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused, but that’s what we’ve been recommended to do. If you want, you send in a new answer to the updated study.

 ‘I didn’t participate in the past study, can I still answer?’

Yes! Anyone who is 1) queer, 2) over 16 years old, and 3) familiar with fanfiction, whether that be through reading or writing it, can participate in the new study.

 ‘Why didn’t the original survey follow these new criteria?’

The simple answer is that getting 50 answers is very different from getting 8000. Getting this much engagement made us realize that this was actually a topic that a lot (and I mean A LOT) of people are engaged about. The research competition is, for the most part, designed to introduce younger students to proper research and study methods, and so requirements weren’t as strict as they would be for a scientist with years of experience. Now that we’ve realized the potential of this study, though, we’ve decided to try and conduct it befittingly.

If it weren’t for the fact that the competition deadline is in April, we probably would have applied for special permission to ask more specific questions about sexuality and gender, but alas.

 ‘Will I be able to read the project after it’s done?’/’Will you post the survey results?’

This is still under consideration, but if the project does manage to win the competition, the organizers will publish it on their website. If it doesn’t, we will most likely decide to publish it on our own. I also feel it’s relevant to mention that even though it’s slightly frustrating to have to do the survey all over again, the positive side is that after many emails with the organizing university, they’ve gotten very interested in this project and has, along with us, realized that the potential for fan studies is a lot bigger than what one might have thought. The future is still unknown, but they have inquired about doing something more with the research in the future, so who knows?  

 ‘I have a different question about the survey questions/project/research.’

If (and this is a big if) you have a casual question or inquiry about any of the survey questions or the project details, you can send me either a message or an ask (Though I would prefer a message). I get that some people feel a little awkward sending a full email if they have a small informal question about how something is phrased, for example, but please send any serious questions about methodology, data privacy or our qualifications to the study’s research supervisor. Preferably in a respectful manner.