#its not the guns. its never the guns. trans people are the problem

[bare1ythere]

I try to keep my blog mostly for fun and hobbies but jesus christ. Watching the UK + USA slowly become more and more anti trans over the past few years is genuinely scaring the shit out of me. It felt like things were getting better in the mid 2010s but now US conservatives are so loudly anti-trans that it's only a matter of time before it leaks up into Canada too. What the fuck are you even supposed to do?

[carrionhearted]

Im gonna infodump about my ocs because I can’t stop thinking about them. This will be a book… One day. Read on with caution, this is a horror book with very dark subject matter and mild body horror.

There are two mcs, a closeted gay trans man (Eden), and a severely repressed cis gay man (Harlow). Both raised in a hyper-conservative hyper-religious Deep South town IN THE 80S.

Their story is about the deadly consequences of repression, the cycle of abuse, learned hatred and destructive coping mechanisms. Harlow grew up with an INCREDIBLY toxic father who drilled toxic masculinity into him (having feelings is shameful) as well as homophobia. He only ever demonstrated "solving" problems with violence. Harlow was never given the tools or space to unpack any of his feelings ever. So he grew up to become this repressed, horribly frustrated and confused adult who could not understand his attraction towards other men.

Being gay wasn't even a thought in his mind, it wasn't a possibility to him. His father constructed this impenetrable wall of “us” vs “them” in Harlow’s mind- and like a plant deprived of sunlight, he never grew tall enough to see over it.

All he knew was this gut-wrenching hunger, this insatiable craving for other men’s bodies which he couldn't place- something about the flesh, the warmth, he hungered for it in a way which became unbearable. This did not register to him as sexual, again, that wasn't even an option… but he didn’t know what it was. And when you don’t know how to process your own emotions, it all eventually turns into frustration/ rage. So he solved this problem in the only way he was ever taught how- with violence! He killed men, initially choosing those he deemed deserving of death, and he ate them. An attempt to satiate the hunger. This became a habitual thing and he just… kept doing it. Not because it brought him any real satisfaction, it just snowballed into an addiction and he needed his fix. His town caught on to the string of murders, but he was flying completely under everyone’s radar. We’re talking about a 6’ mullet-having yeehaw dude who’s generally reserved and works for his family’s farm, nobody was really looking at him here.

Important backstory tidbit: Harlow was taught how to hunt as a kid. His father took him on outings, which were maybe the only positive memories he had of that man- and they would hunt deer together. He was taught to always use the whole animal, never let anything go to waste- because everything is valuable.

Everything is a gift. “It’s only murder if you waste the animal” (this heavily influenced his later cannibal ways).

One day as a young teen, he found himself alone for a trip. That's when he was approached by this deer- it looked sickly, almost like it was rotting while alive (it had Chronic Wasting Disease). It was clearly suffering, made clear by its complete lack of survival instincts. It walked right up to his gun. It was in pain. He shot it to put it out of its misery, but he did not take the meat. What was he supposed to do? It was useless to him,, he couldn't eat the rotting meat, and despite that he still felt an immense guilt for leaving it behind. Killing, and just abandoning the body. It registered to him as murder. He carried that feeling of guilt with him for the rest of his life. He vowed to never discard a body again.

Eden is a trans man who knows he's trans, but is out to practically nobody during the story. He’s the youngest in his family, with four older brothers. His parents were NOT suited to be parents- they were self centred people who treated their children like accessories. The parents obsessively kept up this “picturesque good Christian family” facade to the world, but that became harder to maintain as they had more kids. They started having to cut corners financially, to the detriment of those kids. That said, every one of their children was planned. The reason they kept having kids despite their situation was because the mother wanted a daughter. Then, Eden was born, assigned female at birth. Since his birth Eden had been treated like a precious doll more so than a child- he was sheltered and only received direct attention from his parents when they needed to dress him up all pretty for Sunday service. There was an incredible amount of pressure on him to be what everyone wanted. He was also raised VERY religiously, all of which MAJORLY contributed to his inner-turmoil abt being trans. He didn’t even have a word for it, to be “trans”. Only this unmistakable discomfort, guilt and shame, feeling like something is wrong with him, feeling like god made a mistake with him. Again, conservative religious south, he has no space to explore these feelings safely. He's pushed it all down and let it fester inside until it started gnawing away at his very being.

A few years prior to the story, this began to manifest physically as a literal rot. This spot of decay on his chest that's been growing and sinking deeper into his body for years. Sloooowly eating away at him, on track to continue until there is nothing left to devour. By the start of the book it’s claimed most of the flesh on his chest- his ribcage is sparsely covered with any skin at all- and the organs beneath are made vulnerable by it. However, he is horrified to seek medical attention. He sees the rot as a marking of his sin, god has stamped his body with this ugly decay to let everyone else know he's defective.

He hides it beneath layers of clothing. Being on his chest, it’s in a place that only an intimate partner would ever see- considering he's perceived by the world as a "woman".

In a… complicated series of events involving ✨societal pressure and coercion✨, an "intimate partner" does end up seeing his chest (Eden is not clear minded when these events are taking place).

This partner reacts with repulsion and violence, to the extreme that Eden fears for his life. He kills the other man in self Defense. (This sequence alludes to the “trans panic” legal defense which is still permitted by many US courts. If you pursue someone intimately, don’t like what you see beneath their clothes, and you KILL THEM- you can claim “I panicked because I didn’t know they were trans” and get a lesser sentence. It’s bullshit and I’m gonna attempt to very delicately write this scene to highlight how bizarre and unwarranted the male partner’s violent response is. The rot in this instance is symbolic of the perceived defect).

In disposing of the body, he runs into Harlow. They find eachother in a (undecided) remote, secretive location.

You’ll never guess what Harlow is doing! Also disposing of remains (bones n guts), at the same place, face hidden while he does so. They have a mutual deer-in-headlights standoff. There IS an open case of serial murders in their small town… Harlow is responsible. Eden realizes this after a short exchange of stunned words, and totally breaks down. Heavy dialogue exchange, Eden feels completely defeated and destroyed by guilt, he just begs Harlow to kill him. Harlow responds by saying he only kills men (Eden is closeted and passes as a woman). This pushes Eden over the edge and he snaps, he shouts that he is a man, this is the first time he’s ever said it out loud. Harlow is… confused, but intrigued. He doesn’t want to kill Eden, but he’s not sure what he does want to do. He decides to knock Eden out… which he does very easily.

Eden wakes up in a different location. Some not so great smelling farmhouse of sorts. Harlow enters the room eventually and explains… “I disposed of that body for you, don’t worry about that right now. I bruised your head pretty bad when I knocked you out, sorry about that, I didn’t mean to use that much force. I made you some soup! It’ll help. The meat is pork. Don’t worry about it. Let’s talk. :3” They’re still both very unsure of each other but neither have much to lose (they also have mutual blackmail) so they start talking. AND BOOM

COMPLICATED SERIES OF EVENTS

ENSUES AND THEY BOND OVER SHARED EXPERIENCES, TEACH EACH OTHER TO UNLEARN THEIR TOXIC AND DESTRUCTIVE WAYS, HAVE A ROMANCE WHICH SERVES AS A VALIDATION ARC FOR EDEN AND A SELF-ACCEPTANCE ARC FOR HARLOW AND YADA YADA. They are both profoundly disturbed individuals who have done terrible things but the whole point is to hold a magnifying glass to their actions and point out HOW and WHY they fucked up. To condemn that path, the mindset behind it, and the people who carried on those abusive cycles before them. I want to thoroughly examine and chip away at the layers of external influence that lead these characters to their lowest life points- and reveal the truth beneath them. These were once children, full of love and openness as we all once were- the problem is larger than the individual, it’s a societal issue of passed down bigotry and stubborn refusal to progress. It’s a toxic cycle of violence with very real, very deadly consequences for all involved. The characters both do BAD things, that’s the POINT.

Important backstory tidbit: In Eden’s childhood, he found a baby bird fallen a long ways from its nest. It was hurt, and he brought it inside to a small cage. He figured the cage would serve as protection for the bird as it grew- it was so delicate, it needed the shelter. But that cage was tiny. He fed the bird, tried to take care of it and gave it all its base survival needs. The bird was offered food, water and a cage. But that is all. That’s all Eden was given in his home, he thought that meant it was enough. He watched it grow into a young dove, but as it aged it only got sicker. This bird was deteriorating before his eyes and he couldn't understand why- he feared it would die in that cage. As soon as it became old enough to fly, Eden made the decision to release the bird. It was sicker than ever, Eden knew it didn't have long. He knew releasing it would practically be a death sentence, but it was going to die soon either way. He did not want the bird to die in the cage.

When released, the dove didn't even know how to flap its wings properly. The cage was too small to stretch them out, it had never even had the chance to learn how to fly. It didn't know how to find food. It didn’t know how to identify danger. And on the next morning, Eden found that bird on the ground outside of his house, dead. It was being picked away at by a vulture.

Eden felt relief.

The bird had died. It didn't make it. But it brought him peace to know it didn't die in that cage. That bird had never known the love of its mother, or siblings, it had never known what it was like to be wanted and cherished. That role was left to the vulture, who had never turned away from the unsightly or damaged. It had swooped in with the unconditional love of an angel, and carried the dove off into the sky above- its stomach, a chariot to heaven. It was gruesome watching the vulture feast- but it had such a tender appreciation in its eyes. It kept the circle of life in motion. In a way, Eden found this ending happy.

Eden’s symbolic bird is a dove, Harlow’s symbolic bird is a vulture.

They both die at the end of the story.

They'd become very close over the span of it though- they resolved their issues together, but in doing that they found themselves further ostracized from the world around them. They backed themselves further and further away from the world, until they finally hit a corner. Their past destructive actions were also catching up to them- the murders that is, they ended up on the run from police. It all came back to bite them.

The rot on Eden’s chest had spread throughout his entire body, and it was past the point of no return. No medical intervention would help at this point. One night, after a close encounter with police left them both wounded- Eden and Harlow both realized that these were Eden’s last few hours.

His body was decayed and rotted, he was sick, he was injured, he was visibly suffering. He would die soon, it was inevitable. Harlow decides to put him out of his misery. But he couldn’t stand the thought of discarding the body. He didn’t want him to die unloved.

Reaching into Eden's exposed ribcage, Harlow removed his heart from his chest. He knew this would be a death sentence, but he was going to die either way. He didn't want him to die in the cage.

He ate the heart, rotting and tainted as it was, he saw every part of his lover as a gift. Nothing goes to waste, for every rotting animal there is a grateful vulture. One which will see your defect and cherish you all the same.

Is now a good time to address the name Eden? I feel like most people are familiar with the gay love = forbidden fruit and/or cannibalism = forbidden fruit metaphor… yk, the embrace of supposed sin, being arbitrarily kept from the sweet, nutritious fruit of the garden. Passing through the gates of Eden (ribcage again) and eating the apple (his heart).

:3 anyways

Harlowstayed with the body until he also died (unrelated wounds from the chase). Decades later they would be found as skeletons in an unmistakable embrace, none of the flesh which made people scorn them during their lives. They were seen as lovers then, and were finally understood.

ALSO ALSO SO SYMBOLISM RIGHT. RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM??? REMEMBER HOW EDEN WAS RAISED AS HYPER-RELIGIOUS???

So cannibalism as a metaphor for QUEERNESS now. A craving for the forbidden flesh. To partake in another's body in the most intimate and fulfilling way. But living in a world that sees it as repulsive…

Right? You with me?

Ok and then the inherent divinity of transness. To partake in the act of creation alongside God, to resculpt yourself in divine image. Jesus was not simply born of genetic material (yk how transphobes love to say “blah blah blah you can’t change your chromosomes!!” Like… if we use that logic, Jesus is trans. He’d have XX chromosomes because... miraculous conception.

No sperm, which provides the Y chromosome, which creates a male body. BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT DOESNT FUCKING MATTER BECAUSE HES A MAN REGARDLESS!!!! JESUS WAS A DUDE!!!). He was created by WILL.

The will of god, a version of himself, to BE!!! Fully human, fully god, flesh and blood in an image he himself designed. Holy trinity being the same entity and all, Jesus’s body was his own design in a way.

YOU WITH ME???

OK

OKAY AND SO.

GAY CANNIBALISM… TRANS LOVER.

TO

TO PARTAKE IN THE BLOOD AND BODY OF CHRIST. THEOPHAGY.

THE ULTIMATE HOLY COMMUNION.

TO CONSUME YOUR LOVER AS AN ACT OF WORSHIP, CONVEYING YOUR LOVE FOR EVERY PART OF THE BODY THEY'VE GROWN TO DISPISE. TAKING A PHYSICAL PIECE OF THEIR LIFE INTO YOURS AND UNITING YOUR VERY BEINGS. UNCONDITIONAL AND ETERNAL LOVE, DESPITE ONE’S FLAWS.

TO THINK OF YOURSELF AS CARRION AND BE FOUND BY THE MOST GRATEFUL VULTURE.

A DEAD AND ROTTING GOD STILL BRINGS LIFE TO THE MAGGOTS WHICH FEED ON ITS CORPSE!!!

RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m unwell I’m unwell I’m unwell I need to actually get to writing this NOW

[porterdavis]

All in the family

I finally broached the subject of Fox News and the Big Lie with my Trumper sister. As I suspected, being a Fox-only viewer, she had never even heard of the Dominion lawsuit and exposure of Fox and its 'talent' as bald-faced liars. Here's what I wrote her in response:

I know it must be hard to realize there is a TV network that to all outward appearances is a normal news outlet but is in actuality a sophisticated propaganda operation. Trump, as Joseph Goebbels before him, knew that if you repeat a lie enough times people will believe it because...well...they've heard it so many times it just must be true. Fox follows the same strategy.

Trump's inauguration had the biggest crowd ever. Remember that? The lying started on the first day. Crime is rising and out of control. Cities are too dangerous to go out at night. Lies. NYC is safer than Tallahassee and Atlanta. You'd never know that watching Fox News. Convoys of criminals are swamping the border. False. In any event, the US needs immigration. Who will clean the pools and pick the strawberries?  Yes, current laws are a mess, but that's because the GOP torpedoes every attempt to fix them. Why solve a problem that provides such a juicy cudgel to beat your opponent with?

The US is a broken system right now and I'm not sure it can be fixed. One side is trying to conduct business as usual, even if they are flawed humans and make mistakes. Bridges and roads are finally getting repaired. LGBTQ+ problems are being addressed instead of condemned. Do I agree with every policy the Dems have? Christ I don't even understand some of them. I have to stop and do a mental walk-through to get it straight in my head what a trans woman is. But the other side is destruction and division. Marginalize the poor. Restrict women's right to control her own body. Banning books? The people in history who have done that never come out as the good guys. 

Turn away the refugee, despite what their Good Book says. Look the other way when thousands of innocent children are mowed down into grotesque chunks of meat by weapons of war in the hands of other children. It's not 'mental health', it's not 'too soon' to talk about it. It's too many guns of a kind that should never be in civilian's hands. 

I have to include one chart, but it pretty much explains why the country you and I grew up in is no longer. The ability to raise a family, buy a house, send your kids to college, and take a vacation every year on one income is long gone. Why? Here's your answer:

Yes, the chart ends in 2010 but the damage had already been done. What it shows is that the profit made by producing goods and services was diverted away from the people producing them and taken instead by the 'rentier' class -- the owners. How? Well, Reagan broke the unions in his first months in office. (Air traffic controllers strike). The SEC bowed to pressure and for the first time allowed stock buy-backs, meaning companies could direct profits straight to the owners, bypassing the workers. The new oligarchs discovered they could buy the lawmakers and the courts and cut taxes drastically. The gap between the two lines in the chart represents trillions of dollars that were diverted from the workers to the owners. They should have just stuck to share-and-share alike and not gotten so greedy.

I could go on for a long time. There has been so much damage done...

As Jon Stewart said -- I guess I'm woke. I just thought I was good in history.

She basically replied "both sides are dirty" and told me to fuck off.

Oh well.

[nullconvention]

People have often misconstrued (intentionally, I think) the leftist person's exhortation to get armed or learn self defense, or the trans person's recommendation to get armed, etc, as a violent affectation and a fantasy of charging capitol buildings guns blazing, etc etc, and this is wrong and also stupid.

Instead, it's very much in the vein of self defense, it's about raising the barrier to entry of violence against trans people and leftists and other marginal groups. It's the idea that you don't know which dopey looking polycule with a trans flag on their house is packing. There are arguments against deterrence but before you would expect trans people to disarm, you would need to get the people who prey on them to disarm - and they won't - so people like to hound the vulnerable rather than coordinate anything to disarm fascists.

Almost all of the discourse focuses on policing, one way or another, marginal populations who rightly believe they can't rely on law enforcement or the state to protect their lives. And what do they do when the state forbids trans people altogether? Well, the problem there isn't the guns - it never was. The problem is that the state is intentionally focusing its weight on eradication of marginalized people.

[stranger-rants]

(3) I'm not saying that fans have to like Nancy, if she's someone they don't relate to its fine. I even agree that she is now the epitome of young white feminism, entitlement, her family republican support roots and middle class privilege. I do agree it was assholeish of her on how she treated Jonathan (while i still understand her anger towards Tom Holloway and the sexist, hostile and creepy old coworkers) she should have said sorry to him just like he apologized to her, the fact that she can't make girl friends her age besides Barb, how she treated Robin in S4 that was harsh at moments and unconsiderate i could go on..

(4) She can definitely be still up to be questioned and the talks on why the whole girlboss rep that the Duffers swear they bring but fails miserably every time. I need to add that Steve himself should also get the same exact treatment in this case. But none of his fan favorite cult sees that because he said sorry, changed for better and they all bought into his so called "character arc" which is not even a good one or not even there, they even bought the whole mediocrity of him being a "gay ally" (this even comes from me as a fanom bisexual Steve truther). It's so weird to me how he's always treated as such a catch with all this people being like "Nancy doesn't deserve Steve this and that" but maybe that there is also just me as well...

5, Last one i promise) but this whole anti and villain narrative treatment she gets from the fandom in which she does not deserve any single chance of nuances, a proper arc, her being seen or listened, chances to redeem herself and make up for her wrongdoings. The fact that they go far to literally laugh at her privacy and autonomy being technically ripped, exposed and violated, so far to the point she should be punished for her friend's death just because she had sex well, this people so give the vibe of the individuals you would never trust to openly talk about your SA/harassment/abuse situations to. Says a lot of little concerning vibes, that are just as low and bad as the anti Billy behaviour we've got to see from time to time. I do comprehend none of these characters are real but there's that; makes me cringe how this has just increased in Womens rights month and the fact these things are coming from mostly women, which is kinda sad.

I'll end my point saying that yeah, it speaks volumes.

I will say this about what female characters are owed in fandom and that’s the same level of complexity we grant to male characters. That’s what I think any character who represents a marginalized group is owed, and yes it can be frustrating when you’re not given that. It is concerning to see people buy into the Nice Guy trope and the rape culture surrounding young people, especially women and girls. It’s okay to be upset by that, even if the characters aren’t real, and to call it out as such. I personally think that Steve and Nancy are bad for each other because neither of their goals and ideals line up. That doesn’t mean Nancy is The Problem, of course. In fact, I’m tired of talking about her in relation to Steve and vice versa.

I do think this fandom’s treatment of female characters like Nancy can be hypocritical compared to their uncritical adoration of Steve who is really just some guy with a lot of money, but at the same time the way she is positioned as a gun toting “badass” young woman who gets empowering speeches from her Thatcher-loving predator of a mother is what makes her character off-putting to queer fans, many who are gay and/or trans and who’ve spoken up about how aggravating that is. It’s not just women who are critical of her character, and while you’ve already acknowledged these issues I do want to make a distinction between hate posts made by misogynists and criticisms given by people hurt by the glorified politics surrounding the Wheeler family. I know people argue that their children aren’t conservatives by association, and I get that but The Duffers don’t say or do anything meaningful to subvert or deny that.

As a character, the best thing for her would be to branch out and experience new things but she stagnates like Steve because The Duffers don’t let them grow beyond The Girlboss and The Babysitter roles they’ve designated them with. That can also lead to some of the hate she receives, but that’s a writing problem and not something that is inherently wrong with a teenage girl not having all the tools and the knowledge to make the right decisions 100% of the time… which… why should we be expecting that out of anyone anyway.

[iiigris]

heyy!! could you tell me about your killjoy selfship?? :D

HI!! <3 omg hi akfhabsakdn my whole body just perked up like a dog’s does when you say ���walk” or “treat”

yes absolutely thank you so much for asking!!! truly I was never actually expecting someone to ask me abt that so I apologize for the late response; I had to organize my thoughts in a way that would actually make sense to other people lol. and I don’t know a ton of killjoy lore anyway so this may or may not make sense but!! oh well!!

soooo this is my killjoysona :DD I have yet to actually draw and color her properly but she’s basically me with cooler hair (she dyes it any time she can find new colors), better style, a dirt bike, and a ray gun. and a cooler boyfriend. her name’s Carbon Cavity. like I said she’s me but awesomer <3

here’s a sketch I did just for you + a picrew I made a while back (that’s as close as I could get w it lol but I really need to properly draw her soon,, aah)

anyways,, so the self ship part comes in when she’s dirt biking around and comes upon an old abandoned department store or something and is like, oh hey. I’ll just pop in there and raid some shit real quick. little did she know the Fab Four got there first and already figured out the building was all locked up so ghoul rigged up a bomb to blow the doors open and uh. had already taken cover for it to go off and it went off when she was like 50ft from the door 😀 so the four came back out and lo! a body on the ground! so they’re freaking the fuck out and she gets back up like wtf just happened?? and the four are like OH GOD ARE YOU OKAY and ofc she can’t hear a thing but her ears ringing bc a fucking bomb went off in her face basically so she ends up hanging around w them in the store til her ears stop ringing quite so much.

so she’s deaf in one ear from that lmao.

but anyhow she ends up following the four back to the diner cuz she’s just been going around crashing wherever anyway, might as well right? 🤷‍♀️ but turns out she’s cool and they’re cool and they all like each other so much she ended up never leaving hehe,, aaaand she liked fun ghoul the best <33 even tho she still brings up him blowing up a bomb practically in her face <333 (“I DIDNT FUCKING KNOW YOU WERE THERE!!”)

like she flirts by being mean (affectionately ofc) so originally she would just keep bringing up the bomb incident to ghoul to make fun of him kinda,, like she’d volunteer for first watch one night and he’s like no carbon you had it last night, I’ll take it this time it’s fine. and she’s all like “mmmm sorry bub I can’t hear ya that well… had this close encounter with some guy’s bomb going off, see? so I’m deaf in one ear now” and he’s just like 😑 … fuck you carbon. and she just giggles but she lets him take the watch anyway. but yeah so they mess with each other a lot and somewhere along the way they started doing it more for each other’s attention and less to be funny. AND on top of that she’s really affectionate (hugs the guys regularly, has sat in jet’s lap once in the trans am and in kobra’s once on a dare, and has fallen asleep on each of the four at least once), AND has to lean really close to them to hear them better sometimes bc yk. hearing problems. and they’re both kinda stupid so party, jet, and kobra literally figured out the other two liked each other soooooo long before the two even realized it lol.

anyways it all comes to fruition one night when they’re changing watches, carbon taking over from ghoul BUT ITS LIKE RLLY AWKWARD YK BC THEY’VE BOTH FIGURED OUT THEIR FEELINGS BY NOW BUT HAVENT FIGURED OUT THE OTHER PERSON’S,, LFHSKDJFJSK— so carbon heads out to wherever ghoul’s stationed and it’s like. she says hi and he says hey, and she kind of just expected him to hug her goodnight and go after that but he doesn’t so she sits with him in silence for a good while, sorta just waiting for him to go in to bed and also just trying to enjoy this rare alone time w him without overthinking it too much. eventually he scoots a little closer to her and puts his arm around her. she lays her head on his shoulder. still neither of them say anything for another ten minutes or so.

until finally she says, “ghoul?” it comes out quieter than she expected it to.

“hm.”

“you should go in and get some sleep, I’ll be fine out here.”

“mm, yeah… I guess you’re right.” and he nods a little but doesn’t take his arm away; she hasn’t lifted her head from his shoulder either.

another minute of silence. “you cold?”

she looks up at him. “sorry?”

he leans closer and repeats the question. she shakes her head ever so slightly and tries to ignore the way her heart skipped when he leaned down. “oh. no, I’m fine.” they haven’t broken eye contact since he first asked.

“you sure?” he says it quietly on purpose this time. when she inevitably inclined her head to have him say again, he leans in and kisses her cheek instead. (!!!!)

she pulls back slightly to look at him for barely a second, then leans in and kisses him proper !! aaaaaa -

eventually ghoul does go in and sleep :’) but not before a few more kisses and a very sweet confession discussion <3

and in the morning when they all get up, carbon hugs party, kobra, and jet good morning and she gets to ghoul and he kisses her instead <33 to which party goes FUCKING FINALLY YOU GUYS.. and kobra and jet exchange bets across the table,, alrjwkdjd

AAAND I’m gonna stop there bc I really need to go to bed but I really really wanted to answer this first akdhaksjak </3 thank you sm again for asking!!! this was so fun to ramble about :’D I could go on abt this forever probably so if you wanna hear more just lmk!! there are many antics in my brain I would loveee to talk abt sometime hehe

[alliswyattonthewesternfront]

started and finished Elizabeth Catte's What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia in an hour, hooting and hollering in vindication

I fucking hate being the face of "white poverty" and the patronizing, fake-ass pity of the right and the left. I hate that we are treated as a white monolith, when more people in Appalachia identify as African-American than Scots-Irish. A largely white population does not mean 100% white, and the history of black activists from here should not be erased. I'm sick of being treated like I must not be used to being around non-whites by people from western NY who didn't have a black student in their entire graduating class.

I fucking hate having to constantly correct people on coal industry history, because it IS important, especially in the context of U.S. labor history, but now most of us work at Dollar General, Pizza Hut, or Walmart and it distracts from the shit we need to deal with NOW.

I'm sick of having to explain about the history of anti-slavery and anti-segregation here, because you NEED to understand it in order to understand why Appalachia has been deprived of government aid since the Civil War, and no the War on Poverty does NOT count, shut the entire fuck up. But everytime I explain this to people they want to stop learning there because they want it to absolve them of any guilt, and smugly "not all whites" about it.

I'm sick of seeing the fucking endless stream of photographers that take exploitative photographs of us. That lecture us for being backwards, religious yokels, and then in the same breath condemn any woman who dares to be an unwed mother as morally base. who take photos of us covered in dirt and dealing with injuries we've wrapped up our selves, always implying it is distrust of "newfangled medecine" and not the lack of accessible healthcare.

talk all you want about us being violent, gun-toting hicks that hate outsiders. but if I was Hobart Isom and saw you in the mountains with a camera, I'd probably have shot you too.

Racism, homophobia, xenophobia, transphobia, these are ALL problems here, that need to be addressed and eradicated. But that's everywhere in America! Every single fucking place in this horrible country!! This is not a uniquely southern problem, not a uniquely Appalachian problem. If you don't know about the KKK's second wave and its roots in New Jersey, shut the fuck up and come back later after you've read a few books.

Nowhere in America is safe for trans people. Nowhere. I understand why people point out the especially regressive and dangerous policies that are spreading through the south, but don't act like I won't have to deal with this shit literally anywhere I go. There are more trans teens in West Virginia than anywhere else in the country, are we just supposed to abandon them?

I'm also fucking sick to absolute bastard death of hearing about Deliverance, of the incest jokes, from people who don't know the name Carrie Bell, and how the myth of "degraded pioneer stock" was used as justification to sterilize women against their will in West Virginia.

Don't lecture me about healthcare here if you don't know who Eula Hall is.

If the names Robert Payne and Huey Perry are news to you, maybe go fuck off before you treat Appalachia as your precious white ethno state and erase black activists here. Never fucking talk to me about Hillbilly Elegy unless you're setting up a cage match between me and J. D. Vance. I hope he dies. I hope he dies painfully.

And I am exhausted by these tired, played out caricatures of us being sold back to us. I'm as guilty as anyone of surrendering to shame, of poking fun, of perpetuating the stereotypes either to make money off tourists or to set myself apart from the "bad southerners"

Why don't more of us who can, leave? Why do so many young people here leave for college, only to eventually return sometime after graduating? Because we know our self-appointed social betters will not do anything to change things here. We want better for Appalachia, we want more for the people here, and nothing changes here until we start doing it ourselves. Just look at the eastern Kentucky grassroots prison abolition movement, the Appalachian Queer Film Festival, Appalachian OUTreach. It's exhausting and it never seems to change, and we will keep doing this shit anyway even if it's until the heat death of the universe

[fearofahumanplanet]

I've honestly just been contemplating what Vermont is like all day so far, like, idk maybe my perception is fucky because I'm a skier but I fully did not expect Vermont to be hick?? Like????? That's where the bougie ski resorts are ski manufacturers are, what do you mean they're surrounded by hicks?

(This very chill ask game is kinda fun ngl @andromedatalksaboutstuff)

Okay for some context to everyone who isn't Andi: I was born in Vermont and I was telling him about how perplexing its mere existence is. Now, my perspective is that of a poor person, so I have no idea what's going on in the ski industry, but when it comes to the rest of it....

Like, just to illustrate how fucking weird this state is (obviously this is all anecdotal):

The culture and aesthetic, I think, can be best described as some bizarre mixture of standard New English, Canadian, and Southern (???)

The houses and such are all very New English. Everyone in Vermont seems to love hockey an absurd amount (don't go to a sports bar during the Stanley, you will die a horrible death from your ears bleeding out) and we're basically renowned for our maple syrup, so we've got all the Canadian stereotypes. Also Vermont's politics are mostly incredibly left, especially by American standards - they have pretty much always been a very blue state, the queer acceptance is off the charts (there's still some shitheads in rural areas, but would you expect anything else?) like it tends to be one of the very first states to pass any queer bills whatsoever

I say "mostly" because everyone in Vermont has a goddamn gun. Literally everyone. There's actually not much crime there that I've ever seen, mostly bc if you tried to rob a store fifteen patrons would draw guns on you and shoot you dead. Now I'm pro-gun control, for the record, to a LARGE degree, however seeing the way this shit works in a mostly leftist state is incredibly odd. I'm pretty sure I knew how to fire a rifle before I knew how to talk

The Southern culture exists in that everyone in Vermont ever seems to spend all their time fishing, drinking, four-wheeling, hunting, or otherwise giving Cabela's good reason to put up twenty-five stores in every square mile of this state. (Don't bring up Bass Pro in Vermont, you will spark a lynch mob). Which is really bizarre in combination with its politics? Also, everyone listens to country and classic/Southern rock for some reason, like, compulsively, everywhere.

The FOOD is great. It's all a bunch of East Coast standards, a lot of seafood (a LOT of seafood) and (again, oddly) a lot of Southern staples (chili in particular I tend to find a lot)

We also have a lot of odd vernacular and slang that I've never seen literally anywhere else. Like they say "hamburg" to separate hamburger meat from hamburger (as in the full meal), or they say "idear" instead of idea (?????)

Every winter is just a war waged upon the inhabitants by Mother Nature. It is quite common to have to dig out of your own goddamn home when it snows over, and Vermonters ELEVATE THEIR HOUSES TOO. Also, the hail is no joke, that shit will take your head off (literally)

There aren't that many big cities outside of Burlington and even that is only big in comparison to Vermont and not the whole of America, most people just live in scattered rural towns and/or ass-deep 2 miles into the woods away from civilization (I used to do that and I miss it)

Literally everyone is white and yet I have seen very little racism in Vermont for some reason (it exists, don't get me wrong, it exists everywhere, but comparatively?? very little). Also a lot of religious nutjobs but the only problems I've had being trans and gay in Vermont came exclusively from my family, who I do not think are indicative of the entire state (my family is batshit insane, for the record)

Also I don't think this is indicative of the entire state either but my aunt literally has a full decked-out bar in her basement, it's not public or anything it's just her personal bar that looks like it got plucked out of a noir novel. People in Vermont are just incredibly weird

Oh yeah and sometimes I'd have bears wander into my front yard. You know, as you do. :P

[ironwoodatl01]

How does it feel knowing one day; you're going to be responsible for all the people considered "Undesirable degenerates." to get marched off to a camp? You would throw a party for yourself and flip through your book most likely. Only stirred when the sound of boots are at your doorstep. Rwde does not fucking like you man. That's where all the toxic sjw go, and they don't even enjoy your presence no matter how hard you try. You don't like gays, lesbians, bisexuals, asexuals and queers in general. You prolly think your some holy saviour or a person whos gonna show the light of jesus to others; when you just give motive to disembowel a bible and burn it... ( No respect for religious trauma in a world where religion places someone in permanent service based on sex) Do you actually think, the trans people you reblog character posts from genuinely wish to interact with you? How about you actually live as Jesus did so that you may find humility and true understanding on the world we are currently walking on now. You waste your life on hatred and the fact that you use the bible as an excuse is demonic on your own part. Honestly what a waste. Idk who beat you as child or deprived you of love to the point that you can only find it in an ancient book; but someone dropped the ball massively and that ball was you man. I Hope you can genuinely find peace in yourself. In hindsight; you will probably ignore/delete this post for your own relief, maybe reply to it and use bible verses to counter it without actually addressing the core criticism. Brushing it off as hysteria from a mentally ill person; which is ableist but I wouldn't be surprised if part of you hated yourself for being different growing up. Hence why wearing cartoons on your sleeves just like the queers you hate and want to see gunned downed or cured. Clarification: Clearly you hate yourself and view this as a peacetime where you can feel heard and help people. Analysis: Perhaps an early divorce occurred in your childhood or marterial problems while your feelings had no place; hardening and being leaned on was not a choice. Conclusion: You genuinely think your hardness and zero sense of acceptance will help save Queer people while head-butting your way into those same spaces seeking comradery. I feel pity for you. I feel as if you see a father in James that you never actually had growing up; or that he reminds you of him despite a possible strained relationship.

Your pity is not necessary, but appreciated. You put in the effort, and that is to be recognized.

I never knew you had mental issues, nor have I ever cared. The fact that you think it mattered speaks more about you than it does me.

As for the trans people and rwde? It also doesn't really matter to me whether they like me, and if it did matter to them they can block me anytime. I like the posts, so I repost. I have a point to make, so I make it. I post for the post's sake. Although I do have to break up my blogs a little to declutter, so thanks for reminding me indirectly.

The salvation of the LGBTQ people is not something I can do anything about, nor is it something I really want to do anything about. God gave his Son to die on the cross and its up to them to accept that gift. All I'm doing is correcting their's and other people's assertions of biblical truth by presenting the bible verses in context. The truth, the correct answer, will always piss people off, but that is the nature of Facts.

There is always black and white because the darkness seeks to destroy the light on its on accord. There will always be enmity not because of my aggression, but because of the other side's hardheadedness.

Harry Potter and Voldemort must kill each other not because Harry seeks the fight, but Voldemort won't quit until Harry is dead by his hand.

Ultimately, you seek common ground on terms I cannot, in good conscience, accept. We are opponents because the lie can't accommodate the truth.

In any case, I'm sure there will be a confrontation between me and the LGBTQs sooner or later. So be it. But I respect them enough to attribute them the maturity to decide when the confrontation occurs. They are old enough they/thems to block me and I don't think they need you to speak for them.

Don't be ableist

[justpupnova]

Boys in Black: The Problem with Kinky Cops

I was never the kind of kid who wanted to be a police officer. In my mind they were always scary and violent men, not aspirational protectors. Being raised white and middle class, my dislike for cops wasn’t necessarily founded, but perhaps some queer impulse within me understood that these bastions of hypermasculinity did not represent safety for people like me. Even before I knew what queer meant or that I was it, I instinctively knew that cops did not protect and serve queer people. Little did I know at the time, the history of policing in America runs parallel to its history of oppression.

A History of Oppression

Cops have always been an oppressive force. With its foundations in pre-Civil War slave hunting, the history of policing is inextricably linked with the history of violence against minorities. The original policing was the enforcement and regulation of slavery. The original police officers ensured that slaves couldn’t escape, that they didn’t have the means of revolt, and that they existed in a constant state of terror. Slave patrols are where police badges originated, along with excessive force.  

When slavery became outlawed, slave patrols became obsolete and faded away. But in southern states where Jim Crow laws were the new means of racial oppression, the need arose for enforcers, and so the police were born. These forces, developed by local municipalities were once again primarily a means of enforcing racist laws and enacting violence upon African Americans. They may have been freed from slavery, but they were still burdened with the weight of brutality and terror. When the backlash to the advancement of Black civil rights was lynchings, the police were complicit, and sometimes participants, in these murders. 

And into the modern day, policing continues to disproportionately affect communities of color due to latent bias and incentivization. Private prisons and arrest quotas lead to police officers acting not as enforcers of law, but enforcers of oppression and private interests. People of color are disproportionately stopped and charged by police officers, especially in the south, and so the terror continues to permeate those communities, just as the slave patrols perpetuated terror.

Another modern form of policing is ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE is primarily responsible for detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. This purpose doesn’t sound inherently violent but the bloody legacy of policing has made ICE an armed and dangerous force. From guns, to barbed wire fences, separating families, and the placement of traps on our borders; ICE uses the same terrorist tactics as the police, still primarily against people of color. 

People of color are primarily affected, but all marginalized groups are subject to the terror of policing. When queer people created underground communities for ourselves, the police were the ones sent to disperse us. Incidents like the Stonewall Riot were direct and violent responses to the police trying to take away our space. And in the present, police continue to disrespect our voices. When we cry out for justice for the murder of our trans brothers and sisters the “justice” system responds with trans panic and minimum sentences. When we protest the senseless murder of our black and trans community members, police are sent in with tear gas and rubber bullets. And, recently, when Seattle gay bars were raised under the false pretense of unenforced liquor regulations, it was the police that took compromising pictures of queer people and nearly had those pictures released.

Listing everything that the police and ICE use to enforce “the laws”, it becomes clear that these forces are terroristic against minorities. They use force and violence and fear as weapons. Murder and threats and excessive force become means to the political end of keeping us downtrodden and afraid. To observe that policing is corrupt, violent, and oppressive is a lukewarm take at this point, especially to those intimately familiar with police violence. But if it’s so clear that the police are oppressors of minoritized people, why is there a subculture of kink dedicated to police?

Kinksters and Cops

I can’t describe the feeling I experience when I see a kinkster in a cop uniform. It’s some vitriolic mix of repulsion, confusion, and downright disdain. Tactical gear isn’t necessarily a problem, but if there’s a ‘police’ badge or a patch I don’t need more than a second to decide that I have no interest in knowing that person, let alone interacting with them. It’s this impulse that has kept me from interrogating the appeal of a cop fetish, though. In this section I hope to unravel the mindset behind cop play. This is not an endorsement in any way, but to understand why something is problematic, we must also understand why it’s appealing. My primary understanding of cop fetishes is that it’s about power and masculinity. 

Power

Most elements of kink are about exploring power imbalances. Whether that be a “daddy” and his “boy” or an office worker and his boss, or the inherent power exchange of bondage; much of kink is fascinated with the loss or gain of power. The history of leather kink cultures comes primarily from biking subcultures, but also from police and military traditions.

In regards to the historical context, it’s obvious that police have power, and an oppressive amount of power at that. The police are an almost omni-present force in day-to-day life and everyone has an experience with policing. So police officers, uniforms, and insignias become a near universal symbol of power. Because of this, it’s quite easy to see how donning a police officer’s uniform confers onto an individual that level of power. 

Cop fetishes are often combined with a fetish for tactical gear or a bondage kink in the form of restraint. In this way cop fetishes have something of a wide appeal. Kinsters who enjoy gear likely enjoy tactical gear, kinksters who enjoy bondage are familiar with handcuffs and physical restraints, and people who enjoy power dynamics have likely fantasized about a traffic stop turned sexual.

Masculinity

Tom of Finland, or Touko Laaksonen, is one of the most notable queer artists. His depictions of masculinity and leather are iconic for their eroticism and content. In the world of Tom of Finland every man is just that, a man. Quintessential, muscular, but still oh so queer. Laaksonen created a vision of queer men that maintained their masculinity and epitomized what heterosexual society wanted men to be, while still making them deliciously gay; creating a vision of queerness without compromising masculinity.

Tom of Finland’s body of work included cops, though sterilized of their violent history. It’s almost utopic, a queer dream, the way a cop stopping a speeding biker turns into an erotic image of sexuality. Where we might normally be met with violence or hatred, we instead find sexuality, liberated and glorious. When two blue collar workers, notably of a darker complexion than the officers, pull down an officer’s pants they are not met with brutality, but instead it is the prelude to an sex scene.

I have an immense respect and appreciation for Laaksonen’s work but I find these specific illustrations involving cops to trigger a cognitive dissonance. I am enraptured by the eroticism of the scenes and overcome with a drooling admiration of the aesthetic of masculinity but also disturbed by the presence of police officers in a queer space. It’s not dissimilar to the feeling of spotting a police officer at a pride event, the inescapable question of if they belong there. But what Laaksonen presented to us was an idealization, an erotic fantasy not meant to be viewed in line with the reality we live in. 

One part of Tom of Finland’s legacy I can not defend is the use of Nazi imagery. This imagery is incredibly offensive and should never be fetishized. In an essay for Recon, @dogboibailey says that this art “has even indirectly led to a sub- fetishization of military clothing from the Third Reich. The more modern aesthetic of the skinhead holds undeniable parallels to those in white nationalist and Neo-Nazi movements”. I wonder if this is how Laaksonen’s use of police imagery will be perceived one day. I hope so, at least.

The Other Side

I felt it would be irresponsible to not consider the perspectives of those who engage in cop fetishization, and reached out to a handful of kinksters that engage in police fetishization to try and understand their perspectives both on policing, and the adoption of problematic iconography in kink.

One pup that I spoke to insisted that his fetish was simply for the gear, though his social media presence was full of references to arrest, crime scenes, detainment, and jail. Further, he advocated that I look for a European perspective. This was strange to me as we are both Americans living in America, which means we’re both aware of the history of policing in America.

I did, however, reach out to a few European kinksters to see if this European perspective had something to it. In theory, without the deeply problematic history of American policing, cop fetishization would be harmless. I was told by a Swiss kinkster that both the methods and public perception of the police is different in Europe, though I was also told that police systems across Europe have similar issues to American policing of brutality, oppression, and bigotry. Which makes me wonder why this European perspective was used to defend the fetish so often when it is clear that the police in Europe are also an oppressive force.

Another interesting perspective presented to me by a non-police-fetishist was that police fetishization can be used to address issues in policing and to bring awareness to the history of violence in policing. This is a pleasantly optimistic view reinforced by how many of the kinksters I talked to acknowledge the history of policing, especially in America. However, none viewed their beliefs surrounding policing as in conflict with their fetishization of it.

One kinkster, self-identified as a police fetishist, said “ tactical gear is associated with police whether I like it or not”, but made a distinction between his fetishization of the aesthetics of police (wearing tactical gear, participating in roleplay, wearing police or sheriff patches), and fetishizing police actions (violence, bigotry, oppression). He went on to say that his interest in cop role play, including jail scenes and the like is respectful of what the submissive wants and mindful of their safety. One comment of particular interest was that kinksters can engage in police fetishization in a positive way without condoning the actions of police officers. This person was very open about their disapproval of police actions and agreed that there are “negative” forms of cop fetishization, which he defined as those involving racism, abuse of the sub, or that which is performing in a right-wing fanatical way. 

Aesthetics Versus Action

Returning to Tom of Finland, I question the division between the aesthetics of a cop and the actions of a cop. Is it good to create a fantasy of a cop that will give you head instead of assault you? Didn’t Laaksonen’s art erase the trauma associated with the badge of an officer and replace it with sex appeal? To reduce policing to an erotic aesthetic which can be worn regardless of the problematic history is to erase the trauma inflicted by police for generations. For the same reason we can recognize that Tom of Finland’s Nazi art is problematic for fetishizing a uniform associated with trauma, I believe that police uniforms carry a similar weight. 

When I mentioned this to the kinkster he responded that “there is a large separation between the actions of police and the actions of someone playing police in a role play kink setting”. But what is the difference? I personally hold that the difference is not as significant as one might believe. Police officers wear their uniforms, whether they’re conscious of their history or not, and go act like police officers. Fetishists do the same. Aware or not of the history, they put on the iconography of a cop, and act like a cop for sexual gratification. 

Kink is a prime example of aesthetics creating function. We adopt the aesthetic signifiers of a daddy or a pup or a drone, and in doing so, we become that. That transformation carries into cop fetishization. Fetishists wear the iconography of cops and in doing so, they confer the status of cop onto themselves, with all its violence and bigotry. To recognize the traumatic impact of police brutality or prisons but see no issue in co-opting those as fetishistic experiences illustrates an inability to comprehend the scale and impact of American policing.

  Is the aesthetic of policing meaningfully separate from the actions or function of policing? No. Tactical gear and weapons and badges are all integral to a cop’s function. The badge is a reminder of power, the weapons a reminder of force. These are aesthetic in nature, yes, but they also have a function, which makes the aesthetic part of the function. Police uniforms and threats of imprisonment are just as much part of the system of terror as the actions of the police. Cop aesthetics are tools to their ends.

If kinksters can recognize the harm of policing, why are they unable to see how that harm is translated into the tools used to enact harm? My opinion is that it requires a certain level of cognitive dissonance to be able to participate in police fetishization while acknowledging the terror of American policing. They believe that police are bad, but they believe that the ‘bad’ of policing is singularly within the system, some abstract evil that exists, rather than a history of iconography and behavior working in tandem.

Conclusion

I can understand how wearing a certain uniform can make someone feel powerful. I can see how wearing tactical gear may lend kinksters an image of power and masculinity that cis-het society may have denied them. But in doing so, many fail to take into account how wearing a police uniform confers onto an individual the bloody and bigoted history that is inherent to American policing, and policing around the world. One can acknowledge that the police are oppressive, but if they are able to don the uniform of those oppressors comfortably, they clearly do not understand what that uniform represents to so many people. 

My experience with kink has been predominantly white, and many of the kinksters of color I’ve spoken to cite white kinkster’s micro aggressions and unconfronted biases as reasons for feeling unsafe and unwelcome. So I question why we value white kinksters’ ability to participate in a cop fetish over the comfort of our community members of color, and how we can justify erasing the history of oppression that police officers carry for the sake of an aesthetic fetish.

[biscuitsnbails]

Putting myself out there

The last blog entry I ever made with any amount of seriousness was on LiveJournal way back in 2005. Whelp - lets change that.

I have seen a lot of posts saying how no one is claiming 2024 as "their year" because everyone is gun shy now with all the shit going on. Because of the contrarian that I am - I guess I will take it then. I decided this year to actually start getting outside of my comfort zone. Sitting on the sidelines are nice and all - but I wanna get in there.

Last night I went to a puppy play event in my city - this is something I have been into for a long while but never went, so I was super duper exited and y'all. The energy was great. The venue was hella cool, its a newer gay bar and it was built out of a renovated house in an up and coming area. The only problem was that it was heavily gay-male dominated event and I am a trans woman - therefore I was pretty much ignored the whole night. I say I tried to talk to these people and just wanted to talk shop and maybe make some friends, but it was not in the cards apparently. I'm a little crushed by it, if i'm honest. Like maybe I should have known better. I am however still proud of myself for trying to meet other pups, even though it didn't go my way. I still got out there - I made real effort - and while it was terrifying it was a good first step.

Its so silly reading this back, because in every single other area of my life I am super confident and solid. I am a badass at my career, I have all my shit handled. But getting into social spaces -even online ones like tumblr- terrify me. I see everyone posting whitty, fun, interesting, and face meltingly wonderful horny posts. I wanna try, I probably look pathetic but I keep thinking of Jake from adventure time: "Sucking at something is the first step to becoming sorta good at something."

[trickstarbrave]

probably the most clear cut way to show how fucked up of an ideology TERFs have is the fact theyre just doomers and white supremacists. they dont have any actual, real solutions to any of the problems they face and complain about. because they don't believe there is an actual solution

they think "men are better, stronger, faster, smarter, and more athletic than women. there are only men and women in society and these are actually biological classifications. women are perpetual victims who are never truly safe around men. men will never understand women and women are doomed to take care of and be subservient to men forever"

there are some variations. some will say they dont believe in "men and women" as social genders and say gender is fake, but will then double down on the same gender stereotypes and say they are biologically innate and that is why women are so oppressed.

they also sometimes offer "solutions" but they aren't actual solutions. its the same shit they've always done which is "dont date and be alone with men" and "what if we went out and created a commune of just women?". but these solutions have always been flawed. their relationships are not genuine and their communities are also historically racist (shocker! /sarcasm). some are very extreme and say that women and men should never live together and the human race is doomed because all reproduction should stop and we should live in separate biological societies until humans die out, but even to the majority of TERFs these guys are nutjobs.

but really, most TERFs don't care about real solutions. they will date and marry men no problem. hell, they'll do shit like have their husbands come with them into the bathroom or stay posted outside with guns, which im sure makes other women feels safe (again. sarcasm). they aren't actually fucking radical at all. they buy into the same fucking patriarchal myths that have existed for centuries. they believe men will always be better than women and all women can do is grovel and be good little housewives and mothers to avoid being beaten, and also that men and women are weird, alien creatures to one another who will never understand each other's experiences and thus should hate each other.

they don't want things to get better. because tbh, this is just another brand of white woman victimhood so many scholars have been talking about for decades (link 1, link 2, theres more if you go looking LMAO). yes, there are TERFs who are women of color, but they are continuing to center the experiences of white women who love to be perpetual victims. they uphold standards of womanhood that are white in nature. and historically they have never been treated well by their white counterparts who, when there are no more trans people to harass, begin turning on them as gender deviants for not upholding the standards of white beauty and white femininity. white victimhood at the hands of men is a tool of white supremacy, hence why it is often women and men of color who have that card turned against them, regardless of if they are cis or not.

TERFs do not want real solutions, they want regression. white victimhood is power. they want to live in perpetual victimhood so they can use that card as they see fit, be it when they see a woman of color they don't like in the bathroom, they can accuse her of being a man and have her thrown out. when they describe trans women, they use descriptors often used to describe POC by racists. they will willingly ally themselves with the alt right because deep down remaining oppressed when it comes to abortion, voting, being able to work outside the home for equal pay, and marriage equality really pale in comparison to the appeal white supremacy has for them. they don't fully consciously recognize it, but it's the truth. which is why a lot of TERFs have fully gone mask off white supremacy tradwives after a while in the movement and have said TERF ideology and white supremacy are not very far from each other.

change isn't possible to them and they dont want it to be. they will handle the suffering and oppression if it means they can exercise control. in fact, they relish in the narrative of a perpetual victimhood, the myth of men being biologically superior to them, because they can use that to their advantage--as seen by having their fucking husbands armed to the teeth waiting outside public restrooms to "protect their wives". attacking the other, attacking the "degenerates" and "undesirables" in society will always come before actually changing their conditions in a material way. because they do believe deep down they will always be protected in the end. it's a privilege they have. and they will find out the hard way when there are no more trans people, no more bi, gay, pan, or other sexual minorities, and no more people of color, the white men will turn on them with the full front of their hatred and violence in ways they never could have imaged. because it always fucking happens.

[tttefandomcontroversialopinions]

False Transphobia in sci-fi

yeah i know this isn’t TTTE base but like, its still possibly a controversial opinion so eh, need to dump this somewhere where i can’t get cancelled on twitter so enjoy https://twitter.com/FutureContact_/status/1664719158347542529 THIS FUCKING TWEET is the reason i’m making this post, i don’t like to comment of trans topics as i’m not trans but when someone has deliberately gone out of their way to say something is transphobic about a vague disappearance personality change story in a sci-fi show, it kind of rubs me up the wrong way because its a conclusion jump that has no solid ground to stand on other than a name change so in the scene inwhich is being claimed captain jack is being transphobic he tells a short story about a friend who seemed off, only to disappear and come back wanting to be called vanessa and jack being wary of people acting out of character, but this is the thing, before disappearing said friend in said vague story was stated to have been different, you could say out of character, and considering we never get the full story after the name change because jack is going on about never trusting people whom are out of character after this, i think the conclusion is they are not being transphobic, as from my honestly quite small sample size of people i know who are trans in some way, they aren’t completely different people because they are trans, they are still them, but they have realised they aren’t in the right physical body and typically would have a name change sorted out pretty much when they realise who they truly are, same with none-specific-gender people, genderfluid? agender? either way normally the new name comes first, alongside the announcement that they are trans, in jacks story he never mentioned anything about this vanessa being trans, which knowing captain jack he’d have slipped that detail in, but it is never stated that they are trans ever. so, other than the not being expressly labelled as trans, and the limited knowledge meaning the name change would have come pre-disapearance, how else can we confirm this isn’t transphobic? litterally looking at the genre of torchwood, its sci-fi with a touch of adult drama, oh look a key thing there, SCI-FI, so i put it to you, could there be an alien parasite at work to cause out of character behaviour, maybe one that fully takes over and retains vague memories from its host, choosing the name vanessa as that feels right in the vague host memories, maybe its their mother, a girlfriend, wife, sister, auntie, grandma, family friend, or best friend, and maybe after being laid in the host it started affecting the host’s character, causing them to disapear somewhere while the parasite finishes growing in their brain, eventually taking over, coming back to jack as a vague memory lead them to where he was, whether a bar, a coffee shop, whatever, but then the parasite tries to take over the earth, or tries to blow it up i dunno, whatever the reason it cause jack to not trust people whom are out of character because of said parasite now, in that last paragraph, it may have seemed like i jumped the gun a bit, but you have to remember, sci-fi logic is about jumping guns narratively when left vague, but jumping them logically and not looking for problems, unlike said twitter post, looking for something to spread false (probably, i don’t know the writers personally) negative rumours about the place because a vague story happened to have a male to female name change in it. if you have made it this far i thankyou, and you can agree or disagree, idc, i just needed a rant as i’m pissed off with how the world sees vagueness and tries to put real life problems into that vagueness of a sci-fi spinoff show

[lizardbytheriver]

When they say "Trans Ideology", they are just talking about Trans People. They too cowardly to just outright say it. I am Pro-2nd Amendment. But you cannot deny that Guns are a Real Problem in the United States. We should be expanding and funding Mental Health Services. We should be restricting some Gun Access tbh. Because some Young Folks are committing Mass Murder with guns. Because some People (like our Veterans) are committing suicide with guns. But notice. They take real issues and real problems, and their solution is to attack vulnerable people and popular policies. Trans People are a vulnerable population who deal with housing inequality, employment inequality, high suicide rates, there are currently hundreds of Anti-Trans Bills and Legislation, etc. Trans People are not the violent and aggressive monsters you want to paint them as. They are fighting to survive in a World calling for their eradication. Even depressed Trans People, are they depressed because they are Trans? Or are they depressed because of the hundreds of Anti-Trans Legislation, near constant demonization from the Media, restrictions on Gender Affirming Care, the inaccessibility of a lot Gender Affirming Care, the near constant misgendering and disrespect, etc.? I think its self-explanatory why Trans People may feel depressed or even angry. A lot of it is because of what the Far-Right, Republicans, and Rightwing Christians are doing and enacting. The Far-Right, Republicans, and Rightwing Christians created such a volatile environment towards Trans Folks. Of course, Trans Folks are going to get sad and angry at this injustice! Cannabis and Marijuana Legalization is extremely popular across the Political Spectrum. But somehow these Conservatives think Cannabis is the problem. They would rather demonize and get rid of Cannabis, than accepting any gun reform. Cannabis is helping thousands. Whether Cannabis is being used to help treat medical problems, emotional problems, or just to relax. Legalizing Cannabis is such a Popular Position, but Republicans will demonize it. We have seen how the War on Drugs and the War on Cannabis turns out. It just ends up with a lot of people (especially people of colour) being unjustly thrown in prison. Stealing years from those people. The Republicans call themselves the Party of Small Government. Meanwhile. They are trying to get rid of HRT, Trans People, and Cannabis. How is this Small Government? How is getting rid of a Medical Procedures (like HRT) the actions of a small government? This is Authoritarian Nonsense. Fascists always find an "out-group" to blame all the country's problems on. And it never ends well for that "out-group". (Video copied from the Twitter Account "atrupar". April 14th, 2023.)

[supersanderman]

Musicals and Gender Identity

My friends and I have been able to bond over a variety of things and one of them is musical theatre. I was a theatre kid growing up, although I had a very shitty director who treated his students like garbage, including me. I was only cast in two shows, blamed for breaking a spotlight he broke, lied to, and manipulated and it made me never want to do theatre again. But there’s something about Broadway and being able to blast a good musical number that makes all of your problems go away. And Broadway in particular also has been able to tackle some of the most pressing issues and themes in some of the best ways possible. One of my favorite shows is Rent with its rock style of music and deep themes such as living with HIV/AIDS, much of its songs like the titular title song “Rent” and “La Vie Boheme” act as commentary on the world and its priorities. Two lines in the show from the song “Finale B” hit very close to home, “Forget, regret, or life is yours to miss,” and “Give in to love or live in fear.” I have sometimes let the past dictate my life and I feel that now as I write this I continue to fight my past instead of growing and facing it. This especially comes through in grappling with my own queer identity, as for so long I didn’t know what I identified as, and my learning so late in life makes me question myself. Even now with my demi boy or masc-leaning non-binary identity, I still continue to question and wonder if I am satisfied with who I am. As for giving in to love, well, I think people need to look around. Drag shows and trans youth aren’t going to be the death of people. Guns are. Yet with republican lawmakers, many are willing to live in fear because they aren’t willing to give in to the principle of love and care for fellow humans. I especially despise when people use the bible as a means of going against LGBTQ youth, because religious freedom doesn’t mean the freedom to impose your religion onto others. There is a song from the musical “The Prom” which satarizes the idea of using the bible as a means to be anti-LGBTQ, insisting the rule that trumps the others in the bible is “Love Thy Neighbor.” Other LGBTQ musicals I love are Falsettos which focuses on queer relationships and HIV/AIDS in New York while also focusing on toxic masculinity and family dynamics and Kinky Boots which follows a failing shoe factory which switches to making boots for drag queens to stay in business. In Kinky Boots, the part of Lola was originally played by Billy Porter who I absolutely love. Other musicals such as Strange Loop which just opened focus on intersectionality and looks into the experience of a queer black individual. While I personally have not seen the show, I have heard nothing but rave reviews. I am also a sucker for Hamilton, which has a primarily POC cast. I personally missed broadway during COVID and feared that the pandemic would be the death of theatre. I saw Beetlejuice in fall and it was the first show I had seen in almost 3 years, and it was absolutely incredible. And even that show wasn’t afraid to poke fun at political and social issues. It was so refreshing to see a show after so many years of missing live theatre, and it has continued to inspire me to want to write my own show, potentially based around my own experiences. 

Speaking of my own experiences, it's finally time to detail the last piece of my identity. To start I have always felt that I didn’t fit the male gender, due to my being the complete opposite of certain stereotypes and typical traits. I never really felt that I was truly male, but I also never really felt truly non-binary. I felt that occasionally I felt more like a guy but other days I felt more gender-neutral. I didn’t know how to place my feelings until one day when a person in my section said some extremely sexist things and I finally went to my big and said, at this moment, I just don’t feel like a man, I don’t like men, and I don’t want to associate my gender with them because it's not me. They directed me to a new micro-label, demi boy, somewhere in the grey zone between male and nonbinary. I now feel so free, as some of my friends use they/them pronouns when referring to me. I definitely now feel more comfortable in my own skin, and I feel more masc-leaning nonbinary now more than anything, although I’m still comfortable with demi boy. I’ve realized more than ever that gender is fluid, and I have lived through that fluidity. It’s a beautiful thing really, and I’m thankful for finding an identity that fits me. 

[magnaflourious-nerdity]

there is no justifying MURDERING someone! so what you are teased etc. those 9 year olds had nothing to do with it.

Genuinely unsure of what this was about. If it's about me wishing that my trans friends are safe in the face of this new wave of anti trans rhetoric (3 trans mass shooters out of 2880+ over the past 5 years, so, you know .001% of the cases, and yet trans people somehow are the problem? Thier identity is once again being tied into the morality of their existance which, 1. Ew, and 2. Is fucking hateful) then I have to legit ask: bro do you even go here????

Where in my harmless little post wishing my friends are ok, do i justify anything the shooter did? Where in my post do I liken all trans people to this one transperson?? SOREY, THAT WAS YOU, IN THIS STUPID ASS ANON ASK. This isn't an issue of transness its an issue of gun control, mental health care, and the American system. It's an issue of one shooter, taking others lives into their hands, wrongfully and horrifically, and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH BEING TRANS!!!!

Stop making this part of the shooters identity the only part that matters! It's the least meaningful part of it all. It's not a character tag. This was a person who made a choice to be evil. Beyond that their identity is irrelevant

I would say you're right, we shouldn't murder people. And that includes both 9 year Olds who are innocent school children, and whom to my knowledge none of my friends have ever murdered, and IT ALSO INCLUDES trans people who, May I remind literally everyone, are still people, and are more likely to be murdered than to do a murder. Who are facing people saying they want the ERADICATION of trans identities.

Do I justify the shooting of 9 year Olds? Are you on fucking crack? Are you asking me if , as a school teacher, Im ok with the murder of nine year olds in school or ever??? Are you suffering from a grievous head injury? You can take your false equivalencies and get off my fucking blog. Where in my post did I say I was justifying what one trans person, who is not a representative of all trans people, and whose identity is being used as a smokescreen to distract from any talks about gun control we may have, did???

This is wild and I genuinely can't tell if this is fr, because wtf are you on about bro.

All I did was wish my friends safety and comfort in a very scary news cycle, when they're constantly being threatened for the mere fact of existance.

If you can't say this with your name on it, you're a fucking coward and a miserable empathy-less piss waffle and you're invited to never come the fuck back here or I'll bite your soul in half like a fucking oreo