thevagabondbard - Tumblr blog

[thevagabondbard]

there’s dykes in Oklahoma too! (1972)

[thevagabondbard]

from dykes to watch out for #323 published in 1999

[thevagabondbard]

Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

[thevagabondbard]

Growing up a queer girl reading the Oz books meant subconsciously linking Ozma saving Dorothy from Langwidere's tower in Ozma of Oz...

...with every "prince saves a maiden in a tower" moment from fairy tales or fairy tale adaptations...

[thevagabondbard]

Tippetarius (he/him): Miss Glinda, may I have your pronouns?

Glinda (she/her): Of course--

Ozma (he/him) (she/her): Thanks!

Glinda (/): What?

[thevagabondbard]

The Road to Oz (1909) - John R Neill

[thevagabondbard]

[thevagabondbard]

Happy Pride from accidental trans girl Princess Ozma! Her gender reveal and transition scenes in The Marvelous Land of Oz were depicted surprisingly progressively considering they were written by a presumed cishet man in 1904 🏳️‍⚧️

[thevagabondbard]

[thevagabondbard]

It’s crazy that people keep trying to make ‘edgy and transgressive’ adaptations of Alice in Wonderland when the actual lore of the Wizard of Oz books are ten times crazier. For instance;

1. If you live in Quadling County and are trans (which one of the main characters canonically is), you have to find an illegal witch to do gender affirming magic on you because Glinda refuses to do it.

2. The previous ruler of the neighboring country of Ev sold his wife and 10 children to the Nome King, and then went mad with grief and threw himself into the ocean.

3. In Oz the penalty for murder is death even in the case of children, animals, and child animals. And in the case of cats they are sentenced to 9 death penalties.

[thevagabondbard]

We should really talk more about how Ozma’s first thought upon learning her real identity is that she’s going to be torn away from her friends and therefore the only support system she’s ever had.

And how she doesn’t calm down until the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow- the first adults to show her any sort of kindness or affection- assure her that they’ll still be part of her life no matter what.

We should really talk more about how Ozma spent the entirety of her early life in the care of someone who openly resented her and she never knew parental love of any kind. Or about how the Scarecrow did a better job of caring for Ozma in the course of a single day than Mombi did for over a decade.

Or how Ozma demonstrates a great deal of attachment to the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow throughout the rest of the series to the point where the Scarecrow divides his time between living with Ozma and living with the Tin Man-

Not to mentio the numerous times where the Tin Woodman is willing to die for Ozma’s sake-

In conclusion, we should really talk more about these guys. I have a lot of feelings about them.

[thevagabondbard]

August 21: happy birthday to Princess Ozma, the one true ruler of the Land of Oz! Long may she reign!

[thevagabondbard]

Gotta hand it to L Frank Baum. Fella was like “I wanna write a proper, home-grown, American fairy tale!”

And then proceeded to create a protagonist with so much TGirl Girlboss Lesbian Communist Swag that every adaptation since has needed to make someone else the protagonist, relegating Ozma of Oz to the most background of roles.

Absolutely fantastic. No further notes.

[thevagabondbard]

excerpt from "The Ozmapolitan" (Issue 5, Reilly & Lee, 1928) featuring Ozma's thoughts on becoming a girl

[thevagabondbard]

Tbh if I were a right winger looking to torpedo queer spaces, the no kink at pride people would be the torpedo. Sanitizing our community, or segments thereof, confines us to mediocrity imo

Exactly, and I have no doubt they've already started doing this.

[thevagabondbard]

yknow it took a meme for me to realize every member of greenday is bisexual however, i also didnt really look at pictures of the band greenday before that and like

how was this ever a question? like no shade but this group is like if danny elfman, american flavored gerard way and the “i will find you and i will kill you” guy got blasted with an emo fruitification beam and formed a band