Politics

  • Let’s Update TERF for 2024

    TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist) is a widely-used and important label. It’s an attempt to properly name a subset of bigoted people who conceal their hate-filled actions beneath a guise of feminism. Identifying TERFism isn’t about name-calling, but about exposing and dismantling anti-trans behavior that ultimately serves white supremacy. The problem: TERF is not entirely…

  • Unghosted! Supporting Asian Diasporic Trans, Nonbinary and Gender-expansive Voices

    Unghosted! Supporting Asian Diasporic Trans, Nonbinary and Gender-expansive Voices

    Guest Post by Ching-In Chen In 2019, Jennifer Chang invited me to give a Secret History talk for the 2nd Asian American Literature Festival in Washington, DC. The idea was to showcase little-known writers and artists. In all the classes I had taken–from K-12, to graduate school, to even community workshops–I had never been asked…

  • Trans People Are Not Laughing

    Trans People Are Not Laughing

    Once again, the worlds of entertainment and politics have collided to ask whether it is funny–or acceptable– to make jokes about transgender people. Comedian Dave Chappelle’s recent Netflix special, The Dreamer, is the latest in his now extensive body of work making fun of trans folks. The Dreamer was released the same month as Lady…

  • How Prisons and Police Impact Trans Politics

    How Prisons and Police Impact Trans Politics

    The prison-industrial complex is a set of “overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems.” When police, prisons, courts, or media are used to solve economic, social, and political issues, they target marginalized communities such as people of color, women and femmes, queer people, disabled people, poor…

  • Digital Anti-Black Transmisia

    Digital Anti-Black Transmisia

    Black Twitter be wildin’ In late July, “comedian” Jess Hilarious responded to TikToker @itsblessingrose, who explained that cis women are not the only people who have periods. Blessing Rose, a Black trans woman, used her platform to include the various people who might menstruate but are not cisgender women. The Shade Room, a Black-owned tabloid…

  • Texas Grown Terror: Hate Groups from the Lone Star State Part 1

    Texas Grown Terror: Hate Groups from the Lone Star State Part 1

    Life is dangerous for many LGBTQ+ people in Texas. With the state legislature and school districts deliberately endangering the lives of trans kids, the Lone Star state is at war with its most vulnerable residents. Making it worse are the numerous hate groups spread across Texas. Dallas, Houston, and even Austin are heavy with domestic…

  • Dey/Dem: A Black Exclusive Pronoun 

    Dey/Dem: A Black Exclusive Pronoun 

    “This User uses Dey/Dem Pronouns.”  Neo-pronouns are often a topic of contention and contempt. For those still getting the hang of — or refusing to get the hang of — they/them/theirs, neo-pronouns like Xe and Zir probably elicit deep-seated negative emotional reactions.  In the colonial world that has fallen on us, there are two genders…

  • The Multi-Verse of Anti-Trans Lawsuits

    The Multi-Verse of Anti-Trans Lawsuits

    At the end of this week, Texas begins its ban on medical care for trans youth. Senate Bill 14 prohibits kids from receiving the necessary HRT that their medical professionals prescribe to them. In July, a group of families, supported by the usual cadre of LGBTQ+ and civil liberties focused legal groups sued to block…

  • Pride is Still a Riot

    Pride is Still a Riot

    Following a year of legislative onslaught against LGBTQ+ people the phrase pride is a riot is a reminder of past and present fights for existence. Pride represents a safe space for those newly out, exploring their identities, and basking in the warmth of community. The festive atmosphere of pride, combined with corporate adoption from brands–including J.P. Morgan…