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#Queer Appalachian
intheholler · 3 months
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went on a nice long drive through west virginia today. soooo pretty. i never spent much time there.
it was really nice skitterin through small towns and seeing pride flags hangin on the front doors of businesses in these rural areas. like, more than one. *especially* because WV is one of the most heavily and harmfully stereotyped states in the region
tiny things like this show some things are really changing for the better in appalachia, and i'm tired of people pretendin they ain't just so they got more fuel for their hateful narrative about us.
when i was a teenager i never even saw that kinda thing in comparatively progressive western nc. and now here i was today, windin through the hills of west virginia with rainbows blowing everywhere
keep being loud and unapologetic, y'all. it's working
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jojo-oliver · 7 months
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oceans and forests 🌲paintings i did
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powerlineprincess · 13 days
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☆B&W 35mm☆at the club☆K.E.A Lux Hill 2023☆
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wendingus · 10 months
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THE PAPERBACK IS HERE!
Barnes & Noble snagged the paperback version of A Lonely Broadcast: Book One before any other retailer, so if you want an early copy, I'll link it below!
Hopefully, Amazon will catch up soon. I'll make sure to post when it's up.
The link: A Lonely Broadcast: Book One Paperback
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princip1914 · 1 month
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I loved your fic The False and the Fair. While I was reading it, I thought, this is so good, the author should rework this into an actual novel, then in the endnotes you mentioned that you were planning on using elements of it to write a novel. I would love to read it if you do, though I don't know how I would find out about it. Would you announce it on your Tumblr if you did? I would definitely buy it if you manage to publish it. Thank you for writing it.
Thank you so much for such a lovely ask! Yes, I am working on a novel that is (sort of) based on TF&TF, but I’ve been working slowly in part because I the fic is so special to me and, if I did publish an original novel, I’d want to do it in such a way that I can keep the fic up on AO3 and also let the tumblr crowd know about the novel. I am also working on a few other unrelated original fiction projects that are higher on my priority list right now (partially because I am a much more enthusiastic writer than editor haha).
So yes, I suppose in the hypothetical distant future when the novel is finished, I would likely make a post here so that y’all could check it out. But I’m not rushing into that future any time soon!
One of the reasons I wrote TF&TF was because I hadn’t read much published queer fiction that dealt with themes that have been meaningful in my own life (especially: telling a happy story that involves HIV, telling a story where being queer in a rural area isn’t reduced to homophobia and hate crimes). I am so happy that fandom has provided a way for me to share this with the world! ❤️
If you want to read The False and the Fair check it out here! (It’s archive locked so you do have to log in to read it).
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funeralfire · 1 year
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it's like... really obvious some of you have never had a pick up truck full of men hurl the word "queer" with hatred in their voices at you.. happy 4 you besties ... not all of us are able to/want to reclaim that word or relate to in with any sense of happiness. It's okay. You can call yourself queer. that's okay too. Just don't call me queer, it's not that hard :)
I think some people on tumblr who don't leave their houses forget that people actually get called slurs on the street still. Like it's not history, it's a fucking friday night for some of us. I'm well informed on the history of the lgbt community:) enough to know that it's polite to respect people when they don't want to be called what's commonly regarding as slur, at least in rural and conservative areas of America... where lgbt people still shockingly live!
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thefadingyouth · 1 year
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White Dresses
The smell of beer and flowers float through the air, 
In decades to come her white dress will be a light yellow from cigarettes smoke.
For now she is smiling and dancing like a child once again, as she twirls in her dress.
The ringlets in her hair remind her mother of the curls she had once had when she was just a baby. Her laughter reminds her father of the child he raised.
She has her fathers eyes, full of wonder. He was her age when he married her mother.
She has her grandmothers smile, sickening sweet. The southern twang they share is something only they can understand.
Her eyes are gleaming in a way that could out shine the heavens.
A dress she will only wear once, the bottom now light green from her backyard celebration and a makeup stain on the inside. 
She stands in the yard, her flower girl on her hip, taking in the beauty of today.
An organized chaos, that she planned for years.
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slackerb1tch · 9 months
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god loves you, but not enough to save you
or,
spending the summer solstice in a very rainy and moody appalachia
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bigmisssteakart · 7 months
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“Watching Heartstopper On A Rainy Day”
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Making art this way has been so much fun! It’s like a little experiment
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foundlings-novel · 9 days
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There is an insatiable yearning that comes with growing up. With boyhood and all the mud that cakes to your skin with it. It asks for recognition and bee-lining in a way that  boys so rarely get. They hide their earnest curiosity and their disarming vulnerability beneath layers of bravado and sly posturing that shows clear on stage, the tragicomic theater of youth. 
Breathing in a space of heavy muddled air, begging to be inhaled. They stand there, steadfast, taking it all in, then, they are pushed from the platform of observation and are forced to face the infinite, yet finite potential of their life as an acrobat swinging from the trapeze of awkwardness to a high beam of bravado, forever teetering on the precipice of self-discovery, all while the world watches on.
They land and forget to bend their knees and find themselves lost again in the labyrinth of feeling that they refuse to see, borne back ceaselessly against the current of what’s to come, no guiding light in sight. 
And then there’s more. There’s the kids who find the same kind of tumult in the way of their trajectory forward, and they breathe and stutter and push through their lungs collapsing. Sometimes they find themselves too, on the way through the darkness and they learn what they need. 
They see themselves as something else and grow to fill the shape they’ve always been meant to take, rather than fighting the mold fit around them by force. So they begin to shape their sides like clay, and draw a needle back with the fluids that are sure to change them. 
In the sterile ambiance of their bedroom, their bathroom, their quiet space, they pull and breathe and embark on the starkly intimate ritual of injecting testosterone into their tummy, or their thighs. Pulling back the skin and squeezing, fighting to keep it all in. The syringe, a surreal implement of transformation, piercing the flesh ushering in a chemical metamorphosis that blurs the lines between who they were and who they are. Who they have come to be. 
Drawing the needle back once more, there is release and a tiny drop of blood spills out with a hint of clear, viscous liquid that spins new stories with each passing week. Encouraging the dance of the hormones in their blood, those minuscule marionettes writing a new story with every step along the way. 
Each pinch, a reminder that there is power in the self and that all it takes is a small tug to begin unraveling the tapestry that is there everyday. That it only takes a little bit of liquid to further sculpt their identity into what they want it to be. To make change in a world evermore characterized by the collision of the mundane and the profound, where the quest for authenticity collides with the strange paradox that is self-creation. 
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intheholler · 2 months
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Appalachia & Southeastern USA LGBTQ+ Resource Masterpost
Under the cut, you'll find queer-focused resources sorted by state.
I have a sister post with donation links for those outside of the region who'd like to help us grow.
If you aren't from the region, I encourage you to find the organization that speaks to you the most, put your money where your mouth is and help us be better.
If you are from the region, I sincerely hope this can help you or someone you know in some way.
This list is inexhaustive as Tumblr is only permitting 100 links (which is also what necessitates the sister post and is why you may not see your contribution unfortunately).
Disclaimer: I do not (necessarily) personally endorse these organizations, nor have I vetted them thoroughly. If I have included anything you know to be detrimental or harmful in any way, please DM immediately me so I can rectify it.
General Regional Resources
Appalachian Outreach organizes events and provides access to resources for the queer community all across Appalachia.
STAY (Central Appalachia) is a youth-led activist organization in central Appalachia.
Trans in the South is a directory for gender-affirming healthcare in the south.
Southerners on New Ground (SONG) is a queer liberation group funding projects, protests, and campaigns to build a queer-friendly south.
Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP) connects trans youth affected by anti-trans legislation with gender-affirming healthcare providers in the southeast; they offer grants up to $500 to individuals for emergency support.
Trans Health Project helps trans folks understand, access and utilize their medical insurance. They provide grants for gender-affirming surgeries.
Campaign for Southern Equality provides funding, training and resources for/to queer individuals and activists.
Not region specific, but important all the same: Help suspected transgender John and Jane Does regain their identities.
Resources by State
Alabama
AIDS Alabama helps provide housing to vulnerable individual and families, including helping queer youth find housing.
ALTGO’s list of local resources for gender-affirming care, legal services and generally queer-friendly physical/mental healthcare.
The Knights & Orchids Society provides housing, healthcare, and general support to the Black queer community.
Based in Birmingham, Magic City Acceptance Center offers supportive safe spaces and direct support to 52 counties in Alabama.
Medical Advocacy and Outreach in southern Alabama provides HIV+ care, as well as HIV & hepatitis C testing.
Prism United funds free therapy and hosts gatherings for queer individuals along the Gulf Coast.
Shoals Diversity Center is a Florence-based group that offers mental health services, support groups and other resources for the queer community in the Shoals area.
T.A.K.E. Resource Center provides direct support, grants, housing advocacy and other services for trans women of color in Alabama.
Thrive Alabama facilitates access to queer-focused healthcare services in North Alabama.
Georgia
Carollton Rainbow organizes queer-focused social events in West Georgia and provides tools for advocacy in the community.
Emmaus House is a soup kitchen in Savannah also providing laundry and shower facilities.
Emory is an Atlanta-based, queer-focused law firm.
Feminist Women’s Health Center (I know the name isn’t necessarily ideal, sorry) in Atlanta offers trans-inclusive, affordable medical care. They also provide access to abortions.
First City Network in Savannah provides referral services for healthcare, advocacy, education and mutual aid for queer Georgians.
List of housing assistance in the Savannah area
Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia serves the queer community’s legal needs in Georgia.
Kentucky
AIDS Volunteers of Lexington (AVOL) provides housing and assistance to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.
Arbor Youth Services provides emergency shelter to queer youth in Louisville, up to age 24.
Berea Human Rights Commission offers free investigations into claims of housing or employment discrimination with a focus on queer folks.
Kentucky Health Justice Network provides referrals to gender-affirming providers, as well as financial assistance for trans healthcare and abortions.
Kentucky Youth Law Project provides free representation to queer youth.
Massive Kentuckian LGBTQ resource list provided by Lexington Pride Center, broken down into easy-to-browse categories.
Louisville Youth Group strives to give queer youth the tools and skills they need to grow personally and facilitate positive change in their communities.
Sweet Evening Breeze helps queer young adults in Kentucky between the ages of 18-24 obtain emergency housing.
Trans Kentucky’s list of gender-affirming healthcare providers across the state
Guide on changing your name following gender-affirming surgeries in Kentucky, and a tool to help you do so.
Louisiana
AcadianaCares supports folks living with HIV/AIDS while providing support to houseless and impoverished individuals.
ACLU Louisiana website.
Community resources in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette (much of it only provides addresses and emails, so it’s hard to link individually here).
Directory of trans-focused healthcare providers
List of in-person and online queer support groups. In-person groups are based in Monroe, Lafayette and Baton Rouge.
Mutual aid in Shreveport
Out of the Closet provides clothing for the queer community with multiple locations throughout the state.
OUTnorthla is a queer film-festival hosted by PACE Louisiana.
Queer-forward healthcare in Louisiana.
QUEERPORT is a grassroots org offering a platform for queer creatives.
Tulane Drop-In Clinic provides free medical and social services to runaway and otherwise houseless youth.
Guides for legal name changes in Louisiana.
Mississippi
Capital City Pride hosts pride events, meet-ups and book clubs for the queer community around Jackson.
Gulf Coast Equality hosts drag shows, food drives and other events for the Gulf Coast area.
The Spectrum Center in Hattiesburg offers a community closet, short-term emergency housing, free HIV testing and scheduled support groups/events for the queer community in Hattiesburg.
Violet Valley Bookstore is a queer feminist bookshop owned by a published lesbian author in Water Valley.
Guide for name changes in Mississippi.
North Carolina
Charlotte Transgender Healthcare Group (CTHCG) connects trans folks with gender-affirming care.
Down Home NC helps rural working class communities organize to advocate for their rights.
Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center provides financial support to queer nonprofits and activist groups in NC to fight anti-queer legislation.
Ladies of the T is provides resources and support to trans and gender non-conforming women of color in the Tri-City area. .
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Attorneys (NCPMB) provides attorney referrals, visibility, and support for the queer community.
Pitt County Aids Service Organization (PICASO) provides HIV prevention and testing services in Eastern NC, as well as support for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
Asheville-based Tranzmission’s compilation of trans-focused medical, social and legal resources in WNC.
Triad Health Project provides free HIV testing, contraceptives, prevention outreach, daycare and access to their food pantry in Guilford County.
Durham-based Triangle Empowerment Center provides the queer community with emergency housing, access to PrEP, as well as support groups and other events.
South Carolina
Harriet Hancock Center is a community center offering social support for queer individuals in the Midlands area.
Free gender-affirming gear to South Carolinians!!!
Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), a queer-focused social justice group
List of queer-friendly medical providers across the state
Uplift Outreach provides safe spaces for queer youth in Spartanburg.
Charleston Black Pride serves the queer POC community in the low country area.
We are Family Charleston’s community center hosts support groups and provides direct support to the queer community around Charleston. They offer microgrants to trans individuals in the state as well as in-person support groups and aforementioned free stuff for trans folks.
Closet Case is a thrift store by and for queer individuals, operated by We Are family, offering safe and affordable clothes shopping.
T-Time holds support groups for trans individuals, based in Myrtle Beach.
Palmetto Community Care provides confidential HIV testing and support as well as free contraceptives.
South Carolina based community support network for the trans community
Legal assistance in Columbia, SC/Midlands area
Guide on changing your name in South Carolina
List of queer-safe, gender-affirming care providers in Columbia, SC
Tennessee
CHOICES provides low-cost LGBTQ healthcare, among other services, such as abortions.
Emergency housing in Tennessee for those living with AIDS
Launch Pad helps queer youth among others obtain emergency shelter in the Nashville area.
Metamorphosis provides transitional housing and other emergency support for queer youth between 18 - 24.
Mountain Access Brigade provides abortion funding across the state.
My Sistah’s House in Memphis provides emergency housing and support for queer people of color, as well as access to health services for sex workers.
The Seed Theatre in Chattanooga provides free resources such as binders for the trans community and hosts safe, social spaces.
Tennessee HIV Prevention & Care
Trans Empowerment Project provides support to trans and gender-nonconforming folks around Knoxville.
Youth Villages provides emergency housing for youth under 18.
List of trans-focused healthcare providers across the state.
Virginia
Counseling, free hygiene products, temporary housing and more provided by Side by Side VA
Virginia Home for Boys and Girls partners with Pride Place to provide temporary housing for queer young adults (18-25).
Side by Side VA provides temporary housing for queer youth for up to 6 months.
Nationz, based in Henrico, provides free STI/HIV testing, food pantry, PrEP, and notary services for the queer community.
Justice 4 All provides legal aid for low-income Virginians.
Virginia Rural health Association’s list of gender-affirming healthcare providers
General rural healthcare resources in Virginia
West Virginia
Dr. Rainbow connects folks with queer-friendly care in the state.
Fairness West Virginia’s list of gender-affirming care providers.
Harmony House West Virginia provides queer-friendly shelter for houseless people.
Holler Health Justice is a queer- and POC-led mutual aid organization based in WV, though they seem open to serving all Appalachians.
Holler Health Justice also provides financial/logistic support to West Virginians seeking abortions.
WVFREE connects West Virginians with birth control providers.
Nearby gender-affirming care for trans youth at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Transgender Health Center.
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jojo-oliver · 1 year
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paintings i did :p
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andromedaexists · 8 months
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The Binding of Bloom Mountain || Siggy Chambers
★★★★★
TW: HORROR
omg you guys I genuinely can't think of anymore triggers on this holy shit abut also WHAT THE FUCK
Where do I start? Right here:
This book feels like home.
That's right, this book that I had no idea existed until last month feels like home to me. I wish I could rate it 6 stars, it's re-framing my rating system in my head. It is 11pm a night, hours past my bed time, and I am going to tell you everything I can about this book.
This is an Appalachian Folk Horror. A genre I had no idea existed and now I need more of it. From the very beginning I felt peace through the descriptions. The book is set in Virginia, but it rings true of northern West Virginia and southern Ohio Appalachia too.
I argued against Celeste all the way through the book. There are just certain things you learn being raised in the boonies. Things such as NO DON'T GO OUT TO GREET AN UNKNOWN CREATURE THAT BECKONING YOU TO THE WOODS and RUN BITCH WTF
From the beginning you can tell that Celeste isn't going to follow those tried and true rules, she has something against the small rural town of Milton (that doesn't surprise me, she's living in DC when we meet her)
I also just love the inclusion of natural remedies in the book. Again, it makes it feel like home. I can't tell you the amount of natural remedies and things that people would consider witchcraft in the day and age that I was raised on. We take care of nature and she will take care of us, after all
And the horror element was so perfectly executed! It wasn't super gore heavy or really super horror heavy, but the horror that was in here really hit home for me. It was shadows in the forest and always being watched and creatures that just Aren't Right. I love it
This book changed me just as fundamentally as Angels Before Man did, but in a wholly different way.
There aren't many quotes that I want to pull out of this story, just two really:
the spirit wanted something to tend, something to watch grow and thrive, something to love. And it wanted to feel that love in return.
"The trees knew I was coming..." "More than that, Celeste. They were calling you home."
Okay, now that that's over let's get into the spoiler heavy stuff:
OH MY GOD ABRAM WAS HER GRANDFATHER!!!! I literally messaged Doom like 3 lines before that reveal because that's when I put it together holy shit it's sooo good!!!
And the way that literally everything is foreshadowed:
Ellie being shown as soon as Celeste enters Milton
Celeste being told that she might meet something worse up there and then being hunted for sport by her grandpappy
All the foreshadowing about how Celeste is not only a good fit to do the binding, but The Fit (because she has the blood and magic of one of the mountains guardians pumping through her)
AAAAA I'm SCREAMING
I cannot wait for the sequel to this book omg Doom you better give me that sequel holy shit
This is definitely being added to the recommendation shelf. Holy shit.
I am planning on writing little things like this every time I read a book just to help me keep track of them. If I don’t write down my opinions and thoughts right away I am liable to forget them. I am hesitant to call these a review because i’m really just not comfy with that lol I will do my best to make sure I appropriately tag and warn about topics. If I miss any please let me know!
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creekfiend · 1 year
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i follow shep on twitter and you on here and never thought to cross those streams but in hindsight it makes a ton of sense that youse would overlap / know each other
We went to see Shep at his farm and swapped some sheep with him a few months ago 🤣 HES A COOL GUY
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bookquotesfrombooks · 4 months
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“Queer organizing that works to move beyond recognition, inclusion, and rights and toward collective transformation predicated on a collective privileging of intersectional activism that seeks to root out systemic injustice is world-making.”
Heather Brydie Harris
“Home Grown: Critical Queer Activism in Appalachia and the South”
Published in Y’all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia
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emotopunkpipeline · 6 months
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Yes, yes, the rumors are true
I'm one uh them quares
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