#homophobic despite your personal identity

[aro-culture-is]

Aro culture is wanting to complain about not getting to see much of a favourite celebrity in a TV series after a certain point until the new season next year, but not wanting people to think that means you have a crush on them. Alternatively, aro culture is wanting to gush about celebrities you like without people automatically assuming it's a crush.

.

#Anonymous #aro culture is #aro #aromantic #actually aro #actually aromantic #ask #mod phoenix #the only way i'd assume it's attraction is like. if it's pretty hard to see it as anything else #ie an old 'straight' friend who was known to go on half-hour long rants about how much he liked chris... uh. the thor one. his abs. #at which point we were like uh. hey kyle. you... got something you wanna talk to us about? #unfortunately he was v much convinced he was straight and homophobic despite this being one of like. so many examples of us being like... #bro you're the only straight cis one in your main friend group and you're a band kid with drama kid gfs #this does not give us the impression of a straight man kyle. #he was a weird type of homophobic tho #he was like? perfectly fine with people around him being gay and trans and was pretty chill about respecting identities #like shockingly good about respecting pronouns including situational stuff for safety #for someone who on more than one occasion talked about how he thought gay couples shouldn't be able to adopt and shit like that #from what i last heard though i think he got engaged to the last gf of his i knew from high school #and i knew her well enough that i assume he had to have improved as a person if she's willing to have married him #... i cannot stay on topic lol

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

Thinking about the transgender allegories that come with being a halfa. (Needing to hide your identity from the world, the government not respecting your autonomy as a person, only trusting your ghost half identity with very close friends and other members of the community)

Thinking about how Spectra weaponizing Danny's identity against himself, Skulker hunting him down for being what he is, and Walker's rules being as strict as they are and giving nobody any chance to learn them all feels like LGBT+ Community infighting metaphors.

ESPECIALLY Walker, and especially when combined with the genius headcanon that he is Maddie's dead dad because in that situation, Walker is the homophobic/transphobic man who spent his life fighting against these 'strange others' and when discovering that he's not as cishet as he thought, starts policing the community as a moral authority who's strict to an unobtainable degree.

Thinking of Skulktech's existence in general.

Thinking about how despite being told Ember and Skulker are a couple in canon, we never see much (if any) of their chemistry together. In theory, them being a couple could lead to an episode about them hunting Phantom down as a band/team as Ember's trying to engage in Skulker's hunting interest and Skulker's reciprocating by trying to engage in Ember's music interest, but we don't get anything like that.

Thinking about how all the cute couple stuff between them comes from phanon and in the show their relationship is more of an obligation. At best they're mutually bearding (Ember gains scary dog privilege with him to spook off the creepy fans and Skulker gets free seats to the shows of the most popular rockstar in the ghost zone), and at worst they're in an unhappy forced hetero-normative relationship.

Thinking about how Danny's arc going from fighting ghosts to working with them and deciding to be the bridge between the human world and the ghost world could be an allegory for him learning to love himself for what he is.

Thinking about how those transgender allegories also apply to Vlad on the grounds he himself is one.

Thinking about how we never even see or hear about Vlad's biological family outside of an off-mention about a sister he might not even have. "If anyone asks, you're my sister's cat".

Thinking about how Vlad and Danny are thematic opposites despite being the (former) only two of their kind, how Vlad has everything but the family he wants so badly and how we're proven time and time again that when the chips are down and when it comes to it, Jack and Maddie always love and accept Danny and his ghost half.

Thinking... Did Vlad get disowned from his family for being what he is?

Also with all of these thoughts, Badger Cereal in a nutshell is 'trans teenager whose only experience with lgbt communities is toxic cesspools filled with infighting tries to cancel his pseudo-uncle/godfather on twitter because "he used anti-lbgt slurs" (to describe himself) and instead of being mature, Vlad retorts with "My transsexual whore ass was with both of your parents back in college, I'd recommend getting a DNA test before throwing stones Little Badger"🫶. Because he himself is also pretty toxic and petty.'

#danny phantom #danny fenton #penelope spectra #skulker #warden walker #ember dp #jack fenton #maddie fenton #vlad masters #vlad plasmius

[lavendeerlesbian]

We get the bare minimum of people acknowledging we exist that's not pandering. Literally all most of us want is access to medical care and the right to live our lives without violent threats or harassment. Of course there are shitty trans people, there are shitty people in every group whether they're marginalized or not. No one should be harassed for just trying to live their lives, but every fucking day I have to have someone remind me that they think I should commit suicide and they think it's fucking hilarious. Some celebrities saying "trans rights" isn't helping my safety, medical care, or material existence.

"Bare minimum of people acknowleding we exist" and yet every major company acknowledges and accepts trans people (and if you disagree you can be fired), every job application now asks for your gender identity and acknowledges nonbinary identities, women's DV shelters are forced to accept transwomen or else risk facing defunding and being shut down despite the fact that most women there are traumatized and need space away from male people, males are legally allowed to go into women's restrooms and sports and prisons where they assault and rape female inmates and staff, and y'all are also allowed to undergo "gender affirming care" despite the fact that it violates the hippocratic oath and is not safe. Hell, many insurances will even cover the cost of transition so either you're lying or you're misinformed. Literal children having some restrictions being placed on transition doesn't count, as children aren't allowed to make many other life altering decisions and you don't complain about those (no smoking, no drinking, no tattoos, etc.). And I haven't even gotten into how the trans movement is inherently homophobic as y'all are trying to redefine homosexuality as "same gender attraction" and call any actual homosexual person a "transphobic bigot and genital fetishist" in much the same fashion as homophobic conversion therapists. Literally the guy who came up with the concept of gender identity, John Money, was a pedophile who did sexual experiments on twin boys which eventually caused both of them to commit suicide. Look it up. Also look up Alan Turing and the Aversion Project.

It's not just "some assholes", your entire movement is built on trampling on the rights of women and LGB people.

I'm sure you genuinely see yourself as a victim because you have been told BY OTHER TRANS PEOPLE that trans people will commit suicide if they don't get affirming care instead of just better mental health resources. You know what LGB activists told gay children? "It gets better", not "Affirm gay kids or they'll kill themselves". Like. Doesn't that rub you the wrong way at all? Why are your activists encouraging children to kill themselves?

Acknowledging reality is not oppression, either. Even radfems acknowledge that you exist and that you identify as trans, but the reality is men cannot become women and vice versa. Also, radical feminism the ideology has nothing to do with suicide baiting people, so if radfems have actually told you to kill yourself on the basis of you being trans (doubt) then I want to see receipts.

#anon #response #long post #sorry this response is disorganized #I genuinely would like to have a conversation with you about this though #anyways all this just to say that if trans people respected women and LGB people's rights and boundaries #we'd have no problem with you #and if you just excuse that behavior instead of calling it out and shutting it down then you are part of the problem

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Hi, first thanks for all the great meta and analysis❤️

So, I recently noticed this an increase of something that really annoys me: whenever the canyon stumbles upon an opinion they don’t agree with they’re acting like Con O’Neill is this helpless baby that needs protection from people criticising a character he played/his acting choices (because that obviously equals a personal attack🙄).

And as if he is this groundbreaking queer actor that has done more for the LGBTQIA+ community then David with OFMD. 

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely respect Con O’Neill and I do believe him that he is queer (despite there having been some valid doubts in the past) but I honestly don’t see that he played Izzy as gay (again, not on him, he just went with the role of the antagonist that he was given and did that really well, and then the Izzy fans tried to make it something that it was not). And if he did try to play Izzy as gay within the limitations of that script, then ok….an old white cis gay man who also falls into that hurtful trope of queer coded villain…tell me how that is groundbreaking representation again?

The same goes for “all of the other queer roles” he played according to the canyon. There are two of that I think: 

1)Cliff Costello, Cucumber (another old white gay men in a show with some very backwards views about how you are only properly gay if you get fucked in the arse or fuck others in the arse. No, I’m serious, the whole premise of the show is how horrible it is that the protagonist dosnt like anal!)

2)Val Pearson, Uncle (a character that fits every horrible stereotype of how trans people look, Con O’Neill stans love to claim that aCtUaLlY Val is gender fluid, but that is purely a head canon and never established in the show! If you know how 2000s media classically portrayed trans women and always made them the butt of the joke, this role is exactly(!) reproducing all of that).

Both of these are just side character btw. 

And I’m not blaming Con O’Neill for taking on these very problematic roles, as queer people we often have to take whatever representation we are given. Still -especially as a queer person- we don’t live in the 80s anymore you are allowed to be more critical about the roles you take on.

And I don’t think /he/ was the problem with these roles, I actually watched Uncle and like the way he played that character but that dosnt change the fact that the character itself is written deeply transphobic.

So maybe we shouldn’t pretend that they’re great representation?

And maybe we shouldn’t act as if Con had specifically chosen to play queer characters?

Like two deeply offensive stereotypical LGBTQIA+ characters in 40 years acting career? -that’s not more then your regular straight actor has played.

He is a decent actor but it annoys me that the canyon tries to turn him into this activist or something!

Wow, this got longer then I expected, sry just had to vent a little after seeing some rather outlandish canyon takes in the wild😅

OK, before I answer, I want to remark that this is a very thorny issue. I am not trans, and I know that there are some trans people who saw themselves in Izzy's characterization especially in Season 2 or discovered their own gender identity through that character. That's absolutely valid, and no one should ever say that it isn't.

I have not seen Con O'Neill in anything other than OFMD. From what I've seen, he's a good actor and seems a lovely guy who strongly supports fans and the LGBTQ+ community. But I can't speak to the other roles he has played because I have not seen them.

I read Izzy as queer, yes, though that's less explicit in the first season. He's very much the "queer-coded villain" trope, which is a homophobic trope...but as with everything OFMD does with tropes, it's subverted because—surprise!—almost everyone is queer. Izzy is very much an archetype of toxic masculinity and I think part of the point of the character is to develop how queerness does not always equal liberation.

I think it's very easy to fall into stan culture and arguing that the actor is the role and vice versa (so a criticism of Izzy is somehow a criticism of Con O'Neill). We have an additional layer here that this is a very queer show watched by a lot of queer people who see themselves, some for the first time, on the screen, and so are naturally defensive of the show itself, the specific characters, and the actors who play them. And that can cause a lot of problems too, especially if you're invested in the character who is canonically The Antagonist. To complicate it further, he is representative of a very common trope that for a long time was the major way queer people were represented at all in mainstream media, and we have people reading him as though he is the sole queer character. Which he likely would be, in many other stories...but not here.

It's a complicated issue. I wish that we could all step back a bit from our emotional investment in these characters and actors and recognize that they are part of a TV show that wears its tropes on its sleeve, and that just because an actor is a lovely person in real life, he is not his character.

#ofmd #our flag means death #reply #izzy hands #con o'neill

[isaactheterrible]

TF2 Mercs Thoughts On Queerness

TW: Homophobia, Transphobia (nothing graphic)

(Disclaimer: Thats what I think the 9 tf2 Mercs realistically think of gay/trans people based on their personalities in the comics. These are just my personal opinions, don't take it too personally)

1. Soldier

•Gay People:

-Military Homophobia (Calls gay men sissies/thinks they're weak and feminine)

-Against gay marriage

-Cool with gay people raising children as long as it's a fem/masc dynamic that looks heteronormative from an outside perceptive

-Cool with lesbians, especially butch ones

-Other than a few homophobic comments here and there okay with gay men

-Would defend a gay person if they were being physically attacked or if someone was being particularly mean

-Old fashioned but not cruel

•Trans People:

-Sees Trans people as their Gender Assigned At Birth

-Sees Trans women as emaculated and feminine men who need to 'man up'

-Sees Trans men as masculine women and supports their masculinity even tho he sees them as women

-Misgenders a lot but perhaps with conversation and some mental gymnastics (playing into his insanity) you might get him to accept your identity

-Doesn't understand NB people

2.Engineer

•Gay People:

-Cool with them (supportive)

-Belives in equal rights (Gay marriage/Adoption)

-Would be a bit taken aback if it was his kid and might have to confront some of his internalized biases but would work really hard to understand

-Supportive Dad Energy

•Trans People:

-Man of science

-Very supportive tries his best to use proper name/pronouns

-Thinks it's kinda cool what science can do to people's bodies

-Doesn't really understand NB people but tries to be supportive regardless

3.Demoman

•Gay People:

-He doesn't care

-Probably has experimented with some dudes

-Supportive of gay rights

-You're just another person to him

•Trans People:

-Supportive

-Tries his best with pronouns/names

-Doesn't always understand but he doesn't have to

4. Heavy

•Gay People:

-Despite the memes Heavy's highly educated

-While he doesn't understand it he doesn't bother gay people

-Would be supportive of a family member coming out, would confront his internalized biases because he just loves them so much

-Might be homophobic before but would rethink everything if someone he loves came out

•Trans People:

-He doesn't get it

-If you ask him to call you something he'll go along with it

-Doesn't really see trans people as their real gender but understands it's none of his business

-Would be polite for the sake of keeping the peace

5. Pyro

•Gay People:

-Pyro doesn't care

-They think pda is disgusting no matter who it's coming from

-Doesn't care how other people live their lives

-Would defend a person being attacked for being queer if the attack was physical

•Trans People:

-Supportive

-Might buy you a small pride flag

-Very excited to meet a new interesting person

-Uses correct name and pronouns

6. Scout

•Gay People:

-Homophobic

-Uses 'gay' as an insult

-Makes fun of gay people with his friends

-Would say something if a gay person was being physically attacked

-Believes marriage is between one man and one woman

-Mixed feelings on adoption tho (He prefers a kid have 2 dads or 2 moms than no family at all)

•Trans People:

-Would think it's a joke at first

-Has probably never heard of being trans before

-Wouldn't misgender someone if they passed

-Doesn't understand, never will but if you explain the basics he might use proper name/pronouns

-More accepting of trans than gay people

7. Medic

•Gay People:

-Doesn't care

-He's going to experiment on you regardless

-Supportive in a nonchalant way

-thinks Homophobia is illogical

•Trans People:

-Fascinated by their unique physiology

-Supportive and uses proper name/pronouns

-You better watch out you're a unique speciment

-Cool with NB people and especially intersex people, fascinated by the diversity of the human species

8. Spy

•Gay People:

-Doesn't care

-You're just another person

-Would be supportive if it was his kid

-None of his business and he knows it

•Trans People:

-Has done drag a few times

-Thinks NB people are "Confused"

-Sees Trans people as their Assigned Gender At Birth

-Thinks Gender-Non-Conforming people are just crossdressers

9.Sniper

•Gay People:

-None of his business

-Would be supportive of his kid if they came out

-Might be a bit uncomfortable with gay people showing pda

-Otherwise chill

•Trans People:

-Doesn't understand

-Uses proper name/pronouns in the name of politeness

-Doesn't know what a NB person is and would be really confused

-Is polite regardless

Link for part 2:

#tf2 #tf2 jane doe #trans #sniper #scout #medic #team fortress medic #team fortress two #team fortress 2 #tf2 soldier #tf2 sniper #tf2 demoman #tf2 heavy #tf2 headcanons #tf2 scout #soldier #tf2 spy #tf2 medic #tf2 pyro #pyro #team fortress engineer #team fortress comics #team fortress spy #team fortress demoman #team fortress headcanons #headcanon #team fortress soldier #Spy #Heavy #queer headcanons

[mauesartetc]

Hi, I just want to vent: I've gotten huge amounts of backlash for posting my criticisms of Helluva Boss on reddit, especially about Stolas' and Stella's relationship-stating why I think it's a bad depiction of abuse etc. And while I've said things that were insensitive and out of line, I find it very hypocritical that many fans defend Vivziepop to high heaven and act like she's some kinda goddess of writing who can do no wrong.

It's clear to me that many fans are so passionately defensive of the writing because find Stolas and his experiences relatable, and thus they see any criticism of his character and how the abuse is written as a personal attack.

Not gonna mention any names, but I've seen certain people say things that basically dismiss all critics as "immature kids who don't get real mature art like Helluva Boss" and explain the inconsistensies and plot holes with handwaves that while plausible, ignore the rule of "show don't tell". It all feels like ass-kissing and refusing to acknowledge that your fave show has flaws to me.

I really hate the dismissal of any critics as "abuse apologists" when the show itself is terrible at handling the topic of abuse, plays abusive behavior for laughs and depicts things that are toxic as "cute".

I also want to add that some people have justified Stella's one-note personality by saying "real maturity is accepting that sometimes people are just jerks" I find that a shoddy excuse.

I don't believe that any person on the planet is a jerk for no real reason, because real people aren't political strawmen or enemies in a war-propaganda film designed to incite rage and disgust-they have reasons for their actions even if they are disagreeable. To me, the comfortable fantasy is believing that the people who hurt you are evil monsters who only exist to inflict misery, when the truth is that they are their own people with positive and sympathetic qualities like everyone else.

These are my thoughts, I would like to hear yours on what I said.

"Immature kids who don't get real mature art like Helluva Boss"

LMAO okay if that person considers Helluva Boss "mature art", I'm convinced they've never consumed any other media intended for an adult demographic, and therefore have nothing to compare it to. The only time Helluva felt like a show for adults (to me, anyway) was Moxxie and Millie's song in "Ozzie's", where they have the confidence to reaffirm for themselves that they don't need to be kinky to have a fulfilling sex life. That's a message actual adults can relate to and need to hear. But the rest of the show comes off like it was written by edgy teens who think they know how to balance comedy and drama just because they've seen BoJack Horseman. Spoilers- They don't.

You're allowed to like it, you're allowed to think it's a good show overall, but... mature? Is it really? C'mon now.

Here's the thing: When people know they have no argument, they start mischaracterizing their opponent's position so it's easier for them to take the moral high ground. Easier for them to "win". Oh, you're not a fan of this show? You must be an abuse apologist, or a homophobe. They make these claims despite having little to no evidence they're true, just so they can disregard reasonable criticism and retreat to their comfortable little bubble where no one disagrees with them.

And you see this kind of rabid defense whenever someone has developed such an unhealthy attachment to something they like that it's become a vital part of their identity. They feel, at least subconsciously, that any attack on that thing is an attack on them. Why do you think some sports fans throw a fit when their team loses?

This is partly why I feel it's important to criticize media you like in addition to media you don't, understanding that nothing made by human hands will ever be perfect. If you can get some emotional distance from it, you won't get heated every time someone expresses the tiniest beef with it. Because chances are, it might also be a criticism you've made.

But I think at this point it's best to just disengage. If someone's made their mind up on a particular topic, no amount of convincing will change it. Leaving the conversation (or not entering it in the first place) is always an option. Block that subreddit if you have to. If you think they're wrong, let them be wrong. In a few years, they might find some sense of identity outside the stuff they enjoy, or they might not. It's not really your concern. The only real winner in an internet argument is the one who has a life outside of it.

#helluva boss #helluva critical #fandom #ask #chinesegal

[qqueenofhades]

I read a few of your posts and want to sincerely thank you for talking about how people in the West tend to be hypocritical when it comes to Russia's imperialism/colonialism.

I'm from Georgia and I think, other than Ukraine (obviously), this war has affected our country the most. I'm honestly terrified. Our current government consists of Russia's puppets and they are literally selling our country to Russian oligarchs and elites and turning it into the Russian colony. It's honestly tragic.

And I'm especially terrified as a queer person because Russia has been influencing and sponsoring the alt-right groups in Georgia and queerphobia is getting worse and worse. Those alt-right groups claim to protect Georgian identity but our identity was never homogeneous or homophobic, what they are actually promoting is Russian supremacy in order to drive away progressive Georgians from the country, leaving only the bootlickers.

Yet the Western leftists always act like Russia today is not as sinister as the US which always enrages me.

You're welcome, and just... yeah. It's something that drives me equally insane, and while I have problems with a lot of Western Leftists (tm) for varied reasons, that's definitely one of the biggest. As a historian, and somebody moreover who has done a lot of work on Russian and Soviet history, the willful ignorance and total distortions just boggle my mind. And like, you don't even NEED to have studied it to understand the problems in cheerleading for a genocidal fascist imperial regime just because it happens to be anti-American. It only takes point-two seconds of critical thought, but because so many people's entire ideology rests completely on "the US is the cause of all the evil in the world and I, O Most Pure Shining Progressive, am so much better than all that despite having a twisted moral worldview where America is still the only country with agency ever" mental contortion, they just. Can't do that.

Anyway, yeah; most people tend to forget and/or just don't know that Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and is still occupying a good chunk of it, at least partly to make sure Georgia can't enter NATO (as having stable/uncontested borders is one of the requirements for entry; that's also why Moldova can't enter due to occupied Transnistria and why Ukraine can't enter as long as the war's going on). Likewise, because Georgia is currently one of the few countries that Russians can enter without a visa (again thanks to the Soviet colonial past), they've been fleeing there en masse to dodge the war and I know that's causing a lot of problems in terms of relations between Russians and Georgians, even before the fact that the Georgian government keeps trying to sneak pro-Russian changes through the back door and is only stopped by massive protests.

But, and here's the thing: you shouldn't have to already know these things in order to change your mind about it when compelling facts are presented to you. But so many self-proclaimed leftist champions are carrying so much water for Russia because I guess it's apparently still the Cold War and we're all in that zero-sum imperialistic game all over again? But Russian Empire Good, USA Empire Bad, I Am Very Smart, The End? Or something.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts #russia ukraine war

[butchwheels]

ways of describing your gender that might come from painful dysphoria but are also very sexist/misogynistic (and often cissexist) and worth actively confronting in yourself, since you might very well be reinforcing gender roles in yourself and others:

joking is 100% fine obviously, but sooo many of these i've seen completely unironically within the lgbtq community (terfs dni)

#1 - i'm not a woman or i don't feel like a woman because... i'm too masculine, hairy, loud, snarky, confident, wish i was tall and buff, want to be the one in charge, don't care if i'm pretty, do unwomanly things, don't like fashion, don't like makeup, don't know how to do small talk, don't understand social cues, enjoy stereotypically masculine interests, like to be the one penetrating during sex, like being rough during sex, like dominating, like being tough, all things that obviously contradict womanhood

#2 - i'm not a man or i don't feel like a man because... i'm too feminine, don't like body hair, have a more feminine or high pitched voice, talk or dress in a stereotypically girly way, enjoy dresses and skirts and dolls and makeup, enjoy stereotypically feminine interests, like being the submissive one and being penetrated (which i see as a "womanly thing" especially if it's in a rough way), like being polite and docile and dainty or being promiscuous and wearing revealing outfits, or even being a sex worker, all things that are girl things to me and make me feel like a woman and aren't something a real man would ever be

#3 - OBVIOUSLY i'm not a man/woman... look how androgynous i look!!! how did that cis person even think i was cis lmao???? i'm too gender nonconforming to actually be a cis man/woman, obviously even i will assume a gender conforming person is cis but a VISIBLY ANDROGYNOUS person like ME??? extra hilarious!!!! (there isn't a specific "trans look" bc trans/nonbinary can look like anything and gnc people exist so this is sexist and transphobic af)

#4 - [anything that implies that being trans/nonbinary is a political statement for the person or a choice to say fuck you to cissexist heteropatriarchal society instead of a very personal identity like being gay or bisexual, it's just a political subculture]

#5 - i'm gay/bi/etc and i believe that my lgbtq identity inherently contradicts me being a cis man/woman

fyi, #5 is said not in the respectful way someone will describe their own personal identity, but rather trying to literally state that being gay/bi/etc inherently means not feeling like a man/woman despite MANY lgbtq men & women being totally connected to their binary gender, feeling a special connection to it through their gayness. this includes binary trans people who have a very unique connection to manhood or womanhood. it's not cool to label gayness or transness as inherently nonbinary. radical sure, but binary lgbtq people have fought FOREVER to be seen as no less of a man/woman than anyone cishet, an obviously homophobic af belief that is pushed by bigots everywhere, to the point where some countries have transition legalized but not homosexuality bc they think that being gay makes you not a real man/woman, so you might as well become a "normal" straight person by transitioning. this shit should be called tf out

#6 - i don't agree with misogyny and i want to distance myself from it politically despite being 100% comfortable with being male and living as male and not having any social or physical dysphoria, or even euphoria, so i use the term nonbinary to show support to women. this is a take i've actually seen passed around lmao, both from transmasc and transfem people

#7 - i just want to make cishet people uncomfortable. it's funny as a joke obviously, i've said i'm gay to make men mad wayyy too many times i get it. but some people when prompted will deadass say that's their only reason to identify as nonbinary. and ngl that sounds like treating transness as a political accessory instead of just a personal identity. which means they think being trans is a choice, like political lesbianism back in the day

there's so many hilarious jokes to make about gender that i love seeing around. so many fun ways to describe gender identity. but let's not feed cishet people's sexism and reinforce the bullshit we've learned growing up, excusing it by giving it a fresh rainbow coat of paint. the last thing the community needs is tighter gender roles. we need to EXPAND not only what it means to be nonbinary, but ALSO what it means to be a binary man or woman!!! it's okay if some of these were signs for you, but the way you speak about it matters

#lou text #nonbinary #trans #transmasc #transfem #genderqueer #lesbian #bisexual #lgbtq #lgbtq thoughts #ok to rb #idk just late night rambles

[desmondkane-of-ao3-fame]

So Hunter is irredeemable for *checks notes* taking note of Willow's abilities and wanting to grant her the highest possible honor of joining the Emperor's Coven, but Boscha is fine and an acceptable partner for her despite constantly belittling her and her abilities, actively bullying her for years, and literally calling her half a person because of her level of magic? Always figured your obsession with Willow and Skara was mainly you fetishizing lesbians, thanks for clarifying that's true.

*sigh*

Link to the original post I think they’re referring to.

I like how Hunter utilizing state power to kidnap a bunch of kids so he can force them into a life of servitude and giving 0 fucks about their consent until he remembers their pets is framed as granting some sort of honor. Especially when he saw Willow having an emotional breakdown and blaming herself for putting her friends into this horrific situation and didn’t realize he was being a POS until the show gives him not one, but TWO other moments to reflect on his actions.

Remember folks: Bullies are irredeemable. But the right hand military leader of a fascistic cult can be forgiven for, how you say, *checks notes*:

Attacking Amity after she offers to help him, then threatening her life with state-backed violence when it’s clear he can’t take what he wants in a fair fight.

Seemingly throwing away whatever friendship he was developing with Luz by then threatening her life to get what he wants, which is to steal the only way Luz could even go home.

Lying to Willow about his identity for an entire afternoon so he could get close to them, before doing all the stuff we already talked about.

Just so long as they are sad + edgy + you pretend the first two things didn’t happen and he was too stupid to realize the last one was bad (despite him knowing kidnapping friends is bad in ‘Hunting Palismen’ but whatever).

‘But he was abused' - Yes and thats bad - I've never critiqued him for being abused, but also being abused doesn't make all his actions okay, and not without at least a modicum of self-reflection the show itself could barely muster because Disney axed it before it got the chance to - Stop making excuses for corporations who side with fascists for the love of God!

But like, a quick request for Huntlow Fans and the Owl House fandom broadly: Can someone please tell me when it became acceptable to allow just outright, blatant homophobia so long as it defended Hunter?

Because that’s unironically what this is.

Liking or just being more okay with one or two f/f ships over a m/f one for reasons I've explicitly explained does not mean I ‘Fetishise lesbians’ - But you saying that that’s the ONLY reason you can imagine I like a f/f ship over an m/f one is fetishisation tells me you're the one sexualising f/f relationships inherently. And there’s a good chance you actually don't - But you'll legitimately say ANYTHING to defend even the smallest aspect of Hunter rather than just saying 'yeah, him kidnapping people was a bit messed up'.

Is anyone actually surprised that I have an issue with how this fandom treats Hunter when this is the shit I get?

I don’t even have an issue with Huntlow fans - I have an issue with people who act like this guy.

I just wanna enjoy my own niche ship and point out my criticisms of the show and how it handles things. I don’t need unironic homophobes barging in to tell me that I’m ‘fetishizing lesbians’ because I prefer a sapphic ship over the cannon straight one.

#the owl house #anti-huntlow #anti-hunter #I am so tired

[narcissusbrokenmirror]

Alex Mercer + catholic trauma really does something for me, i like reading fanfics abt it cuz it feels like home. shout out to all the projecting Alex writers out there.But i think its funny how inaccurate it is. not in a bad way ofc. But i have thoughts about 90's gay teen Alex. I need to get them out. But i think its funny how inaccurate it is. not in a bad way ofc. But i have thoughts about 90's gay teen Alex. I need to get them out.

I mean its the 90's, religion is not the only thing making people homophobic there, besides toxic masculinity being pretty much a thing, there was also the post aids moment, so despite the 90's not being the most homophobic era ever, gay people were like, a presence, on the social groups, especially on the art/acting/music scene. so, for me, it makes sense when Kenny Ortega says Alex was a proud character of his identity as a gay young man.

doesn't add up to me tho, being gay + proud + christian + in the 90's. like, you dont grow up proud of being queer if u spend your life hearing negative rhetoric about it. so i, personally, don't think Alex's family was religious.

Alex's family doesn't look religious and Alex doesn't seem into it, as well. Alex being confident, proud, relaxed and sarcastic brings me to think that he came from a very liberal family that was also homophobic. picture this with me.

the grunge/rock scene is full of people trying to make into a club that only people who look a certain way can be there, they're full of toxic masculinity behavior there. Alex's not like it, he knows better that rock is much more about expressing yourself through music and feeling with others, rather than how you look, you knows its bullshit. and im only mentioning this bc Alex doesn't dress like alt ppl usually do, he's always in this relaxed outfit, the same black sweatpants and different soft colored shirts and jackets, he doesn't put an effort to how he looks, he just wants to be comfortable. and not caring how you look as long as ur comfortable? rock behavior ig

Alex being confident and proud tells us about the background he came from. If his family considered him trustworthy and let Alex make his own choices without interfering even if they don't like it, certainly he did NOT came from a religious household.

Alex is a drummer, that shit expensive for you to just have a whole kit hanging around, so his parents probably got it for him, they supported his band and let him have his friends around, they were warm and loving, helping into building Alex's sense of self worth, which is very nice.

so we don't have anything concrete abt Alex's past relationships, but i guess he first came out to his band and then his parents, Luke says Alex never had a boyfriend, but Alex being so certain that he was having a mutual connection with Willie would feel weird if it was the first time Alex flirted with a guy. nah. He probably did met other gay boys on clubs and concerts, flirted, made out once or twice, maybe even gone on dates, you know, teenager things.

the shit happened when he came out to his parents and they gave him the cold shoulder and silence treatment. because they had reasons to not want their son to be gay. Gay people were seen as dirty, sick, perverted, pedophiles, promiscuous and also a target for violence. As a parent, they wouldn't want his son that they loved and supported so much to be associated with such a marginalized group. But it's their son, after all, they couldn't throw him away. So they didn't locked Alex away from his friends, wasn't thrown out of his house, wasn't forced to get that "fixed up". Because Alex was their son, but they didn't want that part of him there, they didn't wanted to know about it.

Alex having his friends over would always click a question on his parents' mind for what if they aren't just friends, what can they be doing together when they're not looking (bc you know, gay people dont have feelings or connections, its all about the sex), what else could Alex's dad think when he sees Luke sneaking out of Alex's room wearing his shirt? and the problem is centered around it happening near to them, whatever Alex does outside their roof is his business, but his homosexuality is not welcome on the Mercer's house. Although, they didn't felt comfortable around Alex anyway, bc inside their heads, they knew that he couldn't keep his homosexuality off when they were together. they couldn't process that their son would be a homosexual, they couldn't love that, they could love their son, but not that.

Alex probably knew that, probably thought that it would eventually stop and they would be normal, warm and loving again, that they would support him again, probably because he didn't had his parents' love hold against some condition, as if he had to earn it. (As it is pretty common in religious households) It doesn't mean he wouldn't get hurt from it, he did and it was a lot, the lack of love, attention and support that he got from his came out, after a life of being given proper dosis of love and being allowed to be who he was. By the way Alex deals with changes, that shit was probably getting to his head.

Alex knew he deserved better than being treated like that, he knew he deserved his family to love him bc they always did and that they shouldn't define him by one element that would always be a part of him, he knew he deserved it to be a part of his life, deserved to bring a nice guy he met home to meet his parents instead of sneaking them in and out like he had to live it secretly. He didn't wanted that, it wasn't fair to him. He shouldn't have to feel ashamed enough to hide it from his dad bc his dad shouldn't want him to be ashamed of himself.

Alex was decided to stop caring about his parents thought of him, even if it meant them not being a part of his life, not that he wanted it this way, bc he didn't. But if they could change once, they could change again.

#julie and the phantoms #alex mercer #character analysis #its also my theory #i like to think that Alex didnt grow up repressed #kenny ortega wouldnt want to put religion on this spot anyway so thanks ig #im pretty sure luke is the one that came from a catholic houselhold tho

[nose-bl]

Heartstopper did a great job at showing just how beautiful queerness is. There’s a huge focus on how you can love being queer, you can be happy that you’re queer, you can live your best queer life without regretting it or without wishing you were cishet. Even when the characters were having a hard time bc of homophobia/transphobia/biphobia and the stress of being closeted when you just want to let the world know who you are, they were still glad to be queer, and they were able to overcome their fear or pain thanks to the lovely and supportive people around them

Elle experienced a lot of transphobia, from teachers and students. It affected her, it hurt, and in episode 8 she talks about how weird it is to be back at the place where she suffered so much, but she doesn’t regret anything. She doesn’t regret being trans and living openly as a girl, and she’s ready to go to Truham for the sports day thing. Tara and Darcy take her hands, and they all run together

Darcy has a really shitty and homophobic family (this hasn’t been adressed in the show but it has on the comic). She hates her home life, it’s really hard for her. But she’s still super confident in her sexuality, she is unapologetically gay, she’s not afraid to use the word lesbian, she loves being a lesbian and kissing her girlfriend in public

Tara had a hard time accepting herself, she realized she was a lesbian way later than Darcy, and she says that at first she couldn’t even call herself a lesbian. She struggled to accept that part of her, and when she finally did and was comfortable enough to make her relationship with Darcy public, she got nasty comments, she was treated differently, people were being homophobic to her face. She cried about it, but Darcy was there for her. Darcy was there to hold her and hug her and tell her that it was going to be alright, that they’re in it together and that they can just live their lives, they can just exist and be happy as who they are, and they’ll figure out the rest

Charlie talks about always knowing he was into boys, always having crushes on boys and never showing interest in girls. He easily realized who he was and was presumably quick to accept that part of him. And then he was outed and heavily bullied for it. He was afraid to go to school, he has a lot of trauma bc of that and other hard situations that have come with being openly queer. And despite all this....he’s not afraid to love Nick and to be his gayest self, he has friends who have been there for him, and despite having a lot of mental health issues, his life isn’t miserable or tragic. He’s sassy and smooth and he’s kind and he loves others so much

And finally Nick, who we see figuring himself out in real time. He was the last of the main characters to realize he’s queer. He was surrounded by so much heteronormativity, he was surrounded by homphobic friends. He hadn’t been exposed to queer culture or to openly queer people before. Meeting Charlie twisted his world upside down. It changed everything. It helped him realize something he hadn’t even considered before. We see Nick crying at the realization that he’s not straight, we see him struggle when Harry is being homophobic, we see him being scared of this part of him he’s just discovered, and shying away from fully experiencing it at first bc of the confusion. Charlie, Tara and Darcy were such an important influence for him

And I just love the emphasis they put on how happy Nick is with himself. Sure, he’s confused about his identity at first. He is scared and it takes him time to fully embrace it. But he never lets that stop him from liking Charlie with his whole heart. He never regrets being bisexual, he never wishes he was straight, he doesn’t try to force himself to be straight. He loves liking Charlie, he loves that being queer lets him love such an amazing person. He is happy to announce he is bisexual, he screams that him and Charlie are boyfriends bc of how overwhelming and beautiful it is to be queer and to be finally able to fully embrace and experience that part of you

#heartstopper #heartstopper netflix #heartstopper comic #nick nelson #darcy olsson #tara jones #elle argent #charlie spring

[ididit-allofit-foryou]

@ididit-allofit-foryou masterlist

ABOUT ME

Hi! My name’s Rain, and I’m a chronically ill, queer, and nonbinary author, poet, and artist. I mainly post about supernatural (subsection: destiel) and disability content! I also post my art and writing sometimes! My pronouns are they/them, but they/he is also okay! I hope you’ll stick around a while, and feel free to talk to me!! :D

My personal tags are:

#rain rambles (whenever I make a text post or add to someone else's post)

#rain creates (whenever I post art I made)

#rain writes (whenever I post my writing)

#rain rants (vent tag)

I will tag other things sporadically, whenever I have energy 

(I am not at all consistent, I am so sorry)

MY LINKS

Make a Commission or find my published writing on my website

Buy destiel pins, supernatural prints, and get tarot readings on my Etsy

Follow me on Instagram

Become a patron on Patreon and get extra content and commissions

Buy merch with my art on Redbubble

Watch speed paints, real time drawings, and sketchbook tours on my Youtube

See shorter videos on TikTok

Read my fics on Ao3

Tip me on venmo or kofi

PUBLICATIONS

Studying Sonder: A collection of short stories

This book contains several fictional short stories that cover queer themes, found family, mental health issues, and healing.

Out Pour The Violets

This poetry book includes poems from over the span of six years which cover my trajectory through depression, a messy breakup, healing, and eventually opening back up to love. Each poem has a corresponding illustration, drawn by me as well.

KNOW ME!!

This poetry book is filled with poetry that encapsulates my experiences with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and POTS; my deteriorating relationship with my parents due to their homophobia and bigotry; and my journey to find love (and finally getting that!!). Throughout it all are themes of a deep desire to be known completely and chosen, not despite, but because of everything that I am. 

it was may when the sun burned out

This chapbook covers the course of a month following a devastating breakup with my girlfriend of almost a year. The poems in this book cover a range of emotions from that time, from numbness, to anger, to anguish and beyond.

Something Lost, Something Found

Nathan Grey has just lost his grandfather, the only family he has left, and subsequently, his will to live. A desperate attempt at suicide leaves Nathan in even deeper trouble: a stay in a psychiatric ward. Once there, Nathan faces not only a homophobic patient and a reckoning with his past, but something even scarier—coming to terms with his sexuality and gender identity. With the help of friends old and new, Nathan starts a journey of self-discovery, and gains just enough hope to begin healing at last.

Dear Daniela,

This book is a nuanced journey through sapphic love and loss. It contains every poem I have written to and about my ex-girlfriend, Dany. These poems span from the very start of our relationship to well past the end, each line radiating with raw honesty—a trademark of my writing. This book shows the reality of being in a long-distance relationship; finding and losing a true love; and all the emotions that come along with thinking you know someone deeply, only to discover you didn’t at all.

MY PATREON

I currently have 4 tiers on my Patreon, ranging from $3-$33! Each tier gets unique perks!

Daisy $3 tier:

access to exclusive WIP's of art 

early access to sketchbook content

Daffodil $6 tier:

ability to vote on new art content

downloadable coloring pages

all content from previous levels

Baby’s breath $15 tier:

1 personalized digital sketch of your choice per month!

all content from previous levels

Hyacinth $33 tier:

every month I will mail patrons at this level a 4x6 photo print of my art!

all content from previous levels

ESSAY EDITING

SERVICES PROVIDED

I am an essay writing tutor, and work with all grade levels to build writing and communication skills.

I will make in-line edits for grammar, and write detailed comments about any changes you need to make to structure or content. I am able to work with essays on any subject, as well as creative writing, resumes, cover letters, and poetry.

 If you need help with something not listed here, I am willing to edit almost anything—just email me!

NOTE: I will not partake in plagiarism, i.e. rewriting things for you. My goal is to help you improve your writing and gain skills that you will be able to use in the future.

PRICES

ESSAYS & CREATIVE WRITING

(12 pt Times New Roman Font, double spaced)

1-3 pages: $30

4-6 pages: $40

7-9 pages: $55

10+ pages: +$5/each added page

RESUMES & COVER LETTERS

$25 flat fee

POETRY

First 300 words: $20

Every additional 200 words: +$10

PAYMENT

I take payment through Venmo (preferred) and Kofi.

For any questions please contact me at: [email protected]

COMMISSION INFO (prices in USD)

DIGITAL COMMISSIONS

Sketch–$10

Tattoo design– $50-$100 (price will vary depending on amount of detail, etc)

Portrait (limit to one character/drawing)– $30

Full body drawing– $40 +$20/extra character

Cartoon style– $30 + $20/extra character

Painting style (bust)– $50 base + $20/extra character

Painting style (full body)– $80 base + $20/extra character

WHAT YOU GET

A png file of the finished commission that you can then print but PLEASE DO NOT RESELL

If you post anywhere, please give credit

ACRYLIC PAINTING COMMISSIONS

pet portrait– $80+ +$40/extra character

bust portrait– $150+ +$80/extra character

acrylic pour– $60+

abstract– $80+

**shipping not included in the prices listed above**

WHAT YOU GET

a physical acrylic painting on canvas mailed to you

PLEASE DO NOT RESELL

If you post anywhere, please give credit

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU

A detailed description of what you want from the commission

As many reference photos as you can find (the more photos, the better the commission will be)

Your choice of a simple background

For more info or to make a commission, DM me or email me at [email protected]

Payment upfront through venmo (preferred), kofi, or paypal

*It can take up to two months to complete a digital commission, & up to 4 months for an acrylic painting, but may be sooner*

#rain creates #rain rambles #rain writes #masterpost #masterlist

[subuwu-dyke]

wait i wanna hear your chuck opinions/headcanons

YES oh my god. Yes. Okay. So if you have the kind of ingrained deep memory of this show that I have you'll know how often Chuck is perceived as feminine in the show, and while it *could* come across as your everyday average homophobic/transmisogynistic patriarchal insults geared towards "less masculine" men, and was almost definitely written with that intention, to me there's a genuine-ness that is really hard to ignore when characters mention his "delicate features" and constantly remind him to literally "butch it up" like Morgan tells him during that car bomb episode. Chuck isn't ever offended by these remarks, he doesn't feel the need to change his behaviors, even when he has crises of identity in a sense he's really only trying to become more *heroic* or *courageous* and his biggest role model as well as romantic interest is Sarah. Sarah is a clear trans narrative to me, with the fact that we never find out her birth name, she's used many names in the past, her childhood and teenagehood are things she's desperate to keep to herself, etc. I read her character as someone who views herself almost from a third person perspective, she doesn't want to allow herself a sense of identity or interiority because she is simply a weapon. Chuck is the first person to really draw a sense of desire and hope and selfishness out of her - she wants something for herself, for once. Even her desperate longing pipe dream for the life of an ordinary woman feels like a trans narrative to me. I understand her character as transitioning really early, and she in hindsight understands it as a way of helping out in her dad's cons - after all, a cute little blonde girl getting hit by a car evokes instant sympathy from bystanders. Really I think her dad was just really accepting and didn't mind her presenting however she wanted, she just has a hard time in the present understanding herself as ever having truly pursued something for herself and having a genuine sense of self at all. As a teen, she was "recruited" (blackmailed) into the CIA and her entire life, presentation, everything is controlled by a separate entity and I feel like she has a hard time acknowledging any kind of trans identity for herself. In the show, she's always as envious of Chuck as he is of her - while Sarah is a highly skilled highly competent heroic figure for Chuck, Chuck represents everything for Sarah that she wants for herself such as honesty, a sense of self, family connections, relationships of any and all kinds bound by mutual trust. Chuck I think starts to think of herself as a trans woman sometime shortly before the show starts, but she doesn't come out until around season 2. Her coming out radically alters Sarah's understanding of herself, and she only becomes more envious and admiring of Chuck, wishing that she could assume a trans identity for herself as well but not feeling like she deserves that much autonomy. Chuck doesn't know Sarah is also a trans woman until sometime around early season 3, since Sarah is not only protective of her past and personal information but has a hard time identifying herself with transness because of how much she admires it and wants it for herself, despite the fact that she's been socially transitioned since she was around 6 and has been on hrt for years. I think Ellie is accepting when Chuck comes out but a little confused and nervous about the whole thing and tries a little too hard, causing some problems between them. Devon is just like that's awesome!

Morgan is a trans guy but he's super annoying so nobody cares 😑

[deerydear]

I'm going to archive a testimony from another woman's experience of gender-dissonance and de-transitioning.

Her story has really stuck with me.

The following is a discussion pertaining drug abuse, molestation, and mental illness. There are some opinions that could be taken as prejudiced against transgender people. There is usage of slurs.

I encourage the reader to understand the author as a human being, but to draw your own opinions and conclusions.

The first post was published in a support thread for people who had lost a close friend, family member, or colleague to a destructive gender-identity-crisis.

"Note: if your friend or loved one transitioned and stayed the same cool person and are chill with themselves and you, more power to both you and them. This is for coping with people who destructively transitioned."

Glossary:

Troon - noun- slang term for a transgender individual. It originated in the forums of Something Awful. Fans of the site were referred to as 'goons'. Transgender members began to refer to themselves as 'troons' (trans goons). This usage became adopted as a somewhat derogatory term. Sometimes I see people differentiate 'troons' from 'regular transgender individuals, in saying that troon refers to unsavory, internet-addicted, unstable individuals. It really depends on what the individual means, in their own writing. ...'goon' has a negative connotation, because of the peculiarities of Something Awful's web culture. There was a lot of drama and bad behaviour committed on-site, so '"a goon is annoying', and 'a trans goon is an annoying trans person" ----to troon out (verb): to transition, or to 'come out' as trans.

Power-level - verb: "to reveal your 'power-level', i.e. "to reveal how strong that you are, your weaknesses, your personal information". to talk too much about personal details of one's own life, in public. The term comes from Dragonball Z.

Spoiler - noun -- Much of this writing is hidden behind 'spoilers' on the original forum. They function like 'read-more links' on this site. "Spoilered" - verb ---- to hide something behind a 'spoiler' link.

Pozz'd -- adjective - "testing positive for an infection." Originally described the spread of the HIV infection. In this case, it's used to describe an 'ideological' infection. Sometimes used derogatorily for homophobic "lol, gay" connotations. i.e. "lol [you are] gay and pozz'd" (Also may have sexual-fetish connotations. i.e. 'bug-chasers': people who intentionally seek to get infected with HIV through sex. I believe this fetish subculture is where this specific term had originated from. "Pozz'd" describes a prospective sexual partner who already carried the infection.)

I think that should be enough...

Her first post:

[You may ask, "Who have you lost?"]

Myself.

I'm in a (hungover) rambling mood today, so please forgive my lack of brevity. I wish I could warn people like me, I wish I could help people, I wish I could spare them the same anguish. I'm going to powerlevel quite a bit, to an almost obnoxious degree, because I really can't talk about this anywhere else, as even my therapists and doctors are pozz'd on transgender ideology and they challenge me on my gender dysphoria that I experienced, saying that I was "misdiagnosed".

I was not misdiagnosed, the diagnosis was accurate. The treatment, however, was not.

The text block below is intended to provide context. I was on exogenous testosterone for approximately 3.5 years, and, despite my regular objections to procedures deemed cosmetic, or medications not strictly necessary, I expected to remain on it for the rest of my days. I didn't talk about my transsexuality with anyone other than medical professionals, and was generally very quiet about my transition, because I truly considered it a medical condition for me to keep quiet and shut up about. I believed, at the time, that I did not care how others perceived me, because I chose to make no fuss about things such as pronouns and other terms of address. I didn't identify as "male", I didn't feel any kind of internal "gender identity", and struggled to understand what a gender identity even was, even after having it explained countless times to me by "queer" individuals.

The gender dysphoria began when I was a kid, though I obviously did not have the vocabulary to describe it as such. I grew up with all-male friends and, like all kids, could not fully grasp the concept of "puberty". I knew that my friends would grow up to be men, and I expected the same to happen to me, because, despite different sexes, considered myself to be the same as my male friends. My very first memory of intense mental distress at my gender must have been when I was 10 years old, and an older, very pretty girl was regaling me with stories of puberty, of periods, and breasts, and boys, and, let me tell you- I was absolutely devastated. I told her as much, she questioned as to why, and I replied, as we sat on a bench watching some friends of mine play basketball:

"Because I won't be one of them anymore"

I admired girls as a kid, I thought they were very pretty and very intimidating, but all of my socialisation came from my brothers, my male friends, and my father, and as such I was always rejected socially. I was criticised for being too loud, too weird, too dirty, and they didn't take too kindly to my habit for catching reptiles and other creepy crawlies, and proudly showing them off. I saw the way that my friends treated other girls, they were another species, and I was certain I'd lose my friendships. I was right, unfortunately.

It was alright for a few years, but most of my friends were gone soon enough. The ones who weren't no longer treated me as an equal, because, while they were reaping the benefits of testosterone and becoming faster, stronger, more capable, I was not, and, instead of being one of the most athletic as I once was, I was suddenly the weakest, which put me at the bottom of the social pecking order. I played co-ed sports and I envied my male peers for how much stronger and faster they were becoming with minimal training, whereas I would work my ass off and never fully match them.

Like every other woman, starting in my early teens, when I still very much had the mind of a child, I was sexually harassed by strange men old enough to be my father, I was groped on public transit, I was made to feel like prey. I developed migraines and arthritis due to oestrogen causing inflammation and causing my immune system to attack my tissues. I couldn't run, or draw, or do much of the normal childhood activities after puberty. In interactions with family and school, I was forced to perform femininity and suppress my loud, tomboyish personality, I couldn't understand why my interactions with society were suddenly so irreversibly changed simply because I had breasts and hips. I was still the same person I was a kid, so I couldn't understand why I was being treated so differently, why I could no longer enjoy what I used to.

I didn't know then that I could just be an unapologetically butch woman, the only examples I saw of womanhood were sexualised, hyper-feminine, and entirely antithetical to my ideals and character. I mistakenly believed that manhood was what I was "meant" to live as, because I didn't see any other option, I didn't see that I could just be a person.

My symptoms of gender dysphoria were classic, the same ones expressed by all the "old guard" transsexuals, and my doctors believed this was sufficient reason to pursue transitioning for me. My body truly felt "wrong", I hated my feminine characteristics, I had expected to develop as a man, I couldn't understand why my body was developing this way and the distress I felt was debilitating. I was desperate for a cure, and, because of my history, my autoimmune disease that was triggered by oestrogen, and the mental symptoms that manifested, I was considered a perfect candidate for gender transition. Looking back, I get the sense that the doctors had no fucking idea how to help me, and were just throwing shit at the wall to try to fix me. They did their best, honestly.

I naively believed that my psyche was discrete from my experiences, trauma, society, and conditioning. This was categorically incorrect.

In early 2022, I realised that transitioning could never get me where I truly wanted to be, and, while the experimental treatment was a valiant effort, and seemed to at least lessen the severity of the symptoms, I wanted a real cure. I just wanted to be happy, and I knew deep down that transitioning was not the answer.

There was a story I was told by a psychiatrist many years ago, it went something like this:

There was a woman who had treatment-resistant OCD. Everyday, when she would try to leave for work, she would start to drive, and suddenly be gripped by the fear that she'd left her curling iron on, and that her home would burn down. She arrived to work hours late, because she would turn back over and over again, to double-check that her curling iron was not left on. Her doctor tried everything- therapy, medications, nothing worked. Finally, at an appointment, her doctor said to her: "Why don't you just take the curling iron to work with you?" So, the next day, she took the curling iron with her in her car, and she got to work on-time for the first time in years. The doctor was criticised by his colleagues for not treating the root cause of the OCD, only treating the symptoms. However, the woman's OCD was in remission at this point, and she was able to lead a normal life and participate in society.

I had originally believed that I was like this patient, that I had done everything I could do, and this would treat my symptoms and make me functional.

Now, I realised what a massive mental burden transitioning was, and I wanted to treat the disease itself, to get off of these hormones, to allow myself to date, and love, and live like a normal person. I wanted to be able to be able to just fuck off and travel without having to worry about medications, I hate surgery, and I didn't want to feel forced to modify a physically healthy body. As before, therapy and medication still did not work, it felt as though this gender dysphoria was an in-grained, immutable part of my psyche. All of the people that I spoke to, my parents, medical professionals, LGBTs, that I spoke to, affirmed that gender dysphoria was incurable except by transitioning. I'd read about how psychedelics had helped military veterans with PTSD, and I figured, "If it can help them, maybe it can help me".

So, caution to the wind, I took LSD, and it made me realise that my psyche and all of its aberrations were a direct result of a lifetime of trauma. My personality is a sum of my experiences, but not all of them. Ideas could be integrated or discarded, if an idea were enforced over and over again, it would become a larger part of my personality, but personality is not static. This seems so obvious in retrospect, but there's a difference between understanding something logically, and actually knowing it. My gender dysphoria was just a very deeply-rooted case of OCD, quite frankly, like other body dysmorphic disorders, such as anorexia nervosa.

I think of gender as a set of ideals, stereotypes, and performances that are passed down like tradition through society. It makes me sad that they are being revived with such fervour in western society, I wish they didn't exist, I wish women could be as masculine as they please without punishment, I wish men could be as feminine as they want; I wish it weren't "safer" and more socially acceptable to be a tranny then to be a butch woman or an effeminate gay man. I traded one set of gender norms for another to conform to the wills of idiots, when I could have just rejected all of it and lived however the fuck I wanted. I wish I could tell this to every modern transgender person, so they don't have to go through what I did to arrive at this conclusion. I wish I could make them see that there is nothing "wrong" with their body if it is functional and healthy, that they're facing a brutal mental illness that they can recover from with significant time and effort (and, I'll admit, maybe some very powerful mind-altering psychedelics).

I'm in therapy now, tackling the experiences that shaped me, those mentioned above and those omitted, because I can only powerlevel so hard on a public forum before even I believe that I am oversharing (LOL). It's a bit grating sometimes, because my therapist believes in transgender ideology, but it works, and it helps. Everyday it gets easier, everyday I grow, and change, and heal as a person. It's hard, but it is worth it.

I'd believe that not everyone recovers from gender dysphoria, it's hard to recover, believe me, I know it most of anyone, but transitioning shouldn't be treated as a first-line treatment, if dispensed at all, especially to young people still in the throes of puberty. It's cosmetic, it's a last ditch effort to try to help someone who is suffering. It is no silver bullet, and the pronouns, the denial of sex, is just a bizarre way to try to comfort and indulge someone who is deeply mentally ill.

I do mourn a bit of my visibility as a butch woman. Although my bone structure is undeniably female, due to my voice and personality, I am taken to be male most of the time in public. It's fine, such is life as a masculine woman, but I do wish I had taken pride in my identity and my reality, to live unapologetically as myself, to encourage young butch women to live as themselves without giving a fuck about what other people think of them. I transitioned to conform, and to escape mental anguish, and sexism, I shouldn't have had to have done that.

As an ironic aside, there has been promising research into my autoimmune disease using certain steroids to ease the symptoms and improve quality of life, so I may be going back on testosterone analogues in the near future, lol. Lady Fate has a dark sense of humour, I guess.

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兄貴 Forevermore replied:

I have regarding your experiences that you spoilered. There's an old friend of mine, she has severe PMS and feels likes trooning out because of this. Severe as in I can count the days and she'll have the symptoms like clockwork (Extremely bad temper, lack of concentration, depression, acne). I don't have PMS for obvious reasons, but is there anything I could say to dissuade them from this? I've already told them how being a male is not what it seems but no effect.

I'm sorry to hear, I've been in that position too. I'm sure she's seen many (likely male) doctors who have dismissed her conditions and offered no functional treatment, and she is tired of feeling miserable, so she sees testosterone as her only option. She might not listen to you, given that you are male, so you are welcome to show her this post or say you talked to a friend about it.

I won't lie, it [testosterone] is a good mood stabiliser, I was less emotionally volatile in some ways in that I was less fearful, I was happier, I had more energy and more motivation, but I also had greatly diminished impulse control and I was more keen to jump into conflicts with other people. It is the more fun hormone, I won't deny it, but it's really not worth the health concerns (osteoperosis, heart strain, blood clots and stroke above that of even natal males, memory issues), and her anger issues will remain no matter what sex hormones dominate her endocrine system. The reason why testosterone is a mood stabiliser is because it improves serotonin activity in key areas of the brain, including the amygdala.

As estrogen levels drop off before her menses, her serotonin in her brain plummets, which leads to overall feelings of fear, doom, anxiety, and lack of concentration. Fear and lack of control leads to anger. I'm sure you know this all already, but I find it helpful to lay things out clearly so we can consider the mechanisms behind our issues, and consider some possible solutions. Firstly, I'm sure she's already tried SSRIs and found, like many other people, they're zombie pills and they make you feel like shit.

With issues like depression, anger issues, lack of concentration, these are most likely more issues with how she interacts with her own mind and her life style, rather than purely her hormones fluctuating. She'll still have anger issues even if she is on testosterone. She has to learn how to manage her emotions responsibly, which is a hard skill to learn, but is possible. Due to chronic pain from neurological and rheumatic disabilities that are exacerbated by estrogen fluctuations, I also struggled with anger management, because chronic pain caused my baseline stress level to be very high just to cope with the pain.

Tips for anger management: I'm sure it can be hard not to turn to physical aggression and violence when feelings get overwhelming, it's primal and instinctual, but it is also socially unacceptable.

1) If she isn't already, start meditating for 5-30 minutes/day, ideally morning and evening, but just evening works. This helps to give a sense of control and stability, and to learn how to feel emotions whilst also being able to observe them calmly. It really does help with reducing anxiety and improving motivation.

2) Work out everyday if she isn't already, ideally both cardio and resistance. It doesn't have to be a lot in the beginning, it can be a 30 minute bike ride and 20 pushups, but it's enough to raise your heart rate and get you out of your head, which reduces anxiety and aggression. It helps to consider active tasks that involve all of your focus to be a state of active meditation, like surfing, riding a bike, paddleboarding, that kind of thing. This is just anecdotal, but I've found exercise like this to really help with trauma and anger issues, and others have too.

3) FIX YOUR FUCKING DIET!! I don't care who you are or what you eat, I guarantee you can be eating better. When you are PMSing, your serotonin plummets, and what temporarily bumps serotonin? Shit food. Sugar, carbs, heavily processed garbage I wouldn't feed my dog, cut all that out. It will make her feel better at first, but the issue is that most of your serotonin is made in your bowels, and if she eats like shit, she will feel like shit. No pun intended. So put aside all those sweets and breads, eat just meat, cheese, nuts, mushrooms, full-fat yogurt, fruit, and vegetables. If she doesn't already cook at home, it can be a very rewarding skill to learn, and you can eventually start preparing all of your meals on sunday night and just eat leftovers throughout the week to save time. It sounds like a lot of work, changing your diet CAN be hard, but I promise it's worth it.

3.5) Take magnesium, vitamin D (if she doesn't work outside), B-complex vitamins, especially before and whilst menstruating. These helped with my mood, and the magnesium helps a lot with cramps and inflammation.

4) Don't repress your emotions. When you're angry, instead find an acceptable outlet, do pushups or go for a walk, which will get the adrenaline dump "out", and will also make you physically stronger, which is always a bonus.

5) Practice "box breathing" whenever you have a free moment. This is an example of bio-feedback, basically tricking your body into being calm and reducing cortisol. Breath in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, hold (empty) for four seconds, inhale and repeat.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but anger really is a state of mind. You can learn to manage it through discipline, exercise, meditation.

Hormonal depression and lack of concentration is a bitch, but just forcing yourself to move your body and exercise vigorously can help to really take the edge off. Beyond that, it may be worth speaking with a psychiatrist and looking into typically adhd-prescribed medications such as Wellbutrin, which is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and is great for some (including myself) for aiding motivation and mood stabilisation, and Ritalin, or another stimulant to take on the terrible days to help with depression. Not many know this, but stimulants are sometimes prescribed for depression.

For acne, look into topical salicylic acid, it reduces inflammation, and wash your face 1-2 times per day (acne-formulated face washes are awesome). Witch hazel is also great. If her acne really is so terrible she wants to transition, perhaps she should see a doctor, but if it's just hormonal acne, it really should be very manageable.

You can't stop your friend from transitioning, but if her lifestyle and diet are shit it would be a good idea to fix that first, and to look into less harmful and permanent medications. She sounds like she's dealing with serious emotional regulation problems that she needs to figure out coping mechanisms for, and ideally see a therapist + psychiatrist for professional coping mechanism advice and medications. Testosterone makes you more impulsive, not less, and will  not help with emotional regulation at all.

On being perceived as a man: It's not uncommon for victims of a lifetime of misogyny, predatory behaviour, and sexism to see manhood as the key to their "prison". Unfortunately, being a manlet is not all it's cracked up to be. In work and life, as a perceived butch woman, I was sometimes mocked for my masculinity, but I was also respected, because I developed a hard and dominant exterior that forced people to shut up and listen in team meetings. I'm sure I was called a "bitch" sometimes, but that's how it goes. In social situations, when people started perceiving me as a diminutive male, while my competitive and harsh personality was expected of me and no longer controversial, I lost much of the respect I had earned, because I was suddenly the lowest in the pecking order of men. I have much more sympathy for men than I once did, the strength and size based pecking order of men can be brutal, even in more stereotypically "nerdy" fields.

[blogger's note: "My experience has been similar, in being mistaken for a real man."]

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兄貴 Forevermore replied:

I got my friend to not transition for now. I think your notes helped quite a bit but we did get in a physical confrontation (She got angry and tried to fight me, knowing I can't really fight back cause cops always blame the man, the irony) over it. I guess I'll take that as a win? I seriously debate if I should keep this friend right now. I hate how there's so few sane people these days. She got angry, tried to wrestle me into the ground (she's got better joint and muscle density) but failed since I dodged so she reverted to the age-old crotch kick so I just sidestep swept and thew her onto the ground. Pretty sure in a real fight as a "man" she'd be put down at the first try and not with the kid gloves like I did.

Lol, fucking hell. I'm glad to hear your friend is holding off on making the same mistake I did. Testosterone made me more impulsive and competitive, and made negative emotions such as anger feel dialled up to "11"; since she's already so quick to jump to her primal instincts, that just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

No ADHD meds in my system, please forgive my rambling on the subject:

You are absolutely right about kid gloves coming off in confrontations when you are perceived as male; I used to be a lot more belligerent when I was perceived as just a regular butch woman, ironically, because my words would rarely, if ever, lead to me getting my ass kicked by the man I was challenging. On testosterone, I had to learn to be far more polite and reasonable, and to manage my anger, because now my challenges were matched and I could be easily beaten in a physical fight. It's funny, in "women's world", physical prowess just doesn't have much of a bearing on socialisation, and I reckon this was just some subconscious instinct activated by elevated testosterone, but when I sort of crossed that fence to the other gender, I was always automatically sizing up everyone I interacted with, to see if I could beat them in a fight. I also found that I felt more comfortable when teams were being lead by people who were physically stronger and fitter than I, and I had experienced strange moments of frustration where I would want to challenge a person giving me orders or instructions, if my lizard brain had determined they were weaker than I was.

It was all very strange, and I expressed as much at the time to a male friend of mine, it's apparently a regular thing experienced by some young men. It was all a very interesting look in how hormones affect psychology and personality.

I'm honestly rather grateful for the tough lessons I learned, hard as the road was and the mistakes that I made, it made me realise that my manners and words really do have consequences and social weight to them, and I still tend stick to my old habits of being reserved with my anger and "fighting words", resolving conflicts diplomatically, and always trying to approach social situations with kindness and respect. It's amusing to me, how roiding up ended turning me into this peaceful person. Oh, if 18 year old me could see me now, with her leather jacket and aggressive anti-authority ideology, she'd probably call me a "fucking pussy". lmao.

[blogger's note: "same here..."]

I think the world could be a much better place if social circles were more co-ed, so women might be exposed to the, if technically flawed, idea of "might making right", and learn to avoid making unnecessary verbal assaults on their peers. Similarly, I often find men who have co-ed friend groups, or female family members whom they are close to, are more empathetic towards women and avoid sexual harassing them, or falling into incel ideology pits of self-loathing and entitlement. Just as it made me a bit depressed for the state of our society when men in my life would see women as just a pretty body to fuck with an expiration date of 30, and a source for a son, it always made me sad to overhear women who dehumanise the men in their lives as free meal tickets or as being somehow incapable of feeling the full range of human emotion. What a novel idea, who would have thought that platonic socialisation with the opposite sex would lead to being better socially adjusted adults? (sarcasm).

My father always used to tell me, wonderful anti-war hippy he was: "violence is never the answer". It might piss your friend off again to tell her this, but I find it to be an accurate and helpful mantra to keep close to one's heart.

In regards to keeping your friend in your life, it depends on how much patience and energy you have to spare in rehabilitating them. I would not have gotten off of drugs, alcohol, and hormones, and into therapy, were it not for the unconditional support of my friend group. They pushed me to workout everyday, they made me eat right and learn how to properly cook for myself, they taught me how to reprogram my thoughts to not constantly insult and belittle myself, they encouraged me when the withdrawals and cravings were rotting my brain. I really, truly, could not have gotten where I am today without their help, and my gratitude is boundless. They helped me even when I was a wreck, without expectation of reward or thanks, when nobody else would, even doctors, because I hid my mental illness and addiction well and remained a "functional" addict. It was hard to help someone with a lifetime of mind-altering trauma, it was hard for them to help someone with dependencies on body-destroying substances, and they could have given up on me years ago, but despite it all they didn't. I can't ever really repay the favour, that human kindness I experienced first-hand, but I do my best by trying to help people in a rough spot mentally, even if it's tremendously difficult sometimes, even if it's frustrating and slow.

You have no real obligation to stand by a friend who is cruel and unruly, everyone is entitled to moderate their own experiences in life, but if you have the energy and the drive, and you want to help someone, just one friend can change a person's life around.

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Professor G. Raff said: This is the most heavy thread on the farms. Whenever I come and read the accumulated posts I am always filled with sadness and a lingering feeling I shouldn't come back for my own mental health and that is just as an outsider looking in at situations that seem unbearable for those effected. At the same time, it's full of genuine heart-warming support that makes it feel like there is still some warmth in the world. My biggest take-away is the shocking amount of abuse and manipulation of women forced into adjacency of the tranny-sphere by MtFs… those stories are always so visceral and just show how often it's nothing but a ploy for control and fetish fulfillment. It really makes me appreciate the farms for giving them a place to vent about it as I would bet anything trans-widows would probably be one of the most savagery attacked groups on the normie internet.

It's a heavy thread, but I've come to cherish it. There's no place on the internet that I have found where I can speak, without censorship, on my first-hand experiences with the abusive and manipulative nature of TIMs and the Trans Rights movement as a whole. There's Ovarit, of course, but I've found them much too misandrist to be around. I don't hate men, my father is one, after all. Even through bad experiences, we have the benefit of being able to see patterns in the behaviours of these terrible men, and warning others, not that many people seem to be listening.

I've tried, in the past, to speak on these experiences with my now-former friends, and I was met with responses demanding I use his pronouns, that he was just a pooooooor mentally ill transgender 'woman' and he didn't really mean it, that not all transgender individuals are like that. Fuckall sympathy, because I was committing the thoughtcrime of referring to a man, 6'+, born with testicles, a penis, and capable of sperm production, as "he". It is absurd to me that an autistic gossip forum of all places is a place where I find understanding and shared experience. It's the Yaniv and the CWC cases all over again, over and over, demanding victims of abuse walk on eggshells around narcissistic, worthless, weak men to avoid hurting their feelings. I lost years of my life, my health, spent a small fortune trying to repair my mind and spirit, and I'm expected to protect him? It's absurd! It's just more gaslighting and manipulation. By "validating" (I truly hate this word) the identity of these men, it seems to me that they're condoning this behaviour within their community. It's disgusting, it's cultish, and it's abusive.

Tard Whisperer said: (lol, tard whisperer...)

I am just sick of this, I wish I could just go along with trans ideology, it would be so much easier.

I hear you, I understand you.

I hate these creepy fucks, I really do, but part of me wishes we'd all just shut up and get it over with so we can get back to dealing with our real issues. Issues with reaganomics still plaguing the US in barely-disguised corporatism, workers' rights, poor city planning and land allocation, environmental and natural resource protection, better parental support, responsible farming practices that don't rape and murder our topsoil (dustbowl, anyone?), better public transportation solutions, cost of healthcare, an outdated education system, cut funding to art and music programs for children, housing, I can think of a million other things the left could, ought to, be focusing on instead, but here we are, still bickering ineffectually about eunuchs. It's exhausting and frustrating. Both mainstream political parties are laughable shells of their ideals, it's depressing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Trans Rights movement is a ploy by the elite to keep us all too busy and angry to notice any of our real problems, but conspiracy theories are something I try to avoid espousing.

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A few years ago I ended up in a sexually, emotionally, and physically abusive "BDSM" relationship with a degenerate TIM who fetishised and envied my inherent anatomical femininity as a woman, and whose idea of womanhood consisted of being sexually degraded and dominated. He would get angry with me whenever I would spend my time studying some skill, or spending time with anyone except him, he was exceptionally jealous and entitled, and he would force himself upon me sexually and blame it on "his body", that he just couldn't control himself, and that really, I should just be flattered. During our time together, he convinced me that I was FTM, and I believed him, because I was in a very mentally vulnerable and dissociated state at the time. I was told by every doctor, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist that I met the clinical diagnosis for Gender Dysphoria and that if I just took this drug and had these surgeries, I would feel better. I was hesitant, I think I knew, in my gut, that this was wrong and wouldn't save me, but I nevertheless injected 0.2-0.3ml of testosterone cypionate once a week, for a little over three years. The timelines are fuzzy, but I eventually snapped out of his conditioning, by the grace of some kind and benevolent god, and left, and he accused me of transphobia and made me out to be the abuser in the relationship. I never was much of an addict before him, I smoked some pot and drank a bit on the weekends with friends, as one in does, but after our breakup I was an alcoholic and a junkie, and I was still abusing testosterone. I was getting high and drunk on anything within reach nearly everyday, and I was actively suicidal and self-harming. One of my favourite drug classes at the time were dissociatives, such as DXM and Ketamine, the former notable for causing permanent brain damage in one "minor" trip akin to binge-drinking for several weeks straight. DXM is not a fun drug, do not do it,  ever. Do not abuse benzodiazepanes either, they're a dogshit, stupid, dangerous class of drugs.

Earlier this year, I was reckoning with the fact that I was still being crushed under the weight of trauma from that relationship, childhood sexualisation and objectification, and misogyny, all of which I had internalised and was too mentally frail to even attempt to process. Not everyone cracks under the pressure of the aforementioned, and I suspect the emotional vulnerability to abuse that is common in people with ADHD/ASD is why GD is so commonly comorbid with being "neurodivergent". But anyway, I wasn't getting any better, and no matter how hard I tried, I just kept relapsing. I wasn't telling people I should have about the fact that I was really, really sick, and because of the drugs I was using, I was able to appear happy and productive in spite of all of it. I felt like I was going to remain on testosterone for the rest of my life, because it helped me dissociate from my sex just enough to help me avoid killing myself, which really was not an ideal situation.

I'd been doing research for months prior on how LSD and other psychedelics like DMT and psilocybin were being used to treat people with PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, and in early 2022 I bought a gel tab of LSD in the shape of blue pyramid, with gold flakes in it. I meditated for awhile, and prayed to whatever god there is to protect me and guide me, and to please, just cure me of my dysphoria. LSD is a lot, as a drug, it was kind of like pushing the big red nuclear button, and I don't have much of an interest in ever doing it again, but I do feel like it saved my life. I was in a safe, sunny bit of nature when I took it, I painted, and journalled, and ate fruit and chocolate on it and, spirituality aside, it allowed me to see the "timeline" of my life, how I got from my childhood to here, and how every traumatic event coalesced into this impenetrable black mass of GD. I stopped dissociating, and I stopped hating my body for what it was, and started seeing it as a tool and a vessel for my mind, that I can use to do what I please with in this life. It didn't need to make me sexual prey, or be a signal of my inherent inferiority, it could just be… functional. I stopped taking drugs (including alcohol) and testosterone after that, and went to therapy.

I'm still seeing a therapist, I don't know how strictly helpful it is, though. I changed more about my psyche in that one day, with how very malleable and downright vulnerable to suggestion that drug makes you, than I think I have in all the months following it seeing a psychotherapist. It's amusing, in a way, I sort of brainwashed myself into loving myself, not being an addict, and working towards not being a mentally ill basketcase; it's no wonder the CIA tried to use it to brainwash people. Therapy is making it easier to speak openly about my emotions, at least. Prior to LSD and prior to therapy, I was stoic, I cried maybe once or twice a year if that, it was very unhealthy, and I felt I couldn't trust anyone around me.

It still crosses my mind, every once in awhile, to try to therapise myself with psychedelics again, but they're pretty intense and it doesn't feel right yet. We'll see.

Because I think every story deserves a bit of a silver ending, I'll finish with this: I have this very good friend of mine, who was abused in the ways that men always seem to be, with how systematically they are emotionally neglected and abused, in the minimum, and we've bonded over being broken people who want to change. He's helped me through these long couple of years, even when he didn't need to; he's very kind, patient, and gentle, he makes me feel safe enough to let my guard down properly for the first time in years, and I try to make an effort to trust him, as a close friend, even though I am also trying my hardest to avoid what happened last time I became rather smitten with a nerdy man. I made a deal with myself to not make any major life changes until one year post-trip, so we'll see how this relationship goes. Maybe I'll go out with him, maybe I'll wing(wo)man for him and help him find a gorgeous wife to settle down with and I'll be an aunt to his kids, but either way, I'm happy he's in my life. I'm pretty lucky to have met him honestly, abused women who detransition have a habit of becoming radical misandrists. Even though I feel like I wasted my 20s on all this shit, I feel like things are going to be okay.

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AMHOLIO said: Then you do the same for troons and 70% of the time they don't get told "You have underlying trauma you're not dealing with/Your logic is flawed and we need to deal with how you picture male and female/ You're an emotionally manipulating piece of shit" like they should, they're given reassurance and shit.

You've hit the nail on the head. This is my issue with the Trans Rights movement, and including it in with the LGBs at all. Transsexuality/Transgenderism is treated as something innate to a person, rather than a very complex and troubling mental illness. I am living proof that even the most traditional case of "Gender Dysphoria" is not something you're born with, even if it can manifest in very early childhood, and every time I try to speak publicly on this matter I am told I wasn't "really trans", that "putting people on cross-sex hormones and cutting them up is totally a good idea, guys!", and appeals are made to my civil libertarian ideals about letting fuckheads do what they will with their own bodies. When you affirm someone who is deeply unwell that they are just like this it does a couple of things:

1) If they are the insecure or self-absorbed sort, it encourages rabid defense of one's "identity", and further closes them off to future help. Nobody can get better from medication or therapy, nobody, unless they actually want it. 2) It pushes vulnerable individuals down the path of hormones and surgery, because everyone is telling them they were just born broken, and they'll be stuck like this forever, to the point of crippling body dysmorphia of the likes of anorexia, and dissociation, unless they undergo dangerous and experimental body modifications, which don't even help in the long-run.

You know why (the 'true GD') trannies, the one's who aren't doing it for a fetish, feel a sense of "relief" when they start developing secondary sex characteristics of the opposite sex, or when they do everything in their power to obliterate the skeletal or soft flesh signs of their natal sex? It's because they're tortured by all this baggage they attach to their sex, from unresolved trauma, and this "relief" is a method of dissociation. Which fades  quick, for as long as a transgender-identifying individual possesses any evidence of their past and their natal sex- name, pronouns, breasts or lack thereof, skeletal structure, they'll be reminded of whatever trauma or conditioning caused this, and they'll eat themselves alive trying to cut it out. The anorexic patients with poor self-esteem, with no feeling of agency and control of the self, so scared of being fat and losing control, or being ugly, being reminded of whatever horrible experience triggered this disorder in the first place, are exactly the same. Hormones and surgery can't cure this, and if people say it did for them, they are lying or still caught up in the temporary relief of cutting out some part of themselves that offends their ill psyche.

This treatment plan helps nobody. Obviously.

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Homofascism said: I’ve got a kid on the way, do you all think this gender hysteria will have died down by the time they hit their teens or am I going to have to put in some serious work to make sure they don’t troon out? If TikTok and Discord are around then they’re being blocked on the network level, what else can I do apart from be a good parent? Where I live I can be put in jail for 10 years if I deny my child gender affirming surgery as a teenager. My own child becoming one of these coombrained sex-perverts is my greatest fear.

If you have a daughter, let her have whatever tomboyish interests she might have, let her wear "boys'" clothes, let her cut her hair and go run outside in the mud, encourage her to pursue her interests in the sciences if that's her thing, a lot of the old fashioned dysphoria seems to come from GNC (tomboys/effeminate boys) children not being allowed to explore their interests fully. Also, keep her safe from sexual predators, pornography, and the dicks who will tell her that her only value as a woman is looking attractive and that she's inherently less valuable or competent, due to her sex.

Same goes for if you have a son, let him play with dolls, paint his nails, and grow his hair, and don't punish him for being emotional or sensitive.

With all the trans people I've spoken to over the years, the common thread for men and women is that the boys tend to be punished severely for being emotionally sensitive ("boys don't cry", and so forth), and liking traditionally "girly" things, and the girls tend to be tomboys or butches who are denied the ability to explore their interests and envy boys for being able to do the same, and are later sexualised and dehumanised too early. Sexual abuse or exposure to a BPD or narcissistic family member will also increase the chances of your kid becoming trans.

Basically, just explain that men and women (and girls and boys) are all just human at the end of the day, and you can have whatever career, interests, and personality you like, even if it doesn't conform to sex stereotypes/gender roles.

BoomerSperg1922 said: You're right to some degree but dress wearing? Nah, that's a line crosser. We have different clothes for different sexes for a reason. If he wants a stuffed bear or she wants an army figurine that's fine though.

My childhood best friend used to wear my princess dresses and fairy wings, and push around a baby doll in a pram, when we were kids. When you're like 4-8 years old it doesn't really matter, you're just playing dress-up. He turned out a regular heterosexual man, for the record.

兄貴 Forevermore said: I heavily disagree with the emotionally sensitive part. My father used to beat* the absolute shit out of me for showing emotion, and when I didn't as a teen, he said I wasn't being emotional enough so I'd die alone, never get a woman and would be a failure in life (and then beat me again). He also made it clear the genders (and the respective expectations) are not equal. I don't remember showing emotion often since I was 6? Still ended up mostly functional in society and not a troon. I'm just some retard who likes gay wrestling videos so you should probably take me with a grain of salt though.

Glad you turned out alright. I wasn't saying that every boy who experiences what I mentioned grows up trans, but the ones who do, tend to have that in common. Like smoking and lung or throat cancer, it's just a risk factor, not a guarantee. I suspect it's something to do with them noticing the unequal treatment of emotional vulnerability between the sexes from a young age, and wanting to transition out of it. The parent in this thread was asking about risk factors for GD, and I was giving them the experience that I've gained over these years.

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Hepativore said: As many of us here have had experiences with people who were clearly mentally ill which lead to them trooning out, would therapy or mental health actually have worked?

No. Psychotherapists, psychiatrists, general physicians, even fucking endocrinologists, who should, of all people, know the serious physical health consequences of turning a person's sex hormones upside-down, are of no help to someone actually suffering from GD. All they do is affirm, affirm, affirm. They tell you- "this is a real disorder, you were born like this, we don't know what causes this, and no other therapies other than gender transition can soothe this mental anguish". It is arguably even worse than the social indoctrination, because they're authority figures who are supposed to have your best interests at heart.

Gender dysphoria (and transsexuality/transgenderism) is a dissociative disorder, a body dysmorphia disorder not unlike OCD and adjacent anxiety disorders, a trauma response, an identity, all rolled into one. It is  notoriously difficult to treat because of the aforementioned; it's difficult to describe the suffering and feeling of being truly trapped and tortured by your own flesh, it's why in the 20th century the patients  were transitioned, because indulging their delusions was the only way to get them half-functional enough to work a job. It works, sometimes, treating the symptoms, for a little while, but it always resurfaces. The sad truth is, transitioning does not cure GD, and, like an anorexic patient on diet pills, they will keep chasing their method of dissociation and control, until they die, never satisfied, never healed, never experiencing a moment's rest in their tortured, sick minds.

Hepativore said: If any of these people who were victims of troonery tried to seek mental help, would they just not be pushed down the troon path even more? The idea of troonery has become so prevalent, that it seems that it would be recommended by most mental health professionals now as a sort of cure-all to anybody who is having doubts about gender conformity and related issues with self-esteem. Maybe I am being paranoid, but just how much has gender ideology infected the mental health profession at this point?

What you suspect is true. Doctors are of no real help to anyone with GD, their instructions are to affirm and to provide access to dangerous hormones and surgeries, and they carry out their orders with efficiency and without question. Anyone you speak to about your troubles with your symptoms of this terrible disorder, or if you even mention you suspect you may be trans, they immediately affirm you. It is hard to make an informed decision when you are mentally impaired from your mental illness and desperate for some peace and quiet in your skull, and when nobody presents any alternative options.

Talk therapy is so rarely effective for such a complex disorder, anyway.

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Hepativore said: With many of these examples that we have witnessed in this thread, the people who bought tickets to the Troon train did not actually have true "gender dysphoria" but other mental disorders that either masqueraded as GD or trooned out of escapism. True GD is extremely rare.

Maybe, maybe not. With how common eating disorders and other self-destructive disorders are, I would not be shocked if the numbers for 'true GD' were higher than anticipated. Bear in mind, I was just a regular woman with a clinical history of OCD and abuse, and plenty of people are abused sexually, physically, emotionally, every minute of everyday. It's a fucked up trauma response and seems to usually be a reaction to internalised sexism/gender roles and homophobia, sexism and homophobia are pretty much just facts of life. The people we've seen without "true GD" seen to be GNC autists, terminally online fetishistic incels/femcels, and grooming victims, but I'm not entirely convinced that someone can not spontaneously develop GD after being exposed to trans messaging. To make an easy comparison, if you have OCD, it's pretty easily to accidentally pick up new anxieties and body dysmorphic traits, think about all of the young women who develop anorexia after comparing themselves to hungry skeleton fashion models, and having friends who are anorexic. Transsexuality has been observed to function like a social contagion, and it might be reasonable to suspect the actual disorder might be catching too. Couple this with the fact that being trans gets entangled with their identity, and it seems like a spreadable disorder that would be hard to treat. Remember, it is impossible to get better if you identify as a victim, and  every trans person I've ever met considers themselves a victim- a victim of circumstance, of mental illness, of transphobia, and so on.

redcent said: We're talking mostly about the usa, who's healthcare system is so bad doctors prescribe marijuana without a second thought (and it baffles me still why over there the doctors don't give a crap, that kind of shit wouldn't fly over here) . And in what would now be a stressed system after a global epidemic? Yeah, it's bound to screw up. It was doomed from the start, add lgbt brow beating into mix, you're screwed.

Yes, I imagine the doctors are doing the best they can, and they're under enormous social pressure from their employers and trans activists to conform with the new treatment protocol, so I can't blame them entirely. After all, if you espouse even the slightest hint of being gender critical, you can be fired and have your name blacklisted from every employer. Still, it is frustrating having dangerous body modifications being used as first-line treatment for people arguably too mentally ill to even consent to such drugs and procedures.

redcent said: Then what would be?

There may very well be a third option out there, who knows?

I can speak on this, if you want. Just to establish some credibility, in case you haven't picked up on what I've been putting down, or read my past posts in this thread, I am a woman who formerly had clinically-significant symptoms of GD for many, many years, and later detransitioned when I realised the drugs weren't helping, that the side-effects were too dangerous, and that, carrying on like this, I would never,  ever be happy. The mental disorder never quiets, not even when you try to dissociate from it with hormones, drugs, and alcohol.

I got most of these strategies from researching treatments for other anxiety disorders (BDD and the often comorbid anorexia/bulimia, and standard OCD), traumatic disorders (such as PTSD), and dissociation/derealisation disorders. Additional potential strategies could probably be found by reading literature about the previously mentioned. The main issue is it takes a lot of courage to face your past traumas, and you have to actually  want to change, most people with GD are too fucked in the head to try. It's the nature of the beast, honestly.

Firstly, I treated it like OCD. I removed the term "gender dysphoria" from my vocabulary, as this only reinforces and feeds the anxiety, and I just tried to analyse  what I was feeling, why the sight of my own body would trouble me so. I would sit with myself and try to think back to the very first time I'd ever felt this way, what triggered this anxiety in me. For example, in the case of my breasts and hips, it was due to be sexualised at around the age of 10 by vile old men, and as an autistic girl, my reaction was to see the offending anatomy as the reasoning for my exposure to objectification and sexism, and to loathe it and desire to remove it. Every other exposure to sexist and homophobic behaviour served to reinforce this belief in me, before I even consciously realised it. After figuring out what events caused a certain aspect of GD, one could try to reassure themselves that they're safe, they're an adult who doesn't have to dignify sexism and homophobia with a response, and attempt to integrate the traumatic experiences and move past them. When GD thoughts would emerge, I would observe them, but not indulge them, because it can trigger an anxious spiral into a mental health episode. All of this is easier said than done, of course, and I seriously struggled with the final step. It is hard to change the profoundly mentally ill.

I treated it like a dissociative disorder, spending time with myself in nature, taking stock of my surroundings, the sky, the wind, the grass, the birds, my own breathing, and finding myself to be a part of all of it. This helped a little. I did focus-consuming exercise in the form of stand-up paddleboarding and weightlifting, in an attempt to force myself to see my body as only a useful tool that I feel deeply connected with, rather than a sex object and evidence of my inferiority, I tried to ignore every terrible lie people have told me about my body and my sex. This gave me moderate success, but the GD still lurked and resurfaced frequently.

During this time, I meditated frequently, to try to calm my anxieties. It helped only a little with the GD.

I'd done research on how psychedelics were being used to treat traumatic disorders that refused to budge, especially in victims of sexual abuse and war veterans. Your intentions, setting, and actions on these substances are critical, and I really do hesitate to recommend them to anybody. For better or for worse, a substance such as LSD makes your psyche incredibly malleable, so you could use it to radically alter your way of thinking and move past the trauma that is causing the GD, abandon the identity, or accidentally give yourself new trauma by having a bad trip. I've known trans people who have taken literally hundreds of doses of LSD and never changed, because the drug is what you make of it. In my case, I meditated, prayed to whatever deity is out there for guidance and safety, begged it to help me finally feel comfortable in my body and no longer have GD, and spent the day painting in nature processing my trauma. I really think my past efforts to find the causes of my GD, redefine my body's purpose and dismiss my experiences with homophobia and sexism as the opinions of assholes, and just observe my anxious thoughts without chasing after them, helped significantly. On this substance, I was able to see every past event that lead to my current situation, and I was able to move past the vast majority of them. I think about it like psychotherapy as we all hoped it would be, since the substance allowed me to take stock of all of my past bad experiences without fear, understand them, and put them away.

I do not believe I would have recovered without being able to radically alter my psyche with LSD, because of how complex and deeply-rooted GD is. As dangerous as it can be if you are not in a good and prepared mental state, if you do not have experience with anxiety de-escalation, if you are not in a safe place physically (a place in nature on a beautiful, sunny Spring day seems best), it seems to be an invaluable tool for someone who can not otherwise recover from a traumatic mental disorder. I would rather take a drug once that actually helps, rather than take hormones for the rest of my life, anyway. My best advice to anyone would be to treat the "you" that will be on LSD like a very young and fragile child, have access to paints and drawing implements, fresh fruits and other foods you like, a good, comforting, and calm environment with access to nature, and knowledge in how to calm and comfort a small child. At risk of waxing religious, it really does feel like starting life over again.

TL;DR: If done in the right environment, with care and preparation, and with intentions in mind, psychedelics could present a better treatment option.

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Blogger's break:

I had a similar experience with cannabis.

It relaxed my mind enough that I looked at my experiences without 'getting defensive', without fear.... Just looking at it as a series of cause and effects --- like an engine with running parts.

After one particular smoke sesh, I completely got over my personal desire to pretend I was male in ways that I was not. I obviously still like to 'roleplay' as characters who are male, but they are also human beings as I am. I gave up that unnatural fixation on the gender trait.

I stopped smoking, because come-downs and withdrawals annoy me. I'd rather go with my own endo-cannabinoids, than rely on some exogenous substance to keep me happy. Still, I have a lot to be grateful for.

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Next post:

redcent said: Things like that though could use some looking into. I'm leery about lsd but what do I know? Options like that and even more options should be available but the world is cucked. Nobody wants to experiment, just deal drugs to kids as some sacrifice to a raindow flag god.

In regards to wanting the options available through legitimate means, you'll be pleased to note that we are in a renaissance of psychedelic research, there's been research on MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, ketamine, and mescaline, among others I'm probably forgetting right now. It's fringe and very experimental right now, but there is reason for optimism. One day, definitely not tomorrow, probably not even a decade from now, we might be using these substances to help people process their trauma and let go of self-destructive, dissociative behaviours, gender transition included. You can, of course, find plenty studies online, but if you'd like something a bit more personable that you can watch on your night in, there's a nice mini-series on Netflix that discusses the history, the effects of the drugs, and potential psychiatric applications. It's really exciting stuff.

You are totally right to be wary of psychedelics though, I definitely have a hard divide in my life and my memory of "before LSD" and "after LSD", and even though it wasn't a negative experience in the slightest, I'm not keen on trying it again any time soon. Everyone's experiences with the drug will be different, of course, but it really changes a person's perspective on things, in a way that's very difficult to fully put into words. I can talk about how it made me able to see my past clearly in a way that wasn't scary or painful, I can talk about how it helped me reconnect with my body, I could rave about how  beautiful it made the natural world seem, with layers of order in the chaos, the beautiful growth patterns in mint leaves, seashells, and the grain of wood, I could talk about how it gave me an unshakeable belief in a higher power, but none of that really captures what it's actually like for a person to take it. All these months later, and it could just be my lifelong depression easing, but colours still seem brighter, more beautiful. It fundamentally alters who you are as a person, and I don't think everyone is ready to experience that. In therapy spaces, with guidance and support, maybe more people could, but I worry for the safety of someone like me just trying it alone, and having a negative "life-altering experience".

redcent said: That, and I'm pissy at the world in general. There's this growing cult and everyone else gets the blame. Feminists get the blame, therefore all women get the blame, never mind who was in feminism for what. Pharmaceutical companies get the blame even if they're busy selling antibiotics. Gps get the blame even if their hands are tied. Churches get the blame for not doing enough even though media's got them by the balls for "intolerance". I'm just sick of it and wish consequences finally go to the people who are to blame: lgbt. Not like violence or anything. I just wish the pride group would learn some shame. This or worse things will go on until they can finally step up and admit they should put up with phobias going their way like the rest of us do.

I hear you. These are troubling times we're living in. On some level, all of the groups mentioned are "to blame". I was a good little feminist once, I believed that TIMs were truly just poor, mentally ill, effeminate gay boys who deserved go be treated with respect and tolerance, I didn't know about the dark underbelly of autogynephilia, and I knew what it was like being GNC and being punished for it, so I supported the Trans Rights cause. Many oldschool radfems saw them for what they were, of course, but not all feminists are innocent of falling for the appealing message of tolerance of unusual individuals. It is understandable for people to be suspicious of pharmaceutical companies, too, everyone remembers what happened in the US with Purdue Pharma and opioids, of course. They are companies who want to make money, at the end of the day. The physicians, some of their actions are understandable, like you said, their hands are tied, but the butchers are evil like none other. One could even blame the unholy trinity of social media, Tumblr, Twitter, and Tiktok, for proliferating it.

The most frustrating of the people pushing this "treatment" are the trans rights activists, as you said, who spout the doctrine- "trans women are women, you are born trans, the only option for GD is transitioning" with such vigor, and shut down any other research into possible treatments, any acknowledgement of the fundamental differences between male and female bodies, any mention of the grooming that goes on in the community, and any mention of the grim realities of hormones and surgeries. The information control is astonishing.

At the end of the day, we have to learn how to just take care of our own, do our best to help the vulnerable, and ignore their antics, except to laugh at them in private. There's not much more we can do, with how powerful of a political presence the TRAs are.

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I want to encourage the reader to nurture your own opinions --- not to take my word or anyone else's word as an ultimatum. This last post could sound 'extreme'. I'm not particularly decided on the matter, but I like her explanation of mentally-ill logic.

Whether or not a particular person is following the logic, that is situational... but it is a form of logic that exists.

So I will include this:

Pee Cola said: Transgenderism has been hijacked by loudmouthed grifters and/or sex pests with its biggest victims being true and honest trans people. Many of whom are aware they're unwell, and just want to deal with it as quietly and discreetly as possible.

This has been my experience as well, being intimately acquainted with the trans movement for many years. It's a sad thing, but the mental illness, if they are indeed not an individual transitioning due to a fetish, that causes you to not recognise your own body and sex, and to feel so crushed by internalised gender roles that transitioning seems to be the  only possible chance at freedom, runs very deep. It's a very elaborate method of escapism, it's why the old guard "true and honest" transsexuals express that they felt like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders, why they suddenly became a happier and more emotionally available person, and why they react so strongly to having their escapism shattered (misgendering, for example). There is trauma that runs very deep that is crushing, and being reminded that their constructed reality is not actually  true triggers a flooding back of whatever deep-seeded childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or other mental scars, which they try so very hard to keep buried.

Typically, these "true trans" individuals were non-conforming in one area or another from early childhood, maybe they were effeminate boys who were harshly punished for their emotional disposition and interests, or butch girls who were made to believe that they would never be good enough by being their natural selves, and were subjected to corrective punishment by their family or peers, sexual or otherwise. They believed, "if only I had been born a boy/girl, then I could be good enough, then I could do what I wanted without being punished". Even after you leave home physically, a part of you is still that scared kid, internally, and they still believe they can only truly be happy and free as a wo/man. They believe that their childhood nonconformity is evidence of them "really" being a boy/girl.

The mind does odd things to protect itself, and for these individuals, surgery and hormones and clothing, are  less dangerous than emotional vulnerability and tackling these issues. If you suppress this trauma rather than working through it, even at 55, you can still be reliving what was done to you half a century before. You must understand that transitioning is a palliative care to treat the symptoms of the disorder, without addressing the actual patient history that lead to their current mental state. No matter how much they alter their body, they will always carry their gender dysphoria with them, just like people with PTSD will always carry their trauma with them, no matter how far they run with it. Just talk therapy and happy pills can't do much for this kind of mental damage, and they're left feeling like they have no other option other than transitioning or suicide, because it is an omnipresent kind of mental anguish, and I'm inclined to believe that most people with it lack the courage and mental fortitude to address their past and learn to heal themselves.

However, in the same way that those with crippling PTSD have sought relief through psychedelics and healing themselves, I do not believe that transitioning is the only solution, or that getting better is impossible. I pity the transsexuals who still pursue transitioning, their will for escapism runs so deep most won't even consider any other alternative options, they want to believe that they were born trans and that it was an inevitable fate, to change their appearance so radically and to be afflicted with this mental illness. I am of the mind that the only "good" transsexual or transgender person is one who is not trans at all, but is pursuing mental and spiritual wellness and learning to face their demons. Easier said than done, of course, but I did it.

Every other trans person, by existing, propagates transsexuality via social contagion, presenting the idea that escapism is a healthy solution to mental illness, rather than confronting their issues head on. People will do as they will, it is their right, but it is in no way "good".

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Final notes of the blogger:

I found that I was following the pattern described above, even as I denied it. Almost as if denying it was part of the pattern.

I was not raised with strict gender-roles in my family life. I felt that such an experience would 'mark someone as female', and so to even talk about such an experience is to denote oneself as a woman, instead of a man.

Besides... I have read a lot of opinions of women who consider themselves feminists, describing the behaviour of 'toxic males'. They discuss personality traits as if they were inherent in 'male socialization'. They may claim that 'women grow up entirely different'.

I didn't.

I exist as one of these people whom you criticize. This is not entirely something to be proud of... but pretending like the only factor is 'gender' really flattens the issue of humanity.

Girls would talk about their 'growing up female' experiences of oppression, suppression, gender roles. I didn't experience a lot of that. [or perhaps not the same species of it] It was alien. It was like observing a culture on another planet. Not mine.. not me. Some of the constructed gender-roles are completely illogical, anyways... I knew this.

(I did experience gender-stereotyping in 'the world outside my family life'... but I always had a safe place to come back to. -----Now, whether or not I utilized that safe place, that was up to me. I wanted to be tough and self-reliant. So I kept a lot to myself. I see that as part of growing up. We all want to learn to walk on our own feet.)

My alienation came in witnessing other women 'bonding over this' and describing it as an 'essential female experience'. My thought process was much more subconscious than rational. I felt like I was supposed to 'get along with these women', because "they describe themselves as feminists. They say that disagreement with their tenements is rooted in misogyny. They know THE TRUE ESSENCE OF WHAT A WOMAN SHOULD BE! ---- HOW TO BE A PROPER FEMINIST WOMAN! AHA!"

and so to disagree with "how to be a proper feminist woman..."

Well, I just had to learn to speak up for myself, voice my own opinions, ironically...

Funny how that's the same mythology they're telling themselves --- "they're speaking up against The Man.... by bullying other women online".

#detransition inc. #psychology #Youtube

[distort-opia]

#also. historically speaking. whenever Joker's been 'reedemed' he's been blatantly made straight

Good example if someone wants to write on the topic of queerness being treated in media as a tool for characterisation. Whether by the writers, the audience, and let's say literary critics, it boils down to what you need from this character rather than him being a certain, set in stone, sexuality.

Most obvious one is layers and layers of queer stereotypes he was wrapped in from the start, used to show him as a villain, something strange and " other". Then we have his sexuality depending on needs of the plot. Him sometimes getting humanised by this affection he has for Batman. On the other hand him being humanized by " going sane" and having a straight relationship.

Audience is whole other bag of demands. His sexuality is tied to perceptions of his morality- he can't be queer because he is the Joker( fucked up so to speak, and would play into homophobic stereotypes), or his sexuality is taken as another " sick" aspect of his character( another way to show his mental instability). His sexuality is also tied to his philosophic merit- redditors certainly can't have their idol and his mission " lessened" with something like that. Also he can't be queer because then it makes no sense he appeals to that kind of an audience. And I would include fans who want him to be queer in order to humanize him, or fans who then erase any other aspect of him and treat every single action of his only through that queer lens.

This is why even with all the nasties cishet male writers tend to put into Harvey and Ivy, at least they are allowed to be. Which, as a gay kid, meant a lot to me, and it still does. It is one thing for it to be your simple case of queerbaiting, hell even homophobia, but the Joker is both and then neither of those depending on the situation and is weirdly dependent on this no-sexuality-land part of his characterisation.

And yes, all of this does make me mad but we move 😞.

Very well and concisely put! I've gotten into some of these aspects in other ask answers, but this sums it up nicely. Joker's queercoding is a very complicated subject, and the fandom's reaction to it is also quite polarized. There are some interesting essays on this subject, like "The Sign of the Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime as a Sign" by Joel West, that are worth reading.

I personally do not trust DC would manage to treat Joker's queerness right if they ever tried to address it as a canon part of his identity. It's likely they'd try to entirely erase his darker traits in order to make him palatable (like you mentioned) -- possibly redeem him in an overly simplistic way that'd make him lose most of what makes him interesting. While it's frustrating to witness the writers play ping-pong with his characterization in this aspect, for me it's better than turning him into someone else. There's a certain sense of relief in seeing a queercoded character get to be a villain, at least for me. So many of us are rightfully angry at the world, and seeing them wreak havoc in fiction can offer some catharsis, some escapism. Joker is more of a "Aren't you tired of being nice?? Don't you wanna go apeshit??" flavor of this kind of villainous character, but there's other more principled and structured examples (like Magneto, for instance).

Anyway, Anon; tangent aside, I get what you mean regarding Harley and Ivy. Despite the problems to be found there too writing-wise, it still means so much to have them exist on the page. And indeed, we carry on and hope for the best :))

#thank you for the ask! #asks #batman #joker #joker meta #joker's queercoding

[drowningalaska]

Demand the Resignation of Representative Tom Woods for Homophobic Remarks

I am deeply disturbed and frightened by the public remarks made by our representative, Tom Woods. His derogatory comments labeling LGBTQ individuals as "filth" have not only caused emotional harm but also foster a hostile environment that threatens our safety. This issue became tragically personal when Nex Benedict, a nonbinary 16-year-old student in Owasso public schools, was killed in a hate crime.

This incident is not isolated. According to the FBI's 2019 Hate Crime Statistics report, hate crimes based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity accounted for nearly 20% of all reported hate crimes in the United States (FBI.gov) despite making up just 7% of the population. It is unacceptable that such prejudice exists within our society and even more so within our leadership.

Tom Woods' harmful rhetoric contributes to this climate of fear and intolerance. His words are not just offensive; they are dangerous and incite violence against vulnerable communities like ours.

We demand his immediate resignation from his position as representative. We deserve leaders who will stand up for all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Please sign this petition to show your support for equality and respect for all Oklahomans. Together we can send a clear message that bigotry has no place in our state's leadership or anywhere else.

#lgbtq community #oklahoma #nex benedict #tom woods #petition #lgbtq #lgbtqia