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- This event has passed. Discovering Dominance – Toronto December 2, 2018 @ 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ESTTBA Discovering Dominance Workshop Description What does it mean to be a Dominant? How does being Dominant in the bedroom differ from being Dominant in a relationship? How can you gain the confidence to become the Dominant you want to be? The Discovering Dominance Workshop will explore these questions and more. As a group, we will talk about what Dominance means to each of us. We will tackle common roadblocks to Dominance as well as specific issues members of the group are having. We will discuss the purpose of rules within a D/s relationship and how to create rules that work. Since each person and relationship is different, we will cover different styles of rule-making, including Dominance without rules. Participants will also learn how to create meaningful rituals and protocols, to reinforce the D/s dynamic in a way that works for them. Many people find that the use of archetypes can help them get in touch with their dominance and help break away from stereotypes, especially in the beginning. We will identify common Dominant archetypes and create some of our own, as we need. Finally, we will delve into the concept of service in BDSM. What is service? How to Dominants accept and receive service? What is in it for the submissive? Workshop participants will discover different ways to gracefully receive service within a D/s relationship. Discovering Dominance Workshop Special Considerations Please note: this workshop focuses on power exchange relationships – not SM play. We will not be learning any specific play techniques, instead focusing on developing our own sense of Dominance. This class is designed for Dominants, Masters, Mistresses, Owners, Switches and anyone else who would like to discover (or enhance) their own Dominance. People who are not interested in embracing their own sense of Dominance are unlikely to enjoy the workshop. Participants are encouraged to participate as much as they feel comfortable. This workshop is very interactive. The more you participate, the more you will get from the class. With that said, no one will be forced, teased, bullied or otherwise pressured into participation. This workshop can be run as a mixed gender class or as a workshop open only to women-identified people (cis & trans, femmes, non-binary & agender folx, and anyone who identifies with feminine energy who isn’t specifically listed here). There will be no assumptions made regarding the gender of participants, people may self-identify if they choose (or as needed for women-identified only groups.

According to research published in 2004, about 1% of British respondents identify as asexual. Other studies from the early 2000s estimate similar rates of asexuality in the United States. As asexuality becomes more visible, however, the number of people who identify as asexual may grow. Asexuality is a spectrum, not a single homogeneous identity. People on the asexuality spectrum often refer to themselves as “ace.” Asexuality is not a fear of sex. While some asexual people have trauma histories, sexual trauma does not cause asexuality. The right sexual experience or partner will not change someone’s asexual orientation. Therapy can help people better understand their sexual orientation, deal with stigma and discrimination, and communicate across differences in sexual desire and orientation. Begin your search for a therapist here. What’s the Difference Between Romantic Attraction and Sexual Attraction? For sexual people, romantic and sexual attraction tend to co-occur. So separating romantic and sexual attraction can seem foreign or even impossible. But both sexuality and romantic feelings exist on a continuum. Asexuals may experience romantic attraction but little or no sexual desire. Or they may experience neither romantic or sexual attraction. Many asexuals use the term “aromantic” to denote a person who has no romantic interest. A 2011 survey estimates at least 55% of asexuals have some romantic feelings. - 22% identified as heteroromantic (having romantic feelings for the opposite gender). - Another 22% identified as bi/panromantic (having romantic feelings for men and women). - 6% identifying as homoromantic (having romantic feelings for the same gender). - 5% identified as androgynoromantic (having romantic feelings for only non-binary people) or other monoromantic (meaning they were non-binary people who were attracted to either men or women). Many asexuals have happy, successful romantic relationships. Some become involved with other asexuals. Others date sexual people and find ways to navigate differences in desire. Celibacy is not the same as asexuality. Though many asexuals choose to avoid sex, not all celibate people are asexual. For example, some clergy choose a celibate lifestyle despite strong sexual feelings. Likewise, not all asexual people are celibate. Some asexuals experience limited sexual desire in certain situations. Others choose to have sex to preserve relationships with sexual partners. Sexuality as a Spectrum Sexuality is a continuum and a spectrum. Just as there is significant variety in other identities and orientations, there is significant variability in asexual identities. A person’s asexual identity may also shift with time. Some common asexual identities include: - Demisexual: Demisexuals are people on the asexuality spectrum who only experience sexual attraction in the context of a strong relationship with another person. For many sexual people, sexual attraction precedes a romantic relationship. For demisexuals, attraction can only occur in the context of a close intimate relationship. - Gray asexuality: Sometimes called gray-ace, gray asexuality has a fluid definition that means different things to different people. Some see gray asexuality as a state between asexuality and sexuality. Others describe it as having sexual attraction but no desire to act on that attraction. Asexual people’s views on sexuality vary. Some identify as sex-positive, which means that they see sex as a potentially positive thing that they simply do not desire. Others are antisexual, which means they see sex as a negative thing. As with sexual people, an asexual person’s views on sex can be influenced by many factors—religion, the larger culture, experience with sex and relationships, and more. Sexual beliefs about the utility and value of sex are not the same as sexual orientation. Many asexual people experience sexual desire alone and simply wish to avoid sex with a partner. A 2010 analysis found similar rates of masturbation between asexual and sexual men. How Asexual People Face Discrimination Cultural norms and discussions of sexuality often leave asexuals out of the discussion. Many people have never even heard of asexuality. Others believe that only those with a history of sexual abuse could possibly be uninterested in sex. Consequently, many believe that asexuals are not “real.” They may question an asexual’s orientation, seeing it as a sign of trauma or negative beliefs about sex. For many asexuals, asexuality is an important part of their identity. Having that identity called into question can feel condescending and dehumanizing. For example, an asexual seeking medical care for a sexual health issue might face skepticism from a doctor about their orientation. They may experience gaslighting as the doctor tries to “fix” their asexuality instead of the health issue at hand. Some asexuals are targeted for “corrective rape.” This is a form of rape designed to “correct” the person’s sexual orientation. For example, a romantic partner may refuse to accept a person’s asexual identity and rape them to convince them they should like sex. Corrective rape, like other forms of rape, is extremely traumatic. The threat of corrective rape and other forms of violence may cause some asexuals not to tell people about their orientation. This contributes to asexual invisibility. Myths About Asexuality Limited awareness, social norms suggesting that everyone wants sex, and other cultural factors support numerous myths about asexuality. Some of the most common include: - Myth: Asexuals have simply had bad sexual experiences. - Truth: Asexuality is an orientation, not avoidance of sex because of previous bad sex. - Myth: Asexuals fear relationships or intimacy. - Truth: Many asexuals have very close relationships. Others choose to abstain from romantic relationships. Avoiding romantic relationships is a personal and valid choice, not a psychological problem. - Myth: The right person can change an asexual’s orientation. - Truth: This is no more true with asexuals than it is with people of any other sexual orientation. Is Asexuality a Mental Health Diagnosis? Asexuality is not a mental health diagnosis. Notions to the contrary undermine acceptance of asexuals and contribute to discrimination. A 2010 analysis found people who identify as asexual have typical levels of interpersonal functioning. They are no more likely than other groups to have mental health conditions. Hypoactive sexual desire and sexual aversion, meanwhile, are considered mental health issues. These conditions can cause a person to have an unusually low sex drive and to experience distress in sexual situations. These conditions can also affect the physiological response to sex. However, these issues are not the same thing as asexuality. Most asexual people have a typical physiological response to sex and don’t normally feel anxious about sex. They are just uninterested. How Therapy Can Help Asexual Individuals Asexuality is not a mental health condition. Therapy, however, can help people who identify as asexual lead more fulfilling lives. Discrimination and social norms about sexuality can cause some asexuals to feel depressed or anxious. Experiences of sexual trauma, especially corrective rape, can lead to posttraumatic stress (PTSD). Therapy offers a safe space to process these emotions and set goals for self-care. A psychotherapist can help asexuals who struggle with social rejection, loneliness, and isolation stemming from their identity. Therapy can also help asexuals better understand their location on the asexuality spectrum. In therapy, an asexual person may learn to advocate for their sexual and romantic needs, while abandoning internalized shame, self-loathing, and self-doubt. Couples counseling can help asexual couples identify and communicate their needs. When there is an imbalance in sexual desire—such as when one partner is sexual and the other partner is asexual—therapy supports healthy communication and negotiation. It can help partners identify strategies to help both parties get what they need without sacrificing their well-being. - Antisexual. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiki.asexuality.org/Antisexual Asexuality. (2017, March 13). Retrieved from http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/asexuality - Bogaert, A. F. (2004). Asexuality: Prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample. The Journal of Sex Research, 41(3), 279-287. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224490409552235 - Brotto, L. A., Knudson, G., Inskip, J., Rhodes, K., & Erskine, Y. (2010). Asexuality: A mixed-methods approach. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3), 599-618. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-008-9434-x - Chasin, C. D. (2011). Theoretical issues in the study of asexuality. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(4), 713-723. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-011-9757-x - Miller, T. (n.d.). Analysis of the 2011 Asexual Awareness Week community census [PDF]. Retrieved from http://asexualawarenessweek.com/docs/SiggyAnalysis-AAWCensus.pdf - Poston, D. L., & Baumle, A. K. (2010). Patterns of asexuality in the United States. Demographic Research, 23(1), 509-530. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26349603?seq=3#metadata_info - 10 things you need to know about asexuality. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://lgbt.williams.edu/homepage/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-asexuality © Copyright 2018 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.

Interview with Jo from The Florists / Stream their new EP ‘No Costume’ (Release show TONIGHT at the Triple Rock!) Local trio The Florists have just released their latest EP titled No Costume. Ahead of their release show tonight (with a stacked lineup featuring The Miami Dolphins, Fiji-13 and IE), we talked to Jo from the band about the record, the local scene and how they go about recording the copious amount of material they’ve released in the last year and change. The interview is below, and you can stream and buy the bands great new EP at the bottom of the post. More details/RSVP for the show tonight HERE. Reviler: In the promo material, you talk about the songs highlighting “experiences as a non-binary trans person,” can you talk more about how these songs came to be? Jo: Each song sprouted quickly. “Thanks Again” came from a riff we wrote a long time ago in my basement. The exact same bass line is used in another one of our tunes on “Can You Feel The Stasis?” — it was fun to repurpose that and makes me wonder if anyone noticed. The lyrics are directed at every TERF I’ve encountered — my identity isn’t contingent on other folks’ perceptions of me. “Joey, You’re a Dream” was written in maybe half an hour after a rehearsal a few months ago. I wanted to make a fast, angry song which expressed how I feel every time folks misgender me, my friends, or invalidate trans folks in other ways. It feels nice to be direct and, hey, I’ve never written “fuck you” in the chorus of a song before. It’s cathartic, a little rash, and turned out exactly how I’d hoped. I wrote the skeleton for “Gentle Bender” alone in our practice space in the early morning. The rest of it came together when we were recording with Jordan Bleau — Luke and Jared had ideas for piano and synth, and then we went wild with it. I ended up tracking like, three separate guitar solos and Jordan made everything come together in the final draft. This song is a joy to play. I think the lyrics are a little oblique — for me, the song traces feelings of isolation and being trapped between two genders which don’t resemble me. Sometimes you don’t fit in, and this is a song about how that feels. “(I’m Gonna Kill That) Blue Haired Kid” is by far the most collaborative song on the record from a writing perspective. I came in with the guitar part ready to go and we went at it for a couple rehearsals. It was difficult to fine tune the arrangement and really earn the nearly 7 minute run time, but I think Jordan made enough specific, interesting choices in the mixing and brought it to life. The inspiration for the lyrics comes from a story Luke has about a macho prick accosting him at a party. Someone broke a window and this guy, a classmate of Luke’s at the U of M, pinned the accident on Luke even though he didn’t do anything. When Luke ignored him and left the party, rumor has it that he was so swept away with anger that he was in tears telling folks, “I’m gonna KILL that blue haired kid!” Luke’s still here, so now we have this song and that guy is off somewhere sipping on a Rockstar. Reviler: You have multiple releases over the last few years…how do you go about recording material? Are you constantly recording new songs, or do you start with a blank slate and make a LP or EP? Jo: “No Costume” is our third proper release in under a year — I think we feel a sense of urgency to make work and share it with folks. We record demos nearly every practice and have quite a few tunes in the chamber for a longer release. It’s fun to be fast and furious, but I think now we’re going to focus on our tour with The Controversial New Skinny Pill in June and slowly cobble together an LP. The only consistent element in our songwriting process is to challenge ourselves more with each track and push our creativity to the limit. Reviler: I’d describe your music as post-punk…which I know is a lazy description. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard your band? Jo: I think post-punk is accurate, but it’s such a broad term it doesn’t really do anything other than reference a handful of bands. I’d say our music takes conventional pop structures, shakes ’em up in a bag of noise, and pours them out onto a dance floor. We all love Pavement. We all love Bauhaus. We all love Death Grips. We all love ABBA. Lyrics are incredibly important to me and I try to make every word count. Jared once wrote that our music emerges from a series of compromises and I think that’s really true — we love to be loud, have fun, and encourage listeners to think a little bit. Reviler: Does the band feel more at home in the studio or live on stage? Jo: Live, without a question. Our rehearsals are kind of like wrestling matches — I’m always pushing Jared and Luke to try new things and play in the moment. They always push back. I think all of my favorite Florists moments have happened in improvisations. Going into the studio is a different challenge that I also love. We’re chasing those magical accidents and impulses that happen on stage or in practice and hoping to capture ’em in a microphone. I think we caught some compelling stuff with “No Costume” and it might be because we recorded it in our rehearsal space with Jordan while we were all jacked up on caffeine and takeout. Reviler: As a rising band in the Twin Cities music scene, you play with a lot of local bands. Who are a few of your favorites? Jo: Oh God. I don’t want to miss any. I don’t want to miss any. Here are a few amazing acts which I look up to: The Controversial New Skinny Pill. They might be one of the most sorely underrated acts in our city. Incredible. Totally fucking incredible. Nomenclatures. Lynn Murphy makes me feel things with lush production and wildly imaginative arrangements. Yeah Wings. Incredible slowcore. It’s rare to hear melancholy articulated so authentically. Luxury Prison. Josh Katzenmeyer freaks me out. I love him. Dahlheimer. I just saw these folks for the first time and I felt like I was trapped in an aluminum cylinder. Amazing, anxious fun. I’m gonna miss Naive Sense a lot. I also fucking love Sass. Crazy guitar work. City Counselor No one does what Nicky does locally — a tuneful mix of r&b, avant pop, and opera. Goddammit, Nicky can sing!! There are so many more. I’m sure you don’t need me to ramble on and on about bands. I love this question and also hate this question because I don’t want anyone to feel left out. I love a lot of bands!!!! Reviler: The lineup for your release show is outstanding. What should people expect if they come out Friday night? Jo: If you come out on Friday night, you can expect, as you described the lineup, an outstanding show. We chose some of our heroes to join us for this event and I am overjoyed everyone is able to play. My friend Max Kollman is a talented projection designer and he’ll be lighting up the Triple Rock for the evening with original videos he created with the Florists. I choreographed a dance which features a group of queer-identified non-dancers — you’ll have to check out our set to learn more. Audiences can expect a safe space to be queer. As always at any Florists show, no macho shit allowed. We love to get wild, but I have been known to personally call out crowdkilling moshing and violence of that nature. It will be great fun. I hope to see you there! Writer / co-founder

Now, I know you have plenty of your own school-related reading to do, but take a break from it for a little and read about way more interesting things sex: You have probably heard someone, likely a woman, described as having “no chill.” In the youth culture of America, “having chill” has become somewhat of a prerequisite in the dating scene. But does “having chill” simply mean that you don’t express your emotions? In her article “Against Chill,” Alana Massey explains the ways in which “Chill” (she capitalizes it in order to make it “a thing”) is actually “a sinister refashioning of ‘Calm down!’ from an enraging and highly gendered command into an admirable attitude.” If you only have time to read one of the articles in this post, pick this one! It made me question and reject a fairly long-held aspect of my dating persona: my “chill.” The face I made when Massey explained to me that expecting people to be “chill” in relationships is just another instrument of the patriarchy!! New year, new photo! “Cool for the Semester” definitely had to go now that the semester is over and it’s cold(ish) outside. I am so psyched to be back. Break was long. If we are going to be honest, it got really boring. And what do people do when they’re bored and single and college-aged? Hit up their exes. These run-ins can be excruciatingly uncomfortable, super fun, or even just plain forgettable. Most ex stories I’ve heard from this break fall into the following categories that I’ve recorded for your procrastinating pleasure. The Super Nostalgic One: Often found at those not-so-fun parties back home that you feel obligated to attend so as not to seem like a Netflix-hermit, the Super Nostalgic Ex just wants to reminisce. You two haven’t hooked up since the 10th grade and haven’t spoken since the 11th, but the Super Nostalgic (and Pretty Damn Drunk) Ex is determined to tell you that “you’re the one who got away.” They insist, in fact. It’s flattering, but you’re just sitting there trying to remember if you even really “dated” this like they say you did. This is how the Super Nostalgic Ex feels the next day when they wake up, sober, and remembers what they said to you. Let’s all face facts: Winter break is long. Ridiculously long. You’re going to find yourself getting very bored and probably even very horny. With all that free time, winter break is a great time to get down with that ex you still talk to, that one person in high school you always had a thing for, or someone you never noticed before but who really glo’d up since the last time you saw them. But how likely are you to get with your back-home bae (whoever that may be) this break? Note: One of the bloggers took this quiz, got a 100%, and has already hooked up with the guy she had in mind while taking it. Does that mean that this quiz is science? Yes. What do your results mean? procrastination finals season. With all of the work we have to do, we welcome and embrace any possible distraction. An article about the Champions League (lol sports) or one about the importance of stretching is suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world when you don’t want to do your work.Right freaking now seems like the optimal moment to reorganize your Spotify playlists, doesn’t it? Or in my case, now is the time to write this post and ignore my 10-page paper due on Friday. But, if you’re like me and you like to pretend everything is secretly about sex, perhaps you’re wondering what your procrastination technique reveals about your sexuality. Allow me to interpret: - If you procrastinate by doing other, less urgent, work: You cyborg! How are you productive even while you’re procrastinating? I would be scared/too intimidated to hook up with you. You’re just so… efficient. I would recommend relaxing in all aspects of your life, from your schoolwork to what you do in the bedroom. Not everything has to be so serious! hours days weeks months a whole semester of sexual tension, you hooked up with that person you’ve been eyeing the most. You dreamed about it so often that you were sure it was going to be fantastic. But it wasn’t. What can you do now? Disclaimer: I’m writing this post with the assumption that your bad hook-up was consensual. If it wasn’t, please contact CAPS, the WPCs, the 24/7 sexual assault response hotline at 401-863-6000, close friends, family, or any of the other resources you have in your life. Option #1: Just don’t get with them ever again. If it was so bad that you’re sure you don’t want to hook-up with them ever again (for whatever reason or for no articulable reason at all—you don’t have to justify your sexual decisions to anyone!), then you’re sure and I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. You do what’s best for you, boo. Option #2: Consider the circumstances. - Did you not voice what you really want? Lots of people are too shy in the bedroom to speak their minds but honestly how good can anyone expect sex to be if their partner doesn’t know what they want or like? Spell it out! Hit them with an “Actually, my favorite position is ______” or a “Touch ____” and there is almost no conceivable way the sex between you two won’t get better. Hey y’all, it’s me, Cer Vix-a-lot. I’m taking over for Demisexual Lovato this week and I’m here to try to give y’all a crash course on female anatomy. As I’m sure a lot of you know, the sex education system in this nation is f***ed up, and a lot of people just have no idea what the hell is going on downstairs. My goal is to create a Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide to the Vagina. Let’s get started. *Disclaimer: I’ll be throwing around words like “female” and “girl” a lot in this, but all this anatomy may not apply to transgender, intersex, or non-binary people. Remember: not all women have vaginas, and not all vaginas belong to women.*

This post was originally published in November and was most recently updated in April Why simply marathon a good television show when you could marathon a good television show with some element of bisexuality, homosexuality, pansexuality or otherwise non-heterosexuality buried within it? This is a list of dramatic television series including web television and miniseries that feature noteworthy lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender characters. Asexual , graysexual , non-binary and pansexual characters are also included. Her ex-wife Wendy Ross-Hogarth, and girlfriend Pam also represent lesbians on the show. Piper, Alex, Big Boo, Nicky, Soso, Poussey, Suzanne, and numerous side characters offer a range of portrayals lesbian and bisexual women on one show. Hall and Keith Mathew St. The gay lone ranger of the West Side, Omar. There are loads of conversations going on about queer content on Netflix right now. The untimely axing of Sense8 could almost be forgiven if this decade-old classic was brought back to life. Gay characters on TV shows have come a long way since the days of All in the Family when a character named Steve shocked the nation by becoming the first openly gay character on a sitcom. Now, scores of shows feature gay characters, sometimes in leading roles and other times as members of the supporting cast. |♡ ♡ ♡ Charmaine, 33 years old from Round Rock ✔ ONLINE| |Height: 156 cm.| |Seek: Blowjob sex / Foreplay| |The person has to be good looking. Am new to this, but i do know what i want. I want it from a man - Sex where he actually stops when we tell him to stop. I have a nice job and stable home, but allthe men ive had relationships with just arnt right for me. Don't be fat.| Seethe releases plus media enquiries. Export on the road to the BFI. 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Where we were in 2020 In November 2020, we wrote about reflecting on our diversity and inclusion beliefs and practices. At the time, we had come up with a diversity brief that has since been published on our website and job adverts. As part of a commitment to holding each other accountable, we created five strong pillars endorsed by the executive board and embedded in our company-wide objectives and key results. We value all the great benefits that diversity brings and encourage everyone to bring their whole self at work, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or disability. At FutureLearn, we take care of each other and we have zero tolerance for any kind of exclusion. We outlined these objectives as follows: - Improve the overall representation of minorities and representation in leadership roles - Minimise bias through training and awareness - Embed diversity and inclusion in policies and everyday practices - Celebrate diversity and educate/advocate - Champion diversity within the edtech sector The progress we’ve made since With these objectives in mind, we’ve made sure to measure the progress that we’ve made. Below, we’ve picked out some of the improvements and successes we’ve made throughout the business. - We’ve increased the ethnic diversity among our staff by 15% compared to last year. - We’ve moved to be proactive on job websites that are focused on talent from diverse backgrounds. - We continue to have at least one diverse candidate on every shortlist. - Our internal surveys show that our diverse colleagues are more engaged (minority ethnicities were 6% more engaged than company average, those who are neurodiverse or disabled were 10% more engaged than company average). - We’ve continued to focus on inclusion, launching our values which are framed around a more inclusive culture. - We’ve created an agenda for a more regular cadence of internal LGBTQIA+ activity. This includes: - Electing a LGBTQIA+ Mental Health First Aid Champion so that there’s access to support for LGBTQIA+ staff from someone in the community - Appointing a diversity champion who works closely with our LGBTQIA+ champion to create intersectional celebrations and ensure FutureLearn does all we can to be an inclusive workplace. We certainly feel that the steps we’ve taken so far represent progress in some essential areas. However, we also recognise that there is still work to be done to ensure we continue to make FutureLearn a diverse and inclusive place to work. Our plans for the future As well as regularly reviewing, measuring and reporting on our progress, we’ve also planned some internal activities for the future. These include: - We’ve created a roadmap of celebratory events supporting LGBTQIA+ businesses and economy. This includes events such as attending LGBTQIA+ theatre shows, for example. - Continuing to educate staff on key issues, including: - A focus on trans, non-binary and bisexual identities (which are less known) - Training in LGBTQIA+ lexicon, so they can make the choice to enter the conversation regarding LGBTQIA+ issues and create a more inclusive workplace for all - Continuing with our BLM Forums, which provide a company-wide opportunity to discuss projects, progress, feedback and accountability around the topics of inclusivity, equality, and celebrating diversity as a company and employer. - Hosting an intersectional fundraiser for Black Pride to donate money to a Black LGBTQIA+ charity that offers mental health support. This also actively celebrates people of colour from the LGBTQIA+ community, both internally and externally. We hope that through these efforts and our continued commitment to our diversity and inclusion beliefs, we can champion inclusivity within the edtech sector. Through self-reflection and positive actions, we can ensure FutureLearn is a welcoming place for all.

Send the link below via email or IMCopy Present to your audienceStart remote presentation - Invited audience members will follow you as you navigate and present - People invited to a presentation do not need a Prezi account - This link expires 10 minutes after you close the presentation - A maximum of 30 users can follow your presentation - Learn more about this feature in our knowledge base article Do you really want to delete this prezi? Neither you, nor the coeditors you shared it with will be able to recover it again. Make your likes visible on Facebook? You can change this under Settings & Account at any time. Non-Binary Gender So Far... Transcript of Non-Binary Gender So Far... Mainstream psychology obsessed with gender difference despite greater evidence of similarity (Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974) Assumed to be 'natural' despite evidence of neuroplasticity (Fine, 2010) Cultural forces impose gender binary Bem - central research - androgyny healthy - arguing to eradicate gender (sex as important as eye colour - can be hetero/homo) Diverse experiences of non-binary gender Sex & gender non-binary at all levels (chromosomal, hormonal, primary/secondary sex characteristics, neural, gender roles, etc., Fausto-Sterling, Joel) Intersex estimate - 0.5 to 2% - not all intersex folk non-binary, not all non-binary folk intersex Highlights gender as biopsychosocial - differing extents in differing combinations Metro Centre recent study - LGBTQ young people - 5% not M/F Scottish Trans Alliance (2012) survey on trans mental health over 1/4 identified as non-binary or agendered, but not all non-binary folk see selves as trans* (challenge cis/trans* binary Titman - national surveys review - estimates around 0.4%. Also difficulty knowing how many people would identify if available (e.g. rural/urban Minesota schools - gay/trans) Joel et al. (2013) in a general population 35% felt to some extent as the ‘other’ gender, as both men and women &/or as neither. Yougov ~20% in between/not binary. Prevalence of non-binary genders Pronouns, e.g. zie, they - ask etiquette, not questioning Titles, e.g. Mx References e.g. that man/woman, boy/girl rather than person. Sir/Madam, love/guv/darling/mate - context Name change: none, gender neutral name, initials, two names, middle name in brackets, different names on different occasions Relationship words e.g. partner, sibling, offspring, parent Some may accept/embrace being gendered as M/W on different occasions Adopting appearance of gender other than assigned at birth, cultivating androgynous appearance, adopting aspects of 'masculinity' and 'femininity' simultaneously, different according to context, changing over time Issues around body image ideals for non-binary people (e.g. images of androgyny = thin, white, no visible disability, fashion conscious) Photographs thanks to www.identityprojectsf.com Bem (1995) - shift - way to transform gender is to turn the volume up, not down: ' I propose that we let a thousand categories of sex/gender/desire begin to bloom in any and all fluid and permeable configurations and, through that very proliferation, that we thereby undo the privileged status of the two-and-only-two that are currently treated as normal and natural.' 2014 Facebook genders: 71 and counting Potential surgeries or hormonal interventions (becoming possible on NHS, trans aware media) Incorporating aspects of both man and woman: Mixed gender, sometimes pangender, androgynous. Having no gender: Gender neutral, non-gendered, genderless, agender, neuter, neutrois. Moving between genders: Bigender, gender fluid, sometimes pangender. Being of a specific additional gender (either between man and woman or otherwise additional to those genders): Third gender, other gender, sometimes pangender Moving between multiple genders: Trigender, sometimes pangender. Disrupting the gender dichotomy: Multidimensional & Intersectional McNeil et al. (2012) - those who identify as non-binary and/or express themselves in ways that challenge binary gender face similarly high levels of mental health difficulties to trans people generally. Harrison et al. (2012) - over 40% of non-binary people had attempted suicide atsome point, a third had experienced physical assault, and a sixth sexual assault based on their gender. Beyond the Binary Survey Inability to access education, work, housing, or healthcare without misgendering oneself Inability to have gender recorded correctly Hospitals, prisons, care-homes and other institutions failing to recognise gender accurately Lack of accessible public facilities Facing constant misgendering by others in language Everyday harassment, discrimination and hate-crime -> feeling very unsafe Inability to access healthcare services Feeling forced to present as male/female to be accepted, access work and make a living Intense school and/or workplace bullying due to gender expression Being forbidden from presenting as non-binary - no legal recourse

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and if you’re not boo’d up, all the hearts, cute bears and love in the air can make it feel like the loneliest day of the year. As a blerd or any nerd of color, it can be hard enough finding someone who shares your interest, much less meets your standards. (Oddly enough, blerds of either gender seem to be convinced the other doesn’t exist…gatekeeping in the community contributes to that problem.) Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Metaphorically anyways…. Valentine’s Day can still be fun even for those of us without a bae. We can combat loneliness the same way we always have….by indulging in the nerdy things we love! 1) Watch a rom-com—anime or drama Nothing makes me feel less alone then watching others struggle with their love lives too—especially if it’s in anime form! Lovely Complex is a personal favorite of mine. Quirktastic has got your covered with this quick list of anime romances. But K-dramas have no shortage of rom coms as well! They tend to be on the longer side and are perfect for bingeing. There are plenty of lists online, but a few classics include Secret Garden, Boys Over Flowers, You Who Came From the Stars, and She Was Pretty. The gif pictured is from Cunning Single Lady. 2) Make something sweet Most of what makes Valentine’s Day special is all the chocolate, candy and sweets! Treat yo’ self by making something yummy for yourself or someone else you love. Baking and decorating is a lot of fun, even if you’re not kitchen-inclined. And you can always take advantage of the sweets on sale! 3) Visit a bookstore/comic shop Going to the manga section of a library or bookstore always makes me feel warm, nostalgic fuzzies. It reminds me of days when I could curl in my favorite corner and read through 5 volumes of Fruit Basket in a single afternoon (curse you, public library limit of 2!) Even if you’re not looking for something specific, cruising through old favorites or seeing what’s new can lift your spirits. Who needs a boo when there’s shoujo manga? 4) Get together with fellow nerdy pals Leslie Knope suggests it and I agree—you can never go wrong with a nerd-themed Galentine day! (*Applies to gents, gals and non-binary pals). Watch your favorite nerdy shows, veg out on video games or even rant about your love lives. When looking for article ideas, a friend of mine suggested making “meme” Valentine’s crafts. Whatever’s fun to do with friends and makes you feel a little more loved! 5) Practice a little self-love Self-love is the most important type out there, cuz you’re with yourself for the rest of your life! Give yourself some extra lovin’ with one of our suggestions, or throw in your own pampering routine—bubble baths, face masks and all. If you’re feeling more reflective, journaling or drawing is a relaxing and introspective way to sort out your thoughts and feelings; whether about love or anything else.

Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place for their work. In the Bounceback generation, humanity is recovering from the environmental and social damage done by prior generations. Everyone is networked, every move and conversation recorded for the sake of transparency, and the currency of the day is social capital – strokes and strikes for good and bad behavior. Instead of single jobs, there is a gig economy, where individuals can sign up as needed to pilot drones, work clean-up crews, provide security, and more. Family units consist of multiple spouses, elders, and there’s a strict one-child policy in place; the right to have children must be earned. AI and VR are ubiquitous, with the majority of human interactions taking place in personal e-states, public gaming gyms, and other virtual spaces. Rubi Whiting is one of the top gamers in the world. She’s also a legal advocate, currently balancing work for her client, the mysterious Luciano Pox, her rivalry with Gimlet Barnes, her in-game arch nemesis, and protecting her father, Drow Whiting, the so-called Mad Maestro, a musical genius, with extreme PTSD and a history of trauma and attempted suicide. Rubi’s pet cause is SeaJuve, a project to rejuvenate the oceans and put an end to oxygen scarcity. In the course of trying to secure funding for the project, unravel the mystery of her client’s true identity, and care for her father, Rubi becomes embroiled in a much larger plot than she ever imagined – one that may involve a secret immortality cult and the emergence of sentient AI. And the key to unravelling it all is winning a match against Gimlet Barnes in a Revolutionary France-inspired sim, a proposition complicated by Rubi’s growing attraction to her best frenemy. “Rubi had lost big in their previous battle, a superhero thing. She’d apparently lost perspective, too. Once Gimlet was in, there was no chance she’d stop, not even for a better shot at levelling her mash-up of careers into a single permajob as a public defender. Thrill of adrenaline, rat-a-tat of machine guns, crossbow-driven stakes. Sim blood spraying as buildings collapsed. Players and audience tooning in by the tens of thousands.” Beckett weaves together multiple threads and storylines in Gamechanger to create a story that feels truly sprawling and epic. Their characters and world feel deep and lived-in, and the future they offer up a highly-plausible, extrapolating forward the way society currently engages with social media. The novel’s scope can almost be dizzying at times, but the story is always engaging and at over 550 pages, it still manages to be a fast-paced, page-turning read. The characters are fantastic, and each gets their own journey and arc to complete. Beckett writes them all with compassion, allowing them to be simultaneously strong and capable, but also vulnerable and capable of leaning on each other. Gamechanger is a wonderful read, and I’m already looking forward to Beckett’s next work! Abdou is a programmer, coding realistic virtual worlds. He maintains his own private world as well, one where he torments himself with visions of his lost friend, his love, Mamadou. Under the new government, being gay is a crime that can get one sent to the mines, which are fraught with danger and prone to collapse. Abdou is caught between fear and hope, wanting to search for Mamadou, but afraid of what he may find if he does. I stop at his side, tilting my head, trying to read his face. His gaze is steady and fixed on the star far beneath us. Light dances across his face and the sea of a galaxy around us, smaller stars and violet and pink and gold dust spreading out of sight. The farthest dots circle slowly, but all else seems still. But still, there is so much noise. So many voices, a sea of yelling, laughing, whispering beings. “Promise Me This is Ours” is beautifully-written and dream-like, moving through longing-filled dreams and virtual reality, contrasted with the harsh realities of day-to-day life. Sow paints a gorgeous picture of a budding relationship cut short, and Abdou’s paralysis in the face of what seems like impossible odds. He knows how dangerous the mines are, but he can only take his inquiries so far without risk of exposing himself. He feels like he’s betraying Mamadou’s memory, and at the same time, he fears finding out Mamadou’s ultimate fate. He desperately wants resolution, but that resolution frightens him– as long as he keeps seeking without finding, there’s still a chance that Mamadou is alive, but if he stops short of definite answers, there’s no chance of a reunion. Abdou’s dilemma is heart-breaking, but given hope through the idea of a haven, a private place where Abdou and Mamadou promised to meet each other again. The story pairs nicely with Sow’s “Ibrahim and the Green Fishing Net” published in Fiyah #11, another story of loss and longing, but set toward the end of the titular character’s life as he comes back to the love he lost as a youth, and finally reaches closure. Both shares themes of loss, longing, secret love, and reunion, and would make good back-to-back reading. The story opens with Lumi receiving the message “I’m dying and I need your help.” Rather than alarm, their first reaction is frustration. The message is from Kit, their first love, who they met when they were fifteen via the online dating app Krushd. My screen name was Lumi, which means snow. The base was so far north, it seemed right. Snow trapped me. Snow covered everything. Still, when I was sad, I would go up on top of one of the buildings and lie down. The small white flakes would dance and glow as they hit the lights from the base. Even the army couldn’t tell the snow how to fall. After months of exchanging messages, Lumi discovered Kit was a bot who scammed thousands of Krushd users, leaving Lumi broken-hearted and humiliated. Now, Krushd is preparing to shut down the servers and wipe Kit’s program, effectively “killing” Kit, and Lumi is uncertain how to react. Is their plea for help another scam, or do they owe Kit something for the relationship they shared and the love that felt real at the time? Even at flash length, Casson still packs an emotional punch with this piece. They perfectly capture the feeling of young love, and the idea of falling into it passionately and whole-heartedly. This first love and first heartbreak are doubly poignant for Lumi as a trans teen at a time when trans rights were actively under attack, thinking that they’d found someone like themselves, who they could open up to, only to find their relationship was based on a lie. Casson balances the heartbreak with the strength, love, and acceptance Lumi finds with their current partner as an adult. “Seeking Same” offers up a touching exploration of love and relationships, and what counts as “real” when it comes to emotion. If a relationship feels real, and you gain something from it, it can still have meaning. As Lumi’s partner Akilah tells them, “Love can exist on only one side. Love can break every piece of your heart. Love can even be a lie. That doesn’t mean it isn’t love.” Jam lives in a world without monsters. Her parents’ generation rose up to make the town of Lucille a better place, so Jam and her best friend Redemption are growing up in a kinder, a safer world, or so they think. When Jam accidentally cuts herself in mother’s art studio, and blood lands on her mother’s newest painting, it awakens a terrifying creature of horns and feathers and golden talons that crawls out of the canvas. The creature tells Jam it is there to hunt a monster, and that the monster is in Redemption’s house. Jam’s parents recognize the creature; not the specific creature – who tells Jam to call it Pet – but they’ve encountered something like it before during their days as young revolutionaries. They tell Jam she needs to send the creature back into painting, but how can she possibly do so when her best friend might be in danger? Maybe it had something to do with whenever this had happened before with Bitter’s work. Jam had no idea, and she could tell her parents were busy thinking in a small, separate bubble that was about protecting her but didn’t actually include her, the bubble that was their relationship, their marriage, somehow none of her business. Pet is absolutely beautifully-written, poetic, but clear. At the same time, Emezi uses gorgeous language to confront difficult subject matter – the idea of the monstrousness hidden within the mundane, and the greatest danger coming from those you trust and love. The situation Jam is faced with is heartbreaking – not only the idea that a monster may be hidden among those she loves, but that telling her best friend the truth may hurt him and that uncovering the monster will tear his family apart. The characters are wonderfully written and fully realized. It’s impossible not to root for Jam and Redemption, and for their friendship. Pet is suitably threatening and other, terrifying and awful in the true sense of the word. Emezi makes incredibly effective use of sound and silence throughout the novel. Jam’s largely non-verbal communication is paired with her ability to hear things others don’t, communicating mind-to-mind with Pet, and being attuned to her house in such a way that it sings to her, letting her know where others are, and when something is wrong. Because Jam is largely silent, and communicates through signing, when she does use her voice, it has extra power. This idea is extended in the way Jam shares or withholds information. Pet is largely a novel where characters communicate with each other, where parents believe and support the children, and where friends talk to each other. This makes Jam’s occasional and usually temporary decision to hold back information all the more painful and effective. Overall, Pet is beautiful and powerful, and has important things to say about the nature of evil, and the cost of rooting it out.

I am non-binary though it’s often easiest to call myself a lesbian. I grew up during a time when the topic of gay marriage seemed to be on everybody’s lips (in the 80’s and 90’s). During elementary school, most of the pope I heard were strongly opposed. I was told that there were things wrong with homosexuals. They were as twisted as pedophiles but worse because homos thought they should be accepted in society. This information I processed in silence. I knew even then that I was queer and that what I was being told couldn’t have been true but… I had no words that I thought could break through the intense emotions that often accompanied the anti-queer speech. I only knew that I probably couldn’t defend my position well. In my teenaged years, the isolation and powerlessness became such that I needed to take a risk. I decided to tell my church mentor that I am gay. I was surprised to find her accepting and… that she thought being queer was so natural and normal. I wish I knew sooner how many people are/were accepting. The whole “don’t tussle any feathers by talking” attitude kept me isolated way longer than I needed to be. My faith was challenged when I was told all homosexuals go to hell. How could a merciful God punish people for how they express their God-given traits involving love? I felt forced to explore this question alone. While it was difficult, it strengthened my faith because I really had to dig deep and scrutinize the whats, whys and hows of Christian expression/interpretations of God’s love. [Shared with permission. Photo credit: Wix stock photo.]

Sophie Mayer has six collections of poetry, several chapbooks and has appeared in and edited numerous anthologies, in addition to which she is consistently writing some of the best film criticism around. In 2009, Mayer’s The Cinema of Sally Potter: A Politics of Love provided one of the first scholarly accounts of Potter’s unique and challenging work in film. More recently in 2015, Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema arrived, offering a much overdue and masterful exploration of what has come to constitute the active counter tradition of feminist cinema and its innovation. From out of the dialogues between feminist thinking, the exclusionary and insidious politics of representation, and the poetics of film that in turn question film in and as poetry, Mayer’s own collections of poetry have continued to pierce and problematize. Her poems are drawn to tensions between the corporeal and the conceptual, between the body and its language; these are spaces, at once vulnerable and violent, that Mayer’s poetry returns to with sharp intelligence. On top of which, her poems are often shot through with dark wit or mischievous humour. Able to communicate nuanced readings of the body and its experiences, her poetry manages to successfully challenge and express the intellect without ever renouncing physicality and its embodied attentions…or perhaps, more perceptively, refuses any such polarity. This is then added to Mayer’s scholarly fluency in film, creating a body (and it is emphatically a body) of poetry that examines text and screen in the politics of our own personal encounters. In a recent interview, concerning the intersections between film and poetry, you suggested that there is: a resistance to connections between poetry and cinema in the UK in anything other than an almost-music video form, but the feminists in each community share so many concerns about the limits of conventional language and the excitement of experiment that I want to be a mediator, rather than focus on one form. I recognize the ‘almost-music video’ approach: so often a painful exercise in literalism, where metaphors are visualized and a self consciously ‘poetic’ aesthetic is invoked as opposed to an active poetics. However, as you detail in your essay ‘Cinema mon Amour: How British Poetry Fell in Love with Film’, there are poets incorporating cinema in ways that clearly resist this narrative. Are there any contemporary British poets and filmmakers you feel are particularly engaged in this dialogue? If so, what is it that interests you about them? With the increase in artist-filmmakers producing feature-length films, there has been an incredible flowering of awareness about the possibilities of bringing film and poetry together: John Akomfrah’s The Nine Muses and The Stuart Hall Project and Sarah Turner’s Public House stand out for me. Interestingly, in both The Stuart Hall Project and Public House, William Blake’s poetics are to the fore. The revival of interest in Blake as a visual poet or poet-artist, as someone for whom verbal and visual forms were inextricable, is incredibly important to both film and poetry cultures in the UK. Both Akomfrah and Turner are committed to a liberatory politics similar to Blake’s, one that is both grassroots and ecstatic. That’s what interests me in hybrid work: when poetry explores and draws on cinema’s collective and active spectatorship; and when film engages poetry’s tradition of apostrophe and of formal innovation. There’s a temptation for each form to mimic or be drawn to the most mainstream and obvious iteration of the other; but when, for example, Redell Olsen recuts early documentary footage of commercial lacemakers and writes in response to both the movement of the lacemakers’ bodies and the movement across the cuts in the film (in Film Poems), that is a thrilling expansion of the possibilities of both forms, and one that also draws attention to the forgotten, obscured and under-seen. I’m hoping that the incredible box set, curated by Sarah Neely, of the work of Margaret Tait will follow up on the amazing work done by Peter Todd in drawing attention to Tait’s utterly unique body of work – and its connections to many threads in post-war British arts. While Tait died in 1999, the persistence, revival and recovery of her work makes it very much of the present – not least that the revival belongs both to work by the Scottish poetry community and the British film community. How significant do you believe the London Filmmakers Co-op was (and perhaps is, in its influence) in considering the experimentation between British poetry and film? As ‘Cinema mon Amour’ did not look to address this question, I was interested in whether this was a conscious choice made in resistance to certain patriarchal histories of the avant-garde? As From Reel to Real: Women, Feminism and the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative showed (this past weekend at Tate Modern), it is indeed the histories, and not the history, that is patriarchal. Women were deeply involved in the Co-op, starting in the 1970s with Gill Eatherley, Annabel Nicolson and Sally Potter (whose later feature-length works I do discuss in the essay), as well as Lis Rhodes, Tina Keane, Jayne Parker, Nina Danino, Tania and Alia Syed, Sandra Lahire, Sarah Pucill, Sarah Turner (whose new feature Public House I mention above), Ruth Novaczek, Cordelia Swann, Vanda Carter and more. Many of these women were also involved with Four Corners, and/or with the distribution co-ops Circles and Cinema of Women. But they have been written out of histories of British artists’ film and video, absolutely. The essay was written for a history of British and Irish poetry, so my focus was on the literature and orature of poetry, as it responded to film and was responded to in film, rather than on the complex discussion of film’s own poetics and the definition of a filmpoem (or poemfilm). The word ‘poetic’ is used extremely loosely to refer to any film that does not subscribe to mainstream aesthetics (and thus uses ‘poetic’ to mean some insidious, reductively Romantic notion somewhere between non-linear, pastoral, lyric, imagistic, etc.) In more rigorous ways, avant-garde filmmakers have sought to loosen the strictures of mainstream film ‘grammar’ (particularly influenced by film semiotics), for example through the structuralism that was the LFMC’s initial credo. There is definitely more research and writing to be done on parallel trends in experimental poetry and experimental film, but my essay focused on where the two came together in a single text – and I tried to focus on film work that would be readily available to readers approaching the question of film and poetry from the poetry side. I wish I’d had the opportunity to talk, for example, about Lahire’s 16mm black and white film ‘Lady Lazarus,’ an invocation and summoning of Plath and her poetry. In writing for Sight & Sound, you have consistently sought to combat what you have called the ‘myth of scarcity’ in discussing female filmmakers. You have also appeared in the Shearsman poetry anthology Infinite Difference: Other Poetries by UK Women, a book that dispels this ‘myth of scarcity’ in a poetic context. How do you feel your experience of film and poetry communities compare in supporting under-represented identities? I’m taking the phrase the ‘myth of scarcity’ from an article by the poet Jill McDonagh that appeared on VIDA, titled ‘Believing in Plenty.’ The comment you quote in q.1 could equally refer to the way in which feminist artists are brought together across the boundaries between media and practices by this drive toward believing in plenty. Feminist-oriented experimental poetry spaces such as POLYply were also multimedia, screening films by American poet-filmmaker Abigail Child (and one of the leading theorists of feminist filmpoetics), for example. There’s no homogenous “film” or “poetry” community: there are different actions and movements at different times in each community, and I’m most interested in where they cross over, or where feminist community formations trump those around an artform or genre. I grew up in zine culture, where verbal, visual and sonic arts moved in alignment and hybridised with each other, and I see that returning in contemporary projects such as gal-dem. Aside from swiftly buying your new book Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema, what advice would you give to people looking to read or see more work that explores experimentation alongside, or inseparable from, contemporary feminism? Could you maybe explain a bit about the role of Club Des Femmes? Club des Femmes is a queer feminist film curation collective based in London, founded in 2007 by Selina Robertson and Sarah Wood, who are both programmers and filmmakers. It emerged from their passion for feminist experimental cinema (and the collective and discursive ways in which it was made), and their frustration at a lack of spaces in which it could be screened in context and conversation. Over nearly a decade, Club des Femmes has been part of a huge shift towards communitarian curation (partially enabled by digital projection) with an emphasis on foregrounding alternative and experimental cinema within event-based programming. There are new queer film festivals such as FRINGE! (London), SQIFF and GLITCH! (both Glasgow), as well as spaces like Liverpool Small Cinema, which is curated by a collective including Elsewhere Cinema, which programmed 58%, foregrounding films by women, trans and non-binary filmmakers. LUX and Cinenova, which distribute experimental and feminist films respectively, have just moved to a new venue with a screening space. So I think this is an incredibly exciting moment for people to access films outside the mainstream. In addition, many intersectional feminist collectives such as gal-dem screen films as part of their events and online presence; video diaries, documentaries, music videos, animation, experimental shorts – these are a core part of the language of fourth-wave feminism, and they are often channelling the influence of all kinds of historical feminist experimentation. If you watched Beyoncé’s Lemonade, you watched a film influenced by the LA Rebellion cinema of Julie Dash, and you can see the restoration of her film Daughters of the Dust at the London Film Festival (and hopefully touring thereafter) this October. You can also see the restoration of Lizzie Borden’s legendary feminist science fiction film Born in Flames at the same festival, which was one of Club des Femmes’ very first screenings. The words ‘experimental’ and ‘feminist’ sound challenging, but this is work that has permeated our culture. I think you have mentioned ‘poethics’ in an interview I read somewhere…I was wondering – given your contribution to Catechism: Poems for Pussy Riot and your continued engagement with active voices of feminism, queer poetics and issues of misrepresentation (across cinema and poetry) – what your views on poetry as activism are? Poethics is feminist poet and scholar Joan Retallack’s word; she talks about the ‘poethical wager’ in her 2003 book of the same name. Ethics – and activism – begin in language for me, and hence there is no poetry (or communication) that is not activism. Take citational practices, for example: whose work you foreground, how and where you name them, what gets footnoted and what doesn’t, whose work you reference/foreground/epigraph/pastiche and how. These are political acts. Of course, they’re not the only political or ethical acts, but too often we assume a capital-P Political, both as part of a spectrum of significance with Political Poetry (generally satire or war poetry) at the top; and as part of a binary, as if there were Political Poetry and all other work were apolitical (by design). If language is political and ethical, then you can choose to ignore that, but then your work inscribes dominant politics as a matter of course. So my activism begins at the level of the word. But I am also an avowedly activist writer, although that means different things at different times – collective editing work, collaborative writing work (with Sarah Crewe), bringing poetry into alternative spaces (like experimental feminist film screenings), teaching radical histories of poetry, reviewing and advocating for other activist writers and publications, and being activist within my own creative practice. In Her Various Scalpels (Shearsman, 2009) you begin with a sequence entitled ‘star poems’, each is ‘after’ a film (Lynne Stopkewich’s Kissed, Michael Winterbottom’s 9 songs, Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient, Sally Potter’s The Gold Diggers, Rebecca Miller’s The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, and Lucrecia Martel’s La Niña Santa). Though this initially seems like an explicit dialogue, the poems are inventively skewed. The mentioned films seem to become tonal indicators for how to enter the poetic space, rather than a more familiar ekphrastic response of about-ness…what was it that drew you to these particular films? They would make for a fascinating programme of screenings! I wrote those poems over a decade ago, so I’m reconstructing from memory. The Gold Diggers was out of circulation for a very long time – from its initial release in 1983 until its DVD release in 2009. I was lucky enough to see it on video in 2005, when I was first researching my book on Sally Potter, and it made a very deep impression on me. I think that was the kernel of the series, which posed a question (as the film does) about the female performer as star – literally, as a light source. That visual metaphor is present in Kissed, where it refers to a spiritual experience of female sexuality, and in The Virgin Suicides, where the remembered Lisbon sisters appear to emit light. These female performers draw attention to themselves, and thus to the film as film, and to our responses to watching film – they are asterisks, textual markers as well as astronomical bodies. I’m not a big fan of about-ness, in the sense of a narrative centred on a character or theme. What interests me about the ekphrastic is the formal challenge of moving image language from one medium to another – but even more than that, the potential for disruption. In epic poetry, ekphrastes are interruptions: a pause in a dramatic scene to look closely at a visual detail that might present a counter-narrative, prophetic insight or thematic parallel, but is also often riotously sensual and attentive to the skill of the visual artist (and thus offers parallels for the poet’s skill). It’s reflexive, hybrid and a form of poetics: not just description. Or rather, description is never just description, it’s a theory of optics, narratology, form, relation, etc. Each of the poems begins by looking at the films’ ‘about-ness’ (9 Songs is about a straight couple having sex and listening to bands) and then asks what else there is to a film, other than a plot summary – the films I chose have a strong sense of their own reflexive use of the medium, their critique of about-ness. I love the oblique use of sound in La Niña Santa, for example, and the chaptering of 9 Songs which is really quite stringent and structuralist. All of them are (now I think about it) also films about loss, but none of them are elegiac (or in The Virgin Suicides, the masculinist elegiac is somewhat satirised); instead, they vividly summon what has been lost (which is almost always female or feminine) into presence; often, as in The English Patient, that summoning exceeds the frame that is meant to hold it – and that excess, I guess, became what fed the poems. I find the eroticism that runs throughout many of your poems a really interesting element – one that is able to prickle with wit, but also playfully enjoy itself. Do you ever find that the ‘playful’ – as a dynamic that is restless/mobile/mutable – can speak to queerness as well as maybe a kind of Surrealism? Could eroticism be a space in poetry and film for gender and sexual fluidity to explore, and be explored by, kinds of Surrealism? There’s a lot of terms imbricating each other here: eroticism, playfulness, queerness, Surrealism. I think they all have historied relations to one another that are complex and worth drawing out: for example, Breton’s dismissal of Cocteau from the Surrealist movement because of his sexuality. Rosalind Krauss’ writing on Surrealism has been very influential on my critical thinking, as have the scholars of women Surrealists. The big Angels of Anarchy show at Manchester Art Gallery in 2009, which I loved, made it clear that many women (and many queer women) operated under the banner of Surrealism, often making the most inventive and persuasive work by putting gender and sexual fluidity and fantasy at the centre, like Eileen Agar or Dora Maar or Meret Oppenheimer or Frida Kahlo (although she disclaimed identification with Surrealism). So I think that those possibilities have already been realised, but have been written out of the standard histories and gallery accounts. Angela Carter and Kathy Acker were hugely influential writers that I discovered as a teenager, and both of them were unabashed in their erotic play with literary form. And there are similar feminist erotics of form in the work of Lizzie Borden, Cheryl Dunye, Sandra Lahire, Chantal Akerman, Ulrike Ottinger, Hito Steyerl, Tejal Shah… the list goes on. I LOVE your collection (O) (Arc, 2009), the poem ‘Silence, Singing’ was, for me, a particularly stunning beast! As quite a long poem, taking its form in fragments of prose, it plays with the essay form and though your collection mentions both Susan Howe and Anne Carson, I was wondering whether essay-films may also have had an influence on its style and rhythms? Absolutely. But both Howe and Carson have written about film: Carson particularly about Antonioni (and particularly his lesser-known documentary work, in her essay Foam, in Decreation), and Howe about Marker, in Sorting Facts, or Nineteen Ways of Looking at Marker (who was a book designer as well as a filmmaker…). So the 21stcentury feminist poetic essay is already infused with the essay-film – and vice versa. One of the first essay-films is Forough Farrokhzad’s ‘Khaneh sia ast’ (‘The House is Black’), from 1962 – Farrokhzad was a poet as well as a filmmaker, and a truly revolutionary artist. ‘Silence, Singing’ is actually one of the least consciously cinematically-inflected pieces of writing I’ve done, although I think the fragmentary form, and the movement between thoughts, is definitely shaped by an immersion in the work of filmmakers such as Sarah Turner, Sarah Wood, John Akomfrah, etc. There’s only one directly filmically imagistic moment in it, and it’s quite hidden: when I’m overlaying Iphigenia and Bathsheba standing at the military camp, my internal visualisation was shaped by Michael Cacoyannis’ film Iphigenia. The last poem in that collection, a signature poem no less (‘The Mayer’) has some of the most dizzyingly wonderful collisions: ‘Albus Einstein’s particles and Gertrude / Stein’s participles’ being a particular favourite! Film and poetry can play with time in varying ways – are there any particular poets or filmmakers that for you offer exciting new ways to experience or understand time? Apologies – I know the list could be endless…but it just seemed like the ending of (O) was significantly drawn into this question, looking into ‘this ever-present. (O) dazzle of mayhappening’. It’s an answering (or bracketing) signature poem: the opening poem is called Sophia. So it’s definitely about enfolding and cyclicity, as the section titles of the book suggest (I Do, I Undo, I Redo). It’s a stand against time’s arrow and the insistent eschatological linearity of colonial heteropatriarchy. We need to think about this aspect of time, it’s critical – and political. It’s a theory of history as much as anything. I love Agnès Varda walking back… back… back… surrounded by mirrors in The Beaches of Agnès (and her precise jokes with time in Cléo de 5 à 7). The spirals of time, repetition, and remembering in Sally Potter’s The Gold Diggers. The incremental seriality of Inger Christensen’s It (translated by Susannah Nied). Always Coming Home and ‘A Fisherman of the Inland Sea’ by Ursula K. Le Guin. Maya Deren’s handling of space-as-time in ‘Meshes of the Afternoon’ and ‘At Land’. Allison Adele Hedge Coke’s unwriting of colonial time and reinscription of indigenous (including non-human) temporalities in Blood Run. Blood Run and It are both book-length sequences that offer cosmogonies and cosmic time, although their sequentiality is quite differently structured. Ambitious without being overbearing, generous yet rigorous: I think the feminist long poem/book-length sequence, as it works through and deconstructs both the realist novelistic narrative and the militaristic nationalist epic (going back to Howe and Carson from the previous question, but also Bhanu Kapil, Claudia Rankine, Karthika Nair, Liz Howard, Lucas de Lima) is where the unwriting of time is at in contemporary poetry. Are there particular poets or filmmakers that you return to for inspiration? What films or books kick-start the imagination or restore your faith in all things cine/poetic? See above! What I like about working as a curator and critic and teacher and editor, as well as an artist, is getting to cross back through works or artists I’ve previously encountered, but from a different perspective, or framing them differently, or with a different audience. Pairing Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric with Marker’s Sans Soleil for a class this year, for example, to think about what bell hooks calls ‘black looks.’ Or screening Abigail Child’s film about Mary Shelley, A Shape of Error, with readings by Sophie Robinson and Isabel Waidner. It’s about activating the re-readings or re-encounters as much as anything. For private sustenance, I do return frequently to Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, to Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, to Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider, Chrystos’ In Her I Am: books I encountered in my late teens and early 20s, when I was working things out. (And Tori Amos lyrics.) I’m also always quoting Judith Butler’s Precarious Life (it’s the epigraph to (O) ). After writing Political Animals, which discusses over 500 films, my relationship to cinema has changed somewhat – there’s a certain fatigue, particularly with mainstream cinema. Probably the film I’ve rewatched most from the films I talk about there is Belle (Amma Asante), but it was also a cue to revisit films I’d seen at festivals and half-remembered like The Time We Killed by Jennifer Reeves. Festivals and curated programmes are where I do a lot of my viewing now: it’s quite social, and as much about context as content. That said, I am very excited to see the restorations of Born in Flames and Daughters of the Dust, and the first features by Margaret Salmon and Hope Dickson Leach, and Desperate Optimists’ Further Beyond, at the LFF. I’ve fallen in love with the work of American short filmmaker Jennifer Reeder over the last year, and Thai filmmaker Anocha Suwichakornpong. In poetry, what excites me here and now is the relation of new writing to editorial and curatorial projects: for the UK alone, Dorothy Lehane and Litmus, Sarah Crewe and aglimpseof, Andrea Brady and Archive of the Now, Theo Chiotis and Futures, Eleanor Perry, Juha Virtanen and Datableed. Nisha Ramayya, Eley Williams, Prudence Chamberlain and Generative Constraints. Sam Solomon, Joe Luna, Natalia Cecire and The Sussex Poetry Festival. And so many more. The inventive, joyous effervescence of creating alternative spaces for embodied, political poetics.

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted an individual review (see my last one here). It’s not that I haven’t read any particularly worthwhile books lately – it’s just that I have an insane backlog of book reviews to get on. September and October were really bad months for my tbr (see a full list here) and I read absolutely nothing at all. So I’m more or less devouring everything I can get my hands on for November, which, as you can imagine, has pretty much left me scrabbling to catch up on all my reviews. Jfc I am a terrible book blogger. I picked up All the Bright Places on the recommendation of a friend. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have listened to her, because this is someone who thinks The Fault In Our Stars was brilliant and John Green is the pinnacle of human evolution. Nevertheless, I had space in my “4 books a month” quota for one more, so I went ahead and bought a copy. Biggest regret of November 2016. I could’ve bought two caramel macchiatos with the money I spent on that book. Brace yourselves, guys, gals, and non-binary pals, for the first ever Kate’s Books post to review…a book I did not like. But first, a few warnings! - I cannot properly talk about this book without spoiling. So if that’s the sort of thing that bothers you, please skip this post. - Trigger warnings for suicidal thoughts, descriptions of depression, and talk of self-harm. Please tread carefully. Violet Markey was once a straight-A student, an avid writer, popular at school, but her life comes screeching to a halt when her beloved sister dies in a car accident. Standing on the edge of the bell tower in school, she comes across the school “freak”, Theodore Finch. At first, Violet thinks nothing of the strange boy who talked her down, but then the two are paired for a school project on the “natural wonders” of their state. They wander around Indiana, visiting weird, random roadside attractions and slowly beginning to open up to each other. Violet discovers a Finch utterly different from the image he projects in school, and Finch begins to break the wall erected around Violet’s heart. Their wanderings come to mean more than just a school project. Violet learns to stop counting the days and start living them, and slowly finds herself falling for Finch. However as her world begins to grow, Finch’s begins to shrink. What I liked: - Jennifer Niven is a really good writer. I actually initially really liked the book, and this is because of Niven’s prose. Her descriptions made my imaginings more vivid, and she has this way of writing that really sucked me in and made me feel as though I was right there with Violet and Finch. - I actually really liked the dialogue between Violet and Finch. I know a lot of people don’t like it when teenaged characters start whipping out literary references and intelligent dialogue, but personally, I adore it. When people criticize YA authors for writing their teenage characters as “sounding too smart”, I feel just the tiniest bit insulted. I mean, have you met every teenager in the world, that you can say that a teenaged character sounds too smart? Not to toot my own horn, but my friends and I actually did talk like that when we were younger. We were emo loners with black nail polish, notebooks full of bad poetry, and feelings of superiority over our more popular peers – of course we read Virginia Woolf. - Finch’s mood swings are amazingly portrayed. I could really feel the intensity of his emotions and how struggled to overcome his bipolarity. - I appreciate Niven’s attempt to bring light to the issue of mental illness. According to some interviews, years ago, Niven knew a boy who had depression and bipolar disorder, and it was on her experiences with this boy that she based this book. I liked that the author’s notes in the book contained sources for readers to turn to if they or anyone they knew was suffering from mental illness. Niven’s intentions, at least, were good. What I didn’t like: Before I start in on my usual bullet point format of my book reviews, I’d just like to say that my dislike of this book stems from just one major point: Jennifer Niven totally and utterly fails to deliver on her portrayal of mental illness. Disclaimer: A lot of my misgivings about this book’s handling of mental illness are based on my own experiences with a very close friend’s mental illness. This girl and I grew up together, and shortly after her mother passed away, she tried to commit suicide. I was the one who found her and rushed her to the ER. This was about three years ago, and since then, me and a couple other girls from our friend group have been in charge of our friend’s maintenance (helping her with stuff like follow-up appointments with her psychiatrists, keeping track of her medication, etc.). She’s doing much better now, but the past three years have been pretty much a “baptism by fire” type deal regarding therapy and psychiatric help for me. Nevertheless, I am not an expert on mental health and do not claim to be one. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. - Finch is a textbook Manic Pixie Dream Guy. Everything about him only exists to help Violet get better and recover from her own depression. He has all the beginnings of an interesting, well-rounded character, but all of that is dedicated to helping Violet get back on her feet. His character literally serves no other purpose. - Even Finch’s suicide is not about him. He spends the whole book trying to find ways to “stay awake” and combat his mental illness. But when he finally succumbs and commits suicide, instead of being about his struggles, his suicide is yet another avenue for Violet to heal. He leaves her a series of clues to all the places he visited, or “wandered to”, to use the book’s terminology, prior to committing suicide, in a sort of treasure hunt across Indiana that helps Violet comes to term with her sister’s death. I mean, what? The poor kid dies and it’s still a plot device for the girl to get better? Come on. - The book does an awful job portraying the road to recovery from mental illness. Instead of getting professional help, Violet and Finch are shown “getting better” through going on whimsical dates and waxing philosophical with each other. Far be it from me to tell people with mental illness what form their recovery should take, but professional help should not take a back-burner to running around with a significant other. - Speaking of professional help, this was totally demonized in this book, and I find this un-fucking-acceptable. Seeing a psychiatrist or relying on medication is already stigmatized enough – we don’t need to see it in literature too. This one, more than anything, really pissed me off. Finch tries to attend a therapy session and describes the kids there as having “the dull, vacant look of people on drugs”. NO. God, I wanted to throw the book at the wall when I read that line. Repeat after me: medication is not bad, people. For a lot of people, antidepressants are necessary, important, and effective. And honestly, fuck anyone who thinks lesser of people with mental illness who depend on medication. - The novel ends on a very fatalistic note. As I mentioned earlier, Finch commits suicide. I don’t think no book ever should have characters that commit suicide, and in fact, such a topic, when handled well, can make for not only an excellent read, but a socially relevant one as well. However, that’s where Niven failed. The suicide in this book was not handled well. Instead of a “please don’t commit suicide, every life – including yours – matters” vibe, what I got was the romanticization of suicide. Which is absolutely not okay. 2/5. Good writing, terrible handling of the subject matter. If you suffer from a mental illness yourself, please, please, please tread cautiously if you decide to read this book.

Neither male nor female — What it's like to identify as 'non-binary' 'It's kind of exhausting to try to constantly defend and explain and almost justify your existence' In a world that classifies people as either male or female, 21-year-old Haywood doesn't identify as either. It's a situation that can cause daily complications, and confusion with everything from pronouns, to public washrooms. "It's not easy, for the most part," said Haywood. "I find it's kind of exhausting to try to constantly defend and explain and almost justify your existence to people." A lot of the time, that means simply learning to let things slide, said Haywood, and brushing off misunderstanding. "You have to withstand a lot ... you have to have a lot of sureness and steadfastness in yourself to know that your identity is valid, and your identity is exactly how it is. And that's okay." Identifying as non-binary has also made the already challenging task of accessing transgender healthcare, even more difficult, said Haywood, who's creating a web site to serve as a resource for other non-binary transgender people in the north, seeking services. Listen to more of B Haywood's story here:

In many ways, it feels like we are in an era full of newfound support for sexual assault survivors; public awareness campaigns like #MeToo and op-eds from celebrities such as Uma Thurman have helped facilitate, at least in many liberal cosmopolitan spaces, a more empathetic and trusting climate for outspoken survivors. Awareness and compassion is not solely allotted to celebrities with a platform, however, and recognition of sexual assault as an everyday reality is on the looming cultural horizon. Community acceptance of a survivor’s story, as well as a sensitivity to their triggers, is absolutely crucial for the healing process to begin. But, for many survivors, there is a disconnect between increased awareness of sexual assault and their own personal healing. Shanly Dixon works at the Atwater Library and Computer Center under a Status of Women Canada funding project to address gender-based sexual violence on Montreal campuses. Dixon teamed up with Alanna Thain, an associate professor of Cultural Studies and World Cinemas in McGill’s Department of English and Director of McGill’s Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF), and McGill students Cassie Jones (U4 Anthropology) and Sofia Misenheimer (MA Communication Studies), to coordinate a day-long event, Growth on the Horizon: A Day of Arts-Based Healing at McGill. Held on March 22 in buildings across the Downtown campus, from library classrooms to publicly-accessible booths in the Arts building foyer, the event was composed of several workshops and themed discussions during which students could be reminded of the pervasiveness of sexual assault and the ways in which survivors can begin to outsource their pain through artistic creation. “We envisioned healing as a multifaceted experience which can include healing at the personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional levels—healing among students, healing between educational administrations and the students, and the healing of institutional processes and systems,” Jones and Misenheimer wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. Workshops ranged from watching a dramatic skit about the university complaint process, to screen printing wearable patches, to adding ribbons to form a cooperatively-woven tapestry. Participating students had a variety of outlets to choose from. “[At the event] you could look, listen, write, draw, respond, drink healing tea, take a walk in the woods, screenprint a patch with an encouraging message, or walk away with a sticker to remind you that you aren’t alone in this,” Jones and Misenheimer wrote. The event coordinators created one of the art installations themselves: “Altaring Solitude” is collection of curated objects on a wicker altar covered with dozens of fresh flowers. “We wanted to represent the anniversary effect,” Jones said, “We have a psychological and embodied memory of trauma that can be re-triggered after an event; sometimes the time of year victims were assaulted, even if it’s years ago, can [make them] re-experience those symptoms in a phantom-like but very real way.” At the bottom compartment of the altar nestled a mailbox-like basket; individuals could take a piece of loose paper, symbolically ripped from campus-issued agendas and old metro maps (common places where trauma is inflicted), and write their wish of healing as a method of letting go. The final step was to fold and place the paper in the basket. “If you don’t feel comfortable, you can write about healing and what healing means to you, or a message that you extend to women and men and non-binary folk of a future that you envision,” Jones and Misenheimer wrote. “We have the basket [both] open and closed because we want to hear your voice but we want to be protective of your voice. You can take any flower once you submit your message.” The mission to inspire and incite healing processes through art doesn’t stop in the McGill Arts lobby, Misenheimer explained as she headed a table promoting a project called “Post-Secrets.” “What people need [as sexual assault survivors] isn’t the same across institutions,” Misenheimer said. “We support other students taking on the initiative [at CEGEPs], so we have installations that will travel, and each school would build on that [artistic healing].” Besides the impressive scope of the project, aimed at addressing issues across the province, the project’s accessibility is not hampered by its aspirations: Sexual healing through artistic processes is still an intimate, yet safe, path for a survivor to embark upon. David Rawalia runs a screenprinting organization called “Machino.” Rawalia’s booth at the event offered students the chance to personally screenprint a feminist message, like “If you want the rose you must respect the thorns,” or “End rape culture: normalize no more.” Rawalia feels encouraged in his work. “[This] is an occasion to encourage having people have these quotes on their person to express their frustrations or feelings of survival and well-being in the face of gendered violence,” Rawlia said. “We chose small patches so that people can display them how and where they want.” Recently, McGill has been rocked by student groups demanding a response from an administration that they see as having largely avoided tangible steps towards addressing sexual violence on campus. For activists and supporters who give their time and energy towards the perpetually frustrating efforts of demanding positive change, an artistic approach to their own personal healing can supplement their activist efforts in a regenerating way. Where protesting requires an almost inhuman amount of persistence and bravery, creating art–from weaving to painting to participating in a collaborative installation–allows for room to breathe, absorb the pain of survival, and be at peace. As Jones’ project, “Altaring Solitude,” projects, healing is best administered through a collective safe space. “[In one part of the altar] we cast our own hands and carved them out of plaster.” Jones said. “My [hand holds] flowers to represent healing. Sophia’s has light, to represent something that’s hard to protect, but that is important [to preserve].” Sometimes, especially these days, that light is difficult to shelter without the wind snuffing its brilliance, but Misenheimer and Jones have tapped into something that may just kindle its brightness.

I’m Genderfluid. What does that mean? Well it means that sometimes I feel like a different gender than the one I was born assigned to (male), and sometimes I feel the same as my assigned gender. That’s basically all it really means, and it shouldn’t be as big of a deal as it is in our society. But because our society is the way it is, I spend a lot of time being subtle as fuck about how I… embrace this aspect of myself. I say embrace and not present or express, because I don’t do that. I don’t reveal this part of myself to anyone in the “real” world. I’m more free online, but even there I close myself off a bit, since I know people I’m closeted to follow me in a few places (thus why I’m posting this here, where they don’t know to look). How do I embrace myself if I’m hiding this part of myself all the time you may ask? Well, for starters, I do things like shave my legs and armpits. I always wear long pants so nobody will notice that I sometimes shave my legs. And it is just sometimes. I’m masculine most of them time, but sometimes I get a surge of whatever it is that makes me this way and I feel feminine. And trust me, nobody is better positioned to be confused about this than I am. Not so much confused about what’s going on, but more that sometimes I’ll go a month without feeling feminine and wonder if it really was just a phase. Then BAM! I’m in a feminine cycle and I feel a rush of relief, that I’m not an impostor. That’s my biggest fear when I come out to someone online, that they’ll think me some kind of fetishist, that I do this for sexual reasons. God forbid I feel good about myself when I go “full feminine” and put on a dress after getting rid of my body hair. I should be allowed to feel sensual like that, it should be empowering for me to embrace myself that way. Instead I feel a voice in the back of my head calling me dirty and wrong. That I shouldn’t feel sexually aroused by just putting on a dress. The thing is, I don’t. I don’t feel aroused by putting on a damn piece of clothing. It’s just that when I’m in a full feminine cycle, the act of bringing myself as close as possible to that physical presentation fills me with satisfaction. I feel complete, like that’s how I’m supposed to be in that moment. Because I’m so often masculine I feel the need to fully embrace when I do feel feminine. And that may include some “self love”, and it shouldn’t be an issue if I act on that feeling. It’s woolly though, because I can see where someone not in my head would get the wrong idea. How can you tell the difference? I have a counter argument to that question. Why does what I do in private matter at all to anyone else? So what if I potentially am a fetishist? Am I hurting anyone? No? Then kindly keep any sex and body shaming away from me. Sorry if that was hostile, but I feel the need to point it out anyway. What I do when I’m alone is none of anyone else’s business. Full stop. Where were we? Oh right, feeling feminine and how that can cycle. For a long time I felt non-binary to a degree, but as I explored myself I came to realize that there was something else going on with me. I thought back to all the times as a kid as early as 5-6 years old I had sometimes wondered what it would feel like to be a girl. It took me decades to realize that not everyone feels that way. That not everyone has this thought on a monthly basis. That I wasn’t simply curious to live in an alternate reality where I was born a woman. That I actually sometimes AM a woman. And I truly am. In those times I feel like a woman, I am a woman. There are those out there that think anyone with a penis can never be a woman. There are those that think that you have to transition or it doesn’t count. There are those that believe that if you don’t live every day trying to be a certain gender then you are not that gender. Fuck that. I am what I say I am when I say it. Sometimes I’m a man. Sometimes I’m a woman. Sometimes I’m just tired and don’t give a fuck. It’s literally in the name of the gender identity I have. I’m genderfluid. And like water I ebb and flow, never really still, even if I look still on the surface. I am what I am and I am proud of who that is.

Everyone is in love with Ruby Rose. Yes, pretty much everyone. The Australian model, musician and "Orange Is the New Black" breakout star has not only grasped the sexual attention of gay women, but people across the spectrum of sexuality, including self-identified straight women and gay men. Within days, the actress has become a viral sensation as memes and tweets have spread across the corners of the Internet with people of all identities exclaiming how gorgeous they think Rose is -- which is hard for anyone to dispute. The universal sex appeal of Rose hasn't exactly made everyone happy, though. A handful of think pieces have already been written about the many self-identified straight women who claim Rose has confused their sexuality and how problematic such statements can be to members of the LGBT community. But how does Rose, who identifies as gender-fluid -- similar to her "OITNB" character Stella Carlin -- feel about the viral praise? "I was not expecting it, to say the least," Rose told The Huffington Post in an interview. "My manager was like, ‘You’re like a viral sensation.’ And I’m like, ‘That sounds like an STD,'" she said with a laugh. While a lot of Rose's friends have congratulated her on being everyone's latest obsession, some told her the response is offensive to them. "I have a couple of friends who don’t feel very warm towards it," Rose told HuffPost, "They’re like, ‘Are you offended?’ They personally are offended by it saying like, ‘You can’t just choose to be gay. You should say something about all these women that are saying [they’re] turning gay or realizing [they’re] gay.’" But Rose has more of an unbiased approach to the fanfare and believes that it's opening doors for those who do identify as LGBT or as non-binary genders. "My sense is definitely more lighthearted and neutral on it," Rose told us. "I feel like we have gone so far in the direction of being more all-encompassing and being more supportive of one another. I really believe as a minority, and as a community -- the gay, lesbian, trans community -- [...] I think we need to be sort of supportive of one another." The model-actress also doesn't think the memes about "going gay" for her should be taken so literally. "I think people are just saying that to be complimentary. I don’t think anyone’s doing it to be derogatory or to take away from what it really means to come out and identify as a different sexuality than what people will think you are," Rose said. The actress also told us that the fact that people can express their sexual attractions on the Internet, playfully or genuinely, is proof of progress and growing acceptance. "Maybe 10 years ago, people would watch someone onscreen that they would be attracted to, but they wouldn’t be able to make a funny meme and say, ‘Oh my God, I’m gay!’ because that would be so frowned upon." One of the main criticisms against the Rose crushes are that straight-identified women are simply trying to be "edgy," as Madeleine Davies wrote for Jezebel. Rose, however, thinks that the so-called "trendy" nature of girl crushes are making society more accepting of LGBT people who are actually coming out. "I think it’s kind of brilliant because a lot of people can say it now who actually mean it and it not kind of be a big deal on them [to come out]." At the end of the day, no matter what people identify as, Rose wants everyone to feel free to express themselves regardless. "I, personally, think that the moments we try to nitpick who can and can’t say that they are genderqueer or gender-neutral or trans, or who’s gay or who’s bi -- who are we to tell other people how they can live their lives and what they can tweet and what they can say? It’s really none of our business. I think we should let people go and say what they want to."

Sincerely hope that any of that is helpful to someone somewhere. Seriously people who say there are two genders are so ignorant! You got fatter since the last time i saw you My biggest issue is how men think women should, or DESERVE to be raped. В Seriously, any man who thinks like that should be raped. Mewo? what about non-binary people? aren't we part of the trans community too? Press charges on those? who harm them. Fuck all of you and let's what you do when your in that position. Who needs dating apps when your got YouTube comments. Hmu ;) Ray rice for presedent So, for purposes of simplicity, yes, two genders.

How Queer Eye damages the very people and culture they were trying to save. For the newest season of Queer Eye, the Fab 5 head to Japan to transform the lives of four Japanese people. Except, they don?t. Thinking that it would be a fascinating watch, especially given my gay Japanese identity, I opened up Netflix and gave it a go. The first episode was so bad, I had to stop halfway. And it wasn?t just bad. It was a massive train wreck. This season reinforces harmful racial stereotypes, promotes toxic cultural ignorance, and fails to give voice to the very minorities they are looking to serve, specifically the queer Japanese community. But as part of my due diligence in putting this together, I watched the rest of the four-episodes. I will cover the least problematic episodes first and save the worst for the last. Episode 1: Privilege and Cultural Insensitivity as Comedy The season opens with the Fab 5 messaging each other to coordinate a trip to Japan with Kiko Mizuhara. In just a few minutes, we are presented with a dilemma. For this season of Queer Eye, they added Kiko Mizuhara, a female cisgender-heterosexual (cishet) Japanese model, as a ?culture guide? to help the Fab 5 navigate their way through Japan. She is light-skinned, skinny, pretty ? the epitome of ?the perfect woman? in Japan. On her Instagram, you?ll see that she loves fashion, makeup, drag queens? topics often associated with queer culture. However, her enjoyment of queer activities does not make her a queer substitute for the Queer Eye entourage. Is it Queer + Straight Eye? In the first episode, the Fab 5 help Yoko-san, an older Japanese woman who has become less focused on herself to provide hospice care for her community. In their description of Yoko-san, they repeatedly talk about her sexless life throughout the episode, pointing out that she has not gone on a date in years. There is a growing sexless culture in Japan for married and unmarried people, and it is perilous watching Queer Eye present this without any context behind what is driving this behavior. Sex often falls to the bottom of the priority list for a family-first, work-first, community-first Japanese culture. For many Japanese people, it?s not that sex is not a priority; they are over-worked and extremely exhausted, focusing on everyone else. In addition, Japan and most of Asia are reserved around sexual proclivities. It is incredibly crass and disrespectful to talk about sex in public. In addressing this issue without the context it needs, the Fab 5 aims to help Japanese people with cultural ignorance. But as most Japanese people do, in the episode, Yoko-san politely smiles and laughs it off. In the next scene, Tan, the ?fashion expert?, invites Kiko to help Yoko-san with her wardrobe. Tan?s rationale: ?She?s a model. She can add the Japanese perspective.? Kiko begins to lecture Yoko-san on how she ?threw away her womanhood? (referring to a Japanese idiom, onna wo suteru) by going makeup-free and wearing drab, shapeless clothes. Historically and to this day, there is still misogyny and double-standards within Japan. Unless a Japanese woman is a beautiful, skinny actress, they are expected to wear dull, conservative clothing. Japanese women are also taught from a young age to prioritize everyone else except for themselves ? elders, children, family, husbands. Being selfish is dishonorable.Being selfish for superficial means is exceptionally dishonorable. In a half-baked effort to persuade Yoko-san to break free from cultural norms, Kiko uses her cartoonish pigtails to show that she too ?defies? cultural expectations. Kiko?s lack of awareness becomes extremely clear as she fails to empathize with Yoko-san using her pigtails. She is too wrapped up in her privilege to truly understand and acknowledge Yoko-san?s thoughts. We then head into the kitchen with Antoni, the ?food expert?, who wants to teach Yoko-san how to make ?something simple to make? Antoni brings Yoko-san to a bakery to teach her how to make an apple pie. Unfortunately for him, baking is extremely complicated in Japan. Most homes in Japan only have a microwave and, on occasion, a small stovetop. Finding an oven is extremely rare, and Antoni borrows an industrial-size oven at a bakery to teach Yoko-san his recipe. For Antoni, this becomes a moment to show off his skills, rather than equipping Yoko-san with practical skills she can bring home. And who can forget all of the times when we have tried to make an exotic dish based on a recipe we found online, only to realize that the ingredients were inaccessible to where we lived. Either the ingredients are impossible to find or very expensive at a far-away specialty grocery store. In teaching a Japanese woman, who already struggles to find time for herself, how to make an English recipe, Antoni is making great TV and nothing more. Next, Yoko-san sits down with Karamo, the ?mindfulness expert?, and is beaten over the head with his western self-help logic. ?You have to live for yourself,? he says. She listens uncomfortably and gently tells him that she doesn?t know, trying to hint the difficulties in following this ethos within Japanese culture. Except after hearing that, Karamo is fueled. He continues to repeat his point until Yoko-san agrees and is in tears. For me, these are not tears of joy, unlike what viewers are led to believe. These are tears of discomfort and frustration when trying to be polite with a relentless aggressor presenting a challenging proposition. Confrontation and aggression are extremely rude and disrespectful in Japan. As a coping strategy, most Japanese people will use politeness and agreement to de-escalate situations. This example of aggression is something that Japanese people face far too often. In Japan, many foreigners visit and act rowdily, assuming that it is okay as long as there is no hostile force to stop them. To believe that Japanese people disagree similarly to the rest of the world is ignorant. In this exchange, Karamo doesn?t ask any questions to better understand Yoko-san or her culture. This is a missed opportunity to educate viewers on the complexity of Japanese culture. The scene ends with Karamo driving Yoko-san around on his moped. Except, he is driving on the wrong side of the road. Following Japanese traffic laws, the motorbike should be coming towards us from the right side of the screen. In another scene, Jonathan Van Ness, the ?hair expert?, is giving Yoko-san a haircut and advises her to drink saki as a part of her self-care ritual. Unfortunately for him, he mispronounces sake (pronounced as sakeh or sak) throughout this entire episode. And this is not just a light pronunciation error. Jonathan is using completely different letters of the Japanese alphabet, referring to an entirely different word. Sake (??, ?) is wine, and saki (??) can mean peninsula, before, or a Japanese woman?s name. The fact that Jonathan could not have been bothered to fix the pronunciation of a single word on a show viewed by millions of people is a micro-aggression that many multilingual minorities are too familiar with. If it were the other way around, English-speakers would be correcting this in a heartbeat. Jonathan recommends Yoko-san to self-care with candles, sake, and a face mask. He further proves his cultural ineptness as drinking alone is extremely taboo and frowned down upon in Japan. Unlike American culture, drinking is a communal activity in Japan. The end of the episode features a short scene with the main cast introducing their interpreter. Jonathan introduces the translator in extremely hard to understand, broken Japanese. As the cast showers each other with love exclaiming aishiteru (I love you), Antoni cuts the scene with a random word oishii (delicious). At this moment, the cast is not laughing with each other but at the language itself. Using language as a comedic punchline amuses through the denigration of a social group?s core identity ? their language. This type of joke does not translate into Japanese because there is no humor or logic behind it. Episode 3: The Importance of Cultural Relativism The Fab 5 visits Kae, an introverted manga (comic book) illustrator, to help her become more confident and build a better relationship with her family. By picking an introverted manga artist, the show further reinforces the harmful stereotype of the timid, introverted Japanese otaku, fans of anime and manga often assumed to be reclusive and disconnected from reality. In one of the scenes where Antoni sits down with Kae and her mom, he brings up the touchy subject about them not professing their love for one another. As Kae and her mom struggle to explain the cultural implications behind why Japanese people don?t show physical and verbal affections, Antoni laughs and retorts, ?everybody needs to be told that they are special.? He dismisses the opportunity to listen, ask questions, and create thoughtful discussion on how to navigate this cultural phenomenon that is present in every Japanese household. Expressing love primarily through touch and verbal affirmation is largely a western concept. In many Asian cultures, family members often show their love through acts of service. ?I love you? appears as cooked meals, taking care of errands, and buying thoughtful gifts. By blaming the issues between Kae and her mom on Japanese cultural norms, the show further reinforces the toxic belief that the Japanese way of showing affection is incorrect. Growing up, my family never said, ?I love you,? but I never felt the lack of love. They sacrificed their energy for me, fed me, clothed me, and showed up for me whenever I needed them the most. Antoni is calculating love in a Japanese context using his western measuring stick and applying western cultures and values wherever he sees a deficit. Later in the episode, Queer Eye brings on Naomi Watanabe, a famous female Japanese comedian, who also has a massive following on social media. She is most well-known for her Beyonc lip sync performances that have been viral on many American publications like Vogue and The Cut. In Japan, serious roles in media all go to the beautiful and skinny Japanese women, like Kiko. And for Naomi and many other big women in Japan, they end up being cast in comedic roles, often using their bodies as the joke itself. The issue with this episode was inviting Naomi mostly to advise Kae on body-positivity. Kae is not overweight, and the show grossly assumes that her lack of confidence is because of her body. Japanese people are reserved and rarely flaunt their bodies out in public ? the polar opposite of what many people do in western media. Queer Eye assumes western beauty standards, and Kae is forced to give her beloved A-line dresses in favor of more revealing styles. Unless her hourglass figure is on full display, Kae is deemed matronly and ashamed of her body. Ironically, this episode is titled ?The Ideal Woman?. Whose ideal woman is Queer Eye creating? Episode 4: Reinforcing Harmful Stereotypes In the last episode of the season, the Fab 5 visits Makoto, an introverted radio director, to fix up his home and spice up his marriage. The Fab 5 introduces Makoto, starting with his sexless lifestyle. ?That breaks my heart.??Oh! Poor thing.? Out of the millions of Japanese people Queer Eye could have cast into this season, the show consciously chose two of its four characters that reinforce this harmful stigma of sexless culture within Japan. (Makoto and Yoko-san from episode one) Except, in this case, the Fab 5 begin to dig through Makoto?s house for hidden porn. In their laughter, as they struggle to find evidence, they reinforce harmful stereotypes of sexless Japanese men addicted to pornography. As they finish talking about Makoto, they introduce his wife, Yasuko, but focused mostly on her work ?Yakuso works in this cafe, where they dress in French maid outfits and she calls the guests, ?master.? The camera pans to Antoni?s face for a split second, who raises his eyebrows. At that moment, the show raises questions about Yasuko?s career. But why does her career matter in an episode focused on Makoto? Queer Eye instead leverages negative stereotypes of Yasuko?s job to create tension with her husband. Maid cafes are quite common in Japan, and having a job in these cafes is seen as a typical acting job, just like actors for princesses and other characters at Disneyland. Only to foreigners is this considered odd and sexual. Later on in the episode, Tan sits down with Makoto and opens the dialogue asking about his wife?s profession. ?Does it bother you at all that she is working at a maid cafe?? Makoto cheerfully declines and smiles, ?I don?t believe it has to do with me [and] I wanted to respect her ambitions.? None of the Japanese people in this episode (Kiko, Makoto, Yasuko, and Makoto?s boss that nominated him) has mentioned any issue about Yasuko?s job at a maid cafe. Yet the Fab 5 continue to challenge the social acceptability of her job. In that question, Tan alludes that perhaps Yasuko may have ulterior motives of working there and adds that Makoto?s wife will leave him if he doesn?t change. To all of this, Makoto is wholly clueless and surprised. What Tan is doing is a classic gas-lighting maneuver, using leading questions to plant suspicion and doubt to manipulate Makoto to question his own sanity. Makoto begins to stutter and becomes visibly disturbed by what Tan has presented him. Makoto has just been told that his wife, someone he has known all his life, has been hiding an ulterior motive and harboring thoughts of divorce. In the interviews with Makoto and his wife, there was never any hint of foul play. They are just two individuals that haven?t adopted the western style of courtship. When studying marriage and divorce trends in Japan and the United States, there is a significantly lower divorce rate in Japan. The United States often tops the divorce rates globally and almost doubles the rate in Japan. (oecd.org) To apply the fears of one culture onto another, especially in a therapy setting, is extremely dangerous. At the end of the episode, we see that Tan?s suspicions were incorrect, but his problematic assumptions are never addressed. In another scene, Kiko shares with the Fab 5 the lack of therapy and stigma around mental health issues in Japan. Instead of considering this cultural insight and asking questions to understand this cultural complexity, the Fab 5 take this on as a challenge. Karamo sets up a therapy session between Makoto and his wife. Up until now, Queer Eye has been building up the tension between Makoto and his wife, using her career and unspoken potential to leave. Karamo places Makoto in front of his wife and asks her whether or not she loves him. We see Yasuko hesitate, but just moments before, we learned that therapy is rare in Japan. And in episode three, we also learned that professing love is uncommon in Japanese culture. What Karamo is asking Yasuko to do is to defy decades of cultural conditioning, on camera, in an unprofessional therapeutic manner. The hesitation in answering is not the crumbling marriage as the show wants its viewers to believe. After a few minutes, Yasuko professes her love to Makoto, which he reaffirms beautifully back. As Makoto opens up to his wife, he begins to get emotional. It?s a challenging thing to do. However, instead of letting this moment unfold between partners naturally, Karamo asks Makoto to step outside into the hallway. Makoto breaks down in tears in Karamo?s arms, with Yasuko just a few feet away. Queer Eye captures this moment from all angles, including closeups of Karamo?s face in slow motion, and has Karamo wiping away Makoto?s tears with his hands. In just minutes, Queer Eye has redirected what could have been a huge revelation between the couple to Karamo, and gives him a cinematic ?savior? sequence. This all unfolds while Yasuko is left crying by herself just a few feet away. There was no issue with Yasuko?s job.There was no infidelity.There was no impending divorce. The Fab 5 have no mention of their incorrect assumptions and continue to wipe away the tears of the problems they created in the first place. In this episode, Antoni teaches Makoto how to make omu-rice, Japanese omelets. Omu-rice is commonly made with a scrambled egg pancake sandwiching fried rice, sauce, vegetables, meat, and other fixings. It is simple. It is homey. It is delicious. Image from archanaskitchen.com But that?s not exactly what Antoni teaches Makoto. Instead, Antoni teaches Makoto, who has never previously cooked before, how to make an extremely complicated version of a Japanese omelet seen only in movies, dramas, and in restaurants. Instead of simply filling a scrambled egg pancake with fried rice, Antoni?s recipe requires creating a barely stable ball of scrambled egg that is then cut open on top of a mound of fried rice. The gooey center of the scrambled egg ?ball? envelopes the rice after being cut. When done right, it looks quite exquisite. On Tasty, this recipe was named The Most Difficult Omelet recipe to make. And in looking at Antoni?s version he creates on-camera, there is an evident lack of knowledge and execution of this recipe. Now, we go to the most problematic episode of this season. Episode 2: Suppressing Queer Japanese Visibility The problematic casting of Kiko Mizuhara becomes amplified in this episode. For a show that champions queer visibility (the ?queer? eye) and minority representation (adding diversity to the entourage in the reboot), casting Kiko Mizuhara reinforces the negative social hierarchy that queer Asian Pacific individuals face often. On the cast of Queer Eye, there are two white men, a white non-binary individual, a Black man, and a Pakistani man. But before a queer Japanese addition can be considered, a cishet woman is added. By casting Kiko, she takes away space from those who need representation the most. As the episode opens, Kiko invites the Fab 5 to enjoy cocktails with her in Shinjuku Ni-Chome (Tokyo?s biggest queer neighborhood). She talks about how she is ?fully immersed? in the gayborhood and how ?nobody really cares about who [she] is?, and that she ?can have a great time? listening to her favorite disco music. Unfortunately for Kiko, it doesn?t matter how much fun she has in this neighborhood ? it was not made for her. As a cishet female, she forgets that many of the patrons she dances with cannot enter most conservative Japanese bars and clubs. In describing the queer space as a service for her to party without being bothered as a celebrity, Kiko continues to showcase her naivet. As they continue drinking at the bar, Jonathan asks Kiko about the difficulties of being gay in Japan. She struggles to find words to describe the experience and fumbles what is the best opportunity in the entire season to open the dialogue on queer Japanese issues. ?It?s still difficult. But younger generations are more open about it. So, it?s like, changing.? What she fails to mention is that, although the younger generations may be more accepting, there is still a strong conservative belief prevalent across most of Japan. As of this writing in November 2019, in Japan, same-sex partnerships are not recognized nationally, adoption and surrogacy are not legally allowed for same-sex partners, conversion therapy is not banned, and only 2 out of 47 prefectures in Japan have anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination laws in place. And in this scene, we see privilege in its purest form. We have two white men, a white non-binary individual, a Black man, a Pakistani man, and a straight Japanese woman sitting around a table, talking about queer Japanese issues for a global audience, without a queer Japanese individual present. The few times that queer Japanese people appear in the episode are presented as nameless ?Kiko?s friends?. Kiko introduces the episode?s hero, Kan, to her lesbian and gay friend for only a few minutes of the whole episode. During this time, the audience learns nothing about the characters except their sexuality. Here?s a gaysian, there?s a gaysian. You should meet, and everything will be fine. Queer Eye did not have difficulty finding queer Japanese people. They just chose not to allow them to be a part of the most critical conversations. The Fab 5 introduces Kan, a Tokyo resident, who recently moved back from London and works in marketing at a cosmetics company. Kan also has a white boyfriend, Tom, living in another country. This casting further reinforces the negative stereotype that many gay Asians are seeking a white partner overseas. When this example becomes the only representation of a queer Asian relationship to Queer Eye?s global audience, it becomes incredibly problematic. Although Tom does not appear until the end, most of the conversations that the Fab 5 has with Kan is about Tom. In Tom?s introduction, the Fab 5 fails to scrutinize him nearly as much as they did with Yasuko, Makoto?s wife, who was working at the maid cafe in episode four. Queer Eye further perpetuates many of the double standards minorities face within interracial relationships. At the beginning of the episode, the Fab 5 asks Kan about Tom learning Japanese. Kan shares with them that Tom is learning Japanese and the Fab 5 laugh in glee. Karamo responds, ?that?s real love.? Here we clearly see the double standards that the Fab 5 places on Kan and Tom. We have the Fab 5 praising Tom for learning elementary Japanese, but never do they point out Kan?s immaculate English. And what is problematic about this scene is experienced in most interracial relationships. Why must language be so important and a sign of love? Just because I can speak English doesn?t mean that I love all English-speaking individuals. Tom speaking the language does not directly translate to how he treats Kan, the real measure of love. I?ve been on many dates with men who have fetishized my race. On our first date, they will shower me with every Japanese phrase they know. What these men fail to realize is that the Japanese language is only a small part of my identity. I have a career, I have hobbies, I have likes and dislikes, and I identify as many cultures. To assume that my language of ethnic origin is the most important part of me is simply ignorant. In Antoni?s first meeting with Kan, the conversation quickly turns back to Tom. As we learn, Tom is a picky eater, and Antoni wants to teach Kan what to cook based on what Tom enjoys. ?Show up for him,? Antoni says. Up to now, we still have no clue what Kan enjoys, what Kan likes to eat, and what Kan does in his spare time because the conversation continues to focus on his boyfriend. They then meet up to learn how to make yakitori (skewer dishes). Antoni speaks to the camera and reminds the audience that Kan is learning how to make yakitori because ?it?s about being educated about his homeland? and ?When Tom comes, he should feel taken care of.? Kan is also an international citizen, having lived in various countries around the world, and there needs to be a better reason to make a dish aside from it being his ?homeland? and taking care of Tom. Antoni is utterly unaware of his racially-charged diction. ?Homeland? originally referred to segregated areas dividing Blacks and whites in South Africa under Apartheid, and the word is often used today in the context of war. After the Bush administration created the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Republican consultant and speechwriter Peggy Noonan urged, ?the name Homeland Security grates on a lot of people, understandably. Homeland isn?t really an American word, it?s not something we used to say or say now.? As the two sit down for a quick meal, Antoni asks Kan if he knows what nanakorobi yaoki means. Antoni has already forgotten that he is speaking to someone fluent in Japanese and native to Japan. After Kan nods, Antoni continues to explain this idiom to Kan. Nanakorobi yaoki (seven times fall, eight get up) is a ubiquitous expression that most parents say to their children as they learn how to walk. Antoni appropriates this Japanese expression as his own teaching to a Japanese man, unaware of this insensitive maneuver. Kan shares his struggles of accepting himself as a gay man because of the voices of others he hears in his head. Antoni politely disagrees, ?But the more comfortable we are with ourselves, and like, who we are, I think the better we can just sort of walk in public and keep our head up and not have to walk in shame and worry about it as much.? Antoni cannot find the space to validate and have empathy for Kan?s feelings. The inner voices within Kan?s head are completely different from those that Antoni hears, especially when comparing their life experiences. When Kan was growing up, it was unheard of to be out and proud in Japan. For Antoni, there were more LGBTQ+ rights and protections afforded to him since was born in Canada. Antoni, unable to even ask what Kan?s voices might be saying, was a missed opportunity for Antoni to learn that there are others unlike himself. Amnesty International summarizes this situation succinctly: ?In Japan, LGBT people still face discrimination at home with their families, at work, in education, and access to health services. Although individuals can officially change their sex in Japan, they are then not able to get married and they have to undergo sterilization, as well as gender confirmation surgery. Some politicians and government officials even make explicitly homophobic statements in public.? Just last year in 2018, a prominent politician called out gay couples as ?unproductive?, not ?childbearing?, and wondered whether it was ?appropriate to spend taxpayer money on them.? She was never reprimanded for her behavior and cited that other high members in parliament also supported her as well. She was hired directly by Japan?s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who holds extremely conservative perspectives, especially when it comes to queer rights. Abe has defended his attitude and has said repeatedly that reforming the Japanese Constitution to allow for gay marriage would be extremely difficult. In one of the most revealing parts of the season, Karamo invites Kan to join his friend at a park. It is none other than internet celebrity, Kodo Nishimura, a gay Buddhist monk and makeup artist. The problem here? Kodo spends most of his time in America doing makeup and resides most of the year in New York City. Another missed opportunity to highlight some of the people who live and work within Japan, fighting for queer rights and protections every day. Earlier this year, Taiga Ishikawa, became the first openly-gay male lawmaker to be elected the National Diet and has been leading LGBTQ+ rights since the 2002. This is what needs the spotlight and media attention. Image from The Advocate In this scene, Kan brings up an issue that queer Asians are too familiar with. While he was abroad in London, he faced the gay community hurling slurs that they dislike Asians, saw ?No Asians? on dating apps, and confided in a Japanese community that told him these issues were just okama no hanashi (fag talk). Okama carries the gravitas similar to fag, transvestite, and pervert. I?ve faced similar racism many times before in my life ? in person and on dating apps. The prevalence of ?No fems. No fats. No Asians.? on dating apps were so popular at one point, it has been made into countless songs, movies, and scientific papers. Today, almost every queer dating app still has the option to filters and omit people based on racial preferences. As Kan breaks down in tears, Kodo barely winces and Karamo redirects this to himself by saying, ?those things you?re saying, I?ve heard them too. About my dark skin.? I will never understand life as a Black man, and Karamo will never understand life as an Asian man. Karamo does not have to redirect the attention back to himself in order to validate and provide the space for Kan. Karamo then advises Kan to have more self-love. By not calling out this flagrant racism, Karamo becomes complicit with this racist behavior. In no way is it ever okay to say ?no Asians? in any public space. It?s a racially discriminatory practice that can be prosecuted in the United States as it pertains to jobs and services. And in no way should this ever have made it on-air without having been called it out. Later in the evening, Jonathan invites Kan to get a haircut. As Kan takes a seat, Jonathan begins to lecture Kan on visibility. ?Part of how we see change in culture, at least in any experience, is visibility. People being able to see that gay people are amazing hard workers, are very talented. They do all the same things that their heteronormative counterparts do, individually.? Don?t lecture on visibility when there is no space for queer Japanese individuals on the platform as a cast-mate or in critical queer Japanese conversations. Queer Eye further silences the visibility they advocate for when putting queer Japanese people on the show as Kiko?s nameless friends or in need of help (Kan). Jonathan continues his lecture. ?It?s never Tokyo. That?s not the issue. The issue is Kan?s reaction to Kan in Tokyo.? Unfortunately, until queer individuals are given the rights and protections they deserve in Japan, it is not entirely safe. Jonathan?s comments are ignorant and insensitive towards navigating the queer Japanese life. And as Kan tries to explain himself, again and again, Jonathan?s continued lecture proves that privilege and white gaze is hard to break. At the end of the episode, Kan has dinner with his boyfriend, mom, and brother. Tom flies in to visit Kan, and they arrive at dinner early for a drink. As Kan starts to order, Tom waves his hand over the menu confused, and gestures Kan to take control. ?I?ll let you? like?? Kan does not need permission to take control of the ordering. Especially when Tom has no choice, given his elementary-level Japanese. Tom?s power-play is incredibly demeaning as he attempts to take control of a situation that he had no control over in the first place. To this, Antoni responds, ?Sometimes it?s nice to just have somebody else take the lead.? Antoni reinforces the derogatory stereotype of passive Asian men, assuming that Kan does not usually take the lead. Afterward, Kan?s mother and brother arrive at the restaurant for dinner. As they sit down and become acquainted with one another, Kan?s brother asks Tom how much Japanese he knows. To this, Tom responds, ?a little bit? in poorly pronounced Japanese. Bobby exclaims, ?I know how hard Tom is trying right now because I always try to speak a little Vietnamese to my mother-in-law.? For Kan and many other Asians in interracial relationships, this extremely low bar is what we fight against every day. We not only learn our mother tongue, we learn English to be able to talk to our partners. Yet our partners still fail to develop the level of fluency in our language compared to our fluency in English. Asians are expected to know two, three, and even four languages depending on which area of the world they are living in, while the majority of the United States is monolingual. As Kan settles in, he begins to share what is on his heart. He talks about having had earlier thoughts of leaving Japan, how hard it was for his family, and shares his joy of enjoying a meal together for the first time, cryptically trying to come out and share that Tom is his boyfriend. At dinner, we never hear the words, ?I?m gay? or ?Tom is my boyfriend?, but we see instead a beautiful moment where a gay Japanese man is trying his best to walk along the fissure that divides his two worlds. To be respectful and dutiful as a Japanese man, but to assert his independence and freedom as a gay man. This is one of the major complexities of being both queer and Japanese. It is impossible to throw away the conservative cultural ties, because this is our identity. And for a white, Black, or Pakistani man to tell us otherwise is disrespectful, inconsiderate, and damaging to our own self-discovery. During dinner, Queer Eye only show the clips of the family complimenting Tom. Nothing more is revealed from the conversation. The show robs the audience of the deeper conversations and emotions between Kan and his family, by leveraging Tom as the centerpiece. This conversation was never about Kan?s boyfriend. It is about Kan and his family, and their individual struggles to find love for each other within the conservative Japanese culture. Another missed opportunity to truly learn about and dive into the queer Japanese narrative. At the end of dinner, Jonathan declares that ?it couldn?t have gone any better?, and Kiko shares more insight about coming out in Japan. ?Most of my friends, they ? they couldn?t really say, like, hey, like, this is my boyfriend and I?m gay.? At the end of the episode, there is a short scene with Karamo learning to use chopsticks. Making fun of chopsticks is a huge point of contention for many Asians, especially for Japanese people, within a western context. Chopstick use is often a part of racist humor and westerners expect Japanese restaurants to accommodate western place-settings like fork, knives, and spoons, especially while traveling. Expecting a fork in a Japanese establishment is like expecting chopsticks in an American diner. Westerners have always put pressure on Japanese restaurants to accommodate their needs. This moment of micro-aggression further proves that Queer Eye Japan was meant to appeal to viewers outside of Japan, rather than its Japanese audience they are trying to save. Queer Eye is becoming more prominent than ever, with each of their cast members having millions of followers on social media. The lack of awareness, sensitivities, and cultural boundaries in this season, unfortunately, sends extremely problematic messages to their global reach. In the chase to increase personal fame, the cast members fight to extract emotion in an otherwise stoic culture. And in the struggle, the true nature and intent of the show and cast reveal itself. The profound ignorance and racism of the cast are impossible to hide, even in the editing. Unfortunately for this season, the cast wasn?t saving the Japanese any more than their egos. We are not your toy. But we can improve. We can do better. First, to understand a new culture is to be open to different perspectives, especially when we don?t agree. Human psychology and culture around the world are vastly different from centuries of divergence. What is socially acceptable in one region may not be acceptable in another. What is right may be wrong. What is a success may be a failure. And what brings people happiness in one country may not in another. We are all conditioned, based on our unique life experiences. They create the biases and limitations we carry with us every day. To truly see the world, is through the eyes of others. It is never possible to heal intolerance with more intolerance. Second, when people come to us with their pain we must listen to it, validate it, and empathize with it. Hold off the solutioning and be there for people as they process whatever they need to go through. When in doubt, ask questions. As we become more cross-cultural, we need to be even more vigilant in closing our mouths and opening up our ears and hearts. Lastly, when we?re not the expert, we have to bring in the right people with the right experience. No more cishet women speaking on behalf of queer Japanese people. There are 7.7 billion people on this planet, 126.8 million people in Japan, with an estimated 5% identifying as LGBT. That leaves us with a minimum of 6.34 million queer Japanese people to choose from. With the popularity of social media and the millions of followers each cast member has, there are zero excuses for why Queer Eye could not cast a queer Japanese individual. To quickly remedy this season, remove the cishet Japanese woman, cast a queer Japanese individual, and make them the expert of all cultural conversations. Have the Fab 5 sit back and play a supporting role for a change. Put the people you are trying to serve first. My queer Japanese culture is not your toy. I tweeted at Queer Eye some of the issues I saw in the season and Bobby Berk blocked me afterward. I?ve never messaged him or tweeted at him personally. It?s extremely unfortunate that the show & cast does not want to talk about any of the issues presented. They want to use queer Japanese issues in their media yet refuse to talk to queer Japanese people about it. I am a second-generation Japanese Taiwanese American currently living in New York City. My parents immigrated from Japan right before I was born and I was raised culturally Japanese all of my life. My thoughts and critiques are based on my life experiences growing up in a Japanese household and community within America. I share some thoughts on why I published this piece on my Instagram.I share some lessons from writing this article on Medium. I host a podcast called Yellow Glitter, mindfulness through the eyes and soul of a gay Asian. You can find it on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Overcast, and TuneIn. I host amazing guests such as Margaret Cho and Ian Alexander to talk about race, identity, love, life, and so much more. Each week, I send out a newsletter called Mindful Moments where I share some of my thoughts on mindfulness, current events, and links to thinks I discover online. Thanks for reading and please share this article if you?ve found this helpful. IG | YT | FB | TW | StevenWakabayashi.com

There’s a lot of discussion in the media and online recently about the use of gender pronouns. Gender pronouns aren’t new though. We use them all the time to identify and refer to someone. Describing people as ‘he’ or ‘she’, groups of people as ‘they’ or ‘them’, as well as inanimate things as ‘it’ is something we all do every day. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What some people may not know is there are many valid gender-neutral pronouns that are becoming increasingly common. This would include the use of the singular ‘they’ or ‘ze’. An extensive list of more English gender-neutral pronouns in use are available on the non-binary wiki. Using gender-neutral pronouns means we don’t associate the person we’re talking about with a specific gender. Using gender-neutral pronouns means we don’t associate the person we’re talking about with a specific gender. Sex does not predetermine a person’s gender and many people’s gender doesn’t sit comfortably with the sex they were assigned at birth. The easiest way to learn what pronouns someone uses is just to politely ask them (“Hey, what pronouns do you use?”). It might take some getting used to, but it causes you no harm and using the right pronouns for someone will make them feel acknowledged and valid. When you’re at work, you can take the lead by saying your pronouns when you introduce yourself at the start of a meeting. Not only will this encourage your colleagues to do the same, but it will help everyone get used to talking about pronouns, which will help trans people feel more comfortable to do the same. Including pronouns in e-mail signatures is another great way to show that you and your organisation is committed to trans equality: - This helps people respectfully refer to one another. - It helps staff avoid mistakes, like misgendering someone which can be especially hurtful for trans people, but also embarrassing for non-trans people. - It can be a great tool for visibly demonstrating trans allyship both internally to your organisation and externally. If you want to start including pronouns in your e-mail signatures, here’s some practical steps for how you can do this in your workplace: - Communicate that you are going to start including pronouns in e-mail signatures. Discuss this with your LGBT staff network and determine whether any internal system holders need to be notified or consulted (e.g. Comms team, IT managers). You should have a plan of how best to communicate the benefits of including pronouns in e-mails to internal staff. - Including pronouns in e-mail signatures should be encouraged, but not be made compulsory as not everyone may feel comfortable sharing their pronouns. There are many different reasons for this and it may be true for both cis and trans staff. (This should also be remembered when verbally introducing pronouns at the start of meetings.) - You could also include a link to a webpage that gives a definition of pronouns. For example: Pronouns: She/ Her It’s worth remembering that the phrase ‘preferred pronouns’ is no longer used. Terms like this make it sound like someone’s gender is up for debate. Intentionally using the wrong pronouns for someone repeatedly is a hurtful form of misgendering. The thing is though, we all make mistakes. So if you get someone’s pronouns wrong please quickly apologise and correct yourself. You can also show solidarity with someone who uses pronouns that others may mistake by politely correcting someone who has used the wrong pronoun even when the person isn’t there. If you use pronouns that some people may not automatically assume for you please remember to not compromise on them. Ask people to use them. Everyone who cares about you and wants to be part of your life will get there.

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We seek to uphold the best of our literary tradition and […] Living book press Living Book Press release and republish books aimed at the homeschool living book market. Downingfield Press Pty Ltd Downingfield Press was established in 2017 with the objective of publishing authors whose voices would otherwise go unheard. We do not specialise in any particular genre, but rather focus on the cultural value of a particular piece of work. Downingfield Press grew out of a 2013 project established by our Publisher to bring his own […] After 14 years of shaping a list as publisher at UWA Publishing, I am delighted to announce I am launching my own imprint, Upswell, in 2021. The principles I used to build a list of books that speak to each other across a set of intellectual interests and how they worked language and revered it […] Birdfish Books is a micro press based in Central Victoria. We publish works of original contemporary poetry by Australian authors, including both well-known and previously published poets with established reputations and emerging voices. Portside Review is a digital space for essays, interviews, reviews, poems, and so much more. Portside Review publishes four issues per year from it’s website and is open for submissions all year round. Each issue is subscriber-based, at an annual fee of AUD $70. Portside Review is one of many Centre for Stories projects that […] Animal Dreaming Publishing (New South Wales) Founded in 2003 by Scott and Trudy King, ANIMAL DREAMING was conceived as a way of promoting Scott’s first self-published book by the same name. 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Subbed In is a not-for-profit DIY literary organisation and small press based in Sydney, Australia. Subbed In’s program of publications and events aim to elevate the voices of trans people, people of colour, non-binary people, sex workers, women, people with a disability, LGBTQIA+ people, First Nations people, survivors, working class people, and anyone who finds […] The Book Incubator At the Book Incubator™, we provide safe, nurturing and inclusive opportunities for people of all ages to tell, write and publish their personal stories. Our programs are designed to reconnect to themselves and to their communities. Founded in 2013 by Kate Heaslip, the Book Incubator™ provides a safe and authentic place for people to tell […] Puncher & Wattmann Pty Ltd Puncher & Wattmann is the leading publisher of poetry in Australia. Founded in 2005 by David Musgrave it has published over 150 titles. It publishes poetry, literary fiction, literary non-fiction, memoir, biography and anthologies. in case of emergency press (Victoria) We exist to service emerging writers who are sick of emerging and are ready for the full emergency. We are a not-for-loss publisher. The poor sods who do the work are not interested in making money; we just don’t want to lose money. This means we only hold small quantities of stock and print on […] Glimmer Press are a small Adelaide-based publisher with our sights set on publishing books that shine. Our first publication, launched in February 2019, was To Rhyme or Not To Rhyme? an illustrated collection of children’s poetry by acclaimed South Australian poet Kristin Martin (illustrated by Joanne Knott). We have a special interest in publishing short […] Daisy Lane Publishing (New South Wales) At Daisy Lane Publishing we pride ourselves on producing quality books that inform and inspire, educate and empower the reader. We love to highlight new authors and illustrators as well as nurture those who are established. We currently publish, children’s books, romance, poetry, inspirational, and YA. Publishing your story can be daunting and we are […] Quemar Press (New South Wales) Quemar Press was founded in 2016 as a publishing house with a focus on publishing new work and also preserving works which are little known in a Modern Australian context. With this emphasis on new and classic work, often by women, Quemar Press has published new, experimental novels and new poetry collections by award-winning author, […] Walleah Press (Tasmania) Walleah Press is a independent publisher of Ausralian literary titles, mainly poetry but also interested in essays and non-fiction, established in 1986. Green Olive Press (Victoria) Green Olive Press is a small, independent, Australian publishing company and has been operating since 2008. 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Its publications are Cordite Poetry Review, an Australian and international journal of poetry review and criticism, and series of print books. For Pity Sake Publishing (New South Wales) Established in 2014, For Pity Sake is a mixed-genre publisher based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Current genres include historical fiction, crime, espionage, romance, poetry, memoir and spiritual self-help. For Pity Sake is a collaborative publisher in the true sense of the word, as indicated by our catchline ‘we’re for writers’. Our author stable […] Rabbit: a journal for nonfiction poetry (Victoria) Rabbit was founded in July 2011 by Jessica Wilkinson, and since that time the editorial team have produced 25 issues, with issue 26 due for release before the end of 2018. As a print-only journal, Rabbit prides itself on its production quality, and encourages readers to return to its contents again and again. Rabbit includes […] Australian Scholarly Publishing (Victoria) Australian Scholarly Publishing – ASP – has been publishing scholarly and general books for over twenty years. It now releases 50–60 books a year under its Australian Scholarly scholarly, Arcadia general, Tantanoola fiction and Chancery Bold law imprints. Almost all of its books are published in printed form; a growing number are also published as […] Vagabond Press (New South Wales) Vagabond Press is an independent literary press that was established in 1999 out of the desire to open up a space for new writing. For close to two decades we have published a range of established and emerging poets from Australia and more recently Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Our books have won many of the […] Hardie Grant Publishing (Victoria) Hardie Grant Publishing operates in five distinct trading units – Hardie Grant Books Melbourne, Hardie Grant Travel and Hardie Grant Egmont, which are headquartered in Melbourne – and Hardie Grant Books London and Quadrille, which are managed from our London office. We have developed a global reputation for the production of high-quality books in a […] Crotchet Quaver (Western Australia) Creating and offering noteworthy publications for the discerning reader. Crotchet Quaver began by publishing anthologies of short stories produced by the Born Storytellers. It has developed into a small press dedicated to creating beautiful books. Ptilotus Press (Northern Territory) Ptilotus Press is a community publishing initiative devoted to the unique and distinct voices of Central Australian writers and writing. Established in 1996, the press is based in Alice Springs and managed by a collective of dedicated local writers. Serenity Press (Western Australia) Serenity Press is a WA publisher who endeavours to bring wonderful books and personal stories to the world. Magabala Books (Western Australia) Magabala Books is Australia’s oldest independent Indigenous publishing house. Based in the pearling town of Broome in the far north of Western Australia, Magabala Books is one of the most remote publishing houses in the world. Giramondo Publishing (New South Wales) Building, stimulating, encouraging The Giramondo Publishing Company was set up in December 1995 with the aim of publishing quality creative and interpretive writing by Australian authors. It seeks to build a common ground between the academy and the marketplace; to stimulate exchange between Australian writers and readers and their counterparts overseas; and to encourage innovative […] University of Queensland Press (Queensland) Spinifex Press (Queensland) Award-winning and feminist. Spinifex Press is an award-winning independent feminist press publishing books across a wide variety of subject areas. Spinifex Press was established in 1991 by Susan Hawthorne and Renate Klein. It is an independent Australian-owned company which publishes innovative and controversial feminist titles with an optimistic edge. To date Spinifex has published around […] Pitt Street Poetry (New South Wales) Specialist poetry publisher Pitt Street Poetry is a specialist publisher of contemporary poetry and selected reprints of modern classics. It was founded by Linsay and John Knight in Sydney in 2012 and since then has published over 30 poetry books by 18 fine poets. Pitt Street Poetry’s publishing program is fully committed for the foreseeable […] pinknantucket press (Victoria) Journals from Melbourne pinknantucket press is a small Melbourne-based publisher. Our publications include Materiality, a journal about the material world, and CRANK (think an extended version of an obscure letters to the editor page). We have published five themed Materiality issues to date: BOOK, TIME, PRECIOUS, SURFACE and FAKE. CRANK is published intermittently as […] Radical Overland is the most radical of Australia’s literary journals. It produces a quarterly print journal and an online magazine updated most days, as well as holding regular events at literary festivals and other forums. Odyssey Books (Australian Capital Territory) Books are always a journey. odyssey: An extended adventurous voyage; An intellectual or spiritual quest. Books are always a journey. They take readers into new places, with new people; or show them familiar places cast with a new light. And writers know that the creative journey can be as long and uncertain as it […] Australian Book Review (Victoria) A Powerful Generator of Literary Ideas Founded in 1961 in Adelaide by Max Harris and Rosemary Wighton, Australian Book Review (ABR) has long been a vital part of Australia’s cultural life. Over its ten print and digital editions each year, the magazine publishes in-depth literary criticism as well as new poetry, short stories, essays, commentaries […] Hybrid Publishers (Victoria) Hybrid Publishers, based in Melbourne, Australia, publishes high quality books covering a broad range of titles by well known and new authors, including business and legal texts, books on personal development and health, history, memoirs, Judaica, stories of Indigenous Australia and a small amount of fiction and poetry. Hybrid does not publish children’s or YA […] Lacuna Publishing (New South Wales) bold, original, thought-provoking books Lacuna publishes fiction, non-fiction and poetry that challenges the status quo, introduces new ideas, shares untold stories, or presents a fresh perspective. We aim to fill the gap for authors whose work is too challenging for mainstream commercial publishing and too important to risk in self publishing. We publish up to […] UWA Publishing (Western Australia) fine books and new ideas A division of The University of Western Australia, UWAP has been publishing important books since 1935. Producers of fine books and new ideas, UWA Publishing (UWAP) continues to expand the boundaries of academic publishing, striving for social, cultural and intellectual renewal. Award-winning fiction and non-fiction works illustrate its strength and […]

To the City of Burnaby elected officials: We are writing today on behalf of YouthCO HIV & Hep C Society to: - draw your attention to the urgent need to address the calls to support Black lives and futures, - express our concern about the role of police within our communities, and - ask for your commitment and action to address these urgent concerns. YouthCO is a youth-led organization that works to reduce the impacts of HIV and Hep C stigma on youth in British Columbia. We understand HIV and Hep C stigma to include racism, colonization, and many other forms of oppression. Our peer-led team offers programming within and beyond the City of Burnaby, including in Surrey, the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver. Our letter today is based on the need for changes to the ways police are mobilized and resourced within the community, and draws from the work of Black Lives Matter Vancouver. Their full statement, directed to the City of Vancouver, is available online here. We ask that you, as an elected official, review the full statement online here, and use this to consider actions you can take to support Black lives in Burnaby, and reduce ongoing police violence that takes place within our communities. We ask that you direct your attention to the following asks: - redirecting financial resources that are currently allocated to the Burnaby RCMP detachment to community-driven social supports and responses to violence - address ongoing inequities within the City of Burnaby related to housing, access to public spaces, and services such as childcare - commit to the goal of eventually abolishing police and prisons, created for colonial purposes, that reinforce inequities, oppress marginalized communities, and serve the wealthiest among us - condemn anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence and harm enacted by the RCMP Given the current and historical experiences of police violence, YouthCO is concerned about size of the City of Burnaby 2020 Budget allocated to the RCMP, and the proportion of spending on RCMP services as compared to alternatives. We need immediate action to reduce the realities of police violence in our communities. We call upon our elected officials to start divesting from the inherently violent institution that is the RCMP. At this time, we also act that the City of Burnaby work with the RCMP to limit firearms being carried and used by officers, and, ensure transparent and thorough data is publicly available about arrest and police interactions. In our experience, RCMP presence does not keep our communities safe. It directly threatens the lives of youth who experience oppression and exclusion, including Black youth, Indigenous youth, youth of colour, transgender, Two-Spirit, non-binary youth, queer youth, sex workers, people with disabilities, people who rely on public spaces, and people who are living with HIV. The City of Burnaby has as safe communities as a priority. Yet, investments in the RCMP do just the opposite: the RCMP is not the right response to the needs in our communities. Instead of investing in RCMP, we ask that the City of Burnaby prioritize alternatives like education, increased mental health services, housing initiatives, income security, harm reduction services, accessible arts, and cultural programs, conflict resolution services, and community-based support systems. What steps will you take to shift resources away from the RCMP, and into the alternatives that will keep our communities safe, and Black people alive? We urge you to take action today in order to support Black lives. Black Lives Matter has provided us all with a way forward to address anti-Black racism, having invested time, energy, and labour in preparing a list of ways forward in this time of grief in the wake of recent deaths and harm as a result of police and RCMP involvement. We look forward to your response as to how you will be protecting Black lives, supporting Black leadership, and strengthening Black community through City initiatives. YouthCO HIV & Hep C Society

CW: sexual assault, sexual harassment Graphic by Juliette Baxter As I walk through the doors of my residential hall at ANU, I am greeted with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my freedom to express my views in a comfortable environment, and the wonderful and unified female community. However, amidst a tumultuous time in which the ANU and all of its residential halls have been thrown into the spotlight regarding overwhelmingly high reports of sexual harassment and assault across campus, the importance of unification and education in residential halls is stronger than ever. The 2017 UA-HRC report revealed that in 2016, out of 1,477 participants, at least 116 students were sexually assaulted, and 517 students had experienced sexual harassment on campus. There is an undeniable correlation between perceptions of residential relationships and the perpetration of sexual violence. This fuels a university culture that normalises attitudes pertinent to sexual assault and harassment. Whilst I acknowledge that these results pertain to both binary and non-binary genders, for the purpose of this piece I will be focusing on measures needed for female-identifying survivors. The central reason why I want to emphasise the significance of a strong women’s community is attributed to my role as one of the Women’s Officers at my student residence. In a residential hall, we are confined to a bubble that can perpetuate the normalisation of certain attitudes and behaviours. While some would refer to these behaviours as a result of a culture that endorses ‘toxic masculinity’, it is notable to re-evaluate the use of our language. There are certainly both toxic and non-toxic behaviours at college, and not every toxic behaviour is due to overreaching masculinity. In this sense, I believe that modifying our language and removing gender-specific labels to describe behaviour is more constructive in addressing such severe matters. My experience at my residency has shown me that one of the most effective ways to instill positive cultural change is through engaging with current policies, procedures and training programs. In addition to progressive leadership representatives, it is vital for residential halls to frequently update their policies and procedures. Currently, myself and two other leaders are assisting with updating the sexual assault and harassment policy of our residential hall. We aim to modify the language used and provide a policy that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of the survivor. These policies must take into account ANU-wide reviews, such as the incoming Nous Review results. This review investigated the contributing factors that resulted in the high figures of sexual assault and harassment in student residences. We are eagerly waiting for the recommendations of the review, and plan to incorporate them into the residential hall sexual assault and harassment policy. A combination of updated policies, procedures and appropriate training for all residents will set the standard in regards to the disparity between acceptable and intolerable behaviour. I have witnessed first-hand the undeniable potential of women to accelerate cultural and behavioural change in a small space like a residential hall. The girls’ community within my hall is united, free and expressive, despite the potential of residential settings to skew perceptions and normalise derogatory attitudes towards gender roles and responsibilities. I believe that this strong female presence is lacking across many residential halls in Australia, and it is absolutely necessary for the encouragement of proper education and training programs and the creation of safe spaces. This year, under the Women’s Portfolio, three female-identifying forums were organised in which we were encouraged to discuss our sexual health, our own experiences with sexual assault and harassment, and other issues pertaining to our wellbeing, which created a space where women could feel comfortable to express their views and raise any concerns they had about the current state of the residential hall culture. While reformations to residential hall policies and procedures are necessary, the crucial instrument that advances these foundations is strong leadership that sets the tone for first year residents. Changing a culture is a challenging and ongoing process, but it can be achieved through setting standards that are non-negotiable. Once these standards are set, they must be actively embedded into the residence’s values for long-term cultural change. We can never underestimate the power of women and our influence on cultural transition through engagement with widespread education and setting precedent by defining boundaries and enforcing positive values that must occur at the start of every academic year. The ripples we have started in our residential halls will undoubtedly transcend into the broader ANU community where the true power of a united female front can actively prevail and withstand the test of time.

Part of Pride involves celebrating the diversity of all of the sexualities and gender identities we have within the LGBT community and that often includes a flag or two, though some people are known to accessorise slightly differently. Some of these flags may not be familiar to everyone, so take a look at all of the diverse flags you might see at Pride celebrations this summer. The rainbow flag is seen at Pride events all around the world and is often used as a collective symbol for the entire LGBT community. The original was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1977. According to Baker, pink is for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity and purple for the spirit. The lesbian flag celebrates the L in the LGBT community with the beautiful hues of pink, though many lesbians opt for other symbols including the interlocking venus symbol, or the rainbow flag. The bisexual pride flag was designed by Michael Page in 1998 in order to give bisexual people a wider sense of community and visibility. Page said that the message of the flag was the idea that the purple blends into both the blue and pink in the same way that bisexual people often blend unnoticed into both gay and straight communities. The transgender pride flag was created by Monica Helms, a navy veteran who came out as trans in 1987. The idea for the design came to her quickly, with the blue for trans men, the pink for trans women and the white stripe in the centre representing the non-binary community. Designed by advocacy group Intersex Human Rights Australia in 2013, the intersex pride flag intentionally stays away from traditionally gendered colours of blue and pink to celebrate the intersex community. Explaining the meaning of the flag, the group states: “The circle is unbroken and unornamented, symbolizing wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. We are still fighting for bodily autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolizes the right to be who and how we want to be.” The creator of the flag is unknown, but it began to be used on the internet in 2010 and has since become a frequent sight at Pride events all around the world. Pansexual people describe the flag as showing the attraction to men with the blue stripe, women with the pink and people of other genders with the yellow. According to the Asexuality Archive, the flag was created by a member of the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) as part of a contest in 2010. As with many other flags, the four stripes each have their own specific meaning. The black stripe stands for asexuality, the grey stripe for grey-asexuality or demisexuality, the white for allies and the purple for the asexual community as a whole. Polysexual is a term used for people who are attracted to two or more genders, but not necessarily all of them. The pink stripe is said to represent attraction to women, the blue attraction to men and the green as attraction to people of other genders. Non-binary is both a term to describe a gender identity that isn’t exclusively male or female, and an explicit identity label for many people. Created in 2014 by 17-year-old Kye Rowan, the four stripes of the flag each represent a different part of the non-binary community. The yellow stripe is for gender separate from the gender binary, white for those with multiple genders, the purple stripe is for those who are a mix of male and female, and black is for people without a gender at all. Genderfluid is the term for people who find that their gender identity can shift, and the identity is often included under the non-binary umbrella. The five stripes of the genderfluid pride flag each have their own meanings, with the pink and blue for femininity and masculinity, the purple stripe for both masculinity and femininity. The black stripe in the flag represents a lack of gender, and white is there for all genders. Leather is a gay subgroup heavily associated with kink and the BDSM community, with leather bars typically frequented by ‘bears’ and older gay men. The flag was designed by prominent leather community member Tony DeBlase in 1989, presenting the flag at the International Mr Leather Convention in Chicago. In 2018, a designer began a campaign to “re-boot” the Pride flag to make it more inclusive by adding a five-coloured chevron to represent queer people of colour as well as the trans community. Daniel Quasar, who identifies as queer and non-binary, recently made-over the six-coloured rainbow flag, saying they added a five-striped arrow to reflect all aspects of LGBT community. Happy Pride in any case!!!

If you haven’t heard of Marguerite Bennett yet, you haven’t been paying attention. Her first story for DC Comics starred some guy named Batman. After that, she took us space-tripping with Lobo. She’s got an issue of Batgirl on the stands as I write, an issue of Talon lined up for next year, and DC just announced she’ll be writing two annual-length one-shots about two very dynamic, very different women: Lois Lane and the Joker’s Daughter. Marguerite was kind enough to answer some questions for Comicosity about her rapidly expanding resume, her creative process (growling at editors?) and the First Lady of DC Comics. Alison Baker: Congrats on the new books! Marguerite Bennett: Thank you so kindly! I’m so happy to be doing this interview—y’all have been so supportive of me since the Batman Annual and I much appreciate the kindness. Before we begin, I actually have something I need to get off my chest— What is Iron Man without his suit? *puts on sunglasses, high fives a million angels* (Okay, now the questions.) MB: Regarding the news, I’m delighted, honored, and absolutely terrified. In all honesty, three months ago, I didn’t have a particular focus on writing female characters. There was no active avoidance, and female monsters are sort of my specialty, but heroines drew me no more intently than heroes. I think I gave a few prickly answers regarding the assumption that I’d only want to write women, actually. While I stand by my polite and petty vexation with the initial assumption, I’ve experienced a few things since my introduction to the industry that have made me reconsider. Now, to clarify, there was never any stance that I did not want to write women—there was no stance whatsoever. It hadn’t occurred to me to ever go into a story with any sort of intention. I come from prose, and characters just sort of bloomed up out of the stories with indiscriminate, non-binary genders. Since becoming more involved in the actual social aspect of comics, however, I am trying to address the imbalance in representation across the board, which translates as particular consideration for work involving women or other under-represented groups. (And before someone scrambles down to the comments to rail against “diversity for the sake of diversity”—yeah, I see you, sugar—I have never included anything in a story that I did not believe was authentic to the themes and significance of that story. Story always comes first. There’s just no good damned reason that a story can’t have fair representation in terms of ethnicity, gender, orientation, or identity.) AB: You’ve stated that you love that Lois has maintained her resolve in the face of a difficult, sometimes ugly world. Are we going to see something of where that resolve comes from in your story? Absolutely. I mayn’t say anything of value at the moment, but her resolve is a thing of wonder. AB: In light of Ms. Lane’s 75th birthday this year, there’s been a lot of general talk about her history and her legacy. Why is Lois Lane important? MB: Lois Lane is the voice of humanity in a world of super-humanity. When a sun god fell to Earth, this is the individual at whose side he chose to remain. Beyond the idea of romance—let us, for only the moment, set that aside—this is the individual that contained all of our inherent goodness, all the better angels of our nature. There is no naïveté in her (and innocence is so often misconstrued as goodness); instead, her goodness is born of experience, of seeing the ugliness of the world, yet never growing weary of it, or made bitter by it. She rises above all of the cruelty and deceit the world can throw at her—and when she cannot rise above it, she endures it—and if she cannot endure it, then she strives to keep herself whole and uncompromised until she can rise again. She’s flawed and clever and compassionate and scathing—fantastically human, as the world around her becomes increasingly superhuman, metahuman—or inhuman. This is the woman who can look gods in the eye, and make them look away first, by virtue of her indefatigable convictions. MB: I think, beyond Joker’s Daughter herself, there is a terrible suggestion of what would happen to readers if, one day, some piece of the Joker came into their lives? He is a villain of such horror and grandeur—I think it is chilling but also rather intoxicating to imagine what you would do—you, now, reading this—if some part of the Joker himself came into your keeping. He hasn’t come to kill you, hasn’t come in person, but his face (which is his crown) is now in your hands, to treasure or to spurn or to secret away or to keep or to destroy or to don. You now possess a relic of death, the living proof of the existence of the Devil. Would you feel chosen or doomed? Would it give you meaning or deprive you of freedom? What do you do with it? How would possession of such a thing change you? What would it compel you to do? She is but one possible answer. AB: You’re a part of a new class of creators at DC Comics — a bit less established, but frighteningly talented. You’ve knocked every story you’ve published for them out of the park so far. Will you please tell me the answers to all of The Riddler’s Zero Year riddles? MB: Y’all are so magnificently sweet! That means so, so much to hear, I just can’t tell you. I should love to tell you all the answers—it was great fun to research for Scott. I was still in school at the time, and in the margins of my workshop notes, I’d have scribbled out details on gods and sphinxes and riddles and wit, anything I could remember out of history or mythology. Scott’s the one who took the raw material and made it great, though. It’s been such a weird little treat to see the riddles emerge in Zero Year, bit by bit. My favorite one is yet to come. MB: It does. Enormously. I sit at table alongside people I grew up reading, people who built the fantastic structure of the DC universe, and all I can do is fidget and blush when I think on the scope of it and wonder how on Earth I’ve been permitted to lay hands on it, young and new as I am. My career is four months old and I’ve had the outrageous presumption to approach characters this phenomenal—Batman and Barbara Gordon and now Lois Lane—if the stories hadn’t resonated with readers to the degree they did, I’d have died of shame. I’m so grateful for the trust and support the readers have offered. I hope to make y’all proud. Perhaps the most embarrassing instance was having a dinner conversation with a lovely gentleman and being perhaps too frank about my insecurity with having my first issue as, well, Batman. The gentleman and his wife were quite considerate and reassuring, and as the dinner drew to a close, another guest called the gentleman by name—Len…as in Len Wein. I have read Swamp Thing since I was a child, but the only pictures I’d ever seen of him were years out of date, and I think I might’ve called down an earthquake to swallow me up from embarrassment at that moment (but he was terrifically kind about the whole thing and told me some very encouraging things). AB: You have a really great gift for character voice — Batman, Lobo, Lois Lane, even Arkham Asylum itself. How on do these voices co-exist inside your head? What is the distillation process for getting them onto the page? MB: Thank you so much! Navigating the headspace is actually really exhausting for me. My whole body gets into it—my expression, my voice, my posture, my vocabulary—I’ll wander around the house and experiment with snarls or laughter or poise, chirp or growl or lilt dialogue out loud to myself, respond, touch things that they would touch them, abide fully in their bodies. (Then scamper back to my computer and scribble down what I’ve learned while spying through their eyes.) Poor Mike Marts, bless him, accidentally caught me going into Lobo headspace in his office once. I was sitting on his couch and I’d been my normal chirping cheerful self and then I started to plan Lobo dialogue and my whole posture slowly stiffened and darkened and glowered down, but I didn’t really notice it until he asked started and inquired if I was okay, and I’m really sorry that I sound like a crazy person. It just helps me think. The devil’s in the details. I have to take a break and clear my palate, so to speak, between characters—else I wind up with characters behaving unlike themselves and the whole thing rings false. It’s an emotionally tiring process, especially on a deadline, but I think it makes the stories richer. MB: I’d love to visit Themyscira and Atlantis. The idea of these whole separate worlds enchant me—I want to know what bedtime stories children in those nations hear, what delicacies do they eat there, how do they swear, what are ways in which they can accidentally be insulted, what are their folkloric bogeymen, what are the onomatopoetic noises their animals make, what are the words that they have that do not translate in languages with which we are familiar. I love to travel. One summer, which I spent in Russia when I was sixteen, saw about two days of students nervously ferreting information out of each other, until finally both the Russian and American students sat down and held an enormous conference in which we translated all of our profanity—English swear words into a literal Russian translation, then what Russian phrase had the approximate meaning, then a complete phonetic guide in Cyrillic, then stars to indicate the level of severity, and tips on circumstances in which the word or phrase would be appropriate to use—and then the same complete system from Russian to English. We were very thorough—it was truly our diplomatic duty well done. I should like to do the same in Themyscira and Atlantis. AB: You visit your 18 year old self first week of freshman year and tell her that in 7 years her name will be on the cover of DC Comics. How does 18 year old Marguerite respond? MB: This…is an amazing question. I suppose 18 year old Marguerite laughs and giggles out the theme song of the Adam West show and goes home and rewatches the Animated Series in her lofted dorm room while listening to Simon and Garfunkel albums and wearing those silly embroidered peasant skirts with everything. I think if I told her that, she’d blush and wouldn’t believe me. Mostly because I don’t think I believe it myself, most days. I have been too blessed. Thank you all so, so much for your kindness and support. I hope you love what we’ve got coming. Batman: Joker’s Daughter and Superman: Lois Lane are scheduled to hit comic shops in February 2014, but in the meantime, be sure to check out Marguerite Bennett’s single stories in Batgirl #25 (out this week) and Talon #27 (coming in January 2014).

Written by Emily Latimer Russell T Davies’ tragically, joyful ‘It’s a Sin’ is Channel 4’s most-watched drama series in its history, and its relevance today is alarming. Most of the younger generation know little about the history of HIV other than a loose narrative which has been passed down to us. But this series brings to life the harrowing, deep-rooted reality that so many faced. Unlike others, the series does not try to moralise the topic but instead shows us how HIV was a virus twisted with injustice, prejudice and misunderstanding. I began the series smiling as it follows the paths of each of the characters leaving their home-towns. I felt excitement for Ritchie as he stood aboard the ferry leaving his narrow-minded parents on the Isle of Wight behind him. I imagined Roscoe’s pain as he ran away from his strict, religious family. But also admired his bravery; walking away unashamed to embrace who he is. Lastly, I felt anticipation for Colin, as he leaves his small corner of Wales to explore the big city. It’s clear each of the characters has so much at stake, yet has their whole lives ahead of them. The characters become immersed with their new lives in London in the ‘Pink Palace’; what feels like a bustling, whirlwind of adventure. We see the parties, the thrill of finally meeting like-minded people and the unfamiliar openness of those around them. We watch Ritchie become confident and charismatic, and see Colin drawn out of his shell by those around him. However, just like mould as Henry depicts it as, we see HIV slowly seep into the characters’ lives darkening and dampening their brightness. It’s at this point Jill starts to feel like the real protagonist, as the series cleverly follows her losing those she loves, and in doing so illustrates the number of lives HIV stole from a generation. Yet despite the loud disruption HIV caused, ‘It’s a Sin’ reminds us of the silence that it was met with, due to the homophobia that underpinned Britain. Jill’s play in which an audience contently watch villagers laughing at people being beheaded can be seen to symbolise this reality, where making HIV known or cared about was a constant battle. Furthermore, whilst in 2020 we have progressed in some ways, from the homophobia, toxic masculinity and gender norms from the ’80s, there is still a lot we can learn and ‘It’s a Sin’ allows us to reflect on this. Watching ‘It’s a sin’, you can’t help but feel let down by the British government who made it clear, they didn’t care for the gay community who needed them. But today this reality is all too similar when it extends to trans and non-binary people. Trans and non-binary people are some of the most marginalised people today, with huge health disparities (including staggering rates of HIV infection), high rates of poverty, unemployment and frightening levels of physical violence. In 2020 official figures showed trans people were twice as likely to be victims of crime as cisgender people and data from Stonewall found two in five trans people have had a hate crime committed against them in the last year. Just as worryingly, Stonewall research found two in five trans young people have attempted suicide. It’s clear, just as gay people needed allies in the ’80s, trans and non-binary people need us today. Since 2015 the UK has slipped from being the most progressive LGBTQ nation in Europe and occupying the top spot on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s (ILGA) Rainbow map, (a map which ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people) to 10th place and falling. This continues to be the case as several laws have been silently passed throughout the pandemic. Back in September, the Gender Recognition Act which would have allowed trans people to self-identify was scrapped with little regard or explanation, meaning the process to change gender is still expensive and lengthy. Furthermore, in January the government created an open consultation detailing plans to increase the policing of gender-neutral toilets. Today trans and non-binary rights are discussed with a discourse which is increasingly hostile and underpins similar homophobia that was present in the ’80s. ‘It’s a Sin’ highlights how despite the sacrifices that have been made previously, the pain, the removal of people’s humanity, the denial of their identity and the stigma that they faced, the same things are happening again now. Jill stands as a representation of who we should all be, by showing that a problem doesn’t have to threaten us directly for us to care or fight for it, and demonstrates the difference that can be made by standing in someone’s corner. But more than this, with so many of the character’s parents unable to accept their children’s identities and reluctant to the changing world around them, ‘It’s a Sin’ demonstrates that whilst the ideas of us younger generation may seem radical, we are probably the ones you should be listening to.

What is drag? What does it mean to be a drag queen? I think there is a very clear anatomical difference between Bio-queens, Trans-queens and drag queens. That is fact. Neither form is greater or lesser, they are just different. As entertainers, if we are entertaining, that is truly what matter. No, this is not simplistic, it's reality. Drag, to me, is gender illusion/bending and gender driven performances. Yes, I do agree that the term drag is for the manipulation of ones own gender not the gender to which you're portraying. What RuPaul said: Rupaul made a comment that bio-queens already have a show. Sorry folks, fish bio-queens could win a beauty pageant if they choose to go that route, so the comment in itself was valid. Also, Rupaul can put whoever she wants on that show because her name is in the title. Everyone needs to remember this VERY VERY important fact: In any movement, the loudest voices should be from the ones who are directly affected. For non-binary movements, non-binary people should be speaking the loudest. Cis-people have a place in the LGBT but they shouldn't be taking a front seat and leading the charge. Summary: All forms of drag is acceptable. Rupaul can do what she wants and when she wants, she has more then earned it, especially since she isn't hurting anybody and has been fighting the fight for a lot longer then the rest of us and doing it in the main stream. Lastly, I do not care how many of the unspoken "rules" of drag that you follow, unless you're entertaining I don't give a shit what you look like or what's on your face. A big costume does not guarantee a good performer. A pretty Facebook picture doesn't mean crap on stage. Serve it, and entertain.

We are thrilled to announce our very first mentees selected for SUPPORT.HER! We look forward to facilitating their mentorships and following their careers as they move forward. Thank you for your interest! The Mentorship opportunities are now closed. Please sign-up for our eNews for updates. SUPPORT.HER is a mentorship program to help pair established filmmakers with emerging talent. We aim to uplift women and non-binary filmmakers and light the path for their future careers. We at The Chimaera Project understand first-hand the struggle to move our careers to the next level, and we know how life-changing a great mentor can be. We are happy to announce our first cycle of mentorships as we all strive to “lift as we rise.” Thank you to our 2021 Mentors! Maurissa Tancharoen, Writer Maurissa Tancharoen is the co-creator, showrunner and Executive Producer of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. With her husband and writing partner, Jed Whedon, she created and appeared in the Emmy-award winning musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. Together, their credits also include such shows as Dollhouse, Drop Dead Diva, and Spartacus. As an Asian-American female showrunner, her advocacy for diversity and representation is reflected in her work. Bear McCreary, Composer Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning composer Bear McCreary began his career as one of the final protégés of film music legend Elmer Bernstein, Bear burst onto the scene scoring the influential and revered series Battlestar Galactica. He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme for Da Vinci’s Demons, a musical palindrome that sounds the same forwards and backwards. Bear also received Emmy Award nominations for his work on Black Sails, Outlander and Human Target, and has twice been awarded ASCAP Composer of the Year by his peers. Alexis Ostrander, Director Alexis Ostrander was one of five directors in the inaugural Warner Bros. Emerging Film Directors Workshop. Since completing the workshop, she has gone on to direct episodes of Riverdale, Shadowhunters, The Arrangement, Deadly Class, Pearson, Supergirl, Servant, Swamp Thing, Impulse, Condor, Seal Team, Nancy Drew, and Cruel Summer. In 2018 Alexis directed the pilot episode of Light As a Feather on Hulu, for which she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Digital Drama Series. Marc Bernardin, Writer Marc Bernardin is a WGA Award-winning television writer-producer who has worked on Star Trek: Picard, Carnival Row, Treadstone, Castle Rock, Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina, Masters of the Universe: Revelations, and Alphas. In an earlier life, he was a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Playboy, and Entertainment Weekly. In comics, he’s an Inkpot-winning writer of Adora and the Distance, Genius, The Highwaymen, and Monster Attack Network. Tosca Musk, Director Tosca Musk is an award-winning filmmaker known for her directing and producing of feature films and leading-edge content. In 2017, Musk co- founded Passionflix, a premium streaming entertainment platform that produces and distributes movies specifically focused on the romance genre. Passionflix has had a positive response from the romance community since launching and has so far released 12 original movies, one series and 10 short films. Joe Censoplano, Visual Effects Compositor With over 16 years of professional experience, Joe Censoplano is a Compositor Supervisor who has also worked as a Lead Compositor and Lighter for major motion pictures and broadcast televised commercials. Some of his credits include Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man Homecoming, and Doctor Strange. For the past 8 years, he has been teaching compositing classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Interested in becoming a mentor? The Chimaera Project is planning more mentorships in the future and we’re always on the lookout for allies in the film industry at all levels and in all disciplines. If you share our passion for uplifting women and non-binary filmmakers, contact us here to let us know.

It is important for people of any gender identity to use protection during sexual activity to safeguard themselves and others. Good sexual health can ensure that people have a safe and enjoyable sex life. Regular testing, access to treatment, and sexual healthcare can help prevent and address many sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and assist people with maintaining good sexual health. This article looks at sexual health topics for transgender men, transmasculine people, and non-binary people assigned female at birth (AFAB). Transmasculine is a term that refers to those who were AFAB, but identify with masculinity, or masculine identity. Some transgender men, transmasculine people, or non-binary people assigned female at birth (AFAB) may find identifying a part of their body with the word “vagina” triggering. In this article, we will be using the term “front hole/vagina.” Anyone who is sexually active is at risk of transmitting and contracting STIs. STIs can easily transmit from one person to another through any type of sex, body part, or sex toy. The best way for a person to protect themselves from STIs is to use barrier methods alongside a water-based lubricant. Not all STIs show symptoms. Regular testing through a sexual health screening is important to help detect any STIs. The Terence Higgins Trust recommends testing at least once a year, and more regularly if people have new or casual partners. Using condoms and dams Correctly using condoms and dams can help to protect against STIs. - External condom: A person can use an external condom over a sex toy or penis, including a phalloplasty or metoidioplasty. External condoms are the safest to use on a penis. People should use a new condom when switching between anal and front hole/vaginal sex, sex lasting for more than half an hour, or sex with any new partner. - Internal condoms: People can use internal condoms inside the front hole/vagina or anus. They are the safest option for anyone with a metoidioplasty or testosterone-enhanced clitoral growth. - Dental dams: A dental dam is a sheet of latex that people can use as a barrier to protect against STIs during oral-front hole/vaginal sex and rimming. People can use a water-based or silicone-based lubricants when using condoms. People should avoid using an oil-based lubricant with latex condoms, as it could weaken the latex. Internal condoms made from nitrile are suitable to use with an oil-based lubricant. People should avoid using silicone-based lubricants with any silicone dildos or sex toys, as the lubricant could damage the items’ surface. According to the Terrence Higgins Trust, if people have had recent bottom surgery, they may have unhealed skin which could increase the risk of STIs entering the body. People can discuss recovery times with their surgeon to make sure any surgery has time to properly heal. Additionally, taking hormones can increase the chance of bleeding during penetrative anal and frontal/vaginal sex. A person should use a lubricant and condom and regularly check for tears. Additionally, lower levels of estrogen can alter the thickness in the walls of the front hole/vagina and the rectum. This may make it easier for tiny tears to occur during sexual activity, so the use of condoms and lubricants is very important to help prevent contracting an infection. What are the effects of long-term testosterone use without surgery? The long-term use of testosterone can affect healthy bacteria inside the front hole/vagina, which may cause unusual discharge and make penetrative sex feel painful. Using an estrogen cream can counter these effects without affecting testosterone levels. Although testosterone decreases fertility, it is not effective as a contraceptive. For those still able to become pregnant but who do not wish to do so, it is important to use contraception, such as condoms. Contraceptives such as coils, implants, injections, or the pill are all effective and safe methods to use alongside testosterone. A person can discuss their options with a healthcare professional. Hormonal factors and types of surgery can affect pregnancy for transgender men. If transgender men are taking testosterone and want to become pregnant, they will need to stop taking testosterone and may need to take estrogen to support the reproductive system. According to a 2014 review, transgender men who stopped taking testosterone started menstruating within 6 months. If people have undergone top surgery, this may affect the ability to chestfeed a baby, and people may require additional support, such as an at-chest supplementer. There is a risk of cervical cancer for any person with a cervix. Those aged 21–65 should get cervical screening with cytology every 3 years. Those aged 30–65 should get cervical screening using a combination of cytology and HPV testing every 5 years. Clinics may offer an option for people to self-collect swabs for testing. According to a 2018 article, more than According to the - a lack of support and knowledge from healthcare professionals - stigma surrounding HIV Testing for HIV Getting HIV testing at least People can get tested by: - going to a sexual health or family planning clinic - going through a local health department - going to an HIV testing center - ordering a self-test online to take at home People can find out where to take an HIV test through a CDC search page here. HIV treatment is very effective and people who get treatment can live a long, healthy life. Consistent, daily use of HIV medication can lead to an undetectable viral load. This means there is There are no known interactions between testosterone and HIV medications, so it is safe to take testosterone alongside HIV treatment. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication people take before exposure to HIV to prevent contracting HIV. It may be suitable for people who have a high risk of HIV exposure. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a medication to prevent an HIV infection if people think they have had exposure to HIV. If people think they have had exposure to HIV they will need to take PEP 24–72 hours after exposure. People can get PEP from a sexual health clinic or the emergency department. People who want to take PrEP will need to take an HIV test and a kidney function test to check the medication is suitable for them. It is safe for transgender men to take PrEP and: - use gender-affirming hormones alongside daily PrEP - use contraception, including hormonal birth control - become pregnant How to take People can take PrEP daily if they are taking gender-affirming hormones, or having frontal/vaginal sex. People will need to take PrEP daily for 7 days before the drug is fully effective against HIV. People who are not taking gender-affirming hormones, and only having anal sex, can take on-demand PrEP. This means they take a set number of tablets at certain times before and after sex. How to get PrEP People can get PrEP from their local healthcare provider or sexual health clinic. People can search for a local provider through the People can find a list of transgender-friendly clinics in their area through the Transgender men can take care of their sexual health through regular testing for STIs and HIV, and by using barrier methods every time they have sex. If people test positive for HIV or any STI, prompt treatment can help control an infection and prevent passing it on to others.

In a moment when the future increasingly feels like a foregone conclusion, Future Perfect brings actors from a variety of world-building disciplines (from art and fiction, to law and science) together to explore the uses, abuses, and paradoxes of speculative futures. Curated by Data & Society artist-in-residence Ingrid Burrington, Future Perfect is an experimental one-day, invitation-only conference originating from insights of the institute’s regular Speculative Fiction Reading Group. is an anthropologist studying how people live with the prospect of impending disaster. Her research focuses on earthquake anticipation in Istanbul. She’s also written about industrial pollution, landscape archaeology, and the politics of infrastructure in Turkey and the United States. is Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, author of People’s Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier (Stanford University Press), and 2016-17 fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. Her work examines the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine with a particular focus on the relationship between innovation and inequity. She earned her PhD in Sociology from UC Berkeley, completed fellowships at UCLA’s Institute for Genetics and Society and Harvard’s Science, Technology, and Society Program, and has received grants and fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, and California Institute for Regenerative Medicine among others. Her work is published in numerous journals including Science, Technology, and Human Values; Ethnicity & Health; and Annals of the American Academy of Social and Political Science. For more info visit: www.ruhabenjamin.com is an activist, designer and academic who works in the spaces around power, infrastructure, visibility and queerness. She has presented and exhibited globally on technology, power, and trans womens’ lives and is an activist with UK trans info and the non-binary inclusion project. has combined media, technology, and socio-political analysis during her two decades as an award-winning author, journalist, professor, and lecturer. She is a fellow at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, studying political media and industry diversity. She is also a director’s fellow at the MIT Media Lab. Before that, she was a Senior Writer covering politics and data at ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight, and a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She is the author of six books, the most recent of which is 2016’s The Episodic Career: How to Thrive at Work in the Age of Disruption. With deep knowledge in a variety of disciplines, including the future of work, politics, culture, race, and technology, Chideya frequently appears on public radio and cable television, and has worked for CNN, ABC, and NPR, and appeared on numerous other networks. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Chideya graduated from Harvard University in 1990. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. is a Registered Architect, urbanist, and researcher focused on local and global networks in infrastructure, building systems, and urban design. She has worked on the design and construction of several civic projects in the New York City metropolitan region. As a writer she is focused on theory and analysis, as well as speculative and experimental fiction. Combined with her love of games and belief in the power of gaming experience, she created the blog and podcast “Worlds of Gamespace” to explore the overlaps and productive tensions between video games, architecture, urbanism, and evolving modes of inhabitation. You can find her at jilliancrandall.net and worldsofgamespace.com. is a composer, writer, and performer based in London, Ontario. Alexander is a graduate of the MA Musicology program at the University of Western Ontario where he researched the role of music and technological systems in shaping real and virtual communities. Alexander also holds a BMus in Music Theory & Composition from the University of Western Ontario, where he studied with Dr. David Myska. In his compositions, Alexander is interested particularly in exploring principles of timbre and acoustics as the basis of musical harmony and structure, as well as works which integrate human, instrumental, and programmed systems. Alexander also writes and performs electronic music independently and occasionally in collaboration with local musicians. reports on technology and edits The New Inquiry. Her work has appeared in The Intercept, The Guardian, The Nation, and elsewhere. is the author of two novels and his fiction has appeared in three different book collections. His novel Nigerians in Space, a thriller about brain drain from Africa, was published by Unnamed Press in 2014, and a sequel will be published in September 2017. He works at the digital rights organization Access Now, where he drives campaigns on fighting internet shutdowns, cybersecurity, and online censorship. Before that, he fought for free expression and the defense of writers around the world at PEN American Center with support from the Ford Foundation. His work has been featured in Electric Literature, Quartz, Vice, Slate, GigaOm, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, and Guernica. is Assistant Professor of the History of Science and Medicine at Yale where she teaches feminist and indigenous STS and the history of biomedicine and anthropology. Before receiving her PhD in History and Sociology of Science at UPenn she studied science communication at Cornell and worked as a risk communication specialist. She is the author of Life on Ice: A History of New Uses for Cold Blood, (University of Chicago Press, 2017) and a co-editor of Cyropolitics: Frozen Life in a Melting World (MIT Press, 2017). Radin is currently writing a book about science fiction, subjectivity, and biomedicine. The past year has been marked by frequent commentaries comparing the present moment to works of dystopian literature and speculative fiction. The sentiment that science fiction futures can’t keep up with present-day developments pervades discussions of policy, technology, and culture. But the extent to which fictional futures exercise power over our present is, in some cases, by design. For example, the influence of the 2002 film Minority Report on gestural interfaces, surveillance technologies, and automation isn’t an accident of history–the future envisioned in the film was created in close consultation with technologists and academics actively working on products that the film imagines in real-world settings. An entire industry of speculative designers and futures consultants continues to actively construct dystopian futures on behalf of corporations and governments, transforming TED talks and architectural renders into self-fulfilling dystopian prophecy. Tie-in programming around the institute will offer conference guests the opportunity to encounter unscripted performances, interactive modules, and other creative interpretations of conference themes including, but not limited to: The conference will be livestreamed and documentation of participating talks will be posted online.

I recently discovered Nonbinary.org, a site with tons of great information about non-binary gender. Allowing me to explore the Wiki is like letting a group of kids loose in the biggest, bestest playground ever! (Well… I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, when we’d run and climb all over the place.) There are over 14 different non-binary gender identities; the one I identify with most, genderfluid, has at least 75 variations. (On this particular site; most likely not an exhaustive list.) I love reading about various ways people experience and describe their genders! I find it fascinating and refreshing. One page I find particularly useful is “Pronouns.” It includes a list of 80 different English pronoun sets, most of which are gender-neutral. “They” has been used as a gender-neutral singular pronoun to refer to people for a thousand years. People have been creating and proposing other gender-neutral pronoun sets since the mid-1800s. Many of the pronouns were originally created by authors for use in their stories set in societies with more or less than two genders. IMHO the list is worth perusing just to discover new worlds to explore books to read. The page also has information about how to choose pronouns for oneself and announce them to others. It’s not easy for me to request that people use my pronouns and to correct them when they misgender me, so this is a valuable resource. I might look into acquiring a pronoun badge. I’ve been using ze, zir, zir, zirs, zirself – as in: “I love hanging out with Ziya. Ze always laughs at my jokes. I can’t wait to see zir. Wow, zir hair has gotten long! It’s okay that I forgot my umbrella, I can duck under zirs. Sometimes my dear friend can be too hard on zirself.” Interestingly enough, that exact combination isn’t listed on the site. If I want to conform (I don’t have to) I can simply change “ze” to “zie.” (“Zie always laughs at my jokes.”) Or, I can switch to ze, em, zeir, zeirs, zeirself – “I love hanging out with Ziya. Ze always laughs at my jokes. I can’t wait to see em. Wow, zeir hair has gotten long! It’s okay that I forgot my umbrella, I can duck under zeirs. Sometimes my dear friend can be too hard on zeirself.” I’m not too crazy about that. Sure, I get to keep “ze,” but I think I prefer “zir” to “zeir.” Maybe “zier” would work (initially a typo, but hey, why not!?) – except that it’s a name. I like the addition of “em,” but in that mix it seems to come out of nowhere. I have an irrational hatred of “zem.” There are other sets that use the “em” sound though, such as: - ey, em, eir, eirs, emself - le, lem, les, les, lesself - ne, nem, nir, nirs, nemself - they, them, their, theirs, themself There’s also “per” – per, per, per, pers, perself. I love this set because it’s simple and refers to the word “person,” which is what I want to be identified as. I’m not a man or a woman, I’m a person. Whatever group you’re talking about isn’t (only) comprised of men and women, it’s a group of people! We have such nice, inclusive language – “person” and “people” – why oh why don’t officials use it? Finally (on my short list) there’s id, idre, ids, ids, idself – “I love hanging out with Ziya. Id always laughs at my jokes. I can’t wait to see idre. Wow, ids hair has gotten long! It’s okay that I forgot my umbrella, I can duck under ids. Sometimes my dear friend can be too hard on idself.” I’m madly in love with “idre,” but I can take or leave the rest. I prefer “ze” and “zir.” Maybe “Idre” would make a good name? I don’t know. The point is, we can do this!!! There’s a very long list of pronouns anyone can choose from – and I imagine additions would be more than welcome. I’m also pretty sure the pronoun police won’t come after us if we mix and match. Hopefully. Don’t quote me on it; if they do come after you I’m not liable. If you want to try out different pronoun sets, check out the Pronoun Dressing Room. You can select a set from the “Pronoun Closet” and edit individual pronouns (e.g. changing “zie” to “ze”). Your chosen name, pronouns, and preferred noun (e.g. “person”) are then inserted seamlessly into select passages from classic fiction, which you can read. It helped me come up with a custom set that fits perfectly – at least with my current mood…

What Shapeshifters has done here is made binders where the point of them goes beyond the normal utilitarian point of a binder. And honestly? We deserve that! Can you believe we haven’t talked about books with non-binary characters yet? Here are eight great ones, mostly written by non-binary authors. “And there was Susan and Rachel at the heart of it all, dancing to the band Susan had sworn would play her wedding if she ever got married. As they laughed and moved to the music and worked up such a sweat that their jackets had to come off, I saw a glimpse of the future wedding I hope for, marrying someone I love, the two of us not fitting so strictly into the feminine.” The classic manga and anime character reimagined as a non-binary teen growing up in New Jersey. “She’s a tomboy,” your mother says, frustrated. “I’m sure she’ll grow out of it when she gets interested in boys.” “More dolls,” repeats Mrs. Morris. They plan to doll this little problem out of you. “There are so many baby queers who depend on us to give them representation,” they said. “There’s so much in this world telling you to be something different and that’s so detrimental. I’d rather have kids see something and go, ‘It’s okay to be me.'” Vida’s out non-binary actor Ser Anzoategui gave Autostraddle an one-on-one interview about the show, the importance of queer Latinx representation in front of and behind the camera, and even sang a little Selena for the heck of it. You want this! You know when you’ve heard your best friend tell a story, even though you’ve only heard it once, you’re buzzing with energy to share it with others? Lubin’s documentary feels like that. “It’s common to want to tell everyone about your newfound realization about your identity, so that you can feel like you’re living authentically and with integrity. But you get to do whatever feels best to you!” If you’ve got people in your life who could use some help, Archie Bongiovanni and Tristin Jimerson have a brand new book that will explain how to use they/them and other gender neutral pronouns, and also why it’s so important. Just like it celebrated lesbian love story with Ruby and Sapphire forming Garnet, Steven Universe is once again using a fusion to explore queer identities and, more revolutionarily, to celebrate them. You don’t want to wear a dress but also don’t want to disappoint your family, you’re not as excited about your girlfriend as you used to be, and your girlfriend doesn’t know if she’ll still be with you next year. Get in here! Non-binary does not mean the same thing to a single one of us. We’re all super nervous to talk about it in public, though! Our gender is not a burden, the binary mainstream society is. You are wonderful, I’m so proud of you for reaching out. Take what works from my suggestions, and know I’ll be hoping it all turns out for the best. Sunmi’s art has a lot of elements that you might’ve seen in paintings from the 19th century, but it never feels dated, or from a certain time. It’s expressionistic, full of feeling and gestures towards the things the artist wants you to see. Transparent isn’t a show about any single person. It’s a show about family. That’s what it’s always been and when it focuses on that, it’s at its absolute best. How do we want to be seen in our daily lives? How much control do we really have over it? How do we make ourselves visible in a world that often chooses not to see us clearly, and what risks and complications come with it? There’s no one answer, which is why we had all these Autostraddle staffers who identify somewhere under the bisexual umbrella talk about it for you! If they are feeling hurt by people who don’t want to use their pronouns or just by a long day of having to gender in the world, listen to them and ask how you can help ease the stress. For seven years, Homestuck gave LGBTQ fans the opportunity to find reflections of themselves, build relationships and community with other queer people, and become confident enough to own their identities. This comic combines a bunch of things that I love, cute animals, cute queer characters, magic, beautiful art and a great setting. If you like even just one of those things, read on and see if this comic is for you (it almost definitely is).

Today the Merriam-Webster announced the addition of the singular non-binary pronoun, they. The nonbinary pronoun ‘they’ has been added to the dictionary. https://t.co/tadl1VdfB0 — Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 17, 2019 In an interview with the TransAdvocate, Merriam-Webster representative Emily A. Brewster said the following: Evidence for they as it is used to refer to one person whose gender identity is nonbinary is increasingly common in published, edited text, as well as all over social media and in daily personal interactions between English speakers. There’s no doubt that it is an established member of the English language, which means that it belongs in Merriam-Webster’s dictionaries. Nonbinary they takes a plural verb, despite its singular referent, which can make the grammatically conservative uncomfortable. It’s helpful to remember that the pronoun you was initially plural, which is why it too takes the plural verb even when it’s referring to a single person. “You are” has, of course, been perfectly grammatical for centuries. The language’s lack of an exclusive gender-neutral pronoun is famous, and they has been quite ably filling in for more than 600 years. Its use largely goes unnoticed in such construction as “No one has to use it if they don’t want to,” and it’s quite possible that the nonbinary they is headed for a similarly unremarkable fate.

Great news from the world of ride sharing! Lyft has just announced that users are now able to add their preferred pronouns to their accounts so drivers know how to address them. In today’s world, and with so many possible identities, it’s important not to assume to know someone by their physical appearance. So this new feature on the Lyft app is a great way to show how the company is committed LGBTQ+ equality and supports all expressions of gender identity. If you’re a Lyft user, here’s how you can add your pronoun: - In the menu, tap view profile - Tap Personal Info - Select your pronouns - Then tap Save Lyft has also partnered with the National Center for Transgender Equality to assist Lyft drivers in changing their names and gender designation on their driver’s license. This is important since the process for transgender drivers is so complex and varies by state. Transgender and non-binary drivers who have completed more than 100 rides through Lyft will qualify for multiple hours of one-on-one advising from NCTE in addition to receiving $200 for financial assistance to help with the cost of the name change. Lyft asserts that the 100 ride designation has been set in place to assure they are working with dedicated Lyft drivers. Unlike other companies, Lyft also demonstrates exceptional commitment to equality for the LGBT+ community within the workplace. Their Gender Inclusion & Affirmation Policy can be a model for other companies seeking to initiate such practices in the workplace. Their employee resource group, LyftOUT, gives comprehensive protections and benefits for Lyft employees. As we head into LGBTQ+ Pride month, be conscious of how you get from place to place and consider supporting businesses who, in turn, support you.

It’s that time of year again, when we talk about one of my favorite things: LGBTQIA+ people proudly owning who we are. This is a particularly meaningful year as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the riots at the Stonewall. This month, we’re featuring a range of books with main characters who identify all across the rainbow: - Unabiding Halls, by CE Case (lesbian) - Into the Furnace, by Geonn Cannon (bisexual) - The Power of Two, by Leigh Vining (gay) - Walking by Faith, by AM Leibowitz (genderqueer) - That Doesn’t Belong Here, by Dan Ackerman (pansexual) - Endless Days of Summer, by Stacy O’Steen (asexual) - We Three: One and One and One Makes Three, by Lara Zielinsky (polyamorous/bisexual) - Minuet (Notes from Boston #4), by AM Leibowitz (coming soon—aromantic/trans/bisexual) Here’s a roundup of some AWESOME Pride discussion, from the political to the silly: Who threw the first brick? Watch this video featuring interviews with Stonewall veterans as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the riots. We may not know who threw the first brick, but we sure do know who the Mother of Pride was. Brenda Howard was a polyamorous, kinky, bisexual woman who had a vision and a committee to back her. Politics & Activism There’s been a lot of discussion lately on police at Pride. Here’s a good breakdown of why cops aren’t welcome. And speaking of that, a coalition in New York City has organized a no-cops, no-corporate march to precede the official Pride parade. A viral photo of two women, beaten on public transit for not performing their sexuality, sparked outrage. One of the women is using her unplanned fame as a platform to highlight other victims of hate crimes. Did you know federal law doesn’t protect LGBTQIA+ people from discrimination? Nearly half of Americans incorrectly believe it does. Should cisgender heterosexual allies attend Pride? Opinions differ, but here’s one perspective from someone who says yes, absolutely. Here are some general guidelines for cishetero folks attending Pride. Be mindful that you’re a guest in our house, and you should be fine. And here are some similar rules of etiquette. There’s overlap with cishetero authors writing about LGBTQIA+ people as well. Ever wondered what all those flags mean? Here’s your guide to the different banners you might see at Pride. Writing and Books In the “call me not shocked” department, Nicholas Sparks has been accused of racism and homophobia. Raising kids in a polyamorous family has many benefits. Read all about it in this terrific article. Writing about men who have sex with men often follows a pretty typical pattern: hand jobs, blow jobs, anal. Same in the real world, right? Nope, not always. Whether you’re a cisgender man who has sex with cisgender men or you’re a writer of men loving men, check out this article. LGBTQIA+ People Making News Non-binary artists being their awesome selves? Heck, yeah! Have a peek at these folks who are redefining gender. Pulse survivor Keinon Carter is doing good work in the aftermath. Read about what he’s doing to help Black LGBTQ youth. Want to generate your own sexuality? Now you can! (Proud Geeky Bisexual Orangutan checking in here.) Note: For the furries among us, you can also generate your fursona. Have fun!

- Why didn't Ruby explain to the mother in Episode 4 "your son insulted me and my uniform, left my tips in a cup filled with spit and deliberately burnt himself on a griddle"? Maybe the mother wouldn't have believed him but it seemed like a solid middle ground between giving a "The Reason You Suck" Speech and grovelling in apology over something you didn't do. - Given the way his mother was acting, Ruby probably figured it was obvious she wouldn't have believed her anyway. Plus, after enduring the little twerp's mistreatment for who knows how long (plus, as revealed in other episodes, a lot of other crap at the diner), she might have just hit a point where she thought "fuck it," even if she realized it probably wasn't her smoothest move soon after. - Why didn't Annie get Ruby a job at her big box store when she lost the one at the diner? - Why didn't Beth at least try explaining to the gun man (in episode 4) that he's sick and Rio entrusted her to take him in. It sort of worked itself out anyway and we don't know if he would have listened, but it seemed worth a shot and the risk of losing your car and the money that Rio was going to pay necessitated it. - Is Sadie a teenage boy who identifies as a teenage girl? - It's implied she's non-binary or otherwise LGBTQ, since she wears boy's clothes and there's a rainbow-colored heart in the wall of Annie's apartment, although she clearly identifies as female. She also mentions another girl in a way that might suggest romantic interest. - In episode 8 of season 2 Sadie comes out as a trans boy. Headscratchers / Good Girls

Are We Queer Yet?: Androgyny + The Non-Binary Community Posted on: Thu 17 Sep 2020 Pride & Prejudice’s Nives is back with another segment of Are We Queer Yet?, a segment where Nives looks into a queer beauty standard and drags another show host to discuss it with them. This week, Riana joins Nives to talk about androgyny and the non-binary community. Produced by Nives Baldassi-Winderlich Image source: Wikimedia Commons