TRANS REMEMBRANCE DAY:
Yesterday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, where we honor the memory of people who have been murdered for being trans or for having a different body/mind/heart/soul than someone thought they should have. There are a staggering number of people that we find ourselves honoring this way, a number that is so large it seems impossible and could easily incapacitate you for the rest of the day just trying to process it, could incapacitate you for the rest of your life. For some people it has.
It’s when we remember those who have lost their lives and remember that for those trans people who survive, there is a constant threat of changing groups, of joining the ranks of those who are remembered next year. C.L. Minou of The Second Awakening and Tiger Beatdown says,
“I will remember because that body lying somewhere unmourned could be me. Because it is me… I won’t shrug or carp about how there’s so much death brought up today. Because there is a lot of death. And that needs to be remembered, to be brought up, to be shoved in the face of those who are indifferent to it until something changes, really changes, and trans people are allowed to join the human race.”
T
oday isn’t the Transgender Day of Remembrance, it is Sunday Funday. So without making light of or de-emphasizing yesterday, I want to suggest that today be a celebration. If you’re remembering the dead, it means you’re still here, and probably that you have a network of people who love you and have your back no matter what and they got you this far and they’ll get you even farther. If you’re reading this, you’re still here, and so am I.
As Queerty says, “Transgender Americans are making strides worldwide, whether on the basketball court or the sorority house or the workplace, and that’s because of increased visibility and the queer community supporting members of our own.”
And even when we’re not making what look like strides worldwide, even when the community is grieving and hurt and in constant physical and psychological danger, we are still moving forward, because just existing in a culture that hates you is a big fuck you to that culture, just getting up and going to work is a huge deal. Even on days when you don’t do that, when you can’t quite make it there or don’t have a job because no one will hire you, you are moving forward. I was recently led to the badass pamphlet QUEERS READ THIS from a really great tumblr and I wanna show you this part:
“The strong sisters told the brothers that there were two important things to remember about the coming revolutions, the first is that we will get our asses kicked. The second, is that we will win.”
Ok? Remember that. Write that down. We’re getting our asses kicked every day. But we’re going to win.
HARRY POTTER:
Do you really care about anything besides Deathly Hallows right now? My tumblr dash and the comments on this post would indicate that you do not. SO. Let’s get down to it. I haven’t seen the movie so we’re not going to talk about it in specifics. I just wanna know your thoughts/feelings. Did you go to the midnight showing? Did you dress up? Was it hot? Here is a rundown of 10 good Harry Potter costumes. They are pretty good I guess but I feel like you guys can do better. Also, would you like to look at this roundup of pictures of Emma Watson in magazines? Yes. I don’t like the one where it looks like she’s poking her eyes out b/c it’s scary but I like this one, it’s my favorite. (@mentalfloss) (@ontd)
Also – and this is really the entire point – here is a tutorial on making your own hyperrealistic magic wand out of PAPER. I don’t care if this is news or not, it is awesome. Ok so maybe you also need glue. I think you guys can handle that. Omfg don’t even wait to finish this post just go make a wand RIGHT NOW. (@instructables)
GARDASIL:
The FDA advisory committee has recommended that the HPV vaccine Gardasil be approved for treatment of young boys as well as young girls, which is great news because it represents a recognition that some of those boys are going to grow up to have sex with other boys and therefore be at risk for cancer and other negative health effects if exposed to HPV. It’s like if sex positivity met the medical field. What a thing. (@queerty)
GAY ON GAY TV:
There is something so pleasingly symmetrical about this – Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige) from Queer As Folk comments on Kurt (Chris Colfer), saying that he thinks his presence on Glee “does a lot of good.” Specifically, “I think any time we’re getting into people’s living rooms showing them complicated, interesting, relevant portrayals of gay people, we’re doing something right. It matters.” It is hard to argue with that sentiment, given its source! (@ontopmag)
QUEER YOUTH:
We Are The Youth is a photographic journalism project recording the stories of queer kids and teens all across America. Jezebel featured the story of Audri, from Laurel, Mississippi, and it is all kinds of perfect/heartbreaking. “I came out at, like, 12-years-old, first as bisexual. I thought I liked guys a little bit but I really did like girls a whole lot. I came out to my mom before I came out to everyone at school. I was like, “I have something to tell you…” and I couldn’t get it out. And she said, “You’re not sexually active, are you?” And I’m like “God no. I’m kind of bisexual.” She’s like, “You’re 12. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Go back to sleep.” But now my mom is a PFLAG mom and has rainbow stickers all over her car.” (@jezebel)
ANNE HATHAWAY ON GLEE:
I’m sorry, but this is perfect. Anne Hathaway (who left her church because she wouldn’t accept its views on her gay brother) has already planned out her fantasy guest spot on Glee. “I would want to play Kurt’s long lost aunt, his mother’s sister, who is also gay, who comes back to help him deal with his sexuality, and I would sing “You Are Not Alone” from Stephen Sondheim’s epic show Into The Woods.” OKAY. SIGN HER UP. (@foreign)
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS:
IT’S COMING BACK, BITCHES (@ontd)
ZOMBIES:
This is an article about the history of America’s zombie fascination. What. It’s interesting. World War Z was actually a really good book. YOU DON’T HAVE TO CLICK ON IT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO OK. “In America, the legends of zombies grew out of the cultures created by African slavery and colonialism in the Caribbean. Folklore experts have traced the idea of the zombi back to Vodoun practices in Haiti, where tales have long been told of people brought back from the dead as shambling shadows of themselves. Sometimes these zombis are under the control of a master, and sometimes they simply wander mindlessly.” (@i09)
“I was recently led to the badass pamphlet QUEERS READ THIS from a really great tumblr”
<3
re: QUEERS READ THIS, I want to quote the whole thing, here’s another part:
I am out all the time, everywhere, because I WANT TO REACH YOU. Maybe you’ll notice me, maybe we’ll start talking, maybe we’ll exchange numbers, maybe we’ll become friends. Maybe we won’t say a word but our eyes will meet and I will imagine you naked, sweating, openmouthed, your back arched as I am fucking you. And we’ll be happy to know we aren’t the only ones in the world. We’ll be happy because we found each other, without saying a word, maybe just for a moment.
re: Harry Potter. I will probably see this with my mother. Let’s call it a mother/daughter tradition.
I LOVE ANNE HATHAWAY, also i’m always amazed that she has the same name as shakespeare’s wife.
I loved her so hard already and then I found out she could sing and that was it for me. Have you heard her version of Somebody to Love?
do you mean ‘somebody to love’ like the justin bieber song? please say yes.
No I fucking don’t! Blasphemy. I mean the Queen song.
It amazes me, amazes me, even though I should know better, how many people I would otherwise think of as decent humans still consider transgender people a hilarious concept with no relation to their own lives. 1 in 12 is the murder rate in the US, isn’t it?
Also, “We come out of the closet, face the rejection of society, face firing squads, just to love each other! Every time we fuck, we win. ”
Amen.
Can I just say, Queers Read This has changed my life. I am going to go to school tomorrow and call out the homophobes. I have made that promise so many times before, but this time I will.
This time I will not be scared. Or I will be but I will get over it. Because I’m sick of being a coward. I hate that part of myself. I will go there and say you CANNOT use my identity to belittle something.
I am scared just thinking about it. But it’ll get better.
Getting the gardasil shots right now, and I’m pretty sure its not recognition of boys who like boys, but because it also protects against some kinds of genital warts. At least I’ll try to convince myself it’s the first for the sake of my sanity. Also, I’m going to see harry potter tomorrow with my school NOBODY SPOIL IT FOR ME OR I WILL FIND YOU AND YOU WILL DIE.
WHY DOES NO ONE WANT TO TALK TO ME ABOUT ZOMBIES
Because, Rachel, the first time I read abook about zombies I made my then-girfriend switch to sleeping on the side nearest the window because she didn’t believe in zombies so she wasn’t bothered that they’d eat her first. I am completely serious. This is why I cannot click this link.
I WILL TALK TO YOU ABOUT ZOMBIES ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT.
zombie, zombie, zombie? hey,hey,hey,hey,oh,dou,dou,dou,dou,dou….
I love zombies. I found out that they’re talking remaking the wizard of oz and I was I pissed and a commenter on videogum said that if it was a zombie version it would be ok and i have to agree. I love zombies. Did I already say that?
I just saw harry potter and i cried and its amazing and in july I’m going to be a mess. Afterwards my aunt sister and I ate and got coffee and my aunt basically told me that she knew I was gay and that it was fine with her either way. I love today.
THEY’RE REMAKING THE WIZARD OF OZ?
The thing with your aunt is really cool and I am very happy for you.
Also, THEY’RE REMAKING THE WIZARD OF OZ?!?!?!
Apparantley they’re talking about it. I dont even know what to think about it
Thank you! I’ve been feeling good.
Christ,i really need my computer back, my phones been making me sound crazy
Emma Watson and Zombies.
I…I….
My head just exploded.
I love you.
Yeah, Gardasil is being given to boys not because boys might have sex ith boys but because the HPV virus is carried by boys. It generally doesn’t effect them which is why it is so often linked with cervical cancer etc., the effects are only felt by the women (though it may effect gay men as well, I haven’t heard about it being an issue) so vaccinating boys is just to stop the virus from appearing at all.
Audri lives where i live. i need to go find her and tell her about Autostraddle. I like that she said this:
“I want to stay in Mississippi for college. There’s gay flight in Mississippi because everyone thinks it’s so horrible so they leave. And nothing ever changes when all the gay people leave… There’s lots of work that needs to be done and it really makes me happy to get to do it.”