Everyday Utopia, Affirming Church…and No Pseudoscience, Please!
Prism & Pen Weekly Digest, 28 September 2025
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P.S. Ever wondered what Prism & Pen’s position is on Generative AI? Yeah, it’s a “no” from us! Gayly scroll down to the editor’s check-in for more details!
* P&P Highlights *
This Is My Dream of Everyday Utopia for Myself and All Queer People
…the truth is simpler. None of these moments would destroy the fabric of society. What they would do is weave it tighter, make it stronger, create a world where no one has to live with the quiet, exhausting weight of being seen as a problem.
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How I Feel in My Queer-Affirming Church Is So Different from Before
I thought I knew these people. My husband and I had been attending this weekly Bible study for several months with three other couples. We prayed together, talked about our challenges in our marriages, and discussed Scripture verses about marriage and relationships. We had been vulnerable with each other at times. I had been comfortable here.
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The Pseudoscience Used Against Trans People
Hi, my name is Kira. I’m a transgender woman and counsellor specialising in transgender care. Today I want to talk about pseudoscience and debunk some myths around transgender people. Of course, from the point of view of real science.
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* A Check-In From the Editor*
Hey, Prism & Pen Writers, Let’s Talk about AI. Here’s Where We Stand!
The writer claimed (and I happen to believe them) that they did not intentionally plagiarize. They admitted to using AI assistance, thinking that was acceptable. They told me they drafted the original story then asked AI to “improve” it. The improvement they got was plagiarism that would have gotten them instantly fired at any university, publishing house, or press outlet.
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* Essays & Creative Non Fiction *
An Unlikely Encounter Between a Trans Woman and Her Son
I freeze.
Although he knows I’m queer, he’s never seen me like this. I’ve never had the nerve to present myself fully dressed to him. But too late now.
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My Transgender Solution to Hateful Words
Since the U.S. Congress and the courts seem incapable of protecting me from this endless stream of hate, I have decided to replace the daily additions to their minefield with one of my own, a mimefield that makes me laugh!
It sounds silly, but I remember my theater professor suggesting that I see the audience without their clothes on to get over my fears of public performing. Seeing these bigots as mimes makes sense.
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Transness Isn’t an Ideology, Let Alone a Violent One
By casting transness as a violent ideology, American right-wing politicians create two dangerous false narratives: that violence is inherent to transness and that transness is, in and of itself, an ideology. This not only endangers trans people, but it homogenizes a diverse demographic in the eyes of the American public. Every trans person has their own relationship with transness and gender and their own views on other topics such as general outlook, religion, and politics.
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An Update on My Transgender Girlfriend’s Health
A lot of cis people might imagine two trans people, lesbians at that, actively transitioning together, could be a recipe for disaster, just as Fae had worried might be the case. However, I know that many of you trans people reading this know it’s possibly the best-kept open secret about our community…transitioning together, rather than ‘double the crazy’, has instead meant ‘double the understanding’.
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What Is It Like To Be Asexual?
A lot of my understanding of asexuality, which in turn led to my realisation that I’m asexual, actually came from a friend of mine who is also ace. They would talk about their own experiences with asexuality and what it meant for them, and from here I realised that this mirrored a lot of my own experiences with sexuality.
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Lots of Miles and Lots of Shoes: Trying To Understand Trans Relationships
From all the conversations I’ve had with transgender and cisgender people, there is always a part where the focus is on empathy.
“What would it be like if I had to wear that person’s shoes?”
I started playing with the concept.
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‘The Hunting Wives’ Season 2 — More Guns and Sapphic Vice?
These women aren’t living moral lives; they’re performing them. Behind the country-club smiles, there’s cheating and debauchery. And when Margot fires Sophie’s gun, it isn’t to protect herself against any real violence. She was not in physical danger. She shot to preserve her reputation, silencing a girl who Margot feared would expose her secrets.
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I’m Dying To Know How Caitlyn Jenner Feels To Be Classified as a Terrorist
Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. only recognizes two sexes: male and female. Five days later, the president issued an expanded order disqualifying “anyone with a current or historic diagnosis of gender dysphoria from military service.”
Comprehensive Googling has yet to turn up any response from Caitlyn Jenner…In the meantime, Caitlyn has remained consistently outspoken in her personal opposition to trans girls competing alongside cisgender girls in sports.
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How Do We Build a World Where Choosing a Gay Man Isn’t a Risk?
Living in a very blue state, I rarely interact with politicians face-to-face. But maybe the time has come for me to start going to rallies and town halls and even book signings, to connect with my leaders and to tell them my story.
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5 Reasons Why Communism Supports Queer People
The oppressors, meaning the wealthy and political elite, wish marginalized people great harm, and are causing us great harm. We must be bold. We have no choice but to be. I continue to organize with my fellow communists and Leftists.
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* Fiction Shorts *
We Pay a Visit to Q-topia, the Most Accepting Place on Earth
The woman continues, ‘I’m not going to ask whether you come here often, A, because it’s none of my business and because I guess none of us is here for that long’.
Vanessa nods, appraising the woman.
‘Sorry I’m oversharing, it’s my first week, and I’m nervous and still finding my way around. I guess I’m a Newtopian’.
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T for Terrorist? T for Transgender.
Then the underpass next to my house was defaced, top to bottom, end to end, in black paint. Depictions of flags, scrawls of “England”, “The English Defence League Is HERE”, and a list of girls the vandals had deemed to be “whores”. A list of boys designated as “poofs” too.
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* Poetry Picks *
Two Girls: A Poem
Two girls can long for each other;
Two girls, eternal, long for the love of a mother.
Two girls, hide from the eyes of mankind,
Two girls hide forever and find —
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That’s it for this week! Courage to our 21,000 followers on Medium!
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