Gay Bodies, Queer Souls, and Right-Wing Homophobia
Prism & Pen Weekly — July 2, 2023
by James Finn
Pride Month is officially over, though Pride celebrations/marches roll on the rest of the summer. At Prism & Pen, we never stop telling stories about our LGBTQ lives. This week, we’re thinking about our queer bodies, our queer souls, and our queer-phobic society. What is gay purity culture, can abs erase your loneliness, and what’s with this resurgence of classic homophobia on the political right?
Plus poetry, science fiction, and thoughts on dance styles at Pride!
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— Editor’s Picks —
The Resurrection of Conservative Homophobia
Is anybody surprised that outbreaks of vitriolic transphobia have led to a resurgence of classic homophobia? Laura’s not shocked. Let her explain why.
The recent groomer conspiracy theory started when people like James Lindsay targeted trans people by saying they were grooming kids into being trans, and this has become a big part of the narrative. However, this is something that has eventually ended up being applied to any apparent “promotion” of a queer lifestyle.
If a film has a scene where a gay couple kiss, then the right are now quick to denounce this as grooming. Those who are familiar with queer history will no doubt see the parallels between this and the idea of a gay agenda …
If LGBTQ People Offend You Spiritually, Is Your Spirituality Healthy?
When I thought my kid was dying, I tried to pray. Later, I wondered if I would have felt welcome in the hospital chapel if the worst happened. When last week’s headlines trumpeted news about queer-exclusionary Christians, I knew I had to write about the day I rode in the back of an ambulance clutching an icy hand.
The other day, I read a provocative (okay, mean-spirited) article in The Telegraph about Christian parents in Scotland who claim they were so “offended” by temporary Pride Month rainbows in a hospital chapel that they felt barred from using the chapel …
Brent was super small for his age because of extended early-childhood malnutrition and other severe neglect and abuse. Over a year before, when social services placed him with my gay partner and me, mental health pros had mostly written him off — as too damaged, too prone to violence, and probably too traumatized to ever fully function in society.
Gay Men Need To Shed Ourselves of ‘Purity Culture’
Evangelical Christians are infamous for their “Purity Culture,” for shaming people for experiencing healthy sexuality. But has Purity Culture infiltrated gay communities, and if so, what does it look like?
As this year’s Pride Month winds down, I keep coming back to the same brain-twisting quandary. Our LGBT+ community has always been stigmatized — and we continue to endure that. But why? What role, if any, do we play in our own marginalization?
Obviously, I’m not saying that any queer person “deserves” to be repressed or shamed just for being Queer. Yet, there are undoubtedly puritanical expectations that have seeped into our own culture from the wider heterosexual culture. Have we internalized those taboos?
Why Presumably Straight People Can Feel Triggered by Queer Folks
Why is mainstream culture shaming and slurring LGBTQ people so often these days? Michelle suggests that conservative religious people are afraid they’ll be forced to examine their beliefs and then their paradigms will implode.
I shake my head in disbelief when I hear straight-identifying people accusing drag queens and trans people of being “groomers.”
What the what? Just when I thought I’d heard it all before.
Grooming has nothing to do with sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. Gay people are less likely to lure a child with manipulation to sexually abuse them. They’re more likely to be victims of sexual abuse, however.
— Essays and Creative Nonfiction —
An Older Gay Man Looks at His End of Life Planning
Sometimes I pretend I am dead. As a gay man I do not have a birth family to protect me as I die! My parents and sibling pre-deceased me. My husband of 41 years has as well. I have no children to automatically be in charge of my person and my possessions when I depart. I am currently two years away from 80, and while I do not plan to depart soon, thoughts of what will become of me as I prepare to leave this life pop up often.
“Gold Star”: Teaser for My Bi YA novel
Valerie laughed softly. “I got the feeling at Pride that you were a late bloomer. A newbie. Gold star just means a lesbian who hasn’t been with a man. Sometimes, you know, there are girls who aren’t sure so they have sex with a guy to see if they like it. Or they get pressured to date guys by homophobic parents and sleep with guys to keep up appearances while they’re in the closet. Or they’re in denial.” She waved her free hand like she was shooing away the thought. “But I’ve never even kissed a guy. Only slept with ladies. So I’m gold star.”
Pride Has Missouri Covered From One Side of the State to the Other
Surprisingly, I didn’t see any protesters or even anyone handing out flyers or stopping to talk to people at the gates. There was no cost to get into Pridefest, and all the vendors gave out free items. Red Bull gave out free drinks, and Panera Bread offered opportunities to spin a wheel to win merchandise. I won a cookie.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this photographic tour of St. Louis Pride.
Texas Governor Praises Fictional Town for “Booing” LGBTQ+ Supportive Superstar
You can’t make this shit up. Then again, you don’t have to because this actually happened.
It should come as no shock to anyone that Texas Governor and hatemonger Greg Abbott fully supports the “Go Woke, Go Broke” movement aimed at boycotting LGBTQ+ friendly companies and products. Abbott has, after all, been vying with his Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis for the dubious title of the state exec determined to do the greatest harm to queer and trans folk, asylum seekers, persons of color, and anyone and everyone who is likely to vote Democratic.
Nobody Thinks Cis is a Slur
I was going to start this article by stating that there has been a considerable amount of discourse online about trans people and the nature of gendered language, but let’s be honest, this is always the case. What has been new recently is the suggestion from the right that the term cis (for cisgender) is in fact a slur.
Much of this discourse comes from Twitter CEO Elon Musk announcing that the terms cis or cisgender are now considered slurs on the platform …
Bear-ing it All: A Gay Bear and I Dive Into LGBTQ+ History and Gender Roles
Established in the late 1800s as a logging community, this town of 5,000 started becoming a gay refuge in the 1970s. Gay entrepreneurs from San Francisco began vacationing there on the weekends.I’ve decided to drive Lyft there for the day, and my first passenger is Ruben.
With his jolly demeanor, bulky build, and plaid shirt, Ruben reminds me of a Santa Claus / logger hybrid. The smell of warm toffee fudge fills the car when he gets in outside of Rainbow Cattle Company (one of Guerneville’s several LGBT-friendly bars).
What I Loved about Pride This Year
The last few years, between the pandemic and parenting, I wasn’t able to get out dancing for Pride, but I made it this year! There’s this outdoor place, an oasis in New York City, with dirt paths and weedy trees. All homegrown and haimish. At some point I took a break from the dance floor to take it all in: the music, the people, the setting, the circumstances. And I thought to myself, “there’s some really weird shit happening here.”
Looking for a Feel-Good Pride Story? Try This Recovering-Bigot One!
This story has it all: Redemption, forgiveness, compassion, personal growth, courage… and, most importantly, humility.
But it’s not about one of our LGBTQ+ tribe at long last coming to terms with their sexual orientation or gender identity. Nor is it about a queer or trans teen finally finding acceptance from members of their family or community.
Introducing a new true ally…
‘If I Have Abs, I Won’t be Lonely’
By and large, western society is informed by visual media. Just about everyone has a smartphone, or at least access to social media platforms, and will likely be no more than two taps away from seeing a plethora of slim, fit starlets laughing in sun loungers.
The prevailing standard of what is considered attractive will be flat stomachs or pillowy pectorals, each sunshine-filtered snap pushed onto your algorithm amidst thousands of likes and a showering of flame emojis in the comments sections.
— Memoir —
Slammed: a Memoir
John’s fight to overcome meth/sex addiction almost destroyed his professional theater career. Now, years into recovery, will a national tour of Annie deliver the coup de grâce?
God-fucking-damn-it-to-hell, even with all my anger, I still fucking cared what Logan thought of me. I stood there and watched him walk away, not knowing what to do next. After a few minutes, I started walking toward the theater. I felt like I’d been on a weekend bender. My jaw was clenched, my entire body locked and tense. The barrier between me and a full breakdown was paper thin, but somehow I held it together as I made my way back to the theater.
Read: Bullying, Thoughts of Self Harm Led Me to Quit Professional Theater
— Fiction Series —
If you haven’t been reading Grayson’s sci-fi adventure cum queer allegory, don’t start here. Click the image above and start at the beginning. You’re in for a wild ride. If you have been reading, this week delivered a punch I bet you weren’t expecting!
Scooping the child into his arms and swinging her around onto his hip, Ardyn turned toward Jevan, looking up at him with a bright smile on his face. Jevan was about to introduce himself to the child, when a bright light flashed, making Jevan squint and flinch away.
When the light faded, Jevan blinked, not believing his eyes. The entire Athla’naa encampment was suddenly deserted. All the Athla’naa wearing those damnable bracelets, including Ardyn and the child he’d been holding, had disappeared. In their stead stood a handful of Athla’naa dressed in black armor, aiming weapons at them.
Read episode 47: Suspicions
Read episode 48: Separation
— Fiction Finds —
The Maserati Room: Queer Fiction from the Aussie Shorts collection
Nathan was about to turn 30, three years older than Darren which explained why Dazza sometimes felt treated like a little brother. In turn, Nate worried about Dazza’s occasional spendthrift behaviour, as when he managed to spend $417.21 Australian on a Supersmile Zina45 Deluxe Sonic Pulse Electric Toothbrush. Their friends got a big kick out of Dazza’s soft tone as he kissed it and crooned: “it’s all covered in chrome.”
— Poetry Picks —
A Plea for Pride — a poem
I saw them broken
in the streets
their marches asking,
why is it so hard for people
to let us live happy?If being is a crime
should we turn back …
That’s all for Prism & Pen this week. Writers, our current prompt, Pride 2023 DEFIES White Supremacists, Christian Nationalists, has technically expired, but if you’re still working on something, don’t worry. We never turn down a good story. But it’s definitely time for a new prompt. What shall we focus on next? Hit us up in comments!
See y’all next Sunday. ❤️
Jim
