Prism & Pen Resists! Calls Again for December 3 Action for Trans People!
Prism & Pen Weekly Digest, 1 December 2024
by James Finn
Today is not a safe day to be queer — especially transgender — in most of the world. At Prism & Pen, our focus this week is on the U.S. as we repeat a call by Julia Serano, the esteemed biologist and author of books (like Whipping Girl, Excluded, and Outspoken) that call for people to respect the humanity and inherent dignity of transgender people.
We’re joining Julia and queer people/allies everywhere on December 3 to proclaim that our lives are not political tokens to be traded in for compromise. Scroll down for details, because we need YOUR help!
As always, we showcase queer lives and art. Check out a groundbreaking Korean film as reviewed by a gay Chinese filmmaker. Discover a mid-20th century author who deserves an honored spot in the pantheon of queer artists. Ride along with a Scrabble champion who met the love of his life on a tournament road trip. Hear from a Christian minister and theologian who says the Bible really does morally condemn queer people, while insisting the Bible is wrong. Refreshing!
And that’s just the beginning of this week’s treasures.
Read stories for free by clicking the links that say “Read in P&P.” Want more daily stories from across the rainbow? Follow us on Medium, Facebook, Tumblr, Mastodon, or Bluesky! Want to help support P&P? Join Medium.
* P&P Highlights *
Are Trans People Canaries in the So-Called American Coal Mine?
I remember crying when Obama first told us that there were no blue states or red states, just the United States. I was in a red state at the time and wanted so badly to believe that message. I’m sure I wasn’t alone. That was the speech that propelled him into the national consciousness and eventually into the presidency.
It was a speech that provided some beautiful fantasy image of my country that ignores all of our history, addressing none of the bloody truths that have divided us for so long …
As a trans person, that sentiment has never resonated less than today.
Loneliness and Love: Urban Survival for East Asian Queer Communities
In recent years, the queer film and television industry in Asia has made significant strides, with more queer-themed films and shows emerging, and heterosexual stars from these works gaining popularity. However, amidst the ongoing fight for equality, many of these shows stray from the reality of society. Some merely replicate and adapt heterosexual templates, while others cater to the external gaze of mainstream society. Few, however, truly explore the inner lives of queer communities.
Love in the Big City is a long-awaited surprise.
Roots of Transphobia. Why Everyone Hates Us?
Transgender ideology, biological binary, trans agenda, public toilet bans, bans on transgender athletes, bans on gender-affirming care… I could continue this list for a long time. All of it can be summarized with one word — transphobia…
The sad reality is that this impact will most likely be negative, making our lives harder. But we have no choice other than to stand against it and continue talking freely about ourselves.
* From the Editors*
Flash Prompt! Join Julia Serano Dec 3: LGBTQ+ People Are Not Going Back!
Everyone! We ask you to join us on December 3 as we join author Julia Serano’s challenge to flood the Internet with cries that queer people refuse to go back— that we and our allies will withhold our votes from any Democratic politician who throws trans people under the bus.
We need your help! Get your stories in now for us to publish and promote on the 3rd! Ordinary word-count and other guidelines are suspended. No matter if you’re queer or an ally, this is for you! The time is … Right now. This minute.
LGBTQ+ Allies: I Want Your Trans Love Letters…Sent to Politicians
A kind ally recently asked me for advice on what I really wanted from LGBTQ+ allies as a trans person during this challenging time.
I really appreciated the question because so very few people ask me directly what I need as a trans person. Too many people assume how trans people want them to help us. Of course, I can never speak for every trans person, but I can offer my perspective of what I need from LGBTQ+ allies.
* This Week’s Essays & Creative Non Fiction *
She Raised a Trans, Autistic Child After Surviving Nazi Death Camps
As a child, I didn’t understand why my grandmother was so overprotective of me. Other kids could attend sleepovers and go to birthday parties, but she always kept me home.
Even letting me attend school made her fearful, and for the first few years, she often hovered outside of the school, watching me through classroom and lunchroom windows. As a kid who was often bullied, having her hovering nearby certainly didn’t help, even though she tried to prevent it.
Being Transgender with Class
Being transgender today is like being a unicorn piñata, hit by mud and baseball bats every day by politicians, religious leaders, and the media while we also experience personal violence and social microaggressions to round out our daily experience.
No wonder unicorns hide.
It all can make you very cross and force you to use very bad words…but that’s not going to happen because we are a classy group of social outcasts, right? If they go low, I say we just step over them as if they were a pile of canine excrement.
Navigating Family Estrangement as a Transgender Person
Family is supposed to be the one thing that is always there, something that must come first — a pillar of stability in an ever-changing world.
But what happens when the family — the people who are supposed to be closest to you, the ones you rely on — turn their backs on you because of something you had no control over, something deeply personal and innate? What happens when their love suddenly comes with conditions, forcing you into an impossible choice: losing the people you thought would always be there for you or losing yourself?
‘He or She’, THEY Said: It has never been about grammar
I’m so flippin’ sick of hearing these arguments from someone (because let’s use singular here to drive the point), who claims their problem is that they/them/their singular is grammatically incorrect. If the problem was the grammar, they would learn grammar, and then they would discover that no, ‘they’ is not only plural and hasn’t been for a very long time.
There’s this weird thing called research….
I Took Straight People to a Queer Club. Is That a Problem?
I, for one, wouldn’t want to question whether that guy I find attractive at the gay club is actually into men. It’s always been the only place where someone can just assume that, but now, I don’t think I could be this bold.
I understand that a lot of straight girls go to gay clubs to feel safe and to just have fun without having some creepy guy trying to touch them or approach them. But at the same time, I understand the frustration of my lesbian friends who complain about having to be hesitant when trying to hit on a girl who might be straight.
The Dual Pull of City and Country: LGBTQ+ Life Across Landscapes
Author Edouard Mane reminds me when I start to wax too poetic about [life in the countryside]: “the country has charms only for those not obliged to stay there.”
Places often seem nicer when you’re a visitor. It’s easier to rub out the weeds and replace them with roses. Selective observation helps us form a tidy, idealized impression.
One hurdle to contend with is the potential absence of community. The challenge of meeting fellow queers and like-minded people is real.
Two Worlds: Misogyny I Have Experienced as a Trans Woman
It was my conscious decision to give away all the privileges of patriarchal heteronormative life. I’ve been on both sides. I lived as a man, and now I live as a woman. I know how it feels on both poles of the gender spectrum, and I know how it feels when you are only an object that doesn’t have the right to speak freely.
Hi, I’m Kira, a transgender woman who shares my experience of transitioning from male to female. I thought about writing on this topic for a very long time, probably since I began my social transition and experienced objectification for the first time.
I Grew Up Gay and Gun Shy in Texas
I grew up in a culture where guns were accepted and commonplace, leading to a healthy appreciation and respect for their power and use. Even though I knew that guns were not for me, I understood that many in my family and community held a responsible view of gun ownership. They were not gun-toting individuals who used firearms to intimidate or terrorize others.
It is quite interesting that as a society we accept actions that serve the greater good and reduce harm. I remember when the mandatory use of seat belts became law.
Old Age Is Not Always a Gay Old Time for Me
My writing helps me process my life, my attitudes, my beliefs, my thoughts, etc. It helps me cope with the good and the bad of daily life and the changes that have taken place over the years.
When I was much younger, I just was. I existed without much thought about who I was, what I thought, or what I did. Most often, that worked out well, but now and then, it backfired, causing difficult situations and times.
My “processing” began in earnest when Gregory (RIP), my life partner for 41 years, was diagnosed with dementia, most likely Alzheimer’s Disease.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Rests on Unfalsifiable Claims
I start this piece with today’s invasive dystopian fantasy because it hints at something our communities might actually be able to accomplish. It might be funny as hell if I, you, or a whole brood of us get to do what I do in this little fantasy for real. Well, not exactly funny. But I’ve been into gallows humor since November 5th, so…
The fantasy starts with me being arrested for being trans, being out, just, you know, being my bubbly, joyous, pink-haired, cosplay-girl, philosopher queen self.
The Bible and the Queer Community
Really, the book doesn’t welcome gays …
This is going to be very truncated at first, so please realize there is much more that I could say. You see, I was a minister, either full time or part time for about 10 years. I have a graduate seminary degree in theology. I started my seminary studies at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, because they were American Baptists (not Southern Baptists who are rigidly conservative) …
I finished my degree at St. Thomas Theological Seminary in Denver.
Am I Bisexual Enough To Count?
I hadn’t stopped thinking about my sexuality since Jack and I returned home from the sex resort.
I desperately wanted to understand myself. Did these feelings really make me bisexual? Or did they just make me bicurious, since it had been years since I had even interacted with a woman in that capacity?
I knew that I enjoyed looking at women far more than I’d ever liked looking at men.
My First Attempt at an International Grindr Hookup Did NOT Go as Planned
The year was 2016. I was 23 years old and fresh off of my first year teaching high school science in Austin, Texas. I planned a road trip in my beat up black 2-door Chevrolet Cobalt to celebrate the fact that I was still getting paid all summer but did not have to work. The best parts of teaching, they say, are June, July, and August.
I impulsively made the decision to travel in late April after a long phone call with Conrad, my longtime Scrabble friend and 2014’s North American Scrabble champion …
The road trip gave me an excuse to try dating or hookup apps again.
Here Are Five Romantic Christmas Movies for Women Who Love Women
Hallmark released their first lesbian Christmas movie last year and it had everyone in a frenzy. It was cute, cozy, and surprisingly a lot of fun. It was the first time I felt seen in a holiday movie and I wanted to continue finding queer Christmas movies to enjoy. I wanted light-hearted, hopeful, and loving movies because if you are like me, you have cried many sapphic tears for far too long. So grab some hot cocoa and watch these Christmas movies with me!
No, the 4B ‘No Sex with Men’ Movement Will Not Burn Down the Patriarchy
While scouring online for anything I could do to prepare myself, I became aware of the 4B movement and began reading the rules and the chatter online.
While at first this seemed like a promising response and action, it soon became clear to me this movement is NOT the way to effectively challenge the patriarchy.
The lack of intersectionality, and reducing gender to human body parts (the talk about having a uterus vs. a penis being a determining factor) was the first clue this is not going to work.
Reclaiming Queer SF Pioneer Edgar Pangborn 🌈 🚀 👽 🛸
Edgar Pangborn (1909–1976) was a writer active from the 1930s to the 1970s. He wrote in many genres, often under pseudonyms. His best work appeared under his own name, most of it science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, whatever you prefer to call it, starting in the 1950s — and is often decidedly queer, in the way we think of things today.
Before I talk further about Pangborn and his queer perspective, I want to tell you about his short story “The Night Wind,” first published in 1974, in the anthology Universe 5, edited by Terry Carr, Random House. It was one of Pangborn’s last stories to appear in print before his death. To me, it has the feel of a final testament.
Ambition Eats Minorities For Breakfast, Including Rainbow Families
Self-doubt disputes every twitch. If leaving Idaho is best for rainbow families like ours, even if I know the hurt is worth it, it doesn’t ease the sting. Why do other people get to stay? Why do other people get to tell us it won’t get that bad? Minorities are endemic to biology, yet ignorance recurs alike without vigilance. Even as hate is denied en masse, its death throes sting like the dickens!
Balancing Love, Work, and Connection: A Never-Ending Dance
I woke up today filled with gratitude for my love, reflecting on everything we’ve shared and overcome together over the past decade. My partner and I? We’re ambitious, driven, and sometimes a little too good at letting our to-do lists get in the way. But the glue holding it all together? A love for each other and a determination to not just survive, but thrive. It’s not always seamless — spoiler alert, we mess up — but those moments of failure are where we learn, laugh, and grow closer.
* Fiction Shorts *
The Gay Detective: High Fashion Can Be Deadly Business
The young man sprawled at the end the T-shaped runway possessed an uncanny elegance, even in death. As if he’d intended to be there, wearing nothing but a black spandex thong.
The thick coating of gold-spangled body paint covering him from head to foot only heightened his grace. And his faint air of surprise — a slight frown frozen on his high-cheekboned, angular face.
I glanced at the grey-haired man slumped in a chair nearby. Caught Harry’s eye and nodded towards the reception area outside the showroom.
That’s it for this week!
Courage to all of you! Keep reading, shining your love, and sending your stories to Prism & Pen.
We need you all!
Jim
