Rewiring Queer Brains, Celebrating Queer Pride, Telling Queer Stories
Prism & Pen Weekly Digest, 22 June 2025
by
Did you know embracing respectability politics could literally change your brain? Hey, it’s Pride month, and respectability is a hotter topic than usual this year, so we’ve brought in an expert to analyze it. We’ve also got reports about Pride month from all over the globe. As always Prism & Pen is bursting with real trans, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, nonbinary lives. I mean, why trust Donald Trump Jr about how “terroristic” we are when you can get authentic queer stories, right here, every day?
And please, scroll down and check out our fiction and poetry. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Ready? Let’s dive in! 👇
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* P&P Highlights *
How Respectability Politics Rewire the LGBTQ Brain
with Dr.
Every year, as Pride Month begins, a familiar voice resurfaces within our community — a voice that urges us to embrace respectability politics... To tone it down. To keep it “respectful.” Not to scare the cishets…
In this essay, co-authored with psychologist Waheed Ahmed, we explore how respectability politics affect not only our communities, but our neural architecture. What begins as a survival strategy can hardwire stress, fear, and self-erasure into our brains. Understanding this process helps us begin to undo it.
Why Is a Lesbian More Frightening Than a Pedophile?
But when I was in college, I had a little suitcase full of thirty alphabetized DVDs… There was one film, Notes on a Scandal, that I admit I was always afraid to revisit.
But given the crushing loneliness epidemic, the heightened awareness of workplace harassment, and the insidious conflation of queer people with “groomers and pedophiles,” the film has been on my mind a lot lately.
As a Trans Man, I Still Get Nervous Using the Toilets.
You hurt one, you hurt us all is my theory. Don’t get me wrong, I know that most trans women have it much worse when it comes to the “bathroom debate”, … but we get [trans guys] affected too… and I guarantee, we all have a story…
I dried my hands on my trousers as I started to walk towards the exit, and towards them, my stomach was churning. One stepped forward:
“Are you a fucking man?!”
I was bright red, I could feel it.
“No” Keep your head down and keep walking.
“Fucking dyke!”
And that was the last time I have stepped foot in the female toilets.
My Trans Liberation from Enforced Womanhood
The thing about being a transmasc who came out as an adult and got a hysterectomy is that it becomes enormously obvious how many people saw my person and worth as solely for carrying pregnancies and having children, ...
It becomes so stark, so bleakly apparent, that the vast majority of cis people, very much including most cis women, perceive reproduction as a woman’s purpose, duty, and primary source of worth.
A Different Kind of Pride: Honoring Barbara Jordan’s Quiet Truth
Some stories don’t get censored. They get omitted... reduced to footnotes in history books too timid to hold the truth. Barbara Jordan’s story is one of those.
She was a towering voice in American democracy — a Black woman from segregated Texas who rose to define constitutional integrity during Watergate. She was a brilliant orator, a meticulous legal mind, and the first Black woman ever elected from the Deep South to the U.S. House of Representatives.
And for over twenty years, she shared her life with another woman.
The Shaker Seed Box Man Was So Much More Than a Dying Gay Man
We’re sitting in a Perkins restaurant outside of Cincinnati, still dressed as Shakers, and the family at the next table keeps glancing over with that particular blend of curiosity and politeness that means they think we’re Amish…
The adults at our table are gay men. This is 1989, maybe 1990. The Midwest. AIDS was still destroying communities across the country. And here they are, sitting in a family restaurant dressed as people who chose separation from the physical world, while they live fully embodied lives in the face of a culture trying to erase them.
Transitioning 101: Budget-Friendly Tips for Trans Women Starting Out
Hi, I’m Kira. A transgender woman and counsellor specialising in transgender care...
Now you are prepared, you are confident, and you’ve made the decision to present as a woman — but where should you start? I’ll share some tips and knowledge that I learned during my social transition. I tried to make them budget-friendly and avoid permanent solutions like surgeries or cosmetic procedures.
Fletcher Sang About a Boy — And the Internet Questioned Her Queerness
Fletcher released her new single ‘Boy’ at the start of Pride month, in anticipation for her new album “Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?” The release has sparked intense online debates and scrutiny. As one of the most visible queer women in pop — and an artist who has consistently marketed her work to and through the lens of queer womanhood — many fans were taken aback by the song’s central revelation:
She has fallen in love with a man.
How I Became the Queer, Capable Adult in Every Room… at the Age of 15
I remember a Barbara Walters 20/20 special where she and Hugh Downs discussed the “growing trend in America” towards homosexuality. And I remember my Dad getting fired up and angry when I tried to ask why love was wrong. I never needed clarification from him ever again on where he stood on this topic.
The empathy engine now needed to pull double duty. While still taking care of Dad’s need for perfection and Mom’s inability to handle chaos, I had to also protect them from my truth and protect myself from their reaction.
What the Law Allowed: Bayard, Walter, and the Shape of Queer Love
I didn’t learn Bayard [Rustin’s] name in school. Not once. Not during Black History Month. Not in the footnotes of textbooks. Not when we covered the March on Washington, which was presented as if it had just assembled itself by divine magic.
When I finally discovered his story — first in a documentary, then a biography, then a long late-night rabbit hole — I felt a quiet kind of awe. It was the same feeling I imagine I’d get if I stumbled across a working streetlight in the woods.
Why wasn’t I told?
When Beating Up Gay Men Was Just Saturday Night Fun
I was in the grocery store when my uncle leaned in and said, “You’re a shame to the family name.”
He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. The whole town already knew.
A few days earlier, I’d written a letter to the local newspaper. It was honest. I was trying to say I’m here. I exist. I didn’t out anyone. Didn’t share family secrets. I just said what I felt. But in a town like mine, even that was too much.
* Best of Pride 2025 *
Why Is Pride Dangerous Again?
The past few weeks felt like watching dominoes fall in real time.
Liverpool Pride cancelled due to financial and organizational challenges. World Pride in Washington D.C. attendance down as visitors feared harassment. Tel Aviv’s parade scrapped due to geopolitical instability. Vienna’s Rainbow Parade opening with a vigil for victims of violence. Hungary’s government banning Budapest Pride outright, with police threatening facial recognition fines for participants. Two thirteen-year-olds hurling fireworks and slurs into a Pride crowd in California. A man arrested for threatening to execute a school official over Pride flags.
A Crosswalk, My Small Town, and the Anti-Queer Politics of Public Space
[Our] new mayor, Randy Taylor, has declined to allow [our Pride] crosswalks to be repainted and has instead proposed that they be replaced with new art. All of this, he claims, is an effort to make sure that said public art is neutral and “reflects the City’s identity.” As he went on to disingenuously note, “However, we also have a responsibility to ensure that government property remains neutral and does not promote any particular movement or cause. By moving forward with a neutral design, we are ensuring that city property remains a place where every individual, regardless of background or belief, feels they belong.”
Nothing Different at Pride in Regina, Saskatchewan for 2025
All in all, there wasn’t much difference from previous Pride parades. Parents brought their children to watch, and everyone shouted “Happy Pride!” to each other.
Up until the day of the parade, I had mixed feelings. I thought maybe things needed to be different this year. But, standing on the street corner, watching the parade go by, I realized this was exactly what we needed. The joy, support, and solidarity was nearly tangible…
I walked away with my heart full.
* This Week’s Essays & Creative Non Fiction *
Growing Up Gay in The Grove
I grew up in Florida, which was one of the campest places to grow up in the mid-20th century. I’ve learnt to appreciate many of the struggles I’ve experienced as a gay man come from being camp. I was gay from the get-go, but I often tried to hide myself. My behavior shifted as the culture did, either supporting or resisting the LGBTQ community’s diverse trends. From campy drag to masculine overtures that I’ve picked up from straight men on the way. The place where my gay self-discovery began was Sunrise Harbor.
What Trump’s America Means for the LGBTQ+ Community
Today, many Americans are witnessing with growing alarm the gradual undermining of civil liberties. As someone who has lived through decades of LGBTQ+ history, I feel compelled to share my perspective on the current threat facing marginalized communities. While some view my life as privileged, the reality for me and many LGBTQ+ individuals has been far more challenging than appearances suggest.
Gay in the Exam Room
The doctor who oddly, was a carbon-copy of the nurse, started asking if there was any chance I was pregnant. “No,” I told her, “I don’t have sex with men.”
“Well, if you’re a virgin — ”
Fed up, I climbed onto my elbows and told her, “I’m not a virgin, I’m a lesbian.”
Reader, never, not in my entire life, have I made someone stagger backwards the way this doctor did.
Homophobia: A Human Defect, Not a Natural Law
Is homophobia a law of nature, or merely a reflection of human discomfort? This article argues that it is the latter. While many still claim that same-sex relationships are “unnatural,” the natural world tells a very different story. Homosexual behaviour is widespread across species, functional in many social dynamics, and free from the moral judgement that human societies impose…
Homophobia does not exist in nature.
What Is Malta’s History of Queer Rights?
Malta is a small island nation in the central part of the Mediterranean, located south of Sicily. Despite its size, Malta has a rich and layered history, having been ruled by Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, the Knights of St. John, and the British before gaining independence in 1964.
What Malta is also recognized for besides its strategic diplomatic role in Mediterranean affairs is its progressive stance on queer/LGBTQ+ rights. On ILGA-Europe’s “Rainbow Map”, Malta is consistently ranked as #1 in Europe on queer rights.
Pronouns Aren’t the Problem
Once, Lavern Spicer (a prominent Republican politician) tweeted to warn people to never refer to Jesus Christ with pronouns. It’s worth noting that Spicer has been a prominent voice on Twitter for various right-wing political causes and in particular, anti-trans ones. Setting that aside, though, her point about Jesus Christ and pronouns is not true in the slightest. Just looking at John 18:6, Jesus referred to himself as He, as Jesus is often referred to in Christian literature and by preachers.
Harry Potter and the TERF of Terror
During this once-in-a-generation collective experience, as a pandemic ravaged our day to day lives, a once highly respected author trampled over the childhoods of millions.
This betrayal was not quite Judas with a kiss, but Judas if he had an X account. The author is Robert Galbraith, but he’s more well known by another name. She Who Must Not Be Named. You Know Who. J.K Rowling. This is the infamous tweet that started it all:
Discovering Queer Chicago
As someone who’s spent the past five years immersed in queer history for my PhD, I’ve been asked, “Where do I start?” The world of queer history can seem daunting, and it is a relatively new field. But trust me, the stories and experiences of queer individuals and communities are worth exploring. In this article, I’ll share a short selection of books that have helped me understand the rich history of queer folk in the United States, with a focus on Chicago.
Razor Blades & a Coca-Cola for “Rachel”, Shopping for My Trans Self
20:37 on a Monday night, I’m entering a supermarket that used to be “24 hour” but now only opens late. Still, my business won’t take long to conclude — simply here to buy the odd pairing of razor blades and paracetamol.
I’m always buying razor blades.
Laser hair removal is definitely on my list of things to do soon, because I can’t list “shaving” as a hobby forever. After writing and running, it feels a solid number three on “The things I do to feel good in my spare time” chart right now.
What If Kurt Was Claire? A Transfeminine Reading of Kurt Cobain
Yes, it can feel uneasy to speak of the dead in ways they never confirmed. But this isn’t about projection or erasure — it’s about compassion, context, and the emotional patterns so many of us recognize in hindsight. This piece doesn’t claim to know who Kurt Cobain “really” was. Instead, it explores what might have been possible if he’d had the language, support, and visibility that so many trans people lacked in the early ’90s. You don’t have to agree — only stay open.
Is Transgender the New ANTIFA?
“The radical transgender movement is, per capita, the most violent domestic terror threat, if not in America, probably in the entire world. Because you have all these shooters and murderers and attempted murderers in such a tiny population of a country and they’re beyond reproach.” — Donald Trump Jr.
This video segment from a podcast was posted on Facebook with the caption, “This is something a crackhead would say.”
13 Reasons Why I’m Gay
As a child at the time, I obviously didn’t understand what I was feeling or realise why I was feeling those things. It was just a warm fuzzy tingly feeling. Looking back, I realise that these feelings were one of many gay awakenings that I would have throughout my childhood. I thought I’d do a top 13 of these gay awakenings, because I found it too hard to narrow it down to just 10. These men will always have a special place in my heart.
Surviving My Transgender Puberty at 60
I started to transition at age 60.
I started late.
Baby boomers were not allowed to be transgender as children. The word “transgender” didn’t even exist back then. You were either a boy or a girl based on your sex organs, not your brain. The world had as much understanding of gender as medieval society had about the shape of the Earth.
I Am Not the Heat — Stop Tolerating Me
You tolerate cold when you have no jacket. You tolerate a headache when there’s no medicine. You tolerate delays because the world doesn’t run on your schedule. But people? Human beings? Members of your own species? You tolerate them?
This word — tolerance — is used too often in LGBTQI+ contexts, especially by people who still want to feel like the norm. “I tolerate gay people, I tolerate trans people,” they say. As if we were a test to pass.
* Short Fiction *
The Demon Cheerleader: A Gay Teen’s Horror Story
I desperately wanted to stop him, to tell him I was gay, too. To be his friend. To ask him how he could be so happy with himself in the face of so much bullshit.
But the door swung shut and I lost my chance.
Out of curiosity, I looked into the bathroom. Wafts of smoke were coming from the trash can. Burnt incense.
I Gave His Gay Secret to a Bullet
If I’d just kept my mouth shut, Gary Brock would still be alive today. He’d be my age, almost to the day, and probably be married and have kids who played with my kids.
I’m a forty year-old fraud, and my son looks up to me as a local gay ally of folk hero proportions. Television cameras are my friend and I’m still asked to speak about gun control, prejudice and my recollections of Gary Brock …
* Fiction Series *
Her Lady, Her Princess
Welcome back to the Hers Trilogy! This is the sequel to Her Witch, Her Demon: A Lesbian Paranormal Romance. Watch for new episodes every Monday and Wednesday. Here’s an excerpt from episode 4:
Exactly at noon, Nyx sensed a new presence within the premises of the Herald Tower. Footsteps as light as feathers. Heartbeat, thrumming so silently even Nyx would have missed it if not for her super sharp hearing. A royal demon. An old demigron. The older these Earth-born demons were, the better control they had over masking their presence.
Ivan nodded at Nyx in silence.
Slowly, the towering gates of the Herald Tower flung open, and in walked a tall, slender man in a silver suit.
Read Episode 3: The spy
Read Episode 4: The alliance
* Poetry Picks *
A Parade and the Non-King
Hear our drums oh king!
like thunder and lightning,
citizens will strike.Our cadence, our truth.
Our minds, not yours!
Our resistance never ends.
Love Cannot Encompass Hate — a poem of freedom
Then hate me as you will, but do not call it love,
And do not claim your hurtful words are kind. Enough!
I am not a project, a task you must fulfill
And, if you must condemn me, do not feign goodwill.Do not be a whirlwind chasing an inferno,
Quickening destruction, hastening the deathblow.
Don’t fix me; I’m not broken. And I am not ill;
You do not have to heal me. Do not feign goodwill.
That’s it for this week. Writers, our Pride Prompt is up and running! What do you have to say to the world about Pride?
Courage to all of you! Keep resisting, reading, shining your love, and sending your stories to Prism & Pen.
We need you all!
