Trans Troops Lead from the Front, and So Do Queer Writers This Week in P&P
Prism & Pen Weekly Digest, 9 March 2025
by James Finn
This week in Prism & Pen, queer writers lead from the front, exploring unity in resistance to the fascism of the U.S. government, celebrating long lives of family love and activism, pursuing radical queer acceptance at church, mourning a gay porn star who died too soon, and expressing grief and love with moving prose and poetry. We’ve even got a lovely travel story for you, by a gay Irish-American man who found himself even more welcome on the Emerald Isle than he expected.
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* P&P Highlights *
Existence is Resistance: Now is Not the Time To Hide but To Shine
I relish this opportunity when I stand in front of approximately fifty (50) plus peers in our largest conference room. My message is that the number one reason for joining the LGBTQ affinity group is visibility, and it can be a conversation starter. I want someone to join so when they go home to their families and friends, they can casually mention that they did this and that… and “Oh, and I joined the LGBTQ affinity group!”
3 Out of 525,600 Minutes: U.S. Military Budget for Gender Transition
So the government hasn’t bothered to build a case that servicemembers’ trans identities present some kind of problem. Trump was only in office for one week before he initiated the ban. The people enacting this policy didn’t even pretend to document alleged character deficiencies of trans people.
Further, the government asserted that gender dysphoria precludes “honesty” and “integrity,” yet it named no other mental health condition that allegedly has this effect, so it’s obvious that gender dysphoria is being singled out.
These anti-trans initiatives aren’t buttressed by facts, nor genuine concern, nor reasonable skepticism.
WorldPride 2025 in DC: Karmic Redemption or Karmic Disaster?
WorldPride DC 2025 could turn out to be a powder keg. Or, this year’s festival has an equal chance of being the most impactful, defiant display of inclusion, acceptance, and love in human history.
This year’s WorldPride, sponsored by The Capital Pride Alliance, celebrating the 50th anniversary of DC Pride, is scheduled for May 17 through June 8.
The following is a statement from WorldPride DC’s website, under the title, “The Fabric of Freedom:”
* From the Editors *
Queer Resistance Means Unity. Let’s Write about That!
What does unified resistance mean to YOU? If you write for Prism & Pen or you’ve ever wanted to, we want to know your thoughts on unity and resistance. We want to hear your stories about linking arms and standing strong. We want to know who YOU link arms with.
I’ve left out a LOT. Will you fill the gaps with your stories, please?
Allies, friends, family members? The global LGBTQ backlash and the escalating demonization of the marginalized is touching you too. How do you resist in unity? We want to hear you!
* This Week’s Essays & Creative Non Fiction *
Billionaires Woke Up the Dragon: LGBTQ+ Oppression Backfires
A.L. Bellettiere (Anna Louise Bellettiere-Kuyper)
Maybe this crisis was inevitable. Maybe we’ve been coasting for too long, assuming that democracy was a self-sustaining entity rather than something that requires constant vigilance.
And now, as trans people — as LGBTQ+ people — we are being forced to fight harder than ever to remain visible, let alone free.
I was talking to my cousin recently about how trans people are being dehumanized in real time. The attacks, the laws, the rhetoric — all of it is an attempt to erase us.
Bisexual Identity Is On a Dramatic Upswing
Recent polling revealed that the majority of folks who gather under the greater LGBTQ+ umbrella identify most with the third letter in the acronym… yes, that would be “B” for bisexual.
These polls indicate that self-identified bisexuals outnumber all the other non-normative identities combined; we’re talkin’ gay men + lesbian women + trans folks + the rest.
I’m not particularly surprised, even though bisexual folks are frequently doubted, distrusted, disrespected, even erased… by straight folks and other queer folks alike.
The Power of Inner Resistance in a World Trying To Silence Queer People
It’s easy to resist outwardly — to rally, to yell, to fight, to scream. These acts have power, even if they provoke more resistance from our enemies, the cowards.
But inner resistance? That’s harder especially when your self-worth has been chipped away by the constant stream of negative societal messages.
Freak. Pedo. Ugly. The list of what they call us queer people never ends.
They want us to feel ashamed of ourselves because deep down, they feel the same way about themselves, no matter how loudly they deny it.
I’m an Exhausted Transgender Woman, and You Can Guess Why
I am exhausted.
Body, heart and soul.
For being transgender.
For being a member of the LGBTQ community.
For being an American during the shame of the current presidency.
For being a human being at a time of increasing intolerance.
My Mother Doesn’t Take My Bisexual Identity Seriously
When I came out to my mother as bisexual via text message last August, I asked for a bit of space to let things settle.
I knew that my announcement would be a shock to my parents, even though no one else was ever all that surprised when I came out to them. I also knew that, being as homophobic as they were, my parents wouldn’t be pleased.
Still, I’d reached the point in my life and with my parents where I needed them to know the real me.
The Unified Resistance of ‘Queer Global Queer’
I have recently joined an organisation known as Queer Global Queer, which aims to amplify the voices of the global majority within the LGBTQ+ community. Queer Global stated objectives is to allow marginal voices spaces to express themselves. Through this they can create a community.
I could have stayed glued to my computer monitor, reading news about the erosion of Trans rights in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, I felt it was more constructive to engage in face-to-face interactions.
Unfortunately, the unity we aspire to is unlikely to be found within the commercialised gay scene, which often dehumanises individuals.
Lap Dance with Two Boys
You sit on my lap as they stare. These are the moments when I have lost you, in the bottles of liquor and the cigarette smoke that kiss your face. Not even our drunkenness can make us brave. We just kiss, and slither in and out of our mouths. We are not brave enough to speak.
An hour after you pull me towards the stairs, the seconds are becoming weary. This is where all the other evenings ended. I try to smell the scent of my saliva, dry on your cheeks. And then I listen to how you try to say goodbye. Our parting is like a grunt, in a horrible lovemaking. You just bite my tongue and call the nearest cab.
We’re Queer, Visible, and Helping Lead a Church that Welcomes All with Love
In our congregation, my husband fulfills the role of Media and Office Manager (the congregation affectionately refers to him as the church M.O.M.), while I volunteer in various technical capacities. We have the distinct honor of working alongside Battle Ground’s first openly lesbian pastor.
Our collective visibility, both within the sanctuary and across digital platforms, serves as a testament to our commitment to dialogues that bridge the divides between faith communities and the LGBTQ+ people they have historically marginalized.
I Can Write Magic, Monsters, and Non-Binary Characters Too
I’ve made the bold (and sometimes daunting) choice of including Non-Binary (which I like to call “enby”) characters in my fantasy series.
I have not one but two major supporting characters who both use they/them/their pronouns in my series (currently writing book 7 out of my planned 12), and that decision is one I’m both proud of and constantly having mild panic attacks over.
In my series, magic is prevalent, and global societies are fully accepting of this third gender, even if it isn’t as prevalent among the populace.
The Death of Adult Film Star Tim Kruger is a Loss for Queer Men Everywhere
Celebrity death is such a strange phenomenon. Strange as it might sound, sometimes when a particularly well-known or beloved star or famous person passes away, you almost feel as if you’ve lost someone who’s a member of your family. I certainly felt this way when both Betty White and Angela Lansbury died a few years ago–mostly because they both reminded me poignantly of my grandmother, who passed in 2020.
These feelings tend to engender a kind of cognitive dissonance, particularly when people look at you strangely, wondering why you’re wasting precious emotional energy grieving for someone that you don’t know and who doesn’t know you.
What ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ Teaches Us about Queer Bullying and Injustice
The 1980s saw many coming-of-age comedies. Revenge of the Nerds is a notable example, relevant to queer history. The film depicts a group of socially awkward nerds who endure persistent harassment from a fraternity of jocks. The nerds persevered and gained respect and a place in campus society.
While a comedy, the film delivered a powerful message. Driven to action by persistent harassment, the nerds confronted their tormentors. Instead of physical confrontation, they used their intellect, strengths, and resourcefulness.
Springsteen Sang About Betrayed Vets. Now, Trans Soldiers Are Betrayed.
A.L. Bellettiere (Anna Louise Bellettiere-Kuyper)
Born in the U.S.A. isn’t about national pride — it’s about betrayal. It’s about the people America uses and then throws away.
Springsteen originally wrote this song during the Nebraska sessions — a stripped-down, acoustic version filled with raw despair. It wasn’t meant to be an anthem; it was a reckoning. The version most people know, layered with pounding drums and searing synths, almost disguises the bitterness at its core.
And as I listen, I think about the trans people who, just days ago, were deemed “unfit” by their own country.
A Gay, Vegan, Sober Guy Goes to Ireland
My grandfather immigrated from County Mayo, Ireland to Detroit, Michigan in 1926. Well, he first went to New York but ended up in Detroit. I have always wanted to go to Ireland to see where he grew up, and to travel around the island.
I knew Ireland was gay-friendly.
On May 22, 2015, 61% of the Irish voters voted in favor of marriage equality by 62% of the vote. I had also heard from friends, relatives, and colleagues that ever in small-town Ireland, there is a sense of “live and let live” with many people simply minding their own business.
Our Worn, Hippy, ‘Gay’ Wedding Rings Are Just Rings.
We bought the rings when budgets were very tight and money for anything other than necessities was a luxury. We were raising three kids, we owned a small retail business, and I was teaching full-time. But we wanted the universal sign of being committed, and that was important to us, so we cobbled the money together and had them made.
The rings represent those hard times.
They represent the years we spent in fundraising for AIDS causes. We wore these rings through a time when more than forty of our friends died around us from the scourge of what was then called “gay cancer.” The rings represent our times at protest marches, hard times in business, and happy times with the kids.
As I Approach My 80th Birthday, This Gay Man Doesn’t Want To Die!
They are the executors of my trust, will, and the handling of my estate, so part of what we talk about includes my wishes for after I have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I figure that if animals can cross the Rainbow Bridge, I can also use that euphemism to apply to myself.
When they leave to return home, I usually feel a little sad and lonely at their having left. I instantly miss their company and miss having people I love dearly with me in the condo.
This time was different. I was majorly sad!
* Poetry Picks *
Ode to Coming Out — another poem
Three cheers, maybe more with
closet doors open, or was it prison doors?Freedom for him, freedom for her,
she, incarcerated in his body in the closet.The Marginalized and Allies cheer and yell,
“a woman is born, so beautiful, so brave, so strong.
An Encounter with Love?
Beneath the leather and denim and buckles
I found your fulcrum and moved the earth.
Your body all bony and bare as knuckles,
I looked for a sign that might signal rebirth.Then came a moment no time could erase,
I raised my hand gently and then touched your face
Spirit of a Woman: A poem
She wouldn’t die, no not yet.
No place to dwell, no dimension,
except only one.
She found her home
in the masculine realm.
Not where she wanted,
Poetry — On Turning Eighty
I have found
that as I approach
My 80th birthday;A white, cis, gay, male,
Jewish, Buddhist, retired, privileged,
And now add advocate and ally to others;It is OK and also necessary
To graciously accept
That’s it for this week!
Courage to all of you! Keep resisting, reading, shining your love, and sending your stories to Prism & Pen.
We need you all!
