ask me about my cats

emperorvalens

budgiesmuggled-deactivated20210

Shinjuku Boys (1995). Tatsu, a transgender man, jokes with his barber about his changing appearance, and his newly masculine features.

TRANSCRIPT:

BARBER: So you go regularly to the hospital for your hormone injection?
TATSU: [nods]
BARBER: Does it hurt?
TATSU: Not at all.
BARBER: You have more facial hair. It must be the hormones. You’ll get a moustache soon.
TATSU: I’ll look distinguished! They’ve made quite the difference. I never thought I’d change so much. Most customers say I’m like a man.
BARBER: Really?
TATSU: [laughing] They say, “You look like a man. You’re not cute.”
BARBER: [laughs]

END TRANSCRIPT.

colorsofsocialjustice

I love seeing this, because I've looked for many things about trans guys in Japan (in trying to understand how Japan views transgender people on the whole) and other than a few recent things, everything was exclusively about trans women.

budgiesmuggled-deactivated20210

@colorsofsocialjustice Hey, I highly recommend checking out this series too:

'Out in Japan' Raises LGBT Awareness With 10,000 Photos

Over the course of five years, a diverse group of photographers have sought to capture the true face of Japan's LGBT community by photograph

HuffPost

あなたの輝く姿が、つぎの誰かの勇気となる。| OUT IN JAPAN

認定NPO法人グッド・エイジング・エールズが主催する「OUT IN JAPAN」は、5年間で1万人のLGBTポートレート撮影を目指すカミングアウト・フォト・プロジェクトです。

outinjapan.com

It's absolutely massive, utterly beautiful, and deserves more attention.

trans gifs japan documentaries to watch

beaniebaneenie

electricterror asked:

I love your Tumblr, but I've always been curious about your thoughts on this new trend of asexuals that are neither trans or attracted to the same sex romantically demanding inclusion in LGBT spaces.

makingqueerhistory answered:

Asexual people are not a “new trend”. And it is sort of ironic that you use that language to describe them since it has been used to describe every letter in the acronym constantly, and that stigma is one this project was created to fight.

The idea that somehow asexual people don’t belong or deserve to be respected because the identity is seen as a “trend” alone gives them enough in common with the rest of the community for me to believe that they deserve to be a part of the queer movement.

But to pretend that asexual people have not been a part of our community ever before is ahistorical (see article above) and honestly, a tired and boring argument that has been debunked so many times I am almost bored of it.

So if after all that you still are unsure of our stance on inclusion within the queer community try reading our articles and it may help clear that up for you.

electricterror

I have been read for the ages. 😒 I never said asexuals were a new trend. I only asked about clarification on your thoughts on cis gendered asexuals that aren’t romantically attracted to the same sex demanding inclusion in the LGBT community now in the modern age. I don’t recall these asexuals I am speaking of wanting to be consisted LGBT in the 60’s through the 2010’s until the last few years.

You’re an inclusionist, kool. I don’t know what an article about sapphic asexuals in 17th century China has to do with my question. I never asked about gay asexuals historically.

Don’t twist my words then come for my wig when you’re literally begging for Patrons every other day for what amounts to small, but admittedly interesting well written, articles that lots of LGBT/Queer studies majors could do on 4 hours of sleep.

makingqueerhistory

Become a Patron of my project literally begging for Patrons every other day for what amounts to small, but admittedly interesting well written, articles that lots of LGBT/Queer studies majors could do on 4 hours of sleep to make an aphobe angry.

foxnphoenix

*Toasts @makingqueerhistory* Cheers to pissing off aphobes. They really didn’t even read their ask before they pitched a fit about your very accurate answer. Also, have you read The Asexual Manifesto from the 1970s or early 1980s? https://archive.org/details/asexualmanifestolisaorlando We are a ‘new trend’ that’s older than ME!

makingqueerhistory

This post is circulating again on my day for answering questions, so I wanted to touch on it a bit.

First off, a thanks for all the sweet words from everyone responding to the response, including myself from the past, because when I read that last paragraph, having forgotten about this interaction entirely, it was a little disheartening.

As a queer creator, no it is not fun to have to constantly ask for patrons, and “begging” is what it feels like a lot of the time. I know my work has improved immeasurably since I first answered this response, but I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I had been forced to give up on this project due to lack of financial stability. So to those who are patrons, or have been, thank you for allowing me to continue pissing off aphobes with my “admittedly interesting well written, articles that lots of LGBT/Queer studies majors could do on 4 hours of sleep”.

I also think it is worth noting that calling the self-combing members of The Golden Orchid Society sapphic shows a severe lack of understanding of the entire concept. The self-combing women had the choice to marry other women, being members of the Golden Orchid Society, but chose not to, so to state that they are all sapphic is reductive and odd. As expressed in the article:

“When women in China were married, they would have their hair combed differently to signal to society and any men interested in courting them that they were not available. While the terms we use now for asexual or aromantic did not exist yet, the Golden Orchid Society had a system set up for women who wanted to avoid both marriage options, and any romantic or sexual partnership, by introducing “self-combing women.” These women would comb their hair into a married woman’s style and often had a ceremony to celebrate such a decision, similar to a marriage ceremony. And for asexual women who were romantically attracted to other women, the marriages were often non-sexual – a decision supported by most of the Golden Orchid Society.”

There were likely sapphic asexual women within the Golden Orchid Society, but to say all the self-combing women were sapphic, is just incorrect.

In hindsight, yeah, I see how I focused initially on a misunderstood part of the question, but the question is answered in the end, as stated here:
“to pretend that asexual people have not been a part of our community ever before is ahistorical"

Asexual people “that are neither trans or attracted to the same sex romantically demanding inclusion in LGBT spaces” are only as new as LGBT spaces are. Something that is shown within the Golden Orchid Society is that the queer community is not some monolith that has done one thing for all its members since the beginning.

There are and have been thousands of branches in the history of this community, and some of them have included asexual and people, some of them have not. But being an “inclusionist” is not an insult to me.

Having spent five years in this field now, researching, being proven wrong, and having my assumptions challenged, I can’t say I have ever seen a good reason to be anything but an inclusionist. I have seen plenty of fantastic ones not to exclude, though.

This hair-splitting reminds me of Lou Sullivan, who was told by doctors he was not allowed to be a part of the trans community because he also experienced same-gender attraction. Queer people are only allowed to be counted as queer if they tick some arbitrary boxes. It is not a new sentiment, it has a longer legacy than most people realize, and I will do everything in my power to keep from adding to that legacy.

So no. Five years on, looking back, I do not see this “new trend” of asexual people “demanding” space within my community, with fear. I see it with hope, and love, and thanks. I am so grateful for the asexual members of my community, how they have shaped discussions, supported others, and uncovered beauty in things I never would have seen without them. If I had only met awful asexual people I would still be grateful, because I am endlessly thankful for every member of this community. The paths they have forged, whether perfect or human, mean everything to me. I would not exclude a single one.

beabaseball

I think your article does answer the question, if indirectly, though.

The “new trend” of aro aces ‘demanding’ to be in lgbt space is new because previously we were already included. We were maybe hard to see behind the bisexuals or sapphics if you weren’t looking but we were always there. The other day I was filling out a paper asking if I was straight, gay, or bi, and I chose bi because that was the closest option since my attraction to both genders is 0. I identified as bi in middle school because of the same reason.

The Golden Orchid Society? People who genuinely happily went into the nunnery or priesthood because they didn’t want any relationships? People who 'lived with their good friend for their whole life but were totally definitely only friends?’

Some of them were absolutely gay. And some were aro ace. (And I’m sure some were cis and straight and just had their own reasons!)

We were already here.

Source: makingqueerhistory aro ace aromanticism asexuality

beatrice-otter

enbyzombies

anyways now that pride is over and it's disability month let's talk about how to make pride more accessible for your disabled friends who had to miss out on pride events these past years because of inaccessibility.

enbyzombies

actually yeah lets talk about this. i want to mention some accessibility things most people dont think about.

here's any easy way to avoid alienating those with mobility issues: rent an accessible venue. it eliminates problems for you to fix, because they're already handled. obviously that might not be the most easy option, but it makes it easier on you.
maybe hand out earplugs if youre gonna have loud music. because. wow it is loud. or make a clarification that the music will be loud so people can bring their own.
for the love of god turn off the fog machines. leave them at home. my friend had to leave pride early bcuz of an asthma attack from both fog machines and people smoking. if you HAVE to have fog machines, keep it to a specific area where nobody would miss anything by not going there.
^ same with smoking. again with the friend with asthma. and the me with asthma. have a specific area where people can smoke, dont just let them do it anywhere and everywhere. i get it sounds ridiculous to limit smoking but god. there was smoke everywhere and it killed me.
PUT SEATS AT REGULAR INTERVALS AROUND THE EVENT DEAR LORD.
this isn't even an accessibility thing really but more pride events should hand out free water. thats important. people dehydrate easily and sometimes you forget to bring water or run out. it'd be nice.
sign. language. interpreters. puh-lease. if you're gonna have public speaking or some music sets, hire some interpreters.

there's tons more so feel free to add on but this is just stuff i've noted from my experiences at pride events

jedeirri

Have like a room somewhere that's quiet and has some chairs in it for ppl with sensory issues who might need to cool down after being around too many stimuli.

behold-my-squees

A big Pride event in Boston this year had a quiet-time tent tucked away from the speakers and around a corner, with some volunteers facilitating coloring and stim toys; I’d love to see that more!

bisexualbaker

Adding a few from my experience running the accessibility department of a local anime con:

If you're going to have an area with tightly packed seating (think theater style), try to have at least one wheelchair space for every hundred chairs, with a minimum of one per room/area. I usually put them at or near the front, right next to aisles; I move a total of four chairs (a two-chairs-by-two-chairs square) for each spot. We mark out the wheelchair seating areas in the hotel we rent with blue gaffer's tape or painter's tape on the carpet, since blue is a color commonly associated with disability accommodations, and those tapes don't damage the floor when removed.

Hand sanitizer! Try and have a bottle of hand sanitizer at every booth, especially where people will be signing up or signing in for things, and a few extra in the bathrooms. If you can figure out how to manage it, get extra hand sanitizer options in the accessible stalls of public bathrooms; wheelchair users and others will really appreciate it.

Make sure your presenters know how to use the mic, and that they do use it; shouting, or speaking loudly while projecting, isn't as easy for some people to understand. When speaking with a microphone, hold it about chin level, so people who rely on lip reading can get a clear view of your mouth. Try to avoid background music while speakers are talking.

See if you can find somewhere to rent wheelchairs from for attendees to use. A lot of people who need wheelchairs can't afford them, and having the option at Pride and other events can make a huge difference in their ability to enjoy themselves.

If you have flyers or information booklets, try and have large print versions available, as well as electronic versions. There are also dyslexic friendly fonts you can find to use.

If you have food available, have the ingredients listed somewhere the attendees can access.

If you have important signs, try and make sure they're visible and readable from toddler-height, so wheelchair users can read them easily.

There's a whole lot more that it's possible to do, but this is what I can think of off the top of my head; hopefully it'll give some of you some ideas to work off of! Making big events more accessible can be a fair amount of work, but it is so, so worth it.

Source: enbyzombies disability accessibility PLEASE list food ingredients otl

ink-splotch

magnetictapedatastorage

The equivalent of Antarctic research stations but in fantasy worlds like for example there’s an evil terrible region of rotting and nightmares but like nine miles from the edge there’s a very ugly little building optimistically called Observation Center 1 and it’s full of normal humans just vibing. for like 90% of the year they can’t leave because that’s Death Fog Season but it balances out because they can study the ghost migrations and also hear the whalesong-like calls of The Unspeakable Ones asking you to come outside for a game of checkers but thankfully the checkers set is kept locked up to slow down anyone that gets tempted

quietnighty

@galwednesday

bookgeekgrrl

#year 1 they put a lock on the checkers set #year 2 they have a research fellow specifically studying which games are used as enticements and how they correlate to: #1. research staff’s favorite games #2. availability and proximity of games to eldritch figure inviting you to play #3. childhood memories of different games and associated feelings of triumph or defeat (rated on a 1 - 10 scale) #they almost lost a cryptobiologist to a tattered Battleship set identical to her grandfather’s copy but she recovered from the frostbite #and now she can see perfectly in the dark! such an advantage on overnight observation shifts! (via @galwednesday)

Source: magnetictapedatastorage writing fic prompts

ink-splotch

magnetictapedatastorage

quietnighty

@galwednesday

bookgeekgrrl

Source: magnetictapedatastorage writing fic prompts

sabii-goes-blogging

greengay

spiraling bc the world seems bad....here are some uplifting headlines

Source: greengay positivity keep on loving keep on fighting

jenniferrpovey

scrantonpaper

me, watching a battle scene: please not the horses. leave them alone. they did nothing wrong. they are the only innocent ones. they don’t deserve this.

fiyhi

honestly this used to upset me a lot as a kid until my mom, who’s worked with horses for many years, told me about how they train the horses in those movies to do things like falling down, kneeling, crawling, or stay laying on the ground after they fall. and how it’s so tough to train a prey animal to do these behaviors and how hard both trainer and horse have to work. so now whenever i see a horse take a hit and go down in a movie, i just think “fucking superb you funky little horse actor”

jenniferrpovey

In the bad old days they used to use trip wires and pits.

Now these horses are very carefully and specially trained to fall under their own power and control, which greatly reduces injuries.

This short video is a demonstration of a falling horse doing his thing. Only a small percentage of horses are mentally willing and physically able to do this kind of stunt work, and only a small number of specialist trainers know how to teach it safely. This article explains how they train the horses to do it. They also only bring them down on soft surfaces, using trick camera work to film around as needed.

They’re often taught other tricks too, such as rearing and striking on command.

Source: claraschinman film horses videos

tikkunolamorgtfo

motherjones.com

Public transit is a public good. It's time to fund it that way.

The pandemic showed us that reliable transportation a matter of equity.

news-queue

This is the year we almost let public transportation die. The cuts that cash-strapped transit agencies proposed before being bailed out by Congress—eliminating 40 percent of New York City’s subway service, a fifth of the DC region’s Metro stations, two-thirds of Atlanta’s bus routes—wouldn’t have been their instant demise, but it was hard to see a way out of the death spiral of mutually reinforcing service cuts and ridership losses.

For white-collar workers tidying up their Zoom backgrounds in their living rooms, the empty tracks were largely conceptual, a hypothetical nuisance in some far-off future that involved getting up off the couch to go to work. But the people running our supermarkets, day cares, and hospitals were already experiencing the very real impact of the deep cuts that had already gone into effect. Lacking other ways to get to work, many of these people—disproportionately Black, Brown, and lower-income—simply left home a lot earlier to endure an extra bus transfer or a longer wait for the train.

Which is all to say that the pandemic has taught us that public transit funding is not just helpful to commuters or vital to a carbon-neutral future. It is a matter of equity. The $30.5 billion for public transit included in the rescue package President Biden signed in March was the biggest subsidy the federal government has ever given our country’s trains and buses. It will get the major urban transit agencies, as well as Amtrak, through the worst of the pandemic-induced dive in ridership. But then they’ll be faced with difficult math all over again, necessitating some combination of higher fares and lower service.

Or not. Other city services aren’t expected to pay for themselves with user fees. When parks or schools or libraries are in need of maintenance, we don’t restrict access to them or charge people more to use them. Instead, we’ve collectively decided that they’re services for the population at large—particularly for those without a golf course membership, private school tuition funds, or a room in the house called the library.

Fortunately, it seems we’re approaching more of a bipartisan consensus on the need for federal transit funding. Biden’s infrastructure plan allocates an additional $85 billion for transit; even the Republican counteroffer includes $61 billion—twice the record-setting amount from the March rescue package. But the country’s public transit systems need steady, dedicated funding to ensure equity, not just infusions of cash in a once-in-a-century pandemic. “This is a grand opportunity,” says Adie Tomer, who runs the Metropolitan Infrastructure Initiative at the Brookings Institution, “to think about a more equitable approach.”

It’s tempting to say that the United States simply can’t hope to have European-style public transit because of our sprawl and car dependence. Yet European and Canadian cities went on the same postwar sprint to suburbanize and build highways; the difference was that they also connected these new suburbs to the urban core by rail. It would be prohibitively expensive to retrofit every US suburb to look like the ones surrounding Munich or Paris. But it wouldn’t be that hard to make them look more like Toronto’s suburbs, which are just as full of cookie-cutter McMansions as many US ones, except they have frequent, reliable bus service. Prior to the pandemic, Toronto’s regional bus service was logging more than 260 million passenger trips annually; in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, which has a bigger population, that figure was only 30 million.

Source: news-queue car compamies will fight this forever crush them public transport

tikkunolamorgtfo

teaboot

I am a door guard. In the morning, I stand by the entrance and watch visitors try to open the door. They jam the handle. There is a 'click', but the door does not open. The door is locked. It is 7:45. At 8:00, the doors will be open.

The receptionist asks me what I'm doing. I tell her I'm watching visitors try to open the door. She laughs. I don't. I tell her about The Cobra Effect.

The story goes that when the British invaded India, they wanted to get rid of all the venomous cobras. To do this, they offered to pay for every dead cobra they received. For a short while, this worked. But then people began to breed cobras, hundreds of them, and when the British found out, they stopped offering payment. The farmed cobras lost their value, and were set loose into the wild. In the end, there were thousands more cobras in India than there had been before.

I say that while this story might not be true, it demonstrates that on occasion, the measures we take to produce a desired outcome actually do the opposite.

"There is a sign on the window that says that the doors unlock at 8," I tell her. "And every time someone tries to open it early, I wonder if they're pushing to get in, or if they're pushing to see if it's 8."

The receptionist says that I do a lot of thinking.

I tell her that I do a lot of standing.

She begins working on the computer.

I stand by the entrance.

Today the doors opened at 8:02.

Source: teaboot not sure how to tag parables

biggest-gaudiest-patronuses

I think we should start using illegal as slang for “not technically illegal but rude and vaguely assholish”

beabaseball

I routinely tell my animals to not do anything illegal, by which I usually mean, stealing my food or hunt each other, which…. If they were human that would actually be illegal, but it is not illegal in cat world so I do mean it in the above-stated manner.

beatext baseball has a lot of animals

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Public transit is a public good. It's time to fund it that way.