junø @juno@pixie.town

Oh, dear. Here we go.

I get it, a woman boxer from Algeria gets smeared as being trans. That her elevated testosterone gives her an advantage. You know what really pisses me off when I see people rushing to her defense, even from within trans circles? That it's "she isn't even trans! See how anti trans sentiment hurts even cis women!"

It wouldn't even matter if she was. It wouldn't matter if pure testosterone dropped from her ears. It wouldn't matter if that gave her an advantage.

Why? Because this isn't the Kid's Participation Trophy League where everybody ends up on the podium at the end of the day. This is the Olympic Games, where top athletes compete. They are meant to be the most extraordinary athletes of each country.

Remember Phelps, who is genetically uniquely suited to be a swimmer, and had several proven biological advantages over his competitors? Did we give a shit? No, he was even hailed as extraordinary athlete for it.
Basketball players aren't disqualified for being taller than average, they are picked for it. In every discipline, the athletes with a biological advantage for it are encouraged, selected, specifically promoted to build on that.

Except women. Except if your melanin makes you different than ham pink. Except if in your past what a doctor jotted down at a glance didn't align with who you are.

This is the Olympic Games, not the Average Everyone Games. So flattening the defense of an Algerian boxer to "but she isn't trans" really sits badly with me, because what you're telling me is, being successful while trans needs further justification. That you see a trans person as lesser than a cis person, and being cis means you're beyond suspicion while being trans carries a burden of proof. You're telling me that you see us as being different from what we say we are - a man in a dress, a lesbian playing at being a man, someone who needs to pick a side already.

I am a desirable and worthwhile presence in the lives of those I love.

Even when it's hard to believe.

Human weddings have a Best Man, but goblin weddings have a Worst Man. The idea is that even an uncouth trash-heap of a man is going to seem like a catch if he is standing next to someone even worse.

If the bridegrooms family really want the wedding to happen they will appoint their most disagreeable relative, provide him with all the intoxicants he could ever want and then some, and have him show up to the wedding drunk off his ass and smelling of turpentine.

It is considered an honor to have a Worst Man show up at your wedding, and families have been known to get offended by his absence. This doesn't mean that the Worst Man himself is a welcome presence as goblins have been known to get a bit too into their role for the sake of realism.

After the traditional speech in which the Worst Man is expected to make a pass at the bride, facetiously extolling his virtues compared to the groom he is generally expected to fade into the background, cause a scene or two to keep the party lively and then leave quietly after he's had his fill of the buffet. If his antics start wearing thin, the goblin children may be tasked to drive the Worst Man away with sticks, stones and the occasional knife.

As goblin society has grown more progressive, there's increasingly been occurrences of a Worst Lady being invited alongside or instead of a Worst Man (though having both at the same wedding is not recommended by most goblin wedding guides as they've been known to get competitive and/or romantically involved and either of those outcomes may prove disastrous for a wedding).

At lesbian ceremonies, both brides may opt to recruit a Worst Lady from their friend-group if their respective families refuse to provide one. Being appointed a Worst Lady by your friend is seldom flattering but usually taken in good spirit. There is a saying in goblin culture that lesbian weddings are two for the price of one, considering how often the Worst Ladies will opt to marry each other in a bonus ceremony.

Calling all trans and nonbinary writers writing trans and nonbinary characters, please add your books to this database so readers can find your stories more easily!

https://transenbybooks.carrd.co/

#transbooks #nonbinarybooks #WritingCommunity

holy shit!!!!! a paper on autistic burnout!!!!! among other things demonstrating that it's a real phenomenon and not the same as depression or job burnout

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2019.0079

⚠️ updated crowdfunding PSA ⚠️

FUN FACT: you can post your #MutualAid requests in the #Mastodon4Harris hashtag (they moved, note the number 4 isntead of "for") to make sure they'll be seen by people who, apparently, have ludicrous oodles of money to burn. also it's praxis

boosts appreciated ​​

Here’s what parenting can look like.

When I told my dad I was trans, my dad’s response was, “Oh! I can send you jewelry now!” (He was retired and made jewelry as a hobby).

Two days latter, I had a letter in the mail addressed to Joelle, the first time “Joelle” ever got mail, with a necklace in it. Later he made me this one. He told me, “I hope I got the colors right, I looked it up online.”

You don’t have to mourn a child transitioning. You can be the first to do so many affirming things.

hey fedi, asking for a friend (genuinely): can I get some affirmation that masc presenting enbies are valid and enby and that this whole perception of enbies as basically women lite sucks for everyone?

#Nonbinary folks don't owe you a particular presentation of self.

1. Androgyny is cool but not for everyone.
2. Nonbinary is not code for "weak, like woman".
3. It's okay--perhaps even good!--if you can't divine someone's gender presentation from their appearance. We have language for that.

Happy nonbinary day!

“HRT let me be present in my body and present at school. I started to make friends. I learned to play D&D!” (cheers and laughter from the crowd)

“People in power want us to feel helpless but we are so much stronger than they are and so much braver than they ever could be”

“This is what the TERFs and the Tories are afraid of. Testosterone gel. Smells like hand sanitiser and it dries clear”

UPDATE: It seems she had luck and may have a flat in a few days after all.
If does not work out after all I'll ask the people who have offered help again.

Does someone have a temporary sleeping spot
for a trans woman in #Mannheim or #Karlsruhe for 2-3 weeks?
Shorter is otherwise okay too, anything would really, really help!

A friend of mine will probably get kicked out of her flat today, she hasn't been able to find a new flat in time and isn't doing too well due to all the stress.