Blog

sail, viewed from the deck of a ship, gazing up the mast

Pirate secrets you can’t have at sea

They worried their mates might steal a watch, not that their mates might be trans. Many people today act as if trans people were secret pirates. But even pirate captains didn’t care if other pirates were secretly trans men.

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detail of the book cover for BAD GAYS, focus on the word BAD

There were gay Nazis

‘Bad Gays’ by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller. Weimar-era Germany had LGBTQ society and culture and an early movement for LGBTQ legal rights. Of course, that was lost. And some of the Nazis were gay.

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Blonde woman has a surprised face. She is looking over her big sunglasses and she is holding both hands (with painted fingernails) in front of her face.

More shameful nonsense from ‘Gay Shame’

Regarding trans people, Gareth Roberts asks: ‘Who exactly invited the vampire in’? A continuation of my criticism of the ‘sex-realist’ aka ‘gender-critical’ aka transphobic book ‘Gay Shame’ by Gareth Roberts, published in April 2024.

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yellow leaf closeup

Trans volta

I didn’t choose the word ‘trans’ to describe my unique life path, nor would I have chosen it, but these days, this word happens to be the umbrella that works in the rain. A word you can use alongside ‘trans’ is ‘volta’.

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pencil sketch of two gentle hands, resting with palms up, against a muted psychedelic rainbow background

Assume humanity, then ask about happiness

Trans people‘s say-so is evidence of our happiness. But no one should ask for evidence that trans people are people. Previously, I used Lydia Polgreen’s opinion as an example, and I identified and extracted these writing tips for you. Please note this key distinction.

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old-style building seen through a large ornate archway

Can an identity be true and not true?

On ‘constitutive tension’ in our concepts. Picking apart someone else’s identity? First ask: Why do you want to? What would be gained? And lost? What happens to your own identity in the process?

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Crystal ball balancing on a rock near a bridge with an upside-down reflection of the bridge

How do we know who we are?

Do we learn it from a crystal ball—or from our guts? How do others state with certainty that they know who they are? Do they have a crystal ball? Of course, we’re jealous. How can we know ourselves, too?

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