14 Year-Old Glasgow Girl Raped on Public Transit; No One Cares.

Trigger Warnings: Gang Rape, Public Assault

I Am From...

"When I researched The Middle of Everywhere, I asked refugees to write "I Am From"-type poems as they struggled to find themselves in a new country.  They followed a formula with each line beginning with "I am from."  Writing this kind of poem is a way to experiment with identity issues. ... You might want to give it a try."

--Mary Pipher, Writing to Change the World (2006)

Two Letters on Communication

Make sure to check out my first post on terms and definitions so you know what I'm talking about!

Interaction From Allies to Minorities:  Recognition of Privilege

Recently, a school-sponsored promotion was being organized on my campus for a “drag show.”  Notice the quotations.  This alleged “drag show” was to allow volunteers from anywhere get up on stage to perform under the ever-so-elegant premise of “boys dress as girl” and “girls dress as boys.”  The gender essentialism alive here is enough to make a trans* activist vomit, and factoring in the negative attitude in my community doesn’t make it better. 

Coming Out as a Form of Activism

Make sure to check out my first post on terms and definitions so you know what I'm talking about!
Many roads of activism exist, between starting a city-wide petition, rallying, educating, rioting in the streets – you know. The basics. But I’ve recently begun to realize that, for LGBT individuals (and anyone else in an invisible minority), there is one imperative route of activism that is often overlooked: coming out. I, personally, am a trans* woman, so my coming out story of activism aligns with that identity.

The Official-ish Blog Dictionary

I tend to use vocabulary in my writing that may not be very accessible to the average reader.  Mostly because it's...y'know...made up.  Focusing on queer activism, we have a LOT of words that we, as a community, have generated and started using among ourselves.  In case you ever see a term that you've never seen before and your dictionary's only response is "lol wut?", this sheet should suffice in helping you!  I'm filling it with all the words that either a) people aren't often familiar with or b) have complicated or varying definitions, even within the community.