Passing: Profiling the Lives of Young Trans Men of Color (2015).
[ID: Excerpts from interviews with two trans men. The first, Lucah Rosenberg Lee, has a shaved head and a trimmed beard. The second, Victor Thomas, has curly black hair and a trimmed beard, and is heavier-set.
Lucah, talking about gender dysphoria prior to transitioning, says, “I was in a heterosexual relationship. I was female. I would question this all the time. Am I attracted to these men, or do I just want to be them? That was a big turning point in my own self-discovery.”
Victor, talking about the transphobia he’s endured as a trans man of color, says, “You’re subjected to something because they don’t understand you. And you have to watch the way you react, because you’re a man now. People take you as a threat.”
Lucah, in another scene, discusses feeling erased as a trans man, and racism in trans communities. He says, “Being so invisible within the LGBT community can actually feel so isolating. When people don’t know my history as a trans person, I feel sometimes that I’m viewed as more of an enemy.” END ID.]
Trans men of color deserve to be loved and appreciated, and made safe. Trans men deserve access to our own spaces, no matter how masculine and cis-passing we are. We deserve credit and recognition for the contributions that we have made to trans history, most of which are erased nowadays.
Being a man is not dangerous or wrong. Being masculine is not dangerous or wrong. Being a black man is not dangerous or wrong.
Please support trans men of color.
Please support trans men.
Please support men.
Men belong in trans spaces. Men of color belong in LGBT+ spaces. Straight trans men belong at Pride. Men do not have to be feminine to be queer.
its not a “native version of nonbinary” or a “native version of bigender”
thats not what it means, that’s not what it’s ever meant
two spirit is an pan-tribal term coined by indigenous people in 1990, for indigenous people, to replace the term berdache, an offensive term that white settlers applied to indigenous people that fell outside of the western lens of gender and sexuality
two spirit isnt a “native version of nonbinary” because two spirit doesnt inherently mean someone is nonbinary. some of us are, but so many two spirited people arent. many people in our community also choose specifically not to label themselves with terms like nonbinary, gay, bisexual, etc, and solely use two spirit or another term from their tribe or language
we can be anything and everything and nothing you’ve ever imagined
to say its a “native version of nonbinary” is not just inaccurate, it’s a complete erasure of a massive part of our community
The American election has, unfortunately, shown us all that the country is deeply divided and that prejudices and shortsighted self-interest have a deep hold on many Americans. I am afraid that this will not be of help to transgender and nonbinary people.
But there is another side to this story and that is that a lot of Americans are now ready to embrace trans people and elect them as their representatives.
Here is some good news for you:
Sarah McBride becomes state senator
Sarah McBride of Delaware becomes first transgender state senator in U.S. history. She is the national press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign (Photo above from AP).
The New York Times reports that Ms. McBride, 30, a Democrat, handily defeated Steve Washington, a Republican, in the Delaware First State Senate Districtt.
In a brief interview with the New York Times on Tuesday night, Ms. McBride said she was “incredibly grateful” to the residents of her district and would keep her focus on serving them.
But she also said she hoped that Tuesday’s results would send a “message to a young person struggling with where they fit and how they fit into this world: that our democracy is big enough for them too and their voices matter.”
Taylor Small wins in Vermont
LGBTQ Nation reports that Taylor Small has officially made history as the first out trans person elected to the Vermont State Legislature.
“Being the first means being that representation,” she said, “and being that guiding light. In a lot of ways I don’t see it as a historical moment for myself, but more of a historical moment for the community.”
Small is currently the Director of the Health & Wellness program at the Pride Center of Vermont.
Taylor Small, Photo James Buck
Mauree Turner, first nonbinary state lawmaker
Mauree Turner has become the first non-binary state lawmaker in US history, after winning election to the Oklahoma state House, Pink News reports.
Turner, who uses they/she pronouns, said of their win: “Y’all I can honestly say I never expected this when we started out.
“Before this election, I only cried when I talked about my family and how much they mean to me. Now I cry when I talk about the Little family, the Jovanna’s, the Community food-based systems, the Activist, the Organizers. I can’t help but cry when I talk about House District 88 all that it holds and all that we are getting ready to do. And it’s really easy to talk about all that we’re getting ready to do because we’ve been doing it.”
Mauree Turner, Photo Mauree
Stephanie Byers becomes Kansas’s first trans elected official
Advocate reports that a recently retired teacher from Wichita, Stephanie Byers made history twice on election night becoming Kansas’s first transgender elected official after winning her bid for the Kansas House of Representatives 86th District.
She is also the first Native American trans person elected to any state legislature. Byers is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and has lived in Wichita for 30 years.
Stephanie Byers, Photo Byers
Regarding her historic run, Byers told TV station KAKE:
“For me, being transgender is just another aspect of who I am. I’m also a member of the Chickasaw Nation. I ride a motorcycle. I’m a musician. I have bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. These are all just things that make a part of who I am. It’s not what totally defines me.”
The Wichita Eagle writes that Byers applauded the fact that her gender identity was left out of the race completely:
“I’m incredibly grateful being a transgender woman running for office with the fact that my opponent made a point of saying she was not going to make that an issue, and she ran an incredibly clean campaign,” Byers said.
But there is more!
These are not the only openly transgender U.S. state legislators: We should also mention Virginia state delegate Danica Roem; Colorado state representative Brianna Titone; and New Hampshire state representatives Lisa Bunker and Gerri Cannon.
Brianna Titone, Photo Getty Images.
As Pink News points out, Brianna Titone won re-election in Colorado with an increased majority, despite Republicans launching transphobic ads in a bid to unseat her.
“Tonight’s wins for LGBTQ people of color and transgender Americans across the country are historic and long overdue,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. “Their victories represent a leap forward for LGBTQ acceptance and a demand for more of the progress and equality that their very presence demonstrates. We can’t wait to see them shine in their new roles.”
By the way: Keep in mind that the US has probably had a lot of transgender and nonbinary representatives throughout history. Let us keep in mind those who never came out as themselves, but who nevertheless decided to serve their communities.
it’s indigenous peoples’ day in the usa! to celebrate i am here to help non-indigenous folks in north america to think about the terminology they use because i know not all of y'all know how the nuances of the many things we’re called. in general, when talking about an indigenous person or character and referring to their indigeneity, referring to their specific culture is the best option. i am indigenous, but more specifically i am cree. that said, let’s talk about terminology while recognizing that the following list is super simplified to give you a brief overview.
indigenous is an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. it is used to talk about indigenous people worldwide. we use it as a collective term because we share many interests, but we are all different peoples and nations. people who are māori or sámi or ainu are all indigenous, but they’re all from very different places and cultures. indigenous as a term unites us, but shouldn’t be used to erase our differences.
aboriginal is, like indigenous, an umbrella term that refers to the original inhabitants of a land. aboriginal was a favoured term in canada for many years and is still used by some multi-nation organizations. canada’s indigenous peoples’ day (june 21) is also sometimes called aboriginal peoples’ day.
native american is a term that refers specifically to indigenous people living in what is currently the contiguous united states of america. people living in alaska or hawaii may prefer the term native hawaiian or native alaskan. if you call someone in canada native american they’ll know what you mean, but it’s not the preferred term. like indigenous, it is an umbrella term and covers many different tribes/nations. it is a term assigned to indigenous people and adopted by us, but not one we came up with ourselves.
native alaskan is an umbrella term that refers to indigenous people living in what is currently alaska. they are culturally distinct peoples from native american cultures. you may be used to calling native alaskans “esk*mos” and if you are you should stop that right fucking now because esk*mo is a derrogatory term that comes from cree slang. some native alaskan people are inuit (see below), but not all are.
native hawaiian is a term for indigenous hawaiians. this is another umbrella term. native hawaiians were not included in federal programs for native americans until the 70s and some programs still exclude them, as do many discussions about native american issues even though they are also an indigenous group colonized by the usa.
native is an umbrella term used by indigenous people to refer to themselves. in north america, it may be socially acceptable to refer to indigenous people as being native, but ymmv and elsewhere in the world, it carries more racist, colonial baggage than it does here, where it is generally understood as a shortened form of native american.
american indian is a dated term that is still used in some official spaces in the united states. older indigenous people may use this (or the term indian) because they’re used to saying it. if you’re not indigenous, you should probably say native american or indigenous. amerindian is a portmanteau of this term and similarly isn’t really favoured anymore.
indian is a dated term for indigenous people in canada and the united states. it stems from the time of christopher columbus when columbus decided to call us “indian”. if you are non-indigenous, do not refer to indigenous people as indian. in canada, it is also a legal designation tied to the indian act that means some indigenous people hold “indian status,” which grants them certain rights. some indigenous people in north america have reclaimed the term indian to refer to themselves.
ndn is a slang term we use to refer to ourselves online. if you’re non-indigenous then bro. do not. it just stands for indian, you can’t!
first nations is a term analogous to native american. it is used in canada to refer to the many indigenous nations south of the arctic circle. as someone who is cree, i’m first nations. it is an umbrella term, but not every indigenous person in canada is first nations. unlike “indian”, it is not a legal term.
inuit is the term for indigenous peoples that live in what is currently canada’s north. some indigenous people in alaska (and elsewhere) may also identify as inuit because the american/canadian border is a new addition in the grand scope of their histories. inuit are culturally distinct from first nations/native americans. also inuit means “the people” and y'all my inuk friend is so fucking amused every time someone says “the inuit people” because y'all are out here saying “the the people people.” not all indigenous people in the north are inuit.
métis is a term for people who are descended from specific communities where indigenous people and non-indigenous settlers intermarried and created their own culture. they are specific, cultural communities within canada with their own culture and language. not everyone with mixed indigenous and settler ancestry is métis. for example, my dad is white and my mom is cree. i am not métis because i don’t have any connection to a historic métis community. again, this is not a legal term the way indian is.
esk*mo is another slur. it’s an anglicized version of askipiw, a cree word which is more or less saying that inuit eat raw meat (i.e. that is implying they’re more akin to animals than people). again, even when you’re referring to sports teams that use the term in their name, don’t say it. it doesn’t matter what some white dude on QI told you, it’s not a “more acceptable” umbrella term for northern indigenous peoples. some people might use it to refer to themselves still, but, as with other terminology on this list, if you’re not indigenous, don’t say it!
all queer history on here is just US-American or maybe sometimes some UK history as well and it makes me sad that there’s so little information about other countries’ queer history on here :(
@makingqueerhistory has some diversity, as of historical queer people, and they’re doing a great job, but there’s a lot of work ahead.
OP is definitely right, there still is a huge gap in the discussions of queer history, and thank you for recommending us!
This isn’t perfect, and many of these only have one article, but here is our list of countries we have written about. We are hoping to one day have at least one article for every country in the world but as @every-book-has-a-secret there is a lot of work still to do.
