Also.Also.Also: Angelica Ross, Sarah McBride on Why They Want To See More Trans People in Politics
feature image photo of Angelica Ross and Sarah McBride via Them.us
You are always welcome to recommend poetry in the comments sections of these 🍁
Queer as in F*ck You
Angelica Ross and Sarah McBride on the Future of Trans Political Power. This is the first entry in Them‘s 2023 Trans Futures series, and it’s a conversation between pals Angelica Ross and Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride. The conversation happens over video, and they cover a wide range of topics pertaining to pain, power, trans identity, representation, politics, and so much more. Ross recently announced she’s leaving Hollywood, and she has suggested she’s going to move into politics, following in the footsteps of McBride, who was the first openly transgender state senator in the country (Danica Roem of Virginia became the second earlier this month). The video definitely got me hype for the next evolution of Ross’ career.
Only 1 in 10 Asexual People in the UK Are Out at Work, New Report Finds. “A number of people who participated in a focus group for the report noted that being open about their asexuality at work led to inappropriate and invasive questions about their sexuality and sex life.”
Texas School Officials Put Trans Student at Center of Real-Life Drama Over ‘Oklahoma!’ Production.
Saw This, Thought of You
Fossil Fuel Companies Are Plowing Ahead to Profit From Israeli Gas. There really are so many individuals and institutions in this world who look at war (or, in this case, a wildly disproportionate military offensive that amounts to genocide) and think “ooo profits.”
Related: Architects Must Refuse to Profit From the Ruins of Palestine.
US Labor Has Long Been a Stalwart Backer of Israel. That’s Starting to Change.
Atlanta’s “Stop Cop City” Movement Is Youth-Led Democracy in Action.
How Abortion Bans Are Undercutting Efforts To Prevent Domestic Violence.
Sacred Space: Why Libraries Are Essential to Incarcerated Writers. Libraries forever.
I Live in Gaza. Israel’s Horrific Bombing Campaign Is Like Nothing I’ve Ever Seen Before.
Political Snacks
One of the Oldest Broken Promises to Indigenous Peoples Is for a Voice in Congress. “A treaty commitment to seat a delegate representing the Cherokee Nation in the House has gone unmet for two centuries.” TWO CENTURIES.
A Surprisingly Good Night for Democrats Was a Much Better One for Socialists.
One More Thing
A poem:
Pop Culture Fix: Brandi Carlile Wants a Lesbian “Golden Girls” (We Deserve)
Brandi Carlile Wants a Lesbian “Golden Girls” (We Deserve)
Photo by Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images
Brandi Carlile received the Icon of the Year award at this year’s Out 100 and while accepting her award, she reflected on a conversation that she’d had recently with soccer legend Abby Wambach and her wife, author Glennon Doyle (I know it’s obvious, but I’m always tickled when the famous lesbians hang out together). In this conversation, she realized that she developed a belief that she would die young. Why? Because there is so little representation of queer elders:
“We don’t have a lesbian Golden Girls, you know what I mean? And I thought about the annals of LGBTQIA+ history and the fact that so few of us are represented in domesticity, in family, and the aged state, and I thought about the fact that the way we identify ourselves is so interwoven into Western pop culture that if we don’t see an old version of us, we don’t think we will love a long life and that’s why nights like tonight make so much of an impact on our family and our community.”
It’s also something that I’ve heard a lot of queer people think about! My favorite reflection aging as a queer person actually came from Roxane Gay a few years ago for her Audacity newsletter. So often when we talk about “representation matters” we aren’t thinking about the nuances of, how many of us have internalized that queerness is for youth? How many examples have any of us seen of queer people getting to age and grow? In community? In love?
Brand Carlilei’s thoughts on this particularly hit home for me because when I was a “baby gay” (and hell, even now) I’d imagine getting married to her “The Story,” a song that also pays tribute to the “lines across my face” and the stories that they tell of the roads we’ve crossed.
Carlile wrapped her speech by going back once again to themes of queer people aging and the circle of life: “To think that I was cutting out pictures of lesbians in power suits as a kid and that I might be that lesbian today in a power suit that some little girl might cut a picture out of me and hang me on her wall and give me a kiss before she goes to sleep”… WHO IS CUTTING ONIONS IN HERE!?!?
Very seriously, congrats to Brandi. And more cheesecake for us all!
Other Queer Pop Culture Stories For Your Day:
+ Billie Eilish Is “Gay & Tired,” Also “Physically Attracted to Women”
+ And on the topic of music, here’s all the gay Grammy nominees in case you missed them.
+ This feels extremely up your alley: Meg Stalter Remixes ‘Silk Chiffon’ for Her MUNA Audition
+ Did you seeTthe Marvels this weekend? If so, may I present you with How The Marvels director Nia DaCosta literally herded cats and also Brie Larson reveals the reality of playing a flying superhero: ‘An eternal wedgie’ 😂 (also if you missed it, here’s more The Marvels coverage from your friendly neighborhood Autostraddle: I’ll Spend This Entire Weekend Thinking About That One Scene From “The Marvels”)
+ “Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit “Fast Car” continues to collect achievements over three decades after its release. This time, the Country Music Awards crowned the single as Song of the Year on November 8, thanks to Luke Combs’s chart-topping cover.” — Tracy Chapman, You Will Always Be Famous by Zoe Guy for Vulture (congrats to a legend on another win!!)
+ I saw this news over the weekend and even though I despise The Breakfast Club (the radio show where he gave this interview), I adore Black parents loving on their trans kids!!!!! Happy for Marlon and for Kai! Marlon Wayans Supports His Trans Child With ‘Unconditional Love & Acceptance’ (I want you to know going in that Marlon doesn’t 100% nail Kai’s pronouns, but he acknowledges that and models changing in real time. Overall good stuff here.)
+ This is a kind of “inside baseball” about Oscar campaigns that I nerd out for. If it interests you as well Which Oscar Contenders Got the Biggest Boost From the End of the Strike? (Wanna know the answer, here’s a hint: life in plastic it’s fantastic)
+ Speaking of which! Here are All the Shows Returning After the Writers’ and SAG Strikes
+ We Need to Talk About The Morning Show’s Complicated Relationship With Queerness (I did not enjoy The Morning Show’s season three finale, but I did enjoy reading this!)
+ ‘Arcane’: Netflix Sets Season 2 Premiere In 2024
+ ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Canceled at ABC
+ Call it Editor’s Privilege, but if it’s one thing I’m gonna do, it’s remind you to get your tickets for the Beyoncé Movie.
Also.Also.Also: Climate Change Is Coming for Fire Island
feature image photo by Newsday LLC / Contributor via Getty Images
I’m in Virginia all week, and as someone who lives in Florida now it is simply thrilling to see leaves changing colors!!!!
Queer as in F*ck You
Climate Change Is Threatening Fire Island’s Beaches—and its Queer History. I know I seemingly have an obsession with depressing climate crisis news in this link roundup column, but I simply cannot stop reading depressing climate crisis news! Climate impacts EVERYTHING. Including, as this story demonstrates, queer history. Tropical storms have been devastating to the beaches on Fire Island, and erosion has become critical. I like the thorough reporting in this Vice feature on the issue, which looks at how ecology intersects with queerness but also pushes back against the narrative some have adopted about Fire Island’s erosion merely being a “rich people problem.” Here’s just a small snippet from the piece:
“On Fire Island, queer culture and ecology are inextricably linked. The island itself forms the large center of the southern barrier islands that run parallel to Long Island, and starting in the early 1900s, it was reinforced to act as a protective layer—a barrier—for the shorelines and inhabitants of Long Island. Without that protection, many fear, one of the most densely populated coastal regions would be dangerously exposed to a rapidly-warming Atlantic Ocean.”
The SAG-AFTRA Actors’ Strike Is Over. Another win for Fair Wage Fight Fall (yes I’m still trying to make this happen; stay tuned for my winter version next month). We’ll have a longer piece delving into the details of the deal tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!
Tommy Dorfman Launches New Zine to Uplift LGBTQ+ Voices. Tommy stays busy and multi-hyphenate.
But in less fun media news: Jezebel Is Shutting Down.
Hungary Fired Its National Museum Director Over Photos of Queer Filipino Elders.
The Morning Show Was Supposed to Feel Unhinged. Well, mission accomplished!
Saw This, Thought of You
Remembering Andrea Miller, a Reproductive Justice Movement Visionary With a Plan.
And on the topic of reproductive justice: How Do You Put a Price on the Loss of Autonomy From Forced Sterilization?
Black Feminists Are Standing Up For Palestinians — No Matter The Cost.
Political Snacks
Election Night’s Biggest Loser: Glenn Youngkin. I wrote about the wins in Virginia, too!
Rashida Tlaib: “The Cries of the Palestinian and Israeli Children Sound No Different to Me”.
One More Thing
Virginia’s Election Results Push Back Hard Against Anti-Trans Agendas in the South
feature image photo of Virginia election day watch party by The Washington Post / Contributor via Getty Images
It was surreal to arrive back in my home state of Virginia on the morning of Election Day. My dad couldn’t pick me up at the airport, because he was working at his polling place. My mom took my toddler niece with her when she went to vote after getting my fiancee and I settled in. Even though I haven’t been a Virginia voter in many years, for the first time in a while, I was closely following Virginia electoral politics. This was the most important election for LGBTQ rights the state had seen in a while.
I knew the stakes were high, especially when it came to fighting against anti-LGBTQ hate and policies. The state’s stronghold as a place in the South where legislation targeting trans folks wasn’t on the rise could be suddenly threatened. Governor Youngkin — easily the most evil governor Virginia has had in my lifetime — has been determined to dismantle LGBTQ rights here, and Democrats could only narrowly shut those efforts down with a majority in the state Senate but not in the House of Delegates. If that majority in the Senate was lost on Tuesday the way many pundits predicted it might be, it would suddenly become much easier for Governor Youngkin to start pushing through his anti-LGBTQ agenda. Not only did Democrats maintain a majority in the Senate, but they also flipped the House and elected nine openly LGBTQ candidates, including Danica Roem, who will become the first out trans senator in the South. Out candidates Laura Jane Cohen, Rozia Henson, Adele McClure, Kelly Convirs-Fowler, Marcia Price, and Mark Sickles also won their House of Delegates races, and Adam Ebbin, who was the first-ever openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly, won his Senate re-election. Now, there’s an entire legislative wall in place as protection against Youngkin’s hate.
In addition to introducing a 15-week abortion ban, Youngkin had promised to introduce all sorts of regressive policies if his party emerged victorious on Tuesday. Right now, Virginia is the only state in the South with more protections for LGBTQ people than discriminatory policies. Virginia and South Carolina are the only two states in the region that haven’t introduced bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth. Youngkin keeps trying to roll back rights — especially for LGBTQ students — and when the Republican majority House earlier this year voted in favor of a bill targeting trans youth, it was the first time ever for a bill targeting trans youth to be passed by a Virginia legislative chamber. But while that was a devastating blow, the Senate was able to shoot it down, and now we see voters showing up for LGBTQ rights this week. Regression has been met with progress, with a fierce refusal to bend to people’s assumptions about the South. Things aren’t perfect here. Hell, literally yesterday it was decided a Virginia wedding photographer is allowed to discriminate against gay people. The state has a terrible track record on voting rights (and, in fact, there were some valid fears that the latest bouts of voter suppression would significantly impact the results of this election).
While I am increasingly disillusioned by electoral politics (particularly at the federal level, where the two party system forces us to choose between warmongers), the wins in Virginia do reiterate the power of local politics. There’d be an abortion ban and bills targeting trans kids in this state before the end of the year if Youngkin had gotten his way. More trans youth live in the South than any other region, and while a lot of states are ramping up efforts to target, marginalize, and punish trans kids, Virginia is actively working against the narrative that the South is a monolithically transphobic and queerphobic place. Having a trans woman in the state Senate is a genuinely big deal. In far too many of these legislative bodies aggressively passing anti-trans bills, there isn’t a single out trans voice present.
Now, listen, I’m from Virginia, so I’ve long heard all sorts of jokes about how it “isn’t the real South.” But I think a lot of the time, those jokes are rooted in the same sort of assumptions about the South that hold LGBTQ progress back. Assuming the South is just some backwards place is dangerous and counterproductive to progress and liberation. Do people see Virginia as a “fake” Southern state because of its comparatively better track record on LGBTQ rights and other social issues? Maybe it’s not as simple as that, and jokes are jokes, but having moved recently to Florida, I’m thinking a lot about the ways people talk about the South — both inside and outside of it. Organizations love to warn people against traveling to certain states without ever addressing what that means for the queer and trans people who live here, who cannot easily leave. Again, think about the fact that more trans youth live here in this region than anywhere else. Understand that that’s exactly why they’re being especially targeted here.
Virginia shares borders with four states that have banned gender-affirming care for trans youth (West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina), and while I’m not suggesting it’s easy for families to uproot their lives, Virginia’s proximity to these places where it has become increasingly challenging to live freely as a young trans person does matter. There are now a record number of queer people of color in Virginia’s legislature. Roem is making trans history. You can’t tell just one story about the South.
Pop Culture Fix: At The Tender Age of 20, JoJo Siwa Has Already Learned The Perils of U-Hauling
JoJo Siwa Says She “Moved In” With Two Girlfriends, Is Gonna Keep Relationships Private From Now On
Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
JoJo Siwa has a new podcast, JoJo Siwa Now, because it is important for every queer person to have a podcast. In her most recent episode with Tyler Cameron (her castmate on Fox reality TV program Special Forces), she discussed living with two of her Partners during her teenage years, which she described as “a lot.” The topic arose when Cameron told JoJo that she’s just 20 and should be out there dating a lot, to which JoJo assserted, “I’m a lesbian though!” explaining that lesbian relationships are more “over-emotional” and that lesbian couples move in together very quickly.
When asked how U-Hauling went for her, Siwa noted, “I love it when it’s in the honeymoon phase, but then all of a sudden I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m 17 and married,’ you know what I mean? It feels wrong, and it feels like she wasn’t living my life, and I wasn’t living my life. We were only trying to live together. You’re so young, and you have so much to do.”
It is fascinating to watch a young queer person make so many young queer person mistakes on such a giant stage.
She also spoke to Cameron, who apparently was on The Bachelor, about the perils of public relationships, affirming that going forward she wants to be more private. One of the cited reasons for this increased interest in private was because she felt she had been “used,” which was probably a reference to Avery Cyrus, and you know, I really wish she’d stop accusing Avery of using her because in my personal subjective opinion, she didn’t. Avery had real feelings and got her heart broken! Anyhow!
You know, in my day, if a 17-year-old was living with her girlfriend it was because her own parents had kicked her out of her own house for being gay, but now we are in a brand new era where it also happens if a 17-year-old is a massively wealthy YouTube star who lives in a bedroom made of candy.
On a related note:
When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that JoJo Siwa carried you. pic.twitter.com/gtuDypouVp
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) November 8, 2023
Other Queer Pop Culture Stories For Your Day:
+ Nike has submitted the 2023 season of the National Women’s Soccer League for the Golden Globes’ “Best Television Series, Drama” Paper reports:
The submission will likely come as a surprise to more seasoned TV critics and viewers alike, as the NWSL season being up for “Best Television Series, Drama” might certainly shake things up. Speak to fans of the NWSL, however, and you’d probably hear a different story. Only 11 years into its existence, the league has swiftly gained both popularity and international renown for its stable of established stars, like San Diego Wave’s Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma, or Gotham FC’s Midge Purce and Lynn Williams.
+ Jade McLeod says debuting Jagged Little Pill’s non-binary Jo was tough, but vital: “I felt like it was just me — like someone had taken me as a person and wrote a story about it, which had never happened to me before.”
+ Apple TV+’s “The Buccaneers” Ruins Edith Wharton and Fails History: “A trans girl lesbian in an Edith Wharton adaptation is like something out of my wildest dreams. Too bad this show is such a mediocre nightmare.”
+ Sue Bird is in the market for a shirt that will capture her divided loyalties: Sue Bird seeks split Megan Rapinoe-Ali Krieger jersey for NWSL final
+ The Mean Girls trailer is here:
+ Hulu’s “Black Cake” Delivers a Beautifully Complex Story of Family, Identity, and Secrets: “As Black women, isn’t that what we want to be afforded? A chance to be messy and vulnerable instead of tidy and unbreakable?”
+ When is a not queer film queer?– “At a time when we’re still fighting for more inclusive representation, it may be controversial to point out the ways in which great art flourishes when it’s disallowed. But, while we await more accomplished queer cinema, it’s interesting to consider how the best new work might owe a debt to the golden age of censorship, and the fun – and pain – of sneaking around.”
+ Tommy Dorfman Wears ‘Madonna-esque’ Party Dress, Shares What Outfits Make Her Feel ‘Powerful’
+ A Satirical treat from The Onion: Area Lesbian Unaware Friend Posting About Kristen Stewart For Her Benefit
Also.Also.Also: On Election Day, Virginia Is a Key State for LGBTQ+ Rights in South
I am going to see my almost-four-year-old niece play soccer today, and I just think that’s lovely. 🥰
Queer as in F*ck You
What Virginia’s Elections Could Mean for LGBTQ+ People. Well this is a fitting story for me to lead with, as I just arrived in the state of Virginia on the morning of Election Day (after a red eye flight from Portland, where I moderated a panel and did a reading at the annual Portland Book Festival). I am very tired but not too tired to take a closer look at why Virginia is being talked about as a key state for LGBTQ+ rights this election cycle. As of now, it’s the only state in the South with more protections for LGBTQ+ people than discriminatory policies, but that could shift after the results of this election.
As of right now, Virginia bars health insurers from discriminating against trans people. Conversion therapy is also banned in the state. However, as this story warns: “If Republicans take control of the state Senate and keep control of the House of Delegates, LGBTQ+ rights advocates fear that the state’s historic — and only recently achieved — progress for LGBTQ+ people will backslide.” Virginia and South Carolina are currently two of the only refuges in the South to not have passed bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth, but all of that could be at stake. While I grew up in this state, I’m sadly no longer a Virginia voter, but I’ll be keeping an eye on results as they come in. Danica Roem’s run for state Senate is among one of the key races.
A View From the Queer Bloc to Free Palestine. “The historic November 4 march in Washington DC demonstrated how the shared struggle for queer liberation and a free Palestine are more interdependent than ever.” I also wrote about this context.
Historian Lillian Faderman Is the Bard of Sexual Outlaws and Lipstick Lesbians. Loved reading this interview! Especially for the bit of Florida history:
“Florida is fascinating to me, because in the 1950s and ’60s, there was the Johns Committee formed from the Florida legislature. They actually funded a legislative committee who hired spies to investigate teachers to find and get rid of them if they were homosexual.
But we overcame it. We were victorious against the Johns Committee ultimately. I think it’s important to identify the heroes of the past, to take them as role models, to know that people can fight against what seems to be insurmountable odds and be victorious.
If you forget that history, you do yourself a disservice.”
And here are a few lighter pieces to close out this section:
Mayan Toledano’s Vibrant Photographs of Queer Life in Mexico City. Y’all know I love a photo essay.
Issey Miyake Was Armor For My Changing Body. Trans fashion!
These Tattoos Celebrate The Sexuality of Queer North African Women.
Saw This, Thought of You
More dispatches from the November 4 march in Washington: As We Marched on Washington, I Felt Certain That Palestine Would Be Free. “We are like the olive trees our ancestors planted, unshaken, unmoved, and forever a part of the land.”
Orcas Sank Another Yacht In Nearly Hour-Long Halloween Attack. What a way to celebrate Halloween! Good for them.
Political Snacks
Marjorie Taylor Greene Failed at Censuring Rep. Tlaib for Her Comments On Gaza.
Disabled People Are Underrepresented in Politics. A New Organization Aims To Change That.
One More Thing
A poem by George Abraham:
Also.Also.Also: This Has Been a Deadly Month for Black Trans People
There’s no other way to say this really: This iteration of Also.Also.Also is full of death. There are mentions of anti-trans violence, domestic violence, violence toward Black femmes and gender-nonconforming individuals, as well as global violence like the genocide in Gaza. If skipping it sounds like the best thing for you right now, I encourage you to do so.
Queer as in F*ck You
Them recently reported on the deaths of two Black trans femmes and a Black gender-nonconforming person in different parts of the country that occurred throughout October:
Lisa Love, a Black Trans Woman “Who Was Always Smiling,” Killed in Chicago. On October 17, 35-year-old Black trans woman Lisa Love was walking home from a friend’s house in Chicago when she was shot and killed. According to the report: “Family members told the station that they believed that Love was targeted because she is trans.” Love was described by her cousin as “always smiling and laughing.” As Them reports, Love’s death came only four days after Dominic Dupree, a 25-year-old Black gender-nonconforming person also known as Dominic Palace, was shot and killed in an alley in Chicago. Thirty-year-old Black trans woman A’nee Roberson was also killed in DC this month.
London Price, a Black Trans Woman Who Would “Give You the Shirt Off Her Back,” Was Killed in Miami. This report is extremely brutal, and I won’t go into all the details of the full story here. Twenty-six-year-old Black trans woman London Price was killed by her ex-boyfriend in her own home in Miami-Dade County.
With Price’s death, Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents, which tracks deadly violence against trans and gender-nonconforming people in America and Puerto Rico, reports 35 trans people have been killed this year. That last link includes a list of all of their names. It’s also important to remember that 35 is only an estimate as some deaths go un-reported or otherwise obscure people’s transness.
Saw This, Thought of You
Dispatches on the War on Gaza. This polyphonic piece includes missives from a civil rights attorney, a Jewish doctoral candidate from a family of Israeli immigrants, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, and many more. My friend Bobuq Sayed contributes, writing on the violent and racist suppression of pro-Palestinian movements and displays of solidarity in Berlin.
The World Has Never Cared About Gaza’s Suffering. Note that the death toll in Gaza is already significantly higher than this piece reflects, and it was only published six days ago.
Neo-Nazis and the Far-Right Are Trying to Hijack Pro-Palestine Protests.
A Palestinian Meditation in a Time of Annihilation. “Israel and the United States erase even Palestinian ghosts from existence.”
Political Snacks
Honestly, I’m so frustrated by and angry at most politicians right now, so it was hard to find any stories to put here that didn’t remind me of that frustration. Instead, here are some dispatches from Congresspeople who have called for a ceasefire in Gaza:
Moral Courage: Doing the right thing even when it's uncomfortable or unpopular. #CeasefireNOW
— Delia Ramirez (@DeliaRamirezIL) October 29, 2023
Make no mistake: these human rights abuses are being carried out with U.S. weapons, U.S. funding, and with “no red lines.” And now we are set to vote on an additional $14 billion with no restrictions or conditions. The United States Congress should not fund violations of U.S. and… https://t.co/fBy2NcxFvQ
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 1, 2023
One More Thing
A poem:
Your Fear Doesn’t Matter
feature image photo by deepblue4you via Getty Images
“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn’t real,” Stephen King writes in the foreword to his first short story collection Night Shift. “I know that,” he continues. “And I also know that if I’m careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”
The boogeyman of my childhood wasn’t a monster under my bed, but it was almost as fictional. My mom — like so many suburban moms — worried about me getting kidnapped, and that worry was passed along to me. Every stranger was a threat. Unsubstantiated rumors of ominous white vans — which reemerged in 2019 — made this common car an object of terror. Every night, I eyed my closed bedroom window, nervous someone would break it and snatch me from my bed.
It wasn’t until I was much older that I learned the rarity of so-called “stereotypical kidnappings.” The vast majority of kidnappings are carried out by non-custodial parents or someone else the child knows. Myths of human trafficking mask a reality that most children who disappear run away from abusive homes and/or are manipulated by older boyfriends. The closest reality to our cultural perception of human trafficking does not occur for upper middle class suburban white kids, but to people with limited options due to violent immigration policy and the people who abuse the vulnerability that policy creates.
They say sex sells, but nothing sells better than fear. Whether it’s the nightly news that scared my mom during my childhood or false Facebook posts that scare the young moms of today, a culture of fear is great for ad sales.
It’s also great for upholding the institutions that enact the most harm.
Our misperceptions around topics like missing children create a society that fails to address its most pressing issues — like abuse, like failed immigration policy. Instead, people yearning for a feeling of safety develop a mistrust in each other and a false trust in law enforcement.
Since learning more about police and prison abolition in 2014 during the Ferguson protests, I’ve had many conversations with white friends and family who struggle to disentangle themselves from our justice system. Their personal experiences with police range from annoyance to incompetence — a speeding ticket for going ten over the limit, a busy signal when calling 911, dismissive cops in the face of robbery, stalking, or sexual assault. They admit the police have failed them in the past but can’t let go of their idea of a heroic police force taught to them by film and television.
People ask: What about serial killers? Who will catch them? What will we do with them?
Only 15% of the U.S. state prison population is incarcerated for homicide. Only 3.3% of the U.S. federal prison population is incarcerated for the oddly expansive category of “homicide, aggravated assault, and kidnapping.” Take into account that less than 10% of homicides are believed to be committed by strangers to the victims, and it’s fair to say serial killers are a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of those in prison.
Serial killers are a compelling narrative, but they almost certainly aren’t going to kill you or your children. The leading cause of death for people age 44 and under is by far unintentional injury. Of all his many monsters, killer cars are Stephen King’s most accurate villains. (It’s too bad traffic cops don’t actually make our roads safer.) Every time you get in a vehicle or walk on the street or step in the shower, you’re at a far greater risk of death by accident than you’ll ever be from death by serial killer or human trafficker or, of course, terrorists.
As more people buy security cameras and use apps like Next Door, I’ve become convinced that fear — specifically reducing people’s irrational fears — is the most urgent political issue of our time. That has become even clearer since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel led to a resurgence of Islamophobia and a genocidal response from the Israeli government.
As a Jew who grew up in a largely Jewish suburb, I spent my childhood thinking antisemitism was a thing of the past. When my parents told me they moved away from Orange County due to antisemitism, I rolled my eyes in disbelief. (The same O.C. where Seth Cohen celebrated Chrismukkah? Come on!) It wasn’t until the Charlottesville marchers chanted “Jews will not replace us” that I realized antisemitism was not one of my parents’ irrational fears.
Throughout the Trump administration — and again as he runs for reelection — the comments made by the former president and his associates have horrified me. He chose not to take a side in response to the Charlottesville marchers and has played into the most basic tropes of Jews as all-powerful and money-grubbing.
When the killing of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue occurred in October 2018, it felt like an inevitable horror in the wake of rising antisemitism.
But since October 7 of this year, accusations of antisemitism have been more prevalent than antisemitism itself. Social media posts warned of a “Global Day of Jihad” set to occur on the 13th — a racist, Islamophobic, and easily debunked rumor that nevertheless gained mainstream attention.
As I was talking to my family about the occupation of Palestine, they not only fought with me but also warned me to not go outside. They were convinced Jews around the world were going to be killed on this day. When this did not occurr, their fear did not dissipate. Rather, like a cult that has wrongly predicted the end of the world, they picked a new day. On the 14th, one family member still insisted she was afraid to go outside. While my family and others anticipate mass violence against American Jews, there has already been a rise in hate crimes against Muslims driven by rhetoric like their own.
Comedian Iliza Schlesinger was given space this week in The Hollywood Reporter to lament the lack of support for Jewish people in the face of antisemitism. Her piece claims people aren’t taking a rise in antisemitism seriously, but she fails to cite any actual occurrences of antisemitism beyond those committed by Mel Gibson and Kanye West. All of her post-October 7 examples are not descriptions of antisemitic sentiments but anti-Israel sentiments. To be against Israel is not antisemitic. To be merely critical of Israel is definitely not antisemitic. It’s absurd to call protests against Israel inherently antisemitic when the largest demonstration in the U.S. was led by a Jewish organization and Israeli Jews themselves have begun to protest.
In fact, mere weeks before the October 7 attack, it was not controversial to criticize Trump for conflating Israel with all Jewish people. He has long talked to American Jews like Israel is our true country rather than the one he led and hopes to lead again. The far right in the U.S. overwhelmingly supports Israel despite — or, rather, because of — their rampant antisemitism. They want American Jews to embrace Israel as our home and let the U.S. be Christian — and then, for some, upon the rapture, the world.
The increased violence against Palestinians by the Israeli government has already and will continue to lead to an increase in antisemitism. It’s an inevitability if people ranging from comedians to President Joe Biden continue to conflate Israel and Judaism. Family members and politicians have insisted this is because Hamas does not want to destroy Israel but to “destroy all Jews.” Even if this were true, it would not justify imitating their reduction, but it’s even more inexcusable considering Hamas’ 2017 charter says the opposite.
If the narrative continues that to criticize Israel is to criticize Jews worldwide, this conflation will catch on further, and Jews everywhere will suffer for the Israeli government’s crimes.
Your fear does not matter simply because you are afraid. As a trans woman, I’ve had to learn the difference between hate that upsets me and may signal an increased violence in society vs. hate that puts my life in immediate danger. When I read a random comment online or even when someone shouts at me on public transportation, I’ve acquired the ability to measure my reaction. I would not function out in the world if every negative encounter left me fearing for my life. This isn’t to belittle the emotion of these experiences or the annoyance of, say, having to wait for the next bus in order to deescalate an encounter. Nor is it to suggest physical violence could never occur. I’ve just found that engaging with the reality of the harm done leaves me far better equipped to deal with it.
While reading an antisemitic comment on the internet or seeing an antisemitic poster at a largely Jewish-inclusive protest is upsetting, it is not equal to actual acts of violence. If this is the extent of the antisemitism someone has experienced in recent weeks, I’d urge them to reflect on whether they are engaging with the reality of that harm. Words matter, but they matter more from the president of the United States or even a comedian with a platform than they do from a random commenter or protester. When over 9,000 Palestinian people have been killed in Gaza since October 7 and acts of violence have been enacted against Muslim Americans, fear of what might happen to you and your family is selfish at best. At worst, it’s a cry for more violence.
We need to replace our fears with facts. We need to let go of our cultural boogeymen — serial killers, white vans, terrorists — and confront the real dangers in our society. The first step is accepting the fact that you will never have a guarantee of safety. No amount of money given to the police or the military will cure the world of its dangers. It will, however, make things worse. Our desire to cheat death cannot be used as an excuse to kill others.
Violence is cyclical. Police, prisons, the military, colonialism all create more violence that leads to more violence. So get rid of your Ring cameras, stop calling the police, stop viewing every stranger as a threat, and free yourself from fear.
If people calling for a ceasefire — a literal end to violence — feels like a threat against you and your family, the problem is not that call to action. The problem is your fear.
Pop Culture Fix: This “Mean Girls” Cast Reunion Short Film Is Brought To You By Wal-Mart
Lindsay Lohan and the Mean Girls Cast Reunite For Wal-Mart Black Friday Advertisement
Get in b*tches we are going shopping at Wal-Mart! Today, Lindsay Lohan and her castmates got a little bit of gold in their stocking as Lohan tweeted out a new short film advertisement produced by noted indie production studio “Wal-Mart,” who are apparently looking to advertise the fact that they are rolling out Black Friday deals on a day (November 8th) that is not, in fact, Black Friday. Watch out A24!
Get in, besties. We’re going shopping. #BlackFridayDeals go live next week. #BlackFriday #Sponsored pic.twitter.com/13MsXM3f4l
— Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) November 1, 2023
This short sees the girls back at North Shore High School in various capacities — like Lindsay Lohan is a guidance counselor and Gretchen Weiner is a stage Mom. It’s sort of like the Saved by the Bell reboot except much shorter. The advertisement features appearances by Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Rajiv Surendra and Daniel Franzese. Unfortunately, Lizzy Caplan is nowhere to be found and obviously Rachel McAdams is a notable absence.
People Magazine got the ultimate exclusive on how the cast felt about getting paid a lot of money by Wal-Mart to be in a commercial, and believe it or not, the feelings were positive all-around:
Lindsay Lohan: “It was so nice being back together after all these years. It was great catching up with everyone.”
Lacey Chabert: “It was wonderful to spend the day with Amanda and Lindsay and it was so much fun getting to reminisce and be together again.”
Daniel Franzese: “It was great working with old friends again for this new Walmart commercial. Being reunited around this campaign feels really special. What better time to get together than right before the holidays.”
Honestly though — truly genius marketing, I hope the millennial who pitched this concept wins an award, and I hope everybody who works in every Wal-Mart everywhere gets a raise this holiday season!
Other Pop Culture stories for your day:
+ The Radical Queer Horniness Of ‘While The Men Are Away’: “Almost every episode features scenes of Frankie and Gwen enjoying lesbian sex — something relatively radical for an Australian series. The camera doesn’t shy away. No door closes for the viewer to be pulled swiftly away and we never cut to another scene right as things get going.”
+ Meet drag star Taylor Sheesh, the Philippines’ answer to Swiftie mania
+ Trans writer and model Geena Rocero is Glamour’s woman of the year
+ Drag queen Christian musical artist Flamy Grant Sang ‘Cock’ on Their Album and The Grammys Bounced Them Out of Their Category
+ Chrishell Stause Says 3 Selling Sunset Cast Members Accused Her of Being ‘Mean’ to Get Storylines
+ We Are Not Necessarily Happy’: Doom Patrol Showrunner Gets Candid on Series Ending Decision
+ 100+ LGBTQ+ Celebrities Who Ate & Left No Crumbs This Halloween
Also.Also.Also: An Estimated 105,000 Trans Youth Live in States That Have Banned Gender-Affirming Care
feature image photo by Steve Russell / Contributor via Getty Images
Happy Halloween from your friendly neighborhood Fright Dyke.
Queer as in F*ck You
More Than 100,000 Trans Kids Live in States That Ban Gender-Affirming Care. According to a report by UCLA’s Williams Institute, it’s estimated that about a third of trans youth in the U.S. do not have access to gender-affirming care due to living in states where bans have gone into effect. The report looked at trans kids ages 13-17 and in addition to estimating how many have been impacted by restrictions on healthcare also estimates the number of trans teens impacted by bathroom bills, sports bans, and other anti-trans legislation that has been expanding in recent years across the country. According to the report, “over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the country this year, with over half impacting trans youth.”
Here’s something light, and yes I’m counting this as queer history: An Oral History of Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton.
The Next Big Front in the Legal War Against the LGBTQ Community.
Meet the Next Generation of Queer Horror Authors. Forgive me for linking this when I am one of the featured authors, but I thought this was pretty neat.
The Queer Punks Ready to Piss in Ron DeSantis’ Backyard. Some incredible quotes in this feature about The Fest, the massive punk festival held annually in Gainesville.
Hackers Took Over Transit Ads with Messages from Queer Palestinians in Gaza.
Saw This, Thought of You
Reports: The Maine Shooter Was Able To Buy Guns Legally.
Six Books That Will Scare You—And Make You Think. “Black writers have long used science fiction, fantasy, and horror to dramatize the terrors of racism or to tell frightening tales.” Read my favorite culture critic Hannah Giorgis.
More Black horror recommendations: The Best Black Horror Titles To Get Your Scream On.
Solidarity Between BLM and Palestine Has Deep Roots.
Fair Wage Fight Fall continues: The UAW Now Has Tentative Deals With All Three Automakers — and They Look to Be Historic.
Political Snacks
Palestinian Liberation Is Queer Liberation
feature image photo by Pacific Press / Contributor via Getty Images
If you are a queer and/or trans person who is pro-Palestine, it’s likely you’ve been on the receiving end of some form of the insidious statement that you would be killed, brutalized, beheaded for your queerness in Palestine. Perhaps a complete stranger on the internet hurled this at you; perhaps it came from a loved one. It’s an absurd (not to mention Islamophobic, racist, and counterproductive) thing to say to anyone. It’s also, ironically, homophobic in and of itself. At least, it is if we think of homophobia to comprise not just hatred or discrimination toward queer people but also a privileging of certain queer lives over others.
I live in Florida, where we hear similar sentiments when it comes to the hurricanes that batter this place. During the most recent hurricane season, as a storm approached Florida’s Gulf coast, I saw someone reply to a tweet about the news saying it’s what DeSantis deserved for Don’t Say Gay. As if a hurricane would somehow harm a governor with easy means to evacuate and shelter more than it would the hundreds of houseless queer youth living in Central Florida. Every election cycle, that GIF of Bugs Bunny sawing Florida off the map resurfaces. Travel advisories warn out-of-state LGBTQ folks from avoiding traveling here and never once acknowledge the LGBTQ people who live here. These examples are not even remotely on the same level of attempting to justify genocide, but they come from a similar ignorance. Similarly, when Texas was hit by devastating winter storms that took out the state’s power grid, there was also this undercurrent of snark about how Texas — and Texans — deserved it, how this was punishment for the state being oppressive toward LGBTQ folks. A red state deserves to bleed, so it seemed these people believed. At least 246 people died that winter as a result of the storms.
Again, these are very small things compared to what is happening right now in Palestine, a place not hypothetically being cleaved off the map like that stupid GIF but quite literally by Israel’s ongoing occupation. But these things are all connected to the same harmful erasure of queer lives in certain contexts. Queer people exist in Texas, in Florida, in Palestine. Queer people are everywhere, and to wield homophobia as a tool to justify the oppression or destruction of others is in fact to just replicate hate, harm, and oppression, not fix it.
Queering the Map, a community-based and collaborative project that seeks to digitally archive LGBTQ+ experiences, desires, narratives, and personal truths via an interactive map where queer and trans folks can input their personal stories attached to geographical locations, has made an explicit effort to highlight the existence of queer Palestinians. It’s a queer map not just in the surface-level sense of mapping queer missives onto places but in reimagining place in a radical way. I’ve loved Queering the Map for a while, but I especially love it for this. It proves the project’s mission really is to queer the map. Maps are produced by and reinforce colonialism and empire, and here is a version of a map that challenges borders. It recognizes Palestine despite the fact the U.S. does not. In London, a group called The Dyke Project hacked a bunch of display ads on the U.K. transit system, replacing ads with images screenshot from Queering the Map highlighting queer Palestinian experiences.
📢BREAKING📢 we have HACKED over 100 bus adverts across London’s TfL network 🚇🚌🚏We replaced ads with stories from queer Palestinians, and a call for an end to the occupation 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/QngGhjBVFx
— The Dyke Project (@theDykeProject) October 27, 2023
Just like there are queers everywhere, homophobia, transphobia, and the persecution of LGBTQ+ folks exists all over the world and certainly in our own backyards here in the U.S. To single out Gaza reinforces Islamophobic assumptions. It also represents a complete disconnection from the realities of what’s happening in the United States right now. Murders of trans people doubled in the U.S. from 2017 to 2021. It is not technically illegal to be queer or trans in the U.S., but states throughout the entire country are trying to legislate us to the margins. This is especially true for trans folks, whose access to medical care and basic human rights are significantly restricted. You’re going to sit here and try to spin some hypothetical “gotchya” moment about what my life as a queer person would be in Palestine when I live in a state where a doctor can decide not to treat me if they don’t feel like it on religious grounds? Get outta here.
Everyone deserves safety, autonomy, and basic human rights. In the time since I started writing this, I’ve seen op-eds and social media posts pop up suggesting that “queers for Palestine” is akin to saying “chickens for KFC” or “minks for fur.” Aside from the dehumanization and condescension of those ridiculous comparisons, they also just aren’t accurate. They set up a hierarchy that true queer liberation seeks to dismantle. Global oppression of queer folks does not supersede any other form of violent, racist oppression. Fighting for Palestinian rights does not fundamentally take away from our own rights. Imperialism constantly constructs and maintains anti-queerness, and anti-imperialist work benefits all queer people.
I’ve seen people online peddle the misguided idea that Palestinian freedom and queer freedom are at odds with each other because queer Palestinians seek asylum from persecution in Israel. Indeed, Israel has an official policy to grant temporary stay permits to LGTBQ+ folks from the West Bank and in some cases has issued work permits. Israel also has cultivated a reputation for being an ultra queer friendly destination, though as queer feminist Jewish activist Ashley Bohrer has written, the deliberate pinkwashing of Israel seriously obscures a lot of the lived realities of queer Palestinians living in Israel: “This so-called gay-friendly state of Israel preys on the vulnerability of queer Palestinians, a vulnerability that many of us who live in ‘progressive’ ‘human rights-friendly’ countries still face.”
A longread feature in the independent nonprofit magazine run by Israeli and Palestinian journalists +972 Magazine similarly highlights stories from asylum-seeking queer Palestinians that contradict the dominant narrative of Israel as a LGBTQ+ safe haven, suggesting it’s only a safe haven for some. These queer Palestinians often face financial abuse, restrictions on access to healthcare, and other forms of discrimination and abuse. And while many of the sources interviewed indeed experienced violence in their homeland, it’s clear from reading these testimonies that things are not as simple as it being safe for all LGBTQ+ folks in Israel and unsafe in Palestine. In 2014, an op-ed published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz urged the IDF to stop its practice of blackmailing gay Palestinians. So even within Israel, there is pushback against the notion that Israel can function as a refuge for queer Palestinians.
Social justice movements do not exist in a vacuum, often intersecting in meaningful ways. There is a long history of queer artists, activists, and thinkers speaking and writing extensively on the importance of standing in solidarity with Palestine. In fact, almost all of my own personal consciousness raising about Palestine came from listening to and reading queer activists — first in a collective for women of color I was involved in at University of Michigan, and then far beyond my personal circles when I started reading more queer theorists and activists during my early years of coming out.
“I do not believe that our sexuality, gender expression and bodies can be liberated without making a ferocious mobilization against imperialist war and racism an integral part of our struggle,” Leslie Feinberg said at the Al-Fatiha international retreat in Washington in 2002. I highly recommend reading the linked full transcript of the speech. Feinberg explicitly touches on the problems with pitting queer folks against Palestine:
“…the spin-doctors of war are making every appeal to the progressive movements to back the imperial juggernaut as though this is a defensive and progressive war. They said part of the reason they are bombing Afghanistan is to ‘liberate’ women there. Then why did they earlier arm and back the counter-revolutionary forces that overturned women’s rights there?
They say we should fight against nations whose religion does not welcome l/g/b/t people. Yet they have no problem propping up anti-gay regimes that do their bidding. And when they talk about anti-gay religion, they don’t mean the church that is mired in child abuse revelations and blaming gay people for it. Or the Christian right wing that labels us “child molesters” to block our rights. Our fight is here!”
Bisexual poet and essayist June Jordan also has expressed solidarity with Palestine through her work and words. Her poem “Apologies to All the People in Lebanon” is dedicated “to the 600,000 Palestinian men, women, and children who lived in Lebanon from 1948-1983.”
You can watch a video of Angela Davis reading June Jordan’s “Moving towards Home” — another one of her works explicitly about solidarity with Palestine.
In 1989, Audre Lorde spoke on Palestine in her commencement speech at Oberlin College: “Encouraging your congresspeople to press for a peaceful solution in the Middle East, and for recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people, is not altruism, it is survival.” This was over three decades ago. (You can read more about the long and ongoing legacy Black feminist thought and perspectives on Palestine at BlackWomenRadicals.com.)
Lesbian and Jewish author Sarah Schulman began the work of re-educating herself about Israel/Palestine and interrogating her political consciousness of the Middle East in her book Israel/Palestine and the Queer International. Recently, she penned a piece for New York Magazine furthering this work. “The most difficult challenge in our lives is to face our contributions to the systems that reproduce inequality and consequential cycles of violence,” she writes.
Schulman is also an HIV/AIDS activist who worked with ACT UP in New York at the height of the HIV/AIDS movement in the late 80s and early 90s. She remains committed to documenting ACT UP’s important history, recently publishing the urgent book Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993. It’s easy to see a direct correlation between the recent action by Jewish Voice for Peace in New York to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and past actions by ACT UP. In fact, Jewish Voice for Peace — which is a Jewish collective of anti-Zionist activists organizing in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle — made it clear the group was inspired by the work of ACT UP.
In January 1991, ACT UP organized the Day of Desperation, a massive protest at NYC’s Grand Central station. On October 27, 2023, thousands of Jewish activists and allies followed suit with a massive action at Grand Central station calling for a ceasefire. Many are saying it’s the largest act of civil disobedience New York has seen in two decades. In an Instagram post with side-by-side photos from both historical events, Jewish Voice for Peace writes:
“The iconic 1991 ACT UP Day of Desperation at Grand Central inspired queer anti-Zionist Jews to scale that same marble ticket office in the world’s biggest train station 32 years later to again disrupt business as usual and plaster an urgent message over the train schedule: NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE. PALESTINIANS SHOULD BE FREE.”
ACT UP leader Gregg Bordowitz, who was one of the “ONE AIDS DEATH EVERY 8 MINUTES” banner holders at the Day of Desperation in 1991, said of the recent Jewish Voice for Peace action: “HEALTHCARE NOT WARFARE is still a relevant demand as Congress prepares to give enormous military funding to Israel while key Republican congressional members block the dispersal of funds to PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), a 20 year old program which has saved more than 25 million lives around the world.” Here again, we see a direct link being made between the fight for queer life and for Palestinian life.
Including leaders of ACT UP, plenty of LGBTQ+ people showed up for JVP’s action at Grand Central. Trans activist and actor Indya Moore as well as trans writer, activist, and sex worker rights advocate Cecilia Gentili were among the hundreds of people arrested at the action. All these movements for liberation are connected.
Queer Muslim and queer Jewish activists have been calling for other queer folks to realize the importance of coalition building for Palestinian freedom, and it’s time to listen if you haven’t been already. The most urgent thing we can do right now is call for a ceasefire, though that is just where the work starts. All of the great queer thinkers I quoted in this piece have said much more about Palestine, and I encourage you to seek out their words but also, of course, the words of queer Palestinians who are here and whose queerness must not be erased, questioned, or used against them.
Pop Culture Fix: Kristen Stewart Will Not Be Planning a Wedding Thank You Very Much
Guy Fieri Will Most Likely Not Be Officiating Kristen Stewart’s Wedding
Kristen Stewart appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” last week, wherein she clarified that Guy Fieri will not be officiating her wedding but possibly will be there in spirit. (Like her new show about spirits!)
Apparently she’d thought he might be a good candidate for the job because they have similar hair, he seems like a nice guy, and he officiates a lot of queer weddings. (Apparently he once paid tribute to his late gay sister by marrying more than 100 couples at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.) Stewart says she’s bad at planning so it’s unlikely they’ll actually get an officiant but maybe they’ll call Guy after the wedding and tell him he was there in spirit. As for when exactly she will officially tie the knot with Dylan Meyer, she doesn’t know and expects they will simply “surprise themselves.” I think this means that they will be getting married impulsively at a date and time of their choosing or else it will all be a big secret.
It was Stewart’s first appearance on Watch What Happens Live, and other interesting tidbits shared were that she got high for the first time when she was 14 or 15, her first celebrity crush was Harrison Ford, her first kiss was onscreen with Jamie Bell in Jumper and she’s currently watching My So-Called Life, which makes me very happy.
+ Bella Ramsey is getting praised for her performance in BBC Prison Drama “Prime,” and also took to Instagram to clarify something about their pronouns:
“I don’t mind which pronouns you use for me. I never wanted it to be a big deal… they/them feels the most truthful…. But comfort wise, I’m good with any. I have no dysphoria surrounding pronouns. Call me she, call me they, call me he, call be however you see me. You cannot go wrong! It’s impossible to misgender me. :)”
+ 5 stars you might not realise are proudly aromantic or asexual
+ JoJo Siwa Launches New Podcast on iHeartMedia (Exclusive): “I am so excited for my fans to get to know me like never before. I’ve authentically shared my life online for over a decade and this podcast will dive even deeper into who I am and what makes me, me.”
Also.Also.Also: How Halloween Became “Gay Christmas”
feature image by TheLux via Getty Images
I recently read the short story collection Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, and it’s so, so good, and there are multiple queer stories in it, too. Highly recommend!
Queer as in F*ck You
The Long History of How Halloween Became a Sacred Queer Holiday. If you, like me, are a Halloween gay, then you will love this deep-dive on the queer history of Halloween in Them, which goes all the way back to the Halloween balls thrown on Chicago’s South Side by Alfred Finnie in 1935. According to the piece:
“A lack of widespread queer press prior to the mid-20th century makes it hard to pinpoint the exact origins of queer Halloween celebrations, but as early as 1935, Alfred Finnie, a gay Black man in Chicago, was throwing glamorous Halloween balls on the city’s South Side. These events attracted hundreds of attendees, according to the late journalist Monica Roberts, whose archival research into Finnie’s Halloween drag balls uncovered extensive coverage of the events in magazines like Ebony and Jet.”
The full feature has lots of history, cultural context, and interesting connections between queer community and the upcoming holiday. It’s also a great read for LGBTQ+ History Month, which ends on Halloween.
Speaking of which: Before LGBTQ+ History Month Ends, Here’s Where You Can Learn About LA’s Queer Past and Present.
Trans People In Japan Will No Longer Have to Be Sterilized to Legally Change Gender.
Speaking of international stories, thank you to the reader who urged me to catch up on what’s happening in Saskatchewan for trans youth and their families. A bill passed that will require youth under 16 to get parental consent to change their pronouns at school. It’s a devastating blow, but here’s a story of resistance: ‘So Many People Care’: Hundreds Rally in Support of Trans Youth in Saskatoon.
Building a Queer Altar for Myself on the Day of the Dead.
Scholastic Will Not Silo “Diverse Titles” at Book Fairs After All.
A Year After the Tragic Mass Shooting, Club Q Announces Plans to Reopen. (Also, I know there’s another mass shooting in the news right now, and if you have been affected by the Maine shooting, my heart is with you.)
Saw This, Thought of You
The Palestine Double Standard. This piece by Hala Alyan is a very powerful read.
The latest Stop Cop City developments: Will Atlanta’s “Stop Cop City” Referendum Make It Onto the Ballot?
Florida’s Proposed Six-Week Abortion Ban Could Cut Access in Half.
Political Snacks
Court to Georgia Republicans: Try to Be a Little Less Blatantly Racist.
How “Stop the Steal” Republicans Could Take Over Virginia. As someone who grew up in Virginia, this is very concerning!
One More Thing
Pop Culture Fix: Gen Z Queers Want To See More Gay Besties Navigating Mental Illness in Action-Packed Dystopias Onscreen
Report Shows LGBTQIA+ Teens Want More Dystopias, Queers, Action Scenes and Stories About Mental/Health Illness in TV & Film
The 2023 Teens & Screens report was released yesterday and is causing a bit of buzz for its conclusions about what Gen Z would like to see on television, such as “more platonic relationships” and more content that addresses social issues and “hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds.” Most interesting has been the reaction to what they don’t want to see — 47.5% of those surveyed said sex isn’t needed for the plot of most shows. However, it bears immediate mentioning that this survey was conducted with a pool of 1,500 humans from the ages of 10 to 24. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess (or hope, maybe?) that ten-year-olds aren’t clamoring for more sex scenes. Also, 10-13 year olds are Gen Alpha, not Gen Z. But I agree with all of these children and young adults that we need more platonic relationships on television, and that stories about friendship are just as compelling as romantic stories, and yet are so often de-prioritized.
A somewhat troubling fact lurks on page 12 of the survey, however, in which participants were asked to rank 21 provided options for “what they want to watch.” LGBTQIA+ survey respondents’ top five was:
- Nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ Identities
- Mental health/illness
- People with lives like my own
- Dystopian and/or apocalyptic
- Action and/or fight scenes (may include guns and violence.)
The entire group of adolescents surveyed (of whom 63.7% identified as straight) ranked “Nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ Identities” at #19. The only reason it’s not #21 is because there were two ties. (“Systemic Injustice” tied with “Sports” at #14, and “Dystopian and/or Apocalyptic” and “Mental Health/Illness” are tied at #9.)
The Top 5 for the all adolescents 10-24:
- Hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds
- People with lives like my own
- Action and/or fight scenes (may include guns and violence.)
- Superheroes
- Friendships and social groups (popular, unpopular, etc.)
The survey’s top-line takeaway is that Gen Z is “tired of stereotypical, heteronormative storytelling that valorizes romantic and/or sexual relationships – especially ones that are toxic – and are looking for more representations of friendship, which is a core aspect of adolescence and social well-being.” While it’s definitely concerning to see toxic relationships on television framed as aspirational, I think doing away with them altogether would hurt a lot of great storytelling.
In general, respondents felt that “romance in media is overused” and 39% want to see more aromantic and/or asexual characters on screen. I agree wholeheartedly! You can currently count the number of asexual/aromantic regular characters currently on television on one hand, and we simply need way more of them.
Other pop culture stories:
+ Last year, former Full House star Candace Cameron Bure hopped from working at the Hallmark Channel to becoming the Chief Content Officer for the Great American Family Channel, where she announced she intended to keep a gay-free slate of Christmas movies. In a new interview with Variety, GAF CEO Bill Abbott was asked repeatedly about this stance, eventually acknowledging that Bure’s comments should not be read as “speaking on behalf of Great American Media.” However, he didn’t indicate a desire to create more queer-inclusive programming, saying instead that they are “just looking to celebrate great stories” and “don’t have an agenda either way.”
+ Mattel has a new line of Barbie Signature dolls based on Ted Lasso, and is launching the collection with figures for Ted Lasso, Rebecca, and our bisexual queen Keeley.
+ Great news, homophobia has been fixed: The NHL is walking back its ban on Pride Tape.
+ The strange queer powers of ‘The Craft’: “How a coven of magical teen misfits sparked my ’90s coming out story”
+ Rapper Tea Fannie speaks up for trans kids with smooth rhymes: “My path is through my voice.”
+ Our Lady J on “Transparent,” “Pose,” and Returning To Live Performance
Also.Also.Also: Two Longtime Lesbian Writers and Activists Have Died
Something cute and nice: In a couple weeks, I will be returning to the arts high school I graduated from in Virginia to participate in the annual writers festival there! I used to attend this festival every year as a student. Full circle moment! Plus, my fiancee is going to be one of the featured authors as well, so even more special!
Queer as in F*ck You
There have been a couple deaths recently of longtime lesbian activists and writers, so I wanted to share some words about both of them here for archival/queer history purposes. But I encourage you to seek out their writings, as I’m only skimming the surface here.
Former refugee from Nazi-occupied Austria Eva Kollisch has died: Eva Kollisch, Lesbian Rights Advocate and Memoirist, Dies at 98. Kollisch escaped Nazi-occupied Austria as a teenager in 1939 when her parents put her and her brothers on a train as part of an operation that got 10,000 Jewish children out of occupied Europe and was later reunited with her parents in 1940. The family relocated to Staten Island. She was a lesbian rights activist throughout her life, and she authored the memoirs The Ground Under My Feet and Girl in Movement. For 30 years, she taught at Sarah Lawrence, where she helped establish the women’s studies program. In 2009, Kollisch married her partner Naomi Replansky, a poet and activist. Naomi died earlier this year.
Amber Hollibaugh, author of My Dangerous Desires: A Queer Girl Dreaming Her Way Home, has also died. She wrote on her experiences as a sex worker, queer feminist politics, the politics of desire, and more. She also was a filmmaker. She served as the former Executive Director of Queers for Economic Justice and fought for reproductive justice, the rights of HIV-positive folks, and so much more. It feels like a lot of lesbian and queer elders have been lost this year. May their legacies live on.
Lesbian writer, filmmaker and political activist Amber Hollibaugh died this weekend at age 77. Her memoir 'My Dangerous Desires: A Queer Girl Dreaming Her Way Home' was a pivotal piece of literature on femme identity, growing up poor, sex work and surviving incest. RIP 🤍 pic.twitter.com/OBsKxgN6P3
— Xtra (@XtraMagazine) October 23, 2023
The Olympian Fighting for Her Right to Run. Caster Semenya’s new memoir The Race to Be Myself comes out next week.
In other lit news: In Blackouts, Justin Torres Examines How We Read Queer History, and Each Other.
City of Orlando Is Purchasing Pulse & Planning to Turn It Into a Memorial.
And speaking of the city where I live, this weekend was Pride in Orlando, and here are some shoutouts:
- Trans Girl Aged 11 Is Youngest Ever Orlando Pride Marshal: ‘Living Her Best Life.’
- 200,000 People Showed Up for Orlando Pride in Defiant Middle Finger to Ron DeSantis.
Saw This, Thought of You
Read the Last Words of Writer Heba Abu Nada, Who Was Killed Last Week by an Israeli Airstrike. Palestinian author of the novel Oxygen is Not for the Dead was killed by an Israeli airstrike in her home outside Gaza City at age 32. She was a poet and novelist.
A chilling podcast listen: How Canada Became a Nazi Haven.
How Osage Nation Members Struck Back at Decades of Indigenous Misrepresentation in the Media. This is a really necessary read if you’re planning to see Killers of the Flower Moon.
Political Snacks
After 30 Years of Silence, Althea Garrison Is Claiming Her Place in LGBTQ+ History.
One More Thing
Pop Culture Fix: Queer Dark Comedy Series “I Hate People, People Hate Me” Is Coming For You
Queer Canadian Comedy “I Hate People, People Hate Me” Is Coming in November
I Hate People, People Hate Me, is a new Canadian six-episode dark comedy debuting this November on streaming service CBC Gem about two outliers in the Toronto queer community doing their best to navigate it. Inspired by creator Bobbi Summers’ diary and films like Ghost World, Good Burger and Welcome to the Dollhouse; the program stars Lily Kazimiera as Tabitha and Bobbi Summers as Jovi — “two people perpetually disturbed by the world around them that have bonded over a mutual hatred of their peers and society at large, alongside suicidal feelings and drug abuse.”
“As much as this is a show about our grievances with the world, it’s also about self-examination and the fact that my hands aren’t squeaky clean either. I’ve contributed to problems, and I’ve been someone worth hating,” Summers told The Hollywood Reporter. “[And] people do hate my co-star and I, not because they’ve met us or because we’re not cool and chill. They just hate us to hate us, because we belong to certain groups.”
Director Blake Mewson has declared, “I don’t know if we’ve had anything come out of Canada since Porky’s that will be this disgusting at times.”
The series debuted at Tribeca Film Festival this summer.
Other pop culture stories relevant to your interests:
+ Part One of the Real Housewives of New York Season 14 reunion has arrived in our lives and with it, lots of feelings about Jenna Lyons wearing jeans, lots of apologies, Erin admitting she was being a bitch about Jenna’s skin condition and so much more! Jenna also talks about her relationship with legendary lesbian photographer Cass Bird and we learn that Jenna has “the best nipples.”
+ Crossroads director Tamra Davis on the sex scene she and Britney Spears had to fight for: the film is getting a re-release in conjunction with the impending release of Britney Spears’ memoir.
+ Hilarie Burton defends Sophia Bush against ‘laughable’ Erin Foster cheating claims: In the wake of the revelation that Bush is dating Ashlyn Harris, Erin Foster claimed on her podcast that One Tree Hill actor Chad Michael Murray cheated on her with Sophia Bush in the early 2000s.
+ Did you see this bonus clip from Red White and Royal Blue yet?
+ NBA Referee Che Flores on Becoming the First Out Trans and Nonbinary Ref in American Pro Sports
=Victoria Monet Spent the Weekend Singing a R&B Love Letter About Strap-Ons, How Bout You?
+ Kristen Stewart’s “Living for the Dead” Has Hot Paranormal Investigators and Big Gay Feelings
+ Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer” Will Forever Be the Anthem to My Own Queer Journey
+ The Queer Palestinian Character Changing TV: Spanish actor Omar Ayuso talks about his queer Palestinian character from “Netflix’s rich-kid telenovela Elite”
+ NewFest Online offers fresh looks at queer culture from the inside
Also.Also.Also: Hundreds of Jewish Activists Arrested in Washington While Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza
feature image by The Washington Post / Contributor via Getty Images
Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang comes out next Tuesday, and get ready, because it’s so great. Preorder now and stay tuned for a review as well as an interview with K-Ming.
Saw This, Thought of You
Protesters on Capitol Hill Call for Israel-Gaza Cease-Fire, Hundreds Arrested. CBS News reports: “Hundreds of protesters demonstrated on Capitol Hill and occupied part of a House office building on Wednesday, urging lawmakers and the Biden administration to push for a cease-fire in Gaza, which has been under Israeli airstrikes since a deadly Hamas terror attack.”
The action was organized by the Jewish anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace. And as an accompanying piece, here is The Nation‘s interview with an activist from JVP: Jews Say “No” to War Crimes in Their Name. To learn about future actions organized by JVP, follow the org on Instagram.
Aaaaand related: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jan. 6 Apologist, Calls Peaceful Jewish Anti-War Protest an “Insurrection.” The New Republic says it best: “The Georgia congresswoman’s hypocrisy knows no bounds.”
Queer as in F*ck You
Hate Crimes Against Trans and Gender Nonconforming People Increased by Nearly 33% in 2022.
Book banning news continues: Scholastic Book Fairs Are Putting Some “Diverse Titles” in a Separate Category.
“Let Gaza Live”: Protestor Interrupts Biden Speech at LGBTQ+ Rights Gala. During Biden’s speech at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner over the weekend, an activist shouted: “Let Gaza live! Ceasefire now!” Biden claimed not to hear.
Trans North Carolinians and Montanans Are Suing Their States Over Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws.
A Federal Judge in Montana Has Blocked Montana’s Drag Ban (Again).
Anti-LGBTQ+ efforts are not limited to the South and red states. I’ll keep saying this over and over again. How Conservatives Are Waging a Coordinated, Anti-LGBTQ+ Culture War in California Schools.
Some LGBTQ+ news from around the world:
- India’s Supreme Court Has Declined to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage.
- Poland’s Conservative Anti-LGBTQ+ Party Has Lost Its Majority in Parliament.
Political Snacks
Ron DeSantis Reminds America That Harvard and Yale Graduated an Ignorant Bigot.
One More Thing
These Ilya Kaminsky lines have been all over my feeds, and they keep echoing in my head:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyhRPnUv7U9/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D
Pop Culture Fix: So, Jada Pinkett Smith Had a Few Sexual Experiences With Women
Jada Pinkett Smith Addresses “Gay Rumors” In Memoir “Worthy”
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
One thing we can all agree on as a society is that we’ve all heard quite a bit about the contents of Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir Worthy over the past week or so. Yet I am here to tell you even more, specifically on the topic of, “Is Jada Pinkett Smith bisexual?” Smith has long been the subject of gay rumors and addresses said rumors in Worthy, revealing that she did experiment with women, although it ultimately was not for her.
“There have always been rumors that I’m gay — that I like women,” she writes, pontificating that possibly these rumors swirled because she hung out in LGBTQ+ clubs where she was known for “getting up and doing lip-syncs.” Unfortunately, the lifestyle was not for her:
The truth is that during those early years of exploration in Hollywood I had a few sexual experiences with women, only to realize that when it comes to sex, I love men. Still, I cherish the beauty of women inside and out. And I have never stopped being infatuated and in awe of women of all ages, sizes and colors.
Later in the book, Jada nods briefly to rumors about her and Will’s marriage, like that they were swingers or that they were “both gay and playing each other’s beards.” Unfortunately she also denies those rumors!
In possibly related news, Gene Deal (Diddy’s former bodyguard) shared a story on The Art of Dialogue about a birthday party for Ben Affleck at the Four Seasons where he suspected that Will Smith and Jada were trying to pick up Jennifer Lopez.
Other pop culture stories for your day:
+ MGM+’s psychological thriller Beacon 23, based on the book by Hugh Howey, tells the story of Aster (Lena Headey) and Halan (Stephan James), who find their fates entangled when they end up trapped together at the end of the known universe. Furthermore:
Aster mysteriously finds her way to a lonely beacon keeper, on his lighthouse in the darkest recesses of space. A tense battle of wills unfolds as James’ keeper begins to question whether Aster is friend or foe as her ability to disguise her agenda and motives could make her a formidable opponent.
Lena Hedley has a lot of tattoos and wears a muscle tee throughout this trailer and does eventually end up, for a brief moment, kissing a woman and then topping her in outer space?
Originally picked up by AMC and Spectrum Originals, Hedley is producing the show that eventually found its home at MGM+. Beacon 23 will premiere on November 12th.
+ If you’ve not yet heard, I have big news for you: Ashlyn Harris is reportedly dating Sophia Bush.
+ Listen to Ariana DeBose singing “This Wish” from the upcoming Disney film “Wish.”
+ The trailer for the adaptation of Otessa Moshfegh’s homoerotic thriller, “Eileen,”starring Anne Hathaway, is here:
+ Heartstopper star Bel Priestley and Sex Education star Olive Gray are starring in a new queer music video from Henry Moodie.
+ Archie and Jughead didn’t hook up in the Riverdale finale because:
“…while every other carnal combination within the foursome had been explored to some extent on the show before, but “we hadn’t even really laid even the barest seed of there being a romance between Archie and Jughead. Not even a whisper of that… We hadn’t really explored or even hinted at that, where we had with all the other couplings.” The writers definitely considered it, he adds, but “it was just like, ‘Is this a cheat if we do this?’”
+ Samantha Ronson has “fallen in love with cooking” after quitting cigarettes and alcohol
Where To Give Money and Take Action To Support Palestinians Right Now
feature image by Ilia Yefimovich / dpa via Getty Images
We at Autostraddle stand against the occupation of Palestine and the increased violence in the days since the tragic, horrifying attack in Israel that resulted in 1,400 Israeli people killed, 3,500 injured, and an estimated 200 still being held hostage by Hamas. We can grieve these losses and hurt for and with those families and communities while also recognizing that the response from the Israeli government, endorsed by the U.S. government, signals an act of genocide against the Palestinian people and this violence must stop. No person anywhere should be subject to any of this terror.
Gaza currently faces a humanitarian crisis beyond measure. In a situation the International Committee of the Red Cross described as “abhorrent,” Israel hascut off water, food and power supply to much of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza while also demanding 1.1 million people to move south in anticipation of a ground invasion. But there is nowhere for them to go. Hospitals are running out of supplies, and aid workers and journalists have been among the victims of Israeli air strikes. Pathways for delivering aid to Palestinians have also been attacked. We grieve for the 2,750 Palestinians killed and at least 10,000 wounded in the past two weeks. As we write this, Al-Jazeera is reporting that a hospital in Gaza where thousands of Palestinian civilians were sheltering and receiving medical care was just hit by an Israeli airstrike. (ETA: Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for the attack on the hospital, there is seemingly no official confirmation one way or the other as to whom was responsible as of this writing. Either way, the victims of the attack are in increasingly dire need of help.)
It can feel helpless witnessing these atrocities from thousands of miles away, so we wanted to put together a list of resources. If you have money, we hope you’ll donate it to the groups providing aid on the ground. If you have time, we hope you’ll protest alongside the groups fighting for peace and decolonization. If you have neither, we hope you’ll at least take a moment to contact your representative and urge them to end their support of this violence.
The current circumstances are beyond the point of silence or inaction — they have been for a long time. If you’d like to read more about the occupation, Drew has put together a list of pieces she’s read this week.
Action Aid: Action Aid has established an emergency fund to provide humanitarian aid to Palestine, deliver essential relief and sustain long-term disaster preparedness around the world.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights: Gaza-based human rights center dedicated to protecting the fundamental rights of Palestinians and hold perpetrators of international law violations to account.
Anera: Non-profit responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Itemizes what certain monetary donations will enable (e.g., $100 to provide a displaced family with 7 days of food, $30 to provide Gaza’s Central Blood Bank Society with 16 blood bags.)
Baitulmaal: Provides humanitarian aid to underserved populations around the world and already has field workers providing emergency response aid in Gaza.
Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): This group has been donating medical supplies and was providing medical care in the region until Israeli airstrikes made it impossible for them to safely coordinate humanitarian operations in Gaza. However, they still have Palestinian staff working in hospitals in Gaza and are preparing medical teams and humanitarian supplies to send into Gaza as soon as possible. You can read more about their work in Gaza here.
Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement: An Israeli non-for-profit founded in 2005 with the goal of protecting the freedom of movement of Palestinians, especially Gaza residents.
If Not Now is a movement of American Jews organizing our communities to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system and demand equality, justice and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis. They have been organizing massive protests and also have opportunities to contribute financially.
The International Committee of the Red Cross: The ICRC is a neutral, independent humanitarian organization who are working to improve access to water and electricity in Gaza and support livelihood projects throughout the occupied territories. They’ve been delivering medicine and other aid to Gaza City and have declared “we’ve been in the area since 1967, and we intend to stay.”
Islamic Relief USA: Islamic Relief is working with local partners to provide emergency relief to families in Gaza including food aid, essential non-food items such as hygiene kits, and vital medical supplies.
Jewish Voices for Peace is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world. They are organizing on the ground and politically and have options for activism and financial gifting.
Medical Aid for Palestinians: A UK-based group already on the ground in Gaza, where they work to stock hospitals with essential medicines, disposables and other healthcare supplies.
Mercy Corps: A long established and well-known humanitarian org that takes a two-pronged approach of providing immediate aid while also establishing long-term, lasting aid solutions.
Middle East Children’s Alliance: MECA works to protect the rights and improve the lives of children in Palestine and Syrian refugees through aid, empowerment and education.
Muslim Around the World Project: MATW is an organization that has been providing life-saving aid in the form of medical aid, food, clean water, and shelter for the last five years.
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund: PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine delivering medical relief and humanitarian aid. One child has been killed in Palestine every seven minutes since October 7th.
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights: The Centre is an independent Palestinian human rights org based in Gaza City. They were established in 1995 by Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists to protect human rights.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel: PHRI provides services free of charge to people with limited or no access to health care–primarily migrants, refugees, and Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East: This group that provides assistance and protection for Palestinian refugees is seeking $104 million to support a “multi-sectoral” humanitarian response covering food, health and protection needs for up to 250k people seeking shelter throughout the Gaza Strip, but with current funding can only continue to do so through the end of the month.
World Food Programme: The WFP has been attempting to deliver high-energy biscuits to Gaza.
As a Jewish Anti-Zionist, Here’s What I’ve Been Reading This Week
feature image by Kevin Dietsch / Staff via Getty Images
Like so many of my political awakenings, I came to anti-Zionism through art.
In 2014, The Freedom Theatre spoke at my university as part of an Art as Resistance series. Located in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, The Freedom Theatre was established to use art as a tool to address fear, depression, and trauma among children. The representatives from the organization talked to us about their education programs, their theatre school, and their full-scale productions. They also spoke of the challenges they face doing this work in the West Bank.
The Freedom Theatre is not a radical organization, but as an American Jew taught to unequivocally support Israel, the talk was eye-opening. Afterward, I spoke to three Israeli classmates of mine who were studying abroad and they educated me further. They had served in the IDF but now denounced their service. They confirmed the talk we had just attended was not false propaganda, but a mild sample of the horrors they’d witnessed.
I signed up for The Freedom Theatre’s mailing list and made it a goal to learn more about the occupation. I’d been raised to study the Holocaust and say, “never again.” The realization that “never again” only meant “never again for Jewish people” was harrowing.
After nearly a decade, I’m still pursuing my goal to learn more about the occupation. I do not think it is uniquely complicated, but I do think our world is always complicated, and there’s always more to learn. During a fraught conversation with a family member this week, it became clear that I’m far more knowledgeable about the last two decades of the occupation than I am the early years of Zionism and the 20th century violence in Palestine. That is a gap I hope to fill in the coming months and years.
But a lack of expertise should not be an excuse to turn away; it should be an invitation to learn. The only thing I was taught in my childhood that wasn’t pro-Israel was that “the Israel/Palestine conflict” was just too complicated. If this is how you feel — as friends and family and voices you trust post conflicting statements — I’d encourage you to learn more, not less.
Rather than make any arguments of my own, I’d like to share with you what I’ve been reading this week as well as some other pieces I’ve read and watched over the years. Whether you feel completely ignorant on this topic or were raised to embrace Zionism, I hope you’ll read these words with an open mind. Even if you’re someone who will never agree with me, I know it’s important we try to understand each other — we must see the humanity in every person.
“We Cannot Cross Until We Carry Each Other” by Arielle Angel in Jewish Currents
“Most of our internal disagreements center on the correct container for our grief. Our staff is not unlike the rest of the Jewish world in that many of us are only a matter of degrees from someone who died or was taken hostage. How can we publicly grieve the death and suffering of Israelis without these feelings being politically metabolized against Palestinians?”
“Where the Palestinian Political Project Goes from Here” by Isaac Chotiner, interviewing Tareq Baconi, in The New Yorker
“If we want to think about Hamas and its political project, the group still doesn’t speak on behalf of all Palestinians. Palestinians are not all Islamists. The bigger issue here is that the Palestinian political project, which was the P.L.O., which was actually more in line with anti-colonial movements in the seventies and the eighties, was equally treated as a terrorist organization by the West until it was decimated both institutionally and through the assassination and imprisonment of Palestinian political leaders. This was the decimation of the political project of the anti-colonial movement. And, in the Palestinian case, it worked, or worked temporarily. But the political project right now is reconstituting itself, and so far Hamas is the loudest manifestation of that project.”
“Gaza’s shock attack has terrified Israelis. It should also reveal the context” by Haggai Matar in +972 Magazine
“The dread Israelis are feeling right now, myself included, is a sliver of what Palestinians have been feeling on a daily basis under the decades-long military regime in the West Bank, and under the siege and repeated assaults on Gaza. The responses we are hearing from many Israelis today — of people calling to ‘flatten Gaza,’ that ‘these are savages, not people you can negotiate with,’ ‘they are murdering whole families,’ ‘there’s no room to talk with these people’ — are exactly what I have heard occupied Palestinians say about Israelis countless times.”
“Jewish Grief Must Not Be Used As a Weapon of War” by Stefanie Fox in The Nation
“It is in our tradition to sit shiva for seven days—to pause to reflect and to mourn. But I cannot sit back while Jewish grief and trauma is weaponized by the Israeli government to destroy Gaza. As I write this, Israel just announced that the 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza—half of them children—will have 24 hours to flee, which the UN has already deemed impossible. The US government is beating the drums of war, rushing to send more weapons to the Israeli military to wreak utter devastation.”
“The Gaza Bombshell” by David Rose in Vanity Fair
Note: This article is from 2008. I’d been seeing people use the election of Hamas as a justification for the invasion of Gaza and wanted to better understand that election, as well as the ways American colonialism creates violence around the world. If it needs to be said: just like American citizens did not deserve to be murdered for the election of George W. Bush, Palestinian citizens do not deserve to be murdered for the election of Hamas, regardless of the circumstances.
“Vanity Fair has obtained confidential documents, since corroborated by sources in the U.S. and Palestine, which lay bare a covert initiative, approved by Bush and implemented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, to provoke a Palestinian civil war. The plan was for forces led by Dahlan, and armed with new weapons supplied at America’s behest, to give Fatah the muscle it needed to remove the democratically elected Hamas-led government from power. (The State Department declined to comment.)
But the secret plan backfired, resulting in a further setback for American foreign policy under Bush. Instead of driving its enemies out of power, the U.S.-backed Fatah fighters inadvertently provoked Hamas to seize total control of Gaza.”
“Where Is My Birthright?” by Suha Najjar in The Michigan Daily
Note: I’ve been trying to better understand my family and peers who support Israel and I kept thinking about Birthright. I never went on this trip because I came to my anti-Zionism pretty early into college, but I know how much it shaped people I know. This first article from 2014 is by a Palestinian writer, the article that follows is a New York Times piece from 2019 about the evolving responses to Birthright, and the Jewish Currents roundtable, also from 2019, includes five conflicting essays about how to have an ethical relationship to Birthright.
“I am Palestinian; I am from Huj, yet I am not allowed to visit Palestine. I am not allowed to leave the 136 square mile open-air prison densely populated by 1.7 million people. On the other hand, my Jewish peers in my American high school would come back every summer boasting about their birthright trips. Most of them were born here, and their parents and grandparents were also born in the United States. Many times they were of European descent. However, none of them were actually born in Israel. Until this day I don’t understand how it is their right to visit a country which they have never been to or have never known to be home, but I, who — like so many generations before me — was born in Palestine, am not even allowed to visit my own home. How is it that other kids are getting free trips to travel across the world, yet when I was in the Jabalia refugee camp, I was not allowed to drive a few miles to visit the place where my father’s history yearns to be affirmed? Another “holy” site of sorts, off limits. Where was my birthright?”
“Birthright Trips, a Rite of Passage for Many Jews, Are Now a Target of Protest” by Farah Stockman in The New York Times
“Ms. Nagel said the protests had prompted an important conversation that Jewish Americans needed to have. She said that she, too, had been attending more Jewish religious and social events since the trip.
‘I’ve been to more Shabbats and Havdalahs,” she said, referring to the Jewish Sabbath and a ritual marking its end. “What’s different is that at our Shabbats and Havdalahs, we talk about racism, sexism and the occupation.’”
“Roundtable: The Ethical Response to Birthright” in Jewish Currents
“In the aftermath, IfNotNow fielded questions from across the political spectrum as to why we supported participants in walking off Birthright trips. Israel’s liberal defenders would ask why we left the trips instead of staying and continuing to ask questions. In fact, I did attempt to ask questions in an effort to change the minds of the 40 other people on my trip. But my questions were dismissed and ignored as we regularly drove past the separation wall without any acknowledgment of what lies on the other side. By contrast, when we walked off, we were able to livestream the whole thing to Facebook and to alert international media. Videos and articles about our action (including in the New York Times) went viral, allowing us to reach millions and to challenge the widely accepted notion that Birthright is apolitical. By the end of the summer of 2018, if you were an American Jew between the ages of 18 and 26 googling ‘Birthright’ to sign up for a trip, you would see articles and videos about our actions. The media coverage generated by these actions did far more good than asking questions of our tour guides did.”
“My Child Asks, ‘Can Israel Destroy Our Building if the Power Is Out?’” by Refaat Alareer in The New York Times
Note: This article is from 2021.
“Then comes the intolerable indecision: I am caught between wanting to take the family outside, despite the missiles, shrapnel and falling debris, and staying at home, like sitting ducks for the American-made, Israeli-piloted planes. We stayed at home. At least we would die together, I thought.
The deafening strikes destroy Gaza’s infrastructure, cutting off roads leading to hospitals and water supplies, bringing down access to the internet. Many of the targets Israel hits have no strategic value. Israel knows this, and knows how it unnerves us. I wonder what those officers do in their command centers: Do they draw straws on which block to annihilate? Do they roll a dice?”
“Solidarity With Palestine Is Not a Crime” by Nima Shirazi in The Nation
“In our Israel/Palestine narrative, at best, only the most perfect Palestinian victims are allowed to be mourned, their murders blamed on the faceless, sinister entity known as Hamas, not the actual Israeli pilot who followed orders to flatten their home with a missile or fire white phosphorus at their ambulance. Peaceful resistance to occupation, apartheid, and colonization is met with false accusations of anti-Semitism and outlawed. When Palestinians in Gaza mobilized en masse for a year and a half against the siege and occupation with the symbolic Great March of Return toward the fence that separates the blockaded territory from southern Israel, IDF snipers shot and killed over 200 protesters and wounded more than 33,000.”
“Against the Pinkwashing of Israel” by Ashley Bohrer in Al Jazeera
Note: This article is from 2014.
“Israeli LGBT organisation Aguda estimates that around 2,000 Palestinian queers live in Tel-Aviv at any one time, most of them illegally. The dismantling of economic stability and opportunity inside Palestine forces LGBT Palestinians to leave their homes and to live as undocumented, precarious workers in Israel, where they have no protections against harassment, rape, intimidation, or job discrimination, and in which finding safe housing and steady employment are scarce.
The options presented to LGBTQ Palestinians are living as stateless, undocumented migrants or braving the constant violence and indignity of living in occupied territories. Neither of these sounds like LGBT liberation to me.”
“Imagining Myself in Palestine” by Randa Jarrar in Guernica Magazine
Note: This article is from 2012.
“Finally, they took me to a room in the corner of the baggage claim area. It was becoming clear to me that at Ben Gurion, unjust things happened in corners. The guards asked me to open my bags. I did as I was told. I noted that the room was filthy. The Israelis were concerned with showing a clean and gleaming exterior—the floors of the airport outside shone–but for suspected threats and people like myself, behind closed doors, tucked away in dirty corners, they hadn’t bothered. A very butch young woman asked me to follow her. She led me to yet another room, where the walls were faded and filthy, and the floor was covered in dirty carpet, littered with small bits of paper and hair clips. It reeked of intimidation, and of humiliation.”
“Why I believe the BDS movement has never been more important than now” by Omar Barghouti in The Guardian
“The anti-racist, nonviolent BDS movement, supported by labor and farmers unions, as well as racial, social, gender and climate justice movements that collectively represent tens of millions worldwide, is inspired by the South African anti-apartheid struggle and the US civil rights movement. But it is rooted in a century-old, often unacknowledged heritage of indigenous Palestinian popular resistance to settler colonialism and apartheid. This nonviolent resistance has taken many forms, from mass workers’ strikes, to women-led marches, to public diplomacy, to building universities, to literature and art.”
“Explanations Are Not Excuses” by Sarah Schulman in New York Magazine
“There is always, of course, the choice to end the siege of Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank and end the second-class reality of Palestinians living in Israel. Make everyone equal citizens with the same rights to vote, passports, roads, universities. The reason this solution of just reconciliation, known as ‘One State,’ is not yet on the table is because of this selective reality: this panic that equalizing Palestinians in Israel would be allowing an enemy in, one that is fundamentally opposed to Israeli existence. But what this fear overlooks is that Palestine, like every society in the world, is a multidimensional society. Like Jews and Americans and Israelis, Palestinians contain multiple factions and religious perspectives — Muslim, Christian, Druse — and they hold a wide variety of political visions. The only thing they share is the desire to be free. They would never be able to act like a united block and all vote in the same way, for example, in the same way that we cannot. Because they are human, as we know ourselves to be. To fear unanimity is to imagine they are different from everyone else on earth.”
Some Other Things I’ve Watched and Read Over the Years:
- First, I recommend signing up for the Freedom Theatre’s mailing list and signing up for the Palestine Museum’s mailing list.. Over the years, I’ve learned so much about Palestinian art, culture, and experience.
- My second article ever written for Autostraddle was a review of Maysaloun Hamoud’s incredible film In Between. I appreciate how this movie shows the intersecting experiences of sexism, homophobia, and occupation. No point of oppression excuses the other — instead they compound upon the lives of these three Palestinian women living in Tel Aviv. It is currently streaming for free on Kanopy.
- The response this week has been frighteningly reminiscent of post-9/11 sentiment. I was too young and sheltered to really understand the bigotry and jingoism at that time, but learned a lot from reading How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi.
- At TIFF 2022, one of the best films I saw was Firas Khoury’s Alam. It was supposed to screen last week at the Boston Palestinian Film Festival before that was canceled. It will next be screening at the Other Israel Film Festival in New York on November 1st. If you’re not in New York, keep an eye out for its streaming release next year. It’s such a powerful film that honors the youth of the teenage activists in its story.
- There are too many things to list, but I’d also like to add how much my anti-Zionism is born from being a student of the Holocaust. Understanding the circumstances that led to that genocide — rather than just writing off Nazis as evil — has led to a deeper understanding of cyclical violence. Humans are capable of horrific acts, but I cannot — I will not — believe humans are inherently horrifying.
Here Are Some Things I Still Want to Read and Watch:
- The Question of Palestine by Edward Said
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe
- Shell Shocked: On the Ground Under Israel’s Gaza Assault by Mohammed Omer
- Jake Witzenfeld’s Oriented, a documentary about three gay Palestinian friends living in Tel Aviv