Happy Trans Day of Visibility! To celebrate, the PDF of the anthology of trans joy that I edited alongside Alex Assan is only £1; it has over 70 contributors, and 50% of profits go towards UK orgs supporting trans youth. This is the comic I did for it.
Alex and I wanted to create When I Was Me not only to share joy within our own community, but to act as a resource and reference point for future allies or people who don’t have trans people in their own lives.
I think a lot about whether or not this book has helped anyone change perspective on what it means to be transgender. The situation for trans people in the UK right now is pretty dire, with hate crime and bigotry ramping up and the community being targeted by massive names.
But it’s been wonderful to be able to return to this book, even being the person who helped make it, because for all the vitriol we get we’re still out here living our lives and striving to be ourselves despite it all. The book brings ME hope and joy, I hope it does for you too.
Although this is a festive occasion, it is also a date to protest against the harshness and the violence that our trans sisters and brothers face everyday
ID: A digital self portrait of me. I am a white transmasc person with dyed green hair with brown roots showing through. I am wearing a black shirt striped with green and pink. I have a septum piercing and a nose stud and I am wearing pink and green makeup. There are moles intermittently placed across my face and neck. My nails are painted black and I have my right hand raised against my chest. I am stimming by flapping my hand up and down. The background is pink with green monstera leaves in two different shades of green. End ID
I am thrilled to announce that my short comic HEARTSONG has been published in the Santa Fe Writers Project’s quarterly issue, no. 25! This issue was made by and edited by LGBTQ+ writers, and is created around the theme of unmaking and remaking. If that sounds like your kinda thing, take a look at the pieces featured! :)
[ID: The cover of my HEARTSONG comic, which is an overview of waves on an emerald green ocean.]
[Image Description: A digital drawing from the bust up of a white trans man smiling at the camera. He has freckles, rosacea, and his red hair is a curly mess. He’s shirtless and you can see his top surgery scars, which have a slight glow. The background is a messy trans flag and behind the man are cartoony flowers. The drawing is framed with a sketchy yellow border and over the top of it all at the bottom there is purple graffiti-esque lettering reading “Trans is beautiful”. End Image Description]
I won an award and might go to national competition for this :3 Trans Rights!
Announcing the launch of my Zine, Trans Sorrow,on Gumroad! It’s available for pay-what-you-want, minimum of $2.50. This is to help pay for my HRT as my family has withdrawn financial support for it. Any purchases are greatly appreciated! Please reblog this, as I desperately need help paying for my testosterone.
“Caw, caw!” A huge black crow circled above me in the air and landed on a rock nearby. We looked at each other in silence.
“Crow, are you a boy or a girl?”
“Caw, caw!”
I laughed and rolled over on my back. The sky was crayon blue. I pretended I was lying on the cotton white clouds. The earth was damp against my back. The sun was hot, the breeze was cool. I felt happy. Nature held me close and seemed to find no fault with me.”
-Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues
*** CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ***
“Nature Held Me Close” is a zine about gender dysphoria and the great outdoors. Sometimes it’s hard to exist in a physical body, but spending time in nature can be one of the best ways to feel more comfortable in your own skin.
This zine is a place to feature art and writing from trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people about how spending time outdoors – hiking, camping, gardening, birdwatching, landscaping, doing outdoor education or research, or just sitting quietly in nature – has influenced how you feel about your body and your gender. Submissions are open to dysphoric people of any and all gender identities!
You are welcome to share:
Essays and other nonfiction writing
Poetry
Digital and/or traditional art
Photography
Mixed media
How to participate:
Email[email protected] with your submission. Please include 1) your name or a nickname you’d like to be known by, 2) social media handle if you’d like it to be published with your piece (optional), and 3) any author’s or artist’s notes you’d like included as well. Once submissions are collected, this zine will be published as a free PDF. Submissions are due by June 20, 2020: this year’s summer solstice.
