In 1934-1936, trans brothers Mark and David Ferrow of Yarmouth, UK, both transitioned at age 13 with full parental support. Mark medically transitioned first in 1939 at 17 and his brother soon followed. “Though we have been girls, we have both felt men at heart,” Mark told a reporter. Their stories show that trans youth can grow up to be happy, celebrated adults.
David lived in their hometown of Great Yarmouth, UK for the rest of his life. He became a local icon. At 15, he started selling books. He later ran a wildly successful bookshop until death in 2006, age 81, 68 years after transitioning. He had a daughter, Jan, who supported his work. The whole town adored him. Why, yes, that is a mug of his face.
Mark, always passionate about art, joined the Kirby Muxlue Players troupe as a writer and traveled throughout the UK. His David Gower painting is currently in the UK’s National Portrait Gallery! His art still hangs in collections all over the country - although it’s almost never recognized as being by a trans artist. Mark married Edna Hall in 1942 and died in 1991, age 68, in Leicester.
It’s important to mention that it’s unclear if both men are intersex despite the reports. At the time, it was customary for non-intersex trans people to claim intersex conditions in order to access care (e.g. Roberta Cowell). Regardless if they were trans or intersex and trans, I would hate their underreported stories to be forgotten!
deeply deeply exhausted with the way everyone seems to think it’s perfectly okay to relentlessly make fun of how trans men and transmasc people look
i see it everywhere, from cis people and other trans people (including other trans men and transmascs — thanks internalized transphobia). no one has any qualms about just…throwing as many “jokes” and criticisms at us as they possibly can. if it boils down to calling transmasculinity ugly, it’s fair game to them and i’m sick of it
no one wants to hear about how bad you think our facial hair is. no one wants to hear your comments about our acne or hairlines. no one wants to hear about how upset you would be if you had our scars. no one wants to hear about how gross you think bottom growth is. nobody asked for your opinions on our bodies so please stop sharing them!
and of course, it’s all part of this larger idea that transmasculinity is something to be mocked and rejected. the comments about our voices, our names, our clothes, our hair, everything — nothing about us is free from being ridiculed in one way or another
but the criticisms of our bodies in particular have been on my mind lately as i’ve started seeing changes from t, and it’s absolutely exhausting seeing all these things that i really like (or at least feel neutral about) and knowing that the rest of the world, including members of my own community, will see them as my body being ruined
leave our bodies alone. we’re literally just sitting here existing, that’s not an invitation for you to make every joke you can think of and pick apart every inch of us
the “jokes” aren’t funny, y’all just have a fucking pathetic sense of humor
Hi speaking of medical literacy for trans people, transfems pls check out the website Transfeminine Science, especially their introductory article on feminizing HRT
[ID: two parts of a poem on a black background. The first reads:
“Trans day of deep shuddering breaths. Trans day of walking down the street. Trans day of not being able to explain. Trans day of not reading the news right now. Trans day of the news gathering darkness as it goes unread. Trans day of food left on the kitchen counter for three days. Trans day of not trusting your parents. Trans day of the makeup doesn’t help. Trans day of don’t take pictures of me. Trans day of don’t show me the picture. Trans day of eyes like knives. Trans day of existence that flickers like a faulty old film projector. Trans day of just be yourself. Trans day of no one is trying to kill you they just don’t care if you die. Trans day of the structure of the universe asks us to protect one another. Trans day of I’m fine it’s cool I’m fine. Trans day of invisible fires that never go out. Trans day of pure beauty that no one else can see.”
The second reads:
“Trans day of uncontrollable laughter. Trans day of structures of love solid as rock. Trans day of looking after one another even when nothing’s wrong at all. Trans day of dancing until your sweat surely contains detectable traces of the music playing. Trans day of direct access to divinity. Trans day of angelic clarity of mission. Trans day of the unkillable smile. Trans day of the wilderness doesn’t care what anyone calls it. Trans day of playing with animals. Trans day of everyday life as a prayer in itself. Trans day of spinning in circles whirling and whirling out beyond any boundaries they drew for us.” End ID]
Honestly? As a bisexual person of color, I have many questions for President Trump. And, I have questions for the bi+ community and our allies too––questions about who we are, what we stand for, how we’re surviving, and how we can hold each other, our leadership, and the President accountable.
Are you, like me, terrified for the present and futures of bi+ youth, trans youth, people of color (POC) youth, and bi+ trans POC youth? For all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual people? …
Is mainstream and LGBT media amplifying misinformation about bisexual people when they incorrectly report on bi+ celebs like Mel B, Angelina Jolie and Amber Heard and their very real experiences of violence? Is it that better or worse than when they neglect to report on our experiences at all? …
Once again, is our collective experience being used to sell records and films, to generate donations to organizations, and be silently consumed without a single whisper of “our letter” or an acknowledgment of our very existence? …
“Kudos to the dreamers, the fighters, rule breakers and boundary makers. Keep on letter writers! Keep strong and carry on.”
Did you know?“Ahigher percentageofbisexual students reported running away from home one or more timescompared totheirgay and straight peers. In addition, more bisexual youth stated they werehomeless because of physical abuse by parents than their straight and gay peers. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual homeless youth also have greaterHIV risks and these risks are greateramongbisexual female youth. Therefore, stronger policies are needed to provide bisexual+ youth with safe environments to live that are off the streets.“ ~excerpt from“Caring for Bisexual+ Homeless Youth” by BRC (24 March 2016)
Did you know?Transgender people and people of colorcompriselarge portions of the bisexual community –– with more than 40 percent of LGBT people of color identifying as bisexual, and about halfoftransgender people describing their sexual orientationasbisexual or queer (according to various other research studiesBisexual is the largest self-identityforTrans people. Followed by percentages: Queer, Heterosexual/Homosexual, Other, and Asexual) –– making these groups vulnerable to further disparities that occur at the intersections of biphobia, racismandtransphobia.~from“Health Disparities Among Bisexual People” by HRC (September 2015)
love to make art about the connection between lycanthropy & transgenderism. ️⚧️
[ID: a black and white linoblock print depicting a nude figure with top surgery scars sitting below an image of a wolf. both the wolf and the figure appear solemn, their heads lowered. the figure is leaning their weight to one side with an arm casually raised towards the wolf. there is a background of stars. End ID]
A little sketch comic about how bisexuality is totally cool and good and not bad.
The format is cliché! I know. But it makes it easy to talk about things I want to talk about. Thanks for reading!
(I shouldn’t have to say this, but since a lot of people wanted to educate me on twitter: The words listed in panel seven [yes even in the parentheticals!] are just examples of how often acceptable language around gender and sexuality changes. They are not lists of synonymous words, and many of them are now considered unacceptable. That’s why they’re on the list. That’s what the list IS. I know.)
Often, there is a pressure in LGBTQIAP+ spaces to fit into a “queer” mold. While many G&L individuals don’t experiences this pressure, those with the ability to be attracted to a gender other than their own do. This pressure leads a lot of bisexual, pansexual, and asexual people feeling like they don’t belong in Pride events, especially with their different-gender partner by their side. When we…
Q: How to be “Queer Enough” to “Deserve” to go to Pride? A: Be Queer!
and always remember that all sorts of LGBT people were actively were involved in the Stonewall Riots, then all working together immediately started organizing new, more radical, activist, LGBT+ Liberation Groups (x)(x)(x)(x) and that it was in fact a young, radical, progressive, feminist, Bisexual+ Woman who first conceived of and then chaired the committee that organized the 1st Pride Marches and Festivals that we we now continue to celebrate worldwide every June
Honestly? As a bisexual person of color, I have many questions for President Trump. And, I have questions for the bi+ community and our allies too––questions about who we are, what we stand for, how we’re surviving, and how we can hold each other, our leadership, and the President accountable.
Are you, like me, terrified for the present and futures of bi+ youth, trans youth, people of color (POC) youth, and bi+ trans POC youth? For all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual people? …
Is mainstream and LGBT media amplifying misinformation about bisexual people when they incorrectly report on bi+ celebs like Mel B, Angelina Jolie and Amber Heard and their very real experiences of violence? Is it that better or worse than when they neglect to report on our experiences at all? …
Once again, is our collective experience being used to sell records and films, to generate donations to organizations, and be silently consumed without a single whisper of “our letter” or an acknowledgment of our very existence? …
“Kudos to the dreamers, the fighters, rule breakers and boundary makers. Keep on letter writers! Keep strong and carry on.”
Bisexual+ people may not be perceived as queer if they’re datingsomeoneperceived asthe“opposite” of their gender – so does that mean they have straight passing privilege?
You might think so, but try considering the perspective in this comic for a more nuanced answer to this question. It’s a breakdown of the assumptions behind the idea of bisexual+ “straight passing privilege” – and the harm you cause by erasing people’s identities when you make these assumptions.
It’s possible to acknowledge that different queer folks have different experiences without erasing anyone.
Bisexual+, Biromantic+ (Bi+ for short) is the commonly used “shorthand” for the entire Non-Monosexual Community including but not limited to: Bisexual/Biromantic, Ambisexual, Flexisexual, Fluid, Heteroflexible/Homoflexible, Multisexual, No Labels, Omnisexual, Pansexual, PoMosexual, Polysexual, Sapiosexual, Queer, and so many more.
Bisexuality is the attraction to more than one gender, or to genders similar to- and different from- one’s own.
Bisexual Erasure,Bisexual Invisibility is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or re-explain evidence of bisexuality in history, academia, news media and other primary sources. In its most extreme form, bisexual erasure can include denying that bisexuality exists. It is often a manifestation of conscious and/or unconscious biphobia and/or monosexism.
Straight Passing, Hetero Passing, etc. is all those things you get just by being, acting, or appearing straight. Conversely, straight privilege is all those things you lose when you are, act, or appear as queer. Becasue hetrosexuality is (inncorectly) seen as the “default” state, it means that all people are initially assumed to be “straight” unless they do something to actively signal they are queer, ie dress, mannerisms, coming out, wearing pins, badges, t-shirts, jewelry, etc.
Trans Erasure,Non-Binary Erasure, etc, is the tendency to ignore, deny, or minimize the existence of trans, androgynous, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, NB, etc. people. It is often a manifestation of conscious and/or unconscious cisexism and/or transphobia.
Did you know?“Ahigher percentageofbisexual students reported running away from home one or more timescompared totheirgay and straight peers. In addition, more bisexual youth stated they werehomeless because of physical abuse by parents than their straight and gay peers. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual homeless youth also have greaterHIV risks and these risks are greateramongbisexual female youth. Therefore, stronger policies are needed to provide bisexual+ youth with safe environments to live that are off the streets.“ ~excerpt from“Caring for Bisexual+ Homeless Youth” by BRC (24 March 2016)
Did you know?Transgender people and people of colorcompriselarge portions of the bisexual community –– with more than 40 percent of LGBT people of color identifying as bisexual, and about halfoftransgender people describing their sexual orientationasbisexual or queer (according to various other research studiesBisexual is the largest self-identityforTrans people. Followed by percentages: Queer, Heterosexual/Homosexual, Other, and Asexual) –– making these groups vulnerable to further disparities that occur at the intersections of biphobia, racismandtransphobia.~from“Health Disparities Among Bisexual People” by HRC (September 2015)
“I am proud of my intersecting identities as a bisexual transgender woman of color. I recognize that I live at the margins of mainstream society, even within loosely formed LGBT communities.” ~ Ms. Andre Jenkins from “The Importance of Being Earnest: Why Truth Matters”August 2015
Andrea Jenkins, Board Chair at Minneapolis Minnesota’s Intermedia Arts is an artist-activist, and award-winning poet and writer. She has been awarded fellowships from the Bush Foundation, Intermedia Arts, and the Playwrights Center; has won writing and performance grants and scholarships from the Givens Foundation, Intermedia Arts, The Loft, the Napa Valley Writers Conference, and Pillsbury House Theater.
Ms. Jenkins a Bi-identified Trans Woman of Color (BiWoc + BiToC) who was a keynoter at the Midwestern USA’s 2015 BECAUSE Conference. She is the co-curator of Queer Voices at Intermedia Arts, the longest-running series of its kind in the nation, and currently works collecting oral histories from hundreds of people in the Upper Midwest transgender community as an Oral Historian in the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies.
Trans and Gender Nonconforming people as well as those partnered with them make up a substantial part of the Bisexual Community. Unfortunately many suffer the double indignity of both Bi Erasure + Trans Erasure. And even worse they are frequently informed by well-meaning misinformed people who should be their biggest allies and supporters that they are NOT who they say they are and have somehow made a ‘mistake’intheir self identification.
So today on this Trans Visibility Day we are taking time to make visible and celebrate ALL our dear Bi-TransSiblings.
Honestly? As a bisexual person of color, I have many questions for President Trump. And, I have questions for the bi+ community and our allies too––questions about who we are, what we stand for, how we’re surviving, and how we can hold each other, our leadership, and the President accountable.
Are you, like me, terrified for the present and futures of bi+ youth, trans youth, people of color (POC) youth, and bi+ trans POC youth? For all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual people? …
Is mainstream and LGBT media amplifying misinformation about bisexual people when they incorrectly report on bi+ celebs like Mel B, Angelina Jolie and Amber Heard and their very real experiences of violence? Is it that better or worse than when they neglect to report on our experiences at all? …
Once again, is our collective experience being used to sell records and films, to generate donations to organizations, and be silently consumed without a single whisper of “our letter” or an acknowledgment of our very existence? …
“Kudos to the dreamers, the fighters, rule breakers and boundary makers. Keep on letter writers! Keep strong and carry on.”
Transgender people and people of color comprise large portions of the bisexual community –– with more than 40 percent of LGBT people of color identifying as bisexual, and about half of transgender people describing their sexual orientation as bisexual or queer (according to various other research studies Bisexual is the largest self-identity for Trans people. Followed by percentages: Queer, Heterosexual/Homosexual, Other, and Asexual) –– making these groups vulnerable to further disparities that occur at the intersections of biphobia, racism and transphobia.
