In The Wake of Anti-Trans* Violence: Haunts And Introspection →

A response to a recent escalation of anti-trans* violence in the DC area

I must preface the following with a possible trigger warning and then disclaimer: I do not want to speak as the voice of the transgender community or be a poster-child for transgender identity.  I simply seek to live my life without having to apologize for who I am.  However, my gender-identity does not always allow me to do that.

When I read about gender based violence in the media, specifically the recent attacks in the DC area on transgender individuals, I find myself struggling to gather my thoughts and emotions.  As my eyes swell with tears, I am left with questions.  Where do race and class come into play?  How many hate-motivated attacks on transgender people have gone unnoticed or unreported?  Why has there been an increase in violence against the transgender community in DC?  What is occurring here beneath the surface?  Is this not necessarily an increase in transgender violence, but rather an increase in media attention?  What about those whose trans* identities are invisible—those who fall outside the gender binary?  How many of these transgender individuals were sex workers and are displaced socio-economically because of their gender identity?  What—or who—are we not talking about there?  I am left with these haunts regarding the intersection of class struggle, gender identity, and race……

"Fifteen to eighteen percent of girls under twelve now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and twenty-five percent of young American women would rather win America’s Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Even bright, successful college women say they’d rather be hot than smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart.

Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What’s missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments."

“How To Talk To Little Girls” by Lisa Bloom 

BE BRAVE! JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

(via stophatingyourbody)

(via visionsofdivisions)

"I cannot hide my anger to spare your guilt, nor hurt feelings, nor answering anger; for to do so insults and trivializes all our efforts. Guilt is not a response to anger; it is a response to one’s own actions or lack of action. If it leads to change it can be useful, since it is then no longer guilt but the beginning of knowledge. Yet all too often, guilt … becomes a device to protect ignorance … the ultimate protection for changelessness."

Audre Lorde, “Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism” (via directcitation)

(Source: pinkngoldsparkles, via viviopsis)

riotisnotquiet:

stfuconservatives:

cognitivedissonance:

The biggest military spenders, according to The Economist. Kind of puts things in perspective, no? It’s time to have a discussion about feeding the war-mongering beast…

Pretty astounding.

Oh my god.  WE HAVE THIS MUCH MONEY TO KILL PEOPLE WITH BUT NOT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE OUR KIDS WITH A DECENT EDUCATION?!

(via pixiemoon42)

(via lovinganarchist)

"A lot of parents will do anything for their children, except let them be themselves."

Banksy (via theonlymagicleftisart)

(Source: theonlymagicleftisart, via bohemianarthouse)

muslimswearingthings:

Pav Akhtar, left, wears a little courage as he champions for a kind of tolerance that cuts across all colorful spectrums of humans being.

(via viviopsis)

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(Source: moderngirlblitz, via earlyfrost)

"So many women have experienced horrific forms of male violence throughout their lives, and why isn’t there a song about how you get depressed because of it? And you don’t know what to do, and you don’t know how to talk to your friends and how weird it is to be a feminist in that situation, where there’s sort of the expectation that you’re super-strong superwoman but you’re just, like, eating pizza in your house avoiding talking about it."

Kathleen Hanna (via alienshexv)

(via ankhst-deactivated20110830-deac)

Annika and Sebastian Answer Your Trans* Questions (Part One) →

autostraddle:

Do you think gender is a social construction? How do hormones affect your sex life? What can my LGBT organization do to better include trans people?

(via andyouhavetogivethemhope)

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totheexperts:

[image: outline of the state of Georgia in brown with the words “HR 87: ignorance, injustice and extremism” written on it” in white].

fuckyeahmarxismleninism:

New Georgia State Motto: Ignorance, Injustice, and Extremism by Justseeds

The Georgia state motto is “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.” It should now be “Ignorance, Injustice, and Extremism” after Gov. Nathan Deal signed House Bill 87, an Arizona-style anti-immigration bill that will empower the police to investigate the immigration status of “suspects.” The measure also sets new hiring requirements for employers and penalizes people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants in Georgia.

The graphic is free-to-use to any-and-all social justice groups and stands in solidarity with migrant workers and the people of Georgia who are resisting this bill. 

(via flapjackstate)

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(Source: jbildungsroman, via brosephstalin)

fyeahqueermusic:

RIP Poly Styrene, one of the most bad ass of all the bad asses.

I think the best way to honor her is everyone and go be extra awesome today. Write a song, wear shiny, bright colors, school someone in feminism, start a punk band, stick it to the man.

(Also, fucking love the saxophone. That’s how it’s fucking done, people).

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lioneater:

R.I.P. Poly Styrene

 The singer of X-Ray Spex lost the battle to breast cancer yesterday on April 25th, 2011.

(via ksmxvx-deactivated20110923)