April Run Down
Because this month we launched our music edition magazine music and its impact has been especially on my mind. Music has quickly become a key facet of this Substack with the many podcast episodes and features on LGBTQ+ artists. In preparation for the music issue magazine and through the podcast, I've been chatting with a lot of queer musical artists lately, and I've honestly been so encouraged by them. It's no secret that things in the United States (and the world) are scary right now. Each time I sit down to chat with an artist, I'm in awe of how they're fostering community and hope during these difficult times. It's so crucial now more than ever for LGBTQ+ people to be visible and loudly queer, and one of many ways queer people can be visible is through music and art.
Music also has the power to change lives, impact viewpoints, instill courage, and help people keep going when life gets hard. I will never forget many years ago when I first discovered queer music, and it was the first time I listened to a song and felt totally seen and accepted. At the time, I was living in a place where being a lesbian was viewed as a horrible sin, so having an outlet and a place to feel like I belonged truly changed my life. Looking back, I'm not sure where I'd be if it wasn't for LGBTQ+ music's influence on my life.
This month, one of my very favorite songs, Light of Love by Florence + The Machine, celebrated five years since its release. While it's not a queer song, it's become an incredibly impactful song for the times we live in, and it somehow gains more relevancy each day. The song was released just a month after my beloved grandma's death at the beginning of the pandemic. I had no way of knowing when it released what was to come. I didn't know I would watch in horror as almost all the residents at the nursing home I worked at would die of COVID. I didn't know I would be diagnosed with multiple difficult-to-manage chronic illnesses or that my dad would be diagnosed with dementia and pass away at age 55. I didn't know that I would exist in a world that seems to be burning around me with Donald Trump once again the president. Yet through the years and each of the heartbreaking moments of fear and anxiety, I've clung to the words "I want to look away; I must not look away." It might be 'just a song,' but it's also become a mantra and a beacon of hope and courage when things are looking especially bleak.
Our first edition of hankycode magazine has opened for pre-orders, this edition is focused on music and entertainment. What's inside this magazine?
Feature articles on:
King Princess, Hannah Pinson & Luca D'Angelo
Molly Grace
Eva Pagán
Justy
Q&A's with:
Caroline Kingsbury
Rachel Bochner
Amelia Day
Lisa Heller
Submitted pieces:
Transgender Punk Rebellion by Charles Suor
Trouser Roles: Forgotten Representation by Sydney Minor
Beginning, Middle, Never-end: My Short Queer Life, Told Through Obsession by Phoenix Paris
We are offering an 80% discount on our paid subscription for one whole year. This means that for just $1 a month, you can help support the costs of our website, podcast, and magazine printing.
Churchyard by AURORA
Daughters by Sarah Julia
Everytime by Ethel Cain
knitting song by Paris Paloma
The Bomb by Florence + The Machine
I Am Digital, I Am Divine by Erin LeCount
I'm planning to do a longer, deeply researched piece on how anti-gay panic in the United States parallels the modern-day anti-trans panic. Today I want to just focus on one facet of the many parallels and that is the 'bathroom debate.'
Today, throughout the country, states are passing bans on transgender individuals using bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, etc. These bans are justified by claiming it's to protect children and/or women. But as GLSEN found, "60 percent of transgender students report having been prohibited from using the exit bathroom or locker room that aligns with their gender identity. Over three quarters (76 percent) of transgender students felt unsafe at school because of their gender, and transgender people (specifically trans girls and women) are at very high risk of experiencing violence throughout their lives, starting even before adolescence. While these bills are designed to ensure "student safety," they stigmatize transgender students, putting them more in harm's way."
Another common support of these laws is the idea that allowing transgender people in bathrooms that align with their gender identity will cause male predators to go into women's restrooms. But the reality is that if someone is a predator, they're going to try to commit crimes whether they've been 'allowed' or not. In 2014, a Des Moines police department spokesman told Media Matters, "I doubt that's gonna encourage the behavior. If the behavior's there, [sexual predators are] gonna behave as they're gonna behave no matter what the laws are."
These arguments being used to ban people from bathrooms are nothing new. Following World War II, a very similar predator myth was created by cisgender, straight, white people. They said that "gay people used public restrooms to solicit sex and molest children. Because public restrooms were often places gay men could pick up other gay men during the 1950s and later (often referred to as "cruising"), pamphlets and films such as Boys Beware depicted gay men as mentally ill and sick. From this narrative emerged a growing hysteria that public restrooms were unsafe spaces for children." As with today, this fear-mongering wasn't based in fact, but it succeeded in instilling hatred.
History repeats itself, and when we take the time to study our history, we can see that the exact same playbook is being used today that has been used for many decades to demonize anyone who doesn't fit into the white cisgender straight 'norm' that many people in power desire. While, in some ways, this is a bleak reality, I firmly believe that knowledge is power. When we know and understand what's happening, we can become better equipped to educate those around us and hopefully help make change.
A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data
'Homegrowns are next': Trump hopes to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad
‘It’s a dire time’: Bernie Sanders, AOC draw 12,000-plus to Idaho rally
Mermaids - In the UK it was recently ruled that under the country’s equality law women are defined by “biological sex,” thereby excluding trans women. This ruling isn’t about protecting women, but rather demonizing trans people. Because of that, this month I wanted to highlight Mermaids which is a wonderful organization in the UK that supports trans and gender diverse youth.
Black Trans Foundation - This is another amazing UK based group that offers free therapy to black trans and nonbinary people ages 16+. They also provide access to other resources and share crowdfunding for trans and non-binary people in need.
Project Open Arms - This group in the pacific northwest helps trans and nonbinary coming from red states. As their site says, “ We can help you navigate the relocation process, including finding community connections, employment opportunities, gender-affirming healthcare, and more.”
Looking for mutual aid resources?
Black Trans Fund - https://groundswellfund.org/funds/black-trans-fund/
Project Open Arms - https://tractionpnw.org/open-arms/
Point of Pride - https://www.pointofpride.org/donate
The Okra Project - https://www.theokraproject.com/
Trans Resistance Network - https://transresistancenetwork.wordpress.com/
Mutual Aid NYC - https://mutualaid.nyc/mutual-aid-groups/
Collective Focus - https://collectivefocus.site/
“Life is better when you’re delusional.”
“Sometimes you start talking and I don’t think you know where it’s going.”
“It’s such a crapshoot—some babies are very chill and some are not.”
This month’s word on the street were overheard by me but as always if you overhear something you want featured feel free to dm me :)