shaQUEERa!

tigers walk behind me: Radical Perspectives on Sex // CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:34:00 -0500

tigers walk behind me: Radical Perspectives on Sex // CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

So I’m trying to put together a publication on radical perspectives on sex/porn/sex work/kink that goes beyond the basic sex-posi feel-goodness, isn’t just a glossary, examines things from a variety of radical angles.

E.g., i’m co-writing a piece on the place of porn & kink “before and after the…

Exactly what I’ve been wondering if anyone else was thinking for like ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

as downloadable pdf:...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 11:09:00 -0500

as downloadable pdf: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6mMVobbv9vJQWFyQUx4QnZ6MTA

pdf:...

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:02:00 -0500

pdf: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6mMVobbv9vJSlJqSWdKbDJGZjQ

freececemcdonald: Kicking off a ride out to visit Cece Mcdonald...

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:37:10 -0500

freececemcdonald:

Kicking off a ride out to visit Cece Mcdonald in St. Cloud. When we got to the prison, we were met with SWAT teams at every entrance. Imagine that, prison officials are terrified of solidarity. Wonder why?

Check out freecece.wordpress.com for more info.

peeyourpantstown: if thin people can be transfat, then i can be transsexy. ever since i was very...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 02:13:14 -0500

peeyourpantstown:

if thin people can be transfat, then i can be transsexy.

ever since i was very little, i’ve felt like an extremely hot chick trapped inside a mediocre girl’s body.

omg lol

“Trans* and other labels”- therian, otherkin,...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 02:12:00 -0500

“Trans* and other labels”- therian, otherkin, transspecies, transethnic, transable, transage, transfat

Basic transcript-

So, I’m on fetlife and I noticed someone made a status similar to, “I bought a puppy today (bio).”

It reminded me of the trans* movement, how “bio” seemed at one point more acceptable. Now it’s like, “No! Cis. What does it mean to be biologically ____?”

I wondered how to refer to those who aren’t part of therian and otherkin communities exactly, but are? If that makes any sense. So like how do you refer to cis equivalents of a therian or otherkin community? Like are there cis-puppies, and how would you know that they’re cis? And what implications does creating such distinctions create?

I tried looking for all of this online but could not really find any answers. But I did find words like transspecies (and critiques on it), transethnic, transable, transage, and transfat. Some of the critiques on transspecies were that, “But I can’t even transition to the species I want anyway, so why call myself transspecies?” It made me think about medicine’s role in the label trans*. And how some think it takes hormones or surgeries or whatever to be the defining point of transition.

Reading all of the different variations of trans* made me worry about how trans* (that I know of) usually only umbrellas gender, and wonder in what way does it having greater awareness (hesitant to say “visibility”??) almost seem to oppress other trans* groups (i.e. the above list)?

This seems to argue transethnic, transable, and transfat are appropriative and I thought it was interesting, especially the last bit about, “But what does it mean to be of a certain ethnicity?” in which case I’m like, “But what does it mean to be a certain anything, and if that approach is taken are all label identities invalidated?”

Part two, re: counseling

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:18:00 -0400

Remember the Action Plan i mentioned earlier?

During our follow-up appointment they said, “We know that you made an action plan.” I said, “I didn’t make it.” They were like, “Oh? Do you usually have forgetfulness problems? Has this happened in the past?” I was like, “NO, I DIDN’T MAKE IT, and i didn’t sign it because i said i did not agree to it then. I don’t know what it’s doing in my file.”

They continued, “Do you feel suicidal?” I shook my head. They said, “You have to answer verbally, or your answer won’t count. Now. Do you feel suicidal?” I shook my head again.

I felt too upset to speak aloud, after the Action Plan thing, how they were treating it like i was a liar or forgetful, and how “out loud” words meant more, and how, in the waiting room they called me by my legal name when they knew my preferred name was riley and, about one second later, said, “Hi, i’m _____. What’s your name?” Fuck no!!!!!!!!!! Lately i have felt very much pressure to stay riley. Some of my friendships hinge on me being riley. When people find out my legal name, sometimes they have reacted, “You liar! You lied to me the entire time. How could you??????” I worry, if people found out riley is not my legal name they would leave me. Some of them, also, are religious and because of that or some other reason they are transphobic and you know what, you can say why don’t you just leave them? But if i did maybe i would have no one, or extremely less friends.

They said, “We need you to answer this out loud. Are you suicidal?” I shook my head. I worried i would hate the sound of my voice, and felt dysphoric, the way my shirt clung to me on the spiderweb chair—— their chair was very big, and round, and sunk in. I said, when i first entered the room, “This is what i imagine being small and trapped in a spiderweb would feel like.”

“Are you suicidal?”

“…………..”

“If you don’t cooperate you might as well leave. Our time here is done.”

I left the room without saying anything.

Why ASU's counseling system is terrible

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:17:00 -0400

Them, my first year: We think you're not getting as much out of our counseling sessions because you're not paired with someone of your own gender. We were thinking of switching you to a female counselor. How would you feel about that?
Me then: dysphoriaaaaa

Then, I went counseling because I chose to after winter break. Now I'm being forced to go over a post I made on facebook that went: Stressed! School is too much to handle right now, and the extra activities that are going along with it #Possiblynotgraduatingontimefailuretoeveryonewhydontijustkillmyselfrightnow

Me now: Hey, I don't have time to be here right now. I'm doing like 24 credits, am interning, am a part time writing tutor, am president of two clubs, and am trying to keep a social life. It's too much. The reason I'm stressed is I have too much to do. You're taking away from my time to do these things, so you're only making me more stressed you know?
Them: You must see us right now, and tomorrow
Me: I'm going with my club genderWHAT?! to an academic conference in California tomorrow. I can only meet you super early in the morning
Them: That's fine
Me: Maybe for you, but not for me. Thursdays are the few days I get to sleep in, if I can at all, if I don't have a Thursday test/hw to cram for. Tomorrow is a REALLY bad day. I'll be gone till Sunday. Can we do Monday?
Them: Mmmmm. We can't trust you to stay alive until then
Me: Trust me, I won't kill myself during the weekend. I have a group to lead, and I can't let things go wrong for them. There is no way I will kill myself before this thing happens
Them: No, tomorrow at 8
Me: Expect me late or not at all. My dad takes forever to wake up, and to take me to the light rail. The light rail takes forever. It takes me forever to walk, with two huge backpacks I need for all my lab books and other heavy things, and tomorrow I will need to be carrying my California things. I can never wake up for my alarm anymore
Them: If you're not here by 8 AM tomorrow we are going to call the cops and they will show up at your house
Me: You're only making me more stressed and are CAUSING me to feel suicidal. My family would NEVER allow cops into the house, they would be so mad at me for ever even staying for a counseling session. They say only "crazy" people go to counseling, and would disown me. I need them for support, or I couldn't try to take on as much as I am right now
Them: Show up here, or we'll call the cops. Now, let's make an ACTION PLAN to keep you safe until then
Me: I really don't need an action plan
Them: What keeps you calm?
Me: (nothing you would approve of and would only force me to stay in counseling longer, so I'm not telling you) Nothing
Them: There has to be something
Me: (safest seeming answer possible) Maaaaybe, climbing to the stairs to tops of buildings and staring down for movement
Them: That's unacceptable. Do you know why?
Me: (I can guess why you'd think so) No
Them: You might jump off the building
Me: (so many things can become dangerous) Oh. Then I guess nothing calms me
Them: Looking at cats?
Me: That makes me fall asleep and I have too much to do to fall asleep
Them: There has to be something. Tea?
Me: I use that for all nighters to keep me awake
Them: Writing?
Me: I try to make my writing perfect, so it's actually stressful to write
Them: So you journal then?
Me: Yes
Them: We're going to write that as your calming activity
Me: JOURNALING DOES NOT CALM ME
Them: We're going to put it down anyway, okay?
Me: JOURNALING DOES NOT CALM ME
Them: And, who could you talk to if you plan to kill yourself?
Me: (no one who would want to listen or sympathize) No one
Them: We're going to write down EMPACT. Is that okay? Would you call them?
Me: No
Them: Why not?
Me: I've heard bad things about suicide hotlines, and if I'm really suicidal I would just do it. I wouldn't try to get someone to talk me out of it, or maybe I'm not as suicidal as I thought I was, because for me personally it's all or nothing
Them: We're writing EMPACT anyway. Could you sign here that this is your action plan--- that you will do these things if you're feeling suicidal?
Me: No
Them: Why not?
Me: You totally put words in my mouth. I NEVER said writing calmed me, and I'm not going to call EMPACT

Ughhhhhhh, and you know what really annoys me? I mentioned my dad was like, "My little Harvard graduate! Going to medical school!" and me being like, "Dad, never getting into that, let alone any med school right now. I only volunteered at a hospital for like, six months and got fired at that. Haven't done any research in a lab, haven't joined a science club, got a C in genetics, my o chem grades aren't in yet, and neither are a whole year's worth of science grades. There's too much going against me. People look at my resume and say, 'Oh! You're an english person!' because those things dominate it. I'm applying to english grad schools." The counselor was like, "I'm so glad you're taking control of your own life, and not letting anyone else get in your way! That's very important, you know"

How ironic, they're telling me to be "in control" yet commanding I come to counseling at 8 am or some dire consequences will happen, and, not that I am suicidal, but they're telling me I can't even have the control to commit suicide/be suicidal/etc????????? YEAH, sounds like they approve of being "in control" of your own life alright.

And something else, after I mentioned being president of genderWHAT?! they were like, "Oh, what sexual orientation are you again?" and started checking my sign-in forms and I was like, "NO! No, nothing to do with each other. Just because I am probably-interested in gender does not mean my 'sexual orientation' is notable! NO!"

"I think [Christians in America] have confused not being able to pray everywhere with not being able..."

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:27:19 -0400

“I think [Christians in America] have confused not being able to pray everywhere with not being able to pray anywhere, and I think they’ve confused the loss of absolute power with persecution.”

- Jon Stewart (via iamjordanemerson)

Shortly after posting this on tumblr, these responses were found...

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:38:50 -0400

Shortly after posting this on tumblr, these responses were found by Riley and Jase by Palo Verde. Again Jase took these pictures. Yeahhhhh, responses like these = :(

mama-boy: this has been buggin me also -same goes for what my...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:38:44 -0400

mama-boy:

this has been buggin me

also -same goes for what my genitals are. its not “what i think i am” or “what i think they are” its what i fucking am and what they fucking are

hey. remember the post where we mentioned we were tearing...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:38:00 -0400

hey. remember the post where we mentioned we were tearing posters down? there are still more posters like them sometimes and yeah, the posters are getting “better.” by better i mean they’re not flagged as problematic nearly as quickly to riley.

the first three posters, from this post, made me like, “no.” the second three made me less immediately like “no” because okay, if you’re a victim of domestic violence in such a way that you don’t want to be, that’s bad; although if you want to be a victim, that’s cool too. Anyway, if it is unwanted men do matter too about being protected, and the idea that “all men are rapists” or other nuanced variations like “only men are rapists” (which the poster did not directly state, but i was guessing it might have been trying to say??????) is a problem.

above are their newest posters, although the second two images were found merged, with “A Voice for Men” posted over the “Daddy why don’t I have any rights?” poster, which had its bottom cut off.

When i saw the newest posters i wondered, “Why are they testing for paternity anyway?” Is it because they want to be sure they’re the biological father because otherwise they won’t want anything to do with the child? I’m not saying everyone’s this way, but that’s how my dad was. Is it intended to be shaming? Or? I guess i kind of don’t understand why this statistic is put on the poster.

Also, i was wondering—- what percent of men make/made up industrial work in the first place, so is it any wonder 94% of the deaths occur to them? Same for # that would actually be put in (ie. allowed in) combat situations?

And why should fatherless homes matter? If it’s because “multiple parents earn more money” or have more resources or whatever, why does it have to be fathers that have to be there? So, the “75% of all adolescents in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes” statistic seems pretty irrelevant to men’s rights. Same for the 85% statistic about behavioral disorders, 71% statistic about high school drop outs, 63% stat about youth suicides, 90% of homeless children, and 85% prison youth (which actually seems to include ALL youth, not gender-specific, so idk how this is a men’s rights issue, but if they want to be concerned with it, okay). I’m guessing the only reason “fatherless homes” matters is they’re promoting the idea that nuclear families are the ideal, based on their image of the three figures on the “Daddy why don’t I have any right’s?” poster, and that they seem to treat divorce (or being separated from?????) as if it is a negative thing?

And for the 60% funding, it’s not like men (in the cissexist way, which i’m guessing they’re meaning) don’t get breast cancer also, so breast cancer research can benefit everyone really. Although, yeah, they should do more prostate cancer research.

And I am wondering, are these suicides completed, suicides attempted, or? I kind of don’t like how suicide, high school drop out, chemical abuse, and homeless statistics are included. It seems to be shaming the acts, as if they are bad things; maybe some of them wanted to do these things and were happy about their choices. I actually thought, a better statistic might be “men who have been shamed regarding suicide,” instead of ones who actually committed it, because yeah okay, give me notes saying i am bad for saying everyone can do what they want with their bodies and i am being a bad friend or human being or whatever, but if you really want to say you believe in autonomy maybe it includes suicide too.

I think that it would be helpful to say WHY only 10% of fathers receive primary custody of their children, like how many cases was it due to sexism, as opposed to other reasons? Cuz, i don’t mean to treat it like my personal experiences are everything (although my point actually supports the posters, so idk why i’m making these side marks), but yeah, the courts were pretty sexist to my dad, regarding custody. My mom was abusive, but the courts said women would never hit their children and they were by nature loving and whatever, but yeah. Maybe not all father-not-receiving-the-child custody cases involve sexism.

Also, men can rape men, and men can cause other men to be victims of domestic violence, ETC. It might help if the posters mentioned that, and advocated stopping unwanted acts of violence, rape, etc for ALL. Oh, and when they say “all” men on the statistics do they really mean “all” men or are they only examining a certain area? Are any places skewing the data, and what are the rates per given area? Where are these stats coming from, who participated in the study, what about unreported cases, is this assuming unreported cases, etc? I really don’t trust listed stats.

SO YEAH. If you want to criticize me for tearing them down, keep doing so, but i have my reasons. Even if the newer posters are better, they still make me like “no” and they are STILL HANGING THE ORIGINAL THREE POSTERS about “men are oppressed by women,” etc. which makes me like, “Yeah, if you still harbor those ideas, i can only imagine how those play into your other posters.” And okay, when you consider intersectionality, their old posters have more to say, but really? They never seemed to acknowledge intersectionality, so i am guessing they are saying at a large scale level all women oppress all men? No. P.s. Where is everyone else? Why just men and women?

Also, these posters were found around campus by Riley and Jase,...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:38:00 -0400

Also, these posters were found around campus by Riley and Jase, and Jase took these pictures. Comments added to the men’s rights posters are particularly popular around Palo Verde, and a new poster popped up, apparently in response to them; it is the final picture in this set. Responses like these are encouraging, so these kinds of posters have been staying. Also, there was once a poster with a pro-domme message and business card attached, but no photograph was taken

'i’m personally tearing them down' Wow, seriously? I would've considered myself to some degree a feminist before encountering people like you on tumblr. For years I've been militantly pro-choice and pro-gay rights despite being both heterosexual and sterilised / child free. If you only support free speech when people are saying things you agree with, you're not supporting free speech at all. You're a disgrace and a moron.

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:36:03 -0400

Woah, sounds like you had some incredible, strong feminist convictions. Also, unfortunately, they are still free to post more vile posters, and they retain their freedom of speech. Basically, what you said makes no sense and sounds like bait.

List of gender neutral restrooms on the Tempe, Downtown, Polytechnic, and West campuses of Arizona State University

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 18:47:14 -0400

List of gender neutral restrooms on the Tempe, Downtown, Polytechnic, and West campuses of Arizona State University:

Excitement =D

After sooooooo many calls to ASU’s public records, plumbing, blue print, everyone everyone, idk the list goes on, Riley received a pdf list of all of the gender neutral restrooms on the Downtown, Tempe, Polytechnic, and West campuses. Print it out, pass it out.

Help credit goes out to everyone who was called and who helped. The one who sent the final email was Jodi Preudhomme. Also, Suzanne Copeland was involved. Idk any other names specifically at the moment.

While it is disappointing that it’s only a list format and does not have specifics (i.e. which restrooms’ locks don’t work, or other restroom conditions), or how to get to the restrooms within the building it is still something. I think they mentioned they removed restrooms that require Sun Cards/residence off the list because they only included public restrooms? I’m not sure on that, though. I have not checked.

I think it would be interesting to keep continuing this, though, with locations on a map marked, and with other important details, and possibly copied and pasted on trans squat or something. But yeah, enjoy.

Upcoming "Performing at the Intersections of Race, Gender and Queer Politics" event, Tempe AZ Sept 2012

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:56:00 -0400

Upcoming "Performing at the Intersections of Race, Gender and Queer Politics" event, Tempe AZ Sept 2012:

might be worth considering

"The future of queer/trans activism" by Julia Serano

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:52:49 -0400

"The future of queer/trans activism" by Julia Serano

these messages have been going around asu’s tempe campus,...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:41:00 -0400

these messages have been going around asu’s tempe campus, especially around the pillars. Riley was like, “Tear them down!” and did, and was then accused of infringing upon others’ free speech. Mm, hmm. i think before i would have said, “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, let them say what they want.” Yeah, not like that anymore. All, do what these messages what you will, if you find them around campus, but i’m personally tearing them down

Pdf download to map of gender neutral restrooms on Tempe campus of Arizona State University

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:55:44 -0400

Pdf download to map of gender neutral restrooms on Tempe campus of Arizona State University

Attention all who are interested in contacting genderWHAT?!: please stop leaving messages in our...

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:59:38 -0400

Attention all who are interested in contacting genderWHAT?!: please stop leaving messages in our “ask” box. We request that you instead email gwshaqueera@gmail.com Thx!