The pile-on came after the app released a blog post in celebration of Lesbian Visibility Day, describing how it is “reclaiming ‘lesbian’” from “the clutches of TERFs and bigots who’ve tried to hijack it to fuel their transphobia and hatred”.
Anti-trans TERFs then got HER’s twitter account suspended.
After returning to social media, the app sent a push-notification to all its users telling transphobic users to delete the app, adding: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Marcel Barelli‘s cartoon Dans la nature (In Nature) has won a lot of awards, and for good reason.
In a wonderful way it documents the diversity of animal sexuality and gender, documenting once and for all that nature does not care a bit about the binaries of bigots.
“It was a long time that I wanted to do a film about homophobia, but I couldn’t find a good idea. One day, I read a book about animal homosexuality [Animaux homo: histoire naturelle de l'homosexualité by Fleur Daugey]”.
“I asked Fleur Daugey, the French ethologist and journalist, to help me write a short film. We chose to write a film for children too; we decided it’s possible to talk about this to children. We don’t even need to talk about sexuality, just about love and feelings of love between the animals”.
“I prefer not to use the term ‘natural’ here, but homosexuality is everywhere. It is in insects, it is in animals; there is nothing bad about it.”
Note also that the movie not only covers same sex relationships. It also looks into gender diversity and animals that change sex.
PS
Some will probably say that using words like “queer”, “gay” and “trans” is misleading. From a scientific point of view that might at least be partly true, but when we discuss the diversity of gender and sexuality in humans, it makes sense to look for similar phenomena in animals. It is not a coincidence that we find same-sex relationships and shifting genders in nature as well. Humans are, after all, animals too.
According to a study by @justlikeusuk, 96% of lesbians are trans allies, compared to just 89% for the wider LGBTQ+ community, and 69% for non-LGBTQ+ respondents.
And, this doesn’t even mention, all of the trans lesbians out there.
“Let’s set the record straight: #lesbians stand together with our #trans siblings, fight for a world where all #LGBTIQ+ individuals are embraced for who they are. Our community is stronger because of our mutual love and solidarity.“
Given the current anti-trans hysteria found among TERFs and the far right, it is important to remember the history of the LGBTQ community. Berlin had once a thriving queer culture, with a research institute that studied and helped queer and transgender people.
Why is this important? Because that anti-trans movement is trying to get people to believe that being transgender is a new thing. It is not, and the texts and stories from Germany in the early 20th century prove it.
Magnus Hirschfeld was a gay activist, feminist, scientist and founder of the Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin (1919-1933). His support for both gay and trans people was radical and innovative.
The institute was essential in the LGBTQ struggle of the time, and his thinking continue to influence our understanding of queer and trans lives.
Magnus is the one with the glasses in the photo above.
In 1933 the Nazis took over Germany, and they started attacking the LGBTQ community straight away. They sacked Hirschfeld’s institute, arguing that being gay or trans was against Germanic ideals. They burned most of the institute’s book collection.
As you can see from the photo below, some of the posters they destroyed are of Lili Elbe, a Danish painter and trans woman who got gender-affirming surgery in Berlin.
“Far be it from me to want to turn to fascism,” a French councilor said before the war, “but…we have to agree that in some things those regimes have sometimes done good…"
He continued: “One day Hitler and Mussolini woke up and said, ‘Honestly, the scandal has gone on long enough’ … And … the inverts … were chased out of Germany and Italy the very next day.””
“Invert” refers to both gay and trans people.
Now Putin, the American far right and the TERFs want to “eradicate transgenderism”. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
“I translate German books from the Early Gay Rights Movement for activists in #sociology, #anthropology and history to inspire and improve understanding and historical accuracy. #LGBThistory #LGBThealth “Clear and very readable translations” –H. Kennedy”
Nakafeero Swabulah is an activist leader of lesbians advocating for support for vulnerable lesbians and children. Nakafeero is currently living in the Kenya Kakuma refugee camp. We present her story and some of the political and cultural context.
The Kenya Kakuma refugee camp
The camp, which is located in the north-west corner of Kenya, consists of four parts (Kakuma I-IV), and is managed by the Kenyan government and the Kenyan Department of Refugee Affairs in collaboration with the UNHCR.
New arrivals normally receive one piece of reinforced plastic 4 by 5 meters with which to construct their shelter. As Nakafeero will explain below, this is not a safe environment.
Escaping from the homophobia in Uganda
Nakafeero has escaped from Uganda, a country where the government is doing everything in its power to scapegoat and persecute LGBTQ people.
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, even if a 2016 court ruling found the 2014 Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act invalid on procedural grounds.
The parliament is currently investigating what it calls “the festering of homosexual activities” in schools. This is a classic example of homophobic and transphobic hysteria, where the culture stigmatizes queer people, leading people to try to “protect” kids from gay people, leading to more oppression.
The idea is that kids are lured into becoming queer, arguments similar to the ones presented by right wing extremists and TERFs in Europe and North America. This vicious circle is particularly strong in a country like Uganda, partly because the family structure plays such an important role in peoples’ lives.
Ironically, the anti-LGBTQ activists in Uganda claim that the acceptance of gay and trans people is a “foreign” Western idea. The fact is that it is the homophobia and transphobia that has been imported from the colonial powers of the past. Homosexual relations were accepted and commonplace in pre-colonial Ugandan society.
Nakafeero Swabulah has sent us the following report from the Kenya Kakuma refugee camp:
Living as a lesbian refugee in a camp in Kenya
By Nakafeero Swabulah
Kenya Kakuma refugee camp it’s located in Kenya North Western Tulucana county. It has over 2000 LGBTQ refugees passing through, due to the homophobic situation and the many challenges found here and in nearby countries.
I would like to tell you about my situation and experience.
As a young lesbian I moved from my mother country Uganda because I was facing a lot of invalidation. Some even wanted to slaughter me like a goat because am a lesbian.
I am not willing to change what and who I am, even if that had been possible (which it is not).
The Ugandan president does not accept lesbians, gays or transgender people. My mother and my sister were both killed in our home by local people because they thought that was inside the house. In Uganda lesbians are seen as devils right now. I have no one who can help me, so I decided to come to Kenya.
People from Uganda are still looking for me and others like me. I thought that I would be safe in Kenya, but the situation right now is not good. This is why I want to seek asylum elsewhere.
This photo shows you where we sleep in the camp. The authorities have not provided shelters where we can at least sleep safely.
At night we have been attacked by homophobic people. There are dangerous insects such as snakes and scorpions.
In the camp we are given one kilogram of millet, one of sorghum, one kilogram of maize and one cup of cookies oil per month. This isn’t enough for a week.
Kakuma is not a safe place for LGBTQ people. We need help.
Nakafeero Swabulah and Giulia Sarro (photo above) are organising a fundraiser campaign to pay for food and sanitary pads for the lesbian refugees in the camp.
This new flag seeks to take Philadelphia’s inclusive approach a step further. Daniel Quasar, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, designed this flag. The white, pink, and light blue reflect the colors of the transgender flag, while the brown and black stripes represent people of color and those lost to AIDS. “When the Pride flag was recreated in the last year to include both black/brown stripes as well as the trans stripes included this year, I wanted to see if there could be more emphasis in the design of the flag to give it more meaning,” Quasar explained on his Kickstarter.
Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
The addition of the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag in 2021 adds the intersex community to the progress Pride Flag and represents the most up-to-date LGBTQ+ flag, created by Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK.
Note #1: Even if the Republican Party har descended into the dark pit of homophobia and transphobia, this is not the case for all conservatives in all countries.
Note #2: The Onion is a satire site.
“My life is miserable, colorless, gray, and every reminder that other people are out there enjoying themselves is like a dagger through my heart.”
“I oppose any type of community that could give my gay son the love and support that I refuse to ever give him.”
“Drag shows make me feel like I’m not pretty, and when I feel ugly I get mad, and when I get mad I hurt people. Better just to avoid it entirely.”
“Death is terrifying and it’s easier to fixate on this than think about how I’ll disappear someday.’
The Guardian reports that polling for Galop, an LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity, found that one in five British LGBTQ+ people and more than a third of trans people have been subjected to attempted conversion.
More than 400,000 people who are gay, transgender or non-binary have been subjected to someone trying to change, “cure” or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to new research that suggests a proposed ban on conversion practices will have a wider impact than previously thought.
The majority of LGBT+ respondents who have experienced conversion practices (56 per cent) stated that conversion practices come from the people they should feel safest with – their own family.
Transgender (43%) and non-binary people (36%) are significantly more likely to be subjected to conversion practices that other LGBTQ people.
More than 4 in 10 (43%) trans people have been subjected to conversion practices. Over 1 in 3 (36%) non-binary and gender-diverse+ people have been subjected to this kind of treatment.
One survivor explained that her mother tried to make her date men when she was dating a woman, exposing her to images of male genitalia and heterosexual sex acts and pornography and threatened to poison her food on a regular basis when she refused to break up with her girlfriend.
A trans respondent said:
I was actively told by a friend of
mine at the time that I wasn’t really
trans and that I was doing it for
the attention and that they’ll never
see me as trans and will actively go
against it and tell people I’m lying.
In a post over at Crossdreamers Sally Molay looks at how psychological distress may play out among queer and transgender people and give you an introduction to the concepts of trauma, PTSD and Complex PTSD (CPTSD) in an LGBTQ+ setting.
She points to some steps you could take to help yourself or a friend suffering from trauma related issues.
Why write about trauma in an LGBTQ+ context?
Sally writes:
Being an LGBTQ+ person is not a mental health diagnosis. If you struggle with your mental health, that is because of other circumstances, such as bigotry and discrimination.
Not all LGBTQ+ people carry trauma, but many do. Living in the closet, family rejection, bullying and violence are some of the reasons for this. The general lesbophobia, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in society can be sufficient in many cases.
LGBTQ+ people unfortunately experience bullying, harassment and even violence more often than most people. In addition, many of us do not have safe ways to explore our sexuality or gender identity. This makes us vulnerable to sexual trauma. LGBTQ+ people are also more likely to be homeless than others. Being unhoused can be a trauma in itself. And it makes people especially vulnerable to violence.
Because they cannot safely be themselves, LGBTQ+ people sometimes repress their entire identity. This can go on for years or even decades. The pressure of hiding your true self and the fear of being found out can be traumatizing. When the repressed identity surfaces, this can be a relief, but it can also be a forceful, dramatic, painful and scary experience.
Many LGBTQ+ people who suffer the effects of trauma are unaware of this. We often disregard or distrust our own experiences. This comes from being surrounded by straight friends and family as well as heteronormative, cisnormative media or even laws. We are told in a myriad of ways that what our heart tells us is wrong. It is difficult not to internalize these prejudices and feel shame for what makes us unique. We might feel that our feelings and our trauma are not “real” or valid.
Finding constructive ways to deal with trauma is the next challenge. This is demanding for anyone, and it can be especially demanding for LGBTQ+ people. Our trauma might not be safe to talk about. It is challenging to find a therapist who understands our predicament.
There are no easy fixes for this. But a good place to start is to learn about trauma, PTSD and CPTSD, the symptoms you might experience, your triggers and some ways to meet them. Knowledge is a valuable resource in any recovery process. In marginalized communities it is even more valuable.
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