tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22760549191113690072024-03-13T14:27:10.346-07:00The Alchemist's ClosetExploring the alchemical intersections of queerness.zeraphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17032274476748969498noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-35339282325512817482016-10-27T15:41:00.002-07:002016-10-27T15:46:54.746-07:00Why Do So Many White People Get Upset by "Safe Spaces" for People of Color?
This article originated as a response to this Tumblr thread, where a lot of white people were upset by the idea of safe spaces for people of color, as described by this article by Aeman Ansari.
A lot of white people who think safe spaces (and the like) are racist were raised with the idea that racism is resentment/bigotry against people of a different race than yourself. I know that I was. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-34592995804989695122015-10-06T17:43:00.001-07:002015-10-06T17:43:09.394-07:00Google Privacy Controls Suck (Or Why There Are No Pictures Anymore)
Apparently, there are very few working images left on this blog. This was entirely unintentional and doesn't indicate that I've decided to neglect this blog. Rather, it's because Google's privacy controls for pictures suck, as a result of their decision to push their Google+ product to the detriment of their users.
As you may know, Google introduced their social network, Google+, to a fairly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-28240328404315617472015-06-18T09:56:00.000-07:002015-10-08T21:59:15.133-07:00Why You Should Say "Cis"
The word "cis" or "cisgender" has been growing in popularity recently. While the terms have been around for some time, it is only recently that they have broken into the mainstream discourse. Some people are understandably confused about what these relatively new terms mean, and some people are surprised to find themselves called "cis" or "cisgender" by trans people.
The word 'cis' was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-34637482798837605052014-07-18T05:12:00.001-07:002015-06-18T10:37:18.664-07:00You Can Tell Me if You Feel ShittyWe lie. Everyone does, and people with chronic illnesses do. I lie to my family and my friends when I can tell by their voices that they really want me to be doing well. When they say, "You must be feeling so much better now that the weather is warm!" I say, "Yeah, sure, it's good, it's okay." Even if I'm mid-relapse and thought about suicide twice yesterday because my body hurt and I started to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-37276587910249079412014-04-28T15:36:00.001-07:002018-07-12T15:47:21.240-07:00Multiple Perspectives: Patriarchy and Genderqueer Identity
There
was a time when I didn't know how to approach feminism or a feminist
identity. I saw that some feminists had defined different roles, both overtly
and subtly, for men and women who want to come to a feminist identity
or become allies to feminists and women generally. As a genderqueer
person, I could not exclusively assign myself to either road. My gender
itself defied attempts to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-72685250242274687682014-03-22T12:29:00.001-07:002014-04-28T16:28:47.960-07:00I'm Not An Inspiration, But I Am Your Shadow: Thoughts on Disability
I can tell that when I talk about my life, in terms of things I have done and accomplished, it adds evidence to the idea that I do not have a disability. Or people see that I'm able to visit them at their house or I look well, so therefore I do not have an illness at all.
This all makes me feel really alone lately. I emailed an older friend and activist about my art opening in November, and heUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-68889283749745298552013-12-27T08:04:00.003-08:002014-03-28T15:26:12.341-07:00Let’s talk about consent in practice [via Disrupting Dinner Parties]By Rosie Franklin, via Disrupting Dinner Parties: Feminism for Everyone
Last week we talked about what a “model of consent” is and what a few models were. Today is about consent under the “yes means yes” model.
Consent is being in agreement that what is going on is good/ desirable/ fun/ sexy and should keep happening. You need to have your partner’s consent for sexual activity, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-64690848179052259922013-09-05T11:03:00.004-07:002013-09-06T10:47:44.459-07:00I Belong to You: On Queer Individuality and Identity
"I think, as I get older, I become stranger and more generic. A generic queer, for queer is my nation and my culture."
-Dragon XCalibur, "Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue"
(source)
My genderqueer translady friend is showing off her haircut. As usual, it's long in some parts, short in others. Like me, she almost always has the hairstyle we call an undercut: Longer hair on top, coveringUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-69028610293283663032013-07-30T09:44:00.001-07:002018-07-12T16:10:35.063-07:00Disobedient Queers and The Abolition of Straight Normativity
I heard that you wanted to know what it felt like. You didn’t
want to hear more about the words, the labels or the identities. You
didn’t want the Trans 101, the umbrella terms, the carefully constructed
sentences meant to include everyone and exclude nobody. You didn’t want
the mental processes, the noise, the endless seesaw of indifference and
argument and negotiation, the droning Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-78861124758559619962013-06-21T12:56:00.000-07:002015-10-08T22:06:11.604-07:0010 Sweet Free Fonts for Making Zines!
These fonts are great for making paste-up zines, but they can also add kind of a paste-up style to a zine that is put together on the computer. I'm partial to paste up zines myself, so I like the idea of printing some of these out for borders, titles, etc., and combining them with hand-written, collaged and typewriter-written material. One of the fonts is a typewriter font that I really like-- Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-85923105052082780592013-06-11T20:34:00.000-07:002013-06-11T20:34:49.871-07:00 Calling for Community Care: a reflection on whiteness, privilege, connection and spiritBy Andrea MacDonald
This is a piece I’ve been meaning to write for a while. These words
reflect my ongoing process of coming to terms with my privilege. These
words have laid dormant, wrapped up in fear and pondering; caution and
consideration. I have been endlessly nervous and unsure of myself in
articulating these sentiments because I worry what people will think –
what the unintended Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-49698975587833002752013-06-11T12:58:00.000-07:002013-07-30T16:21:58.681-07:00New at Alchemist's Closet: True Stories by Mixed Race Writers and Feral ForagerNew at The Alchemist's Closet zine distro are two fantastic zines:
MXD Zine: True Stories by Mixed Race Writers is full of powerful voices talking about being mixed race.
Contributors discuss being constantly asked to explain their ethnicities, being seen as white and experiencing casual racism of white people, queer genders and sexualities with mixed race identity, and a lot more.
MXD ZineZeraph Dylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02698828111898099622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-89683792955447844362013-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:002015-10-08T22:12:17.727-07:00Hey, Sexypants! Top 9 List of Ethical Companies to Get Your Undies From
There are other best-of underwear lists for queer folks, but not all of these consider the rights and well-being of the workers who sewed those garments. Thanks to Autostraddle.com's recent Underwear Week, it's not hard to find pretty comprehensive
lists of skivvies for many gender presentations and body types.
But those lists are mostly about fit, comfort, fashion, and gender presentation. zeraphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17032274476748969498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-63581048000899594502013-03-14T12:51:00.000-07:002014-04-28T16:24:41.500-07:00BDSM is Not Immune to Rape Culture | BDSM & Consent
I've been to several great consent workshops, and I've learned a lot in the process. After one of these workshops, I approached the experienced and talented presenter, a member of our small radical queer community in central Maine, and asked this question:
"What about BDSM* and consent? No one ever mentions that, and I've never seen any resources or zines about it."
To my surprise, she agreedZeraph Dylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02698828111898099622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-68242340342704267492013-03-01T12:59:00.000-08:002013-03-01T12:59:05.443-08:00Trans advocacy group seeks trans artists and crafters for listing
Trans Heart Pin by WickedQueer on Etsy
Trans Lives Matter, a Seattle-based trans community and advocacy group, is seeking trans* artists, crafters and sellers on Etsy and beyond for a listing of trans-owned businesses. Trans/gender and non-binary sellers can get in touch with Trans Lives Matter to be added to a listing on their website, translivesmatter.org.
Trans Lives Matter is developing
Zeraph Dylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02698828111898099622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-29552528823812418042013-02-12T20:08:00.000-08:002013-02-12T20:09:10.691-08:00Autostraddle Seeks Queer Trans* Women Writers
Founded in March 2009 and still run by a dedicated team of indentured
masochists, Autostraddle is an intelligent, hilarious & provocative
voice and a progressively feminist online community for a new generation
of kickass lesbian, bisexual & otherwise inclined ladies (and their
friends).
They're looking for queer-identified trans* women to contribute all types of written work to aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-21792334060864311312013-02-10T22:52:00.002-08:002013-03-28T08:29:06.983-07:00Fierce Logic: Fox News' First Gay KissRecently, there was a bit of a mix-up over at the FOX News website. Their trusty anti-feminist woman writer, Suzanne Venker, was explaining how ladies and mens are different and how feminism is hobbling all of our true natures. "Each gender," explains Venker, "has its own energy that flows in a specific direction. For God’s sake, let it flow."
I have to admit that Venker sort of intrigues me, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-16856980639980422832012-12-01T16:39:00.002-08:002015-10-08T22:24:23.839-07:00Desire Quarantine: Sex and Gender in LGB....TWhen the sign on the door says "LGBT," and the facilitator asks for
everyone's pronouns, [trans people] are still not in a space that is free of
cissexism, binarism and transphobia. In fact, we may be subject to them
in a unique way that exists within an LGBT movement that has been led
and shaped primarily by cisgender gays and lesbians.
Sometimes I am not so sure that we Zeraph Dylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02698828111898099622noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-937707699666263202012-11-21T14:32:00.005-08:002015-06-18T10:55:08.549-07:00Queer Words (An Advanced Degree in Queerology)
There are plenty of queer "glossaries" and "Trans 101" documents out there on the internet. But interacting in the online queer world as a member, rather than just as an ally, requires more than Trans 101. At times it requires being able navigate a field of linguistics, theory, terminology and queer studies that can be baffling to newcomers and frustrating to lots of people.
Unfortunately, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-74287580818486016572012-11-21T13:23:00.001-08:002012-11-21T23:28:11.365-08:00What is alchemy? (And why use it to talk about gender?)
Alchemy is perhaps not given enough credit. Most people are
familiar with only the vaguest idea of the practice, and usually what
they think of is the effort to turn metals into gold, which out of
context seems like very materialistic goal. Actually, alchemists worked
with metals because they were chemists at a time when religion and
science were considered very much the same thing,Zeraph Dylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02698828111898099622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-59580064538984192492012-11-06T13:57:00.001-08:002012-11-21T13:25:57.855-08:00Alchemist's Closet opening on Genderplayful Marketplace
I am so excited about the brand-new Genderplayful Marketplace! Genderplayful is a new community selling platform with hand-chosen sellers serving the trans, genderqueer, gender variant and gender playful community.
It's always a challenge for me to find clothes that fit me, both physically (as a small, masculine-dressing person) and mentally (I'm searching also for fashions that are Zeraph Dylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02698828111898099622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-9277677960096088422012-11-04T01:57:00.000-07:002013-03-28T08:29:50.822-07:00Transgender Youth in School: Transition and StealthTransgender youth are transitioning, whether socially, medically, or both, earlier than has ever been possible before. Trans youth often face challenges associated with transitioning in school. Some youth and their families "go stealth," making sure no one knows about their trans status and that they can present publicly as the sex they identify as.
This is the issue explored in this podcast by Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-49047687548168287332012-10-23T16:24:00.000-07:002012-11-21T23:36:10.713-08:00Consign with The Alchemist's Closet!In 2013, I'm really excited to stock a bunch of new zines. AC consigns zines by queers, trans people, feminists, anarchists and punks, among others. I am especially interested in consigning zines that are both political and personal, sexuality & gender topics in zines, and zines that are not carried by many other distros.
At this point in time, I would be delighted to stock up some more Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-22570585990835114172012-10-05T10:43:00.001-07:002013-03-28T08:35:05.814-07:00The Zine World is a Utopia (of the Le Guin variety)Almost exactly four years ago, I launched a website for my zine distro, The Alchemist's Closet. I spent dozens of hours on the learning curve of HTML, cascading style sheets (CSS), Paypal shopping carts and promotion. That was the hard part.
Mailing stuff out was the fun part. The first packages I sent out were super elaborate: I wrapped each bundle of zines in brown kraft paper, sealed them Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276054919111369007.post-67595138979584594862012-09-16T19:36:00.000-07:002012-09-16T19:43:38.190-07:00Ten Tips for Respect: Understanding People with Invisible Illnesses This is the last day of the "Invisible Illness Awareness Week," September 10th through 16th. I was drawn to learn about this awareness-raising week while checking out the blog Chronically Creative, a personal account of living with multiple chronic illnesses and also being creative and crafty. There are a lot of people who are definitely creatives and who deal with one or more chronic visible or Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0