14 Valentines Day 13: LGBTQ

[druidspell]

An Open Letter to the particular class of cis feminists who maintain their position that only women-born-women should be allowed a voice in feminist discourse:

I love women; I love being a woman. I am proud to be a feminist. But once and for all can we please just agree that a woman is so much more than her genitals, her breasts, her uterus and ovaries, and her two x chromosomes? Our hearts, minds, souls and experiences are what make us women, not our menstrual cycles and hormone levels, and not the genitalia we were born with. 

Your irrational hatred has blinded you to some crucial truths, namely that transwomen are not the enemy. They aren't agents of the Patriarchy intent on subverting the ideals and rights that we fight, bleed and die for. They're our sisters, and in a kinder world their warrior spirits would have been housed in the proper body, but sometimes science is wrong. And because biology fucked them over, they have to fight exponentially harder, at exponentially greater risk,  to be recognized as they are: as people, as women, who by virtue of being human are worthy and entitled to rights and protection from violence, harassment, and inequality. 

And if you can't work through your transphobia and misogyny, then do us all a favor: shut the fuck up and quit subverting the ideals and rights that we're fighting, bleeding, and dying for; we don't need any more agents of the Patriarchy telling us that our value and status as women lies solely in our genitals. 

Sincerely,
druidspell (a cis lesbian feminist who really wishes you'd get off her side and stop making us look like the enemy)


And also some recs:
Lunaby Julie Ann Peters is the story of Regan and Liam/Luna. By day, Regan has a desperately angry and miserable brother, Liam, who is tormented at school and bullied at home by their father in the hopes of toughening him up. By night, Regan's sister Luna emerges like a moth as she struggles to claim her true identity as a young woman. Though Regan is the narrator, the story focuses on Luna's transformation and eventual transition and its effects on their sibling relationship. The book is aimed at young adult readers, but is smart and mature enough for adult readers as well. Warnings for bullying and references to self harm and a suicide attempt. 

The Toby Daye series by seanan_mcguire is an excellent series which shows absolutely no signs of being less awesome any time soon. Later books feature two secondary characters one of the sweetest lesbian romances I've ever read. If you're a fan of noir type mysteries, urban fantasy, and strong female protagonists, give this series a try

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[insunshine.livejournal.com]

♥

[druidspell.livejournal.com]

After Girl Scouts of America decided that transgirls were welcome in their troops, I was shocked and appalled at how many self-identified feminists on my Facebook feed were shocked and appalled that GSoA would allow "crossdressing boys" into their organization. I've been sitting on this open letter since then, and with 14valentines coming up, yesterday seemed like the best day to post this. (Of course, I had to back-date it because I lost track of days and didn't post it until this morning, but that's the peril of being unemployed; days of the week are meaningless.)