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I want to teach one of my friends some queer history but I'm not sure what to teach them specifically, i want to focus on trans queer history as he is a trans boy but idk most of the stuff i know is very western focused so if anyone has any recommendations of things i can research about indian trans history or just trans history in general please let me know 🙏
I'd like to tell you all something today:
Your gender identity is valid, no matter what labels you use. You deserve to feel comfortable in your own skin. You deserved to be loved. Your more than whatever labels you use or whatever pronouns you're comfortable with it.
I'd also like to take a moment to remember and honor those we've lost as a community. Those murdered for their identities and their activism. Those who committed suicide due to a lack of acceptance. Those of our past who experienced the sad yet universal injustice of being trans. Rest in peace and power.
Okay, so I try hard to cover global queer history, and this isn't marking a stop to that, but I am aware that most of my audience is American, and I want to address them very directly right now.
Google Removed Pride Month From Its Calendar App, and Stonewall National Monument's "LGBTQ" status was changed to "LGB" on the government website. This is the beginning of the erasure of queer history, not the end. I don't know what the future of the United States looks like, as someone who studies queer history and has done so for many years, I want to share some tools with you.
Now is a good time to prioritize local queer history, Making Gay History is a great project, so is the Digital Transgender Archive, but also check your city and see what resources there are.
Read and buy books about queer history. I have an affiliate list with some of the books I personally recommend.
If you use Google Calendar, repopulate that resource with so much queer history with a free queer history calendar plug-in, it has names from queer history that you can also learn more about for free when they come up. As the author of these articles, feel free to save them, print them off, whatever makes them freely accessible as suppression get's worse.
Use your local library. Email the board about book bans, request banned books, request queer books, and make your voice heard.
Make queer art. Share queer art. Protect queer art. Here is some public-domain queer art to use as you wish.
Keep up with queer news, THEM is a great resource.
All of these tools are currently freely accessible with an internet connection. Queer history is a community responsibility, do your part.