By Nawal Arjini — 2019
We talked to the writer about his debut memoir How We Fight for Our Lives and his move from poetry to prose.
Read on www.thenation.com
CLEAR ALL
Autistic queer folk may experience struggles for acceptance in both identities.
When I told my family I was trans, one of their initial reactions was, “But you’re so hairy! It’s going to be so difficult to remove all your hair to be a woman, so you should just give up.” They were zeroing in on my body hair as the barrier for me to be seen as feminine.
After generations in the shadows, the intersex rights movement has a message for the world: We aren’t disordered and we aren’t ashamed.
What began as a proud assertion of identity has itself become a trope; the stereotype of a gay man now is one who goes to the gym and takes care of himself.
The term “Two Spirit” in Native American culture often describes a person possessing both male and female spirits. And they’ve been around well before the Santa Maria or the Mayflower dropped anchor.
Being able to safely affirm one’s gender identity and sexual orientation is crucial to mental and physical well-being. Yet many LGBTQIA+ people face enormous challenges in owning their true identities.
Who owns your identity, and how can old ways of thinking be replaced?
1
Hyperindividual, you-do-you young people from across the U.S. are upending the convention that when it comes to gender and sexuality, there are only two options for each: male or female, gay or straight.
Creating spaces where the need to assimilate, conform, and belong are no longer important
2
In a new study, we found that women—but not men—continue to be perceived negatively for having casual sex.