Stunning

It doesn't matter if you hate Steven Universe, it's still important to talk about, because it showed the first queer wedding in American children's television. It has been cited by the creators of subsequent queer family animation as a major milestone in allowing their shows to enter production. The Ruby/Sapphire wedding is a historical milestone, and that doesn't stop being true just because you hate the show or think the ending was bad.

It doesn't matter if you think Will & Grace is entertaining or if you have any real interest in watching it, it's still a majorly important entry in televised queer representation. It kicked down the door to allow even more to come after, and deserves credit for what it did even if you don't personally care about the story.

It doesn't matter if you have any personal interest in Rocky Horror Picture Show, it's still got a ton of important history in queer spaces. Understanding why Rocky Horror showings were and still are hubs of queer expression is important even if you despise the movie and the creator.

Giving credit for representation milestones doesn't mean you can't have criticisms of a piece of media, it doesn't mean you have to like the media, and it doesn't mean you can't prefer other media. It doesn't mean it's free from problematic material, it doesn't mean it's god's gift to television, it doesn't mean it's better or worse storytelling than other stories.

Glee. How many of us fucking hate Glee? I do. You couldn't pay me to watch an episode of Glee today. Damn important at the time, though!

Rent. Fucking goddamn Rent. I hate Rent. But how many people did it introduce to broader queer stories and issues and community?

I never said you had to like the things on this list. I never said that you are required to engage with them.

What you are obligated to do, if you want to exist in queer community spaces, is respect the history and culture of the space you're in. You don't get to go into queer spaces and shit on the communities and traditions that kept the community alive. It doesn't matter if you "approve" of those traditions, what matters is that they kept. people. alive.

Every now and then someone gets over-the-moon pissed at me for defending Rocky Horror, and I just want so badly to introduce all these people to the 60-something year old trans woman who came up to the cast & crew when I was helping clean up after a RHPS shadowcast performance to tell us all about how she and her fiance have both been coming to Rocky longer than I've been alive, and how heartwarming it was to see people keeping the tradition alive.

hate exercising and realizing i've let go of a lot of anxiety and anger because i've overturned my fight-or-flight response.

hate eating right and eating enough and eating 3 times a day and realizing i'm less anxious and i have more energy

hate journaling in my stupid notebook with my stupid bic ballpoint and realizing that i've actually started healing about something once i'm able to externalize it

hate forgiving myself hate complimenting myself more often hate treating myself with kindness hate taking a gratitude inventory hate having patience hate talking to myself gently

hate turning my little face up to the sun and taking deep breaths and looking at nature and grounding myself and realizing that i feel less burdened and more hopeful, more actually-here, that i am able to see the good sides of myself more clearly, that i am able to see not only how far i have to grow - but also how much growth i have already done & how much of my life i truly fill with light and laughter and love