Trans Asians

“India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday started hearing a challenge to one of the world’s oldest laws criminalizing consensual gay sex, a debate that has raised broader questions about how far to extend equal rights in the country.

India’s Supreme Court will review Section 377’s constitutionality, creating a surge of hope for lawyers and activists who have been campaigning against the law for years. But hope is tempered by years of disappointment. Even now, it is an act of calculated risk to identify publicly as being gay in India, or to advocate for change.

In interviews conducted over three months, gay and transgender Indians from across the country described the cost of living in a country that has forced them to be outlaws: shunning by parents, social isolation, few protections in the workplace, and a frightening vulnerability to both police abuse and sexual assault with limited legal recourse.

Victims of blackmail or sexual assault often hesitate to approach police for just that reason, fearing they will be arrested — or worse. “The rich ones, they will extort money from; the poor ones, they will use for sexual favors,” said Mohnish Malhotra, a gay-rights activist in New Delhi.

But India was once at ease with depictions of same-sex love and gender fluidity. In Hinduism, gods transform into goddesses and men bear children. Rekhti, a genre of poetry that flourished in India from the late 1700s, describes erotic encounters between women.

When British colonizers arrived in India, that acceptance of homosexuality eroded. In the 1860s, the British introduced Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The law imposed a fine, 10 years’ imprisonment or a life sentence on “whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” Section 377 is generally applied to sex between men, but it officially extends to anybody engaged in anal or oral sex.

Even if the Supreme Court excludes consensual sex from the law, lawyers said its archaic language means a legislative amendment is needed to protect people who are gay.”

The Elite Engineers Leading a Challenge to India’s Homosexuality Ban

Gay Sex Not an Aberration, Indian Judge Says Ahead of Ruling on Homosexuality Ban

Love letters Hans Christian Anderson wrote to Edvard Collin contain elements that appeared in The Little Mermaid, which he was writing at the same time

Several people who knew James Dean have talked about his relationships with men 

Letters and poems allude to a romance between Emily Dickinson and at least two women 

Nikola Tesla was adverse to touch. He said he fell in love with one women but never touched her and didn’t want to get married 

Freddie Mercury is well known for his attraction to men but was also linked to several women, including Barbara Valentin whom he lived with shortly before he died. Friends have talked about being invited into their bed and walking in on them having sex (documentary Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender) 

Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are two of the best-known activists who fought in the Stonewall riots

Florence Nightingale refused 4 marriage proposals and her letters and memoir suggest a love for women 

Leonardo da Vinci never married or fathered children, was once brought up on sodomy charges, and a sketch in one of his notebooks is 2 penises walking toward a hole labeled with the nickname of his apprentice 

Condivi said that Michelangelo often spoke exclusively of masculine love

Jane Austin never married and wrote about sharing a bed with women (Jane Austen At Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley)

Hatshepsut took the male title Pharaoh (instead of Queen Regent) and is depicted in art from the time the same way a male Pharaoh would have been

Donatello, renaissance artist, likely gay (Hey, let’s face it— 3/4s of the TMNT were gay). [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

Louis XVI, king of France can be presumed asexual. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

Baron Von Steuben, a gay man who helped train George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

Julius Caesar, a military leader and popular Roman politician who was also a bottom (I mean if he wasn’t a bottom, why else would he have gotten stabbed 23 times?). [source 1] [source 2] [source 3 — a note: this is just stating that the trouble wasn’t the gender of the other person, it was because [Caesar] was the bottom]

Albert Cashier, a trans man who served the Union in the American Civil War. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

Elagabalus, a Roman ruler who was presumed to be transfeminine. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

Sulla, another Roman general who was not straight. [source 1] [source 2]

Jean-Baptiste Lully, a ballet dancer, and composer close to Louis XIV. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

Piotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky, a gay Russian composer. [source 1] [source 2]

Why are the Greeks white in art then?

For a few reasons. Firstly, the ‘white’ Greek marble statues that fill up our museums were actually originally painted different colours. The paint didn’t survive the test of time: the marble did.

The second reason? That’s much more interesting: it’s the same reason that can explain why Jesus tends to be a European in Western people’s minds, and why Cleopatra has been played by Elizabeth Taylor and Achilles by Brad Pitt.

“People tend to like the past to look like a mirror image of themselves,” says Whitmarsh. “Since the 18th and 19th century onwards there has been a ‘whitening’ of the Greeks and Romans – an appropriation by European powers. For instance, the Germans in the 1800s were adamant that the Greeks were actually Germans who had wandered down the peninsula.”

As for British and American audiences, “The transatlantic slave trade made it so black and white are the categories in which we see people,” argues Whitmarsh. “The Greeks had a concept of people being different skin colours, but they wouldn’t put black people on one side and white people on another.”

White immigrants weren’t always considered white - and acceptable: https://theundefeated.com/features/white-immigrants-werent-always-considered-white-and-acceptable/

What is Whiteness:  https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/opinion/sunday/what-is-whiteness.html

Why I Teach About Race and Ethnicity in the Classical World: https://eidolon.pub/why-i-teach-about-race-and-ethnicity-in-the-classical-world-ade379722170

“Black Odysseus, White Caesar: When Did “White People” Become “White”? by James H. Dee:                                          http://scalar.usc.edu/works/ancient-leadership-in-the-era-of-donald-trump/media/Dee%20_Black%20Odysseus,%20White%20Caesar_(1).pdf

An Investigation of Black Figures in Classical Greek Art: http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/an-investigation-of-black-figures-in-classical-greek-art/

The Met - Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Africans in Ancient Greek Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/afrg/hd_afrg.htmScholars Respond to 

Scholars Respond to Racist Backlash against Black Achilles, Part 1: Ancient Greek Attitudes toward Africans: https://pages.vassar.edu/pharos/2018/05/11/scholars-respond-to-racist-backlash-against-black-achilles-part-1-ancient-greek-attitudes-toward-africans/

Scholars Respond to Racist Backlash against Black Achilles, Part 2: What Did Achilles Look LIke?:         https://pages.vassar.edu/pharos/2018/05/18/scholars-respond-to-racist-backlash-against-black-achilles-part-2-what-did-achilles-look-like

@viendiletto - you know that that Rome had colonies in Africa, right? And that modern Italy had colonies in Africa? You think no mixed-race children resulted from that? Or that Italy doesn’t have a history of racism? 

Africa: Italian Colonies - THE LEGACY OF FASCIST COLONIAL RACIAL POLICY - Italy, Italians, Jews, and Colonization 

Second: Given Greece’s geographical location, it would not be inaccurate to say there were Black people living there. People traveled a lot— Greece was a hotspot to immigrate to and settle down in.

Third: Rome. Rome was not made up of a single group of people— Rome was so diverse. Roman culture mixed with the that of the various areas it conquered. Take the Romance languages for example. Basically, it was the regional languages mixed with vernacular Latin. Rome was a huge and influential entity, as depicted below.

Also, do not forget the Severan Dynasty. This dynasty had African and Syrian heritage. Take Septimius Severus. He was born in Leptis Magna (in Roman Africa), present day Libya. 

Miss Major’s Retirement Fund

Sylvia Rivera Law Project

FIERCE NYC

QDEP

Audre Lorde Project

CUAV

CAVP

BreakOUT!

Southerners On New Ground

El/La Paras TransLatinas

MUSLIMS ARE GETTING PUT IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN CHINA

MUSLIMS ARE GETTING PUT IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN CHINA

#TransDayofVisibility

[ mestizx mexicanx/native american, xe/him, nb ]

I was really afraid to post anything and I just found out that nonbinary identities were included as well. Yay! (;u;)

Shout outs to all my trans and nonbinary brothers, sisters and siblings!!! I love you and always remember to be strong! Don’t feel rushed to transition because your safety comes first! Here are some helpful links in case you’re feeling down my bbys!

lifeline looking for trans poc speakers: [lifeline]

Latinx trans organization: [El-La]

tumblr about Latinx sexuality: [latinosexuality]

Spanish resource for Latin families with trans kids: [kidshealth.org]

Latinx LGBT+ Group: [De Ambiente]

Suicidal Hotline for Trans ppl: [chat room/texting] [1-866-488-7386]

Trans Law Center: [TLC]

Black Trans outreach/advocation organization: [BTW]

QTPOC Summer Program: [GET FREE!]

2 Spirit Native American Resource Centers: [NativeOut] [NYSHN] [TwoSpirit PDF]

Filipino LGBT Rescource Center in LA: [barangayla]

Asian LGBT Male Resource: [GAPA]

Asian Pacific Islander support network: [GAPSN]

Trans friendly job list: [masstpc]

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Before we get on with the post, it’s important to note that these are two groups of diverse people who are very unique in many ways! However, in light of the month, (and mainly due to the fact that a lot of the resources available online are for both groups), here is a compilation of resources for Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ people! Other masterposts can be found here (and don’t hesitate to add anything if you have resources to contribute)!

GLSEN Pages:

An article about supporting LGBTQ+ Asian and Pacific Islander Students 

PDF with a timeline of important moments in history for LGBTQ+ Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 

7 Events in LGBT History to Recognize This Month

“Why Educators Should Recognize Queer, Asian Identities in School Curriculum,” an article by Becca Mui

Other organizations:

APIQWTC (Asian & Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Coalition), which provides opportunities for Asian & Pacific Islander queer women and transgender people to socialize, network, build community, engage in inter-generational organizing, and increase community visibility

NQAPIA (National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance), a network of Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBTQ organizations 

Asian Pacific Islander Resource Kit by GLAAD (also links to other resources)

Historical information from the US National Park Service:

Full study

(Chapter 9) Sexual and Gender Diversity in Native America and the Pacific Islands

(Chapter 11) Breathing Fire: Remembering Asian Pacific American Activism in Queer History

(Chapter 18) LGBTQ Civil Rights in America

Index

Some LGBTQ+ Asian/Pacific Islander Creators:

Jean Melesaine (queer, Sāmoan, artist, documentary photographer, and one of the founding members of One Love Oceania)

Ingrid Nilsen (half-Thai, lesbian, beauty vlogger and internet personality)

Kit Yan (trans/queer, Chinese-Hawaiian, playwright, poet, performer, and lyricist)

Chrysanthemum Tran (trans/queer, Vietnamese American poet, performer and teaching artist)

Chella Man (deaf, Jewish-Chinese, genderqueer, artist)

Patrick G. Lee (queer, Korean-American, journalist and filmmaker)

Pati Solomona Tyrell (queer, Sāmoan, artist/photographer based in Tāmaki Makaurau)

Other Helpful/Informational Links:

A collection of links to readings on Asian American gay and lesbian history

Being Asian/Pacific Islander & LGBTQ: An Introduction (an article by the HRC featuring research regarding important issues in the community, as well as links to other resources)

Gender Identity and Sexual Identity in the Pacific and Hawai'i

10 South Asian LGBTQ Books That Changed My Life (an article by Priya Arora)

Wikipedia’s Timeline of Asian and Pacific Islander diasporic LGBT history

“The Girls and the Apple.” Jasmine Kabale Moore. The Coalition

“Waiting Room,” Jamie Berrout

Love and Comets, Gillian Ybabez

Coconut, Gabrielle Bellot. Small Axe Journal

poc isn’t an adjective - i’m not a “people of colour blogger”, i’m a blogger of colour

don’t say poc if you mean a specific group of people. black lives matter isn’t about all poc. it’s about black people

you don’t need to tell us about every instance of racism you see. if someone’s said something racist about us & we weren’t there, sure, we probably do want to know. but if it’s along the lines of “can you believe this person was racist”? yeah. we can. we don’t need you to remind us

if you have a friend of colour, please don’t expect them to give you the rundown on every racialised issue you see. i’m black. that doesn’t mean i’m automatically an expert on how the modern beauty industry is influenced by india’s colonial history. i don’t speak for all poc - ask someone who’s affected by it

remember that talking about race is tiring. wanting to be more aware of it is great, but discussing exactly how white supremacy affects our lives is frankly depressing. please respect that we don’t always want to do that

if you ever say you’ve “got an [ethnicity] friend” so you can’t be racist to try and sidestep being genuinely called out for racism, i’m stealing your friend. you’re tokenising & they deserve better

poc aren’t a monolith & individual ethnicities can trivialise the racism they don’t face. just because you’ve heard a brown person say the n word or a black person be anti-asian doesn’t mean it’s suddenly okay

talking about our relationship with whiteness ≠ “making everything about race” & anyone who says that from now on owes me £150

don’t just take my word for it - read their own.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network is a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. … We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. … The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation.

(source)