I'm gonna restack but also, right on. When I started here a month ago, I was shocked that freaking "crypto" gets a category but not "queer" or "LGBTQ+"? What a gross oversight.
I literally had to ask my wife was crypto even was. Or the furniture category? We can have furniture but not Queer? I mean, where do they think art deco came from anyway??
I love this so much! And it's actually tipped me to make a decision about publishing my own post about why I too am not going to leave Substack. I wrote it ages ago but haven't felt ready to publish it. Now I'll make a few modifications, because what you've written here is so helpful and I want folks to find this too. And I'm publishing something today that's gonna get those hashtags as tags because it's all about Trans Joy.
I'm happy to link to your post for some shared visibility if that sounds like something you want. The decision to stay or go isn't one I take lightly, and I appreciate all the reasons we weigh those decisions individually and as members of our communities. That said, I am always here for Trans Joy!!
That's basically the crux of what I have drafted. I am thinking it might be a two-parter though, so I have to sit with it. Part one: Why I am not leaving Substack, Part Two: What does effective activism look like in online spaces?
Oh yeah, I like that approach. Lately I've really been drawn to the notion of NOT ceding space to bullies and intolerance, partly as a choice, but largely out of consideration for those who cannot leave. The internet has been a siloed world in so many ways, so it's easy to think about leaving for our personal reasons. But what happens to the communities left behind? And when someone new comes along, how are they supposed to find their community? I've struggled mightily in finding other trans a queer folks like myself because of this, and I refuse to continue that pattern.
Not leaving by a long shot. This is my fucking house. Restacked your note about a queer category. It’s important to find our community and support one another.
<sigh>. Thanks, Robin, for tagging me on the note you wrote a few days ago. I'm all for it - we need a queer and/or trans category and it is utterly ridiculous in this day and age that there isn't already one available. However, I did not share/restack your note, and I apologize for that. I just can't bring myself to go anywhere near Notes. The last time I did (over 2 months ago now), a swastika popped up in my feed. I'm Jewish. I had recently read about the incident in which one of the nazis Hamish and co believe should be allowed to say whatever they want had written about how we need a new holocaust here in the states. Since you're trans, I'm going to hazard a guess that you can easily imagine how it felt to see that swastika, after Hamish et. al. had made snarky comments about how the only way you'd see that crap is if you went looking for it. I didn't go looking for it. It came to me. I'm done. At this point I'm here to read the wonderful words of you and the few other writers whose words I value too much to abandon even on this nazi-ridden site, but I just can't bring myself to go to Notes. I applaud you and the other brave souls who are sticking it out here, and I'm truly sorry about not acting in support of your goal here. I tried, and I just... couldn't.
Please don't ever apologize for prioritizing your safety. That will always be the most important thing for any of us. And I can fully understand and acknowledge the environment on notes being pretty awful. I've seen it hit way too many people. None of us went looking for it, and you're right, it came for us, it came for you, and victim blaming adds salt to those wounds.
I am glad you exist in this world. That's enough for me. And you've shown me your support many times. I'm so grateful to know you as a friend.
This is interesting--you're making me realize that I avoided substack and then some really good writers on queer issues showed up here and so I started coming over here to read their stuff and got into a bunch of stuff here and got in way deeper.
It's like I read about the trans hate and avoided it...then kind of forgot? I cannot fully remember.
LGBTQIA is not necessarily a main thing I'm interested--it's just it ALSO gets shit coverage everywhere else. The shittiest!!! LIES, man. Manipulative bullshit will just arrive into the newspaper like a mildewed wet towel to the face.
So a bait and switch but it's not the writers. It's substack. Something weird about this place. It's definitely a Nazi bar.
So basically the Nazi bar is the only bar where you can regularly just show up and get accurate information about LGBTQIA issues in politics and so forth?
I was getting into gear when the open letter came out but I like the platform, there aren't many other free options so I'm sticking with it and subscribing to you.
Thank you for writing this. I just joined and wasn't aware of any of this. My suspicions were awakened last week when I accidentally stumbled on some transphobic garbage via another post on my feed. Had to delete a follower. I'm openly LGBTQIA+ and uncle to a Trans kid. Restacking this with tags.
If you haven’t already found it, @Mr. Troy Ford has put together Qstack as a way for the LGBTQIA2S+ community to gather together and share our stories. It’s a very important safe space, and I think you’ll find a thriving community of support there. I’m very glad you’re here.
It's nice to know that someone here is a Transgender friend. I'm a Trnas woman aged 66, and I felt after a post I wrote of not coming back to Substack or more like step back into the shadows and just read and observe. It infuriates me how people who most typically do ot even understand the etymology of the word Transgender make it about sexual perversion and being in a cult. That view is rubbish. I have known since I was 8 years old that I exhibit feminine characteristics more frequently than male. What irks me is why this is such a hot-button issue when it clearly is not anyone else's business, though, my community is being marginalized and hated for being different. Thank you.
Bella, welcome. Our community is stronger together, and that’s why I show up the way I do. I hope you feel that you have options here. You’re welcome to sit in the shadows when you need to feel protected, but you’re also very welcome to join in the comments, tell me about your own writing, and find other friends here who are incredibly kind and loving. I moderate this space so that we can all feel safe being ourselves. I’m so glad you’re here!
I was deeply hesitant to come anywhere near substack, because I've heard of the Nazi issue. However I don't have any significant social media following, and want a place to put my writing. I do cross-post on beehiiv. However, finding your work has been huge motivator for my saying what I want to say.
I also am frustrated with the inability to choose more than one category. I'm lucky that I can fit into the fiction category, but I also have queer experiences. And while my fictional work is not explicitly about a queer experience, it is also impossible for me to de-tangle my queer experience from my fiction.
Yes! I was shocked when I joined Substack in January and saw that LGBTQIA2S+ wasn't listed as a category, or Queer or Women or Sexuality, or Diversity or Memoir. Is anything to be done? Or is this just another instance of all of us needing to build it, the way we always have to build what we want and need as a community? Oy. I'm so glad that I found you!
Honestly? I think it might actually be better if we built it ourselves. If you’re not already on it, consider joining @Mr. Troy Ford over at QStack! He’s building a list of queer/LGBTQIA2S+ creators.
I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry you’ve had to exist in places not wise enough to make space for you. I’m glad you and others are making space for queer authors anyway. I’m pretty sure you also know Mr. Troy Ford—likely how we found each other—and the library called Q he’s creating, right?
Yes! Mr Troy Ford is a good friend and amazing connection for our whole community. I'm so grateful for his efforts to connect more of us. I'm glad you're here too, Holly.
If I could put a screenshot in here I would show it, but yea this platform and Twitter are the only places I have ever been attacked for my sexuality. It's fucked up 💯
I can't believe(okay I can) the category doesn't exist, I mean it only makes good business for them on their end. But the owners made it clear who they are pandering to.
I'm gonna restack but also, right on. When I started here a month ago, I was shocked that freaking "crypto" gets a category but not "queer" or "LGBTQ+"? What a gross oversight.
I literally had to ask my wife was crypto even was. Or the furniture category? We can have furniture but not Queer? I mean, where do they think art deco came from anyway??
I love this so much! And it's actually tipped me to make a decision about publishing my own post about why I too am not going to leave Substack. I wrote it ages ago but haven't felt ready to publish it. Now I'll make a few modifications, because what you've written here is so helpful and I want folks to find this too. And I'm publishing something today that's gonna get those hashtags as tags because it's all about Trans Joy.
I'm happy to link to your post for some shared visibility if that sounds like something you want. The decision to stay or go isn't one I take lightly, and I appreciate all the reasons we weigh those decisions individually and as members of our communities. That said, I am always here for Trans Joy!!
That's basically the crux of what I have drafted. I am thinking it might be a two-parter though, so I have to sit with it. Part one: Why I am not leaving Substack, Part Two: What does effective activism look like in online spaces?
Oh yeah, I like that approach. Lately I've really been drawn to the notion of NOT ceding space to bullies and intolerance, partly as a choice, but largely out of consideration for those who cannot leave. The internet has been a siloed world in so many ways, so it's easy to think about leaving for our personal reasons. But what happens to the communities left behind? And when someone new comes along, how are they supposed to find their community? I've struggled mightily in finding other trans a queer folks like myself because of this, and I refuse to continue that pattern.
100% this.
I've really spent time thinking and reflecting on the whole thing, and this was the conclusion I came to as well.
Not leaving by a long shot. This is my fucking house. Restacked your note about a queer category. It’s important to find our community and support one another.
<sigh>. Thanks, Robin, for tagging me on the note you wrote a few days ago. I'm all for it - we need a queer and/or trans category and it is utterly ridiculous in this day and age that there isn't already one available. However, I did not share/restack your note, and I apologize for that. I just can't bring myself to go anywhere near Notes. The last time I did (over 2 months ago now), a swastika popped up in my feed. I'm Jewish. I had recently read about the incident in which one of the nazis Hamish and co believe should be allowed to say whatever they want had written about how we need a new holocaust here in the states. Since you're trans, I'm going to hazard a guess that you can easily imagine how it felt to see that swastika, after Hamish et. al. had made snarky comments about how the only way you'd see that crap is if you went looking for it. I didn't go looking for it. It came to me. I'm done. At this point I'm here to read the wonderful words of you and the few other writers whose words I value too much to abandon even on this nazi-ridden site, but I just can't bring myself to go to Notes. I applaud you and the other brave souls who are sticking it out here, and I'm truly sorry about not acting in support of your goal here. I tried, and I just... couldn't.
Please don't ever apologize for prioritizing your safety. That will always be the most important thing for any of us. And I can fully understand and acknowledge the environment on notes being pretty awful. I've seen it hit way too many people. None of us went looking for it, and you're right, it came for us, it came for you, and victim blaming adds salt to those wounds.
I am glad you exist in this world. That's enough for me. And you've shown me your support many times. I'm so grateful to know you as a friend.
Thanks, Robin! I'm glad you exist in the world too! 💚
This is interesting--you're making me realize that I avoided substack and then some really good writers on queer issues showed up here and so I started coming over here to read their stuff and got into a bunch of stuff here and got in way deeper.
It's like I read about the trans hate and avoided it...then kind of forgot? I cannot fully remember.
LGBTQIA is not necessarily a main thing I'm interested--it's just it ALSO gets shit coverage everywhere else. The shittiest!!! LIES, man. Manipulative bullshit will just arrive into the newspaper like a mildewed wet towel to the face.
So a bait and switch but it's not the writers. It's substack. Something weird about this place. It's definitely a Nazi bar.
So basically the Nazi bar is the only bar where you can regularly just show up and get accurate information about LGBTQIA issues in politics and so forth?
How screwed up is THAT?
Ro, I feel ya. The nazi bar thing was rough for a lot of us, but I opted to stay to build community anyway. I suppose I just got tired of running?
If the info I need is at the Nazi bar, I maybe gotta go to the Nazi bar.
But I just try not to forget it's a Nazi bar. And I try to remind other people.
Hi Robin, I restacked your note. I'll say again that if you do ever leave Substack, I will follow you where ever you go.
Charlotte, your words always feel like a big, supportive hug. Thank you.
I was getting into gear when the open letter came out but I like the platform, there aren't many other free options so I'm sticking with it and subscribing to you.
I'm glad you're here, Ren!
Thank you for writing this. I just joined and wasn't aware of any of this. My suspicions were awakened last week when I accidentally stumbled on some transphobic garbage via another post on my feed. Had to delete a follower. I'm openly LGBTQIA+ and uncle to a Trans kid. Restacking this with tags.
If you haven’t already found it, @Mr. Troy Ford has put together Qstack as a way for the LGBTQIA2S+ community to gather together and share our stories. It’s a very important safe space, and I think you’ll find a thriving community of support there. I’m very glad you’re here.
Thank You! I'll check it out.
It's nice to know that someone here is a Transgender friend. I'm a Trnas woman aged 66, and I felt after a post I wrote of not coming back to Substack or more like step back into the shadows and just read and observe. It infuriates me how people who most typically do ot even understand the etymology of the word Transgender make it about sexual perversion and being in a cult. That view is rubbish. I have known since I was 8 years old that I exhibit feminine characteristics more frequently than male. What irks me is why this is such a hot-button issue when it clearly is not anyone else's business, though, my community is being marginalized and hated for being different. Thank you.
Bella, welcome. Our community is stronger together, and that’s why I show up the way I do. I hope you feel that you have options here. You’re welcome to sit in the shadows when you need to feel protected, but you’re also very welcome to join in the comments, tell me about your own writing, and find other friends here who are incredibly kind and loving. I moderate this space so that we can all feel safe being ourselves. I’m so glad you’re here!
I was deeply hesitant to come anywhere near substack, because I've heard of the Nazi issue. However I don't have any significant social media following, and want a place to put my writing. I do cross-post on beehiiv. However, finding your work has been huge motivator for my saying what I want to say.
I also am frustrated with the inability to choose more than one category. I'm lucky that I can fit into the fiction category, but I also have queer experiences. And while my fictional work is not explicitly about a queer experience, it is also impossible for me to de-tangle my queer experience from my fiction.
Yes! I was shocked when I joined Substack in January and saw that LGBTQIA2S+ wasn't listed as a category, or Queer or Women or Sexuality, or Diversity or Memoir. Is anything to be done? Or is this just another instance of all of us needing to build it, the way we always have to build what we want and need as a community? Oy. I'm so glad that I found you!
Honestly? I think it might actually be better if we built it ourselves. If you’re not already on it, consider joining @Mr. Troy Ford over at QStack! He’s building a list of queer/LGBTQIA2S+ creators.
https://qstack.substack.com/
Yes! I saw the QStack. It's excellent. Subscribing now. Thank you, Robin.
I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry you’ve had to exist in places not wise enough to make space for you. I’m glad you and others are making space for queer authors anyway. I’m pretty sure you also know Mr. Troy Ford—likely how we found each other—and the library called Q he’s creating, right?
Yes! Mr Troy Ford is a good friend and amazing connection for our whole community. I'm so grateful for his efforts to connect more of us. I'm glad you're here too, Holly.
Love this post so much.
I’m really glad you’re here and so happy I found you! Thanks for sticking around.
If I could put a screenshot in here I would show it, but yea this platform and Twitter are the only places I have ever been attacked for my sexuality. It's fucked up 💯
I can't believe(okay I can) the category doesn't exist, I mean it only makes good business for them on their end. But the owners made it clear who they are pandering to.
Glad you're here. Restacked your Note 🙏🏻