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transgender

Arrow, Torchwood Star John Barrowman Launches Pro Trans Campaign

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John Barrowman

John Barrowman turns 50 on Saturday (11 March) and he is using the milestone occasion to make a statement. The Arrow star took to Instagram to share with his more than 650,000 followers his first T-shirt campaign of 2017 which supports transgender equality. ‘Our transgender friends and family need our help and support as a lot of decisions are going to be made on their behalf that don’t take their needs and rights into consideration,’ wrote the prolific actor, singer and author. By Greg Hernandez – Full Story at Gay Star News

Review: “Transcendent” – Boogieman In Lavender

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Transcendent

“Transcendent,” edited by K.M. Szpara, is the latest “Best Of” collection from Lethe Press. The question arises, would there be enough Transgender-related speculative fiction for a full anthology, let alone an annual series? The answer, judging from the fifteen stories assembled here, is “yes.” The stories display a surprising variety, never straying from Trans characters, (some not obvious) or themes. Transformation is an obvious recurring motif in the stories but when it occurs, it is often in subtle and startlingly different, and entertaining ways. “The Librarian’s Dilemma,” by E. Saxey, features a group “seeding” an archive, The Hairad Collection, which … Read more

COMICS: Batman a Trans Ally

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Batman

January is a big month for trans fans of DC Comics, as one of the iconic brand’s writers has come out as transgender, and the latest issue of Detective Comics pulls back the cape on Batman’s support for a mysterious new character, who just happens to be trans. She is Dr. Victoria October, an unorthodox scientist in charge of a quarantined zone of Gotham City that she calls, “Monster-Town.” Of course, October isn’t the first transgender character in mainstream comic books. That honor fell to Batgirl’s roommate, Alysia Yeoh, who came out as trans to Barbara Gordon, in a tearful exchange in April 2013. But as Screen Rant told its readers, the … Read more

Announcement: The Clockwork Conspiracy, by Emmett Steele

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The Clockwork Conspiracy

Emmett Steele has a new trans steampunk book out: A queer fairytale in a world of Steam… Alessandra has a problem. First of all, he’s not Alessandra. He’s Alek. Second of all, his parents pawned him off to an enchantress once they found out he was transgender, hoping she could “cure” him. Now Alek stays stuck in a tower all day, building marvelous singing automatons for Lady Elise. When a young man named Felix stumbles upon Alek’s menagerie, he’s startled not only by Alek’s beautiful creations but also the brilliant boy that makes them. Join Alek and Felix as they … Read more

Angel’s Bits – Transgender Awareness Week

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Hi all and Happy Friday! This week is Transgender Awareness Week, November 14-20. Instead of me talking about this, I want to signal boost The Trans Fiction Week blog project that Matthew Metzger spearheaded. The blogs this week focused on inclusion, on non-binary issues as writers, and on getting writers past that “can’t” mentality one often hears from cis-gendered writers. Some of the wonderful and informative blogs include: Beyond Punctuation: Editing Diverse Content Safe Spaces, and Safety Writing from the Closet (a non-binary writer’s view) Gun Control (a cis-gender writer’s view on the importance of inclusion) If it’s Cis, It … Read more

Asta’s Annotations: Editing Tips for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writers

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Today I thought I would cover three of the common editing queries I see from science fiction and fantasy writers. 1) World and Race Names The common issue here appears to be whether or not to capitalise. My advice is to follow standard English conventions, unless you have a strong reason not to do so. In either case, the real key is consistency. Don’t swap and change from chapter to chapter; make a decision on your preference and stick to it. Here is an example based on common English usage, followed by a fantasy rendering. In Denmark, many Danes enjoy … Read more

For Writers: Writing Non Binary

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Gender

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer John Allenson: John suggested that we talk about writing non binary characters. So often in fiction, we’re stuck on the idea that characters are either male or female – that they fit into society’s traditional gender worldview. Even with transgender characters, there’s often an expectation that they are “really” one or another – male or female – and are on a journey to physically become their real gender. But that leaves out a whole bunch of people, including folks who are intersex, transgender people who do not fully transition, and gender fluid … Read more

For Readers: Metaphorically Queer

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X-Men

For Readers: Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Andrew Kelley: I know that there are several Sci-fi movies and books that weren’t specifically LGBT themes and didn’t even make mention of any LGBT issues that I strongly identified with and really moved me. Even though I don’t think the author/director/screenwriter meant it to be an analogy it still could have been. Are there movies/ books that others felt this way about as well? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

The First Transgender Superhero?

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Chalice

A new comic book will be the first time a transgender superhero will lead a title. Chalice, the star of new superhero series ‘Alters’, is being described as a ‘hero for the new age’. Paul Jenkins, the comic book’s author, said the main character will have not come out to her family yet and can only present as a female when in costume. So unlike other superheroes who only have one secret identity – Chalice has two. By Joe Morgan – Full Story at Gay Star News

Science Trying to Answer Why People Are Trans

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DNA

Why are girls born as girls, and boys as boys? What about an individual who is biologically female but feels or sees oneself as male, or the other way around? Dr. Qazi Rahman who is a lead investigator into LGBT mental health at King’s College London revealed that science still can’t give a complete answer to those questions. ‘This is the key question at the moment,’ the scientist told The Guardian. ‘We know much more about how nature shapes sexual orientation, and my view of the science is that nurture does very little, if any, shaping of sexual orientation. We … Read more