The Queer Liberation Library (QLL) is a digital treasure trove of over 1,200 LGBTQ books, providing a valuable resource for individuals across the country to access. This unique collection offers a diverse range of literature that celebrates and explores the LGBTQ experience in all its complexity. QLL has attracted over 50,000 readers, providing safe access to queer literature regardless of location or circumstances. Unlike traditional libraries, the Queer Liberation Library is specifically curated to center LGBTQ voices and experiences. With a focus on inclusion and representation, this digital catalog offers a wide range of genres, from fiction and poetry to memoirs and academic texts. While the collection is extensive, here are a few notable titles: "A Burst of Light" by Audre Lorde “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston: A contemporary novel with LGBTQ themes. QLL continually adds new titles to enrich its catalog and cater to diverse interests QLL was founded by a team of nine volunteers in response to state laws and school policies challenging books with LGBTQ themes. By providing access to a wealth of LGBTQ literature, the Queer Liberation Library offers readers the opportunity to explore diverse perspectives, gain insight into different lived experiences, and foster a greater understanding of the LGBTQ community. It offers free digital access to over 1,200 LGBTQ books for readers across the United States. Whether you are looking for resources for research, personal enrichment, or simply to broaden your literary horizons, this digital library has something to offer everyone. Representation matters, and the Queer Liberation Library plays a crucial role in amplifying LGBTQ voices and stories. Unlike many public libraries, QLL specifically curates books with queer themes or written by queer authors. By providing a platform for LGBTQ authors and their work, this digital catalog helps to create a more inclusive literary landscape and promotes greater visibility for the LGBTQ community. With over 1,200 books to explore, the Queer Liberation Library is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to learn more about LGBTQ history, culture, and identity. Whether you are a member of the LGBTQ community or an ally looking to educate yourself, this digital library is a rich source of knowledge and inspiration. 🌈 📚 Check it out HERE: www.queerliberationlibrary.org

@queerliblib

Me whenever I see the intersex flag in any pride stuff ever

Please mention and include us. Why do you all use the progress flag that doesn't include us?

"The orchid is used as a symbol by many intersex-led groups, particularly those by, or originally by, people with androgen insensitivity or resistance. The word orchid comes from the ancient Greek word ὄρχις (órkhis), for testicle or testis. It describes the shape of twin tubers in some species of the flowering plant.

A form of gonadectomy called an orchidectomy or orchiectomy refers to the surgical removal of testes. This remains a common experience for people with androgen resistance and other intersex variations. Due to a poor or very poor evidence base, such interventions are controversial.

Orchids appear, for example, in the logos of the AIS-DSD Support Group (USA), AIS Support Group Australia, and also in the film Orchids: My Intersex Adventure."

https://intersexday.org/en/symbols/

This wasn't a random cutesy decision, and the use of orchids to symbolize intersex people is tied to surviving medical abuse and accepting the self despite it. There are a lot of flowers used as symbolism to represent queerness of all sorts. Do research into your history and see what is already out there. Things like this carry weight and history.

you only need to look at the way being intersex is often referred to by doctors and by TERFs to understand the damage the "sex is biological" rhetoric does

in case you're not familiar, the term I'm referring to specifically is DSD or Disorders of Sex Development

to someone who truly deeply believes that sex is natural, being intersex will always be disordered or defective. they insist on continuing to label us (intersex folk) as "men with DSD" or as "women with DSD" in order to reinforce the sex binary. they will not let intersex people be proof of the truly social nature of sex as a category, because they will not even see us as intersex. delete "sex is biological, gender is social" from your vocabulary. please and thank you

PLEASE!!! So many queer and trans folks parrot this mess and it is literally what TERFs tell us constantly alongside really violent messages. Sex is no more a binary that is set in stone than gender is. And this mentality not only supports intersexist narratives, it contributes to intentionally breaking our community and making sure we never have a real community.

please don't forget to check out our queer resources page if you are in need of help

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we will continue to add resources as time goes on!

three years ago today, a new me was born

Check out this fucking shit

CHOO CHOO ALL ABOARD MOTHERFUCKERS the transfemme glow up train is leaving the station

Can I throw one in here?

2012-2020 2 years on HRT

If I may...

2016 -> 2023; 2 and half years on HRT 🏳️‍⚧️

I'd say it worked out pretty well for me 🤷‍♀️

Fuck it. Feb 14 2021 -> Dec 31 2022

A little over a year on E

Decided to use my favorite pre transition photo from just before my egg cracked. Tbh I made a very pretty boy. I just like being a pretty girl more :3

Jan 2019 - June 2023 (2.5 yr HRT)

2000's nu metal bassist to goth gf pipeline (i do need to play more bass fr)

Oct 2014 -> June 2023 (abt 6 years HRT)

posted on this before, but i took some new bice photos of myself recently, and who am i to deprive tumblr of my cuteness :3c

Nov 2019 -> June 2023. 3.33 Years E

Not my best pics tbh but w/e

This thread is the cutest

Here's my lil Sept. 2019 -> June 2023

October 2018 -> May 2023 💜

June 2020 -> June 2023 🥰

Excellent thread hehe

1 year of HRT

November 2022 - November 2023

happy trans day of visibility!

if you have considered adding your own beautiful face to this thread but wasn’t sure, this is your sign. today is the day 🙂

i love you all 💜

2021 vs 2024

now a year and 3 months since first starting hormones, 3 months on my current regimen after a hiatus.

i knew i was trans in the first pic, but couldn't come out. now i live with my wonderful girlfriends, and i'm due to marry in june :)

Successful trans men

I wish I knew about men like these growing up, I wish I knew that trans men could be successful after a lifetime of never seeing anyone ‘like me’ excelling in life. So here are some trans men - some that you may have heard of, some that you may not - that are successful in a range of careers. Never let being trans hold you back, never think you can’t do something, never think there is not a place for you.

Ben Barres American neurobiologist for Stanford University and advocate for women in science. Barre’s research on the interactions between glial cells and neurons changed the way that we understand the brain and opened up a whole new field of research.

Stephen Whittle Professor of equalities law. Founder of FTM Network in 1989 and Press for Change in 1992. Whittle has been heavily involved in trans activism since joining the Self Help Association for Transsexuals in 1979. His research and activism has been instrumental in ensuring the rights of trans people in the UK.

Michael D Cohen Actor, teacher and coach. Making his break in award-winning Nickelodeon sitcoms Harvey Danger and Danger Force he was the first series regular actor to publicly come out as transgender. Cohen has a BSc in cell biology and a masters degree in adult education, teaching at his own acting studio and providing workshops.

Chris Mosier American triathlete and award-winning coach. Six time member of Team USA in both duathlon and triathlon, Mosier also won two national championships in racewalking and was the first transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympic trials to compete against other members of his gender.

Yance Ford African-American film producer and director. Ford received an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and was nominated for an Oscar for his part in producing and directing the documentary Strong Island which follows the death of his brother.

Kael McKenzie Canadian judge. Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for several years, McKenzie later attended law school and and worked as a lawyer before being appointed as a judge to the Provincial Court of Manitoba in 2015. 

Shane Ortega Native American former flight engineer in the US army, former marine and professional bodybuilder. Throughout his career Ortega has served in Iraq and Afghanistan in over 400 combat missions. He has a long history of advocating for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the recent banning on transgender service members in the US army. 

Drago Renteria Chicano photojournalist and deaf and LGBT activist. Renteria founded the Deaf Queer Resource and is CEO of DeafVision - a webhosting and development company run by deaf people and the founder of the National Deaf LGBTQ Archives. Renteria has been instrumental in both creating and hosting many online deaf/queer spaces online along with being heavily involved in real-world activism for decades.

Phillipe Cunningham Elected city councillor for ward 4 Minneapolis and previous special education teacher, Cunningham holds a masters degrees in Organizational Leadership & Civic Engagement and in Police Administration and is passionate about tacking inequalities in his community. 

The vast majority of these men did not get puberty blockers early. I think that’s important for trans youth to know… that stupid legislation can’t stop them from being trans and transitioning well, even if the hoops are worse and take longer. (I think trans youth should be able to transition when and how they need to, but in the face of current transphobic legislation, you need to understand that even if they manage to delay you, they can’t stop you.)

Ben Barres, in fact, didn’t transition until he was 43 and already a full fledged neuroscientist in a faculty position. He chose to use his circumstances, and the differences in treatment he experienced after transitioning, to draw attention to gender discrimination in his chosen field in all directions. I’ve spoken to a number of people who knew him over the years and have never heard anyone express anything but profound affection and admiration for him as a mentor and a teacher as well as a groundbreaking scientist.

So, you know. They really can’t stop you. Sometimes in science I hear trans folks, especially transmasc folks, expressing fear that they’re somehow letting the side down by choosing to live life in the way that feels most authentic to themselves. Ben’s legacy puts the lie to that fear: in choosing to transition in 1997, very publicly — in academia your name is part of your publication record and all his previous work was obviously published under his deadname — he was able to use his particular perspective and unique experiences to advocate for others even harder than he might otherwise have been able to do.

His memory is a blessing. His legacy is a gift.

By the way you can be as much or as little trans as you want to be. Going all-out with bottom/top surgery, hormones, vocal training, etc.? Super cool. Just want hormones and no surgery? Cool. Just want vocal training? Awesome. Just want to wear different clothes? Still trans if that’s what you want. Want to change nothing at all other than using different pronouns than when you were a kid? If it’s trans enough for you, it’s trans enough for me. Only want to be trans sometimes, when you’re in the mood, when Mercury is in retrograde? Sounds legit to me. All levels of transness are valid.

Today in niche genres of joke that I can never get enough of and will probably still be secretly thinking about four years later

The tweet: https://twitter.com/Lionhearted_ben/status/1629919975203848192?t=HfF1j3BVqZMgZEIHgVnz3w&s=19

And in case Twitter is being a fool, here's the PDF itself: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PiO5JAc2_erXL9rEPU-Gj4DXQ3N0dTbe/view

Shout-out to a friend for showing me this!!

anyone trans is feeling it. yaaass to gender

house treats a dog trainer who says she has a 100% success rate for helping angry dogs and make them quiet and nice. house argues about how it cant be exactly 100% and wont stop being annoying about it. He brings in a literally feral rabid dog and she like makes it calm and lie down . House is disturbed by this because he wanted to be right that she sucks at stuff. (B-plot: house and the team sees if house can be trained with a dog clicker.) they break into her house and they find loads of dog pheromones and learn she has been wearing it like a perfume to calm down dogs. she thinks this is fine and theres no link but they think she is having a freaky reaction to it. but they take the pheromones away and she starts dying harder. house is really mad and has dinner with wilson, where he is complaining about how this lady is a charlatan but he doesnt understand what’s going on while eating out of a bowl of kibble like nothings wrong with it. wilson is watching him intently, as is the rests of the team who is watching from afar. house says his food is really yummy and insists wilson tries some and wilson is like “NO I CANT.” and house is like no you have to. you have to eat it. and wilson is like HOUSE STOP WE’VE BEEN CLICKERING YOU TO MAKE YOU EAT DOG FOOD. and house MAKES him eat a spoonful and hes like “… cocoa puffs..?” and house smirtks smartly as he demonstrates that he knew about their silly trick. “i know you guys are watching…. come out.”(the team is slowly emerging) “don’t worry . i dont bite anymore —“ he pauses and does a house stare and walks away to the sick lady’s room. cameron pours wilson a little milk for his cereal.“20%.” he walks into the room smartly. the patient is miffed and is about to say she doesn’t want to argue about percentages literally on her death bed. but house is like “no. 20% actually refers to the number of dog bites that get infected. You got bit by a dog and never got treated for it and ingredients in the dog pheromone solution were slowing it down. (?? im not a scientist) “ and he says something stupid like “sometimes a dog’s bark really is worse than its bite” and walks out. music starts playing. chase expresses he is mad about what cameron pouring milk for wilson means for them because cameron used to pour milk for her dead husband and he thinks she isnt over him. house walks out and reaches into his pocket and sneakily eats a hand ful of kibble

I see we've moved on to tumblrplots of House after exhausting tumblrplots of Breaking Bad. Crop rotation.

Still Here, Still Genderqueer! is Out Now!

Purchasing a copy supports a disabled genderqueer lesbian who is currently in the middle of escaping unsafe housing and potentially facing homelessness. Every copy purchased is appreciated. Reblogging this post and sharing our Ko-Fi also helps more than you know, we appreciate your support no matter what!

These are not informed consent.

There are no reliable long-term studies on these drugs for so-called "gender-affirming care" and yet doctors are giving them to people experiencing gender dysphoria without much second thought.

If you're trans and reading this, maybe hold off for a while in taking hormone replacement therapy and seek counselling first. Because if your mental health issues are causing your gender dysphoria, then maybe drugs with irreversible side effects and irreversible surgeries are totally unnecessary and can be avoided.

This is inaccurate.

First: bottom growth (clitoral enlargement) can be uncomfortable, sensitive, or even painful for a time, yes! But this is highly temporary. Your body is adjusting to a change; with time, the sensitivity decreases and you generally won't experience any discomfort. Personally, my experience was that bottom growth resulted in chafing unless I wore loose clothing (like sweatpants) for under a month, was maybe mildly uncomfortable for a month on either side of that, and has more or less felt the same as it did pre-T otherwise.

Second: Vaginal atrophy is entirely manageable, and occurs during menopause for cis women as well- which means there are lots of treatments available! It will cause some dryness and irritation, and severity will be really dependent on the individual, but any kind of tearing or "irreversible damage" is... rare, if it happens at all (I certainly haven't heard of it, but I'm happy to be corrected with sources). Lube is generally recommended to manage any discomfort, and can be helpful on a daily basis as well as with sex (which you should be using lube for regardless!). You can also try a local estrogen-based cream; these are by prescription in the US, and they're common and fairly effective treatments offered to post-menopausal folks for the same symptoms. They do not impact anything else regarding T.

Another symptom you may experience, after several years on T at least, is cramping; the same creams are generally prescribed to manage this as well.

Again, vaginal atrophy is temporary. Things will return to normal after some time spent off T.

And third: menstruation will generally cease after some time on T. I had like one and a half periods after I started taking T, and then it stopped entirely. I do not menstruate anymore. This is normal, it does not otherwise impact my body, and honestly it's a fucking blessing. Oh my god. It's maybe my favorite change from T. (This is also reversible; your menstrual cycle will resume after some time if you choose to stop taking T).

Another myth is that T impacts fertility- this is false! T can reduce your chances of getting pregnant while you're on it, but this particular impact isn't super well-researched, and it isn't considered a method of birth control for this reason. Your ability to get pregnant will also not be impacted permanently, and will return to normal should you stop taking T for some time.

In general, there are some permanent impacts, but of those mentioned here, only clitoral enlargement is permanent. This growth is also generally limited to around 1-3 inches maximum (and total), with 1 inch being the much more common end of things. Lots of cis women, intersex women, and intersex folks in general also have large clitorises, either naturally or from local creams they've obtained and applied by choice.

You should take your time in making sure that T is in fact the right choice for you, and if you choose to start it, know that you can and should stop taking it if you ever change your mind. You can also try low-dose options for slower changes, if you want to explore T but want more opportunities to opt out if you change your mind, or decide you've gotten as much out of it as you want.

The people above do not have accurate knowledge of or experience with hormone replacement therapy, and are framing this in such a way as to scare people into making a choice more appealing to their own personal sensibilities. Please make sure you do your own research, talk to people who have personal experience with this same choice, and consider your own needs and what will make you happy first and foremost. Don't be afraid to ask questions, change your mind, or do things that will make you happy. Your body is your own. This is your choice; not anybody else's.

Growing breasts and starting my period via organic puberty were each individually and collectively FAR worse than any discomfort I experienced when I was taking solely T. I started having a little chafing/vaginal atrophy several years in and post-hysto, but topical creams and lube during sex resolved it entirely. Once I got everything I wanted from T, I switched to a combination of a low testosterone dose + estradiol and have never had another problem with even that minor side effect. All in all, 10/10 would recommend to a friend, sure beats the hell out of constantly living with dysphoria, fear, and bouts of suicidality! 👍

When bodies change that can be scary and unpleasant, whether the hormone changes are caused by a natural event (puberty, pregnancy, menopause...) or drugs taken out of necessity or personal choice, there's always going to be some getting used to.

In an ideal world, every teenager would start puberty with a complete understanding of what will happen and what's normal and what isn't, and the same would be true for pregnant people and those about to go into menopause. Sadly, that's more the exception than the rule.

But trans people? We're pretty damn close to being almost universally well-informed because it can take years for us to get to the point where we can start HRT and be put on waitlists for surgeries.

Literally every trans advocate I've ever listened or talked to or read stressed the importance of informed consent when it comes to HRT. I've read about the above and all other possible effects of T in posts, articles and books written by trans people and will continue learning about it all for at least 1-2 years, which is how long it will take for me to jump through all the hoops so I can start HRT.

Ask some people who've given birth to talk about all the things they didn't know could change about their bodies that did change and how that has affected them long-term. Then ask the same number of trans people the same question about HRT. Ask both groups if they would do it again. I guarantee that the trans people will have had a lot fewer surprises, which makes sense because pregnancy isn't a thing that is gatekept.

We trust people who can get pregnant to make decisions for themselves and their bodies, so why (if not due to transphobia) don't we trust trans people? And why do we (and by that I mean transphobes) act like getting access to HRT is easy but information on it is hard to come by when it's actually the other way around?

hmmmm i wonder why the catholic would be against bodily autonomy and science.

Medically speaking, informed consent does not just apply to things you want done to you or for you, it also applies to things that you don't want done to you or things you don't want withheld from you.

I don't think a lot of people realize that, and I don't think a lot of medical professionals want to acknowledge that, because it means they would have to reevaluate the ethics of denying treatment to patients. Also they would have to reckon with their patients' agency and right to self-determination. Both of those things really freak some medpros out.

I know a lot of people are going to jump to assuming that this is about scheduled medications and pain treatment, and it does absolutely include that. But I'm also specifically thinking about the denial of hysterectomies to people with endometriosis for spurious reasons, and the gatekeeping of reproductive and transgender health care. Also the right of patients to engage in unhealthy or "unhealthy" behaviors without that impacting their quality of care.

!!!

Authorities instead of experts!!! Thank you for articulating this!

[ID: tags via @paindragon that read: “doctors view themselves as authorities instead of experts, so they think they have a right to make determinations about other people's lives, rather than providing their knowledge and skills and letting their patients make the decisions". end ID]

"The trannies should be able to piss in whatever toilet they want and change their bodies however they want. Why is it my business if some chick has a dick or a guy has a pie? I'm not a trannie or a fag so I don't care, just give 'em the medicine they need."

"This is an LGBT safe space. Of COURSE I fully support individuals who identify as transgender and their right to self-determination! I just think that transitioning is a very serious choice and should be heavily regulated. And there could be a lot of harm in exposing cis children to such topics, so we should be really careful about when it is appropriate to mention trans issues or have too much trans visibility."

One of the above statements is Problematic and the other is slightly annoying. If we disagree on which is which then working together for a better future is going to get really fucking difficult.

I think this is something young people in particular are confused about. My dad has always had a slightly off color sense of humor, he always feels the need to privately ask me “boy turned girl or girl turned boy?” if I mention a friend and stress said friend’s pronouns, and yet when we had repair work done in the house and the worker was listening to a podcast discussing the evils of transgender people and how to cleanse society, he went out of his way to contact the owner of the business to discuss his disappointment with that worker’s conduct and stress the negative effect that could have had if there had been trans kids in our home.

Our allies will never be perfect. They will never use the perfect language or have the perfect politics. But we have to appreciate those allies and meet them where they are, especially if they are willing to learn.

I love you trans people who didn't realize you were trans until you were in your 40s. I love you trans people who knew you were trans since you were a little kid. I love you trans people who didn't realize that your dysphoria wasn't just body issues. I love you trans people that didn't know why you always felt so disconnected from your deadname. I love you trans people who have a complicated relationship with gender. I love you trans people who pass. I love you trans people who want to pass but don't. I love you trans people that don't care whether or not you pass. I love you trans people that have more than one label. I love you trans people who's only label is "not cis." I love you t4t trans people. I love you trans people that have a complicated relationship with your sexuality. I love you trans people who have more than one set of pronouns. I love you trans people that use "weird" pronouns. I love you trans people who's gender changes. I love you trans people that don't know how to explain your gender. I love you trans people that don't want to explain your gender. I love you gnc trans people. I love you trans people who are openly out. I love you closeted trans people. I love you trans people with top surgery. I love you trans people who don't want top surgery. I love you trans people on hormones. I love you trans people who can't afford hormones or surgery or binders. I love you trans people who don't have a gender. I love you trans people who are genderfluid or bigender or multigender. I love you trans people who's gender is completely androgynous. I love you trans people who have top dysphoria but not bottom dysphoria. I love you trans people who have bottom dysphoria but not top dysphoria. I love you trans people who have neither. I love you trans people who have both. I love you girlboys and boygirls and genderqueers and everything in between.

I love you trans people. I love you.

This is why I get so tired about “whose a real women” and “are transgender people real” and the like because it’s so irrelevant. We have group or people that have an insane suicide rate and we have a solution that reduces that by an insane amount.

No matter how you slice it no theoretical reason nor gender rhetoric can change the gender affirming care is improving more lives than it’ll ever hurt

Happy International Non-Binary People's Day!

top surgery tip 1)

get yourself used to sleeping on your back (and possibly elevated depending on your surgeon) BEFORE surgery.

top surgery tip 2)

have cough drops on hand because your throat will probably be sore from the breathing tube they use with anesthesia.

Top surgery tip 3)

Get and use straws. You'll have T-Rex arms for a while but you still need to hydrate.

top surgery tip 4)

the post surgery compression binder is more comfortable than youd think but it still gets pretty itchy. so dont be afraid to take benydryl, itll help you rest and stop the itch

top surgery tip 5)

sounds weird but try not to flex your pecs… watched a horror game play through and every time there was a jump scare my whole body tensed up including my pecs which hurt like a bitch

Top surgery tip 6)

Have hand sanitizer/ body wipes incase you cannot reach across sinks easily and to also put under your armpits if you cannot get deodorant there

top surgery tip 7)

you might be numb in some areas affected by the surgery. especially if your surgeon does any liposuction along with just cutting your boobs off. right now my armpits are numb which makes cleaning them weird. less of a tip and more its normal for early in recovery

top surgery tip 8)

about a week in stuff starts to feel like pins and needles. i thought that meant my one nipple was falling off. turns out its the opposite and its them coming back to life. the post op compression binder while annoying does help the tingling feel less weird

top surgery tip 9)

you surgeon may be ripped to hell and back like mine and put the compression binder on super tight. ITS OK TO LOOSEN IT A LITTLE.

its there for compression to keep the swelling down but same rules apply as a regular binder: it might be a little uncomfortable and feel tight but you need to still be able to BREATHE

top surgery tip 10)

invest in a long pair of tongs or one of those claw grabber things. i just made ramen that was in a cabinet above the microwave. how? tippy toes and tongs.

Top surgery tip 11)

You can buy little hair net looking guys at some major pharmacies that include shampoo and can be used to wash your hair in bed if you’re having trouble in the shower

(This is a general surgery tip but all my disabled friends swear by ‘em post surgery it makes your life much easier and you can feel properly clean)

top surgery tip 12) it’s okay to sleep on the couch or in a chair if it’s too difficult or painful to get in and out of bed. My couch plus a pile of throw pillows on either side of me was the perfect place to sit and simmer as I recovered. I also recommend getting one of those airplane pillows that go around your neck. very useful if you end up sleeping sitting up and don’t want your neck to crick.

top surgery tip 13)

when it comes to scar care. anything is better than nothing. and you dont need to shell out hundreds of dollars for fancy scar creams. to massage your scars as long as everythings properly closed you can just grab an gentle unscented or naturally scented lotion and use that. shea butter, cocoa butter, bio oil the like. youre just looking for something for sensitive skin and thatll keep them hydrated.

y'all really missed the boat on calling these tip top top surgery tips

y'all really missed the

boat on calling these tip top

top surgery tips

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

Don't ever hesitate. Reblog this. This should be in the tumblr laws. When you see it, REBLOG IT.

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I know this isn’t related to my blog, but I am pinning this because it is IMPORTANT