privilege & oppression: books, privilege checklists, communities, news, movies, comics, music, blogs
gateway books:
on gender identity and expression:
"Nobody Passes" by Mattilda and
"Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation" by Kate Bornstein & S. Bear Bergman
on disability:
"Staring Back" edited by Kenny Fries and
"Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability" by Robert McRuer & Michael F. Bérubé
on feminism:
"Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics" by bell hooks and
"A Guy's Guide to Feminism" by Michael Kaufman & Michael Kimmel
on racism:
"Racism Without Racists" by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva and
"Myths America Lives By" by Richard T. Hughes
Learn a little about your privileges:
a quick summary of what privilege is
privilege is playing the game of life on "easy"
a more in-depth explanation of privilege
if you're white
if you're male
if you're cisgender/cissexual (not transgender or not transsexual)
if your gender is part of the binary (either exclusively male or exclusively female)
if you're straight
if you're non-disabled (related microaggressions)
if you're neurotypical (not autistic and don't have Asperger's) and don't have a mental illness.
if you're not poor
if you're monogamous
if you're not "fat" -- if you think having more fat than average is bad, risky, unhealthy, etc, please read The Fat FAQs including all the links!
How to be an ally if you are a person with privilege
Bearing witness (overcoming some of the pitfalls of being an ally with privilege)
How to be a better ally to trans* people
intro info about marginalized groups who don't get a lot of press:
nativeappropriations on the problem with the hipster headress: cultural appropriation for "irony"
intersexroadshow on how sex isn't binary either: intersex genitalia illustrated and explained (with sketches)
community:
genderfork -- a supportive community for the expression of identities across the gender spectrum.
tqnation -- social network specifically for transgender and genderqueer community.
tsroadmap -- transitioning information and support
news and analysis:
FWD: feminists with disabilities -- on the intersection of disability and feminism (now archive-only, but FULL of resources)
stuff queer people need to know -- news, lengthy resource lists
racialicious -- on the intersection of race and pop culture
colorlines -- a daily news site about important racial matters
The Transadvocate --"transgender advocates in the ever growing blogosphere"
prettyqueer -- writings by queer people from all over
geekfeminism -- "exists to support, encourage, and discuss issues facing women in geek communities, including science and technology, gaming, SF fandom, and more."
Cisnormativity -- "confronting cisnormativity, homonormativity, heteronormativity, cissexism, trans enmity, trans misogyny, acts of cis supremacy, and the language of gender"
More Than Men -- "a social media project for men to stand up together to take an active role in diversity advocacy"
Ways to participate in making change for non-normative and/or oppressed peoples:
Locally:
CHRIS kids -- helping LGBTQ kids in Georgia
lost-n-found -- nonprofit working to take homeless LGBT youth off Atlanta's streets
SPARK -- reproductive justice (based in Atlanta)
Positive Impact -- Atlanta clinic working to help HIV positive people
Georgia Equality -- working for legislative equality for LGBTQ Georgians
Prevent Child Abuse Georgia
and non-locally:
the disabled young people's collective
generation five -- stopping child abuse in 5 generations
Legal Momentum
National Center for Transgender Equality
Soulforce -- stopping spiritual violence
Full Radius Dance -- a wheelchair-inclusive dance team
Oyate -- a Native American/American Indian advocacy and education organization
Justice Now -- helping women in prison, and fighting against the industrial prison complex
book/movie lists:
Bibrary Book Lust: LGBT Speculative Fiction Award Winners
Lambda Scifi recommended reading list
big queer movie list (with some reviews)
comics:
Khaos Komix: "a comic about gender and sexuality. It follows the lives of 8 main characters... finding themselves, falling in love, lust and like and how hard they fight to get there." Queer and trans characters!
YU+ME: dream: "a surreal love story. It is part high school romance, part journey/adventure story, and part total-mind-fuck."
Unicorn Jelly: a beautiful, imaginative metaphorical tale with lots of queer characters.
musicians who are out and sing about it:
Rae Spoon (out as trans, writes some about gender)
Sam Sparro (out as gay, writes some about social justice)
Ke / onetribe (out as gay, uses deliberately androgynous vocals and lyrics)
Missy Higgins (out as bi, writes some songs that show it)
blogs of queer and trans importance:
A Radical TransFeminist -- "queer issues, radical feminist issues, trans* issues and their many interplays."
Transmeditations -- on "transgender and queer identities, politics and liberation; film, media and television critical analyses; sex work and sex workers rights; fat politics and fat liberation movement; feminism, transfeminism and feminist theory and activism"
Tranifesto -- "offering information and opinion about transgender and transsexual issues and experience from someone who’s been there"
supermattachine -- "I have plans: overthrow oppressive forces, destroy rape culture, smash cissexism, demolish transphobia, rip apart ableism, fuck up whiteness and racism, stomp on sizeism, knit lace curtains."
Taking Up Too Much Space -- "a blog by a Chicago transsexual queer/woman who’s tired of making herself as small as possible to fit the demands of trans misogynistic feminism and trans activism"
Questioning Transphobia -- examining and critiquing transphobic events/attitudes
transactivisty -- blog by a Latina queer trans woman, from a personal perspective.
Sincerely, Natalie Reed -- "discussing transgenderism, trans-related issues, gender and sexuality, as well as other interests of mine like addiction (for example), from a specifically feminist and secular, skeptical angle."
TransGriot -- "news, opinions, commentary, history and a little creative writing from a proud African-American transwoman about the world around her"
leftytgirl -- personal blog of an American trans woman living in Canada, who cares about "science, truth, beauty, justice, laughter and love."
on gender identity and expression:
"Nobody Passes" by Mattilda and
"Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation" by Kate Bornstein & S. Bear Bergman
on disability:
"Staring Back" edited by Kenny Fries and
"Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability" by Robert McRuer & Michael F. Bérubé
on feminism:
"Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics" by bell hooks and
"A Guy's Guide to Feminism" by Michael Kaufman & Michael Kimmel
on racism:
"Racism Without Racists" by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva and
"Myths America Lives By" by Richard T. Hughes
Learn a little about your privileges:
a quick summary of what privilege is
privilege is playing the game of life on "easy"
a more in-depth explanation of privilege
if you're white
if you're male
if you're cisgender/cissexual (not transgender or not transsexual)
if your gender is part of the binary (either exclusively male or exclusively female)
if you're straight
if you're non-disabled (related microaggressions)
if you're neurotypical (not autistic and don't have Asperger's) and don't have a mental illness.
if you're not poor
if you're monogamous
if you're not "fat" -- if you think having more fat than average is bad, risky, unhealthy, etc, please read The Fat FAQs including all the links!
How to be an ally if you are a person with privilege
Bearing witness (overcoming some of the pitfalls of being an ally with privilege)
How to be a better ally to trans* people
intro info about marginalized groups who don't get a lot of press:
nativeappropriations on the problem with the hipster headress: cultural appropriation for "irony"
intersexroadshow on how sex isn't binary either: intersex genitalia illustrated and explained (with sketches)
community:
genderfork -- a supportive community for the expression of identities across the gender spectrum.
tqnation -- social network specifically for transgender and genderqueer community.
tsroadmap -- transitioning information and support
news and analysis:
FWD: feminists with disabilities -- on the intersection of disability and feminism (now archive-only, but FULL of resources)
stuff queer people need to know -- news, lengthy resource lists
racialicious -- on the intersection of race and pop culture
colorlines -- a daily news site about important racial matters
The Transadvocate --"transgender advocates in the ever growing blogosphere"
prettyqueer -- writings by queer people from all over
geekfeminism -- "exists to support, encourage, and discuss issues facing women in geek communities, including science and technology, gaming, SF fandom, and more."
Cisnormativity -- "confronting cisnormativity, homonormativity, heteronormativity, cissexism, trans enmity, trans misogyny, acts of cis supremacy, and the language of gender"
More Than Men -- "a social media project for men to stand up together to take an active role in diversity advocacy"
Ways to participate in making change for non-normative and/or oppressed peoples:
Locally:
CHRIS kids -- helping LGBTQ kids in Georgia
lost-n-found -- nonprofit working to take homeless LGBT youth off Atlanta's streets
SPARK -- reproductive justice (based in Atlanta)
Positive Impact -- Atlanta clinic working to help HIV positive people
Georgia Equality -- working for legislative equality for LGBTQ Georgians
Prevent Child Abuse Georgia
and non-locally:
the disabled young people's collective
generation five -- stopping child abuse in 5 generations
Legal Momentum
National Center for Transgender Equality
Soulforce -- stopping spiritual violence
Full Radius Dance -- a wheelchair-inclusive dance team
Oyate -- a Native American/American Indian advocacy and education organization
Justice Now -- helping women in prison, and fighting against the industrial prison complex
book/movie lists:
Bibrary Book Lust: LGBT Speculative Fiction Award Winners
Lambda Scifi recommended reading list
big queer movie list (with some reviews)
comics:
Khaos Komix: "a comic about gender and sexuality. It follows the lives of 8 main characters... finding themselves, falling in love, lust and like and how hard they fight to get there." Queer and trans characters!
YU+ME: dream: "a surreal love story. It is part high school romance, part journey/adventure story, and part total-mind-fuck."
Unicorn Jelly: a beautiful, imaginative metaphorical tale with lots of queer characters.
musicians who are out and sing about it:
Rae Spoon (out as trans, writes some about gender)
Sam Sparro (out as gay, writes some about social justice)
Ke / onetribe (out as gay, uses deliberately androgynous vocals and lyrics)
Missy Higgins (out as bi, writes some songs that show it)
blogs of queer and trans importance:
A Radical TransFeminist -- "queer issues, radical feminist issues, trans* issues and their many interplays."
Transmeditations -- on "transgender and queer identities, politics and liberation; film, media and television critical analyses; sex work and sex workers rights; fat politics and fat liberation movement; feminism, transfeminism and feminist theory and activism"
Tranifesto -- "offering information and opinion about transgender and transsexual issues and experience from someone who’s been there"
supermattachine -- "I have plans: overthrow oppressive forces, destroy rape culture, smash cissexism, demolish transphobia, rip apart ableism, fuck up whiteness and racism, stomp on sizeism, knit lace curtains."
Taking Up Too Much Space -- "a blog by a Chicago transsexual queer/woman who’s tired of making herself as small as possible to fit the demands of trans misogynistic feminism and trans activism"
Questioning Transphobia -- examining and critiquing transphobic events/attitudes
transactivisty -- blog by a Latina queer trans woman, from a personal perspective.
Sincerely, Natalie Reed -- "discussing transgenderism, trans-related issues, gender and sexuality, as well as other interests of mine like addiction (for example), from a specifically feminist and secular, skeptical angle."
TransGriot -- "news, opinions, commentary, history and a little creative writing from a proud African-American transwoman about the world around her"
leftytgirl -- personal blog of an American trans woman living in Canada, who cares about "science, truth, beauty, justice, laughter and love."