As you may know, some Democrats are trying to blame the election loss on trans people. Here's my thorough response: "Should Democrats Throw Trans People Under the Bus? Here’s Why It Would Be Bad Politics." No paywall, 8 minute read. It's also on Medium, here's the friend link. And if you appreciate that I make essays like this freely available online, please consider supporting me on Patreon (for as little as $1/month)!
If you know anyone who's bombarded by "Trans People & Sports" political ads, please share this with them! It's comprehensive, covering most questions & talking points, plus adds something new to the conversation! This is a no-paywall link, so share widely! And if you appreciate that I make essays like this freely available online, please consider supporting me on Patreon (for as little as $1/month)!
BRAND NEW VIDEO ESSAY: "Celebrity, Sublebrity & Parasocial Relationships (a feminist analysis)." It uses Chappell Roan’s recent comments about the harassment she’s received from some of her fans as a jumping off point to discuss my recent writings (in particular, my book Sexed Up) on unwanted attention. It explores the many parallels between these sorts of parasocial/celebrity experiences and the street harassment women often face, both of which seem driven by what I call “phantom invitations.”
Please like & subscribe! & if you want me to release more video essays, please consider supporting my work on Patreon for as little as $1/month!
Today is Bandcamp Friday, in which they wave their revenue shares on sales so that all the proceeds go to the artists. so it's a great time to check out my music! Most of it has been with my previous noise-pop indie-rock band Bitesize – you can purchase our entire discography (36 songs) for a mere $10.40 at the link above! or else buy individual songs...
You can learn about & listen to more at my music webpage: https://juliaserano.com/music.html
since it's Bi Visibility Day, I though I'd share this humorous critique of bisexual stereotypes – it's an excerpt from my hella-bisexual award-winning novel 99 Erics (7 min read, no-paywall link).
and you can learn more about 99 Erics (with links to reviews & even more excerpts) here: https://juliaserano.com/99erics.html
Re-upping this since I see the "trans women are sexual predators" myth circulating today. As the essay shows, there is no truth to it. In fact, it's why anti-trans activists turned to "women's sports," because their "restroom predator" schtick wasn't working…
MY LATEST ESSAY IS OUT! I've been frustrated by most takes on so-called "Transvestigation," which cover it as a "bizarre" conspiracy theory, the implication being that *the rest of us* see gender and trans people “normally” or “correctly.” And frankly, nothing could be further from the truth! So in this long-read, I unpack the phenomenon and explain why and how it happens, but also explore more mundane (yet nevertheless fucked up) ways in which we perceive and interpret gender and sexual minorities. No-paywall link, please give it lots of "claps" & share widely!
NEWS: I will be giving a virtual talk this Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 2–2:30pm Eastern time (11–11:30am Pacific) as part of Medium Day – you can register (for free) to watch it & the many other talks they have at mediumday.com.
My talk – "Making Sense of Debates About Gender-Affirming Care and Trans Youth" – will highlight the unconscious biases, unstated presumptions, and the underlying forces and dynamics that are driving the ongoing moral panic about this issue. Hopefully, the talk will provide audiences who are relatively new to this subject with the necessary background to make sense of these debates.
Since there is far too much to say about this subject, I made the above Resource Page, which includes links to over a dozen essays I've written related to this issue over the last 8 years. It's a no-paywall link, so please share widely and give it lots of claps!
Yesterday, I penned what turned out to be a viral Twitter/X thread. So I turned it into a short essay: Some Queer Thoughts about the “Weird” Discourse. a mere 2 minute read, no-paywall link, please share & give it lots of claps!
NEW ESSAY (many months in the making): A "Gender Critical" and "TERF" Primer (for readers trying to make sense of "feminists versus transgender activists" debates). It's both a review of the history of this movement and a response to the most common GC/TERF talking points. no-paywall link, please give it lots of "claps" & share widely!
on Friday, I published Revisiting the “Transgender Tipping Point” Ten Years Later – 9 minute read, no-paywall link, please give it lots of "claps" & shares if you like it!
NEW ESSAY (building upon the last one): “Gender Ideology” Is a Conspiracy Theory – it displays all the hallmarks & I believe we should explicitly call it that. just a 7 minute read, no paywall, please give it lots of "claps" for that it shows up on other ppl's feeds!
NEW ESSAY: "The Cass Review, WPATH Files, and the Perpetual Debate over Gender-Affirming Care." It discusses flaws in the Cass report, while also making sense of these debates over trans youth & GAC more generally. I show that this is not a debate about "the science" per se, but about whether we strive to minimize harm (via gender-affirmative model) or whether we harm trans people in the name of prioritizing cisnormativity. No paywall, please give it lots of "claps"!
so turns out I'm a nominee for this year's San Francisco Pride Grand Marshal! you can check out all the nominees & their bios here: https://sfpride.org/grand-marshals then click the "VOTE HERE BEFORE MARCH 25" button – it will bring you to a google form where you can vote (hopefully for me : )
Today is the day! the 3rd Edition of #WhippingGirl (with a new Afterword on the current anti-trans moral panic) is officially out! from now through the end of March, you can order a copy for a 20% discount through my publisher Seal Press using this link & promo code: SERANO20
my latest email update is out chock-full of news! read it directly here: https://mailchi.mp/c94a627b0786/whipping-girl-3rd-edition-comes-out-this-march or indirectly via the Patreon link above (no paywall). includes new essays, videos, podcast interviews, & a 20% discount PROMO CODE to order the brand new Whipping Girl 3rd Edition!
In the last few years, "gender critical" activists have gone down a bizarre "gamete" rabbit hole, portraying these microscopic haploid cells as the be-all & end-all of sex. my new essay interrogates the science behind these claims. The conclusion: "gametes are actually a part of natural variation and sex diversity, rather than the antithesis of it". Please like & share! (no-paywall link)
