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#queer art – @variousqueerthings on Tumblr
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Various Queer Things

@variousqueerthings / variousqueerthings.tumblr.com

various queer things
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"irreversible side effects of HRT" all of life is irreversible. i cannot go back a single second in time

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samplerbot

DMC Color Key: 310 Black 3776 Mahogany Light 3825 Pumpkin Pale 611 Drab Brown 760 Salmon

Dimensions: 193 by 145 stitches. Font: '04B_03__.TTF' by Yuji Oshimoto. Border: Adapted from 'The Priscilla Counted Cross Stitch Book no. 2', 1912, edited by Ethelyn Jones. Courtesy of the Antique Pattern Library.

beep! beep! I'm a bot that makes samplers out of tumblr posts and my own sets of custom and vintage borders.

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Toni Ebel was a pioneering trans woman and a remarkable figure in art and queer history. Ebel's paintings were primarily landscapes and portraits, including the self-portrait shown here. As one of the first individuals to receive gender confirmation surgery, she navigated her identity during a time of immense societal constraints. Ebel worked as housekeeping staff at the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, an institution at the forefront of gender and sexuality studies, which also led her to connect with other LGBTQ+ people.

Toni Ebel also shared a profound relationship with Charlotte Charlaque, a fellow trans woman who worked as a receptionist at the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft. Their bond highlighted the close-knit nature of the German trans community at the time and underscored the importance of mutual support in an often hostile world. They navigated World War II as Jewish trans women, at times parting for safety. Ebel ended up in East Germany and continued working as a painter, while Charlaque spent the rest of her life in the United States working as an actress.

You can find these works and more in our gallery!

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On a personal note, as many know (and as I’ve often spoken and written of), I owe a great deal to Assotto. Maybe we all do. As I’ve stated, I was there in the church that day in 1992 at the funeral of Donald Woods. I was one of many attendees from Donald’s activist family. I was one of many who read the program and saw the glaring omission of Donald’s poetry and activist work. The program also stated Donald had died of heart failure. I was one of many who witnessed Assotto speed down the aisle and take over the pulpit mid-service, declaring, “Donald Woods did not die of heart failure; he died of AIDS and he was a proud Black gay man. If you agree with me, stand up.” Half the church stood. Half didn’t. I stood up, as did Donald’s sister, Yvonne. I count that moment as one of a few where my path as an artist was revealed to me.

The second most defining moment in my life happened in 1990, when I attended the “I Am Your Sister Conference” in Boston, a celebration of the work of Audre Lorde. In her first appearance on stage, the self-described warrior poet Audre emerged, spread open the arms of her dashiki, and told a crowded room of followers of her battle with cancer. She said, “I began on this journey as a coward.” Witnessing the courage of Assotto and Audre shaped me as a poet, a person, teacher, performer. I want everyone I encounter to experience that sense of exhilaration and freedom when the truth is told bare-naked, and to feel the power of standing up for their lives at whatever cost.

Recently, I helped lead a Last Address Tribute Walk in Harlem with several organizations and individuals (the walk was originally developed by Alex Fialho). We went to Harlem at my insistence. In tribute, we went to the addresses of Black gay men who died of AIDS. We went to the address of Bert Michael Hunter, who was part of the Black gay writers group Other Countries, of which Assotto was also a charter member. Donald Woods, Colin Robinson, and Essex Hemphill, among others, were members as well. At Hunter’s address, the filmmaker and writer Robert E. Penn and the writer, archivist, and activist Sur Rodney (Sur) spoke of Bert and belonging to Other Countries. Sur recalled a story of running into Assotto in the late eighties, when Assotto urged him to join Other Countries. They said, “Sur, don’t abandon your brothers.” I think that statement encapsulates Assotto and what their convictions were.

The title of this collection, Sacred Spells, very much refers to Assotto’s powerful Haitian ancestry. I was thrilled to learn here that the person born Yves Lubin renamed themself “Assotto,” after a drum used in voodoo, and “Saint” after the great Haitian revolutionary fighter Toussaint Louverture. “Saint” also embodies their queerness, claiming self-ownership as a poet and magician whose language conjures, casts spells, and offers protection and healing. No name could be more fitting.

I know in certain Latinx ceremonies they call the names of the dead and fallen warriors, and the crowd responds “presente,” to mean present.

Assotto’s work speaks to us throughout time.

I imagine in the Black Baptist tradition, where I’m from, Assotto’s name is called out and with all of my heart and conviction I yell back “PRESENT” to say, he is here, always among us.

————

Still An introduction to our Assotto Saint folio by Pamela Sneed                                                       

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Pete Burns you guys. Oh my god Pete Burns. Seriously why in the world has Dead or Alive not gone down in history as one of the great queer bands why do I not see more Pete Burns gifs why do I not see more love!!! For this band!!! Yes I know everyone knows spin me round but holy shit there’s so MUCH that song isn’t even the best one!!! It’s not even close!!!! Dead or Alive should NEVER have been a one hit wonder these guys made what I think might be the crispest 80s synthpop/rock ever recorded with a side of extreme queerness and Pete Burns looking like the grecco Roman god of beauty. HOW IS IT JUST ME

GO HERE WITH ME

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This month is the one year anniversary of posting my poem “Condolences” to TikTok and Instagram, where it amassed millions of likes and tens of thousands of comments.

Since, people have used the poem for adaptive art pieces, short plays, books, and class work. For your piece of art to be transformed into another…it’s difficult to describe.

After several rejections from poetry publications a decade ago, I decided to post my work online instead. The responses were overwhelming. I realized that an official publication doesn’t make you a poet. Writing poetry does, and bonus points if you manage to resonate with just one other soul who needed to hear what you needed to say.

I was utterly taken aback by the response to this piece. People have asked me many times to explain it, but from the response it was clear that the meaning can be explicated with a little time.

Some people who didn’t understand it until it was explained were angry when it came together. It wasn’t written for them.

I’m only grateful that it reached the people who needed it.

I feel that the imagery is part of the piece, but I know not everyone can or cares to listen to a video. Here is the poem:

———————

They buried a girl in my hometown today.

“A young woman, gone too soon, in the prime of her life,” they all said.

My friends and I all knew her. We grew up together.

We were in all the same classes and hobbies and we made up games together at recess.

But none of us went to her funeral. We weren’t invited, because the people planning it didn’t think we’d understand. They said it wasn’t our loss.

So we got together for drinks. We laughed all morning and played card games all day.

At 4 o’clock, we heard the church bells. We saw that long, sad procession of cars stretch like a creek through town, up the cemetery hill.

We heard strange rumors that night, that the casket was empty. That they put it hollow in the ground.

So we went to the plot first thing in the morning. They buried her empty box next to her dad, down the row from an estranged aunt she never really knew all that well.

There wouldn’t be a stone for months, but the little placard had my name on it. But not the one I go by these days.

“How strange,” we all said. “What a waste of good crying.”

All of this mourning for me, and I was down the street the whole time, laughing and drinking.

But some people will never understand. They’d rather plan a funeral than learn a new name.

My friend said she felt sorry for them, in some small way.

What a sad notion—to lose a daughter who never lived—

And a son who never died.

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Intersex Liberation Now! Volume 1 is out on Ko-fi!

Intersex Liberation Now! is a series of zines about the reality that intersex people face, and how our lack of autonomy when it comes to our bodies affects more than just us. The intersex author describes their experience with coming to realize they were intersex, as well as helpful information on overcoming internalized intersexism, and how you can become involved in intersex activism easily in your own community.

purchasing a copy of this zine supports its author. i am a disabled transsexual intersex lesbian artist who is losing their housing in 4 days and needs help while i relocate from my current extremely unstable and unsafe situation where i actively being abused and manipulated by my current roommate.

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10, 12, 33 for the pride asks?

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Hoooowdy! Hope all is well in your life atm!

10. Something that gives you gender euphoria (whether you're cis or trans): climbing treeeeees. ive had a number of satisfying experiences in late may/early june, especially perfect if i scrape my knees!

12. Name some queer artists/bands or songs you like most: I'm such a basic bitch when it comes to queer music is2g, I like my bisexual and lesbian ladies joan jett, lady gaga, rina sawayama, and janelle monae, and I enjoy mr orville peck. also i grew up with mika and placebo/brian molko, so i have a very soft spot for them.

perhaps more niche is SASAMI who's got a genre mix that veers into a mix of genres, but give me especially some sweet sweet nu-metal/punky anarchic feeling, and the hirs collective + GLOSS for your trans woman punk rage

the other day "macho" by realxman came across my dash and ive been enjoying getting into this artist's work more

also. i really like green day. they're my dads in my soul

33. What about your LGBT identity do you feel proud of/ want to recognize/celebrate?: overthinking how to internalise this one -- me personally or the identity and how it exists in space... i guess for me the former relates to the latter, in that it's the history that really moves me and makes me feel connected. and I'm proud of how much work I've put into uncovering and learning and sharing about that history, and getting to connect with other people (hi) who have those goals as well. rich, vibrant fields of learning!

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8 11 32 PLEASE!

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HELLOOOOO AND THANK YOUUUUUU! also I remembered how much I overthink when looking at these whoops

8. Describe your gender without using any words traditionally related to gender: You know the opening to the Mr Bean series? Mr Bean gets beamed down onto earth and then it's implied that everyone Mr Bean does after that is literally because of being an alien, but it's never actually confirmed in the text? that but like. with a much more extensive wardrobe

11. Favorite (or just one you love) piece of LGBT media?: WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME???? I'm gonna give u three out of Many that are perfect. and I'm going to connect them to a Theme (I'VE CONNECTED THE DOTS). the thing is that these movies are movies that have at some point held me gently and guided me into a greater understanding of the queer community and history generally, as well as my own feeling of place within this community

  • My Beautiful Laundrette: This is one of my personal seminal queer movies, I watched it as a young'un/baby queer and it's just. Oh. such softness amidst the violence of the times, and the thing is that the softness is something that saves the main characters from the violence, both as potential perpetrators and victims (and how those can be blurred concepts to begin with). the core of it is two men who come back together amidst the height of neo-nazi anti-immigration 80s England, one of whom is Pakistani British and the other a white skinhead. And they open a laundrette together. This movie is sweet, I promise! it also features one of the subtly hottest moments to me in film history, in which one of them licks the others' neck in public while being watched on one side by Pakistani family members and on the other by white racists but it's angled so none of them see it!
  • City of Lost Souls: Listen, Rosa Von Praunheim's documentation of trans people (and generally queer people) is so so important for our community and you should check him out, but this film in particular is such a wild fucking ride that is hard to explain. a bunch of queer artists in 80s Berlin (and this movie was made in the 80s so you get some real footage of that great big wall) just like... fuck around? share intense elder wisdom? connect? sing! (oh yeah, it's kind of a musical, a trashy punky musical). This is some of the real deep magic of queer connection. there's an iconic moment in this film (there are several) in which a trans woman picks up a one-night stand and explains to him that she's trans and he's like. "eh no idea what all of that means, but you're saying you're a woman right? great!" and it's just Fine
  • Desire Lines: listen this movie... I'm almost hesitant to recommend it, because I feel so personally affected by it and it's a one-of-a-kind (so far) insight into transmasculine gay culture that is just. deeply precious and not understood by a lot of even the wider queer community. myself and every transmasc person I know who's seen it have felt somewhat transcendent about it, the way you do the first time you see yourself as (positively) visible in this way, it's almost too much. it's a documentary at heart, but quite experimental in elements of its structure, with parts of it being a fictional telling of a middle-aged iranian trans man who works in an archive and is told of the history of trans men's inclusion in gay bathhouses, lou sullivan, and personal testimonies from gay transmasc people. sometimes you don't notice how deprived you've been until something gives you real oxygen

Hon. mentions: Joyland, Great Freedom, Die Beautiful my personal favourite queer films of 2023, still have me by the throat!!!

32. Do you do arts and crafts? Post a pic of a project you've done: okay I will share a picture of something, but I need to go take a picture when I have a sec. It's not complete, but I've started a little zine that's just a big collection of euphemisms and ways of talking about queerness and it's such a fascinating, fun project that's made me think more expansively about how queerness gets talked about, whether it's in the past or present (or potential futures), within and without the community, as modern, or bigoted, or outdated, or fun, or out-of-the-box, or specific, etc. -- it's very far from done, but I can give a sense of just how many words/phrases/concepts I've picked up + imagery I want to include + the construction of the zine itself, which has a few little secrets to it

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BEHOLD! ZINE I HAVE YET TO FINISH COMPLETING!

it's 50 pages that I've glued together (because this is not a professionally bound book i refuse to be professional) with so far 6 months worth of collected words and images that I'm slowly sticking in there. good times (that also sounds like a queer euphemism)

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baravaggio

one of my favorite facts about gekko hayashi (artist who drew gay erotica) is that he was straight guy who pivoted from sci-fi & monster stuff to illustrating for gay & bdsm mags at like 50 years old because he wanted to expand his artistic horizons, and compensated by lack of lived experience by setting up a phone line for gay men to call in & recount their stories so he could illustrate them...legend

it's just like all bangers all the time with him

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