Remembering and Fighting for Eden Knight
TW // Suicide, Transphobia, Forced Detransition
Eden Knight was a Saudi Arabic trans woman living in the United States, who on the morning of March 12th 2023, was discovered to have died by suicide after a twitlonger (which, upon reading, proved itself to be a suicide note) was posted to her Twitter account.
Her suicide note goes into detail, and explains the driving force behind her death. The manipulation by three people who lied to and betrayed the trust of Eden in order to force her into de-transitioning, all led by her influential religious conservative family.
Whether they want to admit it or not, they succeeded in what they did. As of March 13th 2023, her death has been confirmed.
(Note: This screenshot redacts her deadname, the original tweet both misgenders and deadnames Eden)
Eden gives the names of the people involved in, what is essentially her murder, so I will explain who they are and what they did to her.
Michael Pocalyko
Michael Pocalyko is the CEO of a company called “Special Investigations Limited." A business that claims they do “cyber security”, and “investigations."
Not only does Michael own this company, but he has also ran as a republican political candidate before, has sat on the boards of pharmaceutical companies, is tied to investment banking and equity firms, JP Morgan, as well as the Heritage Foundation.
He contacted Eden through one of her in-real-life friends, a self-proclaimed "fixer" who told Eden he could help mend her and her family's broken relationship. Michael, and his associate Ellen Cole, introduced Eden to (alleged) Saudi Arabian lawyer Bader Alomair.
Bader Alomair
Not much is known about Bader Alomairs background, but we do know his role with Eden. Bader told Eden he was a lawyer and got her an apartment in Washington D.C. He began to take care of her financially; Eden realized he was grooming her into de-transitioning, living in the closet, and she was now an illegal immigrant (her international scholarship, which she'd been using to go to school in America, had expired which meant she could be deported) who was financially dependent on him. Feeling she had no other option she caved to his demands and changed her physical appearance, along with discontinuing her hormone therapy. She even met with her father and got back into contact with her mother. At this point Michael and Ellen had ceased all communication with her, she had an emotional breakdown and “repented," as Bader booked her a flight to Saudi Arabia.
Final Notes and Thoughts
Eden Knight was failed by so many fucking people. Failed by her transphobic family who literally drove her to death because of their bigotry. Failed by the two American investigators who cared more about money than this poor girls life. Failed by the U.S. immigration system which should've provided her asylum and support.
Eden was a beloved member of the trans community. People knew her as a sharp, witty, thoughtful person who wanted to make the world a better place. She said,
"I hope that the world gets better for us. I hope our people get old. I hope we get to see our kids grow up to fight for us. I hope for trans rights world wide."
It's been eight years since Leelah Alcorn died by suicide, isn't it fucked how we're still fighting for the same things?
Eden deserved to be happy. All of us do.
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Desi LGBT Fest 2023 (hosted by @desi-lgbt-fest)
Day 2 : Legacy
Ghoonghat : A Portrait of The South Asian Third Gender
CW : Colonialism, Transphobia, Homophobia, Casteism
TW : Transphobia, Homophobia, Slur usage
South Asian history has ALWAYS been queer. We have ALWAYS had gender nonconformity as an integral part of our society. Yet, the modern Indian "conservative" view somehow points fingers to alleged western influence or modernization when it comes to queer visibility, fabricating a fundamental disconnect between South Asian culture and queer identities that was never supposed to be there. Why? What may have caused this mental divide? The answer might lie in systemic barriers built during the British Raj and the lasting consequences of that.
Third Gender identities such as the Kothi, Hijra, Khwaja Sira, Aravanis, and more are queer identities native to South Asia. No existing lgbtq label in usage in the Anglosphere describes them accurately and while 'Transgender' does serve as a viable umbrella term, it doesn't quite catch all the nuances. The term 'Third Gender' as a phrase does come close to distinguishing the identity as its own unique label, despite the term 'Third Gender' once again, being a western terminology tracing back to the 1860s which was once again proposed in a non-South Asian context and would still only serve as a broad umbrella term. Having said that, I will still continue to use 'Third Gender' to refer to these communities here because most of the names have been and do get frequently used as a slur. While much gets discussed in the anglosphere about slur reclamation in lgbtq+ spaces, South Asian queer dialogues aren't that well organized and not being a Third Gender person myself, I am hesitant and unsure of the appropriate use for community specific terms, which again vary from region to region.
History of South Asian Third Gender communities traces back to AT LEAST medieval era, if not farther back. While roots are hard to trace back and South Asian queer history may not be as linear and resolved as one may want to think, stigmatization of Third Gender communities along with other queer labels can certainly be traced back to colonial times. Section 377 of the British Colonial Penal Code, enforced in 1862 criminalized any sexual acts that were deemed 'against the order of nature' and was meant to systemically target homosexuality, sodomy, and any sexual nonconformity in the British colonies of the time. The Criminal Tribes Act of 19th and 20th century British regime in South Asia, that set out to profile hundreds of castes, tribes, and communities as 'hereditary criminals' (237 communities as of 1931), also included Third Gender communities and likely reinforced the queerphobia in society that Section 377 may have already established.
At the time of independence, when the Criminal Tribes Act was scrapped from the Indian constitution, but Section 377 remained. This means, as of 1950, you could legally present as a Third Gender individual, you could be in Third Gender communes in public and would no longer be arrested for it! But if you came out of the closet for say, being gay, or bi, you could still end up in jail. Not to mention that about 200 years of queerphobia, systemic queerphobia, does not change in a day despite legal reforms. So in 1950, when we were in a position where being gnc had legal immunity but being non-heteronormative didn't, Third Gender folks were put in a unique position where they could push for change. And push, they certainly did! I should note here that my discussion here of any legal reforms past 1950 would be limited to India since I am an Indian citizen and know Indian systems the best.
In 1994, India recognized Third Gender communities as a legal sex separate from the gender binary. This came with voting rights, right to contest in elections as a Third Gender person, right to legally LIVE as a third gender person, and more. On the state level, Third Gender activism ensured affirmative action for trans people not only for government jobs but also corporate jobs. Pension plans, welfare coverage, medical insurance, and even systemic changes towards establishing legal measures against gender discrimination. Despite the social stigma, despite their community names being used as literal slurs, Third Gender people have been at the forefront of every single South Asian queer activism and they have been WINNING!
I wish they got the recognition they rightfully deserve outside of South Asia as well. Current global queer activism is at a crossroads where trans exclusion has taken roots even in parts of the community. A lot of the exclusionary activism stems from the regimes and mentality that have a history in South Asia of erasing and colonising queer history. Is it so surprising then, that these regimes elevated bigots to power who further the same narrative they've been peddling since as far back as the 19th century? Shouldn't, then, Third Gender voices and activism inspire persevering and continuing to persevere against those very same barriers?
Third Gender erasure, reclamation, and activism is South Asian legacy, a story of resisting colonial structures, status quo, and systemic oppression. It is high time it gained visibility in international queer spaces.
Some articles to read under the cut (likely far more credible than my rant). Heavy TW for Transphobia and Homophobia for nearly all of the articles.
Shabnam Mausi - India's first trans Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)
The whole debacle with the 2019 Trans Rights Bill
The Hijra community and their plight during the pandemic
A Tamil Third Gender perspective on community labels
The Khwaja Siras of Pakistan and their legislative battles
A Bangladeshi ally's conundrum on what term to use for Third Gender communities
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hs diet/cooking skills headcandons :3
what would they eat. i prommy im not scrambling for ideas, i am being fully genuine when i say i think about (the majority) of these a lot. disregarding my trans hcs for consistency and to try to reign in my fanon perception and keep it at least semi-accurate
content warning for disordered eating
JOHN EGBERT
eats very well, if a little heavy on the sweets just based on how many are in his vicinity. his dad loves baking. there will be baked goods. despite how sick he gets of sugar, he's gonna nibble.
however, i'm sure his dad knows how to cook and passed that onto john, at least how to follow a recipe
i think john would be a recipe follower most of the time tbh
living with nanna on the ship wouldn't significantly alter his skills
maybe with all that free time he'd start to improv more in the kitchen?
anyway, he is a good cook and is probably going to end up cooking for his disaster friends a lot because he is a charming young man
well not really? like he'll be on it in a pinch if he's asked too, or immediately reminded that his friends can't fucking cook, but she, in typical egbert fashion, will remain doing her own thing a lot of the time
charming young june gets tradwife'd ig
fuck i transed her . oopsie
DAVE STRIDER
we've seen that his fridge is full of smuppets and he hides his food, so his stash is small and is made up of foods that don't need to be refrigerated
texan heat is def a catalyst for that rot
his stash is also made of cheap, low quality food, because i doubt he's getting a lot of money
just an assortment of non-ingredient food like apples and mcdonands
this is on the hypothesis that bro gives dave food money or dave's somehow monetized his skills
if bro is providing this food, it's probably semi-often paywalled behind weird shit or swordfights
TLDR: he likely doesn't have a consistent supply either. enough to sustain some muscle so he can live up to what we've seen in comic, but he's underweight
you think he'll learn to cook on the meteor? wrong. why learn to cook when you can alchemize? what's the point of alchemizing the ingredients for a PB&J and then assemble it when you can just magic up a sandwich?
he cannot cook. he will burn the water. the only appliance he can use is a microwave, and that is iffy in itself because, until he gets the hang of it, will leave a slightly lukewarm hamburger in there for ten minutes
JADE HARLEY
plants. a lot of plants.
freshest thing near her. everything else she has to get through the airplane mail.
she'd forget to eat for a day or two, and then wonder why she's so hungry and then eat enough to feed a family of three. horses. three horess
she lost her grandpa at a young age and then was raised by a dog, so i doubt her eating habits are completely normal
she eats like a dog. jade does not use silverware because she does not like doing dishes. all food is finger food if you're not afraid.
what she eats is of very high quality. if she remembers to eat and can prepare her food correctly, she'll do fine.
on that topic, she's not a bad cook. her chem know-how would help her estimate what would work. but she's never had another person interact with her cooking, so it's lacking a lot of stuff.
research can get her cooking close to the real thing, but it's still mediocre. she doesn't even know what she's missing, because she's never known anything else.
she has a lot of weird tastes that can only come from an insane amount of time to kill. i'm talking mustard everywhere.
john and nanna might be able to reign her in a bit? they would definitely help her improve her cooking skills. watching her eat, there would still be something off about her.
however, she can cook for herself, and it tastes kinda good.
ROSE LALONDE
like john in that she had someone there who would cook for her.
mom lalonde is very absent, but she's still on top of things. she responds to rose's notes. she vaccums. she would still cook for rose on a regular basis, give or take a few off weeks.
that cooking would not be good, because she's wasted whilst making it.
even if the food was good, rose wouldn't admit it.
she often makes a show of pecking at her food, but still eats.
unlike john, mom never showed rose how to cook. rose never asked.
when she gets to the meteor, like dave, she alchemizes all the food she needs. there has never been a reason for her to learn how to cook.
she could probably put effort in and, with strife, successfully follow a recipe, but she is a horrible cook. she does not understand it for the life of her, and she won't until she studies it
she'll master it. eventually.
JANE CROCKER
like june. their upbringings are very similar.
one exception is that she cooks more and is a much better cook than she is because jane genuinely cares about it.
she also has some mad pastry skills.
jane can make macarons.
she would attempt to teach her disaster friends to cook, but would quickly lose patience.
and then she would try to cook for them, but get sick of it a meal in. they are very picky and her temper is not long
DIRK STRIDER
survives purely off rations/canned food
again, dave's food is fuel mindset extends to him and he can stomach a lot of "gross" things, like an entire can of peanut butter. i may have mentioned that before, so i'll give you some PD lore. i have eaten an entire jar of peanut butter out of hunger and i think about that event a lot because it was not nice for my tastebuds
however, i think as a control freak he would be adamant about his food schedule, even mathing out the amount of calories he would need to consume for every meal proportional to what he does in a day
and then a half-hearted attempt to balance out protiens, fats, minerals, and the other stuff
he is very adamant about his schedule and consuming the food he needs to survive, but that schedule is fucked
ex. 3 cans of canned peaches for breakfast at 3:50 in the morning. two large, burnt mutated fish for dinner at noon. no lunch. or eats half a can of peaches for the twenty hours he is awake in a day.
he can cook, as in prepare meat to be consumed alright. it's edible, and it's not that bad. but he is assed at combining ingredients. he cannot create something successful. all his food tastes like shit because he does not pick up on taste. though, i believe if he was cooking for someone else, he could set aside a few days and come up with something that's high-tier in the mediocre range.
JAKE ENGLISH
he eats only the meat of the beasts he's killed. he has scurvy.
he is a good cook (in the sense that he can competently prepare meat) though, and genuinely cares about the quality of the food he makes for the sake of his taste buds, and cooking is something he can get lost in
however: he has insane tastes. he is an expert in preparing food in this hyper-unique way that he is insane for but is absolutely disgusting to anyone else
ex. after years of eating similar tasting meat, he was motivated to use seasoning. he does not own seasoning. he is going insane and cannot eat the same thing again. he uses dirt. tastes bad, but god he is dying for something new after x years of eating the same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner. he continues to eat it because he cannot eat unseasoned meat anymore and repetition-causes-complacency's himself into genuinely enjoying the taste of dirt.
dirt is just the tip of the iceberg
jake is also unintentionally bulking (bodybuilders eat a lot of meat to gain muscle). he eats a lot of protien. however, he hasn't herd of the concept of 'cuts' (where you stop eating as much to let the muscles show) so he has a bit of a tummy
but also, he's sixteen so he's not a fridge. i also don't see him as that tall (huss draws him as shorter than dirk anyay huehuehue) but he has muscle if you look. twunk if anything
ROXY LALONDE
genuinely horrid diet
so zoned out and depressed she barely recognizes her own hunger and even then has no drive to do anything about it
will eat sugary stuff for the happy chemicals
roxy is the one trans headcanon i have where i am completely unable to distinguish it from canon
she is trans in my head. that is as much a part of her to me as her love for cats is
anyway like a lot of trans women she's pressured to be petite and small in her portion choices so even when she has the drive to eat i dont think its a lot
because of her likely not weighing a lot shes a lightweight
part one million on how is roxy not dead yet
and as expected, she cannot cook
she also has some really weird tastes
she is really good at baking a few specific sweets that she eats on repeat (with a lot of recipes from jane)
once she enters the medium and works on her drinking problem i think her eating problems would also get less intensive
not drinking as much she has to face her hunger more
and being around jane, a big gal, face to face, i think that would do something to her idea that to be a woman she has to be small
KARKAT VANTAS
troll rations
not only is he poor so no money for all the nice stuff i also dont think troll society has a big focus on cooking
their only main professions are military based and art doesn't seem to be a big focus, just a highblood thing
again probably some nasty cheap ration bars that keep him alive
but i do think he eats regularly and normal amounts, he has that fighting spirit to stay alive and get stronger
but yeah i don't think troll society would require you to put a lot of effort into culinary stuff. but he can prepare the food well
the meteor inspired no one to cook, but he'd get the hang of human food and probably enjoy it as compared to tasteless lowblood troll slop
humanstuck karkat is a kid chef. he is so fucking good at cooking. baking too.
ARADIA MEGIDO
mmmmm yummy troll slop
same as karkat
ghost aradia didnt need to eat anyway so i doubt that would've affected her diet habits
same with got tiger aradia? don't think she would bother with it, too much else to do
but once she starts hanging around in the dreambubbles, exposed to non-troll slop cusine, she'd have a fun time trying to learn how to cook and delight in all those new flavors
then when she gets to earth c she's a good cook who loves cooking
TAVROS NITRAM
i dont have any headcanons fro tavros because is hate him
sorry tavros fans
uhh he probably eats POOP!!! and LIKES IT!!! because he TAVROS!!!
SOLLUX CAPTOR
troll-slop-enjoyer, but also likes aradia's cooking
humanstuck sollux survives purely off doritos and g-fuel
NEPETA LEJION
utter chad
survives solely off the giant beasts she kills herself
ripped yet still small and nimble
her diet is entirely protein
no troll slop for her
unfortunately for her, this means missing out on non protiens and fats
nepeta has scurvy
humanstuck nepeta is less feral and also eats cute japanese cat themed sweets
KANAYA MARYAM
dont know if it was stated in canon but she would garden alongside eating troll slop
blood
yumy blood
roses blood
you would not believe it from looking at her but humanstuck kanaya eats a lot of spicy food and has a horrifically high spice tolerance
she's also pretty good at cooking, mediocre at baking
TEREZI PYROPE
?????? chalk???????
hopefully alongside the slop
either that or troll chalk is really nutritious
VRISKA SERKET
despite technically being a highblood i doubt she'd engage in their fancy food
she eats to survive, not for the taste
she may have access to higher quality sludge though
i think this part of her would persist, but she does love june's cooking
EQUIUS ZAHHAK
pure, distilled protien and milk
so much milk
its not 2%, not 3.25%, it's 100% milk
he suckles it straight from the moobeast teat
it is really weird and he does not get invited to parties
gigachad
humanstuck equius's diet is 1/4 food and 3/4 protien shakes, bars, and the like
he'd probably also be like those bodybuilding influencers who eat eggs raw or camel nutsacks
GAMZEE MAKARA
similar to roxy in that he's too checked out to remember to eat
but what he does have as a highblood is insanely high quality
sober gamzee does not require any sustenance to survive in a similar fashion as to how he got shot down by caliborn and was fine afterwards
humanstuck gamzee can bake. he cannot cook. he has the diet of an insane college student, ramen cups interspersed with weed brownies
occasionally he gets the munchies and eats enough to feed four full grown goku
i like thinking that someone realized he wasn't doing alright tried to help him, maybe roxy? in a universe where he didn't get lil cal'd
ERIDAN AMPORA
only the finest fish food for him
he dines like a king
he projectile vomits when in a 50 mile radius of the sludge
agile, but weak
doesn't cook, has other people do it for him
humanstuck eridan has a private chef and is offended if you expect him to cook for himself
FEFERI PEIXES
finest fish food for her, dines like a queen
but also attempts to live like the normies once and a while
and take a bite of the (highblood edition) slop
humanstuck fef also has a private chef but helps out in the kitchen from time to time
gonna b real dawgs, i cannot concieve of the dancestors in this manner. peace
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