Queer Book Recommendations
It's pride season in Wellington, New Zealand and my local library has published its second "Teen Staff Picks" zine! In that spirit, I bring you, a collection of lesser-known queer books featured in the two that have been released so far! I've narrowed the lists down to books that have 1000 or fewer reviews on Goodreads as of posting (though I actually use Storygraph personally). I haven't read most of these, they're new to me as well but looking forward to getting into them.
Sapphic
Trouble Girls - Julia Lynn Rubin
Planning Perfect - Haley Neil
Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa
The Meadows - Stephanie Oakes
Never Trust a Gemini - Freja Nicole Woolf
This Is All Your Fault - Aminah Mae Safi
The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - Jake Maia Arlow
Youngblood - Sasha Laurens
In the Role of Brie Hutchens - Nicole Melleby
Achillean
We Are Totally Normal - Rahul Kanakia
Two Can Play That Game - Leanne Yong
Blaine for the Win - Robbie Couch
I Like Me Better - Robby Weber
The Language of Seabirds - Will Taylor
The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver
Charming Young Man - Eliot Schrefer
Emmett - L. C. Rosen
Pages I Never Wrote - Marco Donati
Trans Characters
Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti
Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox
The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars
If I Can Give You That - Michael Gray Bulla
Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis
Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity - Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Magical Boy - The Kao
Kisses For Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story - Joris Bas Backer
Between Perfect and Real - Ray Stoeve
Featuring Queer People of Colour
Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa
The Loophole - Naz Kutub
Spell Bound - F. T. Lukens
Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues - H. S. Valley
Rise to the Sun - Leah Johnson
Never Kiss Your Roommate - Philline Harms
Rainbow! - Bloom & Sunny
Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Melanie Gillman
Anne of Greenville - Mariko Tamaki
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Repost via @thrivelifeline:
2023 has been an especially tough year for our trans family as we face increasing anti-trans legislation, and as we grieve for ourselves while continuing to show up for our communities. We understand how difficult it is for crisis responders during this time, especially for responders who share trans identities.
In this period, as @translifeline takes a break to care for themselves, we are here for you. THRIVE Lifeline is trans-led and operated. We provide non-carceral, trauma-informed, and text-based support, 24/7/365. Our team is 50% trans and nonbinary, 90% LGBTQ2S+, 66% disabled / neurodivergent, and 58% POC. We personally understand chronic marginalization and are grateful to create an affirming space for you in your most vulnerable times, whether you are in acute crisis or just seeking to talk to someone who understands your identities.
If you need support, day or night, we are here for you. Text “TRANS” to +1.313.662.8209.
[ID: Text reads "We know the holidays can be a particularly hard time for our trans community. We get it, and we're here for you." A purple box in the center contains the identity statistics in the caption. Below is THRIVE's phone number. The background is a gradient created from the trans flag colors]
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I think a lot of people wanna help and simply don't know where to start so here's a how to.
Alright this How To is targeted towards youth and particularly school protests, but 18+ protests follow the same general outline. A good piece, especially if you find yourself in rural territory without activists/organizers to plan anything for you.
Protests are a good way to raise awareness and demonstrate support for an issue. They can also help people feel they are part of a bigger movement and inspire them to action. The goal of protesting isn’t just to yell and hold up signs, it’s to inspire change and influence your community. However, protests can be controversial, so you should think about the pros and cons in your particular situation.
Types of Protests
When people think of protesting, they often picture a large march, but there’s lots of different ways to get your point across.
Sit-ins involve peacefully occupying a public space by sitting for a designated period of time and are popular in schools and colleges.
Sit-ins for student rights have taken place outside the offices of college presidents and in high school courtyards. A sit-in demanding academic freedom could entail students sitting in on a class they’re not allowed to take, sitting outside a principal’s office, or occupying a school board meeting.
Silent protests can be done as part of refusing to participate in a required activity. You can organize your protest on a specific day and include symbols of solidarity such as wearing a specific color. In 2010, 2,086 students at West High in Madison, Wisconsin gathered for a silent sit-in to protest a change in their curriculum.
Walkouts are often used in schools and colleges where a group simply leaves at a designated time in an effort to express disapproval. They can often lead into a rally or march. They also can occur spontaneously, in response to some event.
Walkouts have a long history in the fight for student rights, including Barbara Johns who organized a walkout to protest poor school facilities and segregated schools in the 1950s and Mexican-American students that protested unfair treatments and corporal punishment in the 60s.
Protest rallies involve people making speeches about an issue. You can invite someone to act as an emcee to lead protest chants and songs and other community members who support your issue. Rallies are often used at the beginning or end of protest marches, but can be used by themselves. Rallies should be creative to bring attention to your cause. In 2014, dozens of students from the Providence Student Union in Providence, RI dressed up as zombies for a rally against standardized testing.
Picketing and protest marches are similar except a picket stays in one place, like in front of a business, and marches go from one location to another. In most places, you will have to remain on the sidewalk or other public areas unless you’ve obtained a permit from your local government.
Boycotts are refusals to buy a product or participate in an activity. Boycotts can happen alongside a protest and are good to use as a last resort- just the threat of a boycott may be enough to make your opposition back down.
Planning Your Protest
Use your protest as part of a larger campaign. Depending on what your issue is, you should make sure that you’ve also used other methods to create change. If you are protesting a law or policy, let the people responsible know your complaint and give them a chance to respond. And since not everyone will be comfortable with protesting, make sure you are being inclusive by encouraging other ways for people to show their support, such as:
making phone calls
writing letters
organizing a boycott.
Holding a protest where not enough people show up might not help your campaign as much as other tactics, so you should make sure you have enough people to participate.
Decide on a time and place. Protests can happen anywhere, but you should arrange your protest where it will be seen by as many people as possible. Some options include:
the sidewalk in front of a business
government offices
your school
a park
If you’re protesting on private property without permission, the owner can ask you to leave and call the police to remove you if you don’t.
You should also pick a time when you can get the most people to attend the protest (like a weekend), unless you want to specifically target someone (such as a legislator) and pick a time when they’ll be around. Obtain a permit, if needed.
Publicize your protest.
Make brightly-colored flyers and posters about the protest and put them up around town and your school
Hand out pamphlets
Publicize in your school newspaper and on social media
Make a press release and send it to local newspapers, to websites and blogs, and to other organizations that may support your message
Call local newspapers and radio stations and ask them to promote the protest.
Be prepared to talk about your issue in case you are asked for an interview. Even if people don’t come, they may be curious and research it.
Make a visual impact
Make brightly colored posters and banners with catchy slogans and bring some extra. Have pamphlets to help spread your message information on what you’re protesting to interested parties. Put the name of your chapter or group with your contact details so that people who are new to the issue will know who to contact to find out more. You can use chalk to write messages on public sidewalks.
Be vocal. Learn or create some chants so that everyone knows what you’re protesting and why. Some examples include:
What do we want? Voting Rights! When do we want them? Now!
Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Curfew laws have got to go!
Youth rights are human rights!
Whose schools? Our schools!
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