5 Great Newsletters on Queer History and Commentary
Here are 5 great newsletters that I really enjoyed on queer history and commentary
Queer History with Step-Hen-ie
“Join the Queer History Crew!”
I found this newsletter searching through Qstack specifically looking for queer history substacks. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it fascinated me nonetheless. The substack focuses on the history of queerness, trans identity, and gender expression in popular culture. It was fun to poke around the different articles about many different mediums of pop culture, including movies, books, music, and video games (as someone who loves video games, it was especially fun to read about queerness in those). I found the author of this substack to be fascinating as well. She is a trans woman that is a mother and a survivor of substantial abuse at the hands of her family. It was inspiring to hear her story of perseverance and interesting to see how she discusses it in her articles.
https://cooltransmom.substack.com/p/15-trans-video-game-characters
This is the article I enjoyed most from this substack, titled “15 Trans Video Game Characters.” As a member of the queer community and a lover of video games, this article stuck out to me. I enjoyed seeing how transgender people have been represented in video games over time, as well as peoples’ reception to it. The author also includes links to more articles or developer statements about this characters, which is great for more reading if you’re really interested. If you enjoy video game history like I do, I would definitely check this one out.
LGBTQ Global
“Be part of a community of people who care about the fight for LGBT equality.”
I also found this substack through Qstack and I was amazed at how much it covers. LGBTQ Global is a news source for queer activism around the world, headed by journalist Rob Salerno. Like I said, the amount of coverage this substack provides is incredible. It posts a new story almost every other day, and it covers LGBTQ news from all over the world. Whether the article is about a country in Europe, Africa, or East Asia, each article also includes updates on queer activism in the United States (recently its been covering a lot about the Trump administration’s anti-LGBT legislation). I really enjoyed that it covered all corners of the world, because, after all, the flight for LGBTQ is a global effort.
Although it’s possible to be on this substack for hours, this was an article that caught my eye. The articles of LGBTQ Global are formated as a series of blurbs and links to longer articles, and the one I wanted to mention is the one in the URL above. For a long time, New Zealand discriminated against gay men when it came to donating blood over fears of the transmission of AIDS. However, the blood ban is ending, allowing gay men willing to donate to finally contribute to the cause. I found that to be pretty uplifting news.
Recovering Trans Mystic
“Sometimes, whether we are in a season of transition, grief, or pain, we need to pause and reflect.”
I found this substack off a recommended page and it had a very cozy vibe about it. It’s written by Jo Christian, and it addresses deconstruction of faith, 12-Step Spirituality/ recovery, creativity, writing, queerness, and even baking through a variety of writing styles like articles and poetry. I enjoyed the variety of topics Christian covers; some heavy, some lighthearted and fun, but all covered with the same beautiful articulation. I think poetry is a beautiful style of writing and it truly has the power to change the world. Especially now, in the face of looming tragedy for the LGBTQ+ community, finding a substack like this is very comforting.
I looked at this article because the title was very intriguing to me. You usually never see “Trump” and “trans” in the same sentence unless its something very negative. However, the poem featured in this article was very uplifting. It calls hate and bigotry a fragile project of collective fear that can easily be shattered by hope if we just come together. It was written in December in the wake of Trump’s re-election, when hope for the LGBTQ community was at a low, to comfort people and give them hope for the future. This article certainly gave hope back to me.
Crashing the Gates
“Combine this with the myriad other possible aspects of our lives outside of being trans, and there are as many different trans stories as there are trans people. It’s because of this difference that I find myself wanting to tell my story.”
I found this substack in the Sex, Relationships, and Gender category of Qstack. This substack focuses specifically on the aspects of transgender life, from gender dysphoria, to transitioning, to facing discrimination. The author of the substack, Nicola Elle, a transgender woman, named the substack “Crashing the Gate” specifically to address the internal and external issues of gatekeeping that the trans community faces; its an internal issue because some people in the trans community try to keep others out or clearly define what it means to be transgender and external issue because some places restrict treatment based on external factors. Overall, it’s a great newsletter if you are interested in the daily struggles the transgender community faces.
I found this article from “Crashing the Gates” to be very touching and powerful. It discusses the difficulties of family relationships from the perspective of a transgender person and compares relationships to negotiations; relationships are all about giving and taking in compromise. However, as Elle points out, a lot of relationships turn unhealthy, especially in the wake of such a drastic change such as coming out as transgender. The denial and verbal abuse trans people often face at the hand of their family often causes them to abandon that family entirely. Elle acknowledges this, but also presents a hopeful solution that distance can be kept while love is still maintained, and that that can mend broken relationships.
Amplify Respect
“I am passionate about using respectful language to help understand ourselves and each other and build empathy and a supportive online community.”
We’ve already read an article from this substack, but I think it’s so awesome I want to give it another shoutout. I think for a lot of people outside the LGBTQ+ community, concepts of gender, sexuality, and gender expression can be difficult for people to wrap their heads around; that difficulty can lead to a lot of discrimination and misunderstandings. However, the key to combating this is through explanation, understanding, and empathy, which I think “Amplify Respect” does a great job in fostering. It features articles about using respectful language, building connections with the queer community, and understanding the problems it faces.
I found this article from Rey Katz to be super fascinating. It recounts their experience traveling as a trans person in Japan, a country whose culture I’m very interested in. It was interesting to see Katz’ point of view on the whole thing, especially how they perceived they were being perceived by the Japanese people around them. What is even more intriguing was that they actually managed to find a children's book in a public library that explained concepts of sexuality and gender identity, which is not at all what I expected. Definitely a neat article if you’ve wondered about LGBTQ culture in Japan.
Interesting collection. At first I thought it would focus on queer history. But it got diverse!