Transphobia is about to be signed into law in the UK. We can fight this.
I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.
Last year we broke the record for an LGBT+ mass lobby of Parliament. Will you help us break it again? Join us on 25th June 2026 to demand be
The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.
Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or don’t pass too well.
A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:
Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.
Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.
Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns
Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.
I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.
It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:
Worried about what to say?
Bring your personal worries about transphobia being signed into law, and trans friends being excluded from public spaces. You are a living person who deserves dignity. Remind your MP of that. You will also get guidance and brochures from Trans Solidarity Alliance that outlines our demands. This is mine from last year.
Money issues?
Trans Solidarity Alliance provides a travel bursary that you can sign up for via the link.
Got a refusal or no response from your MP?
Come anyway! You can request a same-day appointment with your MP through a process called greencarding. They will come and see you if they’re already in Parliament. Even if they don’t, they’re made acutely aware of your cause because you showed up in person. This is my greencard from last year.
Here is the EHRC Code of Practice in full. It's a tough read, but some highlights are:
Organisations can’t provide trans-inclusive, single-sex services, or they risk being sued for discrimination.
e.g. domestic violence support for women including trans women, men’s rugby group including trans men (12.68).
Trans people will have nowhere safe to pee.
If you’re a trans man, businesses can't allow you to pee in the men's, and you can also be ejected from women’s bathrooms if you’re perceived as a man. Vice versa for trans women. EHRC suggests a ‘third space’ bathroom, which is discriminatory and unworkable for most businesses. (13.130-133)
Sports organisations must exclude trans people from single-sex competitions (13.73).
A women’s only sports competition must exclude trans women because of their biological advantage or face potential lawsuits (13.74), but a trans man who has undergone testosterone treatment can also be excluded based on fairness rules (13.81).
Trans women are stripped of the legal definition of ‘lesbian’, and therefore no longer have legal protections if they’re discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. (2.50, 2.92).
Here is the Good Law Project's better explanation of the EHRC Code.
I have also made a PDF printout of QR codes for the government petition, email your MP tool, and mass lobby link to pass around your communities. DM me and I'll send it to you.
Happy Pride to everyone but especially to Arthur and Bert, my interspecies gay finches who are in love and are incubating... something?... in their nest??
When my zebra finch Arthur lost his elderly husband Bruce last December (at eleven years old, which is positively ancient for a zebra finch!), I was really worried that Arthur would have a hard time finding love again. Thankfully, my local bird shop guy had a gay male shaft-tailed finch he was having a hard time pairing AND who was from an aviary that co-housed zebra finches, so that worked out perfectly! After a brief introduction period these two started courting and they are now married and very, very happy together.
the way some people talk about degendering as if it's a respectful thing to do makes me feel like i'm living on another planet than they are. "you can't misgender someone by using they/them pronouns, because they/them is gender neutral" ok and I'M NOT GENDER NEUTRAL, so it would be incorrect to refer to me as such. if you know what someone's pronouns are, then use them. if you don't, ask. it's that easy. what now
Oh huh! I hadn't realized I didn't post this one here on Tumblr! I finished this study in early March and have plans to have it be one of 3 pieces to go together 🙂↕️
[ID: Digital painting of Sherlock Holmes and Toby the dog, a study of Leyendecker's "Man with a dog" (1909) for Collier's Weekly. Holmes is in his coat, striped pants, top hat and grey scarf, Toby following a trace by his side. They are painted mid-motion. /end ID]
LOVE, LAURA starts June 29, with weekly episodes dropping on Patreon!
Told in micro episodes, the story follows Laura, a college Freshman stuck at home during Covid. It seems like she's going to be quarantined without any friends — until a distant relative Carmilla shows up needing a place to stay. They quickly become friends, and maybe something more, even though Laura is definitely straight. But what if Carmilla's strange nature isn't just hot and mysterious, but a sign of something ominous just below the surface?
This microfiction audio drama is written by Jamieson Ridenhour and Wil Williams, with audio editing by Tal Minear. LOVE, LAURA is inspired by the teen movies of the 90's and 2000's, from 10 Things I Hate About You to Ginger Snaps. It's a coming of age/coming of rage/coming of gay story for everyone who knows how Jennifer's Body really should have ended.
Not a paid Patreon member? Fear not! Once the show is complete we'll have a supercut in our Patreon store!
mind palace that was formerly a palace until the ruling family was killed mercilessly for its crimes. and now it's the thinking woman's socialist republic.
Are there Asian hairstyles that are unseen in canon but would make sense for Fire Nation male characters?
If they're supposed to be law-abiding citizens, then no. The Fire Nation's trademark topknot comes from the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE), a very brutal and militaristic period in Chinese history. There are quite a few aspects of the Qin Dynasty that are present in the Fire Nation, for example...
During the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE), Shi Huangti banned religion and burned philosophical and religious works. Legalism became the official philosophy of the Qin government and the people were subject to harsh penalties for breaking even minor laws. Shi Huangti outlawed any books, which did not deal with his family line, his dynasty, or Legalism... Confucian scholars hid books as best as they could and people would worship their gods in secret but were no longer allowed to carry amulets or wear religious charms.
In this sort of climate, men are viewed as tools of the state, so self-expression is not encouraged. That said, even under those conditions, men found ways to jazz up their topknot by adding little braid patterns and decorations in the back. They also had unique facial hair styles, although that might have been due to each soldier having a different capacity to grow a 'stache and beard.
However, in both the context of the Qin Dynasty and the Fire Nation, a man without a topknot would indicate he's some sort of criminal or shameful person. In which case, I suppose any hairstyle is acceptable for a law-breaking character.
#boy is so lucky Jee's apparent dishonor only extended to wanting to fist fight a teenager not wanting to disappear a preteen overboard#and I mean if you don't want to fight season one Zuko have you even met him?#because I assure you he wants to fight YOU
