John Walkerās Writing Clips
1. "Donald Trump Inspires Self-Defense Classes In LGBT Community," Teen Vogue, 12.06.16
"Blake always brings mace with him when he leaves the house in drag, but now he worries if thatās enough. Rachel has begun to carry 'stabby things' in her purseāan old fruit knife with a mother of pearl handle that belonged to her grandmother. A sharp, pointed tube of blood-red Ellis Faas lipstick that can double as a makeshift stake, should the need arise. Seth is usually on the lookout for someone who might share his critical appreciation of Janet Jacksonās self-titled 1993 album. Right now, though, heās looking for a new boxing gym."
2.Ā "Transgender Women Are Facing A Devastating Medical CrisisāAnd No One's Talking About It," Fusion, 09.30.16
"Synthetic estrogen plays a crucial role for trans women and transfeminine people who choose to undergo hormone replacement therapy as a means of medically transitioning. Yet the growing disappearance of its injectable form from the pharmaceutical market has gone largely unnoticed beyond the circles of those affected. Salcedo said that she has 'not seen any' media coverage of the shortage, despite the subjectās constant presence on her various social media feeds. Thatās not surprising. In the eight weeks since Outmagazineās website broke the news of the 'Injectable Estrogen Shortage Thatās Leaving Trans Women in Crisis,' very few outlets have picked up the story. This silence, Salcedo told me, must be broken."
3. "Will LGBT Anti-Discrimination Laws Survive A Trump Presidency?" VICE, 11.11.16
"On Tuesday, Americansāmostly white Americansāvoted Donald Trump into the White House. Now the country is wondering what Trump will do once he gets there. For LGBTQ peopleā¦the question will be how the incoming administration will handle legislation protecting them from discrimination, and they have ample reasons for fear."
4. "Meet Shakina Nayfack, The 'Trans Truther' From Hulu's 'Difficult People,'" Next Magazine, 08.15.16
"The TV Tropes wiki might be packed full of televisionās most overused clichĆ©s and storytelling devices, but nowhere throughout its thousands upon thousands of web pages will you find an entry for ātrans truther.ā Thatās because there has only been one such character in the history of TV, and sheās played by New Yorkās own Shakina Nayfack."
5. "On The Dangerous AIDS Myth Of 'Patient Zero,' And The Book That Started It All," Lit Hub, 12.01.16
"Not only did these articles tread well-trod ground in terms of content, that [Gaƫtan] Dugas was not responsible for bringing HIV/AIDS to North America, but they retraced the steps of an all too familiar media narrative surrounding HIV and AIDS, one that whitewashes their history while doubling down on the very same criminalizing mindset and emphasis on individual responsibility that allowed, and continues to allow, governmental institutions to fail to meet the needs of the trans communities and communities of color most directly impacted by the epidemic."
6. āBefore Grindr And Scruff: A Brief Oral History Of Gay Men Finding Each Other Online,ā Fusion, 07.19.16
āWhile apps like Scruff, Grindr, Tinder, and Jackād have been accused of everything from āruining romanceā to killing off queer nightlife, Iād suggest we consider their place within a different legacy. LGBTQ people have long used digital spaces as a means of connecting with others like themselvesā¦ The Scruff partygoers at the Time Hotelās LeGrande cocktail lounge last Thursday varied in age from their early twenties to mid-forties and beyond. I wondered what kind of stories they could tell about meeting other gay people in the pre-smartphone age.ā
7. āIncreased Safety Measures At Pride Parades Wonāt Make All LGBTQ People Feel Safe,ā Fusion, 06.17.16
Increased police presences and other security measures at Pride celebrations nationwide suggest that safety will be of the utmost priority at these events. But safety for whom? Many advocates for the rights of the most vulnerable people under the LGBTQ umbrellaāLatinxs, people of color, Muslims, transgender people, gender-nonconforming people, undocumented peopleāsay that this response to the Orlando shooting does not make Pride events safer for everyone in the queer and trans community. In fact, they say, these measures could discourage LGBTQ people who are not documented, white, and cis from attending such self-affirming celebrations in the first place.
8. āEven The Ass-eating Scene Couldnāt Make The āLookingā Movie Any Less Boring,ā Fusion, 07.25.16
āThereās no more risk, danger, or complication in Looking: The Movieās plot than there is in its depiction of contemporary gay identity. At least the ass-eating scene about 18 minutes in is really hot.ā
9. āMeet Macy Rodman, The āTrans Pop Courtney Loveā Who Wonāt Cede An Inch,ā Fusion, 05.12.16
āMacyās no stranger to the politics of taking up space. Blissful ignorance of how oneās body will be received in a given environment is a luxury not often afforded to trans people. The songs on her HELP EPā¦reflect the experience of constantly having to assert her right to exist in a culture that would rather see her erased. But while the everyday transmisogyny that fuels everything from street harassment to the passage of transphobic ābathroom billsā might make Rodman āwanna lay down and die,ā to borrow a phrase from her underground breakout hit āLazy Girl,ā there she was last Friday night: taking up space and annihilating the crowd with her presence.ā
10. āViews From The 7 (Train) After BeyoncĆ©ās Formation World Tour,ā Brooklyn Magazine, 06.08.16
āTransferring from the 7 to the Church Avenue-bound G at Court Squareā¦I found my fellow concertgoers increasingly silent as the end of our pilgrimage set in. Despite standing in a semi-packed train, I didnāt really overhear much in the way of conversation; the loudest words to be found in the entire car (āTHE FUTURE IS FEMALE,ā āLibertĆ©, EgalitĆ©, BeyoncĆ©ā) were ironed onto T-shirts. In an effort to quell the reality of Wednesday morning from setting in, I popped in my earbuds, queued up āAll Night,ā and opened my book. I donāt remember a single word I read.ā
