Sharing Stories Beyond Gender

We're trans* and gender-fluid or questioning people… we’re using social media to explore • How we see ourselves • Who we share ourselves with • What it feels like to be understood Some of our digital creations will be shared with trans* and queer community service providers so they can help us to break down stigma and stereotypes. We’ll also be exploring ‘speaking across difference’ in pop-up trans*World Cafés and an exhibition in conjunction with Feast 2016. Check out other forms of digital storytelling and everyday activism on www.rainbowfamilytree.com

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

2016 Stories to Tell

Hi all... Can you help let others know about this weekend's workshop - 2-5pm at Uniting Communities, 10 Pitt St. Adelaide, via direct e:mail, phone call, f2f or via your social media networks?

I'm thinking we should move along in workshopping the following:

- themes (currently health, employment, education, safety) - dramatic form (currently an A4 booklet or book, several short films, possibly some posters) - scripts or plans for each 'project' - teams who are committed to working together - logistics (eg key roles, schedule, budget) - SBG group engagement with other groups (eg interstate, regional, northern/southern suburbs)

And of course more than happy to add any additional points to the agenda! Suggestions please...

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Getting creative?

What's news? Who is thinking about who they're going to bring to the Trans World Cafe on the 15th November? Family members or work colleagues that just don't quite get it? Gender-questioning friends with too many questions? We'll be exploring 3 issues/ideas put forth by community members... along the lines of 'when have you felt at home with yourself?'. Please let us know you have any ideas for questions?

And come along to the next workshop on the 7th November (2-5pm) when we'll be polishing up and uploading our creative content in preparation for the Trans World Cafe... or go visit www.storiesbeyondgender.com right now ; )

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

workshop and website update

We had a lovely Sunday arvo workshop last week, stirred by a challenge to write a couple of sentences on a turning point, a weird/funny experience/memory of gender, a mentor or an antagonist who you ended up learning something from. The homework task was to distill this story into a couple of 'locked off sentences with an accompanying image in order to upload to our new webspace at www.storiesbeyondgender.com We set everybody up with permission to edit the gallery and their own blog page.

For anyone who hasn't yet posted, you won't be able to see your blog page in the drop down menu until you add some content - then you can make it visible by going to 'pages' and dragging your page from private blog spots up to blog spots. You can also link your gallery content to your blog spot for viewers who want more context around your work.

Remember digital literacy only grows out of muddling around and there is no such thing as a stupid question! If you're stuck post here so someone can help! If all else fails PM me ; )

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Q&A Poems 5

Take knife to the silver image And slice my soul in two Take the ice from my heart Excise the part that’s you

For now I realise That the me I used to be Is something more than fiction But something less than me

So let the world see who I am It isn’t much to see But what you is dinkum die What you see is me.

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Q&A Poems - 4

Overwhelming and unbearable The feelings that assault us As we face stigma stigmata Of gender fluid incongruence

We seek in closet reflections Mirrors of our soul’s dimensions But all we find is the same old prison Imposed by human preconceptions

There’s one permanent escape To helpless, hopeless, aloneness Born from prejudiced victimisation From discriminating fear of otherness

So take a razor to the offending image Hold it close and sharp and ready Slash through the preconceptions Find the sunshine land beyond.

It’ll do you the best of good No more deep dark depression. No more powerless, no more lost Just the calming end of all things

But suicide’s contagious Colleagues will watch in awe. Ponder their own dark daemons And take up their razors too.

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Q&A Poems - 3

What am I? Put there by others I live in a box Not all girl, nor am I boy They call it genderfluid Genderqueer, transgressive I am my ancestors, a universe. I am me.  

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Q&A poems - 2

Transphobic hormonic nycturia Assailed a boy named Victoria Her doctor said ‘Look, it says in the book Your problem’s medical dysphoria

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Q&A poems - 1

I’m queen of sun and flowers Each in its place glowers In the union of the two The sunflower towers

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Myvideo Part 2

With luck part 2 of the video will load correctly, the address will be:

https://vimeo.com/user42745164/myvideopart2

and the password - 5721

Sorry it took so long.

Steph

[nostash]

This piece represents the experience of a non binary person emerging from the shadows. The person has a slight knowing smile in anticipation of what is ahead. They know there are more than two genders and they are ready for visibility. The words represent the lack of language for alternate genders. ‘Non binary’ describes what one is not and the pronoun ‘they’ lacks endearment. There is no current appropriate language or pronoun for this person. The space to emerge refers to now being the time to create a language to for us in order to platform all genders together.

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

I love this! Are you happy to include it in our ‘folio’?

[nostash]

This piece represents the experience of a non binary person emerging from the shadows. The person has a slight knowing smile in anticipation of what is ahead. They know there are more than two genders and they are ready for visibility. The words represent the lack of language for alternate genders. ‘Non binary’ describes what one is not and the pronoun ‘they’ lacks endearment. There is no current appropriate language or pronoun for this person. The space to emerge refers to now being the time to create a language to for us in order to platform all genders together.

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

mini-exhibition opportunity!

Hi all - so we're planning a little road trip to Mt Gambier not this weekend but next. We'll be meeting with gender-diverse community members who are keen to know more about ‪#‎beyondgender‬. I was thinking I should take along a little portfolio of our work? I'll check in with each of you regarding printing works-in-progress or experiments so far... Any new contributions?

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Q&A Question 6

Is ‘they’ the only alternative to ‘him’ or ‘her’?

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

https://www.latina.com/lifestyle/our-issues/why-we-say-latinx-trans-gender-non-conforming-people-explain

Some ones that I had’t heard...

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

She’s drowning in the open sea I’m a cold hard killing machine I don’t regret anything Because the person I killed Is who I used to be Why don’t you understand I’m not your girl I’m your man Why don’t you understand I’m not your girl I’m your man

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Yo. This is me. ??? It’s an original

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

So great... love your voice : )

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

She’s drowning in the open sea I’m a cold hard killing machine I don’t regret anything Because the person I killed Is who I used to be Why don’t you understand I’m not your girl I’m your man Why don’t you understand I’m not your girl I’m your man

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

Yo. This is me. ??? It's an original

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

She's drowning in the open sea I'm a cold hard killing machine I don't regret anything Because the person I killed Is who I used to be Why don't you understand I'm not your girl I'm your man Why don't you understand I'm not your girl I'm your man

[sharingstoriesbeyondgender]

My Video Part 1

Hi all.

Here is part one of the video I put together from everyone’s inputs the other week. It is password protected, and only you should know the url.

https://vimeo.com/user42745164/myvideopart1

Pass: 5721

Part 2 will have to wait for a week due to upload restrictions with Vimeo. Ho hum.

Stephanie.