Prism & Pen
@prismnpen.bsky.social
An online journal of compelling LGBTQ fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Calling on all readers and writers with LGBTQ+ flair to join us on
https://medium.com/prismnpen
#LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #2SLGBTQ #2SLGBTQIA #Queer #QueerWriters #Writing #Storytelling
https://medium.com/prismnpen
#LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #2SLGBTQ #2SLGBTQIA #Queer #QueerWriters #Writing #Storytelling
Transphobes like to style themselves as arbiters of science and truth. Claims that transphobic talking points are grounded in science fall apart after the most basic examination. Transphobic talking points are very clearly grounded in fear.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #Fear
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #Fear
Transphobia Is an Emotional Position
When emotions become justification for toxic politics
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November 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Transphobes like to style themselves as arbiters of science and truth. Claims that transphobic talking points are grounded in science fall apart after the most basic examination. Transphobic talking points are very clearly grounded in fear.
buff.ly/wPJrRmv
#LGBTQ #Transgender #Fear
buff.ly/wPJrRmv
#LGBTQ #Transgender #Fear
What I didn’t know, what I had no notion of, is how much paperwork is involved in being #transgender! During the early stages of his transition, it seemed as though there were endless forms for him to fill in and research for us to do.
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#LGBTQ #Advice #CisAllies
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#LGBTQ #Advice #CisAllies
So Much Paperwork Involved in Being Transgender!
My cis wife’s support & advice guide
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November 30, 2025 at 2:10 PM
What I didn’t know, what I had no notion of, is how much paperwork is involved in being #transgender! During the early stages of his transition, it seemed as though there were endless forms for him to fill in and research for us to do.
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#LGBTQ #Advice #CisAllies
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#LGBTQ #Advice #CisAllies
He assured me that he had “a legitimate business opportunity” that was not a pyramid scheme.
I wish I had the clarity to see that if someone keeps insisting their business is not a pyramid scheme… chances are, it probably is.
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#LGBTQ #Loneliness #MLM #PyramidScheme
I wish I had the clarity to see that if someone keeps insisting their business is not a pyramid scheme… chances are, it probably is.
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#LGBTQ #Loneliness #MLM #PyramidScheme
How Could My Queer Loneliness Lead Me Right Into a Pyramid Scheme?
And how much are you willing to sacrifice to believe that you’re loved?
medium.com
November 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM
He assured me that he had “a legitimate business opportunity” that was not a pyramid scheme.
I wish I had the clarity to see that if someone keeps insisting their business is not a pyramid scheme… chances are, it probably is.
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#LGBTQ #Loneliness #MLM #PyramidScheme
I wish I had the clarity to see that if someone keeps insisting their business is not a pyramid scheme… chances are, it probably is.
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#LGBTQ #Loneliness #MLM #PyramidScheme
I always tell her she looks amazing, she seems to smile which betrays the fact she doesn’t believe me. She does though! I went to school with Alex, and she never smiled like she does now, ever.
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender #SerialFiction
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender #SerialFiction
Jae and Alex: Driving From Dysphoria, Resting & Regrets
The Storm We Choose (III)
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November 29, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I always tell her she looks amazing, she seems to smile which betrays the fact she doesn’t believe me. She does though! I went to school with Alex, and she never smiled like she does now, ever.
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender #SerialFiction
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender #SerialFiction
Niobe knew her wild, reckless behavior would someday become her hamartia, but the Fates had a darker future awaiting he than she could ever have imagined.
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#LGBTQ #GreekMyth #Retelling
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#LGBTQ #GreekMyth #Retelling
The Massacre of the Niobids: The Sapphic Myth of Leto and Niobe
The story of how Niobe’s former lover caused the greatest tragedy of her life, based on Sappho’s version of the classic myth.
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November 29, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Niobe knew her wild, reckless behavior would someday become her hamartia, but the Fates had a darker future awaiting he than she could ever have imagined.
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#LGBTQ #GreekMyth #Retelling
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#LGBTQ #GreekMyth #Retelling
She reworked Dorothy’s
slippers into 12-inch
stripper stilettos
’cause there’s no place
like what became home...
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#LGBTQ #Poetry #QueerPoetry #LovePoem #Denver
slippers into 12-inch
stripper stilettos
’cause there’s no place
like what became home...
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#LGBTQ #Poetry #QueerPoetry #LovePoem #Denver
A Queer Love Poem to Denver
From a trans person who took refuge here
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November 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM
She reworked Dorothy’s
slippers into 12-inch
stripper stilettos
’cause there’s no place
like what became home...
buff.ly/BkBgw9w
#LGBTQ #Poetry #QueerPoetry #LovePoem #Denver
slippers into 12-inch
stripper stilettos
’cause there’s no place
like what became home...
buff.ly/BkBgw9w
#LGBTQ #Poetry #QueerPoetry #LovePoem #Denver
As a consultant who advises and assists US citizens in emigrating from the country — especially those who are leaving due to marginalization — I’ve been tracking the fallout of this EO since it was issued.
medium.com/prismnpen/a-...
#LGBTQ #Transgender #USPolitics
medium.com/prismnpen/a-...
#LGBTQ #Transgender #USPolitics
A Crumb of Hopeful Intel for Trans Emigrants Outside the US
Just one data point, but it’s a good sign for those who are residents outside the US
medium.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:17 PM
As a consultant who advises and assists US citizens in emigrating from the country — especially those who are leaving due to marginalization — I’ve been tracking the fallout of this EO since it was issued.
medium.com/prismnpen/a-...
#LGBTQ #Transgender #USPolitics
medium.com/prismnpen/a-...
#LGBTQ #Transgender #USPolitics
Since the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that women are to be defined in biological terms as per the Equality Act, there has been a lot of concern over how it will apply to things such as public bathrooms.
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#LGBTQ #UKPolitics #Transgender
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#LGBTQ #UKPolitics #Transgender
British Transphobes and Their Cis Victims
Transphobes won’t stop at just trans people
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November 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Since the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that women are to be defined in biological terms as per the Equality Act, there has been a lot of concern over how it will apply to things such as public bathrooms.
buff.ly/JcgQCrT
#LGBTQ #UKPolitics #Transgender
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#LGBTQ #UKPolitics #Transgender
I loved spending time with my grandma. I would always jump at the opportunity to visit her. But I didn’t look forward to the nighttime. That’s when the smoke demon would appear in my dreams.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #Family #Childhood #Nightmares
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #Family #Childhood #Nightmares
The Smoke Demon and the Internalizing of Transphobia
One trans woman’s earliest nightmare leaves a possible clue
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November 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
I loved spending time with my grandma. I would always jump at the opportunity to visit her. But I didn’t look forward to the nighttime. That’s when the smoke demon would appear in my dreams.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #Family #Childhood #Nightmares
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #Family #Childhood #Nightmares
I not only see myself in the mirror, I feel comfortable as myself in public. Perhaps it is the HRT? Maybe it is my hair and makeup? It might actually be my dress and poise! Or is it that I only use rose colored self-delusional glasses?
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #SelfImage
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #SelfImage
Is This Passing After Transitioning at 60?
Become your own judge and arbiter.
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November 27, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I not only see myself in the mirror, I feel comfortable as myself in public. Perhaps it is the HRT? Maybe it is my hair and makeup? It might actually be my dress and poise! Or is it that I only use rose colored self-delusional glasses?
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #SelfImage
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #SelfImage
It’s almost 11pm, and I can’t believe I’m ringing in sick to work tomorrow, to drive to Weymouth on the South Coast, to stare at a lighthouse in a storm.
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
Jae and Alex: Driving From Dysphoria, Stopping for Sushi
The Storm We Choose (II)
medium.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:07 PM
It’s almost 11pm, and I can’t believe I’m ringing in sick to work tomorrow, to drive to Weymouth on the South Coast, to stare at a lighthouse in a storm.
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
Prodigal Sons isn’t really a documentary about a trans woman returning home. It’s a documentary about the sibling whose rage makes that homecoming impossible.
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#LGBTQ #QueerFilm #Transgender #Family #ProdigalSons
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#LGBTQ #QueerFilm #Transgender #Family #ProdigalSons
Prodigal Sons and Family Trauma: Holiday Battlegrounds & Freezing Response
On family wounds, impossible love, and the moment I realized I could finally let Marc go.
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November 26, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Prodigal Sons isn’t really a documentary about a trans woman returning home. It’s a documentary about the sibling whose rage makes that homecoming impossible.
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#LGBTQ #QueerFilm #Transgender #Family #ProdigalSons
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#LGBTQ #QueerFilm #Transgender #Family #ProdigalSons
I felt like somehow I did something wrong, though I know I didn’t.
He looked and sounded hurt and offended, as if I were being rude.
I can only imagine how I would have felt as a young, inexperienced teenager had I been born cisgender.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #TransChasers #Harassment
He looked and sounded hurt and offended, as if I were being rude.
I can only imagine how I would have felt as a young, inexperienced teenager had I been born cisgender.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #TransChasers #Harassment
First Negative Interaction with a Male/Chaser as a Trans Woman
I didn’t know what I was feeling
medium.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
I felt like somehow I did something wrong, though I know I didn’t.
He looked and sounded hurt and offended, as if I were being rude.
I can only imagine how I would have felt as a young, inexperienced teenager had I been born cisgender.
buff.ly/sZPX8L1
#LGBTQ #Transgender #TransChasers #Harassment
He looked and sounded hurt and offended, as if I were being rude.
I can only imagine how I would have felt as a young, inexperienced teenager had I been born cisgender.
buff.ly/sZPX8L1
#LGBTQ #Transgender #TransChasers #Harassment
From the time I was about 11, I understood that both religious traditions condemned me as evil and broken.
I spent much of yesterday in anguish, and I’d like to tell you why.
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#LGBTQ #Gay #Queer #PersonalStory #SuicidalIdeation
I spent much of yesterday in anguish, and I’d like to tell you why.
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#LGBTQ #Gay #Queer #PersonalStory #SuicidalIdeation
This Depraved, Disordered, Queer F-Word Shed Tears of Anguish Yesterday
This atheist who loves Christmas can’t understand support for hatred and hate speech
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November 25, 2025 at 5:03 PM
From the time I was about 11, I understood that both religious traditions condemned me as evil and broken.
I spent much of yesterday in anguish, and I’d like to tell you why.
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#LGBTQ #Gay #Queer #PersonalStory #SuicidalIdeation
I spent much of yesterday in anguish, and I’d like to tell you why.
buff.ly/Z6xc0dH
#LGBTQ #Gay #Queer #PersonalStory #SuicidalIdeation
How on earth do you protect a #queer space without gatekeeping identities at the door? No one wants a bouncer scanning people’s auras for "heterosexual energy." Which brings me to the elegant, historic, slightly chaotic solution.
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#LGBTQ #GayBars #Nighlife
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#LGBTQ #GayBars #Nighlife
Saving LGBTQ Venues Requires a Very Explicit Solution
We need to bring back gay porn in queer venues. For public safety.
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November 25, 2025 at 2:32 PM
How on earth do you protect a #queer space without gatekeeping identities at the door? No one wants a bouncer scanning people’s auras for "heterosexual energy." Which brings me to the elegant, historic, slightly chaotic solution.
buff.ly/83ERjBb
#LGBTQ #GayBars #Nighlife
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#LGBTQ #GayBars #Nighlife
From the rooftop at the gay bar Hula’s Tiki, I watched the sunset turn the ocean gold. Live kī hō‘alu music mingled with the sweet smoke of grilled pineapple. Queer life here didn’t whisper or hide in shadows; it bloomed in the open.
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#LGBTQ #Travel #QueerTravel #Hawaii #Thanksgiving
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#LGBTQ #Travel #QueerTravel #Hawaii #Thanksgiving
Decolonizing Thanksgiving: If Hawaii’s Third Gender Healers Led?
A reframing of tradition rooted in Māhū wisdom, care, and queer reverence
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November 25, 2025 at 2:23 PM
From the rooftop at the gay bar Hula’s Tiki, I watched the sunset turn the ocean gold. Live kī hō‘alu music mingled with the sweet smoke of grilled pineapple. Queer life here didn’t whisper or hide in shadows; it bloomed in the open.
buff.ly/crNElmr
#LGBTQ #Travel #QueerTravel #Hawaii #Thanksgiving
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#LGBTQ #Travel #QueerTravel #Hawaii #Thanksgiving
DEB: What did he know about us? That we are from Pennsylvania. And these. (indicates our LGBTQ+ flag pins)
ME: So you think we got targeted because he’s a bigot?
DEB: I can’t think of anything else.
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#LGBTQ #Pride #Bigotry #Microaggressions
ME: So you think we got targeted because he’s a bigot?
DEB: I can’t think of anything else.
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#LGBTQ #Pride #Bigotry #Microaggressions
Chat with Deb—Really, Dude?
Was it our Pride pins, or “Maybe something bad happened to him in Pennsylvania?”
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November 25, 2025 at 2:14 PM
DEB: What did he know about us? That we are from Pennsylvania. And these. (indicates our LGBTQ+ flag pins)
ME: So you think we got targeted because he’s a bigot?
DEB: I can’t think of anything else.
buff.ly/UVuCSKN
#LGBTQ #Pride #Bigotry #Microaggressions
ME: So you think we got targeted because he’s a bigot?
DEB: I can’t think of anything else.
buff.ly/UVuCSKN
#LGBTQ #Pride #Bigotry #Microaggressions
As we drove home that first night, away from the pub, away from people, when it was just Jae and I alone? We bared our souls where nobody else could hear and judge. I knew we’d be friends for life.
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #SerialFiction
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #SerialFiction
Jae and Alex: Driving Away From Dysphoria
The Storm We Choose (I)
medium.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:08 PM
As we drove home that first night, away from the pub, away from people, when it was just Jae and I alone? We bared our souls where nobody else could hear and judge. I knew we’d be friends for life.
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #SerialFiction
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #SerialFiction
I carry a bit of Charlie Brown within me as I try to stay hopeful in the face of cruelty. A Charlie Brown Christmas offers lessons and hope for #queer people to find joy in the holidays in the face of unkind words and actions.
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#LGBTQ #Christmas #QueerJoy #Hope
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#LGBTQ #Christmas #QueerJoy #Hope
The Tension of Queer Joy, Cruelty, and the Charlie Brownest of Christmases
What A Charlie Brown Christmas teaches about hope, authenticity, and resisting cruelty during the holidays.
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November 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I carry a bit of Charlie Brown within me as I try to stay hopeful in the face of cruelty. A Charlie Brown Christmas offers lessons and hope for #queer people to find joy in the holidays in the face of unkind words and actions.
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#LGBTQ #Christmas #QueerJoy #Hope
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#LGBTQ #Christmas #QueerJoy #Hope
#Queer romances are at the heart of the game. Every companion in the game is able to be romanced by the player regardless of their chosen gender, and the game even allows people to identify as trans or non-binary.
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#LGBTQ #QueerGaming #BaldursGate3
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#LGBTQ #QueerGaming #BaldursGate3
Queer Reflections on Baldur’s Gate 3
Celebrating the best game I’ve ever played
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November 24, 2025 at 3:03 PM
#Queer romances are at the heart of the game. Every companion in the game is able to be romanced by the player regardless of their chosen gender, and the game even allows people to identify as trans or non-binary.
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#LGBTQ #QueerGaming #BaldursGate3
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#LGBTQ #QueerGaming #BaldursGate3
One night back home as we were walking the dogs, Jeff seemed distracted. I asked him if everything was ok. He said to me, “I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. And I wanted to say that I love you.”
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#LGBTQ #LoveAndLoss #Grief #Suicide
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#LGBTQ #LoveAndLoss #Grief #Suicide
The Boy Who Stole My Heart — and Left Too Soon
A gay love cut short
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November 24, 2025 at 2:56 PM
One night back home as we were walking the dogs, Jeff seemed distracted. I asked him if everything was ok. He said to me, “I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. And I wanted to say that I love you.”
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#LGBTQ #LoveAndLoss #Grief #Suicide
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#LGBTQ #LoveAndLoss #Grief #Suicide
So much of our suffering comes from saying yes when our whole body is whispering no. We do it to keep the peace, to be liked, to avoid conflict. And each time we betray ourselves, something inside us tightens.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #MentalHealth
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #MentalHealth
Poise, Boundaries, and Becoming Myself as a Trans Woman
The inner shift that happens when you stop abandoning your own truth
medium.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:47 PM
So much of our suffering comes from saying yes when our whole body is whispering no. We do it to keep the peace, to be liked, to avoid conflict. And each time we betray ourselves, something inside us tightens.
buff.ly/1gGjkNb
#LGBTQ #Transgender #MentalHealth
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #MentalHealth
‘Are you really a ghost?’ Grace asked.
‘I don’t know what I am.’
‘I thought your hand would feel more… chilled, I suppose. Sorry, is that an awful thing to say?’
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
‘I don’t know what I am.’
‘I thought your hand would feel more… chilled, I suppose. Sorry, is that an awful thing to say?’
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#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
A Trans Woman, a Ghost and a Blank Wall that Became their World
Grace and Abigail explore love and look for a way out. Part Four
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November 23, 2025 at 1:47 PM
‘Are you really a ghost?’ Grace asked.
‘I don’t know what I am.’
‘I thought your hand would feel more… chilled, I suppose. Sorry, is that an awful thing to say?’
buff.ly/jrPrGcT
#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
‘I don’t know what I am.’
‘I thought your hand would feel more… chilled, I suppose. Sorry, is that an awful thing to say?’
buff.ly/jrPrGcT
#LGBTQ #Fiction #QueerFiction #Transgender
If, like me, you overthink like you’re getting paid to do so, there are a few things that can kick that worry into hyperdrive. Someone you love coming out as trans is one of them.
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #CisAllies #Advice
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#LGBTQ #Transgender #CisAllies #Advice
Coping With Worry About Your Trans Loved One
My Cis Wife’s Support & Advice Guide
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November 23, 2025 at 1:45 PM
If, like me, you overthink like you’re getting paid to do so, there are a few things that can kick that worry into hyperdrive. Someone you love coming out as trans is one of them.
buff.ly/0B8PROa
#LGBTQ #Transgender #CisAllies #Advice
buff.ly/0B8PROa
#LGBTQ #Transgender #CisAllies #Advice
We had our Approval Panel on 12th November 2025. The night before was spent tossing and turning as worry kept sleep at bay. Would we be recommended to proceed? Would our hopes for a family be encouraged or ended?
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#LGBTQ #Gay #Adoption #UK
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#LGBTQ #Gay #Adoption #UK
UK Gay Adoption Journey: We Got Through the Approval Panel
Then we waited on pins and needles to hear if we can adopt
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November 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM
We had our Approval Panel on 12th November 2025. The night before was spent tossing and turning as worry kept sleep at bay. Would we be recommended to proceed? Would our hopes for a family be encouraged or ended?
buff.ly/fCodOid
#LGBTQ #Gay #Adoption #UK
buff.ly/fCodOid
#LGBTQ #Gay #Adoption #UK