Key point in here. Transgender people, cross-dressers and androgynous performers were often mocked or considered weird by much, if not most, of the population, but they *were* considered. They were *accepted* as weird. The zeitgeist now is to disappear them altogether; to pretend they don't exist.
Even as a lifelong Philadelphian, I had not heard much about Harlow; but I remember how, in the 1980s, transgender people and drag received a lot of positive attention (and much milder mockery). I'm looking forward to her memoirs.
December 7, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Key point in here. Transgender people, cross-dressers and androgynous performers were often mocked or considered weird by much, if not most, of the population, but they *were* considered. They were *accepted* as weird. The zeitgeist now is to disappear them altogether; to pretend they don't exist.
its also, crucially, made all of us worse. some of us by a lot, others by just a little. but a piece of all of us has rotted away by necessity of having to accept this in order to go on with our lives, or by refusing to accept it and bearing the strain of that
December 5, 2025 at 3:16 AM
its also, crucially, made all of us worse. some of us by a lot, others by just a little. but a piece of all of us has rotted away by necessity of having to accept this in order to go on with our lives, or by refusing to accept it and bearing the strain of that
The dogs on planes thing is a great example because it was being so widely abused that now airlines cracked down and now require you to document that it's a trained support dog, placing a burden on disabled people bsky.app/profile/flas...
My case would be that it’s enough that you’re regularly seeing it (ie people with their dogs in the store/on planes), and that it going unchecked is damaging to the proverbial social contract.
December 2, 2025 at 6:42 PM
The dogs on planes thing is a great example because it was being so widely abused that now airlines cracked down and now require you to document that it's a trained support dog, placing a burden on disabled people bsky.app/profile/flas...