Two topics that I have come across of late are Neurodivergent (or Autistic) Joy, and Trans Joy.
These are basically counters to the hate of transphobia and some forms of ableist discrimination. I’ve decided to start exploring these - and personally, finding Trans Joy in the face of rabid, endemic hate is difficult for me, but I can see the survival an thriving values of both.
So ... I have begun with writing a poem (as I often do to explore new ideas), and research.
From my research, here are a few links:
Neurodivergent Joy
“The designer of the Black Disabled Lives Matter symbol on zines, parenting and solidarity” https://19thnews.org/2024/02/jen-white-johnson-zines-black-disabled-lives-matter-injustice-art/ “Jen White-Johnson was always an artist, but her son inspired her to break free — furthering her mission of using art to combat injustice.”
“Jen White-Johnson: Why Joy Must Be the Center of Disability Narratives” https://youtu.be/2svELqgjYxk
Jen White-Johnson website https://jenwhitejohnson.com/
Trans Joy
“Trans Joy Is Most Necessary When It Feels the Most Impossible” https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trans-joy-is-most-necessary-when-it-feels-the-most-impossible “When forces larger than us try to break our spirit, we can respond as forcefully and effectively with joy as we can with anger, defiance, and protest”
“What Makes Trans Joy Such a Powerful Antidote to Transphobia” https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-makes-trans-joy-such-a-powerful-antidote-to-transphobia “With political and media bigotry against trans people running rampant, one powerful weapon of resistance has been to find joy and pleasure wherever possible.”
“Trans Joy: Embracing the Journey of Self-Discovery” https://transaware.net/trans-joy-embracing-the-journey-of-self-discovery/
“Trans joy and family bonds are big parts of the transgender experience lost in media coverage and anti-trans legislation” https://theconversation.com/trans-joy-and-family-bonds-are-big-parts-of-the-transgender-experience-lost-in-media-coverage-and-anti-trans-legislation-203997
“‘I Feel Privileged to Be Trans’ – 5 Writers on What Trans Joy Means to Them” https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-trans-joy-means-to-me/
“Trans Stories Are So Much More Than Transition, Transphobia and Tragedy” https://www.teenvogue.com/story/trans-books-joy-adventure “Authors open up about the power of stories that focus on joy and adventure”
I am likely to add more to this over time, but as a first comment, this is not an easy state to acheive after experiencing a lifetime of hate: it is not a flippant “think I’ll be happy now” - there will be considerable shadow work, personal growth, and possibly counselling to deal with internalised phobias and/or fawning-for-survival responses ... but it will be worth it to beat the bullies.
Additional insights on my Journey to Joy:
- this does not mean I do not ever feel joy - I do, and also gratitude and humour (especially humour), but those are not associated with my being Trans/AuDHD: they are associated with other areas of life;
- I rarely had much chance to experience any joy with my day job, owing to the focus on cutting costs, the overwork, and the other problems in that sector - and, now that I am retired, I never will. So be it - that is on others’ heads, not mine;
- music (that I like 😁 ) is often the best way for me to find my way to a state of Joy;
- this does NOT justify reverse discrimination or feeling superior - others are equally entitled to joy for their states of being. As an example inspired by part of “Neurodiversity For Dummies”, by John Marble, Khushboo Chabria, and Ranga Jayaraman (pub. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA, 15 February 2024, ISBN 978-1-394-21619-2; For Dummies, Wiley, Kobo, Apple Books, Amazon), consider being left handed: that used to be viewed as evil, but now is accepted as a normal variation of the human condition. People are as entitled to celebrate the Joy of being Left Handed as the Joy of being Right Handed, but neither can discriminate against the other, and a sense of superiority over such characteristics is a form of discrimination (but, whether right or left handed, one may celebrate, for instance, skill at calligraphy, and consider people more or less skilled on that basis);
- <more to come>
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(Gnwmythr is pronounced new-MYTH-ear)
Remember: we generally need to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering” (just as binary gendered [men’s and women’s] sporting teams are either both given the gender descriptor, or neither).Copyright © Kayleen White 2007-2024 NO AI
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