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Trans Writes is built from the ground up to elevate and support the often unheard voices of the transgender community. This page is where you will find all of the articles contributed to us by you. All of our writers are paid for their work which is made possible through your donations.

A screenshot from the trailer to the upcoming Ghost of Yōtei. The latest game to be targeted for queerness in video games after casting Erika Ishii as the main character. The screenshot shows the protagonist dressed in samurai clothing staring down a wolf in the forests of Yōtei.

Queerness in video games isn’t new; this manufactured backlash is

Following the announcement of Erika Ishii's role in Ghost of Yōtei and predictable backlash centering on queerness in video games from a certain squalid corner of the internet I saw a thread by Ciarán Strange (voice of Lor and Paladin Mike in the Borderlands series) that felt like he had a lot more to say. To my great appreciation, Ciarán Strange writes;
When was T added to LGBT? A protestor holds a sign in 2011 at a London Pride event reading: "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. Fighting Racism and Homophobia for the right of asylum for LGBT refugees. Stop the deportations." Photocredit: stephenrwalli via Wikimedia Commons

When was the T added to LGBT? A quick history

Disinformation about queer rights history is rife and often spread by people pushing an anti-trans agenda by, somewhat successfully, arguing that T is new and dragging the rest of the acronym down. But is that true? Answering the question when was the T added to LGBT, Sarah Clarke writes;
Protestors holding signs reading "trans rights now" and "stop killing my trans siblings" at The Downing Street protest 21/01/2023. Photocredit; Alisdare Hickson via Wikimedia Commons. This protest was not about the UK's private gender clinics, but rather Scotland's GRR Bill being blocked by Rishi Sunak.

UK’s private gender clinics; a guide to getting on hormones

Healthcare for transgender and gender diverse people in the UK right now is a battlefield and amidst the smoke, dust and debris it can be very difficult to find one's way out of no mans land. Even the UK's private gender clinics are no guarantee, Eli Cugini writes;
A photo showing some of the crowds at Bangkok Pride Parade 2023 showing a snippet of Life in Thailand for queer people. Credit OraMAAG via Wikimedia Commons

Life in Thailand made it harder for me to come out as trans

The western world has a perception of our Southeast Asian country as very progressive and LGBTQIA+ friendly. I suppose there is some truth in that.  We even recently passed a marriage equality bill! But life in Thailand as a transgender lesbian woman doesn't actually match up to that idealised view.
Art of Nick and Benji, who our autistic transgender writer found solace in. Art created by Andrew Joseph White.

Andrew Joseph White’s writing is exactly what autistic transgender people like me needed when...

I adored books as a child but had always struggled to find characters I could really relate to or who thought like me. I felt very alone and like there was something deeply wrong with me. This carried on through into my adulthood with all characters in fiction feeling like aliens to me. That is until my friend recommended a horror book by autistic transgender author, Andrew Joseph White.
A photo of an open book on a desk with a trans flag colour gradient overlayed on the image representing trans people and fanfiction

Fanfiction was my gay-girl-to-gay-guy pipeline, and I’m proud of it

Smutty BL fanfiction was at the heart of me coming into my transness - and I’m proud of it.
Title card for Mithago Burn A Building, photo by Scroobius Pip and team

Mithago’s Burn A Building is a passionate call-to-arms that leaves nowhere to hide

After 8 years away from the video production scene social media accounts for Scroobius Pip suddenly started lighting up with an announcement. Mithago's Burn A Building had moved him so much we just had to go take a look for ourselves. Crow Rudd writes;
A VTubing banner for Fero Pheromone by Felix Fern.

VTubing is, perhaps unsurprisingly, incredibly intersectional

At the 2023 Game Awards we didn’t just have Alan Wake the Musical, Jordan Peele coming out of an ominous door and surprise God of War DLC. We also had confirmation that VTubing is taking over the world of livestreaming, and for good reason, as Twitch’s most subscribed female streamer (with an additional 1.87M followers) Ironmouse took home the award for Content Creator of the Year.
A photo of Scotland's court of session where the For Women Scotland case was heard.

For Women Scotland case lost, what does it mean?

For Women Scotland case has been lost. This was an appeal in which they argued that women with a GRC should not be considered of the female sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. The judgment of the Inner House of the Court of Session - Scotland’s highest court - held that a trans woman with a GRC falls within the definition of ‘woman’ for the purposes of section 11 of the Equality Act 2010, which protects against discrimination on the basis of sex.
A photo of Bappie Kortram wearing the Spareparts Joque harness

Spareparts Joque review; a pricey harness but worth it

We all know this scenario, you are down to clown and the mood is set. You pull out your well curated collection of toys like a wine connoisseur of orgasms. You click that bad boy into your harness, ready to ruin this lovely person who is ready to be jack hammered into the afterlife. But alas you are fat and the harness isn’t big enough, even worse the fabric cuts into your skin like paper cuts and the jackhammering has ended with a weird plop as the toy has abandoned all hope and unceremoniously falls out of the o-ring of your harness. No worries though, the days of horny fat suffering have come to an end.
Edmonton Pride Parade 2011 where the "gays for gaza" spirit was alive as queers march holding signs opposing Israeli apartheid in Palestine, photo by Kurt Bauschardt, Wikimedia Commons

Why the ‘Gays for Gaza’ position makes perfect sense

With the Israeli government’s ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank approaching a third month, and with the war crimes growing ever more flagrant, frequent and egregious, it is perhaps expected that the propaganda war would also begin to intensify. Bad faith arguments abound, nakedly dishonest justifications are wheeled out without anything even approaching the commensurate degree of shame, and attacks on those expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people are stepped up by those running interference for these atrocities.
An image from Sapporo rainbow pride in 2019, the same year Law 111 was last upheld in Japan. The Image shows hundreds of people walking below rainbow balloons. Credit: Miki Yoshihito via Wikimedia Commons

Law 111: Japan’s trans sterilisation now unconstitutional, Supreme Court rules

In order to change their gender marker Japanese people have had to submit to trans sterilisation via Law 111. However a recent Supreme Court ruling has found this to be unconstitutional, covering this momentous change for Japanese trans people, Mako Nakajima writes;
A protestor holds up a sign reading "Stop killing my trans siblings" at protests in London following the UK's decision to block Scottish democracy and the passing of their GRA bill. I feel the sentiment applies to NHS England's proposal to ban puberty blockers - Credit to Alisdare Hickson via Wikimedia

NHS England’s proposal to ban puberty blockers for trans youth

NHS England (NHSE) is holding a public consultation on a proposal to ban puberty blockers for transgender children. The consultation is open until November 1st. This article will explain the proposal in some detail with the aim of providing guidance for respondents. It will also explain the general context of NHSE’s treatment of trans patients so allies and activists who are not up to speed on the situation in the UK can understand what is happening and what must be done.
Cover art for The Undying Author Book One by Tomara Garrod and illustrated by Sam Petherbridge. The illustrations include a London double decker bus, a hand-drawn cart stacked with hay, a shop front with a large anchor outside of it and a tree, all in a grey sketch pencil style. The title sits on top of a large grave stone shape in the center of the cover.

The Undying Author Book 1: an interview with Tomara Garrod

Historian and author Tomara Garrod’s first book, The Undying Author, is a novella about a Harry Potter fan journeying to confront JK Rowling, in the aftermath of Rowling’s infamous June 2020 essay setting out her transphobic views. Vic Parsons writes;
Press photo of Kemi Badenoch,, who likened trans people to a disease and is a candidate in the tory leadership race and who knew of LGB Alliance's anti-trans lobbying before meeting with them

Document reveals Government were aware of LGB Alliance’s anti-trans lobbying before meeting with them

A document from 2020 obtained by Trans Writes reveals that the Government Equalities Offices were completely aware of LGB Alliance's anti-trans lobbying before meeting with them. Jess O'Thomson writes;