when is trans day of joy?

Hello dear friend,

This has been a big month full of trans reflection, storytelling, grief, movement-building, and life-affirmation. I want to honor the legacies of those who have gone from us too soon, the heaviness that can come with recognizing so much loss of trans life, and also the beauty and spirit of trans folks I see all around me.

All these themes recently came together poignantly on Bluesky, where someone was struggling deeply and asking other trans folks to share why life was worth living. Comments poured in, and tears came to my eyes as I read them. So many shared that while life could be excruciatingly hard, it also held so much delight, pleasure, and joy that made everything worth it.

Every day, trans joy and trans solidarity are saving lives. I know it.

And yet it can be so, so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of everything, especially as the holidays descend upon us, and to forget that trans lives—your own trans life included—are sacred. We deserve much more care, loving attention, and sweetness than society usually allows.

On a recent walk, I slowed down, and asked myself:

What do I want from my life?

Am I spending my time on this precious earth in nourishing ways?

How do I want to lean into the things that matter to me, and perhaps to move away from the things that don’t feed me?

If you haven’t had much time to yourself recently, I hope you can take a moment (now or later—out in nature, in a bath, sitting in bed) to ask yourself these or similar questions.

Because our joys are inexplicably intertwined with infusions of care, hope, memory, belonging, rest. And to refuse to succumb to a lifetime of grinding or numbing out, to continue to believe life is worth living, is resistance.

With care and solidarity,
Jin (he/him)

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The day after TDOR should just be an all-day holiday party for trans people. Weeping comes in the night but joy comes in the morning.

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I've had so much joy singing with my trans and non-binary choir! Raising our voices in triumph and grief and longing, and all of it coming together into a fierce, radiant joy. I feel so powerful, we feel so powerful together. And I know, deep down in my bones, that no one can stop us from reclaiming a world that is safe and beautiful for all of us. We can do it together. I can feel it happening.

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So grateful to see NoSo perform live, in our little corner with all the gaysians. While standing in the audience, I suddenly realized it was the first time I had ever see a trans musician on tour. I need more of this in my life!

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I made this fun paper fish project that I've been meaning to do for a while [at a QTBIPOC art event!]

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When is trans day of joy? Trans day of just chilling with the girlies? Trans day of look at all the dope shit trans people have done historically and in the present day?

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If you're feeling inspired, the contributor form is open for your joy experiences and big feelings!

Hello everyone, hope you’re getting settled into what is proving to be a very busy Sagittarius season! This is your astrologer Feebz Rae (ze/zem/zer/he), as Rowan will be back in December, and this month we are paying our tribute to the curious and truth-seeking sign of Sagittarius by giving a bit of a historical rundown along with some important dates!

What's up in Sagittarius♐ this month:

11/21: Sun ingressed into Sagittarius

11/30: Venus ingresses into Sagittarius

12/8: Mars (in Sagittarius) perfects a square with Saturn (in Pisces) (Oof!)

12/11: Mercury re-enters Sagittarius

12/19: New Moon in Sagittarius

The HISTORY*:

Sagittarius is known for its archer shape, but this concept solidified during the Greek Kassite Period. Prior to that, the sign stemmed from the Sumerian constellation Pabilsag, which meant “Chief Ancestor.”

Pabilsag would have the half human, half horse shape, but also had depictions with wings and sometimes a dog head or snake phallus. As a mythical figure, Pabilsag was married to Gula, the witch healer who bore many similarities to the Greek Hekate and was related to the Aquarius constellation.

Not much is known about Pabilsag, but the Sumerians had a strong ancestor-veneration tradition. One of the stars in the constellation would rise as the Sun was in its lowest point at winter solstice, which was said to open the gates to the underworld, so it's possible Pabilsag guided the dead.

*From Babylonian Star-Lore: An Illustrated Guide to the Star-lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia by Gavin White

This month, we're blessed with bright whimsy, collective creations, deep healing transmissions, and more. Make yourselves comfy and settle in for the ride!

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First, the following dream of a collage accompanies an incredibly beautiful, healing TDoR writing, both created by the multi-talented Theo/hyesung 혜성 (he/she/they):

In my earliest memories, I lived as a girl who was said to behave like a boy but imagined herself as both/neither. Years later, when I began to socially transition, my friends described holding funerals for their past selves, returning them to the earth like we do for our fallen trans and nonbinary siblings.

Inspired by this, on a quiet autumn's evening, I came upon a forested path nestled deep in the mountains, and there began our procession. One by one, my past selves emerged from the understory, shrouded in dappled sunlight, joined by my ancestors in blood or in spirit, both living and passed. Together we marched on and on until the trail opened onto a windswept dune cradling a vast and gentle sea. But when I led them down to the water's edge, their final resting place, they did not go. They did not sleep.

Today, I carry within me everyone I've ever been and everyone who's ever moved my soul: the girl, the boy, the women, the men, and all those who are indescribably between and beyond. This, for me, is what it means to walk the path back home, to call back all those lost or exiled parts of ourselves, our ancestors, and our communities—to reconnect, to grieve, to rage, to sing, to dance—to just be. And in this, I'm reminded that beyond every painful ending is the promise of a new beginning.

In The Metamorphoses, a narrative poem of mythological transformations, Ovid writes: “All Things are alter’d, nothing is destroyed.”

🔗 Follow Theo's zine creations at:

http://bibimzines.art & https://www.instagram.com/bibimzines

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Next, introducing a wonderful artist, Kewpie (they/them), whose work makes my inner child very happy!

Kewpie shares:

I am a Black queer nonbinary artist and I find joy in making art and writing stories about us. Something as simple as drawing top scars or writing about a character's trans awakening fills me with joy.

Knowing the art my child self craved not only has a community, but that I get to be in it and create the art myself, gives me a fulfillment nothing else can match!

🔗 Follow kewpie on Bluesky! Also check out their portfolio.

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OK, hold onto your hats for this one–a magical QTPOC-led feature film in the making by Vee Hua 華婷婷! Preview RECKLESS SPIRITS below:

Vee shares their process with us:

Off-and-on since 2018, I have been on a journey which would eventually lead me to my most challenging creative undertaking ever: MY FIRST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM, RECKLESS SPIRITS.

On some level, of course, I have always known that I fell outside of gender norms, but being a 1983 baby, the language did not match my experience. They joked and called me lesbian, but that confused me because I didn't like chicks. I wasn't exactly trying to dress like a boy, either. All I knew was I felt horrible wearing dresses and acting feminine, yet immigrant gender norms often forced me to do as such, even as I was dying inside.

It took writing this film for me to "own" my gender identity, because I had thought I was "too old."

RECKLESS SPIRITS is about two best friends–a gender-fluid Latine performance artist named Syd and a neurotic Asian-American therapist named Yvette–who are led by a series of uncanny circumstances into a world of psychics, spells, and a cult leader trying to tear their friendship apart.

My co-writer Lisa Sanaye Dring and I wrote the characters as our alter-egos. She was, at the time, an actor who thought she could also be a therapist if not for that entertainment life! As for me, after explaining a zillion times, "Syd is who I would have been had I been less traumatized and more allowed to be who I was growing up," I realized, in my mid-30s, that it wasn't too late for me to identify as nonbinary. I was reborn from that moment–and also changed my name from Vivian to Vee.

In 2021, we released a short film for RECKLESS SPIRITS, starring, among others, Puerto Rican nonbinary icon Vico Ortiz (of Our Flag Means Death!). The short is the first 12 minutes of the feature film, with meaningful, multilingual, multicultural representation that reflects the world we live in, but often do not see on-screen.

We are in our final months before production in February, and it's CRUNCH TIME! We are looking to raise another $40K from folks passionate about trans/nonbinary/diverse representation made by actors and creators of those identities. If this is you, we welcome you to join us in any of the following actions (if you do, we'll share a private link to the unreleased short film!!!):

• Join our cult in a performance art activation on Dec 3 in Seattle :)
• Invest $100+ with a potential to make your money back (the most helpful)
• Make a tax-deductible donation through Northwest Film Forum (no $ back)

Vee also shares with ATJ:

Appropriately for this newsletter, I will say that: As a person who usually works in racial, social, and environmental justice nonprofit spaces, I had to give myself permission to make a comedy that touches on themes of colonization and capitalist co-option of spirituality... because queer, trans, and POC creators need to laugh in times like these! It's bleak out here, so thanks for keeping the joy alive!

🔗 You can keep following updates on this film at linktr.ee/hellomynameisvee!

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Lastly, an incredible T4T community choir making trans joy dreams come true:

The Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) held our first “Trans Awareness Week Art Party” a few weeks before our TDoR concerts!

Over 20 trans people and allies made linocut prints, inked existing woodblock stamps, and went on painting adventures. Other local trans artists stopped by to share their skills or make some art of their own. Tickets were pay-what-you-can, and half the attendees were able to participate for free. Making art to show one’s true self makes life more fun! 

Later in the month, almost 600 people came in-person to watch us perform for Trans Day of Awareness, where we both mourned the lives lost and expressed comfort in community through song.

🔗You, too, can watch STANCE's performances on their YouTube channel! Both the full TDoR rituals (including the reading of names and vigil) and individual song tracks are available.

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Thank you to all of our wonderful contributors this month!

• QTBIPOC press with two anthology calls for submissions! Soliciting letters of love/loathing you wish you had sent, and fantasy/sci-fi short stories.
• Another call for submissions: both art & fiction submissions for trans cosmic horror anthology!
• Queer Joy zine that you can download, print, and fold! Learn more about the zine on Instagram.
• Point of Pride helped fund survival, authenticity, and healing for 57 recipients this year!
• A beautiful interview with the creator of Good Queer News, who set out to be the trans joy mentor he never had.
• Protecting trans joy at a community swimming hole in Texas.
• Be a trans Santa! Send holiday joy to trans youth in need!

Are you enjoying ATJ? It takes many hours, conversations, and collaborations to make this newsletter happen every month. I don't always hear back from readers, so it would be amazing to hear how this issue inspired you or made you feel, if you want to share. :)

If you're a cis ally and/or have a few bucks to spare for uplifting collective trans joy, you can also now upgrade your subscription to $5/month! You can also tip us at Buy Me a Coffee!

⭐ Do YOU have trans joy to share with us?? Check out the Contributor Guidelines!

⭐ We’re always looking for trans projects & resources to amplify. If you know a trans creator we should feature, are launching something, or have a promising lead, please reply or fill out the form on this page.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please:

1. Drag and drop this email to your Primary inbox tab, and
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You can also follow us on Bluesky where we share snippets of trans joy in between newsletters.

Thanks for supporting and reading!!!

I’ll leave you with this…

Yes, yes it is. Until we take over the world, mwahaha.

Keep using your beautiful voices, my friends. Till next time!