Yes, our joy does matter, actually.

Dear friends,

At the risk of sounding like a "I can't believe..." food label from the 90s...I can't believe it's almost summer! Though if this month's submissions are any indicator, the Pride vibes are already wafting in. I love that our community doesn't wait to celebrate in these times.

My local trans community has been devastated by recent loss, and I know we're not alone in this. Then today, I read the words of an activist I admire, actively questioning the political value of gender euphoria. But binary discourse is a tool of the oppressor. Trans joy has never meant grief and rage don't exist, or that political action isn't important.

In this moment, I want to say: Yes, our joy does matter, actually. Those with dominant identities never have to justify their joy. Celebrating trans communities and our experiences when our survival is being threatened is nothing short of visionary.

And so, we scrawl our joy. We uplift how much there is to live for despite the pain. We take back the headlines that only want to acknowledge we exist when our lives are erased. We center how meaningful trans lives can be, and how integral transness is to the wholeness of our world.

Speaking of which...some wonderful folks responded to my call for a guest editor in July! I'm so excited by the response, and I'd love to create more opportunities for guest curation beyond this one month.

If you'd like to see more trans-led visions and perspectives from across the trans spectrum as well as geographical regions, I encourage you to become a trans joy gremlin, aka a paid subscriber to ATJ for $5/month. You can also gift a subscription, or make a one-time donation at Buy Me a Coffee! It will enable me to offer more honorariums for folks to come in and weave some beautiful missives for you all.

Have an amazing start to Pride, and look after each other!

With care and solidarity,
Jin (he/him)

BTW! The credit for much of the outreach — and therefore submissions received — for this issue goes to Feebz (ze/zem/zir/he), who was a godsend in a terribly busy month. If zir name sounds familiar, it's because ze wrote our astro column for the 1st year! These days, ze runs a badass trans spiritual blog (& Ghost twin!) you should definitely check out.

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I met a trans elder at church of all places, and just kicking it with them and sharing stories about our lives really makes me see how we can age with so much elegance. She is in her late seventies and has seen so much of the world. It makes me understand how much of my life I have left to live.

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Something that brings me joy and hope is older trans people. Being able to see and know that there’s a life out there for me, that I can grow old as the person I want to be, and that I don't have to hide my true self.

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Got told by someone I met a month ago that she never would have guessed I was raised as a different gender, that my mannerisms and way of moving and speaking just scream "woman" to her to a point that she can't believe I haven't been [presenting as] a woman my whole life. You better believe I've been riding that high all month. <3

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A few years ago when I was recovering from top surgery, my partner and I went on a nature adventure. I'd recently gotten the drains out (what a relief!) and still needed to avoid physical exertion, but where I live, there's a tram that takes people up to the tip-top of a mountain, so we rode it up.

On the edge of a rocky peak, I lay on the wide, warm rocks, shirt unbuttoned, open to the boundless blue sky. The sun’s rays bathed my chest in golden healing warmth. Breathing in the crisp, clean air, I felt the energy from my inhalations absorbing into my lungs, spreading up through the tissues and nerve endings in my chest that were re-weaving, inner roots drinking in energy, growing healthy strong scars. Exhaling, I let the sun’s warmth melt into me, like rain soaks into earth. What a feeling. Joy is too small a word!

I had another profound moment later that day, hugging a huge tree up there; I felt as if there was nothing between my heart, and the tree's heart. As if hugs before top surgery were blocked by a pillow-like barrier, but now I was free, my heart was free.

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My most recent visit to Seattle yielded a new tea process! I got a plastic steeper, a pig tea pet, and a little tea cup with a koi at the bottom. The shopkeeper apparently also gushed at how cute the tea pigs were when they came in!

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I went on a sweet friend date with another trans friend to two flower farms! We went to see peonies and irises. Many were unique varieties that I dont typically see and they were bee-yoo-tiful and the bees were loving them. I love photographing flowers and I was able to take so (too) many photos!

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all the staff at physical therapy today said I always wear the best shirts 💖

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I (transmasc enby) had the incredible opportunity to go on a lovely 9-day long vacation with one of my partners (also transmasc) that we would have previously thought only possible in our dreams. We’ve been together for 6 years, but only now had the opportunity and means to meet in person. Because of the generosity of some really good (also trans) friends, we were able to afford a trip we otherwise never would have been able to. We are so grateful for this trip and this community. I hope you all shoot for the dreams that feel impossible to you, too!

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⭐ If you're feeling inspired, the contributor form for June is open for your joy moments and Pride adventures! ⭐

5/20 ☀️ Sun → Gemini

5/31  🌕 Full Moon in Sagittarius

6/1 ☿️ Mercury → Cancer

6/9 Venus-Jupiter conjunct @ 25º Cancer 🦀

6/13 ♀️Venus → Leo

6/14  🌙 New Moon in Gemini

Hello and welcome to Gemini season, the time of year when the girls, gays, and theys finally emerge from our winter hibernation and burst from the cocoon in full glam, drag, or whatever makes your queer heart flutter. Gemini is often referred to as a social butterfly, but the better metaphor may be a honeybee — pollinating the garden of social connection and information, transmitting life between one flower and the next. 

As we head into the heat of summer, so close you can nearly taste it, the Sun and Mercury will be supercharging mental energy and social stamina in Gemini through the end of May. Unlike any Gemini season of our lifetimes so far — unless you’re in your 80s+, in which case, what a slay, good for you babe — the first planet to greet the Gemini Sun is Uranus, the great change-maker and revolutionary. This change from the Sun conjoining Uranus in slow-and-steady Taurus to light-speed Gemini could be liberating, destabilizing, or both. Liberation, after all, is destabilization: something once stuck is now free, and the consequences cause ripple effects we may not even notice until the ground under our feet starts to rumble.

Mercury, ruler of Gemini, moves into Cancer on 6/1, softening things as mental energy turns inward and becomes more reflective. Already sitting in Cancer are Venus and Jupiter, inching closer to one another over the last few weeks, hoping the other will make a move and just kiss already! These two finally get their steamy makeout session (conjoin) in the last few degrees of Cancer on 6/9, before Venus moves into hot-girl-summer Leo on the 13th.

We experienced the first sneaky Venus-Jupiter link in Cancer last August, and their joyous reunion emphasizes how much has changed in our relationships to ourselves, our loved ones, and our bodies over the last year. The two benefic planets conjoining provides an opportunity to lean into love and pleasure, both to the self and towards others, especially needed in times like these.

Cancer is nostalgic, easily swayed into thinking about the “good old days,” but there can and will be many good new days to look forward to. I highly suggest using this time to look back at pictures of yourself from a year ago, especially if you’re on HRT, newly out, or willing to celebrate how far you’ve come. Thank the person you were then for being willing to change into the person you are now. You’ve come so far, and you have so much further to go.

We're featuring some incredible trans gatherings this month, both upcoming and ongoing. Get that Pride calendar started!

But first, some beautiful printmaking and words on the poetics of water, by kaz-michael (he/him):

kaz says:

I designed this piece a few weeks before my own top surgery because one of the things I was most looking forward to was a long soak in the bath.

When I think about trans joy, I think about water: long baths, but also the feeling of shower water over my flat chest; hot sun beating on bare skin at the beach; a flatness and calmness I have longed for and that I am learning to tentatively rest in, water and body both.

Water is a medium in which all things are changed. They are changed by the movement of currents, by the refraction of light, by the muddying of slime and silt, and by the attritional erosion of time. It is no wonder to me that I find myself seeking to articulate my trans joy through such a medium.

This relief print is just one manifestation of my interest in water, which I also explore through poetry, watercolour, and in my academic pursuits. Though I will never be able to grasp fully the nature of water, as I will likely never settle steadily in my body and my gender, I enjoy the pull of tides this way and that, enjoy wading to grasp it — if only momentarily — and enjoy marvelling in it, regardless.

kaz-michael is a Bristol-based printmaker and poet. He is currently undertaking a master's in English Literature and hopes to undertake a phd exploring representations of still and stagnant water in literature, and especially in the horror genre. You can find this print and more on his Etsy!

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Come experience trans joy and embodiment in this lovely series of free online yoga sessions with Avery Kalapa (they them):

Avery says:

Kickstart Pride with an evening of somatic self care and trans affirming embodiment. Join me, trans Iyengar Yoga teacher, for this FUN, affirming, functional evening of yoga for LGBTQIA+ folks.

Reduce pain and anxiety, increase energy and confidence, and deeply relax and replenish your sweet self. It’s been a wildly stressful year, collectively, on top of so much specifically impacting queer and trans folks. And Pride month can be full of social gatherings, events, parties; many are also feeling called to make Pride pack some political punch. Glitter AND resistance!

All of this is great, but it can also be exhausting. And many of us are already exhausted. Let this event be an initiation into a month where you center feeling nourished, resourced, happy and healthy! 

When you sign up you'll have free access to 3 live sessions on Zoom. You'll also get access to Avery's on-demand yoga class library, with 1000s of awesome practices, through end-of-day Friday! So many great practices full of trans joy.

From Trans + Queer Yoga for Inner Stability, to Restorative Yoga for queer folks and allies, to a Community Connection session for all gender expansive folks, this looks like a wonderful event!

How to participate:

• All events will be online over Zoom on Tuesday, June 2nd
• Sign up for one, two, or all three sessions! Class replays included for registered participants.
• Learn more about Avery.

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A very special treat for those of you in Seattle who have a theatrical streak, are fans of The Traitors, or just want to make some new trans friends...

Founder Brando (they/them) says:

We are hosting an all-trans-and-nonbinary edition of our murder mystery on June 4 at Yeobo Cafe and Bar. A night of deception, detective work, and deadly revenge awaits you at The Traitors. At this immersive social-deduction experience, you will compete in challenges, form alliances, and do everything you can to stay alive. You'll probably fail.

Tickets are tiered, no questions asked. (If cost is a barrier, please reach out about an additional discount code. Murder is for everyone!)

Freeze Tag events creates playful, interactive events to make new friends and build deeper connections. We host events like musical theatre sing-alongs, game show spoofs like Taskmaster and Make Some Noise, nerdy trivia nights, scavenger hunts, and queer history walking tours. Join us to melt the Seattle Freeze and laugh a little!

Sign up for The Traitors, trans-edition, or check out the rest of Freeze Tag's events!

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On the other end of the US West Coast, transmasc folks in San Diego get together for hockey games and more! Run by Robyn (they/them):

Robyn shares:

I run a meet up for transmasc folks in San Diego, CA. Recently I got to organize a night out to see our local hockey team play, and it was so incredible to be together building friendships and learning about a new sport! For me, sports were never something I was allowed to participate in growing up. Being able to be here with my community was so healing!

Connect with the group on IG @trans.diego for free monthly events!

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⭐ Trans Creators: Got a special project, community event, or upcoming release you want to share with our readers? Please fill out the contributor form - we'd love to shout you out! ⭐

• Support No Hate in WA State at this amazing performance of trans drag artists and musicians at the Clock Out Lounge in Seattle, WA! 5/30
• Beestung's Pleasure Issue is now open for submissions from non-binary writers! Through 6/13 (6/20 for BIPOC).
• The Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) will be performing and livestreaming its Pride concerts, "What Trans Joy Sounds Like," on 6/12 and 6/13! Get your sliding-scale NOTAFLOF tickets and subscribe to the STANCE YouTube channel for the livestream.
• This beautiful Indian festival with 100,000+ attendees effectively celebrates trans women.
• (18+ only) One Handed Press is looking for guest editors for an erotic mag by and for transfemmes!
• Trans-First is an upcoming "community-first multi-vendor marketplace designed explicitly to empower trans and non-binary specialists, coaches, and makers."
• Ask the Gender Doula is always a lovely read, but this May's edition was especially full of wisdom. You can also submit questions for next month's issue!

Are you enjoying ATJ? Please reply to this email with your thoughts, nice words, and love notes! With permission, your words might be featured in an upcoming issue!

⭐ If you're a cis ally/have a few bucks to contribute toward uplifting collective trans joy, consider becoming a trans joy gremlin at $5/month or buying us a coffee. You can also now gift a subscription!

⭐ Do YOU have trans joy, a rad project, or resources to share with us?? Check out the Contributor Guidelines!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please:

1. Make sure this email is in your Primary inbox tab
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Thanks for supporting and reading!!!

I’ll leave you with this…

Friend, I hope you have a chance to plant your feet in some soft, green grass this month.

Till next time!