Bi-Weekly Sexual Freedom Newsletter
Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Honoring Murdered Trans People Isn’t Enough. We Must End the Killing. (Truthout) 

Reflecting upon Transgender Day of Remembrance and the honoring of murdered trans people, Imara Jones writes, “The spasm in killings motivated by hate is taking place against the backdrop of policy violence perpetrated by an administration that is arguably the most anti-LGBT+ since that of Ronald Reagan’s in the 1980s. The toxic mix here is that both the physical and policy violence work together to form an ecosystem of antipathy against trans people.”
Read more.

Rebecca Alexander Wants to Make It Easier to Be Fat in Public (Bitch Media) 

Evette Dionne interviews Rebecca Alexander, founder of AllGo, an app that aims to make the experience of being a plus-size person in public more pleasurable. Alexander says, “It’s profound to live in a body that’s so normal, and yet no one designs for. [...] We’re not talking about a small section of the population that you can discard as you think about designing spaces; two-thirds of the U.S. population are plus-size, and one-third are very plus-size. If you aren’t designing for one-third of the population or if you’re specifically creating designs that don’t work for one-third of the population, then you’re not doing your job. You’re failing.” Read more.

What If Porn Had No Pictures? (The New York Times) 

Marisa Meltzer considers porn without visual components and speaks with founders of audio porn apps, including Gina Gutierrez and Faye Keegan of Dipsea: “They couldn’t find erotica they liked, and online searches produced a lot of videos that didn’t turn them on. Ms. Gutierrez would find herself daydreaming about the Airbnb the film was shot in, rather than the sex. Headspace, the guided meditation app, got her thinking about how audio-only programs could increase focus and, crucially, pleasure.” Read more.

7 Trans and Nonbinary People on Why We Need More Trans-Inclusive Therapists (them.) 

Trans and nonbinary people need access to therapy, but as Michelle Kim notes, financial and stigma barriers make accessing services extremely difficult. Kim speaks with 7 trans and nonbinary people about their experiences with therapy, including Leah, who shares, “I saw a therapist for around four years. I chose her in part because her website explicitly listed LGBTQ+ issues and gender identity as areas of specialization. At first, she was really supportive when I talked about playing with my gender presentation. But when we started engaging with the possibility that my gender itself was at stake, she was a lot less affirming. [...] Eventually, I stopped talking to her about transition or gender identity entirely.” Read more.

What to Do If You Need an Abortion Over the Holidays (Rewire.News) 

With the holidays approaching, availability at local abortion clinics is limited. Paige Alexandria lists 10 tips for getting an abortion during the holidays. Alexandra urges people to use their support networks: “No one should have to experience this without support if they don’t want to. For me, seeing pregnancy announcements during Christmas made me feel guilty, even though I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong by having an abortion. But like many, I grew up in a society that associates a pregnancy—especially during the holidays—as something to celebrate. I felt comfortable confiding in a friend and the experience has strengthened our friendship.”
Read more.

ICE’s Revolving Door: Top Official Goes to Work for Private Prison Company (Source) 

Scott Sutterfield, once ICE’s top official in the Deep South, has since taken a job at the private prison company, LaSalle Corrections, which runs six new for-profit detention centers. As Noah Lanard contends, this is emblematic of ICE’s revolving door: “His move to LaSalle is among the most egregious examples in a pattern of senior ICE officials taking jobs at the detention companies they were once tasked with holding accountable. [...] Sutterfield was directly involved in ICE’s expansion into LaSalle jails, according to a former ICE official; it was Sutterfield who suggested to ICE leadership that it consider using some of the LaSalle facilities. The former official says LaSalle’s jails were attractive to ICE because they were cheap and could be filled quickly.” Read more.

It’s Time 2020 Presidential Candidates Take Action to Dismantle the School-to-Prison-and-Deportation Pipeline (Teen Vogue) 

Anthony Villaneda Martinez reflects on the school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline and compels 2020 presidential candidates to take action: “There are too many young people, especially low-income Black and Brown young people—including many I’ve met through the youth justice movement—who are unfairly punished and inadequately supported as they are pushed out of a public school system that should be a safe haven where we can grow and learn. [...] I’ve seen the power that young people have when they come together and fight for immigrant justice, against police violence, for climate justice, and for the freedom to thrive in schools that don’t criminalize us. This is our life and we are unapologetically demanding that all politicians, including the presidential candidates, act to protect it.” Read more.