The Great Race for Coverage | Bobbie Lea Bennet (1947- 2019): Not Just Cistory

There’s a saying ‘Those who don’t learn their history are doomed to repeat it’ credited to George Santayana, a Spanish Philosopher (Virginia Tech). There’s another saying as well… ‘wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey,” which is attributed to the Doctor. Both suggest that, in their own ways, time is a loop. For those of us who are familiar with Trans and Queer History (either through research or living it) and are currently experiencing current events in the United States this feels extra relevant. 

At the time of the writing of this blog post “25 states have enacted laws/ policies limiting youth access to GAC [Gender Affirming Care]” (Kates, 2024). There have also recently been court cases regarding transgender individuals’ ability to have their insurance covering their Gender Affirming Care, particularly surgeries. 

Just this year “[a] federal appellate court in Richmond became the first in the country to rule that state health-care plans must pay for gender-affirming surgeries” (Weiner, 2024). Just next door,”[i]In West Virginia, transgender Medicaid users challenged the state’s program, which since 2004 has by law banned “transsexual surgeries…. [and] In North Carolina, state employees challenged their coverage, which in 2018 excluded surgical treatment of gender dysphoria — the clinical diagnosis of a disconnect between a person’s gender and birth sex”  (Weiner ,2024). The fight for state and federal healthcare programs to cover gender-affirming care for transgender individuals is still very much ongoing.

And now we come to the subject of this installment of ‘Not Just Cistory’, Bobbie Lea Bennett. What Bennett is most known for, perhaps, is not only being the first person to have her gender-affirming care (commonly referred to as sex-reassignment surgery or SRS at the time) covered by her insurance but for forcing Medicare to keep to their word to do so.

Early Life

Bobbie Lea Bennett was born on March 31st 1947 with osteogenesis imperfecta (Phoenix, 2022). Hopkins Medicine explains that “Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inherited (genetic) bone disorder that is present at birth. It is also known as brittle bone disease” (Johns Hopkins, 2022). This condition meant that she was a lifelong wheelchair user and that she was familiar with society’s response to someone who was different and needed medical treatment to alleviate the suffering caused by this difference.

Insurance Bait and Switch

Not much is available online about Bobbie Lea’s life, until the late seventies. Bennett was receiving transition services “through the Gender Identity Clinic at Galveston, Texas… [and] she had been told that the cost of her surgeries would be covered by Medicare under Social Security’s disability benefits program.” (p. 245, Matte). 

However, after receiving this life-changing surgery, she was denied coverage by Medicare, allegedly with no reason given for this change in tone (Phoenix, 2022) It was reported, later that year, that the decision had been reversed  “after ‘irate taxpayers’ flooded the Medicare offices with the phone calls opposing state payment for sex reassignment surgery under any circumstance” (p. 246, Matte).
It’s not hard to imagine, even 46 years later, angry citizens x-ing (is that what we call tweeting now? I’ve never been clear on that) about how ‘this is why Obamacare is ruining this country!!’. It’s certainly not an extinct mindset, as the many, many different cases currently being made to obstruct access for trans youth to life-saving health care.

Fighting Back

Regardless of the reason for the decision, Bennet decided to fight back.  She “mounted a very public media campaign to claim what she saw as her rightful benefits. She drove from her home in San Diego, first to the White House and then to Medicare Director Thomas M. Tierney’s office at Medicare headquarters in Baltimore, which she refused to leave until he would meet with her” (p. 246, Matte).

As a transgender woman who was also disabled, she qualified for medicare, and its coverage of her medical procedures, regardless of whether being transgender was considered a disability or not. This was different from other contemporary cases, which had relied on the idea that being transexual (as it was referred to at the time) was a disability, and therefore, the medical procedures to help mitigate it, ought to be covered by Medicare (p. 245 Matte). This intersectional identity gave Bobbie Lea Bennett an advantage of sorts, in terms of her argument.

Between the publicity her case had received, her right to coverage due to her existing disability outside of her gender, and her determination to see things through, “three days after their meeting, she received a cheque in the mail for $4600” (p. 246, Matte )  which would be worth $22,191.47 in today’s money, according to US Inflation Calculator. According to Transition, when the Los Angeles Times picked up the story, “Medicaid denied that the purpose of the cheque was to cover her sex-reassignment surgery and claimed that they were simply correcting a bureaucratic error in payments owed” (p. 246, Matte ).

Support & Connection

As well as having the support of the Medicare board (no matter how reluctant it was), Bennett seems to have had a supportive family. Four years later, in 1981, Bobbie’s sister, gave birth to a child, acting as a surrogate for Bobbie and her husband (Seattle Daily Times). This was another instance of Bobbie being in the news, as the Seattle Daily Times published a small article on January 17th, 1981 about the event.

Bennett was the host of “‘Barbie’s Talk Show’ which aired in Austin Texas….[it] was a community television program to raise public awareness about handicapped accessibility issues” (Honaker forest Lawn, 2019). “Bobbie founded the St. Tammany Organization for the Handicapped” as well as her talk show (Honaker Forest Lawn, 2019). Her understanding of creating visibility around an issue, and the importance of connecting with an audience may have helped her harness the media power she needed to make her cross-country trek a success.

Conclusion

Bennett has also been an inspiration to others, looking to create a conection and visibility for disability rights. The  screenplay, titled ‘Emily Driver’s Great Race Through Space and Time’ “follows 12-year-old Emily as she sets off on a time-traveling trip across the country after being denied a request for a needed wheelchair. On her journey, she meets leaders who fought for equal rights for people with disabilities throughout history” (Pierce, 2020) The creators, Mozgala and Brenner directly credit Bobbie Lea Bennett as a source of inspiration for the piece (Pierce, 2020).

Sometimes it’s hard to feel like we, as a queer and trans community, are making any progress when it seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same. To combat this feeling of hopelessness that comes with cyclical oppression, it’s essential to look to our elders and learn from their experiences, as well as to work together with and learn from other marginalized communities. We may not be a part of them, but many members of the trans and queer communities have intersectionalities that fall encompass those experiences.

Bibliography

Johns Hopkins University. (2022, July 19). Osteogenesis imperfecta. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/osteogenesis-imperfecta#:~:text=What%20is%20osteogenesis%20imperfecta%20in,formed%20normally%2C%20and%20other%20problems.

Kates, L. D. and J. (2024c, August 22). Policy tracker: Youth access to gender affirming care and state policy restrictions. KFF. https://www.kff.org/other/dashboard/gender-affirming-care-policy-tracker/

Matte, N. (2014, November). Historicizing liberal American transnormativities: Medicine, Media, activism, 1960-1990 (thesis). Historicizing Liberal American Transnormativities: Media, Medicine, Activism, 1960-1990. University of Toronto. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://hdl.handle.net/1807/68460.

Obituary for Bobbie Lea Peterson at Honaker Funeral Home. Obituary | Bobbie Lea Peterson of Madisionville, Louisiana | Honaker Funeral Home. (2019). https://www.honakerforestlawn.com/obituary/bobbie-peterson

Phoenix, B. (2024, May 7). LGBT+ History month X disabled students group - Bobbie Lea Bennett. THE HOOT. https://thehootstudents.com/lgbt-history-month-x-disabled-students-group-bobbie-lea-bennett/

Pierce, J. R. (2020, March 2). Disability takes the wheel in “Emily driver.” AMERICAN THEATRE. https://www.americantheatre.org/2020/03/02/disability-takes-the-wheel-in-emily-driver/

Sister of transsexual bears baby boy for her. (1981, January 17). Seattle Daily Times. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/j96020802.

Virginia Tech. (2019, January 8). History repeating. College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences | Virginia Tech. https://liberalarts.vt.edu/magazine/2017/history-repeating.html

Weiner, R. (2024, April 29). Court says state health-care plans can’t exclude gender-affirming surgery - The Washington Post. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/29/gender-affirming-surgery-state-health-care-plans/ 

Bisexual Visibility Week | History and Pride

This flag is a part of my Patchwork Pride flag collection, which can be found by clicking on this photo.

What is Bisexuality?

The term Bisexual has changed considerably in its meaning since its inception. “in 1859, anatomist Robert Bentley Todd first used the term ‘bisexuality' to refer to the possession of ‘male’ and ‘female’ physical characteristics in the same body – today, we might understand this as being intersex” (Robinson Rhodes, 2022), not at all relating to romantic attraction. 

Robinson Rhodes explains that “[b]y the beginning of the twentieth century, this meaning had shifted to focus on a combination of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ gendered characteristics – what today we would describe as androgyny. The modern meaning of bisexuality, which describes sexual and/or romantic attraction rather than sexed or gendered characteristics, only developed in the 1910s. However, for many years the different meanings of bisexuality were used at the same time and sometimes in the same texts” (2022).

In the mid to late 1900s the term Bisexuality began to gain traction and widespread use, particularly in the United Kingdom (Robinson Rhodes, 2022). At this point the understood definition of Bisexuality was 

The definition given for bisexuality below is one that has been prevalent since the 1990s, eradicating the myth that bisexuality is an identity that is exclusively related to the gender binary. It was promoted by Robyn Ochs, the editor of Bi Women Quarterly, who credits the Bay Area activists for teaching her this more expansive definition of the term (Berg, 2020). 

Bi: A shorthand abbreviation, usually for Bisexual, but could also stand for Bigender or Biromantic.

Biromantic: “an individual who acknowledges in themselves the potential to be romantically attracted to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree. Individuals who identify as biromantic aren't necessarily sexually attracted to the same people to whom they're romantically attracted” (PFLAG).

Bi+: A abbreviation used as an umbrella term, “encompassing people who recognize and honor their potential for sexual and emotional attraction to more than one gender (bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, fluid, queer, asexual, and other free identifiers)” (BRC).

Bigender: “A term used to identify a person whose gender identity encompasses two genders, (often man and woman, but not exclusively) or is moving between being two genders”

Biphobia: “Animosity, hatred, or dislike of bisexual people which may manifest in the form of prejudice or bias” (PFLAG).

Bisexual: “a person who acknowledges in themselves the potential to be attracted–romantically, emotionally and/or sexually–to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree” (Ochs via PLFAG). ​

Kinsey Scale: “Drs. Alfred Kinsey, Wardell Pomeroy, and Clyde Martin developed the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale—more commonly known as “The Kinsey Scale.” First published in Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948), the scale accounted for research findings that showed people did not fit into exclusive heterosexual or homosexual categories” (Indiana University).

Monosexual: “a term used to describe individuals exclusively attracted to one gender or sex” (Fuller, Donnelly, 2023). 

History and Observance

Bisexual Visibility Week is a yearly event that is held on September 16th through the 23rd, with the final day being ‘Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day’ (glaad.org). This celebration doesn’t change dates yearly, like some do (for instance Gay Uncles Day is the second sunday in August, leading to slight date changes wach year), and instead is always the same dates, even if this week of visibility doesn’t necessarily start on a Monday. 

According to Glaad “[i]n 2014, GLAAD co-founded and co-led the first #BiWeek with BiNet USA to draw attention to the issues faced by the bi+ community, including erasure and visibility”.

The Goal of Bisexual Visibility Week (often shortened to #BiWeek) is to “accelerate the acceptance of the bi+ (bisexual, pansexual, fluid, no label, queer, etc.) community. [As well as call] attention to the experiences, while also celebrating the resiliency of, the bisexual+ community. [This is an opportunity for] allies and bi+ people learn about the history, culture, community, and current policy priorities of bi+ communities (Glaad).

Symbols for & Stereotypes about Bisexual Pride

Bi vs Pan: There is a prevalent and pervasive myth that bisexual and pansexual identities are the same thing. This is not true, although, the Bi+ umbrella does include pansexuality within it. Pansexuality is defined as “a person whose emotional, romantic and/or physical attraction is to people inclusive of all genders” (PFLAG) whereas, Bisexuality is described as the attraction to two or more genders, to put it briefly. I discuss this stereotype in more depth in the Pansexual Awareness Week blog post

Bisexual People are Confused Another harmful stereotype about Bi people is that we are all confused about our sexuality. This comes from a monosexual-normative point of view. Bisexual individuals are also encouraged to ‘pick a side’ as a result of this mindset. While an individual may not always identify as bisexual, that does not mean that they are confused. We are all human, and sexuality is fluid and can change.

We’re all a little bi This misconception comes, most likely, from the Kinsey Scale. This research popularized the idea that sexual attraction is a scale, going from heterosexual to homosexual, with bisexual in the middle (Indiana University). While this is not necessarily what the researchers were trying to say with their findings, the popular understanding stuck, and this myth persists to this day.

The Unicorn  The unicorn shows up time and again in the queer symbolism, but in this case, it relates to the fact that bisexual individuals often feel like they are invisible, or are treated as if they don’t exist by both the queer and straight communities, rather like a mythical creature.

Unlabeled trope A common trope within media is to insist that any and all characters that experience non-monosexual attraction, hate labels. Now there’s nothing wrong with refusing to label oneself, but the continual insistence that labeling a character ‘bisexual’ is somehow a bad thing, is harmful to bisexual individuals who want and would benefit from seeing themselves in the media. 

In the mid 2010s, the CW show Arrow had the character Sara Lance, in a relationship with another female character. In an interview, it was stated that they “made it a point not to use the word ‘bisexual’ when talking about Sara. ‘We really wanted to approach it like not be salacious and be sensitive and be realistic. We actually specifically avoid using the term bisexual. We didn't want to label her at all. Let her be her own person’ (Bricker, 2014). The reasoning shared in this article is almost such an obvious example of how and why characters are left unlabeled, as opposed to identifying as bisexual that it feels fake.

Thankfully, this is becoming less and less common. In a similar article published only three years after the one quoted above, Dan Snierson interviewed Stephanie Beatriz about her character’s recent coming out as bisexual on the show Brooklyn 99. Beatriz explains that the show’s writers asked her for input surrounding Diaz’s (her character’s) coming out (2017). 

She also says towards the end of the interview “I suggested that that word [bisexual] was really important to Rosa and that it also would be really important to the bi community to have that word said aloud on TV. Not just a suggestion that she dates girls now, but a clarity on this character: This is who I am, and I’d like you to know it — and accept it” (Beatriz, Snierson, 2017) This quote suggests an awareness that Beatriz has about the reluctance show writers have had about letting characters label themselves as bisexual.

The Bi Pride Flag The bisexual pride flag is a three-strip flag that is, from top to bottom, a medium blue, a thinner purple stripe, and a darker pink on the bottom. “Created in 1998 by Michael Page… The pink represents attraction toward the same sex, and the royal blue stands for attraction toward the opposite sex. The purple band symbolizes attraction to all genders” (Outright International).

This Bisexual Pride flag is a part of the Patchwork Pride Collection by Stet Studio and can be found in my shop by clicking the photo.

Biangles  One of the oldest symbols of bi pride is the Bi triangles, or ‘biangles’ “The exact origin of the bi angles symbol is unknown, but there are theories suggesting that the colors may represent masculine, feminine, and non-binary attractions…. The lavender color where the pink and blue overlap may also be a reference to queerness, as the color lavender has long been associated with the LGBT+ community. According to Michael Page, the colors used in the bi angle’s symbol were the inspiration behind the bi pride flag” (Wilber, 2023).

Another theory  in regards to the origin of the design of the Biangles is that “[t]he overlapping pink and blue triangles are likely inspired by the pink triangle symbol sometimes used to represent the LGBT+ community, primarily gay men….  its origin [being the same deisgn] as a concentration camp badge forced upon gay men in World War II” (Wilber, 2023).

The Bisexual Double Moon The mirrored moons are back-to-back and are both colored with a gradient of same blue, purple, and pink colors as the biangles and the bi pride flag. It “was created in 1998 by Vivian Wagner specifically as an alternative to the bi angles symbol, which incorporates the pink triangle symbol associated with concentration camps” (Wilber, 2023).

Books with Bisexual Representation

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School*, by Sonora Reyes was a book I recently completed, and was a wonderful read. Given the title, this book might seem like an odd choice, but one of the characters in this book is bi (no spoilers), and they specifically declare it as their identity. There is also some great bi-gay solidarity between the main character and this character. CW: homo/biphobia, self-harm, suicide, bullying, parental alienation, Catholic beliefs.

Any hyperlinks followed with an asterisk (*) indicate they are affiliate links. If you purchase something from this link, I receive a small commission from the site. It will not change the price of the product for you.

Bibliography

#biweek: Celebrate bisexuality+. GLAAD. (2023, September 11). https://glaad.org/biweek/

Berg, A. (2020, September 23). The evolution of the word “bisexual” - and why it’s still misunderstood. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/evolution-word-bisexual-why-it-s-still-misunderstood-n1240832

Bi+ info: What it means to be a b(ee). Bisexual Resource Center. (n.d.). https://biresource.org/bi-info/

Bricker, T. (2014, February 6). Arrow’s gay reveal: Bosses sound off on same-sex relationship, Tease Felicity’s backstory and more. E! Online. https://www.eonline.com/news/507826/arrow-s-gay-reveal-bosses-sound-off-on-decision-to-make-spoiler-bisexual-tease-felicity-s-backstory-and-more

Donnelly, A., & Fuller, K. (2023, July 12). What does it mean to be monosexual?. ChoosingTherapy.com. https://www.choosingtherapy.com/monosexual/

Flags of the LGBTIQ community. Outright International. (n.d.). https://outrightinternational.org/insights/flags-lgbtiq-community#:~:text=Created%20in%201998%20by%20Michael,symbolizes%20attraction%20to%20all%20genders.

Indiana University. (n.d.).  The Kinsey Scale. Kinsey Institute. https://kinseyinstitute.org/research/publications/kinsey-scale.php

What’s a Guncle? | Celebrate Gay Uncles Day

What is Gay Uncles Day and Why is it Important?

Family can be a challenging topic in the LGBTQ+ community. While “[92% of LGBT+ adults] say society has become more accepting of them in the past decade and an equal number expect it to grow even more accepting in the decade ahead…, (Pew Research Center, 2013) this does not mean that everyone is accepting of identities outside of heterosexual cisgender ‘norm’. In the same 2013 study “[a]bout four-in-ten (39%) say that at some point in their lives they were rejected by a family member or close friend because of their sexual orientation or gender identity…,” (Pew Research Center, 2013).

Six years later, in a 2019 study conducted by Just Like Us (a Uk-based organization as opposed to the Pew Research Center, which focused on American LGBTQ+ individuals) interviewed “3,695 adults aged 18 to 25 [and] found that LGBT+ young adults were twice as likely as non-LGBT+ young adults to say they were not close to their immediate family members (14% compared to 6%)”.

This means that a holiday like Gay Uncle’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of August each year (2024 being the 13th) (Ghazali, 2023) can be a time to celebrate those family connections, whether the ‘Guncle’ (gay uncle!) and the niblings (a gender-neutral term for those kids typically called niece or nephew) are related by blood or not. Found family is a huge part of the LGBTQ+ community!

See-ming Lee 李思明 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/), CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Gay Uncles Day is an opportunity to “increase the visibility of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ people in families, rather than being seen as just another group of people” (Ghazali, 2023). I love this outlook, we, as LGBTQ+ people are whole people, including our familial relationships.

As the stereotype of queer individuals (particularly men and those assigned male at birth) being harmful to children for a variety of reasons, a holiday that celebrates the inclusion of, in this case, specifically, gay relatives in the lives of children, and the family at large and it being a normal, healthy part of family life, is very affirming for the Guncles it celebrates, as well as creating examples to normalize this for individuals who are unused to having LGBT+ individuals in their families.

Gay Uncles Day is usually celebrated by the Guncles themselves (or their family members) sharing pictures of them with their niblings on social media, with captions celebrating the Guncles’ involvement and impact on their niblings’ lives (checkiday, n.d.). It’s also a great time to spend time with your Niblings, or your Guncle. You could also give your guncle a gift or send him a card.

History

Gay Uncles Day is a new holiday, “[t]he idea for the day came from C.J. Hatter of Florida, who made a Facebook post on May 8, 2016, that said: "I hereby proclaim the second Sunday in August to be Gay Uncles' Day! Hey, we deserve a holiday of our own!" (checkiday, n.d.). Simon Dunn, an Australian athlete, also posted “I've seen a few post today wanting to make August 14 "Gay Uncles Day" or "Guncles Day" what do you think?” on Instagram (Harper, 2016) as well, and like a lot of good (and bad) things on the internet, it took off. Now it’s celebrated on the second Sunday every August, and it’s no longer the only holiday of this type. Nonbinary Parents Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of April (Planned Parenthood, n.d.).

Bibliography

Checkiday. (2024, August 4). It’s Gay Uncles Day! Checkiday.com. https://www.checkiday.com/747690e5293a7466f7c85e6d4222acf2/gay-uncles-day#:~:text=The%20idea%20for%20the%20day,isn’t%20just%20for%20uncles.

Data shows majority of LGBT adults estranged from family. Just Like Us. (2023, April 18). https://www.justlikeus.org/blog/2023/04/19/new-research-shows-almost-half-of-lgbt-adults-are-estranged-from-family-and-a-third-not-confident-their-parents-will-accept-them/

Ghazali, S. (2023, August 4). Gay uncles day. National Today. https://nationaltoday.com/gay-uncles-day/

Harper, N. (2023, October 23). Photos celebrating “national gay uncles day” are adorable. QNews. https://qnews.com.au/these-photos-celebrating-national-gay-uncles-day-are-adorable/

Let’s celebrate nonbinary parents! Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). https://www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/lets-celebrate-nonbinary-parents#:~:text=Each%20year%20the%20third%20Sunday%20in%20April%20marks%20Nonbinary%20Parent’s%20Day.

Pew Research Center. (2013, June 13). A survey of LGBT Americans. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/06/13/a-survey-of-lgbt-americans/

Panromantic vs Pansexual? | Panromantic and Pansexual Visibility Day

A pansexual pride flag that is a part of my patchwork pride collection

Terms and definitions 

Bisexual: “means being attracted to the gender the same as your own, AND to other genders. Some people use it to mean ‘attracted to two or more genders’" (Minus18). 

Pan: An abbreviation for the words for pansexual and panromantic.

Panromantic: “Refers to an individual who is romantically attracted to people of all genders, but does not notice their partner's gender. Panromantics will tend to feel that their partner's sex and/or gender does little to define their relationship.”  (PFLAG, 2024).

Pansexual: “a person whose emotional, romantic and/or physical attraction is to people inclusive of all genders” (PFLAG, 2024).

A note: someone who is pansexual does not need to be panromantic or vice versa. For, example, a person could be asexual and panromantic, or pansexual and demiromantic. This idea that a person’s sexuality and who they are romantically attracted to not being the same is called the Split Attraction Model (Princten, 2024)

History and Observance

The goal of Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day is “to uplift the community and raise awareness of pansexuality and panromanticism, what they are, and how they differ from other similar identities” (The Rainbow Stores).

The term pansexual has existed for nearly a century before the day of visibility, albeit with a different definition.  “The term pansexual, or rather, pansexualism, first appeared in 1914… the term was coined by one of [Sigmund] Freud’s scholarly critics… [i]n its early days, pansexualism did not refer to one’s sexual orientation. Rather, it was a psychoanalytic term that represented the idea that “sex motivates all things.” (Ou, 2022)

 Pan Visibility Day has been celebrated on May 24th, since 2015 (Unicorn, 2023). This is a different event from “Pansexual and Panromantic Pride day [which is] on Dec 8th” (The Rainbow Store). 

This day of visibility “invites us to consider pansexual people as a community in its own right, with an identity, a culture and specific needs” (RainbowHouse, 2023) as opposed to just lumping it in with bisexuality or acting as if it is an intermediary stage or identity between straight and gay.

Bi vs Pansexuality

Bisexuality and Pansexuality (and their respective romantic orientations) are similar, so it isn’t surprising that there are some misconceptions about how these two identities relate to each other, and others, particularly transgender and nonbinary individuals. 

Firstly, the terms Bisexuality and Pansexuality are not different words for the same term, nor is pansexual an updated version of bisexual. RainbowHouse (2023) explains that “bisexuality refers to attraction to more than one gender, pansexuality and panromanticism refer to sexual or romantic attraction to a person regardless of their gender identity or gender expression”. This is a pervasive myth, and even the Human Rights Campaign mentions in their defenition for Bisxuality that it is sometimes used interchangeably with pansexuality.

One common misconception about bisexuality is that it, as an identity is transphobic. This comes from the fact that the prefix of the word ‘bi’ which means ‘two’. Some people insisted and still insist that “the existing definition of bisexual upheld the gender binary” (RainbowHouse, 2023). This is not true. 

While older, more basic definitions of bisexuality are often along the lines of ‘attracted to both genders’, but more nuanced defenitions are varied and make space for the gender binary. “A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one gender, though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree” (Human Rights Campaign), is one more detailed definition. “Someone who is attracted to those of their same gender as well as to those of a different gender” (It gets better) is another. 

While the definition of bisexuality is not nearly as settled as the one for pansexuality, no commonly accepted definition of bisexuality suggests that it strictly adheres to the gender binary, or is exclusive of trans and nonbinary people. 

Pride Symbols

Panromantic Pride Flag: The colors are, in descending order blue, green, orange, and red. Respectively they represent male romantic love, asexual romantic love, nonbinary love, and female romantic love (Grand Rapids Pride Center, 2023).

Pansexual Pride Flag: The Pansexual Pride Flag was designed in 2010 by queer non-binary person Jasper V… The pink in the flag represents people who are feminine, the blue people who are masculine, and the yellow is everyone in between. (The Rainbow Stores)

Frying Pan: This is not so much as a symbol as a joke often associated with the pansexual community, and is not a welcome one, usually. The joke usually goes along the lines of ‘oh you’re pansexual, does that mean you’re attracted to pans??!’  A Google search of the joke reveals a plethora of Reddit threads and blog posts of mixed opinions about the joke, though most often it’s negative opinions about it. 

The Pansexual Symbol: (it does not have an official name) effectively combines a cross and an arrow design in the shape of a P. A cross is traditionally associated with Venus and women, and an arrow is a symbol for Mars and men. Combining an arrow and a cross is a symbol for the transgender community. (Ou, 2022)

Books with Pan Rep

It can be tricky to find books with explicit pansexual representation because it seems, at least to me, that very rarely does any character label themself as pan (or bi for that matter). Not to mention, for those characters that do have a relationship with someone of the same gender, it is far to easy to label them as bi and just call it a day. There’s also, the ‘I don’t like labels’ that bisexuals are often beleaguered with, that I sense bleeds over into pansexuality as well.

All of that being said, as I was reflecting on the books I have read throughout the past few years, I stumbled across ‘The Long Way to the Small Angry Planet’* by Becky Chambers and knew that had to be the example I shared with all of y’all. 

Now, to my remembering, no one explicitly says that they are pan in this novel (and a quick Google search seems to confirm this), however, between all of the different alien species, gender structures, and identities, I would say that this book has great spiritual pan representation, even if it isn’t explicit. 

However, this book will not appeal to everyone. There are a lot of people out there (myself included) who very much love this book, and the series it is a part of, but there is also a vocal group of people who didn’t like it. I think it’s just one of those books. 

So who will be most likely to enjoy this book? Readers who enjoy character-driven stories with less plot, expansive world-building with varied alien species that are well thought out, as well as political development. It is definitely a cozy science fiction and is slow-paced, comparatively speaking. 

All in all, it’s a book I recommend at least trying if you are looking for representation of love that goes beyond labels of gender.

Any hyperlinks followed with an asterisk (*) indicate that they are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something from this link, I receive a small commission from the site. It will not change the price of the product for you.

Bibliography

Glossary of terms. Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms?utm_source=ads_ms_HRC_20240306-HRC-AW-GS-Natl-GlossaryRP_GlossaryKeywords_a001-dynamic-rst_b%3Abisexual&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3frp54ppgzPUPHK4XlmSK1120PXi6eAmfst1ZWAHH2oXoKwblUm-kPhoCLa4QAvD_BwE

May 24. International Day of pansexual and Pan-Romantic visibility. RainbowHouse. (2023, May 24). http://rainbowhouse.be/en/article/may-24-international-day-of-pansexual-and-pan-romantic-visibility/

Ou, W. (2022, December 7). Happy National Pansexual Pride Day: Stay pan. stay proud. Project MORE. https://domoreproject.org/blog/national-pansexual-pride-day-2022/#:~:text=The%20Pansexual%20Symbol%20

Panromantic Pride Flag. Grand Rapids Pride Center. (2023, October 2). https://grpride.org/product/panromantic-pride-flag/

Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day. The Rainbow Stores. (n.d.). https://www.therainbowstores.com/blogs/blogs-guides/pansexual-and-panromantic-visibility-day

The PFLAG National Glossary: LGBTQ+ terminology. PFLAG. (2024, March 26). https://pflag.org/glossary/?utm_source=google_cpc&utm_medium=ad_grant&utm_campaign=cbc_ggrant_glossary&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw88yxBhBWEiwA7cm6pdQ8qnfjXxuQXb_nGLuMQnRCKGxGxCRxVhe6huuvOmn5NIMtmX7fAhoCmZIQAvD_BwE

The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024, May 14). Split attraction model - princeton gender + sexuality resource center. Princeton University. https://www.gsrc.princeton.edu/split-attraction

Unicorn, H. (2023, December 18). When is pansexual visibility day 2024 and what does it mean?. Heckin’ Unicorn. https://heckinunicorn.com/blogs/heckin-unicorn-blog/when-is-pansexual-visibility-day-2024-and-what-does-it-mean?currency=USD

What’s the difference between bisexual and pansexual? Minus18. (n.d.). https://www.minus18.org.au/articles/what’s-the-difference-between-bisexual-and-pansexual

Southern Starlet | Aleshia Brevard (1937-2017)| Not Just Cistory

When I discovered that the first ever Trans+ history week was happening from the 6th of May to the 12, I knew that I had write another blog post in my Not Just Cistory series to celebrate. I decided to research Aleishia Brevard since she was one of the first women I painted back in 2022.

There is a burgeoning list of transgender actresses playing transgender super heroes now, and it is ‘super’ inspiring to read about women like Nicole Maines, Ivory Aquino among others, and their new roles playing some absolutely fantastic characters (Rude, 2022). Representation of this caliber is still new to myself and to many others, and not something I at all take for granted.

However, there was another actress who, in the 1970s, starred in Legends of the Superheroes as Giganta, a nemesis of Wonder Woman’s who was transgender, and her name was Aleshia Brevard (IMDB).

Trans and queer representation is something that is becoming more and more common in our media. Representation in this sense means that there are characters in the media that are a part of the LGBT+ and are a part of the story. There is, of course, ‘good’ representation and ‘bad’ representation and those labels are just as subjective as anything else in this world.

Sometimes trans people themselves are considered representation, that their experiences, and lives can be a way for others to not feel so alone. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, finding community online, and in real life is a wonderful way for people to learn and grow and feel more comfortable in their own skin, but sometimes, the people who are being the representation can feel pigeon-holed into only being known as transgender.

Brevard herself discusses this in a 2013 interview with Windy City Times, saying:

I did not go through gender reassignment to be labeled transsexual. I look at that as an awkward phase that I went through—sort of like a really painful adolescence. I don't even think of myself now in terms as transsexual. That's something I experienced and [something] I was (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).

This is not an opinion, like any shared in this blog post, that is universal to the transgender community and is one that should be approached with context and nuance.

I am aware that me featuring a biographic blog post about Aleshia Brevard as part of a series called ‘Not Just Cistory; in celebration of Trans+ History Week is… ironic, to say the least. However, as always, I will try to share the story of her entire life, not just the details relating to her being transgender.

Early Life

Brevard was born in 1937 “ in Erwin, Tennessee, although she spent much of her childhood on a farm in Hartsville” (Nashville Queer History). She was aware of her desire to exist as female from an early age, saying “I would drape a white Cannon towel over my head and pretend to be [actress] Veronica Lake. But I kept all of that to myself because I truly believed that if anyone—my parents included—knew who I really was, that I would be given away” (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). She also prayed nightly to become the girl ‘she knew herself to be’ (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013).

Those around her seemed to sense her identity, and she was described as “an effeminate and artistic child. As a young child… strangers would frequently “mistake” her for a girl, or comment that she was “too pretty to be a boy.” As a colicky three-year-old, her grandfather had dressed her in a skirt with a red ribbon in her hair, christening her ‘Rosy’” (Shephard, 2017).

In 1952, while Brevard was in her teens, Christine Jorgensen’s story of her transition made national news (Shephard, 2017), and surely had to seem like a dream come true to Brevard, even if it probably seemed impossible to her.

A Life on the Stage

Brevard didn’t remain in Tennesse for much time beyond her adolescence, moving to San Fransisco at age 20, and began her work as an actress (Nashville Queer History). Her first job was as a female impersonator at the club Finnochio’s, where she was billed as a Marilyn Monroe look-alike (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).

This job was a space for the young Brevard to explore her identity as a woman. Despite her managers, and the owners of Finnochio’s promoting her as a Monroe impersonator, she insisted that she “was not doing Monroe; [she] was just learning to be [herself], and [she] was young… (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).

Aleshia was quite successful onstage as a Marilyn look-alike, so successful in fact, that in 1961 Monroe herself came to see her perform (Brevard, Waldron, 2005).

In an interview, Brevard, described this job as imperfect, stating that “the problem with Finocchio’s was that to me it did not feel like ‘impersonation'. At long last, I was presenting myself as the woman who had secretly lived sequestered away for far too many years” (Shephard). This is a theme I see in my research over and over again, spaces where traditional gender expression is not required, and it allows for freedom and personal understanding, a form of self-representation.

Transition

Brevard was introduced to Dr. Harry Benjamin, who was responsible for the gender-affirming surgery of Christine Jorgensen, through a mutual friend and Benjamin approved her for a sex-reassignment surgery, which she then underwent in 1962 (Nashville Public Library, 2019).

After her surgery,”[s]he returned to Hartsville to recover from surgery with help from her family, who were loving and accepting of her transition” (Nashville Queer History). She also took this time to transition into being a woman in all of her life beyond the stage, before venturing out into the world again (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013).

Becoming a Star

Having completed this medical component of her Transition that she had started socially years before, she decided to pursue acting as a career, once again. She initially “attended East Tennessee State University for art,” but eventually went on to “attend Middle Tennessee State University and earn a degree in theater, where she was named ‘Best Actress’ in 1967” (Nashville Queer History).

Brevard would continue to move back and forth between Appalachia, the eastern US, and California, working as a model, a stage actress, a star of the movie and television screens, even a Playboy Bunny, and in her later life, a professor (Shephard, 2017). Brevard was a woman of many talents and was able to utilize her acting skills in many mediums.

She performed in eight movies throughout this second career; The Love God, Big Foot, Hitched, The Female Bunch, Smokey and the Judge, The Man With Bogart’s Face, Hard Country, and “American Pop (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013). Brevard also acted in many television shows during her career, The Partridge Family, Night Gallery, and Legends of the Superheroes being some of them (IMDB).

When asked which of her roles were most satisfying for the actress, she mentions her theatrical roles, even noting that, in a full circle moment, she played Marilyn Monroe’s role in the stage version of The Seven Year Itch (Kowlska, 2013).

She evolved her career from acting to directing and teaching theater at East Tennessee State University, this was not an entirely planned transition, but one that came naturally to her after all of her time on stage (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). Directing was not a lesser profession for Brevard, she says that she “truly love[s] directing, perhaps more than [she] adore[d] being on stage…” (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013). This career evolution from actress to director and teacher mirrors her choice to step from being stealth to publishing two different memoirs about her transition and life as a transgender woman, which in a way, turned her into a mentor for generations of future transgender individuals.

Coming Out

Aleshia lived most of her life in stealth, meaning that she did not advertise that she was transgender. She explained that this was for multiple reasons, one being that there was no real transgender community in Hollywood at the time (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). Having a support network and community is such an important part of not just survival for Trans people, but also thriving and living within a society that is oftentimes hostile to us.

She also had concerns about her professional life that encouraged discretion and her choice to be ‘stealth’ she explained that she “just wanted to compete on equal footing with other women…. I just wanted to act without labels” (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). Choosing to not disclose her transgender identity (Though I am not sure she would have phrased it exactly like that) allowed her to be seen for her merits and skills at a time when she would not have otherwise been.

She described the common thinking for trans women of the time as “to move forward, as seamlessly as possible, easing into mainstream society to live as our authentic selves… to live among, work alongside, and compete on an equal footing with other women, including those who had been born female (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013). While it is far more common now for transgender individuals to be open about their ‘transness’ (for lack of a better term), this is a sentiment shared by many transgender individuals still today and is an intensely personal one to make regardless of the decision made.

After her career as a director, Brevard moved to California, began teaching as a high school art teacher (Can you imagine having a movie star as an art teacher?), and began to work on her first memoir (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). This first book was titled ‘Woman I Was Not Born To Be: A Transsexual Journey’* and focused on “the early years and ends with the death of [her] mother in 1982. It was [her] mother’s death, and the absence of her ongoing support, that forced [Brevard] to find [her] own footing in life. (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013)

Upon publication, Brevard was stepping away from living her life in stealth, into the early 2000s online transgender community. She described the experience, saying “because I had lived in stealth, I had no idea about transgender becoming the umbrella term. When I published the book, I was absolutely shocked that I was spread all over the internet” (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).

On the the sequel, ‘The Woman I WAS Born to Be’, Brevard explained that she “had no intention of writing a sequel. [She] soon realized, however, that life had indeed gone on; the second half of [her] life had allowed many of Mozelle’s dreams for my future to come true. That struck me as much more important than the angst and early trauma that had gotten [her] there” (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013).

In the end “[t]he sequel, ‘WAS Born To Be’ [was her] favorite book, in that it chronicles a much happier and more fulfilling aspect of [her] life (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013), which is a wonderful example of how it does get better, even if it isn’t exactly the way we expected it to be.

Conclusion

Brevard passed away on July first, 2017, at the age of 79, from pulmonary fibrosis (Whiting, 2017) leaving behind a long list of film, television, and theatre credits, as well as many students whom she guided, as a theater professor, director, and art teacher. Not to mention all of the trans individuals who were, are, and will be inspired by her memoirs, and her story.

She is a wonderful example that anyone can be a superhero and that we all deserve to see ourselves in the world, and the media we consume. A talented actress, and devoted mother and teacher, Aleshia was able to create a space for herself in the world where she was valued and respected for her talents, not seen for the anatomy she had at any given point in her life.

Transgender individuals are able more now to exist openly and still be regarded for their skills and actions, but it is still so common for society to see the label ‘trans’ and just stop perceiving us, substituting stereotypes and preconceived notions for our personalities and skills.

This is a big part of why I live openly as a transgender individual, and create these biographic blog posts. It’s important to me that I share our history, curate and create that representation so that everyone, from widely openly transgender to completely stealth can have a form of representation in their lives that they may not have had otherwise.

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Any hyperlinks followed with an asterisk (*) indicate they are affiliate links. If you purchase something from this link, I receive a small commission from the site. It will not change the price of the product for you.

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Bibliography

Aleshia Brevard. Nashville Queer History. (2021, November 3). https://nashvillequeerhistory.org/glossary-main/aleshia-brevard/

Brevard, A., & Kowalska, M. (2013, January 25). Interview with Aleshia Brevard. The Heroines of My Life. other. Retrieved May 10, 2024,. Parts 1, 1 continued, and 5

Brevard, A., & Waldron, T.-L. (2017, April 5). Actress reflects on transitioning, Marilyn Monroe connection. Windy City Times. other. Retrieved May 10, 2024,.

IMDb.com. (n.d.). Aleshia Brevard | Actress, additional crew. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108087/

Other hidden figures: Aleshia Brevard. Nashville Public Library. (2019, April 13). https://library.nashville.org/blog/2019/04/other-hidden-figures-aleshia-brevard

Rude, M. (2022, March 30). 6 trans & nonbinary characters in DC TV shows & movies. Out Magazine. https://www.out.com/television/2022/3/09/trans-and-nonbinary-characters-dc-comics-dceu-tv-shows-and-movies#rebelltitem1

Shepard, N. (2017, November 19). A Tennessee trans icon comes home: Remembering Aleshia Brevard. Spectrum South - The Voice of the Queer South. https://www.spectrumsouth.com/tennessee-trans-icon-comes-home-remembering-aleshia-brevard/

Whiting, S. (2017, July 24). Aleshia Brevard, SF drag star and transgender pioneer, dies at 79. SFGate. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Aleshia-Brevard-SF-drag-star-and-transgender-11344975.php

Mother of Multiplayer | Danielle Bunten Berry (1949- 1998): Not Just Cistory

I am often momentarily convinced by the narrative continually being forced upon us by angry gamer bros, that gaming has always been an entirely male industry, only recently opening its gates to women, but, despite what the trolls and misogynists say in the comments section, that simply isn’t true. In 1964, the first narrative video game was written by a woman; Mabel Addis, a teacher who wanted her students to be more engaged in her lessons on ancient Sumeria (Wilaret, 2019).   

From there, women’s involvement in gaming only grew. It is estimated that, in 1989, a mere 3% of video game developers were women, and in 2013 it was 12% (Gracer, 2013). Flash-forward to the year 2021 and Statistica says that 30% of game developers are women (and 8% are nonbinary, gender fluid/genderqueer, two-spirited, or transgender) (Clement, 2023). Suffice it to say that women have always been a part of creating video games, even if at a minuscule percentage. 

In 1989 Danielle Bunten Berry’s game M.U.L.E had already been published for six years, she was three years away from coming out publicly as a woman and beginning her transition, and eighteen years away from (post-humously) being added to the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame (Costikyan, 2023). 

Berry is far from being the only transgender woman to help shape video games into what they are. She is in the company of other talented individuals such as Veda Hlubinka-Cook, Cathryn Mataga, Rebecca Heineman, and Jamie Fenton (Johnson, 2021), but she is the subject of our focus for this entry into the Not Just Cistory series

Early Life

Danielle Bunten Berry was born “February 19, 1949, in St. Louis, Missouri… [the first] of six children” (Costikyan, 2023). Danielle and her family moved to “Little Rock [Arkansas] in 1965, and Bunten lived in and around Little Rock until the last years of her life, when she moved to Palo Alto, California” (Costikyan, 2023).

Even during her childhood, games were an important part of Danielle’s life. In an interview, she states “When I was a kid the only times my family spent together that weren't totally dysfunctional were when we were playing games” (Hague, 1997). She goes on to explain how this influenced her philosophy when creating games, saying “Consequently I believe games are a wonderful way to socialize” (Hague, 1997). This philosophy is evident in across her career and has left an indelible mark on gaming as a whole.

As a teen and young adult “Bunten worked at a drugstore and as an assistant scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop to provide extra money [to support her family]. Bunten graduated from Catholic High School for Boys” in Little Rock (Costikyan, 2023). 

A potent combination of intelligent and enterprising, “In 1971, Bunten opened a bicycle shop, the Highroller Cyclerie, near the University of Arkansas… and received a degree in industrial engineering from UA in 1974. Bunten’s first job involved doing mathematical modeling of urban systems for the National Science Foundation” (Costikyan, 2023).

Entering the Game Designing World

Right from the start of her game developer career, Bunten was an innovator, her “first game, 1978’s ‘Wheeler Dealers,’ [sic] was the first personal computer game that was packaged in a printed box, and one of the first — if not the first — computer games that allowed for more than two players” (Koon, 2012). 

Her innovative spirit and philosophy of communal gaming were evident, as “the game shipped with four custom-built controllers made from red wooden macrame beads with a single button glued into one end, which players used to make stock-market-like trades while competing against one another” (Koon, 2012).

She continued on her entrepreneurial path, when “in 1979, Bunten partnered with her brother and a few friends to found the game company Ozark Software [sic]. The group ran the organization from Bunton’s [sic] basement…” (AtariWomen).

A Cult Classic and Rockstar Status

The company began to take off when “[i]n 1982, Bunten was selected by Electronic Arts (EA), a recently founded company, as one of a handful of ‘electronic artists’ it published, and Ozark developed five games for EA over the next few years” (Costikyan, 2023).

One of the games that Bunten Berry was tasked to write for EA was M.U.L.E, which would become the cult classic she is most known for (Hague, 1997). Released in:

[1983, it is], a turn-based strategy game that could accommodate up to four players at the same console. An exercise in supply and demand economics, the game forces the players, who represent settlers on the planet of Irata, to compete over food, energy, and mineral resources (Costikyan, 2023).

M.U.L.E is sometimes considered to be a monetary failure, but in a 1997 interview Bunten Berry disagreed, saying:

given some caveats, it didn't do all that badly. It sold 30,000 copies, and for a game whose home platform–the Atari 800–went out of production just months after its release, that ain't bad. Also, although we ported it to the C64 it had a very poor solo capability but still sold good numbers there too (Hague, 1997)

Proving that she and her design company were not just one-hit-wonders, Ozark Softscape’s next game Seven Cities of Gold did even better, selling five times as many copies (Koon, 2012). Ozark Softscape and Danielle Bunten Berry had made their mark on the gaming industry, even if it wasn’t initially evident. 

EA, however, seemed to sense this (or maybe they just wanted to broaden their market, by making gaming look cool), treating Danielle Bunten Berry and her colleagues almost like rockstars:

a famous publicity shot of the Ozark Softscape team created for EA shows programmers Bill Bunten, Jim Rushing, Alan Watson and Dan[i] Bunten lounging picturesquely on a bench with a dog while a hot blonde sips a drink nearby, the four looking decidedly more like Lynyrd Skynyrd than a bunch of game geeks (Koon 2012).

Leaving EA

However, this honeymoon phase/world tour couldn’t continue forever. After creating several games for the company “Ozark and EA fell out over a new version of M.U.L.E. and EA’s insistence that it include combat, which Bunten felt was a betrayal of the game’s intent and aesthetic” (Costikyan, 2023).

Ozark Softscape did go on to create two more game titles, now working with Micropose, but they never did recreate the monetary success of their earlier titles, particularly Seven Cities of Gold (Koon, 2012). Melanie Bunten Stark, Danielle’s eldest, says that money was never the goal for her, she was in it for the love of the game (Koon, 2012). (Okay that was a dumb joke, but I just watched the first episode of Fallout, bear with me.)

Becoming Ms. Danielle Berry

In 1992, after the end of her third marriage, Danielle announced to people in both her personal and professional life, that she was a woman, and was beginning her transition (Costikyan, 2023). Danielle described Transition as “the name given to the time when your old pronoun doesn't fit anymore but neither does the new one” (Hague, 1997). In November of that year, she underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was, at the time called sex-reassignment surgery (Costikyan, 2023).

Another thing that was changed by her transition, was Bunten Berry’s involvement in the video game industry. In 1997 she described her new life and new priorities:

I'm a little more than three years into my new life role as Ms. Danielle Berry, and her career looks to be somewhat different from old Mr. Dan Bunten's. For one thing I'm not as good a programmer as he was. I'm also not as willing to sit for hours in front of a computer to make something that other people can use to socialize. I tend to need to socialize far more often than he did. Thus, I do design and consulting rather than programming and development. However, with my background I seem uniquely suited to this business so I think I'll stay around in one form or another for as long as they'll have me (Hague).

End of Life

Around the time of the publication of what would end up being her final game, Warsport, for MPath, an online gaming publisher, Bunten Berry was diagnosed with lung cancer, which would eventually kill her (Koon, 2012). 

In May of the following year, she was honored with an award for lifetime achievement from the Computer Game Developers Association. Two months later Danielle Bunten Berry passed away at the age of 49 on July 3, 1998(Koon, 2012). 

This award, given mere weeks before her death was not the last she would receive; indeed in 2007, she was added to the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame (Costikyan, 2023).

Conclusion

However, her impact, in my opinion, is more deeply felt in the world of gaming today, than in any (well-deserved) award she received before or after her death. She has inspired developers like Will Wright, original designer of the Sims franchise, as well as Sid Meier, designer of the Civilization games (Costikyan, 2023), as well as multiplayer games at large.

She really was the mother of multiplayer. Not that someone else couldn’t have come up with what she did, but she did. It was her boundless creativity and ingenuity that started the evolution of what would become a core part of video games today.

Her belief that video games could be just as social as the board games she treasured with her family changed the trajectory of the industry in ways any other developer might not have, had they pioneered the radical idea of multiplayer instead.

Trans women and cis women have always been a part of gaming, even if their identities have been unknown to the public, and it is foolish to assume otherwise. Games have always been for whoever wants to play, and their creation is the same.

Bibliography

Atari. (2019, March 6). Danielle Bunten Berry. atariwomen. https://www.atariwomen.org/stories/danielle-bunten-berry/ 

Clement, J. (2023, December 12). Global Game Developer Gender 2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/453634/game-developer-gender-distribution-worldwide/ 

Costikyan, G. (2023, September 7). Danielle Bunten Berry (1949–1998). Encyclopedia of Arkansas. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/danielle-bunten-berry-4524/ 

Graser, M. (2013, October 1). Videogame biz: Women still very much in the minority. Variety. https://variety.com/2013/digital/features/womengamers1200683299-1200683299/ 

Hague, J. (n.d.). Danielle Berry. In Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game Programmers. interview, Dadgum Games. Retrieved from https://dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/BERRY.HTM. 

Johnson, S. (2021, May 30). Seven trailblazing LGBT+ pioneers who helped to shape video gaming as we know it. PinkNews. https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/05/30/lgbt-video-game-pioneers-david-gaider-danielle-bunten-berry-gaming/ 

Koon, D. (2019, April 26). Dani Bunten changed video games forever. Arkansas Times. https://arktimes.com/news/cover-stories/2012/02/08/dani-bunten-changed-video-games-forever?oid=2059426 

Willaert, “Critical Kate.” (2022, November 25). The Sumerian game: The most important video game you’ve never heard of. A Critical Hit! https://www.acriticalhit.com/sumerian-game-most-important-video-game-youve-never-heard/

Lesbian Visibility Week: A Week of WLW Love

Lesbian Awareness Week occurs for the final full week of the month of April, and this year that is from the 22nd to the 27th.

This sunset pride flag is a part of my Patchwork Pride collection, and can be purchased in my shop.

History and Observance

This week-long even is relatively new, despite having been “first celebrated in mid-July in 1990, and was conceived out of lesbians' frustrations with the higher visibility of LGBT men than LBGT women… The week was coordinated by West Hollywood Lesbian Visibility Committee and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and devoted to raising awareness of lesbian identities and topics and celebrating the lesbian community” (Heckin’ Unicorn, 2023).

After a few years, Lesbian Visibility Week became less as less widespread. In 2008 Lesbian Visibility was established, but the week long celebration was only resume in 2020, thanks to However, after 1992, the week fell off until International Lesbian Visibility Day came to be in 2008. A whole week still didn’t exist again until 2020 when Linda Riley, the publisher of DIVA Magazine, (re)founded Lesbian Awareness Week (Vargas, 2024).

Lesbian Pride Symbols and Terminology

Double Venus: The venus symbol, which is often used to denote female, is duplicated and interlocked (De Montfort)

Labrys Pride Flag: “The first well-documented design for a lesbian pride flag… designed by a gay graphic designer named Sean Campbell in 1999. The Labrys Flag features a white double-headed axe, called a labrys, superimposed on top of an inverted black triangle with a purple background” (Bauer, 2023). The Purple background is connected to Sappho who wrote about girls with wreathes of violets on their heads. The Black triangle is a symbol that was used by the Nazis to label lesbians, along with other groups, as ‘asocial’ during the holocaust. The labrys is connected to the Amazons, a mythical race of warrior women who were considered to be lesbians.

Lipstick Lesbian Pride Flag: “Created by blogger Natalie McCray in 2010, [and also known as the Pink Lesbian Pride flag], this flag features seven stripes in various shades of red and pink with a lipstick mark placed in the top left corner (Bauer, 2023). This flag fell out of use as many lesbians who were butch, or generally less femme, did not identify with the colors and design of the flag. It was further abandoned by the community when, in the late twenty teens, the creators bigoted opinions became more widely known (Bauer, 2023)

Sapphic: “an umbrella term that includes lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual trans femmes, mascs, nonbinary folks, and cis women…. "sapphic" strives to conjure an experience more akin to an intention toward attraction — one oriented less to any specific gender identity and more to the fullness of a potential lovers' humanity” (Hamou, 2022). The term originates from the ancient Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos, who wrote poetry about her love for women.

Sunset Pride Flag: “created by a nonbinary lesbian named Emily Gwen in 2018….[There were initially] seven stripes in a gradient of orange to pink…” (Bauer 2023). From top to bottom: dark orange represents gender nonconformity, coral; independence, pale orange; community, white; unique relationships to womanhood, pinkish purple for serenity and peace, darker purple-pink for love and sex, and finally deep magenta represents femininity (Bauer, 2023). This version might be one of the most widely-used versions of the lesbian flag today, whether in its seven-stripe or simplified five-stripe form (Bauer, 2023).

This sunset pride flag is a part of my Patchwork Pride collection, and can be purchased in my shop.

Toaster Oven: A reference to the episode of the sit-com ‘Ellen’, where it is mentioned to Ellen DeGenerous’ character (who does come out in the episode) that if a lesbian recruits a straight woman she is gifted a toaster oven (Devil’s Food Cake, 2011)

Violets: A symbol that comes for Sappho’s poetry about her love for women. The violet was made into a modern symbol for lesbian love by Édouard Bourdet in his 1927 play; “The Captive” (University of Washington, 2021).

WLW: An acronym that means ‘women loving women’ or ‘women (who) love women’.

A Book with Lesbian Representation

Deus Ex Mechanic* is the first book in The Cricket Chronicles, written by Ryann Fletcher. The main character Alice is the best mechanic in the Galaxy, (and also a lesbian). She unwillingly joins a pirate crew, led by the beautiful and powerful Violet. She finds herself falling for her new captain as well as reconsidering everything she knows about the Coalition. 

I admit, Ryann is a friend of mine, but I absolutely love the crew of the Cricket, and this book is a wonderful representation of a sapphic romance. The cast of characters is diverse in many ways, and the writing is great. This book is definitely worth a read if you enjoy Becky Chambers’ work, and want a sweet Sapphic read. 

Any hyperlinks followed with an asterisk (*) indicate that they are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something from this link, I receive a small commission from the site. It will not change the price of the product for you.

Bibliography

Bauer, E. (2023, June 23). A brief and very online history of the Lesbian Pride Flag. Them. https://www.them.us/story/history-of-the-lesbian-pride-flag

De Montfort University Leicester . (n.d.). LGBTQ+ Symbols & Meanings. De Montfort University Leicester . https://www.dmu.ac.uk/events/pride/symbols.aspx#:~:text=The%20double%20Venus%20symbol%20takes,symbol%20for%20the%20lesbian%20community.

Devil’s Food Cake. (2011, February 14). Gay slang vol. 5: Toaster oven. The Most Cake. https://themostcake.co.uk/we-like/gay-slang-vol-5-toaster-oven/

Hamou, Y. (2022, April 27). What does it mean to be sapphic?. Them. https://www.them.us/story/what-does-sapphic-mean

Unicorn, H. (2023, December 18). When is Lesbian Visibility Week 2024 and what does it mean?. Heckin’ Unicorn. https://heckinunicorn.com/blogs/heckin-unicorn-blog/when-is-lesbian-visibility-week-2024-and-what-does-it-mean?currency=USD

Vargas, A. (2024, February 1). When is Lesbian Visibility Week 2024? all about it - parade. Parade. https://parade.com/living/what-is-lesbian-visibility-week

What is Asexuality? | International Asexuality Day & Ace Symbols

While Ace Week takes place in October, International Asexuality Day is coming up on April 6th, and just like Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week back in February, I thought now would be a good time to talk about IAD and what it means to be on the Asexual spectrum.

What is Asexuality?

Abrosexual: “a term that describes a kind of sexual fluidity. Someone who’s abrosexual finds that their sexual attracttion [sic] shifts often: they might identify with the term ‘gay,’ and later feel attracted to people of all genders, and then feel little to no sexual attraction at all” (Ferguson, 2022).

Acespec: An abbreviation that means Asexual Spectum. Used to refer to all the identities that fall on the asexual spectrum.

Aceflux: “Individuals whose sexual orientation fluctuates along the spectrum between asexual and sexual” (OkCupid).

Aegosexual: “people who experience a disconnect between themselves and the subject of arousal. This enables them to experience sexual attraction, arousal, and desire in response to sexual stimuli, yet they have little or no desire to engage in sexual activity with anyone…. first called autochorissexuality back in 2012 by Dr. Anthony Bogaert” (Lavenia & Rosalin, 2022).

Allosexual (Allo): “An adjective used to describe a person who experiences sexual attraction to others, and is not asexual” (Glaad, 2023).

Apothisexual: Individuals who are repulsed at the idea of sexual interactions that involve them. The term ‘sex repulsed’ is often used interchangeably. (Leitner, 2022)

Asexual (Ace): “experience little to no sexual attraction to others. Aces can experience other forms of attraction, like romantic, sensual or aesthetic attraction, and can still engage in sexual activity if they choose to for various reasons despite not feeling sexual desire” (Seattle Pride, 20223).

Autosexual: “This sexual orientation refers to people who feel a sexual attraction toward themselves, one that surpasses your standard dose of “self-love.” In autosexuality, your primary sexual attraction is for the one and only YOU” (Hsieh & Engle, 2023).

Cupiosexual: Individuals who desire sexual experiences or a sexual relationship with someone but doesn’t experience sexual attraction. A relatively new term, believed to be coined in 2014. (Hsieh & Kibbe, 2023)

Demisexual (Demi): People who are demisexual “only experience sexual attraction once they form a strong emotional connection with another person” (Seattle Pride, 2023)

Fraysexual: Individuals that are only sexually attracted to those they do not have an emotional connection with. Once such a bond begins to form the sexual attract will begin to diminish. Often described as the opposite of Demisexual (Glassman-Hughes, 2022)

Greysexual (Grey Ace): This identity is “characterized by being asexual while also being able to experience or have previously experienced sexual attraction. This could appear in sexual attraction that is low in intensity, infrequent, ambiguous or only direction toward specific people” (Seattle Pride, 2023).

Lithosexual: “a person who experiences sexual attraction but does not want it reciprocated” (View, 2019).

History and Observance

International Asexuality Day is a new day of recognition, having only been established in 2021 (International Asexuality Day). It is April 6th, which was chosen “to avoid clashes with other significant dates around the world and to fit in with the constraints of the participating organisations as far as possible” (International Asexuality Day).

International Asexuality Day “does not belong to one particular organisation, being a collaboration between different international ace groups” (International Asexuality Day).

There is a strong focus on the part of the organizers to ensure that this day is not US-centric and is accessible to ace individuals around the world. The day is designed to complement other ace events like Ace Week (the last week in October), but with a special emphasis on the international community, going beyond the anglophone and Western sphere that has so far had the most coverage (International Asexuality Day).

The four themes of International Asexuality Day are advocacy, celebration, education, and solidarity (international asexuality day.org) These themes can be promoted in whatever way you want, whether you fall under the asexual spectrum, or are an ally. A simple photo post talking about your identity or support of Ace individuals or sharing information about the AceSpec identities (like this blog post!) can be a great way to mark the date.

Symbols of Asexual Pride

The most obvious symbol for asexual pride is the ace pride flag. From top to bottom it has a black stripe, a grey stripe, a white stripe, and purple stirpes. “The black stripe represents asexuality, the grey stripe represents grey-sexuality, the white stripe represents sexuality, and the purple stripe represents the a-spectrum community” (Asexuality Handbook). In this case, the term ‘a-spectrum refers to both asexual individuals and aromantic individuals and those within their individual spectrums. “The Asexual Pride flag was created in 2010 online via a popular vote led by the Asexuality and Visibility Education Network, AKA AVEN” (Elle, 2021).

An asexual pride flag from my Patchwork Pride collection. This flag is available for purchase in my shop. You can find the flag by clicking on the photo.

Another of the most common symbols of Asexual pride is the black ring. This specific “black ring [is] worn on the middle finger of the right hand… [and provide] a discreet visual clue that the people around them may also be asexual” (Asexuality handbook.com) either in the instance that a person is not comfortable being entirely out as asexual, or perhaps wants to be connected to the asexual community in this way, or both!

The black ring, as a symbol has evolved over time. It “originated from a 2005 AVEN thread, being a subversion of the traditional wedding band that demonstrated a rejection traditional relationship values” (Asexuality Handbook). This is an understandable impulse, as sex is often considered a requirement of a marriage, healthy or not.

However, asexual individuals can get married if they so desire, and can even enjoy sex and the intimacy it brings. Understanding this, in “the broader community the ring has never carried any such connotation” (Asexuality Handbook).

Phot of an Ace Ring by Eli Christman

Cake is another well-known symbol within the asexual community. “Cake is used as a symbol for asexuality by allusion to the common observation that asexuals prefer cake to sex. Although some asexuals may enjoy sex more than cake, the observation highlights how many asexuals see sex as something ordinary, like eating a cake. Other foods may be used instead with the same intended effect, notably garlic bread” (Asexuality Handbook)

The ace of spades is an obvious symbol. ‘Ace’ is an abbreviation of the word asexual, and is a playing card. Each suit has its own meaning, even if each of these sub-meanings isn’t as well known. The ace of hearts represents alloromantic aces, spades are for aromantic aces, diamonds represent demisexuals / greysexuals, and clubs are for questioning aces (Elle, 2021)

Similar to the gryphon being a symbol of aromatic pride, the dragon is a symbol of asexual pride. “While nobody seems to have a clear answer of where this symbol came from, it is said that it started as a joke on Tumblr…. Mythical creatures are often used to represent the ace community as aces feel that they are like mythical creatures, because society doesn’t always feel like we exist” (asexuals.net, 2022).

Books with Asexual Representation

Just like last time, I wanted to share a book with ace representation at the end of this post. This time I picked Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I love Seanan McGuire’s books so much, and her Wayward Children series is no exception. In this book, the main character, Nancy talks about her preference for relationships of the romantic sort, like flirting and other romantic connections, but also that she doesn’t want anything beyond that in terms of relationships. This suggests that Nancy is asexual and allometric. Any hyperlinks followed with an asterisk (*) indicate that they are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something from this link, I receive a small commission from the site. It will not change the price of the product for you.

Bibliography

Asexual symbols explained: Learn more about asexuality on asexuals.net. Asexuals.net. (2022, March 9). https://www.asexuals.net/asexual-symbol-explained/

Asexual Symbols. Asexuality Handbook. (n.d.). https://www.asexuality-handbook.com/asexual-symbols

Elle. (2021, October 24). A short guide to asexuality. Rainbow & Co. https://rainbowandco.uk/blogs/what-were-saying/a-short-guide-to-asexuality

Ferguson, S. (2022, May 27). 10 abrosexual faqs: Meaning, signs, dating. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/abrosexual#definition

GLAAD. (2023, May 1). Glossary of terms: LGBTQ. GLAAD. https://glaad.org/reference/terms/

Glassman-Hughes, E. (2022, May 6). Fraysexuality can be misunderstood. here’s what you need to know. Sexopedia. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sexopedia/a39927546/what-is-fraysexuality/

Hsieh, C., & Engle, G. (2023, December 19). Here’s What It Means to Be Autosexual. Sexopedia. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sexopedia/a32700577/autosexual-definition/

Hsieh, C., & Kibbe, K. (2023, August 23). Cupiosexual definition - what is cupiosexuality?. Sexopedia. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sexopedia/a35046096/cupiosexual/

International Asexuality Day (IAD). (n.d.). International asexuality day. International Asexuality Day (IAD). https://internationalasexualityday.org/en/

Lavenia, A., & Rosalin, D. (2022, November 9). Aegosexuality: What is it and the history behind it. inspire. https://www.cxomedia.id/human-stories/20221109131918-74-176990/aegosexuality-what-is-it-and-the-history-behind-it#:~:text=Aegosexual%20classifies%20people%20who%20experience,in%20sexual%20activity%20with%20anyone

LEITNER, B. (2022, December 6). Apothisexuality explains why some folks are repulsed by sex. Sexopedia. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sexopedia/a42160151/apothisexual/

Okcupid. (n.d.). Identity: Orientation and gender expressions. Okcupid. https://www.okcupid.com/identity/

Seattlepride. (2023, April 5). International asexuality day: Three ways to be an ally to the asexual community: News: Seattle pride. Seattle Pride. https://seattlepride.org/news/international-asexuality-day-three-ways-to-be-an-ally-to-the-asexual-community#:~:text=International%20Asexuality%20Day%20(IAD)%20takes,asexual%2C%20demisexual%20and%20greysexual%20individuals.

View, T. (2019, August 15). Everything you need to know about lithosexuality. Live Love LGBTQ+. https://livelovelgbtq.wordpress.com/2017/10/26/lithosexual/

The Vedette | Vanessa Show: Not Just Cistory

It’s become a tradition of mine over the past few years to paint portraits of transgender women from throughout history for Women’s History Month, which has evolved into my Not just Cistory series, where I share my paintings and do more research into the lives of my subjects, and then write it all up to share with all of you here. This entry is about a 20th century star whose career spanned the stage, the screen, and the world; Vanessa Show.

Early Life and Adolescence

Vanessa Show was born in La Banda, Santiago del Estero, on September 27, 1950 (2023, Montagna) to an Arabic family of ranchers and butchers. In an interview with Pagina 12’s Juan Tauil, Show explained that her grandfather was from Alexandria and her grandmother was Moroccan (2009).

Her parents separated when she was a teen, she was disinherited, and she moved to Buenos Aires (Tauil, 2009). She did not have a good relationship with her parents, particularly her father, and was not sad to leave them behind (infobae, 2017).

Show was always open about her sexuality, even as a child, effecting a sort of ‘deal with it’ attitude describing it in the Pagina 12 interview in this way, and also emphasizing that she demanded respect from her family, regardless of their opinions (Tauil, 2009).

A Career in the Spotlight

She started working at age fifteen as a dishwasher and a cook, before finally appearing onstage as a dancer at age seventeen, at the Teatro Maipo (Tauil, 2009).

She was given the name ‘Vanessa’ by Eber Lobato, and the last name ‘Show’ by a journalist who commented on her giving quite a show during her performance. She continued working for Lobato for a number of years (Tauil, 2009).

Vanessa Show was a vedette; similar to a burlesque dancer. She performed with many other dancers and performers who were very well-known at the time, and she became famous in her own right (Montagna, 2023). Before donning the name ‘Vanessa Show’ she was called ‘Señor Vedette’ by the press (Torchia, 2018).

Show was also a part of ‘La Revista del tercer sexo’ the first company made up entirely of transvestites (Tauil, 2009). (A note: translation here is imperfect (at least, more than usual) as the Spanish word ‘travestis’ can mean both ‘transvestites’ (an outdated term on its own), or drag queens, so I am unclear as to which is meant here, but I don’t think the lack specificity is necessarily a bad thing.)

Her life in Europe

Show spent a lot of time in Europe; both for her successful international tour, performing in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and, later, as an exile from Argentina (Montagna, 2023). While in Europe she was confronted with the hierarchy and competition of the European drag community and decided that she was going to stand up for herself as an artist and as a person (Torchia, 2018).

After her European tour, she came home to Argentina and resumed work at the club Hidrogen, experienced run-ins with the police, and received continual harassment from the government, she was even called a ‘sexual terrorist’ (Tauil, 2009).

She decided to return to Europe due to the militaristic governments that were in power in Argentina, and the growing threats she received, choosing to travel and work abroad (infobae, 2017).

She returned to Argentina in the 1990s and performed in films and was featured on television (Montanga, 2023). She also wrote her autobiography, titled ‘es Verdad’, or ‘The Truth’ in 2012 (Torchia, 2018).

Life as an Icon

In recent years Show had become a sort of beloved mother figure for the drag and trans communities of Argentina, discussing her role in/relationship with the queer community in a 2018 Pagina 12 interview with Franco Torchia.

She said that young drag queens and trans individuals would flock to her and that she was thrilled with the burgeoning community of drag queens, and the sense of comradery that was not present in the communities she was a part of in her youth (Torchia, 2018).

Show passed away in September of 2023 at the Providencia Sanatorium in Buenos Aires at the age of 72 (Montagna).

Conclusion

Vanessa Show was a confident woman who was determined to chase her dream and be successful in the way that she deemed correct for her own life. Being transgender often comes with a set of challenges that can seem insurmountable. It is refreshing and heartening to learn about the story of a trans woman who was able to make her own way.

Granted, everyone has their own experiences and challenges that are unique to them, she admits in the Pagina 12 article with Jaun Tauil that both her lighter skin tone and beauty allowed her to travel more freely through Europe and around the world than she might have been otherwise (2009).

Privileges and challenges considered (but not set aside), Show is an example of a woman who took no shit and expected the world to respect her for who she was. She was a trailblazer and is a reason why the drag community in Argentina is the way it is. She created an example of how a trans woman could live as herself and create space for that life, as well as the lives of others.

Bibliography

Note: All sources are in Spanish and have been translated to English for this blog post by me.

Infobae. (2017, November 13). Vannesa show: “Un día quise matar a mi padre.” infobae. https://www.infobae.com/2012/04/29/644878-vannesa-show-un-dia-quise-matar-mi-padre/

LA NACION. (2023, September 18). Murió Vanessa show, La Primera Vedette trans de la argentina. LA NACION. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/personajes/murio-vanessa-show-la-primera-vedette-trans-de-la-argentina-tenia-72-anos-nid15092023/

Tauil, R., & Show, V. (2009, April 17). Señora Show. Pagina 12. other. Retrieved March 7, 2024,. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/soy/1-701-2009-04-17.html

Torchia, F., & Show, V. (2018, February 2). Mostra Show. Pagina 12. other. Retrieved March 7, 2024,. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/92795-mostra-show

What Does it Mean to be Aromantic?

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week is now upon us, so I thought this would be a good time to share a bit about what it means, exactly to be aromantic.

These four flags, asexual, demiromantic, aromantic, and demisexual respectively, are all a part of my Patchwork Pride flag collection, which can be found by clicking on this photo.

What is Aromantic?

Lithoromantic: “an individual who feels romantic love towards someone but has no desire of having these feelings reciprocated. It’s also known as… romantic. This term also falls under the aromantic spectrum…” (Pace, 2023)

Alloromantic: “people who experience romantic feelings for one or more individuals” (PIÑEIRO, 2021)

Aromantic: A person who does not experience romantic attraction towards others. It is also the name for the spectrum that encapsulates all the identities relating to not feeling romantic attraction towards people in some form.

Arospec: an abbreviation for the term aromantic spectrum. It is often used by people as a shorthand way to explain that they fall somewhere on the aromantic Spectrum.

Asexual: A person who does not experience sexual attraction to others. It is also, like aromantic, the name for the spectrum that encapsulates all the identities relating to not feeling sexual attraction towards people in some form.

Demiromantic: “Only experience romantic attraction after forming a strong emotional connection with someone”. (very well mind)

Greyromantic: “People who are greyromantic experience romantic attraction, but not as frequently or intensely as alloromantic individuals. This can overlap with lithromanticism to some extent - a person might identify as both - but not all greyromantic individuals are lithromantic” (Ohwovoriole, 2023 )

History and Observance

The first observation of Aromantic Awareness Week was held "November 10th-17th in 2014, under the name Aromantic Awareness Week; in 2015” (Aromantic-Official, AUREA).

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (abbreviated as ASAW) is now held on “the first full week (starting Sunday) following Valentine’s Day” (Aromantic-Official, AUREA). For 2024 that means that ASAW will be from the 18th to the 24th.

Symbols for Aromantic Pride

A “[w]hite ring worn on the middle finger is often worn by people who identify as someone on the aromantic spectrum” (Symbols of the ace-spectrum)

A symbol that overlaps the asexual and aromantic communities is the “[a]ce of Spades [which] is often used by asexuals who identify as someone on the aromantic spectrum” (Symbols of the ace-spectrum)

The Ace of Spades is a symbol of pride within both the Aromantic and Asexual Communities.

There have been multiple iterations of the Aromantic Pride flag. The one that is used by the arospec community currently “was created by Cameron Whimsy in 2014…. The color green was chosen to symbolize the aromanticism as the opposite of red, the color which is the most commonly associated with the romance” (Aromantic flag and symbols explained).

As with all pride flags, each of the colors has a meaning. As mentioned above the greens represent the aromantic spectrum itself, and were chosen to be as far opposite from the traditional colors of romance as possible. The white stripe represents platonic and aesthetic attraction, and the grey and black represent the spectrum that acknowledges the spectrum of sexuality that aromantic individuals also inhabit (Aromantic flag and symbols explained).

This Aromantic Pride flag is a part of the Patchwork Pride Collection by Stet Studio and can be found in my shop by clicking the photo.

The first Aromantic pride flag “which is no longer used… was created around 2011, on the website of the National Coalition for Aromantic Visibility. The flag received a lot of criticism as it didn’t seem to include the full aromantic spectrum, yet included alloromantic people” (Aromantic flag and symbols explained).

The colors of this pride flag were green for aromantics, yellow for romantic friendships and dating, orange for lithoromantics, and black for romantics who reject traditional romantic culture (Aromantic flag and symbols explained).

The original design of the Aromantic Pride flag, created in 2011.

The arrow (like you shoot out of a bow) is a symbol used by most aromantics to show their pride in their identity, simply because ‘aro’ sounds like ‘arrow’.

‘Arrow’ and ‘aro’ sound so similar that it has become a a symbol of aromantic pride.

Hearts might not be one's first guess for aromantic pride symbols, after all, hearts are pretty romantic, right? Well, I think these next two symbols are a great reminder that hearts, and love, do not need to be romantic. “A completely green heart or a heart with the aromantic flag on it, is also often used as a symbol for the community…. people on social media use the green heart emoji as this is used to indicate aromanticism. You will often see the green heart emoji given as a response in the comment section of videos about aromanticism” (Aromantic flag and symbols explained).

Yellow flowers are a symbol of aromanticism because “in the world of flowers, the color yellow means friendship… [and] can also symbolize happiness, joy and new beginnings” (Aromantic flag and symbols explained). Another great reminder of the types of love beyond romantic.

Because of the meanings associated with yellow flowers in floral language they have become a symbol of aromantic pride.

Another symbol that is intertwined with the asexual community, is the gryphon. The dragon is a symbol for the asexual community, both are mythological creatures and they represent the feeling of invisibility both communities often experience, especially when those who aren’t a part of these communities insist that these identities do not exist (Aromantic flags and symbols explained)

Books with Aromantic Representation

As a book-lover myself, I would be remiss if I didn't include a book with Aromantic representation. I recently read the book Kaikeyi: A Novel by Vaishnavi Patel*, which is a retelling of the story from the Ramayana. I found Kaikeyi, herself, to be Aromantic (and asexual). She mentions multiple times not feeling the way her husband's other wives do towards their husband or anyone at all. She also speaks of loving him, instead, dearly as a friend.

Any hyperlinks followed with an asterisk (*) indicate they are affiliate links. If you purchase something from this link, I receive a small commission from the site. It will not change the price of the product for you.

Bibliography

Aromantic flag and symbols explained. Asexuals.net. (2022, July 16). https://www.asexuals.net/aromantic-flag-and-symbols-explained/#aromanticflag

Aromantic-Official, AUREA. (n.d.). About asaw. Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week. https://www.arospecweek.org/about-asaw/

Ohwovoriole, T. (2023, August 9). What it means to be Lithromantic. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-it-means-to-be-lithromantic-7567805

Pace, R. (2023, July 19). Lithromantic: What it is, WHAT MAKES ONE & 15 signs you may be one. Marriage Advice - Expert Marriage Tips & Advice. https://www.marriage.com/advice/relationship/signs-of-lithromantic/#:~:text=The%20term%20lithromantic%20refers%20to,to%20be%20in%20a%20relationship

PIÑEIRO, S. M. C. (2021, May 18). Alloromantic: Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about what it means to be alloromantic. Cosmopolitan. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sexopedia/a36461835/alloromantic-definition/

Symbols of the ace-spectrum. Kent State University. (n.d.). https://www.kent.edu/lgbtq/symbols-ace-spectrum#:~:text=White%20ring%20worn%20on%20the,asexuals%20who%20identify%20as%20alloromantic.

Success and Souffle | Lucy Hicks Anderson (1886- 1954): Not Just Cistory

Our first entry for the Not Just Cistory series is an entrepreneur and a businesswoman, who became famous across the United States during the first half of the twentieth century, for her business skills, her ability to host a party, and her fashion sense.

Early Life

Lucy Hicks Anderson né Lawson was born in “Waddy, Kentucky in 1886” (Keehnen & Salvo) and was adamant that she was a girl from birth, insisting that she wore dresses to school. Her doctor advised her mother to let her live as a girl, as it was obvious that she was in fact, a girl. Lucy received the support of her family and was able to live nearly her entire life as her true self. (Coren & Snorton, 2022)

Based on the 1900 census, Lucy spent her early years working for the Waddy family before moving away from home at age 15 (Keehnen & Salvo). During her travels, she met the man who would become her first husband; “Clarence Hicks, in New Mexico” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).

Entrepreneurial Success

She settled in the small town of Oxnard California in Ventura County, the home of a “major sugar factory that attracted blue-collar workers from the surrounding areas in Mexico” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).

Noticing a gap in the market, Lucy started “the only house of prostitution in Oxnard” (Hicks, Lucy L. [Tobias Lawson]).

During this time she was also “a renowned chef and hostess for wealthy families throughout her community” (Walker, 2018). She was a fantastic cook and was able to use this to traverse racial and gender lines in the community (Coren & Snorton, 2022).

A 1945 article after Lucy Hicks Anderson was outed notes her skills as a chef: “By the time she opened her first house of prostitution, off Oxnard's crib-bordered China Alley, her genius in the kitchen was the talk of the town” (CALIFORNIA: Sin & Souffl [sic] 1945). Even in ‘disgrace’ the society of the time was singing the praises of her cooking, a skill associated with women.

The Heart of a Community

She also remarried in 1944, to “a soldier named Ruben Anderson” (Coren & Snorton, 2022). During this period of the late thirties and early forties, Hicks Anderson’s business flourished and her scope of services spread. As time passed, she became more and more a part of the community, and:

tended children, helped dress many an Oxnard daughter for parties. The town thought little of seeing fat and prosperous Oxnard dames driving to Lucy's house to borrow one of her legendary recipes. When a new Catholic priest came to town, Lucy prepared the barbecue with which the parish welcomed him” (CALIFORNIA: Sin & Souffl [sic] 1945).

She was a beloved member of the community, and quite famous for her hosting skills and her fashion, being written about both in multiple magazines, one being Time magazine (Coren & Snorton, 2022). Her community also knew her from her generous “donations to charities such as the Red Cross and Boy Scouts” (Walker, 2018).

She was also a great supporter of the soldiers of the Second World War and their families. She bought war bonds, threw going away parties for soldiers, and consoled the parents of the ones who did not return home (Walker, 2018).

Betrayal by Her Community

Months after her second marriage, “in August 1945, an outbreak of venereal disease was said to have come from Hicks' establishment; Lucy and all of her employees had to be examined by a doctor” which led to her being outed as a ‘man’ (Hicks, Lucy L. [Tobias Lawson]).

Lucy was charged with perjury; the rationale being that she signed her marriage certificate that stated she was a woman, which was, in the court’s eyes, untrue (Notable Kentucky African Americans Database).

The prosecution provided “five doctors to testify to her legal gender, to the gender that she was assigned at birth”. Meanwhile, “Lucy's lawyers argued that she had hidden [female] organs”, within her body, and was truly a woman. “Ultimately, the jury returned a verdict of guilty… Her sentence, a small fine and 10 years probation” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).

As news spread about the discovery of the genitalia present at Lucy’s birth, both she and her husband were brought up on federal charges:

Ruben Anderson was facing a maximum of 10 years in a federal prison, and a top fine of 10,000, because he had the government send his wife $950 in allotment checks… The US Army argued that she was not legally married to her husband, since same sex marriage was illegal. And the US government didn't recognize that Lucy, being a trans woman, was a woman. (Coren & Snorton, 2022)

These charges were truly what pushed Lucy Hicks Anderson out of the life she had built for herself.

The federal courts they were "both found guilty. The court invalidated their marriage, and Ruben was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Lucy was sentenced to a year in prison at Leavenworth Penitentiary, a men's facility” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).

After finishing her sentence, Lucy Hicks Anderson left her business and her community, as “Oxnard also banned the couple for 10 years, so they took up residency in Los Angeles as husband and wife, where Lucy lived until her death in 1954” (Walker, 2018).

Conclusion

This story of success, and then the betrayal of the community that loved her, is a testament to the fact that not only transwomen have always existed, but that they can be successful, even if the community that benefits from them does not always support them entirely.

The arguments by both her lawyers, and that of the opposition show just how imbedded the idea of genitalia and physical form equalling gender is in American Society.

A woman can perform all of femininity perfectly, be an amazing cook and hostess, have flawless fashion, and be featured in Time magazine for it, not to mention being a generous benefactor to a community that loved her in response, and still be disqualified from the title of ‘woman’ for the fact that she does not have the appropriate formulation of reproductive organs.

However, Lucy Hicks Anderson’s refusal to hide away and present herself as who society wanted her to be also reminds me of the resistance that can be found in joy and being oneself. Lucy did not hide away, she simply moved to another place where she could live happily, and sometimes that's all we can do; move on, and be happy when and where we can.

This piece of art is available on my store and is a 6 x 9 inch gouache portrait. A portion of the proceeds of this piece will be donated to charity.

Bibliography

CALIFORNIA: sin & souffl [sic]. (1945, November 5). Time Magazine, XLVI(19). Retrieved January 11, 2024, from https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,852379,00.html.

Coren, A., & Snorton, C. R. (2022, November 30). Lucy Hicks Anderson. Sidedoor. , Smithsonian. Retrieved January 11, 2024,.

Hicks, Lucy L. [Tobias Lawson]. Omeka RSS. (n.d.). https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1363

Keehnen, O. (n.d.). Lucy Hicks Anderson. Legacy Project Chicago. https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/lucy-hicks-anderson

Walker, M. (2018, February 21). Highlight: Lucy Hicks Anderson, a Black Trans Pioneer. ACLU of Mississippi. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/news/highlight-lucy-hicks-anderson-black-trans-pioneer