TL;DR: Our rich and remarkable history should ground us, but it can also shut down the pernicious lie that being beyond the binary is somehow, something new. Let's collect, platform and share trans+ history stories and, crucially, make them readily available.
Together with Trans+ non-binary creative Marty Davies we're establishing a Trans+ History Week to be held on 6–12 May 2024.
Knowledge of our past is fundamental for our liberation.
It's a tried and tested concept that what's behind us shows us the way forward.
Actually, it's our past that shuts down some of the flimsiest dog whistles about all of the LGBTQIA+ community.
We're a fad, a trend, a phase are we? Nope.
Not when we can trace queerness and gender-diverse communities through millennia.
It's one of our most robust and radical tools to shut down the idea we're something new. To share and celebrate concrete, readily available stories of our rich and remarkable history.
Especially when we do so after immersing ourselves in the euphoria of our history.
That's what Trans+ History Week is all about.
How did it all come about?
A QueerAF article about one of the first and most infamous Nazi book burnings took place at the world's first sex and gender clinic and quickly became a regular tool used to shut down 'transgender trend' chatter online.
Watching the worst dog whistles and myths get shut down by this actually relatively recent piece of history was fascinating. It was immediately evident we needed more stories to fight the good fight.
Fast forward a couple of months, after lots of behind-the-scenes consultation with some of the UK's most prominent LGBTQIA+ organisations, trans+ creatives, community elders and trailblazers (whilst led by the Trans+ non-binary creative who authored that article), we're launching Trans+ History Week.
We talk about making sure we don't forget the horrors of history. But how can we when we were never afforded the luxury to learn our history in the first place? Let’s tell our stories. Let’s remember our history. Let’s give ourselves the space to learn, share, reflect on, and celebrate Trans+ history.
- Marty Davies, Trans+ History Week founder
Marty Davies's initiative is a week-long reflective period to learn and celebrate the momentous and millennia-old history of transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and intersex people.
Better than that - it's the Trans+ history lesson we never had.
We're helping them set it up to have a legacy which means we celebrate Trans+ history in this week every year.
What is QueerAF's involvement in Trans+ History Week?
When we launched QueerAF, we wanted to be an incubator of queer talent. To find as many ways to do that, share our secrets and help queer creatives succeed.
We also decided we'd be led by the lived experience of our creatives - instead of be prescriptive over what content and passions to pursue.
It's why our members, who provide most of our revenue, decide what stories we commission - not me.
So this, our first formal launchpad project, borrows lessons from previous projects like our podcasts, QueerAF and What The Pox?, and our founding aims.
Our launchpad projects facilitate, mentor and support LGBTQIA+ creatives to create their own original projects.
When we support creatives, we don't just want them to leave with skills, mentoring and support - but solid foundations to succeed as they go forward.
We'll be supporting Marty Davies through everything from content production to setting up the organisation as a social enterprise. Just like our podcast, which takes folks from pitch to invoice, we'll be here every step of the way.
Equally much like our in-house content creation approach, what content and which stories we support the project to tell will be in the hands of the trans+ community, QueerAF members, in your hands.
Indeed, as a QueerAF launchpad project our contribution to it will come with all the QueerAF values we promise our audience every week in our newsletter that helps folks understand the LGBTQIA+ news.
How can I get involved?
We're now entering into a broader phase of consultation with the community, trans+ history archives, and our supporter organisations and widening the net to welcome other organisations, too.
Next year, we'll bring you all kinds of ways to get involved in the week, whether as a history lover, community member or creator.
Right now, we want to hear your thoughts. What stories could we tell? Which ones are hidden and deserve more light?
And the best way to do that, you ask? Sign up to the QueerAF newsletter for regular updates on the project, where we'll be inviting readers and community members to steer the project forward.
Unlike most newsletters, you can also reply to any email we send you. It means our queer and Trans+ news is a conversation, not a one-way street. Try it today:
Marty Davies
📆 Add Trans+ History Week to your calendar
- Trans+ History Day 06 May
- Trans+ History Week 06 - 12 May
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Trans+ History Week is a week-long reflective period to learn and celebrate the momentous and millennia-old history of transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and Intersex people.
It will begin on May 06 2024. The 91st anniversary of the Nazi raid on the world’s first trans clinic - the week they tried to erase us, is the week we will be remembered. It is a social enterprise to ensure its activity benefits the community and a QueerAF Launchpad project.
We are a space for Trans+ people, by Trans+ people. For all of our history.
🏳️🌈 About QueerAF
We help you understand the LGBTQIA+ world and support queer creatives to change the media
QueerAF is an award-winning independent platform, not-for-profit, and regulated by IMPRESS publisher, launching the careers of emerging and underrepresented LGBTQIA+ creatives driven by people, not advertisers.
We've been giving creatives their first commissions for over eight years. Now, we're helping them build a media career and working with them to change the industry.
Our launchpad projects facilitate, mentor and support LGBTQIA+ creatives to create their own original projects.
We are QueerAF – and so are you.
