Saturday, November 8, 2025

Transgender and nonbinary heroes serving our larger society

More than 10 stories, spanning hundreds of years and 3 continents, about remarkable people who made significant contributions to larger society.  
montage of transgender people from different countries and time periods
These heroes happen to be transgender and/or nonbinary. Depending on where you live, you may have benefited from the courage, hard work and kindness of these individuals. Btw, November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
 

Monday, September 8, 2025

The Messenger of the Eastern Warehouse: a resource redistribution tale from the 18th century

 "The Messenger of the Eastern Warehouse” appears in “What the Ears have Consumed”, an anthology of fantastical tales collected in 1794:

There was a beggar crone surnamed Zhou in the Su neighborhood of Jinxi[i]. Xe was a childless widow of more than 50 years of age, living alone in a dilapidated house. One day, a disembodied voice spoke next to xir ear, “Your situation is indeed pitiful. I will help you...

Read the rest of this folktale on Patreon!

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Persian and Urdu homoromantic poetry from 13th-19th century South Asia

The intense spiritual bonds between Sufi masters in South Asia and their same-sex disciples have been expressed in homoromantic and homoerotic poetry

Iranian man and indian man facing each other

While it may not be appropriate to label these relationships using modern Western concepts of sexual orientation and romantic orientation, they can provide perspectives on the intersection between divine love and same-sex human love. The experience of holiness is not tied to heteronormativity.