As someone who needed to see visibly trans women living beautiful lives to figure out her own identity, I'm proud to be a brick. I recognize the privilege whiteness gives me in making that a bit safer than it is for our Black and brown sisters, and hope that we can carve out more space and safety for them, but yeah. To quote the shirt I got from Audrey Zee Whitesides, "I don't want to look or be cis."
I really needed to read this today. I'm a bricky long-haired-butch early in my transition, and I've been really struggling with self esteem and pride, and it just felt really really good to read this today. Thanks, Margaret!
In the venn diagram, all bricks are dolls. I’m a cis girl in her 60s. I met my first trans friend in the early 80s when I was 19. In those days, a trans woman who wanted surgery had to “live as a woman” and be under psychiatric care for a whole year before getting those surgeries. It was fucked up.
I thought I was a bad-ass punk, but I became a real bad-ass punk from knowing her. Growing up as a heteronormative female in the deep south in the 70s can leave one with some self confidence issues. My friend, Ailene, taught me a lot about self respect, and self confidence, and how to keep myself physically safe. She was beautiful, and fascinating to me. I think others would have called her a brick. Many of our mutual friends worried for her safety because she “wasn’t passing”.
Thank you for sharing this part of yourself with us. If no one has called you a doll, let me be the first. You are a fucking doll, and your friend was wrong, wrong, wrong. You’re totally hot as a girl, but I think you know this. And we are going to get Bricklayers Union shirts, right?
“I was always afraid of becoming a trans woman, ever since I was a kid.” Wow does that line hit! Ever since I was a kid, I was afraid of becoming a horrible middle-aged short haired dyke. But some time over the last decade, that started to shift. Now that I’ve become the monster I feared as a kid, I’m so happy to be here. I’m queer, not lesbian, but I live truthfully in my body in the same way. It’s a complete disregard for the male gaze and it’s so relaxing.
At least *one* of our childhood fears turned out to be no big deal, right?
Actual mason here (bricks and mortar, not secret handshakes). Bricklayers union got me! Enough to actually comment... anywhere! Love your work Margaret.
Fucking awesome and so well said!! How do you so consistently have such good words? Preach!!
Beauty is so interesting! I often find things beautiful when they’re formed so perfectly for their function, when they couldn’t be anything else (though there’s also beauty in things that don’t fit in at all still insisting that they will do as they please). Almost anything, examined closely and understood, is so so beautiful.
And when they light up because they were made to be there - like Sting or Glamdring (and probably you idk) - the ones they’re protecting can see the warning and take heart.
Thanks for being a strong wall around your community! You’re a badass!
love this. not bc i think the distinction between doll and brick is important - these are arguments for tumblr/discord and 4tran girls - but bc trans women of all sizes and shapes should be proud and loved, and as a community we need to do better about that. im no more a woman bc im 5 7 than a girl whose 6 2, i just smoked cigarettes and had an eating disorder when i was younger. they're called broad shoulders because they hold up the world tone... proud member of the bricklayers union 🩷
Thanks for the essay. All this body-shaming, transphobia, and so on is a reflection of the shift to the right in our society. I’m glad that, despite—or perhaps because of—this, there are more and more people who are standing up against it and don’t give a damn about what’s currently “in vogue.” The text speaks right from my heart, so I’m really happy to have managed to translate it back into German. Even though I have a really hard time with slang: For example, “Thick as a brick” translates to “Dumm wie Bohnenstroh” in our language. Anyway: https://www.trueten.de/archives/14191-Brick-Pride-oder-Ich-bin-froh,-so-zu-sein,-wie-ich-bin.html
A dear friend, Taryn Cody, is a folk punk musician as well as trans. She makes a lot of DIY merch for shows and will also sell on IG just through her stories. She's definitely made stickers along the lines of "Protect the Bricks" before! If you want stickers and patches (and very occasionally shirts) in the queer anarchist folk punk vein, she's your gal. Also I'd be a bad friend not to rec her music! Her band is X Dirty Fingers but she's also been making more music just under her name: https://xdirtyfingers.bandcamp.com/music
The bricklayers union joke is 🧑🍳💋
As someone who needed to see visibly trans women living beautiful lives to figure out her own identity, I'm proud to be a brick. I recognize the privilege whiteness gives me in making that a bit safer than it is for our Black and brown sisters, and hope that we can carve out more space and safety for them, but yeah. To quote the shirt I got from Audrey Zee Whitesides, "I don't want to look or be cis."
I really needed to read this today. I'm a bricky long-haired-butch early in my transition, and I've been really struggling with self esteem and pride, and it just felt really really good to read this today. Thanks, Margaret!
In the venn diagram, all bricks are dolls. I’m a cis girl in her 60s. I met my first trans friend in the early 80s when I was 19. In those days, a trans woman who wanted surgery had to “live as a woman” and be under psychiatric care for a whole year before getting those surgeries. It was fucked up.
I thought I was a bad-ass punk, but I became a real bad-ass punk from knowing her. Growing up as a heteronormative female in the deep south in the 70s can leave one with some self confidence issues. My friend, Ailene, taught me a lot about self respect, and self confidence, and how to keep myself physically safe. She was beautiful, and fascinating to me. I think others would have called her a brick. Many of our mutual friends worried for her safety because she “wasn’t passing”.
Thank you for sharing this part of yourself with us. If no one has called you a doll, let me be the first. You are a fucking doll, and your friend was wrong, wrong, wrong. You’re totally hot as a girl, but I think you know this. And we are going to get Bricklayers Union shirts, right?
“I was always afraid of becoming a trans woman, ever since I was a kid.” Wow does that line hit! Ever since I was a kid, I was afraid of becoming a horrible middle-aged short haired dyke. But some time over the last decade, that started to shift. Now that I’ve become the monster I feared as a kid, I’m so happy to be here. I’m queer, not lesbian, but I live truthfully in my body in the same way. It’s a complete disregard for the male gaze and it’s so relaxing.
At least *one* of our childhood fears turned out to be no big deal, right?
Actual mason here (bricks and mortar, not secret handshakes). Bricklayers union got me! Enough to actually comment... anywhere! Love your work Margaret.
Fucking awesome and so well said!! How do you so consistently have such good words? Preach!!
Beauty is so interesting! I often find things beautiful when they’re formed so perfectly for their function, when they couldn’t be anything else (though there’s also beauty in things that don’t fit in at all still insisting that they will do as they please). Almost anything, examined closely and understood, is so so beautiful.
And when they light up because they were made to be there - like Sting or Glamdring (and probably you idk) - the ones they’re protecting can see the warning and take heart.
Thanks for being a strong wall around your community! You’re a badass!
How does she consistently have such good words? She's a writer. It's what she does for a living. :)
From whatever the trans masc equivalent of a "brick" is, thanks for this.
(Feather? Pillow? Kitten?)
love this. not bc i think the distinction between doll and brick is important - these are arguments for tumblr/discord and 4tran girls - but bc trans women of all sizes and shapes should be proud and loved, and as a community we need to do better about that. im no more a woman bc im 5 7 than a girl whose 6 2, i just smoked cigarettes and had an eating disorder when i was younger. they're called broad shoulders because they hold up the world tone... proud member of the bricklayers union 🩷
Isn't it Marsha P Johnson?
Yeah, I need an editor! corrected now.
I'll happily support the bricklayers union.
Thanks for the essay. All this body-shaming, transphobia, and so on is a reflection of the shift to the right in our society. I’m glad that, despite—or perhaps because of—this, there are more and more people who are standing up against it and don’t give a damn about what’s currently “in vogue.” The text speaks right from my heart, so I’m really happy to have managed to translate it back into German. Even though I have a really hard time with slang: For example, “Thick as a brick” translates to “Dumm wie Bohnenstroh” in our language. Anyway: https://www.trueten.de/archives/14191-Brick-Pride-oder-Ich-bin-froh,-so-zu-sein,-wie-ich-bin.html
Just read something about the new anti terrorism strategy of the white house and it breaks my heart. Please be safe.
Your candor and humor are such a balm. Thanks Margaret❤️
Love this and you for sharing it
A dear friend, Taryn Cody, is a folk punk musician as well as trans. She makes a lot of DIY merch for shows and will also sell on IG just through her stories. She's definitely made stickers along the lines of "Protect the Bricks" before! If you want stickers and patches (and very occasionally shirts) in the queer anarchist folk punk vein, she's your gal. Also I'd be a bad friend not to rec her music! Her band is X Dirty Fingers but she's also been making more music just under her name: https://xdirtyfingers.bandcamp.com/music