Lesbian handlebar chronicles
Join us this month reading Lambda Lit Award finalist Woodworking
Hi, hello. Happy Pride!™️
Writing you tonight from a very sweaty Brooklyn apartment due to my ongoing refusal to turn on an air conditioner before July. (I promise, Carter, to install them before you get here.)
In addition to the heat wave, and Knicks Fever, it’s also end-of-school season in NYC. And just like Pride, the events takeover the entire month. Meanwhile, I’m in a daze. My daughter is about to graduate from elementary school and say goodbye to the building we optimistically dropped her off at in September 2018. It’s all calendar Tetris and tears over here. Tonight, I started crying watching her make a zine for her final project. She rolled her eyes.
When I wrote this essay in 2019, I wondered if Pride would ever make sense to a kid growing up protected from transphobia and homophobia. What a naive concern in hindsight, given how many protests my daughter has since attended. Resharing this piece on the eve of Brooklyn Pride in honor of all the gay dads who taught me to march, and my sweet little girl who won’t be one much longer.
dispatch 032 // father figures #holdon
In the hours leading up to last weekend's Brooklyn Pride Twilight Parade there was an old-fashioned street party outside of Ginger's, the old-school dyke bar. Queers of every shape and stripe were bobbing and weaving to the music blaring from outward-facing speakers. I navigated the crowd looking for my friends when I heard the unmistakable opening note…
📖 Follow the Reader
It’s June and there’s a lot of good queer book news to celebrate:
Good luck to the four (!!!!) BABC featured authors nominated at tonight’s Lambda Literary Awards. Congratulations Tourmaline, Denne Michele Norris, Emily St. James and Milo Todd1. You can watch the livestream on YouTube. And bookmark the 2026 Lambda Literary Award Finalists.
What a delight to see my dear friend, and movement hero, Jamison Green pop up in my LinkedIn feed with celebratory news of recognition for the 43 authors and editors who made A History of Transgender Medicine in the United States. At 784 pages, I have been a little intimidated to assign for book club, but if there’s enough interest I’ll reach out to James to see what we can organize Drop me a line.
So many of us are here because Jamison invested in community and care. My fab coworker and producer extraordinaire Rachel Karp just launched her new book, Lesbian Bar Chronicles at the very Ginger’s bar that kicks of my old essay above. The collection brings together stories Rachel and her co-creators gathered on a 2021 road trip to visit as many remaining lesbian bars as possible. Along the way, they produced a podcast “Cruising” and contributed to a new wave of investment in queer-owned community spaces. Between their two seasons, EIGHT new lesbian bars opened across the country including a few fun women-oriented sports bars. If you feel alone at any point this month, I rec reading Lesbian Bar Chronicles at the nearest lesbian (queer) bar. You won’t be alone for long.
"Handlebar" would make for a great dyke dive.
▶️ Press Play
I kicked off Tony’s weekend with another pilgrimage to the Library of Congress—this time to visit the recently-archived papers of one Mr. Stephen Sondheim. Friends, you can just go there and read his handwritten lyrics. I touched them! Remember this fact when you are mad about paying federal taxes.
The weekend ended with Qween Jean winning for Best Costume Design, wearing an outfit handcrafted for the moment, and not afraid to use her time on the mic to speak out.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people. We are taking up space. We have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm….We know as a society, that when we come together we can make real, permanent change.”—Qween Jean, Tony Award Winner
📚️🏳️⚧️✨ Being Alive Book Club
Twice now I’ve been stopped while carrying Woodworking by someone wanting to tell me, “I loved that book!” Join us this month reading Emily St. James’ debut novel. Emily will join us on Zoom for a book chat Wednesday June 24 8p ET / 5p PT. (RSVP)
Related: the universe is inviting me to finally read/watch Thornton Wilder’s classic three-act Our Town. I want to hear your stories of reading, seeing, performing in. Tell us all about it in our June BABC chat thread.
TRANSGENDER FICTION LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST
“One of the most heartfelt, funny, and moving portraits of transition I’ve ever come across. Illustrating the very simple truth that we never stop growing up, Erica and Abigail’s friendship is as real as it comes. We can all only hope for a sisterhood like theirs.” —Imogen Binnie, author of Nevada
“A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling.” —VOGUE
Being Alive Book Club is a community effort to amplify trans voices by reading trans authors. Every month we read a book across genres.
Visit the home of Being Alive Book Club for links to all the upcoming books, FAQs, and previous recaps.
January: Before We Were Trans with Kit Heyam
February: Nevada with Imogen Binnie
March: Pretty with KB Brookins
April: Night Night Fawn with Jordy Rosenberg
May: When the Harvest Comes with Denne Michele Norris (Zoom Wed May 27)
June: Woodworking with Emily St. James
Have a trans author you want to recommend to Being Alive Book Club? Drop me message or comment on this post.
Spoiler! We’re reading Milo Todd’s The Lilac People in August.
I’m so behind on my reading, kid graduating, devastating news from a close friend, before mentioned kid moves to the old continent etc. But I did get to finish writing about a phenomenal play I watched for a fundraiser followed by parents to trans kids panel. It fit well with Pride month etc.
When I read your essay from 2019, I felt so nostalgic for that time - even though our current dump of a president was a president then. Followed by whiplash! Oooff.. 😅