Columns from Confluere + Friends

A New Fat-Positive Feminism by Emi Koyama

"I envision a new fat-positive feminism that does more than just confronting fatphobia... By combining the dedication of pro-anorexics, persistence of weight watchers, and, yes, our fierceness and pride, we will be able to bring in millions of women and men (and people of other genders) into progressive social change movements..." (more...)

Supplications to Fear by Qwo-Li Driskill

"Fear is a pomegranate / split open to reveal / an infinity of teeth / soaked red and gleaming...." (more...)

Hang Yourself Punk by Leslie Bull

"I want to write down the stuff my son Tmac told me today. He is in the I.M.U., otherwise known as the hole. I.M.U. cells are tiny, filthy, closet-like, cement rooms covered in anti-Semitic graffiti and topped by a light that never goes out (the prison authorities know this prevents inmates from achieving r.e.m. sleep and drives them crazy).." (more...)

What Is A Mohawk? by Anen Wolf

"It's not a haircut actually, and people from several different nations do this practice... It's a deeply meaningful practice connected to our hearts, our spirituality, and our culture. Nations of people hold this practice (what you call a hairstyle) close to our hearts. To us it means something very special... Sometimes I wonder if white folks have any clue of what sacred is." (more...)

Why Be An Artist Anyway by Nomy Lamm

"Driving in the car with Juha to Easthampton, MA, I'm filled with self-doubt. Who do I think I am? What makes me think my work is important or relevant or that other people should invest their time, energy or resources to help me with it? In the context of war, racism, & tightening control, what is the value of pop music made by a fat feminist queer jew girl with a fake leg who likes being at the center of attention?" (more...)

Through Strangers' Eyes by Lauren Martin

"The answer to 'What are you?' is not so simple, so easy. Nine years ago, six years ago, three years ago, the answers sometimes terrified me, sometimes confused me, sometimes kept me up at night scribbling in my journal. But I am no longer in identity-crisis mode. I have reconciled the fact that my identity does not have to be consistent, and that it will probably never match up with people's preconceived notions as long as they are operating under a binary belief system..." (more...)

"I am a Terrorist..." by Makoto Hibino

"To truly oppose the war must mean something more than simply not shooting bullets or dropping bombs. We will not stop the war by stopping the Japanese Self-Defense Force from being deployed overseas, or even stopping George W. Bush's bombing campaign. To say that these changes would end the war assumes that there were no war going on until our bombs began falling..." (more...)

The Handi-Capable Bi-Queer Slut of the World #1 by Colin K. Donovan

"Are you Queer? Are you Crippled? Are you Sexy as Hell? Then join me, the Handi-Capable Bi-Queer Slut of the World in my campaign to rid the Earth of the ubiquitous evil of ableism. I'm constantly receiving correspondence from Queers everywhere in need of anti-ableist aid." (more...)

Thoughts on "Now That You're A White Man" by Diana Courvant

"Max Valerio's 'Now That You're A White Man' is a piece that deserves very serious critical analysis. Any assertion that historical context will be important in such an analysis seems redundant after Max's personal reflections on his earlier work. However, I mean much more than historical in the sense of Max's writings, or even his life. To struggle with White Man is to struggle with the history of anti-/transsexuality in a broad sense." (more...)