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Holy Shit! Representation Matters! Or, How SFF Helped Me Realize I’m Nonbinary

I can’t really tell you why I’m here saying I’m non-binary instead of saying I’m redefining cishet masculinity. One just feels more true to me than the other, and I say that with huge amounts of love and respect to everyone of all genders. —Jonathan Alexandratos, “How Geek Culture Made Me Realize I Am Non-Binary” I’m trans/nonbinary. I use nonbinary pronouns such as they/them, and I came to this bit of self-knowledge through the science fiction and fantasy (SFF) community. Somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t come to this realization about myself while in college while I minored in women’s & gender studies. I minored in gender studies because I liked thinking and talking about feminism, racial justice, art, culture, politics, and activism. I also really liked talking about gender. I thought that was just because I hated sexism, the patriarchy, and toxic masculinity. In college, I didn’t begin to think: maybe I like talking about gender because I’m trans/nonbinary. And why would I? I knew trans and nonbinary people existed, but they weren’t on my radar. Back in college, I had heard of nonbinary people, but that was about it. I rarely encountered anyone who was nonbinary or genderqueer. As far as I was aware, I didn’t personally know any trans people. I knew the definitions of transgender and cisgender, but I didn’t know all that much about trans or nonbinary people.  I had never really been asked to make space for trans people, and I hardly ever saw others make space for trans people. I rarely came across media representation of trans or nonbinary people, much less good representation, much less consistent good representation.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

395. See You Yesterday (2019) — At the Movies

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-395-see-you-yesterday/SandF_395_SeeYouYesterday.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSTime travel, police brutality, and timey wimey ethics, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink join forces to discuss Stefon Bristol’s teen time travel adventure film, See You Yesterday. Togethery, they consider the timeliness of the film, how Bristol approaches black lives and contemporary politics concerning police brutality, the performances by the film’s young cast, and even the relationship of See You Yesterday to the time travel classic, Back to the Future. Plus much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

394. Charles Stross (a.k.a. Lord Case Nightmare Octarine) — Dead Lies Dreaming

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-394-charles-stross/SandF_394_CharlesStross.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSCyberpunk magic, wicked billionaires, and referencing American presidents, oh my! Paul Weimer pulls out his interview pants to talk to Charles Stross about the newest Laundry Files novel, Dead Lies Dreaming. They dig into the long-running Laundry Files series, this new novel’s political intrigue in a world of mansions and curses, and even how Trump fits into the new book. Plus much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

393. Idaho Transfer (1973) — Torture Cinema #105

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-393-idaho-transfer/SandF_393_IdahoTransfer.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSnake friends, naturalistic confusion, and human car fuel, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink take a trip to the past to explore the Peter Fonda apocalyptic slow burner, Idaho Transfer. With a little alcohol in their stomachs, they talk about the film’s odd approach to storytelling, the surprising revelations about the future, just what it means to be a snake in the apocalyptic future, and even why we should be scared of being turned into car fuel. Plus much more! We hope you enjoy the episode!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

392. Andrea Hairston (a.k.a. the Polyrhythmic Professor)

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-392-andrea-hairston/SandF_392_AndreaHairston.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSPoison sands, narrative maps, and powerful conjure, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink return to their interviewing duties with an incredible discussion with Andrea Hairston, author of Master of Poisons from Tor Books! They discuss the book’s deep roots in African folklore and history, the wondrous influence of music and polyrhythms on the narration, Hairston’s unique take on magic and kingdom politics, pirates, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

391. CoNZealand: Thoughts and Things

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-391-con-zealand/SandF_391_ConZealand.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSVirtual dreams, virtual nightmares, and goddamn Campbell, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink join forces for a post-convention discussion of CoNZealand. They discuss what worked, what didn’t, their personal experiences of attending the first ever virtual Worldcon, that mess with the goddamn Hugo Awards, what it’s like to lose a Hugo three separate times, and much MUCH more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

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