Any mental or emotional health crisis queer/trans* folks face is seen as their fault, directly or indirectly caused by their queerness or transness. This is the cishet gaze, and mental health practitioners have only started learning about queer-trans* affirmative therapy practices.

Simply pushing trans stories into heteronormative spaces is no longer enough. Being mindful of authentic representation is indispensable. What we need in the industry is more room for trans creatives. After all, trans folks have waited long enough to own their narratives.

Never read bell hooks? Want to re-read her? Here's a book list for you.

Queerness and its articulation are not static but dynamic; not homogenous, but diverse. Queerness is “liberation from” rather than “bondage to” fixed ideas—the latter would undeniably be a form of violence.