Media & ArtsMy pain condensed for amusement

submitted by julesburm1891 from self.LGBDropTheT

Through a series of events I don’t want to get into, I had to read the book Felix Ever After. It’s a Stonewall Honor book. It follows a bisexual female who identifies as a boy. For your rage and amusement, here are some of the salient points I took away from it.

Before we get rolling, remember that this aimed at teenagers.

  1. If your dad works two jobs to pay for your hormones and top surgery, you should still resent and shit talk him because he’s sad about losing his daughter.

  2. If a girl you’ve gone on three dates with says she doesn’t want to date you because she’s into girls and you chose not to be a girl, she is literally the worst person alive who doesn’t respect your humanity

  3. If that same girl later says she’s a lesbian, it’s a direct attack on you. How dare she be same-sex attracted!

  4. You should be able to make straight C’s, come to class high, and skip school all the time, but Brown should accept you and give you a scholarship.

  5. You don’t have to put in any effort to your scholarship portfolio, but the guy who is putting in effort is an undeserving asshole who’s taking the scholarship from you.

  6. It’s fine for you to be proud of being trans, but if anyone else acknowledges you’re trans, that is literally an act of violence.

  7. Labels like gay, bi, and lesbians are stupid and everyone should be fluid. The only sort of person who’s okay with labels is that horrible lesbian who won’t date you.

  8. If you disagree with someone’s views, their art is immoral and shouldn’t be shown.

  9. If someone calls you out for a bad argument, you should assault them and claim victim hood. It’s morally justified.

  10. Trans people have to fight to not be killed by the government and get killed just for walking down the street.

  11. If you decide, with zero proof, that someone doesn’t respect your trans identity, you can catfish them with the intent of emotionally abusing and publicly humiliating them.

  12. If you question any part of trans dogma, it’s the exact same thing as being a racist.

  13. White gay men are so privileged.

  14. Gender is what society prescribes to people based on their biology, which is why I don’t like girl things.

  15. There’s so much pressure to like gendered things to be accepted as trans. Why do I have to like boy things??

  16. You should hack into people’s phones if you think they question your identity. Just go through all their nudes and DMs. You’re a stunning and brave hero.

  17. You can decide to be a lesbian.

  18. The lesbian is, of course, a villain.

  19. Plenty of gay guys are into transmen. I don’t even want a penis and that shouldn’t affect gays wanting me.

  20. My best friend is gay, but he wants my pussy.

  21. LGB people are the villains who erase trans people from history and don’t validate them.

  22. LGB did nothing for themselves. Transwomen of color gave them all their rights.

  23. Actually two gay guys are fighting over me.

  24. LGB people are oppressors.

  25. Hold up, the big villain is the one homosexual guy who’s also a DropTheT guy.

On the real, how is this an award winning book? How do people read this garbage and not immediately see that the TQ+ movement is nothing but a bunch of narcissistic homophobes completely detached from reality?

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[–][deleted] [score hidden] stickied comment (2 children)

Summary of the book (in case people don't want to click):

A Stonewall Honor Book

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

"Felix is attending an ultracompetitive arts summer program to have a better shot at a full scholarship to Brown when someone posts Felix’s dead name beside photos of him, pre-transition, in the school’s lobby. Felix’s plot to get revenge throws him onto the path of love and self-discovery." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List"

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 19 insightful - 6 fun19 insightful - 5 fun20 insightful - 6 fun -  (5 children)

how is this an award winning book?

Because the awards are nonsense. Any body can create their own awards. We could create the First Annual LGBDropTheT Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, which I would win by a landslide. I would then be 'award winning', technically, even though the award is BS.

TL;DR - The Stonewall Honor Awards are hardly the Pulitzer / Nobel Prize.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 14 insightful - 6 fun14 insightful - 5 fun15 insightful - 6 fun -  (3 children)

Okay, but can we do our own mock awards each year? Sauciest, Most Informative, and Worst Troll are some categories off the top of my head.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

That could definitely be a serious bit of end-of-year fun!

[–]julesburm1891[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

u/TumbleweedFireflies, can we please do this in December?

[–][deleted] 9 insightful - 4 fun9 insightful - 3 fun10 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

OMG, I would fucking LOVE to! Holiday contest!!!

We did that back on Reddit once, but the winner never responded to our outreach :(

Us mods have also toyed around with having a bi-annual "best posts/comments removed" thread, and I'm writing up something juicy for you all, regardless of timeline. I'm almost done with it and will share it soon, promise.

For special awards/flair though, our graphic designer mod (Rez) is no longer with us for the foreseeable future. We have to consider her offline until further notice. So we don't have anyone to actually design artsy kinds of things for us.

If anyone would like to volunteer to create though, we will GLADLY make things like this happen! Shoot us a ModMail so we know who you are and can chat about it: https://saidit.net/message/compose?to=LGBDropTheT

[–]MarkJeffersonRaga Shave 7 insightful - 6 fun7 insightful - 5 fun8 insightful - 6 fun -  (0 children)

We could create the First Annual LGBDropTheT Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, which I would win by a landslide.

Don't you get some kind of trophy? And a big award ceremony? 🏆

[–]Q-Continuum-kin 15 insightful - 8 fun15 insightful - 7 fun16 insightful - 8 fun -  (0 children)

I hope you present this as your book report lol...

[–][deleted] 16 insightful - 1 fun16 insightful - 0 fun17 insightful - 1 fun -  (13 children)

OP, any chance you can provide some choice quotes from the book?

I read the summary and cringed. It's obviously very geared towards youth, but this reminded just how far away from my own youth that these novels and influences are now:

Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

YA novels in my day (as a female, won't speak for males) were about girls experiencing puberty, peer pressure, body-shaming, cliques and friendship, perhaps coming to terms with their own early-blossoming sexuality ... those sorts of things. Talking about our actual experiences in age-appropriate ways, and not a damn thing about the politicized issues of adults.

Based on what you've described, this book is so much propaganda towards children that it shouldn't even exist, let alone be awarded.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 17 insightful - 4 fun17 insightful - 3 fun18 insightful - 4 fun -  (6 children)

I had the delightful experience of listening to this as an audiobook. (It was its own hilarity because a transman narrated. At no point was I able to suspend disbelief and even pretend the book was about a guy because it all just sounded like a woman with a slightly sore throat.) But, just for you, I will go in search of a print copy tomorrow to pull some quotes from the best sections.

I will tell you now that the author is clearly someone who hate read our old sub and r/GC. Both of the villains have intentionally bad, half-formed straw men from both places. (Let me reiterate that the villains are the only gay and lesbian characters.)

this book is so much propaganda to children

Unfortunately, that’s what YA has become. Everything is hyper woke to the point that most books are really just a Twitter rant with a loose shell of a plot around it. This sort of chicanery is also bleeding into middle grade and children’s books.

Even worse, this particular gem went further than your basic anti-LBG diatribe. Towards the beginning, it essentially gives instructions for how to get a referral to a gender clinic. Several times it encourages kids to go to online forums to learn about their gender. Later, it walks the reader through the process of getting hormones and top surgery. It wraps up nicely at the end with Felix giving a dramatic speech about how being trans makes her special and interesting deserving of love and “like a god.” (No, I’m not fucking around. That’s an exact quote.)

[–][deleted] 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Free audiobook? Or did you have to buy it/received from someone else? I will hate-listen myself as well.

I will tell you now that the author is clearly someone who hate read our old sub and r/GC. Both of the villains have intentionally bad, half-formed straw men from both places. (Let me reiterate that the villains are the only gay and lesbian characters.)

Ooooh ... if we recognize anything any any of us specifically have said, lets at least gets some LOLs out of it.

this particular gem went further than your basic anti-LBG diatribe [snip]

OMG!!! I'm very tempted to update the flair to "Transing Children", but am holding off until we get some solid excerpts.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 10 insightful - 8 fun10 insightful - 7 fun11 insightful - 8 fun -  (2 children)

hate-listen

I'm pretty tempted to hate-read it myself and then lend it to all my friends. Maybe I could suggest it to my book club? They were falling over themselves trying to say how they need to read more 'L..GBT... oh what was it Q+? QI?' literature, so perhaps I should gradually introduce more and more nonsense until someone TERFs out. Or alternatively they lap it up as stunning and brave and I leave.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 10 insightful - 4 fun10 insightful - 3 fun11 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

You play a dangerous game, my dude.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Let us know how you get on.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I got it through my library on the Libby app. Your city probably has the same system.

It’s definitely not pulling quotes. The lesbian character says Felix transitioned because she’s a misogynist. It’s a pretty obvious and bad twisting of “maybe the explosion of girls identifying as boys has something to do with escaping the misogyny and sexual objectification of our culture.”

The boss villain at the end thinks “you guys” [trans people] are taking gay spaces because they don’t know “how hard it is to be gay.” (This is followed up with some straight girl yelling at him forever that black and trans have it so much worse and gays shouldn’t complain.) Its pretty obviously glossing over our actual complaint of “you are a bisexual woman who does not experience homophobia like gay men do and you should not fetishize them, harass them, or talk over their lived experiences.”

Anyways, I laughed my ass off at both parts because the author is so clearly furious LGB people and women won’t validate all their delusions.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The boss villain at the end thinks “you guys” [trans people] are taking gay spaces because they don’t know “how hard it is to be gay.” (This is followed up with some straight girl yelling at him forever that black and trans have it so much worse and gays shouldn’t complain.) Its pretty obviously glossing over our actual complaint of “you are a bisexual woman who does not experience homophobia like gay men do and you should not fetishize them, harass them, or talk over their lived experiences.”

It's interesting how the author brings up these points only to never explore them, which is not only lazy writing but also intellectually lazy.

Hell, if you're going to peddle this point, at least try to explain why genderspecials have it so much worse than gay men.

[–]xanditAGAB (Assigned Gay at Birth) 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I read one in my late teens from the library but I could see it was pushing casual sex and open relationships to teenage gays.

[–]lovelyspearmintLesbeing a lesbian 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

I keep coming across propaganda books for teens and YA, and it's really sickening. The name escapes me now (something with perfect in the title) but there's a book that's just come out about a lesbian who plays Romeo in a school play, but the thing is...she actually feels like a Romeo rather than a Juliet. The cover has some pretty insidious messages too, because the way the character is drawn is straight up male, even though she hasn't had any hormones, surgery, zilch. Playing male roles in plays ≠ being trans actually.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

There was an interesting article in The Critic about how Young Adult fiction is basically all just woke propaganda at this point.

[–]lovelyspearmintLesbeing a lesbian 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

That was a really good read. I remember the Jackson controversy, and one thing they didn't mention was how authors had to 'come out' to prove that they were #ownvoices writers, as was the case with Becky Albertalli.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This article is so painfully accurate. YA is absolutely falling apart because of this bullshit. The authors causing the problem are trying to migrate into children’s and middle grade fiction with zero self awareness that people don’t want to read their propaganda.

[–][deleted] 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

But that's why it was awarded.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 13 insightful - 3 fun13 insightful - 2 fun14 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

lmao!

This:

White gay men are so privileged.

When paired up with this:

Plenty of gay guys are into transmen. I don’t even want a penis and that shouldn’t affect gays wanting me.

Is the most cope shit there is.

Yes, gay men are privileged and dumb, but please validate me!

Also, if this was the case, then Aideens wouldn't be ejected from gay spaces in the frequency they are, but carry on then. It's not like you're presenting an unrealistic world to the girls (yes, girls, because this writing style is not appealing to men) who are going to read this.

Also, also:

My best friend is gay, but he wants my pussy.

Is this female-oriented YA?

Actually two gay guys are fighting over me.

Yes, it fucking is! lmao!

[–]YoutiaoLover 11 insightful - 3 fun11 insightful - 2 fun12 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Stonewall Honor book.

My sleepy eyes read this as "Stonewall horror book". Looks like my eyes weren't that wrong, the points you mentioned are horrifying.

how is this an award winning book?

I wonder why too. Trans writers get their trash books published and nominated for awards. Some of the books even blatantly have lines about how much they fetishisize the sex they're attempting to become. The juries must have chugged woke kool-aid so much their brains stopped working.

[–]lovelyspearmintLesbeing a lesbian 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

My favourite was the (essentially) master/slave yaoi fanfic Docile that was published by Tor because it was written by a 'gay' trans man.

[–]TransspeciesUnicornI sexually identify as a mythical sparkly equine 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

If you decide, with zero proof, that someone doesn’t respect your trans identity, you can catfish them with the intent of emotionally abusing and publicly humiliating them.

The whole thing of trans people wanting to still try and play the victim after deliberately catfishing people honestly pisses me off so much. This seems to be a relatively common thing for them to do in real life. Even a lot of the truscum/HSTS/"old school transsexuals" don't seem to see anything wrong with it.

[–]Neo_Shadow_LurkerPronouns: I/Don't/Care 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

If they catfish people, then they're rapists, there's no way around it.

The protagonist of this book is a rapist.

[–]Dromedary 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This was funny, in a horrid sort of way. Thank you for sharing! It sounds godawful.

[–]IridescentAnacondastrictly dickly 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Keep on peakin'....

[–]MarkJeffersonRaga Shave 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Thanks for reading it for others don't have to.

  1. You should hack into people’s phones if you think they question your identity. Just go through all their nudes and DMs. You’re a stunning and brave hero.

This character sounds like a sociopath.

[–]julesburm1891[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

She is.

[–]Ladiablapequena 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

LGB people are oppressors

Well with some White people acting like I oppress them with reverse racism I can now fully live out my dream of being the anime villainess by oppressing men, White people, and the Trans community. Waiting for neuro typical people to say I also am an evil bigot. lmaoo

Now, I just need to come up with a super cool name and outfit.

Join me LGB peeps as the new League Of Villains. My Hero Academia who? Nah. We are cooler than that.

[–]MyLongestJourney 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

1-25 = narcissism + ideological blindness.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Reading the first point about her dad tells me all I need to know that the "protagonist" is a spoilt brat. The poor dad goes along with it so he doesn’t lose his daughter. It’s very typical for TQ people to be nasty towards their parents. They’d hate to have me as a parent, because not only would I refuse to validate them, I would take them with me and we’d move to a country where woke culture is not tolerated.

That book sounds like a trainwreck.

[–]grixit 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

It’s a Stonewall Horror book

FIFY