CW: Mentions of Transphobia and Fatphobia
I honestly wasn’t sure about writing this one. The joy I get from seeing myself like this, relaxing with my big queer belly proudly on display, is related to my fatness as much as my queerness.
But for me these things are inextricably linked. The shame and discomfort I’ve experienced around my body for most of my life comes from the intersection of fatness and transness. So perhaps the joy from unlearning it is intersectional too.
I love that I can find this part of me beautiful. That I have the confidence to flaunt my fat, queer body and not give a fuck what anyone else thinks. Loving yourself in a world which hates you is a radical act, and that’s what this picture makes me think of.
Trans Joy is a blog series celebrating the positive side of trans experiences, in an attempt to bring some balance to contemporary trans discourses. If you want to contribute to this project then please get in touch. If you want to support the project you can order a zine here.