'To celebrate turning 18, my nephew enlisted in the US Army. Six months later – after the last presidential election and so much else had been decided – I travelled to Fort Moore in Georgia (now called Fort Benning) to watch Giovanni graduate from bootcamp. Giovanni did not yet know me on testosterone, and I could only guess at the kind of man he had become. I walked past the packed bleachers in my purple sunglasses and flamingo shirt, craning my neck for a glimpse of my nephew, and was keenly aware of all the eyes on me – of the unavoidable softness of my body. I have a beard. My jaw is square, like a man’s. I wear makeup and earrings. My voice is deeper than you’d expect, but I mostly still go by Annie, especially around family. No one at the base – or anywhere I had been in Georgia – looked anything like me.'
'The troops came in marching to the theme from The Last of the Mohicans. My nephew was the tall one at the front of a column. Most of the boys were white, not quite out of their teens, and they reminded me, in their rows of shorn heads, of Lego figures. When they began the Soldier’s Creed, I heard Giovanni’s voice, or thought I did. I felt a ripple go through the stands, the audience straightening up, as if to be more worthy of these boys.'
Read the full essay by @aliontas on our website - link in bio
📸 @aliontas and @BombMag
When they don’t let you in the front door, you kick down the back!!! All my love to my nephew Giovanni and what we are bringing to the world together. I couldn’t find an outlet for this essay in the United States, but queers will not be silenced, and we refuse to forget the people who carry this country, including members of the military. This essay is about my connection with my nephew, who recently joined the US Army, and our relationship as I’ve transitioned. Thank you to The Observer and The New Review for making this possible, especially Tim Adams & @ericawgnr , and all those writers who have offered their generous edits and ongoing encouragement. (Esp @flaviastefani , @frumpenberg@tkiramadden@melissafebos Lauren Christensen & @bumperg@disquietilp ). In this current climate, when so many voices are being silenced, I hope you will consider passing this on to someone in your life who might find it meaningful. My little queer heart thank you, and so does Giovanni. Link in bio!
To be seen by librarians is to be known, to be read, to be understood, to be welcome. I can’t express how much this means to me or how I will carry it with me through the dark days. @americanlibraryassociation , thank you for this and so much more. ❤️
This promises to be excellent... Annie Liontas, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Hasanthika Sirisena & Piyali Bhattacharya in one room? We're all signed up to celebrate the paperback launch of Sex with a Brain Injury! Free with registration on our website!
#Annie Liontas #EmmaCopleyEisenberg #HasanthikaSirisena #PiyaliBhattacharya #SexWithABrainInjury
There are so many good ppl doing the good work out here. This is our call to make this national! Every other person in the criminal justice system has a history of brain injury. Shouldn’t that change how we treat and who we punish?
A friend said to me, “That doesn’t make you different people,” and she’s exactly right. This is for @giovanniburke77 Giovanni & Delta Company and for all the ride or die queer + trans Aunt Uncles. Such gratitude to @theatlantic and Faith Hill for seeing to the heart of this. /books/archive/2024/11/poem-annie-liontas-aunt-uncle-private-first-class-delta-company/680721/
A year ago today, I started testosterone. I am beyond grateful to @theatlantic & Faith Hill for celebrating new beginnings and oldest selves w me. The word TRANS has always meant more than we let it mean. We are beyond the binary, we are David Bowie, we are Prince & @RuPaul & banana splits. We are the petit king, about to turn 43, and so very grateful for the compatriots who have made all of this reclamatory joy possible.
