People sometimes joke about the perm.

Or ask why it matters so much.

The truth is… it’s not really about the hairstyle itself.

Over time, I realized something:
A lot of trans people don’t just mourn being denied acceptance.

We mourn versions of ourselves we never got to openly become.

I can still picture the girl I thought I would have been growing up:
floofy dresses, pigtails, bangs, braids, curly hair bouncing everywhere.

Something a Bit Different From QueerDispatch: Introducing Under the Rainbow

A little while ago, I shared a QueerDispatch piece about twirling in a sundress at Disney World, and how one small moment of joy can say something much larger about who gets to feel safe being themselves.

That story helped clarify something for me.

QueerDispatch needs room not only for sharp political commentary, but also for quieter, more personal stories about memory, identity, survival, and the moments that shape us long before we have the language to explain them.