Dear Insurrect! Supporters,Â
đ±Happy Spring, and Welcome to our first Substack newsletter! đ±
With the mass exodus from Twitter, itâs become increasingly important for Insurrect! to find new ways to connect to our readers. We will continue to use Twitter, but we also want to provide an accessible method for those who are not on Twitter. We hope that Substack will be a reliable way for you to read Insurrect!âs articles & to stay in touch with us.
It is tax season, and we wanted to remind you that Insurrect! is a 501c3 organization and all donations to Insurrect! are tax deductible.
ICYMI, check out some of our recent publications:
Hot off the press! We just published Kai Pyleâs âRefusing Berdache, Becoming Two-SpiritâÂ
Dr. Pyle details the activist work of Native queer and trans people to refuse colonial terminology and develop the term âTwo Spirit.â As Dr. Pyle writes: âThe gathering of Two-Spirit people, at once physical, intellectual, and artistic, marked a groundbreaking intervention in the cycle of white appropriation of Indigenous genders and sexualities.â
In the fall, we published Emily Gowenâs âAbortion on the Margins: How Material Texts Shaped Early-American Reproductive Freedomâ.
As a literary studies scholar, Dr. Gowen reads medical texts for paratextual clues to understand reproductive politics. Dr. Gowenâs reading demonstrates that âthe boundaries between contraception, abortion, and miscarriage were incredibly murkyâ in the colonial Americas.Â
In addition, in the winter, the Insurrect! editorial board put out a statement of support for striking cultural workers, providing resources for donation and solidarity.
Following our Statement of Support for Striking Cultural Workers, here are some new campaigns that need our attention and support:
Rutgers faculty unions are on strike! Donate to their strike fund and solidarity fund here: https://rafup.betterworld.org/donate
Graduate workers at the University of Michigan are on strike! Donate to their strike fund here: https://givebutter.com/GEOStrikeFundÂ
RISD students are striking in solidarity with custodial workers, groundskeepers, and movers; you can sign their petition hereÂ
Across the pond, British Library workers are also on strike; read more about their organizing here: https://www.pcs.org.uk/news-events/events/british-library-strike-rallyÂ
The Bird Union, aka the staff union of the Audubon Society, are organizing for a fair contract (sign their petition here) and are also organizing to change the name of their organization to no longer honor the enslaver and anti-abolitionist John James AudubonÂ
Statement of Support for our trans writers, family, friends, and colleagues:
Multiple states including Iowa, Florida, Indiana, and Idaho have recently banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth in a mounting assault on LGBTQ+ rights nationwide that has led to an increased risk of suicide among LGBTQ+ minors. Insurrect! has published multiple articles detailing how LGBTQ+ individuals of all ages have always been a part of the fabric of life and culture in the Americas, such as Eamon Schlotterbackâs article on Mary Jones and Kai Pyleâs recent article on queer Two-Spirit solidarity. We encourage all our readers and supporters to help combat misinformation by following scholars of trans history, transgender children and the medicalization of trans people, and gender-affirming care. At Insurrect!, we understand queer and trans history as central to early American studies, and see these recent attacks on gender and sexuality as part of a larger history of colonial violence.Â
You can also lend your voice to efforts to stop further anti-trans legislation. Contact your legislators, donate to regional groups, organize locally, and check in with your queer and trans friends, family, students, and colleagues.Â
Things to look forward to:
Keep an eye out for an upcoming call for summer writing fellows, a project we are excited to work on for the second summer in a row
We are currently at work putting together a Disability Studies roundtable. Details coming soon!
As always, we are thankful for your support as we transition Insurrect! to reach more readersÂ
Cheers,
The Insurrect! Editorial Team