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A typically astute piece by Dr Ruth Pearce on trans lives and trans visibility in the past and present. For decades, the trans liberation movement has fought to change the world. We found new ways of being, and created language, art, and culture to name and explore these possibilities. We won new civil rights. We… [more]
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I’ve spent a few frustrating weeks trying to distribute the new Unquiet Mind album to streaming services, and I’ve had to pull one of the tracks from the release (except on Bandcamp). The song, Unquiet Mind, has been falsely flagged by an AI as using uncleared samples. It doesn’t, because I don’t use uncleared samples… [more]
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The reaction in some (primarily media and political) circles to the death of professional arsehole Rod Liddle has been to invoke the old saw, don’t speak ill of the dead. But there’s a difference between keeping your mouth shut so a distant cousin doesn’t punch you at your gran’s funeral and reminding people of the… [more]
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This piece about attacks on human rights and the playbook being used is by Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights. The undermining of the rights of LGBTI people serves as the tip of the spear in a broader backlash against human rights protection overall. They are accompanied by rollbacks in women’s… [more]
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If you’ve been following my musical adventures you’ll know that my plans to release new songs gang aft agley: without a producer cracking a whip or a deadline to hit, Unquiet Mind records tend to take much longer than intended. But I hope they’re worth the wait, because David, Kenny and I put our hearts… [more]
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There’s a powerful essay on Assigned Media by Magdalene Visaggio about the death of Lindsey Graham, a terrible, hateful man, and her reaction to it. Visaggio writes about trying to be a good person, the kind of person who doesn’t speak ill of the dead, the kind of person who tries to see the good… [more]
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My publisher, 404 Ink, will be closing their online doors later today so it’s your last chance to buy one or more of their brilliant books for a bargain £5 apiece. If you haven’t already got Carrie Kills a Man and Small Town Joy today’s your lucky day. I’d recommend the entire catalogue too: one… [more]
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Labour have published their draft bill on banning conversion therapy, and as expected it does nothing to protect trans people: there’s a huge carve-out for healthcare providers that’s so wide it means any quack can call themselves a provider and continue to torture kids. The “ban” is also worded in such a way that it… [more]
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On a hot day like today, what could be better than hiding from the sun in your local queer bookshop and picking up a copy of Queerphoria, which is out in paperback today? If you buy it online, I’d recommend Bookshop.org: it gives a cut to independent booksellers and you can nominate your preferred one. [more]
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There’s a fascinating interview with Hilary Cass with the BBC that makes it very clear that her report, used to justify a ban on puberty blockers, was policy-based evidence making: she admits that “we genuinely don’t know if there are harms” from prescribing puberty blockers to trans kids. The medicine remains available to cisgender kids… [more]
Read me in books
My debut memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was a Scotsman book of the year and Damian Barr’s Literary Salon book of the week, and it was shortlisted for the 2023 British Book Awards book of the year in the Discover category.
My latest book, Small Town Joy, is a celebration of queer influences on and queer artists in Scots music and is out now.
I’m also a contributor to the excellent anthology Fierce Salvage, which is also out now.
