Tonight’s Stream is Cancelled

Tonight’s stream is canceled so I can meet with the Ohio Arts Council about potential grant opportunities. Sorry for the late notice!

I’m also going to take a break from livestreams for now. Keep an eye on my YouTube channel for video updates.

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🖌️ I’m available for commissions! Get started with this link.

🎨 TOOLS USED:

  • Streaming – Streamyard
  • Drawing Program – Clip Studio Paint
  • Tablet – Wacom Intuos Pro

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You. Are. Awesome.

We Raised $$ For TransOhio!

I announced this in my previous post: 15% of all sales from RathaCon and Ko-Fi this past weekend would be donated to TransOhio, a nonprofit transgender advocacy group in the state of Ohio.

Thanks to your support, we raised $57!

a donation of $57 via PayPal to TransOhio

If you have the means, I encourage you to donate to your local transgender advocacy group. Here’s a list of trans rights organizations. And be sure to check my Resources page for other LGBTQ+ organizations.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

About the Nashville Shooting and Trans Folks

Well, after coming out as a trans man to friends and family, and making comics for the LGBTQ (and especially trans) community since 2013 – I guess I have to talk about the Nashville shooting.

It’s been all over the news, but for those who don’t know: as of this writing, a couple of days ago, a mass shooter went into a church and killed 3 adults and 3 children. The shooter was a trans person.

And I feel the need to comment on this because there has been a wave of anti-trans legislation across the United States at the state level. Hell, here in Ohio, there was a neo-Nazi branch that recently terrorized a drag show in broad daylight.

And after doom scrolling on Twitter to see other people’s hot takes, I feel like I have to write this because there’s more nuance than people want to talk about. So I’m going to talk about it. We’re going to break this down point by point.

Empathy is Not Endorsement.

First of all, mass shooters are highly motivated. They do what they do because they are driven by a particular goal. And the goal of this shooter was to target a church.

Speaking for myself: I get it. I get why this person would do the shooting. Religious and spiritual abuse is very much a thing, and I’ve known too many people who fly the rainbow flag and have been terrorized by abusers under the guise of religion. I mean, in the last week there were church attendees who chucked Molotov cocktails at a drag queen storytime. Religious abusers will absolutely target LGBTQ people just for who they are.

So, I get it. I get why the shooter did what they did. But I do not endorse it.

There are other ways to fight against bigots and religious abusers. But shooting children is not the way to go about it.

Adults? I mean, they’re often set in their ways. It can be hard to convince a religious adult to see the humanity of a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or especially transgender person. They have to put in the work, which most people are not willing to do. Should they be shot over it? On a battlefield, maybe. But not in a church.

Children? Children can learn to be better than the adults who raise them. If given the chance. The children shot at Nashville were not given that chance, and will never be given that chance. And that hurts.

“All trans people are terrorists and this proves it.”

What a broad generalization made because of one person. What about the fact that over 2000 mass shootings in the last year were done by cisgender, straight, white men? Are all white men mass shooters? Where’s the legislation saying that straight white men are not allowed to own guns? Oh right. There isn’t any.

This is an instance NOT of queer terrorism, but of The Exception That Proves the Rule. Mass shooters are all zealots of a particular idea, regardless of gender identity. And all of them are enabled by the NRA. This leads to my next point.

But what about the guns?

I fully expect a wave of legislation to hit the local and state level to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people owning guns. It’s the same reaction Reagan and his ilk had when the Black Panthers organized.

But there was no legislation proposed when the 2000+ cis-straight white men committed mass murder. There’s something to be said about the idea that owning a gun is a “god-given right” but only to rich white men. But I’m bringing up the guns because the NRA and the people who support them want the general public to be desensitized to gun violence.

These lobbyists want gun violence to be pervasive so they can push the idea that “there’s only one way to protect yourself from gun violence, and that’s with a gun.”

Which. No. The best way to end gun violence is to nip it in the bud and eliminate the guns.

“But what about the second amendment?!” says every libertarian who doesn’t know how to wipe his own ass.

The Constitution when it was written also made it legal to own slaves and protect the rights of the enslavers, and – for a short while, anyway – banned alcohol. The Constitution also had amendments saying that certain “races” were not allowed to vote until later amendments overruled them. The Constitution is an imperfect document that has to be revised CONSTANTLY in order to work as times change.

In the centuries that the Constitution has been around, I’m surprised there haven’t been any Amendments to address this fact: the second amendment was written for forming militias to stamp down slave revolts. It’s almost like the United States being founded by slave owners is something rooted in the very foundations of this nation. Weird.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming weeks. But a lot of it is not going to be good for anyone, especially trans people.

To that end, here are some resources I want to share. Stick around: after the resources, I’m making an announcement.

This TikTok mentions the following crisis lines that are geared towards LGBTQ and especially trans people. Because they talk really fast, here are the resources typed out for you:

Trans Lifeline – 877-565-8860. Run by trans people, for trans people. They will not call protective services without your consent.

The Trevor Project 866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678. This organization is specifically geared towards suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. They’re not a substitute for a therapist, but they’re there for young people who need help.

LGBT National Hotline 888-843-4654 

Black Line 800-604-5841. This is run by BIPOC people for BIPOC people. Like the Trans Lifeline, they will not call the police or protective services without your consent.

LGBT National Youth Talk Line 800-246-7743.

Thrive Lifeline 313-662-8209. This is a trans-led lifeline.

There is also this Emergency Resource list from TransOhio.

To all my trans folks out there – you are not a burden. There are people who will want to paint you as a monster. You are not a monster. You are worthy and deserve good things. More people (like me) want you to stick around because they care about you. So stick around.

To this end, I’m walking back an announcement from my last blog post.

My online shop will stay open through the weekend. And 15% of all sales – online and at RathaCon – will go towards TransOhio, Ohio’s only transgender-led organization providing advocacy, services, education, and support for trans folks.

If you prefer to support an organization in a different state, here’s a page with each state and the major LGBTQ organization within each state. Just be sure to do your research. There is also this list of trans rights organizations that could use support. Again, do your research.

And (this is unusual for me, but I feel the need to share this) – if you are a Christian, here is an article about one church that did the hard work of LGBTQ inclusion, the concerns that surfaced, and how the church addressed them. I want to share this because a lot of terrorist acts committed against LGBTQ+ people right now are being perpetrated by “people of faith.” I’m calling on you to set a more positive example. Healing can only be done when all parties put in the hard work.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Please share this with the folks whom you think need this.

Thanks for sticking around.

You. Are. Awesome.

I’m Coming Out (Again)

I have written blog posts before about being genderqueer – someone who does not fall into either the “woman” or “man” boxes. Someone who falls between the two.

I have also worked with a lot of transgender people and cisgender people, each with different gender expressions. Some trans folks fully embrace the binary, while others do not. Even some cisgender folks won’t fit neatly into the expectations of their gender.

For example, I know a lot of dudes, cis and trans, who bake, crochet, and raise children, and have no lack of masculinity.

I know women, cis or trans, who are furniture makers, interested in cars, run banks and businesses, and have no lack of femininity.

I’m saying this because I still enjoy being nonbinary. I love the gray area between what’s expected of certain genders and what is actually put into practice.

That said…

I have noticed that when people say “she,” “her,” or “daughter” in my direction, it feels like they’re talking about someone else. They’re not addressing me, they’re addressing a disguise.

(Honestly, with how many people are declaring war against trans people, a cisgender disguise is making more and more sense.)

At some point, however, I would LOVE to be addressed as who I actually am, not the puppet that I walk around in sometimes.

For a while, I have asked close friends and family to call me “they” or “their.” English lacks a decent third-person gender-neutral word outside of s/he that’s not a plural. And people online can get NEEDLESSLY pedantic about the use of “they” when referring to a single person.

It’s obnoxious and I hate it.

At the same time, I think back to times when I’m called “he” or “sir.” This happened a lot when I wore gender-neutral work uniforms or wore clothes that weren’t coded as feminine.

And any time I got called “he” or “sir,” I realized…that felt right.

So I’m Coming Out

I’m coming out as a transgender man.

Now, I’m not going to be following all the “rules” of masculinity. I’m still going to cook and knit and have a “stereotypically feminine” side. I’m still nonbinary. Because fuck the idea that men and women have to act or behave in certain ways.

However, you might wonder, “Then why are you coming out as a man?”

Because when folks call me “he,” “sir,” or “my dude,” I feel like myself in a way that I haven’t felt in a VERY long time. If at all. It feels like when someone calls me a man, I feel SEEN. Like I don’t have to put on a cisgender disguise to fool the Straights.

So moving forward, I’m going by he/him/his as well as they/them/their.

My name is still the same: Kelci D Crawford. Historically, Kelci is a gender-neutral name. But if you nickname me Kel, that feels right, too.

I’m still the same person as before. The only things that have changed are my pronouns and the feelings I get when they’re used.

And to answer any other questions because I KNOW these will come up:

No, I’m not doing any surgeries. I HAVE been wanting to change hormones for a while, but for reasons outside of “becoming more of a man.” In my case, my hormones are not my gender. But I’m not going into my medical history with the internet unless I get terribly sick and am unable to keep up making comics, videos, etc.

No, I’m not changing my name. Good luck trying to “deadname” me, haters.

No, I’m not changing official documents unless I absolutely have to. Do you Straights have ANY idea how long it takes to get government paperwork to reflect your identity? And this is just on the LOCAL and STATE level, never mind the federal one.

Besides, with SOME politicians being allergic to trans people to the point of banning trans children, the government can think I’m a “cisgender woman” all they want. Not all laws are just or good. Like, just because some places are banning abortion does not mean all abortions have stopped. And historically, people have tried banning people of color from going to the same places as white people. But they still exist. These politicians can try to ban trans people but we will still be here, fighting for our rights.

I’m still going to fight for trans rights. I’m still going to depict trans people in my comics and games. That’s not changing.

Make of this announcement what you will. I’m not changing my mind. I’m here. I’m queer. And I’m here to make stories that matter.

Thanks for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

Roxie, the Comics, Now Available for Pre-Order on Ko-Fi

She’s bold. She’s brassy. She’s one-of-a-kind. She’s ROXIE!

The roller derby girl from Validation has starred in her own adventures before. Now, this new book collects all of them in one place!

In this book, all 30 original-run comic strips will be reprinted in full color (with retouched artwork as needed). Plus bonus content like character art and original scripts… and a preface by CB, the creator of Validation who has a WHOLE bunch of credits to her name!

Here are some specs about the book:

  • This book measures 5.5 inches tall and 8.5 inches wide.
  • Printed in full color.
  • Saddle-stapled.
  • Roughly 25 pages.

You might have some questions for me. Let’s address them here.

“Why aren’t you running this on Kickstarter?”

I actually wrote a lengthy blog post about my disagreement with one of Kickstarter’s most recent decisions. On the one hand, I COULD run a campaign on the platform while still posting that their decision is a bad one. (After all, other creators have posted similar sentiments right on their campaign’s front pages. Pressure like this HAS gotten KickStarter to change their minds on other issues in the past.)

Or, I can use ko-fi as a platform and run a book pre-order. I LOVE ko-fi, ever since I switched to the platform a couple of years ago. Ko-fi has only gotten better and more robust since I joined. I believe in it and I want it to succeed! To that end, I want to run this pre-order on ko-fi to test out some features that Kickstarter may not have. (Also, keeping track of add-ons is WAY easier to do on Ko-Fi!)

“Do I need to read Validation before reading this comic?”

I like to think it’s a perk, not a requirement. You can totes read this as a standalone story.

“Who wrote and drew this book?”

I did! I get the confusion, though – Validation was written by CB and drawn by me. Roxie is set in the same universe. But CB let me have free reign to write and draw this story.

“Your book is $10?”

Because it’s free shipping for US backers! Shipping costs are already factored into the price. (Sorry, UK and Canada, but shipping is a little extra for you to cover the difference.)

“I FOR SURE want the book! What else can I get?”

You have options!

  • You can get just the book for $10.
  • OR, you can get the book and a Roxie sticker for $15 (free shipping again for US backers).
  • OR, you can get the book, the Roxie sticker, AND a Macho Mujeres keychain for $20 (once again, free shipping for US backers).

You can also browse the rest of my ko-fi shop for any cool add-ons you would like to add! I’ll ship them all together for you. I also have a commission section, though I think that needs to be rung up as a separate transaction.

“What if I want a PDF?”

That will have to be a separate store listing. Sorry, but ko-fi is specific about individual item listings in their shop feature. Also, the PDF is, like, 80% done for printer purposes. Formatting it for digital sales is a different process.

“Oh, this is a pre-order! When will my order arrive?”

After May 1, but before June 15. I’m leaving a few weeks’ buffers just in case something happens at my comic book printers’ HQ.

“Why should I support you?”

Do you mean, OTHER than the fact that I have 10 other successful crowdfunding campaigns under my belt? Because I’m a genderqueer comic artist who REALLY loves making comics and sharing them with the world! I’ve been at it non-stop since 2013.

Also, I’ll just throw this out there: by purchasing this pre-order, you become a sidekick on my ko-fi! That means that, no matter what you pledge, you get access to ko-fi supporter-only content. Things like exclusive webcomics, podcasts, and other goodies.

“Great! How long are you accepting pre-orders?”

UNTIL APRIL 30 at 11:59 pm EST. After that, the listing will switch to “Draft.” That way, I can fulfill orders without fear of last-minute purchases that would throw off my numbers.

Can you support this book? Marvelous! Are you broke? Share this! Use tinyurl.com/roxie-book to share with your peeps.

Thank you so much for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.