We recognize we can only speak to our experiences and have written a bit about ourselves to give context to our words. In future editions, we would very much like to collaborate with and feature folks with lived experiences different from ours. Please let us know if you would like to submit anything or have us link to your work! That said, here is a bit about us:
Q (they/them) is a disabled neurodivergent nonbinary trans fat tenderqueer genderfuckthisshit of European and Jewish ancestry, simultaneously benefitting from and working to dismantle white supremacy within and without. They have a mixed class background--a class-privileged childhood with adulthood poverty. They spent the sixteen months it took to get benefits houseless with a car-gifted-to-them-as-a-teen-turned-micro-home bouncing between rural queer magic lands, forests, deserts, cities, couchsurfs, petsits, and a manic-whirlwind-ill-planned venture-crash into Tennessee. The diagnoses that made it into their case were PTSD, fibromyalgia, depression, dysphoria, and anxiety, though they relate to their experiences in different terms and probably meet the criteria for more diagnoses (like bipolar, but hid that piece to not get force-medicated). They spent much of their life trying to hide their disabilities to look better in the eyes of capitalism, but was unable to keep up and then had to carve out the truer story of how they cannot meet capitalism's demands due to their health experiences.
Ɣ (he/him) is a 30-something astrology-loving neurodivergent transmasculine genderqueer wizard of Ashkenazi Jewish and Western European descent from a similar class background as Q. He has been dealing with chronic illnesses since the age of 15 and has navigated health care systems for other “mysterious” ailments & neurodivergent experiences since childhood. The diagnoses that were used in his SSI case were Fibromyalgia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but he also listed Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Anxiety as major influences in his inability to work. He was approved for SSI after a two and a half year process, and during that time lived in various rural/city dwellings and rentals/couchsurfing spots with the physical, emotional and financial support of friends and family. This was his third attempt at applying for SSI, during his Saturn Return and at a time when he felt he had accumulated the internal skills and resources to traverse the sometimes harrowing application process. Ɣ has the best dog-familiar that ever could be imagined for him, and currently dreams of having a sweet partner and acquiring and sharing land with his community.
In future editions, we would very much like to collaborate with and feature folks with lived experiences different from ours. Please let us know if you would like to submit anything or have us link to your work!