Transgender issues, including nonbinary
Raquel Willis speaking on stage at the 2017 San Francisco Trans March and Transgender Day of Remembrance. Photos by Pax Ahimsa Gethen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today in Assigned Media, I share my perspective on the life and career of Black trans activist Raquel Willis, whose memoir The Risk It Takes to Bloom came out in paperback last week.
Image: Left: Angelica Ross profile, 2017, Miss Ross, Inc., CC BY 3.0. Right: Ross (center, holding microphone) leads a trans takeover of the stage at the closing plenary of the 2023 Creating Change Conference. Stage photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Today in Assigned Media, I interview Black trans actress, activist, and TransTech Social founder Angelica Ross, who recently became communications director for Butch Ware, Green Party candidate for governor of California.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/angelica-ross-power-for-good
[Image: Ballroom culture panel moderator Breonna McCree with panelists SoHo Tisci, Ashlee Banks, and Jahnell Chanel.]
Today in Assigned Media, I report on a Black History Month celebration of ballroom culture, held by The Transgender District at the San Francisco Public Library.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/joy-and-family-ballroom-culture
This year, I began contributing articles to the trans news website Assigned Media. I contributed 14 stories in 2025. Here are links to all of my stories on the site:
https://funcrunch.org/blog/tag/assignedmedia
Thanks to Evan Urquhart and Billie Jean Sweeney for bringing me onboard Assigned Media this year. Become a member to support independent trans journalism:
https://www.assignedmedia.org/newsletter
To support me specifically, please sponsor me on Patreon, where I post links to all my work, including stories on Assigned Media and (paywall-free) Medium:
https://www.patreon.com/funcrunch
I also post links to all my stories here on my own website at https://funcrunch.org/blog. Pop it into your RSS reader if you like.
Thanks to all who supported me this year on Patreon and elsewhere. Here’s to a peaceful New Year.
[Image: Community members celebrate the legacy of “Mama Major” at Glide Memorial Church.]
Today in Assigned Media, I report on the recent memorial for Miss Major Griffin-Gracy in San Francisco, and share reflections from community members on her legacy and the quest for Black trans liberation.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/miss-major-memorial-black-trans-liberation
[Image: Side by side headshots of Pax on their 1990 Northwestern student ID and their 2024 US passport.]
Today in Assigned Media, I share my perspective on Northwestern University’s recent capitulation to the Trump administration, as a Black trans alum of that school.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/trading-truth-transphobia-northwestern-university
[Image: Anjali Rimi speaks on the steps of San Francisco City Hall on Transgender Immigrants Day, November 18, 2025.]
In today’s article for Assigned Media, I interview Anjali Rimi, co-founder and president of Parivar Bay Area, about supporting transgender immigrants in San Francisco.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/anjali-rimi-supporting-transgender-immigrants
[Photo by Olga from Pictrip]
In today’s article for Assigned Media, I interview Dr. Clair Kronk, a trans scholar working to collect and preserve LGBTQ+ data.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/preserving-data-history-clair-kronk
[Image: Miss Major in the San Francisco Pride parade, June 2014. Photo by Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0.]
In today’s article for Assigned Media, I honor Black trans icon Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, who died yesterday following over 50 years of activism.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/rest-in-power-miss-major-griffin-gracy
[Image: LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Photo by LPS.1, CC0 1.0 (public domain).]
In my new article for Assigned Media, I share how LinkedIn moderators are allowing misgendering and other hate speech against trans users following a recent change to their policies.
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/linkedin-allowance-hate-speech
