Persephone's (Gothic) Insights

I'm returning to short-form content, which you can support on Patreon! Said content includes pin-up art and educational essays, both made support the rights of sex workers, trans people, and other minorities. Here's a copy-paste of the announcement post, originally from my Patreon account : (artist: Persephone van der Waard ) Hi, everyone! Now that my book series on Gothic Communism is finished , I'm getting back into making short -form content. Part of the same basic trend, said content revolves around my political voice—chiefly one of a trans, an-Com sex worker* whose anti-fascist political activism includes standing up for sex workers and/or trans people, but also a variety of other groups; i.e., that reactionaries (and their moderate allies) historically target and abuse, under Capitalism; e.g., Indigenous and queer actor, Jonathan Joss, who I covered recently by writing about Joss' murder at the hands of a Texan bigot targeting Joss' trans husband . Sex worker...

Owing to reasons  beyond  my control, I could not attend Pride where I live, specifically "No Kings." To combat this, I've written a short essay in response, one that pointedly reflects on Pride—but also various events surrounding Pride—to consider its  performative  value; i.e., from a  revolutionary  standpoint: workers are whores who perform in chains to liberate themselves to  varying  degrees of failure and success; e.g.,  Jessie Gender 's more dove-like ideas of rebellion during Pride, versus my own (as inspired by Bob Ross but also Medusa, Satan, and various other ne'er-do-wells). Note: This essay is part of my Sex Positivity book series, which continues after its June 2025 finale in small-form content; e.g., essays on and interviews  with other sex workers; i.e., I've worked with muses and models beyond those on my Acknowledgments page , whose featured models worked with me while I produced Sex Positivity . To see everyone I'...

This essay, "White Moderates Don't  Challenge Fascism," responds to a critique I received from a political opponent, and which my reply recruits from my own social network of friends, lovers and associates. It remains part of my Sex Positivity series , albeit coming from outside the books, themselves; i.e., belonging to a disparate body of essays and interviews that fall under the same basic umbrella, but often will engage with more than the usual suspects: someone who vocally disagrees with us in times of state, even planetary crisis, and with whom various members of the Sex Positivity project make themselves heard. Note: This essay is part of my Sex Positivity book series, which continues after its June 2025 finale in small-form content; e.g., essays on and interviews  with other sex workers; i.e., I've worked with muses and models beyond those on my Acknowledgments page , whose featured models worked with me while I produced Sex Positivity . To see everyone I...