Prancing Through Life.

PTL is a site for which people write on their cultural interests, life stories and viewpoints. We place an emphasis on the personal and encourage people to write about the things they love and/or take issue with. Why walk through life, when you can prance?

Or from their About page:

— If you ever prance as you wander down the street, we salute you. The power of prancing should never be underestimated or taken for granted.
— Sometimes we wonder what the world would be like if unicorns were real.

And again: “Why walk through life, when you can prance?”

The notion of prancing through life makes me smile. Just the word “prance” itself... {reaches for the dictionary} ...to caper or dance along; to move with an exaggeratedly springing gait; to swagger; to parade ostentatiously; (plus some other stuff to do with horses). It's positive, prideful, happy, yet with a definite "sod you" quality to it. Hey, I'm prancin’ here.

Season five of PTL launched at the beginning of November (in association with All About Trans) and features an ongoing set of trans-related and other pieces. It's a notably inclusive collection, incorporating voices that are often marginalized, in particular black and non-binary. Some items are new, some are republished from other sources (including one by me: a slightly revised version of Reading My Way Into Femme from this blog).

A few of my favourites so far...

Juno Roche: Trans Lives - #gendercation.
Jacq Applebee: The Loneliness of a Black Non-Binary Soul - #blackonblack.
Sawyer DeVuyst: Mine — on “an ever-growing series of daily fine art self-portraits”.
Melanie Christie: Break Free - #stillshot — on Ruby Rose's short film, which you can watch via YouTube.

But especially...

Travis Alabanza: Wide - #poetscorner — a poem, which you can listen to them read via Soundcloud.

maybe tomorrow,
when asked if I'm a boy or a girl,
I won't have to decide.

Wouldn't that be nice :)