"Every time I speak my truth, I make space for someone else to do the same. That’s what living in the hollow really means — it’s learning to send your voice through the mountains, hoping it finds another voice to answer back."
This. This is what it's all about. Public representation leads to recognition by others who feel similarly and empowers those others to take steps to make their presence and voices heard and seen as well.
This is how we progress. Not by hiding, but by being our true selves and in doing so forging a pathway for others to follow, and hopefully through our actions, creating a more hospitable pathway for them.
When I was growing up all the folks who are hardcore maga now absolutely loved the movie Too Wong Foo with John Leguizamo and Patrick Swayze. I recall seeing it for the first time and being captivated. Never having seen anyone like that before, instinctively being scared for them when I saw the town they broke down in and cheering along side them as the towns chuds slowly embraced them. The irl chuds cheered alongside me and I saw a marked difference in their tolerance
Were you to make that movie today, there would be national outrage. a movie that back then wouldn’t have even raised an eyebrow and the very few that would have made a stink were viewed as unhinged loonies even by that eras chuds. Even in my small hick redneck town. At worst they’d maybe make a face at first just to keep up appearances or make a tasteless joke but they’d still treat them like human beings, work with them, done with them, be in community with them often even fully embrace them even if only after a period of hesitant/distant silent acceptance.
To grab the power they have, those responsible for engineering this regime sought out every corner of every version of the most unhinged views on every topic and hammered into the mainstream to weaponize it then filled every site and algorithm with massive daisy chain botnets to give the illusion for years that those unhinged views were actually the majority opinion, so that it would rub off on malleable ppl, young ppl just learning their way, and siphon off just the right amount of every single demographic to fill their rosters.
Even still, every time any site is trawled for bots it’s proven that at minimum 60% of this shit is bots. Often it’s 80%. I’ve seen as high as over 90% depending on the day/time/topic. So. Even with as bad as shit is now, majority of the cotton you see is still bots.
Bits whose job is to keep us at eachothers throats so we will never find common ground and unite. To keep the left convinced there are way more of them than there are so we give up trying to change things, give up trying to reach those we can reach, and give up being willing to even try. And to convince the other side there are way more of them than there are to make sure they never waver on what they have been convinced is the truth. Bcs their kind are easily led. If Trump flipped tmrw half of them would flip with him. The others who are more extreme would do the same with their own chosen “thought leader” They are followers through and through so require the messaging to constantly be drilled into them and keep their own who start questioning from being visible. Hence why their subs delete and ban their own for even the slightest questioning.
Sorry for the tangent. I’ve just been at this for decades, trying like hell to get through to ppl, to warn ppl. And it was fucking working for so long. I’ve pulled so fucking many ppl from the brink over the last 30 yrs. Still am, but I’m exhausted. I’ll never forget my very first memory of questioning this shit being in literal kindergarten. Multiple times made my own family second guess such beliefs as though they just assumed this was all common knowledge everyone naturally believed and all it took was child like questioning to make them think a little deeper on something. Memory seared into my brain (thanks Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers)
That movie was so much fun. I was a senior in high school when it came out, and me and my friend group not only skipped school to go see it... we basically forced our Gay Chorus teacher to skip work to come see it with us. We had all been involved in Chorus for years at that point and were really good friends with him...
We laughed so damn hard the entire way through, honestly, it's kind of a core memory for me still.
I needed this read. I was in elementary school in the late 90s and remember writing "Divided we stand, united we will fall" on the chalk board.
My teacher didn't like that. I wasn't even sure why I wrote it but I think it was hearing adults be nasty and sexist and racist as well as not listening to me about the older men sexually harassing me.
“Public representation leads to recognition by others who feel similarly and empowers those others to take steps to make their presence and voices heard and seen as well.”
That is so well put.
“This is how we progress. Not by hiding, but by being our true selves and in doing so forging a pathway for others to follow, and hopefully through our actions, creating a more hospitable pathway for them.”
Does the intent of others following you corrupt your own authenticity? And when someone follows, are they being authentic?
I live at the bottom of a hollow in Dickenson County, Virginia, where the mist hangs low and the past never really leaves. The dirt road winds down like a scar, the kind that healed wrong but still holds. Out here, everybody knows your business before you do. They remember what your mama said in ’86 and who you dated in high school, and they keep track of both like Scripture. Appalachia can love you, sure — but it also never forgets what it thinks you are.
These days, they call me Maya. That still surprises a few folks, though it’s been over five years now. Sometimes I imagine the gossip spreading like kudzu, growing wild in the dark corners of convenience stores and shuttered diners. I came out as a transgender woman at 44, in the middle of the pandemic, in one of the reddest counties in the state. The world was falling apart on TV, and I was falling together at home.
I mean I'm impressed. Started her own publishing company, published books, participates in her community and loves it (and writes about it beautifully).
The world is always better when anyone is more themselves.
A beautiful example of a human, being. I loved the text from the kid; sounds like the Universe winking at you, 'Hey. Hang in there, if not for you, for others."
Beautiful story and woman. Thanks for sharing your courage.
You know, I am all for everyone speaking their truth and sharing their stories, but...
I would kinda appreciate it if anyone heavily using AI would say so, because I don't think that's really fair to the readers, and, tbqh, I expected better from the Huffington Post.
And before you come at me, you can just check Maya Fisher's publishing history. She released almost two 300 page books in the same year, a few months apart from each in 2025. One has an AI cover and the other has an illustrated cover after people called out the AI cover in the Goodreads reviews of her first book.
If you check out the actual her book on Goodreads you will see reviews from people who have known her for decades and had no idea she was working on a book. Mind you we are talking about two books, about 300 pages EACH with damn near perfect spelling and grammar. If you check the lower star reviews they are, literally, calling out the AI'isms in the reviews even if some of them hadn't realized it. Especially from the "it's easy to read" ones. Yeah, AI is meant to be 'easy to read.'
I guess, I just feel like if you are going to use AI to write/share your story...then be upfront and honest about it. I didn't come to read a story written by ChatGPT, and I know it's GPT, because GPT has its own unique voice even if it's an AI. Plus, it's not even listed in their Amazon page or biography even though Amazon requires that information to be disclosed.
>Maya’s debut novel, Reborn In Shadows: From the Ashes, has been selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress, a prestigious recognition that cements its place among significant literary works.
Yeah, I guess welcome to the future where the Library Congress will be filled with AI written works.
I don't know if it's due to AI, but the overworked similes kind of ground my gears. It amounts to such a pastiche of Southern Gothic I can hear banjos twanging.
I was suspicious from the first paragraph but after reading again I’m certain you’re right. Reminds me of those videos “what English sounds like to non-English speakers” except it’s “what good writing sounds like to people who don’t read.” Which is exactly what AI is good at: soulessly aggregating an imitation of human perspective.
Oof. I can see why some people are calling this beautiful, but I had to quit halfway through the fourth paragraph. I can't quite pin my finger on why, but for some reason I always find this style of writing insufferable
king44 | a day ago
"Every time I speak my truth, I make space for someone else to do the same. That’s what living in the hollow really means — it’s learning to send your voice through the mountains, hoping it finds another voice to answer back."
This. This is what it's all about. Public representation leads to recognition by others who feel similarly and empowers those others to take steps to make their presence and voices heard and seen as well.
This is how we progress. Not by hiding, but by being our true selves and in doing so forging a pathway for others to follow, and hopefully through our actions, creating a more hospitable pathway for them.
kittymctacoyo | 23 hours ago
When I was growing up all the folks who are hardcore maga now absolutely loved the movie Too Wong Foo with John Leguizamo and Patrick Swayze. I recall seeing it for the first time and being captivated. Never having seen anyone like that before, instinctively being scared for them when I saw the town they broke down in and cheering along side them as the towns chuds slowly embraced them. The irl chuds cheered alongside me and I saw a marked difference in their tolerance
Were you to make that movie today, there would be national outrage. a movie that back then wouldn’t have even raised an eyebrow and the very few that would have made a stink were viewed as unhinged loonies even by that eras chuds. Even in my small hick redneck town. At worst they’d maybe make a face at first just to keep up appearances or make a tasteless joke but they’d still treat them like human beings, work with them, done with them, be in community with them often even fully embrace them even if only after a period of hesitant/distant silent acceptance.
To grab the power they have, those responsible for engineering this regime sought out every corner of every version of the most unhinged views on every topic and hammered into the mainstream to weaponize it then filled every site and algorithm with massive daisy chain botnets to give the illusion for years that those unhinged views were actually the majority opinion, so that it would rub off on malleable ppl, young ppl just learning their way, and siphon off just the right amount of every single demographic to fill their rosters.
Even still, every time any site is trawled for bots it’s proven that at minimum 60% of this shit is bots. Often it’s 80%. I’ve seen as high as over 90% depending on the day/time/topic. So. Even with as bad as shit is now, majority of the cotton you see is still bots.
Bits whose job is to keep us at eachothers throats so we will never find common ground and unite. To keep the left convinced there are way more of them than there are so we give up trying to change things, give up trying to reach those we can reach, and give up being willing to even try. And to convince the other side there are way more of them than there are to make sure they never waver on what they have been convinced is the truth. Bcs their kind are easily led. If Trump flipped tmrw half of them would flip with him. The others who are more extreme would do the same with their own chosen “thought leader” They are followers through and through so require the messaging to constantly be drilled into them and keep their own who start questioning from being visible. Hence why their subs delete and ban their own for even the slightest questioning.
Sorry for the tangent. I’ve just been at this for decades, trying like hell to get through to ppl, to warn ppl. And it was fucking working for so long. I’ve pulled so fucking many ppl from the brink over the last 30 yrs. Still am, but I’m exhausted. I’ll never forget my very first memory of questioning this shit being in literal kindergarten. Multiple times made my own family second guess such beliefs as though they just assumed this was all common knowledge everyone naturally believed and all it took was child like questioning to make them think a little deeper on something. Memory seared into my brain (thanks Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers)
mike9941 | 21 hours ago
That movie was so much fun. I was a senior in high school when it came out, and me and my friend group not only skipped school to go see it... we basically forced our Gay Chorus teacher to skip work to come see it with us. We had all been involved in Chorus for years at that point and were really good friends with him...
We laughed so damn hard the entire way through, honestly, it's kind of a core memory for me still.
FYI, I'm a straight dude from a MAGA small town.
mira_poix | 5 hours ago
I needed this read. I was in elementary school in the late 90s and remember writing "Divided we stand, united we will fall" on the chalk board.
My teacher didn't like that. I wasn't even sure why I wrote it but I think it was hearing adults be nasty and sexist and racist as well as not listening to me about the older men sexually harassing me.
incongruous_narrator | 22 hours ago
“Public representation leads to recognition by others who feel similarly and empowers those others to take steps to make their presence and voices heard and seen as well.”
That is so well put.
“This is how we progress. Not by hiding, but by being our true selves and in doing so forging a pathway for others to follow, and hopefully through our actions, creating a more hospitable pathway for them.”
Does the intent of others following you corrupt your own authenticity? And when someone follows, are they being authentic?
[OP] huffpost | a day ago
From writer Maya Fisher:
I live at the bottom of a hollow in Dickenson County, Virginia, where the mist hangs low and the past never really leaves. The dirt road winds down like a scar, the kind that healed wrong but still holds. Out here, everybody knows your business before you do. They remember what your mama said in ’86 and who you dated in high school, and they keep track of both like Scripture. Appalachia can love you, sure — but it also never forgets what it thinks you are.
These days, they call me Maya. That still surprises a few folks, though it’s been over five years now. Sometimes I imagine the gossip spreading like kudzu, growing wild in the dark corners of convenience stores and shuttered diners. I came out as a transgender woman at 44, in the middle of the pandemic, in one of the reddest counties in the state. The world was falling apart on TV, and I was falling together at home.
Here's a link to my full essay: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/living-in-maga-country-transgender-woman_n_696d54aee4b0fb912e9910c9?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=us_main
Onioner | 23 hours ago
Thank you for sharing this.
ChuckBoBuck | a day ago
So impressed with herself
SeasonPositive6771 | a day ago
I mean I'm impressed. Started her own publishing company, published books, participates in her community and loves it (and writes about it beautifully).
The world is always better when anyone is more themselves.
MurphyBinkings | a day ago
The hatred you feel daily is really fear. Fear and a lack of self worth. I hope one day you'll embark on a journey to heal. You are enough.
Easy-Concentrate2636 | 23 hours ago
As she should be. She’s talented.
AwTomorrow | 22 hours ago
Sounds more like saying what needs to be said, because hate burns stronger when it’s able to keep silent the voices of those it sees as different.
mira_poix | 5 hours ago
You are allowed to be when you work hard....you know that right?
Not enough hugs? Not successful yourself No self confidence over there buddy?
CanAhJustSay | a day ago
Where time stands still she managed to move forward.
Vegansouleater | 23 hours ago
A beautiful example of a human, being. I loved the text from the kid; sounds like the Universe winking at you, 'Hey. Hang in there, if not for you, for others."
Beautiful story and woman. Thanks for sharing your courage.
CoffeeCicada | a day ago
This is very beautifully written, long time since I was drawn into a text like that
CrazyinLull | 16 hours ago
You know, I am all for everyone speaking their truth and sharing their stories, but...
I would kinda appreciate it if anyone heavily using AI would say so, because I don't think that's really fair to the readers, and, tbqh, I expected better from the Huffington Post.
And before you come at me, you can just check Maya Fisher's publishing history. She released almost two 300 page books in the same year, a few months apart from each in 2025. One has an AI cover and the other has an illustrated cover after people called out the AI cover in the Goodreads reviews of her first book.
If you check out the actual her book on Goodreads you will see reviews from people who have known her for decades and had no idea she was working on a book. Mind you we are talking about two books, about 300 pages EACH with damn near perfect spelling and grammar. If you check the lower star reviews they are, literally, calling out the AI'isms in the reviews even if some of them hadn't realized it. Especially from the "it's easy to read" ones. Yeah, AI is meant to be 'easy to read.'
I guess, I just feel like if you are going to use AI to write/share your story...then be upfront and honest about it. I didn't come to read a story written by ChatGPT, and I know it's GPT, because GPT has its own unique voice even if it's an AI. Plus, it's not even listed in their Amazon page or biography even though Amazon requires that information to be disclosed.
>Maya’s debut novel, Reborn In Shadows: From the Ashes, has been selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress, a prestigious recognition that cements its place among significant literary works.
Yeah, I guess welcome to the future where the Library Congress will be filled with AI written works.
KP_Neato_Dee | 12 hours ago
> been selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress, a prestigious recognition that cements its place among significant literary works.
This is total bullshit. Every copyrighted work is "included" in the LoC when it's registered.
tamsui_tosspot | 15 hours ago
I don't know if it's due to AI, but the overworked similes kind of ground my gears. It amounts to such a pastiche of Southern Gothic I can hear banjos twanging.
CynicalSchoolboy | 13 hours ago
I agree. Felt like an imitation of better southern writing. Gonna go read some Pat Conroy to get that overripe taste out of my mouth.
CynicalSchoolboy | 13 hours ago
I was suspicious from the first paragraph but after reading again I’m certain you’re right. Reminds me of those videos “what English sounds like to non-English speakers” except it’s “what good writing sounds like to people who don’t read.” Which is exactly what AI is good at: soulessly aggregating an imitation of human perspective.
tronassembled | 18 hours ago
AI has come for HuffPost
daminafenderson | a day ago
This is beautiful and now I have a new writer to follow.
WOKE_AF_55 | a day ago
That’s really great writing
hardcorejacket01 | 5 hours ago
It’s chatGPT.
Ok-Entertainer-1414 | 23 hours ago
Oof. I can see why some people are calling this beautiful, but I had to quit halfway through the fourth paragraph. I can't quite pin my finger on why, but for some reason I always find this style of writing insufferable
CynicalSchoolboy | 13 hours ago
It’s AI. And it’s bad writing.
felinelawspecialist | 6 hours ago
That’s what I thought. It sounds like AI wrote it. Interesting sentiment, useful discussion, not great writing imo.
macman156 | 19 hours ago
They’re trying to sound profound at every turn
Acceptable-Bench1386 | 22 hours ago
She’s amazing! Love the writing and the author/artist!
OwnTheInterTubes | 20 hours ago
Loved the writing!
neurospicygogo70 | 11 hours ago
Wow, talk about a way with words!