We Twinkle Like Gold

Book excerpt: Rose-gold heels. The boys that bully. The doctor's office. A changeling. A name the boss won't let you forget. A fingernail secretly painted with clear polish. The euphoric buzz of the razor… From stories of struggle, change and transformation to alien tea parties and glittering she-gods, We Twinkle Like Gold is the collective expression of 16 trans and gender-diverse folk who met on Zoom in 2021 to write together. Written in Melbourne and throughout Australia, their explorations traverse fiction, autobiography, fantasy, poetry, illustration, songwriting, interview and collective storytelling. 'We are gaining visibility; our rights are starting to gain recognition. We are starting to learn to be proud of who we are. This collection offers an opportunity to walk in our shoes... to be led to an understanding of the diversity of the human experience and different ways to be. (Sarah, author-participant) We Twinkle Like Gold is the first project from A Thousand Threads: Stories of Us, an ongoing writing initiative creating spaces for trans and gender-diverse peer connection and collaboration.