iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 09/10/2026

Texts that make me, a butch lesbian lock in; when your bisexual bestie of twenty years asks about carabiners.

Chat bubble of “As a butch lesbian can you tell me where to buy carabiners”

Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 04/10/2026

Today’s fit was called out by a friend as “Briar, only you could turn middle aged lady poncho into teen tomboy” and I see the vision and take the compliment 🥰

Selfie of a fit that’s somehow both middle aged lady and teenage tomboy; rocking a pink and white tartan poncho

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 01/10/2026

Turns out, all I really needed to pick up my week was going to the queer line dancing in a hot pink tartan skirt

Mirror selfie showing off a tartan fit in black and pink

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 17/09/2026

Intimidated, and disappointed but in the way that “_girl_, you gotta get your own _expectations_ for how you want your life to go; store bought stock standard is not okay and you know it” would hit her hard.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 12/09/2026

🌱: "So I'm worried this outfit just reads as just dude and no one will know I'm a butch lesbian, what do you think?" 👩🏻‍🦳: " ... Briar, you're literally wearing a heart carabiner on a chain necklace" 🌱: "Yeah, and ..." 🤦🏼‍♀️: « friend facepalms »

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 04/08/2026

Sometimes I feel like my life is a “trans woman in tech or tech bro” quiz. Like tonight’s dinner after boxing class is primarily bone broth, from a GitHub mug.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 20/07/2026

Ya girl finally got around to it (read; got the correct dosage of her adhd meds) and setup her email, bluesky handle and a new website as @briar.gay at briar.gay cause I'm briar and I'm pretty gay as in a butch lesbian.

briar.gay in a trans flag gradient cause it's my website and it's my name and i'm pretty gay.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/07/2026

Love my early Sunday morning cardio circuits class and sporty queer brunch. This morning our instructor had a banger of a quote; “the transition 🏳️‍⚧️ is part of it” referring to rest breaks between exercises, as I (trans fem) and my trans masc workout buddy swapped weights

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 15/07/2026

So, all the gals are going feral for a Motoko PFP on discord, but have y’all considered like I have being the brunette pouting that her lesbian vacation was cut short?

Brunette anime girl pouting that her lesbian vacation scene was cut short, from Ghost in the Shell 2026, second episode

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 01/07/2026

Show me a picture that captures your essence

Briar spinning in her skirt in the park, as artfully shot in black and white by her internationally award winning nature photographer acquaintance

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 01/07/2026

Okay, but hear me out, “assigned copy“ of Aftertaste also slaps. Like, “_Girl_ your homework assignment is to read this“ with a signed copy slept with by Emoria? 👉👈

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 15/06/2026

Assigned Misato Katsuragi after transition. 🤔 Maybe I should get a cropped red leather jacket

90% Misato then 65% Kaworu, Rei and Ritsuko on the Neon Genesis Evangleion Personality Test

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 13/06/2026

I also read some original poetry about being trans as part of the open mic at Yellow Lamp Poetry in the Basement theatre. It's the second time I've read at Yellow Lamp, and something like my fourth poetry reading to an audience? I might really be onto something with poetry.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 13/06/2026

I had a wonderfully queer out and about day though; I was up on Karangahape Road attending the Crushes Clothing Swap, after encouraging one of my friends to rally and also in solidarity and allyship to give me her ticket so I could keep changing the genre of my wardrobe

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 13/06/2026

Thank you from this trans gal to everyone who rallied around the motu in Aotearoa against the government's proposed anti-trans legislation. I tend to be a blubbering crying mess at trans focused protest rallies, so I deeply appreciate when fellow trans folk and allies stand up for us

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 11/06/2026

That’d be beyond amazing, thank you 🙏.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 11/06/2026

I’d be open to it. I’m definitely getting connected to ways to pass on clothing, though currently that’s been mostly to my post-top surgery transmasc friends.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 11/06/2026

I tend towards top + skirt combos because my height means most dresses don't quite sit right even if they fit right.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 11/06/2026

As a trans gal who's literally _busting_ out of my current wardrobe, or finding them too boxy, I would love any tops around size 18. I'm especially on the lookout for casual work week basics, working on it but it takes so long to backfill a whole new genre/gender of clothing.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 09/06/2026

Was paired with another butch trans gal my height at my regular queer 🥊 boxing fitness class, and we went all out on a new routine with all the elbow, knee and duck extras added in and absolutely smashed it. Feeling damned good after that class 💪

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 08/06/2026

👋 yes! and like, hey, if you want pretty flowers there’s a whole entire plant with roots and stems and leaves; and while it’s growing she’ll develop thorns and maybe be a bit prickly to defend herself. Love having a secret etymology to my name that fellow transfemmes tend to just get.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 08/06/2026

A girl I have a crush on said “It’s hot when your girlfriend can lift you” over the weekend while we were helping a friend move. So I texted my personal trainer that, yeah my goal is functional strength and agility but now lifting a woman is part of my idea of what that means.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 01/06/2026

The sticker set was hearts in rainbow, bi, nonbinary and trans colours. My friends had picked them out especially for me; and then I laughed and showed them the exact same subset I’d picked for myself from the same booth earlier that day, squirrelled away in my bag like a secret.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 01/06/2026

Why did you transition? Right answers only. There’s several overlapping correct answers to this. The final push came from going to a Pride ”Queers and Wares” market in 2021, feeling like I belonged; and then friends bumping into me and gifting me a set of stickers, cause “it could be your vibe”

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 31/05/2026

I have seen this in the wild already, and so for all the absurdity of an account filter, it has an even extra layer of absurdity; If an account marked adult posts an image that is also filtered as adult, the first warning tap shows the text and _an additional warning to tap for the image_

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 23/05/2026

And to not have the crash out of … my whole life has been watching queer rights expand until I saw myself in the mirror as not just an overly interested ally but as a girl who could safely come out. And now … I can’t go back into the closet, the awesomeness of my life won’t fit there anymore.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 23/05/2026

I’ve realised recently talking to younger queer folk I needed a timeline of rights on my phone I could reference; like I’m the same age as decriminalised homosexuality and I was 27 when “her wife” or “his husband” meant a couple had rights to go with their terms of endearment.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 23/05/2026

I’ve had one instance where “check the record on the document” needed further clarification - I got a letter from the national cervical screening programme about my eligibility after my birthday - it was like a five minute phone call to go, yeah I’m a woman but I am not at risk of cervical cancer.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 22/05/2026

My submission is going to be laser focused on what I made a declaration of to change my sex marker on my birth certificate, what that legislation will say now and how that interacts with the registrar “correcting” information. If this passes, did I lie to the government when I took the F?

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 22/05/2026

Fawn was literally on my first draft list of chosen names. If I was socialised into anything, it was literally the fawn response. One of the reasons I’m not Fawn, I am Briar is that I wanted to imply that I have edges; I have thorns and if you grab me we will both come away hurt in the process.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 21/05/2026

Okay, a cute queer coded girl literally tripped over herself when I entered her eye line and she locked eyes with me while I was walking across the square going to get lunch. That’s the only kind of _distraction_ I want to be.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 20/05/2026

This fit has got me an entire train carriage to myself off peak as I head late into work. The kind of person who has Winston’s gold card stood up and moved as I stepped onto the train Good, I don’t want your bigotry in my presence either today I am writing poetry and spitting fire 🔥

From head to toe she is powerful.
Black face mask, sleeveless flannel vest, leather jacket round her forearms highlighting her biceps, black A-Frame skirt, and 3-inch leather converse heels

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 20/05/2026

Anyone got any recommendations for black face masks (pref KF94 styles) that ship and/or in stock in New Zealand? I’m about to wind down my stash; I have other face masks but still like to do a little fashion matching when on public transport.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 20/05/2026

As much as this government in its cowardice tries to isolate and scapegoat girls like me, Tonight I texted my friends I could use some company and instantly my ladies wrapped themselves around me in love, care and solidarity I read excerpts of books on trans joy and poetry on my friends couch

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

New bio cause my last one was a little bit LinkedIn and she’s entering her no fucks given poster era ~~~ She’s defending champion “good girls division” 💪 arm wrestling at lesbian camp They also top the talent show with faer poetry. For her day job, she’s in tech in software quality.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

I’ve been doing some poetry readings in local irl queer spaces, During pronoun circles I’ve been “Hi, I’m Briar; she/they/fae/faer” With a bit of a voice drop growl on faer; all like, did she say fear or fair? I straight up love that for me.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

Thank you ☺️. It was not a vest when I thrifted it; I cut the sleeves off cause ya girls got to show off her arms

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

Honestly there’s gender and butch sex in this guide to sandpaper from Bunnings — www.bunnings.co.nz/diy-advice/d... — True grit, rough and ready, shape up, sand and deliver.

bunnings.co.nz

How To Use Sandpaper Correctly: A 101 Guide - Bunnings New Zealand

Learn everything there is to know about grit rating, types of sandpaper, plus when and how to use them. 101 guide from Bunnings Warehouse.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

What’s your sandpaper grit level these days? This trans butch is about an 80 grit; I’m great for preparing new wood or metal for painting, but hold back my abrasiveness in public so I’m not stripping paint everywhere I go.

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Reposted by Briar Calanthe

Phobia @phobia.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Speaking at least a a butch trans woman, there is no community where you are immune to being seen like that

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

Feels so wrong to heart these posts, cause same dark hat.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

If you’re looking to learn about the going ons in NZ, @musicalchairs.bsky.social is the account to follow, they constantly dropping the facts and graphs to back ‘em up.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

Trans girls with glasses

She’s on a train, wearing a hat that says “friend of blahaj”, round glasses, a curve of a smile you can see in her cheeks, a denim dress and a trans flag tartan tie in an elderege knot.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

I reckon I’ve found my baddie butch selfie angle 💪

She’s flexing in the mirror, the camera angle is looking up longingly. The fit is a muscle flannel shirt cut sleeveless, the better to show off her arms.

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

* 25mcg def gotta get the dosage right in these convos

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 19/05/2026

One of my fav bits these days when I’m presented with a tech bro is to start talking about these patches I’m on that are wonders for my skin and slower steadier muscle development Yeah, the patch is estrogen you should try micro dosing it, 25mg is informed consent from your doc here…

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 17/05/2026

I rock up to the ”Briarwoods” as Briar, but it starts a 200-post intercede discourse thread about whether briar first names can ”Briar Wood” or we gotta full send the double-breasted ”Briar Briarwood”

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 17/05/2026

When I look in the mirror, I smile for me

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 16/05/2026

Had a lovely day at queer markets on Karangahape Road, and got this 🔥 flannel fit that I then ✂️ cut to be sleeveless cause ya girls got arms 💪. I honestly kinda cannot with how much I am smiling in this photo.

I think this is honestly the most smile that’s ever broken out in my face

Selfie wearing a fire red sleeveless flannel top

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Briar Calanthe @briar.gay · 16/05/2026

On a lovely little queer errand day to some markets, so I had to make a pilgrimage stop in at the cuddle puddle of blahaj in ikea before picking up some BRATTBY totes (of course “brattby” is also my type of girl)

Selfie with a cuddle puddle of blahaj in ikea. Ya girl is wearing a mask cause safety first this southern hemisphere winter y’all

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