Thomas JW (they/them)

@thefivetonine

An infrequent - and probably incoherent - miscellany. Scholar of fashion, dress and non-binary genders. Also lectures on sex, sexuality and social issues, and runs The Five to Nine Studio: a queer, peripatetic and generalist creative studio. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇪🇺🇵🇸

293 Following246 Followers146 Posts

Bluesky

trans

Is this your profile?Claim it and thefivetonine.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· 21d

I'm very late announcing my participation, but I'll lead a 'fugitive teach-in' at this Friday's (24/07) @tvce.bsky.social symposium at Birkbeck! Through playing a few rounds of the game 'telephone,' the participants in my session are going to explore transmission and inheritance in trans+ histories!

A photograph of Thomas Jeram-West with a text overlay, announcing their participation in this year's Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence symposium at Birkbeck, University of London. Thomas is a White Northern European non-binary person assigned male at birth; they have short greying light brown hair that flicks backwards, and a matching moustache and heavy stubble. They also have a silver nose ring. In this photograph, they are standing in a sunny street facing left, with their head slightly tilted upwards and half-smiling. They are wearing black-framed sunglasses so you cannot see them squinting in the light. They are wearing a brown jacket with an orange, blue and yellow check, and a gingham shirt in yellow, orange, green and purple. There is a buttonhole of orange, pink and purple ranunculus on their jacket, which is also crossed by a dark green bag strap. The text overlay places 'TVCE X BiGS' across the image in large white letters, and logos for both Birkbeck, University of London and the Trans+ Virtual Centre of Excellence appear at the bottom of the image in that order. In the bottom right-hand corner, there is a QR code to scan that will take you to a web page where you can obtain more information about the event.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Feb 10

I often think of this when I have this kind of day. Which, incidentally, it has been today.

A screenshot of a 2021 tweet from 'e-shrimp' that reads: "rolling my eyes so far back in my head that i make direct eye contact with the goblin that operates me like a marionette".

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Feb 7

Completely by chance, I came across Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker, and appear to have answered my own question. I'm really quite excited to make the time to read this next week. Trying to find a way of engaging with my PhD thesis that respects how my brain processes and produces information.

A photograph showing the cover for 'Neuroqueer Heresies' by Nick Walker. The cover is a medium purple, and a light blue banner at the top features the title in purple matching the cover. The subtitle is featured towards the middle of the cover, and reads: 'Notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities'. Underneath, an image of a blue and black butterfly with a human brain in place of its thorax adorns the cover. The author's name appears at the bottom, in light blue.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Aug 18

I have a piece in this quarter's Sonshine Magazine, in which I reflect on a boyhood that didn't lead to the manhood of my father's dreams. If you're interested in writing that explores and encourages a better world for people raising sons (or trying to), check it out: sonshinemagazine.com

A photograph showing part of the illustrated front cover of issue 29 of Sonshine Magazine. Dark purple text is set against a light purple background. The front cover illustration is cropped, showing part of a figure that is, arguably, Cupid. A lilac face with mauve tousled hair looks off to the left of the image. At either side of the figure's face, you can see part of off-white feathered wings. The background to the image is a dark, dusty pink, and features two light red love hearts on either side, just above the visible part of the wings.

The text reads:

Sonshine Magazine: Raising boys for a more equal world.

Romance & Relationships:

Where do boys learn rules for romance?

How do we teach meaningful consent?

LitteLouCooks family recipes.

Friendship fun kids' pages: quizzes, puzzles & colouring.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Aug 15

Overjoyed to make it to the letterbox before the dogs this morning to finally get my hands on a copy of 78 Acts of Liberation by @leftlanesmith.bsky.social. Omelette was clearly disappointed I snatched the parcel away before she could drag it under the sofa and chew it to pieces.

A photograph of '78 Acts of Liberation: Tarot to transform our world' by Lane Smith - this text appears on the cover in black, against an image of an abstract sun: a yellow centre with beams of red, orange, yellow, and light, medium and deep blue radiating outwards. The cover also reads: 'foreword by Maria Minnis, author of Tarot for the Hard Work'. The photograph is taken in front of a table cluttered with an open laptop computer, piles of books, jars of pens, lip balms, pebbles and pot plants; this background appears blurred.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Jul 16

SURELY you'd go into genitourinary medicine, or sexual and reproductive health with a name like that. SURELY.

The front cover for the book 'We Are Our Brains: From the womb to Alzheimer's by Dick Swaab'. Brown and purple text on an off-white background, illustrated by a full-colour anatomical illustration - a cross-section of the human brain. An endorsement from the Sunday Times reads, "A fun, wild ride through the big science of the moment." Fine, yeah, whatever - all I can think about is why ol' Dick didn't go into genitourinary medicine or sexual and reproductive health instead with a name like that. Wasted. Absolutely wasted.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Jun 6

SUPER EXCITING! I'm presenting an 'ephemeral manifesto' at the upcoming @tvce.bsky.social 1st Annual Symposium on 08 July! I'll be speaking about 'non-binary dress' as 'costume' and exploring if/how it crosses performance and performativity! Some more info and tickets here: tvce2025.eventbrite.com

A portrait photograph of Thomas Jeram-West. Thomas is a White Northern European non-binary person, with shoulder-length layered brown hair and a full beard. They wear glasses with clear frames and their nose is pierced on the left side with a small silver ring. They are half smiling at the camera as they look directly into it. They are wearing a white and yellow striped shirt open to show a white t-shirt underneath, and a thin silver chain around their neck. They are in front of a set of bookshelves, blurred in the photograph. The photograph has an overlay: a gradient moving down, from pink to blue, bearing the following text: 08 - July - 2025, TVCE Symposium, tvce2025@eventbrite.com.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· May 4

I've just finished reading 'Doing Research in #Fashion and Dress' by Yuniya Kawamura. I wish I'd come across this when I first started my PhD, but I suppose it's better late than never... Essentially, a how-to guide on theory, practice, methods and methodologies - applicable across the humanities!

The front cover for 'Doing Research in Fashion and Dress: An introduction to qualitative methods' by Yuniya Kawamura. The title appears on red against a white background with the subtitle and author's name below it in blue; this is the top half of the cover. The bottom half features a photograph of a street sign in New York, clearly showing the signs for Seventh Avenue and Fashion Avenue. The photograph is credited to Yoya Kawamura.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Feb 22

Yesterday, I finished reading Breaking the Curse by Alex DiFrancesco. This book is one of the most healing things I've ever come across in my life. I thoroughly recommend it.

A photograph of the cover of the memoir 'Breaking the Curse' by Alex DiFrancesco. The cover features an illustration of a hand holding a white candle burning at both ends against a black background.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Nov 18

I've just told a friend that the Christmas market sausage stalls are missing a trick by not putting up signs like this...

The word 'bratwurst' in black text, on a bright green background in the style of the album cover for 'BRAT' by Charli XCX.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Nov 17

I don't suppose anyone knows where I might be able to get my hands on a copy of Unseen Genders: Beyond the Binaries (edited by Felicity Haynes and Tarquam McKenna), either to buy or borrow?

The front cover of Unseen Genders: Beyond the Binaries, edited by Felicity Haynes and Tarquam McKenna. On a pink and blue background, a face turns away from its mirror image.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Nov 16

I've been accused of many things, but being cool isn't one of them. Please know that this is the vibe I bring.

Thomas JW (they/them)@thefivetonine· Nov 16

Currently reading: #Fashion, #Identity, Image by Paul Jobling, Philippa Nesbitt and Angelene Wong. That is, when I'm not getting up every five minutes to let the dogs out and then let them straight back in because it's so cold outside.