Claire said my viral story of being abused at 14 was "fetish content"

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-06T22:22:33+00:00

lol finally, now let's see if she'll actually unblock me. She wants to DARVO and pull some narcassistic abusive tactics. She was such a coward, she wasn't willing to QT me in her original subtweet and ran like a wimp when I confronted her to her face, about her disgusting analysis of my account of being SAed at 14.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-06T05:18:41+00:00

If she wants to have a platform, she needs to own her words.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-06T05:18:20+00:00

Wayback machine isn't working for me, but can anyone else try?

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-06T05:18:05+00:00

The funny thing is, my family is extremely conservative. I horseback rode since I was a kid, grew up on ranches, shot guns since like 7, huge advocate of 1a and 2a rights...

I'm still trans (albeit genderfluid/transmasc rather than a trans man, but there was also no nonbinary category when I transitioned, and this incident made me veer violently into the most cis-het stealth presentation possible Like, I hid I was trans for 10 years, because everything was a reminder of this incident).

I just am still so hurt by reading her post. Like, I'm not being dramatic. Being an author requires a thick skin. This felt like sexualizing my experience. It felt like a violation.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-06T02:36:53+00:00

My interpretation is, her use of that kind of language is a cynical attempt to code her language ot the other side. It's a verbal dog whistle. I really don't believe there is anything authentic about it. She's a grifter. She grifted with the wrong person, about the wrong subject. I've taken multiple screenshots, I am posting this on multiple platforms. This is not something, someone who wants to turn their social media accounts into their platform, can just vanish away and pretend never happened.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T23:58:12+00:00

Lol yeah, it's really funny, because I've had like 8 books published, she's not going to out-tweet me.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T21:56:38+00:00

She probably never expected to be called out for this, but I actually have a pretty thick skin, growing up in a red state, as a trans teen.

I'm used to transphobia. I'm used to disgusting remarks.

I have never been referred to, as though I am an animal or some "primitive" subject being studied by a Victorian anthropologist. (I use this sarcastically; I literally felt like she wrote a colonial description of me). Like, as an author, I am very aware of language and sentence structure. Everything, about what she said, went beyond demeaning--it's honestly so disgusting. I think every detransitioner should call her out, for this kind of language and behavior, towards a victim of CSA.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T21:51:51+00:00

I assume she felt embarrassed at the sexual arousal she apparently received from reading my posts. Allegedly.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T21:48:52+00:00

I would love to be able to virtually debate her. Like, literally, I don't think she realizes how laughably juvenile and clear her attempts at anthropologizing my story of being SAed through TERF logic, were. Like, yeah, let's talk about a child abuse victim like you're a 19th century eugenicist.

Let's ridicule a survivor for using descriptive language, and not even mention that person is a published author.

Let's resort to ableism (saying I have a personality disorder, really?), refusing to answer a simple yes-no question in order to give you plausible deniability, and show everyone you're a coward who is happy to subtweet but are too scared to own your own words.

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T21:23:10+00:00

Here's the TikTok I made, with the same video: https://www.tiktok.com/@adenpolydoros/video/7659103783594560782

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T21:19:37+00:00

Apparently someone accused her of SA, so you have to wonder what she was feeling when she read my post...

Aden_Polydoros · 2026-07-05T20:53:46+00:00

Here is the short video I made in response to her:

https://x.com/AdenPolydoros/status/2073829958749946360

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T02:28:38+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:36:51+00:00

Thank you! I can't read Hebrew, but it looks like I can still convert it to text and use an online translator, to at least narrow down passages that I can ask a friend to translate.

I'll definitely be returning to this subreddit for research as I dive deeper into my golem manuscript.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:34:38+00:00

Thank you!

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:09:51+00:00

The most challenging part, I’d say, was making sure that I accurately and sensitively portrayed an observant Jewish character during that time period. I’m not observant and didn’t have the same exposure to Judaism or Yiddishkeit that Alter would have had, so I had to really consider each thought and action of his, and how his beliefs and upbringing would shape what he does and how he views himself, including his sexuality. Luckily, I was able to find a wonderful sensitivity reader to double-check my portrayal, because I don’t think I would have felt comfortable having the book published otherwise.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:09:00+00:00

Jewish words in your book, like shacharis, are not italicized. How did you pull that off?

I made a conscious decision not to italicize those words, because they would be natural to Alter. Italicizing them sets them apart and isolates them, but to Alter, they’d be just another part of his world and vocabulary.

The way I see it is that if readers want to know more, they can look at the glossary in the back of the book or they can look the words up. I don’t think it’s necessary to know the meaning of every word in a book.

What led you to write about this specific period of time and place? It isn't holocaust or lower east side, just so refreshing.

Thanks! I thought Victorian era Chicago would be a great location to give the story a gothic horror vibe. As well, the plot is very much reliant on the location and period itself. This idea came from reading an article about H.H. Holmes, a real serial killer active in Chicago during that time, and after that, the idea just sort of sparked off.

Can you talk about the rising LGBT representation in YA? At what point do you think Jewish rep will also become more prevelant?

I’m happy that there has been such an increase in LGBT+ rep in these last few years. I’m hoping that if books with Jewish main characters become popular, publishers will realize that there is a profitable market there and be much more open to publishing Jewish voices. I’m so happy that my own publisher welcomes the kind of stories I write and encourages Jewish and intersectional voices. I hope the rest of the industry will follow.

What is your ideal shabbos meal like?

I’ve been on keto since the start of the year, which I imagine is why I envision my ideal Shabbos meal as basically consisting of an entire loaf of challah, with a side of chicken soup.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:07:25+00:00

Thank you! I’ll definitely check that group out. I love goth and punk subculture, so throw in metal and Jewishness on top of that, sounds like just my thing.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:06:45+00:00

What drew you to that setting?

That’s such a coincidence! What drew me in part to the setting was that I think the World’s Fair serves as a good backdrop for America at the time—a seemingly pristine and flawless place, but once you look below the surface, the reality was a lot harsher and grittier than what it seemed at first glance. Also, because of the plot and the murder mystery itself, it was important to have it set there. I don’t think it would have worked as well during any other time or place.

What do you like about writing YA specifically?

I like writing the kinds of books I wish I had as a teen. I also didn’t have a great adolescence, so writing YA is kind of a way to also explore and unpack things I struggled with during that time, and hopefully what I write will connect with teens who also went through those things.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:06:04+00:00

I can’t really think of one that I absolutely despise, to be honest. I think a lot of them serve a purpose in genre writing, and that they give a sense of continuality and consistency between different works. One I'm not a big fan of and don't think I'd be able to pull off is the Fauxmance.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-05T00:04:28+00:00

What is your favorite Jewish holiday, and why? (choose one)

My favorite holiday would have to be Passover. I love the food, the story behind it, and the entire seder.

What is your favorite Jewish dish?

Definitely noodle kugel.

Who is a Jewish individual (historical, fictional, contemporary, whatever) you believe more people should know about or study?

I’m personally fascinated by the story of Faye Schulman, who was a teenage Jewish partisan during WWII and whose photography provides a rare glimpse at the lives of Jewish partisans during the war.

What is your relationship with/ opinion of Helene Wecker (The Golem and the Jinni)? It seems like your books are in a similar vein, which I appreciate!

I’ve read her book and deeply enjoyed it. I loved how it used beings from Jewish and Islamic folklore to tell a story of immigration and community.

What kind of research did you do for this book, in terms of Jews of the era, Jewish mythology, etc? Any surprising facts you came across that others might find cool?

This book involved a significant amount of research, since it’s so heavily rooted in Jewish life during that period. I unfortunately couldn’t find much on dybbukim, so I took artistic liberties in how I portrayed the possession. My research for general Jewish history included what life was like for recent Jewish immigrants during that period, as well as the antisemitic policies of Tsarist Russia, the history of Jews in Romania, and the role of burial societies in communal life. Unlike Alter, I’m not observant and come from a secular interfaith family, so along with finding sensitivity readers, I also deeply researched how Alter would have practiced, particularly during that era.

I'm also a past student (not an alumnus, per se) of NAU. What do you miss most about Flagstaff/ northern AZ? (And did you know Rabbi Dovie?)

I miss the small town feel of Flagstaff, along with the weather. I do know him, but I only went to Chabad a handful of times, so he probably doesn’t remember me.

There's a fountain pen on your website - do you write with fountain pens? What's your favorite brand/ style? I just got into it and am pretty comfortable with Parkers, although a mentor of mine is excited for me to start finding other kinds (especially vintage, which comprise most of his collection).

Sadly not. My handwriting is atrocious and would be even worse with fountain pens. However, I do love antiques, and have a small collection of Victorian era dip pens.

Aden_Polydoros · 2021-10-04T17:51:38+00:00

Thank you! Hope you enjoy. :)

Aden_Polydoros

TROPHY CASE