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I don't think I was supposed to live this long and that's why things are so bad

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this shit fucked me up

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19th century mother of pearl hand-carved with the crucifixion

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winter snow in southern china by 哈利萌YM and 猪肝面

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"In the royal inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727 BCE) is a detailed passage describing the defeat of a foreign ruler. It reads just like every other description of an Assyrian king defeating an enemy: a description of how desolate the land is, a short phrase saying the enemy was destroyed, a detailed explanation of the aftermath of the battle, and finally the foreign ruler surrendering and sending gifts to their new ruler. What sets this passage apart is the gender of the ruler: Samsi is not a king, but has the title šarrat aribī — “Queen of the Arabs”. 

Samsi was not the only woman with this title in the royal inscriptions — in total, five women are called “Queen of the Arabs”. One was imposed as ruler of the Arabs by the Assyrian king, and two more were queens of cities along the Persian Gulf in the Arabian Peninsula. These women are described as sending tribute to Assyria, leading armies, and in one instance there is a suggestion that they had a prominent religious role in their community. 

The institution of “woman kings” lasted over 200 years. It was clearly an important element of Northwestern Arabian society in the first millennium. Sadly, with very little written evidence from the Arabians during this time, we can only rely on the Assyrian narrative. Samsi and the other “women kings” may have been part of a much older institution, and there are likely many other women whose names have been lost over time. Thankfully the little information recorded by the Assyrian scribes that we have about these women has ensured their legacy has not been forgotten, and Samsi can serve as a reminder of the power these ancient women held."

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If you read "maybe it's not helping us if the only thing boys and young men see from equity-seeking spaces is how they, personally, are to blame for everything and we actively hate them and they're garbage, regardless of behaviour, their own experiences/situations/marginalizations, and maybe we need to address that"...

...and you immediately interpret that as "you're telling me I have to prioritize never hurting men's feelings" and so on....

....maybe stop and consider that there are in fact a range of ways to treat people and interact with people and even work for change that include more options than "any criticism at all hurts feelings and is not allowed" and "people who have a characteristic that is more privileged than mine in society can be rightfully subjected to anything I want to do or say to them and I don't have to think about the impact, accuracy or justice of anything I say, ever."

Like there are some other options here. Human communication and consideration allows for a whole range in between these two comical yet so often foregrounded extremes.

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a whole bunch of gazan mutual aid projects and nonprofits. if the decision of which individual fundraiser to give to feels too daunting, or if you just want to help as many people as possible in one go, these are great initiatives to support.

care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.

connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims

gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme

glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.

ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme

life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure

taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies

the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care

islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support

baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies

gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.

hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste

anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care

palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon

dahnoun mutual aid - provides water, food, tents, baby supplies, financial support, and other necessities. updates can be found through their instagram

certainly this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add on other projects or organizations that i didn't include. and as always, please take the time to donate if you can and share. it truly makes all the difference.

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Make plans for a month from now, for two months from now, for five. Pick a restaurant and book a reservation for April. Circle a museum exhibit.

Find joy and hold onto it tight. Give yourself a reason to look forward. And keep your community close.

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Normalize this response

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ilove people who work at front desks of things. i can walk into a building and go to the desk and i ask how do i do this thing. and then they just fucking tell me !!!!

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For those people who need to hear it, there is nothing wrong with going back into the closet for your own safety. You aren't less queer because you can't be queer publicly. You aren't less trans because you have to act like you're not trans.

If you need to start going by your old pronouns or quietly go back into the closet to be safe - you are allowed to do that. Please do that if it means you're alive.

Your safety is important.

You are important.

And if you know someone who has to do this, don't push them. Don't out them. Follow their lead. People's safety is more important that grandstanding.

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fountain in italy

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sports is often about the sex that is not being had