#Elisa Rae Shupe

[probablyasocialecologist]

The full archive—sent to me, and other journalists—contains every email Shupe sent or received, from both of her two email accounts, between 2017 and 2023, the years when she was most active as a member of the organized anti-trans movement. There are years of media, legislative and tactical strategy outlined in those emails; there are conversations in which some of the most well-known TERFs in the movement coordinate strategy and brainstorm talking points. It is a playbook for how anti-trans organizations operate and a compressed history of how the TERF movement joined forces with the Christian right to create the current moment.

Most important, it is a record of how Elisa Rae Shupe was crafted into a weapon; how her narrative was established, edited and eventually taken out of her control, even as her name appeared on testimonies, Supreme Court briefings and highly circulated op-eds. This is the making of a “detransitioner.” More like her are being made every day.

[...]

There is a long history of extremist movements recruiting damaged and isolated individuals to do their dirty work. Yet Shupe’s crusade wrecked her life, and in the end, the movement that elevated her also chewed her up and spat her out without hesitation. There was no big fuck-you-I’m-out moment for Shupe, no definitive point when she knew it was over; the tide just turned on her. A fellow TERF named Karen Davis started publicly attacking Shupe for her supposed autogynephilia. Shupe says she received death threats.

“I was gradually waking up to the fact that, you know, I was just a useful idiot, are the two words I would use,” Shupe tells me. “I got the vibe that they wanted me to help them, they wanted me to use them, but they wouldn’t trust somebody like me around their kids.”

[foolishfynnesse]

So, something I didn’t realize is that Elisa Rae Shupe has retransitioned and has denounced her previous work in the anti-trans movement. Which is a great thing! I didn’t know this until literally just today. I think she was also the one to leak the emails in the first place? I get if some people feel like they should be skeptical of Elisa, but let’s not bring her down because of past mistakes. She was victim to conservatives and their anti-trans rhetoric. I wish I had figured this out sooner; I am deeply sorry about my earlier post. And if I sent any hate her way at all, I am also very sorry for that. I should have put a message saying that no one should go after her, but I didn’t, which was irresponsible of me. I’ll be deleting my earlier post about her, even though I know that doesn’t undo all the possible damage. People have already reblogged my post. If anyone who has reblogged my earlier post sees this, please delete the reblog. I don’t want to go around spreading Elisa’s deadname everywhere and spreading misinformation about her current doings. Also, for those who are curious, here’s the link to maia arson crimew’s post about the leaked emails.

[exeggcute]

reading the recent exposé about leaked emails from the south dakotan legislator and his cronies who've been building an anti-trans agenda for years now (which also makes an interesting contrast/complement with some of the fox news stuff I was speculating about on here the other day—like, to the extent that the trans panic culture war we're seeing is "organic" and not purely manufactured by the murdoch empire, it still seems like it came out of a really small but vocal minority and got amplified by the right people at the right time to really take off... but anyway.) and a couple paragraphs in particular caught my eye:

In 2019, Deutsch tweeted that he would try to criminalize doctors who followed the Endocrine Society’s clinical practice guidelines for treating people with gender dysphoria. He would later claim the idea for such a law had come from “children I saw on Twitter” who told him to read Reddit forums about detransitioning. By that summer, Deutsch had quietly assembled a group of advisers, including people who had once identified as trans only to reverse course and deny that anyone is truly transgender. They helped him workshop legislative language, supporting materials, and proponent testimony.

“It was like Deutsch assembled a team of Navy SEALs—we were all trained killers in a specialty,” says Elisa Rae Shupe, a retired US Army soldier who became a vocal anti-trans advocate and participated in Deutsch’s working group after detransitioning. Shupe has since retransitioned, disavowed much of her old activism, and shared her copies of the working group’s emails with reporters. Religious-right rhetoric about wanting to help children with gender dysphoria is “just a front for what they do behind the scenes,” she says. “It’s like they want to do as much damage to the trans community as they can.”

which, like, I can't say if this is the first piece of hard evidence that the "detrans" community isn't merely congregating in little hateful reddit communities but also actively working to make america less safe for trans people, or if this is simply the first time that I personally have seen hard evidence of such... but either way, here it is

[judedoyle]

A few weeks ago, former TERF activist Elisa Rae Shupe handed me all of her emails from 2017 to 2023, the years when she was most active in the movement. I found out that a lot of things that you've always suspected are true -- and saw how they positioned Shupe as the "detransitioner" they needed, no matter what the cost to her.

[subdee]

“People like me are inferior sales tools,” Shupe tells me in an email. “Although some people will sympathize with narratives like the one that Laura Ingraham peddled, that I’m mentally ill, and instead of giving me therapy, the VA gave me hormones, etc., it’s not as good of a seller as a damaged young woman.”

***

An article that connects TERFs to the Christian right and names names in both movements; talks about the quest for "detrans" narratives that will be saleable to the public; and is just a really sad story of a "useful idiot" (their words) who "burned bridges on both sides" -

In her career as a “detransitioner,” there was one thing Elisa Rae Shupe had not yet done: detransition.

[yourunderwaterskies]

very similar story with another detransitioner who went back on HRT later and came out again as trans, Elisa Rae Schupe. She also was manipulated by the far right/GC movement.

https://xtramagazine.com/power/detransition-terf-movement-elisa-shupe-247592

TERFs are a hate group.

[frosted-buns]

please please please PLEASE god never forget the horrific harm caused to the trans community as a whole by Elisa Rae Shupe and do not ever take the 2600 emails they leaked of the harm they caused as some form of accountability because it in no way undoes the harm they have caused. If you want to see the type of shit they did just watch the interviews they did for fox news repeatedly and their work with the heritage foundation and being a huge part making conversion therapy so big.

[jessequinones]

You Can't Copyright AI Text

You shouldn’t be able to at least.

This entire post is gonna be a response to this article: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/04/author-granted-copyright-over-book-with-ai-generated-text-with-a-twist/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2V8UhBqIhPZOItkutVWV5dbrdzcfv1temluvDLoqq2mH_VYhQ8XQmJWeg_aem_AVdhQregse5E_2iNn2sfJWW_g2qbp6kMQe1224x8sroZY6JNpxAl20foXPq5_FhwZm3VnVmoyXoNWXK8mFpY7JmR

So if you would like full context, go take a quick read then come back to me, I’ll wait.

Now with that out of the way, let’s begin.

The article talks about how Elisa Shupe was able to get her book copyrighted despite using AI text in her novel and in a weird turn of events no one mentioned her book or where to find it, so I did the work and discovered it’s called “AI Machinations: Tangled Webs and Typed Words” under the pen name Ellen Rae, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.com/AI-Machinations-Tangled-Typed-Words-ebook/dp/B0CKWSQYVV/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=Mnte1&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=138-1086470-4047013&pd_rd_wg=JsCX3&pd_rd_r=95cbab0f-fbc0-4b67-8c1f-dbdc7d81c427&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

I was only able to find this thanks to the United States Copyright search engine here: https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&ti=1,1&SAB1=Elisa%20Shupe&BOOL1=all%20of%20these&FLD1=Keyword%20Anywhere%20%28GKEY%29&GRP1=OR%20with%20next%20set&SAB2=Ellen%20Rae&BOOL2=as%20a%20phrase&FLD2=Keyword%20Anywhere%20%28GKEY%29&CNT=25&PID=KsAg2GziUD-KWXZ2p16doyefGFC9I_&SEQ=20240423225121&SID=8

The copyright office doesn’t seem to acknowledge Elisa as the owner of her “completed work” but merely in the “arrangement” in which those AI texts are placed. “This means no one can copy the book without permission, but the actual sentences and paragraphs themselves are not copyrighted and could theoretically be rearranged and republished as a different book.” - KATE KNIBBS, WIRED.COM – 4/18/2024 11:24PM

Now I don’t need to know and I don’t care why Elisa created a book with AI text, all I want to focus on is what this means for the future of storytelling and copyright?

For starters, since the book is free thanks to Kindle Unlimited, I can download it, and rip the text straight from the book but as long as I rearrange the words, I’m safe. First of all...how much of it needs to be rearranged for it to no longer count as stealing? Can I simply move words around or do I need to add in my own input? How much of my own input is needed?

I took a chapter from the book and rearranged it, here’s my version of the text which I got from said book which according to the copyright office, is legal.

[This is for educational purposes only]

The pallid light of an October morning spilt into the Wakefield kitchen, accompanied by the gentle rustling of leaves. Lily, ever observant, set her backpack down by the breakfast bar and looked closely at her mother. "Mom," she began, concerned, "you should sit down for a bit. You look tired."

Brenna forced a smile, appreciating her daughter's concern. The pressing nature of the situation bore down on her. "You know we have plans," Lily called out, her voice irritated and affectionate.

Brenna hesitated for a few seconds, yesterday’s meeting still fresh in her mind. "Thank you, sweetie. I'll be okay. Just one of those days, you know?" Brenna leaned down, despite her pain, “Tell me about that darkness.”

“Alright,” she conceded with a smile. "Let's just say I have my ways considering how many Confederate prisoners died,” Lily's expression brightened.

Brenna snapped, “This is me trying to make things right and,” Brenna's eyes widened. “Is that what I think it is?”

“A forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera. Top of the line. It can detect the slightest temperature variations.”

“How did you manage to get this?" Brenna took the camera, sensing its heft in her hand. The reality of what they might discover tonight suddenly felt more tangible. "Thank you," she whispered back.

***

I would like to point out I didn’t add any of my own words, I merely rearranged Elisa's to create a new story which is different from hers. Under normal copyright laws I would consider this stealing because I literally stole Elisa’s words, rearranged them, and added none of my own input and if you agree with what I did is considered stealing, congratulations, that’s how AI text is made.

If the copyright office allows these kinds of stories to be copyrighted then we’re gonna see more and more text which are stolen from authors used in stories under the AI machine. Again, I ask, how much-stolen work will the copyright office allow to be used if we could go with the excuse “A machine made it but I changed it.”

[This is for educational purposes only]

Me - Give me two paragraphs which use text from Warriors Into The Wild, Lord of the Rings, and Wings of Fire

AI - Here's a mashup of two paragraphs using text from "Warriors: Into the Wild," "Lord of the Rings," and "Wings of Fire":

In the heart of the forest, Firepaw watched as the shadows lengthened, casting a darkening cloak over the land. The whispering wind carried tales of ancient battles and forgotten realms, stirring memories of a time when the world was young and filled with magic. As he gazed into the depths of the woods, Firepaw felt a sense of foreboding, as if unseen eyes were watching his every move, waiting for the moment to strike. He knew that danger lurked in the shadows, but he also knew that he was not alone. With the courage of a warrior, he pressed forward, determined to face whatever challenges lay ahead, for he was destined for greatness

***

AI steals from authors, I didn’t create any of the text you just read, but thanks to Elisa and the copyright office, all I’ll have to do is most likely change Firepaw’s name and I’ll be golden, despite telling AI to use stolen text.

Let me be very clear, AI doesn’t create anything new, it’s a machine which was created using stolen works and if for some reason you don’t believe me, take it from Open AI themselves. “OpenAI said it could not train large language models such as its GPT-4 model – the technology behind ChatGPT – without access to copyrighted work.” - The Guardian, 2024 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/08/ai-tools-chatgpt-copyrighted-material-openai

If you use AI to create a story, it shouldn’t be copyrighted because the “words” you use to create a story didn't come from you. I understand creating a story is hard, and for those who suffer from a disability where it’s difficult to create a story the normal way, I can see the appeal of using AI. However, please don't use it until AI can be made where it’ll NEVER steal from others.

“I fired a nuke at the US Copyright Office this morning,” - Elisa Shupe (2024)

I can’t deny that, because I can only see this snowballing into more AI-written books trying to get copyrighted and while Elisa admitted to using AI text, not everyone will. Here’s another article by Kate where she goes into detail about how Amazon has an AI book problem so the problem is already here and it’s getting worse thanks to Elisa’s book making it through the copyright office: https://www.wired.com/story/scammy-ai-generated-books-flooding-amazon/

It’s nearly impossible to figure out who’s using AI text unless they tell us. But if someone gets caught using AI text, they can simply claim they changed enough of the AI version to justify putting their own “spin” on things.

“You don't just hit ‘generate’ and get something worthy of publishing. That may come in the future, but we're still far from it,” she says, noting that she spent upwards of 14 hours a day working on her draft … On a sentence level, she adjusted almost every line in some way, from changes in word choice to structure. One example describing a character in the novel: “Mark eyed her, a complex mix of concern and annoyance evident in his gaze” becomes “Mark studied her, his gaze reflecting both worry and irritation.” - Elisa & Kate (2024)

Anyone can claim this. Anyone who uses AI text can say they spend 14 hours a day, going over AI written text and changing it, but it still doesn’t eliminate the fact that Elisa used stolen text to help create a story. It doesn’t change the story she "created" is now copyrighted and being sold to others with protection.

I honestly don’t know why Elisa used AI text because in her own words, “firing a nuke at the US Copyright Office” is so good, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Those words came from a person, they were created by thought, and it describe this situation so perfectly, that I have to give credit to the person who created it, Elisa Shupe.

I guess only time will tell how the United States Copyright Office will handle AI-created stuff but if they agree with one person using it, others will follow. If your argument is that you need AI to help write because of your disability, then please speak with disabled writers. I give out free writing advice all the time because I enjoy writing and I want others to enjoy it as well.

What makes writing beautiful is that it comes from a human. Humans with their own thoughts, ideas, and personalities. I could end this article by saying something profound that’ll reflect on the themes of what you just read, or...I could say something stupid but regardless of how this article ends, it ended as it began, with a human thought...pickles.

[aroldpdl]

"Don’t answer this and save it for the journalist’s questions, but is what got pitched to me the same treatment plan that you folks have in mind for these transgender kids and adults? You know, all that stuff I mentioned above. Church, bible reading, 12-step programs, etc. Or should these trans kids get the sham gender-critical stuff: GET. Alleged “Gender Explorative Therapy,” where quack therapists who insurance companies refuse to pay endlessly probe them for $205 per hour in cash with a host of plausible reasons they’re trans until their gender identity gets destabilized. It reminds me of the false memory stuff, Dr. McHugh. If you can’t find something, manufacture it. Then put them on TV with Tucker Carlson afterward. So they can claim they cut their breasts off because a man made a pass at them. I ask because I’m unclear on your treatment plan other than yanking these vulnerable people off necessary medical care."

holy damn SHIT.

[zenosanalytic]

This is such a sad fucking story. A part that jumped out to me in particular:

During our phone call, she recalls the night the Daily Signal op-ed went live: “I sat there at my screen, watching these high-powered Twitter accounts, a lot of them anonymous, with tens of thousands of followers, tweet it one by one. It was an orchestrated event. Less than 24 hours later, Fox was on the phone going, ‘Hey, we want you on Laura Ingraham tonight. We’ll send a car to pick you up.’” 

That would be a big moment in anyone’s life, and it was particularly huge for a middle-aged veteran living on disability. Shupe, for what it’s worth, agrees with this: “I’m just sitting at home, adrift, every day,” she tells me. “So, you know, what is it like when somebody like Marchiano sends me a new mission to go on? I got something to do. I’m useful now. I’m no longer this loser on disability. I’m a useful person to a movement.” 

How pernicious, the idea of usefulness; this ideology that says a life isn't worth living without purpose, that life needs it? This idea our society plants in all of us that if we aren't Important, Known, Famous, Active, then we're Losers. That losing is the worst possible thing a person can do. As if competitions, as if fucking GAMES, were more relevant than our very lives.

I know this article is about how conservatives manipulate and exploit detransitioners but it low-key lays out the ways our hierarchical, competition-obsessed society makes us susceptible to such manipulation so powerfully.

The full archive—sent to me, and other journalists—contains every email Shupe sent or received, from both of her two email accounts, between 2017 and 2023, the years when she was most active as a member of the organized anti-trans movement. There are years of media, legislative and tactical strategy outlined in those emails; there are conversations in which some of the most well-known TERFs in the movement coordinate strategy and brainstorm talking points. It is a playbook for how anti-trans organizations operate and a compressed history of how the TERF movement joined forces with the Christian right to create the current moment.

Most important, it is a record of how Elisa Rae Shupe was crafted into a weapon; how her narrative was established, edited and eventually taken out of her control, even as her name appeared on testimonies, Supreme Court briefings and highly circulated op-eds. This is the making of a “detransitioner.” More like her are being made every day.

[…]

There is a long history of extremist movements recruiting damaged and isolated individuals to do their dirty work. Yet Shupe’s crusade wrecked her life, and in the end, the movement that elevated her also chewed her up and spat her out without hesitation. There was no big fuck-you-I’m-out moment for Shupe, no definitive point when she knew it was over; the tide just turned on her. A fellow TERF named Karen Davis started publicly attacking Shupe for her supposed autogynephilia. Shupe says she received death threats.

“I was gradually waking up to the fact that, you know, I was just a useful idiot, are the two words I would use,” Shupe tells me. “I got the vibe that they wanted me to help them, they wanted me to use them, but they wouldn’t trust somebody like me around their kids.”