#activate america

[feedists4progress]

hey did you know that you can get strega nona stamps? and you can put them on postcards to swing state voters via activate america??

[enfinizatics]

dear americans,

as a polish queer woman and human rights activist, i know exactly how you're feeling right now and what to expect from these elections. i lived through the 2015-2023 regime of pis, a right-wing populist party that divided families in the same way trump did. i’ve experienced the rise of fascism in poland, the influence of far-right parties like konfederacja, and their “santa’s little helpers”—ordo iuris, an ultra-conservative catholic organization (banned in many countries, mind you) that helped enforce a near-total abortion ban and runs anti-queer campaigns in public spaces. i supported the black protests in 2016 as a middle schooler when they first tried to ban abortion. as an adult, i actively participated in the 2020 women’s strike, running from police tear gas daily after they finally passed the ban. i supported friends who faced charges.

i’ve lived through intense homophobia in poland as a queer teen and adult. i survived the first pride march in my hometown, where far-right extremists threw stones and glass at us. i endured the anti-queer propaganda spread by the ruling party in state-owned media. i survived the “rainbow night,” poland’s own stonewall moment in summer 2020, when police arrested around 50 queer activists following the arrest of margo, a nonbinary activist. i survived the "lgbt-free zones," the targeted violence, the slurs from strangers on the street, and the protests i held against queerphobia. it was hard as fuck, but i survived.

but just because i survived, it doesn’t mean others did. many women died because of the abortion ban—marta, justyna, izabela, dorota, joanna, maria, and many others who didn’t survive pis’s draconian anti-abortion laws. milo, kacper, michał, zuzia (she was 12), wiktor, and other queer and trans kids and young adults took their own lives because of the relentless queerphobia.

despite all of this, our experience in poland can serve as a guide now. here are some tips for staying safe and how we, polish queers and women, organized under the regime:

safety first, always. if you know someone who’s had an abortion, no you don’t. if you know someone is trans, no you don’t. if you know people who help with safe abortions, no you don’t—at least not until you know it’s 100% safe to share. if you are queer or have had an abortion, only share this with people you trust fully. most importantly, not everyone has to be an activist just because they’re part of a minority. if it feels unsafe to share that you're queer, trans, etc., then don’t. it doesn’t make you any less queer.

use secure, encrypted messaging like signal for conversations on potentially risky topics, such as queerness, abortion, organizing counter-actions, protests—anything that might be used against you.

stay anonymous online. if you want to research or report something without surveillance, do not use regular internet. get a vpn (mullvad is affordable and reliable), download the tor browser (for both onion and standard links), and if you plan to whistleblow, consider using a riseup email account.

organize and build networks. community is everything now. support each other, foster independence, because your government won’t have your back. set up collectives, grassroots movements. create lists of trusted professionals—lawyers, doctors, etc.—who can offer support.

to lawyers and doctors: please consider pro-bono work. this is what got us through poland’s hardest times. your work will be needed now more than ever.

for protests or risky actions: always write a pro-bono lawyer’s number on your arm with a permanent marker.

get to know the anarchist black cross federation and other resources on safety culture: "Starting an anarchist black cross group: A guide"; Still We Rise - A resource pack for transgender and non-gender conforming people in prison; Safe OUTside the system by the Audre Lorde Project;

for safe abortion info or involvement: get familiar with womenhelpwomen.

stay radical, stay strong, stay informed: The Anarchist Library

if i forgot to (or didn't) include something, don't hesitate to reblog this post with other resources.

[sunbeamedskies]

The left SUCKS at recruiting people. And so many of you are part of the problem.

The talk about centrists and moderates being the literal devil I see constantly in online leftist spaces is one great example of the left's failure. Yes, it sucks when the people don't see how horrible the right is. But centrists are some of the most open people to discussion- and some already lean left!!

You can't demonize moderates to such an extent that you close yourself off to them and then wonder why you're losing swing states.

Centrists aren't even always people with all the privileges- you will find plenty of people who are part of marginalized groups who are concerned about politicians on all sides.

You can be a smol radical leftist bean all you want who only talks to other smol socialist and communist beans, but you're never going to make the difference you want to in the world that way. It's the cold, hard truth. It doesn't mean you have to engage in discourse with everyone- some people have no real hope of changing and are emotionally draining- just more than your bubble.

I am tired of the left eating itself alive and deranged people like Trump winning.

[sugas6thtooth]

May Aaron rest in peace. His values and the legacy he leaves behind is one of humanity. Society has failed, to the point where we must go up in flames to request a natural obligation such as freedom.

[happyheidi]

deer walks into a store and later brings her whole family for another visit 🛒

Horsetooth Store, Gas, and RV Park

(via)

[mysharona1987]

This doesn’t sound healing. Sounds like she’s almost mute and borderline catatonic at times following her ordeal.

[beauty-funny-trippy]

[seizethenightagain2]

Brian Justin Crum 💜💜

As time goes on, I want this man more and more 🥵

[alwaysbewoke]

Thomas Jennings was a free man born in 1791 in New York City. He was 30 years old when he was granted a patent for a dry cleaning process. In his early 20s Thomas Jennings became a tailor, and later opened a dry cleaning business in the city. As a tailor. Jennings' skills were so admired that people near and far came to him to alter or custom tailor items of clothing for them. Eventually, Jennings reputation grew such that he was able to open his own store on Church street which grew into one of the largest clothing stores in New York City. While running his business Jennings developed dry-scouring. He had many customers complain of their clothes being ruined by stains and so he began experimenting with cleaners and mixtures that would remove the stains without harming the material. He earned a large amount of money as a tailor and even more with his dry scouring invention and most of the money he earned went to his abolitionist activities. In 1831, Thomas Jennings became assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, PA. Thomas L. Jennings Dry Scouring technique created modern day dry cleaning. Jennings was fortunate that he was a free man at the time of his invention. Besides all the other indignities and cruelties slaves had to face, they were also ineligible to hold a patent. Under the US patent laws of 1793 a person must sign an oath or declaration stating that they were a citizen of the USA. While there were, apparently, provisions through which a slave could enjoy patent protection, the ability of a slave to seek out, receive and defend a patent was unlikely. Later, in 1858, the patent office changed the laws, stating that since slaves were not citizens, they could not hold a patent. Furthermore, the court said that the slave owner, not being the true inventor could not apply for a patent either. Thomas Jennings died in New York City in 1856.

[tododeku-or-bust]

"It is ludicrous for the society to believe that these temporary measures can long contain the tempers of an oppressed people. And when the dynamite does go off, pious pronouncements of patience should not go forth. Blame should not be placed on “outside agitators” or on “Communist influence” or on advocates of Black Power. That dynamite was placed there by white racism and it was ignited by white racist indifference and unwillingness to act justly."

Kwame Ture and Charles V Hamilton: Black Power- The Politics of Liberation in America, 1967

[nando161mando]

"We are calling for court support on September 19 at 8:30am, in Fort Worth, Texas, in order to support drag defenders fighting a civil suit from fascist group New Columbia Movement. The courthouse is located at 100 N. Calhoun Street, Fort Worth, TX, and the hearing will be in the 4th floor courtroom for the 48th District Court

Once the courtroom fills up, we are also inviting people to stand outside the courthouse with signs and banners showing their support.

More details to come soon, but the tl;dr is that everyone should cover identifying markings as a standard anti-doxxing precaution, and should remember that the goal of this particular action is not disruption, we are here to stand in solidarity with drag defenders facing legal persecution and show them they're not alone"

@antifainternational @anarchistmemecollective @radicalgraff @kropotkindersurprise

[laertive]

draw a countryhuman

I’ve been wanting to do this for yearss and finally got around to it!

[sugas6thtooth]

An easy way to protest Israeli products that actively support the genocide in Gaza. This is something you can do.

Spread the word. Get involved. Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[beauty-funny-trippy]

Comparing Kamala Harris' nomination acceptance speech with Donald Trump's acceptance speech

Which one of these two sounds like a leader of a great nation — with an optimistic, unconditional love for America, and a defender of freedom...

...and which one sounds like an instigator — a spokesperson for Vladimir Putin — disparaging America and sowing the seeds of division, conflict, and treason?

[seizethenightagain2]

Brian Justin Crum Appreciation Post 💜

Handsome and Hairy Chested American 🇺🇸 Singer best know for competing in 2016’s Season of Americas Got Talent, Finishing in Fourth Place 💜

An out and proud gay man 🏳️‍🌈 with a fabulous voice best displayed when he performed a superb cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” 💜💜

Brian continues to write and perform his music aging like a fine wine 🍷💜

Plus… how cute is that smile? 😊 💜

[eyes-stiched-open]

Executed a pregnant mother for $20 worth of items.

This is too much.