#ask my sisters. ask my women friends. ask the planned parenthood i donate to every time i go in. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fromunder-thecorktree · 3 years ago

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Posting this here first, a place that has been safe for me for the past ten years because I feel defeated and enraged and am building up the courage to share it where support will not be guaranteed.

Here goes. I had an abortion. I share this now publicly because I feel like it needs to be said. Many of my close friends already knew but my family had no idea. Stating this publicly means I will probably lose the respect and love of family members. I choose to share my store anyways despite fear because it is so often unspoken. It is your mother, your sister, your cousin, your friend and your loved ones that this is affecting. You may not even know the heartbreak people you claim to care about are feeling right now as they are faced to relive a choice they were able to make for themselves and what their life could have looked like if that choice was taken from them. At 20 years old I had just moved to a new city was attempting to restart my higher education and didn’t have a job. I found out I was pregnant just weeks after moving. Yes, I was irresponsible at 20 years old. I was raised with a “keep your pants on attitude” with a very Catholic family. I had previously been denied access to birth control the year before by my mother, whom, at the time due to lack of education, I thought I had to listen to due to being under her insurance. I was in no state mentally, physically, or financially to raise a child. I was lucky to have a support system and have access to the medical care that I needed at the time. I was lucky enough to be able to choose what my future would like and choose when I was ready to have a child and raise them the way they deserve to be raised. Leaving this choice up to each state will put thousands of peoples lives at risk. Our already overwhelmed prison system will be even more flooded by innocent women, lgbtq+, doctors, nurses, and supporters who will not stop fighting for every persons right to bodily autonomy. I have watched many friends and acquaintances choose to be young parents and I am so proud of what amazing parents they are but that would not have been me and I have not regretted my choice for a single second. If you’ve gone through this, if you’ve felt like this, if you are still unable to share your story please know that you are not alone, you are loved and you are supported. If you have read this far without unfriending me thank you. If you have read this far and plan to unfriend me then please see yourself out. Now I ask you to take action. First and most importantly, planned parenthood’s across the nation will soon be overwhelmed by women and the lgbtq+ community who thought they had more time and now need immediate health care or access to birth control before their states make it inaccessible or even unlawful. If you’re able to please donate. Secondly, vote! Vote at the lowest levels of government, vote at every level of government. Read up on and be aware of the stances your local representatives take and vote for those that best align with your interests. State representation has never been more important for the health and well-being of your loved ones. And lastly thank you, thank you to everyone who is taking a stand, who is willing to share their anguish and lose friends and family over it. Thank you for showing your support to those you may not even know need it. I have been amazed and pleasantly surprised as equally as I have been shocked by some peoples stances. No matter what you believe is right it is not your choice to make for another person and now we need to fight to protect that right.

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renaerys · 5 years ago

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18. “I think you’re beautiful.” (Boomer/Bubbles)

February Fic Prompt #8 originally requested by the lovely huinari.

xxx

This was, far and away, the nicest thing Boomer had ever done for anyone. And it wasn’t even for his girlfriend, but for her micromanaging older sister.

“Okay boys, you’re on in 10!” Blossom said. “Make sure you pause to pose at the end of the catwalk so the photographers can get some good pictures for the paper. Remember, this is for charity, so it’s meaningful and important work. You should all feel extremely proud of yourselves for helping out. I know I am.”

Boomer groaned and stared at his painted reflection in the vanity. His winged eye-liner, violet eye shadow, and push-up bra made him feel some kind of way, but it was not proud. As much as he adored Bubbles, and as much as he valued Blossom as a friend, he could not help but regret his decision to participate in the charity drag show, no matter how much money they were raising for the Townsville Planned Parenthood branch.

“How the fuck do girls wear all this shit?” said Floyd, picking at the tight fishnets under his miniskirt that were causing a wedgie. “It’s so uncomfortable!”

“Beauty is pain,” said Mitch, where he currently sat battling a strappy kitten heel sandal that was obviously a size too small for his foot. “Jesus fucking Christ, I’ve literally never been so close to committing shoe murder!”

“Is that a thing?” Boomer asked, pulling at his hair. He was one of the few boys with naturally longer hair, which Buttercup had curled and styled for him. The result was that he looked a little like Bubbles, save for the insane amount of theater makeup.

“I mean, is a shoe alive?” asked Harry as he touched up his fire-engine red lipstick in the mirror over Boomer’s shoulder. The dude was completely at ease walking around in Beyoncé’s Single Ladies costume.

“Of course it is! Every shoe has a personality.” Bubbles giggled as she made the rounds to all the Townsville High School Junior boys who’d signed up to participate in the charity show.

“Personality doesn’t equal sentience,” Mitch said, still struggling. “Otherwise, this thing would feel my murder intent and get on my fucking foot!”

He lost his temper and threw the shoe clear across the room, where Buttercup caught it before it could sustain damage. “Why do I feel like I just interrupted some dumb argument?”

“We’re at a drag show,” Boomer said. “How are you surprised?”

“Bro, you’re doing it wrong. You gotta tuck that shit away,” said Joey, captain of the football team and unexpectedly super down to get this show on the road. He did look rather fabulous in his leopard print romper. Objectively speaking.

“I am?” Elmer Sgloo looked like someone had used him to crack open a disco ball. He nervously examined his tight, sequined pants that left little to the imagination.

“Yeah, you know, tuck,” Joey insisted.

“But I thought I did!”

“No—here, fine, I’ll help you.”

Harry whistled suggestively. “Get a room, you two.”

“Or not. My sister will castrate all of you if you hold up the show,” Buttercup said. She held out the recovered shoe to Mitch. “C’mon Cinderella, gimme that foot.”

Bubbles laughed as she watched them all, but Boomer didn’t share her amusement. He looked sullenly at his reflection.

Butch and Brick are never gonna let me live this one down.

His brothers would be in the audience of course. Neither had been willing to participate in the show, of course, no matter what Blossom said or did. She hadn’t put up much of a fight; when Brick made up his mind, that was that. But Boomer, sap that he was, just couldn’t say no.

“Hey you,” Bubbles said softly enough that no one could overhear them. “How are you holding up? Ready to get out there?”

Boomer met her gaze in the mirror, and he just couldn’t deal anymore. “No, I’m really not.”

Bubbles’ soft smile morphed into genuine concern, and she spun him around in his chair to look at him properly. “What’s the matter? Boomer, talk to me. You look really upset. Does the dress not fit?”

He shook his head. Glitter fell from his hair, and that just made him feel even worse. “No, the dress is fine. Everything’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. Hey, look at me.”

He looked at her. She was so pretty in skinny jeans and a blazer over her 100% Human T-shirt in support of the event. Her hair was up and out of her face, professional for the evening but somehow still the cute, sweet girl he’d fallen for hard. It was stupid, he was stupid, and he knew she’d tell him as much. But damnit, he couldn’t help but feel upset knowing what his brothers and the other guys at school would say when they saw him.

“I just feel so…so ugly like this,” he whined. “Like, I know it’s for a good cause. And I really thought it’d be fun. For real. I wasn’t just doing it because you asked. Mitch ’n the guys are here too, it’s cool, just…”

“Just, Mitch and the guys aren’t Brick and Butch,” Bubbles said simply.

Boomer sighed. He wanted to rub his eyes, but the last time he did that Robin gave him an earful for ruining the makeup she’d spent so much time perfecting.

“Boomer,” Bubbles said. “I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to hear me, all right?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Hey.” She kneeled down so she was looking up at him and held his hands in hers. “I’m serious. Are you listening?”

“I’m listening.”

“Good. I think you’re beautiful.”

He scoffed. “Uh-huh.”

She didn’t laugh at him. Her hand pressed over his heart. “You are the kindest, most compassionate person I know. You care so much about people, even when they don’t always return that kindness. That takes an amazing kind of strength most people aren’t brave enough to have, and I think that’s super hot.”

Boomer stared at her. “C’mon.”

She tugged on his dress and pulled him closer. “I’ve never been more serious.”

He was surprised when she kissed him, heedless of the lipstick that would ruin her own makeup, but he just about lost his mind when she climbed onto his lap and made out with him right there in front of everyone. Harry whistled, and Joey and Mitch laughed and clapped.

“Get some, Queen!” Floyd joked.

“Oh my god,” Buttercup muttered. “I seriously need new friends.”

Breathless, Boomer stared up at his girlfriend as she very, very sexily wiped bright pink lipstick residue from her lips and winked at him. “If your brothers have a problem, they can take it up with me personally. I’m actually pretty hardcore, you know.”

Yes, yes he did know. He swallowed and nodded, speechless.

Blossom came back in, her eyes glued to her clipboard and a headset buzzing on her head. “Okay guys, we’re on! Harry, you’re up first, so go line up. Remember, as flamboyant as possible. This is to make people happy so they want to donate the big bucks.” She looked around the room and smiled sincerely. “You all look fabulous, holy cow.”

“I swear to god, if this doesn’t, like, end with free birth control for all, I’m officially quitting the human race,” Mitch said.

“I like your energy, Mitch. Keep that going out there,” Blossom said. She clapped her hands. “Let’s go, the music’s starting!”

Bubbles helped Boomer up. He ran his thumb over her lip to wipe away some of the lipstick she’d missed. “Well, here I go to my social suicide. Guess there’s worse ways to go that don’t help at-risk women.”

Bubbles grinned. “Your feminism is a big turn on for me right now.”

“…Wait, for real?”

“Boomer, go! Stop staring at Bubbles and get your cute butt out there!” Blossom swooped over and grabbed him by the elbow.

“Wait, Bubbles, for real though?” he called after her.

They’d talked about, you know, going all the way, but only in passing, metaphorically speaking. Could she really mean…???

The spotlight was bright and the music was loud, but Boomer forgot all about his trepidation thinking about Bubbles’ smile, the way she’d kissed him so confidently, and her genuine words. Who cared what Butch and Brick thought? It suddenly seemed so insignificant as he took the stage to a crowd of cheering, screaming people all looking for a fun night out. Joey high-fived him enthusiastically as they passed on the catwalk, and Boomer couldn’t stop himself smiling.

Maybe, doing something to help people wasn’t so bad.

#Boomubbles #Blues #Boomer #Bubbles #Powerpuff Girls #PPG #Powerpuff Girls fanfiction #February Fic Prompts #repost #i am so weak for these two

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atths--twice · 5 years ago

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F, I, V for the fic asks! :)

Thanks @admiralty-xfd for the questions

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Okay, so this is from one of my favorite first stories, My Per Cor Meum story. Set immediately after Per Manum, I had Mulder stay the night, holding Scully as they shared in the pain of losing the possibility of a child. Mulder is there with her, both taking the week off, and he is helping her as much as she will allow. She has lunch with her mother and as she leaves and sits in the park, she hears church bells ringing. Following the sound, she finds a church and a sweet little old Scottish man who shares his own personal story of heartbreak, of how he and his wife could not have children. I’ll tell you, I cried my eyes out writing this, picturing it first on my drive home and crying in the car. That old man is part Carroll O’Connor and part my uncle Jack, and I love him immensely. This bit of dialogue, of all the stories I’ve written, and all the tears I’ve shed, this one is so poignant to me that it has sat with me for over a year now. I love it so much. I can picture every bit of it in that old church.

“We took a trip back to Scotland before she got too sick. Visited the old pub, renewed our vows, drank, and danced, and saw the greenest hills and the bluest skies you’ll ever see,” he took a deep breath. “I asked her, as we sat on a bench looking out over the sea, if she felt I failed her. With never having a child of our own. We could have adopted, but we didn’t. She said not one day did she regret the life we lived. She had raised twenty seven people, then helped those people raise fifteen more. She had clothed hundreds of people, fed thousands, cared for as many when they were sick or dying. She was a mother, a mother to many. They may not have been from her own body, but they were her family. Not by blood, but by bond. The bond of love.”

He squeezed Scully’s hand again and she squeezed back.

“She sounds like she was an amazing person. Someone I would have been honored to know. Your pride for her is so beautiful. She must have helped everyone in this community,” Scully said with a smile.

“Oh, aye. They all came to help when she needed it. They were there for her every need,” he said, nodding his head and smiling. “When she passed, there was a bit of a quarrel of pallbearers. Every man wanted to help. And oh ... they did. They formed a line in the walkway of the aisle of this church and out to the waiting car. They went slowly and each had a chance to carry her to her sleep. They had told the priest and me, they wanted the hands that had helped carry them, to now carry her.”

Scully let go of his hand and covered her face, weeping at the beauty of the story. She could picture this church packed with people who had come to say goodbye to a person they loved so much. She could see the men standing in the aisle as they helped to carry her, how truly beautiful it must have been.

Yeah ... this is my favorite. ❤️😭

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

I feel weird after that beautiful snippet to say I love reading about Scully receiving oral sex. 😂 I love it. I love to picture her in ecstasy as Mulder works his wonderful oral fixation magic. I do enjoy writing it, but not as much as reading it, if it’s done right.

In writing, I just love details. Little things others might not pick up on, I feel they need to be there, because if I’m reading and someone is all of a sudden across the room, it messes with my head. HOW DID THEY GET THERE? WHEN DID THEY STAND UP? If it’s not clear when it happened, I tend to fixate on it and I can’t get past it. Sometimes it might seem like I have TOO much detail in my stories, but for me it’s like a movie in my head and if a scene jumps and it’s not addressed, I won’t be able to cope.

V: If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Phew ... this is a tough one, but I’ve decided on which one. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily want to write it myself, but see MORE about this subject and from this author. In the Valentine’s Day exchange, one story, for my own personal experience, just made me go 😱😭❤️ I was hooked and I cried my eyes out. @solia-dreams-impossible-things wrote “Baby Be My Valentine” and it hit me right where I live. Mulder and Scully with the new baby who is having a hard time feeding. She’s not getting enough and Scully feels like she’s failing her. I feel that. My nephew was born at 28 weeks and the only breast milk he got was donated in the NICU. My sister passed away when he was 6 months old and we raised him for the first two years. He was raised exclusively on formula, and he has not suffered one bit because of it. This story was so beautifully written, the love for the baby and her needs, greatly outweighed any sadness or failings Scully felt, because she WAS providing for her baby, just differently than planned. I don’t think I could do such a wonderful story justice, but I would love to read more of her take on our little family. ❤️

This bit from the story especially ... perfection ❤️

“Next aisle,” he says, and they trail back there with no haste. The baby formula is stacked high and laden with judgement she can feel vibrating in the air around every can, through the loudest words in baby help forums and mother’s groups and the firm advice of friends and staff at the hospital. Breast is best. You want your baby to thrive, don’t you? No advice for what happens when an older mother can’t produce enough to feed her child, or her child won’t take to the natural means of feeding. William didn’t need formula supplement this young – she feels like a disappointment. Mulder’s hand tightens on hers, reminding her of what they talked about.

“Let’s get our baby something to eat,” she determines, starting to take cans down from the shelves to read the ingredients and specifics. “She has to like something.” She feels his smile and feels reassured to have him at her back while she deals with this obstacle. Monsters come in all shapes, hairy and clawed and slimy and extra-terrestrial and human and authoritarian and shadowy, and societal judgement is no different, but whatever the monster, she knows her partner is the only man she’d want to face them with. They’ve faced everything together. Let parenthood and other women’s opinions just try them. Valentine’s Day is forgotten again in the exhausted, hopeful selection process.

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fictionalfallacies · 7 years ago

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Power Play

Tasha and Patterson go undercover to a hacker club. SFW.

365 Days Ago

“I’ve got a case,” Patterson said with a certain amount of excitement in her voice.

Zapata couldn’t help but look up. It had been a long time since Patterson had seemed this happy about something at work, not since - “You solved a tattoo,” she realized, the shock evident in her voice.

“Yeah, I did,” the blonde said, beaming.

“It’s been awhile,” Reade said, walking around his desk to move closer to the board where Patterson was now displaying a familiar snake tattoo.

“Yeah, well, most of the big tattoos are solved, but a couple months ago I wrote a program to looking specifically at the places not tattooed, to see if there was anything specific, and this morning, the computer discovered this.” Patterson tapped a few buttons and the snake tattoo turned and a series of dots and dashes were extrapolated from the blank spaces.

Tasha stood up. “Morse code.”

Patterson smiled and pointed at Zapata, “Right again, ten points to Zapata. If you remember, this tattoo indicated Serpent 16, a hacker.”

“He was killed on that scavenger hunt set up by the Garen sisters, we remember,” Weller said, taking charge.

“What’s the point Patterson?”

“The point, my friend, is that this new information is also a hacker. One who goes by the name PowerPlay.”

“No shit?” Zapata asked, clearly excited by this person, though the boys didn’t have a clue why.

“Who is this PowerPlay?” Jane asked, trying to keep the topic on track, especially since she could see the way the two women wanted to talk about this hacker.

“She’s a hacktavist. Mostly targets politicians who get money from anti-LGBT foundations, or companies who donate to them,” Patterson explained, pulling up a rap sheet.

“There’s no picture,” Reade said, pointing to the screen. “How do you know she’s a woman?”

“Because,” Zapata explained, like she was holding a child’s hand and walking them across a busy intersection, “every time she drains one of these accounts dry, large anonymous donations are made to pretty much every woman-centric organization in the world.”

“Zapata’s right. Organizations that donate pads to women in Africa, Planned Parenthood clinics, the list goes on and on."

"Okay, but why is this hacker in a tattoo. So far, all of the other hackers had information about Sandstorm or were corrupt in some way. A hacktavist who steals from corrupt politicians and corporations to give to charities doesn't seem like it would be a high priority target to Sandstorm?" Jane mused.

"That's what I thought too, which is why I looked deeper into PowerPlay. Turns out, they haven't been seen in a few years, but a hacker under the name VantagePoint has been working for some terrorist groups hiding their funds," Patterson explains. Kurt moves to ask a question, but she cuts him off. "VantagePoint and PowerPlay have nearly identical hacking routes."

"Ok, slow down," Jane said, waving her hand. "What does that mean?"

"If a hacker's handle is their signature, a hacker's route is their handwriting," Zapata explained. "There are nearly infinite ways to get from point A to point B, but hackers tend to find one route that works for them and stick to it."

"Ok, so PowerPlay somehow became VantagePoint?" Reade asked.

"Yeah, but it's not that simple. A hacker's handle is everything. It's their badge of honor, their resume and title all rolled into one. For a hacker to give up their handle, I don't think it's willingly," Patterson said, shaking her head.

Zapata nodded. "Okay, so how do we find her and figure out why she gave up her handle?"

"The tattoo also has an address," Patterson said, typing on her computer. A second box came up with an address in the warehouse district. "My ears in the darknet tell me it’s a hackers club. But it’s kind of a VIP thing. The only way you can get in is by knowing someone, or being known enough to get an invitation.”

“Ok,” Weller drawled out. “How do we go about getting an invitation?”

#blindspot #zapatterson #tasha zapta #patterson

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jaimejoshi · 7 years ago

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Death Becomes Her

I’ve been writing my obituary for a few years now.

I don’t plan on dying anytime soon but shit happens and I’m a writer and I swear to God, I don’t even want to think about the things they’ll say about me when I’m dead.

Obituaries are nice. Nice. Milquetoast, even. They’re mild and placid remembrances of the deceased. but I want mine to crackle and fizz with life I lead.

She was filled with hope. Fucking brimming with it. Hope and curse words and the mad electricity of life. She loved gin cocktails with a lot of tonic, fluttering fake eyelashes and if you’re here right now - she probably loved you too.

To those she leaves behind - She’s sorry. She is so sorry that you’re not together, sharing a meal. But the next truly great meal you have? Add a little hot sauce and think of her. No Tabasco, though. I mean, come on. Honor the girl’s memory a little. Yucateca, man. It’s a game day player.

To her parents - No parent should ever have to bury a child. It’s not the natural order of things and she is so sorry that you’re suffering this way. Please be strong. Please remember how much she loved you. That she was a perfect amalgam of the both of you. That she was stubborn like Paps and clever like Mom and that both are responsible for everything good that she was. And when you remember her, do so with ambli. Actually, no. Don’t do that. It’s probably super bad for your health and doesn’t Paps’ shoulder get all messed up when he eats too much of it?

To her sister - This is the actual fucking worst because she loved you the most. You’ve been the light of her life since she can remember and she can’t remember a time without you. Why would she want to? You were the best thing that ever happened to her. You were her strength and her solace and the only person who understood gossip and good pizza toppings. She lived her life in the hopes of being smart and brave like you.

To her friends - She knows you will come out en masse. That you will wear black and cry and she asks that you please don’t shed any tears. Feel free to wear black, though. It makes everyone look so suave. You created a home for her within you and you made her feel as though she belonged to something so much greater than herself. And she did.

And to John - She loved you. Holy shit, did she love you. The way she loved the gravel and honey in Springsteen’s voice. The way she loved that apocryphal story of Charlie Watts punching Mick Jagger in the face. The way she loved your hands on her hips at every concert.

She loved you the way she loved breathing. She did it without thinking, it was constant and it kept her alive. You were elemental. Essential. As much a part of her as white blood cells and oxygen and the firing of synapses.

Being your girl was the greatest honor of her life.

And if she leaves behind her beloved Roxy, Indy and Che - be sure to tell them every day that Mommy loves them. She will always love them. That she doesn’t believe in the afterlife but that she does believe in physics and that energy cannot be created or destroyed and that she will always be with them. And to everyone who sees them from here on out - give them treats every time you do.

She was born in England and raised in Palm Beach County. Her formative years as a teenager and her formative years from 30 onward when she returned to the sunshine where she belonged.

She believed in the work she did, she wrote and meant to write so much, she had dreams - she wanted to be a mom, she wanted travel the world, she wanted to learn how to make kachori - and she didn’t get to accomplish them all but no matter. Because she loved and was so fucking loved.

Do not offer your thoughts and prayers for she was a girl who knew words and wore them like a second skin. She knew their power and their futility. Instead - drink a gin cocktail, eat some Indian food or some tacos, donate money to Planned Parenthood, baby-talk to dogs or rhyme all of Juicy by the Notorious B.I.G.

She is survived by the people who loved her, a shitload of books and songs she will never hear but hopefully feel in the vibrations of the universe.

People died in Las Vegas today when a terrorist opened fire. Hundreds were injured and thousands have been traumatized.

And we won’t do anything about it. Because we never do anything about it. Because we didn’t do anything about it when a classroom full of children were gunned down and we won’t do anything about it now.

If I die in a mass shooting, I want my loved ones to send letters to Wayne LaPierre, Dana Loesch and every single elected official who got paid off by the NRA telling them that they are complicit in my death and that my fear and anguished screams should haunt every moment of the rest of the lives.

I want them to send pictures of me - as a child with my toys, playing with my dogs, the one at my birthday where I’m smiling at John, ones with my family and friends.

And then, the last one. The crime scene photo. The cold, cruel reality of what happens when someone dies of a gunshot wound and bleeds to death. The kind of base and brutal imagery used by the anti-choice nutjobs when they harass women outside of Planned Parenthood.

Send them these pictures and tell them that blood splattered on the concrete, my blood? It is on their hands and that they can choke on their mindless thoughts and disingenuous prayers.

#obituary #policy change not prayers

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trendingnewsb · 7 years ago

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The True Danger Of Hurricane Season Is Much More Long-Term

Greetings from the apocalypse! I’m writing from the Summer of 2017, when wildfires have made Idaho and California smell like the Devil’s Vegan Barbecue, the sun is the color of a fresh period stain, and the Gulf Coast is aligned with the first teat of a four-boobied hurribeast.

whnt.com

In a moment when it feels blasphemous to send anything but prayers, goodwill, money, awareness, donations, and time to everyone suffering from Harvey and the triplets of evil following it, there’s another story that needs to be told about these hurricanes:

There is no upside, silver lining, or good news coming.

More hurricanes, floods, and fires are on their way, and no one, not even the Americans in the Middle, are immune to what future natural disasters will do to this country. Not even Texas. Actually, let’s start with Texas.

Texas Explains Why We’re Never Ready For Hurricanes

I’m from South Texas, where the school year doesn’t feel real until you’ve had a Meet the Teacher night and a hurricane warning, sometimes on the same day. In my fuzzy childhood memories, hurricanes were exciting moments at the end of summer when you got to fill up your bathtub with a reckless amount of water and pray for a day off from school.

Which explains why hurricane parties are a thing, and why you can find all of your hurricane party decorating needs on Pinterest. No other natural disaster comes with such a slow build and a festive atmosphere. And when hurricane season is built into your seasonal routine — my little sister was named after a hurricane that hit Texas 19 years before she was born — you just roll with them as best you can.

So I wasn’t surprised that most of my friends, family, and childhood friends’ families didn’t evacuate when they knew Harvey was coming. It is very hard to get on a bus going to a place you don’t know for a thing that may or may not ever come. And Houston? Forget it. If you thought Houston should have been 100 percent evacuated, you’ve probably never been there. During Hurricane Rita, there were 100 deaths in Texas, 60 of which were related to Houston’s disastrous attempt to evacuate three million residents all at once.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2xB5sCH

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2xQ94ML via Viral News HQ

#IFTTT #Viral News HQ

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tragicbooks · 8 years ago

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Thousands will be in D.C. to stand with women. Here's how to stand with them from home.

Join the movement.

<br>

The Women's March on Washington is an opportunity for Americans to stand up against the expected affront to civil rights under the next president. Hundreds of thousands of marchers — women from all walks of life (including a handful of A-list celebrities) and men (yes, men are welcome and encouraged to attend!) — are expected in the nation's capital on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after Donald Trump is inaugurated as 45th president of the United States.

Given that President-elect Trump has "insulted, demonized, and threatened" so many groups — including people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and survivors of sexual assault — the goal of the march is to send a bold message to him: We are standing together.

Anti-Trump demonstrators in Chicago in November 2016. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Getting to Washington, D.C., on inauguration weekend, however, takes time and money that many of us cannot afford. That's OK, though — there are still several ways you can join the movement, regardless of where you are in the country (or world, for that matter).

Here are 25 ways to show your support for the Women's March on Washington, even if you can't be there in person:

1. Join a smaller, local march near you.

There are 616 (and counting) sister marches around the world demonstrating in smaller — but still powerful — capacities. If distance is your biggest barrier, maybe there's a more local solution to your problem.

2. Make a poster and stick it in your front yard for the day.

Or, you know, until 2020.

Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images.

3. Know someone who's driving to D.C.? Help them get there by chipping in some gas money.

In most parts of the country, gas prices aren't quite as obscenely high as they once were — thanks, Obama! — but still, fuel is expensive. If you wish you could attend but can't, help another marcher out. $10 (literally) goes a long way.

4. Invite friends over to watch coverage of the march together, and set a goal to help girls and women in 2017.

A goal could be to routinely help out at a women's shelter, volunteer as a clinic escort, or become a Big Sister. There will be many causes that need that kind of extra attention and dedication under the Trump administration.

And on that note...

5. Donate to organizations that will be more vital than ever under a Trump administration.

Contribute to an organization or two you care about — be it Planned Parenthood (the national group or local chapters), Emily's List (which helps get more women elected to office), the NAACP, the National Network of Abortion Funds, Black Girls Code, the ACLU, National Women's Law Center, NARAL, Girls Write Now, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Purple Purse, or others. Every dollar helps.

6. Wear a "Nasty Woman" shirt, and share a pic on social media.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images.

Make your own — or buy one — and help that infamous-turned-glorious 2016 debate moment live on forever.

7. Go on strike for all (or part of) the day.

Women Strike is encouraging folks to lay low on Jan. 20-21 as an act of protest against the incoming administration and Congress, both of which are aiming to enact policies that disproportionately harm women — like stripping health care and reproductive rights and dismissing paid maternity leave and child care.

8. Make just the right playlist, and blast it on repeat. All. Day. Long.

Songs may or may not include "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," "I Am Woman," "You Don't Own Me," "Respect," "Rebel Girl," and an assortment of Beyoncé's greatest hits.

Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images.

9. Carve out a half-hour of your day to follow, subscribe to, and learn about women who were inspired to throw their hats into the political ring for the first time after the election.

Not only have women of color made historic gains in the Senate this year, but the rise of Trumpism appears to have inspired a surge in women vying for political office.

People like Chelsea Wilson, a member of the Cherokee Nation who lives in Oklahoma; Brianna Wu, an advocate against online harassment who was at the heart of 2014's GamerGate; and Wendy Carrillo, a Los Angeles woman whose parents brought her from El Salvador illegally as a child, are among the more than 4,500 women who've expressed grassroots interest in getting their names on the ballot in the coming years. Let's make sure they don't go unnoticed.

Speaking of the ballot box...

10. Set up an alert on your calendar to remind you when midterm elections are coming up.

Presidential campaigns feel like years-long sagas with plot twists galore — those elections are hard to miss. Midterms, however, seem to slip under the radar for most Americans, even though the results are just as consequential. Really, 2018 is just around the corner.

11. Call D.C. pizza joints or bakeries — ideally, the day before the march — and have them send a couple pizzas or a few dozen donuts to demonstrators.

Democracy can be a tiring activity, after all, and marchers will appreciate the fuel-up.

Photo via iStock.

12. Call your representatives to let them know you're part of the movement against Trump's attacks on civil rights.

I know you've heard this one a million times. But really, calling your reps can — and actually does — work. (Pro tip: Flooding their phone lines sends a much more powerful message than an email or letter.)

It's arrived! Download Call the Halls: Contacting Your Representative the Smart Way >> https://t.co/xxhzsMX3mM

— Emily Ellsworth (@editoremilye) November 23, 2016

13. Connect two or more people you know who want to go to the march but don't want to go alone.

You may have friends from different circles who'd go to the march if they had another person to share travel expenses and driving time with. Post a Facebook status asking if this is the case with any of your friends, and be the facilitator if anyone responds.

14. If you know someone who's going to the march, create a sign for them to carry on your behalf.

That's what artist Narya Marcille is doing. She can't make it to D.C. on Jan. 21, but her aunts and sister will be carrying this rad poster for her.

Illustration courtesy of Narya Marcille.

Marcille's design has become wildly popular online. You can buy the digital download for prints, shirts, and more on her Etsy page. Even cooler: 50% of profits are being donated to Planned Parenthood and Running Start, Marcille says.

Even if you don't have the money to buy Marcille's design, however...

15. Change your Facebook profile pic in support of the march.

In a post on Facebook, Marcille wrote that anyone can use the illustration for their Facebook profile picture in an act of solidarity with the movement. If you're extra inspired, you can even design your own artwork to use (or take a pic of the yard sign you made or the "Nasty Woman" shirt you're rocking, and use that photo instead).

16. Set aside some time to read and subscribe to digital and print publications that give a voice to women from all walks of life.

Publications like Autostraddle, Clutch, Gloria Steinem's Ms. Magazine — and even ones that have pivoted toward issues-based content more recently, like Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan — can only run if people are reading and subscribing.

Photo b Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images.

17. Sponsor someone else to march through NARAL.

NARAL, a political group aimed at protecting abortion rights, will let you chip in to help someone else attend the Women's March. $40 pays for one college student's ride to D.C., but if that's too steep, $15 will provide three signs for marchers.

18. Share your own story about sexism and discrimination you've encountered in your life.

Use Jan. 21 as a reason to open up to friends and family online about how you've experienced discrimination or abuse and why the march matters on a personal level. If posting it on Facebook is scary — which is totally understandable — maybe tell just one other person you trust. The more people speak up, the better.

If you do decide to open up on social media, though...

19. Use the #WomensMarch and #WhyIMarch hashtag on Facebook and Twitter.

I march for my family, my friends, and my future students. I march for those I know and those who I will meet. HBU? #whyIMarch #WomensMarch

— Baylee Fee (@bayls_ofhay) January 3, 2017

Sometimes hashtags get a bad rap for being a sorry excuse for real activism. But hashtags really can unite communities in solidarity — especially when they're used to amplify the voices of minorities, immigrants, women, those who are LGBTQ, and so on.

20. Sign up to become a See Jane advocate for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

As Meryl Streep reminded us at the Golden Globes, Hollywood has a responsibility to fight Trumpism. You can help them do it by signing up to be a See Jane advocate for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a group aimed at ending gender bias and discrimination in the entertainment industry. The soon-to-be-launched advocate program encourages supporters to build awareness and expand the institute's mission — because media representation makes an impact off-screen, too.

21. Like and share this incredible video of Rep. Luis Gutierrez explaining why he's going to the march and standing up to Trump.

Why I Will Not Be At Inauguration And Will Be Marching With Women

My speech this morning on the Floor of the House about why I will not be at the inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 20 but will be marching with women at the Women's March on Jan. 21. "We all heard the tape when Donald Trump was bragging – bragging! – about grabbing women by their private parts without their consent. It is something I can never un-hear. Bragging to that guy on TV that he would grab women below the belt as a way of hitting on them. Sorry. That is never OK. It is never just locker room talk. It is offensive and, if he ever actually did it, it is criminal...." The text of my speech: http://bit.ly/2jqSpJ6 More info on the Women's March: http://ift.tt/2hVUmNp

Posted by Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez on Tuesday, January 10, 2017

22. Buy a Women's March on Washington shirt.

All proceeds go toward the planning and production costs associated with the march itself.

23. If you live in the D.C. area and have a spare bedroom, open it to a frugal marcher.

If your home is in or around the capital and you use a vetted vacation rental website (like Airbnb), consider offering a space for marchers to rest their heads. Accommodation costs in D.C. will be sky-high that weekend — give them a price cut instead of a price surge.

24. Know someone who's anxious about a Trump presidency? Call them up to chat.

Photo via iStock.

This election has been a lot to process for many of us — especially among those in groups that have been targeted by Trump, members of his administration, and his supporters. Call up a friend you know who's worried, and use the march as a talking point to reassure them you'll be a supportive ally when things get tough.

25. Watch and share photos and videos from the march on Facebook, and help break the "filter bubble" that too often divides us.

There should be live video feeds from the march from outlets on Facebook. Make sure to engage and share — especially if you're someone who usually doesn't speak out politically.

If you can express why the march matters to you on a personal level, these issues become more human and less about blue America vs. red America. And the more Likes, comments, and shares we garner, the more we break down the filter bubbles that divide us.

Inauguration Day will bring a stress-filled, anxiety-ridden morning for many of us. If you need that day to unplug, please do.

Because starting on the 21st — and just about every day for the next four years — we'll need you to keep fighting the good fight by our side.

Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for MoveOn.org Political Action.

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