#bc they still only value women for their sexuality. but they think freedom for women is free sexuality bc to them women and sex are

[merrysithmas]

you may have talked about this before but do you believe boris already knew he was queer and first approached theo bc he liked him or that he started crushing after they developed a close friendship and theo was what made him question his sexuality? i think theres reasons to believe either side- boris being bold enough to cuddle him in bed seems like he was making a move but him suddenly “loving” kotku seems like an impulsive move out of fear bc he realized he might like a boy. oof idk

I think Boris knew he was attracted to boys — which is evident by his playful, charming, almost teenaged-desperate pursuit of Theo. I think he probably inherently knew this about himself for a long time. I think Boris has always been physically attracted to boys since he’s entered puberty and since he’s still a young teen it is kind of a fun, funny, interesting, enlivening thing for him.

He’s never had a stable life and despite being all over the world he’s led an extremely sheltered existence in a certain way with only one terrible person as his constant (Vladimir). Boris lets it slip to Theo that everywhere the miners go they are hated — this includes Boris. Boris is hated by the public everywhere they go. So long as he is part of their unit, he is hated. That is mortifying to intelligent good-natured Boris. That is why he learns to slip out and around, to be so personable and friendly. His world travels have not been so glorious but probably rather extremely lonely and isolating (as with Judy in Canada), hurtful, and damaging. That is why Bami and Judy (and eventually, Theo) stand out to him so much — people who were kind to him in a childhood of isolated misery and directionlessness. Boris has no moral hang ups about his same-sex attraction - why should he? This directionlessness in his key developmental years is also a good thing: He never grew up around any sort of organized belief systems or stayed bound within an orthodox culture for too long for it to indoctrinate him as its own.

I think people really underestimate how incredibly remote and friendless Boris’ life must have been. Boris is a cheerful boy who Theo says is often plagued by black moods and sullen attitudes. He is an abused and secluded child dragged from location to location with literally no love or stability and constantly brutally beaten to the point where it does not even phase him. Boris actually equates love with that abuse — and nonchalantly claims his father loves him. That is painful to read, that amount of damage.

Living with a bunch of derelict miners whose leader was HIS FATHER (so surely then mostly assholes) and who are “hated everywhere they go” Boris has probably seen any NUMBER of things a conservative-minded person would (likely often erroneously) see as “morally unacceptable” — it’s like Boris is traveling the world with a crew of pirates. He’s probably seen drinking, all kinds of drugs commonly used in front of his face. He has esoteric knowledge about drug use that a child of his age should not — so he was taught by the miners: roll like this, dont include the stems, never mix this, tuck snuff like this, you can get this kind of drug here here and here, it isn’t safe if it doesn’t look like this. His young child’s mind eager to learn sucked up this black information from men who probably didn’t have a second thought to a child or what his developmental needs were. He’s probably first hand witnessed sex workers copulating with his father’s crew (how else would be have learned about the opportunity to lose his virginity in an Alaskan parking lot to a sex worker?), definitely thievery, and said he saw his father murder a man in the mine once and cover it up. Boris’ mind is full of a lifetime of this morally shadowed behavior being presented as normal, or at least secret but common.

I think he understands his attraction to boys in this same way. I think he feels it isn’t “appropriate” to share with Outsiders but it is something that Happens, something that is no one’s business but his own, and something that brings him pleasure and happiness and therefore something he will look for. However he knows it isn’t common or visible or “appropriate” to be showy about it in front of others — especially not people who could judge him (kids at school), kick him out (society), or hurt him (his father). Boris treats his attraction to Theo like his other vices and “bad” habits - barrels head first — but secret: deep dive into happy drug use (but don’t show his dad), steals everything he ever needs (but don’t let them see, put it in my coat), lies when it suits him (lies to Xandra and Larry and his father and Theo too), happily sleeps with Theo and has sex with him (but this is between you-and-me).

He knows other people might have a problem with his actions — but he does not. So that’s his hangup there. He is aware of and ever-vigilant of his surroundings. School: a safe place isolated from his father. He is free and happy to do what he wants at school — including crush on and go after Theo who he clearly likes. He thinks Theo is cute, flirts with him, tries to get him to notice him, talks to him after class, sits next to him on the bus, begs him to come over his house, tries to impress him with far-flung stories, gives him alcohol because it’s what he’s seen his father’s men do in pursuit of romantic partners or as a bonding ritual with one another.

Theo’s house is also a safe place. So safe in fact that Boris starts to leave behind some of the maladjusted development of his childhood and become more of a happy, clear-minded person. Boris and Theo suffer from arrested development and one of themes of the book is childhood lost. They are forced to mimic adults either knowingly or unknowingly, and act in ways that children should not have to in order to survive this Adult World alone. With one another they begin to heal from their traumas, their affection for one another the catalyst. Theo cooks for him, talks to a babbling eager-to-talk Boris (imagine how few people have listened to or understood the ideas of a smart boy like Boris, often surrounded by oafish alcoholics, his violent father where he is expected to keep quiet, or cultures where he does not speak the language), Theo sleeps next to him willingly, he likes Boris, a boy from New York (the top of the world!) he think Boris is funny and smart and worldly, shares his dog with him, hangs on his words, becomes his companion, cares for him if he drinks too much, tried to tend his wounds, welcomes him gratefully into his broken family, watches his favorite movies with him, celebrates holidays with him, inherently values him — and so starts to mend Boris’ broken heart.

A lot of things and viewpoints Boris has are clearly repetitions of things he has heard his father or the miners say — “Christmas is for children” (of course they’d say that to a tiny Boris longing for the magic of Christmas as a child stuck in a mining camp watching the peripheral joy of children around him and coming back to bleak hunger and a dark home), or “god yes I loved having sex with her” (about his hooker in the parking lot — Boris then says he knew she didn’t enjoy it and never shows enjoyment but rather avoidance towards women and girls in any genuine way afterwards, yet covets Theo’s physical company).

Theo on the other hand, who for a short while and then so painfully ripped from him, grew up with love. His natural disposition in Vegas comes from a place of being so recently loved and cherished by his mother and he here, in this lonely place, turns the focus of this disposition onto the one person who is kind and protective towards him: Boris — his one light in a life that has turned very dark. This is like an alien world to Boris. Lonesome and neglected Boris is touched and startled and soon changed by this kindness. So much so that Theo, unknowingly, alters the rest of Boris’ life (Boris feels Theo saved his life).

So that is why I believe the Kotku Gay Panic came about. After their climactic Vegas pool scene where their abuse and trauma is opened to one another (their wounds from their fathers, from fire, literally pouring into the purifying chlorine of the watery womb - mother - pool as they try to drown one another, angry at their attraction to one another, but then cling to and save one another instead) Boris begins to not just have fun and have sex and have freedom with Theo (all okay things by Boris’ standards as long as it is secret) — after that scene and they sleep together and Boris satisfies that teenaged human sexual need... they continue to hookup and be at bliss for a very long, happy time where they both begin to psychologically heal— Boris doesn’t just have sex and fun with Theo, he realizes he starts to love Theo.

Love - an extremely foreign concept to Boris who literally freaks the fuck out because he has no baseline for it. It isn’t the type of “love” that his father gives him (violent, untrustworthy), it isn’t the type of “love” the men who grew up around valued (cheap parking lot sex), it isn’t the kind of “love” his idol Larry has with Xandra (Larry lies to Xandra all the time), it isn’t the kind of “love” Boris has seen in his favorite movies (men and women over and over). No, this love with Theo is very very scary to him. Very perhaps dangerous. He doesn’t know.

I think Boris accepts his physical attraction to men as nbd. I think he probably feels most people feel such attractions or some other harmless private desires that certain people may see as an aberrant from “normal” for whatever reason (either typical kinks and silly hush hush sex shop porno stuff - or other far more despicable things he’s witnessed his father’s men do) and so thinks nothing of his own innocent, consensual goodtime-centered desires. Boris, who likely grew up with little exposure to healthy LGBTQ representation and has a very isolated POV in some ways, likely to some degree at the Vegas point in his life (however casually self-accepting he is) equates same-sex attraction with hush hush taboo sex activities — nothing to be ashamed of, but you’re not going to tell your dad.

As long as it is a personal thing, for him only, Boris embraces it. But it is the emotionality, the healing, the care, the love that freaks Boris out and makes him make a run for it to Kotku — only to recede to what he knows and repeat the exact kind of fake “love” he was taught by his father: unbelievable exclamations of devotion (Boris’ dad sobbing and telling him he loves him + “I love her I love her! She’s beautiful and perfect!”) coupled with the black truth (Boris’ dad beating the shit out of him + Boris beating Kotku).

Boris knows he likes boys but when he starts to love one — that’s when he runs away. Because that means something totally different: societally and personally.

[biglewysgmail]

Ok but here's the problem: only a tiny percentage of men are "good" (good at sex, will never abuse you in any way, will never take advantage of you, accepts you and shows you love, is fair to you, thinks of you, etc). I would say that's potentially anywhere between 1-5% of men. And even 5% is being generous and hopeful. (And even if that 1-5% who at least meet that bar, have still been raised to not view you as human. )

But hey, if youre straight and find a man that at least meets that bar, good. But we all need to be prepared for the fact that there are not enough good men for all women. So 99-95% of osa women need to accept the fact that we are better off single/will never be able to have a male partner.

I'm not even disagreeing with anons statement, I'm just saying that math is math. So whether the goal is that or not or whether it's "wrong" for women to want a male partner or get one or not etc , the math remains the same and tells us that getting into a healthy relationship is going to be impossible for 95% of women. Unfortunately it's irrelevant whether or that's the goal of radical feminism, altho I do think the misogyny in radfem circles is rampant and needs to be talked about, bc there's clearly a lot of hate for women's sexuality. Like clearly there are women in feminism who think women are dirty and immoral for having sex , and don't view women as whole people outside of whatever they're doing sexually, like how they view men. They view men as whole people regardless of if he's fucking or not, so it's definitely a misogyny thing. They see mens political beliefs as independent of whether they have sex or not, they think men are capable of having intellectual thoughts about various topics that aren't tied to their personal sexuality, etc. Not everyone, but it's definitely a theme.

Like how a lot of women believe men are perfectly capable of being separatist/having separatist philosophical thoughts, writing about male supremacy, etc while having sex, but somehow women are not intellectually capable of that. Somehow women aren't intellectually complex enough for that, lol . People think what men do in their private lives say absolutely nothing about them as a person, but women are never ever given that humanity, even within feminism. Women's humanity ends where her sexuality begins. :/ or rather, people are unwilling or unable to see women with the same amount of humanity as men when it comes to sex even if they can see women as human in other aspects. It's ok tho, we've all had internalized misogyny we've had to unpack. I just find it fascinating that with 99% of people, it's always sex where they struggle the most with seeing women as human. I think that's interesting. People reeeeeeally struggle hard to accept that women can have complex inner lives and complex thoughts on things while having sex regularly at the same time, and that it also says nothing about her morals as person. That seems to be really tough for people to comprehend.

But regardless, you need to prepare for being single if you're straight whether it's the goal of radical feminism to be in a healthy relationship or not.

I think men have sent the message that they do not want equality pretty clearly, so IDK what this fantasy is about"expect the world to listen to your values" that to me *is* silly. And honestly it's stupid. Sorry but like, I feel like you haven't read enough history. Read about history a little bit more. That sounds doomer, but saying "expecting the world to listen to your values" in regards to female freedom is like being in the middle of war zone and being bombed repeatedly and saying the other side just needs to listen to your values. like ....no that's not how this works. But I get it, this is about radical feminism and they're still under the delusion they can peacefully end patriarchy (lmao) . For some reason, radical feminists expect that when we finally do achieve separatism (if that ever happens) with the majority of women participating, that men won't militarize immediately and start shooting and bombing and raping and kidnapping. For some strange reason, they think men will just go "oh darn! Welp guess we lost boys !" And that's it lol, and they think women preparing a military isn't a good idea. For some reason that's what they think, idk why.

Getting into a straight healthy relationship with a man IS a part of radfem agenda, believe it or not. It means you actually expect the world to listen to your values and ideas and change accordingly. It means those of us who are not gay or bisexual will struggle less, and will be in less danger when seeking companionship. If you prefer separation or black pill it's fine, but it simply cannot apply to everyone - unlike the radical feminist beliefs against sexism.

🦥

[ravenpaw-93]

Buckle up y'all, I gotta rant.

So. I live in a weird part of KY that's like mostly Midwest with some strong 'Southern' (bigoted) values. Anyway, this meme has been going around the past few days and I've fucking had it.

This is some of the most ignorant shit I've ever seen. Asking you to wear a mask isn't about protecting you its about protecting people you could infect and potentially KILL if you have the virus and don't know it. Its not even close to being comparable to abortion.

You can be pro-choice without being pro abortion and saying you wanna kill all the babies. 

Sometimes it is medically necessary. Sometimes the mother will die if she continues the pregnancy. Why doesn't her life matter? Sometimes the child has severe defects or genetic disorders that would make life outside to womb excruciatingly painful and short without being constantly hooked up to tunes and wires in a bed. You religious people are telling me that life is better than eternal life in heaven?

Sometimes women are violently and horrifically sexually assaulted and it results in pregnancy. Why should that woman be forced to birth a child she had no choice in making? Do you have any idea the toll that would have on that woman mentally? Forcing her to have that child, even if she did put it up for adoption, would be actual torture. Does her life not matter too? (And before you say 'very few sexual assault cases result in pregnancy' remember less than 50% of sexual assaults are actually reported so the statistics for pregnancy that resulted from assault are extremely innaccurate). That's also not including spouses or significant others who only consented under coercion which is still assault, but many people don't report it as such or consider it assault, because America fucking sucks at teaching people the meaning of consent.

What about the women who are trapped in an abusive relationship and fall pregnant? What about her life? She will forever be tied to her abuser. What about the life that kid is gonna have being born into that?

Some kids are born to parents who shouldn't have children because they're abusive, on drugs, etc and their kids end up in the system often time passed from one foster home to the next until they age out. But yall aren't worried about those kids. Nevermind the ones who fall through the cracks of the very broken DCFS system.

Y'all aren't worried about the kids that go hungry bc their parents are too poor to feed them but by the governments standards make too much money for assistance.

You think the only people who need abortions are careless people who just got pregnant without meaning to and decide they don't want it? No. Absolutely not. 

So tell me what 'life' are you worried about? You're worried about a pulse. That's it. As long as the kid is breathing y'all are good with that? Doesn't matter the quality of life they'll have. Forget the mother, her life doesn't matter she served her 'purpose' since she popped out a kid, right?

 Like I said this isn't me being Pro Abortion. Just that there should always be a safe legal choice for women who find themselves in untenable situations. 

And even if it was just a case of I got pregnant but I'm not ready to be a mom, thats no ones business but hers and her physician's. NO ONE IS REQUIRED TO MAKE PERSONAL, MEDICAL/LIFE CHOICES BASED OFF SOMEONE ELSE'S MORALS/RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

And while we're on that, don't even try the religious argument. There is no national religion in the U.S. The constitution grants everyone freedom of religion which means they can practice whatever religion they want and don't have to follow the rules of someone else's. So your Christian beliefs are not what laws should be based off when citizens of the country are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Agnostic, Atheist, Wiccan, etc etc.

One more thing, while we're talking about how much y'all care about life. DO YOU SEE HOW YOU TREAT POOR PEOPLE? BLACK PEOPLE. HISPANIC PEOPLE. TRANS PEOPLE. AND ALL OTHER PEOPLE WHO AREN'T STRAIGHT, CIS, WHITE, RICH CHRISTIANS. Get the fuck off your high horse. 

[mikeshanlon]

Happy Pride! .... Like... more than halfway through the month lmao sorry, better late than never ig! I’ve compiled a list of some of my fave LGBT+ books, as well as a few I’m planning to read for pride/in the near future. Please feel free to reblog and add some of your own recs, especially for the sexual and gender identities that are lacking in my list!!!!!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: This beautiful, wholesome coming of age novel is pretty popular on tumblr and with good reason! It’s set in the 1980′s and follows Aristotle, aka "Ari”, as he grows up an tackles with his identity-- he feels like his story is written by someone else, that his path is not up to his control. Whether this is due to his complex relationship with his family, or societal expectations/stereotypes of Latinx men, or the fact that maybe his friendship with Dante might be more than that, and that kinda terrifies him. (Rep: Gay, Latinx, (I believe this is own voices) Warnings: it’s been a minute since i’ve read this but i believe some racism, internalized homophobia, and an instance of violent transphobia)

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: LGKNLKNGRG okay this is truly one of my favorite books of the year so far and part of the whole reason i wanted to make this. This is a New Adult Contemporary romance set in sort of a like... parallel America where a woman won the presidential election. We follow The First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz, who’s charming, smart ass, genius icon. Him, his sister June, and their best friend Nora are easily marketable and loved by the public for the most part, but when Alex and his rival Prince Henry of England get into a public spat at a Royal Wedding, Alex and Henry must pretend to be friends to patch up relations and public image for his mother’s re-election campaign. Eventually their fake friendship turns real, and then becomes more as they get to know each other, Alex and Henry begin a secret romance that we follow over the course of the re-election year. This book is fucking HILARIOUS (like I have so many tabs for funny moments and i was trying to be restrained), but it’s just so. Like full of love and hope and it’s so beautiful???? It’s definitely political escapism from our current situation in America but still deals with current issues such as racism and homopboia, etc, but gives the reader hope for future progress. Alex and Henry’s relationship is so fun, and sexy, and beautiful and the friendships are so iconic and Alex’s journey with sexuality is... chefs kiss. Also like. Casey McQuiston mentioned that she listened to Texas Reznikoff by Mitski a lot while writing this in the acknowledgments so. what more do you need... (Rep: Bisexual (Own Voices), Gay, Biracial-- Mexican/White (Own Voices), Warnings: Racism, homophobia, mentions of a past sexual harrassment/assault. Since this is a New Adult, there are smut scenes. I wouldn’t say it’s like. Super explicit or anything but there is sex, though it’s often during Important Moments of their relationships so it doesn’t feel like p*rn-- again the sex is happening but its not in hella explicit detail or anything or for the same goal as say an erotica. P much proceed with caution if it’s not ur thing but it’s not too wild!)

Blanca y Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore: This is sort of a Snow White/Rose Red and Ugly Duckling retelling following two sisters, Blanca and Roja, who’s family curse destines that one of the sisters will be trapped into a swan’s body, never to be seen again. (So this is magical realism lmao). We also follow two boys, Page and Yearling, who were wrapped up in the magic of the nearby woods, but have returned to society. Page is a gender queer trans male, and his whole arc that was so beautiful and made me cry, but in a good way (also warning that I’m cis so like. I would love to hear what gender queer trans individuals think about the rep in this book bc I cannot really attest to it.) This book is really about sisterly love and love in general, with all the complexities that come with it. (also wlw grandma’s who grow apple’s it’s p iconic) (Rep: Latinx-- colorism plays a huge role in the story as well (Own Voices), Gender Queer Trans, Queer (Own Voices) Warnings: Some transphobia, racism, and abuse). (I believe most of Anna-Marie McLemore’s books are magical realism and have some Latinx and queer elements to them as well)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: god..... This (gay ass) novelization of The Illiad is just so tragically romantic and beautiful... We follow Achilles and Patroclus as they grow up and grow closer, and eventually fight the Trojan War. There are so many beautiful quotes and scenes but like. You will most likely cry so keep that in mind eklrgerg. (Rep: Gay Warnings: Violence, there’s like..... a weird r*pe/homophobic scene)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: YA Fantasy set in a world where there are three castes: Moon-- the highest caste, demons with animalistic features in a humanoid form, Steel-- humans with part demon physical features and abilities, and Paper-- fully human, the lowest caste. We follow our protaganist Lei, who despite being a Paper caste, has beautiful golden glowing eyes that end up garnering attention from the Demon King. She’s stolen from her home and forced to join The Paper Girls-- a group of paper caste concubines in training at the palace. As she tries to find a way to escape, she ends up falling for one of the other paper girls, Wren, who might be just the key to freedom. I love Lei and Wren’s relationship and I’m excited to see it play out in the sequel! (which i believe ngan said will introduce more LGBT characters) (Rep: Asian (Own Voices), WLW (I believe this is Own Voices as well). Warnings: As their role as concubines suggest, a large part of this book revolves around the patriarchy using women for power and sexual assualt/rape. There are no explicit rape scenes-- though they do occur ‘off screen’, however there are a couple attempted sexual assault scenes that I believe could be p triggering. This book is also largely about the Paper Girls taking back their power, and I don’t believe these scenes are done for shock value, however please proceed with caution. Subsequently, sexist and patriarchial views are present within the authority, though shunned by Lei, however there’s a lot of internalized sexism and objectification among some of the other Paper Girls.)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: I probably don’t have to talk about this one much since it’s super popular, but in what is like essentially Harry Potter but like gay and wholesome, we follow Simon Snow, the Chosen One who’s actually not that good at magic, his best friend Penelope, and his roommate and arch nemesis that’s totally a vampire but won’t admit it, Baz. (Except Baz is, like, totally in love with Simon and Simon’s just too dumb and wrapped up in his own shit to realize it). Truly just,... an iconic enemies to friends to lovers story that unfolds as the three of them try to uncover a mystery surrounding Baz’s late mother. Ik some people have found it confusing bc it’s sort of like starting the Harry Potter story off at book 7 and only getting some background info along the way but honestly I really enjoyed that lmao. Also there’s a sequel coming out this fall, Wayward Son. (Rep: Gay, Some POC rep. Warnings: not rlly any i dont think??? There’s  like. some Homophobia lmao bc we can’t have a gay book without it.)

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins: This is a cute YA contemporary following Millie Quint who, post being cheated on by her best friend and wanting to have a fresh start, flies to Scotland to finish off her senior year at her Dream prestigous boarding school, joining a handful of other girls as the first female class in the institution’s history. Plus like. Cool Rocks and Scotland. Only problem is that her roomate is sort of a bitch and also the Princess of Scotland who she totally just told off. So yeah yet another royal gay enemies to friends to lovers with a dash of and they were roomates LMAO. This book could be like.... a bit cheesy and rushed but overall it was cute and like...... The Cover.... (Rep: Bisexual, Lesbian, Warnings: Some homophobia. Also this is a companion novel to Prince Charming but you don’t have to read that first, there’s just some references to the couple in that book as the Prince is well.... The Princess’ brother and where they end up so if you don’t wanna be spoiled read that first ig!)

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman: I talked about this some in this post, but I feel like I did kinda a shitty job so. A YA fantasy/paranormal series about the descendant’s of the town’s four founding families-- Violet Saunders, Justin Hawthorne, Harper Carlisle, and Isaac Sullivan (the most iconic one). The latter three have lived in Four Paths their whole lives, protecting the town from The Gray-- p much the Upside Down from Stranger Things lmao, using powers specific to each of their families. Violet and her mother move back after Violet’s sister died in a car accident, and she’s thrust into helping save the town as the Gray grows more restless and having to uncover the secrets of her family as well as all the history brewing between the other three. The Stranger Things and Riverdale comparisons are p valid, (but like. Riverdale in the sense of small town secrets and a bunch of tense history that the kids don’t really understand and must uncover, and some like love triangle but..... not Rlly Love triangles just a mess of ppl being like oh shit i like this person and this person.... Bisexual Chaos if u will... not like. The I’m cuckoo bananas for u let’s go get high and play dungeons and dragons and smash in a bunker LRGKJRLKGJ), the Raven Cycle comparison’s are kind of a stretch, I can see the abstract comparison’s if i squint but like. Don’t go into this expecting TRC lmao. I really enjoyed the theme of grief throughout this book and seeing the powers unfold (and one of the dynamics a lot) and while not perfect the series has a lot of potential and like. Bisexuals. So. (Rep: Bisexual (two mc’s are bi and say the word!!!!!!!! As well as some secondary characters), Disabled (one of the mc’s is missing one arm from the elbow down). Warnings: Grief, Violence)

The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: Also talked about this in this post and did a better job there, but to sum it up it’s essentially a friends to lovers, bed sharing, road trip au with a dash of magic but set in the 1700′s! There’s also a sequel/companion, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy that I have yet to read but it follows Monty’s sister, Felicity, and I believe goes more in depth with her identity. (Rep: Gay, Black, Disabled, Aromantic, Asexual, Warnings: Period typical homophobia/biphobia, racism, ableism, sexism)

Simon vs. The Homosapien’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli: Like. I don’t think i really have to explain this one LRKGJJRG but added it just in case. YA contemporary following Simon as he e-mails another gay student at his school and falls in love. (Rep: Gay, Black, Jewish, Warnings: Homophobia)

All For the Game Trilogy (The Foxhole Court, The Raven King, The King’s Men) by Nora Sakavic: If y’all have been on my blog at all you know i’m back in aftg hyperfixation mode after another reread lmao. Is it a lil messy is it a lil dramatic... yes. but i love it!!! We follow our protagonist Neil Josten, who’s been on the run from his crime lord father, The Butcher of Baltimore, since he was young. After his mother dies on the run, Neil finds a new place and adopts yet another identity, and ends up playing high school exy (a made up sport but like we’re barely here for the sports lmao), something he used to play as a child. Despite playing a new position, he attracts the attention of the PSU Foxes, who’s coach David Wymack specifically recruits players with a troubled past to give them a second chance. Neil really shouldn’t sign-- it goes against everything his mother told him, it puts him at risk of being in the spotlight for his father’s men to find him, and puts him on the same team as Kevin Day, someone from his past that knows his true identity. Still, something draws Neil to joining the team, to finally try to live instead of just survive. UGHHHH like truly this book just makes u fall in love with all the characters and the beautiful and broken found family that develops over three books and one of the most iconic and amazing (ha....) slowburn relationships ever.... Also if i recall they’re super cheap on iBooks (at least when i bought them, the first book was free and the other two were $1.99). (Rep: Gay, Demisexual, POC, Warnings: MAJOR trigger warnings for like. everything bc all the foxes have fucked up pasts. But the biggest ones are probably rape, abuse/torture, and substance abuse)

Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo: Idk how much I really have to talk about this bc it’s popular but I am physically unably not to reccomend this duology bc its just. So. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. The most barebones summary is that this is a YA Fantasy about six people coming together to perform an impossible heist. This is truly like...... a masterclass in developing characters and has one of the best m/f ships i’ve ever read... But also since it’s on here there is some gay shit going on, 3/6 mains are Not Straight and there’s a cute m/m couple! Also you don’t have to read the Grisha Trilogy to read this but u can if u want (I have yet to). (Rep: Bisexual, Gay, Disabled, POC, Warnings: Again these ppl have fucked up pasts, biggest are PTSD, past sexual abuse)

The Raven Cycle Series (The Raven Boys, The Dream Theives, Blue Lily Lily Blue, The Raven King) by Maggie Steifvater: Again i don’t think I really have to explain this one but like. In case you haven’t read this series it’s truly iconic..... Idk even how to explain this LKGJLJRG just like magical realism wonderfulness and found family and amazing relationships and shit.... (Rep: Gay, Bisexual, Disabled, Warnings: Abuse)

The following are books I plan to read for pride/in the near future. I can’t wholeheartedly reccomend them obviously, or fully detail all the rep/warnings, but I’ve heard some great things about these books and a lot of them have representation that the first part of the list is lacking, so I figured I would add them! (Also if I use ‘queer’ that’s because that’s the only label I have been given by the authors or reviewers, or the characters identify as queer)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman: To my knowledge this is a really emotional YA coming of age/college story that has to do with like. A podcast? Idk a lot of people love it and side note I’ll be suing B&N bc they NEVER have it relkj (Rep: Bisexual, Demisexual, I belive Latinx.)

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand: I believe this is a YA horror-ish novel where there’s a monster stealing girls on and island. (Rep: I believe all three main girls are queer Warnings: Since this is horror im assuming. Horror stuff LMAO)

I Wish You all The Best by Mason Deaver: A YA contemporary romance about Ben who comes out as non-binary to their parents and gets kicked out, and moves in with their estranged sister. They soon are taken under the wing of a senior named Nathan Allan and begin to fall. (Rep: Non-Binary (Own Voices), MLM/Queer, Black (im assuming from the gorgeous cover lmao. Warnings: Misgendering, homophobia, anxiety, depression)

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno: YA Magical Realism about Georgina, who has yet to inherit the magical powers that have been passed down her family, including her twin sister Mary who, unlike Georgina, is coming into her powers. (Rep: Lesbian, Queer, Aro/Ace, Warnings: Rape and sexual assault, underage drinking, animal death, drug use.)

[fightingforfreedomblr]

Light v. darkness (3)

I strongly believe “New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is resigning within two weeks” hit all the International headlines.

Why? He faced allegations of sexually harassment from 11 women for more than one year but he strongly denied it and refused to resign. Therefore why? Because those courageous women stood up and spoke out. The irony is he is a so-called an advocate to “Stop women sexual abuse”. What a hypocrisy! Moreover, he abused his evil networks to retaliate accusers. In addition, he was another so-called national hero to handle Covid-19. However, he altered data of death toll at nursing homes for political purpose.

That is the power of truth, courage and internet.

Why? Now I quote from John 8:32: And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

More quote from John 3:20: For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 3:21: But whoever does what is true comes to light, so that it may be clearly carried out in God.

Here I give another example of high profile killing-Jamal Khashoggi (I strongly believe people still remember). Saudi Arabia government strongly denied any involvement at the beginning but finally acknowledged many high profile governmental officials got involved.

Therefore, I encourage people of International Community stand up and speak out against your boss if your fundamental right(s) is (are) violated for better world and better tomorrow. You may face retaliation, even death threat; however, justice will defeat evil finally.

The same as my situation, I have criticized their conspiracy against me for better world and better tomorrow just because I promote universal values of Freedom Democracy Human rights Rule of Law and Justice. Then American governments (U.S, California State government and City of Sacramento) Canadian governments (Canada, BC government and City of Vancouver) Singapore government and China government, all have worked in concert to torture me but deny any involvement of joint-tortures and behave like dog-biting each other and finding excuse each other. Because I do not have authority and resource to investigate. Because I am powerless, voiceless and helpless. Moreover, they assume people of International Community and I have no heads and do not know how to think.

However, the God is watching and the world is watching.

-Retaliation: American governments have abused their networks, such as, local charities and local goons to not only manipulate my basic needs but also retaliate me because I have “NO PROOF”.

-Altering data: American governments altered not only medical results, such as QUEST but more horribly transcripts from Immigration Courts and Federal Court.

-Hypocrisy: To show their hypocrisy, they offer me way to survive. How? Forced sex, even unwanted/unsafe sex from broken puppets and local goons because America is a so-called “Free and democratic” country. I have been annoyed by those broken puppets and local goons every day for more than 8 years in America. That is typical sexual harassments in open. In dark, they make me unconsciousness through either drug or injection and then do whatever they want because I have “NO PROOF.” Of course, American governments deny it and find excuse from other governments.

The irony is America is a so-called global champion of Human rights. Well, Joe Biden just sanctions some Cuban politicians for its Human rights violations. However, I have been worse than an animal for more than 8 years in America. What a hypocrisy!

Inside note: 1. Canadian governments do not have courage to acknowledge being corrupted by Singapore government and China government to persecute me in Canada. Canadian governments are liable for my mistreatments, sufferings and harms in Canada!

2. American governments do not have courage to acknowledge being corrupted by Canadian governments Singapore government and China government to persecute me in America and always find excuses in unofficial ways that “My ordeals are caused by other 3 evil governments not by American governments”. Really? Why American governments do not reveal their evils to the world? Why American governments do not hold them accountable? Because they are on the same page.

Well, Canadian governments Singapore government and China government have resources, evil networks but do not have authority in America. Only U.S government put me in jail. Only U.S judicial branch and California judicial branch dismissed my lawsuits with prejudice. Only U.S government deprived of my right to work. Only California AG and SAC-PD do not press charges and investigate against those perpetrators who target me. Only American governments have sanctioned me financially because I have zero dollar on my wallet for more than 42 months. Finally, it is American governments cause me more than 8 years’ ordeals, especially more than 9 months in jail and more than 6 years homeless in America. Therefore, American governments are liable for my mistreatments, sufferings and harms in America!

[biancagarciacruz-blog]

15 Filipinas On Why They Need Birth Control, The Contraceptive Ban And Why It’s Stupid

Unless you haven’t heard, The Supreme Court has issued a TRO (temporary restraining order) on contraceptives in 2015. At first, they were only covering Implanon and other implants. It was later expanded to cover pills, injectables, intrauterine devices, vaginal rings, and other brands. Slowly but surely, oral contraceptives have been disappearing off the shelves of drug stores and health centres, including my brand, with the great possibility of them disappearing forever in about three years.

If The Supreme Court has it’s way, we Filipinos will only be left with two options: condoms and “Family Planning”. For my readers abroad or anyone who simply doesn’t know, “Family Planning” basically means ABSTINENCE. Yes, they are basically asking us to abstain from sex, which by the way is one our basic human needs. Because fuck science, right? 

Personally, I am outraged. I am outraged because The Supreme Court refuses to look at the country’s real problems, like overpopulation and immense poverty. They are so focused on turning a blind eye on the real issues only because [Insert Bible verse here]. We are sorry (no, we’re really not), but that will never be a good enough excuse. Wake up, guys! What year is it? People are definitely having sex and birth control is ABSOLUTELY NOT only about having sex. Oh my god, what a shocker. Let me give you 15 Filipinas On Why They Need Birth Control, The Contraceptive Ban And Why It’s Stupid.

First thing’s first:

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

“I am currently using trust pills. It's cheap as hell, does the job, and it’s the only one I have tried so far that doesn't make me feel awful side effects like headaches and nausea. My partner and I were alarmed by this TRO on contraceptives as we're both not ready to have kids yet and let's be real, we're both consenting adults in a committed relationship. We're having sex responsibly. I take the pill for my peace of mind. I like having the choice of deciding when to have kids. We've decided to hoard on pills and hope this TRO will be lifted soon enough.” 

-Koko

“I am absolutely furious. This will directly affect my health as I do take Yasmin for a number of things. One, to balance my hormones, because I suffer from hormonal imbalance, which affects my skin, my mood, my hair, my appetite, and much more. Two, I use it to avoid unwanted pregnancy, because I cannot afford more than one child. I feel very violated that a bunch of lawmakers could even think of interfering with women’s health rights. My next move would probably be to buy contraceptives abroad. I will definitely not allow these idiots to control my body.” 

-Anonymous

“I use Diane birth control pills, and I take it because my ob-gyn diagnosed me with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Apparently, it's like an epidemic now, and many young women have it, as it's linked to stress, which I really am. That's my main reason for using it, because without it, I get really crazy hormone imbalance, crazy weight gain/loss, and I skip my periods months at a time, but sometimes bleed for months at a time. I don't really use it for actual contraception uses but, sure, why not? [If] bringing BC in from abroad [becomes] illegal, I have no idea how I'm going to survive.” 

-Meriela

“In transition from male to female, you are to take two medications, estrogen and anti-androgen. Estrogen pills are very difficult to find so we substitute it with birth control pills, which has estrogen content in it. Anti androgen is by prescription but unfortunately gender doctors are not available in the country due to laws. Contraceptives are the only alternative for us to transition until we are able to finance ourselves to buy our medications abroad, which is quite expensive. Banning contraceptives here in the Philippines is taking away the freedom of us transgender being able to transition and express who we are. Not only that, it is taking away freedom of women the choice of what happens in her body. The only way for me to be able to transition is if I move to other countries to continue my medication. Transgender people will no longer be able to transition of contraception is not allowed in the Philippines.” 

-Ish

**As a former fashion student that has been in fashion school for more than three years, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of having such a wide array of people with different genders and sexualities around me, including transgender women. The talk of birth control and injections for their transition was a normal, everyday conversation for us. I really can’t explain why it took me a couple of days to even realize that they too will be greatly affected by the TRO. Now, it comforts me to know that we have more beautiful souls to fight for the right to our own bodies.

“Pills have changed my life. For almost a year, I’ve been in and out of the hospital (monthly) because of my ovarian cysts. Antibiotics and other medication have been given to me but they would just cure the cysts for a certain amount of time, then the cysts would still come back. But when I decided to ask for a third opinion from my third OB, she asked me to take Dianne pills for 3 months. I tried it and goodbye cysts for almost a year now.” 

-Shin

“For years, I have always been irregular with my menstrual cycle. After getting checked, my doctor told me I have PCOS and that I needed to take birth control pills. It took me three different brands (roughly six months) to finally find the pill with barely any side effects. Finding out about the TRO made me sick to my gut. Most pro-life groups argue that there are "natural" ways to treat PCOS, and trust me, I've tried doing that already. I was on metformin, and I changed my lifestyle. However, nothing made me feel more in control, less anxious and less worrisome than the pill I'm taking now. I think working with the government to lift this TRO is the first step. I know that they agreed for a public hearing, so all efforts must be geared towards that. My last move is to talk to my doctors for alternatives because I'm hopeful that we can do something about it!”

 -Ekay

“Ayy, that’s basically preventing Filipina transgender women, like myself, from their transition. We, the transgender community, don’t even get any support from the government to begin with and now they even dare to take away our pills! Worst comes to worst, I’m just going to order hormones from Thailand.” 

-Yuko

“As a student nurse, I would go and visit communities and talk to pregnant women, mothers, and families. I was distraught by their lack of knowledge with sex and reproductive health. To have a community of people,  men and women who are not used to using condoms and did not undergo proper sex education. What happens to women if you take away the only contraceptive they are using or the only contraceptive that works for them? As a woman, I should have rights that protect myself from the closed minded sectors of this country like the government, religious groups, and the church. Although I have respect for the religious communities and the church, they must understand that not everyone has the same belief system and values as them and the way I live my life should be my choice. I am using birth control pills and my reason for using the pills is that I have a boyfriend, we are sexually active and I do not want to get pregnant. [If it gets banned permanently,] one option would be to get an injection in another country when I travel but also my boyfriend would always use a condom.” 

-China

**Just to get a clear picture on how bad it really is here in the Philippines, the same student nurse told me about the one time when she and her co-students were demonstrating how to properly use a condom to a local community. To demonstrate this, they used their thumb as the penis and used the condom accordingly. A few weeks later, they got a complain from a couple in the said community. They were upset that they have been using the condoms just to find out that the girlfriend was pregnant. The nurses later found out that they have been using condoms, except they were using them on their thumbs. 

“I’ve been on oral contraceptives for the past 6 years, and every time I had to take a short break from them, all the symptoms that came with my PCOS (month long periods, irregular cycles, extremely painful cramps, acne, mood swings, insecurity, etc.) would start up again. As a Filipina, who is very dependent on birth control, to hear that there is a TRO on contraceptives is absolutely horrifying. It shouldn’t matter if a woman uses BC because she wants to have safe sex, or if someone like me needs to take BC to regulate her period and be able to do the simplest things and not have deal with the inconvenience and pain of irregular periods. 1 out of 5 women in the world have PCOS, and each one differs in symptoms, so I can only imagine how many women have worse symptoms than mine and really do need the pills just to be able to do regular things.” 

-Maji

“Since we, my boyfriend and I, do not use condoms, I drink contraceptive pills as an alternative. We do not like using condoms because we feel less every time we do. I actually do not know [what I’m going to do about it]. Abstain, maybe? Or take extra precautions when it comes to having sex. It's going to be hard though. This is why I believe that the TRO is unnecessary. It's like taking hope away from people. We just want to be sexually free, you know?” 

-AA

Ladies (and gentlemen), now is the time to act! Please make your voice heard, educate those around you, share the petition, and get our bodies back!

[mdtwn]

I think with the whole porn discussion it's because people want to support sex workers but oftentimes that's linked with turning the other cheek at porn. Like, we could work to dismantle the porn industry, but that would put a large number of people of marginalized genders out of work. The best thing to do, I think, is to support things like feminist porn, or certain studios/companies known to treat their actors well, etc.

"Also, many porn actors themselves will get angry at losing the chance to make money off of a scene, even if they know they'll be humiliated on camera or whatnot. A lot of them can and are in denial about being abused/mistreated bc they're not ready to leave the industry yet so they don't wanna vocalize it and they don't want to lose their only/preferred source of income"-----(i'm on mobile so sorry in advance for no read-more)dismantling the porn industry would also put a lot of men who profit from the exploitation of female sexual labor out of work :^)no but seriously, the last thing i want to come across as is someone who doesn't care about sex workers. a lot of people who talk about challenging the porn industry have a savior complex and it isn't helpful or necessary. when i criticize porn, i'm never, ever faulting the women and trans people who participate in it, bc they are largely not benefiting from it (just as i wouldn't fault the exploited labor force in any other industry). also i choose to just say "porn" instead of "porn industry" in the same way that i say "men" instead of "some men", so oppressors won't distance themselves from the problem (bc there is plenty of "amateur" and "independent" porn that is just as harmful). the presence of porn has become so pervasive and so engrained in our culture that we have to look at undoing its damage kind of like how we should address the availability of guns. like, it's become such an institution in our culture that we'll never be able to be rid of it completely, so we have to find a happy medium where (an adult's) freedom of choice doesn't betray social consciousness. as it shouldn't be legal to buy a high-capacity weapon, it shouldn't be legal to produce porn depicting violence, etc. it's shaky ground to walk on bc you have to take into consideration what constitutes as freedom of speech, but there is a case to be made that violent porn incites violence (sexual or otherwise). however, like the gun issue, we can't legislate our way out of porn. if we don't address the fact that we - as a culture - do not approach sex in an open, educational way, and that we still do not value women and trans people (especially those of color) equally with men, nothing will change. the biggest reason why we have this problem is bc we're afraid to talk about sex with our children (who are old enough to operate a computer, therefore old enough to access porn). like ACTUALLY talk about it, not just in the "this is where babies come from" context, and continually talk about it as our children grow up and become sexually active. kids who don't know any better will start watching porn as a pre-teen and continue watching for innocuous reasons through their teens, and by the time they reach adulthood, their idea of what healthy sexuality is will be warped. i don't think that porn in its purest form (images, videos, etc depicting adults engaging in sexual acts) is inherently bad, btw. we just have a misogynistic, racist, etc culture that stains everything in it. that's why i agree that rewarding companies with more ethical approaches to porn (by patronizing them, while actively denouncing those that produce violent, racist, transphobic, etc content) is a good starting point. it's a nuanced problem and it's also something that people (men) take so, so personally that even mentioning that it could be harmful and could have societal consequences is met with fierce resistance. we won't make any progress with this issue if we refuse to talk about it. i know that we, as feminists, (generally) won't raise children who are ignorant about sex and how structures of oppression affect our attitudes, and that we are the fiercest advocates for better sex ed, an end to rape culture, and other issues that are associated with porn, but we have to name the specific problem(s), and we need to do better.