#black-male-activists

[yourdailyqueer]

Trè Melvin

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 28 October 1992

Ethnicity: African American

Occupation: Youtuber, actor, playwright, singer, songwriter, activist

[princessefemmelesbian]

My friend said that Harry Shitter would be a transandrophobia truther and I am literally SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP AT HOW ACCURATE THAT IS 😭 HE WOULD THO

[misterlemonztenth]

07-22-24 | posttexasstressdisorder. misterlemonztenth.tumblr.com/archive

[bitter69uk]

Adieu to truly great trailblazer Harry Belafonte (1 March 1927 – 25 April 2023), who’s died aged 96. He was a singer (who popularized calypso music in the 50s), actor of stage and screen, outspoken civil rights activist (on close terms with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr) and – as this vintage pin-up amply demonstrates – a raving beauty.

[twanarchy]

i don’t get paid enough to care if you shoplift. times are hard, people are struggling, big corps are not helping.

[trans-axolotl]

ID: [A poster created by Sean Saifa Wall and Micah Bazant of a Black parent holding their child. They are dressed in white and almost seem to be glowing, in front of a backdrop of multicolored waves that look like DNA strands. Colorful text reads "Protect Intersex Youth."]

"A Framework for Intersex Justice

Intersex justice is medical justice. Intersex surgeries hurt everyone.

These medical violations bring immediate harm to the child who is subjected to them.

Parents who consent to medically unnecessary surgeries participate in a culture of shame, silence and stigma, perpetuated by doctors, that allows these surgeries to continue. Parents are often left to fend for themselves as they navigate shame and guilt. The issue of parents consenting to these surgeries is especially complex when societies believe that children don’t have individual rights and that parents are always acting in their best interest.

Medical practitioners such as pediatricians, obstetricians, urologists, social workers, and endocrinologists all play a role in upholding an institution that continues to harm children with intersex variations. The practitioners, in turn, are protected by hospitals and state laws that grant them immunity.

This is why intersex justice is important.

Although the framework is evolving, the following is a definition of intersex justice co-created with Dr. Mel Michelle Lewis (they>she), an Associate Professor of Gender/Sexuality in Studio and Humanistic Studies at Maryland Institute College of Art: Intersex justice is a decolonizing framework that affirms the labor of intersex people of color fighting for change across social justice movements. By definition, intersex justice affirms bodily integrity and bodily autonomy as the practice of liberation. Intersex justice is intrinsically tied to justice movements that center race, ability, gender identity & expression, migrant status, and access to sexual & reproductive healthcare. Intersex justice articulates a commitment to these movements as central to its intersectional analysis and praxis. Intersex justice acknowledges the trauma caused by medically unnecessary and nonconsensual cosmetic genital surgeries and addresses the culture of shame, silence and stigma surrounding intersex variations that perpetuate further harm.

The marginalization of intersex people is rooted in colonization and white supremacy. Colonization created a taxonomy of human bodies that privileged typical white male and female bodies, prescribing a gender binary that would ultimately harm atypical black and indigenous bodies. As part of a liberation movement, intersex activists challenge not only the medical establishment, which is often the initial site of harm, but also governments, institutions, legal structures, and sociocultural norms that exclude intersex people. Intersex people should be allowed complete and uninhibited access to obtaining identity documents, exercising their birth and adoption rights, receiving unbiased healthcare, and securing education and employment opportunities that are free from harm and harassment. This framework serves a radical vision where intersex children are protected and survivors of genital cutting are cared for and respected. We owe that to intersex people and we owe that to ourselves.

The implementation of an intersex justice framework should include the following components: 1. Informed consent 2. Reparations 3. Legal protections 4. Accountability 5. Language 6. Children's rights 7. Patient-centered healthcare."

-Intersex Justice Project, founded by Sean Saifa Wall, Lynnell Stephani Long, and Pidgeon Pagonis.

[feminist-furby-freak]

We need to talk about how men weaponize their marginalized identities to harass and manipulate women.

I recently was talking with a friend (for context she is biracial and black but often white passing) who was being harassed by the guy in the seat next to her on a long train ride. He was trying to get her number and get her to agree to go out with him and she kept refusing. Eventually he asked if it was because he was black and if she was being racist. He told her if he was a white man she would have no problem giving her his number. I’ve experienced pretty similar situations a few times. The first time this happened I was maybe 14 (for context I am white) and came home bawling that I had been racist against some man for turning down his advances. My mom was like, first of all you’re literally a child and second of all someone’s identity doesn’t entitle them to you. Ever. As progressive/left-leaning people who care deeply about issues of racism it can be hard to acknowledge the fact that SOME men of color or men of other marginalized identities knowingly use that fact against women. And to be clear this is not to diminish the history of racism and the ways white women have historically harmed (and still can) black men. But stuff like this needs to be talked about even though it is uncomfortable. Victims shouldn’t be expected to stay quiet because it might hurt marginalized men. Some activists condemned Alice Walker for publishing The Color Purple and writing about (black) male violence because they said it would hurt black men. Many of us know about the unrealistic standard of the “perfect victim” but what about the “perfect perpetrator.” You might have seen the recent case where a woman came forward after being assaulted by a black trans identified man and thousands of people were telling her she shouldn’t have called the police because he’s marginalized and at risk. As if her actual experience as a victim matters less than his potential for being victimized. Obviously other groups of men can do this as well (I know a woman who was coerced into sex by a disabled man who used that to manipulate her) but this is just the example I’ve experienced recently. My post about trans identified men weaponizing their transness to sleep with women has gotten a lot of attention and I just wanted to address other ways male entitlement plays out.

[potatomountain]

Like Cats And Dogs

Pairing: Kitty hybrid!PSH x rich!fem reader x dog hybrid Johnny Suh Summary: To save some face, your parents "gift" you a hybrid to potentially breed with him- despite the fact you were an avid protestor of hybrid ownership and experimentation. With the help of a stranger turned friend, a human passing hybrid, you learn all about hybrids in a new light. How to take care of them, and how they can take care of you WC: 6.4k AU: Hybrid Genre: fluff, smut Warning(s): 18+ rating, verbal mxm, verbal mxfxm, breeding kink, possessive hwa! jealous hwa! guided sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, fingering, breast play, hint of choking, manhandling, heat/rut, masturbation, praise kink, penetration with no barriers, phone sex, virgin/first time Hwa! Nets: @pirateeznet | @mirohs-aurora-society AN: Happy birthday to @flurrys-creativity ! i hope you enjoy this very much (and i hope I did Johnny justice!) and im glad i got to use this old kitty!hwa idea after having it on the backburner for so long! unedited, barely betaed, we go all in first time all the time xD dividers and Banner by me!

Main Masterlist

“You’re kidding right?” You glared over at your parents, lips pulled back in a bit of a snarl before you once more looked at their “gift”: a male cat hybrid, and a pretty one at that.

You were against the whole Hybrid concept to begin with, something your parents were well aware of, but they were all for hybrids; and tired of your lack of interest in starting a family of your own, let alone dating. Hybrids weren’t that new of a thing, as they were already a small portion of the population when you were born, but despite being needed for humanity’s growth and longevity, they were treated as pets even now.

This one was no different, black ears flat against his head and black tail wrapped around his thigh giving away how nervous and frightened he was, the collar around his neck like an elephant in the room. You didn’t blame him, after all he was being gifted to you with the purpose of impregnating you.

That just pissed you off more. “I’m not using him as a breeding tool-”

“Sweetie he can be anything you want him to be.” Your mother protested, reaching a perfectly manicured hand out to touch your arm but you pulled back.

“Then how about free huh?” There weren’t many hybrids that were their own owners, you knew that, but that was the cat’s problem not yours. At least- it should be, but with the way the hybrid trembled behind your parents tugged at your heart.

Your father shook his head. “Even if you give him his rights, what then Princess?  He can be yours or he goes back to the shelter-”

You hissed, brushing the idea to the side. “Fine, I’ll take him-” You fixed both of your parents with as menacing a glare as you could manage, “-but I’m not using him to get pregnant, no matter how much you two want grandkids.”

When they shared a look, you lifted a brow questioningly. “That is why you are insisting on a hybrid to knock me up... right?” Mixed children weren’t rare, just uncommon, and had two possible outcomes: either they came out with human features and were treated as such, even if they had a mating cycle- or they came out with the animal characteristics and either would live their life with their parents or end up in a shelter.

The fact your parents, who both had heavy hands in the Hybrid business, wanted you to breed with a hybrid despite pushing your elder brother into an arranged marriage was beyond you- they would treat any hybrid children no different than the one behind them: like a toy. 

“It’ll look good for the company too.” Your father added on after much consideration and it dawned on you- this was also a marketing ploy. You weren’t the only one who detested how hybrids were treated, and for those around your age and a bit younger there were plenty of activists fighting for a bit more rights for the animal mixes. On occasion you had been one, joining up with some of your friends until you were recognized because of your parents: two individuals that were detested by the Hybrid activists. 

And it was probably affecting their company and reputation now. So what better way to combat how much they hate hybrids than to so wholeheartedly welcome hybrid grandchildren?

You stepped back from your parents, crossing your arms over your chest. “If you want to look good for the company then start treating Hybrids better. Especially if you are wanting Hybrid grandchildren. I’ll keep the boy, but unless you shape up the company and your own image, then I won’t even consider it.”

Not that you actually ever would but if it got your parents to be nicer and give them a change of heart- then you were all for using it as an incentive.

They seemed to brighten at that, nodding before they turned to your new “pet”. “His name is Seonghwa, He’s all yours now sweetie. Use him well.” Your mother winked back at you as she passed the man while your father patted his back and nudged him in your direction.

You glared at their backs until they were gone and you heard the door auto lock, only then relaxing your shoulders and turning to your new responsibility. “You can speak, I’m not going to treat you like them or the shelter.” Sighing you took a better look at him. He was tall, taller than your father had been. It was hard to determine age with Hybrids, they grew up faster than humans and stayed looking youthful long after humans would start getting laugh lines and crow's feet. 

As you scrutinized his appearance from head to toe, he seemed to do the same with wide eyes, still frightened. As if deeming your words true, his tail unlatched from his thigh but his hands were still gripping the oversized sweater he was wearing. “What am I to call you by?”

Quickly you gave your name. “But you can call me whatever makes you comfortable, and I’ll refer to you as whatever you wish as well.” Uncrossing your arms you half turned to head further into your home as you had met your parents at the door when they had called just seconds before their unexpected visit. “I’ll show you around the house. I might be your owner now but I don’t expect you to do anything for me okay?”

“Then what... am I supposed to do?” He hurriedly followed after you, tail flickering behind him.

Shrugging, you glanced back at him with a half smile. “Whatever you want.”

He nodded softly, listening intently as you showed him each room until you stopped in the spare room you had for friends. The house was from your parents and it was a little big for just you and had thought about getting a roommate or something but preferred your space too much. You supposed that Seonghwa wasn’t going to be a bother at all, if anything you would probably have to force him to take up space and live as more than a pet.

He seemed skeptical about your statement, but had just nodded as he stepped into the room, which even with the Queen bed still looked huge and yet this was one of the smaller rooms in the house. “This is... for me?”

“Yep. It’s just a bed and I have some clothes friends of mine have left over- use any of them for now. We can head to the store tomorrow and get you more clothes and hygiene products, stock up on food you like, get you a few things for the room... does that sound okay?” You turned to him with a tilt of your head, admiring the pure awe of his expression as he stared at the bed, nodding slowly as if he barely processed what you said. “Seonghwa?”

“Hm?” His head snapped in your direction, ears perked and on alert. “Y-Yes?”

“Is that okay? You’ll be picking out anything you want, and I don’t want you feeling as if you need to repay me-”

“But why? That’s not how things should be right? I should have what you want, n-not-”

“And I want you to have the things you like. Don’t consider me your owner, more like a caretaker and roommate okay?” You offered an easygoing smile to try and ease his nerves a bit.  “Let’s get along and make this a home for you.”

Cheeks pink, he nodded slowly, eyes boring into yours. “H-home. Make this home.”

You nodded. "Mhmm, some place comfy and cozy and just for you. No one is going to take it away." You encouraged, keeping your gaze locked on him. Even with as beautiful as he was, you only saw a frightened man, or animal, who had never been treated as an equal or with respect. At least, that's what you assumed. To have come from a shelter, and forced into being a gift for a stranger, you could only imagine how he feels right now.

He opened his mouth to speak, only for a loud grumble to interrupt him. Unsure if it had been your stomach or his, or both, you laughed. "I'll go make something to eat. Why don't you make yourself comfortable and get acquainted with the room?" Only when he agreed did you leave him alone, keeping the door open so he didn't feel caged.

Alone in the kitchen however you were at a loss... really, how did you just end up taking full responsibility for a Hybrid? Was this really a good idea?

Whether it was or not, this was the path you chose.

~~~

Shopping was a nightmare. Not only did you know little about hybrid’s despite the basics, but you knew so little about men as well. And Seonghwa apparently knew less.

Had it been two hours the two of you had stood in a men’s store looking at clothes? And all you had to account for it was one outfit.

You kept insisting he choose what he likes, just for him to browse the items like they were glass, then look up at you confused with nothing chosen. You wished you had someone to call for help, but your family would just tell you to pick whatever and your acquaintances would berate you for having a hybrid, so neither was an option.

With a heavy sigh, your shoulders sagged in defeat. “This is going no where.”

Ears flat on his head, Seonghwa watched you with growing worry. “I’m sorry… I just-” “Don’t apologize Seonghwa, I know.” Pinching the bridge of your nose you glanced around to see if there was anyone around, maybe a worker, that could help instead.

Luck would have it that someone was already watching you with a bit of concern. When you locked eyes on the tall stranger, you smiled with some relief. “Excuse me, I’m sorry to ask but could you help us a little?” He nodded, moving around the rack of clothes to stand next to you and Seonghwa. He was even taller than the hybrid, even slouching with his hands in the cardigan. “I sure can. You both look really lost. First time shopping for him?” You nodded sheepishly. “First time shopping for a man in general so, lost definitely fits this situation. This is Seonghwa and-” Seonghwa mumbled out your name in warning, much closer to you than he had been a moment ago. The stranger just smiled wider. “My name’s Johnny, I’m not going to harm either of you, promise. No matter how cute you two are.” His tone shifted to soothe Seonghwa, who you now realized was frightened of the man.

“Hey, it’s okay, promise.” Since he seemed to trust you, even just a little, you reached out and took his hand in yours. The hybrid jumped, wide eyes now on you in confusion. “We’ll take it slow. Would you like to hold onto me? Does that make you feel more safe?” The quick nod Seonghwa gave surprised you, especially since you had known each other for a day. Given the circumstances though, you supposed you understood why.

Johnny observed the interaction with a soft smile. “It if helps, one of my parents is a hybrid, so I’m not fully human.” He whispered, bringing a finger to his lips. “Some of my siblings are as well so I have experience with this.” He stretched his joined hands in front of him, pushing out the fingers in a stretch before rolling back on his feet. “I’ll take care of you both, safely.”

He had been true to his word, despite the clothing shopping taking another hour or two at least. He was patient for it all, helping you take the many bags to your car and then offering to have a meal and chat.

By then Seonghwa seemed less apprehensive, but he still watched him with a skittish look in his eyes. To be fair, Seonghwa watched you with the same look, even if he was attached to your arm. Ever since you allowed him to latch on when he wanted, it seemed to be the only thing he did without further prompt, constantly latching onto your hand or arm, or holding the back of your shirt as he walked behind you.

You thought it was adorable and endearing, and so did your newest acquaintance.

Who was quickly turning into a friend. He was easy-going, laid back, and patient: with both you and Seonghwa. You relented that you knew little about hybrids, usually avoiding them because you didn’t like how they were treated- how your parents treated them, but you seemed even more helpless because Seonghwa was definitely a man. He was all too happy to help, telling you about his siblings and father who was a hybrid, what worked for them. He gave you his number and prompted you to reach out anytime you needed anything, even if it was just to keep you two company.

Taking care of Seonghwa didn’t seem like such a daunting task with Johnny’s help, and he continued to help for weeks to come. In fact, he was over quite a lot.

You met his youngest siblings, the hybrids, and learned Johnny was a dog hybrid: in particular Anatolian Shepherd. While Seonghwa thrived with the younger ones over the weeks, it was his relationship with Johnny that brought liveliness to your home.

“He did it again!” Seonghwa huffed from one side of the living room, pointing an accusing finger over at Johnny who had a nonchalant grin on his face.

On the coffee table was the current Lego set Seonghwa had been building, which he was also huffy about because Johnny had started ‘helping’ him build. The cat had his ears twitching in agitation, fangs on display as he hissed at Johnny, but it was how lax his tail was you knew there was no serious threat.

You tried not to laugh, seeing them argue like cats and dogs. Seonghwa liked his growing hobbies, most of them introduced by Johnny or yourself, while the others had peaked his interest from an advertisement. Months it had taken him to open up, so you enjoyed the fact he would bicker. Or we'll, in this case “tattle”.

And Johnny’s nonchalance, the slightest pout growing on his features since Seonghwa rejected his attention once more, was also enjoyable. “I just want to build with you.” Seonghwa whined, pleading gaze on you as you did laugh a bit. “Don’t laugh! Do something!” He moved around the table and got on his knees before you, resting his hands on your knees, then his chin on his hands. This was something new he had started doing, begging- but you continued to give in.

“What do you want me to do Hwa? Ban Johnny from the house?”

“Yes!” “Hey!” Johnny protested the same time Seonghwa replied exasperatedly. “I got you this set though!” “Nuh uh! You got me the add on! She got me the set!” “So! I contributed!” Johnny huffed, suddenly getting on his knees and mimicking Seonghwa’s stance, nudging him aside to take up your left knee.

Seonghwa immediately hissed and started pushing him away roughly. “This is my spot!” Between the two of them, Johnny was still the taller and stronger one, but that didn’t stop Seonghwa from attempting to push him around. Most of the time Johnny just laughed and took it, or pouted. He wanted to get along with Seonghwa, but you thought they already did.

Of course Johnny didn’t know how antsy Seonghwa would get when it’s been a few days since his last visit. He didn’t know that Seonghwa would get even more clingy the longer the other man was away, or how he’d ask about when he would come over again. 

“So I know how much peace I have left!” He would protest once you’d tease him for missing him.

It was adorable, especially since Seonghwa didn’t try to hide his affection for you. The morning cuddles where he nuzzled your stomach and made it hard to get out of bed. How he would steal some of your dirty shirts to hide in his bed so it smelled more like you (in which you always scolded him for). How eager he was to learn to cook just so he could make you breakfast- which watching Johnny teach him was a bonus on top of that. Johnny assured you these were normal behaviors for a cat hybrid when they liked their owner, their “human”, but there were times you got flustered. That was something Johnny told you to avoid, unless you wanted to deal with Seonghwa in a rut. Which you wanted to avoid, considering your parent’s intentions for Seonghwa. You couldn’t see the cute kitty in that way really anyways, he was too adorable.

At the sound of your name, you blinked back to reality to see Seonghwa pouting up at you again. “Please make him go away!” “Sorry Hwa, I like having Johnny around.” You might also have a growing crush on the man as well.

Frustrated, Seonghwa turned to Johnny again and pushed once more, finding the strength to catch him off guard so he fell back- and knocked your iced coffee out of your hand and onto him.

Seonghwa let out a little cry, moving to protect his legos from the coffee but the damage was already done and it was all on Johnny. You moved to pick up the mason jar, setting it aside while rambling apologies though Johnny was laughing.

“It’s okay, it’s just on my shirt.” He pushed himself up and pulled his shirt off before you were even a few steps away to get a towel. “I’m fine, he just hates me, is all.”

Seonghwa was still perched by the table, his body language shifting to one of guilt as he kept his eyes on the ground now. He didn’t deny Johnny’s words, but you knew differently, ready to deny them for Seonghwa though you were struggling to find your brain.

Had Johnny always been so toned? Well, not like you had ever seen him shirtless. Mouth too dry to speak, you just went and got two towels: one damp and one dry. He was still shirtless when you returned, using the shirt to wipe up the coffee on your hardwood floor. “Don’t worry about that.” You finally squeaked out, grabbing his shirt from him with much effort.

“Sweetheart, it’s fine-” The use of the nickname had you tensing up a bit, far too aware of him suddenly. Oh this was not good. “You can use one of Hwa’s shirts.” You turned away from him to look for the hybrid, but he wasn’t there. He did that sometimes, went quiet and left the room when he felt overwhelmed, but you usually still notice.

Were you so out of it you didn’t? “I have my hoodie, I don’t want to make myself more unwelcome.” “That’s not-” Immediately you protested but Johnny was already up and cleaning himself off. Your protests died in your throat, taking note of some of the coffee running over the ridges of his abs. What if you just licked it off? Whoa whoa whoa. Where was this coming from?

Johnny chuckled at your expression, reaching down and ruffling your hair. “Might want to get your hormones under control, you smell really sweet right now. I’ll come back after a few days, and I’ll bring you a fresh coffee, promise.”

Your hormones? Ah maybe that was it, probably ovulating. It was still embarrassing to be called out like this. “S-sure. But you aren’t unwelcome Johnny, I promise. He’s really open with you.” He shrugged, tossing the towels down onto the shirt. “Maybe��� might just be because I’m another male.” It seemed like he wasn’t too upset over it, making his way over to the chair with his bag and hoodie and pulling them on. “I’ll see you later Sweetheart, don’t worry that pretty little head. I’m not upset, just worried about him.” You thought it was sweet of him, deciding to trust him and let him go. He was usually right when it came to Seonghwa, quite observant despite acting aloof and playful most of the time. After he left a moment later, you finished cleaning up the coffee spill and started a load of laundry to wash his shirt. Once that was done, you headed for Seonghwa’s room and knocked. “Seonghwa, we need to talk.” Silence.

You knocked again. “I mean it. That was not very nice of you to do to your friend. I’ll let you sulk in here for a bit but we are going to call him later and you’re going to apologize. Do you understand?” More silence.

Trying the doorknob you found it locked which shocked you. He had never locked the door, even though you had given him permission to do so when he wanted alone time. Even when he stayed in there for hours he would still leave it unlocked, and would still answer if you knocked.

Concerned more than anything, you debated on getting the master key to get in, only to stop that train of thought. This was the first time he locked the door, and while it was out of character for him, you had given him permission. How would it look if you immediately took that away from him like that?

So you left him be.

You tried again at dinner time. Then before you headed for bed. He didn’t answer either time, nor was the door unlocked.

Now laying in bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark, you were far too worried to sleep. Should you call Johnny? Is there a parenting book on this? What if he wasn’t in his room at all? The thought had you sitting up quickly, just to gasp out at the sight of a figure in your doorway. With the small stream of light through your curtains you could make out Seonghwa’s figure- as well as the fact he only seemed to be wearing pants. That didn’t matter, you were just glad he was out of his room and still here. “Hwa? Are you okay Kitty?” He didn’t answer, instead padding softly across your carpet and stopping next to your bed. He hesitated briefly before pulling your blankets down just to climb over your legs. You relaxed, thinking he was seeking comfort, and opened your arms for him. He immediately leaned down, burying his face into the crook of your neck and laying on top of you, legs and arms on either side.

“Are you feeling a bit better?” He shook his head, brushing his nose over your shoulder as his arms slid under you. This was different than usual, did he feel that bad? “Do you want to call Johnny and- Hwa!” You gasped out when his grip tightened at Johnny’s name. “Hwa, sweetie, please talk to me.” He shook his head again, crawling down your body and now rubbing his face in between your breasts. Fighting off the sensations, you squirmed in his hold, warning him again. Finally he looked up at you, feline eyes hooded so you couldn’t make out just how he was looking at you… just that it had a thrill of apprehension running up your spine.

Something was very wrong.

A bit panicked, you grabbed your phone off the nightstand, knowing that it was late and he might not answer but- “I’m calling him.”

You only had the phone unlocked before Seonghwa was pinning your wrists to the bed and hovering over you, lips pulled back to flash his fangs. “No. Look at me.” The way he spat the words out momentarily shocked you, unable to wrap your head around his behavior. He took your immobility as you obeying, the heat of his gaze running down your body as he shifted to sit fully on your thighs and keep you pinned. This was your sweet kitty? He was acting…

He was acting possessive.

Your mind replayed the events of the day to figure out what had sparked this, noting that you had been ogling Johnny to even notice he had left the room. Was that it? The blatant fact you checked out a shirtless man in front of him? But then that meant Seonghwa didn’t see you the way you saw him, which left a pang of guilt in your chest. “Hwa… what are you doing?” At your gentle question he furrowed his brow, running his hands over your arms to your breasts, softly kneading them. “Don’t know. Just… angry and upset.” You bit down on your lip, trying not to let his ministrations get to you, but his thumbs rubbing across your nipples under the fabric was giving away how much you liked the touch. “At me?” He shook his head, so you prompted further, “At Johnny?” That time you couldn’t help the sound you made as he harshly groped your chest in response.

“I don’t… hate him but… don’t want him around you.” He admitted shyly, rubbing your chest soothingly now. He must have thought he hurt you.

You didn’t like that, partly because you wanted to be around Johnny but it also meant things were different. It meant your parents might get what they wanted, and that pissed you off. Especially if Seonghwa kept touching you like this.

“Why?” You decided to question like you didn’t know the answer.

Seonghwa paused his movements to look up at you, so much emotion shadowed on his face your heart stung. “You look at him differently. I want you to look at me like that, but instead you talk to me like you talk to his siblings- they’re kids! I’m not! Aren’t I…” He suddenly pulled your shirt up to expose your torso to him, leaning down so his lips brushed your hardened nipple as he spoke “aren’t I a man too?”

You were definitely fucked. “Hw-ah!” His mouth latched onto you, fangs scraping against your flesh as he tugged on the peak and stared up at you with obvious heat in your eyes.

Trying to keep some sense, you didn’t let any sounds fall from your lips, even as he sucked and his hands moved down your body. They gripped your sleep shorts, yanking them down as he shifted off you to pull them off.

For someone who didn’t know what he was doing, he sure acted like he did. The rough texture of his tongue ran over your breast, flicking the pebbled peak and finally elicited a sound out of you. It just seemed to encourage him more.

While Seonghwa was distracted with your breasts, your hands were free enough to work your phone. You had to be sly, glancing up only briefly to make sure it was unlocked and you were video calling Johnny. Silently you hoped he picked up, but you were also scared he would.

After all, Seonghwa was now pushing your legs apart and kissing down your body, one of his hands back to fondling your breasts, the other hooking your knee over his shoulder.

You heard the call connect just as Seonghwa let out a deep groan. “Smell so sweet- finally I make you smell like this.”

Embarrassment momentarily flooded you but you pushed it aside, glancing up at the phone to prompt it up. The light from the call illuminated your body more, as well as Seonghwa’s head as he kissed past your navel. Johnny looked like he had just laid down for bed, but he was sitting up once he noticed the position you were in.

“H-help? What should I do?” Seonghwa was going to notice anyway, so you call out to Johnny, pleading.

Seonghwa’s head snapped up when Johnny cleared his throat. He sneered, turning his gaze onto you and pulling on one of your nipples. “Why did you call him!” “I am also questioning-” “I can’t get him to stop!” You cut off Johnny, grabbing Seonghwa’s hands when he tried to reach for the phone. “Please just help Johnny?” Seonghwa forgo the phone to instead pin your hands down and stare down at you. Your body reacted, eyes flickering down to see his body bathed in the light. He wasn’t sculpted like Johnny, but he wasn’t unattractive. You visibly swallowed at the tent in his pajama pants, eyes going wide. “I don’t know how I can help you sweetheart, looks like he’s getting his first rut.”

“No shit sherlock! But you know I didn’t-” Your words were cut off as Seonghwa pushed his pants down, paying attention to the screen now. “Mine.” He rolled his hips into yours, the length of him pushing through your folds and over your clit, causing pleasure to jolt through you. Seonghwa wasn’t making any attempt to end the call now, and you noticed neither was Johnny. It was hard for you to think pinned down like this, Seonghwa’s cock stimulating your clit and soaking himself with your wetness. It was hot, and it felt damned good.

But you were quickly losing- or had you already lost. “Johnny please~” The words came out as a pleading moan, followed by a poor attempt to look at the screen.

Just in time to see the man curse under his breath, staring at the screen with unabashed lust. “Fine fine I’ll help- not in the way you want me to though.” He chuckled breathlessly, meeting your eyes for a second before diverting his full attention to Seonghwa. “You want to really make her yours? Then fuck her properly, kitty.” Johnny only called Hwa that when he was being playfully condescending, to egg him on a little.

It worked, Seonghwa’s hips snapping aggressively, your back arching from the intense jolt of pleasure it gave you. “Johnny~~” Whining, you feared where this was going. “Stop calling for him!” Seonghwa hissed out, removing his hand from your wrist and grabbing your throat to have you look at him. “Only me. Only me please.” His tone softened when you locked eyes, pulling at your heartstrings.

Just like that, the battle was lost. “Then listen to him. H-he’ll tell you what to do so you get what you want. Okay?” Temporarily placated, Seonghwa nodded, his hips still moving. “F-fine. I’ll listen to the stupid dog.” “I can come over and show you how to do it if you’re going to act like that, Seonghwa.” Johnny warned through the small screen, a heat in his words that did not help your current state.

With a pout, ears flattening momentarily, Seonghwa rephrased. “Please tell me what to do Sir.” “G-good kitty.” You offered him some praise, blushing at the way he positively keened at it.

He even let out a soft purr.

“Alright, you look on the bigger side so you need to prep her. Just below your dick, you’ll want to push a finger in-” Johnny paused as Seonghwa began to move, following his instructions and pushing a finger inside you a bit rougher than was meant. “Easy- nice and slow.”

However the loss of stimulation on your clit had you wanting to protest it wasn’t fast enough. “Hwa- curl your finger, search for a spongy spot- ah! Right there!” His long fingers hit it with ease and you were thankful he followed directions so well… usually. 

Seonghwa was watching you with the curiosity of a kitten that you were accustomed to, but also with a heat you were not. His eyes didn’t waver from your face as he rubbed against that spot, following Johnny’s instructions when he was told to put in a second. 

You gripped the bedding above your head, careful not to jostle the pillow the phone was on despite the view being blocked by your body as you writhed in pleasure. Still lacking the stimulation of your clit, you reached down and exposed it for him. “R-rub here with your thumb Kitty. P-please-”

He did as he was told, gasping in response to the sinful moan that escaped you. Johnny was still telling him how to move his fingers, his anger at the man having vanished into thin air for the moment it seemed.

“Now push in a third, rubbing them against the spot just as your thumb is. She’s going to get really tight, and when does, pull your thumb off but keep rubbing inside.” Johnny sounded breathless as he spoke, his voice ringing in your head and drawing out your own muffled moans. You wanted Seonghwa to hear him after all.

Just as he said, you were coming seconds after Seonghwa pushed in the third finger, clamping down around him as your body trembled with waves of ecstasy. Your eyes rolled shut, getting lost in the feeling and temporarily forgetting just who was giving it to you.

“Such a good boy. Made our pretty girl feel really good. Didn’t he sweetheart?” You nodded, attempting to catch your breath and forcing yourself to look up at Seonghwa. You whined as he pulled his fingers out, hesitantly bringing them to his lips without being told.

The guttural moan he let out as he sucked on all three fingers, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, had your pussy clenching in want. The sight seemed to entice Johnny, a string of curses falling from his lips that sounded like moans themselves.

Sparing a glance at the screen, you let out a soft gasp. He was shirtless, and while you couldn’t see below his abdomen, you swore he was touching himself.

“What’s next?” Seonghwa’s eager question pulled the attention of you both, long tongue still wrapped around his fingers and giving you plenty of ideas. “Now you fuck her. Guide your pretty cock to where you had your fingers and push in. Slowly. Any time she tenses, you need to stop and wait for her to adjust.” Johnny’s tone was soft, patient, belying the effect this scene must have on him.

Seonghwa seemed oblivious, focused only on his task. “I’m going to do that then. I’m sorry for my inexperience… sweetheart.” He adopted Johnny’s nickname for you, expression shy as if he wasn’t pressing his cockhead to your entrance.

Johnny had said it was his rut, but you thought Seonghwa still seemed a little too level-headed for that. He was following directions well and didn’t seem driven purely by basic instincts. To some extent, he was acting like the Seonghwa you knew.

That all got dashed once he was inside. A little more than his head had pushed into your cunt when his head drooped forward and an animalistic whine rumbled through his body- it was the only warning you had before his full length was inside you with such a force the bed moved with it.

You cried out, eyes wide and head falling back from the intensity. It hurt a bit, he was big, but thanks to Johnny you were prepped enough that it was also pleasurable.

“Fucking hell-” Johnny cursed loudly this time, the phone having fallen over but it was Seonghwa who picked it up. “I’m watching.” “Good.” Seonghwa grunted out before his hands found purchase on your hips, lifting them up. “Mine.” He didn’t wait for Johnny’s instructions this time, moving on pure instinct as he began thrusting into you at the pace he wanted.

You could only take it, unable to keep the heavy pants and gasps and sinful sounds at bad. One glance at the screen and you could clearly tell that Johnny was indeed fucking his hand. That just made the cotton in your head thicker.

“Put a pillow under you.” Johnny instructed you now, and you quickly obliged, noting it kept you steadier for his thrusts. It was the only thought you had before Seonghwa’s thumb was rubbing your clit and you cried out loud enough it was almost a scream.

Seonghwa was just as far gone as you were, if not more. Purring and grunting in between mumbling of phrases that you didn’t understand until they got louder. “Gunna fuck you so full of my cum.” “Breed you so well.” “Mine. Mine. Mine.”

“Want you to be swollen with my litter. Fucked so full you can’t think.”

Part of you wondered where the hell he learned such phrases- most of you was too fucked out to care, just fueled on by the filth he was spouting.

“Fucking hell Hwa- fucking her so well.” Johnny’s breathless praise for the hybrid was what sent you over the edge, walls clamping down on his cock as you cried out again. It was enough to milk Seonghwa for all he was worth, a deep growl that rolled into a high pitched moan as he hit his peak.

You could feel him coating your insides, filling you up with his seed, and probably accomplishing his and your parents goal: breeding you.

With your whole body shaking, the sound of Johnny’s own low cry as he came, and Seonghwa’s weight collapsing on top of you… you could not find it in you to care.

Seonghwa’s soft purrs helped regulate your breathing, reality crashing down when you realized he quickly fell asleep while still very much attached to you. With some effort you freed an arm and grabbed the phone, angling it to see the man on the other side cleaning himself off. 

“So-” You started, grabbing his attention, “-how do you expect to help me now? I think he’s literally stuck inside me. And I swear if I end up pregnant-” “I’ll take full responsibility sweetheart.” He smiled at you, the same smile that would often get your cheeks burning in seconds. “And I’ll head over now to clean you up. If I’m there for his first heat, he’s more likely to let me around more. Won’t bite my head off when I have you myself either.” Now you swore steam was escaping your ears with how heated you were. “Johnny that’s-” “Aht, we’ll talk when I get there.” He stood up, not at all hiding his softening cock on display or the few drops of cum still on his lower abdomen. “Better to do so while he’s asleep, otherwise it’ll be another cat and dog fight.” With a cheeky grin, he hung up, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

You managed to push Seonghwa onto his back, moving with him as he was still knotted inside you. It was easier laying on his chest, staring down at his pretty sleeping face, this time making an effort to see him as a man, just like he wanted.

A pet might have been easier to care for, but there was no turning back now.

Taglist (Form):

@candypop1611 | @vannabanana1995  | @piratequeen-queenofgames | @starstruckforyou |

| @reallychaoticwoo | @sousydive | @alextheweeb7 | @thesafecafe | @euphoricem |

| @meepsters-world | @mysticfire0435 | @yejisuu | @apriecotte | @amphiroxx |

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| @intowxnderland | @lover-ofallthingspretty | @fanficsruinedmylife | @mooniicore | @shadow-assassin-blix |

| @kittycatkrissa | @londonbridges01 | @hwas-housewife | @kimsaerom |

[pineapplerightsideupcake]

So.. I'm confused about something. If your beliefs in radical feminism say that trans people aren't valid in their feelings of being trans, what's stopping you from making bisexual people not part of the LGB? B stands for bisexual. What if their sexuality is just a phase? What if they are *actually* just heterosexual? For that matter what's stopping you from excluding YOURSELF from the community? At some point, you can't exclude any more people from a space that wasn't supposed to be gatekept to begin with! -Vero of CFC

You people always use that word “valid”. It’s absolutely meaningless post modern nonsense. Trans people feel that despite having a male or female body, their feelings about it change reality. I’m not telling trans people how they feel. Because you’re right, I can’t know that. What I’m telling them is that their feelings don’t change their bio sex. I’m telling them their feelings don’t supersede the rights and dignity of women. That’s not at all the same thing as being same sex attracted.

If I tell you that I am attracted to both men and women you can believe me or not. It doesn’t change my sexuality. You can’t know how I personally experience sexual attraction. But if I tell you I’m an Olympic Figure Skater, that’s something external and material. That’s something that either is or isn’t. And it doesn’t matter how true I want it to be.

This isn’t about people being invalid or valid. It isn’t about telling others I know better than them how they feel. It’s me telling them that their feelings don’t change material reality.

And we don’t get to sidestep reality because language is limited and imprecise. We create words to express ideas and categorize things so we don’t have to start every conversation from the ground up. Think of the quote “a rose by any other name”. The word ‘rose’ is made up but the flower it refers to exists in the material world. And you and everyone on earth could declare a rose a tulip but as long as people needed to specify they’d find a way to invent the word rose again. It’s why every 3 years your movement declares old terms verboten. MtF and FtM got used until people got mad it didn’t erase the reality of bio sex and people just used those terms in place of “male and female”. Then the same thing happened with AFAB and AMAB. Now we’re onto TME and no one knows what anyone is talking about because at the end of the day, people are male or female and no amount of “validation” or the right words erases that reality.

I am bisexual because I am attracted to both men and women. Lesbians are women exclusively attracted to women. Gay men are men exclusively attracted to men. Straight people are exclusively attracted to the opposite sex. The LGB community formed because the thing we had in common- same sex attraction- is punished in most societies. It absolutely was designed to gatekeep. It was a civil rights movement- not a secret club house. The LGB have no more moral responsibility to admit opposite sex attracted people than black activists have to include white or Asian people.

“Queer” has nothing to do with it. Demi flux genderoo aroallo fox kin have nothing to do with it. A group of men that believe their internal state of mind makes them literally a woman has nothing to do with it. You people overran a movement for same sex attracted people, convinced everyone to call our community a slur, and demand that we center heterosexual teens too immature for a relationship thinking that makes them the same as a Gay man.

I’m tired of arguing with 19 year olds that read too much mlm fanfiction that having short hair and wearing hoodies from the boys section doesn’t mean they’re gay men. I’m tired of arguing with those same girls that the 45 year old man with pigtails and a pink pinafore sucking his thumb and holding a dolly on social media isn’t a brave woman defying The Man. He’s just a pervert.

[walks-the-ages]

Everything you need to know about Trans Inclusive Radical Feminists, in a nut shell:

Please take a look at the middle, five star review from a radfem.. and the two, 1-star reviews was posted between.

... And then take a look at the 185 other one star reviews left by intersex, nonbinary, and trans men activists who actually understand the concept of solidarity, lol.

ID: screenshot of three reviews in a row for the Mozilla Firefox Extension "Shinigami Eyes".

The first review is 1-star rated by Junowo and reads:

"Incredibly disheartening to see that this extension is being used as a bludgeoning tool against trans men and intersex people. Even if this was solely a small online discourse it is wildly inappropriate to be marking trans activists as transphobic because you disagree on their nuance on what type of transphobia is "valid".

The second review is a 5-star rating by an anonymous user and reads:

"thank god the devs are finally cracking down on transandrophobia truthers. it's time we finally kick misogynistic trans men out of the trans community for good."

The third review is a 1-star rating by shannoncm4 and reads:

"This used to be a useful extension but now the devs have begun to mark trans men, nonbinary people, and intersex people who discuss their issues and rights as red. I've also heard instances of trans/nonbinary POC who've called out racism within the queer community being flagged as well. Very disappointing to see an extension that once offered some safety start aiding transphobia, exorsexism, intersexism, and racism."

The screenshot is colored green slightly from a Tumblr filter to make it clear it is not part of the post, without obscuring text. End ID]

So guys, lets play "spot the reactionary radical feminist!"

I'll give you a hint, just like their cis counterparts, trans radfems are equally incapable of seeing men as human beings and completely refuses to actually engage with the people they're targeting and instead make up lies for anything they think will make them look like the victims of their harassment campaign.

Anyways, if you'd like to help show your support for intersex folk, trans men, and nonbinary people, please take the time to leave a 1-star review (you can always change it later if a new developer takes over, so please make sure it is a ONE STAR review!)

and explain why you are upset with the official guidlines for the extension excusing violent transphobia towards intersex, nonbinary and trans male folk , and express your disappointment in the developers going out of their way to target intersex and Black activists by deliberately marking them as "Transphobic" with the extension purely because they talk about issues that effect the whole community, and the intersectionality between intersex folk and trans folk, or the racism in a lot of white trans folk.

[yourdailyqueer]

Marshall Blount

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Asexual

DOB: 16 February 1993  

Ethnicity: African American

Occupation: Activist, Youtuber

[blackownersseekingsuccess]

Remembering Bayard Rustin: The Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement

written by Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

August 1, 2024 - Growing up as a Black boy in Paterson, NJ, and attending Roman and Irish Catholic Parochial schools, Black history was not very familiar to me. I grew up in a religious Southern Baptist family and participated in the church choir. In this context, Martin Luther King, Jr., was all that I knew about Black history until I became a teenage Madonna fanatic. Ironically, Madonna made me aware of Black activists and radicals such as Nina Simone, Jean-Michel Basquiat, James Baldwin, and Bayard Rustin. Bayard Rustin was an African American activist who believed in civil disobedience. Rustin felt that Black people should deliberately break unjust laws but do it non-violently to bring about change and this would play a key role in the Civil Rights movement. He also advocated for LGBTQ rights. Rustin moved to Harlem in 1937 and began studying at City College of New York. It’s interesting to note that at the time CCNY was an all-male college once regarded as ���Jewish Harvard’ which did not accept Black men—Rustin was an unusual exception. While Rustin was at CCNY he became involved in efforts to defend and free the Scottsboro Boys, nine young black men in Alabama who were accused of raping two white women. Activism for Rustin was something that came naturally. He later became a mentor to Martin Luther King.

Rustin is one of my all-time idols. I have been enamored of him since I learned about him, so I was excited to attend an event dedicated to his life and legacy at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, “Between the Lines: Bayard Rustin, A Legacy of Protest and Politics.” The event was a conversation between Michael G. Long and Jafari Allen, who edited the book of the same name. Their exchange sparked many revelations and I left the event more aware than when I entered. I felt so much pity for the life that Rustin had to live, including the attack on his character that was rallied against him by other Black people and the distance that Martin Luther King placed between himself and Rustin out of fear of people assuming that he was also gay. I also learned that it was Coretta Scott King who introduced King to Rustin. Scott-King met Rustin during her college years as a fellow activist who practiced civil disobedience. She would ultimately introduce her husband King to civil disobedience tactics. Rustin recalled that his first time meeting King he was strapped with a handgun and that he never traveled without his gun. It was Rustin who told King that if he represented civil disobedience he would have to be willing to put away his firearm, which eventually he did. Nevertheless, this raises the question, who was King really? The “I Have A Dream” pacifist or the “Beyond Vietnam” radical? We will never truly know.

All in all what I did learn was that according to Rustin, King had no idea how to organize an event. Instead, it was Rustin who developed the blueprint for King’s early Civil Rights movement, at least until the day that King removed Rustin from his inner circle.

Nevertheless, Rustin returned to organize the March on Washington, despite everything leveled against him by Adam Clayton Powel and Roy Wilkins. Someone noted during the discussion that “it’s funny how karma works given the fact that nobody remembers Wilkins's legacy in comparison to the sudden interest in Rustin.'' If I remember correctly, the comment was made by the moderator, NYU professor Dr. Jarafi Allen, based on the fact that the venue was standing room only, or that the Hollywood lens is now fixated on Rustin’s story, with an Academy Award-nominated movie based upon his life currently in theaters. Wilkins has not received the same interest from Hollywood, perhaps indicating that he is less marketable in the mainstream. Meanwhile, Rustin’s role as an activist for the LGTBQ community is also important for newer generations. Until recently, this legacy and all that he accomplished was invisible, but he has since become a symbol of the “others” and most notably the “forgotten others”. While in his lifetime he was shunned, rallied against, and betrayed by those that he benefitted, history has allowed his legacy the final word.

[lurkiestvoid]

You're being targeted by disinformation networks that are vastly more effective than you realize. And they're making you more hateful and depressed.

(This essay was originally by u/walkandtalkk and posted to r/GenZ on Reddit two months ago, and I've crossposted here on Tumblr for convenience because it's relevant and well-written.)

TL;DR: You know that Russia and other governments try to manipulate people online. But you almost certainly don't how just how effectively orchestrated influence networks are using social media platforms to make you -- individually-- angry, depressed, and hateful toward each other. Those networks' goal is simple: to cause Americans and other Westerners -- especially young ones -- to give up on social cohesion and to give up on learning the truth, so that Western countries lack the will to stand up to authoritarians and extremists.

And you probably don't realize how well it's working on you.

This is a long post, but I wrote it because this problem is real, and it's much scarier than you think.

How Russian networks fuel racial and gender wars to make Americans fight one another

In September 2018, a video went viral after being posted by In the Now, a social media news channel. It featured a feminist activist pouring bleach on a male subway passenger for manspreading. It got instant attention, with millions of views and wide social media outrage. Reddit users wrote that it had turned them against feminism.

There was one problem: The video was staged. And In the Now, which publicized it, is a subsidiary of RT, formerly Russia Today, the Kremlin TV channel aimed at foreign, English-speaking audiences.

As an MIT study found in 2019, Russia's online influence networks reached 140 million Americans every month -- the majority of U.S. social media users.

Russia began using troll farms a decade ago to incite gender and racial divisions in the United States

In 2013, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a confidante of Vladimir Putin, founded the Internet Research Agency (the IRA) in St. Petersburg. It was the Russian government's first coordinated facility to disrupt U.S. society and politics through social media.

Here's what Prigozhin had to say about the IRA's efforts to disrupt the 2022 election:

"Gentlemen, we interfered, we interfere and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once."

In 2014, the IRA and other Russian networks began establishing fake U.S. activist groups on social media. By 2015, hundreds of English-speaking young Russians worked at the IRA. Their assignment was to use those false social-media accounts, especially on Facebook and Twitter -- but also on Reddit, Tumblr, 9gag, and other platforms -- to aggressively spread conspiracy theories and mocking, ad hominem arguments that incite American users.

In 2017, U.S. intelligence found that Blacktivist, a Facebook and Twitter group with more followers than the official Black Lives Matter movement, was operated by Russia. Blacktivist regularly attacked America as racist and urged black users to rejected major candidates. On November 2, 2016, just before the 2016 election, Blacktivist's Twitter urged Black Americans: "Choose peace and vote for Jill Stein. Trust me, it's not a wasted vote."

Russia plays both sides -- on gender, race, and religion

The brilliance of the Russian influence campaign is that it convinces Americans to attack each other, worsening both misandry and misogyny, mutual racial hatred, and extreme antisemitism and Islamophobia. In short, it's not just an effort to boost the right wing; it's an effort to radicalize everybody.

Russia uses its trolling networks to aggressively attack men. According to MIT, in 2019, the most popular Black-oriented Facebook page was the charmingly named "My Baby Daddy Aint Shit." It regularly posts memes attacking Black men and government welfare workers. It serves two purposes: Make poor black women hate men, and goad black men into flame wars.

MIT found that My Baby Daddy is run by a large troll network in Eastern Europe likely financed by Russia.

But Russian influence networks are also also aggressively misogynistic and aggressively anti-LGBT.

On January 23, 2017, just after the first Women's March, the New York Times found that the Internet Research Agency began a coordinated attack on the movement. Per the Times:

More than 4,000 miles away, organizations linked to the Russian government had assigned teams to the Women’s March. At desks in bland offices in St. Petersburg, using models derived from advertising and public relations, copywriters were testing out social media messages critical of the Women’s March movement, adopting the personas of fictional Americans.

They posted as Black women critical of white feminism, conservative women who felt excluded, and men who mocked participants as hairy-legged whiners.

But the Russian PR teams realized that one attack worked better than the rest: They accused its co-founder, Arab American Linda Sarsour, of being an antisemite. Over the next 18 months, at least 152 Russian accounts regularly attacked Sarsour. That may not seem like many accounts, but it worked: They drove the Women's March movement into disarray and eventually crippled the organization.

Russia doesn't need a million accounts, or even that many likes or upvotes. It just needs to get enough attention that actual Western users begin amplifying its content.

A former federal prosecutor who investigated the Russian disinformation effort summarized it like this:

It wasn’t exclusively about Trump and Clinton anymore. It was deeper and more sinister and more diffuse in its focus on exploiting divisions within society on any number of different levels.

As the New York Times reported in 2022,

There was a routine: Arriving for a shift, [Russian disinformation] workers would scan news outlets on the ideological fringes, far left and far right, mining for extreme content that they could publish and amplify on the platforms, feeding extreme views into mainstream conversations.

China is joining in with AI

[A couple months ago], the New York Times reported on a new disinformation campaign. "Spamouflage" is an effort by China to divide Americans by combining AI with real images of the United States to exacerbate political and social tensions in the U.S. The goal appears to be to cause Americans to lose hope, by promoting exaggerated stories with fabricated photos about homeless violence and the risk of civil war.

As Ladislav Bittman, a former Czechoslovakian secret police operative, explained about Soviet disinformation, the strategy is not to invent something totally fake. Rather, it is to act like an evil doctor who expertly diagnoses the patient’s vulnerabilities and exploits them, “prolongs his illness and speeds him to an early grave instead of curing him.”

The influence networks are vastly more effective than platforms admit

Russia now runs its most sophisticated online influence efforts through a network called Fabrika. Fabrika's operators have bragged that social media platforms catch only 1% of their fake accounts across YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Telegram, and other platforms.

But how effective are these efforts? By 2020, Facebook's most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were run by Eastern European troll farms tied to the Kremlin. And Russia doesn't just target angry Boomers on Facebook. Russian trolls are enormously active on Twitter. And, even, on Reddit.

It's not just false facts

The term "disinformation" undersells the problem. Because much of Russia's social media activity is not trying to spread fake news. Instead, the goal is to divide and conquer by making Western audiences depressed and extreme.

Sometimes, through brigading and trolling. Other times, by posting hyper-negative or extremist posts or opinions about the U.S. the West over and over, until readers assume that's how most people feel. And sometimes, by using trolls to disrupt threads that advance Western unity.

As the RAND think tank explained, the Russian strategy is volume and repetition, from numerous accounts, to overwhelm real social media users and create the appearance that everyone disagrees with, or even hates, them. And it's not just low-quality bots. Per RAND,

Russian propaganda is produced in incredibly large volumes and is broadcast or otherwise distributed via a large number of channels. ... According to a former paid Russian Internet troll, the trolls are on duty 24 hours a day, in 12-hour shifts, and each has a daily quota of 135 posted comments of at least 200 characters.

What this means for you

You are being targeted by a sophisticated PR campaign meant to make you more resentful, bitter, and depressed. It's not just disinformation; it's also real-life human writers and advanced bot networks working hard to shift the conversation to the most negative and divisive topics and opinions.

It's why some topics seem to go from non-issues to constant controversy and discussion, with no clear reason, across social media platforms. And a lot of those trolls are actual, "professional" writers whose job is to sound real.

So what can you do? To quote WarGames: The only winning move is not to play. The reality is that you cannot distinguish disinformation accounts from real social media users. Unless you know whom you're talking to, there is a genuine chance that the post, tweet, or comment you are reading is an attempt to manipulate you -- politically or emotionally.

Here are some thoughts:

Don't accept facts from social media accounts you don't know. Russian, Chinese, and other manipulation efforts are not uniform. Some will make deranged claims, but others will tell half-truths. Or they'll spin facts about a complicated subject, be it the war in Ukraine or loneliness in young men, to give you a warped view of reality and spread division in the West.

Resist groupthink. A key element of manipulate networks is volume. People are naturally inclined to believe statements that have broad support. When a post gets 5,000 upvotes, it's easy to think the crowd is right. But "the crowd" could be fake accounts, and even if they're not, the brilliance of government manipulation campaigns is that they say things people are already predisposed to think. They'll tell conservative audiences something misleading about a Democrat, or make up a lie about Republicans that catches fire on a liberal server or subreddit.

Don't let social media warp your view of society. This is harder than it seems, but you need to accept that the facts -- and the opinions -- you see across social media are not reliable. If you want the news, do what everyone online says not to: look at serious, mainstream media. It is not always right. Sometimes, it screws up. But social media narratives are heavily manipulated by networks whose job is to ensure you are deceived, angry, and divided.

Edited for typos and clarity. (Tumblr-edited for formatting and to note a sourced article is now older than mentioned in the original post. -LV)

P.S. Apparently, this post was removed several hours ago due to a flood of reports. Thank you to the r/GenZ moderators for re-approving it.

Second edit:

This post is not meant to suggest that r/GenZ is uniquely or especially vulnerable, or to suggest that a lot of challenges people discuss here are not real. It's entirely the opposite: Growing loneliness, political polarization, and increasing social division along gender lines is real. The problem is that disinformation and influence networks expertly, and effectively, hijack those conversations and use those real, serious issues to poison the conversation. This post is not about left or right: Everyone is targeted.

(Further Tumblr notes: since this was posted, there have been several more articles detailing recent discoveries of active disinformation/influence and hacking campaigns by Russia and their allies against several countries and their respective elections, and barely touches on the numerous Tumblr blogs discovered to be troll farms/bad faith actors from pre-2016 through today. This is an ongoing and very real problem, and it's nowhere near over.

A quote from NPR article linked above from 2018 that you might find familiar today: "[A] particular hype and hatred for Trump is misleading the people and forcing Blacks to vote Killary. We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we'd surely be better off without voting AT ALL," a post from the account said.")

[doberbutts]

I remember reading a post that men are the oppressor class so why would they bother to dismantle systemic patriarchy when they actively benefit from its existence? And as I read it, I thought, Damn, so an entire half of the population can never conceivably help us, and the people who love men in their lives are doomed. It wasn't a helpful post. It basically felt, here's some actual material analysis on feminism and said, That trying to educate and make men be part of feminism is fundamentally a flawed effort, because again, they are the oppressor class, why should they care about uplifting the oppressed?

And it made me think about this very good pamphlet I read, explaining how the white worker remained complacent for so long because at least they weren't a Black slave. And that the author theorized the reason labor movements never truly created exceptional, radical change is because of internal racism (which I find true) and failure to uplift black people. And the author listed common outlooks/approaches to this problem, and one of them was: "We should ignore the white folks entirely and hold solidarity with only other POC, and the countries in the Global South. Who needs those wishy-washy white fragile leftists who don't care about what we think or want?" (roughly paraphrased.)

And the author said, This sounds like the most leftist and radical position, but it's totally flawed because it absolves us of our responsibility to dismantle white supremacy for the sake of our fellow marginalized people, and we are basically ignoring the problem. And that blew me away because this is a position so many activists have, to just ignore the white folks and focus entirely on our own movements. I wish I knew the name of the actual pamphlet, so I could quote entire passages at you.

But I feel this is the same for men. Obviously, we should prioritize and have women-led and women-focused feminism. But saying that men are an oppressor class so they can't reliably be counted upon in feminist activism--it's such a huge oversimplification. And mainly, I'm a Muslim, and I've been treated with plenty of misogyny from Muslim men. And also plenty of misogyny from Muslim women. And I love my male friends, I want men to be part of the movement, and I dunno. Thinking about communities, movements, and the various ways we fail each other and what it means to be truly intersectional keeps me up at night.

I don't know the pamphlet you're talking about but I've read and been taught similar. There's a reason much of my anti-racism is so feminist and most of my feminism is anti-racist. Many people coming at this problem from a truly intersectional angle have seen that there is no freedom to be had without joining hands across the community. Not picking and choosing our allies based off of identity but off of behavior.

As used in a previous example, a white abled moderately wealthy man saying "wow Healthcare sucks in this country, why does this system suck so bad" should be told "hey, this system sucks so bad because it's built off of sexism, racism, classism, and ableism. You want to improve the system? Fix those things and it will be much better in the long run" and not "shut up you're a man. Healthcare is always going to be better for you". The second response doesn't fix that Healthcare is still a problem even if you are at the "top" of the privilege ladder. If we want true change, we have to dismantle the entire system at it's core and build it up without the yuck, otherwise you're gunna get to the top and realize this place sucks too.

Something something if the crabs worked together to hold each other up, they could all get out of the bucket and be free.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Dion J. Pierre

The University of Michigan’s Black Student Union (BSU) has resigned from the anti-Zionist student group Tahrir Coalition, citing “pervasive” anti-Black discrimination fostered by its mostly Arab and Middle Eastern leadership.

“Black identities, voices, and bodies are not valued in this coalition, and thus we must remove ourselves,” BSU said in a statement posted on Instagram. “The anti-Blackness within the coalition has been too pervasive to overcome, and we refuse to endure it.”

Proclaiming its continued support for the anti-Zionist movement, the group continued, “The BSU’s solidarity with the Palestinian people is unwavering, but the integrity of the Tahrir Coalition is deeply questionable. We refuse to subject ourselves and our community to the rampant anti-Blackness that festers within it. For this reason, we will no longer be a part of the Tahrir Coalition.”

BSU did not cite specific examples of the racism to which Black students were allegedly subjected, but its public denouncement of a group which has become the face of the pro-Hamas movement at the University of Michigan is significant given the history of cooperation between BSU and anti-Zionist groups on college campuses across the US.

BSU’s Black members are not, however, the first to openly clash with anti-Zionist Arabs.

When Arab and Palestinian anti-Zionist activists launched a barrage of racist attacks against African Americans on social media in August, Black TikTok influencers descended on the platform in droves to denounce the comments, with several announcing that they intended not only to remove Gaza-related content from their profiles but also to cease engaging in anti-Zionist activity entirely. The conversation escalated in subsequent posts, touching on the continuance of Black slavery in the Arab world and what young woman called “voracious racism” against African Americans.

“What’s even crazier is that earlier people were like, oh these are bots, no — this is how people really feel. And she made a video that’s a real human being that feels exactly that way,” one African American woman said. “These are people who feel like they are entitled to the support of Black people no matter what, that they get to push us around and tell us who the hell we get to vote for if we support them … They’ve lost their minds.”

An African American male said, “Why don’t we talk about the Arab slave trade? And keep in mind that the Arabs have enslaved more Black people than the Europeans combined.” Another African American woman accused Arabs of not denouncing slavery in Antebellum America.

[thelesbianpoirot]

your entire shtick sounds like ur a white girl terf lesbian loser who racefakes being Black just to get some credibility and pity for your virulent transphobia and internalised homophobic tendencies. youre so despicable that you gotta add some oppression to your unlikeable persona just to get pity. And if you are Black -- this is sad. The white terfies dont actually love you, you're a diverse little asset to them. Have the day you deserve.

You believe i'm a lesbian more than you believe i'm black? I can't be black because I disagree with you? And if I am black, I believe what I do because I want to be approved of by white people?

So I must align with white people to disagree with you.

Because only white people are capable of defiant "bad" thoughts? If you really saw black people as complete human beings instead of sock puppets for your causes, you would have space in your mind for black people who disagree with you outside of any relationship they have to white people. "Terfies" aren't an established group like a fandom, it's a label thrown at any woman in defiance of the current status quo. Conservative women who would sooner see abortion banned and every woman het married with kids, or apolitical horny lesbians/bis who watch porn all day every day, and go to strip clubs are classed as radical feminists because they know pussy from dick. Face it! Some of these women are black, brown, disabled, bi, lesbian, autistic, and have been or currently identified as trans. Rebel women are in every group. No group of women are exempt from your witch hunt. "The white terfies dont actually love you" How to admit your entire belief system is predicated not on arguments you truly believe in or facts, but how nicely people treat you, and love bomb you into their cult. Being black does not get you "credibility" in radblr orbit. It doesn't even get me pity, I keep getting random accusations of bigotry from within this same orbit for my other views. It gets you anonymous cowardice messages like this. It is not some bigotry free space, but I am sooner debated about bullshit than tokenized as an expert of race relations. Unlike faux tumblr "leftish" groups that treats every black person off the street like a trained activist if they agree with them enough, when many are ignorant scammers, much like themselves. Birds of a feather. Nothing was a bigger indication of my internalized homophobia than the years I wasted pretending I was something I am not, a male, or bisexual (willing to accept any genitals a sexual partner may have). I am a big o'l black lesbian woman and my happiness is not dependent on what foreign whites think of me. It is dependent on the success of my goal of world domination. Sincerely,

A defiant loudmouth Negress.

Hard to tell but that's my middle finger.