#but that's just the state of lesbian rights in first world countries these days

[realasslesbian]

Was just thinkin bout that time last year when straight people were routinely assaulting lesbians at the local gay bar in the capital city of Brisbane, Australia, and absolutely no news corps, 'L'GBT or otherwise, picked it up, so I learnt about this particular incident from a comedy page that's apparently against racism and Scott Morrison, but not against making fun of lesbians being hate-crimed🙃

(for those playing at home the female in the black shirt lying on the ground at the start was randomly king hit by some straight dude in the club, breaking her nose and fracturing her jaw. That straight dude and his male and female friends were all kicked out the club, but chose to wait outside to continue their homophobic assault against lesbians)

[theotherwesley]

So I'm visiting my folks in Idaho and I need you all to understand what the drive through Washington -> Idaho -> Montana -> Idaho Again was like because it was surreal.

First, you have to understand that we hit a truly Kafkaesque amount of roadwork across three separate states. This is important context because you need to imagine everything else that happened happening while driving 30mph through a construction zone.

This is a picture-heavy tale. Bear with me, you will want to see the end.

We start off-- gorgeous day in WA state, we're lookin green, we're lookin hydrated, and ooooh looks like we might hit some Weather up ahead haha! (This is called 'foreshadowing'.)

The rabbits express their extreme displeasure with the situation by wishing death upon me with their eyes.

We go through the ID panhandle and it's a beautiful drive-- roadwork, every step of the way. (I neglected to take pictures of this part because I was Sleepy.) There was a huge amount of wildlife running and flying around; saw lots of antelope and deer (including the one that jumped RIGHT in front of the car as soon as it got dark), a blue heron, a crane, definitely saw a bald eagle just sitting in the middle of a field looking confused.

THEN: Montana. First thing we see, in the middle of Nowhereville Mountain Farmington is a big rolling field with a tractor flying THE BIGGEST PRIDE FLAG YOU CAN IMAGINE. The fact that I didn't catch a photo of it is going to haunt me til the end of days. Rural America is not all bad; you must consider the Mountain Lesbians.

Big Rocks, Big Weather:

The landscape remains impressive and we seem to be driving into every storm in the country, with the sun at our back the whole time. We had rainbows on our tractors, and rainbows pretty much continuously for the whole journey. It was a Gay Odyssey.

We had everything from barely visible misty rainbows to electric neon rainbows to full rainbow arches to Double Rainbows Going All Across The Sky (on THREE separate occasions) to little chode rainbows, doing their best.

The Chode Rainbows:

Bonus Wesley Dad Cameo under the full rainbow bridge:

MEANWHILE, THE WEATHER:

Increasingly beautiful, increasingly ominous. Golden hour has lasted for like 20 hours? Is this normal? I'm calling the doctor. (Note the construction cones.)

Oh.

And are we stuck in a 30mph construction zone? HABsolutely!

Rainbows happening at the same time as the lightning and the road construction, naturally.

Okay wait nevermind, THIS is golden hour:

The sky has some kind of dragon in it, so that's cool.

Like, what is this. Like what kind of mystic portent shit is this. This is some kind of Sky Phoenix. Lightning has been striking on either side of the car for half an hour. There's a thing in the distance that might be a tornado. I am worried for my life. We might get raptured. We've seen twenty different kinds of rainbow. I'm trying to take photos of what seems to be the Götterdämmerung taking place a hundred miles from my home town through a bug-spattered windshield.

Anyway, we got home and I get to see this idiot again:

We did not get raptured or devoured by the world serpent, The End.

[painfullymeta]

Warning: I'm Gonna Be Earnest Now

I am deep in my feels right at the moment so I am actually making a post of my own on this, the deep in my feels hellsite.

I am late GenX.  (Not quite what gets called Xennial IMO but definitely in what gets called the Oregon Trail (Micro)Generation.)  And for all you young whippersnappers, you have to understand "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” ( - L. P. Hartley)

I am old enough to remember when AIDS was named GRID.  ("Gay-related immune deficiency.”)  I am old enough to remember ACT-UP, the Reagans’ abandonment, “If I die of AIDS just leave me on the steps of the FDA”, all those things that tired older people on tumblr try to remind people of when the TERFs come around to tell us to stop saying “queer” as if Queer Nation was a goddamn hallucination I had when I was a kid.

On the last day of high school, after the last exam, when none of us would have to ever see each other again if we so chose – that was the day that one of my friends, someone I had eaten lunch near every day since partway through freshman year, said to me “I have something to tell you.  I’m gay.”  And then he followed it up with “Is that okay?”

I hugged him.  He broke my goddamn heart and I hugged him.  "Is that okay," he asked me. Is it okay to be who I am, near you.

I was in college before I met someone who identified herself as a lesbian — and I went to a women’s college until I lost my shit and dropped out, and I expect that if I hadn’t done that I might have gone longer.

(Of course at the same time as I was clueless and not meaningfully connected with any sort of queer culture I somehow wound up with a friendgroup who, if we got bored and couldn’t come up with anything else to do, would watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show together.  This is what we did instead of going to Homecoming.)

By 2000, I was vaguely aware of trans things existing, and in fact met my first trans person while at Brighton Pride that year, though we didn’t really speak (I was there as the guest of some people in his extended social group) and I was vaguely confused and too awkward to try to do more than ‘observe and try not to fuck this up’.  I met a nonbinary person for the first time around then as well, and zie was the only one I knew of for nearly a decade.

By the mid-oughts I was with it enough to ask someone what pronouns she wanted me to use for her before sharing something about her on a message board.

(I am also old enough to have spent time on multiple message boards.  I’m old enough to resent the internet going through the world wide web instead of email and usenet actually.)

Sometime in the early oughts I guess I was at the subcommittee hearing in the Boston State House that was discussing, among other things, whether we might consider possibly condescending to allow same-sex couples to marry.  I was even going to testify!  (Please be impressed with my early twenties autistic ass I was terrified.)  There was a guy there - a senator on the committee - who was asking every person who came up if they were going to force his church to marry the gays.  Catholic, y’know, this being Massachusetts.  I revised my speech in my head to note that if we weren’t forcing the Catholic churches to marry divorcees yet he didn’t need to worry about it.

(Then my nose decided to haemhorrage all over my entire life and I couldn’t get it to stop bleeding so rather than testify while looking like an entire murder victim I went home.)

I was in my thirties when pregnancy-induced dysphoria made me start seriously thinking about my own sense of gender.

I was in my forties before I bought a binder.

I am from another fucking planet.  (The past is a foreign country.)

I know kids - multiple kids - who knew enough to identify as lesbians at an age younger than I think I knew that word.  (And I am one of those humans of freakish and unreasonable vocabulary and always have been.)

I crack jokes with one of my kids about the Queer Kids Stairs at their school, because that’s where the GSA kids hang out together after activities get out.  (While GSAs were around while I was a kid, they started in Massachusetts according to Wikipedia and that is not where I was when I was a kid, and to my best recollection I didn’t hear about them existing at all until I was an adult.)

I live in a world where my social circles include queer people of my generation, of older generations, of younger generations, and oh my gods, I look at the kids and my heart tries to explode.

My oldest knows more than one trans kid.  More than one *affirmed* trans kid.  (And we’ve talked a bit about the social dynamics that might make it more likely for the trans boys to be out than the trans girls, even now.)

And I’m writing this because of one of those trans boys, who is in the Coming of Age group at our church, and who is, apparently, in his credo, citing that thing I’ve seen on the tumblrs more than once, about how being trans means being a participant in the holy, divine process of creation, coming into being as himself.

And guys?

I’m not from the same planet as that kid.

Because I’m in my forties and I don’t even know what I’m creating.  And I’m terrified.

And here’s this kid coming out there with that as a core statement of belief that he’s prepared to stand up in front of, as the phrase goes ‘God and everyone’, to claim.

(I need to remember to talk to him about how in my Craft tradition there’s a canonically transmasc god.)

I know I’ve got at least two teenagers reading me and I just.  Y’all got this.  I know it’s hard and the world is scary and it’s fucking coming for us all but you are amazing and I am so full of inarticulate alexithymic feelings about all of you. The ones I know and the ones I don't.

We've come a long way from "Is that okay?" and you heal my broken heart.

[pink-pages]

Iron Widow

Spoiler alert

I picked up this book praying to god that it would be good because I spend half my life lurking around Xiran Jay Zhao’s TikTok and I didn’t want to let them down by leaving a bad review. I didn’t have to worry. Iron Widow was fucking fantabulous. It was so angry and rightfully so because that world is horrible. The most horrible thing about Huaxia is that different aspects of it are a reality for different women all over the globe. Women and even young girls are still being essentially sold as brides in some parts of the world. In other parts of the world girls are being denied an education. Even in the USA, where I live, which is supposed to be more progressive about women’s rights, women have lost the right to decide what to do with their own bodies in some states and there’s even a movement to take away women’s rights to vote. I still think that, at least from my (admittedly privileged) perspective things can still be solved nonviolently and we’re not quite at the “brutally taking over the country” level yet.

I think the most striking bit of Iron Widow for me was when Zetian realized that the folks from central command and all the soldiers were more scared of her, a woman who had only done what men had been doing for years, than a literal family annihilator. In the USA, all this push back against women’s rights to abortion and rights to vote came after a big feminist movement (#Metoo). All the men in power try to keep women downtrodden because they’re scared of women with power. Just something to think about.

Aside from the obvious feminist aspect of the book, one of the first things that I noticed about Iron Widow was the disability representation. The main character, Wu Zetian, has to use a cane to walk. I feel like physical disability representation, particularly ones that get in the way of every day mobility, are not present in YA literature much unless the book is specifically about the main character overcoming their disability. I was really happy for this type of representation. Finally a disabled character that wasn’t defined by their disability.

Another aspect of Iron Widow that I loved was the historical aspect. For one, all the place names mentioned (Sui-Tang border, Zhou province, and Ming province) were named after historical dynasties of China. I should know, my AP World History teacher made my whole class memorize the dynasties song. It’s been 5 years and it still haunts me in my sleep. Also, Wu Zetian was very clearly based off of the Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty. The Qin Zheng emperor dude was clearly based off of Shi Huangdi, China’s “first emperor.” Even his tomb in the volcano was like Shi Huangi’s tomb with the terracotta warriors. Rongdi was a word used to refer to certain tribes of people not of Han Chinese descent and the Xianbei tribe was a very important one. I’m sure there are more historical Easter eggs, I just didn’t notice them.

Iron Widow is the first YA book I’ve read that features a polyamorous relationship and I personally love it. I think the dynamics between Yizhi, Shimin, and Zetian are perfect. An added bonus is that I didn’t have to read about some dumb fighting over the girl part or “oh no, who should I choose?” That gets boring fast. Part of me kind of wished that Zetian would have a female love interest so we could read about a lesbian couple overthrowing the patriarchy but alas, we can’t get everything.

I do think that the ending was a bit too easy, though. It feels like it should be harder to take over the country than flying in on a robo-dragon thing, destroying some stuff, and declaring yourself the Iron Empress. I don’t know how I would have written it, though, cause I guess it might be pretty jarring to see this super powerful robo-dragon with super powerful pilots, one of whom hasn’t been seen in over two centuries. It probably would have been pretty hard (and stupid) to try and fight back, still, I’d like to have seen someone try (and more than just by holding hostages).

Characters

Wu Zetian: Zetian did things that I’ve been waiting for YA book characters to do for ages. Her just daring the soldiers to shoot her when they were trying to figure out what to do with her after surviving Li Shimin. Taking advantage of her untouchable position in different situations. That was some bad bitch behavior. I approve. I also like how you can see her character evolving as she realizes the complexities of her world. Like, somehow she becomes more empathetic and more ruthless at the same time. I think it’s because the more she learns about her world and the people around her, the more attachment she develops for some characters (like Shimin) and the more hate she develops for other characters (An Lushan). You also see her will to live increase as she goes from thinking of herself as just another cog in the machine to realizing that she can make a big change.

Li Shimin: I’m probably going to have hordes of angry fans coming at me for this comment, but Shimin was kind of disappointing to me. I think it’s because I was expecting dark humor and wry comments but instead I just got dark and serious. I mean, it makes sense when you consider his backstory, but still I wish we could’ve gotten some humor out of him. Some indication that he feels things other than anger, guilt, or sadness. Of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t get invested in his fate. No, I’m still desperate to find out if Zetian manages to get him back. I’ll have to wait until December to find out though.

Gao Yizhi: It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s read my past book reviews that Yizhi is my favorite character. I mean, he basically reads as a blueprint for “Pink’s Fictional Crushes,” the rich pretty boy sweetheart with a hidden ruthless side and most importantly that long k-drama/c-drama hair. I’ve gotta say, I was not expecting him to be the comic relief, but he kind of was. I mean, some of his lines were just golden “you can’t shoot me; I’m rich!!” The only thing that kind of disappoints me about Yizhi is that he doesn’t seem like a strong character. I mean, he clearly is because it definitely takes a strong character to pew pew laser beam their dad, but for most of the story, he was kind of just Zetian’s fanboy. I’m really hoping in the next book we see more of his personality separate from Zetian.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Most days, this bit would have made me smile a bit in the moment, but I wouldn't have found it significant enough to actually cut out and post. Because "broadly in favour of gay pride" is hardly a controversial stance for a comedian these days to take, it's not a particularly big deal.

But this happens to be a week when a town in my own country has voted to outlaw public depictions of pride, and I usually try not to use this blog to talk too much about current events (because 1) I don't think social media is the place for actual news, and even if it is, maybe news can be okay if coming from journalists' social media accounts, it shouldn't come from random people like me, and 2) if I comment on one current issue then I get concerned about all the other ones I'm leaving out, so I avoid all of them, everyone could safely and accurately just assume that I am constantly paralyzed with horror at everything going on in the world so I don't need to spell every single one out), but that particular banning of pride stuff has been particularly depressing me lately, in addition to the larger issues across Canada and the United States of a massive backlash against queer people. I think in the area of queer acceptance, the Overton window is start to move to the right for the first time in my lifetime, and that is fucking awful to watch.

So given that, hearing John Robins and Elis James say some fairly basic "gay pride is good" stuff was, actually, pretty fucking uplifting. And I happened to listen to this bit while on a break at work, in a job where I'm an autism therapist and that job has a lot of overlap with the job of being a teacher. And my sexual orientation... okay it sometimes involves theoretical attraction to men, like I can find certain men attractive if they fall into the narrow range called "my type" but in actual practice I know from experience that even being very attracted to a man is not enough for me to actually enjoy sleeping with one, so on a practical level the word "lesbian" probably describes me accurately, even though when describing my own sexual orientation I tend to use the word "gay" because that feels a little bit broader and like lesbians aren't allowed to sometimes be attracted to men, even men with whom they don't wish to actually have physical sex, but "gay women" are allowed that because there's more scope in that term, I think, I'm not really sure... but anyway, my sexual orientation is certainly not far off from lesbian, and my job is not far off from teacher, so hearing those guys say they're in favour of lesbian teachers was a pretty fucking cool thing, while I sat in an empty classroom on a break at work and listened to this podcast. Might have got mildly emotional hearing that, specifically because I've spent most of this week being depressed about some of the local rulings on pride in Canada, and the implications they have for more regional areas that have just been looking for opportunities like this, and of course the significant backlash against queer people that's happening all over North America right now.

I don't know. I realize a British comedian saying queer people are fine is hardly groundbreaking. But if anyone's feeling depressed about The Backlash right now, and how many comedians have turned out to be disappointingly fine with said backlash, here are John Robins and Elis James in 2017 talking about how great pride is. John Robins even suspending his usual policy of getting furious at people who don't follow the rules, because that's just how great pride is.

[phoenixcatch7]

Did you know bayonetta is about time loops? No? Well now you do. And that's how I'm going to get joker his primary education.

The second half of Third Eye is covering joker's year of probation, the p5 side of things, but the first half is going to be about how the leader of the phantom thieves grows up with lesbian angel hunting parents and the devil for a babysitter when he's not at medieval boarding school.

See, I've mentioned the war that wiped out the witches and sages, but the thing is, that all happened... In the 1400s. And the witches won. Technically. But there was one surviving sage, Bayonettas father, who through time travel shenanigans got possessed by loptr and manages to whip the mortals into a fervour about the evil witches, leading to the witch hunts that literally only Jeanne and Bayonetta survived. He's dead post canon, of course.

But the thing is the witches (and their counterparts) weren't just some old biddies making potions and poisons and writing down their rituals. They were created to be the guardians and keepers of the Left Eye of the World, which was basically a key to reality. They were an all female clan with branch sects living around the globe (though of course there were always exceptions). They were warriors, they were pioneers, they were humans who had to become inhuman to keep up with the very beings they were fighting. And, in the right circumstances, they could.

These people had it on lock. Their main clan training grounds, the Luna Covenant (in a fictional city state in Italy) was HUGE and well fortified, full of resources and intense training areas. Thing is, when they were wiped out, all their resources went with them, and bayonetta has to scrounge for materials to brew elixers for battle in the modern day. Many graves are defiled lol.

Basically, becoming a witch isn't a genetic thing - it's intense and specialised training from a young age in a huge variety of subjects. Canon literally calls it a 'curriculum whose total breadth and intensity [is] hard to ascertain'.

Unfortunately, since it's all ancient ruins now, it's physically impossible to get Akira the needed training - in the modern day. And that's where the time travel comes in, because the left eye, which triggers most instances, is currently with bayonetta. It's destabilising reality, but might as well use it while we've got it, you know?

So: they try and keep Akira safe as a baby for as long as they can, giving him the training and resources they can manage - languages, hair care (very important to a witch's magic! They literally make their battle suits our of their own hair!), maths, gymnastics, modern science, that sort of thing. I've got a whole list. He's that kid that's in a million clubs.

Then, upon him turning 7 (the youngest a child can start boarding school) he gets to go on a nice trip to Italy circa 1395, fifteen years before the war starts. He has to hide his true birth, his true home, and his true time while being completely cut off from everything he once knew, though he does get to return to the modern world on school holidays.

This lasts until age 16 where he accidentally trips over a drunk Japanese politician during winter break, leaving the supernatural family - who may be doing several illegal things with their identities and their child's education - under the tight scrutiny of a very corrupt government. Forced to play along instead of fleeing the country, they're shoehorned into having to abandon the next year of his actual training to send Akira to Normal School for the first time in his life, with contact closely monitored and angels dogging his footsteps.

And then! He walks into a castle that doesn't exist and meets a talking cat!

@thegarlicthief more about the plot!

[haggishlyhagging]

Consider, MacKinnon says, someone shouting “Kill!” to a trained attack dog. The law does not treat this as the mere expression of a viewpoint: "I want you dead." Instead, the law treats it as a criminal act: ordering an attack. When the dog's owner is arrested, is his freedom of speech being violated? If not, MacKinnon asks, why are things different for men who, by creating porn, order attacks on women? MacKinnon's answer to her own question is that the law is a male institution, made by and for men. "Free speech," which poses as a merely formal principle of adjudication, is in fact, MacKinnon suggests, an ideological tool selectively deployed to protect the freedoms of the dominant class. (This is something that the feminist philosophers who have sought to elaborate and defend MacKinnon's argument generally miss: the issue, for Mackinnon, is not that pornography really is, metaphysically speaking, an action rather than mere speech, but that the very distinction between speech and action is political all the way down.)

There is a lot in this. The Supreme Court's decision on cross burning, like its decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) that political spending is protected speech, shows just how easily “free speech” can function ideologically to buttress existing regimes of power. But there are reasons, apart from an indifference to social equality, to be cautious about imposing legal restrictions on porn. In its 1992 decision in R. v. Butler, Canada's Supreme Court expanded the country's obscenity laws to criminalize pornography that depicts violence, as well as nonviolent porn that is “degrading or dehumanising.” In justifying its decision, the Court said that porn of this kind subordinated women and violated their right to equality, invoking the very rationale that Dworkin and MacKinnon were pressing in the US: “This was not big bad state power jumping on poor powerless individual citizen,” MacKinnon wrote, "but a law passed to stand behind a comparatively powerless group in its social fight for equality." Within months, Canadian police seized from Toronto's Glad Day Bookshop copies of Bad Attitude, a magazine of lesbian erotic fiction that "contained sexually explicit materials with bondage and violence . . . and not what Canadians would abide other Canadians seeing." The Ontario Superior Court, citing Butler, found Glad Day—Canada's first gay and lesbian bookstore—guilty of criminal obscenity. MacKinnon was right that the Butler decision was intended to help "a comparatively powerless group in its social fight for equality." But in practice it was used as cover for attacking sexual minorities, leaving mainstream pornographers untouched. In the two years after Butler, Randy Jorgensen, the owner of Canada's then (and the world's) largest adult video emporium, built twenty new stores, unimpeded by the law.

-Amia Srinivasan, The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century

[lez-exclude-men]

Some examples of conservative christians in my personal life:

My maternal grandparents and their church community who made my mother make a public apology to the congregation for getting pregnant with me because she wasn't married to my father at the time. She was 20.

My great-grandfather who called my mom a harlot for dating in the present day with no intention of getting re-married

The middle school teacher (a woman) who told me and my friends that women are delicate and need to be treated like fine china and it's the woman's fault of she gets abused bc she didnt pick a man who would treat her right. But also divorce is a sin and she should "live with the consequences of her decision"

My coworker who believes the world is 6,000 years old and the events of the old testament literally happened

The parents of some of my friends growing up who took their daughters to a "betrothal banquet" when they were 13 for the girls to swear their virginity to Jesus and "betroth" themselves to the church. Not all of us had gotten our periods and the parents of these friends of mine were making their daughters publicly amnounce they weren't going to have sex until they were married.

The girl in my girl scout troup growing up who came from a quiverfull family and was homeschooled. As a teen, she was made responsible for partly raising her younger siblings.

The girl who was my first kiss and she told her mom who told her that what we'd done was lesbianism and it was a sin and we couldn't ever do it again because it was dirty

The people that tried to convince someone I used to be friends with that if she just prayed enough and went to church, her physical disability would be cured by god

My dad's parents who tried an exorcism to cure his adhd

The aunt and uncle of one of my high school friends who were her legal guardians before they kicked her out for being "a fucking queer"

There's many other examples, but I hope that gets my point across. These people are everywhere and typically considered "normal". They're not considered extremists in their communities. They consider themselves sane and healthy and believe that everyone should abide by their rules. I grew up in a suburb and I currently live in the most progressive/blue city in my state. These kinds of people run the fucking country. And if you don't believe conservative christians are a threat to women, lgb people, kids, disabled folks, etc... I think you're either very ignorant or delusional.

[yobaba30]

Manly, War-Winning Non-Loser Vladimir Putin Kidnapping American Journalists Now

We guess Russia was feeling weak and puny with its back stuck up against a wall, because it's taken a journalist from a real country hostage.

Russia's FSB has detainedWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, from the paper's Moscow bureau, on what we assume are entirely fictional imaginary espionage charges. The world might be more inclined to take Russia's statements seriously if it were a real country that didn't stifle all dissent, murder (often literally) the free press, and wasn't currently engaged in a genocidal war it started for no other reason but to make the masturbatory fever dreams of its increasingly frail leader come true. Hell, it banned telling the truth about how poorly that war is going. Also, just in general, Russia is a huge fucking liar trusted by no one who isn't an easily flattered idiot and/or traitor.

This is reportedly the first time they've kidnapped an American reporter as a spy since the fall of the Soviet Union, and the first time they've kidnapped a foreign journalist since they barged into Ukraine and started killing children. Obviously they've kidnapped American lesbian basketball stars and ex-US Marines and others. It's a pretty big deal that they've kidnapped an American journalist.

According to the Journal, Gershkovich had the proper accreditation from the Russian foreign ministry, as all foreign journalists working there must. Since he started with the Journal in January of 2022, he's been covering a "variety of Russia-related topics, including the recent visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Moscow, close associates of Mr. Putin and tensions between Kremlin officials and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russian paramilitary group Wagner." He's also worked for Agence France-Presse, the New York Times and the Moscow Times.

Gershkovich was particularly known for reporting like this: "Putin, Isolated and Distrustful, Leans on Handful of Hard-Line Advisers." It was full of the kinds of quotes we've come to expect about a weakened president, disconnected from reality, who blunderfucked himself into the greatest geopolitical miscalculation of the 21st century when he figured he'd have an easy time invading the country next door and that nobody in the world would really do anything about it.

Fellow journalist Max Seddon, Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times, says on Twitter that this is "yet another troubling sign of the off-the-charts repression, paranoia, and hostility to the US in Russia right now. A moment of which Evan was one of our finest chroniclers." He links to the article excerpted above.

Gershkovich was kidnapped in Yekaterinberg, in the east of Russia. The FSB says he, "acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” They are particularly claiming his trip to Yekaterinberg was not journalism-related, but rather espionage-related. Sure you betcha.

His friends say he was doing reporting on the Wagner group there. Apparently it's a big place for Wagner's recruitment of fighters. Are these some of the same ones Russia is sending to get slaughtered on the frontlines and then reportedly hiding that information from their families? Don't know, but Gershkovich reported A LOT on the Russian military.

Putin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov says: “We’re not talking about suspicions,” Dmitri S. Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, said in a daily conference call with journalists, adding, “He was caught red-handed.” Mr. Peskov said he could not provide further details.

Eat a bag of dicks. The Wall Street Journal, of course, says this is all obvious bullshit.

As of now he's supposed to be held until May 29. Based on Russia's past behavior, we are sure that day will come and go and they'll still be illegally holding Gershkovich hostage and Russia will tell us as little about it as possible. As the Journal writes, "His case, according to TASS, is considered top secret." He could go to prison for 20 years, according to the New York Times.

Does Vladimir Putin think he's in a good position to be doing this right now? We know Putin's sidepiece Donald Trump is making sunny predictions on "Hannity" this week that Russia is about to take over all of Ukraine, but back here on Earth #1, Russia is a laughingstock and a pariah. But yeah, sure, take a hostage. Big strong man!

Many are noting that ever since Russia invaded Ukraine and banned all journalism that hurt Putiun's feelings, American and other foreign press outfits have cut back on their presence in Russia. And quite frankly, all Americans should leave that ugly, falling apart shithole of a country and never return. It's not like it has anything to offer to the world, culturally or otherwise. That said, what Gershkovich was doing was by definition what journalists do, and the risks are part of what make the job so vital to the world.

Therefore any commenters who say things like "DURRR DURRRR WHY WAS HE EVEN IN RUSSIA IF HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET KIDNAPPED" will be immediately thrown out of a window. Ha ha just kidding, that's just a little Russia joke for you!

But people who say that should fuck off anyway.

[Wall Street Journal / FT / New York Times]

Follow Evan Hurst on Twitter right here

[mariacallous]

Twenty years ago, we lost Paul Wellstone, his wife and daughter, three campaign workers and two pilots in a tragic plane crash. Hardly a day goes by that I don't think of him. Some politicians disappear quickly from the public imagination once they are no longer with us. Others have a legacy that lives on in the people they impacted and the values they upheld. Their light continues to shine beyond their time in office or on earth. Their influence even magnifies over time. That is true of Paul Wellstone.

I first met Paul as a 19-year-old student at Carleton College. He was my faculty adviser and political mentor and became a lifelong friend. No one had more influence on me than Paul. I worked on the 2002 campaign that ended so tragically and helped to found Wellstone Action. This is how I remember him.

Paul Wellstone loved and respected working-class people. He honored their dignity and their struggles to support their families. The Iron Range — indeed the entire Eighth Congressional District — was his second home. He was comfortable in union halls, church basements and on the picket line. He fought for the rights of steel workers, autoworkers, public sector workers and mine workers. These already strong relationships were cemented in the fight against NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Paul understood that any trade agreement that did not protect U.S. jobs was certain to cause dramatic dislocation for many workers, wrecking families and entire communities, as jobs were shipped overseas. What a different world we might have today had that fight not been lost. Huge swaths of voters might not have been attracted to Donald Trump's fake populism.

As the son of Jewish immigrants, Paul had a natural affinity with immigrants, whether they be Hmong, Mexican, Liberian or Russian. Having watched his mother work for years in cafeterias and his father in jobs far below his education level, Paul knew what immigrants give up when they come to the U.S. and how much they contribute to their new home. He never held himself above anyone and honored all communities who were finding a place in the fabric of our state. His was not a phony appeal to working people or immigrants, but rather a deep and abiding respect for who they were.

Paul loved rural and small-town Minnesota. One of his first organizing projects as a professor at Carleton was to create Organizing for a Better Rice County. This project enabled him to bring issues of local poverty to his students and to bring skills and organizing tools to his neighbors. Later he would forge alliances with farm families, whose livelihoods were being threatened by large utility companies, corporate agriculture and politicians who just didn't care. Paul walked their land, sat at their kitchen tables and listened to their stories. Then he would help turn that knowledge into action to improve people's lives.

Paul did not believe there was a contradiction between defending the environment and the need for good, high-paying jobs. He didn't change his position from audience to audience on these and other issues. Rather, when he was with a labor audience, he talked about the urgency of environmental protection, and when he was with environmentalists, he helped them to understand the real and immediate concerns of workers. He educated all sides and helped people see connections.

Remarkably for a politician, Paul admitted when he was wrong, and then sought to make amends. Early in this country's debate about marriage, Paul took the position that marriage was a right to be afforded to only a man and a woman. He believed civil union should be available for all. Later, after listening to the hurt and anger of his gay and lesbian friends, he changed his position. He evolved. He admitted that he was wrong and became a champion for same-sex marriage. This takes courage.

Paul Wellstone was authentic. He found joy in politics and in turn people felt his warmth, his genuine concern and his interest in finding solutions with them. "We all do better when we all do better" was not just a slogan for Paul; it was a core belief. He worked with his friend and Republican colleague, Jim Ramstad, to promote mental health parity and to see addiction as an issue worthy of legislative action. He worked with colleagues across the aisle on domestic violence.

He fought vigorously to protect workers and the environment, but after a fierce political battle, he could be friends with those with whom he disagreed. He could laugh with them, ask about their families and sympathize with personal setbacks. He was so certain of his convictions, that he was able to be both fierce and compassionate.

Paul is remembered for his friendships on the Senate floor, but also with the Capitol police, the elevator operators, the cafeteria workers, the custodians and the legislative staff whose jobs it is to make government work. These people were never invisible to Paul.

Long before Barack Obama, Paul understood that a multiracial, multigenerational coalition was not only an effective way to win elections, but also the only way to advance social change and strengthen our democracy. He believed in collective power and grassroots organizing. I witnessed dozens of gatherings where he shifted the focus from himself to the work being done by others in the room. He understood one person does not make change. Organized people do.

As I sit with the current ugly state of politics, the cesspool of lies, the rise of authoritarianism and racism, and our inability to get anything done, I remember Paul. A beacon of hope when he was alive, his legacy is still a beacon of hope. I believe we can learn to respect each other again, to come together to solve serious problems and to build a future worthy of our children and grandchildren.

[daddysbarrp]

World AIDS Day

This World AIDS Day remember -

There is a whole queer generation missing because of inaction. People were dying in such high rates that it was a militant but commonplace thing to say - Don't bury me, throw my body on the steps of the FDA.

In my lifetime, the AIDS quilt was created, crafted, and displayed not just in Washington DC but around the country and at least somewhat around the world (if memory serves).

Originally, AIDS was called GRID and was seen as God's 'judgement' against gay people, which, along with then Pres Ronnie Reagan and his ghoul of a wife Nancy, was the reason it took so long to get a handle on it and come up with things like AZT found in Rent.

It's also the reason the Reagan's closeted gay friend and famous actor Rock Hudson died, because they refused to help him get into trial testing for something that could've saved his life.

Before AIDS, queerness wasn't normalized by any stretch but we were moving towards it.

The Golden Girls episode about AIDS was one that was a pattern of sitcom tv like the Golden Girls teaching people how to respond to queer people and 'our issues' back in the day. The same goes for the Designing Women episode "Killing All The Right People" which - I will remind you as an old queen - was a slogan being disseminated against gay men especially at the time (it was thought lesbians couldn't get AIDS and they were practically invisible to the media anyways) - and was one of the first times a show had addressed that it was okay to even touch people with HIV. In the episode, a queer man orphaned by his family asks the Designing Women to literally design his New Orleans styled funeral WHILE HE WAS STILL ALIVE BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE WAS GONNA DO IT. SIMPLY BECAUSE HE WAS GAY. Princess Diana was hated by the royal family for her outreach work period but specifically she was one of the few celebrities that would even touch HIV positive people. Her quote about "giving them a hug, God knows they need it" was in response to an educational push she made to teach people to have kindness or at least tolerance. World AIDS Day might seem like a thing of the past but when our bars are fire bombed, our online actions are silenced by algorithms, sex work is shunned or simplified, and the simple act of being gay could get you cut off from your partner in a Catholic run hospital or get you fired/kicked out of your apartment in some American states still (and beyond that, there are still states where having HIV makes you inhirable for work- it's a thing called transmission something or other - I can't remember the exact title) - World AIDS Day is not some holiday of the past.

It's very present. I'm nearly of the generation now removed from the generation we lost to AIDS. If you need more pop culture context, Angels in America is important. Rent. Pedro from the Real World. And the Band Played On the book. Normal Heart the play. Ellen Greene's interview for the Little Shop revival where she talks about attending funerals DAILY while working on Broadway. Friends would just disappear. Even Pose, as much as I hate Ryan Murphy, is an important tool in remembering the ballroom scene and AIDS. When were you last tested? When were your partners last tested? When did you last confront that reality that the AIDS scare is the reason gay men can't donate blood in America? What are you doing to honor those in your life today that should be honored, remembered, and fought for?

Also, I'm pretty emotional about the day, so excuse any facts I may have gotten a little wrong or not expounded on more. This post is getting longer than I intended with each rewrite.

[rourkie]

Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. For those of you who don't know, any person whose gender identity does not correspond with the sex registered for them at birth falls under the "transgender umbrella." This can include non-binary and agendered individuals as well. (My personal pronouns are they/them.)

Many transgender people deal with gender dysphoria, and the act of transitioning can lessen this disruptive state. Transitioning is when someone more closely aligns themselves with the gender they identify with. While it is most often used as a way to indicate an individual is undergoing physical/hormonal changes, it can also include lifestyle changes, therapy, or other changes and practices that aren't necessarily outwardly obvious or public-facing. How transgender people present to the world may also not match the gender they identify with. Many such individuals are scared to come out to their friends and family, their employers, and their communities because of fear of discrimination, or fear of ruining pre-established relationships.

It's important now more than ever that we support our transgender brothers, sisters, and siblings. There's a lot of scary stuff going on in the world right now, and many transgender individuals are scared. Things aren't so bad here in Boston, but a lot of states are taking steps to ban transgender lifestyles, including restricting access to healthcare for trans youths, forcing individuals to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their assigned sex at birth rather than their chosen gender identity, and making it illegal to dress differently from your assigned sex at birth in public. There are organizations now dedicated to splitting off lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals from transgender individuals, to creating a cultural shift to separate the "T" from "LGB." Some of these situations sound radical or ridiculous, but they are absolutely occurring and gaining momentum all over the country.

Being an ally takes many forms, and, quite frankly, slapping a bumper sticker on your car and calling it a day doesn't necessarily make you an ally (although it's a good first step). Open yourself up to conversation with others about these topics or provide a safe space to talk to those who need it. Reach out to LGBTGIA+ folks you know in areas of the country making these legislations, and check in on them. Let them know you're here to lend an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on.

Honestly? Just be supportive. We're all in this together.

[tacticalvalor]

«────── « HEADCANON » ──────»

Here's my headcanon that I have for Tony Prince surrounding his homosexuality and the culture he seems to have grown up in.

CW / TW for: Homophobia, Police Brutality, Prison Culture, Sexual Acts, and Drug Abuse.

According to Tony’s wiki page, which cites information found within the games and the overall “lore” of Grand Theft Auto, Tony was never openly gay until 1985:

“  The first club Tony opened for himself was PUDDLE, a rave venue famously located in a converted mortuary, until it was shut down when Tony was arrested for tax evasion in 1985, spending 3 months in jail.  According to Luis, Tony also first earned the nickname “Gay Tony” in 1985 - as the nickname suggests, Tony became openly homosexual by the time he was 27. “

Now obviously there isn’t a lot of history depicted up until this point, the only other notable things really being that Tony was born in 1958 in Dukes (the Grand Theft Auto equivalent of Queens, a borough in New York state), and he hated it there. A lot:

“ According to the Maisonette 9 website, “as a young boy, he wandered to the Humboldt River and dreamed of living on the other side (in Algonquin) so he would no longer be considered bridge and tunnel”. He also used to play in front of the Monoglobe and would sometimes stare into it, wondering what life was like in different countries. He is ashamed of his Dukes background, and it’s hinted during the beginning of Departure Time that he doesn’t speak to his parents anymore. “

However, with how much the Grand Theft Auto series likes to pull from reality (and dramatize it as a form of criticism), and as I’m a gay male myself, I want to assume that Tony did not have a realization that he was gay in 1985, but rather was able to feel proud about coming out in 1985 (re: he knew he was gay but repressed it).  

Let’s bullet point some LGBT+ history from New York state between roughly 1969 - 1985, as Tony would be between ages 11 - 27 respectively during this time period:

1969 (Age 11): Stonewall Riots happened in Greenwich Village. The Stonewall riots were a series of violent conflicts between gay men, drag queens and lesbians against a police officer raid* in New York City.  Riots began as police raided the inn.

1970 (Age 12): Commemorative march held one year after the riots, organized by the impetus of Craig Rodwell, owner of the Oscar Wilde Bookshop, drew 5,000 marchers up New York City’s Sixth Avenue, which drew nationwide publicity and put the Stonewall events on the historical map and led to the modern-day pride marches.

1971 (Age 13): In 1971, the first version of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (passed 2002; Age 44) was introduced into both houses of the state legislature.

1974 (Age 16): The Village of Alfred became the first municipality in the state to pass a gay rights ordinance, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

1977 - 1979 (Ages 19 - 21): Gaysweek existed as the first openly LGBT weekly newspaper in New York. At the time, it was one of only three weekly LGBT publications in the world, and the first to be owned by an African-American.

1980 - 1983 (Ages 22 - 25): The New York Court of Appeals case New York v. Onofre abolished most remaining laws regarding sodomy in New York. In 1983, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center was established in New York City (borough: Manhattan).

1985 (Age 27): The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was formed by a group of gay and lesbian artisans in New York City (borough: Manhattan).

* NOTE: Law enforcement officials could legally raid LGBT+ oriented establishments on the behalf of the anti-gay accommodation rules of the NY State Liquor Authority, who had said it was illegal for homosexuals to congregate and be served alcoholic beverages in bars.  Bars that did operate would have to bribe either the police or local mafias.  These regulations were legally overturned between 1965 and 1966, however, just because it was changed did not mean the police adhered to it at all.

So from what can be gleaned, it really would make sense that Tony was never openly gay from the moment he may have realized that.  I mean, in Grand Theft Auto IV which takes place in 2008, we still see Tony being called a fag, fairy, and queen by numerous people.  He still actively faces discrimination, however it’s not nearly as bad as it was.  

Yet we’ll delve into the modern history later, let’s focus now on Tony earning the nickname and his three months in jail in 1985.

Tony went to jail in 1985 for tax evasion and served three months.  It’s a bit of a stretch to draw a connection to Tony’s “coming out” and his time in prison, yet it’s not an impossible thing and I personally see the two being connected given their timeframe. 

Sexual behaviors in prisons/jails often include:

Suppression, in which an inmate chooses celibacy (i.e. refrains from sexual activity while in prison, most commonly to stay loyal to a partner who is outside of prison)

Autoeroticism (i.e. masturbation)

Homosexuality (which consists of two types, consensual true and consensual situation. Consensual true occurs between people who were already homosexual before entering prison. Consensual situation occurs between people who have homosexual experiences for the first time in prison)

Sexual violence (which includes coercion, manipulation, and compliance. Manipulation is performed for power or some kind of reward. Compliance occurs to obtain safety, protection, or out of fear).

** NOTE: A small disclaimer before I go any further, a lot of the above applies to prison culture.  The distinction between a jail and a prison is the severity of the crime and sentences served.  Tony went to jail because he only served three months.  If his sentence was one year or greater, he would have gone to prison.  Granted, the culture tends to be fairly similar across both institutions, dependent on the population (types of inmates).

The interesting thing in Tony’s case is that given the interactions he had behind bars, if any himself, were consensual, he can apply to both the consensual true and consensual situation model.  With how rough the culture surrounding LGBT+ individuals and dating was up to this point, it’s hard to imagine he had any sort of intimacy with another male, yet he has recognized that he is gay, yet has also not come out.  If he had any interactions during this time, then that would have most likely been his first.  The only thing I can assume that would lead to him earning the nickname “Gay Tony” during the course of 1985, and his consequent coming out, would be that he has had intimate relations within that three-month period, and it became a “brand” from his jail time, so to speak, as giving inmates nicknames based on whatever attributes makes them notable is very common even to this day.

It could also be entirely coincidental, but that’s what headcanons are for.

And since we’re here, let's look at some of New York’s LGBT+ history in the early 2000s:

2002 (Age 44): The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act was passed by the Legislature. Governor George Pataki signed the bill into law, and it went into effect on January 16, 2003 (Age 45).

2005 (Age 47): The Queens Chapter of PFLAG announced the creation of the “Brenda Howard Memorial Award”. This was the first time a major American LGBT organization named an award after an openly bisexual person.

2008 (Age 50): Governor David Paterson issued a directive for all government agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states of the Union where such marriages are legally certified. 

TLDR:

Tony earned the nickname “Gay Tony” while serving time in jail and becoming a “prison bitch”.

Also, Tony is an older gay male who did not have the privilege to openly express himself and pursue healthy relationships until he was older (and therefore more likely to be excluded and feel ostracized by the emerging crowd of “baby gays”), and this is part of why he tends to seek risky and abusive relationships, as well as abuse drugs, despite being “old enough” to know and acknowledge how these things hurt him.

[treadmilltreats]

We need to fight back, so vote

With elections right around the corner I feel that I must speak out about this topic yet again. Only we can change the world but only if we ban together and vote out those who are trying to control the world and our bodies. I can't believe that in this day and age that I am even writing this but unfortunately here it is. 

Bans have passed at least one legislative chamber in seven states: Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia. They have been enacted in six of those states: Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Idaho and Wyoming.

With Roe v. Wade’s future is uncertain, thank God that many states are pushing legislation that will support women and their bodies. Some 30 states and the District of Columbia are considering measures that protect and expand access to abortion. Laws that protect the right to have an abortion already exist in at least 16 states and the District of Columbia.

Some states have gone further: Lawmakers in Vermont voted to move forward on an amendment to the State Constitution that would guarantee the right to an abortion. In Connecticut, lawmakers approved a bill that would expand the field of people who can perform certain types of abortions beyond doctors, to include nurse-midwives, physician assistants and other medical professionals.

I remember writing about when Georgia became the fifth state to ban abortion at six weeks after a last menstrual period. I was outraged as this "time frame" will be before many women will even know that they are pregnant.

These laws go even further than the other laws, even as far as criminalizing doctors and others who help induce abortions. It will now charge pregnant women for murder if they decide to have an abortion... even if they go to another state. Then they decided that wasn't enough and will even charge the person that drives you there as well with attempted murder.

Wtf is going on here? How in the world did this bill get passed? Where was the outrage? Where was the outcry of injustice?

How much more restrictive could these laws get than charging a women with murder on her own body? Are we now going to burn them on a stake? Hang them in the square?

This is where we are headed on but not just on  abortion, people. The good old boys are in charge, they have already brought out their white sheets they had been hiding for so many years. They are loud and proud of their racism, their disgust of the gay and lesbian community and now they just want to bring us straight back to the fifties, as they are slowly outlawing our abortion rights and other rights to come. What you don't remember the don't say gay bill Deathsantis passed here in Florida.

I am mad as hell!! Because this is what happened in Germany or don't you remember because our textbooks no longer teach our children the hideous crimes Hitler did to millions of people.

First they started by taking away rights of certain people, small things at first. Then they added others, until before they knew what hit them, all of their rights were gone and he was a vicious, murdering dictator.

Wake up people! They want to put the gays back in the closet, the blacks and minorities on the back of the bus again and now abortions in the dirty back alleys, where they once were in. Who's next Jewish people, Christians? Anyone who doesn't believe and look like them?

And why are we not mad as hell? What is wrong with us as a country? Are we so self absorbed in our lives, in our "likes" In our own crap that we don't see this? This is not going to get better, trust and believe, it will only get worse. This may not affect you, but trust and believe they will eventually take away your rights, then how will you feel?

I had to have an abortion at 15 because of a rape, it was my body, my choice. It will always be my body, my choice. Are you going to ban women from cosmetic surgery to change their bodies too? No, that would never happen as the good old boys like big boobs to grab as they may! Where does the line stop?

We must speak out, we can change this now! We need to vote out these people, we need to write to our congressman. We need to speak out about our government, we need to protest, to write about it, to speak out, and speak loud as this is going to affect everyone sooner or later. 

I will leave you with this famous quote from Martin Niemöller about the Holocaus that I hope will be an eye opener for you because this could be us...sooner than later.

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me"

Vote! Speak up! Speak loud! Do it today!!

"Be the change you want to see"

@TreadmillTreats 

"Be the change you want to see"

@Treadmilltreats

"And just when the caterpillar thought his life over...he turned into a beautiful butterfly"

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[qqueenofhades]

Okay, I’ve read Joe Biden’s plans.

I’ve just sat down and spent several hours actually reading all the damn plans on his website, the whole thing, so you don’t have to. And here’s the conclusion:

They’re pretty good.

Are they absolutely everything we want immediately? Maybe not. Are they a solid Democratic agenda anyway? Yes they are. Are they better than Trump?

Light years!

His Violence Against Women plan is lengthy, detailed, and pays specific attention to violence against Native, lesbian and bisexual, low-income, disabled, rural, transgender (especially trans women of color) immigrant, domestic abuse victims, and other vulnerable women. He calls for replacing and expanding Obama-era policies and funding for campus sexual assault programs that DeVos trashed, and for providing money for culturally specific services that are sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of survivors. He also notes that sexual assault, while it predominantly affects women and girls, needs to be taken seriously and addressed for people of all gender identities.

His gun safety plan is forceful and lays out several steps for banning assault weapons, taking existing weapons from offenders, closing gun purchase background check and other legal loopholes, addressing the intersection between domestic violence and weapons ownership, and reducing or eliminating weapons and ammunition stockpiling.

His plan for tackling climate change and creating green jobs is also lengthy. He makes the connection between economic, environmental, and racial justice. He pledges to immediately rejoin the Paris Agreement and restore American leadership on the issue in pushing for even stronger climate standards, make climate change a central part of our trade, international, and justice goals, demand a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks (!!!) and if the Green New Deal is passed, to sign it, as well as for the U.S. to achieve 100% clean energy and zero percent net emissions by 2050.

His healthcare plan is decent. It offers an immediate public option for all Americans regardless of private, employer, or no coverage, and generous new tax credits to put toward the cost of coverage. It strongly protects abortion rights and federal funding for Planned Parenthood, as well as rescinding the “gag rule” that prevents U.S. federal aid money from being used to provide or even talk about abortions in NGOs abroad. It attacks generic and drug price gouging. It calls for doubling the capital gains tax on the super-wealthy (from 20% to 39.5% paid on capital gains by anyone making over $1 million) to help fund healthcare reform. He also has a separate plan on the opioid crisis in America, and on older Americans and retirement, including the protection and re-funding of Medicare and Social Security.

His immigration plan is lengthy and detailed. He apologizes for and acknowledges the excessive deportation that occured during the Obama-Biden administrations, pledges to do better, and attacks Trump’s current inhumane acitivities on every front. The policy of children in cages, indefinite detention, the metered asylum system, and the Muslim Ban are gone on day one. In this and his LGBTQ plan, he notes the vulnerability of LGBTQ refugees, incuding LGBTQ refugees of color. He proposes streamlining of visa applications and prioritizing the immediate reunification of families. It also specifically states that ICE and CBP agents will be held directly accountable for inhumane treatment.

Speaking of which, his LGBTQ plan is comprehensive. It pays attention to multiple intersectional issues, down to the high rates of incarceration among trans people of color. (He also notes the rates of violence against trans women of color particularly.) He calls for a complete ban on conversion therapy and the discrimination against HIV-status individuals, as well as removing the ban on blood donation from gay and bisexual men. He will remove the transgender military ban immediately. He calls for funding for mental health and suicide prevention among LGBTQ populations.

His plan to empower workers calls for raising the federal minimum wage to $15, as well as indexing this to median hourly wages to ensure that working-class and middle-class wages grow closer to parity, and implementing strong legal protections for unions. He expresses support for striking workers and to empower the National Labor Relations Board in workplace advocacy. Farmworkers, domestic workers, gig economy workers, and other non-traditional labor groups are included in this. He will restore all Obama-Biden policies related to workplace safety and regulation.

His plan to restore American dignity and leadership in the world calls for immediately investing in election security and reform, restoration of the Voting Rights Act, immediately restoring White House press briefings and other Trump refusals of information, tackling criminal justice reform and systematic racial discrimination, calling for campaign finance reform, and basically blowing up all the stupid things the Trump administration does on a daily basis. It also calls for an end to all ongoing wars in the Middle East, restoring the Iran nuclear deal, and new arms control treaties with Russia, among general repairing of international alliances.

His plans for K-12 education and post-high school education call for greatly expanded funding across all levels of 2-year, 4-year, and other educational options. There will be no student loan payments for anyone making under $25,000 a year; everyone else will pay a capped amount and be completely forgiven after a certain period. Public servants qualify for up to $50,000 in loan forgiveness. This is not total loan forgiveness for everyone, which is obviously important for me and many of us, but it’s acceptable to start with. Additionally, his wife is a teacher and has a proven track record of calling for education investment and supporting public school funding.

His plan for housing addresses the needs of formerly incarcerated, LGBTQ, veteran, low-income, sexual assault survivor, black and Hispanic, and other vulnerable populations at risk of losing housing. It calls for a tax on companies and corporations with in excess of $50 billion in assets to fund comprehensive new housing initiatives, including $100 billion in accessible and low-income housing development. It includes extensive investment in public transportation and a high-speed rail system. This ties into his plan to repair infrastructure and invest in new technologies across the country.

His plan for criminal justice reform calls for the end of mass incarceration, the decriminalization of marijuana, the automatic expunging of all cannabis convictions, and an end on jail sentences for drug use. It highlights systematic institutional racism and the impact on black and brown people particularly. It calls for an end on all profiteering and private prisons. It focuses on reintegrating offenders into society and funding the needs of people released from prison. It proposes to “expand and use the power of the U.S. Justice Department to address systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices.” It broadens funding for social services and other programs for people who are otherwise placed into the prison pipeline.

There are more plans, which you can find here. These are the ones I read top to bottom. I am not by any means a Joe Biden fangirl; he was not my first choice, my second choice, or really anywhere on my list. However, having carefully read through his policy documents, I can say that:

He has at the least a good team of advisors who are keenly aware of the political climate, and is willing to both restore Obama-era standards and to improve on them where necessary. Obviously, all politicians’ promises are politicians’ promises, but this is a solid Democratic platform with obvious awareness of the progressive wing of the party.

If progressive legislation is passed in the House and Senate, he will sign it, including the Green New Deal.

He represents a clear and definite improvement over Donald Trump.

Is he everything we want? No. Are his policies better than I was expecting? Yes. I advise you to read through them for yourself. It has made me at least feel better about the likelihood of voting for him.

I realize it’s an unsexy position, especially on tumblr, to advocate for an old centrist white man. I’m not thrilled about having to do it. However, speaking as someone who was very resistant to Biden and still doesn’t agree with all of his previous legislative track record, that’s my consensus. He is a candidate who broadly aligns with values that I care about. His policies represent a concrete end to the damage of the Trump administration and gets us on the right track again.

Joe Biden, if he is the Democratic nominee, will receive my vote on November 3, 2020. I urge you to consider what I’ve laid out above and join me.

[mooncicadas]

complicated enid blyton feelings

now that the second season of the cbbc malory towers adaptation is out i have just been lounging about Thinking about blyton and how formative she was in molding my personality. 

it was wild to me when I heard that in the west, librarians would refuse to stock her books stating that they had no literary merit but like. they’re STILL being read by millions of children in the commonwealth countries that britain exploited in the first place almost a whole century later and that Has to count for something. There’s something about them in a fundamental sense that captures their imaginations and makes them revel in the world.

 i remember my father being really disappointed in me as a child for not reading as much indian authors. but what i was looking for wasn’t the bleakness of the everyday life i was already living but the novelty of rolling moors and islands and treasures and in a world where children seemingly had agency and power. 

This is a lofty comparison to make but the reverence with which the characters take delight in simple food, nature, animals etc. feels almost ghibli-esque. I had a conversation with a friend the other day about how publishing trends lately especially for fantasy always come with the baggage of war and epic conflict and heavy plot that must keep going. Gone are the days of say Tamora Pierce books where you got to soak in the atmosphere and really feel a slice of life within that world. 

I think the malory towers adaptation did a Great job at translating the books to television. I was surprised but pleased that they didn’t modernise it and kept it set in the 30s/40s just after war. And there is actual mention of war and rationing and financial trouble that add depth to the story. Darrell is exactly as I imagined her. Gwendolyn’s actress did an amazing job especially in season 2. And those lush Cornwall seaside pools and the towers themselves look just as gorgeous as I’d imagined if not more like seriously the location is bonkers. The cast is quite diverse as well- and much more accurately representative of what these boarding schools were like more than what blyton ever wrote lol. My one production gripe is I wish they made the school look more populated lol. Only the ten girls in the form were shown at all times so it all felt a bit emptier than I remember from the books. 

They had to tweak a lot of the plots from the books to pad out runtime. Interestingly they cut out Mamzelle Dupont and sort of merged her with Matron. I found the plot of Pamela becoming a debutante especially jarring. But otherwise I think the show did a great job at capturing the friendship dramas and the childlike innocence and wonder of this world. Oh! And they gave Darrell dyslexia which I thought was an interesting choice. 

Also. These girls are gay fr fr. Mary Lou has a crush on Darrell. Darrell has a crush on Alicia and Alicia knows it but only takes advantage of it sometimes. Alison from St Claires is also the gayest person i’ve ever read. And of course Miss Peters lesbian. Bill and Clarissa literally go live at a stable together after graduating. I found the lack of heterosexual romance in both these and all of blyton’s work SO refreshing. 

Another thing I would grow up to find uncommon that blyton did right is an all girls cast or equally coed cast. There is little I hate more than the Smurfette syndrome trope. Also!! While there might be a bit of internalised misogyny in the way George from famous five is written but god!!! the way she’s written is transgressive and amazing even by today’s standards. I sought so much comfort in her whenever I felt like i didn’t fit womanhood and wanted to do things outside my prescribed gender roles. 

However books have this very queer and nebulous sense of moral up-righteousness about them. You can see it the most clearly in the school series I think where you’re supposed to be rich but not too rich, be clever but not too clever at your talent, be a schoolgirl first, be sensible, play games, get tan, have good parents not silly ones, you can’t be a crybaby when processing trauma etc. 

And ofc her racism towards Romani people, black people.... I can’t remember if she’d mentioned indians but yeah. I was listening to Third Year at Mallory Towers recently and was a bit blown away about just how little Blyton thinks of America and American girls’ values. And towards make up and grooming. It was a bit funny to read actually. And idk what she’s got against kids who like poetry because I can think of 3 characters rn who are supposed to read as silly for liking poetry. Cyril from Six Cousins at Misltletoe farm, that one girl from St Clairs with the dark eyebrows and light hair, and Ernie from Five FindOuters. 

Anyway yeah... I reread two books recently and cried at one of them. 

Six Cousins at Mistletoe farm was just as weird as I remembered. That scene of Jack being ashamed of his dirty sister when his friend came to visit was so weird sjdhfsjf why was that boy so interested in Melisande lmfao. 

Family at Red Roofs was special to me even as a child. It was less meaty than I remembered but it still hit me and hurt when tragedy suddenly strikes and the children try to grow up and have each other to lean on. That scene where Jenny Wren says if u don’t want me just say so... i’ll stay here and help u out in a fix because fair is fair. Man... and when the younger two ate to cheer up the older two and the older two ate to cheer up the younger two. I remember being very fond of Mike as a kid and his business venture. 

I think as a kid I used a lot of my imagination to fill in the sparse spaces between the description that blyton offered. Now that I look at work in a more of a mise en scene kind of way it’s different i think 

Anyway. Here’s a cookie if u read all that there was no thesis statement to all this.