#cringe to lie about someone being trans when they aren't

[dr1f7w00d]

are you fucking kidding me

[infanttoes]

The Closet Was Tinted Glass

Trans Katsuki AU! (Requested by a friend :D)

CW: unsafe binding, mention of dysphoria(very brief)

Locker rooms have always been a challenge to Katsuki. He's known he was a guy since the day he could understand the concept of gender at all, there was absolutely no changing his mind about it. If you told him otherwise, you'd either get blatantly ignored or screamed at. The only people he needed to accept him (his parents and Izuku), accepted him, and so he couldn't care less about the opinions of anyone else.

But ever since he got into high school, he decided he wanted a fresh start. Being a hero means that his public image mattered a whole lot more than it did in middle school, and being transgender in Japan isn't a great look. Best case scenario, he'll receive a lot of backlash. He doesn't even wanna think about the worst case scenario. Yikes.

So before the school year began, he made sure to visit Izuku at his house over their break and inform him that he is not, in fact, transgender but rather that he has always been a guy. Izuku, in his pijamas after a long day on the beach with All Might, tiredly grumbled that if he doesn't want him to tell anyone he's transgender, he won't. Katsuki bopped him on the head and left with a huff. At least he got his point across.

Everything went fairly well for the next two years concerning his identity. There was no speculation on social media, Izuku kept his word and didn't make a peep about it towards anyone, and his teachers were all pretty supportive since the start. He did have to lie to his classmates a few times concerning why he stays behind on the training grounds until everyone leave the locker rooms, but besides that, things were going smoothly.

That was until stupid, idiot Deku was too busy tying his signature red shoes to notice literally everyone else had gone out of the locker room. Katsuki unsuspectingly comes in, not bothering to check for any signs of life as he's been doing this routine for years and assumed it wouldn't change any time soon. To his surprise, when he begins tearing his sweaty costume off and setting each part down on the bench behind him, he hears a faint gasp.

"What the fuck?" He immediately yelps, turning his head so fast he gets whiplash. To his dismay, Izuku's standing across from him with an incredibly concerned pout and wide eyes.

"Did you seriously have your binder on that whole time? You're gonna get really hurt doing that," Izuku confronts, marching over to Katsuki and flicking him on the forehead. He winces at the sting but ultimately rolls his eyes.

"You don't have the room to talk, nerd. All I do is see your shithead will your life away on the daily. Besides, if I train without a binder, someone's bound to notice. Tits aren't exactly the most easy things to hide." He cringes internally at the memory of his classmates agreeing that he has a really feminine body type. That single handedly fueled his dysphoria for the following weeks.

"I can see the bruising, Kacchan! It's no wonder you've been taking so many breaks during training. When have you ever cared about people knowing anyway?" The shorter argues, seeming genuinely adamant about the topic, albeit a little embarrassed at the nature of it. Katsuki sighs, partly because he knows Izuku's right and also because he's annoyed at his hero complex.

"I fucking don't, dipshit. Those idiots just don't know how to keep their mouths shut and I'd be revolutionarily fucked if the press found out I was trans. It doesn't even hurt; we've been through worse and you should know that of all people."

Izuku's eyes soften. Now it’s his turn to sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He takes a moment to gather his words and put them in a way Katsuki will take into consideration.

"Okay, I get it. Coming out is really dangerous to your career. But letting yourself get injured like this is holding you back from your true potential; weren't you the one that got upset with Todoroki during the Sports Festival because he wasn't putting his all into the fight? You're disabling yourself just like he did."

At that, Katsuki stares at him blankly, unmoving and silent. To him, the world stopped spinning for a moment. He feels like the biggest hypocrite ever. Izuku's just about to accuse him of zoning out while he was rambling when he finally speaks up.

"Damn, you're such a hassle to deal with. Do you have an extra shirt I can wear then? A looser one?" Katsuki grumbles, uncharacteristically sheepish. Izuku's face lights up in an instant, letting out a relieved exhale and nodding. He slides his bag off his shoulders and places it on the bench, digging through for a couple seconds before pulling out a black tee that reads 'extra shirt' in small, bold lettering. Katsuki offers an unimpressed glance, snatching the shirt away and doing a 'shoo' motion.

Once Izuku leaves the locker room, Katsuki steps in front of the mirror. Seeing himself so up close is unsettling. The former was right; the bruising is super obvious. He slowly undoes each clip starting from the top, relief filling his lungs as their constraints are removed. His ribs are dotted harsh purple spots, a sickly yellow ring surrounding each of the dark marks. He stares at himself uneasily for another moment before forcefully tearing his gaze away, reaching for the borrowed shirt and pulling it over his head as quickly as possible. It fits nicely; more snug than it would've been on Izuku since he has a smaller form, but it's much less apparent than a tank top. He does regret not bringing a bra, but to be fair, he wasn't expecting to be given a (metaphorical) slap in the face for being a professional dumbass.

He isn't sure why he's nervous. He collects his miscellaneous belongings, shoving them in his tote bag and swinging it over his shoulder. It takes a significant amount of effort to trudge himself towards the door, trying to keep his nausea to a bare minimum as he pushes it open. He subconsciously has his arms crossed and body slouched when he walks out, as if trying to go unseen.

By the time he catches up with the rest of the class, they're seated at some outdoor table on campus, sharing the granola bars Eijirou packed in his sports bag. Training had been particularly rough today so a snack would do well by them. Katsuki inconspicuously slides onto the bench next to Eijirou and promptly tunes into the conversation. They're discussing the best horror movies and ranking them out of ten; nothing particularly interesting but enough to distract him from the pit in his stomach.

It's when Katsuki goes to stretch his arms that hell begins to raise. He groans lightly, the day leaving his body with each pop of his joints. The noise draws the attention of Denki, who would normally go right back to conversation, but his eyes caught something out of the ordinary.

"Woah dude, did your chest grow two inches in the past hour?" He teases unsuspectingly, a small snicker coating the question. Despite the obviously playful manner, Katsuki's face pales. Suddenly, any sense of relaxation he felt did a total 180 and he's back in panic mode. Just that simple sentence made his hands go clammy and his mouth dry as the Sahara Desert.

"The fuck? No, you dunce. Go back to talking about Annabelle or whatever," he growls, kicking Denki's leg under the table. He whines pitifully, mumbling a 'what was that for!'

"No, he's right! Did you get implants while you were gone? I mean, damn! Your tits are bigger than mine. It's almost like they're real," Mina comments, giggling. In hindsight, that probably isn't the best thing to say about someone, but she honestly didn't think anything was going to come of it.

Katsuki, on the contrary, was having a war inside his mind. On one hand, he knows his friends will accept him no matter what gender he was born as or conforms with. Everyone's already acutely aware that Eijirou is a little more interested in other men than he lets on so he has nothing to worry about. But on the other hand, he's actually really scared. Scared that he'll be treated with less respect or assholes will underestimate the extent of his abilities just because he happened to be born with different genitals.

Thinking back to what Izuku said, though, he's completely right. He's desperately trying to keep up his pride while simultaneously holding himself back. He'll never be able to fight properly if he's constantly hiding, and if you know Katsuki, you know that he's not satisfied with a half-assed fight. Finally, he decides he's pushed through pain for far too long.

"Probably because they are."

The table goes silent. Even Jirou looks up from her phone long enough to gape at the revelation. Katsuki's skin is burning under the intensity of all their shocked stares.

"Geez, don't make this more awkward than it has to be."

At the uncomfortable plead, Eijirou immediately goes to Katsuki's rescue.

"Bakubro, that's so fucking awesome! I had no idea, congrats on telling us!" He praises, wrapping his arms around Katsuki with tears pricking his eyes. Katsuki stiffens at the display of affection, half-heartedly trying to push him away.

"Shut the fuck up, that wasn't an invitation. And I did it for myself, not for you goons," he hisses, inevitably accepting the hug when Eijirou uses his quirk to stop his struggling. It takes barely a second for the rest of the group to begin fussing over him, sharing their congrats and how, 'wow, you passed really well.' Not like he doesn't know that. What shocked him the most, however, was Hanta silently pointing to himself and then holding up two fingers.

From the corner of his eye, he can see Izuku sitting at the table beside him with his own nerd club. Izuku smiles at him proudly. Katsuki smiles back.

positive feedback/kind criticism only please! <3

[mopeing]

It really frustrates me when I go into threads about JK Rowling, because there are plenty of legitimate reasons to hate her, but most of the comments are completely made up reasons? Please don't lie and spread misinformation even about people you dislike, because it'll make your own position look weaker under scrutiny.

If you need to lie to make a point, people will think it's because you don't have one. So don't lie in the first place.

Not reasons to hate JKR:

- there is a star of David on the floor of Gringotts bank. This was in the movies, it was not described in the books. Unless evidence comes out that she asked Chris Columbus or whoever for that detail to be included, it is not evidence of antisemitism (that is not to say that the goblins in general aren't problematic though)

- she didn't say Hermione was black all along, she said casting a black actress as Hermione doesn't contradict her description (although it does)

- all the retconning and "oh actually X character was Y all along" after the series has ended. This isn't "problematic", it's just cringe. Nothing to get mad about

- she did not retcon Dumbledore as being gay after the series ended. I distinctly remember this being a topic of discussion while the 6th book was coming out. She didn't include it explicitly in the books, but it wasn't an after-the-fact change (Although it is a valid criticism that not including it explicitly in the books means it isn't representation)

- Seamus Finnegan being a clumsy Irishman who makes things explode. This was in the movies, not the books. In the books it was often Neville who was used for this comic relief

- she's a bad writer. I'm not saying this is incorrect, just that it's not a reason to hate her. People don't deserve hate for being bad at something, she deserves hate because she is a bad person. Please do not conflate these two; it is possible for bad people to make good art and it's possible for good people to make poor art. A lot of this insistence comes from people who used to be big fans of Harry Potter who now that they don't like her any more are now saying "well the books were shit all along anyway..." It just seems performative tbh.

- a trans character in Hogwarts Legacy being named "Sirona Ryan". Honestly this is the biggest stretch I've ever seen. Look - there's plenty of things to criticise about this game. The fact that one of the early writers was apparently a bit fashy and is responsible for the leaning even further into the goblin antisemitism for example. But this one character? I highly doubt JKR even had to approve of details that small, let alone the fact that the name likely isn't problematic at all. If you're reading this and, like me, you have no clue whatsoever what is apparently wrong with the name - it begins with "Sir" - implying that trans women are actually men, and ends with "Aryan" - implying that trans people are nazis. At this point, people are actively looking for things to get mad about even when they're not there. I'm not even sure the "sir" in "Sirona" is even supposed to be pronounced like the English word. How about getting mad about the actual obvious actually harmful things she does instead???

Actual reasons to hate her:

- her transphobic tweets

- the fatphobia in the books

- her transphobic articles

- the whole "Hermione is dumb for being anti-slavery" subplot

- her transphobic actions

- lack of regard for other cultures, whether it's the naming of foreign characters and places, or the fact that the wizarding Irish government apparently still isn't independent of the UK's

- her defending and associating with people more mask-off transphobic than she is

- she is a billionaire, and there are no good billionaires

Inb4 "how dare you defend this bad person" - correcting misinformation about a bad person is not defending them. Good people should also care about intellectual honesty. It isn't good to lie about someone just because the person you're lying about is bad.

[thelesbianpoirot]

Hello, I am not getting any younger and I want to jump back into the bleak lesbian dating world. Should I act like a normie to get a wife? Or should I looksmaxx and stay true to my lesbian separatist beliefs?

On one end I betray myself but on the other I’d have to do an uncomfortable amount of work to become more good looking. I don’t think women will care about my beliefs if I’m jacked.

What do you think?

Babe this is so real, people like to pretend gay women don't care about appearance and that every lesbi woman wants a low effort fat butch, but that is a BIG lie. Even gay women have preferences informed by society, few vary. So looksmaxxing will probably get you more women. I did get more attention my dating app pages when I dressed femme, but I didn't want to do that anymore, so I just get a good haircut, nice looking clothes, put stuff on my face so I don't have awful acne and take pictures in great lighting. If you can do a bit more, like working out, and buying a cool outfit or two, do it, but don't do shit you can't maintain because she'll leave you if you can't keep it up. I met a girl when I was 125 pounds, shaved and with long hair to my ass, and she did not want me when I gained 50 pounds due to health issues and buzz it all off. I have lost some of that weight, but I am definitely not 130 anymore. And I left her because I realized she didn't want me anymore, and I was not staying with someone who didn't want me after I recovered from an eating disorder. But I also don't blame her because you can't force yourself to get turned on by someone you are not. BEING JACKED HELPS A LOT but if you hate exercise, just focus on getting fit, basic walking more, stretching, eating greens, drinking water. But date while you're working on your body, so you know what the dating landscape looks like, so when you post those updated pictures, and the interactions flood in, you aren't too out of your element. SUMMARY: LOOK GOOD IN AN EASILY MAINTAINED WAY - hygienic, well-dressed, good haircut etc. It does help with dating a lot. But being an impossible to maintain transformation will never last and whatever relationship you gained because of your transformation also won't last. I don't start off relationships with strong feminist conversations, I like to slowly introduce my beliefs. You don't want to be preachy and annoying, but don't go too much against your beliefs. You'll hate being stuck with a woman who is your ideological opposite, so if you're looking for more than sex, I'll so be true to yourself, but don't bulldoze her down in conversations if she says something un-feminist, everyone has space to learn. I personally cannot date a someone heavily into trans identity, I have tried that, and I just grew to hate that person, because they would constantly try defend TIMS against any criticism, kept implying I was a trans man, and they just talked about nothing but childish things and gender. It was so cringe, I had to get out of there. Don't do that to yourself. But there is nothing wrong with not bringing up the scum manifesto to your date. Just talking about other things you might have in common before you delve too deep into specifics - books, movies, hobbies, sports. I put feminist in my bio, because I think if that dissuades any woman, she isn't my type at all. I also put "interested in sexual relationships with adult women" for the same reason. But I don't put "radical feminist aligned" because radical feminism has been given such bad press, that despite a woman agreeing with everyone of my beliefs, she might have preconceived notions implanted by anti-feminists and trans activists. Separatism is niche, not well known, so a potential woman might google it, and find some dumb article by an anti-feminist and think you're some weirdo extremist or something. Even if every time I have explained separatism to a woman, she has agreed sounds incredible. Slowly share more and more of yourself with people, don't excitedly dump all at once. It's just rude otherwise. SUMMARY: Don't try to ideologically trample normal women, but don't date your ideological opposite, people are more accepting of your beliefs after they have known you for a while.

[punkscowardschampions]

Xander & Kara

theXeppo: Your screen name is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ lesserknowncousin: that many? oh wow 😊 lesserknowncousin: could give you 🌌 if that doesn't reek of overkill theXeppo: who'd put enthusiasm down as a negative? lesserknowncousin: the potential alliteration with my name and the word keen has me 😰 lesserknowncousin: not that I'm getting to 'saving each other's #s' stage here often lesserknowncousin: (ever) theXeppo: Mine alliterates with 🃏 theXeppo: a sign you don't need to 😰 over me getting too serious lesserknowncousin: 🤔 hmm lesserknowncousin: we are next to each other in the alphabet, no need for the cheesy pickup line theXeppo: won't go there with 😘 cousins either theXeppo: very low blow lesserknowncousin: luckily I haven't got any not from Krypton so that doesn't sting too bad theXeppo: I figured lesserknowncousin: how'd you manage that? 🧐 theXeppo: 💪 and 🧠 lesserknowncousin: is that you or me? 🤭 theXeppo: why not us both? lesserknowncousin: got yourself a deal 🃏 lesserknowncousin: like that thinking theXeppo: 🤔🤔🤔 theXeppo: (me from now on) lesserknowncousin: you're very cute lesserknowncousin: very spherical, yellow theXeppo: 🌞 theXeppo: hey lesserknowncousin: the ���� says hello theXeppo: 👋🌍 lesserknowncousin: what brings you here, sector J? theXeppo: golden hour theXeppo: everyone wants that for their 📷 yeah? lesserknowncousin: oh, don't ask me lesserknowncousin: I'm AWFUL at selfies lesserknowncousin: considered getting a disguise that's more than a pair of specs theXeppo: maybe you've got skills behind it lesserknowncousin: I'd like to think I have skills in disguise as much as cosplay, but in looking like Liz Katz or Jessica Nigri whilst doing it, not so much theXeppo: whenever I've dressed up for conventions it seems like everyone got the memo a long time before I did and bought up the best stuff theXeppo: no 👑 with my name on it, in any sense lesserknowncousin: right! lesserknowncousin: have to convince myself and 🤞 anyone else that hopelessly homemade is more in the spirt of things anyway theXeppo: and keep the fail pics under 🔐 theXeppo: or that's just me HA lesserknowncousin: definitely not! lesserknowncousin: I have a picture of me and [some sci-fi actor] that has never seen the light of day because I can imagine the 🔥 wars from rabid fans on the state of me 😰 theXeppo: I have sisters who would love to release a cringe compilation irl theXeppo: your 🤕 is felt lesserknowncousin: never been gladder to be an only-child lesserknowncousin: that is horrifying! lesserknowncousin: my mammy's only threat is to bring it all out at my wedding but fat chance of that theXeppo: I'll 🤫 about 🎓 being a workable alternative theXeppo: never know who's 👀 over your shoulder lesserknowncousin: I'd 👂 if she was, don't worry lesserknowncousin: the lecture about spending too much time online, it not being real life and the people not being real friends yadda yadda etc for the zillionth time theXeppo: don't spare her the lecture that it's how people do everything now theXeppo: work & play lesserknowncousin: honestly! lesserknowncousin: she'd have me going to balls and tea party for my socialization,  I'm sure 🙄 theXeppo: which is chill if you're a secret 👸 & she wants you ready before she breaks it to you theXeppo: but if not lesserknowncousin: do you know something I don't know 🤔🤔🤔 lesserknowncousin: are you MY court 🃏 lesserknowncousin: it was a clue! theXeppo: 🥁 (that's a drum roll) theXeppo: I am, yeah lesserknowncousin: oh, mammy! lesserknowncousin: my catchphrase in this sitcom, side-eye to the camera, of course theXeppo: & I drop a 🃏 when I exit lesserknowncousin: when you 💀 someone theXeppo: I swear I'm no 🤡🔪 lesserknowncousin: that is what a killer clown WOULD say but lesserknowncousin: my schedule is pretty free so theXeppo: murder spree at 5pm theXeppo: gotcha lesserknowncousin: thanks for the invite theXeppo: we need someone to cut the 🎀 at the opening theXeppo: you're royalty, it works lesserknowncousin: be my honour lesserknowncousin: bring my best ⚔ theXeppo: what's his or her name? lesserknowncousin: mirabel lesserknowncousin: because I like it and it came to me just now lesserknowncousin: named itself or divine intervention 🤷 theXeppo: stemming from the Latin word mirabilis, meaning "wondrous" or "of wondrous beauty". It was used as both a male and female name in the Middle Ages, but is now almost exclusively female theXeppo: wikipedia approves of your spontaneity lesserknowncousin: that's perfect lesserknowncousin: I've impressed myself honestly lesserknowncousin: arguably not the point of this 💬 but it's a start, I think? 😊 theXeppo: if you aren't impressing yourself, other people will pick up on that theXeppo: even if they're not constantly 🤔🤔🤔 lesserknowncousin: I know 😕 theXeppo: the 👏 isn't purely because you have a 🗡 lesserknowncousin: my 🏹 and my 🪓 too lesserknowncousin: 👍 theXeppo: & your skill at naming things theXeppo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ every time lesserknowncousin: why thank you lesserknowncousin: your ability to compliment is definitely 🌌 theXeppo: cheers, I wouldn't want to say anything that'd end up in the cringe compilation lesserknowncousin: 🤞 you that even if my editing skills were up to it lesserknowncousin: no need theXeppo: Phew! theXeppo: a safety net lesserknowncousin: I'm intrigued by that proposition theXeppo: you are that proposition, protecting me from pitfalls with your 🗡🏹🪓 & ❤️ lesserknowncousin: could be a 📚 lesserknowncousin: or a REALLY good webcomic theXeppo: an overhyped and poorly cast 📽 that doesn't stick to the source 📚 lesserknowncousin: Scarlett Johansson WILL play me theXeppo: are you trans and a poc? theXeppo: it's personal but under the circumstances lesserknowncousin: not, so she won't be THRILLED to do it but safe to say our similarities lie at being assigned female at birth and 🤍 lesserknowncousin: end* theXeppo: it would make an interesting board game, like 🐍 & ladders theXeppo: I keep falling/doing things worthy of a cringe compilation & you have to catch me/prevent it theXeppo: the player loses when I go from 🤔🤔🤔 to 😳😳😳 theXeppo: & you have until the ☀ goes down lesserknowncousin: I'm in lesserknowncousin: 40/60 lesserknowncousin: how many sides on the dice, real question theXeppo: what's your lucky number? lesserknowncousin: 19 theXeppo: 👌 theXeppo: that'll happen lesserknowncousin: 💕 theXeppo: what colour piece do you want? lesserknowncousin: 💛 theXeppo: it's coming together lesserknowncousin: what does your character look like? theXeppo: like me, I guess, tall, dark hair & eyes that look a different shade in every 📷 theXeppo: but they're kinda 💚 lesserknowncousin: it'll 💸 theXeppo: Scarlett Johansson will want to play me but you offered her the role of you first lesserknowncousin: 🤭 lesserknowncousin: if you can 💬 it sounds like you could play yourself theXeppo: my mum's done some modelling and my dad's a photographer (not how they met) but none of us have done any acting theXeppo: I don't know how well I'd do there lesserknowncousin: wow lesserknowncousin: now I'm 😳😳😳 theXeppo: I look more like my dad theXeppo: & am without a modelling contract lesserknowncousin: still, better genes than a local councilor and a woman who works on the makeup counter theXeppo: not necessarily lesserknowncousin: I'll roll on it theXeppo: 🎲🎲 lesserknowncousin: ugh, talk of the 👿👿s lesserknowncousin: required to go talk about my day and 🍽 theXeppo: I'll get my own call to arms soon too lesserknowncousin: I've enjoyed talking to you though theXeppo: Yeah? It's been nice to talk to you theXeppo: plan our 💸 making franchise lesserknowncousin: of course! 😊 lesserknowncousin: you should definitely, you know, save my info lesserknowncousin: if you want to theXeppo: if you save mine, I'll do it too lesserknowncousin: done lesserknowncousin: [screenshot of proof] theXeppo: [one back] theXeppo: speak soon? lesserknowncousin: I'd like that theXeppo: I'll be around theXeppo: come find me before too long, okay? lesserknowncousin: If my parents weren't strictly caveman in their views, I could keep talking to you now but lesserknowncousin: they are and they need to critique all my life choices whilst I eat one of the five meals I eat every week, variety and all other spices of life not included lesserknowncousin: the alliteration can hang, I'll make it soon theXeppo: if I could win them over through the screen, I'd try but they don't think I'm real enough for that theXeppo: maybe don't mention the model mum, it doesn't help with the belief that I'm not fake lesserknowncousin: 🙄 they're so 2000s lesserknowncousin: if you aren't a 🤖 you're 👹 lesserknowncousin: they don't need to know everything, right lesserknowncousin: especially things they don't understand theXeppo: secret like your princess status lesserknowncousin: exactly lesserknowncousin: they're the kidnappers, if anyone is lesserknowncousin: I'll spare them 🗡🏹🪓 but still theXeppo: eat your food with them, so they know the 🗡🏹🪓 threat exists but it's not direct theXeppo: you could easily have just misplaced your knife & fork lesserknowncousin: 🤭 you're funny, sector J theXeppo: thanks Katy Keene

[pinkrangerv]

Internet Safety Lessons, Pt 3

Okay, so we know not to talk to strangers, but how do we know when we can trust friends? How do we know if we can believe that post claiming cops are selling NFTs of George Floyd (they aren't)? How do we know if the spill of fuel in Hawai'i is being cleaned up (it is, and the Army deployed to help)?

Here we get to the fun part: Verifying what you can and can't trust.

The first rule of thumb is this: If someone posts it on Tumblr, Discord, or any other social media (ESPECIALLY Facebook, their algorithm fucks up so bad), just...google it. (DuckDuckGo it, but you know what I mean.)

It doesn't matter if it sounds right. It doesn't matter if it sounds wrong. Just search every. Damn. Post. (Or ignore them, but if you want to learn if something's true, go look it up.) Various news organizations will have articles on this. You can trusts sources like the Associated Press, Al-Jazeera English (for non-Middle Eastern news, they understandably struggle with being unbiased for their home turf), CNN, and if you want to pay a starving journalist, NYTimes and Washington Post.

Other sources have more bias. MSNBC is biased, but it's usually fairly easy to tell what's opinion and what's fact. Fox News, OAN, and other right-wing sites will actually just lie and call it fact. As I said, Al-Jazeera English, being based in the Middle East, struggles with bias against Israel for some very understandable reasons, but is usually a good, neutral resource for anything outside of their home turf.

If something sounds like it's not making sense, google 'History of X Conflict' and find the Wikipedia article on it. Wikipedia isn't an acceptable essay source, but for a basic primer on things like history, it does very well, especially since they've marked where sources are questionable.

Now, that's all well and good, but at some point you're going to make friends and that's not like searching a news article. You can't--and shouldn't--dig up dirt on potential friends to screen them. So how do you tell if they're genuine?

To start with, look at the posts you follow. Do they post things in line with their beliefs? Do they claim one thing and post another? If you're trans, you probably don't want to hang out with the person who's got pronouns in their bio but is atwitter over the Fantastic Beasts release, because their true stance on this issue might be uncomfortable for you. If you're autistic, you probably don't want to hang out with people who unironically proclaim things are 'cringe', because they'll turn on you eventually.

Any action you know of can back this up (or not). Do they talk about doing things to support their beliefs? Are they telling you about groups that do what they say they do? Are they offering emotional support when they say they will? Is it really helpful, or just pressuring you into feeling better?

These are things that will tell you if someone is trustworthy. If you think they are, start with a low level of information--a first name only, or a hint as to where you live 'x amount of time outside of city in profile'. See what they do with it. Go from there.

These are all the things I can think of to teach you bunnies about safety online, but have at it. Now I'm off to reconfigure my old usernames, because I've got some security updating to do myself.