#that is also why women have every right to get an abortion at any point

[de4dskunk]

fetuses are parasites sucking the life force out of its host. women dont "carry" babies, babies are built and grown from the woman's life force, they take her nutrition and health and form itself into cells using her. women literally create people in their wombs.

[scientia-rex]

I feel like disappointment in Biden is baffling to me because he was always a disappointment. He was the asshole who got to ride to power on the coattails of a better man. He told bizarre and repeated lies (despite getting caught at it and his team telling him not to) about having a Welsh coal miner dad when he did not and he stole that story from actual Welsh people. I read a profile of him years back that pointed this out and told the story of the time he straight up ignored good advice from an expert not to plant a certain kind of tree too close together and flew a bunch of them out to plant, at night because he was just too fucking excited about it, and they all died. He’s not a smart man! He’s charismatic ish and lacks principles and as far as I can tell doesn’t really care about abortion rights or a lot of things we’d consider pretty critical to preserving freedom. I sincerely thought he couldn’t become President because there were so many obviously better candidates in the pool. I underestimated the sexism and antisemitism in American politics, and when he became the candidate in 2020 I gritted my teeth and voted for him because the alternative was a man who is not only an idiot but also profoundly dangerous. Trump is not ha-ha crazy, he’s Mussolini crazy. He is not dangerous because he’s stupid, although that doesn’t help; he’s dangerous because he does not care about anyone except himself under any circumstances and if that means he lets the far right push us straight into forced birth for white women and sterilization for women of color he’s going to do that. If that means conversion therapy for queers and death penalty for homosexual acts he’s going to do that. He has literally no limits. If he gets back into power, a whole lot of people are going to die, again. It’s not a hypothetical because it happened the first time and he’s only going to get worse.

I am not, never have been, and never will be a fan of Biden. To pretend that he and Trump are in any way equivalent is wrong at best and another goddamn Russian psy-op at worst. To pretend that a third party candidacy is viable in the US is to completely ignore every election of your lifetime and your parents’ lifetimes, and to further ignore the lesson of Ross Perot.

You cannot save Palestinians by not voting for Biden in November; the best you can do is chip away at his margin, and the worst you can do is see Trump elected so he can decide to do the worst possible thing in ever circumstance. Biden has Palestinian blood on his hands and watching this when we could have had Bernie or Elizabeth Warren instead is maddening. (I would have preferred Hillary to Trump, but I don’t think she’d be any different than Biden here. They’re both old-school politicians.)

I hate everything about this, and I hate that saying “maybe don’t put the man who literally said he would kill his political enemies in power” is seen as supporting genocide. It’s acknowledging reality. Joe Biden as a person can eat rocks for all I care. I was kind of hoping he’d die sooner in his term so we’d have time to get used to and then vote for President Harris. (Remember when the line was “she’s a cop, don’t vote for her”? Funny how there’s always a reason not to vote for a woman or a person of color or someone you just “don’t like” and can’t put a finger on why except she “seems angry.” Oh does she. How would she not? When Michelle fucking Obama, the picture of grace , STILL got called angry for having the nerve to be a Black woman with an opinion? When Hillary Clinton lost to a man with no political experience to her decades and who openly discussed sexually assaulting women? Would you have voted for President Harris? Or would you let Trump win again because you don’t LIKE her personally and she’s made decisions and statements you disagree with?)

Biden has both less power than his critics give him credit for and more power than his fans give him credit for. He needs to do more to pressure Israel and although it’s a delicate diplomatic situation I’d rather see us fuck up our diplomatic relationship with Israel than watch more Palestinians get murdered for things like “wanting to eat” and “existing.” The line has been crossed, and he doesn’t see it. Because he wasn’t the best person for the job. Because they didn’t get elected, because of sexism/antisemitism/racism. Hell, I have no idea what bootlicker Pete Buttegieg would have done here, but I’d have given him a try. But no. We got Biden and we’re stuck with this reality where you can be as leftist as you want and still have to look at the situation and decide whether you’re comfortable contributing to a Trump victory through inaction. I want socialism—I want every single person on Earth to have clean drinking water, enough safe food, shelter, medical care, and education—and I’m going to vote for Biden, pissy as it makes me, because the only actual alternative is so, so much worse, for me personally as both a woman and a queer, and for everyone in America and the rest of the world who Trump would find reasons to hurt. What do you think the man who openly and repeatedly praises dictators is going to do when those dictators massacre their own people? Yes, we need to care about this genocide now. We also need to care about all of the other people who are at real risk, both at home and abroad. Would a Trump government agree to fund military intervention in Haiti without insisting on it being a colonial exercise in power? Would a Trump government roll back the restrictions on discriminating against transgender patients in healthcare? How would Trump respond if Orban started dragging people into the streets and shooting them en masse? How would Trump respond if China finally went for it and invaded Taiwan? There are more lives at stake here than mine or yours or even those of the Palestinians, who have deserved better for literally decades and are being mass killed in ways that should result in immediate sanctions, a war crimes trial, and the execution of Netanyahu.

The world deserves better from you than complicity in a Trump victory.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for calling out my friend's husband's shitty attitude about money?

For context: I (28) have been friends with this woman, R (29 f), since middle school. I met her husband twice before the wedding and wasn't impressed but didn't see any red flags.

Oh how the flags have reddened.

R and her husband regularly host game nights that feature mostly video games. He always has a controller and most of the time wins every game. And he is a very sore winner about it. It is also very obvious that only his male friends are prioritized during these game nights and the women and women-presenting among us are just bodies in the room to entertain them and grab them drinks. I was uncomfortable with this but didn't realize others in the group felt the same way until very recently.

The gals and non binary pals in the group have started having monthly dinner dates without the guys there. These have been an absolute highlight, letting us get to know each other and reconnect with high school friends without being drowned out by the guys.

And as the gals have been talking, its become more obvious that R's husband is not a great guy. He's made suggestive comments towards most of the women in the group (things along the line of "I would date you if I wasn't married" and "if I were to have a threesome with my wife, I'd choose you") and again, favors the men in the group always. He'll make big mansplaining speeches about abortion rights and leftist politics while whining about being told he shouldn't support JKR and treating me like a stripper for performing in drag. (His super religious x-ian friend was more excited and impressed by my Gerard Way Halloween outfit than mr. Left wing 😵). Frankly, my best friend refuses to go to his house anymore and is convinced he's trying to cheat on his wife, but that's just speculation.

This past weekend was a double feature, game night one day and girl's night the next evening. Game night was incredibly awkward because 3 people showed up and I had to deal with R and her husband alone for like an hour. This was when he made the comment about drag shows being like a strip club and that he *wanted* to support my passion but it just made him so *uncomfortable*. I really wouldn't push the issue if he said he didn't want to go, but he has to look like the good guy always and won't say his homophobia with his whole chest unless challenged. Whatever.

So at game name, R's husband randomly brought up that she "owes" him money for a credit card bill he paid. They aren't my finances so I don't care how they share money, but it was really rude of him to bring it up in front of her friends. We all just kept our mouths shut (because he talks about money a lot) and went on with the party.

The next night was girl's night. And a lot more people showed up. Another friend I've known since middle school, L (29 f), has a rich lawyer husband. During dinner the topic of a sugar daddy came up and L started joking about how she can live off her husband's salary and what's his is hers and what's hers is hers. R started to agree like that was how it is with her husband. So I pointed out that he was asking her to pay him back in front of everyone. She deflected saying that he was joking and I responded that it wasn't a very funny joke.

It wasn't until after dinner that I realized my comments about R's husband probably came off as aggressive and rude. I just genuinely don't understand why he would make a joke out of hounding his wife for money if they're actually sharing finances. On top of his other shitty qualities and tone deaf remarks, I honestly don't think he was joking and she's covering up for his rude behavior to pretend like their marriage is as harmonious and peaceful as everyone is told its supposed to be. Was I the asshole for calling it out? Does he deserve to be called out to his face next time? Or should I shut my mouth next time?

AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[papirouge]

Imma be honest, pro choice abortionists are worst than redpillers when it comes to insult and disrespect the female body. Only them are hellbent presenting pregnant as the worst thing that could happen to a women. It's really astounding they don't even realize that....

"I see you as an active threat to, safety, well-being of every woman I've ever know or will know"

your ideology killed and shred to pieces more women to be that you would've have known, you psychopath. The word of pro life people are NOTHING to the actual murder and butchery your ideology actively participate to. This shit is so bad we can't post it online because it's labeled are gore. Shut the heck up.

"pregnancies should only be carried to term when the pregnant women wants them"

Someone right to live shouldn't be dependant of another person willingness to let them life. In any other situation that would be considered torture.

"abortion on any demand, for any reason, any point"

remember when I told you pro abortion where the biggest pro choicers when they see fits and that it goes direct into contradiction of their usual stance against prostitution that's NEVER okay even if the women «choses» it? 🙃 At least prostitution, objectively affects 1 person, while abortion kills another person. Crazy how suddenly "bodily autonomy" bs goes right through the window the moment its a baby in the womb.

"if you cannot agree with that then you are declaring women, energy and body collateral damage to suit your agenda and therefore are not a feminist"

I'd like to point out that prochoicers themselves admit considering women who've been forced to abort "collateral damage" they ought to ignore for the greater good of their activism (I'll bring the receipts later) so this person should be reaaaaal quiet about lecturing shit about collateral damages. You yourself don't care about collateral damages, whether it's the women traumatized by their forced abortion OR the babies killed along the way of your narcissist quest for bodily automy aka "I wanna keep having sex with moids while being entitled to kill the natural consequences of sexual intercourse" bunch of sex crazed brute degenerate. You're not better than redpiller on this aspect.

And you know what's funny? Women talk about collateral damage of pregnancy but I proved times and times again that death on childbirth was edging 0% in most developed country, but that's enough for them to fearmonger every women of the risk of getting pregnant that *may* kill them. Then they come up with the argument "ohh but it's not only about death, it's about death complications" okayyy. Well, did you know that women were more exposed to catching STI than men (even with protection)? so why do I never see yall advocate against casual sex and all the coLlAtErAl dAmAge (not only physical but also psychological) happening to women because of that ? hm??? BECAUSE YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOUR ACCESS TO SEX!! Be honest with that and let's get over with it. At least red piller moids admit it, and that's why on this part (and this part alone) I have more respect for them. Pro abortion women are as much lustful as those redpiller moids but hide behind the benevolent bOdiLy auTonoMy uwu and feminism uwu. That's (one of the reasons) I will NOT label myself as feminist. Many of you reek of sex depend freaks who act like repressing sexuality is a crime against humanity. You are a bunch of animals.

[goemon-fan]

I apologize for my very extended absence, school has been a lot right now and I've been nonstop completing assignments, tests, notes, and assigned readings, which leaves me little time to watch or post anything. My situation should change in about two weeks, and then I can get back to Goemon posting.

But the reason I'm making this post is to thank the Tumblr community so much for being filled with nice people. I sometimes feel logging onto this account comes with the expectation of making a whole post, so I haven't been using Tumblr for leisure and have instead been using other sites. For obvious reasons I've stayed away from Twitter, and the only other social media I really understand is Reddit, and it's been rough. (The next paragraph is really frustrating and bigoted in every way possible, and then some. Also this is a rant/vent.)

I once said something along the lines of "we shouldn't judge people for their weight" and my inbox got flooded with hate from people accusing me of being woke, sensitive, overweight, and the usual insults. I went into a post about one of my interests and got hit with great replacement theory. Moderators, especially on mainstream subreddits, just allow people to say that all Palestinians and Palestinian supporters are terrorists. A guy posted a comic about how he believed his pregnant wife, and pregnant women as a whole, should get more praise and appreciation, and people in the comments assumed he was the wife and said he was having a "pity party." I would get recommended subreddits that were filled with videos and pictures of people actually dying, and one of the mainstream "interesting (rest of subreddit name)" subreddits was overfilled with people just posting torture devices and methods of killing people. People use AITA to create fake stories in which an LGBTQ+ person/fat person/person of color/woman is evil and ugly and treats everyone terribly, and totally-not-bigoted people would flood the comment section with "see, this is why I don't like [group of people]!" In one story a nonbinary 18 year old who was rude and mean to their single mother and didn't believe in any method of birth control because it was feminizing got pregnant with their anti-abortion religious trans girlfriend who gropes people, and Redditors were taking the story with dead seriousness. And, of course, there was a widespread mentality on Reddit that "Idiocracy was a documentary" (I have heard that phrase way too many times in my life at this point) and everyone nowadays is stupid and that Redditors have 150+ IQs and that eugenics is good actually 😊.

This isn't anyone on Tumblr's fault, and I'll likely be using Tumblr more often, but I've been in a negative cycle of overburdened with work - go on Reddit to relax - see something upsetting - get even more stressed out - get back to work - overburdened with work and stressed out, for weeks if not months at this point.

This is very much a rant and I'm sorry for subjecting you all to it, but I would very much like to thank Tumblr users for being normal. You all are a genuine light in my life and I love the community present on here, and I appreciate each and every one of you for your ability to be kind and have fun. Thank you 👍

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jessica Valenti at Abortion, Every Day:

Well, it’s official: Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has tapped Tim Walz to be her running mate. While I was still holding out hope for a Harris/Whitmer ticket, I think Walz is the best choice among the men the Vice President was said to be considering. The Minnesota governor is charming, funny and relatable—the internet says he has ‘dad energy’—and he’s clearly eager to take on Republicans. After all, it was Walz who started calling JD Vance and Donald Trump “weird,” an attack that’s working in the polls and has since been adopted by Harris’ campaign. Walz is also very strong on abortion rights, an issue that has become even more central to the presidential election now that Harris is the nominee. So it’s no surprise that while abortion rights groups are lauding Walz as the VP pick, anti-abortion activists and organizations are losing their collective shit. More on that soon, but first let’s get into Walz’s history on abortion and why the issue is so personal to him.

Walz & Abortion Rights

Walz won reelection in 2022 by campaigning on abortion rights, and under his leadership, Minnesota became the first state to codify abortion protections after Roe was overturned. Walz signed the PRO Act in January 2023, a law guaranteeing the right to abortion, birth control and other reproductive healthcare. And while abortion was already legal in Minnesota, the PRO Act added a vital extra layer of protection. Walz said, “No matter who sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court, this legislation will ensure Minnesotans have access to reproductive health care for generations to come.”

He also told CNN at the time, “This is very simple, very right to the point…We trust women in Minnesota.” In keeping with that vow to trust women, Walz also signed an executive order banning state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state investigations into abortion ‘crimes,’ and later signed a law that does the same. Minnesota’s Reproductive Freedom Defense Act shields abortion patients and providers from out-of-state legal or disciplinary actions for providing legal care; prohibits Minnesota agencies from enforcing out-of-state subpoenas, arrest warrants, and extradition requests; and protects patient records and privacy.

[...] Walz also ended a program that gave millions in funding to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers that lie to and shame women, saying, “I think women deserve better than that.” In March, he accompanied Harris on her trip to an abortion clinic—a historic first by a sitting vice president. And the Minnesota governor has made clear that much like Harris, he’s not afraid to talk about abortion rights directly and candidly. Earlier this year, he slammed Republicans for running from the issue, saying that while they try to “lay a little low and not bring it up…I'll continue to talk about it.” Finally, what’s really interesting about Walz’s support for reproductive rights is that it’s not just political for him—the issue is personal. Walz has been open about his family’s IVF story, especially after the Alabama Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos were “extrauterine children.” Both of Walz’s children with his wife Gwen—Hope and Gus—were born with the help of IVF. Walz says, “It’s not by chance that we named our daughter Hope.”

[...]

Anti-Abortion Response

As soon Harris’ campaign announced Walz as her running mate, anti-abortion groups didn’t waste a moment before attacking the Minnesota governor as an extremist. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America released a statement calling Harris-Walz “the most pro-abortion Democratic ticket yet,” claiming that Democrats have “become the ‘Shout Your Abortion’ party, with no limits for any reason.” If only! Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said, “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are both radically pro-abortion and see the lives of precious unborn babies as disposable inconveniences.” And Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins called them “the most radically pro-abortion ticket in American history.” (I love the idea that a woman who wants to see birth control banned thinks she has the standing to call anyone “radical.”) Hawkins’ group also tweeted that Walz “supports killing babies up until the moment of birth & even moments after the baby is born.” As I’ve noted before, this horrific ‘post-birth’ abortion lie being pushed by Trump is gaining Republican steam. It was just a few days ago, in fact, that Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Harris and Democrats support “abortion up until birth and even after birth.”

The pick of Tim Walz as Vice-President nominee for Kamala Harris is a godsend for reproductive rights and abortion access, especially in the post-Roe climate.

See Also:

Daily Kos: Anti-abortion extremists are big mad about the Harris-Walz ticket

[spaceorphan18]

About the pairing tournament I had the bad idea to see the reposts and read the tags. and it was awful. I still don't understand why if you like a pairing you need to automatically bash the other. And no, the klainers actually were not the ones doing the bashing. It's been 10 years for God's sake. *shakes head*

When this was all over, I was going to do a reflection post about it, might as well use this ask.

The thing about the poll, that I've exerted since the beginning, is that it's not that one thing is better than the other -- it's that one thing ultimately has more people voting for it than the other. It's a popularity contest. There was a day that Klaine would have dominated so hard that it would never have been a contest, but those days are gone.

The Klaine army is, though, still around. We're just old and tired and polls like this don't really matter anymore. We've won a ton of them. I think the Brittana fans are we were ten years ago when we gobbled every poll up.

Anyway... some thoughts.

Yes, unfortunately, I read ever single note on the blog. Not one single Klainer was mean. Not one. Be proud of that.

I do think 90% of the Brittana fans were fine -- some of them said nice things about Klaine. Some of them were here just for the fun of competition (looking at brittanapolls). Most of them did just want their team to win.

Also... no one cared about this tournament until the very end. Much like the song tournament (which was not me) people showed up who didn't even partake in 99% of the other polls. Which... fine. But the point of the tournament was just fun, and I think a majority of the tournament was fun. People didn't get nasty until the very end, which was a shame.

Out of the people who were asshats.... I noticed a trend. Most of them were -- Not Glee blogs -- or in that I could not find Glee content on their blogs. Which makes me wonder if they even like the show -- or they just prefer w/w pairings.

And, there were three-ish things I kept seeing in the notes --

A) How dare Klaine crash the Brittana wedding which, omg, *pinches nose* Clearly what is missed is the fact that the writers wanted to appease everyone while making lengthy speeches about gay rights. I don't think anyone was fully happy with that, and I know a lot of us Klainers would have liked something different, too -- but to have that be a reason to be mean? That is bonkers to me.

B) Blaine and the cheating came up again, which I find hilariously hypocritical. Santana admits that she cheated all the time. Brittany cheated on Artie without much thought. Neither of them seem to have any remorse about it. So... that point doesn't hold water at all.

C) The one I think really got under all of our skin - that somehow voting for Klaine meant misogyny or hating women. And I just can't with this... voting in a meaningless poll has nothing to do with supporting women. If you really want to support women -- you can, volunteer somewhere that helps women in need, vote for abortion and transwomen's rights, or.... respect the fact that some women connect to different fictional characters than you. My god.

So, anyway... it's a shame these people live in their hate more than their love. You do have to shake your head on that. Nothing they say, though, should make you feel bad or less about what you love. We all do connect to different fictional characters for different reasons.

Stay positive guys <3

[sixty-silver-wishes]

Dear Cis People and TERFs: Transphobia Hurts You Too

I want to start this off by saying I'm a cis woman. When I first heard about what being trans was, I was maybe in middle school or so, and for years afterwards, I'm ashamed to say I did not have a positive understanding of the trans community. It took a lot of reflection and communicating with trans people to bring me to the understanding I have today, which is why I want to share my perspective, in hopes that people who think the way I used to will hopefully see where I'm coming from now. The trans community is currently facing an unprecedented barrage of hate not just in the United States, but also around the world, which is why I want to state this as clearly as possible: if you consider yourself a feminist, you should be terrified, no matter what you identify as. I'd also like to point out that while you should support the trans community, first and foremost, because it's the right thing to do, this post is mainly focused on why trans rights are in everyone's best interest, not just trans people.

First, let's get one thing straight. Feminism, simply put, is the belief in gender equality. Already, this definition makes transphobia and feminism incompatible; if you believe trans people do not deserve the same rights and freedoms as cis people, you are discriminating against them on the basis of gender. If you believe that men and women are of equal value to society, then what is the difference between them that would make it so wrong for someone to transition between genders? If you had a child that was born male, and if in another universe, that child just so happened to be born female, a loving parent would love them the same either way. So if someone transitions from their gender assigned at birth, should they be thought of any less of a person for doing so? If the answer is "yes," then the only way they can justify that answer is with sexism, the belief that people are unequal to each other due to gender.

If you believe that women are capable of anything that men are, then if someone transitions from one end of the spectrum to another- or decides that they identify with a different idea of gender entirely- then what is this big, defining idea that separates men from women that would make being trans so wrong? Is it that men are strong and aggressive, while women are docile and matronly? That can't be it, because there are aggressive women and docile men. Is it that women can give birth, while men can impregnate them? That conclusion only reduces people to their reproductive organs, and besides, there's also the matter of infertile or sterile men and women. If it's down to chromosomes, then what about intersex people? For every "masculine" or "feminine" trait you may come up with to distinguish men from women, you will find exceptions that disprove the rule, whether social or biological. This leaves you with the conclusion that gender is not only a social construct, but a fluid one. This isn't to say that it doesn't exist; it does, for many cis and trans people alike, but it's a far more complicated topic than we're often led to assume.

Additionally, please ask yourself this- why are the politicians who support bans and restrictions on abortion, among other policies that target the freedoms and rights of cis women, also the ones who are most frequently attacking trans rights? It's because the existence of openly trans people suggests that gender, and the norms associated with it, are not binary, rigid structures. The advancement- and reduction- of the rights of both trans people and cis women go hand in hand, because equality for women suggests that they are as capable, intelligent, and human as men. It closes the socially-constructed divides of a perceived gender binary, which in turn allows society to accept a more fluid and nuanced view of gender itself, where more is achievable to more people than just cis men.

Being a trans ally is beneficial to cis men, just as it is to women. We've all heard of "toxic masculinity" and how it's linked to misogyny against women, but a less-discussed, albeit important, argument is that it is also harmful to men as well. "Toxic masculinity" is the idea that harmful masculine-coded traits, such as aggression or chauvinism, must be perpetrated in order to make one "man enough." But what does "man enough" even mean? If a man isn't "man enough," he's still not considered to be a woman. He may be described in demeaning terms with misogynist connotations, such as being called a "pussy," but people will still address him as "he." Even as regressive as it is, toxic masculinity mandates that some men are "manlier" than others, thereby suggesting that gender is a social spectrum and not a strict binary. However, these standards are still damaging to men, as having to prove themselves as "men" puts pressure on them, and may even lead to them inflicting physical or psychological harm on themselves or others by adopting abusive or destructive behavior. While men are promised a spot at the top of the pyramid in a patriarchal hierarchy, they in fact must compete within this system for social validation and acceptance. Patriarchy determines that to be a "man," a man must not show any qualities socially associated with women, most prominently showing any emotion other than anger. Showing affection to other men, for instance, is considered "gay," which is frowned upon because gay men are seen as effeminate- which is the worst thing to be in a patriarchy. Therefore, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia all intersect with one another.

However, accepting trans people and non-rigid gender structures, again, helps relieve cis men of this pressure to conform to standards of manliness. A trans man determines that he is a man, simply because he feels that he is. Why shouldn't cis men do the same? They don't have to prove that they're men to accept the validity of manhood; if that they determine for themselves that they're a man, whatever that may mean to them, then they're "man enough."

And above all, why should society decide how an individual should identify themselves, when only that individual can experience how it feels to be themselves?

[butchdogthing]

the entirety of the zine i mentioned in a prior post. in order: front cover, back cover, and pages 1-6.

image descriptions follow.

all pages are black text on white background. front cover has large text reading: OMG, did you know?...

back cover text reads: on Nebraska's LB 574, and the human rights of people like me.

page 1 text reads: on may 19th, 2023, a bill was passed in nebraska - LB 574, also known as the Let Them Grow act. the bill has two purposes: one, severely restricting access to abortions, and two, banning doctors from providing gender-affirming care to people 18 and younger. (and i do care about abortion access, but that's not what this zine is about.)

page 2 has a header reading  "what is 'gender-affirming care'?" and the remaining text reads: this refers to medical treatments which help transgender people to feel more comfortable with our bodies, and help us to be protected from violence by helping us blend in. this can include puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and sometimes surgeries. most major medical organizations are in agreement that providing GAC to kids who want it is the best choice for their well-being, and causes MORE GOOD THAN HARM.

page 3 has a header reading "but it's not a big deal, right? i mean, so they just have to wait until they turn 19, so what?". under this, it says "how about a thought experiment:" and branches into two columns, with an arrow pointing to each. on the left: "WOMEN - how would you feel if you started growing a beard and moustache when you were 14, and your voice dropped? what if everyone called you sir?". on the right: "MEN - how would youfeel if you started menstruating & growing breasts at 11, and you never grew facial hair even when your friends did? what if everyone called you ma'am?" then the two columns both point to a paragraph below, which reads: what if there were safe, effective medications that could make this stop happening, but you couldn't take them until you turned 19? it probably wouldn't feel good. you might feel hopeless, even suicidal. that's what proponents of LB 574 are forcing trans kids to endure.

page 4 has a header reading "why should i care about any of this?", and the remaining text reads: because trans people are real people. because every adult was once a child. because our suffering is genuine suffering, too. we aren't just a hypothetical, we exist! i'm trans. my spouse is, too. i have trans relatives, even kids. my friends are trans. someone you know might be trans. there are trans people at the mall, at your doctor's office, at the bakery, in the car behind you in traffic, in school and in college, at the park, at your job... we're just people. we want to take care of our children. we want them to be HAPPY and SAFE.

page 5 has a header reading "ok, so what can i DO?", and the remaining text reads: well, a lot of people don't really know that these things are even happening. tell people about it. tell them what's happening to trans people and our rights. tell them how you feel about it. tell them you think it's wrong, and why. STAND UP FOR US. copy this zine, and give a copy to someone else, or leave it where someone can find it.

page 6 reads: you can go to this website or scan this QR code to get some resources. [here there is a QR code] butchdog.itch.io/574-zine the "download now" button, and you'll get access to 1) a .PDF file of this zine, so you can print and distribute your own copies, 2) a .PDF file with links to more information, and 3) instructions about printing your own copies of this zine.

end ID.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

Heya!

Honestly I agree with many of your points and generally enjoy your blog!

But honestly there are a few that make me go... "yeah I should probably unfollow you"

I am a gun toting, gay, freedom loving man in my heart but some of your views seem to be explicitly against true freedom.

Pro-life is the opposite of freedom and as a libertarian I think you, and I, should strive for the utmost freedom possible, not advocating for a system which encourages coat hanger abortions and represses women in such a meaningless way.

Honestly. I personally find abortion to be not really... Up my alley. I dislike it. I find it gross and I think it is snuffing out the light and beauty of life but at the same time, I believe it is in every American's right to make that decision themselves.

God bless. (Sorry for having to make this an anon ask, I have good friends who wouldn't want to see me on this page lol)

Yeah, I've addressed this nonsense before. But libertarianism isn't about no rules or no government. It's about limited government. You can be libertarian and still support a moral rule of law. Do you think laws against murder are anti-freedom? What about human rights? Do you support the right to life? Or do you think "freedom" means "everyone should be able to do whatever they want at all times for any reason"?

I support human rights. I support protecting innocent life. Abortion violates both of those principals by killing innocent children. Banning abortion doesn't "oppress woman". You're not supporting freedom or women by saying "yeah I don't really like abortion and I do think it's killing a child, but it shouldn't be banned because freedom". Where do you draw the line? When is it not okay to kill a child because of "freedom"?

As for "coat hanger abortions", there is no evidence of them ever happening. Illegal "back alley abortions" use the same methods as abortions you can get now at any Planned Parenthood in the country. They happen in clinics and are performed by the same people who would perform a legal abortion. The number of deaths from "illegal abortions" are also wildly exaggerated. Bernard Nathanson, the co-founder of NARAL who helped abortion get legalized in the first place, admits that

[I]t was always "5,000 to 10,000 deaths a year." I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it. But in the "morality" of our revolution, it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics? The overriding concern was to get the laws eliminated, and anything within reason that had to be done was permissible.

In reality, if you look at the data, there are the same number of deaths per year from legal abortion as there were from illegal ones, 15-35 per year.

I would recommend actually looking into these things, as well as what actually happens during an abortion and the reasons why women get them (hint: almost all abortions are elective, not for any health related reason), but I fear you conveniently unfollowed me before I could post anything that might get you to reexamine your beliefs. Which is a shame, because you're almost there. You already understand that abortion is "snuffing out the light and beauty of life", but you still need that extra push to realize that banning or restricting immoral acts to protect human rights--in this case the right to life--is not contradictory to believing in and supporting freedom. It is, in fact, necessary.

[not-your-average-prolifer]

let's go point by point, shall we?

I don't care if every pro-lifer on earth was also anti-death penalty pro-social safety net and has personally adopted 12 disabled foster children

then why do you keep setting up these goalposts for us?

I still don't think they should have the right to force women to give birth

we do not "force" anybody to give birth. not being allowed to actively kill your unborn kid is not the same as being forced to do anything.

as for the tags:

its an issue of bodily autonomy

bodily autonomy is important, however it does not automatically give you the right to actively take another's life. (allowing natural death through inaction is one thing, but abortion is the active, deliberate taking of life.)

it doesnt matter if the fetus is a living being or not either

thanks for admitting you're literally cool with the idea of actively killing a human life.

because you cant be forced to donate blood or organs for any other reason

see my response to the first tag. to refuse to donate blood or organs is to passively allow death. to abort a baby is to actively and deliberately kill her.

pregnant people have less rights than corpses

last I checked, corpses didn't have the right to kill anyone either. (also I'm pretty sure there's a specific word used to refer to people who can get pregnant...hmmm. although to be fair the person who wrote these tags self-identifies as transmasc and doesn't consider herself a woman)

[wartakes]

When Domestic Politics Become a National Security Concern (OLD ESSAY)

This essay was originally posted on June 29th, 2022 - not long after the verdict overturning Roe v. Wade was handed down by the Supreme Court.

Basically, this was me commenting on how I increasingly see crossover between the world I operate in (national security, defense, etc.) and the domestic political environment in the United States - which is needless to say, NOT A GOOD THING.

(Full essay below the cut).

I hope for a lot of things these days. I hope for better things for myself, for my friends and family and loved ones, for people all over the world at large.

But more than anything, I really just wish we could stop having history for just a day or two.

Like, fucking really. Can it just take a smoke break? I’d really like to write one of these about something else for a change instead of whatever event is sucking my soul out that month and it feels like there’s been even more of that already this year than the last couple years combined.

The big event most recently of course was the U.S. Supreme Court overturning its own prior decision on Roe vs. Wade, stripping nationwide abortion rights and immediately putting the lives of countless women at risk. As if this wasn’t bad enough in its own right, it seems that there are troubling signs on the horizon for what the majority-Republican appointee court has its sights on next when it comes to stripping away rights that many of us thought were settled at this point. Needless to say, it’s been an utterly demoralizing week for myself and just about everyone I know.

Now, you may be asking yourself: “KomodoDad, why are you writing about this here? Aren’t you a war guy? Why are you going on about domestic politics?” First of all: if you really are unironically asking that, go fuck yourself, I’ll write about what I want to. Second: all of this is fast becoming a national security issue and that’s really bad and we should all be concerned (that is, those of us who haven’t already been concerned for a long time now).

I started thinking about this on the friday that the Roe decision was passed down and it festered in my head even more over the weekend that followed. I could see it not only in the reaction of victorious right-wing forces celebrating their accomplishment and lashing out further at their opponents, or in the various police crackdowns on people rightfully showing their displeasure at this rollback of bodily autonomy. I also saw it just in the reactions of people I know, a great many of them struggling to keep from saying something that would get them banned off of social media or worse. Even more than I saw during the George Floyd protests of 2020, I’ve seen this bubbling rage coming to the surface in so many people who A.) haven’t been prone to outrage before; and B.) aren’t all necessarily leftists or as far left as some of us are online.

I look at the pattern we’re locked in, with a powerful and vocal right-wing minority continuously ramming through its agenda even when the majority of Americans oppose it, and that majority of people getting more and more frustrated when nothing seems to be done to try and roll it back, and I suddenly get very concerned. I get concerned because I am a national security weirdo, and when I look at what’s going on now and I look at what’s been going on the past five, ten, twenty years, I start to see patterns that if I noticed them in a foreign country I’d be going “uh oh, that doesn’t bode well for them.” Basically, it feels like more and more of our domestic political issues are turning into national security concerns due to their intractability and that’s not good.

I want to stress before I go any deeper that I’m going to try and not make this a doomer piece. I speak every other minute about how I abhor doomerism in all its forms and that’s the last feeling I want to encourage with my writing. But I do want this essay to be something that at least makes you feel concerned if you weren’t already and motivate you to action. I’ve actually avoided writing about this topic for a while to be perfectly honest with you. I’ve seen more than a few articles and several recent books about the possibility of Civil War II and by and large I’ve felt they’ve been scare pieces trying to make a quick fear buck. While I’ve admittedly still had a low-level concern about that sort of thing, it’s been just that: low. I hadn’t yet felt a need to address it. But after this past week, I think I’ve finally felt like it’s necessary to talk about the risk of civil conflict for everyone’s sake because I feel shit like what’s happened with Roe is only going to keep coming hotter and heavier and we need to understand what we’re dealing with if we’re going to do anything about it.

Worrying Signs

As usual, I feel the need to define some terms and explain some of my concepts a bit more. If I casually say “everything is national security now” with no context, that can be taken a lot of ways. After all, national security and national defense do touch upon or are connected to multiple corners of our economy and day to day lives, even if we don’t always see it. When I say “everything is national security now” what I mean is that more and more political issues are rising to the level of contention or intractability where they carry with them a threat of widespread violence – be that violence against civilians, the state, or whatever or whoever else. They start to rise to the level that they’re disrupting or preventing the carrying out “good governance” (or whatever might pass for it) and all the things we might consider part and parcel of being a “normal”, peaceful, functional country. Things as simple as being to go to the grocery store or go to school or wherever without the threat of getting merc’d being off the scale. They rise to that level because their intractability prevents any kind of solution through existing non-violent channels for whatever reason – such as those channels being flawed and broken, or just being plain non-existent in some cases.

This is nothing new (unfortunately). We’ve seen this before to varying degrees. The most notable and destructive instance of this in American history is of course the original U.S. Civil War, where the issue of slavery became so intractable that it could not be resolved by peaceful means and became a violent conflict when the South took up arms in defense of it (if anyone ever tries to tell you it was about “states’ rights” just ask “states’ rights to what, motherfucker?). Other examples also exist at varying scales and intensity of violence. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 against the Federal government and its powers of taxation is one example, which involved a large-scale Federal and state military response but very few killed or injured. There are of course, other examples that don’t quite rise to the level of civil war or outright rebellion from multiple periods of American history, such as violence against activists in the Civil Rights movement. Another pertinent example in light of the Roe vs. Wade decision is the history of attacks – sometimes deadly – on abortion providers in the U.S. (which have consequently skyrocketed over the past year in case you were wondering).

So, yes: certain political issues becoming increasingly unsolvable by peaceful political means and becoming security issues as well as political issues is not new. However, whenever it happens, it should still be cause for concern even if its “mild”, because it signals greater problems afoot. In that vein, if you start getting more and more issues that are becoming security issues all at the same time, it stands to reason you should be even more concerned. That’s why I feel it’s even more cause for worry now due to the fact it feels like more and more issues are all reaching that point simultaneously in recent years.

There’s also the matter of the way in which the issues become intractable or contended, because sometimes it creates the false impression that the problem is no one is “compromising” or finding “middle ground” like “adults” (or at least that’s what braindead columnists in major newspapers are trying to get us to believe). With many of our “controversial” issues today, there often seems like there’s actually a majority of people who are in favor of some kind of progressive change or action. We’ve seen this with gay marriage, abortion rights, gun control, and with multiple other issues that we’re told are “controversial.” The problem is that the minority of those who oppose any positive change on these issues are mostly unwilling to cede any ground what-so-ever; with more and more issues are seen by them as being hills to die on (or kill on). Even mild amounts of change are cause for outrage and screaming bloody murder, as we’ve seen with what it took to pass even lukewarm gun violence legislation in the aftermath of multiple mass shootings this year (and the reactions to said lukewarm legislation from some on the right). Every single political battle becomes one that these reactionaries want to fight to the death over (both figuratively and – increasingly – literally).

And that’s what they are: reactionaries. Don’t let these people fool you into thinking that they’re only “conservatives.” This is not to say that conservatives are necessary “good”, but this just isn’t what they are. A philosophical conservative (on paper) isn’t supposed to necessarily be opposed to all change, but only wants gradual, limited, incremental change (the subtext here for anyone on the left of course, being, that they want that change so that they can “manage” it and maintain power and privileges in the process). But reactionaries want to actively turn the clock back and re-fight past battles that they’ve lost. It’s not just good enough for them to slow down change or even halt change, they want to go back and undo change to fit their own worldview.

The Rachet Effect of Rage

Therein lies another problem, because the deadlock we’re in isn’t really even strictly a deadlock. Movement is certainly possible, but it feels as if the only movement we can achieve lurches us further to the right. You’ve probably heard this described before by people more politics savvy than I am: the idea of the rachet effect; where the design of the political system prevents moving back to the left and only allows movement to the right. It becomes harder and harder to dismiss as you have the Democratic Party – the supposed guardians against the sort of setbacks we’re experiencing (if their campaign literature is to be believed) the party currently in power, failing to do anything to substantively improve our material conditions while continuing to allow the right to drag us further into their corner despite not even supposedly being in power anymore. The Democratic Party seems fundamentally incapable of exercising power once it has notionally achieved it, while the Republican Party has spent the last two to four decades building up power and institutions in such a way that it can continue to wield power even when it is – on paper – still in the opposition.

That brings us to the situation we’re in. Where when we’re not at a standstill, we’re being ratcheted further to the right with various court challenges and other manipulations of the structures of power by the right. Any attempt to move further to the left is blocked or thwarted by the mechanisms developed by the intractable and reactionary right – be it the Republicans or various other far-right groups that have sprung up like mushrooms in the past decade – and aided by the incompetence, unwillingness, or even outright complicity of the liberal establishment. This is a situation that has left many – myself included – feeling disenfranchised and powerless to act on our own or to convince those in power to act positively.

You may not remember, but I’ve written about this sort of thing before in a different context, when I discussed insurgency and counterinsurgency and our failings in understanding it. Insurgencies, rebellions, civil wars – all the various kinds of intrastate violence, start when domestic political grievances become unresolvable by peaceful means. Eventually, at least some of those who are advocating those grievances – after it’s become clear they have no way of affecting change or even negotiating for the possibility of change under the current systems – feel that they are forced to take up arms and use violence in order to do so.  

Maybe now, if you weren’t already concerned with the buildup of impotent rage many in this country are feeling at the same time that those on the right seem more than willing to resort to violence to drag us back in time and keep us there, you might start to understand why I am.

As the right dig in deeper with their extreme stances, you have the opposing current of everyone else who want change slamming up against them. While the right stands as a bulwark against change while shoving everyone else backwards, the frustration and the rage of everyone else builds. What happens when you have more and more people who aren’t somewhere to the right of Genghis Khan increasingly feel they have no other way to try and stop it or to improve things the way the system is currently constituted? What happens when they feel voting does nothing, that politicians aren’t willing to engage with them, and where it feels like any other response ends up with them being beaten and tear gassed? You can fill in the blanks. It’s not good.

All is Not Lost

If you know me, you know I don’t like treating the future as written in stone. Time is not, in fact, a flat circle. We do all still have agency. We can still affect things in the world around us. We are not absolutely doomed to a certain large-scale conflagration of civil violence and destruction along with all manner of other misery. We are not completely powerless to stop events. There are reasons for hope. But if things don’t change in a big way, if enough people don’t act and soon, we’re definitely on the road to something bad.

I have no idea what that something could potentially be and no one else can be absolutely sure either – so if anyone else tries to give you any prediction other than a series of plausible possibilities, take it with a large grain of salt. I don’t want to get too deeply into those because I don’t want to scare or depress you any more than you absolutely need to be right now. All I will say is it could be anywhere from something as high-key and violent as the Syrian Civil War, to something more on the level of Italy’s “Years of Lead” or the Northern Irish “Troubles.” A lot of that really depends on what happens more in the years to come/years preceding any hypothetical conflict (which again, is not certain to occur). But even if only the “less bad” types of civil conflict break out, it would still be horrific for large swathes of society and the world at large. We shouldn’t want any of that in any shape or form.

Again, I try not to be alarmist or doomsaying – the exact opposite, in fact. What I’m telling you today is not meant to fill you with dread for the sake of dread; it is not meant to black pill you or turn you into a nihilist or a doomer. What I want to do is simply drive home the seriousness of the times we’re in – to reinforce what the last few years have taught us: that this is not just a game, or a temporary phase that will eventually fizzle out on its own. We are, in fact, in a real crisis. We are in a Wikipedia article that has not been written yet – or exists and is going to be retitled sometime in the near-future. How that article will read in the future is on all of us. This is meant to be a drive to action to try and improve this situation and prevent it from spiraling further out of control, not an attempt to get fear clicks and paralyze you with foreboding. We need to channel our fear, our anger, our frustration; channel it into meaningful action.  

Part of me isn’t entirely convinced we’re not already well into the early stages of what might be some kind of civil conflict. That with all the mass shootings, street brawls, and other violence, we may already be in some kind of “Years of Lead” or “Troubles” or Weimar Republic-esque disorder. If that’s the case, that only reinforces the call to action to make sure that the conflict we may or may not already be in does not progress to more destructive phases – not only destructive for us as people living in this country, but destructive for the effects it would undoubtedly have on the entire world due to the centrality of the United States in its day-to-day affairs. We owe it to not just ourselves, but to all people everywhere out of solidarity.

What are some of the things we can do now? A lot of the things we need to do are things people have already been telling us to do and that we need to double down and commit more to as we move ahead. Getting to know your neighbors and your community and participating in mutual aid; joining, starting, and supporting progressive organizations be they labor unions, advocacy groups for specific topics or general change, or organizations that help people get resources that they may not be able to usually access; participating in direct action and pressure campaigns when necessary; also, while we’ve learned that voting alone doesn’t bring about change, I’d still say that it’s something we cannot ignore as a too (I’m not going to give you an electoralism lecture because I don’t buy into that myself, but voting isn’t a useless gesture and is critical to prevent more backsliding, with some of the progressive victories we’ve seen this year being proof of that).

I know that last paragraph is a very generalized, non-specific list of suggestions. In my defense, at the end of the day, I am still a national security and international relations professional, not a domestic political animal. There are people out there you can and will give you more specific and helpful advice on this front that I can. I just want to make sure that you’re taking home that there is a real urgency to seek out said advice and guidance and act on it. All is not lost, do not despair; but know that the pressure is real and the need for action is real. I leave you with this: all of our lives have intrinsic value; when something has value, you fight to defend it.

Stay safe out there and keep on keeping on.

[prettyvintageafternoon]

I adore how Republicans and conservatives are arguing with Ye like most of you don't share the exact same beliefs.

Y'all complained about "globalists" for years before Kanye West even wore a MAGA hat.

Y'all constantly equated white supremacists and the people who fight them because "punching Nazis is bad." I didn't forget how many people spoke out when Richard Spencer got punched...but never had anything to say about his rhetoric.

Y'all let organizations like Turning Point USA, which I can personally say is a trash organization, attract youth on college campuses...even though Nick Fuentes' supporters were dragging their organization YEARS AGO for not being far-right enough.

Y'all whined about identity politics for the longest until it comes time to use anybody black, any LGBT+ person who spews your BS to say "Look, we're not racist!"

Y'all praised Kanye West for hating abortion as if pro-lifers on and off this app have not been comparing pro-choice people to Nazis for a while now.

Y'all allowed people like Candace Owens to grow in popularity even after she made antisemitic comments YEARS AGO. She was only associating with Kanye to get him to but Parler, which is why she's silent right now.

Y'all still watch Tucker Carlson after his TOP WRITER resigned when his comments became public. He sat down with Kanye and platformed him after his antisemitic comments.

Y'all defended Alex Jones after he bullied parents who lost their kids AND lost the defamation lawsuit, but he ALSO gives Kanye West a platform.

Y'all supported Ben "Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage" Shapiro while he praised Kanye West UNTIL he started pointing hatred in his direction and at his people.

Y'all still demonize transgender people and call LGBT people groomers in general even though the books burned by Nazis related to homosexuality and gender science.

Y'all call yourselves free speech warriors but you have been silent as conservative groups have been getting books they don't like banned across the United States.

Y'all voted for the SAME PRESIDENT he did and made excuses over and over again for every scandal that came out of the White House - from Charlottesville to the January 6 Capitol Riots.

Y'all hate immigration, think Black Lives Matter is unnecessary, believe feminism is the reason why nuclear families are going away, think women should be locked up for getting abortions...just like Nazis.

It is very fair to say that most of the things that overt Nazis believe has been embraced by the everyday conservative, right-wingers, pro-lifers and the GOP at large FOR YEARS.

So, to conservatives, right-wingers, Republicans and pro-lifers...how are you all any better?

[secretgamergirl]

Just a Reminder - You Don’t Win a Prize if Nazis Hate You the Most.

When I run down my tumblr feed, about once every day or two I see a chain of posts being shared by people I like which are kinda just a big back and forth shouting match starting from a post saying either “as a Jew, I hate seeing trans people talking about being Holocaust victims too” or “trans women aren’t threatened by transphobes as much as trans men!” and... these are just the absolute worst fights to try and pick. Stop doing this.

Presumably there’s other variations on this going on and I’ll condemn all those too, it’s just these two, specifically, are the ones I just keep seeing crop up, so they’re what I’m gonna highlight for now.

So, the holocaust. Pretty sure we all agree that the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft public book burning is one of the more powerful images to demonstrate why Nazis need to be completely eradicated that does not feature a pile of corpses. I also don’t think anyone is in disagreement that Magnus Hirschfield, who ran said institute was a Jew, nor that the bulk of his staff and the subject matter of these original research journals were Pretty Darn Trans.

I DO see people though making really damn stupid arguments though like, “right, they burned his books because he was a Jew, it had nothing to do with their contents,” and that’s just factually untrue. There is a truckload of solid documentation about Nazis having stupid conspiracy theories and pseudoscience to justify genocide against, in no particular order, Jewish, Romani, Black, queer, and disabled people. Also Jehovah’s Witnesses. Lot of wild crap explicitly connecting these too, case in point, they claim trans people in particular and queer people broadly are monsters created by Jewish doctors to infiltrate society and throw a wrench into the ability of physically and mentally perfect white men to have white women barefoot and perpetually pregnant in the kitchen popping out enough babies to maintain a huge majority and not be overtaken by all those subhuman other races. It’s all a bundle deal. Any of these type of people the hate have the height justified with their role in this grand sinister conspiracy.

And even if that WEREN’T true, and it really was that Nazis hate Jews and only Jews and all these other people they keep trying to completely exterminate are collateral damage from plans to take out specific Jews that had some really bad scope creep and splash damage, they’ve still got the body count. That’s still part of the Holocaust and denying those deaths is messed up for the same reasons as every other weird claim bigots make (and to be clear, there is no non-bigoted reason to be doing this) to minimize the Holocaust, but also, rather crucially, please note that I keep speaking in the first person. We still have Nazis, they’re still hell bent on killing all these same groups of people, they’ve been doing a pretty good job lately of getting the sort of power needed to act on it, and they’ve been acting on it. If you’re in one of these groups, you should really be focused on getting rid of the Nazis and not whatever the hell this historical revisionist dick measuring crap is.

Meanwhile on the trans infighting front, the way society at large hyperfixates on weird stereotypes and propaganda vaguely trans-woman-shaped far right boogiemen is Pretty Damn Bad. It’s terrible for trans women because there’s this significant portion of the population trying to identify, locate, and murder us. It’s terrible for trans men because the messed up discriminatory crap targeting them specifically gets basically zero public attention except in those weird cases where it gets bafflingly twisted into something about trans women (I’ve seriously seen like... anti-abortion and transphobic pregnancy-related-legal-language stuff pushed with weird scaremongering about trans women “wanting changes in language to not say mothers” so that we can waste doctors time LARPing abortion procedures or some weird crap like that). It’s terrible for nonbinary people because all the weird polarization messes with basic scientific understanding and some transition care gets screwed by people trying to make really ironclad policies. Heck it sucks for cis women who fit whatever weird profile the people trying to murder us apply, and men whose commitment to masculine presentation is insufficient to avoid suspicient of being Infected.

There’s something of a problem with those conversations also getting bogged down in weird unproductive nonsense where someone points out how they deal with some form of transphobic discrimination like it isn’t something everyone involved isn’t also dealing with too of course, but the real big problem I have with these has nothing to do with all the arguing in the comments it’s the fact that the comments keep ending up attached to overt anti-trans propaganda pieces where someone missed big ol’ dog whistles and misinterpret people’s efforts to point them out. Like, this is how this big long post I have all over my feed tonight starts off:

“can we stop the belief that terfs hate transfems exclusively or like more than they hate cisgender men or transmascs...”

There is of course more to that sentence and another six paragraphs and all, but there are zero reasons I can think of to type the above that aren’t “I would like to obfuscate the motivations of fascists and minimize the hell out of the whole actual freaking extermination effort targeting trans women right now,” so from where I sit, there’s no value in reading any further. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I’m assuming everyone I see sharing this missed that or they’re doing that weird tumblr thing where you quote the whole real bad take/conversation because you want to share your agreement with like the 10th reblog-nest point but like, you’re still spreading this “trans women are men” dog whistle without so much as calling it out. Gotta be careful about that. Fascists on this site do a way better job of Trojan Horse-ing that sort of crap. Not necessarily saying that’s the case here, but... for real what other reason is there to type something like that?

Anyway, again, even if the whole thing is in good faith, the framing is decidedly framed in this antagonistic transmasc vs. transfem sort of way and like, that is not a fight that is actually happening anywhere. There’s just Nazis trying to kill all of us, let’s focus on that in a productive and broad coalition building sort of way?

[anamericangirl]

I’m gonna be outright with you: I don’t agree with what you’re posting.

As much as I can disagree and try to debate you on dying website tumblr dot com, my attempts will just make you buckle down on your already existing beliefs more. I’m not asking you to change those beliefs. I want to know WHY you have the perspective that you do on topics like abortion, gun rights, anything that comes to your mind in modern-day late 2022 politics.

WHY do you believe what you do?

- curious leftist

First off I want to say I am sorry it took me so long to get to this and I hope you're still around to see it. I recently started a new job and have gotten backed up on asks so it's been taking me some time to get to them but I really appreciate you being respectful and I wanted to take the time to give you a decent response.

What drives most of my opinions are the foundational beliefs that all human beings have intrinsic value and all human beings have human rights and both the lives and rights of all people need to be protected. The other main thing driving my opinions is my dislike and distrust of the government. I fundamentally believe the bigger government gets and the more power you hand over to it the worse things will be for the average American and I think the dangers of big government can be seen all throughout history and several countries around the world today.

So when I start to look at individual topics, wherever I land always goes back to those foundational principles.

Abortion: I am strongly pro-life and very much hope that one day abortion will be banned from conception at the federal level. This is because, like I said, I believe all human beings have intrinsic value. Also, all human beings have the right to life just by nature of being human. We have more scientific proof than ever before that the unborn are living human beings from the moment of conception and I do not think it is ever ok to kill an innocent human being. And that is what abortion does. It ends a pregnancy by violently and intentionally killing a human baby, which is a violation of that baby's right to life and an action that would be considered a brutal crime at any point outside of the womb. There really is no debate in science about whether or not the unborn are human beings. The only debate is whether that human life has value and deserves to be protected and I believe it absolutely does. Every human being, from the moment they exist, has the right to life and we don't have the right to kill innocent people because we find them inconvenient (as a side note, abortion is also extremely harmful for women. Nothing good results from it). I hope one day for abortion not only to be illegal but also unthinkable.

Gun rights: Very pro-2A and gun rights. This also goes back to my belief that human lives have intrinsic value and the right to life. Having the right to life means that people have the right to protect their lives and also their property however they see fit. Guns are the most effective self defense tool in existence. Yes, they can be also be used to cause great harm but they save far more lives than they take every single year. Guns are a great equalizer when it comes to self defense. If a large man attacks a small woman that woman doesn't have to worry about outrunning or physically fighting off her attacker if she has a gun on her. And without guns, we have to rely on the government for protection, which they famously suck at. I mean we just have to look at what happened in Uvalde. Cops standing around for over an hour inside the elementary school while children were slaughtered right down the hall. So yes we can call the police if we're in trouble but sometimes they get there after the assault and sometimes when they get there they don't help. Also, private citizens with guns have a better record of stopping mass shootings than law enforcement does. The other reason I'm 2A is because that right is what enables us to protect all of our other rights. Governments who go after your right to bear arms will go after your other rights once they have unarmed you. If you look at tyrannical governments throughout history they typically begin with the disarming of the citizens and it's a dangerous game to play to trust that our government "would never do that."

Now for the stuff that just comes to my mind - I'll try to keep it brief because I've got a lot of opinions right now lol

Illegal Immigration: I wholeheartedly support immigration and don't begrudge anyone who wants to come here. I want anyone from any country that wants to come here and pursue the American Dream to be able to do so. But we have to have immigration laws and those laws have to be followed. We can't just allow people to flow in across the border and start living here. Otherwise we don't have a country. We have to protect our borders. Illegal immigration hurts legal immigration and there are a lot of children that get trafficked through illegal immigration. Massive illegal immigration, like we have at the southern border, is incredibly harmful. I don't have a problem with anyone coming here, they just have to do it legally.

Gender identity: personally I believe there are only two genders which are male and female because that’s what biology tells us, but I don’t care what anyone wants to identify as long as people don’t force me to participate in their ideas about gender and sexuality that I don’t subscribe to through compelled speech. And keep all of this away from children and biological men should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

That’s mostly what’s coming to my mind at the moment but feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or want more thorough explanations on anything!

Thanks again for disagreeing respectfully and asking why I believe what I do instead of just writing me off as some sort of bigot. I really appreciate it!

[lesbiangummybearmafia]

Ok so 1953 was 70 years ago... 2053 is only 29 years away. This is my point the conservatives and Republicans in this country want to drag us all back 70 years ago if they had their way. I chose 1953 out of thin air, but pretty much any year of 50s. Because white men controlled everything back then. It's the 21st century for fuck sake, we're closer to 2053 now, are we all going to sit idly by allow them to this? Y'all realize we could easily vote all those old white bastards out of congress if enough got up off our butts and actually went out and voted, no matter what it takes. The only reason they stay in Congress and everywhere else is because more old conservatives and Republicans get out and vote. And I get those fuckers make impossible in alot of places to vote if we aren't one of them. But we gotta be fuck you, we're stronger, smarter, better, younger, more determined to have a better future. So we're not going to let their bullshit trickery and straight up cheating stop us from voting we'll get it done. Even just to piss those motherfuckers off. Vote for people of color, lgbtqia+ candidates, trans candidates, vote for not Republicans or Democratic candidates (if they get enough votes they'll win), vote for candidates that are younger then 50!! Just fucking vote, because even if think it does nothing, if dislike/hate conservatives/republican/fascist politicians voting against them will piss them the fuck off, prove them wrong about all of us, make them look stupid (which is always fun) and hopefully save our democracy. Because those motherfuckers are chipping away at it, it now huge fucking pieces their taking off not little pebbles. Just look at all laws they've passed at the state level to restrict our civil liberties, control free speech by banning books, passing laws to control women's reproductive rights, first the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade now having state after state passing insane laws banning abortions. In every case is a clear indication how much conservatives man don't care about women or our lives. Then the onslaught of laws targeting the trans community, limiting their access to health care they need and unleashing a wave of transphobic all over ourcountry. Also laws targeting the lgbtqia+ community, banning drag shows, that in theit history never hurt anyone. There a celebration.

We the people, remember there are way more of us then any political party, any amount of politicians, no matter how much powerful they think they are. We our number them! We are louder, we are angry, we are feed up, we are tried of the lies, we are tried of all the bullshit, we done being told what America should be like. Because that definition doesn't work anymore, we're gonna give America a new definition for right now! For the 21st century, for 2023 because we're not going the fuck backwards no fucking more. The only direction is forward, into the future, we want to know what America can be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now. That is not some conservative, Republican, fascist, authoritarian old white man wet dream!!! Nope, not happening not on our watch assholes!

We will not go gentle into that good night! We will rage, rage against the dying of the light!! In other words will not allow our democracy to be killed by traitors to our country that even now spit fascist ideals in Congress, in Governor offices, state legislators, mayors officials, city councils, school districts. Just look at horrors that been unleashed on Florida because of Ron DeSantis who is without doubt a fascist and an authoritarian!

That why the next elections are so important. Why it's so important to register to vote at

And go out vote or to make it easier if your state allows voting by mail, that what I do. I'm in Arizona, they send me a ballot in mail, I fill it out. I can either mail it or drop it off. It's great!! To see if your state has voting by mail go to.

Some other voting resources:

https://rockthevote.org

https://vote411.org

(Helps if your homeless and want to vote)

(Helps people with disabilities to vote)