#then they pulled their support of the local lgbt youth center

[just-your-average-tangerine]

A queer newsletter from my hometown is posting about the lack of lesbian bars in this major city. But they're acting like this is a long-standing issue when it isn't. There was a lesbian bar in town. For many years, it opened sometime in the 80s. Then, around 2015/2016 trans rights became the hot button issue, and that bar took approximately 5 minutes to become a terf bar and start isolating itself from the rest of the local queer community. The petty infighting between regulars led to a gradual loss of business before the bar ultimately shut down in 2019. (Then relocated and reopened in 2021 as a straight bar).

It's great if they want to open a new lesbian/ women's bar, or otherwise create that space. But they've got to deal with this problem first.

[politicsusa]

Fearful of LGBTQ Backlash? Let CenterLink Help You Find Your People!

LGBTQ community centers can help you find and create support even in the worst of times. I should know.

LGBTQ community centers collectively serve over 58,700 people each week, or over 3 million people per year. Further, they refer nearly 14,800 individuals per week, or about 770,000 people per year, to other agencies or providers, such as LGBTQ-friendly medical providers, lawyers, or businesses.

Are you scared today? Lots of queer people are, especially transgender people. As an older cisgender gay man, I'm scared. I live in a very rural, very conservative part of the United States, just a quick hop from a town where taxpayers voted to eliminate their public library rather than let it shelve queer-positive books like Heartstopper. You should have seen the newspaper editorials! Since the election, anti-queer sentiment has become louder, and I feel even more like a stranger in a strange land.

But after a phone call the other day with CenterLink, I reached out to a local group, and I might already have found community I didn't know existed. I bet you can too.

At 62 years old, I've been here before, so let me tell you a story about how wonderful queer community centers can be!

I'll never forget the day in 1990 when the LGBT Community Center in New York City radically improved my life. Imagine a painfully shy young man in his late twenties, disoriented and scared after being forced out of a career in the U.S. Air Force. I'd failed a routine security-clearance polygraph. Told the FBI examiners I wasn't gay. Their machine called me a liar. So did they. To my face.

I had money saved, and I decided I could no longer tolerate feeling ashamed just to be me. So, one day in West Berlin, eyes squeezed shut in fear, I flipped a coin to decide between moving to San Francisco or Manhattan.

Months later, my savings were evaporating even though I was staying at NYC's inexpensive McBurney YMCA, the one that inspired the Village People.

Bars and clubs intimidated me. Young, hip queer people did too. What to do? How to make friends? How to become part of the dream I'd come chasing from halfway around the world?

By some fluke of fate, I took to bringing lunch every day to the outdoor garden at the LGBT Community Center on 13th Street in Greenwich Village. I'd sit on a bench, scouring help-wanted ads, peeking over the New York Times at people I didn't dare reach out to.

One day, one of them walked up, pretended to knock on my newspaper, pulled it down, and said, "I knew you'd be much cuter if you smiled!"

He told me his name was Lenny, and he introduced me to most of the garden crew. That night, he took me to see experimental performance art at La MaMa ETC. We fell in love! Soon, we started celebrating that day as our official anniversary.

When Lenny passed ten years later, our friends packed a big room near the garden where some of them had witnessed our newspaper moment. I cried and laughed my way through a eulogy, comforted by the support and love of the tightest community I've ever known.

Our friends were gay men and lesbians, some of them my colleagues from Queer Nation and Act Up — some of them youthful social workers from the HIV/AIDS service agency where I worked.

[vaspider]

I was able to make friends with another nonbinary person!!! I went over their place to bleach her hair and while we were talking I found out they had just come out and we were able to bond over gender things.

Also, if you have the energy, do you have any tips to getting to meet other trans individuals in person? I'm not sure what to even look up to find a group that isn't just a Facebook group which feels mildly unsafe since it's attached to personal information. But I dont want my only exposure to the LGBT community to be online. Thank you for any information you're able to give

It depends on where you live. Let's pretend for the sake of argument that you live where I live: Portland, Oregon.

I do want to say up front that in this time of COVID especially, I consider any "intentional time-specific gathering," whether on Zoom, Discord, or any other way, to be "in person." I realized I'd never clarified this when I talk about this stuff. I haven't been to anything where I sit around with other humans and breathe the same air intentionally since February 2019 save for like... 2 weeks last summer when I got to go to 2 outdoor Shabbat services in that little window between "full vaccination" and "Delta", and ECCC, which we had spent like $6k on before Delta and couldn't afford to miss.

Since we're gonna have COVID for a fucking while yet, and because even after COVID is gone, online solutions will always be an important accessibility tool for a lot of disabled people, I think it's useful to recalibrate our ideas of what "in person" are, and the value we give to those video/call/chat options.

So with that in mind, I'd start by (if you're not comfortable using Facebook, which unfortunately is one of the better places to find local meet-up groups which aren't awful) finding a local college website and searching "LGBT resources" or just searching "LGBT resources near me" or "LGBT resources [zipcode]" on the search engine of your choice.

For me, that pulls up SMYRC, the Q Center, Basic Rights Oregon, Brave Space, The Living Room, the TransActive Gender Project, and more.

From there I'd winnow down the list to what's appropriate to me (some of these are youth-focused, though getting involved as a volunteer with those might be a good option for you to meet other trans adults who are also volunteering), and go poking through. The Q Center has a Community Events calendar which lists events outside the Q Center itself (like a play called "The Queers" which was at Backdoor Theater), a Q Center Events calendar (all events currently virtual), and a Free Resource Events calendar, which includes things like pantries, name change clinics, AA meetings for LGBTQ+ folx, support groups for bipolar, late-in-life queers, and all kinds of things.

Since I'm Jewish, I would also look at Keshet's Equality Directory to find queer-friendly rabbis near me (which would likely indicate there are queer and trans folx at that synagogue). If I were Christian, I would check GayChurch.org instead. I didn't find a directory like that for pagan folx but I did see some local FB groups. There's a list of resources for LGBTQ+ Muslims on Muslims For Progressive Values.

I had some luck on Twitter also. There are a bunch of relatively loud local activists on there, and being on Twitter doesn't require you to give up much personal information. Emet got involved with local leftists by looking for people like Robert Evans, who does the podcast Behind the Bastards, and then looking at who he was talking to locally and just poking around from there.

There are also a bunch of clubs and bars and stuff, which are constantly advertising on local FB groups and sometimes on Twitter. I'm not doing those right now for obvious reasons.

If you are in a rural area, you might want to look at the nearest city, even if it's a relatively small city. I used to drive down to Bethlehem from the Poconos when I was in HS for Rocky Horror (which is another thing you can look for - RHPS hasn't aged well, but it meant a lot to us older queers and a lot of us forgive its failures and faults the same way we forgive our unintentionally offensive grandpa who tries real hard) and into Philly from Lancaster for stuff. The good news is that with stuff being virtual rn, you can test out a community without driving hours!

I'm sure there are things I didn't think of, so if anyone has other suggestions, please put them in the notes!

[weaponizedembrace]

[MODERN AU VERSE]

Under the cut, bc LONG.

Name: Steven Grant Rogers

Nickname(s): Steve, Stevie, Evie/eeVee (known by only very close friends who he’s let in on the secret–see bio)

Face claim: Chris Evans (vaguely? body claim varies)

Birthday: July 4

Age: verse/thread dependent (default late 20s/early 30s unless otherwise plotted)

Height: 5′8″

Weight: 150lbs

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: White (Irish background)

Occupation: Artist (drawing, painting, and street art, primarily), activist (focused on lgbt and disability rights), blogger/journalist

Romantic orientation/sexuality: Pansexual/panromantic

Gender: Cis male

Body type: fit, but built smaller and thin

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde, usually bleached lighter than natural, a little shaggy. Sometimes scruffy face

Skills/abilities: skilled artist, public speaker, organizer, writer, multi-lingual (English and ASL, conversational Spanish, a little French)

Disabilities: Asthma, OCD, some limited mobility in spine due to spinal surgery to correct scoliosis, high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia, poor eye sight (switches between contacts and glasses), partial deafness (worse in left ear, usually wears a hearing aid), and recurring stomach ulcers.

Noticeable marks/scars/tattoos: Scars: Large, straight surgical scar down the middle of his chest (faded, but obvious), and another larger, straight surgical scar down his back over his spine. Various smaller scars from fighting (and losing) as a kid, including an ugly one on his right forearm from having a knife pulled on him once. Tattoos: Hygieia by Klimt on his back (off center to his right so the intentional “blank” stripe that keeps his spinal scar visible doesn’t cut through her face), Banksy’s Out Of Bed Rat on his left shoulder (no words, just the rat holding a paintbrush), a crow’s skull on his left calf (skull centered around the largest part of his calf, beak pointing down almost to his ankle), a quote from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 over his ribs on his right side (“Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore”), a Celtic tree of life on the top of his right foot with his mother’s initials in it, and a medical tattoo on his left wrist featuring a Star of Life and a list of his ailments. All designed by him, with the exception of the Klimt and Banksy art. Other: Bump across the bridge of his nose from having it broken more than once.

BIO: Steve Rogers was born premature to single mother Sarah Rogers, in New York. He had inherited a serious heart condition from his father (who died months into Sarah’s pregnancy while on active duty for the Army) that required open heart surgery in infancy when he was six months old. Even though Sarah was a nurse at one of the best hospitals in the city, she and Steve lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Not only was New York City expensive on a single income, but the cost of Steve’s treatments and medications for what turned out to be a whole host of various ailments kept them paycheck to paycheck, even on the best of days.

His younger years weren’t easy. He was sick a lot, with glasses and a hearing aid, on the small side for his age group, and around the age of ten, his spine started to curve to the right. Kids are cruel, and Steve did find himself the target of that often, but between modern medicine, and the support of his mother and best friend, he was able to thrive in a way a man born only decades before couldn’t have. Doctors had been concerned he might never be capable of playing sports, but his heart and asthma were under control enough in his pre-teens that he took up basketball, both in the streets of New York, and in indoor youth centers (it’s still his favorite sport to play, but he runs and cycles more because taller guys tend to overtake him on the court). He only had to take a break at fourteen, when the curve of his spine progressed enough that it required corrective surgery. The months of recovery following that were some of the hardest and most restless of Steve’s life.

Until his mother passed away from TB when he was nineteen. Steve dropped out of college and poured himself into art and writing, almost disappearing for a while. It took more than a year before anyone but Bucky ever saw the same spark in Steve he always used to have, even when he wasn’t well. Eventually, he came to realize that if he truly wanted to honor his mother, he needed to stand back up and do his part to make the world a better place.

He started by volunteering in lgbt spaces and those centered around people with disabilities. He found himself very naturally falling into positions of leadership and organization over just a short period of time. And while those spaces are his “lane”, he fell more and more into activism that became much more intersectional as he got older, reaching out and offering support to all communities in need. His art branched out into the streets, often painting unauthorized, politically inspired murals and designs in public spaces. While he has a distinctive tag (a highly stylized “eeVee”) that links all his pieces together, and his works are becoming known within the city (often pissing off local officials), only a few people he’s close to know that he’s responsible for it.

More publicly, he has been able to use his art and writing to support his and other’s causes, while also supporting himself enough to be able to remain in New York. His name is known within activist circles, and a Fox News anchor once called him an idiot. It was one of his proudest moments. He plans to use it as a cover blurb if he ever writes a book.

[anonymoustalks]

i’m actually lgbtq myself so i’m glad that the non-discrimination one in the workforce got passed, i’m mostly worried about the healthcare, especially for trans people

(6-20-20) You both like feminism.

You: heya

Stranger: heyo

You: what's on your mind?

Stranger: idk frogs i guess

You: frogs? why frogs?

Stranger: you?

Stranger: they’re pretty cool

You: mhm was just thinking about my last conversation

Stranger: what was it

You: we were talking a little about religious freedom

Stranger: oh cool

You: why are frogs cool?

Stranger: they look really goofy and cute, idk i just think they’re neat

You: aww that's sweet

You: I like tree frogs

Stranger: desert sand frogs are my favorite because they’re so round

You: one time one just sort of got on my friend

Stranger: that’s pretty cool

You: like it went on her arm

You: idk if you're supposed to touch them though

You: like I heard that their skin is really sensitive

You: so like oils and stuff can be bad for them

Stranger: idk either i know you can’t touch poison dart frogs but idk about tree frogs

Stranger: that makes sense though

You: yeah I don't actually know though

Stranger: me neither lol

You: lol I googled desert sand drog

You: *frog

Stranger: they’re incredible

You: they're so squeaky

Stranger: they really are, it’s great

You: it's looks like angry, but cute

Stranger: for sure

You: like I kind of imagine it screeching "I hate youuu!!" but it just comes out as squeaks lol

Stranger: haha yeah, they’re pretty adorable even if they look angry

You: yeah

You: where are you from?

Stranger: chicago, what about you?

You: new england

Stranger: cool cool

You: mhm what brings you to this tag?

Stranger: i think feminism is pretty cool, just a general interest i guess

You: mhm

You: do you have a strong stance on abortion?

Stranger: yeah, i’m pro choice

You: mhm can you explain your reasoning?

Stranger: well i think theres a lot of situations where the person who is pregnant can’t have the baby or like it’s dangerous for them to have a child. or like they were raped and don’t want to have a reminder of that experience. i’m not saying that i think abortion should be glorified, but i think in some cases it’s needed.

You: mhm

You: yeah I'm just trying to develop an opinion for myself

You: I have friends who are like "life is precious" and idk how to respond to them

Stranger: yeah, i think in a lot of these types of opinions, it’s really really hard to change people’s minds

Stranger: i have friends like that too

You: yeah, I'm not always trying to change their opinions

You: but mine aren't totally set either haha

You: I think it's hard to do value-judgements

You: at least for me

Stranger: i get that, it’s good that you’re trying to form your own opinions though

You: scotus has an abortion decision that they're supposed to announce this month I think

Stranger: hm i’ll have to keep an eye out for that

Stranger: i’ve been really focused on the lgbtq workforce and healthcare discrimination cases though

You: mhmm

You: what do you think of them?

Stranger: i’m actually lgbtq myself so i’m glad that the non-discrimination one in the workforce got passed, i’m mostly worried about the healthcare, especially for trans people

You: mhmm what's the healthcare one?

Stranger: it’s deciding if healthcare providers can discriminate against lgbtq people

You: ahh

Stranger: yeah

You: would the workplace discrimination ruling have an affect on the things trump are trying to do with lgbt healthcare?

Stranger: i’m not really sure, i don’t think so though, cause as far as i know it only effects employment

You: mhm

You: what would say is the best way to support lgbt things?

You: *what would you say

Stranger: well i guess if you can, donating to different charities or help centers. there’s the Trevor Project that helps lgbtq youth. also just noticing when stuff that could negatively effect people in the community pop up and try speaking against them.

You: mhm

You: I think it's hard to speak up sometimes

Stranger: also just be accepting to the lgbtq people you encounter is great

Stranger: yeah it is but that won’t stop me from trying lol

You: haha

You: that's good for you

Stranger: thanks

You: I've been thinking a lot about blm

You: and the relationship between activism and how ppl respond to it

Stranger: yeah, it’s definitely interesting. i wholeheartedly support blm, but it’s confusing when some people don’t really support it

You: mhm

You: my fiance's dad is a democrat

You: but blm is making him more conservative

You: so it's weird and I just reflect on that

Stranger: yeah that is weird.. it’s just kinda odd when people don’t fully understand the whole meaning of the movement

You: yeah

You: like I also understand people who say that they need to advocate for things far past the end of the spectrum in order to pull the narrative in a direction

You: I think I'm just weirdly moderate lolol ^^

Stranger: yeah haha, i’m pretty far left if imma be honest, but i like talking to people with different views

You: mhm

You: I think the main reason why I'm not far left is because I think I care about getting things done practically

You: I think I'm a little less sympathetic for things I don't think will pass in congress

Stranger: yeah i get that, i’m really enjoying people taking matters into their own hands though. like direct action stuff

You: mhm I think direct action is super important

You: local action especailly

You: federal government is overrated

Stranger: very true

You: you can do a lot of good things at a community level

Stranger: for sure

You: if it's not too personal, do you mind if I ask in what way you're lgbtq?

You: it's fine if you'd rather not share ^^

Stranger has disconnected.

[rontufox]

trans ask game taken from here!

How did you choose your name?

I wasn’t gonna change it initially.  I like my given name.  but I don’t like attention or talking irl, especially about myself.  so I figured I’d have a simpler time if I changed it to something more people considered masculine  

my new name had to start with B so my initials could remain BLT.  I also wanted a “white” name cuz although I’m biracial, my given name was white, and it just feels weird to have a name of totally different feeling, in that regard

the only B names I liked were already associated with people I knew, which I didn’t want.  so I kinda stopped.  I wasn’t motivated to find a name LOLOL.  one night, my cousin asked what I’m changing my name to.  when I was like “idk man I can’t find any I like” he pulled up a huge list of B names on the internet and just started reading them off the whole night lolol.  a few resonated with me, but Brian really felt right.  

I like how it sounds out loud, the feeling it gives.  I like its meaning (strong, virtuous, and honorable or hill/noble).  it’s Irish, which I am, so that was perfect.  and, amazingly, the strokes involved in writing it are actually really similar the ones I use for my given name

in the end I’m even more glad I changed my name, for feeling so much more of a self-made person.  it was kind of a new start, where I could decide anything.  I chose my own name.  I could choose anything else in life I wanted.

What gives you the most dysphoria? (Acknowledging that not all trans people experience dysphoria)

my dysphoria stopped after I got top surgery and transitioned socially ✌🏼

What was the first time you suspected you were transgender?

in college.  that’s when I fully learned the term.  I always knew what I was since I was 5 or 6.  but college is when I learned there’s a term and community for what I was.

What is your favorite part of being transgender?

just, being able to be myself, freely.  

How would you explain your gender identity to others?

trans guy

How did you come out? If you didn’t come out, why do you stay in the closet? 

I thought I’d stay closeted irl forever honestly.  it always seemed something I’d never be capable of.  coming out as trans was something incredibly strong people did.  people who were wiling to change their entire life.  well... I eventually became that person.

I first came out to my online friend Bsumo.  that was easy cuz they’re amazing, and we talked about gender so much anyway.  then I came out online, only on tumblr (I’ve been stealth online all my life).  after that, I personally told a few people irl I really trust.  next in line was my parents.  I had no idea how that would go.  but I was prepared to be rejected.  it went okay

then I had to come out at work.  I wanted to do that before making an announcement to my extended family via facebook to avoid anyone at work seeing it.  and that, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  I’m very fortunate to work in a progressive organization, so I knew I’d be okay.  but it was hard.  I first told the CEO and our HR person.  it’s really, really hard to let the words out.  but I did it.  and the second I did, it was like... a floodgate.  like, there was absolutely no turning back at that moment and I loved it.  I told the rest of my coworkers in a meeting a few weeks later.  I gave them my new name and the pronouns they should use for me.  the older generation staff members had trouble getting the hang of it, but I didn’t meet any intentional resistance

I will say, you receive allyship and rejection in very unexpected places when you come out.  people you thought would support you that don’t.  people you thought would avoid you, reach out and advocate for you.  it was all quite an interesting experience.  

What have your experiences with packing or wearing breast forms been?

none

What are your experiences with binding or tucking?

tried binding a few times before I had surgery.  I couldn’t stand to wear it more than 3 minutes.  it triggered a fight or flight response in my body for some reason.  like the panic you feel when your finger or limb gets stuck in something and your life flashes before your eyes as your mind overreacts thinking you’ll never escape.  I even cut a binder off with scissors once cuz I felt like I needed to get it off NOW.

Do you pass?

yeah, unless it’s over the phone lol!

What (if any) steps do you want to take to medically transition?

top surgery and T.  I woulda still been miserable to this day if I hadn’t gotten top surgery.  but I kinda took T on a whim.  see if I’d like it.  I’m glad I did, I really enjoy it.  out of all the changes I love my sideburns the most!

How long have you been out?

3 years!

How does your family feel about your trans identity?

frankly I don’t care lolol

Would you ever go stealth, and if you are stealth, why do you choose to be stealth?

I’m kinda in the middle.  I’m open about being trans online.  I pass irl so I’m pretty much stealth there to strangers.  but if anyone ever asked if I was trans, or if a trans discussion ever came up, or if I was just talking bout my past where it’s relevant to the story, I’d be fine revealing I’m not cis

What do you wish you could have shared with your younger self about being trans?

1) that no, people don’t secretly see you as a guy, 2) the term trans,  3) that you can get top surgery without any therapy involved (I thought I’d never be able to get it because of that, I resigned to that fact for so many years when I could’ve been arranging it!)

What’s your biggest trans-related fear?

lol I’m not sharing that

What do you wish cis people understood?

I honestly don’t think about that much

What impact has being trans affected your life?

it didn’t affect me much til puberty.  before puberty I sorta deluded myself into thinking everyone around me secretly regarded me as a boy but weren’t allowed to show it.  when puberty came my life ended.  dysphoria really made me suffer all through my 20s.  and I always hated being seen and treated the way people did.  I’ve never ever disliked being trans.  it’s always been me.  but now I live so fully and happily.  I love being trans

How do you feel about trans representation in media?

I really do not want it unless a trans person is the one creating it.

Who is the transgender person who has influenced you the most?

can I say myself? lolol

How are you involved with the trans community, IRL or online?

making/reblogging trans posts is the extent of what I do.  I did do a few things irl--helped carry a huge trans flag during pride once.  it was an amazing experience, but way too overwhelming for me lol.  tried going to our trans masculine group at my local lgbt center but had a bad experience with one of the members there, and he later became the group facilitator so lol

How do you see yourself identifying and presenting in 5 years?

same as I do now

What trans issue are you most passionate about?

trans youth having all the info they need to be aware of themselves and make decisions about their own lives

What is your sexual and romantic orientation, and what are your thoughts on it?

I’m aroace and it’s amazing!  I love being ace!  being both trans and ace made me wonder how the heck my life’d pan out in terms of having a partner.  cuz I did always want one.  but I thought I’d have a pretty low chance of finding someone I liked (I don’t like many people LOL) who also embraced and understood both my transness and aceness.  and who made it simple and easy for us on both ends.  maybe the chance was low, but I got the perfect partner now ❤

How did/do you manage waiting to transition?

it was just painful.  there’s not much more you can say

[macgyvermedical]

Updated MacGyver Episodes

The social justice end of MacGyver hasn’t really come up in the new series yet, but here’s a list of classic episodes, seamlessly updated for present-day issues. These episodes weren’t exactly perfect, even for the time, but they did contain some thought-provoking material. I’ve tried to update them into storylines that both fit with the current characters and plots, and present-day issues.

Here’s my list of how I’d like to see these episodes updated for the new series:

Ugly Duckling: When a bullied gay teen agrees to use her hacking skills for the wrong organization in return for revenge against her classmates, Riley goes undercover to pull her out, and learns the extent to which bullying can impact lives. Issues; Bullying, Self-Esteem.

Hell Week: College students participating in the Phoenix Foundation’s annual high-stakes physics competition turn to “smart drugs” -prescription ADHD medication- in order to get ahead, but with devastating consequences. Issues; Academic Pressure, Prescription Medication Abuse

The Spoilers: When the Phoenix Foundation teams with a local public health department to aid an outbreak investigation that seems to be blocked on every side, MacGyver realizes the outbreak is an act of industrial dumping- one that contaminated the water supply in a low-income neighborhood. Issues; Industrial Contamination, Environment

The Endangered: The team spends a week camping in a national park at the request of a Ranger who believes someone is poaching a collection of endangered species on protected land. Issues; Poaching, Endangered Species

Blood Brothers: MacGyver returns to his hometown, finding that the opioid epidemic has severely impacted the people there. Meanwhile, Mac and Jack have to reconcile their differences in opinions when it comes to firearms as Mac recounts the childhood events that lead him to never using a gun again. Issues; Opioid Abuse, Gun Control

The Challenge: A youth center that Riley once frequented comes under fire from racist community members when the POC youth it serves begin engaging in peaceful, but highly visible protests. Issues; Racism, protesting

Runners: The Phoenix Foundation team is sent to protect an underage transgender prostitute after she confesses damming evidence against her pimp. Issues; Teenage Runaways, Forced Prostitution, LGBT youth

Renegade: A disenfranchised veteran with untreated behavioral health problems is conned into supporting a biological attack with a group of anti-military protestors. The Phoenix Foundation team must prevent the highly trained operator from staging a heist of genetically altered anthrax. Issues; Veterans Issues, Mental Health, PTSD

Ten Percent Solution: An Alt-Right group claims responsibility for a rash of anti-Semitic hate crimes committed in the LA area, but when the Phoenix Foundation launches an investigation, they find a much broader and more sinister plan underway. Issues; Alt-Right, Antisemitism

Hearts of Steel: When a social media campaign to draw attention to dangerous working conditions is quashed, workers go to drastic extremes -in the form of kidnapping the CEO’s daughter- to start a conversation. Issues; Worker’s Rights, Unions, Working Conditions

Rush to Judgement: Bozer ends up the only black man on a jury overseeing the case of a black murder suspect. Also the only one to believe the suspect is innocent, but unable to prove it, Bozer breaks court confidentiality to ask the Phoenix Foundation to find evidence the man was framed. Issues; Racism

Twenty Questions: When Jack’s niece ends up in police custody, Mac figures out the girl’s sudden delinquency likely stems from a problem with alcohol abuse. Issues; Alcoholism, Teen Delinquency

Bitter Harvest: Caught up in an migrant worker’s rights protest and arrested, MacGyver and Jack seize the opportunity to go undercover and expose the dangerous and difficult lives migrant workers face- especially as the community is inundated with ICE raids. Issues; Immigration, Migrant Worker’s Conditions

Trail of Tears: The Phoenix Foundation gets into trouble when the team runs supply missions to support protests against an oil pipeline that threatens both sacred ground and a native american reservation’s water supply. Issues; Native Lands, Environment

Rock the Cradle: This one isn’t social justice, but I would 100% watch the heck out of Jack and Mac trying to take care of a baby together. 

[Patreon] [Fiverr]

[lakewooduni]

Jared Hawthorne is a twenty-one year old musician who is a Lakewood Local. He is a bisexual cis male. Jared is audacious and independent but also ostentatious and sarcastic

Jared grew up knowing one thing for certain. The suburbs of southern New Jersey are a certain hell that nobody who hasn’t lived there can understand. Living so close to two major liberal cities, everyone loved to put on an act of progressiveness, while maintaining the actual views of a conservative straw man. If someone got pregnant, the entire town knew by the end of the week. Most of the town had known each other since preschool, the friend groups were set by the fifth grade. Jared hated everything about it except diners and never having to pump his own gas.  But his family was pretty firmly planted there, so he didn’t have much to do about it, except run away a few times in middle school. With no real plan, he was always back in time for dinner.  By high school he’d grown out of the habit, opting for shaking things up as often as possible. He came out his freshman year, joining the ranks of two other kids in his class. Jared started dating his first boyfriend not out of actual attraction, or a real romantic connection, but just for the sake of being the only gay couple to be walking around the halls and making out against the lockers like every other straight couple was doing.

Needless to say, the relationship didn’t last very long. So Jared had to come up with other ways to stir the pot. He settled on forming the school’s GSA. He wasn’t met with a whole lot of resistance. Even got an article in his county’s newspaper.  And the club didn’t actually do much, it became a closed door space for queer kids to hang out.  His peers took a week to label it as ‘gay club��� and nobody really had a problem with it, they weren’t actually interested in the political aspect to it. It’s where Jared made most of his friends. He managed to get a rise out of the student body with the club though, any time he’d put up posters about events, especially during the Day of Silence. He could feel people staring at him, his decorated shirt with bright rainbows and a tombstone. But the older he got, the more into the fight he got. Jared got to a point where he was actually going to marches and pride, not just for a reaction from his small town, but because he genuinely wanted to participate in the LGBT community.  Actually used his assumed title of president of the GSA to do something. Started pushing for allies to attend, so questioning kids and those still in the closet could attend without accidentally outing themselves.

Still, the club was relatively small. But someone he’d never expected to see come through the doors showed up, saying he was just there to listen and get perspective. Kyle was the star of the school’s soccer team, had scored the winning goal in the state championships the year prior, he was arguably the most popular person in the entire school.  He hung back after the meeting was over, to talk to Jared. It was the first conversation the two had ever had outside of classes. It was weird enough, but weirder when Kyle told him he was gay. How he’d trusted him enough with that information baffled Jared.  But he listened, and offered support. Decided to keep his big mouth shut instantly. Kyle wasn’t ready to come out, wasn’t even sure it was safe while he was living at home.  His dad was a drunk. What was supposed to be ten minutes in the school parking lot turned into five hours, just talking, until their stomachs grumbling interrupted audibly.  And that started a spiral, Jared and Kyle became incredibly close, under the guise of a tutor relationship, Jared for all of his detached attitude about school, was in all AP and honors courses, and taking them with ease at that. Didn’t really help his career, he’d always known music was what he loved, but it made it believable to outside eyes, smart kid tutors the jock so he can pass and play the big game. It was the plot of at least twenty romcoms. And that’s what it started to feel like. Jared didn’t think the closeted sneaking around thing was something he could get past, but somewhere along the way he’d fallen for Kyle, and hard.

Their relationship lasted a year, going right to the back end of their senior year. Jared was starting to get tired of sneaking around, pretending to barely be friends when as soon as they were alone they were head over heels in love. It was tiring making up excuses when he couldn’t go out with his friends because he had a secret date planned. And it was entirely out of character for him. Kyle felt guilty, but he still couldn’t come out until he was away at college, at least. That annoyed Jared most of all, that when he came out it’d be in an entirely different state, Jared had already committed to Lakewood University, and Kyle was only going to Penn State.  He didn’t know how they were going to make it work already, and when Kyle came out at college it was more than likely he’d end up meeting someone local he wanted to be with, and Jared would be left having wasted the last year of his life keeping someone’s secret that just tossed him to the side. And it started causing fights.  The only upside was nine times out of ten, their fights would end in angry sex. But the more they fought, the more reckless they got. And one time they were a little too careless, and were fucking in the locker room bathroom, in the disabled stall, when somebody walked in on the door that’s lock had been broken, that neither of them realized in the moment. It was one of Kyle’s friends from the team. They’d scrambled to make it seem better, but by the time Kyle was put together enough to chase after him he was gone. The fight that came after that seemed like the end of them. Until that night, Kyle called him and apologized. They hung up on ‘I love you’. Kyle’s friend approached him at school, saying to tell him that the secret was safe with him. But neither of them knew what had happened.

Jared texted Kyle a few time when he realized he’d missed school, wanted to know if everything was okay.  He never got a text back. It wasn’t until he’d gotten home from school that he’d found out what had happened, Kyle’s parents had called his.  He ran right back out the door, all the way to Kyle’s house. He wouldn’t believe it. But when his mother answered the door, she just pulled him into a hug, sobbing. Kyle had killed himself. That phonecall had been a goodbye. Jared didn’t know how to process it.  So he didn’t. Hid every emotion he wanted to have over harsh remarks and sarcasm. He all but dropped out of GSA. Stopped handing in work. Still maintains that his teachers only passed him out of pity. Once he graduated, Kyle flew straight out to LA, he didn’t want to be stuck in that town for another second. Overtime it got better, by the time he came home from winter break at college he had at least talked to his parents about it, admitted that Kyle had been his boyfriend. By the time he decided to drop out of Lakewood and focus solely on his budding music career, he was even able to walk around the places they used to sneak around together. Some things he could never do though. Jared couldn’t walk past Kyle’s house. His parents had sold it years ago, they couldn’t live in the house their son died in.  He couldn’t stand the thought of the room where they’d first been together being somebody’s home office now.  Eventually, Jared stopped thinking about him every day. Took it as a sign he was ready to move on, get back into the things he’d used to love. Jared got a fairly steady gig at a local restaurant, with room to go and do shows for a night or weekend here and there. He started to pick back up on the things he had once really loved, going to marches and volunteering at a center for LGBT youth when he had the chance. Even got a day job there, teaching kids who wanted to learn guitar and piano as a part of their music therapy program.

[ellenzone]

Social Justice in Games: How "Sonic the Hedgehog" Can Help Fight for Trans Rights

[[This is the transcript for a talk I gave at the TRANSform Tech conference in San Francisco, CA on April 13, 2017]] Hi, I'm Ellen McGrody, author, mother of a very loud cat, and founder of Run for Our Rights, an annual charity event benefitting the Transgender Law Center. I wanna tell you about our first event in November, why I believe games and tech can be a positive space for social justice, and the challenges that can get in the way of progress in emergent spaces. The idea for Rights Run came about thanks to my desire to tap into the passion of an existing community and celebrate the anniversary of one of gaming's biggest mistakes. I've been a devoted games enthusiast since I was small. Like many queer kids, games provided me a space to escape and explore my identity. When I was five, my mom got a SEGA Genesis for the house, and from then on Sonic the Hedgehog became a lifelong obsession. I'm not alone in that obsession. Sonic has always had an extremely passionate core fan base, even when times got rough. If you're familiar with Sonic, you know that, over the years, SEGA's hedgehog mascot hasn't exactly received the best treatment. While the original titles that pulled many fans, including me, into the series are regarded as classics, many of the more recent titles in the franchise are infamous for their flaws. No title stands as a stronger example of this infamy than 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog, better known as Sonic 06. Sonic 06 is a... so, okay, let me explain to plot to you, briefly, to give you an idea. Dr. Eggman, the series' big bad, steals an artifact from a princess, and Sonic runs off to save her. Meanwhile, an entirely different superpowered hedgehog, who rides a motorcycle and is a secret agent for a shadow government, finds a separate artifact, which releases a demon, who steals the *first* artifact, unleashing an ancient fire deity and teleporting *both* hedgehogs into the future, where a *third* superpowered hedgehog, this one with psychic powers, blames Sonic for the apocalyptic future they are all now trapped in. Using yet another series of magical artifacts, the heroes travel back to the past, recover the original artifact, only for Sonic to be killed and then brought back by a kiss from the human princess, who has fallen in love with Sonic the Hedgehog. The three hedgehogs then unite to kill God. Don't ask, it's complicated. That, *extremely compelling*, story is marred further by load times, poor controls, and game-breaking glitches. So, as you can imagine, people totally love this game, and as some are compelled to watch a bad movie, I committed to marking the game's tenth anniversary by playing it in full, start to finish, until it was done. Which, in my original estimate, would take 19 hours to accomplish. Three friends offered to join me, and my wonderful fiancée made the suggestion of turning that live marathon into a charity event. Almost serendipitously, the games 10th anniversary aligned nicely with Trans Awareness Month, and so Run for Our Rights was born. Why turn a video game marathon into a trans advocacy event? The games space, as I mentioned previously, has rich potential for diversity and solidarity, given its ability to provide queer and trans youth with escapism and community. We drew inspiration from AGDQ and other charitable efforts in the space, and followed the example set by notable trans members of the games community including speedrunners Narcissa Wright and Protomagicalgirl, fighting game champion Ricki Sophie Ortiz, and games journalists Sam Riedel and Heather Alexandra. We tapped into the passion of the games community, particularly the excitement shared by Sonic the Hedgehog fans, in order to build an exciting event. Immediately, we wanted to work with the Transgender Law Center, and sought sponsorship in order to create a successful event. We worked with progressive games organizations, including Feminist Frequency, which advocates for positive representation of women and marginalized people in games and media, and MidBoss, whose LGBT-focused GaymerX convention has been held in the Bay Area four times while spawning international spin-off events. We also worked with the livestream platform Twitch to make sure the marathon could tap into as many viewers as possible, and we reached out to SEGA, where we received promotional support from the leader of Sonic's social media team and the franchise's voice actors. The event was more successful than we could even have imagined. We played Sonic games for 24 hours straight, capping off Sonic 06 as predicted at the 19 hour mark. In that time, thanks to the promotional work of our partners and positive reception by the games community, over 100,000 people watched us play a very terrible game, and received an outpouring of fan art and support, with many choosing to donate to support our efforts. All donations went directly to the Trans Law Center, and combining direct donations with employer matching, we earned nearly $20,000 for the TLC overnight. These successes were overwhelming. We *never* believed we could earn that sort of support. That first event happened just days after the election, and I was humbled to be able to provide that sort of positivity during a time of need. As we look into the future and begin planning our second event, I want to be open about the challenges that we faced. Gaming in general can be a really divisive space, especially for women, people of color, and LGBT folks. While games and the communities that love them are on a path to diversity, regressive forces have attacked those who have tried to make games more inclusive for everyone. Marginalized individuals have been harassed, threatened, and victimized by those who seek to maintain gaming's status as a violent boy's club. Some of you may have heard of GamerGate, a movement that under the alleged guise of "transparency in games journalism", attacked women and outed transgender people, eventually working to fuel the rise of what we now call the Alt Right. In running Rights Run, we were ever-present of this threat. We worked with our partners, particularly Feminist Frequency, to minimize risk factors. We called the local police department to abate the threat of "SWATting," or malicious false reporting of crime. We're thankful for our community, whose members took the role of community moderators, working to ban people who joined our chat room with the end goal of harassment in mind. Rights Run, and events like it, remind me how the games community, and tech as a whole, and work to benefit the causes of social justice, diversity, and inclusion. Like all avenues of our society, the challenges are great, and the forces that seek to silence our progress will stop at nothing in their attempt to hold us back. If there's any lesson I learned in making Rights Run happen, it's that making social justice happen in games and tech means being well-aware of the opposition and being prepared to confront them. Stay strong in your march to progress, and don't waiver in your support of marginalized people. And, be creative! Tap into peoples' passions, get them excited about advocacy, and play a really bad video game for 24 hours straight. Even with all of the challenges, you're going to find a core community that wants to join you in your fight for social justice.

[maliayukimura]

also also also lauren cooper starting a club for intersex people in university and falling in love with an original character

Title: Kiss Me (Like You Wanna Be Loved)Fandom: Faking ItPairing: Lauren Cooper/Original Female CharacterWordcount: ~ 1.5K Notes: This is the song that’s referenced in the fic and title. It’s a cover of “Kiss Me” by Sara Philips, originally by Ed Sheeran.on ao3 here

��That will be $4.00,” Lauren told the boy as she packaged up the cupcake in a clear takeout box. “All proceeds go to the local LGBT youth center. Thank you. Have a great day.”

After receiving the cupcake, the boy also dropped his change into the donation bin before leaving their booth. Lauren called after him, “Thank you. Have a great day.”

It was a little slow during the beginning of Lauren’s shift of manning the Intersex Club’s bake sale, but she had her good friend, Donnie Warden, with her to pass the time. Donnie had a pack of cards in their jacket pocket, so the two of them played a couple rounds of Go Fish while they waited for more customers.

With more students up and heading to lunch, business picked up around noon. Lauren and Donnie developed a system. She would package up the baked goods while they handled the money. The pair worked together like well oiled machine.

“Thank you. Come again,” Lauren told the current customer when Donnie lightly nudged her with their elbow. Once the customer left, Lauren turned to them. “What now?”

“Thought you’d want to know your girl was comin’ over,” Donnie replied, wiggling their eyebrows suggestively and gesturing to the other side of the quad.

Lauren looked up and followed their gaze. Her eyes landed on the tall brunette with flawless hair and dressed to the nines in a pink skater dress and pearl necklace. She was carrying a picnic basket as she made her way over to them.

“Hey Babe,” the girl greeted after she pressed to Lauren’s lips. She then turned to Donnie. “Hey Donnie. Good to see you.”

“Always a pleasure, Angela,” they replied with their Southern charm. “What brings you into our next of the woods?”

“I wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight,” Angela responded, sending Lauren a questioning look. After Lauren nodded in confirmation, Angela continued, “And to support the Intersex Club by buying some of the delicious baked goods my girlfriend made.”

Donnie and Angela chatted as Lauren picked out some cookies and brownies for her girlfriend. She even wrapped a pretty bow around the takeout box.

“How much do I owe you?” Angela asked as Lauren passed her the box.

Before Lauren could even answer, Donnie replied, “It’s on the house.”

“No, no. This is a fundraiser for a great cause,” Angela protested. “How much for the treats?”

Donnie shook their head. “Nope. It’s on us.”

Lauren knew that Angela would willingly spend the rest of the day arguing with Donnie until they let her pay for the baked goods. Gesturing to the donation bin, she piped in, “If you’d like, you can make a donation instead.”

Angela pulled two twenty dollar bills out of her wallet and dropped them into the donation bin.

“Thank you for the donation,” Lauren replied, grinning up at her girlfriend.

“I’ve still have a few things to take care of,” Angela informed Lauren, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “But I’ll see you at five. Don’t forget we’re meeting by the library.”

“I can’t wait,” Lauren replied, standing up on her tippy toes to steal a few more kisses. Donnie made a playful gagging noise in the background due to the girls’ public displays of affection.

Angela gathered up her things. She kissed Lauren one more time before getting ready to leave. “See you later, babe. Bye Donnie.”

“Bye Angela,” Donnie called out as Angela walked away. They then turned to Lauren. “Your girl is a saint.”

Lauren smiled fondly as she watched Angela leave. “Yeah. She really is.”

The rest of the day went by quickly. Donnie and Lauren gossiped and played card games in their down time. By the time, Lauren had to leave to go meet up with Angela again, they were almost completely sold out of baked goods. Luckily when Denise and Trevor came to relieve Lauren and Donnie of their shift, they brought some more freshly baked goods with them.

Lauren hugged Donnie goodbye before heading off to the library to meet Angela.

“Go get her, Tiger,” Donnie called after her, causing Lauren to chuckle.

When Lauren got to the library, Angela wasn’t there yet. She looked down at her watch and realized that she was still early. She sat down on one of the outdoor benches and played on her phone as she waited.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of heels tapping against concrete. She looked up to see Angela walking toward her. She stood up and met her halfway.

Angela greeted her with a kiss. “Ready to go?”

Lauren smiled up at her. “I can’t wait to see what you planned for us.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Angela said, pulling out a silk scarf. “Can you put this on?”

Lauren sent her a questioning look. “You want to blindfold me?”

“It’s for the surprise I have in store for us,” Angela explained. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course,” Lauren replied. Angela helped her tie the blindfold over her eyes. Once making sure it was secure, Angela gave Lauren a peck on the cheek. Lauren giggled and then blindly reached out for her girlfriend. Angela looped their arms together. She slowly led Lauren to their destination, answering Lauren’s questions as they went.

“Are we there yet?” Lauren asked after they had walked for a short while.

“Just a little further,” Angela answered, pressing a kiss to Lauren’s temple. “We’re almost there, I promise.”

After few minutes later, Angela brought them to a stop. She slowly pulled her arm back from Lauren. “Wait right there. I just have to put the on the finishing touches.”

Lauren stood in place as Angela left her side. She couldn’t see her, but she could hear her. She heard what sounded like someone ruffling a blanket.

“Okay. You can take off your blindfold now,” Angela announced.

Lauren pulled her blindfold off and was greeted with a scene straight out of a Nicholas Sparks novel. A blanket was spread out under the old dogwood tree. Fairy lights were strung up along the tree trunk and throughout the branches. It was most romantic thing Lauren had ever seen.

“So what do you think?” Angela asked, a little nervous due to Lauren’s silence.

Lauren stepped forward and kissed her. “This is amazing. I love it. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Angela replied.

After that, the two girls sat down on the blanket together. Angela opened up the picnic basket and pulled out some food for them to eat. They cuddled up together as they ate the meal Angela had packed for them.

When they were done eating, Angela stood up and straightened out her dress. She reached out to Lauren, offering to help her up. “May I have this dance?”

Lauren accepted her help up. “But there isn’t any music.”

“I can fix that,” Angela answered. She pulled her phone out. A soft melody poured out of the phone’s  speakers.

Angela gently took Lauren’s hand in her and placed the other on her hip. Lauren wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. The two kissed and danced to the music. Angela raised their joined hands and spun Lauren around.

Kiss me like you wanna be loved,

Wanna be loved…

This feels like falling in love,

Falling in love…

Once she was pulled back in, Lauren wrapped both her arms around Angela’s neck. She laid her head down against her girlfriend’s shoulder. Angela pressed a kiss to her forehead. The two embraced as the swayed to the music.  

When Lauren went off to college, she had decided she would take a break from her failed love life and just focus on her studies. She never expected a fiery Communications Major to waltz into her life and make her fall in love again. She was grateful to have Angela in her life.

The two girls continued to hold each other and sway despite the music ending a few minutes ago.

“I love you, Lauren Cooper,” Angela whispered softly.

Lauren pulled back just enough so she could look her in the eye but not far enough to completely remove herself from the embrace. “I love you too, Angela Moreno.”

Lauren stood up on her tippy toes and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She carefully pulled Angela down as she deepened the kiss. The two girls laid down on the picnic blanket as they traded kisses. The beautiful sunset in the background completely forgotten.

It wasn’t until Lauren let out a small shiver did the two girls pull apart. Angela gave Lauren her jacket to keep her warm. The two girls cleaned up their picnic and decided to end the night.

Angela held Lauren’s hand while she walked her back to her dorm. Once they got there, she softly  kissed her goodnight before leaving for her own dorm. Lauren, still wrapped up in her girlfriend’s coat, stood in the doorway and watched her go.

When she re-entered her dorm room, Lauren had a fond smile on her face that stayed there for the rest of the night.

[eichy815]

Alexandria and the Optimistic, Game-Changing, Pretty Sweet, Very Good Play

By now, most people who follow politics know the name Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  On June 26 during New York’s congressional primaries, the 28-year-old community organizer pulled a surprise upset against incumbent U.S. Congressman Joe Crowley – the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House leadership who has been serving in Congress for nearly two decades.

According to Michael Kinnucan of Jacobin magazine, Ocasio-Cortez's dark horse candidacy came to fruition due to a number of factors.  Her electrifying campaign style and interpersonal presence mobilized her grassroots supporters, who turned out in droves for what would have otherwise been considered a sleepy, uneventful congressional primary in a reliably-Democratic district.  Also, Crowley's influence within the Democratic Party didn’t translate to loyalty from his constituents of New York’s 14th District.  The hybrid Bronx/Queens congressional district is largely composed of people of color, who were persuaded by the massive volunteer force upon which Ocasio-Cortez relied to disseminate her message.

Kinnucan also credits the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for helping the Ocasio-Cortez campaign go viral in the final weeks of the campaign.  In turn, they had raised enough money (roughly $100,000) to utilize necessary campaign infrastructure.  Crowley's perceived tone-deafness by his constituents did the rest.  In the end, she edged out Crowley by a difference of 4,000 votes (out of 27,000+ total votes cast)...which, although sounding narrow on paper, actually translated to a margin of fifteen percentage points separating the two of them.

If you look at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s platform, much of what she champions overlaps with the 2016 presidential platform of Bernie Sanders.  Some of it creeps into the Venn diagram occupied by the much-maligned Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

Ocasio-Cortez supports Medicare-For-All, an assault weapons ban, increased housing tax credits, and a federal jobs guarantee.  She mirrors Elizabeth Warren in her desire to see Glass-Steagall reinstated...and even goes so far as to embrace Stein’s platform plank of student debt cancellation.  Her stances emphasize the working class over the wealthy, as she seeks to raise the taxable income cap on Social Security and crack down on corporate lobbyists (specifically with full donor disclosure laws, until the point when Citizens United can be overturned).

When it comes to social issues, she also sings the tune of self-identified progressives.  Ocasio-Cortez is a strong voice of criminal justice reform, passing the DREAM Act, protecting reproductive rights, advancing LGBT equality, and achieving gender pay equity.  Her environmental platform emulates the “Green New Deal” touted by Jill Stein during Stein’s third-party presidential run.

Some of Ocasio-Cortez’s stances might be a harder sell when it comes to federal legislation.  She is pushing for tuition-free college and the abolition of ICE.  Without question, moderate Democrats and many centrists won’t be too keen on acquiescing to these positions.

But serving in Congress is about compromise and incrementalism.  Ocasio-Cortez knows this.  Much like Sanders and Stein, she is conceivably attempting to set the bar really high so that any future legislative reconciliation process will end up with more favorable results (in the eyes of progressives) than past sessions of Congress.

Her personal story is extremely captivating.  Ocasio-Cortez was born to a working-class Bronx family.  Puerto Rican on her mother’s side, as a young girl and a teenager she commuted 40 minutes to a public school in Yorktown – a Westchester County suburb that provided her a much more advantaged education than if she had attended school in her local urban New York City neighborhood.

During her young adulthood, Ocasio-Cortez was a congressional caseworker (focusing on immigration) in the office of the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA).  Beyond that, she worked with youth mentoring and literacy programs back in her home district.  Her father was diagnosed with cancer during The Great Recession, and she had to work double-shifts in restaurants to help her family pay his medical bills.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez channeled her life experiences and occupational knowledge as a working class Latina woman...and inspired legions of supporters to help her bring change to the 14th District.  But as she moves on to the General Election, additional hurdles await her.

New York allows candidates to run on multiple party lines for the General Election ballot, and Crowley had already received the endorsement of the smaller Working Families Party (while simultaneously competing to earn the Democratic Party’s nomination, once again, for his seat).  Due to an odd statute within New York state election laws, although Ocasio-Cortez will be the actual Democratic nominee for this seat in November, Crowley apparently isn’t allowed to take his name off the ballot unless he relocates his residence or convinces the WFP to endorse him for a different office.  So, as things stand right now, Crowley’s name will remain on the ballot even though he isn’t actively running.

At least, that’s what he says...right now.  After losing the primary, Crowley sportively praised Ocasio-Cortez on social media while publicly serenading her with a guitar-accompanied rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”   Yet, shortly after the primary results became known, former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) weighed in – publicly imploring Crowley to continue running against Ocasio-Cortez on the WPF line (much the same way Lieberman himself did, back in 2006 – forming his own temporary party and running against Ned Lamont in the General Election after Lieberman had been primaried out by Lamont in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary that year).

In Lieberman’s view, Ocasio-Cortez is a far leftist who is drastically out of the mainstream...even in her very liberal district.  

Never mind that Lieberman was a driving force behind why no public health care option ended up in the final version of the ACA back in 2010.  Lieberman ran a mealy-mouthed, disingenuous presidential campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2004 – four years after having further tainted the already-corrupt Al Gore presidential campaign with his anemic presence as Gore’s vice-presidential running mate.

Since having retired from the Senate in 2012, Joe Lieberman has spent the better part of his days consulting for white-collar criminal defense attorneys while also moonlighting as part of a few neoliberal think tanks.  He supported Betsy DeVos, the controversial Trump-appointed Education Secretary...right before interviewing with Trump for James Comey’s spot as FBI Director.  Interesting – given how Lieberman himself had endorsed Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election (even though he’d endorsed John McCain over Barack Obama, eight years earlier).

And, predictably, Fox News and other squawkers from the Far Right have vilified Ocasio-Cortez for her embrace of “Democratic socialism.”  They have portrayed her as a leftist caricature...probably because she’s successfully tapping into much of the anger and indignation that fueled Bernie Sanders supporters throughout 2016.

Lieberman and various neoconservatives most likely fear how Ocasio-Cortez represents a potential shift away from blatant favoritism toward Israel – on the foreign policy front – in favor of a two-state solution.  But even liberals who are well to the left of Lieberman seem poised to gun for Ocasio-Cortez (once she is inevitably seated in Congress).

The objections to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional candidacy are eerily similar to the huffing-and-puffing over former Sex and the City co-lead Cynthia Nixon’s insurgent gubernatorial challenge to incumbent Andrew Cuomo (running for what would be his third term as Governor) in September’s Democratic primary.  Although Nixon is vying to represent the entire state of New York (whereas Ocasio-Cortez would be representing one solitary congressional district located in The Big Apple), the two women have similar underdog stories when challenging the establishment favorites in Crowley and Cuomo.

Quite fittingly, Ocasio-Cortez and Nixon have begun openly campaigning together in the weeks leading up to Nixon’s showdown against Cuomo.  Even if Cuomo wins the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on September 13 (as most political observers expect him to), Nixon could go ahead and do exactly what Lieberman and his ilk are “encouraging” Crowley to do...she could run as an Independent gubernatorial candidate on the Working Families Party line.

Many Democrats fear that, if Nixon goes this route, she would split the left-of-center votes with Cuomo...and enable the presumed Republican nominee, Marcus Molinaro, to possibly eke out a plurality victory in November.  While this is certainly a possible scenario, it’s equally as likely that Libertarian nominee Larry Sharpe could siphon away right-of-center votes from Molinaro.  And then add Independent candidate Stephanie Miner (the former Mayor of Syracuse) to the mix:  Miner is running as an Independent with the blessing of the Serve America Movement, which has been attracting moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats alike.

A five-person race between Nixon, Cuomo, Molinaro, Sharpe, and Miner could prove to be both riveting and unpredictable...as this isn’t necessarily your standard midterm election year.  And, having aligned herself with Nixon, Ocasio-Cortez appears poised to encourage such a competitive, multi-party scenario.

This is probably why she scares the Andrew Cuomos and the Joe Liebermans and the Fox News hounds alike.  They want a continued, black-and-white, two-party duopoly.  They don’t want American voters to have a variety of choices.  Why do you think they are so resistant to enacting forms of Instant-Runoff Voting?

They fear losing their power and their stranglehold over the current system.

Isn’t it a wee bit hypocritical – and, dare I say, sexist – for people to demand that Nixon bow out of the gubernatorial race in deference to Cuomo...while simultaneously encouraging Crowley to embark upon a sour grapes renegade campaign against Ocasio-Cortez?

However the New York gubernatorial race shakes out, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not going away.  Whether or not Joe Crowley proceeds to campaign against her between now and November...she’s released a rabble-rousing genie from its bottle – and that genie isn’t going back in.

I say:  Good for her!  We need more Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezes in our U.S. Congress.  I may not agree with her 100% on every issue.  I’m a centrist who seeks middle ground when implementing solutions.  But I’m also a centrist who loathes the corruption and narcissism of people such as Joe Lieberman.  And, unfortunately for Joe Crowley, he failed to reject that ill-begotten philosophy during his last several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Now all Ms. Ocasio-Cortez needs to do is start talking more about the ignored-yet-pivotal issue of Sustainable Agriculture...and her tenacity could set off a wave that resonates across many states – and multiple party lines – for many election cycles ahead of us.

[jenmoboba]

Pay Stub Drop Box

My income is a valuable source of money for me for a variety of reasons; paying my bills, funding my education, buying a gift for my fiance, and just treating myself. More commonly now than ever, I see the ubiquity of companies and organizations emailing me and asking me for donations. The funny thing about donating is that its meaning has changed. Merriam Webster has defined “donate,” as “ give (money or goods) for a good cause, for example to a charity,” as well as giving the permission for organ removals, and transplants for emergency medical procedures. Nowadays, donating means recurring payments that are tax-deductible, and earn you a name slot on their platinum donor circle, or get you a free gift on behalf of your local church. 

Donating has lost all meaning. Instead of voluntary donations, and contributing at my own will, I almost feel guilty for not having ten more dollars to fund the adoption of a seal that needs a fin removed. So many organizations kneel at the empty wallets of taxpayers bloviating about their 501 C3 form, and how their nonprofit is different from every other nonprofit. 

Let’s just do a breakdown of where our tax dollars are going before considering donating to other organizations. First, and foremost, the largest margin of our federal tax taken out goes towards the national defense. I am proud to fund the brave efforts of our servicemen and women, and it is a small price to pay, for their brave sacrifice and call to service. Secondly, the other bigger portions of our taxes go towards health care, job security, family security, education and job training, and lastly, veteran’s benefits. These are all important aspects of our government, especially job training. Everyone appreciates getting paid for their job training, but does anyone ever think of where that money comes from? The next bracket of trickle-down taxes includes natural resources, international affairs, science programs, administration of justice, agriculture, regional development, natural disasters, and a few other miscellaneous programs. Our taxes are already funding many of the organizations that we want to support and should be supporting. 

At this point, our paychecks are already being distributed to charities, and organizations that give back to the American people. This sadly doesn’t stop organizations from pandering the importance of their program. When I was going into and leaving Walmart yesterday, I saw the disappointment in kids’ faces when I didn’t fund their disabled kids’ summer camp. Now I know this makes me look bad, but as a college student that is barely able to scrape by paying my bills, I shouldn’t be insulted for not donating hard earned money for kids to attend a summer camp. 

A lot of people urge me to donate to the Red Cross, whether it be as a volunteer, or with my own Dracula mug of B positive blood. I understand that this is all in good-natured thinking, but after thorough research, I discovered that the Red Cross is not a good organization to donate to. They claim that 91 cents of every dollar donated are used for humanitarian efforts, however, that has been proven not true by many sources, and they refuse to reveal their spending breakdowns due to the sacrosanct nature of their “trade secrets.”

See here? Donation pages often contain cute, and adorable symbols that could cause you to pull out your credit card under false pretenses. Don’t fall victim to the clutches of the animated and hand-drawn heart before researching the organization first. 

Locks of Love is another organization that others love to urge me to donate to. Although they make hairpieces and wigs for those who are terminally ill, they don’t use up to 80 percent of hair because they don’t meet the “standards.” If I were a terminally ill cancer patient, I would care more about having hair rather than if the hair met the certified pre-owned inspection checklist. 

And then there are homeless people. With homeless people and their carefully phrased cardboard signs, it’s difficult to tell who is an actual homeless person as opposed to a middle-class citizen posing as a homeless person. I understand that there are well-meaning homeless people that have reached a temporarily rock-bottom point in their lives, and struggle to find a purpose, but there are steps that they can take to better their lives. They can search for their local unemployment office, they can volunteer with an organization to establish credibility, and they can ask people for jobs and tasks. 

I always encourage people to think about the sunny-side-up perspective on a situation instead of being pessimistic for one simple reason: “Too blessed to be stressed.” We live in a world full of infinite opportunities, and we have so much to give, to be caught up in temporary setbacks and disappointments. Instead of holding up an empty soda cup hoping for a donation, ask the food joint if they are hiring. If you are upset that you aren’t earning a livable wage, search for a similar job with a company that pays better. 

I just started a caregiving job with a local nursing home that I love, paying my respects to my grandmother who depended on a hospice service. I am so thankful to have a job, and it means so much to me. The money that I make isn’t spent on drugs, casinos, or smoking, but it pays the bills that I have and is going to pay my fall semester bill for the beginning of my sophomore year. I mean this in the nicest way, my income is not up for charity. My income is not up for auction, nor sold to the highest bidding nonprofit with the best marketing skills. My income is not a welcome sign for your unsolicited messages of donation, nor is it a suggestion box for you to insult when I refuse to donate. 

I pay my taxes. I vote. I do everything in my power to be the best American citizen I can be, and donating to your organization is not an obligation. I shouldn’t have to feel guilty about not saving that animal from a kill shelter that aired on an ASPCA commercial when I have no idea how old the advertisement is, or where my donation would be going. I could be sent a “confirmation picture,” of any random animal, and wouldn’t really have any satisfaction of knowing that my donation made an actual difference.  

This banner is from the Ali Forney Center, an appeal to pathos, convincing you to donate to protect homeless youth, and depicting you as homophobic and enabling LGBT youth to be homeless because of your lack of donating and compassion. This is what I hate about donations. They make you feel guilty if you don’t donate. They use hearts, hands, and loveable animals to lure you into their donation forms and say a generic thank you afterward, only because you blindly supported their organization. 

There’s even a chance your local McDonald’s or Walmart interrupted your transaction for a brief moment to ask if you wanted to donate. More often than not, it’s for a poor demographic.

Those are just my thoughts on donating, and how its message has become misconstrued and distorted over the years.