#we the youth dissent

[youthdissent]

[ID: A light red square post with a centered, black, bold, all-caps heading at the top that reads "Take action against the Supreme Court with queer and trans youth at a protest near you!" in all caps. In the bottom left corner is a pink text bubble with black body text inside that reads "Swipe to learn about four upcoming We, the Youth, Dissent protests!". To the right are two people. One is tan with brown and blue short curly hair, and the other is pale with a blue curly mullet. They are holding a sign that says "Stand against racism" in all-caps black lettering. End ID.]

[ID: A light red square post with a black, bold, all-caps heading at the top that reads "Join us in San Diego, CA and Colombia, SC". Below this in a centered pink rounded rectangle is smaller black body text that reads "San Diego, CA Waterfront Park/City Hall, 8/5 @ 12-2PM, connorl@queeryouthassemble.org". After a space there is more black body text that reads "Columbia, SC State Capitol - North Grounds, 8/5 @ 1-2:30PM, faithc@queeryouthassemble.org". End ID.]

[ID: A light red square post with a black, bold, all-caps heading at the top that reads "Join us in Atlanta, GA and Austin, TX". Below this in a centered pink rounded rectangle is smaller black body text that reads "Atlanta, GA - State Capitol - 8/26 @ 10:00 AM - faithc@queeryouthassemble.org". After a space there is more black body text that reads "Austin, TX - State Capitol - 9/23@ 6:00 PM - faithc@queeryouthassemble.org". End ID.]

[queeryouthassemble]

[ID: A dark orange square post, with a light orange rounded rectangle taking up the top half, with an all-caps heading that reads "Join Queer and Trans youth in protesting the Supreme Court". Below this is a group of four people standing side by side. The one on the far right has pale skin, blonde and blue short wavy hair, and is holding a brown sign that reads "Power to the people" in all-caps. To their left is a person with brown skin and brown curly short hair holding a beige sign that reads "defend LGBTQ civil rights" in all-caps. Beside them are two people with tan skin, one with orange curly hair, and the other with dark brown and blue curly hair and glasses. End ID.]

[ID: A dark orange square post with a light oval at the top that surrounds an all-caps heading which reads "We need your help!". Below this is smaller text that reads "We, the youth of the United States, have had enough of the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and refuse to stand idly by. Queer Youth Assemble invites everyone, regardless of age & identity, to join us in protesting against recent SCOTUS decisions. We need YOUR help to make all of our voices heard! With the decisions on affirmative action, LGBTQIA+ rights, and student debt relief, the impact on youth across the country through our education, finance, and self-expression is inarguable. While things can feel hopeless, we want to remind youth that you hold more power than you realize and together, we can create a difference against injustice." End ID.]

[ID: A dark orange square post with a pale oval at the top that surrounds an all-caps heading which reads "Join our Youth Dissent protest". Below this is smaller text that reads "Take action with Queer Youth Assemble and help us organize nationwide Youth Dissent* protests against the Supreme Court! We are a nonprofit run by queer youth, for queer youth and we can use all the help we can get! Email us at youthdissent@queeryouthassemble.org to get involved or ask us any questions!" This text wraps around an image of a person with light skin, a blue mullet, and a shirt that has the genderqueer symbol in a heart on it, who is holding a white sign which reads "We the people means EVERYONE". In the bottom right corner in very small texts reads "*A dissent is a party's disagreement with majority opinion." End ID.]

[ID: A dark orange square post with a light oval at the top that surrounds an all-caps white heading which reads "Educate yourself and others". Below this is smaller black text that reads Check out QYA's posts about recent Supreme Court decisions regarding affirmative action and LGBTQ+ rights! Starting the conversation with loved ones and your local community is a great way to start! Folks often don't take action due to lack of awareness or simply feeling defenseless against a greater power. It's crucial to understand that community is what makes our voices powerful. That effort towards education is the first step." Beside this text is a white person with brown curly hair who is holding a white sign reading "Queer people will not be erased" in pink all-caps lettering. End ID.]

[ID: A dark orange square post with a light orange oval at the top that surrounds an all-caps white heading which reads "Get your community involved". Below this is smaller black text reading "Reach out to local organizations and LGBTQ+ centers to find out if they're taking any action. Encourage them to join QYA's rapid response efforts to help raise awareness for the cause!". Below this text are two people. The one on the left has white pale skin and a red mullet, and is holding a pamphlet with the trans flag and a binder on it. The person on the right has brown skin and dark brown and blue hair, and is holding a brown sign that reads "stand against racism" in all-caps black lettering. End ID.]

[ID: A dark orange square post, with a light orange rounded rectangle taking up the top half, with an all-caps heading that reads "join local QYA events." Below that smaller black text reads "Keep an eye out for more news about our upcoming rapid response efforts!" At the bottom of the page are three illustrated people, standing side-by-side, drawn from the waist up. Each holds a sign with one word, reading "protect trans kids" from left to rights. The people are of varying appearances and characteristics. End ID.]

[blooms-in-april]

In Oxenfurt there is a sacred tradition, which no one dares encroach upon: no one can be arrested during a theatre performance. And the scholars of Oxenfurt, for all their learning, are a dramatic, suspicious sort, and so the law stands. It's been taken advantage of by many a drunk and disorderly student, taking refuge in the audience of the Grand Theatre to evade the guard, until inevitably, the curtain falls and their reprieve is over.

When they come to arrest Professor Pankrantz, his students won't have it. He had come back to them quiet and broken this winter, more careless with his dissent, more bold in his defiance. He did not seem to care when the warrant was put out for his arrest, as an elvish sympathizer, a sodomite, and a conspirator against Nilfgaard.

"He knows the White Wolf will save him. He always does." Essi had said with false confidence, but the weeks pass and the university's protection wanes and the White Wolf does not come.

"He's not coming." Adrien whispers, hunched over his songbook. "We must do something."

"We will," Essi responds.

When he hears the guards outside his office, Jaskier puts down his quill for the last time. He swings open the door.

"Gentlemen!" He says. The armored faces are featureless, unmoving. "How would you like me?" They grab and cuff him hard across the head, then frogmarch him down the hall. His head rings like a great bell tolling the hour. He can feel the blood trickling out his ear.

There is a great crash, and a scuffle, and a large hand grabs him by the elbow. "Geralt." He whispers.

But it's not. Jeremiah smiles awkwardly, and holds his dented tuba in one hand. "I used to be a blacksmith before this." The quiet youth says. "Never thought it would come in handy again."

"My dear boy." Jaskier says as he's pulled along. "You shouldn't have. You saved my life."

"Your tutoring saved mine during finals. I think we're even, Professor."

Jaskier is hurried in through the backstage door, crowded with students carrying instruments, costumes, sheet music, and props. They all part way to let him through. "Top box, Professor." Essi says, hurrying him. "We saved it just for you."

He sits down, bewildered, as the guards shout outside and the orchestra tunes frantically. The curtain opens just as the guards make it into the auditorium. Everything hushes in that special breath before a show.

Essi steps on stage.

"Thank you and welcome to the members of the Oxenfurt Academy faculty, staff, and student body who have come to support this performance," she says. "We'd also like to welcome representatives of various law enforcement communities who have chosen to join us in the Academy Grand Theatre tonight. In the spirit of the arts, leave all discord at the door, and please enjoy this special performance by the students of Oxenfurt - 'The Adversities of Loving', a tribute to the life and works of Professor Julian Alfred Pankrantz."

She bows. The audience applauds. The play begins.

[warningsine]

Bangladeshi student protesters stormed a prison and freed hundreds of inmates Friday as police struggled to quell unrest, with huge rallies in the capital Dhaka despite a police ban on public gatherings.

This week's clashes have killed at least 105 people, according to an AFP count of victims reported by hospitals, and emerged as a momentous challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's autocratic government after 15 years in office.

Student protesters stormed a jail in the central Bangladeshi district of Narsingdi and freed the inmates before setting the facility on fire, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"I don't know the number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds," he added.

Dhaka's police force took the drastic step of banning all public gatherings for the day -- a first since protests began -- in an effort to forestall another day of violence.

"We've banned all rallies, processions and public gatherings in Dhaka today," police chief Habibur Rahman told AFP, adding the move was necessary to ensure "public safety".

That did not stop another round of confrontations between police and protesters around the sprawling megacity of 20 million people, despite an internet shutdown aimed at frustrating the organisation of rallies.

"Our protest will continue," Sarwar Tushar, who joined a march in the capital and sustained minor injuries when it was violently dispersed by police, told AFP.

"We want the immediate resignation of Sheikh Hasina. The government is responsible for the killings."

'Shocking and unacceptable'

At least 52 people were killed in the capital on Friday, according to a list drawn up by the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and seen by AFP.

Police fire was the cause of more than half of the deaths reported so far this week, based on descriptions given to AFP by hospital staff.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the attacks on student protesters were "shocking and unacceptable".

"There must be impartial, prompt and exhaustive investigations into these attacks, and those responsible held to account," he said in a statement.

The capital's police force earlier said protesters had on Thursday torched, vandalised and carried out "destructive activities" on numerous police and government offices.

Among them was the Dhaka headquarters of state broadcaster Bangladesh Television, which remains offline after hundreds of incensed students stormed the premises and set fire to a building.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP that officers had arrested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, one of the top leaders of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

"He faces hundreds of cases," Hossain said, without giving further details on the reasons for Ahmed's detention.

'Symbol of a system'

Near-daily marches this month have called for an end to a quota system that reserves more than half of civil service posts for specific groups, including children of veterans from the country's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

Critics say the scheme benefits children of pro-government groups that back Hasina, 76, who has ruled the country since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.

Hasina's government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including by the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Her administration this week ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely as police stepped up efforts to bring the deteriorating law and order situation under control.

"This is an eruption of the simmering discontent of a youth population built over years due to economic and political disenfranchisement," Ali Riaz, a politics professor at Illinois State University, told AFP.

"The job quotas became the symbol of a system which is rigged and stacked against them by the regime."

'Nation-scale' internet shutdown

Students say they are determined to press on with protests despite Hasina giving a national address earlier this week on the now-offline state broadcaster seeking to calm the unrest.

Nearly half of Bangladesh's 64 districts reported clashes on Thursday, broadcaster Independent Television reported.

The network said more than 700 people had been wounded throughout Thursday including 104 police officers and 30 journalists.

London-based watchdog NetBlocks said Friday that a "nation-scale" internet shutdown remained in effect a day after it was imposed.

"Metrics show connectivity flatlining at 10% of ordinary levels, raising concerns over public safety as little news flows in or out of the country," it wrote on social media platform X.

(AFP)

[zvaigzdelasas]

"We are joining millions of people across the US and around the world in demanding an end to Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and its decades-long occupation of Palestine," said Ellie Tang, an organiser with the anti-war youth organisation Dissenters.

"We urge Congress and Biden to hear the calls of millions of us living in this country and push for a ceasefire. Until Congress blocks the bombs, we will." [...]

The blockage was organised by Dissenters, St Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee, Black Men Build St Louis, the Boeing Arms Genocide Campaign, and Resist St Louis. The activists are calling for two immediate actions: firstly, for Congress and Biden to demand an immediate halt to hostilities, and secondly, to halt arms sales to Israel. They are also urging communities to persistently partake in direct action aimed at Boeing and other firms benefiting from Israel's occupation. "We want Congress to know what it looks like to take brave action. And that we will not wait for their timelines to actualise demands of ceasefire," said Su Mac, an artist and organiser. "As taxpayers, we all have blood on our hands. Congress must act before they are etched into history books as complicit in a genocide the country called on them to stop. The whole world is watching."

6 Nov 23

[anexperimentallife]

The US far right has been working on their plan since AT LEAST the 1960s, when I was a kid listening to evangelicals talking about their plan to take over the US, and eventually the world. It's called "Christian Dominionism," and it's a fascist ideology which goes hand in glove with the GOP's plans.

Although it was not expressed so much to the world at large, this plan was OPENLY and FREQUENTLY discussed in far right circles. We kids, if we asked about it, were told that it was "God's Will." Ask any exvangelical about it, and they'll confirm. (Part of why I know so much about these dangerous and deluded folks is I WAS ONE OF THEM in my youth.)

And where has that plan gotten them? Well, the GOP recently released a hundreds of pages long document filled with their intentions if they win--including a nationwide abortion ban and a repeal of anti-discrimination laws, among other things.

Trump has already signaled his intent to create a military dictatorship if elected, by repealing laws against using the military against US citizens on US soil sp he can deploy them against dissenters, etc., and if the GOP pick up a few more congressional seats, he can do it. The GOP has already pushed to repeal presidential term limits, and Trump has indicated he'd like to be president for life.

So I'm amazed at all the people who think withholding their vote and letting the GOP win is going to somehow fix things and "push the Dems left."

You wanna know how to push US politics leftward? You're not gonna like it, because it takes actual work beyond stomping your foot and pouting and performatively showing everyone how "pure" you are by refusing to vote.

You have to start the same way the far right did (and again, they've been OPENLY talking about and pursuing this plan since I was a kid in the 1960s, AT LEAST)--they started by getting the most extreme right wingers they possibly could into any position they could. Positions like school board member, police chief, sherrif, city prosecuter, city council member, municipal judge, mayor, governor, hell, fucking dog catcher.

They encouraged far right extremists to become police officers and military personnel and work their way up the ranks to the point at which even the famously-racist FBI reported that major city police departments across the nation were pretty much taken over by members of white supremacist organizations.

In formerly reasonable churches, right wingers pushed for the hiring and training of more and more right wing pastors and mire right-wing theology.

More affluent right-wingers bought local papers and broadcasters, and as their political power grew, they changed laws to make it easier for a single entity to control the news--until now a mere handful of entities own nearly every major media outlet in the US.

And then they used every victory as leverage for the next one, and worked their way up. I mean, there's more, like the capitalization on economic and social anxiety and their inentional exacerbation of same so they could take advantage of it, but that's intertwined with the rest.

Essentially, they got this far because they put the work in.

If the US left is going to turn things around (and if it's not already too late), we've got to do the same, but it takes RESEARCHING and PROMOTING your local and state candidates, attending city council and school board meetings, and shit like that. It's actual fucking work to fix a country.

And then, after you've done all that--and after you've shown up to primaries to try to get any non-authoritarian leftist candidate you can nominated--then you vote for the leftest folks you're able to in the general. If there are no remotely leftist candidates, you vote for the centrist or right winger who will do the least damage.

Again, that's what the US far right has been doing for decades. Taking action. Wherever possible, taking new ground, but when they couldn't do that, ceding as little ground as possible. If they couldn't win, they made damn sure to do everything in their power to try to keep actual decent human beings from winning.

Actually doing the work doesn't have the emotional satisfaction of a grand gesture, but it definitely shows who is serious about making a difference and who would rather let everything burn than sully their imagined purity by voting for anything less than perfection.

Listen, Trump is not going to end the genocide in Gaza--in fact he increased tensions between the Israeli occupation and Palestine. And the GOP will never be persuaded. Hell, they want to let Russia take Ukraine and declare open season on asylum seekers.

The Dems suck. But the GOP is far, far worse, and will do MORE damage, and kill FAR MORE innocents. And if allowed to do so, will make it even harder to change the system than it is now. They've already PUBLICLY ADMITTED that their only chance of victory is keeping people from voting. Don't play into their hands.

Under current circumstances, you know what the Dems are going to do if Biden and a bunch of other Dems lose for not being pure enough? You think they'll be all like, "Oh, no! The left sure taught us a lesson by handing the country to the GOP! We'd better shift to the left!"

No. They're going to sip champagne in their multi-million dollar mansions and have meetings about how they need to move FURTHER RIGHT to win elections, because the left doesn't vote.

And if the US becomes a military dictatorship, most of the high ranking ones will simply take their fortunes and leave.

Yup, it'd sure teach ol' Joe a lesson to force him to spend the rest of his days sipping cocktails on the Riviera.

Look beyond the single battle and think strategically. That's how the GOP keeps gaining power. And refusing to act strategically is why the left is losing. We cannot take the hill we want right now. But if we lose the hills we've already taken, we risk losing the entire goddamn war.

So fucking vote. Work to get every leftist you can in any office you can. And if you can't do that, support the one who will do the least harm.

And if it takes voting for that shitbag Biden to keep Trump and the GOP out, hold your fucking nose and pull the goddamn lever.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

So how about some angst romance stuff

Goat!Reader was dating and perhaps married to Sozo when Sozo switched back to Dr. Sozonius and they aren't in love anymore, just. Sozonius doesn't remember anything from when he was Sozo, and reader loves Sozo, not Sozonius

"What did you do to him?"

Lamb jumped a little upon hearing the sound of a follower slamming the doors to their temple wide open, as they were in the midst of preparing for the next ritual.

They would have earned the harshest scolding if not for the fact it was you, the goat who decided to join their cult out of your own volition.

You were also the one who was wedded to Sozo--Anura's mushroom researcher who was driven to madness, died due to shroom overdose, and revived within the cult grounds..before finally being restored back to his old self.

All it took was simply depriving him (or rather the parasite on his head) of those same shrooms that once killed him. The fungus simply shriveled up and died, turning into nothing more than dust.

It ended up revealing his true age: as an elderly soul with little time left, but Lamb figured out a "fountain of youth" of sorts...and soon they and their followers got to know Dr. Sozonius.

One of the most intelligent scientists in all of the Old Faith.

Knowing how much he meant to you, Lamb would have thought you, of all people, would've been elated and thanking them endlessly for the "miracles" they somehow made happen, and brought your spouse back to you. Free of the parasite that took him away.

But for some reason..you were doing the exact opposite: condemning them in their own temple.

Why, though?

"I kept my promise. I told you I'd cure him, and I did..didn't I?" They hummed, closing their book as they stared down at you from behind the podium, wondering why you still looked so resentful.

"Lies. You killed the ant I loved."

Now it was their turn to be crossed. "[Y/n], you shouldn't be calling your divine leader a li-"

"He doesn't remember me at all!"

"....what?" Their eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "I mean..the fungi may have messed with his mind, and his memories aren't what they-"

"No..he..h-he doesn't know who I am anymore." Tears filled your eyes, gripping the sleeves of your robe. "He knows nothing of our vows..our wedding bands..the Mushroomos...not even how we met. He looks at me like a stranger. Like I'm the one eating shrooms!"

Their eyes widened a little, initially shocked by this revelation, but they were quick to double down with a scowl. "Listen, I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Truly, I am. But there's no way I could have known that was going to happen. You were wedded to an intelligent doctor, and I did my best to restore him. Just like you asked-"

"No...no, no, no...I never loved "Dr. Sozonius", Lamb. I loved Sozo."

A pause.

"You...never knew him as...?"

"No. When I got lost in Anura, his followers took me in..to the Spore Grotto. And Sozo..he showed that he cared, even if the fungi made him say some..questionable things. At times, I didn't know if he loved me for me or for the shrooms I've found across Heket's domain. But what we had...was real." You swallowed back more tears, your voice thick with emotion. "At our wedding, he..e-equated my love to being as addicting as those shrooms. And that day...I knew it wasn't the fungi talking, but his heart. He loved me, and now..he doesn't even know my name..."

As Lamb listened to your grief-striken ramblings, they felt their ears droop slightly more and more with each passing second. Yet their gaze remained firm as they stepped down from the podium, eyes full of sympathy.

"[Y/n], the Sozo you knew..it..it wasn't the real him. He was miserable, addicted. It was the fungi that convinced you-"

"Enough with the lies, damned Lamb.."

They stopped, noticing how you stared back at them with such hatred in your eyes...and he could see red starting to glow within them.

Indeed, they were eyes of a dissenter.

"Excuse me?"

"You killed my beloved, and replaced him with an impostor." You spat angrily, stomping your hoof as you sneered down at the sheep. "You think I'll accept him as that? The others will know my story...how you destroyed our love. You wouldn't hesitate to do the same to other couples, would you?!"

"You've got this all wrong, [y/n]. Sozonius is his real identity-"

"LIES!! ALL LIES!! I ONLY LOVED SOZO!!"

In blind rage, you raised your hand up--but before you could take any sort of action, their Red Crown manifested a giant shadowy claw that grabbed ahold of your ankle, tripping you.

As you grunted from the initial pain of your horns hitting the hardwood floors, you saw Lamb now sneering down at you this time.

"You were in love with a parasite. The monster that killed him in the first place. I cured him, set his mind free, restored his happiness and youth....and you repay me like this? With a threat to strike me?!" Sharp teeth began appearing in their mouth, and you could only stare back at them, shuddering a bit. "You'd rather see him suffer over and over again..than accept this is the real him?"

"I-I..refuse to accept this impostor you created."

"You will soon enough. But for now..I believe reeducation is an order. To show you that he's better off this way. Perhaps better off without you and your obsession." Lamb huffed, dragging you outside as you thrashed and clawed at the grass, all while the bewildered followers watched you being taken to the pillories.

Among them was Sozonius, who looked confused and a bit saddened when you called out his name.

"Sozo".

He didn't think you two were well-acquainted enough to warrant the nickname you've given him, and he didn't understand why you kept calling him that since the day he gained clarity and found himself chained up in the same pillory you were in now.

Except...you had no clarity, but rather started babbling nonsense about "love" and how Lamb lied to you.

He did pity you, yet at the same time was a little scared that you've mentioned a "wedding" like you both were already married.

But you weren't...right? He was a mushroom researcher, always on the go until he decided to settle down in Lamb's cult. He wouldn't have time for marriage.

How he wishes he could help you sort out these thoughts and let go of this "fantasy" you're living out. Maybe then, he'd be more willing to get to know more about you.

Until that happens, though, hopefully Lamb's methods of reeducation could help you.

[nats-revival]

Not they tryna reenact KOSA… anyway yall, here’s why KOSA is bad!!

If you don’t already know, KOSA, or Kids Online Safety Act is a bill that was proposed to keep children safe on the internet. You might ask ‘why is this bill bad if it’s in favor of supporting the safety of children online’? Well, according to stopkosa.com, it puts pressure on platforms to add even MORE filters on anything they think is inappropriate for children. This is especially harmful for LBGTQIA+ youth because the knowledge about this topic would be censored, as well as knowledge on suicide prevention and LGBTQIA+ support groups. Do you see how this an issue? For those children who are wanting to learn more about these topics they’d be turned away because of this bill. It would also be likely that it’ll allow the shutdown of websites that allow them to learn about race, sexuality and gender.

This bill would also add more internet surveillance for all users across all social media platforms. It would expand the use of age verification and parental monitoring controls. These things in itself are already very invasive, but doesn’t take into consideration the children who live in unsafe environments where they are domestically abused and/or are trying to escape these situations. To add my two cents onto this, I strongly believe that the KOSA bill is an unnecessary violation of our first amendment rights (if you’re American), and doesn’t really make the internet any more safer. It actually makes it more unusable for youth. Hypothetically, if this bill were to be passed, then this would make social media unusable for literally anybody. To censor content from the youth about wanting to learn about their identity is extremely harmful. Blocking them from accessing resources that may prove as helpful in their scenarios is outlandish and unneeded. We try to shelter our youth so much to the point where we try to boil them down to only being with their parents want them to be and also not being able to let them learn and explore about other things that they may want to identify themselves with. This is very harmful.

This is a list of companies who are saying no to KOSA ..

• Access Now

• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

• Black and Pink National

• Center for Democracy & Technology

• COLAGE

• Defending Rights & Dissent

• Don’t Delete Art

• EducateUS: SIECUS In Action

• Electronic Frontier Foundation

• Equality Arizona

• Equality California

• Equality Michigan

• Equality New Mexico

• Equality Texas

• Fair Wisconsin

• Fairness Campaign

• Fight for the Future

• Free Speech Coalition

• Freedom Network USA

• Indivisible Eastside

• Indivisible Plus Washington

• Internet Society

• Kairos

• Lexington Pride Center

• LGBT Technology Partnership

• Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

• Media Justice

• National Coalition Against Censorship

• Open Technology Institute

• OutNebraska

• PDX Privacy

• Presente.org

• Reframe Health and Justice

• Restore The Fourth

• SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change

• SWOP Behind Bars 

• TAKE

• TechFreedom

• The 6:52 Project Foundation, Inc.

• The Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center

• Transgender Education Network of Texas

• TransOhio

• University of Michigan Dearborn – Muslim Student Association 

• URGE

• WA People’s Privacy

• Woodhull Freedom Foundation

There is something you can do to stop the KOSA bill from being passed! On the website I linked, there is a petition. All you have to do is fill out the information and it’ll send off an email for you. The email reads as follows:

I’m writing to urge you to reject the Kids Online Safety Act, a misguided bill that would put vulnerable young people at risk. KOSA would fail to address the root issues related to kid’s safety online. Instead, it would endanger some of the most vulnerable people in our society while undermining human rights and children’s privacy. The bill would result in widespread internet censorship by pressuring platforms to use incredibly broad “content filters” and giving state Attorneys General the power to decide what content kids should and shouldn’t have access to online. This power could be abused in a number of ways and be politicized to censor information and resources. KOSA would also likely lead to the greater surveillance of children online by requiring platforms to gather data to verify user identity. There is a way to protect kids and all people online from egregious data abuse and harmful content targeting: passing a strong Federal data privacy law that prevents tech companies from collecting so much sensitive data about all of us in the first place, and gives individuals the ability to sue companies that misuse their data. KOSA, although well-meaning, must not move forward. Please protect privacy and stop the spread of censorship online by opposing KOSA.

The website also gives you like a format of what you can say if you chose to call your representatives. If after reading this post, you feel inclined to do something then I would say just go ahead and do it. My first time learning about KOSA was today immediately after seeing the post I felt inclined to send my lawmakers an email. Please try to help when you can and this will only take a few minutes so I think this is something that you can consider. This post is getting a little long now, so I’ll stop here. There are more resources online if you would like to learn more about the cons of this KOSA bill, thank you for reading.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

NYPD brutalizes, arrests, and hospitalizes multiple protestors, including WOL Leader

Tonight, the NYPD unleashed the full force of their violence against New York’s Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities in an attempt block us from protesting the United Nations as the General Assembly commences this week. WOL leader Abdullah Akl was violently arrested and sent to the hospital tonight. Dozens of others were also brutally attacked by SRG officers who clearly targeted Muslim youth leaders, as the unit serves to criminalize Black and Brown communities.

Thousands of New Yorkers took to the streets today after “israel” massacred over 500 people in Lebanon on Monday. As the US demonstrates its barbaric support for the genocidal Zionist project and opposition to it grows worldwide, the NYPD has escalated its brutality against our movement.

Our community is subjected to extreme state violence in a clear effort to deter the people from righteous dissent as our taxes and politicians fuel a genocide and regional war.

Following months of barbaric brutality from the NYPD, we demand:

1. The resignation of Eric Adams

2. The disbandment of the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group

3. Shut down NYPD’s office in occupied Palestine

Read our full statement here:

[mariacallous]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths Friday, rejecting pleas from parents that it violates their right to decide on and seek medical care for their children.

The 8-1 ruling from the all-Republican court leaves in place a law that has been in effect since Sept. 1, 2023. Texas is the largest of at least 25 states that have adopted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.

The Texas law prevents transgender people under 18 from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition surgeries, though surgical procedures are rarely performed on children. Children who had already started the medications had to taper off their use.

“We conclude the Legislature made a permissible, rational policy choice to limit the types of available medical procedures for children, particularly in light of the relative nascency of both gender dysphoria and its various modes of treatment and the Legislature’s express constitutional authority to regulate the practice of medicine,” Justice Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle wrote in the court’s decision.

The lawsuit that challenged the Texas law argued it devastates transgender teens who are unable to obtain critical treatment recommended by their physicians and parents. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates about 29,800 people ages 13-17 in Texas identify as transgender.

The only justice dissenting with Friday’s ruling said the Texas Supreme Court was allowing the state to “legislate away fundamental parental rights.”

“The State’s categorical statutory prohibition prevents these parents, and many others, from developing individualized treatment plans for their children in consultation with their physicians, even the children for whom treatment could be lifesaving,” Justice Debra Lehrmann wrote in a dissenting opinion. “The law is not only cruel — it is unconstitutional.”

A lower court had ruled the law unconstitutional, but it was allowed to take effect while the state Supreme Court considered the case.

Texas’ Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, vowed in a post on the social platform X after the ruling that his office “will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that doctors and medical institutions follow the law.”

Advocates criticized the ruling.

“It is impossible to overstate the devastating impact of this ruling on Texas transgender youth and the families that love and support them,” said Karen Loewy, senior counsel and director of Constitutional Law Practice at Lambda Legal, which was among the groups that sued the state on behalf of doctors and families.

“Our government shouldn’t deprive trans youth of the health care that they need to survive and thrive,” said Ash Hall, policy and advocacy strategist for LGBTQIA+ rights at ACLU of Texas. “Texas politicians’ obsession with attacking trans kids and their families is needlessly cruel.”

The law includes exemptions for children experiencing early puberty or who have “a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development.”

Such exemptions underscore the law’s discriminatory nature, said Dr. Jack Drescher, a psychiatry professor at Columbia University who edited the section about gender dysphoria in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual. Gender dysphoria is the psychological distress experienced by those whose gender expression does not match their gender identity and is a required diagnosis before treatments can begin.

“They’re saying if you’re not a transgender child and you need these drugs, you can have them, but if you’re a transgender child who might benefit from these drugs, then sorry, you have to move to another state,” Drescher said.

The restrictions on health care are part of a larger backlash against transgender rights, touching on everything from bathroom access to participation in sports. Former President Donald Trump has vowed to pursue other measures that would restrict the rights of transgender people if he wins the November election, including a ban on gender-affirming care for minors at the federal level.

As more states move to enforce health care restrictions, families of transgender youths are increasingly forced to travel out of state for the care they need at clinics with growing waiting lists. At least 13 states have laws protecting care for transgender minors.

Most of the states that have passed restrictions face lawsuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear an appeal from the Biden administration attempting to block state bans on gender-affirming care. The case before the high court involves a Tennessee law that restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors, similar to the Texas law.

Gender-affirming care for transgender youths is supported by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the Endocrine Society.

In a concurring opinion, one justice dismissed the position of the medical groups.

“The fact that expert witnesses or influential interest groups like the American Psychiatric Association disagree with the Legislature’s judgment is entirely irrelevant to the constitutional question,” Justice James Blacklock wrote. “The Texas Constitution authorizes the Legislature to regulate ‘practitioners of medicine.’”

Texas officials defended the law as necessary to protect children and noted a myriad of other restrictions for minors on tattoos, alcohol, tobacco and certain over-the-counter drugs.

Several doctors who treat transgender children testified in a lower court hearing that patients risk deteriorating mental health, which could possibly lead to suicide, if they are denied safe and effective treatment.

The ban was signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, the first governor to order the investigation of families of transgender minors who receive gender-affirming care.

[youthdissent]

[ID: A yellow square post with a light yellow rounded rectangle taking up the top two thirds, with large, black, bold, all-caps text that reads "California! join queer and trans youth in protesting the Supreme Court". In the bottom right corner there is smaller bold black text that reads "Join us in San Diego, CA." Non-bold black text below this reads "at the San Diego Waterfront Park/City Hall on August 9th from 12:00-2:00PM PST!". In the bottom left corner is a drawing of a person with light tan skin and mid-length green curly hair using a wheelchair and holding a progress flag. End ID.]

[ID: A yellow square post with a light yellow rounded square in the middle that takes up most of the post. Inside there is a heading in all-caps, bold, black text that reads "We, The Youth, Dissent". Below this is smaller black text which reads "The Supreme Court has recently targeted areas of our everyday lives that impact our finances, education, and our freedom of self-expression. With the rulings impacting student debt relief, lgbtqia+ rights, and affirmative action, we have had enough. Queer Youth Assemble has created Youth Dissent as a way to highlight the impact of these recent Supreme Court rulings especially on minority groups within the lgbtqia+ community. The intersectionality of these rulings is too large to ignore and we the youth, dissent." End ID.]

[ID: A yellow square post with a light yellow rounded square in the middle that takes up most of the post. Inside there is a heading in all-caps, bold, black text that reads "What should I bring?". Below this is smaller black text which reads "Here's a quick list of things you might want to bring with you to your upcoming demonstration. Keep an eye out for our resource guides on organizing and protesting coming out this week!" Below this there is a list of checkboxes in slightly smaller text whose items include, "Necessary medications, Water & Small snacks, State ID, cash & coins, Fully charged cell phone, Hand sanitizer & a mask, Hat & sunscreen, Our printable "Know Your Rights" & "In Case of Emergency" cards*, A sign". Below this is smaller text which reads "*These are available on our site alongside printable pages to cut and distribute at your demonstration!" End ID.]

[ID: A dark yellow square post with a light yellow rounded square in the middle that takes up most of the post. Inside there is a heading in all-caps, bold, black text that reads "Find a protest near you". Below this is smaller black text that reads "Please reach out to us at connorl@queeryouthassemble.org if you have any questions! Organizing and Protesting resource guides available in our bio now! Check out our page and website to stay up to date on our latest demonstration announcements.". Below this is smaller, centered text that reads "Currently featuring.... Atlanta, San Diego, Seattle, and much more!" End ID.]

[queeryouthassemble]

[ID: A banner-sized collage of photos and graphics with torn edges, attached with tape. One photo is of a queer youth in a jean vest speaking into a megaphone in front of the Supreme Court building. Another features a queer youth wearing glasses and holding a sign reading "Legislate guns not people" in rainbow bubble letters. Another image is a sign that reads "Thank you QYA you are loved and supported" in all-caps red and black painted letters. Another is a poster advertising the "We the Youth Dissent" Washington, D.C. protest. An additional image is of the Supreme Court building with the words "We're here we're queer" stamped over, along with stamps of famous queer activists. Another features a queer youth with orange hair and glasses holding a sign which reads, "Diversity is a necessity" in blue all-capital letters. Another image is of a Black woman standing at a microphone. Toward the right are three images: a sign in all-caps rainbow bubble letters that reads "respect our existence, expect our resistance" with a peace sign, a queer youth holding a progress flag printed with the word equality, and white painted letters reading "Let us live." Below are red letters that read, "Impeach Thomas + Alito" in all-caps. There is an image of a queer youth with pale skin and dark hair in a jean jacket speaking into a red bullhorn, which has stickers that read "Fuck the Proud Boys" and "DC Rats." In the bottom right is the QYA logo. End ID.]

[immoralimmortals]

Akatsuki Flowers! What a lovely ask. Let's look at your suggestions first:

Hidan, prince's feather:

Ohhhh immortality! I think that's perfect. Apparently a nickname for this flower is "kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate"

Deidara, buttercups:

Youth, joy, play, simple pleasures? Interesting choice, I can see why you went this direction! Matches his hair, too. It seems awfully innocent for him, I wonder if he'd disagree!

Deidara, australian rose:

A couple of results say "you are all that is lovely", and my gut tells me that may not be what you intend? But nevermind that LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS

Anyhow!

I've used a little bit of flower symbolism, as you've probably guessed, for my fic! Red roses (and their various states of life, death, and preservation) and forget-me-nots are pretty obvious, though. But I used two others, hydrangeas, and daffodils, and they both suit Kisame!

Kisame, hydrangea, daffodil:

I picked a hydrangea festival, for one because it's a real thing that happens, and two, it means heartfelt emotion! I think Kisame feels with all of his being, intensely. He, as many people are not, is someone very aware that he is not always aware, if that makes sense; he is wary of the way his blood can boil, rage heating under the skin. Goes along with him not always feeling "human." Daffodil, the flower I used for the lotion in my fic, is in opposition as it stands for truth and honesty. We all know "truth" is sort of Kisame's thing. It's his pinnacle of morals, his reason for living, and then dying. I think it keeps him in line, too.

Itachi, white poppy:

Consolation, Rest, (Eternal) Sleep, Peace, Dormant Affection. He's a man that is a nice comparison and foil to Kisame, because like him, he feels deeply and has to deal with that in order to carry out his sacred duty. He is a man that wants peace, and with the short time he has on Earth tries to use it to redeem himself, his brother, the Uchiha name as well as he can, all the while dreaming that things will eventually go for the better. Dead man walking, a ghost with work to do.

Nagato, flowers of the elm tree:

Protection, Warn of Others, Purification of tainted areas. He protects his village by summoning rain, keeping watch of who even so much as whispers dissent. His land is pure. And he will purify the world. Perhaps it's a warning about him, too.

Konan, white rose:

Honestly this is a pretty predictable choice lol. I think she's emotionally...stagnant. In constant mourning, even if by her definition she's entirely moved on. Like Nagato, she takes her pain and uses it to continue, define her existence. She is the right hand, that which Pain uses to purify, an angel who does not boast of her power. She merely acts upon the will of that which justifies death.

Kakuzu, spruce, chamomile

Spruce: Eternal hardiness, Endurance, Symbol of North and Cold.

Chamomile: Patience, Attracts Wealth, Energy in Adversity

Yeah, I know spruce isn't technically a flower, but it's a growth on a tree and something you'll see in the language of flowers, so I'm using it. Kakuzu's ring, of course, means "north", and I honestly think it's fascinating to think of that in comparison to the north wind. He is a man as hardy and cold as the world he's trudged through. He's the definition of withstanding the worst, both physically and emotionally. The chamomile goes along with that, with a tenacity to make things work. You don't get to live to be 91 and still an active rogue ninja without a willingness to crack some eggs.

(also my art accounts are all chamomile-carillon or some variation. I love chamomile. And I love Kakuzu. yea)

Sasori, the four ancient poisons:

Aconite: Lustre (reflected light), Misanthropy

Hellebore: A Beautiful Year Ahead, Wit Relieve My Anxiety, Relieve my anxiety, tranquilize me

Hemlock:   You will cause my death

Nightshade: Truth, Silence; Your Thoughts are Dark ; Falsehood ; witchcraft/sorcery

I at first was just going for poison but all of these are PERFECT for him in their own right. Misanthropic man who wants to feel numb, wants to cause death and ultimately chooses to die. The contradiction of nightshade being both truth and falsehood...reminds me of how contradictory he is. A man who is trying to gain all the time in the world, absolutely impatient and unwilling to wait a second. Oh I can see the art for this in my head now....

Obito, love-lies-bleeding:

Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus): Desertion, Hopelessness, Constant, Unchangeable, Immortal or Unchangable Love, Immortality, Fidelity, Everlasting Friendship

This one just kind of has it all for him. The way everything good that ever happened to him left his world, his steeled resolve, his extended life via Madara's help, his love for Rin... Hoo.

Zetsu, two-bloomed green rose, dock flower, astilbe

Two-bloomed rose: Secrecy

Green rose: alien, strange, We Are Worlds Apart

Dock: patience

Astilbe (false goat's beard): I'll Still Be Waiting

He's really defined by his patience-- black Zetsu especially but white Zetsu was also playing the long game too, sticking around Obito since his childhood. The rose is pretty self-explanatory; he keeps a lot of secrets and he exists in a way that is very hard for others to comprehend. I figure he has difficulty understanding others, too.

[novafire-is-thinking]

Cybertronian Color Psychology

I wasn’t planning to write an essay on Cybertronians and color psychology just yet, but here I am doing just that, thanks to a recent discussion with @onewingedsparrow.

Basically, my thinking revolves around what kinds of meanings Cybertronians might have assigned to certain colors and how they differ from human color associations. We already know that colors can mean entirely different things to different human cultures (e.g. black and white can both be associated with death depending on where you come from).

My best speculative example for Cybertronians is purple. Before I continue, keep in mind that I’m ignoring the fact that purple is a common color used for villains in fiction because that’s boring and doesn’t leave much room for deeper implications.

Megatron’s Favorite Color

When looking at human color psychology, purple is often associated with things like Imagination, Mystery, Royalty, and Spirituality. Darker shades are closely tied to different emotions and traits than are lighter shades, but as a general rule, purple is more “mystical” and abstract than a color such as green, which is more grounded and earthy.

Now, I point to the trend of Megatron and his Decepticons choosing to adorn themselves and/or their spaces with purple.

I agree 100%, Megatron.

Despite Megatron’s reputation of ruthlessness and using force and power of will to make progress, he’s often also portrayed as a charismatic individual with an affinity for wielding words in beautiful ways that capture and hold a listener’s attention—a poet in his own way. Megatron may be loud and threatening, but he’s also strategically minded; words and actions carry weight and intentionality.

What does this have to do with color? Well, I like to think that Megatron chose purple as the chief color of the Decepticon cause for a reason. I’ll present two likely possibilities.

Possibility #1:

Perhaps he chose purple because on Cybertron, or at least in his region of origin, purple was/is associated with things like Vision, Change, Power, and Rebirth—things the Decepticon movement was originally meant to embody. Both he and Soundwave—his most loyal ally and companion—have been shown to bear the color purple in multiple continuities, even if only on the Decepticon insignia.

Possibility #2:

Purple could have been a color often associated with the highest castes (similar to it’s association with earth royalty). This would mean that Megatron’s choice of color was more an act of defiance, knowing that those in Cybertron’s higher castes would be livid, or at least shocked at the sight of him and his “lowly” Decepticon dissenters flaunting the color so boldly. Of course, by the end of the war, Megatron would have effectively changed Cybertron’s deeply rooted cultural perception of the color purple forever. But even if this were the case, the color would still end up associated with Vision, Change, Power, and Rebirth.

Other Possible Cybertronian Color Associations:

(and several bots who don the colors and happen to embody some or all of the characteristics—all of which are positive since I don’t have the patience to identify and list the negative ones even though they absolutely would exist)

Red: Grandeur, Swiftness of mind and/or body, Discovery, Fearlessness

Optimus (multiple continuities)

Starscream (multiple continuities)

Rodimus/Hot Rod (IDW & Cyberverse)

Drift (IDW)

Perceptor (IDW)

Windblade (IDW & RiD 2015)

Knockout (TFP)

Blue: Knowledge/Intellect, Wisdom, Sacrifice, Honor, Creativity

Optimus (multiple continuities)

Dreadwing (TFP)

Arcee (TFP)

Ultra Magnus (TFP & IDW)

Kup (IDW)

Skids (IDW)

Brainstorm (IDW)

Green: Endurance, Steadfastness, Brotherhood, Youthfulness

Bulkhead (TFP & TFA)

Skyquake (TFP)

Boulder (Rescue Bots)

Springer (IDW*)

Hoist (IDW*)

Cosmos (IDW* & Cyberverse)

Constructicons (multiple continuities)

*I haven’t read all of IDW 1 yet and have only seen these characters a handful of times, so these correlations may be off.

Of course, not all Cybertronians of a certain color fit the listed traits or would even bother to wear a color because of any cultural associations. I’m just looking at overarching patterns and generalizing.

TL;DR It’s reasonable to believe that Cybertronian color psychology differs at least somewhat from human color psychology. Also, Decepticon purple is a thing, most likely due to Megatron and his not-so-secret poetic side.

[EDIT] Still thinking about this 4+ hours later, and I JUST realized that I totally forgot about Spectralism:

I beg thy forgiveness, Drift. I promise Spectralism holds a special place in my inner archive of beautiful and intriguing ideas to ponder. My tired brain just had a memory lapse.

^ [context: Rodimus chose purple and blue as his new colors.] Yes, Megatron is a warlord with a long history of violence. No, he’s not and never has been a Spectralist. These meanings are most likely coincidental. However, it would definitely be extra interesting if Megatron were a practicing Spectralist.

Drift’s explanation above is an excellent example of color association in a religious context, separate from mainstream culture’s assigned meanings.

My knowledge of world religions and the significance each places on certain colors is limited, but those details are secondary to the main point—that color associations vary widely between earth cultures and religions and the same is certainly true for Cybertron, as Drift’s revelation implies.

I would love to see a future TF writer expand upon Spectralism in canon for a future comic or other media. Fanart would be taken to a whole new level. ✨ Colors always have had and always will have meaning, people. And I’m over here going nuts over the potential implications those diverse and multi-layered associations could have for a species with colors embedded in their very bodies.

Now I’m chuckling at myself because I’m realizing how much I sound like Drift with this entire post. Speculating about color—yeah, Drift and I would get along just fine. *wistful sigh* I think I need to sleep.

[fandomtrash-whataboutit]

Fairy Tail Freed Justine Thesis

Part 2a. (Of ???)

Part 2 is meant to be ‘Character’, but I wanted a separate post to talk about the gay thing. And it does need to be talked about.

This is another topic in which my personal process feels significant to this amalgamation of nerdom, so here it is. Sometimes, my therapist lets me just talk about the hyperfixation for 40 minutes straight. And, to be clear, while this is not a shipping post, I personally am a fraxus shipper, and it is going to come up, because Freed’s treatment when around Laxus is part of ‘the gay thing’. Now, I was rambling about all of this when it hit me like a truck, and made me a little sad. Technically, it is, and I do consider it, canon that Freed is queer, because guess what I didn’t realize until three years after I watched the show? All those moments of Freed being weird around Laxus? The joke is ‘haha he’s acting gay’ and they are very much homophobic jokes that are, admittedly, the product of this story really coming from the early 2000s, not 2020 when I watched it. But Freed is the butt of gay jokes, and unfortunately that is what is happening. Is it any wonder that my brain clings onto this character so hard?

But now, beyond the realization/explanation. You don’t need to be a shipper for this, and in fact I actively encourage non-shippers to read this, because I’m gonna try my best to keep this directly to all the things in canon. The gay thing is important to Freed’s character, especially because he is a minor character and therefore the few main identity features that he is given are the majority of what we know about him. Now I’ll be honest, I don’t have a great recollection of those moments because I get insane second hand embarrassment, but a large part of our introduction especially to Freed is that ‘unflinching devotion’ to Laxus (believe me, we’ll get into that). This is another thing that is very much sprinkled in and left to let my creativity run wild.

There is this seemingly unintentional depth ascribed to the relationship between Freed and Laxus in the Battle of Fairy Tail arc. Because Freed is completely devoted, so he is willing to go into this fight and do things he doesn’t agree with all for Laxus’ sake. But he is also willing to call Laxus out on it, to voice his dissent, to inevitably side WITH fairy tail. And there is never a lessening of his care or friendship with Laxus, it is a simple disagreement over method despite the Freed’s implied knowledge of the parts of Laxus’ youth that pushed him to that sort of behavior. There’s this balance that isn’t normally displayed in side characters like this, especially at their first introduction. Bixlow and Evergreen are portrayed as mainly following Laxus but still enjoying the chance to start a fight, but Freed? He is shown to have his loyalty to the guild and his morals at odds with his devotion to the person he cares for the most. Laxus’ side is criminally under-explored but the relationship is given an astonishing amount of depth from Freed’s side things, and that relationship, as well as and combined with being the subject of repeated gay jokes, actually make up a large and important part of Freed’s character.

[harrisonarchive]

A telegram from George Harrison to President Nixon, dated August 16, 1973 (courtesy of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services via Kansas City Star).

“A handwritten note on top of the telegram asks, ‘Is this one of the former Beatles?’ Yes, it was. The telegram, a terse protest of the bombing of Cambodia, was addressed to then-President Richard Nixon and sent to the White House by George Harrison on August 16, 1973. […] Harrison’s records are noteworthy because they help complete a story of government paranoia, of Nixon’s exploitation of federal agents to undercut what was then growing youth dissent toward the Vietnam War. Not a small factor was Nixon’s own fear that he wouldn’t be re-elected in 1972. [...] He’d previously been granted entry, despite officials knowing about the 1969 conviction. Here is the text of the telegram, retaining the misspellings [of the transcriber] and garbled syntax: ‘Sir how can you bomb Cambonian [sic] citizens and worry about kicking me out of the country for smoking marijuana at the time. Your repressive emperaour [sic] war monger ways stop before too piece luv we will run the world Harry Krisher Hare Hara Krishne Hare Hara Hare Hara Krishner [sic]. George Harrison.’” - The Kansas City Star, August 11, 2017 (x)