Say Her Name. Ma’Khia Bryant.

"Never Again"

Pro-choice chalk graffiti seen outside the US Supreme Court during a protest against the court's decision to overturn the legal protections for abortion access.

Approximately 130,000 - 260,000 Americans have been forced to flee their homes because of legislation criminalizing trans existence.

open.substack.com

US Internal Refugee Crisis: 130-260k Trans People Have Already Fled

A growing refugee crisis is occurring in the United States, and it is getting very little coverage. I highlight the growing migration crisis

That’s 8% of transgender Americans. An additional 43% of transgender Americans are seriously considering moving due to laws criminalizing our existence and healthcare.

“So many people are completely helpless to get out, even with all the bumps and roadblocks, the fact is I'm still one of the lucky ones.” Said Sheena, a trans woman who fled from from Florida.

“it's evident that the United States is in the throes of a swelling crisis of internally displaced political refugees. Over a million people, themselves contemplating relocation in the coming months, remain in a state of apprehensive vigilance, awaiting the potential signal that they too must bid farewell to their homes.”

Via Erin Reed, a professional policy tracker of transgender legislation. June 13, 2023.

Throwback to all these Jesus comics I drew in 2012…

In WWII, in 6 years, 67 journalists were killed

In the Vietnam war, in 20 years, 63 journalists were killed

In Gaza, in 70 days, 89 journalists were killed

#EmmyForGameChanger

When you first start to consider that you might be bisexual, a whole new world of possibilities suddenly opens up. Essentially, your personal dating pool just doubled in size at a time when you’re still trying to figure out your own identity. It can be a lot. Here’s how to explore your bisexuality without getting overwhelmed.

Feel out what this means for you, however you want

There’s a big misconception that goes along with coming out, so let’s dispel it right away: You don’t have to immediately start getting physical with people to prove to yourself or others that you “really” are bi.

Haley Jakobson, a writer based in Brooklyn, explained that there is a lot of pressure on newly-out people to “prove” their sexuality, but that pressure is unfairly and unequally applied to the LGBTQ+ community. She pointed out that it would be bizarre for an adult to tell a child they couldn’t possibly know they were straight until they kissed a classmate of the opposite gender, so it should be seen as equally inappropriate to say something like that to a newly-out bisexual adult.

Kissing and physical touch may not even be your primary objective in this journey, either, and that’s totally fine. Jakobson pointed out that engaging in community could be a priority that outweighs intimacy and suggested going to queer bars, posting on LGBTQ+ community-based apps and forums, and listening to podcasts and reading books about sexuality.

“These are all things you can do without actually, you know, smooching someone,” she said. “I think that when we say ‘explore sexuality,’ we kind of immediately think of getting intimate or fucking someone, and I think that’s not great because that’s a lot of pressure.”

She added that there is “trial and error” involved in finding compatibility and chemistry with anyone. Don’t rush into that. There is no right or wrong way to explore. Go as slowly as you need or want to. Spend some time messaging back and forth on a dating app. Flirt at a queer bookstore or club.

Be patient with yourself

Once someone begins identifying as bisexual, Jakobson said, there are plenty of potential issues to contend with. There can be feelings of imposter syndrome, internalized biphobia, and patriarchal expectations of what a bisexual person even is to deal with, she said.

There are stereotypes and stigmas associated with bisexual people, too, and that sort of external force can really wear you down. Bisexual people can be seen as promiscuous, unable to “just choose” a side, or interested in leading people on. It’s not wholly on you to shatter these misconceptions, so remember to do what is best for yourself and not shoulder the weight of society’s incorrect takes. There are people doing great work in the space—writing like Jakobson, or podcasting or posting or advocating in myriad ways for the community—but you don’t have to do that if you aren’t yet comfortable. Work on your own journey day by day.

Instead of focusing on any negativity, embrace the good and fun parts of your queerness, Jakobson said. She noted that she thinks about herself and her sexuality through a joyful frame: “I’m so valid and I’m hot and cool and sexy and just this endless container for love and that deserves to be celebrated.”

You’re not alone, so find your community

No matter how old you are, where you live, or what culture you were raised in, coming out can be a little hard—and acting on your newly-confirmed identity can be hard, too.

Jakobson recommended talking to other LGBTQ+ people online, finding a queer-friendly therapist, and “coming out to people who are just going to be absolutely overjoyed for you.”

“In the coming-out journey we can easily focus on the people who won’t get it but go first to the people who will feel so honored that you are able to express your identity to them,” she said, adding you should “lean into the joy or just kind of deal with the hardship as it comes.”

You can take small steps to feel more involved in the community, go at your own pace, and make friends as you do it all. Remember that you’re worthy of love, respect, and a welcoming attitude.

Sometimes, no matter how many how-to guides you read, this will be overwhelming, but with a little grounding and a group of supportive friends around you, you’ll be fine.

“I choose everyday to lean into the parts of my queerness that are just fun and light and easy,” said Jakobson, “and because I do that, I’m able to hold the parts that are overwhelming.”

^^^

It’s my opinion that like if a white supremacist/Nazi is going to be reformed. They need to do so willingly. The only times I’ve heard of successful rehabilitation of fascists is when they made the conscious decision to no longer be one anymore and seek atonement. People who try to like hug and change fascists that don’t want to change are fucking morons

David Slack warning against AMPTP trying to turn the unions against each other, and stating the facts.

Anti-voting rhetoric will be the death of the left. Literally.

Not a single fucking Republican voted to protect roe. It was fucking overturned in the first place bc trump got three Supreme Court appointments.

Every fucking thing wrong in this country is almost certainly the result of Republicans being in power. In 2020, Texas cut half of the polling places in black neighborhoods, and doubled them in white ones, regardless of population. It was Republicans bitching about mail in voting, and constantly, constantly fearmonger about voter fraud. Literally, their platform is about making civil rights harder to practice.

Would you like to know why? It’s because Republican politicians know better than anyone that higher voter participation means higher republican loss.

But what do I see from the online left, champions of the oppressed?

“Voting doesn’t do anything, the parties are the same, the system is rigged, etc, etc”

Don’t sit here and tell me you give a fuck about marginalized people if you aren’t ready to march your ass to the voting booth and vote out the party actively stripping their rights away.

Protest, donate, community build, unionize, and vote, vote, vote.

By the time direct action is the only option, it will be too fucking late.